Free Fatal Blade (Decker's War#3) by Eric Thomson Page B

contentedly.
    “So, now that I’m partially refueled, would you care to tell me what our next stop is going to be?”
    “Andoth.”
    She pulled two warmed up trays from the autochef and placed them on the table.
    “Andoth?”  Decker searched his memory for the vaguely familiar name.  “Isn’t that the place they tried to turn into a prison colony after the war?  Lasted maybe thirty years.  All settlements are at the bottom of deep chasms because the air pressure at the surface is too weak.  Lots of volcanic activity, etcetera, etcetera?”
    “Got it in one.  It’s a fairly nasty environment, with a single industry and no homesteading.  Other than taxing the export of rare ores and gemstones, the central government doesn’t have much interest in the place.  A miners’ consortium runs it with a passel of mercenaries for law and order.”
    “About as frontier as it gets and still be within Commonwealth borders, eh?”  Zack cocked a sardonic eyebrow.  “We should fit right in.”
    “A damn sight more dangerous than Kilia though, which may actually help.”  She took a bite of her food and chewed slowly, eyes unfocused while she thought about their destination.
    “The shipping brokers in a place like that are bound to be dabbling on the dark side, where organizations like rebel movements would look to hire.  That being said, we might be better off to leave the ship in orbit and shuttle down to the surface when we get there.”
    “Scared of flying down one of their chasms?”
    “I’m more worried that I won’t be able to lift Phoenix out of there if things go sideways again.”
    “Ah.”  He nodded knowingly.  “It would be pretty hard to scam our way into open space from ten kilometers below the surface.”
    “Give yourself another drink, Marine Boy.  You’re getting smart.”
    “Must be the company I keep.”
    “Flattery will get you everywhere, once you’ve showered.”
    “Promises, promises.”  He drained his bottle and reached into the cooler for its successor.  “I could really enjoy this lifestyle, you know.”
    “Wait until we get to Andoth.”
    “You going to let Ulrich know?”  Decker took a sip and smacked his lips with pleasure.
    “Can’t.  No subspace array we can tap into within light-years.  I’d rather not send anything via a commercial relay.  Even if we encode it, someone could get the idea that we’re not cuddly space rogues.”
    “Yup.  Got to keep our street cred intact.”  He burped loudly and smiled.  “Almost as good coming up as it was going down.”
    “You’re a pig, you know that?”
    Decker’s sole reply was to blow his partner a big wet kiss.
    ***
    “Cripes, and here I thought Nabhka looked depressing.”  He shook his head in amazement.   “Why do people insist on living in places that defy common sense?”
    “The usual reasons,” Talyn replied, gently nudging Phoenix into a stable orbit, “greed, desire to get away from authority, looking for adventure.”
    “Looking for insanity, more likely.  I’m going to guess there’s no orbital control.  The sensors aren’t picking up anything bigger than unmanned satellites, and precious few of those.  No other ships in orbit either.”
    “There’s not much for off-world visitors to see.”
    “You’re still determined to leave the ship in orbit and shuttle down?”
    “Sure.”  She touched the controls one last time.  “There.  The AI has its instructions.  Phoenix will be fine up here.”
    “What if someone comes along, sees a nice oversized space yacht or undersized sloop, depending on how you look at it, and decides it would make a beautiful addition to their stable.”
    “The AI will make sure no one can do that.”
    “Seriously?”  Decker didn’t hide his disbelief.  “You’re supposed to be the professional paranoid, Hera.  A ship without a crew can be taken, given enough time.  The AI might be able to navigate hyperspace, keep a stable orbit and do