There were no more incidents for the Unicorn and she was now in the Petrous system awaiting the arrival of the Rising Star. Tavia could certainly see why the starliner was going to stop here for some sightseeing. The system was breathtaking. It consisted of a deep blue main sequence spectral class O star and a ruby red, non-main sequence, class C carbon star. There were only three planets but each was a multicolored, ringed gas giant. There were also several moons, from which the planets must have looked unbelievably beautiful. Tavia had not seen many systems in her young life, but she knew this was by far the most beautiful she had ever seen. Nothing to do now but hope they had not missed the Rising Star. Close to eight hours after their arrival, the fleet entered the system with invisibility back up. The only indication the yacht had was the light on the communication console telling them the Romani ships had arrived. No communications were established between the fleet and the Unicorn. There was always a danger that stray communications could be intercepted by a ship entering the system. The yacht was in orbit around the nearest gas giant, which was the second planet, the third planet was on the other side of the primary star and the first planet was on the yacht side but much closer to the star. The carbon star’s orbit was actually outside the planets, all of which revolved around the primary star. The yacht had large windows all along the side, so Tavia, William and Hatch could sit at the dining table and enjoy the magnificent view. They were having a snack and something to drink, about an hour after the fleet arrived, when they heard a beep coming from the bridge. Tavia entered the bridge and sat in the pilot’s seat, with William and Hatch right behind her. She looked at the readings on the console. She had left the special electronics active. These gave her a much more powerful sensor sweep.
“Bill, there’s a very large ship entering the system. Mass indicates it is at least the size of an automated ore freighter.”
“That could be it; starliners are at least that large.”
“Telemetry is now coming in. It’s the Rising Star. I’ll send them a hail.” Tavia did so and then raised the sails and plotted a course for the incoming starliner.
Hatch was at her console. “Sss. Lady Tavia, the fleet has changed course to intercept the big ship.” Hatch was not quite certain what a starliner consisted of. Serpents had their own ideas about entertainment but they did not have cruise ships. Why bother when it was easy enough to borrow a ship and go to the stars. She felt she would never really understand humans, all she knew is she loved Tavia, an emotion that transcends species.
After a bit over two hours, the response to their hail came in. “This is the starliner Rising Star. Please state your business.”
Tavia responded, “This is Tavia Marshal. My husband and I have tickets for an adventure cruise. We have been awaiting your arrival.”
Since both ships were speeding towards each other at half the speed of light, the lag time was rapidly decreasing. One hour and 45 minutes after transmission, a response came back from the starliner. “You are cleared to enter the rear landing bay. Please observe the landing crew directions and welcome aboard the Rising Star.”
Tavia sent an acknowledgement and maintained course to the starliner. “Well, Bill, so far this seems tame. I hope there aren’t two ships with the same name out there.”
“We will have to spend our nights exploring the ship and looking for some evidence. The fleet will not attack without a clear indication that this is a Q-Ship.”
Four hours later, they were landing in the rear docking bay of the starliner. The ship was immense, even larger than the automated ore haulers that plied the starways. It would dwarf a dreadnought. The sides of the ship were covered with square windows above the centerline and round windows below it. What interested Tavia was the large, windowless centerline. It was three levels high, and that allowed for plenty of room for three gun decks. Now Tavia was landing the Unicorn on the deck where she was directed and the docking clamps locked the ship to the floor. Like it or not, they were now unable to leave the starliner without permission.
“Hatch, keep hidden on the ship. Go into the engine compartment if you need to. Bill, we need to find a place to access the gun deck to verify this is the Q-Ship. We should also assume they would have the rooms bugged to look out for spies. They are in a dangerous position and have to keep their true nature secret.”
“I agree with all of that, though technically I am the ranking officer here and should be in command.”
“Feel free to chime in anytime,” Tavia said with a big smile. She looked out the window of the yacht and saw the welcoming committee arriving. “Just wanted to make sure we had the feel of what marriage is like. To maintain our cover, of course. The welcoming committee is here. We better shut her down and disembark.” Tavia reached under her console and pressed the button that deactivated the special electronics and caused the cloaking panel to retract into the wall.”
Hatch moved quickly to the rear of the ship and Tavia left the yacht with William. As soon as they exited, several people came forward and set up a sign with a picture of the starliner. Above the picture were the words, ‘Welcome Aboard’, and below the name of the ship ‘Rising Star’. It was clear from the outset that the passengers were not part of the ruse but only a cover. Tavia and William were asked to stand next to the sign and smile. When they did, there was the flash of a camera and their “honeymoon” was underway.
