"I understand, but now I don’t need protecting, and when I'm done I don’t think you two will either. It might be good to plan a vacation and leave tonight, okay? While I talk to him, start packing."
I hurried off, knowing the cavalry would be arriving at any minute. He had heard us talking inside and had the stunner pointed and waiting as I came through the door.
"I will use this if I have to," he said, a slight tremble in his voice.
I stepped forward and slapped the stunner out of his hand. "Give me the short answer,” I said calmly. “Do you know who actually made the bombing happen, and do you have names?"
"No, I don’t have names, that I can say with certainty. I have suspicions, but I don’t want you going off half-cocked chasing them."
I showed him the paper again with the names that Gray had written. “Any of these on your list?" I asked.
"Yes."
I started to ask a question, but he sat down and started talking before I could.
"Ben,” he said, sounding tired, “before you were even born I was in charge of special organization. I went to a meeting of important individuals whose organizations operated in the shadows, much like my group. I arrived and it seemed as it always had in the past when we all met for our yearly summit. We had drinks and dinner the first night and I went to bed. When I woke the next morning I was groggy, and there was a dead girl in the bed next to me. I made some calls and dressed for breakfast. When my people arrived I left and it was handled business as usual. A month later I received pictures of me and her in bed, and then pictures of her dead. I suspected a number of my so-called colleagues but I had no proof."
I sat down and listened closely as he told the story, hoping he might slip up in some way, but it sounded like he was telling the truth and was going to be a pawn in everything.
“Then it started.” He said. “They wanted me to influence certain individuals in the government to vote a certain way. It was all people I had certain bits of information on, linking them to different activities that they would rather kept quiet. Kind of ironic and very smart, since whoever it was didn’t have to get their hands dirty and there was no link to implicate them. My people would do it all, and they would walk away with no one knowing any different.”
"What about Sims?” I asked. “There are some shady things going on with him. Here in the present I found a clone of him on a ship I was held captive on. His aide was found dead at a crash site, and he is still missing, to the best of my knowledge."
"That is curious,” he said. “A clone could mean a number of things, but until he is found dead or alive it is hard to guess."
"I'm still basically at square one. I need to find Sims."
"Let me finish the story, son. On one occasion they wanted information and asked me to drop it off at a certain location. I did so with a note saying that they could send the pictures or do what they wanted — I was out. I resigned the next morning. It had gone on for about eight years. You were four years old. You were sick that day and your parents left you with us while they went on a day trip. The day of the train explosion. There were stories and speculation and then the investigators found a piece of a detonator. The day we buried them, I found a note when we got home. It said, 'enjoy your retirement.’ I kept waiting for something else to happen, and thankfully it never has. Your training in the arts wasn’t totally because of school bullies. I should have started you sooner than I did."
He stopped momentarily. I thought about the story and thought there could be more to it, but if what he was saying was true, the things I needed to know he had no knowledge of.
"I've got an acquaintance who traffics in information,” Grandfather continued. “He was never any help to me with this twenty years ago. Maybe you can talk to him, persuade him to look into it for you. Times have changed. He might be able to find something out, if you haven’t already alerted those responsible with your actions thus far."
"Write it down and go help pack," I said. "You’re leaving town for a while. I’m sure they know I'm coming for them. There was an incident when we arrived yesterday." I didn’t volunteer any additional information about the snatch and grab, even though he was waiting to hear it.
He realized he wasn’t getting details, so he asked, "Benjamin, were you really going to kill me?"
"If there was any evidence you had anything directly to do with what happened, it’s fifty-fifty,” I said. “You would be bleeding right now, but probably not dead. It seems you were a target and a victim and also the reason indirectly my family, your family, is dead, she believes in you, which means something to me, she is also ignoring out the facts, you fucked up.” I looked at the paper, name stuck out to me from the list. “Are you kidding me? That’s the guy’s name, the information broker. T. Rex Tannopolis."
"Don’t say anything to him. He’s probably still pissy that we laughed at his evil moniker thirty years ago. You'll see when you meet him."
I grabbed him and gave him a hug. "Don’t come back for a while, if ever, please. Use your instincts and stay off the grid, I’ve changed a lot, this isn’t going to be pretty."
Just then, my crew rounded the corner of the house, wary with their hands on their weapons and thinking the worst, judging by their expressions.
Taz looked my grandfather over, checking him for the slightest bit of damage. Natalia stood right beside her.
"It’s okay, everyone, we have been discussing a lead for Benjamin to follow and our quickly planned vacation,” Grandfather said, letting me go.
“Maybe you should take Mrs. Brous, Heidi, with you too,” I told him. “Emily is on Trillond. That would be a good place outside Alliance jurisdiction, and maybe you might give the new regent some assistance. I’m sure the Brous ladies would love a reunion.”
“I’ll check with her,” Grandfather said.
“Is there anyone else I should call on that isn’t on this list?”
