Deep Space Intelligence : Complete Series

by Gary Weston

  ‘Like I’d trust you men with beer and sharp hooks to take care of him. You go and catch dinner, I’ll be with Betty.’

  Raven said, ‘Or. We could call it all off and there would be just you and me.’

  Which was Dixon’s cue to make his presence felt. He was the centre of any universes attention, and demanded his voice be heard. Joy went to his cot and picked Dixon up.

  ‘No need for all this noise, Dixon. We are all having a feed and you and I are going to see all those birds and butterflies. Meanwhile, Daddy will have his rod out, wondering why he’s sending everything scurrying away laughing.’

  Raven said, ‘You’ll eat those words.’

  ‘Ah. But will I eat a fish you caught?I don’t think so.’

  Chapter 370

  ‘Now this is what it’s all about, my friend,’ said Raven. ‘You and me, pal, beers chilling in the river, our line baited, watching the world go by.’

  Thorne said, ‘It will be, just as soon as you untangle your line from that tree. I should record you.’

  ‘Please don’t. There. See? I’m ready now. Are you sure this is actually something fish will eat?’

  ‘The guy in the tackle shop swore by it. Or is that swore at it? Let’s put it this way. It would be a whole lot cheaper to find a fancy restaurant and order the best fish dish they do.’

  Raven covered his hook with bait and cast the line out into the slow flowing river. ‘That is undoubtedly true, Sam. But not nearly so much fun.’

  Sam pulled the net from the river and took out two beers, passing one to Raven. ‘Tagg. I’ve a favour to ask.’

  ‘Fire away.’

  ‘That puppy I mentioned? I’d like to take Karma to see it before we let Shannon see it. Karma has to be really happy with the whole thing, because if she’s not, it will be too disappointing for Shannon if we don’t take a dog. Would you and Joy look after Shannon for a couple of hours?’

  ‘I think we can manage that. When do you need us?’

  Thorne said, ‘Would this evening be ok?’

  ‘I don’t see why not. Joy has taken Dixon to Base three to be with Betty Foreman. She will not be able to resist getting her hands dirty, so she’ll just want to chill out this evening. Just a couple of hours, you say?’

  ‘About that.’

  ‘Consider it done. Seven ok?’

  ‘Perfect. Tagg. Are you sure we won’t hit problems bringing a dog back to Home?’

  ‘Miss Saltoe asked all the right people for me. A few had reservations, none actually said no. Keep the dog under control and it’ll be ok.’

  ‘Thanks. I must admit, I was really impressed with Mrs Kane. She’s devoted her life to looking after those dogs. Every credit she has goes towards their upkeep.’

  Raven said, ‘It wasn’t the dogs fault they were brought here to Mars from Earth, then let loose in the jungle to survive. We need people like Kane. I’ll have a word with Fripp Norton to see if a little extra funding can go her way. No promises, but I can only try.’

  ‘Thanks. Hey. You caught something.’

  ‘Crap! Now what do I do?’

  Thorne said, ‘For a start, stop panicking. Just reel it in. Nice and steady. Raise the tip of the rod. Ok. I have a net ready. That’s the way. Let me just bag this bad boy. Got him. Now Tagg. That’s an impressive fish.’

  ‘And time to call it a day,’ said Raven.

  Chapter 371

  ‘Oh, come on. Have you seen the state of me?’

  Raven did his best to grin. ‘Gorgeous. A little bit grubby, but I still love you.’

  Joy Dainty pulled a leaf from her hair. ‘I need a serious shower and I still have to take care of Dixon.’

  ‘Which is why I packed everything we need. I never thought you’d be this late.’

  Joy said, ‘I lost track of time. Can’t you call them and tell them we can’t make it tonight?’

  ‘No, because we will make it. We go now, we’ll be on time. You can hit the shower on the ship and I’ll take care of Dixon and cook us a fish dinner. One I caught with my own fair hands, by the way. It was this big.’

  ‘Liar. Ok. But next time you commit my time, consult me first, ok?’

  Raven nodded. ‘I get the message. Now hurry up.’

  They pushed the buggy to its top speed of thirty miles per hour to the landing pad where the freighter sat. The airlock was already open.

  ‘Sorry we’re a bit late,’ said Joy. ‘This idiot only told me ten minutes ago.’

  ‘Sorry,’ said Raven. ‘All my fault. You get going, we’ll take care of everything. Take as long as you like.’

