The bridge of Caree\u2019s ship was already crowded when Rake stepped up through the hatchway.<\/p>\n
Caree herself stood in the middle of the bridge. Rake glanced around, soaking in the details. She\u2019s standing because she has no command seat<\/i>, he noted with some surprise. Only seats available are the pilot\u2019s chair and the navigation chair.<\/i><\/p>\n
Both the aforementioned stations were occupied\u2014the former by a dark-skinned man who looked like he came from a high gravity world, the latter by a pale girl with nearly-white hair that looked far too young to be voyaging into the space lanes. She can\u2019t be more than fifteen years old, by Earth standards<\/i>, he thought in dismay.<\/p>\n
Two more crewman stood at the back of the bridge, a man and a woman with similar ice-blue eyes under dark hair. Brother and sister<\/i>, Rake guessed. And, unless I\u2019m completely wrong, that should be Caree\u2019s entire crew.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cCaptain Staka,\u201d Rake said, keeping his voice even. No sense causing any trouble for her with the crew<\/i>, he decided immediately. So keep it professional.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cIt appears you have some friends, Rake,\u201d she said lightly, but there was an undertone of tension in her voice. \u201cSome more friends, I should say. They\u2019ve been asking very politely if you\u2019re on board.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what have you been telling them?\u201d he asked with a raised eyebrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t officially replied to their query yet,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cUntil we figure out how<\/i> to answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo who\u2019s doing the asking?\u201d Rake wanted to know.<\/p>\n
The gorgeous captain reached up and pulled down two screens from the ceiling. She impatiently tapped the corner of one of the screens, until at last they yielded up images of two patrol craft. \u201cThese are your friends,\u201d she commented. \u201cThey\u2019re bearing the colors and identification codes for local militia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s local?\u201d Rake asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat, did you forget your navigation charts?\u201d Caree responded. \u201cWe\u2019re in the Lantash system.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLantash?\u201d he repeated. \u201cThat\u2019s hardly the first jump toward Clarion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the long way around,\u201d the captain agreed, \u201cbut if you died on Clarion, and your policy was cashed in at one of the Terra facilities, skiptracers are probably going to be watching the usual routes. It\u2019ll take more fuel, but it should have kept us from getting caught.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcept it didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcept it didn\u2019t,\u201d Caree agreed. \u201cThey must want you bad<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think they already know I\u2019m alive?\u201d Rake asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe. From what I know of Slade, he was probably working solo, but it looks like they\u2019re covering all the bases to try to grab you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are those patrol ships packing?\u201d he changed the subject.<\/p>\n
Caree tapped at the second screen. When it didn\u2019t respond, she banged it with her fist in annoyance. After another moment, streaks of red began to light up on the diagnostic of the patrol boat.<\/p>\n
Rake stepped forward to get a better look at the screen. The vessel was a sloop\u2014hardly considered a capital ship by modern standards. At a hundred meters long, it packed two dozen small-caliber coilguns highlighted in red on the diagram, which would be plenty against any freighters or pirate ships plying the space lanes. A trio of powerful engines could propel it at decent acceleration, and a point drive allowed for intersystem travel. The whole vessel was vaguely wedge-shaped with smooth, flat surfaces, a typical design for a warship: it allowed for high-firepower, low-profile edges to point at an enemy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much firepower does your ship have?\u201d Rake asked quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Starfall<\/i> isn\u2019t a warship,\u201d Caree reprimanded him. \u201cI can\u2019t go to guns with two of those patrol boats\u2014they\u2019ll tear us to shreds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many gees can you pull?\u201d was his next question.<\/p>\n
\u201cRunning?\u201d Caree raised an eyebrow at him, then looked at the diagrams. \u201cThey\u2019ll take us to pieces before we can get out of range.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a hunch about that,\u201d Rake said. \u201cBut we can outrun them?\u201d<\/p>\n
The captain nodded. \u201cYes, we can pull a lot more gees than they can.\u201d<\/p>\n
The navigator spoke up. \u201cIf we try to run, cap, we\u2019re going to wind up stranded.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caree looked over at the white-haired girl. \u201cAgain?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe won\u2019t have enough fuel for a jump if we run the engines for a long burn,\u201d she explained. \u201cThere\u2019s no way we could head back to Terra or continue on to Clarion without refueling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why didn\u2019t you let me know we needed refueling?\u201d the captain asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cCap, we were going to refuel at one of the Terra stations,\u201d the pilot interjected. \u201cYou told us it was going to be a simple pickup, and we\u2019d have a few days in system.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDamn,\u201d Caree muttered. \u201cDamn, damn, damn. We\u2019re caught because we\u2019re out of gas.\u201d<\/p>\n
