by Gary Weston
‘Why doesn’t that surprise me?’
They reached Base Three and got down, Pinky having no idea about the lead and collar. She pulled this way and that, but Shannon held on tightly. Eventually, Pinky stopped pulling, and settled into an awkward trot by Shannon’s side.
‘Come on in,’ said Betty Foreman. ‘And isn’t this little puppy such a darling? Tagg and Joy are already inside.
Betty Foreman had already shown them around, but still pointed out things of interest. They reached the fruit garden, where trees of nearly fifty varieties were grown for a mix of fruit and to raise saplings for peoples gardens. The proceeds of the sales went into running the Base. Betty had forged a blend of scientific discovery with commercial success. Joy Dainty was up a ladder, pruning an apple tree.
‘Oh, hi. Here. Try these apples. They’re delicious.’ Joy passed out the apples and climbed down the ladder.
‘Oh, my. Look at this little cutie. Have you named her yet?’
‘Pinky,’ said Shannon. ‘Because of her ear.’
‘That and she loves pink,’ said Casey. ‘Tagg not working?’
‘There’s a nice little spot he likes by one of the pools. He sits and reads, or sleeps, when Dixon lets him. Well. Just a few days left. Have you enjoyed your holiday?’
Thorne said, ‘Very much so. But we’re going to do some serious thinking about our future when we get back. See what our options are.’
Betty said, ‘Clever young people like you two will soon find something worthwhile to do. Look at me. Nearly eighty and busier than ever.’
Thorne said, ‘I’ll leave you ladies to chat and see if I can find Tagg. I’ll catch up with you later.’
Thorne found Raven by his favourite pool, stretched out, a floppy hat over his face, Dixon asleep in his stroller by his side. Raven heard the rustling of leaves and lifted his hat.
‘Hi, Sam. How’s it going?’
Thorne sat on the grassy bank of the small bathing pool, one of many in the Base.
‘Couldn’t be better. Shannon’s pleased with her puppy.’
‘Good. I’m just getting in as much rest as I can, while I can. With five ships on the go, we’ll be pretty busy again. And I have the daunting prospect of a new P A to look forward to.’
Thorne said, ‘I might see Commander Gordon to see if there’s a job for me with his maintenance crew. I’ve a few skills to offer.’
‘You know ships inside and out. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t something for you. What about Karma?’
Thorne said, ‘We might go traditional. She’s said she’d like us to have a baby, and with Shannon to look after, she might stay at home. If that’s not enough, maybe work part-time.’
‘Joy has already mentioned going back to work part-time as a botanist. Working here with Betty has stimulated her interest again. It looks like plenty of change for all of us.’
‘Change is good.’
Thorne lay back on the cool grass and soon he and Raven were snoring away.
Chapter 382
Garf Logan was a no-nonsense, hard-bitten type, and with twenty years of running his own commercial freighter servicing company, had a sharp inbuilt radar when it came to customers. It was telling him to tread warily with this job. A check of the records showed Martin Valiant Haulage to have history, and none of it much good.
‘I was promised fifteen percent up front. It’s not in my account at the moment.’
As usual, Martin had left Valiant to deal with everything. ‘You have to be kidding me. I told them to transfer the money yesterday. Must be some kind of computer glitch. Look. You guys make a start, I’ll get onto the bank.’
Logan stood with his hairy arms folded across his barrel chest, his bloodshot eyes piercing into Valiant. ‘You do have the money, right?’
‘Absolutely,’ lied Valiant. ‘My partner Dale Martin is with our last customer right this minute making sure we get our money. Then he’s organising our next job. We’re pretty full on.’
Logan sniffed. ‘Is that right? I heard this old tub is impounded.’
‘Just a technicality. Once you’ve worked your magic, we’ll be free to go.’
Logan was doubtful any of that was true. ‘Ok. Here’s what I’ll do. We’ll start work, check out the engines, but if the deposit isn’t in my account by the end of the day, that’s as much as we do.’
‘Not a problem. It’ll all be sorted out. Trust me.’
Logan wasn’t about to trust Valiant or Martin. He was tempted to change his mind and go to the next customer, one he knew would pay. Instead, he nodded to his men and they set to work.
