“I hope it does. We really need a crew. Speaking of that, did you or Z repair the shuttle?”
“No?” Eve looked over her shoulder at me, and I tried to keep my eyes from the best parts of her backside.
“The--”
“Ahhh. That is strange. No, we did not repair it. In fact, Z was quite worried you’d be upset about the damage.” Eve turned around and tapped her finger on her chin.
“Having a conversation with a mind reader is bizarre.” I let out a chuckle.
“Sorry,” she said with a shrug. “If you prefer, I can wait for you to finish speaking before I reply.”
“That’s fine. Back to the shuttle, what do you think?”
“It is Persephone. She is our guardian. I’m sure there are repair drones she activated.”
“Ahh. Repair drones make sense; the ship activating them does not.”
“Not believing in something does not make it untrue.” She stepped toward me, and my pulse began to quicken again.
“Believing in something doesn’t mean that it is true,” I said with a soft chuckle.
I held out my arms, and the woman stepped into my embrace. The scent of her black hair filled my senses, and the sensation of her body pressed against mine relaxed the beast in my soul.
“It is all we have though. When I was alone in the tank, I prayed for a savior. I believed someone would come for me. You did. Now I believe we will do the same for others. I believe our ship has a soul and wants to help us. I believe that you love me. Are those things all true? I want them to be, just as much as I wanted to escape my enslavers, just as much as you wanted to escape your enslavers.” She pulled out of my arms a bit and raised her red eyes to look into mine.
“Will you tell me more about you? I want to know everything,” I said.
“Yes, but it will soon be time for the next part of our mission. I will tell you more afterward. It will be a good way to pass the time as we travel to the next solar system.”
“It is time already? I must have gotten a bit distracted by the guns and the armor,” I said with a laugh.
As if on cue, Z’s voice came over the intercom in the room.
“Captain, please report to the bridge. Ahhh, Eve too. Errr thanks? Is that how I’m supposed to do it? I’ve only seen the television shows.”
“Be right there,” I replied back, but I didn’t know if the woman heard me.
Eve and I walked to the elevator and then took it to the bridge. We didn’t say anything during the brief walk, but the vampire woman held my right hand with her left, and she smiled joyfully at me when I looked at her.
Her attitude was a bit infectious.
“There you are! I couldn’t find you!” Z exclaimed as soon as we stepped on the bridge. The blonde hacker was standing by the map display with her arms crossed. She was wearing the skin tight uniform, and her cheeks flushed when I looked at her.
“It looks good on you,” I said.
“Thanks. It’s better than the stripper outfit. Still kind of feel naked, but that’s just because I’m used to wearing baggy clothing.”
“You have a wonderful body, Z. I enjoy looking at your form,” Eve said.
“Well, thanks. I guess,” the blonde hacker said as she uncrossed her arms. The front of the women’s suit showed a bit of cleavage, but I kept my eyes on the map.
“This our course?” I asked as I pointed at the unfamiliar planet and its moons. Five spaceships were circling around one of the moons, and I guessed that it was the blockade.
“Maybe. I took the historical orbit pattern Jatal gave us and did a hypothetical model for what it would look like if they continue around the moon as planned. The idea is that we spring up here,” Z ran her fingers on keyboard and the map spun a bit so we couldn’t see the five ships. Then an image of Persephone appeared and then immediately plummeted into the atmosphere of the moon.
“That looks easy enough,” I said to the blonde woman. “Good job. I knew you could do it.”
“Yeah.” Z let out a little laugh. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I just had to access Persephone’s map charts and then run some plotting scenarios. She’s got all the logic ready. Oh, but also, this is probably not going to work, and we’ll all die.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“So it will take us like two-tenths of a second to get there with our hyperdrive. That is kind of the danger with using faster than light technology. I’m plotting our course, but I’m still totally blind. We could come out of the hyperspace at the location I picked, and the other five ships could have changed their course. They could be waiting for us with their guns ready. Or one could be right in the spot I’m plotting our entrance, and we’ll ram each other into smithereens.”
