by Reiter
“This sounds good already. Too bad we don’t have any–” Dungias had already taken his seat as Satithe created the virtual monitor. He reached to the floor, picked up the bag and handed it to Jocasta. “… popcorn.” She reached into the bag and took out a handful, stuffing it into her mouth. She moaned in delight at the flavor and offered the bag to Dungias. He lifted his hand, as expected, to politely say ‘no’.
“I’d like to thank you all for coming,” Annsura said as she entered the room that had been greatly altered. The doors closed behind her and she walked up to the grouping of people. “As you can see, the Rec Room has been changed. The floor is padded and there are posts located on the floor. Once they are activated, a force wall will form creating a contained combat area. A pit!”
“Who pissed on Cutter and said it was rain?!” Jocasta asked.
“Keep watching,” Dungias directed, having faith – and a measure of prior knowledge concerning Annsura’s thought processes – that the answer would soon bear itself out.
“Tiebault, I don’t like you,” Annsura stated quite plainly. “… and I doubt I will come to like you. But as members of a ship’s crew, a well-functioning crew, I don’t need to like you and you certainly don’t need to like me. Respect, on the other hand, is vital! Not only do I not like you, I don’t like your tactics. Furthermore, I don’t believe you have any respect for me or my position. And that I cannot abide.”
“I think you might be overreacting,” Tiebault said calmly. “I also think you like to grandstand.”
“To the hilt,” Annsura said calmly, removing her knife belt and handing it over to Silnee. “That’s what you said to me after the Captain was abducted.”
“He what?!” Jocasta said, standing up from her chair. “Satithe, skip to the end!”
“Pause playback and belay that request,” Dungias ordered. “Captain, please, I think we need to see this in its entirety. We are, after all, watching the crew. Is that not the backbone of a good ship?”
“Backbone might have been a poor choice of words, there, Z,” Jocasta grumbled as she sat down. “He actually challenged her after I got snatched?!” She shook her head as she sat back in her chair.
“And she never mentioned it,” Jocasta thought. “That girl’s got stones!”
“Resume playback,” Dungias directed.
“As far as I’m concerned, that was a shitty thing to do,” Annsura continued. “I could see if I had panicked or just not said anything, but I gave you all specific orders.”
“The Captain was gone and you wanted to mine rocks!” Hunro barked, stepping forward from his place.
“Argument’s not with you, Soft Bone,” Llaz said calmly, coming forward from his position. “You want to take a turn, take a number. You speak out of place again, numbers won’t be a problem… unless you pull a five in the four-regen infirmary! We stick to the codes here. It’s their turn now.” Hunro looked at the smaller man and flexed his shoulders.
“Sit down, Hunro,” Siekor said softly. “Llaz is three steps away from you and to your left. You’re dead in front of me, and we both know what that means.”
“Siekor has a hard time making himself understood,” Jocasta remarked, eating her popcorn.
“Hmmm,” Dungias remarked.
Hunro looked around before stepping back. Llaz nodded at Siekor before returning to his place. Tiebault stepped forward.
“Out of place or not, Hunro didn’t lie. Top Cat is snatched and you sent us into the mines!”
“We’re pirates!” Annsura and Jocasta said at the same time. “The Captain understands that better than any of us! Not to mention we had no ship and no one to pursue or engage. Seeing to the Captain’s orders with the time we had struck me as prudent. But that thinking answers a few questions as to why you don’t have a ship!” It was clear to see how that commentary made a few people uncomfortable, and while Annsura might have been aware of the various reactions, it appeared that she did not care.
“Now, since we got back to the ship, I’ve received nothing but job well done from Z and the Captain, and I gotta tell you, that helps me sleep at night. But you and I need to come to an understanding. Because I won’t have someone in my detail bucking for a promotion whenever the Captain’s back is turned.
“Your options are simple,” Annsura stated. “You can either report yourself to the Captain or we, here and now, finish what you started at the mines.”
“Why don’t you report me?” Tiebault asked.
