Outlaws (The Slingers Trilogy, Book 2)

Chapter 24

The large blue planet loomed in front of the small cargo ship, casting it in the reflected rays of the sun. Bunker stared down at the shifting surface of the large blue marble, stormy clouds directly in front of them, and moving blue waves in every direction. He sighed inwardly. If  they were going to try and find Nolun and Andress by a purely visual scan, it could take weeks, which was time they didn't have. They had barely managed to escape Scrap alive, and all of the crew, including the Broker, were worse for wear. When Dante had returned to the ship, he didn't ask questions about the fight between him and Zero. When he sat down in the navigator's seat, he simply said one word. "Thadeus?" Dante paused, then shook his head slightly. Bunker had seen it coming, but the old man had insisted in helping them out. It still felt like it was his fault. He had gotten him into this mess, and now it had cost him his life. After a while of flying as fast as the new engines could carry them, they had finally arrived at the planet where, apparently, Nolun and Andress's pod was located. The crew had been silent when they reached the planet, a sense of dread and hope emanating from each of them. Then, Koil looked down at the radar screen, unsure at first at what exactly he was seeing, then as he kept looking, he became more and more sure. His eyes widened and he shot up, looking at Bunker. "There's a signal! Coming from 140 degrees to our left! It's a ship!" The entire cabin rushed over to the screen, and noticed a definite blip. It was a ship, most likely a transport shuttle. Bunker felt his heart begin to race. Perhaps there was hope after all.

Nolun managed to navigate the slightly large shuttle through the stormy turbulence that seemed to stretch on infinitely across the sky, then broke out from the grey clouds. Then, he saw something that he hadn't seen in a long time. The sun shone out across a clear blue sky, filling the cabin with warmth and light. The three of them looked up at it, and all of them thought it was the most beautiful thing they had seen in their lives. Nolun looked over at Andress in the copilot seat, and saw her red hair shining in the glow, and her bright eyes and smile, and smiled a little bit to himself. I got you out Andress...I hope you can forgive me. As Nolun focused on the sky, he began to think of next steps. He had no idea where or how to find the Renegade, but there had to be something they could use. Andress surely had a way. Before he could think of it anymore, the radar began to beep, signalling a ship nearby. It woke Nolun out of his thoughts, and he looked at Trace and Andress. "You think it could be a GDF patrol?" Trace shook her head. "No. Not this far up." Andress leaned down and looked at the radar, then her eyes lit up. "It's them! It's the Renegade! I recognize the model!" Nolun's heart skipped a beat, then rose the ship up to a higher level, and looked for the ship on the screen. Sure enough, he saw the familiar grey and silver bulk hovering above them. The radio buzzed and crackled, and a voice came through. "This is the Renegade to unidentified craft. You there, Captain?" Andress fumbled around and finally found the microphone. "Bunker! It's us! Me and Nolun! We made it!" They heard cheering coming from the other end of the mic, then Bunker responded. "Roger that. Prepare for docking." Andress smiled widely, and breathed out. Finally, she was home again.

Gottlieb stared out the observing platform at the space ahead of him. He was only a day away from Purgatorio, and then soon everything he had hoped to accomplish would be complete. Soon, all memories of the Matchbox Incident would be long forgotten, and the GDF's rule over the galaxy would be total and absolute. The door to the platform opened, and an officer walked through, standing at attention in front of Gottlieb. He noticed that the officer looked very nervous, which never was good news. "Yes, Kyious?" The officer paused before speaking. "D-Director, we've just received a signal from Purgatorio. There's just been a massive breakout. Warden C-Caligula is dead, and....the two prisoners that you requested managed to escape. Their whereabouts are currently unknown." Gottlieb stared at him, his face dead, but the expression of disbelief and anger clear. He was like a still body of water, with something ugly and evil about to break through the surface. He walked over to a set of monitors that was next to the viewing controls, then slammed his fists down on them hard. He then pulled out his pistol and shot the controls several times, emptying the clip. He then reloaded and put two more rounds into it. He yelled loudly while he did this. After he was done, he stood at the machine, the smoking pistol still raised in his hand. The officer, who was silent and terrified, spoke up again."S-Sir-" He immediately regretted it, as Gottlieb whirled around and raised the still-smoking pistol at him, his hair slightly unkempt. "What." He said in a horrifyingly monotone voice. Swallowing, the officer continued. "The Council has been informed of t-this as well. The High Monarch has requested a statement, and will be joining your return to Maxima 1." The look on Gottlieb's face changed from one of pure rage to that of a frightened and whipped child. "The High Monarch is coming here?" The officer nodded, and Gottlieb slowly lowered his pistol, smoothing his hair. "Leave. Now. Tell the Council that we will greet the High Monarch with open arms. We will prepare for the arrival." The officer nodded anxiously and left, with a slight speed in his step. Gottlieb looked out the window again, this time less optimistic. Lovecraft and Metreo had slipped through his fingers again. Now, the High Monarch was getting involved. Gottlieb was beginning to wonder if this would turn out as well for him as he thought it would.