Caspian's Fortune

by Eric Warren

  “No luck, Captain. Whatever we’re looking for, it wasn’t on the dock,” Evie replied.

  “I wasn’t expecting it to be,” Cas said. “It’s not something that would have ever been removed once…well, once the Achlys had it.” He had to be careful. If he revealed too much about what they were looking for Rutledge would have him arrested for certain.

  “This is so frustrating,” Greene said, turning his backs on them and staring at the display in the center of the room.

  “For what it’s worth,” Cas said. “It wasn’t my desire not to tell you.”

  Greene faced them again. “Curious. You’re still following orders. After everything that’s happened to you.”

  “Believe me,” Cas said. “It’s purely self-serving.”

  Green appraised him a moment. “Suggestions?” he said, turning to Evie. “The search is coming up empty.”

  “I believe there’s a non-aligned port of call not far from here,” she said. “It’s small, but they may have heard or seen something. We might want to try our luck there, see if anyone’s been talking about Coalition salvage.”

  Greene pondered a moment. “Very well. Prepare an infiltration team. We’ll have to use one of the unmarked shuttles.”

  “Sir,” Cas said without thinking. “We could use my ship. It would attract less attention.”

  Greene turned his attention to Evie, the intensity of his look saying what didn’t need to be said.

  After a moment she nodded. “I think it would be better camouflage. Even our unmarked shuttles are recognizable. It’s not as hostile as an Sargan outpost, but there are still a lot of non-aligned species who aren’t happy with the Coalition.”

  “It’s your show, Commander,” Greene said. “Just make sure you cover all your bases.”

  21

  “Where is this port again?” Box asked, standing in the middle of the hallway.

  “D’jattan. You know, that place where we picked up that horologist a couple years back. Along the RQ-QS undercurrent.”

  “Oh, the one on the asteroid.”

  “That’s the one,” Cas said, pulling a new shirt on. It was less smelly than the last, though it still needed a good wash. “What have you been doing this whole time? This place is a mess.”

  “I got bored. Couldn’t find one of my data drives,” Box replied. “You’ll have plenty of opportunity to clean up again on the way back.”

  Cas grumbled to himself as he yanked on another set of boots. He was going for his classic look, something that wouldn’t stand out in D’jattan. Not Sargan, not Coalition. “Have you done anything useful?” he asked.

  “I emptied the coffee maker. It had all this crusty brown residue in the bottom. Took me almost two hours and I managed not to break it,” Box said, poking his head in. “Are you decent yet?”

  “Enough, I suppose,” Cas said, catching his reflection in the mirror. He’d added an extra-heavy coat and gloves. D’jattan was cold, even inside. Satisfied with the level of ruggedness he’d self-inflicted, Cas returned to the hallway. “Go ahead and plot the course. I’ll wait until—”

  The airlock opened revealing Evie. She was wearing the sword again and sported a large leather coat.

  “I see you’re familiar with D’jattan,” Cas said, taking in her outfit.

  “I do my research,” she replied, walking past him to the cockpit. “An old mining colony on an asteroid hurtling through space where the system’s sun only reaches the surface at random times. It’s bound to be about as cold as you can get.”

  Cas had turned his back on the airlock when it opened again, revealing the same ensign who’d originally escorted him when he’d first boarded the ship. She was also dressed in mercenary gear, though she looked less threatening than Evie in her more tailored clothes.

  “Ensign…” Cas began, struggling to remember her name.

  “Yamashita,” she reminded him. “Just call me Laura. I don’t need you telling every alien on that station I’m with the Coalition.”

  Cas furrowed his brow. “You don’t think I can handle myself out there? I’m pretty sure I know how to navigate a place like D’jattan. Can you say the same? How long have you been out of the academy, a year?”

  Her face turned red but she didn’t reply.

  “Is there a problem?” Evie asked, approaching them.

  “Not with me,” Laura said.

  “Cas?” Evie prompted.

