By Darkness Forged (Seeker's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper Book 3)

by Nathan Lowell

  Ms. Cross raised her hand as did one of Penna’s enginemen and a spec-three with a gravity insignia on his tunic.

  “Ms. Cross, would you go to the wardroom and ask Ms. Ross to join me here?”

  “Sar, there are other ... people ... with them.”

  I nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Cross. Hang tight here, then.” I looked at the engineman, “Ms. Moore, isn’t it?”

  She nodded. “Yes, sar. Carla Moore.”

  “You’re supposed to be in environmental?”

  “Yes, sar.”

  “Mr. Penna aboard?”

  She shook her head after a glance at Snake.

  I sighed. “Please resume your watch station, Ms. Moore.”

  She was gone almost before I finished speaking.

  “Mr. Bell, right?” I asked.

  The spec-three nodded. “Yes, sar.”

  “Your duty station is unattended at the moment. Remedy that, please.”

  “Aye, aye, sar.” He stood and made a slightly more dignified exit.

  “Mr. Bentley, I believe you have the brow?”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Would you take your new playmate with you and resume your station, please?”

  The woman growled. “I have a name, asshole.”

  I nodded. “I assumed you did. If you’d share it with me, I’d be happy to call you by it.”

  “It’s Samantha,” she said with a glare around the compartment.

  “Samantha what?” I asked.

  “Grant.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Grant.” I looked at Bentley again. “As I was saying, Mr. Bentley, would you take Ms. Grant with you and resume your station?”

  “Aye, aye, Captain.” Bentley, ever the gentleman, offered his arm to Ms. Grant, who scowled at him. He shrugged and waved her ahead. She went with Bentley following, a bemused expression on his face.

  “All right. The rest of you, hang loose. Ms. Sharps will have fresh coffee up in a couple of ticks. We’ll be going to navigation stations as soon as I’ve checked with the department heads.” I looked around and saw a lot of heads nodding. “Mr. Nunya, I trust we won’t have any problems while I’m gone?”

  “You’re going to leave me with all of them?” he asked, his voice perhaps a note or two higher than it had been before.

  “Why, yes. Yes, I am. What did you think was going to happen? Do you have a problem, Mr. Nunya?”

  He swallowed and looked around. “There’s like twenty of them.”

  “More like fifteen but I take your point, Mr. Nunya.” I looked around the mess deck. “Let me make one thing very clear. This ship is under my command. Mr. Nunya is our guest until such time as he and his colleagues decide that their being here is stupid, counter-productive, and uncomfortable. Please make him feel welcome. Anyone caught fighting will be brought before the mast for nonjudicial punishment.” I paused to let that sink in. “Are we clear?”

  “Yes, sar” echoed in the room.

  “Well, there. Feeling better, Mr. Nunya?” I asked. “They won’t hurt you. I expect you to offer them the same courtesy.”

  He gave a shaky nod.

  “Good. Mr. Snake, I think we’re done here. Come along.” I headed off the mess deck, leaving Snake in my wake and scrambling to catch up.

  “Hey! You can’t just wander off,” he said.

  I stopped in the passageway outside the mess deck. “You people keep saying that. I’m not wandering off. Pay attention, Mr. Snake. I’m getting ready to put this ship into space. I was under the impression that was what you wanted. Have we failed at a basic level of communication?”

  “Yes,” he said. “You seem to think you’re in charge here.”

  I felt the stars on my collar. “Yes. Actually that’s true, Mr. Snake. These stars mean I’m in charge.”

  “I’m the one with the gun,” he said, poking the weapon into my shoulder.

  “I can’t argue that,” I said. “Tell you what. You’re in charge.” I crossed my arms and leaned back against the bulkhead.

  “What?”

  “I’m agreeing with you. You’re in charge. Now what?”

  “Get this ship underway.”

  “I was in the process of doing just that, but you insisted you’re in charge so ... abracadabra. You’re in charge. Carry on, Mr. Snake.”

  “Don’t be a smart-ass. Get this ship underway. Now.” He had a sheen of sweat across his forehead and back over the exposed strip over the top of his head.

