Shadow of a Burning Star: Book One, The Burning Star Series

  Their rooms were meant for six occupants. It contained their own separate lounge and three smaller rooms for sleeping. Jupe glanced in the first two bedrooms and was surprised at how untidy they were. Then he remembered that Sarra had left them to it, and Jenna was uninterested in any kind of work. The third room’s door was shut, and when Jupe tried to budge it, he found that it was locked.

  After double checking that no one was near, and with his own reassurance that he was soon to leave the ship anyway, he kicked at the door to force it open. Something gave a loud crack as it snapped, and the door opened, but with a slight tilt. Inside were two cases, strapped to the floor. Jupe noted that they were not locked and he slid the top off the nearest one. It revealed a collection of heavy-duty weapons. He had no idea what type they were, or how deadly they might be. He could guess enough to see that they were very serious pieces, and that he would be crazy to even touch them. He quickly repaired the door as best he could, and hastily got out of their rooms.

  As Jupe walked back to his own quarters, he tried to understand. He knew the Wilson’s were loyal to TC. Even if they did want to take the ship from him, they could never fly it. More than that, it would mean that they would lose their work opportunity. Perhaps they meant to sell the guns at either T Station or Ancia, but Jupe couldn’t see the sense in that either. Then he realised that he knew little about life at the station, or in all of space for that matter. The more he considered that option, the more he saw that they were probably smuggling the guns for someone, and TC might not even know about it.

  “You have guns?” Jupe asked them directly when he found them. They were always together, or so it seemed. Jupe was not asking with any accusation, since by now he was convinced that they were planning to sell them. Since everything else on board was illegal—including him—why not smuggle guns too? “What do you need with them?”

  “Jupe, let me tell you something: you didn’t see anything,” Cuthbert said, unable to hide the nervousness in his voice, and barely making eye contact.

  “Think I care what you have on board?” Jupe pressed, now suspicious. “It’s just, I think the passengers may have heard about them, and they’re wanting to tell TC. Thought you’d like to know.”

  “How would you know what the passengers have heard?” Cuthbert asked, now outwardly worried.

  “He’s his father’s son,” Thax said casually.

  “That’s not nice,” Jupe said to Thax. “I didn’t insult you, why start on me? What do you want the guns for anyway? Going to sell them when we get to Ancia? That it?”

  “You read us right,” said Thax. “And I didn’t mean any insult to you. You’re a lot like your father, at least to our eyes, so that’s all. We say it a lot, matter of fact, that you two are similar. But I’ll tell you what, if it’s an insult to you, no more will be said about it.”

  “Appreciate that.”

  “We’re selling them,” said Cuthbert, without any hint of conviction. He looked at his brother for help, but Thax was uninterested in giving him any.

  Jupe felt a chill when he left them, knowing that their eyes were on him as he walked away. He didn’t want to admit that their demeanour with him was entirely false, as that would mean they were lying, and he didn’t want to think where that might lead. All he could think about was that TC knew of the guns, and if not, then should he warn him.

  * * * *

  Morgan listened to Lars’ latest message as carefully as he could. He found it hard to concentrate, since he realised that the message had been sent from T Station and not Earth. While he knew that the station had far greater comlink equipment than the Burning Star, he was spooked by the implausible idea that Lars had somehow gotten to the station ahead of them. Then he came to his senses and realised that Lars must be still on Earth, and that he had some of his men at the station. Morgan and his family would be safe from them as long as they stayed aboard the ship. He knew that such a suggestion would be difficult to enforce, especially with his youngest son who could not stop asking questions and exploring.

  “I don’t care what you think about any guns he has,” Lars was saying. “You’re wasting my time with this? I gave you all this expensive messages, and this is what you send to me? How many millions and billions of kilometres have you travelled, and all I hear is your whining about what you think the crew may have under their beds? Are you really doing that to me?”

  Morgan felt a surge of anger, and cut off the message to make his own.

