by J. P. Larson
“And you’ll do it my way.”
Alex nodded. The doctor grunted and looked at Pamela. “He promised. Didn’t you, Alex?”
Alex looked up at her. “Yes, dear.”
“He’s getting more and more polite every day,” came a voice from behind them. Alex craned his neck. “I wonder if it will last when he doesn’t think he needs any help.”
“Hello, Elizabeth. I wouldn’t count on it.”
She smiled. “I see you’re letting Pamela push you around, though.”
Alex scowled at her, then grabbed the wheels of his chair and started rolling down the hall alone. Pamela turned on her mother. “Why did you do that? He has been getting more polite.”
“He went the wrong way, didn’t he?”
“That’s not going to improve his disposition, either.”
“I’ll go get him,” offered the doctor.
“No, Doctor,” said Elizabeth. “I’m a professional at soothing ruffled feathers. I’ll get him.”
“You’ll make it worse, Mother.”
“He’ll be laughing, joking, and trying to push my buttons. But he’ll let me push his chair.” Elizabeth strode down the hallway after her son-in-law, leaving Pamela and the doctor to shake their heads. It took Elizabeth a few minutes to find him. He was in a lounge at the end of the hall, staring out the window.
“This is a beautiful planet, Elizabeth,” he said when she came in and sat down beside him. “I can understand why Pamela loves it. I wish I could stay.” He turned to look at his mother-in-law to see what she would say.
“I understand your progress has been very good. You can walk with the cane and a little support.”
“They kept me here two weeks longer than they said they would.”
“But it looks like you’ll be shipping with my daughter. Finance, Security, Tactics.”
Alex smiled and nodded.
“Good. Alexander, I need your help. I desperately need your help.”
“You’ve never asked a man for help in your entire life, Elizabeth. Why start now?”
“I have spies, you know.” He nodded. “I have no physical evidence, and I don’t know the people involved, but I have solid suspicions. But not enough to arrest anyone.”
“They’re going to try again? You can’t be serious!”
“The Grey Ghost is going to have an encounter with pirates, either shortly after you leave the system or perhaps shortly before you return.”
Alex smiled. “Big, slow, lumbering merchant vessels are easy to catch. Especially one for which they already have the specs, Elizabeth? No weapons to speak of, an untested crew. Tensions with a mixed crew will undoubtedly be very high. And a first-time ships captain, to boot. Quite easy to catch.” Alex paused, smiling. “I don’t think so.”
Elizabeth looked at him quietly.
“You want me to let them catch us?” She nodded. “You’re going to call in Dad again?” She nodded. “They won’t risk touching the Ghost. Not after what happened last time.”
“I don’t want you to let it get that far. Use your skills when they board you.”
“Perhaps you haven’t noticed, Elizabeth. I’m not quite so spry anymore. I don’t think I could take out more than six or seven. Unless they’re really slow, then I might get a couple more.”
“You’re not serious.”
“People tend to underestimate me, Elizabeth. But if I try this, I’ll get us both killed along with the rest of the crew.”
“But Alexander, you won’t be alone. Tell me, how many men are there on the teams you train?”
“Depends. Generally four to eight, plus logistical support.”
“And how many Random Walkers will there be on the Ghost?”
Alex looked at her, then smiled.
“We need to head back. We’ll talk more in the next few weeks. Will you let me push you? Please.”
“Okay, Elizabeth.”
She stepped behind him, grabbed the handles of the chair, and wheeled him from the room. They got within sight of an impatient-looking Pamela, sans doctor, before Alex looked up at his mother-in-law. “I want a Letter of Marque, Prime Minister.”
She laughed. “I would have it no other way, Commander.”
* * *
The ground vehicle pulled through the gate to the estate, drove up the long drive, and came to a stop in front of the house.
“I’m very impressed, Elizabeth. Prime Ministers live very well on this planet.”
“Oh, this isn’t the official residence, Alexander. This is mine. The official residence is much smaller. I don’t use it much.”
“Welcome home, Alex,” said Pamela.
Alex looked out the window.
“Alexander, you are welcome in my home,” Elizabeth told him.
He looked at her.
“Or you may take the guest cottage.”
“We set up beds in both of them,” said Pamela. “We can stay in the big house with mother and all the servants. Or we can use the guest house, where it’s quieter.”
“Where will you be?”
“With you, if you’ll have me.”
Alex smiled. “I would like that.” Then Alex noticed Elizabeth subtly shaking her head. “Hmm. But I’m not sure it’ll work. You’ll bump me.” Elizabeth nodded.
“I won’t bump you!”
“Where do you normally stay, Pamela?”
“I’ve stayed in both, depending upon my mood, if I’m having guests, how well the guests get along with mother, and how she and I are getting along.”
“And lately?”
“I won’t say,” Pamela said. “You have to choose.”
“You are welcome in either one, Alexander,” Elizabeth said. “If you stay in the big house, it will give you and I more opportunity to chat. If you stay in the guest house, it’ll be much quieter. You are welcome in both.”
Alex thought about it.
“If he stays in the big house, the impolite off-worlder gets more opportunities to upset the servants and shock the guests, doesn’t he?”
