Sol Arbiter Box Set: Books 1-5

by Chaney, J. N.

The room was lit, but only dimly. There was incense burning somewhere, and hangings on every wall. In the center of the room, the Madam herself sat watching us impassively.

  She was an ancient woman, but you could still see more than a hint of the great beauty she must once have been. She carried herself with regal authority, relaxed in an antique chair in the center of the room—essentially a throne, although it must have come from the original Happy Memories. She had one hand on her chin and regarded us with a mixture of disdain and tolerance.

  All around the room, men armed with submachine guns stood waiting for her orders. Their faces were covered behind the long scarves so many Martians wore.

  Madam Shih took a breath. “I believe one of you is interested in the Purple Flower?”

  Sasha Ivanovich stepped forward, but Jones tried to put a hand on his arm. One of the guards aimed his weapon, and Jones stepped back from the scientist. Madam Shih scowled. “Young man, you wouldn’t be standing here except for him. Let the man take his pleasure as he sees fit. We can talk in the meantime.”

  So, Madam Shih had noticed that he wasn’t one of us. I was impressed.

  From a door in the back, two young women in silken dresses came to escort Sasha away into the dark recesses of the building. I would say that the situation was rapidly spinning out of our control, but it would be more accurate to say that all our control had vanished. We didn’t have our weapons, and we’d just lost the man we were supposed to be escorting.

  With Sasha gone, Madam Shih raised one eyebrow questioningly. “You mentioned something about a proposal?”

  Veraldi nodded at Jones. We weren’t holding a flush, so we simply had to play the hand we had. Jones returned the nod then stepped forward to address our host.

  “We wish to purchase weapons, if you’d have us.”

  She looked nonplussed. “I am not an arms dealer, boy. I provide entertainment.” That was a bit of euphemism. The addiction is worse than any drug, which is why memory dens are illegal across the system.

  “Yes,” said Jones. “But you do so independently of the syndicate. You could never do that unless you had the means to defend your sovereignty.”

  She wasn’t ready to admit this yet.

  “Is that so? You don’t think the money I pay would be enough? That the syndicate doesn't want my services?”

  “Even so, Madam Shih. If they could control this place directly, if you were an employee rather than an independent, they’d make far more money. And yet they don’t. The reason is that you can defend what is yours.”

  She smiled at that, but there was a hint of laughter in her steely eyes. “Indeed, I can. Assuming I have these weapons, why would I sell them? Why wouldn’t I need everything I have?”

  “You’d keep more than you’d need, just to be sure. That’s a sensible policy, but it would be worth it for you to sell them for the price I’m offering. Direct transfer, from an untraceable account.”

  “If I had anything to sell, you’d be paying a premium.”

  “Of course.” Andrew’s tone was unruffled, like he did this sort of thing every day. Madam Shih drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair, making a sound in her throat like hmmm. Then her tone became sharp. “Who will compensate me for the trouble this will bring me? If Geneicide wants you, they will not be satisfied until they have you. If I keep them from taking you, the syndicate will be angry indeed. How will your money help me then?”

  “I’m sure you know your own business better than I do.” Andrew’s voice was smooth. “If you foresee any problems, feel free to increase your premium. I will pay what is needed.”

  “You will pay what is needed? Who are you, you strange man?”

  He didn’t answer her question; he just stood there expectantly. She turned to one of her guards. “Liu, bring something that might interest our guest.” The guard bowed to her silently and left.

  “Perhaps I could interest you in an experience?” she continued. “Free of charge, once we complete this transaction.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Jones replied. “I have enough addictions as it is.”

  “No? Perhaps you’re a traditionalist. Upstairs you can have any number of experiences in the flesh.”

  “That’s very tempting, but really I’m only interested in getting enough firepower to shoot my way out of the trouble I’m currently in.”

  “That’s more than you think, young man. Those men outside are not just posturing. The Geneicide syndicate has put out a contract on you and all your friends.”

