by Richard Dee
Chapter Twenty Five
Our next destination was Passing Thru; I found out from Nancy that it was nothing more than a market place, a huge space station in the vastness of interstellar space.
My time post Navy was turning into a very quick education on the realities of life, with places I had never heard of and things that I’d never imagined being involved in. On the way, when I had the wheelhouse to myself I had asked Nancy; at least she wouldn’t get fed up with me not knowing much about the Galaxy. In a patient tone she had explained a little about the place.
“Think of it as a market,” she said. “The biggest market you could imagine, it’s where all the traders go if they’re looking for a job or a specific item. If you want anything from basic supplies to something a bit out of the ordinary you can send a request for re-broadcast. Griff gets the feed from the place all the time.”
I had wondered how Griff seemed to know so much, it must have been one of his sources. We dropped from light-speed and approached, like I said it was a space station but like no other one I had ever seen. It seemed to have been built out of the leftovers from the Holy Wars, a load of patched up derelicts and old mining platforms all joined together. The surrounding space was thick with craft of all types. There were the latest model superyachts, beaten up freighters and everything else in between. All with the same thing in common; drifting around waiting for the big chance. Moth and Dror should have come here; they would have had a field day.
The station was inhabited by dealers of all kinds. Griff had already posted details of the gear we had, and the station had re-broadcast the message. Of course you paid for the service, all payments went through the station and they deducted a percentage of the transaction. It was a lot easier than searching for buyers yourself though. And it worked. Within an hour of arrival, we had three potential customers and were on the way to the first; they were on a part of the station.
The station wasn’t rotating so docking was a lot easier this time. They were there when we opened the ramp, two of them and a bodyguard, no names were asked and none were given. They boarded us, and Griff and I met them in the hold. The gear had been laid out for them to have a proper look. I hung around with Griff in case they wanted engines started or anything else. Stu and Mitch were on the walkway, armed and ready in case of any problems.
They poked about a bit and muttered to each other before coming back to us. The bodyguard stood watching Stu and Mitch, hand in his pocket.
“I’m not sure about the stuff,” the thinner man of the two said. “It’s all Navy gear and it looks new.”
“We got it from Michael’s Hollow,” Griff explained. “Like it said on the bulletin; it’s left over from the relief operations.”
The fat one spoke this time, “Still, the Navy might decide that they want it back, have they sold it to you?”
“Not exactly,” I chimed in. “We were delivering supplies to the settlers and they offered it in payment.”
“That’s your story but you can’t prove it, can you?” He was right of course; but it made me angry. I didn’t appreciate being called a liar.
Griff sensed the mood and spoke, “Look, we all know that it’s Navy kit; we never said it wasn’t and it was given to the settlers. It’s not illegal to sell it on, it’s second-hand.”
“Well I’m not happy about taking it,” said the thin one. “Especially if there’s no paperwork with it. At least not at the price you’re asking. Tell you what, think about how much you’ll take for it and let us know. We can find our own way out.” Still muttering to each other they left.
“They won’t be back,” said Rixon when we told him. “Unless I drop the price and that’s not a good idea. Let’s see what the next ones are like.”
But they didn’t want to know either. They said it wasn’t the price. Perhaps we would be stuck with the stuff.
That only left one of the three and they were not on the station but on Bencon, a planet about a day away.
“Bencon is well down the food chain,” Griff told me as we hopped across, saving me the bother of asking Nancy. “The place is one huge junkyard, a good front for all sorts of dubious transactions. We’ll sell it all here alright, one way or another but we won’t get much for it.”
And it went without saying, the further down the list we went, the further we slipped away from legality.
When we dropped into atmosphere and broke through the cloud layer, I could see that Griff was right, Bencon could have been a planet made entirely of scrap metal and plastics. There was hardly any open ground visible and the atmosphere was choking, although the locals didn’t seem to notice. We found our buyer and he passed a less than critical eye over the stuff. His yard was full of rusting junk, I wondered what he wanted such pristine gear for but taking my lead from Griff I kept quiet. He nodded at us. “I’ll take the lot,” he said. “I’ve got just the buyer for that.”
