Payback Is a Given: Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 2

by Sean Benjamin

  He reached forward, took the book from her, and hefted it in his own left hand. “I think that is why this is my favorite book. I realize this is the closest I am ever going to get to any of these places.”

  Sky instantly reached out and touched the hand holding the old paperback book. “When this is all done, I will take you to Rainbow Falls.”

  Hawkins did smile now with a much better result. “I would like that very much.”

  He set the book back on his desk and turned to the two doors on the rear bulkhead. “That hatch on the left goes into my cabin which is now your cabin. The other hatch is the entrance to the head. There is a second hatch to the head in your cabin so we will have to share the facilities. You can lock either hatch from the inside of the head to ensure privacy.”

  As he spoke, he stepped to the one door and opened it to reveal the cabin beyond. Sky followed him in. She turned and spoke to him. “I can stay in a spare cabin elsewhere. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy.”

  Rafe shook his head. “We don’t have any spare accommodations. We only keep one open cabin and Blondie has that. She offered to give it to you and move in with someone, but I said no. All the original living spaces not used by us have all been converted to other uses. Right now, most are crammed with supplies and munitions. I could force people to double up to free up a space, but we got a long ride and it doesn’t seem right. Besides, I have already moved into the day cabin. The couch folds out and is very comfortable. I sleep there often anyway. We coordinate on the head, and we’ll be good to go.”

  Sky dropped her gear and the tour continued. In engineering, she was surprised to see a dirty Blondie poring over engine plans as she and several engineers were fine-tuning the engines in preparation of the many adjustments needed to support the Murmansk raid. The two visitors made it a quick stop so as not to interrupt the work, but Hawkins promised to stop back after the tour to get caught up on the current situation.

  “Blondie is not shy about diving in to a challenge, is she?” Sky remarked as they left.

  “Spends most her time there lately. She likes the work and is not afraid to get dirty. She is bound and determined to see that the harmonics side of this mission works to perfection.”

  Sky nodded and noted the fact as the tour continued. She met key people and saw the entire ship. After two hours, the pair returned to the day cabin and took chairs at the briefing table.

  “You have a good ship,” Sky commented him.

  Rafe nodded, “Got a good crew, and they make it a good ship. Also, this is their home. For several of the crew, this is the first permanent home they’ve had. They know where their next meal is coming from, and they know they will get paid on an almost regular basis. They have stability, and most do not want to lose that. We have more than our share of colorful characters, but there are surprisingly few discipline problems. We spend time at our house with families, but the majority of time is spent here. People want it to be a good environment.”

  Sky nodded. She knew Hawkins was being modest. She had been a ship captain and knew the captain sets the standard and creates the environment. This was a happy ship with a veteran crew that expected to win regardless of the odds. They based that expectation on their track record and on their leadership. Sky had watched Raferty interact with each crewmember as the two of them had toured the ship. He was friendly and at ease. There was no formality. He knew all crewmembers on sight and called them by their name or nickname. Nobody called him “sir.” It was always “captain.” They treated him with a casual respect, but the respect was there. He was one of those who did not need the trappings of rank or the rituals of command. He wore command like a favorite old shirt. It fit him so well; he didn’t know he had it on. He was a natural at leadership. So much so, he probably didn’t realize it.

  It is tough to command any military unit, but especially a unit composed of combat veterans. Such people are tough, realistic, and often fatalistic. They do not do things by the book; they do what has worked for them. They know that the difference between winning and losing or living and dying is a razor-thin line dependent on training, planning, skill, and, oftentimes, luck. Poor leaders reduce that razor’s edge by negating a percentage of the other qualities needed to survive and win. Poor leaders increase the unit’s dependency on luck. And luck is one heartless, cruel bitch. If you depend on her too much, she will betray you. Poor leaders bring more luck into play and luck gets you killed. All veterans know that simple fact. To lead veterans, a commander has to earn the privilege, especially in the pirate world where people are free to go their own way. Raferty Hawkins had earned the privilege of command and had been exercising it for years.

