Archaea 3: Red by Dain White Read Free Book Online Page B

the inner lock screen.
    “Comms check” Shorty said.
    “Check” Yak said.
    “Check” I said, with a little glance around the corner into the prep area. “Oh hell... Shorty, they're here.” I leaned back as far as I could against the wall of the lock. It was a quick glance, but I could see at least six extremely large, ex-military types moving up the corridor.
    “Easy Gene, ten more seconds on the door.” Yak said, holding an arm out to press me back.
    “Come on damn you”, cursed Shorty, watching the countdown click away
     
    *****
     
    “Captain, we have compiled a précis for you of a Mr. Sergei Dragovich. He appears to be the individual in command of the opposition, sir. The report is on your holo now.” Pauli called back on comms as I secured the bay hatch.
    “Pauli, is he a Lune?” I asked as I cursed the lack of crew and an ever-increasingly filled cargo bay.
    “Yes sir, and a bad guy, looks like. Janis pulled tons of connections from comms logs with organized crime syndicates throughout this system.”
    “You have solid evidence of this?”
    He laughed. “Sir, we are in possession of... well, all of the evidence . Everything that is available. This is not a nice guy.”
    “Well I wonder what beef he has with my kids? This isn't exactly a common port of call – unless it's the ship, of course – and not us at all. The Archaea was just parked for ruin on the other side of this rock a few months ago.” I was thinking out loud, but it made as much sense as anything else did. Then it hit me.
    “Pauli , we're spending a massive pile of money here – maybe enough to cause a spike. I’ll bet they’re trying to find out where all that money is coming from!”
    “Well, of course... sir. You just offloaded the fifth completely full hauler, and it's not full with coffee... sadly.”
    That reminded me, I wasn't full of coffee either.
    “Pauli, I need you to open comms with my old friend William Hartley on the Barracuda. He's probably in near space, if I know him.”
    I shifted another stack into my pack and secured it while I waited for the connection to be made. That he would take my hail, I had no doubt.
    “Ah Captain Smith, how nice to hear from you again.” he said, about as sarcastically as decorum allowed.
    “Mister Hartley, the pleasure is all mine, I am sure. Are you anywhere near Tranquility?”
    “I can be... why, are you there? I still owe you a tour of my brig, I believe.”
    “Well now mister, I heard you recently received new orders regarding my command, if I am not mistaken”, I said knowingly. The service isn't going to haul me in for blasting from Darkside Station without clearance, not after destroying a rogue destroyer, and rescuing another from certain doom.
    “That's true, but it is a mighty nice brig. Are you sure?” he was clearly testing his shiny new captain's eyebrow, and who could blame him... heck, he was practically a midshipman last Wednesday.
    “I am quite sure, mister - no thanks. Listen, we 've uncovered a significant pile of very interesting information about a Mr. Sergei Dragovich, a resident of Tranquility. Are you aware of him?”
    “I am afraid I can't say either way, of course. You know how it is.”
    “I do, and understand. You would be interested in this information, though?”
    “Yeah, I'd take a look at it. W hat sort of information do you have, exactly?”
    “ Well, our technologist has dredged up 'all of it' in his words. Apparently, he is not a very nice person to have around in this system. I'll have him send it right over. It should be coming in any moment.”
    “Pauli, transfer everything you have on Dragovich to Hartley please.” I asked on comms.
    “Sir, Janis started that transfer a moment ago.”
    “Of course she did. Is it a lot of data?”
    “It is, but quite compressible. It's going quickly.”
    “Very well, Pauli”, I said, and then clicked back over to the hail channel, “Captain Hartley, we're sending you what we have