<
“Engineered?”
<
“Laser wounds on his…chest.”
<
To her right, not five meters away, were four of the plants. “I’ve got them.”
<
Tara did as Lucille recommended. The blossom came apart easily in her hands, and she carefully placed the petals into the fist-sized wound on Tirr’s upper body. Almost immediately, his breathing slowed precipitously, but it continued at regular intervals of about twenty seconds.
“Now what, Lucille?” Tara yelled over to the CASPer.
<
“What about—”
A sudden rush in the canopy above her caught Tara’s attention. A swirling mass of black bird-things careened through the jungle in the direction Raleigh had fled, and Jessica had followed.
Tara stood and watched the things scream through the jungle. She looked back at Tirr’s still form and knelt again to wait with him. There was nothing she could do for Jessica, except to have faith that all would be well.
* * *
Following the thrashing branches and plants ahead, Jessica ran after Raleigh Reilly. He continued to drift toward more open jungle as they ran. Jessica had seen much of the area on her return in Deathangel 25, and she knew that following Raleigh at his breakneck pace would be a tactical mistake. Even in his addled state, he’d recognize that he held a few seconds of precious lead time over her and stop, turn around, and wait for her to come running out of the jungle behind him.
Jessica danced around a large tree and continued on the drifting course. With any luck, she’d come out of the jungle away from Raleigh’s line of march and be able to bring a weapon on him. Another large tree loomed ahead, and she ducked under low branches, continuing to drift away from Raleigh’s path.
A little more to the—
A searing bolt of pain shot through her left thigh as the crisp smell of singed composite cloth reached her nostrils. She stumbled and crashed into a tree. The laser had ripped a chunk of skin out of her thigh, but it wasn’t bad, and the laser had cauterized most of the skin damage. She could keep moving. The wound hurt, but she pushed off the tree trunk with her one good arm and ran, cutting back more toward Raleigh’s path. The vegetation thinned considerably within the first fifty or so meters. The forested clearing was no more than a hundred meters away. As she ran, Jessica drew her pistol and ensured it was ready to fire. Looking up, she realized in a flash she’d miscalculated the distance to the clearing, and she’d break through the brush at full speed before she could stop. Up came the pistol to a one-handed firing position as she jumped through the brush and scanned the sudden clearing, with its chest high grasses, for a target. There was none.
Jessica held her position. At first, she scanned the grasses for signs of movement. If Raleigh was hunched over or even low-crawling through them, there would be movement. There was none.
He’s not that good.
That left option two. He was concealed in the brush around her, and she couldn’t see him. Without Lucille, seeing outside the visible bands of light was impossible. That he’d not turned and fired at her meant he was frozen in place and not looking, or he was waiting for her to make the first move. Jessica remained perfectly still, the pistol in a relaxed firing position. The temptation to call his name and demand his surrender died on her tongue. If he couldn’t see her, her voice would give him a relative position, and any advantage she had would pass to him.
A flash of movement in the grass ahead to the right of her caused her to react by going to the ground. Two laser bolts tore through the air where her chest had been. She came up from the grass slowly, trying to maintain as much concealment as she could. As she did, she saw the unmistakable form of Raleigh Reilly running headlong away from her though the grass toward the other side of the kilometer-wide clearing. She watched him run, not believing she could catch him with her injured thigh, but then he stumbled and fell.
When he came up, a single Urrtam swooped down from the upper canopy like a dive-bomber and clipped the side of his head. She heard him scream incoherently and fire his pistol erratically as it climbed away. Raleigh fired bolt after bolt, finally hitting the bird-thing. Jessica heard a rush in the trees above her and looked up to find a cloud of the things. Her knees trembled for a second when she realized she was as much a target as Raleigh was in the clearing, but they didn’t seem the least bit interested in her.
