Impossible Hope
"That's all there is to it," Reyne finished.
Every crew member of the Gryphon stared at him, slack-jawed.
"That's all," Sixx echoed.
"Yep."
"Let me get this straight," Throttle began. "We're hijacking a Myrad hauler and running straight through the space barrier to land onto Myr. From there, we get our hands on proof of Myr's involvement with the blight, proof that we'll then bring into the heart of Alluvia, where we'll get it to a Collective news reporter, who will then get Alluvia and the fringe all riled up against Myr."
Reyne nodded. "That pretty much sums it up."
"It's impossible," Doc said.
"Which part?" Reyne asked.
"All of it," she answered.
"For starters, we're not pirates," Sixx said. "We've never hijacked a ship together."
"That's why Critch and a few members of his crew will be joining us. They'll lead the hijacking expedition."
"So, we're officially joining ranks with pirates," Boden said.
"Torrents," Reyne corrected. "They're only pirates on their off-days."
Sixx smirked. "Okay. We hijack a Myrad ship. Then, we come up to the space barrier. If any of the Myrads on that ship happen to send out a distress signal during the hijacking, then their codes won't work. The EMP will fry everything in our ship, and we'll die a cold, suffocating death in space."
Reyne nodded. "We'll make sure they never get the chance to make a distress call."
Sixx continued. "Okay then. Myr is a big world. How are we going to know which province this particular Genics Corp building is in?"
"We're counting on our Founder pals for that information."
Doc frowned. "The Founders? They're an urban legend. They don't exist."
"They do exist, and Heid seems to think one of them on Myr is going to help us."
"We're aligning with the CUF now, too?" Boden asked, ire darkening his voice.
"Yes, although I suspect after this, Heid will be considered more torrent than CUF."
"How do you know Critch or Heid won't betray us?" Doc asked.
"Critch watched his family get slaughtered by Myrads and Alluvians on Terra before the Uprising. He may act like a pirate, but he'll always be a torrent in his heart. As for Heid, she's an idealist. They'll both work with us to see the Uprising happen." Reyne considered the two captains for a moment. "But don't forget for a minute that either one of them would set us up if our deaths fit into their plans. We need to cover our asses every step of the way."
Sixx laughed. "Sounds like one hell of a ménage à trois," he said before letting out a sigh. "Though, I can honestly say I never thought I'd get a chance to pull a heist on Myr."
Reyne smiled. "Sounds enticing, doesn't it?"
"Hell, yeah," Sixx replied. "But, I'd rather skip to the part about how we somehow make it onto Alluvia without dying."
"That's where Boden comes into play." Reyne watched the mechanic's head jerk at the mention of his name. "He's an Alluvian resident and has full rights to land at any time. That's the lowest risk part of the plan."
"Was an Alluvian," Boden corrected. "We're all dead, at least on legal records. My access rights would've been cancelled by now."
Reyne shook his head and eyed Boden. "Sorry, pal. You'd been let go from my crew and so you weren't on our last scalar run. That means you weren't on board when the Gryphon landed at Ice Port. Demes has already entered your credentials on Spate for the past month. It appears you've been staying at a brothel in Devil Town on a sweet soy binge. You've run out of money and have already filed for a new visa for landing rights to return home."
The mechanic glowered.
"We had to make it believable in case someone digs into your records," Reyne added before turning back to his crew. "So, Boden will have us land at First City, where Heid has promised to hook us up with a reporter friend of hers who will broadcast the story. We'll also bring our little hacker buddy Demes along in case the reporter falls through. Demes will plug into the hard line to the news channel's systems and broadcast the truth across the city and out to the fringe. Alluvia will finally step forward and go head-to-head with Myr, hopefully preventing Myr's hostile takeover or worse, a Collective war."
Doc shook her head. "This will never work out. It's impossible."
"Well, aren't you a bunch of pessimists?" Reyne asked drily. "Listen, I never said it would be easy, but if we succeed, we can save millions of lives. Make no mistake, this is the Uprising." No one spoke. "Come on, don't you want to be heroes?"
"No," Sixx replied quickly.
"Even if it means every woman in the Collective will want to sleep with you?"
"They already do," Sixx replied.
"Not every woman," Throttle added before turning to Reyne. "You know that where you go, I go. I'm in."
