Harriet Walsh Omnibus One by Simon Haynes

Author:Simon Haynes [Haynes, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science fiction, comedy, series, humor, humour, spacejock, series, novel, scifi, sci-fi, comedy novel, science fiction comedy
Publisher: Bowman Press
Published: 2018-08-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Slowly, the crew member raised his hands, still clutching the thinscreen. Harriet snatched it off him and tossed it on the bunk.

"D-don't shoot," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"How many on board?" demanded Harriet, pressing the gun harder into his back.

"Four crew plus the captain. Supposed to be a dozen mercs, but they didn't make it back before we took off."

Harriet smiled grimly. She could thank Bernie for that.

"Wh-what are you going to do with me? I just look after the engines, I didn't have nothing to do with—"

"Shut it." In the ensuing silence, Harriet wondered exactly what she was going to do with him. She could probably tie him to the bunk, but he'd shout for help the moment she left. She couldn't knock him out with the gun, not without risking killing him. She might have the power settings wrong, and the shot could easily go right through the man … and even the ship's hull. That only left one choice, and with a determined expression, she explained.

"I can't!" protested the man. "Tyron … you don't know him. He'll kill me!"

"You think I wouldn't?" growled Harriet, praying he didn't say yes.

"I-I don't know."

"I'm an officer in the Peace Force," said Harriet, grinding the muzzle into his spine. "I shoot people like you for spitting in the street."

He swallowed audibly. "A-all right, all right. I'll do what you say."

"Good choice. And if you try anything—"

"Don't worry, I got it. I won't give you any trouble, I swear. I—I got family back home."

Harriet felt a flash of remorse, but she crushed it quickly. If he cared about his family so much he shouldn't be working with Tyron Smith, or helping to kidnap Peace Force officers. "Lead the way."

They left the cabin, turning towards the flight deck. At first, Harriet had considered going to the engine bay and shooting the damn things, stranding the ship. She couldn't see any point to it, though, since she'd heard Smith planning a return to Dismolle. No, all she had to do was take charge, so that when they landed on Dismolle she was still on board, rather than floating around in deep space, frozen into a solid lump.

They made their way to the ladder she'd seen earlier, the one which lead upwards through a hole in the roof. As they approached she could hear muted beeps from the flight deck, interspersed with low voices and the occasional spoken order. Smith had to be up there, but it seemed he'd calmed down now that he'd made his plans.

Well, she was about to give him something to rant about, that was for sure. With a nudge, she indicated the crew member should climb the ladder. She wanted to warn him against crossing her, but they were too close to the flight deck, and anyway she was pretty sure he'd got the message by now. The fear in his eyes as he looked over his shoulder was real enough, although that could have been due to the part of his anatomy she was aiming the gun at.

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