Caretakers (Stag Privateers Book 2)

by Nathan Jones

Lana nodded, flushing. Since the Last Stand was a heavily armed pirate ship, she'd just assumed that any job they got was going to involve blowing things up.

  But while she might've been willing to shut up and listen, Barix looked undeterred as he raised his hand again. “Question. Even if we're not attacking this place, we're doing something. Only, a top secret research facility is going to have pretty serious security, right?”

  “In fact it does, from what I saw!” Aiden snapped. “You going to actually let us lay out the details before you start asking stupid questions?”

  “Stupid? Stupid? Coming from you?” the Ishivi demanded, looking outraged. “Just imagine things from my perspective . . . everyone thinks they're smarter than they really are, and they definitely think they're smarter than everyone around them. It's just human nature. So here I am, objectively one of the smartest human beings in the universe, in all of human history, even, forced to endure being treated as a peer by all these halfwits. By which I mean their intelligence is on average literally half of mine.”

  The captain smirked at him. “Yes, your life does seem pretty miserable. Which I suppose is proof that intelligence doesn't have nearly as much influence on success or happiness as people seem to think.”

  The slight man glared back. “I could easily be far more successful than I am. Even with the challenge of overcoming the circumstances of my exile, and being hunted across the universe for my superior genes. Pirac-privateering is simply the easiest means to gain wealth and remain in hiding, allowing me to focus on my research and private pursuits.”

  Aiden actually burst out laughing. “I think you just insulted yourself by calling yourself lazy. That doesn't seem like something an intelligent person would do.”

  Barix's scowl deepened. “Neither is wasting time in conversation with an intellectual inferior.” He pointedly turned back to Ali. “Please excuse the interruption and continue.”

  “Just jammed your exhaust port conversationally,” Aiden muttered before the companion could, loud enough for everyone to hear. Lana couldn't help but snicker, earning a glare from the slight man.

  Ali cleared her throat, tone unperturbed as she got back to business. “The Recluse facility is cut off from the allnet aside from during brief, heavily scrutinized sessions to report in to ERI. However, this security measure is meaningless because the corporation itself relies heavily on the allnet to operate across the explored universe, not having a private set of servers such as HAE utilizes. Because of this, our benefactor was able to hack into ERI and get resupply schedules, as well as security codes and clearances for resupply ships.”

  Belix clapped excitedly. “Let me guess! She knows when the next ship is going out, and she wants us to destroy it and take its place.”

  The companion smiled. “A good idea, but it would require waiting for a resupply run, which are infrequent, and involves the risk, however slight, of needing to take out a ship. Assuming we accept this job, Miss Ennos will simply send Recluse a priority missive stating changed circumstances require an unscheduled resupply. Then we'll fly in, dock with the facility, and retrieve whatever she's sending us to retrieve.”

  “Which is?” Aiden asked, scrolling over the information Elyssa had given him with a slight frown.

  Ali also frowned. “She doesn't specify, except to say it'll take up roughly 2,500 cubic feet, in 26 crates of 6 by 4 by 4 feet, and weigh roughly 4 tons.”

  “The cargo bay can handle that with plenty of room to spare,” Aiden mused. “So it's that simple? We just dock, she'll have arranged for us to pick up the cargo, and we head out again?” His tone made it clear he didn't think it would be that easy.

  The companion shook her head. “She can get us into the docking bay, from which ERI's automated orbital defense platform will be unable to target us without destroying the facility as well. At that point we'll need to fight our way through the station, take the control room and secure the facility, then disable the orbital platform's AI so we can escape without being blown up. That'll be a bit easier, thanks to the fact that she also has access codes for the facility's security doors, as well as emergency overrides for its defensive measures.”

  The captain sighed and pulled up what looked like a map of a building on the main display. “Well, at least she gave us thorough intel on the place's layout and defenses, assuming they're accurate.” He leaned forward, studying the display. “The question we have to ask before Elyssa calls again is, can we take this place?”

  Ali hesitated. “Given its secrecy it's light on security personnel, aside from of course multiple combat androids, since this is an ERI facility.” That stood to reason, Lana supposed, since that was the corporation that made the fighting robots. “They're mostly used for manual labor and not for fighting,” the companion continued, “but during an attack they'll certainly be activated for that purpose.”

  “How is a bunch of combat androids “light” on security?” Barix demanded. “You and Fix going to take them all out, maybe with the gunner and our fearless captain to help?”

  The beautiful woman gave him a toothy smile. “As it happens, Elyssa has the override codes for all the androids there. We can easily deactivate them, and if we have time even reprogram them to fight for us against their own masters.”

  “You mean the super secret codes that supposedly nobody but the owners have access to, and ERI guards more jealously than the actual combat androids they're attached to?” Belix whistled. “So on this spur of the moment business opportunity our old crew mate has stumbled on, she not only has a way to get us into the facility but also complete tactical intel and a way of taking over its security measures? What exactly does she need us for, then?”

  “Like she said, to be her delivery boys and girls,” Aiden growled, glaring thoughtfully at the display with the map of Recluse's facility. “The question is, is this so easy it's too good to be true?”

