by Vance Huxley
“Give him the swords and see who he kills?” Bobby sat on one of the flat seats.
“Give him the swords but make sure he is only with one of the upgrades?” Fleur smirked. “If he tries to chop one of us, we’ll laugh and break his sword then stuff it someplace painful.”
“Do we have the sword, or swords? Are those the ones Ecarlate told me about, the ones Bells kept?” Bobby had just remembered about that.
“Probably.” Fleur barely hesitated. “Bells says there are three of different lengths and he kept them because they are samurai types. The same as in old vids and there is a Katana, a Wakazashi and a Tanto.” She chuckled. “He even knows the names, and now we know why Samurai is called that. I’ll ask Ship to make Bells a new set if Samurai keeps his, but for now Bells will bring them back on shift changeover. Unless you want them now?”
“Not until we’ve talked properly, you and I. Sit down here and let’s go through the options.” She sat, Bobby sipped water, and they talked. An alliance made sense, but a lot depended on Control or Guns and if they wanted to share with SEPA. Maybe Samurai couldn’t renegotiate, maybe being tied up didn’t breach a contract? Though even then the SEPA alliance had lost control of the engines because their Troopers were dead or captured. Fleur had ordered either Bells or Baiser to guard the engines day or night because she couldn’t bring herself to trust the Ship sensors, not entirely.
One thing occurred to Bobby, and Fleur agreed. If tying up breached the contract, sending them all out here without enough air, water or food had to be a big breach as well. With Fleur controlling all the airlocks, maybe the survivors could negotiate a new contract? Bobby and Fleur went to talk the rest, and then to Aggie.
* * *
Aggie replied to the signal and accepted the reports. The one for Control gave a proposed new contract with SEPA with information about the betrayal and a request for clarification. Bobby’s report to Guns told him the survivors aboard had found food as well as air and water. He included advice for the rest of the Basteds to conserve the food in their packs after leaving the capsule. That way they could start moving over to solid food immediately, but be able to take longer. Bobby’s combined squad, those who hadn’t been rebuilt, still suffered from stomach cramps, wind and bouts of the trots.
The capsule had updates for Bobby but only from Guns because there hadn’t been time to reply from Earth. Guns reported they were already decelerating and should arrive in seventy-six hours. As usual his estimate for arrival seemed a bit too high compared to Ship’s, but that could be the delay before Bobby received the message. The TRRF were awake and exercising in the first of four six hour periods.
At the end Bobby and Fleur sent one additional message, one agreed by every survivor. “Message for UKs Control, FAC Control, Area Manager Gunnar Eriksson, officer commanding FAC reinforcements and SEPA Control. We consider the lack of supplies in our capsule and rocket a breach of contract, and request a renegotiation. We can offer access to the spaceship with air, food and water for all. We will restrain all arrivals inside airlocks, including allies, pending an agreement and then a decision by the officer commanding. Out.”
“Message recorded. Transmitting to mothership.” Both Bobby and Fleur needed reassurance from their ami after that, because neither knew just what the response would be. After all, Bobby’s steel umbrella had gone now because the Duchess had put him here. Then they went back to practice and spar, to get honed and ready, because none of them expected Control to roll over and play nice.
* * *
Twelve hours later they knew the worst, because Guns sent an answer. “Message one: Area Manager Gunnar Eriksson. Reference Contract breach. Contract stated that Troopers would be sent to investigate source of alien signal and be supplied with sufficient air, food and water to do so. There is no contractual requirement to supply Troopers with any support once their objectives are achieved. Breaking your contract will mean dishonourable discharge without pension.” Guns paused and continued in an urgent voice, “Beebi, don’t go viral. Let me and the TRRF inside to talk with you face to face. Please. The SEPA contract will probably be agreed but be careful with SEPA reinforcements.”
“Message two: This is UKs Control. UKs-FAC alliance and chain of command confirmed. Bonus will be paid for breaking COSSO-ISCIC-SEPA alliance and gaining control of ship. Essential no other bloc allowed aboard. Wait for arrival of UKs forces before attempting to operate spaceship. Out.”
