Rita asked, “You said you had other projects to address, what else do you have in mind?”
Hands looked to the Captain, who nodded before he continued. He said, “There is a lot of unused berthing space on board. I plan to convert some of that into a workshop to maintain the drones, store parts, and materials for upkeep or additional repairs, and if Sister Legrande agrees, I’d like to add a hydroponics bay as well.”
Rita looked from Hands to the Captain and said, “Why would we need a hydroponics pod in the first place? What are you two holding back from us?”
The Captain had been waiting for this, although she didn’t expect to address the question quite this soon. She said, “Hands pointed out that since we left Orion, the North Americans have put out a bounty for the Artemis or any information leading them to us. Between the USNA agents, Resistance cells and every would-be informant in human held space, there isn’t any good place for us to hide for long. He has a plan, but I’m not sure how much any of us will like it.”
Hands nodded at that and said, “I have a friend in trouble. He was on a data retrieval job for me that we both thought was harmless enough. Both of us were surprised to learn the data I sent him to retrieve was more protected than we thought. He is now a prisoner at Utopia Station. He and I both need to get out of Utopia altogether.”
Dr. Ezra asked, “So you want to go with us?”
Hands said, “Yes. My friend and I both have powerful enemies in this system, much like you do back in Orion.”
The Captain said, “Hands has told me about what the UN Space Exploration Agency found over the past decade of their Caravel Program. Whole colonized systems that aren’t aligned with any human faction, or alien civilization. No one will look for us or be able to come after us out there.”
Dr. Ezra said, “Even if it’s dangerous for us anywhere we go in human held space, it still has to be better than never seeing another human being again. Isn’t that ultimately what you’re suggesting?”
Hands shook his head and said, “Yes and no. We would not be the only humans out there. Believe it or not, the Uni’s found humans already living in some of the systems they explored. They found colonies that were cut off or intentionally wanted to remain apart from their parent factions, ships that ended up too far off course to return home, and some people who just didn’t want to be part of human society at all. The report I read before my friend was captured, also predicted the number of humans in neutral space to increase as tensions between the colonies and Earth escalate.”
Rita looked at the Captain and said, “Leaving Orion to stay alive made sense at the time, but abandoning human civilization entirely is too much. I backed you all the way here, despite my doubts, but there is no way in Hell we can follow you to nowhere.”
Dr. Ezra interrupted and said, “I also didn’t hear any mention of repairing the hull breaches. You said that was one of the things that had to be done first. I’m not voting to leave everything we know behind either, but if you really do have a plan, Mr. Hernandez, I want to know all of it.”
Hands said, “The kind of steel-foam the North Americans use for the hull is difficult to make, it also contains nano-machines that repair micro impacts, so a simple patch won’t do. I needed samples of the hull that Sister Wang and I collected earlier. When I return to Oz, I can design a matching steel-foam replacement complete with compatible cloned nanites. I’ll have to acquire some of the materials we’ll need for that from my neighbors here in the belt. None of them will appreciate that most of my neighbors out here are not gentle souls like me.”
The Captain said, “The Artemis is not a democracy. The final decision and responsibility for Hands and his plan to leave human space is mine alone. When I decide where the ship will go, I will not force anyone to stay aboard, but if you do stay, I expect the same dedication to each other that got us from Orion to Utopia. In fact, if we do go into Neutral Space, we’ll need to rely on each other more than ever.”
Rita leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. She said, “Who is this friend of yours and why should we risk anything to help him in the first place?”
Hands said, “His name is Phillipe Baraza. He was part of the Uni’s Caravel Program that sent over a hundred scout ships out to explore, chart and catalog solar systems between here and the galactic core. I asked him to retrieve that Caravel data from the UNSEA annex at Utopia Station. It was more heavily protected than either of us had any reason to expect and he was captured. If we can rescue him, he can lead us to one of several major neutral systems, where we will be safe from the USNA, your traitor in the Resistance and my enemies among the Family.”
Rita shook her head and said, “So our only reason to save him is if we go out into the unknown? That doesn’t sound like anything I’m interested in doing. You said he’s being held at Utopia Station. That is specifically one of the places this ship surely shouldn’t go. We’d be identified and attacked for sure.”
Hands said, “I never intended this ship to go there at all. Like most endeavors I undertake, I have a well thought out plan that does not include a direct assault or anything that will reveal your involvement.”
Still obviously unconvinced, Rita asked, “Just what kind of trouble did you and your friend get into, exactly?”
He looked into his lap for a moment then said, “We thought the Caravel data would be simple enough to retrieve. I had thoughts of selling it or perhaps retiring to some remote location myself. Phillipe had already worked with the data before, so he also thought the retrieval would be simple. Unfortunately, something in the network he accessed had a far more robust security protocol in place. He was captured and surprising even myself, I panicked.”
The Captain waited before prompting Hands. She said, “Go on, tell them the rest.”
Hands said, “In what I look back on with regret, I called in a favor from an old associate in the Mirror Family. I have spent years avoiding any attention from Mama Mirror, but this one flustered mistake may have undone all of that. My former friend has yet to respond, but with each passing hour, time for myself and Phillipe may be running out.”
