Saraya’s moon, Standard Year 404 after founding

  James watched with trepidation as Clara headed out of the bathroom and presumably towards the bar, where she was set to meet the Sarayan cop. She was followed discreetly by Tom and Stacy. With a slight shake of his head, he turned to Henry. “Time to go.” He said shortly. “I’ll take the trunk.”

  The two men remained silent as they walked down the crowded hallway. They knew what they had to do, and neither was in the mood for small talk. James had taken the trunk in part to test his aching arm and so far, the muscles were continuing to function. Henry followed him, watching his back. The arm burned where the frostbite had taken hold, but not as much as it should have. Which meant that the feeling wasn’t coming back to the skin. The skin was permanently dead. If left untreated, in time it would turn black and come off entirely. But that wouldn’t happen today, and he was hoping to be back on the Black Hawk by the time it became an issue. For now, the muscles were working. That was enough.

  He had memorized the layout of the station, but looking at a map couldn’t replace the real thing. He looked around carefully, trying to understand the ebb and flow of humanity as they moved down the narrow, cramped hallways teeming with people. As far as he could see, everyone here was a civilian. The civilian wing of the station was their third target. James had already decided they wouldn’t bother targeting life support or any other vital machinery. The radius of the nuclear bomb would be big enough to hit the vitals, even without them going near the more highly guarded areas. Within those parameters, he expected the third target to be easier than the fourth. The fourth target was the officer’s wing of the station, where access was more restricted.

  Looking around, he was forced to reassess. His initial plan had been to find an out of the way location to offload one of the nukes, but he was beginning to realize that there wasn’t going to be an out of the way location. The problem was that everything was crowded. Every spare nook and cranny of the station was packed with people, many of whom knew the station better than he did. If there was an out of the way, quiet location, someone would damn well be using it. Ironically, in this regard the Tundran’s cover fire was working against them. As the number of damaged ships increased, so did the number of repair crew called into the station. He moved aside as a rowdy group walked past them, two of the six nearly tripping over their trunk.

  “Sorry about that.” A tired looking but surprisingly cheerful woman said with a laugh, as her partner caught her by the waist before she could fall over. “There just isn’t enough space.”

  James watched the group as they went on past, their drunken chatter momentarily overwhelming the background noise of the crowds.

  “Fireworks?” Henry asked softly behind him.

  James shook his head. Tom had doubled down on the fireworks at the point of entry, they had nothing in the immediate vicinity. And he was hesitant to use up what they had. The point of entry was also, hopefully, their future exit. They may yet need that distraction. There was really no way to… he paused, a slow smile spreading across his face. “It’s too crowded.” James said.

  “Yeah, no shit.” Henry muttered. He paused, surprised by the smile.

  “Too crowded.” James repeated cheerfully while a broad-shouldered man kicked their trunk in annoyance as he walked by. “Mission abort.”

  Henry paused, processing the unfamiliar words.

  “Time to visit the officers’ wing.” James said softly. “Let’s drop the trunk off in a storage locker and go for a stroll.” James put on speed as he spoke, pushing past the crowd and ignoring the looks and words of annoyance thrown their way. In retrospect, the damn trunk was far too large and noticeable for this mission.

  Both men breathed a deep sigh of relief when they got rid of the trunk. In their Standard Sarayan clothing, they now blended in with the crowd effortlessly.

  “One month max on the storage lockers.” Henry said with some regret. “Not long enough, is it?”

  “Probably not.”

  “It’s never that easy.” Henry agreed. “Where to?”

  “I heard there’s a bar on twelfth.” James suggested.

  Ten minutes later, they were sitting at an overcrowded table, sipping the disgusting Sarayan water and eating mediocre ration bars. James forced himself to look away from the table where Clara and the cop appeared to be in deep conversation. The cop’s hand was inching its way up her arm. He was about to pretend to look in another direction when Clara’s eyes caught his across the room. She gave the slightest shake of her head before turning back to the cop and saying something. James watched glumly as the two of them got up and walked out, arm in arm.

  “Well?” Henry said, taking another sip of the water, tainted by the taste of allegedly disinfecting filtration.

  There was no way for them to follow her without drawing attention to themselves. And in the end, he had to trust Clara to handle herself. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the mission clock continued to tick. Time was short. They needed to finish and get out. And out on far off Tundra, Alanna was waiting. A POW in a prison cell, with only Dev’s dubious skills to protect her.

