On a Pale Ship Read online

  "Why the silver, Doc?" Luc asked.

  "Refractive armor," he replied. "Very hard for missiles to lock on, and over eighty percent of blaster fire is redirected — up to a point, that is. Don't be pulling alongside a frigate and expect to go broadsides for very long. No, she's a runner, plain and simple."

  "Weaponry?" Luc asked, knowing that even the smallest freighters had some capacity to defend themselves.

  "Single missile tube, forward launching," Quentin said and pulled a glass pad from his waistband. As he ran his finger across the surface, a port opened two meters aft and beneath the shovel-tipped bow. It wasn't lost on Luc that a red-tipped missile sat loaded within. "I'm experimenting with a different style of turret. I think it'll be a big hit against the new type of pirates we've been seeing in the outer fringes."

  "Pirates?"

  "Surely you’re familiar with Red Houzi back in Sol? Fantastic bit of organization; whole thing was run like a franchise operation. A small amount was scooped off the top of each haul and fed up to the bosses. Discounts on ordnance and ships. Very businesslike."

  "How's a new turret help?" Luc asked.

  "Glad you asked." Quentin smiled. "Problem with the organized pirate is that they don't put much stock in their ships. They're willing to lose a few because they don't have a big investment."

  "And they can show up in bigger numbers," Luc said.

  "Thing is if you want to go up against the Navy, you've got to get past their kinetic shielding. Any good warship can take a punch and keep on going. So all recent turret design focused on energy systems. Easy to recharge, eventually punches through the armor and disrupts systems."

  "But pirates aren't Navy," Luc said. "They don't have kinetic armor."

  "You are a bright one," Quentin said, swiping his finger over the pad.

  A third of the way back on the top of the ship, a chunky turret with a thick, short barrel emerged. A wide housing arced away from the turret's spindle, plugging into the receiver, or back of the barrel.

  Luc pointed at the housing and the stubby barrel, neither looked familiar. His AI highlighted the foreign looking parts and Luc pinched the selection, tossing it to Quentin.

  "Matter feed," Quentin said. "She's a slug thrower; not real picky about what she throws, either. Needs a field-trial, though. We've had some issues with the pellets getting jammed."

  "Pellets?" Luc asked.

  Quentin scrunched his wild, graying eyebrows. "Matter feed. I'm sure I just said that."

  "What kind of pellets does it shoot?"

  "Ahh, I see your confusion. The pellets are fed through the manifold and combined in real-time based on projectile demand. The actual material choice can vary depending on the work load. Since we're testing, I have four feed bins. I tried a malleable plastic. We'll have to get that out of there; really gunked up the barrel. I had to run a load of carbonate through. Now, that'll clean out the pipes. Want to see inside?"

  Luc worked through the man's rambling and determined he'd been invited onto the ship. "Let's go," he answered, looking back to Kane who smiled sagely.

  "Since she's a test frame, her fit and finish are lacking in some areas. Henrietta insists on a good show, though, so every piece of equipment is nothing but the best."

  Luc wasn't quite sure what the man meant, but followed him to the port side of the glistening ship. Seven meters from the ground, or at the midline of the ship, a rectangular panel appeared and flopped outward. It wasn't until the panel-turned-platform descended, that he realized it was a lift.

  "You should get used to wearing arc-jets," Quentin said. "It's considerably more convenient, although, that gives me an idea …"For a moment the older man simply paused and scribbled furiously on the glass pad he kept handy.

  "Doc, you get a look at Rocinante?" Jimmy asked, as we stepped onto the transparent platform.

  "She's been well cared for," Quentin replied. "I replaced her battery and the grip was worn; nothing unexpected."

  Jimmy tipped the bottle back to his mouth. "Got any beds in this tub?"

  "Nothing but the best," Quentin replied. "Most people don't know it but we have one of the best interior finishing teams around. It's something Henrietta brought to the team. I always thought that building the best tools was enough. Turns out aesthetics make as many sales as the tech sheets."

  "That's hard to imagine," Luc said.

  "Everybody wants to date the pretty girls," Jimmy slurred. "Nobody wants to say it."

  "That's pretty short-sighted," Luc said. "I'll take interesting over looks any day."

