DusktoDust_Final3 (22 page)

“
Mr. Prime Minister,
”
Castle said through an intercom in the wall.
“
I have had the opportunity to test the Titan
’
s weapons systems extensively. I will tell you, sir, being a career soldier, I would be more than happy to take any one of these weapons into battle.
”
He waited for a response from Chen but did not get one. He then looked at Mr. Black, who gave him a subtle nod.

With the approval from his employer, Castle hefted the alien weapon to his shoulder. Aiming at the center captive, he fired.

What happened next Letsego could hardly describe. From the tip of the weapon sprang a red and black cloud of translucent mist. The mist rushed toward its victim and engulfed the quivering man, for a split second obscuring him from view. But as fast as he had disappeared, he reappeared, but now he was no longer a man. His face was frozen in terror, and his skin was ghost white. The mist had literally sucked the life out of him. What was left was a corpse, which collapse to the floor. It was a horror to witness.

Chen
’
s reaction was the complete opposite of Letsego
’
s. A sinister smile crept across the prime minister
’
s face.
“
Amazing.
”
He stared at the man
’
s mangled body.
“
Do it again.
”

Castle nodded, lifting the weapon and firing at another captive. The second time was no less disturbing.

As the second captive slumped to the ground, Chen turned to Mr. Black.
“
I will say I am impressed. These
‘
Titan
’
weapons are indeed formidable.
”

“
Mr. Titus believed you would like them. Our scientists have been working to reverse engineer the device in order to facilitate mass production.
”

“
I said I am impressed, not that the Federation could use these otherworldly devices,
”
Chen said with an edge.
“
Fancy small arms mean nothing to the Federation. Titus said that he had a real weapon for me. Something that could make us invincible.
”
There was a twinkle in his eyes as he said it.

Mr. Black nodded.
“
Lieutenant, execute the next demonstration.
”

Castle pulled one of the cylinders from his pocket. He pushed a button on it and it began to glow black and red like the Titan weapon had. He pressed another button on it, placed it in the center of the room, and then calmly but quickly exited the room, sealing the door behind him.

A few seconds passed by and then there was a flash. The entire room glowed red and then the same mist that had killed the other two captives burst forth from the cylinder. Almost faster than the human eye could comprehend, the mist rushed across the floor, up the walls and across the ceiling. The final three captives were engulfed. And then the mist disappeared, leaving only three corpses.

“
Iblis
…”
Nadeem muttered.
“
It
’
s the devil himself.
”
His eyes were wide in terror.

Chen approached the plexi.
“
Now
that
is amazing.
”
He turned back to Mr. Black.
“
What did your scientists find out? How does this happen?
”

“
It is the Ferenic. For years there has been the question of whether the dust is biological. Windcorp
’
s scientists have come to the conclusion that whether it is biological or not it does think. It does make conscience decisions. That is how it is able to produce energy so efficiently. And that is how it is able to kill so efficiently. When provided the right catalyst, the Ferenic will hunt. It will seek out any other living being and literally remove the life from it.
”

Chen was in awe.
“
But how did it spread like that? It expanded everywhere, covered everything.
”

Mr. Black joined Chen at the window.
“
Our tests have shown that Ferenic shows a unique attraction to metals. Not only does it flow and expand uncontrolled over them, but it can pass through them. If Captain Nadeem had not installed a ceramic lining to the observation room, it would have spread to this one and killed all of us as well.
”
He let that sink in.
“
Think of the possibilities, Mr. Prime Minister. Entire starships, cruisers, completely made of metal. One Ferenic tipped warhead could kill everyone onboard, but leave all of the equipment intact. As Mr. Titus told you, the Titans have created the perfect weapon.
”

Chen was reveling in the power he could soon possess. Meanwhile, Letsego was quickly rethinking the urgency of his mission. This threat was far worse than he ever could imagine. He needed to notify the Peacekeepers. But until this deal was completed, there was no way he was going to be able to get to a communications station unseen.

Chen
’
s mind was racing with possibilities.
“
How much testing have you done?
”

Mr. Black nodded.
“
We have brought you a large portion of the samples that we have collected from the Titan archeological sites. We have already conducted extensive tests on the weapon systems. They work both in the atmosphere and in vacuum. In these crates you will find many variants of the weapons.
”

“
How did you first discover these capabilities?
”

“
It was a lab accident, I
’
m afraid.
”
Mr. Black pulled a holo projector from his pocket.
“
Many of our scientists were killed, but their deaths will not be in vain.
”
He placed the projector on the floor and pushed a button. A man sized hologram took shape.

