He fired at the soldiers as they scrambled for the little cover they could find in the hallway, blasting their armour open and tearing them apart. Shamus strode down the hallway, firing at their leader, the one who tossed the cluster bomb, as he deftly dove for the opening of his boarding craft. Shamus dropped in after him, nearly getting caught in the door, and grabbed him by his helmet visor. He slammed the Convoy King's emergency hatch shut then slid the boarding pod's hatch closed before punching the detach button.
They were moving away from the Convoy King at speed. A fact that gave him an idea. "How does your suit hold up to impact? I know mine is cleared pretty high."
"I was just doing my job!" the soldier managed to shout the instant before his helmeted head was bounced off the inside of the hatch above.
"I was willing to make a deal, now your company will have to cover funeral expenses," Shamus said. "I wonder how your suit holds up to pressure?" he gripped the soldier's helmet with both hands and started to crush.
"We were bribed! Some asshole called Kort!" he said as his helmet creaked and the visor started to crack. "Everyone saw you check in from the Haven System, and he must have looked you up, found an old debt for us to chase!"
"A little late advice, lad;" Shamus said through gnashed teeth. "You're only as good as the asshole giving the orders." He ripped the hatch above him open. "But you won't be able to put that to use, boy." The soldier's helmet came off with a firm jerk, exposing the soldier's bare face to vacuum, and Shamus shoved him through the hatch above. He watched for a moment, the shape of the Convoy King beyond the dying soldier. The portholes in the aft section lit up briefly then darkened again along with the running lights along the ship's hull. "Everyone all right up there?" he asked through his comm.
"Uh, yeah," Hal replied. "The Convoy King's comms are out, their power is out, main propulsion is out, and I sent some of our repair bots out to stop a fuel explosion from going off. That ship's done, boss, but the people inside are all right. Oh, and life support is iffy."
Shamus punched the nearest seat, sending the backrest flipping end over end across the octagonal boarding craft. "Goddammit!"
"Should I let the crew of the King in?" Hal asked sheepishly.
"Yeah, keep all the classified tech locked down," Shamus said.
"The whole ship's classified…"
"The weapons, the control stations, the Forge Database, you know, what'll get us both tossed in the brig the moment we get back."
"Right, what will you be doing?"
"Getting ready to swallow my pride and trying to think of a way to convince these people that sticking around is worse than coming back with us."
"Didn't you already try that?" Hal asked quietly. "I mean, when we were on our way here, you practiced a speech and everything…"
"Just give me a minute," Shamus said, holding his head in his hands. He couldn't believe that he'd cost his brother's closest friend their ship and most likely their livelihood. Not only would his brother not let him live it down, but he was sure he'd have to make it up to the rest of the crew. "I have a feeling we'll be late getting home."
Twenty-Six
"Just first looks, but there's nothing I can save back there without dry dock. Our main reactor is toast, and even if I could get a temporary workaround, the cooling system for our main thruster got shredded. It's not armoured from this side, nothing is," Nigel said as he emerged from the airlock between the middle and forward section. "Well, except for this data backup system and hardened screen," he added, gesturing to the components in his hand.
"The inside of this ship isn't made for heavy incursions or big firefights," Boro said, leaning in the doorway to his quarters. He looked drowsy, but better than before.
Shamus came into the outer airlock door and was waiting for the pressure to equalize before coming into the forward hallway. His armour showed no signs of damage despite the shots Spin saw him take. "Mirra, what does the Sector Jumper look like?" she asked through her comm. She sent Mirra and Della ahead to take a look.
"Well, Hal is a good host," Mirra said. "He made us both iced teas and showed us around as much he could. It's really efficient, lots of fold away furniture, enough bunks for everyone and a couple more. Other than that I've never seen anything like it. It's almost alien."
"There's a small cooking station here, but not much storage for food. Hal says there's some kinda food dispenser that makes a few thousand different items, but it sounds like forma to me."
