Chapter 17: Just a stop-edited version

We didn’t have to fight the Merrimac destroyer. The mercenaries immediately signaled surrender. They all were Union citizens, and according to Hans, checking the files. They did have a notice to appear issued, but were still citizens and not yet charged with anything. The ship was bristling with illegal mil-tech, but it was registered to Nick Harlequin and not to any of the surrendering mercenaries. They also reported the demise of Chucky Harlequin and wanted to know if there was any bounty to be collected.

They did have, what was left of Chucky in a small container.

After we interrogated them, we had to wait for Battle Cruiser sent by Admiral Erhardsen who was to tow the confiscated Merrimac and take the Mercenaries back to Union side for legal processing and all that.

Har-Hi stood by the entrance to the extended Flex tunnel connecting us to the USS Wargo, a sizeable Typhoon class Battlecruiser and watched the last mercenary leave.

He said to me.

“You know all this regular fleet business is nice, but if I am honest, I miss our pretend to be pirate days. Seems our Yeoman with her legal expertise is the busiest department aboard.”

“I know what you are saying, but this is what we are my friend. Union Fleet officers! And once they decide to take us off X-Fleet and NAVINT, we might just get assigned to a number fleet and do regular patrol duty.

Circuit who came to retract the flex tunnel and close the hatch, said while he opened the flex tunnel control panel.

“I think they will find plenty of special missions for us. We are already in open space and there is still lots of unexplored space past N’Ger. We just scratched a little Coreward space after all.”

Har-Hi said.

“Maybe we should resume our disguise as pirates when we land on N’Ger. I think we might get more information that way instead of showing up as Union officials.”

I agreed with that.

“SHIP get me on ship-wide, please.”

“You’re on, Captain.”

“Our XO just made a valid point regarding N’Ger.

“I explained to my crew what he just suggested and added.

“Let’s get back in pirate mode.”

Lia had christened her new ship and called it the ‘New Horizon’. The Shiss were not interested in helping her, despite the fact she had been their eyes and ears during the Seenian quest. The First Nestling made it quite clear to her that he was not only disappointed in her lack of success securing that Seenian depot for the Shiss, but was also concerned about the new Union-Nul alliance and did not want to be seen helping and assisting convicted pirates. The Shiss, through their agents, followed the Assembly proceedings with great concern. The First Nestling did give her the option to find refuge within the Shiss empire, but her alone.

She was not prepared to abandon the others, and thus was her idea to leave the M-0 galaxy via an active trans spatial gate, that an associate of her father had discovered a few decades ago.

The gate connected M-0 with a dwarf spheroidal galaxy about 690,000 light-years away. She had not been there herself, but that friend of her father had been and spoke very favorable about the Farnok, a space-faring species that occupied a world not far from the receiving gate. That associate of her father had given all kinds of information about the Farnok king, who would welcome them.

Lia and those with her did not have all that many options. Neither of them had any plans or expected to escape the executioner. They could not return to the Union and to them, any destination was better than what they faced if they were caught here.

That trans-spatial gate was now right ahead, and while their sensors returned little useful data. They did show it to be active.

What was different from her last ship and crew? She had real Union fleet personnel, even two officers available and while they fell from grace by dealing with and for the Worm, they still had the excellent training and expertise all Union Fleet members had. They were efficient, knowledgeable and were able to read the scanner data much better than anyone she had before.

Julkus, a genuine Lieutenant Commander or more precisely, a former one, said.

“That trans-spatial gate is active and bleeds exotic particles all over the place.”

The former Togar pirate captain, now her first mate growled.

“Going through is still better than seeing the hooded head of an executioner before all goes dark. Let’s do it.”

Lia slowly nodded.

“Helm, center on that bluish energy and accelerate.”

Seeing my crew in their now so accustomed pirate outfits made me think about Har-Hi’s words just a little while ago. I could almost feel the mood of the entire crew being much more content. There was a flair of confident happiness.

Narth spoke into my mind.

