TC turned his chair to the forward window, knowing he couldn’t tell him about how the Wilsons had come to him agitated and throwing around ideas like putting Jupe with the passengers when they started the killing. That was when TC told them he wanted Jupe to join them, and planned that all along, even though it wasn’t remotely true. He knew that Jupe would never consider joining their little criminal gang; not for a moment. It was more a point of asking him in front of them, so they would get that Jupe was nothing to worry about and he could leave safely at T Station. If there was anything TC would make sure of, it was that Jupe was safely away from the Wilsons and the Bests.
“You started asking about the guns,” said TC. “The Wilsons got worried. I told them you were all right, and to prove that I’d offer you to join us. Might have gone better than the way it did, but at least I tried.”
“And I’ll go back and tell everyone on Earth what’s happening here, and how you’re a fraud? You don’t mind that?”
“Tell them if you want, but who’s believing you? Anyone going to Ancia, they are not going back to stinking little Earth. Should I remind you, these passengers are unregistered, so no one is expecting them. It’s a win-win.” He saw only disgust in Jupe’s eyes. “Come on, you can’t think of me any lower than you already did. Think I don’t know that?”
* * * *
Jupe turned his monitors to show the Wilsons’ lounge and third bedroom. When he was sure that they were down in the hold area, he made his move and went to their rooms. Jenna was the unknown factor and Jupe did not know where she was, but he had to take the chance that she wouldn’t see him.
He didn’t know what he was going to do with the guns, but he knew that he was going to do something. It didn’t help that he knew nothing about weapons of any kind. Some of his friends liked to carry small defence stunners, or a knife, but Jupe had never felt the need. For some reason, he had always avoided trouble, by either remaining unnoticed in a group, or not gone looking for a fight. He was not someone who enjoyed taunting others, and if anyone taunted him he usually didn’t care. If he was truthful with himself, he would admit that he had always been lucky regarding being bullied, or caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Luck was what he needed again when going into the Wilsons’ rooms.
Jenna wasn’t there, and the guns were still in the box. The fact that they were in pieces, ready for assembly, helped his confidence. Aside from the hand-grips and barrels, he collected all the other bits and took them to a neighbouring room’s closet, where he had noticed an empty suitcase. Taking the suitcase and seeing that it was still empty, his threw all the pieces inside. He could only drag the suitcase out, such was its weight, but he succeeded in taking it all the way back to his own room unnoticed. When he locked the door he started to shake.
“What’s all that?” asked Dorrington.
Jupe was not expecting the boy to be there, and he took terrible fright, more from the delayed shock of his mission. Then he realised what his next move should be.
“You know where the trash disposal is?” he asked the boy. “The one that fires out into open space?”
“Yeah, I like that one, it’s fun.”
“Got a game for you.”
“What do I do?”
“See how fast—without getting caught—you can get these through your secret tunnel there, and into the disposal. Remember, no one can see you.”
He didn’t tell Dorrington what the weapon pieces were, but he didn’t need to. The boy had long passed the stage of boredom with everything on the ship, and this was nothing but sheer excitement for him.
“Remember,” Jupe called as Dorrington slipped away under the wall panel, “you get caught, game’s over.”
Game’s over for me too, he thought.
* * * *
TC brought the Burning Star down to its slowest speed since they left Earth, and then into their assigned flight path to reach the station. The manoeuvre was nothing for him, but he still enjoyed the short time when he got to control the ship.
The station was a familiar sight, the place where he had first experienced real deep-space flying. The best years of his life were spent there, and it felt like he was arriving home. Although it had been years since his last visit, he recalled being the young recruit approaching the docking bays for the first time, not knowing anything and being driven by fear. He laughed at himself, how he had been so scared those first few times. His teachers were two experienced pilots who taught him everything they knew as a way to eat away the boredom of the long flight. In those days it was a thirty-week journey to get out to the station from Earth. Now it was ten, but still a deadly dull experience for someone like TC.
And Jupe had not wanted to learn anything. Perhaps if the journey were longer, TC imagined, then his son might have changed his mind. He took a glance to a group of stars, the general direction of Khans Star, and briefly contemplated forgetting the current mission and heading there with his son, instead of the unpleasant business that he had no choice but follow through on.
The ship was locked into the station’s computerised guidance path, and TC did not need to do anything except watch. The docking process could be very slow and tedious, and could last several hours if the computers decided the ship was but a half-millimetre out. This was far away from any kind of law enforcement, or social correctness, where seat-of-your-pants flying had always been the norm, and yet the docking computers were almost hysterical in their demand for strict perfection. It was frustrating for TC, since he knew that he could pull right up to the docks and plant the ship himself, without need of the computers or their millimetre accuracy, but for this one time he didn’t want to create a stir.
