Galactic Mercenaries Omnibus

Chapter 2

2

The Determination shuddered and groaned as it came to a stop.

Jayde’s eyes snapped open and she sat up. Her dreams had been troubled and she’d spent more time lying awake than she had actually sleeping. Jayde had spent so much time traveling the universe that she always found the feeling of being on a ship that wasn’t moving so odd. She hoped that would never change.

“Where are we?” she muttered to herself. Her throat was dry and her voice sounded raspy. Ugh, she thought. I need something to drink.

A quick walk from her quarters took her to the galley where she drank some water, then she headed to the observation deck to find out where Loch had landed. The pilot was still sitting at the ship’s console when she arrived.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“A little place called M44. It was the only outpost we could reach with what little fuel we had. It’s a nice place, from what I remember.”

“Wait. You’ve been here before?”

“Yep. It’s been a couple of years, but it still looks the same to me.”

“What does the M stand for?” Jayde inquired.

“Mine. The planet itself is a giant mining operation. The outpost grew out of necessity for supplies and whatnot long before we were ever born.”

“We’re not going to run into any problems with some random woman’s father or husband trying to kill you, are we? That would make me turn you in to the Convocation. And considering we desperately need the money, I’m tempted to do it anyway.”

“Why don’t you?” Loch asked.

Jayde wasn’t sure if was asking the question in a serious manner or not, but she decided to give him an honest answer.

“You’re the best pilot I’ve ever encountered outside the Convocation’s military. Given our profession, I need you. It’s not easy for me to admit that.”

Loch’s eyebrows rose in surprise and he placed his hand over his heart, exaggerating his disbelief.

“Was that a compliment?”

“Maybe,” she answered. She had to turn away to keep him from seeing the smile tugging at her lips. “Don’t press your luck, though.” She cleared her throat and turned back to face him. “We need a new engine and fuel, and we don’t have money for either. When I said we were broke, I wasn’t kidding. I’m not sure what to do here. Do you have any old contacts here that would let us borrow some funds?”

“No, but I might have something better. How much do you love me?” Loch asked.

“I don’t,” Jayde said bluntly.

Loch reached down the front of his shirt and withdrew a silver pendant with one of the largest diamonds Jayde had ever seen.

“We can sell this,” he said proudly.

“Where did you get that? That diamond has got to be at least six carats!”

“Eight, actually. I lifted it from Rasking’s daughter while we were, uh …”

“Stop. I don’t need or want to know. You stole jewelry from a Convocation lord’s daughter?”

“I did,” Loch replied. “To be fair, though, you killed a Convocation lord, so—”

“Don’t remind me,” Jayde interrupted. “Fine, just … fine. Do you think you can sell it here? This seems like a small outpost. Aren’t these people poor?”

“I told you, the planet is a mine. It’s a gold mine. And I don’t mean that figuratively.”

“That’s good. See if you can get enough to buy an engine and refuel the ship. Otherwise, we’re going to need to find something else to sell.”

“I’ll do my best,” Loch said, cracking a grin at her.

“You better,” Jayde threatened.

“Yeah, yeah. The docking crew just connected to our ship, so we can get some fresh air.” Loch stood up and stretched. “You coming?”

“I’m going to see if we can find any work here. Something small so we can get some food back in the galley. Let’s meet back here in an hour. Is that enough time for you to find a buyer for that thing?”

“Should be. If not, I’ll meet you back here regardless.”

“Good. See you in an hour.”

Jayde left the deck and went to find McCready. She might need his muscles and intimidation in this place. She had only been to one mining outpost before, and it was full of lascivious men who hadn’t seen a decent looking woman in years. McCready had gotten into a brawl that day and knocked out ten men before they gave up the chase.

She could handle herself in a fair fight, no doubt, but she wasn’t prepared to enter a situation like that again. As a mercenary, she could drink, curse, and fight like the best of them, but at the end of the day, she was a woman who wanted womanly things. Things the Determination didn’t have.

Like a bathtub. She desperately wanted a hot bath, but she didn’t trust strangers to keep away from her things. Especially not on some backwater planet like this mining outpost. With McCready keeping watch, she knew there wouldn’t be any issues. She reached the door to his quarters and knocked loudly. He didn’t answer, but she opened the door anyway.

McCready stepped out of his washroom shirtless. A plethora of scars ran across his hairy chest, all of them carrying a story. He wasn’t one to divulge the details of his past, but Jayde knew it had something to do with his service in the Convocation military. And whatever had happened must have been bad. Anytime she asked about his service, he would simply go quiet and remain that way for hours.

“I’m going down to the outpost. Will you come with me? I’ve got a few things to do and I could use the help.”

McCready grunted. “Sure.”

“Loch says he’s been here before. Says it’s a good place, from what he remembers.”