  “Let’s go see how the other half lives.” James said.

  He oriented based on the station layout he memorized earlier, but there was no information on how to actually access the officer’s wing. They needed to scout ahead before coming in with an oversized trunk filled with nuclear warheads. Strolling in the right general direction, James noted with some relief that the crowds were clearing out. At the boundary between the two wings of the station, the hallways were finally getting less crowded. There were proportionally less women here than what he was accustomed to seeing elsewhere on the station. Soldiers in Sarayan navy green could now be seen, interspersed with the civilians. And here and there, interspersed with the regular enlisted and the more confident marines who walked as if they owned the halls, were a few officers, their golden officer’s stripes glinting off collars and sleeves. They continued on as the portion of civilian to military personnel continued to decrease, until James noted the odd looks they were receiving from some of the marines.

  “You lost?” One of the more heavily built men asked him bluntly.

  “You should head back.” The large man’s smaller friend said, her eyes not unkind. “You meet the wrong person out here, you may not come back.”

  With a nod James hoped was appropriately respectful, they turned around and headed back at a fast clip. They were headed back the way they came, breathing a quiet sigh of relief as the sight of others in civilian clothing became more common. The comforting sound of regular shoes rather than the hard thud of Sarayan steel toed military boots echoed in the hallways. James paused suddenly, his instincts on alert. They were in some of the last of the wider hallways, signaling the transition between the military and civilian wings of the station, and it had suddenly grown eerily quiet. The background chatter of voices was replaced by the distinct sound of several men talking and laughing.

  “Help!” A woman’s scream echoed across the hallway. “Someone please help me!”

  Henry leaned towards him, his voice pitched for James’s ears alone. “Based on how everyone’s cleared out, I’m guessing no one will. Should we wait them out?”

  “Might take a while.” James said, equally softly. And they were short on time. Everyone on the station would remain inside as the radiation of the Sarayan sun beat down overhead. But darkness would descend in just a few more hours, and workers were expected to head out. If they wanted to head out with the crowd, sunset would be the best time. And after all, the lady did ask for assistance. “Let’s see how many.” James said softly.

  There was no real cover as they moved down the hallway. If noticed, their best chance was to simply pretend they were trying to avoid any trouble while heading back to the civilian side of the station. Nevertheless, they hugged the wall on one side, on the off chance it kept them from being noticed as they approached. As they got nearer, James realized the sound was coming from an alcove to the side of the hallway. Perhaps it had been occupied by some machinery at one point but now it provided the perfect trap for the unwary. There were two of them, both in Sarayan marine uniforms. Based on the size of the alcove, the two men’s backs formed an impenetrable wall, making it impossible for anyone inside the alcove to escape.

  James sent the signal to attack but Henry was already moving. Coming from behind, they attacked simultaneously, putting both marines into a chokehold.

  Unfortunately, while the two men were drunk, they were not entirely untrained. James winced as his opponent slammed him full force against the corner of the alcove, ramming it against his spine. Henry’s opponent managed to get his gun out of the holster, raising it up to fire backwards. Assuming the gun was set to stun, he may decide to take the chance and hit himself and his opponent, knowing his friends would be along to take care of the problem after they both passed out.

  “Get the gun!” James shouted, doing his best to turn his head towards the woman and make her understand, as the marine slammed him into another wall. His left arm was going dangerously numb, as the damage from the frostbite was making itself felt at the worst possible time. With grim determination, he hung on.

  Terrified, the young woman, more of a girl really, ran towards James and his opponent, trying to unlatch the marine’s holster. The other gun, James thought in exasperation. But you took your allies as you found them, and this wasn’t the time to confuse her further. He held on tighter and squeezed.

  Sensing the danger, Henry let go and attacked his opponent from the front. Instinctively, the marine used his gun to block the punch, rather than using it to shoot them both.

  The girl had finally managed to get the gun out of its holster and was trying to hold it up with her trembling hands, the barrel pointing somewhere between her feet and the marine James was trying to choke out.

  “Don’t shoot!” James shouted in exasperation. If she shot them both now, the overflow from the stunner would hit hard enough to slow him down, or take him out entirely.

