by T S Paul
Lindsey and Aldis stared at him in stunned silence.
“You didn’t,” Lindsey said.
“Not me,” Steve said. “But now we know.”
Lindsey threw up her hands and spun to Parker.
Before Steve could react, Rea stepped between them. “It’s been done.”
“She can’t just do what she wants,” Lindsey said. She was even madder than Rea had been. Steve generally liked her passion, her emotions, but he had never seen her like this. It was intense, almost too much so.
Steve went to Lindsey and pulled her away. “It’s been done,” he said, echoing Rea.
Lindsey groaned. “It shouldn’t have been.”
Steve closed his eyes and inhaled. “We both agree about that. It shouldn’t have, but it was, and now, we have to deal with it.”
“We deserved to know,” Parker said. “We had a right.”
“I already knew.”
The crew turned to see Nicole, the CATT, sitting on the floor. She had been quiet until now.
“How?” Steve asked.
“I just did,” Nicole said. If she didn’t want to say, there was no chance to get it out of her.
“Well,” Aldis said, “what is it?”
“Stone of Detroit,” Parker said.
“Great. Just freaking great,” Lindsey said. “Just what we needed.”
Aldis had the same look that Steve did when he read. That made the Marine feel better. At least he wasn’t the only one who was clueless about it. After a brief explanation, Aldis was caught up.
“What do we do?” Aldis asked. “I don’t want to die.”
“We won’t,” Rea said. “We go forward as planned.”
The crew nodded. This was to be expected. They would take the jump and would finish this. Now everyone knew that several escape plans options would be needed to give them ways off New Detroit.
Just as they agreed to continue as planned, the alarms sounded.
Steve groaned.
“Pirates,” Nicole said.
Chapter Eleven
Rea and Aldis took their spots on the bridge. The alarms were loud and grating on Steve. He hated being here when an attack was happening.
“They are trying to contact us,” Aldis said.
“Put it up.” Rea stood tall and imposing with her “I’m going to kill you” look. Steve knew she hated having to deal this. She complained about it almost every day. That it was happening today of all days only made it worse.
A young man who didn’t appear old enough to be in charge of a ship appeared. “I’m Captain Roberts,” he said. “I know you have something from Celtica. Something of value. Give it to me.”
Steve couldn’t help but laugh. Like they would just give over their cargo because he asked. He really had to be fresh meat. Without thinking, Steve stepped into view of the camera, so this captain could see him. That definitely scared him as he stepped back slightly.
Rea spoke, “I’m sorry. I do not know what you are talking about.”
“Don’t play me for a fool,” Roberts said. “I know you talked to O’Malley and Drake.”
“Old friends,” Rea said.
The kid snorted. “I said I’m not a fool.”
This time, it was Steve turn to laugh. “I’m going to say you are.”
Rea glared at him. That wasn’t going to help them, but Steve couldn’t help himself. This kid was way out of his league. He had no idea what was going. Must have heard a rumor or something and decided to act. All he would accomplish was annoying Steve.
“Don’t make me attack,” Roberts said. “I have a bigger ship and more firepower.”
He really didn’t understand the art of smuggling and piracy. It wasn’t always about size or firepower. The faster ship usually won. Escaping was typically a better option when dealing with dangerous people.
“That is nice,” Rea said. She was doing her best not to mock him. Steve was sure she was having the same thoughts as he was. “But we’ll just leave.”
Lindsey dashed out of the bridge to the engine room. She’d have the ship flying at one hundred percent in a few minutes. No way this Roberts would keep up. In the meantime, Steve went to the weapon on the boat. He'd be able to fire at Roberts and slow him down. This was one of the few fun things about dealing with stupid pirates. Getting to shoot them.
The communication cut and the scanners on the outside of the Rossi sounded. Roberts opened fire. The one thing this ship did have was a great defense. The Rossi might not have the best weapons and the size of another vessel, but it wasn’t small and had speed and defense on its side.
