Crystal Venom (37 page)

The major did not seem to be interested. ‘Um, maybe not. Let me have a look at what you have got. Yeah, interesting. Catalogue everything you have, and we will turn it over to the Rangers. More their cup of tea, really.’

~ * ~

Marko lay on his bed quietly contemplating his life and listening to some of Fritz’s new music before sleep, when there was a knock on the door.

‘Marko, may I come in?’ called Jasmine.

‘Hey, Jasmine. Yes, sure.’

She crouched down at his eye level in the half light from the corridor. ‘I know that you miss Jan very much, as do we all, but I also know that you are lonely, as am I. I know also that ship contracts are good for people who care for each other, but do not expect long-term relationships. I would like such a contract with you, Marko. Would you be willing to share your bed with me?’

Marko looked up at Jasmine, then slowly around the cabin, thinking that it could be years before he saw Jan again and knowing that she would be physically different, anyway. He looked back at Jasmine, detecting for the very first time a little uncertainty in her demeanour.

He smiled. ‘Yes, Jasmine, I would be honoured to make such an agreement with you. Patrick, could we have a shipborne agreement between myself and Jasmine, please? Standard form should be acceptable. Leave the time stipulation open.’

Jasmine smiled, closed the door behind her, leant down and kissed Marko full on the lips as he pulled back the bed cover and reached for her.

~ * ~

Four

‘Crew, we are at the coordinates. I have no idea what to expect and we have a couple of hours before the rendezvous time.’

‘Thanks, Patrick,’ the major replied. ‘Jasmine, launch the astronomical drones. Space them out at the one-hundred-kilometre mark ... actually, stand by on that. Lilly, can you partner each with a defence drone as well? Let’s find out if there are any surprises waiting for us. When linked, launch. Marko, what should we expect, anyway? You know Stephine and Veg the best.’

Marko held his hands up and shrugged. ‘Well, we are dealing with Stephine and Veg after all, boss. Sorry, but I have no idea what to expect.’

‘I have completed the analysis of the data collected by the astronomical drones while we were at the fuelling station, Major,’ Jasmine reported. ‘Interesting planetary system inwards from us as well. A rare pair of gaseous giants which have an orbit period of thirteen point two standard days, plus the usual rocky ones closer to the system’s sun. Some very interesting small ice planets appear to be orbiting the gas giants. Intriguing that they even exist, but as we all know the universe continually surprises us.’

‘Damn!’ the major exclaimed. ‘I would dearly love some time to get up close and examine that. I noticed when I looked through the data files that this system was given a brief inspection by the Haulers some eighty years ago, but it was deemed of little interest. No one seems to have been back since. Get as many images of those binary gas giants as you can, please, Patrick.’

Instead of answering the request, Patrick announced: ‘Popper signal detected! Right where it should be. Very fast. Nope, no popper; we have a small drone inbound, even faster. Looks like a recon drone. Identities exchanged with it. Wow, but that thing is moving fast! Must be solid as nothing should be able to withstand G forces like that.’

They watched on the screens as the sphere did a quick loop around them, then activated a small wormhole generator and popped back out of existence.

‘Anything useful, Patrick?’ Harry asked.

‘No, just that it’s Stephine’s transport ID-ing us. Looks OK, had all the correct codes and protocols. Said that they will be with us in a few moments ... Popper detected, RV speed. Yeah, here they are.’

Harry frowned looking at the image. ‘Interesting, they must have been with
Rick the Hauler,
or another long-range exploration Haulers maybe? That is a souped-up version of one of the salvage craft that
Rick
had, with a whole lot of extras. I wonder what he has been up to since we parted ways after we recovered the souls from that Gjomvik ship. What’s the bet there is a job for us?’

