“I think the old guy is on the up and up,” Shawna added. “Most of your people look down their noses at us. They sneer and talk down at us like we are something stuck on the bottom of their shoe.”
“What does that have to do with this situation?” Taz asked.
“He isn’t like that. I’ve talked to him at least three times while we waited on you two and he was polite. It was genuine, not fake or forced.”
“I agree with Shawna. You have to remember this type of warfare can be slower, and now the element of surprise is gone so all you can do is attack, retreat and do it over again. That takes time, unless you park right on top of them and just go head to head until one or both are fubar or destroyed.”
The door slid open; Zora, Mira and Dela’maah filed in and spread out behind us.
“We will rendezvous with the admiral soon. Then we do whatever is necessary to remove the presence of the Khalnalax from our empire,” Taz said, addressing the room. “With the addition of the Privateers, there is no way they can stand up to us.”
“Your navy has plenty of ships without us being involved,” I said and knew immediately it was the wrong thing to say. She studied my face.
“Before we destroy the battleship, I want your Privateers to board and take the officers in command as prisoners. Then back on Xanlos I will execute them publicly along with any of my government who have sided with the enemy.”
“Sure, no problem. We will get right on that.”
“You gave your word,” Zora said. “You put your Privateers at her disposal.”
“I did. There will be more to the plan than that, so pipe down. Being at her disposal and being put in the disposal are two different things. I’ll discuss it with the admiral.”
“I believe Captain Kimit would be happy to help, Benjamin,” Nedra said.
“Yeah, and the marines mech unit from the Warhammer,” I said, although not confidently.
“You may want to keep them as far away from you as possible,” Shawna added. “You know they have a grudge from your last visit.”
“They can take their grudge out on the Khalnalax.”
“The admiral is on the horn.”
“Shawna, put him on the big screen,” Taz answered for me.
The admiral must have been calling from a private location. He was the only one present and his eyes never left us. Had someone else been in the room, his eyes would have probably given it away.
Taz’s sudden stiff demeanor matched her tone. “Admiral, we have many things to discuss. I will be arriving shortly to brief you, then there will be no more time wasted sitting idly by.”
I could tell the admiral didn’t expect the conversation to start that way. “It is good to see you alive and safe, My Queen.” I think Taz sucked the happiness from him. His statement felt flat.
“Thank you. It has been a grueling ordeal, but it is over now.”
“My Queen, if I may, I would prefer to come to you. With your permission, my pilot and I will depart immediately.”
“I don’t think that—”
“That will fine, Admiral,” I said. “Claymore out.” Shawna cut the call, hearing my answer.
“Why do we waste time having him come here?” she asked, her tone frosty.
“Zora, maybe you can figure out why and explain it to her.”
“He has a spy within his command,” Zora answered. “He can speak freely here without his plans being exposed to the enemy.”
“Plus, he is coming alone, which says he doesn’t have a clue who or where. Zora, do you have an operative on his ship?” I asked, not breaking eye contact. She didn’t answer or flinch, and I wasn’t sure she was even breathing. “If by chance you do, could you make contact after we meet with the admiral? We need to locate and plug the leak . . . permanently.”
“If I don’t have an operative on the admiral’s ship?”
“Either way, I already have an idea to smoke ‘em out. It will take Genius a little time getting set up, but should produce quick results. Shawna, twenty minutes after the admiral arrives, get all the captains on the comm.”
****
I could hear laughter as I pushed the door open and stepped into the hold. I was almost laughing myself, but for a different reason. Zuri heard the same thing and pushed me aside, trotting over to the crew who sat or stood around a small cargo container. Angel paused, looking up from her cards. Adam had his back to us while Snake, Genius and Ronnie didn’t even look up from their hands. Harry and Mira were standing, watching with interest for the next play. Snake moved and I heard a clink as something metallic hit the makeshift table.
