Katadromiko 2, stationary in non-system space
Captain Whipper puffed out his cheeks and grunted as he watched the interview wrap up. They’d learnt a lot from the young engineer, but their attention now had to be on this Patrician character. He thought he’d leave it to Bache to tell Malic her crew had only hired her to die on the freighter. Or perhaps they shouldn’t tell her. Knowing something like that could have serious mental health consequences. Probably best to let the medical team make that decision.
A knock on his study door interrupted his thoughts. Glancing left at a small screen recessed into his desk, he saw Lieutenant Loftt waiting outside.
‘Enter,’ he called. ‘Just the man I want to see,’ he added, as Bache closed the door behind him and approached the desk.
‘I have something I want to run by you, Captain,’ Bache said, standing bolt upright in front of him.
‘At ease, Lieutenant,’ he said, waving at a chair to Bache’s right. ‘You want to have a crack at the Patrician, I take it?’
‘Actually, no, sir,’ said Bache, sitting on the front edge of the seat. ‘I think he’d eat me alive and rather die than divulge any information.’
‘Then, what?’ Whipper asked, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms.
‘I want to go back to Dresse.’
‘Are you mad? Absolutely not. If it’s slipped your mind, there were twelve battleships hungry for a fight the last time we were there.’
‘Yes, sir, but I don’t believe they’ll be there now. My guess is they’ll be on the way to Gata space.’
‘For what possible reason would you want to go back there anyway?’
‘To secure that last drone, Captain,’ he said. ‘If it’s still there, it may have information of who sent them still programmed into its data core.’
‘Hmm,’ grunted Whipper. He rubbed his chin as he considered Loftt’s proposal. It was true that any information they could gather on the drones’ origins would be hugely valuable, but was it worth risking a valuable member of his crew and another ship? However, Bache was one of his best young officers, and he trusted his judgement.
‘All right, Lieutenant,’ he said after a moment. ‘You can take a small ship back to Dresse, but you’ll have to go alone. I can't risk any more of my crew on this mission.’
Loftt nodded and turned to leave, but suddenly stopped and turned back.
‘Could I take the pilot we picked up on Dasos?’ Bache asked. ‘He’s technically not a member of the crew, a better pilot than me, and I would like to have someone covering my back.’
Whipper rolled his eyes and nodded slowly.
‘Permission granted,’ he said. ‘Just bring him and the ship back in one piece this time.’
‘Do you know his name?’ Bache asked.
The captain touched a few icons on his recessed desk screen and read the result.
‘Pilot Officer L’Clers,’ he said, glancing back up again.
Bache nodded, his excitement barely concealed.
‘Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.’
‘I know you won’t,’ Whipper said, with the hint of a smile. ‘Just be careful. And remember, if it’s too dangerous, cut your losses and get back here. I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this mess with or without that drone.’
Bache nodded again, standing up from the chair. ‘Understood, sir. I’ll leave as soon as I’m ready.’
Whipper watched as Loftt saluted him and left the room before turning his attention back to the screen on his desk. It was a risky move, but if the lieutenant could retrieve the drone and find its source, it could change the course of their mission.
He hoped this time they’d have a bit of luck.
Bache was back at hangar 41 again. Because of the operational situation the lighting was dimmed to a dull red glow and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust from the bright white light in the corridors. It was cold too and he shivered as he climbed inside a considerably smaller and older gunship than the one he’d been given last time. Probably captain’s orders after the state of the new one he returned previously. This he knew wasn’t so much of a bad thing, as this model had the Mark II Jaxion antigravs. Bigger and much more powerful, but alas they were noisier. It also had a multi-barrel rail gun that could be fired fore and aft, alongside the laser cannons.
Bache checked the items he’d requested had been loaded onto the lower deck, but was surprised to see L’Clers already in the cockpit, undergoing a full systems check.
‘’Allo, boss,’ said a grinning L’Clers, glancing over his shoulder as Bache stooped to enter the snug cabin.
‘You didn’t waste any time getting here,’ Bache replied, squeezing himself into the co-pilot’s seat.
‘I’ve not had a bang in one of these before, so I thought I’d better attune myself to her foibles,’ he said.
‘Is that so?’ said Bache, raising his eyebrows. ‘Going bang in this is something I’d personally like to avoid. What’s your first name by the way?’
‘Handis,’ he said. ‘But everybody calls me Clunk.’
‘Clunk?’
‘Ah,’ L’Clers grunted, pulling an awkward face. ‘I landed a fully laden freighter a tad heavily on a small space station in the Fal’it system a couple of years ago. Almost knocked it out of orbit. It took them two days to jack the landing struts out of its deck.’
‘Ouch,’ Bache uttered and was about to say more, when he was stopped by a voice from behind him.
‘My services not good enough for you anymore?’ snapped Zaphir, from the cockpit door.
Bache turned, thinking she was joking, but the expression on her face said otherwise.
‘Err—it was captain’s orders, Zaffie,’ he said, in the most genuine voice he could muster.
‘You’re a lying bag a crap,’ she hissed, thrusting a forefinger at him. ‘I hope you don’t fucking come back.’
With that, she turned and stomped down the stairs. The two of them in the cockpit turned and watched her through the front screen as she marched across the hangar and left without looking back.
‘Nice girl,’ said L’Clers, giving Bache a slow eye roll. ‘Know you well, does she?’
Bache said nothing, just the glower he gave L’Clers was enough to persuade him to not continue on that particular line of inquiry. It was silent in the cockpit for the next few minutes as L’Clers completed his flight checks.
Bache sat quietly staring at the closed hangar airlock door wondering if he should pursue her and explain. But he’d known Zaphir a long time and when she was in one of those moods it was always better to leave her well alone.
‘Ship’s all ready, boss,’ said L’Clers, waking Bache from his thoughts.
He nodded and pointed towards the gaping hangar door, where hundreds of distant stars sparkled.
‘Clunk, let’s get out there and call me Bache for ancients’ sake.’