“Hold up,” Sera interrupted with her hand raised in protest. “How is it possible to have early payoff fees and late fees?”
“Well, she’s been late paying for a year now. Each time she’s missed a payment, it’s accrued a late fee. However, that also starts up a new payment term, which you’re early on paying off.”
“What is it without those fees?” Sera asked. “Is it the 6,042 credits that Cheeky said?”
Cheeky hoped it was. Sera had told her quite plainly that honesty was her top interest. If Genni makes me out to be a liar…
Not that it really mattered. There was no way Sera was going to pay Genni’s fees. Eighteen thousand credits was a year’s wages, working for the Port Authority. She was going to be stuck here forever.
Genni stared down at his terminal once more and stroked his chin. “Yes, I suppose it is, at that. Not that it matters.”
As Genni spoke, a large shape in the corner stirred, making a low rumbling sound.
Cheeky sighed. She hadn’t spotted them in the shadows, but it was obvious that the indistinct figure was Chur, Genni’s guard…person. No one knew if Chur was male or female, or if such denotations really applied anymore. Once a person added on four extra arms, a tail, a few hundred kilos of muscle and steel, plus a weird horned death’s head, it became hard to make out gender.
Rumor had it that a few bad mod jobs had cost Chur much of their memories, so even they didn’t know what they originally had been. Normally, chromosomes would at least give a hint—but Chur was a chimera with more different DNA than you could shake one of their arms at.
Chur rose and ambled into the light, where they stood, not actively threatening Cheeky and Sera, but certainly more than a passive concern.
“My…” Sera said as she looked Chur over. “You’re quite the…thing, aren’t you?”
Chur didn’t respond, and Sera looked away and took a step toward Genni.
“Staaawwwwp,” Chur gargled, and Cheeky watched intently, ready to make a break for it as Sera turned back toward Chur.
“I’m sure you’re a nice person…or maybe you were once,” Sera said. “But I won’t be cowed into accepting these ludicrous fees. So why don’t you go and slouch back into your corner, and let those of us with functioning brains hash things out?”
Chur didn’t seem to know how to respond to that, and Sera turned back to Genni. “Send your guard dog away before I put him away.”
Genni snorted. “No one puts Chur away. We have a mutually beneficial arrangement here, they and I.”
“Be that as it may,” Sera said. “I’m going to pay you the principal on Cheeky’s account, you’re going to write the rest off—probably saving you as much in taxes—and then you’ll release her bond. How’s that sound?”
Cheeky had no idea why Sera was going to such lengths to help her. The woman could be the most badass pirate in the galaxy, but she was unarmed, and Chur…well, Chur had enough arms to tear Sera’s clean off her body.
“Uh, Sera,” Cheeky whispered. “Maybe we should just go.”
“No,” Sera shook her head. “Cipira may be a shit fringe system, but we’re still in the Dominion of Kyra, and Kyra has usury laws.”
Genni shrugged. “Wanna call station security? You wouldn’t be the first. Be my guest. See what happens.”
Sera took another two steps toward Genni, and Chur lunged. The creature moved like lightning, and before Cheeky could even call out in warning, they were upon Sera.
Cheeky’s left foot pivoted, ready to run out of Genni’s, when she saw Chur freeze. The great big creature was practically on top of Sera, one of their hands centimeters from the captain’s throat. Sera’s face was graced by a broad smile as Chur quivered and trembled. Sera stepped to the side, and tapped Chur on the forehead.
With a long groan, Chur fell backward, crashed through a display case, and lay on their back, eyes staring at the overhead, limbs quivering.
Genni’s face drained of all color. “Whaa…what do you want?” he asked, his voice and body trembling.
“Same as before,” Sera replied. “Take the money, cancel Cheeky’s bond.”
Cheeky wanted to ask Sera a thousand questions. From why she was really doing this to how she had taken Chur down without even hitting the monster.
Genni nodded frantically. “Yes, yes, of course. How did you…?”
Cheeky approached Genni’s counter, keeping Sera between herself and the still-twitching Chur. She looked Sera over, amazed that the captain appeared just as normal as ever—barring her taste for wearing animal skin. She wasn’t holding any weapons, and there wasn’t a scratch on her.
“How did I take out your thing?” Sera asked Genni. “That’s something you can keep guessing about.”
Genni muttered something unintelligible, and Sera dropped an ident cube on the counter.
“This is what I was trying to give you when your attack dog got all growly,” Sera said.
The loan shark scanned the cube and his eyes grew even wider. “You’re Dominion Internal Investigations!”
“Yeah,” Sera said. “Cube has my tokens on it. I’ve authorized you to withdraw the credits. Do it now.”
Genni nodded frantically, and Cheeky stared at Sera in mixed wonder and fear. The woman was a DII agent, a member of the top-secret Kyran spy agency. What do they want with me? Is this some sort of crazy recruitment job? Cheeky was certain they had something wrong. There was no way that the DII was interested in her.
