by Sarah Noffke
Julianna cleared her throat and lifted her clipboard. “Can you confirm how many people work in this establishment?”
“Two,” the woman said, sounding impatient.
“Names of Onyx residents, please?” Julianna pretended to be reading off the paper.
“Betsy McGuire and Deacon Flick. I work for him,” said the woman.
“Yes, that confirms what we have here. I just need to have you, Betsy, sign here.” Julianna handed the woman the clipboard and pointed to a line, handing her a pen.
With the same sour attitude as before, the woman took the pen and scratched her signature.
“And now we just need Mr. Flick’s signature as well,” said Julianna.
“Deacon is in the back working with some new customers,” said the old woman. “I’ll take the form back there.”
Julianna shook her head. “We have to witness the signing.”
“Can we go back there and get Mr. Flick’s signature?” asked Eddie, trying to see what was in the rooms behind the counter. The place was so cluttered it was hard to see much of anything.
“I’m afraid you can’t. It’s a new client, and they’ve asked for privacy. Whatever they want repaired, they didn’t even want me seeing it,” said the woman, still sounding annoyed.
“I can’t imagine that,” muttered Julianna.
“Did you say there was a client?” asked Eddie. He glanced at Julianna, motioning with his eyes at the back room and hoping she took the hint.
Julianna turned her head to the side. Her eyes widened after a quick second of listening. “There’s a struggle happening. We’re going in.” She shot around the old woman and sprinted for the back, with Eddie right behind her.
“Copy that,” said Lars over the comm.
“You can’t go back there,” the woman yelled after them.
“Stay on alert,” said Eddie to the two in position.
The back was dark and lined tightly with shelving. A single light shined over a main workstation, which was near the farthest wall. Slumped over one of the desks was a gray-haired man wearing a thick sweater, blood puddling under his mouth.
Julianna pulled her gun from her waistband, eyes alert, and Eddie did the same.
She backed up, scanning the darkened space, and with one hand she felt for Deacon Flick’s pulse. After a moment, her gaze connected with Eddie and she shook her head. He was dead.
Felix had beaten them to it again.
Eddie began to open his mouth to speak, when suddenly something rustled behind the farthest shelf. Whoever had killed Deacon Flick was still there.
Chapter Seventeen
Deck Twelve, Onyx Station, Paladin System
Lars tightened his fingers around the mop in his hands as he stared around the busy lane. There were many races filing by. He felt awful that he was profiling, looking for Trid and Kezzin, but the fact remained that those were the races who would be working for the Brotherhood.
Knox shot him a tentative look from his position at the top of the ladder, from which he could see farther and spot any oncoming attacks. He pressed his chin into his chest and over the comm he said, “Carnivore, I’ve identified three Brotherhood soldiers at your three o’clock, approaching fast.”
Lars pressed his boot down on the mop head and yanked the handle off as a loud commotion broke out down the lane. The crowd parted as the three Brotherhood soldiers pushed through, their gazes focused on the appliance store. They had to have been alerted to Julianna and Eddie’s presence, so their people were in there.
Knox started down the ladder, still holding the bulb he’d changed out—or pretended to.
The Brotherhood soldiers charged, taking no notice of either Knox or Lars, and when they were next to the ladder Knox dropped the bulb. It shattered on the ground, and they jumped backward. They looked up, disgust written on their faces.
“Hey there!” yelled one of the soldiers.
“Oops,” said Knox, holding up his hands.
The soldiers started forward again, and Knox picked up the toolbox balanced on the top of the ladder and turned it upside down. Tools rained from above, knocking two of the soldiers on the head, and they stumbled away.
“You!” yelled the one who was still standing.
“Oops,” said Knox again, a coy look on his face.
Lars almost laughed. He liked this Knox character.
The soldier charged for the ladder, but Lars raised the handle that had been connected to the mop and slammed it across the male’s chest, knocking him back.
The other soldiers had recovered and scrambled to their feet so Lars tried his best to intimidate them, brandishing the handle and spinning it through his hands like a baton. This gave the soldiers pause, but only for a moment. They whipped out guns, which made everyone nearby panic and retreat immediately. The authorities would be called now. They needed to get out of there before this caused too much attention.
Lar swung the staff at the soldiers again, and when they jumped backward he brought the handle down hard to knock the gun out of one of the males’ hands.
Knox clambered to the ground to go after the gun, but the Brotherhood soldier dove for the ladder and knocked it over. Knox fell straight to the ground, a crack punctuating his landing.
Lars dropped the handle and pulled his own gun from where it was strapped to his ankle, aiming it at the solider with the gun, who by this time had swung around and aimed at him. The other solider was trapped under the ladder, and was scrambling to get out. Knox lay on the ground, grimacing as he reached for the gun only inches away. He got to it just in time, aiming it in turn at each of his opponents.
“Put it down,” Lars ordered the Brotherhood soldier in front of him. There was a real fear in the male’s eyes as he looked at his pinned buddy and then back at Lars. Then he sprinted straight down the lane, quickly getting lost in the crowd of onlookers, and Lars lowered his weapon, cursing beneath his breath.
Julianna wordlessly motioned to the right side of the shelves.