He peeled notes off a roll that he took out of his pocket. “Cash okay?” he asked. “No questions asked, I’ll give you twenty grand.” That was far less than Rixon had hoped for, but we couldn’t waste any more time trying to get a better deal.
After we had gone back to Passing and paid their commission we had enough to restock with food and a few spares. There was nothing left over for wages, let alone a bonus. We had another job to go anyway so we just had to accept it and move on.
Chapter Twenty Six
Our next job was a much better one. It involved a long flight to pick up some samples from a new mine out on the far Rim. They needed delivering to an analysis lab in the core; the job took us several weeks and was boring and uneventful as far as the work went. But we were extremely well paid. Apart from the relentless maintenance work, which we would have had to do anyway, we had plenty of free time.
The best thing that came out of it was that Myra and I resumed our evening talks in the wheelhouse. We had put our relationship back to where it was and dare I say it, Myra seemed to be starting to feel about me the way I felt about her. She admitted as much one evening.
“I flirted with Danno to pay you back,” she announced in the middle of a conversation about something else. “I was annoyed that you did what you did on the station, I wanted you to notice me, see what you were missing.”
Luckily I was paying attention. “I guess I deserved it,” I answered. “But in my defence–”
“Stop,” she said. “I don’t want to hear it, I know the story, Griff told me but it’s nothing I wouldn’t have expected; you’re only a male after all.” And she laughed.
I joined in, all the time thinking that she didn’t know all of Liesh’s part in it.
We were well paid for the amount of time that the job took us and we got used to the life of leisure; I celebrated my first six months on board and I still hadn’t broken any laws. My bank balance had improved and I had received another substantial payment from the unnamed source on Basilan. If it was the Chenkos then why were they still doing it? They knew by now who I wasn’t.
All too soon we would be looking for work again, we had been out of circulation for a few weeks and had nothing lined up. Even Griff’s contacts had nothing for us.
Rixon was tempted to hang around in the core systems after we had delivered the samples. He had spoken to the mine company, but they had no more jobs.
“The trouble is,” said Griff, “we’re out of place here, the established transports are well known and we’re not. We’d be better of back where we belong.”
“I know,” agreed Rixon. “But it would be nice to get a load back out to the Rim, save us running all that way empty.”
Ask as we might, there was nothing on offer so we set off on the long run back towards our own habitat.
“I have an idea,” said Rixon one evening while we were eating, “let’s get in touch with Danno and see if that mine job is still on. We can go back to Coopers; it’s almost on the way. Griff, send him a message.”
Late the next day Griff told us that he
had heard from Danno, the miners were ready to go and would want to see the Orca before committing to hiring us.
“That’s fair enough,” Griff reckoned. “Probably Danno has tried to scam them and they’re being careful.” We altered course towards Nara.
Four days later, Rixon, Myra and I were sitting at a stained table in Ma Esters enjoying a cold beer. Griff and the others had stayed on board. Danno was supposed to be meeting us and he was late. The place was nearly empty.
Suddenly Danno was with us, he had appeared out of thin air and he looked even more seedy and furtive than he had last time.
Hello, Rixon, Myra, Dave,” he said quickly. He kept looking around, as if expecting someone else to arrive. He bought us all beer and handed the glasses around.
“What’s up, Danno?” asked Rixon.
He sat down. “Van Chenko’s looking for you,” he blurted out, “and he’s not happy.” What was he talking about? We had had no contact with the Chenkos since Wishart. We were here for the job he had told us about.
“What do you mean, Danno?” Rixon asked, looking both confused and worried. “And where are the miners?” Danno’s weasel face twitched.
“They’re not coming.”
He looked at Myra, it was a look of longing; clearly he remembered last time. She was more conservatively dressed today and was ignoring him.
