Space Witch: A Paranormal Space Opera Adventure (Star Justice Book 2)

by Michael-Scott Earle

  “Nor will I,” the beautiful woman said with a deadly smile, and we walked back to the mansion.

  Chapter 5

  “Now, isn’t this nice. I like supping with new friends. Don’t you all agree?” Cynthia said two hours later after we’d gotten a ride from Wayne to our shuttle, and then blasted over to the cyborg woman’s compound. She had a ranch of similar size to her rival, but instead of wood and cowboy themes, the buildings were made out of metal, and the furniture was stone, glass, and plastic.

  We were disarmed, escorted inside the main home by a half dozen armed men, taken to a large dining room, and told to sit at a large stone banquet table.

  The armed goons waited in the room behind us until Z was brought out, and then Cynthia made her appearance.

  “Friends don’t put a gun to each other’s head and kidnap them,” Z huffed and crossed her arms.

  The table was set for the four of us, and while the main meal hadn’t been laid out, there were two baskets filled with bread rolls, plates of butter, and jars of jam set on the table. The last time I ate was at the strip club, and I could tell that Z was trying to keep her blue eyes from ogling the food. My two friends had fasted for many more hours than me.

  “Sounds like you need more interesting friends, my dear. Ha!” Cynthia’s laughter sounded like scraping sandpaper, and she smacked her robot arm against her leg. “Why don’t you all sit down? Make yourselves at home.”

  “Why did you bring us here?” I asked as I sat. The sight of the rolls reminded me of my hunger, and I suddenly had to fight against stomach pains.

  “I’ve got a little job for the three of you. Sorry I had to strong arm ya. I knew you went to see Old Man Wayne, and I didn’t want you to do whatever he asked you to do without first talking to me.”

  “We are here now, and we will listen to your words. Will you ask your men to leave?” Eve asked as she nodded toward the goons standing behind us with their arms crossed. They weren’t dressed like cowboys; they wore light armor that looked almost military.

  “Hmmmm,” Cynthia’s robot eye focused on me, then on Eve, and then on Z. A few second passed and then she turned to the half dozen goons. “We are good. You boys can leave.”

  “Thank you,” Eve said with a smile.

  “No worries, young miss. Looking at you both reminds me of my youth. I was once pretty. I looked a bit more like this one though,” Cynthia said as she nodded to Z. “My hair was blonde. I do wish us to be friends, and I have a job I’d pay ya to do. I might have been a bit rude to invite you all here like this, but my need is urgent.”

  “What is the job?” I asked as I tried to keep my eyes from the bread. Must have been two Earth days or more since I last ate, and the rolls were like magnets for my eyes.

  “Ahh. The military man is always direct! I love it!” Cynthia chuckled. “Let’s get some food in our bellies, and I’ll tell you some more.”

  As if on cue, two servants walked into the room carrying large platters. The scent of barbecued meat, hickory smoke, and caramelized sugar made love to my nose, and I had to swallow three times to keep the drool from escaping my mouth. Z sat across the table from me, and I saw the pretty hacker’s blue eyes open with awe when the men set the plates down in front of her.

  Then they took the silver lids off, and I wrestled the beast back into my stomach.

  Each of the dishes was filled high with grilled meat.

  One had cow ribs, tri-tip cuts, steaks, and fatty brisket slathered with a dark burgundy sauce. The other plate held baby-back ribs, pork shoulder, sausage, and strips of bacon covered with a moist looking red sauce. My vision spun for a few seconds, and I felt as if both the beast and my hunger were ganging up on me.

  “Well, go ahead now and dig on in. You three look like you’ve never seen good barbecue before!” Cynthia let out another dry chuckle, and then she motioned for the servants to place dishes of grilled vegetables, baked beans, and coleslaw on the table.

  Z’s blue eyes flashed to mine as she reached a trembling hand out. Her fingers grasped some metal tongs, and she began to stack one cut of each piece of meat onto her plate. Her hands continued to shake with each of her movements, and I wondered if the woman had ever enjoyed barbecue before.

