Addictive Drug
Ushijima W. x Reader
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11) Another Ally Link
The Bosses OfficeïżŒ
Youâve spent your whole morning thinking about what you and Ushijima did. It was like engraved into your mind. No matter what you did, he would always come up.
âThatâs embarrassing...â you mumbled to yourself while walking to the bosses office.
The boss told you that there is something that will be happening and he needs you and the boys to go check it out. Currently you were standing right next to the boys, waiting for what the boss had to say.
âAlright... now that you guys are hereâ the boss started. âI talked with other... agencyâs around in Japan. After doing some snooping, I found that one of the agencyâs I looked into has a bit of info about the man behind the drugsâ
You visibly gulped and looked down at your shoes.
âThe Agency has a team that actually found out about the info. I need you three to meet them up at the located bar to get that info so we can use it for future missions. Dismissed.â
When you and the boys left the office, you checked the location where the other team was at.
âAce Bounce?â You said looking at the location given. âItâs 2 hours away from hereâ you said showing the boys.
âOh great, a bar?â TendĆ sighed.
You titled your head with a smirk. âOh yeah? Why so stressed about it? Light drinker?â
TendĆ raised his eyebrows and looked at Ushijima. âIâm not but this guy is...â
You looked at Ushijima and watched as he ignored TendĆâs remark.
âOh, uh coolâ you awkwardly coughed. âShall we leave now?â You asked the boys.
TendĆ nodded. âIâll warm up the car Wakatoshiâ
âAlright, thanks Satoriâ Ushijima said as he watched his friend walk away.
The awkward tension between you and Ushijima grew as TendĆ walked away. You were awkwardly looking at your phone while Ushijima looked down at his shoes.
âSo...â you started. âI guess Iâll warm up my bike...?â You said getting out your keys and starting to walk away.
âWait Y/nâ Ushijima said grabbing your hand.
You flipped your head around with a blush.
âAbout last night. It seems like we have some awkward tensionâ Ushijima said letting go of you.
âNo shit sherlockâ you mumbled.
Ushijima frowned a bit then rubbed his nape. âListen, forget what happened last night. Whatever I said and whatever we did is in the past.â He then walked past you. âIt was for the mission... right?â
You felt your heart shatter into tiny pieces very slowly. Like a slow burn. You were stuck on why he said he loved you while you guys did it but I guess that answered your question. He was just in the heat of the moment.
âOh, alright Ushijimaâ you fake smiled. âLetâs goâ
You didnât know why you were sad on the inside. It isnât like you two are dating. So why are you so heartbroken?
~~~
When warming up your bike, you hid the fact that you were sad. It wasnât noticeable you thought but secretly, Ushijima knew you were feeling down for some reason.
While driving on the road, your mind would constantly go to another place. You would find yourself daydreaming in the middle of the road. Sometimes Ushijima would have to honk for you to come back to reality.
âDamn Iâm slippingâ you sighed driving faster. The flashback of Ushijima saying he loved you replayed in your head. You lost track of time and soon arrived to the bar.
âSo this is the place huh?â TendĆ asked you.
âYup, letâs walk insideâ you said walking towards the bar.
As soon as you got inside, you saw a table with the men. One of them glanced at you then at Ushijima who was behind you.
âAh? Ushiwaka?â The man said getting up from sitting and walking towards Ushijima. âWhoâs this? Youâre lady?â The man then looked at you. âPleasure to meet you, Iâm Oikawa TĆruâ he winked.
âBack at you...â you said backing up a little. âL/n F/n.â
Ushijima squinted his eyes then walked in front of you. âGet away from herâ
âEhhh? Why should I? That lady canât be your girl huh, sheâs to beautiful for youâ Oikawa said crossing his arms.
âShe isnât mine. Sheâs just working with me and Satoriâ Ushijima said.
As the boys faught, TendĆ walked you towards the table where another man, who probably associate with Oikawa sat.
âSorry about him maâamâ the man said. âPlease, sit down and order yourself a drinkâ
âThank you very much. The nameâs L/n F/nâ you smiled while sitting down.
âSuch a pleasureâ he said drinking his drink. âIâm Iwaizumi Hajime, Detective Agent along with Oikawaâ
You looked at Satori and nudged his arm to tell Ushijima and Oikawa to stop fighting. TendĆ nodded and snapped his fingers.
Immediately both boys looked at TendĆ then sat at their respective spots. As they sat down, they both death glared at each other.
âYâknow miss L/n...â Oikawa said while fixing his hair.
âYou can just call me y/n. I like it moreâ you said looking at the drink menu.
Oikawa smiled. âOf course y/n~ anyways as I was saying...â
Before Oikawa could finish, he was cut off by you ordering your drinks. Ushijima silently laughed at Oikawaâs failure.
âYes may I have a JĂ€gerbomb?â You asked while digging into your purse and putting a lollipop in your mouth.
âOf course maâam, it will be here soonâ the bartender said walking away.
You waved bye then looked back at Oikawa who was laying his head down in shame.
âOikawa? Anything wrong?â You asked him.
