by Eric Warren
He wasn’t going to dignify that with a response. No, he was going to go get what was owed to him and nothing more. Except this time he needed to make things clear to Maddox. Apparently the fat lip and black eye he’d left the man with last time hadn’t been enough.
“You could always ask for another loan from Veena,” Box suggested.
“Any more loans and she’ll own this ship. Is that what you want?” Cas asked, going over the controls for an undercurrent jump.
“She’s probably nicer than you. I bet she’d give me a bed,” he replied.
“You don’t sleep!”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t like to lay down every once in a while!” Box retorted. “Rest my creaky joints. My old servos. Put up my ambulatory units.”
Cas narrowed his eyes. Even after five years in space with Box he still had trouble knowing when he was being serious or not. Typically robots had zero use for any recreation, but ever since Cas made the modifications, Box had been more and more interested in non-robot things.
“Maybe if you’d stop lounging around watching net dramas all day your joints wouldn’t hurt as much. Movement is a good thing.”
“I need them to relax.”
Cas pushed away from the console, standing. “Just input the coordinates, and let me know when we’re ready to jump. And for once in your short life, don’t complain about it.”
“No promises,” Box replied, keeping his focus on the controls in front of him.
Cas shook his head and made his way back down the main corridor, the doors to the cockpit sliding closed behind him. He couldn’t believe he let Maddox get the better of him again. And after everything he’d done for the man! Cas apparently had to learn his lesson the hard way. Life outside the Coalition was hard and it was unfair. And that was probably the most difficult part to get used to. You get screwed over by someone, there was no justice system in place to right the wrong. You either took care of business so it didn’t happen again or you allowed yourself to become a victim; another casualty of the Orion Commonwealth. And he refused to be a victim.
As Cas passed the quarters where the Princess had stayed while he’d ferried her from Tau Hydrae that sweet scent reached his nose again. He stopped a moment and inhaled, holding the smell inside for a moment.
By Kor, he needed a drink.
2
The blaring of the alarm startled Cas awake. So much that he fell off his shelf of a bed, smacking his face on the hard metal floor. “Box, shut that thing off!” he yelled into his communicator.
“Sorry boss, just thought you’d like to know we’re five minutes out from Devil’s Gate.”
“No you’re not,” Cas replied, pushing himself back up.
“You’re right. I’m not,” his voice said through the overhead.
“I’ll be up there in a minute,” Cas grumbled, shutting his comm down and moving to the sparse sink in his room. One would think as captain he’d get the nicest room on the ship, but no. Those were reserved for the guests. It was the only thing he had to offer over other couriers and it didn’t help his competition kept upping the ante on him. Now he was expected to have vid screens and fancy soap in every hab suite? That combined with his interest payments to Veena and pretty soon he wouldn’t be able to pull a profit at all.
Cas threw some water on his face then cupped some and drank it greedily. He’d managed to finish off one bottle of Scorb from his stash before passing out but it always made his throat dry. Not to mention the always-present headache. Headaches were par for the course whether he was hungover or not. He checked himself in the mirror and once marginally satisfied by what he saw he made his way to the bridge.
“Busy today,” Box said as he entered the cockpit. They had just exited undercurrent space to find at least forty ships in various positions around Devil’s Gate. The station itself was quite large; a giant, upside-down domed disk a couple of kilometers across. Below the disk were dozens of levels for things like entertainment, shipping, storage or habitation. Devil’s Gate was one of the larger stations in this part of Orion space.
“Anywhere to park?” Cas asked, surveying the top of the disk.
“I think I can squeeze in,” Box said, jerking the controls. The ship lurched forward at considerable speed and Cas grabbed his seat so he didn’t fly off.
“RE-12, slow your approach vector!” an angry voice said over their comm systems.
“Acknowledged!” Box said before cutting the comm. He sped up.
“There, right there,” Cas said, bravely taking one hand off the chair to point at a space where another similar-sized ship was leaving. A third ship was patiently waiting to take the spot above it. “Can you get in there?” Cas asked.
“Watch me,” Box said, his metallic fingers running over the control pad while the other hand remained on the throttle. The parked ship pulled away as Box came screaming into the airspace. The ship waiting above them made a move to take the spot. “Not today,” Box replied, jerking the ship around so the rear thrusters decelerated them instantly as he dropped the ship into place, landing it perfectly.
“I knew there was a reason I gave you the piloting job,” Cas replied. There was no way a human could have pulled that move off.
“It’s what I do,” Box replied, his glowing yellow eyes flickering with appreciation. Cas was glad Box didn’t have a human face. He’d never wipe a smug look off it, that much was for sure. Box turned the comm back on only for it to light up with three different feeds coming in at once. “The station flight controller is angry with you,” Box said. “As is the ship we cut off. Erustiaan I think.” He paused a minute. “And the ship we almost clipped on the way in would like a word as well.”
Cas rolled his eyes. “It was your doing, you deal with it,” he replied. “I’m going to find Maddox.” Cas initiated the rest of the docking procedures, making sure they had a hard lock to the station.
