The Pirate Captain (The Space Pirate Chronicles Book 2) Read online

  Contents

  Title

  Disclaimer

  Links

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Links

  The Pirate Captain

  The Space Pirate Chronicles Book 2

  Steven J Shelley

  Copyright © 2015 Blue Orchid Books

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual places is purely coincidental.

  Not recommended for younger readers.

  Visit my website for quick and easy links to my catalog!

  I also invite you to join the mailing list for a heads-up on new releases.

  The Space Pirate Chronicles:

  The Space Pirate (The Space Pirate Chronicles Book 1)

  http://www.amazon.com/Space-Pirate-Rags---Riches-Saga-ebook/dp/B01895UW0K

  The Pirate Captain (The Space Pirate Chronicles Book 2)

  http://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Captain-Rags---Riches-Saga-ebook/dp/B0190IYZBC

  1

  Charley looked out at the stars and her mind wandered. Her thoughts were comfortable, but hazy. She couldn’t focus on any particular thing. It was like she was sitting on a golden cloud.

  It might’ve had something to do with the fact that there was a man’s head between her legs. This man definitely knew what he was doing. She remembered that it was her job to look out for enemy ships.

  The bandits she had just stolen from, the Silent Runners, would be extremely pissed to have lost a ship. Not just any ship but a heavy fighter bristling with expensive weapons. The type of ship known as an armadillo.

  Right then Charley couldn’t seem to focus on much at all. She told herself she had a good reason, considering what the man kneeling in front of her was actually doing. But then again, all the good reasons in the world wouldn’t matter if they were blasted to kingdom come by an incoming bandit fighter.

  Vinnie Teks was a skilled man. Charley grasped at his silky black hair as her body shook with release. It was like a rubber band, held tight for so long, had just snapped within her. She needed both hands on the nav dashboard just to steady herself as Vinnie finished his explorations. She was about to reach for him but he waved her away with a wry grin. She smiled.

  “I owe you,” was all she could say.

  The mood was light as Vinnie Teks and Charley Silverton guided their prize back to Danderly. The huge brown planet was soon filling their viewscreen and they were on course for Galveston, one of the larger cities in the northern hemisphere.

  “I think the Guildmasters run a dock to the south of the city,” Vinnie said. “They can process us there.”

  Charley was physically exhausted but profoundly happy. The pair had only just executed a dangerous salvage job when they were attacked by the bandit ship. Their initial target, the damaged scout now in tow behind them, would presumably be sold for spare parts and scrap metal. Charley could only guess how much money that would net them. The Guildmasters usually sorted that kind of thing out.

  But none of that was the best part of the day. The best part was Vinnie’s declaration that he was happy to join the fold as a pirate once more. Charley didn’t know how long he’d been in the wilderness but was glad to have him on her side in any case. She was determined to kickstart the Pirate Guild once again and Vinnie was a crucial part of that. From what she could tell he had a wide range of skills - salvage, firearms, smuggling. He was also brave and tough, if occasionally belligerent and moody. Charley was thrilled to have someone with whom she could share the elation she currently felt.

  She pulled on her air suit since it was the only item of clothing she had on board. Vinnie had them coursing high over Danderly’s Great Southern Forest, making extremely good progress for Galveston. Charley took a moment to airlock the dead enemy pilot, mouthing a little prayer for him. He was only young and Charley hoped he made better decisions for himself in the next life.

  Her dirty work completed, Charley took a few minutes to survey the ship. The armadillo was a compact fighter, with a cramped galley and living quarters. More space had been allocated to storage. There were two storage bays as far as she could tell - one was a 10x10 cargo bay under the crew deck. It was empty save for a heavy tarp in the corner. The second was located at the rear of the crew deck, just off the captain’s living quarters. It was the size of a closet and was designed to transport more valuable items. It housed a small digital safe but Charley couldn’t work out the code.

  The airlock was raised slightly above the crew deck and admitted to the top hatch. The only other living module was the cockpit currently occupied by Vinnie. The rest of the ship was taken up by twin propulsion engines and weapons compartments. Vinnie had reeled off all the weapons like an excited schoolboy but it was all a foreign language to Charley. She could study the specs later when she had a spare moment.

  “I have a visual on Galveston,” Vinnie said over the com. Charley smiled at the sound. Little moments like that reminded her that she actually owned a ship! Not just any ship, but a lethal fighter. The concept was too surreal for words. She was just a dirty scumbag from Sandflower Downs. This kind of shit just didn’t happen to people like her. She still had to pinch herself to confirm that all this was actually happening.

  She hustled into the cockpit and strapped down for their descent.

  “We need a name for her,” Charley said to Vinnie. “What do you think?”

  Vinnie considered for a moment, then smiled. “What about the Surprise?”

  Charley’s heart lurched. It was perfect. “Bingo,” she beamed. She could already picture the paintwork on the hull.

