Torchship (38 page)

“Aye-aye,” she said. The outer door swung open. Sweet, sweet
air poured over her. Bing closed her eyes and took deep breaths through her
nose, savoring it. The best air she’d ever smelled. Well, it was military
station air, disinfectant and floor polish dominating nastier chemicals. But
there was no vomit, urine, feces, tears, or fear sweat in it.

“Hello the ship!”

Bing looked down. A dozen Navy types approached, one driving
a portable ramp up to the cargo hatch. “Hi!”

“We show you have one hundred and sixty-two to off-load, is
that right?”

“It’s a hundred and sixty-three now.”

“Wow. We thought you’d lose a few coming through that.”

“No. A bunch of broken bones. And we’ll want a gurney for
the newborn and mom.”

“We’ve got ‘em. But we want to get the able-bodied out of
the way first.”

“However you want to do it.” She raised her handcomm. “Billy,
open the main cargo hatch.”

“Aye-aye.” It was a few minutes before the starboard side of
the hatch opened. The deckhand had to cut through the layers of vacctape they’d
applied on Steelhome. When they had enough room the pair of ratings at the top
of the ramp flipped some panels over to cover the gap.

“If you can walk, please come down the ramp,” called one. “We
need to clear the way so we have room to help the injured. Please come down the
ramp if you can walk. You will be guided to sickbay for an examination.”

The crowd was slow to get moving. Everyone had bruises at
least. This planetoid had three times the gravity of Steelhome. Families tried
to find their misplaced members. Relatives insisted on staying with the
injured. The line down the ramp was a trickle.

When a third of the refugees were off the ship the Navy
brought up some gurneys. Triaging by who had the most hangers-on offended the
corpsmen’s sensibilities but gave them more room to work. The newest mother
received a cheer from the ground crews as she came down the ramp.

After that it went quickly. When the last hitchhiker was
gone Bing stood alone in the hold, looking at the mess. Billy and Abdul had
already been sent to bed. A Chief Bosun’s Mate came up the ramp and looked
around the hold. Bing blushed as his nose wrinkled. “I’m sorry, Chief, the ship
isn’t normally like this, we’re just not set up for so many passengers.”

“No worries, ma’am. I’ll have some spacers in to clean this
up.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

“I’ve been looking for a shit detail to put some rowdy
one-stripers on. Scrubbing this deck to kitchen standards is just what they
need.” His smile was an evil one.

“Well . . . glad we can help, then.”

***

Mitchie raised her hand to knock on the hatch, saw the gold
ring, and opened it instead. Guo was brushing his teeth. “Uhuh?”

“I brought my toothbrush—‘cause I’m moving in, right?”

He hastily wiped his mouth, revealing a delighted grin. He
wrapped his arms around her. After a long kiss he said, “When I realized we’d
survived my first thought was that I’d get to see you again.” She pulled him
down for another kiss. Her reaction had been
Oh, shit, I’m married
, but
she’d managed to not say it aloud. Now she’d just have to juggle as hard as she
could.

***

Once all the refugees were processed the Navy insisted on
medical exams for the crew. This time Mitchie went first instead of avoiding
it. After sitting her in the scanner for five minutes the doctor said, “You
seem to be in good health. I’m going to give you a list of vitamins to take. Do
you have any concerns?”

“I’m scared about radiation exposure from the battle. I was
on the bridge.” Her voice quivered a little. “We saw these huge bright flashes.
Thought it had to be big nukes.”

“No, you’re showing no signs of radiation damage. The
flashes were a new weapon, not bombs.”

“It’s not just my own health I’m worried about. Um, you see,
it’s—having children is very important in the Disconnect. So even if it’s a low
level of exposure . . .” She flushed and averted her eyes.

The doctor gave a sympathetic chuckle. “I understand. But
the conversion beam is tightly focused. You’re in no danger of additional
exposure from it.” He produced a printout. “If you think you might become
pregnant here’s a better nutrient supplement regime for you.”

She took it with thanks. That had been
very
useful.
The hard part was not laughing at the doctor for believing someone terrified of
radiation exposure would become a spacer in the first place.