Zuri pushed with her head, then shoulders, squeezing between Harry and Mira to watch. Harry patted her head while Mira reached up and scratched her neck. Someone was getting spoiled; I wasn’t sure when that started happening. Taz, Zora and Dela’maah were a couple steps behind me. Deireadh informed me that for most of the walk to the hold Taz had frowned at the fact that Zuri walked beside me, not giving up the spot. I did have two sides and the corridor was wide enough most of the way for six people to walk arm in arm, but somehow that didn’t matter to Taz.
Genius looked up once we were closer to the game. He locked eyes with Zora and smiled. Taz paused next to me on one side while Dela’maah stood on the other. Zora walked over and stood behind Genius. Ronnie’s arm shot out; the clinking sound her bet made said she raised.
“Aw, what the hell? You’re bluffing,” Snake yelled, throwing down his cards and pushing back from the table. Everyone had something in a pile or stack in front of them but Snake. He was lucky they weren’t playing for credits. Although he probably had twice what everyone else had on record. He never bought anything anywhere . . . including soap.
“Harry, Mira, Dela, I need to talk to you,” I said and walked away from everyone. “Zuri, come.” Taz remained where she stood but followed with her eyes. “The Cjittan Admiral is due here in about eight minutes.”
“You want us on guard detail?” Mira asked.
“No, this might be more fun. Dela, these two can probably handle this just fine, but you’re going along just in case they need two more hands.”
“We going to search the admiral’s shuttle?”
“No, Mira, this is a snatch and grab,” I said, playing on her excitement.
Dela was giving me a dirty look. “How many guards will he have?”
“None. Go back over to the card game and watch just like you were doing before I called you over here. When I give the signal, you grab him.”
“Sounds too easy. I’m confused.”
“Me too,” Harry said.
“Why would you do this?”
“Because he stinks and hasn’t showered in a month. You three are going to put Snake in the shower and not come out until he is clean.”
Mira punched me and Harry rolled his eyes. Seemed backward, but I was glad it was. Getting punched by Harry, even a friendly one, could put you down. Dela was still confused, but she hadn’t got close enough to Snake to understand.
“You’re authorized to use force as necessary, or, if he is just too out of hand, stun him. Commence operation washing the Snake.”
We walked back to our places around the card game. Taz gave Dela and me the eye. “I’ll tell you in a minute,” I said.
Snake was in the process of trying to get someone to loan him some chips. Not having any luck, he got mad and stood up. I nodded to Harry, who stepped in behind him and wrapped four arms around his chest and waist, dragging him back from the table. Mira grabbed his legs and they were off to the shower, Dela bringing up the rear. The game came to a halt. Everyone was stunned or confused. Zuri followed the trio of kidnappers.
I sat down on the small crate Snake had just vacated. “The Cjittan Admiral will be here in about two minutes, so you need to wrap this up. Genius, I’m going to want you with us. Adam, can you put together a selection of beverages and food and bring them to the conference room? Angel, keep an eye on the shuttle. The
pilot is allowed in the hold but nowhere else without an escort.”
“What about the others?” Angel asked.
“Ronnie should hang around just in case her medical skills are needed.” Snake had been yelling the whole time but now it seemed there were other angry voices coming from the shower.
“You think this was a good idea?” Ronnie asked.
“No, I think the rest of you should have done something like this weeks ago. It’s partly my fault because you’ve all been focused on my problems, trying to tighten up that loose screw in my head. We are all we’ve got out here. If someone stops eating or sleeping, bathing or talking, you have to do something, even if it turns out to be the wrong thing. Doing nothing is always the wrong thing. Anyway, if you want to leave your cards, you can pick up the game later.”
The force field went up and the ramp began opening. A sleek shuttle entered the hold and landed, powering down. The side door opened and stairs extended, stopping on the deck. Unlike so many of the Cjittan, he wore his hair cut short. His slender frame displayed no excess weight and his uniform was pristine. The only thing that looked out of place was his face. Taz had set the tone earlier and the man looked worried. Sounds of conflict could be heard coming from the showers. Snake’s talent with obscenities rang clear, which meant he was losing the battle.
