Outcasts of Gideon

Fellowship : Part 3

Remaining in the hallway, Kishan assumed that Doran was already suited up. The Wake's pilot confirmed this when he passed into the Aion within only a few minutes. Kishan acknowledged him, noting that Doran had his weapon drawn. It appeared Doran expected this to end in violence.

Kishan didn't relish bringing these people with him, but he knew what would happen if he left them behind. He never felt comfortable with the violence that surrounded people like Runar. He pointed to Doran's weapon. "They're giving up the package. You don't need that."

"We are not going to free them."

"They're stranded. We can take the package and leave them here. Runar gave no orders to kill them. In fact, if they manage to get back to Odyssey, I expect their shuttle will still be useful to him."

Doran lowered his weapon. "Mister Runar won't like to let Lackey go."

"You're right, he won't." Kishan reached into the bag and removed the leikela, "But he's gonna be happy when he gets this back." He lifted it, casting it's blinding light across the narrow entryway. As he squinted against the brightness, he removed his own weapon and trained it on Doran. The pilot's hands were shielding his eyes, leaving him unprepared.

Kishan returned the leikela to the satchel. Keeping his weapon drawn, he called to Grant. "Take his weapon."

Grant pushed past Kishan. Steadying himself against a bulkhead, he lifted the weapon from Doran's hand. He held it away with the tips of his fingers as though it might bite him. Backing up, he went past Kishan into the passenger cabin. Kishan backed up as well, motioning for Doran to follow.

"Where are we going?" asked Doran.

"We're going to Earth," said the emaciated man, "But you are staying here."

Kishan let it stand at that. He hadn't thought of how he might obscure their trail, but Earth could be useful for that purpose. This also reinforced his decision to take the others. With them, he might have convinced Doran that Earth was his destination.

"Should we tie him up?" asked the emaciated man.

"No, he can't go anywhere. Just leave him." Kishan motioned with the weapon. "Strap in." Doran moved toward the nearest seat and pulled the restraints around himself.

The woman pushed herself into the passageway. The others followed, with Kishan taking up the rear. He kept his weapon trained on Doran. He could hear the man unbuckle as he lost sight of him down the hall. When he was through, he activated the hatch closing the Aion from access. He backed his way across the bridge, weapon drawn. Doran did not follow.

The manual fix to seal the bridge meant leaving it behind. When he closed access to the Wake, he detached the bridge, setting the Aion free.

Kishan worked his way through the bunk area and up to the pilot's cabin. There he found each of the others had strapped themselves in, leaving him no seat. The young man occupied the pilot's station. "Can you fly this?"

"Maybe."

"You'll have to do better than 'maybe.' Move aside, then."

The young man's face turned a bright red as he unstrapped himself and rose. While Kishan buckled the restraints, the young man floated in the aisle beside him. Kishan turned to him. "You might find it safer to strap in. We'll be pulling about three G's."

"All the seats are taken."

"Yeah, that's why I mentioned it. How about using one of the bunks below?"

The young man disappeared down the ladder. Kishan pulled up the ship controls, plotting their course and speed. As he did, he thought about their destination. Titan was close to both a system and an interstellar McAfee. That made the most sense if they actually wanted to head in system. It also made the most sense if they wanted to jump out of Sol. In either case, they would need to get transit authorization. Swinging that would be a challenge.

Titan also offered the largest market for what they had to sell. He was sure he could find a buyer for the ship. The leikela would be more of a challenge, but Titan still offered the best opportunity for that. It was the obvious move. Kishan wondered if he could afford to be obvious. He had to think a few steps ahead. What they needed – what he needed – was some time to build distance.

Titan would also put them closer to system authorities, the Saturn Patrol. His father had several run-ins with the Patrol. Kishan might prefer them to the Damasos, but neither was welcome at this point.

He pointed the Wake toward Titan, scheduling short, high G burns. Between these he allowed for rest periods. As their first burn ended, he changed their course. Titan was probably where he would complete the sale, but Dione was where he would get the ball rolling. It was also where he might find some old friends, and home.