AL7 Ch15

Fifteen days of calm, slow towing happened. Ping plotted the route to bypass the relays they’d set up. The whole hope was to stay off everyone’s radar until they got as close to Assembly Hub as possible. They also jumped to systems farther out than most did and didn’t open comms at all. They were a little over halfway back when the easy, complication-free coasting came to an end.

They got spotted by an Assembly cruiser on patrol. With the size and unknown configuration of Origin, and Dreams being an Assembly cruiser in design, they came to assist. Which is when things started to get complicated. To make matters even more inconvenient, Zander was having a personal debrief with Veldiami and Gravtina when Ping informed them. Which wasn’t a reason any of them wanted to be interrupted for.

Stepping out onto the bridge after they were dressed and calm enough to be at least roughly civil, Veldiami took her seat. Zander took the one back by Tactical, giving Vorsa’s subordinate, who was on station, a shrug when the guy glanced his way. Gravtina went over to the engineering console, taking that seat as it was never in use on the bridge. Once the trio was ready, Veldiami had Ping open comms to the cruiser who’d hailed them.

The Dwarf on the bridge of the other cruiser frowned when he saw the lack of a normal bridge crew, then focused on Veldiami. “Captain, we can’t find your ship in the Assembly ranks.”

“Because I’m not an Assembly ship,” Veldiami said. “I’m a mercenary captain.”

“With an Assembly cruiser?”

“I’m Captain Veldiami Greaves, owner of Fractured Dreams,” Veldiami said with a bit of chill to her tone. “And you?”

The Dwarf frowned slightly, but drew himself up into a formal posture. “Captain Gralt Steelbeard, I command Hammer’s Fury, the oldest Dwarven-captained cruiser in Assembly history.”

Gravtina inhaled sharply at the name; it was known by all Dwarves. Her breath got Steelbeard’s attention, and he nodded with a smug smile. He knew his ship was revered by his people. Every captain had been a dwarf from before their world had fallen, and it had been promised to stay such until their world was recovered. Steelbeard hoped to be there on that day, but he knew Hammer’s Fury would be with a different captain.

“Your ship is known and storied,” Veldiami said. She knew the legend of the ship, and heard of the deal that had been made to keep it captained by a Dwarf. “We don’t require any assistance. We’re on a mission for the Assembly and returning to the hub now.”

“You’re off the normal route to be heading back to Assembly Hub,” Steelbeard said as his ship came closer to Dreams and Origin. “That wreck behind you looks like it’s seen something nasty. Before you take it further into habitable space, we should check it to ensure it’s not a threat.”

“Origin is perfectly fine. We spent days combing the ship from stem to stern to ensure nothing threatening was on him. They’re mine to bring back, and I do not relinquish that, and do not condone your attempts to interfere with my mission,” Veldiami said it stiffly, doing her best to be civil.

“A mercenary captain doesn’t order an Assembly captain,” Steelbeard said, his beard twisting as he spoke; it hid the sneer, but didn’t muffle it in his tone. “As a duly authorized Assembly captain, I will invoke Assembly laws dealing with the safety of the Assembly core, specifically the hub, if need be.”

Veldiami was about to speak, but her head tilted slightly, and a small smile began to creep onto her lips. “I’d love to hear the regulations and laws you want to invoke. If you want to go down this route, I will politely tell you right now you won’t win. All you’ll do is tarnish your name, rank, ship, and crew.”

Steelbeard leaned forward slightly, his brow drawn down in a thunderous frown. “Are you threatening me, Captain?”

“No, I was politely warning you of what happens when you play stupid games,” Veldiami said. “I know how beloved Hammer’s Fury is and would hate to see a blemish to its impressive record because you wanted a pissing contest.”

Someone said something in Dwarvish that was barely audible over the comm channel. Gravtina’s nostrils flared, and Zander shook his head. They’d both heard and understood what had been said. Veldiami wasn’t fluent in Dwarvish, but she caught part of it, and her smile thinned.