“I don’t know all the details, Mr Rixon,” he persisted, “but it’s about some Navy gear that you sold on Passing. Vlad was getting searched by the police and they found it. That wasn’t a problem in itself; they were after him for something else entirely.”
“So,” said Rixon, attentive now, “the Navy gear was legitimate.”
“In conversation, they asked him how he’d got hold of the equipment; just out of interest like. They had a look and said it was from the Moth. Well Vlad saw his chance to try and do a deal. He said he knew of a survivor. Of course they didn’t believe him but he said he could prove it. Anyhow, he’s in jail now, along with half his gang. But the offer stands. It might just cut him some slack. Hence Van’s looking for you.” He looked at me while he said it.
“How did Vlad end up with the stuff?” I asked him. “We sold it to a guy out in the wilds.”
“Yeah but you see, the man you sold it to on Bencon; he owed Vlad, and that was what he offered as payment. Of course he got leant on to find out where he got it from, but Vlad seemed to have an idea anyway.”
Of course he would know, as soon as he heard where it was from, my name would pop up. And it would be too good a chance to miss to get at Rixon.
“Right,” said Rixon, draining his beer. “Thanks, Danno, but we’d better get back to the ship, I feel kind of exposed without the boys about.” We took his cue and drank up.
Before we could get to the door, it was opened by three large men, holding pry-bars. They looked heavy, but the men hefted them with ease. Smoothly Rixon turned and headed for the side exit. It too was blocked, and behind us we heard a scuffle and a moan. I turned to see the barman slump over the counter, whilst Danno was being held easily by another giant of a man. All the other customers had vanished.
The two men at the door parted and Vlad’s twin entered. He had the same shiny suit and blond stubble. He was even thinner than Vlad; whip thin with sparkling blue eyes, but when he spoke I knew he wasn’t Vlad. He had the same high pitched whisper, but this was more of a croak, it sounded like he had some throat trouble. “Well done, Danno,” he said. “Come over here.”
Danno was released and he raced over to him. “See, Mr Van, I got them here, just like I said.” He grovelled, washing his hands with invisible soap.
“Thank you, Danno,” said Van. “You can go now.”
Danno stood his ground. “But, Mr Van,” he whined, “we had a deal.”
“Deal?” said Van dismissively. “I don’t recall any sort of deal.”
“But you said I could have the girl if I told you when they turned up, that’s why I called you when I knew they were coming. She actually took notice of me after years of treating me like I was some sort of fool.”
It seemed like Myra had set a train in motion. The colour drained from her face as the reality sank in. She gasped and gripped my hand.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Van had crossed the room and was standing beside us, leaving Danno by the door. He turned to Myra, a sly grin on his face. “Well, were you, my dear,” he inquired, “interested?”
Myra shuddered. “Not in a million years!” she exclaimed.
Van turned back to Danno who was squirming. “There you are then,” he said.
Danno’s shoulders slumped. “But she said… I thought…” he moved towards Myra and the henchmen tensed.
Van waved his hand dismissively and they relaxed. “Very well then,” he said, “if you want her so badly come and get her.”
Danno kept walking towards Myra, who moved behind me and Rixon; Van calmly took a pistol from his belt and shot him twice in the stomach, the noise echoed around the empty room. Danno took a step back with the force of the bullets, a mystified expression on his face. He coughed, the effort making him wince. He put his hand to his stomach and lifted it to his face. It was red with blood from the stain that was spreading across his shirt. The effort of raising his hand was suddenly too much for him and it fell back to his side. Blood dripped to the floor; in the shocked silence the splashes sounding as loud as the gunshot had been. Sighing, Danno dropped to his knees, pushing his hands in front of him to steady himself. As his strength faded, he slumped to the ground, the blood forming a pool around his body.
Van replaced the smoking pistol in his belt and turned back to us. We were all stunned by the casual way he had done it. Myra was sobbing.