The image was clearly a security recording. It showed a lab room with multiple men in grey lab coats. On one of the tables was a small cylindrical Titan device.
“
This was at one of the archeological sites at a Klyston mining facility, Em-Two-Bravo. We found remnants of a Titan colony there a year ago. These scientists were tasked with evaluating the technology discovered there.
”

He let the recording play. A few seconds in, as a scientist was interacting with the Titan device, there was a bright flash. Within moments, all of the scientists were lying dead on the floor. Their faces were pale and contorted as the captives
’
now were. Shortly after, Mr. Black turned the hologram off.

“
This recording does not start to depict the devastation that was wrecked upon the mine Em-Two-Bravo. Because of the prevalence of metal in the facility, every single worker was killed. The Ferenic continued to spread until its path was blocked by the rock that makes up much of the terrain in the light zone. When we lost communications with the mine we thought it was technical problems. Upon investigation we discovered the truth.
”

Chen
’
s smile continued.
“
I want it all,
”
he said simply.
“
And the Federation will pay handsomely.
”

Mr. Black nodded.
“
About half of the Titan technological artifacts we have found are in these crates. The rest I will arrange to be shipped to you immediately.
”

“
I don
’
t think you understand. This miracle substance Ferenic can only be found on Prospect. The Federation wants your sites, Mr. Black.
”

Mr. Black was caught off guard.
“
Mr. Prime Minister, that was not part of the deal you had with Mr. Titus. There is only one site remaining, after the Em-Two-Bravo disaster, and it is in Windcorp territory.
”
Mr. Black paused in thought for a moment.
“
I believe that Mr. Titus would agree to the exclusive sale of Ferenic dust to the Federation.
”

Chen was not satisfied.
“
Mr. Black, you have just revealed to me the most important discovery in the history of humanity. It would be irresponsible of the Federation to allow any of the lesser galactic powers to possess it.
”
He looked around at the rest of men in the room.
“
One way or another, the Asiatic Federation will control the source of this technology.
”

Mr. Black frowned.
“
I don
’
t like your tone. Mr. Prime Minister.
”

Chen grinned.
“
I do not care.
”
He nodded to his security detachment. In an instant they were spread across the room with their weapons pointed at every Windcorp trooper. Letsego found himself staring down the muzzle of a rifle at what looked like a very ugly Siberian soldier.

Mr. Black kept his calm, as usual.
“
Mr. Prime Minister, it is impolite to point weapons at your associates during a business transaction.
”
He turned to Nadeem.
“
Are you going to let this happen on your station, Captain?
”

Nadeem looked uneasy.
“
The members of Black Crescent have already decided where their allegiance lies,
”
Chen announced.
“
It is now your turn.
”
He paced around Mr. Black.
“
You have two choices. Either Windcorp agrees to work with the Asiatic Federation and turns over all artifacts and archeological sites from the Titan civilization to us or we take them from you by force. Either way, the Federation is going to take Prospect. The only question is what side do you want be on?
”

For the second time, Letsego saw that Mr. Black seemed uncomfortable.
“
Prime Minister, this is not something I can decide on my own. I must consult Mr. Titus.
”

“
No,
”
Chen shouted.
“
He felt that you were worthy to represent him here. He must feel that you are worthy of making this decision.
”
Seconds passed and the Windcorp executive did not respond.
“
What is it going to be, Mr. Black? I will remind you that if you select the second option neither you nor your men will leave this asteroid alive.
”

At last, Mr. Black responded.
“
Your terms are agreeable, Prime Minister.
”

Chen paused and then nodded to his men. They lowered their weapons.
“
You are making the right choice. The Federation always gets what it wants.
”

Mr. Black remained calm.
“
I hope you know, Mr. Prime Minister, that Mr. Titus will not take this lightly. Windcorp is not going to be a pawn of the Federation.
”

“
You are not a pawn, Mr. Black. Think of this as a business arrangement.
”
Chen walked over to the Titan artifacts.
“
I am giving you a great opportunity. With the Federation to back you, Windcorp will become the first and only distributor of Ferenic in the galaxy.
”
He picked up one of the artifacts and inspected it.
“
Captain Nadeem. Please have your men load this cargo onto my ship. I must leave immediately.
”

“
It will be done within the hour.
”

“
Good.
”
Chen turned to his head of security.
“
Get word to the fleet. My speculations were correct. We must take Prospect.
”
He headed for the door, flanked by the federation soldiers.
“
And Nadeem. Please ensure that Mr. Black and his men get everything they need. They are our
business associates
now.
”
With that the leader of the Asiatic Federation departed.

Letsego walked alone through the asteroid corridor, his rifle casually slung over his shoulder. His intentions were anything but casual.

After the
business meeting
had completed, he and the troopers had returned to the ship with Castle. There they had completely sanitized the craft, removing any sign of Windcorp and wiping the ship
’
s logs and computers. The ship was likely in the scopes of every Peacekeeper patrol in the galaxy and was only a liability to Windcorp. Black Crescent had agreed to drop the troopers and Mr. Black off at the closest civilized system at the earliest possible convenience. No one liked the plan, but there was no other option. Letsego only hoped that this newly formed alliance would preclude the raiders from killing him.

