Stars Beyond

by S. K. Dunstall

  “And you’re sending it on to headquarters?” Brand grinned. “Good luck with that.”

  “Of course not. You’re most likely jamming our long-range signal. I thought I’d mention it because once we prove we are legitimate, we expect you to leave the ship quietly.”

  Jamming long-range signals was standard procedure with the Justice Department out at the fringe. Mostly so the ship the agents were boarding couldn’t call for support. Josune’s old captain, Feyodor, had refused to allow anyone on her ship while signals were being jammed. She’d said that if you used a jammer, you were a pirate.

  The Justice Department generally turned a blind eye to the way their agents handled things out here on the edge of the legal zone, but a spate of public vids showing their agents getting away with bad behavior had swept across the pirate media over the last months. It was just a pity no one had copies of what the Justice Department had done to the crew of Another Road, back when they’d last been hassling Roystan and his crew.

  Not that Josune would have known where to send the vids.

  When you didn’t trust the law, there was no law. The Justice Department claimed to be cleaning the department up. Josune would believe that when it happened. You didn’t get rid of two hundred years of corruption overnight.

  “Ooh. Now you’re threatening to expose me. I’m scared.” Brand rubbed her hands together. “Your modder had better have his proof of registration ready.”

  His registration? Were they looking for Snow? Or was that a guess? Nika must have thought they were, because she crossed her arms and moved over to him. A mother protecting her cub. Josune and Roystan exchanged smiles.

  Off-screen, a voice demanded, “What’s the delay? One might almost think you’re obstructing justice. Prepare to be boarded now, or we’ll fire on you.”

  “There is no problem. I have already agreed to allow you to board. I repeat, I will meet you at the docking station.” Roystan switched off the link.

  “Warm up the plasma cannon,” Josune suggested. “The small one. Snow?”

  Snow was their gunnery expert—not counting Josune.

  “Not yet,” Roystan said. “If he’s waiting by the cannon, they’ll know we have one.”

  “Blasters?” Josune asked.

  “Stunners,” Roystan said. “I wouldn’t want to be up for murdering a real agent of the Justice Department.”

  If anyone was going to do murder right now, it would be Jacques, glaring down at the unfinished meal congealing on the table.

  Maybe that would be a good thing. An agent attacked by an enraged chef with a meat cleaver wouldn’t be suspicious; it would be justice.

  Josune touched her shirt where her sparker rested underneath, against her stomach. Not that she planned to use the weapon while on Another Road, not when it meant she could burn out their wiring, but it was easy to hide, and most people didn’t realize it was a weapon till she used it. She nodded to Roystan. “Let’s go meet Agents Brand and Bouwmeester.”

  * * *

  • • •

  Four Justice Department agents boarded. All were heavily armed, with blasters and stunners. Definitely not friendly.

  “You said there were two of you, not four,” Roystan said.

  Brand hoisted her blaster in a deliberate show of menace and dragged her eye-covers to rest on the tip of her nose. “Someone with your legal expertise, Captain, would know that it is no longer safe to travel in pairs.”

  “We are a peaceful ship. We don’t want trouble.”

  “Neither do we, Captain. Neither do we.” Brand tried to push past him.

  Roystan put up a hand, indicated the ID scanner near the airlock.

  “This is a waste of time.”

  “As you pointed out, Agent, a man with my legal expertise knows the rules. That’s the rule. One of your own department’s rules. Let’s make sure we complete all the right checks, shall we.”

  The woman with Brand pushed forward. “It doesn’t matter,” she told Brand. “We have every right to be here. Get this over with.”

  The scanner identified her as Agent Calista Bouwmeester, certified Justice Department agent. The other two agents stepped forward as well. Agents Korel and Pelin. And finally, Brand.

  “Now the preliminaries are over,” Brand said. “Let’s see this modder of yours. You understand if you have a genemod machine but don’t have a registered modder, you are breaking the law.”

  Technically, they could have one; they just couldn’t use it.

  “We understand,” Roystan said.

