Free Revolution: The Ship Series // Book Two by Jerry Aubin Page A

though that has biometric controls. I
can get us in there, and it connects with a shaft that will put us into the
crawlspace above the compartment where they put Bailee and the Boss. If they
are still in there, and if the guards are still outside, we can use the
manual override for the hatch from the crawlspace to get them out.”
    Kalare smiled at Zax before looking down at Aleron who
remained on the deck grasping his crotch. Her grin widened as she gave him
another (reasonably light) kick to get his attention. “Quit your sniveling and
get your butt up. We’re getting out of here.”

 

     

 
    CHAPTER THIRTEEN
    We have to deliver a message.
    Kalare led the way out of the compartment with the blaster hidden under her shirt in
the small of her back. Aleron shambled along directly behind her. Zax brought
up the rear once he removed the sheath from the dead civilian’s boot and
secured the blade in his own.
    Zax was most worried about the first fifty meters of the
trip. They would be totally exposed as they made their way from the compartment
to the access port for the maintenance tunnels. If they ran into any civilians,
their plan was to pass themselves off as random cadets desperately trying to
make their way back to their quarters, but Zax didn’t hold out much hope that
would work.
    They approached a T-junction where they needed to turn
left when suddenly Aleron sprang to life and grabbed a fistful of Kalare’s
shirt. He dragged her backwards and pushed her up tight against a closed hatch
while using his other hand to pull Zax in alongside them. It seemed like the bully
was making his play to reestablish dominance until Zax heard voices and
footsteps approach from arround the corner. He held his breath and waited until
a group of three civilians walked past in the connecting passageway without
looking their way.
    The voices faded and eventually Aleron released his grip
and backed away from Kalare and Zax with a smirk. “Who’s Captain Clueless now?”
    Kalare straightened her shirt and glared at Aleron. “I
might have been able to hear them a little more easily if I wasn’t so
distracted by how slowly you were moving your sorry carcass.” Her expression
softened a bit. “But thank you—that would not have been good to run straight
into that group.” She held up her hand to signal quiet and then peeked around
the corner until she was satisfied the next passageway was now empty.
    They walked the last ten meters without incident and the
three cadets were soon through the access port into a world entirely unknown to
almost everyone who called the Ship home. The network of maintenance tunnels
was a motley collection—some were the same size and build quality as the main
passageways while others were nothing but crawlspaces roughly hewn into the
mammoth asteroid that formed the foundation of the Ship. Civilians were not
allowed unescorted access, and most Crew never bothered requesting the security
credentials needed to open its hatches and access ports. The tunnels were
universally considered a warren best left to those with the lowest Leaderboard
rankings, so Zax had never encountered another person during his travels within
them.
    Frequent usage of the tunnel system made life in Waste
Systems more efficient which is what inspired Zax to study and explore it in
the first place. Thankfully his eidetic memory meant prior glances at the
schematics for Engineering were sufficient for him to recall how its
maintenance network was laid out as well. Zax confidently led the other two
cadets through seemingly random twists and turns until he stopped them at the
base of a ladder and spoke.
    “This goes into the crawlspace above the compartment
where the Boss and Bailee are being held. I want you two to wait here with the
blaster. If you hear any commotion, I want you to run. I know you don’t have a
clue where you’re going, but it doesn’t matter. Just run. Better to be lost in
the tunnels than dead from the