“I will leave now,” Gunjeet said.
“We are no longer at dock with Petersburg Station,” Marny said.
“Of course we are. We have not moved.”
“This is a true statement. The Captain has locked exterior hatches and therefore we are no longer considered at rest. You will need to determine if you remain as crew or complete the trip to Chitundu in our brig,” Marny said.
“Gunjeet, you will show Gunnery Sergeant Bertrand respect. You bring shame to your family,” Jala’s voice cut in.
“Mother, you will humble yourself. I am of age and you well know that you have no standing in this conversation,” Gunjeet said. He was so sincere in his delivery; it occurred to me he had no idea how ridiculous his words were.
“Please consider your father’s instructions.”
“Decide, Gunjeet,” Marny said. “You will follow the orders of your superiors of which I am one, or I will escort you to the brig.”
“You are my superior only in words, but I will respect these requirements,” he said and then added, “for now.”
“You are not allowed passage off this deck. At 0545, you will meet me at this location to begin your training. Jala, if you would accompany me, I’ll show you to the wardroom where we’ll be taking our meals. I believe you have volunteered for meal preparations.”
Marny’s voice grew louder as she walked up the ramp. I hurried down the passage so I didn’t get busted for listening in.
“Intrepid’s tradition is to make sure coffee is available at all times. The beverage has a mild stimulant which is useful for our crew standing watch,” Marny said as I rounded the corner that would take me past the wardroom, captain’s quarters, and to the opposite side of the ship where I could enter the bridge.
“Captain on the bridge,” Roby said as I palmed my way in. I found Ada and Tabby comfortably seated in the pilot’s chairs working through pre-flight check lists. Roby was at one of the two engineering stations typing furiously.
“As you were,” I said. “Everything checking out, Roby?”
“Yes. All systems are green.” I caught sight of Gunjeet kicking a hatch in the crew quarters just before the image blinked off.
“Electronic eavesdropping is against our policy,” I said. “Please refrain, Roby.”
“What a jackass,” Roby said. “I can’t believe Marny is so patient with him.”
I bit my tongue and didn’t respond with the easy comparison between Roby and Gunjeet. Tabby, on the other hand wasn’t as circumspect.
“Right, because the way you treat Sempre is so different,” Tabby said. Ada held her fist out so Tabby could bump it on top in agreement.
“That’s not fair.”
“And it’s not a conversation we’re having right now. Marny, are we covered on weapons?”
“Copy that, Cap. Turrets are linked currently, but Tabby would very likely join me in the gunnery nest if push came to shove,” she said.
“Establish link to Petersburg Station public address and Intrepid’s public address. Cue AC/DC ‘Back in Black.’”
“Petersburg?” Tabby asked as Ada shook her head, smiling.
A rock guitar started playing in rhythm to a heavy drum beat. I raised my left eyebrow to Tabby’s questioning look as the raspy rock legend started singing.
Back in Black
…
I've been too long I'm glad to be back
A vid popped up on my HUD showing Mom’s face with a big smile. She said something that I’d have to listen to later since the music was too loud. My breath caught in my chest as the bridge’s forward vid screen showed Intrepid pulling away from the station. Frak, but it really did feel good to be back.
Chapter 16
Best Lessons are Hardest
As we sailed away, I reviewed the sensor data from Petersburg and Intrepid. Petersburg’s sensors were considerably stronger than Intrepid’s, although it had to contend with interference from Zuri. At any given time, a few hundred ships were in orbit around Zuri. Most of those were ‘in-system’ ships, ferrying material and people between Zuri and Fan Zuri.
The problem I was working on, however, was that every time we sailed to the Tamu wormhole, a hostile reception awaited us. Had we run up against a permanent welcoming party that was set up to prey on any smaller, undefended ships that came near? Or were we somehow being targeted by Belvakuski and her Genteresk thugs?
