by Adam Carter
The worst part of her hostess routine, however, was the insipid tea she insisted on pouring him.
“No, thank you,” he said when she offered him another cup. She had actually produced a genuine china tea set, with a tiny spoon for the sugar.
“Are you sure?” Arowana asked. “How about another biscuit?”
“I live in space, Arowana. I’m sick of biscuits. And your tea tastes like you’re boiling socks in that teapot.”
“I’m glad to learn you know what boiling socks tastes like,” she replied snidely. “Let’s not kid ourselves here, Sturgeon. You’re not here because we want to get to know each other.”
“Yeah, about that. Why am I here? You want help rescuing your friend. Just reminds me why friends are a liability.”
“I’m not in the habit of dealing with pirates, Sturgeon, so I’m far from thrilled with this idea. Just tell me plainly what you want in exchange for your help.”
“You mean you want to hire us to make a bombing run on Themisto or something?”
“If for one minute you thought you’d survive that, you would have done it already. A show will do, or a distraction.”
“So you want us to either pretend to lose against you, or to have the entire Themistonian military focusing on us while you sneak down there?”
“Yes.”
“At least you have the guts to say that to my face.” He sipped his tea and grimaced, not knowing why he was even bothering to be polite. Setting the cup aside, he wondered where that runt girl and Hawthorn had got to. “How long does it take to get someone something to eat?”
“You’re talking about Hart? That depends how little she’s eaten in all her time with you.”
Sturgeon sensed both Hawthorn and Arowana were furious with him for his treatment of the girl. It amused him that he had managed to annoy them both by doing so little. “I own her, Arowana. I have the paperwork back on the Buccaneer if you’d care to see it.”
“You own her?”
“Slavery. It’s not illegal, you know.”
“Of course it’s illegal.”
“Not on Europa.”
Arowana bit her lower lip to stop it from trembling in anger as she poured herself some more tea. Sturgeon got the impression she already knew that about Europa.
Getting comfortable on his bland bench, Sturgeon said, “Let’s talk business. Assuming for the moment we’re willing to do what you want, what do we get out of this relationship?”
“That depends what you want.”
“You said there are valuable items on this ship of yours, let’s start with those. What are they and how much are they worth?”
“Like I said, I have no idea what’s here. Take a look around, knock yourself out.”
“What happened to the crew?”
“They died.”
“You kill them?”
“No.”
“The other two guys kill them?”
“No. What does it matter what happened to the crew?”
“Just wondering why Carpo’s not coming after you people. Stealing one of their sword-ships is a big deal. I would have expected someone as military-minded as the Carpoans not to take that lying down.”
Arowana tried to act as though it was no small thing, but Sturgeon could see differently. One of his purposes for asking was to make sure there were only three people to their crew, but also because he wanted to know whether taking the Jupiter’s Glory would be more trouble than it was worth. It would be quite the prize, but a hot potato heated too much would burst.
“Stealing the ship wouldn’t be a good idea for you,” Arowana said.
“You’re psychic?”
“No, just able to read your mind.”
If there was a joke in there, Sturgeon did not press for it. “So, you know I want this ship. Like you said, let’s not kid ourselves. I have every intention of seizing this ship, and you don’t have the power to stop me. Unless you put a decent enough deal on the table.”
“I should warn you I’m a former security guard. I’m used to taking down big guys like you.”
Sturgeon grinned and felt his heart pound. It was always the same before a fight. He would get all riled up, start with a few vocal jabs, then follow them through with a well-landed punch. After that it was as though some demon seized his body, while Sturgeon himself took a step back and watched the fun unfold.
Just at that moment, the door opened and Hawthorn arrived with Hart. The girl was still as meek as ever, and there was no indication she had said anything at all to Hawthorn. She could be a good girl like that, and Sturgeon would derive a great deal of fun beating a truthful answer out of her later. But first he might well have a decent fight on the sword-ship.
“How far have we got?” Hawthorn asked Arowana.
“We’re laying down some truths,” Arowana replied. “How’s Hart?”
“Bruised, shaky and terrified. But silent. If she hadn’t spoken when she first came aboard I wouldn’t think she could.”
That, Sturgeon decided, was a clear indication the two of them had had a heart-to-heart.
“He says he owns her,” Arowana said. “Legally.”
“There are laws against slavery on this ship.”
So that was the way they were going to play it, Sturgeon thought. It seemed he really had got under their skin with the whole Hart thing. “Tell you what,” he said, “I’ll offer you a deal. You care about the runt so much, you can have her. I’ll swap her for this ship.”
“What?” Hawthorn asked.
“I’m serious. It’s time to see how much you care for her. The two of you with your high-and-mighty morals. If you sacrifice this sword-ship, I’ll give you the girl. I’d even not strand you. Captain Danton would agree to take you to the nearest inhabited world. It’s a fair deal, it all depends on how much you want the runt.”
“You’re not getting our ship,” Hawthorn said, “and you’re not getting Bethany back.”
“Bethany? So, looks like she’s in for a beating later after all.”
Hawthorn took a step towards him, but Arowana’s hand caught his wrist and she shook her head. Sturgeon leaned back and placed his hands behind his head.
