They’d already drifted too far away. Their lifeless bodies floated in the merciless vacuum between Borag and the spaceport. I gritted my teeth in frustration, knowing there was nothing more I could do for them.

  As for Anderson, he had suffered the worst fate. The force of the explosion had torn him apart, leaving nothing but a gruesome display of human debris. I knew others in my line of work would call this a good riddance. He’d be remembered as a shit-stain and nothing better.

  Still, I had to wonder what had driven him to this act. He’d been a decent guy, back when I’d worked the rocks with him some years ago…

  Climbing back into the ship’s interior, I found my arm was aching from the strain I’d put it under. I wondered if I’d have been torn up in the jagged metal hole and died with my space suit ripped to shreds if I hadn’t had that swollen arm to rely on. Maybe this mutation business had a silver lining.

  The bulkheads and internal doors inside Borag were all locked down and sealed. I couldn’t get out of the isolated part of the ship. Twenty minutes later, I found I’d dozed off in my spacesuit. Maybe I’d sprung an oxygen leak or something…

  My eyes flickered open sometime later. The world was blurry and disjointed. I groaned, feeling a dull ache throughout my body. I tried to sit up but found myself restrained. It took me a moment to realize that I was being carried on a stretcher, surrounded by medical personnel rushing me to sickbay.

  “I need to get to the captain,” I protested, my voice raspy.

  One of the medics tried to calm me down. “Sergeant Starn, what you need is rest. You’ve been through a lot.”

  Ignoring her advice, I rolled off the stretcher with as much strength as I could muster. The impact my body made on the cold metal deck sent a jolt of pain through my bones.

  I climbed to all fours, then forced myself to stand. A moment later, I brushed aside the concerned medical staff.

  “I need to see Captain Hansen,” I insisted.

  The medic tried to reason with me again. She had a sweet voice, and I knew she meant well. “Sergeant, you just survived a massive explosion and decompression. You should be in the sickbay getting checked out. There could be internal injuries—”

  “I don’t have time for that shit!” I snapped, my frustration mounting. “There’s something going on, and the captain needs to know about it.”

  I could see worry in the eyes of the medical people, but I refused to let their concerns hold me back. Staggering, I began to move down the corridor. I had to reach Captain Hansen. She had to know about Kaine, Blackwood—and Anderson. There were too many mysterious events taking place aboard Borag.

  The medics complained, but for me, their bleating protests faded into the background. I couldn’t care less about their protocols and wellness tests.

  I marched up to the upper decks, and my body protested with each step. When I reached the command deck, I was stopped by none other than Commander Kaine himself.

  “Sergeant Starn? What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded, his eyes narrowing in anger. “You’re supposed to be in the medical bay.”

  “I need to speak to the captain,” I insisted, still trying to catch my breath.

  Kaine’s face darkened. “Captain Hansen is busy, and you’re in no condition to be here. Return to the medical bay—now.”

  “I have orders, sir. From the captain. I can’t go back until I’ve spoken to her.”

  Kaine stepped closer. His demeanor was menacing, but I didn’t care. “If you don’t turn around and get yourself to the medical bay, I’ll have you dragged there.”

  Before I could respond, the door to the command deck opened, and Captain Hansen appeared. Her eyes widened when she saw me and my ragged state. “What’s going on out here?”

  Kaine quickly straightened, and his attitude did a one-eighty. “Captain,” he said in a concerned tone, “Sergeant Starn here is injured and uncooperative. I think he might have a concussion.”

  Captain Hansen’s eyes slid to me. She squinted slightly. “Sergeant Starn… Kaine’s right, you shouldn’t be up here. You might be suffering from oxygen deprivation. I—”

  “Captain,” I said urgently, “I need to talk to you. It’s about… these recent events.”

  She shut up for a second, eyeing both of us. Kaine had adopted an innocent look of concern—but I knew that was bullshit.

  “All right, Sergeant,” she said at last. “Let’s talk in my office.”

