“Well, well…what do we have here?” asked the grey-coat.
“I was about to ask the same question. You’re a bit far from home don’t you say?”
“Well Lieutenant Evans, I’m here on business.” The huge confederate gestured with his disruptor. “I can see you’re also here on business. Find what you’re looking for?”
Virginia kept her movements slow as she retrieved the data crystal. “All that and more.” She held out the small electronic device which proved that the Admiral was a traitor. “Want this?”
The Confederate shook his head. “Nope, keep it but hide it somewhere where Kassinger and his goons won’t find it.”
Virginia cocked her head to the side. “I don’t understand.”
“Simple. In two days, we will have no more need of the Admiral. You blue-coats can do whatever you want to him after that. But until then, you will be in the custody of the Sheriffs. Sorry about that, no way around it.”
Even as he said that, Virginia heard the sound of many boots running their way and she quickly hid the device where only a thorough search would find it. “You seem like a decent person, too bad you’re on the wrong side.”
Sgt. Allen laughed. “I was about to say the same thing.”
A dozen SIS officers burst through the door and snatched her up. They weren’t overly rough with her but then again, they weren’t polite about it either. They groped and patted her down before hand-cuffing her. Of course they spent extra time searching her breasts but they didn’t find anything. All the while, she and the Confederate Sergeant shared a secret smile. It wasn’t long before they hauled her off and left Sgt. Allen alone to ponder the complications and opportunities this might bring.
* * * * *
Roger Thomas held up a hand to forestall any further questions from his guest as he took a call.
Commander Cline didn’t mind and took a step to the side to study the technical data on the monitor out of curiosity and courtesy. He wanted to see if there was anything displayed that he hadn’t already seen in the information he’d studied. There wasn’t. Besides, it would be considered rude to stand by and eavesdrop on the Admiral’s conversation. Not that he wasn’t doing that, he just wasn’t being overt about it.
“I see,” pause, “Yes…that’s fine. I’ll meet you at the Guantanamo room shortly.” Roger turned back to his guest and smiled. “Come, duty calls but there is one last aspect of the Horus I want to show you before I depart.”
Cmdr. Cline returned the smile. “Everything is okay I hope.”
The Admiral nodded and turned down a side corridor. The Coalition officer quickened his step to catch up. Roger kept talking as he walked. “Yes, however running a system with almost one-hundred million people spread over fifty different moons and fourteen orbital platforms can be a bit like juggling cats.”
“Cats? What do you mean?”
“It can be done but you’re going to get scratched in the process.”
Cmdr. Cline grinned at the mental image. “Interesting analogy, can’t say I’ve ever heard that one before.”
Roger paused at a non-descript door. “I’m glad you like it. It’s the only way I’ve found to describe to people some of the reprehensible things those in power must do.”
“Huh?”
Roger pushed open the door.
Commander Alex Cline caught sight of his aide-de-camp bound and gagged in a chair but before he could react, he felt the barrel of a blaster in the small of his back. “Now commander, would you be so kind as to join your lieutenant and we can get to the truth about your visit.”
Cmdr. Cline kept his movements slow as he raised his hands but he fixed the Admiral with a withering gaze. “You’ll hang for this.”
Roger just grinned. “I doubt that. But for the sake of argument, if I ever do meet the gallows it won’t be for this or what you’re about to go through.”
The Jovian in the SIS uniform sensed that Cline was about to do something and drove the barrel of the blaster into his back. “Don’t get any funny ideas. I apply less than five pounds of pressure on this trigger and we’ll see how long you can live with a blaster bolt through your liver.”
Cline relaxed and followed the dwarf’s instructions. Once he was secured and gagged, the dwarf smacked him across the temple with the barrel of his blaster. “Wimp! You’re a spineless coward!”
Roger cleared his throat. When his SIS commander looked back at him, Roger nodded at the ebony skinned civilian tied up in a nearby chair off to one side. “I see you brought your employer with you this time.”
