By midafternoon, they were down to a quarter penny a point and Beni owed Abby his next two paychecks. ''Aren't cards supposed to make this a game of chance. The way she plays, you'd think she was reading my hand. Or my mind.''
When it came rest time, Kris had them rotate sleeping, first the boys, then the girls. ''Keep that door covered at all times,'' Jack warned as Kris dimmed the lights and he closed his eyes.
Nelly, can you hear any traffic in the passageway out there?
I have been listening since you settled in. One person managed to stalk by. No one else.
Wake me if you hear anyone coming.
Jack ended up waking Kris. ''You have that computer of yours covering for you?''
''Yes. Nelly, did anyone come by here while we were asleep?''
''No, Kris, it was just you sleeping beauties,'' Nelly said.
Kris tapped the commlink. ''Captain Drago, when will we reach Jump Point Beta?''
''We'll kill the engine in five minutes. You need the time to freshen up?''
''I think I'll wait until we're in zero g,'' Kris said.
Ten minutes later, Chief Beni was hunting for any evidence there ever had been a buoy at this jump point. He found it, but only at the cooling atomic level. But not that cool. ''It was burned, but not too long ago. Not long ago at all.''
''Captain, would you mind nudging us through the jump point,'' Kris said, ever so properly for her status as client aboard.
''Shouldn't we post a buoy? Have it look before we jump?''
''Captain,'' Kris repeated less properly.
''Captain speaking,'' Drago announced to all hands. ''Stand by for a jump we hopefully will all live to regret. You ex-Navy types, I'm not moving until you tell me the board is green on those long-legged ladies we don't have.''
Kris pulled herself down to a jump seat next to the helmsman and strapped herself in. Jack settled in a spare seat next to the captain. Beni got close to the navigator and her sensors. Then three separate voices verified that the lasers that weren't aboard were all go.
It took only a moment to glide through the jump, another to recover from the disorientation. ''No buoy,'' Sulwan said.
''Hot, very hot plasma here,'' Beni added.
''And I may know who's been eating our porridge,'' Kris said, ''And breaking our chairs. Look what I see.''
Not fifty klicks out hovered a ship. Nice and shiny and new. And easily twice the size of the Resolute. What kind of weapons hid under its bright work was anybody's guess.
''Howdy folks,'' came on guard channel in an oh-so-chummy voice. ''What brings you to this part of space?''
Kris took it all in: blasted buoys, a ship too close to the fastest route between Chance and Peterwald space, and the tenor of that hail. Without being able to explain how she got from point A to point Dead, that was where she went. Someone would die in the next few minutes. It wouldn't be her or hers.
None to gently, Kris nudged the helmsman's hand. The Resolute rolled right and pushed everyone back in their seats with a sudden burst of acceleration. But just a burst. In a moment, the ship was back to drifting slowly, but in a roll.
''Helm, what's wrong,'' Captain Drago demanded, his hand still on the open mike. Good. He's a quick study.
''I don't know,'' Kris answered before the helmsman could get out a squeak. ''It's that same old problem. It's back again.''
Kris tapped the helmsman's hand again and the ship did another jump and roll. ''Captain, we got a serious problem with our lateral stabilizer this time,'' Kris added.
''Well, tie it down,'' Captain Drago snapped.
''Trying,'' Kris said, and made sure the ship did another dodge and weave.
''Looks like you folks could use some help,'' came from the other ship. ''You go into a jump with a bad stabilizer and the Great Goo only knows where you'll come out.''
Bret chewed his drooping mustache, and a bit of his lower lip as well. Then he scowled at Kris, a multifunctional thing. Finally, he looked into the commlink as honest as anyone born yesterday and said. ''This is Captain Bret Drago of the merchant ship Resolute out of Lorna Do. Our best mechanic can't do a thing with the problem. You have anyone good with stabilizers? Maybe thrusters. Could just be the computer.''
''I'm Captain Arnando Jinks of the good ship Wild Goose. I got people good for what ails you,'' the other answered with a wide, friendly smile. ''What do you say that you close down all your power systems and we'll come over?''
''Captain, I think I can dampen the spin, and leave us dead in space,'' Kris said, mouthing ''Do it'' silently to the helm. He did. ''Maybe it would be easier if they just matched hatches to us and came aboard. Save time on hauling tools back and forth.''
Captain Drago's tapping toes looked like they were about to blow a fuse, but he turned a bland face to the other captain. ''We do seem to be stable. I think we can hold it. I'll pop out our airlock tunnel. Think you can match with it?''
''It would be a lot easier on my repair crew. Wouldn't have to wait for our locks to cycle. And some of my best techs get space sick if you get them outside a solid hull.''
''Good. I've powered down. You match. Captain Drago out.'' He killed his commlink; watched it switch from green to red standby. Then he mashed a button and the red light went out. He waved at Sulwan who flipped a switch on her board.
''We are as silent as a tomb,'' she reported.
''And maybe about to become one. Longknife, what have you gotten me and my fine ship and its very thin-skinned crew into?''
''That helpful Hannibal is likely the fellow who's been blasting our buoys. You want to have a shoot-out with him?''
''No.'' Captain Drago agreed, though his expression said he'd rather swallow a dead fish than agree with Kris just now.
''You can't tell me that this fine ship and its resourceful crew have never been boarded before. Boarded when you didn't want to be. Where's your weapons' locker? You must have a goodly supply of Pfizer's best sleepy darts?''
''And if we do?''
''We shoot first and ask questions later,'' Kris said.
''What do you take me for, a pirate?''
''Actually, we were hoping you were,'' Jack said. ''Our pirates. Not their pirates. Our gal here gets along right well with pirates. When she's not stealing their ships.''
''Well, she's doing nasty things with mine. And without my permission.'' Kris considered that charge, evaluated whether or not he was most upset about what she was doing or that she was doing it without first consulting him. She concluded that his main complaint was with the process, not the proceedings.
''I'm sorry, Captain, but there wasn't time to staff out our options. I didn't see a lot of good things happening if we tried to fight. You know what hold-out laser he's hiding?''
''Not the faintest,'' Drago spat.
''And, if we do this right, we'll be hustling through his open hatch to take his bridge well before he can take yours.''
Drago snorted, seemed to warm to the idea, but still wagged a finger Kris's way. ''Not bad. But next time, young lady, you warn me before you go getting me in a mess like this.''
''I will,'' Kris promised, trying to sound contrite.
Jack shook his head. ''Not a chance. I'd never bet money on that. Congenitally impossible to her whole family.''
Kris watched Jack and the captain exchange glances, one of those male-bonding moments that would make them friends for life. Why were those moments so often at the expense of some poor woman? Oh well, she had things going the way she wanted. With luck, she'd take that ship with nothing more painful than a few headaches for the Wild Goose's crew. With luck.
''You plan on welcoming them aboard in that Navy uniform,'' Abby drawled, her head just ducking inside the bridge hatch.