  Casey said, ‘Thanks, Tagg. Beer in the fridge. Are you seriously going to cook that thing?’

  ‘Moby Dick? Yep, in butter with salad.’

  ‘Ok. Just don’t stink the ship out. Oh. Not a word to Shannon about where we’re going.’

  Raven zipped his mouth. ‘My lips are sealed. You kids go and have fun.’

  Casey and Thorne set off in the buggy, and raven and Joy entered the ship.

  ‘Hi, Shannon,’ said Joy. ‘I’m just about to hit the shower. You talk to Uncle Tagg and make sure he doesn’t burn the fish.’

  Shannon sighed. ‘Ok. Are you staying over?’

  ‘No,’ said Raven, settling Dixon down. ‘Just a couple of hours so your dad and Karma can go for a grown up meal. You don’t mind, do you?’

  Shannon shrugged. ‘I suppose not. Will you read me a story, Uncle Tagg?’

  ‘Sure. But I’ve a special meal to cook first. Come and chat with me as I make us all a feed.’

  In the galley kitchen, Raven pretended to know what he was doing and removed the guts from the fish and cut off the fins and then the tail. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

  ‘I caught this fish, you know. Out of a river. With hooks and bait and stuff.’

  Unimpressed, Shannon said, ‘It isn’t very big.’

  ‘Ah! But it’s a fact that fish caught here on Mars, shrivel up to half their size once out of the water. Something to do with the Martian atmosphere. I wrestled for hours with this bad boy. Hours of fighting it, man versus beast. Your dad offered to take over, but as exhausted as I was, I said, no. This is my battle. Another hour of fighting and wrestling, and just as I was about to collapse with exhaustion, with my final ounce of strength, I landed it.’

  ‘You should turn it over before it burns.’

  ‘Right. I knew that. There. Now, a little salad and job done. Doesn’t that look a picture.’

  ‘I’m not hungry.’

  ‘Hmm. Everyone’s a critic. And here’s Joy. Looking and smelling great.’

  ‘Which is more than I can say about that thing. Are you seriously expecting us to eat that mess?’

  Raven looked at the plates. ‘Ok. Presentation isn’t quite perfect, but the flavours are amazing. Here. Try this.’

  Joy took the forkful. ‘Actually, it doesn’t taste as bad as it looks. But then again, I suppose it couldn’t.’

  ‘See? I knew you’d like it. Come on. Lets enjoy this feast.’

  Shannon and Joy looked at each other and rolled their eyes in a “He means well” look and did what they could to eat the offering.

  Raven sat back and sipped his beer. ‘Now that was the best fish I ever cooked.’

  Joy said, ‘Tagg. That was the only fish you ever cooked.’

  Raven belched. ‘And not a bad effort for my first time, even though I say it myself.’

  Joy reached out and took Shannon’s hand. ‘You realise one day you’ll probably end up with a man like him.’

  ‘Do I have to?’

  ‘Hopefully there’ll be a law against it by then. Time you were getting ready for bed, Shannon. Tagg. You can clean the kitchen.’

  Raven sighed and gathered up the plates. ‘A man’s work is never done.’

  Joy was settling Shannon in her bed when a fearful roaring sound shook the ship.

  Shannon grabbed Joy, both wondering what could have made such sounds.

&
nbsp; ‘Aunty Joy?’

  ‘You stay here. I’ll go find out.’

  By the time Joy had joined Raven at the open airlock where he was standing, watching out, the noise had died down.

  ‘What the hell was that?’ Joy asked.

  ‘That thing there. Looks like an F class freighter. I haven’t seen one of those for over twenty years.’

  Joy asked, ‘Do they always sound like that?’

  ‘Only a badly serviced ship ever sounds like that. Beats me how it has still got its tickets. That’s the biggest pile of junk still able to fly, I’m guessing.’

  ‘Not our problem, as long as it stays quiet. I’m amazed Dixon didn’t wake up.’

  Raven said, ‘So am I.’ He pressed the sensor for closing the airlock. ‘Time to put our feet up for an hour or so. Come on.’

  Chapter 372

  ‘They’re definitely cute enough,’ said Casey. The pups were stretched out on their blanket together, snuggled up, side by side. ‘Won’t they be cold out here all night?’