  “I thought they might have.” Andrew shrugged. “So you understand my position. I’m a little too distracted for any… new experiences.”

  “I’d wager you won’t live through the day. Surely you ought to drain the cup to its dregs? No one will chase you in here. You can go upstairs, have whatever kind of sex interests you, or sample one of the experiences from our extensive library. Then go outside and face your karma. Still no? Well, let’s get down to business then.”

  Liu was back. He carried a large metal case, which he unlatched and held open in front of us. As soon as I saw it, I pointed to one of the guns inside. “That one right there. With the depleted uranium rounds.”

  Madam Shih seemed amused. “Curious, that.”

  “You don’t need that, Barrett,” said Veraldi quietly. “We aren’t fighting any cyborgs here.”

  “Depleted uranium.”

  Back on Earth, I tried using a white phosphorus gun on a bizarre canid cyborg. It didn’t work, and the shells just skipped right off its carapace. Depleted uranium finally did the job, and I later used it to kill the cyborg that murdered Sophie Anderson.

  “That’s one.” Madam Shih raised a finger. “Now the other two.”

  Vincenzo leaned in and pointed at one of the remaining weapons. “This one here. Do you have the incendiary attachment?”

  She looked at Liu, who nodded almost imperceptibly in response. She raised another finger. “That’s two. And what about you, my talkative friend?”

  “This one here.” Andrew pointed. “With the flechette rounds. And all the ammo we can carry, for all three weapons.”

  “You haven’t heard my price yet.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  She named an absurd figure. Jones didn’t even blink. She gave him an account number, and he closed his eyes and transferred the money with his dataspike. Liu went to get the ammo and accessories, and Sasha stumbled back in the room in the company of two completely different women.

  “It wasn’t purple, it was a color beneath color...” He shook his head, marveling at the memory they’d given him. “Your money was well spent.” Veraldi glared at him, but Sasha didn’t seem to care at all.

  Madam Shih seemed pleased, but she was still looking straight at Andrew. “There’s something I like about you. Even with those weapons, you might not survive, but I want to give you a chance.”

  She raised a hand, forestalling whatever Andrew had been about to say. “Go to the third floor, and to the far end. The building behind this one is quite close. You’ll find an open window between the two. Crawl from one to the other, and you can descend to the street on the other side without your pursuers knowing you have left this establishment.”

  “Thank you, Madam Shih.” Andrew bowed slightly. “You’ve done an important service.”

  “An important service, you say? So, you men are spies. Well, I’m not a patriot, but your money has earned my favor. For now.”

  Liu handed us the weapons and a woman came into the room holding the case with all of our other guns and knives. When Veraldi strapped his knives back on, the look on his face was of genuine relief.

  The woman waited until we’d finished arming ourselves. “Please follow me, gentlemen,” she said, and she led us out through Madam Shih’s den. As we went up a staircase, Sasha kept trying to get our attention.

  “The memory booths are on the second floor. There’s still time. I can’t describe it, but it was a color you�
�ve never seen before. You must see it for yourself!”

  Veraldi didn’t tell him to shut up this time—he probably didn’t want to say anything that might offend our hosts—but he glared at the scientist, who responded with a huge self-satisfied grin.

  We reached the third floor at last, and the woman leading us stopped in front of a door. “When we go inside, it would be best if you did not attempt to speak to anyone.”

  She didn’t wait for a reply. We followed her in and found ourselves in a long hallway. There were doors on either side, some open while others were closed. As we passed the first of the open doorways, I saw a woman wearing nothing but an open, white chemise. Her head was shaved and an elaborate tattoo snaked across her bare chest, around her back, between her legs, and down to one foot. Her eyes were a bright, almost iridescent blue. Something about her chilled me, but at the same time I couldn’t look away.

  As we continued down the hall, I saw more of the same. Semi-nude men and women, lounging around or talking quietly. As we passed, they fell silent and stared with eyes that were cold and challenging at the same time. Some I couldn’t define as being men or women. Of ambiguous gender, they still stared at us with those mysterious eyes as we passed. Whether hostile or predatory, there was something about them that seemed strange and feral.

