The other bandits laughed, but it was no empty threat - the Silent Runners were well known for removing limbs from their enemies.
“Stop yer yappin’ and get down to business,” Gronko growled unexpectedly. “The girl doesn’t want to hear your pathetic whine.”
Holger looked at the renki with fire in his eyes. He nodded to his bandits. A wooden block was placed before the pirates. Gronko was grabbed by two Silent Runners and made to place his forearm on the block. Holger drew a strange, elongated object. With a flourish of his arm an energized blade extended from it. Charley had heard of vibro-blades but thought they were a myth. Harry’s eyes had widened too, and it took a lot to surprise a pirate of his experience.
“Wondering where I got this?” Holger asked, swishing the magenta blade theatrically. “Let’s just say I convinced a salukar general to hand over his family heirloom.”
Charley couldn’t take her eyes from the blade - it was a beautiful, mesmerizing weapon.
“This, my friends, is for the Silent Runners,” Holger said simply. He swung the blade almost casually. The weapon sliced through Gronko’s armor and left his forearm on the block. The renki howled and cradled his stump with anguish.
“Enough!” Charley screamed, tears in her eyes. “I’m the one you want.”
Holger gazed at her maliciously. “Oh, I have no doubt about that.”
“Not if I can help it,” said a strange voice behind all of them.
A single figure stood in the docking tube. He’d approached so quietly no one had noticed. The first obvious detail was that he was naked. The next thing she noticed was the blue tinge to his skin. The last thing she noticed was that it was Vin Teks. She felt like vomiting as the man who’d become so familiar to her stood there with a blank, alien expression. His skin was lined with cracks that seemed to glow with some kind of underlying energy. This new incarnation of Vin frightened Charley to the core. What on earth had happened to him?
“Vin,” Harry said in a croaky voice. “Where have you been, son?”
“Speaking with a God,” Vin sneered. “I was never in any danger. I was simply chosen.”
“To do what?” Charley asked in a faint voice.
“Walk the path,” came the simple reply, as if the answer was obvious. “I’m here to ensure you live your life, Charley Silverton.”
Charley blinked. What did all this mean? Why was Vin talking like that? The alien entity had replaced his trademark, smoldering passion with … something cold. If Vin was in there somewhere, he was changed forever.
“Boys, take him down,” Holger murmured, fear in his eyes. “Now!”
The next few seconds were a blur. Charley felt herself being dragged away by Harry. He was only trying to keep her clear from the line of fire, but she insisted on scrambling across to Gronko and hauling the big alien along with them. The renki was nursing his grievous injury and looking murderously at the assembled bandits. Enemies who had their hands full with a new, unexpected enemy. They poured all their ammo and plasma into Vin, who simply stood there with a strange, bemused expression. None of the bandits’ weaponry was wounding him at all. Once the futile barrage had ceased, the altered Vin extended an arm with the heel of his hand thrust forward. A beam of blinding gold light soared over the bandits’ heads. Charley watched in fascinated horror as the beam split the roof open and melted the chrome. The corner of the chamber was instantly reduced to a hole of dripping slag.
Vin’s next attack was aimed squarely at the bandits themselves. His beam pierced their ranks, obliterating several thugs in one go. The hot rush of energy singed Charley’s eyebrows and knocked her to the ground. When she looked up, most of the bandits were gone and a faint whiff of ozone hung in the air. The dead had been so completely atomized it was difficult to believe they’d been standing there there at all.
“Form ranks!” Holger yelled. “Bring in the heavy mech -”
The bandit leader disappeared in a golden beam of light. The wall behind him was transformed into white hot slag. The facility’s outer shield wouldn’t hold for much longer. Charley pulled Gronko to his feet and helped him toward the docking tube. She locked eyes with Vin, who was now going to town on the facility. He seemed determined to create a twisted scrapyard of unrecognizable metal. Every last bandit had now been vaporized. Charley had never seen such devastating power and doubted she ever would.
“You coming with us?” Charley asked hopefully.
Though Vin scared the living daylights out of her, she desperately needed a sign that he was still in there somewhere.
