Rookie Privateer by Jamie McFarlane Read Free Book Online Page A

One. Initiate.
    Nick pulled back and I could see him talking behind his face screen. My AI announced, Secure link initiated; Nicholas James, Tabitha Masters. Local Communication only. Do you authorize ?
    Authorized , I replied tersely.
    Nick's previous attempt at communication replayed, "What's going on, Liam?" As with all secure communication there was an odd, tinny sound to his voice.
    " You on, Tabs?" I asked.
    " Yes," she answered.
    " Okay. I talked to Big Pete. Apparently, the colony is under attack. This wasn't a rogue asteroid."
    " What happened to perimeter defense? That should have stopped anything." Nick was already analyzing the issue.
    " He said perimeter defense has been compromised and a bunch of them are pinned down on P-1."
    It was Tabby's turn, "How is that even possible? They would have to have taken over the control tower."
    " Frak, that's right on top of us!" I realized out loud.
    The thought of the large plasma guns shooting at Dad was hard to take. Those could easily vaporize a small ship, much less a man sized target. The perimeter defense guns fired periodically at small runaway rocks that breached a well-defined sphere around P-Zero and in extreme circumstances they could be manned to repel pirate attacks. Colony 40 hadn't seen pirate activity for at least sixty years and even that attack was easily defeated, precisely because of the perimeter defense guns.
    "We gotta do something," Tabby said with determination.
    " Dad said to get out of sight." Even as I said it, I knew I wouldn't be able to live with that.
    " The Liam Hoffen I know never once rolled over. Don't start now, you pissant." Tabby was spitting mad. I recognized that tone of voice, having caused it a few times in my life.
    Nick spoke up. "Look Tabby, this is real. Big Pete has military experience and he knows what to do."
    " No Nick, she's right." I grabbed his shoulder to communicate my resolve. "I can't let my Dad down, even if it kills me."
    " Frakking aye." Tabby grabbed the table and struggled up to a standing position.
    " I thought that was broken." I pointed at her leg.
    " Nope, just hurts like a mother. Had worse in that game against those navy brats."
    I feared for the naval academy when Tabby showed up. The first cadet who slapped her on the ass would end up with a surgical team attempting to extricate that same hand from his own ass. It made me cringe just to imagine the pain she would deliver.
    "What's the plan?" Nick joined in.
    " Okay. The control tower is only a couple hundred meters from where your lift exits on top. We have to get up there and see what's going on. I'm thinking they did a fly-by and dropped the kinetic mass through the dome to keep people in the station. Every airlock is locked down by safety protocol for the next hour or longer. This was a tactical strike." I didn't know anything for sure, but it was the best I could work out.
    I took a moment to think. "Let's find some AGBs. We might be the only ones on the station who can get up to the control tower since the foam didn't completely seal us in." Nick and Tabby didn't have AGBs because they had come from on-station to Millie's. Nick's were twenty meters away in the James’ Rental shop, on the other side of airlocks which weren't opening anytime soon. Tabby's were probably in her apartment, even deeper in the station.
    I looked around at my friends and felt the responsibility of our actions. We were willingly heading toward danger. I could tell by the rapidity of my speech that adrenaline was surging through my body.
    My boots and gloves had been sitting behind the table and the decompression slid them forward only a small distance. Hard boots and arc-jets immediately made me feel more confident, even though they certainly wouldn't help stop any sort of bullet.
    Just then the gravity on the station turned off. It wasn't quite as devastating as it sounds. The gravity generator has to be serviced and we learn to deal without it for short bursts of time, but