Starcrasher (Shades Space Opera Book 1)

by Rock Forsberg

  Tredd stood up, pushed the chrystallium bolt to his pocket, and extended his arm. Berossus’s huge, warm bear claw covered his hand like a child’s. Tredd grinned. ‘Pleased to meet you, Berossus. You are correct, I do need a mechanic.’

  ‘You can’t find a better one,’ he said with a chuckle. ‘I can fix up any old machine – been working on engines of ships and systems of space stations since I was a little kid.’

  The man looked the part, but there was something off with him, like he was trying too hard. ‘I don’t recall seeing you on the roster…’

  Berossus waved his hand. ‘Yeah, I didn’t post yet, just saw your request… You want to leave as soon as possible, yes?’

  He was too eager. ‘Are you registered as a mechanic?’

  ‘Yes, sir, and happy to show you my references,’ Berossus said, and pulled up his details on the terminal. Tredd saw he had served on multiple space stations and ships with excellent ratings. He had also done contract work with the navy.

  ‘What do you think about the Rut?’ Tredd asked.

  Berossus ran his eyes over the ship behind Tredd. ‘A reliable wagon. Not the most elegant one, but good enough for rock and roll. This one looks like it has seen many a trip, but I’m sure we’ll get along well. You’re off to Yedda, right?’

  ‘That’s right. We are to pick up some precious beauty mud from planet Un to sell to the blue folk—’

  ‘Planet Un?’ Berossus asked and massaged the side of his neck. ‘Are you planning to land?’

  ‘Likely. Why?’

  ‘To be honest. I’ve never been down to a planet.’ He pushed hands into the back pockets of his pants.

  ‘Never been to any planet?’ Tredd asked. He was curious.

  ‘Never.’ Berossus shook his head. ‘And won’t go. Ever.’

  ‘And why is that?’

  Berossus looked down, almost getting smaller in size. ‘It’s a personal matter,’ he said in a soft voice. Behind him, a group of service robots dragged a fuel cell on a clanking trolley.

  Berossus was exactly what Tredd had been looking for, from experience to appearance, but not going down to a planet? Perhaps the mechanic could stay in orbit with the ship, but if Tredd needed more hands on the ground, he would be useless.

  As he pondered, he saw someone approaching them in a complete black and blue pilot’s outfit, a large black robot suitcase by his side.

  ‘This is your pilot?’ Berossus asked.

  ‘I think it is.’

  ‘Sorry to keep you waiting,’ Eddie said, and grabbed Tredd’s shoulder.

  Tredd grabbed Eddie’s. ‘I thought you couldn’t come, pal. How was Cassandra?’

  Eddie pursed his lips and looked away. ‘Not good.’

  Tredd understood. ‘I’m sorry that—’

  ‘Don’t be.’ Eddie waved his words away. ‘You know this is as important for me as it is for you.’

  Tredd nodded. ‘I knew I could count on you,’ he said, thinking we’re gonna rock this mission.

  Eddie turned to Berossus and raised his furry eyebrows. ‘And you are?’

  ‘Berossus Dengo.’

  ‘Eddie Parkes.’ The men shook hands.

  ‘I was just about to hire Berossus as a mechanic,’ Tredd said. He had made up his mind. If Eddie was with him, it was going to be all right. Berossus had an excellent track record and was ready to go too. Those things outweighed any quirks he might have had.

  ‘Thank you, Captain. There’s one other thing though…’ Berossus started, again with a hesitant voice.

  ‘What is it?’

  He cleared his throat. ‘I would like to visit my mother at the Five Ways space station, if you don’t mind. It’s not far from the Yedda system.’

  Tredd knew the place. It was a major hub; a rotating five-spoke space station that had a large population living in its five distinct communities, from a swanky entertainment city to a retirement centre. Compared to Spit City’s gunk, the air in Five Ways was like medicine for humans. This and the sunrises behind the white and blue ice planet it orbited were the key reasons why it was so popular among the wealthy.

  ‘I’m in a bit of a hurry too, the seasonal supply is running thin at Un,’ Tredd said, staying true to his story. ‘But I’m happy to drop you off at Five Ways after we have picked up the mud.’

  Berossus brought his fist up to his forehead and pushed his face down, thinking. Then he grunted and lifted his head. ‘It will be difficult. You see, I must take Bells there as a matter of urgency. This is why I want to join you.’

