Boss King and the Blade

Thursday, October 2046

Fishing Boat Harbour, Port August

Bloody Sunset

“Omigod, this place stinks worse than the fish stalls at the Markets!” Sunset managed to gasp out before jamming her hand over her nose once again. She felt more than heard Hammer’s rumbling laughter as he rolled his bike to a stop on the concrete waterfront. Ahead of them was a long, straight edged pier with a number of projecting walkways out over the water.

Each walkway was fashioned from reclaimed timbers, iron railings and plastic pillars, with mooring spaces for a motley assortment of fishing boats, cargo trawlers and old pleasure craft. People of all races and ages moved around the vessels, unloading mesh baskets of fish and other less identifiable cargo onto waiting electric loaders. A few salt-encrusted mechanicals moved amongst them, aiding the humans with the heavier loads.

Over everything hovered gleaming white gulls, squawking and diving on any unprotected seafood they could reach. Shouts and cries from the fishermen carried easily over the water and concrete, reminding Sunset of the early morning traders haggling in the Markets.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Grim exclaimed, turning off his liquid hydro powered scooter. “Reminds me of my old fishing village back home”

“Did you come from a fishing family?” Sunset wondered, turning to regard his wistful expression.

“Nah. My dad was a smuggler” he admitted with a grin. “He taught me how to shoot straight even from a moving deck. I could take the eye out of a seagull from two hundred meters in a heavy swell”

“You shot seagulls?” Sunset said in horror. “That’s awful!”

Grim noticed her shocked expression and seemed taken aback.

“Err, well it was only the one time” he amended. “Damn thing had just dropped a big dump in my coffee mug”

“That doesn’t sound so bad” suggested Sunset.

“I was taking a mouthful at the time” Grim added. “Half of what I swallowed was not coffee!”

“Oh” was all she could say in response to that.

“Come on, I’ll take you to meet one of my old mates” the Freelancer offered. “We’ll be staying with his crew while they are here in port”

With that, Sunset and her companions locked their bikes and followed Grim towards the busy pier.

=====

The Slippery Sod, Cargo Trawler

To Sunset’s untrained eye, the Slippery Sod had more the look of a ship wreck than a sea going vessel. It wallowed in the mild swell slowly and out of rythym with the surrounding ships, as if it were riding on a completely different ocean. Dirty water pumped noisily from ports in the hull, sending out oily grey trails from where it splashed into the harbour water.

The ship was bigger than the fishing trawlers, looming twice as high as the others with a raised bridge at the stern and a cargo crane mounted on the bow. A few cargo containers remained visible on the central deck, a trio already being clamped to low Auto-haulers on the pier. A dozen crew swarmed over the ship, a mix of heavily tanned men and women and one hulking cargo mechanical, its yellow body showing as much rust as paint.

“Grimaldi!” boomed a voice from the upper deck. “You finally decided to join my crew after all!”

Hammer, Grim and Sunset all looked towards the speaker, a heavyset Chinese woman with her dark hair bound into a long plait over one shoulder. A small mechanical cat, gleaming gold and silver, balanced effortlessly on her other shoulder.

“Knock it off Su-Chan!” Grim called back. “You know I hate working for a living!”

They walked up a gangplank near the raised bridge, Grim taking the lead. Sunset was behind him and whispered with her Aeromancy into his ears.

“Grim! Is this a smuggling ship?”

“What?” he said over his shoulder to her. “No, they are more like a Salvage crew. Lots of cargo ships lose containers over the side every week. They can be a real hazard to other ships, so crews like the Slippery Sod trawl the shipping lanes and recover them”

“Wow!” gasped Sunset. “That is very practical of them. Do they make enough money returning the containers?”

“Sure they do!” Grim replied with false sincerity. “Now let me do the talking”

They stepped onto the gently moving deck and the woman strode to meet them. She clapped arms with Grim first, each laying their right forearms side by side and wrapping their fingers around the elbow. The pair gave each other a warm hug, patting their respective backs with the free hand.

Sunset had seen a few Freelancers from the Euro-Bloc greet each other in the same fashion. Sometimes there was cheek kissing too, but Grim and Su-Chan just smiled at each other from a handspan apart.

“You look good, Su-Chan” Grim declared. “Lost a few pounds too I see”

The woman laughed and released the man, running her eyes over the Freelancer.

“It’s Captain Su-Chan now, if you please” she replied. “Old man Ferguson took a retirement package about a month ago. The crew voted me in as his replacement”

“Ahh, sorry to hear about that” Grim said solemnly. “He was a good Captain. Has the work remained steady?”

