Heat Seeker

by Scot C Morgan

  Jake walked over to them. "Yeah. Take a seat Dewey."

  Dewey sat again. Jake walked past them and stood beside the reinforced glass that took up most of the wall. He gazed out into space. There were innumerable stars in the distance but no planets or other bodies in sight. He stood for a few moments without speaking, still looking out the window.

  "No more explosive asteroids, I hope," Tiffin said.

  Jake turned to face her. He had an irritated look on his face.

  "Sorry," Tiffin said. "Just kidding."

  Jake's expression softened. "I know. It's fine." He walked back around to the front of the cluster of seats. Placing his hands on his hips and hooking his thumbs under his holster belt, he glanced back and forth at the two of them.

  Tiffin looked eager to hear what he had to say. Dewey appeared to be waiting on bad news.

  "Sarah?" Jake kept his head steady but glanced at the ceiling.

  "I'm here," she said through the speaker.

  "Okay," Jake said, looking to Tiffin and Dewey again. "It's time to get back to work."

  "I fixed the leak you told me to look at," Tiffin said. "Is there something else you want me to work on?"

  "Not what I meant," Jake said. "But, thanks."

  "I don't mean to be dead weight," Dewey said. "I'm still not clear on what exactly I should be doing. I mean, until you drop me off."

  "Sarah's going to put us back on the delivery system," Jake said.

  "I am?" Sarah said.

  "Yes." Jake didn't bother to glance at the speaker this time. He looked at Dewey. "The nearest system which may have a decent planet for you is gonna require a space fold or another two weeks at this pace. If we're doing either one, I need to make it worth something. No offense."

  "No," Dewey said. "I understand. I don't want to cause you any trouble."

  Jake suspected from the look on Dewey's face that he was being polite to avoid conflict. "I know, Dewey. I said I'd drop you somewhere, and I will. But it's gonna have to be along the way."

  "Along the way?" Tiffin asked.

  Jake shifted his stance and answered Tiffin. "This is a working vessel. Not a taxi. I need to get back to making deliveries."

  "Of course," Dewey said.

  "It'll probably work out for the best," Jake said. "People order cargo. People means some kind of civilization. If they're working through the shipping agency to request goods, chances are the place is safe."

  "Uh," Sarah said. "You're not forgetting the last two deliveries, are you?"

  Jake raised his right eyebrow and peered at the camera in the ceiling. "You're not being helpful right now. You know that, don't you?"

  "Sorry," Sarah said.

  Tiffin sprung up from her seat. "I think it's a great idea!" She turned to Dewey. "Don't you want to see what it's like—being a galactic cargo runner? Wow! Just think of it. Visiting strange lands. Running into crazy aliens. Who knows what will happen." Her eyes glazed over as if she was seeing the places already. A smile stretched across her face.

  "Take it easy," Jake said. "I'm talking about one or two routine deliveries. Nothing dangerous. Something to bring in a few credits."

  Tiffin snapped out of her reverie and glanced at her right cargo pocket before turning to Dewey. "You should get a blaster like Jake's." Her eyes widened. "I should get one...because I don't have one already."

  "Nobody's getting blasters," Jake said, holding his hand out to gesture for Tiffin to take her enthusiasm down a level or two.

  "Jake," Sarah said. "We do have plenty in the—"

  Jake snapped a look upward to the camera. "Hey! No."

  "What?" Tiffin asked. She grinned and cocked her head slightly as she seemed to examine Jake's expression. "You have more blasters. Don't you?"

  Jake exhaled and dropped his gaze as he shook his head.

  "I bet you have an arsenal," Tiffin said, sounding like a child talking about a pile of candy.

  Jake sliced through the air with his arms. "Nobody is getting a blaster!" He huffed and stood for a moment with his arms still outstretched.

  Dewey raised his hand slightly. "I don't want a blaster."

  "Sarah," Jake said, "just get us set up in the system with the new license and claim the closest delivery that comes up."

  "You got it, Jake."

  Tiffin stepped in front of Jake and stood up tall. "I'll be super helpful." She glanced at the floor and swiveled her foot on its heel then looked back up at Jake. "I can go with you when we head down to the planet, right?"

