The commander’s smile evaporated as he holstered the weapon. “Climb down, Lieutenant.”
The MinSha stood slowly and crept on its awkward legs to the tank’s front slope. From there, it stepped down easily. The young female walked over to Jessica and stopped two meters away. She raised a fist and tapped her thorax in a respectful salute. “Peacemaker, I am Whirr, Lieutenant of Infantry, in command of the survivors. We are disgraced, and yours to command. We surrender.”
Recognizing the words and their delivery, Jessica knew there was a problem. Maybe it was an opportunity. She stepped forward and raised a hand, which the MinSha awkwardly shook with her right foreclaw. “I am Peacemaker Lieutenant Jessica Francis. Your surrender is noted, Lieutenant Whirr. You are not in disgrace.”
The MinSha’s compound eyes fixed on her. “Peacemaker, we knew at heart what our commanders ordered was wrong, yet we followed them. We are in disgrace and must be executed immediately.”
Jessica saw a couple of Watson’s soldiers gape. All the color drained out of Novotny’s face. She released the MinSha’s claw. “There will be no such execution, Lieutenant Whirr. You and your soldiers could have fought to the death to spare your shame. You did not. I would like to know why.”
Whirr shuffled nervously. “I hesitated to follow the final commands, Peacemaker. I did so because General Chinayl’s last transmission to our commanders said you were defending the Humans. I hesitated because my hive brothers and sisters in your care on Weqq said you were a friend. You could be trusted. I did not believe you were my enemy.”
“I’m not your enemy, Whirr. Neither are Humans.” Jessica smiled. “You and your troops have caused great damage, yes, but I will not order or oversee your execution. You realized an opportunity existed, and I pardon you. You will serve this community and help them rebuild.”
“Serve? The MinSha will not be enslaved.”
“You misunderstand me, Whirr.” Jessica paused.
Watson stepped forward and reached out a hand to the MinSha. “Lieutenant, I’m Commander Watson. You and your soldiers will work alongside my soldiers. We will restore Lovell City.”
Whirr’s antennae bounced. “When we are done, you will remand us to our queens?”
Jessica shook her head. “No.”
“If you want to stay here, there’s plenty of room.” Watson said. “Perhaps we can teach each other a few things. I expect we haven’t seen the last of war, and we’ll both need all the friends we can make.”
“Indeed,” Whirr replied. She looked at Watson and tapped her thorax in salute. “I accept your offer, Commander. We will work diligently to rebuild your city and forge a new friendship.”
Watson returned the salute and glanced at Jessica. There was a twinkle in the man’s eyes she’d never seen before. “I think we should go back down there to your soldiers and mine and set the ground rules.”
“I agree.”
Watson gestured toward the forward battle positions. “Why don’t we walk?”
They moved out, and Watson’s squad followed for a few steps before he turned around and stared at them. “Stand down. Get up to the evacuation point and start moving our folks down here. Get the infirmary up and running to attend to our wounded. Human and MinSha. You get me?”
The men nodded and murmured. Watson’s face reddened.
“I said, ‘Is that clear, gentlemen?’”
“Yes, sir,” the squad answered together.
“Good. Move out.” Watson looked at Jessica for a moment. He winked at her and set his rifle down on the ground. Inara bounded up to him and held his hand. “Whirr, this is my daughter, Inara.”
The little girl reached up and took the MinSha’s outstretched foreclaw. “It’s nice to meet you, Whirr.”
“The pleasure is mine, Inara,” Whirr said. The MinSha did not let go of the girl’s hand. Together, the three of them walked toward the battlefield, hand-in-claw, with Inara between the two commanders. The incredulous sight made Jessica smile, part in disbelief and part in relief. The Human squad headed toward the evacuation point, and Novotny started his tank. Before he dropped into the hull, he snapped a precise, parade ground salute in the traditional Human way to Jessica.
She came to attention and returned the salute. As the tank drove away, she turned and saw the Depik licking its left forepaw. For the first time, she noticed it wore a type of belt or vest around its body not unlike her own bandolier and holster. She couldn’t see a weapon, but a Depik hardly needed one. The Depik looked up at her and set its paw on the ground.