“Steady enough to keep us in beans and beer, so I can’t complain” the Captain responded. “Anyhow, let’s get you and your friends to my cabin and we can have a proper chat”

=====

The interior of the ship was in marked contrast to its outside appearance. All the walls were freshly painted and clean, the hatches well oiled and opening readily. They descended one level from the main deck and along a short corridor, entering the Captain’s cabin.

It was a cosy space, the size of a large van. A folding bunk occupied one wall and a folding table the opposite wall. Su-Chan folded down the table and set out four collapsible chairs, seating herself with her back to the rear wall. The mechanical cat jumped from her shoulder to land on the top edge of the bunk frame, watching the new arrivals with glowing blue eyes.

Sunset and her companions dropped their bags in a neat pile near the door, then arranged themselves in the remaining chairs. Grim had taken a cardboard tube from his bag as they were getting seated, opening the top to reveal a bottle of Australian rum.

“You know this was Captain Ferguson’s favourite” Su-Chan whistled appreciatively. She picked up the bottle to read the label and gasped at the bottling date. “Pre-Virus too! He would have given his left arm to taste just a sip of this stuff”

“I thought he lost his left arm in the war?” Grim asked her. “Or was that his right leg?”

“Nope” Su-Chan dismissed his suggestions. “Lost his left arm to a shark last year. Bloody beast caught us by surprise while we were securing a sinking container. Captain Ferguson was in the water, taking all the risks as usual, when the fishy took a nibble”

“Oh, is that why he took the retirement package?” Sunset enquired. She knew she had made a blunder of some sort when Su-Chan’s face darkened and Grim hurriedly stepped in to explain.

“Sunset, it’s a code the Salvager’s use when someone is killed on the job. Captain Ferguson wouldn’t have died from a shark attack though, am I right Su-Chan?”

The new Captain’s expression grew thoughtful, pondering what she was going to say. She met the eyes of Hammer and Sunset first, then examined Grim’s closely. Whatever she was looking for, they must have met her approval.

“He was killed by a Salvage team we had never encountered before” she began. “It was an hour after dusk and we had spotted a pair of linked containers, new ones barely showing any rust or leaks. The Captain was leading a couple of our crew in securing them for the crane when this big black ship appears out of the night. Bridge crew claimed it never even showed up on the radar, just one minute the sea around us was empty and next it was there”

“They called out to the Captain to release his lines. The cargo was theirs they said and we were to leave the area immediately”

“I’m guessing he disagreed with them” Sunset offered. Su-Chan nodded in agreement.

“Salvage laws in the sea are the same all over the world. Any free floating cargo belongs to whichever ship gets a line to it first. Those containers belonged to us the moment the Captain secured his first cable”

“What happened next?” Hammer asked.

“It’s hard to say for sure, it all happened so fast” Su-Chan continued. “I saw a pair of dark clothed figures leap from their ship onto the two containers. Captain Ferguson was on top too and I saw him extend the Razor Claws on his left arm, yelling at our other crew to swim for it. They headed back to our ship, towed in by the safety lines we attach to their vests. Meanwhile the Captain was shouting at the intruders, waving those bloody big claws of his in their faces”

Su-Chan smiled at the memory and paused to grab some small plastic tumblers from a nearby shelf. Grim opened the bottle of rum, pouring out measures while the woman continued her tale.

“I’ve seen hardened Mercenaries wet their pants at the sight of those claws. They could shred armour weave like it was made of paper and take a man’s head off with one blow. The Captain was rushed by these two people, one of them using this long black sword that extended from their arm somehow. He met the blow with his metal blades and the sword cut them off as easily as you slice a tomato. Then they swung again, even though the Captain was trying to run away now, cutting him in half”

Su-Chan stopped speaking and drained her tumbler dry, setting it down with a click on the table surface. Grim refilled her cup and she took a sip only, finding the nerve to continue.

“I pulled the Captain onto our deck with his harness, blood still pulsing from where the body ended just below his stomach. He was still alive when I cradled him, God knows how, his face strangely peaceful. There was no way to save him, I knew that. Our ship has an Auto-Doc, but it could never fix those kinds of wounds”

She took another sip of rum, swirling it in her mouth as if to remove a bad taste.

“He died in my arms while our helmsman powered us away from there. We had already cut our lines, not willing to fight whoever those bastards were”

A tear had formed in her eye, slowly running down her tanned and weather-beaten cheek to dangle from her chin. It fell like it was in slow motion, splashing soundlessly on the table top.

“Did you get any clues about the other ship?” Sunset asked her gently.

“None” Su-Chan responded. “But Captain Ferguson said one word to me before he slipped away. It was an unexpected word and I am still wondering what he meant”

“What was the word, Su-Chan?” Sunset pressed her.

