SCENE 6-XIV

“Last one down cooks!”

“Oh hell no!”

“Ow! Get your massive foot out of my face!”

“That was your elbow, you ass.”

“Children,” Donnett says loudly, hands on his hips at the top of the main stairs, and they all freeze, even Fosher, and turn towards him guiltily. “If,” He continues, glaring at them. “You’re all not too busy; I have a message from Mercer.”

“Oo,” Gary jumps down from the rigging to the top deck, from the top deck to the main deck. “What’d they say? They see anything?”

“Two crafts, matching the profile Heid gave. Mercer moved back out of range once they confirmed it, and they’re heavily shielded; just waiting for us to join them before they take action.” He says, arms relaxing to his sides as the others free themselves from the rigging, Jamie pausing to untangle Connor from the rope he’d fallen into.

“How far out are we?” Fosher demands, rolling his neck to get any cricks Gary’s boot might’ve given him.

“Actually, only a few hours. They’re almost dead center, under Ruske. Probably better to take them on under cover of darkness anyway; any advantage we can get we need.”

“Right. Okay, Gary, you and Jamie are on dinner duty, and no chem. experiments!! Des has already messed up Skaoi’s kitchen sink… You do that, I use you as bait for a salmon feast, we clear?”

Gary makes a face, but nods, and he and Jamie swing on below, disappearing into the relative gloom of the stairwell.

“Connor, you get to go make sure everything’s nicely sorted on the cannon deck; Jase, you get the sickbay ready to double as a cell; Jansen, you confirm with Mercer; I’ll go sort out our shields, maybe add one or eight.” Fosher says.

“Faaaawsh…”

“No, Jase.”

“But Jamie and Connor like sleeping in a closet! And Jansen can use a sick bed!”

“Go get the chains from the cage and if you stop whining, maybe I’ll let you torture them a bit.”

“You,” Jansen says. “Are disturbed.”

Jase frowns. “Me or him?”

“Both of you.”

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Scene 6-XIV

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