The Bright Black Sea (106 page)

'Listen Botts,' I said as we bounded along. 'The
person who kidnapped me is the old owner of the ship, Hawker Vinden
whom we all thought dead. He wants to take back his ship and pay
the crew off. It doesn't matter if you can't get me out, just as
long as you escape and get back to the ship. Tell Molaye to accept
his offer and get off the ship. Once they're aboard I'm sure you
can deal with them one way or another. We can dispose of them and
get clear of here. Clear?'

'Aye. If need be. However, I see no reason why we all
can't get back. Just hold on.'

We reached the clearing – really a narrow lane in the
woods – less than half an hour later. We must have covered 10
kilometers through the woods. A flier was waiting. I dropped down
and staggered through the hatch. Molaye and Kie were in the front
seats, Molaye with a big grin, Kie looking serious. 'Are you
alright, Captain?' he asked.

'Great. Thanks mates. Let's clear,' I added as Botts
slipped in beside me.

'Right,' replied Molaye and the flier lurched forward
and began to race down the narrow lane. 'There are four fliers
searching not far off, perhaps we can slip by them if we keep low
and run fast,' she added.

She kept the flier in the lane, just above the
ground, the trees flying by in a blur. Luckily the lane was nearly
straight, though we were brushing the pine boughs whenever we had
to swing to follow a slight turn.

'What happened Captain?' she asked, conversationally
as we shot down the lane.

'I can tell you later, when you can give me more of
your attention.'

'Oh, I've attention to spare,' she laughed, glancing
back at me, just to scare me.

'The usual story. Darted when I didn't care to meet
with some unnamed person. What makes it unusual are the characters.
I met Glen Colin, in the flesh, and , well, another ghost of sort,
Hawker Vinden.'

'Neb! Our old owner?'

'The very same. Claimed to have faked his death to
escape from their old enemies who'd found them – The Four Shipmates
– at last. Guess I'll have to believe him.'

'What's he want?'

'His ship back,' I said, and spun my tale, as we
twisted through the trees, making sure to mention the importance of
getting Botts back aboard as first priority.

'They've made us,' she said shortly after I finished
my tale. She sent the flier up just sweeping over most of the
trees. She dodged the others. This was a tourist rental model, so
there was a clear glass dome, and looking back, I could see two
fliers trailing us, just visible through the rain. The pursuers
were in more powerful machines and began to creep closer despite
Molaye flying ours flat out.

'We'll be at the flier port in five minutes. Have
them meet us there,' she said, and Kie touched his com link and
relayed the message.

'Elana and Sol have the longboat at the local
spaceport. They'll meet us at the airfield,' she added for my
benefit as we came to the end of the forest and shot over pastures
and crop land.

The pursing fliers were up to us by the time we swept
over the airfield on the edge of a small city. There were fliers
parked in rows before the main terminal and a ring of zep hangars
around the field.

We swept around and settled on the tarmac near a line
of rental fliers. The two pursuit fliers circled around to land on
either side of us. Perhaps by making everything so public, Molaye
assumed their hands would be tied. But this was a drift world,
after all. I was far from certain anything they might attempt would
do more than raise a few eyebrows.

'We'll just wait for the boat,' she said, shutting
down the flier. 'The rental company has an agency here, so we'll be
able to get our deposit back,' she added, smugly.

The other fliers landed too, one on each side, about
twenty meters away. Looking up, I saw two more fliers circling
overhead. At the moment, no one was doing anything – waiting for
instructions, or simply waiting to see what our next move was.

'Remember Botts needs to get to the ship,' I
said.

'Don't worry, Wil. Elana can deal with fliers...' she
said, even as the longboat roared out of the low, grey clouds
overhead.

Elana swung the boat around and came in just over the
tarmac, aiming to land between us and one of the fliers on the
ground. Our flier bounced in the blast of the longboat's landing
jets. The moment she had her boat alongside, she tilted it away
from us and poured on the power, shooting over us. The back blast
of her landing jets flipped the flier next to us on its side. She
swung around again to serve the other flier the same treatment.
They tried to take off, but Elana caught it just as it lifted,
sending it bouncing across the field. She came back and settled as
near to our flier as possible, rocking our flier alarmingly with
the landing jet's exhaust. We opened our hatches and tumbled out
even as the longboat's hatch swung up and scrambled aboard.

