Pirates of the Outrigger Rift (21 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY

R
andol took the call in his library. The viewscreen came to
life and displayed a man’s face. “Lord Randol, this is Glenn. I’ve taken over
the position formerly occupied by Thorne.”

“Is this some sort of sick joke? What kind of pirate name is
Glenn?” Randol said.

The man sighed, then nodded. “I realize it causes some
confusion, and that it doesn’t have the same caché to get pilots to heave-to
when they are attacked by the ‘hand of Glenn.’ But let me assure you, there has
indeed been a regime change.”

“Why should I believe you?”

The screen changed to a view of Helen sitting in a cell.

“Helen! Helen, are you all right?”

The screen switched back to Glenn. “Sorry, that’s just a
security camera image, not a two-way communication device. She can’t hear you.
I showed you that merely to establish my bona fides and perhaps focus you on
the purpose of this communication.”

“You vile piece of filth! What do you want?”

Glenn shook his head. “Actually, I’m in some ways cleaning
up the mess of my predecessor. I didn’t want to capture your daughter. I wasn’t
in charge then, but I am left with her and the problems inherent in my existing
agreements.”

“So return her.”

“No, sorry. That isn’t going to happen. Yet. There are some
conditions that you will need to fulfill. I promise that I’ll uphold my end of
the bargain if you uphold yours.”

“Why should I trust you?”

Glenn shrugged and raised his hands. “To tell you the truth,
I can’t think of any reason whatsoever. But you really don’t have any other
options if you want to see your daughter again. If I were you, I’d go forward
with the assumption that I’m going to betray you so that when I actually keep
my word you’ll be pleasantly surprised. That would be so much nicer than
assuming I’m a saint and then being disappointed later.”

“Is this a joke to you? I am Lord Randol of Nebulaco. I’ll
find some way to destroy you. I will make it my life’s mission.”

“No joke, Randol. But save your righteous anger. We still
have business to discuss. It is my understanding that your corporate board is
meeting to discuss the sale of a portion of each of your stock holdings in an
effort to raise capital.”

“How do you know that?”

“Please, don’t waste time on stupid questions. I’m not going
to tell you. I’ve been requested to instruct you to support this sale of stock
and vote to approve it.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Stupid question. You don’t have any other options. I know
your daughter means the universe to you. If you think about it, the
corporation, the fine mansion, all of that is replaceable. Your daughter isn’t.
I do hope you’ll cooperate.”

“I hope you rot in hell.”

“I may well do so, but I want to know before we conclude
this call that you’re going to cooperate.”

“How do I know she’s still alive? That could have been an
old image of her.”

Glenn smiled. “Excellent! Finally a good question. I’ll
patch you through to a hand communicator. Brock? Are you there? Put the girl
on.” Glenn smiled and pressed a button. “Here you go.”

Glenn’s face was replaced by a shaky image of Helen. “Daddy?
Is that you?”

“Yes, baby. Are you all right?”

She nodded. “I’m okay. I just want to go home. What do they
want you to do?”

“They want me to—”

The screen image was again replaced with Glenn. “Sorry, she
isn’t allowed to chime in on our agreement. This negotiation is between you and
me. Are you convinced she’s alive?”

Randol nodded and looked down.

“Are you going to support the stock sale?”

Randol nodded again.

“Sorry, I want to hear you say it.”

“Yes. Yes, I will support the sale.”

“Very good. This is a simple request, so please keep to your
agreement.”

“What about Helen? When can I have her back?”

Glenn shrugged. “I will guarantee you that she will not come
to any harm as long as you follow instructions. As to when you’ll get her back,
I’d prefer to get her back to you sooner rather than later, as I’m not comfortable
with kidnapping. It’s just not my style. But you might be required to jump
through a few more hoops. As such, I really can’t say yet.”

“Why not?”

“That is not a stupid question. But I’m afraid I can’t
answer it. Good-bye, Lord Randol. Rest assured your daughter is in good hands
for now. Better than you know. But please,
please
don’t think to ignore
your part of the bargain. Things will get ugly, and I really don’t want to have
to be that guy.”

“This is a sticky situation,” Chandler said, taking a mouthful
of rare steak. “You can’t trust anyone in corporate security. There have been
too many betrayals related to the staff. Jorgeson had been with you for years,
after all, and he almost got Hank and Sai killed by turning them away. We don’t
know where the information is leaking from and we don’t know who’s been bought
off.” He spoke and chewed at the same time, washing it down with a healthy
swallow of bourbon and soda.

Randol sat at the head of the dining table. His meal lay
cooling before him, untouched. “I can’t send away my security force. That would
leave us completely vulnerable.”

“Not the entire force,” Chandler said. “Just those inside
the mansion. Reassign them all to the outside perimeter of the grounds.
Otherwise, we run the risk of having everything we say and do getting back to
Thorne or Glenn or whoever. I’ve done a sweep for listening devices, and Miss
Sai,” he tipped his glass to her, “has used her talent to sense surveillance,
so I feel pretty confident that, with the guards and other employees gone, our
secrets will remain so.”