“He would not have made you very happy, my dear,” he said in that peculiar whisper of his, “whereas I will.”
Van sat on a stool and looked at us. “My brother has got me looking for Mr Finn Douglas here. We’ve been all over the Rim, but Danno told us he had rather cleverly managed to get you to turn up. I believe it was something about a job for you.” That stopped me dead, clearly there had been some research carried out. If Danno was really in the pay of the Chenkos, Myra arousing him to get at me might just have been the worst thing she could have done.
Rixon had his hands in his pockets; he stood in front of Myra.
“Mr Rixon, kindly stop fiddling with the transmitter in your pocket,” lisped Van. “No one will be coming; my boys are at the Orca, keeping your crew occupied. I’m going to tell you a story. Danno may have told you some of it, I don’t know, but,” he waved his arm at the corpse, “he can hardly finish the story now.” He settled himself and found a bottle behind the bar, pouring a glass he sipped.
“My brother has been found in possession of some Navy equipment, from a ship that mysteriously vanished. That in itself is not illegal. Vlad has explained that he brought the items in good faith from a man who claimed to be from the crew.” He inclined his head at me. “Only of course that should not be possible, the ship being lost. Vlad has been told that if he can prove this, his case will be treated favourably by the authorities. So all that we need is for you,” and he pointed at me, “to come with us and explain everything.”
I felt drained, it looked like the game was up, my chip was one thing, but in custody a DNA test would be my undoing. And the Black Box might make an appearance. It wouldn’t matter then about what Vlad had or hadn’t done. And of course, Rixon and Griff would get drawn into it all.
“He’s going nowhere,” said Rixon.
“Yeah get lost,” said Myra.
Van smiled. “Very noble, but this isn’t your quarrel.”
“Oh it is,” said Rixon, “he’s my navigator and one of my crew.”
“Very well, you will all come with us, we will not harm Mr Douglas, but the rest of you are surplus to requirements. I hope I make myself clear.”
We were bundled into the open back of a wheeled vehicle and chained to the f
loor. We set off towards the port. As we bounced along the road I said to Rixon, “Why come with me? It’s madness.”
He smiled. “You’re my Nav, and I’ve got a reputation to uphold, I don’t leave anyone behind, I never have and I’m not starting now. Besides, do you really think he’d let us go?”
Myra chimed in, “We stick together; if we hadn’t stuck together he’d have killed us there. Anyway, who knows what chances we will get, Van is not as smart as Vlad; I don’t expect he’s thought it all out.”
Her optimism was touching, but I couldn’t help wondering at her fate on Van’s ship. Probably the same one that Danno had planned for her; or worse.
We pulled into the field and there it was, an old Bishop Class frigate. Left over from the Blessed Navy, a relic of the Holy Wars, it was still a ship to reckon with. It dwarfed all the other ships around it. I had served on a Bishop in my training and in four months as the lowest form of life on board had got to know the layout pretty well. There were a group hanging round the stern, and we pulled up in front of them. I could see the Orca on the other side of the field; for all the good it was it might as well have been on Oonal.
One of the men, with a huge belly straining to escape his stained tee shirt and a hook nose, sneered at Rixon. “Look who it is.”
He glanced at Van, as if seeking permission, who nodded. Suddenly he swung a fist into Rixon’s stomach. His breath whooshed out and he doubled over. As his head dropped the man lifted his knee into his face. There was a sickening crunch and a spurt of blood as Rixon’s nose broke. He collapsed onto the dusty ground and curled up. Myra tried to go to him but was held easily by two of the others. I couldn’t move as I was held from behind although I tried. A voice in my ear advised me against it.
Rixon lay on the ground, blood was splashed around him in the dust and he was still for a moment, then he stirred and tried to stand. He failed the first time, but after another attempt got onto one knee. He shook his head and more blood splashed, and then he got unsteadily to his feet. His eyes were glazed and vacant as he swayed.