The Ruins of Karzelek (The Mandrake Company series Book 4)

by Lionsdrake, Ruby

  Striker was circling the craft, and he stopped near the broken drill head. He kicked something on the hull. “This has laser banks. Funny, you wouldn’t expect that on a mining ship.”

  “You would if the miners know about the cave critters,” Tick said.

  Critters. That was far too innocuous a word for anything that could tear open a ship as easily as a can of four-fin fish.

  “How long ago do you think this happened?” Sedge asked.

  Tick dug into a pocket as he gazed around thoughtfully, first at the ship, then at the ledge, then at the skull. He popped a fresh cube of gum into his mouth. “Ship’s old. It’s been here a while. Fifty, hundred years. Funny thing about the bones, though.”

  “They don’t look that old,” Sedge said.

  “They’re not.” Tick turned to look into the darkness beyond the ledge. If any daylight remained on the planet above, it wasn’t slipping through holes anywhere. Nothing but blackness lay behind the influence of the ships’ lights. “My guess is that these two came exploring at a later date, found the ship, came down to take a look, then got et before they could get away. We probably don’t want to spend the night here.”

  “Et?” Kalish asked.

  “Yup, et. Might be you two can use that one on your little Crucible game tonight.”

  “It wouldn’t be worth many points.” Sedge smiled, though he appeared tense as he gazed into the dark void all around them.

  Kalish shifted uneasily. She had been worried about ancient alien booby traps, assuming that in an armed ship capable of dealing with the rigors of space, they could handle anything the wild kingdom threw at them. That might have been a mistake.

  * * *

  Sedge lay in the narrow bunk, staring at the metal frame of the one above him and trying not to think about that wrecked ship and those skulls. But everyone had been subdued when they had returned to the ships and had taken off again. Kalish hadn’t mentioned the Crucible game they had yet to finish, instead muttering something about doing more research and then disappearing into her cabin. A shame. Sedge wouldn’t have minded a distraction. More than that, he was enjoying the challenge of playing with her. She had an unorthodox style that seemed a touch arbitrary on the surface, but the closeness of their score proved she simply had a different way of solving problems, one that was as effective as his logical approach. He imagined life with her would always be interesting. It was a shame that this mission would end before long, and they would have to part ways.

  He ordered the lights off and closed his eyes, willing himself to get some sleep. If he could. Their little fleet had flown for another two hours before settling down at the bottom of the cavern, on a flat rock field next to a stream. Sedge had felt better being down there than up on some ledge, until Tick had pointed out a couple of clawed animal prints more than four times the size of a human foot.

  Striker had volunteered to stay up for the first watch, over on one of the shuttles, and everyone else was supposed to be resting, since they would want to continue on early in the morning. It seemed strange to worry about time, or that it was even passing in this quiet, lightless place, but the miners might have found their entrance hole by now, depending on what Captain Mandrake was up to. Those ruses wouldn’t keep the locals distracted indefinitely. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough pilots that the search party could continue flying around the clock, and the caverns were too treacherous for autopilot systems.

  A soft knock sounded at the hatch.

  Kalish? Sedge hadn’t been thinking of sex—funny how seeing a mauled ship and gnawed human bones could drive such things from a man’s brain—but it leaped to the forefront of his mind now. Who else would come knock on his door?

  Sedge sat up before he remembered how low the bunk above him was. He clunked his forehead on its frame, groaned, and rolled out of bed. “Come in,” he said before remembering that the ship did not have automatic doors. “Lights,” he added and reached for the wheel that opened the hatch.

  It opened before he touched it. He smiled warmly, expecting Kalish to walk in, perhaps wanting to drive dark thoughts away by finishing their game. Or perhaps by starting... a new type of game. His body warmed at the thought.

  But it wasn’t Kalish who walked into the little cabin. Her younger sister stood there, wearing silky pajamas that dipped low in the front, revealing a hint of cleavage.

