by Drew Wagar
‘But you can see stuff coming,’ Rebecca said. ‘It’s like you’ve got some kind of sixth sense. All these places you know, the way across the chart. What to say and when. I’ve been through here more than once and never even heard the slightest whisper of anything out here.’
Coyote smiled at her enigmatically. ‘I’ve been around, little one. I’ve lost count of the missions I’ve flown. Been around the eight countless times. Seen a lot I wish I hadn’t seen. Lived with the regrets for many a long year…’
Rebecca frowned. ‘So how old are you?’
‘That’s for me to know and you to guess. You’re older than you look too.’
‘I’ve had treatment.’
‘So you have…’ Coyote smiled back.
‘Ok. Keep your secrets, old man!’ Rebecca huffed.
‘We better get our pet newt sobered up,’ Coyote said. ‘We need to move on and there’s work to be done. Still a chance for you to earn that Elite status regardless. Anxeonis could be interesting…’
An hour of searching had accumulated a large pile of books. Daddyhoggy was searching through them methodically, whereas Jim was skimming them quickly, hoping to chance on the words.
‘Found it!’ He yelled in delight, peering closely at the book in his hand. ‘Annals of Pliny. Ragazza.’
‘Congratulations,’ Daddyhoggy crowed. ‘And the translation?’
Jim was already scanning the modern copy, quickly flicking through the unfamiliar paper pages.
‘Here… bit further down, extract from… this must be it…’ He looked up. ‘It means ‘young woman’. Young woman!’
‘That seems to match up with your friend,’ Daddyhoggy acknowledged. ‘Good.’
‘This is still taking too long!’ Jim said in frustration. ‘It could take us ages to find all the words this way…’
‘But I’ve already found the others,’ Daddyhoggy replied in surprise.
‘What?’ Jim cried, aghast once more.
‘I was waiting to discover the final word,’ Daddyhoggy replied innocently. ‘We should treat them as a complete phrase, naturally.’
Jim closed his eyes, counted to ten and then opened them again.
‘Naturally,’ Jim said weakly. ‘So?’
‘The nearest direct translation for Dux Ducis would appear to be leader, guide, commander or perhaps someone in a position of authority or knowledge.’
‘And Incolumitas?’
‘That is absolutely certain. Its definition is unarguable and precise,’ Daddyhoggy straightened. ‘It means a place of safety.’
Jim frowned, trying to place the words in context. ‘Young woman, leader, safety. Makes no sense. Rebecca’s not a leader of anything and as for safety… we’ll she’s the last person you’d pick for that!’
‘You’re forgetting your weapon,’ Daddyhoggy prompted.
Jim nodded, ‘The accelerator. A huge strategic advantage…’
‘More than that,’ Daddyhoggy said, stretching out a wing. ‘Now apply the translated words.’
Jim thought quickly. ‘Leader, guide, commander… I don’t understand.’
‘Tense man! Passive in this case and not a possessive!’
Jim glared. ‘Can we stop with the lecturing… wait… She’s not the leader… she will lead them!’
‘Ah…’ Daddyhoggy looked smugly satisfied. His beak opened in delight. ‘The moment of elucidation!’
‘But that’s ridiculous.’ Jim countered. ‘She won’t side with them. She’s on our side…’
‘Are you sure which side you’re on?’ Daddyhoggy asked, ‘Given the knowledge you have recently acquired?’
‘Rebecca’s a fighter. She wouldn’t work with them.’
‘Perhaps they’ll coerce her?’
Jim nodded. ‘They want her because they think she will…’
‘Take them to a place of safety’ Daddyhoggy finished.
‘But how?’ Jim asked aloud.
‘You’re the one who knows her,’ Daddyhoggy replied. ‘You must have an appreciation of what she is capable of.’
Jim’s thoughts were racing.
A place of safety. A place? Surely not… Lave too, it all makes sense!
Jim grabbed his comm-link and hammered out a message.
Rebecca, I know why the Thargoids are after you. Call me now!
He waited a moment for the transmission confirmed message to return, surprised it was taking so long. The core-comm network used a tachyon transmission system, it was virtually instantaneous.
