Stowaway_Starship Fairfax_The Kuiper Chronicles_a short story prequel Read online

  It didn’t want to budge at first. She had to wedge her fingers in just so, and even then she felt as though she nearly lost a nail before it finally popped off. But it did. Her eyes immediately found the lock, attached to—she breathed a sigh of relief—a nanobox. Quickly, she reached in and ripped out the box. The lock slid closed just in time.

  “Huh?” Dax’s voice from the other side of the hatch sounded perplexed. They were trying to get in, and clearly could not. He cursed profusely.

  “So much for the plan,” the dull voice said.

  “Stick to the plan,” Dax spat. “Just a hiccup, nothing more. Corrigan saw Crush heading to Brant’s quarters not five minutes ago; this is the opportune time. We’ll just have to forego the bait and go straight for the fish.”

  “Whaddya mean by that?”

  Ada wondered what happened in the silence that followed. It was punctuated by a guffaw from the dull voice, who then said, “Alright, then. I’ll gather the rest, make sure they see who’s in charge now.”

  “Wish me luck.”

  “You don’t need it, with that.”

  She heard the sound of footfalls die away as they left, heading off in opposite directions. Then she plugged the nanobox back into place and opened the hatch.

  It had to be a weapon, she reasoned. Some kind of continuous-fire blasting pistol? Something that would inspire confidence, even against both Crush and Brant. She knew what she had to do. If they were caught unawares by a mutinous, armed Dax, they might both be killed in seconds.

  She trotted lightly, up on the balls of her feet, careful to make as little sound as possible, and staying close to the wall so that she could flatten herself against it at a moment’s notice. All of the hiding and running she’d been forced into since escaping the family hab had transformed her into a survivor, something she’d never thought she’d need to be. Everything had been so simple back on Cyron-2, before the day the soldiers had come and left her orphaned.

  You don’t know that he’s dead, she reminded herself for what felt like the hundredth time. It was true. Her father could be alive and well, for all she knew, and she clung to that hope, letting it drive her to head in-system to seek word of him. But she knew in her objective mind that the odds were not in his favor. She would be lucky if she could so much as find out what had happened to him before the end. Maybe that would be enough, though. Maybe it would be the key to let her put all of this horror in the past, and move on.

  Or maybe she was deluding herself about the prospect of ever resuming anything close to normalcy, part of her suggested. Maybe what she really ought to do was to find herself here, in the now, where she was—onboard a pirate ship, no longer an innocent girl working the family mine, but a cabin girl and ruthless-pirate-in-training. She shook her head at the thought. Could there be a place for her here?

  She slowed, realizing she was close to the bridge, and probably to Brant’s quarters. Directly ahead there was a bend in the hallway, and beyond that, voices. She crept to the edge of the bend and listened.

  “I’ve had enough,” Dax said, “and so have the others. If you won’t step down peaceably, you’re forcing my hand. Don’t doubt me, Brant. I’ll do it.”

  “Sure you will,” Bone Crusher growled, a sneer in his voice. “Cause you’ve got the spine? Tryin’ to prove somethin’, Dax?”

  “Shut up, Crush.”

  Ada peered around the corner. Just beyond her, the door to Brant’s quarters was open. She saw Dax, his back to her, hefting a massive blasting rifle with both arms. Beyond him, Brant and Bone Crusher stood on either side of Brant’s desk. In the crosshairs.

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t ya?” Crush yelled. Dax juiced up the rifle and shot. Ada leapt past the corner, wanting to stop him, not knowing how, and almost yelled to distract him. But the blast was a warning shot. It burned into the desk, instantly cleaving it in half, leaving a smoldering shell. The sound of the shot seemed to have masked Ada’s advance. Dax did not turn.

  “Next shot is a real one,” he said.

  Ada found her hands fumbling around her waist again. She really needed to arm herself with a decent multitool. Instead, she once more found the burned-out nanobox. It fit snugly in the palm of her right hand, compact but with a healthy amount of weight. She turned it over, wondering.

