Kill Shot: A Remnant of the Commonwealth, Book Two

by Williams, Christopher

  “Son of a bitch,” Aaron said quietly.

  “Exactly,” Dunn agreed. “That is why I can’t use you anymore. If fact, I suggest you leave this sector of space immediately. Five hundred thousand might have the locals looking for you, but they won’t follow you to a different sector.”

  Aaron sighed again as a sinking feeling settled in on him. He had hoped that they might be able to work for Dunn for some time to come, but that was no longer a possibility. That meant moving on and trying to find another employer.

  “Any idea which way you might go?” Dunn asked.

  Aaron’s eyes narrowed and he studied Dunn.

  Dunn must have sensed how his words had been interrupted, because he spoke quickly. “I mean so that I can recommend people in my line of business to you and you to them.”

  After a moment, Aaron shook his head. “I’ve kinda been taken by surprise. I don’t have the first idea where we’re going.”

  Dunn nodded and held his hand out to Anderson, who handed over a small credit voucher. Dunn, in turn, handed the voucher over to Aaron. “Twenty-five thousand. As agreed.”

  Aaron took the voucher and was on the verge of standing when Dunn said, “I have a small bonus for you.”

  “Bonus?” Aaron asked skeptically. Gunrunners and smugglers were not known for being overly generous.

  “Well, not exactly a bonus.” He held out his hand to Anderson again, and this time the little man handed over a folded towel. Dunn held it out to Aaron.

  Aaron hesitated only a moment before taking the package from Dunn. He flipped it open and was surprised to see a Patterson Model 18 plasma handgun. He looked up at Dunn. “You’re giving me a gun?”

  Dunn nodded. “I think you’re very talented, and I wish that I could continue to use you, but unfortunately I cannot.” He paused and then added, “The gun came from an inspector who got a bit too close to my organization. Needless to say, he won’t be needing it anymore.”

  “Thank you,” Aaron said, and then a thought occurred to him. Originally, he had intended to spend the ship’s portion of the profit on necessities, but the outfitter shop on Bathia had provided most of their necessities and then some. There was, however, one thing the ship still needed. “Mr. Dunn, would you be willing to sell me some of your product?”

  “My product?” Dunn repeated doubtfully. “What do you mean?”

  “My crew could use firearms. Would you give me a deal?”

  “Perhaps,” Dunn answered slowly. “Depends on what you’re looking for.”

  Aaron smiled. He knew exactly what he wanted.

  Chapter 7

  Aaron and the four crewmen arrived back at the ship roughly two hours later. Dunn had provided transportation, and it was a good thing. In addition to the five passengers, two large metal crates went with them. Aaron also carried three smaller cases.

  Russell and Grady were quiet during the trip, but Eric and Thomas complained nearly nonstop. They wanted their credits and they wanted some free time on the planet. Aaron refused to answer any questions, which seemed to anger the two even more.

  Dunn’s small transport dropped them at the base of the cargo ramp. Grady and Russell carried one of the larger crates, while Eric and Thomas grudgingly carried the other. Aaron kept the three small cases with him.

  Farther back in the cargo hold, Terry and Susan were fiddling with the spacesuits.

  Susan noticed them first and said, “Good news! All three suits checked out.” Her words slowly trailed off as she watched them approach. “What’s the matter?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Eric said. “We’re back on the ship, so tell us what the big fucking deal is.”

  Aaron ignored him. “Any of the crew missing?” he asked Susan.

  “Eve and Molly went looking for fresh supplies, but they came back about twenty minutes ago. I think Adam’s on the bridge looking through the available cargos just in case we have some time before Dunn wants to use us again.”

  Aaron shook his head. “Dunn’s not using us again. The elatori put a bounty on our head and they have some halfway decent pictures of us and the ship. Dunn said we’d better leave the area.”

  “Goddamn it!” Eric said loudly. “I haven’t been wasted or enjoyed a lady’s company in nearly three weeks. I was looking forward to some time off this tub.”

