"We've been contracted by the Cortecan mining guild to courier a shipment of Abantium to their two biggest mining operations,” Kai began, his tone and demeanor taking on a businesslike edge that Del had never seen in him before. Usually a reckless and carefree menace, he was all cool control this morning and Del could now see how he'd become the co-head of a company as large as Shay Enterprises.
"We're to pick up the shipment at the supplier, here,” Kai continued, pointing out one blinking spot in the hologram. “It's just off a high traffic lane, so we won't be concerned with security at that point. From there we take this lane...” He traced a line across the hologram. “Until it angles away from our destination. This is where we go off-lane. We've got about a day's off-lane travel to reach the Corteca System. From there we're going to have to split up, because the mining facilities are in systems flanking Corteca. This means two teams and we bring both the Rock and the Tank."
Del frowned and looked down at Cassie quizzically.
"The cargo haulers,” she murmured in response.
"Corteca's close to Fringe space, so you all know what that means—the baddies will be out in force, especially with this kind of cargo. So it's important that everybody know what they're doing. It's been a while since we teamed it and we've got a new crew member, so we're going to drill on it before we set off this afternoon. Questions?"
Lynch made a rumbling noise to catch Kai's attention. “Does the cargo need any special handling?"
"No. Abantium's stable unmixed, so we don't have to worry about blowing ourselves up. The supplier has assured us that it'll be sealed in protective containers and will be ready to throw on the haulers with no extra effort on our part."
"Manny, what teams are we on?” Bib cut in breathlessly, blue eyes bright with anticipation.
He gave her a wry grin as he answered, “You, Lynch, Fern, and Sunny are with me. Cas, Del, Quan and Jinx are going with Sinsi."
Bib grabbed Jinx's arm and shook it, but didn't take her eyes off of Kai. She seemed excited rather than disappointed. “Does that mean I'll be slicing this time?"
"That's right. Lynch'll pilot the Rock, and Jinx'll take the Tank."
She gave a whoop, throwing her arms up in the air and doing a little wiggling dance with her hips. There was a round of general laughter at her antics, until Sin planted a hand in the middle of her back and gently pushed her forward. “Okay, Biblet, let's celebrate on the move. We've got work to do."
Kai snagged the disc out of the air and waved for the crew to follow him, but he headed away from the only exit Del knew of, the door to the docking bay. With a frown, Del didn't follow for a moment, and Cassie paused with him, looking as though she would explain. But Sin touched her shoulder and the two women exchanged a look before Cassie nodded and walked on.
Giving Del a slight smile, Sin inclined her head after the group. “Shall we?"
"Where are we going?” he asked as they moved after the others.
"There's another bay on the other side of this one. We call it the storage bay, but it's really an excuse to come and go without the regular couriers taking note. They fuss when Kai and I give this group special attention."
Del gave her a dubious look, doubting that they'd have a whole separate bay just to keep peace between the off-laners and the normals.
Sin's smile widened slightly, but she changed the subject. “How's your brother?"
"Good,” he answered with caution, studying her serene expression carefully. There were lots of reasons she'd ask, but none of them were harmless.
"You've had a good reunion, then? I didn't get a chance to ask yesterday."
"Yeah,” he answered as they approached a door that had been hidden from view by the massive conveyors. “It's great to see him again."
"I'm glad,” she said simply, then flashed him a glance that made his stomach muscles tighten. “I'm also glad to see you still here this morning."
Feeling a flush of confused emotion climb his neck and knowing any answer would reveal too much of himself, he went on the offensive as they stepped into a smaller bay. “You know Nick's gonna dig while you're gone."
"I would be disappointed if he didn't,” she answered with unruffled calm.
He stared down at her, brows pulling together in perplexity. She sounded so unconcerned. She met his gaze with a hint of amusement and gestured to something ahead of them. He looked and was distracted from her disregard of his brother's investigation by what sat before them.
"That's the Tank, and that's the Rock,” she said, pointing to the two large ships in turn. They were the ugliest things Del had ever seen. A dull charcoal grey, they both squatted on their pads with the grace of toads, massive and ungainly. There wasn't a smooth curve on them, their sullen bulk pitted with strange indents that Del had no explanation for.
His expression must have given his thoughts away, because Sin chuckled. “What they lack in beauty, they make up for in function. There is no ship more reliable, and they've got their own special qualities. Come on; let me show you."
Del followed her towards the two vessels, thinking of how different in form these beasts were to the Shadows. With a frown, he realized that none of the slicers were in view. “Ah, where are the—"
"Inside. The haulers can dock slicers."
Eyeing the long divots in the sides of the ships as they stepped up one ramp towards a hatch, he muttered, “Did you make ‘em that ugly on purpose?"
Sin chuckled again, ducking into the ship ahead of him. Following her down a short corridor, he blinked as they entered a large control room. It seemed a lot more elaborate than was necessary for a ship of this size and function. Jinx was sitting in the main pilot's seat, his hands moving with swift precision over the controls that nearly encircled the chair. When he caught sight of Del, he gave him a wide, boyish grin.
"Welcome to the Tank! What d'you think of her?"
