Price of Freedom

by Craig Martelle

  “Plato is running a series of tests on the unit we’ve dismantled. We will know more when he’s done,” Ted reported.

  “What is your initial impression?” Nathan asked.

  Ted looked blankly at the screen. “I am waiting on more information, and then I’ll give you my final impression. Wouldn’t that be a better use of our time than speculating?”

  “Probably,” Nathan replied quickly. “Terry?”

  “Looks good.” He wouldn’t commit to anything more than that. The technology was Ted’s show. “We need to meet with the Benitons. Our initial impression in regard to the interdimensional tear is that we might not be able to close it. If not, we may have to leave a small detachment with heavy weapons to discourage any more of the devil creatures from coming through. To do that, we’ll need their approval. I won’t leave a garrison here if they aren’t wanted. And as a smart man told me, quid pro quo could help leverage us into a better negotiating position.”

  “Quid pro quo?”

  “Yes, or I could dig into history and use the landmark negotiations like the Louisiana Purchase or Seward’s Folly, the purchase of Alaska—those two are near and dear to my heart—or Roosevelt’s negotiation with Stalin and Churchill. They had tanks named after them, by the way, but Roosevelt did not. He bagged an aircraft carrier, but that’s something completely different. Talking about different, we’ll need a supply of Coke for the War Axe. I wanted to get that in before I forgot.” Terry gave Ted a thumbs-up.

  “I don’t like Coke. If I can get you Pepsi, will that work?” Nathan’s half-smile did not instill confidence.

  “What?” Ted looked shocked and started vigorously shaking his head. “That won’t do at all.”

  Terry discretely pointed at Ted and nodded.

  “Fine. We’ll get you the high-test stuff.” Nathan winked after Ted looked away.

  “All hail Ted,” Terry whispered at the screen.

  Ted’s minions piped up instantly. “All hail Ted!” Ankh, Plato, and Smedley said in unison.

  Nathan started to laugh, but Terry tersely shook his head. “I’ll find out later what that’s all about. You have the go-ahead to negotiate with the Benitons on behalf of the Federation, but you are not authorized to sign any agreements. I’m sure that’s no surprise.”

  “No surprise at all, Nathan. We’ll leave that part to the bureaucrats. By the way, this space station could be a great place to watch beyond the frontier. I’ll try to work that into the negotiations. I think a Federation presence would do wonders for this whole sector, then goat-snugglers like Ten would keep their ugly heads down.”

  “See what they want and let me know. The Benitons may be less than amenable, since we cut a hole in their space station and stole four of the Etheric power supplies.”

  “To the untrained eye that’s how it may look, Nathan. We’ll fix their abandoned station for them, and then we’ll see what we can do about the infestation on the planet. That is the elephant in the room.”

  “To the untrained eye? To any eye! Just between us, how is Christina doing?” Nathan ignored the mention of the creatures coming through the tear.

  “Like a fish to water. She’s going to be a key player planetside.”

  Nathan smiled, not as the man in charge of Bad Company but as a proud father.

  “She wants to get a cat, TH. Please make that happen for her.”

  “No. No cat! Nathan?”

  “Lowell…”

  “Don’t you hang up on me. NO CAT!”

  “Out.” The screen went blank.

  Ted glared at Terry.

  “Don’t tell me you want a cat too?”

  “Of course not. Why would you think I want a cat? How does your deranged mind work?” Ted asked.

  Terry had no answer for Ted. Char and Marcie watched the verbal sparring with mild amusement.

  “Then why were you glaring at me, General? I agreed to my side of the bargain, which means that you are not allowed to be angry with me anymore. Are you breaking the deal?”

  Ted’s brow furrowed and his eyes flitted back and forth. “I am not. Thank you, Terry Henry. I do not want a cat.” Ted forced a smile and stood. “Will there be anything else? We have work to do on the interstellar instantaneous communications system, the IICS.” Ted inclined his head a couple degrees, then strode boldly from the room with Ankh close behind.