  Sedge swallowed and stepped back, unsettled both because he had been thinking of her as more of a kid than a woman and because he couldn’t think of any good reason why she would have knocked on his door. He immediately started thinking of excuses, afraid he would get caught in the appearance of a situation he had no wish to be in.

  Conscious of the fact that he had taken his shirt off for bed, as he usually did, he swallowed and said, “Can I help you?”

  Tia looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on his torso and crotch, then gave him a sultry smile. “Oh, I think you can.”

  Sedge could scarcely keep from gawking at her brazenness. He hadn’t been self-assured enough to be so forward at twenty. Hell, he wasn’t now.

  “I...” Am panicking. Stop it. Just shove her out the door, and you’re fine. Sedge held up a hand, palm toward her. “I’m sure you’re very nice and, ah, have good taste in ice cream, but I didn’t come aboard looking for bedroom company.”

  No, then why aren’t you sleeping on one of the shuttles?

  Because I would rather have my own room than bunk with Striker and Tick. Especially Striker.

  Sure, keep telling yourself that, buddy. While you’re at it, stop talking to yourself.

  “Are you sure?” Tia asked, thrusting her chest toward him. “Sometimes we find things we weren’t looking for, and it’s fortuitous. Like a lucky penny.”

  Sedge made a point of not looking at that chest, even if she, like her older sister, had some appealing curves. He didn’t want to bodily shove her out the door, but he would if she didn’t accept his rejection and walk out on her own. For the moment, he kept his back to the far wall, more comfortable with space between them.

  “Not this time.” He extended his hand toward the door. “Have a good night.”

  “You would prefer Kalish?”

  Uh, how was he supposed to answer that without offending her? Or confessing to something he wasn’t sure he should, not to Kalish’s family, at least not first. He hadn’t even been that forthcoming with her. “I’m just here to help find the ruins.”

  She was watching his face now, her eyes difficult to read. She was attractive, which was part of why he felt so uncomfortable with her in his room. Did she make a habit of trying to steal men interested in her older sister? What if Kalish walked in and caught them together? Would she immediately assume he was an asshole who had invited Tia to come here?

  “Mingus used to proposition me,” Tia said.

  “What?” Sedge asked, thrown by the non sequitur. “That was... the last boyfriend?” Or had it been the business partner she spoke of with reservation? He remembered the name coming up, but Kalish hadn’t shared anything specific with him.

  “The slimy bastard who was only sleeping with my sister to try and get some of her money, yes,” Tia said, animosity creeping into her voice. She had dropped her sultry, chest-out pose and scowled, less at him and more at the wall beside him. “She didn’t see it, even after almost a year together. Oh, he flew the ship and helped out with the business, I guess, but he was just trying to get her to make him a partner. I can’t believe she didn’t see it. She’s supposed to be the smart one in the family.” Tia rolled her eyes. “I knew he was a bastard the first time we met. Whenever Kalish wasn’t around, he would try to get me to sleep with him. He was gross too, rubbing his crotch and looking me up and down. He kept accidentally pushing me up against the wall. He wasn’t like that around Kalish, of course, but I saw that side of him right away. If I had been here from the beginning, I could have told her, kept her from falling for him, but he was a smooth talker.” She squin
ted at him, as if suspecting him of the same crime.

  Sedge almost choked. As if he could smooth talk anyone. He was doing well if he could flirt with a woman at a bar without sneezing in her drink.

  “She finally saw through his smarmy charm,” Tia went on, “and kicked him out when he started pressing for that partnership, but he still made off with over ten thousand in artifacts. Bastard.”

  Sedge spread his hands, not certain what she wanted him to say, or why she was telling him all of this.

  “All right, good,” Tia said, as if he had spoken. She nodded curtly then gave him the dimpled smile that seemed more natural to her, the one that made her seem young. “Good night, salted caramel.” She winked at him and left, shutting the hatch softly behind her.

