"Clear." Aria said a moment later.
"We need to work on sealing this door. Ell said we may have more incoming." Jason ordered. After a few more tense minutes I heard a solid thud that I hoped was the engine room door closing.
"That should hold for a bit." I found Aria's bright comment reassuring, even though her word choice wasn't that positive.
I muted my side of the comm and contacted Gabriel. "The immediate threat to the Waylay is neutralized. We will need our shuttle prepped for takeoff, to retrieve our crew."
It took only minutes for Mark to get the Annabel Lee back online. As the freighter’s systems came on one by one, I ran checks for damage. Everything seemed to be operational; apparently the pirates didn't want to damage their prize. I started a visual scan, cross referenced by the life signs that our scanners were picking up. "Peter, it looks like you will be needed to treat some of the Annabel Lee's crew. The pirates who attacked them weren't very gentle when they rounded everyone up." I then switched back over to Jason's comm. "You have two hostels waiting outside of your door. There are two more on the bridge, but I have them locked in and three more standing guard over the hostages in the cargo hold."
"Copy that. We’ll mop this up and you can work on getting us back home." Jason replied. I watched through the freighter’s sensors as the three of them moved as one unit to neutralize the threat of the remaining pirates. I just opened doors for them when Jason gave the word. It was evident that Jason and his team were efficient in combat, and though they took down all hostiles with extreme precision, I could tell that they were trying to minimize the level of harm they inflicted on their opponents.
The pirates on the Berserker which had tried to ambush the Waylay were becoming agitated. They had no idea why their ship wasn't responding. The manual overrides that they did enter into its control system were useless. They hadn't lost any power, other than being locked out of their own systems, and we weren't attacking them, but they had lost contact with all of their boarding party on the Annabel Lee. They were effectively blind, deaf, and dumb.
I took control over the speakers of the Berserker. "I will give you more of a choice than you have given any of your victims. I can leave you here; dead in the water, broadcasting a message that you are pirates and that you are in need of help. Or I will lock your ship on autopilot and it will deliver you to the nearest prison station or penal colony. The choice is yours."
My words caused uproar among the pirate crew. They obviously didn't want to choose either of the options that they had been given. I was curious to see if they would actually come to a decision.
The Waylay in Willow’s Quarters -Day 358- Bree Reiter
Natasha and I followed Willow and Echo up to their quarters. None of us wanted to be alone when there was the possibility of danger.
“You've been on the ship the longest of us, have you seen the crew in action before?” Natasha asked Willow.
“They took a bounty just after I arrived, but it was all done without leaving the ship.” Willow replied. “Peter and I fixed the man up so he could be put in cryo. He had crossed a gang where he was hiding on Shangri-La. I did see Aria and Mark setting up their gear and weapons. They seem very competent.” She added.
Echo babbled something at us, probably because we weren't paying attention to her. Willow smiled radiantly. I couldn't imagine a biological mother being more attached to a child.
“Well, I think Echo wants us to talk of other things.” I teased, tweaking her nose.
Once we were safely in their quarters, Willow put Echo down by her toys. Echo promptly began an examination of a tower of brightly colored rings. “She is such a happy baby.” I said. “I've noticed that every time I've seen her.”
“I know. It makes taking care of her a delight. I was worried at first.” Willow replied.
“But you're so good with her. Were you worried you wouldn't be?” Natasha asked.
“Ell's brother William was a calculating man, he was thrilled at the thought of a child, but in all other aspects he seemed cold. His wife Lydia was even more distant. She didn't seem to have any feelings for the child that grew inside her. I didn't know what to expect from their offspring. But at first I was only to have her until she was old enough for the Teragene antidote.” Willow sighed, “It will sound terrible, but I don't know what I would have done if I had to give her back now.”
“They don't sound like they would have been the best parents.” I said.
“Well, to be fair I didn't see either of them at their best. I don’t believe that either of them had the easiest life. Ell's brother was an orphan; his wife said she had no family. I wonder if she thought Neil was dead. She always wore concealing clothes. I saw why during an exam. She was scarred and had what looked to be a hot iron brand mark in the form of a D. Something awful must have happened to her.”
“That makes Echo even more special." Natasha said. "When I found out who my father was, my mother said, ‘I was something good that was the result of a bad situation.’”
I reached over and squeezed Natasha’s hand, and Willow said, “Your mother sounds like a wise woman. So many times children are blamed for things they have no control over. It is a foolish habit.”
“Yes it is, isn't it?” Natasha said with a smile.
Suddenly the power blinked out and amber colored emergency lights came on. “I guess there is some trouble after all. I hope everyone is alright.” I said.
Echo started to whimper, and since I was closest I picked her up and cuddled her. It felt oddly reassuring. We continued to talk about family. Willow was the only one who had a normal family unit, though I could sense that there had been some strain within her childhood.
It felt as if I had missed out on something important. Echo snuggled closer to me and began to drift to sleep. Again I felt an odd sense of comfort. Maybe I was just reading that she was comfortable with me.
