Tanager's Fledglings (The Tanager Book 1)

by Cedar Sanderson

  Jem couldn’t blame him, now that he’d gotten an all-too-close look at the inner workings of Tianjin. The poor man just thought he was picking up cargo, and now he had four pulse rifles aimed at him and his assistant. Jem didn’t catch everything that was said in the exchange that followed, but Major Veo had a smirk on his face as he turned back to Jem.

  “You will remove yourself from the suit and come with me.”

  Jem shrugged. “Why should I leave the ship with you maniacs? You haven’t got heavy enough weaponry on hand to get to me.”

  He knew it was false bravado. Even if he could get them off the ship and the hatch closed, breaking away from the dock would damage the Tanager, and then they would be able to fire on his ship with a perfectly legitimate claim of defense. Major Veo’s smirk became a teeth-baring smile that reminded Jem of vids he’d seen of sharks. Too many teeth on display.

  “Perhaps we cannot simply shoot you for not complying. But we can certainly execute your accomplices.” Veo pointed at the two men.

  “Oh, dammit.” Jem groaned. They had figured out that he couldn’t allow that. If he were going to kick them out for Gyro, who he’d never met before, he surely wouldn’t let them shoot his clients for his own life. “Stand down. I’m coming out.”

  “Please move slowly.” Veo was back to the smirk.

  “Get the guys with the guns off my ship. I already know they have itchy trigger fingers and no trigger discipline.” Jem shot back.

  “We will shoot...”

  Jem interrupted him. “Yeah, I know. I’m coming out peacefully, but you need to make the goons go around the corner.”

  Veo barked a short command. The armed men all lowered their rifles. “Come out now, this is the most accommodation I will make.”

  Jem unlatched his helmet reluctantly and extricated himself from the suit. He kept a half an eye on the goon squad, but they didn’t twitch while he was getting out. Finally, Jem was standing in front of Veo in his shipsuit. “Now what? Do I get a lawyer to protest these trumped-up charges?”

  “You come with me. We will see about a lawyer.”

  Jem looked at the consignee. “I need him to sign for his cargo.”

  “It can be done later.” Veo was impatient.

  Jem shook his head. “You wanted to inspect the cargo? Now’s your chance.”

  Veo looked back and forth between them, and then gave an order to the speaker. “He will go with the client.”

  “I need it signed for.” Jem didn’t move when Veo started walking toward the hatch. Veo whipped around.

  “You are in no place to make demands, Raznick! I am all out of humor with you. You are not funny! Now. Come...”

  Veo marched toward the hatch, and with a small shrug at his client, Jem followed him. The armed men came along, forming a loose square around Jem once he was outside in the docks. Jem looked around curiously. The scrubbers had done their job, and although there was a faint acrid scent in the air, the only trace of the fire was soot on the overheads. He looked in the direction he’d seen an orange glow, and could see the ship that had started the fire. The hatch was buckled and bulged, like enormous pressure had been on the other side.

  “Keep moving!” Veo barked at him.

  Jem stopped rubbernecking and paid attention to where they were going. Veo was taking him through a restricted-access hatch, one with red and black stripes across it, warning that unauthorized entry would be punished severely. The only time Jem had been further on-station than the docks, it had been through the other entry, the one with gloved officials who patted and squeezed a visitor’s body until they were satisfied no contraband was eluding their overwatch. Jem had seen a man sigh with resignation, pull out two bags of something - it was too far away for Jem to identify what - and hand one of them to the official. He was then allowed to proceed while the official tucked the bag in his thigh pouch.

  Now, however, Jem was sure the bribe to get him back aboard the Tanager would be much larger than whatever had been in that bag. He was beginning to feel the aftereffects of the shooting in his own hold. His legs were shaking, and he had to concentrate to keep walking in a straight line, while his eyes were watering from the pain and possibly damage from the flashburn. He didn’t want to bounce off one of the guards and have them shoot him again, while he was out of armor. That would hurt even more. Sheer endorphins had brought him this far, and they were wearing off rapidly.

  He managed to stop short when the squad did, despite his blurry eyesight.