Transmission Acknowledgement Failed. Core-Comm apologies for any inconvenience caused. Please try again later.
Jim frowned and swore. Daddyhoggy looked over to him. ‘An issue with your technology?’
Core-comm problem or is she just refusing my calls now?
‘Can’t confirm the message got there,’ Jim snapped, he said, trying again. He got the same response. ‘Damn! No telling what the Thargoids will do if they do catch her.’
He placed the comm-link on the desk and began typing feverously at the small screen.
‘What are you doing?’
‘Trying to trace the hops,’ Jim said. ‘Rebecca might have got the message but not be able to reply. If so I can trace where she is, close enough to get a system lock at least.’
‘And what are you going to do when you’ve found that?’
Jim smiled wickedly.
‘We are going to find her.’
The big bird looked at him, aghast.
‘I most certainly am not!’
‘Very well,’ Jim returned. ‘I’ll inform Galcop of this collection of material and suggest they send a team of researchers to holofac your collection and disseminate the contents around the charts.’
Daddyhoggy squawked in alarm, his wings extending and flapping. ‘You wouldn’t dare! But that’s intolerable! Who would care for the books?’
‘Once the content was recorded they’d probably chuck them,’ Jim replied off-handedly. ‘It’s only the information that counts, surely? Rather a waste of space all this paper.’
‘These books are invaluable historical tomes!’ Daddyhoggy cried. ‘They must be preserved!’
‘A museum perhaps,’ Jim mused. ‘Charge entrances fees, run tours for schools. All those young minds to feed…’
‘You’re a Vizigoth! A Barbarian!’
‘Sticky fingerprints everywhere. I guess we’d run the risk of the odd page being lost here and there…’
‘This is extortion! Blackmail!’
‘Ah… the moment of elucidation,’ Jim said, grinning.
Daddyhoggy glared at him. ‘After all my help, this is how you repay me?’
‘You refused my payment, remember? I need your help and I’m betting you want to see how this ends. Am I right?’
Daddyhoggy ruffled his feathers with a sigh. ‘I’ll admit to a modicum of curiosity, nothing more.’
‘That’ll do me,’ Jim said. ‘Let’s go.’
‘Where are we going?’
Jim examined the output of his trace. ‘She was heading to Beenri via Ermaso. Trace shows the transmission got as far as Diedar. I’m guessing that’s where she is. Twenty odd light years. Let’s hope we can catch her before the Thargoids do.’
‘You have a ship, I presume?’
Jim thought about the Dubious Profit.
‘Kind of,’ he said with a grimace.
Udian had moved into the maintenance area and replenished the various supplies his inorganic body parts required. The task was completed within an hour. He immediately proceeded to the transmitter array and booked a transmission slot, secreting himself back in his ship with a relay to the station’s systems.
He encrypted the channel a number of times and then played an inconsequential ‘ships chatter’ feed over the top, embedding his own conversation in a low bandwidth diagnostic channel within the main feed.
The viewer crackled on with a blurry picture, lacking definition.
‘Garew here. Ah… Udian.
I was wondering where you’d got to.’
‘We’ve arrived at Diedar. The rest of the team have insisted on a recuperative pause. It was necessary to indulge their fragile physiologies.’
‘We still have time.’ Garew acknowledged. ‘Is everything ready?’
‘Both plans are ready for execution,’ Udian rumbled by return. ‘Do you have up to date intelligence?’
Garew nodded. ‘Thargoids have been allowed into the immediate area. They should be able to detect the Spectre’s unique engine signature without difficulty as you cross the Knife Edge. We’ll let them do the rest.’
‘You are sure about this?’ Udian replied.
Garew’s eyes narrowed, suspiciously. ‘Why shouldn’t I be?’
Udian replied easily. ‘The Thargoids aren’t pursuing her for no reason. It stands to reason they hope to gain some advantage from her capture.’
‘Of course. I’m counting on it.’
‘Do you know what this putative advantage is?’
Garew shook his head. ‘It is of little consequence. By the time they capture her, we’ll be in a position to activate either plan. Either way they are doomed. Checkmate.’