  Jake was about to say no as he looked at her, but he decided it was easier not to fight her on it. "Sure."

  Sarah spoke up with a reassuring tone. "I'll make sure the delivery is something simple. I mean, nothing big, nothing dangerous."

  Jake nodded toward the camera. Then he turned to Dewey. "Who knows. You may even like it. If things go smoothly… We'll see."

  Dewey darted his eyes around with his mouth open for a moment. "I appreciate your consideration, but I'll take my leave when we get to someplace suitable. The first delivery, I mean. If it looks okay."

  "Fine with me," Jake said. "Your call."

  Tiffin spoke suddenly. "You may change your mind." She sounded as if she didn't like Dewey's decision.

  Jake squinted as he quickly studied Tiffin and then Dewey.

  Tiffin blushed. "Or not." She turned to face the view of space through the wall of glass and moved her head slightly as if her interest had moved to one of the stars.

  Jake brought his palms together and jutted out his lips for a moment. "Yeah. I think we're done here. Good talk. I'll let you two know when we have something." He headed toward the door, pausing and facing them before he reached it. "A delivery, I mean. Should be later today. Right, Sarah?"

  "Probably," she said. "Usually doesn't take long once we query the shipping registry."

  Jake continued toward the room's exit. "Yeah. Good. See you guys a bit later."

  Chapter 10

  After going to the bridge for a few minutes to check various status readings—he preferred to get updates himself occasionally instead of relying solely on Sarah—Jake walked down the corridor toward his quarters. He moved through the glow of overhead light and the shadowed portions between them every couple of seconds. Sarah spoke to him through one of the speakers as he passed under it.

  "Jake."

  He continued walking, knowing she could continue the conversation through the next few speakers as he walked down the hallway.

  "Yeah?" he said, not looking up.

  "What is it?" Sarah asked.

  "Hmm? What do you mean?"

  "Something's bothering you," Sarah said through the speaker ahead of Jake as he approached it.

  "I'm fine."

  "Is that why you're walking three times faster than normal?"

  "Huh?" Jake glanced down, then slowed his pace. "Didn't notice." He purposefully kept his gaze away from the cameras on the ceiling.

  Sarah tripled the brightness of the next light before Jake reached it.

  Jake kept walking but raised his hand to shield his eyes. "Hey! What are you doing?"

  "Trying to get your attention," Sarah said, much louder than she had been speaking.

  Jake stopped at the far edge of the light she'd turned up. He still looked straight ahead. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "Those coordinates."

  "For the delivery?" Sarah said. "Don't have them yet. Er, I mean, we don't have a delivery yet. Shouldn't be long though."

  "No. Not those. The ones Hyde's people put in your system."

  "Oh." Sarah's tone dropped to somewhere near disappointment and worry. "What about them?"

  "They're out of the way. Aren't they?"

  "Yes," she said. "Nothing recognized in that part of the galaxy. Nothing on the charts, I mean."

  "That's what it looked like to me too." He glanced up to one of the cameras. "I took a look."

  "I don't think you should trouble yourself about that," Sarah said.


  "I knew you'd say that. That's why I decided to pull them up myself."

  Jake started walking again, but more slowly this time. He looked upward toward the next camera as he neared it.

  "You know it's more than Hyde behind them," Jake said. "Whatever is going on there."

  "You're probably right. What are you planning?" Sarah sounded more sympathetic now.

  Jake appreciated her shift in tone. He didn't have anyone else to confide in. Sharing anything that wrenched him inside wasn't his style, but this was an old wound and Sarah was the only person who came close to understanding how Jake felt about Hyde… and about the General.

  "Nothing yet," he said. "But I can't shake the feeling I need to look into that place."

  "I don't know, Jake. Haven't we had enough trouble?"

  "Too much," he said. He reached the door to his quarters, stopped, and looked directly at the camera overhead. "I'm tired of trouble finding us. Maybe we should go see where it's coming from and deal with it there for a change."

  "Jake," Sarah said with a pleading tone.

  He opened the door to his quarters and went inside without another word to her. The door shut. She didn't have a camera in his room and he hit the switch inside to shut off the voice comm with her.

