After a hurried discussion the mechanics had set up temporary brackets to hold the pirate ship up so the Belle could dock as usual and allow them to break off the intruder. They’d descended on the two ships with welding torches, prompting Jenny to run around yelling and berating them as they cut through the docking area.
It was possibly the funniest silent movie she’d ever watched.
Catherine cracked up as Jenny screamed at one worker, gesturing wildly at the Belle and up at the cockpit where Sam sat. It was more likely than not she was threatening to get the captain involved and that alone was enough to increase the dock worker’s speed.
She had to give it to Jenny. The woman loved her ship almost more than life itself.
The pirate ship finally broke free with a shudder that reverberated through the Belle. The craft dropped a few inches into the waiting brackets.
The announcement came a few minutes later.
“Prepare to disembark.”
She thought for a second about begging more time, to tell them she wouldn’t be ready for another hour or two.
She wasn’t ready to let go. But there was nothing left for her here now. And she had her own destiny to follow.
* * *
There was no way to avoid the photographers waiting on the arrival platform. The Justice base could have tossed them all off but it would lead to more speculation than had already been tossed around. They’d had a good run on the news feed when it broke that Catherine Rogers, the main witness against Global Transport in a huge multimillion-cred scandal, had ended up on a Mercy ship running for her life.
The tabloids—she didn’t want to think about what they were writing.
“We’re ready for you, Ms. Rogers,” Sam said over the intercom. “Please come to the landing bay.”
She understood what was happening. There was no way the crew of the Bonnie Belle was going to be allowed to disembark before she did. The second she stepped off she’d be identified, guarded and packed off in a rush of UNS personnel looking to keep her safe until trial.
This was going to be goodbye.
Catherine entered the landing bay to find the entire crew standing there, waiting for her and lined up as if she were royalty about to disembark instead of a ragged soul picked up by sheer luck.
Harry was the first, dressed in a white dress shirt and jeans. He beamed at her and took her right hand to press his lips against it. His left eye was swollen and she spotted bandages through his half-buttoned shirt.
“You’re doing my brother proud,” he said.
“No. You did him proud the way you fought for me.” She held back tears at seeing the emotion in his eyes. “I’m just helping out.”
He stepped back.
Bianca huffed as Catherine moved to stand in front of her. “Don’t forget to pay your bill. Maybe toss in a bonus.” Her voice was still nasally, giving her a somewhat comical look.
Catherine nodded. “Done and done. I pay my debts and I owe you a lot.”
Bianca smiled. “Thank you.”
She moved down the line to the next courtesan.
April, wearing a traditional kimono with cherry blossoms splashed across the white fabric, bowed to Catherine. “It was an honor to work with you.” There was a bit of a lisp in her voice as her cut bottom lip was still swollen.
“The honor was all mine.” She returned the bow. “You are a wonderful teacher.”
The courtesan shot a sideways look at Sean, further down the line. “A teacher is only as good as her pupil. We both have a long way to go.”
Kendra was next, dressed in a flowing dark green gown. She took Catherine’s hands in hers and smiled. “Although we didn’t meet under the best of circumstances I hope you did enjoy some of your time on the Belle.”
Catherine nodded, the words catching in her throat.
“I know nothing can make up for your ex-husband’s betrayal but I hope you’ve changed your view of Mercy ships and of the men and women aboard.” Kendra tilted her head to one side. “At least one man.”
Catherine felt the heat on her cheeks and wished for a cool breeze. The last thing she needed was to walk out blushing like a new bride.
“Thank you,” she stammered.
Sean was next. His arm was in a sling and he hadn’t bothered to put a fresh shirt on although he’d at least showered and put on clean jeans. A new bandage covered the wound, ready to be removed as soon as she got off this ship and let them get to the medics.
“Sean—”
“I hope you enjoyed your stay on the Belle,” he murmured.
She flexed her fingers, wanting to hug him and hold him tight, take him off this ship and away from this life.
But not against his will.
“Thank you.” She cleared her throat and moved on.
Jenny was next, the mechanic still wearing the oil-stained, and now blood-stained, coveralls she’d had the entire trip. If she hadn’t had a reputation before, she would have a hell of one now.
“Good luck.” She stuck out her hand, covered with oil and dirt.
Catherine shook it heartily. “With you on board the Belle is sure to keep flying for years to come.”
“Of course.” Jenny stepped back and stuck her hands in her pockets with a wide grin.
Catherine shuffled over to Sam and Daniel, who stood by the repaired hatch. Sam’s right arm lay across her chest, supported in a black sling.
“The medics are waiting for us after you leave,” Sam said before Catherine could ask. “A few stitches here and there and we’ll be fine.”
“You took a lot of risks for me,” Catherine said. “I don’t know if I can ever repay you.”