  “And your proof of purchase must be in order.”

  “Understood,” Roystan said again. “Do you want to see the genemod machine first?” He stood aside and indicated the passage.

  “I want to see your modder. And you go in front of us. I don’t trust you.”

  Josune’s gaze crossed Roystan’s. She nodded.

  “Crew room it is,” Roystan said.

  Hopefully the others had thought to arm themselves—discreetly—with weapons. Roystan was giving them enough time to do so.

  Josune’s back itched all the way.

  “Quite a big ship,” Brand said as they went. “For how many of you?”

  She knew exactly how many; Josune was sure of it. They’d sent just enough agents to overcome a crew of six. She smiled grimly to herself. Six regularly armed crew, that was. These people didn’t know what they were in for if they made any trouble.

  “The report you had of our genemod machine,” Roystan said. “What made you think it was illegal?”

  Josune couldn’t tell if he was having a dig, fishing for information, or changing the subject.

  “Our sources are our business,” Brand said.

  Sometimes, in the screens as they came up to them, Josune could see the images of the agents behind. All four were muscular and trod with an aggressive firmness that implied intimidation. They wore their blasters low and kept their hands close to their weapons. Trigger happy, maybe? Best not to give them cause to draw, then.

  Brand stopped in the doorway to the crew room. Her gaze swept the set-up table. “Pardon us for disturbing your dinner.” She failed to hide a snigger.

  Jacques, standing in the doorway to the kitchen, crossed his arms and changed his posture. He was holding a frying pan. The meat cleaver, his usual go-to weapon, was attached to his belt. Brand glanced at him and dismissed him in the same look. It wasn’t exactly subtle, but the agents didn’t seem to see either as weapons.

  Carlos had a small, cigar-shaped stunner tucked into his shirt pocket. It was the smallest in their armory but packed a nasty punch. Nika was wearing the dart gun that looked like a heavy, gold, jeweled cross. It was loaded with fast-acting tranquilizer darts and coded so that if any of the crew curled their fingers around the crossbar and applied pressure, it would fire one of those darts. Snow had a spray bottle hanging from his belt. Josune hoped it wasn’t the lethal naolic-and-mutrient mix Nika had used on their original ship. Not only did it eat away skin—the mixture was corrosive enough to dissolve metal.

  “Quite the party. Now, which of you is the modder?” Agent Brand’s gaze stopped at Snow. She pulled out her scanner. “Let’s ID you and check your registration.”

  Did they want Snow, specifically, or did they just recognize him as the modder? Josune put up an unobtrusive hand. Snow nodded, once, and stayed back.

  Young Snow was a quick learner.

  Nika stepped forward. “I’m the modder.”

  “You?” For a moment Brand looked nonplussed. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Why don’t you ID me and find out?”

  Brand waved her blaster in Snow’s direction. “Our reports say a male modder. I want to know who he is first. He looks familiar.”

  Yes. They specifically wanted Snow, but why?

  “They’re body
modders,” Josune said. “Any one of us could have been male yesterday.” She glanced at Roystan. He gave a slight shake of his head. Not yet.

  Brand hesitated. “Later. I’ll deal with you later.” She gestured at Snow. “Come on, ID yourself.”

  “I thought you wanted to ID the modder?” Snow said.

  “I want to ID you. Do you have a problem with that?”

  “Get on with it.” Bouwmeester picked up one of the plates and breathed in the aroma. A look of pleasure flashed briefly across her face. Josune wasn’t surprised. Even half-cold, the food still smelled divine.

  “Can’t let this go to waste, can we?” The agent forked up a mouthful, and her eyes widened. “Hey. This is not bad. Would you believe, it tastes better than it smells. It would be better hot, though.” She walked over to Jacques. “Heat it up for me, will you?”

  That move positioned the agents evenly around the room. Was it deliberate? Probably.

  Jacques uncrossed his arms, and Bouwmeester dodged sideways to avoid the frying pan. “No.”

  “It is a little impolite to come on board and eat our food without asking,” Roystan said.