“You are getting more attuned to your psionic abilities, you sensing the general mood just as I do. Your crew is just like the Tigershark, as it was said, not meant to be a ship of the line or for regular assignments. They have all been assigned the first time, this time they all volunteered and requested to be back with this ship and under your command.”

Shaka had taken us down after we learned that the landing field was maintained by all of the merchant houses, and there was no spaceport control. Each of the merchant cities had their own rules and customs.

The landing field was an extremely flat surface of a dried out salt lake and part of what Sobody told us was the Glaring Desert of Profit.

As we stomped down the landing ramp, my beloved Tigershark once more looked like a Karthanian armed trader. To Sobody, I said.

“This should be your kind of place, a Desert of Profit of all places. Where would you go for the information we seek, I assume there are hundreds of taverns and watering holes.”

“There are indeed. Each Merchant house enclave has them, and there are many independent ones right here among the tents and stalls of the travelers.”

“A bit like Jarsumat, I suppose.”

“Only on the surface, the independent merchants are not organized and there is always a lot of competitive aggression all the way to murder and kidnapping. The houses are well organized and there are always shifting alliances, but in general, they leave each other alone.”

He put his hand over his eyes to shade them against the glaring light of the sun.

“As for your other question. I think we should be able to find a Gnorfi.”

Looking to Har-Hi I spread my arms.

“You heard him, it is easy. All you have to do is find a Gnorfi.”

Shea giggled.

“You don’t know what a Gnorfi is, right?”

“Uhm, not exactly. Do you?”

“Gnorfi is a Squack term for a beggar, the organized kind.”

I asked.

“There are organized ones?”

“Oh yes,” Shea said.

“There are guilds and associations. Some even beyond just one planet.”

TheOther said.

“I think Hans scared one of those. He is still running.

“The Y’All pointed at a ragged-looking humanoid being, using a cane running in a limping way away from us.

“Why has it to be me? I think it was Orthbeer.”

“If a Gnorfi is a beggar, I am sure there are more,” I said.

“There is a Golden enclave here.

“Sobody said.

“They are not fully associated with us, but they eagerly became Union. Their leader, Lokta is a friend of mine. Maybe he knows something.”

“Alright, I learned my lesson last time. Just be careful and don’t go alone.”

“Can I take Warner?”

“Yes, but I was also thinking perhaps Hans, Xon, a few Marines perhaps?”

“Alright, Xon care for a visit to the odd cousins of ours?”

“Lead the way, Merchant of Merchant.”

The chief merchant of the N’Ger Golden, Lokta had stepped out on his balcony. It was high up above his merchant city and from here, he had a great view over the Glaring Desert of Profit. His balcony was well above the city wall and he could see into the compound of the N’mno to the South West and the Boluren to the North. While he and his Golden had long split from the space-born Golden long ago and went their separate way. They weren’t enemies and still kept good contact.

The conditions had not changed for many thousand years, but much had happened in the last three standard years.

His space-born cousins had suddenly abandoned their legendary neutrality and joined a mega society known even here on N’Ger as the mighty Union. At first, it seemed a crazy and not very well thought out move, but he had changed his mind as he heard, old Sobody had planned for this for decades and had put policies and new laws in place that were all geared towards an easy transition. His informants told him that the Golden profits soared, that the Union went out of their way to seek out even the most distant and presumed lost Golden outpost to bring them the marvelous gifts of that mega society. After hearing all this, he asked his inner council to consider such a move as well.

Now, just about six months ago, the N’Ger Golden were accepted as Union members.

He had traveled for the first time off-planet and went all the way to an almost mystical place called Pluribus Unum. He and his delegation were not received like a little unimportant group, but with the same warmth and professional welcome as the mighty Nul received, just a little earlier.

The best part in his opinion was the fact that they were considered their own independent society.

Now he had seen footage of the Welcome wagons that left for Nul planets and compared to these humongous fleets of freighters, the one coming to N’Ger was insignificant. Yet the entire planet was still speaking about the Gulliver freighter that arrived. so big it had to land in one of the salt oceans.

He also had to confess that his little Golden enclave had peddled around all these centuries, now business was booming. Orders and deals made via GalNet terminals sending wares as far as the Andromeda Galaxy made his merchant’s heart beat faster.

