“Which one of you is the mechanic?” asked Thenna, looking at Nigel. “You can take a look, no problem.”
“Hell yes,” he said, nearly running to the shuttle’s side hatch. “I mean, I will perform a cursory inspection, you know, just in case my Captain is interested.”
“It might be more than we need,” Sun said. “More expensive too.”
“But you will gain in security. This ship has light military class armour from one end to the other, combat class manoeuvring thrusters and it has been completely reupholstered, from the pilot’s seat to the bedding. Sleeping space for seven, with pull out tables and seating space for everyone. Oh, and we’ve restored one of the best features.” She snapped her fingers and two turreted pairs of small cannons slipped out of their concealment doors from the top and bottom of the ship. “Scythe guns, firing tiny molten slugs surrounded by a high energy jolt. Just in case you need a little protection. There’s a small missile launcher in the front too, but we’re not allowed to load that here.”
Nigel disappeared into the shuttle. Knowing him he’d be able to assess the ship in less than ten minutes. “How much?” Sun asked.
“Fifty-five thousand, and I’ll throw in our twenty-day guarantee on all parts for free. That’d normally run you sixty-five thousand total, so you’re saving big. You realize, this is no starter ship, it’s the kind of thing you use for years and years.”
“I can see that,” Sun said. “What if I take that basic runner over there?” She pointed at a blocky five person shuttle several spots over.
“You really are talking basic, there,” Thenna said. “Nothing wrong with it, but there are no frills, just good for land-hopping.”
“How much?”
“We sell those all the time for eight-nine-nine-nine.”
“Ah,” Sun said. She looked to Spin who was disappointed at the large price tag of both ships. The blocky basic vessel should have been much lower, even with her limited experience she could see that. The larger, flashier Long Runner seemed pricy too, it was more than what she had with her, but she knew that armed ships always came at a premium. So much so that many owners spent a great deal of time and effort on arming ships they bought without weaponry preinstalled. “There are a lot of ships we can look at between these two extremes,” Sun told her.
Spin’s response was almost instinctive. Instead of answering Sun, she looked to another salesperson who wasn’t with a customer and asked; “There are other dealerships nearby, aren’t there?” in a loud voice.
He looked at her, then to Thenna who seemed alarmed, then back to Spin. “None like this, Ma’am.”
“All right, how about I make you a deal. The Long Runner has a lot of man hours in it for restoration, but I bet I can convince the boss to let it go for twenty-eight thousand. I can only offer our five-day warrantee at that price though, extending it will cost a little more. That’s a great deal considering the peace of mind you’ll have with the protection you’re buying.”
“Nigel? How is it going in there?” Sun asked.
He emerged with a stormy expression. “Everything scans all right, it’s built well, but we have problems. The main combat shield generator is gone. They’ve got a hopped up manoeuvring shield installed instead. The shields might take a few micro-meteor hits, but that’s it. They restored everything inside this ship except for the missile launcher, I wouldn’t trust it until it’s completely rebuilt. Oh, and instead of a wormhole generator they’ve installed a bunch of empty drawers.”
“Could you rebuild the missile launcher?”
“Sure, give me a space I can work in and a week,” he replied. “Other than those problems, it’s a good space worthy ship, no chinks in the armour.”
“Nine thousand for the Long Runner,” Sun said.
“I’d be taking a loss,” Thenna replied.
“The wormhole generator is something I’d have to replace, my machinist is going to have to rebuild the missile launch system, and we’ll need new shields if we keep the ship for any length of time. What’s the cost on that, you figure, Nigel?”
“At a guess, we’re talking twenty, maybe twenty-five thousand platinum?” he said with a shrug. “That’s with new parts, used you’re still over twelve thousand, I’m pretty sure.”
“So,” Sun said. “We started high, I figure without a warrantee and those parts in the price, I’d feel good about paying eleven thousand.”
“I can go as low as nineteen thousand.”
“No warrantee, and seventeen-five.”