Bobby didn’t even try to explain, he played the raw messages back to the rest. “Control haven’t had time to reply about the contract breach yet but we already know what it will be. If we don’t roll over and play nicely, they’ll throw us out into a housing complex without creds or legs. We’ve got three days, or seventy hours according to Ship. Go back to exercising and training but think about it while you work. We’ll have a meeting in eighteen hours to decide what we are going to do, then there’s still time to send the answer to Earth and get a reply. By then Ship has told Fleur we’ll be able to talk to Guns with only a short lag, short enough for a conversation. Maybe we can get an idea of what the last bit from him is about.” From their faces as the rest split up, Bobby didn’t think they were going to roll over and play nice.
THE END
Coming Soon
Riding the Spear
The Shattered Stars - Book II
Breach of Contract - Players
Timers:
Bobby B - aka Beebi - miner’s son from the Britmine complex at Swansea. 5’11” well built
Stifles - aka Siflis - ex poacher, 5’5”, slim and wiry, deadly with a garrotte
Hellis - aka Bells - not a deep thinker, prone to go apeshit in a ruck. 5’10” muscular and works out continuously. Prefers edged weaponry or brass knuckles
Fenton - aka Hood - Malazan God of Death. Sniper. 6’2” tall, broad
Sarge - Bjorn Kelsey - Sergeant of the Mob of Timers - veteran with metal, steel knees
Supervisor Steven McKay - aka Mickey - Supervisor bossing Beebi as a Timer, aka dick
3914 SSAB-Tata - Unit of 100 Troopers employed by steel manufacturers
Lord Alaine Bertram Curen - Supervisor Curen - commands 3914 SSAB-Tata
Beebi’s Basteds - Beebi, Bells, Hood and Siflis - sniper-scout squad
Elli Funt - Corporal Ellis - 3914
Sudden - Corporal Sidden - 3914
Magpie -Uunofficial recruit to Beebi’s Basteds- Margaret (Maggie) imitates Trooper. 5’8” slim.
Nathaniel Wright - Magpie - New identity of Maggie, taken from a dead 3914 Trooper
659th Armoured Troopers - Unit utilising armoured cars. Twenty vehicles split into fours.
Sandman - Armoured Trooper Corporal with remains of Tango Squad, four armoured cars.
Attic - Attica - Armoured Trooper with Sandman
The Horseman - Traditional name used by Troopers for the UKs Spy-master. Either the Headless Horseman because nobody knows who he is, or because he is one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse - or all of them.
Spooks - Trooper name for spies
Judge Area Manager Svend Billings - Judge in Beebi’s case
Manager Jakkob Bryant - Defence lawyer assigned to Beebi
Belinda, Duchess of Ironhills - Widowed mother of Supervisor Curen
Line Supervisor Peter Varney - Officer organising rescue
TRRF - Trooper Rapid Reaction Force (Beebi’s Bigger Basteds)
Guns - Area Manager Gunnar Eriksson - Commander of TRRF
Beebi’s Bigger Basteds - Squad Corporals
Attic - Ex Armoured - Coms expert
Beddard - ‘Ard - New man
Hood - Sniper - ex 3914
Reaper - Sniper - new man
Sandman - Heavy weapons - ex Armoured
Sudden - Two metal feet - ex 3914
FAC squad - Les Putes
Adjudant-chef - Super - La Bitte - the Dick - Raymonde Kleber
Pepee de Glace - Ice Babe - aka Pepee - Sergent-chef - sergeant - Super’s
poochy. Black haired, black skinned six footer - hourglass figure - likes knives
Fleur Mortelle - Deadly Bloom - aka Fleur - Sergent - corporal - contact with Beebi - dark brown hair and eyes. 5’ 9” Slim, lithe, wiry.
