"Yes, sweetie?" he replied.
"It's a freighter in orbit—the Nantucket," she said.
"I'll be right out," said Firebrandt. He deliberately did not put a teleholo in the office. He preferred an office full of natural light and a view of the river. The teleholo required subdued lighting and would have been a constant distraction. As he walked out, his daughter stood up from the chair. She was a beautiful young woman. It was not just a father's pride. She had long black hair with dark eyes. The green T-shirt she had been wearing in the field did little to conceal her ample breasts. He knew full well that the hormones of Sufiro's boys went wild when they saw her.
He sat down in the teleholo chamber and his jaw dropped. The teleholo wall extended into a near-replica of the Legacy's battle deck. A woman in her thirties with angular features stood at the front of the command deck. The hologram of the deck and the people on it nearly brought tears to Firebrandt's eyes. The old battle deck now served as Roberts' office and looked much different today than twenty years ago. "How may I help you?" he asked, regaining his composure.
"I'm Lieutenant Pfister of the Mao Corporation Freighter Nantucket. We have some items you ordered," she said. "When may they be delivered?"
"Any time this evening would be fine." Firebrandt stroked his moustache. "You may land your launch anywhere within the compound or east, away from the river."
"Very well," said Lieutenant Pfister. "Captain Jerome Ellis will leave in approximately one hour."
Firebrandt checked his watch. "Please extend my thanks to the captain. Would you be so kind as to extend an invitation to dine with my family this evening?"
"The captain will be delighted, I'm sure," said Pfister. She signed off. Firebrandt sat back. Something in her voice indicated that the captain did a few too many social calls for his liking. Still, Firebrandt looked forward to the company of a ship's captain. He longed for stories from the microcosmic world of a star vessel.
"Fire, Roberts," called Firebrandt. Fire ran into the room, enthusiasm radiating like the sun. Secretly, he hoped she would not do that when the captain arrived. Her lithe body moved in ways that took young men's breath away and sent old men's hearts into palpitations. Roberts followed, hobbling with the help of a cane. He was in pain from arthritis almost constantly. Firebrandt had tried to talk him into using a hover chair at least some of the time. Roberts would hear none of it, though, insisting he would be useless without his feet.
"Captain Jerome Ellis of the Nantucket will be dining with us this evening." Firebrandt was suspicious of Fire's lopsided grin.
"Excellent," said Roberts. "It'll be good to see someone who's been in space; hear some new stories and bore him with some of our own. I'll be ready."
"And we'll be dressing formally," said Firebrandt. Fire looked somewhat crestfallen. The captain knew his daughter preferred to look stunning wearing shorts and a T-shirt, or even better, nothing at all, as she often did around the house.
"I shall have the cooks prepare something special." With a smile, Roberts turned and left.
"Formally?" Fire asked, sitting down.
"He's the captain of a corporate cruiser. Ordinarily, he would not deliver these items himself. He's only coming down because he has some notion that I'm an important person," Firebrandt explained.
"But you are an important person." Fire stood and kissed him on the cheek.
"Flattery won't get you out of formal wear." The captain stood his ground, his arms folded.
She smiled and left. Firebrandt found himself wondering what a lonely star cruiser captain might think of his daughter. Then he thought about the fact that most corporate cruiser captains were married old men. He smiled to himself and stood to get dressed.
The teleholo beeped again. He heard, "I'll get it," from across the house.
"I'm right here." Firebrandt shook his head, laughing to himself. As he answered, a short, balding man appeared, wearing a gray suit. From the background, Firebrandt could tell he was somewhere aboard a ship. "What can I do for you?" asked Firebrandt.
"I'm Peter Stone aboard the Nantucket." The heavy-set man gestured to the room behind him.
"So I see," said Firebrandt.
"I'm hoping to settle on Sufiro's World with my son," he said, frowning slightly. "I was hoping to come down with Captain Ellis. Unfortunately, I don't have any contacts. He suggested I call you." Stone grumbled, "He suggested I call you myself."
"Well..." The captain rubbed his chin, thinking. "I'm sure we can find someplace for you to stay. I'll have someone meet you with a carryhover."
