Starship: Mercenary (Starship, Book 3)

by Resnick, Mike

  “You think you can beat him in a fair fight?” said Val, amused.

  “I don’t intend to find out,” replied Cole. He and the Duke walked across the casino to where Csonti was wrecking havoc. When they arrived at their destination, Cole adjusted his sonic pistol’s strength down from Lethal to Stun. “That’s enough,” he said in even tones.

  Csonti looked up from the carnage. “Who the hell are you?”

  “Why don’t we sit down quietly and I’ll be happy to tell you?” suggested Cole.

  “Because I’m enjoying myself right here!” bellowed Csonti.

  “I want you out of here!” demanded the Duke. “I expect you to pay for the damage, and from this day forward, you are barred from this casino.”

  Csonti picked up a chair and hurled it at the Duke, who barely sidestepped it.

  “That’s it!” said the Duke. “You are no longer welcome on Singapore Station!”

  “Who’s going to put me off?” roared Csonti. “You?”

  “No,” said Cole, firing his screecher. “Me.”

  Csonti staggered backward as the force of the almost-solid sound stuck him. Blood began trickling from both ears and he seemed suddenly disoriented. He fell heavily to the floor, unconscious, a second later.

  “Where’s your jail?” Cole asked the Duke.

  “We don’t have one.”

  “Wonderful,” muttered Cole. Then, to the assembled patrons: “Is there anyone here who serves with him? Anyone who can take him back to his ship?”

  Three men at the jabob table indicated they were part of Csonti’s crew.

  “But I’ll be damned if I’m going to carry him back to the ship,” said one. “I don’t want to be around when he wakes up.”

  “Me neither,” said one of his companions.

  “Hell, he just paid me off,” said Val, walking over. “I suppose I can take him to his ship in exchange for that.”

  She reached Csonti’s huge, muscular body, picked it up as if it was a feather, hefted it over her shoulder, and carried the unconscious warlord out of the casino.

  “These five are going to need medical attention,” said Sharon, indicating three Men, a Lodinite, and a Mollutei that were strewn across the floor. “I suppose I might as well have them brought to the Teddy R’s infirmary and see if that doctor we picked up from the Prometheus station is any good.”

  “Yeah,” assented Cole. “No sense having him work on anyone real important, like us, until we know if we can trust him.”

  “I assume that was a joke?” said Sharon.

  Cole nodded. “But a true one.”

  “Whatever that means.” Sharon contacted the ship and ordered five airsleds, then went around the casino recruiting volunteers to carry the injured parties back to the Teddy R.

  “He’ll be back, you know,” said Cole as he and the Duke returned to the table.

  “I know,” replied the Duke. “But at least he’ll be sober. I hope.”

  Cole suddenly noticed David Copperfield crawling out from under the table.

  “Thanks for protecting the floor, David,” he said sardonically.

  “I’m a businessman, not a fighter,” replied Copperfield with as much dignity as he could muster.

  “Did you get much business done down there?” asked Cole.

  “I have never denied my limitations,” said Copperfield. “But it is unkind of you to refer to them, Steerforth.”

  “I apologize, David,” said Cole. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “One friend cannot offend another,” replied Copperfield. “But he can hurt him with an unkind remark.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  “I assume you took care of that ruffian?”

  “I think ruffian is a bit of an understatement,” said Cole. “That’s the biggest warlord we’ve come across since we reached the Inner Frontier. And the worst-tempered.”

  “Where is the remarkable Olivia Twist?”

  “She’s carrying Csonti to his ship.”

  “You mean guiding an airsled?” said David.

  “I meant what I said.”

  “Damn the man!” said the Duke. “He probably did ten thousand credits’ worth of damage!”

  “Not counting medical expenses,” said Cole, as Sharon rejoined them.

  “The sleds should be here in just another minute or two,” she announced.

  “That bastard is never setting foot on my station again!” said the Duke.

  “You start banning every criminal who drinks and drugs too much and you’re going to be a mighty lonely casino owner,” observed Cole.

