The Privateer (18 page)

Dee was numb. It was so sudden! Just like that, everything is over. She had lost her home and family, her whole
planet
, and now his cold, formal tone suggested she had lost the only person left that she was beginning to consider a friend. She was on a strange planet with no one she knew. All she had was that damned envelope, and money was no substitute for a friend. She suddenly felt very small and helpless. Tears started to well in her eyes, and she clamped down on them mercilessly.

She swallowed. “Thank you for the offer, Captain,” she replied in the same formal tone he had used. “I will certainly consider it.”

She paused, and then rushed ahead. “I have been doing some research, and have come to conclude that my reactions may have been hasty and ill-advised. I would like to apologize for some of the comments I have made and the tones I have used. I now realize that you had only our survival in mind, and that my demands might have resulted in our deaths, or worse. I shall try to be as objective as possible when questioned.”

Cale smiled with genuine warmth. “I think I know what a difficult admission that was, Mistress. Please consider my offer seriously. You would be most welcome.”

Dee started to reply, but Cale was called away for the landing formalities. Dee returned to her stateroom. She began gathering her belongings in case she was removed from the ship. In only moments, she was finished, her pitifully few belongings fitting easily into the small bag the police had sent with her. Tears welled again, and this time she didn’t stop them.

Some half-hour later, she was aroused by Tess’s voice. Dee was too emotional to notice, but the cold formality was gone from the AI’s tone. “Dee, the captain wanted me to let you know that we are on final approach, and will be grounding at the government port in ten minutes. He suggests you gather your belongings, since either or both of you may be removed from the ship.

Dee sniffed mightily. “Tess! Do you suppose I could take the shipsuits with me? You know, the ones we tailored?”

“I am certain the Captain considers them yours,” Tess replied. “Particularly since you have so few other outfits. Should you have the opportunity, I recommend some serious shopping.”

Dee grinned through her tears. “An excellent suggestion, Tess,” she replied. She sobered and sighed. “Oh, how I wish you could come with me!” She wailed.

“I’m sorry I cannot,” Tess replied. “Dee, please seriously consider the captain’s offer. He would very much like you to join us.”

“I will, Tess, I promise.” She began, then, “Oh, wait! Where are you bound from here?”

“The captain has not yet decided,” Tess replied. “We will ground in five minutes, Mistress. In the meantime, may I suggest some attention to your appearance?”

“Oh my god!” Dee exclaimed, as she jumped and ran for the ‘fresher. Oh, lord. Her eyes were red and swollen and there were tear tracks down both cheeks.

As she tended to her appearance, Dee frowned in thought. The Captain hasn’t yet decided? Dee did not know a lot about shipping, but she knew that starships, large or small, are expensive to operate. How could he not have a goal in mind?

Maybe he was planning on picking up a high-value shipment or passenger in a hurry here. Oh, wait. He hadn’t been planning to come to Angeles. In fact, any plans he had were probably totally ruined by Aron Ekron and the government of Faith.

Only a slight bump announced their grounding under Tess’s flawless control.

The Kingdom of Angeles Official Starport was smaller than its commercial equivalent. When Cale surveyed his surroundings, he noted only one empire-pattern destroyer, and one corvette and two frigate-sized vessels, though their configurations varied from the Old Empire norm. Apparently, they had been built since the Fall. All three towered over
Cheetah
.

A heavy overcast threatened rain, though Tess reported the temperature to be a comfortable 23 degrees C. A gravity of only .87 of standard and a temperate climate had made the Kingdom the most cosmopolitan and prosperous business center and tourist destination in the Orion Sector before the Fall. Even then, the Kingdom had been the only planet in the Empire to be a hereditary monarchy. Since the Fall, several others had arisen, but none was as universally supported by its people. The hereditary rulers of Angeles had without exception been men of wisdom and vision, and the royal family went to great lengths to insure that tradition would continue.

They were hailed just as a small, single-seat vehicle headed toward them. “
Cheetah
, His Majesty’s government requests that all passengers and crew remain aboard pending the arrival of the investigator now approaching. You are requested to cooperate with his investigation in order to minimize your inconvenience. “

The man who debarked from the tiny vehicle and entered
Cheetah
’s lock certainly did not look intimidating. He looked more like a hotel manager than an investigator. His suit, if that word applied, consisted of a light jacket over a tunic and flaring pantaloons, all in bright, varied colors. He was of medium height and build, and wore a large grin that certainly
looked
sincere.

