Bloodstone

by Kathryn Hoff

“Right. We’ve used a lot of the ammunition for the guns and we’ve used a third of the drones and grenades. If we have to defend ourselves again, we’ll be in a bad way.” Kojo turned to the old pilot. “Hiram?”

  “The aft scanner’s down.”

  “Right. Patch?”

  “The water recycler was damaged.”

  “Medical supplies are depleted,” Rachel added.

  Danto paced. “I have already relayed a message to the Patrol requesting assistance and prisoner transport; however, it will take at least two days for my messages to reach a beacon and be relayed to the Patrol, and at least five more days for a Patrol cruiser to come to our assistance.”

  The prospect of hanging around for a week was not appealing. “How did they know where to find us?” I asked.

  “According to the prisoners,” Danto replied, “the Rampart mercenaries first tried to obtain the artifact on the route to Oakdale, acting on Grimbold’s information. The Selkid Trading Cartel learned of this attack in some way.” He looked questioningly at Kojo.

  Kojo stirred, trying to find a comfortable position. “Automatic distress signal sent by the transponder to the nearest beacon, with the specs of the attacker. That’s the whole purpose—to discourage attacks on Cartel-sanctioned ships.”

  “Indeed,” Danto said. “In any case, the Cartel learned of the attack on Sparrowhawk and traced the brigands to Rampart. They were extremely displeased that Rampart had dared to target a Cartel member in a Selkid sector.”

  Kojo nodded. “I’ll bet they were. Makes them look bad.”

  Danto resumed his pacing. “Apparently, as a defense, Rampart Militech told the Cartel the artifact has tremendous commercial value and offered to share the profits in exchange for the Cartel’s help in obtaining it. Cartel members reported Sparrowhawk had been seen in Corridor Patrol custody at the sector 102 checkpoint.” He stared at Grimbold. “Somehow, the Cartel also learned we were bound for Kriti.”

  “Not from me!” Grim shot a resentful look at Danto. “I never heard of Kriti until after you dragooned me and cut off all communication. You tore my whole kit apart, looking for a transmitter. As if I would even know what our position is, in this endless corner of nowhere.”

  Danto loomed menacingly. “It must have been you. No one else could have revealed our destination to the Cartel.”

  With a twinkle in her eye, Rachel said, “I’m afraid that’s not true, Sergeant. The Settlement Authority was buzzing with rumors of an expedition into the Gloom near Kriti—I heard about it from three different people before I volunteered for the assignment. I have no doubt the Selkid delegates would have let the Cartel know.”

  All heads swiveled to Lyden. Perfectly calm, she said, “Everyone I spoke to in the Authority promised to keep the matter confidential.”

  Great—we’d been sequestered and threatened with detention to keep us quiet, while she’d been lobbying every department in the Settlement Authority to launch the expedition.

  Kojo closed his eyes and shook his head. “Amateurs.”

  Danto must have been thinking the same—he looked like he’d swallowed a lemon. “I see. In any case, Rampart and the Cartel sent a joint mission to find Sparrowhawk and bring back the artifact.”

  A price on our heads. I felt sick.

  Kojo put his head in his hands and moaned. “Well, the mission’s over now. Without Balan, there’s no point in looking for Nakana. And Kriti’s out of the question—Rampart’s ships might be there, gunning for Sparrow. We need to repair Sparrow and hide out until the Patrol can get here and protect us.”

  And salvage what we could. I was recalculating. Kojo was right: We couldn’t risk Kriti, but if we dropped the synthreactor pieces somewhere near the jump gate, that might be close enough to satisfy Ordalo. Then, if we could convince the Cartel and Rampart Militech that Sparrow had resisted Kamok only because we’d been commandeered by the Patrol, we had a slim chance of explaining our way out of trouble. But first, we had to get the passengers out of the way long enough to resurrect the synthreactor bits from their hiding places and get them into drones, and somehow launch the drones without being detected.

  Jamila turned to Lyden. “I know this is a tragic setback, but we must make the best of it. Perhaps another expedition, better equipped, after we’ve had time to study the artifact.”

  “We must go on,” Lyden said. “I shall be our guide. I will form the blood link with the relic, and Suriel will speak to me.”