“I loved you,” he said, his terrifying face softening. Charley bit back tears, unable to speak. All she felt was sadness and remorse.
“Please,” she eventually croaked. “Come with us. You’re still a pirate.”
Vin’s grin split his alien face. “Not any more. Like I said, I have my own path. But I wanted you to live. My Master agreed.”
“I don’t understand,” Charley stammered. “Is there a grand plan I’m not aware of? What happened down at the lake?”
Vin’s eyes glittered with ancient, intimidating knowledge.
“We’ll talk about it one day,” he said. “I promise, Charley.”
Vin walked further into the facility like he was taking a Sunday afternoon stroll. Charley knew he wasn’t going to leave anyone alive. She suddenly wanted to be as far away as possible from him. Harry helped her with Gronko as they stumbled down the docking tube. Vanessa, white with shock, was waiting at the airlock. They entered and sealed the hatch behind them. Harry took the pilot’s chair and convinced the space station’s AI that they should be released immediately due to the failing air pressure. The dock brake was released and the fire bird was soaring across the face of Bonesse within a minute. Harry could now navigate to the waypoint where their damaged ship was located. Charley helped Vanessa bring the stricken Gronko to the galley, where they administered cleaning salve and support bandages. The fire bird didn’t have a med bay as such, but was replete with decent medical supplies. Gronko bit back on his pain admirably, demonstrating what a stoic creature he was. Charley finished her treatment with a strong sedative that would subdue the renki for hours. She watched with sadness as the beast laid his heavy gun on the dining table and considered the bandaged stump that used to be his dominant arm. His shooting arm. Within minutes the alien had retired to his bedroom for a long, much-needed sleep.
Charley slumped into the navigation chair with a loud sigh.
“Crash site in fifteen minutes,” Harry reported.
Charley smiled and laid a hand on the old pirate’s shoulder. The firebird broke orbit and soon they were within sight of the crash site. After everything that’d happened, Charley was desperate to get back to the Surprise. Harry coaxed the firebird close to the canopy as the dawn cast pink light over the emerald sea. An alarm pinged when the vessel was directly over the crash site. This was the tricky part. Luckily, the firebird could hover. The craft descended through the trees and settled on the soft undergrowth. On the scanner Charley could see the Surprise exactly where they’d left it. The forest was alive with the usual morning cacophony and there were no enemies to be seen. Charley suspected the local bandit ranks had been severely decimated by Vin’s attack on the space station. Glad to be home, she clambered aboard the Surprise. Visibly exhausted, Vanessa retreated to her room. Charley led Harry to her bedroom and unzipped her suit. Harry eyed her hungrily but the reality was that both were too exhausted to do anything but sleep.
47
Charley woke to the sound of monkeys chittering on the roof of the Surprise. It was time to get to work. She shoved the bizarre events of the previous day from her mind as she worked with Harry and Vanessa to transfer spare parts from the firebird. Harry claimed to be an ordinary mechanic, but he seemed to know the basic systems and function of fighter-class vessels. After all, it was important for pirates to make running repairs to their ships. Charley resolved to look over the veteran’s shoulder as often
as she could. It took most of the day just to restore power distribution but she was glad to simply spend positive time with her crew mates. The pirates managed to snatch a few hours sleep that night, but they couldn’t afford to linger. By noon on the second day, Harry had patched most vital systems and the Surprise was ready for launch. It wasn’t ready for battle of any kind, but it would make it to a repair facility if the crew was lucky.
Gronko finally woke from a long, chemically induced slumber. The big alien didn’t want to talk about his arm but was a little brighter than before. Perhaps even a little less scary. Charley insisted that he refrain from trying to help them prepare for launch. At length the big renki strapped himself in behind Charley as Harry keyed a launch sequence. Vanessa sat next to the alien, her huge brown eyes alive with expectation. The Surprise lifted through the trees with a sickly whine.
“Propulsion manifold has been bypassed,” Harry said. “We desperately need a proper garage.”
“Fuck!” Charley exclaimed, remembering her PalBot. “We forgot FIGJAM!”
