Gunship (17 page)

“It’s really her, go ahead an’ look. She’s mostly the same, just gave her a bit of a facelift and some extras to bring her on-level with the newer models, no disrespect to her original self of course.” Lee Roy gestured to the nose of the ship where the Ident tag would be located. Reilly walked to the front of the ship. A titanium plate was embedded in all true gunships and stayed with the ship for its lifetime to provide a verifiable identity. She rubbed the nose of the gunship where the plate was set, covered in the thick red dust Roen was known for. As she brushed it off, the numbers revealed read: XD97FW1.

“This is my ship. But I saw it blow when I left…you would have had to rebuild everything!”

“Well, not everything. She was a mess, but we did salvage what we could, and besides, most of the blast damage was to the bridge and primary mech—and of course the hull, where that battery opened her up.”

She looked back again at Lee Roy, still amazed. Skeeter hollered from the back end of the ship.

“Captain! You’ve got to see this! They painted the doors!”

Reilly turned slowly and walked to the back, already knowing what had gotten him so excited. Her heart rose in her throat as she stepped around the back end of the bird. There it was. During their time in the ISUs, each gunship had had its own flag. Ty had resurrected a flag from Earth long past and painstakingly transferred the design to the back of the gunship, bit by bit each time they had downtime, until it was perfect. Since they were the Death Adders, it just seemed right that this flag was theirs. The design was a bit faded now but still could be seen. The snake, coiled over two crossed battle rifles and ready to strike, was centered on an olive drab background with the words “Don’t Tread on Me” over it, and written under it was “Liberty or Death.” They had all lived by those words and sometimes died by them. Those words were a promise, a sacred oath that no matter what, when the Death Adders were called upon, they would respond fearlessly in the face of danger to free the enslaved and protect the innocent from whatever horrors the universe had sent their way.

Reilly looked over at Skeeter, who was beaming. “Well, I guess we should go in and take a look, huh?”

He nodded as Lee lowered the cargo doors for them. Together they stepped up into the bay.

Everything looked brand new. Some of the wiring would need to be redone to Reilly’s specifics, but even the backup generators and armor-protected mech rooms exceeded her wildest hopes for a new ship. There was enough room to house a full crew and a small complement of troopers. The bridge and gunner’s turrets had the latest in virtual holo-displays and laser tracking, and the HAILE system was the newest one available. Reilly discreetly pointed at it while pulling Lee off towards the common room. Skeeter immediately sat down and began to dig into its guts to determine what he could get it to do.

About twenty minutes later, he trotted back down to the cargo bay, where he gave Reilly two thumbs up. The new system easily interfaced with the classified access he had pirated and was ten times faster than anything he had worked with before. He couldn’t wait to dig in more and had already come up with some new security additions that he wanted to run by the Captain once she decided to make the purchase. He couldn’t think of a reason why she wouldn’t make it, but just the thought that she might not made him anxious. Aside from that, the weapons on board were all military grades or the best black-market gear available. He ran through the specs on each weapon in his mind. No matter what they came up against, this ship would be capable of holding her own in all but very extreme situations. This was the right ship for them, he just knew it. The twin rail guns alone made the ship a formidable threat, and with the rapid accumulators, they could fire four bursts a second, maybe six if they boosted the gas array and then vented the barrels to reduce the likelihood of overheating… Seth stopped in his tracks. How did he know about rail guns and accumulators? In fact, how did he already know how every weapon on board this ship worked, the specifics on each, how to optimize them, how they interfaced and could be employed singly or as a group? He had barely known the parts of a battle rifle when Ty had handed him his first one just the other day.

“What do you think?”

Skeeter jumped. He had been so lost in his own thoughts he hadn’t noticed Reilly watching him. He paused a minute to clear his head. He’d have to figure out what was going on later. The Captain wanted to know what he thought of the ship…well, what did he think of it? He looked up and answered honestly.

“It’s the first place that’s felt like home in a long time. I feel like I belong here, like it’s familiar. I don’t know why, but this ship just feels right. I know that probably doesn’t make much sense, but, well, that’s just how I feel.”

