Quite.
Well, I suppose Big Blue here is water-colored.
Personally, I am not sure he is the alien you’re looking for.
You and I are both on that side of the bet, then. Hey, where’s Hirotoshi?
Judging by the physical data I am receiving, he is engaging in a drinking contest of some kind.
Tabitha peered around and saw that Achronyx was right. Hirotoshi and the skinny green alien were both downing shots that had been brought by the Torcellan waitress, who had managed to weave between the big blue alien and his bodyguard with the ease of long experience, not spilling a drop.
Hirotoshi and the green alien shouted simultaneously and shook their heads to clear them. Whatever was in the shots must be strong.
“Could you help a bit?” Tabitha called.
“I’m making contacts,” Hirotoshi called back raising his glass to her, unperturbed.
“Ugh.” Tabitha looked up as the blue alien turned around to glare at her. “Finally. We were having a conversation. It was rude to interrupt.”
The blue alien stomped over to her and bent down to glare into her face. “We weren’t having a conversation. You were annoying me. Buzz off.”
Tabitha punched him in the face and yelled, “Hell no! I’m not just going to buzz off. I want to know your damned name.”
He reached out to pick her up, drawing his other hand back to punch her across the room, but Tabitha was already gone. She clambered up his body again to straddle his neck and punched his head over and over.
“Tell. Me. Your. Fucking. Name!”
“Get off me!” The alien staggered around, pulling at her legs.
She was clearly stronger than he expected, and Tabitha snickered at him.
“Not as weak as you thought, huh, Big Blue?” She patted a leg. “Let me tell you, I’m like a Black Widow. If I want my guy to stay put, he’s going to stay put!”
“Stop calling me that name!” He directed a punch at her and she leaned her torso back to get out of the way, coming face to face with one of the bodyguards. Judging by the bruises and the many cuts in his clothing, this was the one who’d met the bar mirror at high speed.
“Hey, ugly.” Tabitha, still hanging backward and upside-down, punched him and managed to get him on the bottom of the jaw.
He tried to pull her off the blue alien, who was yelling at him to stop. Katsu fixed the issue by tackling him again and punching him hard in the mouth. The bodyguard howled in pain.
“These things take a hit like a bear,” Katsu complained. “And they hit like a truck.”
I did warn you, Achronyx told both of them.
But we’re having fun, Tabitha argued. She flipped herself upright and grabbed one of the rafters, swinging away just as the blue alien managed to start prying her legs away from his neck. “Hey, Big Blue, over here!”
He growled and charged her, and she swung her feet up to catch him square in the chest. With his speed and mass, the hit stopped them both cold and jolted all the way up to Tabitha’s hands.
She dropped to the floor with a curse, waving her hands. “Son of a ball-sucking titty-fucker, that hurt!” When she looked up, Hirotoshi and the green alien clinked glasses, poured a shot glass into a taller glass full of liquid, and downed the whole thing. “Number One! What the fuck are you doing?”
Hirotoshi was too busy drinking to respond.
“Bastard,” Tabitha muttered, looking around.
Another member of the alien’s entourage stepped into the fight. Delicate, with pale-pink skin, the alien swept aside long sleeves and tipped its hands out, palms up. Its fingers closed around something that at first looked like thin air…
And then long blades extended out in segments to turn into a glass-like weapon that looked razor-sharp and spiky all over.
“Fucknuggets!” Tabitha scrabbled out of the way as the delicate alien came at her in a rush. This thing is fucking fast! What are those, Achronyx?
They appear to be some sort of glass that can be changed in shape and hardness, but I am not certain how it is controlled. If you could perhaps steal it—
I’ll work on that, sure! Tabitha dodged again, and her eyes widened as one of the knives embedded itself inches deep in the floor. Motherfucker! Did you see that?
I assume your question was rhetorical. Also, is this really the time for conversation?
Tabitha lashed out with one arm rather than answer. She hit the delicate alien before the thing could pull its weapon free of the floor, and was gratified to hear it shriek in pain.