Steve went to work activating the weapons systems. He rarely got to do this, even with the alarms being a regular occurrence. They were typically better prepared to make fast getaways but had been distracted before this pirate showed up.
This whole job had been that way, one big distraction after another. That was what this pirate attack was, a distraction that needed to be dealt with and fast.
Steve activated the lasers on the front of the ship. He wished they had cannons or anything more powerful. He fired at the vessel that slogged forward in front of them. Several smaller fighters flew from it.
While fast and maneuverable, the fighters couldn’t travel long distances. Steve smiled as they left the ship. This would let them get away. All they had to do was jump, and they’d quickly get away. It was a rookie mistake to use those. This Roberts really was not the best.
Steve glanced behind to Rea, who was smiling. She saw the same thing.
“Lindsey,” Rea said, activating the communications. “ETA to departure.”
“Less than a minute.”
That was good. Even with Steve’s confidence, he knew that if too many fighters attacked, they wouldn’t be able to withstand them. That was one thing that Roberts did have. No defense could last forever. Eventually, it would be depleted. The Rossi could face more than he had unleashed so far.
But they kept pouring out of the larger ship. There was no way for Steve to attack them all. He was a good shot and used the tracking system to his advantage. It wasn’t easy, but he managed to take out a half dozen of the fighters. Sweat poured down his brow from the fighter’s focus. It drained him.
This wasn’t really how he liked to fight his opponents. No Marine liked this. Marines wanted to be on the ground or in the ship fighting face-to-face, not hiding behind a controller. But it was better than nothing.
The ship started to groan under pressure from the constant attacks. It would only be a matter of time before it was too much. Steve couldn’t believe the number of fighters. For a brief moment, he thought he might have underestimated the young kid but only for a moment.
With Rea and Aldis, the Rossi moved with precision, not as fast as the tiny fighters but still fast enough. Soon, they had a clean shot to jump away.
“Ready,” Lindsey sounded over the comms system.
“Jump,” Rea said.
“With pleasure,” Aldis replied.
They jumped away to safety.
Chapter Twelve
After the jump, the ship slowed, and Lindsey came running into the bridge. “Not good,” she said.
Rea turned to her. She hated hearing that. This was her ship and her baby. Nothing could happen to it. That little kid had brought an army of fighters. How he had so many was confusing. Just one more thing to figure out.
For a brief moment, Rea wished she had turned down the one pirate at the beginning and never took this job. It had been nothing but trouble so far. Going to Celtica, O’Malley, and Drake and now this little kid pirate, it was beginning to be too many little things for Rea. Add in that they carried a precious stone that was sacred and holy to New Detroit that they were supposed to smuggle to a planet that, if Rea remembered correctly, had some of the best anti-smuggling technology around.
“What?” Rea asked. She turned to Lindsey, fearful of what she was going to tell her. This might delay them and cause the mission to fail. No
t what Rea wanted to hear.
“We took damage to the aft of the ship. Damage to the navigation system.”
“Is it fixable?”
Rea could see that it troubled Lindsey, and that wasn’t a good sign. If they couldn’t fix it, they would be stuck here maybe forever. It would depend on if they got lucky, and another ship just happened to jump here.
Lindsey shrugged. “I can’t. Hopefully, B113 can.”
Almost as if it was listening, the droid appeared and buzzed around before leaving.
Nicole nodded. “He is confident he can.”
“Good,” Rea said. That was a relief and some good news. At least they would be able to get out of this mess. “You two are worth your salary.”
“We are,” Nicole said.
The CATT was never modest about what she brought to the table. Rea didn’t mind. She really was worth her salary. Even if she and Aldis didn’t get along. Even with the fighting those two did. Both Nicole and Aldis were invaluable to the Rossi and to Rea.
“Though, it will take two days to fix,” Nicole added.