Immediately he lifted his head and looked at you with the softest eyes he had. âOh well I was just wondering if me and you wanted to maybe exchange numbers...?â
You watched as his partner, Iwaizumi visibly scowled at his friend. Ushijima and TendĆ sighed and waited for your answer.
âI... uh...â before you could answer, Ushijima stood up from his seat and glared at Oikawa.
âShe isnât interested.â Ushijima said
âHow would you know that Ushiwakaâ Oikawa squinted standing up as well.
âI know more about her than you thatâs for sureâ Ushijima spat.
âHow could you be so sure. She probably doesnât even like you.â Oikawa spat back.
âOh yeah? Because last time I checked we both-â
Suddenly you stood up from your seat, making the boys stop fighting. As they looked at you, you bit your lollipop cracking it into pieces and chewing it.
âYou guys are acting very unprofessional here. Right boys.â You said looking at TendĆ and Iwaizumi. They awkwardly looked away acting like you didnât say a word.
âNow before I blow up, how bout we set some boundaries. I am here to know some info about the man behind the drugs. Whereâs the information boysâ you said looking at Oikawa and Iwaizumi.
Oikawa and Ushijima both gulped and sat down. You did the same and waited for Oikawa to speak.
âThereâs been rumors circulating around about a mafia party. Itâs seems like the man behind the spread of the arousal drugs is going to be attending tooâ
Your eyes widened. You nodded and hid your face behind your hands. Right next to you was the bartender giving you your drink. You thanked him and waited for Oikawa to continue.
âIwaizumi, being the man he is, he found out where the party will be located and what will be happeningâ
You drank your shot quickly and slammed your glass on the table. All the boys looked at your face.
âWhere is the party happening and how can I get in.â
Iwaizumi coughed. âWell the party is at a casino not to far from here actually. Iâm sure you will be able to get in without a problem. Just donât act suspicious and act like themâ
You nodded and asked the bartender for one more shot. The boys also ordered.
âY/n-chan, why are you so eager?â Oikawa asked you. âI like that in a womanâ
âSave it Oikawaâ you said putting your palm up. âI just have the info I need. This should wrap up our conversation.â
âIâm going to have to agree with Oikawaâ Ushijima mumbled to himself. He then looked at you. âY/n, donât be drinking to much, we have to drive back remember?â
âAwhh driving back home? How bout y/n comes visit my house, itâs very welcomingâ he winked at you.
âOikawa... your flirty attitude is making me feel prettyâ you said drinking another shot.
Oikawa gasped. âReally?â
âPretty fucking grossed outâ you laughed. TendĆ also laughed as Ushijima smirked at Oikawaâs sad face. Iwaizumi was also laughing but hid it behind his hand.
âHow bout we all take some shots Eh?â You said raising your filled glass. Seriously the workers here should get paid at how fast they refill your drinks.
The boys nodded and raised their shot glasses.
âTo defeating the diggers!â You smiled.
The boys laughed and clinked their glasses. âDefeating the druggies!â
~~~
About an hour and a half of drinking and talking, you, TendĆ, and Ushijima had to go back to the agency to report back. Bad thing is, Ushijima was kinda wasted.
âDamn it Wakatoshiâ TendĆ sighed. âY/n I told you heâs a light drinkerâ
âI didnât give him the drinks though!â You then looked away. âI only encouraged him...â
TendĆ raised his eyebrows then walked towards you. His face went close to yours to see if you were blushing or not. Turns out you were.
âDoes y/n have a little crush on Wakatoshi?â TendĆ smirked.
The flashbacks of you and Ushijima came flooding at you. âOf course not.â You said walking past him to assist Ushijima who was trying his best to walk straight.
Drunk Ushijima, imagine thatđ
âCâmon Ushijima, Iâll bring you to your car.â You said putting his arm around your shoulder and dragging him to his car.
Ushijima hiccuped then smiled. âThanks y/n... I owe you...â
âDonât mention itâ you smiled back opening the car door and helping him sit down.
Before you could leave however, he stopped you by grabbing your wrist and pulling you towards him.
âY/n... â Ushijima hiccuped.
âUshijima youâre drunk, get some rest.â You said pushing him away.
âNo waitâ Ushijima whispered. âI just wanted to say that... that... Oikawa made me jealous.â
âOh yeah?â You said completely interested now. âHow so?â
Ushijima blushed a bit and looked into your eyes. âHe was flirting with you and... I didnât like it.â
âThat was obviousâ you smiled. âAnything else before I leave?â
Ushijima laid back in his seat and sighed. âYou make me feel... weirdâ he said closing his eyes. âThank youâ
You watched as he drifted to sleep. After that confession he told you, you quietly cheered in your mind and closed the car door.
âTendĆ, you can drive him back. Iâll be safe to driveâ you said getting out your keys.
âAre you sure y/n? You kind of went crazy tooâ TendĆ said worridly.
You got on your bike and started it up. âDonât worry, Iâll be safe. See you back at the agencyâ before you left, you said one last thing.