  Marcie and Char left their spots against the wall and took seats at the table. Terry continued to look at the blank screen.

  “We need to contact the Benitons, and we have no idea what would put us in their good graces. There wasn’t anything that looked like a weapon on the space station, so I think first order of business is, the group that meets with them will be completely unarmed but the mechs will only be a comm call away.”

  “They blocked all signals, including our ability to see power flowing from the Etheric. They could block us once we’re inside,” Marcie countered.

  “I don’t know what else to do. Diplomacy isn’t my thing.”

  “Micky?” Char suggested.

  “Take the captain? It is more his thing. Hmm... Let’s ask.”

  The three used the hatch that led from the conference room directly onto the bridge, where they found the captain in his chair, scowling at the three-dimensional map of the planet.

  He acknowledged them with a head bob, but didn’t take his eyes off the planet.

  “We need you to go with us to talk with the Benitons. When is late morning in the biggest city? Because that’s our time and place of arrival.” Terry said as if Micky’s participation was a foregone conclusion.

  “You want me to leave my ship while we’re in hostile territory?”

  “Come on, Skipper! We haven’t seen any ships, and our antagonists are on foot coming through a manhole-sized doorway to the multiverse. The risk to the ship is low, and you’ll have us to protect you.” Terry waved his arms to take in Marcie, Char, and the two others working on the bridge.

  “I saw the pictures, you know.”

  Terry arched a brow and rolled his finger. More information, please.

  “You had a dog taped to your face.”

  “Because we take care of those in our charge. I don’t think there’s any greater testament than a man laying down his life for another,” Terry intoned, holding his hand over his heart.

  “Or his dignity?”

  “That, too.” Terry turned serious. “We need you, Micky. I’m still pissed that they tried to kill us by sucking the air out of the station. I’d rather they’d tried to blow us up or shoot us, but a slow miserable death of oxygen deprivation? I’m not a fan.”

  “I’ll come along, but we have to have a shuttle on standby just in case another ship appears in the system. I will be with my ship if we have to fight.”

  “Deal!” Terry exclaimed, and held out his hand.

  “Will they allow a shuttle within the city?” Micky asked skeptically.

  “I have no idea.” TH tried to look contrite.

  “At least you are honest in your deceit. I hope I don’t come to regret this.” Micky climbed down from the captain’s chair. “Keep your eyes peeled, K’Thrall. No surprises! Clifton, you get the ship out of here if things look bad. We’ll figure it out later. All of that to tell you that I don’t expect anything bad to happen, but you know what we say—expect the best and plan for the worst.”

  “Aye, aye, sir,” Helm replied.

  “Can I go?” K’Thrall asked.

  Terry turned toward the Yollin.

  “Sorry, I forgot to ask,” Micky said.

  “Why do you want to go?” Terry asked.

  “The honor of Yoll. If we are going to fight threats to this galaxy, we should include someone from this galaxy.”

  “Does it matter who keeps the universe free from trespassers like this?” Terry countered.

  K’Thrall continued to look the colonel in the eye. “It does to me.”

  “As soon as you train a replacement for your posi
tion, we’ll begin your training. Bundin is new, too. We’ll be happy to have a Yollin in Bad Company.”

  “I can go now?” K’Thrall asked.

  “No, you can’t go into combat with us unless you’ve trained with us. It takes a great deal of practice to fire and maneuver without shooting your own people, so we cannot take someone who isn’t well-versed in our procedures. We simply cannot. You would be a danger to yourself as well as others. I’m sorry, K’Thrall, but not on this mission.”

  The Yollin clicked his mandibles in agitation, but to his credit he didn’t act the fool. “I understand,” was all he said.

  ***

  “What’s the plan, TH?” the captain asked once the group had left the bridge.

  “We drop off Kae and his team to conduct a recon of the tear and the devils, then we continue to the city you identified in the northern hemisphere.”

  “And?”

  “And what?”

  “Who do we talk with? How do we make sure they don’t shoot us down?”

