Ep.#1 - "Escalation" (The Frontiers Saga: Rogue Castes) (21 page)

“Nel…” Marcus scolded.

“Well, it’s true!” Neli looked at their faces. “You all know it is!” She turned to address Captain Tuplo. “No offense, Captain, but you
always
play it safe. It’s not that I’m complaining, mind you. I appreciate that you’re always thinking about our safety, I truly do. But sometimes, ensuring our safety
means
taking risks.”

Everyone was silent, stunned by Neli’s bluntness. Captain Tuplo examined their faces one at a time to read his crew’s reactions. He could tell they agreed with her. He even half-agreed with her himself.

Finally, the captain sighed and looked at Marcus. “You said there’s not
much
in the way of paying runs, right? So, what
was
there?”

“Just three runs,” Marcus replied. “Two of them from people with enough to pay some dumbass a ton of credits to jump to either Corinair or Savoy to evac family or friends, or some shit.”

“Gotta be nobles, if they’re paying so much,” Josh stated.

“And the third?” Captain Tuplo asked.

“Evac a bunch of passengers, crew, and cargo off a ship that lost main power half a light year outside of Rama.”

Captain Tuplo thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. “Well, there’s no way I’m going anywhere near Corinair or Savoy. I may be desperate, but I’m not stupid.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Marcus explained. “Both those runs were snatched up quicker’n shit.”

“Seriously?” Captain Tuplo replied, surprised. “Who the hell was that stupid?”

“The pay was pretty damn high, Cap’n. The pickup at Corinair alone was payin’ a hundred thousand credits. Seventy for the Savoy job.”

“Shit,” Dalen muttered. “One hundred thousand would’ve been enough to fix
everything
on this ship, good as new,
and
get us out of this sector.
Way
out.”

“Assuming we’d survive to collect,” the captain pointed out. “What about the Rama run? Anybody take it?”

“Not yet. It only pays twenty, and it would take most ships currently in port half a dozen round-trips to complete the job. There’re more than three hundred people aboard.”

“Why is it paying only twenty thousand?” the captain wondered.

“I guess you’re worth a far-sight more if you’ve got noble relations,” Neli commented with disdain.

“Daschew says it’s a cake run, that they aren’t even in the shipping lanes,” Marcus answered.

“
Sigmund
Daschew?” the captain asked. “He’s the one paying for the Rama run?”

“Yup.”

“That’s why the payout is so small,” the captain surmised. “Siggy’s a cheap little bastard. Did you try and haggle with him?”

“I didn’t bother. I was sure you wouldn’t be interested,” Marcus replied.

Captain Tuplo sighed again. All his instincts were telling him
not
to take the run, but Neli’s words were still gnawing at his conscience. That, and they needed to replace the port shield generator. “Will twenty be enough to replace that generator,
and
leave us with a few weeks of operating expenses?” the captain asked Marcus.

“Thirty would be better.”

The captain looked at Dalen next. “Are we good to go?”

“Good as we’re gonna get, without spending anymore credits.”

Captain Tuplo shot a disapproving look at Dalen. “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, Cap’n. We can handle the Rama run. Atmo here is on the thin side, so we can probably handle six or seven reentry cycles.”

The captain stood still for a minute, arms crossed, a million scenarios playing in his head… Most of them not good. “Very well,” he finally said with a sigh. “Go sign us up for the Rama run, Marcus.”

“Yes, sir.”

“But try to get thirty outta that weasel,” the captain added.

* * *

The delivery truck full of wine barrels moved off the main boulevard and down a side street, turning left into the small alleyway behind the market. It came to a stop, then backed up carefully to the market’s delivery entrance.

“Good afternoon, Jerrot,” the owner of the market greeted. “You are late.”

“My apologies, Anji. So many checkpoints.”

“Yes, yes
. They tell us it is for our own safety. We shall see. You have my usual order?”

“Yes, sir. Eight barrels, as usual,” Jerrot promised, as he climbed up onto the truck to unlash the barrels.

Anji looked at Dumar, cocking his head to one side. “And the cost?”

