Dauntless (Taurian Empire Book 5), page 1
Dauntless
By
Nate Johnson
Copyright 2018 Nathan Johnson
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof in any form. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means. This is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author's imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Purple Herb Publishing
AuthorNateJo@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNateJo/
Dedicated to
David Goodman
Other books by Nate Johnson
Intrepid (Taurian Empire)
Blackthorn (Taurian Empire)
Discovery (Taurian Empire)
Drake's Rift (Taurian Empire)
Stolen Reality
Worth Saving
Nolan Reed
A Demon’s Nightmare
First (Short Story)
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Author Notes
Intrepid
Dauntless
Chapter One
His heavy breathing echoed inside his helmet like an out-of-shape Valerian Wombat. Almost there, he told himself as a bead of sweat dripped into his eyes.
Shaking his head to clear his vision, Big Jake McCauley swung the double-jack, his two-handed sledgehammer, bending the cotter pin and locking the long arm in place. The final step in shutting down the mining site before he took his ore to the mill.
Looking out over the work site bathed in the glare from the Dauntless’ lights, he smiled to himself. The site had proven out well. More than he had expected. If he was lucky, he’d clear enough to keep the bank off his back and away from his throat.
Now it was just a matter of getting the load of ore back to mill. Then rinse and repeat.
Nelson had been correct. This had turned out to be a great claim. Swallowing hard, Jake tried to push aside memories of his late partner, now resting in the morgue on the Bethlehem, waiting to be shipped home like a dozen other miners. The man had pulled him out of hell and given him a chance.
The thought that they had finally hit something and Nelson wasn’t there to enjoy it, ate at Jake like a New Kansas wasp. Burrowing in and refusing to let him rest. It wasn’t right. None of it. Sighing heavily, he shook his head, fighting to pull himself together. This was not the place nor the time to think about it.
Grabbing his tool bag in one hand and his huge hammer in the other, he slowly walked across the asteroid to Dauntless’ airlock. Turning one last time, he checked to make sure he hadn’t left anything behind. The profit margins for this stuff was too slim as it was. He couldn’t afford to be leaving equipment laying around for any scrounger to pick-up.
Seeing that the site was empty. He entered the airlock and latched it shut. A quiet sense of pride washed through him as the air cycled into the airlock. He had done it. A full load. A job that normally called for three men, sometimes four. And he’d done it alone. It looked like he’d be able to keep his ship for another month.
Letting out a long sigh, he removed his helmet and wiped the sweat from his eyes and scratched at his collar. The sooner he was out of this suit, the sooner he would start to feel semi-normal again.
“AMI,” he called to the ship’s computer pronouncing her name as Amy. It preferred it that way. “Start preparations for departure,” he commanded as he unzipped his suit. The rank odor of a human body wrapped up in Teflon and rubber for half a day hit him between the eyes, but he pushed it aside. He’d shower after they had started for home.
“Preparations complete,” the soft feminine voice of the AI responded as he sat down in the command chair. The AI and the ship were one in the same to him. All wrapped up together. In some ways, his only friend. The one thing that stood between him and instant death. If he couldn’t rely on her, then he might as well pack it in now.
The thought of someone else possessing the ship made his stomach clench up into a tight ball. He would not let that happen, no matter what.
Jake shifted to double check the readout, then disengaged the gravity sync. The ship and asteroid slowly drifted apart. His brow narrowed as he looked at his claim. A rock floating in space. A thousand yards by three hundred. A combination of iron and nickel with a little platinum thrown in. Just what the mill on the Bethlehem was looking for.
If he got what he thought he might, he’d be able to pay down a good chunk of the back debt and be only one more payment away from paying off the bank.
Scowling to himself, he checked to make sure they were clear before saying, “Take us home, girl.”
AMI acknowledged as the gravity field fluttered for just a second, compensating for the forward thrust. He was going to have to check out that generator. The flutter was getting worse.
Sighing, he leaned back and closed his eyes. Thirty-two days out and a full load. one more trip like this and he’d own the Dauntless outright. Nelson’s family would be paid off, and he could focus on building his fortune.
A couple of years and he’d be richer than a Taurian prince.
Of course, the average lifespan of an asteroid miner was about six months. A year if he was lucky. So, two years would be pushing it. But he just might be able to pull it off. If not, no one would give a crap, so nothing lost.
Sighing to himself, he slowly fell asleep. He’d shower later. It wasn’t like there was anyone to care.
.o0o.
Two days after leaving the claim, AMI fired the thrusters to bring the Dauntless into phase with the Bethlehem. Jake would maneuver her into the docking bay. Not that AMI couldn’t do it. Probably better than he could if he was honest. But he refused to let a computer have all the fun.
