Belly of the Beast: The Belle Starr Chronicles, Episode 3 by Katina French

Author:Katina French
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: The Belle Starr Chronicles, Episode 3
Publisher: Per Bastet Publications
Published: 2017-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

V

Shaen twisted restlessly in her hammock, unable to sleep. Risa was considering the Clean Start Program, much to Whiskey's subdued chagrin. Shaen had told her it might be best to hide out for a while before making a decision she couldn't take back.

But Risa was worried about waiting.

"They'd cancel my indenture. Legally. Not that I don't appreciate Whiskey's offer, but the merc contract would still be hanging over my head. Over all our heads -- Ward's, too. What if Cerrano or another bounty hunter shows up here? What if they end the program before I can sign up?"

Those were all good questions, and Shaen was short on answers.

Whiskey started to spout off probabilities, but they weren't comforting.

After an hour of heated discussion, they decided a good night's sleep wouldn't hurt.

The klaxon started just before dawn.

Shaen flipped herself out of the hammock and grabbed her utility belt and pistol. Ward wailed nearby, pressing his hands against his ears. Risa scrambled up from her pallet, eyes wide, as Whiskey rolled into the control center.

"The island's perimeter defenses have been engaged. We are protected, for now." The blaring alarm stopped, and Whiskey rolled back into the sleeping quarters.

Shaen pulled down her goggles and tapped open a channel to Belle. "Is it Cerrano?"

"Worse, Boss."

"What the hell could be worse?"

"It's the Unis."

"What do we do?" Risa looked, if anything, even more panicked than she was before. So much for trusting the Unis' goodwill with her brain.

"I'm for fighting it out." Shaen cocked her pistol, looking thoughtfully down the barrel.

"With all due respect, Captain, that option has a less than--"

"Whiskey, the odds don't matter. I'd just like to shoot a few of them before they kill us all. Just for the personal gratification."

"Boss?" Belle's raspy voice crackled across the PA system. "The Uni commander is hailing. Should I open a channel?"

"Risa, you still have your ship comm in your ear?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Whiskey -- if you wanna negotiate, you handle it, but relay it all through our girl here. I hate asking you to play the dumb bot, but let's not tip our hand."

"A . surprisingly sensible suggestion, Captain. Miss Sellee, are you up to speaking on our behalf?"

"I guess, if you're feeding me lines."

"Great. Belle, patch 'em through to the central hab."

~*~

After a few tense moments, they'd arranged for the UHC officer to come alone to talk. Commander Regina Dietrich stood stiffly next to the hammock chair in her flawless beige uniform, glaring daggers around the room at the whole motley group.

"You can quit the puppet show, kids. I know the girl is talking for the freebot. I also know that the android -- Whiskey? -- is responsible for abducting the child off Mebarik two years ago. I know about the price on Miss Sellee's head, and I know about the illegal tech Captain Morris and her partner have been hawking to smugglers for over a year. I know everything."

"Bullshit." Shaen stood with her back to the glass wall of the hab, her hand hovering near her pistol.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.