“So you do have a weakness!” Tabitha kicked out to shove it away and grabbed the handle of the glass thing.
To her annoyance, it melted into a puddle.
“Aw, man, I wanted to try that!” She didn’t waste time on it, though. She went on the offense with a vengeance, rushing the other alien and planting her foot in its chest to give a sharp shove.
It somersaulted backward over a table and landed on its face on the floor. Though it was still moving faintly, it didn’t seem inclined to get up and rejoin the fight.
“That’s sorted.” Tabitha dusted her hands.
Big hands seized her and dragged her backward by her hair.
“Ow! Sonofabitch! What are you doing?” She crab-walked backward. “Let go!”
“Get out of this bar!” the blue alien yelled at her. He threw her into the courtyard and bared his teeth. “Get lost, puny alien.”
Tabitha, who had hopped back to her feet, looked at him with glowing red eyes and elongated teeth.
Her voice dropped a notch. “That was a mistake, fucktard. You never mess with a Hispanic woman’s hair.”
The alien froze, staring at her new face with trepidation.
Tabitha reached for her lapels and took her coat off, setting it to the side and cracking her knuckles. “Yeah, you fucked up, Big Blue. So I’ll ask you one. More. Time. What’s your name?”
He had the sense not to run from her, at least. He put his head down and charged.
Tabitha waited until the last second to duck under his arms and step aside, and he tumbled headlong into an ornamental fountain. It exploded, showering both of them in chemically-treated water that smelled of algae and fake floral scent.
“Yech!” Tabitha brushed water out of her eyes, then walked into the puddle and hauled the alien out by his soggy robes. “Come on, fucker, fight’s not over yet.”
He swung at her, and she dodged. The floor was slippery, but her boots were the very best technology the Etheric Empire had come up with, and she kept her footing as she leaned back and landed a roundhouse kick on the alien’s face, while keeping her head and torso well below the level he was punching at.
He clutched his face and howled.
“Fine! I don’t know why you even care, but my name is Klio!”
Tabitha stopped and stared at him. “Klio?”
He wiped water off his face and glared at her. “Yeah. Klio. Now will you stop calling me ‘Big Blue’ and let me have a drink? What kind of aliens are you, anyway?” He stomped back toward the bar, still muttering.
“Kemosabe.” Katsu appeared at her shoulder, covered in spilled alcohol and alien blood. He looked at her. “You look terrible. You smell terrible, too.”
She frowned at him. “Rude, Katsu. You should never tell a woman she smells.”
“All right. Oh jewel of femininity, I would not recommend this present fragrance as your regular perfume.”
Tabitha snickered and grabbed her coat. “Okay. Come on, let’s go rescue Hirotoshi.”
They walked back into the bar, where the bartender gave them a glare. Tabitha sauntered up to the bar and assured him that she knew what was what on this station, sending a sizable transfer of cash from Achronyx. The money solved all problems, and the bartender welcomed them once more with a smile and a fresh round of drinks.
“That was easy,” Tabitha told the Tonto. “You know, I like this place. You start a bar fight, you pay for a round of drinks, e
veryone’s cool.”
“It’s quite civilized,” Katsu agreed.
Achronyx weighed in with, You two are barbarians.
Seriously, Achronyx? Do I have to teach everyone manners today? Tabitha shook her head and looked around before pointing. “There’s Hirotoshi. God, are they still drinking?”
The two of them headed over to the entourage’s table. The bodyguards and Klio looked up at them warily, but Tabitha pointedly ignored them and raised an eyebrow at Hirotoshi and his companion.
“Oh, Tabitha.” Hirotoshi looked up and gestured to the thin green alien beside him. “I’m glad you’re back. I would like to introduce you to this fine gentleman. This is Don Guido.”
Chapter 14
Nickie
Rebus Quadrant, Themis Colony, Aboard the Penitent Granddaughter
Entering atmosphere. Landing in T-minus thirty seconds. I’m in contact with the Skaines in charge, and so far they believe we’re a Skaine ship. The money has been transferred.