Ecarlate - Scarlet - 6’ has a red streak in her light brown hair, and brown eyes - athletic and buxom - shooter
Baiser - Kiss - aka Baiser de la Mort - Kiss of Death - 6’ blonde with green eyes. Tall, strong, well-built and athletic - close support fighter
Aigu - keen, sharp - scout
Les Chiennes - Bitches - name for all FAC female Troopers
Satbir Singh Barar - Shiva’s Children Supervisor - Indies bloc
Noname - Squad sarge of Rangers - COSSO
Bold Jack - Squad sarge of Roo Riders - SEPA
Samurai - Higa Jiro - SEPA survivor. Japanese Trooper Corporal - Gocho
Blocs sending Troopers
UKs - United Kingdoms - Britz - squad called Beebi’s Basteds
FAC - Franco-African Corporation - Frogs - squad called Les Putes
MEEC - Mid-European Economic Consortium - Krauts
MACC - Mining Alliance of Chinese Co-operatives - Chinas
ISCIC - Indian Sub-Continental Industrial Combine - Indies - squad called Shiva’s Children
SARC - South America Resource Combine - Amazons
SEPA - South East Pacific Alliance - Squad called Roo Riders - Mainly Australian
UFIA - Union of Financial and Industrial Assets - Northern states of USA and Canada - aka Yankees
COSSO - Confederacy of Southern Silicon and Oil - Southern states of old USA and some Mexican - aka Confeds - squad called Rangers
Frogs, UKs (Britz), Krauts, Russ, Chinas, SEPA, Amazons, Mexes, Yankees, Confeds, DeBeers - All slang names of econo-military blocs
BBTVA - Barrick-Billiton-Tinto-Vale-Australia - Major mining conglomerate in SEPA
BIVSUB - Billiton-Vale-Suncor-Barrick - mining conglomerate - Yankees
Britmine - Minor mining company - UKs
CB-S - CyberBlast-Sage - UKs Computing conglomerate
DABES - Deutsche-Auto-Bayer-E.ON-Siemens - Large conglomerate in space mining - Kraut
FAGMPEG - Facebook-Apple-Google-Microsoft Petroleum & Generating - Confed space exploration
MACC - Mining Alliance of Chinese Co-operatives - Mining arm of ruling conglomerate - Chinas
THULL - Tinto - Haworth - United - LKAB - Lundin - UKs Conglomerate owning and operating majority of mining and smelting in United Kingdoms. Major shareholder - Duchy of Ironhills.
General
Supervisor - Lowest officer rank, equivalent to the old lieutenant
Line Supervisor - Officer rank, equivalent to the old captain or major
Manager - Officer rank, equivalent to the old Colonel
Corp - Corporal - commands a squad of three to six Troopers
Sarge - Sergeant - commands a file - usually of four squads
Timers - First-Timers. Criminals or recruits to the security forces, given little training or equipment until they prove they can fight or they die. Only used in contract disputes (border clashes)
Mob - Group of Timers given their basic training by being blooded against Timers from other blocs
Troopers - Blooded fighters that have completed their Timer training. They have better equipment, more training, and are allowed considerable leeway in subduing civilian unrest or criminals.
Unit - Troopers are allocated to units of 100, and are sub-divided into files of twenty to thirty and squads of four or five based on need and skills.
Squaddie - Heirs to the professional British Army. Well trained and equipped and trusted with weapons that can damage valuable assets if misused. They are used sparingly as training them is expensive.
Legion - French Foreign Legion - the Frog equivalent of the Squaddie.
(le) Bateau a Douvres - (the) Boat to Dover - Frog suicide mission
Bledrin - Stronger curse
Cark it - Die
Diva - Young good looking woman, available for sex
Gaza Taxi ride - Britz suicide mission
Homer - Homer Simpson, a really stupid person
Pooched - Screwed - Army equivalent of obscenities
Poochy, Pooching - Fornication
Prats - Ignorant or stupid - usually die quickly
Sleek - Smart, slick, as in a sleek Diva, or that was a sleek move
Sodit - Mild curse
Spam - Less attractive or older women who provide sex in Timer or Trooper bars
Vance Huxley
Vance Huxley lives out in the countryside in Lincolnshire, England. He has spent a busy life working in many different fields – including the building and rail industries, as a workshop manager, trouble-shooter for an engineering firm, accountancy, cafe proprietor, and graphic artist. He also spent time in other jobs, and is proud of never being dismissed, and only once made redundant.
Eventually he found his Noeline, but unfortunately she died much too young. To help with the aftermath, Vance tried writing though without any real structure. As an editor and beta readers explained the difference between words and books, he tried again.
Now he tries to type as often as possible in spite of the assistance of his cats, since his legs no work well enough to allow anything more strenuous. An avid reader of sci-fi, fantasy and adventure novels, so his writing tends towards those genres.
Vance is a prolific writer whose other series include Fall of the Cities and The Forest and the Farm.