Read Online Rookie Privateer by Jamie McFarlane - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jamie McFarlane
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finally agreed and I fell asleep again. When next I awoke, Nick and Tabby were chatting quietly next to my bed.
"Hey, it's sleeping beauty." Tabby's face was no longer splotchy red.
A nurse came in to work on my leg.
"I want to see it." I pulled myself upright. Sure enough, just above where my foot used to be was a molded white cup with tubes and wires running into it. The throbbing had reduced considerably. With modern medicine, I was surprised that they were still drugging me. The nano-bots do a pretty good job of healing things quickly.
The nurse addressed me. "The doctor will be in this afternoon to talk to you. We have been overwhelmed since the attack."
" When can I get up?" I asked.
" Soon. We have been pumping you with sleepy drugs and those will stop today. This afternoon the doctor will fit your permanent cuff. You have some helpers here, so I expect you to be up on crutches this afternoon before the doc stops in. I wish I could stay and help more, but we are slammed. Tell your AI if you need anything." He didn't wait for my response, spun on his heel, pushed open a seam in the fabric wall and was gone.
I looked at Tabby and Nick with a bewildered look and we all started laughing.
"Fill me in on what I missed. I'm guessing our gambit worked."
Nick gave it the first shot. "After Tabby tossed me out of the door, I realized that I could open the bottles with the cutter by just hitting them through the control room wall. Once I hit it, the foam exploded into the room and trapped the three of them. You'll never believe it, but one of them was a deputy. It took an entire day to cut them out of the foam, but they all lived through it. Tabby pulled you out of the gondola and your foot was already gone and you were spewing blood like a fountain. It was disgusting, but she didn't waste a second and plastered it with suit sealer and then tied it off with a tourniquet."
" What about the refinery?" I asked.
" Well, once you were stable, we pinged Big Pete. Without their attack ship and the perimeter defenses, the pirates had to take off in the freighter quick. Most of them were able to get away, though Big Pete actually brought one down with his bare hands. They only got away with half of what they could have. They had loaded all of the platinum, gold, rhodium and were working on the copper when they decided to leave. They had to leave all of the iron and nickel behind."
" How bad was your yard shot up?" I was worried about the damage we had seen.
" Not completely sure, but Jack did a survey. We definitely had some losses, but we'll recover."
" I am sorry for dragging you guys into that. If I had lost either of you I would never have been able to forgive myself."
" Sack up Hoffen," Tabby said, clearly not wanting to go down any more emotional conversational paths.
" Roger that. Last we'll speak of it."
" So I've been doing some research and I have a crazy idea." Nick started.
Tabby and I turned to him, wondering what he could be on about.
Nick continued, "I did a serial search on that attack ship. You know, to see if it was stolen. There is no record of the ship one way or another. It's never been registered."
Nick looked at us meaningfully, but Tabby and I returned blank stares.
"Well, if it was stolen then it would go back to the original owner. If it belonged to a police force or the Navy, then it would go back to them. A ship that has no registered owner could be considered salvage. If the inhabitants don't claim it, we can make a rightful salvage claim under the Mars Privateer Act, which says that a ship forfeited during an illegal act of aggression could be salvaged by the defending force."
" Wouldn't that be the colony?" Tabby asked skeptically.
" Well, maybe. But I have been talking with Mr. Ordena, the lawyer we use for the shop and he thinks we have real shot at this. He will take it on for 30% contingency if you guys agree. What do you think?"
" Why not?" I looked at Tabby.
" Sure, I'm in," she
"Hey, it's sleeping beauty." Tabby's face was no longer splotchy red.
A nurse came in to work on my leg.
"I want to see it." I pulled myself upright. Sure enough, just above where my foot used to be was a molded white cup with tubes and wires running into it. The throbbing had reduced considerably. With modern medicine, I was surprised that they were still drugging me. The nano-bots do a pretty good job of healing things quickly.
The nurse addressed me. "The doctor will be in this afternoon to talk to you. We have been overwhelmed since the attack."
" When can I get up?" I asked.
" Soon. We have been pumping you with sleepy drugs and those will stop today. This afternoon the doctor will fit your permanent cuff. You have some helpers here, so I expect you to be up on crutches this afternoon before the doc stops in. I wish I could stay and help more, but we are slammed. Tell your AI if you need anything." He didn't wait for my response, spun on his heel, pushed open a seam in the fabric wall and was gone.
I looked at Tabby and Nick with a bewildered look and we all started laughing.
"Fill me in on what I missed. I'm guessing our gambit worked."
Nick gave it the first shot. "After Tabby tossed me out of the door, I realized that I could open the bottles with the cutter by just hitting them through the control room wall. Once I hit it, the foam exploded into the room and trapped the three of them. You'll never believe it, but one of them was a deputy. It took an entire day to cut them out of the foam, but they all lived through it. Tabby pulled you out of the gondola and your foot was already gone and you were spewing blood like a fountain. It was disgusting, but she didn't waste a second and plastered it with suit sealer and then tied it off with a tourniquet."
" What about the refinery?" I asked.
" Well, once you were stable, we pinged Big Pete. Without their attack ship and the perimeter defenses, the pirates had to take off in the freighter quick. Most of them were able to get away, though Big Pete actually brought one down with his bare hands. They only got away with half of what they could have. They had loaded all of the platinum, gold, rhodium and were working on the copper when they decided to leave. They had to leave all of the iron and nickel behind."
" How bad was your yard shot up?" I was worried about the damage we had seen.
" Not completely sure, but Jack did a survey. We definitely had some losses, but we'll recover."
" I am sorry for dragging you guys into that. If I had lost either of you I would never have been able to forgive myself."
" Sack up Hoffen," Tabby said, clearly not wanting to go down any more emotional conversational paths.
" Roger that. Last we'll speak of it."
" So I've been doing some research and I have a crazy idea." Nick started.
Tabby and I turned to him, wondering what he could be on about.
Nick continued, "I did a serial search on that attack ship. You know, to see if it was stolen. There is no record of the ship one way or another. It's never been registered."
Nick looked at us meaningfully, but Tabby and I returned blank stares.
"Well, if it was stolen then it would go back to the original owner. If it belonged to a police force or the Navy, then it would go back to them. A ship that has no registered owner could be considered salvage. If the inhabitants don't claim it, we can make a rightful salvage claim under the Mars Privateer Act, which says that a ship forfeited during an illegal act of aggression could be salvaged by the defending force."
" Wouldn't that be the colony?" Tabby asked skeptically.
" Well, maybe. But I have been talking with Mr. Ordena, the lawyer we use for the shop and he thinks we have real shot at this. He will take it on for 30% contingency if you guys agree. What do you think?"
" Why not?" I looked at Tabby.
" Sure, I'm in," she
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