Randol scowled. “I’m not afraid of these pirates.”

“You should be.”

Randol dismissed this with a wave of his hand. “My family
has fought off such upstarts for generations. They have yet to bring down the
Randols; it’s a matter of breeding.”

“Keep thinking like that and you’ll be trading this mansion
for a cardboard box in an alley,” Chandler said.

Hank nodded in support. “You’re going to have to outfox this
bastard and whoever he’s working with or he’s going to take you and your
corporation for everything your family has built through the years.”

Sai played with the food on her plate, idly toying with a
green bean. She seemed deep in thought, isolated.

“All right. I’ll order away all but Aland,” Randol said.

“It’s a start,” said Chandler.

“It all boils down to the fact that they have Helen. While
they have her, I’m powerless. How can we hope to get her back?” Randol said.

“I was able to recover the ship, and I have a lot of details
on the base itself. But all we know is that it’s in the Outrigger Rift
somewhere.”

“The Rift? I used to spend a lot of time there,” Hank said.

“That’s nice, but the one piece I don’t have is a pilot who
knows the actual coordinates. I’m not sure one exists outside the base. Thorne
was a thorough bastard.”

Hank stopped chewing his steak and looked up. “You need a
pirate pilot?” he said with his mouth full.

Chandler nodded. “Yes, have one in your pocket?”

Hank finished chewing his bite and swallowed, then wiped his
lips with his napkin. “No, but I have one frozen in an escape pod on my ship.”

“How is that possible?” Chandler asked.

“We got attacked leaving Jonesy, and I took out a Marauder. I
picked him up after the fight.”

Chandler gulped down the rest of his bourbon and jumped up
from the table. “Let’s go get him. Now!”

Hank and Sai wheeled a life pod into the nearly abandoned
security office. The guards had been dismissed. Not even Aland was welcome
during this procedure. Hank grinned. “I present you with my own frozen pirate
pop.”

Chandler and Randol peered into the pod to see a pirate in
cryogenic sleep.

“Good thing I picked him up, huh?” Hank said with a grin.

Randol just shook his head and turned to Chandler. “How can
you be sure he knows anything about the location of the base?”

Chandler shrugged. “Well, we won’t know until we ask. A Marauder
is only a three-man craft, so all three should be flight certified. Odds are
this man had access to nav data and knows where the base is hidden.”

Hank smiled. “The Outrigger Rift is my old stomping ground. I
used to run salvage there. I know every burned-out hulk and barren rock in that
sector. If we can get even a hint out of him, I can find it.”

“All right, let’s get this messy affair over with,” Randol
said.

Hank and Chandler stood by with stun pistols at ready. There
was no telling how the man might react when he came out of stasis. Sai stood
behind them.

Randol activated the recovery unit and stood back. The
translucent surface of the pod began to glow as the temporal field collapsed
around its human contents. The access door hissed open and a chilly fog spilled
out into the room. The man’s eyes snapped open and he gasped for air.

He was dressed in a tattered Confed uniform, likely a
deserter turned to piracy, or he had stolen the clothing. A golden earring
dangled from his left earlobe. His face was unshaven and his long hair hung in
greasy, matted tresses. “Shit fire and save the matches!” the pirate shouted. “If
that wasn’t the rush to beat all!”

Hank approached the pod. “Are you all right?”

The pirate slowly sat up. He patted himself on the head,
face, and chest. “Yep,” he said, smiling. “I think I’m okay.”

“Good,” Hank said, then drove a fist square into his face.
“That’s for shooting my ship and making me spill my beer, you son of a bitch!”

“Jensen! That’s no way to treat a prisoner!” Randol said.

Hank rolled his eyes and ignored him.

The pirate clutched his nose with both hands. Blood seeped
between his fingers and tears streamed out of both eyes.

“Hello?” he said and cocked a thumb toward his chest. “Hey!
I’m a pirate. Of course I attacked you. What did you expect?”

“I expect you to get used to bleeding if you give me any
shit. Now, get out of that coffin slow and easy.”

The man stumbled out of the life pod and walked toward the
chair Hank pointed to. The pirate made a sudden lunge, knocking Hank back a
step, and raced toward the exit.

Sai blocked his path.

“Hello, Missy,” the pirate said, and tried to grab her.

Sai caught his wrist and gave it a savage twist. He howled
in pain. Sai swept his feet as he fell. She came down on top of him with her
knee in his solar plexus. The air whooshed out of his lungs.

Sai rose, gripped his earring, and pulled. He cried out and
let her lead him to the chair. Hank and Chandler could only stare, their mouths
hanging open.

“Someone want to cuff him?” she asked. “Or do I have to do
that, too?”

Chandler moved behind the pirate, cuffing him hand and foot.
He gave Sai a nod of newfound respect. “Nice,” he said.