City of Phants (Argonauts Book 6)

by Isaac Hooke

  Rade frowned, wondering what game Bourbonjack was playing. Who could he possibly have that would want to speak with him? Maybe someone else from the days when Rade served on the Teams?

  “Rade,” Tahoe said.

  Rade felt the dread rising in the pit of his stomach. “Tahoe? What’s going on?”

  “They’ve captured the ship,” Tahoe said.

  “What?” Rade said. “No. Please tell me Shaw’s all right.”

  “She’s fine,” Tahoe said. “We were hit by a surprise attack as soon as we left the station. A mercenary ship broke away from the docking area when we did, and took out our engines, then our lasers. They threatened to destroy us completely if we didn’t stand down. I was this close to launching the missiles, but then I remembered your children, and everything I promised you about keeping them safe. So I surrendered, and allowed the mercenary craft to tow us back to the station. So far, none of the mercenaries have boarded.”

  “And they won’t,” Bourbonjack said. “As long as your boss does as we ask of him.”

  “Tell your men not to get any closer to me,” Rade said, still observing the mercenaries in the service corridor. The hired guns froze a moment later. “Good. You know that Dakota military and police vessels will be heading here in droves from the outskirts of the system at this very moment, right? Responding to your heinous attack...”

  “Actually, they won’t,” Bourbonjack said. “We’ve disabled the nearby comm nodes, and timed the attack so that the station was out of view from the rest of the system. There will be no police. I’m afraid you have no choice but to surrender the traitorous Green. And give us the Acceptor. Do so, and your family, and your men, can go.”

  “I want to accept your terms,” Rade said. “I really do. But I don’t have your so-called traitor.”

  “What do you mean you don’t have the traitor?” Bourbonjack said. “Then where the hell is she?”

  “She took the Acceptor to some faraway planet,” Rade said.

  “Ah,” Bourbonjack said. “Fine. Surrender the Acceptor, and I’ll grant you similar freedom.”

  Rade thought of Shaw, and the twins.

  “You promise to leave my ship alone?” Rade asked.

  “I do,” Bourbonjack said.

  Sorry, Surus.

  “Men,” Rade transmitted. “Lower your weapons.”

  “What happened to never giving up?” Bender said over the comm.

  “There comes a time when surrender is the only option,” Rade said.

  Like when you have the lives of your two newborn children at stake.

  RADE WAS LYING in the Argonaut’s sickbay. The mercenary Corsair had towed the vessel into the station’s dry dock as a favor, so that repairs to the engines and weapons could begin. The current repair estimate stood at about a week, and Bourbonjack had already promised the Greens would cover the cost. That was probably a good thing, considering that Rade had no money now that Surus was gone. What would happen when she returned through the Acceptor, he had no idea. The Greens would likely chuck her into the core of a star.

  The mercenaries had escorted Rade and his men back to the ship, and allowed them to board unmolested via an entry tube that threaded through the dry dock. A mercenary guard was stationed outside the airlock, but none of them were allowed aboard the ship as part of the surrender deal.

  Why would they even want to come aboard, after all? The mercenaries had what they wanted: they’d captured the Acceptor for the Greens, and the weapons cache.

  Rade wondered why the station’s AI had allowed the mercenaries to take control. It seemed obvious that the AI was compromised by the Greens, allowing the mercenaries to take full control of the security forces. Rade thought of the spider robot that had attacked; that was an example of a unit that probably belonged to the station. The question was, why hadn’t Surus detected any Phant presence aboard the station.

  Rade turned his head to the side. TJ lay on the bed against the bulkhead across from him. The Weavers had finished working on Rade and TJ’s injuries a while ago, and both of them lay recuperating.

  Rade sat up on one elbow and turned to look at the stacked cribs. Shaw was there, next to the babies, rocking each crib. He thought she was humming softly, but he couldn’t hear anything as two-way noise cancelers around the area prevented the infants from disturbing the patients and vice versa.

  It was good—no, fantastic—to see Shaw and the little ones again. He was extremely relieved they were all right.

  Rade lay back down and glanced at Tahoe, who sat at the base of the bed.

