Free A Game of Battleships by Toby Frost Page B

Carveth and Petra swapping bottles.
    Schmidt said, ‘The nearest Edenite port capable of maintaining such a vessel is called  Deliverance. It’s three days’ travel from here – two with an engine like yours, provided you go in a  straight line. From what I have heard, you can expect a warm reception. They’ll try to burn you at the stake.’
    ‘That sounds likely. Well, thanks for your help.’
    ‘My pleasure. But the only people getting in and out of Deliverance are Crusadists and  mercenaries. As soon as they see you they’ll start firing.’
    ‘We’ll take our chances.’
    They shook hands. Schmidt took three steps and turned. ‘Oh, Captain Smith? One more thing.
    Viel Gluck .’
    Smith turned at the door of the John Pym . ‘ Danke! ’ he replied. ‘I mean, thanks.’

Beast of Eden
    ‘So,’ said Carveth, slowly lowering her biscuit into her tea, ‘we’re going to fly into the Republic of Eden, find the ship that blew up our convoy and – assuming we’re not very dead by then – well… then what?’
    ‘Put it out of action,’ Smith replied. ‘Locate the enemy vessel and either destroy it completely or  mark it in some way so that our own fleet can find it and finish it off.’
    ‘And then back home for curry and beer?’
    ‘That’s about right,’ Smith replied. ‘Of course, we’ll have to finesse some of the fine points, but  you’ve got the basic idea.’
    Carveth took her biscuit out the tea and bit off the soggy bit. ‘But we’ve just escaped from the  space-Bastille, and now we’re going into a police state. Can’t we just cut our losses and bugger off home?
    It sounds to me like a case of “Out of the frying pan and into the Scottish gourmet”.’
    ‘Don’t worry. Suruk and I have come up with a plan.’ Smith got up and, still carrying his mug,  walked to the door that led into the hold. ‘Suruk? Are you in there?’
    ‘I am just coming,’ the alien replied.
    Suruk struggled through the doorway, carrying the ship’s tactical display unit and a piece of chalk  to draw on it. He stood the board at the end of the table.
    ‘Behold!’ Suruk said. ‘I have applied my full skill as a hunter to this conundrum. Stealth is of the  essence here. We must approach the enemy unseen if we are to avenge the vessels it has destroyed. It is for that reason that we will be painting our spacecraft red.’
    Carveth stared across the table.
    ‘Schmidt told us that the Edenites will attack anything not on their side,’ Suruk explained. ‘It is  well known that the Edenites hire many mercenaries and errant warriors. By decorating our craft, we will fool the enemy into thinking that is us.’
    ‘A disguise,’ Smith said.
    ‘Indeed.’
    Carveth nodded. ‘Perhaps this isn’t as crazy as I thought. Although we will still be going near the  Edenites, so some level of crazy is still there. We’ll hardly be invisible, though.’
    ‘Invisibility is relative,’ Suruk explained. ‘If you wished to go unseen among a crowd in one of the  cities of Earth, would you paint yourself in stripes, and run nude on all fours? Of course not. But if you wanted to hunt zebra, that is another thing. . you see?”
    ‘So if you were to hunt zebra, you’d paint yourself stripey and run round naked?’
    ‘It was just an example. But resembling dangerous pirates, we will be able to enter their citadel by  stealth.’
    ‘Along with the thousands of other dangerous pirates,” Carveth said. “Alright then… what do  space pirates look like?’
    The alien flexed his mandibles thoughtfully. ‘Truly, it varies,’ he declared. ‘But this season’s  colour is a deep, blood red. Chains and spikes are popular accessories, along with battering rams and
    boarding gear. It is a bold, dynamic look, based around a few key pieces.’
    ‘Pieces of eight?’ Smith put in.
    ‘No, pieces of other people.’ Suruk took a biscuit from the table. ‘As for the individual space  pirate, hair is lank this