He doesn’t know about the Plasma Accelerator issue. If he knew he’d never risk losing the woman and I’m damned if I’m going to tell him – he might remove that option entirely. Better we use that advantage immediately…
Udian sighed uncomfortably.
‘Please don’t tell me you are developing sympathy for that woman,’ Garew mocked.
‘Hardly,’ Udian replied. ‘I merely dislike ambiguity. I would prefer we activate Plan ‘B’ at our first opportunity.’
‘Why?’
‘I calculate a better chance of success,’ Udian replied smoothly.
‘Within a week the Thargoids will be gone,’ Garew stated. ‘One way or the other. Patience, my friend. The current plan is sound. Proceed with it as agreed. Or do I need to invoke my own contingency?’
‘You do not.’
‘Carry it out then, Udian. Your life’s ambition fulfilled. That’s what you want isn’t it?’
‘It is. Rest assured it will be done.’
Garew nodded and cut the comm-link.
Udian thought through the implications.
Garew be damned. I will activate Plan ‘B’ the moment it becomes viable. The woman is doomed any way; she might as well have some significance to her end.
Udian pulled up the information on his companions once more. He re-evaluated the data in depth, studied their flight tactics, habits and strategies…
…looking for weaknesses.
Coyote’s plan was well conceived but Rebecca found it rather distressing. During the course of a couple of days a series of extraneous cargo bay extensions had been magnetically bolted along the flanks of the Spectre, totally obscuring the original hull. The automechs did all the heavy lifting but Rebecca was forced to watch in dismay from the tatty docking bay observation windows.
‘But the handling will be totally smirched!’ she kept crying. ‘I won’t be able to see, let alone fly or fight. It looks like a frakkin’ garbage scow.’
‘Good,’ Coyote said with an approving nod.
‘I wouldn’t be seen dead in that,’ she replied.
‘That’s the plan,’ Coyote replied, grinning. ‘Believe it or not, I’m trying to keep you alive. I told you, we can’t go through Xequerin with a top secret vessel.’
‘What if they scan the engines?’ Rebecca demanded.
‘They won’t,’ Coyote said.
‘Why not?’
‘Because you won’t be using them. The Spectre will be totally powered down, dead in space.’ Coyote said. ‘I’ll be towing you.’
‘What?’ Rebecca exclaimed.
Derik joined them, having been previously lugged to the infirmary for a detox. ‘Hey look at that! Where did that classy ship come from? Bet the owner is someone real cute…’
Rebecca gave him a look that was more vicious than the triple military lasers aboard the Spectre.
‘Wait… Not yours surely?’ Derik laughed, feigning astonishment. ‘Really? Wow! It’s almost as gorgeous as you are…’
‘Shut up lizard breath! Not talking to you,’ Rebecca snapped.
‘A sexy ship for a sexy simian…’
Rebecca tried to slap him but the big lizard batted her away easily. ‘Ha. You won’t find me half asleep under a Sombrero…’
‘…No,’ Coyote replied. ‘Just intoxicated under a table.’
‘Go back to the plan,’ Rebecca demanded before Derik could manage a retort.
‘The Spectre will be dead in space,’ Coyote said. ‘You’ll be in an enviro-suit. I’ll tow you through the jump. Once in witch-space you can restart the engines, power up and dump the disguise.’
‘In witch-space?’ Rebecca goggled back at him.
‘Yes, in witch-space,’ Coyote said, ‘I hear you want to be Elite, time to see if you’re up for it. You’ve got to be ready for combat on the other side otherwise…’
Derik laughed, ‘…you can kiss your sexy little ass good bye…ouch! Frak, woman!’
Coyote rolled his eyes at the pair of them as Rebecca gloated with satisfaction.
‘He’s right though.’
The airlock door hissed open and Udian’s metallic form emerged. He surveyed the apparent wreckage of the Spectre briefly before marching over to them.
‘This is your plan?’ he rumbled.
‘It is,’ Coyote replied.
‘You intend to tow the Spectre through the border patrols?’
Coyote nodded. ‘Engines off and powered down. It’ll read like a garbage scow. And my old ship won’t raise any eyebrows. You and Derik can go through separately.’
‘So… engines off,’ Udian mused thoughtfully. ‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’
Coyote frowned, looking around at Udian. ‘Why wouldn’t it be?’
