by Skyler Grant
This all wasn't a surprise. The really good jobs were rarely up on the board for just anyone to grab.
Quinn bought a beer and took a seat at a table. He'd dressed up today; a duster, a wide-brimmed gray hat, and a pistol at his hip. He looked exactly like what he was, a captain looking for work.
If you didn't know a local fixer, you needed to let them find you. A scan of Quinn would bring up information on his ship, and while they probably wouldn't have data access to the Core to pull up his history, the capability of the Centauri Bliss and his being here would generally be enough to get felt out.
Three truly unpleasant beers and a few hours later he hadn't even gotten a bite. One offer of drugs, one attempt to sell him a gun, two attempts at prostitution—but nothing related to giving him a job.
Quinn answered a beep from his wristcomm.
"We've got a problem, Captain. Jinx and Taki's transponders," Melody said.
Both. That wouldn't be an accidental trigger.
Quinn was already headed towards the door. "Get me a location and let the others know."
The full sixteen hours since they'd left Nose had passed. Still, this was quick for that trouble to have found them.
5
Quinn followed instructions Melody provided through his wristcomm. While they didn't have any kind of map of the city, she could at least provide a direction for the transponder signals. Along the way he joined up with Kara, who was carrying a new gun with an elongated triangular barrel.
"New toy?" Quinn asked.
"They use them to hunt snakes. Nice big spray, yet still enough punch to get through the scales."
"Anyone else joining us, Mel?" Quinn asked.
"Tamara is still with her client and her comm is off. I can't reach Mara. I woke Dela up, but she thought she should stay here in case this is a ploy for someone going after the ship again," Melody said.
While Quinn would have appreciated more backup, he couldn't fault Dela's thinking. It had been a long time since Quinn had been this far out on the Rim, and it surprised him he'd come to take for granted the ever-present authority of the Imperium. Even crime towards the Core seemed to have more rules than it had here. A pilot staying with the ship was a really good idea.
"Trust me, stud. If it’s a shooting deal I'm all the woman you need," Kara said with a grin.
They were near the edge of the settlement. Vast stretches of green and brown fibrous strands were laid out to dry under the harsh glow of heat lamps. Long, rounded storage buildings were lined up in rows.
"You're close," Melody said.
They stood in front of one of the structures. A set of doors hung open.
"Well, this says trap all kind of ways. I don't like that there aren't any guards," Kara said.
"Hold here and watch the entrance," Quinn said, before he left Kara to circle the building. He thought he had an idea from the designs but he wanted to verify it. No skylights, no rear entrances or side doors. Those doors were the single entrance.
There was little pedestrian traffic in this area, the occasional worker seen in the distance going in or out of one of the warehouses. If anyone was watching them, Quinn couldn't tell.
"No other exits," Quinn said.
"Stay out here," Kara said, hefting her snake gun.
"I should back you up."
"Appreciate the thought, but if there is a bomb in there you're way squishier than I am. Even without Jinx I can put myself back together, if you drag me away."
Quinn couldn't argue with good sense, as much as he wanted to.
"I'll watch the exit," Quinn said.
Kara nodded and moved through the door.
Seconds passed with no explosions or sounds of gunfire.
Quinn held his ground, waiting, and after a minute Kara stepped out.
"They're not in there. Just their transponders and a data chip," Kara said, tapping a pouch.
It was better than finding bodies, but not by much. It meant someone had acted quickly and competently.
Two hours later and everybody had met back at the ship—everybody except for Taki and Jinx, of course.
Mara caught them before they had the chance to insert the data crystal into anything and insisted on doing her part to make sure it was secure. The data it contained was very limited—a communications frequency to contact the kidnappers and that was all.
The crew gathered to discuss their next steps.
"They probably want us to call just so they can kill them right then. Mess with our heads. I've done it," Kara said.
"We're not all quite so bloody, dear. They want to negotiate, I'm good at that. Let me handle it," Tamara said.