  “So sue me.” Bouwmeester thrust the plate at Jacques again. He stepped back.

  “Hey,” someone said sharply through the link. “Do your job.”

  Bouwmeester shrugged and forked up another mouthful. “You are missing some great food, Ewan.”

  Snow looked at Josune, and she gave a slight nod this time. He stepped forward to ID himself.

  No one spoke.

  Agent Brand studied the result. “Well, well. Snowshoe Bertram. Who would have guessed.” She sniggered. “You’ve changed your name.”

  Snow huffed out a breath. “It’s Bertram Snowshoe. I did not change my name. That’s a computer error.”

  Josune’s hand rested on her hidden sparker as she watched Agent Bouwmeester murmur into her jaw-link. Roystan leaned against the newly converted pilot’s console.

  Brand looked at Roystan. “Your modder here is a wanted man. That means we’ll have to take him with us. Your other modder, if legitimate”—and she glanced at Nika—“is likely on our wanted list too. How unfortunate for you, as it means we’ll have to take both, and the machine as well.”

  “Not likely,” Nika said over Roystan. “A wanted man?”

  “I told you. You never know who you may have taken on as crew, unknowingly.”

  “I know who comes onto Another Road as crew,” Roystan said. “I’m more concerned about the people who come onto the ship pretending to be officials.”

  “Pretending?” Brand said. “You’ve had your proof.”

  “But not proof that Snow is a wanted man. As far as we know, this could be a personal vendetta of yours. You will need to back up your claim.”

  “He was an indentured doctor. He left his post.”

  “Irrelevant,” Nika said loudly, talking over Snow’s muttered denial. “Snow is an apprentice. He signed a contract with me. It’s legal. His registration as an apprentice is recorded in the modders’ database and takes precedence over all other claims if not disputed within the first month. Unless I agree to release him.” She put her hand up to curl around the cross containing the tranquilizer darts. “And I don’t agree to release him. Not to you, not to anyone.”

  Apprenticeships were binding. The master became responsible for feeding the apprentice, for housing them, and for any legal issues.

  “You?”

  “Yes. Snow is apprenticed to me, and I do not agree to release him. And for your information, I also own the genemod machine. You can’t take either.”

  Josune hid her smile. It wouldn’t stop the coming fight, but the Justice Department, corrupt as they were, couldn’t deny legal rights, and all this was being recorded.

  Snow blinked at Nika. He looked distracted. “Are you saying that if I was an escaped merc, which I’m not, and I signed on as an apprentice, then no one can take me back?”

  “Temporarily,” Nika cautioned. “While you are an apprentice, I have first rights. Once you’ve finished, though, I must hand you over to the other party. It’s part of the apprenticeship agreement. Didn’t you read it?”

  Snow ignored that. “So why don’t more people do apprenticeships to escape?”

  “It’s a no-brainer, Snow. What do you think would happen to me if I let you go, or you did a runner on me? When you signed, you became my responsibility. If you disappear, who do I have to offer up, with the skills I’ve just trained you in? I wouldn’t take your place willingly, nor would another apprentice.”

  “So why—”

  “Snow, have you signed any contract, other than the one you signed to become my apprentice?”

  “No, but—”

  “Therefore I am under no obligation to anyone, except to make sure you get a proper apprenticeship. I get to keep you. I get to keep my machine. And no matter what these thugs want, I also know that you are not on any wanted list, Snow.” Nika looked at the Justice Department agents. “Don’t you think I would have checked that?”

  “All this is interesting but it’s not getting the job done.” Agent Brand turned to Nika. “The Justice Department overrules your claim. Now. Your turn, lady. Let’s ID you as well.”

  “Go ahead. Check my ID. If you recall, I offered to be identified first.” Nika stepped forward and allowed the scanner to record her details.

  Brand dragged her eye-covers to the end of her nose again and stared at Nika while they waited for the results. Nika stared back. The silence stretched. Josune’s money was on Brand to look away first.