Eddie nodded, going to the left. They were almost to the shelf when it rocked forward an inch and then back, then crashed to the floor in front of them. Eddie shot backward out of the trajectory of the objects flying from the shelf as dust exploded and covered the room in a cloud. He lifted his gun, but couldn’t see much through the haze.
“What’s going on?” yelled the old woman.
Someone grabbed Eddie around his neck from behind and he grasped the arms, falling to his knees and flipping the large Brotherhood soldier over his back and straight to the ground. From the sound of it, Julianna was battling someone too.
The guy pushed to his feet and ran for the exit.
“We’ve got a runner,” said Eddie over the comm.
“Two down out here,” returned Lars.
Julianna fired and something fell to the ground.
Eddie sprinted after the fleeing soldier and when he was almost to the door at the front of the shop he dove and caught the Kezzin around the waist. The soldier fell hard, Eddie on his back.
The old woman screamed somewhere behind them, then picked up an appliance and threw it at them. The Kezzin rolled over, kicking at Eddie as he tried to get to his feet.
“Bad people! No!” yelled the woman from the side of the shop. When she picked up a toaster and launched it at them Eddie ducked, shielding his face with his arm.
She picked up a small TV and threw that too. It exploded, sending parts in all directions.
The Kezzin dashed for the door and Eddie took off after him, but a radio crashed into his back and knocked him to the side. The Kezzin flew through the door and slammed it behind him as Eddie went after him, but a hair dryer smashed into the closed door.
“I caught the one who just ran out!” barked Lars over the comm.
Eddie halted, bending over and taking a breath. He held up his hand to the woman who had a breadmaker over her head in both hands, about to throw it too.
“Don’t. I’m not the bad man,”
said Eddie.
Julianna ran to the front of the shop and looked around at the destruction. There was a question in her eyes as she eyed Eddie.
“I’m fine,” he said in answer. “You?”
“I had to take that Kezzin out. No choice,” said Julianna.
“OK,” he said to Julianna. “We’ll have someone come in and clean up this mess,” said Eddie to the old woman. She still had the breadmaker in her hands, but didn’t look as bent on throwing it.
The woman nodded, uncertainty and confusion in her eyes as she slowly lowered her arms.
Julianna steered the woman to the very front of the shop. “Stay up here. Someone will come to take away these males.”
“Deacon… Is he?” The woman’s question hung in the air.
“Yes, I’m afraid so. I’m sorry,” said Julianna with rare sensitivity in her voice.
The woman nodded, her eyes on the floor, which was now littered with broken appliances. “I didn’t think those Kezzin were customers, actually.”
“Can you tell us anything about the work Deacon did away from this shop?” asked Julianna.
The woman brought her startled eyes up to Julianna’s face. “Deacon didn’t do any work away from the shop.”
Julianna nodded. The woman didn’t know anything. Deacon had kept this employee in the dark.
“Got the Brotherhood soldiers secured out here, but we need to get Knox to the infirmary,” said Lars over the comm.
Eddie’s eyes shot to the door, but he couldn’t really make out much through the murky glass. “What’s wrong with Knox?”
“He’s fine, but it appears he’s broken his foot,” said Lars.
“First you were shot, and now you’ve broken your foot,” said Eddie over the commotion in the bar. “Sure you want to stay on our team?”
Lars and Eddie had carried Knox to the infirmary while Julianna supervised the cleanup of the shop. They couldn’t let anyone realize that the Federation—and Ghost Squadron specifically—had had anything to do with this, which meant there could be no evidence of their involvement.
An hour later Eddie had contacted her and said that Knox was all set, with orders from the doctor to stay off the foot and rest up. Then he’d told her to meet them at the Honky Tonk Bar on Deck Thirty. When Julianna had questioned the decision, Teach had stated that it would cheer Knox up. The guy indeed had a wide grin on his face as he polished off his second beer.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily. I don’t care if I break every bone in my body. I wanna be a part of this team. I wanna do what you all do,” said Knox.
Eddie, smiling, brought his mug of beer to his mouth. “Well, good. You did a damn good job today. You both did.”
“Felix was one step ahead of us again,” said Julianna, taking a sip. It burned her throat, but went down easy enough. They had the good stuff on Onyx.
“That fucker took out his own scientist!” said Eddie.
“What kind of person does that?” asked Lars.
“I have a feeling we’re going to find out many despicable things about Felix Castile,” said Eddie.
The commotion in the center of the bar, which resembled the inside of a barn, got louder. A ring had been framed in the main area and a mechanical bull stood in the center of its padded floor.
A man pushed up from the ground, having just been bucked off.
“Jules, you want to ride the bull first or shall I?” asked Eddie.
“I’m not riding it at all,” said Julianna.
“But it will cheer Knox up! He broke his foot. Don’t you want to make him feel better?” asked Eddie.
Julianna looked at Knox.
“It’s true, Commander,” he said. “I can’t think of anything that would make me happier than watching you two tackle the bull. We never got a chance to do any real cowboy stuff in Gun Barrel.”
“I ate a bunch of sand. Does that count?” asked Eddie.
