As We Rise: Rogue (As We Rise Saga Book 1) Read online

  Siaren was one of the lucky few who were released from the wiring early once the corporation discontinued the practice. Jo remembered when her father brought him on board. He was only three cycles younger than her twelve and was frighteningly tiny. He had only been connected for six months, but even then, the time spent wired altered him. He was still insanely brilliant—the best engineer the Kismet had ever employed—but he was socially awkward, with many other personality quirks which required another to support him.

  When Jax had come aboard the Kismet two years before Siaren, Jo had been frightened of him. His milky skin, white curly hair, and pale blue eyes made him seem like he was formed from the stars themselves. Jo hardly noticed the scars and tattoos that covered majority of his body. Even as a child, Jo knew he was different from the rest on board. It wasn’t until years later that she learned that he was Elitian. An Elitian that was marked and excommunicated from the Galactic Alliance for his growing sympathies for the edge world colonies.

  When Siaren came aboard, Jax found a kindred spirit, and the two became inseparable.

  “It’s good to see you both out and about,” Jo said to both men.

  Siaren nodded, still looking at his tray, but with his free hand he reached out and tapped Jo’s wrist three times. Jo beamed. What would seem nothing more than a small gesture to others was significant to her. When Siaran came aboard the Kismet, he had refused to speak. He relayed plenty through his UAB and holopad, but interpersonal communication was too much for him. Jax introduced a code to Siaran so when they were together in a public setting, he could relay privately if he was okay or distressed. The only people he contacted this way were Jax and the captain—even after he began communicating better with the crew.

  With those three taps, Siaran told Jo that he was okay and accepted her as one of the few people he trusted. When Jo’s eyes lifted to Jax, his scarred face was pulled into a proud smile, one that a father would give his son.

  “Captain,” Elek’s voice shook as it rang over the murmuring voices of the crew. Jo blinked rapidly, remembering that she was at lunch with more than just the two men in front of her. She turned to address the timid boy—barely old enough to be considered an adult on his home world of Nereus.

  “Yes, Elek,” Jo answered before taking a bite of her stew.

  “Some of us were on deck when we took on the cargo. What exactly are we hauling?”

  The rest of the crew stopped their individual conversations and turned to watch Jo. Their faces reflected a myriad of emotions, but the one she noticed most often was worry. Elek hunched in on himself, letting his shaggy red hair fall over his bright green eyes.

  “They wouldn’t give us details, but that has never mattered before,” Jo answered breezily.

  “What if we’re unintentionally helping the corporations?” This time Elek’s voice was steady, and Jo had to smile. Sometimes if seemed there were two distinct personalities inside the boy. The introverted, anxious middle child of a farmer and the confident, sharp-witted strategist that navigated the Kismet.

  “That was one of the first questions I asked. It’s stated in the contract that the contents are bio-waste from the military.”

  “What does that mean, bio-waste?” Jax’s deep voice rumbled from behind Jo.

  Jo plastered on a big smile, hoping it didn’t seem as fake as it felt. “It means that during this contract, we are nothing but an expensive garbage disposal service.”

  A few chuckles later, the crew seemed a bit more relaxed. Elek and Jax’s faces were still pinched in thought, but if they kept their mouths shut, then they could continue their dinners unworried. With a sigh, Jo turned to finish her meal before it congealed into a cool mush, and reflected on her father. When she had asked him why he didn’t express certain thoughts or ideas to the crew, he told her that a captain’s job is to bear the weight of worry for his crew.

  She never truly understood the sentiment until now.

  “Captain, your presence is requested on the bridge,” Haedus announced through the ship’s comm.

  Jo forced down a few extra bites before Chitra emerged from the kitchen and took Jo’s tray with a loving grin and an affectionate pat on the shoulder.

  With a smile and quick wave, Jo left the galley and half walked, half jogged to the bridge. Haedus wouldn’t call for her during her down time if it wasn’t urgent. Nerves twisted in her stomach as she scanned her wrist over the bridge’s lock pad.