  Aaron took a deep breath and counted to five slowly. Eric and Thomas were not the friendliest of people, but they were good at what they did, although Aaron could do with a good deal less of the bellyaching. “You can have your credits and leave if you want to,” he said. “But this ship is taking off as soon as we make sure everyone is on board. If you leave, be sure and take everything that belongs to you ‘cause we won’t be here when you return.”

  It only took ten minutes to get everyone gathered in the galley. The two large metal crates were placed in the middle of the tables; the smaller cases were already in Aaron’s room.

  Aaron was pleased to find everyone currently on board, and he quickly relayed their need for an immediate takeoff. Although there were some long sighs, no one complained like Eric and Thomas had. Of all the crew, only Molly looked worried.

  “Where we headed?” Susan asked.

  Shrugging, Aaron glanced around. “Any suggestions?” It was discouraging to have to find someone else to run cargo for, but he wasn’t overly worried; at least the ship’s larder was well stocked.

  “Why don’t we bid on some of the outbound cargos?” Adam asked. “There aren’t that many bidders on the long-haul cargos. Maybe we could get us a good commission.”

  Aaron shook his head. “No. We’re leaving here because of the bounty. We don’t want to leave any sort of trail for any bounty hunters to follow.”

  Adam looked confused. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  When no one else had any suggestions, Aaron stood. “Set course for Sargas III.”

  Susan and Adam both rose to head to the bridge, but stopped when Eric spoke. “How long a trip is that?”

  “Should be a little over two weeks,” Aaron said.

  Eric groaned and began rubbing his temples. “I don’t know if I can make it two weeks without any downtime.”

  “Decide now,” Aaron said. “If you need off, now’s the time to go, but we’re heading to Sargas.”

  “Captain,” Susan said after a moment’s silence. “What’s in the crates?”

  “Oh, I’d forgotten.” Aaron moved forward and flipped the first lid open, revealing a thick layer of hard foam. He moved the top layer, revealing ten plasma handguns embedded in a second layer of foam. “There’s twenty Logan C-14s plus one trainer. The other crate has ten Keppano M3 carbines; there’s also a trainer in there. I want everyone to get checked out with the trainers.” He looked to Molly. “Even you,” he said. “Never know when it might save your life.” He glanced around at the assembly. “These guns are ship property. Use them as long as you’re a member of the crew. If you leave, the guns stay.”

  Both the M3s and the C-14s were solid, if a bit unflashy. Both guns were reliable and should last for years. These guns were known for not doing anything great but doing everything well.

  Aaron pulled the Patterson out of his pocket and set it in the crate with the other handguns. “Russell, take charge of the guns. Sign one out to anyone who wants them, but make sure they can use the trainer first.”

  The crew broke up, each heading toward their assigned takeoff position. Adam headed to the bridge, but Susan hung back, looking to Aaron. He waved his hand in the general direction of the bridge. “Get us ready for takeoff. I’ve got something to do.”

  Susan’s eyes narrowed and Aaron got the unmistakable feeling that she couldn’t read his mind at that moment and it seemed to bother her. Strangely, he took some weird pleasure in it.

  Aaron jogged out of the galley in the direction of engineering. It only took him several moments to catch up with Terry and Kyle. The two men would typically remain in the engineering room until they cleared the
atmosphere, but not today. He needed Kyle for something else. “Hold up,” he called as he drew close.

  Both men stopped and waited; they looked to him expectantly but didn’t say anything.

  “You go on, Terry,” Aaron said. “I need Kyle’s help with something.”

  “Sure,” Terry said. He looked curious, but the only thing he said was, “I wanted to start work on those transports, anyway.”

  “I may keep him for a while. Can you handle engineering on your own?” Aaron asked.

  Terry paused and looked back, grinning. “Probably do better without him.” He waved his hand. “Keep him as long as you need him. I’ll be fine.”

  “Hey,” Aaron called, and Terry stopped and looked back. “See if there’s anywhere on those transports to put a hidden compartment. Just in case we need to smuggle something through customs.”

  Terry nodded. “Sure. I’ll see what I can do.” Then he turned and walked away.

  Kyle paused, waiting for Terry to disappear. “What is it you need?” he asked.

  “I want to send a message Beta Leporis and I want you with me.”

