Zoya shook herself. “We’re going to need crew.”
“I submitted the staffing plan as an appendix to your report already,” Bean said.
“So my grandfather already knows?”
“He should,” Bean said. “I told him what the units would need. Broke it down by production stage and function.”
“Brilliant,” Natalya said.
Bean blushed and looked away.
Zoya turned back to the scanner and focused on the ship coming in behind the tractor. The beacon registered while they were looking at it. “The Prodigal Son. Registered in Dunsany Roads.” Zoya looked at Ahokas. “A regular?”
Ahokas shook her head. “First-timer as far as I know.”
Zoya brought up the background record. “Unwin Eight. Fast packet. She jumped a long way out for a fast packet.”
Natalya frowned. “My father flies an Unwin Eight, but that’s not a name he’d use and he sure as hell wouldn’t register it in Dunsany.”
“Belongs to Carstairs Ltd.,” Zoya said. She frowned, her eyes practically closed. “Where do I know that name from? Only place I’ve been recently is Port Lumineux.” Her eyes went wide. “That’s where. Rebecca? No. Rachel.”
“Well, this is an interesting development,” Natalya said. “Why jump in so far out?”
“Bad jump?” Bean asked.
Zoya gazed at the scanner. She nodded slowly. “That’s possible. She could be following the Ally Wishes in.” She ran some numbers in a side window. “Ally will be here in about twelve days. Prodigal in ten if they both keep the same vectors.”
“We could go out and meet them,” Natalya said.
Zoya shook her head. “No. We need to sit tight and let whatever is going to happen happen.”
“You think something will happen?” Ahokas asked.
Zoya looked at her and shrugged. “I don’t know but given what we’ve been through here, I wouldn’t bet against it.”
“UMS17, Ally Wishes. Over.”
Ahokas picked up the mic. “Ally Wishes, UMS17. Over.”
“UMS17, Ally Wishes. I’m not seeing a station here. Where are you? Over.”
“Ally Wishes, UMS17. We’ve had a bit of trouble. The only station we have at the moment is our marshaling yard facility. I can flash you the location. Over.”
“UMS17, Ally Wishes. Please and thank you.” After a slight pause, the voice said, “Any docking protocols? Over.”
“Ally Wishes, UMS17. We’ve got one ring we can use, and we can unload your cargo. We’ve got a couple of cans of rock outbound. High grade ore. Over.”
“UMS17, Ally Wishes.” Something banged on the other end. “What the hell was that?” The signal cut out.
“Ally Wishes, UMS17. Sorry about that. It was probably a piece of the station. Is your ship damaged? Over.”
“Stand by, UMS17.”
The pause lasted long enough that Natalya began worrying about the ship.
“UMS17, Ally Wishes. We’re fine. Just a bit startling. A piece of the station? Over.”
“Ally Wishes, UMS17. Long story. Tell you when you get here. Over.”
“UMS17, Ally Wishes. Fair enough. Over.”
Ahokas keyed the data squirt. “Ally Wishes, UMS17. You should have the location data. Over.”
“Roger that, UMS17. We’ll be there in a few days. Ally Wishes, out.”
“UMS17, out.”
Ahokas looked around the compartment. “What now?”
“UMS17, Ally Wishes. Over.”
“That was quick,” Zoya said.
Ahokas keyed the mic. “Ally Wishes, UMS17. Over.”
“UMS17, Ally Wishes. Can we expect to get a replenishment order filled? Over.”
Ahokas looked at Zoya. “I’m going with ‘no’ unless you have something up your sleeve?”
Zoya shook her head. “The only things we have that they might need, we can’t sell them.”
“Ally Wishes, UMS17. Negative on replenishment. Over.”
“UMS17, Ally Wishes. Roger that.” The signal cut off for a tick. “Do you need assistance? Over.”
“Ally Wishes, UMS17. I don’t think there’s anything you can do for us. We’ve got help inbound. Over.”
“UMS17, Ally Wishes. Roger that. We’re assuming you can unload us and we can pick up outgoing cargo? Over.”
