Pixie Hazard by Archibald Bradford (top young adult novels .txt) 📕

of her skipper’s fatigue, Billy reached out and stole her mug.

“Go get some rack time, we need you clear-headed. Doctor’s orders.”

Donnie scowled as her coffee was taken out of reach.

“I can’t. Too many balls in the air. We got people going outside.”

“And there is nothing you can do about any of it. Go. To. Bed. Your bunk is right across the hall from the infirmary. Something catches fire or the ship explodes, I’ll wake you.”

The captain’s scowl endured, until finally she rolled her eyes and gave in.

“Fine, but if the ship explodes I expect you to let me sleep in.”

With that, she sought out her bunk.

Chapter 12:“Science”, Inbound

Despite Billy’s promise, it was Eniella’s voice coming over the coms that woke Donnie some time later.

“Captain we need you on the bridge, proximity alarm. Two unknown bogeys on approach.”

She rolled out of her bunk and scrambled into her pants as fast as only a marine could.

Her console told her she had been out for just over three hours, so her eyes were gritty and her head felt like it was packed with sand, but she forced herself into action, slapping her palm against the coms station on the wall.

“I’m on my way.”

Barely a half-minute later she was pulling herself up the final rung of the ladder to the cockpit.

“Talk to me. Are Kyle and Eva still outside?”

Davie shook her head, her pigtails wobbling.

“No they just finished, Billy’s cycling them through the airlock as we speak. O-2 is trending towards nominal again.”

Eniella cracked her knuckles and worked her neck side to side for a moment, before addressing the captain.

“Gunships will be within viewing distance any moment, the Javelins are spun up.”

“Good. We ready to jump?”

“No dice Skip.” Davie’s pigtails wobbled again; “The Pixie is, but I still need to go over to the transport to set up navigation. I can’t walk Maria through a tandem jump, too complicated.”

“Here they come.” Eniella’s said simply.

“Lock onto them the second they’re in range. Davie, com them. Let’s avoid a fight if possible, we just got patched up.”

Through the window of the cockpit Donnie barely caught the flash of sunlight reflecting off of the two vessels in the distance before the armoured shutter closed.

Davie gave a nod and gestured towards the hand-held coms unit above her head.

“Line’s open.”

Pressing the mic to her mouth Donnie was quick to speak her peace.

“Unidentified vessels. This is the Pixie Hazard, divert course or we’ll open fire. Do you copy?”

“I don’t see any markings on their bows. They’re not Junkers.” Eniella remarked.

It was a tense couple of seconds before a deep male voice responded.

“Attention Pixie Hazard. Stand down. We’re not hostile. I repeat: we are not hostile.”

“Then identify yourselves already dipshit!”

Donjoon Nelson was good at many things, diplomacy wasn’t one of them.

“We’re with the Galactic Regulatory Committee. We are investigating the remains of a frigate that was destroyed near Kentis Four.”

Davie’s head shifted back on her neck and she let out a skeptical laugh.

Her captain was in agreement with her.

“The GRC? Out here? Fuck off.”

“Stand down your weapon systems and prepare to be boarded. Non-compliance will result in civil penalties.”

“No seriously, fuck off. Do I sound like I was born yesterday? The GRC’s purview is controlled substances, not galactic security. And even if they happened to be in this shitty neighbourhood they would’ve sent a heavy cruiser at least. Not a pair of patrol boats.”

Eniella broke in as the readings on her console became more relevant.

“They’re targeting us. Pilums, not as heavy hitting but twice the fire rate as our Javelins. With two batteries each they’ll likely chew through us before we can get them both, unless their pilots are morons anyways.” Despite the grim prediction the FCO’s voice was calm.

“Copy. Ships that size, probably no antimatter loadouts right?”

Eniella shook her head and Donnie smirked.

“Then let the dogs out.”

“You got it, Skip.”

The pink-haired woman danced her fingers across her console, using the target locks from the Javelins to prime the starboard Doberman launch pod.

“Hey assholes, say hello to el perro!” She declared dramatically.

“That’s Spanish for Fido.” Davie said in a stage whisper that the preoccupied captain ignored.

The voice on the coms turned more than a little panicky as the other ships’ sensors sounded the dreaded alarm of an antimatter weapon preparing to fire.

“P-Pixie Hazard! Stand down! You don’t know who you’re messing with here! The GRC is-”

“You got that backwards dickweed.” Donnie shut him down again, quickly cutting through the bullshit; “Or are your dinky boats also packing a full complement of antimatter warheads?”

A long minute of static greeted her words.

“I thought not. Next time you impersonate someone, try one of the smaller corps. The GRC was a dead giveaway. Now, unless you want to get treated like the pirates you clearly think you aren’t. Hit the bricks.”

Without antimatter weapons ship-to-ship combat was a slug fest to determine whose railguns could break through the other’s carapace armour first.

But when one side had them and the other didn’t the result became a foregone conclusion, which was why Donnie had used her Dungeness contacts and spent a fortune to ensure the Pixie never ended up in the situation the wannabe pirates were in.

Less than a minute later, both ships turned tail and disappeared into slipspace.

Donnie replaced the com unit as Davie gave her a funny look.

“Hit the bricks? Old Earth expression?”

“Nah, I just made it up.” She gestured vaguely towards the closed shutter; “That was a fine good morning though.”

Eniella powered down the Pixie’s arsenal and twisted in her seat with a bright smile.

“I would have gone with: the only ship you’ll be boarding is the one straight to hell hijo de