Calculated Risk

by K. S. Ferguson

  Kama settled back on the foot of the cot, a look of amusement on her face as she watched him toy with the rations. "Something missing?"

  Rafe grimaced. "Yeah, food."

  She chuckled. "I'll have the chef flogged."

  Kama fished in her bag and pulled out ration bars. She tossed one to Greg and tore one open for herself.

  "I have errands to run, but they won't take long." She hopped off the cot and left.

  Rafe watched Greg open his ration bar. "Want to trade?"

  "No thanks," Greg mumbled around a mouthful of the bar. "This is pretty good."

  The medic came in, followed closely by Browning and Roshal. He bustled about, checking Rafe's medical monitor and removing the empty blood bag.

  "How're you feeling this morning, kid?" Browning asked.

  Greg blushed. "Very well, thank you, sir. I apologize again for—"

  "Forget it," Browning cut him off. "Just don't do it again on my watch. First time I've been off the station in a week—it was good to get some fresh air."

  "You done with this?" the medic asked, pointing to Rafe's tray.

  "Definitely," Rafe replied. The medic swept the tray away.

  Roshal looked discomfited and wouldn't meet his eyes. Rafe wondered whether the shipping manager still expected his ten thousand credits, even though they hadn't reached the EcoMech yacht.

  Browning, on the other hand, planted himself at the foot of Rafe's cot and stared so hard he thought the man's eyes might pop out.

  "Well? Do we own the place?"

  "There's good news, and there's bad news," Rafe replied. The smelter supervisor's fists bunched. "Your incorporation is legitimate. Independent Mining is an EA-recognized entity. But the buyout is a fraud."

  "God damn it! So Galaxy fleeced us." Browning paced the room, smacking his fist into the opposite palm. "God damn corporations, always cheating the little guy."

  "Galaxy didn't cheat you." Browning pulled up at his bedside, and he resisted the urge to flinch back from the miner's fury. "Levine's the culprit."

  Roshal shuffled his feet and flapped his hands. "That little weasel can't find his ass with both hands and a map. If he's involved, he's working for Galaxy. We might as well pack it in, Ed. We can't fight big corps like EcoMech and Galaxy. I say we set some charges around the station and evacuate. When everybody's off, we blow the place. Let 'em sweep space for the pieces."

  Rafe's throat closed. These guys were way beyond crazy. He'd hoped his discoveries might calm the miners, not make them suicidal.

  "How do you know?" demanded Browning. "Kama said the records were too complicated to get anything from them that fast."

  Rafe spread his hands, palms up. "Don't shoot the messenger. The signature on your purchase agreement read 'Hector Santos'. You signed the contract six months back, but Santos quit as Galaxy's chief financial officer over a year ago. Dead giveaway. And there's plenty of other evidence as well."

  "You could be lying to cover for Galaxy and EcoMech," said Roshal, hands stuffed in jeans pockets and head twitching. "Ed, if that Oasis tech can't figure out what's going on, we need a real disinterested third party to look over the records, someone we can believe."

  Rafe wondered if something contagious in the station air caused the extreme corporate distrust. Large multi-national corps were the first to rise from the financial ashes of the ice flu fifteen years earlier. True, they'd lobbied for weakened labor rights to reduce corporate costs and speed economic recovery, but that didn't mean they were all cheats and cut-throats, enslaving their workers. You'd think that, though, from talking to anyone on the station. He might not lay claim to his family name, but he'd never been ashamed of belonging to the corporate world, and he wouldn't start now.

  "I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I don't have a dog in this fight. You can keep on thinking EcoMech and Galaxy are out to fleece you and lose everything, including your lives. Or you can come to your senses and look for a peaceful resolution."

  The smelter supervisor paced again, his steps punctuated by hacking coughs. "Did you mean what you said about helping us, or is that just BS you're going to tell Goldman?"

  "My previous behavior notwithstanding, I don't prevaricate."

  "Is that yes or no?" Browning demanded.

