He turned to the desk and took a small reddish-orange fruit from a bowl in the middle. He tossed it to Saramach. “Right handed,” Tommy said as he slapped the fruit out of his hand. He grabbed the small finger on his right hand. “We told you what would happen if you gave us any further trouble.” He rotated his hand, not against the normal rotation of the finger, but out to the side where there was no resistance from tendons.
Saramach let out a high-pitched scream and passed out.
“You useless little bastard,” Tommy said mildly, shaking his head in disgust. He looked up at his companion. “My name’s Tommy,” he said. Might as well get acquainted while we wait for him to come around.
“Yes, I know,” she smiled. “Tommy Kennedy. You’re the reason I was brought here, remember?”
“Yeah, I sussed that out.” He shrugged. “On my planet, the usual response is to give your name in return.”
“Well, Tommy Kennedy, on my world, a young woman doesn’t just give her name to every fellow she meets.” Her smile took the sting from her words, giving them a playful feeling. “We are not bound by your social practices.”
“Bound…” Suddenly, it came to him. His eyes widened in his excitement. “Do you have adhesive tape on this world?”
Her playful smile faded, replaced by mild suspicion.
Transfer Station 21-Acheb
The first waypoint on return to Earth
Harry laughed as they stepped off the short monorail unit that had brought them into the core from their landing port. “There’s three MoonSilver franchises, right here.” He waved across the busy street. “Even floating in space, you can find these guys. Never even noticed them on the way out from Earth, but now…”
“This station is almost half the size of London,” Liam said. “There are probably people living out their entire lives here – only stands to reason we’d find ordinary businesses.” He looked around. “It’s as good a spot as any for us to pretend we’re catching up with Caul.”
“Have you ever been in a café with living staff?” Deirdre asked the Midgaard with a raised eyebrow.
He laughed. “I don’t believe we’ve ever tried using our own currency off-world. Our implants communicate with the businesses on Midgaard. We usually don’t even know how much we were charged for small things like a beverage. When we come here,” he smiled at her, “we just take what we need.”
“I think you will find it better, in the long run, to let us buy you a drink today.” Deirdre gave him a friendly pat on the arm. “If you come back this way again, you might find the service a little slow if you’ve killed all the staff.”
He nodded grudging agreement and trundled off to join Harry and Willie at the crosswalk.
“Just be careful, pet.” Liam kept his voice low. “He’s not the nicest chap.”
“Oh, I know he’s a ravening beast that lays waste to entire worlds,” she smiled up at her father. “But he’s also a dedicated family man. He has a son my age – give or take a few hundred years – that he wants me to meet when this is all done.”
Liam stared in shock at his daughter. He tried several times to speak but had absolutely no idea what to say.
She linked arms and guided him towards the crossing. “I’m not considering it! I’d probably be long dead before our children even learn to walk.”
They walked through the door of the café to find Harry and Willie looking at Caul with mild alarm. He seemed very excited as he talked to one of the servers. “How long ago?”
“Four days back,” the server scratched his armpit. “Said they were going to teach your kind a lesson you wouldn’t forget.” He frowned at Caul. “I thought you were leaving immediately. Word has it you decided to jump the list and launch as soon as you could recall your crew. Once you learned of the danger to your world, you were going to head straight for home and try to warn your people.”
“This is the fight we’ve wanted since my grandfather’s time.” Caul’s eyes glowed with delight. “And the Dactarii are hunting after us.”
“Which ship was going to launch immediately?” Deirdre cut in.
A shrug from the employee. “The Jen Hu or something like that.” He shook his head in confusion. “Isn’t it your ship?”
“How many Dactarii ships?”
“Hundreds. They usually send a small team to conquer primitives; they prefer to build a cloned force in the target solar system rather than shipping troops all the way from home.” He collected the empty cups from a table as he talked. “It sounds like they got in trouble trying that against your people. They bragged that they were sending four fleets this time.”
“This time,” she breathed.
“What the h… heck is going on?” Harry usually tried to moderate his language around his youngest crew member.
“Captain, there are four fleets of Dactarii ships heading for Earth with a four-day head start on us.” She stopped for a deep, calming breath. “You don’t need to worry about getting in a fight with the Chinese because they’re planning to jump out of turn. They’re recalling their crew from the station right now.”
Now she had Caul looking at her expectantly. “Those Dactarii aren’t looking for you,” she explained. “This server thought you were from an Earth ship. The Dactarii are on their way to my home world.”
“They want revenge for the defeat you inflicted on them.” He stared over her shoulder for a few seconds, then turned to Harry. “We should launch immediately. If you give us access to your logs, my navigators can plot a more direct route that will let us arrive just after the enemy.”
“But we need to warn our fleet,” Deirdre translated for Harry.
“Your other ship can do that.” He stepped closer and placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Arriving after your enemy can throw them into confusion. Our fleet can drop out in their rear while they’re already committed to battle against your defenses.” His hand squeezed Harry’s shoulder painfully as his face radiated excitement. “This is the kind of battle I never expected. Four fleets of Dactarii!” He finally released Harry’s shoulder. “I just hope your people leave enough of them for us!”