The navigator nodded. \u201cWe can outrun them, but wherever we choose to set down to refuel, we\u2019ll light up their sensors like a candle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait,\u201d Rake interjected. \u201cYou just mean re-entry, right? That everyone will know we\u2019re there from the fire?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight. No need for fancy sensors or spaceport controls, just the physical signs we\u2019ll be giving off,\u201d she affirmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you bring me up a system map?\u201d Rake asked Caree.<\/p>\n
The captain frowned but tapped the secondary screen\u2019s corner again. Several irritated taps later, the image of the patrol sloop vanished to be replaced by a map of the star system. \u201cNot to scale, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d Rake murmured as he studied the display. At the center was, of course, the system\u2019s sun. The two planets orbiting closest were both colonized and boasted first-class starport facilities, capable of accommodating ships even larger than the patrol sloops and refueling any starship short of a nuclear reactor. The third and fourth worlds were smaller, cold rocks incapable of hosting life. The fifth world was partly terraformed, but the process had been left incomplete by the Great War. The sixth planet was a ringed gas giant, while the seventh and last world was so small it was hardly considered a planet at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is perfect,\u201d he murmured. \u201cLantash Six is the closest world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caree frowned at him. \u201cLantash Six? It\u2019s a gas giant. We can\u2019t land there\u2014the atmosphere is so dense it would crush us like a bug before we made it to the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich is why it\u2019s perfect.\u201d Rake glanced at the navigator. \u201cDo we have enough fuel for an in-system jump?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, but it doesn\u2019t change the fact that we need to land to refuel,\u201d the girl replied. \u201cThere\u2019s no orbital stations for us to try to get fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right about that,\u201d Rake agreed. \u201cDo we have the power to run now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Caree glanced over at the pilot. \u201cWings?\u201d<\/p>\n
The dark-skinned man\u2014Wings, apparently\u2014glanced over his own status screens before answering. \u201cYes,\u201d he answered. \u201cOur engines are warmed up and ready after the cold jump from Terra.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s your plan, Earthstepper?\u201d the captain asked him.<\/p>\n
Rake tapped the display. \u201cAre you familiar with the rings of Lantash Six?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m guessing there\u2019s something I don\u2019t know about there?\u201d she asked instead of answering.<\/p>\n
The man nodded. \u201cSomething, yes.\u201d He tapped the display. \u201cPut in a direct course for Lantash Two, full burn. As soon as you have the point drive spooled up, we jump straight to Lantash Six, as close as you can manage. It\u2019ll throw the patrol boats off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019ll just burn up more of our fuel,\u201d the navigator protested.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust me.\u201d Rake offered a confident smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is crazy, cap,\u201d the girl said, looking past the passenger.<\/p>\n
Caree slowly began to smile. \u201cLay in the course,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd start the calculations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCap,\u201d Wings protested, \u201cwhen I light the engines, those patrol boats are going to light us up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, they won\u2019t,\u201d the dark-haired woman said. \u201cThey\u2019re hunting our friend here. Judging by that skiptracer back on Terra, I\u2019d guess they want him alive. They won\u2019t risk blowing us up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t know he\u2019s on board,\u201d one of the siblings said from the back of the bridge. \u201cWe haven\u2019t replied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs our course laid in?\u201d Caree asked.<\/p>\n
Both pilot and navigator nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet ready to punch up a full burn,\u201d the captain ordered. \u201cAnd everyone strap in. You too, Rake.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Rake strapped into one of the jump seats lining the back wall, Caree dragged one of the screens to the back of the bridge with her. The display hung up at one point until she jerked it, freeing it again to slide aft until it hung in front of Rake\u2019s chair. The captain strapped herself in beside the fugitive, then slid the screen over until both of them could see it.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaree?\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n
She grinned at him. \u201cTrust me.\u201d She reached out and touched the display and, for once, it responded immediately. The system map vanished, replaced by the image of a man in a uniform. \u201cThis is Captain Staka aboard the Starfall<\/i>,\u201d she announced. \u201cI have Rake Earthstepper on board.\u201d She grinned. \u201cCatch us if you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ship seemed to leap out from under Rake as the pilot bunched in the full burn. He didn\u2019t have time to contemplate it, though, as the monitor smashed into his chest, thrown into him under the massive acceleration. The very chair he was sitting in vibrated with the rumble of the vessel\u2019s mighty engines.<\/p>\n
He could feel shards of glass jabbing into his chest and guessed the screen had shattered under the impact. With an effort, he glanced over and saw Caree was similarly grimacing under the pressure. \u201cI forgot,\u201d she muttered with an effort. \u201cThis is exactly what happened last time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast time?\u201d Rake managed. \u201cYou do this often?\u201d<\/p>\n