“And get lectured by his mother-in-law,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “I imagine an interesting battle of wills.”
“Then it’s all settled,” said Alex. “Unless Pamela wants to change her mind?”
“Let’s get you to bed, Alex.”
* * *
Alex pulled the covers up underneath his chin. “Can I take a nap before dinner?”
“Certainly, Alex,” said Pamela.
“Right after he and I have a little chat,” said Elizabeth, standing in the doorway. “House rules, that sort of thing.”
“It can wait, Mother,” said Pamela. “He knows how to behave when he wants to.”
“It’s okay, Pamela,” Alex said. “If we make her wait, she’ll just come up with more rules I have to break. It gets so tiring coming up with new ways to break all her rules, I would rather start with a short list and let her add on later.”
“Fine,” said Pamela, pulling up a chair. “Go ahead, Mother.”
“We can handle this ourselves, Dear,” said Elizabeth. “Why don’t you make sure the cooks know what sort of foods your husband can tolerate? We want his first meal here to be special.”
Pamela made no move to leave.
“It’s okay,” said Alex. “If she gets me on the ropes, I’ll call for your help. I promise.”
“No fighting!” she said, getting up.
“We wouldn’t dream of it, Dear,” said her mother. “Would we, Alexander?”
“Of course not, Elizabeth. I’m a polite, dutiful son-in-law. I wouldn’t dream of fighting with either of you.”
Pamela started to sit back down.
“Pamela, it’s okay. I promise, I won’t fight with your mother before my nap. She just wants to welcome me to her home in her own way. And maybe warn me off chasing the servants.”
“The servants are all men,” Pamela pointed out.
“Then I can understand why she would be concerned if I started chas
ing them.”
Pamela got up, gave them both a warning look, then left, closing the door behind her.
“Tell me, Elizabeth, why Pamela can’t stay here with me? It’s a huge bed. Plenty of room for two. And we are married.”
“Did you two, um…” Alex started to blush. Elizabeth looked at him. “Oh, my. That’s a lovely shade, Alexander. I take it that means you have?”
He shook his head. “No, actually, we haven’t. It wasn’t supposed to be that sort of marriage.”
“You’re very good at keeping secrets from her, aren’t you?” Alex nodded. “Well, the first time you, well, you know…” Alex nodded. “Well, when you do, you’ll find it to be a more intimate experience than you might otherwise be familiar with. Much more intimate.”
“Oh. So much for my secrets?”
“So, until this little business is wrapped up, Alexander…”
“Can we at least cuddle? I like holding her.”
“Of course you can. Just don’t let it get out of hand.”
“So, I’ve been married for months, and my mother-in-law insists I keep my hands off my wife? That’s just swell!” Alex smiled.
“Twenty percent, Alexander.”
“What?”
“Your Letter of Marque. Twenty percent.”
“Ten.”
“I’m handing you your first prize. Twenty.”
“Fifteen. And, if we capture the first prize without, um, killing any women?” Elizabeth nodded. “Then it’s ten. Forever. And you agree to never rescind it. Or try to steal the prizes away from me when we get them back here.”
“You can’t own property here, Alexander. I can’t change that for you.”
“Fine. In Pamela’s name, then, but you don’t try to steal them.”
“If I think you’re abusing it, I’ll rescind it.”
Alex thought for a moment. “That’s fair.” He paused. “What did you really want out of this? Why did we just have this conversation?”
“I want you to take the women alive, Alexander. Will you be able to do that without endangering my daughter? Or yourself?”
Alex thought about it carefully, already forming a plan. He smiled. “Oh yes, Elizabeth. With this much warning, I will most definitely take everyone alive. I’m very, very sneaky when I try to be. I need to get messages to Dad before the refit is done.”
“I’ll keep Pamela out of your way when you need me to. And I can have the Avenger you sold me available for carrying messages. I’ll have one of the servants find you a computer you can use. Something with good security.”
Alex closed his eyes.
“Do you want help sleeping, Alexander?”
“No. But thank you for offering.”
* * *
Alex sat on the floor in the hallway, cursing quietly. At least he hadn’t fallen. It was such a short walk, too! Out of his room, down a short hallway, turn, follow that hallway to the main part of the house. One more right turn, and he was at the dining room. A hundred steps.
He heard footsteps and tried to struggle to his feet, but slid back down the wall.
“Alex! What are you doing on the floor?” Pamela hurried down the corridor from the main house and knelt beside her husband. “What happened? I was just coming to get you for dinner.”
I will not blubber, Alex thought. I will not! It’s just a little setback. I will not blubber like a baby!
Alex turned to look at Pamela. “I tried to walk to dinner. It’s such a short walk.”
“Oh, Alex. We’ve had people pack lunches to eat on the way between various parts of this house.”
“I just wanted to surprise you. Walk in, sit down, like a real man. Not get wheeled around and treated like an invalid.”
“You’ve only been home a week. Please don’t be so impatient.”
Alex took a couple of breaths, stared at the ceiling, then turned to his wife. “Would you help me get up and finish my walk to dinner?”
She looked at him softly. “How about I go get your chair?”
He paused. “All right,” he said quietly.
