Home: Interstellar: Merchant Princess

by Strong, Ray

  “That’s ridiculous, Doc. She was twelve for goodness sake,” Molly said. “You keep ungrounded crap like that to yourself, you hear? You know what she’s been through. She’s giving it a go, and I don’t want you stirring things up. She’s never hurt anyone intentionally, and—”

  “It’s the unintentional that should concern you, Molly, not the intentional,” he said.

  “No one is that crazy.”

  “Uh-huh. Take a closer look at your cargo chief,” Ferrell said and stormed out.

  Molly’s husband stood in the doorway. “What do you think, Exec?”

  “I think he’s fulla crap,” she said. “And I bet he thinks he’s never been wrong.”

  “Sure,” the captain said without emotion, “but let’s check her meds, OK?”

  Molly nodded and tapped her link. “Chief Hope, report to XO, stat.” She leaned back in her chair with a frown. “Find Chief Hope,” she said, and her console cycled through the ship’s surveillance monitors.

  “Chief Hope is not on board,” the console said.

  “Check on station,” Molly said.

  “No link located,” the console said, “no ID.” Molly had no idea that Meriel was still using Nick’s temporary link.

  Molly frowned and leaned back in her chair to think. She used her console to pull up the registry for the Princess and found it dispositioned as scrap. Molly searched for other ships with similar specs—cargo volume, mass, engine type. She found five but only one commissioned just a few weeks after they towed the Princess to the recyclers at YR56—the Liu Yang.

  She tapped her link.

  “Message. Jolly Roger. Attention Jeff Conklin,” Molly said into her link. “Jeff. A favor. Please record and forward jump-field spectrum of LSM Liu Yang GCN 14993:026. Molly V.”

  That would be proof—no two FTL drives were identical.

  Molly did not know that the Liu Yang was impounded at Enterprise.

  ***

  Meriel rushed back to the Tiger pushing a packing crate on a grav-sled with Elizabeth hidden inside, hurrying to beat the crew returning from leave. Once she reached the Tiger, Meriel scouted the passageways, unloaded her sister, and showed Elizabeth the hidey-hole.

  “Hurry, Liz,” Meriel said. “I need to get the crate to cargo and finish loading.”

  “They’ll find me here eventually,” Elizabeth said. “The captain will have to turn me in or risk losing his ship, and he’d never do that.”

  “I wouldn’t ask him to. But we don’t need to hide you forever, Liz, only until we jump. Once we’re away from Etna, they can turn you in at the next station. You can claim asylum there and fight them where they are weaker.”

  “But the troopers will come after them for helping me escape.”

  “Not if the captain didn’t know.”

  “But you know, M. They’ll hang you.”

  “We’ll fight it, Liz. You didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. She did not add, And they’d have killed you if you stayed.

  Etna Station—Outbound

  Meriel stowed the grav-sled and crate and supervised the cargo check and export paperwork and then fumigated the incoming passengers and personal articles onboarding from Etna. Molly signed on extra passengers this trip, which would crowd the Tiger’s corridors.

  When the Tiger undocked from Etna Station and the umbilicals were stowed, Meriel’s neck and shoulders relaxed, as if mooring ropes had been cut, and rats could no longer climb aboard. It was a fantasy, of course. One word from station communications or the troopers near the beacon, and the captain would turn around. Elizabeth would end up in jail—and dead.

  It would be a long inertial trip to the jump point, a long time in the depressing dust cloud without the stars and open space to cheer them, so when she finished her paperwork, Meriel returned to her cabin to update her sister on the Princess and forfeiture.

  “Why the panic, Sis?” Elizabeth asked.

  “We have only nine days to save the Princess, or they’re gonna salvage her,” Meriel said.

  “M, don’t sacrifice yourself for this.”

  “I promised Mom that I’d keep us together.”

  “I know, but we’ll find a way. What’s this new evidence?”

  Meriel told her sister what she had learned about attacks in space and that the Princess cargo of military R & D had been used to invade the Haven colony.