  2

  The Surprise approached a small docking operation nestled within the trees to the south of the sprawling city of Galveston. It looked like a boutique operation only those ‘in the know’ used. Charley guessed that only the various Guild members - anyone from bandits to pirates to smugglers - would use this dock. She wondered if the facility had ever come under scrutiny from the planetary government.

  “Danderly troopers have been patrolling the region more of late,” Vinnie said, as if reading Charley’s mind. “So far they haven’t shown any interest in the Guildmasters’ presence here.”

  Charley nodded. It sounded like the collapsed Human Empire was showing signs of rising from the dead. She remembered the increased trooper activity on her home planet Abeyas.

  But it wasn’t the right time to talk politics. Vinnie guided the Surprise into one of the empty green docking stations. The damaged scout was received by a team of engineers who took it into the port’s garage.

  Charley and Vinnie exited Surprise through the top hatch and made their way through a connector tube to the Guildmasters Office.

  The Guildmasters were a mysterious organization, well known to many but never well understood. They controlled the business of crime across the galaxy, giving it some kind of structure. All the various Guilds were given rankings based on kills, loot and power. The latter attribute was a calculation based on numbe
r of ships, personnel and land holdings. The Pirate Guild had been near the bottom of the rankings for quite some time. Vinnie’s defection, along with the death of the older pirate network, resulted in the slow death of the once proud Guild. The pirates’ power base had been eroded by many enemies but the main threat came from the Bandit Guild, or the Silent Runners. To an outsider there wasn’t much difference between the Bandit and Pirate Guilds but the old pirate Harry Teks had schooled Charley in some of the subtle, but important differences.

  For her part, Charley believed in the pirate code and wanted to put a modern spin on it. As she approached a Guildmaster agent behind a smooth glass desk she fervently hoped she had begun to bring the Guild back from the dead.

  “Nice kill,” said the attractive brunette as her fingers danced over a lightscreen. “We were all watching from a remote feed. We thought the Silent Runners had you cold.”

  “They weren’t thinking at all,” Vinnie said humbly.

  The agent’s eyes flashed at Charley’s brawny partner. Was this bitch flirting with him?

  “Yeah, well, things are gonna get real interesting around here,” the agent said.

  “What do you mean?” asked Charley.

  “Let’s just say, no one stirs the hornet’s nest and gets away with it.”

  “How about we get down to business?” Charley suggested, annoyed at the agent’s carefree tone.

  “Sure,” said the agent, suitably chastened. “As you may have noticed, one of your prizes, the DAX84 Scout, is currently in our garage for assessment. We assume you’ll be looking to sell for parts and metal?”

  “That’s correct,” said Vin with a quick glance at Charley.

  “Excellent,” purred the agent. “The Guildmasters would be happy to handle the sale if you so choose. In that event we would waive the docking fees you have incurred today.”

  “That’s fine,” Vinnie said. Charley knew it was their only practical option - if they wanted to handle the sale of parts and scrap they would need to rent a garage and there would be all kinds of overheads. It was common practice to allow the Guildmasters to handle this kind of thing. They took a generous percentage but it wasn’t outrageous.

  “How do the rankings play out?” Charley asked, trying to sound casual. Vinnie couldn’t suppress a grin.

  “The rankings won’t be updated until the scout has been sold,” came the reply. “The Night Runners had the armadillo listed two years ago. Its value is estimated at 46,000 credits.”

  Charley blinked. She couldn’t conceive of that much money! But Vinnie glared at the agent. “No way. That thing’s a prime fighting machine. Probably retails between 70 and 80K.”

  The agent shrugged. “It’s at least six years old,” she said. “And its seen the odd scuffle or two.”

  Vinnie shrugged. “We’d like to store it in long term dry dock. We have some cosmetic changes to make.”

  Charley grinned. She couldn’t wait to design a logo.

  “Consider it done,” said the Agent brightly, tapping away at her lightscreen. “Feel free to return whenever you like. Dry dock 73 is now accessible via retina scan.”

  Charley looked around in surprise. The Guildmasters must have scanned them on arrival. They were clearly a smooth operation.

  Vin and Charley got up to leave. At the office door the agent called out.

  “Oh, and folks,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “It’s good to have pirates around again.”

  Charley looked down at what she was wearing. She didn’t exactly look like a pirate. Betty, the AI at the Pirate Guild, must have updated her status while she was gone. The Pirate Guild had made its first kill for a long time. Charley knew she’d be checking her wrist pad frequently to see if her ranking had been updated.

  From the Guildmaster Dock Charley and Vin took a shuttle back into the heart of Galveston. It was getting dark by the time they reached the bleak ghetto that housed their rundown Guild building.

  Charley was glad to see that she could gain access via the front entrance. Betty had fixed her security credentials also.

