‘That doesn’t necessarily sound too bad.’
‘No, it doesn’t, but the people who undergo it are… different afterwards. They come out… less like people. I met one once and I never want to be like that.’
‘What happened to the slave?’
‘He was…’ Her voice broke off in a choking noise and she paused for a second and then went on in the same flat, dispassionate tone she had been using. ‘The Pinnacle never wastes good slaves. They made sure he would never be able to do the same with another woman and he was put to work again.’
‘They castrated him? And your husband got rid of his embarrassing wife by shipping her off to become a whore. You know they are never going to call you back, don’t you?’
‘The thought has crossed my mind.’
‘What do you think?’ Ella asked silently. ‘I think she might go for it.’
‘I think you might be right’ Aneka replied. ‘Tell her.’
‘What if I were to offer you the chance to leave here? You probably couldn’t go home, but we can offer you asylum somewhere else. Maybe even Old Earth. There’s a lot of land there that’s unused. You could set up a small farm or something if you couldn’t bring yourself to live among “animals.”’
Lenora pushed herself up onto her elbows. ‘If the network here goes silent, they’ll send in a fleet and obliterate the place.’
‘There won’t be anyone here for them to kill. We’re moving everyone. Creating a new Haven, one the Pinnacle know nothing about. All we need is some time. You and the other spies keep feeding them reports saying nothing much is happening, and we start shipping people out to the new site.’
‘If I say yes, it’s not going to do you much good. They have another source. There’s someone… I’m pretty sure it’s one of the pirates, a captain, but his whole ship must be involved. They move freely and they can send out messages when they’re away. They never told me who it is, but I know he’s out there.’
‘So she doesn’t know,’ Aneka mused. ‘She really is as much a victim in this as the rest of them.’
‘Seems that way.’ Aloud Ella said, ‘We’re working on that. We have a suspect.’
Lenora looked at her for a second. ‘The others, the other slaves, they get asylum too. The locals would never trust them and they can’t go back. Dineera was sixteen when she was brought here. She was a virgin! She’s never known anything else. She’ll never find anyone willing to take her and they’ll turn her into a zombie.’
‘Everyone gets taken care of.’
‘All right. You have my cooperation. You have my word. I don’t suppose that means a lot, considering what you must think of us, but–’
‘Actually, from what I know of your culture, I think it does.’
Amethyst Hyde, 9.1.560 FSC.
‘All right,’ Gillian said, rubbing at the bridge of her nose, ‘we have all the spies on-side and Aggy says their reports seem clean.’
‘There is the possibility of hidden code words,’ Winter commented, ‘but our reading of their behaviour at the interviews suggests that they will play ball.’
War’s lips twitched. ‘Still sticking to these ancient idioms, sister?’
‘I like them. Don’t think I didn’t see you cooing over Aneka’s gun. It was like a mother and a long-lost child. We all have our peculiarities.’
Kade shook her head. ‘Are all AIs like this?’
‘Like people?’ Gillian suggested. ‘No, only the ones worth talking to. How are we coming on the new site?’
‘There’s a G-type system about thirty parsecs from here,’ Drake said. ‘Shadataga dropped a probe in there yesterday and it’s looking good.’
‘G-type?’ Kade asked.
‘Old Federation terminology. G-type systems have garden worlds in them, capable of supporting life and usually already having some form of it. In this case, it’s got enough plants to have a stable, breathable atmosphere. The gravity is a little low for my tastes, but not too bad. Resources are reasonable, not too much volcanism, and the ground should be good for growing crops.’
‘Huh, there are going to be a few people wondering about the idea of becoming farmers. Even if we have the hydroponics facilities. I think it’s going to take some adjustment.’
‘We can provide help if you need it,’ Gillian said. ‘Shadataga has very good vocational courses and, at least for a few years, you’re going to be a sort of client state.’
‘When we do something,’ Winter stated, ‘we do it properly. The reports I’ve seen on “New Haven” look perfect. I’ve suggested that we get started on construction.’
‘How long are we going to have to keep fooling the Pinnacle before we can move?’ Kade asked.
