Fragments sf-6

by Randolph Lalonde

  Jake didn't have to ask what his friend meant. Instead he looked up from his comm unit and sat back.

  “You want in on this war.”

  “No, maybe I would have when we were on the First Light, but we have families aboard the Triton now, people who would be nothing more than refugees caught in the middle. Besides, I'm sure you and everyone else from Freeground didn't come all the way out here to go to war.”

  “But if it weren't for the civilians you'd get right in the middle.”

  “I'd find a way to fight in my own way, sure, but given the choice I'd rather get Triton back together, find a safe home port and start a life. We're going to privateer for the cause and for the cash but have to be smart about it. I'm not going to put our people at risk unless we've got a good chance at coming out ahead.”

  “That's not how wars are won, Jake. We both know it.”

  “It's not our war. We just got caught in the middle.”

  “Are you forgetting Pandem? I still have nightmares. There's no way I can let some imperialist corp get away with what I saw while I was down there. I can't see how that can pass with you either, especially since they're trying to blame you for creating the virus.”

  “See, that's the kind of thinking that’ll get us killed. I've been running this situation through my head ever since we set down here, and the stakes are too high for us to get too deeply invested in this war. There are civilians at the heart of the Triton, people who didn't do anything to deserve the danger they’re in. I didn't ask to be responsible for them, but I am, and the only thing that feels right to me is getting those people back, finding a safe place for them and making sure that they stay out of harm's way. We'll make our mark in this war as privateers, no doubt, but we're not going to put civilians in harm's way again.”

  “I get your point, I've felt like there's been a brick in my stomach ever since we left the Triton behind, but we can't turn down opportunities to make a real difference if they come along.”

  “You know how we can make a difference? We can make sure these civilians can start making a home for themselves, and when this war is over we might have a place to go. Somewhere we can live where we don't have to carry a sidearm. I'm tired, Minh. Watching my daughter slip away in front of me was enough to remind me of what most people have at stake here. Alice almost died for nothing, if the Triton wasn't already on her way here with the Botanical Gallery intact, I don't know what I'd do.”

  Minh took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “He's right,” Slick said quietly.

  Minh studied the deck at his feet for several moments before nodding. “Yup. How did we get here, Jake? I remember I was the wise advisor just a few years ago, and you were the angry one.”

  “Oh, I'm still angry, no doubt. We just can't afford to be now.”

  “Anger is seldom without an argument but seldom with a good one,” Minh said with a sigh.

  “Now I know that's not an old Oriental expression,” Jake replied.

  “He's been expanding his repertoire,” Slick explained. “That's one of the gems.”

  “Lord Halifax, I had a lot of time to myself,” Minh shrugged.

  “So, what do we tell people? We're going to get mobbed the moment this hatch opens,” Slick asked.

  “ Triton is coming. She survived a siege, took some serious damage, but there are a lot of survivors and they managed to make a huge capture. Only confirm survivors you're sure of and make sure that they know we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

  “That's not the most positive message.”

  “But it's an honest one,” Minh said in an approving tone. “I'd rather have people who shy from work walk away now than have them get in the way later.”

  “Oh, and we'll have our first privateering run soon. We're probably going to end up doing a little work for our new landlady, who happens to be a crime lord, or crime lady, I guess you’d call her.”

  “That sounds like an interesting story.”

  “You'll have to get Ayan to tell you about it.” Jake got to his feet and started up the fore stairway. “But wait until morning. Get some sleep tonight, I think tomorrow's going to be interesting.”

  “Where are you off to?”

  “I'm going to do the rounds and make sure all the ships are locked down tight. Don't want any of our deserters trying to make off with anything, even if it's only half way flyable. Before you guys find a place to get some rack time, go tell Laura that Jason's alive.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain,” Minh replied with the first earnest grin Jake could remember seeing from his friend since he arrived in the sector.