"How long would it sustain our crew?" Spin asked quickly. The inner airlock doors were opening, and Shamus was making his armour collapse back into the jacket and boots it hid in before.
"Hal says three months," Della replied.
"Do it, Mirra," Spin said, aware that her order would lead to Mirra drawing a heavy sidearm on Hal at point blank range. Della would be shocked for a moment, but Spin expected that she'd tie Hal up not long after.
Spin strode across the few paces between her and Shamus and drew her weapon the instant before she bumped into him, pressing it against his stomach. "I don't know what kind of built in medical enhancements you have, but this weapon tore great big holes right through my mate's body, so I can promise you'll suffer before you manage to recover. I have it set to burst mode."
Shamus put his hands up, surprised but not afraid. He was smiling a little, in fact.
"Whoa! Spin!" Boro exclaimed from his quarters, scrambling into the hall.
"All right," Dori laughed, clearing her dark hair from her face. "Leland! Get in here! Spin's about to gore the new guy for ripping the hell out of the ass-end of the ship up."
"What?" Leland nearly shrieked as he emerged from the medical bay. "The situation can't be that far gone already, can it?"
"Oh, no," Shamus said, a little smirk on his face as he looked Spin in the eye. He was like Boro in so many ways, but Spin was getting the feeling that Shamus had seen a lot more. Perhaps more of the galaxy, maybe more strange things, but definitely more combat and hardening experiences. "Your Spin here is thinking clearly. She's right; even if I turn a personal shield on, she'll get a shot or three off, probably put fist sized holes through me before I can do anything. Even my military vacsuit can't take more than one, maybe two shots from that ripper at this range. It's the only thing I didn't see coming, so now I have to listen. Isn't that right?"
"Don't do anything you'll regret," Leland pleaded quietly, glancing between Spin and Shamus. "Either of you."
"I've seen that look before; I know better than to test her iron," Shamus said. "I don't know her as well as you lot, but I'm sure she'll shoot, isn't that right, lass?"
"Don't call me lass," Spin said.
"Aye, Ma'am."
Everything about Shamus suggested that he fit the lifestyle of the reckless spacer except for the equipment he came with. He would fit into her crew better than she did, Spin was sure, but she wouldn't let that frustrate her. There were plenty of details that were frustrating about Shamus McFadden. The smirk on his face like she was a source of entertainment was one, his intention to cancel all her plans or leave her alone to pursue them were two of the biggest. "You managed to completely disable my ship, so I'm going to have to borrow yours. I…"
"We," Boro interrupted. The correction that made her feel better.
"We were going to the Geist System to steal or copy the data I need from an artificial intelligence called the Iron Mind so I can have a normal life."
"From the little I've seen, you'll never have a normal life, luv," Shamus snickered softly.
"I don't believe your people can fix what's wrong with me; my genetics are locked down, but Iron Mind has the key. I have a map, now I need a ship. I have your pilot, and you're facing a lot of pain if this gun goes off. We'll use your ship, we'll get to the Iron Mind, steal what we have to, then get away. After that you can bring me back here. I'll understand if you don’t trust me enough to take me wherever you want to take Boro."
"Oh, there are plenty of pirate
s and scheming spacers in the Haven System. You could get good and lost under that seedy underbelly, but I have a feeling you could find legitimate work there just as easy."
"We'll make that decision when we come to it," Spin said. "You agree to give me the command codes to your ship until I have what I need and we're back here?"
"Oh, I can agree to take orders from you until we have your key and we get you back here, but I can't transfer command codes. You have my word that I'm your man, that's going to have to be enough."
Spin looked at him. He had steely blue eyes, salt and pepper stubble on his broad face, and she couldn't tell if he was lying or not. She could read Boro, but Shamus was frustratingly hard to judge; he could have been joking for all she knew. "Can I trust him, Boro?" she asked without looking away from Shamus.
"No," Boro said without hesitation.