The actual reason TC felt frustrated at not being able to pilot his own ship to dock, was that it forced him to sit and reflect on what would be their next move. When they left Earth, the passengers had not even known about this stopover. Now he had to finally break to them that they wouldn’t be going any further, that he lied to them and they were only interested in getting their cargo off them, and there was nothing they could do to stop them. He hoped they would be sensible and face the fact that they were over four light years from home, and alone from anyone who could help. If they protested or tried to stop it, the Wilsons would kill them without hesitation. They would be told that they could not return to Earth, but TC knew they would as soon as they could. There were always ships departing for Earth from the station, mostly for more supplies like food, water and oxygen, and the passage rate was reasonable. When they returned to Earth, what would they do then? Alert the authorities? They were trying to get to Ancia illegally, so that option was out. Tell people that TC Beggs was a liar and murderer? Who would believe that? He was the great space hero. TC knew that their best move would be to accept their fate, that they were duped and robbed of their cargo, and they could either live at the T or go back home.
Accept the situation, TC thought, and don’t give the Wilsons a reason to hurt them.
From what he knew of them, the only one headstrong enough to protest was Rebbi Rees, but from what Sarra had told him, she was planning on leaving the voyage at T Station anyway. Rolondo was a big guy, but TC didn’t think much of him due to the complete failure of his cockamamie plan to take two women to Ancia. And Real Munro was already looking lost after they discovered his plan to secretly ship his girlfriend; the man looked devastated by it, like it had taken all the life out of him. TC wondered, did they think they wouldn’t let him thaw the girl out once they were in space? Were they going to take her away from him as punishment? The fact was, TC really didn’t care that much about her, and his anger over it was in Real’s attempted deception. TC could see Real’s motivation, as he had known plenty of women in his life that he wished he could have had frozen and thawed whenever he wanted.
As for Morgan Calp, TC knew that money was his only motivating factor, and a businessman like him should know that the best thing to do in a crisis is roll with it and count your lo
sses. Morgan was only going to Ancia so he could grab the good land and try to make a name for himself. TC didn’t much care for rich people, aside from those whom he could befriend and use to line his pockets. He wouldn’t have ever have made it into space without knowing such people.
By the time the docking was complete, TC was certain that none of the passengers would oppose them. He was sure that they would realise how helpless their situation was and think of heading for the first flight to Earth. Away from the intimidating Wilsons and the unpredictable captain. Then the Wilsons would offload the cargo and hand it over to people representing the Bests. And then TC would be free from them, after years of trying. He took some more from his bottle, to calm his nerves.
Don’t fight us. Don’t even think about it. No one here is your friend.
* * * *
Cuthbert went into the spare room of their cabin and opened the cases. He took a while trying to fit the pieces to each other before deciding that he was having a problem. He loathed to call on his brother for help, mainly because he didn’t want to hear the endless ribbing that would ensue. Neither of the two were expert with guns, and they weren’t even sure exactly what the Bests had given them. They would have used their own, but they didn’t want to throw them away if they had to use them.
“There be something missing, me hearty,” Cuthbert said, not yet realising what was wrong with the guns. He held up his makeshift weapon that he had managed to connect, that was little more than a handle and barrel.
“You still want to talk all pirate?” Thax asked in disbelief, almost spiting. “At a time like this? Can’t you at least focus on what we’re doing? This isn’t any time for games.” He was still angry over TC telling Jupe. Together with realising that the time had come to turn on the passengers, he was in a thoroughly bad mood. “Where are they?” he asked, meaning the guns.
“This is what I’m saying, I can’t find the other bits. Give me some help here.”
Thax took one look at the pieces and called out for Jenna. When she saw the lack of weaponry, she was as surprised as them, and looked with fear at Thax. She said that she hadn’t gone near the crates all voyage, and then she blamed Jupe for it.
“I’ve seen him hanging around here, but I said nothing about it,” she pleaded. “He’s TC’s son, what was I to do?”
Cuthbert tried to take her side, but Thax shut him down. They knew they couldn’t tell TC that they thought his son had sabotaged the guns.
“Jupe did this,” said Thax. “But TC won’t like us saying so.”
Cuthbert was about to tell his brother that he agreed, and that they must find Jupe and get the truth out of him, but he stopped when he saw TC entering the room.
“We’ve got a problem with the guns,” Thax told TC.
“They’re too heavy for you?” TC chided. “You know I don’t want to hear anything else. The guns are your problem.”
Jenna chose to explain, as best she could, and a woman’s voice seemed to calm TC. She knew he would be more inclined to pick a fight, had one of the Wilsons argued back.
“They’ve been sabotaged,” she said carefully, “and the only one who could have done it was Jupe.”
“We can’t explain it otherwise,” Cuthbert offered.
“This was on you,” TC said, pointing at the brothers. “How are we supposed to threaten them now? With spiteful glares? I better hear your ideas. We’re out of time. There is no way I’m taking these people to Ancia. This is as far as we go, so you had better figure out how to get them off my ship.”
“There are other ways of getting rid of them,” Cuthbert said, which was not what TC wanted to hear.
“Walk the plank?” Thax asked him sarcastically.
Cuthbert gave a wistful look to his brother. “A modern version maybe, but it’s possible.”
“You want to expose them?” TC asked in disbelief. “Not on my watch.”
“Would the passengers have stored away any guns?” asked Jenna. “We could use those. Who knows what they’ve got stashed away in those crates.”
Thax shook his head. “We’ve been through all their stuff. There’s nothing we could use. Unless we run them down with mini bulldozers.”