  I sighed. “Look, I don’t know who pushed you into this but they chose badly. If you’re in charge, that means you’re the captain. The captain gives the orders. You want to be in charge, then give the orders. Ordering me to get the ship underway isn’t going to do you any good because the process of getting the ship underway means the person in charge gives all the various orders in the correct sequence to cause the ship to leave the dock and sail off into the Deep Dark.” I shrugged. “If you’re going to insist on the charade that you’re in charge, then I’m going to insist that you actually be in charge. Give the orders. Figure out who you’re supposed to give them to. Make sure they’re in the right order. All of that. You’re in charge? Then be in charge.”

  He opened his mouth but I kept right on going.

  “Otherwise I’m going to be in charge, and you can continue to be the pesky puppy humping everybody’s leg and snapping at shadows, insisting you’re in charge like some toddler with a biscuit making stupid, self-centered demands of the adults in the room, who are ignoring you. Now, Mr. Snake, do you want to be in charge, or do you want this ship to get underway and deliver this can?”

  “Get this ship underway,” he said, his voice nearly a snarl.

  “If you would get out of my way, I’m trying to do just that.” I stared at him. “Would it be all right, oh mighty god of all you survey, if I actually got on with it?”

  He took a step back and I headed down the passageway, walking into the ward room to find the three mates seated around the table with another of the would-be hijackers glaring at them, his back in a corner and a long gun pointed generally at Al. “Who are you?” I asked.

  “Who are you?” he asked back.

  Snake came through the door behind me and latched the door closed.

  “I’m the captain. You can call me ‘Captain’ because, well, otherwise I ignore you.” I looked at Al. “Report, Ms. Ross?”

  “They pushed their way aboard when Bentley answered the lock call. Rounded everybody up from around the ship. We got stuffed in here with Chumly while the rest of the crew is, I believe, on the mess deck waiting for you, the chief, and Mr. Carstairs to come aboard.”

  “Anybody hurt?” I asked.

  “None of the crew that I know of. I think Mr. Bentley might be feeling a bit defeated. He hasn’t been able to get into his guard’s pants yet.”

  “Give him time,” I said. “Do we have all the crew aboard? We’re going to have to leave Pip, but I think he’ll find comfort while we’re gone.”

  “We’re missing Penna, Verde, Dent, and Keehn, Captain. They went on liberty this morning and aren’t due back until tomorrow.”

  “Cancel liberty and put out a recall, please.”

  She nodded and pulled out her tablet.

  “Mr. Reed, I have it from an unreliable source that we have a can attached. Would you head up to the bridge and make sure it’s actually there? You should be able to see the latches set correctly on the cargo master’s terminal. While you’re there, plot us a course out of here and file a departure notice to Dark Knight Local for the top of the next hour.”

  “On it, Skipper.” Reed started to rise but the bright bulb in the corner stiffened and swung his weapon around to point at him.

  “Mr. Snake, would you ask your associate to get with the program?”

  “Relax, Frankie,” Snake said.

  “Is this your first hijacking? If you’re going to point that thing at somebody, point it at the one who’s the most danger to you,” I said.


  “Who’s that?” the guy asked, looking around as if he’d missed somebody enter.

  “The individual holding the gun,” I said. “Mr. Reed?” I nodded to the door. “We’re going to need that clearance.”

  He finished getting up and left. I heard his footsteps pounding up the ladder.

  “Ms. Fortuner—”

  “Hey, Snake’s the only one holding a gun in here,” Frankie said.

  I looked at Snake. “Is he your boss’s kid or something?”

  “Why?” Snake asked.

  “Why would you bring him if he wasn’t?”

  “Skipper, there’s no need to be cruel. They’re trying their best,” Al said.

  I sighed. “You’re right. My apologies, Frankie. I appreciate the effort but now I need to ask you both a question.”

  Snake took a step back. “Does it have to do with getting underway?”

  “Yes, although not directly. We need to get the engines up and running. Mr. Reed needs to get the course plotted and laid in. We’ll need to clear with local traffic and maybe see if we can get a tug to pull us back. It’s all part of the process. We talked about that earlier.”