  “Well, I have an appointment in engineering,” Rafe stated as he stood up. “Feel free to roam at your leisure.” Sky thanked him for the time and went to her new stateroom while Hawkins returned to engineering.

  Sky took a few minutes to stow her gear and then returned to the bridge. As she moved from the passageway onto the rear of the bridge, the big man she knew as Logan took two steps from his ops station and stood in her path. He gave her a slight sneer. “Through with your inspection tour, Zeke? Do we measure up to your high standards?”

  Sky ignored the remark and moved to step by him.

  Logan stepped to block her path again and spoke loudly. “Although what the losing side in the war could teach us is beyond me. The captain may have you as a new toy but that doesn’t mean we…”

  The dagger flashed from Sky’s scabbard to Logan’s neck in a microsecond. She pressed forward with her right hand to ensure the blade point was seated against the left side of his throat. Her left hand was poised to block either of his hands from coming up to grab her knife hand. If he brought up a hand to dislodge the knife, the blade would leave considerable damage as he tried to fight through her block and then dislodge it.

  Sky spoke softly. “Since you seem intent on getting to this phase of our discussion, I thought we would just skip several steps and get right to it.”

  The threat hung in the air. Nobody moved. Several bridge members had pivoted at their stations and were silently observing. Baby Doll watched from her station a few meters away, and Tactical watched from the command chair, but nobody made the slightest move to intervene.

  Seconds ticked by. Blood began to seep around the point of the blade from Logan’s neck, but he seemed not to feel it. A drop ran down his neck. Then another followed the same course. A third clung to the blade tip and slowly rolled down the tilted blade toward the handle. It pooled in the orate letter R of the word PREDATOR recessed in the blade.

  “Your move.” Sky spoke calmly, but she was leery of his response. She was sure he had no real complaint, but was just pushing her to see what she would tolerate. She had no problem with that, but this could get out of hand if he chose to press the issue.

  Logan’s head was tilted back to minimize the blade’s pressure on his neck. He stared down at her with a blank face. But his eyes… Sky could swear his eyes were smiling at her.

  “I’m good,” he calmly replied. If he was afraid, he was doing a superb job of hiding it. He did not take his eyes off of hers, but simply waited.

  Sky quickly pulled back her arm and stepped back out of range in case Logan had thoughts of attacking her as she withdrew her dagger from his throat. She did not sheathe her weapon, but kept it at her side, ready for use if needed.

  Logan licked the middle finger of his left hand and touched it the small hole on his neck. He had it there for a few seconds to stop the drops of bloods coming forth. He nodded at her, his face blank, but the eyes were smiling.

  Sky nodded back. She wiped the blade on her pant leg and slid it into its scabbard. A thin trail of blood was etched along her thigh. With the show over, the atmosphere relaxed, and the two participants relaxed also.

  Logan continued to regard her. “I didn’t think you were carrying the blade as a costume piece. It’s good to know I was right.” He leaned toward her and
continued in a quiet voice. “It is also good to have your blade blooded. Welcome aboard Predator, Captain.” He now smiled and turned back to his station.

  Sky turned as all the bridge personnel returned to their duties. Well, almost all. Tactical regarded her from the command chair. As usual, she was impossible to read. They traded stares, and then Tactical surprised Sky by giving her just a hint of a smile before turning back to her screens.

  Sky moved over and stood next to the working Tactical.

  “Blade felt good in your hand, didn’t it?” Tactical asked without looking at her or stopping her work.

  “Yeah, it kinda did,” replied Sky after a moment.

  Tactical again smiled slightly, still not looking at her. “Yeah, I kinda thought so.” She kept working and Sky moved away to her duty station.

  Later Sky ran into Hawkins in the passageway while on the way to the officers’ mess. He looked her over.

  “Eli the helmsman, Simon the gunner, or Logan. Which one?”

