“Zeke, I’m sorry about the ruse. I just wanted him to let me com you to set up a meeting, to ask for your help. But you know what a dick Javitt can be.”
“It just galls him that I made Captain before he did,” Zeke said with a grin.
“Only because you bought a broken-down freighter and rebuilt it,” Arkis countered.
“So, I wouldn’t have to take orders from pricks like him any more,” he murmured as they started walking down the corridor to the lift that would take them to the level where the boarding tube was still hooked up to the Zephyr.
“You look good Ark---it’s really good to see you. What do you hear from the family?” It had been about three years since Zeke had been back to Narova and more than a year since he had seen his brother.
“Doesn’t your com work?” Ark teased.
“Yeah, I just never seem to get around to it,” Zeke sighed. “Are they well and happy?”
“They are, and they asked about you as well. I don’t understand why you don’t just com them. They are proud of what you have accomplished for yourself. I’m proud of you. I saw the Zephyr when you first bought it. You and your crew turned it into a fine ship.” Ark asserted.
“I just never know what to say. They just don’t know what it’s really like out here, and if I told them it would either scare the hell out of them or bore them to sleep,” he laughed. “They always ask if I’ve heard from Matchmaking. I’m not even sure what I would do if I did. What am I going to do with a mate out here?”
Arkis just shook his head as they reached the boarding tube to the Zephyr. He stopped there and picked up his two bags. One contained his disguise and the other his clothing and necessities. When they reached the cargo bay of the Zephyr, Zeke gave Bella the command to close the hatch. He then watched to make sure it closed and sealed properly before going on to show Arkis to his cabin.
“Okay. Bella signal the raptor we are secure and take us out of here as soon as they uncouple,” Zeke ordered.
.
The Be’Kal Zephyr consisted of three decks. The engine level and two cargo levels were in the back. The crew and passenger cabins were on decks one and two along with dining. Crew cabins on deck one behind the bridge and passenger cabins below the crew quarters on deck two. There were six cabins on each level. There were four singles on deck one and two doubles with the opposite on passenger level. Zeke put his brother on the crew level in one of the empty doubles. The Earth women would be on the passenger level on the way back. They had to cancel their other passengers to take on this mission. The previously scheduled passengers couldn’t wait for them to finish.
Neither Zeke nor Arkis even considered that they might not be successful. All the Tenzari cared was that they got the gold. They didn’t care where it came from.
“Are they making any progress on rooting the Tenzari out on Earth?” Zeke asked.
“I heard that Raptor One just closed one down. They know there are more but not where,” Arkis said, “We aren’t privy to much that happens on Earth. It’s not in our sector. If One weren’t off chasing pirates, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I can’t say whether they would have tapped you for this job. I suggested it to Javitt.”
“I think Captain Marrek would have made the proposal with a little more finesse than Javitt. He would at least treat me like I was doing him a favor,” Zeke said stopping in front of Cabin Five. “Your new quarters for the next three weeks. Not quite as fancy as the Raptor, but I think you should be comfortable here.”
The door slid open, and the interior lights came on. It was a simple module that would have been a bit cramped for two people, but everything was clean and new with all the standard amenities. It had a small sitting area, two bunks, and a bathroom with a small sink, shower, and lavatory. The food dispenser could provide snacks and drinks. Only the captain’s cabin and the galley in the dining module provided full meals.
“What do you think, Ark?” Zeke asked. “You have the honor of being the first person ever to sleep in this cabin.”
“It’s more than adequate. You did an excellent job with the refurbishing. How are the bunks?” Arkis wondered.
“Top of the line with seven firmness settings. There’s nothing worse than an uncomfortable bed. It makes a grumpy crew if they’re not well rested.”
“I hear that,” Arkis grinned.
“Stash your stuff, and I’ll introduce you to Tray and Sajh. Tray’s on the bridge and Sajh should be coming over for his shift in about twenty minutes.”
Zeke and Arkis found Tray and his pilot's seat on the bridge, watching it a holo-novel. There was really nothing for him to attend to because Bella had everything under control. The ship basically piloted itself under the guidance of a sophisticated AI. The AI itself cost almost as much as the Be'Kal Zephyr. But when Zeke started his freighter business his only crew was his engineer, a grayskin Ghemokan named Kyrak Wedis. He came with the ship.
Tray Morikin was also a former law enforcement who didn't like taking orders any better than Zeke. The difference was that Tray was not so outspoken in his opinions. He just quietly resigned from the service when his contract was up. Tray was from one of the outlying Colonies on the far side of Alliance Territory. He had known neither Zeke nor Arkis before his signing up as crew for Zeke. Tray had been visiting the local Starport regularly checking for work on an independent freighter, and he paid a visit to the Be’Kal Zephyr while the new interior modules were being installed.
Zeke bought the aged freighter from a scrap yard and the Ratcela system. Kyrak, who had been living there at the time, helped Zeke get the engines running well enough to get them back to Narova. When Zeke asked him why he never bought the ship himself, he said that he did not believe in owning property. Until Zeke's company was solvent, Kyrak worked for room and board.
It had taken a large chunk of Zeke's trust fund and savings to pay for the new modules and labor once the ship was gutted. The way these modules were built and fit together provided the outer hull with more support than rebuilding the inner structure the conventional way.
As Zeke introduced Arkis to Tray, Sajh entered the bridge so Zeke introduced him as well. Sajh was a Narovian feline who specialized in communications and freight dispatch. He had worked for one of the large freight lines where things got pretty hectic. He took the job with Zeke under the condition that he could bring her if he ever found meomee.
Sajh was not looking actively for a meomee since the Narovian matchmaking service had found none for him. Now he was saving up to pay for the Earth based service.
During the journey to Se'Nar, the four men shared a pleasant, comradery. With the AI keeping the ship on track they took the time for gaming in the gym, working out, and table games of chance resembling poker.
There was little else to do but occupy their time while the Be’Kal Zephyr made its way to Se’Nar.