Khulmet, Khola
Saramach’s office
“Everyone, lay down your weapons!” Saramach spoke loudly into the communications panel by the main door. A new vehicle dropped down to land in the yard, ten feet beyond the glass. “I swear by all the gods, if I see a single guard holding a weapon, I’ll personally tear the skin off his entire family.”
Saramach’s concern was entirely self-motivated. He had awakened with excruciating pain in his fingers; that was to be expected. What he hadn’t expected was the pistol taped to the side of his head. Tommy had explained, very carefully that the end of his trigger finger was securely taped to the side of the weapon.
If Saramach attempted to run, the trigger would be pulled. If Tommy was shot, he would fall and the trigger would be pulled. Any scenario except for total compliance was likely to end with Saramach being short by a head. He coughed.
“And put this godsdamned fire out after we leave!”
Tommy watched as the guards dropped their weapons. He looked over at the young woman. “Perhaps I should go first, with our insurance policy here.” He nodded at his captive as he spoke. “Stay close, luv.” I should try to meet more women under dangerous circumstances, he thought as he pushed the door open with his shoulder. The risk of getting shot really helps me to forget how shy I am…
He slowly edged out of the building, smoke now billowing around them as the fresh oxygen flowed through the front door from the single open window in the office. Saramach stepped along with him, using extreme caution, his entire body trembling as they moved towards the vehicle’s open hatch. The smoke dissipated as the freed bank supervisor let the door close behind her.
One of the guards approached them, his arms loaded with Tommy’s gear.
“In there.” Tommy nodded to the vehicle.
The guard climbed aboard and sat there,
in the front row, holding the bundle.
“Leave the weapons and get out!” Saramach roared. “Is it any wonder I’m in this mess?”
They climbed in and the hatch slid down. “Take us back to Kobrak’s villa.” Tommy settled in to enjoy the trip.
It seemed far shorter than the earlier ride.
As they approached, Tommy ordered the operator to drop them at the cliff edge. He had no idea of what awaited them at Kobrak’s house and wanted to approach unseen. He pulled Saramach down the ramp and pulled the tape off of his finger before removing the weapon from the tape on his prisoner’s head.
“There’s no place that you can hide,” Saramach snarled at Tommy. “Your ship is gone, and I doubt you’ll ever see them again, considering who they left with. I’ll make you beg for death, but I’ll hear you beg for her death first.”
Tommy looked over at the young woman. She’s absolutely unshakeable. She must be part of Kobrak’s ‘family’. He turned back to Saramach. “No.” He raised the handgun. “You won’t.” His finger squeezed just as Saramach’s eyes showed his understanding. He had drastically overplayed a weak hand. He fell backwards onto the ramp as the vehicle’s operator pulled away in a panic.
They both watched from the edge of the cliff as Saramach’s body slid down the ramp and fell for a long time before splashing into the ocean.
That was more deliberate than the guard on the docks, he thought. Shouldn’t I feel worse? Does it just get easier? He looked over at the young woman. He smiled.
“My name is Tommy…”
Forced March
The Völund
Unauthorized holding pattern - Station 21-Acheb
“I don’t care,” Jan shouted, looking as though she wanted to beat Harry and Liam to death – with Lothbrok’s arm. “You send a shuttle to the Ormen and bring my daughter back. It’s not her bloody fault you let Gelna jump ship!”
“Jan, the Ormen is the safest ship in the fleet.” Liam began to reach out to her but pulled his arm back at the look on her face. “They’ve already taken a run at us but they can’t touch the Ormen without stranding themselves.”
“I suppose you didn’t even try to stop this, did you?” She crossed her arms as though worried about what she might do with them if they were free. “She’s your own daughter. How could you leave her with those murdering savages? You didn’t even call me about it.” She stared angrily at her husband. “Bring her back and I’ll take her place as translator.”
“And then you’ll be safe on the Ormen and Deirdre will take her chances here with the rest of us?” Harry shook his head. “Jan, you’re right, they are killers. The name of our ship has some of them worried enough to want us gone. They’ll try something again, and you don’t want your little girl in the middle of it. We couldn’t call because we couldn’t let the rest of the fleet know.”
“From what I’ve seen,” Harry looked over at Liam as he spoke, “if they managed to blow us out of the sky, Caul would probably go ahead and adopt Deirdre. He turns into a pussy cat when she’s around him.”
“That’s supposed to make me feel better?” Jan’s voice grew quiet. “My daughter will end up being raised by marauding planet killers?”
“Receiving parabolic course for Earth from the Ormen.” Wally interrupted. “Course is locked in. We are ready to jump.”
“The Zheng He is powering her main drive,” Ray announced. “She’s aligned for a direct run. Looks like they’ll get home well ahead of us.” He looked back at the tense group standing by the communications console. “They’d warn everybody, right?”
“They’re too smart to do anything else, Ray.” Harry waved an off-hand dismissive gesture. “If they want to get cute, it would be more along the lines of letting the other fleets mix it up first and then coming in for the win.”
“You think they’d try that?”