  Chapter 41

  The Illusion Of Control

  Ashley woke to the feeling of Zoe climbing onto her chest, planting her hands on her cheeks and pushing up. To her surprise the toddler said clearly and insistently; “Ake up.” Ashley gasped with half exaggerated surprise and tickled the little one into submission. She writhed and giggled wildly. “When did you start talking?” Ashley growled playfully.

  “She's getting more comfortable with you,” said a young woman sitting beside Larry. She was in a standard grey vacsuit, looked too thin, but could be pretty, especially with the riot of brown curls atop her head.

  “How long have I been out?” asked Ashley. There were many other questions on her mind, but that was a good place to start.

  “Almost eight hours. I woke you up as soon as Zoe started getting restless,” Larry answered. He had half the bridge displays hovering over the conference table, but he was focusing on the virtual navigational station.

  Zoe was catching her breath, propped up on her hands atop Ashley’s chest. “Hungry?” Ashley asked.

  The toddler nodded emphatically.

  Ashley sat up slowly and put Zoe down. “Go sit at the table, I’ll get us somethin’, ‘kay?” To her surprise Zoe listened, running over to the chair beside the pilot station and climbing up. “So you put me out last night and stimmed me up this morning.” It was a statement and an accusation.

  “I’m afraid so. It might not feel like it, but you’re still recovering. You need as much rest as you can get over the next week,” Larry replied, not looking up from what he was doing. The young woman beside him watched his every action as he worked the controls but kept her hands to herself.

  Ashley started for the duffel bags and was intercepted by the spry, skinny girl. “Have a seat, I’ll get you and Zoe what you need.”

  Ashley took her place at the pilot station, glanced at the status screen long enough to verify the auto pilot was doing it’s job then back at the young woman. She filled Zoe’s cup with synthetic orange juice from a liquid ration bag and handed it to her. “I’m Nerine, sort of the self appointed runner between you guys and everyone else trying to fight for the ship.”

  “I’m Ashley, just trying to keep this boat afloat,” she replied, taking the sip cup from Nerine and handing it over to Zoe, who bounced in her chair in anticipation.

  “I know. Larry here has been telling me and David how you guys have been getting us from A to B so the Captain and the rest can get things under control. We didn’t know you were here, otherwise we wouldn’t have let that hollow head lead the way when we first came in.”

  “Hope there are no hard feelings about the itchy trigger finger thing.”

  “Oh, they had it coming. If you hadn’t done something about it, David would have.”

  Ashley was glad for the change in topic. She didn’t want to dwell on the fact that Larry had drugged her to sleep, she had no idea how to approach it, but knew it couldn’t happen again. “So, who’s David?”

  Nerine’s barely veiled smile told Ashley more than the younger woman could express. “He’s sorta taken charge since Agameg had to split. I can introduce you.”

  “If he’s between here and the bathroom, it’ll be a quick introduction.” She turned to Larry then. “Can you watch things while I-“

  “Sure, we’re less than an hour away from emergence, t
hough.”

  “I can see that,” Ashley replied off handedly as she got to her feet. “C’mon sweetie, time for morning potty.” She offered her hand to Zoe. She took it and dropped off the chair, her mouth not leaving her spill proof sip cup. “That must be some orange juice.”

  The youngster nodded and smiled around the drink.

  “It’s a breakfast drink, I’ve pretty much been living on the stuff,” Nerine whispered. She had a gun belt loaded with shells in her hands.

  It took Ashley a moment to realize the shells were the right size for the gun she’d unintentionally used the day before, and that the weapon itself hung in a black holster. “I guess that’s mine,” Ashley muttered. If it weren’t for Larry, whose eyes she could feel on her, she would have made sure the weapon was safely packed back into the duffel it came out of. If it weren’t for him, she would have never fired it in the first place. Guns were something other people had to worry about, dangerous objects that were only made for one thing.

  Nerine misjudged her hesitation, glancing to Zoe. “Doesn’t look like you’ll be getting your hand back, let me help.” Before Ashley could object or vocalize how awkward she felt about it, Nerine slipped the belt around her waist and clipped it closed.

