Far From Home 16: Spectre by Tony Healey Read Free Book Online

 
     
    1.
     
    Captain Rick Shaw looked like death as he slumped on to the bridge.
    "Damn, sir, you look like hell," Commander Will Ardai said.
    Shaw waved him off. "Just overslept."
    "Yeah! Thanks to polishing off that bottle of Naxien Rum last night," Will said. "I did warn you, sir, the stuff's pretty potent . . ."
    Captain Shaw sipped his coffee. His good eye was red and sore while the one covered by the eye patch kept its secrets.
    "Potent? If I didn't have this meeting, I'd be sleeping in," he said. "Like, for a month."
    "Amen to that," Will said.
    "Anyway, how come you're not so bad off, eh? You consumed a fair quantity of Naxien nectar yourself, as I recall," Shaw asked.
    Will shrugged. "I've never had a problem holding my liquor, sir."
    In truth , he was feeling a little worse for wear himself, – though not so much as his commanding officer.
    Captain Shaw stiffened, chest puffed out. "I don't know what you're implying, Commander. I have the constitution of an ox ," he said with mock bravado.
    "Sure  . . ." Will said.
    A series of beeps issued from the front of the bridge. Kalar's sextet of arms flew in all directions to address the series of warnings flashing across the helm. The Xantian pilot craned his squashed head about to look at them, his one big black eye taking in Shaw's rough appearance.
    "Captain, I do declare you look like you've been chewed up and spat out by a Taralian moose."
    "What is it, Kay?" Shaw grumbled, shooting Will a look of barely concealed contempt as he walked down to the helm. Up ahead, on the viewscreen, a tiny pinprick of colour grew larger every second against the black backdrop of space.
    "We're on final approach to Starbase six," Kalar said. "Should be a few minutes. Co-ordinates locked in."
    Shaw set a hand on the Xantian's back. "Good. Give them the usual codes and registries and let me know the minute we're docked, Kay."
    The Captain made to leave the bridge. Commander Ardai stood there, hands spread wide before him. "Where are you going now?"
    "Have a shower, run a razor over my chin. Make myself respectable," Shaw snapped.
    Ardai watched him go. Kalar turned around again. "Cranky today isn't he?"
    "Well I don't think your comment helped any," Will said.
    "True," Kalar admitted.
    "Maybe I shouldn't have got him on that rum last night. But he wanted a drink and it's all I had in my quarters," Will said. "You know what he's like when he's in one of those moods."
    "Indeed. Did I hear you say it was Naxien rum?"
    Will nodded.
    Kalar gave his closest approximation to a laugh. "On Xantia, we give that to the younglings. It makes for a perfect bedtime tonic to soothe them off to sleep. Quite weak."
    Will pulled a face at him. "Just keep your eyes  – I mean, eye  – on the road . . ."
    * * *
    The Spectre slipped smartly into position and Will watched as Kalar nudged the ship to port until their docking ring had mated with that of Station 6.
    "Expertly done there, Lieutenant," Will said. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you've got a bright career ahead of you."
    "Always a pleasure," Kalar said. He set about shutting down the ship's systems one by one, his six appendages flicking switches all around him.
    "Let me know when you're done. I'll go find the Captain," Will said. "See if he's in the land of the living."
    Kalar laughed. "Take an ice pack."
    * * *
    Ardai walked out into the hall and headed for Shaw's cabin. He rapped his knuckles on the door, and it slid back a second later. The Captain looked a world apart from the man who'd dragged himself onto the bridge only a half hour before. Shaw was nearing fifty, with stark shocks of grey at both temples. He was well built, lithe, but stocky. Scars ran up his forearms from one of the many engagements he'd told Will about, though the Commander couldn't remember exactly which one. Shaw always wore a patch over his left eye – the skipper had lost it in an unfortunate incident on Maino V years before. Will asked him once why