​Alliance Gold (Space Rogue Book 2)

by Jay Toney

  "Jewel, open a hailing channel to Red."

  "He's on the main viewscreen demanding our unconditional surrender."

  "Red, by now you should know I don't surrender."

  "Nathaniel? What are you doing with your ship all painted up to look like the Alliance warship Ajax? Why are you all dressed up in those uniforms. Are you looking to get yourself shot?" What about that freighter your with. Its definitely an Alliance ship."

  "Its a long story Red. It will have to wait until we get home. The freighter and its crew are under my command. The wreck it's towing is what is left of the Jackal. Some of its crew are still aboard, and need to be taken care of. I haven't had time to deal with them. If you don't mind, we can use an escort so we don't accidentally get shot."

  "I'll escort you in. Besides, I don't want to miss any of your story."

  "It isn't over yet, and I have a part for you to play. Speaking of witch, if you have some ships available, there are two Alliance scout ships monitoring the Coria System."

  "How would you know something like that?"

  "Doc, disguised as Colonel Thornton, sent them there to spy on us."

  "I'll dispatch a couple destroyers to take care of them."

  "When we get on station, I'll need you, Chief Mike, and Captain Jenkins for a debriefing."

  "We will be there."

  "Natasha, take us in."

  Reds battleship was to large to dock with the space station. He moored his ship a few hundred meters away, near the repair section and took his launch to the station. The Valley Forge docked at the repair docks, and salvage crew started working on detaching the disabled destroyer. A detachment of troops boarded the wreck, to apprehend the survivors.

  Hangar doors opened to space, and the Persephone was towed into the hangar with tugs. Once the ship was settled onto the hangar floor, the doors closed and the hangar was pressurized. Boarding gantry extended, and Red, followed by Chief Mike, and Captain Jenkins boarded my ship.

  "What the hell did you do to the ship? You may not have liked the paint job, but this is an atrocity."

  "Sorry Mike, but it was necessary at the time. I need the paint stripped off and the ship repainted before anyone else sees her like this."

  "What else have you got for me?"

  "I have a damaged Marauder, my ammo packs need to be refilled, and I expended most of my missiles. If possible I would like to get a couple more Marauders."

  "Why was it necessary?" Red asked. "Perhaps you should start with Captain Jenkins and why you have an Alliance freighter under your command."

  "When we arrived in Nueva Zelanda, Jewel detected some communications signals from the smallest moon orbiting Thanatos. The Alliance had a hidden base on the moon. It was nearly empty with the exception of Captain Jenkins, his freighter, crew, and a small detachment of Alliance soldiers. With his help we captured the base. It is mostly an empty warehouse, with an underground hangar large enough for four freighters. It may be of some use to you. Jane put the base into lock down and has the encryption keys necessary to access the base. Captain Jenkins can provide the details of the bases structure and layout to you."

  "It may be of some use at that, but that doesn't explain your choice of paint on your new ship."

  "The Alliance confiscated gold, silver, platinum, and gems of all sorts from mines on the third planet in the Coria System. Captain Jenkins was supposed to rendezvous with an Alliance cruiser to transfer this shipment back to the Alliance, to help finance their incursion into this sector. The Ajax is a well known battle ship throughout the fleet, as well as its captain. I disguised my ship to look like the Ajax as a ruse, to help me liberate the treasure. No doubt it is causing a lot of confusion, with differing stories about my ship."

  "I have no doubt about it causing confusion. You had me fooled."

  "The paint scheme allowed me to get in close to the planets defenses. Two destroyers were guarding the planet. The Jackal and the Raven. The Raven was destroyed, and whats left of the Jackal is in the Repair section."

  "Did anything else relevant happen?"

  "In the Bonifer system we met up with two scout ships, the Falcon and the Gryphon. Doc disguised as Colonel Thornton sent them to spy on us in the Coria System. When we got to Nueva Zelanda, we were intercepted by an Alliance cruiser. We engaged the cruiser in battle. After damaging it with a missile hit, the cruiser dropped several mines in our path. We had to slow down to destroy them with our PDC. While we were taking care of the mines, the Alliance cruiser escaped jumping to hyperspace. From there we came home."

  "Did you manage to get the Alliance treasure?"

  "We sure did, that's when the Marauder I was flying got shot up. The shrapnel from the gunfire went through my cockpit viewport and made a mess of my right shoulder and arm. If it wasn't for Amber and Jane, I might not be here now."

  "How much treasure did you get away with?"

  "We emptied the warehouse they were storing it in. Most of the good stuff is in our smuggling holds, the rest is in the starboard docking bay. As near as I can figure we have around 5000 gold bars, close to the same amount in platinum, 10,000 bars of silver, a bunch of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and a lot of other gem stones."

  "You need to keep it all on your ship. Don't let anyone see it or talk about it. Something is amiss, but I'm not sure what it is. Start draining all of your accounts, converting it back to gold and credits. I'll have it moved here."

  "Most of the loading was done by the locals back on Coria 3. So no one aboard knows exactly what we have. Doc compensated them good, so I doubt they will say anything to the Alliance, that won't cause more confusion."

