Heart of Vengeance (Vigilante Book 1)

by Terry Mixon

  “How likely is someone to notice?” Fields asked.

  The woman shrugged. “Normal people would see nothing. A paranoid individual might have a dedicated monitor to track every action his system takes. Perhaps even one that makes sure the Trojan doesn’t even get a message back out.”

  Brad frowned. “Could you have the Trojan leave a trail we could track to the target? Perhaps that’s the smarter play. Just log the path as it goes without triggering a response.”

  “Sure. That’s not nearly as challenging.” The woman sounded disappointed.

  “How long will it take you to prepare?”

  That got her smile back. “Five minutes. I brought everything I need with me.”

  “Excellent. I’ll leave you and Dr. Keller to it, then.”

  “Use the table over against the bulkhead,” Fields said.

  Once the scientists were huddled over the transmitter, Fields fixed Falcone with a stare. “What do you have in mind?”

  The agent grinned. “They’re expecting to jump a heavy corvette. They’ll have enough force to make it happen fairly quickly. What if they accidently found themselves slugging it out with a Commonwealth cruiser?”

  “That would probably leave a mark,” the Fleet officer admitted. “So, you want us to plant the transmitter on our hull and walk into the ambush?”

  “It would be best if you masked your nature as much as you could. Then they’d commit and bad things would happen.”

  “Won’t they be suspicious when you come in alone?” Brad asked.

  The officer shook his head. “We won’t be. If we can mimic an unobservant heavy corvette, you can pretend to be a science ship. We’ll have our charges follow us at a sedate pace. They aren’t what the enemy is looking for, anyway. They’ll be safe enough.”

  “Do you think that will fool the slavers?” Brad asked uncertainly. “A cruiser is pretty big.”

  “We can mask some of our thermal signature. If a ship is transmitting the locator beacon for your ship, they’ll explain away any variances. By the time they realize they’ve made a colossal blunder, we’ll be all over them.”

  Brad wasn’t so sure this plan was going to work, but he was more than willing to give it a try. Freedom was in front of Heart, curving around Jupiter until the Io shipyards were in direct line of sight. Shortly after that, Io itself came into view.

  The science ship was dawdling way back. No one would see them until the lead ships were almost to the yards. If they got that far, there wouldn’t be an ambush.

  Falcone was with Fields on Freedom. That made her orders a bit more official, he supposed.

  “Four ships just detached from one of the outer facilities around the shipyard,” Jason said. “They’re boosting for us at high speed. I think there are two heavy corvettes and two light ones.”

  “Open a channel,” he said.

  By prearrangement, his signal was going tight-beam to Freedom, who would then retransmit it more widely. No one else would realize the bigger ship wasn’t the source. It would serve to reinforce the illusion that the slavers were dealing with Heart and a science ship.

  “Unknown vessels, this is the mercenary warship Heart of Vengeance. Identify yourselves, cut your acceleration, and change course.”

  They didn’t respond, so he repeated his warnings and threatened them with destruction. Then he cut the channel and let Freedom move ahead.

  The enemy ships actually launched torpedoes before Captain Fields went to full power and returned fire. He then declared his identity and demanded their surrender.

  By that time, the hostile ships were far too committed to escape. The cruiser’s broadside was more than the enemy could launch as a group, even before Heart joined the fray.

  The bloodlust was roiling inside him, but Brad forced it back down. He needed to be in control. There was a time and place for vengeance. This wasn’t it. One mistake could kill a lot of innocent people.

  “Jason, pick one of the enemy heavies and open fire. Keep the shipyard in mind. I don’t want any mass driver slugs coming near it or any innocent vessels in our area.”

  “Roger,” the man said, hunched over his console. “Firing.”

  Compared with the cruiser’s output, Heart was a lightweight, but that didn’t mean his ship was helpless. The heavy corvette he targeted was already sorely pressed, so the extra torpedoes came sailing through his defenses with devastating results.

