Pirates of the Asteroids Read online

  Copyright © 2019 Eric S. Martell

  All rights reserved.

  Printed in the USA

  Second Initiative Press

  Editor

  Adriana D’Apolito of 3P Editing

  Cover Art

  Aleksandra Klepacka

  Typography

  Kelley York of Sleepy Fox Studio

  Interior Design and Typeset

  Melissa Stevens of The Illustrated Author Design Services

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT

  DEDICATION

  PIRATE SPACE: BEWARE!

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  1: ON THE LAM

  2: THE RIBBON

  3: ON THE D-R

  4: NEAR EARTH

  5: OUT-BOUND

  6: INSPIRATION

  7: THE ROCK AND THE WEAPON

  8: CROSSING THE LINE

  9: CHANGES

  10: THE FIRST SPACE BATTLE

  11: AFTERMATH

  12: THE SECOND RAID

  13: A HITCHHIKER

  14: NILE

  15: NEGOTIATIONS

  16: A SURPRISE

  17: SALVAGE

  18: SURVIVORS

  19: BUILDING A FLEET

  20: THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX

  21: ANOTHER TRAP

  22: A PATCH

  23: DEIMOS, AGAIN

  24: SHIPS AND PLANS

  25: THE NEXT RAID

  26: RECRUITS

  27: BUILDING

  28: ANTICIPATED REPRISAL

  29: ENEMY ACTION

  30: THE BATTLE OF THE BUBBLE

  31: SEARCHING

  32: REGROUPING

  33: EXPLORATION

  34: PHOEBE

  35: HOSTAGE RESCUE

  36: NILE, AGAIN

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  BLOG INFORMATION

  BOOK LINKS

  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated to Hayden, Oscar, Elliot, Rowen, and Hazel – May you retain your curiosity always.

  Pirate space: beware!

  All Adam wanted was his advanced degree and a girlfriend. What he got was betrayal, kicked out of University, and exiled to the Asteroid Belt.

  The Asteroid Miners have just about had their fill of the oppressive Federal bureaucracy, and some of them are ready to take steps towards freedom.

  Adam arrives just in time to find himself involved with a budding revolution. Unfortunately, he had been working on a physics degree, and it wasn’t as if there was a course of study on Practical Pirating offered at the University.

  How does one become a pirate? Adam is about to figure it out.

  This story is set against the background of the asteroid belt and filled with a mixture of existing technology and new inventions. It is a near future, wild and woolly journey around the solar system that provides what every reader wants: entertainment, adventure, humor, tragedy, and a little romance.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I rely on my wife, Sally, for critique and feedback. She also makes sure I eat while I’m writing and that makes things convenient. Without her help, these stories would never have made it out of my head.

  This book benefited immensely from the editorial expertise of Adriana D’Apolito of 3P Editing.

  Special thanks to Aleksandra Klepacka for her cover art. As always, she has captured the essence of the story in her art.

  Kelley York of Sleepy Fox Studio added her expertise to the cover by providing typography.

  Interior typesetting by Melissa Stevens of The Illustrated Author made the book much easier on the reader’s eye.

  1

  ON THE LAM

  “That’s a stupid name. Cue? What? Did your parents play a lot of nine-ball or something?” The new marines, just out of Boot and with a couple of drinks warming their insides, were obviously feeling good about themselves. The biggest one apparently had decided he was a good target.

  Adam had needlessly used his full name in response to the marine’s question. He habitually recited Adam Q. Maxwell in an attempt to separate himself from his famous father, Adam J. Maxwell. Why his dad hadn’t included Junior or II after his name was a puzzle to him, but so were many of the things his genius father had done.

  The marine, seemingly sensing some weakness, had focused on his middle initial, choosing to make fun of it. Adam looked around the seedy bar. No help there. Most of the other occupants were preoccupied with their drinks. The bartender glanced at the marines, then turned away. He’d seen a few thousand fights in his career and didn’t look interested in what was potentially going to happen. The sergeant in charge of the newbies had gone to relieve himself, leaving the unsupervised boys free to play.

  Regretting his naivete, Adam wished he’d remembered to use a made-up name. He needed to learn to be more careful since he was on the run. It was too late to correct his response now.

  “No. My dad is a physicist, quantum-type. When I was conceived, he refused to allow the doctors to determine my sex. Then he decided that since there were only two possibilities, he’d name me Qubit.”

  He spelled it, something that had become habit after twenty-two years. “The letter Q then u followed by bit. It is short-hand for quantum bit. My mother pitched a fit, so he settled by naming me Adam and using Qubit for my middle name.”

  The big one looked puzzled. “What kind of name is that? What’s a quandum whatzit, anyway?”

  He sighed. It was usually like this. “It’s the chance that Schrodinger’s cat is living when you open the box.”

  “Huh? A cat?”

  “The other option is the cat is dead. There are only two choices, and the status of the Qubit determines the outcome.”

  The big guy looked like he was coming out of his flummoxed mode and moving into an angry one. “What the hell? You kill cats? I suppose you kill dogs, too? Maybe you’d like to clean the deck with your tongue!”

