We Happy Few: The Leviathan Universe 2138

by Edward D. Hudson

  Digg wiped excess oil out of the breech. “Maybe we should talk to Shred. It might be a good idea to schedule some VR battle drills.”

  “Agreed. And you successfully changed the subject,” Hack said with a smile.

  Digg grimaced. “I thought you might have the grace to drop it.”

  Hack looked down the squad bay. Boomer and Makoto were still at work. “Stop pining for her, brother. In fact, forget about her. She’s from a completely different world. She may as well be a bloody alien.”

  Digg grew quiet. His eyes went to the table. “Of course, you’re right.” He looked Hack straight in the eye. “And I’m not pining for her.”

  Hack smiled and went back to sharpening his blade. Digg knew Hack said what he wanted to say, and would probably drop the subject now.

  “I’ll tell you this, there is something off about him.”

  “Ford?” Hack asked.

  “Yeah, he’s not what he seems. Mark my words,” Digg said, turning his head towards Boomer.

  “She’ll see eventually.”

  Hack scoffed. “I think that ponce is just that. A spoiled rich boy, nothing more... I’ll tell you who is not what he seems,” Hack said.

  Digg raised his eyebrows to ask the question.

  “Doctor Drake.”

  Digg’s face puckered. “What the bloody hell are you talking about?”

  “You mean you don’t see it? That guy is sketchy as hell,” Hack said.

  Digg shook his head. “What? You think he’s not a doctor?”

  “No, no. I’m sure he’s a doctor, but there’s something about him. I can’t put my finger on what it is.”

  Digg laughed. “You’re bloody crazy, mate.”

  Hack smiled. “Mark my words.”

  “Hack, you reckon we should stay on here?” Digg asked.

  Hack’s eyebrows shot up. “What you mean? You want to leave?”

  Digg breathed out. “No… I don’t know.” He blew some debris out of the trigger assembly. “I mean, we’ve been out here for a long time. Maybe it’s time to quit while we’re ahead. We each have plenty of coin, even after buying out, we’ll each have a hell of a lot of money.”

  Hack frowned. “What exactly will we do? Bounty hunters?”

  Digg wrinkled his nose. “Nah. I hate those wankers.”

  Hack grinned mischievously. “Let’s be constables on some rim world.”

  They both laughed heartily at the notion.

  “Can you imagine that?” Digg said still laughing. “That’s rich.”

  “Well, it would have to be a rim world, someplace where we’re not known. Who knows, we can find wives, have kids, maybe open a bar?”

  Digg laughed again. “I could never be a bartender. Dealing with a bunch of drunk arseholes? No thanks.”

  Hack shrugged. “Then what? Day jobs?”

  “Not in this lifetime.”

  Hack rubbed down his blade with an oiled cloth and slid it back into its sheath. “Enough of this crazy talk. You know as well as I do, we’re doing the one thing we’re good at. Now, put that woman your out of mind, focus on your work.”

  Digg shrugged. “I guess you’re right. I think I just need some R&R.”

  Hack clapped his hands together. “Damn right. We need some wine, women, and song.”

  “Well, we’ll need to fill our holds with more cargo before we can hit Free Port.” Digg said, as he reassembled his auto-rifle.

  Hack sighed. “Soon, very soon. But still not soon enough.”

  CHAPTER 29

  Robert was on his hands and knees, scraping a deck plate track. His attention was completely focused on his task. He grew more mentally and physically numb each day. He learned to ignore the raiders’ comments and laughter at his expense. He almost didn’t hear the footsteps until he was upon him.

  He looked up to see Captain Lex standing before him. He stopped scraping, unsure what to say, or what this was about.

  Lex surveyed the deck plates. He could see Robert’s progress. He nodded approvingly. “You know,” he started in his baritone voice. “Every new raider starts with this shit job. And I’m sure you can tell, we haven’t had a new raider in quite some time.”

  “Yes, Captain. I can tell.” Robert said.

  Lex shifted his weight, and seemed he was about to walk away. Robert summoned his courage and asked a question that had been on his mind for some time.

  “Captain, may I ask about your nano-cloaks?”

  Lex appraised Robert for a moment. He was dirty, his hair was disheveled, and he had not shaved a while. Robert seemed to be a different man than the one Lex met many months ago. Lex nodded.