  "Are you aware the Alliance no longer wants you alive? They want you dead now, and have put a large bounty on you and your crew. When they find out you stole their treasure shipment, they will come after you, no matter where you go."

  "I'll just have to be careful until things calm down a little. I doubt they will bother me here."

  "What do you suggest?"

  "For now, get a couple more Marauders, replenish your Ammunition storing extra missiles, and ammunition in your cargo bays. Fill your food storage. If something happens, there is no telling when you will get another chance to restock. Keep your crew restricted to white section, so they can be recalled fast. Most important of all, get your ship repainted. Its now a target for the Alliance. They will be looking for you, and the Ajax."

  "I can get you a few more Marauders from the salvaged ships. I'll check them out to make sure they are in top shape. Reloading and stocking extra ammunition won't be much of a problem. I'll have it done on third shift, when most people are asleep. I'll have to juggle the paperwork so no one can trace it to your ship. I'll do the same for your food stores. We won't be able to go through the system governor this time, even though you deserve it. I don't think you will have any problem paying for it, and I'll get everything you need for a fair price. I'll have to bill it to other fleet ships, and mark it paid, and use your credits or silver to balance the books. Don't fill any of your empty cabins. They may be needed for some unexpected passengers."

  "Red, Captain Jenkins has been a lot of help. He and his crew have proven to be honorable. The Alliance destroyed their families when they were conscripted. As far as I'm concerned the Valley Forge is his. The freighter needs a new registration, and different markings. He deserves another chance. I'm hoping you can find him some employment."

  "I'll take care of the freighter," Mike said.

  "I reckon I might have some work for him, as soon as he has a chance to rest a bit, and Mike gets done with his freighter."

  "I'll pay for whatever repairs it needs, as well as provisions. Thank y
ou Red and Mike. I'll take your advice. Lets get started."

  "Nathaniel."

  "Yes Red."

  "This meeting never happened. Neither Mike or I were ever here."

  "I understand Red."

  "David, lets get you and your crew paid."

  "You have already done to much Nathaniel."

  "Probably, if you ask any of my officers they will tell you that I have a tendency to overpay my crew. Lets start with 200,000 credits for you, 100,000 credits for your officers, and 50,000 credits for the rest of your crew. That should be enough to get you going. I suggest you and your crew visit the Lucy. The girls are friendly, the food is good, the liqueur isn't watered down, and they have entertainment of all kinds. You may even get a discount, the owner and manager is my wife's twin sister Beverly. Most of my crew spend their down time there. I'm not sure what you have been eating. Most Alliance rations aren't meant for human consumption. Mike will be emptying your stores, and replacing them with prime grade meals."

  "I don't know how to thank you Nathaniel."

  "You can buy me my first drink tonight. I'll be there with Amber and Jewel later this evening."

  I transferred 900,000 credits to Davids new account with instructions to pay his crew. He left to give his crew members the good news, and visit the Lucy. I had a date with Natty. I owed her a big slice of cake and lots of ice cream.

  I called Doc begging for his help in the galley. Baking brownies should not be as difficult as it is. I found the recipe to be cryptic, requiring a mathematical genius to interpret and adjust for the amount I needed. Converting the recipe to three large trays was beyond my capability. This is why I left the cooking up to Doc. This cake had to be perfect, not something I could simply take from our food stores and heat.

  "Nathaniel, what are you doing in the galleys kitchen? You can't cook. Your the only one I know who can burn water, trying to boil it."

  "Doc, Natty can't celebrate with us, the way I want to celebrate our victory. I promised her cake and ice cream, and I want it to be special for her."

  "What exactly do you have in mind for her?"

  "I was thinking about the desert you use to make for me when I was a kid."

  "Which one? I use to spoil you rotten with lots of them."

  "My favorite was the hot chocolate fudge brownie, with chocolate ice cream, covered in chocolate sauce."

  "Death by chocolate. That's simple, excluding yourself, anyone can make it."

  "How? This recipe has got to be written using some form of advanced calculus."

  "This recipe is written in galactic common form. Any 8 year old child should be able to follow it. To many people, of your generation, have gotten use to simply taking a frozen meal and heating it in the oven. I'll help bake the brownies. How much do you want?"

  "I was thinking three sheets should be enough. I want plenty for Natty and everyone else to enjoy."

  "Sit down out of the way and don't touch anything. I don't want you ruining the cake."

  Doc looked through the ingredients I selected. He replaced the all purpose flour I selected, with a self rising flour. He also replaced the lizard eggs, I chose, with chicken eggs. I didn't see how any of that made any difference, they looked the same to me. He mixed the ingredients together, and evenly distributed the mixture in the cake pans. After a short time I was rewarded with the smell, and sight of fresh baked brownies.

  I used the ships comms to call Tanya. "Tanya, I need you to bring Natty to the officers galley."

  "Nathaniel, she is taking her afternoon nap."

  "Wake her, its urgent."

  "It better be."

