Chronicles of a Space Mercenary 3: Vengeance

by Ronald Wintrick

  “Pretty.” I said. “Who had to die?”

  “She didn’t have to die.” Serrath replied easily without removing her eyes from the hand fondling the long strands of diamond and trinium which were encircling her neck and which hung nearly to her hips. It appeared to be one continuous piece but long enough to loop around her neck and drape to her hips twenty strands thick. It looked heavy, among other things and a King’s ransom no doubt. It was also equally obvious she had taken it from a very large reptile. It would take a strong being just to carry it around. “I asked nicely the first time.” She added.

  “Of course you did.” I said as I sat down at a terminal to check my Kievor account balance. Things had gotten a little blurry at the end and though I clearly remembered winning hand after hand at the tables I had also been drinking them down pretty quick and when they’re going down fast a being can sometimes tend to lose track of just how many there had been. How much you had spent. There were apparently drawbacks to being able to pour them down your neck. However I was quite surprised when I saw that the amount in my account was more than double what had been there, and that had not been an insignificant amount in the first place- my third-cut of our full hold. Double what had been there was a significant increase.

  “You did quite well last night.” Serrath said. “Remember any of it?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” I lied automatically.

  “Of course you do.” She said still without removing her eyes from her new necklace. She did not however need her olfactory abilities to know when I was lying. I generally lied as a rule so anything that came out of my mouth was suspect and on top of that Serrath was a normally suspicious being. It naturally followed that she would believe nothing that ever came out of my mouth. I was suddenly in a very good mood however.

  “Who will have to die to satisfy your cravings today?” I asked sweetly.

  “The question is how many more are you going to kill tonight?” Serrath replied as she slowly fingered through the strands of various precious stones set within the piece- memorizing each and every stone so that if even one little chip went missing she could blame its disappearance on me- but she didn’t sound like she was joking and I wasn’t close enough to smell her.

  “I didn’t kill anybeing last night.” I said. “Did I?”

  This time Serrath did stop fondling her new jewels long enough to look up at me but before she could say what I could see was coming Leethea walked in the Bridge. “I’ll never understand how you can sleep so soundly after the things you do.” She said as she sat down heavily. She had a gurla in hand as well. It looked to be her first.

  “Rough night?” I asked. I had no idea what she was talking about and probably neither did she- she looked pretty rough, in my opinion.

  She gave me her imitation of Serrath’s look before speaking. “Check your account balance yet this morning?” She asked then sent a meaningful look Serrath’s way.

  “That’s the first thing I do and you know that.” I said. “Spill it.”

  “Where do you think all those credits came from?” Serrath asked.

  “I won them playing cards.” I said to a short bark of a laugh from Leethea.

  “You did well on the card tables.” Serrath said. “I think you even came out ahead of your drinking.”

  “Nonsense.” I said. “Where would all those credits have come from?”

  “That is the question, isn’t it.” Leethea said.

  “If I didn’t win them playing cards,” I said, “where did they come from?”

  “From the bar itself.” Serrath said. “You robbed the bar and every patron in it. Those who didn’t resist, at least- those you killed. You might want to check the armory as well; you took all of their weapons. The ones which weren’t damaged in the blaster fire, at least.”

  “You might want to consider carrying a few more weapons as well.” Leethea added. “I think you’re going to need them.”

  “I’m hardly worried about trash like that.” I said though it was a stunning revelation. In my line of work making enemies came with the territory. “Let me get something straight though,” I added; “How exactly did the credits I was stealing get from their accounts into mine?”

  “You ordered them all to transfer their full accounts.” Serrath said. “Of course you remember everything you did last night.”

  “I’ve never thought of that before.” I said in wonderment ignoring Serrath’s latter comment. Both could be counted on for immaterial remarks and it was simply easiest to ignore the ignorant. I was on a higher purpose than the mundane. My thoughts were on how this simplified the entire process. Transfer your credits or your dead. I could hardly believe I had wasted all those hours, months and years playing cards for absolutely nothing when I could simply have ordered them to transfer everything or die.

  “You did last night.” Leethea said.

  Chapter 38

  “Who are you going to kill now?” Serrath asked as I nearly leapt to my feet headed for the hatchway.

  “I don’t believe a word either of you are saying.” I said, having decided they were lying to me despite what their pheromones were telling me. Those could be manipulated but I could not. I went straight to the lower hatch and momentarily was within the crowded corridor outside our docking bay. This was a mammalian enclave but for my present purposes race didn’t matter. I snatched the first likely looking subject to hand- a monstrous hulking furred brute reminiscent of the extinct offshoot race of the human line the Sasquatch and probably just as strong, but nothing compared to the strength I now possessed.

  It was wearing an antiquated laser-pistol in a holster on its left hip so I grabbed its left arm and threw it over my shoulder and smashed it on the hard trans-metal decking of the corridor. I landed on top of it still holding that left arm but my right hand wrapped around its neck. I’m sure my smile didn’t help. “Transfer half your credits to my account.” I told it in pidgin. “Or else.”

