Excerpt

From Chapter One: For a Job Well Done

On the whole, our galaxy revolves like a disk and the stars move little relative to one another. A closer look reveals a more complex story. Each star orbits the galactic center in a different plane and at a slightly different speed than its neighbors. The scales involved are so vast that maps depicting the relative positions of more than two stars change little in a human lifetime, but the motion affects gravity and energy density in the interstellar medium almost constantly. This means the points star vessels use to jump from system to system at super-light velocity are always on the move.

The star system G.S.C. 575303 was of little significance except that it contained two such jump points. One led to the powerful, human-inhabited world of Alpha Coma Berenices 3 and the other led to the resource-rich world known as Prospero, putting it on the trade routes for many freighters traveling between the worlds. Although it took several days for ships to move from one jump point to the other, it required less fuel than making multiple jumps. The only problem was the risk of pirates.

The privateer Legacy hid in a cloud of ionized dust, watching for cargo-laden ships to make the crossing between the two jump points. Legacy's captain, Ellison Firebrandt, had a Letter of Marque—a privateer's license—from Earth and was under orders to raid ships bound for Alpha Coma and bring the earnings home.

On the Legacy's battle deck, Firebrandt and his first lieutenant, Carter Roberts, stood before the holographic tank at the bow and watched a ship emerge from Prospero's jump point. Tall and wiry, Firebrandt wore a mane of red hair, a matching beard and smiled as he considered the potential prey. Stocky and bald, Roberts scowled as he typed a command into his handcomp. A course projection appeared in the holo tank. "They're taking a parabolic course to the jump point for Alpha Coma, well away from our position. Do you think they suspect we're here?"

Firebrandt shook his head as he retrieved a pipe from his trousers' pocket and slowly packed it with tobacco. "We haven't been operating in the area long enough." He raised the pipe to his mouth and lit it. "More likely, they suspect law enforcement of some kind." He turned and looked at a pale, almost emaciated man sitting at a nearby console. "Computer, scan that ship."

The man known as Computer activated the ship's sensors via chips implanted in his brain. He stood and glided toward the hologram like a wraith. The view shifted to a close-up of the ship from Prospero. "It appears to be a freighter with a cargo capacity of 100 metric tons. However, it carries no markings and its locator beacon is only transmitting the minimum required information—no name, no corporate or government registry, just the destination: Alpha Coma Berenices."

"That's quite interesting," mused Firebrandt around the pipe stem. "I wonder if they're hauling something they don't want certain authorities to know about."

"If that's true," said Roberts, "and we fenced the cargo in the right market, it could prove a valuable haul for Earth … and us."

Firebrandt nodded. "Is that virus you've been working on ready to try?"

Roberts grinned, resembling the skull from a Jolly Roger flag. "It is. I'll piggyback the file onto their uploads from the galactic mapping net. It should confuse their computer systems, effectively clouding their sensors and keeping them from firing any weapons they might have."

"Very good. Let's give it a try." The captain turned and faced Kheir el-Din, the tall, muscular navigator at the wheel console with beads woven into his beard. "Plot an intercept course for that freighter."

The navigator gave a curt nod and set to work.

* * *

As hoped, Roberts' computer virus locked up the freighter's systems and the Legacy made the two-day crossing from the ion cloud to the other ship unchallenged. Legacy matched velocity and docked. In many cases, Firebrandt would order knockout gas pumped into a freighter once they locked on. This ship's cargo still proved a mystery and he didn't want to risk damage by exposing it to the gas. Instead, he decided to lead a frontal assault with hepler pistols and swords.

The Legacy's outer door opened, revealing the freighter's airlock. Roberts stood to the side, typing on his handcomp. When ready, he nodded to the captain. Firebrandt held his own sword high, then lowered it. At the signal, Roberts entered a command and the airlock opened. Several men knelt inside the freighter and fired hepler pistols into the Legacy. Firebrandt and his men deflected the high-energy beams with their swords and rushed in, firing their own hepler pistols.

