Suicide Run

by Nathan Lowell

  2366, April 9

  NATALYA RUBBED HER eyes. It didn’t help the feeling that she had sand coating her eyeballs. “How long have we been at this?”

  Zoya glanced at the chronometer on her screen. “We got underway from Bowie at 0930. It’s almost 0120 now. I can’t do the math. Twelve plus fourish stans. Call it sixteen in round numbers.”

  “How many buoys have we pilfered. Six?”

  “Just five. We’re coming up on number six now. Right on schedule according to the itinerary.”

  “How do the Unwin crews do it?” Natalya asked.

  “Bigger crews, maybe. Maybe they don’t just jump in, siphon off the buoy, and jump out again.”

  Natalya blinked and debated on whether another cup of coffee was a good idea. “That’s what we’re supposed to do, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” Zoya said. “But remember what Dorion told us way back in the beginning?”

  “What, two weeks ago?”

  Zoya laughed. “Yeah. Unwin pilots also do some light trading while they’re out here. They’re probably docking up every other day and taking a break.”

  Natalya nodded. “Now that you mention it.”

  “I’m thinking we’re doing the prototype run for the solo ships.”

  “Testing the theory before they build the ships?”

  Zoya adjusted something on her console. “Yeah. I don’t know if you noticed but that ship he showed us was a souped-up Scout. Lower mass, only slightly bigger drives.”

  “Way longer legs,” Natalya said.

  “Precisely. You were right about the cycle, too. We haven’t been out a full day yet.”

  “This will get easier if we take watches,” Natalya said.

  “You’d trust me to jump into a system and out again?”

  “Why not? You’re doing the navigation now. I’m just pushing the button.”

  “These Mark Sixteens are doing most of the work,” Zoya said. “I’m only approving the jumps as they come into line. I think we did most of the heavy lifting when we went through and added in the short jumps to get us into the system with a tiny error.”

  “Yeah. We’re dropping in within a couple of light minutes of the buoys,” Natalya said. “When we get this next buoy, we’ve got a big hole to jump into, right?”

  “According to the database.”

  “Let’s get there and get some downtime while the capacitors charge. We’re running too close to empty for my comfort level.”

  Zoya pulled up the plot and stared at it for a few ticks. “That works out nicely. Do we need a bridge watch?”

  Natalya sighed and stared out at the stars. “Maybe. Let’s see how well we do jumping clear of this next station. Which one is it again?”

  Zoya consulted her console. “Son Shine Station. Cosmological research station run by some Jesuits.”

  “Nearer my God to thee,” Natalya said. She unclipped her belt and stood up to stretch. “You want another coffee?”

  Zoya shuddered visibly. “I’m about coffeed out right now. I’ll want one after a nap, assuming I can sleep after drinking so much of it.”

  “Food? We haven’t eaten since 1800.”

  “Any of that ice cream left?” Zoya asked.

  “We’ve got a couple gallons of it. You want some?”

  “Thanks. Make it a double.”

  Natalya chuckled and headed for the galley. Ice cream didn’t appeal to her, but a fresh cup of coffee and a couple of cookies would go down well. She glanced at the chrono. Two stans until they jumped into Son Shine and no more than one more to jump out. Just about right.

  THE SMELL OF FRESH coffee pulled Natalya out of slumber. The chrono said she’d been out for six stans but it felt like two. She clambered out of her bunk, into a shipsuit, and grabbed a cup before joining Zoya in the cockpit.

  “Did you sleep?” Zoya asked.

  “Yeah. You?” She lowered herself into the pilot’s couch and checked ship status.

  “A bit. I think I was anxious knowing nobody was on the bridge. Woke up half a stan ago. Grabbed a fast shower and started coffee. What’s for breakfast?”

  “Looks like a couple of jumps and a side of buoy.”

  “That first jump is a long one. Margin of error is gonna suck,” Zoya said.

  “I see that. Let’s jump and see how much correction we need to do on the other end. We can eat while we’re getting ready to jump into—what is it? Macaroon.”