“On second thought, I think I’ll just take that boat,” Sun said, thumbing at the boring, blocky ship. “I’ll give you four thousand for it. No warrantee, we’re not staying in range long.”
Thenna was fully put off her sales game, and she was stuck looking from the impressing Long Runner to the blocky land hopper. “What if I gave you – and it is a gift – the Long Runner for fourteen-five.”
“What if we paid in UCA marked currency?” Sun said.
“Then it’s fourteen thousand,” Thenna said, her eyes lighting up.
“It’s eight thousand, or we leave,” Sun said. “And we buy a ship with its original shield unit intact.”
“Nine thousand is the best I can do, even for hard coded plat,” Thenna said. “And we’ll all be happy at that price.”
“Nigel,” Sun said. “Is there any reason why I shouldn’t take that deal?”
“Get a five-day warrantee, just in case we pull the trigger on those guns and a flag on a stick comes out,” he said.
“Deal?” Sun asked Thenna.
“Done,” Thenna replied. The moment they finished shaking hands, she was off checking to make sure everything that was supposed to come with the ship was inside. Nigel and Sun were right behind her, checking the interior.
Spin looked inside and was fairly satisfied. It wasn’t like the luxury craft she grew up seeing, but it was nice. There were three pull out beds on the main level that doubled as seating when they were folded up, and five in the upper compartment. There was enough storage and room for people to run the small turrets inside as well. Someone like Nigel would have to duck often enough, but Sun and Spin would fit with room to spare. She stopped another sales person as he passed. He was extremely clean, and wore a long suit coat over a formal shirt with frills. “I’m wondering; do you have an interstellar ship lot here with armed vessels?”
“Combat ready?” he asked quietly, so Thenna couldn’t hear. “We just finished working on one, we have five available.”
“What’s your cheapest one like?” she asked.
“It’s not what I’d call cheap,” he said with a smile that revealed a row of nickel plated teeth. “They’re all high-end, but refurbished, so low prices. The lowest is a North Star Company Surge Twelve Hundred. Can take a crew of thirty-five, medium combat armour, rank fifteen shields but we could upgrade that for you if you need it, and it has five ball turrets. Each turret has twin particle pulsers – Claw Nine Hundreds, they’ll make a mess of any Starfighter or tear up some bigger hull. One rotary railgun that can fire just iron, junk rounds or specialty rounds if you know how to make ‘em. It’s a great ship on its own, even better if you have someone who can make improvements later. There’s room for modifications.”
“How much?” Spin asked.
“Nineteen million plat,” he replied. “Good price for a small reaver, you can take a lot on with that.”
Spin was a little taken aback by the price, and by his frankness in what he expected her to use it for. “Would you do one point nine?” she asked.
“You know what? If you can pay with UCA credits, then I’ll go as low as one point four. No dickering, you fly off today. I’ll even give you five days’ warrantee. Think about it, it’s a good deal,” he said before sending her his ident and slinking off before Thenna could notice him making a deal with her customers. “It’s the Gunman,” he whispered before he was out of earshot.
“What’s that about?” Nigel asked in
a whisper.
“Just finding out how deep I’d have to go into my finances to buy a ship, just in case things don’t go well with the Cool Angel.”
“Did you ask him about trading in?” Nigel asked.
“No, I just wanted a price on our most affordable option,” she said, aware that Sun was noticing that they were having their own conversation while she was being shown the details of the ship. “Shush, it wasn’t serious.”
“Can you check to see if any of our old friends are around? Especially Hugo,” Sun asked.
“Yes Ma’am,” Spin said, bringing up her old crew list from the Cool Angel to see who was in range. To her surprise, a whole third of the crew were absent, but she managed to find Hugo, one of the crew’s lieutenants. Spin always liked him, and doubted that he knew anything about Captain White betraying his own people. He wouldn’t have gone along with that. She waited until Thenna was finished showing Sun the refurbished main control panel before telling her. “Hugo is in range. I can get on closed comms with him.”
“Good, let’s pay up and set a meeting with him.”