  Kaine looked like he was about to object, but Captain Hansen cut him off. “Commander, I’ll handle this. You may return to your duties.”

  Kaine stalked away. I felt a surge of victory. Now that I had the captain’s attention, I just needed to convince her that something wasn’t right aboard the Borag—I figured that shouldn’t be too hard to do, under the circumstances.

  Captain Hansen led me into her office. “All right, Starn. Let’s do this quickly. We’ve had a serious accident. Green Company security men were lost, and—”

  “Captain,” I said, daring to interrupt her, “that’s not what happened. I found a man named Anderson, a rock-rat I knew long ago. He was planting a bomb in that airlock. When I tried to stop him, the bomb went off and blew a hole in the ship.”

  Captain Hansen’s eyes widened in shock. “What? A bomb on my ship? I was told there was a faulty airlock, explosive decompression, and—”

  “No, ma’am,” I replied earnestly. “I was there. It was a bomb. I saw it with my own eyes.”

  Captain Hansen chewed her lower lip for a moment, thinking hard. Then she hit the intercom button on her desk. “Bridge, this is Captain Hansen. Prepare to leave the spaceport immediately. I want us out of here within the next ten minutes.”

  Commander Kaine could be heard over the intercom. He was clearly unhappy with the order. “Captain, we haven’t finished loading our supplies yet. We can’t leave now.”

  “I’m aware, Commander, but this is not up for discussion. Helmsman, get us out of here, now.”

  She turned back to me, and her face softened a little. “Now, Sergeant Starn,” she said, “you need to get back to the medical bay and let them take care of you.”

  I limped my way back to the medical bay, my body aching from the ordeal. As I entered, I saw Ana, my girlfriend, waiting for me with concern in her eyes.

  “Devin!” she exclaimed. She reached into my open helmet and put her soft hands on my scratched-up face. “What happened to you?”

  I tried to offer her a reassuring smile. “It was just a little accident. I’ll be okay.”

  Ana’s eyes narrowed—she didn’t believe me. But she didn’t argue about it. Instead, she gently helped me into a medical bed.

  She didn’t wait for the nurses and doctors to show up. She tended to my injuries like a field medic until they chased her off a few minutes later.

  Borag decoupled from the docking tubes, preparing to leave the spaceport. I was worried about our future. We’d witnessed the mysterious destruction of Sarasvati, the arrival of a squadron of Earth cruisers, and now a bomb going off aboard our own ship. Things weren’t looking cheerful.

  Borag’s powerful engines roared to life once she’d untangled herself from the spaceport. The massive mining rig began to slowly thrust away from the docks.

  From my vantage point aboard the ship, I could see Mars City sprawled below us. The domed metropolis was nestled against the harsh Martian landscape. It was nightfall down there now, and the city lights twinkled like stars against the red terrain. Gradually, the scene grew smaller as we ascended and left orbit.

  Closer at hand, the sleek, deadly Earth cruisers surrounded the spaceport. The warships stood out. As we continued our ascent, they seemed to dwarf the station. Their imposing silhouettes cast dark shadows across the metallic skin of the station.

  Inside Borag, the hum of the engines vibrated through the ship’s hull. I felt my guts relax a bit when Mars was fading to a red ball behind us. Sure, some mystery weapon might blow us out of the sky at any moment—but at least we were beyond the reach of whoever had directed Anderson to set that bomb.

  What about Anderson?

  He’d kind of indicated he hadn’t wanted to do what he was doing—so who had made him do it? His betrayal bounced around in my brain as I listened to the steady rumble of Borag’s jets. I searched the heavens for an answer with my eyes, but I didn’t find anything certain there.

  Chapter 17: The Mind-Probe

  I was still lingering in recovery when I received a call on my comms to report to the command deck. Pushing through the pain, I carefully got up and staggered out of the medical bay. A few nurses got in the way, but I brushed their sweet complaints aside. Duty had called.