  “Yeah. No notes on it.” Zoya shrugged. “Another unlisted station. Jump coordinates from our dispatch list and that’s about it.”

  “Hiding out in the Dark,” Natalya said.

  “Can’t blame them for that.”

  “I don’t.” Natalya took another sip of coffee before securing the cup and reaching for the console. “Let’s get this over with and we’ll get some breakfast going.”

  “Jump loaded,” Zoya said. “Ready when you are.”

  Natalya punched it and the view outside the ship shifted only slightly. “Didn’t look like that could have been seven BUs.”

  “It was only six and a half,” Zoya said. “Lemme dial us in.” She tapped keys while Natalya lounged back in her couch and sipped coffee.

  “I’m in a bacon mood this morning,” Natalya said.

  “Throw some pancakes in and I’m with you,” Zoya said. “Yeah. We’re a bit off line, we’ll need to shift our vector. Adjustment coming to helm now.” She snapped a key and looked over at Natalya.

  “Got it.” Natalya stowed her coffee and accepted the course adjustment. “Perfect. We’ll be here about a stan. Capacitor charging and programming the burn.”

  The star field looked like it was rotating around them as the ship spun on its various axes to align the heavy engine at the back of the ship. After a few moments, a low rumbling filled the ship as the kicker fired off.

  “I’m keeping the power low and running the burn a little longer,” Natalya said. “Give us time to eat, get cleaned up.”

  Zoya nodded and sat back in her couch. “You making breakfast or am I?”

  Natalya released her seat belts. “You made the coffee. I’ll make the food.”

  “In that case ...” Zoya pulled a coffee cup out of the holder and held it out to Natalya, who took it with a good-natured bow.

  Chapter 11

  CommSta Bowie

  2366, April 29

  NATALYA SECURED THE thrusters and checked the station ties. “We still had half a tank of water.”

  Zoya released her seatbelts and stood up, stretching her back and rolling her shoulders. “We could probably both use a shower.”

  “I’m thinking of a nice hot soak in the tub myself.” Natalya sat still, savoring the quiet for the first time in weeks. The lack of sound filled her with a kind of peace. The ship had held up well. “How many jumps?”

  “Counting the one into here, I have no idea. A hundred and something. I stopped counting after the third day.” Zoya looked around the cockpit. “We’ll need to get the maid in.”

  Natalya snorted. “We did pretty well for practically living in these couches.”

  “I can’t imagine doing this solo,” Zoya said. “At least one of us could sleep while the other kept the ship moving.”

  Natalya clambered out of her couch and reached down to pull her coffee cup out of the holder. “Let’s just leave it for now. Another day won’t make much difference in here but a bath and a few stans of uninterrupted sleep will make a world of difference to me.”

  “Do we need to do anything for the ship immediately?”

  Natalya looked around. “Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow. We’ll need to take out the trash, change some filters. I’ll want to run a full system check on the drives and a visual scan on the thruster nozzles. The old girl isn’t used to this amount of use all at once.”

  “She did us proud,” Zoya said. “Let’s go see if they rented our room.”

  Natalya led the way aft, shutting off lights and securing equipment as she went.
She cracked the lock and stepped out to a crowd. “What the—?”

  Zoya stepped out behind her just in time for Dorion to emerge from the throng.

  “Didn’t we just do this?” Zoya asked.

  He grinned. “Not exactly. Welcome back. You’ve just set a new station record for the most buoys serviced on a single route.”

  Natalya looked at Zoya. “You were right.”

  Zoya just shrugged.

  “Right about what?” Dorion asked.

  “Nobody else runs buoys back to back to back for three solid weeks, do they?”

  He had the grace to look a little sheepish. “Actually, no. Three weeks per route? Yes. Two to three days per cycle, yes.”

  “But the Unwins dock somewhere every few days, don’t they?” Zoya asked.

  He nodded.

  “Wonderful,” Zoya said. Her tone made it clear she thought it was anything but wonderful.

  “Anyway, thank you for a terrific effort and proving that the smaller, faster ships can make a significant difference to the processing time,” Dorion said.