"Thank you very much," said Stone. He terminated the connection abruptly.
Fire stepped up behind her father. "Who was that?"
"Someone who wants to settle," said Firebrandt, a little dismayed.
"Another one," she said, understanding her father's feelings. Her disconcerted look melted into one of her lopsided grins. "Is he good looking?"
"Old, fat, and balding." Firebrandt smirked, poking his daughter in the arm.
Roberts was walking through at that moment. "I heard that," he said.
Fire kissed him on the cheek. "You're not old," she said smiling. "Plus, you're completely bald. I think it's sexy."
Roberts sighed. "That's dangerous talk, young lady. After all, I'm not your genetic father."
Firebrandt glanced sidelong at Roberts. "Well, this gentleman wasn't sexy at all; not in appearance nor manner."
Fire looked a little too disappointed for Firebrandt's taste. She wandered back to her room while he made a few calls. He found out that Espedie was willing to pick up Stone and his son and give them a room for the night. Firebrandt was grateful and explained that Stone had seemed quite rude.
"That's okay," said Espedie. "He probably just hates holo conversations. Anyway, Carmen's making her chiles rellenos tonight. That'll put him in a better mood."
"Is she using the hot chiles from last year's harvest?" asked Firebrandt, raising his eyebrows.
"What else? Best crop we've had in years!"
Firebrandt laughed. "If the heat doesn't kill him, the endorphin rush might just put him in a better mood, my friend." He turned off the holo and sat back, waiting a few moments to make sure the holo wasn't going to ring again. When he was convinced, he left to get dressed for the evening.
* * * *
The bright blue launch came out of the sky, landing just half a mile east of Firebrandt's homestead. Raton and Roberts were both there to meet the craft. Captain Jerome Ellis was the first to step out. He wore a blue jacket with white trousers. On the shoulders were black epaulets. On the left breast was the Nantucket's insignia. Below the right shoulder was the Mao Corporation patch: the word MAO emblazoned in large silver letters. Ellis left the unloading operation to the launch crew, giving orders for them to return to the ship when the job was complete. He would call when the time came to retrieve him.
As Ellis gave orders to the launch crew, Peter Stone and his son Sam stepped out. They looked about, a little confused. Espedie Raton stepped up and introduced himself, mentioning that Firebrandt had arranged for them to spend the night at his house. Stone took his hand, a little surprised. "I thought we would be staying in a hotel," he said.
Stone was dismayed by Raton's laughter. "There are no hotels in the fine city of Succor."
"I thought Firebrandt would live in New Des Moines," protested Stone.
"Nah, that place is for businessmen, not people who work for a living," said Raton, smiling. He helped Stone load his luggage into the open back of the carryhover. Stone looked at the vehicle with a feeling of dread. It was old and beat-up. The seats were of a worn cloth. Stone got in and straddled a spring that poked through the cushion at his crotch as best he could. His son sat beside him and Raton took the controls. As they pulled away, Roberts led Captain Ellis to a similarly beatup hover.
They drove in silence to Raton's ranch house. Once there, Raton led them into the large living room. He introduced Stone and his son to
Carmen and the boys. Manuel and Sam seemed to hit it off quickly as they sat down to dinner.
Stone found out about Espedie's interest in taking some time to explore the other continent as they spoke over dinner. Carmen chided him and told him to keep his dreams to himself. She reminded him of his responsibility to the boys and the farm.
"But Ellison said he and Roberts would take care of the farm if I were to go exploring," he protested.
"I keep telling you, you should be careful how far you trust that old pirate." She waved her finger at him. "You already got yourself into enough trouble volunteering to help him with that power station."
Stone chuckled lightly. It was the first sign Raton had that the man had a sense of humor. Even so, Raton was growing to like the man in spite of himself. They had a lot of things in common. Not the least of which was the desire to make a better life for their families. After dinner, Carmen and the boys cleared the table while Stone and Raton continued their conversation. "What if I mentioned that I have it on a hunch, that there was Erdonium on the other continent?"
Carmen Raton let out a cackling laugh as she wiped down the table. "That's ridiculous," she said. Espedie glared at her. He was interested now, although he mildly resented how easily he had been hooked.