Mara looked to Quinn. "Your ship, your family, your call. Me and my expertise are here, if you need me."
Making the call was the obvious choice, but Quinn wasn't sure it was the correct one. Right now they had nothing in the way of leverage and all the advantage went to whoever were on the other end of that signal. It was a terrible way to start a negotiation, even for Tamara.
"Do we have an option?" Quinn asked.
"You might have slept your way through the trip here, but it still took time. Whoever took them, it couldn't have been Nose or anyone on the ship coming back for him," Dela said.
Kara said, "Wasn't much sleeping going on. Any ships take off since they went missing?"
Tamara tipped her head to the side, eyes looking distant as she used her mental implant to access the local dock logs. "Two ships, heavy agricultural transports on regular runs."
"Probably not involved. The people pulling Nose's strings, whatever operation they have is on the planet," Quinn said.
"While the contract originally came from the colony of Hope's Reach, it went through a few stages to get to us. The Imperium on Arkstone first, then to a collective of crime lords known as the families," Mara said.
"Know much about them?" Tamara asked.
"A little. Individually they're no match for even the limited local Imperium presence, but all combined they're a good bit stronger. Their focus on containing Imperium power in the region is why the Coalition has been so bold in regards to Hope's Reach," Mara said.
Quinn told them, "I didn't get approached once despite a few hours of sitting around. The word was already out. Whichever of those families Nose belongs to must control the crime here and the local fixer."
"Drug trade? Unless they completely control this town, they'd have their own docks," Dela said.
It was Mara’s turn to get a glassy-eyed look. "Reviewing our scans coming down. I don't see one for ships. There’s a small shuttle port at a nearby village, lots of outbuildings and not a lot of storage."
"They're ferrying it regularly, here probably, and sending it out along with the legitimate cargo," Dela said.
"Like on those two ships that just left," Quinn said.
"No guarantee they were aboard. I can take the Tango out and check out that village with a scanner. If Jinx is there I should pick her up," Mara said.
"Take Kara with you. If they're there, get them out. If not, figure out how to do some damage and hold position. If Tamara has to bargain I want something up our sleeve," Quinn said.
Mara nodded and pushed away from the table, Kara following closely behind her.
It was another hour of anxious waiting until they signaled. No sign of Taki or Jinx, but the location was absolutely for the production of illicit drugs.
"Make the call," Quinn told Tamara.
There was a delay of several minutes before their holo-display flared to life, a distinguished-looking man with a well-kept goatee appearing. He was wearing some sort of brilliant red suit, far from the current fashion in the Core.
"Well," the man said with a tilt of his head to Tamara. "I was expecting a Captain Jade. You aren't him, but a far more pleasant sight. Tamara Cross, I presume?"
"Correctly," Tamara said, her voice steady and expression guarded. "Am I speaking with someone empowered to discuss the release of our crew?"
"Derek Delcoro, beautiful," Derek said with a grin. "And yeah, I'm the one you want to be talking to. Let me start off by saying your crew are just fine. No cutting anything off, no unnecessary beatings besides what it took to bring them in. They can stay that way."
"You have proof, of course," Tamara said.
"No beautiful, that isn't how this is going to work. You killed my men and you stole their gear. They were trying to kill you, so I will make some allowances, but that left me with a ship without a crew to do a job that needs doing. I'm going to give you a chance to make amends and set things square."
"We can reimburse you the cost of the equipment. The men, as you say, were trying to kill us," Tamara said.
"Don't push me, gorgeous. I say the word and they both lose a toe. Just like that," Derek said, snapping his fingers. Derek looked to the side and sighed to someone, "No. Don't do it now."
"Perhaps you think the ability to inflict harm only goes in one direction?" Tamara said, tapping a key. Images were sent over the holo of the village facility and the stockpiles there.
Derek didn't appear to recognize them at first, but at a word from someone just out of sight he frowned.
