Learning the Hard Way 3

by H. P. Caledon

  The training room was, as Misery had promised, good, but it didn’t have a boxing bag.

  “And all the way back there is the engine room. Not exciting enough to open a door for. These stairs take us to the top floor right under the cockpit. And to one of my favorite rooms on this ship.”

  They climbed the stairs, and she opened a door, looking proud.

  “Kitchen?” Keelan asked, looking around.

  “That’s not just a kitchen, mister, it’s a canteen!”

  “Hope the chef is good.”

  Misery snorted and went in. Keelan followed, and the room opened up. He much preferred the smaller and cozier kitchen of the Hunter. He didn’t know why, but he just found himself the most contented in that room. Maybe because coffee and soup were readily available. The canteen on the Galaxie was just big, blank, and clinically clean in a depressing way. There were framed pictures in the walls of things and places he’d never seen. That was about all he liked about the room. And that it was practically located, if all the rooms had been in use.

  “Why do you like this room so much?” he asked.

  “Because it’s big and blank and shiny clean. It looks like a million.”

  “A million?”

  “At least.” She smiled and took his arm, dragging him out of the room.

  “And where is my room?”

  “Across from Mike’s. This way.” She ran off again, and Keelan trotted after. When he caught up to her, she stood by a closed door with an excited expression. She then opened the door, revealing what looked like an apartment. Misery’s explanation about why she loved the kitchen had to mean she also loved the room. Keelan didn’t feel home at all. He had that feeling about the whole ship.

  Misery stepped in and swung her arms out with a joyous smile on her face. Even though he didn’t feel at home in the huge room, he did find comfort and satisfaction in her joy. He could learn to live with the impersonal feel with... a desk? He looked around. Other than that unnecessary piece of furniture, he found a table with four chairs, a double bed with shelves above and drawers next to it. One wall was completely covered by closets, and the VID was twice the size of that in the Hunter’s common room.

  “What do you think?” She beamed at him.

  Keelan smiled. “A million... at least.”

  * * * *

  The four of them sat in the cockpit of their new ship. Mike sat in the pilot seat and ran his hand across the smooth surface of the interior.

  “Come on, you can make love to the ship later,” Danny said. Mike turned to look at him, amused, before taking them through the startup procedure.

  “Thank you for your visit. And Mike, please send more,” Aclimes said from his seat behind the big window of the control room just under the ceiling of the huge dock.

  “You too, Aclimes.”

  “Opening dock in ten... nine... eight... ”

  “You two got pretty chummy, huh,” Keelan noted.

  “Yeah, well, you and I aren’t exactly the most uniform couple in the Systems.”

  “Couple?”

  “Partners, call it what you will. You’ve taught me there’s more to an individual than meets the eye.”

  “Don’t think Aclimes is a sweet and kindhearted fellow,” Danny said. The ship shook briefly as the tractor beam lifted them from the deck. The walls of the dock opened up beneath them, and they were lowered out into space. The tractor beam released them, and Mike started the ship up.

  “Why not?” he finally asked, trying different commands that didn’t give him access to what he’d hoped.

  “Pirate,” Danny said as if that covered it all.

  “Mass murderer,” Mike said, pointing at Keelan.

  “Those slaves they have on board are mostly from freighters they catch and rob,” Danny said. “That woman who served us was probably some freighter or freighters wife or daughter. The men are probably dead or used in some perverse entertainment. You should see their Colosseum, as Aclimes calls it. I haven’t personally seen it, but another Chiromancer once told of how he’d witnessed how a freighter had to fight for his right to survive, and he did that by winning three battles against the gladiators which by the way are slaves trained to fight. I was curious and downloaded a few books about this Colosseum once and got a bit of Mother Earth history and... ew! If I hadn’t been on this ship, then Keelan would have been in the Colosseum, Rosita trained as a pleasure slave, and... you can do more than one thing.”

  “More than one thing?”