"Not so, my good lady," said Stone with a genuinely charming smile. He went to his luggage and produced a map of the other continent and placed it on the table. On it were marked the locations of several Erdonium deposits.
"Where in God's name did you get that?" asked Espedie.
"Does it matter?" Stone kept his fingers lightly on the map.
Carmen came in and looked over his shoulder. "It's like pirate's buried treasure."
"Better," whispered Espedie. His brown eyes widened. He put his hand over his mouth and stared. "That's more treasure than anyone could spend in a lifetime." He looked at his wife and pointed at the map. "Even if this is a fake map, it's worth investigating."
She shook her head, doubtful. "I don't know..."
"Think about it," said Stone, rolling the map up. "That's all I ask. If you're not interested, someone else will be."
"We'll talk," said Espedie.
Carmen ushered Stone to the room she made up for him. It was a beautiful but cozy room with wooden vigas, a large bed and a fireplace. He knew he would dream pleasantly of imminent fortune in this rustic room. He unpacked and went back out to the living room, where he found Espedie brimming with questions.
* * * *
Captain Jerome Ellis sat at the head of a rectangular table while Captain Ellison Firebrandt sat at the other end. Roberts and Fire had positions in the middle. The table was long, but not so long as to prevent communication from one end to the other.
Privateer captains had the right to wear whatever uniform they saw fit. Many picked uniforms that were gaudy and ostentatious with orange pantaloons and yellow striped shirts. Others wore simple white turtleneck sweaters and dark trousers. Still others wore outfits that resembled military uniforms. Wearing exact copies of military uniforms was a severe violation of the articles of war. However, many captains—Firebrandt included—felt that a military look legitimized their positions. Firebrandt's uniform consisted of a simple black jacket and black trousers. A blood-red stripe ran down the leg of the pants. On the breast pocket of the jacket were a crossed pipe and sword. Gold epaulets adorned the shoulders of the jacket. Underneath, he wore a white turtleneck shirt.
Roberts wore a near-copy of Firebrandt's uniform. Instead of epaulets, he wore a purple sash. Fire wore a relatively simple dress that was cut to accentuate her body. The cloth was woven from a local fiber and the dress appeared to be many shades of red that shifted as she moved. Jerome Ellis found himself captivated by the colors and the contours created by the body underneath.
Jerome Ellis was pleasantly surprised when he realized that Firebrandt was happy to talk about life in space rather than the mundane life of a farmer. Firebrandt spent much of the conversation talking about life as a privateer captain. Fire had heard many of the stories before but delighted in hearing them again. Jerome Ellis grudgingly admitted admiration. He had been taught to despise privateers, yet Firebrandt painted a picture of himself as a defender of Earth. He told how it took an admiral from Alpha Coma Berenices to end his career.
"Wasn't that Barbara Firebrandt?" asked Ellis.
Roberts cleared his throat. Firebrandt took a drink of wine. "I believe that was her name, yes," said Firebrandt, swirling his glass and looking into it.
"There can't be many humans in the galaxy with an unusual name like Firebrandt," said Ellis. "Was she a relative of yours?"
"I doubt it." Firebrandt set down the glass and looked at his feet. "We don't even come from the same planet. I came from Earth while she came from Alpha Coma."
Fire looked at Ellis, deciding it was time to change the subject. "So tell me, how did someone from Nantucket end up as a captain aboard a corporate ship?"
"Actually, I'm a little surprised that anyone not from Earth has even heard of our little island," said Ellis. Fire smiled winningly. Oceans and their lore fascinated her and she read as much as she could about them.
"Is it really so surprising?" Roberts clasped his hands together. "Historically, Nantucket was a center for corporate shipping. Look at the whaling industry of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries."
"It's true," said Ellis. "My family is filled with sailors and ship captains. Edward Ellis captained the whaler Madaket. His son, James, commanded the Orion."
"All whalers?" Fire looked down, sadly.
