Bounty Hunter at Binary Flats (Nick Walker, U.F. Marshal Book 4)

by John Bowers

  “Only the serfs, goddammit! Not the citizens!”

  “People are people, Harold. Serf, citizen, they’re all the same. They’re human beings.”

  “They may be human beings,” Harold shouted, “but serfs and citizens are not the same!”

  Nick shook his head in wonder. He stared straight into his captor’s eyes.

  “I’m sorry your uncle decided to kill himself, but the simple fact is that he was a piece of shit! I’m glad he’s dead!”

  Harold Reed’s eyes expanded in shock. He uttered a roar of outrage and leaped forward, driving his fist into Nicks’ face two, three, four times. One of the Rukes moved in to help him, but Reed got control of himself and waved the man away.

  “Not yet,” he panted. “Not yet. Yew don’t get off that easy.”

  Nick shook his head against the pain; blood streamed down his cheek, his eyes were out of focus.

  “So what are you planning, Harold? A shooting or a hanging?”

  Reed stood panting, still shaking but back in control.

  “Neither one. My guess is the water chamber, but it’s not my call. Your fate will be determined by a Texiana court.” He straightened up with a smug grin. “You’re going back to Sirius.”

  Chapter 22

  Monday, March 26, 0445 (CC)

  Binary Flats – Alpha Centauri 2

  It was after midnight when Nathan took command of Cybele Gannon’s hovercar and they headed toward the north end of town. Cybele had insisted that Nathan leave town, but when he refused she suggested waiting until dark before exposing himself in a rescue attempt. She rented a room at a different au’tel and they hid out there until well after dark.

  The road beneath them extended a couple of miles past the city limits, and a half mile beyond the edge of town he saw a fuel depot.

  “We’re gonna need gas,” Cybele told him. “I haven’t filled up since I left Centauri Springs, so you better set it down here.”

  The depot sat on about a half-acre of hard-packed dirt that had been oiled to keep the dust down. The station itself was a small square building made of prefab metal surrounded by fuel pumps; the entire area was brightly lit.

  Nathan settled on a glide path toward the pumps and parked next to the island. He stepped down and walked away from the car while Cybele went inside to purchase the fuel. While she pumped it, Nathan tried to organize his thoughts. This was the most stressful situation he had faced since leaving Sirius, and he didn’t dare screw it up. Nick’s life might well depend on any decisions he made in the next few minutes.

  He pulled out his pocket phone and called the U.F. Marshal’s office in Camarrell. He asked for Marshal Chiang but was connected instead to a woman named Eurich. He remembered her from Nick’s conversation the night before. The call was voice only.

  “Marshal Walker?”

  “No, this is Nathan Green.”

  “Where is Walker? He was supposed to check in this afternoon.”

  “Well, that’s the problem, Ma’am. I’m afraid he’s been captured.”

  “Captured! Is that what you said? Captured?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “How did that happen? You were supposed to be his backup.”

  “Yes, Ma’am, I know. But Nick decided we should split up to cover more ground in the time available, and he also said if one of us got in trouble then we wouldn’t both get caught at the same time.”

  Eurich, who first had sounded skeptical, suddenly changed her tone.

  “All right, fill me in. What do we know?”

  Nathan took a deep breath and briefly related the activities of the past few hours.

  “I don’t know where Nick is being held or by whom, but I’m not leaving here until I find him. What I need from you is manpower. I don’t know how many people we’re dealing with and I may not be able to do it alone.”

  Eurich was silent a moment; he could hear her working her computer.

  “I can have six men down there in about twelve hours. Is there any local law enforcement there that you can enlist?”

  “No, Ma’am, nothing official. From what I’ve picked up by talking to people, the closest thing they have to police here are basically criminals themselves. In fact, I have reason to believe they may be the ones who captured Nick.”

  “Did you witness the capture? How far away were you?”

  “I was five or six blocks away, but Nick warned me to back off and find cover. I didn’t actually see the capture. But I have a witness who did.”

