jump.
“When we emerged,” he continued, “I had Tess use the attitude jets and boost us max at a right angle to our emergence course. As soon as we detected the emergence, we shut down the drives, reversed our attitude, and prepared to fire, if necessary.”
Archuk nodded. “And it was necessary.”
Cale frowned. “Well, we didn’t just start shooting, if that’s what you mean. However, our sensors were getting a side view of them now, and I could see the enlarged engine room. That meant we probably could not outrun her. And now she wasn’t running a beacon. She had to be a pirate. No trader would overpower an Epsilon class. It would cut the hold space almost in half. I had to open fire before she got shields and weapons up!” He slammed a fist into the chair’s arm.
“So,” he continued more calmly, “That’s about it. I fired the laser and Dee used the quickfirer. When I saw her venting atmosphere and saw she wasn’t raising shields, I figured that was our cue to boost max for Angeles.” He glanced at Dee. “There was some rather.. uh… spirited discussion about that decision.”
Archuk turned his permanent smile on Dee. “You didn’t agree with his decision to run,” he guessed.
She hesitated before nodding. “I felt we should stop and help any survivors.” She reddened. “I guess I was, well, forceful. The second jump wasn’t very pleasant.”
The agent’s smile flared its full force. “Well, I think this is a pretty cut-and-dried case. I’ll need your sensor logs of course, captain.” Cale nodded, and Archuk continued, “I’m afraid we will have to insist on your continued presence on Angeles until the S amp;R ship returns, but I see no reason to restrict you beyond that.
“You’re free to leave your vessel now. I’m sure you’re both anxious to get your feet on solid ground. There are a number of reasonably priced but good quality hotels just off the field, and the planetary net will help you find one, as well as shopping information, mistress. I’m afraid it will not be possible for you to return to your ship, so make certain you take everything you need.
“As for you, young lady,” he continued, “I feel I should tell you that your captain may very well have saved your lives by ignoring your demands. One does not approach a wounded wild and deadly animal. One simply renders it powerless, and then runs like the wind as far and fast as possible!”
Dee reddened and nodded wordlessly.
Chapter 7
Archuk had been correct. There were a number of apparently excellent hotels near the field. They agreed upon a rather conservative-looking hotel with what were apparently moderate prices. Cale converted most of his contract check into Angeles crowns, and was impressed by the favorable exchange rate.
They took a hovercab to the hotel, where they registered in separate rooms, agreeing to meet in several hours for dinner.
Cale took a long, slow shower, reveling in the luxury of unlimited water. He frowned at the shipsuit he had been wearing.
No, he decided. Shipsuits were practical, durable garments for the restrictive environment of a sealed ship. But now he was groundside, and would be for at least a couple of weeks. He sat at the room’s terminal, connected to the Worldnet, and began doing some shopping.
He also researched the Kingdom of Angeles.
It seemed to be a pretty good world. Angeles was 99.97 on the habitability scale, the only deduction being for the slightly light gravity of. 87 standard. It had originally been lower than that due to the planet’s lack of climate-inducing moons, but during the terraforming project, the early settlers had moved two large asteroids into position, generating the first tidal forces Angeles had ever known. Over a few centuries, the climate had stabilized nicely. A number of native plant and animal species had been able to adapt to the introduction of terrestrial species, and Angeles hardwoods had been heavy demand in the Empire’s interstellar trade. Angeles had been affected by the Fall, of course. To help prevent overpopulation, the Kingdom had once established three colonies. As the Empire declined, the other three systems had requested and received their independence. The last had seceded only fifty- five years ago. There had been no real intersystem conflicts. If a member of the ‘Commonwealth’ desired to secede, they held a planet-wide referendum on the issue. If the population voted for secession, the planetary government petitioned the kingdom for release. In every case, the Parliament had voted to recommend approval to the monarch, and in every case, independence had been granted. As Atmos XIV declared, “If a majority of their population desires to leave the Commonwealth, we have no desire to thwart their will.” Those three systems were still Angeles’ largest trading partners.
The monarchy itself had existed for over 800 years. As Tess had mentioned, Early on, the royal family had established procedures to insure that only competent, well-trained monarchs ruled Angeles, and they had presided over the development of a prosperous system with a surprising level of personal freedom.
Even in the four hundred years since the Fall, Angeles was one of very few worlds to remain vibrant and prosperous. In self-defense, Angeles had established a sizable defense establishment, and had established a patrolled “security zone” stretching for one jump in every direction. The pirate that chased them, Cale decided, must have been very desperate or very foolish to risk an attack in the Angeles ‘security zone’. This also explained the excitement and action that had followed his report; the Kingdom’s defense forces considered the attack to have taken place in the Kingdom itself.
Cale pushed back from the terminal. Angeles looked like a very nice place. In fact, if Dee decided to debark here, Cale would be hard put to marshal arguments against it. Except for his own strong desires, of course.
But what about his own desires? He was certain he had eluded his pursuers. Oh, he would still have to take precautions, of course. Still, he felt secure enough now to consider settling here.
Could he really settle down? What would he do? He sighed. Suddenly the quiet of the room bothered him. He needed some people around him and a drink in his hand.
He stood up and stretched, realizing he had been on the terminal for over an hour. A sound from the delivery chute announced the arrival of the clothing he had ordered. Male styles on Angeles ran mostly to bright colors and a bewildering array of styles. His wine-red kilt blended well with the muted blue tunic and matched the color of his beret, and was actually rather drab, for Angeles. He was more accustomed to tubular trousers, but decided that the kilt, with its decorative holster and bright-plated blaster, had a rakish air. He examined the blaster and found that as he’d suspected, it was not a real weapon. Cale frowned. Angeles was confusing him more by the minute. Most places he’d been, carrying a fake weapon was riskier than carrying none at all; if someone got into a confrontation with someone he thought was armed, he might feel threatened enough to use a real weapon of his own.
He rode the drop shaft to the hotel’s lobby, and strode into the bar. The dimly lit bar was occupied by a few guests even at this early hour. He slid onto a stool and ordered a penurian glark.
The human waiter poured the thimble-sized glass and the usual beer chaser, accepted Cale’s scrip, and retreated to the corner of the bar.
“Wow! You’re really going native all the way.”
Cale turned at the voice as a pudgy man with a wide face and a wide grin took the adjoining stool. “Your indulgence, sire?” Cale replied politely.
The man waved a ring-laden hand. “Oh, I meant nothing, sire, nothing at all. It’s just that it’s unusual to see a kilt in a hotel that serves off-worlders.” He proffered a hand. “Name’s Jer Ner-Trel, from Trellia.”
Cale took the hand and smiled. “Cale Rankin from Warden’s World.” Ner-Trel should not talk about others’ clothing, Cale decided. The man was wearing a peach-colored jacket that barely buttoned over the paunch covered by a blue shirt and bright pink trousers. The styles that emerged on some planets never ceased to amaze him.
“You’re a long way from home,” Ner-Trel replied. “Warden’s is in the Sirius Sector, isn’t it?”
Cale nodded. “I haven’t been home in years. I travel a lot, now.”
The Trellian laughed. “I know what you mean. There’re a lot of folks traveling around, these days. Pretty much have to, if you want to make a credit. I’m a wholesaler of Trellian regel nuts.” He shook his head and sighed. “I’ve been away from home for more than a year, now. So, what’s your line?”
Cale was prepared for this one. “I run a small courier ship. Mostly high-value shipments, urgent documents, and occasionally passengers.”