  As the lift stopped, Jimmy stepped through the pressure barrier. "Sure, if you call money interesting."

  "Nice try, Jimmy," Luc said, stepping in behind him. "Not taking your bait."

  The four found themselves looking across an expansive empty deck that stretched from the forward third of the ship all the way aft to where a row of racks held electronic equipment and neatly-routed wires and tubing. Luc had never seen such an open display of technology and quickly realized that hiding it behind bulkheads would not assist sales as much as the tidy display in front of him.

  "Welcome aboard, Captain Gray," Quentin said, flicking a virtual set of keys to him. While the ownership remained with Wotton Enterprise, Quentin had just granted him complete control of every aspect of the ship. He watched his HUD as a display of the simple layout of the ship unfolded and all the specifications transferred.

  Quick status showed him there were ten souls aboard. Their current location was referred to as the freeboard deck. Forward and down half a level was the forecastle with individual accommodations for a crew of eight. Forward and up was the bridge. The entire lower deck was flush, running the length of the ship without a break. As far as he could tell, this level was nothing other than a giant hold.

  "Quite a lot of storage," he finally said.

  "Her original mission was to show possibility," Quentin said. "Empty spaces give prospective buyers the ability to imagine their payloads."

  "I'm sure I've read enough of Wotton's financials to know that we don't sell ships," Luc said, heading forward. His HUD showed that Gob was in the forward lounge on the forecastle.

  "You're right. A-19F23B was originally on loan from Anino Corp," Quentin said.

  "Not a very imaginative name," Luc said.

  "One of the perks of running the show," Quentin said. "You get to name her."

  "Thanatos," Jimmy said grimly.

  Luc frowned, recognizing the reference to Old Earth Greek mythology’s personification of death. "We'll call her Arion. You do understand that alcohol is a depressant, right Jimmy?" Luc palmed his way through a security lock and into a brightly lit, carpeted hallway. Polished wood railings were embedded in the bulkheads at waist level, separating a two-tone paint scheme.

  "Seemed like an appropriate name," he grumbled, taking another drink.

  "You want to tell me what's eating you, or do I have to keep listening to this drunken, woe-is-me crap?"

  "Marek attacked the compound two weeks ago," Jimmy said. "And we're sitting around playing patty-cake. Those kids have no choice. That woman, Katriona, she had no choice. What the hell good is all this shit if we don't have the balls to use it?"

  Gob, hearing their entrance, stood and walked over to listen.

  "I'm getting daily updates from Dorian," Luc said. "Every asset she has access to is deployed, trying to locate them. What do you want us to do?"

  "We do what we were made for," Jimmy said. "We find 'em and we hit 'em. We hit 'em hard."

  "Hit who? The lab where you rescued me and Gob has been seized by the UCN," Luc said. "They've taken a hundred Fariza citizens into custody and Dorian thinks they'll all see jail. Their lives are ruined. Thing is they don't seem to know where Marek went."

  "And Katriona," Jimmy prompted.

  "What?" Luc asked.

  Gob cleared his throat, the words that followed seemed to rumble around in his chest as he spoke. "Jimmy rescued three of us from tha
t lab. You didn't mention Katriona."

  "Jammin, a good man, died that day saving your asses. We owe it to him, those kids, and Katriona," Jimmy growled.

  "You're preaching to the choir," Luc said, finally frustrated. "It's not like I don't want to find him."

  "I know how," Jimmy said, his eyes narrowing. The dark cast of his stubbled beard no longer projected unkempt as much as it added to the menace. "The reason we can't find her is because we're playing by the rules. That's a mistake you don't see Marek making."

  "Frak, Jimmy, if you know how to find her, spit it out already," Luc said.

  "Doc, you got one of Anino's special TransLoc drives in this bird?" Jimmy asked.

  Quentin looked uncomfortably from Jimmy to Luc.

  "We know all about it, Doctor Wright," Luc prompted. "Do we have the capability?"

  "Yes, but we have no fuel," he said. "You should not speak of this technology to anyone."

  "Where do you want to go, Jimmy?"

  "Puskar Stellar on Mars. There's a woman who can find them," Jimmy said, a grim smile flashed on his face. "She just needs to be let off her leash."

  Chapter 24

  Maiden Voyage

  "How do you know your contact can find Katriona and those children?" Luc asked Jimmy.