Reilly nodded silently. It made perfect sense. She felt the same way. This was her old ship and the nearest she had felt to home, a real home, in a while. This ship had carried her through some tough times, had carried the entire crew in fact. They had gone through some shit in this old bird. From the looks of things, they were all in for some more tough times ahead. A solid ship and one her crew already knew would be a big asset over having to learn the ins and outs of a completely new vessel. She turned back to Lee Roy.

Lee Roy grinned. “I know, I know. I can already hear your argument. I know what a gunship means to a captain, especially this one. So you can save your breath. It’d be cruel for me to keep the two of you apart. I can’t say that I’m going to be happy to see her go, though. Me and Marek put a lot of time and love into getting her ready. She flies like a dream, too.” The old man looked a little misty-eyed for a moment.

“Okay, Lee. So I need to know. What’s your best price?” Reilly queried.

Lee grew serious. “For you, Captain, seeing as it’s your old ship and all, I’ll make you a deal. But it’s either the whole deal or not at all.” He paused while Reilly considered and then nodded for him to proceed. “I’ll sell her to you for three quarters of a million credits. We both know that’s low, ’cause talking to the right people could easily get me a full million, maybe more depending on add-on weapon options. Then again, it’s been months since I’ve had someone coming in looking for a gunship. Mostly selling those milk runners you pointed out up front these days. They pay the bills, but this one here will set me right for a while. But I’m only giving you this deal if you hire my Marek on as your new mechanic.”

Reilly raised her eyebrows as he continued. “He’s the best mechanic we got down here, but he’s been dying to get travelling again, and he practically rebuilt this bird from the ground up when we got her. Just like it’s not fair for me to keep you from your ship, I can’t separate my boy from her either. He’s put some of himself into her, and it’d be like tearing out a piece of his heart if I let her go without him. And I know if he goes with you, well, he’s practically in the best hands in the galaxy. He’s bound to go sooner or later, and I’m no fool. I know how dangerous it is out there. So if it’s got to be, then I want him up there with you and your crew.”

Reilly paced while she thought about it. Skeeter was off bouncing to her left, practically ready to jump out of his skin while he watched her. It was obvious that he was keen on the ship too. Duv had said they needed a mechanic, and if it was someone who knew the ship down to its bones, then so much the better. And the price was damn fair—Lee Roy knew he could get more elsewhere if he waited, but he would still be set from selling her this one ship. She checked her handheld. The ship would take almost all of it, and it wasn’t likely they would land another job as lucrative as Vervian for a while. But then again, there was very little chance she’d have the money or the option of buying a ship as well turned out as this one. Not to mention the sentimental value. She grinned at the irony of it.

She’d talk to Ty and Chang in the morning about salvaging parts from the old ship. They’d also be getting credits in from the Vervian sales, and that would help too. The looks on their faces when she showed them their new ride would be worth it, especially Ty, who was already grouchy about having to settle into a new ship. She turned back to Lee Roy.

“I have to talk to the rest of the crew, but I’ve got a few spots open. And my sergeant says Marek is the one of the best mechanics he’s seen, and a solid gunner, too. If that’s right, then I’ll be glad to have him. I’ll be seeing him later over at the Iron BAR, so I’ll bring it up then. If the crew agrees and Marek likes the terms, then he’s got a spot. Deal?”

Lee Roy thought about it a moment more, then spat in his hand and extended it to Reilly. She did the same, and they parted ways after she promised to get back to him the next day on her final decision. But they both knew the decision had already been made. Lee Roy waved them out and disappeared back into the run-down office to draw up a contract.

Reilly quickened her pace. It was getting late, and she still had some business to do before meeting the Commander. Skeeter followed behind in a daze.
Poor kid…he wants that ship almost as bad as I do!
she thought and pressed ahead. It would be good for him to have someplace that felt like home. It would be good for all of them.

