“Hello Glenn, or should I call you Hawk?”
“Glenn of course! We are friends, Marty.” The
voice that replied was almost sincere, which almost surprised Martin Alcott.
“Funny. I thought an old friend would have let me
known what that little favor was. Imagine my surprise when it turned out I was
transporting a canister of biomimetic gel for you.”
“Oh come on, Marty, did you really think I would
have asked you if I could have hired a legitimate courier? And I thought I had
taught you a few things. Perhaps that was too long ago.”
“Or maybe I didn't pay close enough attention to
what you were telling me between the lines. But let's see if I have learned a
few things since. You have quite an operation here. You didn’t need me to run
that cargo for you. And getting off the ship was perhaps a little too easy. Let
me guess, one of my fellow Merchies is working for you?”
“Oh, you think so?” Wry amusement spread across
The Hawk’s face, now that he had recovered from his surprise and started to
remember what an eager pupil Martin Alcott had once been.
“What happened? Did the cops get a little too close
to your man and you needed a fall guy to take the blame? Someone who might run
if given the chance, so there would be no interrogations, no closer
investigation?”
“Very good. I see you have come a long way Marty.
Why don't we let bygones be bygones and you work for me? I could give you a
clean slate, a new identity. I am always on the lookout for experienced spacers
to run my ship. You could make a lot more money working for me than in your old
Merchie job. And it would do wonders for your life-expectancy.” From the
corner of his eyes Glenn Talbot noticed Shadira moving slightly away from both
men, but he had his attention focused on Martin Alcott. If she tried anything
stupid she would be dead even sooner than he intended.
“Sorry, Glenn, but I have made my choice.”
“Hiring on with this Lafayette guy? Bad choice
Marty. I want that ship and I always get what I want. Tell that to your captain.
Maybe you can convince him what's best for him.”
“I doubt it. You see, I am that Lafayette guy.”
A stifled laugh escaped the Hawk’s lips, but he
regained his self-control as fast as he had lost it. ”Well, I always knew you
had it in you to be more than a Merchant Marine, and didn’t I always tell you
so, Marty?”
“Yes. But if you want this ship you will have to go
through me to get it. What are going to do now, Hawk?”
“For old times sake I will give you twenty four
hours to reconsider. Don't blame me for anything that happens after that.” He
leaned forward and whispered in Martin’s ear: “If you want to play pirate,
fine, but don’t be a bloody fool, Marty. I just want the ship. Work for me a
few years and you can have a real ship instead of this piece of junk. Don’t
force me to forget the difference between Glenn Talbot and The Hawk.”
Martin Alcott took a step away and slowly holstered
his gun before he motioned his head for Shadira to get back into the Seven Seas.
“I don’t think there is a difference to forget, Hawk.”
He turned and walked up the ramp, back to his crew.
*****
Martin Alcott leaned against the hatch as soon as it
had closed behind him. For a moment all he could hear was the sound of his
pounding heart beating against his chest, like a wild animal throwing itself
against its cage, trying to break free.
He brushed his hand across his forehead and stared at
it. Did all that sweat come from his face or from his palm? Slowly the voices
started to register on his mind.
“I’ll be!” “Man, facing down The Hawk like
that!” “What did he say? We couldn’t hear a thing” “So you know
him?”
“Sort of,” Martin answered Shadira’s question.
“I knew him before he became the Hawk. Or maybe not. It’s hard to tell.”
He brushed through the group surrounding him and
started to walk towards the bridge, hoping he would look much more confident
than he felt. “Tom, contact Srel. We need him to tag the last spares tonight.
And tell him we lift off at noon, not a second later. If he can’t make it we
won’t wait for him.”
Tom stopped at one of the computer terminals set into
the corridor wall at irregular intervals. “Aye, boss. So now the heat is
really on, huh?”
“You could say that. Glenn – the Hawk – gave me
twenty four hours to hand over the ship to him, which means we have no more than
twelve before things start getting really ugly.”
“Great. But unless we get some anti-matter the best
we can do is limp away, not run away. Much good that will do us.”
Martin stopped and slowly turned around to his crew.
“Don’t worry. It will be risky, but I know where to get the anti-matter we
need.” A grim smile spread across his face. “The Hawk told me where to find
it.”
*****
“I don’t like this, boss. I don’t think they are
going to give up. They’re too stubborn for their own good.” Krush held open
the door of the aircar, but The Hawk didn’t get in. Instead he turned towards
the ship sitting at the far end of the tarmac.
He rammed his hands into the pockets of his billowing
coat and squared his shoulders. “You are right. Marty has always been the
stubborn sort.” His mind turned to the past for a moment, but before he could
get lost in thoughts about how much Martin had reminded him of himself when they
had first met all those years ago on Mars, Glenn Talbot’s thoughts were
interrupted by his Nausicaan henchman.
“Perhaps we should just let them go.”
“Oh, you think so?” The Hawk shook his head sadly.