  “Did this witness see where he was taken?”

  “No, apparently not.”

  “Apparently not? Marshal Green, you need to find out for sure.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. The witness is here with me now. Hang on a second while I—”

  “Nathan!” Cybele Gannon screamed from behind him. “NATHAN!!!”

  Nathan was standing with his back to the hovercar, gazing across the parking area while he spoke to Eurich. Now he turned and saw Cybele struggling with two men, both with shaven heads and tattoos all over their upper bodies. Cybele drove an elbow into the ribcage of one, shaking him off, but the other grabbed her by the head and flung her to the ground.

  “Shit!”

  Nathan dropped the phone and reached for his pistol. Just as the .45 cleared its holster, something struck the back of his head and everything went black.

  Centauri Springs – Alpha Centauri 2

  Officer Virgil Bullard turned his surface car down the main street of Centauri Springs and cruised toward his destination. It was nearly midnight and he’d been off duty for several hours, but a private call had brought him out. The town was dark and still; someone had once said the sidewalks were rolled up at eight o’clock every night, and there was some truth to that. Centauri Springs boasted little in the way of night life. On a normal night only one patrol car was on duty, and this was Sunday, so things were even quieter than usual.

  Bullard traveled seven blocks, his eyes roving by habit. Even an off-duty cop was always on the lookout for anything unusual, but the streets were quiet. He reached the cross street he wanted and turned left, drove half a block, and pulled to a stop at the curb. The side street was very dark; this block was home to a couple of repair shops and several stores that sold agricultural equipment. Bullard killed his engine and stepped out of his car, curiosity eating at him. He stepped onto the sidewalk and waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the near-total darkness. He heard a faint noise to his left and turned that way. A slight figure stepped out away from the nearest building and took a few steps toward him.

  “Virgil? Thank you for meeting me.”

  Bullard sighed in unconscious relief. He broke out a grin.

  “Of course, Michael. Anything for you, you know that.”

  Michael Smith approached to within a couple of feet and glanced over his shoulder.

  “What’s going on, Michael? You look nervous.”

  “I’m nawt…well, maybe a little. I’m worried, Virgil.”

  “About what? Are you in some kind of trouble?”

  “Me? Oh, no, not at awl. I’m worried about Marshal Walker.”

  Bullard frowned. “What about Marshal Walker?”

  “You know him, don’t you?”

  “Sure. We’ve met a couple of times.”

  Michael unconsciously scanned the street again, as if expecting a horde of news cameras to suddenly appear with floodlights and mini-mikes.

  “Well, I think he may be in trouble.”

  “Okay…why do you think that?”

  “He was at the house yesterday, to talk to the senator. I heard a lot of yelling, and at lunch things got really heated.”

  Bullard’s curiosity levered up another notch.

  “What was all the yelling about?”

  “I couldn’t hear all of it, but…I don’t know, Virgil, it’s just a feeling. Marshal Walker is a really nice man and I don’t want anything to happen to him. Or to his friend, either.”

  “You�
�re talking about Marshal Green?”

  “Yes. Nathan. He’s such a charming boy, but he seems so…innocent, you know?”

  Bullard smiled. “I don’t think you need to worry much about Marshal Green. He’s pretty good with that gun of his.”

  Michael looked shocked. “Ohmigawd! Was he the one who killed that drifter Saturday?”

  Bullard hesitated, then nodded. “But you didn’t hear it from me. That information hasn’t been released yet…although there were witnesses, so I suppose it’s no secret.”

  “Well…just the same, I’m worried about both of them. Something wee-urd is going on with the senator. I think Marshal Walker suspects him of being involved with the people who started the war.”

  “Senator Prater? Are you certain?”

  “Yes. I heard them talking about bank transfers to Periscope Harbor—that’s on Centauri B, you know, where the Rukranians live—and the senator was denying it.”

  Bullard thought that over.

  “Well, that’s quite a surprise, but why do you think Walker is in danger?”