  “You’re welcome, I think,” Natalya said. “Right now I need a bath and about twelve stans of sleep so if you’ll excuse us?” She started forward but the crowd didn’t separate for her.

  He coughed. “Actually, we’ve laid on a bit of a celebration for you.”

  “What? Now? Are you mad?” Natalya felt the pressure rising at the back of her head. She looked at Zoya and took a deep breath. “Thank you. Thank you, all,” she said turning to the crowd. “We both really appreciate the gesture. Don’t we, Zoya?”

  Zoya stepped up and nodded vigorously. “Yes. Yes, we do. Very much appreciated.”

  “But if I don’t get into a hot bath followed by some cool sheets in the next thirty ticks, I’m going to break somebody’s arm.” She never raised her voice. She only stared at the people standing directly in front of her.

  They melted to the sides, leaving a path down the middle.

  “Thank you. Please enjoy the celebration and know we’re with you in spirit if not in person,” Natalya said. She and Zoya walked through the crowd.

  They were halfway to the corner by the time Dorion caught up with them. Natalya eyed him but didn’t stop and didn’t speak.

  “Yeah. Sorry about that. We, ah, that is, I wasn’t thinking,” he said.

  “It was well beyond the tedium you promised,” Natalya said, still striding along the dock. “We can do a lot with the Peregrine, but that death march is something we’re going to need to talk about. We can’t keep doing that to an antique. She weathered this storm. I think. We’ll need to spend part of this week checking her out to make sure she’s safe to take out again.”

  Dorion grunted like he’d been hit. “You didn’t mention any problems.”

  “We haven’t had a chance, have we?” Zoya asked.

  “As far as we know, she came through with bells on,” Natalya said. “I can’t say the same for me. I’m exhausted, filthy, stressed, and would like a little bit of time without the floor vibrating and my chair rattling. I’d really like several stans where I could just sit and savor the quiet, maybe have a couple of drinks, and generally have a bit of down time after having practically zero for twenty-one days, two stans, and some odd ticks.”

  Dorion nodded. “We’d like to do a debrief.”

  They both stopped and stared at him.

  He held up both hands, palms out. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be fine.”

  “Thank you, Brian,” Natalya said. “I wasn’t prepared for a reception committee. I get that we need to fill you in on what happened over the last few weeks, but right now? Not a good time.”

  He nodded. “You’re breaking new ground for us. We appreciate it. Sleep well.” He stepped back away from them and smiled. “I’ve got some news you might like but it can wait until tomorrow. Message me in the morning and we’ll coordinate schedules.”

  Natalya nodded.

  “Thanks. Again.” Dorion turned and walked away.

  Natalya sighed and they finished the walk to their apartment without saying another word to each other.

  When the door closed behind them, Zoya looked at Natalya. “Think we were too hard on him?”

  Natalya shrugged. “I don’t know. We’re not his prize puppies and the sooner he realizes it, the better off we’ll all be.” She paused. “You want dibs on the tub?”

  “You take it,” Zoya said. “I never was much for soaking. I’ll grab the shower.”

  Natalya grinned. “Suppose we should have taken him up on the offer for separate apartments?”

  Zoya stopped at the door to her bedroom. “Why? We got through four years at the academy in the same room. Three weeks in a can with you isn’t that much harder.” She paused and glanced at Natalya. “You want your own space?”

  Natalya shook her head. “Not yet, anyway. I think we’re a good team.”

  “I know we are,” Zoya said and ducked through the door.

  Chapter 12

  CommSta Bowie

  2366, April 30

  A HOT BATH, A SOLID ten stans of sleep, and a hearty breakfast left Natalya feeling much more human. She slotted the dishes for cleaning as Zoya stumbled her way into the common room wearing one of the station’s white terry robes.

  “Mornin’,” Zoya said. “I trust there’s actual coffee to go with the aroma?”

  “Of course. How are you doing?”

  “Ask me after I’ve woken up.” Zoya blinked her eyes several times. “Everything’s still a little blurry.”