Rita uncrossed her arms and leaned forward, bracing herself on the table. She said, “This keeps getting worse. Captain, you never told us he was a Family man. We’re hiding in a compromised location. For all we know, Mama Mirror herself could show up here at any moment to collect on whatever she thinks you owe her. We’d just be icing on that cake. Don’t you all see the danger we’re in just staying here?”
The Captain said, “He’s a former Family man. Things involving the Mirror Family are more complicated than outsiders like us realize. In fact, due to my dealings with them in the past, I have more reason than you do to avoid the Family. I don’t believe we’re in danger by staying here. Hands contact hasn’t responded because doing so would put him at risk too. His old friend doing nothing for Hands is probably in all our best interests.”
Dr. Ezra said, “Assuming we stay here, and are left in peace to get the Artemis repaired, what is there to look forward to? It comes down to either a life on the run in human space or a life of exile in deep space. Neither of those options is more appealing than the other. I have nothing left to go back to on Orion Prime but I can’t imagine making this literal leap into the unknown.”
Quiet Daiyu surprised them all by saying, “It sounds better to me to explore the unknown and make a life on our terms than die at the hands of any of the enemies we have around us.”
The Captain held up her hand to forestall any more argument. She said, “We all agree fixing the ship is our priority. No matter what we decide to do next. Let’s focus on that for now and we’ll deal with the unknown later. I just said my command of the Artemis is not a democracy. I’ll say this again so everyone can hear it though, I’ll decide where the ship goes but I won’t force anyone to stay on board.”
As though that settled everything in his mind, Hands said, “All right, I have a shuttle full of drones to put to work. I
suggest we use both shuttles to bring my equipment here and recycle any material from the ship that we can use as we clear out empty spaces.”
Just like that, Hands was ready to get to work. While Dr. Ezra and Rita were still skeptical, they did take active roles in the repair work. After all, the Artemis had been their home for two months and their sole focus before they stole it.
True to Hands predictions, the repairs went just as quickly as he and the Captain hoped. The disguised shuttle and the automated Soyuz shuttle made round the clock trips to and from Oz, bringing cargo, drones, and equipment to the ship. They also hauled back material torn out of the berthing compartments for recycling at Oz. The repairs and upgrades moved along so quickly, that even Rita admitted his plans seem to be making more progress than she expected.
The repulsion emitter was the first major project finished. A team of Hand’s drones outside the ship removed it and took it to the waiting drone shuttle. He and another team of drones still on Oz, repaired the emitter in a single day. Drones ferried it back to replace it without anyone ever donning an exo-suit at all.
Vicky and Rita waited in the disguised shuttle in an empty enough part of the outer belt. Hands had directed them into the path of a small transport. He said it would have various components for building his new weapons operator drones.
While they waited, Rita said, “Do you think this is the best course for us? I don’t mean right here in the shuttle. I meant flying off into deep space. Even if we don’t go near the core, what kind of life is there for us out there?”
Vicky said, “Hands described more than a few humans out there, I’ve never known him to exaggerate either. If this Phillipe Baraza character confirms what he’s told us so far, it might be our only way out of this mess. It doesn’t have to be permanent either.”
Rita shook her head at that but then said, “Contact, looks like the signature Hands told us to look for.”
They tracked the other ship with passive sensors until it was within a kilometer of their shuttle. Then the pair worked together quickly and without speaking. Vicky targeted the pilot’s cabin and Rita fired enough railgun ammunition to puncture both its repulsion field and hull plating.
The lone pilot died instantly, the ship went into safety standby and Vicky maneuvered their shuttle alongside to loot the goods they needed. Once the ships docked, the two directed Hands’ customized loading drones to transfer the cargo. Vicky chuckled to herself.
Rita asked, “What’s so funny?”
She said, “We’re not just renegades now, we’re also pirates.”
Rita shook her head and said, “I guess we are, let’s try not to cross many more lines like that if we can help it. The sooner we get this junk back to the ship, the sooner we can get on with whatever your new Chief Engineer has planned, Pirate Captain Legrande.”
Meanwhile, back on the Artemis, more customized loading drones delivered rail gun flechettes throughout the ship, filled their now automated loaders and brought all the ship’s rail guns and defensive turrets online. Hands spent a good deal of time reverse engineering and building twenty new impactor missiles based on the examples on board. Once his automated assembly line on Oz built the missiles, he oversaw their loading into the half-empty magazines.
He built specialized drones at Oz from the pirated components and posted them in weapons stations throughout the Artemis to operate the rail guns and missiles. Although Rita and Dr. Ezra remained skeptical of the drones’ ability to operate the guns, a demonstration of their targeting skills on a few stray rocks at the edge of the hidey-hole proved that they were significantly better than expected.
Hands even got the hydroponics bay transferred from Oz and brought online while he geared up for the hull repairs. The Captain had no idea Hands was an expert on growing things, but he had his entire operation running in no time at all. He installed water lines, lighting panels, growth trays and other agricultural machinery she could not even identify.
