Screaming Metal

Part 022

But nagging suspicions about the motives of her crew outweighed her desire for precaution. She was unwilling to leave anyone aboard the Alley Cat.

Shake Hands was a planet on the cool side, occupying an outer position of its sun's circumstellar habitable zone.

While cold at times, it wasn't completely intolerable. Even overnight.

Clothed in gear that drew heat from a porta-gen, the three set up along a tree-lined ridge overlooking the vast plains stretching out below.

Aside from the massive junkyard that she and her crew had been eager to plunder, the planet was still relatively pristine.

Great swaths were covered in natural wilds outside the seven small cities and the farmlands surrounding them.

While predators existed, no species larger than beasts akin to the dogs of Earth or the kinuu of Nesca had been recorded.

Fortunately a good light source and a few anti-pest sonics would keep them at a comfortable distance.

Priyanka periodically watched the old warship from afar, a portable optical array enhancing the distant view.

A gut feeling had told her they wouldn't give chase or send out a search team, and she'd been right.

Whomever was running the show wasn't interested in the Alley Cat crew. The fireworks were all for show.

It was the one thing Priyanka was grateful for in this whole damned situation.

Being run off their marker was one thing, being chased down and taken into custody, or worse, was quite another story.

Now all she had to do was hold out and hope for a little luck that whomever was down there wouldn't pull Il'on's braincore.

"Il'on..."

Priyanka looked over at a Suen's sleeping form. The orange-red glow of the porta-gen illuminated the woman's features.

Priyanka had never mentioned the Metal's designation to either Deshel or Suen, and yet, Suen had clearly said its name, even referred to it as "him".

An uneasy feeling settled over her. More than ever, she just wanted to be done with this job.

It wasn't too late to pull out, but the money she'd invested in Il'on's recovery – fuel, food, crew pay, courier licenses, administrative fees...

It would put the kibosh on her cash flow, force her to let her crew go, and, in all likelihood, send her ship to mothballs.

On the other hand, with all that had happened, letting the crew go might not be such a bad idea.

And yet, despite all that had happened, it wasn't an easy decision. She had honestly grown fond of Deshel and Suen.

To think that one or both of them might have betrayed her...

Priyanka shook her head, mentally admonishing herself. Enough. She was going to give herself an ulcer.

She returned once again to the display of the warship.

It hovered over the pit as the Alley Cat had, floodlights illuminating the crevasse directly, and yet no one stirred around the gaping hole where Il'on lie.

With the wattage they were poring over the area, they had enough light to shine even to the depths Priyanka had explored to.

They could have dug it out in a few hours. Were they waiting until morning? Why? It made no sense to her.

Were they not receiving the same broadcasts and pings the junk-mercs had picked up?

If the voices she'd heard were Il'on, and not some crazy scheme to frighten her off, wouldn't it broadcast to anyone who'd listen?

Maybe they couldn't hear it. At least not aboard the warship.

Deshel had said they were using old radio waves to broadcast on the ground, but the warship might not be equipped to pick them up.