by Huw Powell
Nichelle had switched to an old smuggler route to enter the seventh solar system. It was peppered with space currents and asteroid fields. As he left the medical bay, Jake spotted a familiar metal shape through the porthole. It was Papa Don’s illegal spaceport, rotating in space next to the colorful Tego Nebula. He was surprised to see fresh rows of laser cannon and torpedo hatches lining its hull, as well as several black fighter craft on patrol.
“Do you think they’re expecting trouble?” asked Kella.
“It looks that way.”
Jake thought about how close they were to Altus, hidden inside the Tego Nebula. It made him wonder how many times his father had left the cloud to explore the outside universe. Had Andras Cutler ever visited Papa Don’s? What if he was there right now, trying to find his way back home? But in the back of Jake’s mind lurked another question: If my father survived the asteroid field, why didn’t he search for me on Remota?
If he survived?
If?
Jake had to believe that Andras Cutler was still alive and waiting for him. He had come too far to give up hope now.
Nanoo met them in the guest quarters, wiping his hands on an old cloth.
“Have you finished?” asked Kella.
“Yes,” said Nanoo, looking pleased with himself. “We have rear laser cannon. You ready for Papa Don, Jake?”
“I suppose, but I keep thinking about those two-way radios the security guards use. What if they interfere with my eye implants again?”
The last time they had visited the station, the old-fashioned radios had caused Jake’s sight to scramble, leaving him temporarily blinded.
“Maybe this help,” said Nanoo, handing him a wrist strap. “It block radio waves up to ten feet.”
“Are you serious?” Jake took the silver strap and examined it. “Is there anything that you can’t build out of spare parts?”
The intercom speakers crackled.
“Listen up, crew,” said Granny Leatherhead from her quarters. “We’re about to arrive at Papa Don’s. The only people I want to see in the cargo hold are Jake, Farid, and Kodan. As discussed, the rest of you wait on the ship.”
The Dark Horse docked and Jake made his way to the cargo hold. Granny Leatherhead was waiting there with Farid and Kodan. The captain had fashioned a walking stick out of what looked like old engine parts. Farid’s head was bandaged, and Kodan’s shoulder was set in a sling. What a bunch of beaten-up buccaneers, thought Jake, rubbing his own sore ribs.
“We’ll get you an audience with Papa Don,” said Granny Leatherhead. “But then the rest is up to you, Kid Cutler.”
Jake nodded.
Farid lowered the loading ramp and the four of them strolled onto the docking bay. Jake remembered the bitter cold and the stench of engine fuel from their last visit. He’d removed his magnetic soles this time to make it easier to walk in artificial gravity. His new radio wave blocker was strapped tightly around his wrist. He glanced across at the neighboring docking bays and spotted a damaged star frigate with a smoking hull.
“Hey,” he said. “That’s the Divine Wind.”
Chapter 11
Papa Don
The Divine Wind looked in a bad way. It rested awkwardly on the docking bay floor, while burly shipmates with laser cutters crawled over its scorched shell. Granny Leatherhead scanned the star frigate with her eye, as though trying to find something wrong, perhaps a flaw that would prove it was not the ship she had once known. Jake wondered what sort of crew would have a bright yellow craft with pink laser cannon, not to mention an emblem of a skull and crossed feathers.
Granny Leatherhead shuffled over to the Divine Wind and banged on its hull with her walking stick. It made such a loud noise, the entire crew stopped working and looked up.
“Ahoy, there,” she croaked. “I want to speak with the captain of this ship.”
A badly scarred man in a yellow combat suit and pink space boots jumped down next to them. He was holding the largest hammer that Jake had ever seen. The name Luna Ticks was emblazoned on his chest.
“The captain is inside the spaceport,” he said, gruffly. “Who are you?”
Granny Leatherhead opened her mouth to answer, but someone responded on her behalf.
“Granny Leatherhead and her Space Mutts,” said a voice as deep as thunder.
Jake spun around to see a huge man marching toward them flanked by ten armed security guards. He was twice as big as Kodan, with a flat nose and a shaved head. Jake’s eyes flickered with static from the two-way radios, but his vision held, thanks to Nanoo’s wrist strap.