  The crew for the evening shift were fidgeting nervously and eyeing the holoscreen next to the captain’s chair. As she approached, Jo’s nervousness melted away into pure agitation at what she saw. Haedus’s puckered scar flushed burgundy against his tan skin—the only indication that the stoic man harbored any emotion. He didn’t say anything, just stepped to the side to give Jo full view of the screen. Hovering just outside of weapons range was a destroyer class GCM vessel.

  They were being followed.

  Seven

  “We’re being tracked,” Jo stated. Everyone already knew this, but she felt like it should be said aloud.

  “Aye, Captain,” Haedus answered.

  “Have they hailed us?” Jo asked as she sank into her chair.

  “No. They haven’t come any closer than they are now.”

  Jo pinched her bottom lip as she thought about what this new development meant. Either Advisor Eltanin didn’t trust her to complete the job, or he wanted to ensure that it went off without a hitch. In the case of the latter, the Kismet and her crew could be in danger if the advisor was concerned enough to deploy a military ship.

  “Captain, there’s an unidentified ship approaching on our starboard side. They are on an intercept course,” Sky announced.

  “Send the image to my console,” Jo demanded.

  With a flick of his wrist, Elek shot the file to Jo’s holoscreen. A small vessel approached rapidly. From this distance, it looked to be one of the early Halo models preferred by the mafia syndicates and raiders.

  “All hands, man your stations,” Jo announced over the comm.

  Jo adjusted the image, attempting to see if the ship had been marked. The image of a winged beast swallowing a star came into focus.

  “It’s a Drachen ship,” Jo muttered as she felt the blood drain from her face. She hadn’t come across the syndicate since her father’s death. Jo leaned forward, ignoring the tightness in her chest, and studied the ship. She released a long breath. It wasn’t the same vessel that attacked before. This ship was a striker GN2, one of the original designs from which the current striker models were fashioned. From the look of the distressed hull, the ship had survived its fair share of battles and was one cannon blast away from becoming star dust. Jo scanned the specs of the striker on her holoscreen. Jo scanned the striker’s antiquated weapons, the Kismet should shake this one off. No problem.

  “Drachen,” Jo growled. “I’m growing tired of them. Why can’t one of the other syndicates attack us?”

  “You want the other syndicates to come after us?” Sky’s brow wrinkled as she stared at Jo with intense scrutiny. “They aren’t as wealthy as the Drachen and don’t have the same reach into the system.”

  “What? No. It’s… Nothing.” Jo stood up and stretched her artificial leg. Her old cyborg joints were starting to stiffen and needed a bit of TLC. “I’m just bored with being their favorite prey. We’re not the only ship in the binary system.”

  “Captain…” Elek shouted.

  An explosion threw Jo onto the floor.

  “What the hell!” Jo screamed from the floor. “Which ship fired on us?”

  “It was the Drachen,” Haedus shouted over the ship’s alarm and continued to furiously swipe at the holoscreen. “The destroyer is still in position.” Jo tried to straighten her leg, but the gentle mechanical whirr that Jo usually felt was garbled. Something had come loose.

  Another blast shook the hull.

  “Someone turn that damn alarm off and raise the shields,” Jo screamed. She chastised h
erself for getting distracted. A few seconds later, the flashing red lights were all that was left of the warning system. “Better,” Jo growled as she began to awkwardly crab walk back to her chair. She needed to see the screens to direct the crew.

  “Captain,” Haedus voice was eerily calm. “They’re concentrating all missiles at the cargo bay.”

  “Return fire,” Jo barked.

  Another missile hit their shields, and Jo was knocked back to the ground, causing a shooting pain to travel up her spine. It was a hell of a time for her leg to malfunction. As Jo struggled to get back into position, Sky appeared from seemingly nowhere, wrapped her arms under Jo’s shoulders, and lifted her.

  “Thanks,” Jo grumbled as they hobbled back to her chair.

  “My pleasure, Captain.” Sky released Jo and moved her station. Jo’s hands jabbed furiously until her holoscreen displayed the attacking ship. It pulled about to release another volley of missiles.

  “Aye, and they are concentrating their fire on our cargo bay,” Sky stated while she continued to monitor the ship’s condition. “Our shields are starting to fail in that sector.”

