Resolute

Chapter 4

The Resolute had a spacious hold that could be pressurized to work in. Kris found a dozen ancient jump buoys in storage near the hub. The Resolute's crew made easy work of getting half of them aboard. They were away from the station, leaving Penny in charge, well before noon.

Jack insisted on going. For some reason Abby did, too… which did not cause Jack to smile. Chief Beni slipped aboard at the last moment. ''Someone needs to help with reloading the software, checking the old code.'' He may also have heard of the reputed culinary prowess of the Resolute's cook.

That left Kris and a very inquisitive Nelly on the bridge as the Resolute headed for Jump Point Beta. The buoy there was not responding to radio checks, and, since this jump point led, via just two more jumps, to Peterwald's new holding on Brenner Pass, it was Kris's first concern.

But not Nelly's. Kris's computer was all eyes, ears, and whatever a computer could be checking on the navigation readouts. I see it! My jump point is there! I think it may be orbiting that gas giant. Could that be why no one noticed it before?

Kris eyed the navigator's board. She had to in order to keep her concentration. Having an excited computer dancing around inside her skull was… difficult. It reminded her of little brother Eddy. He got so excited at his sixth birthday party. Kris wasn't joking when she said she could tie a string to his toe and fly him as a kite. Poor, dear dead Eddy.

Kris put Eddy aside. Once he'd been the only death she mourned. Now, he was one of so many. What did Grampa Trouble say—''If you live, they add up. If you don't. Well, you join them. They'll wait for you. Trust me girl. They'll wait.''

Kris concentrated on keeping her head on while one excited computer did her best to blow it off. Yes, Nelly, I can see… whatever it is.

It has to be my jump point.

It doesn't look like a jump point.

Yes, it is different. But it is a jump point.

Kris tried not to be too obvious eyeing the nav computer. The Resolute's navigator was to the captain's left. Sulwan Kann was a dark-haired, petite woman almost to the point of being miniature. After getting a good look at the possible third jump point out of the Chance system, Kris backed away and divided her time between nav and the rest of the bridge. The controls were laid out to a standard format. Navigator, captain, helmsman. No need for weapons or defense. The Resolute was a standardly built ship, nothing as expensive as smart metal here. No ice to ward off lasers. Right, Kris, she is a merchant ship.

The crew of eighteen gave the ship just enough personnel to stand three watches, and Captain Drago set his course for Jump Point Beta at a brisk 1.5 g's. ''We'll get your work done quickly and get this contract over, if we're lucky, before anything violent comes your way, Lieutenant.''

''I thought my lieutenant signed you up for six months.''

''Right, she did. But if we get all your work done in less, maybe you'll decide to save money and cut our contract short?''

''Strange behavior from a merchant captain,'' Kris said.

''Yes, no question about it,'' Captain Drago readily agreed. ''But working for a Longknife is bound to bring out strangeness.''

''All too true,'' the navigator agreed. Kris noticed, however that her eyes, while staying attentive to Jump Point Beta, did have a tendency to stray briefly, again and again, to the gas giant with the strange, tiny fuzzy presence in its orbit.

She sees my jump point!

Yes. Probably. But, Nelly, she's not talking about it. What say we don't talk about it, either. This is one secret I want to keep between us girls.

But sooner or later we have to talk to someone if we are to go exploring.

Yes, girl. But let's not talk to anyone until we are going exploring.

Yes, ma'am, Your Princessship, Slavedriverness.

Nelly, boss would do just fine.

The long day at heavy g went slowly; Kris set out to get to know Drago and his officers better. They were ready talkers… about anything but their recent work. Jack flashed Kris a scowl after he tried to turn the lunch conversation toward what their Bid For Contract said was their latest work at Lorna Do. That effort was cut short by Abby introducing the need for Kris to expand her wardrobe to more informal wear that would fit Chance better.

''When we get back, could I have a modiste visit?''

''That shouldn't be a problem,'' Kris agreed, and found that Captain Drago had left the dinning room.

Fifteen hours after leaving the station, the Resolute came to a standstill beside the jump buoy. It was nowhere close to the jump point; they would not have found it except for the flashing beacon. Its radio was silent as death.

