Even though they had been saved from the vacuum of space they still had to deal with the exotic particles that covered the outer hull of the ship during hyperspace travel. They had been pooling in the breached sections and would injure or kill Douglas and Julie in higher concentrations. Watching how Captain Valance directed the pair of trapped repair crewmen through sealing themselves off in a small section and then using a portable power cell to scatter the particles evenly throughout was amazing.
His calm was contagious. Douglas was near panic when Finn first discovered that there were two engineering crew stuck in a section that were sealed off. As time went on and Captain Valance worked with the pair to secure a compartment for them Douglas was so at ease that he and Julie were joking about it.
Finn even had the time and ease to ask them; “I'm wondering, why is it that all the men on the ship are called by their last names and the women by their first?”
“I really don't know. Besides, I thought that was your first name.” Answered Julie.
“Nope, it's Billy.”
“Oh. I don't know which one I like better,” Julie said as she worked on another weld.
“Hey Stephanie, were you around when that started?” Asked Douglas.
Stephanie wasn't within actual earshot, she was helping the Captain run cables down half the length of the ship. She heard them loud and clear on the communicator. “It's something I've seen on a couple other ships too, now that you mention it. I know the issyrians do it in the military.”
“Actually, we don't. You must be thinking of the kallens.” Answered Price. “Our females are the dominant sex in our culture though, so I could see where you'd get confused. Most humans have difficulty grasping our culture.”
“Do you know why it started Captain?” Stephanie asked.
“The first crew I hired on brought it on with them. They were from Cadiz.”
“You hired your first crew in Cadiz? That's what, eleven hundred light years away?” Ashley asked.
“A little closer to twelve hundred actually.” The Captain answered. “How is it going in the rear compartment? Are the welds finished?”
“Just now sir, we should be in great shape to come out of hyperspace. Thank you for saving our butts,” Douglas said with a chuckle.
“Don't thank me, you guys did all the work, I just had the plan. Besides, who do you think will have to repair the ship when we arrive?”
“That arrival will be in about five minutes,” Ashley said.
“I'm on my way. I'll need Cynthia up there as well.”
“On my way sir.”
A few moments later Cynthia and Captain Valance joined Ashley on the bridge. Despite the difficult two days they had in hyperspace, they had all managed to get some rest in shifts.
“Coming out of hyperspace in 3, 2, 1,” Ashley counted down.
The Samson expelled waste gases that had accumulated during hyperspace, it spread out like large white wings for several seconds before the gas and crystallized liquids dissipated. The Enreega system was very well defended and they were not allowed to come out of hyperspace within two hundred thousand kilometres of the central planet, Seneschal.
“Their perimeter defence station is hailing us sir,” Cynthia stated as she put the message up on the main bridge display.
An image of the three crossed swords representing their government appeared on the central holoprojector. “Please proceed to the coordinates provided as we look your ship's transponder code up in our registry,” came the audio announcement.
“I have the coordinates, following their instructions,” Ashley confirmed.
Captain Valance waited patiently as the station processed their information.
“We have six fighters coming in our direction.”
“Don't worry Ash, the Aucharians are hyper vigilant. They're at war with Regent Galactic,” Captain Valance reassured.
“So that's why we're here,” she replied, nodding.
“The enemy of our enemy is our friend. Especially when one of their top people owes me a favour.”
The main display and Ashley's navigation controls came to life with images of the massive defence station and the large blue planet thousands of kilometres behind it. “Please release your helm controls. You are clear to land on the station, Samson.”
Ashley released the controls and Port control started guiding the Samson in. The six fighters that had been circling them moved off to continue their patrol. As they closed in on the defence station its deadliness became plain. It was a massive, wide, flat structure with bays, extendible moorings and fighter launch tubes right down the length of it. On the top and bottom were hundreds of huge turrets.
“What kind of guns are those?” Ashley asked quietly.
“Some are energy, but most are gauss cannons that fire special munitions. They've been known to send rounds over fifty light years.”
One of the massive cannons fired. Only the trail of light was visible, the projectile itself moved too fast to see with the naked eye. Ashley looked at her panel for a moment. “Wow, that was travelling at half the speed of light.”
“And if it had a target too far off for that to be effective, you can bet it has a faster than light system.” Stephanie said from the left bridge hatchway. “Finn just finished checking our landing gear, he says we didn't take any serious damage so we'll be fine if the station decides to set us down in a pressurized bay.”
“Good to know, but I don't think they'll bother, not with the damage we've sustained,” Captain Valance commented.
The Samson was guided into one of the larger openings in the front of the station and as the Captain had guessed, mooring arms locked onto the ship then two embarkation tunnels sealed to their airlocks. “Welcome to Seneschal Defence Station Three,” said the voice over the communicator.