  Sedge stared at the closed door for several moments, trying to work out what had happened. Had that been a test? To see if he could be trusted to be faithful to Kalish? That seemed odd when they didn’t even have a relationship, not yet, anyway. Maybe Kalish had confessed something to her younger sister, feelings for him perhaps? Dare he hope?

  But maybe that had been a warning as much as a test. A warning to stay away from Kalish, or at least not think of her and her treasure-hunting nose as a path to riches. Sedge slumped against the wall. As if he would have gone into the military if money were the most important thing in the galaxy to him.

  Sedge lay back on the bed, but he didn’t turn off the lights. The situation—or more precisely, the hit of adrenaline it had brought—had left him wide awake. He thought of Kalish, wishing she would wander into his cabin in sexy pajamas. No, it wouldn’t be practical, not when there were creatures out there that could tear open the side of a ship with teeth and claws. Still, he was keeping his boots and weapons close, as he always did on a mission. Surely playing a game together, or even holding hands again, wouldn’t put them in a disadvantageous state. Was she up right now? Lying awake in her cabin and unable to sleep? What would she do if he knocked at her door? Just to check on her, to see if she wanted to talk...

  She would probably be suspicious of his motives. Even if he had saved her life, he was still a mercenary, perhaps nothing more in her eyes. Maybe she believed that he would be like this Mingus person, someone who was attracted to her because she had some money—or could find things of value that were worth money. By her words, she had spent most of what she had to hire Mandrake Company. He felt guilty about that. He liked her enough that he would be happy to help her for free.

  His mind drifted back to his earlier musings about Kalish’s father. Maybe he could help her. If she would only tell him the details about that, he might be able to think up a creative way to get him back for her, one that didn’t hinge on her being able to find some ancient relics that may or may not be there. If some underground heathen was the one who was blackmailing her, someone in Mandrake Company might have contacts that could help. Even if the captain tried to stay on the straight side of the law most of the time, the mercenaries had engaged in contracts often enough with shady characters to know more than a few. Some of them even owed the company favors.

  An idea leaped into his mind, and Sedge sat up, almost clunking his head on the bunk again. Maybe he could find out for himself what had happened to Kalish’s father. If there had been communications with someone and they had taken place here, the records should be on the ship. If he understood the situation fully, he might be able to work with the company to surprise her with a solution.

  Sedge chewed on the side of his mouth. He wanted to leap in heroically, to help her, but would she appreciate it? She was an independent and capable woman. Maybe she wanted to find her own solution, do things her way. But if this was her father, and she loved him, wouldn’t she want him safe and back with the family? No matter who made that happen?

  “Let’s figure out where he is first,” Sedge muttered, reaching for his boots and shirt. It would be a moot point if he didn’t have the power or contacts to do anything.

  He checked the time before leaving his room. It was late, but Tia had still been up. Would Kalish or the mother still be up? What if they caught him wandering around the ship? The bridge would be the likely place where communications had been received, so if there was a record, the computers up there should have it. If he heard some footsteps, he could shut down the computer and pretend he had simply gone up to look at the view because he couldn’t sleep.

  Nodding, Sedge slipped into the corridor. The lights had been dimmed for the night, and only a few glowing buttons and backlit displays on the bridge cast illumination, a reddish blue that was enough to guide him in that direction. He called up the view screen before sitting in the pilot’s chair, and he gazed out at the cavern for a while. They did have an arresting view from their landing spot beside the creek, with striated red and brown walls rising up on the sides, forming arches overhead. Fortunately, he didn’t see any hungry, giant animals strolling toward them. Something that reminded him of a mix between a bird and a bat had landed on Thatcher’s shuttle, but it did not appear too inimical.

  Sedge listened as he gazed, trying to hear sounds that would indicate others were up. When fifteen minutes passed, and he didn’t hear a hatch creaking open or so much as a footstep coming from the corridor, he leaned forward and touched his fingers to the control panel. He thought about closing the hatch to the bridge, but that would make it more suspicious if he was found in here; a man did not need to be locked in a room to canyon gaze.