  FIGJAM greeted the pair as they picked they way through the garbage in the main hall.

  “Betty filled me in guys, well done,” he said, trying to keep up with them. The little PalBot wasn’t designed for uneven terrain. “I bags sleeping with the bitch tonight, Teks.”

  Vinnie spun on his heel and frowned at the PalBot.

  “Easy, Vinnie,” Charley said soothingly, knowing the big man was a hair’s breadth away from smashing the robot to pieces. “FIGJAM had a bad upbringing.”

  “’FIGJAM’?” repeated Vin with a snarl.

  “Don’t ask,” Charley said. “Just know that I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for this little robot. It’s more than meets the eye, trust me.”

  “Yeah,” said FIGJAM. “Plus, I’ve seen her naked, jackass.”

  3

  A tense second passed. Vinnie seemed ready to explode. Then he relaxed suddenly.

  “Nice toy,” he said dismissively before walking off.

  Charley gave FIGJAM a look that said ‘watch yourself’.

  Betty said.

  “Thanks Betty,” said Charley. A thought occurred to her. Something she was almost too afraid to ask.

  “Betty - are there any bounties on our heads?”

 

  A chill ran down Charley’s spine. She knew what that meant. It meant half the galaxy would be hunting them and if found they would be handed over to the Silent Runners to be tortured or worse.

  “What would the old pirates have done in this situation?” Charley asked in a weak voice. “Any suggestions?”

 

  “Damn straight, Betty,” Vinnie said, returning to the main hall. “We need to upgrade the armor shielding on this bunker for a start.”

  “What about the Surprise?” Charley asked. “Is it safe at the Guildmasters’ dock?”

  “Should be,” Vinnie replied. “Guildmasters turf is the only safe ground left.”

  “And the cost of upgrading this bunker?” Charley asked. Part of her didn’t want to know.

  “More than what that scout will sell for,” Vinnie replied succinctly. It was all Charley needed to know. There was no point worrying about the bunker until they could afford to properly upgrade it.

  “Then we pray that we don’t get attacked here,” Charley said in a flat voice.

  The silence that followed was glum.

  “Excuse me while I go slash my fucking wrists,” FIGJAM said.

  “We need to keep moving,” said Vinnie, glaring at the robot. “That’s the only way to deal with these fuckers. Become a moving target.”

  “What do you suggest we do?” Charley asked. “It’ll be hard to work with five bounties on our heads.”

  Vinnie looked at Charley with eyes alive with brutal intensity. “I say we run Beluga.”

  Charley’s eyes widened. “The Beluga Run? Isn’t that heavily guarded by the Silent Runners these days? I’m all for building the Guild, but that sounds like suicide.”

  “The Beluga Run,” Vinnie said in awe. His eyes had clouded over, as if he was reliving happy memories. “That Run is the richest a pirate could hope to have. Seven systems in quick succession. A huge variety of planets, a rich selection of tasty trading routes. Some of those planets are primitive. Some tribes spend their days digging precious minerals from the ground. The potential riches are bigger than anything you’ve seen. The beaches, the drugs, the girls …”

  Vinnie’s voice trailed off. He was clearly smitten with the memory of his early pirating days. He seemed to remember himself when he notic
ed Charley glaring at him.

  “I only ran it once,” he said hastily. “But they were the best days I ever had.”

  Charley had to admit the Beluga Run sounded amazing, and it would be an explosive way to begin her pirating career. But to travel such a long way in just one small fighter? She couldn’t wait to go pirating, but even she thought that sounded unrealistic.

  “Don’t we need more gear? Crew? Ships?” she asked Vinnie.

  The big man grinned. The effect was sexy and beguiling. Charley felt a tingle between her legs and forced herself to focus.

  “Let me tell you how a run like this goes,” he said. “Sometimes you start with one ship. The old guys told me that sometimes they started with one ship just to test themselves. You travel to the first system. You aim low. You might land a corvette or somethin’. Some rich, fat cat businessman. You trade in the gold-plated corvette for a second fighter. You hire mercs from the nearest transport hub. Rinse and repeat. If you play your cards right, if your man management is sweet and your ability to pick the right target even sweeter, you finish at the end of the Beluga Run with an entire fleet and a cargo hold chock full of treasure bags. A good Beluga Run can set you up for life.”

  “So what happened to you?” FIGJAM asked rudely.

  “I wasn’t smart,” Vinnie said quietly. “I had a chance to walk away quietly and I only got half of that right. I walked away but I got too cocky. I failed to protect the one thing I loved the most - my wife. All my riches bled from me quickly after I lost her. So here I am, looking for a second chance.”

  Vin looked up at Charley, who found she had tears in her eyes. Vinnie had never talked so much before. She wrapped her arms wound him.

  “I’ll be right by your side,” she said. “Let’s do this together.”

  FIGJAM clicked his tongue in disgust and rolled away.