Thieves' Guild Series (7 eBook Box Set): Military Science Fiction - Alien Invasion - Galactic War Novels

by C. G. Hatton

  As they got closer to the mountains, they passed small outposts on the road and a landing strip with huge sheds and a couple of ships lined up next to a rough and ready airfield. After that the buildings got more frequent and eventually they turned in towards a walled encampment nestled in the foothills. LC could see glints at regular intervals along the top of the ramparts.

  They were stopped at a gate and armed guards stood with raised weapons while the vehicles were searched. DiMarco joked with them, knew them all by name and didn’t for a minute relax until they were waved on their way.

  The gate was secured behind them.

  DiMarco blew out the breath he was holding and laughed. “Welcome to Tortuga,” he said, throwing the steering wheel wildly as he manoeuvred fast through a maze of narrow dirt streets. The town was a mixture of old prefab popups, the type of metal and plastic structures the corporations used to drop planetside to create an instant colony, and even older stone buildings. It was an old settlement, camouflaged to merge in with the desert.

  LC watched the windows flit by, occasional faces watching them pass. Add in some bomb craters and rubble and it would be just like home.

  They drove to the centre of the town and stopped by a two-storey stone building with a flat roof and small square windows. LC turned to open the door of the jeep but DiMarco stopped him. “Jiro wants to see you. Listen to what he has to say,” the pilot said, more sombrely than LC had ever heard him. “We need good people out here. It’s tough. And anyway,” his tone switched back again, “there’s no one here can match me for the moonshine like you, buddy. Who else am I gonna drink with?”

  “I haven’t seen much hospitality so far.”

  “Yeah well, we have to be careful. See Tierney then we can kick back.”

  “What happens to Gallagher?”

  “If he agrees to join us, he’ll be free to run whatever routes he wants.”

  “For you?”

  “Yes, for us. Jesus, Luka, we’re not war criminals. We need to eat like anyone. Listen to what Tierney has to say. And if you can sway Gallagher, do – he hasn’t really got a choice.”

  Sean glared at them as she stepped out of the vehicle. She looked cool. How could anyone look cool in this heat? LC watched her as she walked past without a word, following DiMarco into the building and drawing appreciative looks from all the men in the immediate vicinity. He smiled to himself; she’d already started manipulating Tierney and his men and they didn’t even know it.

  LC was nudged forward but he let the others go first, making sure they were all there before he went in himself. Why the hell he felt so responsible, he didn’t know, but it was bugging the crap out of him.

  They were led through into a back room that was sparsely furnished, two benches and a chair, rugs and throws on the walls and floor. DiMarco stood at the door and ushered them in, stopping LC before he could step foot in the room, saying quietly, “Think about what I said.”

  LC took off the sunglasses. Everyone in the room was looking at them and all of DiMarco’s buddies were watching with weapons ready. “It’s not that easy,” he said.

  The pilot gestured him to go inside. “It never is.”

  The door was closed and LC heard a bolt thrown. The room was stone, no windows and no way out. DiMarco knew there was a bounty but he hadn’t been thinking about it. He’d been thinking about these people, children he knew here, and their survival. He was right. LC had exactly the right skills to thrive here. But he was guild, despite what had happened, and he needed to close the door on that and find Anya before he could settle somewhere else, if he could ever settle anywhere.

  Sean was looking at him and she stretched a hand out along the bench she was sitting on.

  He got the message and crossed the room to sit beside her. “Think about what?” she sent through the wire.

  “He thinks we should join them.”

  “He thinks you should join them?”

  LC leaned back and stretched out his leg. It was aching. “What can I say?” he sent back. “He recognises a thief when he sees one.”

  She was shocked. He felt it like a blow. His flippant comment had brought back to her in no uncertain terms what she was dealing with. He looked her in the eye and maintained the contact with a steady gaze. She had his file. There was almost nothing she didn’t know about him, including the fact that he was the most successful operative the Thieves’ Guild had handled in generations. He stole things. Hilyer used the term ‘acquire’ like that made what they did legitimate and they all hid within the confines of a guild that ran its operations like a slick corporate-government hybrid, beyond all rules and a law unto itself. But that didn’t change what he was.

