Tanager's Fledglings (The Tanager Book 1)

by Cedar Sanderson

  Rather than calling for a jitney, Jem walked to the RCMP ship. He did enjoy the chance to stretch his legs while on planet or station, and soon enough it would be limited to the confines of the Tanager. He looked up at the sleek ship when he was closer, reading the name. The RCMP Bohannon would, in the traditions of their service, be named for a fallen hero. He made a note to look it up. It seemed trivial, but some ships were considered ‘luckier’ or better than others, based only on the name. Jem strode up the ramp and pressed the hatch button.

  The hatch hissed open, showing a very young girl in uniform. Jem wasn’t sure of her rank; he’d never memorized the markings for that. “Could I see your ID?” She murmured. He handed her his ID chip, and she scanned it, then handed it back. “If you would follow me, sir?”

  Jem followed her through the airlock and into a narrow corridor. The ship had looked smaller from the Tanager from the outside, of course, but now he realized just how much smaller it was. He felt like he had to duck every time they passed through another hatch. This was a ship prepared to be in battle, he thought as he passed through the third and final one. It could compartmentalize in case of a breach in the hull. The Tanager wasn’t set up for that, for the most part.

  “Captain Raznick, welcome to the Bohannon.” The woman from the holo greeted him, her hand outstretched. He clasped it, looking into her warm brown eyes and seeing an even deeper level of fatigue and... sadness? than he’d registered over the vid.

  “Jem.” That had his full attention, and his eyes snapped to the other side of the desk. Jade was standing there.

  Jem released Lt. Baker’s clasp and reached his hand out to Jade, trying to decipher this development. “We have to stop meeting like this.” He said, his mouth on autopilot.

  She grinned. “Aye, that we do.”

  Lt Baker just looked back and forth between them. “Well, at least I don’t have to explain you.”

  “Kathy, I’ve been aboard the Tanager for a couple of weeks now. Since Tianjin.”

  Lt. Baker sat behind her desk with an audible harrumph. “You couldn’t tell me this before?”

  “I wanted Captain Raznick to brief you.” Jade took her seat serenely. Jem sat in the chair facing Lt. Baker when she waved her hand at it.

  “Is that why you called on me?” He asked.

  “Yes and no.” She hesitated. “Tell you what, you tell your part, and I’ll finish it up from there.

  Jem took a deep breath and looked at Jade, who nodded minusculely. Ok, then, he was telling everything. He started talking, leaving nothing out, unlike the sanitized version he’d given the Loki Port officials. At some point during the saga, Lt Baker had summoned the young woman - an Ensign, Jem learned when she was addressed - and a tray of tea and coffee was brought. Jem appreciated the chance to stop talking, and to wet his throat. When he finally wound to a stop, Lt Baker steepled her fingers together and regarded him. “What were the other black tick marks for?”

  Jem shook his head. “One was for being unreasonable about docking fees, but the records are sketchy back that far. The other was for something the crew witnessed. A massacre in the public market. There are no official records of it, but the Tanager’s captain has some stills and a short vid of what happened, and it’s clear people were killed. It’s not clear why, or how many.”

  “Would you be willing to share those?” Lt. Baker asked.

  Jem nodded. “Jade already has them.”

  Jade produced a chip. “This has the information, and more, which will be pertinent.”

  The older woman snorted. “But nothing you deem ‘not pertinent’ or need-to-know, eh, Star?”

  Jade shrugged. “Information is good, but too much can be a problem just as too little can be. I know your crew would fight and die for you down to a man, Kathy, but there are things death facilitates, not prevents.”

  Both Jem and the Lieutenant stared at her. Jem wondered if his jaw was hanging open. The aliens. If they could occupy a human mind...? He looked at Kathy Baker. She was grim.

  “I’ll accept that, coming from you.” She looked at Jem, meeting his gaze. “I promised you the rest of the story, young man.”

  Jem wasn’t offended. He was still trying to process why Jade had given him so much information, freely, if she wasn’t willing to pass it on to a RCMP ship captain. Was it because he was less likely to go into combat? He remembered her warning about allowing himself to be recruited.