  Rachel’s brow knitted. “That wouldn’t be wise. We know the effects of linking with the relic are both debilitating and addictive. If anyone else attempts it, it should be someone with the strength to withstand the stress.”

  “Please, Mzee,” Mya said. “Your health is too important to risk. I will do it.”

  Kojo tensed. “That’s a bad idea,” he said. “Sparrow is damaged and there may be more Rampart hunters out there. We should sail back to the gate and jump to somewhere safe.” Maybe he’d expected to get to Kriti before anyone opened the relic’s case and realized it was gone, but he hadn’t counted on Balan being killed.

  “We shall go on,” Lyden pronounced. “If it is too dangerous to travel to Kriti, the danger can be avoided by proceeding directly to Nakana.”

  Danto looked thoughtful. “We can spend the next seven days until the Patrol arrives in hiding, dodging brigands as the captain suggests, or spend it usefully, searching for Nakana.”

  “No!” Jamila looked around wildly for support. “This is madness. We need to go back for supplies. For repairs.”

  Danto shook his head. “We have taken enough equipment and supplies from the harrier to last several weeks. If we are within range of Nakana, then Mzee Lyden is right. Going there directly is the best course.” He looked at Mya and Lyden. “If the College of Religion can provide the location of Nakana, the Corridor Patrol will complete our mission.”

  Kojo stood to face Danto. “Sorry, Sergeant. For the safety of the ship, crew, and passengers, the mission ends now. I’m invoking the captain’s prerogative, as provided in the charter terms, to terminate the voyage because of adverse conditions. You’ve done your job and called for help. Now we’ll head back to the jump gate to meet the Patrol.”

  Danto bridled. “This mission is under my command.”

  “But I command the ship and crew,” Kojo insisted.

  Gavoran and Terran confronted one another, their faces so dissimilar but wearing identically stubborn expressions. I tensed, ready to jump in to protect Kojo.

  Lyden spoke up. “Sergeant Danto, bring the relic here.”

  “Why?” Kojo asked, a little too quickly.

  “Yes,” Jamila added, “why? You know it’s dangerous. Shouldn’t you leave it where it is?”

  Lyden narrowed her eyes. “Bring it.”

  Damn! Lyden must have realized the relic had gone silent.

  Danto considered for a moment, then went.

  Ancestors. Nothing to do but see how it played out.

  Jamila darted a glance to Kojo, who gazed fixedly at the darkness beyond the viewscreen. Lyden watched the two of them speculatively. Rachel frowned, deep in thought.

  Danto returned with the heavy case and laid it on the table. He opened it.

  Nestled inside were three bottles of excellent Santerro brandy.

  CHAPTER 22

  Captain’s prerogative

  Mya moaned. Lyden moved her lips as if in prayer.

  Danto turned to me and snarled, “Where is the relic?”

  My mouth dropped open. “How should I know?”

  Archer sat up, eyes startled wide.

  Danto switched his gaze to Kojo. “Captain, the artifact was in your custody. Where is it?”

  Kojo snorted. “Crap. The dingus was in your custody, Sergeant. The burzing thing is of no concern to me or my crew.”

  “It was of concern to Balan,” Grim said. “Maybe he took it.”

  “Probably Grimbold,” Hiram offered. “Ask him a few more questions, why don�
��t you?”

  Danto looked ready to interrogate Grim again, but Lyden snapped, “Don’t be a fool, Sergeant. She took it. Professor Patil. No doubt with the assistance of Captain Babatunji. And”—she closed her eyes again—“I believe it is no longer on this ship.”

  “Captain.” Danto loomed over Kojo.

  “Sergeant, allow me.” Lyden gazed at Jamila the way a snake looks at a mouse. “Professor Patil, you and I have not always agreed on research methods, particularly where the relic is concerned. Nevertheless, I have always respected your learning and your skill. I quite understand that the relic has an allure that is difficult to resist. Although you do not believe in its sacred nature, its effect on Deprata and Balan must surely convince you that persons exposed to it, including yourself, may be vulnerable to impulses they cannot fully control.”

  Jamila looked down, twisting her fingers in her lap.

  Damn. Ten to one she was going to blame Kojo.

