Stormcrow, page 25
“It is lively here at times, sir,” Tuttle smiled knowingly. “What else can I do for you this evening?”
“Nothing, Mister Tuttle, and I sincerely appreciate your taking time to meet me here off hours,” Tony offered his hand. “I can't say what good it will do, but I will put in a good word for you after the courtesy you've shown me this evening.”
“I appreciate that, sir,” 'Tuttle' beamed, shaking Tony's hand. “We're here to serve.”
“Good evening, then,” Tony took his leave. Stepping out onto the street he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The air here was cleaner than anywhere in the Sphere, save maybe his home of Lucia. His father maintained a strict management policy of clean air and water that was rigidly enforced. After some of the things he'd seen in his travels, Tony was more appreciative of his father's efforts.
He needed to tell his father that, it hit him suddenly. He needed to tell his father many things, in fact, as well as his mother. He might even talk to his siblings, though at the moment that was still out.
Whistling happily, he set out to find himself some entertainment among Elvy's not inconsiderable night life.
“That's it,” Faulks said tiredly as she placed the last cargo-tainer in place and strapped it down. “Thanks, Galen,” she added while she worked. “You hadn't helped; I'd have been down here all night.”
“Glad to do it,” Sean told her, surprised to find he meant it. “I need to check on the water,” he added. “You got this?”
“Already done but for sweeping, and I got that,” Faulks nodded. “I'm just gonna check the tie-downs first and then clean up and square away. We'll be getting a load before morning.”
“Gotta love steady work,” Galen nodded.
His mind was turning over what Faulks has said, weighing the pros and cons. Working with Faulks tonight had been an eye-opening experience. While it might be an act, she appeared to have had some kind of revelation. Maybe this time the Captain had really gotten through to her, he didn't know.
He did know that she was right about one thing. Staying here was preferable to starting over somewhere else yet again. Especially if he could trust the rest to stay quiet about his past. And it was in their best interest to do so.
He decided again that he'd talk to Tony and Lincoln about it before he decided one way or another. He trusted Tony as much as he did anyone in the galaxy, and he liked and respected Lincoln. Their opinion would be weighed into what he already knew before he made a decision.
“Good grief,” Meredith groaned as she pushed her plate across the table from her and leaned back. “If we lived here I'd weigh three hundred pounds in a year.”
“And I'd still love you,” Lincoln promised, still working on his last steak. Last as in 'last of three' wonderfully cooked rib-eye beef steaks. Accompanied by fresh fried potatoes and preceded by a salad with all fresh ingredients and an in-house dressing.
“Liar,” Meredith grinned. She was very happy at the moment. Having an issue, any issue, hanging between her and her husband had been worrisome to her. So long as the two of them were on the same page, the rest of the world could be collapsing and she could deal with it.
“Am not,” Lincoln looked mildly offended, though it wasn't enough to stop him from taking another bite of steak.
“How can you still be eating?” Meredith demanded, eyes wide.
“I'm hungry,” Linc replied easily, as if that explained everything.
“Well, assuming you ever get done eating, what's next on your agenda?” Meredith asked, leaning forward again and resting her elbows on the table.
“There are two options,” Linc smiled. “We can go to their theater, where there is a production of Swan Lake, of all things, being performed by a local amateur group, or. . .” he smiled then popped the last piece of steak into his mouth, “or, we can go to our room and make out. After a soak in a spa tub. A private spa tub with water jets and whirlpool.”
“Really?” Meredith asked, eye brows raised.
“Really,” Linc slid his own plate away. “Just for you my queen,” he added with a smile.
“I don't deserve you,” Meredith said softly, her left hand moving to stroke his cheek gently.
“You really don't,” Linc replied deadpan, “but since you have me, there's no point in worrying over that. Your choice, milady. What's it going to be?”
“I've never been a fan of theater,” Meredith said, standing slowly and holding her hand out to her husband. “I think I'll take option two.”