Jessica stepped forward, but the Depik did not move. She squatted down to be closer to the assassin’s eye level. “Thank you.”
“I greet you, Peacemaker. My name is Azho. Welcome to our negotiation.”
“Well met, Azho.”
“Well met, Peacemaker Francis.” The Depik twitched its head to the left. “You are a most curious creature.”
Jessica smiled. “How so?”
“You allowed me to complete my mission when you had no reason to do so, save for vengeance,” Azho said. “That makes you curious. Why would you do something like that?”
“Why did you let me know you were there? The paw print?” Jessica tilted her chin. “Why did you let me know you were there?”
“A measure of respect, I suppose.”
“Fair enough,” Jessica said. “Why did you follow me?”
“Yours was the next ship out of the gate. I believed I would leave you eventually, but I became curious as to your mission, and there were several occasions where you needed my assistance.”
Jessica nodded. “I am indebted to you, Azho.”
The Depik shook its head in a strange Human gesture. “No, Peacemaker Francis, it is I who owe you. I saved your ship out of a sense of self-preservation. I saved the little girl out of pity, thinking of the kits I hope to have one day. Making sure Inara was safe helped me feel like a...parent, in case I never get to be one.”
Jessica smiled. “I may never have children either, and I understand exactly how you feel.”
Azho looked up at her, and slow-blinked. He reached into another pocket of his vest thing and came out with a circular coin. “This is for you, Peacemaker. You know what it is?”
Jessica sucked in a breath. “I do. You would favor me this way?”
“You saved my life,” the Depik said. “While my wound isn’t as bad as you might have feared when you engaged Chinayl’s soldiers, your gesture to stop them on my behalf is noted. You have my gratitude.”
“Thank you, Azho.”
“You are welcome, Peacemaker. The honor is mine.”
“It would honor me if you called me Jessica, Azho.”
The Depik let out a sound like a purr and a deep throated laugh. “You are most curious, Jessica. I can see we have much to negotiate, my new friend.”
* * * * *
Chapter Thirty-Two
Araf
Jackson Rains stepped out of the open cargo bay onto the hot, dusty soil and grimaced. “Gods, I hate the heat.”
Vannix bounded down the ramp behind him. One arm still in a sling, she’d made considerable progress during their hyperspace jump from Karma thanks to Tara Mason’s medical skills and constant coaching from the computer program they called Lucille. “You hate the heat? This feels glorious after hyperspace, Jackson.”
“You’ll change your mind. I spent some time in Arizona. Folks there said this was a dry heat. It’s like sticking your head into an oven, and it gets old after a while.” He looked across the landing field at D’nart Starport and saw the Victory Twelve on the ground with its two opposed cargo bays open and a host of materials and weapons stacked outside.
Vannix stood behind him. “That’s the Victory Twelve,” she said.
“Yep. You really did get top marks in investigations, huh?”
“Shut up, Jackson.”
Rains laughed. “Where’s Tara?”
“Getting a full load of messages. I expect we’ll hav
e some guidance on what to do next,” Vannix said. “Lucille is checking for messages for us and downloading a news summary from the GalNet.”
Rains nodded. “You’d think from what’s going on over there somebody knows something we don’t.”
“I think it’s pretty obvious, Jackson. We’re at war.”
Rains watched a host of bovine-like GenSha workers slowly stacking materials and methodically organizing loads for the Victory Twelve. Deputy to the Peacemaker Guild or not, Tara Mason was a mercenary, and the GenSha weren’t exactly warrior types. He knew there were Selroth and Altar on the planet, but he hadn’t seen them. The entire operation, with the Victory Twelve on the ground and the refitting process underway, meant Tara had been preparing for something all along. “We are at war, Vannix. I’m just not sure whose side we’re on.”
There was movement behind them, and Bukk walked out into the sun. The Altar stretched his six arms and arched his abdomen toward the sky. Rains heard him sigh. “It’s good to be home.”
Rains looked at him. “Home? Didn’t think the Altar were from this part of the galaxy.”