* * *
Dale Martin had waited almost an hour to see Dirk Nightingale, financial controller of Martian Direct Imports. The attractive woman on the reception cast glances at him occasionally and had even offered him a symcoff, which he regretted declining. Finally, the women entered Nightingale’s office, closing the door behind her.
‘Mr Martin is still here, you know?’
Nightingale sighed. ‘Persistent devil. I was hoping he’d give up and go. Ok. Send him in.’
Martin was relieved to be told that and offered his warmest smile and handshake to Nightingale.
‘Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr Martin. Please take a seat.’
‘Thanks.’
Nightingale clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. ‘And what can we do for you, Mr Martin?’
‘Well. I was wondering if there was any possibility of bringing forward my payment for that last delivery.’
Nightingale smiled, but there was nothing friendly in the thin lipped smile. ‘Mr Martin. It states quite clearly in our agreement that payment is made on the last day of the month, subject to all deliveries being passed off as being verified and checked for damage.’
‘Nothing is damaged.’
Nightingale shrugged. ‘I’m sure that’s the case, Mr Martin, Even so, the end of the month is still a couple of weeks away. Sorry, but that’s the way it is.’
‘Mr Nightingale. Things are pretty tight at the moment. I was hoping you would be a little bit flexible about this. It would sure help us out if you could be.’
Nightingale shook his head. ‘Sorry. Our accounts department have their procedures to follow. The best I can do is ask the goods inwards department to check out your delivery as soon as possible, so that the release is passed to accounts. Other than that, it will be the end of the month.’
Martin and Nightingale stared at each other, and Martin knew Nightingale wasn’t about to give in.
Nightingale said, ‘Well, Mr Martin. I’m sure we both have a lot of work to do, so…’
Martin got up to leave, thought about expressing his opinion about big interplanetary corporations and how they bullied the little guys, thought better of it and set off to the nearest bar for a drink.
Chapter 383
‘I think we’ve covered everything,’ said Miss Saltoe. ‘Just remember. Attitude is everything, in this job.’
Minnie Tuffnutt agreed. ‘I think I’ll be able to manage Boss from now on, Miss Saltoe.’
‘I’m sure you can. Don’t forget, though, Agent Jordan is staunchly loyal to Boss.’ Saltoe leaned forward and whispered, ‘They have history, if you know what I mean. I believe there’s still some deep bond between the two of them.’
‘I’ll be discreet. So. You and Councillor Freeman will be taking off again.’
‘Some official business on Tryzon. I’ve packed extra thermal underwear. And I’d better be going. I’ll pop in next time I’m on Home. I feel much better knowing the department is in good hands. Good woman’s hands. Good luck, Miss Tuffnutt.’
‘And you, Miss Saltoe. Have fun on Tryzon.’
Saltoe paused at the door and winked. ‘Don’t you worry. I will. Goodbye, Miss Tuffnutt.’
Tuffnutt breathed a huge sigh of relief that Saltoe had finally gone. The torch had been passed and actually let go. She sat alone on the nineteenth floor, feeling the buzz of
the place, as if the very walls oozed the excitement of all the missions that were controlled from this very floor. A succession of Boss’s had run the D S I, adventures in deep space, dangerous missions to the far flung reaches of the galaxy. And Tuffnut was P A in name and title only. Boss was Boss, but he couldn’t function without her. Her thoughts were disturbed by a light tapping on her door and Agent Tilly Jordan entering.
‘Miss Tuffnutt. I’ve just been checking out the new ships with Commander Gordon. You must come with me, next time. Get a feel for how that side of the operation functions.’
‘Thank you, Agent Jordan. I’d appreciate that. I’ve never been on a ship before. It would be useful to understand who did what and where.’
Jordan grinned. ‘Did Miss Saltoe tell you how she shot away some of an old Tryzon prison with a ship’s laser cannon, to free some captives?’
‘Probably no more than fifty or sixty times. She’s on her way to join Councillor Freeman on Transporter One.’
‘Yes. I passed her on her way out. She seemed very eager to get going. My parents live on Tryzon.’
‘Nice. I might get to travel myself, now. Perhaps I’ll get as far as Tryzon.’
