Accursed Space - A Dark Space Fantasy (Star Mage Saga - A Dark Space Fantasy Book 5) Read online

  Accursed Space

  Star Mage Saga Book 5

  J.J. Green

  Cover: Warren Designs

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  Books of the Star Mage Saga

  Prequel: Star Mage Exile

  Book 1: Star Mage Quest

  Book 2: Dark Mage Rises

  Book 3: Wildfire and Steel

  Book 4: Mercenary Mage

  Book 5: Accursed Space

  Book 6: Flight from Sanctuary

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter One

  Carina Lin was hanging upside down by her knees in the Duchess’s gym when she received a message via her ear comm that the scanners had picked up Lomang’s inter-sector vessel.

  She pulled herself up to grab the bar, crunching her aching gut one more time. After unhooking her legs she jumped down to the mat and then walked toward the exit, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat from her neck.

  “Where are you going?” Atoi asked, hanging from the same bar. “Wimping out already? I thought you wanted to get into shape?”

  “After two months with you as my workout partner,” Carina replied, “I think I’m pretty much in shape. We can’t all be stronger than half the men aboard, you know.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” Atoi said before muttering, “Lightweight.”

  Carina smiled and stepped through the opening gym doorway. Then she turned back to her friend and called out, “You’d better make the most of your session. You’re gonna be on duty for the next few cycles.”

  Atoi’s eyes widened in her flushed, puffy, upside-down face.

  “We found the smuggler’s ship?” She gave a whoop, reached up to grab the bar and then kicked off from it, somersaulting onto the mat. “Earth, here we come!”

  Carina strode quickly toward the mission room, where Cadwallader was waiting, though her excitement was giving way to tension. Meeting with the lieutenant colonel was something she’d been avoiding when she could ever since the ‘incident’ involving Sable Dirksen. But now the Black Dogs and she had the opportunity to take over the Lomang’s ship, she would need to work closely with Cadwallader to coordinate the merc and mage attack.

  When she entered the mission room, Cadwallader was seated at the holo screen. He didn’t deign to look at her, let alone greet her.

  The Duchess’s computer was building a translucent hologram of the inter-sector ship from the arriving scanner data. The image increased in detail by the second, refining the ship’s lines and bringing the equipment on the hull into relief.

  Two can play at that game, Carina thought, strolling over to the holo screen. She studied the interface display to discover the ship’s dimensions. What she saw caused her to draw in a breath. She’d heard the starships that traveled the unimaginable distances across and between galactic sectors were big, but she hadn’t realized just how big.

  Lomang’s ship was even larger than Nightfall, the Sherrerr’s former flagship. According to the display, it measured 2889 meters in diameter at its widest point and its longest dimension was 3523 meters. Carina had heard that colony ships were massive, and she guessed that was its original purpose.

  No thought had been put into making the ship pleasing to the eye. It was a mess of bumps and lumps, a bulky, hulking mass of dull metal resting motionless in the void.

  From what she’d heard, most of the ship’s capacity would be taken up by fusion engines but that still left plenty of room for living facilities. The extra space would make a welcome change from the cramped, overcrowded Duchess. Then there were the Deep Sleep capsules…

  “It’s equipped with defensive weaponry,” Cadwallader said in his usual clipped tones. “It isn’t a warship, but we should be cautious when approaching it nevertheless.”

  Carina sat down and looked upward at their target. The holo of the ship had begun to spin while the computer continued to add detail. She saw the armaments Cadwallader had referred to: lasers aimed at the docking ports and airlocks—presumably to deter illegal boarding—and plasma cannons spaced in three rough rings encircling the ship. These were short-range weapons intended to protect against take-over attempts, but, as Cadwallader had said, the inter-sector ship wasn’t a military vessel. It wasn’t carrying any long-range weapons. Perhaps these kinds of ships couldn’t afford to expend the energy needed for their immense journeys on pulse cannons or particle beams.

  “Lomang will have put safeguards in place before leaving it,” said Carina. “If it’s entirely unmanned, he might have set booby traps and the stars know what else. I’ll Enthrall him and see what I can find out.”

  Cadwallader nodded, maintaining his lack of eye contact. “Do that. The Duchess is already slowing down. I’ll wait to hear what he says before we proceed farther.”

  Carina stood up and went to leave, but she stopped. She’d endured Cadwallader’s behavior toward her for longer than she cared to.

  “Look, we’re going to have to work closely on this. Don’t you think it’s time that we put aside our differences and—”

  “Our differences?!” Cadwallader gaped, finally looking at her.

  Then he got to his feet and slammed his hands on the holo screen table.

  “You jeopardized the safety of my crew and effectively banished me and the Duchess from this entire galactic sector, and you think we have a difference of opinion?”

