Horsemen United: Horsemen Origins Books 1-5

by Benjamin Hartman

  Forrest turned back to Brocker. “Mind if we get a plate of your famous fries?” He asked. “And a blockade tip if you have the time,” He whispered

  “Depends on whether you’ll actually pay for either this time,” Brocker growled.

  “We have enough!” Forrest replied, then turned to Sujay. “Right?”

  Sujay rolled his eyes, pulled out a credit chip and tossed it to Brocker. Brocker took the chip and eyed it with suspicion. “Booth’s over there,” He grumbled and waddled back into the kitchen.

  Forrest and Sujay grabbed a booth, and sat on opposite sides. Forrest danced a little jig to an unsung song in his head while Sujay sat with his arms crossed and stared daggers at Forrest.

  “What?” Forrest asked.

  “Would it be so hard to actually be productive and y’know, save some of the money we earned instead of always trying to make the big score?” Sujay asked.

  “Ah posh! I’m a lucky guy. I was born lucky,” Forrest cheered.

  “Then why are we always in so much debt to underhanded criminals and rely on grease covered cooks to find us big scores?”

  “Hey! Grease covered cooks are people too!” Forrest said as he pointed his finger in indignation at Sujay.

  “Don’t change the subject! Why don’t we consider getting actual contract work? Get a steady paycheck working transport for one of the legitimate enterprises?” Sujay asked.

  “Listen to you! ‘Lee-jit-ah-mitt!’ Where’s your sense of fun? We’ll just go the same routes over and over. I became a pilot to fly across the galaxy, not go around in circles. I’m free out here!”

  “Now you’re making fun of my accent you inbred hick? The contract work doesn’t have to be permanent. All I’m saying is we do some honest work and get out of debt with Kingsman.”

  “I like being a free man. I don’t want my soul sucked out through the air intakes inside of some corporate ship working for a bunch of goons we don’t know.”

  Sujay rolled his eyes. “It will be temporary. Contract work only. It’s too late anyway, I’ve sent out feelers to a guy I trust.”

  “Traitor! Judas! When Kingsman finds us, I’m going to give you to him for some debt relief.”

  “You’ve already tried that! Besides, I trust who I asked for help from. He won’t give us work we don't like, plus we’ve worked and secured parts for him before.”

  “Which guy? There’s like a million of them.”

  “He works for the Grid, and he’s their second in command. His name is Rick and he’s given a lot of work to us in the past. He’ll come through.”

  “Well we may as well call him “Ricky Tricky Dic-”

  “Fries are here,” Brocker grunted as he slid the massive steel platter across the table. Brocker jammed himself into the booth next to Sujay, the smell of his body odor wafted through the air and the stench of sweat made Sujay gag.

  “Boo-yah!” Forrest cried for joy as he mowed down on the crispy golden fries in front of him.

  “Does he actually like them that much?” Brocker asked Sujay.

  “You have no idea how much he loves them,” Sujay said with a sour tone. While Sujay was hungry and the fries smelled fantastic, he couldn’t bring himself to eat any because of Brocker’s stench. The man was as greasy as his fries and in desperate need of a shower.

  “Alright, so yer’ lookin’ for a big score eh’ Forrest?” Brocker said.

  “Always! Debt with Kingsman is making me nerfus,” Forrest replied with a full mouth as he dipped some of the fries in ketchup.

  “No kiddin.’ That’s why I was so surprised you’d come here. Kingsman has put a bounty on both yer heads,” Brocker said. Forrest and Sujay looked at each other, and their eyes flashed panic. “Now, I don’t intend to collect because I like you two boys, but it’s getting high. Ye need to do somethin’,” Brocker said.

  “That’s why we came to you Brocker!” Forrest replied. “You’re always tuned into the comings and goings around here! We need your help of finding some decent paying work. None of those pointers where we’re collecting scraps. I want a real treasure trove!”

  Brocker sighed. “You an’ everyone else Forrest. I may have one tip, but it’s going to be dangerous.”

  “Oh boy, here we go again,” Sujay said. He tried to squeeze against the wall and get away from Brocker’s stench, but every time he got closer to the wall, Brocker scooched closer to him.

