"I'm not sure what problems you're referring to," I said as dryly as I could manage.
He smiled ironically, "It sounds like we've come to an agreement."
"I believe our agreement calls for fuel and I imagine you'd like to retrieve the superstructure that was installed on our barge," I said.
"We'll make arrangements for the superstructure at a later date. We're currently short on available engineering crews. You may refuel at your leisure," he said and abruptly left the room.
"That's shite," Tabby said.
Nick held up his hand. "They're likely recording the conversation in this room. I'd say we should retire to our own ships," he said.
"Right. Let's fuel up and get out of here," I said.
Léger NUAGE
"I'd like to keep the same crew configuration. If we run into trouble, I want Ada, Tabby and myself in the chairs."
"You're short a gunner on Sterra's Gift," Marny said.
"We'll make do. I'm sure Jake can handle the missiles and I wouldn't bet against Lena in the crow's nest," I said.
"That should work," Marny agreed.
Our first stop would be Grünholz, fourth planet from the FD-40307 star (commonly called Tipperary). Grünholz, perpetually covered in clouds, is a planet thirty percent larger than Earth and covered almost entirely by a shallow layer of fresh water. The atmosphere is naturally breathable by humans.
Originally, the most promising aspect of Grünholz - its ready access to water, turned out to be its largest impediment. For decades German engineers tried to sink pylons into the soft soil beneath the bog, never to find bedrock. In the end, the Germans gave up on colonization. They left behind several small cities they'd cut out of the thick overgrowth that was a permanent feature of the bogs. The largest city was Nannandry and the second largest, the domed city of Solnste.
While the Germans had been slaving away, trying to tap the promising potential of the surface, the French had laid claim to the skies. Built above the ever present clouds, they'd constructed the cloud nation Nuage. Our ultimate destination, Léger Nuage, was one of eighteen of these cities, all recognizable by the 'Nuage' somewhere in the name.
Hail Adela Chen. "Ada, can you reconfigure for hard-burn? We'll put on fuel and set sail for Léger Nuage," I said.
"Can do, and it's your mom," Mom said. "Ada is getting coffee. Are we staying here for anything?"
"Only if you need something," I said.
"No, I think Pete's going to bust if we don't find him a rock to bash pretty soon," she said.
"I'll send you my latest comm with Belirand. That might not be the only thing he wants to bust," I said.
"Oh no. That bad?"
"We'll be okay, but it's annoying. I've sent you a rendezvous. Once you're fueled up, we'll meet there."
"Understood. What about the fold-space harness?" she asked.
"Belirand is too busy to mess with it for now. We'll remove it once we get to the claim," I said.
"For a company short on nano-steel, I'd think they'd want to reclaim it."
"Agreed." I waved goodbye and closed the comm.
I set the auto-pilot to take us in to the fuel depot and built a navigation plan from Terminal Six to Léger Nuage. We'd need to conserve fuel until we started actually bringing in credits. Nothing would shut down a mining operation faster than lack of fuel.
Belirand had a program that would allow us to buy fuel in exchange for ore. Iron ore sold for about the same as what we got on Colony 40, but Nick explained that the deal was considerably worse. We'd eliminated the middle-man and delivery now depended on us expending both time and fuel.
If the entire deal had hinged on the efficiency of working with Belirand, we likely would have passed on it. But Nick believed Tipperary was three years from becoming a major trading system, much like Bethe Peierls. Growth in the system would drive demand for ore higher and higher and we weren't exclusively locked in with Belirand, other than to fulfill annual quotas for two years.
That all sounded great, but I wanted to get out and explore the galaxy. I'd be happy to put in time mining, if that's what it took, but it would happen on my schedule.
***
What could have been an eight day trip turned into twelve, due to an overly efficient burn plan. At half a million kilometers away, the giant planet started to grow in the armored glass of the bridge. At fifty thousand kilometers, the gorgeous grey-blue planet completely filled our view.