“All clear.” Ell's voice over the comm. “If you want to leave your quarters you can.”
I looked down at Echo as she slept in my arms. “I know. You don't want to give her up either.” Willow said with a smile. “But we really should put her in her bed.”
I smiled back. “Point the way.”
Annabel Lee -Day 358- Jason Singer
I had to chuckle at the ultimatum that Ell had given the pirates. She may have trouble with some of the finer points of morality but she had a flair for poetic justice. We rounded up the last of the pirates on the Annabel Lee and started to release their hostages. I asked the group of hostages, "Where is your captain?"
A tall woman with chestnut hair coiled up at the crown of her head, stepped away from where she had been checking the wounds of one of the freighter’s Hybrids; I hoped that we hadn't saved a slave ship.
"I'm Miranda; The Captain of this ship." She said, with challenge in her eyes.
"I'm Jason Singer, do you have a doctor to see to your wounded man." I asked knowing that a slaver wouldn't see a Hybrid as a person but as property.
"Our doctor was injured in the fight when we were boarded." Miranda responded, her tone softening. I hoped that her change in attitude was due to the way I asked about the Hybrid in her care.
"My brother is a doctor; he should be here soon, with my shuttle and a few more of my crew. He'll be happy to do what he can to help your injured. What do you want done with the pirates that are still on your ship?" I was giving her a real test, to see what she would decide.
Miranda responded, "If you don't want to collect whatever bounty the pirates may have on their heads, I will take care of them. One or two of the younger pirates may be redeemable. They were fairly squeamish about the violence that their leaders were inflicting on my crew. As for the others, I have friends that can handle the more vicious ones in a productive way." She shared. I felt like she was testing me the same way that I was her.
"Captain Miranda is the owner of a number of slaves but if you look deeper, her documents are forged. They are good forgeri
es but it appears she may be harboring escaped slaves." Ell informed me through my earpiece. "The shuttle should be docking momentarily. It also looks like the pirates are leaning towards prison instead of marooning; all of the new recruits were in the boarding party." Ell added.
"My wife just let me know that we will be claiming the bounty from the Berserker class sloop of war. Good luck bringing the younger ones around. I hope they realize what it is you will be offering them. Where are you folks heading?" I asked. A small airlock on the side of the cavernous cargo bay opened, revealing Damian and Kendric, with Peter close behind.
Captain Miranda responded, "The Jakodi Droneplex Station. We are carrying tonnage of industrial scrap metal. This shipment will be paying for some much needed upgrades to my girl. She isn't the newest or the fastest, but she can move twice as much cargo as the newer models." She shared while keeping her eye on Peter as he tended to her injured crew.
"We had to put a makeshift, temporary seal on your starboard airlock. Other than that, all of your systems are up and running. As soon as Peter finishes caring for your people you can get back on your way." I informed her.
"I appreciate it." Her tone was genuine. "If they had hit us on our way back from Jakodi Station, after our upgrades were in place, we would have had a better chance of holding them off." She mused. As she said previously, her ship could be called an antique, but shipyards sure didn't make them like this anymore. If Miranda got some stronger defense upgrades to the Annabel Lee, she would be a formidable ally in the shipping industry.
"If you need a hand again between here and the station we will keep an ear out for you. We are heading the same way, and there aren't enough independent contractors out there that are as forward thinking as you and me. We need to help each other out whenever we can." I could see that Damian and Kendric were making the rounds, checking in on the Hybrids that were part of her crew. I was glad to know that we would be getting a second verification of how Captain Miranda had been treating the Hybrids on her ship. I didn't doubt what Ell found, but it was nice to know we would be getting at least part of the story from another source.
As Peter worked, the rest of us gave a hand rounding up the pirates that we had taken down. Miranda didn't show any signs of having them treated badly, and Kendric and Damian showed no objections to her plans. I personally checked that the corridor with the damaged airlock was sealed off; Aria's suppression foam was holding strong, but I didn't think it was something that we should be taking any chances with.
Once Peter was finished, we all made our farewells and boarded the shuttle. "What did you think of her setup?" I asked Kendric.
"We have come across a few sympathetic captains like Miranda in the past. The Coalition tries to keep in contact with them, without making ties that could lead back to us. Miranda has had dealings with the Coalition, unbeknownst to her." Kendric shared.
"She vaguely shared as much with me." I said.
"Her openness is one reason for us to keep our distance from all but the most dedicated to our cause. I was quite surprised that Patrice trusted you so soon after meeting you." Kendric wore an expression of concentration. "None of Miranda's crew shares a similar gift as me, to my knowledge. You made quite a first impression."
"I have a way of doing that." I brushed off his comment. Now that my concern for the Hybrids was satisfied I didn't want to go into that topic any further. "Ell will be waiting for us." I changed the subject as we came into the docking bay of the Waylay.
"I'll make sure we are all speaking of more pleasant things soon." Ell said reassuringly, directly into my earpiece.
