The Token by Kevin Bird (the little red hen ebook .TXT) 📖

for us.”
“My thoughts exactly, Taren. Come back up here and let’s be ready.” He turned to one of his men standing at a bank of dials and lights. “I want long range sensors wide open. No surprises. When they’re about to show up I want as much warning as possible, understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Now what he had to do was to wait. Drake wasn’t very good at that under normal circumstances, but now it was even harder; if all went well in the next few hours he and his men would have the chance to live like kings. The cargo on that vessel was more than just livestock of blues and greens, though they alone would bring in a fortune on the black market. No, this ship had picked up much more than just animals on its last few planet stops. What Drake was really expecting to make a killing on were the weapons stored on board that he would sell through his many connections.
These weapons were a generation ahead of anything the “enemy” had; he and his men had just found that to be true from personal experience against the Hoppers. Drake didn’t care how long this war went on or who won in the end just so long as he could make a handsome profit. Selling Supplier weapons to those they were supposed to be used against would make him rich beyond even a pirate’s dreams. This was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. That’s why he was so nervous, especially since he had to rely so heavily on someone he didn’t even know to do something integral to their success.
He shifted in his seat and to keep himself occupied, said to his com officer, “Open a line to the men outside.”
“Line open, captain.”
“Cale, can you read me?”
There was a slight pause in which Drake imagined the worse, then Cale’s voice came to him loud and clear, “Captain, all’s fine out here. We’re just waiting on your word.”
“As soon as we spot them we’ll cut off all radios and flash our starboard landing lights twice to confirm with you their approach is imminent. When you see the escape pod break away from their hull you and your men move in. The prepared entry points will be the only ones lit by violet strobe lights so you can’t miss them. Remember, we must have the ship intact and capable of shifting so take care where and what you shoot. Clear?”
“Clear, captain,” came the confident voice. “Cale, out.”
That was it, nothing else to do but try to be patient.

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“Sir, all the other vessels have given their confirmation. Everyone is on the correct path to our destination with no deviations or problems.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant Clayton. You may leave your post now; I’m sure you’d like some fresh meat, I know I would. I’ll be in the mess to join you shortly.” His fat cheeks gave the impression he was always filled to capacity, but Clayton knew from experience that his superior could never eat enough.
He took his chance to get off the bridge, “Yes, sir, thank you. See you in the mess then.” He walked slowly to the steps though inside he wanted to run. Once off the bridge he did move faster since no one was around. In the elevator he descended the three floors to the habitation level. Walking into his private room, one of the perks of being an officer, he reached under his bunk and pulled out a small bag he had packed earlier. Leaving everything but these few things was easy, as where he was going he could buy anything he wanted, fancy clothes, beautiful women, anything at all. He would leave this rotten place and this evil war far behind. Marshall had seen to everything.
He trusted that Marshall’s word would be as good now as it had been in the past. Clayton had spied for him since this war had begun and neither had let the other down in all that time. Maybe he didn’t like Marshall very much, but at least the manufacturer was fair with those that did their work well. And Clayton had done his work well. Over the years he had helped Marshall increase his worth ten times through diverting supplies, increasing payments for goods, making sure Marshall got contracts others should have received, and many other things besides. He had been paid well and with Marshall’s help had set himself up handsomely. With the payment he would get for this last job he would never have to risk himself again, and he would be far away from this war.
Marshall had planned this very quickly; but with Clayton helping on the inside using his position of trust on the ship, things looked basically foolproof. It had been like any business deal for Marshall. Clayton had seen him work miracles before and this was no different. Marshall had wanted to save his daughter from some kind of creatures on the planet where she lived. He’d contracted some pirates he’d used before and trusted to do the clean up, and as with any contract job they were to be paid highly. The contents of this Collector vessel were to be theirs and in order to make sure they got them, Marshall had made sure Clayton had been the one sitting in position of Navigation Officer. From there it had been easy.
“During your shift to the Teldar system get everything ready,” Marshall had said when Clayton had found time alone between work periods to safely use his radio. ”The pirates will be relying on you, and I’ve made certain promises to them.”
“Very well, what can I do to help them?” Clayton just wanted everything to go smoothly so he could get to safety and his money.