Two sailors captured it and maneuvered it into the hold. A quick survey showed it was in sad shape. One of the merchant sailors put her finger into the hole in the fuel tank. ''Goes in here and right through to the second tank. Got both.''

Jack studied it up close. ''I guess it was a meteorite. Don't see any evidence of a laser. We can check the tanks better once we get them back to the station.''

''You might as well take the whole buoy back,'' Chief Beni put in. ''The batteries won't take a charge and half the solar cells are gone. We were lucky that it had power for the light.''

''Pull out a replacement,'' Kris ordered. Twice. The first one came up dead. The second one came up alive… once they swapped out the solar cells from the first one.

Two hours later, they placed the buoy on its own and put it to work, passing through the jump point with orders to send the one from the other side through to verify that there was no ship waiting there to come through. It came back.

''I guess no other buoy,'' Captain Drago said. He edged the Resolute through carefully, at only a few kilometers a second and rock-solid steady on its lateral stabilizers. Ships that went through at high accelerations tended to end up at jump points they didn't intend to. Ships that were spinning could end up lost. The navigator of the Resolute was a very careful woman.

''No beacon,'' the captain reported, to no one's surprise. ''I'll have my crew get another spare buoy up and running.''

''But what happened to the assigned one?'' Kris asked.

Drago shrugged. His toothy smile didn't make Kris any more satisfied with her ignorance.

''Beni, report to the bridge. Captain, what search sensors does this ship have?''

''You've seen them.''

''I want to search for something maybe blown down to atoms.''

''You sure it didn't just wander away?'' Sulwan asked. ''If it lost all its solar cells, it wouldn't even show a light.''

''Possibly, but humor my paranoid side for a while. Okay?''

Beni and the Comm Chief got to work boosting the Resolute's sensor suite. By the time they launched a replacement buoy, Beni was frowning over reports. ''This chunk of space isn't nearly as empty as it ought to be. And the mixture of atoms is about what you might expect if someone blew a buoy to atoms.''

''How recently?'' Jack asked.

''Say a month ago.''

''Too recent. Let's go home,'' Jack said.

''Long enough ago that the ship should be long gone,'' Kris countered.

''Could be long gone.''

''Is there any ship in this system?'' Kris asked Sulwan.

Lips pursed, she studied her sensors. ''Doesn't look like anything's here but us chickens… and one vaporized buoy.''

''We need something more substantial than this to change minds on Chance.'' Kris turned to Captain Drago. ''Your board shows no buoy at this system's Jump Point Beta. That's only two jumps away from Brenner Pass. We need to replace it. How quickly can you get us over there?''

''We can maybe make two g's,'' the Captain admitted.

''And if we get into any trouble, what kind of hold-out guns are you carrying?''

Captain Drago looked pained. ''Ma'am, I'm just a simple merchant captain. The Resolute is no kind of a warship.''

''Yes, and I commanded a dozen friendly-looking merchant skippers and their ships at Wardhaven, all just as deadly as they needed to be. What have you got if things get terminal?''

The captain studied the overhead of his bridge for a long moment, then glanced Sulwan's way. She shrugged. ''She's a Longknife. You knew she was going to ask,'' the navigator said.

''Yes, but I was hoping for much, much later.'' He paused for a moment longer, then said quickly. ''We have two fourteen-inch pulse lasers and capacitors that can normally be recharged in five minutes, assuming everything else is running smoothly and our reactor hasn't been shot to Swiss cheese.''

''Good, Captain. That didn't hurt. Who's your gunner?''

''Three ex-Navy types who know the lasers from soup to nuts.''

''That's nice to know. Now then, Captain, let us get to the next jump point as quickly as we may. Chief Beni, make sure the software on this buoy will have it go through the jump to report to Chance anytime the other buoy is activated.''

''Already did, ma'am. It's standard software after that mess up at Wardhaven.''

''Glad to know someone learned something from that.''

''Madame client,'' Captain Drago began most formally, ''Our high g stations are not nearly so fancy as those on Navy ships. In fact, you may find the plumbing rather crude. May I suggest that you and your maid use your room. The men use their own room while we make Godspeed for where you want us.''

''Thank you, Captain. Jack, Beni, with me.''

''If you think I'm going to leave you all alone when that puffed-up pirate has just told me to leave you all alone,'' Jack started as soon as they were alone in the passageway.

