Interlude 1
Time: CY 9784 AD 4861Location: the Hephaistos solar system
Battered, wounded, and perilously near the black hole's event horizon, the starship orbited the collapsed star that had destroyed the Hephaistos solar system. The fleet that had mauled the craft had moved on, carrying their attack into the heart of the empire the vessel had been designed to protect. The starship was silent but it was not dead
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Alternity - Chapter 2
Gerentex
Time: CY 10086 AD Sep 5163Location: Zempf Drift
"Beka,"
said Trance over the Maru's intraship announcing
system, "you've
got an incoming message. Someone says he wants to talk about hiring us."
"Thanks, Trance. I'll take it in my quarters," Beka replied over the same system. The moment the words were out of her mouth she regretted them. It was going to get very crowded in her quarters. Sure enough, by the time she had energized the communication system in her compartment, the rest of the crew had crowded into the compartment with her.
She activated the ship-to-planet communicator's vision screen, and took a moment to study the face in the screen. The being shown was nearly as hirsute as Rev, but while Rev was muscular and had a face that could frighten brave men, the person on the other end was almost scrawny, and had a face that would have been at home on a rat, or considering the large black button nose, possibly a particularly ugly dog.
"Captain Valentine, I presume." The voice had an oily quality that grated on Beka's nerves
"Speaking. What can I do for you Mr…?"
"Gerentex, you can call me Gerentex."
"Well, Mister Gerentex. What can I do for you?"
"I have a business proposition for you. One that I think a captain of your skills might find very interesting."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Gerentex, but I'm currently negotiating a long term shipping contract with Dog Star Shipping." Her statement wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the complete truth either. She was talking to the company representatives, but so far nothing had come to fruition. Still it wouldn't hurt to have a potential employer thinking that he had competition for her services.
"I can assure you that my proposition will be considerably more lucrative than anything you could make subcontracting for Dog Star."
"Let me be straight up with you, Mr. Gerentex. I don't run weapons or narcotics. If you're wanting me to carry anything like that, the deal's off before it even begins."
"My proposition, Captain Valentine, is a strictly legal salvage operation. Dangerous perhaps, which is why I am prepared to offer you and your crew a great deal of money to undertake the operation, but strictly legal."
"How much money?"
"A great deal. Enough to pay off the debts that you have inherited from your father, and then some. However, I do not think it prudent to go into details over this communication system, it is far from secure. If you are interested you can meet me at the Goulash Café in two hours." The screen went blank as he disconnected, leaving Beka to wonder how her would be employer knew about the debts she had inherited from her father.
Turning to look at her crew she asked, "What do the rest of you think?"
"Boss," complained Harper, "That was a Nightsider. You don't want to have anything to do with them. They trashed their own home world, and then when they were evacuated to New Krrendar they started trashing it too."
"Master Harper," said Rev, a tone of infinite weariness in his voice, "I would think, that after knowing me for all these years, you would be less likely to jump to conclusions about a sapient being based solely on their species."
"Yeah, Rev, but everyone knows that it was a Magog who founded the Wayists. Some of your kind do have good points. When's the last time you heard of a Nightsider doing anything good? Even the Chichins think they're slime, and Chichins eat their own children."
"We don't have to like him to take his money, Harper," put in Beka. "We're going to hear what he has to say."
The crew, minus Rev who decided it would be wiser if he stayed aboard the Maru, made their way through the corridors of the space habitat arriving at the café precisely at the appointed time. It was easy enough to identify their prospective employer, since he was the only Nightsider in the establishment. He was sitting at a table in the back corner of the restaurant, where he could observe everyone who entered the establishment. He was wearing a long coat that fell nearly too his knees The coat was long and bulky enough to conceal any number of weapons. There was a suspicious looking bulge in the coat by his left armpit. He didn't bother to get up as the party approached the table.
"You are punctual, good."
"You're buying," said Beka as the waitress brought them menus.
"Look, Harper," gushed Trance as she surveyed the menu. "It says that they serve authentic Earth cuisine."
"I hope you have a taste for rat then," grumped Harper. "Authentic Earth cuisine leaves a lot to be desired these days."
Fortunately for the crew's digestive systems, the café's idea of authentic Earth cuisine had little to do with cooked rodent, and even less to do with Earth. The only things in the eatery that might have come from Earth were the heavy wooden dining tables that Harper said 'look sort of like oak.' The crew and their prospective employer ate in silence until they had finished their meals. Once they were finished eating, Gerentex didn't waste any time with small talk, but cut immediately to the chase. "I need a salvage vessel and a crew willing to take risks for a big payoff," he said. "Your name came up, Captain Valentine, when I started making inquires."
"What sort of risks and what sort of payoff?' asked the Maru's captain.
"Your lives, and a hundred million thrones, minimum."
"What?" spluttered Harper. "What sort of salvage is worth that much?"
"What do you know about the Andromeda Ascendant?"
