“Also, we’ll need to replace the tires with mag hold technology,” the trader said. “That way you won’t drift away from the target in zero gravity.”
“Sounds good,” Vin enthused. “Does the necklace cover it?”
The trader ran some calculations on her wrist pad. “I think we can work with that exchange.”
Vin clasped hands with the trader. “How long till delivery?”
“Give me seven hours.”
“Done.”
Charley spent the next hour wandering the trade floor in the center of Pankar hub. She was still unused to being a true galactic citizen, able to come and go as she pleased. The number of languages she heard as she threaded the various stalls was mind-boggling. Though none were as dominant as humans, there were at least ten species of alien throughout the known galaxy. They were all on peaceful terms and had played their part in the creation of a new, rather chaotic galactic order. Charley could’ve immersed herself in the trade hub for several hours, but sleep tugged at the edges of her mind. Just as she was about to return to the Surprise, a familiar voice wafted over her shoulder.
“Buy an old man a drink?”
Charley spun on her heels. Harry Teks! She embraced him as tightly as she’d ever held anyone. But she needed to double-check if it was him - shouldn’t the old pirate be dead? Harry held her at arm’s length and looked into her eyes.
“It’s good to see you, girl,” he said warmly. “Took me a while to find you.”
Before Charley could answer, Harry pulled her over to a kiosk and ordered them both a steaming mug of jenka.
“I thought you were gone,” Charley said quietly, almost tearing up at the memory.
“I nearly was,” Harry said, his eyes glittering mischievously. “But old, leathery pirates are notoriously hard to break in two.”
“What happened? Everyone said the Silent Runners got you.”
“The first assassin I killed outright,” Harry said. “The second I chased through the window. It was a close thing, but I eventually cornered him. As you say, everyone thought I was dead, so I used that to my advantage. I went underground. Located my loot cache, where I had records of multiple identities ready to go. I followed your trail to Mina IV and on to Pankar. Now that I’ve found you, I think I’ll revert to my real name.”
Charley looked at Harry in wonder, not daring to believe all this was true.
“That’s right,” he said. “I want to join the Pirate’s Guild if you’ll have me. I was wasting away at the Academy. You’re my catalyst, Charley. You helped me find a flame I thought had been extinguished long ago.”
Charley almost laughed with joy. Having Harry on the Guild was just what they needed. A wise old head to guide them through difficult decisions.
“Are you kidding?” she said. “You’re the leader.”
“Oh no,” came the reply. “This pirate is happy to play a support role.”
He fixed her a cheeky grin.
“Mostly.”
38
A little embarrassed, Charley turned away with a smile.
“But what about Vin? He thinks he lost a father. You gotta go see him.”
“I will,” Harry promised. He held her by the hand. “But first I thought we could … make up for lost time.”
Charley smiled again, but her first impulse was to pull away.
“I don’t know, Harry,” she said. “Things are more complicated now.”
Harry sat back in his chair with a thoughtful expression. “It’s Vin, isn’t it? My boy has been busy while I’ve been gone.”
“I don’t know about that,” Charley insisted.
Harry had that familiar, predatory look in his eyes. “Then maybe you need more evidence before you decide one way or another.”
Charley couldn’t help but smile. “Are you trying to get me into bed, Harry Teks?”
“Of course, sweetheart, I’ve thought about nothing else since our moment at the Academy.”
Something in Charley’s body wanted to cave in. These Teks men were going to ruin her life, she was sure of it, but she also knew there was no way she could refuse Harry right now. She wanted to have him that way again. It felt right. The primitive connection between them was too strong to ignore.
“Lead the way,” she said coyly.
Harry booked a comfortable room for eight hours. Pankar’s hire cubes were located near the top of the facility and afforded a nice view of the system.
Charley sat on the edge of the bed and unhooked her utility belt. Harry smiled at the heavy clunk of her sword as it clattered to the ground.
“There’s my little pirate,” he said with genuine affection. He unbuttoned his shirt and unhooked his belt. Charley pulled his leather trousers down and rubbed the bulging manhood under his briefs. Slowly she drew them down to his ankles. He stood to attention, completely engorged. Their tongues met and rolled together. He unzipped her, but slowly. She stepped free of her suit, pushed him back on the bed and straddled him. He cupped her breasts as he maneuvered himself inside her. He felt incredibly warm and hard as she slid up and down him. Harry threw his head back, unable to look at her any longer. He pulsed up and down in perfect time to her own thrusts. Charley’s breath quickened and she knew she was about to explode. She gripped the hard flesh at Harry’s chest and kneaded it savagely as her body was overcome with a wave of ecstasy. Harry thrust hard once, twice, three times, his whole frame stiffening with climax. Charley gasped as she came at exactly the same time. She loved it when that happened.
