“That’s another thing we need to talk about. Who’s involved in this?”
Madigan shrugged and hunkered down over his coffee mug. “Besides Plass and Reverri?”
Zoya nodded.
“Most of them are taped up in the spares locker, if they haven’t gotten untied yet.” He picked up his mug but put it down again. Natalya saw it was empty. “Reverri wasn’t exactly trusting. He’d have only sent people who were either on-board with him or too afraid to cross him.”
“Who’s Fries?” Zoya asked.
Madigan looked over his shoulder at a group of women huddled around a table on the other side of the mess deck. “Nance?”
An older woman, her cropped hair more gray than brown, looked up.
Madigan gave her a nod.
She stood and brought her coffee cup over. “What’s up?” she asked, not sitting but not shying away. She spared a flickering glance for Natalya but focused on Zoya, her expression flat.
“We need a shuttle pilot. You up for it?” Zoya asked.
Her eyes widened. “Me?”
“Yes. Tom here says you’re a shuttle pilot. I need a shuttle pilot.”
“You’d trust me?”
“Do I have a reason not to?” Zoya asked, leaning back in her seat, a small smile flickering on her lips.
Fries took a deep breath and held it for a heartbeat. She shook her head. “No.”
“Paid position. What did you do on the barge?”
“Miner.”
“Double your salary rate. No bonuses. You fly when we need you to fly.”
Fries sipped her coffee and looked at Zoya. “You know what my salary rate is?”
“More or less. My grandfather is a creature of habit. I’ve been a bit out of the loop but I’m pretty sure half a century of habit didn’t get broken while I was away at the academy.” Zoya gave a little shrug. “Doubling your salary as a miner won’t cover what you would have made as a rock jockey, but nobody’s going to be getting any bonuses for a while yet, so giving that up isn’t giving up much.”
Freis put her cup in her left hand and held out her right. “Can I trust you on a handshake?”
“Would you trust my grandfather?” Zoya asked.
“Yes.”
Zoya gripped the woman’s hand. “Please find an emergency suit and meet Natalya on the boat deck. We’ve got a little errand for you to run. She’ll explain.”
Fries nodded, drained her coffee mug and slapped it into the dirty dish rack.
Natalya followed her out, trying to remember where she’d stashed her softsuit.
“So what are we going to do?” Fries asked. “And why do I need an emergency suit?”
“I need you to run me over to my ship. The shuttle has no airlock. The only way for me to get out of the shuttle is depressurize it.”
Fries stared at Natalya. “How’d you get in here?”
“Flew past the stern on autopilot and jumped.”
Fries frowned. “No tether?”
“Didn’t have one long enough.”
“What if you missed?”
“I’d be dead by now, Zoya would still be locked in the head, and you’d still be at the mercy of Reverri and Plass.”
Fries shuddered visibly then shook her head. “Let’s get your ship back.”
Natalya found her suit at the foot of the ladder in engineering and lugged it up to the boat deck. Fries had the emergency suit locker open and a suit almost on. By the time Natalya geared up, Fries was standing beside the shuttle’s bow, her helmet flung back.
“You know where the latch is on this model?” Natalya asked.
Fries pushed the release to pull the canopy open. “Ms. Usoko called it. Her grandfather is a creature of habit.”
Natalya walked around to the passenger side. “Well, let’s get the preflight done and get moving. Ahokas is out there waiting.”
Fries nodded and began the walk around.
Natalya smiled and settled into the cockpit. Fries clearly knew what she was doing.
Fries clambered into the ship and started flipping through the controls, closing the canopy, running down the checklist, and putting the engine on standby. “Do we have somebody to handle the lock?” she asked, glancing at Natalya.
Natalya laughed. “It’s always the simple things that trip me up.”
A movement out of the corner of her eye made her turn her head.
Madigan stood just outside the ship.
“Somebody’s on the ball,” Fries said. She smiled at Madigan and held up two fingers.
He nodded and settled back on his heels.