“Can you have us plot father out of the orbit of the planet? Eve asked as she pointed to a spot on the map a bit further away than where Z had us appearing.
“Yeah, but then those five fuckers might notice us, and they could intercept before we break atmosphere.”
“But can they catch us? Persephone’s thrusters are fast,” I said.
“How are we going to get off the planet? This course I’m plotting has us sneaking in while their blockade is on the other side. We land Persephone at the drop off point, give these people their shit, take the rhodium, and then get the hell off before the Alloprize fleet can circle back around. I know you like punching people in the face with your shotgun bullets, but this is much safer.”
“It’s a good plan,” I said with a nod. “I don’t want to fight if we don’t have to.”
“It is a good plan unless they aren’t on the other side of the moon. If they aren’t, we are going to get all sorts of dead. Even if we pull off the first part, and make the drop-off, we could only have a few minutes. Hence my hesitation.” She shrugged.
“Have a second course plotted, so we can run if we encounter them,” I said.
“Thought about that. The hyperdrive needs a bit of time to spin up. We could use the warpdrive, but it isn’t working, and I haven’t had a chance to figure out why.”
“We could use the folding drive,” Eve suggested.
“Ahhh, no. Well, I guess we could, but it kind of creeps me out. We all fell unconscious last time. I’d have to plot us back where we started, and we would be open to attack if they followed us there.”
“So, if they are waiting for us, our only choice is to fight,” I said.
“Hey Captain Tiger Space Marine, I’d still like to use the hyperdrive, we’ll just be getting pounded while we get the thing going. It still sounds better than fighting.”
“You can pilot Persephone, I’ll take the drones, and Adam the guns, if we must fight,” Eve said.
“Jeeze. I feel like you two solve all your problems by shooting them in the face.” Z laughed.
A chime sound came across the bridge, and the three of us walked to Persephone’s display screen.
“It’s Wayne,” Z said after she plopped down in one of the plush leather chairs.
“On screen,” I ordered.
“I’m ready for you. Go ahead and set your bird down on the north end of the property. I’ve got a spot cleared for her,” the cowboy said.
“We are going to bring our shuttle. We don’t need a lot of space,” I replied.
“Gonna be a tight fit in your shuttle. Your starship is small enough to land in the atmosphere right?” He took his boots off his table and leaned forward to peer into the screen.
“How large is the delivery?” I asked.
“Five thousand kilos.”
“What are the dimensions?” I glanced over at Eve, and the vampire woman gave me a slightly pensive look.
“It’s a shipping crate of mixed. Dried and preserved. Three by three and twelve meters long.”
“Our shuttle can carry it. We’ll be there in a few minutes,” I said.
“Suit yourself. As long as we get it to them and you bring the rhodium back, I’m not going to tell you how
to do your job.” Wayne smiled, and it looked like his weathered face was about to crack.
“Confirmed. See you soon,” I said to the man. Then I nodded to Z, and the hacker cut the transmission.
“You want me here or in the shuttle?” she asked after she pressed the button.
“In the shuttle. Grab your guns, put on some armor. It’s time to get to work,” I said to my friends.
The women nodded, and we made our way to the armory.
Chapter 9
Fifteen minutes later I was piloting the shuttle over the shipping crate set out on Wayne’s property. I saw the old cowboy and his son on the balcony of his property, and they both raised their hands to greet us.
“I’m making the pickup,” I said over the transponder.
“We see ya,” Wayne replied.
“You don’t know anything about people trying to shoot us down with missiles, do you?” I asked as the arms of the shuttle grappled with the sides of the container.
“Eh?”
“After we had finished talking to Cynthia, we were returning to our ship, and someone shot a trio of missiles at us. They weren’t military grade, so we were able to escape. We’ll be departing for good once we drop off your rhodium, so I’m not too concerned, but if you have any thoughts about who it is, I’d like to know.”
