“It's already gone past that. I've encountered dozens of true believers who stop here to trade for provisions. They believe a new age is dawning, and the Child Prophet is at its centre. I think it is all rubbish, but then I've had faith in my own higher power all my life.”
“What does Earth think of all this?”
“I haven't been able to make contact since the virus first struck.”
“I hope they're not facing the same problems we are.”
“Doubtful. The types of artificial intelligences they use have different seed code, and wouldn't be at risk of infection. We also don't trust our artificial intelligences to administer over critical infrastructure." Ugo sighed and smiled wearily at Ayan. “But none of that matters here, now. I suppose I should get to the important questions; will you be staying long and what do you need? I hear you've already done some purchasing with Ruby Sima.”
“You really do hear everything.”
“Her first mate, Lombardo, is a regular at the Slim Chance.”
“What's the Slim Chance?”
“Ah, it's the pub and greatest source of information. Talking and trading are really the only things to do if you're not a gambler, doser or drinker.”
“I think I get the picture,” she said, regardless of the fact that she'd never been inside a place that accommodated all those things in combination. Her imagination was filled with visions of darkened tap rooms and drug dens she'd seen in holomovies. “We saw Ruby Sigma's listings on the Mackey exchange and we struck a bargain.”
“What was the asking price for this sliver of land?”
The question was surprising, somehow it was unexpected coming from the Samaritan.
He didn't let the silence grow stale. “No need to answer, I suppose it involves your fire power. I imagine you're going to assist her in a number of future captures.”
“I was able to strike a deal we’re all content with,” she offered as an answer.
“Well, watch Patrizia, she’s not wealthy because she makes good investments in the stock market. People like that will turn on you if it suits them.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing specific you can tell me about her? Maybe about her officers?”
“Well, she's even wealthier than she looks, and has been here for years. Most people come here because it's the first relatively safe place they've found. She stays here because she operates from a position of strength. Any more information will cost you.”
“It sounds like you have more to offer than we do.”
“Information wise? Probably, but Drifton is always running short on everything but residents.”
“Well, we haven't finished an inventory yet, but I know we'll need parts for repairs, a heavy lifter or two so we can get under one of our ships, and extra shelters if we have to stay here for any length of time.”
“You expect to be moving on?”
“I hope we get the option.” Ayan was momentarily distracted by the descent of one of their Uriel starfighters. The blue light of its thruster pods shifted to bright yellow as they switched to repulser mode and the ship made its final descent. The struts between the engine pods had expanded into wings, giving the fighter the look of a long, double winged firefly without a tail. It set down between two other fighters, leaving just enough room for someone to walk along side. Jake, accompanied by two other similarly armoured crewmen were already on their way to greet Minh and his copilot. Ayan was suddenly very conscious that Ugo Dallego was watching her. “What can we offer you?”
“I see you have a lot of armed personnel. I would like to hire a few on occasion for security, and any extra food or other survival supplies you might have would be welcome. We're also low on mass power cells, so if you have a spare it could help us grow Drifton vertically. With space at a premium, and all the land around the town occupied, the only way to build is up, and there's plenty of scrap metal to get it done but we're at capacity for power.”
“I'll see what I can do, but like I said, we haven't completed an inventory.”
“All right, I can offer real money for security details, starting in a couple of days.”
“Expecting dignitaries?”
Ugo chuckled softly. “There are many residents who can afford protection. If I arrange it, they'll trust the source.”
“For a fee,”
“I'll take a finder's fee that will go towards the improvement of the Drifton Mission. The rest of the funds will go to you.”
“I'll need to know what or who our people are protecting. I make educated decisions.”
“How much would protection without question cost?”
“You mean protect someone without knowing the details? I don't know that there's an amount your customers could afford.”
“You'd be surprised. These are desperate times.”
“We'll cross that bridge when we come to it then.”
“Until then, why don't I give you a day or two to perform an inventory and determine what your protection is worth. Meanwhile, I'll quietly find out if anyone is in need of your services.”
“Emphasis on quietly. I don't want to ruffle any feathers with anyone who's already in the business.”
“They already have more business than they can handle. They'll welcome the help.”
“So, I'll be in touch with you when we have a list of things we can trade, aside from protective services.”
“Here's my ident. Be careful with Patrizia above all others.” They had walked to the edge of their encampment. A young boy in a ragged green long shirt and large shoes that had been taped to his feet waited on a small antigravity sled that showed numerous dents and divots from any number of misadventures. Ugo sat on the back of it and nodded to the sandy haired youngster, who revved up the machine and plopped a broad faced impact helmet on.
“Thank you for the warning, I'll keep my eyes open. See you sometime in the next couple of days.”
“It has been a pleasure meeting you, Ayan. Don't let the wonders of man distract you from the marvel of His stars,” replied Uno Dallego with a skyward glance. He pounded on the flat bed of the small antigrav truck and it accelerated away at an alarming speed.