  “It does work.” I said as my new Kievor account balance appeared on my screen. “Think of that.”

  “How much you get?” Serrath asked.

  “The poor bastard didn’t have much.” I said. I didn't tell them I didn't take it all- let them think what they wanted.

  “He has even less now.” Serrath said. “Hope he purchased a round-trip ticket.”

  “He had just arrived.” Leethea noted.

  “I only took half.” I said. “He wasn't poor either.”

  “You weren't so generous last night.” Serrath said with a snicker.

  “I wonder what the Kievor do with the disenfranchised destitute left on their Stations?” Leethea asked.

  “Most end up in chain gangs headed for unpleasant places.” I retorted. “If you're looking to save the Universe you've got your work cut out for you.”

  “Especially with you helping the process.” Serrath helped. I had had enough. I got up and headed for the hatch.

  “I'm awake. That means it's time to drink.” I said. “Coming girls?”

  “I'm no longer bored.” Serrath said close on my heels.

  “I’ll catch up to you two later.” Leethea said to our retreating backs. “I’m still absorbing yesterday’s events.”

  “I’m not sure I’ve ever been less bored.” Serrath added as we reached the corridor outside the dock. We received more than a few glances this day and none friendly- apparently our reputation was preceding us.

  “Nothing like the homey feeling of knowing every hand is turned against you.” I said as I strolled, though I was watching the throngs around us very closely. The enmity was an accustomed feeling however and my close scrutiny of all around us was the most I would accede them- I was in no way discomforted, in other words. I felt right at home amongst the thick mood of hostility. Everybeing has always hated me, for one reason or another and would make one up if they didn’t have one legitimately. I’m roundly despised on every front and so thick enmity was my natural environment.

  “What ki
nd of life would it be if every hand wasn’t turned against us?” Serrath agreed.

  “A boring one.” I said.

  “An active lifestyle is a fit lifestyle.” Serrath said. At that I did pause to look at her- sometimes there was just no reading her at all. Most of the time the words that came out of her mouth were pure bullshit but sometimes… sometimes I just couldn’t tell if there was actually something else in the Universe she could be serious about other than stealing jewelry. There was no question she lived an active lifestyle but I don’t think it was quite the same idea as behind the original concept.

  “Get yourself a treadmill.” I said. “It will save a lot of poor being’s lives.” Am I a hypocrite? Yes I am.

  “Look who has the balls to call me a murderer!” Serrath said. “It’s simple though; when you cease to attack your environment is when it begins to attack you and it is when you begin to die. An active lifestyle is a fit lifestyle.”

  “The beginning… and end of our deaths will be rather sudden, is my thought.” I said as I began to get an uneasy feeling. “Feel that?” I asked as we continued to stroll-on as if all was well. That had really been the gist of Serrath’s ideal- if after time you become inured to the struggle of life and lose the will to attack your environment you begin to cower in fear of that environment and the constant danger within it and it is when you begin to die the slow death of loss of hope. If you are still attacking your environment there is clearly still hope in your heart and the fire in your veins to continue the unending assault. Every day was a new battle to be fought and conquered. Failure meant death sooner in my case, rather than later, so such thoughts were always uppermost in my mind.

  “You just now noticed?” Serrath asked.

  There were a group of them though I couldn’t tell exactly how many. They were all around us in the crowded corridor but I didn’t look around to try to spot them- but I could feel them. This wasn’t pheromones but some kind of premonition. The surprises these bodies provided just kept piling up. This premonition was much like the human variety- feeling eyes on the back of your head- but stronger and directional. I could feel numerous eyes following our movement and these looks weren’t just of hostility- but intent to do murder.

  It was a feeling I was accustomed to and recognized immediately.

  Chapter 39

  They were lizards of course. Wasn’t it always lizards and no wonder the Kievor had overlooked us. Touché to Tanya because who would have imagined that we would come back to one of their Stations as despicable-hated lizards. Not the Kievor when I was quite sure they possessed adequate technology to secret away one of our weapons long enough to give it a thorough scan. They simply couldn’t imagine it. A terrible lapse and possible proof their computing abilities weren’t as all powerful as imagined. That meant Bren could be absolutely correct as well- that the Kievor weren’t innovators. We could turn this into a contest of innovation. A contest the human race was now secretly joining as well- two could play that game and the Kievor had taught the lesson well. The human race would also be coming in with the full sure knowledge of what the Kievor threat meant- and the innovative power of millions of human scientists. If I knew one thing about the human race it was that a common threat would shake the hive and angry humans would come pouring out in a swarm.

  “Pleasant thoughts of the future will have to wait for the moment.” Serrath said as the corridor ahead began to thin… and where assuredly our stalkers would make their attack.

  “We may not have a future.” I opined as the size of the group slowly closing in around us became more acute. “A dozen at least.”

  “Oh at least.” Serrath agreed as she paused to window shop. I took the moment to look around. To see which among the crowded corridor of beings around us would be forced to pause as well. There were at least a dozen all right and with a reptilian intuition rivaling our own knowing the ruse was up they immediately attacked. The subterfuge was over and they had completely encircled us.