  “Felt good to sleep in a bunk that didn’t vibrate, didn’t it?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Zoya pulled a mug out of the cupboard and slopped coffee into it. She cradled the cup in her hands and held it up to her face. A couple of small sips later she sighed. “There. It’s a start and my mouth is unstuck.” She crossed to the nook and took a chair.

  “We’re going to have to see Dorion today,” Natalya said.

  Zoya nodded without speaking.

  “Should I tell him we’re awake?”

  Zoya squinted at her with slitted eyes.

  “Maybe I’ll just go take a shower and freshen up,” Natalya said.

  Zoya put her elbows on the table and let her head hang over the mug. “Save some hot water for me. I’m going to need it.”

  Natalya laughed. “There are some breakfast packs in the fridge. Food will help.”

  Zoya raised an eyebrow and opened one eye to glare a warning.

  Natalya laughed again and scooted into the other compartment on her way to the shower. Through long experience, she had learned that Zoya was not a cheerful morning person. After a cup of coffee and a bit of token grumpiness, she’d be ready to go. Natalya slid into the huge shower and let the water sluice over her skin. It felt so decadent as she played with the various nozzles and temperature settings until Zoya stuck her head into the bathroom.

  “You’re gonna get all pruney. Don’t we have stuff to do this morning?”

  Natalya shut off the water and pulled her towel down from the rack. “I was all pruney last night,” she said. “And yeah. We do.”

  “What time shall I tell Dorion?”

  “Tell him 1100. That’ll give us time to make a first pass at cleaning up the ship. He’ll want lunch at noon so he won’t keep us too long.”

  “Good thinking.”

  Zoya disappeared, leaving her to get dried off and dressed in a fresh shipsuit.

  “Amazing what a full belly, a good night’s sleep, and being clean can do to your outlook,” Natalya said when she joined Zoya in the common room.

  “Ain’t it the truth.” Zoya lounged on the sofa in her robe with coffee and her tablet. “I need five ticks and I’ll be ready to go.”

  “Did you message Dorion?”

  She nodded and clambered up from the sofa. “No response yet. Think he’s going to pull rank?”

  “And tell us to come in earlier?” Natalya asked.

  “Yeah. He didn’t see
m real happy with us yesterday.”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me.”

  The doorbell rang followed by a rap on the door.

  “Bets?” Zoya asked.

  Natalya laughed and waved her hands. “Scoot. I’ll hold him off until you’ve had a chance to get showered and dressed.”

  Zoya slipped into her bedroom while Natalya crossed to the door.

  “What are you doing here, Brian?”

  The pause lasted about three heartbeats. “How did you know it was me?” His voice sounded muffled through the door.

  “Concierge has been here, maintenance isn’t due for another stan, and you’re the only other person we know.”

  The pause lasted a bit longer than before. “We need to talk. The board is after me for the debrief already.”

  Natalya opened the door to find Dorion in his usual impeccably tailored station uniform, leaning on the door frame. “Come in. We can have some coffee while we wait for Zoya.”

  He gave her a smile and slipped past her. “How was that coffee we sent along with you?”

  “Very nice. Sarabanda varietal, wasn’t it?”

  He nodded.

  “Would you prefer tea?” Natalya asked. “Zoya’s going to be a few ticks.”

  The sound of a shower turning on came from the next room. Dorion’s gaze flipped toward the sound. “I thought ... that is, she messaged me. I thought you were up.”

  “We are up. We’re just not in the habit of accepting callers before we’re ready.”

  Dorion sighed. Natalya thought his jaw clenched for just a moment. “Yes, actually. A cup of tea would be very nice. Thank you.”

  Natalya puttered in the kitchen and waved Dorion to one of the stools at the center island. “Ask,” she said. “We’ve got a lot to do today. I’m sure you do as well.”

  “What’s the issue? You two came off the ship yesterday like two wet cats climbing out of a bucket.”

  Natalya leaned back against the counter next to the cooktop and crossed her arms over her chest. “Apt simile.”

  “So?”

  “So, you lied to us for starters.”

  Dorion blinked slowly a couple of times. “About what?”