God's Bounty Hunter (Biddy Mackay Space Detective Book 1) by T Olivant (reading in the dark .txt) 📕

Eritree was a success but only because of what they mined.  Along with platinum and other metals, they also mined the osmium alloys, only found in large quantities in planets of this region.  It also just happened to be a vital component in every Fast Light engine.

These alloys were buried very deep in extraordinarily hard rock.  That’s what made the robotic miners so vital to the work.  No human miner would have been able to work in those conditions.  Of course, they couldn’t really work for long in the other mines either, but that didn’t stop the attraction of cheap labor.

“I need to make a call.”

Of course, it would be usual for the call to Eritree’s command center to be made from the control room.  But Lu Tang didn’t want to be overheard.  He returned to his war room and placed a call from his datapad.

“Pilot of the J class trading vessel…” What was the ship’s name again?  Lu Tang tapped at his datapad. “Pilot of the… Furious Endeavour, really?  Idiot humans.  Pilot of the Furious Endeavour requesting a landing slot at the Moscov space port.”

“Landing documents will be required Furious Endeavour.”

“Patching them through right now.” A quick swipe of the datapad and he was done.

“We will examine the documents and get back to you with a landing time.”

“I also request a private call to be put through to a member of the security team.”

There was a brief pause. “That is unusual.”

“Yes.  I have a fragile cargo that I would like assistance with.”

Another pause. “You will pay the appropriate customs charges?”

“Of course.”

“Then I will contact security for you.”

“I was told to speak to Tibo Fulstaff.”

“Mr. Fulstaff is on another call.  Perhaps I –”

“Tell him that Mr. Tang is calling.”

“Very well.  Hold please.”

Some annoying pastel-jazz played over the speaker for a few moments.

“Mr. Tang?” A round face appeared on the datapad.

“Tibo.”

The face came closer, then startled backwards in dismay. “It’s you!”

“And on a public line,” Lu Tang said with an edge to his voice. “I am orbiting your planet as we speak.  I assume you are prepared for our meeting?”

“Well… I wasn’t expecting you quite this soon.”

Lu Tang sniffed.  No doubt Tibo had been hoping he wouldn’t make it at all. “Well, here I am.”

“And you will want to stay for…?”

“As long as I wish.”

“Of course.  What craft are you arriving in?”

“The Furious Endeavour.  And no, I did not pick the name.”

“A trading ship?” Tibo wrinkled his nose.  He had always been a terrible snob.

“As you can imagine I had to take what I could get.”

“Well, we can do better than that.  I’ll send over my newest vessel.”

“The spaceyacht?”

“That was ten years ago.  No, I’ve got something much better now.  Pick you up in an hour.”

Satisfied, Lu Tang ended the call.  Tibo was about as trustworthy as the quicksand of Neptune, but at least he knew what would happen if he crossed an Augment.  He could be relied upon, for the moment at least.

Lu Tang made his way to the control room and told the crew of his imminent departure.

“But I thought we were going down to the planet?” The young engineer whined at him.

“My plans have changed.  You may still take the ship to the landing and acquire another owner.”

“You’re just going to leave us here?”

Lu Tang nodded.  They were alive, and they should be grateful for the fact.  Sure, their odds of survival were not good, but then life was never easy.  It certainly never had been for Lu Tang, so why should it be for anyone else?

“You shouldn’t have a problem finding another hire.  Just avoid the gangs, the Eritrees and probably the bounty hunters.  People smugglers might give you a good price, just make sure they’re only paying for the ship.” They could hardly complain at that, Lu Tang thought as he walked away without a second glance.  Human beings were so needy.  It made his brain itch.

Chapter 11

The Fuller system consisted of three linked solar systems given over entirely to mining.  Biddy Mackay had never wanted to visit, but life had a funny way of taking her exactly where she didn’t want to be.  It was the mining planets that put her off.  Whether it was growing up with older members of the Clan talking about the underground cities on Tirnanog or the hollow faced miners she met when travelling around the galaxy, it was a way of life that gave her the shivers.  She had never walked upon the Earth, but somehow deep in her bones she knew that human beings were meant to be able to see the Sun.  Or a sun at least.  Not to be trapped underground deep in the dark.

A week had passed since they left Eris and when the Black Maria had cruised out of Fast Light and entered the Fuller system Biddy felt her heart sink.  She had spent most of the last week huddled in front of flickering screens, trying to work out what the hell was going on with the case.  But the hoped-for illumination had never come.  She couldn’t help but feel that she was going in blind, just like a miner in a perilous cavern.

Her stomach did the familiar flip that indicated the Fast Light portion of the engines had been shut down.  No one quite understood why interstellar travel made human beings feel sick, but it did it every time.  Biddy popped a couple of antiemetics and gripped onto the edge of her sleep pod until her muscles stopped cramping.  Time to stop brooding and get to work.

“All crew briefing in fifteen,” Biddy announced over the radio.  By the time she made her own way to the meeting room half of the crew were already there, the others