âMake sure Ushijima gets his sleep for me, mkay?â You smiled.
TendĆ smiled back and nodded. âIâll make sure, bye y/nâ
And just like that, you both drove off to return back to the agency.
Bonus
âIwachanâ Oikawa whined. âShe didnât let me get her numberâ
Iwaizumi scoffed and hit Oikawa with his head. âShe clearly didnât want you to have itâ
Oikawa rubbed where he got hit and started to walk away. âGeez, Ushiwaka is one lucky guy.â
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Brothers In Arms: Part Four
Writerâs Note: Brothers In Arms: Part Four was published originally in Jump Point 3.8. Read Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.
A recorded hymn played as they sent Arun âBoomerâ AinsÂley into whatever great adventure awaits in the everafter. Gavin set the service in the Rhedd Alert hangar, and the recording sounded terrible. The last somber note rebounded off the roomâs hard surfaces and harsh angles.
He wished they could have had a live band. He would have paid for an orchestra, if one were to be had on the orbitÂal station. Even a bugle would have been a better tribute for the man who had brought Dell into his life. For the man who taught him and Walt so much about living a free life.
Dellâs arm felt small around his waist and Gavin pulled her in close to him, unsure if that was the right thing to do. He turned to kiss her hair and saw Waltâs lean form looming beside them. Waltâs face was fixed in a grim mask.
Gavin knew his brother well enough to know that Walt was berating himself inside. He didnât deal well with guilt or reÂsponsibility, and Gavin suspected that was a big part of why Walt always ran.
The gathering started to break up. Pilots and the hangar crew busied themselves with tasks around Rhedd Alertâs battered fleet of fighters. Dell didnât move, so he stayed there with her. Walt rested a hand on his shoulder.
âGavin. Oh gods, Dell. I canât tell you how sorry I am.â
Jazza leaned in and spoke in a low tone, almost a whisper. âLanding gear up in ten, boss. Your rig is on the buggy.â She motioned with her chin to where his ship waited.
Dell turned into him and squeezed. âBe careful.â
âI will, babe.â
âYou come home to me, Gavin Rhedd. Iâll kill you myself if you make me run this outfit on my own.â
He pressed his lips to the top of her head. Held them there.
âWait. What?â Waltâs jaw was slack, his eyes wide. âTell me you arenât going back out there.â
Jazza bumped Walt with her shoulder, not so much walking past him as through him. âDamn right we are, Quitter.â
âYou know what? Screw you, Jazz. All right? You used to quit this outfit, like . . . twice a month.â
âNot like you. Not like some chicken shââ
âJazz,â Gavin said, âgo make sure the team is ready to roll, would ya?â With a nod to Gavin and a parting glare at Walt, she moved away into the hangar.
âLet it be, Walt. We really do need to go. After last time, we canât risk being late for the pickup.â
âScrew late!â Waltâs eyes were wide and red-rimmed around the edges. âWhy the happy hells are you going at all?â
âWalt ââ
âDonât âWaltâ me, Gavin. There is a pack of psychopaths out there trying to kill you!â
âWalt, would you shut up and listen for two seconds? We donât have a choice, okay? Weâve got everything riding on this job. Weâre months behind on this place and extended up to our necks on credit for fuel, parts, and ammo.â
âThey can damn well bill me!â
âNo,â Gavin said, âthey canât. Your shares reverted back to the company when you quit. But Iâm legit now. You think we lived life on the run before? Just you watch if I try to run from this.â
Walt turned to Dell for assistance, âDell, come on. You gotta make him listen to reason.â
âBoomerâs shares transferred to me when he died,â Dell said. âWeâre in this together.â
âOkay, boss,â Jazza called. The three of them looked to where she stood with a line of determined crew. âItâs time.â
Walt watched the big bay doors close as the last of Gavinâs team left the hangar. His fighter and the few remaining ships looked small and awkwardly out of place in the big room. Standing alone next to Dell gave him a great appreciÂation for that awkwardness.
âIâm so sorry, Dell. If Iâd been there ââ
âDonât,â she stopped him with a word, and then continÂued with a shake of her blue-tipped hair. âDonât do that to yourself. Iâve been over the tactical logs. He got beat one-on-one, and then they OKâd him. There was nothing you could have done.â
âI still feel rotten,â he said. âLike, maybe if I hadnât left . . . I donât know.â
âGavin blames himself, too. Thatâs just the way you two are built. But believe me, there was never a soul alive able to keep my dad out of the cockpit. He was flying long before you Rhedd boys tumbled into our lives.â
That gave him a smile. A genuine smile. It seemed to brightÂen Dellâs mood, so he did his best to hang onto it.
âCome on,â she said. âItâs been a long couple of weeks. Join me for some coffee?â
He did, and for a time they spoke softly at the tall tables in the hangarâs kitchenette. Dell caught him up on life aboard Vista Landing since he had left. She was clearly exhausted and not simply from a sleepless night and her fatherâs funeral. Her shoulders sagged, and dark circles under her eyes were the product of weeks of labor and worry. The constant apprehension of the Hornetsâ viÂcious attacks had apparently exhausted more than just the pilots. It seemed odd that the attacks felt strangely personal.