Chapter 39
The Liberation Army
They couldn't have picked a worse time to burst into the main section of medical. Ashley had finally gotten Zoe back to sleep after her meal of dumplings and papaya salad. They bustled in like thugs, giving Larry more than enough time to reach into a duffel bag and toss Ashley a wide barrelled, threatening looking sidearm. She nearly recoiled, Stephanie had tried to teach her to shoot months before, only to fail miserably.
“Take it, it's better than a stun weapon, non-lethal and completely point and shoot. Oh, and it looks like hell in your hand.”
She picked up the weapon, a single barrelled handgun with a rotary cartridge loaded with four of the biggest slugs she'd ever seen. “I hate guns,” she whispered back.
“If you shoot someone with that, they'll be completely immobilized and unharmed. Hell, even if you shot Zoe she'd be fine and she might stay still for more than three minutes.”
Ashley put the weapon down in front of her and brought up Agameg's ident number. “Aggie, I think your people are here. Are you already on comms with them?” She waited nervously, watching the blip near the rear of the command deck on the holographic display of the Triton, hoping he wasn't in a dead spot. “Seriously, why would wireless be offline there?” She asked no one in particular.
The boot steps drew nearer, and she moved the gun to her lap. It was surprisingly light, more like a ceramic toy. Ashley tried to open comm channels to Oz, Jason and several other people who she'd heard on the command channel since she arrived in the conference room.
Larry brought up an analysis screen and checked the channels. “Looks like all channels are being jammed.” He pointed to the static wave that spiked randomly across the small portraits of everyone she was trying to communicate with.
“Hand's up!” demanded
the first soldier as he rolled into the door, pointing his rifle at Ashley.
She threw her hands in the air and scowled at him. “I'm in uniform, you jack off!” She was just as insulted as she was terrified. It looked like he and his weapon had seen more combat than she could imagine.
“How do I know you're not from the Command Carrier in a stolen uniform?” He asked, genuine suspicion written all over his face. Two more ragged soldiers stepped into the doorway.
She glanced at Larry, who was no help. He looked rattled to the core, hands up in the air, mouth and eyes wide. His performance was impressive, but it also rendered him absolutely useless.
“I'm piloting the ship. Didn't anyone tell you I was up here, making our escape possible?”
“No, someone's been jamming us for hours.”
“Funny, as soon as you arrived, my signals got, well, jammed.”
Zoe stirred, waking up thanks to the racket and the lead invader's gun was pointed at her the moment she made a peep.
Ashley didn't think, she found a kind of bravery and speed she didn't think she had as she jerked the gun from her lap and levelled the broad barrel at the lead man. “If you don't put your gun down right now and start acting like someone with half a brain, I'm going to blast all three of you to pieces.”
“Explosive slug thrower,” one of his cohorts whispered, wide eyed. He was already slowly lowering his rifle.
The lead man looked towards her slowly and held eye contact.
Ashley could feel herself sweating; the only thing keeping her angry was where the man was pointing his rifle. The barrel finally lowered enough so Zoe, who was sitting up, startled to tears, was safe. The terrified huffing breaths of the child were almost enough to put her over the edge.
“How do I know-”
Ashley was as surprised as anyone else as the gun in her hand went off. In the blink of an eye the three men were suspended in thousands of thin blue strands. It was some kind of restraint material that looked as malleable as a spider's web, but held them firmly in place. It struck all three of them so hard they were frozen in mid air. After a moment of stunned silence she dropped the gun and rushed to Zoe, whose blue eyes were as round as saucers.
Larry picked the gun up and held it on the doorway, though it seemed more like an instinctive reaction than a useful act.
“What is this?” asked the lead fighter, trying to struggle but unable to move more than his lips. “Why does my face feel numb?”
Zoe's arms were around Ashley's neck like a thin vice, her face pressed against her cheek. The child was quivering. “What's your name?” She asked him.
“They call me Corky.”
“Okay, Corky. You're going to be stuck there for a while, and you're going to listen. I'm the Master At The Helm, the highest ranking pilot on this ship and I've been watching that display for a very long time, making sure we get to a safe solar system where Captain Valance will put this ship in order. I understand you've been fighting for a long time, and you're probably twitchy, but I'm not the enemy.” Her tone was soft for Zoe's sake, but her expression was fierce. She'd never been so angry in all her life. The sounds of more approaching boot steps drifted towards her. “That's what you're going to tell all your friends so I can keep us five by five in this wormhole.”
“I hear ya, lady,” said one of the new crewmen behind Corky.
“All right, just get us down. I don't know what my people will do if they see us all tied up. I’m also feeling a little dizzy.”
Larry pulled a tab from the hilt of the gun and tossed it into the mess of strands. They started dissolving as a chalky gas escaped from the chip. As soon as the door was clear, Ashley pressed the close button. “They're gone, baby, don't worry,” she cooed to Zoe.
“I really didn't think you'd fire,” Larry chuckled.
“Neither did I, it just went off.”
“I guess Stephanie didn't get to the part where you're not supposed to hold the trigger like it's part of the grip.”
“Nope, I got to the 'picking the gun up, realizing how dangerous it was then putting it back down' stage. I have to admit, I like that gun just fine though. Earth design?”
