“Yeah, she isn’t flying anywhere. The port side engine is a total loss and there is fire damage everywhere. I don’t think she’s spaceworthy at the moment. Besides the cracked cockpit glass I’m pretty sure there are hull fractures from the plasma venting and collision. We’ll have to have her lifted back home.”
Nathan sighed but he expected that answer. “I don’t suppose this planet has a service like that?”
“No but I have an idea.”
“Yeah?”
“We could use three of Eldridge’s trucks to lift it up to the Corkscrew and put her in a cargo hold. We can repo the ship and use it to get us all home.”
Nathan considered it. The Corkscrew could easily accommodate the Bandit, even if they had to dock it to the outside of the hull.
“I like it. Let’s get with Eldridge in the morning and start making plans.”
Duncan cleared his throat. “He may be hard to convince.”
Nathan finished his bourbon and set the glass down. “If that’s the case, I’ll remind him that things only got out of hand because one of his mechanics dropped us into this dump. Any objections?”
They all shook their heads. It appeared that everyone wanted to finish the job and get home.
“Okay, then let’s get back to the motel and get some rest.” They all stood up and started filing for the door. Cole hung back with Nathan while he paid the check.
“Back at Eldridge’s camp when you beat the hell out of Turtle, you mentioned that Dodger had ‘called down the lightning’. This new plan sounds like we’re just packing up and leaving. Which is it?”
Nathan took a mint from the bowl near the cashier and popped it in his mouth. “You know, at that moment I just wanted to kill all of them but seeing everyone healthy around the table here, I don’t know. Maybe it’s better to take the Corkscrew and go home. What do you think?”
Cole put a hand on his shoulder. “I think you’re the captain, Nathan, and I’ll back your play whatever it is. Why don’t you think things over, and we’ll see how things look in the morning?”
He nodded. “Yeah, good idea.”
— «» —
Morris checked the time. It was just past three in the morning and his eyes itched from exhaustion. He’d been up almost a whole day and now Dodger had him and a dozen other guys hunkered down in the strip club waiting for a retaliatory strike from the repo agents. Dodger sat at his desk, jittery and trembling from chewing K. He looked to be on the verge of a heart attack.
Morris took a deep breath. “Boss, I don’t think they’re coming. Why don’t we send the guys home?”
Dodger’s head snapped around and he held a finger up. “Oh, they’re coming. They’re just waiting us out.”
Morris yawned and stretched. “You scared the hell out of them, Dodger. They aren’t coming here and starting a fight. If they did, how would they get away? Their ship is sitting out at the spaceport.”
“Maybe, maybe,” Dodger said. He drummed his fingers on the desk. “They’re clever, though, aren’t they?”
“Sure, that’s what the intel from Earth said but after today they’re shaken up. What are they going to do? Only two of them are really dangerous, the captain and his security guy. The rest are mechanics and a co-pilot, none of which have any kind of training. Why don’t we get some rest, start fresh tomorrow? Hell, I’ll take a couple guys and we’ll find them if you want. Finish them off.”
Dodger considered it for a moment, he saw. The boss’ face twitched and he mumbled under his breath. Moments like this made Morris wonder if he should just shoot the silly sonuvabitch and take over. He watched as Dodger plucked another crystal from the mostly empty plastic envelope on his desk and put it in his mouth. He chewed slowly, grinding the crystal into dust and then wagged a finger at Morris.
“You may be right. You really think they won’t come?”
“I think they would be here already.”
“Okay, get the guys home and rested. The second it gets dark we find them and bring them back here, find out what they know. Can you get eyes on them?”
“I’ve already told everyone we know to watch out. There’s nowhere they can hide.”
Dodger smiled. “All right then, get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.”
Chapter 19
The sun was barely up when Ari exited the tent she shared with Eldridge and made her way toward the camp stove. She started coffee and then the cooking ‘bot activated and asked if she wanted breakfast.
“Nothing yet,” she said. “I’ll let you know later.”
The wreck of the Athena Star loomed in front of her like an enormous bad luck charm while she waited for the pot to brew. In another hour or so, everyone else would be awake and the ‘bots would get to work. Until then she had the place to herself.
Or so she thought.
Daryl stepped out from behind one of the storage tents with an apple in his hand and said, “Good morning, Ari.”
She jumped up, startled and said, “What are you doing here?”
He smiled and nodded toward the coffee. “Where’s Eldridge? Still sleeping?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s keep our voices down so we don’t wake him. I’d like to talk to you.”
Ari glanced at the tent. “What do you want?”
“I’m looking for the repo men,” he said around a mouthful of apple. “Do you know where they are?”
Ari shook her head. “I haven’t seen them since yesterday when you attacked us.”
“That’s a harsh way of putting things. After all, Turtle’s the one in the clinic. He probably won’t be fixed up until later today. That Teller guy really beat the crap out of him.”
“He deserved it. You all do for what you’ve done.”
Daryl glanced at the tent where Eldridge still slept. “You should be careful how you talk to us, Ari. We’re your only friends out here.” He walked around the table, drawing closer to her.