“At a
deep
discount today,” Dumar assured him, “because you are such a good and cooperative customer.”

“Your show of appreciation will not be easily forgotten. I only hope that I can continue to be such a
good
customer.”

“Our hopes as well.” Dumar gestured toward the door. “May I use your restroom?”

“Of course.”

“What about the barrels?” Jerrot asked.

“I will have one of my boys help you,” Anji promised. “It is the least I can do.”

Dumar entered the market and made his way through the back storeroom. After stepping through the doors into the market itself, he looked around, noting the locations of every person in the store, both shoppers and employees. As expected, there were not many customers today. Most people had chosen to stay home and wait to see how things played out for the next few days. While it did help decrease the amount of time they were to actually spend in the city, it also increased their visibility to some extent. It was an unavoidable eventuality, as Doran Montrose was certain that the Jung would soon be conducting door-to-door searches for those who had been involved in a running gunfight from Ranni Enterprises the previous day.

Dumar queried a passing employee as to the location of the restroom, then headed across the back side of the store. He glanced down each aisle as he passed. When he spotted Doran Montrose and his wife, he made eye contact. Without breaking his stride, Travon signaled with his eyes for Doran to follow him.

Doran nodded, excused himself from his wife for a moment, then headed down the aisle to follow Dumar.

A moment later, Dumar entered the restroom, and immediately turned on the water to wash up. As he did so, Doran entered the restroom as well, and stepped up to the next sink and turned on his faucet as well. Dumar signaled for silence as he turned off his water. He dried his hands, then pulled his comm-unit out of his pocket. He activated the device, and used it to scan the room while Doran continued to wash his hands.

“It is safe to speak,” Dumar finally said, putting his comm-unit back in his pocket. “Have your people slip into the back. One or two at a time, so as not to draw the attention of the other shoppers.”

“We are practically the only shoppers in the store. What about the employees?”

“They are all members of the owner’s family, who is an old friend. Their cooperation has been secured.”

“There are cameras,” Doran reminded him.

“Which are not working today.”

“How are you going to get us out of the city without raising suspicion? There are checkpoints everywhere. They are inspecting everyone. We almost didn’t make it here ourselves.”

“We have a plan,” Dumar assured him. “You must trust me.”

“You know that I do, Admiral.”

“Do not refer to me in that way, even when we know it is safe.”

“Of course. My apologies.”

Dumar patted Doran on the shoulder. “I hope you like the smell of garant wine,” he said as he headed for the door.

“What?” It was too late. Dumar had already left the restroom. Doran turned off the water and dried his hands, then left as well. He walked across the back of the store, turning up the aisle when he spotted Yanni pushing a shopping cart, and Lael strolling alongside him, carrying baby Ailsa. Doran walked toward them, pretending to search the shelves for something. He nodded politely at them as he passed, ducking in just behind them as if to grab an item off the shelf.

“Go to the restroom in the back,” Doran instructed in a whisper as he picked an item off the shelf from behind Yanni. “Then duck into the storeroom to meet Dumar,” he continued as he inspected the item. “But first, pass the same message on to Michi and Tori, and tell them to pass it on to my children.”

“Understood,” Yanni whispered as Doran walked away, item in hand.

* * *

“J
ump series complete,” Josh reported as the Seiiki’s cockpit windows cleared. “The Asa-Cafon should be nearby.”

Marcus stood behind Josh’s seat wearing a pressure suit, staring down at the sensor display in the center of the console. “So where are they?”

“Are you sure you calculated for drift and…” Dalen started to ask.

“I know how to plot a jump, Dalen,” Josh snapped, cutting him off, “and I know how to calculate for drift. It should be here.”

“Maybe the Jung already got to them?” Dalen said.

“Unlikely,” Marcus insisted. “Not this far outta the shipping lanes.”

“Just be patient,” Captain Tuplo said. “We didn’t jump in that close. It will take a few…” The captain was interrupted by an alert tone from the sensor display. “You see.”

“I told you,” Josh said.

