Buccaneers (Privateer Tales Book 8)

by Jamie McFarlane

  "Crap, Liam! Fifteen hundred meters, twelve-hundred, a thousand, eight hundred, five hundred …," Tabby was counting down our elevation.

  I pulled back on the stick and leveled off at a hundred meters. For the moment, I'd put some distance between us and the cruisers. Lightning and blaster fire flashed all around us and I pulled back on the throttle, slowing slightly.

  "Are you crazy?" Tabby asked.

  "Marny, you got this?"

  "Fool me once, Cap."

  The vegetation in this area was thick and I was forced to weave back and forth. I wasn't finding what we needed, but I knew it would be coming up shortly, so I bided my time. For now, this little game of hide and seek was giving us the break we needed from the action.

  "Incoming hail, Karelia," the ship's AI announced.

  Accept. "Little busy just now for conversation, Petar," I said.

  "Did you really think Kostov would keep any deals he made with you?" he asked.

  "I certainly had my doubts," I replied.

  "Give it up, Hoffen, or we're going to bury you here," he said.

  "Like you did to Cape of Good Hope?"

  "You really think you're going to trick me into admitting something?" he asked.

  "Worth a shot, don't you think?"

  Close comm.

  The change in the vegetation was just what I was looking for and I pulled back on the stick. We lifted a couple of hundred meters into the thrashing chaos of the Lightning Vines.

  "Now, Marny!" I said.

  Another pfhawhump from our rear turret.

  Quiet running, Engage!

  I watched from our passive rear sensor as the energy from our aft heavy blaster contacted the Kordun. It was a nice, solid hit, but they would survive the blast just fine. Already, the energy was dissipating across their hull. If I could get three or four more of those, I'd rip right through the ship.

  "Port," Tabby said. "Starboard."

  I dodged and weaved and I think even rolled, trying to avoid the activity of the vines spurred by the sudden release of energy. The hungry tendrils weren't seeking out Hotspur as much as they were not caring we were in their path.

  The Kordun shrugged off the first strike heroically, only slowing a moment. Recognizing his peril, Captain Benesch tried to nose over to the relative safety of lower elevation, but he was too late. Vine after vine ripped at his ship, bludgeoning it in a frantic search for the energy they desired. The last view I had of the Kordun was of it being torn into two pieces in the chaotic feeding frenzy.

  I dropped back down to a hundred meters and continued at that elevation until we were out of the lightning vine's territory.

  "That wasn't very nice," Petar Kiirilov said, contacting us once again.

  I'd dropped out of stealth mode so we could gain altitude.

  "You might want to send someone to see if there are any survivors," I said.

  "You'll never leave this planet alive!" Kiirilov shouted.

  "You need new material," I said. "We're out of here."

  "I know. I'm right below you," he said.

  Alarms started going off as we took a direct hit to our belly.

  "Bottom turret is out," Nick reported.

  I rolled to the side and narrowly avoided a second shot from the rising Karelia. I couldn't fathom how he'd picked us up so easily.

  "They've got a ship on the surface," Marny said.

  "Of course they do," I sighed. Nothing was ever easy.

  I dropped the throttle into overload and prayed the engines would hold together long enough to get us out of here.

  The Karelia was falling back, but very slowly.

  Pfhawhump.

  The rear blaster fire was enough to deter Petar long enough for us to make it into the cloud bank. After twenty seconds, I pulled back on the throttle. I could just imagine the bill we'd be getting from Meerkat shipyard after this encounter. That is, if we survived.

  "Keep dodging. You don't want to be sitting still if they've got anti-aircraft," Marny said.

  "You think they're tracking us?"

  "Anything's possible," she said.

  I checked my heading and altitude. We'd break free of the clouds any minute.

  It's hard to describe the feeling you have when you emerge from clouds into bright, sunlit sky. Usually, nothing can top the rush. Today, however, we had the added excitement of emerging right in the middle of what looked to be a Nuage Air Defense training exercise.

  "Incoming hail, Nuage Air Defense."

  Accept.

  "Captain Hoffen. It's Squad Commander Luc Gray. It looks like your ship has sustained damage. May we render aid?" He asked.