Jordan said, ‘Perhaps. Boss understands how important it is for you to be fully involved in all aspects of D S I activity.’
‘I’m looking forward to it.’
‘Good. Any messages from Boss?’
Tuffnutt said, ‘No.’
‘Good. Joy Dainty would give him grief if he didn’t switch off for the time being. Right. You have my number if you need me. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Have a nice evening.’
‘You, too.’
Chapter 384
‘What the hell’s going on?’ Martin demanded.
‘Actually, not a lot,’ said Valiant. ‘The service crew was called off by the owner, when guess what? The deposit we promised him never showed up.’
‘Crap. And that’s it? They’ll do no more work?’
‘Get real,’ said Valiant. ‘No dough, no show. How did you get on with us getting paid early?’
‘Hmm,’ snorted Martin. ‘Typical David and Goliath. We’re supposed to pay people, but that lot can hang onto our money until the end of the month.’
Valiant said, ‘I told you they’d say that.’
Martin disappeared, returning a few minutes later. ‘Have you seen our engines? Everything is in pieces. We gotta get Logan back in here.’
‘With what? More empty promises. Logan will only turn up if we have money up front. And just how much have you been drinking? You can hardly stand up.’
‘I’m fine. Don’t you worry about me.’
Valiant snapped, ‘I don’t. I worry about me and what’s left of this business. Our next customer asked when they could start loading his stuff on here. I told him you’d get back to him.’
‘Me? I thought I paid you to do that.’
‘You don’t pay me at all. Not for months. I’m sick of covering your sorry ass. You tell me. How do we get out of this one?’
Martin collapsed in the seat next to Valiant’s, his head swimming. ‘We have to make Norton see sense. A few words from, we can get this all sorted out.’
‘Commander Norton told you no, already. Forget about him.’
‘No way. I’ve too much dirt on him. I let it out about him dipping into the funding, he’ll be dead meat. A word to his bitch of a partner, Koldart, he’ll be dead meat and buried with it.’
‘Hey? Where are you going?’
‘We are going to see Norton. He needs to see we mean business. We get him to call a few people then we get the ship sorted and loaded and get the hell off this damned rock.’
Valiant said, ‘You’re wasting your time. Mine, too.’
Martin fixed Valiant with a glare. ‘We’re all out of time. Norton is all we have.’ Martin picked up a spare data cube. ‘I’m going to turn the thumbscrews on the son-of-a-bitch. And you, my friend, are going to help me. Now move it.’
It was dark outside, and there was no sign of a buggy anywhere, so they walked three miles to the city centre then hailed a buggy for the rest of the journey. Mars Base Five ran around the clock. Most of the administration was done there for the whole planet. This was also where Mars Commander Fripp Norton worked. With luck, he would be working late. Inside the main foyer were the reception and security officers. A large female in black appeared, the holster on her hand-laser unfastened, just in case.
‘Yes, Sir. What can I do for you?’
‘Good evening, officer. We have urgent business with Commander Norton, if he’s still around?’
‘He is. What’s the nature of this business?’
Marting smiled. ‘Sorry. Very sensitive. Confidential. Would you be so kind as to say Dale Martin and Dan Valiant are here to see him? He can verify we are who we say we are on that camera right there.’
‘He would be more likely to see you in the morning.’
‘Very urgent. Sorry. Please ask him.’
The officer went to the bank of security equipment and made the call. Martin couldn’t hear what was being said, but smiled when the security camera on the ceiling swivelled in his direction.
‘Hi, Commander Norton. Mind if we have five minutes of your time, Sir?’
‘I have nothing to say to you, Martin. Officer. Please evacuate those men from this building.’
‘Oh, Commander Norton,’ said Martin, waving the data cube at the camera as he grinned. ‘I’ve some sensitive information on here I’m sure you wouldn’t want it to be seen by anyone but us. You really should see us.’
There followed a long pause, then Norton said, ‘Officer. Allow those men through to my office, please.’
‘Very well, Sir.’ The officer pressed a sensor and the door to the offices swung open. ‘Down that corridor until the very end.’
‘Thank you.’