“Door two it is,” Linc took her hand as he stood. He paused long enough to leave a tip for their waitress and then the two of them walked toward the room he'd already reserved.
It was looking like a pretty good night after all.
Jessica Travers tossed once more on her bunk as she tried unsuccessfully to get to sleep. There was no good reason that she couldn't sleep other than. . .well, that she couldn't. It didn't make sense considering how tired she was.
She tried fluffing her pillows and re-situating herself on the bed, but with no more luck than before. While comfortable, sleep simply was not going to come. Finally, she got up, put on her night coat and stepped out into the passageway, moving quietly down to the galley.
She stopped in the doorway when she saw Sean Galen sitting at the table, reading. He looked up as she entered and frowned slightly, though it disappeared in an instant.
“Something wrong?” he asked, closing the book and marking his page with a finger. The move was oddly familiar to her.
“My father used to do that,” she said wistfully, nodding to his hand. “And no, nothing's wrong, other than I can't sleep.” She came forward and sat down at her usual spot.
“Excited to see your family I'm sure,” Galen nodded, laying the book aside after placing a book mark. “You've been gone a long time.”
“Yes, I have,” her voice took on that wistful tone yet again. “But it will be worth it.”
“Five years is a long time,” Galen nodded again, his mind working. Was he under her influence somehow? If so, was it chemically induced? Or had she slipped something into the food while she was helping Tony in the kitchen. Why hadn't that occurred to him before now?
“Is sure is,” Jessica didn't notice his ruminations. “But there was no other way, you see? I had to go into the Mid-terior in order to get my teaching degree. That was the only way for me to get where I wanted to be.”
“Always wanted to be a teacher?” Galen asked, his senses working overtime as he asked simple questions.
“I don't know about always,” Jess smiled. “For a while I wanted to be a pirate, until I realized what that actually meant. Then I wanted to be miner, like my father, so I could have a helmet with a light on it. Then, once I was along in school, I saw how not having a proper education was hurting people on my world. Keeping them down, you know? That was when I decided I could help more people as a teacher than I could as a miner, or certainly as a pirate, even one like RazorRick,” she laughed.
“I don't know who that is,” Sean admitted, frowning. “Is he an outlaw where you hail from?”
“You're kidding, right?” Jess looked shocked. “RazorRick was only the most handsome and debonair space pirate ever in the history of the known universe! Always helping the oppressed, stealing from powerful barons and thieves to help those less fortunate. How could you not know who RazorRick is?”
“Wait, are we talking about some kind of vid show?” Sean asked.
“Well of course!” Jess smiled.
“We didn't have anything like that,” he shrugged, realizing finally why he didn't recognize the reference. “We spent our time learning and doing. He sounds like a nice enough fellow,” he added as Jess continued to frown.
“Wow, I can't imagine how boring it must have been without RazorRick,” Jessica shook her head.
“Trust me, it wasn't boring,” Sean laughed lightly. “We worked, we played, we had lessons of all kinds every day and most every night.”
“What kind of lessons?” Jessica leaned forward, interested.
“Hunting, tracking, other skills,” Sean shrugged. “And we had school lessons of course,” he added. “We were well trained.”
“You make is sound like a rite of passage, the way you say that,” Jessica laughed.
“Just the ways of our people,” Sean replied carefully. He had been about to say 'that comes later on', but caught himself. He was more and more convinced that Jessica had some kind of hidden ability to influence other people. Whether she was aware of it or not he still wasn't sure. But now that he knew it, he could guard against it.
“Well, I'm going to get some warm milk and then try again to get some sleep,” Jess said suddenly, standing. “Good night, Galen.”
“Night,” Sean nodded, watching her go into the galley. “I'm turning in myself,” he added, getting to his feet. He went to his own cabin without waiting for her to return.
“RazorRick?” Tony looked confused.