He was not alone, the Chief merchant of the Boluren was here for his monthly visit and a game of Pukto. The Karthanian now also stepped out and he too looked over the desert, over the Merchant city of the Golden and his own to the North.

“I can see the difference quite clearly,” his guest and rival said.

“Your city is bursting with activity. I see much construction. Mine is a quiet place indeed and the city of the N’mno looks pitiful and dirty. Maybe I too should consider.”

“I am predicting N’Ger will fade into unimportance. I doubt there will be much left, other than Byki settlements. Wedmar’s Triangle has already lost its meaning, there are Oghr kingdoms planning to become Union. I am sure the Jooltar will make an application very soon, they don’t feel too safe with the Togar now deprived of their main enemy, the Karthanians.”

Boluren, or technically Boluren, the 56th put his long spidery fingers on the handrail.

“I share your vision. My xenophobic brethren have regained the wisdom and guidance of the First Engineer and realized just what a gigantic market for their ships, the Union would be. I have it on good authority, the First Engineer is talking to Mothermachine of the X101 and I see a Karthanian delegation at Pluribus making an application.

“The Karthanian turned so his left eye faced the Golden.

“I will ask my council to do the same as you, and we will leave N’Ger.”

“You will?”

“Yes old rival, I was told we can get an entire planet from the Office of Colonist Affairs. There is one in the Andromeda galaxy. No Golden or other Karthanian competition so far, if my sources are correct. We will still deal with ships and ship parts, but have a world for ourselves. No bickering and fighting and we just might be one of the first independent dealers there.”

Lokta was about to return inside when he saw a genuine Nul approaching his cities gates. This massive bruiser of a species renowned for their fighting abilities focused his attention that he almost overlooked the small humanoid walking right beside him.

It was Boluren who pointed out the little fury being riding on the head of the Nul.

“If I am not mistaken, there is a Holdian riding on that huge Nul.

“The Karthanian made a whistling sound.

“We conceive them as bullies and arrogant, but I think it really is jealousy. This is the Union miracle, a grey Nul, and a Holdian apparently friends.”

“Not to mention the Merchant of Merchants himself, Boluren. You are about to meet perhaps the richest individual in the Galaxy and certainly the shrewdest. That small man walking next to the Nul is no other than Sobody the Golden.”

The group of beings watching the crew of the Silver Streak assemble at the lower end of their landing ramp, were local thugs and two pirates. Both pirates were Jooltar and kept their business well below Freespace. Some unexplainable, but noticed purge of the top players in the pirate business.

Fartias, the Rotten and captain of the Mangy Menace was the last who joined that group, coming out of the Cool Spot tavern. He, like the other’s, had heard the powerful whine of very strong ArtiGravs. The whine of these modules was almost like a melody. Whoever aligned and maintained those AG lifters had fine-tuned them with a masterful hand. Fartias wasn’t an engineer, but a spacer all his life. Evaluating AGs by the sound they made was something like second nature.

He held a mug of Jolt-Liq and pointed with it at the towering ship.

“So that is the Silver Streak, doesn’t look much at the first glance, but Horku be named I have never heard better tuned AG lifters in all my life.”

The other Jooltar went by the name of Sessut and his ship was the Slick Deal.

“You would sniff the butt of a ninety-year-old Orkh-Ogr who never bathed in his life for a ship like that.

“He curled his chaps.

“I know, I would. I seen her coming down, her engineer is a genius for sure, but I settle for that helmsman. Dropping that giant, just a fraction under suicide speed and landing it like a feather. That takes skill.”

The three others were Rogler, a Togar without a merchant house affiliation and keeping himself busy by doing odd jobs, none of them the legal kind you talked about. Wurkem Gasko, a Kathk Oghr who had to leave because he was hired to cause accidents among the Union science team that had been invited by the new Democratic Government.

And there was Equalar, a Basil. The Basil are the only species, banned from the Golden Bazaars, and Equalor was a living reminder why. The Basil consider themselves brothers of the Shiss, even though genetic evidence showed no connection at all. He too lived on N’Ger for a long time and in the same line of business as Rogler.