Rea couldn’t believe her ears. That was a big letdown. This job was on a tight schedule, and Rea didn’t like to fall behind. “We don’t have two days to waste.”
That wasn’t necessarily true, they did, but that was pushing it. Since Rea took over the Rossi, she had never been late. Even when she first joined a crew as a smuggler, Rea turned it right around, and her team earned a reputation for being the best. It was why she was able to take over and have her own ship.
“We’ll be fine,” Steve said.
Even to Rea, he didn’t sound like he truly believed it. Rea wished she hadn’t known about the cargo. She wished she was like Steve and didn’t truly understand how dangerous it was. They might not leave New Detroit or be seen from ever again.
There was a very good chance they would be thrown into a prison and the key lost. No trial. No due process. It wasn’t like her crew had a lot of people who would look for them if they disappeared. None of them had any family who would go searching. That was the life of a smuggler in the Empire.
“I hope so,” Rea finally said. The Rossi was capable of doing the job, but she still had some doubt and a few worries that this would get worse. Especially the way things were shaping up now. “I really do. We can’t afford any setback. This whole job is going to hell in a handbasket.”
Steve smiled. “That it is. I’m going to rest, and maybe hit the gym again.”
“Roger that.” Rea shook her head. He really was a stereotypical Marine in that area. Working out all day and night. It showed, though. He was the fittest man she’d seen and could hold his own against any person Rea knew. It was why she’d asked him to be part of the crew. He wasn’t like the rest. Sure, he got kicked out of the Marines, but Rea was sure that it was a trumped-up charge, one laid on him by a Cabal member.
<<<>>>
Rea sat in her quarters the next day. The droid worked relentlessly to fix the ship. Both Lindsey and Nicole kept her up-to-date on the status. Luckily, they had everything needed to make the repairs. That was Lindsey’s doing. Rea listened to her crew and made sure to keep the ship ready for anything outside of a full-on battle. She wouldn’t be part of that. Not again.
In the Navy, it couldn’t be avoided. Here on her ship, she would do everything in her power not to engage in combat. As she looked back to the encounter with Roberts, it might be time to upgrade the weapons. Steve would like that. He’d be able to better protect them. That was all the Marine wanted.
As Captain, Rea should have listened to him. The next time they went back to New Reno, they’ll get weapons. She shivered just thinking of going there. They lost Taylor last time they’d visited there. They still didn’t have any idea who took him or if he was even alive. But that was a good place to upgrade the ship.
In the past, Rea had visited a few places that would have what she needed. One of them was a junkyard, run by a guy. Scott, Sam, or something like that. Maybe it would still be there. She’d have to check it out. If not, Rea was sure there would be a few other places that had what they would need.
A knock sounded on her door.
“Enter.” Rea shivered. The last time she had a visitor, Steve had told her about Parker.
This time, Lindsey entered. Under her eyes were dark bags, and she yawned. It appeared she had not slept.
“You okay?” Rea asked.
The engineer nodded. “I am. Been keeping up with the repairs that B113 is making plus doing a few of my own. Trying to get more speed out of her.”
Rea smiled. That was Lindsey, always tinkering. That was the way most engineers were, tinkering with stuff even if it was already working perfectly. They always thought they’d make it better and get more out of it. Rea had learned long ago not to get in the way. She didn’t have the mind for it.
“So? You make progress?” Rea stood, her body still.
“No. The Rossi is an excellent ship.”
It wasn’t often that Lindsey failed to do what she started out. She must be upset over the damage and not being able to fix it. While she dealt with the droid and the CATT better than Aldis, it didn’t mean she was one hundred percent happy with it. She too lost some of her job responsibilities, but this one was something that she couldn’t handle. They would be stranded.
It would take a long time for them to call in a favor to get out here. It wasn’t like they were in a well-traveled part of the Empire.
“Sleep.” Rea walked around the table and patted Lindsey on the shoulder. “You are doing good work. I need you rested.”
