Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework (26 page)

“How did that get out?” Oz asked.

“Good to see you, big boy,” Ruby said with a
wink. “Greydock isn’t as secure as the Carthans like people to
think. Connections to the black market run all through that place.
Heard you had an encounter with Thurge and her man Burke, hope
you’re all right.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Ayan said. “That’s
not stopping my people from increasing security, though.”

“Whether you like it or not, no doubt,” Ruby
said. “Know how that is.”

“What else brings you here?” Ayan asked.

“Well, I’d like to meet with Captain Valent,
if I can get the clear from you on that,” Ruby said. “Now that he’s
put the word out that he’ll be out there with us privateers, I want
to see what he’s thinking, maybe what he’s turned the Samson into.
Last time I scanned her, she didn’t look like much.”

“More like hull plates hanging on a
thruster,” Lombardo added.

“They’ve been rebuilding for a while,” Oz
said. “I’ll send a request ahead, I’m sure he’ll be happy to meet
you.”

“He’s already agreed to the meeting,” Ruby
said. “I just wanted to pass it by his lady first. He may be the
bluster, but I know who's really in charge.”

Ayan was surprised that Ruby thought she had
to pass the idea of a meeting by her before actually going ahead
with it, but tried to take it in stride, as though it wasn’t the
first time it happened. “Go ahead, I’m sure he’ll tell me all about
it.”

“I’m sure he will,” Ruby said. “I’ll drop by
before I leave, luv.” She swaggered off with Lombardo close behind.
His head was constantly turning, taking in the whole busy
settlement, while Ruby looked straight ahead, confident and
focused.

“All right, so that wasn’t our money drop,”
Ayan said.

“It’s coming in,” Oz said, signalling the
four squads of soldiers. They fell into ranks to either side of
Ayan’s group. She watched as a heavily armoured Carthan shuttle
descended. A squadron of Twin Gun fighters circled overhead, ready
to pounce on anything that threatened the vessel.

“Start getting the boarding party for the
Triton together now. I want to go as soon as we’ve got this loaded
and secure,” Ayan said, impatient to get on with her day.

“I like it,” Minh said as he sipped a tall
slush drink. He and Captain Valent were looking at a holographic
image of a dorsal launch system. A new upper-rear hatch opened on
the back of the Samson, and two fighters were ejected through.
Another pair of fighters slid down on rails, were punted out, and
another, then the last. The doors closed after, quickly. The
animation repeated. “The engineering checks out?”

“Every simulation, and Frost just tested the
rails using a pallet of raw ingots, eight times the weight of an
extended Uriel. Slick is all set to take control of the squadrons
here?”

“He’s looking forward to it,” Minh said.
“I’ll level with you, Jake… Taking command of all of it was too
much. This squadron of seven feels perfect.”

“How did the pilot assignments go?” Jake
asked, leaning against his modest bunk. He had the larger captain’s
bed removed, opting for a bunk pair instead.

Minh guessed that Jake was turning the
bottom one into cupboard space, judging from the mess and the lack
of a mattress. “I got some of the more experienced pilots, not all
the best, but they’re not too green. Have you talked to Ayan about
taking Samurai Squadron with you when you leave?”

“I put it up on the assignment board,” Jake
said. He brought up another hologram and it hovered above his
tool-strewn workbench. “Captain Berkovitz, an old friend of mine,
sent me some intel on an ideal port. It’s not a human port, and
everyone goes there, no matter what side, but they have the
firepower to make it a very bad idea to break the peace there.”

“Can you trust him?” Minh asked, looking at
the image of the man. Judging purely from the head shot he looked
like he was probably tall and fit. He reminded Minh of Oz.

“He’s a long range courier, and generally
hates bounty hunting. I was lucky enough to help him out by
stopping a robbery. I was only there because the moron who tried to
rob him was a bounty target of mine.”

“He was a moron but able to corner a courier
with military gear?” Minh asked.

“The mark was a very heavily armed moron,”
Jake said.

“Ah. So this captain is paying you
back.”

“Maybe, but I get a feeling that he’s
interested in touching base, considering the shape the galaxy’s in
right now. It helps to have friends.”

