Top Tier Privateer: A Light Novel, page 32
“Quarter profits of the trip but no pay?” she replied with a raised brow of curiosity.
I nodded, pointing to the others who nodded as well. “A month at quarter profit. That doesn’t count products developed by Bandit.”
“I can live with that. What ya cooking up?” she asked Bandit.
“Wormhole detection reader. Basically, you can tell where ships will arrive and the rough time frame. I have the concept down, just need to invest some time with the process. While I’m doing that, you’ll be fighting pirates,” Bandit said.
“Uh, about that,” Veronica said. “Mining as bait is extremely dangerous.”
“The Grizzly is not any mere bait,” Mercie said, wagging a fork. “I’m surprised you’re not upset about the accommodations.”
She hesitated. “Fighting pirates is great in the simulator, but I saw the video of your fight on that trader. Whole crew watched it. Those were trained soldiers pretending to be mercenaries. I… he was good, Bruce,” Veronica said.
“I noticed,” I said, rubbing my shoulder. “I think I get what you’re trying to say, though.”
“Yeah, death is not a bedfellow I’d like to get close to,” Veronica said.
Bandit frowned, Mercie rested a hand on her arm and whispered that it was an idiom.
“Well, if we get into a fight, do you need to stay here or will you have my back?'' I asked.
Veronica scoffed. “I’m just saying I’d rather mine for now. I actually missed it, and the credits are almost as good as being a privateer.”
“That’s awesome because we don’t know what we’re doing. And -”
The news blared an alert. The screech whirled into a siren at ear piercing volumes, succeeding in its mission to alert us.
“Aliens. Three sightings in three systems. They’ve arrived and we don’t know much other than that they’re rejecting every communication attempt. This is LCN News. Stay tuned for more,” the male newscaster said.
Bandit raised a hand to the view screen, arcing electricity from her palm to the device.
The air sizzled and crackled from her display. The entire station dimmed, and we kicked out of wormhole space.
“What the hell Bandit?” Mercie said.
“Holy fuck, that’s not possible,” Veronica said.
I set my half-eaten bowl of rice down and went to the station. Before I could even reach, a new wormhole cracked the space in front of our ship with a vortexing swirl.
“I need your gear out of my office, no bunk for you tonight,” Bandit said.
“Bandit, calm down, explain please,” Mercie pleaded.
“There are more than the three, only those systems let their public know. They’re just empty scout ships sending a message,” Bandit said with disdain.
“What’s the message?” I asked.
“We’re the masters of this quadrant. The Yoro will not relocate again. You need to leave or be destroyed. It says that on auto-repeat. There’s a buoy not far, I synced into everything it knew and then sent us back to mining,” Bandit said. Veronica went to talk, and Bandit held up a finger. “Your stuff out of my office. We cannot help and my priority is to detect their wormhole arrival points. The clock is ticking, and raw materials will still help the war effort.”
“What about the main force?” I asked with a grumble.
“Unknown, and hence my need to get into my office,” Bandit said, almost robotically.
I sighed and said, “Where’s the new wormhole to?”
“Yes, we’re going to a closer asteroid belt not far outside of Zepa. Should still have down on their luck assholes, just less of them. You men might as well suit up,” Bandit said.
“And me, I can help,” Mercie said.
“Alright, we ensure Bandit gets all the time she needs to prepare, and we get ready to mine. Feels odd but I think I get it,” I said.
Bandit nodded and said, “Yes, I’m guessing when I say this, but we should still have months before the main fleets arrive - I think.”
“Why warn us?” Veronica asked.
Mercie scoffed and said, “They want humans to leave so they can live here. Telling us to leave a few weeks or months before fighting is smart. We can’t build massive fleets or properly defend, but we sure as hell can find the time to run. How many humans do you think will immediately flee?”
No one answered because we all knew the answer was a lot, and I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to stay and fight for a fractured humanity.
CHAPTER 25
The Tunari Belt between systems - The Grizzly
Dec 25th 2247
“Exiting in three, two, and one,” I called out. “Scan initiating.”
