A Matter of Honor (Privateer Tales Book 9) (28 page)

We retreated and hunkered down, keeping our armored backs to the blast. A moment later, she blew the charges.

"Tabby, in the hole, help Jonathan up," Marny ordered.

Without hesitation, Tabby turned and jumped into the hole. The enemy team had been alerted by the explosion and converged on our location, only a floor below.

"Liam, the bay is taking quite a bit of damage. They've already blown the atmo," Ada said.

"Hang tight, Ada, we're almost clear," I said.

I knelt and aimed down the hallway of the floor below as Jonathan reached Tabby's location. She didn't hesitate, grabbed him and tossed him easily up into Marny's open arms. Even before Jonathan was standing on the floor next to us, Tabby had leapt back up to our level. That was
my
girl.

"Retreat," Marny said. "Package in third location."

I turned and ran down the hallway, Marny close on my tail. Tabby and Jonathan were slow to follow.

"Move, Jonny! We're oscar mike!" Tabby said.

The open elevator greeted us and I raced in, spun around and dropped to my knee, aiming down the hallway. Marny stacked up behind me, standing over my shoulder. We fired past Tabby and Jonathan as the lead Belirand pursuer came into view. None too gently, Tabby pushed Jonathan to the side to clear our firing lane and had to help keep him from falling as he collided with the wall.

"Down," Marny said as Tabby and Jonathan joined us in the elevator car.

Tabby pushed Jonathan to the floor and covered him as Marny also lowered herself. The elevator started dropping as blaster fire ripped into the car through the doors.

"Ada, make an exit," I said. "We're coming in hot."

"Roger that, Liam."

We exited the elevator into the docking bay which barely resembled what we'd left only a few minutes previously.
Lawbringer
hadn't breached the bay completely but the damage it had caused to the platform was immense. We snaked our way through collapsed bulkheads, fallen pipes, and live wires, finally arriving at
Hotspur
which had started firing repeatedly at the too small exit on the opposite side of the bay from where we'd entered and where
Lawbringer
sat broadside to the platform.

I couldn't have been happier when we made it through the pressure barrier that covered the exit hatch.

"Ada, we're in." I pulled the armored hatch closed behind us.

I stopped only momentarily in the armory as I pushed my blaster rifle into its rack on the way to the bridge.

I passed Mom, next to Nick and focused on opening the exit.

"Ada, give me my aft blaster," Mom said.

I wasn't initially sure what she was saying, but it became obvious as Ada spun
Hotspur
around. The thwump of our aft blaster fired, followed by a second, similar thwump. I looked over Mom's shoulder and saw that she'd dumped our entire battery into the two shots, although the battery was refilling. Ada must have one of the engines generating additional energy to refill them.

"It's open," Nick said.

Ada didn't hesitate and backed
Hotspur
out through the hole as Mom continued to fire the top and bottom blasters at the ragged opening.

Tabby had jumped into the second pilot's chair and was bringing up flight status.

"All hands, combat burn in three… two…," Ada announced.

I grinned at the unusual configuration of my bridge. Mom had taken Marny's spot as gunner and Ada was expertly threading us through the wreckage of Anino's once pristine platform. The only spot left for Marny and me was the couch.

I looked at her as I took a seat, just as
Hotspur
jumped to a hundred ten percent of safe operation. Marny winced as she pulled her hand back from her shoulder.

"Are you hit?"

"Just a flesh wound," she said.

"Let me see," I said.

Her glove was bloody, but the armored vac-suit had already knitted the fabric back together.

"Let's get out of here first, Cap," she said.

"Fold-space in one minute," Nick said.

I pulled up a tactical view of
Hotspur
,
Lawbringer
and the platform. One minute seemed like a lifetime as
Lawbringer
curved beneath the platform in pursuit.

"Missiles en route," Nick announced.

Mom brought
Hotspur's
guns to bear on the flight of missiles tracking us. One spectacularly exploded, but there was no way she'd get them all.

Just then, the universe turned upside down and reality smeared in my vision. I couldn't have been happier.

"That was a gorgeous bit of sailing, Ada," I said. The adrenaline leaving my body made me feel almost giddy. "And Mom, I thought you were a pilot. You handled those guns like a pro."

"Don't you forget it," Ada said as she slapped Tabby's outstretched hand for a high-five.

"I only hit one of those missiles, and just so you know, the remaining three would have opened this girl up just as easily as four," Mom said although she was smiling.

"Any day you knock down a missile with a blaster is a good day, Mrs. H.," Marny said.

"Just doing my part."

"Would you mind if I asked a question?" Jonathan said. He wasn't riding the post-combat high the rest of us were.

"Certainly, Jonny Boy," Tabby said.

"Make that two. First, what is the meaning of 'pull a
Bakunawa
?'"

"It's an inside pod-ball reference," Marny said. "
Bakunawa
was the name of a Red Houzi dreadnaught we captured. Oddly enough, the particular maneuver Liam referred to ended up being unsuccessful."

