Sparky pointed down at Billy’s new station. “Right. As you can see, we have manual control sticks and auxiliary gauges if we lose power, or if someone slices our system. I’ve never seen them used.” Sparky shrugged. “But, there’s always that possibility.”
Sparky reached towards his station and pulled the two holo-screens over and put them up in the middle of the bridge. He grabbed each screen and stretched the sides to make them bigger. “Here are the Bane’s performance stats,” the engineer said, studying Billy’s face for his reaction.
Billy’s eyes widened as he digested the data. He grimaced and squinted his eyes at Sparky. “Bollocks.” He turned and pointed at the screens. “There’s no way this class of ship can reach those speeds, let alone maneuver like that. The delta vee would break us in half.”
Sparky’s lip curled up into a smirk. “Very well, O ye of little faith. You’ll see soon enough. I’ve made a lot of special modifications myself.” Sparky moved back to his station and sat down.
Billy wondered if he’d pissed off the chief engineer.
“You know, you better be as advertised.” Sparky said, looking intently at one of his screens.
Billy had been watching Boomer and missed what Sparky said. “I’m sorry?” he said, turning in Sparky’s direction.
“You better be a good pilot.” Sparky looked around, like he was looking to see if anyone else was listening. “Our last one… Well, he didn’t work out,” he said with a devilish grin, drawing his finger across his neck.
“Mr. McAndrews?” Boomer called from across the bridge. “Please come over here.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, already on his way to the gunner’s station.
“As pilot, you and I shall have to work together from time to time during battle,” she said.
Billy’s smile died on his lips. Oh yeah, battle.
Boomer called up a few large holo-screens. Diagrams of the ship’s weapons systems floated in front of them. Billy looked on with interest.
Boomer watched Billy’s expression. “What’s your military background? What did you fly?”
“Imperial fleet, heavy freighter pilot.”
“You ever fire weapons? Have you ever been in ship to ship combat?” she asked.
Billy felt awkward. “Uh, no… Well, yeah, in simulations.”
Boomer rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t count.”
Billy felt a stab of anger. “Actually, I was in ship to ship combat yesterday,” he said, not quite keeping the anger from his voice.
Sparky suddenly stood up from his seat. “I have to go see a man about a razor horn,” he said, speed walking off the bridge.
Billy laughed, shaking his head. It came out a bit forced. Maybe I had better not piss her off.
She seemed glad for the distraction, and quickly went back to the topic at hand, pointing at the diagram of the railguns. The circular turrets were mounted on the forward quarter of the ship, one to port, one to starboard.
“As you can see, each turret can fire three hundred and sixty degrees around the z-axis.” The holo-screen showed the arc of fire, as she indicated.
“However, they can only traverse forty-five degrees from our centerline,” she said, as the animation updated to show the new arc of fire.
Billy nodded absently. “I see. Sometimes you’ll need me to steer the ship into the direction you’re firing on.”
Boomer looked pleased. “Yes. You’ll get an indication on your HUD when I’m tracking targets at the edge of my targeting window.”
She pulled the other holo-screen over in front of the first. “As you can see here, along with our ventral railguns, we have two missile bays, and multiple PDCs,” she said, as each weapon system was highlighted on the 3D diagram.
Billy’s face clouded over. He turned to look Boomer in the eye. “Did you fire those shots into my engines?” he asked, point blank.
She cocked her head slightly, and folded her arms across her chest. “No. I fired the vampire that took over your ship. Captain Grizz of the Inferno fired the shots disabling your engines.” She shook her head. “His decision cost us a lot of money.”
Billy’s anger welled deep inside, trying to burst out. His breath quickened. “And that’s what it’s all about,” he said flatly.
Her face tightened. “I’m afraid so.”
“Did you kill everyone on my ship?” he asked.
She paused, measuring her response. “Yes, we did.”
Billy fought to maintain his composure. He could feel it slipping.