  We reached the end of the hall then the woman leading us produced a key and unlocked it. It led into an apartment, in which one of Madam Shih’s gunmen sat by the open window with a pair of binoculars.

  “Mei.” He smiled, but Mei didn’t return his smile.

  “Madam says they can use the window. Is there anyone down there?”

  He checked the street with the binoculars. “Yeah, but they’re down at the end of the alley staring at the street. If these guys are quick, they probably won’t be spotted.”

  That was easier said than done, because as close as the other building was, it was still a matter of crawling out of one open window and into another across a not inconsiderable drop.

  “I’m not crawling across that!” Sasha protested.

  The man gave him an unpleasant grin. “If Madam says use the window, you’re going out the window. One way or the other, my friend.”

  The scientist glared at him but didn’t say anything. He must have realized he couldn’t stay there, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

  “I’ll go first.” Veraldi went to the window. “If I don’t fall, you can be pretty sure that you won’t fall. Deal?”

  Sasha didn’t reply but frowned. Veraldi squeezed through, an act he managed with surprising grace. Then he turned around and offered his hand. The researcher stretched his body across with both arms out, then almost fell getting one leg across. Veraldi pulled him in the rest of the way, but Sasha almost slid back out on the way over and we had to reach across and push him.

  Getting him over there took so long that we had to take a break afterward to make sure no one down on the street had seen what was going on. The gunman with the binoculars watched the street for a few minutes then motioned for us to cross with a wave of his hand. Andrew went through first and then I followed.

  Before I went through, the woman who had guided us leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Don’t ever come back here. This is an evil place.” I wondered about that for a long time afterward, but I never found out exactly what she meant.

  10

  I’ve rarely been as glad to leave any place as I was to leave the Pretorius District. Of course, I could say that about virtually every place I’ve been since I jumped down to Venus with Gabriel Anderson, but Pretorius had not been good to us.

  As we crossed the abandoned building behind Madam Shih’s and descended to the street on the other side, I could only marvel at what a long and almost dreamlike journey it had been since our train first entered this district the night before. Three agents were missing in action and presumed dead. We had escaped a bombed-out train and burning building. We took a long walk through a maze under the guns of the Hive, faced a team of Geneicide hit men, and were besieged in a brothel. It was time to get out of here, before our luck ran out at last. Assuming it hadn’t already.

  Once outside, Vincenzo Veraldi pointed at a dim suggestion of movement in the distance that could have been a passing train. “That’s the station we need. They’re probably waiting for us, so stay sharp everyone.”

  Jones glanced in my direction. “You look thoughtful, Barrett. Not a good sign. You should stick to your strengths.”

  “And what would those be?”

  “Well, you seem to be pretty good at surviving things that ought to have killed you.”

  “Noted. I’ll focus on that.”

  Sasha rubbed his eyes. “I could use some sleep. This walk is killing me.”

  “When we save someone’s life, we usually try to make it more convenient than this,” Veraldi replied.

  The researcher looked almost wounded. “Is he being sarcastic?”

  Jones put a hand on his back and pushed him forward. “Just keep moving.”

  It didn’t take long to cross those last few blocks, but by the time we were approaching the train station I had already noticed several people watching us. I stared back up at them resentfully. I was starting to get sick of these people. They might have their reasons, but even the thought that they were willing to call in our location and get us killed just for some favor from a local crime lord was beginning to irritate me.

  “Have I mentioned how much I hate this city?”

  “We all hate this city,” Jones replied. “There’s no need to mention it.”

  As we walked up to the train station, we spotted two young men and a young woman, all with shaved heads. Geneicide gang members most likely, watching the station for our approach. Behind them on the platform, an armored StateSec guard was pointedly not noticing them. Ares Terrestrial’s zone of control was strictly limited, and this man had no intention of pushing the issue. If there was a firefight, he would probably just walk around to the other side of the station and file a report when it was over.