"It wasn't unsuccessful," I said. "It just required adaptation."

"Not to mention, one of your old girlfriends to bail your ass out," Tabby said.

"Xie Mie-su was never my girlfriend," I said. "And, I was just as surprised as anyone when she opened the door to the
Bakunawa's
bridge. Jonathan, the maneuver on the dreadnaught was simply where we blew our way through a top deck and dropped down onto our target below."

"Thank you. We'd never confirmed that your crew was indeed the same that captured
Bakunawa
," he said.

"What's your second question?" I asked.

"It is for Ms. Masters. Under heightened emotional moments, you change our name to Jonny. Why do you do this?" he asked.

I gulped and asked, "Does it bother you?"

"No. Our observations have been that nicknames are assigned in human cultures as a sign of acceptance into a social group," he said.

"I love how you bring the awkward, Jonny Boy," Tabby said. "And yeah, I'd say you're part of the team. You looked out for me and mine. How does that make you feel?"

"We don't feel emotions in the same way you do, but I must say that we are very pleased with how recent events transpired," he said.

"Anyone else need a drink?" I asked. "And I think someone needs a med-patch. Right, Marny?"

"Fresh beers are in the reefer," Marny said. "I'll get a med-patch."

"Sit. I can carry beer and med-patches," I said.

"I'll join you, Captain," Jonathan said.

The two of us descended to the berth deck and I was surprised to see Jonathan head aft as I turned forward toward the galley. I mentally shrugged. I could easily carry the beers. I rummaged for a few minutes in the galley and found a bag of salty corn chips and finally stuffed a couple of med-patches into my belt.

Jonathan arrived back at the lift at the same time I did carrying the ancient katana we'd last seen on Curie along with a stack of packages.

"What'cha have there?" I asked.

"We'd like to present this all at once, if you don't mind," he said.

"Not at all," I said as we rose up into the bridge.

Tabby met us at the back and took a few beers from me and the bag of chips.

"Off with your shirt," I said to Marny.

She smiled, shaking her head. "You've a dirty mind, Cap."

"Purely for the sake of crew health," I said.

She gingerly pulled the armored vac-suit down. I had to help peel it away from her shoulder where the suit had injected clotting medicine on her wound. I couldn't help but notice that her suit liner had been burned back, exposing more of her chest than I was expecting.

"Would you like me to ask someone else to help?" I asked, turning away. While I found her muscular physique attractive, I wasn't about to overstep the bounds of our friendship.

"No," she said in a stage whisper. "I'm enjoying the show more than you are. Your face is bright red."

I wiped her shoulder clean and decided she'd have to clean the rest when she had some privacy.

"Frak, how many times have you repaired this shoulder?" I asked, as I uncovered old scars.

"Hard to tell," she replied. "Some of those we got together, though."

I placed the thicker of the two med-patches over the damage.

"That should do it." I handed her one of the beers I'd put on the table.

She pushed her numb arm back into the vac-suit. "Thanks, Cap."

"To life on the edge… with friends," Ada said, holding up her beer.

We all clinked our bottles together and sat back.

"Whatcha got in your hands there, Jonny," Tabby asked.

"One of Thomas Philippe Anino's final requests was that I deliver these to you all. In particular, however, he was so taken by one of you that he asked I make a special presentation," he said.

"You have the floor." I wondered if it was an idiom he was familiar with.

"Thank you, Captain Hoffen. First, I apologize Mrs. Hoffen, when this agreement was made, I was unaware that you would be traveling with us."

"Not necessary," Mom said.

"Thank you. The first presentation is for each of you. The grav-suits - as you, Captain Hoffen, called them - were specifically made for each of you and Master Anino preferred that you have them," he said and handed each of us a package.

"The armor characteristics of these suits are superior to what you are wearing and are considerably more flexible. I was unable to carry the optional helmets and they remain in the hold. While they are not completely necessary, the helmets provide significantly more oxygen as well as increased protection for your heads," he said. "Ms. Bertrand, I've submitted an analysis to your comm queue for review."

"Thank you, Jonathan." Marny stood up and shook his hand.

"I've one more presentation. Even though you were frustrated by Master Anino's initial audition in the Radium Sea, you left a lasting impression on him, Ms. Bertrand. Your instinct to utilize this ancient but deadly katana to defend your crew from the Sephelodon was something he wanted to reward by presenting it to you." He held the blade out to Marny horizontally, bowing his head as he did.

"I can't accept this. It's priceless," Marny said.

"And yet, you didn't hesitate to use it to defend your crew," he said. "It is said a katana will find its true owner. While we do not hold with superstition and legend, it does seem appropriate in this case."

"I… I don't know what to say," she said.

"I believe Master Anino had only one further request."

"Oh?" Marny asked.

"Yes. He preferred that you not use it in salt water," Jonathan said.

We all stared for a moment and then started laughing. While not a very good joke, it was so far from Jonathan's normal repertoire that it was hilarious.

