The drop shaft released them into a dark, cool corridor. Charley pulled Molly over to the wall and assessed the wound. An ugly glancing blow that had taken a chunk of her leg. The poor woman was probably in excruciating pain. Charley cursed not taking some of those battle chems they’d seen in the infantry pod.
With admirable determination Molly rose to her feet and continued down the passage.
“Don’t worry about me,” she gasped. “Let’s get the fuck out of here, ma’am.”
“Affirmative,” Charley said, rushing down the corridor. There were several engineers further down the corridor but they were unarmed. Charley and Molly inched past them, blasters raised. One engineer blatantly keyed his wrist com and put out a general alert. Charley was tempted to blast him but couldn’t bring herself to do it.
What interested her more was the task the engineers were performing. They were tinkering with an array of pods attached to the port hull. Escape pods!
“What are you doing down here?” Charley demanded.
“Prepping the pods for use,” one of the younger engineers said quickly.
“Is the ship in danger?” Molly asked.
No reply to that one, but it was obvious to Charley that if the warship was prepping all its escape pods things looked very grim indeed. Perhaps Molly’s exhaust dump had wrought more destruction than first planned. Whatever the case, Charley wasn’t one to waste a golden opportunity.
“Get the fuck out if you want to live,” she said firmly.
18
“The hell we will, bitch,” said one of the older engineers, probably some kind of foreman. “You’re coming with us.”
Charley calmly shot the man in the crotch. He doubled over, his face a mask of agonizing pain. Shocked silence filled the corridor. Even Molly looked at Charley with alarm.
“Nothing plastic surgery won’t fix,” Charley said flippantly, waving her gun in a gesture to the other Imperials. “Go.”
The engineers trooped down the corridor without further protest. Charley nudged the foreman out of the way with her boot and clambered into one of the pods. Molly closed the hatch behind them and they strapped themselves in.
Charley checked the nav projection and gave a low whistle. It seemed engineers had already keyed a launch sequence that would allow the user to simply activate the thing. Charley confirmed launch and the pod thrummed with power. Her stomach lurched as the tiny orb detached itself from the warship’s hull and accelerated away. Charley wondered whether a barrage of missiles would pursue them but nothing came. She looked through a small porthole and could see the huge warship spinning listlessly. Escape pods and larger vessels were pouring from various bays and hangars. A full scale evacuation was taking place.
“I wonder if Galactus is on one of those ships,” Molly mused.
“Probably the cruiser,” Charley said. “Let him limp back to the core worlds. Good riddance motherfucker!”
Molly chuckled at the notion, but she looked in severe pain. Charley scrabbled at a small supplies panel and found a vial of med salve. She tore Molly’s uniform away and applied the salve immediately. The viscous substance sealed the wound and began to bind the flesh. Molly regained her color and her composure.
Charley glanced out the porthole worriedly - where was the pod taking them? They seemed to be moving away from the planet.
“We could be on a pre-planned course back to the one of the core worlds,” she said to Molly. “What do we do?”
Perhaps it was a narcotic effect of the med salve, but Molly calmly raised her blaster and fried the navigation core. The panel fizzed and the pod shook as if having some kind of meltdown. At length the pod’s power shorted out and the sphere dropped like a stone toward the planet’s surface.
Charley held on to her straps in white terror as the pod scudded straight through the upper atmosphere surrounded by orange flame. The craft fell through several banks of white cloud and Charley was sure they would be dashed against a mountain. But then a landing sequence kicked in and an inertia field glowed blue underneath the falling orb. The inertia field slowed the pod down and by the time they reached the troposphere they were almost drifting down. The weather was clear here and Charley could see an endless expanse of icy tundra.
The ground slowly rose up to meet them and the women braced for impact. The pod struck a powdery ridge of snow before rolling several hundred yards across the uneven tundra. Charley was tossed around so many times she felt like vomiting by the time they finally came to a stop.