  Brocker leaned in between the two, and lowered his voice down to barely above a whisper. “There’s trouble on the planet Alcyone. Some Admiral wants to conquer the planet and sell it off for vacation estates, but the locals are holding him up. They’re resisting,” Brocker croaked in a subtle glimmer of admiration.

  “Do you know which Admiral it is?” Sujay asked.

  “Couldn’t tell ya. One of the greedy ones.”

  “That’s all of them,” Forrest said in a bitter tone.

  “But the guys on Alcyone who’re standing up to him, they’ve got balls! Balls the size of Jupiter!” Brocker said as he erupted with laughter, slapping the table and rattling the silverware.

  “So what are we supposed to do?” Sujay asked.

  “The Admiral running the show has the planet embargoed. Completely blocked off. Wants to force the locals into compliance. One rumor says he’s preparing an invasion force. Another says he’ll bomb them with those microbes that make ye sick if he has to,” Brocker said.

  “Okay, so it’s one of the more abrasive Admirals,” Sujay said as he looked at Forrest.

  “Which again, is all of them,” Forrest replied as he shoveled more fries into his mouth.

  “Anyone who is willing to run the blockade to help these rebels with supplies will earn themselves a tidy profit,” Brocker said as he gestured the money sign.

  “That’s us!” Forrest shouted as he held his hand up for Sujay to high-five. Sujay folded his arms and glared at Forrest.

  “C’mon Sujay, where’s your sense of fun? Wouldn’t it be nice to pay Kingsman off and have a chunk of change left over?”

  “It’d be nice, yes, that is if you can guarantee we would have some money left over.”

  “Well, whatever the case may be, ye better make a decision, and quick,” Brocker said as he eyed the doorway. “Two of Kingsman’s goons just came in, and I’m sure they ain’t ‘ere for the fries.”

  Forrest’s eyes grew wide and he shoved as many fries into his mouth as he could.

  “I’ll go distract them. You two get out of ‘ere. Go through the kitchen. Gus! Jagger! So good to see you two fine gents ‘ere!” Brocker said has he held his arms up high for Kingsman’s goons.

  Sujay bolted for the door to the kitchen. Forrest got out to leave the booth, but then reached behind to grab one last handful of fries. He followed Sujay as the two booked it through the back door, but the goons caught on to their escape. Forrest and Sujay ran down the stairs and into the streets of Aurelius Prime. They separated in an attempt to lose the goons who pursued them.

  “I think we lost them,” Sujay said as he gasped for breath.

  “Yeah, but that was close. About as close as I was to your mom…”

  “Now is not the time for that!” Sujay shrieked. “What are we going to do?” He asked.

  “Alcyone keeps sounding better and better,” Forrest replied.

  “With what? We don’t have any supplies or parts to run through the blockade and I doubt anyone will extend us credit with Kingsman on our tails,” Sujay said.

  “Use your mad negotiation skills to get us a consignment deal!” Forrest shouted as he waved his hands in the air.

  “They’ll demand credits up front you fool!” Sujay shouted.

  “Go all gorgony stone faced and talk them out of it you curry peddler! I swear, you could sell that slop to an Indian!” Forrest said as he slapped Sujay.

  “That’s because it’s delicious you uncultured hick!” Sujay screamed as he slapped Forrest back. A slap fight between the two erupted in the middle of the
street. Onlookers wondered what was going on, and even cheered as the two waged their little slap war.

  “Fine! I’ll go see if I can get us a deal! Go get the ship!” Sujay said as he shoved Forrest away.

  “About time you came to your senses!”

  “Just get the ship ready so we can leave this smog pit!” Sujay shrieked, and then stormed off.

  “With what parts?” Forrest screamed.

  “Oh you pasty mop-haired doofus!” Sujay said as he reached inside of his coat pocket, pulled out a credit chip and threw it at Forrest.

  Back aboard the Dreamweaver, Forrest made the repairs needed for the ship to become space-worthy again. He was covered in grease and grime when Sujay walked in and slapped down a paper contract, signed and ready to go.

  “Hey! You got one!” Forrest said.

  “It was from some greenhorn who’s hoping to make big a score like we are,” Sujay said on a sour note.

  “Wow, he must be green if he made you sign a paper contract out here,” Forrest replied.

  “He wouldn’t do the deal without it. I’m pretty sure they’re stolen parts,” Sujay said in a shaky voice.