Hail Nuage Air Defense, I said. I was excited to finally be at this point in our long journey. We'd traveled a thousand light years to get here.
"Unidentified ship, please add frequency FA04Q to your transponder signature." I admit to being a little more than pleased to hear the woman's faint French accent. To this point, I'd read a lot about the French settlement of the cloud nation and her accent made it seem that much more real.
Add frequency FA04Q to Loose Nuts Fleet transponders.
"Thank you, Sterra's Gift. Are you travelling in convoy with Adela Chen and Hotspur?" she asked. I was sure our company registration showed this information, but I didn't mind answering the question.
"Roger that, Nuage Air Defense. This is Liam Hoffen of Loose Nuts. We're requesting clearance for Nuage Airspace," I answered.
"What's the nature of your visit, Captain Hoffen?" she asked. She lit up the holo transmitter and I experienced that disconnect I sometimes felt when I saw someone that I'd only previously talked to. In my mind, I saw her as a young woman and she was clearly my mom's age.
"Trade and emigration. I've contracts that confirm this." I was prepared to blather on, but if Nick had taught me anything it was to take a breath once in a while.
"Well, then, let me be the first to welcome you to our beautiful cities. I'm Lieutenant Sonia Lafaille. I've marked your ships as neutral and if you'll register with the security office on Léger, we'll upgrade that status to probationary," she said.
"Thank you."
"I've informed Léger of your pending arrival," she continued. "I'm uploading a list of contraband, please run it against your current cargo."
"I'm prepared to upload our manifests," I said.
She chuckled and I mentally kicked myself. Nick would give me a hard time for oversharing. "That won't be necessary. Make sure if you ever visit the capital city of Nuage Gros that you stop in and visit. Nuage Air Defense out." She closed the comm.
Open comm, Adela Chen.
"Go ahead, Liam," Mom answered.
"We need to hold the Adela Chen in geosync above Léger Nuage. I'll put together a shore leave schedule, but I need you and Dad to take the first shift," I said.
"Not necessary, son," Big Pete answered. "We're staying on the ship. There's too much riding on the barge for us."
"Roger that. Our plans are to be in the city for fourteen hours. Mom, if you'll set your orbit, Hotspur will sail in close and pick up Ada," I said.
"Copy that, Adela Chen out," she said.
Open comm, Hotspur.
"Heya, lover. You don't call much anymore." Tabby appeared on the holo in front of me. She was biting her lip suggestively. It was a reminder of our separation I didn't need.
"Mom and Dad are staying with the ship, could you pick up Ada and follow me in to Léger?" I asked.
"Copy that," she said.
Half an hour later, Ada was aboard Hotspur and we were descending through the thickening atmosphere. When we'd closed to within forty kilometers, three small, identical yellow ships emerged from the heavy cloud cover. They were boasting swept back wings that made them more maneuverable, as well as efficient, in the atmosphere.
"Incoming hail, Nuage Air Defense," the ship's AI said.
Accept. "Captain Hoffen," I said.
"Greetings, Captain. Squadron Leader Gray here, we've been expecting you." A dark haired man seated in the cockpit of one of the three ships appeared on my forward vid screen.
"Greetings, Mr. Gray. I was about to request permission to land for Sterra's Gift and Hot
spur," I said.
"Permission granted. You're both cleared on pad 2404. We'll see you on the deck," he said and closed comm.
Landing instructions appeared on my vid-screen and I locked in the auto-pilot.
"Tabbs, did you get landing instructions?" I asked.
"Roger that, hot stuff. We're less than two minutes behind you," she said.
In the distance, I could just make out an asymmetrical white cylinder-shaped city. It was tapered slightly at the top and hung just above the clouds. As we approached, the shape became more defined and lost some of its regularity. Its design was as artistic as it was clean.
"Look at that," Celina said.
"Leave it to the French," Jake said.
"How's that?" I asked. I didn't know much about French culture, other than to appreciate the accent.
"If a spacer had built that, it'd be a big metal box. It's just nice they made it something to be proud of," he said.