  “Thank you very much for the meal,” Eve said as she began to set food on a plate. The vampire’s smooth movements were normal, and she set the filled plate in front of me before she picked up another to serve herself.

  “Think of it as an apology. Supping tends to bring people together. Especially when the meal is so fine,” Cynthia grunted as she dished up her own food.

  The first bite of meat made my head spin, and the room didn’t settle until I had turned my plate into polished rib bones and gone back for a second helping. Z was also working on her second helping, and the blonde woman’s face was covered with barbecue sauce.

  “Hey, Lady, if kidnapping me ends up with me getting a dinner like this, please feel free to do it anytime,” Z said after she’d piled her plate high again.

  “Ha! I like you, girl. You are feisty. It looks like we are all slowing down a mite. Let’s talk about the work that I need doing.” Cynthia wiped her robot hand with a napkin and then began to use a toothpick on her teeth.

  “Go ahead,” I said as I wiped my face. My stomach was beginning to relax a bit, or maybe it was too busy digesting the food to bother growling at me.

  “I’m guessing the old man asked you to take some food somewhere, perhaps to a certain moon that might be currently under ‘military supervision?’” the woman asked as she made quote motions with her cybernetic limb.

  “Perhaps,” Eve answered.

  “Well, they’ve asked me to sell them some products as well. Since you are already making the drop. How about you hold my goods in your cargo bay and then hand them over when you get there?”

  “What are the goods?” I asked.

  “Medical supplies I have acquired from certain somebodies who wouldn’t be happy I was selling them to the Children of Rah,” the woman chuckled.

  “Alloprize traded you medical supplies for food, and you are trading the supplies to the Children of Rah for… rhodium I am guessing?” I asked.

  “You are smarter than you look, Marine. Just bring me the rhodium back and I’ll give you a cut.”

  “Sounds like the same deal we got from Mr. Sampson,” I said.

  “Good! So you’ll not have a problem with it, since you’ll be in the neighborhood, anyway.”

  “Will you give us drop off coordinates?” Eve asked, and I immediately understood what the beautiful woman was suspecting.

  “Of course, but let’s talk about payment first.” The cyborg reached over to the basket of rolls, pulled one out, and then sliced it open with a blade that sprung from her metal knuckles. Then she used the blade to butter the bread. “You looking for food? Starships need food and water. I’ve got plenty of mixed. How many kilos you looking for?”

  “Three hundred,” I replied as I watched her clean off the knife attached to her hand.

  “That’s it? How much can your baby hold? She’s a big girl.” Cynthia raised an eyebrow.

  “We can hold five thousand,” Z replied with a shrug.

  “Tell you what then, I’ve got a thousand for you upfront, and then another when you get back. Then I’ll give you a few kilos of rhodium. I’ll dust it right off the top so you can use it as currency. It’s more than fair, but I’ve got plenty of bounty to share,” the woman said as she nodded at the food on our plate.

  I turned to look at Z, and the woman sniffed her nose before she took a giant bite of pork sausage. I’d only met the woman a few days ago, but I understood her expression enough to know she wanted to do the job.

  Z and I both agree to this. Even if one of them betrays us, we will have enough food to last us for a year, and enough rhodium to hire a fine crew.

  I opened my mouth to agree, but the woman interrupted me with a motion of her hand.

  “I have a
nother offer for you as well. Call it a bit of a side job. Feel free to say no, if you wish, but you might be interested in the payout.”

  “Go ahead,” I said with a nod.

  “Old Man Wayne is a cold fucker. He’s a bastard, and I’m gonna tell you right now that whatever deal you have with him will go sour as soon as you give him his rhodium.” The woman paused as if she was waiting for me to agree with her, but I said nothing.

  “We will do our best at the work we take from anyone willing to trust us,” Eve said.

  “Ehh. That’s a good answer. So here is the rub, when Wayne betrays you, go ahead and put him in the ground. I’ll pay you another thirty kilos of rhodium. Ya’ll be able to sell it and fly your ship for as many light years as you like.