  “I’ll ban everyone who behaves like that!” answered the Duke.

  Cole turned to Sharon. “Alert the ship’s medic and tell him he’s about to get a little more work.”

  She nodded her head. “Right. I’ll have Vladimir Sokolov give him a hand, since he’s been confined to the ship for another few days anyway while he’s recuperating.”

  “Will one wounded assistant be enough?” asked Cole.

  “Probably,” she replied. “None of the injured parties are dying. I think we may have two or three with broken bones, but they can wait their turn to have them set.”

  “Even so, let’s not overwhelm the poor son of a bitch his first couple of days on the job. Offer five hundred Far London pounds to any of the sled guides who’ll stick around until he’s tended to all the patients.”

  “That’s a lot of money for a few hours’ work,” noted Sharon. “What if they all volunteer?”

  “Then take the first two who offer, thank the others, and send them back here.”

  “Ah! Here are the sleds now,” said Sharon, glancing at the casino’s entrance. “I think I’ll go over and make the offer right now.”

  “And make sure they know these five are pretty busted up and need delicate handling,” said Cole as she got up and left the table, almost bumping into Jacovic, who was approaching the table.

  “I heard there was a disturbance here,” he said. “I thought I’d see if it involved our crew.”

  “Word gets out fast,” remarked Cole as the Teroni sat down. “It couldn’t have happened more than five minutes ago.”

  “I was dining at a restaurant just down the street,” answered Jacovic.

  “A drunken warlord named Csonti got out of hand,” said the Duke. “He injured some customers, and he did at least fifteen thousand credits’ damage to my furnishings.”

  “I thought it was ten thousand,” said Cole.

  “Ten, fifteen, what’s the difference?” said the Duke irritably. “The man went berserk. Hell, he probably cost me more than that, just from the loss of business. A couple of those people who are being carried out on airsleds were high rollers, and I saw a few others head for the exit.”

  “You’re all heart, Duke,” said Cole. “It’s nice to know you care.”

  “Obviously someone stopped him,” noted Jacovic.

  “Your Captain did,” said the Duke.

  “Is he the type to carry a grudge?” asked the Teroni.

  “Who knows?” said Cole with a shrug. “Even if he does, it was a choice between that or letting him put another five or six into our infirmary before he ran out of energy.”

  “And he’s been banned from Singapore Station,” added the Duke. “Once he sobers up, he’ll go away and bother some other casino.”

  Sharon returned to the table. “All taken care of,” she announced. “We had three volunteers to help the new medic, so I made the offer three hundred pounds apiece. We saved a hundred pounds and got an extra helper in the bargain. I told Sokolov to go back to his cabin, but he insisted on helping.”

  “Fine. How are the wounded holding up?”

  “I think most of them are glad to still be alive,” answered Sharon. “Or surprised, anyway. I gather Csonti’s rages are not exactly a closely kept secret, and he’s done worse than hospitalize bystanders on a number of occasions.”

  “Sweet fellow,” commented Cole
. Suddenly he smiled. “He’d better not take a swing at Val. He’ll never know what hit him.”

  “You sound like you still admire her,” said Jacovic.

  “I admire what she can do,” said Cole, sipping his beer and making a face as he realized it was now warm. “And I admire what she could become. She’s like a very headstrong but very promising young pet. She just needs a little discipline and a little maturity.”

  “Preferably before she’s killed off the whole Inner Frontier,” added Sharon.

  “If we had been a little slower reaching Prometheus, or she had been a little faster, she might have fired on us,” said Jacovic.

  Cole shook his head. “No. She’s capable of a lot of dumb things, but that isn’t one of them. She’s not without a sense of loyalty, and we helped her out when she lost her ship.”

  “Speaking of the devil . . .” said Sharon, looking at the entrance, where Val had just appeared.

  The redhead walked straight to their table, towering above all the other humans as usual, and sat down on the chair she had vacated after the altercation.

  “How’s the patient?” asked Cole.