As the large crab-shaped craft moved towards them to swing around and hard dock, the conversations flowed between old friends catching up on events, with Marko feeling the prick of tears when Stephine and Veg told him how sorry they were about Jan. An hour later they emerged from the airlock after both ships had checked themselves out for possible contagion to exchange smiles and hugs and enjoy being back with
Basalt’s
crew again. To Marko’s eyes, Veg appeared just the same but Stephine seemed slightly taller and more muscled than previously. She also seemed a tiny amount more resolute and forthright.

After an enjoyable lunch and the best coffee Marko had had since Veg left, he went down to
Blackjack
with Glint walking at his side. ‘What does Nail say, Glint?’

‘That Stephine is well, and that, yes, you are right, she has been augmented further. Flint and Ngoc have looked over Stephine and Veg’s salvage craft. They conclude that it is one of Rick’s or certainly of the same construction. They have placed the crew comm links per our protocols. They also say that, contained within the blister housings slung under the carapace, are six one-person atmospheric AG ground support craft. Nice design too. Would you like to see?’

Marko ruffled Glint’s head, saying, ‘Yes, of course.’

Glint lasered the file to him and Marko checked out the little ellipse-shaped craft with their open cockpits, folded weapons systems and compact powerful engines, which had four vectored thrust units directly off the turbine and a reaction rocket nozzle in the tail of each craft.

‘Hey, that I like! Wonder what Stephine is going to get us into next with these. Look kind of purpose-made for AV. Gjomvik maybe, as they appear constructed not grown. Not sure about that. Still, we will know soon enough.’

Before he could comment further, the major made an announcement. ‘All crew, just been contacted by
Rick.
He will be with us in forty minutes and will be taking us on board.’

‘The plot thickens,’ Marko said. ‘So,
Blackjack,
what do you make of all this?’

The ship quickly replied. ‘I believe that a deal has been struck to take us back into the Administration, Marko. The ACEs, Patrick and I have been discussing the possible options in regards to this ship and crew. We believe it would be logical that a most specific mission has been created which will make good AV and, subsequently, be either very exciting or very high risk. Perhaps both.’

Marko groaned. ‘Great, just great. I need that like I need another arsehole.’

Blackjack
asked, ‘Why would you need another anus, Marko? Is your current fitting not functioning correctly?’

Marko grunted. ‘It’s a figure of speech,
Blackjack.’

‘In which case, I totally agree with Glint. Your speech is most interesting, but not logical at times. And Patrick has just advised me that the Hauler heavy combat and exploration craft we all know as
Rick
has just arrived at this Lagrange point as well. He says that we are to be taken on board him shortly.’

Marko laughed. ‘Really? I kind of like my speech this way, thanks. And
Rick
is here. OK. Now,
Blackjack,
have you made any progress with the Tux suit?’

The ship replied, sounding perplexed. ‘Yes, it is functional once more, but I am not able to attain the same level of sentience it once had. I have reviewed how Veg and Stephine built it, but it still lacks the “spark of existence” as you poetically put it. I shall refer the problem to Veg when he has a spare moment.’

Marko nodded. ‘Thanks. Well, I had better get my things from here since Stephine and Veg will be moving back in.’

‘I am sure that that is not necessary, Marko, but I am equally sure that Stephine would appreciate it.’

He gathered the few items of clothing he had left on
Blackjack,
took his toiletries from the ablution area, and was just about to leave when Stephine walked in with a purring Nail snuggled in her arms. She looked down at his bag and the jacket draped over his shoulder, placed Nail on the floor, walked over, leant down and hugged him.

Her eyes shining, Stephine placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘So, Marko, what will become of you, I wonder. You are now closer to us than any other human being: you really are a true hybrid. I have seen and read up on what you have been doing while we were away. When you are finally able to control and totally channel that explosive rage of yours, I wonder what we will behold.’