Dori's laughter pierced the air, a high hysteria of hilarity that was almost too shrill, then she shook her head and took a breath. "Sorry, sorry, this is just too good." She was still leaning on the heavy cutter, taking the whole scene in.
"I get that," Shamus nodded. He didn't seem too off-put by his brother's statement, but it did darken his mood a little. "I guess the only thing you can trust is that I came here to make things right with my little brother."
"Then you'll do this," Boro said. "You'll do everything in your power to help us get this done, and then I'll listen to you about going back to the Haven System with you. No guarantees. If that place seems more dangerous than this space, then we've got to make the best decisions for ourselves."
Spin was very conscious of the fact that their nephew, Nigel, had been completely silent during the whole exchange. "Nigel? What do you think?"
"I don't fucking know!" he burst. Despite Dori's snickering, he went on. "It's like that stupid riddle; 'If I say I'm a liar, would you believe me?' Boro, who I know I can trust, is telling me I can't trust Shamus - the new cool uncle - but our best ship just had its heart half-melted down, and he has this other ship. A ship I can't get a scan on, so for all we know it's just a really fast lifeboat. What the hell do I know?"
"Kid's right; it comes down to a leap of faith off a rickety dock," Shamus said through that aggravating smirk. She'd seen it before when Boro was flirting and he knew it was going well. "You've done this right so far; putting me at gunpoint, taking my pilot captive. When my superiors ask why I helped you, I can say it started here; you got the drop on me and I had to acquiesce or get a churned gut and a dead pilot. Now it's all you. Trust, or don't."
"Then your ship, the services of your pilot and you are mine until we get what we need or until I release you," Spin said.
"So I swear on my unborn son or daughter. Oh yeah, you're going to be an Uncle again," he said to Boro over Spin's shoulder.
Spin nodded, activated the safety on her pistol and sheathed it under her arm, happy she didn't have to pull the trigger. "Thank you, Shamus," she said.
"Call me Frost."
Twenty-Seven
Regardless of all the hardships Spin knew in her short life, she had rarely seen anyone truly, deeply sad. Yes, she'd seen people grieve, look lost, unhappy, and many other modes of being that could be considered dissatisfied or discontented. Deep sadness, especially when everyone else was experiencing something else was not one that she'd seen often, so when she met Sharon on the bridge of the Convoy King her quiet despair was a surprise.
"I'm sorry, Spin," she said. "I don't want to go with you. There's no reason for me to go to Geist, especially now that I won't be flying the King."
"I understand, I didn't expect everyone to come," Spin said. Sharon was the last to join the crew, a spur of the moment hire if there ever was one. Sharon was a slave longer than most of Spin's crew and she probably had that deep fear of being recaptured and brought back in front of her former masters. That could keep you on the run, she'd seen it before, and she'd felt it before. The longer you felt the leash, the more powerful that fear was. If Sharon wanted to keep running, moving across British Alliance space and even beyond to get more distance between herself and her former master, then Spin wouldn't blame her or stop her.
"I don’t want to leave the crew, either," she said. "You have some good people."
"I don't know what to tell you, then." Spin knew for certain that everyone left on her crew was going to Geist, so if Sharon didn't want to come with them, and she didn't want to leave, there was a problem.
"I might have an idea. I contacted the British Alliance representatives aboard the station and they said we can get a deal to repair the Convoy King. Since we were attacked in port, they'll do it for the cost of parts, which the Alliance says will be about three hundred thousand. They'll have to tow the ship to Kirkland Yard, which is another station in orbit, but I could stay and make sure everything's done right. I could also get some more time with Mitch."
"Oh, I didn't know you two were…"
"Just starting," Sharon said. "He's not like anyone I've known, though. I want to see where it goes."
The idea of leaving the Convoy King behind in storage or abandoned as a hulk stung deep. It was Spin's first real ship and it represented all the possibilities that came with it, especially since they had the tickets from the British Alliance to work legally in their space. One reckless idiot fighting off a few assholes after his technology all but ruined all that potential, and the ship her crew had come to call home. If Sharon could see the ship repaired, then there could be a future for her crew after Geist. "You realize I'll have to lock down the FTL system," Spin said. "So no one can take the ship out-of-system after it's repaired."