'To the ship,' I said as the hatch swung close. 'And
tell Riv to get his engines wound up. We'll leave orbit as soon as
we secure the boat.'

In talking with the crew afterwards, I found that
Botts had played a key role in remotely charting Vinden's security
system before they went in. It has all sorts of sensors and radios
that it can deploy to see and do with, allowing it to manipulate
electronic devices and hack digital systems. I'd have been dead
half a dozen times over, if I'd not let Rafe bring Botts back to
life. Sometimes, like Grandmama says, you make your luck.

03

We called on Ravin two more times during our now our
annual visit. We broke orbit as soon as we'd discharged our cargo.
No one went downside. We received no communications from Hawker
Vinden. We both had secrets to keep, and I presume we kept them.
I'd hoped that he'd gone on to try to recapture whatever drift
throne he was determined to regain using some other ship.

Nadde got her time in and passed for her
environmental engineer's ticket, freeing Kie to go back to being a
systems tech full time, which in turn, allowed Rafe to retire – at
least for a while on Barvene. He said with Kie back he wasn't
needed on our milk run, and wanted expand his horizons a little.
Which I took to mean hacking the Amdia Guild and trade systems. But
who knows? He may find other things to interest him.

To no one's surprise, Kie and Elana announced a
partnership, though a less intense one than he had with Molaye.
They kept their own cabins, but both seemed happy with that
arrangement, as did Molaye.

Molaye's would-be partner, Linnor, was sailing the
Kryver Reef again and we never crossed orbits with her, so they
only keep in touch with radio-packets. Still, Molaye was content,
in part because she wants to be a ship's captain before they
renewed their partnership – a partnership of equals. It was a
matter of pride with her. The fact is, she's ready for a ship of
her own, though not yet 30 years old. I knew I was going to have to
decide to either turn the ship over to her, or push her out to find
a ship of her own to command. I'd much rather the former since I
was nearly ready to move on to a second career. And yet, nearly was
the operative word. My credit balance, thanks to the
Azurete
was flush enough, but my fondness for my shipmates, Grandmama, and
the fact that, baring the occasional kidnapping, we had settled
into a comfortable milk run, a routine round of planets and drift
stations, that suited me so well, kept me from moving on, one run
after another, until, as it turned out, I'd put it off one run too
long.

01

'I have a ship's boat requesting to speak with the
captain. Shall I switch it over?' asked Elana who was on harbor
watch on the bridge. We had arrived in Constina orbit two days
prior.

'Any ID?'

'No. Just an audio request.'

'Hum... I suppose, thanks,' I replied, reluctantly –
couldn't imagine who it could be – but it best be faced. I called
up the com screen on my desk.

'Wilcrofter, here,' I said as the screen lighted up
and a face appeared on it.

She stared for a moment or two and broke out
laughing.

There was a catch in my breath and for a few seconds
I just watched her laughing, wondering abstractly how she'd
changed. In no obvious way, but she had.

'Hello Min. It is wonderful to see you. What's so
funny?'

'Your,' she gasped, 'Your pointy beard,' she replied
making a motion with her hand on her chin to describe it. 'Why, you
look – almost sinister, Captain Wilcrofter!'

'Eight years in the drifts have made me almost
sinister. You're looking rather sinister yourself, in a sort of
drifteer pirate way,' I added. She was her usual stylish self with
her black hair pulled tight and a cap rakishly low over her
eyes.

'Eight years in the drifts,' she replied. 'We've much
to talk about. Privately. Can you forego your nightly inspection
and get away without further explanation?'

'For you, yes. But why such secrecy?'

'Because I've a lot of questions I want answers to
before I care to make a general appearance. An old vanity of
mine.'

'Right. Five minutes at the port gangplank.'

'I'll be waiting,' she said and broke the
connection.

I pinged Botts' com link. 'That's our owner's boat
approaching. She's requested a private confab with me. I don't
expect trouble, but keep tabs just the same. Hawker Vinden must be
involved in this.'

'Aye, Captain. I've traced the boat back to the
Rift Raven
, an eight-box trader which arrived in orbit four
hours ago.'

