The Girls From Alcyone (19 page)

Bonus?
Sigrid hadn't considered that, but of course, this was the life of a Mercenary.

She acknowledged the compliment with a slight bow. "Thank you, Captain."

"Stand by. We'll be alongside in a moment."

The viewer winked-off and Sigrid was alone again, apart from the untidy heap of unconscious bridge officers. Something on Captain Oslov's body caught her eye. He still held his sidearm in his limp hand—a matching one lay holstered on his left side. Sigrid picked it up. She always found the allure of such weapons compelling, ever since the day she'd discovered what a crack shot she was. The captain's pistols were unlike anything she'd held before. Slightly larger than the Markovs, these were a unique, custom-design. There was nothing like them in her database. They were pearl-handled and fit the palm of her hand perfectly, even better than her Markovs. Longer, heavier and fashioned from polished tungsten, they fired a variety of simple, high-powered ballistic rounds. They
were lethal, brutal and utterly lovely.

Trophies perhaps
? That's what Mercenaries did, right? She wondered if she'd be allowed to keep them, even as she removed the captain's holsters and fastened the belt around her own waist.

As she looked around the ship, another idea occurred to Sigrid.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Mercenary

March 2, 2348

"You
what?
" Captain Maalouf demanded.

Standing before him in his ready-room, dressed in her Academy outfit, Sigrid raised her posture, hands clasped behind her back. She had scoured Kimura's database, and also asked the advice of Karen and Lieutenant Lopez. She was determined not to back down.

"Yes, sir." Her reply came measured and steady. "I claim the
Morrigan
as bounty."

Captain Maalouf leaned back in his chair and studied the small yet clearly determined girl in front of him. "You know that after a victory it is customary for the attacking ship to claim salvageable vessels as
prize
. Honoring your demands would mean the entire crew would have to forfeit their bonus—not to mention Kimura's own claims. The
Agatsuma
is still a Kimura vessel and they'll be expecting to charge a tax on the operation as well."

Sigrid had already studied the complex bonus structure thoroughly. On the face of it, the
Agatsuma
and the entire Kimura corporation appeared to have a legitimate claim on the spoils.

Unless Sigrid could make her case.

She felt a wave of doubt, but steeled herself and blurted out what she'd been rehearsing in her head all morning. "Begging your pardon, sir, no disrespect intended, but…well, you surrendered to the captain of the
Morrigan
.
You
surrendered, sir. As such, I was operating on my own. And…" Sigrid swallowed, "I claim the
Morrigan
as
spoils of war
under article 487, section 6C of the Mercenary Act."

Captain Maalouf scowled at her. "Article…" His hand moved over the console on his desk, as if to verify the quoted article, then he fixed her with a stony stare. "You know we had no choice in surrendering—that
was
part of the plan."

"Yes, sir. I realize that you were left with few choices. But still, you
did
technically surrender, sir." Sigrid coughed to clear her dry throat, as much as fill the silence.

The captain's eyes narrowed. "I could refuse…"

"And I would request arbitration."

Her words drew a wry smile from Maalouf. "This won't make you popular with the crew—they'll be expecting a bonus in this matter."

Sigrid breathed a sigh.
Was he really giving in?
"I'll still need to hire a crew to bring the ship in, Captain. Or have the
Agatsuma
tow the
Morrigan
to Aquarii. Either way, the crew and the ship would be rewarded for the task."

"You've given this much thought, I see."

"Yes, sir."

The captain laughed with more warmth this time. He nodded and leaned forward. "Very well, Ms. Novak. I concede. You may claim the
Morrigan
. I propose towing the ship the rest of the way—I believe you'll find the standard towing fees more reasonable than hiring a crew."

"Thank you, sir, but I'd prefer to crew the ship." Sigrid pulled out her data-pad from behind her back and placed it on the desk. "Here's a list of the personnel I require for the operation."

Captain Maalouf couldn't help but grin at Sigrid's determination. He leaned back in his chair and chuckled before rising and extending his hand. "Very well, Ms. Novak. And congratulations on a job well done."

