For the Good of All

by Marc Stevens

  “Klutch, what the hell happened to you?”

  The Tibor’s frown deepened and he eyed me. “Commander, it had nothing to do with the home of your demons. I ran into an old acquaintance who always claimed to be the best mercenary in the galaxy. All who are familiar with him know he is nothing more than pirate scum. He did not like me pointing it out for all in the Guild to hear.”

  “We are supposed to be on a mission, not stirring up trouble. You could have walked away”

  “No, Commander, Skoal was not going to let that happen. It seems the entertainment I had chosen was to be Skoal’s mate sometime in the near future. She made it very clear she liked my credits more than Skoal. It was worth the fifty thousand credits just to see the look on his face.”

  “Klutch, we have more important business to take care of and I do not want you to get detained for fighting. It will draw attention to us and we do not need that right now.”

  “Commander, Skoal is a suckling Throgg that does not know the difference between his Patriarch and Matriarch.”

  It took me a few seconds to decipher what that meant. When I did, the water I was drinking jetted from my nose when I gagged back a loud barking laugh.

  “Is there going to be anyone coming here making inquiries?”

  “No Commander, Skoal and his cohorts will be in the infirmary for at least a day. I do not think they will say anything about a single Troop Master beating the scat out of them.”

  “Get cleaned up. I made contact with the Zaens. They told me four of Eiger’s clan found their way to this outpost. They are making the Zaens pay for protection. We are going to take care of the problem.”

  The smell in the hold almost made me gag. The look on Klutch’s face was deadly serious. “What of Eiger?”

  I jerked my head in the direction of the jump seats. “We are going to find out one way or the other.”

  Klutch slowly shook his head. The significance of the 699 spread out on the deck and only three chairs were not lost on him. He hurried off to get cleaned up. I ran down the cargo ramp to fresher air.

  Klutch came storming down the ramp twenty minutes later looking a little better but not great. His warrior scent was once again preceding him. I wished I had not eaten earlier.

  “Klutch, you must calm down or my plan will not work. I want you to secure transportation for us. We will need something large enough to transport the cargo we brought with us if the Zaens agree to build our suits.”

  Klutch took several deep breaths to get settled and disappeared out into the corridor. The station had autonomous taxis that could take you most anywhere for a fee. He had taken one to the Guild and knew where to commandeer a larger model designed to carry luggage. He parked it outside the hangar door.

  “I am ready to get started, Commander. What do you require from me?”

  “Klutch, I want you to take the transport and go to the Zaens. Inform them you have discovered a large cache of artifacts you want to sell. Make it a point to give them our hangar security code and tell them to bring a large transport like yours. Tell them it will save many trips. When you come back pull the transport inside and back it up to the cargo hold.”

  “Roger that Commander, I shall return shortly.”

  I used a gravity jack to move several items from the front of the hold to the ramp. I wanted it to look like we were in the process of unloading. I was getting a little antsy and could feel the warrior in me yearning for action. I had a lot of questions I wanted Eiger’s clan to answer. The first would be, where can I find the head pirate piece of shit? Klutch had been gone now for more than an hour and I wondered what was holding him up. It was a simple enough assignment that should not have taken more than thirty minutes. After the second hour I was on the verge of using the Backscatter Transmitter to comm him. I looked out on the ramp and saw the cargo transport rapidly approaching. It swung around and backed to the edge of the ramp and Klutch hopped out without a care in the world. I stood at the top of the ramp with my arms crossed and a less than amused expression on my face.

  “Troop Master, I hope you were not out stirring up trouble again?”

  “I apologize for the delay, Commander. I found it was necessary to make a small detour. All is well and I believe the Murlak will be here soon. How do you wish to take them down?”

  The Tibor shrugged off my look of consternation and did not elaborate further. I just let it go because he was after all a Troop Master and I was nothing but a lowly possessed Earth boy.

  “Armor up in case this gets messy. I want them to think you are by yourself. When the Zaens show up, I want you to be carrying crates into the back of the cargo transport. Justice will back you up with the anti-boarding systems if something should go wrong. I will make sure that when they arrive the doors will be locked behind them and the codes changed. If you have to start shooting, make sure the Zaens are clear first. If we play this slow and easy, we may not have to fire a shot.”

  Klutch nodded his approval and went to get his gear. It would be nice to get this bit of unpleasantness wrapped up so we could check out Haras. I had been cooped up for too long and would like to take a look around. There was a very good chance the Murlak would be lazy and just hide in the back of the Zaen’s transport. If they were sharp they would bale out at the door and secure it, and then observe the shuttle and determine if Klutch was indeed alone. If not, this would be over quickly. I went to the big security door and my Chaalt armor did its chameleon trick and I blended neatly into the wall.

  The Zaens arrived ten minutes later and it was obvious when they drove by me they were terrified. The transport slowed long enough for a lone Murlak to jump out the back, and then they moved on toward the back of the shuttle. Apparently the Murlak were a little smarter than I thought they would be. The lone figure approached the security terminal and was preparing to enter a different access code. I came off the wall and made just enough noise the Murlak looked around in my direction. I spun around and brought my armored boot around in a spinning back kick. My heel connected with the Murlak’s helmet snapping his head sideways into the nearby wall. He went down like a dropped feed sack and did not move. I took the wire I had found in my shuttles repair kit and pulled the Murlak’s arms and legs together behind his back and hog tied him. Prying his helmet off, I stuffed a rag into his mouth. I quickly headed to the shuttle to see how the rest of this game was going to play out. As I approached I could already smell Klutch.

