COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS

Rand Hudson glared at Snake. “What d’ya mean the cargo is bronzers? ”

“Puts new meaning in the name two-bit thief, don’t it, Rand?” Dita Aglukak, pilot of Rand’s ship Bluebell, put in.

“Heyyyy, Rand. Don’t get yer knickers in a bunch. We’re not stealin a few coins here. There’s a tonne …an acktuel tonne. …of coin available.”

“What is that in value?” asked Dita.

“Ah, that’s the right question. It’s one an a half million twobyte coins. Total value three million.”

“And our cut?” asked Rand.

“Ten percent, on accounta the biggest problem will be disposing of them all. But that’s gonna be my problem.”

“So. Thirty thou. In bronzers?” asked Dita.

“Nah. In notes, or platinum if ya want.”

“Coin, any day.” she said.

“So, we’re agreed?”

“Let’s look at the plan, anyways.”

Marco Majumdar surveyed the dockyard. At this late hour, it was quiet and locked down. Bright lights flooded the place.

“Do they got dogs?” he asked Rand.

“Snake sez it’s took care of, same as the watchman.”

“Dogs don’t take bribes.”

“But they like high meat, even if it’s doctored. The watch is giving them something special with their dinner t’night. And then he keeps his back turned and we chloroform him, just a little.”

Dita had hotwired a stolen hauler for the container-trailer. Wearing the same thin leather gloves as the men, she swung clumsily into the van whose door had been crudely jimmied.

“I hate lookin so unprofessional, Rand,”said Marco.

“Stop callin me by name, durin a heist then. We don’t know that the yard ain’t miked too.”

“There’s cameras?”

“Course there’s cameras. That’s why Dita has the pregnant belly and blonde wig. That’s why the full beards. And why the burnooses. And why the truck hasta look like some amateurs took it.”

Dita checked her watch. “Showtime, boys.”

Snake’s plan went better than they expected. Marco ‘overcame’ the watchman and duct taped him to an office chair, with just enough roughness to keep the cops from suspicion. They hitched the stolen hauler to the container-trailer easily, since hitching and unhitching containers was a normal task for the crew of a freighter

Then they were out of the gate, closing it behind them, and moving quietly into the centre of the city, where it was easy to get lost in the traffic. After an hour or so of random driving, they headed over a bridge to the pickup point, another transit yard, this one near the spaceport.

There, a new crew took over unloading the container into four smaller vehicles. One of Snake’s men took Dita’s fake belly and wig and drove the rig back into the city. She ran a wipe over her sweaty scalp. The rig would be abandoned near where it was stolen and the disguise dumped in the washroom of a fast food restaurant. With luck, a tired cleaner would just toss the washroom trash into their dumpster and it would not be found.

“Providin he don’t decide to choose a bar instead. Cops will check those first.” grumbled Marco.

“His problem, not ours.” Dita said.

Snake had sent one of his gangsters to deliver their pay. Each got a purse with 10,000 in platinum coin, which took a lot less room and weight than the bronzers had. The purses were still heavy, Rand gloated.

Mamie picked them up in Bluebell’s landcar, walking a few blocks from the transit yard. The burnooses and fake beards went into a charity clothing bin on the way back to the spaceport.

“Now we make a quick getaway in case the feds catch on to us, but we ain’t got nuthin with us that connects us to the caper.” said Rand.

“Ooh, we did a caper! We never get to do a caper!” Mamie and Marco high fived.

Dita groaned. “Don’t celebrate yet. Snake is still using us. If the Feds manage to connect a ship leaving port quick after the ….robbery….” Mamie looked disappointed that Dita hadn’t said ‘caper’ again. “We could still be in trouble. We gotta stash the coin for a while.”

“We’re not far from my folks, Rand.” said Mamie. “I could go to Miracle for a short visit,”

“He got someplace to bank this coin?”

“Easy peasy. My daddy’s got more outbuildin’s than he got kids.”

“Thank you for bringin my lil girlie back for this visit, Captain Hudson.”

“Thank you for lettin me take her in the first place, Mr. Dieudonne.”

“An the money she’s been sendin home, I can’t say that hasn’t been a help. Her lil sister is as smart with her head as Mamie is with her hands. We’re hopin we can afford to send her to university after she finishes her Twelve. All the kids is putting in a bit for her tuition.”

Rand took the plunge. “Mr. Dieudonne, I gotta proposition for you. We done pretty good on our last job, pulled in some good coin. I don’t like banks an I don’t like carryin too much cash money around with us.”

“Mmmphm.”

“Would you see your way clear to letting us keep a good portion here? Mamie says you got lotsa outbuildings for storage.”

“This cash money wouldn’t be in bronzers, would it, Captain Hudson?”

“Nossir! We got paid in platinum.”

“You heard about the Great Bronzer Robbery on Caligula?”

“We don’t pay much attention to newcasts when we’re flying, sir.”

“Not exactly an answer to my question. Which is an answer in its own self. You ain’t putting my

sweet girl in any danger?”

“No moren any of us working out here on the edge. Things can get hairy at times and the Navy ain’t too fond of us independent contractors, but seriously I never want any harm to come to your girl.

She’s the best mechanic we ever had.”

“That muscle ain’t givin her a hard time?”

“Majumdar? He tries anything, he knows I’d space him. Or worse, tell his ma on him.”

“That kind of tough guy, eh? Alright. Pick a shed and put your stuff in it. Don’t tell me which one.”

“Thank you, sir. And we’ll be making a contribution to the university fund.”

“Yes, you will.”

“So Daddy was okay with leavin our money there?”

“Once he was clear on Marco’s intentions towards you, yep.”

“Marco’s? He didn’t ask about yours?” Mamie asked, climbing into bed.