If I was going to have any chance at taking Kanlost back, I needed all the firepower I could get. You would think she would understand, but no, she said I wasn’t looking at the big picture. I had walked away to clean up, calm down and think. One out of three wasn’t bad: I was clean, still angry, and some would say thinking wasn’t my strong suit. Maybe love wasn’t enough; I had visited that thought before over the years. It was hardest with Andrea when we worked together, but after she retired we fell right into place. Taz—or more like Queen Tazleaha, which was how I had to think of her—had changed with the suitor incident and never changed back. With the war, she might never. I had only seen glimpses of the old Taz.
I would be keeping that ship and doing things my way. No more dog and pony shows to prevent mishaps. That had been the last one. The Allond might have an out, but the rest, even the Cjittan, would be fair game if they came at us. She had said I could do what I want once I secured Kanlost but somehow I didn’t believe her. With each day that passed she would become more embroiled in the war. There would be more pressure from within from her advisors. I would lose her like I had lost E’Aria. Taz would distance herself from me, and rightfully so. The Empire needed her more than I did.
****
“Sash, how long?” I knew it irritated her when I asked.
“Our guests haven’t left yet.”
“So? There is no need for us to stay. They have their ship and we have work to do.”
“I think they want to talk to you about the other ship. They are waiting for you on our bridge. They came aboard while you were in the shower.”
“Give them about three minutes to get off our ship. I’ll com them when I’m ready.”
“Dad, just get up here. They have us covered with weapons and dirty looks. Your girlfriend just went down a few notches in my book,” Natalia cut in.
“On my way. Just sit tight and don’t do anything till I get there.”
Taz was already second-guessing me. I would have entertained a civil conversation. Civil meant no one would end up dead, but now, holding my crew at gun point, all the lines were getting blurred. All she had to do was trust me. I would get her ships, supplies, and weapons. We hadn’t been at this for a full week and I had taken one ship already, which I could have used but instead turned over.
I hadn’t wanted to put my armor back on so soon. But this situation seemed to warrant it. Water dripped off it, leaving a trail down the corridor behind me. I walked onto the bridge and every chair was turned, along with every person, toward the door.
“Hey, you started the party without me!” I exclaimed, feigning a good mood.
“This is not a party, Benjamin,” Tazleaha warned.
“Oh, I thought it was a going away party. We usually don’t draw our weapons at parties until the fourth or fifth round of cocktails, but hey, to each their own.”
“What kind of fool are you?” the captain asked. Taz stood regal and self-important with an upper-hand smile. I had seen it thousands of times in my career—I could have been call sign Eraser instead of Reaper. I wiped that smug bullshit right off all their faces.
“Captain, I am the worst kind of fool.” I stared Taz in the eyes as I approached her. The captain stepped closer, thinking to intercept me. I reached out as if to take her around the waist and pull her into a hug, but instead I just patted her on the ass.
“Benjamin!” Taz yelled, slapping my arm away. Laughs were intermingled with sharp intakes of breath by her navy crew. In that second I slapped the captain’s weapon down and feigned a punch but held back. He backpedaled, trying to avoid what didn’t come.
“Now the party is getting started! Natalia, Sash.” It was like telepathy; they drew and stunned the remaining crewman while they were focused on me. Maybe not telepathy.
“Benjamin, please. There is no need to kill anyone,” Taz said.
“You come on our ship and draw weapons on my crew. What’s wrong with you? You of all people should know that this is not the way to get me to cooperate.”
“The captain and his crew needed to know they could protect themselves against you. That I wouldn’t give them up to you and Imelda.”
“Don’t do it again.”
“I knew you and your crew would handle it.”
“Walk with me. Now!”
Natalia pointed her stunner at the captain, forcing him to put his own back in its holster. “You even think about pulling that out again and they won’t hesitate to end you. You got your warning. Now call some of your crew and get them off my ship, and they better be unarmed.”
Taz’s eyes were wide when I grabbed her arm at the elbow and hustled her out the door. “Don’t ever do that again. You’re the queen and your military personnel’s insecurities are not your problem. Replace that idiot. I’m not the enemy.”
“You are partially to blame. You wished to instill fear and it worked. Then you blame me and my people for being prepared.”
“I didn’t see a weapon in your hand. Yes, I want them to be scared, but you brought them onto my bridge with weapons drawn on my crew and my daughter.”
“Natalia is fine. You said yourself that she is better than ten of my people.”
“She is, but the point is that she likes you a lot, or at least she did. I would say my daughter has lowered you on her very short list of people she cares about. It may not mean much to you, but it does to me. You, most of all, I wanted her to look up to. Even more than myself.”
“True. You are a terrible role model.”
“You don’t get to change the subject.”
“You do not follow my orders and you work for me.”
“That’s not exactly what we were talking about either. I’m talking about my daughter. We have already covered this ground of who works for whom. I realize it’s hard for you to grasp, but we aren’t your military. What you need to do is forget we exist, except when you get a report that we have recovered a ship or shipment or whatever we send your way.”
“I can’t forget about you. What are you saying?”