  “You’re pretty, hot, and you can fight, so there’s more than one outcome possible.”

  A violent shiver tore through Mike.

  “Are you saying I’m not hot?” Keelan asked.

  “No, I’m saying your reputation alone would earn you a single cell with a bed because you have entertainment value for the friendly Aclimes.”

  Mike glanced at Keelan, who looked like he understood how the description impacted Mike, and he felt grateful for Keelan’s attempt to change the subject.

  “With the ship came death,” Mike mumbled, and watched the huge pirate ship close its belly and fly off.

  “Danny, I have a question.” Keelan turned the copilot seat around to face Danny. “How did you dare call your friends from that ship?”

  “By sending greetings from the four on the border. Code for threat level four, and the border is the Techno Raiders.”

  “And Mutshoree?” Mike asked.

  “Dead language that only we know. Partially. We’re given a new name when the colors choose and mark us.”

  “And that’s a machine.”

  “A sentient computer... to us at least.”

  “How?”

  “Dunno.”

  “Why were your tattoos gone?” Misery asked and reached to gently poke his cheek, making the shimmery colors seem even more liquid.

  “They can be hidden with a substance. They gave me a jar, and I should actually go hide them now.”

  “Did it hurt when you got them?” Keelan asked.

  “It stung.”

  “I’d believe so, considering how big it is.”

  “How big?” Misery asked. Keelan looked at her, knowingly.

  “You’ve been checking me out when I showered, haven’t you?” Danny asked, smiling in that way that always made Mike uncomfortable, but he was relieved that that kind of humor was only directed at Keelan.

  “You dreamed the program, didn’t you?” Keelan asked, and Danny’s smile fell as he nodded. “It came to you in your sleep, and you always sleep in the nude. So, when you got up to write a program in the middle of the night, you did so naked.”

  “Good thing our new rooms have private toilets and showers,” Misery said, laughing.

  “No, that’s bad,” Danny said, grinning. He loosened his harness and got up. “Weren’t you supposed to call someone to let Ratkins know his credits are safe?”

  “Yes!” Mike exclaimed and left the cockpit. He’d saved all their lists with call addresses and IDs from the Hunter’s computer. Aclimes wasn’t happy that Mike wanted access to the Hunter’s logs, but with a few good stories told while he transferred and deleted what he could, Aclimes had finally agreed.

  Mike returned to the cockpit, where Keelan sat alone playing around with the holographic map.

  “Can I log on?” Mike asked.

  “Yeah. You do know that our fourteen days with the Techno Raiders has caused some distance to Pilar, right? They’ve dumped us at the border the Semakus on the opposite end of the Desolate System.”

  “You’re joking!” Mike exclaimed and sat.

  “Look for yourself.” Keelan zoomed out.

  “No! Our quickest way is... Husentar or Balatana.”

  “And the latter is expensive,” Keelan mumbled.

  Mike nodded and drew a heavy sigh. “And we need provisions. I got a few out of Aclimes, but only enough for a week or so. Would you check up on it? It’s in the cargo hold.”

  “Sure,” Keelan mumbled and sl
id further down in his chair.

  Mike logged onto the ship’s computer and copied all call addresses onto it before calling Lewis.

  “The call has been approved and put on hold. Please wait.”

  “Shit, that can take hours,” Mike mumbled. He called up the holographic map again.

  Lewis toned onto the screen. “You haven’t answered when I called.”

  “No, we had some communication issues, but we have an urgent message for Ratkins. His credits are safe and will be returned to him.”

  “That was you?” Lewis kept his personal opinion about that little stunt out of his features, so Mike could only guess.

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, he’s gonna be happy to hear that. Where have you been... what ship are you on?” Lewis seemed to try to take in the background.

  “A Galaxie seven hundred CCH,” Mike said, smiling. “Traded the Hunter.”

  “That’s one helluva trade up,” Lewis mumbled, looking impressed. “What’s your destination?”

  “Verion Four.”