“Let me make up a list. First,” Sam held up her index finger, “pay the Guild what you owe and add on a bonus. Make sure the check doesn’t bounce, take it out of your personal account and leave Global Transport out of it. That’ll take the heat off everyone here and make their lives a bit easier. Second—” She stopped and cleared her throat. “Do the right thing by those men and women who died on the transports. The road ahead isn’t going to get any easier. They’re going to try and kill your reputation, warp your words and trip you up. Keep the course and do your best to get them justice.”
Catherine nodded. “I promise.”
She sidestepped and found herself in front of Daniel. The marshal wore the same bloodied shirt and jeans from the battle and his leather jacket was dotted with scarlet.
“I did take a shower,” he offered, seeing her inspection. “Unfortunately all of my gear was on the Razor’s Edge.”
“They’re not going to be looking at you anyway,” she replied. “I’ll be writing a letter of recommendation to your superiors for all your help.”
“You do what you feel you need to do.” The marshal gestured to the courtesans. “Just remember to mention them. I couldn’t have done it alone.” He stepped forward and shook Catherine’s hand. “Glad we could get you here safe and sound.”
“Yes.” Her attention dropped to the black box clipped onto his belt. “Etts? What happens to him now?”
The box chirped once. Daniel chuckled. “He’s being transferred off the Belle into my new ship in another hangar. Don’t worry, he’ll be around for a bit longer to help me do my job.”
Catherine smiled. “That’s great. What are you going to name her?”
Daniel stepped back and put his arm around Sam, his hand resting on his waist. “I was thinking ‘Keller’s Folly.’”
Sam’s good elbow shot into his ribs. He bent over and coughed as Catherine moved toward the open hatch, her goodbyes almost complete.
As she approached she saw the lights flashing from the assorted paparazzi waiting outside.
“Belle?”
“Yes, Ms. Rogers?”
<
br /> “Thank you for all your help.” She didn’t find it odd to be talking to the AI like this. “I really appreciated it.”
“You’re welcome,” Belle answered.
Catherine took a deep breath and walked through the hatch with a wide smile, head held high and ready to kick ass.
* * *
The doctor clucked his tongue as he finished putting in the last few stitches. “You’re lucky. A bit more to either side and you’d have lost partial function of that arm.”
Sean resisted the urge to thump the man on the head with his good hand. “I suspected as much when I saw it the first time.”
The elderly man reached for the scissors. “Good eye there. Says on your form you’re a field medic.”
“Yes.” He wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
“You’ll have a nasty scar there. Unless the Guild docs do good cosmetic surgery.”
“You’d be surprised at what they can hide.”
He’d be getting the scar removed as soon as they hit a Guild base.
At a price, of course. Deducted from his pay.
He could afford it, they all could. A sizable bonus had rolled into their bank accounts not long after Catherine’s departure, an initial fat payment from Catherine herself and a bonus from Global Transport in an attempt to minimize the damage to their reputation. Sam and Jenny had been included in both payments, a pleasant surprise for the captain and mechanic, who never got the opportunity to earn tips.
Grendel had been very pleased to receive payment from both Catherine and GT.
The Guild took their cut, of course.
Sean tried not to squirm as the doctor finished applying the bandages. Catherine had only been gone a few hours, sucked into the black hole of the Justice base while they sat in the docking bay, movement restricted to only the medical area and the cafeteria. They weren’t wanted anywhere else. They weren’t needed anywhere else.
The mining bases they visited for the most part were rough settlements, hacked into mineral-rich asteroids for as long as it took to dig out what was needed. Nothing was created to be a permanent structure and, in theory, a mining base could bug out within a week if needed.
Justice bases were a whole different story.
Each Justice base was designed to be self-sustaining, not needing anything other than the occasional supply run to keep it going. Dug deep into small asteroids dragged into strategic locations by monster transport ships, the buildings were created to withstand any attack short of a warship, providing a center for enforcing the law far from the Inner Planets and maintaining order.
Mercy ships did not visit Justice bases.
There was no need, no call for it. The Bonnie Belle was, to his recollection, the first Mercy ship to dock at a Justice base in the history of the Guild.
He was sure there’d been plenty of chatter back and forth about how much leeway to give the Belle and her crew, tempered by the fact the media had loved the story.
Mercy ship saves Rogue Executive.
Or something like that. The point was, Catherine was safe and delivering her testimony even as the Belle was being resupplied and repaired. She’d not only given the authorities her testimony and the data needed to put the top level executives away, she’d also delivered the perfect killing blow to Global Transport.
Belle’s scouring of the pirate ship’s records had delivered a wealth of knowledge not only on who had ordered her killing and the sabotage of the luxury yacht but previous clients who had paid for ships to be jumped, their crews murdered and their cargo stolen.
Sam said there were some big names on the list, enough to shake up the business world almost as much as the GT scandal.
The handful of survivors from the ship had already started negotiating for their survival including their leader—the man Catherine had knocked out at the very end. Given the multitude of their sins they’d have to give up a lot of information to earn a life sentence.