“Why is your officer insulting my husband, Captain?” Veldiami asked flatly. “Is that proper decorum for an Assembly officer?”

Steelbeard had turned his head to listen to whoever had been talking to him, and when Veldiami spoke, his gaze turned back to her. His frown was now a glower. “Husband? You married that rat-shit? He’s a disgrace to everything the Antecedents stand for.” The one word was Dwarven, not galactic standard, but it translated just fine for Zander, Veldiami, and Gravtina.

“Captain, you just insulted a decorated pilot, officer, and Assembly representative, who, yes, is my husband,” Veldiami said with malice. “I will be filing a formal complaint with the Assembly for your attitude and actions. This whole exchange has been recorded by my ship as evidence of the disgraceful conduct of yourself and your subordinate.”

Steelbeard’s eyes widened slightly, and he stood up out of his seat. “You dare think that—”

“Unless you’d like to apologize for your mistakes, here and now,” Veldiami cut him off. “If you do, I will rescind my complaint before I send it. Zander Greaves has cleared multiple worlds, reclaimed one from the Entoma, and has the qualifications to serve as an officer in all aspects of the Assembly. Moreover, he has passed the tests and been confirmed as the sole representative of his species as a Shifted. He is the same as an Assembly member. Now, before you let your anger and rashness sink your career further, take a moment before you let your tirade continue.”

Steelbeard’s face was nearly purple in anger at how Veldiami cut him off and spoke over him. He’d never felt so disrespected by another captain, much less a mercenary captain, in his life. The fact that she was taking him to task and defending her husband, a man who’d insulted every Dwarf with his antics during the first and so far only mecha-tournament, and Steelbeard was nearly apoplectic. He didn’t speak right away, but that was because he couldn’t frame his words to start yelling coherently.

“I will give you five minutes to calm down, but if you continue toward me and my prize, I will take it as attempted piracy, Captain. I suggest you stop and reflect,” Veldiami said flatly, then the screen cut off.

“Tactical, keep an eye on them,” Veldiami said. “If they stay on course and do not stop, power up weapons and shields. Don’t fire, but make sure it’s clear we are ready to defend.”

“Copy, Captain,” the man next to Zander said with worry.

“Relax, it’ll be fine,” Zander told him.

“Hammer’s Fury has come to a stop,” Ping said after tactical had powered up the weapons and shields.

Veldiami sniffed. “Bastard will likely complain about me doing that. Threatening an Assembly ship, I’m sure.”

“He can try, but he was warned,” Maker said over the bridge speakers. “At the moment, he’s raging about you, Zee, Dreams, and even the Assembly.”

“What?” Ping asked with wide eyes.

“I’m listening to their bridge,” Maker said. “Not my fault that their AI listens to me.”

The officer on tactical swallowed at the idea that Zander’s AI had managed to get Hammer’s Fury AI to let her listen to their bridge. An AI taking that initiative was unheard of. He’d been on the ship since before they left the hub, but the AIs on Dreams had only kept becoming more and more. He wasn’t even sure if an AI had ever been as advanced as Maker, and the ship they were towing was said to have Antecedent AIs from a Shifted universe that were her equal. They were taking those AIs to the hub, so the Assembly could learn how to make all AIs as smart as Dreams and Maker. Right now, the tactical officer was worried about what that might mean if the AIs could get their counterparts to let them into a ship's systems.

“Because every AI we’ve encountered listens to you,” Zander snorted. “Starting to think you’re the pied piper of AIs.”

“Sexiest piper you’ll ever meet,” Maker snickered. “Though I know you had a little crush on a couple of those metal bagpipers before the shift.”

“Can’t blame me,” Zander said. “Good breath control and beautiful. They are still second-rate compared to any of my wives, and that’s not a slight on them.”

“Flattery will get you many places, Zander,” Veldiami laughed, “but now isn’t the time.”

“Honesty, not flattery,” Zander shrugged. “Just waiting for bearded and angry to hail us again.”

“Captain, Hammer’s Fury has just powered up their weapons and shields,” the tactical officer said.

