“Wait! Wait!” Came the voice over the communicator. “If I leave right now you won't turn me in?”
“That's right, so come on out and take your crew with you.”
“It's just me and my First Mate, I'm on my way.”
Frost finished his sweep of the cargo hold and started dragging the first crew member outside by his feet none too gently.
As Finn was emerging from the crawlway hatch the door leading to the interior of the ship opened. Captain Raines came out slowly with his hands up, his face red. His First Mate, a younger fellow, was right behind him.
“Command codes?” Jake asked.
“Front pocket, it's on the data chip.”
“Finn, come over here and get this guy's command codes.”
Finn ran across the cargo bay and up the stairs. He carefully reached in and retrieved the centimetre by centimetre gold collared data chip and handed it to Captain Valance, who had his arm command unit pointed towards Raines. He accepted the chip and activated it. “Command code confirmation for the Ferret Three. A small status bar appeared holographically above his arm command unit and said; “Confirmed identity: Captain Valance, would you like to assume command?”
“Immediately,” he replied.
“Command granted to authorized party. Thank you for choosing Marvelway Engineering's Aprisa Cargo Hauler,” replied the cheery automated voice.
Jake retrieved a data cylinder from his pocket and handed it to Finn. “Activate this and give it to Raines here. It's my repossession license and entitlement.”
Finn nodded and handed it to the former Captain, who snatched it from his hand then tossed it away. “I don't need more God damned paperwork from you! I know exactly who you are. If some corp is paying well enough you'll be their dog and fetch any bone they want. You're just another puppet that gets off on taking things from people just trying to make a living.”
“I only help people get products that didn't get paid for back. If you paid your bills I wouldn't be here, now would I? Now get down the stairs before I change my mind about that bounty and sell your First Mate here to a male brothel. They pay well for trained cabin boys.”
“You son of a-”
Jake took a quick step forward and slammed the palm of his right hand down across Raine's nose then stepped right back with the stunner at the end of his arm unit pointed at him. No one saw it coming, it was so quick for a moment everyone there doubted it happened for a few seconds.
Then it was all too apparent. Under a heavy enough impact Captain Valance's vacsuit, most good vacsuits for that matter, harden on the surface to prevent crushing damage to the occupant. Jake had hit Raines so hard that his suit had become as unyielding as hull plating and it crushed his nose. Blood came in a gush and Raines crumpled, holding his face and standing on his good
leg. “You bastard! Took my ship, my crew's gonna slag me for not making payroll, and you BROKE MY NOSE!”
“Get the hell off my ship,” Valance said quietly. “Frost, show these gentlemen to the door.”
Frost half lead, half dragged Raines down the stairs, his First Mate followed quietly. Captain Valance was right behind.
As soon as they got to the end of the gangway Captain Valance stunned Raines and his First Mate then walked back up the gangway followed by Frost and Finn. “Make sure Raines' head is turned to the side, we don't want him choking to death, then drag the rest of the crew members off the ship. We'll seal her up and do a quick pass with scanners, make sure there's no one left aboard.”
“Aye.” Frost said as he headed for the nearest unconscious crew member, sprawled unceremoniously across a small crate. He motioned to Finn to help him. “I'm just wonderin'.” He said as he quickly checked through one crew member's pockets.
“Yes?”
“Was there a bounty on Raines?”
“Nope, he owes a lot of money, but not enough for a bounty.”
“Good thing he believed ye then.” Frost commented with a chuckle as he picked up the crew member's feet and Finn picked up the hands.
“They usually do.”
Departure
Frost and Finn arrived back at the Samson alone and the scene on the landing platform was just as Ashley had predicted. Most of the crew had finished servicing the ship and they were laying out on the deck as bare as they dare on blankets, old folding chairs or on top of the hull.
Ashley was laying on her stomach, getting some sun on her back and one of the crewmen beside her whispered; “Psst, Ash, they're back.”
“Aw crap,” she said quietly as she made sure her top was in place and got to her feet. “How does it look?”
“Looks like we have a five mil recap, that's what it looks like,” Frost grinned.
“What? I thought you were just going scouting!”
“Nope, Captain didn't give us much advance warnin' but he just walked in there, bloodied the deadbeat's nose an' tossed his ass out the back.”
“It was amazing,” Finn added, nodding.
“Dangerous you mean. There must have been some shooting,” Ashley scolded with her hands on her hips.
“O' course there was some shootin'. Captain even took a hit but you know him, slid off like he's made of miracles.” Frost pulled a perfect, ripe orange out of a brown sack and tossed it to Ashley, whose eyes went wide with glee. “Get into that and prep the ship when you're finished. Captain wants us out of here in an hour. We're headed to a collection point.”
“Already? I was hoping we could stick around.”
“I know darlin', an' trust me, I would retire in a straw hut on the beach down there if you and that bikini would join me,"
"It'll neeeeveeeer haaappen," Ashley sung quietly as she peeled her orange.
"But Captain's got four bounties in stasis and this ship to haul back," he went on. "I think he's lookin' ta get paid, and if he's gettin' paid, we're gettin' paid." He handed the sack over to Finn and smiled at him. "Hand 'em out kid, take one for yourself when yer done."
Finn took the sack and started making the rounds as Frost walked up the gangway into the ship with Ashley not far behind. Each crew member waited their turn but were eager to get an orange when he came around and most of them took the opportunity to introduce themselves if they hadn't already.
In less than an hour the ship was ready. Ashley brought the Samson to hover just a few feet over the mid section of the Ferret III. The maxjack, a collection of extendible claws and grapplers combined with a reinforced airlock, came to life. Operated expertly by Frost the claws and clamps shifted and moved so they'd fit the contour of the other ship's center then lowered and clamped on firmly.
The airlock extended and sealed. A moment later the control and power systems were linked between the two ships and the Ferret III 's engines started burning just enough to lift it off the deck. With Captain Valance at the controls of the second ship to ensure everything was linked up properly to the bridge of the Samson, the two ships lifted off and broke orbit.
Minutes later they were in hyperspace, leaving the great green and blue orb well behind.
In hyperspace the Samson normally kept four or five crew on duty, leaving the rest to take care of other things. Most of the crew were off in their own corners resting or just filling the time. Finn was restless. After going along to recapture a ship, seeing his first firefight, being given a critical task right in the middle of it and stopping the ship from taking off, he was still keyed up a day later.
He wandered into the galley, where he expected to find half the crew, but to his surprise there was only Ashley at one table and another older woman sitting somewhere else. It was dimly lit like the rest of the ship, but cleaner. There was seating for about thirty with eight tables and not quite enough chairs. The four dispensers along the wall were pretty standard, except for one that looked like it had been stolen from a cafeteria somewhere. It advertised fruit cups and frozen drinks.