Martin and Valiant passed through the glass security doors which closed and locked behind them. They walked past rows of offices, until they reached the end of the corridor. The light wood door clicked open and they entered the office of the man who ran Mars, Commander Fripp Norton.
Chapter 385
‘Sam said he and Karma would look after Dixon for us so we could have a night on the town,’ said Raven.
‘I’m kinda bushed,’ said Joy. ‘You’ve been swanning around all day. I’ve actually been working.’
‘And loving it. All you have to do is shower and make yourself even more gorgeous then sit at the best restaurant on Mars and be treated like a princess.’
‘You do make it rather tempting.’
‘Come on, Joy. We have to grab chances like this when we can. Say yes.’
Joy sighed. Everything ached on her, but a hot shower would ease most of those niggles. ‘Ok. You can wine and dine me, I suppose. Do they come here or we go there?’
‘No dogs allowed in here, so we drop Dixon off at the ship, then go out for a couple of hours. You get ready, I’ll let Sam know we’re on our way and I’ll book a nice table for two in the restaurant.’
‘Give me just fifteen minutes and I’ll be ready.’
‘Done.’
As Joy went off, Raven called Sam. ‘Hi. It’s Tagg. Yeah. Joy’s looking forward to a night out, so thanks. She’ll be a good half hour getting ready at least, then we’ll come straight round with Dixon. Right. Cheers, mate.’
Half hour later as Joy was dressing and applying her make-up, Raven showered and dressed in just five minutes. Their rented buggy was waiting outside and soon whisked them off to the ship. After dropping off Dixon, Raven and Joy happily set off for their sumptuous meal in the Martionella Restaurant, the best on the planet, where it paid to be important like being Boss, to guarantee a table.
‘Now I remember why I put up with you,’ said Joy, letting the maître de escort them to their table and appoint them a waiter for the evening.
‘And I thought it was because you love me.’
‘Whatever gave
you that idea?’
‘Because you do. And I’m the luckiest man alive to be with the most beautiful woman in this or any other solar system.’
Joy smiled and held his hand. ‘You know? I might just keep you.’
‘Be still my beating heart.’
‘Shut up and order. I’m starved.’
Chapter 386
‘You have nothing on me, Martin. I only let you two goons in here to tell you if I ever see your ugly faces again, I’ll have you slammed away in a facility cracking rocks on a moon that hasn’t even got a name.’
‘Commander Norton,’ said Martin, twiddling the cube. ‘This is just a copy, of course, but it has records of all your gambling activity I’ve handled for you for the past five years, including where all the credits were syphoned off from to cover those bets. Now, we are all reasonable men of the worlds. I have no desire to hand this over to the finance committee, but I could do with a little cooperation from you to stop me doing that. You can just make a few calls, pull a few strings, and we’ll be off this rock and you’ll never see us again.’
Norton grunted, ‘Yeah. Until the next time you get in a hole. Go ahead. Give them that damn cube.’ Norton leaned back in his chair. ‘You’re not the only bookies runner, Martin. I’ve placed bets with others. Unlike you, I actually won more than I lost. Any money I borrowed, was replaced.
Sure, I’ll have the financial committee over me like a rash. Did you realise my brother chairs that committee and that I gave him that cushy number? Oh, he’ll have to give me a public flogging, but then things will settle down, I’ll still be sitting here, and you two will be…Not a lot, really. Wait. Here’s the number for my brother. Shall I get that for you?’ Norton pressed a button. ‘Oh, Jerry. I’ve a nut-job here wants to talk to you.’ Norton offered the handset to Martin. ‘No? I didn’t think so. Oh, sorry Jerry. He changed his mind. Yeah. Nut-jobs do that. Are we still on for golf in the morning? Great. See you at ten.’
Something snapped. Perhaps it was the cocky “I won” smirk on Norton’s face, but Martin totally lost it and hurled himself over Norton’s desk, grabbing the man by the throat and sending them both crashing to the ground. Norton’s head connected with the wall and smashed open, blood oozing out and flowing like a river down the light grey wall, pooling on the floor. Martin saw the blood, let go of Norton’s neck and almost passed out with shock at what he’d done. The next thing he felt were Valiant’s hands dragging him off the dead Commander.
