“Money?”
“Most definitely,” Harry said with a twinkle in his eye. “Quick money.”
“What’s the plan?”
“As you know, the Deep Blue Company runs a krill farming operation here in the wild ocean,” Harry began. “Their workers are forced to man submersibles more than two miles under the surface. Seems these submersibles aren’t well maintained by the Company. Workers are often crushed by the water column and left for dead. Conditions are so bad the workers are ready to revolt. The company has been chasing profit for far too long.”
Charley considered the situation. There was opportunity for the bold here.
“You think we could take on a few tons of contraband krill and sell direct to the salukar?”
Harry nodded. The salukar were the reptilian species that paid top dollar for Deep Blue krill.
“Risky,” Charley commented. “But tempting.”
She checked the stock index for Deep Blue krill on her wrist pad. It was a very lucrative commodity.
“We only have a small window,” Charley said. “What’s your plan?”
“An entire unit of submersibles operates two hundred miles south of here,” Harry said. “The workers are prepared to offload their harvest directly to us. For a price.”
“We’re more generous than Deep Blue,” Charley said. “Offer thirty percent.”
“Done,” Harry said. “But we need to be ready when the submersibles break the surface.” He checked his wrist pad. “We have around five hours.”
“We’ll be ready,” Charley said, fingers dancing over her wrist pad. “I’ll have the shipyard install our weapons straight away.”
“I’ll call Vanessa back to the penthouse,” Harry said.
Vanessa had been busy stocking the ships with deep space rations. In the process she’d effectively become a logistics officer. A message projected from Harry’s wrist band.
“We’re a go,” the old pirate said, a bundle of urgency all of a sudden. “The harvesters are on the move.”
Charley settled her debts with the hotel and gathered her things. Harry had taught her that a true pirate always traveled light and was able to move at a moment’s notice. She retrieved FIGJAM and slotted it into her belt.
“Another fuckin’ adventure,” he whined. “Can’t we just stay here so I can watch you having sex with the old guy?”
“However much I’d enjoy that,” Charley began sarcastically. “I also have a Guild to run. And pirates have lavish tastes. We need to earn a living.”
“All you’ve earned from me is an erection.”
Charley could only shake her head in disbelief. Once everyone was ready, the pirates made haste to the shipyard. Molly took point with a meaty blaster raised. Gronko met them at the dock that anchored the Phoenix. Charley took a moment to admire her new ship.
“Treat her nicely, Gronko,” she said. “If anyone attacks, toast ‘em.”
“You have my word,” Gronko said solemnly before marching up the connecting ramp.
Charley looked at Molly. “He needs support crew, for safety if nothing else. I don’t wanna lose that ship.”
Molly stood tall and seemed as though she might salute.
“Anything you say, ma’am,” she said formally, following Gronko into the Phoenix. Charley wondered how the alien would fare with Molly by his side. They would need to get along - this next mission depended on it.
“Let’s go,” she ordered, leading Harry and Vanessa up the connecting ramp to the Surprise. Harry gallantly opened the top hatch for the women. Charley was about to slide into the navigation chair but hesitated. It was time she assumed the responsibility of piloting the Surprise. Besides, she couldn’t ask for a better mentor than Harry Teks. At the very least she would have a steady hand by her side.
Harry squeezed her thigh as he sat alongside and activated ships systems. Vanessa strapped herself in behind them.
“Surprise to Deep Blue, request launch,” Charley said.
52
Charley smiled as she initiated an automatic launch sequence. Deep Blue would have no idea what she had planned. She didn’t feel guilty at all. Companies like Deep Blue were ruthless money-makers. Skimming cargo off them hardly represented an ethical dilemma. Hopefully the company didn’t engage them in battle if they found out what was going on. Charley had no interest in taking out private security personnel. They weren’t bandits and didn’t deserve to die.
Once the Surprise was clear of the shipyard, Charley assumed control and headed toward the waypoint Harry had plugged into the nav computer. Thick banks of grey cloud pressed down like a vice on the horizon. Charley flew under the thunderheads as best she could whilst keeping an eye on the huge swells rolling below. On more than one occasion she saw the fin of a lasher whale rising and falling through the brine. The ping of the waypoint grew louder as the Surprise neared it’s destination. Charley checked her rear screens and was reassured to see the Phoenix following on her shoulder. The great thing about armadillo class fighters was their versatility. They were just at home in thick atmospheres as they were in deep space.
Harry pointed out a disturbance in the water a few miles to the southwest. The bulbous navy blue roof of a Deep Blue submersible. Charley cruised low and approached the marine vessel with extreme caution.
“Copy that,” Charley said, reining the Surprise in and cutting a lazy loop around the submersible.
“Transmitting my Guild ID and base stats,” Charley said, keying her wrist pad. She waited a moment while the man on the other end checked his data. The Phoenix ran loops high above them, watching with interest.
Charley exchanged a grin with Harry.
“Glad to hear that, harvester,” Charley said.