More of the birds harassed Raleigh. She started toward him at a jog, and then sped up as the sky was blotted out by the things. As she closed the distance, the bird-things swarmed up into a hovering cloud, and then higher still, into the lower branches of the upper canopy. Raleigh stared incredulously at them and caught sight of her. His pistol came around toward her.
Jessica’s pistol was already aimed, and she squeezed off two quick shots. Both tore into Raleigh’s right arm. His pistol flew harmlessly into the grass, and he howled in pain. The bird-things roared a surreal approval from their perch. Jessica kept her pistol on his chest and closed to ten meters before stopping.
“This is it, huh?” Raleigh clutched his arm across his chest and shook his head. “You’re going to kill a fellow human being for lawfully carrying out a contract validated at the guild level, Peacemaker? That how much of a traitor you are?”
“I’m no traitor, Raleigh,” Jessica said. “I’m a human being, just like you. I was a mercenary first, and I am a Peacemaker now. I’ve lost too many friends fighting wars for others. None of that matters. What matters is that you are a human being and a mercenary company commander, and you knew better than to accept a contract like this. You knew better than to come to an alien world with orders to kill every living thing. You knew better than to hold a child against its will for the sake of profit. A human being knows the difference between right and wrong. You stopped being a human being when you became a whore for profit.”
Raleigh laughed at her. “A whore for profit? Oh, that’s good. Reminds me of your old man, Jessica. I’m sure he’s left you a fucking, amazing nest egg collected from the blood of thousands of human mercenaries. If anyone in this conversation is a whore, it’s you. You’ve sold out humanity for that little platinum shield on your chest.”
“Bullshit, Raleigh.” Jessica shook her head and smiled. “As a Peacemaker, I’m in a position to help humanity. But my job is much harder with pus-filled, bleeding sores like you representing our species in all the wrong ways.”
Raleigh scowled. Clutching his injured arm, he stuck his left wrist out to her. “Then take me in, Peacemaker. Try this matter in a court, and the Mercenary Guild wins. You know the outcome. The contract was valid. All they wanted was someone to take it.”
“They wanted a human, Raleigh. One dumb enough to think he could get away with it.”
For the first time, she noticed that his matted, black hair was bloody. The bird-things knew what they wanted. As tempting as it was to pull the trigger and end the discussion, Jessica wouldn’t do it. Murdering an unarmed suspect was beneath a Peacemaker, even if it was justified. Having the ability to bring violence and death upon anyone in the galaxy was the Peacemaker’s most defining and challenging code. She lowered her weapon and holstered it.
“This ends now, Raleigh.”
He laughed. “You
think you’re so much better than humanity, don’t you? That in this war no one is going to come after you. That the price on your head isn’t going to grow large enough so even your friends, like Tara Mason, will salivate at the chance to end your pathetic life. You can’t be better than everyone, Peacemaker Francis.”
“You’re right, Raleigh. But it means more than just being a better human, by the way. It’s being a better citizen of the Union. You can’t change the fact that humanity isn’t alone in the galaxy, nor that we aren’t the most powerful.” Jessica looked up at the bird-things in the trees for a moment, then brought her eyes back down. She stared intently at Raleigh. As she did, the unmistakable forms of more than thirty TriRusk on the far side of the clearing appeared like apparitions in the forest. In their center, Jessica saw Nurr watching her intently.
“What do you know of power, Jessica? What do you know about being a better citizen of the Union?”
Jessica stared at him for a long moment. “Power is all about not having to use it until there’s no other viable course of action. As for being a better citizen of the Union? I’m getting there. But right now, all I need to be is better than you.”
She turned and walked away. The Urrtam squawked to life. After ten steps, Raleigh sputtered to life. “You’re not taking me in?”
“No, Raleigh. It was a valid contract, remember?”
The bird-things left their perch and moved en masse toward Raleigh. For a brief moment, Jessica thought they would come for her, but they didn’t. Apparently, the Urrtam had learned their lesson.
Raleigh screamed at her. “They’re gonna kill me!”