“Listen, you’re not thinking clearly. Get back to your ship and Xanlos and have the doctor give you something to help you sleep. Once you get some rest, you’ll think clearer. Forget about me. I mean, I know you’ll never forget about me. I just meant don’t worry, and let me do my job. Talk to Natalia then get going. When I have the ship and Kanlost back, I’ll let you know.”
“I toss and turn barely sleeping at night, and when I do I wake and you’re not there next to me. Things I dreamed of for us are no longer within our grasp.”
“Hey Dad, forget about the other ship. It’s space debris,” Natalia messaged.
“You’re kidding,” I said out loud after reading.
“What happened?” Taz asked.
“The Khalnalax ship just blew up. Problem solved. Now I have to figure out how to take a planet from an invading army with a hundred reformed pirates, some children and some old people.”
“When will I see you again?”
“Did you hear what I just said? I don’t know. I’ll send word through Dakkon. He’ll get it to you.”
“Benjamin, why do the Allond like you? You have a special status with them that is unheard of. Ambassadors of foreign worlds and even queens aren’t afforded the same treatment they give you.”
“I don’t know, why do you love me?”
“Do you think we will survive?”
“What, the war? Your people? Our relationship?”
“We should end this. I was a fool to follow you.”
“Get off my ship. Go home.” I turned and walked away. “Sash, have they removed the unconscious from our ship?”
“They are working on it,” Sash replied.
“Change the settings on your weapons from stun to kill and have our crew drag them to the airlock. If they don’t retrieve them three minutes after our men get there, push them out. We’re leaving.” I could picture the look on her face.
I needed space. I needed t
o embrace this war. It was something I understood. It should have been clear to me now that I didn’t understand women, no matter what species or color. “We should end this,” she said. Ok.
My post-war career flashed before my eyes. In a nutshell, I was a failure. I didn’t consider my active duty a failure anymore—no matter how it ended—now that I had a few years of doing things on my own to compare it to. A few instances of good solid ass-kicking weren’t enough. Hell, I was getting lazy, letting Imelda do all the dirty work.
Taz still owned me, even if she had just decided she might not have made the best decisions lately. Reaper Inc. was hers and so was this venture. I would do this privateer thing, but not for her. I would do it for the ragtag group of misfits that were depending on me now, the children, the slaves and widows. I would do this for me.
She needed to get her shit together or there was going to be a new landlord. She said we needed to end this. I didn’t want to but the Cjittan Empire needed it to end, needed me to walk away.
“Sash! Are they off my ship yet?”
“It’s only been thirty seconds since you ordered it.”
“Oh.” Feeling sorry for myself feels like it takes a lot longer than it does.
Chapter 16
“Do you see that? It’s huge!” Shawna said.
“We’ve seen it—or one like it—before,” Binda answered. “Benjamin was kept on it as a slave for a week.”
“I wouldn’t have my Harry if things had happened differently, so in a small way I’m glad it happened,” Nedra added. “Still, it was hellish what went on there. He almost died.”
“Shawna, what is the delay on a com right now?” Binda asked.
“About 12 hours, or half a duty cycle if we boost it fully. It’s just not something you see every day. I remember that other ship.”
“Notify Captain Sash and Benjamin of our finding. He may or may not be interested.”
“Aye, Admiral,” Shawna responded.
“Shawna, please.”
“What! You are.”
“Yes, but when it is just us on the flagship of our little navy there is no need.”
“I disagree, Admiral,” Nedra said. “Our navy consists mostly of pirates—ex-pirates now. A little decorum may go a long way. If we don’t do it consistently we may not do it when you want us to. Not on purpose, mind you, it just won’t be habit.”
Lorelei had been quiet throughout the whole conversation. “He made you Admiral, and I didn’t hear him say it was a part-time job. I say you are unless we are in private quarters. I am captain of this ship and it will be so.”
“Thank you all. You’re right, of course. This change was sudden and I didn’t want you, my friends, to feel any different about me.”
“Shall we reduce our speed and keep our distance?” Lorelei asked. “And none of us feel any differently, but you will need to act with more authority and put a little more steel into your tone.”
“Yes, we can make up the time later if needed. I understand, and I will when it’s needed.”
“I think we are asking for trouble,” Shawna said, then laughed. “You know he’ll think of something once we tell him about that Cjittan ship.” A Cjittan Generation ship sat off the starboard side of the Claymore. There was nothing in space even close to them in size. They were made when the Cjittan fled their home world in a search for a new one. They were a floating city in space. Families had lived for generations on them as they moved through space searching. Benjamin had been held captive on one that had been commandeered by a warlord. The warlord built an arena in the hold and kept slaves as well as beasts to fight in the arena to the death while spectators watched and made wagers. No one was kidding themselves; if Benjamin wanted it, they would be dragging it to Kanlost with them.
“His boss, girlfriend, wife, queen—whatever the hell she is to him—isn’t going like it if he does anything other than let it go on its merry way.”
“You’re right, Lorelei. We’re probably asking for trouble and I already know what he is going to say.”
“So do I send this message or not? Stop acting like a bunch of girls,” Shawna admonished.
