“It only took one, they were still governing by consensus.”
“That never works, I have no idea why anyone went along with Liam’s model. Consensus government is something for dreamers and crazed optimists.”
“You know, he had me convinced it could work for the first few months, and it did,” Oz replied. “But Liam’s gone, and the government is shuffling into a new majority system, adding seats so Haven Shore is set to grow, finally.”
“It’s about time. Too bad Liam left though, he was a good asset to the Triton at least.” The statement irked Jake as he said it. He was glad to see Liam Grady leave, and knew that the people tending the Triton knew more than they needed to since the computer’s records were fully accessible at long last. Seeing footage of Ayan standing across the table from Liam at council meetings made him wince, though he’d never admit it.
“You’re allowed to celebrate,” Oz said.
“Get out of my head,” Jake replied.
“No one expects you to act like a statesman,” Oz said with a chuckle. “You’re the renegade captain, wanted in nine sectors.”
“Ten,” Jake said.
“Okay, ten sectors. People expect you to be rough around the edges, and they listen for your frank opinions. With everyone else playing the alliance game, you’re one of the last people who can just say what’s on their mind and not worry about the fallout, especially now that you have backing from the British Alliance. Congratulations on the privateering contract.”
“Thanks, but I can’t help but wonder,” Jake said. “What are the strings from that contract tied to? The terms are too open, I have too much power for too little in return. There are strings I’m not seeing here, or we’re being used for a longer game than I can predict.”
“You’re the hammer that will swing itself,” Oz replied. “If it does too much damage, they can drop it and say whatever you’ve done wasn’t their fault.”
“Maybe it’s that simple. Ever since I got the details about the Victory Machine and the motivation behind the Holocaust Virus, I think I’ve been seeing conspiracies around every corner.”
“I know the feeling,” Oz said. “I keep expecting the third watch bridge crew to wake me up in the middle of the night reporting that they’ve found a cadre of Citadel spies, or detected an Edxian battle group is entering the system.”
“At least we know that if we don’t win this war with the Order, there will be another war in thirty years,” Jake replied. “Maybe a lot sooner.”
“You find that reassuring?” Oz asked.
“I’d rather know than not. I just wonder what the British Alliance will do with the information now that they have our package.”
“Who knows? I’m just surprised you got thirty-five million for it. The Triton’s share is a huge help.”
“You’re welcome. Haven Shore will be pissed when they find out we cut them out and sent their three million directly to Ayan.”
“I haven’t told her the deal went through yet. I thought you could give her the news, and the cash.”
“That’s all right, send her the news, and store her part wherever she wants it,” Jake said.
“Something going on between you two?” Oz asked.
“Nothing. I’ve been away and we haven’t crossed paths in two months. I moved on.”
“I was going to say, sorry things didn’t work out with Xanna.”
“It wasn’t serious, I don’t think either of us expected much.”
“I bet Ayan will be relieved.”
Jake fixed him with a warning glance.
“Moving on,” Oz said, clearing his throat.
The pair walked down the small private hallway leading to the security office and Oz’s ready room. “I want to ask for crewmembers for the Warlord, but I know you need everyone for the Triton’s refit, so how about a compromise. Just set us up with a few people who can program skitters so we can get some working on the Warlord. I’ll give you a good deal on a few materializers,” Jake said.
“You know everyone here is earmarked for something, training took months. I was going to ask if there was anyone you can spare. I’m short on senior staff.”
“You shouldn’t have let people transfer to Haven Shore, you knew you wouldn’t get people transferring back.”
“What was I going to do? It’s not like they had much choice but to be on Triton when most of these people came aboard. We rescued slaves and took on refugees, not exactly the best recruitment strategy.”
“True, you should start recruiting on Tamber, or even better, Kambis.”
“The Carthan Government is telling us not to, they’re afraid we’ll start picking up some of their former prisoners.”
“Never trust a government that brainwashes their criminals to become soldiers,” Jake said. “It’s not a new rule on my ship.”
“Good rule,” Oz said.
“From experience,” Jake added. “Listen, Oz, the British Alliance people I got on loan are gone, all of them. My ship’s interior still isn’t finished, and I have new problems that are going to take even more manpower to fix. I need some of your people, even for just a week – anything will help.”
“How about you send me a couple hundred skitters and I’ll start looking for five or six permanent volunteers for the Warlord?” Oz asked.
“How does that measure up? Six volunteers don’t make up for the work a couple hundred skitters can do once we program them. How about you set up a few volunteers and we trade you five materializers each. These things are too dainty to work on most of what the Warlord needs, but they’re perfect for a lot of the Triton’s interior finishing.”
“If privateering doesn’t work out, you should go into retail,” Oz replied. “Yeah, fine, sure. I’ll find a few people who are looking for the kind of adventure they’ll find on the Warlord.”
“Make sure they can program skitters,” Jake said.
“You know, there’s another deal I’ll make. You give me Agameg or Finn and I’ll find you twenty able crewmen in exchange.”