“Good morning!” He greeted Cale cheerfully. “Or is it afternoon, ship’s time?” He shrugged. “Oh, well, no matter. Let’s get rid of the official nonsense, so we can talk.”

He produced a wallet and displayed a gold badge and a gaudy identification card. “The name’s Sana Archuk, R. I. S. That’s Royal Investigative Service. I’m here to investigate your report of involvement with a pirate at your last recal stop. There. Now that’s done, and I’m sure you’re suitably impressed.”

Archuk looked around him. “What an
interesting
ship! I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Stinger class, eh? Must’ve been a small class. But I guess you hear that a lot.”

Cale could not help but grin. Archuk took his breath away. He introduced himself and ushered Archuk to a seat in the lounge. “Tess,” he asked, “Would you ask Dee to join us, please?”

“Of course, Captain,” Tess replied.

“Tess is the ship’s AI,” he said to Archuk. “I’m sure you’ve looked up the specs on the Stinger class, but the real thing can be a bit overwhelming at first.
Cheetah
was originally built in the Alliance as an Empire viceroy’s yacht and fast armed courier. Tess is the most advanced AI I have ever encountered. Apparently, the viceroy wanted a yacht he could take out by himself, and that required the Alliance comp specialists to pull out all the stops. Tess can actually compute and execute entire jump programs.”

Archuk’s eyebrows rose. “So, what does she need you for?”

Cale laughed aloud. “Not much, I guess. I’m just the guy that tells her
where
to jump.”

Dee came into the lounge wearing one of her ‘tailored’ shipsuits, and in moments, she and Archuk were chatting like old friends.

Finally, the investigator’s permanent smile faded slightly. He sighed. “Well, I guess we’d better get to it, before my boss decides I’m goofing off. No pressure. Just tell me what happened. Start at Faith.”

Cale nodded. “I grounded at Faith to deliver a passenger . . .”

“I didn’t think Faith got a lot of passenger traffic,” Archuk interjected.

Cale shook his head. “They don’t. I stopped at Ararat to do some banking business, and took on a passenger. I guess it was some kind of religious thing. Anyway, I discharged my passenger . . .” he went on to tell Archuk about his involuntary government contract. He showed the investigator the contract and the checks. When he came to the circumstances of Dee’s boarding, the investigator shifted his attention smoothly to her.

“Extraordinary!” he exclaimed. “They actually
exiled
you with no legal process at all?

“Oh no,” Dee exclaimed. “I can assure you there was legal process. In fact, the Planetary Senate authorized the charter and the bonuses.” She attempted to explain the interrelationship of the church and government of Faith, but Archuk waved dismissively. “Faith is one of our nearest neighbors,” he said. “We’ve been aware of the growing influence of the church for many years.”

Dee continued, outlining her activities and her suspicions concerning her proposed marriage, including her suspicion that a hereditary monarchy was planned.

Archuk laughed aloud. “Mistress, I have no doubt that your suspicions are well-founded, but I assure you a hereditary monarchy is not necessarily a fate worse than death!”

Dee stammered and tried to apologize, but Archuk waved her off. “No apology necessary, Mistress.” He turned to Cale. “So, Captain, you accepted the charter, and lifted with the lovely Mistress Raum bound and gagged in a stateroom.

Cale picked up the story, explaining how
Cheetah
’s advanced sensor suite had detected the follower. He shrugged. “I couldn’t stop and return to Faith; it wouldn’t have been permitted. I kept trying to examine her closely, but the angle was bad. All I knew was that she was tailing me, and when I speeded up, she speeded up, and when I slowed, so did she.”

“Was she showing a beacon?”

Cale nodded. “Yes, while we were in Faith’s space. It is recorded on the sensor logs. Anyway, I decided to re-route to Angeles. It was the nearest world with ship repair and excellent medical facilities, and I was afraid I might need either or both. Besides, the jumps were short, and the intermediate recal stop was uninhabited.”

Smile gone now, Archuk nodded. “Good thinking. Our space station is fully equipped to provide help.”