  Whoop, whoop. The klaxon warning broke the standoff, and Another Road bucked from the proximity of the new ship. Josune automatically adjusted her balance to compensate but froze for a few seconds as she swallowed bile and memories. The last time they’d had a proximity alert, it had been her old ship, the Hassim, out of control and overrun with company men. Her friends and shipmates had been dead.

  Roystan swung around to the nearest screen; Carlos ran to another one. Korel, Brand, Jacques, and Nika lost their footing.

  “They’ve stabilized.” Roystan brought the image of the other ship up on-screen. Josune took a deep breath and moved to Roystan’s side.

  Bouwmeester’s face creased into a smile. “Look at that. Company.”

  Brand was white. “Damn that man. He doesn’t have the sense of a turd.”

  Snow, one hand on the table for balance, stared at the screen. “The Boost.”

  Roystan brought the ship details up on the screen. Sure enough, it was the Boost. Captained by one Oliver Norris.

  Roystan glanced at Nika, glanced at the calibrator board, which they hadn’t tried out yet.

  Nika rolled to her feet smoothly and moved close to the board. She casually set the calibrator. At least Josune assumed that was what she’d done. It looked as though she’d wiped a speck of dust off the board.

  “What’s so important about the Boost, Snow?” Nika asked.

  Snow’s gaze went blank, and he looked incredulously at her.

  Josune kept her gaze unwaveringly on the four agents. She managed to keep her face neutral. They’d all heard the horror stories he’d told.

  “This is your plan?” Roystan asked. “The Boost?”

  “You might call it a little side business,” Brand said. “About time, Norris,” as the communications link chimed and the captain’s image filled the screen.

  Nika’s eyes turned speculative, as they always did when she was assessing a mod. Josune guessed that Oliver Norris had been modded by a master. Even she could see that the mod wasn’t standard. And she was going to have to stop thinking about modding. Nika’s passion was becoming a bad influence.

  Josune moved to block the screen as the nullspace timer started a silent countdown in front of Nika.

  “Excuse me,”
Nika said to Norris. “But is your modder Samson Sa?”

  “Is she for real?” Brand asked.

  The stars on-screen collapsed into the center of the screen, then disappeared altogether.

  They had nullspaced.

  * * *

  • • •

  When they came out the other side, the Boost was gone.

  Josune’s sparker was aimed at Agent Brand’s head. “Don’t move,” she told the Justice Department agents.

  “Outmaneuvered.” Carlos pushed his stunner into Korel’s ribs.

  Bouwmeester yawned as if it were of no consequence. “They’re stunners. They won’t kill us.”

  A chime sounded on the console. The Justice Department ship trying to contact them. Roystan opened the link. A man in a suit scowled out at them. Ewan, presumably. “What in the hell do you think you are doing?”

  “Nullspacing,” Roystan said mildly. “Couldn’t you tell?”

  “With us linked to your ship?”

  “Well, naturally. After all, I couldn’t warn you about what I was doing, could I?”

  The Justice Department man scowled again, looked around as far as the camera would let him. “And what were you thinking, Brand? You know to never let them onto the bridge.”

  “This isn’t the bridge,” Brand snarled.

  “Kill them and get back here.”

  “Killing them wasn’t part of the deal. Besides, we don’t quite have the upper hand here, Ewan. And one of them has a sparker.” Agent Brand picked her eye-covers up off the floor where they’d fallen and pushed them back into place, ignoring Josune’s sparker.

  “How badly can you botch a simple job?”

  “If you think you can do better, come and do it.”

  “Believe me, I will. And let them fire the sparker. It won’t kill you, but there’s a good chance it will destroy the wiring on their ship and leave it dead in space, just waiting for the Boost to catch up.”

  Roystan closed the link and pulled two stunners out of the weapons drawer Josune had locked earlier. He handed one to Snow. “We can count on at least fifteen minutes before the Boost gets here. Their own jamming tools will work against them. The Boost will have a difficult time pinpointing the ships. It won’t be able to come too close. Enough time to finish this.”