“Yes,” Pridgen smirked. “Mocha has some information that I thought you would find enlightening.”
“Really now? How wonderful,” Roger said as he rubbed his hands together. “This promises to be a very entertaining night.”
Chapter 16
After High Councilwoman Teana Carpenter and her two SWAT escorts were done with the prison tour, they were shuttled back to Titan City in style. It wasn’t a standard skimmer or taxi but a luxury limousine with all the trimmings; heavily tinted windows, a fully stocked bar and real leather seats. It was something the two police officers were unaccustomed to and made them completely uncomfortable.
Not Teana. She poured herself a drink and lounged in the luxury. When the limo pulled up in front of their destination, even the two SWAT officers whistled. They were at La Cucina di Rossi, or the Cuisine of Rossi, the most famous restaurant in the outer planets. The legendary battle of the chefs, Mario Rossi and Antonio Mancini, had become Terran folklore. Evidently, the two chefs had grown up friends in a small town in Italy. Eventually, they both opened restaurants and were hugely successful. Shortly before the war, the two had a falling out and decided to end it in the kitchen. Contacting the media, they arraigned a cook off and let the public decide which was the better chef. The winner stayed on Earth, the loser took to the stars. Mario Rossi lost and moved to Titan.
All this flashed through Spike’s head as they were lead to a private room where an intimate table was set for two. Without asking, the SWAT officers took up flanking positions on both sides of the only entrance to the room.
Even as Teana sat down, a small holographic projector sitting in the center of the table came to life. It was the Admiral. “I’m sorry Miss Carpenter but I have been delayed by a matter of upmost importance. Unfortunately for me, Monsieur Rossi has already begun dinner preparations. His cooking is such a work of art that it would be a shame to interrupt such a masterpiece. I insist that you and your escorts enjoy the meal in my absence.”
No sooner had the message ended, when servants moved in and cleared away the table but brought in slightly larger table and more place settings. More servants arrived carrying the appetizers and their delicate aroma filled the air. Teana looked at her escorts and pointed at the empty chairs.
“Come. Eat. This is a once in a lifetime meal.”
It was obvious that Sponge Bob was ready. He’d already cracked the seal on his helmet and was halfway to the table before Spike responded. “No ma’am that would be against protocol.”
Sponge Bob stopped and nodded. “Spike’s right, we aren’t allowed to eat or drink any meal that we didn’t prepare ourselves, for safety reasons.”
“I remember those days but this is something entirely different,” Teana nodded. “Now, I’m not trying to be demeaning by this statement, but when are either one of you ever going to get a chance to eat at a world class restaurant like this or have a special meal prepared by the best chef in the galaxy?”
“Hmm…probably never,” replied Spike.
Sponge Bob added, “Places like this are way over our pay grade.”
“Then it’s settled. Join me, and you can take that as an order. Besides, I hate dining alone.”
Both SWAT officers reluctantly agreed, pulled off their helmets and joined the High Councilwoman at the table. The servants began bringing in the appetizers and cracked open an expensive bottle of wine. At first, Spike refrained
from drinking the bubbly but couldn’t help but enjoy the meal. Hours passed and eventually, even Spike drank some of the wine. The three of them ate, drank and laughed. Finally when the last course was served, Sponge Bob leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Seconds later he was snoring. Teana laughed at him for all of about twelve seconds before she too was asleep.
Spike knew something was wrong but just couldn’t think straight. He stood up and fumbled for his rifle but found that the world was spinning. Taking a step or two to try and regain his balance, he did exactly the opposite. With a crash Spike fell onto the table and slowly drifted off. His last thoughts before falling asleep were concerning the armed men which had calmly entered the dining room and surrounded them. He didn’t know why that was important but he knew that it was. However his eyelids were just too heavy for him to keep open, so he closed them and seconds later, he was out.