  “I’ve not heard of any other pirates, or anyone outside the acting community, using nano-cloaks like your men do.”

  The hint of a smile showed at the edges of Lex’s mouth. “I suspect it won’t be long before others are doing it. Once word gets out, there will be many to repeat what we have started.”

  “I would imagine.” Robert set down his scraper and sat up.

  “I must say, having a background in the theater, you and your men sure know how to make a grand entrance.” Robert ventured a smile.

  Lex grinned now. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He took a knee next to Robert. “You know, Mr. Ford, in that regard, we might not be so different. We put on a very dramatic show. Perhaps not to entertain as you would. But if we can scare people into submission, then there’s less chance of one of mine getting hurt while fighting.”

  “Have you read Shakespeare, Captain?”

  Lex shook his head.

  “Shakespeare was a master of drama.” Robert said, his eyes focusing on something far away.

  “His stories have offered commentary on the human condition for over eight hundred years. And that commentary is so compelling that his words can still spring off the page in an era that is vastly different from his.”

  “Some would say his works are no longer relevant,” Robert continued. “I would certainly disagree. I would also add Beowulf and the Epic of Gilgamesh as still relevant. Many of the dramatic holo-vids out there today take his original plots and recycle them.

  Lex considered this. He nodded slowly.

  “You see, when your strikers swarmed onto the Pegasus, I immediately knew they were wearing nano-cloaks. But, their sound and fury still had your desired effect on me. I knew what I was seeing was drama elevated,” Robert paused to collect his thoughts. “Elevated from the stage, to the airlock of the luxury liner full of unsuspecting patrons.” He chuckled softly.

  “Theatergoers, essentially. If unwilling. And I was rendered nearly as helpless as my fellow theatergoers.”

  “Nearly…” Lex repeated his word. “I recall you putting Digg down with a brass pipe.”

  “I suppose I was able to compose myself faster, considering I knew what sort of drama was unfolding before me,” Robert said thoughtfully.

  He looked up to meet Lex’s gaze. “Perhaps you might benefit from some Shakespeare.” He picked his scraper back up.

  Lex stood, beginning to see what Boomer saw. “Perhaps.” He turned and left.

  He stepped into the hall, heading towards the bridge. He lifted his head ever so slightly. “Bane.”

  “Yes, Captain?” The ship’s AI said in a voice nearly as deep as Lex’s.

  “Download the collective works of Shakespeare.”

  “Define parameters.” Bane stated.

  “Ebook, audio, video, holo-vid.” Lex replied.

  “Searching. Downloading. Estimated time to download, two hours and twenty-five minutes.” Bane said.

  Lex frowned. “Why so long?”

  “There are 28.2 yottabytes of material to download,” Bane replied.

  Lex gave a low whistle. “Very well, place the files the public partition, and let me know when the download is completed.”

  “Affirmative, Captain.”

  CHAPTER 30

  The galley was unusually crowded. The dozen seats at the bar
were full, as were most of the booths and tables. There were no set meal times, so the crew would come and go as hunger struck. Unfortunately, Bosun Shred was not in the kitchen cooking. Robert returned from the food processor with his tray. He had a slab of vat grown meat, and something that looked like potatoes.

  He placed his tray on the table and sat down next to John Drake. Billy and Sparky sat opposite. All were already eating their food and drinking beer.

  “Nice to see you bathed before dinner,” John chided.

  Robert had stripped off his dirty coveralls at his first opportunity. He sat with his usual dark slacks, white collared shirt, and vest. He gave Drake a sidelong glance. “I may be condemned to do menial tasks on a pirate ship, but that doesn’t mean I can’t dress appropriately for dinner.”

  John chuckled. “At least you’ve not lost your sense of civility.”

  Since joining the pirate fleet, Robert had been known to lose his sense of civility from time to time. Robert knew John had seen him wander into the galley, dirty and disheveled. He would grab a quick bite, or sometimes just a bottle of alcohol.

  Billy set down his glass of beer. “So, how are you holding out down there?”

  Robert shrugged. “It’s clear that Deke doesn’t care for me. Nigel, on the other hand, is a very amiable chap.”