Rogler squinted his cat eyes and said.

“Roast me an Ult, there are Togar in her crew. That male just coming down the ramp is one magnificent looking warrior.”

Equalor spread his leathery wings.

“I wonder what that black thing is that just landed on that huge four armed being.”

Sessut’s tail went between his legs and his ears went close to his skull.

“That is a real Y’All, the four-armed terror that is. I never have seen anything like that black animal beast.”

Fartias could not blame the other Jooltar for openly display fear. While he only knew the old legends and tales that were told about the last time the Y’All terrorized the galaxy, seeing a full size live Y’All convinced him they were true.

The diverse group of beings centered around a human female wearing black leather from head to toe. This was without a doubt, Captain Black Velvet. Her legend had been obscure and not many even remembered her, but that had changed in the last two or three years. She was quite likely the most successful and famous of the top pirates.

Rogler was thinking along the same lines as he said.

“That must be Black Velvet, she is the last one of the top ten most wanted. All the other’s are either dead or have disappeared.”

Equalor said.

“I have seen Lia Bassett and I am sure the stinky Oghr with her was Meateater. Both were successful and feared pirates. Now they are on the run and trying to reach a different galaxy altogether.”

Sessut noticed two Attikans being part of the group. They both wore black leather outfits and were armed with powerful looking weapons. He could read the body language of these distant cousins of the Jooltar just fine. Both Attikans were utterly devoted to that human female.

“I know where it is, that gate I mean. The region has changed so much lately, I even consider doing the same.”

He held up his paw-like hand.

“Sin 4 is gone. Alvor’s Cove is no longer a slavers world. The Karthanians have closed all access to their worlds. Now I hear Brhama Port is out of business.”

Fartias pointed at the Nul that was walking away.

“Who would have thought the Nul of all societies become Union? The Shiss are shaking in fear and the Togar are trying very hard not cause any attention.”

Wurkem participated for the first time in that conversation.

“My people will be Union soon. I heard the Dai are no longer a Union enemy either.”

Rogler, licked over his paw and smoothed the hair of his mane.

“I think I walk over there and ask her if she hires more crew. If what I see is any indication, then being a crewmate on that Rust bucket must be good.”

Fartias said.

“Togar, Y’All, Nul, Dai, Attikans, Humans and a bunch of beings I have no names for. They all seem to serve her with the utmost attention and dedication. I wish my crew of cutthroats would be even just half as dedicated.”

Equalor watched as the female human captain and several of her crew came walking this way. He also knew about the astronomical bounty on her head and wondered what he could do to separate her and capture or kill her.”

Narth and Fivcheer quietly argued with each other as we had left the actual landing field and entered that merchant market and tumble mess of tents on a dusty three or four meters wide path.

“What are you squabbling about?” I asked with mild interest as I watched with amusement Krabbel and Circuit approaching the very first sales stall.

Narth said.

“I am of the opinion that we no longer need to be here, as I isolated thoughts that tell us where Lia went, Fivcheer, however, thinks that we should verify that information in an alternative way and give our crew a chance to interact and enjoy a day or two on this world.”

Fivcheer shook his head.

“Not quite, Captain. I am of the opinion to find a second source of information to verify what Narth and I have found out from one mind. If in that process, a few of us can sample local culture and make some sociological observations, that would be beneficial.”

Narth said.

“You should also tell her that there are minds that seek to capture or kill her and us for the Union bounty.”

“Not that any of them has yet found a way to do that.”

“Guys, we are in a hurry. Lia and her cohorts may gain ground and get away.”

Narth crossed his arms.

“See!”

Fivcheer said.

“One of the minds we scanned belongs to a Basil and he thinks Lia and the rest went through a trans-spatial gate to leave this Galaxy for good and make a new start in a new one.”

I stopped walking and said.

“If it would be up to me alone, I might even be tempted to let her get away, but we have clear orders to apprehend her and find out who paid for all this. Someone paid an awful lot and now seems not interested in any of the escapees. Besides if that gate is not just one way, she could go back and forth all the time.”