At three miles long and a good half mile wide, the Bethlehem sat in dark space, halfway between Corona and the system’s wormhole. A steel mill hanging in nothingness, she supplied half the galaxy with rolled steel. And he was one of the small cogs that made it work.
A long tube. Ore going in on one end and rolled steel coming out the other.
Grabbing the stick, he fired the thrusters and brought the Dauntless into the loading dock as smooth as a swan on a mountain lake.
“Hook us up,” he instructed AMI.
The computer extended the ship’s grappling arms and locked onto the pier. His stomach lurched a little as the two gravity fields synced up.
“Processing says we are next in line and they can start unloading,” AMI informed him.
“Good, tell supply to deliver our order. No need to wait.”
AMI beeped an acknowledgment.
A heavy clang behind the ship let him know the hangar doors were closed. A green light over the main hatch told him the pressure had been established and was holding.
Big Jake checked the mill’s readout. Half of the four hangers were being used. Each one containing a mining ship unloading or picking up supplies. Once they were done, they’d return to the asteroid fields to get more of the vital commodity that gave this place meaning.
It would take the mill most of a day to unload his ship. They had to coordinate between all the ships and ensure a steady, smooth flow into the crushers.
“I assume you will be loading supplies upon their delivery and not waiting until we are empty,” AMI asked.
“Well, Dad always said to make sure to camp on the other side of the river,” he answered, wondering briefly if AMI would understand the saying.
She beeped in acknowledgment.
He almost grinned slightly. Either she understood or was pretending that she did.
When the auto-cart arrived with his supply order, he started carrying boxes into the ship and piling them up in one of the spare cabins. He’d unpack and stow everything before they departed. But at the moment he heard a beer calling his name.
A burning desire to finish flowed through him. He needed to see if anyone had any information about Nelson’s death. Besides, he needed a beer badly. After thirty-four days, the beer would taste like the nectar of the gods.
Checking himself in the mirror, he confirmed that he looked semi-presentable. A miner could forget about the small things. He’d shaved that morning, trimmed his hair, and pulled out a clean shirt and the jeans with the fewest repairs.
“Who you kidding,” he mumbled to himself in the mirror. “In your case, clothes do not make the man.”
Lacing up his boots, he shook his head. People. The one drawback with this job was that every month or so he had to interact with people. He could have sat on his ship until they were unloaded then gone right back out. But he needed information. There would be people who might know what happened to his friend.
One thing was for sure. He wasn’t leaving this place until he found out who killed Nelson. In addition, he needed information abou
It was one of the many tasks that Nelson used to perform. In fact, he had been good at it. Discovering which miners were making money and which might be looking to jump a claim. When the ore supply was dropping off and when the price was going to drop. All the little stuff that made the business almost profitable.
Scowling, he stepped outside again, patting the ship’s hull.
“Lock her up AMI, I should be back in a couple of hours.”
“Of course. Should I have a hangover preventative ready,” she asked.
“What do you think,” he said with a scoff.
“I will make a double batch.”
He almost laughed. The girl was getting mouthy.
“Just keep an eye on things and call me if there is any kind of problems.”
Again, she beeped her acknowledgment. She well knew how much he hated leaving her. His entire life was wrapped up in the ship. If anything happened to her, he’d be stranded on the beach. No money, no home, and no future.
The solid thunk of the closing hatch behind him sent a shiver down his spine. He shook it off and headed for the Red Rose. Probably not a smart move. A seedy dive with more criminals than a Corona prison, but if he was going to learn anything, it would be there. Besides the beer was cold.
As he passed through the loading bay hatch he was surprised again at just how big the Bethlehem was. Three main decks. The massive fusion plant that supplied the mill and everything else was the lowest. Next was the processing plant that turned raw ore into a finished product. And finally, the living spaces for over six hundred men and women. Sixty feet high with a curved arch above and steel streets beneath his feet. Homes, stores, and office space were all mixed together with the higher-class neighborhoods located towards the shipping docks on the other end. As far from the noisy crushers as possible.
Stepping into the Red Rose, he shuddered as a wave of noxious weed from a dozen different planets washed over him. The place smelled like a burning field after fertilization. Not a pleasant smell. But every other place within walking distance was going to be just as bad.
Making his way to the bar he scanned the room for trouble. A dozen small metal tables with hard metal chairs. Booths along the far side. A couple of Tony Rose’s guys sat in the corner, scoping him out, obviously looking for an easy mark. The kind of men with bent noses and more muscles than brains.