  For an instant the girl looked utterly confused but then, to her credit, she moved in and hit James’s opponent in the face with the gun. Hard. The man finally went down. Grabbing the gun from the girl’s nervous fingers, James turned on the other marine. Reading his mind as he always did, Henry jumped out of the way, leaving James with a clear shot. James shot his own passed out opponent for good measure, making sure he wouldn’t start coming around at an inopportune time.

  “Strip them.” James said without pause, moving to do so.

  Eyes wild, the girl seemed like she was about to help. “No.” James stopped her firmly. “I’m not going to hurt you but I need your underwear and your jacket. Now. Step back into the alcove if you want privacy.” He added as an afterthought.

  “Keep screaming for help.” Henry suggested with a slight smile. “It did a great job scaring everyone off last time.”

  “Are… are you serious?”

  “He is.” James nodded. He observed with some satisfaction that his opponent had a large tattoo on his arm, a rising sun overlayed by the image of a spaceship. A classic symbol of the Sarayan navy. Perfect.

  The girl screamed. Henry shrugged. She went for the wrong gun but all in all she was cooperating. It could have been worse. He noted he was faster than James at stripping his opponent. James was trying to hide it, but his left arm was bothering him more than he let on. Without saying anything on the subject, Henry took the jacket and underwear from the girl. Given her small frame, the jacket was unfortunately small, but it would have to do. He did his best to bundle the distinctive Sarayan green uniforms under the small jacket. Guns and weapons went into the oversized pockets of their cargo pants, hopefully not too blatantly noticeable. They had initially chosen to forego weapons in case they were stopped and searched, but with Sarayan marine uniforms in hand, their calculus changed drastically.

  With a slight wince, James took out the knife one of the marines had in an ankle holster and sliced the palm of his hand. Smearing blood on the hands and crotches of the two now naked marines, he tossed the young girl’s underwear on the floor. It wasn’t subtle or even particularly realistic, and a simple DNA test would show the blood belonged to a man. But it didn’t need to be. On a crowded station with tensions running high, this was just the tableau they needed to rile up the civilian population.

  “Move out.” He nodded to Henry. James sighed as the girl, somewhat predictably, followed them.

  “Thank you.” She said quietly. “I don’t know why you did what you did, but thank you. If there’s anything I can do…”

  “Get off the station.” James said shortly. “Tonight, if you can. Don’t wait. Your DNA will be found on the scene. If you have a record…”

  “I don’t!”

  “You should still get off the station.” James lowered his voice as he saw others walking past. In the distance behind them, he heard shouts of outrage as the two marines were found. The scene of the crime, perfectly staged. He smiled, and walked on.

  ---

  On a crowded space station, rumors spread like wildfire. By the time they returned, it seemed to have reached everyone. James tried to hide his grin as he listened in on stray bits of conversation, walking down the narrow hallways on their way back to their sleeping pods.

  “But where’s the girl?”

  “Probably dead. I heard there was blood everywhere!”

  “How do you know they were marines?”

  “Have you seen marines? Believe me, you’d know.”

  “If the girl is dead, who took out the…”

  “Maybe she fought back.”

  “Maybe her boyfriend found them.”

  “Maybe best not to ask too many questions!”

  When they returned to their bunks, Tom was waiting for them. His sharp eyes took them both in, from the stiff way James was moving to the bundle of clothes Henry was carrying, Sarayan navy green peeking out from under the small tan woman’s jacket.

  “How’s the girl?” He asked, his voice pitched low.

  “Alive.” James said with a grin, surreptitiously holding out his still bleeding hand. He had taken anti clotting medication, knowing blood clots were a common side effect of severe frostbite. It would take some time for the bleeding to stop.

  Tom threw his head back and laughed. “What’s next?” He asked.

  James turned to Henry. “We get the trunk and go back.”

  Henry put a hand on his arm, holding James back. “We need Clara.” He said.

  “She’s not back yet. Maybe I can help?” Tom offered.

  Both James and Henry shook their heads.

  “I think we should wait for Clara.” Henry said.

  James hesitated. “Everyone heads out at sunset.” He said softly. “If we’re late, we miss the crowd.”

  “We need Clara.” Henry repeated.

  “We’ll wait an hour. No more.” James said, tension evident in his voice. “And we get the trunk now. It’ll fit on Clara’s bed.”