"True enough. So what do you think of your new home, Celina?"
She was smiling. "It's exciting. A fresh start, our own diner. I can't wait."
"When do you think you'll be up and running?" I asked.
"Well, I should have brought it up before now. Any chance we could use the construction bot for a few hours before you take off?"
Ugh. I didn't want to delay Big Pete too long. "How much time do you think?" I asked.
"Program says six hours. One other thing?" she asked, grimacing guiltily.
I chuckled at her expression. "What's that?"
"I was hoping to use your industrial replicator for a few items. I'd pay for the materials, of course, unless you wanted to take it out in trade."
"What kind of trade?" She had my attention. We didn't have credits, but we had lots of materials.
"Fair exchange for food… and excellent service, of course," she answered.
"Why not? We're not taking it to Descartes in the first load. How about this – you can use the machine for free as long as you're not reselling the items. You pay us retail for material and we pay you retail for food and service," I said.
"Deal," she said.
As we'd been talking, Sterra's Gift had slowed significantly and bucked slightly in the unpredictable winds that swirled around the floating city's structure. A round landing pad extended from a vertical column that ran the entire height of the city. Large bright numerals displayed 2404. If I'd insisted on sailing by hand, I'd have been uncomfortable with the unfamiliar surroundings and shifting winds. The AI shared no such reservations.
"Well, I guess that's that," I said.
Ordinarily, with a full load, Marny would want us dressed in armored vac-suits, but it wasn't the impression I wanted to make. I decided to strap on a thigh holster with my heavy flechette.
"Looks like we have company," Celina said, gesturing out of the armored glass of the bridge.
Sure enough there were half a dozen people in brightly colored clothing standing inside a large arched opening, looking out at us expectantly.
"Well, we shouldn't keep them waiting," I said.
Lock flight controls. I instructed as I exited the bridge. It would take one of the regular crew to get us going again. Down the hall and to the right I pushed my way through the first of the two airlock doors. The ship had already equalized our cabin pressure with that of the city and the door opened easily. I punched the button to extend the stairs and waited impatiently for them to lower.
Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, Hotspur approached and neatly set down next to Sterra's Gift. I had to hold on to the railing to steady myself from the gust of wind she'd caused. Right behind her, a single golden Nuage ship swooped up from below the platform. I panicked when I realized he was expecting to set down, yet there wasn't even close to enough room. Worse yet, he'd overshot and was hanging off the edge of the platform. My heart jumped as gravity won and the ship nosed over. What I hadn't seen, however, was that the ship had deployed a clamp that locked it onto the edge of the platform and while it was hanging vertically from the side, it was quite secure.
On the underside of the ship, which was now the side pointed toward me, a hatch slid open. Squadron Leader Gray grabbed a bar at the top of the hatch and swung his legs out, neatly depositing himself on the platform. I shook my head in amazement. If it had been his intent to impress me, he'd been more than successful.
"It's a lot less dramatic if you're expecting it," he said, holding his hand out in greeting. We had to shout over the wind.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Gray," I said, shaking his hand. I noticed he had Captain's bars on his shoulders.
"Call me Luc," he said. "That's quite a pair of ships you have there, Captain."
"I'll call you Luc if you call me Liam. We've been fortunate," I said. "Your patrol ships are gorgeous. And they're so nimble, are they space worthy?"
When he didn't immediately answer, I followed his eyes to Hotspur where Tabby, Marny and Ada had exited the ship.
"Mon Dieu," he said under his breath. I understood how he felt. They were each beautiful in their own way and as a group, more so.
"I believe that's an understatement," I said with a slight raise of my eyebrow.
"My apologies. Yes. The Falcons are primarily suited to atmospheric missions, but can be utilized in limited engagements in vacuum."
"I understand there's a registration process for crafts, as well as for those emigrating to Léger," I said.
"Of course. We can perform the craft registration later if you would prefer, but it is sometimes difficult to find the correct personnel," he said.