  “Get in!” Veo barked, pointing, and Jem followed his arm to his hand, and finally saw the low, open vehicle that was parked in the conjunction of corridors. He wasn’t sure how many corridors, squinting through streaming eyes, and once he was seated in the vehicle and it started, he was forced to close his eyes and hold on tightly as they took off at a tremendous rate of speed.

  Jem clung miserably to the seat as they took corners at speeds above what he considered safe or necessary. He was beginning to think he was going to need a doctor, but he was a little afraid to ask for one. Make that a lot afraid. Finally, they came to a stop, gentle enough that he wasn’t flung from his seat. He unclenched his hands, rubbing the cramps from his fingers. His eyes didn’t seem to want to open, the watery tears had dried into a gummy, crusty mess.

  “Come!” Veo spoke, and Jem turned his face in the direction of his voice.

  “Going to need a moment here.” He was surprised at how calm he sounded, given the flip-flops his belly was doing.

  Veo made a wordless exclamation and then said something in his own language. Jem fumbled for the edge of the vehicle. He managed to get out, slowly, without falling flat on his face. Which was good, since he was absolutely certain that would hurt like heck in his current condition. He felt hands on his arms and stiffened.

  “These men will help you in.” Veo’s voice sounded like he was standing right in front of Jem. Jem nodded.

  It was tough to quell his growing sense of panic as they half guided, half carried him while he stumbled along in silence. They didn’t warn him of steps, or doors, or sudden stops, and Jem had no idea how far they had come when he heard another hatch open and they pushed him forward, letting go of him at the same time. He stumbled and almost fell, hands outstretched. He caught himself on what felt like a bunk, but not before barking his shins on it.

  The hatch, he realized as he regained his feet, had closed behind him. He stood very still, listening. He was alone. When he moved, scuffing his feet slightly to keep from tripping, he could hear the sounds echoing from hard walls, and decided he was in a very small space. Putting his fingertips on the wall over the bunk, he traced his way to a corner, and the end of the bunk. As he turned the corner, he felt a small sink, and as he ran his fingers through it, the water came on.

  Tepid water made his face sting badly, but careful bathing finally loosened up his eyes so he could open them again. He was in a small, dimly lit cell. There was a bunk, a sink that was simply a basin molded from the plascrete of the wall, and a waste hole. He knew that one from the stink. He couldn’t see any cameras, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. Jem shrugged, and used the waste receptacle. It didn’t have a visible drain, but the waste vanished. As the water had in the basin. Jem could see the ridge of the hatch, but investigation proved that there was no way for him to get a knife blade into the hatch and pry it open at all. He took inventory of his pockets.

  He had his pocketknife, which would do some damage at very close range, not that he thought that would do much good until things were slightly more dire. There was also a snack bar, three bolts, two washers - he wasn’t sure where the missing washer had gone - and one of EB’s balls. Jem stared at the bright blue orb in dismay. EB was alone, and he didn’t know when he’d be granted access to the Tanager again.

  EB wouldn’t starve, or die of thirst - his self-waterer and feeder hopper were full. Jem had programmed the feeder to dispense only a given amount daily, twice a day, to prevent the pup from
getting fat. It would last a long time. Jem realized he’d never thought about what would happen to Eby if something happened to him outside the ship. The idea of the puppy scratching at the hatch wanting Jem, and howling in fear and loneliness... Or worse, the mental image of what Veo would do to the pup if he broke into the Tanager...

  Jem sat on the bunk heavily. He had to get out of here, and it had to be soon. His eyes started to water again, and this time it wasn’t just from the burns.

  Chapter 21: An Unlikely Rescuer

  Jem woke from a heavy sleep with a start. He’d wound up in a twisted position on the bunk, which wasn’t equipped with a cushion or blankets. His arm where he’d pillowed his head on it was asleep. He sat up, looking at the open hatch. An officer he didn’t recognize was standing there looking at him. Jem looked back, his eyes feeling crusty but at least not sticking shut like they had been. He wondered how long he’d been asleep. They had taken his wristcomm and tablet.

  “Come.” The man said finally.