After we'd recovered, I looked at Marny, "What do you think, Master of Arms? Should we be using these suits instead of the armored vacs?"

"They compare quite favorably to our current suits. I'd say it's up to the individual, but I'll make the switch," she said. "The helmets add a significant amount of protection to the head."

"Nick, how long until Ophir?"

"Thirty-five hours and change," he said.

"Okay, let me put some shifts together," I said. "Ada, you have another hour in you?"

"Yes, sir!" she replied a little too sharply. I then noticed she'd already drained her beer.

"Here," I handed her my mostly full bottle. "Let's get you a break. Tabbs, you have first two, I'll take next two and I'll get assignments out after that and I need someone to volunteer to make grub."

"I'll handle that," Mom said. "That is, if I can get Nick to show me around the galley."

"Can do," he said.

"Jonathan, are you monitoring the Yishuv settlement?"

"I am, Captain."

"Please alert me if their situation changes. I'm not sure when their morning will be coming, but it sounded like they were worried about a possible attack at that time," I said.

"Planet Ophir has twenty-six hour days and they are currently well into the evening. We will arrive six hours after daybreak on the second day," Jonathan said. "There will be nothing we can do to help them if the attack comes on the first morning."

"Understood. Thank you. Okay everyone, make sure to get some good rack time. Hard to tell what we're about to step into," I said.

With the exception of the blinking star fields, sailing in fold-space was very much the same as any other trip. We easily fell back into our normal rhythm and time slipped by.

"Captain," Jonathan's voice spoke in my ear and I struggled to wake up. Tabby's warm, not to mention naked body, lay next to me and I didn't want to be pulled from our cozy nest.

"Go ahead," I said, trying to be quiet enough to let Tabby continue to sleep.

"We are seven hours from our arrival at Ophir and the situation has changed," he said.

"Copy. Where are you?"

"On the bridge, Captain," he said.

"I'll be there momentarily," I said and closed the comm. "Tabbs," I shook her shoulder gently.

"No…"

I pulled the covers down, which didn't affect her like it did me, given that her synthetic skin wasn't as sensitive to temperature change. "Tabbs," I turned her onto her back and she rolled back over, covering her head with her hands.

I ran my hands around her back to her stomach and started sending them north.

"Not now," she said and pushed me back.

"Sorry, kid. We're needed on the bridge," I said. I jumped out of bed and started pulling on my prosthetic foot.

"You grope me, then you leave me here?" she asked. "You suck."

"Yup. You're officially a guy now," I said.

I started pulling on my suit and she slithered over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Don't go. I'll make it worth your while," she said.

"I think there's something going on in the Yishuv settlement," I said.

"Gah. Fine." She rolled to the other side of the bed and pulled on a suit liner.

"Coffee, Cap?" Marny asked as I entered the bridge.

Mom was currently on shift and Marny was seated at the table across from Jonathan on the bridge couch. Marny held a cup out.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"It's about an hour before sunrise, Cap. The enemy has launched an attack on Yishuv. Apparently, one of the Ophie - as the settlers refer to them - gained control of a blaster rifle and has taken out their combat leader, a man named Shem. Their remaining blaster rifle was lost in the struggle and they're having difficulty repelling the attack," Marny explained.

"How is that possible? I was sure they said they had a mounted blaster. That's more than enough to hold the position," I said.

"The mounted gun lacks defenses. Each time they put someone on it, they eventually get picked off. Fortunately, they've kept the Ophie from advancing so far, but their current leader is running out of people who can or are willing to man that blaster turret."

"Frak. Understood. Jonathan, you tried transmitting over that crystal, are you sure it won't work? Can I try it?"

"Certainly," he said and placed the device on the table between us.

"
Yishuv settlement, come in, this is Hotspur
," I said, holding down the transmit button.

I repeated my call several times.

"What are you doing?" Tabby asked. I gave her the condensed version.

"Try again," she said. "If they don't know it is two-way, it could be in a bag or something."

"Square-wave. Hang on," Nick said.

Generate a square wave at five hundred-twenty hertz, ninety decibels, standard S-O-S pattern, five seconds
, Nick said.

In response, a loud, high pitched sound played over the bridge as Nick held the transmitter button down.

"Shite, what in the frak are you doing?" Tabby asked. She'd gone from sleepy to ready to kill in those five seconds.

"Did you hear that?" It was the woman's voice we'd come to recognize as Merrie.

"They heard it," I said. "Do it again, Nick."

Tabby brought her hands up to her ears and glared at me.

Nick repeated the sequence. I chuckled as I noticed that Mom had pulled her suit's helmet up.

"It's coming from Peraf's bag," Merrie said.

"That's ridiculous," Peraf said.

"Empty your bag, Peraf," Bedros said.

"Don't order me around, I'm still the chairperson of our council."

"Do it again," I said. I joined Tabby by placing my hands over my ears.

"Please, Peraf. That's Morse code. It's a request for help signal," she said. "And, we're not generating it."