“No,” Harry shook his head decisively. “They’d war-game it, just like we would, but it’s too risky. That’s how you end up being the last generation to speak a human language.” He looked out the bridge windows at the station, whose angry calls were being ignored by the soon-to-depart fleet. “They take the long view. They’ll work to beat us out here, with cash, not bullets.”
Jan turned as her console chimed to announce a call from someone other than launch control. Caul’s face was on the screen. “We are in position for a fleet-wide launch. If your ship is ready, we will initiate the countdown link.” Deirdre was standing behind him, talking to Willie.
“We’re ready for the link,” Jan assured him. She leaned towards the monitor. “You had better keep my daughter safe or I will come after you and every relative you have.”
Caul nodded approvingly. “Your little sköldmö will come to no harm as long as I draw breath. I wish you good hunting!” The link went dead.
“He never says such a thing lightly.” Lothbrok looked intently at Jan. “His word is his bond, and he has given you the breath oath. He would truly give his life if it preserved your daughter.”
“Fife, fower, three, two, one – Mark.” Wally held onto his armrests, just as he did every jump – a natural but completely purposeless reaction. A shiver ran through the vessel and its occupants, followed by another. The shivers kept coming, increasing in frequency as the spatial distortion was established.
Down in the lighter bay, five forms slid down from the upper surface of the small craft and dropped to the decking. They opened the door to the port-side companionway as the shivers blended into continuous normality. Deactivating their helmets and drawing weapons, they moved off down the hallway.
The Eastern Rain-Coast, Khola
Kobrak’s coastal home
“It’s not the killing that I have an issue with.” Kobrak’s sigh was easily audible through the videophone. “I’m glad the reckless fool is out of the picture, but he could have been a valuable source of information for us. We could have squeezed him for a few weeks and then tossed him off the cliff.”
Tommy looked away from the screen, gazing absently at the warm, cream-colored ledge-stone walls of Kobrak’s study. Give him this one; you can’t start out on the wrong foot – he’s your only ally here on Khola. Anyway, he’s right. “You’re right.” He looked back at the screen. “I let the little shite get to me with his threats. It got personal and it should have been strictly business.”
“Is she pretty?” Kobrak raised an eyebrow as he leaned in towards the camera.
“Incredibly.”
“Men have been making fools of themselves in front of pretty women for thousands of years.” Kobrak laughed. “I suppose I can excuse foolishness when it’s for a good cause, but we were so close to solving the riddle.”
“What riddle?”
“Saramach really only made a name for himself in the last couple of years.” Kobrak thumbed his chest. “I’ve spent twenty years building my business into what it is today. We have a variety of secondary units as well that have quickly grown to represent a major part of our revenue stream.”
“I’ve seen the docks after hours,” Tommy interjected drily. “I’m aware you’re into more than just mining.”
Kobrak chuckled. “We’re not as big as the reputable companies up on the nine-hundreds, but we’re a boil on their asses – a painful one sometimes.” He shrugged. “I suppose now that I’ve shown I can carve out a niche for myself, others want to try as well, and many have done just that in the last few years.”
“And you reckon they’ll all end up challenging you like Saramach did?”
“I’m dead certain of it. Saramach’s boys took heavy losses today and his pilot will have told them they don’t have a boss anymore. If anyone tries to take up the reins, they’ll think long and hard before coming after us again.” Kobrak nodded to himself. “It will be one of the smaller companies next. One of the eager up-and-comers that thinks they’re ready to put me in the tidal waters.”
“Maybe we should make the rounds,” Tommy suggested. “Show up on their doo
rstep before they come to ours. Kick the initiative out from under them.”
“We can’t start an outright war inside Khulmet,” Kobrak said with more regret than alarm. “The authorities like to look the other way, but you still have to make it possible for them to do so.”
“How long will the current unrest keep them busy?”
“Four or five days.” Kobrak’s eyebrows raised a fraction. “We could get away with some strong persuasion during that time, provided it wasn’t too flashy.”
“Give us two days to put your boys through the paces,” Tommy smiled. “I have a plan forming as we speak. I’ll run it by you as soon as we select the participants.” He broke the connection and looked across the desk to where Chelak, Gelna and Kale were sitting.
“How much weight can those hover bikes carry?”
The Völund
On parabolic course for Earth
Max D’Autrive was about as filthy as he could be and, for an engineering assistant, that was saying a lot. The secondary coolant plants on the port side of the ship had been showing fault alerts and Keira had sent him to take care of it. Just reaching the failing condenser bank was turning out to be more of a technical challenge than the repair itself.
Max’s corpulent form had not been a consideration when the Völund was still on the drawing board, and he had nearly gotten himself wedged between two banks of rather hot conduits. He had experienced a moment of fear as his shirt snagged on a fitting and he could imagine neat grill marks forming on his large belly.
Having diverted the coolant flow to the backup condensers, he was struggling to return to the world of ordinary, non-barbecued crewmen. When he finally slid free of the hot lines and stumbled out into the corridor, he gaped at the five armored men standing in front of him. He looked down.
A knife hilt protruded from his belly.
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