  Beta Leporis was the planet where they had met Kyle’s father, Charles Morgan. He was the one who had remodeled the Long Shot and hired them to rescue Kyle from the prison ship. The man was a rich shipbuilder who secretly dabbled in corporate espionage and smuggling.

  They reached Aaron’s room and sat down at the small table in the corner. Aaron pushed a button and a small covering slid up to reveal a screen and a small camera.

  “You sending to my father?” Kyle asked.

  Aaron shook his head. “I’m sending to Locke.”

  Sebastian Locke was Charles Morgan’s cover. Morgan was a respected industrialist and did not want to be seen as a criminal. That was where Locke came in. He was the face of the criminal portion of Morgan’s activities.

  “Computer,” Aaron said, “begin recording.”

  A small red light clicked on the camera.

  Aaron smiled. “Hello, Sebastian. The Soaring Freedom and her crew are heading to Sargas III, and I was hoping you could recommend someone who needs a good cargo ship. We should reach the spaceport in two weeks. I would appreciate any referrals you could pass along. Thank you. Soaring Freedom out.” Aaron reached forward, pushed a button, and the red light went out.

  “Soaring Freedom?” Kyle asked.

  “I wanted to make sure he knew what name we were going to use when we landed.”

  “Well, why did you have me come in and not say anything?”

  Aaron smiled. “I just wanted Locke, and your father, to know that you are still alive and doing well.”

  Turning his attention to the wall, Aaron pulled out a small keyboard and began typing away. He quickly entered the codes that would route the message to the communications satellite outside the Hasan point here at Pocal, then through a wormhole to Beta Leporis, and finally to Locke.

  A brief silence ensued. It was finally broken by Kyle.

  “This smuggling stuff isn’t as easy as you hoped, is it?”

  Aaron shrugged and smiled. “Nothing is ever as easy as we imagine it, but I think we’re doing all right, especially after we cleared out that outfitter store.”

  “What do we do if my father can’t recommend anyone to us?”

  “We keep going until we find someone who’ll hire us,” Aaron said. Then his smile got even bigger. “Worst case, we’ll have to take an honest cargo.” He gave a little shutter for theatrical effect.

  Kyle laughed.

  Less than an hour later they were out of the planet’s atmosphere and driving for deep space. Aaron was back in his cabin. He didn’t feel the need to be on the bridge as, for once, they had left a planet without anyone chasing them. The rest of the crew could see to getting them safely on their way. Besides, there was something else he wanted to do. He retrieved two of the three small cases he had brought from Dunn’s and spread them across the small table. He opened them and began going over their contents.

  He was surprised when the door chime rang out. “Come,” he said and the door dutifully slid open.

  Susan stepped in and glanced around the room. Her eyes came to rest on the boxes and she smiled. “New toys?” she asked.

  Aaron smiled back at her and held up one of the guns for her to see. He spent the ship’s share of the proceeds on guns for the crew, and he spent his share on guns for himself. There were two Oliver model 3s and a Horace Special. The Olivers were small guns that were easily concealable but only carried a small charge. The Horace Special was nearly twice the size of the Olivers, carried a substantially bigger charge, and each shot was more powerful.

  “I bought them with my share,” Aaron said.

  Susan nodded, then grew serious. “You seem a lot more relaxed,” she said.

  “Yeah. Bit disappointed about having to find a new employer, but at least we have a well-stocked ship.” He motioned toward the other chair and Susan took a seat. “I sent a message to Locke, asking him to recommend someone to us. I hope we have a message waiting for us when we get to Sargas.”

  Susan nodded but didn’t reply.

  “Something bothering you?” he asked after a moment of silence.

  “Nothing’s bothering me, but I wanted to make a suggestion,” Susan said.

  “Of course.”

  Susan folded her hands and placed them on the table. “I think we need to give Eve a full share.”

  Aaron sighed and looked a bit disgruntled.

  Susan couldn’t help it and she grinned. “You just can’t stand that she did good, can you?”

