Sample From Chapter 10 - "The Grilled Cheese Avenger"

The mighty crate-shifter dropped out of Watters’ drive near to the orbit of Newfoundland and began to disgorge its cargo of supplies, bound for several small townships on the planet’s surface. It was as if a swarm of flies were abandoning a rotting corpse and all that was left was the skeletal remains of the metal superstructure of the craft. Amongst the fleet of shuttles and cargo landers that were headed for the planet was one small, black ship, shiny like a pebble, sleek and fast. As the Vayu dropped into the atmosphere, its wings unfolded from the body of the ship like a huge black moth and it glided through the upper atmosphere, nose cone glowing brightly from the heat of re-entry.

Inside the control deck, Trenchard watched the widening vista of the planet with more than a little excitement. Twelve days had passed very slowly inside the Vayu. There had been facilities aboard the crate-shifter that were available to paying passengers, but even so, he had felt like a caged animal. He was looking forwards to stretching his legs on solid ground once more.

‘How soon before we meet Lorna?’ he asked.

Saito didn’t bother to look up from the control panel that she was operating, a fierce look of concentration on her face.

‘A while yet,’ she replied. ‘I’m taking us down to a small settlement on the outskirts of the main town so as not to raise undue curiosity. The locals here don’t see many visitors, especially not in a ship like this. I don’t want to blow Lorna’s cover. I promised her that I wouldn’t ever come back here unless it was absolutely necessary.’

Trenchard thought about this for a moment.

‘She’s not going to be very pleased to see you, I take it?’ he asked.

‘Nor you I suspect,’ Saito replied.

Trenchard stared through the glow of re-entry at the planet below. Most of the planet was a frozen, desolate wasteland which was completely uninhabitable. The inhabited portion of Newfoundland wrapped itself around the equator. It was an odd system, an odd place for anyone to colonise.

‘Why did anyone ever bother to settle on this rock?’

Saito shrugged as she ignited the retros to slow the ship’s descent.

‘The usual reasons. Money and power. There’s a good deal of natural resources to be mined here. The planet is in the Goldilocks Zone and the gravity is almost one gee, which makes things easier on the colonists. Also, the residents here like their privacy. There’s more than one or two inhabitants of Newfoundland who like to stay at arm’s length from the United Worlds.’

‘Scum and villains, you mean,’ said Trenchard.

‘Something like that,’ Saito replied. ‘As long as they pay their taxes, nobody from the authorities bothers them all the way out here. It’s not worth their while.’

‘So, it’s a haven for isolationists and criminals?’

‘Yes,’ Saito replied with a grin. ‘But don’t let anyone down there here you say that or you’re likely to get a smack in the face for your trouble. Better buckle up, we’re on final approach and there’s a storm front moving in towards the landing area. I’m reading very high winds. This could get rough.’

The Vayu dusted down at a small spaceport which was located on the fringes of a town. It sent clouds of snow into the already snow filled air and then the landing gear slammed down onto the tarmac with a resounding thump. The ramp lowered and Saito emerged, followed by Trenchard. They were both wearing cold climate gear and carried rucksacks full of provisions and kit for their stay.

Trenchard looked around him from the top of the ramp. The town of Prudhoe had been built around a frozen river mouth that let out into an estuary of one of the larger seas on the frozen side of the planet. The surface of the ocean was solid ice for most of the year, but liquid water flowed beneath. The surrounding pre-seeded pine forest had been cleared and the plentiful lumber used in the construction of many of the buildings. The town had the feeling of a settlement to the North of Canada on Earth. Only hardy people could survive in this desolate place. Night was falling and there was no one to be seen on the snow-banked streets. Here and there dim orange lights illuminated the entrances to various buildings and it was towards the nearest one that Saito led Trenchard. As they trudged through the deep snow and the howling wind, the ramp of the Vayu closed and locked behind them. Before too long a thick covering of snow began to soften the black outline of the ship.

Saito was the first to enter the building, which turned out to be a diner of sorts. She held the door open for Trenchard, who followed her inside and then they shook the snow from their coats and pulled down their hoods. Saito motioned Trenchard towards the diner’s long counter.

‘Take a seat. Get yourself something to eat and I’ll find out where we can hire some transport,’ she instructed. Then in a whisper she added, ‘Try to stay inconspicuous.’

Trenchard sighed, then he nodded and made his way towards a nearby free space at the counter. He slumped onto a padded stool and rested his elbows onto the counter top, then he began to peruse the menu. After a while, a tired looking waitress shuffled over and gave him a broad smile.

‘Evening chum,’ she said, licking the end of her pencil and opening her order pad. ‘Just off the transport, are you?’

Trenchard nodded.

‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Just arrived.’

‘Just passing through or are you settling here? You caught us right in the middle of winter, so we’re not looking our best. It does get better here in the summer, I promise you.’

Trenchard smiled. The woman was polite and kind. That was all you could expect from someone who spent all day on her feet serving coffee.

‘I’m just visiting a… friend,’ he said. ‘I don’t expect we’ll be here that long.’