  Rafe stifled a sigh. "I'm trying to help, but I can't guarantee Mr. Goldman's cooperation."

  "But you think you can get him to divert those cruisers?"

  "I can argue the case for why he should. I can't promise I'll sway him." Hope sparked in him. Maybe they were finally listening.

  Browning crossed his arms over his muscular chest. "You don't sound very sure of yourself."

  "You wanted honesty."

  "And if Goldman backs down, will you continue to help us?"

  Rafe hesitated. Building the case against Levine would take months and involve both Galaxy and EcoMech as well as the miners. The costs would be enormous. Galaxy and EcoMech had the deep pockets to pay for it. The miners didn't. Most likely, they wouldn't recover a single credit, especially not with two large corporations competing for the same resources.

  But if he didn't help them resolve their differences with EcoMech, a lot of people could die. God knew the miners needed someone on their side. In a strange way, he relished the coming confrontation with his brother-in-law. He'd finally settle the score for all the bullying, taunts, and beatings he'd suffered at Leon's hands while growing up, and he'd do it not with his fists, but by proving he was the smarter businessman.

  "For the duration of my stay, I'll continue to represent your concerns to Mr. Goldman. I can't promise to help you pursue your legal case against Levine."

  Browning turned to Roshal. "Now we know where we stand. Yuri, you better be ready in case Goldman doesn't divert the cruisers."

  "Ready how?" Rafe asked, alarmed at Browning's tone.

  "I can't stop the men if they decide to attack those cruisers, but I can make sure the torpedoes don't get used. If Goldman doesn't agree, Yuri will blow the munitions bunker."

  Rafe gaped at Browning. He threw back the blanket and gingerly swung his legs over the edge of the cot.

  "Let's get this show on the road. Take me to the com center."

  Five minutes later, Rafe traversed the station, sitting on the squeaky trolley. He'd refused to let them load the cot on it again. Bad enough being dressed in the ridiculous scrubs without adding the insult of complete helplessness. They made a freakish parade, Browning walking point, Greg pushing the cart, and Roshal and the medic bringing up the rear. More than a few miners stopped to stare.

  When they arrived at the com center, Kama rose from the tech's chair. Embarrassed by his attire and his transportation, he acknowledged her with a forced smile that she didn't return. She slipped into a quiet corner where she twirled a strand of hair and looked unhappy. The medic helped Rafe into a seat before the transmitter. Browning made to pull up a chair beside him.

  "No offense, Ed, but I think this will go better if you're not with me," Rafe said.

  Browning gave him an uncertain look before sliding his chair sideways off camera. Rafe signaled the tech, and in a moment, Benson appeared on screen looking haggard. At Rafe's request, he disappeared to fetch Leon.

  Leon looked no better rested than Benson. His hair was rumpled, and a red crease marked one cheek. He wore a black silk dressing gown embroidered with red Chinese characters.

  "McTavish, imagine seeing you again. I thought you were to be delivered to that cargo hauler or whatever it is?"

  "That was Plan A. Now we're on Plan B. I understand you've got some security cruisers headed this way, and I'd like to borrow them."

  Leon sneered at him. "If you know about the cruisers, then Greg survived his little jaunt. Tell him he'll have a long walk home. And if you want cruisers, surely you can get some of your own? Mine will be occupied securing EcoMech property."

  "Sorry to hear that, Leon. You see, Levine, the station manager who's—shall we say—a person of i
nterest in the apparent buyout swindle perpetrated against the miners, slipped off the station on a cargo drone before we arrived. Your cruisers should be ideally positioned to intercept that drone."

  Rafe paused for Leon to take in what he'd said. He wondered just how badly the man wanted Levine, and why. "Of course, if your cruisers aren't available, I can ask EA to pick up the drone when it enters Earth orbit and detain Mr. Levine while the miners file their charges against him."

  Leon grew still. Rafe could almost hear the wheels going around in the CEO's head. The audio went dead while Leon conferred with Benson. Rafe guessed he was asking Benson whether the EcoMech ship could catch the drone. He saw Benson shake his head.

