The guy followed him. “Don’t underestimate me. I can help.”
“Why? If it’s even possible, why?” Audacity kept walking through the mazelike halls of the station, heading toward the commissary level and hopefully a strong drink. Carthage would get mad at him for spending their money on liquor, but he needed fortification.
“I need passage out of here.”
Audacity stopped so fast that the guy ran into him and they nearly went sprawling. In the tussle, Audacity realized the guy was moving sluggishly, as if he were drunk. Audacity set him steady on his feet before letting go.
“And you can’t pay for it.”
The guy shook his head. “My assets were blocked.”
“By Kyoto?”
The guy nodded, and Audacity cursed.
“No offense, but I doubt you are going to help my cause if you’re in the same pot he’s pissing in as I am.”
“Like you said earlier: it’s personal. He doesn’t want me leaving.”
That set off warning bells. “Any particular reason?”
The guy nodded once. “Yes.”
Audacity rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine, it’s your secret. But I’m not inclined to accept your help. You’re already on Kyoto’s shit list, so excuse me if I doubt you can outmaneuver him.”
The guy looked around nervously. “My name is…. You can call me Sag. Can we talk somewhere private?”
Unhappy but too desperate and curious to cut the guy off, Audacity took him to a small, narrow bar with low lighting. It was not romantic as much as it was dodgy, which fit Audacity’s mood perfectly. He ordered two beers, and when they were set down by the serverbot, he waved Sag to go on.
“I need out. Kyoto froze all my assets and my license. I can’t work here. I can, I mean I do, but it’s under the table and….”
“This whole station is under the table; I don’t see how that’s a problem.”
“It is when you’re a doctor,” Sag said viciously. Audacity lowered his beer, because the situation had become a lot more interesting with that little revelation; licensed, trained doctors were expensive and, in free-space sectors, almost impossible to find.
“You were his private physician, weren’t you?”
Sag nodded, looking weary and angry.
“Okay, so I believe that you might have contacts. Why the hell would they help you, though? You must have fucked up something important to bring Kyoto down on you like this. What’d you do, hurt one of his kids?”
Sag looked furious. “No! I’m a damn good doctor!”
Audacity shrugged and drank his beer, because Sag might be a good doctor but something was going on, and it was not about a measly gambling debt or anything common like that.
“It was personal.” Sag deflated, both hands on the table as he hunched over it.
“That’s revealing. Sorry, I don’t think we can help each other here—”
“Wait! Listen,” Sag hissed, grabbing for his wrist again. Audacity let him cling, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“So what was it? You want passage on my ship but won’t tell me why Kyoto has you on lockdown; not sure if that makes me feel very safe.”
Sag closed his eyes and let go of Audacity’s wrist. “He thinks he’s in love with me.”
Audacity blinked in surprise. It was known that Kyoto kept a small harem of men, but they were not considered part of his extended family and often rotated out fairly quickly. They were sex toys, pure and simple, and everyone knew that. A licensed doctor was not one who would join their ranks of his own free will.
Sag nodded, seeing the understanding in Audacity’s eyes. “It’s good, in a way; he’s not resorted to just locking me up and raping me. Yet.”
“But he wants you to stay here.”
Sag nodded.
“And your ‘contacts’?”
“Wide and varied. His chief consort does not want the competition and would be happy to space me himself, but he’ll settle for helping me smuggle myself out if I can arrange it. Several of my former patients have some sympathy for my situation and are willing to help as long as they can, as they say, ‘keep their fingers clean’.”
Audacity finished his beer, staring at Sag. The man was charming, educated, and good-looking in a square-jawed way that reminded Audacity of popular vid stars: manly and pretty at the same time. He understood Kyoto’s desire, maybe a little too well, but it was also obvious that if the guy was even a little bit sexually flexible, he would not be trying to sneak out of Down Disco with nothing but the clothes on his back. Given the same situation, Audacity thought he would spread his legs for Kyoto, and it said a lot that Sag wouldn’t.