  She broke eye contact and glared ahead at the wall, furious that she’d let herself get drawn in by him. LC almost laughed but stopped himself. Christ, he didn’t want to piss her off even more. He wanted that ride out.

  Chapter 22

  “And what do we know about this particular band of brigands?” the Man asked, picking up the half empty jug.

  NG watched warily as the small bowl on the desk began to turn slowly. It almost felt like it was a test, provoking him into an attempt to halt its motion. He stared at it, wondering, not sure he really wanted any more wine.

  “Jiro Tierney is wanted on both sides of the line,” he said. “Piracy, extortion, kidnapping, fraud, homicide. Not someone to mess with.” He looked back at the board. The bishop was still in a precarious position but he wasn’t ready to back down. He moved one of his rooks instead. “Legal and Media have been tracing Tierney’s movements. This is the first time anyone has had any solid evidence of his whereabouts in over five years.”

  Another pinch of powder went into the wine. The Man rubbed his thumb over his fingers and looked up. “Is he of value to us?”

  “In monetary terms, no. In ability, he’s a natural leader but not guild material.” NG had no doubt on that. He wouldn’t want Tierney anywhere near the guild or any of their people.

  The Man nodded and gently moved his pawn to take NG’s bishop. “And this pilot, DiMarco?”

  The piece was the first major loss of the battle. NG nudged one of his pawns forward to threaten the Man’s queen. Fight fire with fire. “DiMarco,” he said, “is something else entirely.”

  •

  Jiro Tierney came in about three long hours later flanked by two of his men who took up position on either side of the door.

  “We need to talk,” he said to Gallagher. “Here or in private, it’s up to you.”

  Gallagher said with no hesitation, “We’ve got no secrets.”

  LC blinked and kept his gaze steady, straight ahead. Jesus, how ironic.

  “Okay,” Tierney said and sat on the only chair, far enough from them that his guys didn’t get more twitchy but close enough that he was eye to eye. “I want your cargo but I didn’t mean for it to go down like this. We’re legitimate traders. We need supplies and we’re willing to pay for them.”

  “You’ve taken my crew at gunpoint,” Gallagher said quietly. “That’s piracy.”

  “We’re not pirates,” Tierney said firmly. “We’re…” He cast about for inspiration, “independent.”

  “Independent pirates?” LC said and got a shove in the ribs from Sean.

  She murmured though the link, “Don’t be an ass, Luka. We need to be invisible here, don’t forget that.”

  Tierney smiled. “It’s tough here in the Between. I’m sure you know how tough. For some of us, it’s more difficult. I don’t need to go into reasons, but I can assure you that we can’t exist within the normal channels of society. We have no choice. We need to live and there are factions out there that don’t want us to survive. We protect ourselves, no more than that.”

  Gallagher shook his head. “This isn’t any way to trade, Tierney. We’re hauliers. We ship anything anyone needs to wherever they need it. But we don’t run guns. DiMarco was out of order and this is an act of piracy.”

  “I
’m prepared to offer you a deal.”

  “No deals. We don’t run guns.”

  “Hear me out.” Tierney was sounding like a reasonable guy and LC wasn’t picking up any contradicting emotions from the man. He seemed tired if anything, rubbing absently at the scar on his jawline. “We run a decent mining operation. The resources we have here are valuable. We’ve had trouble, I’ll admit that, and we have a reputation that’s hard to lose, that some people here don’t want to lose. There are kids here now who don’t know anything other than raiding. But I’m not sure that’s how we want them to grow up. We have a good settlement here and managed right, we can trade and,” he paused, then admitted, “and raid less.”

  Thom stood up. “So why the weapons?” he said, thinking that he was going to be screwed to the wall for letting this happen. By whom was a curious question and LC filed it away for a more opportune moment.