  “I think I’ll do you first, Crush,” Dax said, turning the rifle on Bone Crusher. “Any last words? Maybe something for your pet? I can coo it in her ear while I’m having some fun with her in my bunk. You know. Before we space the bitch.”

  Ada gulped, anger seething through her. It was now or never. She squeezed the nanobox tightly, wound up her arm, took a quick, careful aim, and let it fly.

  It was just too easy.

  Like skipping rocks over the ice-fields back home.

  The nanobox met the back of Dax’s skull with a satisfying crack, and he fell forward, stumbling, losing his grip on the giant gun. It was enough. Bone Crusher was on him in an instant, his enormous fists making sure Dax didn’t get back on his feet. The gun fell away, unused. Brant came around and kicked it out of reach. Ada breathed a sigh of relief.

  The dull-voiced crewmember arrived with all the others just in time for them all to see a beaten, bloodied Dax on the floor between Bone Crusher, Captain Brant, and Ada. “Gentlemen,” Brant said. “I believe we’ve stopped a mutiny. Thank you for all coming to my assistance, as I’m sure you were about to do. But our new cabin-girl seems to have the situation well in hand. Isn’t that right, ah—”

  Ada cleared her throat. “Ada. Call me Ada.”

  “Right,” Brant said. “Ada.”

  Epilogue

  Everything changed after that. There were no more threats, no more whispers or bellyaching about Bone Crusher’s stowaway. The crewmen gave her approving nods when she passed by. Not approving her body; approving her. She liked the way it felt. She began to walk with a bit of swagger, starting up conversation with them, learning their names and habits. She began to talk like them and even, at times, act like them. She became, in short, part of the crew.

  “I never thanked you, proper.” Bone Crusher stood in Ada’s open hatchway. It had been a week since the incident, and she was just bedding down for the night.

  She shrugged. “Gonna have to be more specific than that, Crush. I’m pretty sure I’ve saved your engines a dozen times in the last forty-eight hours.”

  He sniffed. “You know what I’m talkin’ about, Ada.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded, smiling.

  “So anyway. Thanks.” He turned to go.

  “Wait, that’s it? You’re not gonna do me some great service, like be my cabin-boy and keep me warm in my bunk tonight?”

  His eyes widened. “Wha—?”

  She waved him off. “Relax, I’m pulling your leg. Just thought you might like a taste of your own medicine.”

  “Oh,” he laughed, scratching the back of his neck.

  “You’re welcome, Crush.”

  “Ya know Ada, it’s a funny thing. From the moment I saw ya standing there in the cargo tubes, I knew I was going to be looking out for ya. Just knew it. Ya know, that ya would need me. But I was wrong.” He shook his head. “The other way around, wasn’t it?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing’s over till it’s over. But for what it’s worth, it’s nice to be needed.”

  “Yeah. Goodnight Ada.”

  “Night, Crush.”

  She lay in the darkness for some time, thinking about what he had said. When she slept, she slept better than she had since leaving Cyron-2. It did feel nice to be needed again.

  The End.

  Note from the Author

  Hello Dear Reader,

  Thank you so very much for reading my short story, “Stowaway!” It’s QUITE short, I know, but have no fear; it’s only a prequel story to my ongoing action/adventure sci-fi series, Starship Fairfax. The other two prequel shorts are “Totaled,” also free with no strings attached, and “The Trials of Io,” free when you sign up
to receive my monthly/bimonthly author newsletter.

  Starship Fairfax continues with The Lunar Gambit, The Hidden Prophet, The Neptune Contingency, and The Star Wizard, with more upcoming titles in the works. Thanks for checking it out! If you enjoy what you read, you would be doing me a huge favor by leaving a review, whether on a vendor’s site, goodreads, or a blog.

  Thanks so much! Happy reading—

  Best,

  Benjamin Douglas

  [email protected]

  http://benjamindouglasbooks.wordpress.com

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