  Carina gritted her teeth. “I’ve already admitted I was too hasty in executing Sable Dirksen. I know I shouldn’t have taken the decision out of your hands, okay? What else do you want me to say? She deserved to die after what she’d done. Surely you’re not going to tell me you would have let her live after she tried to kill a child?”

  “There are more things to consider when defying the Dirksen clan than yourself and your family, Lin,” said Cadwallader tensely. “The Black Dogs was already on their hit list after it took on the Sherrerr assignment to rescue your brother. The Dirksens must have figured out by now that their leader’s dead and we had a hand in it. Our future in this sector is over.”

  He leaned o
ver the table and glared at her. “You had no right to make yourself judge, jury, and executioner of Sable Dirksen, no matter what she did. I did not agree to allow you to decide the fate of our prisoners. You broke our contract and now we’re all suffering the consequences.”

  She couldn’t deny the lieutenant colonel made some good points. The encounter with the Dirksen corvette and Commander Kee as they left Ostillon had sealed the Black Dogs’ fate. They had finally escaped the corvette that had trailed them—thanks to Darius’s Cloaking of the Duchess—but Commander Kee would not forget them or their ship in a hurry.

  Cadwallader’s profile was too high to escape the Dirksens’ notice when they investigated their leader’s capture and disappearance, and the Duchess was an easily recognizable liability. The mercs who remained aboard her were also at risk.

  Those who hadn’t wanted to embark on the years-long journey to Earth had already resigned and disembarked on a backwater planet. Providing they made up convincing stories about their past that didn’t include the name ‘Black Dogs’ they should be fairly safe from the Dirksens.

  Yet, on the other hand, many of the mercs who had stayed seemed happy to come along on the journey to Earth. Atoi, Brown, Jackson, and Halliday had all signed up for the mission. Apparently, the prospect of not seeing their families for decades, or perhaps ever again, didn’t faze them. Perhaps for some, the Black Dogs was the closest thing they had to a family.

  It had been that way for Carina.

  Even sour-faced Chandu was sticking around, though Carina was less pleased about his presence, especially since the incident where he’d gotten fresh with Parthenia.

  The Duchess remained nearly at capacity in terms of its military contingent, which was fortunate. The Black Dogs were dead mercs walking as far as the Dirksens were concerned. There would be no new recruits.

  “Fine,” said Carina, meeting Cadwallader’s cold-eyed stare. “Hold onto your grudge. I’ve apologized and there’s nothing more I can say or do. I don’t regret what I did, if that’s what you want to hear. Not for a second. I would do the same in the same circumstances, and I will do the same to anyone who tries to kill a member of my family.”

  She stalked toward the door. “I’ll bring Lomang back here, so you can question him with me. You probably know more about the potential hazards on his ship than I do.”

  “I do,” said Cadwallader, fixing her with his ice-blue gaze, “and the hazards aboard this ship, too.”

  Chapter Two

  Lomang’s cell sat next door to Calvaley’s. The decision to bring the Sherrerr admiral along with them had been hard to make. It had been only after long discussion that Carina had agreed with Cadwallader that they had no other option. The Black Dogs had taken the Sherrerr assignment to rescue Darius, so the band was not the clan’s enemy, but Carina and her siblings most definitely were. Or, at least, if not their enemies, strictly speaking, they were definitely on the Sherrerrs’ ‘most wanted’ list.

  The clan would be extremely keen to have mages under their control again, and Calvaley would naturally divulge everything he knew about them. The Sherrerrs would be very interested to hear all about Carina and her last-known whereabouts, as well as that of Stefan Sherrerr’s children.

  The fact that Carina had rescued the admiral from near death at the hands of the Dirksens wouldn’t make any difference to him. Gratitude wouldn’t influence his loyalty to his clan, or his belief that whatever heinous act it committed was excusable ‘for the greater good’, as Carina had once heard him say.

  She strode past Calvaley’s cell and only glanced inside. The old man seemed to have mostly recovered from his ordeal of captivity and starvation. He’d put on weight and was looking healthy. Perhaps, when they had traveled so far the possibility of him ever causing them any harm had faded to zero, they would release him.

  Lomang, on the other hand, had continued to lose weight over the months he’d been incarcerated. Carina hadn’t seen him for several weeks, and now he was almost down to the size of an average adult male. Next to his giant brother he looked positively shrunken. The cheeks that had once been round and full now hung loose, sagging around his jaw, making his large white teeth look as if they belonged to a gnawing animal.

  Not that Lomang had allowed his predicament to dampen his confidence or panache. He greeted her with a wide grin. He sported his iridescent blue hat at an angle as if it were the latest fashion, though in truth the headgear was beginning to look worn and dull.

  From what Carina had heard, he passed a lot of his time telling stories to Pappu. The brothers would also play cards their guards had given them as a gesture of kindness.