"She's a brute,” Del answered in a flat tone. No one took offense, though, Cassie nudging him with a friendly elbow as the others laughed.
"She sure is,” Jinx answered with what looked like pride.
Quan slapped the young man on the shoulder. “Think you can put her in space before Lynch gets the Rock off her big ol’ behind?"
Jinx flashed the pilot a wicked grin. “Watch me!” he cried enthusiastically, and Cassie groaned.
"You bust this ship and I'll bust your ass. Understand?"
Jinx didn't seem to hear the threat, his young face glowing with excitement.
Sin glanced up at Del, an amused crinkle at the corners of her eyes, and said softly, “You'll want to grab hold of something. This isn't going to be pretty."
Cassie was already strapping herself into the second's seat. Del gripped the back of it as the engines snarled powerfully under his heels. No matter how they looked, by the sound of those engines Del could tell that they'd move fast enough ... for a hauler anyway. There was a lurch as the ship launched off of the pad and spun with clumsy speed towards the exit. But it seemed Lynch had had an idea of what the Tank's crew was up to. The Rock launched immediately after them and angled to get ahead of them.
Del swore as both ships pounded towards an opening that didn't look large enough for one, let alone two of them. Jinx laughed with reckless delight, his fingers flying over the controls. A moment later, the Tank rolled like a whale in shallow water and the Rock mimicked the move, both squeezing through the atmosphere shield on a diagonal.
"Age before beauty, brat,” Lynch's voice growled over the com.
"And hafta follow your slow ass, gramps? Don't think so!” Jinx chortled in return.
Del gritted his teeth as the two ships jockeyed for lead position, appreciating more than ever the smooth, effortless grace of his Shadow.
"Getting space sick yet?” Sin murmured at his side, grinning at the disgruntled look he cast her. “Come on; let me show you the rest of the ship before we get spaceborne."
With relief, he followed her out of the control roo
m, glad to take his eyes off of the lurching viewer. “Where are they taking us, anyway?"
"Somewhere we can drill in relative privacy."
They made their way down a long corridor. Half way down, there was a pair of doors facing each other. Sin gestured to each in turn as they passed them. “That's the common room and that's the communal crew quarters. Private quarters take up too much space,” she added when he lifted his eyebrows. “This is a hauler, after all, not a cruiser.” She gave him a teasing grin and keyed open the door at the very end of the corridor.
Del was distracted from the thought of sleeping in the same room as Sin, when they stepped through the door into the vast space beyond. “Whoa,” he muttered, startled by the huge expanse. The four Shadows in front of them looked small and forlorn sitting in so much space. There were two large cargo loaders secured at the far end, but even they seemed to take up little of the large bay.
"This is the cargo bay, which doubles as a docking bay, as you can see. The engines below us can be reached through a lift in this corner.” She gestured to her right.
"That's ... a lot of room,” Del responded as casually as he could.
Sin gave her dark head a slight shake. “This ship is a baby compared to our regular couriers. Sitting in one of those cargo holds, the Tank and Rock would look like these Shadows do here."
"Damn. Is this your company's main business, then?"
She hesitated a moment, tilting her head in thought before she answered, “One of them."
"What other—” he started, but didn't get to finish the question. Quan and Cassie came through the door behind them. Del was disappointed, knowing his brother would probably have handled questioning her better. He was also disappointed that they were no longer alone.
"Almost there,” Cassie said with a quick smile.
"All right, let's go,” Sin responded briskly and headed towards the slicers.
Del didn't need to be told what the next step was, heading towards his own Shadow with long strides. He gave the ship a welcoming caress as he rounded her nose. Sliding in with a thrill of anticipation, he started her up and grinned as she purred in response. Connecting with the Shadow was like coming home, contentment and excitement in one.
"You guys ready?” Jinx's young voice intruded.
"Yup. Clear the way, Jinx,” Sin responded.
Del was aware of the bulkhead above them sliding out of the way and lifted without prompting towards the dark freedom of space. The others joined him, but he was most aware of Sin's Shadow moving with thoughtless enticement at his side. Taking a deep breath, he tried to distract himself from the lure of her by taking stock of his surroundings.
As far as he could tell, they weren't anywhere near a planet system, empty space surrounding them on all sides. The other hauler was close by, its Shadows making a mockery of its homely bulk. Del had no trouble figuring out which Shadow had Bib as a pilot. She was dancing around the others like a moth around a flame. When Sin's team made its appearance, she broke away from her team to weave in between them in enthusiastic greeting.
The reaction of the others surprised a laugh out of him. The three Bib had left sped after her while Cassie and Quan dodged around her and arrowed towards the other team. The five Shadows met between the haulers in an elaborate dance that left Del breathless. He could no longer tell which Shadow belonged to which pilot, until one broke away and blazed towards them with reckless speed, Kai crying, “You're it, Sinsi!"
With a throaty laugh that made Del shiver, Sin's Shadow rolled away from his side as the others sped after her in a whirl of silky blackness. The temptation of catching Sin in his slicer was too much for Del—he joined the race, his blood beating an urgent, primitive rhythm.
