“Perhaps,” Targon said. “But keep in mind that in order for a ship to mask itself like our pursuer, it would have to be very, very small. Too tiny to carry a laser. In fact, the entire vessel could probably fit inside the typical laser focusing array found aboard a warship.”
“That would explain it,” Will agreed.
Rhea turned toward the merchant. “Can I take off this bulky suit now?”
“Up to ye,” Targon said. “If it was me, I’d wait a few hours to ensure our trigger-happy pirate friend doesn’t make another attempt. Though I suspect he won’t be wasting ammo again until he can assure a guaranteed shot.”
“And when will he have a guaranteed shot?” Will asked.
“Well, it won’t be guaranteed, but when we’re slingshotting around Jupiter, that would be the best time to try again, assuming this pirate follows us all the way to Great Planet, which is doubtful,” Targon said. “See, while slingshotting, it will be difficult to move out of the way in time. Me hull will have too many forces acting upon it…”
“Let’s hope the pirate doesn’t pursue,” Rhea agreed.
She turned around and floated back to the cargo hold with Will and Horatio. She left the suit on, for now, and strapped herself in above her sleeping bag. She had to loosen the straps to fit over the tighter thighs of her space suit.
“So, what do you think?” Will asked. “Is it really pirates? Or one of your assassins? When you left earth, it wasn’t exactly a secret…”
Rhea nodded, remembering the crowd of well-wishers who had waited to send her off. “Looking back, I probably shouldn’t have been so open about my plans.”
“If someone wanted to follow you, it wouldn’t have mattered whether you revealed your plans or not,” Horatio said.
“No, I suppose not,” Rhea agreed. Technology made it all too easy to keep tabs on a target that didn’t want to be tracked.
“I tried telling you this would happen,” Will said. “But you wouldn’t listen.”
“She wouldn’t have been any better off on Earth,” Horatio said. “Struck by a stray bullet or laser in a crowd, versus getting hit by a railgun in space? There isn’t much difference. Except the latter case turned out to be the better scenario. At least she had a chance of survival. But hit by a sniper in a crowd? No chance. Yes, I believe she made the right choice… living her life on her own terms, rather than sitting still, too afraid to leave her house because she feared assassination.”
Rhea glanced at Horatio and nodded in thanks. “At least I have someone on my side.”
“I’ll always be on your side,” Horatio said.
“Suck up,” Will said.
Rhea scowled at Will and gave Horatio a grateful smile. Then she sighed. “What kind of assassin leaves Earth to hunt its prey?”
“You might be surprised at the resourcefulness of assassins and bounty hunters,” Will said. “Especially when the bounty is high. Some assassins certainly have their own ships.” He shrugged. “Lets them hunt targets systemwide. Besides, interplanetary space is a great hunting ground: the rule of law doesn’t apply.”
She shook her head behind the faceplate. “I should have tracked down Veil before leaving.”
“Maybe,” Will said. “But that could have taken you months, even years.”
“Or sooner,” Rhea said. “If I’d let his assassins come to me.”
“Well, if this really is one of your assassins, most likely he’s tailing you now,” Will commented. “So you’ll get your wish soon enough. Though when he ‘comes to you,’ as you say, it probably won’t be in person…”
“You think he’ll strike again?” Rhea asked. “When we’re slingshotting?”
“If not then,” Will said. “Then when we reach Centaar.”
“I’m not looking forward to it,” Rhea said.
“None of us are,” Will agreed.
3
The Molly Dook was harassed no further during the journey, and they entered into their slingshot trajectory above Jupiter without issue. They had all donned their spacesuits as they entered the stronger portions of Jupiter’s rad field, as they wanted the added protection the material provided: the suits were composed of BNNTS—hydrogenated Boron Nitride NanoTubeS. Made of carbon, boron, and nitrogen, hydrogen was interspersed throughout the empty spaces between tubes. Because protons and neutrons were similar in size, hydrogen blocked both extremely well, and boron was an excellent absorber of any secondary neutrons that got through.
Thanks to the armored hull of their craft, the dosage they received as they passed across Jupiter was only equivalent to the background cosmic rays they might get while on a spacewalk. However, considering the limited protection the suits provided, it was only recommended that one expose oneself to such background radiation for a few hours—but Rhea and her companions were subjected to the rays for days as they passed across Jupiter. Even Horatio wore a suit, because those high energy particles could damage delicate machine circuitry as well.
Horatio was the only one who had disabled his O2 flow. Rhea and Will needed oxygen of course, and they occasionally had to maneuver to the craft’s engine compartment to refill their units at the main tanks.
“I feel like I’m melting in here,” Will said at one point.
“That’s just sweat,” Rhea said. “Might want to turn down the heat of your inner environment.”
“It’s not sweat,” Will said. “I’m really melting.”
“Cosmic rays cause neural damage,” Horatio said. “Perhaps the part of your brain responsible for the identification of your physical form has been injured, and you merely believe yourself to be liquifying.”
“Thanks for cheering me up, Tin Can,” Will quipped. He shifted where he was strapped in place to the overhead above. “I’m just sick of being cooped up, I think. Got cabin fever to the extreme. Doesn’t help that I’m a bit claustrophobic… you’re throwing me into a tight spacesuit, inside a tiny cabin, aboard a cramped ship.”
“Well, if it helps, there’s only a six-meter wall between you and the void of space,” Rhea said.
“Doesn’t help,” Will said. “At all.”
The deck thrummed softly as the spacecraft no doubt underwent one of its latest course adjustments. It also emitted