Any moment now, Sera would realize that. Then the jig would be up.
A minute later, Genni confirmed the credit transfer. “OK, I have the money; she’s free to go.”
Sera shook her head. “Nope, I still see her listed as ‘On-Bond’ with station security. I won’t be able to undock while she’s on my ship; that’s not really something you want to have happen, because then I’ll come visit you again, and I won’t be all friendly like I’m being now.”
“Uh…yeah, sorry.”
Sera waited, not saying a word, as Genni filled out the forms and submitted them to the station judiciary. She did, however, drum her fingers on the countertop the entire time. At one point, Chur began to stir, and there was suddenly a pistol in Sera’s right hand.
She held it close to her body, but aimed at Chur’s head. “Try something, big…guy. Make my day.”
Chur slumped back and remained still for the rest of the transaction. A long ten minutes later, Sera finally nodded with satisfaction.
“Good, I see that her bond has been lifted. I have registered her as a member of my crew. No departure locks are flagging Sabrina, which means our business here is complete.”
Genni didn’t say anything, but he did manage a sullen nod.
Sera turned to Cheeky and gave a winning smile. “And you thought he’d be difficult to deal with.”
“Uhh…well…there was the part where he had Chur attack you.”
Sera glanced back at Genni. “True, he did have a thug try to attack a DII agent. I’ll be sure to put that in my report.”
Cheeky couldn’t help a smile as Genni gulped and stammered. “Umm…well, Chur didn’t hurt you, can you put that in your report, too?”
Sera didn’t look back as she walked toward the door. “Depends on how smooth our departure is.”
Once they were out in the corridor, Sera picked up the pace.
“What’s the rush?” Cheeky asked, unable to contain her curiosity. “Some important DII mission?”
Cheeky still wasn’t satisfied with the answers she’d been given.
Sera happened to stop her brisk walk next to a vendor selling fresh blueberry pies. The smell of them was so delightful that it distracted Cheeky for a moment, until Sera placed her hands on Cheeky’s shoulders.
“You’re going to do great with us, but we should focus on moving. Do you have any personal belongings that you’d like to collect?”
Cheeky considered Sera’s words. The woman didn’t seem to mean her any harm. Even if she was mysterious with a side of mysterious. Getting off Junta was a strong selling point—one that she’d put up with a lot to take advantage of.
“No, I don’t have anything; it’s all back on my old ship—or it was.”
“Good,” Sera replied. “I imagine that you don’t have much of a wardrobe, anyway.”
Cheeky gave a soft laugh. “Not in mass at least.”
“Spoken like a true pilot. Let’s go.”
A minute later, the pair of women boarded a maglev train that was bound for the outer docks where the Sabrina was berthed. They found an empty car at the end of the train, and Cheeky took a seat next to Sera, where she turned and stared into the woman’s dark eyes.
“Seriously though, I do really want to know: what is going on here?”
Sera shrugged. “I need a pilot, you have a good record and need a hand. That bit about second chances? I meant it. Plus, you’re probably a ton of fun to have around.”
Sera glanced at Cheeky, apparently reading her mind. “I don’t screw the crew, Cheeky,” the captain said with a laugh. “I meant that you seem like a genuinely fun person to be around.”
“Oh…” Cheeky replied, not entirely certain that Sera was telling the truth. “Still, that doesn’t explain how you can do what you do. I’ve never met a smuggler who has that level of tech.”
“Who says I’m a smuggler?” Sera asked with a mischievous grin on her lips.
“Hmm… maybe everything about you?” Cheeky replied. “You’re ready to shoot first, ask questions never, your ship screams ‘smuggler’, and you have tech that no normal freighter captain would have.”
Sera laughed softly. “Well, I’m new at being a smuggler and a captain; I’m still trying to get the hang of it.”
New? How interesting, Cheeky thought before asking aloud, “Who has been piloting the Sabrina up until now?”
“Just Sabrina,” Sera said.
“You mean you’ve had her on autopilot?” Cheeky asked, confused by Sera’s answer.
Sera laughed again, that strong sure chuckle. “No. Well, sorta. What I meant is that you can’t call her ‘the Sabrina’; she hates that. The ship is simply Sabrina.”
“Who is ‘she’?” Cheeky asked, even more confused now. Every answer Sera had provided since their meeting in the bar had created more questions.
“‘She’ is the ship’s AI. ‘She’ is also named Sabrina, and has taken to thinking of the ship as herself. Hence, prefacing the ship’s name with ‘the’ makes her think that you’re objectifying her.”
“I’ll make a note of that,” Cheeky said aloud to Sera. “So has she been piloting the ship?”
“Sometimes,” Sera said. “She’s good at it, but she could use some mentorship. Also, a lot of stations won’t let you dock if a sentient AI has the helm.”
Cheeky knew that all too well. Too many people were afraid that an AI would lose it, and ram the ship into the station. In all honesty, humans doing the same would be much more likely, but that didn’t stop people from worrying about AIs.