  Tierney looked at the kid. “We have to protect ourselves.” He looked back at Gallagher intently. “We need regular supplies. If we let you go, will you consider a regular run back here, no more questions, no mention that you’re coming here to anyone on the rest of your run?”

  Thom said incredulously, “If you let us go?”

  The leader of the pirates ignored him. “DiMarco has vouched for you,” he said to Gallagher. “I will trust your word if you give it.”

  LC could overhear Gallagher thinking that he wasn’t that far removed from these guys, that he didn’t fit in, he couldn’t go back to Sten’s World, why the hell not consider supplying a band of brigands if there was money in it that would help him get out to where he needed to be.

  And LC couldn’t help but think himself, who the hell was he to argue against it. He was an operative of the Thieves’ Guild, a rogue operative at that. And the only safe haven he could think of to run to right now was Pen Halligan, head of one of the Between’s most infamous and widespread criminal organisations. A colony of pirates gone soft was nothing compared to Pen.

  “I’ll think about it,” Gallagher said. “How about showing some goodwill and letting us go?”

  Tierney smiled. “It’s best you stay here for now. For your own safety, you understand.” He stood and looked round at them all, his gaze resting on LC and LC felt a chill from him. Not so soft after all.

  “I’ll get some food and drinks sent in,” Tierney said and left.

  Gallagher stood up as soon as he was gone. “I’m not doing it,” he said suddenly. “I’m not a damned pirate. Does anyone have a problem with that?”

  LC watched as the others all shifted awkwardly, no one liking to risk eye contact. Thom had something going on, something military and nothing to do with hauling cargo across the far ends of the Between. Sean was here for him and they were about to split. God knows who Elliott was but LC had the distinct impression that in some way the ship actually belonged more to the skinny tech guy than it did to Gallagher. And down to absolute basics, Gallagher himself only wanted to get back to Erica to chase down his aliens and prove his insane story – he didn’t give a flying hoot about hauling cargo for anyone.

  No one said a word and Gallagher sat down, decision made but LC could feel him fret, thinking this would give him an out from the connections he’d hated being part of at Sten’s World. If Tierney paid, the skipper was trying to persuade himself, then he didn’t care what he was hauling so long as he could get out to Erica and prove to everyone that he was right. Well, good luck to him.

  It was a while later that the door opened again and DiMarco came in, followed by two guys carrying trays laden with sealed cartons and tubs – rations stolen from god knows where. DiMarco gave a short half whistle and beckoned to LC. “Luka.”

  LC gave Sean’s knee a gentle squeeze where his hand seemed to have found itself and stood.

  “Be careful,” she sent.

  “Always am.”

  Outside it was dark and there was a chill to the night. He followed DiMarco from the building and across the street. No armed guards, no weapons clattering. The pilot pulled his jacket in tight and turned around with a grin. “You wanted hospitality?”

  There was a hint of burning incense and spice in the air that reminded LC of Aston.

  “I’m not joining your band of pirates, DiMarco,” he said with a smile, glad to be free of the confines of the room.

  They crossed the dirt road and DiMarco led him through a twisting route of narrow alleyways between the buildings, emerging eventually into a courtyard that was lit by burning torches. Brightly coloured silk flags fluttered around the square and music filtered through on the breeze. The sweet scent of narcotics mixed with the incense.

  “Wait until you try the hooch we have here,” the pilot said, more content and at ease than LC had seen him on the ship or the orbitals. He felt at home and it was a feeling that LC knew he could fall into himself.

  There was a bonfire blazing in the centre of the square. DiMarco circled around it, tousling the heads of the children that buzzed around them as they walked. They passed a woman carrying a tray crowded with baskets of sizzling dumplings and girls at a long bench topping up mugs from huge pitchers of steaming liquid. LC lingered but DiMarco laughed and pulled him along. “You want the serious stuff, my boy.”

  Any stuff would be fine. He was feeling low on energy and anything would do. People were staring at him and he had to remind himself to relax. There was nothing these people could do to him. He’d been in worse places.