“Is it them?” Marcus asked.

“I’m picking up their distress beacon. I’ll paint’em with active briefly.” Captain Tuplo reached down and switched the sensors to active mode, sending out a brief pulse of energy to better identify the ship. Everyone watched anxiously, waiting for the return. After thirty seconds, it came. “Size matches. Database confirms it. The Asa-Cafon. The only emissions she’s putting out is her beacon, though. Nothing from her reactor core, and barely any thermal readings. In fact, her pressurized spaces look mighty frigid. If they’re still alive, they’re freezing their asses off.” The captain turned to look over his shoulder at Marcus. “Are you sure that docking system you rigged is going to work?”

“If she’s got standard hatches like her registry specs say, it will,” Marcus assured him. “If not, we’ll have to break out the rescue bubbles.”

“You couldn’t pay me to get into one of those bubbles,” Dalen said stubbornly.

“You wouldn’t say that if they were the only thing between you and space,” Captain Tuplo insisted. He looked at Josh. “ETA to docking?”

“Seven minutes.”

“You got a fix?”

“You bet.”

“Then I’m shutting down the active scanners,” the captain said. “If there
are
any Jung ships in the area, I sure as hell don’t want to broadcast our position to them.” The captain turned back toward Marcus and Dalen. “Better head aft and get ready.”

“On our way,” Marcus replied, as he and Dalen turned to exit the Seiiki’s cockpit.

“Make damn sure you get a good seal before you pop their hatch, Marcus. And remember, send them up the catwalks and into the side corridors so we can use those as inner airlocks. That way, if we lose a seal, we won’t lose the whole ship.”

“I remember,” Marcus replied, as he waited for his turn to descend the ladder to the deck below.

“And don’t forget to hook up!” the captain added as Marcus started down the ladder.

Marcus paused, his head still in the cockpit. “This ain’t my first dance, Cap’n.”

“Asa-Cafon, Asa-Cafon,” the captain called over the comms. “This is the Seiiki. Do you copy?”

“You’re using directional, low-power, right?” Josh asked.

“This ain’t my first dance, either, Josh.”

“Just checkin’.”

“Asa-Cafon, Asa-Cafon. This is the Seiiki, in the blind. We are approaching from your starboard side. ETA is six minutes. We intend to link up to your port, midship boarding hatch. If you can copy me, have your passengers ready to disembark. We can only carry about one hundred and fifty people at a time, so we’ll have to make two trips just to get the passengers off.”

“I think I can see her running lights,” Josh said, pointing out the forward windows. “She must still have battery power.”

Captain Tuplo looked out the window as well. “Yup, that’s her.” He keyed his mic again. “Asa-Cafon, Seiiki. If you can hear me, shut off your running lights. We have your position, so conserve your power for life-support.”

Captain Tuplo and Josh stared out the window at the approaching ship’s lights. Finally, they went out.

“Yes!” Josh exclaimed.

“Asa-Cafon, Seiiki. Your running lights are off, so we know you can hear us. If we’re clear to dock to your port, midship boarding hatch, flash your running lights twice.” Captain Tuplo gazed out the window as the Asa-Cafon’s running lights flashed on and off two times. “Excellent,” the captain said, keying his mic again. “Asa-Cafon, Seiiki. Hang tight. We’ll be there in a few minutes.” The captain looked at Josh. “You up for this?”

“Walk in the park, Cap’n.”

Captain Tuplo looked at Josh, puzzled. He had heard a lot of unusual expressions from the young man over the years, but this was a new one. “That’s good, right?”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Doran Montrose and
his wife walked
up to the restroom doors at the back of the market. Doran looked back over his shoulder, checking to see if anyone was looking their way, then guided his wife toward the storeroom door.

“What are…”

“Ssh,” Doran cautioned her quietly, pushing her gently away from the restrooms and toward the door to the back. “Quickly.”

They slipped through the door, and were met on the other side by a young man. “This way,” he whispered. They followed him across the storeroom, around several stacks of boxes, and into a back corner on the farside, shielded from view.