âYou know what I canât figure out?â he mused aloud. Dell looked at him, tired eyes politely expectant. âWhat the hell are these guys after?â
She nodded, âYeah. Thereâs been a lot of speculating on that question.â
âAnd?â
âHard to say, isnât it? Could be political wackos opposed to the research in Haven. Or maybe itâs one of the old gangs that donât like us going legit. Could be itâs a group of Tevarin lashing out against UEE targets. Who knows?â
âNaw. If they were Tevarin, we could tell by how they fly.â
âThen you tell me, if youâre so smart. I mean, you were out there. You fought them.â
Walt shrugged and took a sip of cooling coffee. Something she said nagged at him. âHey, you said you had navsat tacÂtical logs from the fight, right?â
âYeah.â What remained of her energy seemed to drain away with that one word. Walt cursed himself for the insensitive ass that he was. Heâd just asked her about reÂcorded replays of her fatherâs murder.
âDell. Ah, hell . . . Iâm sorry. I shouldnât have asked.â
âItâs okay,â she said. âIâve been over and over them already. Really, I donât mind.â
They moved to a console and the lights dimmed automatÂically when she pulled up the hangar projection. She seÂlected a ship, and oriented the view so that the hologram of Boomerâs Avenger filled the display. No, Walt reminded himself, it wasnât Boomerâs ship any more. Dell was his heir and â along with his debt â Boomerâs assets now belonged to her.
Dell bypassed the default display of the structural hardÂpoints and dove into the shipâs systems. Something caught his eye and he stopped her. âWait, back up.â She did, and Walt stopped the rotating display to look along the underÂcarriage of the ship. He let out a low whistle.
âThat, Walter Rhedd, is a Tarantula GT-870 Mk3.â
âI know what it is. But where did you get it?â
âRemember those pirates that gave us so much trouble in Oberon? I pulled it before we sold the salvage.â
He certainly did remember, and the bastards had kicked the crap out of two of their ships with their Tarantulas. âHowâd you get it mounted on an Avenger?â
âHammer therapy,â she said. He gave her a confused look, and she held up one arm, curling it to make a muscle. âI beat the hell out of it until it did what I wanted.â
âDamn, girl.â
âDid you want to see the flight recorder?â
They watched the navsat replays together in silence. It looked like one hell of a fight. Chaotic. Frantic. The Rhedd Alert fighters were hard pressed.
Jazza had moments of tactical brilliance. As much as she rubbed him the wrong way, Walt had to admit that she made her Cutlass dance steps for which it wasnât deÂsigned. Gavin orchestrated a coherent strategy and had committed extra fighters to drive off the attack. SomeÂthing was wrong, though. Something about the fight didnât make sense.
Walt had Dell replay the scene so he could focus on the marauders. It didnât look like much of a fight at all from that perspective. It looked more like a game and only one team understood how all the pieces moved. The Hornets flew to disrupt, to confuse. They knew Gavin would send a force forward to protect the transport. Heâd done it every time they had met.
âSee that?â he said. âThey break apart there and get called immediately back into formation. They never leave a flank exposed. Our guys never get a real opening.â He pointed out one of the attacking Hornets. âThat one calls the shots.â
âThatâs the one that OKâd Boomer.â
Reds and greens from the navsat display sparkled in Dellâs eyes. Her voice was emotionless and flat. Walt didnât want to see her like that, so he focused again on the display.
The marauder heâd identified as the leader broke from the melee. Gavin gave chase, but from too far behind. Boomer intercepted, was disabled, and his PRB flashed red on the display. The Hornet took a pass at the transport before turning to rejoin its squad. Then it decelerated, pausing before the overkill on Boomer.
âWhy take only one pass at the transport? Theyâve hit us, what? Six times? Seven? And once they finally get a shot at the target, they bug out?â
âYou said, âusâ,â Dell teased. âYou back to stay?â
Walt huffed a small laugh. âWeâll see.â
âWeâve been lucky,â Dell offered in answer to his question. âSo far, weâve chased them off.â
âYou really believe that? They had this fight won if they wanted it. And how do they keep finding us? Itâs like theyâve taken up permanent residence in our damned flight path.â
That was it. He had it. The revelation must have shown on his face.
âWhat?â Dell asked. âWhat is it?â
âBack it up to the strafe on the Aquila.â
Dell did, and they watched it again. He felt like an ass for making her watch the murder of her father over again, but he had to be sure of what he saw.
And there it was. Strafe. Turn. Pause. A decision to comÂmit. An escalating act of brutality. And then they were gone.
âSheâs not after the transport at all. We were her target this whole time.â
âWait,â Dell said, âwhat she? Her who?â
âPlease tell me your ex hasnât drunk himself out of a job with the Navy.â
âBarry? Of course not, why?â
âBecause I just figured out who killed your father.â
Morgan Brock called the meeting to a close and dismissed her admin team. Riebeld caught her eye and lifted one hand off the table â a request for her to stay while the others shuffled out of the conference room.
