Peace Dividend by P.A. Piatt

Author:P.A. Piatt [Piatt, P.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theogony Books
Published: 2023-08-28T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

The drones delivered the third container without mishap, and Yak guided it into the cargo bay. As soon as it was on deck, Yak stowed the crane and secured the cargo door without direction from the control room. The cargo handlers scrambled to secure the container as Yak began to equalize the pressure.

“Let’s get them out of there as soon as possible,” Lakshaw ordered unnecessarily.

Yak keyed his mic. “In progress, Captain.” He turned to Fortis. “Never, ever work for your ex-wife. C’mon, let’s go down and greet our guests.”

As soon as the pressure alarms cleared, and the hatch interlocks released, Fortis and Yak entered the cargo bay. The cargo handlers opened the doors on the third box, and the Paladins climbed out. Each man wore a portable breathing device like the emergency escape devices in use on most ships. They fell into ranks, and two men detached from the group and approached Fortis.

“I’m Herron, and this is Zylstra,” the larger of the two said. “I’m the lead on this contract. I command First Company. Zylstra has Second.”

Herron had dark, narrow features and a dark five o’clock shadow, while Zylstra had wispy brown hair that covered the half of his head that wasn’t gnarled burn scars. His left ear was new, pink tissue, and the scars disappeared under his collar.

“I’m Fortis.” The trio shook hands. “That was quite an entrance.”

“We left Burketown in the box because there are a lot of people who like to keep track of what Paladin is up to. It’s uncomfortable but effective.”

“Hey, Herron, everyone is here,” one of the Paladins called.

Lakshaw appeared with another Dancer crewman in tow.

“This is Zenith Lakshaw, master of Dancer,” Fortis said. “This is Herron and Zylstra.”

Lakshaw stepped forward. “Welcome aboard, gents. This is Dinkle, she’s my head steward. She’ll take care of your messing and berthing needs.”

While Dinkle worked out the details of the Paladin embarkation, Lakshaw pulled Fortis aside.

“I hope your rich daddy has deep pockets, because the shuttle master is pissed off about his drone.”

“I’m sure he can cover it. Send him a bill.”

“Speaking of your rich daddy, have you heard any more about where we’re going?”

“All I have are the coordinates he gave you. Maybe he’ll give me more when I report the arrival of the Paladins.”

“Keep me posted. I’m going to get us pointed in the right direction.” She nodded toward the mercenaries, who were unpacking their weapons and gear. “Make sure they keep the weapons in here, please.”

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.