  "Ada called him?" Tabby asked.

  "And he came," I confirmed.

  "Roger that, Squad Commander. We've been attacked by the Oberrhein Cruiser, Karelia and we're requesting assistance," I answered.

  Just then, the Karelia emerged from the cloud cover and started firing on Hotspur. I'd been expecting the assault and rolled out of the way easily.

  "Look at that," Tabby said, in awe.

  The four squadrons of Nuage airships converged on the Karelia almost immediately. In the end, no additional shots were fired. The Karelia was more than a match for one or two of the small Nuage craft, but three squadrons of five ships each was more than even Petar cared to deal with.

  We followed the Karelia and the Nuage ships back to Nuage Gros.

  "Meerkat has agreed to let us land for an eval," Nick said as we closed in on the city.

  "How are we going to pay for it?" I asked.

  "One thing at a time, Love," Tabby said.

  Upon learning of our plight, Meerkat shipyard had cleared their deck. Apparently, with long range optics, they could see we were missing some of the requisite parts and pieces that would allow us to set down cleanly. Fortunately, it wasn't the first time they'd been tasked with this issue and a calm engineer talked me in.

  Meerkat was right after all. For when we came to rest, the port-side wing was leaning against the deck. I couldn't imagine how much material had to have been removed for this to be the case. Then it hit me. My gorgeous, spotless, immaculate bilge had been destroyed. I wasn't usually an overly superstitious person, but I was starting to believe my bilges were cursed.

  On the deck, Bing, the engineer I'd just seen not more than a two weeks ago, met me with his hand outstretched.

  "What happened, Captain?" he asked.

  "You'll have to tell me. Either an anti-aircraft gun or a heavy ship blaster, I would assume," I said.

  "Give us a few hours to work up an estimate. I'd say you're going to be down for a few days, though," he said.

  "Feels that way, doesn't it?" I said wryly.

  "Don't worry, we'll get you all fixed up," he said. "Looks like you have a visitor, though."

  I saw a uniformed officer from Nuage's Air Defense walking purposefully toward me. Another officer stood at the elevator with Nick, Marny and Tabby in tow.

  "Captain Hoffen, would you accompany me?" he asked.

  "Can do," I said.

  The elevator dropped us at the, now familiar, Nuage Air Defense Command Center. The officers turned us over to the man I recognized as Admiral Marsh's aide.

  "Roger Carsen," he re-introduced himself. "I trust your crew sustained no injuries?" he directed the question to me.

  "I believe that's correct," I said.

  "It will be a few minutes," he said as he deposited us in a functional looking meeting room. It wasn't anywhere near as nice as Kostovgorod Castle, but that suited me just fine.

  Roger's ability to estimate time turned out to be terrible. We were starting to wonder if we'd been forgotten when Admiral Marsh, Colonel Festove and Ambassador Stephano entered the room. Out of respect, I stood. My opinion regarding democratic, albeit bureaucratic, rulers had recently increased, significantly.

  "You've quite a lot of explaining to do, Mr. Hoffen," Marsh started.

  "Yes, Ma'am. Where should we start?" I asked.

/>   "I dare say, you should start when you last departed this room," she said.

  So I did…

  A SMOKING GUN

  "You are saying that Ambassador Turnigy set you up?" Colonel Festove had taken over the questioning.

  "It looks that way, but we didn't have a chance to talk with him. Between the squads of Marines and two Oberrhein cruisers, we had to make some very hasty decisions," I said.

  "By your own admission, you knew you were going to be double-crossed," Festove pushed.

  "There are things you hear and things you know," I said with a shrug. "We have a crisis occurring on the Descartes mining colony and couldn't very well turn down help from King Kostov."

  "But, you suspected betrayal strongly enough that you alerted Captain Gray and used the Nuage Air Defense to further your own objectives," he said. "If it were up to me, I'd lock you in irons and throw your whole crew in the brig. As it is, I'll have to discipline an entire wing of my best and brightest," he said.