  “I understand your offer,” I said, “but we aren’t assassins. If what you say is true, and he does betray us, we will be quite vengeful.”

  “I’d guessed that. Hence the food,” the woman said with a snicker. “I don’t want to be on your bad side. Anyways, do you accept my deal?

  “Confirmed, we’ll transport your goods.” I almost thought about telling the woman we were still waiting on Wayne’s coordinates so we could plan our way into the planet, but then I held my tongue.

  “That’s good news. I’ll begin my prep work then. Can y’all come by in twenty-four? I’ll have your mixed food and the delivery for my client.

  “Confirmed,” I said.

  “Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention,” the woman said. “I’m sure you all are the most trustworthy of folk, but I’m sure you can understand why I might be a touch skeptical about your end.”

  “Our end?” I asked.

  “Ya see, you’ll be carrying quite a bit of rhodium on your ship, enough to maybe think about taking off to greener pastures. I’d like to say I’d eventually find ya and have vengeance, but the galaxy is a big place, and chances are I would never get ya.”

  “We have no intention of betraying--”

  “I know, but I’d like to have a group of my men come with. Just in case. Granted, you can say no, but then we’d have to part way right now, and I just hate leaving barbecue with an upset stomach. Don’t you?” The woman’s face upturned into a sinister smile.

  “We would be fine to have your men on our ship,” Eve said. “We do not intend to betray you.”

  “Good. So in twenty-four hours. We’ll meet back here. I’ll have your mixed, the delivery, and my men ready for you.”

  “And the coordinates?” I asked.

  “Huh?” Cynthia tilted her head.

  “The coordinates. There is a whole blockade around the moon. We need to punch through it, land at the coordinates, deliver to your contact, and get out.”

  “Ah, of course! I really like the way you said ‘punch through.’ It’s my style. I’ll have all that for you come tomorrow. Now,” the woman said as she stood. “I’ve got another piece of work to do. Go ahead and stay here. Eat as much as you want. Heck, we’ll give you some doggie-bags to take home. Then we can start tomorrow. Any questions?”

  “We are good. As long as you give us the coordinates,” I said, and I caught Z’s barbecue sauce covered mouth harden.

  “Will do. Talk to y’all tomorrow,” the cyborg said, and then she gave us a nod before she left the dining room.

  The three of us looked at each other, then down at our food, and we continued to eat in silence.

  Chapter 6

  “We are so getting double-crossed,” Z said with a sigh when the three of us got back on our shuttle.

  “I could not read her thoughts, but it was apparent to me that she would not be happy unless we agreed to let her men accompany the package,” Eve said as she slid into the shuttle seat behind me.

  We had finished our meal quickly, and the serving staff then presented us with a chocolate cake while they boxed up the remainder of our food. Z clutched the packages to her chest tightly, let out another long sigh, and plopped down into the copilot’s chair next to mine.

  “At least I got one last meal. Damn, it was good. I’ve got a barbecue baby,” the hacker said as she wiggled the boxes of food that rested over her stomach. The woman was skinny, with small breasts and a tall lean frame, but she had probably eaten as much as I had during the meal.

  “Lifting off,” I said as I pressed the buttons on the shuttle and brought the craft off the ground. It was still holding onto a tank of water, and I was happy we’d be able to at least complete one assignment. Part of me just wanted to flee this planet. We all had full stomachs, water, and we were alive.

  I couldn’t help but feel Z was right, and our two employers did intend to double-cross us no matter what we did.

  “We cannot run. We do need food, and we need to help the Children of Rah. We should focus our efforts on getting past the blockade,” Eve voiced her objections to my fears out loud.

  “That’s going to be a bit of a pain. Even if we had a pilot, we need a navigator who understands Persephone’s scanners and map systems.”

  “You got us here just fine,” I said as I finished angling the shuttle from the landing zone. I engaged the rear thrusters, and we began to move forward.

  “Again, thanks for thinking I am awesome. It’s really nice. However, you keep misunderstanding how complicated this shit is. Let’s say we use a warpdrive and show up near this moon. They are gonna spot us with their scanners and then be ready for us. They will see us at the same time as we see them.”