  Henry nodded, accepting the inevitable. They went to get the trunk. Two more nuclear warheads in their possession. In a noticeably oversized trunk that attracted notice wherever they went. God damn but he hated this mission.

  They came back with the trunk just in time to see Clara headed towards them. She looked normal enough, other than her eyes, which were a bit too wide and a bit too wild.

  “Shower.” Clara said before either of them could get a word out. She walked past them and straight into the bathing facilities.

  James opened his mouth and once again shut it, unsure of what to say. Henry shrugged. It wasn’t as if they could follow Clara. The hallway lined with sleeping pods was getting quieter now and the lights had been lowered. Most of the people in the area were working on ship repairs. They came in with the sunrise and went back out as the sun set. It was getting to the middle of the sleep cycle now, when both the early risers and the late owls were fast asleep. The two men had just settled on adjacent bunks to wait, when a scream pierced the muted sounds around them.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  James was up before he realized what he was doing. It was Clara. Once again, Henry’s hand was on his shoulder.

  “Clara can handle anyone in there.” Henry said quietly. Besides, he strongly suspected it wasn’t an attack that triggered the scream.

  A few minutes later, Clara walked out of the showers. A woman whose sleeping pod was right next to the bathing facilities looked at her sleepily. Without saying a word, she handed Clara a filtered water bottle. After only a brief hesitation, Clara drank from it. With a nod of gratitude she walked past, towards James and Henry.

  “Are you…” James began.

  “I don’t want to talk about it. What’s next?”

  James shook his head slightly, motioning for Clara to get into the sleeping pod where he was sitting with Henry. Up until then, they had left the pod unsealed, relying on their low voices to keep others from overhearing. But this was going to be a lengthier conversation.

  Gritting her teeth, Clara got in and pulled up her legs, letting James close the seal that would provide them with greater privacy. “This isn’t doing anything for my reputation.” She noted with a snort.

  “There isn’t any water in the showers.” James pointed out. “It’s an exfoliation based dry shower.”

  “James.” Clara took a very deep breath. “If you and I survive this, I will very likely kill you.”

  James paused. “Fair enough.”

  “What now?” Clara asked.

  “We need to get to the officers wing.” James shifted in the murky light, letting Clara see the green cloth of a Sarayan marine uniform.

  “You got one?” Clara asked softly.

  “Two. Should be about the right fit for us.” James nodded.

  Clara crossed her arms. “And me? I’m guessing it’s not the right fit for me.”

  “We need you to be the bait.” Henry spoke up, saying what he knew James would not want to say.

  “Fine.” Clara said shortly. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  “Not yet.” James held out a hand. “I want to think this through before we go in. First question, how do we get past the security checkpoint? And with a giant ridiculously oversized trunk, no less.”

  “We put Clara in the trunk.” Henry said immediately. “Special delivery for… whoever. Let’s say Captain Shaw.”

  James shook his head. “Best not to specify, she might not be his type.”

  Clara crossed her arms. “Really? How much in the mood for this do you think I am?”

  “Clara you are a goddess among women. But tastes…”

  “We don’t specify unless we need to.” Henry interrupted. “Moving on.”

  “Special delivery may get us past as no one wants to ask any questions. Or it may have the opposite effect.” James pointed out.

  “Then we shoot our way out.” Henry shrugged. “Unless someone has a better idea?”

  James rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t love the plan. “Let’s come back to it. Assume we get past security. We’re inside, walking around with the damn trunk. Even assuming we managed not to set off any alarms at that point, it’s not likely we’ll have the opportunity to start drilling holes or opening up walls.”

  “How carefully did you pick out your targets?” Clara asked.

  “What?”

  “For the uniforms.” She nodded toward the green clothing. “How well are they going to fit? And the shoes?”

  James winced. “Probably not perfectly.” He admitted. “It was more of a spur of the moment kind of operation.”

  “So you’re walking around in ill fitting uniforms.” Clara said pointedly.

  “We’ll need to use the fireworks.” James said with reluctance. They didn’t ask Tom to go inside the restricted area, but he had succeeded in placing the fireworks nearby. Close enough that the alarms should spread to the secured wing. Security checkpoints weren’t a barrier against fires. All alarms in the vicinity would go off.

  Henry and Clara nodded. None of them mentioned the obvious. If they used the fireworks on their way in, they had nothing to use on the way out.