* * * * *
DJ and Jax spent the whole day sitting in the stolen limo skimmer waiting for darkness. It was tedious. It was painful. It was long. Even though they both longed to walk around, being seen wandering around Titan City would only jeopardize their mission and they both knew it. To pass the time, they talked. At first it was trivial stuff, sports, women, different bars, women…but eventually, they began to talk about their past.
Jax shifted his position slightly. “You know, this might surprise you but I was once a lawman myself.”
That got DJ’s attention. “Really? Wow. I would’ve never guessed that.”
“Yep. I was a deputy sheriff in a small town in the southeastern section of Kentucky. One day, this pretty little blonde came into town and got a job at the local diner. Once I saw her, she stole my heart. We got married and had two beautiful daughters. For a few years my life was perfect.” Jax fell silent and looked out the window.
After a moment, DJ asked. “What happened?”
“Her past caught up to her when my girls were four and three. Out of the blue, she got a call and things went south from there. One morning we had a terrible argument over nothing. She was crying but I had to go to work. I went to work like normal but was arrested by my boss when I arrived.”
“Why?”
“Kelly called in a complaint, saying that I had hit her.” Jax turned to look at DJ. “I still believed in the system back then. I knew the charges were false but now I had to prove it. Since this was such a big deal in the area, the judge wouldn’t grant me bail and I spent the next four days in jail, just waiting for my chance in court. When it finally arrived, Kelly and the girls didn’t show the judge had to release me.”
He paused and looked back out the window. DJ could see the tears forming in his eyes and calmly waited. After a few minutes, Jax continued. “When I got home, I knew something was wrong. The door was unlocked and it was cold inside, colder than it should’ve been. I was two steps inside when I smelled it.”
“What?”
“Death. You know that toxic mixture of blood and bodily gases a corpse gives off.” Jax continued when he saw DJ nod. “I found Kelly and my girls in the bathroom. She had drowned the girls, before slicing her wrists. The coroner put the time of death the same day she called in the complaint on me. I later found out, that no one had done a follow-up interview nor even talked to her. Not the sheriff, not the lawyers and not the local media. No one had cared.”
“I’m sorry bro.”
Jax shook his head. “It was a long time ago. The system failed me and it failed my girls; so, I decide that I would not abide by the rules any longer. After their funeral, I left Kentucky and took to the stars. I haven’t looked back since.”
DJ nodded. “That explains a lot about you.”
“Good or bad?”
“Neither. I always wondered how someone with your skills and values ended up a pirate but now it all makes sense.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment…I think.”
DJ laughed. “You should, it was meant as one.”
“What’s your story?”
“Nothing as tragic as yours, I grew up in a little farm town in the Midwest. Played football and married my high school sweetheart. Since there weren’t many jobs outside of the farms, we moved to New Phoenix and I got a job in factory. Nothing exciting but it paid the bills, barely. When Megan told me she was pregnant, I was ecstatic but needed a better way to take care of my family. The war was really rolling at this point, so I joined up. After basic, I was transferred to the Marines.”
Now it was DJ’s turn to sit back and stare out the window. But he wasn’t seeing the world, he was in the past. “At first Megan loved the extra credits and travel that came with my postings since I was an embassy guard for nearly two years. But when I got promoted to sergeant, they sent me to the front. That was the beginning of the end for my marriage.”
“How so?”
“Well truth be told, I liked the Corps; the camaraderie, the action, the fighting…pretty near everything. Hell, looking back now I even enjoyed some of the hell holes the Coalition sent me into. However, each deployment kept me away from home longer and longer. I knew we were drifting apart. Hell, all we did was argue when I had a chance to get a message through or made it home for shore leave. Only seeing my little girl made the trips worthwhile.”
Jax nodded. He’d heard similar tales from some of his men back in his pirating days. War is hell, on both those who fight and those who stay behind. The true argument would be to whom is it harder on?
DJ pulled out a can of snuff and filled his lower lip with the tobacco product. “Then came the mission on Epsilon Eridani Bravo. You ever been to the Epsilon system?”