  "Why are you telling me this?" Leon asked a moment later.

  "Levine is the one who cheated the miners, not EcoMech. If they can see that he's being brought to justice, they'll stand down. You can send your security forces home."

  "Let the miners show there are no hard feelings against EcoMech by delivering you and Greg to me," Leon countered. "And I want the names of the men who attacked you."

  Rafe stiffened his jaw. Leon wanted to hold all the cards. What was it Kama had said—treat the miners like men and not slaves? "The miners have contracted with Security Partners to assist them in loss recovery. The accommodations they've provided me are sufficient, and staying here keeps me closer to the heart of the investigation."

  Leon's eyes narrowed. "Stay if you want, but send Greg back."

  Rafe gave him a cold smile. "You fired him. He's not yours to order around anymore."

  The CEO answered with a shark-tooth smile of his own, hard eyes glittering. "I've decided to rehire him, effective immediately."

  Greg was the more valuable asset. Despite what Kama thought, no one at EcoMech cared if Rafe got himself killed in an assault on the station. But Greg was another story.

  Torn by guilt, Rafe responded, "I’m sorry, Leon, he's proved too valuable an assistant for me to part with him."

  Leon's smile died. "Hear me, McTavish. If I don't find Levine on that drone, I will have to assume this is all a ruse by the miners to divert my forces, and that you're being held against your will, in which case, the cruisers will converge on the station and take control by whatever means necessary."

  Chapter 10

  "The situation here is more complicated than you realize. It's in everyone's best interest if we cooperate to find a solution," lectured McTavish.

  Kama looked on as he spoke to the miners, pity for him vying with irritation that he'd untangled the business records when she'd failed. McTavish had read the files as though they were a children's picture book, and it chafed her. After spending most of the day alternately poring over the financials and falling asleep from exhaustion, he'd asked Browning to call everyone together so he could address them.

  A partially dismantled repair drone stinking of grease occupied one corner of the storage bay. Miners crowded the remaining space, some sitting on the floor around the walls, most packed together on their feet. The climate control system struggled to circulate enough fresh air. The musky scent of their sweating bodies mingled with oil and cleaning solvent from patches of grime on the deck. If the meeting took much longer, she'd need a shower to wash the stench off.

  He'd been talking for five minutes already, explaining his findings and assuring them that Levine would be caught by the EcoMech forces. He'd urged the miners to be patient and suggested that their best course of action was to return to their duties so they could show Mr. Goldman what hard-working and dedicated employees they were. It was all a lot of morale-boosting psycho-babble intended to put the miners at ease, and for the most part, it seemed to be working. She couldn't believe they fell for it.

  Unfortunately, McTavish labored under the assumption that Levine would be found on the drone, and his capture would end the crisis. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Samir had intercepted the drone already. Levine wasn't on it. When that information reached Goldman and the miners, it would provide the spark to reignite hostilities. She couldn't allow McTavish to cajole the miners into a peaceful outcome that depended on Levine's apprehension. The miners needed protection.

  "If we cooperate, does that mean we'll get our money back?" shouted one of the miners buried in the crowd.

  McTavish raised his hands in a placatory gesture. "Gentlemen, I understand how concerned you are about losing your money to Levine. I've been told many of you invested your life savings. That's a grievous blow. I sympathize. My top priority is to find Levine, and then the recovery process can begin."

  "What about those security forces that CEO ordered?" cried another miner.

  Kama saw her opening and jumped in. "If you don't trust the CEO, then get backup. Contact EA and ask for peacekeepers and labor negotiators. With them on the station, you won't need to worry about the security cruisers."

  One of the miners in the front row laughed. "My kids'll be old and gray before EA peacekeepers get here. You think that CEO will wait that long?"

  The group shouted and jeered. McTavish struggled out of the chair he'd been sitting in and stood beside her. He tossed a puzzled glance her way before opening his arms and addressing the miners.

  "It's a good suggestion, but unnecessary," he said. "Mr. Goldman will keep his part of the bargain and detain Levine. In return, you'll all go back to work. Problem solved."