‘Basic orbital reception facilities will be in place the day after tomorrow. Ground habitation completion in two weeks. A little longer for full facilities to be ready, but we can begin moving people out once they have somewhere to live.’
‘Two weeks? You’re going to build a city for forty thousand people in two weeks, with a spaceport?’
‘Well, we could probably go a little faster, but I did say we like to do things right.’
Kade was looking a little shocked, but any reply was cut off as Aggy’s avatar appeared beside the briefing room table. ‘Aneka, the signal Lenora was told to trip if she needed to talk to someone has been tripped. I detected inbound traffic to her system about ten minutes ago but have not decrypted it yet.’
Aneka sighed. ‘Maybe we’ll have to put a rush on the building anyway.’
Pirate Cove.
The room was a little cramped with four people in it, but Lenora had asked very nicely, but urgently, that another girl be brought in with her, so Aneka had picked up the indicated young woman and taken her back to join Lenora and Ella.
‘This is Dineera,’ Lenora said. ‘I mentioned her–’
‘I remember,’ Aneka said. The girl was young, not much more than twenty. Her blonde hair was cut short which did not help make her look happier. Despite her youth, she had a distinctly womanly figure and she had to get plenty of clients, which was not a good thing in her case.
‘I sort of took her under my wing when she was brought here. I… I told her what we’re planning because…’
‘Because I’ve been getting very depressed,’ Dineera said. ‘I wanted a way out and I tried the only way I could think of last week.’
‘They found her before she bled out too much and they healed her up good as new because a scarred slave doesn’t get as much work, but…’
‘That’s fine,’ Ella said, ‘as long as you can keep your mouth shut, Dineera.’ There was a firm nod as a reply. ‘I don’t think Dineera explains why you needed to talk to us.’
‘I got a message from my handlers.’
‘We noticed.’
‘They say there’s a group of five new spies coming in in the next few days. They want more coverage after what happened with Kade. I’m pretty sure they’re all people like Naseena. They’ve been pressed into service with promises and a few exaggerated threats. But we won’t know who they are until they check in with me.’
Aneka tapped her lip thoughtfully. ‘What’s the procedure when they get here?’
‘They’re told to come to me, pose as clients. I check them out. They’re given a pass phrase to use. If I’m happy, I send them to Naseena and she gives them the protocols to send reports out through her system. Then it’s business as usual.’
‘Fair enough. When the first of them turns up, you trigger the alarm. We’ll get them when they talk to Naseena, but we’ll keep an eye on both ends of the transaction, just in case. I don’t like this whole “extra coverage” idea.’
‘No,’ Lenora replied. ‘There’s something about it I don’t like either.’
Amethyst Hyde, 10.1.560 FSC.
‘The sites devoted to the Baleful Eye are full of the news,’ Aggy said to the people gathered in the briefing room. ‘He attacked a large Pinnacle slave transport and recovere
d over a hundred slaves. There are stories of how he destroyed two light cruisers to do it. He brought a few of them back with him, and the rest are arriving tomorrow aboard the captured transport.’
‘And Lenora was told to expect several new spies soon,’ Ella said. ‘Coincidence?’
‘Unlikely,’ Kade growled.
‘Unfortunately this does not entirely convict Captain Sorien,’ Winter said. ‘He could be being set up as transport for the spies. You brought Naseena to Haven yourself.’
‘Yeah, but… The Eye is a big, powerful ship. She’s an enforcement cruiser, heavily armoured, good close-range weapons. She’s built for boarding actions, not for taking on light cruisers at range.’
Aggy turned her head and an image of the Baleful Eye appeared beside her. It was not a pretty ship; there was a rather heavy-looking midsection with a more pointed nose and a narrowed rear where the fusion drive was located. The midsection had a heavy docking tube collapsed in on one side and it bristled with gun turrets. ‘I have to concur with the captain, though War is the expert. It seems that the majority of weaponry is designed to be effective at close range. Antiproton beams, multi-barrel railguns, and a pair of gravity traction beams. There are three heavier gamma-ray laser turrets, but against two targets with force screens?’