* * *

March 3, 2348

Sigrid was once again grateful for her diminutive stature. As she stood behind the command chair on the cramped bridge of the
Morrigan
her head almost touched the ceiling. The other crew members had to stoop as they entered the crowded cockpit.

The door to the bridge slid open. Lieutenant Lopez came breezing in and banged his head smartly on the low ceiling. "
Mother…
"

Sigrid and Karen winced in unison.

"Glad you could make it, Lieutenant," Sigrid said, with a wink to Karen. "Think you can handle bringing the ship in-system?"

He nodded, then rubbed the sore spot on his forehead before taking his position at the helm. "You
know
I'm just a Tac-Officer. I've never piloted anything like this."

"Yes, but you're certified. I've checked your record." She also knew Captain Maalouf would be reluctant to release his more skilled bridge officers. Christian was certified, and she was grateful to have him on board—and to have his company.

Karen cleared her throat. "The
Agatsuma
is signaling they're ready to get underway."

Ensign Karen McTeer was still assigned to her personally, as her Orientations Officer and Sigrid had employed her as Communications Officer.

"Good. Let them know we're also set to go. We'll follow them in at ten thousand kilometers aft."

"Aye, sir—I mean, ma'am." Karen chuckled.

Sigrid peered through the side viewport and watched as the thrusters of the larger craft at their side flared brilliantly. The Corvette slid by them, slowly, then accelerated at an incredible rate before disappearing a few moments later. Sigrid frowned at the command chair in front of her—somehow, she didn't feel right sitting in it so she stood alongside it with her hand on the backrest.

"Ma'am?" Christian asked. They all seemed to be looking at her, waiting.

"Let's go to Aquarii."

* * *

March 8, 2348

For just over six days, both ships thundered through space, moving ever deeper into the heart of the Aquarii system. At the halfway point, they flipped 180º about, decelerating the rest of the way toward the small blue-green planet that was Aquarii II. The
Morrigan
could have easily covered the distance in half the time, but Sigrid chose to follow the larger ship in. She was in no hurry to get to Aquarii and passed the time by exploring every inch of the small scout vessel. It was lightly armed compared to the
Agatsuma
, with only two forward torpedo tubes and two rail-turrets, mounted dorsally and ventrally. Spanning less than fifty meters, the
Morrigan
was small, but fast and highly agile.

Much of her time was spent with Ensign McTeer. In light of the recent attack, Sigrid insisted the ensign should brief her on the political and economic climate of the Federation, rather than worry about what Sigrid was doing—or not doing—with her hair. Sigrid was surprised to learn how the Trade Federation had grown to cover twenty-four planets, with seven more already being explored for mining and resource extraction. When she'd been a girl, there had only been colonies in twelve systems. Much of the information was already included in her database, but Karen had a knack of explaining the complex nuances of the Federation's political structure in an illuminating way. Sigrid would never have thought to claim the
Morrigan
as a spoil of war, were it not for the ensign's tutoring.

On the bridge, Christian frowned at his controls. "I know you say I'm checked out on these things, but I hope you won't think less of me if I let the automated systems take us down."

Sigrid laughed. "Not at all. Take us in, Lieutenant Lopez."

"Aye, ma'am."

The nose of the
Morrigan
dipped down and the sight of Aquarii filled the forward viewport. Sigrid spied Aquarii's most unique and spectacular geological feature,
The Slash
,
a wide and winding inland sea that divided Aquarii's two largest land masses, carving its way from ocean to ocean.

They pierced the atmosphere at 25,000 kph. After the smooth ride through the system, the sudden buffeting was a noisy, uncomfortable contrast. The inertial dampening systems handled much of the turbulence but Sigrid found herself clinging hard to the back of the command chair as the small ship bumped and jittered through re-entry.

The automated systems flew them low over the lush green and blue hills of Aquarii. Though more populated than Alcyone, it was still a natural paradise compared to the permacrete-covered landscapes of Earth. Sigrid marveled at the colors; she had never seen blue trees before.

