Partners - Book 1

by Melissa Good

  Jacob shrugged. “Sounded like the old tales. Show up either in a hovercraft or ship, pulled you to, wanted your catch or be blasted. Two of my ships resisted, and they blasted.”

  Now, the unwarranted attack made sense. Jess pondered the information. “Attacks increasing?”

  “Yes.”

  Intel pivot. “So, how about this,” Jess said. “How about you let me ride with you, and if they show up, we can do something about it? Worth a shot?”

  Jacob stared at her. “You’d come out on the boat?”

  She nodded. “If it’s pirates, we want to know. If it’s the other side, we really want to know. Worth me getting my feet wet and my face slapped with fishtails. What do you think?”

  The old fisherman turned his head and stared off at the ships. “Don’t know that the crew’ll buy that,” he said. “Most of ‘em don’t trust your side any more than the other, but you know that.”

  Jess nodded. “No offense taken. It is what it is.”

  Jacob grunted. “Let me see what the weather is.” He stood up. “Wait here.”

  Jess leaned back against the ice seat and spread her arms across the back of it, the thick fur protecting her skin from the hard surface. She extended her legs out and crossed them, regarding the cavern as she listened to the thunder of the waves outside.

  With an exhale of mild relief, Jess looked up to see Jacob returning, striding up the slope toward her with a non committal look his face. She kept her relaxed pose though, working hard to make it apparent that she didn’t really care one way or the other what his decision would be.

  He sat down next to her. “Crew’s all for it,” he said, sounding as surprised as Jess actually was. “Didn’t expect that. Maybe they like the idea of someone with a gun on.”

  “Huh.” Jess grunted. “Could be.”

  “Need to be fast though,” Jacob said. “Going out with the tide.” He looked over at the carrier. “And what’s with that? You can’t leave it here.”

  “My tech’s aboard.” Jess got up. “Let me go pack a sack and go over a plan with her.”

  “Her?” Jacob snorted. “They not getting enough recruits these days?”

  Jess looked at him, then down at herself, then back up at him. One of her dark brows lifted.

  “You’re a generation. You don’t count,” he said. “Wouldn’t have mattered what you were.”

  Well, that was true enough. “My partner’s damn good. Didn’t really matter what sex she was either,” Jess said. “Corps doesn’t care. You should know that.”

  He shrugged. “Get your kit,” he said. “We’ve no time.” He got up and headed back toward the ships, raising his voice and motioning to a group of men standing nearby.

  Jess stood up and brushed her hands off. She turned and made her way down toward the edge of the ice, feeling the shift in air pressure as the carrier lowered and swooped over to meet her. She ambled down the slope and continued steadily toward the water, pausing as the craft settled next to the ice and the hatch opened.

  She hopped inside, and slapped the door controls. “Well.” She quickly unbuckled her overcoat and pushed the hood off her head.

  Dev backed the carrier up and lifted it, turning it so they could see the ship harbor. “Did it go well?” She set the auto nav and pushed her comm set back, turning in her seat to look at Jess.

  “Better than I figured.” Jess came up next to her and leaned against the console, propping her boot up on the base of Dev’s seat. “Seems they’ve been being attacked by pirates.”

  Dev blinked. “Pirates?”

  “Pirates.”

  The blonde woman pondered that a minute. “You mean, the story you told those people in the other place was true?”

  “Apparently.”

  “Did you know that? I thought you said it was just a story.”

  Jess shrugged both shoulders and produced a charmingly sheepish smile. “Sometimes I just get lucky.” She leaned forward unexpectedly and gave Dev a kiss on the lips. “Like with you.” Her eyes twinkled. “Anyway, I janked them into agreeing to let me go with them on the ship so I could protect them against the pirates.”

  Dev studied her very gravely. Then she cleared her throat a little. “How can I help?” She asked. “It sounds dangerous and I want you to be safe.”