  Aaron shrugged. “I’ll admit that I thought it was a mistake to bring her on, but she has proven herself.” He had been against offering Eve a spot on the ship because he had felt that Susan wanted to take everyone along who had a sad story. At least in this instance, Susan had been right.

  Susan burst out laughing. “That was like pulling teeth. You don’t like admitting you’re wrong, do you?”

  “No,” Aaron agreed. “Do you?”

  Susan shook her head. “No. Do you want to go tell Eve now?”

  “No,” Aaron answered. “I’ll do it later.”

  Chapter 8

  It took another three hours to reach the Hasan point. From there they created the wormhole and began the two-week journey to Sargas. Aaron spent the last two hours on the bridge and was pleased when the ship was officially away from Pocal.

  He left the bridge via the ladder that led to B deck. There also was a small platform that could be used to transport people or gear from B deck to the bridge. The platform was rarely used; in fact, the only time it had been used was when there was a line of people climbing the ladder.

  Aaron was tired and considered going to his room, but then he remembered the promise he had made to Susan and turned his steps toward the galley. He had to go down another ladder to reach C deck where the galley was located.

  The most wonderful smell was emanating from the kitchen, and Aaron’s stomach rumbled. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten.

  The mess was empty and Aaron stuck his head into the galley. Both Molly and Eve were there; Eve was cutting vegetables, and Molly was stirring a big pot.

  “Something smells good,” Aaron said.

  Both women smiled at him, but it was Molly who answered. “It’s stew. We got some fresh vegetables on Pocal.”

  Aaron smiled, but silently he wondered what the meat was. He wasn’t picky, but he missed the things he had grown up eating.

  Eve quit cutting and set the knife down. “Here, let me get you a bowl.”

  “I don’t mean to rush you,” Aaron said. He felt like he was interrupting, or perhaps invading her domain.

  “It’s no bother,” Eve answered. She wiped her hands, grabbed a large bowl, and dipped a huge portion of stew for him.

  “Thanks,” he said, taking the bowl from her. He hesitated in the doorway. “You did good on Bathia,” he said. “That was a great find.”
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  Eve beamed at him. “Does that mean I get my full share?”

  Aaron nodded. “You deserve it. From now on, you get an equal share.”

  “Thanks, Captain!” Eve said, her grin growing even bigger.

  Molly dropped her spoon and hugged the older woman.

  Aaron retreated to the mess and took a seat at the nearest table. He cautiously tried the stew and was pleasantly surprised with how good it was. It didn’t take long before he was scrapping the bottom of the bowl. He momentarily considered going back for seconds but decided not to. He stood up and placed his bowl in the dirty dish bin.

  Aaron passed Eric and Thomas on the way out; the two still looked grumpy, and Aaron barely slowed as he passed by. The two were not good for crew morale. Perhaps he would have to give serious thought to dumping them.

  Russell and Jessica also walked through the mess door. Unlike Eric and Thomas, Jessica and Russell were all smiles. They held hands as they walked. The two had been an item for some time now and, except for ship’s duties, were rarely apart. Perhaps it was true love, or maybe it was just loneliness; either way they seemed happy.

  He passed them with a wave and headed toward the starboard ladder. His cabin was located on B deck, so he had to go up a level.

  He was a few feet shy of the ladder when Kyle called out to him.

  “Captain, do you have a moment?”

  Aaron turned to see Kyle leading the humanoid robot, CAC, toward him. “Of course,” he said good-naturedly.

  Kyle’s smile slipped a bit as he noticed the Horace Special in a holster on Aaron’s hip.

  Aaron glanced down, his eyes following Kyle’s gaze. “Oh, don’t worry about the gun. I picked it up on Pocal and I want to get it and the holster broke in.”

  Kyle nodded but didn’t say anything.

  “Was there something you wanted?” Aaron asked.

  “What? Oh yes.” Kyle motioned toward CAC. “I’ve been busy upgrading some of his circuits and modules, and it’s amazing how much smaller the stuff we use today is. I’ve added some new capabilities to him. I’ve attached a small recording device inside the cranium that records everything he sees, and he can play it back as necessary. Anyway, the upgrades are going great and I still have a small hollow area in his chest and another in his left leg.”