Living in Freefall (Living on the Run Book 1) (18 page)

“Fine. Think about it. A
twelve-year-old
captained
that vessel. Doesn’t that speak of
Reliant’s
prowess? My goodness, you
captured five of their big ships before they even knew you were among them.”

Ericca bolted to her feet and stepped away. Rubbing her
forehead, she turned back to Hammond. “I cannot believe you people.”

“I don’t understand.”

“After Los Dabaron, those jerks chased us around like we
were a prize thanksgiving turkey. For two solid years we tried to get back to
Providence, and now you tell me you wanted us as bad as they did. Do you know what
I went through to keep my brother safe after my parents died? Do you have any
idea? It was like waking barefoot through broken glass. No kid should go
through that.”

Hammond and Torrington exchanged a look.

“Damn you people! I wouldn’t have survived Los Dabaron if
not for Major Richardson.”

“Richardson? Yes,” Hammond said stone faced. “Still, it was Kori’s
tech that saved lives that day.”

“Sir, with all due respect, that fancy tech just painted a
target on our backs. The atom bomb was created to end a war, and supposedly save
countless lives. But did it? No. More people died as a result. As it always
does new technology eventually falls into the hands of evil people. Los
Angeles, New York, DC, Paris, Berlin; all fell to suitcase-sized nuclear bombs.
Jordon’s tech will do the same. It
will
fall into the hands of bad men.
Then what?” She didn’t want to say that it already had. She saw no reason to
give these dillholes more than they asked for . . . not these people,
not no how!

“Is that your plan, Miss Archer? Make a few bucks selling
this tech to unsavories?”

“What?” Ericca said, returning to stand behind her chair. “No.
Goodness
no!”

“And Providence, Miss Archer? What are your feelings toward
us?”

Ericca studied Hammond’s face then looked at Torrington long
and hard before readdressing the admiral.

“Sir, don’t take this in the wrong way, but where the hell
were you when
Reliant
needed you? So I hear far more good about the
Providence Union than I do the Confederacy, but to be honest, I don’t know you.
Are you good and honorable men? I hope so, but . . .”

Hammond turned to Torrington. “How is Riley Archer coming
along with the repairs?”

“My crew is giving him everything he needs. He’s talking to Jordon
Kori, and I’m told Mr. Archer believes
Viper’s
repairs will be completed
before long.”

“Good. Then Archer and I can be on our way?”

“Actually, Miss Archer—”

“You keep calling me Miss. I captain
Viper
. You
should address me as Captain. It’s a small point, but it’s—”

“Actually, Miss Archer, you captain nothing.”

“What?” Ericca said, suddenly feeling sick. Seeing the
direction this conversation was heading, she subtly engaged the com-unit
embedded in her jaw. She had encountered Hammond’s attitude before, only it was
expressed by King Saundler Blackhart. “
Viper
is mine,” she said coolly,
confident Archer could hear this conversation as well. “I own it. I fly it. I—”

“Not any more, Miss Archer. The tech on
Viper
is the
property of the Providence government. By default, that makes that ship ours as
well.”

“We’ll just see about that.” Neither man moved as Ericca
headed for the door. When it hissed open, two armed guards barred her way. Two
more stood behind them. She turned to the admiral. “What is this? Is this how
you treat allies?”

“
Viper
is far too valuable to leave in the hands of a
rogue, Miss Archer.” The man’s face was devoid of all emotions but one; a hint
of cold smugness. “You told Captain Torrington that Coredei was going to be
your next stop. I’m afraid that revelation sealed your fate and solidified my
decision.”

The guards’ were all the proof she needed to know Hammond
had planned taking
Viper
from the start. “Oh, I see,” she said. “You
intend to let Archer—
with Jordon Kori’s help
—finish with the repairs.
Then you’ll
what
, try to reverse-engineer its components? You intend to
incorporate Kori’s tech into your ships.”

The soldier behind her lifted her pistol from its holster,
and handed it to the man behind him. Ericca made no move to stop him.

“You’re very perceptive, Miss Archer,” Hammond added. “Those
devices will be first incorporated into every ship in this fleet. Once we
return home, they’ll be built into every Providence military vessel. We will
then overrun the Confederation before they can respond to our assault. Once the
Confed people are freed from the tyranny that is keeping them down they’ll grow
to appreciate what we’ve done for them. And so will you.”