The maglev was still two minutes from the stop at the outer docks when the train slowed, and three men entered the car.
“Ah, shit,” Cheeky whispered.
New Boss, Meet Old Boss
STELLAR DATE: 02.11.8920 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Dock Maglev, Junta Station
REGION: Cipira System, Dominion of Kyra
“You know these guys?” Sera asked as the three men approached them.
“Guy in the middle is my boss, Handley…well, I guess he was my boss until fifteen minutes ago.”
Handley sauntered toward Cheeky and Sera, a sneering smirk on his lips. “This how you give your notice, Cheeky? I have to hear it from Genni, of all people?”
“I was going to submit the forms once I got onboard Sabrina,” Cheeky said as she eyed Handley’s companions. They looked familiar; she had seen them around. Then it hit her. They were station security—out of uniform, which didn’t bode well.
“The Sabrina your ship?” Handley asked Sera. “Why don’t you beat it? Find yourself a pilot elsewhere. Cheeky works for the Port Authority. She has a contract with us.”
“I can terminate at will,” Cheeky said angrily, feeling more than a little embarrassed that Handley was doing this in front of Sera—not to mention more than a little worried that he’d try to use force to make her stay.
Handley snorted. “Wrong, Cheeks. I decide when you go. My will, not yours.”
“Excuse me,” Sera interrupted. “How much is your cut?”
“My what?” Handley said as he looked down at Sera.
“You know; cut, piece of the action, slim, take,” Sera replied with a broad grin.
Handley didn’t reply, though his cheeks did redden more than a little. “Look, l don’t know what you’re talking about, but it’s time for you to beat it. This is between me and Cheeky.”
Sera rose from her seat to stand in front of Handley. Her eyes were a few centimeters above his, and Cheeky watched her old boss take a step back. Of course, the two other men both reached beneath their jackets in response—the implied threat all too clear.
“Cheeky is in my employ. She just terminated her contract with you, and signed with me,” Sera said.
Cheeky began to attach her tokens and submit the forms while the confrontation continued to unfold before her.
“Doesn’t matter,” Handley said. “We’ll reverse that. Port Authority has dibs on her.”
Sera rubbed her face and sighed. “Let’s try this another way. I know how you run this op. Genni doles out the loans to people in need, and you guys make sure they stay on Junta, making just enough to keep paying their debt, but not enough to get off station. You probably pocket a hefty chunk, maybe even fifty percent. I can see that as being a mighty big incentive for you to keep people like Cheeky around.”
“Seriously?” Cheeky said and rose from her seat. “You’ve been in…in…cahoots with Genni?”
“That would be a very illegal thing to be involved in,” Handley said. “Certainly not something I’d condone. All I’m trying to do is make sure that one of our top tug drivers doesn’t leave in violation of her contract, and get herself into hot water—I’d hate to see those pretty cheeks of yours end up in the slammer.”
One of the guards chuckled at that, and Cheeky knew that jail would not be a fun experience with him around.
“So what happens if we just get off the train at the next stop and board my ship?” Sera asked.
“Well, not that you’d make it that far, but I’d put in a call to lock your ship down,” Handley said.
“Grea
t!” Sera said with a broad smile.
Piya said.
An instant later, Sera’s hand darted out, her fingertips striking Handley’s larynx. He stumbled backward, clutching his throat. Sera grabbed one of the poles on the maglev car and swung herself up into the air, slamming her booted foot into the side of Handley’s head.
Cheeky’s old boss fell to the floor in a heap, unconscious but gasping.
One of the guards had just pulled his handgun out when Sera’s boot hit it, knocking the weapon away. The other guard had his out, and was swinging it toward Sera, sure to hit the captain center mass. Cheeky lunged at him, keeping low, and grabbed his balls. She squeezed, twisted, and pulled, eliciting a piercing shriek from the man as he fell, trying to get free of Cheeky’s grasp while not losing a part of himself he’d like to keep.
A moment later, Sera’s boot hit the man under the jaw, and he went flying backward. Cheeky was certain she felt something pop in her hand as his package pulled free.
“Ewww…gross gross gross,” she muttered, and turned to see the other guard also lying on the ground, unconscious. “Wow, you’re quick.”
Sera clapped a hand on Cheeky’s back. “Nice work there, Cheeky. I think you’re just the right kind of pilot for Sabrina.”
“Why did you say ‘great’?” Cheeky asked.
“He said that he would put a lock on the ship. That meant he hadn’t yet, and all I had to do was take him out before he could make the call.”
“Shit,” Cheeky whispered as she looked at the three men. “We’re going to be in so much trouble.”
“Nonsense,” Sera said as she dusted herself off and straightened her jacket. “I’ve just left Handley a message outlining the evidence I have on him—which Helen was so kind to lift from Genni’s terminal when she hacked it.”
“I also left similar messages for Handley’s two friends here, though the guy you took out won’t be doing much of anything till his time in the autodoc is done.”
Galaxia Page 57