  "Nothing's for sure. I just know she was able to punch through firewalls your girl Dory thought were impenetrable. Fact is, you're not going to know if you can trust me until you do. And, what's with the carrot-stick Vic clone?” Jimmy pointed at Kane Rees, who had been silently following along behind the group. “Didn't Dory tell you how hers broke and tried to take out the entire team?"

  Luc's face showed his annoyance but he turned to Gob, who'd joined them in the passageway.

  "Gob, put together a list of supplies we'll need for a trip. Pack heavy. Imagine we'll run into a force three times what Marek brought to the compound. We have access to ordnance in the warehouse here, let's take advantage of it," Luc ordered. "And I didn't get the whole story on Victor."

  "Victor is a Butler's Guild member who went rogue on Mr. Bang's last mission," Kane said. "I can assure you, Mr. Bang, I have no agenda beyond facilitating Mr. Gray's productivity. The fact is our guild is centuries old and our screening processes are second to none. No one is more embarrassed than I at Victor's betrayal of everything he held so dear."

  "Victor had been with Anino for twenty stans," Jimmy said, pushing Kane in the middle of his chest causing him to step back. "Your assurances don't mean crap to me, carrot top. When you finally break from your knickers being pulled too tight, just remember, I'll be right there to put you down."

  Luc stepped between Jimmy and Kane and put his hand on Jimmy's chest. "That's enough, Jimmy. I don't know what happened with Victor, but I do know Kane doesn't deserve to be treated like an enemy."

  "Surprised she didn't tell you," Jimmy said. "Especially since she bought you one too. Damn near took out the entire crew. If it weren't for Rocinante, Victor might have taken her out, just like he planned."

  "This right, Kane?" Luc asked.

  "While I doubt Victor would have been able to physically harm Ms. Anino, Mr. Bang speaks the truth," he replied. "He was a highly respected member of her household. His betrayal shocked our members to their core."

  "Jimmy, you'll just have to get over the fact that I'm not about to hang one man based on the actions of a colleague."

  "Funny. Not really a problem for me," Jimmy said, stalking away.

  "We don't have time for this," Luc said. "Doctor Quentin, can you help Gob outfit us with ordnance?"

  "Of course," Quentin replied. "You're in luck. This very facility is where we store pre-packaged, quick-deployment loadouts for demonstration. Are you expecting an air-based, land-based or water-based assault? We have ten and twenty-man kits."

  "A ten-man, land-based kit should be enough. We won't have more than the three of us," Luc said.

  "Ten-man ground assault it is," Quentin said. "I take it you're traveling to Mars? I'll plan to come along. It will give me more time to fit Mr. Alcazar's armor. He's not the largest man I've fit, but he might well turn out to be the strongest."

  "Not sure you heard me, Doctor Q," Luc said. "Can't be assured we're coming back this way before we see battle."

  "Tut, tut. Arion has twin shuttles each large enough for four and capable of TransLoc gate travel. I'll skedaddle at the first hint of choppy waters. How about a meteor-drop infiltration add-on? It'll give you the ability to insert from orbit."

  "I'm afraid I just don't know. Seems like a safe bet though."

  "We'll have to try your authorization. I'm afraid, my signature limit is only a million credits."

  "What kind of money are we talking?"

  "Add-ons are where we really make our money. We should toss in an explosives module for good measure. We'll be just under eight million unless you'd like to try your hand at mechanized infantry."

  "No. That should be more than enough."

  "Let's give that signature of yours a try. Really, eight million is getting off cheap around here," Quentin said, unfazed by the big numbers. He pulled his engineering pad out and handed it to Luc who laid his hand on the pad and waited for the scan to complete.

  "Kane, we're headed toward trouble," Luc said. "Might be better if you stayed here in Joliot."

  Kane nodded his head, accepting Luc's statement. "Respectfully I decline, sir. While I will not follow you into combat, my place is at your side. With your permission, I'll go forward and prepare your cabin. Do you have an estimate on departure?"

  The two were distracted by Quentin who raised his arms in triumph, smiling broadly.

  "Bully! Signature approved!" Quentin exclaimed. "I have stevedore bots spinning up as we speak. I'd guess we'll have you loaded in forty-five minutes or so."