''You wouldn't be half the man I take you for,'' Kris said to cut off a long lecture that she already knew by heart. And one, at least today, she agreed with.

''Jack, Beni, get your high g stations. Give Abby and me about ten minutes to get ourselves modestly arranged in our own, then you join us in my room.''

''What about my modesty?'' the chief asked.

''Trust me, I'll close my eyes,'' Kris answered.

''Abby probably will, too,'' Jack added.

Fifteen minutes later, they were ready for a day-long trip at high g. Jack had his station facing the door of Kris's stateroom, automatic at hand. Kris had a similar field of fire. Abby had set up a game hologram between the four of them. She started off with chess, but quickly beat all of them soundly. Even Jack. Abby suggested they try their hand at poker, but neither Kris nor Jack were one of those born optimists that ever answered yes to that question. And they refused to let Abby play Beni for a sucker. They settled on bridge at a penny a point.

By midafternoon, they were down to a quarter penny a point and Beni owed Abby his next two paychecks. ''Aren't cards supposed to make this a game of chance. The way she plays, you'd think she was reading my hand. Or my mind.''

When it came rest time, Kris had them rotate sleeping, first the boys, then the girls. ''Keep that door covered at all times,'' Jack warned as Kris dimmed the lights and he closed his eyes.

Nelly, can you hear any traffic in the passageway out there?

I have been listening since you settled in. One person managed to stalk by. No one else.

Wake me if you hear anyone coming.

Jack ended up waking Kris. ''You have that computer of yours covering for you?''

''Yes. Nelly, did anyone come by here while we were asleep?''

''No, Kris, it was just you sleeping beauties,'' Nelly said.

Kris tapped the commlink. ''Captain Drago, when will we reach Jump Point Beta?''

''We'll kill the engine in five minutes. You need the time to freshen up?''

''I think I'll wait until we're in zero g,'' Kris said.

Ten minutes later, Chief Beni was hunting for any evidence there ever had been a buoy at this jump point. He found it, but only at the cooling atomic level. But not that cool. ''It was burned, but not too long ago. Not long ago at all.''

''Captain, would you mind nudging us through the jump point,'' Kris said, ever so properly for her status as client aboard.

''Shouldn't we post a buoy? Have it look before we jump?''

''Captain,'' Kris repeated less properly.

''Captain speaking,'' Drago announced to all hands. ''Stand by for a jump we hopefully will all live to regret. You ex-Navy types, I'm not moving until you tell me the board is green on those long-legged ladies we don't have.''

Kris pulled herself down to a jump seat next to the helmsman and strapped herself in. Jack settled in a spare seat next to the captain. Beni got close to the navigator and her sensors. Then three separate voices verified that the lasers that weren't aboard were all go.

It took only a moment to glide through the jump, another to recover from the disorientation. ''No buoy,'' Sulwan said.

''Hot, very hot plasma here,'' Beni added.

''And I may know who's been eating our porridge,'' Kris said, ''And breaking our chairs. Look what I see.''

Not fifty klicks out hovered a ship. Nice and shiny and new. And easily twice the size of the Resolute. What kind of weapons hid under its bright work was anybody's guess.

''Howdy folks,'' came on guard channel in an oh-so-chummy voice. ''What brings you to this part of space?''

Kris took it all in: blasted buoys, a ship too close to the fastest route between Chance and Peterwald space, and the tenor of that hail. Without being able to explain how she got from point A to point Dead, that was where she went. Someone would die in the next few minutes. It wouldn't be her or hers.

None to gently, Kris nudged the helmsman's hand. The Resolute rolled right and pushed everyone back in their seats with a sudden burst of acceleration. But just a burst. In a moment, the ship was back to drifting slowly, but in a roll.

''Helm, what's wrong,'' Captain Drago demanded, his hand still on the open mike. Good. He's a quick study.

''I don't know,'' Kris answered before the helmsman could get out a squeak. ''It's that same old problem. It's back again.''

Kris tapped the helmsman's hand again and the ship did another jump and roll. ''Captain, we got a serious problem with our lateral stabilizer this time,'' Kris added.

''Well, tie it down,'' Captain Drago snapped.

''Trying,'' Kris said, and made sure the ship did another dodge and weave.