Seth followed behind Reilly, pretending to be in awe of the ships they were passing. He really didn’t have to pretend too hard. Every ship they had walked by, he was able to mentally call out all of its weaponry, automatically knew the standard and alternate configurations for each, down to the smallest screw and electrical wiring diagrams, and could determine appropriate employment for a variety of air, space, and even some ground battlefield environments. He shivered mildly, trying to figure out what had happened, what had changed. And how he knew everything there was to know about every weapon that came into view.

—————

When Reilly returned, Duv had a roster of forty names of folks interested in the crew slots. They needed to hire a mechanic, another gunner, a flight engineer, and an electronics expert. The rest of the jobs were nice-to-haves, meaning Reilly could get the work done without filling these slots. Chang already doubled down as combat medic to the crew and Ty took care of organizing cargo, so there was no need for a full-time load master.

Four new people! That will really be something else. The Captain will be hard pressed to get used to four new faces on her ship, let alone adding in another eight!
Duv thought to himself as he looked over the list. He carefully reviewed the skills of each applicant, then assigned them to smaller groups based on the jobs they were applying for.

Ty and Chang were sitting nearby. They had set up an interview matrix and were now arguing over the best way to interview the candidates. Duv listened as he worked the applicant list, throwing in his opinion as they went along.

“I say we run ’em. They have to run, shoot, and carry. We can have them start outside of town, go over those little mountains, and then navigate back here. If they can’t at least do that, they need to go elsewhere.” Ty gestured at the reddish-brown foothills, then crossed his arms.

“Look, not everyone is a gorilla like you, Joby! As a pilot, my job is more about finesse and less about sweating and hauling things,” Duv said. “I need an electronics expert with solid on-net training who can double as a navigator. I don’t really care how much they can bench press or if they can carry a two-hundred-pound man over that mountain!”

“You might…if it’s your ass that needs carrying!” Ty shook his head. “They have to be flexible, ready for anything. We can’t have no weaklings or squeamish folk. Besides, I feel bad when they get so freaked out they curl up in a ball and hide. Then I gotta kick them out into the action and they get killed. They need to be hard chargers all the way. You know the type—hard core, dirt in their teeth…”

“I agree that they must have many skills. And definitely we need fighters, bold personalities, and the best in their areas—at least, the best we have on the list. We must test them in several areas: shooting, fitness, and then their core skills,” Chang chimed in.

Reilly planted her boot firmly on the crate-turned-table as her crew looked up expectantly. “They only have to pass one test—mine. I already have a solid crew. To me, it doesn’t matter how good they are—if they don’t work well with our team or they can’t handle the pressure, then they’re gone. So here’s what I want. Gunny, you and Ty figure out a way to test their fitness and their weapons skills. They need to already have basic small-arms and shipboard-defense training, for starters. Duv, you check out the electronics experts and any flight engineers. Make sure they can plot and fly without putting us in a sun or black hole. I’ve got a deal I’m working that could land us the best damn ship in the galaxy, but it comes with a pretty high price tag and maybe a new crew member. We’ll see how it works out,” Reilly finished cautiously, enjoying the surprised, curious expressions her crew exchanged at this bit of news.

“Now hold on, Captain. No disrespect to the ship you are trying to get for us, but there is only one ship that is the best damn ship in the galaxy, and she is long gone—may she rest in peace—hooah,” Ty said reverently, aiming a salute towards the sky while the others nodded. At the same time, Skeeter had started bouncing again as if he was dying to speak. His eyes went from Reilly to the crew and back.

Duv caught on first. “I know that look. Skeeter knows something, but he can’t tell us. Did you threaten to kill my son if he opened his mouth?”

Reilly grinned and Seth nodded violently.

“You know Ty and Chang will just torture it out of him anyway, so why not just tell us?”

“I have to talk to Marek tonight. He is part of the deal I worked, and I want to see if he is cut out for our mechanic slot or not. All of you lot, leave Seth alone. I’d hate to have to kill him after you tortured him.” Reilly grew serious. “Business tonight, Duv.” Reilly gave him a stern look as he looked up.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I mean it. I don’t care how good she is or anything else. Ship business is our business. You can go have your fun when we’re finished. That’s all I’m going to say on that.” Reilly walked up onto the ship to see what was still left to sell.