orbit nine hours later with a full hold. Even the shuttle's cargo bay had been loaded when the bulk exceeded the capacity of the Revenge.
This was the heaviest load they had so far carried, and Sterling was taking it easy on the ship as they accelerated out of the system. Olaf called up to Control three hours into the voyage. "Engineering to Control. All systems are nominal. If you want to open her up, she's ready."
"Mister Stevenson," Captain Ann said in a silky purr, "you may give the engines a full power test whenever you are ready."
"Full power test in three, two, one, mark," he said, pushing the engine power setting on his controls to one hundred percent. The ship shivered and the apparent gravity on board increased as engines that were designed to move half again the Revenge's mass shoved her toward the stars. "We will hit point one C in three days at this rate."
"How much extra is this costing us in fuel?" Ann asked. It was the first time she'd ever worried about fuel economy, but, then again, the Navy used to pay for it all, not her.
"It expends about ten percent more fuel than maintaining fifty percent like we have been doing," Sterling replied.
"Cut your engines back to fifty percent, then, Mister Stevenson. No sense in wasting our profit on showing off, but it's comforting to know she can do that if needed." Ann smiled as Sterling throttled back and the pressure on her chest eased.
"How long till hyperspace minimum, Sterling?" Ann asked and he consulted his panel.
"Seven days, two hours, and thirty odd minutes."
"Very well. Set regular space watch sections, and get Carrie-Marie in the galley. I'm hungry."
Everyone hurried to obey Ann's order with Sterling taking the command chair and Bart Roberts taking Navigation and Helm. With nothing ahead of them except open space and a few meteors, one person was all that was needed.
The trip through hyperspace was routine. No one wanted it to be anything else. Non-routine in hyperspace tended to be dangerous. The crew settled down and began to firm up. There was still a little friction, but it was easing as familiarity and close quarters brought even Thom Oslund around. It took just five days ship time in hyper to reach their emergence point and the computers warned them two hours ahead of time.
Ann was in her command chair, Amanda was at the helm, and Denise was at the navigator's station. Emergence was always the most dangerous part of a trip. There was no way of knowing what was in your path until you hit normal space, and at one tenth the speed of light, even a grain of sand could be dangerous.
The Dragon system had no habitable planets, but it did have an abundance of nickel-iron asteroids. The Erin Combine had come to the system as a mining operation, and stayed for over two hundred years as a premier builder of civilian spaceships. The Admiral Ann's Revenge was directed toward the central portion of the cluster of shipyards and ordered to dock at Green Dragon Eight.
Station Health checked the ship thoroughly before allowing the hatches to be opened. A man in the uniform of the Erin Combine was waiting when the hatch opened. "I am Allan O'Reordan. I understand that you have a shipment of produce for my kitchens."
"We do, Sir," Ann agreed. "We'll begin unloading as soon as you sign for the payment."
"You'll begin unloading now and I'll sign if I'm satisfied."
"No, Sir. This is a payment on arrival contract, and I won't unseal the hatch until we've been paid."
The man took a step back and smiled. "I don't think you know who you're dealing with."
"And I know you don't know who you are dealing with. But you go first so I can be impressed," Ann almost snarled back at him.
"I control these docks. You cross me, you won't get another load, or even fuel. Got me?"
Ann almost laughed. "We have fuel enough to reach another system, Mister O'Reordan. You'll have a hard time explaining why we left with your food shipment still on board."
The man glared at her,
This was the heaviest load they had so far carried, and Sterling was taking it easy on the ship as they accelerated out of the system. Olaf called up to Control three hours into the voyage. "Engineering to Control. All systems are nominal. If you want to open her up, she's ready."
"Mister Stevenson," Captain Ann said in a silky purr, "you may give the engines a full power test whenever you are ready."
"Full power test in three, two, one, mark," he said, pushing the engine power setting on his controls to one hundred percent. The ship shivered and the apparent gravity on board increased as engines that were designed to move half again the Revenge's mass shoved her toward the stars. "We will hit point one C in three days at this rate."
"How much extra is this costing us in fuel?" Ann asked. It was the first time she'd ever worried about fuel economy, but, then again, the Navy used to pay for it all, not her.
"It expends about ten percent more fuel than maintaining fifty percent like we have been doing," Sterling replied.
"Cut your engines back to fifty percent, then, Mister Stevenson. No sense in wasting our profit on showing off, but it's comforting to know she can do that if needed." Ann smiled as Sterling throttled back and the pressure on her chest eased.
"How long till hyperspace minimum, Sterling?" Ann asked and he consulted his panel.
"Seven days, two hours, and thirty odd minutes."
"Very well. Set regular space watch sections, and get Carrie-Marie in the galley. I'm hungry."
Everyone hurried to obey Ann's order with Sterling taking the command chair and Bart Roberts taking Navigation and Helm. With nothing ahead of them except open space and a few meteors, one person was all that was needed.
The trip through hyperspace was routine. No one wanted it to be anything else. Non-routine in hyperspace tended to be dangerous. The crew settled down and began to firm up. There was still a little friction, but it was easing as familiarity and close quarters brought even Thom Oslund around. It took just five days ship time in hyper to reach their emergence point and the computers warned them two hours ahead of time.
Ann was in her command chair, Amanda was at the helm, and Denise was at the navigator's station. Emergence was always the most dangerous part of a trip. There was no way of knowing what was in your path until you hit normal space, and at one tenth the speed of light, even a grain of sand could be dangerous.
The Dragon system had no habitable planets, but it did have an abundance of nickel-iron asteroids. The Erin Combine had come to the system as a mining operation, and stayed for over two hundred years as a premier builder of civilian spaceships. The Admiral Ann's Revenge was directed toward the central portion of the cluster of shipyards and ordered to dock at Green Dragon Eight.
Station Health checked the ship thoroughly before allowing the hatches to be opened. A man in the uniform of the Erin Combine was waiting when the hatch opened. "I am Allan O'Reordan. I understand that you have a shipment of produce for my kitchens."
"We do, Sir," Ann agreed. "We'll begin unloading as soon as you sign for the payment."
"You'll begin unloading now and I'll sign if I'm satisfied."
"No, Sir. This is a payment on arrival contract, and I won't unseal the hatch until we've been paid."
The man took a step back and smiled. "I don't think you know who you're dealing with."
"And I know you don't know who you are dealing with. But you go first so I can be impressed," Ann almost snarled back at him.
"I control these docks. You cross me, you won't get another load, or even fuel. Got me?"
Ann almost laughed. "We have fuel enough to reach another system, Mister O'Reordan. You'll have a hard time explaining why we left with your food shipment still on board."
The man glared at her,
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