It would be at least a day before the raiders had a shuttle heading out of the Belt. The troopers had been given quarters where they could make themselves comfortable. It was nothing to write home about with only enough bunks for half the troopers to sleep at one time. There was much griping among the men, but none from Letsego.

He had finally gotten a chance to slip away inconspicuously. All the other troopers were asleep or in the galley. Free to roam as he pleased, Letsego left in search of a solution to the massive problem he found himself in the middle of.

Letsego was once again looking for a communications room. He ran through in his head exactly what he would tell the Peacekeepers. The whole story was rather farfetched and any officer worth his salt wouldn
’
t take Letsego
’
s tale at face value. Luckily, the video recorder in his trooper helmet had caught every moment of the exchange and it was now logged onto a memory card for him to access at the press of a button. The Peacekeepers would be able to see the devastation that Rockworm could cause with his own eyes. They would have no choice but to act. If the Federation gained control of this terrifying technology no world or civilization in the galaxy would be safe.

He walked through the asteroid station with a new determination. His life didn
’
t matter anymore. All that mattered was warning Prospect before the Federation struck. If he died in the process, that was an acceptable toll to pay.

Letsego wandered through the station for nearly two hours. The place was a massive tangle of tunnels designed with no rhyme or reason. He passed dozens of raiders, who didn
’
t give him a second look. The new alliance had been quickly advertised. Letsego passed through many compartments and chambers, but none showed any signs of serving as a communications center.

He had just exited yet another weapons locker when his uniform
’
s comm unit vibrated. It was Castle. Letsego hesitated before answering. He considered ignoring the call, but if he went missing the raiders would likely lockdown the whole station, and then he would never get in contact with the Peacekeepers. He keyed the mic.

“
Johnson, where are you?
”

“
In the head, sir,
”
Letsego lied.

“
You piss more than any interceptor pilot. Get your ass back to the quarters now.
”

Letsego stalled for time.
“
It might take me a little bit, sir, if you know what I mean.
”

Castle was not amused.
“
Well pinch it off. I have something very important I need your help with. You
’
ve got five minutes to be back here or I am going to make sure you stay on this rock permanently.
”

As much as Letsego had to find the communications center, he knew it would be unwise to keep Castle waiting. He rushed back to the quarters.

As he entered the room he found the entire squad was awake and appeared to be preparing for battle.

“
What
’
s going on?,
”
Letsego inquired.

The sergeant saw him and walked over.
“
Where the hell have you been, Johnson?
”

“
I was in the head.
”
His eyes were drawn to the troopers charging their weapons.
“
I thought we had an alliance with Black Crescent.
”

“
We do,
”
the sergeant said.
“
The lieutenant has found out where the pilots are being held. We are going to finish the job from earlier.
”

Letsego was confused.
“
The raiders are okay with us killing them now?
”

“
No, but I doubt they
’
ll break this alliance over the deaths of two smugglers.
”

Castle walked across the room.
“
Get
‘
em moving sergeant. I want Carpenter now.
”

So Castle was willing to threaten the peace just to settle some personal vendetta with Carpenter. The situation was quickly spiraling out of control and it seemed Letsego was just along for the ride.

“
There! You
’
ve almost got it, D!
”

David barely heard Alana
’
s words as he sailed through the air. The cage creaked and rattled as he pumped it back and forth like a pendulum. He quickly glanced up at chain suspending it. The bolts attaching it to the ceiling weakened with every swing. It wouldn
’
t take much more. He pumped his body harder, sending the nearly perpendicular cage to the floor.

“
Just
…
a few
…
more,
”
he grunted. Alana sat in her cage waiting and watching. This was the grand plan, at least the first step of it. As for steps two and on, David still had to work those out.

At long last, the chain broke free. David
’
s cage plummeted the five meters to the ground, crashing against the hard concrete. He cried out in pain as his body impacted the solid metal bars.

“
You alive?
”

David rolled in pain. His left shoulder throbbed. He hoped it was only a sprain.
“
Yeah,
”
he managed to blurt out.
“
That hurt.
”

“
So what are you going to do now?
”
came the voice of the other imprisoned man.
“
You
’
re still in the cage.
”

“
Shut up.
”
David suppressed the pain and analyzed his situation. Despite the fall, his cage was still locked shut. Not having any better idea, he braced his back against the floor. Winding up with his legs, he kicked the lock.

The cage was of solid construction, and a sharp pain shot through his leg. He grunted in pain. The man started laughing.
“
I told you,
”
he said.

David ignored him. He kicked again, and then again. With every kick more pain shot through his leg and the man
’
s laughter increased. He kicked ten times. Then twenty times.