Chapter 6 – The Honeymooners
A steward took them to their room, which was actually the honeymoon suite. It consisted of a large living room with entertainment screens. There was also a bedroom with bathroom facilities. Tavia and William both noted that there was only one large bed. The steward asked their account number to charge incidentals. They told him they would pay cash and handed over ten gold coins with a silver coin as a tip. Since this was a substantial tip for small services, it worked miracles with the steward promising anything they needed. Before he left, he gave them the daily broadsheet with the list of activities. Apparently, they had landed on the starliner during its morning cycle and lunch was just around the corner. They thanked him and he left. Tavia was about to say something when William placed a finger to his lips to tell her to remain silent. They had both worn military jump suits, which had been modified for the mission to look like casual wear. For the best use of space, they each carried different devices in their pockets. William reached into one of the hidden chest pockets and pulled out a scanner. He placed it in the center of the room and pressed the button. It then scanned the room and determined if there were any listening devices. It found two in the living room, one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom. They had to chuckle at that one, as they wondered what it was supposed to pick up in there. How to communicate without the listeners knowing, then it hit Tavia what they must do. She pulled her electronic pad from her jumpsuit and wrote down two words: ‘Serpent Speak’. William nodded and realized that they were both comfortable in speaking a language no one in corporate space even knew existed. Therefore, there was no way to have their conversations monitored.
“I think for the first day we should just familiarize ourselves with the layout of the ship and how much the passengers know or don’t know.” William started speaking in serpent speak.
“I agree. Let’s head out to lunch and see how this ship works, and then I think we should explore some of the common areas of the ship. There must be a way to enter the restricted areas from the public areas. If there are gun decks, we have to find them before she claims another victim.” Tavia concluded.
Deep in the bowels of the ship was a small room where all newcomers to the cruise were monitored. Every stateroom was ‘bugged’ to make sure no enemy came aboard. They were monitoring the new people who had just boarded and so far, they seemed to be just a young couple on their honeymoon. Suddenly they started making whistling, hissing and barking noises that were unintelligible to the listeners. They listened for a bit and decided these were the usual weird rich kids involved in some new fad. Ther
e was no way for them to know this was the language of an alien race they had no idea existed.
“Let’s go to lunch, Hon, I’m starved.” William suddenly switched to human speak without missing a beat. Tavia nodded and they kept their jumpsuits on for now. They had left the luggage compartment of their ship unlocked so the crew could deliver their bags to the room. They had not yet arrived. At first Tavia was worried about Hatch, since she was sure the crew would go through the yacht looking for any evidence that it was not what it was supposed to be. She had no worries that they would find the weapons and armor. Hatch was snug in the engine compartment and she was sure they wouldn’t bother with the engines. If anything, they might try the wine, since everything aboard was first class. Tavia and William left their suite and followed the directions to the dining room. Someone in the ship’s crew had sounded some gongs and announced the first call to lunch. When they arrived at the dining room, they told their suite number to the hostess and she led them into a large dining room with a wraparound mezzanine that had additional seating. They were led up a spiral staircase, and taken to their assigned table on the mezzanine, next to a large window with a fantastic view of the stars and planets in the system. They were assigned a table for five for the entire cruise. So far, no one else was there, so they were not sure if they had the table to themselves or not. That idea was soon dispelled when another young couple was led to the table. They sat down opposite Tavia and William. The young man extended his hand.
“Hello, I’m Greg and this is my wife, Ann.”
William shook his hand, “I’m Bill and this is my wife Tavia.” The women nodded when their names were called. Both of the new comers were young, though more Williams age than Tavia’s. “Are you also on your honeymoon, Greg?”
The newcomer smiled and looked at his wife, “That we are, and you as well then. We have been aboard for three weeks and are on our last week before heading back to the grind. We live in Sinclair Corporation space and you folks?”
Tavia replied. “We live in Balin space, just over the border from Tudor Industries. My father owns the MacDougal silver mine and colony.”
“We live near Shin Nippon Corporation space and have never been in the direction of Balin Corporation. But I had heard they changed their name,” this time it was Ann who was talking and she had a very cultivated, silky voice. The starliner was not cheap and to afford four weeks of travel on her required a lot of monetary backing.
“Yes they have. They now fancy themselves a republic, but there are still a lot of us who preferred the corporate governance, especially since we made a lot of money as part of a corporation,” Tavia figured these were corporate brats, so why not pretend to be like them. They may be of use.
Just then, the fifth member of their table group arrived and he was a bit of a surprise. He was well dressed in a shirt and slacks with a vest. The materials were of the finest and he wore brown boots of fine leather. His entire ensemble was worth a small fortune. He had apparently been sitting with the other couple for a while, as they greeted him as if they knew him as well as one could know anyone on a cruise. The new comer then turned to Tavia and William.
“Ah, I see we have new table companions to replace the ones who left yesterday. My name is Jack Dalton, but most people just call me Dalton, and who is this ravishing beauty,” he said as he looked at Tavia, who couldn’t stop herself from blushing.
“I’m Tavia and this is my husband, Bill, we are on our honeymoon.”
Dalton took Tavia’s hand to his lips and kissed it. Dalton reminded her of Consul Lorenzo with his old Earth manners. He then shook hands with William and commended him for his taste in marrying such a beautiful example of feminine virtue.
Ann spoke up, “Dalton says that to all the girls. He’s from Lagarde Corporation space and is also a gambler.”