"You're in a tight spot. You have a failed operation that is about to fail still more. We can make things so much worse," Tamara said.
Derek forced a smile. "Pretty tough, huh. I can start having pieces cut off them until they die screaming. You want to play who can make the bigger threat here? Then let’s play."
"We get our people back and we get paid, and we can discuss your job," Tamara said.
"This whole making amends thing went right past you. You've been paid up front," Derek said.
"Do you want to see what we are capable of when we get truly angry, Mr. Delcoro?" Tamara said almost in a whisper. "We're not going to budge on threats alone, but we're willing to talk. Come to the table."
Derek glanced off-camera again.
"Let me give you ten minutes to think about it. I wish to speak with my captain too," Tamara said.
Derek was frowning again and he nodded, killing the link.
"That went terribly," Quinn said.
"No, it didn't. For all the bluster, he's not in charge and the person who is wants to talk. Whatever his job is we're going to have to take it. That’s ship business. I have your approval to make that deal?" Tamara asked.
Quinn didn't like it, but this was Tamara's area of expertise. "You do."
6
When the call resumed, it wasn't Derek on the other end. The woman looked to be in her fifties, wearing a red dress that matched the color of Derek’s suit and studded with an absurd number of rubies.
"Sofia Delcoro, I'll be speaking to you for now," Sofia said.
"Derek your brother?" Tamara asked.
"Son. A stupid boy, takes after his father. I won't give up the leverage I have on you until the job is done, but I'm willing to talk terms."
"Give us one back, in lieu of standard down-payment," Tamara said.
Sofia pursed her lips. "Done. Got a preference?"
Tamara glanced towards Quinn.
It was an easy choice, Quinn wished it weren't. Taki had been with him for years, she was his closest friend. Jinx was young, in way over her head, and pregnant with his child.
"Jinx," Quinn said.
"The blonde," Tamara said.
"Very well. Now, the job you'll be taking. On Endelmar Station there is a museum. Relics of the early empire. One of the displays is the Longstrider, an early survey vessel. I want you to steal it and deliver it to Arkstone. We can be reached on this line once you’re in the system," Sofia said.
"A museum heist. We didn't get to do the last one," Dela said.
Quinn wished she didn't sound quite so excited.
"And the pay?" Tamara asked.
"My son might be an idiot, but he was right on this. You owe us. Still, even with that you deserve something. One thousand upon delivery, as well as the return of your other crew member."
"For their second-rate equipment and a job of this difficulty on short notice? Did your people even have a plan for getting it out?" Tamara asked.
"I understand that they intended to kill everyone in their way, blow a hole in the station, and haul it out," Sofia said dryly.
"Given how poorly they performed in a shootout, we're doing you a favor. You'd have lost their equipment anyways and the job still wouldn't have gotten done. Three thousand," Tamara said.
Sofia grunted. "Fifteen hundred. If you can pull this off there may also be more work for you. It would be nice to have a capable operator for once. When we release the blonde girl we'll let you know where. It may be a day."
"Agreed," Tamara said after a moment, and the line was killed.
"She thinks we'd want to work for her again after this?" Dela said.
"Work’s been scarce. They play this fair, we might consider it. Call the Tango back and prep for launch. How did repairs go?" Quinn asked.
"Thruster is good to go. Replacing the damaged armor is going to need a better port," Melody said.
Dela flipped through a tablet. "Margas Station, two systems over. They're a bunch of scrappers, but I've got nothing closer and we can make it in an extended jump. We need to burn time anyways until they unload Jinx."
"Tamara, I want you to work with Mara when she gets back. Between you two you've got a lot of connections. I want to know who these people are, what they do. We took their money once in a fair agreement and they turned their guns on us. It ain't happening a second time," Quinn said.
Two hours later they lifted off. Quinn took the controls while Dela was getting some much-deserved sleep. It was a surprise to him when he found Tamara slipping into the copilot seat beside him.