  There were cartridges locked into loops around the entire strip, and the bullets were as thick as her thumb. It didn’t matter that they might all be suppressive rounds, and Ashley hoped they were, it just looked ominous. Like the kind of thing Oz, Stephanie or even Captain Valance would wear on a mission.

  “Oh, I can get that,” Ashley said as Nerine moved to clip the thigh strap that held the holster proper to her leg.

  “Never mind, I’ve got it,” Nerine said, the clicking of the strap punctuating her words. “Used to dress the Captain on my old ship sometimes, and compared to him I don’t mind at all. You smell a lot better.”

  It was the most awkward thing Ashley had ever heard anyone say, and she couldn’t help but fix the girl with a surprised look as she blushed for reasons that were unclear even to her. “Um, thanks.”

  Nerine just went about her business, opening the conference room door and leading the way. Ashley followed behind with Zoe in tow. She wasn’t ready for the sight that awaited her. For the first time since she’d been aboard, the large infirmary was full. There was barely room to move. They had managed to open the large emergency bulkhead and made good use of the extra space.

  In every corner, on every gurney or bed, and around the nurse’s station were slaves who had turned to soldiering. It was a quiet, resting crowd of people in basic vacsuits or stolen armour. The hundreds fell silent and most of them stared at her. Zoe wrapped herself behind her leg and Ashley found herself envying the youngster, wishing she had someone to hide behind.

  “Apologize,” spat someone in a whisper.

  The man who had led the group into the conference room the night before stepped forward and regarded her mournfully. “I’m sorry for putting you in danger yesterday.” It was a practiced apology, someone had told him what to say and how to say it.

  It was good enough for Ashley, however, who felt like the eyes on her were pressing down. They expected her to be some kind of commander, a leader. “It’s all right,” Ashley said quietly. “Thank you,” she added, not knowing why.

  The need to get herself together, to have a minute in front of a mirror before doing anything else was more urgent than ever. “I have something to take care of. I’ll be right back.” She crouched down and picked up Zoe, who buried her face in her hair.

  Former slaves quietly parted as she made her way to the medical bay’s public bathroom.

  Ashley took care of her and Zoe’s immediate needs, and wished she had time to take a shower. Instead, she let the vacsuits run a quick cleaning cycle. She activated Zoe’s without thinking, and the youngster was so surprised at the air scrubbers in her suit that her juice cup went flying across the room, Zoe leapt from where she was sitting on the counter and started running around shrieking. She was out of her vacsuit faster than Ashley could have imagined.

  Ashley picked her up stroked her head soothingly. Zoe looked at her with big, terrified eyes as she fought to catch her breath. “It’s okay, I’m sorry. It was just the scrubbers in the suit. I was a little surprised when I first tried ‘em too,” Ashley soothed. “Nowhere near that surprised, then again, I knew what an auto cleaner was.”

  “Everything okay in there?” asked Nerine through the door.

  “Just finishing up!” Ashley called back. She stepped towards the little vacsuit on the floor and changed direction as Zoe cringed. Instead she picked up the discarded juice cup and rinsed off the mouth piece before handing it to the toddler, who took it happily.

  When Zoe was busily drinking the rest of her orange breakfast drink, Ashley stooped down to pick up the vacsuit. It was eyed warily. “Let’s put this back on, ‘kay?” Ashley asked gently.

  Zoe shook her head as vigorously as she could while her mouth was on the juice cup.

  “I won’t turn on the auto scrubber again, promise. It won’t do anything funny.”

  “No!” Zoe shouted, tossing her cup in protest. It bounced off a closed bathroom stall and spun across the floor.

  Ashley looked at her with stunned shock for a moment before chuckling and shaking her head. “Guess that settles it for now.” She tucked the vacsuit into her belt. “Good thing nafalli are never really naked.” She stooped down and picked up Zoe’s cup. Before handing it back to the girl’s eager hands she warned; “Don’t throw it again, ‘kay?”

