The Shattered Empire (The Shadow Space Chronicles Book 2)

by Kal Spriggs

  “Your mission is to provide security oversight. After a discussion with senior Federal Investigation Bureau personnel, we have some funding available between us and them to provide some equipment and currency for you two to undertake the mission... until this general oversight is fixed, whereupon, I'm sure, you will return to your duties here.” Colonel Proscia had to hide a smile at the looks of excitement on both men's faces. They were getting the chance to guard their hero... which was exactly the mindset that he wanted them to have. A two man detail was painfully inadequate for the job... but it was all that William felt he could put on it without drawing too much attention.

  Admiral Dreyfus may think he and his people are the best and brightest... and that may be true, William thought, but that doesn't mean that someone won't take a shot at the Baron. Ideally the Baron would have a team of five at any given time, along with backup teams in position to provide support and overwatch. William and Alicia Nix had discussed more, but she wasn't in a position where she could put people on him without parliamentary approval. With how confused the Parliament sessions continued to be, it seemed unlikely that they would receive that any time soon... and neither Alicia Nix nor Colonel William Proscia wanted to have to live with themselves if something happened to the Baron that they could have prevented.

  “The FIB will provide communications equipment, vehicles, and technical support as requested,” Colonel Proscia said. “But they cannot provide immediate support without signs of criminal activity.” He waited while the realization that they, and they alone, would be responsible for securing their head of state... and the champion of Humanity. He saw the excitement on their faces turn to dread at the weight of responsibility. “I understand that he has also brought on-board a psychic, Reginald, who it would behoove you to work with.” William had heard that from Alicia, though he wasn't sure how much he trusted the psychic. He certainly didn't like the idea of a telepath in close proximity to the Baron. Still, Alicia said the man had passed all of her background checks and he provided some additional layer of security. “If, at any time, you feel that the Baron is in an immanent threat, you will report directly to me and I will take any and all actions necessary to support you... to include mobilizing our cadre, am I understood?”

  Both NCO's spoke as one, “Yes, sir.”

  “Excellent,” William said sternly. “Now, Staff Sergeant Oson has further details for you. Of particular note, however, is that the Baron just departed for a very rough part of town to find Captain Reese Leone-Giovanni. You two fine gentlemen should probably get down there and make certain that a random mugger doesn't murder our head of state.”

  Colonel William Proscia treasured the looks of shock, horror, and even a little panic on the faces of the two Marines. He gave them an icy smile, “You are dismissed.”

  ***

  Port Klast System

  Port Klast

  August 26, 2403

  Lauren swore as she tripped, again, in the low heel dress shoes. In the slinky red dress, she wasn't able to move like she should, so she wobbled and started to fall. A strong hand caught her by the shoulder and righted her. “Careful.”

  She turned her head and glared at Mason, “I hate this thing!”

  He released her shoulder and Lauren tried to ignore how warm his touch had felt. “Well, we're here,” he gestured at the shuttle. They had come back here, rather than staying at the hotel, which Lauren had insisted on. She hadn't liked the security situation at the hotel, especially with Mason having indulged.

  “Thankfully, yes,” Lauren said. She stalked up the shuttle ramp and swiped her hand over the biometrics to open the hatch. She bit back a curse as it gave her an error. “Why doesn't anything work right tonight?”

  Mason leaned over her shoulder and toggled it. For a moment, she could feel his presence, feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. She shivered. Must be this damned dress, she thought, I'll be lucky if I don't catch a cold.

  Lauren stalked through the hatch and tripped again. This time, she did fall. She let out a rather embarrassing shriek as she toppled.

  Again, Mason was there and he caught her just before she would have hit the cold metal deck. He pulled her upright, for a moment, they were face to face. Lauren could feel the warmth of his chest through the thin material of her dress.

  She started to say something, what exactly, she wasn't sure, but he leaned forward and kissed her. It was her first real kiss and for a moment she wasn't sure whether or not she liked the experience as a dozen sensations washed over her. She broke away, confused and overwhelmed.