"It's the Holy Grail of interstellar salvagers," answered the Maru's engineer. "According to legend the Nietzscheans ambushed her near the black hole that destroyed the Hephaistos system, during the early days of the civil war. The captain had his crew abandon her, and then he attempted a slingshot maneuver using the gravity of the black hole to escape the Nietzscheans, leaving his crew at the mercy of the Ubers. She was never seen again. The story has it that she escaped, but was never able to make her way back to Commonwealth lines and has been wandering, lost in the slipstream for the past 300 years.. She's also supposed to be cursed, doomed to wander alone in space until an opportunity comes to atone for her captain's abandonment of his crew. When she's next sighted it will be a sign of the beginning of a conflict that will finish the destruction of what's left of the Systems Commonwealth"
"I don't believe in curses," responded the Nightsider. "And as for the rest, the legend is only partly true. The slingshot maneuver was attempted, but it failed."
"So she fell into the black hole and was destroyed. What's that have to do with us?"
"It didn't fall into the black hole. It went into orbit around it."
"And just how did you come up with that particular piece of information?" asked Beka.
"The Nietzscheans were able to track the Andromeda as it began its maneuver and were able to establish that it went into orbit around the black hole. But before they could attempt their own salvage expedition though, their offensive fell apart, and the records were lost. I was able to obtain those records. I know where the Andromeda is."
"I find it highly unlikely that any Nietzschean pride would volunteer that particular piece of information to anyone outside of their own pride," said Beka, a definite tone of skepticism in her voice.
"The pride in question has no idea that they have the information," answered Gerentex. But they do have numerous slaves who have access to their records, including records dating back to the Fall. Even a slave can find a use for extra money. I simply paid the correct people, people who wouldn't care who recovered the ship, as long as they were well paid."
"And you have a location?"
"It's located within the accretion disk of the hole, just outside the event horizon."
"You're crazy!" exclaimed Beka. "The Nietzscheans didn't fail to salvage her. They probably didn't even bother to try. You're talking about lethal levels of radiation and tidal forces that can rip a ship apart. Not to mention the fact that the slightest miscalculation could send both the Andromeda and the Maru into the hole."
"Additional radiation shielding can be purchased for your vessel and your AG generators can be upgraded to withstand the tidal effects of the black hole. And as for miscalculations, if you are as good a pilot as people say you are, you won't miscalculate."
"All right then," said Beka. "Assuming that we recover the Andromeda Ascendant, what's our percentage?"
"One percent."
Harper opened his mouth to make a deriding comment about the Nightsider's offer, but stopped when Trance kicked him in the shin from underneath the table.
"Oww," he said glaring at Trance.
Trance placed an upright finger over her lips and mouthed "Shssh."
"Ten percent, each," countered Beka. "And you pay for the Maru's upgrades."
"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed the Nightsider, his voice filled with insincerity. "That wouldn't leave me enough to pay for my expenses. Ten percent for the lot of you."
"Five percent each." Beka made her counter offer. "You need a pilot and crew who are slick enough to pull this off and crazy enough to try it, and we're the only ones you're going to find. Five percent each will still leave you with 80 million thrones. And you still pay for the upgrades to the Maru."
"You drive a hard bargain, Captain Valentine, but I agree. Do we have a deal?"
Beka indicated Trance and Harper, "I want to discuss this further with my crew. Suppose we meet here tomorrow at this time and I'll give you my decision. Thank you for the meal, Mr. Gerentex."
She got up for the table and indicated to her younger crew members that they should follow. As he left, Harper made sure he snagged as many dinner rolls as he could carry; he had long ago learned not to waste food, especially when someone else was paying for it.
Back aboard the Maru, Beka had the crew gather around the table in the common room where she gave them an in depth briefing of the risks associated with Gerentex's proposal.
"Well what do you think?" she asked after she had finished her briefing.
"It's a very risky endeavor," said Rev, ever the voice of reason. "And what do you know about our prospective employer?"
"I had Harper do a background check on him Rev. What did you find, Harper?"
"I checked the drift's police records. Ratface is clean here but there's a Free Trade Alliance patrol craft in port and I hacked into their on-board computers.
"I'm not even going to ask how you did that," commented Beka. "Did you find anything interesting?"
"Our friend was running some sort of scam on Ornithone. He got out one step ahead of the authorities, with a bounty on his head and 18 million thrones in his pocket, so to speak."
"So we can't really trust him can we," commented Trance
"No," agreed Beka. "And if we accept the job we'll be burning our bridges with Dog Star. If it falls through we won't be able to go back to them."
"But," said Harper dreams of riches in his voice, "even at a measly five-percent each, we are talking some serious lucre. Which means we're all RICH RICH RICH, baby.
"We're not rich yet, Master Harper," cautioned Rev. "I believe there is an old Earth proverb, something about counting chickens before they hatch, which seems to apply in this case."
"It sounds like an adventure," said Trance. "I've never been on an adventure before."
"I take it that means yes," responded Beka. "Rev?"
The Magog nodded his head. "I believe that the rewards are worth the risk, provided we are cautious in our dealings with our employer."
"Well it's unanimous then. I'll try to string out Dog Star for a few days until we see the color of Gerentex's money. If he doesn't come up with it hopefully we'll still be able to fall back on the contract that Dog Star is offering us."
"Then" said Harper, "the only thing we do have to, you know, worry about is...how are we gonna spend our money?