Marshall carried on, “Prepare the co-ordinates for all vessels except yours correctly; you and Cargo 1 go to these when you leave Teldar.“ He had read off a string of numbers. “Next, you must arrange for all outer lighting to go down on arrival except the access hatches that need violet strobes. Are you with me so far?”
“It won’t be easy getting it all set up without getting caught, but I’ll have plenty of time to get the programs ready, then when the time is right I can initiate everything with the flick of a switch.” His tone indicated that he was excited at the prospect of pulling off something as daring as this.
“You must also have the hull shields pulled down, but without any alerts going off. Also, create a diversion somewhere so the security forces are busy with something on board when things start to happen. I don’t think I need to remind you to have a pod ready for your escape, do I?”
Clayton couldn’t help but smile, “I think I’ll remember that without too much trouble. Don’t worry, I’ll contact you if I’m having problems with any of this but I think it should go just fine.”
After that all had indeed gone well and little by little Clayton had got all the details worked out. The only hiccup came when Marshall had called him about the girl Bettine who was to be rescued. He didn’t like the idea of being a rescuer and babysitter but he didn’t see that he had much of a choice in the matter since the man who would be paying him had made this particular demand. The call had been interrupted and he’d received no further details. He assumed it would have something to do with someone missing their Token and more information would show up if, and when, he was fortunate.
Now the time of his escape was imminent and he needed to find the girl Marshall wanted. After the last of the animals had been loaded and the ship was on its way he’d luckily heard some of the men talking about a kid from the animal planet being pressed into service. He also heard about some deserter being in lock up in the old habitation level, and though he wasn’t interested in him, he knew that the girl would be down there too. So, with the small bag over one shoulder, he headed to the elevator, the computer key he had so laboriously worked on during their long last shift safely carried in his pocket. Once he had the girl he could enter the pod and prepare for his freedom.
Nervous about being discovered he forced himself to remember he was wearing an officers uniform, and it would be unlikely for anyone to question him, even if found on one of the old decks. These large cargo vessels had many levels and only the top few were for ship personnel, the rest were for storage needs. The old habitation level was due to be upgraded to more storage since many crew positions had been replaced by even more automation. He thought that if someone did question him he could always say he was just curious about the traitor, and he wanted to look at a man who would probably be executed when they reached their destination. That was certainly plausible. He couldn’t waste time though, as he had to be in his pod as soon as the ship came out of shift, which he knew, was only minutes away. Once that happened there’d be a lot of trouble for him if he were still on board.
Once the elevator doors opened he headed down the corridor to where it came to a junction. To the left the changes to the old quarters had already begun, and most of the bulkheads had been removed to create larger areas for bulky cargo. To the right the rooms had been gutted but their skeletons were still intact; he went quietly, but quickly that way. He could not see or hear any guards, but he needed no surprises.
“Hello, guards.” Nothing. “Guards!” Again nothing.
He began looking into each room as he passed by. Eventually he came to a door that was locked from the outside, and looking inside, he saw a small body, head down apparently quietly crying. The girl was clearly afraid and Clayton tried to soothe her as he fumbled to unlock the simple bolt holding the door fast. “Don’t worry, Bettine, I’m not here to harm you. I’m going to get you out and back to your parents.”
A small voice rose to his ears as he opened the door, “I’m Sean. Bettine isn’t here, sir.”
Clayton was flustered. The voice he heard, though high, was clearly that of a boy! How many kids could there be down here? Then he recalled that he’d heard about only one child being brought on board with no description of whether it was a boy or girl, he’d just made an assumption it was the girl he was looking for. Then he heard a deep voice from behind him. Great! This was just the kind of delay he needed, he thought sarcastically.
“Bettine is my daughter, sir. How do you know her name and why are you looking for her? What do you mean you’re here to save her?” Jacob was standing up; his face pushed up to the screen, confusion and hope showing on his face.
“I don’t have time for this, I have to leave. I was told to collect a girl named Bettine and if she’s not here then I’m leaving now.” He turned to go, but halted when Jacob spoke next.
“Did Marshall tell you to save her?” It was a guess but it was the only thing that really made sense under the circumstances.
“How do you know Marshall?” Clayton was confused and very suspicious now; he half expected this to be some kind of trap.
“Marshall just helped