  Liz frowned. “Mom and Pop would never have put us in danger.”

  “I’m sure, Liz. I’m betting they didn’t know. But I think it’s connected to your assault on Etna. I think those people meant to hurt you.”

  “What do you mean, M?”

  “I triggered something when I tried to find out more about the Princess cargo. Your friends attacked you soon after that.”

  “But I knew that guy.”

  “You didn’t know his friends,” Meriel said. “They are connected to the archtrope and Khanag.”

  “That’s speculation, M.”

  “Maybe. You know that symbol on the pin you picked up?” Meriel said, and Elizabeth nodded. “Mom drew that symbol on the hold where…where she died. And I saw another near the ePod.”

  Elizabeth opened her mouth with a question, but Meriel shook her head and put a finger to her lips. In sign language, she said, “I went to the Princess last week and found the symbols there.”

  “Legal?” Elizabeth signed, and Meriel shook her head.

  “I copied Mom’s sim-chip,” she signed and then took her sister’s hand. “I’ve got the family vids,” she said aloud.

  A rattle of Meriel’s door latch and a knock on the cabin door interrupted the sisters’ conversation.

  “M?” It was John’s voice.

  “Just a moment,” Meriel called from inside. A few moments later, she came out of her cabin and closed the door behind her. But she remained standing in front of it.

  “Why the lock?” John asked.

  “Can’t a lady have any privacy? Did you get my package?” John handed her a small envelope, and she started to open it.

  “M, we need to talk about this.”

  “Sure, let me read it first, and—”

  “Not that, M. Your sister.”

  Meriel almost panicked. “Oh, that. Nothing to talk about, John. She’s OK. Just a mix-up with station administration. She cleared it up and took the next bus out. She’s on her way to Wolf now.”

  John tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. “Meriel, I still think we should—“

  “OK, sailor, if you insist,” she said with a big smile. “I’ll meet you in your cabin in twenty minutes, and we’ll go over this.” She surprised John with a kiss to unsettle him and went back into her cabin and leaned against the door. After waiting until his footsteps faded away, she locked the door again. Meriel sighed and turned up the ventilator fan to cover their voices.

  Elizabeth smiled. “Sister, you’ve been holding out on me.”

  “Just a real nice guy, hon.”

  Elizabeth raised her chin. “Uh-huh. A real nice guy that you like a lot.”

  “Maybe. It’s too complicated now.”

  “It’s only as complicated as you want it to be, Sis. A little sack time is no complication at all.”

  “Love is more than an itch to scratch, Liz.”

  “Oh, so it’s love now?” Elizabeth said with a big smile.

  Meriel flushed brightly and changed the subject. “I might have found Home.” She pulled up the data sheet on TTL-5B3 and showed it to Elizabeth.

  “5B? Not that again, M. It’s a rock.”

  “Not 5B, 5B3, and coordinates relative to DX Cancri ecliptic.”

  Elizabeth stopped grinning, and Meriel played the high-res Aldersen holo from the sim-chip that Nick had enhanced.

  “Come on, M. That’s the TTL-5B survey. Everyone has seen that.”

  “No, wait.” Meriel fast-forwarded the vid and played the new part, including the close-up of the survey sheet.

  “No kidding, the DXC ecliptic,” El
izabeth said and looked away.

  “You OK?” Meriel asked.

  “Yeah, it’s just that we looked so hard and didn’t find it before.”

  “I’m sorry we didn’t discover this together, hon.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “So, has anyone been there?”

  Meriel shrugged. “OK now, let’s see what’s in our mysterious package,” She opened the envelope to discover only a small message chip which she picked up and turned in her fingers. Remembering their experience with her sim-chip, she assembled a wire cage similar to the one Nick had used and put her remaining portable computer into it with the message chip. After booting the portable she scanned the contents of the chip to find three files: one text, one graphic, and one encrypted. They read the text file together.