Beka gave a snort of derision "Let me guess. A little cottage by the lake shore, a white picket fence, dog? All the traditional mudfoot accessories."
"Not even close. I have one word for you. Seraglio."
"Ser-what?" asked Trance.
"Seraglio, Trance" said Beka correcting Harper's pronunciation... "Slave girls and grapes. Eunuch guards. Classy."
"Hey, don't forget the silk wall-hangings! I love silk wall hangings. The only reason I go is for the silk wall-hangings."
"Harper, you are truly disgusting."
"I try. So, boss, what're you going do with your share?"
"I don't know. I figure by the time I settle my father's debts, and fix up the Maru, I should have just about enough for a nice dinner at Cavanaugh's, as long as I don't order any wine."
"You're buying freedom, peace of mind," put in Rev. "I'd say that's worth more than physical indulgence."
"Speak for yourself, Rev," retorted Harper
Rev gave Harper a hungry look. "Hmmmm...Be grateful I don't value such things."
"Boss, he's giving me that look again."
"Rev, don't," said Trance. "Let me get you some steak sauce first."
"Ha ha ha ha," Harper was not amused by Trance's teasing.
"So, Rev," said Beka. "What are your plans?
"I'm going to build a hospital on Kingfisher."
"Kingfisher?" asked Harper, "isn't that the world where you were, uh..."
"Born? Yes. My people did some terrible things on Kingfisher. If I can do anything to help to alleviate the suffering that they caused...that I caused...it will be well worth it. In a way, I'll be trying to buy absolution. Which makes me just as selfish as any of you.
"What will you do with your share, Trance?" asked Beka. The girl often seemed so unworldly Beka was curious as to what she would do with her share of the money. Lately she had started growing potted plants in all corners of the Maru. Not only growing them, but giving them names as well.
"Oh buy something to make the Maru look nice I guess."
"You're not putting flowering plants in my engine room," declared Harper.
"They would make it so much prettier than it is now."
"No, no , no"
Trance made a moue at the Maru's engineer, who stuck his tongue out at her in return.
"Well it's like Rev said," said Beka, pointedly ignoring the interplay between her two youngest crew members, "We don't have the money yet, so don't go spending what you don't have."
Two days later the modifications on the Maru's AG generators and radiation shielding had commenced, and Beka had notified Dog Star Transport that she was no longer interested in the contract. As she had anticipated the executives at the company were extremely unhappy, and made it known that her actions would have repercussions beyond just their company.
As if to prove Harper's often repeated statement that the universe hated them; it took a little over a week for things to go to Hell in a handbasket. The work on the radiation shielding had been completed and the upgrades to the AG generators were almost finished when Gerentex contacted the Maru requesting an urgent meeting at the Goulash Café. Harper was overseeing the upgrades and couldn't be spared, Trance was keeping him company and Rev was off ship visiting the local Wayist retreat so it fell to Beka to make the meeting.
The Nightsider was at the same table he had been sitting at the first time Beka had met him. He was obviously agitated and casting apprehensive looks at the entranceway.
"Captain Valentine," he said the nervousness apparent in his voice, "we need to lift ship immediately."
"There's no way we can do that," replied Beka. "The work on the AG generators isn't finished. We're not going anywhere until it is."
"Then you must let me stay on board the ship where I will be safe until the work is completed."
"That we can do, but what do you need to be kept safe from."
"Bounty hunters. A team of bounty hunters from Ornithone has tracked me to this drift."
Beka was about to say more when Gerentex suddenly turned his attention to three people walking into the café. There were two men and a woman. One of the men looked at something in his hand then nodded in the direction of Gerentex.
Beka didn't have the opportunity to see who drew their weapon first, but suddenly she was in the middle of a gun battle between Gerentex and what must have been the bounty hunters he had been telling her about. Gerentex flipped their table over onto its side, drawing a weapon from beneath his coat as he crouched behind the it. Beka joined him behind the table and drew her own gauss pistol. There were ugly 'thocking' sounds as the rounds from the bounty hunters' weapons impacted the table. For a moment the two behind the table had the advantage of cover, and Gerentex took advantage of it to take careful aim at the person who had identified him. He fired and the man fell. The woman took an object from her belt and threw it at them. Beka, hearing the object land behind her, dived over the table towards the two remaining bounty hunters. She rolled and ended up on her back almost at their feet. As she landed, there was a loud explosion behind her.
The sheer audacity of her move saved her life; the two remaining bounty hunters had expected her and Gerentex to move towards the sides rather than toward them. For a fraction of a second their weapons were off target, but Beka's was not. From her position on the floor she didn't have to worry about putting a round into a bystander so she just emptied the entire clip of her weapon as fast as she could pull the trigger. Both bounty hunters fell to the ground, shot to doll rags.
After making sure that all three bounty hunters were dead, Beka turned to see how Gerentex had fared. He had either been slow or unlucky. He was still behind the heavy wooden table. The table, which had protected Beka from the blast of the grenade, had concentrated the force of the explosion on the other side of the table. What was left of the Nightsider wouldn't have made a decent sized throw rug.
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