''Looks like you folks could use some help,'' came from the other ship. ''You go into a jump with a bad stabilizer and the Great Goo only knows where you'll come out.''

Bret chewed his drooping mustache, and a bit of his lower lip as well. Then he scowled at Kris, a multifunctional thing. Finally, he looked into the commlink as honest as anyone born yesterday and said. ''This is Captain Bret Drago of the merchant ship Resolute out of Lorna Do. Our best mechanic can't do a thing with the problem. You have anyone good with stabilizers? Maybe thrusters. Could just be the computer.''

''I'm Captain Arnando Jinks of the good ship Wild Goose. I got people good for what ails you,'' the other answered with a wide, friendly smile. ''What do you say that you close down all your power systems and we'll come over?''

''Captain, I think I can dampen the spin, and leave us dead in space,'' Kris said, mouthing ''Do it'' silently to the helm. He did. ''Maybe it would be easier if they just matched hatches to us and came aboard. Save time on hauling tools back and forth.''

Captain Drago's tapping toes looked like they were about to blow a fuse, but he turned a bland face to the other captain. ''We do seem to be stable. I think we can hold it. I'll pop out our airlock tunnel. Think you can match with it?''

''It would be a lot easier on my repair crew. Wouldn't have to wait for our locks to cycle. And some of my best techs get space sick if you get them outside a solid hull.''

''Good. I've powered down. You match. Captain Drago out.'' He killed his commlink; watched it switch from green to red standby. Then he mashed a button and the red light went out. He waved at Sulwan who flipped a switch on her board.

''We are as silent as a tomb,'' she reported.

''And maybe about to become one. Longknife, what have you gotten me and my fine ship and its very thin-skinned crew into?''

''That helpful Hannibal is likely the fellow who's been blasting our buoys. You want to have a shoot-out with him?''

''No.'' Captain Drago agreed, though his expression said he'd rather swallow a dead fish than agree with Kris just now.

''You can't tell me that this fine ship and its resourceful crew have never been boarded before. Boarded when you didn't want to be. Where's your weapons' locker? You must have a goodly supply of Pfizer's best sleepy darts?''

''And if we do?''

''We shoot first and ask questions later,'' Kris said.

''What do you take me for, a pirate?''

''Actually, we were hoping you were,'' Jack said. ''Our pirates. Not their pirates. Our gal here gets along right well with pirates. When she's not stealing their ships.''

''Well, she's doing nasty things with mine. And without my permission.'' Kris considered that charge, evaluated whether or not he was most upset about what she was doing or that she was doing it without first consulting him. She concluded that his main complaint was with the process, not the proceedings.

''I'm sorry, Captain, but there wasn't time to staff out our options. I didn't see a lot of good things happening if we tried to fight. You know what hold-out laser he's hiding?''

''Not the faintest,'' Drago spat.

''And, if we do this right, we'll be hustling through his open hatch to take his bridge well before he can take yours.''

Drago snorted, seemed to warm to the idea, but still wagged a finger Kris's way. ''Not bad. But next time, young lady, you warn me before you go getting me in a mess like this.''

''I will,'' Kris promised, trying to sound contrite.

Jack shook his head. ''Not a chance. I'd never bet money on that. Congenitally impossible to her whole family.''

Kris watched Jack and the captain exchange glances, one of those male-bonding moments that would make them friends for life. Why were those moments so often at the expense of some poor woman? Oh well, she had things going the way she wanted. With luck, she'd take that ship with nothing more painful than a few headaches for the Wild Goose's crew. With luck.

''You plan on welcoming them aboard in that Navy uniform,'' Abby drawled, her head just ducking inside the bridge hatch.

Kris hit the release on her seat and propelled herself for that same hatch. ''Captain, if you will distribute inconspicuous weapons to your crew, we should be in a position to take down our assistants before they can become our assailants.''

''Sulwan, see to that,'' the captain said, not budging from his command chair.

Jack followed Kris off the bridge; he needed to be out of uniform, too. ''Beni,'' he shouted. ''I want you in my room five minutes ago.''

Abby had shed her prim skirt and blouse for a tank top and very cutoffs. Any not-dead male, faced with her long legs and full breasts, would be too locked in indecision as to what to lust after to notice minor things like Abby shooting him.