The waitress eyed Saito who was at the other end of the room. She was talking earnestly to a man in grimy overalls.

‘That your lady friend?’ the waitress asked with a conspiratorial wink.

‘Hardly,’ Trenchard replied with a sneer. Then he thought better of his obvious display of distaste. ‘She’s my guide.’

The waitress nodded and asked, ‘What’ll it be then my dear?’

Trenchard shrugged. ‘What’s good?’

The waitress grinned. ‘I do a fair to middlin’ grilled cheese sandwich,’ she said proudly.

‘Coffee and a grilled cheese sandwich then,’ he said.

‘Coming right up,’ said the woman as she placed a mug in front of him and poured him some coffee from a steaming jug. ‘I’ll just print you one up.’

‘Print?’ Trenchard exclaimed in confusion.

The waitress nodded.

‘You’ve never seen a food printer?’

Trenchard shook his head.

‘Fresh food’s kinda in short supply around here when we’re waiting for the crates to drop. There’ll be plenty in a couple of days when the supplies are distributed, but for now we’re using the food printer.’

Trenchard watched in amazement as the woman shuffled over to a large device that was mounted on the wall behind the counter. He had heard about food printers, but he’d never seen one in action. They had been invented in the early days of space exploration, when it was easier to store base chemicals in liquid form than fresh food on long trips. He saw the waitress key in the order and then the three-dimensional printer began to “print” his sandwich from a nozzle that was fed from several storage tanks of basic nutrients and flavourings. In a trice, there was a perfectly formed, if unappetising looking, cheese sandwich sitting on the printer deck. The waitress took the sandwich and placed it into a hot grill and then turned and smiled at Trenchard.

‘Be ready in a trice honey,’ she called.

Trenchard sipped on the coffee. It was awful, just as he expected, so he began to heap sugar into it. He watched Saito for a moment as she bargained with the man across the room. She was quite resourceful. He could see how she had survived for so long in her line of work. He was developing a grudging admiration for her, despite himself. He still hated her for what she’d done in the name of the Society, but he was beginning to see things from her perspective. The hot sandwich was duly delivered and as he took a bite he realised that it tasted better than it looked. It had the consistency of Tofu, but the cheesy middle had melted and if you closed your eyes, you could almost believe it was a grilled sandwich, purely from the aroma. Saito strode back over and held up a set of keys in front of him which she jangled triumphantly.

‘I got us a ski-doo,’ she exclaimed. ‘I had to barter the man down, but it’s amazing what a flutter of eyelids and a flash of cleavage can do.’

It was only now that she mentioned it that Trenchard noticed that Saito had deliberately unzipped her thermal suit a little to reveal some flesh. He quickly averted his eyes and smiled.

‘Good. When do we leave?’ he asked.

‘As soon as I’ve looked over the ski-doo,’ Saito replied. ‘I’m going to check it out and fuel up. Sometimes the maintenance in these backwater places leaves much to be desired. I shouldn’t be more than half an hour. Sit tight and try not to get into trouble.’

Trenchard’s eyebrows shot up, affronted.

‘Trouble?’ he snarled. ‘What possible trouble could I get into in a dead-end place like this?’ he asked.

Saito sighed.

‘Just stay put okay?’ she said. ‘I’ll be back soon.’

Trenchard watched her leave and then returned to his sandwich. He grabbed some hot sauce from the counter and splashed some onto his plate. As he dipped the sandwich and took another bite, something at the other end of the counter grabbed his attention. A couple of burley young men in oil stained overalls were sat just along the counter from him. The waitress was talking to them sternly. She seemed agitated.

‘I thought I told you boys not to bring that foul stuff in here?’ she yelled.

One of the men grinned evilly at her as he swigged from a battered steel flask. Whatever the flask contained, it smelled like paraffin. It was obviously some kind of home-brewed local hooch.

‘Oh, come on Lindz,’ cooed the man. ‘It’s just a little drink. What’s the problem?’

‘You know the problem,’ the waitress shouted angrily. ‘I don’t have a booze licence. If anyone complains to town hall I could be shut down. Now cap that stuff off and put it away before I throw you out.’

The man calmly took another swig and passed the flask to his mate as he stared into the waitress’ eyes.

‘You and whose army,’ he asked.

That was his biggest mistake.

‘Excuse me,’ said a gruff voice behind the two men.

They turned to find Trenchard standing directly behind them. He had taken off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. He was grinning broadly and flexing his fingers. His knuckles made a cracking sound as each one popped in turn. The two men stared at Trenchard, taking in his size and physique. Each of them were much larger than Trenchard and looked as if they did hard, demanding, physical work for a living. They both stood from their stools as the other patrons began to move quickly away. Then the first man spoke to Trenchard.

‘…and just who the hell are you?’ he said with a snarl.

Trenchard smiled.

‘I’m the man who has just been made a fabulous grilled cheese sandwich by this lovely lady,’ he said calmly. ‘I guess that means I owe her a favour…’