by Henry Vogel
I dodged around pirates who mostly ignored me. A few tried to trip me up or get in my way. After I ‘accidentally’ knocked a couple of pirates down, the rest stayed out of my way. Seconds later, I rounded a bend in the passage and saw Chapman. He sauntered along fifty or sixty feet ahead of me, acting as if he hadn’t a care. I hid behind a pirate just as Chapman looked over his shoulder. Somehow, he didn’t see me. I trailed behind him for close to a minute, managing to avoid being spotted. The pirates just went about their business, ignoring both of us.
Chapman turned a corner and I took the chance to sprint closer. I peeked around the corner and spied Chapman just twenty feet ahead. A chill settled over me as I spotted his destination.
Chapman’s path led straight to the base’s communications center!
What could Chapman do from the base’s communications facility that he couldn’t already do? He didn’t need a radio to reveal our identities and our plans. Then it dawned on me that Chapman’s plan went beyond getting out of the duel. He hoped to gain prestige at the same time. That was far less likely to happen if he spilled everything to just any pirate in the base. No, he’d need to get the attention of people with rank. Everyone of sufficient rank was aboard our pinnace and not due back until after the duel.
Twenty feet ahead of me, Chapman entered the communications room. When I followed, he stood before the pirate officer on watch, an earnest expression on his face..
“Go away, Chapman. I ain’t callin’ the captains fer ya,” the officer said.
“Why not? It’s extremely important!” Chapman whined.
The officer gave Chapman a nasty grin. “I got a hundred credits bet on you dyin’ in the first minute o’ that duel! You ain’t gonna talk yer way out of fightin’ them two fine lads o’ the Brotherhood.”
“But I won’t even mention the duel! I swear. Please, just thirty seconds!”
“Even if’n I wanted to let ya speak to the captains, ya know we gotta go silent right after one of the wormholes opens up.”
So, the pirates had detected the wormhole opening for the messenger drone we launched before docking. That explained why the flashing lights didn’t seem to alarm anyone. I saw the sense in the pirates’ approach, too. They shut down communications until they discovered what triggered the wormhole. No doubt they extended communication blackout if they detected ships traversing the system. Barring naval patrols, those ships were likely easy pickings. But the one place where the pirates did not want ships disappearing was the system where their base was hidden.
The pirate officer crossed his arms. “You gots somethin’ to say, you say it to me.”
Chapman’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah, okay, I’ll tell-”
I grabbed Chapman’s shoulder and spun him around to face me. Alarm registered on his face as I drove my fist into Chapman’s gut with all my strength. He doubled over, the wind whooshing out of him. I stepped into my next blow, putting all of my weight and strength into an uppercut to Chapman’s chin. He rose a foot off the floor and flew back four or five feet before sprawling, unconscious, at the feet of one of the other pirates.
The officer of the watch stared at me, his mouth hanging open. I grinned and made a show of dusting my hands off. The pirate officer laughed at my little act. Still grinning, he drew his laser pistol and leveled it at me.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Staring down the muzzle of a laser pistol, I half raised my hands. Once the pirate understood I had no plans to do anything stupid, I mimed pointing the gun at Chapman.
The pirate shook his head. “I got no idea what Chapman wanted ta tell me, but I figger you clobbered him to shut him up. Suddenly, I’m right curious what he aimed to say.”
I shrugged as if I didn’t understand what the pirate had said. Inspiration struck and I continued with my pantomime. I pointed to Chapman then wove my hands in the curving motion which has meant ‘woman’ to every man since before recorded history.
The pirate leered. “Yeah, Chapman’s got himself a hot wife. Wish I knew how that gutless wonder hooked a babe like her!”
Keeping a hand held out, as if on the shoulder of the woman, I threw a fist at what would have been the woman’s head.
“Chapman punched the babe, huh?” the pirate said. “That ain’t against the rules ‘round here.”