“Ally Wishes, UMS17. Roger that. We’ve got cargo handlers and about six cans of ore ready to go out. You can have your pick of what we have. Over.”
“Roger, UMS17. I’m looking forward to hearing this story when we get there. Ally Wishes, out.”
“We really need a Barbell or two,” Ahokas said. “A load of food would be good.”
“Do we have any place we can unload a Barbell’s worth of food?” Natalya asked.
Ahokas laughed. “Not really, but if we could sell that can of finished metals under the Mindanao, we’d be on the right course.”
Bean pointed to the scanner. “When these guys get here, we’ll start having space again.”
Zoya refocused on the incoming parade. At the extreme range the images were nothing but dots. The first one had a beacon attached to it–HIG1020—but the others hadn’t registered yet.
“UMS17, Prodigal Son, over.” A man’s voice came over the speaker.
“Busy day,” Ahokas said. “Prodigal Son, UMS17, go ahead. Over.”
“UMS17, Prodigal Son. Would it be possible to speak with Zoya? Over.”
Ahokas handed the mic to Zoya.
“Prodigal Son, UMS17. Go ahead. Over.”
“UMS17, Prodigal Son. We copied your conversation with Ally Wishes. We have a few tons of food for you. We’re good on replenishment. Over.”
Zoya frowned. “Prodigal Son, UMS17. Appreciated. Over.”
“UMS17, Prodigal Son. Would it be possible for us to dock directly with Mindanao? It would facilitate transfer. Over.”
“Prodigal Son, UMS17, roger that. We’ll coordinate when you’ve matched vectors, if that’s satisfactory? Over.”
“UMS17, Prodigal Son. Perfect. Prodigal Son, out.”
“So, they’re from Port Lumineux?” Natalya asked.
“That’s my guess,” Zoya said. “I told Stevens we had trouble on the Mindanao again and that she might be interested in what we found.” She shrugged. “Now, suddenly an unknown vessel jumps in, offers food, and wants to dock at the Mindanao.” She laughed. “Must be coincidence.”
Ahokas frowned.
“What is it?” Zoya asked.
“We don’t know they have food. It’s only what they said.” Ahokas shrugged. “Maybe I’m being too paranoid, but I’m feeling a little exposed at the moment.”
Zoya nodded. “It’s a good point.” Her tablet bipped with an incoming message. She fished it out and checked it. “My grandfather.” She swiped to open the message. “Make it work.”
“That’s the message?” Natalya asked.
“That’s the message.”
“What, like you’re not going to make it work?” Natalya asked.
Zoya looked out into the Deep Dark in the direction of the incoming Higbee ships. “Like that might not be what we think it is.”
“What else could it be?” Bean asked.
Zoya shook her head. “I have no idea.” She shook herself. “Regardless, I’m sure we’ll find out what kind of soup we’re in when they get here. I’d like to give them a few days to get closer. Even if they’re not what we think, they’ve got to be something we can use.”
Bean frowned. “What else could we use?”
Zoya chuckled. “Given what we have now? Almost anything. A couple of empty Barbell cans would be a step up from what we have now.”
Bean stared at her for a moment and then laughed himself. “Point taken.”
“Now what, boss?” Natalya asked.
Zoya blew out a deep breath. “Now we finish sorting out the murderers.”
Chapter 44
Smelter Seventeen:
2368, March 3
&nb
sp; Madigan served as master-of-arms and guarded the wardroom door. Zoya sat at the head of the table, the captain’s customary position, while Natalya kept notes at her side.
Zoya looked at Natalya. “Ready?”
Natalya nodded.
“Send in the next one, Mr. Madigan.”
He opened the door and motioned the next crewman in. Nancy Fries slipped through the door and stood at the foot of the table. She had bags under her eyes and her shipsuit looked lived in.
“Name and position?” Zoya asked.
“Fries, Nancy. Mining specialist. Dusty Sky.”
“Thank you for your assistance with the shuttle, Ms. Fries. It’s much appreciated.”
“My pleasure, sar.”
“What can you tell me about the time leading up to my capture?”
“Not much. The first I knew of it, you were tied up in engineering berthing’s head. Captain Reverri passed the word that you weren’t to be touched.”