  “Target destroyed. Moving to the other heavy. It looks like the lights are trying to break contact. No way they can get clear. We’re getting some return fire, but Freedom is still their primary target.”

  “Is Freedom in danger?”

  “Negative. Their defenses are handling everything the slavers are throwing.”

  “We’re being hailed by Io Security,” Shelly said. “They’re demanding everyone stop shooting. Shall I respond?”

  Brad shook his head. “No. Let Freedom take the lead on that.”

  “The heavy is maneuvering to bring Heart between them and Freedom,” Marshal said. “That’s going to allow us to close with them faster if I accept the challenge. Shall I make a run at them?”

  Maybe he could indulge the demon a little. “Do it. Flank speed.”

  At these ranges, the Gatlings were proving to be far more effective than usual and the torpedo travel times were measured in seconds rather than minutes.

  “One of the lights just cooked off,” Jason said. “Freedom is maneuvering to close with the other light but is still firing at the remaining heavy. He’s taking hits, but we’re going to be at point-blank range real fast. It looks like he’s lost most of his torpedo tubes.”

  “Gut him,” Brad said with a snarl.

  This was the kind of short-range fight Sting and the slaver destroyer had engaged in. With about the same balance of fire—in Heart’s favor this time—considering the other ship’s damage.

  “Hits on the enemy,” Jason said. “Multiple hits. He’s breaking up. There goes his fusion plant.”

  “Taking evasive action to avoid debris,” Marshal said. “We’re past him. Shall I come back around?”

  “Don’t bother,” Jason said. “He’s cooked. The last light corvette just blew up too. That’s everyone.”

  “Don’t fall for that,” Brad said. “We treat the area as hostile until we’re sure. Take us back around to Freedom, John.”

  Shelly turned in her seat. “Freedom is transmitting stand-down orders to the Io forces. All the civilian shipping is scattering.”

  “You know what I’m going to enjoy about this?” Brad asked as he felt the rage drain out of him. “Letting someone else explain why we got into a torpedo duel in their front yard. How long do you think it will take us to get to Io now, John?”

  “The distance is deceptive,” Marshal said. “If we were free and clear, we could dock in half an hour. With all the hubbub, I’d imagine it will take us the rest of the day, even with Captain Fields providing the cover.”

  If anything, Brad suspected his pilot was being overly optimistic.

  “Shelly, call Marie Curie and tell her to join us. We’ll be here a while.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It turned out Brad’s worst-case guess about how long they’d be waiting was far too hopeful. The Io security forces kept them tied up until late the next day. To his annoyance, Marie Curie was ushered in to dock with no fanfare at all.

  Oh, Falcone might have been able to speed things up for them, but she was playing things quiet. She’d slipped back over to Heart before the security forces stopped all small craft in the area. She’d pretend to be one of his crewmen, if need be.

  Once Io Security grudgingly allowed them to dock, Heart headed in. To say that they were under heavy guard once they arrived was something of an understatement. Security was out in force. Disapproving force, based on their expressions.

  “I think I’d curtail your planned night life for a while,” Brad told Marshal. “These boys and girls seem more inclined t
han most to frown on infractions.”

  “Don’t they just?” his pilot asked. “I think I’ll stay in tonight. You know, rest up for later.”

  “That’s good advice for all of us,” Brad said. “Too bad I have to go meet Dr. Keller and his hacker.”

  “That sounds like my cue,” Falcone said. “If security noted the intrusion or finds out now, I’d rather not have anyone arrested.”

  Once Brad called Keller, the two of them rose and made their way to the airlock. A squad of heavily armed security people stood just outside. They didn’t actually say no one was allowed off the ship, but they tried to exude that message by hulking over Falcone and him.

  A third of their number peeled off to follow the two of them closely. This was going to be awkward. How could they hope to do any penetration of the com network with all this company?

  He’d figure that out once he met with the scientists, he decided. Why borrow trouble?

