Marque and Reprisal

“I can take a walk,” Rafe said, “If someone will release me.”

When he was released, Rafe asked directions to the bathroom, and left Ky alone with Pensig and Joha

“Rafe does not know about the letter of marque,” Ky said. “And I don’t intend to tell him anytime soon.”

“Ah,” Pensig said. “The letter of marque… you’re right, we do need to discuss that. This matter of the prize—or return of stolen property. You’ll take it to court, of course.”

“If I do,” Ky said. “it will be seized and sold for payment of debts—defaults on delivery and the like. Vatta needs that ship.”

“You’re pla

“Not exactly,” Ky said. “I’m just pla

Pensig looked at her a long time before speaking, his lips folded tightly. “I’m trying to be fair,” he said finally. “You are young; you have been through a very difficult time. Nonetheless, I have stretched our regulations to their elastic limit and beyond. If you do not submit that ship and its title to proper adjudication, I will have to consider your acquiring it as an act of privateering, which with possession of a letter of marque clearly makes you a privateer. Someone we ca

“You mean we can’t come along?”

“Oh, I suppose… I’m in enough trouble already… but we’re not bound to protect you.”

“Sorry,” Ky said.

“Oh, and you might want to change your ship’s name, so we don’t just blow you away on spec someday.”

Ky smiled and said, “So, you will transport us back to my ship, right?”

“As soon as possible,” Pensig said. “Immediately, in fact.”

Back on Fair Kaleen, Ky took Rafe to her cabin, past the appraising eyes of her bridge crew. “We have to talk,” she said. “What was that?”

“That, dear Captain, was my cranial ansible.”

“So how did it produce that bad smell in my nose?”

“A theoretical problem with the tech,” Rafe said. “The reason there was only ever one. With an implant-to-implant link, if the implant is advanced enough, the possibility existed that the ansible would replicate itself in the linked implant. We now know that’s possible.”

“You mean I—”

“Now have one, too. Yes.” He sighed. “I should have just blown my head off. I didn’t think the theory would hold in real life.”

“I wish you’d warned me,” Ky said.

“Thank you for not telling them,” Rafe said, not responding to her comment. “And by the way, I don’t really think you’re ugly, immature, and priggish. Nor do I think you have absolutely no feelings for me.”

“Trying it on, Rafe?”

He moved closer. “I think you’re a very accomplished liar, Captain Vatta.”

Her heart beat faster, but she kept her voice cool. “That’s for me to know and you to find out, Rafe.”

“And I intend to,” Rafe said, closing the distance.

Without thinking, Ky hooked a foot behind his leg, blocked his intended embrace, and shoved; he hit the floor hard and looked up at her, eyes wide, shocked out of his usual pose of amused superiority.

“Not like that, you won’t,” Ky said.