Worlds Beyond SS2

Worlds Beyond 2.1: Overtaken

The forest ahead filled my holoscreen eyepiece and revealed nothing as it had for three days straight. No sign of the ship. No sign of the traitor, Salazar.

Xerina kicked the purple bark off a tree, exposing its sticky yellow phloem. "We should've reached it by now," she fumed. "What if she was lying about the ship?"

"Not likely," I said, "Captain Kat knows the—"

"She ain't no captain," Hung shot back.

"You're our captain now," Xerina said, touching the shoulder emblem of a red wolf that held my new half-cape together. "Don't forget why."

"Never."

Hung came close to me, voice low but reassuring. "Takes some getting used to, but they've already made their choice." He motioned to the five Crimson Wolves that followed us…followed me.

"The ship's Quantum-ionization trail suggests they touched down a few kilometers from here," I said. "We should be there by midday."

Time to bury the hatchet.

Salazar deserved to die ten times over. Murdering, deceiving, and manipulating the Crimson Wolves. If he had been doing his damned job, we might have fared better coming out of that wormhole. Might've saved more lives…

"I've got a reading," Hung said. "One kilometer out. Faint, but human. Heading matches ours."

"Move!" Xerina commanded and took point, zigzagging through the purple trunks of the forest. I knew she wanted her face to be the first thing that fucker saw.

"He's pulling away from us," Hung said.

"How the…?" I said, moving from a brisk run to a full sprint, overtaking Xerina. I burst through the last trees onto the rocky edge of a deep ravine filled with a purple iridescent glow.

Below me was the largest vein of Quantum I had ever seen but my vision blurred and the ravine began to spin.

"Jared!" Hung snatched me back. "Almost lost ya there."

"In more ways than one," I said. Doc Brin had treated the poisoned wound on my arm, but it was throbbing again.

"Look," Hung pointed out a narrow stone bridge.

Salazar was there, methodically putting one foot in front of the other. He looked up and saw the rest of our crew burst out from the forest behind us and bolted.

Hung outpaced us, swift over the bridge, disappearing. We followed. Beyond, more of the forest awaited us. We dived below the thick canopy of trees.

Hung came out of nowhere. "Salazar's arrived first," he said and motioned us into the thicker tree cover.

Through the foliage, I saw eight well-armed pirates already scanning the area. Salazar stood speaking with one of them.

"I know the one Salazar is talking to," Hung whispered. "Dahm. He's honorable by hitman standards but who knows."

"Ship looks familiar too but can't quite place it," one of the crew added.

"Will he hear us out?" I asked.

Hung shrugged. "He might. Depends on his captain."

"Situation is hot," Xerina added. "Ideas?"

"We could approach them," I said, "weapons drawn but lowered. Try reasoning with them. There's more than enough evidence of Salazar's betrayal to make our case."

They considered my idea while I poked holes in it. Who was their captain? If he was a Crimson Wolves supporter, Salazar would've been chained-up where he stood, but he's standing with them, gun drawn. What did Salazar tell them?

"We could always fight them and sort the rest out later," Xerina offered.

"Risky, but not impossible," Hung added.

I saw eight versus nine. No telling how many more were onboard.

Hung drew a quick map in the dirt in front of us. "Evade them long enough to get to Salazar," he said, "then see just how good a storyteller he is with a gun to his back."

"Maneuvering together is risky," Xerina said. "We'd have to split up."

The thought of holding Salazar hostage made me smile, but they were already aware someone was on their way.

"Captain," Hung urged. "They're getting closer."

I looked my crew over and gave them their orders.

The results are here!