  “Actually,” Barix said, for once seeming dead serious, “the real question is, if that old bird can hack into a monolith like ERI this easily, do we really want to say no to her?”

  Chapter Seven

  Recluse

  Aiden didn't like this.

  It wasn't that he distrusted Elyssa, or at least no more than he should. People in her position may have seemed like they could do whatever they wanted, even screw over people who'd worked with them in the past on a whim. But generally, smart people learned to earn a reputation for keeping their end of deals in order to rise to power, as well as a reputation for punishing those who didn't do the same.

  It kept everyone playing nice, the closest you could get to honor among thieves.

  In fact, the influence of someone like Elyssa in this galaxy was probably a stabilizing force, keeping things more peaceful and circumspect than was usual for criminal organizations. Not to mention that Aiden himself had a reputation for not being the kind of person you betrayed, and it went a long ways towards keeping people honest. At least while they were under his ship's guns.

  Besides, in spite of the circumstances of their parting, he didn't really think his old crew member would try to double cross him. He remembered her as being quiet, earnest, competent, and fiercely loyal. At least up until just before she left, that is. She'd certainly changed in some ways in the last decade, but had she changed that much?

  Aiden didn't think so; he fully expected that her intel was as good as she could make it, which looked pretty blazing good, and that when the job was done she'd pay up as promised. He also trusted that she wouldn't betray him to the Deeks, if for no other reason than loyalty to the failed Preservationist cause.

  Still, something about the situation felt fishy to him. Elyssa was in too much of a hurry, and relying too much on people she couldn't, or at least shouldn't, be confident she completely controlled. There was something bigger going on here, a potential for more chits than your ordinary job could earn you, maybe.

  Or maybe some secret agenda of the facilitator's, one she was willing to take a chan
ce on. Especially if it meant risking the necks of people besides her own agents.

  On the plus side, when it came time to give the severe woman his decision and he agreed to take the job, she not only seemed pleased but even advanced him a sum of 10,000 chits to one of his anonymous accounts; Ali verified it before the Last Stand jumped out of the system on their way to the Uris system.

  Ostensibly, those accounts used encryptions with keys that were untouchable by even the most clever hackers, not even if they used a computer with all the processing power in the universe for billions of years trying to crack one. Which meant that Elyssa had already paid him half for the job, which was as much as anyone could ask for with work like this.

  Whether she'd pay him the other half when the job was done was anyone's guess, but even if not they'd come out better on this job than most others. Assuming the security was as easy as she claimed, and the access codes she'd provided all worked as promised. Otherwise this would be flat out suicide and she was sending them to their deaths.

  The paranoid part of him couldn't discount that, but there was no reason for her to go to the trouble. No profit to be had from getting him and his crew killed, no personal grudge big enough to warrant that kind of scheme.

  Well, if it turned out she had anyway Aiden supposed they'd find out soon.

  They spent the couple days it took to jump out to the secret facility planning the attack. Which was mostly straightforward, a simple matter of bluffing their way from the docking bay into the facility itself, and from there as close as possible to the control room. If they could actually get there without a fight the job was pretty much done, because then they could use the access codes to lock down the facility and remotely disable its defenses.

  Assuming things would be that easy was breathtaking idiocy, of course; things never went that well, especially considering Aiden's luck. Exemplified by the fact that they were in a whole different galaxy, and the Vindicator had still managed to stumble across them while doing a completely unrelated errand.

  Sure, the Deek cruiser hadn't actually found them. But the possibility had been there, like the universe giving Aiden the finger.

  So he was going to plan for things to go wrong, starting with the gunner being ready to have the Last Stand's weapons pulverize the docking bay's defenses with low powered laser bursts, and if necessary blow open the reinforced door into the facility.

  Which was slightly complicated by the fact that it was a blast door, designed to withstand at least a few laser bursts, and that many shots would likely slag the hallway beyond and make it impassible. Thankfully the Last Stand used unconventional railguns as part of her arsenal, and the hyper dense slugs could punch through pretty much anything.

  So easily, in fact, that the young man would probably have to use the schematics for the door that Elyssa had provided them, to calculate the force necessary to break it down without destroying half the facility beyond. Not to mention likely opening significant portions of it to space.

  Which wouldn't be a problem for them, since they'd be suited up in case of just such accidents; that was just common sense for any fight on a facility in space or an inhospitable planet. So much so that standard uniforms were made to be airtight, including a hood with goggles that could be untucked from the back of the neck and rolled up and over the head, automatically sealing around the collar, and an emergency half hour air reserve.

  That was a bare minimum emergency measure compared to actual space suits, but anything but standard uniforms would instantly arouse suspicion in the facility's security. Still, as an added precaution Aiden had everyone who'd be part of the attack carry belt packs with extra batteries for heating elements, another hour of oxygen, and sealant in case of suit leaks.

  The Last Stand jumped in about an hour from Recluse, using the usual procedure for resupply ships and transmitting the proper codes. There was a moment of worry over the facility's security officer not recognizing their ship as one of the ones that always made the resupply runs, and the man having to dig through memos to find the one Elyssa had spoofed up alerting the facility to their arrival.