  “Even then, it won’t be enough of a distraction for us to drill holes without anyone noticing.” Clara pointed out.

  James nodded. The only thing they’d have time for would be to drop the trunk in an out of the way place and head back out. He paused. “The workers wing lockers are only good for a month.” He said thoughtfully.

  Henry sat up. “You think the officers wing offers longer term storage?”

  “Reasonable assumption.” Clara said, perking up.

  “We go with that.” James said decisively. “I’m going to talk to Tom and then we head out.”

  Unsealing the sleeping pod and ignoring the curious look of a man across the hall, who was unexpectedly awake, James climbed out and went to join Tom, who had left his bunk unsealed as he waited for them. Sealing the space, he turned to Tom, who looked back, calm and patient as an iceberg in the Tundran winter. Once again, James tipped his hat to Alanna’s chosen second in command. “We’re going back in.” He said softly. “I’d like to leave the equipment in storage, there isn’t time to do much else. We should be back within a few hours. If we don’t return, you should leave the station. I’m sending you the location of our shuttle now, in case you decide you need to go. I’m also sending you the location of the diamonds. You can pick them up on your way. Everything is pre-programmed, the shuttle should get you out. It’s up to you whether to go to Tundra or to head back to Saraya, but you know what I would recommend.”

  Tom nodded, his face shadowed and unreadable in the dim light of the small sleeping pod. “And if you do get back?” He asked.

  “If you want to go to Tundra, walk out with us. If you want to go back to Saraya, leave alone. You should still leave the station as soon as you can. They’re more likely to investigate and question the people who are here. You can even leave now if you want. You have what we promised, and you’ve provided all that we’ve asked. We’re good.”

  Tom rubbed the back of his neck. “And I can’t help? You’re definitely going in alone?”

  “We’re going in alone.” James said firmly.

  Tom nodded, with obvious reluctance. “Then go. I’ll wait. Good luck to you.”

  ---

  They headed back in the direction of the alcove where they left the two passed out marines earlier that night. This time, James carried a video jammer in his pocket. Once activated, it would kill the video signal wherever they went. There weren’t many people out and about this late into the sleep cycle, and he activated the jammer a few turns past their bunks. As they approached their destination, he noted that the whole place seemed deserted, either due to the late hour or perhaps the events earlier that night. As a precaution, Henry and Clara stood blocking the view of any passersby while James changed, followed by Henry.

  Clara eyed them both dubiously. It wasn’t so noticeable that they would get stopped walking down the hallway, but there was zero chance they would get past a security checkpoint without those ill fitting uniforms raising red flags. “Trade your shoes.” Clara suggested glumly. “I think it’ll be a slightly better fit.”

  Fortunately, one of the marines had a second firearm in an ankle holster. James handed it over to Clara, pausing to hold out the knife that belonged to the other marine.

  “Give me that too.” Clara said.

  “Ready for fireworks?” James asked with an unexpected grin.

  “Oh yeah, we’re gonna need the fireworks.” Clara eyed the trunk balefully. “I’m not getting in.” She said suddenly. “Hear me out.” She forestalled James before he interrupted. “It’s fully anti-grav. Just load me on top and pretend you’re using the damn thing to move me around. I need to see what’s going on.”

  “Deal.” James agreed immediately. It was time to move in.

  Fortunately, there was a sign for the security checkpoint. Fully in character now, Clara was pretending to be mostly passed out on top of the trunk while Henry and James leaned against it, acting as if they could use the support to stay upright, and hopefully masking the ill fit of their clothing. Feeling inspired, Henry started singing the Sarayan national anthem. Loudly.

  “Shut up.” One of the guards shouted from up ahead, helping them gauge the distance more accurately.

  Henry raised his voice louder. “What about patriotism, brothers?” He shouted in between verses.

  “For god’s sake.” Another voice muttered.

  “They need to start watering down the beer.” A third distinct voice spoke up, this one a woman.

  Three guards, Clara thought with regret. This wasn’t the civilian’s wing, where they left poor Eric alone to deal with a crowd of hundreds. They had at least three people guarding the entrance. They were well within sight now. Three marines standing around in various poses of relaxation. No one had their guns out. So far so good. She knew James well enough to know he would try to talk his way through and save the fireworks one last time. Clara sagged lower, looking up from underneath her lashes. The smaller of the two men looked back, his eyes narrowing slightly to meet hers. Clara reached into her pocket and set off the fireworks with her left hand. The instant the guard looked away from her and out towards the noise, she shot him. James and Henry weren’t far behind, taking out the other two guards with the same seamless precision. They moved in.

