Vigilante

by Natalie Grey

  “They are all dead,” Barnabas said. He made sure his voice carried. “The ones involved in this, anyway. There may be more. But if there are, we’ll catch them, and we’ll make them pay, too.”

  25

  “Come see, come see, come see!” Aebura bounded ahead, periodically climbing the sides of buildings and swinging along. She was almost glowing with her exuberance, and her words kept getting lost in the general chitter of her voice. Barnabas could feel the wash of excitement coming off her. It smelled of sunlight and he had a brief, jarring memory of a happy moment in his childhood, bare feet on dirt, summer sunshine and the smell of plants…

  He shook his head slightly and continued walking, staring after Aebura when she drew ahead. At his side, Carter was striding with the same sort of excitement, barely in check and tending to ooze out in the form of a wide grin and a bounce in his step. His family would be arriving soon, and he’d been spending the past few days cleaning the bar from top to bottom.

  Aebura, who had disappeared into one of the new buildings in the mining town, stuck her head out and bobbed it up and down with impatience.

  “Come see!”

  Barnabas and Carter ducked into the interior of the building.

  “Whoa,” Carter exclaimed.

  “It’s...identical.” Barnabas looked around.

  “Yes! I love the bar in Tethra. That’s why this one is the same.” Aebura, who was perched on the bar, stroked her fingers over the smooth, freshly-varnished surface. She was radiating happiness.

  “Who’s going to run it?” Barnabas asked her. “Leiguba?”

  “No, I am.” She looked even more pleased now.

  Carter cleared his throat. “Aebura, I don’t mean to be a downer, but running a bar is a lot of work. Trying to run two so far apart? I don’t know how you’re going to manage.”

  “I’m not going to run two,” she replied. Her excitement had reached a fever pitch in Barnabas’s mind and several Ubuara had come to peek in the door, apparently wondering what was going on in here. “You’ll run the one in Tethra!”

  “Ah.” Barnabas smiled as he got it.

  Carter gaped at him, then at Aebura. “I’m… I don’t know what to… Aebura, are you sure you trust me to run your bar for you?”

  “It’s not my bar anymore,” she informed him with a pleased flick of her tail. “It’s yours. I’m giving it to you, Carter Eastbourne.”

  “It’s mine?”

  “I like you,” she explained. “You listen to people, and you help them. You would make a good bartender.”

  “But...but….”

  “Do you not want to own the bar?

  “No! I mean, yes, I do want to own it! I mean…”

  “Well, then it’s settled,” Aebura told him as if this were the easiest thing in the world. “I want to work here for a while to make this place as nice as possible.”

  “It really is getting much nicer,” Barnabas said, sliding onto a bar stool while Carter kept spluttering behind him. “I don’t suppose there’s any fruit juice?”

  Fruit juice? Bobcat would disown you.

  It’s really good!

  Aebura poured a glass and set it on the bar. “I knew you would want some so I had it ready.”

  “Excellent.” Barnabas looked over his shoulder at Carter, who was now staring into the distance and muttering distractedly to himself, then returned to the matter at hand. “So, how are things going with the rebuilding?”

  “Very well.” Aebura’s tail twitched. “Many people have come to help rebuild the living quarters, and some of the original guards are staying to provide security. Not many, just the ones people remember as being nice. And,” she added, suddenly intent, “you’ll never guess what happened! We got all the money in Lan’s accounts, and all future ore shipments will pay to our new accounts! We thought it would take years to sort that all out.”

  “Mmm.” Barnabas took a sip of his juice. “I wonder how that happened.”

  “No one knows.” Aebura shrugged her shoulders. “But it really helps with building this place up. We went through the old contracts and standards. He was supposed to be spending a certain amount on the upkeep and he never did!”

  Barnabas smiled as Carter came sat down beside them. “Hello. Thought you’d join us, did you? Are you speaking in sentences again?”

  Carter just gave him a wide-eyed look and Aebura passed him a glass of juice.