Fries finished the preflight checklist and looked at Madigan with a thumbs up sign.
He nodded again and trotted off the boat deck. Less than a tick later, the big lock began cycling, the amber warning light washing the boat deck in a sickly yellow. It changed to green as the outer door began sliding open.
“Where are we going?” Fries asked, lifting the shuttle off the deck and easing it into space.
Natalya craned her neck and looked off to port. “Right there.”
The Peregrine gleamed in the dim light, her cockpit a dull red. Compared to the Barbell, it looked like a toy.
“You fly that?” Fries asked, rotating the shuttle to face the scout.
“Yeah. I’ve been flying her since I was a kid. Gift from my father on my eighteenth birthday.”
Fries spared a glance for her. “Your old man gave you a jump-capable ship for your birthday?”
“Yeah. Well. Long story.”
“I bet it is.” Fries didn’t bother with the main engine, using only the attitude thrusters to ease the shuttle alongside.
“The lock is amidships, port side.” Natalya pointed it out. “If you can get within ten meters, that would be great.”
Fries squinted and nodded. “Sure. Button up. We should start depressurizing.”
Natalya nodded. “Once I’m in, button up and follow my lead.”
They latched their helmets down and Fries started the process.
It took longer than a regular airlock but by the time Fries had the shuttle aligned with Peregrine’s lock, the shuttle had sucked the air out of the cockpit.
Fries opened the cockpit and Natalya clicked a safety line to her seat belt before releasing the catch. A light touch lifted her out of her seat. She pulled herself forward over the bow of the small craft and launched herself at the lock, catching the grab handle on the first try. She tapped the keycode and the telltale turned amber. She kept her eyes focused on the lock and slipped into it and onto the grav plate as soon as it opened. After releasing the safety line she keyed the lock cycle.
When the cycle completed, she released a breath that felt like she’d been holding since she launched herself into the void without a safety line. The inner door opened and she pushed her helmet back.
Kim Ahokas stood just inside the ship with a wrench held back over her shoulder, ready to swing.
“Whoa!” Natalya held up her hands. “It’s just me.”
Ahokas collapsed against the bulkhead, the wrench clattering to the decking. “Thank Maude. What happened? You’ve been gone forever. When I saw the shuttle coming, I thought they were coming for me.”
Natalya peeled out of her softsuit and filled Ahokas in on the happenings.
“So now what? What about Rob?”
“Now we see how the crew of the Sagittarius wants to play it,” Natalya said and headed for the cockpit. She waved to Fries and took her seat.
It took almost no time to slide the Peregrine over to the marshaling yard. By the time they were on station, Zoya had already called from the Mindanao twice.
“Sagittarius, Mindanao. Over.”
She had to call three times before a surly male voice replied.
“Mindanao, what do you want? Who are you?”
“Sagittarius, Mindanao. It’s done. Time for you to stand down. Over.”
“It damn well isn’t done. We got your man over here.”
“Sagittarius, Mindanao. I know you do. The question is do you release him and stop this stupidity or do I destroy your ship? Over.”
“With what? You gonna throw a rock at us?”
“Sagittarius, Mindanao. My name is Zoya Usoko. My grandfather is Konstantin Usoko. I know the detonation codes for your vessel. Stand down or blow up. It’s your call. Over.”
Ahokas’s eyes went as round as a rocket nozzle and she looked at me with her eyebrows halfway up her skill. “Detonation codes?”
I shrugged. “News to me, but if anybody has them, she does.”
The pause ran for a lot of heartbeats.
“You’re bluffing.”
“Sagittarius, Mindanao. I’ve got Reverri. I’ve got Plass. I’ve got control of this vessel and I’m the nominal owner of this sector and its claim. Are you really willing to bet your life and the life of your crew? Over.”
The pause didn’t last as long before the voice replied. “Prove it.”
“Sagittarius, Mindanao. Send somebody to mining control. The main power feed for the drill heads runs under the decking. There’s an inspection hatch under the operator’s station. Over.”
“So what?”