“We didn’t know the engine damage was so extensive until it was too late. If Captain Lex had known that we didn’t have time to fix the engines, he wouldn’t have spaced everyone on board. We do kill people, pilot, but not for sport,” Boomer said evenly.
Billy scoffed. His anger continued to grow. “Well, that’s not much of a consolation is it?”
Boomer uncrossed her arms. She grabbed Billy by the collar and slammed him hard into the bulkhead next to her station. Her face was distorted with rage.
Billy saw bright flash of light when his head bounced off the metal wall. He was completely stunned. His mouth gaped open like a fish inhaling air. He could not reconcile that this woman, that was a full head shorter than him, had just swung him like a ragdoll into the wall.
Bloody hell, she has combat mods.
Billy looked down into her face, he saw unbridled anger. He dared not speak.
“Mr. McAndrews,” she said, in a slow, measured tone. “Welcome to the fringe. You may not have wanted this, but here you are… For now.”
She still held his collar, pinning him to the wall, with more strength and he would’ve believed. His anger was long gone. Now, all he felt was fear.
“Don’t you dare look down on me from your high horse. Life is hard out here. So, you better be too… If you want the opportunity to buy out. You get me?” Boomer said, with steel in her voice.
Billy nodded vigorously. He opened his mouth to speak and only squeaked. She relaxed pressure against his chest. He took in a deep breath, and put his hands up placatingly.
“I get you,” he said, rubbing the back of his head.” I get you. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,” he stammered.
Sparky laughed.
When did he get back? How much of that did he see?
“Ooh. What did I miss?” he said jovially. “You tell him about our last pilot?”
CHAPTER 19
Compared to his last cabin, this one was like a closet inside a dungeon. A narrow flip-down bunk filled a quarter of the room. A wardrobe filled another quarter. A small desk and chair set at the far end of the cabin. He was thankful to see his bag was in there, and all his possessions remained as he had left them. The WC was small. A sink and mirror. The toilet flipped down and was actually in the shower. A slight breeze came from the ceiling. A small air vent emitted warm, fresh air. Robert noted that the ship’s air scrubbers must be very well maintained.
Robert sighed and sank down on to his bunk. He ran his hand over the blanket. It was a smooth synthetic cotton, it was old, but at least it was clean. He sighed again, and lay back on his bunk. What am I going to do? What can I do? Robert’s mind wandered. He turned his situation over and over in his head. There were no good outcomes.
His door chimed. He straightened up and unlocked the door from his holoscreen. “Come in,” he said.
Dr. John Drake stepped in and looked around, frowning. “I take it your quarters are far more luxurious?” Robert asked.
Drake laughed. “Luxurious is hardly the word I would choose, but it is quite a bit bigger than this. They are located just next to the med bay.”
Robert pulled out the small chair at the end of the room.
John nodded his thanks and sat. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a flask and offered it to Robert. Robert smiled. He went to his wardrobe and reached into his bag. Robert sat back down with his own flask. Drake chuckled. They toasted, each took a long pull.
&
nbsp; “What the hell are we going to do, Robert?” John asked.
“I guess we’ll just have to improvise,” Robert replied. Drake took another long pull on his flask.
John shook his head. “What exactly do they mean for you to do?”
Robert shrugged. “I don’t rightly know. However, I imagine it’s going to be thoroughly unenjoyable.”
“As I understand it, the raiders are responsible for retrieving cargo after the strikers have pacified the crew. I would imagine, you’ll be moving cargo.”
Robert grimaced. “Wonderful. I get to move crates of stolen goods… I hope that’s all it is, but I can’t help but think there is something more to it.”
“Hmm, quite possible. I’ve noticed this ship is in rather good repair. I certainly hope you don’t have to swab the decks,” John said with a smirk.
Robert laughed. “I think I can handle that. Though it has been a while since I was a cadet at the military academy.”
“Yes, the military is certainly good for gaining skill in the janitorial arts,” John said with a chuckle.
