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Camat and his second sat around the table in the mess hall of the Long Sword. The minute Maden mentioned they would need to take their ship back to Calius, Camat’s leg had started to bounce. He’d taken on the job without checking what they were supposed to do. That was an error he’d not make again. If they got through the assignment without losing the ship or their lives.
Trund picked at his nails, his eyes on the table. A sure sign of nerves with his second-in-command. They had to make the trip. No way could they back out now.
“Calius is a big planet. Where exactly are we to go on it?” Camat hoped the reply wouldn’t be Larentin.
Tanu looked to Maden and got a short nod.
“I own half of a gambling palace on Calius. It’s in the heart of Dagen. I spent a short time there, but recall little. I’ve contacted my partner. We have a few berths we rent out for special parties. One of them is reserved for your ship. You can make use of it or go elsewhere if you choose.”
Camat’s leg stopped bouncing. Dagen, they could work with. It was far enough away from Larentin that they wouldn’t need to watch their backs all the time. Then again, it came down to how long they were supposed to hang out. If too much time went by, certain forms would learn of their presence and trouble would follow.
“Captain Vaallaant, is it necessary for us to stay there the entire time? Wouldn’t that appear odd?”
That was one of the things Camat had always loved about Trund—his quick mind.
The tip of his crest eased through Maden’s dark hair. The Messerian’s hand quickly smoothed it down. Camat hoped he hadn’t angered Maden.
“Good thought. Don’t know why we didn’t consider that. No. I should think a few days would be sufficient. Then you could move to another location. We do want you available to bounce in and snatch our people, if necessary, within a few SUN hours of a call for extraction. Can you determine how to do that?”
“We’ll make it happen. There are small villages here and there on Calius. A few have ports. We can spend a day or two in them without attracting too much attention,” Camat responded with a firm nod. Then he grinned. “We’re nothing but kids with a ship and a little money to burn on fooling around. Taking R&R after a few good jobs.”
Those yellow Messerian eyes seemed to look inside him and find the things he didn’t dare say. “Do not get into enough trouble to get your asses kicked off the planet. None of us can stage a rescue mission. We’re too well known. Finding the Long Sword in Calius-controlled space could start a war. Given how many pirates hang out there, it could destroy half the damn world. You are the only ones who can get in and out without raising suspicion.”
Mouth dry, Camat didn’t dare speak. He gave a sharp nod of agreement. If the heads of certain gangs found out about their presence on Calius, shit would happen. The good news was the gangs weren’t allied with the government. They would need to come at them one on one. Owning a real ship put them a cut above the petty pillaging the local gangs engaged in.
If they behaved, the government would need to step in and keep trouble from their ship. Everyone knew the locals weren’t to fuck with tourists or paying customers. Owning the Demon Lair put them a level above the locals. And the Demon Lair’s home port was officially Estevan. That eased a little of his trepidation.
Not that he wanted to put the theory to the test. With a few weapons, the gangs could do them some damage. Paying for repairs wasn’t in the contract and would be on them.
Trund made notes on his tablet as Camat watched the forms around the table. They were transporting two Fjellskoglanders. From what he observed Nic seemed wary of the Life Foundation official’s bodyguard. Not sure what that might mean, he filed it in the keep-on-top-of list in his brain. The female, Ivanda, made too much of a production of ignoring Nic. Noted.
Ruket Remse wouldn’t be any trouble. That male relaxed in his chair with a smile. The other male, the Hocna, appeared anxious and preoccupied. The form they must depend on to verify information gathered had a bad case of nerves.
Since they were trying to find his family, Camat got the picture. The mission had a very low chance of success, which worried Natt. Understandable. Still, his need made him susceptible to anyone who might want to take advantage of his desperate condition. Not good. Nic had the task of babysitting Natt. Camat hoped he would do a good job.
When it came time to put his signature to the electronic contract, Camat trembled inside. He didn’t have a choice. The signing, a formality only, must be done. He’d already committed them and the crew wouldn’t be happy about their destination.
As he expected, they had a lot to say and Bunde’s voice rose above the rest.
“What kind of stupidity is this? How could you put us back on Calius? We’re wanted there.” Her shrill pitch felt like a sharp object going into his ear.
“We don’t have a choice. If we turn Vaallaant down, he’ll never ask us to take on something again. If we had another job to point to, it would be different. The way it stands, we can’t turn him down.” He hated the slight pleading tone to his voice.
“He’s right, Bunde.” Brown’s deep voice cut through the chaos around them. “We can’t afford to turn Vaallaant down without a valid reason. The only thing the Messerian would accept is a prior commitment. Nothing less.”
“The job doesn’t require us to land anywhere near Larentin. If it did, we’re no longer a bunch of youth doing petty crimes or fighting gang wars. We own a real ship, and this isn’t our first contract, either. That isn’t even our home port. Estevan is, and we made it official. The locals can’t fuck with us. You know the rules.”
“And when did that ever stop us? How many tourists have we robbed? Need a count?” She didn’t yell, which made it worse.
“And they were all on planet. Not one was in a berth in port. Not one damn time did we take on a ship,” Camat stated, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Which means we can’t leave the ship. The Demon Lair is our safe place,” Enkel growled out. “We’re stuck on the ship until the damn mission is over.”
“So what?” Brown rose to his feet. Camat noted the new mini motor made the human’s moves easier on his metal leg. “We’re being paid well to keep ourselves ready to support this mission. There’s a damn library filled with shit to read, and it wouldn’t hurt to take the time to study more of what you need to know to make a success of the Demon Lair. Stop bitching and look at the plusses. The biggest of which is we can use this association with the Life Foundation, the Long Sword, and the Poignard to our advantage. If Commander Eirson runs across a job she doesn’t want, who is she going to call first? The Long Sword. If Vaallaant is too busy, I’ll bet we’re next in line. That is if... if we do a good job with this one. Look at the long view here.”
“I still don’t like it. It’s too risky,” Bunde said and flopped down into a seat.
“No risk, no reward.” Zet broke the silence.
His crew quiet, Camat exchanged a quick glance with Brown. Their engineer had backed him. That helped his confidence level.
“Any more discussion necessary?” Camat asked.
Enkel’s head shook. Zet grinned and the rest of the crew stayed silent.
“Then let’s make sure we have everything we need for a month. If we run short on Calius, that could lead to trouble. Hop to, crew. Let’s get the ship ready to jump.”