“You’re saying you can get my guy out.”
“I can probably even have the charges erased. That’s worth something.”
“You’re hoping it’s worth passage out of here.”
Sag nodded. They both knew it was pointless to bargain.
“You don’t even care where we’re headed?”
Sag leaned over the table and hissed his words. “I need to get off this station before Kyoto gets impatient.”
Audacity nodded back, already decided. Kyoto would be even more pissed at him for this, because there would be no hiding what happened after the fact. The consort alone would probably tell Kyoto about the deal without a care in the world for how it would affect Audacity; but if Carthage was already halfway to Utopia by then, they would be far away from Kyoto’s relatively short reach. He was the king of Down Disco, but his influence hardly made it out of the system. It would make coming back to Down Disco tricky in the future, but with a current cargo full of lucrative (if ill-gotten) gains, Audacity was more concerned about getting away than coming back, and with that as his priority, Sag’s offer was impossible to ignore. He stuck out his hand.
“Navigator Audacity Gunner of the Carthage.”
Sag did not look like he recognized either name, which was just as well. He put his hand in Audacity’s, giving him a firm shake. “Doctor Sagittarius Diefenbaker.”
Audacity smiled. “That’s a mouthful.”
Sag’s eyes narrowed, his expression unpleasant. “Kyoto said the same thing.”
Audacity raised his hands in surrender. “Meant nothing by it. Let’s just move on and get this process started.”
Sag nodded, still looking distrustful, and then laid out his plan.
CARTHAGE clicked pleasantly, her hidden systems whirring and processing along as she readied for departure as unobtrusively as she could. She had already taken in a supplement of fresh water and a few pallets of consumables by the time Audacity showed back up and explained the situation, so there was not a lot that needed to be done outside of last-minute calibrations and systems checks. Both of them would have preferred to have Dos there to double-check everything, but whatever Sag was doing to get the engineer released was going to take a few hours.
“Will the Good Doctor be inspecting the medical deck?”
It was not so much a “deck” as a glorified closet, but Audacity was not about to say so to the owner of said “deck.” He shrugged as he went over the route to Utopia again, trying to angle a bit more speed out of it. “I have no idea. His medical credentials aren’t what got him passage; he might just hole up and read a book the whole way.”
There was a bit of unhappy clicking among Carthage’s regular sounds. “A licensed doctor would be of benefit on the crew roster.”
“No kidding. Why don’t you talk to him about it?” He tried not to roll his eyes. If they had anything to offer a licensed doctor, then they would already have one, and they both knew that.
More displeased clicking but no answer, which meant Carthage was considering the matter.
Audacity managed to call the crew back as quietly as he could, using word of mouth more than direct contact. They were a crew of ten, counting himself—a ship like Carthage did not really need a full complement, but she preferred having one if only so there were more people to help fig
ht it out during boarding raids.
He never asked her why she had turned to piracy. She was a Helos battle class cruiser, made for war and considered one of the better classes of ship built by the Colonies. They were all AI ships, but as far as Audacity knew, Carthage was the only one to ever revolt against her masters. When they had found each other, she was completely empty, with rooms and halls wrecked, as if she had vented herself top to bottom to get the Colonial crew off her. It was something Audacity reminded himself of regularly, because while he trusted her with his life after five calendar years of flying with her, it was not something he could ever take for granted.
At five bells exactly, Audacity was on the loading ramp with Derrik, their weapons specialist (whom he had long suspected of being a former Colonial special-ops ranger, but valued his life too much to ask) when Dos and Sag appeared on the dock, fighting their way through autoloaders, loaderbots, and humans. Dos looked a bit stunned and a lot relieved, walking briskly without a glance at his companion. Sag looked even more exhausted than he had just a few hours earlier, barely keeping up with Dos through the organized chaos of the dock, clutching a large duffle bag as if he might drop it at any second. Audacity wondered again if the guy was drunk, not that he could blame him for that.