“Looks to me like we’re just exchanging one tyrant for
another.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong, Miss Archer. Providence is
a benevolent, God-fearing society. The Confederation is Godless and far from
compassionate.”

“Benevolent? So then, I’ll just take my ship and leave,
if
you’re all that benevolent.”

He smiled. “I had hoped you’d understand.”

She stepped back into the room and, with her fists on her
hips, focused stern eyes on Hammond. “Liberty, Mr. Hammond, that is what I
understand. Coming and going as I please. Owning property, which include
weapons my government fears. That I understand. And I’m smart enough to
recognize a wolf in sheep’s clothing when I see one.”

“Weapons your government fears? What
are
you rambling
on about?”

“Something I once heard, sir. Something you would be wise to
heed. A government that creates fear in its people is a tyrant. But a
government fearing its people . . . is liberty. You may not want me
to own
Viper
, but who are you to say who should own what?”

“Who do I have to be, child?”

“You have to be my better, dillhole. Clearly, you are not.”

Hammond sighed. “I had hoped you’d understand, but
apparently you aren’t as bright as all that.” He gestured to the guards at the
door. “Lock her up.”

A guard stepped into the room and clutched her arm.

She jerked free, and turned to him. “I don’t need your help.
Lead on, piggy. I’ll follow peaceably.”

The guard stepped aside, and she went to the door, looked
back over her shoulder, and shook her head in disgust. Then was gone.

Riley studied the damage. Though it looked bad, it wasn’t
really beyond his ability to repair, with some guidance. Everything needed was
aboard
Long Bow
. The worst of it? He’d have to completely reconstruct
the right wing. Luckily these people had recovered it along with the little
ship. Had they not, Rachel’s Phiton cannons could have eventually fallen into
the wrong hands.

The man assigned to help him, though not himself an
engineer, knew the tools and instruments. To Riley that was a blessing. The
helper could hand him the right thing without offering silly advice or
distracting him with stupid questions. Rachel’s tech was well beyond the
understanding of any Prov mechanic anyway.

However, if ever the helper was to ask what something was,
or why Riley was doing whatever he was doing, Riley was well equipped to handle
it. Rachel had armed him with a plethora of techno-gibber-jabber to purposely
keep any onlookers confused and in the dark.

But the guy never said a thing, and that, too, was a
blessing. Riley would find it difficult to keep a straight face while
gibber-jabbering something like: ando-distortion relay, or static subspace
signal mollifier, or inhibiting anode energy splitter. None of which meant
anything or, as far as he knew, existed.

His sister’s abduction was an issue, though. He heard her
transmission, which, in itself caught him completely off guard. But even as he
listened to the disturbing conversation, he kept his wits and didn’t react to
it or give himself away to those around him, but even now a plan was
formulating in his head.

Ericca sat on the cot with her back against the wall, one
foot propped on the bed, and arm resting on her raised knee. Mindlessly rubbing
her forehead, she considered the mess she was in.

Eventually, Torrington came by to see her. She didn’t look
up when he spoke. “Miss Archer—”

“Take a hike!”

“Look, I can understand how you feel.”

“Don’t be silly. You’re way too bright to say something that
stupid.”

“You feel betrayed, but I assure you this is for the best.”

She raised her head and looked at him with pity. “Don’t fool
yourself. You haven’t betrayed me. You’ve betrayed the oath you took to protect
your own Constitution. You can justify this outrage any way you want,
fasech
,
but you’re nothing short of a traitor to Providence.”

By the look in his eyes Ericca could see her words stung
him. On some deep level he understood that she was right. He had probably come
down here to get her to understand the logic of their doing what they did, but
she’d have none of his garbage.

“Miss Archer, I—”

“Captain Archer.”

He took and released a long breath. “Captain Archer, what
would you have me do? Mutiny? I can’t do that.”

Ericca dropped her foot to the floor, pushed to her feet,
and went the bars. “Look here, dillweed, don’t you get it? By following Hammond
down this path you already have. Providence’s edicts and laws should have been
priority one. But you sat there and said nothing as Hammond betrayed
Providence’s ideals by stealing my ship. He doesn’t have a right to it.
Providence doesn’t have a right to it. And you should’ve understood that at the
onset. But no. You purposefully chose not to see. Do you now or are you simply incapable?”