  Jem stood up and wordlessly followed him. There was no point in arguing here. If they were going to kill him, he’d never have woken up. Besides, he got the feeling this man wasn’t the guy in charge. They were walking through a hallway, made from the same drab plascrete as his cell. Hatches every few steps made him think this was the station jail. He had no way of knowing if there was anyone in the other cells. He kept pace with the man easily, and it dawned on him that there wasn’t an armed guard with them.

  Something had changed while he was sleeping, Jem deduced groggily. He was waking up as they walked. The first thing that crossed his mind was that there was one guard, visibly unarmed, and him. Jem still had his pocketknife, and the man’s back was a blank canvas. He wasn’t even looking back to check on Jem. Jem slid his hand into his pocket and wrapped his fist around the small knife. A flick of his fingers, and...

  And what? He’d be loose in a long corridor with locked doors on either end, and cells in between. Jem relaxed his grip. Better to wait. He didn’t want to be loose on Tianjin, at all. They’d hunt him down like the dockrat who’d died on his ship, and then what would become of Eby? No, better to see what price they were going to extract from his hide. Jem couldn’t stop the grimace at the thought of old Shylock. Walter had thought Shakespeare was an excellent teaching tool for a dockrat who could understand the lowlifes of London, long since vanished into dust. But they spoke the same language. Violence, and compromise. Jem drew his sleeve over his eyes, drying them in frustration. The watering made him look weak, and he didn’t need that right now.

  The man stopped at a door, and a low buzz sounded. Only then did the door slide open, and Jem confirmed his guess that he would have been trapped had he made a move. It might even have been a trap, to get him on greater charges than whatever they had trumped up against him. He followed the man into another corridor, hoping he looked as docile as he was trying to. He didn’t see cameras, but was sure they were there.

  This corridor was wider, and had more lighting. It still looked like a prison, but then the whole station did, to Jem. The man still didn’t look back at him, just marched off to the left. Jem followed. They came to a halt in front of a door, which stood open. The man turned to look at Jem for the first time since they had left the cell. He gestured wordlessly and Jem nodded, then stepped into the room. He could hear the man walking away.

  There was a table in the center of the room, surrounded by several chairs. He didn’t get a count, because the room wasn’t empty. A person sat facing him, at the end of the table, and that had Jem’s full attention. This wasn’t another official, there was no uniform, and besides that, he had a nagging sense of familiarity...

  “No time to chat. ‘Sides, they’re listening.” She spoke, Jem noted, with a husky voice and more than a trace of an accent he couldn’t place. “Sit.”

  She patted the place at her right hand, and he walked to the chair, wondering what surreal world this was. She stuck out her hand as he sat, and he took it awkwardly. “Capn’ Raznick, I’m thet sorry I wasn’t here when y’docked. Ol’ Jade knows better’n thet.”

  “Wha...” She shook her head. He stopped.

  She went on as though there had been no interruption. “Since I wasn’t at the dock when y’came in, I’ll cheery take a hit to m’pay, sah. Happen I was delayed at a game of chance.”

  She was telling him something, Jem realized. He just wasn’t sure he was fully awake enough to comprehend it. “I, ah, wasn’t expecting you right off.”

  She nodded, her dark eyes twinkling with the overhead lights and her broad grin creating a little bit of laugh lines on her smooth face. He’d done something right, it seemed. “Ah’m right sorry, sir. You know how the tinjins are, regulated out the wazoo. Ah know’d you needed me...” She shrugged. “How’s I supposed to know they’d up and arrest you for not having a crew.”

  Jem sat up straight, a bolt of emotions burning through his gut. That was why...Jade held up a hand, then wiggled her fingers. It was silly, but he got the idea. He shut up. He was still trying to figure out how to communicate with her, but not give anything away to the listening ears, when another figure joined their strange tableau.

  Jem knew him, not that it was comforting. Veo was positively bouncy and cheerful. “Captain Raznick!” He waved as Jem started to stand. “No, sit, sit... This won’t take long. Why didn’t you inform me that your crew was joining you?”

  “Um.” Jem was caught off-guard.

  Jade came to his rescue. “Happen you di’nt give him time?”

