by Zach Winderl
“Not that I find your company something to complain about, but I am surprised that you found us again,” the player followed up with unabashed superiority.
“Well, the way the job played out, I was given an unexpected opportunity.” Atom stood with his thumbs tucked in his gunbelt and his feet spread wide in a relaxed, non-confrontational stance. “It’s probably something more in line with Pips’ paygrade. I won’t burden you with the decision making, but in the turmoil of the imperial confrontation out in the Nemo System, we actually managed to make a live capture of your bounty.
“I can’t remember the last time I captured a bounty,” Atom said with jovial amazement. “I usually prefer a quick, clean put-down.”
“As do we,” Bronte said with a sigh.
“I won’t complain, as long as I get paid.”
“I’m sure there won’t be a reason to void the contract.”
Atom laughed. “Then lead the way. The quicker we can get this settled up, the quicker can all be merry in the Black.”
Bronte bowed his head without another word and turned to lead the way inward from the surface of the Tribe’s asteroid. Atom waved to Shi, who pushed a grav-sled down the ramp. Lilly sprawled across the sled, an unconscious ragdoll, with her head lolled over the side.
“We’ve kept her sedated since we captured her.” Atom fell into step with Bronte and they followed the same path from the previous visit.
They walked in silence for the rest of the short journey across rice-paddies and up the artificial mountain to the village. As they passed the cemetery, Atom once again marveled at both the scale of the deep space habitat and the longevity needed to actually populate a cemetery.
“Master Ulvan,” Alderon Pips said with formal brusqueness from the top of the stairs at the village square. “What a . . . surprise.”
“I completed the bounty. Strange turn let me snatch her alive. I was just telling Bronte that it’s not my usual procedure, but alive or dead, Lilly’s in your hands. I just figured it would save the trouble of some docking hand-off if I brought our girl home.” Atom came to a stop several steps below Pips. The Tribe leader blocked his path, his hands tucked into wide sleeves in a clear statement of unwelcome. Atom just continued, unfazed by the insult. “It’s not often I make a live capture, but she just sort of fell into my lap. It usually doesn’t suit my business. I mean I have to pay transport on them, and there’s the off chance they break. But I figured you’d have a few questions for Lilly
“She was muttering something about a treasure,” Atom prattled on, but took note as Pips stiffened almost imperceptibly at the information. He turned to where Shi guided the sled up behind them. “Thought it might be worth a drop-off instead of a confirmed kill.”
Atom stepped down and bent over Lilly, checking her vitals as he did so and discretely slipping the old plasma punch into her hand. “She’s still breathing, so hopefully she can give you something.”
Lilly’s eyes fluttered as Atom grabbed her by the shoulders of her jacket. Her eyes drifted open and she looked up to him with a dreamy smile. Then he dragged her from the sled and bounced her legs up the steps to dump her in an unceremonious heap at Pips’ feet. The lord stepped back as if Atom had dumped a bucket of offal near him.
“Now, all we have left is to settle accounts,” Atom said with a simple smile as he straightened up and cracked his back. “My fee, and I’ll be on my way.”
Pips stared Atom down for a brief moment and then nodded to a servant who stepped forward with a small metal box. “Fifty thousand ko as we agreed upon. It is a fair price for what you have brought us.”
“My thanks.” Atom affected a bow, and took the box from the servant. Without bothering to check it, he tossed the box on Shi’s sled.
“One last thing,” Atom said over his shoulder. “I didn’t have any use for her ship and I don’t want to go through the hassle of scrapping it. The blasted thing was twisted up tighter than a tweaked jub-rat jammed in its hole. I never bothered getting aboard, because it’s too small for me to use, but you might have a purpose in your line of work.
“My crew should have it unloaded for you to do with as you please,” he said with a bow. “Free of charge, of course.”
He nodded to Shi and they started down the steps.
“Wait,” Pips called after them, holding up a hand to halt them before they reached the first landing beside the cemetery. “You can’t leave that ship here.”
“Sorry,” Atom called back as Shi pressed on. “I don’t have room to haul it all over the verse. If you don’t want it, just dump it out the lock.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Fear cracked Pips’ voice.
“Just business,” Atom said as he waved farewell, and turned to follow Shi. With his back turned to Pips, Bronte, and the rest of the contingent, Atom’s evil, lopsided grin remained unseen.
As they reached the center of the bridge at the foot of the hill, Atom turned and looked back up the faux mountain. A distant shadow dropped from the ceiling to land where Atom knew the village lay, followed by a series of explosions that vibrated the wood beneath their feet. Sounds of violence wafted down through the woods and Atom noted the worried heads of field workers turning towards the exchange.
“Looks like we made our exit at just the right time,” Shi drawled without looking back up the hill. “That Ash sure knows how to make an entrance. I’d hate to be up there right about now. But at least we got paid on top of getting paid.”
“This one seems a little light in the pocket after that last one.”
***
The crew gathered in the hold several hours out from the asteroid.
“I wish we ain’t had to give her a whole chest,” Shi grumbled.
“We voted,” Atom replied. “We gave her cut to Ash and told him to wait long enough for it not to come back on us. Lilly got her cut, and we maintain our unblemished record. What happens to a client after we complete the job is no concern of ours.”
“Fink they made it out?” Byron asked, his head hung in dejection.
“I have more faith in the two of them making it than anyone, but us,” Atom said as Hither wrapped an arm around the boy’s shoulder.
They all stood around the stasis pod without looking at each other. Only Margo seemed immune to the mystery of the box between them. She wandered around, following Mae as the cat wove around people’s feet, trying for a scratch behind the ears.
“It was still a heavy payday,” said Daisy as he shielded his tender stomach with an arm.
“So, you fink ‘is box is the real treasure?” Byron stepped close and tried to see in the window for the umpteenth time. “Looks an old wendy to me. Why’d she be worf more ‘an ‘em boxes a bullion?”
“Let’s find out,” Atom said.
He stepped to the controls and worked through the interface to begin the stasis pod’s waking cycle. The pod churned to life and Atom felt the ship’s power plant surge to compensate for the draw.
The crew watched in nervous silence.
Finally, after a momentary eternity, the pod hissed and the lid rose in a puff of mist and condensed air. Margo jumped at the sound and ran to hold onto Atom’s leg. He bent down and picked her up before edging closer to the pod to look down inside.
A handsome, middle-aged woman lay in peace, her breathing slow and steady.
The others joined Atom at the pod’s edge.
The woman’s eyes began to move as if in a dream state and then, with catatonic slowness, she fought to open them. Staring up with uncertainty, the woman blinked several times before focusing on Atom.
“Where am I?” she managed to rasp out.
“This is my ship, the One Way Ticket,” Atom said as he studied the woman. Her dark hair, streaked with dignified grey, framed her narrow face. “Who are you?”
Before she could answer, Kozue whispered in their ears. “That is the queen mother, grandmother to the current emperor.”
“I’m Marth
a,” the woman said simply. “I could use a glass of water.”