The Jupiter Pirates Read Online Free PDF

idea.”
    â€œI’ll give you my opinion, if you really want it,” Mavry said. “I doubt it will be a surprise.”
    Tycho nodded.
    â€œYou’re not the best pilot, or the best at reading tricky sensor readings, or a gunnery expert,” Mavry said.
    â€œThat’s pretty much every real job on the Comet ,” Tycho said, trying to keep his voice calm. “I mean, what’s left? I key in navigation and run communications. Baby stuff.”
    â€œDon’t be overdramatic,” Mavry said. “Remember that a captain has to be able to handle every job on the ship. You’re not great at piloting or sensors or gunnery, but you’re not bad at these things, either. I’d trust you to handle any of them. For someone who’s been a midshipman for only four years and bridge crew for two, that’s pretty good.”
    â€œReally?” Tycho asked.
    â€œReally,” Mavry said.
    â€œBut how do I compare to—” Tycho began to ask, only to see his father shaking his head, a stern look on his face.
    â€œI’ll always tell you how I think you’re doing,” Mavry said. “What you’re asking now, though, that’s the captain’s business. You understand that, right?”
    â€œYeah, I do,” Tycho said. “Thanks, Dad.”
    Mavry nodded.
    â€œYou want more advice?” he asked, then leaned forward, as if he were about to tell Tycho a very important secret.
    â€œGet some sleep,” he whispered.

5
ADMIRALTY COURT
    W hen the moons of the outer solar system seceded from Earth’s government and formed the Jovian Union, the dwarf planet Ceres and several of the more populous asteroids remained independent, refusing to take sides. Nearly a thousand kilometers in diameter, Ceres was the largest inhabited body in the asteroid belt, the vast field of debris located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Centuries before, it had been a jumping-off point for the human race’s exploration of the outer planets. Now it remained a hub frequented by traders and explorers, as well as neutral ground for the warships of Earth and the Jovian Union.
    For the short trip down to the surface of Ceres, the Hashoones boarded the Shadow Comet ’s gig. Tycho peered out the porthole as Carlo undocked the gig from the Comet . Everywhere he looked, he saw starships—needle-nosed scout ships, great slab-sided galleons, bat-winged warships, bulbous tankers, and even a gaudy passenger liner or two. Smaller ships buzzed around them—packets, tenders, avisos, and gigs like theirs, all taking crewers to and from the mottled orange-and-white globe below.
    â€œPirate’s dream, ain’t it, lad?” growled Huff in his ear. Tycho jumped and saw that his grandfather had leaned forward from the seat behind him to look out the porthole, no doubt calculating the wealth aboard all those ships out there.
    Tycho nodded and pulled nervously at his tight collar. The Hashoones had traded their usual shipboard jumpsuits for tunics and button-down shirts, the dress code for admiralty court. Huff had dug up an old tie in a slightly terrifying shade of yellow. He had removed his forearm cannon, leaving a metal stump with an empty socket in it. The socket twitched and spun, trying to follow Huff’s thoughts and find something to shoot at.
    â€œYana, don’t scuff up your shoes,” Diocletia said from her seat in the front of the gig beside Carlo. She hadn’t turned around to deliver this warning—she had heard the little thuds and scrapes of her daughter kicking at the deck two rows behind her and identified what they were. Yana caught Tycho glancing her way and bugged her eyes out slightly. Each knew what the other one was thinking: How did their mother sense these things? Was that part of being a captain? If so, would they ever learn to do it?
    â€œWhile we’re dirtside, pay attention—not just in admiralty court, but in