The Salvagers

by John Michael Godier

  I was more excited about getting a secret spy note than I was by what it contained. I already knew that I couldn't trust the Mayor. I folded the note away and took a long mist shower, thinking the whole time about my first real brush with cloak-and-dagger stuff. I hadn't a clue about who had sent the warning.

  I had little chance of getting any rest, so after fortifying myself with three closed-top cups of coffee I collected Neil and Stacey with the intention of making our way back to the Amaranth Sun. They might have been better rested than I was, but neither of them looked well. That must have been one hell of a bad swim.

  "Where are you all off to in such a hurry?" Reeda asked as we entered the lobby with our baggage.

  "I hate to check out," I said. "I really hate it, sweetheart. I could stay here for eternity and enjoy your cooking."

  "You're always welcome back," Reeda replied. "Next time I'll even give you a discount. I'd give you one now, but I have something worth more: advice. My grandson told me that you were looking for unsavory types in that terrible bar earlier. He brought you the worst one he could think of: Mayor Stunt. He showed up here just after the pirate attack and got himself elected by promising to drive them away if they ever came back. He's no good otherwise. He feeds on everyone's fears, and now he's trying to get us into some kind of weird religion he's cooked up. I can see it coming: next he'll want donations. Crooked as an ice crack on Ganymede, that man. If you're going to have dealings with him, watch him closely."

  "Did you send the note?" I asked.

  "What note?"

  "Someone slipped a note under my door. It said as much."

  "There was no one here, sweet tarpotch. I've been in the lobby all day. Your friends must be playing tricks on you."

  "Must be. Don't you worry. We'll watch our backs," I said as we bounced out the door.

  An awful lot of negativity surrounded the Mayor. I passed the note around to the others, who puzzled over who could have sent it. Stacey thought it had to be the grandson, but I was skeptical. Even though he did seem a little odd, why would he use a sexy female voice?

  I was starting to think I might have made a mistake. We had no idea of how trustworthy Reverend Stunt was. I wasn't even certain what kind of ship he owned. I regretted not having asked more questions. On the other hand, the contract stipulated that payment was due upon completion of the mission. So what could go wrong?

  We wended our way back to the reception dome in order to arrange a tender back to the Amaranth Sun. We'd have made it in under ten minutes if we had gone straight there, but we didn't. Instead, we stopped at the trading post to grab a few extra provisions and a supply of tarpotch steaks. Somewhere between the trading post and the reception dome everything went black.

  I woke up face down on the floor with a tremendous headache. Neil and Stacey were still out cold, sprawled across the floor in the center of a poorly lit, windowless room. It was circular with a sliding door that had no handles. It was like a prison cell. Half an hour later my companions started to rouse, and just then the door opened.

  "Come with me, Mr. Hunter," a man said as he stepped into the room. He was UNAG military, with the uniform and insignia of a lieutenant.

  "Which one?" Neil asked.

  "The old one. The rest of you stay here."

  I didn't say a word. I knew that something was very wrong. I was certain that the Mayor had turned us in for planning to attack Finley's ship. I followed the officer down a corridor to await formal charges.

  "Captain Masterson wishes to see you," he said.

  "Are we under arrest?"

  "Not yet."

  "What does that mean?"

  "It means not yet."

  "Can we leave?"

  "Theoretically, but it isn't practical."

  I kept quiet as we negotiated our way through wherever I was. I could have been out for days. It occurred to me that we might not even be on Europa anymore. The UNAG colony on Callisto had a reputation for tough law enforcement, but Callisto was bigger than Europa, and I should have felt slightly heavier. Then I noticed something else that seemed strange: the floor was moving. I felt unsure of my step. I guessed that the sensation might have been from the drugs they had knocked me out with, but even the construction didn't look right for a colony. It was cramped and compact like a ship. My hand brushed against a wall. It felt warm, whereas space imparts cold on the walls of a ship. Another pair of doors opened onto a bridge. A man I assumed to be Captain Masterson was standing in the center.