She looked over her shoulder. “That’s the thing about justice, Raleigh. Sometimes it doesn’t take a Peacemaker.”
The cloud of bird-things swirled and swarmed, descending on Raleigh like a thunderbolt. His screams echoed for a moment before the bird-things roared in approval and fed. Jessica looked past the cloud and saw the group of TriRusk had vanished, save for Nurr. They locked eyes from eight hundred meters apart as clearly as if she stood next to the TriRusk leader.
Nurr bowed her head and held it there for a few seconds before turning away.
Jessica turned toward her friends and didn’t look back. There was no sense of relief, no celebratory pause, or anything of the sort. Tirr was wounded, as was Kurrang’s daughter. What mattered most wasn’t the procedures she would need to follow before her guild arrived to pick up the pieces. What mattered now were her friends and allies. What mattered now was everything right about being a Peacemaker.
* * * * *
Chapter Thirty-Three
Dryod Four
Peacemaker Barracks
Hak-Chet strode into the Guild Master’s chambers carrying a slate bearing the notification they’d been waiting to receive. They’d come through the gate only an hour before to have it waiting in their message loads. He’d read the transmission, of course, and while he was cautiously optimistic about Rsach’s reaction, the Guild Master seemed more and more thoughtful in recent weeks. As reports of violence and unrest circulated around the galaxy, and the other guilds wrangled out treaties and rattled their sabers, the role of the Peacemaker Guild grew far more urgent.
“You’ve read it?” Rsach stood with his curving back to the Selector. An open personal crate lay across a bench, and it was clear Rsach was preparing to travel.
Hak-Chet replied slowly, “Every word. Are you planning on going someplace?”
Rsach chuckled. “I’ve read the report, old friend. I’m going there, myself.”
“I’m not surprised.” Hak-Chet walked forward to stand at his friend’s side. “She’s uncovered much more than we feared.”
“You sound surprised.” Rsach laughed and brushed his friend’s shoulder with many of his arms. “It would have been uncovered eventually. Jessica, as usual, sped up our timeline.”
“You’re planning to move forward? The plan for the Council seat?”
“Not yet,” Rsach said. “Nor do I want Jessica considered to be an Enforcer. Besides, I doubt her physique could handle it. I have a plan for her, Selector. One I think you’ll approve of. It’s time we looked deeper into the affairs of others. There is no doubt the code written into those CASPers, identified in the wreckage of both Intergalactic Haulers and Reilly’s Raiders, came from the Mercenary Guild. They’ve disavowed knowledge of that subject, as well as any knowledge of the presence of a sniper hired under their contracts division.”
Hak-Chet snorted. “Of course they did. They’ve placed the burden of proof on us. We have the ability to follow the intelligence where it leads, and when it does, we’ll have the leverage to face them.”
“Or not,” Rsach said and walked to the wide window overlooking the Ocean of Storms. He’d spent too much time on Luna in recent years, overseeing the addition of the human race to the Union. As a species, they’d done about as well as he’d expected, but there were individuals in their mercenary forces and in the general citizenry who exemplified what it meant to be human, none more so than Jessica Francis. “She’s proven my theory.”
Hak-Chet grinned a sideways Sidar grin. “The human phrase you’re expecting is ‘I told you so.’ And I did, if you’ll recall. That she’s managed to convince you is another accomplishment I will never let you live down.”
Rsach chuckled, but his dark eyes were serious. “She’s managed to convince the TriRusk to consider returning to the Union. They’re some of the best fighters and best minds we’ve seen. That’s not insignificant, old friend. Add to that her befriending a small faction of MinSha? Unheard of. This is perhaps our best chance to build upon a renewed faith in humanity, before the entire galaxy goes to war.”
“You believe, then, she can win the hearts and minds of the sentient species?”