  He let it go, though held Laura’s stare for a moment. “We’re good.” He turned away from them while Laura walked down the corridor, exploring the ship. He looked over at Evie. “Remind me again why she’s here?”

  “She’s the best exobiologist on the ship. If we encounter something we don’t know how to deal with over there she’ll know how to communicate. I don’t want to leave any stone unturned.”

  “I don’t think it’s going to be that hard,” Cas said. “If someone’s heard of or has Coalition parts from a salvage job, they’re going to want to get rid of them. And if anyone’s heard of a derelict Coalition ship, word will have traveled fast. It was a good idea coming over here.”

  “Thanks.” Evie had a faraway look in her eyes. Then she seemed to come to herself. “Let’s get going.”

  ***

  Box expertly piloted the ship through the few asteroids left in the field, though they really weren’t close enough to be of any danger to the Reasonable Excuse. The Tempest—which at this moment was parked behind another planet in the system to obscure it from any non-aligned ships—might have had more trouble but as asteroid fields went this one was pretty typical. Sparse enough for easy transit.

  When they arrived at the colony there were already a dozen larger ships in orbit of the small asteroid, all locked into a geosynchronous orbit. Box landed on one of the thirty pads available for passers-by. Cas watched as Box began the shutdown procedures, feeling just the slightest bit of envy at his skill. But he just wasn’t pilot material, never had been.

  “He knows how to fly, I’ll give him that,” Evie said as the four of them exited through the airlock into the colony’s tunnels. As soon as they stepped inside a blast of cold hit them. Somehow it felt even colder than the last time Cas had been here.

  “He’s also not impervious to compliments,” Box said from behind them. “He likes to be told he does a good job to his face.”

  Evie turned, a sheepish grin on her mouth. “Box, I apologize. You are an excellent pilot.”

  “Thank you, Commander!” Box’s optics burned with yellow intensity.

  Cas couldn’t help but grin himself. “Split up?” he asked, his breath visible as he surveyed the tunnel. It was large enough to drive a small shuttle through, but there weren’t a lot of people around. A few passed through but it wasn’t nearly as crowded as Devil’s Gate. Most of the warm-bloods would be near the heated areas.

  Evie nodded. “Laura you go with Cas. I’ll take Box. I assume he knows what we’re looking for.”

  “He knows it,” Cas replied, shooting Box a look. It was times like this when he wished the robot had a more expressive face.

  “You find anything, comm me. And don’t lose each other. This is not the place to get lost.” Evie was talking to both of them but Cas had the feeling the warning was more for Laura than him. She didn’t seem scared, but instead alert. On edge. “Box, let’s go.”

  Cas turned to Laura. “We should start asking around in the main trading areas.”

  Laura shrugged and turned, leaving him in the tunnel. He picked up the pace to catch up with her.

  “You didn’t know who I was when we first met, did you?”

  “No, and I don’t care now,” Laura replied.

  “Bullshit. You couldn’t have a bigger chip on your shoulder if you tried.”

  “And what?” Laura said, avoiding his gaze. “You don’t think you deserve it?”

  “All I’m saying is don’t feel like you need to hide it. Don’t conceal things on my account.”

  Laura shoo
k her head as she walked. “I don’t see why the commander keeps giving you opportunities.”

  “Let me guess,” Cas said. “If you were in her position, you would have run me through with the sword already.”

  That brought a smile to her face. “Not exactly. But I wouldn’t let you come on missions.”

  “I’m only here because I have to be. On orders from the admiral. Evie didn’t have a choice,” Cas said.

  They turned a corner. This tunnel felt a bit warmer. They were quickly approaching the common areas. “That’s disrespectful,” Laura said.

  “What?”

  “It’s Commander Diazal, not Evie.” She glowered at him.

  “Maybe to you. But I’m not in the system anymore. To me she’s just plain ol’ Evie.”

  “You still shouldn’t do it.” She clenched her jaw.

  “Why does it bother you so much?” Cas asked, narrowing his eyes.

