Flying By Wire

No Space for Family [Chapter 28]

“We’re in asset protection, Overseer,” Lanky continued there on the other side of the half wall. “We didn’t come this way to wreak havoc, only to secure the things that belong to our benefactor. That includes anybody who has gained access to trade secrets through illicit means. That being said, we have a modest weapons array on board our ship. If our target had tried to escape us again, we would have used them on his craft. Now, if you were to get in our way and let that happen, your little communications relay in this system might end up in the crossfire.”

Sakura huffed. “You wouldn’t. That’s a necessary device for connecting us to the Galaxy Net. For ordering vital supplies for the colony.”

“And that ship out on the tarmac here has a one-of-a-kind piece of technology that my employer has paid a fortune for.”

The Overseer sighed. “Can you confirm that with the utmost certainty? You would interrupt the operations of this colony and threaten my people without being one hundred percent certain that you have the right people? The right ship?”

“Shut up!” Lanky whined. “You’re just stalling! Once that man is here, he’ll let us into his ship so we can wrap this up. No more interruptions! Doctor, go back to the others and wait for instructions.”

I saw my mom’s shoulders perk up. “Damn, we can’t let her go,” she said under her breath.

“Everyone listen up,” Lanky spoke up as if talking to his walkie-talkie. “Don’t trust anybody on this planet. I’m sending the doctor back to the ship. Make sure she gets there. Bugan, where is the human?”

My mom jerked up to her feet and jumped out into the lobby. “Dr. Pois! We won’t let you go! Sakura, we outnumber them!”

“Amelia, why are you still here?” Sakura hissed back.

I braved poking my head out around the corner. I spotted Lanky, in one hand his walkie-talkie and in the other an energy pistol, moving back and forth between my mom and the Overseer.

I nearly fell over but Terren held me by my collar. He shook his head at me when I turned back.

“Who needs numbers when you can persuade people in other ways?” Lanky chuckled. “Hands up, woman. Doctor, you may get going.”

I wanted to run out there and tackle him. I grasped my hands into tight balls. Terren grabbed my shoulder and whispered in my ear despite my wriggling. “Sola, please. We need to just go. Mom knows what she’s doing. If we’re quick, maybe we can take off…”

I heard a crackle from my mom’s pocket all of a sudden. “I’m sorry, Amelia.”

“Whose voice is that?” Lanky said, jutting his weapon at my mom. “Answer!”

I heard my Dad’s voice continue. “It’s me they want. Me, and the Ora. And I can’t let this technology fall into the wrong hands. Sakura, keep my family safe, okay?”

A familiar whine came to my ears. I crept out of Terren’s grasp again and knelt around the corner to look out the lobby windows. Sure enough, the Ora’s cockpit lights had lit up, accompanied by the glow from the takeoff thrusters.

Lanky stared agape out the window and yanked his walkie-talkie up to his face. “I don’t know who you have, but it’s not Umburter! He’s in their ship, about to take off! Get up there and SHOOT HIM OUT OF THE SKY!”

Before I could blink, Sakura was behind Lanky, chopping the gun out of his hand and throwing him across her back and to the ground with a thump and a grunt of pain.

“Nice moves, Sakura!” My mom praised, running to kick the weapon away and step on the walkie-talkie in his weakened grasp.

“Do… what you want… with me!” Lanky said through gasps. “My crew knows what they need… to do.”

“Go!” Sakura said, leaning down on Lanky’s chest. “Get yourselves to safety.”

Terren and I rushed out after my mom. The Ora was just pushing up into the sky. The bigger ship was powering up with a roaring hum.

“Jeff!” Mom yelled into her communicator. “We’re okay down here! Jump to warp as soon as you can! Or they’re going to blow up the ship with you on it!”

The communicator was silent. The lights of the Ora were beginning to blend in with the stars above in the night sky. With a deafening hiss, the bigger ship pushed off the ground with a violent twist to follow Dad’s trajectory.

“Go, Dad, go!” I said, jumping up and down, hands in tight balls.

“Can he even make it to warp at this distance?” asked Terren, eyes locked to the sky.

“He’s got to clear the atmosphere,” Mom said, eyes closed tight. “But he’s a good pilot. He can do this.”

I jumped up and down, watching as the bad guys’ ship roared into the low atmosphere. Its boosters glowed and flared as it tried to make up the distance. I almost couldn’t watch. The high-pitched hum of something charging cut through the cold night air.

“Get out of there, Jeff,” groaned Mom, her fist to her mouth.

“Go, Dad, go!” chanted Terren.

The bad guys’ ship launched its payload. It sounded like a crash of a drum, but without any reverberation. It shot off into the sky with a red glow before seeming to disappear. The three of us nearly breathed a sigh of relief, but before we could draw in an ounce of breath, the sudden blue explosion tore across the sky. A half second later, I heard the crash which shook the air.

Mom dropped to her knees. Terren tried to catch her but she simply fell through his grasp. I don’t remember what I thought, but I couldn’t help but lean across her shoulder, my heart in my stomach and the blast still ringing in my ears.

Mom leaned on her knees and fumbled with the communicator in her hands. She pressed at the screen and tried to talk into it, her voice raspy and full of regret. “Jeff, Jeff… tell me you made it out of there.”

Terren grabbed my mom’s arm, his head shaking. “He’s… probably out of range… now… if he did make it.”