  “We have been tracking missing ships. Yours would have been the third in a year to leave Tianjin, under their own power or ostensibly so, and just disappear.”

  Jem blurted, “That’s just stupid.”

  She nodded, slowly. “Yes, it is. Criminally stupid, which is why we don’t think Tianjin is actually responsible. Not at high levels. They have always been arrogant and xenophobic, but this rises to the level of terminally insane.”

  Jem shook his head, numb. “But the arrest?”

  “Was likely just what you initially thought, an attempt to coerce an...ahem...fine from you and the Tanager.”

  Jade interrupted. “My intervention there was what made them release you, I’m afraid.”

  “I’d already figured that out.” Jem sighed. “I don’t know if I could have paid, I’ve been running on a very thin margin this season.”

  “Which means they could have taken the Tanager legally, no fuss and bother, until the owner’s lawyers showed up, if they ever did. Their share is small.” Lt. Baker spoke crisply, leaning forward in her chair. “So the pirates were not linked, I think, to the governmental efforts. Jade’s presence would have held them off.”

  Because Jade was the spymistress of... Jem kept having to revise that upward in his head. The whole universe sounded grandiose. This arm of the galaxy seemed almost limiting, the more he learned.

  “So the tugs? Weren’t official tugs?”

  “Tugs are independent contracts, on Tianjin. It’s possible they are using their knowledge of traders’ routes, weaknesses, and even cargo to select targets.”

  “That... makes sense.” Jem closed his eyes, a flash of blood and the feeling of bone collapsing filling his mind. “I know that we brought in prisoners.”

  Lt Baker nodded. “I will be taking them to an, ah, undisclosed location.”

  Prison planet, Jem filled in on his own. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of arseholes.

  “However, we wanted to brief you on the activity, and to warn you that three small LAC are likely not all the ships the pirates have.”

  “What?” Jem bit his tongue. He needed to learn not to blurt out intemperately. “They have a fleet?”

  She shook her head, “Not a fleet. More a motley collection of vessels.”

  “You know all this. Why can’t you...”

  “Knowing what, and where, are two different things.” She cut him off with an angry motion of her hand, chopping through the air. “We’re frustrated. They slip into foldspace, and we have no idea where the base is.”

  “A black station.” Jem spoke softly. He was thinking of the one on his route. He knew they weren’t pirates. Knew it in his gut. Anyway, Moskvin had been there... Jem looked sharply at Jade, who was listening with a slightly bored expression. She knew all of this, and possibly more.

  “Well, yes, that could be. We think a planet, though.” Lt. Baker leaned back with a tired sigh.

  “Why a planet? Have you infiltrated them?” Jem asked that last of Jade.

  “No. This is the RCMP’s operation, I... we are only providing intelligence.” Jade shook her head.

  Jem made yet another mental note to have a long conversation with her, very soon. Yet another one.

  Lt Baker answered his question. “We have not. They don’t exactly recruit. It’s possible their manpower is taken by force from the ships they waylay. We hope that’s the case, anyhow. Otherwise...” She shrugged, and Jem understood. The wholesale disposition of a ship’s crew into deep space was a horror. “We think a planet because of that, actually. A
station would require a supply chain, and that, we could trace.”

  Jem nodded. “I will be very honest. I have a black station on my route.” He locked eyes with Lt. Baker. “They are not involved in piracy, and I will not divulge their location.”

  She smiled a little. “Very well, Captain. I will take your word for that.”

  Jade broke in, clearing her throat. “Kathy, the station is one of ours.”

  Jem decided he’d had enough surprises for one day. “Oh really.”

  “Who do you think set the Robin and Tanager’s routes up?” Jade shot back.

  “You? Here, and I thought it was Walter’s family.” Jem took a deep breath and put his temper in a box, mentally. “My apologies. I am... this is concerning.”

  “None needed, young man. I have seen the vids. You display an astonishing amount of grace under pressure. Which is why I need your help.”