“Yes, Captain.” Lindsey’s voice was weak and unsteady. “We should be ready to leave in eighteen hours.”
“Good. You rest. Then we’ll go.”
<<<>>>
Back on the bridge, the Captain waited for the droid to finish his last touches. They would be leaving within the hour. Lindsey and Aldis were confident they would make it to New Detroit in time.
Rea did her best to show she was as sure as they were, but inside, she was spinning on pins and needles. It wasn’t just the time wasted because of the attack and damage. It was the package itself. The job. Rea couldn’t break the feeling that she knew Drake from somewhere. The more she thought about it, the more she was sure the pirate was familiar. That made it even tougher to put on an air of confidence.
Steve joined her on the bridge. His arms were nearly ripping out of his shirt as they typically did after a workout.
“Can't wait to get off the ship and onto land,” the Marine said.
It was typically for Marines to prefer land to ships. That meant doing their jobs.
“Soon,” Rea said.
Aldis laughed from his spot on the bridge. “I’m with the big guy. Need to get off the Rossi. Need some breathing room.”
This was a long trip but not the longest they had done. It was the tension of the mission that had to be getting to them. Rea understood that and didn’t get on them about complaining.
“Like I said, soon.” Rea wasn’t going to argue with them. Some time off the ship was needed, even if in the form of a tension-filled mission on New Detroit.
The ship’s controls came to life, and over the system, Rea heard Lindsey. “Good to go.”
“Finally,” Aldis said. He smiled and appeared to have the tension in his body release. That was good. She needed him ready to go.
Rea agreed but didn’t vocalize it. “How about you get us out of here?”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Aldis said. He spun around and went through the steps to get the Rossi ready to jump. It didn’t take long. They needed a few more to get the New Detroit. When he was ready, he spoke. “Ready to jump.”
“Jump,” Rea replied.
The ship jumped through space toward New Detroit and what Rea hoped wasn’t a death sentence.
<<<>>>
Parker wasn’t looking forward to being back on New Detroit. It hadn’t been long enough. She dreaded it so much. She s
at in her quarters alone, thinking of ways to not go. Ways to turn the ship around.
The young lady hated to admit it, but she wanted the drone to not be able to fix the ship. She wanted them to fall so far behind that Rea wouldn’t want to complete the mission. But she knew the captain would continue forward.
Rea always made them complete the task at hand. That was the way of the Captain. Even though Rea didn’t like going back to New Detroit much more than Parker did, the older woman was one who kept her world.
That sense of honor was one of the many qualities that Parker liked about her. She was the mother Parker never had and Steve, the father. Parker did dream often of meeting her biological parents if they were still alive. If she believed Viktor, they weren’t.
A knock sounded at her door. Parker stood and opened it.
Aldis was there. “Hey. Wanted to check in and make sure you are all right.”
“I’m fine.”
“I don’t buy that,” the computer wizard said.
He had shown Parker a few things since she joined. They all did from time to time. To help her figure out what she might good at. Not like Viktor’s lessons in taking a beating. They wanted her to see she had real value to the crew.
It took time, but she did believe that now. She had learned that life wasn’t always fair, but everyone was worth it. They just had to believe in themselves, realize their place, and take it. Parker was trying to do just that.
What she did know was that her place wasn’t on New Detroit.
“I’ll be okay. I swear.”
“Good,” Aldis said. He didn’t enter her room, just stood on the edge of the door leaning against it with his lanky frame. His blond hair hung loose. “If you need to talk, just let me know.”
“I will.”
Aldis was a good guy, but she wasn’t going to tell him. He was a talker who couldn’t keep a secret in the crew. Well, that wasn’t true. He could talk to anyone who wasn’t part of the crew.
Once he left, Parker shut the door and went back to planning a way to stop the mission. She might be able to get Nicole to do something, but it wasn’t likely. The CATT did what she wanted when she wanted. It appeared that she was on board with the mission and knew more than the rest.