  “Turn the ship about and fire all pulsar cannons. Concentrate on their propulsion system,” Jo barked at Sky before turning to Haedus. “What is the status of the destroyer?”

  “They moved in range, but have not engaged with the Drachen.”

  “Guess they’re going to let us fight our own battles,” Jo mumbled to herself.

  “We’re in position, Captain,” Sky announced, her hands outstretched and ready for Jo’s command.

  “Fire.”

  Jo watched as dots of light marched toward the Drachen’s ship, striking their propulsion system.

  “Their shields are holding,” Haedus announced.

  The Drachen came about and fired. Jo swept a hand over her holoscreen. The ship’s AI relayed system statuses from all over the Kismet. “The shields in the cargo bay are down to twenty percent,” Jo barked. “If we take another hit in that area, we’re going to be in trouble. How are they landing so many hits?”

  “Their weapons aren’t strong, but the vessel is quick. As soon as they fire, they come about and get us again. They’re wearing us down bit by bit,” Elek pointed out as he pulled the Kismet into a hard turn.

  Jo gripped the arms of her chair as the holoscreen centered on the Drachen vessel. Sky fired, but the smaller ship rolled away, and only one of the Kismet’s missiles grazed the shield. Elek banked the Kismet, but the Drachen anticipated the move and followed, firing another volley at the cargo bay.

  “Shields down in sector 3,” the AI announced.

  “Turn about,” Jo snapped. “If they hit us again, we’ll take on damage.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Elek answered. “I have an idea, but it’s reckless.”

  “The Captain loves reckless ideas,” Haedus grunted.

  “That’s true,” Jo agreed. She felt irresponsible urge to grin at her XO, but decided not to. “Elek, I trust you.”

  With a nod, Elek banked starboard and increased speed, heading on an impact course with the Drachen. Both ships fired as the vessels swayed back and forth, avoiding direct hits. Jo dug her fingers into the arms of her chair as they drew closer to the Drachen ship. She trusted Elek. She really did, but if he didn’t pull up, they were going to crash nose to nose, crunching the hull of her ship and sucking everyone into space. The mental imagery made her skin crawl.

  Right before they crashed, the Drachen’s vessel pulled up while Elek rolled starboard. They landed a hit on one the smaller engines, but it was still able to complete its flip and fire. The Kismet shook violently, throwing Jo against her harness and ripping the air from her lungs.

  “Minor hull breach. Deploying aluminum foam,” the AI announced.

  “They’re practically disabled,” Jo gasped. “Come about and finish the job.”

  Elek nodded and easily lined up the ship for Sky. Her aim was true, and the cameras were temporary blinded by the brilliant explosion of the Drachen’s ship.

  “All clear, Captain,” Haedus announced. “Siaren is on his way to look at your leg.”

  Jo nodded at Haedus before turning to Sky. “And the destroyer?”

  “Still holding position,” Sky confirmed.

  Jo pulled up the display of the Consulate’s ship. It was closer than before, but still not within hailing distance. Questions surrounding its mysterious appearance and apparent disregard to the ship’s safety nagged at Jo. Something wasn’t right.

  The doors to the bridge whooshed open and Siaren shuffled in with Jax behind him, carrying their supplies. Their sudden appearance pushed all thoughts of the destroyer away.

  “Damage report.” Jo leaned back, giving the two men room to work on her leg.

  “Two minor hull breaches in the cargo bay. The aluminum foam will hold, but we’ll need to stop for repairs.”

  “How long will repairs take?” Jo asked, trying not to look at the exposed wires and gears on her leg. Having a robotic limb never bothered her, but she still didn’t like seeing Siaren tinker with it.

  “No more than a few hours for the critical systems, but we will have to port for full repairs. The AI has deployed the emergency atmosphere, so work can get started as soon as a damage assessment has been made,” Haedus answered.

  “All finished, Captain,” Jax announced, placing a meaty hand on Siaren’s shoulder. “It was just a loose wire.”

  “Thank you both.” Jo smiled before shaking her head. The thought of one small thing making her non-functional was humbling.