  Lyden leaned forward. “It was you who took the relic from the dig and it is obvious you have taken it again. I ask you now to think of your reputation, your fine career, your future! Tell us about it now and I promise, no more will be said. I will attribute this lapse to the influence of the relic. But if you persist in lying, then…”

  Jamila looked up, with actual tears in her eyes. “It was Kojo who took it from the case. He sent it off the ship in a drone. We were planning to go back later and find it. To save it for posterity! For science!” She began to weep, decorously. “I just couldn’t bear the thought of it disappearing into some temple on Gavora without having the opportunity to study it fully!”

  Grim gaped at Jamila. “You lying…you were double-crossing me?”

  Danto’s eyes hadn’t left Kojo. “The radiation field,” he said.

  “Yeah,” Kojo admitted. “I ordered Hiram to make a little diversion, and the radiation masked the trail of the drone leaving.”

  Kojo looked around the room solemnly. “Listen. I don’t know about angels or demons or any of that religious stuff, but Lyden’s right about one thing. That tablet has a bad influence on the people around it. I saw what it was doing to Balan, and it scared the hell out of me. I could even see my sister acting a little—different.” He didn’t look at me. “Captain’s prerogative. As captain, I judged that thing to be a danger to my ship and my crew and I got it off the ship. Any decent captain would do the same. And, by the way,” Kojo added, “Patch knew nothing about it.”

  Danto looked at us both coldly. “I do not believe that. She is the owner of this vessel.”

  “Oh, you should believe him.” I fixed a steely eye on my brother. “Going behind my back is becoming a habit with Kojo.”

  “You fools!” Mya cried. “Suriel will freeze in the cold of space! You have killed him!”

  “Relax,” Kojo said. “The drones are designed to transport delicate cargo. It’s shielded from radiation and its internal environment will be stable for at least a year.”

  “We must return and find it,” Mya said.

  Kojo shrugged. “Why? This ship’s in no shape for exploring. Leave the drone where it is for now. You can recover it when you’re ready. Launch a real expedition. Let the rest of us get on with our lives.”

  “Suppose the Cartel backtracks and finds it?” Grim asked. “It’s worth a fortune and we won’t see a dracham!”

  “Or perhaps you will sell its location for a price,” Danto said coldly. “None of you can be trusted. Up to now, I have been patient, but I cannot tolerate interference with the mission. Captain Babatunji, you will return to the radiation field and recover the relic, and if it is possible to do so, we will use it to locate Nakana.”

  Kojo turned his good hand palm up. “Let’s be reasonable, Sergeant. I promise, I’ll take you back to the radiation field and help to recover the burzing tablet, even though I personally would prefer to blast it into the nearest star. I’ll swear under oath to help you recover it and not interfere with what you want to do with it—after the Patrol escorts Sparrowhawk to someplace safe for rest and repairs. We’ll leave the extra passengers behind. There’s no need for secrecy anymore—the Cartel and Rampart already know as much as we do about the location of Nakana. And without passengers, Patch doesn’t need to be here, either.”

  “Kojo!” I cried.

  Kojo ignored me. “I’m asking this both as a captain, to protect my ship and crew, and as a man, to protect my sister.”

  Archer nodded vigorously.

  “My ship and crew,” I said. “Kojo, I’m going with you.”

  Danto looked ready to explode. “That is enough!” He thumped his chest. “All of you will do as I order. Do you think I know nothing about you? All of you?”

  He pointed an accusing finger at Grim. “Grimbold, do you think I know nothing about your criminal history?”

  Grim moved his hand as if brushing away a fly. “Youthful indiscretion.”

  “Jamila Patil, do you think I know nothing about rumors of antiquities being pilfered from your sites and sold to private collectors?”

  Jamila smiled nervously.

  “And Kojo Babatunji.”

  Kojo widened his eyes as if interested to know what Danto would say.

  “This ship has been apprehended four times carrying illegal cargo, and its captain has escaped with only minor penalties due to the illicit influence of the Selkid Cartel.”

  Hiram nudged Archer with a grin.

  “None of which happened since I’ve been captain,” Kojo said.

