Deserter

by Mike Shepherd

  Kris took a deep breath. This was something she knew Grampa Ray’s thinking on. “I have heard Grampa Ray say that he thinks it’s time for us to do more exploring. The Iteeche War came from a lot of problems. We met the aliens when human pirates stumbled on their fringe planets run by their lawless ones. Humans and the Iteeches will never see eye-to-eye. I think Grampa Ray is all for a licensed, organized scouting of near Rim space. We’re six hundred planets. Humanity has to expand faster now. Earth was wrong in trying to slow us down.”

  “You’re sure that’s his view?” Senator Krief said.

  “Yes.”

  “But, as you say, he has no authority to enforce that view,” Senator Kui said, smiling softly.

  Kris shrugged. “You know my Grampa Ray.”

  “Yes,” came from several Senators.

  “Now, if we could just hear it from him.”

  “Message him,” Kris said. “I’m sure he’d agree with me.”

  “Can’t. Can’t message anyone,” Dennis exploded. “I’ve got contracts to fill. Can’t ship my goods. Can’t tell anyone I’ll be late. Can’t tell them when I’ll ship! Damn, this is a mess!”

  “This situation is already disrupting business,” Senator LaCross said. “My contacts tell me layoffs will start tomorrow. Once that hits the news, panic will not be far behind.”

  “And there are already rumors that the Ebola outbreak followed by the comm fire is just too much of a coincidence,” Mel Krief said, glancing around the group. “Way too much.”

  Kris certainly was in agreement, but what she knew she would not share here. “What makes you say that?”

  “The competition between our neighbor Hamilton and us has gotten almost cutthroat of late. And the last year or two, there have been rumors of what you might call dirty tricks. Ship Captains that were supposed to deliver here but took a bribe to take a long cut and deliver late. Certain containers that got off-loaded there instead of here. You know, the stuff that aggravates but never rises to a level of legal action. Then their legislature lowers taxes on certain properties so their business can out-compete us. And last month they slapped a tariff on our wine,” Mel said, shaking his head. “Every week, it’s something new. Heaven only knows what they’re doing now.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” Dennis growled.

  “So there’s bad blood between you,” Kris said.

  “Yes,” Kay agreed, “and with the end of the Society, you can’t forget that in the bad old days, these kinds of things were settled with warships and armies.”

  “How could we forget with ‘A Flag for Black Mountain,’ this summer’s runaway hit?” Senator Kui said.

  “Bet your Grampa Trouble doesn’t know he’s the idol of half the kids on Turantic,” LaCross said.

  “Knowing Grampa Trouble, I doubt he’d like that.”

  “So you see,” Kay said, “we really need agreements on trade, a central court to handle disputes and very quickly, some public health regulations, and doctors to clear up this quarantine.”

  “Why don’t you legislate them yourselves?” Kris asked.

  “I don’t often agree with the Tories,” Kay said, “but we can’t just declare ourselves healthy. Everyone has to agree we are, or any ship that stops here won’t be able to stop anyplace else. The breakup of the Society came way too fast for us.”

  “Not fast enough for me,” Dennis spat. “Well, maybe we didn’t think all of it through, but we had to get rid of Earth.”

  “Yes, we rid ourselves of Earth, but what have we taken on in its place?” Kui asked.

  No one had an answer for that. And three matronly women were bearing down on the circle of Kris’s guards, one with a tall wisp of a son stumbling along in tow. “I see I must get back to my social responsibilities,” Kris said, standing.

  “Did I mention my son?” Senator Showkowski said, only half smiling.

  “Send a photo,” Kris said, turning to Jack. “The sooner you get me to the slide car, the less likely I’ll kill someone.”

  “Your wish is my pleasure,” her Security Agent replied.

  Kris surfed through several mothers with a smile and a wave. She was making good time for the car when the lights blinked. WE HAVE TAKEN A POWER HIT! ALL SECURITY IS DOWN!

  Nelly’s report was overpowered by Jack’s soft order: “Down!”

  Kris began to stoop, her right hand going for her automatic, but Penny had other plans. Kris’s legs were taken out from under her as the Navy Lieutenant did a leg sweep. Kris twisted around as she fell, still reaching for her gun as Tommy did what she had so often dreamed of.

