Genius had been looking over the coordinates. “Boss, provided we come to terms, we could go to the naval outpost and provide Zora a report as well help any survivors we locate on our way to the rendezvous.”
“There are blank contract templates. Fill one out to show the total contract value at fifty million credits, and under special circumstances add amnesty for any past accusations against myself and the crew. We can fill in the specifics afterward. Zora, where is your closest naval vessel?”
“Xanlos. Earliest it will be underway is by the evening.”
“Shit,” I said. “They’re going to be a week getting there. After we get a feel for the situation we will contact you and decide about what to do with any survivors. Do you have a problem with our fee of fifty million? Taz, dear, you are being unusually quiet. Do you have any input?”
“No.”
“I have no problem with the fee as long as it is negotiable based on your findings,” Zora said. “If they are all dead and there is nothing further for you to do we should not have to pay in full.”
“There is more to it than the survivors. Taking on the pirates and rescuing the commander. Don’t tell me you expected us to risk our necks for nothing.”
“I’m beginning to think the pirates are simpletons compared to you.”
“Ok then, I’m going to take this armor off until we reach the meeting place, and maybe take a nap if I’m not bleeding all over my quarters. Genius, get me when it’s show time.” I turned to Taz. “Would you like to come with me, or just sit here while they discuss the mission to make sure we don’t rob you blind?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to use one-word answers for the rest of your life?”
She said nothing.
“Great,” I replied, turning away. “Lorelei, I know Genius updated you—do you have any questions or need me for anything?”
“What would we need you for?” was Lorelei’s contribution to the current state of affairs.
“Nothing, evidently, just thought I would check,” I said, walking with my silent ghost a step behind me.
A few minutes later, I stopped abruptly and turned on her. “What’s your problem now? I told you to play along; it was all just a show. When we catch up to them we may put on another one. Remember the Trillond Captain Jackass? I bet he’s still pissing the bed and dreaming of spiders. I’ll admit it’s no secret I don’t know how to interact in situations like what I’ve been put in. I do know bad guys, though. They like to talk tough and they understand when I fire it right back. Too much talk about peaceful negotiation is like saying we’re a bunch of chicken shits. I told him I would kill him and kill them all, kill their pets, burn their homes to the ground, abuse their daughters, eat their food.”
She finally spoke. “Shut up, you didn’t say all that.”
“No I didn’t, but I didn’t have to. They are pirates, and they have done all that to innocent civilians out there on the ragged edges of your empire.”
She studied me. “You talked around me as if I wasn’t even there!” she snapped.
“Taz, you’re supposed to be a captive who is not in charge of her life. You didn’t get to make decisions about the exchange and payment, at least not while we were on the com. I realize you didn’t have a normal childhood. Usually, girls like to pretend they are a princess and have their Prince Charming rescue them from dragons or trolls. You were a real princess and have a damn list of charming assholes, so you don’t get it. You don’t really understand this.”
She gave me a hard look. “I used to play that I was a great warrior and would take my army into battle. I would beat the servants and my cousins until they were on their knees, begging for their lives.”
“That’s great. No wonder they don’t like you,” I said with a smile. “I have an idea. Come in here and sit down.”
I needed a drink. Hundreds of years ago, you were thought to have a substance abuse problem if you drank before twelve on the weekend and five during the week. Space changed all that—so often there was no morning or night on the ship. It could be weeks or months of darkness. It was always nice to throw down a few shots before, during and after a battle, and someone always had a flask.
I poured about two fingers of some kind of Cjittan liquor that tasted like cognac but stronger and tossed it back.
“May I have some of that?” Taz asked.
“Sure, you want the same pour?”
“That would be fine.” I poured it into the glass I had just used.
She tossed it back and sat the glass down hard on the table. “Ah! I believe I needed that.”
I had to ask. “Who have you been drinking with, Your Highness?”
“I have spent quite a bit of time around your crew. They are a very bad influence on me.”
“Right, I’m not believing that, but I’m happy we are past one-word answers,” I said, taking a seat. “So we have two situations I would like your input on—first the outpost and then the pirates.”
“No, we have three,” she said. “Outpost, pirates and you.”
“What do you want from me? They were douchebags who got what they deserved.”
“Crude, but an acceptable assessment of their character. However, that doesn’t mean they deserved to die.”
“You’re just bent because they’re so close within your circle. Maybe you should have explained the consequences to them when you hired them in the first place. Even if they followed your orders completely, we would have noticed something was wrong with Binda. You need to take some responsibility for your actions. You gave access to those two idiots to harm, if not kill, a member of my crew.”
“I am going to need you to go before a magistrate and—”
“Not happening,” I interrupted. “I’m not going to trust your system of justice when it comes to me or my people.”
“If you don’t, you are no better than the pirates, living a lawless life, and we will never be together.”
“I will get the Commander from the pirates and take you and her to meet your ship, wherever it is, and leave you both in their care.”
“Just so you are aware, her brother was one of the two you killed.”
“Of course he was,” I said, shaking my head. “Nothing is simple. Anyway, that makes no difference. She is still in need of help, which we have promised to provide.”