That was one of the beauties of being his size. Guys like that left him alone. Better to spend their time on easier targets. Had they or their compatriots been responsible for Nelson’s death? It wasn’t the first time he had wondered about them. But why?
The rest of the tables were manned by miners with money burning a hole in their pocket. Or ex-miners drowning their sorrows at not having a job, and mill workers trying to figure out how they had ended up here in the armpit of the galaxy working a job they hated.
In other words, a normal crowd.
Big Jake signaled Jocko the bartender for a beer. Then held up a second finger. No use making the guy make two trips.
Smiling, Jocko set the beers down in front of him and raised an eyebrow.
“Give me a minute,” Jake said as he downed the first beer in one long swallow.
“God, that’s good,” he said to himself as he set down the empty glass and grabbed the full one. This time, he only finished half of it as he turned to examine the room again.
In a booth on the far side, three other mining captains were hunched over, talking in whispers. Big Jake shuddered but pushed himself off the bar. As good a place as any to start asking about Nelson.
“Hey, Jake,” Captain Peterson of the Mine ship ‘Tampa’ said as he raised a glass. “We were just about to toast Nelson.”
Jake nodded and joined them in lifting a glass to his former business partner and the original captain of the mining ship Dauntless.
“You hear anything. The cops find out what happened?” Captain Peterson asked.
Jake slowly shook his head as his stomach scrunched up into a tight ball. His one and only friend had been beaten to death only a few blocks from this very spot the last time they were in port. And the mill’s security force was useless.
“No nothing. But you know this area. It could have been anyone.”
Captain Peterson nodded. “Yeah, it could have been anyone,” he said as he looked across the bar at the two thugs who worked for Tony Rose.
But why would these two or anyone for that matter want to hurt Nelson? Jake wondered. Nelson didn’t have very much money on him. No known enemies. There was no reason to hurt his friend.
“I’ve been talking to the cops almost every day on the radio. I promised them I’d let them try. But they're useless. I guess I’m going to have to start cracking heads together until I found out what happened.”
A sadness washed over him as he pulled up a chair and sat down, signaling for a round of drinks.
“So, you really went out alone?” Captain Jefferson of the Ida Lewis asked, looking at him as if he was half insane.
Jake nodded.
“And got a full load, in thirty days?”
Again, Jake nodded as he finished his beer.
Peterson laughed. “You are as talkative as a Valerian sloth in winter.”
Jake shrugged his shoulders and turned when the front door opened. A shock ran through him. A girl like that should not walk into a bar like this.
Chapter Two
Jake shook his head as he tried not to stare. The young woman was a deadly combination of beauty, innocence, and class. Three things that were wasted on the Red Rose. Every man in the joint turned to stare. But that would have happened in any room in the galaxy when she walked in.
Early twenties, chestnut brown hair, doe-like eyes, a white shirt and a black skirt that highlighted her curves perfectly. Not the normal apparel for this part of the mill. But there was something else. A sense of innocence that pulled at a man’s heart. That look that reminded him of what he had left behind at home. The look that reminded him of what he was missing in this life.
He’d been alone too long, she made him realize.
Gritting his teeth, Jake turned away and focused on his empty beer glass. The woman had made a mistake coming in here. Places like the Red Rose were not kind to the innocent.
Even if she looked like a kitten lost in the jungle. It wasn’t his problem, he reminded himself. Of course, Nelson would have chastised him for having such a cold heart. He’d have thought it his mission in life to help the helpless.
Jake scoffed and shook his head when he thought about his friend. The man had surely helped him when he needed it.
Sighing, he pushed to his feet and headed for the bar for a refill. He got there just as Miss Innocent arrived. She shot him a quick glance then just as quickly looked away.
What was a girl like that doing in a place like this? One of the lowest dives in a far-off hell. She looked like she should be walking the campus of the Taurian University. Books in her arms, carefree and full of potential.
Instead, she appeared nervous. As if she knew how out of place she was. Like a sleek cat finding herself in a wolf pack.
Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, she frowned.
He knew what she saw. What every woman saw. A small giant. A tall man with too many scars. He’d seen that look too many times to let it hurt him though. Instead, he motioned to Jocko for another beer.
“Excuse me,” she said to Jocko as she raised a hand to get his attention. “I’m looking for Captain Williams. I was told he might be in here.”
Jocko shook his head and moved to the far end of the bar to deal with another customer.
The young woman frowned, Jake could tell that she knew when she was being blown off.
“How about you?” she asked, turning towards him.
Jake put his beer down to study her. For just the briefest of seconds, the world fell away and he was reminded of what life could have been. The moment was broken when he caught sight of Tony Rose stepping up to the railing on the upper floor. Staring down at the woman like she was a long-lost treasure.