“And to think you call us uncivilized!” Megan’s voice sounded behind me. She strode up beside me, five marines trailing in her wake. The marines carried lasers but kept them pointed at the floor.
“I heard one of ya spoke gal base,” the pirate said. “That’ll make this easier. We’re gonna hold yer boy here till Captain Quint gets back.”
“No, I’m taking David and Chapman back to our ship. You’re going to stand aside and not interfere.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because David didn’t break any of your rules, but Chapman broke one of our rules.”
“Okay, we don’t got rules against a bit of fightin’ as long as the work gets done. So you can take yer boy, but yer rules don’t count on the base. Chapman stays here.”
“Chapman hit Heidi while aboard our ship,” Megan countered. “Our ship, our rules, our punishment.”
The pirate shrugged. “Seems like a lotta trouble just ‘cause he punched his wife.”
“Oh, it does? Let me tell you something about our planet.” Megan’s voice dropped an octave and she leaned forward. “One of our greatest heroes is a man who spent his life challenging abusive men to duels. When he left a town, he left behind fresh graves, new widows, and a far more polite population. So you see, we uncivilized lost colonists take this kind of behavior very seriously!”
Megan ordered one of the marines to carry Chapman, spun on her heel, and led us out of the room. The pirates in the hallway gave us a wide berth as we marched back toward the ship.
Keeping my voice low, I said, “You have excellent timing, Megan. How did you come up with that story about the duelist so quickly?”
Megan gave me a meaningful look.
“Wait, do you mean you didn’t make that up?” I asked.
“If you like, I’ll sing the song for you sometime. Make sure you’ve got a couple of hours to spare,” she smiled. “The full version has eighty-six verses.”
Moments later, we returned to the docking bay — just in time to see Milo landing our pinnace next to the ship.
“Why is the pinnace back so soon?” Megan asked.
“It’s probably because one of the system’s wormholes opened,” I replied. “It’s the same reason the base is operating under radio silence. The pirates don’t want to risk giving away their position to passing spaceships.”
I turned to the marine carrying Chapman. “Sergeant, we’re going to delay the pirates long enough for you to get Chapman into the ship. Stuff him in a room with only one door and keep a guard on that door at all times. If he causes any problems, just hit him until he stops.”
“Yes, sir!” the marine replied. Speaking to his second-in-command, he added, “Corporal, you and the men stay with the Prince Consort and the young lady.”
As the corporal acknowledged the order, I spoke to Megan. “Make a big show of kissing Martin when we get to him.”
A devilish smile lit Megan’s face. “With all these people watching? How scandalous! Of course, it does sound like fun, but please explain why I am doing it?”
“You’re the only one of us known to speak gal base. You may have to wander the base a lot more than I’d prefer and you’re an extremely attractive woman.”
Megan batted her eyes. “Why, David, I do believe you’ve been letting your gaze linger on women other than your wife! What would Callan say about that?”
“She’d say that I’m married, not blind. The point is, you’ve got to show these pirates that you’re Martin’s woman. They must believe that messing with you will draw the ire of a pirate captain. That belief may be your only protection away from the ship.”
Megan heaved a theatrical s
igh. “Very well, David, I shall do my best to display some modicum of attraction to Martin.”
When Martin exited the pinnace a few seconds later, Megan’s eyes lit up, she flashed a dazzling smile, ran lightly forward, and threw herself upon him. Arms wrapped around Martin’s neck, she locked her lips on his and gave him quite the hero’s welcome. After a startled second, Martin returned her greeting with obvious enthusiasm. Either he was a better actor than I believed possible or he held deeper feelings for Megan than I’d ever realized.
When the two finally came up for air, Megan asked, “Did you bring me something from the treasure? You promised me a pretty jewel!”
Martin played his part to the hilt, playfully tapping Megan on the nose with a finger. “We didn’t get to the treasure, my dear. The wormhole opened up and the other captains insisted we return to base.”
Rolling his eyes, Quint turned to me. “I saw Chapman’s body being carried aboard your ship. I guess the duel be over?”