“Deal’s off,” Hawthorn spat. “I’m not making any agreement with this guy.”
“Deal was never on,” Sturgeon said. “Runt, any defences?”
Hart was good for one thing, it was why they had kidnapped her so long ago. She was a genius with mechanics and electronics. She had saved the Buccaneer multiple times by rebuilding various parts of the vessel, sometimes scavenging parts from non-essential systems. At a single glance, the girl could determine the nature of any mechanical device. It meant she was the perfect spy to have brought along, for she would know in a single moment if there were hidden guns in the walls or anything like that.
“No,” Hart said. “Nothing.”
Rising slowly, Sturgeon brushed down his trousers and said, “You two are amateurs. You’ve invited pirates on board your ship without properly taking into account the fact we’re pirates. Now you’re going to lose your sword-ship over it. You’re also going to get the beatings of your lives, a few broken bones, maybe one or two other things. And, depending on the mood of the captain, you may even die.” He slowly stretched his limbs as he kept both his hosts in sight. “I’ve never met two more idiotic people than you.”
Hawthorn started forward again, but once more Arowana held him back. There was a feral nature to her eyes and Sturgeon decided he was going to enjoy this.
Arowana moved slowly, circling him. Sturgeon followed suit, the two combatants moving away from Hawthorn and Hart that they might have space in which to fight. Arowana was a coiled black snake, her eyes filled with more hatred than Sturgeon had ever seen. He was somewhat impressed he could elicit such emotion from anyone.
“You like beating on women so much,” Arowana said, “let’s see how you like your head being pounded into the rockery by one.”
“If you’re goin
g to fight, fight. I can’t stand women who talk too much.”
Arowana pounced, but Sturgeon had expected a swift attack and dodged. She sailed past him, landed on her hands and rolled with the motion so she came back up into a crouch before Sturgeon could have done anything. He would not have, however, for the initial stages of a fight were always taken in assessing one’s opponent. The only difference was in bar fights, where Sturgeon loved to just throw random punches and see what chaos could ensue.
“You’re fleet of foot,” he told her. “I’m going to enjoy hurting you.”
Arowana did not reply with words. Instead she threw a fist at him. Sturgeon caught it in his left hand and closed his fingers so she could not pull her hand away. Hurling out his right, he would have shattered her skull had he connected, but Arowana was so swift she evaded the blow, dropping low to kick him in the shin. Sturgeon grunted. He had been kicked in the shin many times before, but this time for some reason it hurt a lot more. Her training had not been for nothing.
“You’re only hurting yourself,” Sturgeon warned. “You do realise I prefer it when they fight back?”
“For God’s sake, shut up.” Arowana’s foot flew out from nowhere, slamming so hard into the underside of his jaw that Sturgeon felt his brain rattle. Staggering back, he refused to fall, even though he had released his hold upon the woman’s fist. Arowana had fallen back into a crouch and Sturgeon rubbed at his aching jaw, unable to prevent the huge grin from spreading across his face. His head was beading with sweat, his skin was on fire, but they were good feelings. Yes, he was definitely enjoying this.
With a howl designed to unnerve his foe, Sturgeon ran at her. Arowana did not have the time to move and he collided with her, forcing her backwards. Tilting his body, he caught her up in his arms and hurled her forwards so she collided with the rockery, sending stones clattering everywhere. Water gushed straight upwards, for as she fell Arowana must have broken one of the pipes, and she landed in the shallow pool, thrashing her limbs to return to her feet and slipping. She fell flat on her face and Sturgeon laughed. He risked a glance behind him to make sure Hawthorn was not thinking of interfering, but Hart was holding him back. Even a dead beaver would have been able to overpower the runt, but Hawthorn would not use force against her and his brain was working on anger rather than sense so it did not occur to him to just gently move her to one side.
Turning back to the main show, Sturgeon wiped a hand across his brow and laughed. Arowana had rolled over onto her backside but had yet to leave the shallow water. Sturgeon stepped into the pool before her and debated how best to continue this.
“Two fish in the water,” he said. “It’s fitting how this will be how it ends for you.”
“You really love the sound of your own voice, Sturgeon.”
He reached down for her, but Arowana’s hand snaked out. She grabbed his wrist and twisted. Shocked, Sturgeon realised her sitting in the water was a ploy, for the next instant his face slammed into the pool and Arowana was sitting on his back with his arm pinned behind him.
With a roar, Sturgeon reared, tossing her away. If she had thought that would work she had severely underestimated his strength.
Returning to his feet, Sturgeon found he was a little shaky. Water dripped from his body, but his eyes were stinging so he knew some of it had to be sweat. Why he was sweating so much he had no idea, but supposed there was a lot of heat in the room to allow the plants to grow.
Arowana had dropped back into a crouch. He noticed she did that a lot. It was a good defensive manoeuvre, but it would do nothing to aid her offensive. In fact, she had yet to make any real attack upon him. It was strange, for she knew he was bigger, stronger and more violent. If she was not going to commit to an attack upon him, what was she waiting for? Did she expect for him to get tired or something?
And why was it so hot?
“You figured it out yet?” Arowana asked. “I can see you’re thinking about it. How far have you got to working out what’s happening?”