  “So how do we do it?” I asked.

  “We need to arrive in the shadow of the planet, or another moon, then they won’t pick us up as easily and we can get a good scan of their position. Once we have that, then we can plan our entrance into the atmosphere and what have you.”

  “Sounds like you know how to do it,” I said with a shrug. “Doesn’t sound hard.”

  “Is he always like this?” Z laughed as she turned to Eve.

  “He is our captain,” Eve said with a small laugh.

  “Fine,” Z groaned. “I’ll start doing some math and shit when we get back to Persephone. Maybe I can figure it out.”

  “There is no ‘maybe,’ you can do it. I believe in you,” I said to the blonde woman.

  “Okay then. Uhh. I’ll do it then,” Z replied, and I saw her look down to the boxes of food in her hands.

  There was silence for a few moments, and then the hacker opened her mouth. Closed it again and took a deep breath.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Oh, nothing. Uhhh. Well. I was thi--”

  Her voice was cut off by the sound of an alarm screeching through the cabin of the shuttle. I looked down at the controls and saw three dots closing in on our location from behind.

  “We’ve got missiles locked on us!” Z shouted and twisted in her chair so she could look at her own displays.

  “Hold on!” I growled as I pushed on the accelerator. I felt my insides fight against the G forces of the shuttle, and I saw Z wrap her arms tighter around the food.

  “Dive for the surface. Maybe we can lose them in the canyon,” Eve said as she pointed past my face toward the surface of the moon.

  We were a good thousand kilometers into the air, and I tipped the nose down and pushed harder on the accelerator with hopes that I could squeeze every milliliter of juice out of the engine.

  “Ahhhhhh!” Z screamed as our shuttle pointed almost straight down and dove toward the surface of the moon.

  I had been in more surface drops than I could count, so the sensation of our sudden tumble didn’t bother me. What bothered me was that the three beeping missiles on our tail were getting a lot closer, and I guessed we only had a dozen seconds to get away.

  There was a forest of trees below us. They looked like tall pines, and I spotted a break in the lay of them I thought I might be able to get through. I pressed the release for the water container the shuttle carried, twisted the craft on its side, and the prayed we’d be able to scrape across the trees without the branches ripping us to
pieces.

  “The barbecue! Noooo!” Z screeched. I was leaning the shuttle over at a ninety-degree angle, and she couldn’t hold onto the two of them in the middle of her stack. They both fell the length between us and smacked into my face.

  “Damn it, Z!” I growled as the tree limbs scratched across the wings of the shuttle. I had sauce all over my face and in my eyes, but I didn’t want to take my hands off the controls. A single branch in the wrong spot could wrench the craft to the left or right, and we would be torn to pieces.

  Just like one of the missiles behind us.

  There was an explosion that filled my view with an orange backlight as I reached the end of the makeshift flight path through the forest, and I had to twist the controls around to level the shuttle before yanking the nose up.

  “Oh, faaaaaccccccccccccckkkkk!” Z screamed as we clipped the top of the massive trees. The scraping sound convinced me that the bottom half of the craft had just been ripped off, but somehow we were somehow still flying, and I saw the canyon Eve first pointed at in front of us.

  “Hold on,” I growled, punching the controls of the shuttle forward as soon as we crested the ledge. We dove again, and I almost immediately had to straighten out the nose. The bottom of the canyon in this spot wasn’t as deep as I had predicted, and I didn’t see the floor really give way for another half mile ahead of us.

  “The missiles!” Z shouted again, and I risked a glance down at the radar. The beeping dots were almost on top of our location, and I guessed we had another two seconds before one of them hit us.

  We were almost to the next lip of the canyon.

  “Come onnnnnnnnn!” I growled through my teeth as I pushed down on the controls. I was a fraction of a moment too early, and the bottom of the shuttle bounced off the lip of the canyon and sent us back up into the air.

  The missile didn’t bounce though, and it exploded when it slammed into the edge where we had just been.

  “The water!” Eve actually shouted as her hand pointed past my head.