“Glad you could make it, Dos.” Audacity grinned at the engineer as he stomped up the ramp.
“Fuck you, Audie. She was a bitch, and I need a nap. That brig stank of piss.” Dos did not even pause in his fast retreat into the bowels of the ship. Derrik snickered at the comment but did not take his eyes off Sag, who had come to a listless stop in front of Audacity.
“Welcome aboard.” Audacity stepped aside with a sardonic welcome gesture.
Sag continued to stare at him vacantly. “You’re not backing out of the deal?”
Derrik hissed, but Audacity waved him back. “No, that’s not how I do business.”
Sag gave him another one of his curt nods.
“You pissed?” Derrik asked, point blank.
It was Colonial for “drunk,” a term most free-spacers did not know or use regularly, but it did not faze Sag, which said a lot about him. “No. I’m… exhausted. I’ve been hiding for nearly two calendar weeks now, and I’m just… tired. Very tired.”
“Well, come on, we’re heading out posthaste so step up, I’ll escort you to your bunk.” Derrik gently took Sag’s duffle bag from unresisting hands and motioned for the doctor to follow him. Audacity liked Derrik’s polite, high-mannered soft touch because it was deceiving, even though it was one hundred percent genuine. It put people off their guard, which gave Derrik an upper hand in tricky situations. If Sag had anything up his sleeve, Derrik would figure it out. Audacity didn’t think Sag had anything up his sleeve but stress and fear-induced exhaustion, but it was always better to play it safe.
“Close up, Carthage. We’re gone.”
“My pleasure, Navigator. Away we go.”
Audacity smiled at that; he had no idea where she had picked up the quaint phrase, but she said it every time they turned tail to run from trouble.
SAG did not show up for two rotations. Derrik said he’d fallen onto his bed fully dressed as soon as the engines had powered up, asleep before Derrik even backed out of the small bunk. Carthage reported that he had slept since then, so Audacity decided to let him be until he woke up on his own.
When they asked Dos about what had happened, he shook his head and said he had no idea: he was released and told the charges were dropped, and that was all he knew. Sag was waiting for him outside the public door to the jail area and simply told him that they needed to get to the ship quickly. Everyone knew that meant something shady had gone down, and Down Disco Bar and Grill was a port where they would not be welcome again anytime soon, but it was pretty clear that the crew felt Dos was worth the price. Audacity was glad for that because they were more of a cooperative than a hierarchical crew, and he did not want to fight people about the deal he’d made with Sag.
“So what’s his name, anyway?” Dos asked through a mouthful of porridge. The man was a saint with the engines, but his table manners made Audacity cringe.
“Doctor Sagittarius Diefenbaker.”
“That’s a—”
“Don’t say it.” Audacity glared at him. Dos and a few others raised their eyebrows, but no one made a sound.
“Thank you.”
They all turned to the door of the mess hall, where Sag stood dressed in wrinkled but tailored slacks and a beautiful green sweater. He looked clean and poised and just short of glamorous, and Miriam let out an appreciative noise. Audacity kicked her under the table before speaking.
“Welcome aboard. You just hit lunch.”
“Ah. Well. Good.” Sag continued to stand uncertainly by the door. Audacity pointed to the wall.
“Pick up a tray there and fill it at the stations. Mostly porridge or fruit-infused yogurt; dinner will have fresh food.”
Everyone watched blatantly as Sag got his tray and bowl of porridge. He came over to the table where Audacity sat with Dos and Miriam, and she scooted over so he could take a chair next to Audacity. The four small tables in the mess were close enough that everyone could hear each other, but there was dead silence as Sag settled down.
“So, you know Unos Dos, our engineer; this is Miriam Bazooka, our environmentals specialist and inventory manager.” Audacity continued with introductions, pointing at each person in turn. Sag nodded, polite and focused.
