Free A Matter of Honor (Privateer Tales Book 9) by Jamie McFarlane Page A

darkness, bioluminescent life forms stood out in stark contrast to the murky background. A sense of peace pervaded the area and it was easy to see why Anino enjoyed the spot. The five of us sat quietly for a few minutes, watching the beauty of life at a hundred meters and considering the quandary he'd presented.
    I finally broke the silence. "If anyone wants to back out, I won't feel bad. We still need to get our load back to the co-op and Nuage."
    "Don't look at me, Liam. I'm in," Ada said. "I can't believe Belirand would just leave them to rot."
    "I didn't want to speak for you, Ada. Belirand is a powerful enemy to make," I said.
    "I don't trust Anino," Tabby said.
    "Something is off about him," Marny said. "I can't put my finger on it. He doesn't act like any teenager I ever met."
    "Money has a way of messing with people. Can you imagine having the entire Anino fortune at your fingertips?" Nick asked.
    "I suppose that could be it," she said.
    "How about it, Marny? You in?" I knew the answer, but she needed to say it out loud for both of us.
    "I'd never be able to live with myself if I passed on this one," she said.
    "Tabbs?"
    "I can't say I'm not going to rip that little pecker's heart out, but I'm in," she said. "As if I'd let you go on your own."
    "Nick?"
    "You think you could bump up our visit with that retiring hauler captain? Maybe we could get him to make a final run and take Sterra's Gift back with him. Is he still bonded?" Nick asked.
    "That's one Captain Charles Norris," I said and sent the comm my AI had constructed based on our conversation.
    I looked across the room to where Anino sat. He was engrossed in whatever he was working on. I normally felt like I could read people, but Marny was right, the teenager was odd. I walked over to where Anino sat, with Nick close on my heel.
    "Anino, we're in, but we need to establish ground rules and we have business to take care of first," I said.
    He looked up from his project and set down tools I'd never seen before.
    "This should be good. What are your ground rules?" he asked.
    "My crew takes orders from no one but me and I don't take orders from anyone during combat. Bottom line is, if you're coming along, we're in charge," I said.
    "Is that it?"
    "You need to tell us right now why Belirand is keeping it secret that they can jump inexpensively," Nick said.
    "Once I tell you this, there's no going back," Anino said. "Are you sure?"
    Nick looked at me and I nodded my head. I wasn't sure what we were getting into, but it was hard to imagine Anino could say anything that would make saving forty-five people's lives not worth the trouble.
    "Tell us," Nick said.
    "Aliens," Anino said. "The universe is packed with 'em."
    "That's impossible. You can't keep that kind of secret," I said.
    "There are less than a hundred people in our four solar systems who know and, besides me, they're all under constant surveillance," Anino said.
    "That doesn't explain why Belirand keeps fold-space technology a secret," I said.
    "Are you saying we discovered aliens who would threaten humanity?" Nick asked.
    "No. But that's the fear," Anino said. "Don't get me wrong - we've run across some real doozies. But, imagine what would happen if a few million people started jumping to all ends of the universe."
    "Belirand is saying eventually we would find a species that would destroy humanity?" Nick asked. "That's stupid. You can't assume that."
    "But that's the bureaucratic mindset," Anino said. "All you have to do is believe in the possibility and fear will do the rest."
    "It's not unlike ancient North American history," Nick said. "The indigenous people initially welcomed the more technologically advanced Europeans and were all but wiped out."
    "An interesting angle on that, James. Take that fear and add the fact that Belirand has a monopoly on the TransLoc gates and can charge whatever they want. You end up here."
    "What's next?" I asked.
    "You're in?"
    "You just told us we could rescue Cape of Good