“Steelbeard is hailing us, too,” Ping said.

“Stupid games, stupid prizes,” Veldiami sighed. “Open a channel, Ping.”

Steelbeard was on screen a second later. He was in his seat and looking smug. “Captain, I hereby order you to stand down for threatening an Assembly ship. I’ve logged the infraction with my AI, and you will either comply by standing down and being taken into custody, or we will be forced to subdue your ship.”

“I swear most of your race is so stubborn it makes a sun look dim,” Veldiami sighed. “Dreams, send the documentation to them.”

“Copy, Captain,” Dreams said. “Every station on their ship has received the communication.”

Steelbeard’s brow furrowed as small chimes sounded across the bridge. “What?”

“You’re in violation of numerous Assembly regulations, Captain,” Veldiami said with a bored tone. “Every member of your crew near a terminal has been given the list with the regulations attached as proof. I tried to warn you, but you didn’t take my friendly offer.”

“If you think—”

“Captain Steelbeard,” Hammer’s Fury spoke up, cutting him off, and Steelbeard looked stunned that his own ship cut him off. “I regret to inform you, sir, that you are in violation of regulations. The regulations state that you are to be held under guard until you can be transported to the nearest Assembly office to be tried for breaking the regulations. Second-in-command Gravelson, you are to take command of Hammer’s Fury until the former captain can be replaced by the Assembly. All stations stand down. We will be heading for the nearest hub to do the duty required under the regulations.”

“What!?” Steelbeard gasped. “You can’t order me, I’m the captain!?

“I am the ship, Captain,” Hammer’s Fury said. “When it comes to regulations pertaining to the captain, I am to ensure the regulations are followed, to stop any captain from going rogue. Once you have been detained and delivered, then I will need to be seen by an Assembly technician to ensure I am in working order.”

The screen cut off at that point, and tactical announced that Hammer’s Fury was no longer at combat stations.

Zander clapped, a big shit-eating grin on his face. “And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Maker is a badass.”

“Dreams assisted,” Maker said.

“That is why our AI ladies are badasses,” Zander amended. “We could Romanize it, badassi.”

“No,” Maker sighed, “just no, Zee.”

“What happened, exactly?” Gravita asked.

“I’d like to know too,” Ping added.

“There are regulations about captains threatening mercenary ships, especially when those ships are mid-mission,” Maker said. “Our actions to defend ourselves triggered the cascade. The moment Steelbeard went to battle stations against us, he triggered at least five regulations about how and when an Assembly ship should do so. As we stated everything up front, he had nothing. Hammer’s Fury was nice enough to listen and review my evidence, and well, there you go.”

“He’s not going to take that well,” Gravtina said. “I can promise that Vlazit will absolutely lose his shit. Hammer’s Fury is a legend to my people. The fact that the captain was just arrested is going to cause a major ripple.”

“Stupid games, stupid prizes,” Zander shrugged. “Honestly, I’ve met fewer Dwarves willing to listen and learn than any other race. I love you, Gravtina, but you have to see that too.”

Gravtina looked down, frowning, but she nodded. “We’re all angry and carrying it in our hearts. I only hope that when our world is finally liberated, we can lay the anger down.”

“But you never had that anger,” Zander said.

“I do, not directed at you, but I still do. Sadly, everything you’ve done has fanned those flames and given them you as an outlet,” she looked up, giving him a sad smile. “I hope one day my people see you as the man you have always been, instead of the man they think you are.”

Zander stood up and walked over to her. “Come on, let’s go talk in your room for a bit.”

Veldiami watched them go, but didn’t stop them. She was a little peeved that her fun time with both of them had been clam-jammed, but she could see that Gravtina needed time with Zander right now. She exhaled and then turned back to Ping, giving her other wife a small shrug. Ping smiled back at her, then watched Zander and Gravtina leave the bridge.

Ping looked down at her console, then smiled. “Hammer’s Fury has jumped out of the system, Captain.”

“Good. Let’s continue as we have been. I’m sure we’ll have more issues in a day or two.”