The Queen's Pardon (Alexis Carew Book 6)

by J. A. Sutherland

  “You said they was runnin’.”

  Alexis nodded and heaved a heavy sigh. “They’ve forgotten, lads, what it’s like to be a crew. Had it beat out of them by days trapped in the Dark, by the pirates, and by this world. Had their ears notched and their will broken until they just don’t remember. It might be you, a proper crew, could help them find that again. Put some steel in their spines and some pepper up their arses, eh?”

  There were outright laughs at that, but then someone asked. “How’re we to get away, though? It’s one thing to take a farm or some settlement, but we’ve no way off this ball of mud.”

  “With a ship, lads,” Alexis said. “The pirates can’t keep their whole fleet in orbit — have to go off raiding, don’t they? Take most of their fleet and nearly all their men, but there’re always a few left behind to hold this world from the poor natives. A few ships up there right now, and those of you who’ve heard of Hermione know it’ll not be the first time I’ve taken one from a grounded start.”

  Alexis felt a bit of melancholy at so using the tales of Hermione and her escape from Giron with that crew, but if she was to have any hope of getting her lads home this time then they needed the confidence of hearing that she’d done it before and would do it for them. They needed the tales as they’d grown through the Fleet’s rumor mill to make them believe. They needed the myth that had grown around that, not the truth of what had been a desperate midshipman, merely trying to get her too few lads home and herself along with them.

  I pray to the dark I’m not reduced to invoking the Creature and Creasy’s nonsense, but I will if I must.

  “What ship? Some broken down —”

  “With Mongoose, lads,” she said, feeling the time was right to tell them that, “your very home. She’s in orbit right now, just above your heads.” Alexis grinned as half the crew looked up as though they could see the ship so far away and through the clouds. “The bloody pirates took our home, patched her up, and put her to guarding us, but they don’t know her lads, not like we do. They got a lucky shot up her skirts that once, is all, but she’s set to rights now and we know better. Put that ship around us and we’ll never bare her knickers like that again, will we?”

  The mutters that such a thing would never be allowed again heartened her.

  “Not all of us was Navy.”

  Alexis looked through the fire to meet eyes of the spacer, Davies, who’d said that. One of the women who’d come aboard Mongoose, and the only one to crash with Alexis. This must be hard on her, come from a merchantman as she had. Alexis had known nothing but the dangers of the Navy since she went a’space, but Davies had had relatively safe berths, as some of the others who’d come from merchants to Mongoose had. Add to that the tales circulating about how the pirates would treat her if she were caught and, well, if there was anyone who should run off into the swamps and hide it was Davies.

  “No, but you wanted to honor what the Navy’d done for you, didn’t you say?”

  “I thought —”

  “All you who came from merchantmen, did a Navy ship ever save your hides? Take shot from a pirate to keep your course clear? No rubbish about the Revenue Service, now, you know what I mean.” She tried to single out those in the crowd who she remembered came from such ships, then returned her eyes to Davies. “Those lads stood up for you more than once, I’ll wager, and they’d do it again if they weren’t so beat down by this world and what’s happened to them here. Will you stand and remind them who they are?”

  Twenty-Six

  Alexis picked up her bowl of stew, cold now, despite being set near the fire, and left the crew to think or mutter amongst themselves as they would. She’d had her say and suspected those who wanted no part of it would drift away overnight. She thought of collecting their weapons, but sighed.

  Let them go armed, at least. We have enough for every man who stays.

  She was nearly finished with the stew when one of the farm’s former slaves approached. He was still clad only in a scaled loincloth, as there were few other supplies on the farm. Even the farmer himself only had a handful of clothes, and most of those were as worn as the ragged, torn jumpsuits and liners Alexis and her lads still clung to.

  “Lieutenant Carew?”

  Alexis nodded.

  “I’m Lieutenant Culliver, Captain Ellender would like a word with you.”

  “Of course.” Alexis stood, she’d been expecting this.

