Tanager's Fledglings (The Tanager Book 1)

by Cedar Sanderson

  The hatch slid closed. He waited until the light turned green, and then cycled it again. If they had been in exosuits, it would have ejected them into empty space. As it was, he was hoping it opened into their craft. Jem looked at the man whose arm he had destroyed. He was somewhat surprised to find that he was breathing heavily, but didn’t feel any sympathy for the now unconscious man.

  “Status report.” Jade’s voice crackled in his ear.

  “Oh, er,” Jem stopped and took a deep breath. His voice cracking was not going to be reassuring. Steadier, he went on. “There were four of them. I sent three back to them, two likely injured. One is on the ship with us. He’s, ah, not conscious. I’m fine.”

  “Could have led with that, sah.” Her sarcasm came through clearly. “I have to report banging on the outer hatch, here, but it stopped a minute ago.” There was silence for two breaths. “Yep, all quiet now.”

  “Keep your helmet on.” Jem told her, his voice firm now that his initial excitement was wearing off. “They may be cutting.”

  “I’d hear it. More like a briefing from the ship on your side.”

  “Do you think they’ll give up?” Jem wasn’t hopeful, especially not with the guy lying at his feet. He bent and picked the limp man up. “I’m securing the prisoner.”

  “No. We’re going to get walloped. Don’t take him to the autodoc.”

  Jem didn’t answer her terse order. The ‘doc was too far from the hold. He grabbed a pair of cargo bands and zipped them around the man’s ankles, then linked his intact wrist to that band.

  His tablet chimed again. They were coming back. Jem turned to face the hatch, the bound man in one hand, the weapon he’d taken in the other. He had no idea how to fire it, and no time to experiment. It would however make a handy melee weapon.

  The hatch slid open again, and Jem simply tossed his burden, underhand, into the midst of the men standing ready. There were only three this time, and the weight of their compatriot staggered them. One fell backward, out of sight. Jem took two quick steps forward, before they recovered, and bashed the weapon into the helmet of the nearest boarder. He reached past him for the head of the other one, and squeezed, palming the man’s helmet with the massive ‘suit hand. His own hand couldn’t have spanned it, but the suit’s fingers sank into the carbon fiber material easily.

  As quickly as he could, Jem stepped back, disengaging, and palmed the hatch button. He felt the jar as the heavy door struck his side, and took another step as it bounced, falling backwards onto his ass. The door slid closed. The light stayed yellow.

  “Jade, this feels too easy.” He blurted. His voice was cracking again. Jem took a deep breath and held it. The light on the hatch turned red. “Why aren’t they coming out firing?”

  “What’s going on?” Jade’s voice sounded calmly inquisitive. Jem took another breath and slowly blew it out. He was shaking.

  “They aren’t... it’s too easy. They are coming in fat, dumb, and relaxed. Didn’t someone train these idiots?”

  “They’re pirates.” Jade said. “They don’t expect resistance.”

  “They thought they could walk in and take us?” Jem got to his feet and returned to his hiding place beside the hatch. They might try again. Some of them he’d wounded, he knew. He carefully avoided thinking about how far that helmet had deformed under his hand. Others he’d probably just pissed off. “Jade, I’ve fought dock rat pups with more tactical awareness than these morons.”

  “There’s the difference. You’ve fought for your life.” Jade sighed.

  “Situation?” Jem regained control of his mind and focused on his tablet. Trying to read screens through his helmet and rushing heartrate wasn’t easy.

  “They gave up. I’m coming there.” Jade reported.

  “Uh.” Jem squinted at the small screen. “One has detached from us, falling away. Two are moving toward this hatch.”

  “Yeh. This time they will come in firing, Jem.”

  She pounded through the far hatch at a run. He turned his head and she sketched a salute of sorts at him. “I see you’ve been hit.”

  “Wha...?” Jem looked down. He still had the mark on his chest from the station. He moved a little. “Oh.” There was a streak of silver across his thigh.

  “One on your back, too.”

  “I didn’t even see that.” Jem told her. His tablet chimed. “They’re coming.”