“Ahh. I’m not too familiar with such things,” Wayne said, and I was positive he was lying. “Maybe you can come land for a bit, and we can talk about it for a spell. I’d be interested in knowing what exactly happened.”
“We’ll make your delivery first. Let’s hope no one decides to shoot us out of the sky. We’ll talk later.” The arms of the shuttle finished locking on the crate, and I pulled it off the ground.
“Fair enough. Godspeed to you,” Wayne replied.
“See you soon,” I said as I nodded to Z. She pressed a button on the terminal and then shot me a sour expression.
“That fucker was the guy who shot the missiles at us. Wasn’t he?”
“I am pretty sure of it now. I thought it might have been a third party, but now--”
“Persephone is worth more than our delivery of rhodium,” Eve finished for me.
“Yes, but you didn’t think he intended to steal her when we first spoke to him?” I asked the beautiful vampire.
“No, he wasn’t thinking of that, but he might have not had time to scan the atmosphere. Once he did, his plans changed.”
“Assholes everywhere.” Z sighed. “You really think there is food in this container? I think that we’ve got a bunch of Wayne’s cowboys hidden inside.”
“Could be,” I replied.
“Then we’ve got Cynthia’s goons that are going to board. This just seems like loads of bad ideas. Worse case, they kill us and hijack the ship.”
“Could be,” I replied.
“You don’t seem concerned, which is concerning since I’m really concerned.” Z let out a sigh.
“They don’t know we have military drones on board that are piloted by one of the best hackers in the galaxy. They don’t know there is a woman who can read minds and control their bodies. They also don’t know about me.” I shrugged.
“You make valid points, Captain.” Z chuckled. “But I’m concerned about trying to fly Persephone while I also pilot drones.”
“I will tell the disposition of these men when I see them,” Eve said. “I can also feel for life inside of the container. If there is none, then we can rest assured that it is as Wayne explained.”
“Alright. Maybe I’m just nervous because of--”
“Your reasons are valid. You are an equal member of our team, and we want you to express your worries freely,” Eve interrupted her.
“I’m going to set this in the hold. Z, can you open it up?” I asked as we left the atmosphere of the moon and flew toward Persephone.
“Aye Captain,” Z said as she pressed some buttons on her terminal. The back hatch of the manta ray looking starship spread open like a camera shutter, and we flew the shuttle inside.
“Let’s check it out, and then go make the pickup with Cynthia,” I instructed the women after I had set the container down and then landed the shuttle in the hold.
The three of us walked out of the craft and circled the container. Eve closed her eyes for a bit as she ran her hands along the edges, and she shook her head after she made a complete circle.
“I do not sense life inside,” she said.
“Good. Let’s crack it open and see what is inside.” I pointed at the digital lock on the exterior while I looked at Z.
“Sure,” she said as she pulled a cord out of her belt pouch.
Half a minute later she had the lock cracked, and we all readied our rifles. I gave the nod to Z, and she pressed the button to open the door. It did so with a hiss, and we were met with a wall of packed food.
“Looks like he didn’t intend to double-cross us,” Z said after we studied the packaged food for a few moments.
“He might still want to double cross us, but this looks fine.” I lowered my weapon and then pushed the door back closed. Z pressed a few buttons on the lock, and it sealed shut.
“Cynthia’s pickup next?” the hacker asked.
“Confirmed, but Eve and I will go. Stay on the bridge. Lock the elevator, and have the combat drones ready in the bay,” I instructed.
“You sure? What if they attack you while you are there?” Z didn’t look happy with my order.
“Then we’ll kill them, or they will kill us, and you can destroy them when they reach Persephone. Then you can kill Cynthia.” I shrugged. “I just want you ready in case they try something once we get on board.”
“I understand, but keep the transponders open okay? Otherwise, I’ll chew all my nails off waiting for you both to return.”