Jax shook his head.
“Good. Keep it that way. It’s a freaking pile of rocks but it is rich in minerals, which is why the Confederates wanted the blasted thing. My unit was sent to shore up the garrison’s weak spots. Trouble was the whole garrison was weak. The years before I arrived, only the trouble-makers got sent to Epsilon. To make matters worse, their commander was some weak-kneed, sniveling, little coward named Jones. I didn’t think anything about it at first but he did look kind of familiar but I just shook that off and focused on our mission. Not that it helped, our second day on that rock and the Confederates attacked. Luckily for us, they attacked only with one company of ground troops.”
“How many is that?”
DJ shrugged. “They probably had two hundred plus ground troops versus our platoon of fifty.”
“Four to one odds? How was that lucky?”
“They could’ve leveled the garrison from orbit and we would’ve been dust. At least this way, we had a fighting chance.”
“Why didn’t they level the building?”
“They wanted to occupy it. It’s cheaper and easier to capture a target intact than to have to build one from scratch. Besides, they knew they would win. We might’ve had the defenses but they had the manpower and the time. Our only hope was to radio our transport which was surveying the other planets in the Epsilon system.”
“What happened?”
“Their first attack was devastating. We lost twenty men in the first five minutes. It was literally the worst firefight I’d ever been in.” DJ swished his tobacco juice around a few times before he spit in his cup. “It was too much for the lieutenant, so he dropped his weapon and ran. Normally I wouldn’t have cared, he was a lousy shot. The trouble was he had the only transmitter strong enough to reach our transport.”
“So? What happened?”
“I shot him.”
“Good. Sounds like his deserved it.”
DJ shook his head. “Nope, there were two problems with my solution. The Coalition had sent us to Epsilon as bait. There were three cruisers and four destroyers hiding on the far side of the planet. Within five minutes of me killing the LT, the grey-coats were on the run.”
“That sucks. But you said two problems. What else?”
“Even though nearly every commanding officer I met shook my hand and congratulated me on my quick thinki
ng, Lt. Jones was the son of a high ranking councilman with enough pull to bring me up on charges. I spent five years in New Leavenworth. It was during that time when Megan divorced me and took away all my parental rights. Then she went off and married some big shot executive and took Katy off Earth to make it more difficult for me. When I got out of jail, there was a lawyer from Titan Avionics waiting for me to ensure that I was aware of the visitation protocols. I’m only allowed to see her on Christmas and on her birthday, all other contact is forbidden. On penalty of them revoking my parole and sending my back to Leavenworth.”
“Wow that sucks.” Even as some of DJ’s story began to fall in place for the ex-pirate, the Falcon’s comm-link chimed. Jax looked at his chronometer. It was still early but it had to be the thief El Gato.
On the third chime, DJ answered. “Falcon.”
* * * * *
Stephanie was triple checking her equipment when the alarm on her SAND went off. Typing in her code for the day and adding her fingerprint, she waited as it unscrambled the message.
“Plachutta is imminent. Contact the Red Falcon and affect your extraction immediately. You must retrieve the plans before Grimshaw happens. - K”
Stephanie hated when her handler used obscure chess terminology. She read the message again and tried her best to break down his code.
She had learned over the years that Plachutta referred to a situation where a white pawn sacrifices itself on a square where it could be captured by one of two similarly-moving black pieces moving along a different line but will interfere with the other. Was he referring to Kaitlyn as the white pawn? The two similarly moving black pieces could mean the Falcon and Kassinger. She wasn’t sure but it was her best guess until she looked at the second chess term, Grimshaw. That referred to a problem in which two black pieces arrive on a particular square mutually interfere with each other.
He had to be referring to the Red Falcon but now she was unsure if it meant Kassinger. Either way, if he was suggesting that they move up the timetable, then they needed to act. Grabbing her gear, she punched in the contact codes the Falcon had given her into her comm-link.
The Last Spartan 2: DJ's Mission Page 16