“This is war, Captain. I’m a soldier. Hammond commands. I
follow.”

“So . . . you’re an automaton.”

“I’m no mind-numb robot,” he said looking like an adolescent
scrambling to preserve the little pride he had remaining.

Ericca felt an unsympathetic coldness pass right through
her. “Worse, you’re a tool.”

With a hand, he gripped the bars, and leaned closer. “You
know better.”

“Do I? I know a good officer doesn’t follow unlawful orders.
How does such a simple concept escape you? Are you really that much a pus rat?
Are you really too thick to get it?”

“I see there’ll be no changing your mind.”

“And there seems no changing of yours.”

Stepping back from the bars, she returned to the cot, and
flicked a wrist at him. “Go away, dillhole.”

With the last of his dignity evaporating, Torrington stayed by
her cell bars a moment longer. The girl inside looked,
well
, she didn’t
look demure or frail or for that matter defeated. Taking a breath, he turned
and walked away. The brig’s corridor was long and cold and though teeming with
activity . . . a very lonely place. The woman he had just left was
everything he was not. She was self-righteous and insolent and brash and
undisciplined and outspoken and . . . and . . .

‒
he stopped to look out at the stars
‒

. . .
and
she was self-assured and principled
and fearless. Above all, she knew her own mind. In that she steadfastly clung
to her ideals was to him—
he sighed
—noble.

Even caged he could see she was freer than he, and that made
him simultaneously jealous and hopeful. He had worked hard to get where he was,
as young as he was. Getting a command of his own was no small achievement. He
had sacrificed much. And he had compromised himself more that he cared to admit.
In encountering Ericca Archer, though, Torrington got the sense that he’d be a
better man if he exhibited half the courage she embodied.

Rachel wasn’t one to leave well enough alone, and to her
these Talons were nowhere near “
well enough
” to be left alone. In her
mind, they could stand a few improvements anyway. If her folks had to have
them, then she would make sure they were worth having. She set out to gut both
ships.

“Well, Josh, I think the engines can be salvaged. I can
tweak a little more life into ’em, but the shield generators and guns . . .
Ugh.”

Joshua tried to clear enough space for her to work but the
platform at the rear of
Freefall
had limits. He lifted a sheet of metal
and tossed it to one side. “Scrap are they?”

She shrugged, and then turned back to her work. “You’re
pretty bright for a tote and grunt.”

“Gee, recognition from management. Dreams do come true.”
With a grunt he shoved another metal plate out of the way. “I’ll leave the
engineering details to the kid mechanic. Just don’t abuse the help, will ya?”

“Sorry, Josh. I was just teasing.”

Propping himself with a stiff, straight arm, he leaned
against the Talon she now worked on to peer over her shoulder and quietly talk
to her. “Your brother says we’ll head into Rhone soon. Do you expect to have
these ships done by then?”

She glanced sideways at Josh to wink, snapped a component
from its place and tossed it up and over her shoulder.
Freefall
zapped
it. The module instantly vaporized. “With the help of
Freefall
and you,
I think anything’s possible. Do you mind giving me a hand with the heavy
lifting?”

“Are you kidding? I’m anxious to see what you can do with
these things. I wouldn’t miss watching you work for the world.”

Rachel stepped back, put her hands on her hips, and looked
the Talon over. “Angels.”

“Angels?”

“Messengers of God, Josh.” She glanced sideways at him.
“Nah! Sounds dumb.”

Josh furrowed his brow. “You mean as a name?”

Race chuckled then spoke as if speaking to a toddler. “Since
we’ll be flying these, I thought I’d rename them.” She tapped the Talon’s side
with a knuckle. “What do you want to call it?” She patted a wing gun. “I got
nothin’.”

Just then her earpiece hissed with Riley’s scratchy voice.
“Race. Come in Race.”

She triggered her communicator. The signal, transmitted
through and boosted by
Freefall
cleared a little. “Riley?”

“Yes. Listen. Alter your signal so your voice sounds like
your father’s whenever we speak.”

“
Freefall
, do that.”

“Yes ma’am. Ready to transmit.”

“Go ahead, Riley.”

“I need your help to repair
Viper
, but I don’t want
to give you away to these people. As long as they think Jordon Kori is the only
one who understands this tech, they’ll leave you alone.”

“Understood, Riley. Tell me about
Viper
. What’s wrong
with her?”