  “I don’t like it. And if I don’t like how this ship’s being run, I’m going to say so. Sorry if I sound whiney to you, but that’s what you’re going to have to listen to. This is the second serious problem we’ve discovered about TC, and I’ve the feeling there’s more. He’s trying to keep secrets from us, with not much success. What’s next? What do we get to hear next, that he’s not really this great space hero at all? Is that what it is? Johnny Beggs doesn’t actually exist, and he’s this guy instead, this TC character? Whatever happens, he needs to be up-front with us, and that is all there is to it. What’s more, Lars, I’m going to do something about it. Next time I transmit to you, I’ll tell you how it went.”

  Morgan found himself shaking when he ended the message, and he knew that he should not send it. After half an hour of worrying, he deleted it, telling himself that he would be safe from Lars and his people once they reached Ancia. If they can just deal with whatever awaited them at T Station.

  * * * *

  The double stars known as Alpha Centauri shone bright in front of them, more than three times the size of any other star that they could see. Their close neighbour was the diminutive and ineffectual Proxima Centauri that orbited them with deathly slowness, and cast a dull red glow. A generation before TC’s, the place was talked about with the same affection as Ancia was now. It was seen as a major achievement by humankind, to reach its closest star. But when it was seen that it offered no Second Earth, or any habitable planets at all, it was soon forgotten. It was left to UDE to find a large asteroid to put in orbit, and there build a military base.

  TC loved the place, and wished that he had more reason to visit. Jupe should have loved the place too, since that was where he was born, but he just viewed it as another part of his troubled upbringing.

  At such a distance, the ships main engines were stopped and TC needed to be careful about how they approached the station. They were still two days away from hitting the boundary of its solar system, and he waited for the first clearance signal. He needed their acknowledgement that there was a ship approaching. If he just assumed that they saw him, many things could go wrong, including his ship sailing right through them without sustaining much more than a scratch. That was the theory, anyway, and there had been much speculation as to what would actually happen in the event of an on-course ship not stopping. The station’s security guns might miss them, and the advance warning systems might fail, and the station’s shields might not be strong enough, and multitudes of other unknown faults, could all lead to such an event. With a ship arriving, on average, twice a week, it was open to all kinds of disaster.

  Every time TC had been to the station they had been slow to respond to his first signal, but it was more a case of TC being impatient. He expected to get their acknowledgement straight away, ignoring that there was always a long delay. Not being able to bear the wait, he opened the bottle of vodka that was hidden under is seat and started drinking.

  Jenna came to the flight deck, knowing TC hated anyone else being there who wasn’t a qualified pilot, more so when he was actually working. She ignored the bottle, not knowing that it was abnormal, and not really caring one way or the other.

  “That Morgan is at me again to see you,” she said, seeing that he was in an anxious mood.

  “For what?” he asked quickly, not looking at her.

  “He won’t say, but he looks angry.”

  “He always looks angry, whenever he wants to see me. I’m not talking to him. Send him away.”
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  “He’s insisting.”

  “And I’m insisting. I don’t care what you tell him, just get rid of him. Tell him I’m suffering a bad case of death, if that will help. I have more important matters right now. Or did he want me to crash the ship? Ask him that. What star would he like to dive into? We have three to choose. Bet you didn’t know, the small red one is the most unstable. That would cause a really big glow.”

  “But TC …”

  “I’m telling Jupe,” TC said finally. “He needs to know what’s going on. No use protecting him anymore.”

  Jenna gave him a defiant look that told him that she didn’t agree. Then Jupe appeared behind her. When she saw him she stepped aside, avoiding eye contact. She went back to Morgan to give him the news that TC wasn’t interested in seeing him. TC told Jupe to sit in the co-pilot’s chair.

  “We’re coming up on T Station,” TC said to him after a few minutes of silence. “Won’t be long now. That’s when you can say your last, fond goodbye to yours-truly. However, something you should know first. I didn’t want to tell you until now. Thing is, we are going no further than here.”