  “It doesn’t! It’s fine,” Laura said, picking up the pace.

  “Wait, wait just a second,” Cas said, a smile spreading across his face. “This is more than just respecting a superior officer, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” They emerged into a large, carved-out space. Shops and eateries had been erected along the walls of the cavern and there were large gathering spaces all around. The area was heated by giant red lamps above that made the space about twenty degrees warmer than the tunnels. “Let’s just start talking to people.”

  “Whatever you say,” Cas replied.

  ***

  Evie walked beside Box through the tunnels, moving down into the lower sections of the old colony. They’d already talked to six different people, finding nothing promising so far. The lower sections were more dangerous as it was where unlawful transactions were more likely to take place but they had the best chance of finding information there. Box was surprisingly silent as they walked. The entire time she’d been on the ship from Sargan space to Eight he’d been talking nonstop whenever she’d exited her room.

  “Something wrong?” she asked.

  “I’m not the biggest fan of enclosed spaces,” Box said, his head moving back and forth to survey the walls and ceiling of the tunnel.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “This place has been here for hundreds of years. If it was going to collapse, it would have done so by now.”

  He didn’t reply, only kept his pace.

  “I guess you can’t tell me any more about what happened to Cas, can you?” she prodded. He’d given her a lot of information back in the mess hall, but not all of it. There were still missing pieces and she needed to find out what they were before she made any kind of decision whether she should tell the captain. The biggest red flag was Rutledge’s insistence Cas be arrested once the mission was over. It hadn’t sounded right from the beginning but after what Cas had told her it made a lot more sense. If Rutledge really did order him to fire on a civilian vessel that could be very damaging. Of course without any proof it was a criminal’s word against an admiral’s.

  “Unfortunately, I’ve been sworn to secrecy,” Box replied, then glanced at her. “It’s for your own protection.”

  She sighed. “So everyone keeps telling me. But I’m getting sick of being the last person to know everything.”

  “I would tell you if I could,” Box replied.

  “I heard your comm earlier. When we got back from the spacedock.” Evie smirked.

  “Oh, regarding your future love affair? Yes, I am quite excited about it,” Box replied, his posture suddenly better.

  “Box, there is no love affair. That’s not going to happen.”

  “But, you’re perfect for each other. The daring rogue and the prim officer, star-struck lovers from the moment they met.” He turned to her. “I’ve heard you banter. It’s net drama gold.”

  Evie shook her head, holding back a laugh. “It just doesn’t work like that, Box, I’m sorry. Even if it were somehow possible, I’m not attracted to him.”

  “Then why are you being so…fair to him? Women are only nice to him if they want to sleep with him. Others just brush him off. Either that or try to shoot him,” Box said, throwing his hands up.

  “Because I believe everyone deserves a fair chance. No matter their background,” she replied. “And if it turns out he’s right, and Cas got a bad deal the Coalition is going to owe him one hell of an apology.” She winced as she said it. Because no matter what happened, he would get a raw deal anyway. As soon as the ship was found he’d be thrown in the brig until they got back to the starbase. And then he’s be in there forever. Or until he could be shipped off to a Coalition world for “rehabilitation”. Which, in Cas’s case, probably wouldn’t be pleasant. She had to do something.

  She tapped the back of her hand, activating her comm. “Report.”

  Cas’s voice came through a few minutes later. “Nothing yet. No one seems to know anything about it.”

  Evie sighed, hoping this hadn’t been a fool’s errand. At the very least there was one thing she could do here. “Rendezvous in twenty minutes in the common area.”

  ***

  “Anything?” Evie asked, approaching Cas and Laura. Box walked behind her. He’d seemed more relaxed when they entered the larger caverns.

  Cas shook his head. “Though Laura spoke with a Plegarian for the first time.”

  Laura’s eyes were bright with excitement. “It was thrilling. I never thought I’d get the chance.”

  Evie smiled, then turned to Cas. “Can I talk to you a second. Alone?” She caught the briefest of strange looks from Laura before she managed to right herself. Evie would file that one away for later.