As they rounded the corner of the stack of boxes, they spotted Dumar, standing next to two large wine barrels, with a small, wet dog beside him.

“Quickly. Into these barrels,” Dumar said, gesturing for Doran and his wife to step up on the wooden boxes and into the barrels.

Doran and his wife exchanged a confused look. Doran stepped up onto the box and looked inside the barrel. “But, they still have…”

“The contents have been calculated to allow for your body mass,” Dumar explained in hushed tones, “and the wine is warm enough to mask your body heat from the Jung scanners. They are using simple devices. They will see only full barrels of wine.”

“How can you be sure?” Doran asked.

“They did not detect Max,” Dumar replied, pointing at the dog next to him.

Doran’s wife looked afraid, pausing hesitantly after stepping into the warm, burgundy liquid. “How will we breathe?”

“The wine should only come up to your chin, and there are holes in the lids to allow air inside. It will work.”

Doran lowered himself down into the barrel, the wine coming up around his body as he squatted down, until it was lapping at his chin. “And if your calculations are incorrect?”

“Then drink some of the wine,” Dumar replied with a grim smile. “If nothing else, it will make the journey more tolerable.”

Doran’s wife settled down into her barrel as well, slowly allowing the wine to rise up around her body.

“How long must we be in these barrels with the lids closed?” Doran asked.

“At least until we are well clear of the city. Then you may at least crack the lids open to make it easier to tolerate the smell,” Dumar explained.

“How did you manage to get baby Ailsa into one of these?” Doran’s wife wondered.

“In her mother’s arms,” Dumar answered. “And, I injected the child with a mild sedative, so that she would sleep.”

Doran squatted down as Dumar prepared to put the lid in place. The wine crept up over his chin and then lips, forcing him to lean his head back to keep his nose and mouth out of the liquid. “This smells horrible.”

“I said it would work,” Dumar replied flatly as he placed the lid on top of the barrel, sealing Doran inside. “I did not say it would smell good.”

* * *

The Seiiki drifted slowly over the muc
h larger Asa-Cafon, passing over her midship. As she cleared the larger ship’s hull, the Seiiki fired her braking thrusters, stopping her forward motion completely. Several more tiny squirts of thrust sent the smaller vessel downward, her descent stopping a few moments later by opposite thrust.

The Seiiki’s aft cargo ramp began to swing downward, as the ship thrust, yet again, to begin a gentle translation backward toward the port side of the Asa-Cafon’s midsection. Her cargo ramp passed its normal position, continuing to swing until it was hanging down at a forty-five-degree angle.

As the Seiiki continued to back toward the Asa-Cafon, a large docking collar began to extend from the back of her cargo bay, reaching its full extension only a few seconds before it made contact with the Asa-Cafon’s hull.

Marcus stood at the forward end of the Seiiki’s cargo bay, sealed up inside his pressure suit, his hands against the hatch of the docking apparatus. The ship rocked, as a metallic
clank
translated through the Seiiki’s hull. The sudden motion nearly knocked Marcus off his feet.

“
Contact,
” Josh announced over Marcus’s helmet comms.

“
No shit
,” Dalen commented back.

Marcus worked the controls beside the docking apparatus hatch. “Docking collar has a good lock. I’m pressurizing the seal now.” After a few seconds, a red light on the panel turned green. “I’ve got a good seal, and the tunnel is pressurized. Permission to pop the inner hatch, Cap’n.”

“
Pop it and get the first group aboard,
” the captain instructed over the comms.

“Poppin’ inner hatch.”

“
Dalen, Neli,
” the captain continued. “
Remember, do not open those hatches until the ones at the other end of those corridors are closed and locked. It’s your own asses you’re protecting. Just remember that.
”

Marcus pulled open the hatch on the docking apparatus and moved inside. “I’m in the boarding tunnel. Making my way to their outer hatch.”

“
Marcus, are you carrying?
” Captain Tuplo asked.

“You bet your ass I am.”

“
If those passengers panic, don’t be afraid to use that thing to keep them under control.
”

“Don’t you worry none about that, Cap’n. I’m quick on the trigger.”