  The control panel lit up beneath his fingers, but a retina scan came up immediately, telling him only recognized eyeballs would be allowed access. Well, he knew a few workarounds for that. He pulled out his tablet and set his base-level security hacking program to work, not expecting too much resistance from the old freighter.

  As it hummed away, it occurred to him that Kalish wouldn’t appreciate this intrusion if she caught him. Her mother might try to shoot him.

  You’re not going to get caught. You’re a trained spy.

  Please, I’m trained to stay in the rear and catch spies.

  His hacking program beat the retina scan, giving Sedge access to the computer. As soon as he started digging around, he forgot his qualms. He was committed now. Best to get in and out before he was discovered. Easier said than done. His program had won him access to the navigation controls. Another password guarded the files on the mainframe, this one requesting a simple text entry. He reached for his tablet, to call up another routine, but paused, his hand hovering in the air. Tia was the one up here most of the time, so she may have been the one to set the passwords.

  Sedge typed in honey lavender. The computer flashed a red “Wrong password” at him. Not sure of how many attempts he could make before he was locked out, he almost reached for his tablet again, but two more possibilities floated into his mind.

  Edgardo Garcia? No. What had the racquetball player’s name been? Oh, yes. Nikolay Volkov.

  As soon as he entered that last v, the files opened to him. He hunched over the keyboard, his fingers flying faster than he could have spoken voice commands. He didn’t want to speak, anyway, not when someone might wander out to the lavatory at any moment.

  He dipped into the communications records, scanning through recent exchanges with Mandrake Company, earlier ones with a banker, and some with people who shared the family surname. A series of comm calls received from a Dirk Cometrunner caught his eye. That sounded vaguely familiar. A pirate captain? Sedge would have to check the network, something that might be difficult from down here. He hadn’t tried to comm out yet, but with tons and tons of rock over their heads, he expected the signal to be weak.

  Sedge entered a couple of commands to get text versions of what had been video calls and scanned through the conversations, starting with the earliest date. He read less than a sentence before he knew he had struck pay dirt. His heart pounded rapidly, the silence so thick that he heard it against his eardrums. It was as if he were about to leap into battle, not simply skim through someone else’
s mail.

  Kalish Blackwell, you’ll perhaps remember me as the buyer of the Stalingrad Ruby that you put up for auction last year. The piece was truly exquisite and the lady friend of mine who received it was grateful. Very grateful. Out of curiosity, I looked you up, wondering how you came to own the ruby. I see you’ve had a lucrative treasure hunting career, despite your young age. I salute you. There is a treasure I have been seeking for some time, one that may or may not exist, at least according to the academics. The system is big, and I believe one of these particular treasures must have survived, at least one, if not more. An intact one. I am talking, of course, of something the ancient aliens most assuredly left behind in their haste to leave. One of their faster-than-light spaceships. Such a find would be invaluable for what it could tell our scientists, and I, of course, have seen and done everything in our system. I am ready for the next great adventure, to return to Old Earth and find out what happened to the world from which we all came, the world that never sent another ship after the initial wave of colonists came to our system, the world we have only speculated about for the last fifteen hundred years.

  Ah, but I’m certain you’re not interested in my passions and my plans. You only need to know that I want one of those ships, and I’m certain one still exists. I will trust you to find it for me.

  I hope you will forgive my presumptuousness, but I am going to assume you won’t be interested in dropping all of your current projects and becoming my employee, so I have made some arrangements to assure I get what I want.

  Your father was recently traveling to a conference on Dekaron VI. Alas, he was delayed. He has come to be a guest on my ship. He is safe, and will remain so as long as you return my message and confirm that you are willing to perform this task for me.

  Should you become distracted or attempt to stage a rescue instead of simply embarking on this hunt, I fear I cannot guarantee his safety. It’s my crew, you see. They’re loyal to me, but an unreliable lot when it comes to guests. I’m sure that as someone who works with family, you have experienced the whims of an unreliable crew as well, such as your mother and young sister...