If she wasn’t so tired, she might’ve laughed. The poor PalBot would be waiting back at the airfield. Harry nodded as the Surprise rose above the treeline and headed north. There was no question about retrieving the small droid - FIGJAM had proved himself invaluable. The trip to the airfield was mercifully brief. The Surprise packed a lot more acceleration than the firebirds. Charley was worried that enemy reinforcements had reached the airfield, but the facility was still deserted. FIGJAM was rolling aimlessly at the northern end of the runway. Charley retrieved him warily, conscious of his sharp tongue.
“I’m sorry, FJ,” she said. “In the heat of battle a woman can forget the important things.”
“I’m not surprised you idiots left me here to die,” FIGJAM announced. “I mean, I don’t contribute. All I did was let you in to the most heavily facility airfield on Bonesse. Nothing at all when you think about it.”
“All right, all right, don’t lay it on,” Charley said. “I’m just glad you’re back.”
“What makes you think I want to be back?” the PalBot asked while Charley slotted it into her utility belt. “If you didn’t have such majestic hooters I’d keep rollin’ down that tarmac.”
“Business as usual, then,” Charley said with a smile. It was good to be diverted by the obnoxious AI.
Harry had them up and away in no time. The Surprise finally broke orbit and cleared the serene green planet. The midnight blue velvet of space enveloped them. Charley looked across at Harry as he set the craft to auto-pilot.
“I’ve done some research on MinCorp,” he said. “They keep an office on Deep Blue, in the next system.”
“Suits me,” Charley said tiredly. “We should go see the Guildmasters too.”
“Of course, lass,” Harry said. “Upgrade our rankings.”
“And for the love of all the gods, dead and alive, book us a penthouse suite at the fanciest hotel. Even if it’s only for a few days.”
Harry caught Charley’s look and grinned.
Once the Surprise had enough separation on Bonesse, Harry keyed in a warp sequence and settled in for a long sleep with Charley. The scanners reported normal traffic in all proximal trade lanes. Whatever Vin had done to the Silent Runners’ space station, it had quelled the bandits’ influence for now. In fact, if only Charley had more ships and personnel the Bonesse system would be ripe for the taking. Thus it was with mixed emotions that she prepared to leave the system. At least she still had the Surprise, and there was always the delicious prospect of selling their mining haul to MinCorp. Just as Charley was about to self-administer the drugs that would see her through to Deep Blue, someone rapped on her door. It was Gronko, delicately cradling his arm.
“You asked me why I was at the casino on Mina IV,” he said shortly. “I’m a dreamer. A romantic.”
Charley glanced at Harry, who was lying next to her. What the hell was the renki saying?
“My people live on Astar VI, as you know. What you don’t know is that a skin fungus is decimating the populace. Man, woman and child. There’s no stopping it. We haven’t shouted it to the heavens, preferring our privacy. We don’t want any help or sympathy. But I was sent to weaken the bandit trade routes. We knew there were planets on the Beluga Run that could potentially be settled.”
Once Charley had digested what the renki was saying, she immediately thought of Bonesse. So, it seemed, had Gronko.
“I have my eyes on that green planet,” he confided. “It’s sparsely populated and the climate is suitable for renki. I’ve already delivered a full report. I wish to travel with you until a colonization ship is deployed. I just thought you should know.”
Charley blinked. “Thanks, Gronko. You’re welcome to stay until that time comes. As a pirate.”
The big alien snorted. “As you wish.” And with that, the alien withdrew.
“What’s going on?” Harry asked Charley sleepily.
“Ask me another time,” she said. “There’s more to that renki than I ever thought possible.”
Deep Blue was an ocean planet like Mina IV, but where that planet was laced with tropical island chains, Deep Blue was stormy and cold. The only habitation, also called Deep Blue, was a trading center near the north pole. It had been set up as a depot for ghost krill, farmed in large quantities from the surrounding ocean. The trade was so lucrative that the facility, owned by the Deep Blue Company, was both modern and luxurious. Once Harry had woken and showered, he took control of the Surprise and approached the planet at an easy clip. Charley took more time to transition from warp sleep, but within an hour she had showered and was sipping restorative citron chai in the cockpit.