  “Are there really any ship parts circulating on this planet that are completely legit?” Forrest asked.

  As Forrest and Sujay made repairs to the ship, a blast slammed into the ship and dislodged it from the jacks. The ship slid and rocked and both men slid on their backs in a desperate rush before the ship crashed onto the floor. “Please tell me that was our new friend being rough with loading the parts onto my ship,” Forrest said from the floor.

  Sujay looked out the window. “Nope, it’s Kingsman’s goons firing regulators to keep us from flying away,” he said.

  “Screw ‘im!” Forrest screamed, as he jumped into the cockpit. “He can take my ship over my cold, limp noodle of a body!” Forrest started the ship, which groaned and sputtered, but roared to life despite the regulators shorting her circuits.

  “Nyah nyah!” Forrest chanted. “Too bad I installed a little something here…” He said as he pressed a button. Bolts of electricity surged through the regulators, and the devices flew off of the Dreamweaver.

  “Now let’s go get those parts!” Forrest wailed in victory. The duo flew across the shipyard, however as Forrest landed in the dusty street where the shop was supposed to be, Sujay’s face turned to sheer panic.

  “That bastard sold us out!” Sujay shrieked as they closed in. Dozens of soldiers waited for Forrest and Sujay’s arrival. As the ship landed, the men fired their regulator bolts, but Forrest’s electrical shield deflected them off with coordinated surges of electricity.

  “Why did you land?” Sujay screamed.

  “We’ll get out of this! Kingsman is perfectly reasonable and trustworthy! I’ve always said so!” Forrest said as he rushed for the back of the ship.

  “No you haven’t! You’ve said for I don’t know how long he’s a degenerate mob boss who preys on those in perilous positions and is a bloodsucker of their profits!”

  “Don’t put words in my mouth Sujay!” Forrest shouted as he put his finger in Sujay’s face. “I’ve never once used the phrase ‘perilous positions,’ ” Forrest said.

  “Those were your exact words!” Sujay shouted as he jumped up and down. The cargo ramp groaned as it lowered, and revealed a heavily clothed trader swarmed by men who carried an array of firearms all pointed at Forrest and Sujay. In the middle of the armed men was a tall, freckled, redheaded man whose hands were clasped on his belt.

  “Kingsman! My favorite dealer!” Forrest said with his hands held up high, like he was going to hug him.

  “Got my money Jack? It’s about time you paid me back for my ship,” Kingsman grumbled.

  “I will. We just heard about Alcyone and we’re here to pick up those parts to fly them out so that we can sell them and pay you back.”

  “Can’t have these parts Jack,” Kingsman said.

  “And why not? Are you against trade? I thought we were free men! Isn’t that what we fought for against the Core Invasion?” Forrest asked as he tried to appeal to the Kingsman’s sense of pride having fought for the Coalition.

  “Y’know Jack, there’s a saying here on Aurelius Prime: In the end, we’re all just kings and thieves…” Kingsman grumbled.

  “Come to think of it, I never really understood that phrase,” Forrest said as he walked forward, and put his arm around Kingsman’s shoulder. “Perhaps you could explain it to me. Did you think of it since your last name is Kingsman because I think that would be appropriate,” He said as he turned everyone so that their backs were to the ships.

  “It means you’re either the big dog, or you’re a scoundrel who can’t make his payments. And guess which one you’re leaning to Jack?” Kingsman said as his grip tightened around Forrest’s collar. Forrest began to panic as Kingsman lifted him off the ground.

  “Forty percent extra bonus! An extra late-please don’t break my knees late fee! You know Sujay and his negotiation skills - he’ll get us a great price! Give us the parts and we’ll pay you all we owe plus the forty percent bonus!”

  “Y’know I really hate dealing with the thieves of Aurelius Prime,” Kingsman grunted. Something captured the corner of his eye and Kingsman turned to look. Fury ignited on his face as it turned beet red and he realized he’d been double-crossed. Sujay had taken advantage of Forrest’s distraction to load the parts they needed onto the ship.

  “You son of a bi-” Kingsman growled, but Forrest punched Kingsman in the face with a hard right hook. The crack echoed through the street, and Forrest knew that if he didn’t escape he was a dead man. Kingsman dropped Forrest, who scrambled backwards, and drew his pistol right as the goons drew their rifles.