  Zoe stared at the cup, not acknowledging the conditions of its return.

  “If this hits the floor again, you’re gonna be on your own to pick it up.” Ashley reinforced as she handed the cup back.

  Ashley leaned against the counter and looked around the room as she waited for Zoe to calm down before she walked back into the main medical bay. She didn’t know what to say to the people waiting outside, she knew they expected something from her, maybe not direct leadership but, something. “What would Captain do?” she asked herself aloud.

  She tried to picture him, to remember how he spoke to her, how he treated the crew. He’d taught her so much; how to pilot a ship, how to be a part of a bridge team, even how to find her way through most port towns. There was more, a lot more, but he’d never directly started teaching her how to take charge of people. Her comm vibrated and she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw it was Oz. “How’s it going down there Ashley?”

  “I’m surrounded by liberated slaves, Zoe’s had her first hissy fit, and I look like I haven’t showered in days. On the brighter side, we’re thirty one minutes out from our destination and deceleration has gone perfectly. Oh, and it looks like comms are working down here again, otherwise we wouldn’t be talking.”

  She could hear him chuckle on his end. “Turns out the shielding around the charge chambers on a lot of the rifles manufactured on Triton burned through. Your copilot came up with a pretty simple solution.”

  “He’s been a real gem. Took care of things while I caught some sleep, not that there was much to do but watch the auto pilot run my program.”

  “I’m glad things are going smoothly down there. Everyone here is pretty anxious to get to a safe port. The fighting is over, the Captain surrendered, but there’s nothing left of the destroyer’s reactors.”

  “Too bad, that’s a big ship. Is Agameg around? I could use his help.”

  “He’s busy checking on the Botanical Gallery. I could send him up if it’s urgent.”

  “I guess it’s not urgent. I’ll get on comms if I need him. Glad he’s nearby though.”

  “It must be shoulder to shoulder down there, Agameg said there were a lot of volunteers.”

  “You said it, there’s so many I almost couldn’t get to the bathroom. What do I tell ‘em? Now that things have calmed down, what should they do?”

  “Just tell them the good news. Soon we’ll be in port and anyone who wants to stay can join
the crew and help clean up. Then we’re probably taking a privateer contract.”

  “What do they do?”

  “Send them towards the Botanical Gallery in case Agameg needs help. There’s more space for them there anyway.”

  “All right, thanks.”

  “Oh, and Ashley?”

  “Yeah?”

  “We couldn’t have done it without you.” Oz didn’t give her a chance to reply before his signal closed.

  Ashley took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Zoe put her hand over her pursed lips playfully when she was half finished. In response, she blew the last of her breath against the little hand, wheezing exaggeratedly and making a face. The toddler smiled around her cup, which seemed to have gone dry.

  “Let’s go talk to some volunteers,” Ashley said to her charge.

  It took a while for the group of liberated slaves to calm down after Ashley announced that the enemy Captain had officially surrendered and the fighting had stopped. Zoe was a little frightened and confused when they burst out into cheers but it didn’t take her long to realize that Ashley was smiling, so everything must have been all right. Before long she was looking around at the revellers with an uneasy smile, as though she were trying to understand why they were so happy.

  When the group did calm down, Ashley told them that there was room for them in the Botanical Gallery, and within minutes half of them were gone, retracing their steps towards the centre of the ship.

  “Ashley, this is David,” introduced Nerine from her left.

  She turned to face the squared jawed man. He looked only a little older than herself until she looked into his eyes. They looked like they’d seen too much, and spoke of the man’s true age. There were holes across the chest of his vacsuit, all perfectly round burn marks. The bare skin underneath looked new, like Stephanie’s mended wounds after they first took the Triton. He held a Triton security rifle across his chest, only it looked like it had been through a full on war. The muzzle had melted back several millimetres, and sealant tape covered several parts of the weapon on the main body. His smile was open and disarming. “Good to meet you, Commander.”