  Mallory had no idea how he guessed. She looked at him, and he responded by glancing down at the bloody outline of a dagger blade on her pant leg where she had wiped it.

  She looked at him. “Guess,” she commanded.

  He replied without a moment’s thought. “Assuming they didn’t draw straws for it, I would have to say Logan. He likes to see what people are made of, especially people who are supposedly his social betters.”

  She smiled to let him know he got it on the first try. He slightly shrugged and smiled back. “I would apologize for my nitwit crew, but I get the feeling you aren’t offended.”

  Now she shrugged while still smiling. “Gets the juices flowing. I suspect Tactical was behind the whole thing.”

  Hawkins smiled broadly now. “I guarantee you Tactical was behind the whole thing. She likes to see what people are made of, too.” He now nodded his head back up the passageway. “Buy you dinner?”

  “Certainly.” They turned and moved toward the mess.

  Chapter 30

  The four pirate ships moved across Aurora space toward the Langley system. Travelling far to port on the edge of sensors was a squadron from Home Fleet. The twelve Zeke ships were the raiding force sent to conduct a series of raids in Astra system to support the pirates. They were now providing a covering force by flying between the pirates and the border. This would be the first action for any Home Fleet units. Four more ships were far out to starboard and would conduct a patrol of the Langley system after escorting the pirates. According to Captain Mallory, Admiral Barrett had put two of his best commanders in charge of the two escorts. She was confident the two covering forces would ensure nobody got sensors on the pirates as they moved to the Langley system, and that the series of Astra raids would be attention getters guaranteed to bring the OrCon reserves forward from the Naufrague system.

  Upon arrival at the Langley system, the Zeke raiders pulled off and headed into the Astra system. Their raids would commence against OrCon targets in twenty hours. The Zeke patrol, which had been out to starboard, now swept ahead of the pirates. They would be in front of Hawkins’ force for the next day as the pirates proceeded through the Langley system. The Zeke patrol ensured the pirates had a clear path ahead as Hawkins’ force proceeded to the crossing point into the neutral Merlon system. As they neared the border crossing point and parted with their escort, they received a “Good hunting” message from the Zeke patrol.

  “Nice gesture,” said Hawkins from his command chair.

  “Agreed,” responded Tactical. “I’ve replied in kind. Hope they come across a few OrCons sneaking around and whack them.”

  The pirates crossed into Merlon. All was quiet as they moved to the border with Naufrague. The Merlon system was neutral, but the fact there were opposing forces on each side of the system had had a chilling effect on the natives. Commerce was down, ship traffic was low, and the few populated worlds in this system had hunkered down for the long haul. Predator and her force did not encounter a single ship in the Merlon system as they sped toward the Naufrague system. That border crossing would take them into Orion space. They slid across the border into enemy territory without incident.

  Predator settled into a routine. Watches were stood, maintenance was ongoing, and crewmembers calmly carried out their duties. Regardless of their location, Predator was always in enemy territory. The crew was used to it.

  Skyler Mallory also settled into a routine. She worked out in the ship’s gym. She manned her ops station to stay current on the mission’s progress. She visited every part of the ship, talked to the crew, and watched them perform their duties. She was impressed with their professionalism and commitment. The age-old impression of pirates as uncivilized, brutal criminals did not apply here. These were people dedicated to an ideal. Some had come from sordid backgrounds, but had bought into the future as defined by Raferty Hawkins and others. They camouflaged their idealism well, but it was there and it drove them.

  Surprisingly, the crew treated her with the familiarity of a shipmate. Word of her encounter with Logan had gotten around. Sky had thought Tactical, the mastermind behind the incident, was just testing her. Now she realized the incident had been a manufactured opportunity for Sky to shine and impress the crew. She had done exactly that, and the crew had responded accordingly. Tactical had done her a favor in that regard, and Sky suspected that had been her goal all along. Sky realized Tactical’s reputation as a masterful strategist and tactician was well earned.