“Stop trying to poach my best people,” Jake replied, laughing.
“Twenty crewmen for either one,” Oz pressed.
“How about a hundred?”
“Fine, I’ll drop it.” Oz and Jake walked into the ready room, soft lighting activated, bathing the simple interior in warm colours. Through the main transparent section of hull, Jake could see the British Alliance’s Third Battlegroup. Three massive carriers lazily drifted amongst an uncountable number of destroyers that were vaguely shaped like rifles. Between them were dozens of interception corvettes a little bigger than the Warlord and fighters on patrol. “So, you’re really not going to offer anything from this haul to Haven Shore.”
“Not even the empty cargo containers when we’re done. They’re getting a complete list though,” Jake replied.
“Oh, that’s cruel,” Oz replied with a chuckle.
“They have it coming. We brought most of those people here, took care of them, and they’re not willing to choose us over the Carthans? Yeah, Ayan and her island city are getting the same treatment my crew are getting.”
“This haul is that good?” Oz asked.
“You’re about to find out.”
“And you’re giving me first pick even though you know I’m running a cash-strapped ship?”
“You mean cash-absent, once you use what Minh and I brought in on supplies, don’t you?”
“Cheap shot,” Oz replied.
“Yeah, I’m offering you an opportunity you can’t refuse. How would you like to have a Xetima farm?”
“What? How? I mean, you’d just leave that here with me? There’s no way I could afford it, even on a twenty year payment plan.”
“I’ll leave it here. You take care of it, get it expanding, sell what you don’t use to enhance your thrusters, and I’ll take thirty five percent,” Jake said.
“We’ve got maybe two small ships that use Xetima, most would be for sale,” Oz replied.
“Exactly. You could increase the Triton’s thrust by eighty percent and have enough excess to become the main supplier in this system. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“You should have haggled, I would have gone down to twenty.”
“I don’t care,” Oz said. “Why not sell it to the British?”
“They’d give us a good offer on it, sure,” Jake said. “But then they’d move it out of the system and resell it to some coreward ally. They don’t have a need for the stuff. Besides, I want to tie the Warlord in with the Triton’s battle group. If not officially, then economically.”
“You know that Triton will be joining in on the offensive the moment he’s in shape and crewed up properly, you don’t have to tie us in, we’re with you already.”
“I know, but there are no ties like economic ties. If we’re connected on the record, then your future officers can’t leave me out of decisions in the future. I know some of your officers in training don’t like me or the Warlord. They believe we’re early instigators.”
“Who are you talking to on my ship?” Oz asked.
“The more people I loan you, the more I hear,” Jake said with a knowing smile.
“Ashley,” Oz said. “The one everyone wants to talk to off duty.”
“And more,” Jake replied. “There are people on your ship who have approached me asking about transferring to the Warlord. Your crew is starting to split, one side wants to fight as soon as possible, the other believes the Warlord is out there picking a fight too early.”
“Any chance I could get a list of crewmembers who’ve gone behind my back with transfer requests?”
“Sure, if I can get my pick of them for my crew.”
Oz laughed and nodded. “We’re two captains here, not two old friends in this conversation, right?”
“I’m sitting on the biggest privateering take in the solar system, trying to firm up ties with one of the most influential commanders in the region. Friendship is easy, negotiations are hard.”
“Okay, what’s at the top of your list, Jake? You’ve given me a fuel production operation, told me you have evidence of a rift in my crew, and will trade me important manufacturing systems on the cheap. What’s the big ticket item you’re pushing for, Captain?”
“All right, Admiral,” Jake replied with a smirk. “I have a vision for the Triton in this war. You lead her into enemy territory, hidden. The Warlord and other ships in her class fly missions off your launch decks, and the Triton becomes a platform for important operations.” Jake could tell from Oz’s reaction that he had thought of something similar, and he knew that getting the Triton’s cloaking systems was a big priority when the Warlord departed seven weeks before. That technology was key in Jake’s plan.
“And Haven Shore?” Oz asked.
“They don’t seem interested in joining the team, so leave them out after appealing to qualified people to join your crew. Haven Shore is a great place for shore leave, even if they charge every member of my crew like tourists. The Triton is too important to be tied to a single solar system during war time, it’s made to perform as a mobile base of operations.”
“It’s made for long term missions of exploration and defence,” Oz corrected. “But I see your point. The reformation of Haven Shore’s government may change a lot for Triton, maybe the Warlord too. I can see your vision, but it’s too early to tell if that’ll be the way things turn out – Triton isn’t ready for long range missions yet.”
“So, we’ll see,” Jake said.
“We’ll see,” Oz agreed. “I do still want Triton in this fight, Jake.”
“I know, but thanks for reminding me. Just keep thinking about what kind of difference one carrier could make at this end of the sector once it gets moving. I’m giving you an intelligence update on the Order and Regent Galactic out here. You’ll see what I see – a soft underbelly. I want to run the Warlord off the deck of the Triton in a month at the latest. If the Warlord can build a legend for itself and the Triton because people see we’re working together, you’ll never have to worry about finding good crewmembers. You’ll be turning them away. We should fight this war together.”