A ping burst from the ship, hurrying to get a reading on the asteroid belt, and the nearby area. We arrived a few hundred kilometers from any rock to assess the situation.
Veronica said the tactic was standard, jump in, do a recon and then make a move.
Initial reports showed a half dozen big miners in the area. That boded well for safety, but nothing was guaranteed. Our school had taught us thousands of tricks commonly used in the belts, and after a while you trusted nothing, nowhere.
“Receiving a hail,” I said.
Mercie said, “I’ll take it.”
“Sending to the view screen now,” I said.
Veronica and I shifted to be out of the camera angle.
The view screen showed an aged woman with gray hair and stern brown eyes.
“Declare yourself,” the woman demanded.
“Are you the local authority?” Mercie asked politely.
The old woman rolled her eyes and said, “No, but I carry a big stick and I’m not afraid to use it. I wasn’t born yesterday. I know what that ship is.”
“A functioning miner and with the latest developments, a profitable one too with current rates,” Mercie said.
“Ah, heard through the buoys the nonsense about aliens wanting our planets. Rubbish, pure rubbish for the core powers to start consolidating the outer groups. Anyway, you can mine by us and donate a percentage, or go it alone,” the old woman said.
“The rate?” Mercie asked.
“Twenty percent, and no rockcrete crap to fill your quota,” she said in a snarky way.
“Give us a moment to discuss,” Mercie replied, and I muted the audio while cutting out the video. “Who is she?”
Bandit joined us and said, “The scans came back clean. There are a few signatures that may be pirates in the belt, but if you stick to the outside, we’ll be fine. I’m able to monitor the exterior while I work. Give me a moment… and done. I recommend quadrant AC ZB 22 14.”
Before she could retreat to her work, I asked, “And her offer?”
“There’s two privateers on this ship. If you need an old bitty and her dreadnought to protect you, then so be it,” Bandit said, leaving the room.
Veronica hung her head in shame, knowing that comment was meant for her.
“I just sent her a text thanking her for her offer,” Mercie said. She waited a moment. “Interesting, the reply called us fools.”
“Yes, well, they know what we are, let’s hope others do too,” I said.
“I’d like it if we were in Zepa or even the depleted belt in Nova,” Veronica said, noting her dislike of the situation.
“Veronica, lighten up. If we get in trouble, Bandit can line up a shot while we get inside. If someone attacks, and we have to run, we’ll leave and go fight the crowds. I just want you to know that Mars, China, England, America, and the list goes on; none of them are going to be sitting on their hands,” I said.
“What are you insinuating?” she asked.
Mercie answered for me, “Pirates are probably prepping their havens for defense, the big systems are tightening security, and no one cares about miners in a random belt for once. The big governments will send fleets to annex vital supply points.
“Nova for ship production and Zepa for mineral harvesting. Meaning we may be safest out here in the random belts. Hmm... Can the Lasing Coalition stop any of them if they dropped a fleet into each system?”
“You really think it’ll come to that?” she asked in astonishment.
“Yes, yes, I do, and so do you if you give it a mulling thought. Today, we entered a brand-new galaxy. At the same time, we need to hope for the best and expect the worst. Humanity needs raw materials, and we can help humanity by doing exactly what we are,” I said, dialing in a wormhole. “And I want some cool trinkets after we pay off our debts.”
“I need to call my parents,” Veronica said with a flustered exhale.
She stormed out of the living room and went to the airlock to get into a spacesuit. I shook my head in frustration.
The swirling vortex finished its creation process in front of us, and I flew us into the area Bandit had recommended.
We entered a new section of space with a whole bunch of floating rocks in front of us and infinite space behind us. I sent out a dozen drones to start gathering samples from drifting asteroids. At least a dozen scoured over rocks only in the size category that our ship could handle.
Once they zoomed out, eager to do their tasks, I went to my bedroom.
“She’s not calling her parents, is she?” Mercie asked.