“I want you to kill all of the pirates and destroy their ships. Then have Genius return the ransom we paid. I’m sure he can locate and access the accounts.”
“I will think about that. Now that we are pirate scum ourselves, it makes it harder to justify killing our comrades.” I walked to my wardrobe and took my katana off the hook, along with my pistol. “You can use my quarters. There are a number of empty rooms I can bunk in.”
“That is your answer then? To throw everything away?”
“My answer is for you to make it go away. You just passed judgement on an unknown number of pirates like you were ordering lunch. No trial, no proof of anything—just destroy them.”
“They are pirates, and according to our laws they are to be exterminated on sight. The Admiral admitted to being the leader of some coalition of pirates.”
This conversation would go nowhere and I was done. “Get some rest, Taz. You’re going to need to work like the rest of us when we get to the outpost.” I left, hearing the door slide shut behind me. So much for changing and a nap.
I walked to engineering and sat down at the empty console. I entered the codes that let me monitor my quarters. Taz had poured another drink and sat holding the glass with both hands. A few seconds passed before I heard her whimper, and then it turned into sobbing. She lay on my bunk in a fetal position, crying. I watched her for few minutes then cut the feed. I suddenly felt guilty invading her private moment.
“Having problems with the missus?” a voice said from behind me.
“You think it’s a good idea to eavesdrop on me?”
Snake stepped further into the
room. “Didn’t hear anything and didn’t know you were here. I just walked in. We live a hard life, Boss. Since you were a kid with one stripe on your shirt we’ve always been fightin’ some kind of battle or war. She ain’t lived through what we have. They ain’t been tryin’ to carve a life out of the black like the Alliance. They did that long, long, ago.”
“Snake, do you have a point you’re trying to make?” I asked, looking at the blank screen.
“We ain’t in the Alliance no more, may never be again,” Snake said slowly. “Rules gonna be different here. Ain’t saying those boys didn’t deserve what they got for hurtin’ Ms. Binda, but they weren’t evil like some of the enemies we’ve faced. Stupid, uppity asses, yeah, but not evil.”
“She wants us to kill all the pirates and orders it like it’s nothing, and yet she thinks I should turn myself in for killing those two uppity asses. She says we can’t be together if I don’t.”
“She is talking about pirates. We know firsthand how they are, right? Little Natalia is proof, and we fought lots of pirates and Allith, even our own people in the last year. If we’re going to survive out here anywhere, we are going to have to take orders from Taz or Nedra’s people—either that or live like pirates ourselves. Not sure if you noticed, but we been livin’ in a palace like royalty. I even got a few of those platinum-haired women givin’ me a look-over. Oh, I know most look down their noses at us, but they ain’t had enough time yet to warm up to the Snake.”
“What does everyone else think? They know the score; does anyone have any major gripes?”
“Not that I know of, outside the ordinary. Genius said this is a payin’ job, so that made everyone feel a little more at ease. You and Taz are like a summer thunderstorm, sunny and hot one minute, then there’s thunder, lightning and a downpour, then it’s over and the sun comes out again. Getting paid makes it easier to weather them storms.”
“Yeah, that ain’t no shit. You’re gonna be with me later when we go get the commander. Pick two more to go with us and I’ll let you know when we will be departing. We have to stop at the naval outpost the pirates attacked and get eyes on it for Zora.”
“You gonna go back to your room and talk to her?”
“Yes,” I said, glancing back at the black screen. “Maybe the storm is over or maybe it’s just beginning. I never know.”
“Do what you gotta do. She may want you to turn yourself in, but the rest of us have a problem with that. If Ms. Binda’s dream is gonna come true, we got us a different kind of storm comin’ and you’re gonna be needed.”
“Snake, what are you doing here in engineering anyway?”
“It’s too quiet. Sometimes I can sleep better if I got the noise of the ship singing me to sleep.”
“I know what you mean,” I said, standing to leave. “See you later, old man—and thanks.”
“Damn, I ain’t that old!” he said, offended. “Maybe ten years older than you.”
****
Commander Dela’maah sat in the locked room that stank of sweat and numerous other things she tried not to think about. How had the queen been kidnapped by that monster in black? She had no recollection of killing any women or children in her career, other than chasing pirates around the outer rim and into unprotected space. She would be with the queen soon and maybe the two of them could figure out what was going on.
Footsteps sounded in the corridor and stopped outside her door. The lock clicked and the admiral stepped inside, while two of his crew waited outside the door.
“Commander, that exchange earlier was not what I expected, and nor are you, it would seem. There is a very angry being who wants you and I can sympathize if what he says is true. He must be very determined if he would take the Queen of Cjittan just to kill her, forgoing the huge ransom he could ask for her safe return. It was odd he would ensure we get paid for you, since anyone who could take the queen hostage could probably take you from us easily, so I am inclined to think he does not sacrifice his people wantonly. I have been talking with my crew, and we may take him when he comes for you, trading both of you for the queen.”
“That would be a very bold and dangerous move, Admiral, considering you know nothing of this Reaper, his crew or his ship.”