“What’s wrong with you Krush? Afraid of a bunch of amateurs?”
“No, of course not!” Krush protested a bit too
fast, a bit too loud. After he had his voice back under control he took a step
forward and stood at The Hawk’s side. “Dyson insisted that he had told no
one. He couldn’t have held the truth back from us, I am sure of that. If
Lafayette has found it he would have tried to buy his way out instead of putting
his life on the line like this.”
“No. He would be too afraid that we wouldn’t honor
any deal we struck with him and rightly so. No, if they have found the
information they will try to sell it off-world. Either Marty will use it to get
back his position in the Merchant Marine or he will go straight to the Orion
Syndicate. While the former would be less painful, one way or the other we could
be out of this business if that ship ever leaves this system.”
*****
“You are crazy,” Laszlo slowly and deliberately
remarked, just as Tom entered the bridge.
“Who is?”
“Our Captain here, that’s who.” The Half-Romulan
didn’t look up, staring at Martin Alcott, who crossed his arms and chose to
look from face to face instead of meeting Laszlo’s glare.
“If anyone has a better idea I’d like to hear it.
If not, the only choice we have is going with my crazy idea or being stuck here
until the Hawk comes after us for real.” He rested his eyes on everyone’s
face for a few seconds, but no one spoke up. When Martin looked back at Laszlo
the stare was still there, but it had lost most of its fierceness. “Listen
people, I think we can really pull this off. I know its a crazy idea, but
that’s exactly why no one will expect us to do it, which should be just enough
to make it work.”
Martin Alcott rose from the captain’s chair and took
a deep breath. He had almost convinced himself with his little speech. “Kara,
Kiran, start working on the transporter. Shadira, once we beam all the spares on
board we will have to move them to the cargo hold fast or we will clog the
transporter room. See if you can find us an anti-grav platform anywhere. Laszlo,
you go with her. If you two find anything else in this sorry spaceport we could
use, bring it along. Just make sure the Hawk doesn’t know that we are making
our departure preparations or we will all be dead before the sun comes up.”
Laszlo grinned and clapped his hands together
gleefully. “Don’t worry, no one will see us as long as we move through the
sewers.”
The only reaction that drew from Shadira was a small
retching sound and Martin once more admired her self-control. The smell Laszlo
had brought back from his first excursion into the sewers still clung to some
parts of the ship – parts everyone avoided the best they could.
The unlikely pair walked out, closely followed by the
twins on their way to the transporter room, leaving only Martin and Tom on the
bridge.
“Did you reach Srel?”
“Yep. He wasn’t happy, but he’ll get us as much
as he can. Told him about the noon-or-else deadline, but that didn’t faze him.
Said he would rather die trying than be stuck here for the rest of his life.”
Tom shrugged and sat down in the pilot’s seat. “He’s a bit crazy, but
I’d say he’s not such a bad fellow that Srel. And speaking of crazy things,
what was all that about?” He jerked his thumb at the corridor hatch everyone
had just left through.
Martin lowered himself into the captain’s chair
again and rubbed his chin. He was getting used to the beard he had started to
grow. It had been the fitting thing to do for André Lafayette, but perhaps
there wasn’t as big a difference between André and Martin as he had
previously thought. If pushed into a corner both would fight all the harder.
“The Hawk offered me a job on his spaceship and if
he has a spaceship that ship has to run on anti-matter. We are going to help
ourselves to some of it.”
*****
He stared at the corrugated ceiling, but sleep
wouldn’t find him. Once again he shot a frustrated glance at the time display
on the otherwise dark screen. 04:55.
If he didn’t get some sleep soon he wouldn’t be
much of a captain in the morning. ‘Everyone knows their job, but Tom was right. I may not be the best
captain there is, but they need me to hold everything together.’ And if he
could get everything sorted out he might be able to get back some control over
his life.
Martin’s thoughts drifted back to his youth on Mars
and the young punk he had been, there was no other way to call it. Rebellious,
unsatisfied with the life that lay ahead of him, always the odd kid out. And
then he had met Glenn Talbot.
Always driving him hard, channeling his anger, helping
him discover some of what he could be, helping him get into the Merchant Marine
Academy...
Before he could doze of Martin wrenched his feet off
the bed, rubbing his face vigorously. ‘No!’ He’d rather go without sleep than dream of the times
when Glenn had been his friend, his mentor, his surrogate father. ‘Can’t
let the past interfere.’
Just then a soft rasp on his cabin door broke through
the walls of sleep slowly encircling Martin Alcott’s mind.
He staggered to the door and his fingers somehow found
the com-panel. “Who is it?”
“Shadira.”
“Just a second.” He stumbled to the door
connecting the cabin with the small bathroom and got a good look of himself in
the mirror. ‘You look like hell,
Marty.’ Sleeping in his underwear was not what he was used to, but he’d
rather have a running ship and a well-stocked galley than buying into vanities
that wouldn’t keep him alive.
‘Not
what stylish Captain Lafayette would do.’