  She followed Culliver back to the farmhouse where Ellender and Kannstadt still held the dining room. Isikli’s family and hired hands were no longer there and she shot Kannstadt a narrow look.

  “They are upstairs,” Kannstadt said, reading her question, “and unharmed.” He glanced toward a corner, where Deckard was seemingly engaged in an examination of the two walls meeting. “I must think upon some things.”

  “For now, they’re unharmed,” Ellender said. “We’ve yet to decide what to do with them, and damned if I’ll let the treatment I’ve received here go unpunished. Sit down, Carew.”

  Alexis did and Ellender rose at the same time. He nodded to Culliver who got Alexis a glass of something from Isikli’s cabinets — Ellender and Kannstadt had glasses as well. It was a foul-smelling brew, but she wet her lips with it.

  “This is a proper mess you’ve left us in, Carew,” Ellender said.

  “With respect, sir, I’d think you and your men here are in a somewhat better position. At least you’re free.”

  “Free to run off into Erzurum’s forsaken swamps? Free to be hunted down by the pirates? This was a sorry place, but at least I kept my men alive!”

  “As you say, sir.” Alexis had been thinking about this meeting and rather suspected how it would play out — still, she must try. “I believe, though, that there’s still a way for us to pull ourselves out of this. Mongoose, my ship, is still in orbit, you see.”

  “I thought you said you had to abandon your ship,” Kannstadt said.

  “We did. The fusion plant was struck through some previous damage to her stern and it shut down. With the shot we were taking, and being unable to fire back or maneuver, she’d have remained a target if we stayed aboard. The pirates, though, must have tracked her and brought her back after some repairs. She’s one of only four ships they have in orbit at this time — the gunboats, I assume, are off in darkspace patrolling amongst the shoals as they do.”

  “Only four,” Ellender said, scoffing, but Kannstadt looked thoughtful.

  “She’s the most powerful of the ships the pirates left behind — we destroyed both the hulk of a frigate they had in orbit and the Marchant ship, Hind, on our initial attack,” Alexis went on. “If we were to take Mongoose, she’d have no trouble with the others in orbit — being there herself — and she has a decent mapping of the shoals in her systems from our attempts to get in. Getting out would be much easier.”

  Ellender snorted. “Ah, yes, we shall, naked and with small arms, take a ship in orbit, shall we?”

  “Mongoose’s systems are … a bit different than normal, sir,” Alexis said. “She was outfitted by a … well, he’s a bloody rogue and smuggler and probably a pirate himself at times, and he gave me all manner of codes before we sailed — some so bizarre I’d thought them useless. Now, though, if we can get a boat close I believe there’s a signal which will get us back aboard, no matter the pirates.”

  “‘Get close’ — to the ship in orbit, while we are …” Ellender waved a hand at the rough farmhouse. “Here.”

  “We could take a boat, sir, and —”

  “And then what, lieutenant? A slim chance for this motley group to reach a place of any real size without being pounded into the mud by those orbiting ships. A slimmer chance to take a boat from the pirates — without, I imagine, alerting those in orbit, as that would almost have to be part of any plan, yes? Slimmer still to approach your ship and get aboard. More slim yet for you to fight your ship against those other pirates in orbit — and then what? For as likely as your plan is to su
cceed, one might as well wish that the Queen herself shall appear from darkspace with a combined bloody fleet!” Ellender shook his head.

  “Better than doing nothing!” Alexis said. “And I do have a plan for —”

  “I’ve heard enough of your plans, now you’ll listen to what we’re going to do. Captain Kannstadt and I have been discussing this, as well as the division of resources.”

  Alexis set her jaw. She’d expected this — it was inevitable, really. The Navy seemed to be divided between officers who’d listen to reason and see the right of it, and those whose thoughts were so narrow it was a wonder they could see at all. More of the latter, in her experience, and she longed for a superior officer who thought more of the larger picture than he did of his own skin. Unfortunately, she’d not found that in Ellender, but it was none the less frustrating that her lads out there, miserable and scared in the rain, would listen to her after she’d brought them to these ends, while this … this puffed up, sorry excuse for a captain would not even give her that courtesy after she’d freed him from captivity.