  The young man settled atop her. His arms went out to gentle his landing, a familiar smile on his face.

  Then he shook as the first dart slammed into him. Shock replaced the smile as another spasm marked a second hit. By the third, his face only showed dismay.

  Kris quit fumbling for her gun and grabbed for Tom, trying to break his fall, bring him down gently beside her. But now Penny collapsed on top of both of them. Jack shouted for someone to get the shooter. Everywhere there were screams.

  Kris ignored them all, trying to hold Tom’s head, console him, ease his pain, but Penny was still trying to cover her and getting in the way. “Damn it, woman, can’t you see Tommy’s hit.”

  “But I’m not,” Tommy said.

  “Yes you are,” Kris snapped.

  “Well, yes I am, but I think this coat stopped them,” Tom said. “But you can keep holding me if you want.”

  “We’re supposed to be protecting her,” Penny growled.

  “What is happening here?” Kris almost screeched.

  “Penny said this coat should stop anything short of heavy artillery,” Tommy said, “and I guess it did.”

  “Can I get up yet?” Kris asked no one.

  “Just a moment more,” Jack said, back still to Kris. Around her, four of her Agents had formed a wall, guns out, facing out. Through their legs, Kris saw a wide empty space, then more people milling about. Two agents, Inspector Klaggath with them, were now backing their way toward Jack, guns out, eyes on the crowd.

  “We did not get the shooter,” Klaggath said.

  “Central,” Jack said, “do you have video on the shooter?”

  Kris didn’t hear the answer, but Jack’s rare use of profanity told her it must be negative. “Can I get up?”

  “Agents, stay alert. There may be another shooter or that one may come back,” Jack ordered. While Klaggath kept his team facing out, Jack helped Kris up, then Penny and Tom. “Let’s get to the elevator,” he said tersely.

  Kris found that her knees were more wobbly than she wanted to admit. One arm around Tom, the other around Penny, she made best speed for the exit. Once in the slide car, she collapsed into the couch, then pulled Penny and Tom down beside her. Both had developed a fine case of the shakes. Kris took the moment to pull three-millimeter darts from the back of Tommy’s dinner jacket. “Hardly even tore the fabric,” she said, trying to laugh but managing only a hoarse echo of one.

  “Uniform was guaranteed,” Penny whispered.

  “Remind me to write a thank-you to the manufacturer,” Tommy said, his usual smile almost back on his face. Then he turned a fine shade of green.

  About that time, Kris realized this gorgeous gown that would make Mother green with envy didn’t have a stitch of body armor in it. Suddenly Kris’s stomach demanded a quit clause on its contents. She swallowed twice, using iron will to keep herself from marring this beautiful work of art Abby had dressed her in.

  The ride down seemed longer than the ride up.

  10

  The ride down was silent except for a few exchanges among the security detail. In the hall to her suite, Inspector Klaggath set his outside detail, two agents at the elevator, two more covering the slide car, and two at her door. She paused as he dismissed the party detail to thank them all herself. Before Klaggath could follow his team, Kris invited him in.

  Once in the suite, Kris did no
thing while Abby went over her with one detector. Jack did the same with Klaggath, who showed no surprise and very quickly demonstrated he knew how to operate a bug search and sizzle machine. Again, Penny and Tommy shared the honors among themselves. Done with one set, they swapped clockwise, and, when finished with the second set, did it again.

  “You folks are thorough,” Klaggath said.

  “From the number of bugs we’ve sizzled,” Jack said, “it looks like we have to be.”

  “You’ve beat my previous high,” the Turantic cop agreed.

  Done with the third search, Kris retired with Abby to change. NELLY, HOW’S THE MOBILE BUG SITUATION?

  THERE ARE THREE UNKNOWNS OPERATING IN THE SUITE.

  LET THE OTHERS KNOW.

  I AM AFRAID TO ADDRESS THEM, EVEN IN WRITING. TWO BUGS ARE TRANSMITTING ON ENOUGH BANDWIDTH THAT THEY MAY BE VISUAL.

  Kris sighed.

  “That bad?” Abby asked as she undid the dress.

  Kris forced herself to stay onstage for just a few more minutes. “No worse than back home. But no better, either, and that Mr. Sandfire is so damn cool. So damn cool.”

