by Kal Spriggs
“Warship?” Envoy Xinghan asked. “Oh, you mean the destroyer that escorted in our envoy's yacht? My apologies, I thought that surely with the might of the United Colonies and their Nova Roma allies, they would not see a threat in one single, little warship.” His tone was polite and friendly, but there was no mistaking the edge to his words. “No, happily, I am here to coordinate for a state event. We have a senior government official, appointed as our Ambassador, and sent at the behest of President Spiridon to meet with your head of state. We'd like to have it held aboard his yacht, the Centauri Cornucopia.”
“Oh?” Kate asked. “The Baron is quite busy, I'm not sure that I can guarantee his attendance. He is dealing with the threat of the Chxor, as you know” Kate managed to put as much bite into that as possible. It was something of an embarrassment that the 'strongest' human nation was too busy fighting itself to deal with a real threat to human survival.
“Of course,” Envoy Xinghan said. “We will wait at his leisure. Our Ambassador would like to be officially welcomed to the system by Baron Lucius Giovanni, as a sign of the close partnership that we believe will occur over the next few months.”
Kate hid a frown at his smug tone and his word choice. Accepting an ambassador by the head of state implied a lower status. Granted, the Centauri were arrogant enough to claim superiority over everyone else. Some of their politicians still insisted upon restoration of the old Amalgamated Worlds borders, where all human space lay under their domain. For that matter, the 'close partnership' he implied sounded more like a subject nation than an alliance.
“I'll see what I can do, upon the Baron's return,” Kate answered.
“Of course,” Envoy Xinghan said. He stood, “Now, I am certain that you are quite busy, so I will not take up any more of your time. Please extend my greetings and those of my nation to your leader, Baron Giovanni.” Again, there was a tone of smugness, almost like a kid with a secret... or a poker player with a winning hand.
Kate managed to return his smile and get him out of the office with a polite farewell before her seething anger made it to her expression. She didn't know what this new Ambassador had planned, but she didn't like it, already. Part of her wondered if this were some sort of trap, to kidnap the Baron and hold him ransom against the ships of the Dreyfus Fleet. That kind of tactic was questionable, to say the least. It would go against all kinds of diplomatic precedence, yet the Centauri might see it as worthwhile if it gave them the Dreyfus Fleet.
For that matter, the presence of their cruiser was a dangerous sign, as well. Though not on par with the weight of the Nova Roma forces, it could cause a high amount of damage before anyone could respond. She would have to talk with the military, see if they could move it to a safer orbit, preferably away from anything it could destroy in a surprise attack... like their capital.
She would be going outside her official capacity if she did that. But there still was no appointed Minister of Defense. For that matter, elections had stalled out on forming an official government as various politicians scrambled to form initial voting blocs. Kate had hoped to develop a two party system to keep most of the government in balance, but it looked more and more like they would have a multiple party system, probably as many as five major parties.
Until the initial infighting was done, she managed a lot of the day to day actions of the government as a whole. Which was absurd, in a way. Still, without direct oversight, she felt like the entire house of cards would collapse, particularly if the system didn't have time to become set in the minds of those within it. She'd rather they flailed about within those confines, rather than seeking to rise in power from less legitimate means.
Kate looked at the clock and started planning the day. She had to attend another round of initial voting, the preliminary, back room discussions of party affiliation and vote trading, and then probably another few hours of cabinet sessions. All of that before she could really do anything important. It was only seven in the morning, but she was certain it would be a very late night already.
***
Chapter VII
Port Klast System
Port Klast
September 10, 2403
Mason straightened the collar of his shirt. He felt absurd in the silken white shirt, with the broad collar and the open chest. Even more so with the heavy gold necklaces. He drew the lines at the earrings, though, especially after Kandergain's comments about how 'fetching' they made him look.
She took far too much pleasure in his discomfort. Worse, in a way, was how she had Lauren cackling at the whole idea. As if to reinforce that thought, he heard Lauren snort behind him and Kandergain restrain a giggle. Can't trust women in numbers, Mason thought, they team up and try to put you in your place. He supposed he should be grateful the two didn't hate one another, but he was mostly just resigned to them being friends.