  “I heard him tell the senator that since he got here, four different people have tried to kill him.”

  “What brought Walker down here, anyway? What’s going on with the senator?”

  “Oh, that’s right, you don’t know. The senator got a death threat a few days ago, and since he lives outside of town, he called in the U.F. Marshal to investigate.”

  “Okay.”

  “Well, the nearest Marshal’s office is in Camarrell, but the senator called Marshal Walker, who lives in Trimmer Springs, which is several hundred miles farther away. Marshal Walker thought that was suspicious, and I have to tell you, I agree with him.”

  “It does seem strange. What else?”

  “Well...” Michael rubbed his face with both hands. “I’m not making any sense, am I? I got to thinking about what the Marshal said, about why he was requested specifically, and that within two days of his arrival he gets shot at by four people—”

  “What four people? The only shooting I know about was here in town yesterday.”

  “Oh. Well, on Friday Marshal Walker and Cybele Gannon were accosted in the canyon south of the estate. I don’t know all the details, but apparently there were three men and shots were fired. So Marshal Walker is all upset about that, and wondering why. He said two of the men were from south of here, and now he’s gone down toward the Isthmus to see what else he can find out. And he took Nathan with him.”

  “I knew about that…I talked to Walker when he left. But you think he’s in danger?”

  “Yes. Virgil, if the senator is guilty…if he’s up to something…he knows where Marshal Walker went, and if he’s involved with bad people down at the Isthmus, he could easily warn them that Walker is coming. I’m afraid Marshal Walker is walking into a trap.”

  “Do you have any hard evidence of this?”

  “No, of course I don’t, it’s just a feeling. But I figured I should say something, because if I don’t, and something happens to him, maybe I could have prevented it.”

  Bullard nodded. “Do you know where Walker went exactly?”

  “No. He wouldn’t tell anyone, but I overheard him talking to Nathan as they left, and they were headed south. I think he’s looking for Rukranians.” Michael sighed. “I told the senator. I wish now that I hadn’t.”

  “What time did they leave?”

  “Oh, maybe two o’clock. Midafternoon Saturday.”

  “Why did you wait so long to tell me?”

  “Oh, well…you know how I am. Sometimes I worry too much, you know, make things more than they are. I thought I was just being paranoid…but the longer I thought about it, the more concerned I got. I decided I should tell somebody, at least, and if I’m worrying over nothing then that’s okay.”

  Bullard stared off into the darkness for a moment, then nodded again.

  “Okay, Michael, I’ll look into it. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m not sure yet, but the first thing will probably be to contact the Federation office in Camarrell and alert them. Then we’ll take it from there.”

  “Thank you, Virgil. I feel much better about things now.”

  “So do I.” Bullard wrapped his arms around the smaller man and pulled him into a hug. After an extended moment, Michael kissed him on the neck and they went their separate ways.

  Binary Flats – Alpha Centauri 2

  Nick was dozing when Harold Reed entered the room. He’d been sitting in the dark for hours, stiff and miserable, his hands E-cuffed behind him. He blinked when the light came on.

  “Comfortable, Marshal?” Reed offered a cynical smile and pulled open a freezer chest, from which he took a bottle of water. He unscrewed the cap and walked toward Nick’s chair.

  “What time is it?”

  “Does it matter? Is there someplace you need to be?”

  “Yeah. Sirius. What’s the holdup?”

  “Don’t trouble yourself; it’s a matter of scheduling.”

  “Ah. You need to refuel the shuttle and load a few slaves on board, is that it? Can’t rush these things, can we?”

  Reed walked around behind the chair and released the E-cuffs with a key. Nick leaned forward and pulled his arms free, rubbing his wrists. His arms were numb.

  “Some water?” Reed extended the bottle. Nick took it and drank most of it straight down.

  “And a bathroom. Unless you want me to soak the carpet.”

  “Go ahead. It isn’t my carpet.”

  “Maybe not, but Goldie might not be too happy with either of us.”