“Benjamin, I don’t know the depth of the conspiracy. You may never find them all, but then again, you might get someone to open up once you start applying pressure. One word of caution, though — you may get names that have nothing to do with this. They will use you to kill someone unrelated who they want out of the way in order to keep their hands clean. Your anger for revenge is a powerful weapon, and others will try to wield it if they can. Make sure you take them to the point where they fear their death is certain, and maybe then you will get the truth.”
“That’s not a problem. I do that frequently,” I answered. Taz eased in next to me. My grandfather studied her before saying anything.
“You have formed a strong attachment to my grandson,” he told her. “Don’t you feel he is far below your station? It’s not unheard of, but usually unlikely for a relationship between someone like yourself and a commoner, so to speak.”
“Mr. Jamison,” she answered, “you may not believe it, but I do understand your protectiveness. You need not worry about my intentions. The ideals you speak of are the products of your own species’ evolution and the class structure that formed throughout the history of your societies. Ours, on the other hand, has always been a process of finding the strongest suitor to mate with to continue our lineage of strong kings and queens. I am hoping to secure his affections and make him my king.”
“Damn, a king? Do I have to?” I asked her. “Can’t we just be together, if it works out? You be my woman, I’ll be your man.” It was probably the wrong thing to say, and it looked like it hurt her feelings. My grandfather saw it too.
“Give him some time, Your Highness. He is very young, and what you’re offering is a lot for him to process.”
“Yes he is, and I am patient,” she answered. “About some things, and not so much about others. I know of his disdain for authority.”
“Yes, but it is selective and I don’t know exactly what triggers it. His martial arts instructor he worshipped, as well as his military training instructor. He has had leaders that he would follow to hell and back, but s
omewhere along the way things changed.”
“I have heard stories from his friends about their past. It is quite colorful, as well as sad, and I know these experiences have changed him.”
“He also lost the first woman he has had any real attachment to on their way to Allond. I am sure you have heard that story as well. I believe he isn’t over that yet, and you’re making it hard for him to find closure,” Grandfather said. I was surprised and a little sheepish that he’d perceived that much.
He looked at, yet ignored me while explaining to Taz what he felt was going on. I didn’t object; he was mostly right. It was hard to look at Blue Eyes and not get a constant reminder that encompassed so many failings and memories. Some days I wanted to push her out the airlock, but I sensed she wasn’t evil or even bad. Confused and misled would be good words to describe her. I was hoping to deposit her in a far off part of the galaxy and let her start a new life. Maybe the compulsion would go away then.
Taz was something new, a good distraction, and yet she wasn’t human. She pushed and prodded and didn’t understand. Right now I didn’t need the distraction. What I was about to embark on would kill me if I went into it with less than a hundred percent of myself.
“Grandfather,” I said, changing the subject, “I want to ask you one more time if you have any information other than this T-Rex fellow for me. If I start cutting parts off of people and they start singing your name, I’m gonna be very upset with you. I got the feeling from General Gray that you knew more than just one name?”
“If I knew, I would have gone after them a long time ago,” Grandfather said. “People who commit crimes like this at the level I was working at don’t go out in the daytime, Benjamin, and when they do go out they walk in the shadows. They are master manipulators and love getting dirt on people they can use.”
“Yes,” I said, “and you were one of them. That’s why I find it so hard to believe you know nothing at all, except that I should talk to the dinosaur man. You went against them, and my family died along with hundreds of innocent people.” I could tell he was done. “I’m going to get going,” I told him. “If you think of anything, just message me.”
“Come over here for a minute,” Grandfather asked stepping away from everyone. He held my arm and looked me dead in the eyes. “Son, don’t antagonize the queen. I know you think it’s funny, and you deflect with humor when you don’t want to talk about something, but she is a very, very important person. Take some time and give her some serious thought. Maybe there is some compromise you can come to if you’re at least a little bit serious about it.”
“I’ll give it some thought,” I answered, “and try to see things differently than I do right now. Don’t get me wrong, I like her, but I also know that part of me is fighting against being involved right now.”
Grandfather wrapped his arms around me and held on for a minute. “I’ve always been proud of you and always will be,” he said quietly. “Even your attitude with me hasn’t put me off. I know how much this has affected you over the years, and now it’s even to the point where you don’t trust me.”
“I’m sorry, Grandfather, but it has eaten away at my soul for over twenty years, and neither you nor anyone else will keep me from putting them down.”
“The problem, son, is that you don’t know who they are or if you will get them all, and it’s been so long. It won’t be like they are bragging about it on the street corner. You have a list of names, but it might not even be true. You don’t have forever to search for them, and the longer you stay, the odds are greater you’ll get captured by one of many organizations that would like to get their hands on you.”
“What am I supposed to do, walk away and do nothing?”
“No, talk to T-Rex, and if he has any information then check it out. If it leads you to a dead end, though, then walk away. Someone had people waiting for you when you got here, and that should be your first clue. You have no element of surprise. Backtrack your journey and it will give you an idea of who might have sent a message ahead of your arrival.”
“It could be that it wasn’t deliberate,” I said. “Taz was coming to meet the president. Let me ask Lorelei, she probably had to provide a list of all the crew.”