“Hello, Ormos,” said Granny Leatherhead. “What’s this? A welcome party?”
“Papa Don wants to see you.”
The captain gave the Divine Wind a final glance and then hobbled past the security guards. Kodan went to follow, but he was stopped by Ormos, who placed a giant hand on his chest. Kodan glared at him and clenched his fists. The two men looked ready to clobber each other.
“Kodan,” warned Granny Leatherhead. “Not now.”
Ormos sneered and stepped aside, allowing the master-at-arms to pass. Jake wondered how they knew each other.
Inside the main hub of the spaceport, the atmosphere was notably less cheerful than on their last visit. Half the shops and market stalls on the long walkways were closed. Any remaining traders seemed wary of Ormos and kept their distance. The only person to give them a second glance was a young pirate girl with long pink hair, who winked at Jake as she passed.
Ormos led them to the top of the spaceport, where he stopped in front of a polished wooden door. It featured a brass plaque that read: Keep an eye on the stars and stay out of trouble. He waved his identification card at a wall scanner and the door slid open.
Jake followed Ormos into a circular room with a golden floor, which contained three round tables: one white, one red, and one green. The entire ceiling was made of one-way mirrored glass, so they could see the stars outside without passing ships peering inside. A metal sculpture of a parrot rested on a thick iron perch opposite the door. Ormos approached the farthest table, where three people were gathered around star charts. Jake recognized two of them as famous space pirates whom he had read about as a young boy.
The first was Captain James Hawker, a tall man with a blistered nose, cracked lips, and a long black beard. He kept one hand on his cutlass while the other clutched an antique space helmet adorned with ivory horns. His crew, the Starbucklers, wore green-and-white-striped combat suits and bronze skull-shaped helmets. Their ship was a black cruiser named the Lost Soul, which was the second-most-wanted spacecraft in the seven solar systems, after the Dark Horse.
The other captain was Scarabus Shark, a broad man with oily bronze skin and a brass nose ring, who leered at them like a bald ogre. He had deep facial scars and metal fangs instead of teeth, as well as a flaming space pirate emblem tattooed on his head. On the table next to him rested an elaborate black space helmet with a crest of steel spikes. His crew, the Crimson Hulls, wore red combat suits and black skull-shaped helmets. The hull of their warship, the Black Death, was rumored to be coated with the blood of their victims.
This meant that the third person had to be Papa Don, the owner of the illegal spaceport, the man responsible for kidnapping Kella. He sat in a luxurious hover-chair between the two pirate captains. Jake was surprised how small and scrawny he appeared. His eyes were abnormally round and dark, like miniature black holes, and he had a beak of a nose. But nothing could have prepared Jake for the three crystals embedded in Papa Don’s forehead: a diamond, a ruby, and an emerald. It was the symbol of Altus.
“Lizzy Leatherhead,” said Papa Don, resting his long chin on his fingertips.
“Hello, Paparella,” she croaked, leaning on her walking stick. “I like your new laser cannon.”
“You’ve got some nerve, coming here,” snarled Scarabus, pounding the table with his fist.
Papa Don silenced him with a wave of his hand. “I take it you know my
guests, Captains Hawker and Shark.”
“Oh yes,” said Granny Leatherhead. “I go way back with old Star-beard and Jolly-jaws.”
James Hawker remained silent, while Scarabus Shark flexed his muscles and snorted like a wild animal.
Papa Don nodded to Ormos. “And you’ve met my chief of security.”
“Of course.” Granny Leatherhead glanced up at the huge man. “Are you sure he’s not half Gork?”
Papa Don’s expression hardened. “As you can imagine, it hasn’t been easy for any of us since you defeated the ISS Colossus. The Interstellar Navy has cracked down on spacejacking, smuggling, forgery, and crystal hunting. Now their warships infest this solar system, scaring away my customers. It’s only a matter of time before they come for me, with or without the protection of the nebula.”