“That's what she said,” Sean nodded absently as he continued to work on a water valve that had become stuck while the water tank was being filled. It was still early but Tony had returned just after sunrise. Faulks had already supervised the loading of the new cargo and they were only waiting on Lincoln and Meredith to get back into space.
“I never heard of it either,” Tony admitted with a shrug. “Sure it wasn't a local thing?”
“No idea,” Sean shrugged, finally succeeding in closing the valve to the water circulation unit. “I never watched any of that stuff, so I got no clue.”
“Well, I watched some shows, but I don't recall that one.”
“Which one?” Lincoln's voice floated down the passageway. The two looked up to see the pilot saunter into the engine room. “What one, for that matter?” he asked with a smile. “How are you two doing this morning?”
“Good here,” Tony answered with a grin of his own.
“Same here,” Sean agreed, sans grin. “We were talking about a show that Jessica said she used to watch as a kid that made her want to be a pirate before she was a teacher.”
“Yeah?” Lincoln's eyebrow rose. “Which show?” he asked, leaning against the hatchway.
“Something called RazorRick?” Sean said over his shoulder as he put his tools away. He wasn't looking so he missed the color draining from Lincoln's face. Tony didn't.
“What is it, bossman?” Tony asked, frowning.
“Are you sure that's what she said?” Lincoln asked. “RazorRick? Stole from the rich and gave it to the poor? That kind of thing?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact,” Sean had turned around. “Why? You heard of it? Neither of us have.”
“That's because the show is at least forty years old,” Linc said softly.
“Say who now?” Tony looked confused.
“RazorRick was on when I was a kid,” Linc told them flatly. “And I'm a hell of a lot older than Jess Travers. The show has to be nearly a half-century old. And it wasn't on that long. Maybe three years, if I remember right.”
“She must have seen it on a rerun, then,” Sean offered, despite the hair rising on the back of his neck.
“No,” Linc shook his head. “The reason it went off the air was that someone complained that it was anti-government, which it was, really. RazorRick was based on a number of other tales that all traced back to earth and the story of Robin of Locksley. Robin Hood, you probably heard him called.”
“So it got canceled for that?” Tony asked.
“And destroyed,” Lincoln nodded. “It was overreaching by a long mile, to be honest,” he said grimly. “Led to a series of court decisions that limited the central government's power for the next quarter of a century. Probably held off the Frontier War by at least that long, too, since it put a halt to the moves the Commonwealth was making on the Frontier Rim and among even some Mid-Terior worlds. One of the decisions involved the Commonwealth's seizing all of the RazorRick material and destroying it as subversive because it was teaching children to defy the government.”
“So how could she have seen it then?” Tony asked.
“She shouldn't have,” Lincoln said softly. “No older than she is, there's no real way she could have seen it on any legal station.”
“Maybe someone had it recorded from home and she saw it there,” Tony offered.
“That's possible, but not likely,” Lincoln shook his head. “Possession of anything the Commonwealth labeled 'subversive' back then carried a hard penalty with it.”
“Fines? Imprisonment? What?” Tony asked.
“Death in some cases,” Lincoln's answer surprised both younger men. “Like I said, it was a bad time. The case concerning RazorRick set the Commonwealth back on its ass for a long time, but they'd already destroyed the show and its creators. At the time anyone caught in possession of the show would have automatically been declared subversive and arrested. It's unlikely anyone would have chanced it. Too risky.”
“Then how could she have seen it as a kid?” Sean asked. “She was young, maybe five I guess, the way she talked about it. And she was pretty adamant about it being the show that made her want to be a pirate when she was a kid.”
“She couldn't have,” Lincoln said flatly. “I mean, there's always the possibility that someone had a bootleg copy, but. . .I really can't see anyone taking that chance, guys. It was a different time and people were afraid of the government.”
“With good reason, apparently,” Tony's voice was hard. “That's a bunch of shit, right there, Lincoln!”
“I agree,” Lincoln raised his hands in supplication. “Hell, I liked the show, myself.”