  “He’s awake,” said Val. “And mad as hell.”

  “At anyone in particular, or just at the whole damned galaxy?” asked Cole.

  “He’s really pissed off at you,” she replied.

  “He has that in common with the Republic and the Teroni Federation,” said Cole. “He’ll have to wait in line.”

  “But he’s maddest of all at the Duke for banishing him from the station in front of everyone,” Val continued. “He thinks you’ve publicly humiliated him in front of his friends.”

  “He hasn’t got any friends,” said Cole.

  “I’m not letting him back,” replied the Duke adamantly.

  “That’s not the problem,” said Val. “He doesn’t plan to set foot on Singapore Station ever again.”

  “Good,” said the Duke. “Surprising, but good.”

  “You didn’t let me finish. He doesn’t plan for anyone else to ever set foot here again either.”

  “Explain,” demanded Cole.

  “He’s going to do to Singapore Station what he did to the Prometheus hospital station.” Val turned to the Duke. “He’s offered the Red Sphinx four million Far London pounds to join him. What will you offer us to defend you?”

  “Not one credit,” said Cole before the Platinum Duke could answer. “We don’t attack our friends.”

  “You say the Duke is my friend,” said Val. “But I exposed cheaters here and got nothing for it.”

  “Bullshit,” said Cole. “You got a ship for your trouble.”

  “He gave you the assignment, not me—and we had to work our asses off for that ship,” Val shot back. “If he’s my friend and Csonti isn’t, then why won’t he match what Csonti is offering?”

  “Csonti’s not anyone’s friend,” said Cole. “Do you really think he gives a damn about anyone but himself?”

  “Don’t try to confuse the issue. I’m offering my services to the Duke. He can afford them. If he chooses not to purchase them, then they go to the only other bidder.”

  “Do you know how many people live on Singapore Station, how many people you’ll kill if you destroy it?” demanded the Duke.

  “The only ones facing any danger are those who stay and fight,” said Val. “I’ll make sure Csonti doesn’t attack for at least three days, which will give everyone who wants to leave enough time to do so. I owe Cole that much.”

  “You owe him a hell of a lot more than that,” said Sharon sharply.

  “Then have him convince the Duke to match Csonti’s offer,” replied Val.

  “Not a chance,” said Cole.

  “Then we have nothing more to say,” said Val, getting to her feet.

  “Excuse me,” said Jacovic, speaking for the first time since Val had arrived. “If any of this is because I now hold your former position aboard the Theodore Roosevelt, I would be happy to relinquish it to you.”

  “I was a Captain before I met Wilson Cole, and I’m a Captain now,” she replied. “What the hell do I want to be a Third Officer for?”

  And with that, she turned her back on them and walked out of the casino.

  “I hope to hell the station’s got some defenses built into it,” said Cole. “Csonti’s going to have at least thirty ships, maybe as many as forty. We’ve got five, and four of them don’t have much firepower.”

  “We are not without defenses,” responded the Duke. “Not as many as I wish we had at this moment, but we are not totally defenseless.”

  “We’ve got three days,” said Cole. “Sharon, pass the word: all shore leaves are canceled. They should be getting used to that. Then tell Four Eyes and Mustapha Odom that I want them to inspect the station’s offensive and defensive capabilities immediately. Oh—and have Briggs and Bull accompany them. They know weaponry better than any of the other crew members.”

  “Bull Pampas is still aboard the Red Sphinx,” Sharon reminded him.

  “Shit! I forgot,” said Cole. “Contact him and explain that if he stays there he’s going to find himself fighting against the Teddy R.”

  “Anything else?” she said.

  “Not right now.”

  “I’ll contact them from the bathroom,” she said, getting up. “There’s too much background noise here.”

  “I thought,” said Jacovic as Sharon began walking away, “that the Valkyrie would never take up arms against the Theodore Roosevelt.”

  “I wonder what idiot said that?” replied Cole.

  28

  A full day had passed.