Udian gave the distinct impression of being ill at ease. ‘What happens if we run into trouble on the other side of the jump?’
‘Rebecca will dump the disguise and power up mid-witch,’ Coyote replied, still studying the enigmatic machine carefully.
‘You can do that?’ Udian turned to regard Rebecca, with surprise.
‘Piece of cake,’ Rebecca replied, dead-pan. ‘Even a mere Deadly combateer like me can manage that.’
‘Who’s going through first then?’ Derik demanded. ‘Blazing the trail and all that?’
Coyote studied Udian for a moment, his eyes narrowed. ‘I think Udian should go first.’
The machine straightened slightly, his ocular sensors glowing fiercely before subsiding.
‘Very well.’
Jim had bought Daddyhoggy aboard the Dubious Profit to shrieks of admiration and flappy displays of humility from Gasazck, bemused looks from Hesperus, Stepan and D’Vlin and a sigh of despondency from Rus.
‘More crazy passengers?’ he moaned, immediately stomping off towards the rear of the ship.
‘We need to get to Anxeonis as soon as possible. We need to rendezvous with these four ships,’ Jim said, running aboard and handing Hesperus his comm-tab. ‘Let’s get moving.’
‘Anxeonis! But that’s nearly in the Tortuga expanse!’ Hesperus yelled in response. ‘No way! No one but pirates, criminals, bounty hunters and gangsters goes there!’
‘We should be right at home then,’ Stepan muttered to D’Vlin. The insect nodded and bobbed with laughter.
‘That’s where I need to go…’ Jim continued.
‘But… it’s dangerous!’
‘Think of all that bounty you can pick up on route. A few well-placed kills. No one’s going to miss them…’
‘And the small matter of payment?’ Hesperus replied. ‘Apologies for bringing up such a mundane item at a time of crisis but…’
‘Name your price. But let’s move!’ Jim snapped.
Hesperus came up with a ridiculous fee off the top his head. ‘One hundred thou…’
/> ‘Done,’ Jim said, grabbing Hesperus’ paw and shaking it vigorously. ‘Now get this bucket of bolts up into the black!’
Stepan and D’Vlin looked at Hesperus expectantly.
Hesperus paused for a moment.
Can’t believe that’s the only time I been able to name my price and I didn’t bid as I high as I could! Frak! And double frak!
‘What are you two looking at?’ Hesperus snapped, gathering himself together. ‘You heard the man, witch-space! Ho!’
Stepan and D’Vlin scuttled away, heading for the bridge.
Hesperus turned to be confronted by the seven foot tall Daddyhoggy, who looked around disapprovingly at the interior of the Dubious Profit. Hesperus flinched back in surprise.
‘Wooah…’
‘So this is what the inside of a spaceship looks like, is it?’ Daddyhoggy muttered in a deep voice, eyeing the dirty stained walls of the cargo bay. ‘Not exactly salubrious, is it?’
‘Welcome aboard the Dubious Profit,’ Hesperus said uneasily. The bird stared back at him, unblinking. Hesperus recoiled slightly; the bird looked unimpressed but curiously expectant. ‘Have we met before?’
Daddyhoggy looked Hesperus up and down.
‘I sincerely hope not. I’d anticipate having better taste in travelling companions.’
The internal gravity of the Dubious Profit engaged with the squealing smoothness of an unlubricated industrial garbage compactor, throwing everyone abruptly to one side as the familiar list established itself. Engines whining and straining against Ordima’s gravity well, the Dubious Profit blasted up and away, orienting itself towards the lonely blackness of space.
The Spectre slowly inched out of the docking bay of the old Transhab station, carefully moving forward with limited power from its main drive. Rebecca was at the helm, cursing at what had been done to her ship. She felt exposed. With the cargo bays bolted across the ship she couldn’t fire any weapons and with more than twice the mass hanging off the ship’s framework her top speed and manoeuvrability were less than a quarter of normal. The shields were off too as they couldn’t be activated around the increased mass of the cargo bays.
No weapons, no shields and two communist systems to traverse. Wonderful. Might as well paint a big red target on the side and be done with it!