Megan slipped from Martin’s arms. “Excuse me, Martin, I’ve got to go translate for your lunkhead first officer.”
As I stood there with a look of incomprehension, she told Quint, “Chapman is unconscious, not dead. We’ve taken him on board our ship to face punishment for striking a woman. The duel will have to wait.”
“Wrong, woman. The duel be first. The challenge be given and accepted afore Chapman hit his wife.” Quint turned to the other captains. “I don’t rightly see why hittin’ yer wife is a crime, no how.”
Megan’s voice chilled considerably. “What makes you think Chapman didn’t hit his wife before the challenge was made?”
“Ain’t no way yer ‘lunkhead’ here woulda stepped in ta help Chapman if’n he’d already done smacked the woman. So the fight be on — and there ain’t no time like the present, I say!” Quint raised his voice until it echoed through the docking bay. “Stop workin’ boys! It be time fer the duel!”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Quint gave us five minutes to gather Chapman and report to the dueling arena. That left us little time to modify our plans to fit this ever-changing situation.
“Our top priority is still disabling those sentry lasers in the docking bay,” I told our hastily gathered command staff. “Laura, has your husband briefed all the other men? Are they ready to go?”
She nodded. “They know what to do and one of the men had a suggestion for speeding up the process. Instead of spending ten minutes disabling each laser, they’re going to disable the four control clusters for the docking bay. Each one will take about fifteen minutes, but they’ll be able to work on all four simultaneously.”
“Good. Wait until the docking bay clears for the fight before sending them out. The fewer pirates they run into, the better.” I turned to Rupor. “Have you got squads of marines assigned to guard each of the sabotage teams?”
“Yes, Rice,” Rupor replied. “But I strongly disagree with your plan to simply ‘run for the docking bay’ after this duel. That might have been acceptable when none of the pirate captains were here, but it will not work now.”
“Rupor’s right,” Callan said. “The captains will expect Martin and Megan to sit with them. As Martin’s royal benefactors, Rupor and I will be expected to be there, too.”
I hadn’t considered that. “None of you will be able to just slip away from the captains. Okay, Rupor, what did you have in mind?”
Rupor outlined a plan for a fighting withdrawal, with the marines bearing the brunt of the fighting. “The plan is short on details and will require considerable initiative from the officers, but they’re well-trained men. They can handle it.”
“How will we get away from the captains?” Megan asked.
Martin answered, “For the most part, we’ll make it up as we go. We don’t know enough about the arena setup to do any real planning.” He looked at Rupor. “I suggest we wait for the first serious wound and then make our move while the pirates are distracted by the blood.”
Rupor nodded agreement and I added, “That just leaves one question. What do we do about Chapman? He’s proven we can’t trust him. If he has the chance, he’s sure to try to alert the pirates from inside the arena.”
Rupor said what was on everyone’s mind. “Get him killed early in the fight or, if you have to, find a way to kill him yourself.”
“I’m afraid you’re probably right. We can’t risk the lives of hundreds of people over the life of a man who is actively trying to get us killed.” I looked around the room. “Do we all agree?”
One by one, everyone nodded.
“Then let’s get this over.”
Tristan gave me smelling salts to revive Chapman. “Remember, he’ll be groggy for a minute or two after he wakes up.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.
Throwing Chapman over my shoulder, I joined Martin, Megan, Rupor, and Callan at the airlock. One of Quint’s pirates waited for us at the foot of the ramp.
“Cap’n Quint sent me to lead the way.”
Together, we set off for the arena.
As the pirate led us away, Heidi dashed up. Her eyes were red and swollen, though any tear tracks had been scrubbed from her face.
“I’m coming with you,” she declared in accented Mordanian. “Erwin is my husband and I should be there.”
Laura ran out of the airlock, her face creased with concern, as we turned to face Heidi. I expected Callan would be the first to speak, but Rupor surprised me.