The admiral hesitated just enough that I noticed as he walked toward us.
“Sounds like a torture chamber, doesn’t it?” I asked. Taz hit me with the back of her hand. Judging by a growl and a yelp from Snake, Zuri entered the shower fray. When this mess of a war was over with, I needed to spend some time on the Generations ship and see what else I could find. Imelda needed a planet to retire on with her game preserve.
“Come this way, Admiral,” Taz said. “We have a quiet room set up with refreshments where we can discuss things without interruption.”
Zuri came out and shook off, aggravating Mira, who was following too close. She put her arms up in a fruitless effort to block the spray, jumped away and fell into step next to me grumbling.
“Snake is cooperating now that Zuri, in her own way, threatened to remove his manhood,” Mira explained. Taz and the admiral glanced back but kept walking. Zora and Genius walked behind Mira, Zuri and me. Zuri shook again. I had been wondering if she would. Mira cursed and backhanded her in the shoulder. I smirked at Mira. The admiral continued to look back every ten steps or so at Zuri. I couldn’t blame him. If I didn’t already know Zuri, I wouldn’t be too happy about her following me. Wait till he sees her in her armor.
We settled into the conference room and gave the admiral a little time to get his game face on. Zuri, for some reason only known to her, sat on the floor right between him and Taz. It was clear it made him nervous as hell and made me smile. Maybe she had some extra sense that allowed her to sniff out a lie, or she was just being a shit because she knew it made him nervous.
“The regent has slowly been aligning herself with the Khalnalax Empire,” he started out saying. “There has been a purging within the palace walls of anyone deemed loyal to Queen Tazleaha. Only a few high-ranking officials within our military have fully gone over to the regent’s faction. Most follow orders under protest and some, like myself, denounce her actions and follow no orders from the capitol.”
“How has this purging been carried out?” Taz asked. “Are they prisoners or were they removed from their position and set free? Tell me, Admiral, she didn’t execute them.”
“I only know many disappeared and have not been seen since. We can hope they are under lock and key.”
“At this point, there is nothing we can do about Xanlos. Tell us why you’re here?” I asked.
“While I haven’t figured out who or how, I am certain the regent placed spies on our ships, or more likely enlisted some of my crew to become spies.”
“Do you know if they replaced Zora yet?”
“Yes, sorry. I should have mentioned that position was one of the first to be filled. It is clear she wanted control of the Intelligence branch immediately.”
“Zora, it seems what we talked about comes down to loyalty now. If your spies are loyal to the regent, then we gain nothing and can be hurt by you making contact. We will have to set Genius up and get him in the system. We give the rat some cheese and see where it runs with it.”
“What does that mean?” Taz asked.
“It means you’re the cheese, love. We send Genius back with the admiral, who will set him up someplace private and he will do his magic. Once he is in the system, the admiral will link all his ships, giving Genius access to them. Then you will arrive with Zora and the admiral will make an announcement.”
“It should be big enough news; the spy or spies will do everything they can to get a message out,” Zora said.
“Exactly. The Claymore will be docked with your heavy and Taz and Zora will board and be taken to safety.”
“I have not agreed to that. I wish to stay on the flagship.”
“You make me crazy. You know that, right? I will compromise with you. We can stay until I say it’s time to go. Then you go. No bullshit, no backtalk.”
“I would take that deal, ladies,” Genius said. Zora locked eyes with him, then nodded.
“Yes, Queen Tazleaha, it is a prudent plan. Your safety is paramount.”
“Thank you, thank you, Admiral. The voice of reason,” I said. “And much better than the alternative. Are we all on the same page?” I watched Taz, who relented with a yes. Zora agreed at the same time.
“What is the alternative?” Cushda asked.
“I take her unconscious body over my shoulder and carry her off.” My tone was harsh. There would be no discussion or details. Taz knew I would.
