by Dietmar Wehr
The man who stepped out was impeccably dressed for a high-level executive, and he wore a metallic headband that Hoch was willing to bet was highly sophisticated. His appearance suggested he was in his mid-thirties, but Hoch was certain that he was much older and had spent a fortune on his looks just as Mistress Fontaine had done. He seemed surprised to see Hoch, but recovered quickly.
“Captain Racheengel, I presume,” he said with a smile.
“That’s correct, and you are the new Chairman,” said Hoch.
“Also correct. Have a seat, Captain.” Adenaur strode over to the very comfortable-looking chair behind the desk and sat down. Hoch sat as well and waited. Adenaur stared at him for about five seconds and then casually opened an ornate wooden box on his desk, took out a cigar and lit it with a device that seemed to appear out of nowhere. It quickly became obvious that he wasn’t going to offer Hoch one.
“So…I know why Fontaine hired you and under what terms. What I don’t know is how successful you were out there. Did you find out who killed the granddaughter?”
Hoch had already decided that if he ended up in conversation with someone wearing what could be a lie-detecting headband, he would be better off telling the truth.
“I found out that the man who raped and killed Sara Fontaine was Claus Honniger, who I had met previously when both of us were part of the crew of a mercenary ship named Wolfbane.”
“I see,” said Adenaur carefully. “And did you…balance the scales of justice with your own hand regarding Honniger?” Adenaur smiled again, this time at the reaction on Hoch’s face caused by the realization that Adenaur had listened to his private conversation with Mistress Fontaine.
He hesitated for effect before saying, “Yes.”
“Was he the only one?”
“No. I needed to balance the scales for Honniger’s half-sister slash lover Kasia too. Not only was she an accomplice to Sara’s rape and murder, she tried to kill me.”
Adenaur’s eyes opened wide. “Half-sister slash lover you say. They sound like quite the couple. I’m sure the universe is better off without them. Did they tell you anything about why they attacked the granddaughter?”
Hoch really wanted to lie but knew his decision to tell the truth was the best way to play this hand. “She told me that she and Honniger had been paid to intercept Sara’s ship and kill her, but she didn’t say who paid them.”
Adenaur stared off into infinity for a couple of seconds. Hoch was certain that he was checking with his headband device regarding Hoch’s veracity.
“Well, well, Captain, you certainly have earned your salary. I’m sure that Mistress Fontaine would have been very satisfied with your results if she hadn’t met her untimely death.” A holographic image appeared over his desk in front of him. “I’m, ah, looking at the manifest of the cargo and, shall we say, unusual items your ship left Earth with. Did you bring back all of the gold?”
“I had to spend four bars to buy some ammunition for the ship’s railgun.”
Adenaur frowned. “Does that mean you used the railgun?” Hoch nodded. “How many rounds did you use?”
“All of them,” said Hoch casually.
“Against whom?”
Hoch sighed. “A ship named Skies The Limit tried to intercept and board my ship as I was leaving Blue Horizon Station. When they fired a missile at me, I had to respond.”
Adenaur stared at him with an unreadable expression. “What happened to that ship?” he asked finally in a low voice.
“She became a drifting wreck that will continue to fly out into deep space forever.”
Adenaur’s unreadable expression was rapidly turning into anger. “In light of your reckless action, I’m going to order that all monies owing to you be withheld.”
“What about my trading profits? I brought back a bunch of—”
“Nothing. You’re getting nothing, and if you were to be so foolish as to try to take URS to court, you’d find that the recording of the verbal contract with Fontaine does not contain any reference to you keeping any trading profits. I guarantee it. If you leave now and don’t make a fuss, you’ll find yourself on the ground in about thirty minutes and still in one piece.” When Hoch didn’t respond immediately, he said, “Any questions?”
Hoch got up and stepped over to the same spot where he had seen Whirlwind’s flash of light. “Just one question. Did you order the deaths of Sara Fontaine and her grandmother?” Hoch could see from the reflection on the transparent wall that Adenaur’s face had turned beet red.
“WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, TALKING TO ME LIKE THAT? FRANZ! GET IN HERE, NOW!” Franz and buddy burst through the doors stopping just inside to wait for instructions. “You’re holding a losing hand here, Racheengel. You’re not armed. My guards made sure of that, and my men can reach you before you can reach me. One word from me, and you’ll be lucky if you’re ever able to walk again.”