  "Welcome, Mr. Hunter. It's a pleasure to meet you. Imagine meeting the man who found the legendary Cape Hatteras. I'm Captain Laurens Masterson, and you are aboard the UNAG submarine Lancaster," he said, bouncing over and shaking my hand with a firm and confident grip.

  "Submarine?"

  "Yes, under the ice of Europa."

  "Under the ice? What the hell are you doing here?" I asked.

  "Monitoring the drug dealers above, of course. Did you think Earth wouldn't have a presence here? This is our colony."

  "How did you get this thing down here?"

  "We melted a hole on the far side of Europa and dropped it in from space. We're not the only ones. The Asian-African Union also has a submarine here. We shadow each other and play our little games. We even cooperate occasionally."

  "How long have you been here?"

  "Approximately five years. Of course, seeing this obligates you to secrecy. I'm afraid you can't tell your companions."

  "My lips are sealed," I said, not wanting to push the issue. "Are my people alright and safe? What did you use to sedate us?"

  "It's perfectly safe. Just a sleep agent. They've already been sedated again."

  "How the hell did you know about the Cape Hatteras?"

  "We knew you'd find it before you did, Captain Hunter. We are the UNAG."

  "You were tracking me?"

  "We track everyone."

  "Forgive me, Captain, but I'm thoroughly confused. Why am I here?"

  "Quite simply, Mr. Hunter, we want to help you get your treasure back."

  "For what price?" I asked instinctively.

  "No price at all. Well, other than the taxes you already intended to pay, I'm sure. And one other thing."

  "And that would be?"

  "Private access to the Cape Hatteras for two days."

  "What for?"

  "It's classified, " he said.

  "Before we go any further, how did you know we found the Cape Hatteras? Did you know where it was?"

  "I wasn't lying. We knew that you were going to find that ship."

  "What do you mean?" Spying was their business, but they'd have to have been psychic to see that one. I wasn't looking for it when we blundered across it.

  "The UNAG has always known where the Cape Hatteras was. We saw you getting close to it. You gave our tracking staff in Montreal quite a laugh when you nearly passed by it. Imagine missing the biggest treasure in the solar system," he said with a chuckle.

  "Why didn't you salvage it yourselves?"

  "It's classified."

  I instantly worried that Masterson might tell me that I wasn't the legal owner of the derelict.

  "You knew all that gold was there, and you didn't bother to get it?"

  "That's correct. I can't say why. I may not even know why. But I can tell you that the last thing the UNAG wants is for that much wealth to go to the outer solar system, untaxed, possibly to be used against us. All of the unions agree on that issue."

  At least that made some sense. If they didn't want the gold, and they didn't want the ship, then I didn't see a problem with their plan. It seemed potentially well worth it if they were going to offer help. Even so, I wondered what they could possibly want aboard a 200-year-old ship that they could have visited whenever they wanted.

  "What do you propose?" I asked.

  "We know that you are about to rendezvous with the Mayor of Europa Colony."

  "New San Francisco," I corrected him.

  "Europa Col
ony. We'd like to capture him. We have an operative on his ship who has been monitoring his drug-trafficking activities."

  "Did that operative send me a note warning about Stunt?"

  "Yes, that was from us. If we couldn’t kidnap you, we felt obligated at least to warn you."

  That was the nicest thing a UNAG official had ever said to me. Their usual idea of being friendly was a tax audit. I then started to wonder whether the paranormal phenomenon that Sanjay and I had experienced on the derelict had something to do with the UNAG. Maybe they had invented hallucination beams, and were trying to drive us away.

  "We want you to make your rendezvous with Stunt as planned. Afterwards he will be out in the open where we can capture him after you're safely off his ship. Our operative will let us know if you need our assistance. Should you fail, we will set up a perimeter at Saturn to capture your gold. We have two ships in the vicinity to aid you, plus another that can act as a last resort and destroy them if they get past Saturn."

  "Destroy them?"

  "Last resort, Mr. Hunter. You could always salvage the gold again from a truly wrecked ship."

  "I suppose, but. . . ."