“Moving on,” Taz said, giving me her best evil eye. “Admiral, your next attack needs to be unrelenting. You fight until one side can fight no more.”
“I have a number of eager marines, human and Allond, plus three ships full of ex-pirates who would love to board some ships. If you can get your people to knock some holes in the larger, more dangerous ships we will go in and do the rest.”
“You make this sound so simple a child could command the fleet,” Cushda said. He looked dejected.
“I’m just a grunt. A blunt instrument. Simple is what I do. My people and I, we fought so the Alliance could expand. Our leaders pointed and gave orders. Nobody held our hands and worried over us. It was dirty work, killing Allith and pirates, rebels and some who probably shouldn’t have been killed. You need to sharpen your knife and get close enough you can look them in the eye when dragging the blade across their throat. Then look for the next one and do the same.”
“Benjamin, Admiral Cushda would not understand. Many of the current officers of the Cjittan navy and army have never killed an enemy in battle. It has been hundreds of years since our last war.”
“I hope they are a quick study, because that’s exactly what I sent them to do down on the planet. Admiral, you still have the advantage in numbers, correct?”
“We still outnumber their ships, yes.”
“Has anything changed? Do the Khalnalax maintain the formation they were in when we arrived in-system?”
“In all the time we have been in-system, the battleship has not moved. The others have repositioned, but not enough to call it a change of tactics.”
“This guy is messing with you, stonewalling, bluffing, fucking with your head. Better yet, daring you to come at them. It’s time for you to get mean. You can’t keep dicking around until his reinforcements arrive. If you do, you’ll have no advantage and they will continue their conquest of your empire.”
“Has there been any contact with the enemy?” Taz asked.
“No. No demands have been issued.”
“Ok, this is my basic idea. Take it or leave it. We should hunt them in packs,” I said. “Five ships to a pack. My fleet will hunt the corvettes one at a time. You should put two light cruisers with three corvettes together. We have to forc
e them to move and keep them moving. Have the heavies following in pairs. Overwhelming firepower. When we’ve knocked their numbers down and left gaping holes in their formation, we go after their heavies, who won’t have any support ships. We will make a pass and keep targeting vital areas, then our heavies will pound the shit out of them. Let whoever is in command of the battleship watch as the fleet begins disappearing all around it.”
Lorelei walked in just as I finished explaining my idea. “The captains and Admiral Binda are all waiting on the comm. Are you ready?”
“Admiral, if you’re on board with my idea, you and our Admiral Binda should discuss the logistics. We’ll give my fleet orders first and get them moving, then yours, once we take care of your little problem with your personnel.”
“Shawna, we’re ready. Patch them through,” Lorelei said.
It was time to get all parties together, take the Khalnalax out of their comfort zone and destroy the blockade of planet Idaline. Also, that battleship would make a nice addition to the Privateers’ fleet. If we took it, I’d have to figure out how to make it disappear right under Taz’s nose.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The meeting with the captains would not be lengthy and it helped that I didn’t attend. I went back to the hold to check on Snake and the others after I made sure Genius had a live feed sent to my com. Snake was sitting on the same crate he occupied earlier, sulking. It was a combination of forced cleaning brought about by his laziness and no one loaning him anything to bet with. Zuri stayed in the meeting room, which I thought was odd. She lay next to the admiral, which was even odder, but like with all the females in my life, I wasn’t going to try to figure it out.
Deireadh allowed me to watch both the meeting and my friends. In the meeting, Zuri moved from the floor to a sitting position and used her muzzle to lift the admiral’s arm, sliding her head under it. Her head was as large as the width of his body. The admiral’s eyes were saucer sized, his body rigid. “I think she wants you to pay attention to her, Admiral,” Mira said. She had stayed to keep an eye on the hairy beast.
The Chronicles of Benjamin Jaminson: Empires At War (Book 5 Part Two) Page 32