  Chief engineer Sparky glanced over his shoulder to see the group of raiders sitting in a far booth. “Has Ruby made her move on you yet?” he said with a salacious grin. “She fancies you, it’s plain to see.”

  Robert looked chagrined. “What makes you say that, Sparky?”

  “Ruby has a habit of unzipping her coveralls to give her target an eyeful of cleavage. This morning, as she walked to the cargo bay, I saw her pull her zipper down,” the chief engineer said with a grin.

  John Drake’s eyebrows shot up as he peered at Robert waiting for his response.

  Robert continued to look chagrined, as he tried not to look in the raiders direction. “One could not fail to notice,” he said with a mirthless chuckle.

  Robert’s dinner companions shared a laugh at his expense. Billy turned to look and saw that Ruby was indeed checking out the raiders newest worker.

  “Just be careful. She may fancy you, but Deke fancies her. Now, I can’t tell you if they are in fact doing the deed. Either way, you may have noticed that he’s very protective of her,” Sparky offered.

  “Yes, I certainly have noticed that,” Robert replied.

  Doctor Drake surreptitiously stole a glance in her direction and cleared his throat. “Well, she is rather attractive.” He looked at Sparky. “Is she crazy? Or otherwise flawed?” he asked.

  Sparky laughed again. “I don’t know if I would call her crazy. Spirited, maybe. But, what Ruby wants, Ruby usually gets.”

  Robert looked uncomfortable. He couldn’t help it, he looked up to meet Ruby’s steady gaze. She smiled. He went back to eating his dinner after only briefly holding her gaze.

  “She seems a wild one,” the doctor said.

  Sparky arched his eyebrow and the corner of his lip turned slightly up. “Yes. Yes she is.”

  Drake had a knowing sparkle in his eye. “Oh, really? Do tell.”

  Robert gave him a reproachful look. “Come now, John.”

  Sparky continued to grin. “Yeah, well. She was a lot of fun for a brief period of time, but she moved on. Luckily, I’m not the sort to fall in love just because a lass is good in the sack.”

  Drake chuckled again, and continued chewing his food. Billy stole another glance. Sparky noticed it and smiled. “Don’t worry, Billy. I’d imagine you’ll be her target at some point.”

  Billy shrugged. “Fine by me,” he said as he picked up his beer and took a gulp.

  The galley doors hissed open. Digg, Hack, and Bosun Shred burst through so quickly, the doors nearly didn’t open in time.

  “Oy! It seems we have a wanted man in our midst.” Digg bellowed as all conversations came to a halt.

  “No shit. You’ve described everyone here.” Sparky said over his shoulder. Laughter erupted across the galley.

  Digg scowled. “That’s not what I meant. We have someone in this room that’s worth a bounty of two million coin.” The trio of strikers stalked over to Robert’s table.

  Robert went cold inside. I guess they had to find out at some point. He maintained his composure, and tried to look disinterested as he continued to eat his meal.

  Digg threw up a large holo-screen for all to see. It was a cached news feed showing the crime scene. A luxurious bedroom with ivory white furniture and bedding splattered in blood. Robert’s picture, taken from the Imperial Shakespearean theater’s website hung in the corner of the holo- screen. Digg turned up the volume.

  “A brutal double homicide has occurred in the posh blue sector. The bodies of Marissa St. Thomas and Armand Rousseau were discovered this morning. They were in bed when an unknown person or persons shot them to death. Marissa St. Thomas was an up-and-coming actress with the Imperial Shakespearean Company. She was found with a fellow actor from the ISC, Armand Rousseau. Rousseau was understudy to acclaimed actor Robert Taylor Ford. Mr. Ford’s whereabouts are unknown at this time. He is being sought by the Imperial constabulary for questioning.”

  Digg glowered down at Robert. It seemed that most of the crew was now in the galley. Nearly everyone stared at the large holo-screen delivering this news. Robert became aware of eyes turning to him. Low murmurs and some laughter from the strikers cut through the air.

  Doctor John Drake sat frozen, his eyes fixed on the news feed. He slowly turned his head towards Robert. His expression was grim and uncertain. “Robert… Is this true?”

