Privateer Tales 3: Parley Read Online Free Page A

make it.” I was completely unprepared for this kind of conversation.
    Adela’s daughter took a shuddering breath, held her face in her hands and sobbed. It was more than I could bear to watch, so I got up, sat next to her and pulled her in gently for a hug. I was prepared for resistance, but she melted into me. We sat like this for several minutes while she wept.
    Finally, she pulled away to sit up and I slid back just slightly to give her some room. Marny, who had changed back into her normal vac-suit, re-entered the room and pressed a handful of tissues into my hand. I passed them to the distraught girl.
    “Thank you, Marny,” I said.
    The girl finally spoke, “Ada.” I wasn’t sure if she was telling me her mother’s name or introducing herself. So I looked at her, hoping she would continue.
    “I’m Ada Chen. Can I see Mom?”
    “Yes. Of course. We’re at your disposal. We’re currently holding position off the ship’s wreckage at two hundred meters. Mars Protectorate is five hours out.”
    “I need to see her.”
    “Do you want to EVA?” I asked. EVA was spacer shorthand for Extra Vehicular Activity.
    “Yes.”
    “Would you allow me to accompany you?”
    “Yes.”
    “Would you like to clean up first?”
    “No. I need to do this.”
    “Okay. Your vac-suit is on the table. I’ll meet you in the hallway when you’re ready.”
    A few minutes later we were jetting through space toward the wreckage of Baux-201 . The string of barges had separated from the wreck and was hovering about a kilometer away. Ada was quiet. I hesitated when we got within ten meters.
    “I’ll give you your privacy,” I said.
    “Thank you.”
    I waited, floating in space and surveying the scene. What a waste. I hated pirates. Their greed and disregard for life was horrible. For a load of whatever was on the barges, they were willing to destroy two lives. All for a small cut of ill-gotten gains. I understood more clearly why Marny had been pissed at me for not firing on the remaining two pirates and allowing them to escape. Rationally, I still thought it was the best approach, but emotionally it was clearly not what I wanted.
    “I’m coming out.” Ada’s voice cut through my internal conversation.
    “Is there anything you want to bring back with you? I can help.” I said.
    “I’ve got it.” Ada jetted toward me, pushing a loosely bundled set of cases.
    Once we were back on the ship, I showed her to Bunk Room #2 (BR-2). Marny and Nick must have been working while we were out, as all of the cargo we’d stored there had been moved. The bed had fresh linens on it and a towel was folded neatly in the center of the lower bunk. It was a thoughtful gesture.
    “I’ll be on the bridge. You’re welcome to join us there if you want. It looks like Marny or Nick already has you set up here.”
    “Thank you.” Ada wasn’t processing very well yet. It was understandable. I left her alone and joined my friends on the bridge.
    “Nice job with the bunk room guys. Thanks.” I didn’t know which of them had been responsible, but I was grateful. It didn’t take much to empathize with Ada. She was my age and the recent attack on my home mining colony made it easy to imagine the loss of one of my parents.
    “It sucks,” Marny said.
    “Agreed. Nick, did you send a message to Belcose?”
    “Not yet.”
    “I’ll do it.” I left the bridge and entered Nick and Marny’s room - originally the captain’s quarters. Nick and I were co-owners of the business and while I had been designated captain, it made more sense that Nick and Marny take the larger room. The issue was, when we’d received our Letter of Marque from Mars Protectorate Navy, they’d installed specialized communication equipment in the captain’s quarters. Bottom line was … every time I needed to make a private call, I had to take over Nick’s room.
    I shut the door behind me to spare Ada from the details of what I would share with Lieutenant Gregor Belcose,