  "Colonel Festove, that is quite enough," Admiral Marsh said. "It is the duty of the Nuage Air Defense to defend all ships flying the Nuage flag. Captain Gray and his fellow team members will be commended for their brave actions. It is Oberrhein who is the aggressor here."

  "But by his own admission, Hoffen knowingly set up a situation that would, at the very least, encourage Oberrhein to break the treaty - with the Nuage Air Defense as his backup plan! All without my knowledge. Furthermore …"

  "Enough. Ambassador Stephano, do you have any thoughts on this matter?"

  "I agree it is a delicate situation, although I hardly find fault with our young privateers. To the contrary, we owe them a deep debt of gratitude…"

  Festove harrumphed and interrupted. "Gratitude? For escalating tensions between us and Oberrhein?"

  "No Colonel. For removing three warships from Oberrhein's control. Were you aware that Lord Kiirilov has requested asylum? He fears King Kostov will deal most severely with him for his failure," Stephano said.

  Festove didn't answer, but shook his head sourly.

  "Gentlemen, let's put a pin in that conversation. Our guests have, no doubt, learned more about our internal dialog than is necessary. Mr. Hoffen, do you or your crew have anything else?"

  "We are officially filing a prize claim on the Karelia," Nick said.

  "Of all the ridiculous …" Festove sputtered.

  Marsh held up her hand, cutting Festove's tirade short.

  "Please, explain yourself. I'm inclined to agree with Colonel Festove on this," she said.

  "Oberrhein is going to demand both Kiirilov and the Karelia be returned. By awarding the ship to Loose Nuts, you remove the ship from the conversation. In that we destroyed the other two cruisers, it's not unrealistic to think we captured the third," Nick said.

  Marsh steepled her fingers, thinking for a moment, then answered with a coy grin. "Mr. James, if you ever decide to leave private enterprise, I believe Ambassador Stephano would have a position for you. Your proposition, as tempting as it is, does not solve our real problem; we have a neighbor who cares little for the treaty they have signed. You may certainly file your claim, but I must tell you, in my opinion, you have not met the criteria for a prize."

  Nick tipped his head to the side slightly and nodded in acknowledgement. "Would you allow us a single request in that case?"

  "Nuage owes you nothing. How dare you," Festove said.

  Marsh continued, ignoring Festove's bluster, "What is your request?"

  "Jake Berandor, a colleague of ours and a business owner on Lèger Nuage, has extensive knowledge of ship propulsion systems, having earned graduate degrees from the Mars College in Puskar Stellar. He's also assisted Mars Protectorate with digital forensic analysis with great success. He believes, with access to the data-stream from the Karelia, he could prove or disprove once and for all Oberrhein's involvement in the destruction of Cape of Good Hope. As you know, forty-five souls were lost in that accident," Nick said.

  "You believe this Jake Berandor is better trained than our intelligence services?" Ambassador Stephano asked.

  "Perhaps more specialized. It's not meant as an insult. Please, consider it," I said and flicked Jake's portfolio toward Stephano.

  He received the file and I watched his eyes scan the information on his HUD.

  "His credentials are most impressive. It begs the question; what is your Mr. Berandor doing on Lèger Nuage operating a bar?" he said.

  "You'll have to ask him yourself."

  "Indeed. Madame Marsh, I would like to grant their petition to have Mr. Berandor join our forensic team. In the event evidence is discovered related to Cape of Good Hope, we will be compelled by good conscience to share this information with Belirand through diplomatic channels," Stephano said.

  "It is within your purview to do so," she agreed. "A good relationship with Belirand is certainly desirable."

  "Are you even thinking about how Oberrhein will look at our involvement in accusing them of foul play?" Festove asked.

  "We will not accuse anyone of anything, Colonel. We will gather data and if we deem the information to shed new light on Belirand's investigation, we will share it with them," Stephano answered. "We would expect nothing less from any of our allies and business partners."

  "Don't be naïve," Festove said. "We have to live with Oberrhein."

  "Mr. James, Mr. Hoffen, Mademoiselles Bertrand, Masters and Chen, we thank you for your help in this matter," Admiral Marsh said while standing up. "If you'll excuse us, we appear to have a busy day ahead."