“Where hasn’t Loch been?”

The burly man seemed to be in one of his brooding moods, so Jayde figured she’d keep the small talk to a minimum.

“We need to find a gig here. Nothing major, just something to get a little food on this ship before we head back out into space.”

“Food sounds good. So does a beer.”

“Sure, we can get whatever you want.”

The two of them made their way to the loading bay doors. The docking crew had raised a platform to the bay, which made getting down to the ground a lot easier than normal. Jayde had almost slipped down a few worn stairways at a number of other ports, so this place had just become her favorite.

She wasn’t sure what to expect out of a mining outpost, but as the platform lowered them to the ground, she was pleasantly surprised. The outpost was a bustle of movement. People were shopping and selling everything from exotic foods to alien slaves. It was a wonder the Convocation put up with slavery, but Jayde had long suspended they were getting a piece of the pie. Ever since humanity had spread across the stars, they had dominated other planets and forced alien life forms to bend to their will.

That was just one of the reasons why Jayde was glad she hadn’t been born on Earth. She pushed away the memories that threatened to break free of her mental cage and led McCready to a building that appeared to be a bar. She pushed the door open and blinked her eyes as the stench of rancid alcohol and sweaty bodies assailed her nostrils.

“Just once I’d like to find a bar that doesn’t smell like a Turillian took a dump on the floor and then died right after,” Jayde complained in a low voice.

McCready didn’t say anything. He left her side and went to the bar to take a seat. Jayde was hoping to find a bath here, but given the patronage, she didn’t think they even knew what a bar of soap was. She took the stool beside the veteran soldier and listened to the chorus of voices that rose in conversation around them.

It was mostly people complaining about their jobs or asking for gossip about the locals. Nothing interesting, and nothing that hinted at a quick job. Jayde was about to ask McCready to help her find a better place to drink at when one of the conversations at a nearby table caught her attention.

“The blasted things are eating my fortune away. Literally!”

Jayde offered a side-eyed glance, looking just long enough to see who was talking. It was an older man. He was gray-haired, with olive colored skin and a regal bearing about him. Jayde could tell money when she saw it. And this man had deep pockets, she was sure of that. The material of his clothing was worth a decent chunk of change alone.

“What about the Convocation? Didn’t you say they were sending help?”

“Yeah, but it’s going to be almost a week before they get here. Those aliens will have eaten everything in my mines by then! I’d hire some of the folks here, but they’re afraid to go underground. There are whispers that the mines are haunted or some such nonsense. My mines aren’t haunted with anything but those blasted lyscrens.”

The more he talked, the more it sounded like something Jayde and her crew could handle. Lyscrens were a small, dog-sized alien that fed on precious minerals. They were usually found on mining planets for obvious reasons. The small creatures were regarded as harmless pests more than anything, and they were easy to kill, too.

Jayde nudged McCready with her elbow. “You hearing this?”

She turned to see him gulping down a tall glass of amber colored liquid. He offered a deep burp when he finished and looked past her to the table where the old man sat, then looked at her and shrugged.

“You know where I stand,” he said. “As long as we get paid, I’ll kill anything.”

That was true. Jayde had hired McCready for several reasons, but the main reason being that he wasn’t afraid to get his hands bloody. None of the members of her crew were, really. But McCready was a beast, a king among men when it came to battle. Jayde smiled at the soldier and listened to the old man continue talking about his gold mine.

The barkeep asked her what she’d like to drink and she asked for water. He smirked and poured her a glass of orange tinted liquid.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Water,” the barkeep replied. “The pipes don’t hold up very well around here. The clay gets into the pipes and gives the water some color. No one’s ever died from drinking it, so I continue to serve it.”

“Why don’t you get the pipes fixed?” Jayde asked.

“I have. Three times in the last year. It’s cheaper to leave them alone. No one comes in here looking for water, anyway.”

“What do you know about the gentleman sitting at the table there?” Jayde motioned with a nod of her head, trying to keep from looking conspicuous.

“That’s Luther. He owns one of the mines a few miles from here. He’s got an infestation of lyscrens, from what I hear. Bad for business, those things. The mine has been in his family for generations, but if he doesn’t deal with those aliens, he’ll be learning really quick what being poor feels like.”

“Good to know.” She sniffed the water in the glass. It had no smell, but she didn’t feel comfortable drinking orange water. She slid the glass away from her and McCready snatched it up and downed it.

Jayde gave him a disgusted look and stood up. She ran her hands down the front of her shirt, smoothing out the material, then she walked over to Luther’s table. The old man stopped talking and looked up at her curiously.

“Can I help you, girl?” he asked.

“No, but I can help you. I’m Jayde, and I’m going to clear those pests out of your mines.”

Judging by the hopeful look in Luther’s eyes, Jayde knew she’d just found their next employer.