  Dear Ms. H:

  I hope this note finds you well and my concerns for you are unfounded. If you have retrieved this, I have engaged your interest. This package has come to you by a circuitous route, and you will understand why in a few moments. Please read my story, and if you remain interested, please continue with the attached file.

  About a decade ago ET, my husband, Leo, (God rest his soul) left me a message. They found his body a few hours later, the apparent victim of a random street crime. (No, dear, I did not believe it either.) The text he sent said, “Send this to the princess.” There was an attachment. At the time, I did not know what he meant. I think I do now.

  Yesterday, men from my husband’s former employer visited and asked if I had ever made contact with the crew of a certain merchant vessel. Of course, I had not and had no idea to what they referred. That response did not satisfy them, and they threatened to cut off my survivor’s benefits and pension if they found out otherwise. I honestly said that I’d had no contact.

  Later that night, I remembered my husband’s message and made the connection to some old news feeds. Honestly, I do not know if I made the correct connection, but I do not like being threatened, and the corporate thugs pissed me off to no end.

  “I like this lady,” Elizabeth said.

  I will say nothing about the contents except that my husband often worked on highly sensitive political matters as a representative of the largest biogenetics firm on the moon. I am not certain whom he reported to at the time of his death, but he was certainly an executive and might be of particular interest to you, if you know what I mean.

  I pray that the sensitivity of the attached document will not cause further harm to come to you. I am not concerned for myself; I am old, and my kids are safely away and ignorant of anything but my love for them. If you choose to read the attachment, the password is someone close to you.

  Please do not respond to me by any means, as that might bring us both unwanted attention.

  God bless you and safe jump.

  Signed: Moira V. Com-5S

  “Hmmm, not a spacer, but stationside comm,” Meriel said. “She knows the drills.” Meriel read the letter again from the top. When she finished, she smiled at Elizabeth. “‘The largest biogenetics firm on the moon.’ You got that?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “Yup, BioLuna. Moira scrubbed the letter for keywords. Nothing is identifiable except her name, but we got the message. It would not raise a flag for a security scanner. Clever woman.”

  “And she sent it by courier, not transmission. This would have cost her a small fortune.” Meriel opened the graphic file labeled “Leo.V” and a man’s face appeared.

  “Familiar?” Elizabeth asked.

  Meriel shook her head. “Leo.V. Must be Moira’s husband.” She opened the encrypted file and a password request popped up. “Hmmm. ‘Someone close to you’?” Meriel typed in ‘someone close to you,’ but that did not work.

  “Try me,” Liz said.

  Meriel typed in “Elizabeth.” The decryption icon spun, and the file opened to the surprise of both of them.

  Top-Secret Eyes Only

  Please direct inquiries to chairman’s office, UNE Commission on immigration services, UNE/IS

  Title: Interim Treaty of Haven, binding residents of the Haven (Haveners); the orbital station, LeHavre; the UNE (United Nations of Earth); and named parties.

  “Haven, that’s John’s colony,” Meriel said.

  Article 1: Scope, Responsibilities and Intent

  A1.1 This treaty binds the residents and legal associations of the station LeHavre, the UNE, and parties specifically named in this document heretofore…

  “Blah-blah-blah,” she mumbled and scrolled ahead.

  Article 2: Political Boundaries

  A2.1 Haveners agree to retain title to the continent of Ferrizan and reside there hereafter and renounce all claims to the remainder of Haven.

  “I wonder how big that is,” Meriel said.

  “And if it’s habitable,” Elizabeth added.

  A2.2 The continent of Terni will be under control of the Archtrope of Calliope and no other external entity.

  “So this archtrope guy can do whatever he wants there with no interference,” Elizabeth said. “What do you know about this guy?”

  “Not much, really,” Meriel said, “but I’ve been hearing more lately. The news seems to say he’s involved in the immigration politics on Chosho. Your friends on Etna say his followers run the drugs and sex there.”

  A2.3 Remaining habitable sections other than Ferrizan and Terni remain under the guidance of the UNE office of immigrant services (UNE/IS) and interim governorship of the commissioner of UNE/IS. The office of interim governorship will be maintained until free elections can be conducted safely.