  "It never hurts to have some extra insurance." Kama pressed. From the corner of her eye, she saw McTavish's brows draw down. "Better to be safe than sorry, isn't it?"

  Browning moved up beside them. "You really think EA would respond? We're not some big corp about to have labor riots."

  "I can guarantee it," she replied. "You have a contract with Oasis, and Oasis has a schedule to keep. They'll speak to EA on your behalf."

  McTavish gave her a penetrating look with those disarming blue eyes, then his face became a calm mask. He took another step closer to the miners. The movement caused him to wince, but he covered it and stood relaxed and open.

  "We're turning a pinhole puncture into a total blowout," he said. "If we bring in EA, they're going to ask questions about how this all started, and they're going to want the names of everyone involved. I don't think we want to go there. We had a simple misunderstanding, and we're fixing it ourselves without outside interference."

  Damn, he's good. He'd used 'we' as though he was one of them, and he'd deliberately changed his body language to befriend them. While that walk forward had cost him in pain and fatigue, it had put him among them. Kama muttered a curse under her breath and thought about poking him in his broken ribs to shut him up.

  "I don't know about you boys, but I don't want EA here." Browning moved to join the group of miners and faced McTavish.

  Kama moved forward, too. "You'll need EA here for the investigation of the buyout fraud. The sooner they get started, the sooner you'll see your money back. And Goldman has already asked for the names of the miners involved in the assault. He won't let the attack go unprosecuted. It'll look better if you contact EA first."

  McTavish gave her an openly angry look before addressing the miners again. "I'm the injured party, and I'm not pressing charges. While it's true that we want EA involved in the fraud investigation, asking for peacekeepers is overkill. Let's keep our focus on Levine and take this one step at a time."

  A chorus of disparate replies came from the crowd as the miners voiced their opinions. One burly worker pushed to the front of the group to stand before McTavish. Kama tensed and slipped her hand in her pocket to cradle the stunner.

  "You're stringing us along, aren't you? We're never going to see a single credit back. You just want to get your lying ass off the station in one piece."

  Another miner, small but wiry, intercepted the first miner. "We're in enough of a shit hole, Grant. Back off."

  With a sneer, Grant shouted, "I'll show you a shit hole, Warner."

  Grant lunged at Warner, who ducked a right hook and connected with one
of his own. The other miner, twice his size, shook off the blow and rushed him, arms spread to grapple. Warner raised his hands in a boxer's stance, but was borne backwards by the other man's weight. His foot slipped on a greasy patch and shot out from under him. Kama reached for his flailing arm and missed. The back of his head smashed into the edge of a work table with a sickening thud, and then he was lying flat and still on the deck, eyes closed.

  McTavish was the first to kneel next to the stricken Warner, feeling for a pulse. Kama jumped to assist, her heart beating fast. She hoped the violence wouldn't spread to the others as they jostled to get a better look at their fallen comrade.

  "He's still breathing." McTavish announced. His eyes locked on Grant. "You! Bring that cart in from the corridor."

  In a matter of minutes, the miners had hoisted Warner's limp form onto the trolley that had brought McTavish to the storage bay. They wheeled it away with care, everyone trailing after the makeshift ambulance.

  McTavish watched them go until he and Greg stood alone with her, and then his pupils dilated and one hand crept up to his ribs. She darted to his side and inveigled herself under his arm. Greg grabbed the other. McTavish sagged. She kept her arm tight around his waist and steered him to the chair.

  "Uncle Rafe, are you okay? Should I get the medic?" The boy looked pasty.

  "I'm good," he gasped, still holding his ribs. "It looks worse than it is."

  "Liar," she said.

  McTavish gave her an unfriendly glance before speaking to his nephew. "Greg, can you go to the infirmary and bring back the trolley?"

  "Sure, Uncle Rafe."

  He watched the boy go, eyes narrowed, before he turned back to her. The mask of friendly boyish charm vaporized, replaced by the face of a man nearing his breaking point.