15
If the Fleet Feather met a fate like the Solar Queen, then Spin would be beyond pleased. The Solar Queen was a larger luxury vessel than the Fleet Feather, and its owner turned it into a large pub, social club and brothel. From the looks of it, the ship could still fly, but it seemed like it had been permanently docked on a slip that was open to the public.
The main area inside was where most of the people who wanted to meet up seemed to go, with many tables and groups of friends hanging out. Booths offered more privacy, and those patrons seemed quieter. Large doors framed in hand crafted wood led to a quieter area under dim light, The Red Ticket Social Club was clearly spelled above the door in gold letters. Even Spin knew that a red ticket, when stuck to the side of a ship, meant that the vessel was designated for scrap. What the owners were trying to tell their patrons by naming their social club after that, she couldn’t guess.
They made their way between the tables and past the bar to those doors and were stopped by two thickly muscled, two and a half meter tall Nafalli. “Thuu,” one said, holding his hand up.
“It’s all right, they’re with me,” Hugo said as he opened one of the doors from the other side. “Come on in.”
The social club was a stark contrast to the pub behind them. The matching tables were made of wood, the chairs were padded, and the bar featured bottles from around the galaxy. Scantily clad servants of both sexes made their way between tables quietly delivering sizzling plates, exotic drinks and leading a few patrons up a set of wooden stairs that was inlaid with platinum features. “We’re over here,” Hugo said, leading Sun, Spin and Nigel to a quiet, well-padded booth. Spin noticed that Nigel’s jaw had dropped and it didn’t look like it was going to rise any time soon, and she gently pushed his chin up with a finger.
“Sorry, I’ve just never seen a place like this,” he whispered.
“S’okay, it’s not as amazing as it seems, trust me,” Spin replied with a smile.
Before Sun could sit down, Hugo embraced her, his larger frame enveloping her with care. “I was sure you were all in prison or worse.” He offered a hug to Spin and she accepted his warm gesture, laughing when he pulled Nigel into the fold so he could squeeze both of them at once. “The Angel hasn’t been the same since you left. Where’s Trevor and Boro?”
“They were killed,” Sun said, not softening the blow. “White took a bounty from the UCA, and they sold us to a corporate slaver outfit run by a Countess. You’ve heard of her.”
“What? White sold you out?” Hugo said as he took a seat in the booth. “That’s a better explanation for what’s been going on. White paid everyone a share and disbanded the lower ranks of his crew. Offered his Lieutenants and Chiefs a buyout too, I was thinking of taking it. But there were no bounties on you,” he said to Sun.
“I’m an escaped limited run custom fabrication,” Spin said. “I’m one of two of the Countess’ dolls.”
“That explains the money. White told us he sold the Lunar Leaper to pay for the refit, but that seemed a little off. What he’s been spending is a lot more than what he’d get for an armed cargo hauler. He’s been keeping to himself too.”
“Now you know why,” Sun said. “I want to force a vote, White doesn’t deserve the Angel, or to command a crew.”
“Or to breathe,” Spin said before she could stop herself.
Hugo was surprised by the remark, but seemed amused just the same. “Well, that’s in order, isn’t it? If it were anyone other than you, Sun, I’d expect you to come at him sideways, put him in braces while he slept or slit his throat, but a vote to get him gone makes more sense. The problem is, there aren’t many low ranking crew left. Everyone who you could sway easily already got a cut of the profits from our last run and they’re who-knows-where.”
“You can recall anyone whose still on the planet. If the Lieutenants agree that anyone White paid off can still vote because this happened while they were still working for him, then I know we’ll have the majority for getting him out,” Sun said. “They’ll come back if you ask them.”
Even Spin knew that Hugo was well liked. He was once with the Carthan Marines, and had a better understanding of how to run a crew than most people she’d met. It didn’t help that he was a square-jawed, blue eyed, dark skinned man with a beard that he kept neatly shaved in thin lines. He was an interesting man to look at, and she’d caught herself staring more than once during her service. More than that, he was generally likeable and always fair. “You’re right, but we have another problem. You have to stay in your seat after I tell you. Don’t do anything about this right now.”
