The Lost Voyager: A Space Opera Novel by A. C. Hadfield Page B

why not just come out with it?
    “You’re scared, aren’t you?” Mach said, stepping closer to his friend and placing a hand on the other’s shoulder. “I can’t help you if you keep this hidden from me.”
    Sanchez shut his eyes and took a deep breath. The elevator car jolted and ascended the wire cable. Mach and Sanchez grabbed onto each other as the car swayed back and forth.  
    “Babcock,” Sanchez said, “must have overridden the—”
    A crackling voice came through an embedded speaker in the ceiling of the car. Babcock’s voice warbled, “Mach, Sanchez, are you two okay? I saw the elevator had stopped and got it working again, but I got no communications from the comlink. Do you hear me?”
    Mach gritted his teeth. “I hear you, Babcock. We’re both fine. You did well. We’ll rendezvous with you in a few minutes.” He tried to hide his irritation. He was so close to getting to the truth. Now Sanchez stood with his arms crossed, staring out into the dark of the night, his face inscrutable, brooding.  
    “You will tell me in time,” Mach said. “If not because we’re friends, but because I’m your captain and employer, and I can’t risk this mission if you’re not able to perform to the best of your abilities. Do you understand me?”
    “Tell me something,” Sanchez said as the elevator stopped and the rear doors slid open, leading to a path back into the facility. “What is on Voyager ? You don’t think I’m stupid enough to believe we’re just rescuing a bunch of miners, do you? These kinds of ships go missing all the time—hazard of the job.”
    Mach ignored him and stepped out onto the rocky path. He headed through dense frozen fog and the blustering ice crystals toward the large door into the facility. Sanchez kept pace, matching him step for step.  
    “It’s bad, ain’t it?” Sanchez said as the two men stopped in front of the door.  
    “Yeah,” Mach added. “It’s bad, real fucking bad.”
    The two men didn’t speak after that. They joined Adira, Babcock and Squid Two in the main control center of the mining facility. Babcock was sitting at a console, the holographic radar screen floating in front of him. A single blue line arced back and forth across the circular, three-dimensional display.  
    Adira stood in the dark recess of the room, stretching her back by arching backwards until her hands and feet were both touching the floor, forming a perfect lowercase n shape. Although upside down, she faced him and gave him a smile and a wink before easing herself upright and turning to face him. She sighed with pleasure as she leaned forward to grasp her ankles. She straightened once more and stepped toward Mach. She pulled a hunting knife from her belt and thrust forward suddenly.  
    Mach twisted away, his mouth open in surprise, wondering where the attack had come from, when she backed away and lifted the knife up between them. A bug stuck on the end, it’s legs wiggling frantically, venom dripping to the floor of the facility.  
    “I didn’t think it was protocol to bring along passengers,” Adira said with a smile.  
    “I thought you were…” Mach said, then just laughed and shook his head.  
    “Kill you?” Adira said. “Oh, darling, if I were to do that, you wouldn’t see it coming. And I wouldn’t miss.”
    “That’s… good to know.”
    Sanchez grumbled something and joined Babcock. Mach and Adira followed until they were all standing around the scientist. Above the radar, Squid Two hovered, inspecting the readings.  
    “There’s nothing,” Babcock said. “The planet is barren. The only concentration of metals I can find is the facility itself”—he pointed to a red dot on the holographic sphere—“and, of course, the Intrepid and its drone.” Both were likewise indicated by two small red dots.  
    “Given the size of Voyager , it should be easy to spot, right?” Adira said.  
    “Indeed,” Squid Two replied with its chirping little voice.