“If you think I’m missing that you done gone crazy, boss,” Box said in one of his accents.
“I told you, stop doing that,” Cas replied.
“Sorry boss,” Box replied in his normal voice. “Docking procedures complete. I’m sure these guys can wait a while.” He cut the comms again, shutting the ship down.
“C’mon,” Cas said. “Let’s get out there before he finds out we’re here. I don’t want to spook him.”
***
The hypervator doors opened on level thirty-five. It was primarily an entertainment level, with a few spaces reserved for goods and storage. But it was also Maddox’s favorite level. And the only reason Cas knew that was because it had been the one where all the gambling tables were. If he was anywhere on this station, it would be here.
They got off the lift with a dozen other people, most human but a few non. Cas had noticed one of the Erustiaans in the lift eyeing him suspiciously and he couldn’t help but wonder if they had been on the ship Box had cut off. The only problem with pissing off a Erustiaan was they were seven and a half feet tall on average and all muscle. Oh and they had hard pieces of bone or hoof or something growing out of their fingers so when they made a fist and hit you, it felt like being hit by a brick over and over again. It was not an experience Cas looked forward to repeating so he made sure to avoid eye contact.
Fortunately once they were out of the lift the Erustiaans had gone their own way while he and Box made their way down the main promenade, checking the different establishments for Maddox.
“He won’t be hard to find,” Cas said, tapping his sidearm underneath his jacket just to confirm it was still there and he hadn’t accidentally left it on his ship. It was a weapon of his own design, a class-L Boomcannon; the only one in existence. Of course it was probably illegal to have a weapon that not only fired a plasma pulse but a projectile at the same time, but it wasn’t as if the Orions were very strict on weapon control. It was in their best interests for people to arm themselves out here because it meant squabbles might turn into firefights. And firefights meant less compe
tition on quality goods. And the Orions had no problem with that.
“I dare say,” Box emulated in a bad british accent. “I do believe I’ve found him.” He pointed through a window of the next establishment. Beyond the crowd was a man of medium build, blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, spinning one of the Lett’ra wheels. He was proclaiming something in a drunken slur Cas couldn’t even decipher but he had a woman on each arm, both laughing at whatever was being said.
“Maddox,” Cas said under his breath as he narrowed his eyes. He pushed his way into the crowded and noisy room, Box right behind him. The speakers blared some electronic noise probably from Esook or some other Coalition planet while the smell of the room was a combination of body odor, perfume and alcohol, all jumbled together. Cas suppressed the urge to stop by the bar first and instead pushed through the crowd, moving people out of the way as necessary. Most were too drunk to care. His gaze didn’t leave Maddox who only continued to spin the wheel before downing a gulp from his considerable glass.
As Cas reached the second-closest Lett’ra table Maddox finally locked eyes with him and his expression went cold. He dropped his glass, turned and took off running in the opposite direction, leaving the women surprised at his sudden departure.
Cas took off. In three steps he vaulted the Lett’ra table and broke into a sprint after Maddox, who pushed his way through one of the back doors to the establishment. Adrenaline surged through his system and immediately pushed the headache away.
“Box, go around!” Cas yelled, pushing through the same door. But he didn’t check to see if Box had heard him or not. He wasn’t about to let this man get away again. He found himself in a long hallway, filled with chemical, industrial and mechanical equipment. The door had soundproofed the noise from getting into the casino but in here it was loud enough to obscure someone’s footsteps. Maddox could have gone in either direction and there was no sign of him.
Cas glanced down. A puddle of green discharge covered a small part of the floor. And leading away from it was one footprint ever meter or so. Apparently Maddox had caught one foot in the puddle. “He’s gone to the east,” Cas said into his comm.
“Understood,” Box replied. He wasn’t sure where Box had gone but he could only hope he had a better understanding of the layout of this place than Maddox did.
Cas followed the footprints until they began to dry out, causing him to slow. He didn’t want to miss anything. The noise wasn’t as bad this far down, there had been a gravity generator right behind the casino, and those tended to put out a lot of ambient noise. Probably a backup in case the station lost power the casino could keep everyone’s chips where they were. Total gravity loss inside a money haven like that could turn into a bloodbath.
The sound of metal hitting metal echoed through the hallway and Cas took off towards the sound. It wasn’t far away. As he rounded the corner at a T-junction, he saw someone running—well, stumbling really—down the hallway. It didn’t take him long to catch up. Maddox glanced behind him and with a panicked look on his face tried to pick up speed only to trip over his own feet and stumble face-first into the wall. Box appeared at the other end of the hallway.
“Looks like you didn’t need me after all,” Box called.
Cas didn’t respond, only approached Maddox who moaned as he tried to push himself back up to a standing position again. Cas grabbed his jacket from behind, jerking him into a standing position, then swiveled the man around and threw him against the wall. Maddox winced and tried to slide back down. His eyes were half-closed.
“Oh no you don’t,” Cas said, grabbing him and keeping him upright. “Did you really think you could get away with it, Theo? You don’t steal another courier’s money.” Box came up behind Cas.