John glanced around the room again. It seemed to Robert that he was looking for something. Robert gave him a questioning look.
“Do you suppose there are any audio pickups in here?” John asked.
Robert shrugged again. “It’s certainly possible.”
John leaned towards Robert conspiratorially. “We need to figure a way out of here,” he whispered.
“Agreed. However, that seems unlikely for the time being.” Robert whispered back then took another drink.
John frowned slightly. “Are you saying we should just give up?”
“Of course not. But we lack the resources to escape at the moment.”
John sipped from his flask then nodded. “Very true. For now, we should keep our eyes open and learn what we can about the ship and her crew.”
“All we can do right now is survive,” Robert said.
A weary smirk flashed across Robert’s face. “I guess we’ll just have to reconcile ourselves to our new trade.”
They sat in silence for a few moments while contemplating their situation.
John spoke up. “Do you suppose they killed the rest of the passengers?”
“Did you see the pirates taking people in groups of ten off the promenade deck?” Robert asked.
“Well, yes, but there were staterooms in that direction,” John said.
“There was also the starboard airlock,” Robert said. “And by my estimation, the airlock could fit about ten, maybe twelve people.”
“My God…” John drank again.
“If they’re planning to sell the Pegasus, or part her out, I would think they would see the passengers as an obstacle. Or perhaps they just blew her out of the sky. I have to admit, I’m curious.” Robert sipped his scotch again, shaking his head. “Such barbarism.”
“True. However, I must say,” John began, “these pirates are not what I expected. For a bunch of cutthroats and murderers, they’ve been almost civil.”
“I expect you’ll be treated well. After all, you’ll most likely be treating their wounds sometime in the future,” Robert said.
“Hmm. Point taken.”
“You had best watch out for that fellow you knocked down. I overheard some of the other pirates ribbing him about it. I fear he’s not the sort of chap to let bygones be bygones.”
“According to the Articles we just signed, I should be safe.” Robert took another drink. “I guess I’ll have to grow eyes in the back of my head.”
The air vent hummed to life again. The soft swish of air circled the room.
John cleared his throat.
“I must say, I’m intrigued with Boomer,” John began, a slight grin on his face. “She’s obviously high born. I wonder how she ended up with these rogues? She clearly doesn’t belong here, and yet she seems to have some sort of authority.”
“She’s master gunner here.” Robert sipped from his flask again. “I wonder where a fine, upstanding young lady learns those skills?”
John considered this, shaking his head.
There was something else. Something they both left unsaid. It was possible that Boomer was far more famous than Robert Taylor Ford. Neither man spoke of it, for the moment.
Dr. Drake stood and put his flask back in his coat pocket. “Duty calls. I have work to do in the med bay before I get some shuteye.”
“Very well, I’m going to try to get some sleep. I’m to report to the cargo bay at 06:00,” Robert said.
John groaned. “Good luck with that. I hope it’s not as bad as it seems.”
The Doctor stepped into the corridor and the door hissed shut behind him.
CHAPTER 20
Robert stepped into the Hell’s Bane cargo bay. He had been loaned a set of dirty coveralls. They were originally orange with florescent stripes on the cuffs of the arms and legs. Now they were a burnt umber with several mystery stains. Robert tried to ignore the horrible smell of them. He was not used to being so intimate with filth. He tried to breathe through his mouth. He was only marginally successful.
He gaped at the size of the cargo bay. He understood that in a cargo ship the largest place would, of course, be the cargo bay. But now that he stood here, he was surprised at the vast space. It was about a hundred meters long, forty meters wide, and the ceiling had to be every bit of ten meters. The floor was gunmetal gray with a dark grid overlay of two meter squares. There were several large crates that seemed custom-made for the grids. They were locked to the floor with right angle brackets on the corners.