  A dozen emotions flashed over Mason's face, before he straightened. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that,” he said. His voice was stiff, angry. Lauren wasn't sure if he was angry at her or himself. At the moment, she couldn't say what she felt herself. “You look good in that dress,” he said, his voice at once sincere and yet with something rather like anguish.

  Before she could come up with a response, he turned and stepped into the shuttle's cockpit and closed the hatch behind him.

  ***

  Faraday System

  United Colonies

  August 26, 2403

  The bar had, Lucius was told, once been a school. However, sometime during the Chxor occupation, it had received enough damage that parts of it were uninhabitable. The neighborhood was mostly empty now, anyway, so there wasn't a need for the large building.

  It had since become something of a club and the rowdy, abrasive atmosphere had gone a further step in making the neighborhood empty out. Lucius had discovered that his brother-in-law favored the establishment after asking Alicia Nix. While it might, technically, be illegal to use her in that role, Lucius didn't really care much at the moment.

  Of course, Alicia Nix had then told Colonel Proscia of Lucius's intention to find Reese there. So a couple of Marines in civilian attire had appeared to 'escort' him. Neither of them were on duty, which they told him very politely when he told them to go find something else to do. Both of them merely said they happened to be going to the bar anyway.

  Lucius did his best to ignore them as he walked up to the entrance. The four, big men and two tall women who stood outside managed the line of would-be entrants. Lucius ignored them as he walked forward. One attempted to step in his way, but there was a grunt followed by a murmured, “Sorry, excuse us,” from one of the two Marines as the bouncer toppled to the ground.

  The others went tense and Lucius saw hands go towards concealed weapons. He bit his lip, he really didn't want to be involved in a firefight or brawl. For one thing, his skills in that area were basically nonexistent. For another, he hoped to keep his appearance here relatively off the radar. The news media of Faraday had a long way to go to recover from Chxor occupation, but that didn't mean someone wouldn't recognize him if there was a big enough scene.

  “Look, fellas,” the second Marine said. “We just want to cut the queue, I'm sure you got a VIP special, right?”

  One of the women nodded, slowly, “Policy is, though, you hit a bouncer, you're out.” Her voice was abnormally deep for a woman.

  “Well,” the Marine said. “My friend here made a mistake... he'll stay out here. We go inside, deal?”

  The woman nodded slowly, “You got to buy VIP tickets, you got the squeeze?”

  Lucius sighed. He started to reach for his wallet, but the Marine tossed a roll of bills to the bouncer, without counting. “That should cover it.”

  The woman caught it and tucked it into a pocket without counting it either, “Of course. Sir, have a nice night.” She swept open the door.

  “Doubtful,” Lucius muttered, as the roar of offbeat music and the crowd assaulted his ears. She didn't appear to have heard him, though. Lucius led the way towards the bar the remaining Marine followed close. Lucius paused, as he worked along the edge of the dance floor, his eyes searched for Reese. “What's your name, Marine?” Lucius asked.

  “Sergeant Timorsky,” he answered. “Sorry about Lance N
amori, he's a little protective. Don't worry about the cash, Colonel Proscia gave us some for the mission,” The Marine didn't look down at Lucius, his eyes roved the crowd for threats.

  “You've done protective detail before?” Lucius asked. The calm manner in which the Marine NCO went about his business and the professional way he'd handled the bouncers suggested he was comfortable with the unofficial assignment.

  “Yes, sir, both of us,” Sergeant Timorsky said. “We were with the Centauri Confederation Fleet Infantry.” Some things clicked together suddenly for Lucius. The Fleet Infantry was the Centauri Military's equivalent of Marines. Sergeant Timorsky was the squad leader for the group of them that had signed on when the War Shrike recruited from the refugees of Faraday upon Lucius's first arrival.

  The Centauri Confederation Fleet Infantry were rather elitist, an all volunteer organization within the Centauri Confederation's conscript-heavy military. They also tended to be heavily recruited for the Centauri Commandos, an elite paramilitary force that conducted all manner of operations for their government.