Harry frowned. “That wasn’t the deal,” he said. Charley held his hand.
“What’s your price, harvester?” she asked.
Charley didn’t know what to say. There was no doubt that Deep Blue Company would punish them for what they were doing, probably with death. It just showed how desperate these poor workers were to stick it to the man. With a sad smile Charley keyed in a generous transfer to the credit node she detected in the vicinity. She figured 50,000 was much less than they would be receiving from the eventual delivery of the krill, but it was large enough to placate the workers. They were demonstrating to their comrades that defiance was possible, however fleeting.
The submersible duly disappeared, sinking beneath the ocean’s froth. Within half a minute a waterproof pontoon appeared, bobbing on the swell.
“They’re sacrificing their lives for this,” Harry said with uncharacteristic gravity. “As pirates it’s our duty to get the highest price we can.”
“I agree,” Charley said. She hadn’t meant to be drawn into an industrial dispute, but if she could profit from the encounter, she would. It was becoming increasingly apparent that pirates invariably sided with the little person. The underdog. It seemed to be against the pirate code to steal from someone with less. Charley was fine with that. She was also fine with looting the big, faceless corporations that made so many people’s lives a misery. With renewed determination she opened the cargo bay doors and released a magnetic disc attached to a winched cable. Most pontoons came equipped with magnetic receptors that allowed them t
o be lifted by airborne vessels. It was dangerous to land on the water here - the swell was too heavy.
Charley breathed a sigh of relief as the disc latched onto the pontoon and stayed there.
“Retracting cable,” Harry murmured.
Charley watched the screen as the load was lifted from the water and toward the Surprise.
“Try and tilt the aft of the ship back a little,” Harry advised.
Charley did just that. The load reached the flat cable beam that allowed for clear delivery into the cargo bay. The pontoon slid through the doors and the extraction was complete.
“Closing bay doors,” Harry said in a satisfied tone. “We can contact a salukar buyer in orbit.”
Charley gained altitude in a graceful arc, keen to be clear of Deep Blue now that they had broken several laws. A message from Gronko pierced the com channel.
“I have nothing on nav,” Harry said.
“He’s right,” Harry said at length, showing Charley five pale specks on the edge of scanning range. “Security drones. Must’ve automatically triggered as soon as we lifted the pontoon.”
“We in trouble, Harry?”
The old pirate scratched at his stubbly beard. “Well, those things are faster than us. But nothing some good old-fashioned flying can’t beat.”
Harry slapped Charley on the shoulder and made a show of reclining in his nav chair. She wished she could match his breezy confidence. Deep Blue Company had every right to want their heads for what they’d just done.
“What’s our strategy?” she asked nervously.
“Use Gronko,” Harry urged. “Draw enemy fire and let the renki bring his hammer down.”
Charley assumed that meant flying in close to the face of the enemy. She wheeled around so the closing distance was cut drastically. The approaching drones opened fire with crackling blue laser bolts. The Surprise’s front shields crackled and fizzed with energy.
“I haven’t seen those before, Harry,” Charley commented.
“Watch those bolts then, Charley,” Harry warned. “They’re trying to soften us up before firing their missiles.”
Charley pulled hard port and in an attempt to evade the drone squadron. The enemy units were flying in perfect synchronicity, probably piloted by androids. Very expensive. Just Charley’s luck to encounter the best in corporate security just when she’d made her first big heist! Proton fire continued to stalk her as she wheeled and dived.
“You’re too stiff,” Harry commented. “Try and make your angles more organic, harder to predict.”
Charley didn’t actually know what that meant, but tried to relax her body anyway. Her fingers caressed the weapons toggles on each of the steering joysticks - she was eager to return fire if given the chance. The drones were doing extremely well to deny her that opportunity. The Surprise was like a cat on a hot tin roof. As the vessel veered into a steep climb, a hail of red laser fire crossed her starboard bough and raked the drone squadron on her tail. The leading drone erupted into a ball of green flame and spiraled into the ocean. Gronko had picked his moment to perfection. The Phoenix roared into the fray, picking off another drone with ruthless efficiency. The enemy craft seemed vulnerable to direct hits. Gronko was showing a very cool head as a pilot.
“Keep going, Gronko,” Charley urged as enemy fire thudded into the rear shields.
“Shields holding for now,” Harry reported. “But we can’t take much more.”
Charley took a deep breath and steered the Surprise into a severe dive. It was an unexpected move and the remaining drones were caught off guard. Her targeting computer locked on to a drone and she squeezed both triggers with glee. Lasers squirted from the undercarriage, spitting at the drone venomously. She also released a missile that thundered straight through the drone’s shields and dissolved it into a cloud of vapor. The heat blast rocked the Surprise and almost threw it off course.
“A little close for missiles, don’t you think?” Harry murmured.
Charley grinned, a little embarrassed. It was probably a good idea not to be too wasteful with the missiles. She had a feeling they ‘d be needing all of them quite soon. The Phoenix cut across the Surprise’s wake, lasers peppering fire at the last two drones. One was crippled and fell uselessly to the rolling ocean swells. Incisive proton fire struck the Surprise’s starboard shields, which flickered and shorted out.