The check-up was followed by a mandatory chat with a
security agent. He sat her down in a small room and lectured for fifteen
minutes on the importance of not ever telling anyone what she’d seen in the
battle, because AI spies could be everywhere. When he ran down she said, “So if
I just told my buddy I’d seen a ball-shaped ship shooting out a beam of light,
that could get back to the Betrayers?” His stiff face went totally rigid.
Hah!
That ship
was
the one with the new weapon
, she thought.

“That is exactly the sort of thing we wouldn’t want leaking
out. Having the advantage of surprise was huge in this battle. We don’t want
AIs finding out what we have.”

“No worries, Chief,” she told the petty officer second
class. “I didn’t say it to anyone but you and I give you my word of honor never
to tell anyone else.”

“Thank you. That’s exactly what this meeting is about. Now,
if you’d be willing to sign these forms . . .” Mitchie applied her thumbprint
to several documents threatening her with jail or worse if she spread “information
of operational value” about.

***

“Now, please understand, he’s not a
bad
man. It’s
just that he was never prepared for that kind of isolation.” Mitchie was still
irked that the rest of the crew had unanimously assigned her to explain Alexi
to the Navy doctor. Just because she could outtalk the rest of them shouldn’t
make her Official Ship’s Liar.

“Had he been in space before?” asked the doc.

“Oh, yes, he’s very experienced. But it was all on Fusion
ships. On an analog ship you have to learn to make your own distractions. Hard
copy reading, art, games,”
screwing crewmates
, “something. He was used
to always having the Net available.” Mitchie led him across the hanger to
Five
Full’s
landing pad.

“How did his problems manifest?”

“Didn’t have any trouble with him until after we dropped off
the pilgrims. Then he started going on about Golden Age tech and Old Earth
artifacts and how rich we’d be if we brought some of that home. We thought we’d
put an end to that by refusing to land on a Betrayer-controlled world. Then he
started going on that some could be hidden on a comet.”

The doctor barked a laugh. “I’m sorry, I should never mock a
patient’s delusions.” His two orderlies traded amused glances.

“Well, he was starting to get us to think there might be
something to it. But with ships chasing us and webs blocking gates and we never
did find out what knocked that hole in the hull . . . anyway, we wanted to get
home as soon as we could.”

“And he disagreed?”

“He said he’d go along with us. But when he had a bridge
watch he changed course to a comet he said had to have treasure. Captain
relieved him and confined him to quarters. He got out and assaulted Abdul.” She
watched to make sure he didn’t trip coming up the ramp into the ship.

“His ribs are mostly healed, by the way. I saw the scans.”

“Oh, good. Thank you. Then Guo—the mechanic—found him in the
hold, standing on top of an empty container and yelling about it being his
inheritance. Fortunately he can’t shoot worth a damn.”

Now the orderlies paid attention. “How’d you get him back in
his room?” asked the bigger one as he grunted up the ladder.

“Twenty hours of forty-five gravs lying on a bare deck. Made
him take a nap. Then stuck him with a sedative.”

“Nice work.”

The doctor took over the conversation again, asking about
Alexi’s diet (one big meal a day), sleeping (don’t know), and general health
(no problems visible at three meters). That finished with them at Alexi’s
cabin.

“Well, let’s have a look at him,” said the doctor.

Mitchie knocked on the hatch, slid back the deadbolt, and
pulled it open.

“Hello, Alexi! I’m Dr. Chang. May I come in and talk to you?”

“Not if you’re believing the lies they’re telling,” said
Alexi. His voice was rough from disuse. Mitchie couldn’t see around the doctor.
Alexi had the lights dim.

“I’ve listened to them. But I’m not believing anything yet.
Want to come back to my office and tell me your story?”

“No! I’m not leaving this ship! They’ll fly off and take my
inheritance with them.”

Dr. Chang took a couple more steps in. The orderlies slid in
behind him, keeping Mitchie from seeing anything. “We can talk here. I’m fine
with that. Do you mind if I sit down?”

“Sit, sure, just don’t come any closer.”

“All right.” It sounded like Chang just sat on the deck. “You
mentioned your inheritance. Who did you inherit it from?”