“The Captain sees to the point on the map, the First Mate sees to the ship, the Cutter sees to the crew! That means you’re my problem. Also, you’re not worth the time or effort to go running to the Captain. You’re just a little ache in my side. You’ve got some grit to you, but I think you and most of your people consider yourselves superior because you’re longer in the tooth. I’ve broken bigger fangs!”
“Well, ain’t you just a bad ass?”
“I guess I have my answer then.”
“I suppose you do!”
“Adleon, take the Cutter blade and you officiate. You hand that belt to the winner and that person is the ship’s Cutter.”
“Just how many times has the damn pirate code been looked up and read?” Jocasta asked.
“Not all of my instruction was physical,” Dungias replied. “They were each tasked to write an essay regarding their views of the pirate’s codes. We had an open discussion on each paper. If I were to impart my personal beliefs on the situation, part of Annsura will never emerge from the pit. The codes she learned in fighting there have helped her to build a ship down there, and she sails tumultuous waters.”
“I ever tell you how much I hate poetry?” Jocasta asked.
The two circled around each other as Tiebault looked his opponent up and down. Hunro started cheering for his friend, but he quickly noticed he was the only one making a noise.
Annsura jutted forward, landing a sharp left jab to the face. Tiebault’s head snapped back and his face registered both surprise and a level of being stunned by the blow. Annsura locked her eyes on him and smacked away his first jab, feinting her own in response. Tiebault quickly ducked and moved back, giving Annsura more information on how he liked to fight. She then recalled how he had moved against the Djinn and she knew he was holding back.
“No holding back,” she whispered, charging at the man, she looked at his face and jumped up for a jumping side kick. Tiebault readied himself for a block, but grunted when the kick stamped into his chest. He bent over and started to fall as Annsura landed a turning back kick just before she landed.
Marlene whistled at the sharpness of the movement. “Little bit is a damn ringer!”
“Tried to warn his block head!” Agatha said softly.
Tiebault got up slowly, but Annsura could not believe he was that bad off. Still, there was no pointing letting him know that. She breathed hard twice, as if she were about to engage in a difficult task. She let her hands come away from her side and she charged again. Tiebault lunged forward, decreasing the distance between them. He lowered his shoulder to tackle her. Annsura took one step forward and drove her elbow into his back between the shoulder blades, giving a sharp yell as she did. Tiebault fell to his hands and knees, receiving a powerful knee-lift to the face. His back met with the floor and he rolled over to his side.
“He’s had enough!” Hunro yelled as he stepped forward. Annsura jumped up toward him and landed an axe kick to the large man’s left shoulder, separating the limb from the body. Hunro grabbed at his arm as he fell to his knees. Annsura did not stop as she landed from the axe kick; she spun and lifted her foot for his lowered face. The spin kick was blocked by Siekor. He started to speak, but a fast round kick smacked across his face.
Going with the force of the blow, Siekor spun around with a spinning uppercut. Annsura fell over and touched the ground with her hand. She avoided the punch as she landed a round kick to Siekor’s face. Pivoting on her hand, she landed two somersault kicks that drove
Siekor to the ground.
“Aaargh!” Annsura cried as she hopped up from the floor again and landed a powerful back kick into Tiebault’s stomach. Another spin kick sent him to the floor. A hip toss caught Siekor’s charge and threw him to the floor. Hunro’s backhand landed across her face and Olkin moved to join the fray but was held by Mel and Silnee. Annsura spun with the blow and landed a kick to the man’s wounded shoulder. Again Hunro wailed as he stood locked in pain, receiving a jumping punch to the face. He was silenced as he dropped to the floor.
“We fought her?!” Mel muttered softly as he watched the bodies around Annsura fall.
“Shut up!” Olkin snapped. “Before she remembers and wants to settle the score!”
“No wonder she was so cocky,” Silnee thought. “We were so lucky! Of course, now she’s not cocky and she’s trained with Z! Definitely best buds forever!”
“I don’t remember inviting you!” she yelled at Siekor who was slowly getting up. “Decide!” she yelled, taking a combative stance.