"I'd do the same," Sharon replied, her mood lifting.
"All right, then you have my proxy here," Spin said. "This is huge trust, leaving you in charge of my ship."
"You're right," Sharon agreed. "But you can trust me, and I have nowhere to go anyway."
"So, you'll do this for us? You'll stay here and make sure the King is repaired and ready when we get back? I'm sure the crew will want to get right to work."
"The ship will be ready, Captain," Sharon replied, standing and shaking Spin's hand. "Good hunting out there."
Spin had a good feeling about Sharon, but time would tell if the woman would simply take the four hundred thousand credits and run instead of having the ship repaired. There was another way, a safer way, she was sure. "I'm trusting you." It was time to go. They'd packed everything they could into the Sector Jumper. Sharon was the last complication, so Spin turned and started to leave. There wasn't much else to say.
"Thank you, Spin," Sharon told her.
* * *
Minutes later, Spin stood above the hatch that the Sector Jumper re-moored to. The pressure in the small airlock was equalizing, so she took the moment of downtime to put her personal bag down and contact the British Authority representatives on Bio Beta, inquiring after the deal the station was offering to repair the ship.
To her surprise, a contract appeared on the left side of her small holographic interface and a woman in the navy blue British Authority uniform appeared on the right. "Captain," she said. "I've been speaking with your crewmember about the scandal surrounding your ship."
"It was invaded by boarders who bribed the authorities aboard the station. If that wasn't bad enough, your security forces didn't do anything to stop them once we sounded the alarm," Spin said flatly.
"We understand that," she replied. "That's why we're going to fix the damage without charging for labour or dock time - just parts. We're even covering the cost of accommodation for your crewmember."
Spin rushed through the contract, skimming until she confirmed the simple deal. "I see you got her approval for the deal but didn't think to contact me. That's not binding."
"She said she had your proxy while you were away. Can we get your approval?"
"No," Spin said. "You're going to repair my ship for free. You're going to pay us to keep quiet about this too. I think one million registered platinum per crewm
ember should keep them quiet. I'll take five."
"Whoa, now wait a…"
"Beta Bio has been a disaster for me and my crew. I have a crewmember who was forced into a gender change because the British Alliance didn't have a male body on hand, and she couldn't find a company here that could correct that affordably." She knew that was a partial lie, but it was useful in building her case. "Keep in mind: the gender swap was the British Alliance's fault. Then, when I approached a scientist who I found here thanks to a British officer, I was told he didn't have what I needed to save my life. I'll have to continue my search. Then, while in the concourse of your station, we run into a known slave owner, murderer, and enemy to the British Alliance. A man who your people should have arrested but turned a blind eye to until they were forced to pay attention. Then we met with one of my crewmember's brothers. Someone who is supposed to be an important ally to the British Alliance military, and one of the resident corporations on your station tries to send a boarding team through my ship to get into your ally's vessel. My ship was damaged during the defence, and thank God we could defend ourselves, because the British Alliance were no help, the station security force ignored us and we would have been left twisting in the void if we didn't fire back. I thought I would be safer in British Alliance territory. I thought you controlled your space, your stations, and monitored your assets. I know for a fact that there was a military carrier group within a minute's comm range while my ship was under attack. Where were they? What is your military for if it won't protect people who you reassure with promises of safety and prosperity? I have a dead ship, and no prospects thanks to your mismanagement. The only option I have now is to appeal to the general public on the Stellarnet and see if I can gather funds from donations to get my ship repaired. The work permits I have aren't worth anything if we can't fly. I wonder how soon it'll be before some of the companies who see Beta Bio as the new Geist System, where they thought they could develop and showcase new technologies, start pulling out. Beta Bio is still small in comparison. It wouldn't last long if the public thought it was unsafe."
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