  He cut me off with a wave of his hand. "You are to make your rendezvous and go with the Mayor. Then send your small ship to secure the Cape Hatteras and await our arrival. Two war cruisers will meet you. We will contact you after your treasure is secure."

  Chapter 16 Day 240

  "December 21, 2259. 0700 hours. Log of Captain John Andrew Nelson, Commanding Officer, UNAG Mining Vessel Cape Hatteras. Crewmen Galon and Fitz have reached the mountain chain and report the discovery of a cavern. It will reveal much of the geological history of this very ancient asteroid and give us clues about the early history of the solar system. I have authorized the men to perform a full exploration and report back hourly."

  Only a government official could come up with a convoluted and heavy-handed plan like that, but I did feel better knowing they had a ready supply of warships backing me.

  "If you'll follow my aide," said Captain Masterson, "we'll surface and get you back to your ship quietly."

  There was no time to ask another question. I was knocked out again. I remember nothing before waking up on the Amaranth Sun with my companions.

  "Jesus, how did we get here?" Stacey asked in bewilderment.

  "I feel like that crushed NASA probe," Neil said.

  "My head feels as though it's been bashed in," Kurt added. They must have knocked him out too when they dropped us off.

  "Don't worry, guys," I said. "I know what happened. I can't talk about it, but our chances of success are much greater now."

  "What do you mean you know? You weren't knocked out?"

  "I was, but not for as long as you were. I'll tell you all about it when I can, but for now we need to find out what day it is."

  "We've been out for 22 hours!" Stacey exclaimed after glancing at the bridge panel.

  "Set a course for the Reverend's coordinates at Io. We've barely got enough time to get there."

  It was just over a day before we caught sight of Stunt's ship. Its cylindrical shape suggested that it may originally have been a salvor or fuel ship, but it had numerous modifications that none of us could recognize. Strange spheres were attached to all points of the hull, and it appeared to have twice as many engines as a normal vessel of its size.

  We established contact with Stunt, and he sent an automated shuttle. I always prefer real pilots over computers, at least until I met Randy, but the shuttle seemed to navigate safely. Automation on that scale was unusual and had to have been very expensive.

  I had ordered my crew to take the Amaranth Sun and rendezvous with the Cape Hatteras. It was an uneasy feeling watching my ship shrinking into the distance, but it was an integral part of Masterson's plan.

  The shuttle carrying me slid within the Mayor's ship. He had something that I hadn't seen other than on the outside of a space station: a docking bay. I felt a jolt as the shuttle touched bottom and made a seal. A moment later a hole opened in the floor that revealed a ladder. I climbed down to find the Mayor floating in front of me with his arms folded.

  "Welcome to the Neptune's Revenge!" He seemed relieved that I'd shown up.

  "Thank you, Reverend Mayor. I'm sorry that I was delayed, but I've never navigated to Io before. Have you had any luck locating our target?"

  "Not yet, but don't worry. We've got some of the most advanced tracking equipment in the solar system. We can see four or five times further, and at a much greater resolution, than a ship like yours can."

  "That must have cost you dearly," I replied.

  "I came into money some time ago. We've got the latest laser communications, sensors, engines—fastest ship in the solar system—and weapons. The engines were designed on Titan and built in Mars orbit. They're state-of-the-art."

  Titanian engine design and Martian construction—that's usually reserved for space regatta racers and Union warships. What I really wanted to know about was his weapons.

  "Yes, you mentioned you were armed to the teeth. May I ask what sort of weaponry?"

  "Lasers, missiles, machine guns, and a little surprise you'll see if we need it."

  "Not nuclear, I hope!"

  "Heavens no! I'm not a savage, Mr. Hunter. Would you care for a drink?"

  "Tell me it's not more hot water."

  "No, not that vile water. To tell you the truth, I've never acquired a taste for it, but to be Mayor of New San Francisco you've got to play the part. On my ship we drink coffee. Strong coffee. Or you may also have some of Sister Mary Joanna's cola, if you prefer."

  "Coffee, please."