  “ETA”

  “In this baby? Twenty minutes. No, we’re in Semakus with absolutely no provisions. They weren’t part of the trade.”

  Lewis rolled his eyes. “Since when have you become so luxury orientated that food became secondary?”

  “Lewis, we were caught by the Techno Raiders. They exist.”

  Lewis stared agape. “And they traded a CCH for a Hunter?”

  “No, it was all part of a bigger deal. Details aren’t important for now, but they have a huge intercultural understanding. Their ship is old—we’re taking thousands of years old. I have never seen the technology in this end. This beauty right here is a flying junkyard compared to theirs, and the technological differences place this ship at the times of Sputnik, compared to what I’ve seen.”

  Lewis looked more than a little alarmed as he jotted something down.

  “So you need provisions. You need to be very careful. Get your Chiromancer friend to check out badges before you land somewhere. You’ve been on the news feeds, too, seen on Pinpippispas Plateau.”

  Mike pulled a face. “Yeah, we noticed.”

  “If your rations allow it, land on Reeds or Motáll, and I’ll see where Spec Edit three is looking for you. Other than that, there’s trouble on Verion Four’s spaceport, but you’ve probably guessed that already. Lots of angry bounty hunters. I even got a troublesome call from one of your old soldier buddies. Gat Max. Also a mercenary now.”

  “Yeah, we noticed him.”

  “What the hell do you need me for if you know everything already?”

  “I don’t know what you told him,” Mike said, smothering a grin.

  “That I have no knowledge of it, and that I’m far too busy following orders to get mixed up in what my old soldiers get mixed up in. And I wish it was so! But this serves a greater good, so I’ll ask you to not land on Verion Four until I call you again.”

  “Alice was attacked by angry bounty hunters, so you better believe we’re not delaying anything!” Keelan said. “We’ve already been delayed by those damn pirates.”

  “Your backup plan needs to be in place, and I’m by the Glacier System. I can’t be there for another ten weeks.”

  “We expect to be there in six, so we’ll land on Verion and stay out of sight. We don’t have too many credits, and not enough for ten weeks’ worth of provisions. We might have enough for five,” Mike said.

  “Make your stay for provisions as short as possible. Hide on Verion Four and stay hidden until I call your moVID. By the way, you owe Ratkins nine hundred forty-eight thousand four hundred fifty-eight credits.”

  “Oh wow, that man is not poor,” Keelan exclaimed.

  “What do you think he got for you?” Mike asked.

  “A kick to the balls short of what he should,” Keelan groused.

  Mike laughed and disconnected the call with Lewis.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Keelan and Misery walked the almost empty cargo hold to see what the pirates had left them with.

  “You were right,” she said, opening another empty storage container. “We didn’t get anything.”

  “Did you check the canteen?”

  “Yeah, and other than the vending machine, where half of it is expired, it’s empty.”

  “So, we have what’s in those crates,” Keelan said, nodding to himself as he looked over the list on his pad.

  “What does your calculation say?”

  Keelan put the pad in his pocket. “That we need to land soon.” They went up to the common area, which was big enough for Danny to sit with all his gear without taking up all the seats. One thing was being dumped with no provisions, but Aclimes had not touched any of the techy things. That respect for a Chiromancer pleased Keelan, because it also meant Mike got all his own special tools and machines.

  “Eight days of provision, if we cut down to a bare minimum.” Keelan handed Mike the pad.

  “Oh man, I need to earn some creds when I get home. This skip is expensive,” Danny exclaimed.

  “Being on the skip always is,” Mike said.

  “Oh, Lewis is calling.” Danny vacated his seat. Mike took his place and answered the call.

  “Ratkins called to say thank you for his now full account and because Gat Max is trying to get in contact with you. Ratkins asks if he’s an allied.”

  “I don’t believe he is. Do you remember him?”

  “No, but I looked up his records here, and it’s not exactly something that makes a CO cry tears of joy.”

  “We caught a message about my badge number being used in an LA code.”