“Madame, I am more than a gambler, I invest in other people’s lack of abilities. It is not my fault they can’t play poker. I like to think I am teaching them some life lessons.”
Ann continued, “Bill, take my advice and hold your money pouch close around Dalton and don’t play cards with him.”
“Why, Madame, you wound me to the quick.” There was a moment of awkward silence and then the three regulars burst out laughing.
“Dalton isn’t all that bad, but I still wouldn’t play cards with him. He is a marvelous dinner companion though. He has traveled to all the Corporations and is full of wonderful stories,” Greg added. After that, the lunch proceeded and the food was excellent.
The problem with being undercover was the need to keep the stories straight. That was best accomplished by listening a lot and speaking little. Fortunately, Ann was a chatterbox and kept the entire conversation going by insisting Dalton tell the newcomers some of the stories about other corporations. After a while, as they enjoyed a fine desert of fresh fruit, the source of which was a mystery out here in the middle of nowhere, William ventured a question.
“Dalton, before we left home, we heard rumors of some trouble among the Corporations. We were worried there might be a war out here.”
Dalton took a sip of his drink. “There is conflict in this area, since there is still resistance to the Sinclair takeover, but I have not heard of anything else, what did you hear?”
Now William knew Dalton was fishing also. “We had heard there was an unprovoked attack against Highline Corp last year and they were at odds with Brandenburger Corp.”
If Dalton knew anything about this, he did not react. “Really, well that is news to me. Good thing we aren’t going anywhere near Highline Corp. It would take this ship close to a year just to get to Highline space from here.” Dalton rose from his seat, “If you’ll excuse me, the Casino opens in an hour and I need to get ready to ply my trade.” He gave a slight bow to the ladies and moved quickly out of the dining room.
“Quite the interesting fellow,” Tavia said.
“Yes he is,” Greg replied. “I sometimes get the feeling he does more than gambling.”
“How so?”
“He is always asking about what people have heard is happening but he never really tells us what he thinks is happening. I think he is always fishing for information.”
To this, Tavia said, “His business requires him to know his potential opponents. He may just be trying to size up new people, in case he meets them across a card table.”
“That might be. Well Ann and I have some plans this afternoon. There is an excursion to one of the moons of that ringed gas giant out the window. If we hurry we can still make it and be back by dinner.”
“Have fun,” Tavia said, in her best girlish voice. Being undercover was not that hard, but not acting like part of a well-oiled military was almost impossible. She had a feeling Dalton may have picked up on the fact that they were not what they seemed. After the other couple left, she turned to William, “I think we need to have as little direct contact with people as possible. I think that Dalton fellow may have picked up on something.”
“I agree, I had the feeling also.” William and Tavia got up and decided to go take a walk to get the layout of the ship.
Starliners have a Promenade Deck. Tavia had only ever been on combat vessels, which were meant for one function only. Starliners had to serve many functions, the most important of which was pleasure. They went up to the Promenade Deck, which encircled the entire ship and throughout had ceiling to deck windows. This gave them a full view of every part of space surrounding the ship. They could see the planet and its moons and rings on one side and empty space on the other. Of course, the space was not empty; their fleet was out there.
Christopher Slone sat with his wife in their quarters. They had gotten their agents aboard with little problem other than the pirate attack which was quickly dealt with. The serpents had done a wonderful job in their first boarding action and had not lost a single soldier. There were a few wounds, but serpents heal fast. They had a special salve they used for everything and it even worked to heal humans. It
was made from a plant that only grew on their world. He asked Captain Artok how his cohort had felt about executing the pirates. He found out the serpents had no feelings at all about pirates, since they don’t exist in serpent space. In fact, he had learned serpents have no crime, yet they did fight a civil war into which he was dragged. He had told Captain Artok that the pirate’s fate was determined by General Golov, as they had committed their crimes in her space. Captain Artok accepted this and the subject no longer came up. Only Slone was bothered about the outcome. He had no choice but to yield to General Golov’s desire, because he was acting in her government’s space. However, killing the entire crew of a ship was too reminiscent of what happened to the Hayden and his own crew. He felt it odd how much the Hayden incident still influenced the way he thought about things and how it governed his actions, even seven years later.
As he and his wife were having a quick bite to eat, they were interrupted by a call from the bridge. “Captain, the starliner has launched a large group of shuttles heading to a nearby moon.”
Slone called the bridge, “Just monitor them, it is probably a passenger excursion.” Slone then turned to his wife, “I think an excursion like that is an opportunity. A large number of innocent passengers will be off the ship along with the crew needed for the excursion. That may be our chance.”
“That may work, Chris, but I think we better first wait to see what Bill and Tavia come up with. We still need them to find a way to even the odds.”
“Ok, Darling, we’ll give them a few days.
The Slones returned to the bridge. He turned to his wife, “Alaya, take your scout and return to the cruiser we left with the corvette. If they don’t think they can get it moving within a day of your arrival, tell them to tow it to a gas giant in the system and park it there. They should then order a tow for it and return to us. We may need their firepower if it comes to a fight.”
Rising Star Page 9
