Archaea by Dain White Page A

need to be oscar mike soonest, sir, as I am already overdue for delivery on my current detail."
    He fell quickly into a quick running patois, a sort of marine creole, he must have recognized the service in the square set of the captain's jaw.
    "What is your detail Mr..." the captain trailed off...
    "Onebull, sir", said the giant. "My first name is Shaun, but I'm Yakima Nation, and I've been called 'Yak' for so long, I almost forgot my given name. I am an ex-military man, sir, and served in the First Marine Division, Expeditionary, out of Camp Pendleton."
    "I thought I caught a whiff of blood and guts on you son... Do you know Gunny Summers, at the Island?"
    "Indeed I do sir; he was the most feared instructor on the Island when I was a boot. The toughest man alive, we thought. I still do, in fact."
    "Well, that's outstanding Yak," said the captain with a smile. "Summers served on my first command, running the cap patrols of Sol system . Do you remember him Gene? Just the nicest man you ever met... Sure did scream abaft bulk twenty though..." he added with a chuckle.
    I did remember him, a scary slab of muscle who moved like a cat expecting to pounce at any time. We almost lost him and his squad in a boarding mission that turned into a firefight on some grotty slaver tug the far side of Deimos. He left us shortly after, rotated back to Earth and we lost track of him, or at least I did. Clearly the captain kept tabs on his men, wherever they were.
    "Well son, any boot of the Gunny's is worth a squad of squids. Welcome aboard the Archaea. We will be raising ship and clearing port just as soon as we finish our steaks. Are you packed and ready? Our time is short and our schedule is very tight."
    "Absolutely sir. I am good to go.” He gestured towards a duffel bag at his booth. “There's just one thing, sir...I can't pay in advance. I've been waiting on this station for a few weeks now to catch a ride, and my travel allowance is gone. I can cover your portage fee when we arrive, however..." He looked embarrassed, and clearly didn't appreciate the thought of appealing to charity.
    "That's okay son, we will have plenty of room aboard, and there may be an opportunity for you to work here and there to help. Gene has all sorts of valves he's probably sick of turning--" he was right of course. I would really appreciate a second set of arms in engineering. A jarhead is solid, reliable, and best of all, smart enough to know not to touch anything.
    "When we land, I'll need to collect the standard in-system portage fee, less whatever we can work out of you, of course.” He smiled with a wink. “This is our first trip on this ship, so our accommodations are not luxurious, but it will be better than sleeping in a rentable here in Darkside." He took another bite, and added, "It's none of my business Yak, but what is your current mission?"
    "Well, I am not sure of the details, to be honest. I am essentially an armed courier,  pulling security for a sealed canister that needed to be delivered to Europa station a few weeks back. My first ship fell through, the captain ended up getting his ticket pulled. Apparently there were claims of involvement in proscribed cargo, contraband of some sort. All I knew was the ship wasn't moving, and hasn't moved since the stationmaster's detail sealed off the locks."
    "Sealed?" said the Captain, pausing mid-bite, fork in the air. "I wonder..." he started, looking thoughtfully out the port at the Archaea.
    "Folks... I hate to do this to you, but I think given this information, we may want to leave. Now."
    I stabbed my fork into my slab, took the biggest bite I could, and drained the last drop of that cold beer as I slid out from the booth and kicked for the door.
    The Captain says hop, and the smart man is on the move before his lips stop moving. We slapped credit on the slot and kicked off down the corridor.
     
    *****
     
    I may not be very tall, but I can move fast when needed, and we needed it now. We were