  The skinny sergeant appeared just in time to hear the challenging tone. “Leave him alone, Lonzo.”

  “Aw, Sarge, he’s looking for a fight, and I think he wants to lick the deck.”

  “Leave him alone. I’m serious. I didn’t see what started this, but I’m not going on report for letting you idiots beat up the first civ you see.”

  The four others looked disappointed. They’d been ready to back Lonzo and jump him as soon as the first punch was thrown.

  Adam leaned back in his booth and closed his eyes. It wasn’t likely they’d continue now that the sergeant had told them to lay off. The marines’ conversation was muffled. The constant noise of the band made it difficult to hear unless the speakers were face-to-face. He could still hear the discussion, but now it seemed to be more oriented towards the stripper and her lackadaisical attempt to pole dance.

  He had a few hours left to waste until he was due at the ribbon. The bar had seemed like a safe place. It was too cold in the high altitude to hang around outside. Besides he was tired and wanted somewhere to sit down.

  The last few weeks had been filled with frantic action. The Revenue Department’s case against him had been built with frightening efficiency and speed. Most people thought that government bureaucrats were inefficient. Ha! They certainly moved quickly enough when they were directed to get somebody. He’d done nothing illegal. There was nothing to find. He’d broken no laws, but they used a combination of fake leaks to the press to create enough buzz that he seeme
d guilty. Given that perception, they were able to convince a judge to issue a warrant for him.

  He had figured out how to find a lot of free money in the last couple of weeks. After the disillusionment with Elseth, he absolutely had to keep his mind occupied, or he’d go insane. Few people knew that there was such a thing as a zombie bitcoin. He couldn’t help it that some people were so careless that they lost their keycodes. He’d figured out an algo that recovered some of the lost coins.

  At last count, he’d been worth a couple of million. That was before the Senator had gotten the FBI after him. Now all he had was a stolen credit card that would probably bounce the first time he tried to use it.

  That thought brought him back to full attention. The marines were still gawking at the unfortunate woman dancer. The bartender was mixing for another group of men who looked like regulars, maybe ribbon maintenance workers.

  Adam tilted his drink and sipped. The booze was poor quality and raw, but it warmed his stomach. Have to make this last. He was nearly out of cash, and that credit card shouldn’t be used until there were no other options. He leaned back again, glanced around, then closed his eyes.

  It was a rotten situation. He’d been happily studying physics during his second year in grad school. He thought he had a chance with Elseth. His train of thought wavered, and he repeated her name softly. The sound of it on his lips was still moving. He’d fallen for her, not knowing that it was all a lie. In retrospect, he saw he had been incredibly naive. No way an upper girl like her would stay interested in a dep with his background, even if his dad did have a prestigious teaching and research job.

  Still, miracles do happen. One thing led to another until he was prepared to ask her to marry him. Then there had been the faint smell of cologne on her pillow. He’d been suspicious, but she had kissed him, and he’d forgotten about it in the heat of the moment.

  He felt sick about the situation for two weeks, hoping that everything was okay and that she really loved him, but afraid that he was wrong. It was a miserable feeling.

  The whole charade came crashing down five weeks ago. He’d caught Elseth and Serge in bed, and it hadn’t been a pretty scene. It was so far from his expectations that he had difficulty understanding what he saw at first. His next thought was that he wanted to kick Serge around, but that turned to panic when the skinny Swede had pulled a pistol on him.

  For a moment he had thought that he was going to die, then Elseth had intervened. She had told him that she did love him, but one man just wasn’t enough for her. She wanted him, but to earn her love, he’d have to help the two of them in a project.

  It was a ludicrous concept, but he was so far gone that he actually considered trying to show her that he was worthwhile by agreeing.

  The project, when he’d found out about it, was so horrendous that he’d gone straight to the police. That was where Elseth’s father, Senator Worthington, had stepped in. The police had ignored Adam’s statements, and he’d ended up sitting in front of the Senator.

  He played the scene over in his mind.

  Senator W: “Adam Maxwell, hmm?”

  Adam: “Yes, Sir.”

  Senator W: “Seems familiar. Didn’t your father come up with a variant on the em-Drive device?”

  Adam: “Yes, Sir. That was his idea. It increased efficiency by--”

  Senator W, waving his hand to shut Adam up: “I know. I know. It was a masterstroke and all that. What’s your opinion of the Government, boy?”

  Adam: “Uh, well, maybe things have gotten a little too restrictive lately. The speech codes and that kind of thing.”

  Senator W: “Yeah. We plan to do something about that. I understand that you’re not going to help. Elseth told me you were against the idea.”

  Adam: “I, uh, well something needs to be done, but blowing up the capitol building seems, you know, extreme or something.”

  Senator W: “Don’t worry about that, it was just a fantasy of Elseth’s. She was supposed to recruit someone to help, someone who knew physics, but her imagination ran away with her. No one is going to blow up anything. However, young man, we still need to gain control. The other party has lost their collective mind as has the President. I intend to rectify things. We could use a physicist, even a student physicist.”