I instructed the AI to track patterns of the ships within sensor range. If the AI found a correlation with our movements, it would bring those ships to my attention. I pulled out the comm crystal Munay had provided. The crystal pairs communicated through quantum resonance which, in short, meant that when one half vibrated within a frequency range, its twin vibrated at the same rate. The primary function was communication, although a useful secondary feature with whole crystal pairs was position location. If you had one half of the crystal, you could easily locate the second half. It was something of a risk to carry the crystal with us, but even if Munay no longer had the crystal, the person who found it would have to understand how to use it.
I opened a panel on the arm of my seat and set the crystal into an empty receptacle. I had room for six crystals and currently had three already mounted: one for Nick’s workshop, another for Petersburg Station and a third for Anino. The Strix had confiscated our collection of past Belirand mission crystals. I’d recently heard from Parl, a Cetacar friend, who believed those crystals would be returned in short order. The only problem with Parl’s assurance was that ‘short order’ for a Cetacar could mean years.
As expected, the missing sloop’s crystal showed no activity.
Ada looked over her shoulder at me. “Liam, you have a shift in four hours, perhaps you should get some rest. I’ll raise you if we run into anything.”
“Right. That shift’s going to be rough, but I’m hoping Tabby and I can catch some sleep soon. First, how does she feel to you?” I asked.
“Intrepid has always danced like a ballerina,” Ada said. “The new armor has given her a little extra mass on her fore and aft but she’s more than made up for it with added power.”
“Do they let ballerinas have extra on their bottoms?” Tabby quipped, turning in her chair to Ada.
“Don’t judge,” Ada said playfully. “She’s still beautiful.”
“Nothing wrong with curves,” I said, carefully walking the line I knew Tabby was waiting for me to cross. “Maybe she’s more salsa dancer than ballerina now.”
Ada laughed in response. “Okay you two. Now get out of here. I’m not going to put up with you missing your shift.”
I stood and looked over to Tabby, who was working on something at the master gunnery station. “Tabbs, you going to get some rest?”
Tabby stood and led me from the bridge into the hallway. When the door closed behind us she pushed me up against the starboard bulkhead and leaned into me, her hands running along my suit as she kissed me roughly. “Now what was all that talk of curves?”
“Only one set of curves I’m interested in.” I rested my hands on her hips and pulled her closer.
“By the way, I saw the way you looked at Jala when Koosha gave her to you,” Tabby said, rocking against me suggestively. “For the record, that would be a bad idea for both of you.”
I grinned. Tabby was getting heated up and as she pushed against me, I found I was unable to concentrate on anything else. I slipped out of her embrace, pulling her aft. With her free hand, she grabbed at me. I laughed as I let go and ran for the aft passage that joined the port and starboard main hallways. We were the second hatch on the aft side, just before the wardroom.
Movement further down the passage caught my attention as I placed my palm on our quarter’s security panel. Jala’s long, platinum blonde hair disappeared through the normally open wardroom door. I suspected she’d been listening to our conversation in the hallway. The idea of people as property wasn’t new to me and Koosha had been clear about how he felt about the woman. I�
��d have to deal with Jala soon and clear up her position.
“Don’t get confused.” Tabby pushed me through the door.
I used the momentum to propel me to the bed, where I turned onto my back, expecting her to follow. Instead she stopped and ran a finger down the side of her grav-suit causing it to peel away from her skin. I fluffed a pillow under my head and waited with anticipation as she dropped her suit on the ground, exposing a lacy bralette and panties.
Let’s be clear, I needed absolutely no enticement from Tabby to become excited. I’d been in love with this woman for as long as I could remember and the fact that she’d chosen me was still something of a mystery. That said, the black lacy material covered her just enough that I needed to see more.
“Like them?” Tabby asked, crawling onto the bed with sultry exaggeration, her voice low.
“Where did you get them?” I asked, lightly cupping the material.
Tabby placed a finger on my lips to quiet me then ran her hand down the side of my suit, releasing it. It took a moment to wriggle out. Once free, she pushed me back onto the bed and sat atop me, not bothering to remove her skimpies.
