Piercing the Darkness: A Space Opera Military Science Fiction Thriller (Space Warfare Group Book 3) by Charles Hack

Author:Charles Hack [Hack, Charles]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Coram Deo Books
Published: 2025-02-25T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Battlecruiser McDaniels

High-Security Confinement Facility

“Do you have any additional security measures?” Raider asked Master-At-Arms First Class Vukas. The bald man stood with a distant look in his eyes. Raider glanced at Jagoon and Princess Omo-Binrin. Jagoon shook his head. Her thoughts exactly. Vukas didn’t know what he was doing.

Raider stepped closer to Vukas and snapped her fingers. “Hey! Do you have any other security measures?”

He finally made eye contact with her. “Uh, well. We could drop the safety doors.”

Raider ground her teeth. “What are the safety doors?”

“Oh, they’re doors that come down to protect against fire or an environmental threat.”

“Do it,” she commanded.

Vukas nodded in agreement and moved around behind the counter. He tapped out a few commends on the touchscreen.

The radio crackled. “Sir, we’ve got something strange happening in here.”

“What is it?” Vukas asked.

Raider ran to the bank of screens. Her eyes darted from screen to screen, looking for the problem. Vukas’ two guards moved in a combat crouch, with rifles pointing toward something.

“The wall is burning,” the guard said.

“What do you mean, the wall is burning?” Vukas asked.

“I don’t see anything on the screens,” Raider said.

A burst of static, then the guard said, “There’s a line forming on the wall, up at the ceiling above Cell Block 4. Smoke is swirling from the line.”

Raider said, “Close those safety doors now! We’ve gotta get in there.”

Into the radio, Vukas said, “I’m closing the safety doors, and we’re coming in.”

“Copy that.”

Raider, Jagoon, and the Princess waited at the glass sally port doors. Raider asked, “Princess, are you sure you should join us? You have your people to think about.”

The princess stood tall and rigid, even though she and Jagoon were both about ten centimeters shorter than Raider. Both their skin frills stood at full height.

“Investigator Raider, I can handle myself,” the Princess said.

“I know you can. I’ve seen it. But your safety is a higher priority right now. Give us Jagoon. We could use his help. But I think you should put the Okutan people first, and seek safety. We’ll handle this mess.”

Vukas placed his palm on the scanner and the outer sally port door opened.

Jagoon whispered to the princess in their native language. Raider couldn’t understand them, but the tone and body language suggested a disagreement.

Vukas entered the sally port, holding his rifle. He radioed the guards inside the cell block. “Any change?”

“No sir. The line is moving and still smoking. Do we know what is behind the Cell Block 4 wall?”

“I thought it was just some air ducts and water pipes.”

The guard said, “Maybe it’s a fire from the explosions.”

“Get ready to activate the fire suppression. If you see flames, activate it.”

“Roger.”

Raider paced. “It’s not a fire, Vukas,” she said.

Finally, Princess Omo-Binrin turned to Raider with her chin up. Jagoon radioed someone in his Okutan language. She said, “Investigator Raider, I agree that what you propose is the best thing for my people. Thank you. Please, be careful.”

“That is a wise choice, your highness. I look forward to seeing you soon.

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