  “Sure.” He allowed her to lead him into one of the small alleyways between establishments. When she was sure they were out of sight of any surveillance as well as Box’s hearing she turned to him.

  “I already told you I’m not into kinky stuff.” He grinned.

  She turned away. “You’re being set up.”

  He suddenly turned serious. “What?”

  “The admiral. He ordered Greene to arrest you as soon as the mission was over. Not to let you leave.”

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Cas said, kicking the nearest thing to his boot which happened to a Gresarian block which shattered upon impact. “I knew it. I knew that snake wouldn’t keep his word. He didn’t the first time, why would he now?” He balled his hands into fists, then turned back to her. “See what I get? See what happens when I try to help? I knew I should have just left you on that station and gone on my merry way.”

  Evie didn’t reply, only leaned back against the wall, watching him. She could be demoted for telling him. She could lose her commission and most definitely her posting. But she couldn’t go on any longer with Cas thinking he would be a free man. It wasn’t fair to him. She didn’t like how the whole situation smelled. It was all contrary to the Coalition’s most basic principles. And with everything that happened after he’d told her in the mess hall she hadn’t had a lot of time to process it all.

  “I thought you should know,” she said, feeling the length of the sword press into her back.

  “He gave the order as soon as I was onboard, didn’t he?” Cas asked.

  “Before. Right after you met with him I assume.”

  “Fine,” Cas said, fuming. “That’s just fine. If that’s how he wants to play then that’s how we’ll play.” He turned, leaving the alley back the way they’d come.

  Evie watched him go, hoping she hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of her career.

  22

  Cas stormed from the alleyway toward Box and Laura, who seemed to be engaged in a conversation of their own. “Box, let’s go,” he said.

  Box turned to him. “I was just having a lovely conversation with this fertile female about World on Fire. Did you know she’s seen it as well?”

  “Fertile?” Laura said, resting her hands on her hips.

  “I don’t care. I need to talk to you. Alo
ne,” Cas said. Evie approached from the alley as well.

  “Excuse me, Laura, it seems my boss is having a tantrum day,” Box said, making a slight bow then following Cas.

  “Don’t do that,” he snapped.

  “Do what?”

  “Belittle me in front of others,” Cas replied. He didn’t need Box making this situation any worse. They moved through the crowds, pushing around all the different species packed in close to the heaters. Somewhere off to the left came the sound of shattering dishes followed by a smattering of applause and boos. One of the restaurants.

  When they were far from Evie and Laura Cas turned around. “They’re going to arrest me.”

  Box’s yellow optics blinked in confusion. “Who?”

  “Greene. Under orders from Rutledge. He never intended on keeping his word. Which means I assume he plans on impounding the ship and you too.”

  “How do you know?” Box asked.

  “Evie just told me. They got the orders before we even left.”

  Box lifted his hand and stroked what passed for his chin. “We shouldn’t do anything rash. This might work out in our favor.”

  Cas shook his head. “No way. I’m not getting back on that ship. We need to leave this place on the Reasonable Excuse and never look back. Like we should have done in the first place. Had I actually listened to myself instead of letting my bleeding heart speak for me we wouldn’t be in this situation.” He was only making himself angrier but he couldn’t help it. Everything he’d worked for was on the line. And just when he thought maybe the Coalition wasn’t as bad as he’d remembered, it came back and reared its ugly head.

  “We can’t get away,” Box said. “Not with the Tempest out there monitoring us. Don’t forget, it’s a lot faster than any other ship around. They’d have us in a matter of hours.”

  “Not if we could sneak away,” Cas said.

  “And what about Evie and Laura? Do we just leave them here?”

  “They’re adults,” Cas said, his mind running through escape scenarios. “They’ll figure it out until someone comes to get them.” They would need a distraction. Something that would keep the Tempest here long enough for them to sneak away. But with it hiding out there behind the third planet in the system it would takes something substantial to keep their attention.