The freighter bucked, hard, but the crew was all firmly strapped in. \u201cWe\u2019re taking fire!\u201d the girl at navigation shouted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they wanted us dead, our hull would already be full of holes,\u201d Caree grimaced. \u201cThey\u2019re making a show to try to get us to surrender.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReady to jump at any time, cap,\u201d Wings called.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t wait on account of me,\u201d the woman answered.<\/p>\n
There was another gut-wrenching jerk, and then Rake felt as though his bearings were again entirely stripped away. It wasn\u2019t as bad, this time\u2014he didn\u2019t lose consciousness. Nausea swept over him, but he managed to keep from retching as the ship vanished from one location and appeared in another.<\/p>\n
The roar of the engines fell away, and the ship quit shaking a few moments later. Out the viewport, Rake could see the massive, colorful swirl of Lantash Six nearby. It was further than he thought, of course\u2014gas giants were huge, and appeared closer than they really were.<\/p>\n
The rings of Lantash Six were a phenomena unmatched in the Expanse. Planetary rings were, by and large, colorful bits of space debris. They consisted of bits of dust and small rock and stray gases, and while solid-appearing from a distance, they were quite insubstantial while at close range. In some ways, they were as deceptive as clouds.<\/p>\n
Except the rings of Lantash Six.<\/p>\n
There was speculation among scientists that they had been formed of molten material ejected into orbit by a series of meteor strikes; others held that the rings were simply so ancient they had accumulated massive amounts of free-floating space debris. In either case, the rings of Lantash Six were utterly unique.<\/p>\n
They were solid, unbroken, fused stone.<\/p>\n
And they were barely five hundred meters away from the Starfall<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Wings yelped in surprise. \u201cPlotted that one a bit tight, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rake was pressed back into his seat as Wings applied power from the engines. The Starfall<\/i>\u2019s nose came up, but thousands of tons of momentum kept pushing it toward disaster. The freighter shuddered as the pilot applied full thrust, the engines roaring in response. Painfully slowly, the vessel\u2019s momentum changed, even as the vessel skimmed along the ring. Mountains thrust up like fingers, jagged from millennia without the eroding effects of wind or water. The freighter slowed as Wings applied counterthrust, using every technique he had to avoid disaster.<\/p>\n
There was a tiny \u201cping\u201d, barely audible over the scream of overdriven engines, and then the Starfall<\/i> was gaining altitude, pulling away from the ring.<\/p>\n
Rake blew out a sigh of relief. \u201cThat was too close.\u201d Then he winced as pain stabbed through his chest again. \u201cOw.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caree grimaced as she pushed the broken monitor away from the two of them. \u201cNext time, Joy, could you leave a little more margin for error?\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl at navigation\u2014Joy, apparently\u2014looked up with an abashed expression. \u201cSorry, cap. I plotted that a bit tight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rake shook his head. \u201cThat was insane.<\/i> I\u2019ve never seen someone plot a jump that tight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s just that good,\u201d Caree said as she looked down at her bloodstained shirt. \u201cShe\u2019s a lot smarter than her captain, too.\u201d Her gaze lifted to lock with Rake\u2019s. \u201cSince this was your idea, where to now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll need a scan of the ring\u2019s topography,\u201d he instructed as he looked at his own blood-soaked shirt. So much for the clothes I left behind<\/i>, he thought. \u201cWe\u2019re looking for a canyon two kilometers long, with a single mountain capping either end.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have anything like that where we can see it,\u201d Joy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t expect us to be that lucky. We\u2019ll have to orbit until you see it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what\u2019s so important about this canyon?\u201d Wings asked.<\/p>\n
Rake\u2019s smile was small and tight. \u201cBack during the war, Lantash was controlled by Terra, but not all the locals liked it. The Earth loyalists set up a resistance base on the rings. Friendly forces coming through used it for refueling and repairs, and the Terrans knew it was there, but they never found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you knew where it was,\u201d Caree stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot until after,\u201d Rake said with a shake of his head. \u201cAfter the war, the loyalists there turned it into a smuggler hole. Now days it\u2019s used for brokering deals and fueling ships that can\u2019t, for whatever reason, deal with the local authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike us.\u201d Caree smiled broadly. \u201cHow did I never know about this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not widely advertised,\u201d Rake said. \u201cEven on the worlds I frequent. The few people that know about it have plenty of reason to keep it quiet\u2014after all, if word got back to the officials on Laranth One, or even Terra, they\u2019d send in a couple of frigates to clean the place out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, when we find this canyon, what do we do?\u201d Joy asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI transmit the code clearance, we land, we pay exorbitant prices for fuel, and then we get the hell out,\u201d Rake said grimly.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat plan,\u201d Caree said. \u201cI\u2019ll make sure we charge the fuel to your account. Come on, let\u2019s go down to the medical bay and get cleaned up. This could take a while.\u201d She offered a small smile. \u201cYou and I have some things to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The bridge of Caree\u2019s ship was already crowded when Rake stepped up through the hatchway. Caree herself stood in the middle of the bridge. Rake glanced around, soaking in the details. She\u2019s standing because she has no command seat, he … Continue reading