  As soon as Marsh, Festove and Stephano left, Roger Carsen entered the room to escort us back to the public area of the city.

  "Now what?" Tabby asked, holding up her hand to pause the conversation. "And … I want to be the first to say that Festove is an asshat."

  We all laughed.

  "I don't know about anyone else, but I could use a beer," Marny said.

  "Lead on," I agreed.

  We ended up back at the bar, de Laroche. It was early for drinks, but not a one of us felt like bowing to convention at that point.

  "Ada's on her way over from Lèger in the shuttle with Jake," Nick said.

  "That was a nice try on the prize-claim on the Karelia," I said. "We sure could have used the funds from selling it. What do you suppose the bill is going to be on Hotspur?"

  "Four hundred fifty thousand," Nick said.

  "Is that a guess, or do you know?" I asked.

  "Just got it."

  "We have four missiles left on board. We could sell them," I said.

  "Maybe," Nick said. "But there's no market for missiles on Nuage."

  "There's always a market. Let me see if Jake might have some ideas," I said.

  Open comm, Jake Berandor.

  "Go ahead, Liam," Jake said.

  "Where are you?" I asked.

  "Three hours out. Did Nuage really capture the Karelia?"

  "Sure did. Say, I've a proposition for you. We're trying to raise four hundred fifty thousand. You think you could find a buyer for some of those missiles we brought along?"

  "Not a lot of buyers out here, you're not going to get full value. Plus, I'll take thirty percent off the top," he said.

  "Ten percent. It's not like you're delivering them."

  "I could live with twenty percent. Let me make some calls. We'll need five of 'em to raise that many credits."

  "We've four here on Nuage Gros."

  "Tell you what, throw in the shuttle as my commission and I'll get you an even half a million," he said.

  "You're kidding? You couldn't possibly have sold them already."

  "While you've been flitting around saving the universe, I've been expanding my network. I'll send you a release and we'll get 'em offloaded this afternoon. I assume you need the funds right away."

  "Roger that," I said, and closed the comm.

  "You sure you want to do this, Cap?" Marny asked.

  "We've four in storage back at the Co-Op. All we nee
d to do is stay out of trouble until we get home," I said.

  "Aye, that's my concern," she said.

  "I can't believe you gave away that shuttle," Tabby said.

  "What good is a shuttle to us?" I asked. "It can't carry anything but people."

  "Yeah, but it sure was sexy."

  I nodded. It had been fun to fly.

  I sat back and composed a quick comm to Mom and Dad. I let them know we'd be heading back once our ship had been repaired and that Petar Kiirilov was out of action for at least the near future.

  Forty-five minutes later, a woman showed up and presented a reading pad to me. On it was a contract to trade our four missiles and the Ambassador's shuttle to Jake for the sum total of five hundred thousand credits. It was sixty percent of what I could have gotten in the Sol system, but we weren't in any position to negotiate.

  "Let's hope Meerkat doesn't find anything else wrong with Hotspur," Tabby said, looking over my shoulder. "Or are you going to give her away too?"

  "We still have Sterra's Gift back at Descartes. We really don't need two ships," I said.

  "I go with Hotspur," Tabby said.

  I knew she was joking, but I leaned over to kiss her anyway. She pretended to be offended and I had to work for it. We were bored and tired. Drinking and keeping it light was as good a way to pass the time as I could come up with.

  A couple of hours later, Ada, with Captain Gray in tow, found us in the bar. For someone who wasn't serious, I found it interesting that she'd found him before she'd found us.

  "Anything new shaking?" I asked.

  "Petar Kiirilov and his entire crew are in custody," Gray said.

  "Does that mean Nuage denied them asylum?" I asked sliding my chair over to make room at the table.

  "Above my pay grade, but they'll be sleeping on cots tonight. Not exactly the red carpet," he said.

  "Just hope you guys don't give that ship back to Oberrhein," I said.

  "You should have shot it down when you had the chance," Gray said.

  "We weren't in any position to do that. If we'd been in the deep dark, it would have been more of a fair fight. In the atmosphere, we were having a tough time doing anything but running for our lives," I said.