  “Uh-huh,” Meriel said. “They run it until they can hold elections safely. That sounds like forever to me.”

  Article 3: Trade

  A3.1 All trade issues, exports, imports, tariffs, duties, quarantine, quality, safety, standards of compliance, foreign exchange, and all function on and off planet will be under the regulatory guidance and administration of the UNE/IS [1]…

  “The UNE/IS is essentially in charge of all trade and finances,” Meriel said.

  [1] Until such time as regulation and administration is in place to facilitate safe trade and transport on, from, and to LeHavre and all outlying stations within one (1) AU, trade will be conducted by and at the discretion of BioLuna of Earth.

  “That’s it,” Elizabeth said. “BioLuna has a monopoly on Haven and everything nearby. What makes Haven worth the headache?”

  “Yeah, I thought it was a rock,” Meriel said, “or maybe a cesspool like Ceres.”

  “No one would go to all this trouble for a rock.”

  “I think we need to learn more from John.”

  “Did you ever hear of this before?” Elizabeth asked. Meriel shook her head. Elizabeth pulled up an app to search Galactipedia, but Meriel stopped her.

  “No, Liz,” Meriel said. “We shouldn’t have another inquiry they can trace to me. John said BioLuna is trying to bury info on Haven, and Nick could only find signs of the burial. If something as important as an Earthlike planet with three habitable continents is not the most well-known topic in the galaxy, then maybe they don’t want us to know. Simply searching for information might trigger the wrong interests, like I did with the Princess manifest.” Mention of the Princess hit them both and silenced them.

  Frowning, Elizabeth signed, “Why didn’t they just kill us, M?”

  “I think they thought they had. They tired of looking for survivors and put the Princess on a course for a gas giant. We would have died there if Mom had not given us the jump program. We must have caught them flat-footed when we showed up alive. Now, we’re either more useful alive or too dangerous dead.”

  “I’m guessing the former,” Elizabeth said. “Nothing personal, M, but we’re nobodies. They must need us for something.”

  “I’m thinking the latter,” Meriel said. “Killing us would spark some attention where they don’t want it.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “We don’t exist, remember? Court orders. Who’d put the puzzle together?”
r />   “I would,” Meriel said. “I did.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “They should take you out first.”

  “They would want to know what we know before that,” Meriel said. “Then they’ll kill us quietly—all of us, every last one.”

  “Again,” Elizabeth said. She went to the cooler for some juice, and Meriel poured some alcohol into it. “OK, so ten years ago, some very powerful interests got together to divvy up John’s planet, thinking it was easy pickings. They wanted help from some top-secret military equipment—equipment that rode on our boat. Pirates found out about it, stole it, and sold it to them. To do that they would need to know what it was and that we carried it.”

  “Cookie thinks that someone who knew about the R & D told the thieves.”

  “Then it wasn’t contraband.”

  Meriel shook her head. “Confidential—secret, maybe—but not contraband.”

  “Someone set us up, not pirates but contractors, privateers?”

  Meriel nodded again. “Maybe someone shipped the cargo on our boat legitimately, and he was sold out, too. From what Teddy says they’d still need to coordinate the jumps to find us.

  “No one on the crew would do that.”

  Meriel nodded. “I’m thinking a nav virus. Like the one on the manifest that Nick tripped on.”

  “This is nasty business, M. Who would benefit?”

  “Those named in the treaty, I guess,” Meriel said. “Who ran the UNE/IS back then?” She searched in the Galactipedia, and her mouth fell open when she saw the name. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes to stop the tears.

  “What is it?” Elizabeth asked, taking a closer look at the display. “Crap. Alan Biadez headed the UNE/IS until four years ago.”

  Meriel nodded. “And he’s the current president of the UNE. Damn.” She shook her head. “He’s one of the good guys, Liz. How could he be involved in all this? His foundation helped us after…after…” She looked down, unable to continue.