She took a step back and cursed herself for allowing this cabrón to see her intimidated in any way. “You’re our friends? You must be joking.”
“I’m not, Ari. You see, we’re going to make sure the repo men don’t bother you or take your ship. That way you can keep working and we can all keep making credits.” He took another step closer. “That’s friendly, don’t you think?”
She swallowed hard. “Why can’t you just leave us alone?”
“We are,” he said. “I just need to know where the repo guys are. Are you sure you can’t help me with that?”
“I don’t know where they are,” she said, shaking her head. “They’re not friends of ours.”
Daryl chewed his apple and considered her for a moment. “Okay, I believe you but if you see them you’ll let me know, right?”
She involuntarily took another step back. “You know what? I’ve got work to do. Why don’t you just go do whatever it is you do?”
He leaned in close, and his stringy hair fell forward over his face. “This is what I do.” He brushed the hair away from his eyes and held her gaze for a moment. “You’re a strong woman, Ari, but if you cross us you’ll regret it. It’s just you and Eldridge out here and a bunch of these things,” he kicked the dormant cooking ‘bot. “If you want to keep him healthy don’t do anything cute like help Teller and his crew. They’re our problem. Just keep your head down and do your job. We’ll take care of the rest.”
Then he backed away and tossed the remains of the apple into the recycler. “We’re looking for them, so just let me know if you see them. That’s all you have to do to stay safe and keep things running smooth. Do you understand?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I understand.”
“Good. I’ll be down at my pile if you need me.”
She watched him walk down the service road, his form growing smaller and more distant with each step. A few m
inutes later the tent flap rustled and Eldridge came out, stretching in the morning light.
“Hey, honey,” he said, “what do you want for breakfast?”
Ari rushed to him and hugged him, angry with herself for crying.
“What’s wrong?” He said, holding her tight. “Did something happen?”
“Yeah,” she said and backed away from him, wiping hot tears from her cheeks. “Let me tell you about it.”
— «» —
Nathan woke up early in the motel on Bad Rock after tossing and turning all night. Sleeping in a strange place always left him frayed around the edges and the events of the previous day wouldn’t let his mind rest. The situation was serious, he knew, and damn near out of control. They had never been stuck like this, without their funds or ship. He sighed and stared at the ceiling.
The texture pattern on it bore a resemblance to the one in the bedroom where he had grown up. Some factory somewhere just pumped these things out for cheap housing. He considered that it might have been a better business to get into than starship repossession.
He reached for his mobi and sent a group message to everyone, rousing the troops to get an early start. He grabbed a shower, changed into fresh clothes he’d grabbed from the Bandit and brewed two cups of coffee from the machine in the room. It smelled like motel coffee but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Then he made his way outside and spotted the deputy in the cruiser hovering a few centimeters above the parking lot. They nodded to each other as Nathan approached with the coffee.
“Thank you for that,” the deputy said as he accepted the offered cup. “I ran out a couple hours ago.”
“I’m going to wake everyone up and get them moving out to the wreck site. Is there a car service I can call for a van or something?”
The deputy yawned. “Sure, I’ll send you a message with the link. What are you doing out there?”
“Hopefully making plans to leave. I’ll see you in a few.”
Nathan walked into the motel office and settled the bill, silently hoping the charge wouldn’t be rejected. He didn’t even want to think about covering the deductible for the damage to the ship. At least he had managed to scrape together the insurance payment before leaving Earth.
The crew started to trickle toward the office. Cole prowled the parking lot, keeping an eye out. A bleary-eyed Marla stumbled over the threshold and Duncan took her arm. Richie yawned and held the door for Tricia. She smiled with no sign of fatigue.
“Why do you look so good this morning?” Nathan said.
“What do you mean?”
Nathan waved at the crew. “Everyone else looks like death warmed over, yet somehow, you’re as fresh as a daisy.”
She smiled and shrugged as she sipped her own cup of coffee. “I got six hours and that’s plenty. Nurses work some pretty crazy shifts, so you learn to sleep when you can and make the most of it.”
“You’re all right? I mean it’s not every day you almost crash in a starship.”
“I’m good.”
“I’m good too, boss,” Richie said, “just in case you were wondering.”
“Us too,” said Duncan, pointing at himself and Marla, “even if we do look like ‘death warmed over.’” Marla threw him a wink.
“Ignore them, Tricia. They can’t stand it when I give someone else attention.”
“Attention is nice. Breakfast is good too. I’m starving.”
Nathan saw a van float in from the street. “We’ll get takeout on the way. It looks like our ride is here.”
They piled into the vehicle and Nathan walked over to the deputy. “Are you going to be following us all day?”
He shook his head. “The chief just said overnight. Do you think you’ll be okay? I could call him if you want.”
Nathan considered it but figured they would probably be okay if they stayed out of Dodger’s way. “No, we’re all good. I’ll call you later if we need you. Right now, the plan is to leave so maybe this is all over.”
“Okay, have a good one.”
He drove away as Nathan got into the self-driving van. He gave it instructions to find a restaurant with take-out breakfast and then go on out to the wreck site. After that, he leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes.