  “Grab the tie-downs out of that locker, will you?”

  Jade popped the locker. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking I want something to throw at them, since I don’t have a gun. Or even a stick.” Jem clenched and unclenched his hands. Jade glided across the hold with leaping steps, handing him the bundle.

  Jade had continued to the far wall, where she wasn’t in direct line of sight from the hatch. “Ready.”

  “Or not. Wouldn’t matter, I didn’t lock the hatch.” Jem told her.

  “Why would you not lock the hatch?”

  The hatch light cycled yellow. “Seemed pointless and why let them break it?”

  Jade laughed as the light went green. They did come out firing, great splashes of plasma flaring off the bulkheads. The flashes immediately went wild, as Jem whipped the mass of tiedowns around the corner and into the hatch. In his comm, he could hear Jade belly-laughing as he slapped the hatch button to close it.

  “You know,” She gasped. Jem wasn’t really listening, since some of the tiedowns and someone’s foot were blocking the hatch. He scooped the mess up and shoved it back into the entry lock. “This is going to be...” Jem pulled his arm back as the hatch slammed against it. This time, it bounced and closed. “Worth so many free drinks...”

  “I don’t drink.” Jem snarled, looking at his suit arm. The hatch was cycling back, but it wouldn’t be long until another batch of angry men was coming back at them. “Dammit.”

  Jade was lost in helpless giggles. “Tiedowns.” She gasped out.

  “Do you have a better idea?” Jem growled at her.

  “Next time just hit them.” Her voice was cheerful in his ear. “Better idea.”

  “Oh, you have one?” Jem knew his voice was dripping with sarcasm and didn’t care.

  The hatch cycled. Jem reached into it as soon as it was open enough for his arm.

  Jade’s voice rang in his ears. “Throw one to me.”

  Jem pulled on whatever his hand had grabbed, and had the man out and tossed over his shoulder just as the hatch locked into the open position. He reached for the other man with his free hand. “Only two.” He registered that the remaining man was dropping his weapon, his hands flaring out and up... Jem grabbed his suit front and whipped around, cracking the man’s legs against the edge of the hatch and tossing him to Jade, who was standing there with one foot on the first man. He was lying limply. Jade caught the second man offhand and pointed.

  “Go get them.”

  Jem grunted and obediently jumped through the open hatches. He landed feet-first in the small bay of the attack craft. Straightening from his crouch, he scanned the bay. There were men lying on pallets rigged four deep on the far wall. Two men were standing with empty hands, gaping at him. Jem jumped again, hands outstretched. He sideswiped one of them, sending him cartwheeling into the racks. The other one he grabbed around the neck. The man thrashed, then went limp. Jem dropped him, carefully not looking down as he stepped over him.

  The men in the racks were lying very still. He could see their eyes, huge, the whites flashing in the dim lighting. Jem slapped the racks, lightly. They didn’t move. The man he’d thrown was on the floor in a heap, and he wasn’t moving either.

  Two in the hatch. Two standing here. Three in the racks, too scared to move. Jem took a breath, reviewing what Jade had told him about the attack craft. There would have been eight troops, which meant one missing, and two crew. Jem headed for the bridge hatch.

  It wasn’t locked. Had they really not conceived that the boarding could get even worse? Weren’t they in
communication with the first craft he’d repelled? Jem gently pressed the fingertip of the suit against the small button. Unlike his cargo hatch, this one wasn’t designed for hard use. It crunched and smoked, the LED that illuminated it going out.

  Jem sighed. He didn’t want to find out if he could punch through a hull in the suit. To his surprise, the hatch cycled open.

  There were three men in the bridge confines. It was tiny, even compared to the snug Tanager. The man facing him held a handgun of some sort. Jem could see muzzle flashes as the man fired futilely into his chest and helmet. Whatever it was, it left a smudge of material on his faceplate. Jem reached out, grabbed, and pulled. To his horror, the man’s head flew off, careening into the screens, blood splashing everywhere. Jem recoiled, vomiting into his own helmet.