  She shot a look at Kannstadt, who, despite their earlier conflict, she thought might support her. He looked from her, then to Deckard in the corner and his eyes did not return.

  “Of course, sir,” Alexis said, “anything useful or portable must be taken from the farm when you leave for the swamps.” She phrased it carefully, as she had no intention of following him. She hoped she might convince Kannstadt, at least, to join her in an attempt to escape, but she saw no outcome of following Ellender that would get her lads home — nor to any better end than years of being eaten away at by Erzurum’s swamps.

  “The farm’s, yes, and the weapons,” Ellender said.

  Alexis nodded. Here it was, then. “Yes, the farm’s weapons.”

  Ellender narrowed his eyes. “All the weapons, Carew, including those currently held by your crew. I’ll want to see those in the hands of men I know can handle them.”

  Kannstadt cleared his throat, not taking his eyes from Deckard.

  “Men we know can handle them — do excuse me, Captain Kannstadt.”

  Alexis took a deep breath. “No, sir.”

  “I beg your pardon, lieutenant?”

  “You have it, sir, but there’s no need, I assure you.” That was probably a bit much, but Ellender was annoying her and it was rather satisfying to see his eyes widen. “Still, my lads won’t be giving up their arms, sir. Those are Mongoose’s weapons and her crew, as their captain I’m bound to —”

  “Lieutenant Carew, may I remind you that I am your superior?”

  Alexis noted that Kannstadt was now glancing back and forth between her and Ellender with barely suppressed mirth. She had a feeling the New London officer had not endeared himself to the Hanoverese in their short acquaintance. Either that or he was simply delighted to see two of his former enemies fight amongst themselves.

  “In a sort of Naval rank way, sir, I suppose you are. However —”

  “What did you say?”

  Alexis frowned. What had she — oh, yes, she supposed one could take that an entirely different way. She hadn’t really meant it that way, but now Ellender was well and truly angered.

  “What I meant, sir, is that I’m not here with the Royal Navy. I’m on half-pay and making my own way. In fact, sir, as captain of a private ship, and outside of New London space, I don’t believe I’m bound by Naval —”

  “You’ve lost your ship, Carew!”

  “Well … so did you, sir, if that’s a thing we must note, so we’re on rather equal footing there, don’t you think?”

  That she had meant, and if it sent the bloody fool into an apoplectic fit, then so be it. She was tired, utterly done, with men like Ellender assuming her obedience. It would be one thing if she were encountering him as a Naval officer — that was a matter of duty. But here, on Erzurum, she need answer to no one but herself and for Ellender to assume she must set her teeth on edge.

  Still, it was a dire shot to send across a captain’s bow, even if he’d done the same to her.

  Kannstadt nearly laughed out loud, and it must be all the more amusing to him, being Hanoverese, to see two who were only recently his enemies squabbling so. He rose, still chuckling, and made his way to the corner where Deckard sat.

  Ellender’s jaw clenched so tight Alexis fancied she could hear his teeth cracking from the strain.

  “You will turn over your weapons to Lieutenant Culliver, Lieutenant Carew, so he may see to their proper distribution.”

  “It is Captain Carew at the moment, Captain Ellender, and I will do no such thing.” She glanced at Kannstadt to see where he stood on the question of those weapons, despite his amusement at her sparring with Ellender, but couldn’t read what he thought. “You may try to take them, of course, but my men will resist and that will cause unnecessary hurt to both our forces.”

  “This is mutiny!”

  “Captain Ellender, I am not currently under Admiralty orders nor under your command.”

  “I’ll see you face a Court, Carew — I’ll see you hang!”

  Alexis sighed.

  Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.

  “I suppose you might try, Captain Ellender,” Alexis said, “but if you stay on Erzurum to rot away, I’m not at all certain I should have any worry about it.”

  While Ellender sputtered, Kannstadt laughed out loud.

