Free The Science Officer by Blaze Ward Page A

had killed Aritza.
    She slung the battle–rifle on her shoulder.
    All in a day’s work.
    Ξ
    Javier watched Sykora’s face on the sly.
    He thought about teaching her how to play poker one of these days, but decided he was safer not telling her she was an open book. The Gunners on B deck were more fun, anyway.
    The old man stared intently at him, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Better poker player there. Didn’t like Sykora at all. That made him good people.
    Might as well cut straight to the messy bits.
    Javier levered himself upright and brushed the dirt and leaves and crap off his butt with one hand. He clicked the recall button on the portable and caught the remote as it settled into his hand. Suvi would keep it active. She was very smart. Much better to trust her than the ogre–lady.
    Now, the old man.
    “So the reason we came here was to salvage the wreck, Lemuel,” he said. Simple. Honest. Easy. “We didn’t expect to find anyone alive after all this time.”
    Javier read the signs as he spoke. Two guys at a bus stop, talking about last night’s game. He waited for Lemuel’s nod, got it, went on.
    “Interstellar law says we rescue you at this point and get you someplace where you can get home from.” Javier turned as he spoke and looked right up at Sykora’s scowl. “Where and how will be up to Captain Sokolov, but you’ll be able to save some of your stuff.”
    Again, the pause as Lemuel processed his words and nodded.
    “We’re going to inventory everything for value, and most definitely remove the power reactor. What was on your manifest?”
    He watched Lemuel scrunch up his face in thought. The eyes drifted off focus and blinked rapidly. A hand came up and scratched the semi–bald pate. Javier heard him whisper Home once, under his breath. A very small smile appeared briefly.
    The eyes finally focused on his. “Uhm. Machine parts, I think,” Lemuel said quietly. “And trade goods for some colony.”
    Sykora overrode his next question. “Which colony?” she barked.
    Lemuel looked down, apparently embarrassed. “I do not know,” he said. “I was a cook and stevedore. Anya was the navigator.”
    Javier turned to Sykora and gave her his best stink–eye scowl. Then a smile as he turned back to the old man. “So let’s go take a tour of the wreck, Lemuel,” he said soothingly. “You can point out all the interesting and dangerous parts as we go.”
    This was going to be like herding cats. Normally, Javier would have said herding goldfish, but carp won’t turn suddenly and slash you with their claws. Sykora had that look in her eyes.

Part Four
    Lemuel considered his options as they ascended into the ship. They were many, but he bestrode a dangerous path.
    Javier had introduced himself and made it clear that he could become a friend.
    The Harlot had a name as well, but Lemuel had not bothered to remember it. Weren’t they all the same, after all?
    The others, male and female alike, were obviously under the sway of the Harlot. From the looks and mannerisms, Lemuel could see that they considered Javier an outsider to their group, though they treated him with respect.
    That gave him an opening. Did he have the courage to seize it? Was this place to become Megiddo, after all? The Lord had worked in his mysterious ways to place Lemuel here so long ago.
    Had he finally proven the strength of his faith? Or had he failed and was to be irrevocably damned by the Harlot?
    Lemuel prayed silently to himself as he led the troupe of strangers, invaders unto his quiet paradise, down into the realm of his earliest, greatest challenge.
    Ξ
    Suvi was having an adventure.
    The flitter–ship was far more maneuverable than Mielikki had been. She could hover, and spin, and bob, and float, and saunter. She missed having a turret she could use, but on a hull this small, it probably wouldn’t do more than irritate a squirrel. Not that that was a bad thing.
    She had already used a series of ultrasound pings to