  “Stay down.” James said to Clara as he saw more people coming their way. He pushed the antigrav trunk down and behind them, hoping the sound of alarms and the evacuation stampede, would keep it from being noticed.

  “Evacuation route!” The man in the front shouted, pointing deeper into the station.

  “Wha?” Henry tried the ‘too drunk to walk straight’ trick, stumbling further away from the trunk. To his surprise, the man grabbed him, seemingly intending to pull him along to safety. Doubling down, Henry allowed his feet to collapse under him entirely. Unfortunately, the man was stronger than he looked. He dragged Henry about ten feet before realizing that the second marine and the girl weren’t following. With a grunt of exasperation, the Sarayan marine turned back, perhaps hoping to convince them to head in the right direction. Fortunately, the hall had cleared out by then. Henry shot him in the back, carefully pulling the man to the side of the hall before heading on at a slower rate. It took them another ten minutes or so to find the storage area, but fortunately by then the whole place was cleared out and deserted. James and Clara covered the entrance while Henry loaded the trunk into long term storage and paid out most of their remaining credits to cover the cost.

  “Six months.” He said quietly, walking back towards Clara and James at a run. “Let’s go.”

  It was eerily quiet as they headed back. The itch on the back of James’s neck was nearly unbearable now. The fireworks had been close to the security checkpoint. Was it enough time for someone to discover what they’d done? Perhaps. His eyes met Clara and he saw the same thought on her face. “Ambush.” She mouthed.

  “Set to kill.” James said, his eyes meeting Clara’s across the hallway.

  Clara swallowed, her eyes wide. But in the end, training took over. She followed orders and set her gun to kill, knowing Henry would do the same. They were close to the security checkpoint now and she could see the prone bodies of the three security guards they had stunned on their way in. Of course, the Sarayans had figured out something was up. The good news was that unless someone was coming from behind them, the layout was in their favor. There was more cover on the inside, where the security personnel was usually stationed. If there was an ambush out there, their attackers would need to stand out in the open.

  “Call for help.” James suggested softly, looking at Clara.

  Clara nodded. “Help!” She shouted. “Help me, please!”

  There was no response, only more silence.

  “Ambush.” Henry echoed the sentiment. It had been about fifteen minutes since the fire alarms went off. Someone should have been out there. Someone should have responded to a call for help coming from the officer’s wing.

  James reached down and took off both his shoes. The damn things were tight anyway. He tossed one of the boots out into the open hallway. As expected, the sound of stunner fire filled the air. At least five, he thought. And if they were out there now, someone would be coming in behind them. He could hear nothing yet, but backup was on its way. He was certain of it.

  “They don’t have cover.” James said quietly, moving into position. “We try to take them out from here. Fast.”

  Clara and Henry were already in position on the other side of the entry. James threw out the second boot before sticking out his head and firing. The scream of pain let him know that at least one of his killing rounds had hit their target. And their eager opponents just realized they weren’t using stunner fire. With luck, that would clear out some of the less courageous souls. With a grunt, James picked up one of the prone bodies of the guards they had stunned on the way in and heaved it out towards the doorway. The Sarayans returned fire, still set to stun. Using the body of the stunned guard as a distraction, James, Henry and Clara opened fire. James thought they took out two more, there shouldn’t be many left.

  Henry took off both his boots and threw out the first. No fire came.

  At the very far edge of his hearing, James thought he heard a sound. From behind them. “I’m going out.” He said. “Follow when you can. If anyone is hit, the rest of us keep moving. Clear? Henry.” He caught his friend’s eyes. “Are we clear?”

  “Clear.” Henry echoed.

  Before heading out, in quick succession, James fired at all three of the stunned marines who were guarding the entrance earlier, killing them instantly. He heaved the second body out towards the opening but once again, no shots were fired. Using the two bodies in the entryway as cover, he dove forward, trying to take in the hallway as he dove down. He barely saw the movement to his left but he felt the force of killing rounds piercing the two bodies in front of him. At least one of the marines hadn’t run. And he was fairly certain they were using one of the dead bodies for their own cover.