  He slipped off his brown leather jacket and took off his belt and holster, his blaster still in it. He tossed the items on his bed and sat down beside them. He exhaled and dropped his head, catching his forehead with his palms. He groaned then plopped back, resting across the middle of his bed with his legs over the side, boots still on and touching the floor.

  "We'll see," he said to himself.

  Chapter 11

  Jake pulled his blaster from its holster and looked it over from side to side, pressing the button to check the charge. It was good. He hadn't shot it since he replaced the energy crystal a day before they folded space to get to their present location, but checking his blaster was part of the routine he did before heading down on a delivery or a pickup.

  "You think there's going to be a need for that?" Dewey stood opposite Jake in the small ready room which adjoined the shuttle bay. He continued staring at Jake's blaster for a moment. Jake could tell he was nervous. He saw Dewey's hands fidgeting against the top edges of the pockets of his pants.

  Jake was sitting on a metal bench beside the hook that held his jacket. He moved his blaster slightly in his hand, as if he was weighing it. He looked up at Dewey. "Never can tell. Some deliveries go smoothly. Others—" He chuckled and glanced at his blaster again. "Well, it's nice to be ready when things go bad." He stood and holstered his blaster. He'd already hooked the comm device onto his belt.

  Tiffin stepped more into the room. "It'll be fine, Dewey."

  She'd been leaning against the doorway at the hall entrance. Jake noticed a print where she'd had her boot hiked up against the wall. Sarah had shown Tiffin the laundry facilities so she could wash her clothes earlier in the day. Dewey had been given several identical sets of the clothes he now wore, but Tiffin had once again insisted on keeping her long green shorts and the same shirt she'd had on when Jake first met her on Eon, complete with the vest she always had over it.

  Jake noticed the left pocket of Tiffin's vest was moving. He nodded toward her. "You trying to bring along another crew member?"

  Tiffin glanced down at her vest pocket. "What? Oh. It's just Squeakers."

  "Yeah," Jake said. "I figured. Maybe he should stay here."

  "Are you kidding?" Tiffin genuinely looked surprised by Jake's suggestion. "I can't leave him here."

  "Why not?" Jake said, grabbing his jacket off the wall hook and putting it on.

  "Well," Tiffin said, looking down at her vest pocket again and then back up at Jake. "You know how long we talked about leaving Eon? About seeing what's out there?"

  Jake knew by 'we' she meant her and the mouse.

  Dewey slowly turned his head to the side and stared at Tiffin. Jake raised his brow. "This ought to be good."

  Tiffin glanced back and forth between Jake and Dewey. "How is Squeakers going to see what we talked about if he has to stay on the ship?" With wide eyes, she looked from Jake to Dewey and back to Jake, as if challenging either of them to come up with a decent answer.

  Jake stared at her for a moment before turning away to reach for his go bag on the floor beneath the wall hook. He picked it up and slung it over his shoulder. "He's your responsibility. He gets into trouble, we're not gonna go chasing after him."

  That sounded stupid.

  Jake shook his head at the fact that he was discussing the safety of a mouse.

  "Sarah," Jake said, looking up at the camera in the ceiling.

  "Yes, Jake?"

  "Remember, this was your idea."

  "It'll be fine," Sarah said. "Did you already fill them in on the job?"

  Jake addressed Tiffin and Dewey. "We're going to pick something up. It's small. Has to be taken to another system. Apparently somebody thinks it's important enough to pay a decent amount of money for someone to deliver it."

  "There wasn't anyone on their planet that could do that?" Dewey said.

  Jake shrugged.

  Tiffin shrugged back at Jake. "What's that mean?"

  Jake looked far from amused. "Means there's something they're not telling us."

  "I don't mean to sound difficult," Dewey said.

  Jake looked at Dewey. "Good. Don't."

  "I…" Dewey paused for a moment. "I'd rather not be involved in the pickup, if that's okay."

  Jake stared at Dewey, offering no signal that he registered what Dewey said. He pointed behind Dewey to a cubicle recessed in the wall. The storage bin held a bundle of tightly-woven mesh bags. "Grab one of those. It'll fit in there."