  The trio looked nervous, probably because there weren’t enough of them to handle us even if we didn’t have the powerful new weapons we were now carrying. The gang had decided to mass its forces around the memory den, which didn’t leave them enough people to guard the station. Veraldi walked right up to them.

  “Your bosses fucked up. You can’t claim this contract, and if you try, you’ll just end up dead like the others. Leave. We’ll let you live.”

  Their eyes darted back and forth as they looked to each other for guidance. Then the woman spoke up. “Come on, guys. No need to die for this.” The woman walked away first, followed quickly by one of the men. The third hesitated, considering what to do. He looked at each of us in turn, and I could see he was sizing us up, trying to persuade himself he could do it. When he caught my eyes, I shook my head and looked toward his friends. The young man followed my gaze, nodded, then left without looking back.

  We entered the train station, and the StateSec officer finally turned to look at us. By now, Sasha Ivanovich was probably expected at work. Had word of his defection already gone out, or were they all just wondering where Sasha was? Had they found all the bodies, and the secret lab with all those horrible creatures?

  The officer saw what Veraldi was carrying, and his eyes lingered for a long moment on the incendiary attachment. He blinked. “Be, uh… be careful with that.”

  “I certainly will, officer.”

  He waved us through, choosing not to become a martyr for the cause of East Hellan law enforcement, such as it was. The train arrived, and we waited until we could choose an empty car before boarding. Jones sat down and stretched out his legs, and Ivanovich sat on the edge of one of the seats and started grumbling to himself.

  “I have cooperated at every step. Every step. And yet I am such a burden…”

  Veraldi looked tired, but still vigilant. He looked out the window, where a much larger group of Geneicide gunmen was n
ow advancing toward the station. “Too slow,” he said quietly, grinning to himself as the train pulled away. “Goodbye, Geneicide.”

  “Goodbye to that whole district,” I muttered.

  “I wouldn’t be so quick to say that.” Veraldi’s voice was solemn. “Our friends are still offline. In all likelihood, Pretorius is their tomb. That makes it sacred to us, even if we never get the chance to come back here and pay our respects.”

  He touched the glass with two fingers and then turned away. “Andrew, this seems like a good time to check those dataspikes.”

  “I’m already on it. Didn’t even need to hack them really. They all have the same password. Care to guess what it is?”

  “The name of their syndicate.”

  “It’s unbelievable, isn’t it?”

  “Wow.” I shook my head. “People never learn, do they?”

  I didn’t want to sit down, so I wandered over to the other window and looked out at the city as it drifted past. There seemed to be a fog growing thicker by the minute in the district, but that couldn’t be possible. I thought I might have been bleary-eyed from our long night, until I saw the fires. I caught a glimpse of StateSec riot officers being driven steadily backward by an angry crowd. People were throwing bricks, stones, and the occasional firebomb. Multiple levels of the streets were choked off by fires or makeshift barricades.

  “Riots are breaking out,” I commented.

  Veraldi nodded. “Hafidi is dead, and his sect will want to avenge the killing. We know it was a rival sect that did it, but his followers might choose to blame the authorities, if they think it will bring the revolution they want.”

  “Authorities?” I was genuinely confused at his phrasing. “What authorities?”

  “Fair point, Tycho. But if they don’t choose to blame the authorities, whether there are any real authorities or not, then all it will mean is sectarian violence. It’s bad news either way. Why don’t you have a seat and rest for a minute? We still have a long way before we get where we’re going.”

  I shook my head. The reason I didn’t want to sit was a simple fear reaction. I had almost died when that train derailed, and now here we were on another train just a few hours later. The thought that it might happen again put me on edge, and I couldn’t handle it unless I felt like I was ready for action at any moment. Of course, standing up is no better than sitting down when someone blows up your train, so the whole thing was really just a futile gesture.