“
Just don’t shoot any holes in my ship.
I can’t afford to fix them unless we finish this job.
”

Marcus reached the hull of the Asa-Cafon, and pressed the control panel for the outer hatch. The hatch sank into the hull, then slowly slid to one side, revealing a small airlock. Marcus could see the face of a young man looking through the porthole in the middle of the Asa-Cafon’s inner hatch. “Come on, kid,” he said, gesturing to the young man to open the hatch. “Don’t be shy.”

The young man in the window shook his head, refusing to open the hatch.

“What the hell is wrong with this guy?”

“
What’s going on down there?
” Captain Tuplo asked over the comms.

“This idiot won’t open the hatch,” Marcus replied.

“
He probably isn’t sure if the airlock is pressurized,
” the captain surmised.

“Well what the fuck does he think I’m doin’ in here?”

“
Is your visor still down?
”

“Oops.” Marcus raised his visor to show the nervous young man that it was safe to open up. A moment later, the hatch began to slide open, more slowly than he expected.

“I don’t think they have any power left,” Marcus said. “They’re cranking their hatch open manually.”

“
Copy that
.”

“Thank God you’re here!” the young man exclaimed from the other side.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save the pleasantries, kid. The sooner you get your first group aboard, the sooner we can get back for the rest of you.”

“You don’t know how happy we are that you came!”

“That’s real nice. You can buy me a beer later. Now let’s get movin’.”

Marcus turned and headed back down the boarding tunnel toward the Seiiki. He stepped through the hatch at the end, into what little space remained in the cargo bay, which was mostly filled with the docking apparatus they had installed for the mission. “Come on, people! We ain’t got all day!” he chided as he turned around to face the passengers coming down the boarding tunnel toward him. “First twenty-five to port, second twenty-five to starboard! Head aft along the sides and up the ladders! Then forward through the hatch and into the corridor! Last man closes the hatch behind him! If you don’t, you won’t be let into the main compartment!”

Marcus stood there, repeating his instructions as the passengers moved out of the docking apparatus, filed along its sides to the aft end of the cargo bay, and ascended the ladders to the catwalk above. Once they reached the catwalk, they did as instructed and stepped through the aft hatches into the corridors.

When Marcus noticed the passengers bunching up, he waved his hands for them to stop. “Hold up! Hold up! Everyone hold on while we cycle the first group in!” Marcus turned away from the passengers momentarily. “That’s twenty-five per side. I’m waiting on you guys.”

“
I’ve got a good lock on the aft hatch,
” Neli reported over comms. “
I’m letting my first group in.
”

“Talk to me, Dalen,” Marcus called.

“
I still show the hatch on my side as open!
”

“Starboard side!” Marcus yelled. “Close your aft hatch!”

Passengers from the Asa-Cafon continued to push forward in the boarding tunnel, despite the fact that the line had stopped moving.

“I said to hold up, God damn it!”

“
I’ve got it!
” Dalen reported. “
I’ve got a good lock. I’m letting my side in.
”

“
Port corridor is ready for more passengers,
” Neli reported.

“Port side!” Marcus yelled. “Open your hatch and get inside the corridor. Twenty-fifth one in closes the hatch! And don’t forget!”

Josh stared at the Seiiki’s sensor display, as Captain Tuplo switched between the various cameras inside the Seiiki’s cargo bay and corridors, keeping an eye on the activity elsewhere in his ship.

“Neli,” the captain called over his comm-set. “Get to the main compartment and tell those people to move up into the upper compartment to make room for the next group. We’ve got to keep this thing running smoothly.”

“
Right away, Captain.
”

“How are we looking, Josh?” the captain asked, as he watched Neli on the monitor.

“So far, so good. No ships in the area, and our docking seals are holding up.”

“Marcus, as soon as those hatches close, you drop your visor, close the Asa-Cafon’s hatch, and disconnect,” the captain instructed.

“
I can squeeze maybe ten more along either side of the docking apparatus, Cap’n,
” Marcus offered.

