Privateer Tales 3: Parley (3 page)

The first thing that struck me was just how bad an idea it had been to lean in so close. A wave of putrid air hit me hard and I gagged. It had been a long time since I'd barfed in my suit, but believe me, memories of that experience never leave you.

I saw with relief that she was breathing.

“Nick, can you take us back to the
Baux-201
site and start looking for Captain Chen?” It would be a terrible blow to her daughter, but leaving the woman to float in space like so much trash would be even worse.

“Roger that, how many were in the lifepod?”

“One girl, about our age. She's breathing.” I looked down at the girl. She looked a lot like her mother, same beautiful face, warm brown skin, and hair that was woven into tight rows of beaded braids. Her hair was much longer than her mom’s and had bad things in it at the moment, no doubt a result of her violent spinning episode.

Marny had left and returned with our med-kit. She placed a diagnostic device on the girl’s forehead and another on her chest. They both showed green.

“She’s got a suit-liner on. Let’s at least get her out of the suit and clean it. It would be awful to wake up to this smell,” Marny said.

“How about you start on that and I’ll find something to help get her cleaned up.”

“Chicken.”

“True enough.”

I rounded up an extra pillow and a couple of clean blankets as well as a bucket of warm soapy water and a pile of cleaning towels. This girl would have enough to worry about when she awoke without also having to deal with the embarrassment and mess of having violently thrown up.

I was grateful that by the time I got back, Marny had successfully removed the vac-suit. It lay in a pile on the ground. Together we worked to clean up the girl’s face and hair. It didn’t take too long and by the end I thought the smell had been mostly mitigated. We covered her with blankets.

“I’ll run her suit through the cleaner and then sit with her,” Marny offered.

“Thanks, Marny, but I’d like to be here when she wakes up.”

“Understood. You did a good thing, Liam. I know I gave you a hard time, but she wouldn’t be alive if we hadn’t come.”

“I’m not sure she’ll see it that way.”

“That’s not why we do it,” Marny said.

We found
Adela Chen’s body in the wreckage of her tug, still strapped into the pilot’s chair. She had been shot up pretty badly. It was so senseless and caused me to question my decision to not drag those frakking pirates to justice.

Nick sent the combat data streams to the approaching Mars Protectorate frigate. They were still several hours out and requested that we remain in the vicinity.

“Cap, she’s comin’ around. You might want to get in here.” Marny had stayed with the girl while Nick and I looked for her mother.

By the time
I arrived, Captain Chen’s daughter had pushed herself up to a seated position. Her wide-eyed stare locked on me as I entered the room. Marny, obviously uncomfortable with the situation, stood by the door. Unfortunately, Marny was still in her armored vac-suit.

“Thanks, Marny. Would you mind giving me a few minutes with Miss Chen?”

“Aye, aye, Cap.” Marny looked relieved and quickly exited the room.

“Miss Chen, I’m Captain Liam Hoffen. You’re on
Sterra's Gift
and you’re safe.”

Seating options were pretty limited. She was on the couch. I wasn’t about to sit next to her, given her current state of confusion, but I also knew that standing was the wrong answer. I opted to kneel down and sit back on my heels.

“My mom?” She looked at me with tears already forming. The memory of Adela’s body inside her ship was still fresh in my mind. This girl looked so much like her. I felt a tear slide down my cheek.

“She didn’t make it.” I was completely unprepared for this kind of conversation.

Adela’s daughter took a shuddering breath, held her face in her hands and sobbed. It was more than I could bear to watch, so I got up, sat next to her and pulled her in gently for a hug. I was prepared for resistance, but she melted into me. We sat like this for several minutes while she wept.

Finally, she pulled away to sit up and I slid back just slightly to give her some room. Marny, who had changed back into her normal vac-suit, re-entered the room and pressed a handful of tissues into my hand. I passed them to the distraught girl.

“Thank you, Marny,” I said.