Jake's control and command unit sent a very mild tingling sensation into his arm. He had a message. “Okay, work on the ship as best you can with what you have, I'll see what I can do to get us some help. Oh, and make sure Julie and Douglas get some shuteye,” He ordered. He answered the incoming call. “Minister Lorne, I didn't expect to hear from you so early. How is your brother these days?”
“Rotting in prison where he belongs, I'm happy to say,” replied a cheerful older gentleman's voice over the communicator.
“You're welcome. What has you up at four in the morning?”
“Big category nine hurricane down on the planet. I'm watching the planetary engineers prepare the break wall from orbit. Care to join me?”
“Sure, but I've come on business. You might have heard?”
“I have. You're getting very popular here and I had a feeling you'd pay us a visit considering we're the biggest opponents to Regent Galactic. Port control has a shuttle ready for you, let's talk in person.”
“All right, I'll be over as soon as I secure things here. We took some damage on our way out of the Thadd system.”
“I could imagine. I'll put a request in for some maintenance personnel to help you out. See you soon Jake.”
Ashley was staring at him expectantly. For a moment he pretended not to notice but when he looked up she gave him a big toothy grin.
“Okay, okay, you can come with,” Jake said with a sigh.
Ashley threw her arms up in celebration. “God, it'll be so nice to get off the ship and stretch.”
“Not to mention see some of the most beautiful ships in space,” Stephanie added with a smirk.
Ashley looked to her, concerned. “You're the First Officer now, maybe you should go instead.”
She shook her head. “I've seen this system before. Besides, I have to stay behind and supervise repairs.”
“Good point,” Ashley said.
“Let's get going. I get the feeling the Minister wants us there as soon as possible,” Captain Valance said, taking his long coat from the back of the command chair.
Old Debts
Ashley followed Captain Valance in relative silence. H
e was downright intimidating to anyone ahead. Crewmen and soldiers just doing their jobs looked down the broad polished hallway and couldn't help but stare for a moment then get out of the way. The Captain was just over six feet, wore black body armour with thin overlapping metal strips and a black long coat over top. They were armoured cloaking field emitters that could manipulate the movement of air, muffle sound, and create a field that completely hid him from sight and sensors. Over top the armour and black long coat he always wore a white silk scarf; as if he didn't stand out enough.
She didn't go along with him often, she supposed it was her lack of combat training and the fact that she was the only other person aboard that could fly the Samson well. He had trained her himself after purchasing her from a very wealthy Baron many light years away. Once they arrived back on the ship she was told to stand on the bridge beside the command chair. She did.
For an entire week she watched everything on the bridge. What she didn't know was that he was watching her. It didn't take him long to see that she couldn't stop staring at the pilot's station, she was fascinated with that post in particular. Ashley thought she was doing her duty as a slave, fetching him drinks and food from the galley, but that was a ruse.
After the first job she was aboard for, it was a cargo heist, she found a share of the take in her bunk footlocker after the stolen goods were sold. She approached him on the bridge and to her surprise he told her she could buy her freedom for one hundred credits. She didn't know what to say, she was born a slave, raised a slave and thought she was already lucky to have a quiet, but kind master. Never would she forget the moment he just reached into her thigh pocket, took out three fifty credit chits, put one back and told her; “now you're free. Tell me if you'd like some work.”
The next year and a half flew by. She was at the controls of a simulated ship the very next day. The Captain, Monica who was the pilot at the time, and Silver all took turns helping her learn the ropes. A couple months later she was at the controls to the Samson for the first time and just as the Captain had guessed, she was a natural. Months later Monica retired to one of the Captain's cargo haulers and Ashley became the lead pilot. Since then she had seen combat, touched down on metal, land, water and even navigated a shifting nebula. The Captain still took the controls from time to time, but she knew he trusted her with his ship. In fact, the entire crew trusted her.
They came to the end of the hall and got into an express car. The doors closed and they began to move. “Captain I was thi-” she started to say but was cut off as the car accelerated to over a two kilometres an hour in under four seconds. The inertial dampeners built into the car prevented them from getting tossed around, but she was still surprised by the quick acceleration.
“You were thinking?” Captain Valance asked with a smile.
“I was wondering if I could get certified. I think I'm ready and there are some ports I can't pilot through without my certs. This way you'll never have to take the controls or give me your certification number to use.”
“I'll vouch for your flight time. I'm pretty sure we can get you in for testing somewhere.”
“It doesn't have to be right away or anything.”
The express car came to a slow stop. The Captain lead the way out and down the hall. “I'll see when the centre opens here. The Samson took a lot of damage, so we'll be docked for at least a twenty four.”
“Here? You mean I could get certified right away?”
“I can't see why not, this is a capitol world. You just have to promise me something.” They came around the corner into a Port Authority Seizure and Confiscation storage bay. There were at least three dozen vessels up to two hundred fifty meters in length. They were docked to the sides and ceiling and set down on the deck far below. “Promise me you're not going to sign up with another crew or buy your own ship and start your own operation.”