“Did you think that an odd request?” Zoya asked.
“Very.”
“What did you do about it?”
Fries looked at the deck and sighed. “Nothing.”
“Why not, Ms. Fries?”
Fries looked up, her face drawn, almost haggard. “Because of Captain Houston and Mr. Anderson.”
“You were afraid somebody would stuff you out the airlock?” Zoya asked.
Fries swallowed hard. “Yes, sar.” Her voice barely reached the head of the table.
“Thank you, Ms. Fries. Is there anything you’d like to add? Anything in your defense? Any other extenuating circumstances? I won’t ask you to betray the confidence of your shipmates.”
Fries rolled her tongue around in her mouth as if tasting the words there. “I hate feeling helpless, sar. Until Ms. Regyri came aboard and started kicking ass, that’s how I felt. Helpless. I’m sorry I didn’t do more. That I didn’t even try.” She took a deep breath. “It’s not worth much at this point but I’m very sorry.”
Zoya waited a few heartbeats. “Thank you, Ms. Fries. You can go.”
“Thank you, sar.”
Madigan held the door open and she marched through it as if she might be heading for the gallows and was determined to be brave. Madigan closed the door behind her.
Zoya looked at Natalya. “Comments?”
“She was terrific helping me get the Peregrine back. She seems legit.”
Zoya looked at Tom. “You?”
Madigan shrugged a shoulder. “She’s good people. A lot of the crew wouldn’t have had any problem bucking an engineering officer but going against a captain?” He shook his head. “Mutiny isn’t a core value in Toe-Hold space. Once you step over that line, there’s no retreat.”
“So we’re looking at a lot of people who rejected mutiny against their captains but then found themselves caught in a mutiny against me. Is that what you’re saying?”
Madigan looked at the deck and blew out a breath. “Yeah. Sorta.”
“Spell it out for me, Tom. If you can.”
“You’re not the ‘captain.’ You’re the boss,” he said. “Until you used the word ‘mutiny,’ even I didn’t think of it as mutiny. Extortion? Yeah. The murder was completely uncalled for but so was blowing up the station. Even though it was an accident. This whole business has been one dumb thing after another.”
Zoya sat back in her chair. “Yeah. I get that. I am the designated authority over this sector under the direction of the board of Usoko Mining. Rebellion against me is, by definition, mutiny.” She shook her head. “I’m not going to prosecute anybody for mutiny. It’s a useful framework to work under because everybody knows what it is.”
“Can I ask?” Madigan asked.
“What am I doing?” Zoya asked. “Of course. I’m trying to find the people who had prior knowledge of the attempt to hijack or extort the smelter.”
“What will you do with them?” he asked.
“I have two choices. I can space them, as is my prerogative as station commander, or I can assign some lesser punishment.”
Natalya snorted. “Pretty much anything would be lesser, don’t you think?”
Zoya laughed. “Well, yeah, but I can’t make them slaves or torture them until they want to die.”
Madigan’s eyes went wide and he took half a step back.
Zoya held up a hand. “Easy. I can’t because that’s not something I would condone. There are some things that are so wrong, I’d feel compelled to fight back over it.”
“So?” Madigan asked, some of the color coming back to his face. “If you’re not going to space them, what?”
“Depends. Some I’ll be forgiving and allowing them to either work for me or leave. We’ll provide transportation to those who want to leave, but there’s going to be a lot of work when the new equipment gets here in a few weeks.”
“The others?”
Zoya shrugged. “Some, like Plass and Reverri, I’ll turn over to the captain of the Prodigal Son.”
Madigan’s brow furrowed. “Prodigal Son?”
“A fast packet that’s coming in to collect them and take them to the people who are trying to find out who’s behind using nukes to hold up stations.”
“TIC has no jurisdiction out here.”
“I never said anything about TIC,” Zoya said.
Madigan frowned. “Who, then?”
Zoya shook her head. “I really don’t know. What I do know is that they’re here, they’re watching, and they make TIC look like a pack of space scouts at asteroid camp.”
“You trust them?”