  On the far side of the fire, there were rows of benches and tables, half full of people talking loudly and drinking. DiMarco pushed his way through to the end table and gestured LC to sit.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said and left with a grin.

  LC edged around to the far side of the table and sat with his back against the stone wall of a building that was still warm from the heat of the day’s sun. He stretched his leg out along the bench and sat back, a clear view across the courtyard. People at the other tables cast sideways glances in his direction and the children and girls were curious but there was no immediate threat. There was an underlying tension and a haze from the narcotics within the background buzz he was picking up but nothing he couldn’t handle.

  The sky was black above the glow of the bonfire. It felt good to be planetside. There was something about the feeling of a breeze that artificial aircon could never emulate.

  He absently massaged his thigh as he let his gaze wander across the courtyard. The injury was healed but there was a slight ache there as if it had healed too quickly and the muscle was going to complain regardless. He was lucky to be alive, several times over, and sitting there watching DiMarco work his way back, stopping to talk and laugh with these people hidden away here, it was hard not to think that maybe this was where it was supposed to end. He’d never fitted in at the guild, never understood that desperate need to chase for points in the standings. He was too reckless, self-destructive, a guild psych had told him once. God knows what they thought of him now.

  “That leg still bothering you?” DiMarco said as he slid onto the bench opposite, placing three tiny shot glasses and a tall thin bottle of clear liquor onto the table.

  LC shrugged and leaned forward to take a glass.

  The pilot took care filling the ridiculously small receptacles. “Seanie has a thing for you, y’know. I can tell. She was glad you didn’t die.”

  “I was glad I didn’t die. For Christ’s sake, DiMarco, how expensive is this stuff that we only get an ounce each?”

  DiMarco laughed and raised his glass, waiting like that first time for LC to drink first. He obliged, tossing it back in one. It was like downing pure supercooled vapour that hit the back of his throat and wafted like a tendril down to hit his stomach and his bloodstream a fraction of a second later.

  “Jesus,” he muttered and slid the empty glass over for a refill.

  DiMarco downed his own and poured out another two shots. “So what do you think of Tortuga?” he said with a nod towards the bonfire.r />
  “I grew up in the desert,” LC said, taking the glass and casually knocking back another shot of the liquor. “Couldn’t wait to get out.”

  The pilot shook his head. “I don’t buy that, Luka buddy. You live in a place like this, it gets into your blood. Look at those kids. They belong here. We all do. No matter where we wander off to, we all end up back here.”

  “I’m not staying, DiMarco,” LC said and sat back. It was tempting. Too tempting. And the liquor was spreading a warmth through his limbs that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  They sat in silence then, DiMarco keeping the glasses full and emanating a contentment that was contagious. A girl brought a small metal cup to the table filled with some kind of substance that she lit for them with a smile. Fumes rose from it in a wisp of smoke that swirled into the night air.

  “What’s Gallagher decided?” DiMarco said after a while, leaning forward to fill the third glass and glancing over into the crowd.

  LC felt the forced nonchalance in the question. Tierney was walking towards them and the pilot wanted to know before his boss.

  “He doesn’t want to do it,” LC said, “but I think he’ll realise he needs to. Make sure Tierney doesn’t screw him over.”

  “You say that like you’re not going to be here, bud. Where do you seriously think you can go?”

  There was a hint of a threat there, veiled and casual, but LC knew he wasn’t being paranoid. DiMarco was thinking openly and confidently that this cocky kid sitting in front of him would join them or be thrown to the bounty hunters. There was no doubt there, just a vague curiosity at how much the price would be. How much they’d get for handing him in if it came to that.

  LC smiled and sat up as Tierney joined them.

  The man looked even more tired out than before. He rubbed a hand across his face and reached for the glass, raising it in a toast.

  LC clinked glasses with them and drank. Tierney was a man of conflict, internal and external, and his mind was a dark whirlpool of mixed anxieties that set off a ticking pulse inside LC’s head. He got the distinct impression that the man wanted to speak with DiMarco alone and at the same time welcomed the fact that LC was there so that he couldn’t. It wasn’t easy to be close to.