  I heard a Murlak yell, “Do not move or you will die!” The Zaens came running around the side of the transport. I waved them on, drawing my Tibor sidearm. As I stepped around the side of the transport, one of the Murlak was raising his pistol at Klutch. I was sure he was going to shoot him. I fired from about eight feet away, striking the gun-wielding Murlak in his arms. They disappeared in flash and loud report that stunned his fellow crooks. Klutch leaped from the ramp knocking the two remaining Murlak to the deck. He started raining massive blows into their faces and bodies. The Murlak I had shot stood screeching while the ragged stumps that were once his arms jetted fountains of blood. The Oolaran in me filled my head with wicked mirth. Without hesitation I drew my fighting knife and silenced the irritating noise by removing the offending source.

  The two Murlak getting the shit beat out of them were no longer moving. Klutch did not seem to notice and continued dishing out the punishment. I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth and willed my inner beast to be silent.

  “Klutch, we still need to ask them some questions!”

  The smell in the area was horrendous. The only way to not smell Klutch was to switch on my internal systems for void operations. I could now hear the Zaens retching at the front of the transport. Klutch quit beating on the Murlak. If it were not for their body armor, Klutch would have killed them. He picked up their weapons and then as an afterthought, stomped both of their hands, it was a most unpleasant sound. In the back of my mind I could feel the beast within me applauding his efforts. I pinched my eyes shut and shook
my head to clear my thoughts. It was all I could do to keep from one-upping the abuse the Tibor had dished out.

  “Klutch, I am going to need you to calm down before you get back aboard the shuttle. There is another Murlak over by the entrance. Take a few minutes to settle down and bring him to the shuttle. Hopefully alive, Troop Master!”

  I turned around and picked the dead Murlak off of the ramp. I could hear the other two moaning out in pain. The dead Murlak’s head was lying of the ground next to the survivors. One of them opened his eyes and came face to face with the displaced cranium. He started groaning louder. I gave the head a kick, sending it tumbling up the ramp slinging a gory trail along its way. I deposited the body next to the head on my sheet of 699. Stalking back down the ramp, I grabbed the survivors by any available appendage, not caring how broken they may or may not have been. I strapped both to a jump seat with wire. I could hear screeching coming from outside and looked out to see Klutch dragging the other survivor by the fur on his head. Judging by the Troop Master’s toothy smile, he was enjoying himself.

  Klutch’s warrior scent was down to a tolerable level and I jerked my head in the direction of the other two in the jump seats. He nodded and gave me a wink with both of his big lizard eyes. If the Tibor could whistle, I was sure he would be blowing a merry tune.

  19

  I spied the Zaens peeking around the side of the transport and walked down the ramp toward them. They were both on the verge of freaking out in terror. It was as good a time as any to talk business.

  As I neared them they both backed up. I held up my hands to them. “Broza, the violence is over. You will never have to worry about this bunch of Murlak causing you trouble ever again.”

  Broza’s partner was staring wide eyed at me. “What will you do with them?”

  His question got him a sharp elbow from Broza, silencing any further comments. It was not the first time they had seen me and Klutch do such things. I am sure they would be happy to never see us again. That was not going to be the case. Unless I could find another race that could build combat armor equal to theirs, we would be in a long-term relationship. It was time to let them know what I wanted. Right at the moment they looked very much like they would do just about anything I asked of them.

  “I am going to make both of you very wealthy but you will have to agree to all of my conditions. If you cannot, I will seek out others to fulfill my needs.”

  Broza’s partner, Hylet, spoke up again. “Can you not tell us what you need in advance so we might consider our options?”

  Looking at Hylet, I let a little irritation leak into my voice. “Do you wish to be wealthy or do you wish to live out your existence as you do now? Keep in mind being associated with me comes with certain…perks.”

  I casually turned my head and looked up the ramp to where the Murlak sat strapped to the jump seats. The Zaens were squirming and their scales roiling. It was Broza’s turn to be inquisitive.

  “Mr. Myers, can give us some idea of what you need done?”

  “Our armor was destroyed in combat. Our foes used corrosive weaponry that made the suits unrepairable. My A.I. has designs for new armor. These designs are secret and can never be talked about or replicated. They will only be produced for us and no others. I will pay a hundred million credits for this discretion.”

  The two Zaen’s eyes bugged out and their mouths fell open. Credits were the language the Zaens understood better than all others. Broza was the first to come to his senses and start asking the right questions.

  “Mr. Myers, we would have to involve our best armor engineer. He would have to study the design and determine if our replicator is capable of manufacturing what you desire.”

  “How good of an engineer is he and what kind of equipment is he currently working with?”