  Gasping, the burn of stomach acid in his lungs and nose making his eyes water, Jem croaked out, “Jade...”

  His comm crackled. “Holy crap, kid.”

  Jem leaned against the hatch. He was coughing and gagging. “I can’t...”

  He felt her hand on his shoulder. “Get back to the Tanager. I’ll handle it from here.”

  Jem turned blindly, his eyes streaming tears from the smell of the vomit. “Gah.”

  “They’re scared shitless. Go.”

  Jem went, carefully stepping around the head that had bounced out of the bridge onto the deck of the bay. The men in the racks were still lying stiffly, arms carefully by their sides.

  Chapter 28: Aftermath

  Jem didn’t want to go far, just far enough to cycle off his helmet and rinse off. He stepped over the two bound men lying in front of the inner hatch, then closed it behind him.

  “Ugh.” he took off his helmet and held it in his hands. “Oh, that stinks.”

  Jade’s voice distantly commented. “I can imagine. Under control, here. Clean up.”

  Jem looked down at his suit, at the streaks marring the paint he’d so carefully applied years ago. He was remembering a conversation with Walter. “I need a suit like yours,” he’d said.

  This wasn’t a suit like Walter’s. Jem headed for the ‘fresher. He trusted Jade to have the men trussed up if she said they were under control.

  He was stripped out of the suit, carefully cleaning it while it leaned against the bulkhead like an empty husk, when Jade re-entered the Tanager. “Enemy secured in cargo hold six.” She reported, her voice cheerful and helmet tucked under her arm.

  “Eh.” Jem was feeling rather blue. “How many are, um, still alive?”

  Jade walked over and dropped a hand lightly on his shoulder. She had much better control over her suit than he did, Jem noted. He sighed. “It’s not that I hadn’t killed before.”

  “You’re a good man, Captain Raznick.” Jade’s tone was soft. “I’m looking at your suit and wondering something.”

  “You want to know where I got a marine combat suit.” He filled in for her. “Long story.”

  “I’m interested.” She reached out and traced a streak across the left breast of the suit. “Very interested.”

  “Well, Walter told me a suit like his was expensive.” Jem thought back to the hot sun beating down on them. They’d landed on planet, rare enough, and he hadn’t liked it. It had taken him years to get over his irrational fear of open sky. Ok, that was a lie to himself, he still wasn’t over it. “I wanted to stay in space for repairs.”

  “He wasn’t lying.” Jade commented. “I was a rock jock. Construction suits will set you back ten years’ wages, ‘less you hit a lode.”

  “Eh. I was cocky. There was a market...” Jem remembered it. Dust, and heat, and the sun hammering down on the hipslip hat Walter had forced him to wear. He’d been digging through piles of junk when he found the crates. “You could buy anything there. Anything.”

  “Which planet?” Jade was stripping out of her suit, now. Jem looked up at her in surprise. “We’re safe. They’re confined t’hold, and I told ‘em you’d come after they made a noise. Any noise.”

  “Um.” Jem wasn’t sure how to react to that. “It was Glengarrie.”

  “Hah. T’opposite of green wet Scotland o’Earth.”

  “I dunno. It wasn’t comfortable.” That made her snort. “Anyway, I went to an auction the next day and these crates came up. Walter gave me the side-eye, but he let me bid on one. I’d let three go by, bid on the fourth.”

  “You knew what you were getting.” Jade took the rag from his limp hand. He’d stopped cleaning somewhere during the story.

  “Yeh. I’d marked that one.” Jem remembered it vividly, the smear of dust and spit he’d mixed into mud on his palm and streaked across the bottom corner. To anyone else it was just more dirt. But he’d been ignored as a street urchin by the junkyard owner, and he’d been able to peek into all the crates. “Most of ‘em weren’t usable. Blown to bits, scorched... this one.” He reached out and patted the leg he was sitting next to. “This one looked pristine.”

  “So you bought it.”

  He nodded, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. “Wouldn’t let Walter open it ‘til we were back on board. He didn’t say anything, just stood there looking at it, looking at me. Then he shook his head and told me to paint it. Walked off.”