Rsach turned on him. “Of course not! History has proven that stratagem to be worthless on a thousand planets, Hak-Chet. It’s time we use Jessica in a way she’s earned, but not in a way she’ll enjoy. She is the most logical choice to represent the guild and determine how deep the rivers of deceit run.”
“You’re sending her—”
“Yes, I am.” Rsach said. “I’m going to Weqq to bring the TriRusk into the Union again; that’s the official statement. I’m also telling Jessica face-to-face. There will be no communications about this—not even among the council.”
Hak-Chet rubbed his elongated chin with a gnarled hand. “She is the most logical choice, and it would give her some separation from combat and keep her out of the Mercenary Guild’s aim.”
“Jessica may be the best Peacemaker I’ve seen in my life, Hak-Chet. I do not say those words lightly, but she must see the universe and gain an understanding beyond the sights of her laser rifle. If every situation called for combat, I would send her every time. But right now, our greatest threat comes from those who would profit from all-out war besides the guilds. Those willing to do anything for survival.”
“You’re sending fire to meet with oxygen, Master Rsach. You understand that, I trust?”
Rsach nodded and looked at his oldest friend for a long moment before speaking. “They want to burn the galaxy to the ground for their riches? What is it the humans say? Fight fire with fire?”
* * *
Weqq
MinSha Compound
When the Peacemaker Guild’s quick reaction force arrived fourteen days after Raleigh’s defeat, they helped collect and document the last of the evidence at the MinSha compound and the sniper’s nest, and they took statements from the surviving MinSha. Kurrang and Maarg also gave statements, but the TriRusk council of elders wouldn’t speak with Jessica or any of the team leaders. Fifteen of the Raiders survived and were given the best medical treatment possible by the MinSha, but they refused to give statements and demanded the assistance of barristers.
As a party to the events, Jessica was sequestered in her quarters and restricted to only speaking to the investigators when summoned. For three days of the investigation, she
gave her statement multiple times and went through the events of the human attacks and her own actions until her emotions were raw. Even the news that Lucille had discovered the software had only been planted in the CASPers of Intergalactic Haulers and Reilly’s Raiders failed to brighten her spirits. The loss of CASPers likely meant her father was dead somewhere in the void. Bouncing between rage and despair, Jessica’s exhaustion caught up with her. During a break in the eighth day of interrogations, Jessica slept.
The door slid open and Jessica groggily rolled over. It can’t be time again, already. I just got to sleep.
Whoever it was stood at the door waiting. She hadn’t heard them take a step, unlike the guards, who seemed to burst in at every inopportune moment. “What do you want?” she asked without opening her eyes.
“I was hoping to have a few moments of your time, Peacemaker.” The voice was unmistakable, and Jessica opened her eyes, sucked in a shocked breath, and shot to her feet.
“Guild Master Rsach.” Jessica bowed her chin to her chest. “My apologies. This…investigation has taken a lot out of me. More than I’d realized.”
“Your tone is forgiven, Jessica. Investigations like this are few and far between, but they are meant to determine absolute truth and set the course for future discussions.” Rsach swept into the room with his many limbs and fluid body swirling. The Jeha looked at her for a long moment. “I am to understand you’ve seen the medicinal products on this planet firsthand?”
Jessica nodded. “I have.”
“The MinSha have many secrets. This development was long suspected but never proven, until now. I take it you did not learn from them directly?”
“No. Kurrang, the TriRusk who assisted me, treated a wound on my leg, and I experienced the effects firsthand.” Jessica sighed. “This kind of biological experimentation is priceless.”
“Given the current state of the Union, I am inclined to agree. It also plays into concerns being raised about the MinSha and their intentions. For a species that hasn’t thought much of humans, you’ve certainly changed the local line of thinking. That is a good thing, Jessica.” Rsach moved to a bench across the room and sat down. He motioned for her to do the same, and she sat on the edge of her small bed. “The Raiders’ contract was valid and specifically required genocide. You were aware of this?”
Honor the Threat (The Revelations Cycle Book 12) Page 36