quietly listening in on the conversation were turning away from their work. People who were removing refuse stopped where they were and put their loads down quietly. The issyrian’s eyes narrowed to slits and fixed on Oz, who wished he would be giving everyone better news. “No, we’re leaving Triton temporarily while we get things sorted out.”
“Sounds like you’re letting a bunch of bureaucrats tell us we can’t stand on the deck of our own ship. I’m speaking for everyone when I say-“
“Can it, Frost,” Oz said firmly.
“Now you wait just-“
“Look out a window, shut your hole and use your brain for one second. This is a fight you can’t win with a gun.”
“What if Captain Valance is on his way here right now? What if he’s got something no one’s thought of, he’s done it more than once.”
“If he’s not on comms, then he probably doesn’t know we’re here. Besides, it looks like the warrant they have out for him is why we’re being ordered to abandon ship. What we need are solutions, so tell me how the systems aboard the Enforcer look, please?” Oz asked forcefully.
“On the Enforcer? They’re fine if you’re looking for scrap, but I wouldn’t even try to turn the main electrical board on, and we detonated a high powered EMP right in the middle of their reactor room. Where’s Chief Grady?”
“The Botanical Gallery. He’s been controlling Triton’s main power systems from there.”
“Well, that explains a bit.”
“Would you move people onto the Enforcer?” Asked Jason.
“I wouldn’t move my Aunt Elaine aboard, and she’s a crotchety bitch. What we didn’t tear up disabling this boat was ripped apart by her crew before they abandoned her.”
“So much for plan B. Jason, get something ready to transmit to Carthan authorities so we can lay a claim on the Enforcer.”
“Already done, and I have a rough appeal for possession of the Triton ready to go. It’s all on your comm.”
“All right, I’m sending a notification to all sections to get ready to evacuate.”
“You could lose the crew over this, Oz,” Frost warned.
“Not if I have you and all the other commands backing me.” Agameg nodded his acceptance as Oz said the words. He had taken command of the liberated slaves, and it was all Oz could do to hope that they would all follow the cunning issyrian. “I need you to be in line with this,” Oz appealed to Frost.
“Aye, on one condition. We come back. We bled for her, we earned her.”
Oz hadn’t known Frost long, but he was absolutely certain that committing to that promise would define his purpose until he delivered. “You have my word.”
“All right, my people will fall in line.”
“Oh, and Frost; make sure everyone knows, if it isn’t nailed down, we take it with us. Now extract your people from the Enforcer, get anyone who can crawl in a loader suit set up in one and start loading everything you can find into containers. Start with guns and ammo.”
“Oz, shouldn’t we start with survival gear?” Jason asked.
“Everyone else can work on survival gear. Guns will trade faster than anything else we take with us.”
“Good point. I’ll pass the word to the commands. You start bargaining for more time with the Carthans.”
Chapter 42
It took everything Ashley had to keep the tears at bay as Larry showed her how to activate the Triton’s evacuation systems. Throughout the ship directions to the main hangar and operational docking points would appear on the floors. No one could get most of those automated assistance systems working while they were aboard the ship, and the fact that she was just learning about them as they were about to leave was almost too much to take. Zoe was back in her arms again, she knew something was going on, and silently looked from one person to the next.
If it weren’t for her, Ashley knew she’d be in pieces. David and Nerine had already gone to inform everyone of what was going on. She could hear them packing everything they could find in the medical bay onto rolling chairs, gurneys and into the few crates they had at hand.
“I’m not staying this time,” Larry whispered to Ashley as he finished his tutorial. Wherever the ship had emergency power there would be arrows and written instructions guiding everyone to docking ports or hangar decks. Carthan transports were already linking with the ship, and the first people they took were the captured Regent Galactic contracted soldiers.
“I thought this ship was your assignment?”
“She is, but I can learn a lot more by going to ground with your people.”
“Spying on us is more important than staying with the Triton? ”
“It’s hard to explain, Ashley. Citadel’s instructions to someone like me, so far away from the council, are layered. There’s a whole list of priorities to consider. I don’t know if you’d understand.”
Ashley looked at Larry as though seeing him for the first time. His condescending tone was insulting, yes, but she couldn’t help but be almost certain in her suspicions. He was lying to her. Anything he had told her, his promises, they could all be as substantial as smoke.
“Well, all the emergency systems are doing what they’re supposed to,” he said with a nod.
She had never been more nervous in her life as he watched him shut down the conference room table. He didn’t even look like he noticed her staring at him. “What’s so important about us?” she asked quietly. Zoe buried her nose in her hair and squeezed her neck. The toddler could tell something was going on.
“Ashley, I told you, there’s no time,” Larry said irritably as he turned towards her.
Just as she’d seen in numerous gun slingers movies, she jerked her gun from its holster and tried to pull the trigger.
“What the hell are you doing?” Larry shouted, rushing her over the table.
Ashley pressed her thumb against the safety and pulled the trigger again. Larry was caught right at the front of the disabling tangle of surging material. The rear half of the conference room was nothing but stretched strands of the stuff, and Larry hung unconscious in the middle.
Zoe looked at the mess, at first astonished, then, to Ashley’s surprise, she giggled.
“Fine, don’t tell me,” Ashley said, cringing at the sound of her own voice. The tears she held back rolled over her cheeks as she reactivated the safety and shoved the weapon back into its holster. Guilt at what she had done was strangely absent as she wiped her face and composed herself. She picked up the last duffel bag and strode to the door. It opened automatically at her approach. A pair of liberated slaves looked over her shoulder wide eyed and she said; “Don’t ask,” in a far more dire tone than intended.
Without hesitation she dropped her duffel bag, turned on her heel and hit the close and lock icons on the door panel. “Bye,” said Zoe in a sweet sing song squeak as the conference room doors closed.
Oz had won the crew an hour for the crew to gather their things and clear out of the Triton. He passed the word using Crewcast and then cleared out the few things he had in his quarters. He checked Jake’s quarters, his ready room, picking up a few things there and packed as many important looking articles from Ayan’s smaller quarters then made his way out of the command section. All their possessions amounted to two duffel bags and a medium backpack, all of which rested at his feet with travel tags he barely remembered spraying on with his command and control unit. He’d done it so many times during his Freeground Military career that it was reflex.
The main hangar was filled with crew members getting ready to leave. Most of them helped load survival gear, personal items and anything else they could manage to cram into a storage unit. Some of the crates were short enough to sit on, while the largest were three meters tall. Transports had started latching on to the rear