“No, it's a much older style of grenade pistol that was used to get past primitive weapon detection systems. I didn’t realize the stunner was off. Good thing though, because if it were on, they would have all been unconscious the moment you shot them. I’ll be turning it on for you, just so you know.”
“Wait, that’s a grenade pistol?”
“Yup. I only gave you crowd suppression rounds. Completely harmless but perfectly inconvenient.”
“Okay, here,” She said, offering the weapon to Larry. ”If this thing can kill people, then I don't want it.”
“Keep it, really. I didn't make any lethal shells and you're the only one with ammo for that thing on the entire ship.”
“You're sure. I'm not a killer.”
“I don't want to turn you into one. If you're really that worried, just look at the display whenever you load it. It'll tell you what kind of rounds you have and whether the stunner is engaged.”
“Okay, now I just have to learn how to shoot, I guess,” she resigned hesitantly. She turned it over in her hand and saw the display at the top of the grip. Beside it was a red switch that said SAFETY OFF. She carefully flipped it on and watched it turn green as it said SAFETY ON.
“I'll give you a few lessons when we get the chance, the practice rounds are just paint loads.”
“That actually sounds like fun,” Ashley said as she leaned over the gurney in an attempt to move Zoe back to her blanket. Her tightening grip was accompanied by a whimper. “Now I'll never get her to sleep.”
“Why don't you lie down for a while. I can take the first shift at the controls, especially now that we've got protection right outside.”
“I don't think I could sleep either, not after that.”
“Just sit up, the gurney reclines. Look away from the console for a while, give your eyes a break.”
“I'm not going to argue there,” she sighed as she eased onto the gurney. With a push of a button the upper half raised to recline. It felt really good to lie down, and Zoe seemed to calm down a little, reassured that Ashley wouldn't be leaving. “Now what do we do?”
“I was thinking I'd go out and talk to them for you. That’s if you'd like me to, Lieutenant Commander.”
“Oh please, don't call me by rank. I'll watch the autopilot from here while you go make nice. Think you could get someone running between the command deck and here so we can start talking to Oz again?”
“Just what I was thinking, but I suspect that jamming signal is coming from something those people are carrying, they probably don’t even know it.”
“Oh. Well, while you’re figuring it out, make sure you apologize to the guys I just shot. Tell them it was a mistake.”
“Not on your life. You were absolutely in the right, and you showed them you mean business.”
“You sure?”
“Definitely.”
“'Kay, go. I'll keep watch in here.”
Chapter 40
Jake and Minh
The uncharacteristically serious expressions on the faces of Minh and his copilot were enough to prompt Jake to lead the pair away from their fighter. The nearest enclosed space was the rear emergency cargo door of the Samson, and he led the way there without a word. With a tap on his comm unit, he directed the pair of soldiers shadowing him to start walking a patrol through the middle of their landing space.
“Welcome back, Commander. What's the word?” asked one of the fighter pilots as they passed.
“I'll be back in a minute, Finger,” Minh-Chu replied quietly.
Jake swung the heavy hatch closed behind them and pulled the pressure lever to make sure it was sealed. The lower cargo hold had been modified to accommodate the plasma cutters, breach airlock and motors for the maxjack. The heavy components were just up a set of stairs and isolated by a flimsy mesh c
age, just enough to keep cargo from sliding into the machinery.
Jake checked his tactical screen for any sign that there was anyone loitering in the hold and retracted his armoured hood when he was sure they were alone. “Welcome back, I was getting worried,” he admitted.
“You worry? What happened to the steadfast Captain who was here when I left?” Minh smirked.
“An illusion for the masses. What's the situation?”
“It's bad, but it could be worse.” Minh brought up a hologram of the Triton and cleared his throat.
Jake's legs turned to jelly at the sight of it and he sat on the stairs. The markings on the exterior of the ship indicating damage were too numerous to count at a glance, but what caught his eye more was the name at the top of the casualty list. “Oz is dead?”
“No, ignore that thing, it's wrong,” Minh said as he deactivated the list with a gesture, leaving just the exterior display of the Triton. “He flat lined long enough for what's left of the ship surveillance systems to assume he wasn't coming back, but his emergency meds got him back on his feet.”
“I think his words were; 'I'm plenty alive,'” added Slick.
“That sounds like him,” Jake sighed in relief.
“We did lose a lot of people, but things were turning around just as I arrived. From where I was sitting, it looked like they booby trapped the bridge, sealed off main engineering, the Botanical Gallery and part of medical. I even got a chance to talk to Ashley and someone she rescued.” At the mention an image of Ashley and Zoe appeared beside the Triton.
“That looks like medical, and she's using a flight console.”
“Yup, she's got brains to go with her looks.”
“What caused all this damage?” Jake asked, pointing to the port side torpedo launchers and the torn edges of the hull.
“Oz hard wired most of the torpedo launchers around the port and starboard side hard mooring points to launch at some point. When they managed to get control of the bridge, thanks to some fancy espionage work by Agameg Price, Oz threatened to activate them if they didn’t surrender.”
Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments Page 37