And then the lock shattered. The man
’
s laughter stopped.

A final kick opened the cage door. David stood up and climbed out of the cell, ignoring the pain in his leg. The man
’
s laughter had been replaced by concerned protest.

“
No, what are you doing? You
’
ll never make it out of here. They
’
ll catch you.
”

“
Stow it, asshole.
”
David limped over to the cage controls. The panel was a collection of levers. He found the one for Alana
’
s cage and pulled it down. The chain holding it dropped, and the cage hit the ground with a clang. David rushed over to it.

Alana struggled against the bars.
“
What now? You think I can kick it open?
”

Before he could respond at shot rang out, followed by the spark of a bullet ricocheting off the concrete.

“
Don
’
t move, you scum,
”
a gruff voice yelled.

David glanced behind over his shoulder. It was two raiders with their weapons raised. They must be the prison guards. They were probably sleeping until they heard the crash of the cage.

One of the raiders walked up behind David. The man grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm behind his back.
“
Pretty ingenious for a couple of slaves,
”
he sneered. He then kicked David in the back of the calf and slammed him against the ground.
“
For future reference, actions like this will result in pain.
”
He cranked David
’
s arm until it wouldn
’
t go any further.
“
Or worse.
”

David winced, but showed no other signs of discomfort. He wasn
’
t going to give the man the satisfaction.
“
Noted.
”
.

“
Let him go.
”
David tried and failed to turn his head to face the new voice. But he recognized it.

The raider on top of David was surprised.
“
You can
’
t be here. This area is Black Crescent only.
”

“
I
’
m not here to cause trouble,
”
the familiar voice said.
“
I just want those two.
”

The raider stood up, yanking David to his feet. David turned to see Castle standing alone in the entrance to the cavern.
“
Well, you can
’
t have them. They are property of Captain Nadeem, now.
”

Castle laughed.
“
Your Captain just made a deal that is going to change the face of the galaxy. Do you really think he cares about two slaves?
”

“
I have my orders. If you don
’
t like it you can take it up with the Captain.
”

“
I have another idea.
”
Castle motioned and the entire squad of helmeted troopers entered the cavern.
“
You are going to tell the Captain that the prisoners escaped.
”
He glanced at the broken cage.
“
It already looks like that happened anyway.
”

It was the raider
’
s turn to laugh.
“
Even if that were true, he would kill us for not putting up a fight.
”

“
Good point.
”
Castle nodded to one of the troopers. The man pointed his weapon at the other raider and pulled the trigger. The man collapsed to the ground as his partner watched in horror.

“
What the hell are you doing?!
”
he screamed.

“
Now you can tell your captain that you put up a fight.
”
Castle raised his own pistol and shot the man in the shoulder. He fell to the ground, releasing David.
“
Don
’
t even think about it, Carpenter,
”
Castle directed, adjusting his aim.

Nursing his wound, the lead raider unlocked Alana
’
s cage. The troopers then cuffed both her and David. Before exiting the cavern, Castle crouched next to the wounded raider. He placed the muzzle of his pistol on his forehead.
“
Remember, the captives escaped,
”
he told the man.
“
If the captain hears otherwise, I
’
m going to come back here and finish you off.
”

The squad left the prison, keeping a tight formation with their prisoners in the middle. David didn
’
t know where they were going but he suddenly wished he was back in his cage dangling from the ceiling. As they marched through the corridors, Castle prodded David in the back with his pistol.

“
You didn
’
t think I would leave without saying goodbye, did you Carpenter?
”

“
I hate to disappoint you, Castle,
”
David countered,
“
but I
’
m not a fan of long goodbyes.
”

“
Don
’
t worry,
”
Castle said.
“
I don
’
t intend on making this long. Just painful.
”

Five minutes later they reached their destination. It was an airlock. David should have guessed as much.
“
Real creative, Castle. You
’
re just gonna flush us out the airlock?
”

“
Eventually, yes,
”
Castle said.
“
But first we are going to walk down memory lane.
”

Alana struggled against her captors.
“
Goddamnit, let me go!
”

“
Please, Ramirez. You really don
’
t want to miss out on this.
”

“
Excuse me if I
’
m not interested in reminiscing over all your torture fantasies.
”

“
Ramirez, you say it like it
’
s a bad thing. But you forget that that your partner here taught me everything I know. And then he hung me out to dry.
”

“
The difference is that Carpenter is not a sick son of a bitch.
”

David listened to the exchange. Part of him admitted that Castle was right. He had taught the man everything he knew. That had been their job when they had served together, to coerce information out of the enemy. But unlike David, Castle had taken to the task like a fish to water.
“
Castle, whatever problem you have with me, it doesn
’
t involve her.
”
David was not going to let Alana get hurt over his faults.