  “I’m not a violent man Kingsman, but you’re leaving me no choice. I mean really, how can a man pay you back when his legs are broken?” Forrest implored to the soldiers around him.

  “Kill them!” Kingsman roared as he drew his pistol and fired. Sujay pressed the button to close the cargo hold.

  “Shoulda known that would happen. You just can’t reason with some people…” Forrest said to himself as he weaved through junk piles to the Dreamweaver’s cargo hold. Forrest barely crawled over the closing door amidst a torrent of blaster fire, which left an acrid smell of smoldering metal in the cargo hold. Forrest bolted through the ship to the cockpit, jumped into his seat and ignited the Dreamweaver’s engines.

  “Okay baby, show papa how much you love him, because if you don’t daddy is gonna die,” Forrest said as he rubbed the dash. He pushed on the thrusters which lurched the Dreamweaver forward. She sputtered and coughed, but finally left everyone in the dust.

  “Think I wouldn’t be ready for your getaway Jack?” Kingsman growled through the commlink as two fighters swarmed in to pursue the freighter.

  “Sweet Vishnu is there no escape from that crazed ginger?” Sujay shrieked. However, now that Forrest was behind the controls of an aircraft, he wasn’t phased. Whenever Forrest piloted a ship, an eerie calm overtook him, which made the wiry and mouthy man into a model of focus and concentration. Forrest covered his furrowed brow with his flight goggles to block out the bright Aurelian sun. He studied the sky and calculated his options to outmaneuver the fighters in pursuit. Forrest’s instincts guided him during times of turmoil and he always seemed to know exactly what to do when behind the controls of a star ship.

  “Deploy flares,” Forrest ordered. Sujay nodded and activated the controls.

  “Think I wouldn’t be ready for those?” Kingsman said.

  “These ain’t your normal flares fire crotch!” Forrest replied. Rumbling explosions detonated behind the Dreamweaver, which disrupted the flight patterns of the pursuing ships and gave Forrest and Sujay the chance they needed to break orbit.

  “We’re going to make it! We’re going to make…” Forrest said as the engine screamed and the controls rattled until everything came to a sudden stop.

  Sujay looked at Forrest, tre
mbling with fear. “What did you do?” Sujay screamed.

  “It wasn’t me I swear! It was...that!” Forrest said as he pointed at a large frigate overhead. The frigate floated leisurely through the sky just beyond orbit, and drew the Dreamweaver in with her tractor beam. A small shuttle flew past the Dreamweaver and into the frigate. Kingsman’s voice broke through on the comm.

  “Told you that you wouldn’t be getting away Jack,” Kingsman’s raspy voice said in triumph. “My tractor beam will pull you in before you have a chance to destroy my ship.”

  Forrest looked at the controls. He knew there was a way to escape the tractor beam, there had to be. He pressed down on the accelerator, but met stiff resistance which stopped the ship from lunging forward.

  “Can’t do it Jack, not without killing yourself. Although it’d save me the trouble with you and the cheapskate,” Kingsman croaked.

  “What did he call me?” Sujay demanded as he pounded on the controls. Forrest watched Sujay’s hand, which landed right next to the missile firing controls.

  “That’s it! Atta boy Sujay! I remember what to do! Deploy the chaff!”

  Sujay snarled as he deployed the chaff which would scramble the sensors on the frigate, and made it damn near impossible to detect the ship’s presence. At the same time, Forrest leaped across the console and launched two torpedoes from the Dreamweaver.

  “You fired our only two torpedoes!” Sujay screamed.

  “It was either them or being caught by Kingsman!” Forrest replied. “Besides, when I fired my missile at your mother…”

  “Now is not the time for a ‘Your Mom’ joke!”

  “There is always time for a ‘Your Mom’ joke!” Forrest screamed as he jammed the accelerator as hard as he could. The tractor beam locked onto the torpedoes as they flew past the chaff, which set the Dreamweaver free. Forrest activated the gravity well boost, which was only to be used on planets with a stronger gravitational pull to break through the atmosphere.

  Forrest slammed his fist on the button, and jammed the accelerator. A horrendous roar came from the engine chassis, but the ship broke free of the gravitational grip and the pair escaped. However, Forrest didn’t head for deep space. He arced the ship and skimmed along Aurealius Prime’s Atmosphere.