He put on some of the leather pants he had scrounged from the Seven Seas’
quarters and was halfway into a black T-shirt before he murmured to the computer
“open”.
*****
“I doubt this will work.”
Kara’s hyperspanner fell to the deck with a
clattering sound that filled the whole transporter room. “But it will!” Her
wide-eyed face was fixed on her brother’s features – never before had they
disagreed on anything. “And what choice do we have?”
“We could always leave.”
She took her brothers hand, placed her palm against
his, and their fingers interlaced in a way that came to the twins as natural as
breathing.
“The captain will see us through this. Trust me,
brother.”
Kiran’s fear slowly made way for the confidence his
sister radiated. “I trust you.”
Together they got back to work.
*****
“Have a seat.” Martin pointed at the chair at the
small work desk and sat down on the edge of his bed. It looked like Shadira had
time for a shower and a change of clothes before she visited him. In her wide
tan pants and a simple white T-shirt she looked quite different from the woman
he had come to know the last few days. To Martin she looked more... vulnerable
than ever before, but her face was as stoic as he had come to expect from the
Orion.
“What is it?”
“We have found an anti-grav platform that will fit
through our corridors. And we have raided the spaceport mess for some supplies.
Should the replicator fail again we will have a well stocked galley, if you call
the typical spaceport fare well.”
Martin snorted. “I wouldn’t, but as Laszlo would
say – it’s at least nutritious. Anything else?”
“Yes. We got a look at the lost-and-found section
and grabbed a few things.” She threw him a backpack he had overlooked so far.
“It’s not much, but I think most of it is your size. I noticed that you
don’t fancy leather much.”
He opened the bundle and drew from it a dark green
shirt and a matching pair of trousers. There were a few more items in there, but
he paid no attention to them. “Thank you.” His smile took a sad quality that
Martin would be hard pressed to explain. “I guess this must seem a bit silly
to you, considering that you and everyone else of your former crewmates always
favored dark leather.”
“Not always, but it is practical.”
“I see... I think.” Martin stuffed the clothes
back into the bag and placed it under the bed. “This may be a bit of a
personal question, but I think I deserve to know what’s in this for you.”
His eyes turned up and he looked the Orion straight in
her cold, unmoving eyes. “If you are out for revenge for Captain Dyson I
deserve to know before we come up against the Hwk’s men again, don’t you
think, Shadira?”
*****
“Okay, so let me get this straight, ‘cause the
Captain didn’t explain all the details to me,” Tom said, as he helped Laszlo
unload the supplies from the anti-grav platform into the galley cupboards. “We
lift of. You, the Captain, and Shadira beam to The Hawk’s ship and secure the
anti-matter, while the twins and I beam up the spares from the scrap yard. Once
that’s done we beam you back aboard and hope the containment field won’t
blown in our faces during transport?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
Noticing the Half-Romulans grin Tom started to worry
even more, if that was possible. Watching Laszlo grin was like watching a tiger
hunter going into the wild armed with nothing more than his wits and actually
enjoying the prospect of finding a tiger – a perfect recruiting poster for
madness.
“Why the hell do you like this plan so much?” Tom
bit his tongue, but it was too late, the question was already out of his mouth.
Laszlo snorted and stopped stuffing supplies into the
cupboard. His hands came down to the two guns at his hips, the only two guns he
wore in plain sight. “Because it will either work and give The Hawk one hell
of a headache or it won’t work, in which case I will finally get to see some
action. Things don’t get better than this.”
*****
“I am not looking for revenge, I am looking for
justice.” Shadira pointed her chin at the pictures and memorabilia above the
desk. “Captain Dyson was a good man. He took care of his crew. He deserves
better than to be buried here alone and forgotten. This ship was his life and if
I have to face The Hawk to keep that life going you’d better not try to stop
me.”
“I won’t.” Martin Alcott slowly shook his head.
“You have a life to keep alive and I have a life to gain... or maybe
regain.”
Shadira tore her eyes away from the memories of her
former captain and what she saw in Martin Alcott’s face was a sadness she had
sometimes seen in Captain Dyson’s face, but had never been able to figure out.
“What do you mean?”
“There is one thing the Hawk – Gregg – taught
me, and that is that I have to make my own way in this world. It’s the same
for everyone. We just have to be what we are. It’s funny, but I learned that
lesson from Gregg in the past and now I have learned it from you again.”
Martin Alcott rose from the bed and leaned his crossed
arms against the bulkhead, his face rested on his hands, well away from
Shadira’s prying eyes. “Doesn’t matter if you wear black or white, you
fight for what you think is right. If I can do the same I may turn out to be a
good captain after all.”
“Maybe
you will.” Shadira rose and headed for the door of the captain’s quarters.
As the door opened for her she looked over her shoulder and a smile started to
play across her features, well out of Martin’s sight. “Good night,
Captain.”
Chapter
1 Chapter 2
Chapter 3 Chapter
4 Chapter 5
Chapter 6