'That sounds right. Keep an eye on it too.'

'Aye.'

I grabbed my cap and stepping out of my office,
looked into the bridge. 'An old shipmate, Elana. If I'm not back by
the start of the second watch, have Molaye ping me.'

'Aye, Captain,' she replied. If she wondered how an
old shipmate found me, she didn't show it.

I made my way down to the port landing stage, deep in
thought. There'd be complications now – I'd put decisions off too
long.

The hounds were eagerly waiting on the landing stage.
The white hull of the
Ghost
had already latched on to the
gangplank dock. Opening the safety door, I followed the dogs out
onto the gangplank. The access hatch slid open as I reached the end
of the gangplank.

'Come a'board, Captain,' she called from the
interior.

'Sorry guys. Stay,' I said to the hounds and climbed
through the top hatch of the
Ghost
and swung down into its
main compartment. The hatch slid closed above me.

'Join me in the cockpit. We'll go downside. It's been
a long time since I've been under a real sun on a real planet,' she
said, peering out of the cockpit's narrow access hatch.

I slipped through the cockpit hatch and settled into
the copilot's chair next to her, just as I'd done, what? Nearly a
decade ago, now? I took her offered hand. 'It's great to see you,
Tallith. And to see you looking so good,' I said. She did look
good. And it was good to see her. But I couldn't turn a blind eye
to a tinge of sadness just at the edge of my consciousness. My life
was going to change.

'I hope you're not feeling the need to flatter your
owner, Captain. But it is good to see you, Captain Wilcrofter,' she
said with a smile. 'And, by the way, it's Captain Vane, Ly Vane.
You're not the only one who's been sailing under false colors.'

'Aye, for the same reasons, I'm sure. Tallith Min
died in the Despar reef along with the
Lost Star
and its
entire crew, which brings me to the burning question. How did you
find us? We've never told Kardea where we've been operating, much
less our name changes and modifications. I'm guessing, was it
Hawker Vinden, or has the Patrol?' I asked, watching her as I
buckled up.

She grinned, as she gently fired the steering rockets
to break contact with the gangplank and edge away from the
Starry Shore
. 'Did you think I'd not recognize my
Lost
Star
even if it's powder blue with different balancing engine
cowlings?'

'I don't see how you could. There's not a marking
you'd recognize on the old gal. I've put my own dents and scars to
make her mine,' I replied. 'This is no chance meeting.'

She sighed. 'Ah, well, you're a suspicious old
spaceer these days.'

'With good reason. So?'

'Yes, it's not chance. Yes, I would've never
recognized my ship. And yes, it was indeed, Uncle Hawk, or someone
pretending to be Uncle Hawk who told me where to find you and under
what guise. But let's save all that until we're down. I've a need
to feel a real planet beneath me, and a real sun above, now that
I'm so close I can taste it. I've spent eight years in an eight-box
trader amongst drift stations and cold drift worlds. I need to take
a deep breath of real air.'

'I can imagine. I've been feeling the same way
lately.'

She gave me a sidelong look, but said nothing and
took us down to Leathport in her usual, fast, hot and screaming
style. Unwilling to die in a fiery ball, I didn't distract her with
small talk.

'Where can we go to talk without being overheard?'
she asked as the
Ghost
's main hatch closed behind us, the
leading edges of its stubby wings still throwing off enough heat to
drive us quickly away. Turning her face to the low sun and taking a
deep breath. 'A real world, again!'

'Well, there's a long beach with a yacht club and a
fine restaurant twenty minutes down the coast by flier,' I replied.
'Lots of ambient noise so we can talk freely.'

'That sounds grand. Let's lift.'

So we made our way in the fading summer sunlight of
early evening to one of the velowalk terminals scattered about the
small craft port. I took her in, as we walked. She was even more
the drifteer pirate captain seen whole. She was wearing high black
boots over her black slacks. A black double breasted blouse with
lots of gold buttons, a short black jacket with gold buttons as
well, the white scarf and the black rakish cap low over her eyes
completed her ensemble. She carried herself with casual
self-assurance and a bit of swagger. It occurred to me that it was
going to be interesting putting her and Molaye together. Slightly
different styles, but the same attitude. Sparks might fly. And
there was something else different.