  “We’ll stop to run system diagnostics while the hull is being repaired. All personnel report to your duty stations. I want this ship ready within the hour,” Jo announced on the ship-wide comm before turning to the bridge crew. “Haedus, stay here and monitor the destroyer.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Haedus grunted.

  Jo turned to Sky. “Join me in the cargo bay to assess the damage.”

  Without a word, the two women left the bridge. A sense of foreboding settled in Jo’s middle like a heavy weight. The hairs on her neck bristled as they left the bridge, and Jo second-guessed her choice to accept the contract. Was it worth it?

  Jo surveyed the damage in her cargo bay. Somehow it was simultaneously not as bad as she thought and a major disaster. Sponge-like aluminum foam filled the gaping hole in the hull, the thin membrane the only thing between them and an uninhibited view of the glittering void of space.

  “We stopped them just in time,” Sky announced as she poked at the hardened foam. “A few more minutes and they would have weakened our shields enough to allow a forced attachment to our docking bay.”

  “Mmhm.” Jo turned away from the wall, shaking away the memories this battle dragged up from her psyche. There was no time to sift through the emotional storm that would result from surviving another attack from the Drachen, and there was no way in hell Jo would let her crew see her moments of weakness.

  Jo winced as she looked at the cargo. The repeated hits from the Drachens’ proton cannons had disengaged the magnetic locks, and as a result, the containers had been thrown about the bay and eventually settled in a pile on the opposite side from where they were originally secured. A few of them were wedged into the wall and would be a pain to remove. All of them were dented and scratched, but thankfully, it looked as if none had been opened by the turbulence of battle. If just one seal had been broken, their contract would have been voided. Jo had no doubt the containers were linked through a private CyNet frequency back to Eltanin. If she had the resources and credits to hire a ship to covertly discard mysterious bio-waste, that was how she would have guaranteed confidentiality.

  “With the graviton lift, getting most of the containers back to the mag locks could be done in minutes,” Jo told Sky, who had begun to poke around one of the containers wedged into the wall. Jo walked up to one the containers and brushed her fingers over the smooth surface. “Not sure what to do about those.”

  “
The other one can be cut out with the hydraulic tools. No problem.” Sky pointed to the containers. Jo nodded; they wouldn’t cause too much trouble, and the wall they connected with led to the walkway. “It’s this one that may cause issues. Not only will the height and angle be a problem to extract, but it’s wedged in deep and the other side of this wall leads to engineering. We will have major issues if the wall connects to the Kismet’s computers. That room is climate controlled.”

  Jo pressed a button on her UAB. “Jax.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  “Does the aft wall of the cargo bay come against anything vital in engineering?”

  “Let me pull up schematics,” he replied. Jo resisted the urge to release an annoyed breath. Patience had never been one of her virtues. “No, Captain, just a storage area.”

  “Thank you, Jax.”

  “Let me know if you need anything else, Captain.”

  Jo turned back to Sky, patting the domed hood of the container. “Looks like this one will only be a tiny pain in our ass.”

  “Right,” Sky answered, unassured.

  Just as Jo was about to make a sarcastic comment, the doors to the cargo bay whooshed open, and a small repair team walked in hauling the proper equipment.

  “Either you all are extremely intuitive, or someone gave an order without consulting me.” Jo cut her gaze to Sky, who stood stoically as usual. Her impassive expression gave nothing away, but Jo knew it had to have been her. No one else has been in the cargo bay since before the skirmish.

  The crew stood uncomfortably by the door, shifting their equipment from one arm to another while Jo stared at Sky. They were going to talk that night.

  “Go ahead and start on the ones over there.” Jo pointed to the wall where majority of the containers had gathered, keeping one hand on the container in front of her. “Leave a set of hydraulics with me. I’ll get this one.”

  The group finished moving the crates back to their mag locks and prying one of the containers out of the wall, leaving only the dense container Jo was still struggling to pry from her ship’s hull. Unlike the other one, which had been smashed into the wall, this one went much deeper and entered at an awkward angle, making it near impossible to get out. With a string of curses, Jo mumbled her frustrations to Sky, who had stayed behind to help after the others finished.