“Bad idea,” Captain Tuplo objected. “That thing is sealed up with our inner cargo hatch ring using nothing more than temp-bond and prayers. You said so yourself, remember?”

“
It’ll hold ‘till we get the ramp up and locked, Cap’n. Just don’t go jerkin’ us ‘round too much before I get the boarding tunnel retracted and the ramp closed.
”

“It’s your call, Marcus. You installed the damned thing.”

“
I got it, Cap’n,
” Marcus replied. “
Just don’t let that little shit use anymore than one percent on the translation thrusters until my say so.
”

Captain Tuplo looked at Josh. “I’m sure it was a term of endearment.”

Josh rolled his eyes.

Neli made her way past the passengers crowded around the entrance to the main passenger compartment, pushing her way in between them as she yelled instructions at the top of her lungs. “Everyone! Move to the upper level and strap in! If there are no seats, sit on the floor! When you run out of room up there, sit on the platform or the steps! No one takes a seat down here, until every centimeter of space up
there
is filled with bodies!”

Marcus counted off the twenty-fifth passenger for each side as they came out of the boarding tunnel. “You and you,” he commanded, grabbing them by the arms. “As soon as you get inside those hatches up there, you close and lock them.”

“Then they’ll let us in?” one of the two passengers surmised.

“Negative. You all will ride back in the corridor.”

“Is it safe?”

“Safer than stayin’ here,” Marcus said. “Don’t worry, it’s a short trip. Just don’t forget to close those hatches.”

Marcus released the two passengers, allowing them to continue aft along either side of the docking apparatus.

“
We’re standing room only, Cap’n,
” Neli reported over comms.

“Ten more, down here!” Marcus ordered.

“
What about the forward corridors?
” the captain asked.

“Five per side, and that’s it until the next trip!” Marcus added.

“
Forward corridor as well. Port side is full up, I’m telling ya!”
Neli replied.

Marcus yelled over the heads of the passengers in the boarding tunnel, trying to get the attention of the crewman in the Asa-Cafon’s hatch at the other end. “That’s all! That’s all we can fit! We’ll get the rest on the next trip!”

“
We’re full up to starboard, too, Cap’n!”
Dalen reported.

“
That’s it, Marcus,
” the captain said. “
Get your last ones aboard and close it up!
”

“Come on, people, squeeze in there! All the way back!” Marcus yelled. He reached in and helped a young boy and his mother through the hatch, then looked down the boarding tunnel. At the opposite end, the Asa-Cafon’s crew was having trouble holding back the rest of the passengers to close their hatch.

“No!” one of the passengers trying to get past the crewman cried out. “You’ve got to take me with you!”

“Get your ass back inside!” Marcus demanded.

“I can pay you!”

“Sorry, pal! You’ll have to wait for…”

“There’s no way…” The man overpowered the crewman and charged down the boarding tunnel, three more panicked passengers following behind him.

Marcus drew his weapon, pressing the charge button as it slid clear of his holster. The man continued to charge forward, determined to get past him. Marcus stepped inside the boarding tunnel and punched the charging man directly in the nose, knocking him off his feet.

The man fell to the ground, but quickly scrambled back to his feet, only to find the fully charged energy pistol pointed at his forehead. At the other end of the arm holding it, was Marcus, with a big smile on his scruffy face.

“Get your ass back in there,” Marcus ordered in a menacing tone, “or so help me I’ll burn a hole in your head and giggle about it later.”

Two of the Asa-Cafon’s crew charged into the tunnel, grabbing the other men and dragging them back into the ship. The young man who had originally been overpowered came into the tunnel next, accompanied by another, more burly, crewman.

“Go, we’ve got this!” the burly one yelled as he grabbed the man kneeling at the end of Marcus’s weapon and dragged him back to the Asa-Cafon.

Marcus watched as the two crewmen dragged the passenger back through the hatch. “Get that hatch closed!” he instructed as he stepped back through the hatch behind him, and into the Seiiki’s cargo bay. “We’ll be back in half an hour, max!”