“It doesn’t,” said Julianna. “How about whoever loses a bet on the Captain rides?”
Eddie pushed to his feet and puffed his chest out. “Fine with me, as long as there’s a double show.”
Julianna looked at Lars, who was grinning. “Lars, what do you think?”
“I’m game for that. I think he’ll make it eight seconds on the first round,” said Lars.
Julianna set her glass down. “I bet on six seconds.”
“You both disappoint me greatly, but the loser is up next,” said Eddie, grabbing the beer and chugging the rest. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, then smacked his chest. “Get ready to be impressed! And remember, loser goes next.” Eddie smirked as he walked toward the bull.
They watched Eddie as he headed off to sign up for the event, then Knox turned to Lars with a smirk on his face. “You and the Commander bet on the Captain often?”
Lars shifted his gaze to Julianna, who was watching Eddie throw his leg over the bull’s side. Lars nodded. “So far I’ve won all the rounds.”
Julianna tilted her head in Eddie’s direction. “Yeah, but this time the win is mine. Be prepared to ride that bull.”
“You seem confident, Commander,” said Lars, curious.
Her drink in her hand, Julianna pointed at Eddie with her pinky. “Teach is wearing slacks that aren’t at all flexible, not to mention those loafers are pinching his feet. I said six seconds, but he’ll be lucky to make it that long.”
“Lowest bid wins, then,” said Lars, shaking his head with disappointment. He should have considered those factors.
“Captain should have dressed in his cowboy getup like on Gun Barrel,” said Knox, who was enjoying himself immensely. Maybe it was the beer mixing with the painkillers, or maybe it was just being around the team.
Lars could relate. His life had significantly improved since joining Ghost Squadron. He missed his family, but now his life had real purpose for what might have been the first time. He had direction.
“If I don’t see Teach in a cowboy hat again for the rest of my life it will be too soon,” said Julianna, then stood and stretched. In her pants suit she looked dainty, maybe even like an actual vulnerable human, but Lars knew that wasn’t at all accurate—appearances were indeed deceiving in her case. “I’m going to get another round. You guys in?”
Both nodded.
When Julianna had left Lars looked at Knox tentatively. There was something he’d been meaning to say since he met the guy, but he didn’t really know how. “I’m sorry about your people at Defiance,” he finally got out.
Knox swiveled his gaze up to look at Lars, and then away. He touched the side of his glass, then ran his finger through the condensation. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“I know they were killed by the Brotherhood, and…”
“The Captain said you used to be one of them, but things changed,” said Knox after a moment.
“I was forced to be one of them. That’s what you should have been told. Not all of them are bad. Many are enslaved, like I was,” explained Lars.
Knox drew more designs in the condensation on his glass. “Even if I was forced I wouldn’t shoot innocent people, not like what they did to the guys and Mateo.”
“I agree,” said Lars. “I don’t think I would either, but it’s hard to say what people will do sometimes. The Brotherhood used to tell us that aliens were evil, particularly the Federation. They lied constantly, and those lies mostly worked on the younger generation. I’m old enough to remember when the Kezzin people were better than that. That’s why I’m here and not working for the Brotherhood anymore.” He took a long, quiet breath. “I work for the universe. However, this silent war isn’t black and white, even if we want it to be. People aren’t always good or bad. Most of the time we’re just gray. Everyone is motivated by different things. Maybe some of those Brotherhood soldiers have families, and if they don’t comply then they’ll be killed.”
Knox pushed out his lips, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. It’s ha
rd not to hate the people who killed Mateo and Axel, though. I don’t think I could ever forgive them, especially Felix Castile.”
Lars knew exactly how conflicted emotions confused things. “I know how you feel, but that’s why you’re here, right? To make a difference, and to stop the Brotherhood and Felix?”
Knox nodded. “Did they kill your family?”
Lars swallowed. He couldn’t even fathom such a thing. “No, but they separated us. Pulled me away. All I can think about now is getting back to them and making sure they are all right, but I can’t do that yet. I need to know that they will be protected in the future, and that starts with Ghost Squadron.”
“You speak with a lot of passion,” observed Knox.
Lars almost smiled at this. He’d always thought of himself as simmering with passion, but it had never come out of him until now. “War brings out the best in some, and the worst in others. I’m hoping that all this has made me a better person, not a worse one.”
“Seems like it has,” said Knox as Julianna returned with four drinks in her hands.
“Looks like it’s almost show time,” said Julianna, pointing to Eddie. He’d already received the full rundown and signed a waiver. When he held up one hand the crowd around the bull boomed, many of them throwing cowboy hats over their heads.
“Oh, this is going to be good,” said Lars, leaning back in his seat and watching eagerly.
Eddie’s other hand had been tied tightly to a handle on the saddle. The mechanical bull tilted forward, and he compensated by leaning back.
So far so good, but that’s not going to last, thought Julianna.
The bull spun to the side, and then flew backward. Eddie rocked back and forth, clenching his legs to the machine’s sides. His shiny loafer slipped just as the bull rocked forward, swerving at the same time. He slid to the side, hand still attached but both legs on one side of the bull, and the contraption picked up intensity, continuing to buck.