  Terry stopped. “You know we haven’t talked with them. How would we? All we can do is look harmless. Joseph is going with us, just in case they open their minds to us. Otherwise, Skipper, it’s the usual plan.”

  Micky turned to Char.

  “His plan is to wing it.”

  Char shook her head as she looked at Terry.

  “These creatures don’t appear to have technology, yet they are terrorizing this planet. Judging by the low-impact lethal approach the Benitons took securing their space station I assume that they are willing to defend themselves, yet the creatures continue to come through the tear and spread out. A mech with a railgun should easily kill them, even if they can regenerate like most beings who use the Etheric. I suspect they have another trick or two that we won’t learn until we engage. That’s what Kae will be doing while we’re talking with the Benitons.”

  “What he said,” Char added with a smile.

  Micky turned toward the captain’s quarters.

  “Come on. It’s time to go,” Terry said, waving his arm for Micky to follow.

  “Shouldn’t I put on a dress uniform to make a good impression?”

  “We are who we are. Spacemen and warriors, exporting justice across the universe and doing our part to keep the peace.”

  “That sounds like a cheesy commercial,” Micky replied.

  “And you are the poster child.” Terry pointed at the skipper’s shipsuit. “Look at you, all captain-like. Come on, Micky! We have a blind date that none of us are looking forward to.”

  ***

  “Combat drop, bitches!” Kae bellowed using the suit’s external speakers.

  “Excuse me?” Marcie said from within her mech suit.

  “I’m one,” Shonna replied.

  “I’m not.” Merrit gave Kaeden the finger.

  Kae waved dismissively. “We conduct a recon of the tear and estimate how many of these things are down there. If we can isolate one a captive would come in handy, but if we have to engage then shoot to kill.”

  Kae, the mech team leader, pounded on the shoulders of each of the team members with two fists as they repeated the rules of engagement back to him.

  Marcie and the werewolves were along because of their ability to see the flow of Etheric energy. Shonna and Merrit were capable, but would not have volunteered for the mission if it had been left up to them. Marcie would have gone no matter what, and Kae wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

  Kae checked his heads-up display. Each of the four suits showed full loads for railguns and rockets, and power levels were maxed out.

  “Prepare to load,” Kae said when he saw his parents and the captain walking toward them. Joseph, Petricia, and Dokken were already aboard.

  Terry nodded in greeting to the mechs, but he kept walking. They knew the mission, and it was time to go. Terry took two steps up the ramp and stopped.

  “Hey, buddy! You still don’t have a spacesuit, so I’m not so sure you should go,” TH told the German Shepherd.

  Dokken dug under the seat and brought out a new roll of duct tape.

  “That settles it,” Char declared as she took her seat. Joseph patted the dog on the head and buckled in, and Petricia sat next to him and patted the empty seat between her and Char.

  TH took it and Dokken jumped into his lap. “Is this how it’s going to be?”

  I swear the blood oath! Dokken exclaimed.

  “Have you been watching those old movies with Kaeden again?”

  You should try them, big human. They are most entertaining, and more importantly, relaxing, which is something you could use. You seem a bit uptight.

  “I have a two-hundred-pound dog on my lap. It could be that.”

  Char petted Dokken’s head as Terry scratched behind his ears. Petricia stroked the long hair on the dog’s back.

  The mechs climbed aboard, but faced the rear ramp. They were going to execute a combat drop in case the Benitons’ sensor systems could determine if the shuttle landed. They would drop the team after flaring to slow the approach, then the drop ship would continue to the city.

  That was Terry’s plan. Once Kae and the team hit the ground, they’d be on their own with a second drop ship in orbit, ready for an emergency pickup.

  The negotiation team was on their own too.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Nathan stood in the cargo bay of Federation Base Station Eleven. It wasn’t his favorite space station since it was off the beaten path, but it had enough charm to keep him interested. He was on a short hop to recruit a group of traders for an intelligence mission. The cargo bay was filled with a variety of materials that could be transported innocuously to give the traders a cover story under any circumstance.