  The scientists were waiting at the agreed-upon café. He sourly noted that they didn’t have any guards at all. At Keller’s gesture, he and Falcone sat at the table and ordered coffee.

  “Goodness, what big friends you have,” the scientist said brightly. “It’s almost as if they think you need protecting. How considerate.”

  “You can be both perceptive and ironic,” Brad conceded. “The question now is how we get to searching for the trail of breadcrumbs you left with suspicious eyes looking over our shoulders.”

  “Simple enough. We checked the com network when Marie Curie docked yesterday. We already have the data.”

  Brad took the data chip the man slid across to him. “Weren’t you worried about being detected?”

  Wandry looked faintly scandalized, causing Brad to shake his head in amusement. “Did you track the transmission?”

  “Sure did,” the woman said. “It went to a disposable com. That wasn’t very helpful, but planting the step-by-step log of hops turned the tide. The call was received somewhere in the governor’s office.”

  That was a surprise. He’d have expected the slavers to keep something of a lower profile. Brad knew that the governor wasn’t in league with them, but no one could vet their staffs well enough to keep the bastards out.

  “Can we narrow that down any at all?” Falcone asked. “I’d rather not wander around the center of Io’s government, asking if anyone happens to be a slaver.”

  “It’s possible the com unit is still active,” Keller said. “At close range, we should be able to locate it with a fair degree of accuracy.”

  “How close are we talking about and what constitutes a ‘fair degree of accuracy’?”

  “Perhaps fifty meters,” the scientist said. “And we’ll be able to pinpoint the location within half a meter.”

  “That’s pretty good,” Brad admitted.

  “It is,” Falcone agreed. “That means we have to be able to ditch our escort and get into the building. I’m not quite sure how we do that without pissing them off.

  “Then, once we’re inside, we need to be able to get to the area where the slaver is located. The governor’s office is probably large, so it might take us dozens of scans. Security will spot us. I can pull rank, but that’s going to tip our hand.”

  Brad grinned. “Not if someone with access lets us in. I happen to know someone like that who owes me a favor.”

  It took him a surprisingly short amount of time to get Ilene Johnson on the com. Admittedly, having her private number helped. He expected the call to go through Jack Mader, but the woman answered it herself.

  “Yes?”

  “Governor Johnson, it’s Brad Madrid. I hope I haven’t caused you too much chaos.”

  She gave a short bark of laughter. “You do know how to make an entrance, Captain. Yes, I’d say you could call this a bit chaotic. Slavers operating right here around Io. That infuriates me. Thank goodness that Fleet cruiser was there.

  “Though I must admit I’m still trying to figure out how the slavers mistook a cruiser for your formidable little ship. Might I take it you had something to do with that?”

  “I did. It was part of a scheme to flush out some higher-ranking bad guys, for which I need your help. Might I call in that favor?”

  “Absolutely not. Finding slavers is my business and pleasure. Save the favor for when it’s not something I’m already determined to help you with. What do you need?”

  He eyed their watchers. “We’ve picked up some friends from Io Security that are cramping our style. Also, we’d like to come explain things in person, if we can find a spot in your schedule.”

  “Easily done. Come straight to my office and I’ll send them off to watch people that truly need watching.”

  “Thank you, Governor. We appreciate your help.”

  “Thank you, Captain Madrid. Keep doing what you’re doing. I like it a lot.”

  Brad ended the call and opened his mouth to say something, but the expressions of disbelief on everyone else’s faces stopped him for a moment. “What?”

  “You are a wellspring of surprises, Captain,” Falcone said dryly. “I had no idea you were close friends with the governor of Io. You don’t happen to know the Commonwealth Director of Intelligence, do you? I’d love the chance to discuss our budget with him.”

  “You know how it is,” he said with a grin. “We mercenaries get around. It really is who you know.”

  Once the group finished their drinks, he consulted his wrist-comp and headed off toward the government center. Their watchdogs trailed not so discreetly in their wake.