  “Did you hear Carter’s plans for the bar in Tethra?” she asked Barnabas.

  “No plans! There are no plans.” Carter made a chopping motion with his hand.

  “I thought you said—”

  “I haven’t even really thought about what I’d do here. I’ll just play it by ear. But, you know, with good business sense.” He gave a deer-in-the-headlights look at Barnabas.

  Barnabas smiled back blandly. It wasn’t like his mind wasn’t broadcasting his intentions, but he’d let Carter keep his illusions.

  “So, what’s happening with Gar?” Carter asked suddenly.

  “Yes.” Aebura sat up at once. “What is happening with him?”

  “Well, he’s all healed now.” Barnabas rolled his glass on its edge and considered. “I was thinking of taking him on the Shinigami with me, if you don’t mind. I know you folks had been discussing what should be done with him after the dust settled, so to speak.”

  Aebura nodded. “Yes, we had.”

  There were suddenly a lot of Ubuara in the bar. One hopped onto Barnabas’s shoulder and leaned on his head.

  Not. A. Word.

  I need to have someone take pictures of this. I need to.

  “We discussed it,” Aebura said again, looking at the other Ubuara, “and we decided that because Gar went out to confront Lan, thinking he would die, and he did get shot and he would have died...that counts.”

  Barnabas blinked. “I see.”

  “I think I get it,” Carter said thoughtfully. “He thought he was paying for it and he made the choice to pay for it, and even went through the moment of doing so, so to speak. I could get behind that. This is really good juice,” he added.

  Barnabas nodded at that.

  “So you can take Gar with you if you’d like,” Aebura told him, and the other Ubuara nodded. “What will he be doing?”

  “I’m not sure.” Barnabas had not quite trusted Gar to start his own business just yet. He wanted to watch the male for a while longer. However, Gar also knew some things about the company that effectively controlled High Tortuga for a while and he had good contacts amongst management, many of whom were Luvendi.

  Plus, he seemed to know a lot about the various planets and dynamics in this area of space. He was going to be useful.

  “Remember to stop back sometimes.” Carter smiled. “I know you’re all jetting off to do Justice all over the galaxy—”

  “Why stop at one galaxy?”

  Carter gave him a look. “But you really should check back in and get some juice sometimes.”

  “Already on the agenda. Plus, I’ll have to come see what you’ve done with the place.” Barnabas looked away from Carter’s panicked expression and slid some money across the bar as he stood. “Aebura, a pleasure as always. Carter can get in contact with me if you need anything, so don’t hesitate to let him know. Carter, would you like a ride back to Tethra? I hear you have a bar to run.”

  “Oh! Right.” Carter swallowed and hurried out the door after him into the sunlight.

  Elisa Eastbourne rolled the stroller over the dusty road between the landing pad and Tethra, and could not help smiling. This place really was exactly as Carter had described—a tiny chaotically-bright city set in the middle of a swamp. The mountains in the distance were crystal clear against the sky, a beautiful sight, and she could smell the street food from here.

  “We see Daddy?” Alanna piped up from the stroller. Elisa could just see the glint of her brown hair in the sunlight under the mosquito netting.

  “Yes, he said he’d meet us at t
he landing pad, but he doesn’t know we came early. Shhh, it’s a surprise.” Elisa smiled. “And his assistant—I think it’s his assistant—Barnabas said we were supposed to come to his new business.”

  “We see new city?” Samuel asked.

  “Aren’t you even a little tired from the trip?”

  “No.”

  She had really walked into that one, Elisa reflected. She was still getting used to the twins being toddlers.

  “Well, I want a nap,” she told them. “So we’ll all lie down for a bit once we’ve seen Daddy again.”

  Once they reached the city they pushed their way through the crowded streets, and Elisa frowned down one street at a glimpse of a compound that looked totally destroyed. It was, in fact, vaguely smoking. No one seemed worried about it, though, so she supposed it wasn’t dangerous.