Kris ended up in a bulky sweater and oversize sweatpants… that hid the spidersilk undies and ceramic armor plates that Abby put her in. ''And there's five minutes of emergency air in that pack between your shoulder blades. If somebody doses the atmosphere, that ought to give us a chance to rescue you… again. The undies will help if we go to zero pressure.''

''Thank you,'' Kris said, and then again to Sulwan when she came by with a nasty-looking, but tiny weapon. ''Sleepy darts?''

''Low power for close quarters. What's your hold-out gun?''

Kris produced her service automatic from the small of her back. ''I'm not using Pfizer's best with it.''

''Well, power it down or you'll be punching holes in Bret's ship. He doesn't like that, and it kind of makes it hard for the rest of us to breathe.''

Kris held the weapon up for Sulwan to see that she already had it dialed back to the smallest squirt of propellant for each flechette. ''Don't want to make holes in my station.''

''Should have known I wouldn't have to teach a Longknife how to kill folks. Or not—if she wanted.''

The knocking of tubing against tubing had echoed through the hull as Kris changed. Now her conversation with Sulwan was punctuated by the solid thunk of the attachment being made. Then came the whooshing sound of the tube pressurizing. ''We better get back to work,'' Sulwan said as she did a racing turn and pushed off for the hold to greet their kind assistants. Kris followed, with Jack close behind. He had switched into battle dress bottoms and boots, but a red tank top that showed off nice pecs.

Beni came up the rear in a rumpled set of khakis with the chief's anchors gone. And a sandwich in one hand covering an electronic monitoring station.

Kris brought them to a halt, then towed her three into a crewman's quarters on one side of the hold. With the door partially closed, she watched as six ''helping hands'' from the other ship followed Sulwan toward the bridge. One of them looked to be the captain of the reputedly good ship Wild Goose.

Ducking her head out, Kris checked the passageway, then waved her team toward the hold. There they paused for Jack to move to the head of the line. He pushed himself off first, gliding unsteadily into the hold and made an awkward grab for the busted buoy, pulling himself to a halt on it.

Kris allowed herself to show more grace as she jumped for one of the new ones, Abby right behind her. The chief held back, out of sight, content to let the three of them go in harm's way.

Lounging free beside the open airlock were three from the other ship. Eyeing them as they floated in were two men in shorts and T-shirts, and a redhead in full body armor. Ouch!

''Hi.'' Kris waved. ''Captain wants us to get a replacement buoy up and running.'' Kris flipped open the maintenance hatch on her buoy and did her best to appear busy.

The armored woman eyed Kris narrowly. ''You do that.''

The two fellows seemed to lose interest in everything but Abby's rear once she expertly bent over the open buoy service hatch and waved it their way. Jack fumbled to a second buoy and managed to get it open. Kris had hoped the woman in armor would concentrate on Jack, but she gave all three an eagle's attentive eye. And her hand kept going to the small of her back. She was packing and looked eager to use it. Kris took a deep breath and sentenced the woman to surrender or die.

Humming to herself, Kris passed behind the buoy, pulled out her service automatic, switched the power up and the safety off with one sweep of her thumb, and came back in view of the three strangers with her automatic sighting on the woman's head.

''We got a problem in the hold,'' Kris called on net, switched off, and said, ''Don't go for the gun.''

Two soft pops of sleepy darts from Abby and Jack and the men floated like jellyfish. The woman sneered at Kris—and reached for her gun. Kris shook her head and fired. The woman's head disappeared in a red smear before she even reached the gun.

''Did you have to do that?'' Beni asked from the safety of the passageway.

''She was armed and going for it,'' Jack snapped as he moved to the sleeping beauties, checked for a pulse, then put another dart into each butt to make sure they took a nice long nap. Then he frisked them. All three yielded ugly knives and pistols of various flavors. All lethal. No sleepy darts here.

''We surrendered or else,'' Abby drawled softly.

Captain Drago shot into the hold, deflected himself off a buoy and aimed himself for the open airlock and tube between the ships. ''Did you have to start shooting so soon?''

Jack waved at the captured horde of weapons.

''Yes. Yes, I know,'' Drago said, grabbing the airlock and propelling himself down the tube. ''But we barely were in position on the bridge.'' Four beefy sailors followed in their captain's wake.