There was a firm knock on the hatch and Jake
turned off all the holograms in the room before shouting,
“enter!”

The hatch opened to reveal Ruby Sima, who
looked around, wary. A sort of false joviality overtook her the
moment she saw Jake in his long coat. “Never thought I’d see the
day that I got to meet the legendary Captain Valent.”

She barely got a foot over the threshold
before Jake nodded absently and started for the door. “We’ll have
more room if we meet in the officer’s lounge.” Jake led the way,
Minh, Ruby, and her first officer Lombardo following. The pair of
guards that were assigned to the foreign captain brought up the
rear.

Minh barely caught Jake’s hand gesture, so
quick and barely noticeable. He flicked one finger at his side then
let his hand open casually. There was someone they couldn’t see in
their group. Minh quietly released the retaining clasp on his
holster, feeling that old excitement rise in his chest that told
him something was about to happen. It was familiar, and suppressing
it in favour of staying cool-headed was second nature, but he
almost wanted to hold on to that energized feeling. Never did he
feel more alive.

They followed Jake into the room, where
there was an old table with four chairs around it and two more
against the wall. Against the far wall were four stasis tubes, one
already occupied by Leland March and a fairly non-descript man.
Minh knew him as the only surviving member of the group that tried
to kidnap Jake, the one that had his neck crushed. He had been seen
to by medical personnel and restored, but instead of waking him,
Jake had him put into deeper stasis. Beside that captive was March,
the lower half of his face was still frozen in an expression that
was a mix of shock and fear. Whether they were there as some sort
of trophy or example, Minh-Chu wasn’t sure. He wasn’t going to ask,
either.

The hatch closed behind them. Jake turned
around casually, his gun drawn. Minh-Chu hadn’t even seen him draw.
He supposed he used his cloaking system with a hologram to mask the
act, or somehow slid the huge sidearm out while everyone was behind
him; it was something he’d ask later. The looks of surprise on
everyone’s faces were extreme, no one knew what was going on.
Jake’s other hand came to rest on something no one could see for a
long moment.

A soldier in dark blue Carthan armour became
visible, Jake’s hand on his shoulder. “You’re an idiot,” Captain
Valent said. “I knew you were aboard the moment I saw you through
my uplink with the ship.”

“How?” asked the soldier, slowly raising his
hands as he looked down the barrel of Jake’s handgun.

“There’s a scale attached to every boarding
ramp on the Samson. It’s just an old fashioned way to track cargo
and passengers coming aboard.”

Ruby laughed lightly, nodding. “So you knew
Lombardo, me, and the guards here didn’t add up to the
measure.”

“Repeat after me,” Jake said, looking at the
man in armour. “I’m an idiot.”

“You’re kidding-“

Jake shuddered a moment and the soldier’s
armour seemed to collapse in on itself, the heavy plates giving in
to the will of gravity. He crumpled to the ground with a heavy
exhale as though he were a marionette with his strings cut.
Minh-Chu knew that his friend was growing more and more adept at
connecting and manipulating computer systems, but he had no idea he
could deactivate something like a suit of armour. “What do you
think that armour weighs?” Jake asked. “The exoskeleton I just
deactivated takes, what, seventy kilos off your shoulders?” Jake
knelt down beside the soldier, who was on his face, tapping his
hand on the deck more frantically as time passed. “You can’t
breathe because of all this weight on your back,” he said, barely
touching the heavy back plates and supply casing. “You have no
power here, you don’t have the authority to board my ship without
permission, you don’t have the intelligence to do so and not get
caught, and you had better deliver whatever message your misguided
government has sent you with.” Jake reactivated the exoskeleton in
the man’s armour by touching the back of his helmet. The suit came
back to life, plates moving back into place and he was breathing
again.

“I’m here to check your status,” the soldier
said in a rush. “I’m also fulfilling a contractual obligation: that
a Carthan representative must meet with you before the contract
negotiated by Ayan Rice the Second is valid.”

Jake yanked the soldier’s belt hard,
snapping it and his holster. He tossed it into the corner. “Why the
hell would you start off by following Captain Sima in a stealth
suit?” He grabbed the soldier by the under arm and pulled him up as
though he were a toddler, planting him firmly on his feet.