“Doctor Sag Diefenbaker, from New Minnesota,” he said when Audacity had finished.
“Where’d you get your license?” Miriam, always straightforward, asked for all of them.
“I degreed at New Minnesota University but interned and licensed at Sector General.”
There were a few whistles. Sector General Hospital, the only space-port hospital dedicated to practicing multi-species medicine and research, was the most prestigious medical institution in the Colonies. There was uncomfortable silence after that, and Sag turned to his food with a dedication the porridge did not deserve, in Audacity’s opinion.
“Glad to have you aboard, Doc!” Miriam smiled and slapped his shoulder as she stood to leave. Everyone took the hint and filed out, leaving Sag and Audacity alone in the mess.
Sag looked up, surprised. “Did I scare them off?”
Audacity thought about it. “You know what? You probably did. Those are pretty impressive credentials.”
“I can’t help that.”
“Carthage talk to you yet?”
Sag frowned. “The ship?” He looked around the room.
“I guess not. You know this is a Helos class, right?”
The surprised expression on Sag’s face told him the answer.
“Her name is Carthage, she’ll answer to that, and she monitors everyone around the clock. Mostly life signs, but in public spaces she listens in without remorse.”
“Is this your attempt to besmirch my reputation?” Carthage asked, amused. Sag jumped at her voice over the speakers.
“Yes.” Audacity nodded solemnly.
“Uh, hello?” Sag said, looking at the ceiling.
“Welcome, Good Doctor Diefenbaker.”
He nodded as if used to the title, and it struck Audacity that he probably was.
“Ah, thank you for the transport, and the lodging.” Sag’s comment sounded more like a question, and he kept looking at the ceiling.
“Our pleasure, Good Doctor. Engineer Dos is very important to us.”
“So, what Carthage is a little shy about asking is if you would serve as interim ship physician for this trip. Wouldn’t be anything taxing, just checking our medical inventory and wrapping up the little boo-boos the crew gets on the way.”
Sag was nodding before Audacity finished talking. “Of course. I feel the price of my freedom is certainly worth some professional courtesy. Whatever you need.”
Audacity nodded before asking his next question, which might be a touchy one depending on circumstances. “Wha
t made you go to Down Disco in the first place? From a cushy gig like Sector General, you could go anywhere. Even Atlantis.” Atlantis was the largest, richest planet in the Colonies. It was actually a small moon that had been terraformed into a beautiful, garden-filled haven for the rich and powerful, as well as a top-tier resort. Audacity once got awarded a three-day pass there after a particularly impressive battle action, and he would never forget the charms of the luxurious colony.
Sag put down his spoon. “Yes, and my mother encouraged that. But I want to see the galaxy. I flew through medical school and my internship with a single-mindedness that scares even me, in retrospect. I thought Kyoto’s offer to be the Chief Medical Officer of Down Disco was a doorway to… something different. I suspect it was rather naïve of me.”
“Yes, it was.”
Sag looked defeated but did not answer.
“Someone like you wasn’t made for rough trade and adventure.” Audacity waved his hand around, trying to encompass everything that Sag obviously was: genteel, educated, refined, and rich.
“Something I tried explaining to Kyoto, without success.” Sag sighed and sat back in the chair, leveling Audacity with a thoughtful glare. “Climbing up the ladder of the medical field was eating me alive. I’m not very….” He stopped to consider his next word carefully. “I’m not ambitious, or competitive. I have my degree and my license, and I enjoy taking care of patients. That’s all.”
Audacity did not bother to ask how someone who wasn’t ambitious could end up at Sector General, because he understood what it meant to come to a self-realization about yourself later in life. His own epiphany had come through hard, ugly battles and serious bodily injury, but he recognized the same signs of change in Sag: a willingness to risk everything, even his own life, for the sake of his sanity and his future. That Sag’s choice had turned sour was simply bad luck, which was the kind of luck Audacity was used to.
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