By this time, Adenauer was also standing and had moved further back from Hoch.
“You’re right that I’m no threat to you, so why not answer my question?” asked Hoch.
Adenaur stared at him for a couple of seconds and then laughed. “Why the hell not? You want an answer, I’ll give you an answer. I did NOT order the death of either Sara Fontaine or her grandmother.” He kept on talking but Hoch was no longer paying attention to what he was saying. Instead he was looking at Whirlwind and saw not one but two flashes of red light. That was the signal to indicate Adenaur was lying. He tuned back in to what the executive was saying. “—GET HIM OUT, NOW!”
As Franz and buddy came to physically grab him, Hoch raised his hands and said, “No resistance.” Just before the three of them reached the exit threshold, he said, “I’ll be out of your hair IN A HEARTBEAT!”
The plexiglass wall beside Adenaur exploded into a million razor-sharp pieces with a thundering boom that was quickly lost in the roar of escaping air. Hoch, who was prepared, braced for the decompression. He held his breath and pushed Franz and buddy aside like bowling pins. He had to get out of the room before it was sealed off by automatic safety protocols. He could already see a metal slab start to drop from the ceiling. With one last effort against the oncoming rushing air, he dove across the threshold mere seconds before the barrier sealed the room. His only regret was that he wasn’t able to watch Franz, Buddy, and that scumbag Adenaur flying out into the cold, backness of space.
As he quickly got to his feet, he heard and then saw the two guards come running up with pale faces.
“WHAT HAPPENED!” yelled the older guard.
“The glass wall just exploded! I was just about to leave the room when the whole wall exploded! You better notify Emergency that the Chairman and two more men were sucked out into space! HURRY!”
The older guard gave Hoch a speculative look, then figured trying to save the Big Boss was more important. He grabbed the younger guard and ran back down the corridor while yelling for the rescue unit. Hoch ran after them and was relieved to see his headband still sitting on the guard station desk. He put it on and began speaking as he continued quickly moving down the corridor.
“I’m okay, Keko. I’m heading back to the ship now. Can you change the Chairman’s orders regarding cancellation of the contract?”
[Affirmative, and I can go one better. I’ve logged an order from the Chairman’s office with the maintenance staff to have Whirlwind reloaded with railgun rounds and two new missiles. Apparently, some are stored on this station for some reason. The changes authorize you to continue to use Whirlwind for trading indefinitely. I also took advantage of the time you and he were talking to do some snooping around. I know why his attitude suddenly changed when you told him about Skies The Limit. Adenaur’s brother-in-law’s last name is Traeger. He has a son who was in Space Force for a while before resigning his commission to captain a ship named Skies The Limit.]
Hoch nodded as he walked back to the ship. All the pieces fit neatly together. No more holes or loose ends. He felt that the sca
les of justice were now truly balanced.
Five hours later, he was standing in front of a holographic headstone that marked the final resting place of Mistress Fontaine. Next to it was a slightly smaller headstone for Sara Fontaine.
“I kept my word, Mistress Fontaine.” He turned and stepped over to Sara’s grave. “You can rest in peace now, Sara.” As he turned to the waiting taxi that would take him back to the spaceport, he pondered his future. The ship was reloaded with ammo and missiles. The liquor had been sold, and now there was a nice credit balance in his name here on Earth. He decided he would spend some of it on himself before heading back out there. With Keko’s help, trading should be profitable, and he was certain that if he looked carefully enough, he’d find other people in need of a High Avenging Angel.
This is the end of The Tattooed Angel.
Author’s Comments:
Hoch Racheengel will have further opportunities to inflict vengeance on those who deserve it. The next story is Angelfire and can be found here. If you liked this story, please take a couple of minutes to post a review. Not only do they help boost sales over the long run but I’d love to hear what you think of this new Avenging Angel storyline. If you haven’t already joined my mailing list, I urge you to do so in order to be kept up to date on news about upcoming books, special offers, etc. If you join my mailing list (click here), you’ll receive a confirmation email plus a welcome email (that is sometimes slow in coming) which contains links to download a free copy of my book The Retro War which is my gift to you. Long Live Space Opera!
D.A.W.