  Snake nodded but I was completely sure he had no idea what I’d just said.

  “So my question is, did you know you were sent out here to die?”

  “Die?” Snake asked.

  “That may be a bit over the top. How about to be caught and locked up?” I asked. “That sound better?”

  “What are you getting at?” he asked, his gaze flickering around the room like he had a balloon deflating in his head, making his skull flap back and forth inside his skin.

  “How many of you are here?” I asked.

  “Eight,” he said.

  “Fine, one I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet.”

  “I’ve met him, Skipper,” Al said. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

  “We’ve got you outnumbered by four to one. We know the ship. We know each other. We know how this ship works and the dangers of being aboard. What were you thinking that you thought you could push aboard, wave a few toys around, and survive a three-week trip through the Deep Dark with only eight people?”

  “We have the guns,” he said. “If you get any smart ideas, some of your crew winds up with glass in their ass. I may not be able to threaten you, but some of your cute little girls and boys here?” He grinned. “That’s your weakness. Captain.”

  “Hold that thought,” I said. “Perhaps you’ll find comfort in it later. Al? We got liberty canceled?”

  “Dent and Verde are on their way back. No response from Keehn or Penna.”

  “Drop them a note. We’re pulling out at the top of the hour. Have them get with Pip and wait until we’re back.”

  “Aye, aye, Skipper.”

  I caught a shift in the ship’s vibration. “I think the chief has the fusactors up to snuff. I think we just went off shore power. Ms. Fortuner, can I ask you to check in with Ms. Sharps? I forgot to ask her about stores. We should have enough to last a few weeks, even with a few extra mouths to feed, but would you confirm that for me?”

  “Be happy to, Captain.” She braced her hands on the table and eyed Frankie. She stood up slowly, never taking her gaze off him.

  “Where’s she going?” Snake asked.

  “She’s going to make sure we have enough food to last for the voyage. I’m relatively sure we do, but I like to double-check things like how much air, water, and food we have before heading out into the Deep Dark.”

  He nodded. “You just keep all that in your head?”

  “Lots of practice,” I said. “I had to earn these stars by doing the work over the stanyers. Al? I want to get up to the bridge and check the can for myself. Would you join me in half a stan?”

  “Sure thing, Skipper.”

  I turned and motioned for Snake. “Come on. We’re going up top where we can see what’s happening.”

  “You need me to do anything before I come up, Cap?” Al said.

  “Book a couple of rooms at the Asteroid Arms. Charge them to the company.”

  Al nodded. “Good thinking.”

  I held the door open for Snake and followed him out into the passage. “This way.” I pushed past him and up the ladder toward officer country and the bridge beyond.

  “Hey, wait a tick. You can’t just walk around the ship like that.”

  “You keep saying that, Mr. Snake, but I keep demonstrating that you’re mistaken in that belief.” I crested the ladder to the bridge and looked aft. “Looks like a can to me, Mr. Reed.”

  “It is, indeed, a can, Captain. Latches are set green. I’ve got a preliminary plot out of the system, we can refine it when we actually get moving.”

  “Local traffic control?” I asked.

  “We’re cleared for pushback at the top. No tugs are available so we’re on our own.”

  I nodded. “Shouldn’t be a problem.” I crossed to the watchstander’s console and began lighting up the interface. Everything looked normal. I swapped over to the chief’s station and brought that online as well. The fusactors were warming and the shore ties were already disconnected. “Looking good here, Mr. Reed.”

  “I’m double-checking for updates now. We need to get Ms. Fortuner up here to do the system backups.”

  “I’m here,” she said, topping the ladder with four cups of coffee. “Compliments of Ms. Sharps, Skipper. She said you left the galley without one.”

  “That woman is a saint,” I said. “Thank you, Ms. Fortuner.”

  “Tom?” she said, handing him one of the mugs.

  He took the offering with a smile and a nod.

  She turned to Snake. “Want one?” she asked, holding a mug in each hand.

  He started to take the offered mug but paused and took the other one with a knowing grin.