  “How are you feeling?” Tahoe said.

  “Fine,” Rade said. Then he added, almost as an afterthought: “Physically.”

  “And mentally?” Tahoe asked.

  Rade closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I surrendered. Something I never thought I would do.”

  Tahoe nodded slowly. “Chalk it up to fatherhood. See? I told you it changes you.”

  “I surrendered to save the lives of the men as well,” Rade insisted.

  “Oh I know,” Tahoe replied. “I’m just saying... fatherhood... now that you’re a parent, your kids are going to weigh on your every decision.”

  “I’m not sure about every decision,” Rade said.

  “Most of them,” Tahoe insisted.

  “Maybe.” Rade scratched his chin, then lay back. “Bourbonjack.”

  “Uh huh,” Tahoe said.

  Rade stared off into space. “Never thought I’d hear from the old man again. At least, not like this.”

  “It was a surprise to me, too,” Tahoe said.

  “How many times has he saved my skin?” Rade said.

  “Just as many times as you rescued his,” Tahoe said.

  Rade chuckled softly. “So essentially you’re trying to tell me, he and I are square?”

  “That’s right,” Tahoe said. “You don’t owe him a thing. Remember that if he comes asking for more.”

  “You think he will?” Rade said.

  “His mercenaries haven’t left the station yet,” Tahoe said. “And they’re still keeping the Argonaut under guard. While he claims that we’re free, it feels a whole lot like we’re prisoners more than guests.”

  Rade sighed. “I just wish I hadn’t sealed our client’s doom. Surus is the only Green who still wants to help humanity. The others, it’s obvious they don’t give a damn about us anymore. They only care about their relations with the remaining Phant factions.”

  “Maybe they don’t want her,” Tahoe said. “Maybe all they want is the Acceptor.”

  “As soon as she returns, they’re taking her, mark me,” Rade said. “And it’s my fault.”

  “You did what you had to do to save us,” Tahoe said. “Your men. Shaw. The twins. You’d make the same choice every time.”

  “I know,” Rade said. “And that’s what’s killing me. What’s worse... you talked about fatherhood? Well, if I’m honest with myself, I know I’d betray you if it came to it. To save the twins. And I hate myself for that thought. “

  Tahoe wore a contemplative expression. “You know, back when I lived on the reserve—”

  “Oh no, another reserve story,” Rade said.

  Tahoe smiled patiently. “If you don’t want to hear it...”

  “No, sorry,” Rade said. “Go ahead.”

  “Well, I remember hearing about an elephant bull that lived in the nearby nature preserve. The bull had recently fathered a baby elephant, see. Residents came to visit from kilometers around to see this baby elephant, and the bull always stood proudly by, watching the attention lavished on the mother and his young one.

  “Now, unfortunately, that nature preserve suffered from a poaching problem. The hunters came every few months to cull the weakest for their ivory. A few weeks after the birth, the poachers made their rounds and chased down the herd. They fired, injuring the mother. She lingered near the baby elephant protectively. As the rest of the herd abandoned them, the bull stopped and turned back. The powe
rful animal maneuvered himself in front of his family. He pawed at the ground violently with his forelegs, as if preparing to rampage. And then something crazy happened.

  “As the poachers neared, the bull instantly relaxed. He walked forward calmly, away from the mother and child, and then stopped five meters in front of them. While all the guns of the poachers were aimed at him, the beautiful elephant calmly lowered his head, offering himself up to the chopping block. The bull didn’t understand that his sacrifice was unnecessary—the poachers would have never targeted the baby: too young. And as for the mother, well, the poachers would have taken her regardless of his sacrifice. The bull could have escaped, or he could have fought. But instead, the bull was ready to give up everything to save them. The elephant chose to make the ultimate sacrifice, hoping that they would spare his family.