He took one last resigned breath and strode down the shuttle ramp, once again donning the Stavros routine in his mind. “Welcome, welcome, friends!” Mason said with a broad fake smile, even as he evaluated the men and women who'd answered his calls. Most of them were what he had expected, either hard-bitten mercenaries who were down on their luck or fresh-off-the-ship kids eager to make a name for themselves and get rich. Mason barely held back a cringe at one boy, in particular, who didn't look old enough to shave, much less to fly a fighter in combat.
“Now, we'll have a simple selection process,” Mason said. “And then we can talk contracts.”
“We talk contracts now, or we walk,” a woman near the front said. Her hoarse voice, rotted teeth, and whipcord lean frame suggested years of serious drug abuse. Mason wouldn't have signed her on even in his worst years of pirating, not as she was... but Stavros wouldn't hesitate. Well, Mason thought, if she passes the simulator then I'll just have to keep an eye on her.
Mason didn't bother to smile at her, Stavros would see her as weak, an applicant. “You want to talk contracts? Fine, I'm the Captain. I give the orders. And I'll see if you are worth the breath to waste discussing contracts before I waste that breath, understood?” He put a hard edge in his voice and let some of his own darkness leak through. He could see them respond to it. The veterans stood a little straighter at that snap to his voice while the unseasoned kids all gave him their full attention, their eyes wide.
“Miss Kelly is my executive officer. She'll call each of you forward by name, two at a time,” Mason said. “Follow her orders as if they were my own, understood?” Since they didn't have any simulators, Lauren and he had rigged up the shuttle flight systems to run a fighter simulation. It wasn't the best representation, but it was good enough.
There were mutters of assent and grunts of acknowledgment, that was about as much as Mason could expect from this group. He watched as Lauren called the first two forward and Kandergain stepped up next to him. “So, how many do you think we can trust?” Mason asked.
“None, right now,” Kandergain said in a low voice. “I'd be surprised if Admiral Mannetti doesn't have at least a couple of her people to check you out, either with this lot or the crew we signed on yesterday. Probably a couple from some of the other larger pirate organizations as well. Everyone wants to know more about Stavros.” Then again, Mason's real fear with most of the crew he had signed on was that they'd try to take the ship. Not that they'd succeed, he knew, certainly not with Lauren and Kandergain to back him. But they might damage his act in the process and they would definitely complicate things.
Mason chuckled, “Know more they will. I'll show them all what a real pirate is made of... and it's a good thing that scum Tommy King is dead or I'd show him too.” He put more than an edge of bluster in his tone.
“Well, we'll see if any of these lot can handle a Falke,” Kandergain said, her tone dry. “Though I suppose if they get themselves killed, it will save you paying them in the end.” The callousness of her tone would have shocked him... except he'd seen her display far worse an act before. For that matter, he thought, she has done worse
.
“True,” Mason said. “Though I'd be out the fighter. But that is something to think about.” Stavros wasn't known for his loyalty to crew. Then again, the Falke fighters were relatively cheap. They were good for the price, he knew. Falke's were Tau Ceti built, the export model of their Alder fighters. The Tau Ceti had used the Alders for several decades of their ongoing civil war within the Centauri Confederation. They were light and fast and carried a good armament mix between their short range energy weapons and their missile racks. The Falke's lacked the advanced sensors and targeting computers of the Alder, but that was an acceptable price when they'd see use as pirates. Their targets should be mercenaries or militia, not full up military forces.
In theory, anyway. Mason wasn't certain what Admiral Mannetti had planned, but the Falkes and his cruiser should be very tempting towards recruitment.
Lauren led the first two back out of the shuttle and gave Mason a shake of the head. “Roirdan and Khemali,” she called out.
The drug using woman stepped forward, “I'm Asara Khemali.” She stepped forward and impatiently rocked back and forth on her heels.
“Roirdan?” Lauren asked again.