Riebeld kept her waiting until they were alone, and then stood to close the door.
âI take it,â Brock said, âthat our Tyrol problem persists despite the escalation?â
âI got word during the meetingâ â he took a seat beside her at the table, voice pitched low â âthat they should be making the jump to Nexus soon.â
âOur discreet pilots? Are they deployed or here at the staÂtion?â
His answer was slow in coming, his nod reluctant. âThey are here.â
Brock checked the time. Did some mental math. âDisguise the ships. We will leave at 1700 and meet them in Nexus just inside the gate from Min.â
âMorgan,â Riebeldâs eyes roamed the room, âthese guys arenât taking the hint. I donât know what losses we have to hand them before they back down, but . . . I donât know. Part of doing business is losing bids, am I right?â She didnât disagree and he continued. âMaybe . . . Maybe we ought to write this one off?â
âA comfortable position to hold in your seat, Riebeld. Your commission is based on the contract value. I barely turned a profit on that job for years. I did it willingly, with the expected reward of windfall profits when traffic to Haven surges.â
âI get that,â he said. âI really do. But at some point we have to call it a loss and focus on the next thing, right?â
âThen suppose that we let the Tyrol job go, and Greely and Navy SysCom see what they want to see from bouÂtique contractors. I can already imagine anti-establishment politicians pushing for more outsourced work. Hell, they will probably promise contracts to buy votes in their home systems.â
She watched him squirm. It wasnât like him to wrestle with his conscience. Frankly, she was disappointed to learn that heâd found one.
âIf Rhedd Alert wonât withdraw willingly,â she said, âthen they will have to fail the hard way. Prep the ships, RieÂbeld. We have done very well together, you and I. You should know that I wonât back away from what is mine.â He seemed to appreciate her sincerity, but Brock wanted to hear the cocksure salesman say it. âAre we clear?â
âYes, maâam,â Riebeld swallowed and stood. âPerfectly clear.â
âAny luck?â Walt pulled up Barryâs record in his mobiGlas and hit connect.
Dell sat at the hangar console trying to reach Gavin and the team. Her brow furrowed in a grimace and she shook her head.
âDamn. Okay, keep trying.â
Barry connected. The accountant wore his uniform. He was on duty, wherever he was, and his projected face looked genuinely mournful. âHey,â he said, âlong time no see, man. Listen, I canât tell you how sad I am about Boomer.â
âThanks.â Barry had known Dell and Boomer for most his life. Heâd probably been torn between attending the service and allowing the family to grieve in privacy. Regardless, commiseration would have to wait. âWe need your help, Barry. Please tell me that you have access to the proposÂals for the Tyrol contract.â
âOf course I do. And whoâs we? Are you back with Dell and Gavin?â
âI am,â he felt Dellâs eyes on him when he said it. âAnyway, we need a favor. I need to know the ship models and conÂfigurations proposed by the incumbent.â
âMorgan Brockâs outfit, sure. No can do on the ship data, though. That information is all confidential. Only the price proposals are available for public review, and those only during the protest period.â
âCome on, Barry. Weâre not talking trade secrets here. I could figure this out with a fly-by of their hangar in Kilian. I just donât have time for that. I need to know what ships those guys fly.â
Barry breathed out a heavy sigh, âHold on. But I canât send you the proposals, okay? You guys are already on thin ice with this contract as is.â
âTell me about it. And thanks, I owe you huge for this.â
Walt waited, throat dry. He scratched at a chipped edge on his worn mobiGlas with a fingernail.
âAll right,â Barry read from something off-screen, âit looks like theyâre flying a variety of Hornets. Specifically, F7As. I can send you a list of the proposed hardpoints, and I hapÂpen to know that Brock herself flies a Super Hornet.â
The mobiGlas shook on Waltâs wrist. His face felt hot, and he forced his jaw to relax. âBarry, if you have any pull with the Navy, get some ships to Tyrol. Itâs been Brock this whole time. Sheâs been setting us up to fail. And sheâs the bitch that OKâd Boomer.â
âIâm going, Walt. Thatâs final.â
Walt rubbed at his eyes with the flat part of his fingers. How did Gavin ever win an argument her? Forbidding her involvement was a lost cause. Maybe he could reason with her. âListen. Whenâs the last time you were even in a cockpit?â
âI know this ship. I was practically born in these things.â
âDell ââ
She threw his helmet at him. He caught it awkwardly, and she had shed her coveralls and was wriggling into her flight suit before he could finish his thought. She stared at him with hard eyes and said, âSuit up if you donât want to get left behind.â
Dell was as implacable as gravity. Fine. It was her funeral, and he realized there was no way his brother had ever won an argument with her.