“Protect your starboard flank,” Harry urged, and Charley banked accordingly. She drew a long arc that denied the enemy a direct target lock. This allowed Gronko to send lethal laser fire, pulverizing the final drone in green flame. Charley leaned on the controls, sighing in relief.
“Good job, pirates,” she said over the com. “Phoenix, take my shoulder and let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Harry charted a quick orbital lift before more Deep Blue security drones could arrive. The Surprise broke orbit without incident and once they were cruising though black space, Charley checked on the starboard shield. It hadn’t been badly damaged and was recharging steadily. Harry deployed a coded transmission advertising the krill haul. Salukar traders were known to travel through the sector. A medium hauler answered their call and expressed guarded interest in the stolen pontoon. The salukar trader wished to see the goods first hand, which Charley reluctantly agreed to. She had a twinge of anxiety as the big reptile docked his hauler and stepped into the Surprise, remembering the salukar that worked for Petyr Fallon back on Mina IV. That had been a close escape.
The meeting was mercifully brief. The big reptile took a sample of krill and pressed it into a small cube. Reading off the diagnostics, he spoke in a harsh baritone.
“This is better than what I normally get,” he said. “Sending an offer now.”
Charley consulted her wrist pad and barely contained her surprise. The salukar was offering 130,000 for the entire pontoon! She could only guess at the level of delicacy the krill represented for salukar dinner tables.
“I’ve heard it increases their mental acuity without addiction or comedown,” Harry whispered to Charley. “They die for that stuff.”
Charley wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“Your offer is accepted,” she said as casually as possible. The salukar nodded curtly and rejoined his ship. Vanessa helped Harry transfer the pontoon on a grav pallet. The girl had been itching for some action and enjoyed the heavy work. Once the salukar was on his way, his aft lights trailing into the distance, Charley anxiously checked her scanners. If Deep Blue knew where they were, they weren’t bothering to press home an attack. At this range Charley’s little fleet could warp well before they arrived. She was simply happy to set a course away from the system. Gronko had the Phoenix on her starboard shoulder as commanded.
53
“Charley,” Harry said, laying two welcoming hands on her shoulders, “may I have a private word?”
The pair retired to the master bedroom. Charley wondered if Harry wanted to screw her, but instead he flopped into a chair and rested his head on steepled hands. Charley loved it when he did that - it meant he was deep in thought.
“A job like that always comes at a cost,” he said. “Screwing Deep Blue means we can’t go back there anytime soon. We’ll carry black flags on their systems, which means instant assassination. A good pirate knows when to lay low for a while.”
Charley saw the wisdom of this. “A beach resort, then?”
Harry grinned. “Not quite,” he said. “No reason why we can’t continue plundering the Beluga Run.”
Charley’s spirits lifted immediately. She’d been hoping Harry would suggest another adventure. Despite the recent action she felt refreshed and revved up. The Pirate Guild needed to make another play.
“Show me the way, Harry Teks.”
/> “We have two options as far as I can tell,” Harry said. “I’ve been studying the system profiles. We can either head to the Yondos system, where a big fat trade route could net us a string of wealthy corvettes, or we could take the more speculative option.”
“Tell me about Plan B.”
“The system is Mandavar,” Harry said. “Weak, brown dwarf star. There are nine rocky planets and the fourth goes by the name of Frostfire. It used to be a major hub of criminal activity. Smuggling, slavery, you name it. The old Empire built several strategic bases there. Around forty years ago a meteor crashed into the planet and knocked it off its normal axis. The global climate changed for the worse. Now it’s an icebound sphere, a winter retreat at best. All the old trade routes died and the Imperials deserted their facilities. I don’t know who lives there now but I do know that the wildlife is beginning to return. I’m particularly interested in a certain creature.”
“We’re going on a hunt?” Charley asked playfully.
“Sometimes a pirate has sentimental reasons for taking a job,” Harry said wistfully. “My grandfather was a superb hunter. Some of his better kills netted him a small fortune. There are folk out there who pay top dollar for trophies. My contact, a retired hunter, tells me that silver elk have been seen in the northern forests of Frostfire.”
Charley’s mind worked overtime. Silver elk? They certainly sounded exotic.
“I take it they’re valuable?” she asked.
Harry grinned. “Their antlers are galaxy-renowned for their fibrous bone,” he said. “Even better, you don’t have to kill the elk to harvest them. The antlers grow back over time. Thing is, they’ve never been reared in captivity. They’re too sensitive.”
“So they’ve appeared in the deep, dark, Frostfire forests,” Charley mused. “I’m thinking we won’t be bothered by the likes of bandits or Imperials on this mission.”
“Precisely,” Harry beamed. “As far as I’m concerned it’s the perfect next step. I just wanted to run it past you first. It’s speculative, which means there’s no guarantee of a payday.”
The Pirate Guild Page 25