Callidus had once told Jake how the static from the Tego Nebula interfered with spaceship computers and weapons systems, making it difficult to attack the spaceport, but not impossible. The only naval warship to have risked getting close to Papa Don’s was the ISS Colossus, while searching for Jake and his gold pendant. Would Admiral Vantard ever take such a risk?
“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Granny Leatherhead. “But Admiral Nex had it coming.”
No one disagreed. Jake noticed the metal parrot shift on its perch and stretch its wings. He realized that it wasn’t a sculpture at all, but a robot with glowing red eyes and razor-sharp talons. Jake had the distinct impression that it was watching him.
“What do you want, Lizzy?” asked James. “You’ll get no protection here from the Interstellar Navy.”
“Why?” she said. “Are you afraid of a fight?”
“I’m not afraid of anything,” he claimed. “I only want what’s best for my ship and my crew.”
“Well, you’ll be pleased to hear that it’s not me who is after a favor.” Granny Leatherhead nudged Jake forward with her walking stick. “It’s Kid Cutler who wants a word.”
The three men leaned forward with curious expressions.
“Well, well, well, the infamous Jake Cutler, here in my spaceport,” said Papa Don. “The teenage terror with a price on his head. What wonderful purple eyes you have, youngster. The word on the stars is that you were raised by cyber-monks.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You must know some of their secrets.” Papa Don caught sight of the handheld computer. “What were they researching? Was it a weapon?”
“I don’t know; they never talked about the really secret stuff. I doubt it was a weapon, because the cyber-monks took a vow of peace.”
Papa Don smiled, but his tone was curt. “If you had to take a guess, what do you suppose they were working on?”
“The usual stuff,” said Jake. “You know, using technology to unlock the secrets of the universe. A few of them were working on a cure for grime disease.”
“Did they succeed?” asked the space mafia boss.
“No,” said Jake. “They were murdered by the Interstellar Navy before they finished.”
“Oh yes, of course, the Remota raid.” Papa Don sat back in his hover-chair. “I understand that the monastery was completely destroyed, burned to the ground with no survivors.”
“Only I escaped,” said Jake. “And now the Interstellar Navy wants to do the same to the independent colonies.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s why I’m here,” said Jake. “We have reason to believe that Admiral Vantard is trying to start a galactic war.”
Captains Hawker and Shark exchanged glances. Behind them, the robot parrot let out an electronic screech and snapped shut its powerful beak. If Jake had ever thought Squawk was intimidating, that bird was nothing compared to this armor-plated parrot.
“What does that have to do with me?” asked Papa Don.
“I’m going to stop him,” said Jake. “But I need the sword of Altus to do it.”
“The sword of . . . did you say Altus?”
Ormos laughed unkindly. “It doesn’t exist.”
“Yes, it does,” insisted Jake. “And the sword proves it. The design includes three crystals, which represent the moons of Altus.”
“Are you referring to my golden cutlass?”
Papa Don pointed to a glass box mounted on the wall, secured with a small brass lock. It contained the most magnificent sword Jake had ever seen. He could tell it was old, but its smooth gold blade and jewel-encrusted handle looked as good as new. There were three crystals embedded in the hilt: a diamond, a ruby, and an emerald.
“It belongs to Altus,” said Jake. “I need it to unite the independent colonies, so that we can stop the Interstellar Navy.”
“What do you know about Altus, youngster?” Papa Don moved his hover-chair closer. “I’m a direct descendant of Captain Alyus Don, the Zerost colonist who supposedly discovered the planet. It’s the Don family crest on that sword.”
“You?” Jake’s eyes moved between Papa Don and the golden cutlass. “But how?”
“According to family legend, Alyus Don was more than a captain—he was the king of the space pirates. Alyus was on the run from the Interstellar Navy when his crew stumbled across Altus. His wife had been murdered on Zerost, but his daughter, Katrina, and son, Calpus, served on his ship. They settled on Altus and Katrina married the first mate, Jago Cutler. When Alyus Don died, it was Katrina Cutler who became the ruler of Altus. Calpus left the planet in protest with a small crew and never returned. He started the space mafia and set up the first illegal spaceport. My family descended from Calpus Don, so you must forgive me if I don’t like your surname. How could I trust a Cutler with that sword?”