  “The mother watched nearby with her baby, tears streaming down her cheeks. I didn’t think elephants could cry, but they have some sort of tear ducts, apparently. Have to keep the eyes moist, after all. Maybe she simply had something in her eye. In any case, it was a terrible sight to see. That bull was a prized specimen, with tusks so big, they would have scored a fortune on the black market. But the poachers, touched by what they saw, couldn’t bring themselves to kill him. They left the bull and his family in peace, and chased down the rest of the herd instead, choosing another animal. Going forward, they never targeted that bull and his family again, and soon stopped hunting the beautiful animals entirely. They became their guardians. Gamekeepers.”

  “How do you know so much about those poachers?” Rade said.

  “Because I was one of them,” Tahoe said quietly. “Don’t judge me too harshly. I was young and stupid then.”

  “Well that was a pretty sad story,” Rade said. “Though I suppose it ended happily. For the bull, anyway.”

  “Yes,” Tahoe said. “My point is, some fathers will sacrifice everything for their children. And I mean everything. I’m sure if you could choose between Surus and yourself, you would have willingly turned yourself in to the Greens. Even if it meant the children losing their father.”

  Rade considered that. “I hesitate to agree with you. I can’t imagine letting the twins grow up without a father. Then again, I’m not sure how good of a dad I’ll be anyway. Look at me so far. I’ve already let Shaw do most of the work. Does that make me a bad parent?”

  “It makes you a busy one,” Tahoe said.

  “Again, that could be interpreted as simply another sign of a bad parent,” Rade said. “One who never makes time for his kids.”

  Tahoe smiled. “You make time. I’ve seen you. Hell, you’ve spent more time with your kids so far then I ever did when they were young. I’d go away on deployments for years at a time, and return to find children I didn’t recognize. And believe me when I tell you, the feeling was mutual: they didn’t recognize me, either. I’m still away for far longer than I should be.”

  “Maybe you should think about bringing Tepin aboard the Argonaut,” Rade said.

  Tahoe looked at him with an astonished expression, then he erupted in loud laughter.

  TJ rolled over and blinked his eyes as if just waking up. “What’s so funny?”

  Tahoe managed to restrain himself enough to say: “Rade wants me to bring my family aboard!”

  TJ chuckled. “That is pretty funny. I think Tahoe comes here to get away from them, more than anything else.”

  “Oh,” Rade said.

  “No no,” Tahoe said. “I love them. But seriously, to bring them aboard this ship? You know how dangerous it is?”

  Rade frowned. “Unfortunately, I know. But try telling that to her.”

  He nodded toward the cribs.

  Shaw must have realized they were talking about her, because on cue she got up and stepped past the noise canceling area.

  “What’s so funny?” Shaw said.

  “Nothing,” Rade said quickly.

  “Rade thinks I should bring Tepin and the kids aboard,” Tahoe said.

  “I think it’s a good idea,” Shaw said. “It could give Alex and Sil some friends aboard.”

  “Too bad there’s a slight age difference between them,” Rade said.

  “Just a slight one,” Tahoe agreed. “And there’s also the small problem that we don’t really have room. Where would they stay?”

  “What about the cargo bay?” TJ said. “Now that we’ve given up Surus, it’s free.”

  “You’re not really going to abandon her, are you?” Shaw asked.

  “What choice do we have?” Rade said. “The Greens essentially have us hostage. I’m not going to risk anything happening to my crew. Or my kids.”

  Shaw exhaled slowly. “We have to go back for her, at some point. Once the ship is repaired. We have to retrieve the Acceptor.”

  Rade hesitated. “I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.”

  “Is it because Bourbonjack is in charge of the security detail?” Shaw said. “And you’re afraid of going up against him?”

  “It’s not so much I’m afraid,” Rade said. “As I have a lot of respect for him. At least I used to. But after seeing what happened to those Artificials at the base...”

  “Murdered, in cold blood,” Shaw said.

  “That’s essentially it,” Rade said. “Though he claims he wasn’t there. And he doesn’t actually see it as murder. He’s always looked at AIs as mere machines. Something underneath humankind.”

  “Even though most of them have advanced to an intelligence level far beyond humans?” Shaw said.

  “Don’t tell Bax that,” Tahoe said.

  “Too late,” the Argonaut’s AI commented.

  “Try not to get a big head,” Rade said.

  “It’s not possible,” Bax said. “Considering that I don’t actually have a physical head.”