  Strangely, that touched her. Jess felt an odd warmth fill her belly as she absorbed the look Dev was giving her. “Well,” she said. “I’m not looking to get hurt. I got enough of that my last mission.” She studied the ground briefly “I know we talked about you coming with me, but it would make more sense for you to take the carrier and shadow us.”

  She looked up and met Dev’s steady gaze.

  “Take me with you,” Dev said, after a minute of silence.

  Jess smiled at her without really knowing why. “You’re a little crazy y’know. I like that.” She straightened up and gave Dev a pat on her side. “Okay, let’s find a place to put the bus down. We’ll go fishing together.” She went to the locker and pulled out a backpack, setting it on the shelf and starting to sort through supplies to put in it.

  Dev turned around and thumped back into her seat, feeling a sense of buoyant happiness that made her smile. She settled her comms more solidly and started to sweep the carrier around, looking carefully at the inside of the cavern.

  It wasn’t big, and there weren’t a lot of places she could pick, but after a few minutes she thought she saw a spot in the back the craft might fit in. She boosted the jets up and got as close to the roof of the cave as she could, then started across the open space over the dock the ships were parked in.

  There wouldn’t be much clearance. Dev concentrated hard, and handled the throttles delicately, watching the scan as she skimmed over the ships, the tops of them just clearing the bottom of the carrier. Through the sensors, she could hear people yelling, but she ignored the distraction and then started down toward the back section. “Hold on.”

  She heard Jess grab hold of the locker as she tipped the craft sideways, going down and to her right in a balanced descent that eased between the ships and the descending roof, sliding into the one spot she could park the carrier and still have a chance of getting it back out again.

  She extended the skids and settled onto them, checking the scan on all sides before she cut the power to the engines and let them wind down. “There.” She glanced up through the window and found a lot of people outside staring at the craft, then she turned around to find Jess leaning against the wall, also watching her. “Was that correct?”

  Jess walked over and unlocked her restraints. “C’mere.” She gently pulled Dev up and into her arms, spending a very long moment giving her a frankly passionate kiss. “You are the bomb. Let’s go kick their asses,” she said, when they finally separated. “Let’s get your bag packed and we’ll go see where this takes us.”

  Dev felt like she was floating, a well remembered sensation from the crèche now happening to her down planet. She got up and trailed after Jess, happily wondering what pirates were like, and whether she’d get to see live fish.

  Or more bears.

  Without a doubt, it was going to be very, very interesting. “I wonder what a bomb is?” She muttered, as she pulled her gear out and started packing it. “Hmph.”

  JESS LED THE way down the dock to where the ships were preparing to depart, her pack on her back fitted neatly over her new jacket. She had a pair of ice gloves tucked into the pockets of it, and she was aware that she and her companion were possibly getting themselves into a good bit of trouble.

  Dev didn’t seem aware of possible trouble. She was bopping along behind Jess looking at everything with keen interest, unfazed by the slippery walk or the looming fishing vessels.

  Jess chuckled softly. She had her jumpsuit on under the jacket, and her weapons seated in the holsters in the hard points, along with a long knife strapped to her forearm. Her heavy blaster was slung over one shoulder, tucked in alongside the pack that held tools and some s
pare underclothes.

  At her tail, Dev ambled along, her slim frame encased in sharkskin, and her profile much narrower than Jess’s since it lacked anything in the way of weapons. She also had her pack on her back. It had an extra section on the bottom that held her portable scanner and tools.

  “So here’s the deal,” Jess said, as they reached the dock. “We’ll stick with the story about you coming from Bio Station Two, okay? They don’t know much about what goes on topside. There aren’t any bio alts out here at all.” She glanced at the waiting crew. “Some of them, if they’ve been to Quebec, might know about them, but they won’t tie the ones they’ve seen to you.”

  “Okay,” Dev said. “I guess in this case it’s good I was the only one in my set.”

  “Yep, one of a kind.” Jess patted her on the back as they approached the boarding area. “But keep quiet when you can. They’ll try to pump you for info.”

  “Info?”

  “About Interforce. How we do things. Why we do things,” Jess said. “We’re not really friends, and not really enemies.”