“The show being confiscated ain't the problem, Tony,” Sean's voice took on a hard edge. “The problem is how the hell she saw it as a kid, as if it was a current show. According to Lincoln, the show was destroyed before she was ever born!”
Unaware that she was once again the subject of an intense discussion among the male members of the crew, Jessica Travers sat in the pilot's seat on the bridge of the Celia, preparing for the ship's departure. As she ran through the pre-flight check list she became aware of a presence behind her and turned to see Meredith Simmons looking at her from the hatchway.
“Good morning, Captain,” she smiled easily. “Did you have a good evening?”
“I did indeed,” Meredith nodded, walking onto the bridge. “Did you manage to get any rest?”
“Finally,” Jess sighed, returning to her work. “I tossed and turned for a long time but finally got to sleep.”
“One more lift-off and re-entry and you'll be home, Jess,” Meredith said softly, a slight smile gracing her lips. “I know it’s taken a long time, but you're almost there. And I have to admit I'm glad you were here. I don't know what we'd have done without you.”
“Without me, you wouldn't have needed me,” Jess pointed out at once, though she didn't stop working this time. “All of the trouble you had was caused by my presence, Captain. And I cannot tell you enough how sorry I am for that, either.”
“That's not really accurate, Jessica,” Meredith said evenly. “That could have happened to any of us, at any time. The real problem was my attitude toward Sean Galen. I had no business being upset to start with, let alone pushing him so hard. That was entirely on me. If I hadn't done that, he wouldn't have been leaving the ship, we wouldn't have needed a new engineer, and we wouldn't have been on the station to be taken in the first place.”
“And the irony, of course, is that Galen offered to stay aboard to help get his own replacement situated before leaving, so he was still here when the call came to the ship. If he hadn't been, I don't like to think about our chances of being rescued.”
“He never suggested not doing it,” Jessica nodded. “He left the decision in Tony's hand because Tony was technically the only member of the crew on the ship since he'd quit, but he was ready to lend a hand to whatever Tony wanted to do.”
“I know,” Meredith nodded, staring out the screen without really looking at anything. “And, like you, I can't tell him I'm sorry, or thank you, enough times for it to be sufficient. He saved all three of us when we had no right of any kind to expect his help. Especially me,” she added ruefully.
“Or Faulks,” Jessica reminded her, but grinned over her shoulder to rob the words of any sting. “And it seems as if the two of them have buried the hatchet. I mean, without actually burying it in each other’s heads,” she added with a laugh.
“That is something else to be thankful for,” Meredith gave a similar chuckle. “And I'm glad for it. Maybe between here and Halcyon Galen will decide to stay after all. That would make me very happy.”
“You should tell him that, then,” Jessica suggested.
“I have, more than once,” Meredith reminded her.
“Doesn't hurt to get another plug in whenever you can,” Jessica shrugged.
“I suppose that's true,” Meredith sighed. “I'll look for an opportunity to try again. Meanwhile,” she turned business like, “how close are we to lifting off?”
“About another ten minutes or so and we'll be a ready fifteen, once we get our clearance,” Jess replied absently. “That shouldn't take too long, I should think,” she added.
“The new freight is already secured, so once you've finished, go ahead and request clearance. Once you get it, make the announcement and prepare to get us airborne. Sooner we're on our way, the sooner you're home again.”
“Yes, ma'am!”
Faulks happened to be at the ramp when the vehicle drifted by the Celia. Five men were in the open air hover bed, scanning the ships along the pad. There weren't many, but she knew two had already departed with the morning and from the chatter on the radio there were at least two more in the queue on their way in. A place like Liberty Vale had ships in and out and at all hours pretty much non-stop, ferrying foodstuffs all over this side of the galaxy.
The former Marine's eyes narrowed as she took in the five men. They were so obviously up to no good that they may as well have been wearing signs declaring 'we steal shit'. Without taking her eyes from the vehicle she reached for the I/C unit near the ramp.