Harry laid a lazy hand on her breast and sighed.
“I think we fit well together, Charley,” he said dryly.
“Seems that way,” she agreed.
She thought of Vin, of what he might say if he found out. Monogamy wasn’t really practiced where Charley was from. She hadn’t had a great deal of lovers, but women were usually free to experiment with multiple partners without fear of judgment or reprimand. And yet, as always, there were human emotions to consider. Charley was certain that Vin wouldn’t be crazy with the notion of shared lovers. It was just his nature. But what could be done about it? Truth be told, Charley felt a deeper connection with Harry than she did with Vin. Sure, she felt intoxicated by the danger Vin represented. She liked his edginess. But with Harry, it was a lot different. Harry made her feel every inch a glamorous woman. It was an old-fashioned feeling, but something she hungered for. If she ever had to choose between the two, she knew which way she’d go. But hopefully it would never come to that. What Charley did in her private life was no one else’s business. She couldn’t see herself telling Vin about Harry and that’s how it would stay.
Harry seemed to have a huge sexual appetite for a man of his years. Charley could only imagine the women he enjoyed when he was younger.
“Should we get back?” he said. “Your ship might be ready.”
“I suppose so,” Charley sighed, slow to rise. “Reality awaits.”
“By the way,” Harry said, “I read a Guildmasters’ report on how you scored the Surprise. Impressive stuff, Pirate Silverton.”
Charley reddened but felt a flush of pride.
Back on the Surprise, Charley and Harry found Vin securing the mining bobcats in the hold. The units were slightly larger than she imagined. She examined the processing units and pictured precious gemstones passing through. Vin smiled when he saw Charley, but the lopsided grin faded when he saw the man by her shoulder.
“Been a long time,” Harry said casually, as if he was revisiting an old bar.
Vin scowled, finished clamping down the last bobcat and strode from the cargo bay. Charley glanced at Harry apologetically. The old man shrugged.
“He still blames me for his ex-wife,” he explained. “I’m not sure if we’ll ever be on good terms.”
Charley nodded sadly. Vin hadn’t shown the slightest emotion at seeing Harry alive. She resolved to get the men talking, to melt the barriers that had kept them apart for so long. It would take time, but they were both member
s of her crew. Her family. A more pressing issue was accommodation. She doubted Harry would willingly share a room with Gronko, so she knocked on Vanessa’s door. The poor girl still looked sleepy.
“I think I’ll just take the galley when I can,” Harry said with a bemused smile.
Charley apologized to Vanessa and closed the door. With a true pirate’s versatility, Harry chose a comfortable bench in the corner of the galley and was soon fast asleep. It was clearly a pirate trick born from long space journeys.
“I have authorization to launch,” Vin said irritably. He certainly didn’t look happy that Harry had found Charley. She shrugged and assumed her position at the nav console.
The trip to the asteroid passed without incident. Vin navigated from the coordinates he found on Fallon’s secret data cube. Charley passed the time playing battle mechs with Harry on the games table. The old man was a wonderful playing partner, affable and full of hilarious stories. Vin, on the other hand, became grumpy when he didn’t win. A ping from the dashboard alerted the crew that the asteroid was approaching. Charley magnified the viewscreen to 4000%. Riddled with caves and tunnels, the object was large for an asteroid. Gronko and Vanessa emerged for a look as the Surprise soared towards their target. With the burly alien at the steerage bar, Charley and Vin changed into their air suits. When the pair was ready, she addressed Harry, Gronko, Vanessa and FIGJAM.
“Harry has command while I’m gone,” she said firmly. “When our bobcats are full we’ll request a tow cable haul.”
Harry nodded. “I’ll be watching from the cockpit.”
“Let’s do it,” Vin said. He looked especially keen to explore the asteroid. Charley had to admit she was too. The prospect of accumulating more riches made her feel all tingly inside. More funds meant better weapons, renovations to the Guild Hall and ship upgrades. They might even be able to afford to keep someone like Gronko. Her heart chattered with excitement as Vin engaged the airlock and stepped through. The external sensor glow green and space beckoned. Charley didn’t have great memories of her first experience in free space, but this assignment looked easier. In theory. The first step was to haul themselves around to the main cargo bay where Harry had already have opened the doors. The pair deactivated the clamps on the mining bobcats. Vin pushed strongly on the first, sending it through the doors and out to the asteroid. Charley watched with bated breath as it turned wheel-side and landed safely. The mag-lock wheels allowed it to stick to the asteroid.
While Charley tried to work out how to fracture the rock, Vin rolled into the tunnel and casually laid a limpet mine near the burnt orange seam. Charley joined him at a safe distance down the tunnel. The rock blasted free in a plume of dust and orange fragments fell to the tunnel floor. Grinning from ear to ear, Charley surged forward and collected the material in her scooper.