The forests gave way to more industrialized areas as they came in over Aetos City, the largest city on Aquarii, populated by well over a million people. The Kimura enclave was a sprawling campus located in the heart of the city. They skimmed down over a wide airfield lined with a variety of ships, passing
two hulking destroyers perched on the edge of the tarmac. At over 400 meters in length, these were the largest ships capable of planetary landings. Any larger warships and transports had to remain in orbit around Aquarii.

The autopilot brought them down on their designated pad close to the complex. Christian went quickly through the shutdown sequence to the whines and the wailings of the thrusters powering down. "You have arrived at your destination," he said with a leer. "Please enjoy your stay."

"Well done, Mr. Lopez," she teased. They both knew the ship's systems had handled the entire approach and landing.

They gathered in the lower airlock; Sigrid hit the release and the outer door swung open and down. A blast of warm, humid air washed over her. Sigrid gasped. But it wasn't the sudden change in atmosphere that startled her. There, at the base of the stairs, sitting in a wheelchair and surrounded by a platoon of security officers, was none other than the Lady Hitomi Kimura, CEO and head of the Kimura Corporation.

Clad in an elaborate gown of black silk, she smiled at Sigrid from behind a pair of dark glasses. Two security officers helped her to stand. Even with mechanical braces fastened to her legs, she leaned heavily on an ornately carved cane made of lacquered cherry-wood. She stood tall, much taller than Sigrid. Her thick, long, raven-black hair was tied back, held by a set of gilded kogai and kushi. Several long strands hung delicately down the sides of her face. Even at sixty-two, and hampered as she was by the disease that had taken the use of her legs, the Lady Hitomi exuded a powerful, captivating persona.

Sigrid approached her, followed gingerly by her own crew, who were clearly surprised at the entourage before them. Lady Hitomi took two unsteady steps toward Sigrid, who bowed deeply. She lifted Sigrid's chin with the tip of her finger, removed her dark glasses and regarded Sigrid with a smile.

"Welcome home, Sigrid," Hitomi said, pronouncing her name perfectly.

The Lady Hitomi pulled back a loose strand of hair that blew across her face. She tilted her head, shielding her eyes from the sun. As she did, Sigrid caught a glimpse—she wasn't sure at first—but then she saw it again as the breeze whipped the Lady's hair from her face; a small, two millimeter-wide slot. Hitomi Kimura had a PCM access port tucked hidden away behind her ear, just as Sigrid did. Just as the girls from Alcyone did. Hitomi was like them.

Sigrid stifled a gasp and concentrated on standing to attention. "Milady," was all she could say as she bowed again. She found it difficult to look the woman in the eye.

Hitomi Kimura waved her hand dismissively. "
Please
don't use that ridiculous title. It's a silly custom invented by the local inhabitants—they gave me such a grand title simply because I head the largest of the companies here. But it's a small planet and I suppose they imagine it adds something to the local color."

Sigrid knew there was
much
more to it than that. The commercial empire that the Lady Kimura had built was responsible for the entire thriving economy on Aquarii, but she knew better than to argue with the woman. "Yes, Mistress."

"That will do in a pinch, but you may call me 'Hitomi-san'…at least when we're alone."

"Yes, Mistress," Sigrid said, resisting an urge to curtsey.

Hitomi turned her attention to the ship behind Sigrid. Her smile widened. "A fine ship. Captain Maalouf tells me you've claimed it as bounty. You don't waste any time, do you?"

Sigrid felt herself flush. "My claim is based on existing regulations, Mistress. I only—"

"Not at all. You're well within your rights. I merely meant to express how impressed I was—that you took the ship single-handedly,
and
without casualties…that you took such bold action. The Captain was a little…disappointed at losing such a prize, but he'll get over it. Tell me, do you wish to auction it? I'm prepared to offer you a fair price. Our fleet could always use a fine vessel such as this."

Sigrid took a deep breath. Selling the ship to Kimura would go a long way to paying off her family's debt, taking years off her contract. It made logical, rational sense. And keeping it certainly wasn't an option; she could never afford the moorage fees.

But somehow, Sigrid couldn't bear to part with it. She couldn't explain it—
she couldn't afford it
—but she wanted it.