  The building they came to was low, its bulk below-ground, but that didn’t stop it from being ornate. The exposed surfaces were either made of worked stone, sheathed in white marble, or both. The security screening area up front was also suitably imposing.

  Half a dozen men and women staffed a protective barrier where visitors had to submit to scanning and the temporary confiscation of their weapons. Not what he wanted to do while hunting for a slaver, but he needed in.

  Brad got into line, but one of the women motioned for him to come forward. “Captain Madrid? Step though here for a special screening, please.”

  “I have associates,” he said as he complied.

  “They can come too.”

  The Io Security forces made to follow, but the other guards blocked them.

  “We’ll take it from here,” a man behind the counter said. “You can either wait or return to your regular station.”

  The security forces looked even more annoyed at that than Brad had felt about the extra screening, but they backed off.

  The woman led the four of them past the screening rooms and right to an elevator. That wasn’t what he’d expected, but he wasn’t going to complain.

  They rode down in silence to the lowest level. The offices there were large and luxurious, much more so than any Brad had seen so far in the Outer System. There wasn’t nearly as much art, but it was well displayed, elegant, and no doubt exceptionally valuable.

  The security officer brought them to a spacious office with the emblem of Io on the frosted glass wall. A well-dressed young man rose from behind the desk and smiled.

  “I have them now. Thank you.”

  The aide—not Jack Mader, to Brad’s surprise and concealed pleasure—waited for the security officer to leave and then escorted them all to the door at the rear of the room. “The Governor will see you immediately.”

  Without knocking, he opened the door and gestured for them to pass.

  Governor Johnson’s office was large and tastefully decorated but didn’t have any expensive art on display. Here, the furniture seemed to be the point. Everything was made of wood. The workmanship was astonishing. They were in fact works of art, to Brad’s mind.

  The governor rose from behind her desk and gestured toward a seating area off to the side. “Please sit. I realize it’s early, but would anyone like something to drink? I can have tea or coffee brought if that’s more to your taste.”

  “I’m
good,” Brad said. Once the rest had declined, he introduced everyone.

  Governor Johnson shook hands all around. “Dr. Keller, I suppose I’m your boss, indirectly. The Government of Io contracted your services to deep-scan Jupiter for potential gas mining. I confess I didn’t suspect you’d fall in with Captain Madrid.”

  She shifted her eyes to Falcone. “Nor did I expect he’d show up with an agent from the Commonwealth Investigative Agency. This is all suitably mysterious, particularly when I take the slaver attack and Freedom into account. Am I going to find out what’s going on?”

  Brad grinned. “You’re in charge. I suppose I should fill you in on everything that’s happened since we last met.”

  He told the people with him how he’d worked for the governor and then segued into what he’d done since then. Governor Johnson hung on every word, scowling when he described the ambush and loss of life.

  “Dammit, these bastards are everywhere,” she said with a scowl. “How can they be so well plugged-in?”

  “That’s actually why we’re here,” Falcone said. “We believe the attack was instigated by someone in your employ. Or at least in this building.”

  Johnson stared at the woman for a long moment. “I sincerely hope you’re mistaken, but I wouldn’t doubt anything at this point. What leads you to that conclusion?”

  “Ahem,” Keller said. “I’m afraid that’s where the crew of Marie Curie come in. Captains Madrid and Fields asked us if we could trace the signal from the transmitter. With Agent Falcone’s blessing, we attached a Trojan to it.

  “One that merely mapped the nodes the message traveled through. I recognize that’s technically illegal, but she indicated that we were doing the work under her warrant. I do hope that won’t get us in trouble.”

  Johnson shook her head. “I’m not going to fuss, Doctor. I can pardon crimes on Io and wouldn’t hesitate to do so, but you’re fine if you had an Agency warrant. So, you traced it here? Can you be more specific? I have a lot of people working in my government.”

  The scientist shrugged. “I can’t tell you who received it. The com was a disposable. We were hoping it was still here and that we could get your blessing to scan the building.”