The captain struck out at one of defenders. A gush of blood followed as his sword connected with the man's neck. Splattered with blood, the ship's defenders fell back. Firebrandt and his crew followed—killing where necessary, but disabling or stunning where they could. If captured and tried, it went easier on pirate and privateer crews who didn't kill at every opportunity.

It soon became apparent the freighter wasn't heavily manned and most of the defenders fled to the relative safety of their cabins. Firebrandt and Roberts strode forward to the ship's command deck. There, Firebrandt pointed his hepler pistol at the captain and mate, who both raised their hands. Three of Firebrandt's crew rushed in behind and took up strategic positions around the bridge.

"Well well well," said Firebrandt as he approached the ship's computer console. "It would appear that some kind of virus has disabled this vessel. I think we can help with that." He winked at Roberts, who placed a data chip into the appropriate slot. The anti-virus program executed and they examined the ship's manifest. It said they were hauling toilet paper.

Just then, Firebrandt's communicator beeped. He tapped the device on his belt. "Go ahead."

"This is Lowry down in the hold," came the disembodied voice of the Legacy's boatswain. "I think you should get down here."

"I take it you found more than toilet paper." The captain already turned to leave the command deck trusting his crew to guard the freighter's officers. Roberts followed close behind.

"There are indeed several palettes of toilet paper," reported Nicole Lowry. "It's what's tucked in the middle of the tubes that I think you'll find interesting. Pollens, seeds and other plant materials along with a whole pharmacy worth of chemicals."

"Ah, the poppies of Prospero are galaxy-famous." Firebrandt shut off the communicator and looked at Roberts. "I think we've found ourselves quite a haul."

"Sounds like we should load up our holds with toilet paper and go visit our friend, Chris, on Epsilon Indi 2," said Roberts.

"Yes, I've heard they have a shortage of toilet paper in the Epsilon Indi system," quipped the captain.

"Bad thing to be without," said Roberts as they entered the hold.

Firebrandt nodded to Lowry and then approached a palette containing several rolls of toilet paper. He grabbed a roll and drew out a brown leaf. "I do believe this is tobacco." Firebrandt's smile widened. "It would seem they're growing a good deal more than poppies on Prospero these days." The captain glanced around at the cargo hold, then turned to Roberts and Lowry. "Okay, I want a systematic scan of the cargo. Then organize a crew to take the most valuable items to Legacy. I think we'll be able to leave the captain of this ship with just enough to make a profit. It might be sufficient to keep any of his friends from hunting us down."

"Very good, Captain," said Roberts as Firebrandt grabbed a roll of toilet paper loaded with tobacco and returned to the Legacy.

* * *

One of the first planets colonized by humans, Epsilon Indi 2 had been inhabited for several hundred years. There were farms and ranches in remote parts of the planet, but most inhabitants lived in the large cities and worked in factories owned by Earth-based corporations. Those factories paid low wages and many city residents lived in discarded cargo pods on the city's outskirts. In spite of that, Epsilon Indi was only one jump away from Earth and proved a popular weekend destination. People could visit Epsilon Indi's largest city, Palomar, and buy cheap trinkets, alcohol and other entertainments not readily available on Earth. This led to a flourishing drug trade in Palomar and all around Epsilon Indi.

Before he became Legacy's captain, Ellison Firebrandt had been introduced to Chris Bowman—a simple trader according to the record books, yet one of the richest men in Palomar. As the Legacy approached Epsilon Indi, Firebrandt contacted Bowman and explained he had a cargo that might be of interest. Bowman told the captain he would have a hover car waiting at the spaceport when they arrived.