“You are mine, Liam Hoffen,” she said. The forcefulness of her words surprised me, but I wasn’t about to argue. I’d given myself to her long ago and her claim over me as we shared in each other’s bodies was neither new nor upsetting.
“Always,” I answered, tucking her coppery hair over her ear.
I rolled the two of us over so she was on her back. It didn’t escape me that she could have resisted if she wanted. It wasn’t the nature of our relationship, however. She would always give what I asked, as I would give to her.
“When can we get married?” I asked.
“I think in some cultures, this would probably have done it,” Tabby said, smiling and pulling my face to her own so our lips met.
I pushed away. “I mean it, Tabbs. I’m in this for the long haul.”
She rolled out from under me and sat up on the edge of the bed with her back to me. I knew her better than I knew anyone in the universe. She was afraid of getting married, because not a single relationship in her family had survived it. I scooted over and placed my legs on either side of her wrapping my arms around her bare midriff.
“We can’t let the past decide our future, Tabbs.” I moved her hair out of the way and kissed her neck.
“How do you always know what to say?” When she turned, there were tears in her eyes.
“Just trying to figure out how to get those panties off.” I waggled my eyebrows.
“You’re such a dumbass.” She swiveled and pushed me onto the bed.
An alarm chimed in my ear. I’d been dreaming of battling bugs in our Popeyes while trying desperately to find Jonathan, who was trapped in a Kroerak hibernation egg. I blew out a sigh of relief, my conscious mind slowly separating the dream state from reality.
I smiled as I looked at Tabby, sleeping and sprawled mostly naked. A sheet just barely covered her bottom, which was still wrapped in her latest lacy addition, of which I was a big fan. I didn’t want to wake her so I slid out of bed, jumped into the head and took a quick shower.
It was 0200 and I was working on less sleep than I liked, but such was the nature of watch schedules. When I got to the door leading out of our quarters, I noticed that one of the arms of Tabby’s grav-suit had inadvertently fallen in the path of the door so that it hadn’t fully closed. My mind jumped back to what I might have said while we’d been at it the night before. It wasn’t as if I had anything to hide, but someone listening could have heard things I wouldn’t ordinarily say in public.
I picked up her suit and dropped it into the cleaner. The grav-suit, like most smart fabrics, had the capacity to clean itself, but it was a good practice to occasionally send it through a freshener, as it would unload the grime collectors and leave it neatly folded.
I had a few minutes before my watch started, so I walked down to the wardroom and was surprised to find Jala sitting quietly, her back to the door. I didn’t know the beautiful, pale-skinned Pogona very well. She’d always been nice enough when we’d visited Koosha’s, but she was also an alien and I wasn’t sure of her motivations.
When I stepped around, I noticed her eyes were closed and her breathing was very light. As quietly as I could, I pulled a cup from the cupboard. As a send-off gift, Nick had manufactured twenty of the mini gravity-controlled cups that would keep liquid from sloshing out, even in the most ridiculous space battles. I set the five-hundred-milliliter cup under the coffee dispenser and reveled in the smell. We were still working with synth-coffee, but since I was running on low sleep, it smelled like liquid gold to me.
It was then I sensed a presence behind me and a light hand came to rest on my shoulder. “I have waited for you, Liam Hoffen. Will you take me to your bed, now?” Jala’s voice was as soft as ever.
I’ll admit to a moment of confusion as I turned and considered the woman. A small part of me was thrilled at the offer. It was a part of me that I knew would be lost — both figuratively and literally — once Tabby discovered my indiscretion.
“Good morning, Jala,” I said, pulling her hand from my shoulder. “I’m afraid I haven’t done a good job explaining how this works. You’re crew on Intrepid. While I’m the captain, it doesn’t give me the right to physical relationships with the crew.”
“But Koosha…”
“Hold on,” I said. “I’m not finished. You are a beautiful woman, but I’m in a relationship with someone I love deeply. For humans, this is a one-and-done thing. This doesn’t mean you and I can’t be friends; it does mean we won’t exchange physical intimacy.”