  Robert turned to his friend. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The words had left him, the world seemed to close in on him. It was the day of reckoning he knew he would have to face someday.

  In a swift motion, Digg reached down and grabbed Robert by the collar, and heaved him to his feet. He held Robert in one meaty hand. His other went to his holster and brought up a large pistol. The end of the barrel bit into Robert’s temple.

  The other strikers cackled and guffawed. The rest of the crewmembers sat stunned, waiting to see if Robert’s brains were going to paint the wall.

  “There’s a two million coin bounty on your head. Dead or alive. And I aim to collect it,” Digg said with steel in his voice.

  “You mean, we mean aim to collect it,” Deke said as he pushed to the front of the crowd. “That’s you meant to say, right, Digg?”

  Digg turned his head towards Deke and scowled. “Why would you think you deserved a piece of this? This isn’t cargo you’re hauling from a prize. You’ve done nothing here to justify a cut,” Digg said with menace that suggested that Deke would be better off dropping the subject.

  Deke took another step closer, not taking that for an answer. “Have you read the Articles?” he asked pointedly. “Every member of this crew is entitled to a cut.”

  Digg looked incredulous. He looked at the crowd of strikers and began laughing heartily. The other strikers joined in. Deke’s raiders crowded in behind him. This made Digg and the strikers laugh even harder. Nigel stepped from behind put his hand on Deke’s shoulder. He whispered something, Deke nodded.

  Billy McAndrews looked dumbfounded. Ford looked around to see he was not the only one. Ruby looked horrified. Drake stood back from the table, conflicting emotions crossing his features.

  “If I may…” Robert stammered.

  “You may not,” Digg growled back.

  Drake stepped closer. “Come now, you blasted heathens. Is he not under the protection of the Articles?”

  Striker Hack moved half step forward and put his hand out to stop the doctor from coming any closer. “That’s close enough, Doc. Leave this matter to us.”

  The galley doors hissed open. Captain Lex, Quartermaster Reznik, and Master Gunner Boomer stalked in. The three quickly closed the gap and stood next to Digg and Robert.

  Digg’s
pistol was still pressed hard to Robert’s head.

  “What is the meaning of this, Digg?” the captain asked.

  Digg nodded towards the hovering news feed. “This dandified ponce is worth two million coin.”

  Lex, Boomer, and Reznik all looked up at the horrific images being shown on the screen.

  Boomer’s eyes narrowed and he turned to regard Robert. Her expression was skeptical. Lex’s expression never changed. The Reznoonian Reznik’s expression was that of surprise, but almost none of the humans in the room were able to decipher it.

  Lex eyed Digg’s pistol. “Holster your pistol and release him. He’s not going anywhere.”

  Digg did as commanded and swallowed his anger. His pistol left a circular impression of the barrel on Robert’s temple. Robert composed himself, smoothing out his collar and vest. Every pair of eyes in the room was upon him, all silently judging. He drew in a deep breath and faced Lex.

  Lex looked up at the newsfeed and then back at Robert. “Have you anything to say about this?”

  Robert opened his mouth to speak. What to say? He cleared his throat. “Captain, I would refer you to my barrister.”

  Chuckles and guffaws rang out in the galley. Lex’s expression remained stone.

  Billy pushed through the crowd. “I say bollocks.” He gestured towards the newsfeed. “We all know that the newsfeeds spread dreck and sensational lies. It’s all bullshit and propaganda. We all know this. We know this is fact.”

  “I don’t give a damn if you did it or not. There’s still a two million coin bounty on his head. That’s all I care about. I know this is fact,” Digg said, looking at Billy.

  Deke spoke up, “Captain, Digg here seems to think that the raiders, or anyone not a striker apparently, isn’t entitled to a cut of this bounty. I think the Articles are clear on this.”

  Lex looked at Reznik. The Reznoonian cocked his head as he thought on the matter.

  Hack added his thoughts. “The raiders get a cut because they haul it in. They do labor and are paid for it. In this case, we did the labor. They did nothing,” Hack finished and shared a nod with Digg.

  The half a dozen raiders all rose at that statement, shouting. Arguments and curses filled the air. The strikers started moving towards the raiders. To their credit, the raiders stood their ground, though there were three times as many strikers, and they certainly were beastly.