Read Online The Army Of Light (Kestrel Saga) by Stephen Fender - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephen Fender
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way to go without a
ship to get us there.”
She recoiled her head in surprise. “But,
what about that… that ship in your hangar? Please don’t tell me
it’s ornamental only.”
“If it’s all the same to you, Melissa, there’s—”
She leveled her eyes coldly at him. “It’s Miss Graves, if you please.”
“Fine, Miss Graves. I think there are some things you need to be
made aware of about the state of my ship.”
Strewn across the table before Melissa were the remains of the starboard
engine, and all at once her hopes of a speedy departure were dashed to pieces.
After an initial outburst concerning her utter disgust over their current
situation, she’d decided they’d be better off formulating a plan than
complaining.
Shawn had scoured his collection of star charts and located a map of the
Trinity quadrant, with the Corvan system directly in its center. He pressed a
finger against the system and the image zoomed to show the only inhabitable
planet. Felda was a port city about fifteen miles
south-west of a major spaceport, situated on the largest continent on Corvan. Before the war it was a booming trade metropolis. Since then, its
popularity had drastically declined, mainly due to the fact that it was both
dangerously close to the condemned Second Earth and to Kafaran space. Melissa,
however, found no comfort in staring at the image of a system she couldn’t get
to.
“I’m not too happy about our destination’s location, if you get my drift?”
Shawn then pointed to the wavering line that marked the ill-defined border of
Kafaran space. While the border had never been formally established after the
war, it was true that no ship or probe had ever ventured past that point and
returned to tell about it. And Corvan was only three light years from it.
“I understand that, Mister Kestrel. However, I’m sure a man of your piloting
prowess can get us there with no problems.”
“It’s not my abilities I’m concerned about. It’s the natives.”
“Oh, be sensible. We haven’t heard a stitch from the Kafaran’s in years, Mister
Kestrel, and I doubt our journey to Corvan will stir up a galactic incident.”
“Let’s assume for a second your right, and that’s a big assumption, mind you.
Sure, I could get us there, but my ship isn’t going anywhere. I’ve got a busted
engine, and that means no go. Now, I want to help you, I really do, but I’m
grounded until we can get the parts we need.”
Her expression was the exact opposite of joy. “You’re trying to tell me that
you operate one of the only interplanetary transportation services in these
islands and you don’t carry spare parts for your solitary vessel?”
“We only make a finite amount of money here. I don’t have enough credits to
have spare parts for every conceivable problem I could have with this ship. I
certainly don’t account for space pirates, but I’m thinking about starting.
Besides, even if I did have the parts, where would I keep them? This isn’t
exactly a storage depot you know?”
She looked up despondently; convinced that somehow the universe was intent on
working against her at every turn. “Unacceptable.”
“It’s worked so far.”
Her simmering frustration suddenly boiled over. “Well, it doesn’t work right
now, Captain!”
Shawn put his hands to his hips. “Unless you have some kind of magical way to
produce a wad of credits that you haven’t told me about, we’re grounded for at
least two weeks or until less expensive units arrive from the borderlands. Or,
like you said earlier, should I just not worry about it?”
“So, you’re telling me someone on this God-forsaken plot of soil has the parts
you need, and all you’re waiting for is the credits to purchase them?”
“Yep, that’s what I’m saying,”
ship to get us there.”
She recoiled her head in surprise. “But,
what about that… that ship in your hangar? Please don’t tell me
it’s ornamental only.”
“If it’s all the same to you, Melissa, there’s—”
She leveled her eyes coldly at him. “It’s Miss Graves, if you please.”
“Fine, Miss Graves. I think there are some things you need to be
made aware of about the state of my ship.”
Strewn across the table before Melissa were the remains of the starboard
engine, and all at once her hopes of a speedy departure were dashed to pieces.
After an initial outburst concerning her utter disgust over their current
situation, she’d decided they’d be better off formulating a plan than
complaining.
Shawn had scoured his collection of star charts and located a map of the
Trinity quadrant, with the Corvan system directly in its center. He pressed a
finger against the system and the image zoomed to show the only inhabitable
planet. Felda was a port city about fifteen miles
south-west of a major spaceport, situated on the largest continent on Corvan. Before the war it was a booming trade metropolis. Since then, its
popularity had drastically declined, mainly due to the fact that it was both
dangerously close to the condemned Second Earth and to Kafaran space. Melissa,
however, found no comfort in staring at the image of a system she couldn’t get
to.
“I’m not too happy about our destination’s location, if you get my drift?”
Shawn then pointed to the wavering line that marked the ill-defined border of
Kafaran space. While the border had never been formally established after the
war, it was true that no ship or probe had ever ventured past that point and
returned to tell about it. And Corvan was only three light years from it.
“I understand that, Mister Kestrel. However, I’m sure a man of your piloting
prowess can get us there with no problems.”
“It’s not my abilities I’m concerned about. It’s the natives.”
“Oh, be sensible. We haven’t heard a stitch from the Kafaran’s in years, Mister
Kestrel, and I doubt our journey to Corvan will stir up a galactic incident.”
“Let’s assume for a second your right, and that’s a big assumption, mind you.
Sure, I could get us there, but my ship isn’t going anywhere. I’ve got a busted
engine, and that means no go. Now, I want to help you, I really do, but I’m
grounded until we can get the parts we need.”
Her expression was the exact opposite of joy. “You’re trying to tell me that
you operate one of the only interplanetary transportation services in these
islands and you don’t carry spare parts for your solitary vessel?”
“We only make a finite amount of money here. I don’t have enough credits to
have spare parts for every conceivable problem I could have with this ship. I
certainly don’t account for space pirates, but I’m thinking about starting.
Besides, even if I did have the parts, where would I keep them? This isn’t
exactly a storage depot you know?”
She looked up despondently; convinced that somehow the universe was intent on
working against her at every turn. “Unacceptable.”
“It’s worked so far.”
Her simmering frustration suddenly boiled over. “Well, it doesn’t work right
now, Captain!”
Shawn put his hands to his hips. “Unless you have some kind of magical way to
produce a wad of credits that you haven’t told me about, we’re grounded for at
least two weeks or until less expensive units arrive from the borderlands. Or,
like you said earlier, should I just not worry about it?”
“So, you’re telling me someone on this God-forsaken plot of soil has the parts
you need, and all you’re waiting for is the credits to purchase them?”
“Yep, that’s what I’m saying,”
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