Meredith was no-nonsense as she made the announcement. Nickie quickly checked her equipment one last time as she headed for the airlock. Meredith continued updating her on the situation as she walked.
The ruse will likely end as soon as you step off of the ship and they see you are not a Skaine. Once that happens, I will lock down the ship’s systems to keep any hacking attempts at bay.
And to keep them from getting back the money, Nickie added.
That is not my primary concern at this time, but that will be one side effect of locking down the systems, yes.
Grim was already standing at the airlock when Nickie got there, shifting back and forth on his feet.
“You sure this is going to work out?” he wondered, stepping out of the way as Nickie opened the inner doors to the airlock. “Still seems kind of reckless, if you ask me.” His eyes narrowed slightly as he added, “Besides, you were drinking. I really doubt that’s going to help the situation, and I have to figure that even Meredith can only do so much.”
Nickie clicked her tongue. “Well, yeah, no shit,” she agreed before she lifted a hand to point at her chest with her thumb. “And that’s where I take over.” She offered him a grin and a sarcastic salute before she stepped into the airlock. “You worry too much,” she assured him. “Now get back to the bridge so you can enjoy the show.”
Grim scowled at her for a moment, unconvinced, but he stepped back to let the airlock doors close all the same.
Nickie rolled her shoulders, flexed her hands, cracked her neck and back, and bounced in place on the balls of her feet. By the time the airlock’s outer doors opened and the ramp extended, she was loose and ready for anything.
With an easy sway to her hips, she sauntered down the ramp to the airfield.
Already, she could see a few of the Skaines making their way out of the outpost, heading to the airfield to see what was going on—and to see why a human was disembarking from a Skaine ship, evidently of her own free will. By the time Nickie was at the base of the ramp, the number of Skaines coming to investigate had doubled.
Nickie didn’t give them a chance to think about it for long before she unholstered her gun and started firing. Two of the Skaines dropped like sacks of rocks before the rest of them burst into a flurry of activity, diving for cover and reaching for their own weapons.
She launched into a cartwheel as she dodged the first round of fire. When her boots hit the ground again and she straightened back up, she was beside one of the handful of fuel stockpiles. She eyed the barrels contemplatively for a second and backed up a few paces.
Nickie broke into a sprint, practically flying at one of the enormous industrial fuel drums until she leapt and slammed into it with the force of a battering ram. The stack of barrels collapsed and Nickie pirouetted out of the way. When she came to a standstill again, she watched one of the barrels roll right into the path of the Skaines’ laser fire. She dove out of the way and covered her head as the barrel exploded.
Cautiously, she peered up again, to see that half of the Skaines had been sent flying with the explosion. When she had gotten back to her feet, it took her a moment to realize that the hem of one of her pant legs had caught on fire. She patted the fire out before it had a chance to take hold.
Advanced healing is in effect, but please try not to turn yourself into a torch.
I like to live life on the edge.
The remaining Skaines were already recovering from the explosion, and Nickie rolled her shoulders to loosen up so she could launch into a handspring when one of them charged at her. She pivoted on one foot when she landed, planting her other foot in the middle of the Skaine’s back to kick him straight into another Skaine. They stumbled into oncoming fire. Both of them landed in a heap after they were riddled with holes.
She was close to the outpost by then, and there were scarcely any of the first wave of Skaines left. Nickie grinned to herself, and some of the Skaines slowed when they saw it. They were having second thoughts, but she didn’t plan on giving them any time to act on them.
Gun raised, she shot the nearest Skaine three times. She twisted out of the way of another laser blast, only to accidentally crash into a Skaine behind her. She huffed out an indignant breath, slammed her elbow into his chin, and turned in a circle, stretching a leg out to sweep his feet out from under him.
His throat made a fascinating cracking noise under her boot. She lifted the body off of the ground and threw it toward the remaining Skaines. They scattered and the body landed on the ground without incident, but it did distract them enough for her to pick the last of them off with her gun, one after the other, with rapid-fire precision.
