Julius Rosenthal will make candy no more and other short stories by Nicholas Russell (young adult books to read .txt) 📗

lift. Ram turned and looked hard into his eyes; Higgins was the type to be upfront from the start. Sensing Ram’s need for some kind of explanation, Higgins turned his head to her as he watched the camera mounted in the lift’s top corner.

“A crate over in storage room C fell and busted open…” Higgins eyes left the camera and focused intently on Ram. “Protocol says the pilot on duty at the time of the incident has to sign off that the shipment is complete so I can reseal it.”

His explanation didn’t make her feel any better, but Ram dropped it for now. As the elevator continued its ascent Ram was reminded why she hated using the ship’s lifts during flight. The movement combined with the artificial gravity always made Ram feel nauseous. The ride ended with a quiet chime and as the doors slid open Ram was buffeted with a blast of warm humid air.

The captain had arranged the layout of cargo and for whatever reason he put a large shipment of living vegetation, which needed a temperate climate, to the front. The Gemmel had five cargo bays and each one could be programmed with a completely unique environment. As they neared the first bay’s center, far from the reach of cameras and microphones Higgins finally spoke, “I found some human cargo in the back bay. It is deep cold storage so I have stayed out of there. One of the sensors showed an anomaly so I went to check.”

“I have seen and signed off on our manifest we aren’t transporting any indentures.”

Ram was nervous. While transporting indentured servants wasn’t itself a crime as long as they were logged and had access to a human rights lawyer. As with everything else there is always someone looking to make a few credits under the table. “Are you sure it’s human cargo?”

“The vid-screen for the bay has been altered and it is not showing what should be in there.” As the two neared the airlock to the next bay Higgins raised a hand to signal quiet. He placed his hand on the palm reader and the first door slid open. Higgins continued leading, keeping the pace he had held since he met Ram on the flight deck. Ram kept close and suddenly found herself wishing she carried a side arm. She had seen Higgins armed before and looking him over now she could see a pistol in his belt.

Another door opened and they exited into the second cargo bay. The large room was filled with dozens of giant steel containers. The smallest was easily three times taller than Higgins and equally wide. The containers weigh several tons each but once the artificial gravity is off they can be moved with relative ease.

The silence gave Ram a moment to put together an argument. She may not have liked the Captain but in the six months Ram had been on his crew she didn’t really see him as a slaver. As they neared the center of the cargo bay she brought up something that had been bugging her since Higgins claimed they were transporting people: temperature. “What about the temp? I have transported colonists before and cryo units will not work in a deep cold environment.”

Higgins’ eyes kept moving, scanning the gantries and the distant walls. So far he hadn’t seen anything. Most of the ship’s workers were off shift and sleeping in the crew quarters. But that didn’t stop Higgins’ paranoia. “The sensors were rigged. It’s not a deep cold. That’s what tipped me off; one of the sensors started reading normal.”

They crossed the next two cargo bays without a word passing between them. Once they got to the door Higgins motioned for Ram to open it. He then stepped to the side of the door spun around to look over the Cargo bay, his hand casually draped over the pistol in his belt. Ram put her hand on the scanner and waited as the warm yellow light moved down the screen. Once complete the screen dimmed for a half second and then flashed red.

Ram was starting to wonder if there wasn’t something to what Higgins said, Guild law said all pilots had to have access to the holds. It was a way to keep people honest anyone could own or captain a ship but only a guild pilot could transverse the shipping lanes. If a ship was caught with contraband it was the pilot that paid the heaviest price. “Why can’t I access this?”

“We are going to have bigger problems in a minute.” Higgins turned to the wall, tapped in a key code and the door slid open. “Bertrand has access.”

Before the door slid completely open Higgins pushed Ram and himself through slamming the close button on the other side. The door still finished opening but instantly closed again. As the door to the fifth bay began to open Higgins pulled the pistol from his belt and handed it to Ram. “Keep that on you.”

“What about you.” She knew it was a foolish question. Higgins was one of the biggest men on the crew. Genetics had given Higgins a large frame, but loading ships for twenty years had built his body into a muscled machine. Ram knew she didn’t need to ask, but it was what you did when someone handed you their only weapon.

The door opened onto a dark cargo hold. Most ships ran their holds with minimal lighting; why drain batteries when you didn’t need to? But this area was pitch black. Higgins stepped out of the airlock and turned right. He disappeared instantly leaving Ram armed, alone and nervous. The door started to close and without thinking Ram stepped through. With the door closed Ram was left in complete darkness, her hand tightening around Higgins’ pistol