Stepping in front of Heidi, he gently took her hands in his and looked her in the eye. “No good can come of this, m’lady. Regardless of Chapman’s current deeds, he is a man you have held in your heart for many years. The anguish you feel now will be as nothing to that which you would feel watching him fight in the arena. I implore you to stay on the ship and draw strength from the love of your friends. Leave this harsh business to those of us who have less gentle souls than you.”
“But the princess will be watching her husband fight!”
“She accompanies us as the royal benefactor to Captain Bane. Were she not required to play that role, she would remain with the ship, as well.”
Laura placed an arm around Heidi and steered her back toward the ship. “Prince Rupor is right, Heidi. Come back to the ship with me.”
The lovely redhead allowed herself to be guided back to the ship. Everyone turned to follow the pirate so only I noticed Rupor’s gaze linger on Heidi for a second. He realized I was watching and gave a parade ground about-face.
Quietly, so only I could hear, he said, “If you can find some way to save her husband’s worthless life, you will have my support. She must have the opportunity to break her marriage voluntarily or I fear she will carry guilt for the rest of her life.”
I regarded Rupor for a few seconds, realizing for the first time just how deeply his feelings ran for Heidi. Considering his behavior over the previous six months from this light, I wondered that I hadn’t figured it out much earlier. I’m sure Callan and Megan would shake their heads and mutter about clueless men. On the other hand, I expect comprehension was just dawning on Martin, too.
“I’ll do my best, Rupor.”
“That’s all I can ask, Ri- David.” A friendly grin crossed Rupor’s face. “And in all honesty, your best is exceedingly good. If any man can find a way to bring Chapman out of this alive and keep him from alerting the pirates to our intentions, it’s you.”
A busy couple of hours loomed ahead of me. I had to find a way to draw out the duel so the control systems could be sabotaged, kill two pirates without giving away my identity as a scout, join the fighting withdrawal to our ship, and somehow keep Chapman alive in the bargain. No pressure. Just another typical day at the office.
I spent the next ten minutes making and rejecting plans and then the time for planning was at an end. Our guide pirate showed me into a room, telling me to come out the other side when the bell sounded. As soon as we were alone, I waved the smelling salts under Chapman’s nose. He awoke
, looking about wildly. He moaned as he recognized the room.
“Chapman-”
I was interrupted before I could say more.
Ding!
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Cheering swelled from the arena, making Chapman even more frantic than the ringing of the bell had done. As Tristan warned, the man was also groggy after returning to consciousness. I had to grab him by the shoulders and hold him still.
“There’s no time to explain my plan.” Because I didn’t have a plan, not that he needed to know that. “Do as I tell you to do and you will get out of this alive. Do you understand?”
Chapman nodded and I reached for the handle to open the door. Catching Chapman’s eye, I let my true opinion of him shine through. He quailed at my expression.
“But if you even think about warning the pirates of our plans, I will cheerfully kill you myself.”
I felt the brief disorientation that comes from stepping through a gravity field then pulled Chapman along behind me. We hung, weightless, in a big cube of a room measuring about a hundred feet on a side. Half a dozen spheres moved lazily within the arena, serving as cover and objects to use for changes of direction.
All but the two walls opposite each other — I chose to call them the floor and ceiling — held seats. Wide-spaced bars gave the combatants something to push off from, but the pirates filling the seats were also free to reach into the arena and interfere with anyone who got too close to them. With the exception of the pirates who had bet on Chapman and me, I knew we had no friends in the stands.
To my left, in the center of the wall, was the captains’ chamber. Rank had its privilege, as walls separated the officers from the common pirates. Quint and the other five captains sat with Martin, Megan, Rupor, and Callan. The six captains leaned forward in their seats, faces lit with the same anticipation shown by their men.
The door swung shut behind us — no retreat for those in the arena, obviously — revealing a small weapons locker bolted to the back of the door. I found two big, wicked knives inside the locker. Taking one for myself, I handed the other to Chapman.