  “Right,” Lucius said. “I need to talk to a man here at the bar. Just keep an eye out and if anything goes wrong, go ahead and take charge, I'm not going to be any good in a bar brawl.”

  “That was the plan, sir,” the Sergeant said with a slight smile.

  “Right,” Lucius said. He spotted a familiar shock of blonde hair. “Let's do this.” He wanted to get this over with. Part of him knew that he should be occupied with the preparations for the attack on Melcer. They were scheduled to depart in mere hours. Yet, he had to at least try, if not for Reese's sake, then for his sister's.

  He edged around the crowd and then moved up to Reese's elbow. “Reese.”

  “Lucius,” Reese said. Lucius could barely hear him over the roar of the crowd and the blaring music. “What brings you to this fine establishment?”

  “Alanis is worried about you,” Lucius shouted, “So am I.”

  “Well, that's nice,” Reese snarled. He turned and leaned in close to shout in Lucius's face and his breath stank of cheap alcohol. “Took you long enough to think of me. Alanis is hellbent on getting herself killed in typical Giovanni fashion. How long until you send her off to die gloriously? I bet you can't wait, probably makes you look ever the heroic figure, sacrificing your only kin to show your dedication to the cause.” Spittle spattered Lucius and the hot breath in his face made him recoil almost as much as the venom in Reese's voice.

  Lucius bit back a scathing reply. “I need you, Reese. I need you as a friend and I need your service. We still have the Chxor to defeat.” He could see Reese's face turn a darker shade of red. Lucius took a deep breath, “Dammit, your wife needs you, Reese. You're so worried about losing her to combat, but you've almost lost her from how you're behaving. Are you trying to drive her away?”

  “I've already lost her!” Reese shouted, loud enough that those nearby withdrew. He swung his arm in a sharp arc, “I've lost her to your damned bullshit idealism and the stupid, stubborn Giovanni desire to find the biggest windmill to take a tilt at!” He leaned over Lucius and grabbed him by the collar, “And I wish–”

  Sergeant Timorsky stepped forward and put his hand on Reese's wrist, “Sir, you should probably take a step back.”

  “Now you're having your goons tell me what to do?” Reese snarled at Lucius, even has he released his collar. He took a couple steps back. “To hell with you, Lucius. And to hell with Alanis. Tell her that I hope she finds what she's looking for in dying gloriously for the cause, because she's thrown away our marriage to do it.” Reese staggered backwards a bit and swayed. He wiped at his red eyes, “To hell with all of you.”

  Lucius wavered, half of him wanted to grab Reese and shake some sense into him, the other half just wanted to be away from this place. He knew that he couldn't stop the other man from destroying his own life, yet he thought that if he just could say the right thing that he might get through to him.

  The moment passed and Reese shoved his way through the crowd.

  “Should I have Lance Namori try to retrieve him?” Sergeant Timorsky asked, his voice barely audible over the noise of the bar.

  “No,” Lucius shouted. “Let him go.” Hopefully Reese would sober up and come to his senses. Yet, Lucius wondered if he could forgive the man his words. The angry, caustic tone and the hatred he saw in the blue eyes of his former friend hurt, hurt more than it should. Had Reese ever truly been his friend... or had he fooled Lucius all along?

  ***

  Port Klast System

  Port Klast

  August 26, 2403

  Mason sat back, feet up on the pilot's console for the shuttle. It had been a busy night and with how the alcohol had hit him, the series of shocks from Thomas Kaid, and general exhaustion, he didn't feel safe to fly back to the ship just yet.

  Lauren hadn't said much when she went to the back of the shuttle and laid down. He wasn't certain if she were angry at him over his continued act, irritated that she'd had to be dressed up, or embarrassed at being caught with a weapon. Knowing her, probably a mix of all three, Mason thought.

  Tomorrow he would have to go out and recruit crew. He dreaded that, though. He had to strike a balance between cheap and trustworthy, which basically meant he'd be taking untrained kids and down-on-their luck merchantmen into combat. Neither appealed to him, especially since this little excursion was bound to get at least a few of them killed.