“Sagittarius, Mindanao. Look in that hatch. You’ll find a cylinder attached to the power feed. It’s painted bright red. It’s made of plastic explosive tied to a remote detonator. If I send the code, it will blow up, severing the main power feed and breaking the ship’s spine which is right under it. Over.”
The pause ran so long, Natalya began to wonder how long it took to get from the bridge to the barge mining controls. Finally a new voice came on.
“Mindanao, Sagittarius. The captain seems to have slipped on the ladder and banged his head on the railing. How can I help you? Over.”
“Sagittarius, Mindanao. If you could put our Mr. Bean on the radio? I’ve got a few questions that only he can answer. Over.”
“Mindanao, Sagittarius. Roger that. I’ll need a couple of ticks. He’s on the station. Over.”
“Sagittarius, Mindanao. Understood. Standing by.”
Ahokas continued staring at Natalya. “Was she bluffing?”
Natalya shrugged. “I have no idea. Did she sound like she was bluffing?”
“Is there a bomb on every Usoko ship?”
“If there is, Zoya would know about it.” Natalya grinned. “But I bet Tom Madigan is laughing his butt off right now.”
“Madigan?”
“Engineer from Dusty Sky.”
“Why would he be laughing? This is serious.”
“Because I’ll bet you a fresh cup of coffee that there is a red cylinder under that hatch.”
Ahokas frowned. “I don’t get it.”
“It’s probably something like a fuse coupler to break the circuit if the mining heads get jammed up and not an explosive device.”
The light seemed to dawn behind Ahokas’s eyes. “And only the engineer would know that?”
Natalya nodded. “So either the engineer sees this as a way out and told the skipper it’s there or the first mate heard the exchange and tripped the skipper on the ladder himself.”
Ahokas sat back in her couch. “I never would have thought of it.”
“That’s why she’s the boss here.”
Ahokas nodded. “She’s something.”
Natalya laughed. “I can attest to that. No question. She’s something.”
Ahokas glanced over. “You sure there’s nothing between you two?”
Natalya nodded. “A lot of shared history. Comrade in arms. That’s all.”
Ahokas looked out at the spot where the Mindanao lay in the Deep Dark. “Pity,” she said.
Natalya considered Ahokas. “How about you? Got a special someone?”
Ahokas swallowed hard and shook her head.
Natalya felt a wash of guilt fill her stomach. “Sorry. Bad question.”
Ahokas shrugged and kept her face turned toward the Dark.
Chapter 43
Smelter Seventeen:
2368, March 3
When the Ally Wishes jumped into the sector with her three cans, it felt like an anticlimax. “We’ve been waiting for the next ship for what seems like forever,” Bean said.
“Have we contacted them yet?” Zoya asked, climbing up to the observation deck.
“I hailed them. It’ll be a few more ticks yet before we can get a reply,” Ahokas said.
“We’ve got another ship out there,” Bean said. “Are we expecting anybody?”
Zoya shrugged. “Maybe,” she said with a glance at Natalya. “Anything on their beacon?”
“Nothing yet, but they’re still well beyond the Ally Wishes,” Bean said.
“How long before Ally gets here?”
“About a week. Maybe a little more,” Natalya said, looking at the plot.
“Can we talk to them?” Zoya asked.
Bean shrugged. “I’m not a comms guy. Depends on how strong our transmitter is and how sensitive their receivers are.”
“Mindanao could if they had a full antenna array. They’ve got the power for it,” Natalya said.
Zoya nodded. “I was just thinking that.”
“Anything you want to say to them that can’t wait?” Natalya asked.
Zoya shook her head. “I’m more interested in who’s in the new ship.”
Natalya bit her tongue and let the comment pass.
“What’s the database say Ally is carrying?” Zoya asked.
“Hydroponics nutrient, mixed printer stock, and scrubber filters,” Ahokas said, referring to the scheduling database.
“You still going to try to hire them?” Natalya asked.
“I’m going to try. I’d feel better if we had some support from Big Rock.”