  Aiden spent a tense half minute or so staring at the facility's unmanned orbital defense platform, while he waited for the officer to clear them to approach. That, or for those weapons to lock onto his ship and alert him that it was time to get the blazes out of there.

  It was bristling with enough weapons to take out half a dozen light cruisers, as well as shields to rival any light class of capital ship. In fact, it was far more defense than even a top secret research facility like this warranted, unless whatever Elyssa had sent them to take from it was not just valuable but tactically significant.

  The only saving grace was that it was controlled by AI, meaning all they had to do was bluff their way past it long enough get into the facility's control room and disable it.

  Easy.

  The security officer finally cleared them through, and even apologized for the delay. Unusually polite for a Deek, although technically the man was an ERI flunky. Or maybe it was more that he was lonely, since he then spent most of the rest of the Last Stand's approach to the facility chatting almost nonstop.

  Mostly to Ali, since she seemed to have no problem holding an endless, inane conversation. His companion even had the good grace to move it to a private channel, and transmit her replies without vocalizing.

  Which was a good thing, or Aiden might've gone crazy and opened up on the facility just to shut the guy up.

  * * * * *

  The captain looked occupied with other things, so Lana risked leaning over her terminal and resting a hand on Dax's arm. “I should be going with you,” she insisted, for what was probably the dozenth time.

  In spite of her persistence, her boyfriend was perfectly patient in his reply. “The Captain refused your request. You coming along doesn't make sense tactically, not to mention that having too many crew members entering the facility to report in would be viewed as suspicious.”

  She had a feeling that first objection had been a polite way of saying she'd be a liability in a fight, which wasn't really fair. Sure, she might not be a genetically modified superhuman encoded with the skills of dozens of experts, but she'd worked hard with Dax in full immersion learning to defend herself. “You told me just a week or so ago that you couldn't think of anyone else you'd rather have watching your back in a fight.”

  Dax shifted uncomfortably. “Oh. Well, that was . . .”

  What, a romantic gesture? Come to think of it, Lana had been trying to get him out of his uniform at the time, feeling more exuberant than usual after a particularly good training session with him. Still, she hadn't thought he was the sort to flatter her when it wasn't true.

  He seemed to sense the way her thoughts were going, because he hastily leaned forward, letting some of his feelings show. “No, I wasn't just blowing exhaust back up your tailpipe! I think for the training you've had you more than hold your own.” Before she could decide how she felt about that, he rested his hand on hers, speaking with deep feeling. “It's just that, well, I honestly don't think you're ready to take on a mission like this. And if something happened to you I'd never forgive myself.”

  Lana had a feeling she should keep being mad, but she just couldn't in the face of his sincerity and deep feeling. She felt herself melting, although wasn't about to completely give in. “You think I don't feel the same? I didn't spend the last couple months falling in love with you just to sit safe on the ship while you waltz into a facility full of people and robots that want to vaporize you. I want to make sure you don't get hurt.”

  Her boyfriend gave her a slightly crooked smile. “If it's any consolation, it might not be all that much safer on the ship if things go wrong.”

  It wasn't, actually.

  Over Dax's shoulder she saw Aiden finally glancing their way, frowning, and reluctantly leaned back to her terminal. “Well, I guess we've got our orders and all need to do our part. I'll be manning my post during th
e raid, making sure the ship's still in one piece when you get back.”

  Dax smiled, obviously relieved she'd agreed to stay where she'd be safe, or at least safer, but trying not to show it so her feelings wouldn't be hurt. Lana supposed it was only fair that she put up a strong front for him, hide her fears for his safety, so he could go into this fight feeling confident himself.

  Apparently it was the only thing she'd be allowed to do to influence its outcome, aside from hiding in the shields room ready to tweak buffers or make emergency repairs. Which Aiden would probably order her to go get started doing any second now.

  Maybe she should ask Dax to teach her how to man the weapons station. At least then, when he went on boarding parties she could do more to watch his back.

  With big, super destructive lasers and railgun slugs.

  * * * * *

  The surface building of the ERI base was a squat little bunker just across the line on the dark side of the planet, planted like some sort of ugly fungus next to the glittering garden of solar panels on the light side. According to Elyssa's blueprints, most of the facility sprawled underground, safe from the harsh conditions of the first world in the system; the bunker itself was simply a reinforced opening leading to a larger docking bay just below the surface.

  Aiden had no problems navigating the relatively slight gravity and thin exosphere of the small planet, bringing them down to the facility and through into the docking bay. Ali quickly highlighted several defensive turrets, both on the surface and inside the bay itself, on the main display, but they remained unpowered.

  He settled on the glassy melted rock surface of the bay floor, bots scuttling around to attach fuel lines and plug in his ship to the facility's power, as well as a couple big cargo movers lumbering into place to unload and move the supplies the Last Stand had supposedly brought. There were no humans in sight, which wasn't unusual for a high tech facility. Especially one owned by one of the biggest corporations that produced robots and AIs in the universe.