  Odom, Briggs, and Forrice had spent the time inspecting the station and examining such minimal blueprints as existed. Bull Pampas had shown up halfway through the day, moved his gear back onto the Teddy R, and joined them.

  Cole had held two meetings with the captains of the four smaller ships, and had finally sent them back to prepare their vessels’ weapons and defenses, and to see if they could come up with any viable strategy between them.

  “We aren’t getting anything accomplished,” he admitted to Jacovic as the two sat alone at a table at Duke’s Place. “How do you deploy four small ships that possess minimal firepower against a fleet of thirty-five to forty enemy ships?”

  “You go for the head, and the body will be directionless,” answered Jacovic. “That’s the first thing they teach Teroni officers. If you’re outnumbered, and escape is impossible or impractical, go after your opponents’ leader with everything you have.”

  “I’m not worried about Csonti as much as I am about the Red Sphinx,” said Cole.

  “There’s an alternative,” said the Teroni.

  “Cut and run?”

  Jacovic nodded. “You’re under no obligation to defend Singapore Station. All you did was break up a fight.”

  “They wouldn’t be coming after the station if I hadn’t broken it up,” said Cole. “Would you run?”

  “No, probably not,” admitted Jacovic.

  Cole took a swallow of his beer. “This stuff is getting flat,” he complained. “Where’s the Duke?”

  “I haven’t seen him.”

  “He’d better not be packing his gear into a ship,” said Cole. “If he deserts the station, I’ll be damned if we’re going to stay and defend it.”

  Almost as if on cue the Platinum Duke walked over and sat down at the table.

  “Where the hell were you?” demanded Cole.

  “Sleeping,” answered the Duke. “There are no days or nights here, so I sleep when I’m tired and I stay awake when I’m not.”

  “My beer’s gone flat.”

  “How long have you been nursing it?”

  “I don’t know. Jacovic, how long have we been figuring the odds against defeating Csonti’s fleet?”

  “Two hours, maybe three,” answered the Teroni.

  “Two more beers,” the Duke ordered, and the table responded with fresh beers almost instantly. “I’m
sure you’re being facetious. I keep telling you: the station is not without defenses.”

  “They’re being analyzed right now,” said Cole.

  “Then why are you sitting here?” said the Duke. “Why aren’t you out with your team?”

  “Because they know a lot more about weaponry than I do,” said Cole.

  “But you’re the Captain.”

  “A good Captain knows when he’d just be in the way,” responded Cole.

  “So, for that matter, does a good Fleet Commander,” added Jacovic. “And a good business owner. I notice, for example, that you don’t deal cards at the tables, although it is your money that’s at stake.”

  “I find myself liking this Teroni better and better,” said Cole. “I hope to hell we both live long enough to see him get his own warship.”

  “I’ve had a warship,” replied Jacovic. “What I need now is a cause.”

  “I should think beating back Csonti and his damned killers is cause enough,” said the Duke.

  “I have nothing against Csonti,” said Jacovic. “Since he will be attacking, I will of course do everything I can to defend myself and destroy him, but this is a circumstance, not a cause.”

  “Semantics,” said the Duke. “It’s kill or be killed. You should both be eager to destroy that son of a bitch.”

  “No military man is ever anxious to fight,” said Cole. “We’ve seen war, and we’ve seen peace, and there’s not a soldier or sailor anywhere in the galaxy who doesn’t think peace is better.” He paused, frowning. “Also, I’m going to have to go up against the finest warrior I’ve ever seen, and I’m more than a little resentful of it.”

  “Csonti?” asked the Duke. “I didn’t know you’d seen him in action.”

  Cole shook his head. “I’m referring to Val. It didn’t have to come to this.”

  “She deserted you.”

  Cole sighed. “It’s not that simple.”

  “It’s precisely that simple,” responded the Duke.

  “I convinced her to give up a very successful career as a pirate. I showed her that a military unit that was having difficulty paying its way as pirates could do very well as mercenaries. She bought into it. I can’t blame her for doing what I convinced her to do.”