  “I got him.” Clara’s voice spoke behind him.

  James felt Clara and Henry move out behind him when he saw movement to his right. He aimed automatically, taking down the shooter, when he felt something hit his back. The knife was in his hand, the blade starting to push against the body he felt behind him.

  “Stop. It’s Henry.” Clara’s voice said softly.

  Understanding dawned instantly. Sheathing the knife, James grabbed Henry’s limp body. At least it had been a stun round. There was still a chance. He ran, and Clara followed.

  “You need to change your clothes.” She reminded him as they ran.

  “Shit.” James said under his breath. The reinforcements were coming. He knew he heard them coming from behind. Dumping Henry’s body unceremoniously into the alcove, he pulled on his old cargo pants over the green fatigues and tore off the green shirt, leaving the thin white undershirt he had underneath.

  Glancing at James briefly, Clara did her best to do the same for Henry. James helped her pull off the shirt. “No time. Take our shoes.” He hissed to Clara before heaving Henry over his shoulder and running on.

  “James.” Clara called, running after. “James, let me help you. Let me help you with our drunken friend.” She said more insistently as the first handful of sleepy civilians wandered past, staring at them curiously.

  As usual, James moved fast. She was there just in time to catch Henry on one shoulder, for a far more unassuming look as they approached the more crowded civilian parts of the station. After a few more hallways, James paused briefly to put on his shoes, nodding to Clara as she did the same for Henry. James breathed a small sigh of relief as they hit the area outside the bar, where a good number of civilians continued to mill about. He let the video jammer fall out of his pocket, leaving it amidst the crowd surrounding the bar. With luck, someone might even pick it up and take it with them, further confusing the trail. They kept moving. The station wasn’t on full lockdown yet, but they had used killing rounds. The full lockdown was coming.

  James barely paused when they approached their sleeping pods. “Get in.” He told Clara shortly, dumping Henry on the lowest pod and following him in, sealing the pod after him. His duffel was already there, making it an even tighter fit. He ignored Clara’s wide eyed gaze and dug hastily through his things for the right bottle of pills. This was going to be unpleasant, but they couldn’t get Henry off the station unconscious. He placed two pills under Henry’s tongue and waited briefly. Henry gasped as his body reacted, but his eyes remained shut. Not getting the reaction he’d hoped for, with a slight wince James added a third pill. There wasn’t time. He pulled out two shirts from the duffel, starting to dress Henry as he waited for the pills to take effect.

  “I got it. Get dressed yourself.” Clara pushed his hand away.

  Henry came to with another loud gasp, with James and Clara moving simultaneously to stifle the sound.

  “Keep it down in there.” Someone from the bunk immediately above them shouted.

  “Ignore.” James said shortly. “Henry, I need you to breathe.”

  Henry’s heart was beating like an earthquake, his breath coming out in short gasps as darkness covered his vision. His head felt as if it was locked in a vice and someone was squeezing. Hard.

  “Keep breathing.” James repeated, his steady voice guiding him through the panic.

  Giving Henry a minute to get his beathing slightly more under control, James shoved a water bottle into his mouth. “Drink.” He ordered. “I need you to drink this down. Now.”

  James handed Henry two more pills, one for the pain and another to mitigate the impact of three stimulants, and another bottle of filtered Sarayan water, nearing the end of their supply.

  Henry swallowed the pills and gagged, his eyes rolling. “Hold it down.” James said firmly, putting his hand over Henry’s mouth. “That’s an order. Hold it down.”

  Clara swallowed, watching as Henry’s eyes rolled in the back of his head, his body shaking.

  “Stay with me.” James said, his voice as calm as ever. “Henry, look at me.”

  Barely aware of his surroundings, Henry forced his eyes to focus on James’s face. “Captain.” He said weakly.

  “Henry. I need you to walk. Now. We’re with you, but I need you to walk.”

  “Yes, Captain.” Henry said, his voice barely legible.

  Clara looked up at James, her eyes huge.

  “We move out.” He said. “Now.”

  James unsealed the pod and pulled Henry out, supporting him lightly on his feet and pushing him forward. Clara grabbed her own duffel along with Henry’s.

  “Tom, we’re headed out now.” James said, his voice as calm as ever.