“I…I needed it,” Maddox said in a pitiful voice.
“You needed it,” Cas replied. “For what? For gambling? You needed to throw away my money.”
“No, no, it’s not like that,” Maddox said, his words slurred. “I was doing really good on the tables.”
“I don’t care if you’re a millionaire,” Cas replied. “You don’t steal from me.”
Maddox smirked and tried to put his hand on Cas’s shoulder but Cas brushed it away. “Yeah, but you’re okay Cas. You won’t kill me like those other guys. You’re the only one I can steal from.”
“Oh yeah?” Cas said, pulling his boomcannon from under his jacket and pressing it to Maddox’s temple. “You want to test that out?” From the corner of his eye Cas caught Box begin to reach for him, but the robot apparently thought better of it and pulled back.
Maddox began sobbing uncontrollably. “C’mon Cas,” he pleaded. “You don’t want to kill me, we’ve been in this a long time together. It’ll never happen again. I promise. Please.”
Cas pressed the tip of the gun harder into Maddox’s skull but his finger remained off the trigger.
“I’ll give you everything I’ve won. You can have it all,” Maddox pleaded. Cas waited a beat, watching the pathetic man in front of him. His eyes were slammed shut as if he expected the hand of death at any second. Cas pulled the gun away and re-holstered it.
“All of it,” CaS replied. “And you steal from me again—”
“I know, I know,” Maddox rushed his words, putting his hands out. “Never again. Thank you, Cas. I knew you were one of the good ones.”
Ten minutes later the three of them had returned to the casino, Cas more than once propping Maddox up so he could keep walking along the way.
“Cash it all in!” Maddox yelled to the tender on the other side of the ornate gate. He pressed his thumb to the small pad in front of him.
“All of it sir?” the robotic tender said.
“Yes. All of it,” Maddox pronounced, sticking his chest out. Cas shot a glance to Box, rolling his eyes.
“Here you are, sir.” The tender handed Maddox a receipt showing his full balance. Cas snatched it away from his hand as soon as they were clear of the tender.
“What the hell is this?” Cas asked, shoving Maddox back. Remarkably he stayed on his feet. “I thought you said you were doing well on the tables!”
“I did!” Maddox protested. “This is the best I’ve ever done!”
“There is less than a quarter of my money here!” Cas replied. “That’s all you have left?”
Maddox shrugged, then stumbled down into a chair beside him. “It’s what I owe you,” he slurred. Then he lurched forward and his head hit the table in front of him. A soft snore came from his mouth.
Cas rubbed his temple. His headache had returned. “I should have shot him.”
“Probably,” Box said.
Cas looked at the slip. It had Maddox’s transfer number on it. Which meant all he needed was a scan of the man’s thumb to get the money back into his account. “I’m not leaving here empty-handed,” Cas replied. “Grab him. Let’s go find a terminal.”
“As you command, sire,” Box said bending down and hoisting the man over his shoulders.
Look for the first installment available April 2019. Sign up for my newsletter to receive updates and exclusive offers!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The idea for this series began with a simple concept: how would artificial intelligence treat the last human? From there it evolved into a world with Peacekeepers, husks, a human colony and a whole bevy of dimensional portals known as Quantum Gates. The completion of this book marks by ninth completed novel, though you’ll never find my first four books in print, so technically it is only my fifth. This is because when I first embarked on becoming a serious writer, I had a lot of learning to do. And there is no better teacher than experience.
Writing those first four books taught me as much as any book on how to write ever could. Some authors have enough talent to publish their first novel. I needed a few practice runs. But the completion of this series marks the realization of a dream that began over five years ago, and I never could have done it on my own.
To Wendy, my cover designe
r, your images have given my words a new medium in which to play. They helped give me a level of professionalism I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
To Tiffany, my editor; you made this series infinitely better with your advice, suggestions and changes. Thank you for challenging me where I needed it.
To Sarah, who formatted the first three books, then gave me the tools and knowhow to go the rest of the way on my own. Thank you for all your help in making these books beautiful.
To my sister Katie, whose enthusiasm and assistance has made the last few books in this series an absolute pleasure to write. Your support means more than you could know, thank you.
To my parents, who gave me not only the tools I need to navigate life, but who also taught me the importance of always finishing what you started. Without their guidance and emphasis on work ethic, this series never would have seen completion. Mom, thank you for always believing in me. Dan, thank you for always being there for me. And Dad, thank you for guiding me.
And finally, to Katherine, who not only supported me, but pushed me to be a better writer through encouragement, critique and friendship. Were it not for her challenging my expectations and being there when I needed a friend most, this series never would have gotten off the ground. Thank you.
Writing a book requires love. A writer must love the words they put to pages. And it is difficult to love without a pool or reservoir to pull from. In my life there is no greater love than that of my wife Meagan, who gives me the time and space I need to create. Without her constant and unflinching love, I never would have started writing in the first place. Thank you for always being there and never giving up on me. I love you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I’ve always been an author, but I haven’t always known I’ve been an author. It took a few tragic events in my life and a lot of time for me to figure it out.