''Yes,'' Kris agreed. ''But that also means they were just getting in position, too.'' The captain was too far up the rabbit hole for Kris to hear any reply. She shoved off to follow.

''Don't you think we ought to wait?'' Jack said.

''We've still got air. Let's go,'' Kris shouted, putting her service automatic between her teeth. She flew past Jack; he scowled. She grabbed for a handhold on the airlock and pulled herself hand over hand into the void between ships.

Jack shouted, ''Beni, get over here,'' and made to follow.

Abby shot in ahead of him. ''You could break a nail on these handles. Way too awkward,'' she muttered.

Kris concentrated on grabbing hold and pushing along fast. The tube was clear, though the moisture of their breath was making it fog. Beyond, the dark cold of space loomed, speckled by unblinking, forever-distant lights. Kris had seen this view before, from a racing skiff. She'd always had a well-tested pressure suit hugging her at those moments. She paddled faster.

The air took on the smell of fried fish and dirty laundry, overpowering even the taste of the weapon in Kris's mouth. Flashing out into a wide space at the other end of the tube, Kris found two sleepers drifting. Before Kris touched down on the far wall, she had both guns out, covering the passageways up and down in the ship. No head came in view. No nothing.

There was noise forward and Kris turned to go there as Abby and Jack glided in to do their own check.

''Hold it,'' came from the chief as he wiggled in behind Jack. One hand held his electronic gizmo; his eyes studied its flashing colors. ''Something strange going on aft. In Engineering.''

Kris did a flip and headed that way, Jack right behind her, Abby took station with two guns out, ready to hold the tube against all comers. Beni followed Kris, bouncing from one side of the passageway to the other but his eyes never left the electronic monitoring station in his left hand.

Kris paused at the open hatch to Engineering. Inside, two men were anchored by their feet to impromptu holds. One held a huge wrench, the other an automatic pistol. He fired off a burst at Kris but couldn't control the weapon. Rounds went high, then higher, ricocheting inside. Kris shot for the dead center of his chest; he flipped over. He went one way, the pistol the other.

Kris swung her weapon toward the guy with the wrench. But he'd vanished aft into a maze of machinery. Now the guy in stained khakis strapped into the Engineering command station drew Kris's attention. He was hunched over a button, knuckles white as he pressed it down hard. Beads of perspiration glistened on his face to form globules and float free into the air around him.

''You going to shoot me?'' he asked, not looking up. Kris saw herself reflected in the instruments of that station.

''Wasn't planning to,'' Kris said, glancing around for the wrench fellow. Jack followed her in and started doing his own check. Beni held station outside the hatch, but the look he gave the engineer rapidly turned to raw terror.

''Kind of wish you would shoot me,'' the man said. His hand was trembling. ''It would solve all my problems. All yours, too.''

Kris's father hadn't raised dumb kids. ''That what I take it for?''

''Probably. The bridge activated the self-destruct sequence. My job is to finish it by letting go of this switch. That's what they pay me the big bucks for. I let go and the reactor's containment just goes away. Then we do.''

''But the folks who put that in your contract aren't the ones standing here just now,'' Jack said.

''You got that one right.''

''Somebody really doesn't want any evidence, do they. And don't much care who pays the cost for what they want,'' Kris said softly. Her knees were starting to shake, making her glad to be in zero g. Floating, waiting to be blown to atoms was a whole lot more nerve-racking than throwing herself into a shoot-out.

''I'm too old for this shit,'' the engineer said. ''And I kind of wanted to get older.'' He shook his head. ''They can't pay a man enough for this.''

''Any way to safety the destruct sequence?'' Kris asked.

''You can't do that,'' came the half scream, half screech. ''We swore a mercenary's oath.'' The missing fellow launched himself from behind something big and gray. He had his wrench out ahead of him and was aiming straight for the guy holding back the reactor blowout.

Kris stitched him with a three round burst of sleepy darts.

Jack launched himself at the suicide, caught him in midair. The two of them crashed into the Engineering station just at the elbow of the fellow with his finger in a most lethal dike.

''You still have the situation well in hand?'' Kris asked.

''If I didn't, you wouldn't be asking,'' the guy said with a soft snort. ''Listen, my hand is getting a mite tired. You see that blue switch there, just out of my reach if I tried for it?''