  ‘Bells?’ Eddie and Tredd said almost simultaneously.

  Berossus turned around and waved to a lady standing some distance from them in front of a large interactive wall. She strolled up to the guys and greeted them with a smile. Her skin was tan, darker than her curly hair, and her lipstick was the same shade of pink as her tank top. She looked out of place in a spaceport landing bay, more like a tourist on her way from a beach holiday from somewhere in Baleor. She was chewing gum.

  ‘This is Belinda Killock.’

  She dropped a curtsy, and said, ‘Call me Bells.’

  ‘Nice to meet you,’ Tredd said with a smile and turned to Berossus. ‘So… what’s the deal?’

  ‘She’s a medical doctor,’ Berossus said. ‘I want to take her to treat my mother in Five Ways. She’s been bedridden with phalaxymy and it doesn’t look good. I’m hoping as your crew we could visit Five Ways. What do you say, Captain?’

  ‘A medical doctor, eh?’ Eddie said, and Tredd knew what he must have been thinking. If this lady was a doctor, he was an admiral.

  ‘I work in a practice down in Baleor,’ she said, her voice now lower and more professional. ‘I rarely take interplanetary assignments, especially as far as Five Ways, but what I understand is that this patient has a very rare condition, one which I want to study.’

  ‘And cure,’ Berossus said.

  ‘Yes, and cure,’ she continued, ‘you see, as a neurologist I specialise in the human brain. If you need any reference, I’m happy for you to contact the practice, Doctors at Vista, in Bella, or access any of my public research papers on the Dawn Net.’

  Tredd considered it. Somehow the whole double deal sounded like it was made up, but he was not sure why. However, he could use a registered mechanic and there weren’t too many ready to go. Berossus and Eddie might be the only crew he would need. Passengers were an inconvenience, however, a doctor might be useful.

  ‘Can you handle the medical bay of the ship?’ Tredd asked. ‘Just in case.’

  ‘Of course, it’s a place of practice like any other, with the exception that it moves,’ she said with a smile. ‘Seriously though, before settling down in the lovely Bella, I held a general practice on a tourist cruise ship for over a year.’

  ‘She’s the real deal,’ Berossus said as Bells laid her hand on his shoulder. ‘I need the best for my mother. Bells here is the number one specialist on phalaxymy in Dawn Alliance-controlled space, and likely in the whole universe. I offer to work for free – the transport for Bells to Five Ways to help my mother is the only compensation I need.’

  Tredd glanced at Eddie, and then said, ‘If you’ll excuse us for a moment, we need to discuss this.’

  He pulled Eddie to the side. ‘What do you think, old friend?’

  ‘Honestly, I think it’s a great deal.’ Eddie hunched forward and spoke in muted tones. ‘You’ll get a mechanic and a doc for free. We don’t need to tell them about the details of what we are going to be up to.’

  ‘I can see the benefits’, Tredd whispered, and glanced over his shoulder. ‘But don’t you think it suspicious that he doesn’t even want to be paid?’

  ‘I believe it’s just a fortunate coincidence. They happened to be in need of a cheap ride while you were in need of a mechanic, and the doc’s a plus. They’ll be our crew. It’ll be just the four of us. Between you and I we can handle piloting, navigation, communications and systems.’

  Eddie had just said out al
oud what Tredd had been thinking. It was almost uncanny how similarly they thought. ‘OK, let’s do this. Nonetheless, I want you to keep an eye on the doc.’

  Eddie nodded, and they returned to Berossus and Bells.

  ‘We will take you to Five Ways, but only after we have done our business in Yedda. Deal?’ Tredd said with his captain’s smile, and extended his hand. Berossus grabbed it in his warm bear claw, and Bells gave him a tight hug with a kiss on the cheek.

  ‘Thank you so much,’ Berossus said. ‘I will do my best to help you.’ From what Tredd could tell, he seemed sincere.

  ‘Great. Go gather your things; we must head out as soon as possible,’ Tredd said.

  Berossus and the doc left to fetch their luggage from safekeeping. The spaceport bustled with people, robots, weird creatures and ships coming and going. Tredd’s eyes got stuck on a blue-skinned lady of at least two and a half metres tall, who had only her white hair over her breasts, or at least that was what it looked like. He moved his eyes off her only when Eddie poked his shoulder.

