Jack eyed his woman hungrily. “I can think of a few ways,” he murmured then stood up. “But business first. I have people who’ve been operating undercover for almost a year, and they deserve my thanks and appreciation before anything else. Come with me, and I’ll introduce you to a very good friend.”
Aria followed Jack from the command deck and down to the hangar bay. She had not seen this part of theMaracaiboyet, but, like everywhere else, things were conducted with a brisk efficiency, punctuated by a great deal of hugs and laughter.
“Your crew seems quite merry,” observed Aria.
“Ourcrew, darling. And yes, they are, as they should be. The operation was a resounding success. As soon as I have a final count on our profits, I’ll be posting the shares list on the ship’s internal message board. Everyone will be seeing a very nice payday for their work.”
“Everyone shares in the profits?” asked Aria. As a member of a house that squeezed its workers for as much work for as little pay as possible, the idea was new to her.
“Absolutely!” said Jack. “It’s vitally important to keep everything transparent. Everyone knows exactly how much this operation cost, and that cost will be deducted from today’s haul. The rest is divided on a share system with everyone paid their due, based on qualifications and rank. All out in the open, and it makes for a happy ship. A very happy ship on a day like today.”
“I can imagine! So what does a captain’s share work out to?”
He told her. Aria’s eyes grew wide.
“Good gracious, Jack! You don’t have to work another day in your life, if you don’t want to.”
“But I do want to, my dear,” he said, with a wicked grin. “And besides, I have very particular plans for my newfound wealth. But more on that later. Ha-ha, Giles, you sneaky bastard!” cried Jack, moving swiftly down the steel stairs to envelop a burly, bearded man in a massive bear hug.
Aria followed behind him, to see both Jack and the man he addressed as Giles step back and exchange a hand slap before hugging again.
“Oh, Giles, well done,” exclaimed Jack. “I was confident that you could pull it off, but by the maids of Myrios, it’s good to see you safe.”
Giles, a big man with bright eyes and an infectious grin, gestured happily to the steel boxes that were being unloaded from a cutter that bore Redbeard’s ensign. “All here, Captain, as agreed, plus that little extra bonus to cover the inconvenience of stealing it from right under Ilich’s nose. I imagine he wasn’t happy.”
“I’ll replay you the vid of when he realized he’d been scuppered,” said Jack. Then he raised his voice to address both cutter crews.
“My dear friends, welcome back to theMaracaibo; both those of you who risked your lives for an hour, and those of you who risked your lives for a solid year. If you check the message boards, you will find that you have been rewarded accordingly.”
There were laughter and cheers.
“I hope that you will all join me in the canteen this evening for a truly epic celebration, entirely at your good captain’s expense!” he cried.
The laughter and cheers increased in volume, with the odd cries of, “Mad Jack!” and “Hurray for Captain Jack!” mixed in.
***
The evening was everything Aria could have imagined a party to be. It was far from the rather formal and stiff affairs of the noble houses of Palamar; but while those evenings had been filled with condescension and backbiting, that night on theMaracaibowas a wild, joyous affair. Drinks of wildly varying kinds flowed freely, the food was simple but hearty, and through it all was laughter and jokes thrown back and forth. Giles even lifted Quinn up to sit upon his lap; she slapped him lightly and slid off, but her eyes were gleaming and she had a smile upon her face.
This was not the only flirting and banter that was taking place. Felipesegundo stood in a corner, explaining earnestly and drunkenly to a small alien female that the plan to rob the mandalum had actually been his idea. More than one pairing moved away from the party to find somewhere more discreet to continue an encounter.
Through it all was Jack—laughing at a joke, clapping a member of the crew on the shoulder, finding Aria and kissing her deeply, to the cheers of everyone around. He insisted she try various concoctions, and Aria grew more than a little tipsy as the evening progressed. She tried to keep her wits about her, but the temptation to simply let go and surrender to the festive atmosphere surrounding her was very strong.
At one point, Aria found herself sitting at a table when Giles sat down next to her. He clinked her glass in greeting, his eyes bright as he regarded her.
“Like what you see?” Aria asked, amused. The burly pirate’s smile grew wider.
“Not likethat,” he replied, slurring his words a little. “Just happy to finally meet you.”
Aria raised an eyebrow. “Finally?”
“Jack’s been talking about you ever since he met you,” replied Giles. “He usually plays his cards pretty close to his chest, but by Tempus! He had to tell me about you.”
“When on Palamar did he find the time to talk about me?” asked Aria curiously. “Weren’t you undercover or some such thing?”
“I was,” said Giles, downing his drink and grabbing another. “But we would pass messages back and forth. He told me he intended to bring you along with the mandalum. We planned this whole thing together, you know.”
“I thought this was Felipesegundo’s plan,” replied Aria.