  Adam: “I don’t think I’m the type of person who would be any good at this kind of thing. No. Besides, I voted for the President, and this seems to be a betrayal of my confidence. Working against him, I mean.”

  Senator W: “I see. Well, that won’t be a problem. Now, I’ve got to meet with some important people, so you should get back to whatever you were doing. By the way, don’t bother trying to go to the police. If you embarrass Elseth again, I’m going to have to take action. I can’t have any scandal associated with my daughter, and by extension, me. Do you understand?”

  He understood only too well. He was in deep trouble, despite the fake friendly demeanor of the Senator. He’d been right about that. His problemshad multiplied quickly. First, the social media debacle that led to his losing his scholarship and being placed on suspension.

  He ground his teeth in frustration. He’d been framed. He’d never been to that party, and he’d never be so stupid to refer to a woman in that way. The grievance committee didn’t care. Men weren’t given much credibility. The supposed victim got all of the sympathy. He’d--

  What seemed like an explosion struck his cheek, knocking his head back and to the side. He slid down into the seat, raising his hand to block. Lonzo’s arm was raised for a follow-up, but the big idiot was looking over his shoulder at his mates with a grin. His legs were spread invitingly, too.

  Adam gritted his teeth in frustration. Getting in a fight and attracting attention wasn’t part of the plan, but the other marines were moving to get in on the fun. Apparently their sergeant had disappeared again, so they felt free to indulge themselves by picking on him.

  Best to stop this mess right now. The target was obvious even to someone who hadn’t studied martial arts as long as he had. He shrugged, then kicked upwards as hard as he could.

  Lonzo groaned, bent double, and grabbed at his crotch, then fell sideways on the floor. One down and four to go..

  Adam raised his head and deliberately incited the marines by sticking out his tongue and making a ptttbh sound.

  One member of the back-up group shouted, making an outraged, but incoherent noise. The four rushed forward to attack, the desire for revenge showing on their faces. Adam quickly slid under the table as they reached over trying to grab him. As he did, he kicked the middle marine’s legs out from under him. That resulted in a satisfying ‘thunk’ as the guy slammed down on the tabletop. From the sound, he must have landed hard on his face.

  Adam scuttled into the gap, crawling under the tabletop man’s thrashing legs. Two of the marines were leaning over the table, trying to see where he’d gone. It was the fourth that was going to be a problem. He was just in the act of swinging his foot forward in a kick aimed at Adam’s face.

  That required a quick jerk back. The leg went by, a miss, but too close for comfort. Adam wasn’t quite sure what to do next, but the problem was settled for him. The kicker gave a surprised grunt then collapsed. The bartender was standing behind the man’s prostrate body holding a club that appeared to be made from a sawed-off Little League Bat.

  Before the others regained their bearings, the bartender stepped closer and whacked the standing two, dropping both on top of the one that was still lying on the table.

  “Ok, kid. Hit the door behind the bar, straight through the storage room and out. There’s another door across the alley. Go in, lock it and stay there till I come to get you.” His voice was low and rough. When Adam didn’t move quickly enough, he added, “Git!”

  That was all he needed. Adam jumped up, dashed around the bar and through the first door. He glanced back as he exited. The patr
ons and the dancer were studiously ignoring the bartender and the marines. The stripper gave him an unidentifiable look as he shut the door.

  There was a dim light in the storage room, and it was a good thing. Otherwise, he would have tripped over a case of beer lying directly in his path. The back door was unlocked, as was the one across the alley.

  For a moment Adam thought of ignoring the opposite alley door and running, but something in the bartender’s attitude had convinced him that the man knew what was what. He opened it and slipped inside. It was dark, except for some light that filtered through a window.

  The place seemed to be an old clothing store. There were a few disconsolate mannequins interspersed among wheeled racks of hangers that stood in close ranks. The door sported a deadbolt, and he turned it, being careful to follow the bartender’s instructions.

  Since he’d decided to rely on the man, it was probably better to count on him entirely, rather than to try and second-guess him.

  There was a stack of boxes near the wall and, after looking around again, Adam found a comfortable seat between two of them. He leaned back and relaxed, then jumped as a siren sounded in the street nearby.

  The cops! He needed them like he needed a hole in the head. If they caught him, they’d lock him up as soon as they realized the FBI wanted him. Senator Worthington had done a thorough job in setting him up. He’d be lucky to make it to prison the way things were going.

  Worthington probably had the influence to arrange for him to be killed in a staged escape attempt or something. He grimaced again.

  Falling for Elseth had been a bad mistake. Yet, he still wanted her. She was cute, smart, and amazingly sexy. Adam sighed, resigned to the fact that it was never going to happen. He had been blind to the fact that she was promiscuous as hell. He was confident that Serge wasn’t the only one she’d seen behind his back. Then there was the plot. That was what she’d really wanted him for. That was probably the only reason she’d come on to him in the first place. It wasn’t like the two of them traveled in the same circles at school.

  The siren got closer, then he could see flashing lights through the dusty window. He slumped lower between the two boxes as someone tried to open the locked door. It was lucky he’d decided to believe the bartender.