  Danto glared at Kojo. “Nevertheless, if proven, this ship and everything in it could be impounded. You, Captain, are dangerously prone to gambling—your debts are a matter of record. And your crew? A drunken pilot and a mentally deficient engineer!”

  I jumped up. “Danto! Stop this!”

  He switched his glare to me. “And Patch,” he snarled. “Did you think I was fooled by your claim to be a member of Sand Clan?”

  Archer had flinched at Danto’s insult. Now he stopped twitching entirely.

  “Watch your mouth, Danto,” Kojo warned.

  Lyden’s eyes narrowed.

  Danto thundered on. “I saw the scar on your arm the night we were in the radiation field. You are a runaway slave—a heretic and a renegade. A traitor to your masters, to your clan, and to the Sages. Once we return to Gavoran sectors, it will take only a moment to find your true background and your clan will deal with you as you deserve.” Loathing filled his voice. “The lying mongrel spawn of a heretic slave and a Terran outlaw.”

  Archer stood up, his fist clenched. Hiram grabbed his arm, with a quiet, “Steady on.”

  I stepped up to Danto, eye to eye. “Yes, my mother was a slave. She was kind and honest, a woman of great courage, who suffered and died because she smuggled me to freedom. Palermo granted me asylum and has registered me as a free Terran. I have every right to live as I choose. And if I’m a mongrel, Sergeant, then so are you.”

  “Quite right,” Rachel chirped. “Well said.”

  Danto looked around the tattered salon, a commander left with extremely unpromising troops. “None of you can be trusted,” he said, “and yet we are trapped in this situation. I will do as I must to complete this mission and there will be no further complaints or objections until it is done.”

  “We have rights,” Grim began.

  “No longer. Captain Babatunji, you have claimed captain’s prerogative under the charter terms. But the terms of your contract must yield to the law. Under the emergency powers of the Corridor Patrol, I hereby commandeer this vessel and assume the captaincy. You and your crew are now under my command.”

  “Can he do that?” Jamila hissed.

  His face taut with anger, Kojo nodded.

  “Jamila Patil and Grimbold…”

  “We’re civilians,” Grim said.

  “You are under suspicion of theft. You can cooperate with my orders or you will be transferred to the harrier with the prisoners and taken into custody by the Corridor Patrol.
Choose now.”

  “Great choice,” Grim muttered, “since they already shot me.” He shrugged. “I’m in.”

  Jamila made a twisted smile. “Happy to cooperate, Captain Danto.”

  “Good.” Danto looked around again. “Any trouble will be dealt with swiftly and severely. Dr. Fiori.” He turned to Rachel, who had been watching with interest.

  “All of this is moot if we don’t repair the ship,” Rachel said. “May I suggest that repairs should be the first order of business? Until then, our survival is at risk.”

  Danto took a deep breath. “You are correct, Dr. Fiori. Kojo, you and the crew will use whatever you can from the harrier to make repairs and resupply this ship.”

  “Maybe I’m too mentally deficient,” Archer muttered.

  Danto ignored him. “Disable the harrier’s engines, but leave the hull sufficiently intact to house the prisoners for a period of twelve days. That will allow ample time for the Patrol to find them.”

  “And what happens if we meet another Rampart ship?” Kojo asked warily. “Kamok will have relayed a message to any other Cartel escort ships in the sector. They’ll be looking for us.”

  “All the more reason to proceed directly to Nakana,” Danto said. “The company is dismissed. Proceed with repairs. Tomorrow we return to the radiation field.”

  As the group began to drift away, Archer took a step toward Danto, his face set and hand balled into a fist. “You have no right to talk to Patch that way.”

  I hurried to step between them. “I’ve been called worse.” Danto could probably break Archer’s slender body with one hand.

  Danto took a breath. “I…I apologize for the harshness of my words. I should not have yielded to the stress of the situation.”

  I spun to face him. “For your words, Sergeant? Not for your judgment of my character?”

  Danto lowered his impressive brow. “All Gavorans, even slaves, revere honor and loyalty. When a slave abandons her duty, she rejects the very basis of our society.”

  “There’s no honor in slavery,” I said. “None of us can change the circumstances of our birth, but it’s the choices we make afterward that count. And as for Archer, he’s smarter, braver, and more loyal than any of your damn Corridor Patrol.”