  Dev considered this. “I don’t know any of that stuff,” she said. “So I can’t tell them much, except the color of the walls and how much I like my shower.”

  Jess muffled a laugh. “Atta girl. If you have to say, tell them you’re part of the last class that came in, which is just about true. I’ll tell them you’re a newbie.”

  “Also true.” Dev craned her neck to observe their destination. “Those are big.”

  The ship they were approaching was indeed large, at least ten times the length and breadth of the carrier, and solid metal in a green gray color with rust stains everywhere. It had a taller section in front, with glazed windows and the middle and back were full of equipment and nets.

  Jacob was standing next to the boarding ramp, with another man next to him. The second man was shorter and wiry, with flaxen hair and piercing blue eyes. He studied them intently as they arrived.

  “Uncle,” Jess said. “This is my partner, Dev.”

  Jacob gave her a brief nod. “Tech,” he said gruffly, then turned to the blond man. “This is Sigurd Rolafson, captain of the Northern Star.”

  “Captain.” Jess nodded at him.

  “Hello,” Dev added.

  The captain cocked his head at them, heavy blond brows twitching. “Got enough guns there, Agent?” He asked, in a low, almost rough tone. “They’ll be welcome if you can hit the broad side of the bastards.”

  “Do my best,” Jess said, mildly. “Glad to have a chance to put them to use on your behalf.

  “We’ll see.” The captain next looked at Dev, and a faint grin appeared. “Where ya from, Tech?”

  “Bio Station Two.”

  “Spacer?” The captain looked surprised.

  “Yes.”

  He chuckled. “Good to know some Viking blood got off the planet after all, eh?” He pointed to the boat. “Let’s cast off. Wind’s coming down.” He rushed up the ramp, clearly expecting them to follow.

  “Good luck,” Jacob said. “Nice piece of landing there, tech.”

  “Thank you,” Dev said. “It should be fine there. If it starts making odd noises, don’t go near it. It’s still due some repair after that storm.”

  Jacob stared at her in bemusement. “Right.”

  “Thanks,” Jess said. “I may need to relay through the carrier from out there. I’ll trigger the relay remotely.” She started up the ramp, with Dev a step behind her. They crossed onto the deck and as they did, several of the crew pulled the boarding ramp onto the ship and with a loud metal clang, the grapples holding them in place let loose.

  Immediately the ship moved, backing away from the pier and swinging around the second ship, which was still grappled at berth.

  Jess put a hand on Dev’s shoulder and aimed for the spot the captain had headed for. “Hope you don’t get seasick. Forgot to ask you about that,” she said “You know what that is?”

  Dev cleared her throat gently. “I guess it’s like being space sick, in null,” she said. “It involves a lot of regurgitation. Not something you really want to deal with in zero G.”

  “Ah. No.” Jess made a face.

  “You get past it when you’re about two. At least I did,” she added.

  “Good.” Jess squeezed her shoulder.

  The crew stared at them as they moved across the deck. “Jess?” Dev lowered her voice.

  “Mm?” Jess ducked her head a little.

  “What did he mean about...vikings?”

  “Ah.” Jess paused, as the captain did, and turned to face them. “Hang on. Tell ya later.”

  “So,” Rolafson said. “The old man said you’d been out before.” He addressed Jess. “True?”

  “Short tour,” Jess said. “I was a kid.”

  The captain studied her. He had sharp eyes and a rugged, interesting face. “Drake, eh?”

  Jess nodded.

  “Service family?”

  Jess nodded again.

  “Boats my family,” the captain said. “S’why I told Jacob I’d let you on. Warn you though, deal with them pirates or I’ll throw you overboard. I got no real use for the force.”

  Jess cleared her throat, but didn’t say anything.

  The captain smiled. “You’re kin to the old man?”

  “Something like,” Jess said. “Couple times removed. My grandfather’s brother.”

  Rolafson grunted, then he turned and motioned them to follow. “Get you berthed while we pull out of here.” He palmed a hatch and it slid open “Watch your head.”