  “Well, there were extenuating events. So I suppose we can overlook this, once.”

  Jem gaped at him, and then closed his mouth firmly to think. He spoke slowly, his tone measured and cold. “And if I choose to drop you from my route?”

  Now it was Veo’s turn to gape a little. “Drop... but why?” He sounded genuinely hurt and surprised.

  Jem stood up. His legs wobbled a little, but he was hoping that didn’t show. He was going to take this moment of weakness and exploit it. “I have to return to the Tanager and tend to the mess you left in your wake, Colonel. I will be filing for a departure time as soon as I arrive on the dock. You have until then to consider this: I am not your employee, nor a citizen of this station, nor in any way beholden to you and your laws, except inasmuch as I choose to accept them when I dock to trade here. Why should I return?”

  Jem marched out of the hatch, not looking back, and blindly turned left, hoping it would lead them out of the detainment ahead. Jade was on his heels, he could hear her behind him, an odd thump, click combo he couldn’t interpret, but he wasn’t looking around to see what it was. He just kept walking. Jade spoke in a low tone. “Straight ahead to the yellow striped hatch. Take a right. They’ll try to stop you at customs but keep walking.”

  He nodded to acknowledge he’d heard, and walked faster. She didn’t protest, so he assumed she was keeping up with him. They walked past several hatches, and Jem realized slowly that there was a meaning to the markings. Red and black stripes he could guess meant prohibited. Sky blue ones stood open, and were probably allowed to everyone. He’d walked through a red and black one a while back, Jade silently right behind him. He’d been unsure it would open for him, but he just walked up to it, and it hissed open without a chirp, much less an alarm.

  Straight ahead, she’d said. Jem slowed a bit, after a while, as Jade came up to his side, shoulder-to-shoulder. He realized that she was walking with a cane, leaning heavily on it, which explained the thump of a booted foot, then a click of whatever material the cane was constructed from. She didn’t look bothered by his pace, her face serene as she kept pace, but he felt guilty and slowed a little. Jade didn’t speak, and he didn’t feel like talking with so many ears probably listening in. He just wanted to get home, and he didn’t trust Veo not to let him get nearly there, then change his mind. The good Colonel seemed to have a sadistic streak.

  Was it sadism if the man didn’t operate according to the honor a
nd morals Walter had taught Jem? Jem contemplated this for a few minutes. Veo was, by his lights, just doing a job. Protecting his home, lining his pockets? Jem shook his head. No, it didn’t matter if this was the way it was done on Tianjin. It was still wrong, and further, it was shortsighted. Treating traders badly was a good way to strangle your own supply chain, and when you lived on a station floating around a planet that was even more constrained from outside travelers, this was not a good economic ploy.

  Tianjin wouldn’t starve, he was sure, even if the traders ceased to come. Jem didn’t know what others brought here, but he did know what his cargo was. Tianjin’s technology was dependent on the rare metals which came from Flinders. It was a big galaxy. There were other sources. Those other sources, many of them knew and trusted Walter. Or the Tanager, which was the same thing.

  Jem picked up his pace again, and from the corner of his eye, he could see Jade was able to keep up with him. Running would be undignified, and would just lead Veo to stopping him faster. Jem was certain Veo was playing a game. He was equally certain that Veo thought he knew the rules, while Jem was in the dark. Jade... was an unknown factor. The random element. Jem wondered where she had come from, and where his friend the spy had gotten to. It seemed to him that there was surely a connection there. Now, he had to find out what sort of card she was, other than a get-out-of-jail-free one.

  Finally, the yellow-striped door. Once again, Jem just kept walking right up to it. He was nearly nose-to-ceramsteel with it when whoever was watching gave in, and it opened just as Jem was taking his next step. He nearly let his inside grin show. Playing chicken was something Mags had taught him, in the wide corridors of Flinders, and now those mind games were playing off. He heard the hatch closing behind them as he turned and headed for the dock. This stretch was shorter, the long walk to retrace where the cart had driven him last night mostly complete. It felt better to walk it, stretching his muscles and letting his tension out through his physical exertion. It made it easier to keep his face still and calm, hiding his inner fears.