“What is it?” Sun asked.
“Keith Daniels has stayed on as White’s First Officer, he’s upstairs right now,” he told her quietly.
“There’s no way White’s right hand man didn’t know he was selling us out,” Sun said, shifting one foot out from under the table.
“We’ll need him, if this vote is going to stick. The crew will need someone in hand that they can punish. I’m sure just getting him off the crew won’t be enough for you either, considering what he cost you.”
“Revenge is a luxury,” Spin said. “If we want the Cool Angel to come out of this with the right commander at the helm, with the right vision for the crew, we have to focus on that, not revenge.”
“Can you seriously guarantee that you won’t try to kill Captain White or Keith if I put you all in the same room?”
“You can,” Sun said. “What Spin said is exactly right, but if they run they’re fair game.”
“I don’t know if I can agree to that, we might have to convince them to-“ before he could finish his sentence Sun was out of her seat, running towards the stairs.
Spin did her best to keep up while trying to figure out what triggered her, and barely caught sight of Keith Daniels, the First Officer of the Cool Angel as he ducked through a side door half way up the staircase. Spin wasn’t specifically angry at the First Officer when she was sitting in the booth, but as she burst through the door, catching up to Sun, she realized that seeing him run made her furious.
The emergency door they passed through let out into a long, dark corridor, and Keith made excellent time. He pulled a tall rack, a buffing machine, and a large trash can into his back trail while running as fast as he could. Sun managed to dodge and overcome all but a pile of buckets, where she tripped over one and fell into the rest. “I’m all right, get him!” she shouted as Spin leapt over her and the mess. “Alive!”
Spin saw him rush through a door and followed him without hesitation. A bolt of energy passed over head as soon as she was through, the door closed. She stopped, held her hands up and cursed herself for not looking before following. They were on the dockside wall of the large commerce building, standing on an emergency catwalk that overlooked a large, empty dry dock, the biggest concrete and metal hangar she’d ever seen. Several workers we
re cleaning the floor below, and they looked smaller than ants from the dizzying height of the walkway. “All right!”
“Who the fuck are you? I know your friend, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before,” he said as he kept the weapon levelled at her.
“I’m just her support crewman, I was sucked into all this,” she said, trying to angle her face away.
“Wait!” he said, laughing. “Now I see it, you’re that girl White found on his ship.”
While he continued on, Spin whispered; “Call Dorian, transmit video,” to her computer system.
“My God, you have no idea how big of a payday you were. Wait, how are you here?” He asked anxiously. “They said you belonged to some super power in the sector. How did you get away from that? You realize how much trouble everyone around you is in now? Me, Sun, everyone you’re in sight of is in the deepest kind of shit.”
“Why did you and White turn me in?” Spin asked.
“You were a marked slave, it was either pack you off on some world somewhere to have a go at life on your own, sell you out like we did, or keep you on board and eventually get arrested for hiding you. Just by being aboard you were screwing us over.”
The door burst open behind Spin and Keith fired a warning shot, stopping Sun in her tracks. “There’s nowhere to go but down.” She said.
A glance over her shoulder revealed that Sun had her sidearm out and was already aiming at Keith. Spin slowly dropped back beside her. “Man, I’m going to get killed!”
A blur of motion streaking from the sky struck Keith like a missile, crushing him to the iron grid of the walkway. “Fucking right,” Dorian said from where he straddled Keith. He pounded his trapped quarry twice in the face before Keith’s weapon went off. Dorian plucked it from his hand as though he were yanking a dangerous toy from a toddler and tossed it over his shoulder. “Lesson time! Don’t turn on your crewmates!” he laughed, pulling an already smoking cigar from his inside jacket pocket and flipping it into his mouth. He took a long draw on the stogie as he got a grip on the man’s arm and singled out a hand.
Cool Pursuit: Chaos Core Book 2 Page 12