Molly unstrapped herself and opened the hatch. Cold air greeted them. Charley stepped out gingerly and surveyed the terrain. The landscape was bleak, running silver and blue all the way to the horizon. Charley hugged herself against the cold, her breath visible in the late afternoon air. She calculated that her friends were over on the night side, many of them celebrating what had been decisive victory against the Imperials. Her crew would be desperately worried about her, Harry and Vanessa in particular. And then there was Jack Kovacs…
She tried hailing Harry on her wrist com. At first she got static, but on her third try Harry’s voice chimed through.
“Just had to decide what to wear,” Charley said affectionately. “Wanna come get me or you’ll make a girl walk?”
“Thanks, Harry,” said Charley. “What’s your ETA?”
There was a pause as Harry did his calculations.
“Copy that, Harry,” Charley said with a smile.
Molly limped out to stand next to Charley on the ice.
“How’s your wound?” Charley asked with concern.
“Almost as good as new,” Molly replied cheerily. “Did I just hear right? We don’t get our rescue for four whole hours?”
“Unfortunately,” Charley said. All of a sudden she felt very tired and hungry. It’d been a long time since she’d had a proper meal. “Let’s just lay low for a while,” she said. “I do believe those escape pods are well insulated.”
“Aye aye, ma’am,” said Molly. “That sounds like a grand idea.”
The women withdrew to the escape pod where they gladly shut the hatch behind them. Snow began dusting the tundra, a strong fall that emerged from the gathering gloom.
Molly found a large insulating blanket in a supply cache and covered Charley with it. Charley began to feel toasty and warm, but she still felt grimy in her clothes.
“Come under with me,” she said to Molly. “But for the love of the gods let’s get these Imperial suits off first.”
The women stripped down quickly. Charley had nothing underneath her suit and Molly had her usual underwear. They huddled together under the warm blanket and marveled at their escape from the warship.
Molly went quiet all of a sudden.
“What’s wrong?” Charley asked her.
“I’m … I’m sorry about what happened up in the warship. When we were stuck in the infantry pod. The truth is… I took this job because I’m physically attracted to you.”
Charley sighed. It seemed most of her crew had feelings for her in one way or another. She wasn’t sure what it was that had such a strong effect. Yes, she was naturally sensual, loved adventure, and liked to think she was well put together. But this was a situation that made things complicated. First there was Vinnie Teks, who was now roaming the galaxy in the service of some kind of ancient intelligence. Next there was Harry Teks, his father, who would serve Charley faithfully until the end of his days. Then there was Vanessa, the ex-escort who possibly saw Charley as some kind of savior. And who could forget Jack Kovacs, the charismatic leader of the Frostfire rebels? Now there was Molly Tanner, the no-fuss security expert whom Charley was depending
on to be a straight arrow, a rock she could depend on.
To have Molly fall for her made things… complicated. Especially since Charley sensed her feelings for Jack Kovacs had deepened. What did that mean for all of them? Maybe the best thing to do was become a nun or something. Join one of the far-flung religious orders of the outer worlds. But as she looked at Molly she felt caught up in the moment. They’d come through a lot together and she felt a strong bond of survival.
“Ma’am?” Molly said, concern in her eyes. That did it. Charley found herself falling into the moment.
“You know, Molly,” she said. “I think it’s time to relax a little.”
Molly caught the look in Charley’s eye and wasted no time in making the first move. She inched forward and pressed her large breasts against Charley’s, allowing them to rub softly. Aroused, Charley pulled Molly’s head close and they kissed passionately for several minutes. Their bodies slowly intertwined under the warm insulating blanket. Charley’s hands roamed freely, enjoying Molly’s generous curves. Molly’s hands found the right place and from there a glorious, throbbing climax was inevitable as the snow fell gently on the escape pod…
Charley was asleep when the pod was pierced by shafts of strong blue light. Almost regretfully she pulled on her utility suit and opened the hatch. Molly climbed out after her and they shared a secret smile. Harry’s welcome face appeared through the gloom and they knew they were safe.