Leaving felt wrong but what he could do? Helping Chief Bell would put them in the crosshairs of a Diamond K addict who had no problem killing them. Despite what Cole had said the previous night about backing him up, he couldn’t ask his crew to risk their lives to put some criminal in jail. Let Bell worry about it. That’s what he was paid for.
His main concern had to be saving the business. This wasn’t the first hard time he’d been through but it was the worst. Being broke didn’t matter much when he had the ship to earn credits. Now, though, he didn’t have either.
After he’d left the military and got his space certification he’d had a safe but boring job, just flying, no risking his life or fending off gangsters. Maybe he should have just played it safe and stayed in orbit around Earth.
— «» —
“You’re burning too much fuel, numbnuts. Stop adjusting for every little deviation.”
Nathan glowered at the man behind him and bit back a response. Quite a few retorts sprang to mind but actually giving voice to any of them would probably lead to unemployment and right now, he needed this job. If Archie Brandhurst, or Captain Archie as he liked to be called, wanted to complain about fuel consumption, then Nathan would just listen. At least, he would until the end of his contract eight months from now.
“Sorry, Captain. We’re experiencing more atmospheric drag than the, uh, plan anticipated.”
Captain Archie swung his rail thin frame into the co-pilot’s chair, exactly where Nathan hated seeing him. The old man chewed tobacco and constantly spit into the stainless-steel coffee cup in his right hand. “Are you saying my flight plan is wrong?”
Careful to avoid calling his boss an idiot and eager to maintain the illusion of civility, Nathan gave the captain an aw shucks grin before he answered. “Not saying that at all, Captain. I’m just saying that maintaining the altitude indicated in the flight plan is consuming thruster fuel at a greater rate than anticipated.”
“How long have you been on the King’s Ransom now, Teller? A month?”
“Almost two months.”
“And, remind me, how many piloting jobs have you had prior to this one?”
“A few.”
“How many jobs piloting in space?”
Nathan bit his lower lip. “This would be my first one.”
“Right, and I’ve been up here in orbit for thirty odd years, so when I tell you the rate of fuel consumption is too high, which one of us probably knows what he’s talking about?”
“You have a suggestion, sir?”
“You spent all your military exit benefits on that fancy school learning to pilot in space and I have to suggest you increase your acceleration to maintain altitude? You got ripped off, son.”
“The flight plan calls for our present speed.”
Archie shrugged and spit tobacco juice into his cup. “It’s not carved in stone, Teller. You can make adjustments to it.”
Nathan nodded and made an adjustment to the speed. He felt slight pressure as the orbital tug sped up. “It feels like the inertial compensators in the artificial gravity modulator are lagging. You want it on the maintenance checklist?”
Archie shook his head and adjusted his ball cap. “Nah, it ain’t so bad. Can’t drop credits on every little thing or we’ll go broke.”
“All right.”
“You’ve got a lot to learn about running a ship, Teller. They’re just machines. The damn things never run perfectly one hundred percent of the time. You have to learn to live with things being broken sometimes.”
Nathan nodded. “Okay.”
Captain Arch
ie checked their position on the co-pilot’s display. “I’ve got the stick for a while. Why don’t you go back and help the twins with the next deployment? You could use the practice.”
“I’m the pilot.”
“Sure, but you need to know how things work on a ship if you want to be a captain someday. Getting your hands dirty is the only way to get an understanding of how everything functions. Go on now, they’ll get you up to speed.”
Nathan unstrapped and got up. Archie had a contract to clean up orbital debris around Earth. Humans had been launching things into space for almost six hundred years and quite a bit of it lingered there. Large pieces of equipment usually deorbited but the most popular altitudes remained littered with junk. Over the centuries small pieces of equipment had become lost during spacewalks and nations had done ridiculous things like shooting down satellites. Clouds of bolts, metal shards and paint chips whizzed around the planet at eighteen thousand miles per hour like a lethal, razor sharp hailstorm.
He moved down the corridor that ran the length of the ship, passing the sleeping quarters, galley and finally coming to the wide cargo bay that served as the workspace for Archie’s twin nephews. Nathan dreaded working with them. He took a deep breath and opened the hatch to the cargo bay.
“It’s your fault,” he heard a loud voice say. “You reeled the line out too quickly and now it’s tangled,” Tanker said. He was the older of the two by seven minutes. Nathan knew that because Tanker made a point of telling everyone he met.
His brother Jaimie stood on the other side of the bay digging through a toolbox. They both wore denim coveralls and red t-shirts with the company logo on the back.
“The line came pre-spooled, dumbass.” He waved at the large reels of line stacked all over the bay. “I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“You fed the reel into the spooler, didn’t you?” Tanker worked under the access panel of a large piece of machinery. “Just give me the twelve millimeter so I can untangle this mess.”
“Head’s up,” Jaimie said and Nathan snatched a wrench out of the air. He handed it to Tanker.
“Archie said you guys might need some help,” Nathan said.
Bad Rock Beat Down (The Milky Way Repo Series Book 2) Page 21