They finished prepping in silence. Walt pulled the chocks on her Avenger when she climbed up into the cockpit. He gave the hulking muzzle of the Tarantula an appreciative pat. âYou have ammo for this bad boy?â
âI have a little.â
âGood,â he smiled. âLetâs hope Brock isnât ready to handle reinforcements.â
Walt mulled that thought over. It was true that Gavin had split their team in each fight, but Rhedd Alert had never sent in reserves. Each engagement had been a fair and straightforward fight. Brock wasnât likely to know anything about their resources, however limited, beyond the escort team. That could work to their advantage.
In fact, âHey, Dell. Hop out for a tick, will you?â
âLike hell I will.â The look she shot down at him was pure challenge. âI said Iâm going and thatâs that.â
âOh, no. Iâve already lost that fight. But you and your cannon here got me thinking about those pirates in Oberon. Tell me, did we ever find a buyer for that old Idris hull?â
âNo. Itâs buoyed in storage outside the station, why?â
Dell looked at him skeptically and he grinned. âWeâre going to introduce these military-types to
some olâ smugglersâ tricks.â
Gavin held the team at the edge of the jump gate between Min and Nexus. âAll right gang, listen up. You know the drill and what might be waiting for us on the other side. Jazza, I want you and Rahul up on point for this jump. Iâll bring Cassiopeia over after you and the rest of the team are in. Anyone not ready to jump?â
His team was silent as they arranged themselves into position with professional precision. The pilot aboard Cassiopeia sounded the ready and Gavin sent Jazza through. The others were hard on her heels, and Gavin felt the always-peculiar drop through the mouth of the jump gate.
Light and sound stretched, dragging him across the interÂspace. Another drop, a momentâs disorientation, and then Nexus resolved around him.
Without warning, Meiâs fighter flashed past his forward screen. Incandescent laser fire slashed along the ghost grey and fire-alarm red ship, crippling Meiâs shields and shearing away sections of armored hull. Mei fired back at a trio of maddeningly familiar Hornets in a tight triangular formation.
Jazza barked orders. âMei. Rahul. Flank Gavin and get Cassiopeia out of here. Gavin, you copy that? You have the package.â
He shook his head, willing the post-jump disorientation away. He didnât remember bringing up his shields, but they flashed on his HUD and his weapon systems were armed.
âCopy that.â Gavin switched to the transport channel, âCassiopeia. Letâs get you folks out of here.â
The crew onboard the UEE transport didnât need any more encouragement. Gavin accelerated to keep pace with the larger ship as two Rhedd Alert fighters dropped into posiÂtion above and below him. Together, they raced toward the jump gate to Tyrol.
The Hornets wheeled and dropped toward them from one side. Gavinâs HUD lit up with alerts as Jazza sent a pair of rockets dangerously close over his head to blast into one of the attacking ships. Her ship screamed by overhead, but the Hornets stayed in pursuit of the fleeing transport.
Alarms sounded. They needed more firepower on the Hornets to give Cassiopeia time to get clear. He yelled a course heading, and Cassiopeia dove with Mei and Rahul on either flank.
Gavin pulled up, turned and fired to pull the attention of the attackers. He spun, taking the brunt of their return fire on his stronger starboard shields.
The impact shook the Cutlass violently, and his shield integÂrity bar sagged into the red. Gavin turned, took another wild shot with his lasers, and accelerated away from Cassiopeia with the Hornets in close pursuit.
Navsat data for the jump into Nexus crept onto the edge of Waltâs HUD. Several seconds and thousands of kilometers later, the first of the embattled starships winked onto the display. His brother and the Rhedd Alert team were hard-pressed.
Walt watched Brock and her crew circle and strike, corralling the Rhedd Alert ships. Gavin tried to lead the attackers away, but Brock wouldnât bite. By keeping the fight centered on the UEE transport, she essentially held the transport hostage.
Time to even the odds.
Jazza tore into one of the Hornets. Walt saw the enemy fighterâs superior shields absorb the impact. He marked that Hornet as his target, preparing to strike before its defenses recharged.
He killed his primary drive and spun end to end, slashÂing backward through the melee like a blazing comet. His targeting system locked onto the enemy Hornet, and his heavy Broadsword blasted bullets into it.
Meiâs battered fighter dove through the streaming wreckÂage, but the Super Hornet, presumably Brock, waited for her on the other side. A blast from her neutron cannon tore through the Rhedd Alert ship. Mei ejected safely, but their team was down a ship.
âGods,â Gavinâs voice was frantic. âGet the hell out of here, Walt. Form up with the transport and get them away from the fight.â
Walt ignored him. He came around for another pass and triggered his mic to an open-area channel. âThe gameâs up, Brock.â
His words cut across the thrust and wheel of close comÂbat, and for a moment the fighters on all sides flew in quiet patterns above the fleeing Cassiopeia.
âYou know,â Walt said, âif you wanted us to believe you were after the transport, you should have saved your big guns for Cassiopeia instead of overkilling our friend.â
âI suppose I should be disappointed that you have found me out,â Brockâs voice was a pinched sneer, and every bit as cold and hard as Gavin had described. âOn the other hand, Iâm glad youâve shared this with me. I might have been content disabling the majority of your so-called fleet. Now, it seems that I will have to be more thorough.â
She fired, he dodged, and the fight was on again in earnest. Walt switched his comms to Rhedd Alertâs squad channel. âBrock was never after Cassiopeia, Gav. Sheâs been after us.â
âMaybe Iâm a little distracted by all the missiles and the neutron cannon, but Iâm failing to see how that is at all relevant right now.â
âWeâre no match for the tech in her ships. If she goes after the transport, theyâre toast.â He rolled into position next to Gavin. Together, they nosed down to strafe at a Hornet from above.