  Dewey turned around and took out one of the bags. It had a long cord which cinched the top shut. He rubbed the material between his thumb and forefinger for a second. "It feels slick. What's it made of?"

  "It's made of who cares," Jake said. "Just bring the bag." He noticed Tiffin had her backpack on. "I see you came prepared."

  Tiffin glanced at Sarah's camera in the ceiling for a split second, but didn't tip her head upward when she did. "Yeah. I figured some of my stuff may come in handy."

  Jake shrugged. "Yeah. Okay. Sure." He stepped past her and Dewey to a door at the back of the small room. "Come on."

  Waving his hand slowly in front of a panel beside the door caused the door to open, feeding into the wall on one side. Jake walked into the large shuttle bay on the other side. Tiffin and Dewey followed.

  They passed stacked cargo containers—some taller than even Jake, some knee-high.

  Jake heard Tiffin behind him. "What's all the stuff?" she said.

  Jake kept walking. "Stuff."

  They reached the shuttle which was parked in the middle of the massive room. Jake pressed the button on the transmitter attached to his belt. The lights kicked on, creating a blue glow around the base of the shuttle. The whirring of the engine started at the same time. It wasn't loud, but a deep strong purr, building up over a few seconds. As Jake walked closer to the ship, two jets of air emitted a few inches out from the large shuttle door.

  The three of them waited until the door touched the floor, providing the ramp for their entry into the shuttle.

  Dewey looked up to one of the cameras on the ceiling. "It was nice meeting you, Sarah. Thank you for helping me get off Eon."

  Sarah's voice came through the speaker overhead. "You're welcome, Dewey. It was good meeting you too. I wish you well on Boutis."

  "Thank you." Dewey smiled up toward the camera, then looked back to Jake who was standing at the foot of the shuttle ramp waiting for him to board.

  Jake noticed Tiffin watched Dewey as he approached. She turned and saw Jake looking at her. He could tell she wasn't crazy about the idea of Dewey leaving the crew so soon. "Let's just see how this place is," Jake said to her, trying to sound comforting. "The information we have on it looks pretty good, but I'm not going to
drop him off if the place turns out to be crap."

  Tiffin looked surprised by Jake's comments. She smiled at him. "Thanks, Jake."

  You're welcome. Just don't go all gooey on me.

  Jake looked at the ground and waved his arm for her to go up the ramp into the shuttle. He glanced up and nodded to Dewey and motioned for him to follow Tiffin.

  Maybe I'll get lucky and get into a fight with an alien. Or at least a chance to shoot someone.

  He slowly shook his head as he walked up the ramp and into the shuttle.

  "Jake," Sarah said before he was all the way up the ramp.

  He stopped and looked up to the camera in the ceiling of the shuttle bay. "What is it?"

  "Is there a reason you chose this job out of the three I pulled for you to look at?"

  He paused for a moment before speaking. "The cargo's small. Easier to deal with. Pay was more than it should be."

  "True," she said. "But sometimes that means trouble."

  "It'll be fine," Jake said. "Tiffin can handle herself okay and Dewey doesn't plan on sticking around."

  "I noticed the coordinates," Sarah said.

  Jake stood at the top of the ramp and said nothing.

  "For the drop-off site," Sarah said. "I know why you picked this job."

  "So, why are you asking?" Jake said.

  "Just think about it. If Tiffin is staying with us now, don't take her into trouble."

  "I haven't decided whether to follow up on the location Hyde's contact left in the computer. But after he tracked us to Eon and nearly took you, and almost got me killed, I don't know if running and laying low is going to work much longer. Maybe keeping us and Tiffin out of trouble means getting rid of trouble at its source."

  "Hyde died." Sarah sounded exasperated. "You were there. You saw what happened. We don't have to worry about him anymore."

  "Probably. It looked that way. But it's never been about Hyde," Jake said. "He's only been following orders, even if he did enjoy trying to kill me every time."

  Tiffin called out from inside the shuttle. "Jake? Are you coming?"

  "Yeah!" he replied.

  He looked back to the camera in the ceiling of the shuttle bay. "We'll talk about it later. You know I only want to keep you safe."