  Naturally, I was thinking about the captain. The only time I got a call like this was when she wanted a trusted man at her side. I wasn’t going to disappoint her, not as long as my trigger finger worked, and I had one eyeball left to aim with.

  When I reached the command deck, I straightened my back and tried to look tougher than I felt. Several officers gave me the old up-down look of disapproval. They didn’t like seeing enlisted men in their temple of purity, otherwise known as the bridge.

  Sure, I knew I was unwanted—but I didn’t care. I met their gaze with a steely disregard. Marching right toward anyone who stood in my path, I was quickly gratified as they lowered their gaze and stepped aside without argument.

  Captain Hansen spotted me from across the deck and motioned for me to follow her into her private office. Once the door was closed, she wasted no time in getting to the point.

  “Sergeant, I summoned you here because I value your judgment,” she said. “I’ve been looking into the claims you made about an explosive device—and I’ve found evidence supporting your theories.”

  I kind of wanted to say they weren’t theories but observed facts—but there was no point, so I kept my mouth shut.

  “In short,” she continued, “I trust your instincts. There was an explosive device set off inside airlock #14. But the question remains… why? What do you think is going on?”

  I was ready for this one. In fact, I’d been thinking of little else since the incident. “Captain, I believe someone has infiltrated our crew. The bomb, the appearance of these cruisers, the super-weapon the pirates seem to be operating—it’s all too sudden to be a coincidence. As for who aboard Borag might be responsible… I have no proof, only hunches.”

  “Let’s hear a ‘hunch’ then.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, I plunged ahead. “I’m concerned about Commander Kaine and Accountant Blackwood.”

  Captain Hansen frowned. She clearly didn’t want to think she had a true traitor among her crewmen. “What makes you suspect them?”

  “I overheard them talking about the cruisers and a mysterious new weapon. They seemed to know more than they should,” I explained. “Then, there was that incident out at Proxima Centauri last year.”

  “You mean with Commander Nichols?”

  I nodded.

  “Hmm… what evidence do you have? By evidence, I need something solid. Something physical. Controller Malkin won’t accept anything less.”

  This statement caused me to blink a few times. I’d been thinking along the lines of arresting people first and proving your case to the likes of Malkin later. But maybe the captain didn’t have such a free hand. I’d seen her clash with management before—things had never gone her way.

  “I don’t have anything that would come up to that kind of standard, Captain.”

  Captain Hansen nodded, unsurprised. “Then we’ll have to find that evidence, Sergeant. We need to get to the bottom of this. I’m going to bring in investigatory professionals. I’ll call in key Green Company personnel.”

  This statement made me wince unhappily. Green Company… sure, they were the cops aboard Borag. That was their job… but they were also Commander Kaine’s henchmen. I highly doubted they could be trusted to perform an investigation you could rely on.

  As it wasn’t my job to argue with the captain, I didn’t tell her my doubts.

  “What are my orders then, ma’am?” I asked.

  “Seeing as we’ve just had another major security incident, I’d like to see you on guard duty outside my office—or wherever my duties take me. Right now, I don’t want to be disturbed for anything less than an emergency.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  She squinted at me critically. “You’re still in fighting shape, right?”

  “Never felt better.”

  She seemed fooled, and she dismissed me. I walked out and stood guard at her door. I wasn’t in a pleasant mood. Several people approached, looking to speak with the captain. I steered them away without even opening the door.

  Finally, Accountant Blackwood showed up. He strode up to me, his face twisted by annoyance and impatience. “Sergeant Starn, I need to speak with the captain immediately. It’s urgent.”

  “What’s the nature of this emergency, sir?” I asked politely.

  He looked pissed. “I don’t require an emergency to—”

  “I have my orders, sir. Please accept my apologies.”

  He began to bluster, but I stood firm, not allowing him to pass.

  “Captain Hansen is in a meeting and cannot be disturbed. Please come back later.”

  Blackwood’s face reddened with anger, but he turned away without further argument.

  Soon after that, a quartermaster approached. She had a computer scroll full of glowing numbers in her hand. “Sergeant, I have important inventory reports that the captain needs to see.”