âGreat,â Gavin said, âthen why did you tip her off?â
Walt suppressed a wicked grin. âBecause,â he said, âshe canât afford to let any of us get away, either.â
âIf you have any brilliant ideas, spit âem out. Iâm all ears.â
âRun with me.â For all Walt knew, Brock could hear every word they were saying. She would tear them apart if they stayed. He had to get Gavin to follow him. âRun with me, Gavin.â
âDamn it, Walt! If you came to help, then help. Iâve got a pilot down, and Iâm not leaving her here to get OKâd like BoomÂer.â
âThis ainât about doing the easy thing, Gav. Someone I truly admire once told me that this game is all about trust. So ask yourself . . . do you trust me?â
Gavin growled his name then, dragging out the word in a bitter, internal struggle. The weight of it made Waltâs throat constrict. Despite all of their arguments, Boomerâs death and his own desertion when things got hard â in spite of all of that â his brother still wanted to trust him.
âTrust me, Gavin.â
Brock and her wingman swept low, diving to corral Cassiopeia and its escorts. Jazza redirected them with a blazing torrent of laser fire and got rocked by the neutron cannon in return. The shields around her battered Cutlass flashed, dimmed and then failed.
Walt gritted his teeth. It was now or never.
âJazz,â Gavinâs voice sounded hard and sharp, ârally with Cassiopeia and make a break for it.â
Walt pumped his fist and accelerated back the way heâd come in.
âWalt,â Gavin sounded angry enough to eat nails, but he followed, âIâm on your six. Letâs go, people! Move like youâve got a purpose.â
Walt pulled up a set of coordinate presets and streaked away with Gavin close behind him. The two remaining HorÂnets split, with Brock falling in behind Gavin to give pursuit. Even together he and Gavin didnât have much chance of getting past her superior shields. Instead, he set a straight course for the waypoint marked at the edge of his display. When incoming fire from Brock drove them off course, he corrected to put them directly back in line with the mark.
Brock was gaining. Gavinâs icon flashed on his display. She was close enough to hit reliably with her repeaters. As they approached the preset coordinates, Walt spotted a rippling distortion of winking starlight. Correcting his course slightly, he headed straight for it. Gavin and Brock were hard behind him.
âCome on,â Walt whispered, âstay close.â
On the squad display, he saw Gavinâs shield integrity dropped yet again. Brock was scoring more frequent hits.
âA little farther.â
Walt focused on the rippling of starlight ahead, a dark patch of space that swallowed Nexusâ star. He made a slight course correction and Gavin matched it. Together, they continued their breakneck flight from Brockâs deadly onslaught.
The small patch of dark space grew as the three ships streaked forward. Walt opened the squad channel on his mic and shouted, âNow!â
On his HUD, a new ship flared onto the display. It appeared to materialize nearly on top of them as Dellâs Avenger dropped from her hiding place inside the blackened hull of the derelict Idris.
Walt punched his thrusters. The lift pressed him into his seat as he pushed up and over their trap. He heard Dell shouting over the squad channel, and he turned, straining to see behind him. Bright flashes from Brockâs muzzles accompanied a horrible pounding thunder. Dell had left her mic open and it sounded like the massive gun was threatÂening to tear her ship apart.
âHeads up, Gav!â
Dellâs voice hit Gavin like a physical blow.
He saw his brother climb and suddenly disappear behind an empty, starless expanse. Then Boomerâs Avenger materiÂalized from within that blackness, and Gavin knew that his wife was inside the cockpit. She was with him, out in the black where veteran pilots outgunned them.
His body reacted where his mind could not. He shoved down, hard. Thrusters strained as he instinctively tried to avoid colliding with her. A brilliant pulse like flashes of lightÂning accompanied a jarring thunder of sound.
Gavin forced his battered ship to turn. The Cutlass shudÂdered from the stress, and Gavin was pressed into the side of the cockpit as the nose of his ship came around.
He saw the first heavy round strike Brock. The combined force of the shell and her momentum shredded her forÂward shields. Then round after round tore through the nose of Brockâs ship until the air ignited inside.
âDellâ â the flaming Hornet tumbled toward his wife like an enormous hatchet â âlook out!â
Brock ejected.
Dell thrust to one side, but the Hornet chopped into the hull where she had hidden. The explosion sent ships and debris spinning apart in all directions.
âDell!â
He swept around to intercept her spinning ship. Walt beat him there. Thrusters firing in tightly controlled moveÂments, Walt caught her Avenger, slowed it and stopped the spin.
Gavin rolled to put himself cockpit to cockpit with his wife.