A moment later, the young boy started forward. “That's me, I'm Cal Roirden.” The edge on his voice, the set of his shoulders, and the way his eyes were locked on Mason gave him warning. As the boy stepped forward, his hand went to a concealed pistol in his belt. Mason saw the move coming though and he stepped forward to catch the boy's wrist before he could draw the pistol.
“You bastard, Stavros! You killed my brother and father at Quadi. I'll kill you!”
Mason swung his elbow and caught the boy in the temple. He slumped and Mason let him fall limply to the pavement. A glance around at the others showed a mix of eager hunger and disinterest from the majority. Some of the younger types showed shock and even a bit of fear. Dammit, Mason thought, got to play this one out or half this lot will think I'm soft.
He knelt down and picked up the boy's pistol. It was a cheap, Taurtec, nine millimeter, probably all the boy could afford, Mason guessed. He could feel the eyes of the others on him and some bit of his own eagerness. If he didn't kill the boy, he'd face mutiny or worse later on. For that matter, Stavros Heraklion probably had hundreds of enemies, many of them far more dangerous than one Cal Roirden.
Mason aimed the pistol down at the boy. Yet... he himself had his own grudge with Stavros. The boy didn't deserve death for that.
In that split moment of hesitation, Lauren stepped forward and fired her submachine gun down into the boy. He couldn't stop the look of surprise that he shot her, but she answered it with just a grim nod. She looked around. “Looks like Roirden passed on his slot,” Lauren said, her voice flat. “Wang, you're next.”
There was a pause and a man stepped forward, “Sam Wang.”
“Right,” Lauren said. “Let's go.”
Mason tossed the boy's pistol to the side and stepped back. He adopted a leer as he did so, even as he cringed inside. He had nearly given himself away, nearly spoiled the whole thing. Worse, in a way, was that Lauren had to be the one to step forward and save the situation.
Kandergain stepped up next to him. “That was interesting.” She eyed the corpse, “I'm not certain I want to be signed on with you, Captain, if this is the way of things.” The detachment in her voice was either from her own distaste with what had happened or from the possibility of having to do something similar, Mason would guess.
Mason turned to her. He wanted to tell her that he didn't want to do this anymore, that her Baron Giovanni wasn't worth it. He wanted to pull off the stupid clothing and go back to being Mason McGann, captain of a tramp freighter and no one of consequence. Instead, he stood up straight and looked her in the eye, “That's the only way there is. You mess with Stavros, you pay in blood.”
A glance around at the pilots told him that they bought it. Even the cold killers in the group looked wary. He wouldn't see any trouble from them. Yet he knew that another ghost would join the ranks in his nightmares.
***
“Well,” Kandergain said, “Captain, I've finished looking at possible people to sign on with, as you instructed.” Mason looked up from where he sat, feet propped up on a console, as he reviewed data from the pilot runs. Well, he'd already reviewed them all, but reviewing them prevented him from having to think back to Cal Roirden's face.
“I suppose I should look through those,” Mason said and put a surly edge to his tone. Lauren and Kandergain had a very public confrontation with him earlier over whether he should sign on with one of the local pirate groups or continue operations on his own. Mason figured they'd made a big enough scene that all of the crew would know that Stavros was essentially broke, once all the bills were paid.
The lure of pirate groups for independents like Stavros was that they often had informants on a number of worlds and even in some of the shipping companies. For that matter, shipping companies, especially some of the Centauri corporations often hired pirate gangs to go after their competition. Those advantages, combined with the fact that most groups pooled their plunder, meant that they tended to be more successful than an independent like Stavros.
Of course, someone like Stavros didn't have to worry about the repercussions for his actions, for the most part. Most of the big pirate organizations, such as Admiral Mannetti's group, had bases and ports of call. They had to tread carefully and they had to police not just their own numbers, but any independents who operated in their areas. Stavros had preyed off of any ship he came across, to include other pirates. Of course, Mason thought dryly, that made Stavros enemies, such as Tommy King, and had some repercussions of its own.