“I’m the heir of Maxim Frankovitch, the founder of the Eden
Colony.” Alexi proceeded on his well-practiced speech about his family and the
treasure they’d hidden during the Betrayal. All true, but with his net
connection cut off, Dr. Chang probably didn’t believe a word. Mitchie
remembered how Alexi always started waving his hands about as he got to the
good parts—

“Weapon!” shouted an orderly. Mitchie sidestepped as Dr.
Chang was flung out of the hatch. She peeked in. They had Alexi in a tight grip
against the bulkhead. A piece of metal rang as it bounced off the deck. “Wanna
dose him, sir?”

Mitchie helped Chang up. He gently applied an injector to
Alexi’s neck. The stream of curses stopped.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized. “I thought we’d disarmed
him.”

“You did,” replied an orderly, “but he got a spoon.” He
pricked a finger with its handle and showed the blood drop to Mitchie. She
gasped.

“Well, he certainly needs help,” said Dr. Chang. “We’re not
set up for that kind of therapy but we can hold him until he can be transferred
to Demeter.”

“Do you have to? We’re planning on taking him back to his
family on Pintoy. Familiar faces and all that.”

“That would be best. Can they afford full therapy?”

“Oh, he has plenty of money coming from the pilgrim run.”

“Hazard pay?” joked an orderly.

Mitchie looked up at him. “How much money would it take for
you to go to Old Earth in an unarmed ship?”

He thought a moment. “There ain’t that much money.”

Dr. Chang said, “Let me give him a physical and I’ll
prescribe some medications to keep him stable on the trip.”

“Oh, thank you, doctor.”

***

After a week on Telamon they had good meals again. Naval
hydroponics produce wasn’t what anyone would call great food, but it provided
better ingredients than
Five Full’s
own tanks. Billy had found who to
sweet-talk for the best stuff. Bing and Guo made meals something to look
forward to again. Mitchie was surprised when they started without the captain.
It was unlike him to be late.

Schwartzenberger arrived halfway through dinner. “Mail call!”
he cried.

“Mail? Here? Really?” blurted Billy.

“This is what’s been getting held for us on Demeter for the
past few months. I knew as soon as they lifted the siege of the planet the Navy
would send a supply ship. I talked the captain into going by the spacer’s hall
for our mail. He just landed a little bit ago.” He started passing out crystals
and envelopes.

“What did you trade him for it?” asked Bing. She received a
stack of crystals.

“We were never going to finish that bottle of MacNally.” It
had been the only alcohol to survive the trip to Earth and back.

“Because it’s terrible! You actually pretended that was
something of value?”

“Ah, but now it’s whiskey from the Solar System, so it’s a
treasure.” Everyone laughed except Bing, who’d tasted it.

Guo noticed Mitchie had more envelopes than the rest of the
crew combined. “Don’t your people hold with beaming messages?” he asked.

“My mom thinks the point of mail is for me to hold something
she’s held. Makes the connection stronger. Some of these have probably been
chasing me around the Fusion for a year,” answered Mitchie. She ignored them in
favor of popping a crystal of news reports into her loaner datasheet.

***

Once the Demeter Fleet of the Fusion Navy, backed up by
units from Argo and Coatlicue, recaptured the gate to Ushuaia they declared the
emergency over. AI ships were still scattered around the system wherever they
could find a hiding spot but they weren’t attacking. With civilian travel
allowed again
Fives Full
was free to go.

Captain Schwartzenberger wouldn’t let the Navy’s end of it
be free. He returned to the ship with the grin of a successful trophy hunter
and dropped a datasheet in front of Bing. “Charter fee for hauling the
hitchhikers.”

“Good God!” said the first mate. “Did you stick a gun in his
face?”

“No, just pointed out the usual fees that applied.”

Mitchie looked over Bing’s shoulder. “Hazardous materials
handling surcharge?”

“The babies pooped on our deck. That’s untreated human
waste, which is a biohazard. Biohazards make it toxic waste. Mixing in toxics
makes the whole shipment hazmat.”

“And we’re charging them for being available for further
shipments.”

“They wanted us to stay here.”

“Are we released now?”

“Yes. So we need to decide where we’re going next. I think
we’re all due for a couple weeks of shore leave, paid.” Smiles all around the
table at that. “So we need to decide between a two day run to Demeter or
spending a week to go to Argo, which gets us closer to Pintoy.”