The next day, Firebrandt took a launch from the Legacy to the planet. Two young men, dressed in soft, black leather decorated with chains, met the captain. One drove him through Palomar's bustling streets while the other sat in silence beside him. They passed the plaza, where people in rags begged for cash next to ragtag booths where people who were slightly better off sold trinkets. The hover car continued into a tourist district with tidy shops and inviting restaurants. From there, the driver turned into a neighborhood of veritable mansions. They pulled up to a gate in a wall surrounding a beautiful garden with a large house in the center. The hover car's driver waved to the man in the guard tower next to the gate. The gate opened and Firebrandt noticed that the car waited until the dashboard computer indicated a force field had also been lowered.

The hover car continued up the driveway and the driver stopped at the bottom of the steps leading up to the house. Firebrandt stepped from the car and climbed up to the front door where Chris Bowman met him. The captain caught the sound of music and voices from within the house. "How nice of you to come," said Bowman. "You have something for me?"

Firebrandt passed a handcomp to Bowman and then looked around, noting several cars parked on the grounds near the one that delivered him. Bowman whistled as he scanned the information on the handcomp. "That's quite a load of … toilet paper," he said with a smile.

"I thought it would be safer here than at Alpha Coma." The captain nodded toward the house. "Did I interrupt a party?"

"Just a small gathering of friends." Bowman clenched the handcomp and beamed at the captain. "I am very impressed. I think there's someone here you should meet." With that, Bowman escorted Firebrandt into the house.

The loud music inside wasn't piped in from speakers, but rather came from a live band playing on a stage. People in colorful and expensive clothes stood around, sipping cocktails from fine crystal glasses. Firebrandt realized that any one of those glasses was likely worth a week's income to the vendors he had seen on the plaza. He grew conscious of people staring at him in his black trousers and long, black coat, which seemed out of place at the gathering.

Bowman grasped the elbow of a tall, but slightly plump, man with silvery hair and an elegant, silvery suit to match. "Ellison Firebrandt, I'd like you to meet Friedrich Baum. Mr. Baum is the senator for Epsilon Indi."

The captain bowed slightly, then held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Senator Baum."

The senator briefly touched the captain's hand, while evaluating the man who stood in front of him. Bowman handed the senator the handcomp. "This is what the captain has brought us."

The senator scanned the list and then scowled at the captain. "What is your asking price?"

Firebrandt stepped around and typed a number into the handcomp.

Baum nodded approval. "That seems quite reasonable."

"Quite reasonable, indeed," echoed Bowman. "In fact, I think the captain deserves a bit of a bonus and I think he may just enjoy helping with the matter we were discussing before he arrived."

Firebrandt's eyebrows came together. "What matter is that? What kind of bonus?"

Baum's eyes traveled over Firebrandt again and fell to the captain's scabbard. He ignored the captain's questions and asked one of his own. "Why do you carry a sword, Captain Firebrandt?"

Firebrandt licked his lips and looked around at the people in the room. "It seemed it would help me blend in better at a social event of this caliber."

Baum's lips turned upward ever so slightly. "I've heard that certain space farers use swords when dealing with merchant ships." The senator's eyes narrowed. "The sight of a little blood can go a long way to making a merchant crew more amenable to … bargaining."

"I've heard that, too," said the captain.

Baum looked to Bowman. "I think you're right; the captain might be interested in helping us out. If the bonus is to his taste, perhaps there would be other work for him and his crew."

"To my taste?" asked the captain.

"You'll understand tomorrow," said Bowman. "I'll have my boys meet you at the spaceport, if you would be so kind as to return around noon. In the meantime, I'll give you the coordinates where you can deliver the cargo and receive payment."

"So, what exactly is this 'bonus' and why do I have to pick it up personally?" Firebrandt narrowed his gaze. "Is it a cash payment? That would certainly be to my taste."

Bowman led the captain to a table and handed him a glass. "It's more of an … entertainment … for a job well done."

Firebrandt scanned the room and noted the hospitality Bowman showed his guests. He nodded and lifted the glass. "Very well," said the captain. "I look forward to it."

Bowman also took a glass and the two drank together.