One day at lunch Dr. Ezra. Said, “Hands and his drones have brought more of the Artemis to life than any of us had thought possible.”
Between mouthfuls of the stew Dr. Ezra had cooked, Rita shook her head and said, “I didn’t give him enough credit, but you’re right Doc, he has worked wonders in no time at all.”
The Captain said, “He’s almost done. The hull patches are his last big project before we’re ready to move on to the next part of his plan.”
Rita said, “He’s a great fixer. How good of a strategist he is, remains to be seen.”
The two large steel-foam patches and the much smaller patch for the bridge took the most time to fix. Hands built external enclosures at Oz, brought them to the ship, and then temporarily welded them to the hull to mask the work from anyone outside the hidey-hole. While the enclosures took extra time, it kept what they were doing hidden, and gave Hands more control over the repair environment.
The enclosures were airtight to keep both the molten steel foam and the replacement titanium struts clean of any atmospheric impurities before he sealed them in place. Once the patches were finished and tested, he the removed enclosures and sent them back to Oz for recycling. Just that quick, the ship was back in fighting shape, waiting for their next move.
The Captain could see all the red lights were out on the damage screen. Almost every indicator on the internal display was green again, and the few that were still yellow were minor repairs that Hands, Daiyu and their drones could make at any time. Rita and Dr. Ezra were at their stations on the bridge with her while Hands and Daiyu manned main engineering.
Over the ship’s intercom Hands said, “I have a new target for us. This one is the key to our ultimate goal at Utopia Station. It is a tawdry little station that is out of the way, not on any official registries and even the Family hardly ever pays it a visit.”
The Captain asked, “Why do I get the feeling I’m still not going to like this?”
Rita said, “Because he always leaves something out when he tells us his plan. Have you not noticed that yet?”
Ignoring them both, Hands said, “Most stations in the outer belt specialize in something, growing food, building parts or handling logistics for other shipments. Unlike them, these loathsome neighbors deal in human slaves, not just the teary-eyed women and children you see rescued in news vids, but brawlers, skilled workers and even the occasional professional of one kind or another.”
Dr. Ezra said, “Slavery has been outlawed for centuries, on Earth before humans ever moved out into space and every colony world has done the same. It was one of the most barbaric customs of antiquity. Are you saying there is a slave trade here in Utopia too?”
The Captain said, “I’ve traveled the colony worlds a bit Doc, even with laws not to do something, people do terrible things anyway. We stole this ship despite the laws against it. I’m almost not surprised there is a slave trade here.”
Hands said, “That’s precious and naïve of the two of you to think slavery is some minor barbaric side business limited to Utopia and the Family, but it is not. The slavers have customers in the shadowy parts of every system in Human held space. People are more horrible than you might think. One more reason I avoid them.”
Rita said, “What are you leaving out about this? I already figured out you always have some angle to play in these attacks.”
Hands said, “The slavers are the worst scum in Human held space. I do not mix myself up with that, in fact, I rarely take any jobs at all from their ilk. No one does if they can help it. Ordinarily, I say live and let live, but they have something I want.”
Rita said, “You’re stalling.”
Hands sighed and said, “They have a heavily armed jump-capable scout ship. Captured from the Uni’s and used to disable larger transports they salvage for parts, supplies and human cargo. With that ship, I can practically walk out of Utopia Station with Phillipe and rendezvous with the Artemis. No one will ever need to know this ship was involved.”
The Captain said,
“Slaving is a wretched business, universally shunned as immoral throughout human space. It is one of several reasons the resistance rejected the Family and their participation in the effort against Earth. I’m tempted to attack the station on general principle, but not if it undoes all the hard work we have put into fixing the Artemis.”
Hands said, “The station I want to attack is only one of several like it in the outer belt. Although as a former Family man, I am less concerned about the plight of the slaves than you seem to be. I did take on a job for the slavers some time ago. That is how I know they still have the scout ship. It is also how we can disrupt their communications and defeat all their defenses without firing a shot.”
Rita said, “You left a backdoor in their security system? That is either brilliant or stupid. How dimwitted are these slavers?”
Hands said, “They are a deplorable lot, not especially technically savvy, but sadly, they are competent businessmen. They paid well for a simple enough job because no one else would take it. I was able to do the work they wanted without leaving Oz. However, I did get a full inventory of their station, along with technical readouts, and full access to their computers. I can shut them down at any time and lock them out of their systems permanently.”
The Captain looked from Rita and Dr. Ezra to her command console and said, “Send me their coordinates, Mr. Hernandez. Let’s pay your neighbors a visit.”
Hands and Daiyu stayed behind as Vicky piloted the disguised shuttle with Rita and Dr. Ezra from the Artemis towards the slavers’ station. She had all three of them don the light USNA combat armor the ship carried in its armory, minus the helmets. The armor was hardly the same as the powered Space Marine armored suits the North Americans loved to wear to a gunfight, but it was better than nothing.
Escaping Utopia: Part two of the Renegade Galaxy series. Page 3