“We will,” Eve replied, and then I walked back onto the shuttle with the dark-haired woman.
Fifteen minutes later we were hovering over Cynthia’s property. There were two cargo crates set out on the flat part of the property in front of the estate, and a spot cleared for us to land next to them. There were also eight men wearing heavy combat armor standing at attention behind Cynthia, and the woman gestured for us to land.
“I’ve got your video feed up on my display. There is a bit of a lag, but I’m suddenly thankful that I’m on the ship.” Z’s voice came across the transponder.
“Yeah. That is a lot of men, and their equipment looks expensive.” I turned to Eve and gestured to the rear of the shuttle. “Stay hidden and let me know if you can sense their intentions.”
“I will.” She gave me a half-smile that showed her fangs, and then she moved to the rear of the craft.
I set the shuttle down on the ground and then took my time walking to the ramp door. I pressed the button to bring the ramp down and then stopped it when the door was only part of the way open.
“You’re right on time! You gonna open the door?” I heard Cynthia call.
I peeked my head part of the way out of the shuttle opening and saw that the group had approached within ten meters of where the ramp would extend.
“Your boys are packing some heavy equipment,” I yelled.
“Yeah. So?”
“So?” I shouted. Then I looked to Eve and shrugged.
“The amount of rhodium you are getting out of this deal is rather valuable. I need to know you all aren’t going to blast off with it,” Cynthia called. “You said you were okay with taking some of my boys on board.”
I am picking up surface thoughts from the men. Most just think they will escort us. One of the men believes that they will take our ship once we’ve made the delivery.
“Sorry, Cynthia. I am no longer comfortable with the agreement. I thought you were going to have a few of your cowboys with us. Those men are wearing heavy armor and holding military grade assault rifles.”
“Sounds like you are going back on our deal,” she growled.
“I would like the job, but I would also like to ke
ep my ship. Can we adjust the deal?” I asked as I peered around the edge of the door.
“Well, see the thing is, probably not. I’ve got a missile launcher right here. You escaped them the first time, but you won’t have enough speed to get away this time. Tell ya what, you do this delivery, bring my rhodium back to me, and I’ll let ya live on the moon instead of kill ya. What do you say?”
I couldn’t see the missile launcher the cyborg gestured to, but I had no reason not to believe the woman.
“You were the one that shot the three missiles at us? We had just shared a meal,” I growled.
“Happens sometimes. You’ve got a nice looking ship, and this way I get my rhodium as well. I don’t have a problem killing you all now, then I can just take my own shuttle up. My offer seems the most sensible.”
“I should have fucking set a spider drone on top of the shuttle. What a bitch,” Z’s voice whispered through my transponder.
“Clock is ticking, you wanna die here, or you wanna do this job for me, and then live out the rest of your life in peace?” Cynthia shouted.
We can deal with them when they are on the ship. Then we will have the medical supplies we can deliver to the Children of Rah.
“You win, Cynthia. We’ll take your deal.”
“Smart move. Oh, I’m also sending up a few of my craft as an escort. You’ve got room in your bay for a few more?”
“Yes,” I grunted as I keyed the control to open the door. The beast in my stomach wanted me to change. It wanted to charge the group of armed men and rip them to pieces. Then it wanted to close jaws around Cynthia’s neck until the woman’s gravelly voice screamed its last words.
“I’m prepared to launch our space drones. I can’t control all of them, but I’ll try to take most of her shit out before they get to Persephone. Just give me the word,” Z whispered across my transponder.
Cynthia is telling her men to end us as soon as we make the delivery.
“We’ll have to take them out as soon as they get on Persephone,” I whispered.
“Why don’t you throw your guns down and step out with your hands up,” Cynthia said as soon as the door was opened and the ramp extended.
Space Witch: A Paranormal Space Opera Adventure (Star Justice Book 2) Page 7