  “And it worked?”

  “Nah. Had to replace all the circuits. Every single one was blown.” That chore had taken him months, since finding what he needed wasn’t possible in a single market.

  Jem felt like he was floating, and then it was all black.

  He woke up to find himself stretched out on the deck, a wadded shipsuit under his cheek and a blanket spread over him.

  “Ungh.” He couldn’t believe he’d fallen asleep. He rolled up and onto his feet, feeling stiff and sore. His stomach gurgled. “Jade?”

  There was no answer. He headed for the bridge.

  “You let me sleep.” She didn’t look around. “What if...”

  “Oh, belay that.” She pointed at the captain’s chair. “I’ve sent video of the interior of their own ship to the attack craft. They have withdrawn... are still withdrawing.” She threw the tracking data up on the screen.

  “Back toward foldspace limit.” He sat down heavily. “They gave up?”

  “Yup. Left us with a ship and prisoners to deal with.”

  “How are we going to explain that to Loki?” He could see that they were still on path for the planet. The distance elapsed told him he’d only been asleep for a couple of hours.

  “They attacked us. Legitimate prize.”

  “What about, um, the body?” Jem was trying hard not to think about it.

  “Bodies. Airlock. Rest of ‘em stripped to their skivvies, in the cargo hold, warned that if they try anything which sets off my alarms, you’ll pay them a visit. In your suit.”

  “Oh.” Jem was still processing that he’d become a monster. “Bodies.”

  Jade turned to him. “Captain Raznick. Had they succeeded in their effort to take the Tanager, do you think they were simply going to take you back to that cell on Tianjin?”

  Jem shrugged. “I just wanted to keep the Tanager safe.”

  She nodded. “I know. And yourself, and me, and mostly your dog.”

  He shrugged again, feeling like there were weights on his shoulders. She kept talking. “They were planning to take us, docile sheep to the slaughter, and space us.”

  “How can you know that?” He didn’t disbelieve her, exactly, it just seemed... wasteful. On the docks of his home, where life was cheap and slaves toiled for masters who changed faces near daily, it made no sense.

  “We’ve been watching Tianjin for some time. Ships are coming in for refit, but no crews. Sure, there’s dock rats, but it’s a small population and only getting smaller.”

  Jem buried his face in his hands, thinking about the casual murder of the dock rat Gyro on his ship. “Yeah, ok. Ok. I just...”

  “You don’t have to like it. But needs must.”

  Jem finished the quote for her. “When the devil dr
ives.”

  He straightened and took a deep breath. “Ok. Loki.”

  “Loki has been informed.” Her voice went dry. “They did not get video of the inside of the attack craft. They did get some clips of what happened when the Tanager was attacked.”

  “Um.” Jem wasn’t sure that was any better. “What?”

  Jade said simply, “I recorded you.”

  “Oh.” Now everyone was going to know he was a monster. Jem swallowed hard. His stomach grumbled again.

  “Watch this.” Jade started a vid on the other screen. Jem really didn’t want to watch it, but he couldn’t look away. It started with him asking for tiedowns. As the action played out on screen, Jem felt his jaw dropping.

  “Did you... speed that up?” He finally asked.

  “Nope. You’re really that fast, kid.”

  Jem finished watching the vid, which cut off when he jumped through the open hatch into the enemy craft. “I, ah...”

  “It’s funny. It’ll make them laugh, and some of them will be impressed with your skills. You’ll probably be approached and recruited. Not just on Loki, but later.”

  “I don’t...”

  She went on relentlessly. “You’re good, kid. You could have gone through them like the grim reaper of death, but you didn’t. You did what you had to do. Stop beating yourself up and never forget that it was them, or you.” She swung around and looked him in the eyes, poking his chest with a stiff finger. “Them, or that puppy you take care of like he was a kid. Me? I’m an old, old woman. I know you don’t think of me that way, that’s ok. But I learned a long time ago life is cheap. These men? They were spending their own lives on a gamble, and they lost.”

  “Argh.” Jem ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve been in fights before.”