  Jem locked eyes with Jade. She had told him he’d be recruited, to be fair. He looked back at the Patrol captain. “What, exactly, are you asking of me?”

  “Nothing dangerous. You have amply shown that you can handle yourself in a fight, given the element of surprise. However, neither you nor your ship are equipped for a real fight.”

  Jem wasn’t going to argue with that, not even after all the surprises he’d been discovering about his ship. “So you want me to keep an eye open for suspicious activity.”

  “Please. Jade is helping, but this is not her only mission.” Jem wondered if Lt. Baker knew about the alien invasion. “So we have been slowly creating a network of trusted captains. You are, after all, the targets.”

  Jem nodded. “I can do that much, at least. I have a crew, now. There is more at stake than just my life.”

  Lt. Baker smiled knowingly. “Crew is like family, but closer.”

  Jem looked at Jade. “Yeah. They are a lot like family.”

  The patrol captain pulled a data gem out of her desk drawer. “This has all the contact information on it, and a good bit of the data we can share about their operations. We ask that you keep this close. Don’t share it even with your crew unless you must.”

  “I will.” Jem took the faceted piece of superconductor, turning it over between his fingers. “Thank you. This is... disconcerting. The whole thing.”

  “I can imagine,” she said sympathetically. “And for your sake I hope you have no further encounters with them. However, you did strike back in a way no one else has, and that may provoke a desire for revenge.”

  “I know. I’m worried about that. My next stop is pretty wild - Lalibele. After that, back to more civilized, or at least heavily trafficked systems with Altair and Johnsonville.”

  “We don’t have much coverage in Lalibele, but we can arrange for a battleship to rotate in-system with you.”

  Jem opened his mouth to protest, then closed it. Jade smirked. “You’re using me as bait, aren’t you?” Jem said.

  “No, no. Just... you’re more likely to draw unwanted attention. So this will protect you, and,” she shrugged. “Possibly give us a lead to follow.”

  Jem got to his feet. “Then thank you, I think. I need to get back to the Tanager, now that her full complement is on planet, and prepare for lift-off.”

  Lt. Baker stood and held out her hand. “Let us know when you are going. There is another ship in-system which will shadow you.”

  Jem clasped her hand. “I will do so.”

  Jade followed on his heels as he headed toward the corridor. “I will meet you back at the Tanager.”

  Jem just nodded. She had far more important things to do than be his navigator. “I, uhm...”

  “I’m going with you at least to Lalibele.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “See you shortly.”

  Jem nodded and followed the Ensign out. She’d popped up seemingly from nowhere, and he wondered how much crew the Bohannon carried. He’d only seen two people from her complement.

  Jem walked back to the Tanager in a daze. He was thinking furiously and not paying too much attention to his surroundings, which is why he didn’t hear the jitney coming until it had pulled up beside him.

  A small, red-faced man leaned out of the passenger window. “You there!”

  “Um.” Jem gathered his attention and looked at the man. “Yes?”

  “Where can I find a ship?” He looked at a scrap of paper he held. “The Scarlet Tanager.” His pronunciation was horrible, but Jem understood him.

  “Er.” Jem pointed. “It’s the big boxy one over there.”

  He should feel guilty, he told himself as he watched the jitney speed away over the badly maintained tarmac. But the man hadn’t asked for him, the captain. Jem looked around. He wondered where Jade’s ship was. Maybe he could duck someone who seemed to be an unpleasant customer just in the brief interaction they had had. He sighed. He only wanted to be on his way, safely off-planet and out of reach of people. People were not his favorite things. What had he been thinking, to take on not only crew, but Ed’s sisters?

  Jem kept trudging back to his ship, which would be full of noise and activity. Loud, angry voices erupting ahead of him got his head back up.

  Chapter 33: Time to Go

  When he realized all the shouting was taking place at the Tanager’s ramp, Jem broke into a run. He was close enough to see that the jitney was parked there, and the red-face man had gotten out. He was standing on the ramp shouting at... Ed, Jem realized, who was standing in the hatch.