"Figured you'd be doing research with Mara," Quinn said. "I know it's our night, but I don't think we're doing much in the cockpit."
Tamara turned her gaze around and flashed him a wry smile. "We could make it work, but it isn't that. I think I'm going to do away with the whole "nights" thing. It made sense at first, but I think it’s now creating more hard feelings than its fixing."
Quinn looked sidelong at her. "Not like you to back down on an idea."
"You think me a mastermind because I am one. But all this, the Centauri, I was thinking on my feet. In trying to bring order out of chaos, I might have brought a bit too much order," Tamara said, sounding exhausted.
Quinn reached out a hand to her shoulder. "I'm worried about her too, about both of them. We'll get them back."
"Am I that easy to read now?" Tamara asked, letting out a low huff.
"You obviously care about her. I'm not sure about the rest of us, but I am her."
That resulted in a long period of silence. Tamara finally said with her usual composure, "If you want to know my thoughts, ask."
"Would you tell me the truth? Even now you're back to being ... you. Refined, and cautious."
"Untrustworthy," Tamara said flatly.
Quinn had to nod. It was true.
"I'm a lawyer, Quinn, I don't think you can even quite grasp how much. I've never had a moment of my life believing I'd be anything else. There may be other ways to be, but I don't know them."
"I know. We've all got our baggage."
"Yours is a dead wife and you've been trying really hard to put her away somewhere safe and leave room for the rest of us. I can't make you trust me, but you I am going to try to be honest with," Tamara said.
"Why me?"
"You know why. In this Centauri we all claim to be equals but we aren't, not really. You're the patriarch of our little clan and I'm the matriarch. If I’m going to be honest with anyone it should be you, and I should be honest with someone."
"So what do you think of us? Honestly?" Quinn asked.
"I'll tell you, if you tell me."
An attempt at openness finished with bartering. Quinn almost wanted to laugh at how natural that was starting to be, coming from her.
"Allright," Qui
nn said.
"Jinx is complicated. Protecting her somehow made her feel like a little sister to me and in almost all my schemes for the future, she is key. I'm torn between wanting to protect her and wanting Jinx to achieve her potential," Tamara said.
That felt to Quinn very much like the truth. "And the others?"
"Taki is tremendously loyal. I don't understand it, but I do respect it. I think she wants to compete with me and she doesn’t have it in her. Melody is sweet, capable, and harmless. Kara is bloodthirsty and more complicated than she appears, I like her. Dela has a spark of greatness in her." Tamara leaned back in the copilot chair.
"And me?" Quinn asked.
"You're still the scruffy dinged-up excuse for a hero charging off to the rescue. It grows on me, more than I expected. I'm not sure where that ends, but I like it. Your turn," Tamara said.
"Taki is my oldest and dearest friend and that hasn't changed, just gotten odder with all this. Dela is fun and easy to talk to. Kara scares and excites me. Melody is sweet, capable, and not as harmless as she looks. Jinx makes me feel all kinds of in over my head."
"And ...?"
"When I first saw you in that bar I thought you were trouble. Nothing since has changed my mind. It grows on me, more than I expected," Quinn said.
Tamara leaned over and slipped her arm in his, leaning against it. It was a rare sign of affection, and she was nice and warm against him.
"You won't like me if they've hurt Jinx. I'll do something terrible," Tamara said.
"You think I wouldn't?"
"Not like I would. There is something in good folk that holds them back, that keeps them in check. You can flip it in most people, make them break that programming with varying degrees of effort. I don't have one, I never have—neither me nor any of my sisters were born with any inhibitions about doing any violence, when it’s called for," Tamara said.
"Your sisters? The others of your generation? I remember you telling me how you’re all daughters of the current Tourmaline Steele, fighting to get the contents of that old mind dumped inside your skull but you’ve never talked about them. Are you all identical?" Quinn asked.