  They found the bar before too much longer and Elisa pushed the stroller inside.

  Any plans she’d had for a well-executed surprise went right out the window when the twins unzipped the mosquito netting and piled out to run full-speed across the bar.

  “DADDY!”

  Carter spun around in surprise. “Alanna! Samuel!” He looked up and his smile widened to see his wife. “Elisa,” he said, his eyes locked on hers as the twins ran full speed into him and he folded them into his arms. “I missed you! What do you think of Tethra?”

  “I love it,” Elisa said frankly. She’d always had what her mother and father had called ‘a healthy dose of wanderlust,’ and none of her family had been surprised when she had signed on with Bethany Anne. This was exactly the sort of place she’d dreamed of visiting. Other people could have their 5-star resorts and fancy dinners. She wanted to see the whole universe.

  Carter came to kiss her. “I’m glad you like it,” he said, still grinning. “What do you think of the bar?”

  “I can’t believe you got this up and running in three weeks!”

  “Uh, I didn’t, actually. It’s a long story. I’ll introduce you to the former owner at some point.”

  “Oh, is that Barnabas?”

  “Barnabas? No, he’s Ranger One. Wait, how do you know Barnabas?” Carter stared at her.

  “He’s how I knew where the bar was, silly! I thought he was your assistant.”

  “Oh. No.” Carter looked around. “In fact, I didn’t know he was still—”

  “Here?” Barnabas finished. He deposited a crate of glass bottles behind the bar. “Just finishing up a few things, and wanted to stay to meet your family. Elisa, it’s so good to meet you.” He came over to shake her hand. “Your husband has already quite endeared himself to the locals. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really do have to go for now, but I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.” He slipped around them to the door, then turned back. “Oh, Carter—I brought up one of your crates of Coke. I think the bottling mechanism must be faulty or something. It just doesn’t taste...right.”

  He gave Carter a smile that lingered just a moment too long, then disappeared into the crowds.

  “Oh, God,” Carter managed to say in a strangled voice.

  Back on the Shinigami, Barnabas hung his coat neatly on one of the hooks and went to the bridge to look over the schematics and maps Shinigami had printed out. She teased him relentlessly for using paper, but he was still old-fashioned enough to prefer it. There were several more towns already in existence, and a few people trying to establish their own company towns all over the planet. Making High Tortuga safe was going to be a long and involved job.

  Barnabas was looking forward to it. He rolled up his sleeves neatly and set to work.

  “Shinigami, where’s Gar?”

  “Doing some research on the planet Luvendan. He believes part of the company may have been based there, and he was as intrigued by my questions on its history as I am.”

  “Mmm. Well, let me know what you two come up with. On both fronts, I guess.” He looked up at one of the cameras. “I don’t suppose you have time for a game of chess?”

  “Old man, I can play a game of chess and do all my work. You’re the one who needs to make time.”

  “Oh, really?” Barnabas smiled at her. “Well, then, let’s play now, shall we?” He walked over to the board.

  “If you insist on getting beaten, I suppose I could oblige you.” Shinigami projected a holographic version of herself. “One moment. Why isn’t the board coming on?”

  “Sometimes you need to turn on electronics to make them work.”

  “Was that a threat?”

  “Of course not. Don’t be so high-strung.” Barnabas thumped the board and smiled as it turned on. “See? It’s working now.”

  “Hrm. I’ll have you know I’ve never had any other troubles with equipment on this ship.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it.” Barnabas settled back in his seat and pressed a tiny button on the side of his watch. Unbeknownst to Shinigami, a corresponding chip on the bottom of the chess board, installed just a day ago during a ‘camera malfunction,’ began to run its subroutines. The board Shinigami saw through her cameras would diverge from the board as it actually was.

  He hoped this would be an important lesson in perspective and data sources.

  Barnabas wondered how long it would take her to realize it. His lips twitched as he nodded to her avatar. “Would you like the first move?”