War nodded. ‘The scenario seems an unlikely one. And there is little sign of battle damage following this daring combat action.’
‘Captain Sorien will be hosting a welcome party at Nightside in two days, for the newly arrived refugees,’ Aggy went on. ‘The amount of publicity suggests he’s trying to take over Captain Kade’s position as “most loved pirate.” If the plan remains the same, this would be a good time for you to ingratiate yourself, Aneka.’
‘The plan stays the same,’ Aneka said. ‘I want to hear what Sorien has to say for himself.’
Pirate Cove, 11.1.560 FSC.
Aneka watched as a tall, well-built man walked up to Lenora and waved for her to follow him. The girl got trade, but three of her customers so far that morning were not what they seemed and she doubted they had been allowed access to what they paid for. Lenora might have been forced into slavery, but Aneka doubted she took that from the people she was supposed to be supervising.
This particular patron looked like he was pirate crew more than standard refugee. He had muscles, a body which suggested exercise rather than hard work. He was attractive, reasonably well dressed, his hair had been cut by someone who knew what they were doing, and fairly recently.
‘His nails look manicured,’ Al said. ‘The weapon he is carrying is clean, very well maintained.’
‘You had me at “manicured,”’ Aneka replied, getting to her feet and moving to the rear of the room where she stopped in front of one of the men. ‘Wescott?’ she asked aloud, knowing it was because his name was written above his head. ‘Dalrane Wescott, right? I thought it was you. What are you doing here?’
‘Uh… Do I know you, ma’am?’
‘Check Lenora’s system,’ Aneka said silently while her mouth was saying, ‘We met on Oberian? At that party Lotram threw. I mean, we were both pretty drunk.’
‘Uh… Oh, right. Lotram’s party.’
‘Phew! Glad you remember because… wow. You were like an animal. And you ended up here, making money off that big dick. Wow, talk about a plum job.’
‘Huh… uh… Well…’
‘Lenora just tripped the signal flag on her server,’ Al said.
‘Sorry, Dal, gotta go.’ Aneka bolted through the rear door before anyone could stop her, darted down a corridor, turned right and headed for the door at the end which was where Lenora took her clients. As far as Aneka could tell, the brothel provided room and board to several of its employees, and not cheaply even if they were not slaves. Her boot hit the door and it slammed open to the sound of breaking plastic.
The tall, attractive man had his pistol in his hand, and not figuratively. He looked around, angry, his gun rising as he turned.
‘He’s Pinnacle!’ Lenora squeaked. She looked like she was having trouble breathing, never mind speaking.
Aneka took in the small box in the gunman’s left hand as she stepped into the room. He was well trained, probably military, and the door breaking had not surprised him for more than a fraction of a second, but Aneka was not even remotely Human. She caught his extended wrist, twisting it away from her as her left hand came up and then snapped out, the base of her fist smashing into his face. His eyes glazed over for a second as he crumpled, the gun falling from his hand. He recovered quickly, shaking his head as he started to rise, but then Aneka locked his arm, pushing him down to his knees. Then she slammed her knee into his jaw and he went down, tilting back until his locked arm stopped him.
‘I’ll take care of him,’ Aneka said, slinging the big man across her shoulders with little apparent effort. ‘Send a message saying he never arrived here.’ Then she turned and marched out.
Dalrane looked at her as she walked through with someone slung across her shoulders like a sack of coal. His eyes widened
‘Bastard owes me money,’ Aneka said. ‘Two whole coins! I’m going to have to kill him, obviously.’
‘Oh… uh… of course.’
Strangely, no one tried to stop her leaving.
Amethyst Hyde.
‘What do we do with him?’ Ella asked.
Their prisoner was sedated in one of the Hyde’s medical units. Aggy had already run sufficient tests to determine that Lenora had been telling the truth. The man was almost certainly Pinnacle. The fact that he had had some sort of control box for Lenora’s collar was a pretty good signal, but his largely unmodified genetics also suggested it.
