Other things than ships could be bought in Fiddler's Rock, in fact it was something of an emporium for O'Morion's Belt and the outer planets of the Georgia system. You could buy most anything in Fiddler's, of course what wasn't smuggled was stolen but that made no never mind to the girls seeing as theywere set on becoming criminals themselves.
The main market was a huge cavern in the center of the rock, its roughly smoothed floor crowded with vendors' stalls and some five or six levels of shops carved in the soaring walls, loud with neon and reached by a rickety metal gallery spiraling up to the lumpy, craggy ceiling.
Smaller, specialized markets opened off it at various levels. Ben vanished down one such tunnel with Cody, they were going to buy them a cargo. Made sense, they'd need cash money as they wouldn't be using the credit chips after this.
And so the girls went on a shopping spree of their own, buying things for both the boat and themselves. Sonya and the twins liked jewelry and bought themselves lots of beads and bangles from various vendors on the floor. Another booth was selling colorful paisley shawls and jackets, all five girls bought there. Jade found herself a number of loose, black garments decorated with beads and shells and shisha mirrors. The twins pounced on a selection of colorful ceramic horses in another stall and Moon bought herself a stuffed doll with a painted porcelain face and elaborately styled black silk hair who sang the Kang Ding love song when you pressed a button in her back.
They had cartload of stuff even before they began to climb the gallery. The shops had fancier, more expensive goods. Entering a huge fabric store they bought bales of carpets and drapes, billowy colorful silk cushions, deep piled fringed throws and quilted comforters, arranging for them to be sent to the boat. They found a painted dish cupboard, complete with dishes, in a furniture store. A carved and painted table with drawers, little trapezoidal chests and a set of low, elaborately inlaid stack tables. These too were sent direct to the 'Angel'.
A clothing boutique absorbed them for some time, their buyings filling up another cart. Then there was more jewelry, this time of precious stones rather than glass. Moon, who liked to make-up, bought herself a variety of cosmetics and a clutch of beautiful glass vials of perfume. They found a store that sold furs, dyed and natural, for wearing and for decorating. A toy store where they bought board games and cards, stuffed animals and dolls, miniatures and models and electronic games of all kinds. There was another shop full of delicate porcelain figurines and one selling painted scrolls and screens and calligraphy sets. They bought boxes and vases and object of art and lots and lots of books and by the time they descended to the floor to meet their menfolk each of them was pulling a fully loaded cart.
Ben laughed at the sight of them. "Girls surely do like their pretties." he said, obscurely reassured. Crazy killers or not his little charges were still girly girls.
They smiled brightly back, though being tired the older girls were also getting somewhat liquid. The twins were solid enough though. "What cargo did you get?" Kimi asked.
"Trans-uranic ores." he answered. "We can stop at Vulcan on our way out-system and trade them for refined metals."
"Sounds good." Sonya held out her hand and he dropped the credit chip he'd been using into it. As they started across the market floor towards the dock gate she let fall one, then the other. Ben looked his interest and she explained: "This is how we get rid of chips and lay false trails at the same time."
"Folks who find them use them, and the Orange and Blacks waste their time tracking them instead of us." Moon added.
Ben opened his mouth to ask exactly who or what these Orange and Blacks were but was forestalled - maybe on purpose.
"What's Vulcan like?" Keri asked, skipping beside him.
"Red and smoky." Ben told her. "Lives up to its name."
"Vulcan was the Greek god of the Forge." said Jade, stepping delicately in her bubble.
Ben nodded. "The whole moon's one giant mine and refinery. Lots of coal and oil to be found so they burn that, but there's a market for high energy ores."
"You've been there before?" from Kimi.
"Lots of times." said Cody.
"Plenty of traffic between Vulcan and the Belt." added his father.
...
Ben came to a full stop, jaw dropping, at the sight of the bales, bundles and boxes waiting by the 'Angel', attended by a crew of hopeful porters. "Great Flaming Meteors! Did you buy out the market?"
"We got stuff for the ship." Keri told him. "Furniture and the like."
"Most of it's for our room." put in Sonya.
Ben shook his head. "Just hope we got space for it all."
Of course they did, but the crew bunk was filled almost to overflowing 'til Ben wondered if the girls would be able to squeeze themselves in. Still there'd be more room when they got it all stowed. Then the ores arrived and he was busy seeing to the loading and checking over the lead lined cases for leaks. Then double checking with the 'counter to be certain sure the hold was no hotter loaded than it'd been empty. Ben wasn't taking any chances at all with a crew of kids on board.
Maybe it was all the deliveries that attracted the boat-jackers attentions. They were clearing away dinner when the signal sounded on the lock door. Before Ben could stop her Keri had slid back the bolt and was nearly knocked off her feet as the hatch shoved all the way open and a foursome of grungy, weapon wielding men forced their way inside.
An evil grin cracked the face of the foremost as he took in the staring girls. "Lookee here, seems like we got ourselves some pretty little bonuses."
Ben took a moment to shove Cody and Jade, who were the nearest to hand, behind the meager shelter of the kitchen counter before approaching the invaders slowly, hands open. At the same time they spread into the room, covering the girls who watched with blank eyes, as if they didn't quite understand what was happening.
"Don't be in such a hurry," Ben began, speaking to the leader, "maybe we can come to some arrangement.." if he could just get close enough - unluckily the 'jacker boss had the same thought, he swung out with his machine rifle catching Ben full on the side of the head with the barrel.
From the floor he saw little Keri drive her fist into a particular spot on a 'jacker's lower back, as Kimi shoved the heel of her hand upward under his chin. Ben distinctly heard the man's spine snap.
Across the room Sonya kicked the intruder covering her in the solar plexus, spinning to strike him in the temple with the heel of her other foot as he bent double.
The third man had time to open fire, powdering the compartment wall as Moon dropped below his line of sight to sweep him off his feet with a long, slicing leg then rise to bring her foot down hard on his chest, crushing it.
And Jade rose from behind the counter, a long carving knife in her hand to throw it with flawless accuracy right into the throat of the final 'jacker covering the door.
Still dazed from the blow Ben gaped. It was one thing to hear his girls had killed assorted folk, quite another to see them do it with his own two eyes.
His deadly 'lil darlings stood there, the meat bleeding at their feet and looked to him for guidance. "What do we do now?" Sonya asked.
Ben forced his mouth shut and pulled himself to his feet. "Shove 'em in the lock. We'll jettison as soon as we're clear of the pull of this rock."
"We're leaving?" Keri asked eagerly.
He nodded. "Right this minute, before anybody else gets ideas." A blond head with round blue eyes peered over the edge of the counter. Ben's heart contracted painfully but, he reminded himself that the outer worlds being what they were his boy was likely to be seeing the sight of violent death with some regularity from now on. "Cody, I need you to ride co-pilot."
The boy tore his eyes off the dead men, and trotted after his father up the passage to the bridge. Ben slid into the pilot's seat and started the launch cycle. "Wave control and tell 'em we're going." he said to Cody.
The exchange with Fiddler traffic control was brief. "Departure vector Nine-niner-oh-eight." Cody told his father. "Dad, they killed them!"
"Had too, son." Ben said keeping his eyes determinedly on the control board. "It was them or us."
"I know. But they killed them with their bare hands!"
"Yes they did." Ben sighed. "Our girls were taught some nasty things at that school of theirs."
Cody seemed uncomfortably easy with what he'd seen. Easy enough to bother his father more than a little. "Think they could teach me to do that?"
"No." Ben said firmly.
"But - "
"I said no, son!"
Bad enough teen-age girls had been turned into killers. His boy wasn't going down that path - not if Ben had anything to say about it!