  She handed him his choice of mug with a little smile of her own and took a swig from the cup in her hand. “Backups, Captain?”

  “Yes, please, Ms. Fortuner. Clear the comms caches. We’ll have time to pick up new traffic on the way out of the system.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain.” She sat at her console and started the backup process.

  I planted my butt in the captain’s chair and sipped the coffee. “Ms. Fortuner, did Ms. Sharps happen to mention where this coffee came from? It’s not our standard brew.”

  “Oh, yes, she did, Captain. Apparently, Mr. Kondur sent over a couple of tubs of his private roast. She wanted to try it out.”

  “I’ll have to send him a thank you,” I said.

  Al came up the ladder and took her place at the watchstander’s console. “Dent and Verde are aboard, Captain. Keehn is still out of contact with the ship. Penna can’t make it back in time. I’ve booked a suite for all of them. Sent the confirmation to everybody.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Ross. Anything else I should know?”

  “Nothing significant,” she said.

  “Where’s Frankie?” Snake asked.

  “Guarding the empty wardroom, last I saw,” Al said. “Why?”

  The chrono ticked over to 1645. “Ms. Ross, set navigation stations throughout the ship.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain. Set navigation stations.” She pulled out her mic and made the announcement.

  Ms. Torkelson climbed up the ladder and took her seat at the helm.

  “Captain, Ms. Sharps reports that she’ll have boxes ready at 1800 in lieu of an evening mess,” Al said.

  “Thank her for me, Ms. Ross, and remind her to add enough for our guests.”

  “Aye, aye, Cap.”

  “Mr. Snake, you might want to start considering how you’d like to distribute your people around the ship. Once we secure from navigation stations, we’ll be setting normal watch. Some people will be sleeping. Some will be on watch. Some will be awake and tending to personal chores.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Well, all these people have jobs. The jobs need to be done all day, every day. We don’t pu
ll over for a snooze at night. So the people who’ll come on at midnight will be catching some sleep until they go on duty. The people who go off at midnight will be trying to relax and unwind before they get some sleep. The galley crew will be going to bed around 2200 and getting up at 0430. What would you like your people to do? Now would be a good time for you to figure that out. Samantha will be the first one at loose ends after we’re outbound. Mr. Bentley will secure the brow watch and report to the engine room. Do you want Samantha to go with him, take on a different duty?” I shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

  He didn’t say anything.

  I let him stew.

  “We have green light local, Captain,” Ms. Fortuner said.

  “Thank you, Ms. Fortuner. Verify shore ties with the chief, Ms. Ross.”

  “Shore ties secured, Captain. Chief Stevens reports she’ll be in engineering main today.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Ross. Release docking clamps.”

  I felt the chunk in my feet, the vibration echoing the length of the ship.

  “Docking clamps released, Captain. Ship is free in space.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Ross. Secure the brow.”

  “Brow secured. Mr. Bentley is on his way aft, Captain.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Ross. Announce the pushback in ten. Mark.”

  Al picked up the mic and counted down to the ship.

  “Helm, ready to push back,” I said.

  “Helm ready, aye, Captain.”

  The countdown reached zero. Al said, “Execute pushback.”

  “Execute, aye.”

  Torkelson teased the bow thrusters—once, twice, and again. I could see the delta-vee on Al’s console as the ship edged out of the dock and away from the station. It wasn’t fast enough to observe by looking out of the armorglass, but we were moving.

  “Five meters,” Al said.

  “A little more thrust, Ms. Torkelson. Bring us up to a meter a second,” I said.

  “A meter per second, aye, Captain.” She pressed the thruster control a couple of times.

  I watched the delta-vee on Al’s console tick over to a meter per second and settled back with my coffee. “Log us out, Ms. Ross. Report a hundred meters.”

  “Log departure. Report a hundred meters, aye, aye, Captain.”

  The station looked more distant and the ships on either side of us at the dock appeared to move away as we slipped out from between them. I turned my chair to look aft as we backed into the traffic lane. “We are clear on the lane, Ms. Ross.”