“Jupe must know where the pieces are,” said Jenna.
TC looked at her with disgust. “Jupe doesn’t know anything about guns.”
“Let’s ask him,” said Jenna.
TC decided that they had no better ideas, and the four of them went to Jupe’s cabin. They found him standing and waiting for them.
“What do you know about the guns?” TC asked him.
“Only that I’m not helping you with it,” he said.
“You’re just as much a part of this as all of us,” said Jenna.
“How do you figure that?” he asked her.
For the first time, TC saw something in his son that gave him heart. He was standing tall against them.
“Jenna’s right,” said TC, “the Bests will blame us all, you included, Jupe, if we fail to deliver for them. There’s no way out of this one. We have to do what they want. Give us back the gun parts and we’ll forget this happened. You don’t have to be a part of this, that’s fine if you don’t. Just let us do what we have to do.”
“This Lars Best,” asked Jupe, “he has his men at T Station?”
“That’s why we’re worried here,” said Thax. “It’s not us you’ve done this to.”
“Let them handle the problem,” said Jupe.
“Yeah, that’s why we’re worried,’ said Thax. “You don’t want those people doing this.”
“If anything, they’ll do a good job of it,” said Cuthbert.
“Why not just tell them the truth?” Jupe pushed. “Make your contact, let them know the passengers and all their gear are on board and they can take what they like. No one has to get hurt.”
“They won’t like that,” said Cuthbert.
“Then don’t ask them, just do it. We’ve got the stuff for them, does it matter that much that we did a shoddy job of it? Tell the passengers about Bests men at the station. Make up some story for them, that you didn’t know they’d be there, and they’re threatening to blow up the ship, unless they give up their machines. That way, you can all avoid blame.”
“You’ve got a lot of ideas,” Thax started on him, ready to take him and force him to give up the parts.
“No, he’s right,” TC cut him off. “They don’t have to know we’re working with the Bests.”
“And what you said, Cuthbert,” said Jupe, “if we’re too hopeless to do the job for them, they won’t be.”
“You’ve come around to us now?” Cuthbert asked him.
“This make sense,” Jupe persisted. “Keep the Bests happy, keep the passengers in the dark.”
TC studied him and thought that he could see more of himself in him. “I knew you had potential,” TC said with a proud grin.
“TC, you’ve done it,” said Thax, “you’ve made a man out of him.”
Jupe laughed them off. “I just want to be rid of this whole situation, get back to Earth. No offence, but this isn’t the life for me.”
“My thoughts exactly,” said TC. “Let’s get this over with. Jenna, you stay with Jupe and watch that no passengers escape out to the T.”
“You want me to stay with him?” Jenna asked, disbelieving.
“If you don’t mind,” TC said in mock politeness. “You sorry guys, you come with me. I have some real men to find.”
They left Jenna standing in the doorway to Jupe’s room, looking at him with suspicion. He went and sat at his monitor and started looking over data that was coming from the station. He could see various shots of landing bays and small loading vehicles.
“What’re you doing that for?” she asked, worried about him.
“I need to familiarise myself with the place,” he said. “In case something goes wrong.”
“What’s going to go wrong?”
“They’re about to find men who work for
Lars Best, expecting a delivery of high-class machinery, and tell them they couldn’t do the job but would they like to. And you’re asking what might go wrong?”
“What did you do with the gun parts?” she asked, still not trusting him.
“Don’t know anything about guns. Never have. Never want to. What use are guns out in space? The ship itself is the best weapon you’d ever need.”
Jupe watched with interest as he saw the figures of TC and the Wilson brothers leave the ship’s airlocks and step out into one of the station’s many loading bays. He made sure that they were a good distance from the ship when he made his move. He jumped from his seat and ran past Jenna, who told him to stop, and ran after him when he didn’t.
At the flight deck, Jupe locked and sealed all the doors leading off the ship. For good measure, he sent an automatic message to T Station’s flight control that the ship was about to make an emergency exit and the area surrounding it must be vacated immediately. That was something he remembered seeing done when he was a boy.
He looked for that secret compartment near the pilot’s controls. Near the floor, out of sight, there was that handle that he found when he was a boy. And inside was the same thing he had found then. Probably untouched since those days, the lightweight semi-automatic pistol that TC kept there, looked exactly the same since he had last seen it. It was a Kel-Tec, older model, and had never been fired apart from on the practice range.
TC had a gun and he could have used it on the passengers, but didn’t. The Wilsons didn’t know about it either, and if he was truly committed to their plan then he just would have tossed it to Cuthbert. Instead, he berated them and agreed to risk going to find Bests’ men at the station. Those were obvious signs that he was not all bad, but nevertheless, Jupe’s opinion of him remained unchanged.
Warning beacons and lights started up all around the ship.
“Whatever you’ve done, put it all back the way it was,” Jenna demanded when she caught up to him at the flight deck.
“You can shut up,” Jupe said as he forced her out, easily dodging her flaying fists. Once they were both out, he shut the door and locked it with the touch keypad controls.
Jenna tried to wrestle him, not knowing what else to do. But they both knew that he was stronger, and he shoved her down. She kicked him but he kicked her harder.