“We are, just like all you Humans are from Earth. But, given time and connection, you call other places home. This planet is my home. Several of my friends and family died here, so it will always be my home.” Bukk’s antennae wobbled. “I look forward to seeing my living friends, too. But there is some work to do before then.”
“Like what?” Vannix asked.
“Preparations,” Bukk replied. “Come with me. I’ll give you the one-credit tour.”
Rains chuckled. The Altar’s way of speaking paired with the occasional Human phrasing was almost too much to take seriously. The amount of gear on the tarmac around the ship and already loaded into its cargo bays belied the report it had left Karma only hours before them. “How long has the Victory Twelve been here?”
“Long enough,” Bukk said. He turned to look at them. “A necessary deception. Certainly, you understand?”
“She did it to force DuPont into action,” Vannix said. “She waited for us to be in place before planting the data, knowing DuPont would find it and act.”
Bukk nodded. “It would appear so. I am still not aware of Tara’s full plan.”
“Let’s hope we hear it soon. I’d really like to know what in the hell we’re supposed to do now.” Rains leaned against the dropship’s open bay doorjamb with one arm above his head.
“That’s easy,” Tara said from behind them. Rains flinched and hated himself for it. “We’re going to find Snowman.”
“If you don’t mind my asking,” Vannix said, “wasn’t DuPont already searching for him? He said there were hundreds of possible targets. If the Mercenary Guild has a ten-million-credit price on Snowman’s head, others will be looking, too.”
Tara shrugged. “Yes, that’s the point of this mission.”
Mission?
Rains turned and stared at the tall blonde for a moment. There was nothing to suggest she was playing with them or being dishonest. “We were ordered to find Snowman, but that was a ruse to get us to find you? And now we’re supposed to go along with you? That’s what you’re telling me?”
Tara pointed across the way. “We’ve had the Victory Twelve here for three weeks. The elSha have upgraded her engines and cargo bays to carry more equipment. We’ve gutted the interior of the ship and re-fitted it to take a small force of armor and CASPers anywhere in the galaxy. Where she used to barely have enough power to stay in hyperspace, now she’s got the newest shunts and the best guidance package credits can buy. That was Phase One.”
“Where did you get the credits?” Rains asked. “The Peacemaker Guild doesn’t have that kind of money, and Snowman’s assets were frozen.”
“And?” Tara half-smiled at him. “You think I couldn’t find a way to fund this operation outside of those limiting factors, Jackson? Use your head.”
He laughed. “Either Jessica had some money socked away, or you’re far richer than I thought you were when we first met. You still don’t carry yourself that way.”
Vannix sighed. “You’re an idiot, Jackson. Why is the Victory Twelve here on Araf? Why stage from here?”
Shit.
Rains shook his head. “Because Jessica was here. She solved the conflict, right?”
Tara made a “come on” gesture and grinned. “You’re starting to think like a mercenary. Why don’t you finish your thought? What happened here that we might have enough funds to pay for this mission?”
Rains thought for a moment, aware that not only Tara and Vannix were looking at him, but Bukk as well. The Altar’s antennae wiggled in amusement at Rains’ predicament. He looked out over the Victory Twelve into the mountains on the far side of the valley. The snow-capped peaks stabbed the sky like white-tipped darts. For a moment, he wanted to see them up close, maybe even climb them, but he had work to do. He replayed what he remembered of Peacemaker Francis’ mission and rolled his eyes when he figured it out.
“The money from the two mercenary companies she defeated is part of it. The Selroth and the Altar put the money into a holding fund, right?”
“That’s part of it.” Tara smiled. “Administrator Kenos. The slippery little sonuvabitch had quite a large pile of credits he’d stolen from the colonies for several years. He stupidly didn’t move it off planet. It took a little searching, but we found it. The holding fund was more than 200 million credits. The colonies were gracious enough to provide the supplies and materials for this mission. They’ve been preparing for it for the last six months.”
Six months?
Vannix squinted at her. “That’s before we got the mission to find you. Before you had the mission to find Snowman. How could you have done this months ago?”
