“You’re in luck Shady. We have Remote Hangar Five just vacating. I’ll send you the specs.”
I listened to the back and forth between the Rigel’s Banter controller and Tens, and kept an eye on the shields and weapons. I’d powered down once we’d warp-stepped across into the Kodestes system, not wanting to draw the attention of the wolves as I passed through. Given Rigel’s was on the edge of the frontier of two warring clans, it had seemed prudent not to power them up, again.
As Tens accepted the repair dock assignment, and shifted the coordinates to Case, I locked the weapons down, tight, and cut the energy feed. Rigel’s acknowledged the move with thanks, and bade us welcome and goodbye.
“We’ll send inspectors to log your maintenance in two days,” they said. “If you need longer, we’ll renegotiate the fee.”
“Understood, and Out.” Tens looked over at Case. “All yours.”
I half expected him to lean back in his chair, and take a breather, but he turned to his boards, working across them in what looked a pre-planned series of checks.
“We need to get these boys out of here and fast. I can recalibrate the teleport for the ones on the armory deck. We can print that many temporary bracelets.”
“We can’t carry them out?”
“Not in time, boss. Some will be starting to wake by the time Case gets us docked and locked—and Abs says…”
“Abs says you’ve run out of the components to make another batch of gas, and another batch of gas might just kill them, anyway,” Abs cut in. Her voice took on a coaxing tone. “I can help with the porting. I’ve got wolf DNA on file.”
Tens flushed.
“I don’t want to be that precise.”
“I’ve isolated the markers….” Abby wheedled, and Tens sighed.
“Fine, but I get to keep the data.”
“What’s it worth to you?”
Tens scowled, not happy with the fact Abby was carrying on the conversation over an open line.
“The question is, Abs, what it might be worth to you.”
“Ooh, Tens, are you sure you want me to tell you with everyone else listening in.”
Mack slapped a hand over his eyes, and Case sighed.
“Guys, you’re making it hard to pilot, over here.”
I tried to focus on the scans. If I read them correctly, another ship had just jumped from the gate closest our original route. It made me uneasy, because I couldn’t get any details off it at the current range, and the idea that anything felt the need to shield its ident broadcast was…
“A good reason to be wary,” Mack finished. “Case, get us into the hangar, and strangle our beacon. And, yes, Abby, we can do with your help, porting the wolves dockside, as well as parking their shuttles outside the Marie.”
Abby gave a very human sigh.
“You’re no fun, Captain.”
“And we want the data you use to teleport the wolves out of here. We might need it some other time.”
“Mack…”
“Abs, I’m not the one with my shell locked in the hangar of a pissed-off space merc’s cruiser.”
There was the briefest blip of time, before Abby answered, again.
“The data’s buffered in your database. You can check I haven’t rigged it to disappear.”
Mack turned his head to watch as Tens did exactly that—and then checked a little more. Case took us into the assigned repair hangar while he was busy, and the Shady vibrated as the docking clamps took hold.
“You want us on station air, Cap?”
“Is it any good?”
“Readings are fine,” I responded, “and we need a top up in Life Support.”
“Hook us in, Case.”
While Case finalized the docking procedures, and pressurized the docking space, I watched the read-outs, and ran a systems and supply check. Mack’s voice broke in before I could finish.
“Cutter, Case will finish up there. I need you with me.”
He did?
I glanced over at Case and she raised a hand in acknowledgement, her eyes not leaving her boards. I locked my console, and headed out after Mack, Tens coming up behind us.
“I’ll be in the teleport centre,” he said. “Rohan’s certified on shuttles—and he’ll want his dog back.”
“I’ll clear the shuttles of any wolf left aboard,” Abby said, “and then Tens and I will clear the Marie.”
“You know if any of them needed medical?”
“They’ve all had time to heal.”
They had?
“You can do the research when we’re clear of here, Cutter. And you’d better. We’ll be dealing with wolves until we shift this contract—and maybe then some. They heal.”
Great, but I was curious. There hadn’t been much time for horror stories when I was growing up—or fairy tales—and all the monsters I’d encountered until Skymander had been human. Beyond that, the arach had been the next shapeshifters I’d encountered… and I never wished to encounter them, again.
“Those shuttles clear, Abby?”
Mack’s voice cut through my mind, and I realized we’d reached the first hangar bay in record time.
“Stay with me, Cutter.”
“Have we found Cascade, yet?”
“He is in the first shuttle on the right,” Abby answered before Mack had time to ask. “He has been well-cared for.”
“Where’s Rohan?” I asked.
The rattle of footsteps on the deck behind us, answered my question.
“Here.” He looked at Mack. “Boss says you need me?”
Mack pointed to the shuttle, Abby had told us Cascade was in.
“I need you to move that thing out into the hangar and park it without breaking anything. Think you can handle it?”
“Sure thing, Boss,” and Rohan double-timed it to the shuttle door.
Mack pointed to the other shuttle.
“You take that one, Cutter. Lead the way out. He might need a minute.”
That was an understatement. Rohan loved his dog.
I trotted over to the second shuttle, and settled myself in the cockpit. Mack turned back into the Marie, and I figured he was heading into the next shuttle bay. That was fine by me. We had four of these things to shift, and the incoming ship made me uneasy.
“Abs, you got a space for me to park this thing?”
“I have one,” she replied, and then she narrowed her communications