  Mallory also monitored Blondie. The young woman was always busy. She spent a great deal of time in engineering in addition to her intel duties. She worked hard and enjoyed it. Sky had been worried about the young, inexperienced officer when Blondie had departed Sirocco, but she saw her concern was misplaced. That officer had disappeared and this young woman was doing just fine.

  Sky also enjoyed the company of Raferty Hawkins. They ate together, worked out together, and played chess. They were evenly matched and the games were drawn out affairs with both players winning their share of the contests. The conversation was as interesting as the games. They covered a variety of topics, and Mallory continued to be impressed by his knowledge and thoughtful analysis. He deflected the few attempts she made to learn his background and life story. She let it go, as he would tell her in his own time if at all. Tonight the conversation centered on the Defense Minister. She covered his background as she knew it, and discussed politics in the upper house of peers. Finally, she got to where she really wanted to go.

  “Do you really think Lord Cunningham will move to kill you? I think he would want you in the Badlands being a thorn to the Goths. You want a free Badlands, and the Aurora Empire would support that.”

  Rafe pondered his reply for a moment. “I think that is true in the short term. He would want us to continue to annoy the Goths. But he thinks in the long term, and he knows we can’t beat the Goths militarily, so we are not that valuable an ally to him. I suspect he believes we will always be a threat to authority in the Badlands regardless of who that authority may be. If he has his own designs in the Badlands, we would oppose them. If he wants to reach an agreement with the Goths, he will have to disavow us. He views us as a short-term asset but a long-term problem. He is working under the old adage of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” but that is only in effect as long as there is one common enemy. Once the OrCons are dealt with and the Aurora Empire settles back into an established routine with the Goths, we are a liability. With the war, he knows getting to us in the Badlands will be near impossible so he might move against us now even though it is sooner than he wants, but the opportunity is too good to pass up. I don’t know if he will strike at us, but I can’t afford to overlook the possibility. We can never trust him no matter what our relationship morphs into or how long it lasts.”

  Sky nodded. She was not completely convinced, but she couldn’t disregard the reasoning from Raferty’s point of view. The chess game continued and Sky won.

  One night Sky had
a late workout in the gym. She returned to her cabin and updated her after-action report that would be filed at the end of the mission. It was late so she decided to call it a night and retired.

  However, she did not drift off. Sky tossed and turned for a long period. Sleep was no closer than when she had laid down. She sat up and reached for the light. Then she took her computer pad and brought up a book on the screen. Mallory read for several minutes but then paused. She suddenly realized she had no idea what she had just read. It was a good story, but she wasn’t in the mood. Finally, she surrendered to the inevitable, climbed out of her rack, and dressed.

  She stepped out the side hatch into the passageway and moved away from the bridge to the officers mess facility. She entered the empty compartment, moved to the refreshment station, and prepared a cup of tea. As she was attending to this task, Doc Windsor came in and moved beside her as he got a large mug of black coffee. Sky nodded to him as she finished, turned to a table a few meters away, and sat down. To her surprise, Doc Windsor moved to follow her.

  “May I join you?” he asked in a formal tone.

  “Please do,” she gestured to the one of the empty chairs.

  The man sat down heavily. He was clad in dirty overalls, had a three-day growth of beard, unkempt hair, bloodshot eyes, and could do with a shower. In other words, he looked fine. He immediately drew out a thin gold case, pulled out a cigarette, and lit up. Sky leaned back from the smoke and smiled at him.

  “Long night?”

  Windsor looked puzzled for a second and then asked, “Is it mid watch now?” He looked around the empty compartment as if seeing it for the first time. “Explains the empty room.” He shrugged and turned back to her with a smile. “Ensures you get the seat you want.”

  Sky smiled back. She paused as she considered her next statement, but decided to go ahead. “I met your family at a social function on Zelenka upon my return from the Badlands.”