Sturgeon blinked, his vision becoming blurry. “What have you done to me?”
“Made you drink bad tea. Well, I say tea but it’s not the tea doing you in.”
“Socks.”
“You wish there were just socks in that tea. The drug I put in there needs an adrenalin boost to course through your system, so I figured a fight was in order. Still having fun, Sturgeon?”
He staggered, almost fell. He had to get away, get back to the Buccaneer. He looked across to Hart and tried to speak, but his tongue was heavy and he could not form the words. Hart’s eyes were wide, terrified, and he silently cursed her for being too weak to help him.
“Don’t worry too much, Sturgeon,” Arowana said. “There’s a chance we won’t throw you out into space, although there’s also a chance I could be crowned Queen of England.”
A moment later Sturgeon fell unconscious, without any knowledge of whether he would ever awaken.
CHAPTER TEN
They took Sturgeon to another room, bound him securely and left him there to sleep. After that, Arowana changed into another set of black clothes before meeting Hawthorn and Hart on the command deck of the sword-ship. The first thing Arowana did was look out the main window, but the Buccaneer hung there oblivious to anything happening on board. The layout of the sword-ship’s command deck was larger than it needed to be, for Hawthorn had rigged the vessel to be manned by a smaller crew than it was supposed to have.
She noticed Hawthorn and Hart close to the piloting controls. The girl was pale and it was a good thing she was sitting down because Arowana thought she was about to faint. Hawthorn was talking to her in a low, soothing voice. He looked harrowed, which was understandable considering Arowana had taken the initiative and dealt with their unwanted guest.
“So now we have an unconscious pirate,” Hawthorn said sourly when he saw her. “Great.”
“I was left alone with him,” Arowana said, “you bet I drugged his tea.”
“I’m not blaming you, Iris, I just think we need to sort this out. We have an unconscious pirate, a liberated slave and we’re still no closer to getting Wraith back.”
“She doesn’t look happy to be liberated.”
“She’s afraid,” Hawthorn said. “And she’s sitting right here, so let’s not talk about her as though she’s not.”
Since first encountering the pirates, Arowana had wanted nothing more than to rescue the girl. Now they had accomplished that, Arowana was rather annoyed. She had not expected gushing praise, but Hart acted as though someone had just shot her puppy right there in front of her.
“You have any information that could help us?” she asked Hart. “You know, in exchange for having saved your life.”
“Sturgeon’s going to kill me.”
“Sturgeon’s not going to be doing much of anything.”
“He’ll get out. He always gets out. No one can hold him for long.”
“Stop being such a victim and give us something useful.”
“Hey,” Hawthorn said. “Ease up.”
“Ease up? We have a pirate ship on one side, a world filled with religious zealots on the other and we’re going to have to deal with both of them before we can get back to hiding from Securitarn.” She stopped, wishing she had not said as much in front of the girl.
“It’s all right,” Hawthorn said, “I told her.”
“You told her about Securitarn?”
“Iris, back off. I mean it. I know you’re worried about Wraith, but …”
“This has nothing to do with Wraith. This has to do with me. You have no idea what Securitarn did to me, no idea what I went through. Everyone else died, do you realise that? Everyone else died, and I survived to remember … to remember what happened to me.”
Hawthorn frowned. “Iris, you never talk about it. What did happen to you?”
She could feel her body shaking, could hear her stomach churning. What Securitarn had done to her was not something she liked to remember, but
some nights it still woke her in silent screams. If she did not talk about it, there were fewer people who would know about it. She had believed it was a strategy which would help her, that it would enable her to forget over time. Instead it was consuming her; but she still did not want to talk about it.
“Forget about me,” Arowana said. “We have an hour from the time Sturgeon came over. How much of that do we have left?”
Hawthorn checked the time. “Twenty minutes.”
Arowana had not realised it had been so long. Captain Danton had said after an hour she would head down to Themisto and cause trouble for them. That gave them twenty minutes to think up a solution or everything was going to blow apart around them.
“We could attack,” Hawthorn said. “If Danton’s alone over there, we have the advantage. If we destroy the pirate ship, we fulfil our contract to the Themistonians and they’ll let Wraith go.”
“I’m not convinced they’re going to let him go regardless of what we do. This whole judgement of God thing has me worried. They’re more likely to just leave him on the cross and see what comes of things.”
“You don’t trust Ariel?”
“I don’t trust anyone. And since when did you start doing whatever women told you?”
Hawthorn narrowed his eyes but said nothing. It would only harm their relationship if he found an answer to that question.
Arowana continued to think, but every course of action they could take would end in disaster. She admitted, at least to herself, that taking out Sturgeon like she had was perhaps the worst decision she could have made. But what was done was done and they were stuck with it. “What if we were to land,” she said, “and give them Sturgeon? That might be enough for them to literally swap body for body.”
“I thought you were the one with the superior brain, Iris,” Hawthorn said. “They’re obsessed. They’re not ordinary religious people, they’re not ordinary people at all. They’re fanatics who don’t have enough contact with the outside worlds for them to even recognise other people’s points of view, let alone begin to understand them.”