“Yield,” Siekor said softly.
“Tiebault?!” Annsura called without turning or taking her eyes off Siekor.
“Yield,” he moaned.
“Satithe, we mend bones… we mend joints… we cover the bruising, but that is it. There’s no reason for the Captain or Z to see you any uglier. But you will deal with the pain. Tomorrow, after first day training, I will reconsider sending you to the infirmary for a full restoration. If I see that our First Mate is working anywhere near that room or that grid, you’ll just have to deal with the pain a second day.
“And make no mistake,” she hissed as she glared at the three men. “… you all put yourselves in this position. You slack off during training one milligram and I will make it my life’s mission to keep you in that infirmary. Gauze will become your second language!
“Ladies, thank you for demonstrating some measure of self-control.”
“Cutter?” Marlene spoke up. “I counted Tae Kwon Do, Mui-Tai and Capoeira… after that boxing jab, that is. How many forms do you know?”
“We didn’t count in the pit, Marlene,” Annsura answered as she received her belt from Adleon. “We just learned what worked and what didn’t work.”
“Okay, she’s a damn pit-fighter,” Agatha said, while nodding. “That explains a lot. Do you idiots get it now? Z and the Captain intercepted a Slaver run!”
“How do you know that?” Pristacia asked.
“Ten thousand percent loyalty,” Agatha started. “I mean the kind that says ‘yeah I used to have a family back in the world but they got replaced’. Scary courage, like the kind it takes to try and seduce MajiK, or take one of the Sultan’s flying ships, or be upbeat about facing off against multiple warships!
“Then there’s this last display,” Agatha continued. “A well-dressed, well-spoken, and still-human pit fighter?! Come on!!! You put all of that together with the fact that you have not been on board that long… yeah, I smell a turned up and turned over Slaver run!”
“She’s good,” Jocasta commented.
“You’re good,” Annsura remarked. “You mind letting me know what Z wanted with you and Marlene?”
“Not at all, Cutter. He was measuring our bodies.”
“He’s building,” Mel quickly concluded, looking anxious. “And with them being a Tandem, he’s building a fighter! And in case you’re wondering, he built that scout ship and this baby all around us. Just him and his robots!” While Agatha looked at Marlene with excitement that was well-received and returned, Dungias did notice how Silnee looked dejected.
The images faded and the lights in the office came up. Jocasta finished the popcorn by pouring the remains of the bag in her mouth.
“Don’t you worry about your figure?”
“The way I work out just to stay alive?!” Jocasta fired back. “I’m amazed I’m not as thin as a rail! Was Tank right? Are you building?”
Dungias got up from his chair and nodded at Jocasta. “Captain, when have you ever known me to stop? In fifteen hours we will be stopping by a minor station that has just received our raw material shipments. Might I ask for at least three weeks before we reach Black Gate?”
“Three weeks?! Goodness, what are you building?”
“Among many other things, Captain… I am building your crew.”
“In that case, request denied,” Jocasta said as she stood up. “There’s work and then there’s work. If we have to work this hard to make people come around, what’s the prize at the end of that rainbow? As soon as we reach this minor station, we’ll send Tiebault and Hunro on their way. If the others wish to remain, they can consider themselves welcome. Be sure to set them up with clothes, blades and projectile weaponry. I’ll speak to Nulaki about what kind of money he can move around in their names.”
“Two days does not give them much time, Captain.”
Jocasta steadied herself and it was then that Dungias noticed just how angry she had become. “It may not be official code, Z, but do you know what happens to most rats that wait for the sans Captain Moment before they make a stink?”
“They are executed,” Dungias replied. “And while it is not official code… it is in the version I presented to the crew.” Jocasta closed her eyes, smiled and lost some of her ire. She chuckled as Dungias left her Ready Room.
“Of course it is,” she whispered.
If you have to kill a snake, kill it once and for all.