The trip back to Ottova was without incident. The icebird was an impressive vessel, a powerful air rescue unit fully adapted to the cold. Charley and Molly laid back on comfortable stretcher beds and let their thoughts wander.
The icebird eventually descended through the night gloom and landed at the well-lit central airfield at the spaceport.
Charley allowed Harry to carry her exhausted body across the tarmac and into the warm barracks building.
“Sorry, we haven’t had time to set up nicer digs,” Harry said.
“That’s fine, Charley said tiredly. She was asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.
19
When Charley woke she found herself tucked into the rearmost bed in the Imperial barracks building. She couldn’t quite remember being taken there but it was an acceptable result. She let her mind drift for a while, trying to judge the time of day by the cast of sunlight through the windows. It was probably early afternoon.
Seeing that Molly was in the next bed, she asked after her bodyguard’s wound and learned that it had been fully dressed and bound.
When she felt ready for the world, Charley pulled on some clothes she found at the end of the bed. They were no replacement for her utility suit but they made her feel like a local, a rebel, and that counted for something. She’d been through some major struggles with the Frostfire settlers and she almost felt a sense of responsibility for them. It was a bright day and the white sunlight hurt Charley’s eyes as she went in search of her friends. Harry was the first to approach her, wrapping her in a bear hug.
“You’re the most courageous young woman I’ve ever met,” he said tenderly. “You risked your life for the cause and these people think you’re a hero.”
“All in a pirate’s day’s work,” Charley said humbly.
At that point Charley heard a general hubbub beyond the airfield fence.
“What’s going on?” Charley asked.
Harry held Charley at arms length and looked her in the eye.
“Once they’d heard of your heroics in driving Emperor Galactus from the planet, Frostfire settlers came from all corners of the globe. They’re all camped outside the city. Thousands and thousands of them. Ready to die for you if necessary. Protecting their home has not only become possible, but glorious.”
“Galactus will return,” Charley said quietly. “What happened to the warship in the end?”
Harry’s smile faded. “Crashed,” he said. “Somewhere in the same wastes you landed in. There weren’t any survivors, but then there weren’t many on board.”
“Most escaped,” Charley said, remorseful for the people who had died. “Galactus would be halfway to the core worlds by now.”
“No doubt,” Harry agreed. “But the situation here has changed. Galactus badly misjudged the mood of these people. He thought they were scattered farmers, nothing more. He hadn’t counted on a defense force led by the famous Pirate Guild.”
Charley couldn’t help but chuckle. The way Harry put it made it sound wonderful. And it was, in many ways. They’d gone from a small, desperate operation to a force to be reckoned with. A leader of armies.
“There she is, my little pirate commander,” came a familiar voice. Harry melted away (or was that just Charley’s imagination) as Jack Kovacs padded towards her like a panther. This time the hug had a sexual charge to it that invigorated Charley’s every pore. She didn’t want it to end. Jack smelled like sandalwood and sweat, a sexy, masculine combination.
“It’s good to be home, Jack,” she said, and she meant every word. But what was home? It certainly wasn’t the spaceport. Was it the planet? Was it Jack? She didn’t know for sure but was looking forward to finding out.
Firstly, there were questions upon questions.
“What were the losses, Jack?” she asked, starting off with the hardest question.
“Not terrible, but not great either,” came the honest reply. “We lost over two hundred good soldiers in the spaceport assault. Good people, mothers and fathers.”
“I’m sorry to hear it,” Charley said quietly. She was silent for several moments while she thought about the fallen.
“We have a memorial service organized in two days,” Jack said. “After that we’ll focus on rebuilding the city. Boost our defences.”
“The remaining Imperials have been captured?” Charley asked.
“Rotting in cells,” Jack answered venomously. “They won’t be seeing the light of day any time soon.”
Charley nodded. She sensed it was best to leave the punishment of the Imperials to Jack and the other rebels. “It’s been a big couple of days,” she said. “What are you planning now?”