“Why would you allow me on your ship? Passage to Tanwar is expensive. Koosha has no other means in which to pay you.”
“You are crew, Jala,” I said. “You will perform duties as assigned to you by Marny. For this you will receive a small share of the earnings of the ship, including free passage to wherever we go. The same is true for Arijeet and Gunjeet.”
“Gunjeet is a strong man.”
“I’ll be honest, this conversation is confusing. The most powerful Pogona I know is Belvakuski, a female. How can you devalue yourself like this?” The conversation was driving me nuts. I’d run into a similar issue with Roby with respect to Sempre.
“I am nothing like Belvakuski.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” I said. “Let me be clear. While on Intrepid, you are a free person and can make decisions for yourself. You only owe me the respect due an officer. At 0600, Marny will be working through all this as part of crew indoctrination.”
“You are an unusual man, Liam Hoffen,” Jala said.
“So I’ve been told,” I said. “Do you need help finding your quarters?”
“No, and you may tell Tabitha Masters her message was well delivered. I will make no further overtures.”
I gave her a quizzical look and it crossed my mind that Tabby might have seen Jala, as I did before we entered our quarters the night before. It was possible her suit blocking open the door had not been the accident it appeared.
“I’ll pass it along,” I said, working my way around her and heading toward the bridge.
I found Ada on bridge watch by herself. “Anything to report?”
“One of the atmo scrubbers is reporting buildup, so I shut it down and put it on Roby’s list for this morning,” she said. “Otherwise, we’re one hundred thirty-four hours from the Tamu wormhole and there are no ships within a hundred thousand kilometers.”
“You are relieved.” I repeated the ritual we’d established for watch changes.
“I stand relieved.”
I sat in the captain’s chair directly behind the two pilot’s chairs. Ada had the forward vid screens showing an unobstructed view of space in front of Intrepid with system statuses scrolling on the starboard side.
“Get some rest, Ada.”
“Will do, Liam.”
After settling in and assuring myself everythi
ng was as Ada had reported, I turned my attention to my comm queue. Several items required my attention and I worked through them. Perhaps the most important was a request for further information from the convoy organizer, Aantal Tutt. In addition to requesting confirmation that we’d arrive on time in fourteen days, Aantal also asked for Intrepid’s weapon systems, how they were laid out, and how many actual gunner’s mates we employed. I was careful in my response. I didn’t want to lose the contract, but I wasn’t about to compromise our security. I was pretty sure other, better-known companies didn’t have to answer questions like these from nervous captains. For this first run, I’d sold our services at a bargain since we had virtually no reputation. That was something we could change quickly.
For most of the remaining watch, I sifted through Pogona message boards and communication portals, looking for a job that would take us into the Adit Pah system. There were several available and I shot them each an offer, but I wasn’t hopeful. The subtext of the job offers made me believe the shippers were looking for ships with local experience. It couldn’t hurt to apply, however.
My watch passed quickly as I had a lot to do, and at 0545 Tabby entered the bridge with a lopsided grin, two cups of coffee, and meal bars.
“Good morning, Love,” I said. “You’re early. Did you sleep okay?”
“Marny’s asking for you in the gymnasium,” Tabby said. “And, yes, last night was wonderful. Do you have anything to report?”
I transitioned bridge watch and gratefully accepted the meal bar and fresh coffee. “Jala asked me to pass on that she received your message last night.”
“Perfect,” Tabby said, settling into a pilot’s chair. “I was afraid that I was going to need to be less subtle.”
I kissed her on the forehead and took the long way around to the gymnasium, first stopping at the wardroom to drop off my cups for cleaning.
There are two entrances to the gymnasium, located forward on the portside of Intrepid’s oval crew section. The entrance I typically used would take me through the crew mess, where the Norigans were settled. I wasn’t about to get bogged down by the friendly little critters, so I took the long way around through the forward cargo hold. I was pleased to discover this lesser-known back entrance hadn’t been removed.
Corsair Menace (Privateer Tales Book 12) Page 20