For a moment after that, everything was quiet. It was a strangely dissonant sort of serenity.
Nickie looked at the bodies surrounding her, head cocked to one side. “That was quick,” she remarked to herself, planting her hands on her hips. She kept walking, stepping over bodies as she did.
Hey, Meredith?
She peered carefully around the edge of the doorway as she got to the main entrance of the outpost.
Tell the colonists to be ready for anything, but to stand down. I’m doing a sweep of the outpost, and I don’t need some chucklefuck with delusions of grandeur getting in my way.
I will pass the message along. Do you need anything else, or are you content to continue murdering your way through the outpost?
“Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go,” Nickie recited aloud, twirling one finger in the air in time with the words. “You just keep me abreast of the situation, yeah? If anyone so much as takes a shit, I want to be on top of it.” She paused for a moment when she realized how that sounded and shook her head briefly. “You know what I mean.”
Of course. Good luck.
Nickie scoffed. “Seriously? I don’t need luck. I have ammo.” She broke into a jog through the main hall, heading deeper into the outpost.
Rebus Quadrant, Themis Colony
An explosion rattled the room, and the colonists jolted in surprise. Some of them shrieked, and others dove for cover. A chilly calm settled over the lot of them and Keen wondered mostly to himself, “What in the world are they getting up to out there?”
Rather than a response, his communicator went off. When he answered it, bemused, an unfamiliar voice spoke to him.
“Keen. This is Meredith. I’ve been instructed to tell all of you to bunker down somewhere safe. Things at the airfield have gotten a bit more eventful than we initially anticipated.”
“Understood,” Keen agreed. She disconnected without another word, leaving him blinking at his communicator for a moment before he put it away.
“Was that one of them?” Adelaide wondered, standing at his side. Keen simply nodded once in reply.
“They want us to get into hiding for the time being,” he added after a moment. His tone turned dry. “Apparently things are getting a bit heated outside.”
“How do we know we can even trust them?” Adelaide asked, her voice low
as she moved closer to Keen. “All we have so far are messages on a screen and some explosions at the airfield. We don’t know anything about them.”
Keen sighed, stressed and tired. He dragged a hand down his face. “At the moment, we might as well. If it turns out they aren’t actually here to help we’ll fight back, but I’m not going to start throwing people into combat before I know it’s necessary.”
Adelaide nodded slowly, and Keen clapped her on the shoulder. “In the meantime, we all need to get down into the mines and scatter. I don’t know if the Skaines are going to come looking for us while all of that,” he gestured in the general direction of the explosion, “is still going on, but I would rather they not find all of us all at once if they are.”
He looked around briefly until he spotted a chair. He climbed onto it and whistled sharply, and all eyes in the room snapped to him.
“We’re going to break off into groups and scatter into the mines for the time being,” he explained. “Make sure each group has at least one militia member, and try not to hide in the same place as another group once you’re down there. I’ll let everyone know once the coast is clear and then we’ll all congregate in the main hall. Does everyone understand?”
Sounds of agreements rang out and Keen hopped down from the chair to begin making rounds through the room, overseeing things as everyone separated into groups. Remarkably quickly, they began vacating the room.
Nothing could ever go perfectly seamlessly, though. When one of the groups heard a few Skaines in the halls, Adelaide and Raynard volunteered to distract them and lure them away.
Shouting and jeering, they distracted the Skaines and then sprinted into the halls, luring the trio of Skaines away from the rest of their group. They ran until they turned into a hallway, then ducked into a closet. They closed the door as silently as they could, kept the lights off, and huddled together at the back of the closet until they heard the Skaines pass.
They waited until the coast was clear before Raynard turned on the lights. By that point, it would be safer if they just stayed where they were rather than trying to catch up with the others. They took a moment to look around the closet, finding mostly cleaning supplies and a few half-full filing cabinets, but also some of the militia’s backup weapons.
Deuces Wild Boxed Set: Books 1-4: Beyond the Frontiers, Rampage, Labyrinth, Birthright Page 13