  As Abby hung up the dress, Kris took the moment to wash her face in cold water. She’d led a drop mission and fought a firefight outnumbered five to one. What was so bad about being a target? Maybe it’s cumulative, girl? Or maybe it’s easier when you can shoot back, she answered herself.

  Abby laid out a comfortable blue sweatsuit that just happened to display the Wardhaven seal, now with a crown atop it.

  “This your idea?” she asked her maid.

  “You’re a Princess twenty-four/seven, girl.”

  “So I’ve noticed.” NELLY, WHAT’S THE SITUATION?

  “I captured two more mobile nanos,” the computer reported aloud. “The other one was just too troublesome. I burned it.”

  Interesting choices and choice of words for a computer. “Nelly, we need to talk later about your progress since your latest upgrade.”

  “Yes, ma’am, but I don’t know what we can talk about.” Abby raised an eyebrow. Clearly, Kris and Nelly needed to talk.

  “Jack, Tommy, Penny, Abby, Inspector Klaggath, front and center. We need to talk about tonight.”

  “Tonight I’ve decided to walk home. Anyone with me?” Tommy said with one of his lopsided grins. He came back into the living room in an undershirt and blue wool pants.

  “How secure are we?” Penny asked, now out of uniform and in a borrowed pair of Kris’s jogging shorts and a tank top. No bra, Kris could see her nipples. So could the guys. “Women that well-endowed should always wear the proper foundation garments,” Kris heard Mother say. She’d never said it to Kris.

  “Nelly says we are secure,” Kris answered. “Inspector Klaggath, what happened to all that vaunted central security?”

  “Please call me Bill,” Klaggath said, still in formal dress. He stood, hands folded in front of him in what Kris had come to recognize as a cop’s form of parade rest.

  Jack stood beside him, also still in formal.

  “Okay, Bill. What happened?”

  “The ballroom seems to have taken a power spike, far beyond specs. It took down a lot of equipment.”

  “And security gear wasn’t on emergency backup?”

  “Yes it was, fully tested and certified.” The Agent scowled. “Unfortunately, in this first actual test, the backups failed.

  “Is it my imagination, or does this new station seem a bit below specs?”

  “Can’t argue, ma’am. Bottom line is we have no video of the assassination attempt, and we were not able to follow the assassin in her flight.”

  “Her?”

  Bill spoke into his wrist, and a small screen opened in the wall’s view of a refreshing mountain waterfall. Kris strode over to get a good view of a woman in serving dress, white shirt, black jumper, long hair covering the side of her face toward the camera. Her hand supported a tray of drinks that didn’t quite hide an automatic.

  “That why she missed me? The serving tray blocked her aim?”

  “No, ma’am, that weapon has a fully automatic visual sight. She saw what she was shooting at and hit what she aimed for.”

  Kris glanced at Tom. Once again, his freckles were bright red against his very pale skin, but he shrugged. “Glad to be of service, but Jack, my good friend, do you know where I can buy some underwear of fine Super Spider Silk?”

  “I’ve got one of my agents out shopping already. It should be delivered in the morning.” Klaggath turned to Kris. “I’ve got her shopping for all of you. Cops always wear this stuff. I thought you Navy types did, too.”

  “They haven’t invented Spider Silk undies to stop a four-inch laser,” Kris replied dryly.

  “Laser cannons are the least of your problems, ma’am.”

  “Agreed,” Kris said.

  “Can we pause for a moment?” Jack said. “If they were not aiming for the Princess but were aiming for her escort, what does that tell us?”

  “Tommy, you got any spurned lovers in this port?” Kris said, trying for humor.

  Tommy collapsed into his usual chair, Penny settling on the arm of it. Kris waved the others to chairs and couches. Klaggath seemed inclined to stand, but Jack took him by the elbow. “When the woman starts one of her staff meetings, it’s best to sit down before what she says knocks you down.”

  Kris threw Jack a glare, but Tom was answering her previous question. “I’ve got a few spurned captors. Think they might be after me?”

  “Sandfire does seem to like pretty girls for his enforcers,” Penny remarked.

  “One of the girls around Sandfire seemed to recognize Tom,” Kris said, a wicked smile taking over her face. “Any of those eyefuls your old girlfriends?”