Ashley's jaw dropped. The ships in that bay were all in great shape. Some showed signs that there had been major repairs done, but she would happily fly anything there. “Don't worry, I'll stick around,” she quietly reassured.
“Good, because I'll really need you. I'm still not sure what we'll be doing, but I'll need a good pilot.” Captain turned and walked to one of the nearby airlocks.
She ran to catch up as he walked inside. “You're not sure where we're going? I thought we'd be following leads to your daughter.”
“We are going to head in that direction, but that lead is a year and a half old. We'd also have to go through Regent Galactic territory. Not a great plan, especially after paying for repairs out of pocket.”
They stepped through the interior doors into a shuttle made for over twenty passengers. It was empty except for a woman in a white uniform marked with a high rank insignia. “Good morning Captain Valance, the Minister is expecting you.”
“Good morning Lieutenant Commander. It's just the two of us, so we're ready whenever you are.”
“Good, if you'll have a seat we'll be off.”
Captain Valance sat down in the middle of the cabin and Ashley sat beside him to strap in. “So we're picking up work here?”
“I'm cashing in a favour. I need a better lead and he might just have one.”
“What kind of Minister is he?”
“He's the Minister of Trade. I don't like dealing with politicians, but like he said, the Samson is popular right now. Normally that's bad in our line of work, maybe we can turn it around.”
“You'll find a way.”
The shuttle disconnected from its moorings and got underway. They emerged from a bay on the side and began accelerating towards the nearby planet of Seneschal. The massive blue planet was to their right, they could see it through the transparent metal window running the length of the shuttle.
“There's that hurricane the Minister was talking about,” Ashley commented. “It's huge.”
“Looks like it covers at least ten percent of the surface.”
“Can their cities survive that?”
“They don't have to,” Jake said as the pointed towards the horizon of the large blue world.
After a few more seconds Ashley saw them. Hundreds of massive ships in a tight orbital group. There were lights from small shuttles and larger transports moving back and forth between them. Some looked more like massive fish than ships, others had long keels and upper decks that looked like they were normally wide open to atmosphere. “They just pull up and go into orbit?”
Jake nodded. “When things calm down or their break wall field reduces the severity of the storm they just go back to the planet surface.”
They were among the massive city ships moments later and she admired their gracefully curved hulls, the thousands of lights coming on as early risers greeted the morning. She couldn't make it out before, but only half the ships were white or grey. The rest were vibrant colours, some were even shaded as a gradient from light to dark, top to bottom. “They're beautiful.”
The transport turned around and they started decelerating. Moments later they were inside another, much smaller launch bay and the sounds of the airlock sealing to a boarding tunnel rang throughout the shuttle.
“We are secure and you may disembark,” announced the shuttle Captain over the interior speaker system.
They unbuckled and Ashley lead the way through the airlock. As soon as she came through the interior door she stopped. “Wow,” was all she said.
The foyer was ten meters by ten meters with a black floor etched in gold radial patterns. The walls had inlaid wooden scrollwork and there was a silver chandelier drifting lazily from one corner to another.
“Good morning,” said an older looking fellow. He was in an intricate deep blue and green robe. It was tied at the waist with a white sash. “If I had known Jake was bringing someone special I would have told the servants to have a more elaborate breakfast ready.” He walked straight to Ashley, took her hand, bent down on one knee and gently touched the back of her fingers to his forehead. He remained that way f
or a moment then looked her in the eyes with a great big smile. “A local tradition, it would take far too long to explain but it would be impolite to go without demonstrating. I'm Trade Minister Lorne.”
“Um, Pilot Ashley Lamport,” she said, blushing.
“How's Elise?” Jake asked with a wry grin.
“Oh, she's fine, still sleeping,” the Minister let Ashley's hand go slowly and turned towards the stairs at the end of the foyer. “I get the feeling you're here on business.”
“I wish I had time for something else, but I'm back on the run.”
“Some things never change. Can we talk openly in front of your pilot?” Asked the Minister as they walked through the interior doors. They were as ornately carved as the walls, but Ashley could see the décor just covered several centimetres of hardened metal.
He didn't wait for the Captain to answer, but turned to her, flashing a grin. “We can talk in front of you, right?” he looked back to Jake. “She seems smart enough to keep this meeting to herself. I'd like her to stay,” his attention bounced back to her. “You should stay, have some fruit.”
“I trust Ashley with my ship, so I'd trust her with anything that comes up here,” Captain Valance confirmed calmly. The Minister's excitable demeanour didn't phase him in the least.
“Well, I do have some news for you. Regent Galactic has put an open bounty on your head.”
The sitting room was a little more intimate. There were four thickly padded sofas in the middle of the room set up in a square. Along the walls there were chairs and three side boards with different beverages and snacks. Small bowls of fresh fruit were placed around the room. She followed Jake's lead and sat down beside him on one of the dark brown sofas.
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