Zoya shrugged. “I don’t know. What I do know is that they want to help find out who killed over two hundred Usoko employees. I know they can do things I can’t. I know I owe—Usoko owes—every one of those people at least that much.”
Madigan stared at her for a very long time. Natalya wasn’t sure what he was thinking but he was obviously thinking something. After a full tick, his shoulders relaxed and his frown smoothed out. He offered Zoya a small smile. “Ready for the next one?” he asked.
“Thank you, Mr. Madigan. I am.”
Madigan closed the wardroom door behind Gary Drake, the Sagittarius’s engineer. “That’s the last one,” he said.
Zoya nodded. “Have a seat, Tom.”
Madigan took one of the chairs at the foot of the table.
Zoya looked at Natalya. “Your thoughts?”
Natalya scrolled through her notes. “I’m not sure I buy Papouis’s story. If he’s innocent of all this, why did he start back at the same time all the others did?”
“You don’t buy his story that it was his engineer?” Zoya asked.
Natalya shook her head. “No. I might have but he was the asshole plugging the docking ring at the marshaling yard. It was his engineer who cold-cocked him and pushed him down the ladder to make it look like an accident.”
Madigan tilted his head to one side. “You don’t think he fell?”
Natalya shook her head. “Engineer knew what the cylinder was. Had to know Zoya was bluffing but he did a great job making it sound like he bought the lie. Ballsy move, but gave him a fig leaf in case his captain was clean.”
“You believe his story about confronting the captain about coming in early?” Zoya asked.
“No, that’s just embroidery. He didn’t strike me as the kind to question the captain.”
Madigan nodded. “I have to agree. I’ve known Cosma Papouis for a while. He’s not one that tolerates being questioned.”
“Not even by me,” Zoya said. “I noticed that myself.”
“What about the people you have taped up in the spares locker?” Zoya asked. “Have we been taking care of them?”
Madigan cleared his throat and looked at his hands where they writhed on the tabletop. “Well, I—uh—I kinda made an executive decision and let them go. You interviewed them already. With the exception of Karros, I don’t think any of them were involved. They were just trying to stay out of the airlock. Just my opinio
n. Karros is already dead. We should give him his last ride soon. His body bag is in the boat deck personnel lock.”
Zoya nodded and stroked a thumb over her lips. “Well done, Mr. Madigan. Thank you.”
Natalya leaned forward and, after a nod from Zoya, asked, “Who else do you think might be involved besides Papouis, Plass, Fleiss, and the few we’ve tagged?”
Madigan drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t think Plass worked alone and the only other person still alive is the first mate, Hewson.”
“You don’t think Hewson is involved?” Zoya asked.
Madigan shook his head. “He’s as straight an arrow as I’ve ever met. He wants his own barge. He’s seen how Usoko operates and knows he’ll have it as long as he does his job and keeps his nose clean. He’s not involved. I’d bet my life on him.”
“Are there any barges not in yet that might be involved?” Zoya asked.
Madigan shrugged. “It’s possible. It takes a long time to get in from the far side of the belts. All of us here now were on this side, close in. It seems implausible that it was just chance.”
“Where’s the nearest hauler?” Natalya asked.
“Still coming in from the far side,” Zoya said. “I checked earlier. They’re a long way out and all full. At least according to their skippers.”
“So every barge we have here at the moment has at least the engineering officer and all but one has a skipper?” Natalya asked.
Madigan nodded. “I don’t think Ruth Houston was involved. If she was, I’m not seeing the rationale for Plass killing her.”
“It’s not like she can be punished now,” Zoya said, her voice quiet.
“True,” Madigan said.
“What do we want to tell people?” Natalya asked. “They’re going to want to know something after we’ve gone through this whole rigmarole.”
Zoya nodded. “I’ll make an announcement. I’ll just need a few minutes to put my thoughts together.” She looked at Madigan. “Do we have the skippers and engineers isolated?”
“As best we can,” he said. “I found zip ties in the spares. They’re all cooling their heels in an empty dry goods locker. There’s a padlock on the outside door and I assigned a couple of the miners to take turns watching it.”
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