“I have a hard time believing you know nothing. Are you sure there is no information you can give me that might aid me in capturing him?” The admiral stood behind her seat again, gripping her shoulders like he had earlier.
“I have no information on him of any kind and that is the truth,” Dela’maah answered.
“We shall see, Commander! Come, tie her to the chair and let’s encourage her to rethink her answer.” The two waiting outside entered the room with rope and an electric prod. “There was no agreement as to your condition upon exchange, Commander. I doubt it will be an issue as he is just going to remove your head from your shoulders when you arrive.” His smile told of years of cruelty. Information or not, he was going to enjoy every second.
Commander Dela’maah didn’t scream the first time or the second time the ugly man held the prod against her skin. The third time she couldn’t stop herself or her bodily functions, and from then on it was just one long scream until everything went black.
Chapter 7
Even after three hours, I never made it back to see Taz, change my armor or sleep. I stopped at the armory to inventory weapons and had a mental argument with the giant spider over the upcoming exchange with the pirates. She felt it would be a good time to stock up on her meals, and I couldn’t disagree, except that she would have to wait until after we had the commander in our possession. She wanted something alive and fresh. I told her she was spoiled and should be happy with a kill less than an hour old. Lorelei paged me during my inventory, so I made my way to the bridge.
Lorelei looked over her shoulder at me when I walked in. “We will be directly above the naval outpost in five. I was thinking of maintaining a synchronous orbit with it while you take a team down in the shuttle.”
“Good idea. Then we won’t all get caught on the ground if they show up. We will shuttle the worst of the casualties first—”
“Since when do you have a shuttle?” Taz cut me off, suddenly standing right behind me.
“Just add it to my list of crimes against the great empire of Cjittan.” I couldn’t help but scratch at the sore. Everyone suddenly seemed to find something interesting in front of them to study, so I turned to leave.
She stood in my way. “My mother’s shuttle?”
“What can I say? It’s been a good luck charm. If you will excuse me, I need to get the team ready to go.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“I knew that already, so go or move over. Just don’t stand there. You can walk, bitch and moan all at the same time; you’ve done it plenty of times before. Ronnie, Shawna, Adam, Grubb, Buddy, Angel report to the shuttle for departure.”
“What of the others of your crew? Can’t they come and help?” Taz asked.
“After we get eyes on everything, if they are needed, then yes. Otherwise they are going to be on my team when we get your commander, so I would like them to be fresh and alert. You need to understand that you aren’t in charge of anything and need to be careful. I don’t need you getting hurt. On the other hand, if they are alive, your people, the survivors, will be surprised to see you here. Try to show them a different side of you, the side that I know and love. I will take care of organizing everything.”
“Did you say love?”
“No, you misunderstood. Only a fool would love the Queen of Cjittan,” I answered.
“You’re a liar and a fool, Benjamin.”
“Stick with Ronnie once we’re on the ground. She’ll need a hand.”
“Benjamin!” Lorelei paged. “Come back, you need to look at this.”
I ran back. Nedra had scans running on the large screen. “This is a ship,” she told me. “It’s been there for a while and there is a small heat signature, no transponder. It’s hard to make ou
t, but I think there is some small-arms weapons fire. Lots of minute energy bursts.”
I pushed the button next to Lorelei for the ship-wide com. “Change of plan,” I announced. “If you have armor, put it on and report to the shuttle now. If you don’t, stay here and help with the survivors. Hurry up, people, I want to be gone in three.”
“I’m still going, Benjamin,” Taz said loudly. “I have armor and those are my people. I will do as you say and show who I am.”
“Stop talking and get your ass moving. You have two and a half minutes. Grab it and dress on the way down.” She left, a small smile on her face.
I ran toward the hold and the shuttle. “Shawna,” I said into the com, “I know you don’t have armor. You’re going to pilot, so get in there and fire it up. Turn the cloak on and keep it that way. I’ll need an eye in the sky.”
“On it, boss. Is the Supreme Commander coming with us?”
“Yes, and would you cut that shit? It’s hard enough without you sucking up to her. Listen up! There is ground fire, so stay on point and get us as close to the survivors as possible.” I stood behind her as she put the shuttle through its startup procedure. The sound of running feet across the hold and up the ramp told me it was time.
No one was fully dressed, but I hadn’t expected it. Taz had put on a set of my thermals and carried everything else. I walked over to her and watched her put on the socks. I picked up the armor and held it so she could put one leg in, then the other, then put her boots on her feet. I held out my hand and pulled her up. She slid her arms in and pulled it up over her shoulders, I began to zip it, slowing as the zipper moved across her chest and up under her chin. She stared at my face even though it was hidden from view. She had her helmet and gloves but no weapons.
I felt the shuttle moving but it didn’t register. Taz pulled the black helmet, an identical match to mine, over her head, and attached it with her long platinum hair hanging over her shoulders. Pulling her gloves on, she was ready. I unbuckled my pistol belt with combat knife and invaded her personal space, reaching around her. I held both ends and pulled against me. “Don’t do anything stupid,” I said, my face close to hers. “Listen to me and my team, ok?”
Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison 4: Empires at War (Part One) Page 11