* * *
“Ready to go to dinner, Alexander,” Elizabeth said as she came in his room and closed the door. Alex was sitting in his wheelchair, staring out the window.
“Do we have a minute, first?” he asked as he turned the chair around to face her.
“A minute or so before Pamela wonders what’s taking us.”
“In the computer,” Alex said, gesturing to the machine sitting on the bed, “is a letter to my father. It explains everything you and I have talked about and lists some extra enhancements I would like him to do on Grey Ghost. I’ve also requested, very politely, he loan me a few people I’ve worked with in the past, and explained who I want. I believe you have all the passwords you need to access the data.”
“I’ll take care of it. Anything else?”
“The crew Pamela is putting together. Will they follow orders from me in a combat situation? It’s imperative they don’t hesitate for even a moment. If I can’t trust someone, I need to know that.”
“I have already talked to each of them. I’ve told them in a combat situation, you speak with my voice. There was a bit of surprise at that, but I explained there are extenuating circumstances, and it only applies to combat situations. Every single one agreed.” She paused. “We better go.”
“There are a few notes there for you, too. I would like the computer back when you’ve extracted everything.”
Elizabeth grabbed the computer from off the bed while Alex rolled the wheelchair to the doorway. His cane was propped on the wall to the right of the door, and Alex grabbed it. Before Elizabeth could say anything, he had locked the wheels of the chair and stood up.
“Sit down, Alexander. I’m going to push you.”
“Would you please bring the chair, Elizabeth? I’m sure I’ll need it shortly.” Alex started shuffling down the hallway while Elizabeth fumbled with the chair. She caught up to him long before he made it to the first intersection.
“Please sit down,” she requested. Alex ignored her and took a couple more steps, reaching the main hallway. He turned right and took another step.
“I heard what happened yesterday. Now sit down!”
Alex turned to look at his mother-in-law. “Do you think rolling around the ship is an option, Elizabeth?” Then he took several more steps.
“Where did you fall down yesterday?” she asked him after a moment.
“I didn’t fall. I gracefully slid down the wall. I didn’t even get bruised.” He took another two steps, stopped for a moment. “I think it was right about here,” he said weakly. Alex took two more steps, then looked over his shoulder at Elizabeth. “Far enough,” he said.
Before he could topple, Elizabeth was there with the chair. Alex slipped into it gratefully. “Thank you, Elizabeth.”
“Still going to dinner?” He nodded. “You’ll let me push you?” He nodded again.
As they started forward, Alex held up a hand. “Wait! Please.” They came to a stop. “Would you back up for a second to where we just were?”
Puzzled, Elizabeth backed the chair up two steps. Alex fished into his pocket and pulled forth a large, silver coin. He leaned over, set the coin on the floor, then slid it toward the right. It came to a stop about six inches from the wall.
“Would you ask the servants to leave that coin exactly where it is? I would really appreciate it.”
Elizabeth smiled at him. “Yes, Alexander. It’ll be right there waiting for you tomorrow night.”
* * *
Alex stopped next to the coin, looking down at it. Pamela moved forward with the chair, but he waved her off. He took two more steps, then paused. Pamela again moved the chair towards him. Alex stepped forward again, paused, then nodded. Pamela held the chair while he lo
wered himself into it.
“Would you get my coin for me, Pamela?” he asked her. She handed him the coin, and he rolled it over to the wall next to him.
* * *
Alex barely looked at the coin, concentrating on the opening to the main house. Three steps, four, five.
“If you fall and hurt yourself, you’ll never make ship out,” said Elizabeth quietly. Alex collapsed into the chair, and Elizabeth handed him the coin.
* * *
“Something interesting happened today, Pamela,” he said when she came to help him to dinner. “Three of the staff asked how I was feeling today. I wonder why that would happen.”
“You wonder, do you? Do you have any guesses?”
“Did you know about the pool they must be running?”
She smiled and nodded. “You’re fast. They only started it today. Actually, there are two pools. The first is daily – comparing you to your performance from yesterday. And then they have a pool for which day you’ll make it all the way to your place at the dining room table.”
“How did you find out?”
“Mother caught them already,” Pamela explained. “She told me and asked if I minded.”
“Oh? What did you tell her?”
“I just laughed.”
“Were you going to mention it to me, if I hadn’t noticed?”
Pamela’s smile faded. “No, Alex. It never occurred to me.”
“I see. Just so I am clear. I wouldn’t want to misunderstand you, Pamela. Your mother was considerate enough to ask you what you thought about this, but neither of you thought to ask me about it? Or even just warn me?”
Her smiled disappeared completely. “No, Alex. It never occurred to either of us.”
Alex set his teeth, grabbed his cane, and slowly levered himself out of the wheelchair and began his long trek. Pamela silently followed. He made the right turn into the main hallway that ran the length of this wing of the house and continued.
He slowed at the coin, then continued.
“Enough, Alex,” Pamela said. He ignored her and reached the opening to the main house. He leaned heavily against the framework before settling into the chair. Pamela moved the coin. Without waiting for her, Alex rolled himself into the dining room, taking his customary place at the far end of the table immediately left of Elizabeth.
