Space Captain Smith Read Online Free PDF Page B

Soft-headed nonsense, Smith thought. There should be a picture of aliens building a railway and learning how to vote, with a dreadnought in the background to remind them to keep at it. It occurred to Smith that if it were it his son holding hands with a Ghast on one side and a Frenchy on the other, the boy would be getting a striped arse in no time at all. Luckily, and surprisingly (to his mind at least), he had neither wife nor son.
    ‘I’m glad you like it, man,’ Chad said at Smith’s side. ‘It shows like all the children of all the different races who have visited New Fran living in harmony, laid out in a like – what’s the word, it starts with an M—’
    ‘Menu?’ Suruk said.
    ‘Mural. Over there is the check-in desk. Now, is there anything you need?’
    ‘Refuelling,’ said Smith. ‘It’s to go on the Valdane Shipping Company standing order. I’m here looking for a friend of mine. Can I go through?’
    ‘Of course. And you friend, and – whoa. Sir? Native lifeform? I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave your knives and spear behind.’
    Carveth leaned in to Smith. ‘Why the hell did he bring them?’ she whispered. ‘He knew there’d be trouble.’
    ‘The M’Lak are a young and confident race,’ Smith said. ‘When they think there’s hunting to be done, it’s hard to curb their enthusiasm.’
    ‘Touch not my weapons, fool,’ Suruk said crossly. ‘This spear contains my ancestors.’
    Chad’s manner became noticeably colder. ‘Thin, are they?’
    To their surprise, Suruk pulled the blades from his hips and boots, heaping them on Chad. Carveth peered at the mural, craning her neck to take in the dancing children.
    ‘Children, eh?’ Suruk said, passing Chad his last knife.
    ‘I don’t like them, but I could eat a whole one.’
    Chad put the weapons in a locker and rejoined them.
    ‘Now then,’ he said, a little less certainly, ‘how can I help everyone?’
    ‘I’m fine,’ Smith replied. ‘Suruk, you’re coming with me.’
    ‘Yes. Let us hunt this woman together.’
    ‘Carveth, it’s up to you. You can come along or meet us back here in six hours’ time.’
    The simulant frowned. ‘I’ll have a look round on my own. I’ll check the bars, in case she’s hiding in some cheap booze.’
    She watched them walk off: the upright space captain and his lanky, savage friend, each as alien to this place as the other. Carveth reached to the back of her head and unfastened her ponytail, then shook her head to loosen her hair. She turned to their guide.
    ‘Hello Chad,’ Carveth said. ‘I am now officially off duty. Now that Thunderbird Two is safely docked and the muppets have departed, I think you can help me.’
    He blinked. ‘Uh . . . alright. What do you need?’
    Carveth smiled, which made her look friendly, eager and conspiratorial. ‘Well, Chad, I have a problem. By a curious technical error I have a spare rolling mat and a lighter which is rapidly gathering dust because there is nothing to roll or to light. And you look just the kind of man to assist. Can you point me to the duty free?’
    Chad dumped his armful of knives on the desktop. 
    ‘Well, that’s a relief,’ Chad said. ‘At least some of you English are sane.’
    Carveth stood at the counter in the duty-free shop and started to unload her basket. ‘I’ll have these six bottles, this, these special biscuits and two packets of rolling paper, please.’
    The attendant stared for a moment at the pile of goods in front of him. ‘It’s a long trip,’ Carveth explained, patting her pockets for her card. ‘Hell, it must’ve fallen out.’
    ‘You looking for this, little lady?’
    She turned. It was a big man who spoke. He wore the uniform of a fleet she didn’t recognise, and even if he had been in civilian clothes he would have looked out of place: too solid, too muscular for the Franese. Not bad, she thought. Not bad at all, considering that this was Day One of the trip.
    ‘Where’d you