  Sugar Kane said, ‘Only one dog sleeps inside the house and that’s Bruno. The chances are, these will have to be released back into the wild one day. I can’t let them be getting too dependent on me, otherwise they’ll never survive in the jungle.’

  Thorne asked, ‘How big will it grow?’

  ‘About the same size as Bruno here. Two hundred years of surviving in the wild has levelled the different breeds out. They’ll eat fish, meat, preferably raw. Raw bones, not cooked. Scraps. You’ll work it out.’

  ‘I’m just a bit nervous,’ said Casey. ‘Full grown, they could do a lot of harm to a little girl.’

  Kane said, ‘There’ no such thing as a bad dog. Only a bad owner. Look at Bruno, here. Anybody silly enough to attack me, he’d rip into them. Otherwise, he’s the sweetest critter I ever knew. Gentle and full of love. That’s because I brought the best out in him. He was no different to those pups right there.’

  Thorne said, ‘So One of those pups can grow up just like Bruno?’

  ‘Absolutely. It’s just about how you bring them up.’

  Casey said, ‘What about it living on a ship for some of its life?’

  ‘Not unheard of. Train it to do its business in one place, and find a way to keep it stimulated and exercised. Get your girl to play ball with it and that will help them bond. So. What do you think?’

  ‘Well,’ said Casey. ‘We did come all this way. If Shannon likes one, we’ll take one.’

  Kane said, ‘In that case, bring Shannon here in the morning, and see how she bonds with one of them.’

  ‘We’ll do just that,’ said Casey. ‘They do look adorable.’

  ‘I’ll see you in the morning, then. Goodnight. Come on, Bruno.’

  Chapter 373

  ‘Impounded!’ Dale Martin glared at the Commercial Vessel Control Inspector.

  Joe Murphy had done the job for twenty-five years and was immune to abuse and threats in these circumstances. Murphy was a small man, but wasn’t an easy man to intimidate. He was also a Mars karate black belt, teaching others in his spare time. Martin may well have been a foot taller and twenty pounds heavier, but Murphy knew size wasn’t everything.

  Murphy tapped the screen. ‘This is your ship’s service history. Not good. You also have two previous outstanding infringements for not having your servicing up to date.’

  Martin knew how much power these officials had on all the planets. It didn’t pay to argue with any of them.

  ‘Ok. I guess I did let things slip a little. Tell me what I need to do to resolve this.’

  ‘Right. You need to pay your infringement fines. If you don’t you’ll probably lose your tickets. That comes to ten thousand credits for each infringement plus penalties, a total of twenty four thousand credits.’

  Martin gasped,‘How the hell am I supposed to find that kind of money?’

  ‘I haven’t finished, yet. Your ship will still have to undergo a thorough inspection and any issues resolved before you’ll be allowed to take off from here.’

  Martin sighed, closed his eyes and did a ball-park calculation. He would not be getting much change out of a hundred thousand credits, and if really serious problems were found with his ship…

  ‘Ok. Can I at least have my cargo unloaded?’

  ‘Of course. Better to have the ship completely empty for the inspection, anyway.’

  That was something, at least. ‘Thanks. I’ll organise it. That’ll be some money coming in. Look. I’ve a return load. That needs to be out of here within the next four days.’

  Murphy shrugged. ‘Then I suggest you get a hurry on, Mr Martin. The inspection will take a full two days, and if any work has to be done…’

  ‘Ok. I get the picture. Thanks.’

  The troubled Martin left the inspectors office and entered his ship where his partner Dan Valiant waited. The look on Martin’s face told Valiant how things had gone.

  ‘I told you, Dale. We wouldn’t get away with it this time.’

  ‘Well, thanks for that, O’ wise one. You can organise the unloading.’

  Valiant said, ‘Already done. What about the servicing?’

  ‘And I pay for that how? We need to come up with a hundred thousand credits like yesterday.’

  ‘Don’t look in my direction. I’m the junior partner, remember? I don’t even remember the last time I actually got paid from you.’

  Martin said, ‘Times have been tough, lately. For everybody.’

  ‘And what money we have made, you’ve gambled away. You’re a liability to the business.’

  ‘That’s gratitude. I make you a partner…’

  Valiant said, ‘Hello. You’re still supposed to pay me?’

  Martin went to a battered steel locker and took out a bottle of whisky and poured two measures, handing one to Valiant.

  ‘Like booze is going to help.’