  Serrath moved before I did. Even with equal reflexes she still managed to beat me off the mark every time. I hit the deck rolling away from the blur which Serrath had become as the air above me burned with multiple energy beams. There was no concussion or explosion when they struck the wall behind where I had been standing- disruptors if I wasn’t off the mark- but I wasn’t paying attention to ancient history. It was forge a new future now or be relegated to that ancient history. Seeing that I’m the creative type I chose to forge and create.

  I created deadly mayhem about a half-second into my innovative effort. The assassin reptiles were of various physical design- clearly top-notch agents each and every one and probably handpicked for the job at hand, but it was the Fsyth across the corridor I caught a glimpse of during my roll that gave the thinking part of my brain pause. The fighting part of my brain feinted rising to my feet at the end of my roll to confront the closest of my adversaries but instead of rising I dove into a second roll and under the blurring slash of a carbon blade I didn’t see until it was already passing over my body. My old ghetto learned instincts saving me yet one more time.

  I lashed out a clawed foot at the blade-hand as I rolled across the hard trans-metal decking and caught the offending member at what served as the reptile’s wrist. My new clawed feet were as dexterous as my hands. I ripped as I rolled the opposite direction and severed meat and tendon and gave the startled reptile a shot of venom just for good will. I didn’t know if my venom would affect it or not but it was one appendage less at the very least. I didn’t have the time to look back and see if it was completely out of the fight because I was already on to my next. There were a lot of them and there was no time to dally.

  As I rose inside the guard of a large reptile I saw the flash of a new entrant into the contest. Leethea was just a blur as she went past, launching herself directly at the Fsyth across the corridor, but then I was busy with my own problems as my instincts saved my ass yet one more time. My glance Leethea’s way had cost me a moment but I ducked just as raking claws slashed through where I had been. The sting of the claws finding meat along my back burned terribly and I wondered if this was it- if I was susceptible to its venom. I didn’t have the time to ponder however. The reptile was big and brutish but not so quick. I thrust my left hand into its throat and fell backward into a roll just as the reptile’s other meaty arm raked razor sharp talons through the space I had just occupied. A last glance as I went into my roll gave me the briefest image of a fatally poisoned being- its jaws flung open in a silent scream as it staggered back- its own claws tearing at the wound I had created. Trying ineffectually to dig the poison out I had injected into it and ripping its own throat out in the process.

  I came out of my roll between two vicious fanged devils and knew my time was up. It was curtain call and the applause wasn’t for me.

  Chapter 40

  The group of two dozen or so armed females came out of nowhere. They were members of the group of slaves I had helped to free and they were there to return the favor, it would seem. The two reptilian devils surrounding me paused to confront these new attackers and fell instantly under the surprise onslaught- the first losing its head as a carbon sword flashed through its neck. The second fell under the attack of four smallish females which landed on it en-mass taking it down instantly and which I left ripping it to shreds as worried I looked for Serrath and Leethea. I shouldn’t have been though things could have turned out quite differently if not for the aid of our benefactors. Their timing had been impeccable- it had been about to get ugly!

  Serrath was climbing from the corpse of a small lizard similar in attributes to our own physiology- the fact that the fight had devolved to the ground giving testament to the struggle it had given Serrath. Its head hanging askew on its thin deceptively weak neck was evidence of how it had made its passing though it had not gone peacefully. Leethea and the real Fsyth were fighting on the deck, exchanging venom attacks and tearing at one another viciously. Of the rest of the attacking
group of reptiles suddenly none remained alive. I moved to assist Leethea but caught a warning glance from Serrath- it was a reptile thing and we weren’t to interfere. Our surprise benefactors closed a circle around the battling pair that they might not be disturbed but I wasn’t disturbed as it was clear Leethea was winning the engagement handily. Moments later her jaws snapped closed on the Fsyth’s neck and a further moment later it was over. Leethea dragged herself tiredly and bloodily to her feet- but suddenly smiled the purest smile of ecstasy.

  “Wow!” Leethea said as she looked around dreamily.

  “Yes wow.” I said as I looked at Serrath. Now I knew what the ultimate Fsyth drug was. It was our own venom. Leethea was high. Serrath gave me an ugly look but knew better than to deny what I could now clearly see.

  “I get to fight the next Fsyth.” I said, but suddenly Serrath had a look on her face I could recognize even though she possessed no facial muscles. I got the picture though it wasn’t a picture I wanted to take.

  “Some of us banded together for protection. Most were recaptured right away. They came after us right away and it was fight or back into the chains. Like they think they own us.” One of the females said, clearly the new leader of the bunch. “We slaughtered every one of them and several other groups as well that were luckless enough to fall into our sights. We need better weapons though and our funds are dwindling quickly.” They were all armed but only a dozen or so had modern high-tech weaponry. The Kievor charged for atmosphere and gravity if you didn’t have your own residence- be it a ship with the applicable docking fees or a Kievor rental- and if your account fell into the negative…it was out the airlock and no doubt about that in my mind at all.