“Copy that, Deep Blue,” Harry said.
Vanessa and Gronko appeared as Harry took the Surprise in for docking. The big alien was quiet and pensive. The vessel broke orbit and soared over a planet shrouded in dark cloud. Harry received welcome guidance from Deep Blue Command as he banked through the thick atmosphere. Eventually they found themselves soaring over a choppy, limitless ocean. Charley lost herself in the swarming, heaving ocean, glad to be warm and dry in the Surprise. That water looked extremely inhospitable. Ahead, the domes of Deep Blue were just visible. The curved lines seemed to synchronize with the surrounding oceanscape. Charley was glad to see two or three hotels sitting high above the trading hub.
Harry docked at the nominated node and the airlock hatch glowed green. Dressed and ready, the pirates clambered out onto the windswept deck. A gaggle of well-dressed men offered flutes of champagne as they approached. One of them looked glowingly at Charley.
“On behalf of Mincorp, we welcome you to Deep Blue, ma’am.”
Of course. MinCorp knew that she held the asteroid contract and that their cargo bay probably carried spectacular minerals.
“I’m sure we can do business,” Charley said teasingly as her party was escorted down the dock. She noticed a man standing at the rail above them. A sniper on the lookout for trouble.
“Thanks for the security,” Harry said casually. “The Pirate Guild has made enemies recently.”
“I’ll be honest,” said the rep, “MinCorp needed to pay off a number of bounties just so you could dock with us.”
Charley stiffened. “And after the deal is done?” she asked coldly.
The rep shrugged. “Then you’ll probably have enough money to run your own security.”
It was a fair point. Charley took a sip of champagne and felt herself relax. The MinCorp suits led the crew into a marble foyer and up to a plush observation deck. Charley ignored a smorgasbord of exotic refreshments but did take a few seconds to drink in the view. Tumultuous blue water to the horizon in every direction. She could see storm systems and a huge water spout to the north. It was all imposingly, ruggedly beautiful.
“And now,” she said with an enchanting smile, “Let the negotiations begin.”
Though C
harley was still a novice pirate, she felt as though she’d come a long way in the art of business and negotiation. Dealing with the giant mineral company was relatively simple as both parties agreed to begin on fair terms. For Mincorp, quick business was good business. They were going to make an excellent profit no matter what. For Charley, MinCorp had rights to the minerals and it would be foolish to double-cross them or deal with someone else. After all, her operation was still relatively small and thus vulnerable. For all her newfound professionalism, she still struggled to contain her awe at the figures that were bandied around. MinCorp took a good look at the cargo manifest and the parties eventually settled on the figure of 107,800. Charley could barely breathe as the corporate rep transferred the funds as if he was buying a pair of shoes. It was more money than she had ever dreamed of seeing. More than she had expected to make over a lifetime. Harry had a similar gleam in his eyes as the MinCorp personnel shook their hands and took their leave. With a sinking feeling, Charley watched the previously hidden security personnel follow MinCorp down the drop shaft.
Charley and her friends were left standing alone on the observation deck.
“Alone and rich,” Charley mused. “We gonna get out of here alive, Harry?”
The old pirate didn’t look too worried. His fingers danced over his wrist pad.
“May I have access to our funds, Captain?”
Charley smiled. “Of course, Pirate Teks,” she said, granting Harry full authority.
“Right,” Harry said, scanning his data. “I’ve organized for a Guildmasters rep to come and collect us. They have an office here.”
“Smart,” Gronko muttered. “I want to update my kills anyway.”
“From there, we have engaged the Ajuna Sapphire Hotel and organized security befitting the party staying at the penthouse suite for a week.”
Charley wanted to squeal. She could’ve ravished the old man right there. The thought of a hot spa and a soft bed was deliriously good. Her chamber on the Surprise was solid but hardly luxurious. Not one, but three Guild reps dressed in stylized tangerine jumpsuits arrived to escort the crew to the Guildmasters office. Charley threw Vanessa a reassuring look to signal that all this would soon be over.
The Pirate Guild Page 23