  Martin downed his drink. ‘It’ll help me.’

  Valiant sipped his drink. ‘You want me to organise the servicing?’

  ‘And if we can’t find the money, we’ll be in an even bigger hole.’

  ‘We need this ship loaded and ready for take off in four days time. Five at the most. If not, we’ll be hammered with penalties.’

  Martin knew all that. ‘Ok. What the hell. You sort all that out, I’ll go and see what I can do to raise some money. Are you sure you’ve no money stashed away?’

  ‘No. And giving you money would be just throwing it away.’

  The two men stared at each other, then Martin stormed off to think. And Drink.

  Chapter 374

  ‘Where are we going?’ Shannon asked.

  ‘Just for a little ride out in the country,’ said Sam. ‘Now strap yourself in. The road can get a little bit bumpy.’

  Casey said, ‘Are you strapped in?’

  ‘Yes, Karma.’

  The pre-programmed buggy set off to the rough house down the dirt-track road and the way the ruts had dried out to rock hard in the sun, it was just as well they were all buckled up. When they pulled up, Sugar Kane and Bruno were waiting outside for them.

  ‘A dog,’ said Shannon.

  Bruno’s tale wagged and he approached the buggy, and Shannon stared nervously down at him.

  ‘He won’t hurt you,’ Kane reassured her. ‘Bruno. Here.’

  Bruno returned to Kane and sat by her side.

  ‘It’s ok,’ said Sam. ‘Come on. Out you get.’

  As Shannon got down, staying close to her parents, she stared at Bruno. She had never been so close to a real live dog before.

  ‘Ok,’ said Kane. ‘Why don’t we take a look round the back? Come on.’

  Together, they went round the back of the ramshackle house to the kennels, Bruno by Kane’s side but glancing back at the visitors, especially Shannon. Several of the dogs began barking but Kane ignored them, going to the end kennel with the puppies. As the people approached, the puppies ran to the front of the cage, their front paws on the mesh, their tails wa
gging like tiny propellers.

  ‘Oh, Dad. Karma. Look.’

  ‘Do you like them?’ Sam asked.

  ‘They’re so sweet.’

  Casey said, ‘They don’t stay that small, Shannon. They end up the size of Bruno here.’

  ‘I know that. Dad. Can I have one, please?’

  ‘That’s the plan,’ said Sam. ‘You just have to choose one.’

  Shannon said, ‘I want a girl dog.’

  ‘Ok,’ said Kane. ‘Those two are bitches. Which one do you like?’

  ‘Err, that one with the funny ear. It’s all pink.’

  ‘She got in a fight when she was a month old. She nearly lost that ear. I’ll get her for you.’ Kane opened the kennel door, picked up the pup and brought it out. ‘Right. Now hold her like this. One arm underneath her. Got her?’

  ‘She’s so soft. Oh, Dad. Can I really keep her?’

  ‘She’s all yours. You have to look after her, though.’

  Shannon hugged the pup. ‘I will. I promise. Oh, thank you so much.’

  ‘I think we have a match,’ said Kane.

  ‘Well,’ said Sam. ‘We had better get going back to the ship. I’ve transferred the money to your account. Plus a bit more for all the good work you do here.’

  ‘That is so kind of you. Thank you. I wish you good luck with the dog.’

  They said their goodbyes and with Shannon holding onto the pup in the back of the buggy, they set off to the ship.

  Chapter 375

  Raven decided to join Joy in Base Three. Not with any intention of getting his hands dirty, but he stretched out on a reclining chair in a little oasis in the jungle, Dixon next to him in his stroller, sound asleep after a feed. The air seemed to be full of sound and activity, with insects and birds. Andy the parrot had paid a visit to say hello, then had flown away to entertain other visitors. A chimp had entered the Base and had spent some time hanging from nearby branches staring at Raven, who just ignored the creature.

  Raven reflected on how quickly things had changed. A few weeks ago, the future of the D S I hung in the balance, his own future far from certain. Now, five new ships were being commissioned, and the battered three ships were being stripped for spares. Two more ships meant two new crews. Ok. More responsibility for him, but he would rather have more ships and crew to worry about than too few. One was to be an extended fighter. One of the reasons non-D S I ships were used by D S I, was because the holds of the fighters were just too small for some jobs. One of the fighters would be twice normal size, meaning the use of freighter’s like the one Casey and Thorne owned, would no longer be required.