  And to keep the Bad Company’s trade arm robust and producing income.

  They could also supply the covert intelligence section with information from across the Federation. The traders could ply the routes of systems contemplating joining to help Nathan better understand how best to leverage them.

  That assumed General Reynolds wanted to bring them on board. Sometimes systems needed to mature before entering the fold, and sometimes systems were too self-serving to come on board. The general had no intention of making wealthy rulers even richer while their people suffered in poverty.

  A scruffy-looking cargo ship finished its landing sequence.

  Nathan leaned against a railing and watched as two men—one human and one Yollin—exited the hulking cargo hauler, the ICS Fortitude, and headed his way.

  “Eight hundred and forty-two computer servers ordered by...” Jack glanced at the name on the shipping docket attached to his clipboard before he passed it over, “a Marcus Cambridge.”

  “Thanks,” Nathan said, signing for the consignment before returning the clipboard and holding out his hand. Both Jack and Tc'aarlat shook it. “I'll get the dock crew to unload them. While they're doing that, can I treat you gents to a drink?”

  “Sure,” Jack said with a smile. “I never say no to a cold one.”

  “Sounds good to me,” added Tc'aarlat, his mandibles tapping together. “Don't look a gift whore in the mouth, huh?!”

  “‘Horse!’" Jack corrected quickly. "Don't look a gift ‘horse’ in the mouth." He turned to Nathan. “Tc'aarlat's working on including human proverbs and phrases in his day-to-day conversation.”

  “He's, er...doing well,” said Nathan, looking past the newcomers. “So, is it just the two of you?”

  Mist ruffled her feathers and shrieked from her perch on Tc'aarlat's shoulder.

  “Sorry,” Nathan corrected. “The three of you?”

  The Yollin reached up to scratch the top of the hawk's beak, causing her to caw softly. "She doesn't like to be left out." He grinned.

  “Tell me about it,” Jack muttered under his breath.

  Tc'aarlat shot him a brief look of irritation, but decided against bringing up Jack's intense dislike of his pet in front of their client. “There is another me
mber of our crew here somewhere,” he said. “Where's Dollen?”

  Jack shrugged. “He disappeared as we finished docking. Said he wanted to get changed, since he had blood on his shirt.” He noticed Nathan's raised eyebrows and added, “We had a little trouble on our way here...”

  “Sorry!” called a voice from behind the group. Dollen jogged over to join them, sporting a jacket with the haulage company's logo branded on the breast pocket fastened all the way up to his throat. “Couldn't decide what to wear.”

  Nathan shook the Baloreon's hand, then led the small party through the customs and security zones to a large and well-appointed shopping mall filled with tourists of several species.

  Sometimes it’s nice to get back to the front lines and engage at the pointy end of the spear, Nathan thought. And cut the head off a snake while recruiting a few new hands. I hope Ecaterina stays on the upper levels of the station, just until…

  ***

  “Drop in five!” Terry yelled. He flashed five fingers and held them up. Each of the four suited warriors held five fingers over their shoulders. Wearing the suits, they didn’t need to turn around to see Terry. Their rear camera displayed what was behind them on their HUD. The colonel smiled.

  He couldn’t wait until he got his own.

  “Not yet, lover,” Char told him.

  “I know. We’re last.” He turned to Char and they held hands as Terry angled his body so he could see the countdown timer as well as the team braced in the back of the shuttle Pod.

  “ONE MINUTE!” Terry started bobbing as if psyching himself up to jump, and Dokken started barking.

  “MECH RECON!” Kaeden yelled, boosting his speakers so the sound reverberated within the passenger compartment.

  “FLARING!” Terry bent his knees at the same time as the mechs. The drop ship’s nose pointed skyward as the gravitic drives pulled off most of the momentum, then the nose dipped and Smedley dropped the ramp.

  “GET SOME!” Kaeden ran to the back and dove out, and less than a second later, the others followed him. The ramp closed and the drop ship accelerated toward the largest city.