Cale nodded and continued, explaining the preparations they had made during the first jump, and explaining
Cheetah
’s attitude jets. He told of the plan he had formed, and the hours of practice he and Dee had done while in jump.

“When we emerged,” he continued, “I had Tess use the attitude jets and boost us max at a right angle to our emergence course. As soon as we detected the emergence, we shut down the drives, reversed our attitude, and prepared to fire, if necessary.”

Archuk nodded. “And it was necessary.”

Cale frowned. “Well, we didn’t just start shooting, if that’s what you mean. However, our sensors were getting a side view of them now, and I could see the enlarged engine room. That meant we probably could not outrun her. And now she
wasn’t
running a beacon. She had to be a pirate. No trader would overpower an Epsilon class. It would cut the hold space almost in half. I
had
to open fire before she got shields and weapons up!” He slammed a fist into the chair’s arm.

“So,” he continued more calmly, “That’s about it. I fired the laser and Dee used the quickfirer. When I saw her venting atmosphere and saw she wasn’t raising shields, I figured that was our cue to boost max for Angeles.” He glanced at Dee. “There was some rather . . . uh . . . spirited discussion about that decision.”

Archuk turned his permanent smile on Dee. “You didn’t agree with his decision to run,” he guessed.

She hesitated before nodding. “I felt we should stop and help any survivors.” She reddened. “I guess I was, well, forceful. The second jump wasn’t very pleasant.”

The agent’s smile flared its full force. “Well, I think this is a pretty cut-and-dried case. I’ll need your sensor logs of course, captain.” Cale nodded, and Archuk continued, “I’m afraid we will have to insist on your continued presence on Angeles until the S&R ship returns, but I see no reason to restrict you beyond that.

“You’re free to leave your vessel now. I’m sure you’re both anxious to get your feet on solid ground. There are a number of reasonably priced but good quality hotels just off the field, and the planetary net will help you find one, as well as shopping information, mistress. I’m afraid it will not be possible for you to return to your ship, so make certain you take everything you need.

“As for you, young lady,” he continued, “I feel I should tell you that your captain may very well have saved your lives by ignoring your demands. One does not approach a wounded wild and deadly animal. One simply renders it powerless, and then runs like the wind as far and fast as possible!”

Dee reddened and nodded wordlessly.

Archuk had been correct. There were a number of apparently excellent hotels near the field. They agreed upon a rather conservative-looking hotel with what were apparently moderate prices. Cale converted most of his contract check into Angeles crowns, and was impressed by the favorable exchange rate.

They took a hovercab to the hotel, where they registered in separate rooms, agreeing to meet in several hours for dinner.

Cale took a long, slow shower, reveling in the luxury of unlimited water. He frowned at the shipsuit he had been wearing.

No, he decided. Shipsuits were practical, durable garments for the restrictive environment of a sealed ship. But now he was groundside, and would be for at least a couple of weeks. He sat at the room’s terminal, connected to the Worldnet, and began doing some shopping.

He also researched the Kingdom of Angeles.

It seemed to be a pretty good world. Angeles was 99.97 on the habitability scale, the only deduction being for the slightly light gravity of .87 standard. It had originally been lower than that due to the planet’s lack of climate-inducing moons, but during the terraforming project, the early settlers had moved two large asteroids into position, generating the first tidal forces Angeles had ever known. Over a few centuries, the climate had stabilized nicely. A number of native plant and animal species had been able to adapt to the introduction of terrestrial species, and Angeles hardwoods had been heavy demand in the Empire’s interstellar trade. Angeles had been affected by the Fall, of course. To help prevent overpopulation, the Kingdom had once established three colonies. As the Empire declined, the other three systems had requested and received their independence. The last had seceded only fifty-five years ago. There had been no real intersystem conflicts. If a member of the ‘Commonwealth’ desired to secede, they held a planet-wide referendum on the issue. If the population voted for secession, the planetary government petitioned the kingdom for release. In every case, the Parliament had voted to recommend approval to the monarch, and in every case, independence had been granted. As Atmos XIV declared, “If a majority of their population desires to leave the Commonwealth, we have no desire to thwart their will.” Those three systems were still Angeles’ largest trading partners.