The soldier paused a moment, glancing at the
door before going on. “I knew you wouldn’t allow me aboard and my
orders are to get a look at the inside of your ship,” he
replied.

Jake holstered his weapon and looked to
Captian Sima. “You know about him?”

“Didn’t have the faintest idea he was
along,” Ruby replied.

Frost opened the hatch and came through. “I
see why your call was urgent, Captain,” he said to Jake. “Got here
as fast as I could.”

Jake nodded at him then returned his
attention to the soldier. “I don’t care who you are, what your name
is, who specifically issued your orders. I need nothing from the
Carthan government but for them to leave me the hell alone. I won’t
sell to them, they won’t interfere with my business, and they won’t
send any more rats onto my ship. You’ve met me, and I’m giving you
one chance to represent your government, right now.”

The soldier hesitated a moment. “The Carthan
government does not support your recent actions. You are not being
included in our trade with Ayan Rice the Second. However, the
Carthan government are also not placing limitations on your access
in our held space, nor do we intend on limiting your access to any
trade network. While you are not permitted to attend any government
function, we do not intend to bar access to a proxy.”

“Is that everything?” Jake asked.

“Yes.”

“Did you see what you had to here?”

The soldier seemed surprised by the question
but answered, “Yes.”

“Then go with my associate here, Frost. He
has new registration information for this ship that he may as well
give you personally.”

The soldier was escorted out, followed by
the pair of security guards who came in with Ruby Sima and her
first officer. Jake motioned to the table and Minh sat beside him,
Ruby and Lombardo across from him. Lombardo had a big grin on his
face.

“Did you enjoy the show?” Jake asked.

“Much,” Ruby replied. “Surprising, that. I’d
think you would be anxious to mend things with the Carthans.”

“After this conversation, I don’t think I’ll
need them,” Captain Valent said.

“Right you are,” Lombardo said, leaning back
in his chair. After he heard a worrying creak, he leaned forward
again.

“Your man here, Ronin, has made quite a name
for himself while you were out of sight,” Ruby said. “Before we get
to the heart of this meeting, I’d like to say it’s a pleasure to
meet you both.”

“Thanks,” Minh said, honestly complimented.
“I’ve heard you’re quite the privateer.”

“Thanks loads,” Captain Sima replied, fixing
him with a winning smile. “Have to say it’s partly thanks to this
bumbler here.” She patted Lombardo’s arm and continued. “Seems
there’s nothing he won’t knock over or bump into on land, but you
get him into space, on the deck of a ship, and he’s as steady as a
star is hot.”

“Now that we’ve all appreciated each other,
what can I do for you and Patrizia Salustri?” Jake asked.

“Patrizia sent me with a gift for your dear
Ayan. I’m here to see you on my own business,” Ruby said. “Seems
Salustri’s interest in you is passing.”

“That’s a relief,” Jake said.

“Aye, thought that would be good news,” Ruby
said.

“What does she want with Ayan?”

“She sees a leader emerging in her, and Miss
Rice seems to be one of the very few people who have negotiated a
land deal with the Carthans without having known them before
arriving here. Salustri admires her, and as your Ayan’s influence
grows, I’m sure that admiration will too. Patrizia seems to get hot
and bothered by the combination of beauty and power, and your
Ayan’s a stunner. She should take advantage of that, but
carefully.”

“I’ll pass that on,” Jake said.

“I’m here because I wanted to talk to you
about something more important to me,” Ruby said. “I see you
installed some pop droppers on this old girl, great thinking, but
I’m wondering if you have an interest in weapons beyond what you’re
building into your own ship.”

“Why?” Jake asked, one of his eyebrows
arching upwards.

Ruby looked to Lombardo and nodded.

He brought up a holographic manifest
attached to a ship called the Lazy Breeze. “We’ve got a roving base
out there, not much of one, but she’s good for moving storage and
hiding it. Our contract with the Carthans keeps us from selling
captured weapons, and we happen to have nine bulk containers full,
all hitched up to the Lazy Breeze.”

“Where’d you get the weapons?” Minh asked,
looking at the list of various firearms and ship-to-ship
weaponry.