  “I was blindfolded and drugged to the gills. And believe me, none of them were treating me any way as nice as they do that SOB,” Tom shot back. “If I get alone with one of them, it will be breaking an arm I’ll be doing.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that,” Jack said quietly. “If you looked past the next to nothing they were wearing, there was a lot of muscle on their bones. I would not put my scratch security team up against that bunch. Not if I could help it.”

  “I caught a glimpse of a weapon on one of them,” Penny said.

  “So, in the future, we assume Sandfire’s nymphs are armed and very dangerous,” Kris concluded.

  “You seem to know a lot about Mr. Sandfire,” Klaggath said.

  “We have reason to believe,” Jack said, leaning toward the Inspector on the couch they shared, “Mr. Sandfire does not like the Princess Royal. They have a history I can fill you in on later.” Bill raised two eyebrows but said nothing.

  Penny was off the armchair, pacing back and forth. “Kris dropped everything on Wardhaven and came here in record time after Tom was kidnapped. She led the rescue team herself last night. Then Tom shows up as her escort tonight. I bet Sandfire figures Tom for Kris’s lover.”

  Tom was shaking his head so fast it was in danger of coming unscrewed.

  Kris tried to suppress a sigh.

  “Of course, I know from debriefing Tom that he is no such thing, but Sandfire doesn’t know that.”

  Now it was Kris’s turn to give Tom the evil eye. “I didn’t tell her anything,” Tom squeaked.

  “But it was the way you didn’t tell me.” Penny grinned.

  “Enough,” Kris said, holding up a hand. “What does this tell us?”

  “Sandfire wants to hurt you,” Abby said. “But he’s mean enough not to do it to you but through others.” The room nodded at that. “And he does not want you out roaming his domain.”

  “Tonight would make anyone want to hide under their bed,” Tommy agreed.

  Kris sighed. “I got that message.”

  “So, what do we do?” Jack asked.

  Kris mulled over that question for a long minute. She’d never been one to do what she was told. Father had learned early to always explain why he wanted something. Being a pol
itician, he was quite persuasive. Mother. Well, Mother had been Mother. True, since joining the Navy, Kris had been trying to learn the fine art of subordination, but Sandfire wasn’t in her chain of command. And Sandfire truly deserved something. She just wasn’t sure how really horrific it should be.

  “We go public,” Kris said with an innocent smile. She turned to Penny, an order on her lips, but paused long enough to remember that orders were not hers to give. “Penny, would you mind being my social secretary for the duration of my stay?”

  “Be careful, Penny,” Tom said. “When a Longknife starts asking politely, people are going to be dying before she’s done.”

  “Tommy, you wrong her greatly,” Penny said, the exaggeration of her voice only confirming the accusation. “However, if I’ve got her social calendar, I’ll know where she is. That beats all hell out of chasing her. So, Princess Kristine, I will add your social life to my other duties as assigned. What do you intend?”

  “I need time to think,” Kris said. “Mr. Klaggath, where are the skeletons buried on Turantic, and who’s doing the burying?”

  The cop stroked his chin, then shook his head. “I’m a cop, ma’am. My job’s to find the recently buried and arrest who did it. I don’t think I’m your best source for gossip.” He paused, then quirked half a smile. “You seem to have more dirt on Mr. Sandfire than I’m party to. Maybe I should be asking you.”

  Kris stood and walked slowly around the room, giving Tommy a back rub for a few moments, Abby a pat on the shoulder, and finally came to rest her hands on the couch back behind Jack. “Tell the Ambassador that I will be glad to show the flag at the regatta. Advise him I’m available for all the wine-tasting, cheese-cutting, and ribbon-slashing jobs he can lay on me.” She paused for a moment. “Tell him I’m open to visiting the sick up in Bremen.” Jack started up from his seat, but Kris grabbed his shoulders and hauled him back down. “In a full spacesuit.”

  “You’re going to be a busy girl,” Abby said.

  “In full body armor,” Kris said, “and I shoot back next time.”

  Kris awoke early next morning, refreshed and relieved not to remember her dreams. That lasted just long enough for her to remember she had left Nelly on the dresser. She did need some quiet down time with her computer . . . just not today.