“She most likely did, and now you just expanded your pool of names to hundreds, maybe thousands of individuals you don’t even know about. Only one or maybe two would be involved in passing on the information to the right people, but finding them could take a long time.”
“Hopefully she didn’t provide the names of any of the crew who are on the wrong side of the line with the military,” I added.
“She is a smart cookie,” he smiled. “I doubt you have to worry.”
Chapter 25
“You did what? How could you? They’re more than likely listed as deserters! What the fuck were you thinking?” I yelled, people cringed, and I paced, talking to myself.
We had left my grandparents to their packing, but it may not have mattered. I won’t have enough time to do jack shit. My grandfather was skeptic about me finding out a damn thing. Grandmother seemed to like that this was going down. I figured she was bored and wanted to get the hell off of Athena. If I found the people responsible, that was a bonus in her eyes.
“Most of you need to be on the Claymore and go for a ride,” I snapped. “Leave the shuttle here for me, Nedra and Harry. Take Imelda with you. I don’t know when she will get to eat again, that is unless I find some of the people I’m looking for. Then she might.”
“Where should we go?” Lorelei asked. “We shouldn’t travel too far away from you and the others.”
“There are two moons orbiting an uninhabited planet. They are called the Scarab Moons. One has a population and a militia, but the other was mostly uninhabited when I was there years ago. Imelda could roam free and hunt and you wouldn’t be weeks away.”
“Yes, I see it here,” Lorelei said. “It should work perfectly, provided you don’t take forever doing these dark deeds you plan on doing.”
“No worries, I am going to forgo the long, slow, painful death for the quick killing. I’m still pissed at you, Captain.”
“So, go have fun and you’ll get over it,” Lorelei said.
“Get everyone together in the hold and let’s get this worked out. You may have to leave without clearance from the port authority. If you request permission, you’ll be screwed.”
I left the bridge and walked back to the rear of the ship. It wasn’t long before they all arrived. I just waited quietly while they walked in until everyone was present.
“Matt, Bill, Snake, Ronnie, Shawna, Genius, Lorelei, Natalia and Imelda need to leave as soon as possible,” I told them all. “Buddy, Grubb, Adam, and Blue Eyes — your choice. Go with them or stay here. Harry, Nedra, and Taz, you’re here with me, unless your business is finished with the president, Taz, then you should go with them.”
“I’m not going,” Natalia said.
“Neither am I,” Taz agreed.
“I’m going to go,” Buddy said.
“Me too,” Grubb added.
“And me,” Adam said. “It will be easier and safer if there are fewer of you when the shooting starts.”
“I would like to stay,” Blue Eyes said.
“Why do you think it will be better, Adam?” I asked.
“This location is already compromised, if my guess is correct,” he answered. “Even with those two, you will still be able to hide out easier if you don’t have a dozen of us to keep up with. Keep the shuttle close at hand and even their size won’t be a factor.”
“What about me, Benjamin?” Binda asked.
“Sorry,” I told her, “it dawned on me while I was putting this together that I want you to stay and be our pilot. I hope you are alright with that.” I turned to my daughter. “Natalia, I need you to go and be with Imelda. She listens to you.”
“Yeah,” she retorted, “and she talks to me too. She is mad at you for sending her away.”
I
walked over to the lowered ramp and looked out. Imelda was up in the ceiling of the hangar, resting in the bed she had spun in the beams and cross members.
“What?” I yelled up at her. “This is important. I need you to protect my friends and my daughter. Plus, you will get to hunt and not be confined to such a small space.”
Natalia appeared by my side. “She’s still mad,” she said.
“I don’t care,” I answered. “We are going to get the shuttle out and then I want your big hairy ass on this ship, so get over it,” I yelled, looking upward before walking up the ramp, leaving Natalia in silent conversation with Imelda. I was glad I couldn’t hear them.
I rubbed my temples as I walked, wondering why nothing could ever just be easy. I remembered not long ago on Anubis it had been easy for a little while. Go to work, stop for a beer, go home. When the weekend came, I would help my loving landlords get work done around the farm. That was easy, but my life now was messed up. I needed to uncomplicated things.
It’s all sloppy, and no matter how I try to organize, it goes to shit. I get through this and things are going to change. I won’t be able to come back so setting up shop far away in Allond space feels like a grand idea to me. Maybe on the border of Allond and Cjittan to keep everyone happy, keep Taz happy if that’s possible. If not, then where doesn’t matter as much.
I had eighteen humanoids, one giant spider and myself. That was twenty-five mouths to feed, if I guessed right, judging by Imelda’s intake. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like so much responsibility. I couldn’t just kill people to feed Imelda, but then again it there always seemed to be someone who wanted a piece of me. She could have some snacks on occasion.
Living out there, I knew there might be a chance at working with the governors of Allond, Cjittan and Trillond on the plan they were putting in place to grow more food to support the Cjittan. There was also the Allith, who worked the border planets. There was no great loss there, and Imelda liked reptile already. I thought that needed to be the next priority.
The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: No More Lies (Book 3) Page 19