The girl finally spoke, “Ada.” I wasn’t sure if she was telling me her mother’s name or introducing herself. So I looked at her, hoping she would continue.

“I’m Ada Chen. Can I see Mom?”

“Yes. Of course. We’re at your disposal. We’re currently holding position off the ship’s wreckage at two hundred meters. Mars Protectorate is five hours out.”

“I need to see her.”

“Do you want to EVA?” I asked. EVA was spacer shorthand for Extra Vehicular Activity.

“Yes.”

“Would you allow me to accompany you?”

“Yes.”

“Would you like to clean up first?”

“No. I need to do this.”

“Okay. Your vac-suit is on the table. I’ll meet you in the hallway when you’re ready.”

A few minutes later we were jetting through space toward the wreckage of
Baux-201
. The string of barges had separated from the wreck and was hovering about a kilometer away. Ada was quiet. I hesitated when we got within ten meters.

“I’ll give you your privacy,” I said.

“Thank you.”

I waited, floating in space and surveying the scene. What a waste. I hated pirates. Their greed and disregard for life was horrible. For a load of whatever was on the barges, they were willing to destroy two lives. All for a small cut of ill-gotten gains. I understood more clearly why Marny had been pissed at me for not firing on the remaining two pirates and allowing them to escape. Rationally, I still thought it was the best approach, but emotionally it was clearly not what I wanted.

“I’m coming out.” Ada’s voice cut through my internal conversation.

“Is there anything you want to bring back with you? I can help.” I said.

“I’ve got it.” Ada jetted toward me, pushing a loosely bundled set of cases.

Once we were back on the ship, I showed her to Bunk Room #2 (BR-2). Marny and Nick must have been working while we were out, as all of the cargo we’d stored there had been moved. The bed had fresh linens on it and a towel was folded neatly in the center of the lower bunk. It was a thoughtful gesture.

“I’ll be on the bridge. You’re welcome to join us there if you want. It looks like Marny or Nick already has you set up here.”

“Thank you.” Ada wasn’t processing very well yet. It was understandable. I left her alone and joined
my friends on the bridge.

“Nice job with the bunk room guys. Thanks.” I didn’t know which of them had been responsible, but I was grateful. It didn’t take much to empathize with Ada. She was my age and the recent attack on my home mining colony made it easy to imagine the loss of one of my parents.

“It sucks,” Marny said.

“Agreed. Nick, did you send a message to Belcose?”

“Not yet.”

“I’ll do it.” I left the bridge and entered Nick and Marny’s room - originally the captain’s quarters. Nick and I were co-owners of the business and while I had been designated captain, it made more sense that Nick and Marny take the larger room. The issue was, when we’d received our Letter of Marque from Mars Protectorate Navy, they’d installed specialized communication equipment in the captain’s quarters. Bottom line was … every time I needed to make a private call, I had to take over Nick’s room.

I shut the door behind me to spare Ada from the details of what I would share with Lieutenant Gregor Belcose, my contact with Mars Protectorate Navy.

Attach all recent combat data streams to the following message.

Greetings Lieutenant Belcose – Sterra's Gift has rendered aid to the merchant ship, Baux-201, which was eventually destroyed. Captain Adela Chen was killed by the action of a well-organized pirate team. We arrived too late to help Captain Chen, but were able to rescue her daughter, Ada Chen, and in the process destroyed two pirate ships and captured a third. I believe we will end up requesting a prize claim for this captured ship and will take this up with the captain who takes control of the now secured combat area. We intend to continue to render assistance to Ada Chen until the Mars Protectorate Navy instructs us otherwise. I have attached combat data streams for all of these actions.

I’m concerned about discovering pirate activity this close to Mars since we are less than a week out. On a personal level, I hope you and Captain Sterra are doing well.

Hoffen Out.

I heard Ada in the adjacent shower room. It was a good sign that she was taking care of herself. I rejoined Marny and Nick on the bridge.

“I know the timing is bad, but we should probably talk to her about the cargo. The way we treat this could have a big impact on her,” Nick said.