  “Mr. Myers, we have several very good engineers, but the one I speak of is very gifted. He is the architect behind our latest armor design and instructs most others on the fabrication process. The funds you speak of are quite considerable, but it may be necessary to buy a large number of personnel’s silence.”

  “Would your engineer know how to use a Chaalt replicator?”

  “Mr. Myers, there are only a handful of manufacturers that build industrial and military grade replicators. I can assure you our engineer can efficiently operate them all. The only problem with the replicators you speak of is the Chaalt will only sell over-cycled and very dated equipment on the open market. Why do you ask?”

  “Before I can tell you anything else, you will have to commit yourselves to my cause. If you do so, you will be wealthy, but I must warn you, failure to honor your commitment will end with you facing the same fate as the Throggs in the hold of my shuttle. I will give you a work cycle to weigh your choices. If possible, set up a meeting with the engineer. No matter what you decide, all we have talked about must be kept secret.”

  The Zaens both nodded in agreement. It looked like Broza was already on board; Hylet, not so much. They had kept their words and my secrets to themselves in the past and I did not expect that to change in the future.

  “I have several armor suits once owned by Murlak from Eiger’s clan. I am going to give them to you to sell back to any Murlak that might need armor. In return, I want a forty percent commission.”

  Both Zaens looked at each other and turned back to me. I would accept the looks on their faces as smiles.

  “Mr. Myers, your offer is most fortuitous. One of our outpost outlets has had recent inquires to build armor for a group of Murlak.”

  The Zaen looked me in the eyes. “Recently, there seems to be a great number of Murlak fearing for their lives. Few can afford our products but many still inquire about availability.”

  I stared back at the Zaens. “In exchange for the location of the outpost where the inquiries were made, the used armor will be yours to keep with no commission attached. One never knows when a large number of used armor suits may be available for you to resell once more.”

  The Zaens both gave me a knowing look. We walked around the side of the transport but when the Zaens saw the mess Klutch and I had made, Hylet tossed his cookies again. Broza’s shoes were the recipient for most of it. With Klutch’s help, I got the used armor loaded up and sent them on their way. I went back to the security terminal and changed the code again. There would be no chance of anyone interrupting our next order of business.

  Walking up the ramp of the shuttle, I noticed a foul stench that had nothing to do with Klutch. Apparently the Murlak regained consciousness and did not care for the condition of their compadre. They soiled themselves, adding to their already dire conditions.

  “Just because you managed to escape Eiger’s battleship does not mean you managed to escape me. Eventually I will find all who fled.”

  The stench intensified and I wondered how many times a Murlak could shit himself. I did not want them to dirty the back of my shuttle any more than they already had. Pulling them from the jump seats, we threw them on the deck with the decapitated corpse. It was a good thing we did, because a puddle started forming around them.

  “Where is Eiger hiding?”

  They started thrashing about and moaning louder. One in particular was grunting out something. Klutch pulled the rag from his mouth.

  “If I tell you, will you set me free?”

  This was not an interrogation where I would answer questions and grant wishes. I am sure it was not the case when they were trying to beat Tria to death. The beast inside of me was raging and I needed to quiet the turmoil. Klutch saw the look in my eyes. He correctly figured I was getting ready to do something vengeful. He also figured correctly that we would get no answers if I slaughtered the three of them for the stupidity of one. He kicked the Murlak in the head with such ferocity I was surprised it did not come off. Now we only had two that could possibly answer my questions.

  Klutch pulled the gag from the next Murlak’s mouth. He was very forthcoming.

  “Eiger is with his fleet. H
e has made the Warbringer Solar Wind his new flagship and he is hiding in the uncharted void. He is attempting to gather all that have gone into hiding after hearing the news of Drayen’s death.”

  “Do you know where others of Eiger’s clan have gathered?”

  The look of indecision crossed the Murlak’s face. The Troop Master did not hesitate and stomped his head flat. Only one remained. I pulled the rag from his mouth.

  He blurted out, “There is a gathering place on outpost 79584. It is a hidden supply cache down in the Sitch fighting pits. Several have gathered there waiting for Eiger to collect them.”

  I looked at Klutch. “Do you know where the outpost is located?”

  “Yes, Commander. It is a Throgg pit of the highest order.”

  In one smooth motion, I drew my fighting knife and permanently ended our conversation. I grabbed the sheet of 699 and started rolling the bodies up in it. Klutch helped and we dragged the gory mess into the back of the transport.

  Klutch gave me a toothy smile and said, “I will return shortly. I know just the place to hide the bodies.” When he did not invite me along, I figured out it was for a reason. I went to the security door and opened it.

  As he started to leave, I gave him the new access code. “Bring the 699 back with you. When you get back, we will go check out Haras. I will clean up the shuttle in the meantime. Please do not get into any more trouble.”

  The Troop Master croaked out a laugh and gave me a thumb up and took off. I frowned and wondered what part of my statement he found funny. I cleaned up all traces of our activities. With the help of Justice’s subsystem, I cleaned and sanitized my Chaalt recon armor. I had Justice activate the IST and contacted Tria. I missed her company and her companionship. Klutch’s adventures made me realize that my hasty departure may not have been my smartest move. I would have to get over Justice watching my every move and emotion and get on with the things, men my age do.