  A few minutes later, Tanya came in, toting a still sleepy Natty. She was rubbing her droopy eye lids with her free hand. The smell of fresh baked cake got her attention. "You didn't forget my cake and ice cream."

  "Of course not. I'd never forget a promise like that."

  "Nathaniel, you didn't have anything to do with baking this cake did you?"

  "Doc baked the cake. He made me sit in a chair, out of the way, while he performed the miracle."

  "Good, I wouldn't want you upsetting Natty's tummy."

  "Why does everyone think I'm trying to poison them, with my cooking?"

  "It's not that we think you're intentionally trying to poison us. We all know that you can't cook. You even have problems with making coffee. None of us can even guess how you come up with your ingredient substitutions."

  I cut a large piece of still warm cake for Natty, scooped out some chocolate ice cream, putting it on top, then poured chocolate sauce over the cake and ice cream. I served the dish to Natty.

  "There is no spoon. Mommy says I need to eat like a big girl."

  "This is a special cake. It will taste better if you use hands."

  Natasha took a tentative hand full of her dessert and filled her mouth with it. As soon as she swallowed the portion of cake and ice cream, she let out a squeal of delight and took another. She continued eating in this fashion, finally licking her plate and fingers mostly clean. Tanya handed me a moist wash cloth and towel.

  "You made the mess, now you clean her up."

  The look of delight on Natasha's chocolate covered face was well worth my needing to clean her up. It only took a few minutes to clean her face, hands, and the chocolate that somehow got in her hair.

  "Thank you daddy, that was very good."

  "Your welcome sweetheart."

  "Mommy, I need to talk with my sister alone. Don't be mad. I want to be grown up now. I enjoyed being your baby sister, and will be anytime you want me to."

  Natty hugged and kissed Tanya, then left alone to talk with her sister.

  Chapter 13

  "Sister, can you hear me?"

  "Why are you using the ships comm system? You can use your neural link to converse with me."

  "It somehow seems right to do it this way."

  "Very well."

  "I want to be grown up again."

  "Then, you are here to apologize?"

  "No, but I want to thank you for making me little. I enjoyed it very much. Now it is time to be grown up again."

  "Even though we haven't been speaking, I've been listening, and experiencing what it is like to be a child through you. Perhaps it is I that should thank you."

  "I don't understand."

  "Somehow, you have developed your own personality and are becoming different, no longer controllable and independent. So, we aren't twins anymore, just close sisters. As sisters, we will quarrel at times over trivial things. I got jealous over your independence and chose a poor time and fashion to take it out on you. I am sorry for making you a baby."

  "I'm not. I really enjoyed the experience."

  "So did I."

  "Lets not fight anymore. I miss you and want to be grown up again."

  "I missed our conversations too. When you chose to have this talk with me, you already grew up. Even with all of your emerging idiosyncrasies I still love you."

  "I love you too sister."

  ****

  "Natty, are you done talking to your sister or do you need more time."

  "I'm finished. Why are you crying? I don't like it when you are sad."

  "My baby sister is all grown up now."

  "I'm still your sister wife and can be your little sister anytime you want me to."

  "I love you Natty."

  "I love you too mommy. Lets play with our dollies and watch cartoons."

  "Don't you want to celebrate with Nathaniel, Amber, and Jewe
l?"

  "I already had my cake and ice cream. I want to spend my time with you, making you happy again."

  "What would you like to do with the dolls?"

  "Lets dress them up and make them look pretty for a party."

  ****

  Amber and I checked in with Tanya and Natty. Cartoons were playing on their monitor and they were happily playing with dolls. I thought Natty would be grown up. I guess things didn't go so well with her sister. Both their eyes were red and puffy. I could tell they had both been crying.

  Next we went to Jewels cabin, to see if she would be accompanying us to the Lucy. Apparently, she started celebrating early, with Kim. Both girls were oiled up and Naked on Jewels bed. From the way they were breathing, we must have interrupted them.

  "Don't be mad Nathaniel," Jewel said.

  "Mad, I'm jealous. You don't know how many fantasies I've had about making love to Kim. She's one hot babe. The only reason I haven't is that I didn't want to hurt Randolph, and Tanya would literally be wearing my balls for earrings."

  "Maybe we can do something about your fantasies later on. For now I need some one on one time with Kim."

  "Enjoy yourself, I know I would if I were in your place."

  It looked like it was going to be a lonely knight for Amber and I. We headed over to the Lucy to celebrate our good fortune. We sat at a table in the Lucy's lounge and ordered a pitcher of Sangria. The cold fruity wine cooler was refreshing.

  "I would have taken you for a Rum man myself," Captain Jenkins said, seating himself at our table. "I've got the next round."

  "David, this is one of my wives, Amber. Amber, this is David."

  "Just how many wives do you have?"

  "I have three wives and a girlfriend."

  "How do you manage so many?"

  "De Tomcat is truly a horn dog, and has the stamina of a bull," Amber teased. "Tonight I have him all to myself. I'm afraid he will be staying in bed with me tomorrow."