Mason closed out the list of prospective pilots and forwarded it to Lauren's console. “You can contact those pilots and tell them we've berths for them.” He had selected a mix of the experienced and new pilots, mostly based off of those who he thought had some potential and others he thought would be good enough to do the job and less likely to ask questions. He'd also highlighted the four pilots he figured for plants.
He pulled up the list of pirate groups known to hire on experienced ships and captains. His eyebrows went up at the first entry. “Savino?”
“She's got an add out,” Kandergain said levelly.
Mason coughed, “Probably not best. We're not on good terms.” It wasn't quite true. Arela Savino and Stavros weren't on bad terms with one another. But if anyone would see through his disguise, it would be Arela. “I hadn't realized she had become so successful.”
“She's quite the bloodthirsty marauder, I understand,” Kandergain said. She raised an eyebrow, “Something of a history?”
“Yeah,” Mason said, his voice distant. He thought about the young, vibrant woman he'd met many years ago... and the jaded, bitter woman he had left behind. “Something like that.” His eyes roved down the rest of the list. “Chalmers thinks too small in scale, I refuse to work under a man so timid. Yarris and Malcom are both prospects, but we can talk with them. Who is this Penwaithe? I've never heard of him.”
“She is Councilor Penwaithe, of the Halcyon Colony,” Kandergain said. Her voice carried the exasperated tone of someone who hated working with people of sub-par intelligence. Mason would have taken offense, except that Stavros wasn't the brightest... clever, conniving, and even canny, but not intelligent, much less educated. “They're looking for privateers, trying to fund their independence movement, I guess.”
“Huh,” Mason said. The name sounded familiar and Mason reviewed his encounters over the past week. He snorted as he remembered his meeting with Thomas Kaid, and the guests he had passed. Clever bastard, arranged an introduction without actually having to do much beyond his meeting us one after the other, Mason thought.
“Probably going to get more than they bargained for,” Mason said with a chuckle, in full Stavros mode. Then again, that was generally what happened when a colony went that route. They invited in some 'friendly' privateers and mercenaries an
d shortly found that their independence they fought so hard for became tyranny by the people they brought in to fight for them. He didn't have much sympathy for them, though. The common folk, sure, but the politicians who sought to edge out a larger slice of the pie... for them he felt nothing.
“I guess they've already made an agreement with a couple of the pirate groups to act as auxiliaries. Well, they're both technically privateers and freedom fighters themselves. I think Admiral Collae and that Nova Roma woman...” Kandergain pursed her lips in thought. “Manacotti?”
“Mannetti,” Mason said with a smile at her feigned disinterest. He turned it into something of a leer for the sake of the bugs, “I wouldn't mind being her auxiliary, if you know what I mean.”
Kandergain gave him a level glare, “You're a pig, Stavros.”
“Oh, I know,” Mason said. He glanced over the list a bit more. Since they were certain that the ship's private network was fairly secure, she had annotated who all had ties to Mannetti. The Halcyon Colony looked the best. They were located in the Garris Major system, a trinary star system with four inhabited worlds. It seemed a bit unfair that he'd have to head all the way back to Garris Major after coming out here to Port Klast. They were fighting for independence from the Colonial Republic's official rulers of the star system, which was the heavily populated planet Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz, typical of most Colonial Republic worlds, was notionally a democracy and actually a oligarchy ruled by one powerful family, which also owned the industry and the planet's security forces, headed by Presidente Salazar.
He didn't know much about Halcyon colony, but he somehow doubted that they were much better. If they were, they could have gone a number of different routes rather than recruiting pirates to act on their behalf. “Alright, I still think that signing on with anyone else limits the haul we could make out here,” Mason said with a straight face. It hurt not to snort at that, especially with how abysmally he'd done in both sales and purchases. He was pretty certain that some of the merchants on Port Klast truly looked forward to Stavros's next visit. “But I suppose I can talk with Malcom, Yarris, and even this Councilor Penwaithe. Who knows, maybe she'll give us a sign on bonus if I show her some of my skills?” Mason leered again.