“She didn’t,” Bukk replied. “Snowman did.”
“Sonuvabitch,” Vannix said.
“Yeah.” Rains pushed off the doorjamb and adjusted his gray Peacemaker U shirt. “He’s that far ahead of us, huh?”
Tara nodded. “Yes, he is. That’s why we must find him. Resurgens, whatever it encompasses, is something he’s had on the back burner for decades. He’s gone deeper into hiding than any man before him. And you’re right, we’re not the only people looking for him.”
Rains nodded toward the Victory Twelve. “So, we have everything we need to find him?”
“I like that you used the word ‘we,’ Peacemaker.” Tara smiled. “That’s the only way we’re going to do this. But we don’t have everything we need to find him. Basic intelligence? Yes. A fast ship capable of going anywhere in the galaxy? Yes. Planning and extensive preparation, yes. But there’s a lot we’re missing.”
“So, how do we do this? How do Jackson and I fit into the plan?” Vannix asked. Her pink nose twitched as a breeze rose from the hot tarmac and rushed into the cargo bay.
“Recovering what we can from the mercenary forces is ongoing. That’s part of this first step. The inbound cargo received, and what’s supposed to arrive in the next week or less, is the rest of part one. While the ship gets stocked, we figure out exactly what we’re missing. You and Jackson fit into the plan very simply, Vannix. You’re Peacemakers, and I’m a deputized agent. We have all the authority we could ever need, but I’m not going to roam the galaxy throwing our weight around. With all the attention on Snowman, acting out makes us a target.”
Rains found himself agreeing with every point. “Where do we go from here, then?”
“We’ll figure it out. Lucille is reviewing the company records, running algorithms on gate records, and analyzing every shred of intelligence the Peacemaker Guild has on Snowman for the last thirty years. From there, we’ll establish some targets.”
“We also have the data DuPont and I collected. Much of it may not be viable or correct, but some of the data we collected may be of use,” Bukk replied. His antenna twitched. “There is a GenSha approaching, Tara.”
Rains blinked. How the hell does he know?
Tara grinned. “Thank
s, Bukk. I could smell him, too.”
I didn’t smell a thing. Rains sniffed the air, trying to play it cool. Hot air and cow shit. That’s all I smell.
The long bovine face of a GenSha appeared to his right, immediately outside the open bay. Once again, he flinched. Vannix coughed, a paw over her face covering a smile that made Rains blush feverishly.
“Loadmaster Durr’nam. Are we on track?” Tara asked.
The GenSha’s mouth worked like a terrestrial cow chewing cud. The immense beast was twice the size of any cow Rains could remember seeing. Its brown eyes looked at Tara, then slowly scanned all of them before replying. “Yes, Commander Mason. We are on track to receive all supplies in the next week. The Victory Twelve will be ready to launch in two weeks.”
“Great news.”
“It is,” the GenSha spoke slowly. “But we’ve hit some snags in the recovery operations, particularly in the river and the destroyed Altar mines. We may not be able to gather all the materials you requested. I’ve asked the recovery leader to meet us here to explain his concerns.”
Rains looked at Tara. “Why is that important?”
“Weapons, primarily. Though we have plenty in our stores, I wanted CASPers and tanks. The elSha looked into modifications and upgrades for what we’re slated to receive using some of the pieces we recovered from the equipment already here,” Tara replied. “It’s not much, but I’m looking for any advantages we can gain short of powering up the Raknar.”
“There’s a Raknar here?” Rains blurted. “Can I see it?”
“Sure,” Tara replied. “We’ll have some time for Bukk’s one-credit tour later.”
“Here comes the recovery leader,” Durr’nam said. They followed his eyes. A tall, thin Human male with short blonde hair and protective goggles walked toward them. He smiled and waved. His gait was purposeful and athletic, yet graceful.
“Oh my gods,” Tara whispered. Rains glanced at her. Tara’s skin was almost porcelain, she’d gone so pale. She raised a shaking hand to her mouth.
Stand or Fall (The Omega War Book 4) Page 36