Jake was stunned to discover that he shared the same ancestry as Papa Don. It meant that they were long-lost relatives, and the symbol of Altus was the Don family crest. His family crest.
“Do you know where to find Altus?” asked Farid.
“No, of course not,” snapped Papa Don. “It’s a myth, a space tale. If you ask me, Calpus killed his father and destroyed the ship after they left Zerost. He probably made up Altus to cover his tracks.”
“Never trust a space pirate,” muttered Granny Leatherhead.
“My grandfather used to claim that Altus was hidden inside the Tego Nebula,” said Papa Don, as though the idea were ridiculous. “When I was a boy, he sent three ships into that cloud and they never returned. A few years ago, a team of scientists visited this spaceport to observe the Tego Nebula. Do you know what they found? Nothing. That’s right: nothing came or went for six months, not even an asteroid. I have more important things to do than chase children’s stories about pirate kings and treasure planets.”
Jake ached to prove him wrong, but he knew better than to reveal the location of Altus.
“It doesn’t matter what you believe,” he said. “I still need the sword.”
“To prevent a galactic war?” Papa Don laughed. “What difference will a sword make? I would rather keep my cutlass and hand you over to the Interstellar Navy, so they stop bothering us.”
“Since when did the space mafia make deals with that scum?” asked Granny Leatherhead.
“There’s a first time for everything,” said Papa Don. “Why should I give you the sword? Do you have any idea how much it’s worth?”
Jake assumed it was priceless. “I don’t have anything to offer you for it.”
“What about your gold pendant? I hear that it bears the Don family crest.”
Jake placed his hand over the seal of Altus. “But I need both the sword and the pendant.”
“In that case, I’ll make you a wager,” said Papa Don. “My sword against your pendant, the winner takes all.”
“A bet?” Granny Leatherhead’s eye narrowed. “What kind of bet?”
“Reus roulette,” said Scarabus Shark with a malevolent sneer.
Granny Leatherhead shook her head. “That’s a kind offer, but I don’t—”
“I insist,” said Papa Don, his tone now dangerous. “I’ll giv
e you the sword if your champion can beat mine at Reus roulette. But if they lose, I get to keep the pendant.”
Granny Leatherhead looked nervously at Kodan and Farid. Jake had heard of Reus roulette, but he had never seen the game played. It had a reputation of being a cruel contest that often ended in death. Two people would stand in a circle surrounded by four pits of fire. The opponents would hold either end of a heavy timber pole, called a poker, which they would use to push the other person into a pit. Whoever was left holding the poker at the end was the winner.
“Farid should play,” suggested James Hawker.
“I will if you will,” said the first mate.
Papa Don laughed. “A nice idea, but I want Kodan to fight Ormos.”
The chief of security leered and cracked his knuckles.
“Kodan can’t compete,” said Granny Leatherhead. “He’s busted his shoulder.”
“You or Jake could play in his place, Lizzy,” offered Papa Don. “It’s up to you.”
Scarabus grunted with laughter.
“But—”
Before Granny Leatherhead could protest further, Kodan stepped forward and nodded, his eyes fixed on Ormos. Jake knew the odds were stacked in Papa Don’s favor, but what choice did they have?
Chapter 12
Reus Roulette
Papa Don had built a Reus roulette arena in the basement of the spaceport. It was mostly used for illegal Gork fights to entertain the pirate crews, but today it was being used to determine who would keep the seal and sword of Altus.
Granny Leatherhead, Kodan, Farid, and Jake waited in a changing room beneath the arena, listening to a crowd gather above them. Kodan had stripped down to his trousers, exposing his impressive barrel chest, while Farid wrapped strips of material around his hands for a better grip. Jake sat on a narrow metal bench wondering when the Interstellar Navy would launch its attack on Vantos. He would have given anything to see the Interstellar News on a working display screen. What if he was too late to unite the independent colonies? What if a galactic war had already started while they were wasting time in the illegal spaceport?