âDell?â
She sat in stillness at the controls, her head down and turned to one side.
âCome on, baby. Talk to me.â
She moved.
With the slow deliberateness of depressurized space, she rolled her head on her shoulders. When she looked up, their eyes met. Dell gave him a slow smile and a thumbs-up. He swallowed hard, and with one hand pressed to his heart, he shut his eyes silently in thanks.
Gavin spun his Cutlass and thrust over to where Brock floated nearby, his weapons systems still hot. He paused then, looming above her as she had hesitated over Boomer.
Her comms were still active. âWhat now, Rhedd?â
He remembered her from the meeting with Greely. Tall, lean, and crisp. She seemed small now, drifting not more than a meter away from the battle-scarred nose of his Cutlass.
âGavin?â Dellâs voice sounded small after the ruckus of the fight.
Walt eased into view alongside him. His voice was low and calm, âEasy, buddy. We werenât raised to OK pilots.â
âSheâs not worth it,â Dell said.
Brock snarled, âDo it already.â
He had studied Brockâs reports for months. She had more ships and more pilots than he could ever imagine employing. What drove her to harass them and kill one of his crew for this job?
âI just want to know why,â he asked. âYouâve got other contracts. Youâve probably made more money than any of us will see in our lives. Why come after us?â
He held Brockâs eye, the lights from the Cutlass reflecting from her visor.
âWhy?â she repeated. âLook around you, Rhedd. Thereâs no law in these systems. All that matters here is courage to take what you want, and a willingness to sacrifice to keep it.â
âYou want to talk sacrifice?â he said. âThat pilot you killed was family.â
âYou put him in harmâs way,â she said, ânot me. What little order exists in these systems is what I brought with me. I carved my success from nothing. You independents are thieves. Youâre like rodents, nibbling at the edges of othersâ success.â
âI was a thief,â he said, âand a smuggler. But weâre building our own success, and next time you and I meet with the Navy,â Gavin fired his thrusters just enough to punch Brock with the nose of his ship, âitâll be in a courtÂroom.â
She spun and tumbled as she flew, growing smaller and smaller until the PRB on his HUD was all he could see.
A pair of Retaliators with naval designations were moored outside the Rhedd Alert hangar when Gavin and the crew finally limped back to Vista Landing.
Crew aboard Cassiopeia had insisted on helping with medical care and recovery after the fight. The team scheduled for pick-up at Haven was similarly adamant that Rhedd Alert take care of their own before continuing. Technically, no one had checked with Navy SysCom.
Did the Navy fire contractors face to face? For all he knew, they did.
Gavin saw to the staging of their damaged ships while the others hurried the wounded deeper into Vista Landing. When heâd finished, he exchanged a quick nod with Barry Lidst who stood at ease behind Major Greely.
âMajor,â Gavin held out his hand, âI assume someone would have told me already if I was fired.â
His hand disappeared in the majorâs massive paw. âI supÂpose they would have, at that.â
âThen to what do we owe the honor?â Dell and Walt joined them, and Gavin made introductions.
ââIâ first, then âwe,â â Greely repeated, âI like that, Rhedd. I appreciate a man who accepts consequence personally but insists on sharing accolades with his team. Tell me, son. Howâd you get Brock?â
Gavin nudged his wife. With a roguish grin, Dell pulled her arm from around Gavinâs waist and stepped over to pat the Tarantula on her battered Avenger.
âNice shooting, miss.â
Dell shrugged, âWalt pulled my tags, nav beacon and flight recorder before we left. I was sitting dark inside a decoy when the boys flew her right down the barrel.â
Barry leaned toward Greely and in a completely audible whisper said, âIt might be best if we ignore the illegal parts of that.â
Greely waved him off. âThis is what the âverse needs. Men and women with the courage to slap their name up on the side of a hangar. A chance for responsible civilians to create good, honest jobs with real pay for locals. That an ex-military contractor tried to muck that up . . .â
Gavin and the team got a good, close look at what angry looked like on a Navy officer. It was the kind of scowl that left an impression.
âAnyway,â Greely composed himself, ânot a soul in the âverse would blame you for writing us off as a bit of bad business. Iâm here to ask that you stick with it.â
Gavin was reluctant to bring their financial situation up in front of their one paying client, but they were tapped out. Rhedd Alert didnât have the cred to buy ammo, much less repair their downed fighters. âActually, sir. I think we may need to find something a little more lucrative than getting shot up by disgruntled incumbents.â
âAbout that,â Greely rested his hand on Gavinâs shoulder. He led him to look out one of the large hangar windows at the Retaliators buoyed outside. âMy accountant tells me there may be some room to renegotiate certain parts of the Tyrol contract. But that job wonât be enough to keep your team busy now that Brockâs out of the way.â
Gavin laughed. âOn that point, I most certainly hope you are right.â
âWell . . . Iâve got more work for an outfit like yours. I hope youâll accept, because you folks have surely earned it. Tell me, Rhedd, are you familiar with the Oberon system?â
Behind them, Walt dropped his helmet.
The End
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