“There’s a lot of work to do here,” Jack said. “Then I think I’ll head back to Ghost Fort and meet with other leaders from the rebel movement.”
Charley understood. Jack was a leader now and would be wrapped up in the new political order of the place. Frostfire had a newfound confidence. When the climate finally changed for the better the people would be ready to thrive. Unless, of course, Galactus returned with a fleet of warships.
“Why do you think the Imperials came?” she asked finally.
Jack frowned just like Harry had. It was clearly a troubling question.
“I’ve heard rumors,” he said cryptically. “Nothing for you to worry about right now.”
“OK,” she said reluctantly. She was too tired to digest bad news anyway. All she wanted to do was hole up with Jack and make love for a few days. But from the sound of things Jack was going to be tied up for a long time.
Perhaps reading her thoughts, Jack grabbed Charley’s hands and looked her in the eye. She almost melted from the close proximity of those ice blue beauties.
“Why don’t you wait for me at the Fort?” he said. “We can relax together in between my meetings.”
“I’d like nothing better,” Charley said. “But I won’t stay for long. I’m a pirate, after all.”
Jack’s eyes widened for a moment. He wasn’t used to women dictating terms to him. He smiled mischievously. “Well, between now and then I’ll try to find reasons for you to stay.”
20
The next few days passed by in a blur. Charley made sure she stayed for the memorial service in Ottova, honoring the memory of those who had died defending their home. She caught up with Gronko, Vanessa, and an indignant FIGJAM too. The PalBot was furious on seeing Charley again but it soon became apparent that his anger was only skin deep, an emotion born out of love. Charley was happy to slot the little robot back into her utili
ty belt, especially since she’d left her pirate pellets and scimitar on the Imperial warship.
Eventually she convinced Harry to take her south to the Imperial warship crash site. At first she thought she could handle moving onto new weapons, but there was something special about the pirate pellets old Silverton had given her on Abeyas. She had taken on the same name and it felt only right that she preserve the old pirate’s memory. As for her scimitar, it was the first sword she ever bought. A sword paid for with hard won credit, back when she was first learning what being a pirate was all about.
Trawling through the wreckage was a harrowing business. Despite what Kovacs said, there were several bodies littered amongst the scrap. Perhaps sensing Charley’s guilt, Harry squeezed her arm and assured her that bringing the warship down was a necessary act of war. If it hadn’t happened at all, Galactus would simply pepper the rebels from orbit, causing widespread death and destruction.
It was also difficult to determine exactly where the lower deck was. The warship was littered across the icy tundra over many miles. Charley and Harry had to first identify the right part of the ship from the air. Charley felt more uncertain the longer the operation took. Did she have any right to poke through the wreckage just for her pirate trinkets? Something kept her going though, and she doggedly clambered through huge, exposed sections of deck. Harry identified the lower support decks that housed cleaning and pressing chambers. Finding the right corridor in all the wreckage was nigh impossible.
Charley was just about to give up when Harry spotted a crumpled corridor that looked familiar. Charley needed a boost to climb up to the tilted, naked corridor but she was able to slide down with no real difficulty. At length she found the adjoining storage closet she’d ducked into with Molly. And there, stashed into a wall panel, was her sword and her pellet containers!
Unable to keep the grin from her face, Charley slotted the pellets into her belt and fixed the sword and scabbard to her waist. As she negotiated her way back to Harry on the ground, she decided that their grisly efforts had been more than worth it. She didn’t feel like a pirate without her old-fashioned weapons. She wrapped Harry in a hug, thankful that the old man understood. She felt bad that they hadn’t been as close lately as they normally were, but the old pirate seemed to understand how she felt about Jack Kovacs. It was like he was assuming a different role now, moving away from lover and becoming more like a proper mentor. Together they trudged back to the icebird, taking their time to chat about Frostfire and how amazing their new situation was.
The Pirate Commander (The Space Pirate Chronicles Book 3) Page 11