Japanese Proverb
(Rims Time: XII-4202.07)
Tiebault hammered his fist against the wall of the storage room. They had been given the space to think and talk amongst themselves with no surveillance and no interruptions. They had only the time it would take for Dungias to load all of their personal materials on board the station’s tug. Given the size of the Xara-Mansura, it could not dock with the station, and tugs had to be used to ferry materials out to the ship. The only electronic markers in the room were the wrist-coms they all wore. Any sharp change in bio-metric readings would trigger an alarm to Satithe.
“This is bullshit!” Tiebault yelled as he marched around the room.
“I’m getting a little tired of being on the short end of this stick,” Siekor commented.
“What are we going to do?” Hunro asked, massaging his shoulder.
“First, I think we need to make sure that there is a we here!” Tiebault said, looking at Agatha.
“For the purposes of staying or going, I think you already know there isn’t,” she said confidently. “This is the sweetest ride since forever. It may look like a giant space-ball, but every single thing about this boat makes the Akonsha Star look lame!”
“Then why are you even in here?” Hunro snapped.
“Watch your tongue, Soft Bone,” Agatha said without giving any ground. “I’m the reason why you’re not in slave chains, so you can drop that ‘Aggie’s a traitor’ crap! If I was a backstabber, me and Marlene would have left your sorry asses in the desert!”
“Can I play devil’s advocate?” Marlene asked and Agatha stammered before answering to the affirmative. “Aside from the desert thing, because that was stand-up of you, how are you not stabbing them in the back?”
“Nice try, Marl,” Agatha said quickly. “But from jump Hunro’s been contrary to the Captain and the crew. We don’t have a ship anymore, and these guys are walking around like they should be given placement and privilege here. None of you put your hats in your hand! You just grabbed your crotches and flexed your man-muscles, expecting all of the female flowers to just lay down in front of you. Captain is a serious Grade-A bitch lookin’ to get! And I’d put her up against anyone we’ve put to the stars with! Now she wants to make me part of this crew… a crew that went up against the Imperials – and won! A crew that’s gone into no-tech Gulmar. And let me remind you that was a place that go the best of us, and she put her thing down! They had Imps and Bricks coming after them and they still got away! And don’t even get me started on Z! So hell yes, I’m keeping my h
ead low.”
“Marlene?” Tiebault asked.
“Don’t go there, T,” Marlene warned. “This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gone against the grain to back my girl. And, in all honesty, I’m not sure we’re going against the grain so much as we’re against what you’re trying to do.
“Besides, one hundred thousand cred each,” Marlene continued. “And that’s not counting passage fares. That’s a sweet deal.”
“And far less than our rightful share!” Tiebault snapped.
“Okay, just now, you made my girl look like a damn genius!” Marlene said, walking to stand in front of Tiebault. “We’re hopefuls, T! They rescued us! They don’t owe us a scratch on the back! Fool, if it was Jubber calling the shots, we’d still be paying off the costs for him freeing somebody, and you know it!” Marlene shook her head and backed away from Tiebault before turning to walk. He had proven himself very unreliable and most recently, unstable.
“Siekor?”
“I’m going to stick this out,” the often quiet man said in a soft voice. “This place is rigged better than the Forge, and the training shows on the crew. I’m gonna grab as much light as I can, Tie. Keep yourself on the grid though, brother. You too, Hunro. Later.”
Siekor walked out of the storage room and the Tandem pair was close on his heels. Jocasta and Nulaki walked in before the doors could close.
“I don’t suppose an apology would change things, would it?” Tiebault asked.
“It would change a lot of things, Tiebault,” Jocasta said flatly. “All kinds of things, but your place on my boat is not one of them. Last ferry is almost ready to leave the station. Let’s go. I don’t want to be here any longer than I need to be.”
The walk to the hangar was a quiet one, though Jocasta spoke to Nulaki quite often. They overheard her ask when the accounts would be ready and when Nulaki answered two days, both men looked at each other with disgust. Jocasta then asked Nulaki to arrange for housing for at least five days and the Fazbred man agreed. The lander-shuttle put into the station and Jocasta led the two men off and into the station.