“Send it and tell him we escaped Naloon with no losses. Then message the Cjittan ship and ask if we can come aboard.”
“Can I brag a little? We did kick some Khalnalax ass and they ran with their tails between their legs. I think he would like to hear it.”
“Yes, Shawna, please do. Brag and embellish all you want.”
“Thanks, Admiral. While we wait, what’s next on the agenda?”
“I’m going back to check on the rest of the crew and our passengers. They should have settled in by now and we wait for answers.”
****
The hold was crowded. Men, women and children had established themselves in little groups of family and friends. There was some tension in the air, a culmination of all the recent changes to their lives. They had no idea where this new leader came from or why he was doing the things he was. It made no sense to free the slaves, but it made better sense not to question it. Snake understood what they were going through—not that he cared, but he understood it. The group he was mainly concerned with right now were his friends and comrades. The boss had made Ms. Binda the Admiral. Snake had a feeling at least one of them was going to test her.
“Hey, Ronnie, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“What’s up?”
“I want you to see something.”
“What?”
“I think Adeen is going to do something stupid. We need to keep an eye on Ms. Binda. I mean, the Admiral.”
“You think Adeen would be that stupid?”
“She hasn’t been happy since she joined us. I think she thought she and Benjamin might get back together and that didn’t happen. Then he made his choice of who would be in charge and it wasn’t her. I just got a feeling.”
“That is a lot of observations coming from you. I’m impressed.”
“Come on, what the hell? You know I ain’t stupid. You don’t stay alive as long as we have following the boss around being a dull wit, and I’ve been watching her.” Snake’s tone was serious.
“I know. Just messin’ with you. Adeen isn’t bad, she’s just rough. General Gray and his ilk screwed over a lot of people and it messed them up. Adeen is bound to have some issues.”
“I think we should assign Harry as her guard for a while,” Snake said. “All he’ll need to do is just stand around behind her. I’ll take a shift and he can take a shift.”
“I think we could propose it to her, but we can’t officially assign anyone to do anything,” Ronnie argued.
“You know she won’t go for it if we just ask. We should do it unofficially. Besides, unless something happens soon, this trip will be kinda boring.”
“I don’t know about that. Look at them, they seem to be doing just fine.” Ronnie motioned with her head. Adam, Grubb and Buddy were playing with some of the children. “You might even find something else over there to help occupy your time.” Four women who were known to be unattached sat together talking.
“It crossed my mind, but I thought I would ask the boss first if it would be ok to pursue something like that.”
“Pursue it, Snake. That’s an order!”
“You can’t give me an order. I outrank you.”
“True, but I’m the medical officer and I think it would be good for you, so it’s an order. Besides, Benjamin has spent plenty of time with his lovers playing house. He won’t get in your way, or he’ll have to deal with me.”
“You’ve always been his favorite, Ronnie. No one would go against you if they knew what was good for ‘em. Not even the boss.”
“We are all his favorites; we’re family, Snake. You, me and Genius are all that’s left. He loves us like brothers and sisters.”
“You, maybe, but—”
“No buts. Doesn’t matter what he says to you or how hard he is on you, he would never let you down, Snake. When he isn’t a
round he expects us to look out for each other.” Ronnie changed the subject. “A couple of those women are really pretty. Now go mingle while I think about what you’ve said.”
“Hey guys,” Snaked yelled. “Bring the kids over here on the mat. It will be softer if one of them takes a fall.” Snake watched the three grown men surrounded by ten kids ranging from about three to ten. His crewmates got on their knees and the kids began to attack, trying for a big pileup. In the midst of laughs and screams he noticed the arrival of Admiral Binda. He had always liked her. If the fates gave him a chance to choose, it would be her.
“Snake,” Ronnie said, motioning him over.
“Admiral,” Snake said once he arrived. “Should I break up the young ’uns from their brawl practice? They’re too young to drink, but once they’re old enough they’ll be ready to bust heads.”
“Don’t let me interrupt their training. You can brief the others when they’re through.” He liked the way she smiled at him and played along. “We came across a Cjittan Generation ship and sent a message to Benjamin about it,” Binda explained.
“Oh hell, I wish you wouldn’t have done that,” Ronnie said.
Snake knew exactly why.
“We thought he would want to know,” Binda defended.
“Admiral, what Ronnie is trying to say is that he is going to want it, and they are our ally,” Snake said. “You can’t just think the Cjittan will let us have it. They will try to take it back when they find out.”
“I’m aware. I have some input in this situation. I never said anything about keeping it. We may find some valuable items on board that could aid in our mission.”
Ronnie scrunched up her face. “Items? More like monsters or insects, or both.”
“We have Imelda. She will control them.”
“Or eat them. But it’s not that. If we do anything to that ship it will be over for Benjamin and Taz.”
“I’ve thought of that, and you may disagree, Ronnie, but it’s going to happen. This venture, not this action, would eventually bring about their demise as a couple. Better now than later. They are volatile on a good day and now they both have more important concerns than each other.”
Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison 4: Empires at War (Part One) Page 25