Ahokas patted Zoya on the back. “You’re doing great.”
Zoya looked at Ahokas, the look on her face a mix of wide-eyed incredulity and a mouth twisting grimace.
A laugh bubbled out of Natalya.
“What are you laughing at?” Zoya asked, her incredulity morphing into a frown in an instant.
“Nothing. The look on your face.”
“I meant it,” Ahokas said. “If it weren’t for you two, I’d probably be dead or worse by now.”
Bean snorted. “We’ve got a parade inbound.”
“A parade?” Zoya asked crossing to look at the long range. A line of pips walked slowly in from extreme range. “Anything on them?”
Bean fiddled with the gain a little but shook his head. “They’re still way out there.”
“They’re not coming in on the same vector as the others,” Zoya said.
Bean toggled the view. “They’re coming up from under the plane of the ecliptic. Ally Wishes and the other one are coming flat in on another vector.”
“Project Ally’s back course. Where did she jump from?”
Bean looked up at Zoya. “I’m an engineer, not a magician.”
“Lucky for you, I’m a magician.” Zoya flapped a hand, motioning him out of the hot seat. She pulled the historical track out to get a vector on the incoming ship. With a few clicks and some pauses for rendering she pulled up a numerical model of the vector and extended it until it intersected a known location. “Huh. Jumping in from Ciroda?”
Natalya leaned forward and looked over Zoya’s shoulder. “That’s a long way. Bet ya the last chicken curry that it’s someplace not listed.”
Zoya sat back and mused. “Or they had to make a course adjustment after a bad jump.”
“They’ve been on their way here for at least a month,” Natalya said.
Zoya nodded and squinted at the screen for a bit and then shook her head. “We’ll know soon enough, but who’s coming in behind her?” Zoya brought the screen back and picked up the new ship’s course. “Almost the exact same vector, just delayed.”
“You have enough course plots to pick up the parade?” Natalya asked.
Zoya spun the scanner’s point of view and extended the vecto
r for the string of ships. “Somewhere in New Caledonia.”
Bean stiffened. “One of the Higbee construction yards is in Foxclaw. It’s near the middle of New Caledonia.”
“They can’t have gotten replacements here that fast,” Zoya said. “I only submitted the request to Big Rock a couple of weeks ago.”
Bean pursed his lips and folded his arms, squinting at the screen.
“What?” Zoya asked, looking up at him.
“If your grandfather placed the order when he got the request? They might have had time to get out this far.”
“How could they build them that fast?” Natalya asked.
“They’re pre-fab. Modular. It’s not like you asked for something exotic.” Bean shrugged. “If that were my operation, I’d have one of every common module sitting in a parking orbit. They do some customizing based on the order, but smart money is on standardization to a few common sizes. They get an order, ship it, and start construction on the replacement.”
“Why would they do that? That’s a lot of capital to keep tied up,” Zoya said.
Bean laughed. “They’re selling on the basis of getting a station up and running fast. They’re charging a huge premium to make that happen. I suspect that they’re raking the credits in hand-over-fist.”
Natalya nudged Zoya. “That’s what Dorion was saying. It’s all growth out here in Toe-Hold space.” She pointed to the screen. “That’s why it’s growing so fast. It’s not taking stanyers to get a station up and running. It’s been what? A month?”
Zoya looked back at the screen and nodded. “They’re going to be a couple of weeks getting in to us. Maybe longer if they’re big enough to carry station sections.”
Bean shook his head again. “They’re not ships. They’re the sections with a propulsion unit strapped on. A couple of those pips are probably freighters to carry the navigation and propulsion units back.”
Zoya stiffened. “You’re saying those are pieces of the station.”
Bean nodded. “That’s what they did in Margary. We’re not talking about stanyers to get this station back in business. Within a month, we’ll have a workable grinder and probably the matching smelter. That’s why I suggested going with the prefab units.” He shrugged and scratched his ear. “I thought it would take longer to get the order placed, but yeah. Months at the most.”