The Jupiter Pirates by Jason Fry Read Free Book Online Page B

don’t care to learn,” Huff said, fixing a band of passing roughnecks with a glower. “But ol’ Quencie, he’s a sensible sort, been around the solar system a time or two. Pirate once upon a time, even.”
    â€œJudge Quence was a pirate?” Yana asked in disbelief.
    â€œOh, sure. First mate aboard the Dead Hand , ’fore she crashed on Thelxinoe,” Huff said. “Quencie mostly stayed on the right side of the law, stuck to runnin’ freight, but he’d fly with a black transponder when it suited him. Got in a scrap with him once or twice myself, when I was captain.”
    â€œWhy’d he quit?” Tycho asked.
    â€œYou’d have to ask him, laddie,” Huff said. “One day we heard he’d shipped off to Mars to get himself a fancy law degree. Yeh want my opinion, though, it’s that Uribel never much cared for being shot at—took it personal .”
    â€œEx-pirates shouldn’t be judges,” sniffed Carlo.
    â€œAnd why’s that?” asked Huff. “If a body’s going to sit in judgment of others, better he’s lived a little, not wasted his life in a courtroom.”
    â€œBecause we need laws, Grandfather,” Carlo said. “And if you’ve broken them before, you’re in no position to enforce them later.”
    â€œArrr, belay that,” said Huff. “Laws don’t come floatin’ out of deep space, boy. They’re made by folks. Some of them’s good folks, some not so much, and laws are like children—they look like the folks what made ’em. Remember the reason we Jovians is fightin’ Earth, Carlo. I know you’ve heard lots of high-falutin’ talk ’bout why, but comes down to some unfair folks made some unfair laws way back when, and ever since then Earth folks been too stubborn to admit they’re wrong and undo ’em.”
    â€œBut Grandfather—” Carlo said.
    â€œBut nothin’, Carlo,” Huff said. “You seen that Mr. Suud—sounds like he wants to outlaw privateerin’, or make it impossible. A generation ago the solar system was full of pirates, and now there’s just a handful of us left. Suppose they took privateerin’ away too. What would you do? Dock the Comet an’ leave her to rust?”
    â€œYou’re being overly dramatic, Grandfather,” Carlo said. “It wouldn’t come to that.”
    â€œI bet everybody thinks that, before things change,” Yana piped up.
    Huff nodded at Yana, his mechanical eye bright in his face.
    â€œArrr, that they do,” Huff said. “That they do.”
    Â 
    They were waiting in line outside a chandler’s depot when Yana gave a start of surprise.
    â€œLook!” she said.
    Tycho looked, but saw nothing unusual—just the normal crowd of spacers.
    â€œThat man over there—he was at admiralty court, sitting behind Suud,” she said. “Suud spoke to him after court was adjourned. It looked like he was giving him orders.”
    â€œWhich man?” Huff asked.
    â€œThe one with the mustache,” Yana said.
    â€œI don’t recognize him,” Carlo said doubtfully.
    â€œThat’s because you weren’t paying attention,” Yana said. “Remember what Mom said about the importance of things that happen in port? I gave everybody on that side of the room a good once-over. It’s him—and he wasn’t on the Ceph-Two .”
    â€œSo he’s Suud’s aide,” Carlo said. “So what?”
    â€œLook at the guys he’s with,” Yana said. “Do they look like Earth bureaucrats to you?”
    Tycho didn’t recognize the man, who was wearing the sort of drab tunic you saw many places on Ceres, as was the man next to him. Tycho couldn’t say for sure what he looked like. But Yana had a point about the others. Everything about them—from their rolling gait to their numerous earrings, tattoos,