  “Going no further?” Jupe asked, confused. “You’re letting me go, right? That was our deal. I can leave at T Station. That’s what you said.”

  “T Station’s our destination. Probably be here a while. We’ll be looking for new work, whatever comes up. You don’t have to stay with us, but I’d feel honoured if you did—there, came right out and said it. You have the goods, for this work, and that’s the truth. If I can iron out some of those rough areas you’ve still got. Don’t know if you can handle the ship on your own just yet, but I think with a little work, a few years down the track, you’ll be up in my league. People consider that an honour, you know? Can’t get better training than that. You could be with UDE for years, and not have better training.”

  Jupe stood up. “What are you talking about, you crazy old man?” he said with a raised voice. “We’re heading for Ancia, or have you forgotten? Passengers? Back there? You know, the people you won’t let me talk to, or meet. I can watch them, and see how boring they are. Thank you for that.”

  “Ever think there was a reason,” said TC, remaining calm, “I didn’t want you talking to them? A good one?”

  “Because you hate me and you hate them?”

  “When the time comes, I didn’t want you having any emotional ties. I kept my distance too, so I wouldn’t get to know them more than I have to. Don’t want to start liking them.”

  “That can be bad for business,” said Thax.

  Jupe looked around, taken by surprise, and saw both Wilson brothers standing behind him, having entered when his back was turned. They were both eyeing him intently.

  “None of this was my idea,” TC said, becoming defensive, and taking another long drink. The vodka was getting easy for him now. “But that’s not the point. Not even close to the point. Sometimes in life we make mistakes, and we just have to live with them. There’s nothing we can do but accept it. Fact is, I just fly the ship, that’s all. They didn’t make any deals with me, and I never told them to get on.”

  Thax went to TC and whispered into his ear.

  “I don’t care what you think, I’m doing this,” TC shouted at him.

  “He’s not up for it,” Thax continued, backing away.

  “Neither am I,” TC shouted at him.

  Thax turned to Jupe and gave him a menacing look.

  “What’s this all about?” Jupe asked TC, trying to ignore Thax. “You’re saying you have no intention of going to Ancia?”

  “I have never been to Ancia,” TC said, calm now, and sitting back in his chair. “Never will. That’s Gammond’s place, and I don’t care how great everyone thinks it is, I’m going nowhere near it, ever. You can count on that. Not ever.”

  “What do you …?”

  “They’re on their own,” said TC. He knew that Jupe was not going to give up on the passengers. He wouldn’t either, given that option, had he been in Jupe’s position. “Do you know where you are, Jupe? This is the deep. There’s no law out here. We can do what we want. Or, more significantly, whatever they want.”

  Jenna came back to the flight deck agitated. She said to TC about Morgan, “I thought the veins in his neck would explode when I sent him off.” She then saw that Thax was agitated and she realised what was going on.

  “You’re going to kill them?” asked Jupe.

  “They’ll get a choice,” said TC. “But in the end, sorry to admit, that’s our best option.”

  “A choice? What choice?”

  “They can stay at the T. That’s always an option. And I’m not asking your permission for any of this.”

  “What kind of a way is that to act? Aren’t you the great hero—”

  “Listen, that ship I rescued, you think it was for the passengers? What annoyed me, got my blood running, was how they let fools fly ships. Total fools. Just because of their family connections, or some unseen potential, they’re handed controls of spaceships. That’s why I went after it, and saved it. Yeah, there were people who didn’t die because of what I did. And yeah, I accept that I saved them from certain death.”

  “Yeah, you did. What’s different here, that you’re giving up on these people?”