“I’m not following …”

“It depends who owns
Baux-201
. Tugs are pretty commonly owner-operated. If that’s the case and the cargo is lost, then they’ll forfeit their bond. If they don’t own the ship then it’s probably not as big of a deal. Either way, we should help her figure that out before the Navy shows up. We could rightfully salvage the load and demand its value, as well as the value of the actual barges from whoever owns it. We’d have to get a lawyer again,” Nick never ceased to amaze me with his understanding of these types of details. I wondered if he ever slept.

“That sounds pretty mercenary,” I said.

“Right, but if we leave it here, what’s going to happen to it? Probably get picked up by pirates. Point is, you’re not going to feel good about it unless she’s part of the conversation. It really depends if her mom owned the ship and held the bond.”

“Ugh, got it. Not sure she’s ready for this.”

Nick had forwarded me some of the easier to understand legalese related to salvage rights. The laws were essentially the same as they had been since the Roman Empire. As salvager we could ask for repayment equal to the value of the load, including the barges. If we went that path and the Chen family had a bond, they would not only lose their tug but also their bond. Most small trading families couldn’t take that type of loss and survive.

I waited for a few minutes after Ada got out of the shower and then knocked on her bunk room door.

“Come in.” Her voice sounded small behind the door. I pushed it open. Ada sat on the edge of the bed and was drying her hair with the towel.

“I’m really sorry, you’ve been through a lot, but we should probably talk about some things before the Navy gets here. We have some decisions to make that could affect you.”

She looked up at me with distrust in her eyes. I didn’t blame her, it was way too much to take in.

I continued. “At least let me tell you how we read it.”

She nodded and I leaned against the door frame. “A lot of this hinges on whether you and your mom owned the tug and if you hold the bond on the load.” Her answer showed in her face before she had a chance to say anything. She probably wasn’t much of a poker player.

“Okay …” she said, trying not to give anything away.

“Let’s just say that’s the case.”

“It is,” she interrupted.

“Well, that’s mostly bad. As it stands, the company you contracted to will collect the bond since you have no way to complete the delivery.”

“What about the other tug? Is it yours?” Ada asked.

“No. It belonged to the pirates. We have captured it, however, and will make a claim on it.”

“Is that it? Are you trying to take our load?”

“It’s okay to be mad, Ada, but you need to know we’re not the bad guys. We responded to your mayday. We’re merchants, just like you.”

She looked chagrined. “I’m sorry. It’s just, well, I’ve never had to deal with this before. Mom always handled this stuff.”

“Is your dad still around?”

“He and Mom started the business together, but they split up a few years ago. He still owns half. All our money is wrapped up in the tug and those bonds. We’re wiped out without it.”

“We’ll get you hooked up with our comm gear so you can talk to your dad. Before that, let me tell you what I’m thinking. You’re probably required to report this to whomever you contracted with, so you should do that first. My guess is they’ll tell you they’re taking your bond. Tell them you might be able to sub-contract out the delivery and find out if they’ll still honor your agreement. Your dad might pass that by a lawyer if it gets dicey. The problem is, we need to resolved this before the Navy gets here.”

“You keep saying that. Why?”

“I don’t want to make a claim of salvage on the barges and your load if we can simply help you get them delivered. A decision needs to be made while the Navy is on-site. Mars Protectorate Judiciary will settle everything while they’re here and they don’t go for long, drawn-out processes. If you want us to sub-contract delivery for you, I need to know so I avoid filing the salvage claim.”

“Wouldn’t you make more money if you salvaged them?”

“Yes.”

“Why would you do this for us?”

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“Shouldn’t you make something? It doesn’t seem fair to you.”

“Okay, what was your net on this run going to be?”

“Forty thousand.”

“If we deliver on time, then you pay us twenty. Talk it over with your dad and let me know. We’ll give your AI full access to the comm system and I’ll leave you to it. Come find me when you know something.”