crew had two of the hangar decks crammed,” Jake said as he put his coat on. He picked up the white silk scarf after and just looked at it for a moment.
“That was hers?”
“She made it for Jonas out of something she wore.”
“They'd both want you to have it, I'm sure.”
He looked at it for a moment, draped over his black gloved hand. “I don't know if I'll ever measure up to Jonas, but I'm starting to understand him.”
“I can help you, you know. If you're looking for a road map to those memories, I have seventeen years worth of directions,” Alice smiled at him. There was a change, a drastic one. The hard surface wasn't eroding, but looking into his eyes you could see a light turning on.
“How are you fitting in here?” he asked.
“I like Ashley and Stephanie. It's like standing between polar opposites.”
He laughed and nodded. “I know what you mean.”
“They're happy here, more so every day. There's something going on between Stephanie and Frost though.”
“Tell me if it turns into something. Those are two very strong personalities, it could cause problems if they have an issue with each other.”
“I'll tell you if anything happens,” she winked.
“There's something I need you to do for me,” he smiled at her. It was genuine, warm.
“What's that?”
“I want you to leak some information. Do it through the night bridge staff as though this information wasn't meant for general knowledge.”
She looked at him a little more seriously.
“I looked at the Triton from a financial point of view. With a full crew of thirty five hundred and an air wing it would cost a little over two hundred eighty million credits to run for a year.”
“Oh my God,” she said slowly, her eyes going wide.
“Tomorrow is payday. Their on-board accounts will be credited and the civilians will start providing services for a fee. Before that happens, I need the rumour that I can afford this ship out of pocket for three years to start spreading. I want everyone to secretly know that I'm wealthy and the only source of real income for the ship.”
“Why not just tell them yourself?”
“Because that would invite a conversation about bonuses, overtime, pay by rank, raises and a few other topics. If they think I'm guarding my finances, that I'm hesitant to even divulge how much I have then it makes it harder to question what they're getting.”
She hesitated for a moment then braced herself. “Jake, do you actually have that kind of cash?”
“I've managed to save up a lot more than anyone knows over the last five years. The Samson saved me a lot of money, most other ships would have fallen apart under the strain we put her under. That, and I sold my last cargo hauler to her Captain. He had a really good year so he was able to transmit payment right away. Besides, I didn't go against the Aucharians until I got paid for our last capture, thirty marauder corvettes.”
Her eyes went wide. “That's a windfall.”
“I can afford to run this ship for four years out of my accounts. No one has a thing to worry about.”
“So you can actually afford to own this ship and pay her crew on your own. I've never heard of anyone owning their own carrier before,” she said, chuckling but in awe of the concept. “Not all to themselves.”
“If we find people who are like minded out there, I can afford to invite them as allies, not sign on as a privateer. We take a haul, it's ours to do whatever we'd like with. That, and if we manage to get everything up to spec we can start using excess power to materialize things we can sell.”
She giggled and gave him a brief embrace. “What do you want to do? This opens everything up.”
“I want to go get Laura and Ayan, train for a month then show Regent Galactic what kind of enemy they've made, starting with their intelligence network and slavery operations. While that's under way I want to track down whatever's left of Vindyne.”
“Then that's what's we'll do, but first I have to tell you something, you're not going to like it.”
Captain Valance crossed his arms and leaned against the front of his black topped desk. “Whatever it is, we'll get through it.”
Alice took a deep breath and went on. “Before I found Jonas on the Malice, Gabriel Meunez's ship, I finished a strange job. An edxian named Zarrix had purchased a salvaged cargo from a friend of mine.”
“An edxian? I've never seen one,” Jake commented.
“I have now. They're strange, couldn't be more alien. I don't even think an issyrian could shape shift into one. Anyway, Zarrix was an exile, and the cargo was from a successful biological experiment. Some company had used edxian DNA to create something else and just as they were about to sell it on the market the edxians found out. They destroyed the lab to satisfy their honour but some of the humans got away with research and raw materials. My friend found their ship after it had undergone hyperspace emitter failure and salvaged it. I delivered the materials and found out that this exile is going to use them to show his people that humans were about to continue their work. According to him it won't matter which humans were planning to go ahead with it, his people will start a war and kill or capture everyone in their path.”
“Capture? What for?”
Alice couldn't help but remember the sound of the word from Zarrix, his grating voice was something she'd never forget. “Cattle. Humans are a delicacy. He said they'd be starting with Ara Enormous, since that's where the materials were last,” she paused a moment and shrugged. “I don't know what to do.”
Jake thought quietly before replying. “If we could broadcast a report from you at the next port, maybe even when we're about to leave the Enreega system, then it could help. The only government large enough to do anything about this in the area is Regent Galactic. I don't expect much movement from them on this.”
“I wish I still had the Clever Dream. Her computers have all the data recorded from the whole experience. I have my conversation with Zarrix on my command unit, but the extra data would help, especially the more detailed scans of the hold.”
“Well, we'll broadcast your conversation on our way out of ports. That'll also get it on the Stellarnet. Maybe someone will listen.”
“Hopefully. I just can't get over the fact that I gave Zarrix everything he needed to inspire his people to go to war.”
“How could you have known?”
“You're right, I couldn't have, but if I had destroyed the evidence once I found out what it was it could have stopped there. I was just too afraid.”
“Would you have survived it?”
“Probably not, but if I were braver thousands, maybe even millions could have been saved.”
“I can't blame you for wanting to get out of there, I would have done the same myself. This isn't your fault, the people who ran these experiments and tried to profit from them are responsible. If what the exile told you is right, that's where it started. Besides, what if you tried to destroy the evidence and failed? Then you'd be dead and there'd be no one to warn people about this.”
Alice looked to him expectantly. He had never seen her appear so vulnerable.
“No, you did exactly what you should have. Now you're here and we can spread the word. Besides, if you didn't make the choice you did you wouldn't be here, I would still be looking for you,” he smiled at her warmly. “I'd still be out here searching for a daughter I'd never find.”
Alice sighed and smiled back at him, she couldn't help it. “Thank you Jake, I needed to hear that.”
“Any time. Just don't tell the crew I have a soft spot,” there was that smile again, open, warm, welcoming. The memory of it would help her through the days to come.
Two Hours To Hyperspace
The gunnery crew, all two hundred and eighty three of them assigned to the upper deck, stood in ranks in