  “Fact is, if I was to be honest with you, my job is to get their supplies. That’s what this is all about. They’re carrying some very expensive, shiny-new machines, and we want them. And I’m sure they’ll do nothing but give me shocked faces, and then walk away. They’ll realise where they are and they’re without friends, and they have no other choice. Have you seen them? You’ve seen them, right? They’re not the types to want to fight. I sure hope I’m right about that. Rolondo’s a big guy, but what else does he have? He has no weapons. More interested in his girlfriends. And Real? Thinks he can sneak what he wants onto my ship? As for Morgan, he’ll either make a formal complaint, or try to make a deal; I know his sort. But what will shock them more than anything, is they’re just not expecting this turn of events. Any fight they might have in them, it’ll be gone.”

  “Even if you’re not right about them,” said Thax, “they won’t put up anything to hurt us.”

  Jupe started to feel himself panicking. His breathing was becoming erratic and he had trouble focusing.

  “What else are you going to do?” TC continued. “All you wanted is to surf, or something, isn’t it? Get your behind back to Earth and waste the rest of your days? Go and do that, see if I care. All that’s happening here, I’m giving you an offer, and only the once, to join us and at least try to make a man out of you. Get to see space.”

  “You think I’m going to kill …?”

  “We’ll handle that,” said Thax.

  “You think I brought these guys along for their technical know-how?” asked TC. “If it gets to that, you don’t have to see any of it, Jupe, you can trust me on that. Just help with the offload.”

  “The what?”

  “Are you sure he’s your son, TC?” Cuthbert joked. “Arh, but he’s sounding all dense. The offloading, my laddy; all those machines we’re carrying. Big job, since there’s so much of it.”

  “And we want to do it quietly, without attracting attention,” said Thax.

  “Some of it is worth a fortune,” Jenna said like she was already counting her cut.

  “And I’ve told you, don’t get excited about the profit,” TC said to her. “We have to first pay the Bests.”

  Jupe smiled at that, but it was more out of exasperation. “You’re working with the Bests? You just got these people signed up just to kill them and take their machines, to make the Bests richer? What kind of a legend are you?”

  “Pretty much a broke one. Shallow, heartless, kind of smelly, not what you read in the magazines, sorry. But the Bests have me by the throat, and nothing’s to be done about it, except do what they tell me.”

  “How did you get mixed up with the Bests? All I ever heard from you about them was to
keep away.”

  “And I still say that to you. You don’t need to know anything about them. They don’t know you’re here, and I want it to stay that way. They’re my problem, not yours. My offer is simple, either stick with us, where you’ll be safe, or find your own way back home. You won’t be involved in anything nasty, I will promise you that.”

  “And who’s doing the shooting?” Jupe asked as he looked at Thax and Jenna.

  “Don’t look at me,” said Jenna. “Who do you think I am?”

  “Not a dentist,” said Jupe.

  “We’ve got that under control,” said Thax.

  “The kids won’t be hurt, right?” Jupe asked, not expecting much of an answer.

  “We’ll just tell them there was an accident,” said Cuthbert. “Get a lot of accidents out these parts. They’ll love it at the T. Just like you did, right, Jupe? You lived here as a kid. Tore the place up, from what TC says about you.”

  “So, Cuthbert,” Jupe said to him cynically, “getting to be a real pirate, huh?”

  “You’ve got a big mouth,” Cuthbert said, losing all trace of humour. “Be careful with it. One day, someone might take offence.”

  TC vigorously waved at the Wilsons to leave, and they did, with Jenna following, leaving Jupe eyeballing his father.

  TC reached to put a hand on Jupe’s back. “I know it’s a hard one to take, betrayal and all that, but such is life, and it can be ugly at times. Real ugly. I have to get out from under that Lars Best. He gave me no other choice. If I do this flight, that’s it, I’m free from him. You don’t think any of this is my idea, do you? And don’t think I’ll do this again; once is enough. Yes, I’ve never stooped this low before, and in some ways, I’m sorry you have to be here to see it. But you figured it out, so I had no alternative but tell you.”

  “And you’ll let me go back home?”

  “That’s my promise.”

  “Why the change? You’d told me I was free to go at T Station. Now you want me in on your little betrayal? I could have gone and waited for the next shuttle out, and known nothing about your plan.”