I shrugged, leaving the door open for her. I wasn’t going to speculate.
Mercie closed the door and stripped out of her comfy sweats and t-shirt. When her bra popped off, I gawked at her nude body. The curves lured me in with their hypnotic ways.
Mercie waved by her face, distracting me.
“You’re so sexy,” I said.
“Sheesh, Bruce. Focus, your friend’s calling his overlords,” Mercie said with a smirk.
“Mercie, Bandit is on the ship, relax,” I said, my eyes drifting back down to her supple large breasts. “What were we talking about?”
“Ugh, you’re incorrigible,” Mercie said happily.
“Huh?” I said, with a twisted face of confusion.
She snickered and said, “Don’t you dare change. Lock the door.”
I raised a brow in confusion. When she wet her fingers and then slicked her pussy, I understood. Any question faded when she bent over the bed and spread her legs.
“I guess everyone is busy and the drones need time. Display, slow jazz: volume ten,” I ordered.
After I shed my comfy clothes, my boner spring boarded out of my shorts. Yeah, I was certainly in the mood for a quickie.
I clamped onto Mercie’s hips and spun her. She squealed in surprise and giggled when I rotated her onto her back. The way her hair cascaded down, and her body jiggled, was divine.
She gazed up at me with a playful grin. I knew what she was going to do.
Mercie scooted up, and I watched her large breasts threaten to smack her in the face. After devouring the sight of her smooth skin and elegant curves, I knew I was a lucky man.
I shimmied until I was on top of her. She leaned up, kissing me deeply. The tender connection of our lips transition into passionate kissing. Hands roamed, eyes closed, and we connected on a different level.
Our sex had been about love making lately, and I ditched the quickie for something more sensual. Her hands tugged at me, pulling my hips down until the tip of my penis teased her entry.
I lowered myself down, giving my hips a slow thrust up. Her folds parted, and her smooth walls squeezed onto my throbbing boner.
“Deeper, deeper. Dammit, Bruce, don’t tease me,” she said, nibbling on my ear. I shoved my dick in fully and her moan sent a wave of hot breath over my ear. “Your dick is amazing. Keep it there and don’t pull out.”
I grunted, driving my cock deeper. She spun her hips, using her motions to grind her clit against me while keeping my penis buried. Her slow gyration turned into our hips off the bed, and her doing all the work.
My hands clamped onto her waist above the hips, and she increased her tempo. Her thighs tightened around my frame with her pleasure heating us both.
“I’m going to cum on – your – big – fat – cock. Fill this pussy. Oh yes, Bruce. Put a baby in me. Oh yes. I’m cumming. Fill me with your – oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Fuck me! Fuck me!” Mercie clamored.
I stayed steady, her hips grinding in all the right ways. I got off on the dirty talk, and her climax brought me near the edge as well. I let her shudder and cum before I took over.
Once I had her flat on her back, I went aggressive, alternating between deep and shallow thrusts, doing it over and over. She eyed me seductively and played with her tits.
I felt my balls tighten when she licked her nipple. She squeezed her pussy extra tight, begging for my load. Unable to contain it any longer, I erupted into her.
I collapsed down with a pleasured sigh. Mercie clutched my hips, pulled me in tighter, and then ensured her pussy collected all my cum. She did this every time, and I thought it was endearing.
There was a .0001% my inhibitor would fail, because nothing was 100%. My sperm killer was though, and she never cared.
I laid on top of her, feeling a nap coming on and her sex squeezed my softening cock out until I flopped out. I gave a very content sigh.
“No time for a shower, flip over,” she said, and I did as she had ordered.
She hurried down to suck my cock clean, seductively keeping eye contact with me. I was in heaven and knew I was spoiled. She plopped my returning arousal out of her mouth and rushed to get into her spacesuit.
When her suit hugged her lovely body, it was like her sexy spell broke, and I could breathe again. She kissed my cheek, her face flush from the sex.
Focusing, I quickly left the bed to gear into my spacesuit and followed Mercie out of the room.