  It was delicious. I drank little else for five days. In that entire time I didn't see a single crew member other than the Mayor and Sister Mary Joanna. I heard sounds, the usual knocks and bangs that a running crew produces, but my meals were set out for me, and my movements were restricted to just one floor of the ship. I assumed that the Mayor's cabin was the gateway to the rest of the ship. It was the only area of our compartment that I hadn't seen.

  I saw little of the Mayor during that time. When he finally invited me to dinner, I jumped at the chance.

  "Sister Mary Joanna sends her apologies," he said. "She's indisposed this evening for prayer."

  "Quite alright. She must have a busy schedule. Er . . . what does she do?"

  "She's my secretary, of course, among other things."

  "May I ask you a few questions about your ship?"

  "What would you like to know?"

  "What is your crew complement?"

  "Forty," he said.

  "I haven't seen anyone at all."

  "They're down below. They never have reason to come up to the bridge. I prefer compartmentalization, if you get my drift."

  I wondered how the UNAG operative on board was going to monitor my status when he couldn't see me.

  "Compartmentalization?" I asked, playing dumb.

  "Yes. You can't very well be a mercenary and a mayor at the same time without some measure of secrecy. My men never see me. They never set foot on Europa, and the Europans never set foot here. If I need to send a message to the crew, it's done through Sister Mary Joanna."

  "She's their commanding officer?" I hadn't even heard her speak, much less act assertively.

  "In a way, yes. But enough about my ship. I need to know everything you can tell me about the enemies we'll be up against."

  I gave him a detailed report on the Hyperion, and I finally broke the news to him about Pace's ramming technique. Stunt wasn't pleased that I hadn't mentioned it before, but it didn't kill the deal. He was confident that he could avoid it. I retired early hoping to get some solid sleep. It was a good thing I did. Just before 4:00 a.m. they detected Finley's ship and, more importantly, the Hyperion.

  When Stunt awoke me on the intercom, I shot immediately to the bridge. He was already moving to intercept. He might even have been able to go up against a UNAG cruiser with that kind of maneu
verability. Within an hour we were bearing down. I decided it was time for a radio message.

  "Alright, Finley, we're faster, and you're outgunned. If you want to keep this nice, you'll need to load the traitors onto your ship, hand Hyperion over to me along with every bar of gold that was there when I left, and be on your way."

  There was no response.

  "Perhaps we should fire a shot across his bow?" Stunt asked.

  I agreed. For all his nonchalance in the way he suggested it, the result was shocking. The ship shuddered deeply as a stream of 300 rounds fired in a matter of seconds. It got Pace's attention.

  "Your ship really is armed. I didn't think you had violence in you, Hunter," he said as he broke radio silence.

  "Well, after you tried to kill me, I find it easy. Now hand over my property."

  "I don't think so, Cam."

  With that he broke formation with his ship while the Hyperion made a run for it. Finley's salvor rotated and set a course straight for us. Sister Mary Joanna burst into the room with a wide smile and settled in at the weapons station, while Stunt took the helm. He tried a number of evasive maneuvers, but somehow Finley ended up in front of us each time and was closing fast.

  "He's got us, Hunter. We don't have enough distance to shake him. We've got no choice. We'll have to use lethal force," the Mayor said. I nodded, and he pointed at Sister Mary Joanna, gesturing as though he were firing a gun. She squealed and punched a few buttons on her panel. The computer targeted Finley's ship.

  "Give up, Finley," I said in a last appeal. He didn't respond.

  The Mayor’s forward guns roared in a blitz of lasers and lead. They appeared to have no effect.

  "Still here, Cammy boy," Pace taunted. "The modifications that let me ram ships can also stop bullets and lasers!"

  Stunt grasped his chin as he seemed always to do when he wasn't quite certain if someone was telling him the truth or not. "Deploy the surprise, Sister," he ordered. "Mr. Hunter, if you'll join me in prayer."

  "Prayer?"

  "Yes, prayer."

  Sister Mary Joanna bowed her head.

  "Oh great and infinite universe, we ask forgiveness for what we are about to do, and let us be thankful for. . . ."