Charley pressed a red button to the right of the dashboard. The oligoclase fragments were sucked into the bobcat and fed through the grinder. The rear container began filling with fine, silky powder.
The thought seemed to sober the pirate.
Charley worked her bobcat through the oligoclase vein until her rear container was full. She returned to the asteroid’s launch face and made sure she was visible to the Surprise.
A steel tow cable launched from the side of the vessel and thudded into the rock several yards to her right. She released the lock, attached it to the bobcat and nervously released the bobcat’s mag attractors. The vehicle floated across the void, gently reeled in. Once she reached the Surprise, Charley stowed the mineral container in the airlock and sealed it. Harry or Gronko would take it down to the cargo bay, clearing the chamber for Vin’s arrival. It wasn’t the most efficient way to mine minerals, but without a specialist vessel it was the best they could do.
Once Charley eased into a rhythm and trusted in the process, she actually enjoyed the work. Vin found an electric blue vein of cerulean cobalt on the far side of the asteroid. The mineral was much in demand and MinCorp would pay top dollar for it. Charley found a magenta vein of an unknown mineral on the rock’s underside. Dreaming of the price they might fetch, she and Vin mined it enthusiastically. Once they’d finished, eleven full mineral containers had been stacked in the cargo bay. Not bad for a few hours work. As far as they could tell, the asteroid was exhausted. It would take a deep drill to properly explore its recesses.
39
Exhausted, Charley headed to her bedroom to remove her air suit. Harry happened to enter at the same time, congratulating her on a successful operation. After a telling pause, in which both wisely chose not to tear each other’s clothes off, Charley showered and dressed. Alone. Ten minutes later she reported to the cockpit. Vin already had them cruising several clicks from the asteroid and Harry was asleep on his bench again. Gronko was standing at Vin’s shoulder but there was no sign of Vanessa. Thankfully, there was little sign of bandit activity. The ships they passed appeared to be peaceful traders. Heavily armed, yes, but not from any of the nefarious guilds.
Charley was gradually overcome with a strange feeling, like they were in extreme danger. She glanced at Vin - he clearly sensed it too.
“Full speed,” he said, keying propulsion.
The nav projection pinged - Charley’s eye was drawn to a red, blinking dot on the edge of scanner range.
“Just one ship,” Vin commented.
“What a relief,” Charley said, her hopes rising.
“Fuckers have a cruiser,” Gronko said. “You guys have no chance against that kind of firepower.”
“The renki’s right,” Vin said. “We can’t outgun or outrun a ship with that kind of power.”
A chill settling in the pit of her stomach, Charley watched as th
e red dot gained on them.
“What do we do, Vin?” she asked plaintively.
For once, the burly pirate didn’t appear to have a plan. He activated full throttle, but it didn’t make much difference.
“Where did the Silent Runners get a cruiser?” she asked.
“They’ve been controlling trade in this sector for more than a decade now,” Vin said. “Plenty of time to accrue resources.”
The bitterness in his voice was unmistakable. Charley felt numb with shock. Was her burgeoning pirate career about to come to an abrupt end? Had they bitten off more than they could chew by killing Petyr Fallon? The Pirate Guild’s daring plans now seemed foolhardy. Vin was pale as he soared aimlessly through the black. It was only a matter of time before the cruiser caught up with them and entered missile range.
“What system is this?” asked Gronko gruffly.
“Gruder,” said Vin glumly. “Cruiser probably launched from Bonesse.”
“Bonesse,” said the renki thoughtfully. “Turn the ship around.”
“What?”
Gronko drew his plasma pistol and pointed it at Vin’s head.
“I said turn the ship around, human.”
“… the hell? Put that away before I airlock the holy fuck out of you. If you have a plan, I’m willing to listen.”
Charley could barely breathe as Gronko reluctantly holstered his weapon. That alien is fucking nuts. Vin dutifully turned the ship around and flew straight for the approaching cruiser. The ballsy move just might buy them some time. At the very least, the cruiser wouldn’t risk heat seeking missiles that could in theory turn on them if the Surprise was close enough. Vin’s face got its color back as the vessel neared the cruiser.
“Fucking crazy, but better than nothing,” he muttered under his breath.
The cruiser bristled with murderous missile bays and gun ports on its underside. Such ships were basically military-class vessels. For the Silent Runners to be operating one was troubling to say the least. At that moment the enemy ship was framed by Bonesse, the emerald planet it had sprung from. Not much was known about the steamy jungle biome save that it was a haven for smugglers and other assorted criminals.
The Pirate Guild Page 18