  “Just relax. You’ll get the bathroom in a few minutes.”

  Nick took a deep breath and leaned his head back. His bladder was only half full, since he’d had nothing to drink for about six hours, but Reed didn’t need to know that. He drank some more and felt the cold water lubricate his cells. He took a moment to glance around the room, at least what he could see. Near the outer door was a kitchen table with the freezer chest on it; next to the freezer chest was his gunbelt, wrapped into a coil with both guns still in their holsters. To his right was an interior door, presumably to the bathroom. He couldn’t see what was behind him, but he knew there was a door there—Goldie had entered the room there.

  “Since we don’t seem to be in any hurry, Harold, maybe you could answer some questions for me.”

  “I suppose I could. Not sure I want to.”

  “Why not? In my experience, people like you can’t wait to explain to me how brilliant they are.”

  “People like me?”

  “People like you.”

  Reed lit a cigarette, fouling the room with blue smoke. He took a drag and sat on the edge of a table. He looked tired.

  “What would you like to know?”

  “Well, I think I have the part where you want to put me on trial for shaming your uncle, but how do the Rukes fit into the picture?”

  “The Rukes?”

  “Rukranians.”

  “Ah, the BCs.”

  Nick frowned. “BCs?”

  “Beta Centaurians.”

  “Is that what you call them? They’re not from Beta Centauri, they’re from Alpha Centauri B.”

  “It’s a fine distinction. Whoever named the stars got it all wrong. The official Beta Centauri has no habitable planets, so it would have made a lot more sense to call Centauri B ‘Beta Centauri’. You know, binary stars—Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri. The BCs call their own planet Beta Centauri, so what difference does a star map make?”

  “So to you, Centauri B is—”

  “Beta Centauri. And the people who live there are BCs.”

  Nick sighed. “Thanks for the astronomy lesson. So how do the…BCs…fit into your scheme?”

  Reed tilted his head back and sucked his cigarette, gazing down his nose at Nick.

  “Well, Sirius has a diplomatic relationship with Beta Centauri…what we call Beta
Centauri. The BCs are kind of outcasts in this part of the galaxy. They have no friends among the Federation and the people of Alpha 2 don’t exactly love them either, so they turned to us. We conduct trade with them, supply them with things they can’t provide for themselves, et cetera.”

  Nick nodded.

  “As a result of that relationship, they are willing to give us a hand when we need to…uh, shall we say, operate in this part of the galaxy.”

  “Operate. You mean, as in start a war of revolution on Alpha 2?”

  Reed frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “The Rukranians—the BCs—supplied weapons and training for the revolution here a few years ago.”

  “So you do know about that.”

  “Yeah. It’s no secret, at least not anymore.”

  “Well, that was their operation, not ours. We have no interest in Alpha 2.”

  “But since they’re your ally—”

  “Diplomatic partner, not ally.”

  “Okay, since they’re your diplomatic partner…you have nothing to lose by helping them out from time to time. Right?”

  Reed shrugged. “If it makes sense from a business standpoint. But that isn’t what you really wanted to know, is it?”

  “No. Sorry, go ahead.”

  Reed smiled and sucked the cigarette again.

  “Well, since the BCs are our diplomatic partners, when I asked them to help me locate and capture you, they were happy to do so.”

  “So you’re the one who sent Vanov after me?”

  “Vanov? No, Vanov didn’t work for me. He just went after the reward.”

  “I see.”

  “And you killed him.”

  “I didn’t kill him.”

  “No? We recovered his body with two bullet holes in it.”

  “I didn’t put them there.”

  Reed shrugged and took another drag.

  “Doesn’t matter if you did or didn’t. If Vanov got himself killed, then he was careless. Not my problem.”

  “But the next day you sent the other guy.”

  “Boris Nemorov. Him, I paid. By then we knew pretty much where to find you, so I paid him ten thousand up front and another fifty when he delivered. Unfortunately, you killed him, too.”