  FINIS

  Author’s Notes - Natalie Grey

  A couple of years ago I stumbled across the Kurtherian Gambit Universe, and...well, WOW. It’s been an amazing time since then—getting to delve into the world with Bellatrix and then continue with Challenges and the Trials & Tribulations series (book 3 is coming out June 21st!).

  Those of you who have read Trials & Tribulations as well as Challenges will remember Barnabas as being very, very sneaky. It’s my favorite of his qualities, and one of the most interesting, really. Barnabas is a character of opposites, and often the different sides struggle against each other.

  One thing has no opposite, however: his sense of Justice. Barnabas is devoted to doing what is right, and no matter the means, nothing will stand in his way. I love that about him (and I love his friendship with Shinigami).

  I want to thank Michael for continuing to allow me to be a part of the KGU, thank the readers for being absolutely amazing, and also to give a special shout-out to the beta team, Kim, Sandy, Jim, and Sam. On the production team, Lynne, Steve, and the JIT group did some above-and-beyond work to help me smooth out a few aspects of lore and make this a nice, clean, typo-free read for everyone else! Furthermore, as you can see, Jeff made a fantastic cover, and Natale did some wonderful behind the scenes work to make this all come together. A round of applause, please!

  I can’t wait to show you more in Barnabas’s world. Happy reading!

  -Nat

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  May 21st, 2018

  First, THANK YOU for not only reading this story, but these notes as well! With this book I have accomplished a goal (or maybe I should call it a desire more than a goal) with Natalie (whose real name is .) I was looking at having something ghost-written, sort of.

  You see, I was speaking with Natalie over a year ago, I think, to see if she wanted to either take income for writing the book or collaboration income, and at the time, for personal reasons, she chose payment up front. I can’t blame her, since she had NO idea at the time whether this Universe would make her any money, and she was a big piece of the income for her family.

  However, I didn’t let that deter me.

  Nope, I chose to share with Natalie the sales figures for the books for three to four months so that she could (I hoped, boy did I hope) make a choice to come back into the Kurtherian Gambit Universe as a collaborator. Plus, I setup a pen name for her so that she could get name recognition when the time was right to come back into the Universe and play again.

  She might have written these stories a little faster, but she had a baby in the middle of all of this. I guess that’s a pret
ty good reason to slow down the writing just a little.

  Who types and writes books when they are working with babies? Perhaps Natalie can, but I know I can’t.

  When she came back “into the fold” (like the lost sheep I pretend she was…not that she was…in fact she released a whole trilogy as Natalie Grey, but let me pretend, ok?) Anyway, when Natalie came back and we spoke, I was mentioning that I had the big ‘explosion’ of character directions that was going to take place as Bethany Anne’s last book in The Kurtherian Gambit occurred and where I wanted to take Barnabas.

  Basically “out there!”

  Somewhere.

  I pitched her doing THIS series and her voice lit up (no, really. If you ever speak with Natalie you CAN hear her voice light up over the phone, I promise!) Her style is naturally INTENSE, so Barnabas being a bit of a hardass and yet having to figure out how to work with an AI who was imprinted with Baba Yaga seemed JUST like the type of story she would do well with.

  And now you have this first story in your hands. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you would like to read any of Natalie’s OTHER stories, just go here:

  https://www.amazon.com/Natalie-Grey/e/B01MYG7K8P/

  If you would like to see other Kurtherian Gambit books try this link:

  Kurtherian Gambit Books at Amazon

  As always, every author is boosted by your support in reading our books, reviewing our books, and when you talk with fellow book lovers, telling them about your favorite authors (and BOOKS!) ;-)

  Ad Aeternitatem and have a blessed day,

  Michael Anderle

  Books by Natalie Grey

  Shadows of Magic

  Bound Sorcery

  Blood Sorcery

  Bright Sorcery

  Set in the Kurtherian Gambit Universe

  Bellatrix

  Challenges