''Yes,'' Kris said, gliding softly to the point of interest, but trying to touch nothing.

''And that red button about half a meter away from it?''

Kris looked for it. And pointed at one.

''No, not that red one, the smaller one below it.''

Kris pointed to the right one.

''You throw the blue switch. Then you have five seconds to push the red one down and hold it down until you feel it click solidly in place. You got it?''

''And if I mess up?''

''You really don't need me to tell you, do you?''

Kris wrapped a leg around a stanchion for the work station, stabilized herself, and reached out. For once, she was glad of all of her six feet and the reach that came with it. She had the blue switch under her right hand and wasn't even stretching to reach the red. ''Flip one, then push down hard on the other.''

''Until it clicks.''

The switch flipped easily. The button went down. And did nothing. ''I'm not getting a click, here,'' Kris said.

''You better before five seconds is up.''

Kris leaned hard, wishing maybe there was more of her to lean on that button, but they were in zero g and even if she weighed a thousand pounds it wouldn't matter.

''Can this thing be turned off,'' Kris muttered, as she wrapped both of her legs around the support and bent herself to get more leverage behind her fingers.

The button sank deeper, but still no click. Kris grabbed for the edge of the work station to get more purchase.

Beside her, the engineer was muttering, ''One hundred thousand and four. One hundred thousand and…''

The button gave a gentle click. ''Will it stay down now?''

The engineer eyed his board. ''I think you did it. Keep pushing down on that thing. I'm gonna let go.'' He did. Kris counted to twenty. And found she was still here.

''I think you can let go of that,'' the engineer said.

''You don't sound nearly as sure as I want you to sound.''

''Ain't run this procedure all that many times.''

''How many times have you run it?'' Jack asked.

''This is the first time I've heard of.''

Kris's knuckles were white and several, no, most of her muscles were screaming. ''I need to let go?''

''Try it. If we don't blow up, you did things just fine.''

Kris considered her options and found that standing here for the rest of her life might interfere with too many things she wanted to do. Like going dancing with Ron and Jack again. She let up and counted to twenty.

''No boom,'' Beni said from the hatch.

''No boom is good boom,'' Kris agreed and offered the Engineering officer her hand. ''I'm Nur Chim, Chief Engineer of the Royal Flush.‘'

''Not the Wild Goose?'' Jack said.

''Oh, were we using that set of papers today?''

''How many sets of papers does this ship have?'' Kris asked.

The engineer shrugged. ''Ma'am, I'm paid to run a reactor. The fewer questions I ask, the happier the skipper is.''

''Why don't you help us corral that young fellow that's watched too many mercenary vids. Grampa Trouble always told me the only true oath one of them took was to get a paycheck on a regular basis or walk.''

The engineer produced wire and helped Jack lash the two together. ''Grampa Trouble. You one of those Longknifes?''

''Yep.''

''Just my luck. Any chance I can talk you into keeping me separate from the rest of this bunch? I don't think they're going to be too happy to discover I didn't blow the ship.''

''I think that can be arranged.''

Back on the Resolute, the crew was storing sleepers in three large lockers. Kris might have found their presence a surprise on a merchant ship under other circumstances. She flashed a smile Abby's way and said. ''Glad they have these.''

''Nice of them isn't it.''

The engineer suggested five guys he wouldn't mind sharing quarters with. Captain Jinks and the hard cases got another cell. The others filled up the center one. ''Now let's see what we've captured.''

Captain Drago was on the other ship's bridge. He'd found four sets of papers, each for a different ship of the same description, each from a different port. All ports, however, were in Peterwald space.

''Haven't I heard somewhere that there's bad blood between you Longknifes and the Peterwalds?'' Drago asked.

''Do you believe everything you hear in the media?''

''No, but if I hear something often enough, it kind of makes me shy when I get hit on the nose with something that smells of real proof.''

Kris changed the subject. ''Nelly, can you access this ship's network?''

''No. It's solid-wire access only, no hot spots for remote.''

''Kind of makes you wonder if someone wasn't paranoid about their privacy,'' Kris said, then shouted, ''Chief.''

''I'm here. I'm here. What'cha want, boss?''