  Mason felt the temptation, yet again, to dial into some of his old contacts. Yet he doubted he could trust all of them and it would only take one to out him. For that matter, some of them were dead, others had gone legitimate or retired, and the handful that left were some of the last people he wanted to associate with. They were the ones who knew how to bring out the worst in him.

  Mason took another sip of water from the pitcher by his seat and closed those thoughts carefully away. There was a part of him that longed for the life he was about to return to, even in disguise. To do as he wished, to take what he wanted, and to savagely destroy anyone who opposed him. The lure of that life and the rage that had guided him for so long had taken years to bury... yet he could feel how easily and naturally they came back to the surface of his thoughts.

  “I shouldn't drink,” Mason muttered to himself, “Always makes me morose.”

  “Seems to make you talk to yourself too,” a woman's voice said from behind him.

  Mason started and almost levitated out of his seat. He spun and his hands dropped to his holstered pistols, “What the hell?!” He froze though, when he saw the tall and lean blonde woman who leaned against the hatch frame. Like usual, she wore rugged prospector's clothing, a loose bush jacket and baggy cargo pants, and her blonde hair was drawn back in a ponytail.

  Mason shook his head, “Kandergain.” He took a deep breath and tried to calm his heart rate and to assure his adrenal gland that the fight or flight reflex really wasn't necessary. “Why are you here?”

  Kandergain gave Mason an insouciant grin, “I hear you need a navigator, 'Stavros'.” She straightened up from her lean and offered her hand, “I have great credentials.”

  “Yeah,” Mason grunted, “I'll bet you do.”

  “When I heard that Captain Stavros Heraklion was here...” She looked Mason up and down, “with his appalling personal taste in clothing, I just had to come and see for myself.”

  “Greek,” Mason muttered, even as he flushed. It was one thing to have Thomas Kaid, close-mouthed as he was, to know it was him in this get-up. It was another thing entirely for it to be a psychic who already had far too much dirt on him and a grudge to boot.

  “I know, famously ostentatious,” Kandergain waved a hand. “Still, I must say I'm impressed. So, how about we continue this discussion on your ship, eh, Stavros?”

  “I'm not flying like this,” Mason grunted. “And I'm not hiring crew yet.”

  “Trust me, you'll want to hear my interview,” she replied, “And I'm flying. You're a little rust
y at fine maneuvers for my taste, I'd rather not be blasted by the defenses because someone mistook your drunken weaving for an attack run.”

  He didn't respond, but he did move to the side as she hopped into the pilot seat. She pushed the water pitcher to him with one foot as she went through the preflight checks. “Nice shuttle.” As they lifted off, she looked up, “We're clear of any bugs, for now, by the way. I zapped the couple aboard the shuttle.”

  He sighed, then. “I take it, by the fact that you're here, that there's more going on than I really care to dive into?”

  “Actually, I just happened to be in the system,” Kandergain said. “Some unpleasant business with Shadow Lord Imperious that Kaid asked for help with. More of a distraction than a real threat, I think, but it still needed to be dealt with.” She cocked her head, “How, exactly, did you get roped into this and what are you doing here?”

  “Admiral Collae went looking for Tommy King and found me instead,” Mason said. “He gave me some vague warnings about Lucretta Mannetti and then tried to sick me on her while claiming she was a threat to us all.” Mason shrugged, “I told him to get lost, then I collected my effects and came here as Stavros.”

  “To infiltrate her organization?” Kandergain asked. She shook her head, “Dangerous. I assume you knew that they are working together?” At Mason's nod, she pursed her lips. “Those two are dangerously competent, I would caution you that they might have planned for this.”

  “Or Admiral Collae could be getting another pawn in play to use against her when the time comes,” Mason said. “The nice thing about ambitious and deceitful people is how rarely they truly work together in peace and harmony.”

  Kandergain snorted at that. “You should know.”

  Mason bit his tongue at that. He'd never been deceitful. Ambition, he'd had, to an extent, but not towards power for power's sake. He was conniving and clever, but he'd treated most of his foes with respect... even if he did gun them down in the street. Okay, Mason thought, maybe I'm a little defensive over some of what I did.