I popped my head into Bandit’s room, finding her muttering math equations.
“All good,” she said, not bothering to even glance over her shoulder. “Veronica sent a report of where we were and that it’s quiet here. She didn’t say anything else. She did call her parents and ask what they were planning on doing. She’s worried about them. They should get the message in a few hours - the buoy out here belongs to the dreadnought.”
“Thanks Bandit, you’re the best,” I said.
She replied, “I know, good luck.”
I left the hall, walking into the airlock. Mercie inspected me while I inspected her.
We both had magnetized las pistols, small jetpacks, boot thrusters, and emergency tethers.
With a smirk, I slid a hand over her chest and tapped her button over her heart, so her HUD swapped its display for me to see.
I glanced up and down, noticing green, a whole lot of green.
“Everything’s nominal, and your heart rate is only slightly elevated,” I told her.
“Interesting,” she said, reading my report. “Your heart rate is elevated too. Maybe I shouldn’t change in front of you before a mission.”
“You two are adorable,” Veronica said.
BOOM!
“Damn, Veronica,” I said, exiting the airlock and tightening down the exterior hatch. “We weren’t gone that long?”
Mercie struggled with the lack of gravity, trying to right herself as we went from 9 m/s to 1 m/s.
I scooped her up gently and she huffed in frustration but allowed my manhandling. I could tell she wanted to do this on her own. Unclamping my boots, I pushed off the back decking for the curved ramp.
“We got a good read. That Bandit girl knows her stuff,” Veronica said over the comms.
I carried us to the top of the deck, activating the lock on my boots and gently setting us down.
“Whoa!” Mercie exclaimed.
“Whoa indeed,” I said with my jaw open.
I’d never experienced an asteroid field outside of a simulator. The sprawling rocks rotated in a symphony of their own making, gently smacking into each other. Thousands and thousands of asteroids rotated, twirled, and swirled.
The sight lured me in, wondering how something so vast and numerous could ever be depleted. I knew this belt went for endless miles, and for brief moments as the asteroids danced, you could peer deeper into the labyrinth.
Above, below, and behind us, the stars of the universe twinkled brightly. So many stars, so much empty space. A shifting mass out my peripheral caught my eye.
Veronica slowly retrieved an asteroid the size of our ship. Slow was an understatement because the rock crawled, and if I didn’t hear a whine from the harpoon, I’d have thought it was stationary.
“While this is taking its time, let me teach. This second turret is to blow up asteroids. If we get a rogue unit approaching, you spin this little devil, and -” she spun a side turret and unleashed a big beam into a nearby asteroid.
BOOM!
The sight was awesome, and I bet firing that defense laser manually had to be fun. I had to admit to myself that I was a smidge jealous.
A shimmy told me thrusters counter the fighting rock’s initial desire to pull us back. With a further study, I noticed the main asteroid we caught had shifted a bit closer.
“Alright, so now I set the bracing poles,” Veronica said, suddenly going into teaching mode.
I watched the large rock loom closer. A red brown jagged exterior held no smooth sections and everywhere I looked I saw nooks, crannies, and divots. Overall, the asteroid was shaped like a peanut and appeared completely unremarkable.
Veronica walked to the starboard side of the ship’s edge and bent down. She grabbed a pole with two flat ends on it.
“You want to reel the rock in until it's about seven feet away from the ship. On a cruiser, or a dreadnought, this is done by yanking the prospective rock into a bay and the ship keeps pulling in decent finds until it retreats to safety to see what it got.
“Other captains, like the old bitty from earlier, she’ll stay here and churn out this field for decades without moving the momma ship. If I had to guess, she has a contingent of fighters in her bays, shields for a pinch, and extra guns on her sides. All so she can mine efficiently.
“Here, we mine it right off the ship. That’s why we lock our haul in place for now. As to the process for this class of ship. The harpoon retrieval is always gentle and slow. Trust me. Gentle and slow,” Veronica said. Her voice eased the last two lines.