"What's involved?" I asked.
Tabby gave me an overly enthusiastic hug and a kiss. I was overpowered by her and had no choice but to go with it. Luc Gray looked away, only slightly embarrassed. Fortunately, Marny and Ada introduced themselves.
"I missed you too," I whispered.
"We need to sell one of the ships. I don't want to keep splitting up," she said.
"I hear you. There might be some other options. First, let me introduce you to Captain Luc Gray," I said. "Luc, this is my fiancé, Tabitha Masters."
"A fortunate man indeed," Luc said, taking Tabby's hand and kissing the back of it. She gave me a triumphant waggle of her eyebrows.
The rest of the crew had disembarked and were milling around.
"Hey Marny, I'm going to work with Mr. Gray to register our ships. Let's get people headed in to the station. We need to fill out forms and check in with customs."
"Aye, Cap. I think Nicholas is already on it." She looked over to the arched doorway where Nick was shaking hands with the group of colorfully dressed individuals. "Will you and Tabby stay with the ships until we get back?"
"Will do," I said.
Marny herded our group toward the arched door and the noise diminished dramatically.
"Quite a group you have there," Luc said.
"Best ever. How can I help with registration?" I asked.
"First, I need to inspect both ships, cargo holds and living spaces," he said.
"What are you looking for?" I asked.
"Contraband and smuggling holds. I assume you've run your manifest against our contraband list," he said.
"Sure have."
"There's nothing illegal about smuggling holds, but we want to know if a ship has them. Depending on the contraband, we have the option of holding it and returning when you depart or, if it's especially egregious, we'll seize it."
"Not sure I follow," I said.
"We mostly have problems with slavers. We won't allow a ship to leave with slaves on board," he said.
"Got it. I'm sure we're clean," I said.
"The easiest way to do this is for us to walk through the ship. My scanner will compare your ship's design with the actual open spaces. I'll ask you to open any smuggling holds and we'll want to make sure those items are accounted for on your manifest or are at least legal."
"Sounds like a fairly intense registration process," I said.
> "You haven't heard the hard way. That's where we take your ship to Nuage Gros and run it through a ship scanner. If we find anything amiss, we hold your ship until we resolve whatever issues might have come up." His face had grown hard. He was ready to take whatever path I chose.
"If you walk through, are we then registered?" I asked.
"We recommend you reflag your ships to Nuage. By doing so, you will have the protections offered by our nation while in our airspace."
"Great. Let's do it," I said. Nick and I'd already talked about the advantages of reflagging. It was by no means a permanent commitment, but we would be setting our base here for now, so it made good sense.
Tabby and I led Luc through the two ships where he allowed a finger sized autonomous bot to flit around, gathering information and making comparisons to the exterior dimensions. Finally, we ended up on the bridge of Hotspur, having completed the walkthrough.
"Everything checks out," he said. "I've submitted your probationary status and as long as you have no major infractions within six months, your permanent registration will automatically kick in. You're free to land at any of our cities as long as you check in with our automated air control. Swipe here." He held out a small pad and I swiped my hand across the top of it. It had taken us half an hour to finish the entire process.
"Great. Thank you," I said.
"Nuage Air Defense would appreciate reports of security issues you might encounter around the Nuage cities. Unofficially, if you find yourself at Nuage Gros, you should look me up for drinks. I'd be happy to give you an insider's view of our beautiful nation in the clouds," he said.
"Perfect, expect a call. I imagine we'll be on Nuage Gros after we settle in the Descartes belt," I said.
Tabby and I showed him out and watched as he swung into the bottom of his small ship. The hatch slid closed and before you could blink an eye, the ship's clamps retracted and it slipped downward, falling toward the planet below. After gaining sufficient speed, the ship gracefully arced out of its dive and sailed away from the city.
"There you are," Marny said walking out from under the archway.
"Where'd you think we'd be?" I asked.
Buccaneers (Privateer Tales Book 8) Page 11