  Jem slowed to a more dignified pace as he came up behind the man. “What seems to be the problem?”

  The man spun around. “And just who are you?”

  “Captain Raznick of the Tanager.” Jem offered, keeping his ‘sales’ face on. He was hoping the smooth demeanor would defray some of the man’s fury.

  The man sputtered, his color rising even more. “You... you...”

  “How can I help you? We are preparing to lift ship,” Jem raised his voice, hoping Ed, who was still standing in the hatch like a guard, would catch the hint. “And I’m afraid we are very busy right now.”

  “You can take this.” The man fumbled in his pocket and came out with a data gem. “To Altair with you.”

  Jem looked from the gem to the man, but made no move to take it. “Why?”

  The man’s mouth literally dropped open. “What?”

  “Before this turns into a humorous skit,” Jem said as gently as he could, resisting the urge to start laughing, “I run a cargo ship. If we carry something, we’re paid for doing so. We certainly do not accept commissions from random, irate persons who accost us at the last moment.”

  “My name is Lawrence Southard!” The man blustered. “I am a respected lawyer, and I must get this information about my wrongfully detained clients...”

  Jem held up a hand, which didn’t stop the man. Jem talked over the top of him, being deliberately casual to take the wind out of the lawyer’s sails. “Larry. I’m going to point out that if you’re talking about who I think you’re talking about; I took them prisoner myself. Or didn’t you brief them?”

  The man gaped at him.

  “You are talking about the pirates who attempted to capture my ship, are you not?” Jem asked, showing all his teeth in a smile that carried no amusement at all. His urge to laugh was long gone.

  “Ah. They stand accused of piracy but the RCMP...” The man looked at the Tanager, then back at Jem. “I...”

  Jem stepped past him and onto the ramp. “Ed. It’s time to go. And I need to get a message onto the trader’s route to blackball a Larry Southard from passage.”

  Jem’s dig goaded the man into an explosion. “I’ll have your license for this, Raznick!”

  Jem looked over his shoulder. “You can’t. Next time, choose your clients more carefully.”

  Ed stepped out of his way, and Jem stalked through the hatch. Ed thoughtfully closed it behind him, and blissful silence fell.

  Jem looked at Ed, who just raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “Jade will be along shortly
. I’ll send her a message to avoid that yahoo. Although it would be entertaining to watch her tangle with him, he’s really not worth the bother.”

  “I’ll start warming up the engines.” Ed had been told who Jade was, although Jem hadn’t been quite sure how to describe the secretive woman.

  He looked toward the outer hatch. Jem followed his thought. “I’ll stay here. Anything else happen while I was gone?”

  “Maria made burritos for dinner. I’ll send her to you with one.” Ed didn’t add ‘since you haven’t eaten,’ but Jem heard the thought loud and clear.

  “Sounds delicious.” He wasn’t going to argue, he was hungry now that food had been mentioned.

  Ed left, and Jem looked around the hold. It was mostly empty, as it should be, since they used it for staging deliveries, but some cargo was strapped to the far walls. He strolled over to inspect it. From the bill of lading he brought up on his tablet, it was slated to be first off at Lalibele. Ed’s good sense was making Jem’s life a lot easier. The damn pirates, on the other hand... the hatch chimed and Jem went to see who it was.

  Jade’s face showed in the screen, and the ramp behind her was empty. Jem sighed in relief and let her in.

  “Hello again.” Jem greeted her.

  Jade lifted the carrying case she had in her hand. “I have another member of the crew.” She announced cheerfully. “This is Twenty.”

  “What is Twenty?” Jem bent to look, and the baleful green eyes of a cat met his. “Oh.”

  “Eby will need to be introduced.”

  “And the girls.” Jem shook his head. “I have a lot to tell you, but I want to lift as soon as possible.”

  “The girls?” Jade echoed with a lifted eyebrow to punctuate. “And have you worn out your welcome on Loki already?”