  “I don’t see how her insubordination is at all funny, Captain Kannstadt,” Ellender said, glaring at the Hanoverese.

  “No, you do not,” Kannstadt said. He laughed again and shook his head, then patted Deckard’s arm and stood.. “Do you know the story of God and the flood, Captain Ellender?”

  “What? That Noah chap? What does that have to do with anything — though this bloody planet does bring arks to mind.”

  “No,” Kannstadt said, “it is a later story, hein? The rains come again, you see, and the rivers begin to rise. There is an old man who sits at the front of his house and does nothing while all his neighbors prepare. Finally, one of these neighbors takes a farm truck to the man’s home and calls out to him.

  “‘The waters are rising, old man,’ the neighbor says, ‘and we are all moving to town where it is drier — come! I will drive you!’

  “The old man shakes his head and says, ‘No. I will stay here. I have been a faithful man and God has promised He will not send the flood again, so I will put my faith in Him to keep me safe.’

  “So, the neighbor drives away and still the waters rise. The old man does work to put sandbags at his door, but the water comes over them and he must flee to upstairs. Then, again, a neighbor comes, this time in a boat and calls out to him where he sits at his window.

  “‘Old man! The waters are rising and there is no end in sight. Come into my boat and I will take you to town where it is dry!’

  “Again, the old man shakes his head and says, ‘No. I will not leave my home. I have been a good man all my life and God will see me safe through this trial!’

  “The man with the boat shrugs and goes away, and still the waters rise until the old man’s house is nearly covered. He flees up to his roof and huddles there in the rain with a sodden blanket about his shoulders. Then a neighbor comes again, this time in an aircar, and hovers over the roof.

  “‘Old man!’ the neighbor shouts. ‘The water is at your feet and there is nowhere left to flee. Get into my aircar and come to safety!’

  “But once more, the old man says, ‘No! I have my faith and God will not let me be harmed!’

  “So, the neighbor flies away, and the waters rise to cover the old man’s roof, and the old man drowns.”

  Kannstadt shrugged.

  “The old man finds himself at Heaven’s gate and rushes past, angry as only an old man full of his own surety can be. He bursts into God’s throne room, casting the heavy doors aside as though they weigh nothing, such is the force of his anger, and he yells at God Himself,

  “‘My Lord! Why did you for
sake me? I was a good and faithful man, but you left me to die!’

  “But God frowns for a moment, His mighty brow furrows, and He asks,

  “‘What do you mean, old man? I sent you a truck, a boat, and an aircar.’”

  Kannstadt laughed again.

  “We have been on Erzurum many months, Kapitän Ellender, and yet neither of our fleets have come to rescue us. I fear we may demand the waters stop and ignore the way to safety, hein? We are on the roof of our house with nowhere else to go.” He glanced down at Deckard. “And for some, a return to the swamps is much the same as any fate we may meet in this attempt.”

  He turned to Alexis.

  “I will get into your aircar a second time, Leutnant Carew, only this time please do not crash it.”

  Twenty-Seven

  The pirates came to stop her.

  The pirates came to see.

  But Little Bloody Bit, the girl,

  Did make them bend the knee.

  Alexis, Kannstadt, and Ellender argued about the details of the plan for some time — well, Alexis and Ellender argued while Kannstadt sat beside Deckard looked back and forth between them as though watching a most amusing tennis match. Faced with the prospect of losing Kannstadt’s support, men, and knowledge of the swamps, Ellender had come about to a new tack, now overriding Alexis’ thin plans for an escape and retaking of Mongoose with his own much more elaborate thoughts.

  “In the end, Kapitän Ellender,” Kannstadt said, seeming to agree with Alexis on one last point, at least, “surprise is our best asset.”

  “We need more men,” Ellender protested.

  “Certainly,” Alexis agreed, “but not right away. Captain Kannstadt has sent runners to other nearby groups of escaped slaves and they will, hopefully, make their way here, but that may take several days, perhaps a week or more, to accomplish. In the meantime, every day here is another where some neighbor of the Isiklis may discover what’s happened.”