“I’m doing everything I can to get Triton in shape,” Oz replied. “If I can find a way to set up a Xetima farm and crew it, then we might be able to buy half of the fixtures we need outright; we won’t have to fabricate everything ourselves.” Oz handed Jake a glass of dark amber restorative juice. It was a vitamin and mineral cocktail that tasted like old-fashioned iced tea, a product unique to the British worlds.
“Here’s to that,” Jake said, raising his glass.
“Are you sure I can’t wrestle Agameg from you for a few weeks?” Oz asked.
An emergency communication came through and Jake answered while shaking his head and rolling his eyes. “We have a problem, Steph?”
“There’s a ship coming in from the Irish Territories, it’s in bad shape.”
Oz checked his command and control unit and nodded. “Triton Control just granted them permission to land in Hangar Two.”
“On my way,” Jake said. He chugged the contents of his glass and started for the door.
“I’m going with you,” Oz said. “The Irish Territories are right in the engagement zone.”
CHAPTER 23
Family Reunion
Jacob Valent, Terry Ozark McPatrick, Minh-Chu Buu, and Ashley Lamport met in the waiting area overlooking Hangar Two of the Triton. They watched the Hell Shrike as it was elevated into the large hanger. The ship was longer than it was wide, bristling with paired railgun turret emplacements. The multi-coloured hull was battered through in some places, melted through in others, and dented everywhere between. Five big pulse propulsion engines stuck out the back, and thruster pots dotted the surface of the ship.
“Where are Frost and Steph?” Jake asked.
“Frost was inside one of the cargo containers so he couldn’t get our messages, she’s getting him down here,” Ashley replied. “She figured it would be better if she got him herself instead of relaying things through a crewman.”
“Ever see an Irish Union city?” Minh-Chu asked as the industrial sized lift reached the bottom and the door started sliding open.
“Never,” Jake said. “I’ve heard a lot about them from Frost and Stephanie, though.”
“Stephanie’s from somewhere near there?”
“A couple stars to the left. The Irish Union and a lot of early colonials settled in the same sector during the first exodus,” Ashley replied. “I’ve seen a few old cities. Some are beautiful, the sorts of places you want to make your home port. Most are pretty rough though, lots of people struggling. A lot like Stephanie’s home town.”
They started walking towards the fifty-eight metre long ship. “They’re in pretty rough shape,” Oz said. “I have a medical team on the way.”
“Just one?” Jake asked.
“We only have one.” They could see five ramps lowering and a few crewmembers who had the look of commanders in mid-length green, black, and orange coats leading a few crewmembers down. Everyone was armed, and they stayed close to the ship once they debarked, fairly standard behaviour. Crews didn’t normally mingle before their captains met with representatives.
The hangar’s secondary cargo lift arrived behind Jake and Minh-Chu, delivering a squad of armed Triton soldiers. “How does it look, Sir?” the sergeant asked over proximity radio.
“I think we’re good,” Oz replied. “Hang back and stay ready just in case. Be ready to offer assistance, they could have injured aboard.”
“Aye.”
“Should we wait for Frost?” Minh-Chu asked.
Jake watched as one person split from the crowd forming around the ship and started towards them. She had broad features and dark skin. The battered coat she wore and scarred form-fit armour told Jake tales of close-quarters combat and boarding missions. The guns slung below her hips told the rest of the story. The pistols were heavily modified f
or increased power, and they looked well used.
A few burn scars and pockmarks running along her left jaw didn’t spoil her beauty; they only made her more interesting. He almost didn’t notice the two women and one man catching up to her as she approached. “I’m Captain Moira McFadden, this is Captain Eily Hogan, Captain Mickey Kane, and Captain Oma Bell. We’ve heard about your fight here, and are at your service,” she said with conviction. “I know what you’re thinking,” Captain McFadden continued, her brown eyes examining him. “Four captains, one ship. Captain Kane here is the only one who has a ship that’ll thrust or shoot, the rest of us had ours blasted out from under us by the Order.”
“We put Captain McFadden in command of my ship on account of her record,” Captain Kane said. He was a grizzled, stout fellow with cybernetic eyes that reminded Jake of Alice’s old mechanical implant. “She’s the war hero.”
“We heard your signal clear and strong when you put the call out to captains who wanted to join your fight against the Order,” Captain Bell added. She looked as grizzled as Kane; her blonde hair was cut down to stubble. “We’re hoping to fix up the Hell Shrike somewhere and capture a few ships we can crew so we can help build up your fleet.”
“Aye,” Captain Moira McFadden said. “If you don’t mind me asking, how is that fleet coming along?”
Jake had never felt more put on the spot than he did right then. The sideways glance from Minh-Chu didn’t help. “We have a fighter squadron and I’m re-crewing my ship, but as soon as we’re set, the Warlord is heading back out.”
Randolph Lalonde - Spinward Fringe Broadcast 08 - Renegades Page 16