  ‘Elven women of Baar,’ Eddie said. ‘I don’t think it would be smart.’

  Turning back to look at the Baar lady’s long blue legs, he said, ‘Do you think that body speaks to the smart half of my brain?’

  ‘Half-smart, perhaps?’ Eddie said, as the woman disappeared behind a corner.

  Tredd hit him on the shoulder just hard enough for it to hurt. It felt great to have his pal around. Certain things never changed.

  Eddie held his shoulder and chuckled. ‘Just like the old days.’

  ‘Almost – your shoulder’s become bigger and harder.’

  ‘Let’s go find Tommy and get that device.’

  Eddie grinned and they started walking up to the ship. Eddie’s robot suitcase whizzed behind them up the ramp.

  ‘Hey!’ someone shouted behind them. ‘Mr Bounty, we going already?’

  They both turned around.

  Eddie asked, ‘You know her?’

  Of course Tredd knew Evie. He felt somewhat awkward. ‘I thought you were gone,’ he said.

  ‘So,’ Evie said squinting her eyes, ‘does that mean that you’ve been missing me already?’

  Tredd was just standing there, feeling naked, like she could see right through him. Am I so plainly obvious?

  Eddie bumped his shoulder. ‘Aren’t you going to introduce us?’

  ‘Of course. Evie, this is Eddie, the old pilot friend of mine – and by the way, I’ve just found an excellent mechanic.’

  Evie frowned.

  ‘Eddie, this is Evie…’ Tredd thought for a moment about how to introduce her, and came to a painful realisation. ‘Without her I wouldn’t be here – at least not yet.’

  Evie hiked up the ramp.

  ‘Pleasure to meet you.’ Eddie stretched out his hand.

  ‘Likewise,’ Evie said, and they shook hands. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’

  ‘You have? I wish I could say the same. Will you be joining us on our journey to Yedda?’

  Evie glanced at Tredd, but before she could say anything, Tredd said, ‘Yes, she’ll be joining us. She’s a real multi-talent when it comes to doing stuff around the ship.’

  Evie smiled, and with Eddie they got on to talking about the trouble they had with the connector box, and how she had managed to solve it.

  Behind the force field, the blue planet had turned around, and started to tint into darker shade of blue. It was time to get the ship ready to go. They had a long way ahead of them.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  A FEW HOURS had passed since Tredd and his crew had departed Gemma Central, and the Rutger was cruising away from Gemma with an increasing velocity.

  Tredd had asked everyone to join him in the galley for a mission briefing. Everyone was there, except Eddie, who was still in the cockpit preparing for the quantum pinch to Yedda. They would pinch in the morning, when they were far enough from Gemma’s gravitational pull and everyone had had a chance to rest.

  Tredd wanted to give the whole crew a briefing about what their mission was going to be like. He sat silently, pondering his approach, making sure the story was solid. It felt strange to have a team around him. In his days as a bounty hunter he had always worked alone. It wasn’t his plan, but it had just happened that in Spit City there was no one he could trust. Now that he had been working alone for so long, going on a mission with a new crew felt like a leap of faith, but a leap he wanted to take.

  Berossus was biting something that looked like it had been a bird, sucking the dripping fat from his fingers. Bells and Evie were chatting about their favourite musical artists, munching on some kind of muffin and drinking strong aromatic tea.

  ‘Talking about names,’ Bells said, holding the cup of tea in front of her with two hands, ‘does this ship have a name?’

  ‘Not that I know,’ Evie said. ‘Tredd calls it the Rut, don’t you?’

  Bells tittered, and took a sip of tea.

  Tredd raised his head. ‘Sorry, what was that?’

  ‘This ship needs a real name.’ Evie took a bite of the muffin.

  To Tredd, the name of the ship was irrelevant; he had been on so many. ‘Ships are tools. You use them, and when they don’t serve a purpose, you replace them. A name is only to identify the ship; give it too much thought and you start feeling attached to a piece of metal.’

  Berossus put down a bone and picked up another leg. He looked up to the roof and grunted, ‘Rut’s a good name.’

  ‘To name a ship Rut is like having a gallofant stomp over it,’ Evie said.

  ‘We’re stuck in a Rut!’ Bells said, and they both burst out laughing, Bells spilling some of her tea on the table.