  “I’m a military man, not a mercenary, so I don’t know your internal codes.”

  “Means Lawman Assistance. It said they’d catch Keelan with assistance from me.”

  Lewis looked worried. “Does Keelan know this?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And have you bled from inexplicable wounds?”

  Mike chuckled. “No, sir.”

  “Good. Don’t land on Motáll. Two units were sent in that direction before I had the chance to talk to my friend, so you’re gonna have to land on Reeds. I’ll contact Ratkins and let him know that Gat Max is hostile. He’s keeping an eye on Alice after what Keelan said.”

  “So Ratkins is on Verion,” Mike established.

  “Yeah, and he’s not the only one keeping an eye on her. Gat Max does, too, but from inside the bar, so either his liver is about to explode, or she spotted him long ago.”

  Mike laughed, and Lewis ended the call. “We have to star jump.”

  “So all that has to be packed away?” Keelan asked, pointing to Danny’s mess of gear.

  “No, not in a ship like this, but we need to secure it from falling down,” Mike said.

  Keelan and Danny looked at the table and all the loose things.

  “How about a sheet? Lay it over and tie it down?” Misery asked.

  “Good plan, go find one,” Keelan said. Misery skipped out of the room.

  “Danny, would you check for badges on Motáll and Reeds?” Mike asked.

  “Yepper.” Danny retook his seat. “Wait, how much cash did you say we have?”

  “Not enough.”

  “I have a contact on Reeds. I can withdraw cash there.”

  “A contact that allows you to make a withdrawal in cash?” Mike asked, stunned.

  “Every Chiromancer has non-digitalized bank connections here and there.”

  Mike sat on the armrest next to Danny and watched what he was doing, but Danny stopped working and looked at him.

  “What? It’s not because I don’t trust you, I hope you know that by now,” Mike said.

  “But you’re in a uniform as usual. Do you think my contact would be thrilled by that?” Danny poked at the lawman logo on Mike’s arm hard, and Mike cringed.

  “Ouch.”

  “You’re a wanted criminal dressing as a lawman. Get rid of those clothes and look like what you are! They’
re looking for the mercenary Mike, not some unshaved comet-bum with an ugly haircut. You’re hot in a uniform, so is Keelan, but this isn’t workable—especially not if you want to look over my shoulder while looking like a merc.”

  “You know he’s right, right?” Keelan asked just as Misery returned and tossed him a blanket. Keelan grabbed the corners of it and unfolded it, so it covered Mike. “There, now he’s out of sight.”

  Danny laughed while Mike fought to get out from under the blanket, but he got knocked over onto the couch. Danny and Keelan laughed and poked at him through the blanket, seeing if they could find a ticklish spot. Then something changed, and Mike’s way of moving stirred a bad feeling in Keelan.

  “Stop!” Keelan ordered.

  Danny froze and sat back, and Mike fought his way out from under the blanket.

  Silence dominated as Mike escaped. He sat still but was shivering all over, his eyes wide and his breathing labored.

  “I’m sorry,” Danny croaked.

  Mike got up and left the common room.

  Keelan watched as Mike headed out two seconds an hour from running.

  “I’m sorry,” Danny said again, looking up at Keelan.

  Keelan patted him on the shoulder. “How were you supposed to know?”

  “I’ll just make that call,” Danny said and scooted closer to the screen.

  Keelan wondered if he should go talk to Mike. On second thought, they’d never spoken about what had happened, and he’d probably just be in the way or say something wrong.

  “Is he okay?” Misery asked.

  “He will be.” Keelan looked at Danny who still stared at his blank screen. “This isn’t your doing.”

  Danny tried for a smile, but it came off sad.

  The characteristic voice of a varanuide sounded from a speaker seconds later. “Xaghr.”

  Danny found a more genuine smile. “Xaghr, Tonog.”

  “You’re out again? That’s good news.”

  “I’m on the skip, and I need cash and supplies.”