The Waylay Approaching Jakodi Station -Day 361- Jason Singer
Everyone but Gabriel, Willow and the baby were gathered on the bridge to see our approach to Jakodi Station and the Droneplex. After our encounter with the pirates, Ell wanted to draw everyone’s attention back to more pleasant things. So she began going into more detail about how the station had been created, "It all started when two young men began building the station over four hundred years ago. The story goes that most people thought they were brothers and many people even referred to them as ‘The Twins’; in actuality though they weren't related at all and even came from different home worlds." I began thinking of Ell as an excellent tour guide, and I could already see the crew drawn in by the story she was relating, as they were all focused on the station we were approaching. I couldn’t help but chuckle at knowing there was so much more to the J’s story. Ell paused, and caught my eye with her left eyebrow raised. It made me remember her warning about the sister.
Then Ell continued, "They had met each other and bonded over their shared love for inventing and all things mechanical. They were both geniuses, the reason they got along so well was that like many other geniuses of their caliber, they had a difficult time socializing with average people. They found that they thought on the same wavelength. If they had been left to their own devices they would have been on par with many other struggling artists and inventors, toiling away, barely making ends meet. Fortunately for them, the younger of the two had a sister, who was as much of a genius with her business sense and personal relations as they were with inventing. Between the twins’ inventions and the sister’s drive they had not only built up a thriving business, but had created their own space station. They also created a major sporting event with a whole economy built around it, which enabled them to establish a certain autonomy, which no one else has so far accomplished. Their station continues to be one of the only places in the inhabited universe where Hybrids can walk around freely without fear of capture. Because their inventions were in such demand no one wanted to object to their wish of establishing a slave free zone."
As Ell was explaining the background of where we were headed, I realized that the thought of going into an area of space completely controlled by bots, all originally programmed by the J's hundreds of years ago wasn't the most exciting prospect for me. I trusted Ell, we had spent years getting to know each other and she is my best friend. After all, if it wasn't for our arrangement I wouldn't even have had the Waylay in the first place. Yet, the Waylay is still my baby and I can't say that I’m thrilled handing over the reins to someone else's bots.
Ell continued, "Jakodi Station’s attached arena and trade port are deep inside of pirate territory. The pirate controlled space forms a protective barrier around the Jakodi Station’s territory, with only one safe way in or out. Around the perimeter of the J's territory are highly fortified satellites, with shields, and each one having both weapon systems and squadrons of drone interceptors to ward off any threats."
As Ell pulled up a visual representation of the Jakodi Station’s territory on the main vid screen for our crew to see, I imagined that the J's had originally designed their area much like a castle, with the space pirates being the deadly predators in the moat, the opening being the gate with drawbridge, and the satellites being the walls and towers to their cosmic citadel.
My imagination was then interrupted once we came to the J's single entry point. We were met with a message from one of the bots stationed in one of the formidable satellites that comprised the gateway into their territory. "State your name and business," the voice was obviously mechanical but somehow it gave me the impression of a Major I had worked with in the Service Program who had become very full of himself upon receiving a promotion.
"I'm Captain Jason Singer. My ship the Waylay and crew seek to dock at the J's station. My wife Ell Singer knows the J's and is here to meet with them." I responded.
"Excellent sir; I will have drones guide your ship to a safe docking area. Please note that all navigation and weapon systems on your ship are now deactivated and that you will no longer have direct control over these systems while in our neutral space." The bot informed me.
It was understandable that the J's setup these precautions for all ships entering their space; after all it was a neutral zone where Hybrids, corporations, pirates, bounty hunters, mercenaries, and even rul
ers of entire planets could all be at once. So having precautions allowing complete control over ships made sense. It still didn't mean that I liked such precautions for MY ship. I never liked the feeling of not being in control.
I looked over at Ell, raising my eyebrow back at her and questioned, "Are you sure about this?"
Ell smiled and laughed, "Of course. We are completely safe here. No one would risk open conflict in this territory. They wouldn't want to lose their privileges to the cutting edge technologies which are tested in the arena."
I felt somewhat reassured... yet still mostly uneasy. I responded, "Okay, but don't let them scratch my baby up."
Once we had passed the main gate, Ell changed the vid screen to reveal the scene which awaited us, and I realized that it was a melting pot of culture. I could see everything from trade ships, pirate corsairs, corporate marked frigates, junk haulers, mining vessels and everything in-between dotting the backdrop of space... of course all being towed back and forth by the J's programmed drones. In all of my travels I had never seen so many types of ships all together at once, especially without any conflicts arising.
The arena was massive and I could see the space station looming high above it in the background. If the station had been designed in the same artistic fashion as the arena, which was meant to attract visitors, then their station might have looked like a majestic castle floating above it. However… to say that Jakodi Station was eclectic would be an understatement. It appeared to incorporate all types of space architectural styles, not necessarily for the better. It seemed that the J's had been inspired with a grand design, then suddenly stopped halfway through the addition, just to resume it later on with a completely different idea.
Alpha Dawn: Book one of the Teragene Chronicles Page 19