Spinning within a rush of Shadows as they chased Sin in elaborate twists around the two haulers was not only the most profound experience of his life, but the most fun he'd had since childhood. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed with such careless freedom, and he'd never felt so attuned and powerful as he did in that shaft of Shadows, like a dark god frolicking with his brethren. The others seemed to feel the same, shouts of encouragement and wild laughter accompanying their reckless flight.
But they must have played this game before. Sin stayed just out of reach, taunting them with flirts of her ebony tail and her laughter. They nearly had her trapped between the haulers once, half of the group splitting off to box her in, but she turned at a right angle and fled away from the haulers with effortless ease. Growling half with frustration and half with admiration, Del followed with the rest.
On a straight flight like this, they were steadily gaining on her, Kai and Del jockeying to be first in the hunting pack. Anticipating victory, Del was startled when she flipped around, striking back at them like a vengeful arrow. The group scattered with exclamations and surprised laughter as she blew through the middle of their Shadow cluster. Del snickered to hear Kai call his sister something unpleasant.
"All right, I'm caught!” she announced on the other side of them, spinning once again to face them.
"Ah, no fair!"
"We almost had you that time!"
"Coward,” Kai drawled amidst the protesting voices from the rest of the crew.
"Nice try, brother,” she retorted with biting humor, “but that stopped working when I was twelve. Come on, children. We've got work to do."
"My sister's greatest talent,” Kai said in a dry tone as he passed her on the way back towards the haulers. “Sucking the fun out of everything."
"When you grow up, you'll understand,” she said with exaggerated care, and Del snorted with amusement, hearing the groans of protest from the others dissolve into laughter. “Okay people, first thing's first. Let's show Del why our haulers are so ugly."
That seemed to put the enthusiasm back into the group, and they returned to the haulers with murmurs of anticipation. Del followed, bemused.
"Del, the color of our Shadows is no accident. Their skins have a function beyond looking pretty, something which I don't think Cassie has explained to you yet."
"Nope, I didn't,” Cassie chimed in, her voice sounding as though she was grinning.
"So what is it?” Del asked as they drew closer to the bigger ships.
"You'll find out in a second. Put yourself where you can get a good view of both haulers and watch."
He did as she'd commanded, watching with a perplexed half-smile as the rest arrayed themselves over their respective ships.
"Okay, everyone, secure Shadows."
Del watched with a murmur of discovery as the slicers settled into the long divots in the surface of the haulers, their shapes fitting perfectly in the indents, but he gasped in astonishment when they blended seamlessly into the skin of the larger ships. If he hadn't seen it happen right before his eyes, he would now think the haulers were the only ships in this region of space. He was even more amazed when he checked the sensors and saw that even to his own Shadow, there appeared to be no more than two ships in front of him. Anyone coming upon the haulers would be unaware that there were seven deadly Shadows lying in wait to protect them.
"Holy heart of the Sun,” he breathed and heard the others laugh in delighted response.
"This is one of the reasons our off-lane service has such a good reputation. We have yet to lose any cargo to hijackers."
"That and we've got some damned good pilots,” Kai added to his sister's statement.
Whistles and whoops of proud agreement followed his comment, and Del grinned in spite of the unease he felt at yet another indication of how far the Shays were willing to go.
"Too true, brother. So securing and scattering are the first maneuvers we'll be drilling on today,” Sin continued, her tone taking on an edge of briskness. “Shadows scatter."
As one, the slicers burst from their hiding places, spinning like dervishes away from the haulers. Del was dutifully impressed—any ship that came upon the haulers and saw that display would be caught completely off guard.
"You see?"
"Yes,” Del answered, seeing a lot more than just the maneuver. There was a kind of military discipline to their actions that unnerved him. He also realized belatedly that the earlier chase had been not only a warm up, but an affirmation of their group bond, a kind of nonverbal pep talk. These Shays were more clever, and more dangerous, than he'd given them credit for.
"Good. If you'll take position, then..."
So the drilling began. Del had never attended a military flight school, but as the day wore on, he had a sneaking suspicion that it would be a lot like these drills. With both the slicers and the haulers he learned flight formations, defense patterns, offensive tactics, and disabling maneuvers. They even ran several attack simulations, but with dry targeting only—no live weapons fire allowed. In these situations, Del was grimly pleased to see his own weapons proficiency improve. It seemed he became more motivated with an aggressive Shadow bearing down on him than on a sterile targeting field.
It was strangely gratifying, even if what he was learning had repercussions that he didn't want to think about. He had never flown as a team before and it satisfied some deep part of him that he hadn't known existed. The challenge of racing against other pilots in a slice had its own primitive excitement, but to be in tandem with a flight of slicers felt as natural and comfortable as his own skin.
Chapter 14
When Kai called a halt to the drilling, Del was surprised to find that it was afternoon. He couldn't help the disappointment that flared in him when Kai told everyone to dock. Whatever else the Shays might turn out to be, he knew he'd at least thank them for this experience.
"First call on the bathroom!” Cassie cried as they settled into the Tank, and Del chuckled ruefully, realizing that his own body was giving him urgent messages in that area. They'd been out a good long while.
Sunscapes Trilogy Book 1: Last Chance Page 18