  Jess ducked through, and then they were inside the front structure of the ship, as it started moving underneath them. Inside the area was lit by dull green lamps and they moved down a very narrow corridor with hatches on both sides.

  Dev looked around, absorbing the motion, the smells and sights with a sense of deep fascination. The hatches and inside passageways reminded her a little of the crèche, but here she could smell fish, and brine, and a heavy scent of machine oil.

  It was exciting. She could feel the rumble of engines, and to either side hear people moving around and speaking. As they passed one of the half open hatches she peeked in, blinking as she saw three young children inside, playing with some kind of box.

  They were oblivious to her passing, but they were slight in size, and had light blonde hair very much like her own.

  That made Dev think again about what the captain had said. Then she had to stop since Jess did, and they were in front of a small hatch that the captain opened.

  “Not much. Hope you like sharing,” the captain said. “No room to spare on board.” He turned and backed away a step so they could enter. “Going to the bridge. We’ll be out at sea in a quarter hour, and past the coast on the hour. After that, anything can happen.”

  He rambled off down the hallway, leaving them alone.

  Jess ducked her head and moved inside. “Oh this is gonna be fun.”

  Dev eased in after her. “Ah,” she said. “Very restricted.” She put her back to the wall, as she looked at the space they’d been given. It was about the size of her old study space back on station. Just enough room for Jess and her to stand, and two iron bunks with deep lips bolted to the wall.

  It was cold, and clammy inside, and it smelled of oil and metal. There were two tables attached to the wall and a single water dispenser to one side. Jess squeezed past her and looked out the hatch, then she pulled her head in and let the metal door swing shut. “Sanitary unit’s across.”

  Jess tossed her pack up onto the top bunk and pushed her hood back. “This is going to be a real picnic, partner. Wish I’d left you back on the bus.”

  “No.” Dev shook her blonde head definitely. She put her pack on the bottom bed and studied the space. “I’m really glad I’m here.” She took a seat on the bed and looked around. The floor was metal like everything else, but it had a covering of what appeared to be woven seaweed on it, which was giving up a musty green scent.
<
br />   “Really?”

  Dev turned to her. “Really. It’s all new. It’s interesting. I’ve never been in a place like this, or on a boat at all.” She reached out and touched the wall as the sound of the engines increased and the motion became more pronounced. “And if we can stop the pirates, that will be excellent, won’t it?”

  Jess sat down next to her on the bottom bed. “Yes,” she said. “It will be excellent, matter of fact.” She tapped the lower part of Dev’s pack. “Better get settled.”

  There wasn’t much space to get settled into. Dev discovered that there was a small storage space under the bed’s padded top and she knelt on the seaweed pad to get her few things arranged in it. Above her, Jess was doing the same, and they worked in companionable silence for a few minutes.

  This constricted space was actually a little comforting to her, Dev realized. It was more like what she’d been used to all her life, and this spartan room with its thin mattresses and plain steel surfaces made her think of the crèche. Once she’d gotten her things in place, she took out her portable scan tucked into its pouch and started setting it up.

  Programming triggered instantly, and she felt the overlay as she looked at the parts of the unit, and her hands fitted them together. This was one of her first programs. The first set of labs she’d done after coming up after that long, long session.

  Portable scanners and electronic scopes, to listen and analyze everything around her. She remembered being curious about the lesson, and now that she was assembling her gear, she sensed more programming surfacing.

  Her fingertips moved quickly over the controls and she brought the scanner online, tuning the leads as the device started to listen and probe.

  It detected her, of course. She registered her ident and let it continue. Then it picked up Jess, the sensors alarming as they picked up all of the weapons Jess had on her. Dev acknowledged the alerts and registered Jess as friendly, then she let the tuning continue.

  Jess was ordering her guns, checking the charges, though she’d done so prior to leaving the carrier. She seated both blasters and then removed the knife from its sheath, sighting down its length with an expert eye. “These people can be rough, Dev.”