Across the forward bulkhead were power slots that looked like they were carved into the wall for the exo-loaders. They stood motionless, with power receptacles plugged into their hips. Two more exo-loaders stood off to the side. They were half disassembled, undoubtedly being stripped for spare parts. They appeared well-used and the tech itself appeared decades old. The paint peeled and the bodies were dented from untold hours of abuse. A little further down the wall four hover pallets were plugged into a portable charging unit. They looked nearly as beat up as the exo-loaders. On a table nearby, someone had the guts of a hover pallet spread out like a jigsaw puzzle in work.
One hundred meters to the aft Robert could make out a catwalk and some stairs. There seemed to be some larger doors, perhaps a machine shop? Or engineering?
Robert’s nose was assaulted yet again. His face wrinkled up in disgust. What is that? What could possibly smell so bad? He took a few uncertain steps forward, and saw seven people standing around the table in the far corner. All were wearing coveralls. Mostly orange, some yellow, all dirty. He put on a brave face.
“Well looky here. Here’s our new fish,” Deke said, his voice dripping with disdain. He swiped his hand to bring up the chronograph. “At least you’re on time. You better always be on time.”
Deke gestured towards one of the exo-loaders standing by itself. The smell grew worse and Robert realized they were heading for the source. The exo-loader was a bipedal cargo mover that stood over three meters tall. This exo-loader was covered in blue slime from chest to feet. Robert tried to keep the horrified look off his face. He noticed that Deke seemed to be unaffected by the smell. How was this man able to take full breaths without choking?
A new smell was added. There was a circular container full of a clear fluid. It smelled strong, some sort of petrochemical cleaning solvent, with a small brush light next to it. Robert had a bad feeling he knew what today’s task was going to be. He hoped he could do it without retching.
Deke stabbed his finger at Robert’s chest. He was taller, and his chest was broader than the raider foreman. Deke’s eyes narrowed. He seemed to weigh Robert’s capabilities against his own.
“Let me tell you something, because perhaps you don’t quite understand how shaky the ground you stand on is. One word from me that you’re not holding up your end of the bargain, by being in here and working, then you’re going to have a bad day. Just so I’m clear. If
you don’t do everything I say, when I say, I’ll tell the captain, and Digg will space you,” Deke said.
Robert took a deep breath. It would seem that his very life was in the hands of this weasel-faced man on a power trip. Robert continued to look at him, taking slow deep breaths. Anger bubbled inside his chest. He couldn’t trust himself to speak.
Deke saw his inner struggle and smirked. “Good man. Best to get that pride tucked back, deep down inside.” He turned, gesturing to the disgusting mess all over the exo-loader. “You can leave when this thing is spotless. Not before.” Deke stalked back to the table where several of the raiders were playing cards.
Robert sighed and assessed the job before him. If he could set aside his squeamishness this might not take so long. He picked up the small brush. The foul blue goop was centimeters thick in some places. He looked around and found another cylindrical container to deposit the goop in.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Chief Engineer Sparky now stood near the card players as he addressed Deke. Robert could not hear the words, but he could certainly read body language. Deke was angry still, but it wasn’t just that. He walked up to Sparky, getting into the man’s personal space. Robert watched with interest while still trying to scrape vile blue stuff. Deke backed up. Sparky had said something that caused him to quickly calm down. Deke threw up his hands and started walking aft.
While Deke and Sparky argued, a young woman slipped away from the crowd. She walked briskly towards Robert. She looked over her shoulder, when she was confident no one was paying any attention to her, she tugged down on the zipper of her coveralls, allowing ample cleavage to spill out. She looked around one last time.
Robert was down on his hands and knees scraping goo from the exo-loader. In his peripheral vision, he saw a redheaded girl. Perhaps girl was not correct. She was a young adult, but something made her seem younger.
She dropped down on all fours right in front of him. Robert looked up and offered a polite smile to the young woman. Her green eyes sparkled coquettishly and before he could stop himself his eyes were drawn to her breasts, barely covered now. Despite himself, Robert had a hard time pulling his eyes away. He finally managed to look back up to her grinning face.
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