‘Keep him under,’ Aneka replied. ‘He’ll be safe enough like that. If Lenora didn’t know he was coming, then the others didn’t know he was Pinnacle. They probably wanted to check up on her as well as the others.’ She glanced at Winter. ‘I suggest putting a bit of a rush on the construction. We might be able to delay them with the “he didn’t arrive” message, but they’re bound to start probing.’
‘Agreed,’ Winter replied. ‘This makes determining whether Sorien is our mystery agent even more important.’
‘That had not escaped me. His party is tomorrow. I’ll consult my fashion advisor for something suitable to wear and nail the bastard.’
‘You have a fashion advisor?’ Ella asked and then sagged. ‘Oh, right. Something slutty coming right up.’
Pirate Cove, 12.1.560 FSC.
Daven Sorien was built to be a pirate captain. He looked the part rather the way Kade was such a good match for Pirate Queen. There was something of the swashbuckler about him, though he had rather more muscle than Douglas Fairbanks. His shoulders were broad and his hips were narrow, giving him a slightly triangular torso. His arms were thickly muscled and his stomach, heavily on display thanks to a black, silk shirt which was open to the navel, would have made a washboard envious. There was a pair of thick, strong thighs clad in a pair of britches which made it quite clear that he was not lacking in other endowments. His skin had a dark tan, his teeth flashed white when he smiled, which was often, and he had clear, blue eyes with just a hint of green in them. Sadly he lacked a thin moustache, but his hair was shoulder length, black, and had a tousled, wild quality about it.
He had made speeches about freedom being the most precious commodity in the galaxy a fair bit at the start of the party an hour or so ago, but now he was just drinking and plotting how to get his hands on his latest potential conquest. She was tall and strong, and her hair, which fell to the upper slopes of her breasts, was black with red tints. He had spotted her easily among the crowd because, even in a horde of extroverts, she was something else. She was wearing knee-high, strapped boots with a wedge heel, leather bracers, and a corset and harness arrangement over a small pair of latex briefs and a fishnet body-stocking. No bra. She was made for him!
Which, of course, she more or less was, and Aneka was beginning to get a little ann
oyed that he had not made a move yet when he appeared beside her at the bar, all smiles.
‘I don’t think we’ve met,’ he said, turning up the smile a little more. ‘I’m Daven Sorien, Captain of the Baleful Eye.’
Aneka smiled back and signalled Al to pour on the charm. Her pupils dilated and her nipples thickened under his gaze. ‘Aneka,’ she replied. ‘I know who you are, of course. Everyone’s been talking about you.’
‘Nothing bad, I hope?’
‘The bad parts were the best bits. Good boys never seem to know what to do with me.’ She picked up her whiskey glass and sank the contents, running her tongue over her lips.
‘Another?’ he asked.
‘Please.’ He looked across the bar to where Naseena was busy at the optics. Aneka noticed his eyes straying across her behind. Then he paused and looked back. ‘I have a very fine single malt in my cabin.’
‘But… your party?’
‘I think they can do without me now, and I feel the need to share a fine whiskey with a beautiful woman.’
‘Will I do?’
He laughed. ‘Oh yes, Aneka. You will do very nicely.’
The Baleful Eye.
Sorien’s ship was a tenth of the size of the Hope of Sanctuary and not designed for long-haul travel even if it had a warp drive of the latest Pinnacle design. Most of the crew quarters were bunks, but there were a few cabins for the senior crew. Sorien had one to himself, but even then it was nothing compared to Kade’s lavish apartment.
You could tell that he considered the bed to be the focal point. It was the majority stakeholder as far as floor space went, but he had embellished a standard frame with silk sheets, black ones obviously, and had erected a canopy of sorts over it in a deep red brocade material. Aside from that there was a desk which looked underused, a wardrobe, and a door leading to the bathroom which was compact.
With nowhere else to sit, Aneka settled onto the bed, lying back against the headboard while he poured their drinks. What was it with pirates and drinking while sprawled?
Aneka Jansen 7: Hope Page 21