  The smuggler’s apparent sanguinity in the face of his adverse circumstances provoked a grudging respect from Carina.

  Lomang seemed to return the sentiment, bowing low when she arrived outside his cell. Was his attitude sparked by the fact he’d witnessed her Transport Sable Dirksen to her death in the airless void outside the ship? Carina didn’t dwell long on the question. All she needed from him was information.

  “Ah, the mage queen has come to pay us a visit, Pappu,” said the smuggler as he caught sight of Carina approaching his cell. “Stand up, stand up. Don’t slouch in the presence of greatness.”

  Pappu was sitting on the cell floor, resting an arm on Lomang’s bunk, one of his long, brawny legs outstretched. He climbed smoothly to his feet. For all the time the giant had spent in captivity, he didn’t seem to have lost an ounce of muscle or tone. From the look of his abs under his thin shirt, Carina imagined that punching him would be like punching a wall.

  Ignoring Lomang’s attempt at flattery, Carina lifted her flask of elixir from its pouch in her belt.

  “Oh, no, no, no,” Lomang exclaimed. “Not the bewitching again. Please don’t do that, sweet madam. I dislike the sensation intensely. It is most unpleasant. Just ask me whatever you want to know. I promise I will tell you whatever you like. I am an unsecured data base.”

  While Lomang babbled, Carina swallowed a large mouthful of elixir. She wanted to Enthrall both the men at once. The guards would have to remove Lomang in Pappu’s presence and she didn’t want the latter to try to escape.

  She made the Cast. When she opened her eyes, the gazes of the smuggler and his brother had become vacant.

  Carina asked the guard to open the cell and bring Lomang out. The smuggler didn’t resist as he was escorted by his arm to her side. She told him to follow her and led him through the Duchess’s corridors.

  Before she reached the mission room, however, she saw Bryce approaching from the opposite direction.

  “Hey,” he said when they reached each other. “I heard we found the ship.” Then, glancing at the smuggler, he asked, “Another interrogation?”

  “I prefer to think of it as an interview,” Carina replied innocently. “Under duress.”

  Bryce chuckled. “Just as long as you never do that to me. I don’t want you finding out all my secrets.”

  “I already know them all.”

  “That’s what I want you to think,” said Bryce. He quickly kissed her on the lips. “I hope you find out what you want to know. I’ll catch up with you later. I also have some exciting news to share.”

  Wondering what ‘news’ Bryce could have heard within that region of rarely traveled, uninhabited space, Carina continued taking Lomang to Cadwallader.

  She arrived, the Enthralled smuggler still in tow, and found that Cadwallader’s temper hadn’t improved while she’d been gone. He didn’t say a word as she walked into the room.

  He was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, peering at the holo of the inter-sector ship. Details and definition were no longer being added to the model. The ship’s scan was complete.

  “Sit down,” Carina instructed Lomang.

  The man mechanically obeyed.

  She set her ear comm to record.

  “Right,” said Cadwallader, also taking a seat. “Lomang, what is the name of this ship?” C
adwallader pointed at the holo.

  “It is called the Bathsheba,” the man replied in a monotone.

  “And what defensive measures have you taken to prevent the Bathsheba from being stolen?” asked Cadwallader.

  When Lomang struggled to answer, Carina said, “You should probably be more specific.”

  The lieutenant colonel threw her a sour look. “List all the traps you have set aboard your ship, the Bathsheba.”

  Carina listened carefully to the smuggler’s reply, which included explosive devices set to go off in the airlocks if particular codes were not keyed in and the requirement to input his bio signatures to the ship’s computer before initiating the engine start-up sequence, to avoid triggering a self-destruct.

  Cadwallader asked more detailed questions about each trap, noting down the codes and other information, but Carina was listening to discover if he could be fighting the effects of the Enthrall and omitting something significant. She didn’t get the impression he was. He explained each trap fully.

  As Lomang himself was at risk of death when boarding the inter-sector ship with the mercs, Carina guessed he would have spilled the beans about them anyway.

  She was interested in other potential dangers the Black Dogs would face when assuming control of the Bathsheba. “Lomang, what other dangers do we face if we board the ship?”

  “Lasers are aimed at the ports and airlocks,” the smuggler replied.

  “We know about those,” said Cadwallader. “What else is there to prevent us from assuming control of the Bathsheba?”

  Lomang’s lips remained closed and he stared directly ahead. Carina gazed into the man’s eyes. He appeared to remain entirely Enthralled.

  “There doesn’t seem to be anything else,” said Cadwallader.

  “No, there doesn’t,” Carina said, but hesitantly.

  She couldn’t help feeling they were missing something.

  For the next half an hour or so, she and Cadwallader continued to probe Lomang, but they learned little more than they’d gleaned in the first five minutes of questioning.