"I don't want to be a hero, but I do want to be rich," Sixx said. "Hell, I was in as soon as you mentioned that I'd get to steal from the Myrads."
Boden thumped his fist against the table. "I don't like working with the CUF, but if we succeed, Alluvia will stand up to Myr. That will mean trouble for all citizens, hopefully even bloodshed. They've enslaved colonists for far too long, and they deserve some payback. I'm in."
Doc stared. "This is lunacy."
Reyne eyed her. "Things could get rough out there. We could use a medic who won't crack under pressure."
She stood. "It's a suicide run. We'll all die. I won't be party to that." Doc looked around the table. "You're all crazy. I will not watch you kill yourselves." She stormed out of the room.
Reyne glanced at Throttle, Sixx, and Boden. "Thanks," he said before standing and following Doc to her quarters.
She'd locked her door, but one of the perks of being captain was having an override code. He punched in several numbers, the door opened, and he stepped inside.
She spun around. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were full of fury. "You're an idiot, Aramis."
Taken aback, he held up his hands. "Whoa, there. I get that you're scared. Hell, I am, too, but I'm not doing this out of stupidity. I'm doing this because there are no other options. If we don't stop Myr, the other fringe stations will fall. If we thought things were bad when Alluvia and Myr were keeping each other in check, imagine how bad it will be if Myr gains control. We're second-class folks today, and if Myr wins, we'll all become slaves. Far worse than the tenured like Boden's family was back on Alluvia."
Her face tightened. "You're going to get yourself killed. I gave everything to save your life once, and now you're throwing it away."
Reyne frowned, confused. "You've saved my life plenty of times, and I'm thankful. But my life isn't worth living if I tuck tail and live it out as a coward."
A tear ran down her cheek. "You're always running toward trouble."
"I only run toward it if it's the right thing to do. I can't change who I am."
She wiped her cheek. "No, you can't."
He wrapped his arms around her and implored softly. "So, will you run with me?"
She sobbed, "Of course," then shooed him away. "Now, go. Leave me alone."
Reyne reluctantly left her quarters, though he felt like he should go back and wipe her tears away and hold her until she quit crying.
He discovered things were no better back in the commons. There, he found Throttle crying. Sixx had an arm wrapped around her, and Boden stared blankly at the wall screen.
"What's wrong?" Reyne asked.
Sixx gave Reyne a long look before turning back to the screen. "Restart Somerville update."
In an unexpected turn of events, an Alluvian citizen has been killed during the Ice Port bombing, meant to eliminate the bioterrorists of the Smithton and Sol Base attacks. Kason Somerville, of the highly respected Somerville and Marion lineage, was found dead by rescue teams at Ice Port. He had holdings on all six worlds, and was believed to be on a routine visit when the attack happened. Corps General Michel Ausyar has offered his sincerest apologies to Somerville's family and has vowed to do everything in his power to protect citizen lives as they continue investigations into the bioterrorist faction, led by Vym Patel, that has now taken both Myrad and Alluvian lives. This is Lina Tao reporting for DZ-Five, your Collective news source.
"No." Reyne helplessly watched a video of a smiling Kason displayed on the screen. "Damn it. Why didn't he stay on Alluvia?"
"It doesn't make any sense," Boden said. "Why'd he return to Ice Port so soon after United Day? He always stays home for at least two weeks. Even at full jump speed, it doesn't add up."
"Maybe he got stuck at Ice Port for business and never made it home?" Throttle offered before wiping her eyes on her shirt.
Boden shook his head. "I saw him off. I would've heard from him if something happened."
"I'd bet every credit I own that the CUF bastards killed him because of that package," Sixx said. "Everything hit the shitter as soon as we grabbed that damn box."
"He was a citizen." Throttle sniffled. "They would never kill a citizen."
"He's also one of us," Reyne said, and a cold rock settled into his gut as Sixx's words rang of truth.
Boden pounded the table as he shoved to his feet. "I've seen them do it before. The bastards do what they want and kill anyone who gets in their way."
Reyne watched the mechanic, fists clenched, stomp from the room. He worried that Boden losing his best friend would send the Alluvian on another sweet soy binge. When he turned back, he noticed Sixx and Throttle were watching him.
"They'll kill us, too, if we get in their way," Sixx said.
Reyne took a deep breath before speaking. "Maybe they'll kill us. Maybe not. But I'm damn sure not going to let them get their way without an Uprising."