  At least the women in the team are getting along, Tredd thought. He had once named his hover bike Rover. The name had signified his hope that the bike would propel him to a new life as a celebrated race ace, travelling and winning races in exotic locations around the universe. Life turned out different than his plans, and while he had similar hopes for the Rutger, naming it on a hope would be the surest way to destroy it.

  Berossus had finished his bird and was wiping his mouth. ‘Well, if you don’t like the name your captain uses for his ship, let us hear your proposal.’ His voice was like the deep growl of a bear after the giggly voices of the young women. He picked up another tissue and handed it over to Bells.

  Bells wiped the table and the bottom of her cup. ‘I would name it Peaches.’

  ‘Peaches? How stupid a name is that?’ Berossus asked.

  ‘I don’t think it’s stupid,’ Evie said with a brown muffin in her hand. ‘It’s cute, unlike you, you big bag of meat and testosterone.’ She pointed at Berossus with her half-eaten muffin.

  ‘Whatever,’ Berossus said, turning to Tredd. ‘The captain gets to decide on the name. Captain Bounty, what shall it be?’

  Tredd didn’t want to get involved in this kind of meaningless discussion, but now that he was pulled into it, he had to make a decision. ‘It’s an old Rutger, that’s why I’ve sometimes called it the Rut. I’m going to call it the same, but I don’t give a gallofant’s backside on what you call it on your own. But when you speak to me, it’s the ship, Rutger or Rut. Got it?’

  ‘What did I tell you?’ Berossus chuckled.

  Bells crossed her arms and frowned. ‘Spoiling all the fun.’

  Tredd was relieved to see Eddie enter the galley. Now they could get down to business. ‘Everything well, old pal?’

  Eddie sat down between the doctor and the mechanic. He leaned on his elbows on the table.

  ‘Want a muffin?’ Evie asked, gesturing towards the basket in the middle of the table.

  ‘No thanks.’ Eddie looked serious. ‘I’ve got good news and bad news—’

  ‘Good first!’ said Bells, throwing her hands up in the air. She was definitely the most non-doctor type of medic Tredd had ever met. When everyone just stared at her, she lowered her hands and shrugged. ‘What? It’s healthy to be positive.’
r />   Berossus mumbled something in his beard.

  ‘Well,’ Eddie said, ‘the good news is that we are well on schedule to make the pinch. The bad news is that this old ship is not capable to stretch it as far as Yedda.’

  Berossus frowned. ‘It’s a Rutger, but didn’t you say it was upgraded, Captain?’

  Tredd nodded. ‘They said it had a double-drive quantum engine capable of taking us directly to Yedda and back.’ He could see no reason why FIST would have given him a ship without the ability to go where they needed him. ‘Are you sure about this?’

  ‘The system reports the capability exists,’ Eddie said, ‘but the energy levels look to be insufficient. It might be that the energy stores are leaking or their capacity has decreased.’

  Berossus turned his up palms and was nodding. ‘If they are the original ones, I would bet on the latter. They often do that.’

  Tredd had heard of the effect where the energy stores of an unused ship decreased in size. However, he would have expected the maintenance personnel to notice this during the service FIST said they had done on it.

  ‘What does this mean? How far can we go?’ Bells asked.

  ‘About halfway,’ Eddie said. ‘I would recommend we go back to Gemma Central and fix the energy stores.’

  Tredd shook his head. He wanted to be on his way. ‘How long does it take to fix it or just recharge?’

  ‘It depends,’ Berossus said. He lifted up a piece of meat and pulled a bone out of it. ‘I would say that in a well-equipped space station it should take about six hours to recharge this ship. Changing or fixing the energy stores would likely be at least twenty-four hours.’ He sucked on the bone.

  ‘I’m not in a hurry,’ Evie said, leaning back on her chair. ‘Just to let you know.’

  ‘Our cargo doesn’t wait for us forever,’ Tredd said, and reached for a muffin. ‘Are there any good waypoints?’

  Eddie opened his palms. ‘I already reviewed the different options with the computer and, location-wise, the optimal spot would be the Vegasos system.’

  ‘That’s where they have the Star Bar,’ Evie said, as she straightened her back and rubbed her hands together. ‘It’s groovy joint. They have the best live shows.’