  "That is timing I can work with," Kane replied, not giving Luc a chance to answer. "In twenty minutes, a transport containing critical items will arrive at the front gate. I have Sergeant Anderson on comm. She needs your approval for base clearance."

  Luc accepted the waiting comm.

  "Sir?" Anderson's confused voice came over the line. "A Mr. Rees is requesting an unscheduled, after-hours delivery. I'm afraid it's very unusual since it hasn't come through normal channels."

  "Is my approval sufficient or should we wake someone up?" Luc asked, evenly.

  "Um, yes. Your approval is enough. I'm really sorry. Would you mind a verbal acceptance?"

  "Copy that, Sergeant," Luc replied. "The transport is cleared for a single trip to Hangar-51 where material will be unloaded."

  "Thank you so much, sir," Anderson replied, obviously relieved.

  "I appreciate your attention to this, Anderson. Gray out," he said, terminating comm. "Now. How about we go see what we just bought for eight million credits. I'll follow your lead, Doctor Quentin."

  "As I've explained, Arion currently is quite sparsely appointed," Quentin said, pushing past Luc and Kane, headed aft. "Normally, you'd expect this deck to be filled with crew quarters and all of that. Even so, we'll load your modules into the hold, unless you have objections."

  "No."

  Luc watched as Quentin took off at a quick walk and then disappeared through a hole in the deck. Looking over to Gob, who looked back expectantly, he couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed. In the space of a month, he'd lost the only job he'd ever wanted, mostly died, and now was the executive vice president of a specialty arms company — at least that was his cover.

  "Hang in there, boss. You're doing all right?" Gob asked.

  "Barely keeping my head above water. And where did Doctor Q go?"

  "It is a low-gravity corridor," Gob explained, walking over to the two-meter-square opening. "Follow."

  Luc held back for a moment as Gob jumped into the space, feet first. He sank quickly, but landed softly on the deck below. It was only an eight-meter drop so Luc figured he had little to lose. He followed suit, only entering with a bit lower initial velocity than
Gob. The result was that he floated to the deck at a controlled rate.

  "The ship has no stairs," Gob said. "I do not look forward to a power failure."

  "We haven't had much time to talk, Gob" Luc said. "Have you spent much time in space?"

  "No. I am a proud ground pounder," he said.

  "I'll put your mind at ease. If we lose power while sailing in the deep dark, stairs will be the last thing you're worried about," Luc said.

  "Somehow, this does not bring me relief," Gob said. "I find that I am now more concerned for things I have no knowledge of."

  Luc chuckled and placed a hand on Gob's back. "You're in luck, my friend. Ships like Arion are very reliable and have backup systems for their backup systems. Our biggest danger is being holed in combat and I assure you we'll make sure your vac-suit seals up tightly before we get into any of that."

  A ten-meter-wide section of the aft bulkhead was already descending, forming a ramp into the moderately lit hangar. The two joined Quentin who was inspecting his engineering tablet while two long-armed, squat stevedore robots labored to maneuver a four-meter-wide, four-meter-tall, eight-meter-long pallet up the slight incline. It was impossible to see what was atop the pallet due to the Wotton Enterprise opaque wrap tightly stretched around the contents.

  "Machine shop. Don't worry, didn't cost you a thing. I don't like to travel without one," Quentin had to talk loudly as the robots strained against their load. "It's heavy. Lots of materials."

  "Is it all assembled?" Luc asked.

  "No. But there's a construction bot aboard that will assemble it while we’re in flight. Just gotta make sure I leave enough footprint."

  The sound of another pair of laboring bots grabbed Luc's attention and he stepped back to make sure they had sufficient room to pass. Roughly the same dimensions as the first crate, he identified a pair of stubby wings bulging out from the wrap.

  "An airplane?" Luc asked.

  "Think heavily-armored, powered glider," Quentin said, flicking an inventory of the modules he'd ordered. "Those are the two short-range, granite class infiltrators." He pulled Luc back so the next crate could pass. "Each has enough fuel to drop a five-man team with their gear just about anywhere. They double as an armored habitat once they're on the ground and can put your team back in orbit once the mission is complete. Boys in the field call 'em TaunTauns, not completely sure why, though."