“Sand”

=====

Distribution Warehouse, outskirts of Port August

The Freelancers had dropped their bags of gear in a small cabin located at the bow of the Slippery Sod. It had four bunks bolted to the bulkheads, one folding table and a set of metal lockers. For a living space intended to sleep four people, Sunset reckoned she had peed in bigger toilet cubicles.

They had left the ship to begin searching the townsite. Captain Su-Chan had not heard of the people they were looking for, but one of the crew had seen new black vans headed out regularly on the northern road.

It was Hammer who had spotted the two vans, parked side by side at the front of a high roofed collection of warehouses. They were part of a warehousing and distribution network based in Spitfield, moving freight all over the Zone and across the oceans to neighbouring countries.

From the roadside, they saw long rows of warehouses leading down to the waterfront in a gentle slope. At the far end, a long concrete pier led to an enclosed boathouse, big enough to berth ocean going vessels like the Slippery Sod. An artificial breakwater protected the harbour from the ocean, foam visible in the distance as waves crashed ineffectually against the barrier.

“That’s a big facility” Sunset breathed out, sitting behind Hammer on his idling bike. “I wonder why they didn’t build all this at the Port August docks?”

“Hmm, could be that the land was cheaper out here than in the middle of town” suggested Hammer. “But the real reason was they wanted to be away from prying eyes”

He pointed his metal arm towards the electrified fences, beyond which could be seen a patrolling Security guard. At his side loped a trio of mechanical hounds, their black and silver bodies glinting like oil in the sun.

“Let’s park the bikes out of sight and go for a scout, shall we?” he asked her.

“Copy that” she agreed.

=====

Sunset crouched in the shelter of some trees, a simple camouflage poncho draped across her shoulders and head. Hammer was hidden about five meters to her left and Grim a similar distance to her right. To avoid any detection of their comms signals, Sunset used her Aeromancy to convey messages between the three of them.

“They definitely look like the kinds of vans that Martina described” Sunset commented. She was observing them from about fifty meters range using her Smart Goggles, magnifying the images to see them clearly.

“Yeah, they are the right model and age” agreed Hammer. “Not too common outside of Pan City and a rarity here in Port August”

They ceased talking as another guard walked along the closest fence edge, his eyes and those of his mechanicals sweeping the area outside the perimeter. In theory, the Freelancers were far enough from the fence to avoid any automated sensors. Their heat signatures would be masked by the high noon sun and the camouflage would hide their profiles.

The guard paused, his helmeted head seeming to look directly at Sunset, then he turned and continued his slow patrol. Sunset let out the breath she hadn’t realised she was holding and they began their whispered conversation once more.

“That building with the vans out front, do you notice anything unusual about it?” asked Grim from her right.

“Yes, but I am interested to know what you spotted” Hammer answered.

“Well, the other warehouses have Auto-trucks moving in and out all the time” Grim replied. “You can hear the mechanicals loading and unloading their cargoes too. But this warehouse has all the doors closed that we can see, with nothing coming and going”

Sunset realised he was right. At regular intervals, a self-driving truck would enter and leave one of the other warehouses, humming along to deliver or take away cargo from the facility. It was a hive of activity, except for this one solitary building.

“What I spotted was that this building has multiple air-conditioning vents along the rooftop” Hammer added. “The other buildings have some air vents to keep them cool enough for the mechanicals, however this one must have people working inside”

“You guys are good, I’ll admit that” Sunset agreed. “I only noticed one thing”

“Don’t feel too bad about it, kiddo” Hammer laughed softly. “Grim and I are old pros at this kind of work. What did you spot?”

She gestured to a laden Auto-truck driving up to the heavily reinforced gates, the company name visible on its side.

“These guys are one of the biggest distribution companies in the Zone, right?” she said clearly to her companions. “Spitfield Automated Network and Distribution”

“Uh-huh” Hammer confirmed in a confused tone. “They rival Brackenridge Transportation in size. What are you getting at, Sunset?”

“Their initials, what they label their cargo containers with, is S.A.N.D” she said quietly.

Even without her Aeromancy, she heard Hammer and Grim swear in perfect unison once they understood what she had said.

“Captain Ferguson told Su-Chan whom that ship belonged to” she continued. “It probably even operates from that big boat shed down at the harbour”

“You know Sunset, even us old pros can learn a thing or two from a smart cookie like you” Hammer told her with awe. “Come on, we need to get back to the ship. Su-Chan is going to want to know what we found out”

“And then what, boss?” Sunset asked him.

“Then we get some payback” Grim answered instead.