  “Back on topic,” Shaw said. “I don’t see why you should have any respect for Bourbonjack. He almost killed you and the men out there.”

  “That’s because he didn’t know who we were,” Rade insisted.

  “Or so he says,” Shaw replied.

  “We killed some of his men, too,” Rade said. “That didn’t help matters. We’re actually lucky, I think, that he showed restraint. He didn’t have to. Which is why I respect him.”

  Shaw sighed. “Okay, well, I still don’t trust him.”

  “You don’t know him like we do,” Rade said.

  “You think you know him,” Shaw said. “But how long ago was it since you served under him? Fifteen years?”

  “Twelve,” Rade clarified.

  “There you go,” Shaw said. “A lot can happen to someone in twelve years. Especially in the military. Soldiers and their commanders can change fairly rapidly. You know that as much as I. Combat... does things to people.”

  Rade didn’t have an answer to that. He met the eyes of Tahoe and TJ, but both of the men lowered their gazes, not wanting to contest Shaw. They knew she was right.

  An alert appeared on the lower right of Rade’s display.

  “Bourbonjack is tapping in now,” Rade said.

  “Hopefully to say goodbye,” Shaw said.

  “No,” Tahoe said. “Like I told Rade already, he wants something.”

  “Well, I guess we’ll find out,” Rade said.

  ten

  Rade accepted the call. His Implant projected a hologram of Bourbonjack into the sickbay so that it appeared the man was standing before the bed with his hands clasped behind his back and looking down on him. Rade authorized everyone in sickbay to view the hologram, however he hid their presence so that as far as Bourbonjack was concerned he addressed Rade alone.

  Bourbonjack wore camo fatigues whose digital patterning was similar to that of the mercenary jumpsuits. He was a grizzled man with dark, tilted eyes set above a hooked beak of a nose. The skin of his face was wrinkled and weatherworn, even more so than Rade remembered. Rade was reminded of a prune set out in the sun for too long.

  “Well I’ll be damned,” Bourbon
jack said, staring at him with those penetrating eyes. “Now that you’re out of that jumpsuit I can get a chance to really look at you. And you haven’t changed a bit. Physically, anyway. Though I miss the beard. You look like some baby-faced kid fresh out of bootcamp without it.”

  “You haven’t changed either,” Rade said. “Except, of course, for the absent mustache. And the extra wrinkles. You know, I never heard of anyone using rejuvenations treatments to add crow’s feet around their eyes.”

  Bourbonjack chuckled. “Touché. I’m just sorry we had to meet this way.”

  “I am, too,” Rade said. “We were never supposed to be on the opposite ends of rifle scopes.”

  “No we weren’t,” Bourbonjack said. “But that’s what happens when you retire and become a mercenary.”

  “I’m not a mercenary, by the way,” Rade said. “I run a security consulting company.”

  “Sure,” Bourbonjack said. “But that’s just an euphemism for mercenary, isn’t it?”

  “Not in my book,” Rade said.

  “You’ll have to let me read that book sometime,” Bourbonjack said.

  “I will,” Rade replied. “Once I finish writing it.”

  “How’s Bender, Tahoe, and the gang?” Bourbonjack said.

  “Fine, they haven’t taken any injuries,” Rade said. “Only TJ and I were hurt. But the Weavers took care of us.”

  “I meant, how has the old team been since last we met?” Bourbonjack said.

  “Oh,” Rade said. “You called because you want to catch up, is that it?”

  Bourbonjack smiled, and those eyes, even though they were holograms, seemed to peer right through him. “I don’t remember you being so lippy when you were on the Teams.”

  “That’s because I was your subordinate then,” Rade said. “And actually had to behave myself. Now that I’m out of the Teams, I say pretty much what comes to mind, as do the rest of the men. Especially Bender. He’s really taken to civilian life.”

  “Good to hear,” Bourbonjack said. “I have, too, I suppose. It’s a funny thing, being able to use your own judgment and apply your own morals to a situation, rather than simply following orders. If that had been a military-sanctioned fight between you and I back there, no doubt one of us would not have emerged.”