  Tom nodded. He’d seen the three of them come in, just as he’d seen Henry’s fully unconscious condition. He got up and followed, shocked to see the fast clip James set on his way out.

  Their timing was perfect, perhaps even a little early. The Sarayan sun was just beginning to set as they approached the exit. Henry was walking on his own steam now, albeit somewhat unsteadily. They paused to put on their spacesuits, leaving the helmets off as was customary prior to going through any security checkpoints.

  Automatically, Clara began going through the standard checks to make sure her spacesuit was in working order, until she saw James put a hand on her arm and shake his head slightly. Swallowing, she nodded.

  James led the way towards the exit. “Tom, come with us.” James said quietly, wasting precious seconds. “It’s not safe for you to stay here.”

  Tom shook his head, taking a step back.

  There isn’t time. James thought in frustration. There just wasn’t enough time. “If you’re not coming with us, stand back and walk out on your own.” He said. There wasn’t time for anything more.

  The next time Clara glanced behind them, Tom was gone.

  They were early enough to beat the crowds. So early they might end up catching the stray rays of the sun’s radiation on their way out.

  Unabated, James continued to move ahead. He hasn’t slowed down since Henry set the trunk inside that storage locker, Clara thought as she followed. There were only a few people ahead of them, and then suddenly she was looking into Eric’s warm brown eyes.

  “Hey there, lady.” He said with a big smile. “Headed out early?”

  “Uh.” For just an instant, Clara froze before smiling back. “You know how it is. The work is never done.”

  “I know how it is.” Eric agreed. “By the way, you never said. Want to meet for another drink tonight?”

  “I’ll think about it.” Clara responded, her eyes meeting his.

  Eric’s eyes narrowed slightly but in the end, he merely nodded. He was clearly about to waive them through when a buzzing sound came from his wrist comm. With a slight frown, he looked down. “It’s a station wide alert.” He said out loud, voice slightly puzzled. He looked up at Clara and froze, looking into her eyes.

  For a long moment, Clara stared back.

  “Well go on.” Eric said into the silence. “I’ve got an alert to read.” He watched the group walk out, his dark eyes unreadable.

  Once past the inner perimeter, they ran. They ran so fast the ships, shuttles, and other machinery blurred as they went, the shadows cast by the rays of the setting sun stretching out around them. Clara wasn’t sure if the bounce and low gravity was slowing them down or helping them along. There was something oddly unsatisfying about the light contact she had with the ground with every step. She held Henry by one hand while James had the other. He still wasn’t coordinated enough to keep up without assistance. But he had gotten past the security checkpoint. Eric hadn’t even noticed. Or perhaps he had. Clara shook her head and focused on running, relieved to finally see the ships around them becoming more dilapidated, interspersed with unrecognizable bits of what was, essentially, junk. They weren’t likely to meet people out here. Only one more hurdle to go. She pulled to continue running and was surprised when James finally stopped.

  “Moondust.” He reminded her shortly, taking a minute to cover his suit in the moondust covering the ground, their best hope of camouflage as they headed out towards their shuttle. Now with the station on alert.

  With a small gasp, Clara did the same, helping James coat Henry’s spacesuit as well.

  “I’ll slow you down.” Henry finally spoke up. “I’ll slow you down and increase the risk they’ll pick up…”

  “Shut up.” James said shortly.

  Henry shut up. The vice around his head had loosened only slightly, and every step they took brought more pain. The bouncing run along the moon’s surface had been excruciating. He had also thrown up into his suit, but now wasn’t the time to discuss it. The stop had been brief. Covered in moondust, they ran on.

  About twenty minutes later, they were finally sitting inside the shuttle, helmets on. Waiting. They sat in silence, as if somehow the Sarayans would find their target by hearing them speak. James called in the asteroid that was intended to mask their take-off, but it would be nearly an hour before it was positioned to hit their location without raising suspicion.

  “Thirty seconds to impact.” were the next words James said out loud. They braced as the asteroid headed directly towards their shuttle. If the calculations were the slightest bit off, they would be dead by friendly fire.

  The force of impact knocked them about like pebbles in an avalanche. That was when Clara’s harness snapped and her helmeted head hit the ceiling, hard. She heard the sharp crack of glass breaking as their shuttle tumbled off the moon’s surface and out into space.