Magnet: Marauder: Lacuna

By David Adams

My name is Mike “Magnet” Williams. I’m a lot of things: fighter pilot. Ugly bastard. Lord of all I survey.

I fly the F-88 Wasp, although recently I've been doing a stint as a gunner in the Broadsword gunship Piggyback. I was back on Earth on an important mission after a long time in space.

Real important.

But now Fleet Command have another special mission for me. Apparently I’m a glutton for punishment. See, there’s a Toralii freighter, somewhere deep in space, and it’s vulnerable. Someone got the bright idea to steal it. Guess all their best people were unavailable, since they picked me and the crew of the Piggyback.

Since, you know, we did so well at the last mission.

We’re going way out of my comfort zone for this one. I'm happiest when I'm in a cockpit, but this is something else. Something important.

If we succeed, we’re doing to be doing something special, living out on the edge, hitting the Toralii where it hurts. We’re taking the fight to them, and we’re taking something they use to fight.

If we fail, nobody will ever find our bodies.

17,200-word story in the Lacuna universe, set after the events of Magnet and Magnet: Special Mission but suitable for reading as a stand-alone story.

Parts of the Lacuna universe:
- Magnet
- Magnet: Special Mission
- Magnet: Marauder (new release!)
- Imperfect
- Faith

The Lacuna series:
- Lacuna
- Lacuna: The Sands of Karathi
- Lacuna: The Spectre of Oblivion
- Lacuna: The Ashes of Humanity (coming soon!)

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Adams
• Release date: Nov 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311779298

David Adams

David Adams served as an Officer in the Australian Army Reserve, trained alongside United States Marines Corps and Special Air Services SAS personnel, and served in the A.D.F as a Platoon Commander of Military Police. He has worked alongside Queensland Police Officers and held investigative roles with The Commission for Children and Child Safety.

Book preview

Magnet: Marauder By David Adams

Copyright David Adams

2013

Magnet: Marauder

Man's enemies are not demons, but human beings like himself.

- Lao Tzu

Mount Herzl (Mount of Remembrance)

Jerusalem

Earth

After the events of ‘Magnet: Special Mission’

I had spent the Broadsword ride to Earth studying. I learnt a lot about Jewish funeral traditions and what my responsibilities were. I learnt that burial should take place as soon as possible and be as simple as possible, that Jews don’t have a wake, and that parents say a prayer called the Kaddish for eleven months after the death of their children.

I’m Mike Williams. Callsign Magnet. I fly the F-88 Wasp, although recently I’ve been doing a stint as a gunner in the Broadsword gunship Piggyback. I was back on Earth on a very important mission after a long time in space.

Burying a friend.

As Gutterball’s mother spoke about her daughter, with a strength in her voice I doubted I would have in a similar situation, I couldn’t help think that eleven months was too small a time to grieve for such a loss. All scars healed, and I knew that, but to lose a twenty six year old child was too much. It was more than words could fix.

Not that they were supposed to. The purpose of the Kaddish wasn’t to speed this process nor comfort the living. Instead, mourners were supposed to say it to show that, despite the loss of their child, they still loved God.

I didn’t feel much love for God as I watched Gutterball’s plain oak coffin sink into the ground. Then again, it was hard feeling anything for something you didn’t accept as real. An atheist hating God makes just as much sense as a Christian hating the Tooth Fairy.

I played my part, though, and did what was expected of me. I respected Gutterball. Her parents wanted to honour God; I wanted to honour my friend. There was no Missing Man formation flyover for her, no wreaths, no fancy decorations or memorials. Just friends.

Friends and otherwise. Her ex-husband was here. A tall, thin man with a quiet demeanour, he just stood up the back and didn’t say anything. He seemed like an improbable pair for the fiery Combat Systems Officer. The arsehole had walked out on her two weeks before the big mission. She’d cut her hair off, shaved completely bald, when she heard the news. Nobody knew exactly why. If he cared at all about her he wouldn’t have left her in the middle of an important deployment. I avoided looking at him.

Not everyone did though. The Piggyback crew, especially Shaba, treated him with open contempt. Although he’d done nothing but leave a marriage that was obviously troubled, I knew Shaba blamed him in some way for Gutterball’s death. It wasn’t rational, but it was there. I felt it too. Our friend was dead and her killer had escaped without punishment. Hating her ex was the next best thing we had.

The funeral staff covered the grave containing Gutterball’s coffin. She was nothing more than a lump of soil, surrounded by other lumps of soil, a Star of David as her headstone. The last prayers were said, the first cracks began to appear in Gutterball’s parents’s composure, and I knew it was time for me to leave. Penny would be waiting for me back at the hotel. The mourners began to disperse and I waited for Shaba and the others, my mind a million kilometres away.

Hi, said a voice at my side.

It was Gutterball’s ex-husband. I wasn’t exactly overflowing with a desire to ingratiate myself with him.

Yeah?

I just wanted to say—

Listen, I said, turning to face him. I’m sure you had your reasons for leaving. I’m sure you thought it through, and that you genuinely thought that you were doing the best thing for the both of you. I couldn’t stand to look at him any more so I didn’t. But I don’t care.

There was a pause before he answered. Okay.

One thing. I spoke to the grave, rather than to him. Why did she cut off her hair?

I don’t know.

Then he had nothing to give me. Without saying a word I walked away to Zangvil garden, leaving the guy behind. My car was parked near there. I got as far away from Gutterball’s ex as I could, then tapped a button on my phone, summoning my car to the military cemetery.

It would take some time to get here. Traffic was heavy today. I watched as cars hummed around the narrow streets, sweat running down my face. It was good. Felt like home. I had grown up in Broome, a northern, tropical place. The Sydney ran its cooling systems at standard temperature. I hadn’t been properly warm in months.

Before my ride arrived, though, Shaba caught up with me.

Where the hell are you going?

Away. It was the best answer I could give. Sorry, that guy was pissing me off.

Hah,