He was about to reply but she placed a finger on his mouth. ‘There is no need to move your few things out, if you don’t wish to. This is as much your home as any part of
Basalt.
In fact, I want you to run here if anything goes wrong, as
Blackjack
is fond of you, as are we. It is good to be back, Marko. As you perceived, there are changes in me and I am now much more in control of my own self. Too much destruction was occurring for me to be able to cope, and I lost control. My eternal thanks that you restrained us when you did, and also my everlasting gratitude to my husband for shutting me down, as I wanted to fight even you at that time. Had you both not acted, we would be either dead or under the control of the Games Board and their leaders. Yes,
Blackjack,
please create another room suite for Marko and whomever he is partnered with. In fact, make it a large bed as I know there will be times that he has more than one partner with him.’ She smiled and winked at him as he blushed, recalling that Jasmine had told him that Lilly also wanted to join them on occasion.

They felt a slight shudder go through the ship as
Blackjack
reported.
‘Basalt
is being taken on board
Rick.
And to accommodate your request, Stephine, and create quarters for Marko, I shall need to extend the hull structure by two metres, then reposition some of the internal partitions; it will take twenty-nine hours.’

Stephine smiled and nodded. ‘Yes, that sounds about right. Give Patrick the necessary raw materials and component lists, and begin when ready. We have ten days’ travel to where we are headed, anyway.’

Blackjack
acknowledged: ‘Done, initiated.’

Stephine looked at Glint, who was sitting cross-legged in the co-pilot’s chair. ‘So, Glint, you’ve been having fun with my cat, I hear. And he now has hands as well! Are you happy with them, Nail?’

Nail stretched. ‘Yes. And I can now brush your hair for you and apply nail polish to your fingernails, mistress.’

Stephine brightened at that. ‘Indeed! What a good idea.’

Glint lasered a message across to his mate. ‘Dickhead! You could have said something like “make tea”, but instead you went with personal toileting for Stephine! Didn’t think that through, did ya?’ A microsecond later he got back, ‘Fuck off! She won’t make me do that! Will she?’ Glint just nodded his head.

‘Do you like the small craft attached to the salvage lifter, Glint? One has an adjustable seat if you want to fly it, but I am sure you and the other ACEs already know that.’

‘No, I did not. Thank you, Stephine. We were only doing what Patrick had asked. To check for problems, you know.’

She smiled looking down at the ACEs with love. ‘Really? What an inquisitive lot you all are. Now I must find Fritz and catch up on all his new music. I have missed it dreadfully.’

As Glint was about to reply, the major interrupted them. ‘All crew, please report to the orders room for a conference.’

Before Marko followed Stephine and the ACEs out, he turned to the control board of
Blackjack.

‘Been thinking,
Blackjack.
We could make you a corporeal body, you know. Give it some thought and I shall discuss it with Stephine, if you want?’

Blackjack
burst out laughing. ‘I think that you will definitely need a larger bed, Marko!’

Grinning and shaking his head he walked out, heading for the crew conference.

~ * ~

Harry greeted the human proxy of the Hauler
Rick
when he walked in, saying, ‘Hello, Rick, great to see you. Now why am I not surprised you’re here?’

‘Ha! And to think of all the strings I had to pull to drag you guys out of the shit, Harry. I hope, in payment, you at least have some of that excellent fruit juice in storage for me. And yes, Marko, before you ask, I should very much like some soda bread, please. Hello, Stephine and Veg, good to see you back with us. You both appear well.

‘Now, down to business.’ Rick paused and looked at each of the crew, including the major, then said with some force, ‘So, what are we to do with these dreadful people who are the heroes of the great unwashed for smacking over so many Games Board operatives and destroying ships. All in the public eye. I have to say, crew of
Basalt,
you really, really know how to make waves and very big ones at that. The problems you have caused are considerable to say the least.’

Stephine spoke up softly. ‘Veg and I are very pleased to be back with this crew, Rick, and will do anything required to protect them.’ There was a sudden hush and everyone looked between Rick and Stephine, wondering who was going to blink first.

‘As will we, Rick,’ Jasmine added, ‘and that includes Hauler
Chrysanthemum,
who passed a message through Veg to us.’