"Not all," said Ellis. "When the danger to the whale population became known, the family took an active part in stopping the hunting. We pride ourselves on being a long line of captains, not that we hunted whales. My ancestors sailed every ocean of Earth. Later, the family commanded space vessels. You may have heard of Howard Ellis, captain of the Hawking."
"That was the first ship equipped with an EQ generator, wasn't it?" asked Roberts, searching his memory.
"Einstein's Folly was the first," Ellis corrected. "But the Hawking was built only two years later." There was a sparkle of pride in the captain's eye.
Fire looked toward a corner of the room, her brow knitted, searching her memory. "'Nantucket! Take out your map and look at it. See what a real corner of the world it occupies; how it stands there, away off shore, more lonely than the Eddystone lighthouse.'"
Ellis smiled. "That's from Melville, isn't it?"
"Moby-Dick," she said. She looked at him, concentrating. "'And thus have these naked Nantucketers, these sea hermits, issuing from their ant-hill in the sea, overrun and conquered the watery world like so many Alexanders.'" She smiled, inclining her head. "'Let America add Mexico to Texas but remember that two-thirds of this terraqueous globe are the Nantucketers.' So, too, remember that ninety-nine percent of all space belongs to the Nantucketer."
Ellis found that his eyes were moist. No one outside his family had ever sensed the island's importance to him. "Thank you," he whispered. Then he looked at his watch. "It's getting late, I had better call for the launch to come retrieve me."
"Why not stay the night?" asked Fire, perhaps a little too quickly for her father's taste. "I would love to hear more about Nantucket. You could stay in my room. I'll take one of the crew bunks."
Firebrandt pursed his lips. "It goes against tradition for a captain to stay away from his ship overnight."
Ellis shrugged. "The Navy tradition, perhaps. The ship's going to be here a week, I'd be charmed to stay overnight. Pfister can see to the unloading operations."
Firebrandt held out his hands. "Then please feel free to be our guest."
Ellis nodded and excused himself to call the ship. Firebrandt led his daughter aside. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Daddy, I think I'm in love," she said.
"Love at first sight?" grumbled Firebrandt. "More like lust at first sight." He felt a twinge of guilt, scolding his daughter. The last thing he want
ed was for his daughter to hate him, like he hated his own mother.
"Dad," she scolded. He looked at his feet while she talked. "It's my life. You promised never to interfere. Jerome Ellis is one of the first men I've met from outside. He's intelligent and witty, a lot like you. I don't want you to send him away, just as we're starting to get to know each other."
Firebrandt nodded. "I guess so. He is a pretty special visitor, isn't he?" He looked at his daughter. She was twentyone already. He knew she wanted to see some of the rest of the galaxy. "Perhaps we could arrange passage on the Nantucket for you to Earth."
"Would you?" she asked excitedly, her voice rising. "Would it be possible?"
Ellis returned from calling the ship. "Arrangements have been made. I think my first officer was just a little too happy to see me go for a night."
"First officers are like that," said Firebrandt, grinning and walking over to pat Roberts on the shoulder. Roberts simply grinned in reply. Firebrandt asked Ellis about arranging passage for Fire. Ellis explained that they would be meandering through a number of systems before returning to Earth, but quoted the price for passage. "Do you accept payment in gold?" asked Firebrandt.
"Unconventional, but we can convert it. Amount of gold subject to the exact value on the Gaea exchange, of course." Ellis took a drink of wine. "I must say though, that Pfister isn't going to be terribly happy about giving up her quarters for more of the journey."
With that, the group adjourned to the front room of the house. They talked for another hour before Firebrandt and Roberts went to bed. They each had to go to work in the fields in the morning. Fire lost track of time after that. When Ellis next looked at his watch, it was after local midnight.
"You should probably show me to my room," he said, sheepishly. "It's even getting a bit late by ship's time."
"It's toward the back of the house, near Dad's office—but away from the other rooms," she said. She led him back through the dining room in the middle of the old star cruiser, to the wooden addition in the back of the house. She showed him the door and led him in then closed the door behind her. She walked up to him and put her arms around him. She was nearly as tall as he was, but she put her head on his shoulder.
The Pirates of Sufiro (Book 1) (Old Star New Earth) Page 11