  I shook my head. “Captain Hansen is occupied at the moment. Please return later.”

  The quartermaster scowled and walked away, muttering under her breath.

  That’s pretty much how the next hour went. I played goalie outside the captain’s office, chasing off everyone. They all seemed hellbent on disturbing her work.

  Then, Commander Kaine appeared. He was the head of Green Company and Red Company—in fact, he was in charge of security overall.

  Kaine’s eyes locked on me. “Sergeant Starn? What are you doing out of sickbay?”

  “I’m feeling fine now, sir,” I lied. “Thank you for your concern.”

  He showed me a set of fine white teeth. “I’ve been summoned to a meeting with the captain—by the captain. Stand aside.”

  There was no bouncing Kaine out of this bar. He was second in command of the ship, and exactly the sort of person Captain Hansen had said she was waiting for. I nodded and opened the door. Instead of closing it again, however, I followed him into the captain’s office.

  There, she sat behind her desk with folded hands. Her face was grave.

  They talked for a time, and Hansen repeated my tale of bombs and conspiracies. It did sound wild, and if I hadn’t seen these things with my own eyes, I doubted I’d have believed them myself.

  Kaine at last turned to me as a star witness. He stared me down for a moment before speaking.

  “Sergeant Starn,” he said at last, “I want to know everything about your connection to Anderson. Why did you talk to him just moments before this vicious attack? What was the exact nature of your relationship with this criminal?”

  I swallowed hard, suddenly aware that the commander was trying to investigate me. Could he really think I was part of this sabotage plan?

  “Anderson and I knew each other a long time ago. I ran into him on my way up to the command deck and questioned him about his current position on the ship. He lied to me, which made me suspicious. When I returned to the airlock, he set off the bomb rather than allow himself to be arrested.”

  Kaine looked skeptical. “Isn’t it convenient that you just happened to run into this man? Do you really expect us to believe all this was just a coincidence? Isn’t it much more likely you two planned this together—but it blew up in your faces?”

  Captain Hansen intervened. “Commander, let’s not jump to conclusions.”

  “I had nothing to do with the sabotage,” I said. “I merely discovered the crime while on patrol. I would go so far as to say that’s why we have these patrols. My only intention was to protect our ship and her crew.”

  Kaine continued to scrutinize me, but Captain Hansen seemed to trust my words. The meeting continued, with Kaine pressing me for information while I maintained my innocence. The atmosphere was unpleasant, but I knew I had to stay on target and not freak out. I stuck to the truth and remained calm.

  After he finally gave up on trying to get me to change my story, Captain Hansen and Commander Kaine were at odds. Their voices rose as they argued over what should be done with me.

  “I don’t understand why you’re so stubbornly determined to arrest Starn,” Captain Hansen said. “He’s been nothing but loyal to this ship—and to me.”

  Commander Kaine scowled. “Loyal or not, he’s involved in this situation. We need to question him thoroughly, and we can’t do that while he’s standing around playing the part of your doorman.”

  Captain Hansen thought it over. At last, she looked me in the eye. “Starn, I’m sorry. I have to allow Commander Kaine to take you into custody for questioning. You understand that it’s just a precaution, right?”

  I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Yes, Captain. I understand.”

  With a satisfied smirk, Kaine stood tall. He grabbed for my oversized arm. He tugged at it, but I pretended not to notice.

  “Sir?” I said. “Did you want something?”

  He snarled. “You’re under arrest, Sergeant. You’ll be processed in the brig.”

  He led me down to Green Company headquarters. As we walked, I have to admit, I felt a growing sense of dread. The ship’s brig was like a high-tech dungeon, a place I never thought I’d end up in.

  As we approached the brig, I eyed the heavy steel doors. The security was intimidating, as was the cold, sterile atmosphere that seemed to suck the warmth out of the place. Kaine unlocked a door that was bristling with tiny cameras. He pointed inside. There was a grin on his face.