All in all it’d proven to be a profitable run.
Except all the credits in the universe couldn’t heal a broken heart.
The doctor finished bandaging the wound. “All done. If you have any problems drop me a line or contact your own physician.”
Sean got off the table and thanked him before leaving. There was nothing else to be said or done here.
* * *
“You still sulking?” Kendra came upon him in the ship’s galley. She wore a foam-green blouse and jeans, swimming to the drink dispenser with ease. “It doesn’t become you.”
It’d been six weeks since their arrival on the Justice base and three weeks since they’d left after making repairs. The damage to the Belle hadn’t been as bad as expected.
It’d been a welcome break for the courtesans, who had three weeks to spend on board redecorating and refurbishing their quarters, enjoying and spending the bonus money. When Jenny wasn’t busy harassing the base mechanics to get something fixed on the Belle she’d been busy helping repaint and acquiring materials for the courtesans.
The suite where Catherine had stayed got a new coat of paint and different furniture from the storage bay in preparation for a new arrival when the Guild got around to sending them a new courtesan.
Harry and Bianca had switched rooms while April and Kendra spent hours discussing possible feng shui options for their suites.
He hadn’t changed a thing. The Guild had rerouted them to a nearby mining base after they’d left the Justice base and it’d been a successful landfall for the Belle, generating a reasonable amount of income and surprising the locals who hadn’t expected the Belle for a few more months. They’d been happy for the early visit and the appointment books filled up quickly as men and women took advantage of the Mercy ship’s arrival.
It hadn’t improved his mood.
“I’m not sulking,” Sean growled. “Just tired.” He rolled his right shoulder. “Still a little stiff. I think that bastard doctor screwed something up.”
His shoulder was fine but he needed something to bitch about, something to take his mind off Catherine.
Thank God the few clients he’d had on this visit hadn’t wanted much more than someone to talk to about their boyfriends or wayward husbands. He’d provided a shoulder for them to cry on and a comforting hug when they needed to know they still had a chance at finding true love.
None had wanted sex.
He’d felt strangely relieved when the last one had left his suite.
“Well here’s something to stop sulking about.” She raised her voice. “Belle, please display the news story I spoke to you about earlier.”
The screen on the far wall lit up showing a series of pictures, men and women being led off in handcuffs. They all wore expensive business suits and scowled at the camera except for one elderly man who cried openly, the tears streaming down his cheeks as he was hustled away by the police.
The headline scrolled along the bottom in large black letters.
GLOBAL TRANSPORT EXECUTIVES CONVICTED ON ALL CHARGES.
He couldn’t hold back a smile.
“So she got them.”
“They sort of got themselves.” Kendra laughed. “As soon as they heard Catherine’s testimony they fell over themselves trying to implicate each other. Deals were cut and bargains made as everyone tried to save him or herself. Rats jumping a sinking ship, and the devil take the last one.” She sipped the tube of white wine. “The company’s falling apart. Glad I dumped my stock.”
The screen shifted to show another handful of men, some of these wearing police uniforms.
One wore a UNS uniform and glared at the camera.
“Dirty cops bought by dirty money. That’s how they knew where we were going and made that obscene offer.” Kendra waved the drink tube at the pictures. “Daniel’s made friends and e
nemies with this one. Law enforcement personnel tend to have long memories and don’t forgive easily. Could be a bumpy ride for him in the future.”
He couldn’t look away from the tiny image of Catherine at the bottom left of the screen, taken from some executive mug shot. She stared at him with those same deep blue eyes he’d seen under him in bed, in his bed in his quarters—
“She’s going into witness protection.” Kendra’s words brought him out of his reverie. “The prosecutors are afraid she’ll never be safe if she keeps her old identity and name. Can’t say I disagree given recent events.” She took another drink. “Off to a new life on some distant colony. A few keystrokes and she’ll cease to exist, keeping her safe for the rest of her life.”
Sean grunted. This wasn’t a conversation he was interested in continuing.
“Which brings me to my next point.” The courtesan plucked a folded piece of paper from her pocket and flipped it at him.
It spun lazily end over end in the zero gravity. “I only printed out the first page. The file’s about fifty pages long.” She sighed. “I’d forgotten how much paperwork is involved in something like this.”
Sean snagged it when it came within reach and opened it up.
He frowned as he read the words.
Reread the words.
Went over them a third time to make sure he hadn’t suddenly come down with a severe attack of idiotitis.
“You bought out my contract?”
She swam closer and reached out a long manicured fingernail to tap the page. “I did. And you’re going to pay me back with an established rate of interest. All the information is there, all you need to do is sign it and we’ll finish up the paperwork.” Kendra smiled. “Don’t fret, it’s not unmanageable. A little bit each month and plenty left for you to live on. I’m open to negotiations if you hit a snag.”
“You’re throwing me off the Belle and out of the Guild? But why?” His heart hammered in his chest.
In the Void Page 29