''I want to plug Nelly directly into this network. You got an adapter?'' It took the chief a minute and three tries, but he finally found one that worked. ''Nelly, will you be safe wandering around in this thing?''

''Of course, Kris.''

A moment later Nelly muttered, ''Ouch. That was not polite.''

''What?'' came from all four humans in earshot.

''Well, everything on this system is encrypted. Heavily. Several different codes. You are right, Kris, your fake friends like their privacy.''

''You've handled codes before.''

''Yes, but this nasty idiot sister of mine is loaded with bombs. I go hunting for something, and she sends unpleasant little things right back at me.''

''Get out, Nelly. Now!''

''I am out, now, Kris, but there is nothing to worry about. Do you remember that triple-buffer system Aunt Tru gave me to use when I was looking for data on the rock chip from Santa Maria?''

''Yes.''

''I am using it to buffer me from bombs in this nasty network. None of them have gotten by the first buffer. Kris, I am safe. Now may I continue?''

Kris gnawed her lower lip. Why was Nelly so confident about rushing in where mere humans feared to tread? Did the computer really have the situation in hand or was she just a teenager blind to her risks. ''Continue, Nelly. But if any bomb gets into your second level of buffers, stop and bring it to my attention.''

''Yes, Kris, I will most certainly do that.''

''Think she can handle it?'' the captain asked.

Kris considered letting him in on just what Nelly had handled so far, then decided against it… for now. ''She'll do just fine. You finding anything interesting?''

''Not much hardware I dare touch,'' he said. ''There's a lot of workstations on this bridge. Too many for an honest merchant ship. But with them all dead, there's no way I can tell what they might be used for.''

Kris eyed them: helm, command, navigation. And two more. Weapons and defense she would have named them on the Typhoon.

''That's interesting,'' Nelly said.

''What's interesting?'' Kris asked.

''This merchant ship packs four twenty-four-inch pulse lasers.''

''Four twenty-four-inch pulse lasers! My first ship, the corvette Typhoon, carried that armament. Nelly, keep searching.''

''Kris, I think this ship has Smart Metal.'' Nelly said.

''Smart Metal? Beni, what do you show?''

The chief's face screwed up in puzzlement as he studied his black box. He glided over to rest it in contact with the steel of the hatch. ''No, it's standard metal, same as any caveman used. But I am getting something. This is weird.''

''Kris, I think it would be best if I activated the defensive station,'' Nelly said. ''You will need to see what they are doing to get a full understanding of it. It is very unexpected.''

''Do it,'' Kris said.

The station next to the helm lit up. On the screen appeared a replica of the ship. Most of it was red. One patch was green. The green section covered the side of the ship broadside to the Resolute. ''They sheathed the ship in Smart Metal,'' Nelly said.

''I thought you couldn't mix smart metal and regular steel?'' Jack said.

''That's what the techs at Nuu Enterprises said. When you made a hull half smart, half steel, the new stuff migrates and mixes under unusual circumstances. Like when you're hit.''

''Someone has put a film of Smart Metal over the regular hull, then shifts it around,'' Captain Drago said. ''You put this where you're likely to get hit, and it ablates the laser heat.''

''Glad you didn't get in a shoot-out with it,'' Kris said.

Drago cringed.

''You think someone came up with a smarter way to use this stuff than the folks at NuuE?'' Jack said.

''Looks that way. Though I wonder how this stuff does if you get a burn-through. Can it patch a hull breach?'' Kris asked.

''Don't know,'' Captain Drago said. ''But if it keeps my hull intact through a few hits, I'll not look a gift horse under the arm pits.''

Kris didn't like the idea of someone building on Nuu Enterprise's patents. Or fighting ships like this one. And she liked even less that the idea had come from someone other than Grampa Al's crew. ''Nelly, find the nav and ship control routines and get them working.''

''I am hunting for them, Kris. This is not easy sledding.''

There were muffled laughs from the humans around Kris. ''Keep up the good work, Nelly. Let us know when you think the ship is safe to move.''

''You planning on putting a crew aboard?'' Drago asked.

''If you will loan me a full watch. Can't leave this hulk drifting out here. No telling who might steal it.''

''Good point,'' Drago agreed with a grin that would have fit well on any pirate from the proverbial seven seas of Earth.