Zeta Hack: A Paranormal Space Opera Adventure (Star Justice Book 3)

by Michael-Scott Earle

  “Have you been to all of them?”

  “All but H,” she answered with a half smile.

  “Why not H?”

  “It was the old Nebula Gammon district.” The blonde woman shrugged as she adjusted her long hair out of her face. “The citizens of Queen’s Hat protested their leadership a long time ago. From what I understand, there were riots, and part of that district was destroyed.”

  “And no one has repaired it?” I asked.

  “I think they have, but I don’t think anyone goes in there. It’s the crown part of the station, in the middle of everything, but people say it is haunted.”

  “Huh,” I said as I chewed on her words. It was common practice for space travelers to be superstitious. Accidents on a ship could take the lives of the entire crew quickly and violently. There were an unknown number of ships and stations floating in space with all of their crew dead. Scavengers and military normally performed clean-up operations when these vessels were found, but I’d never liked the job, even when I didn’t believe in ghosts.

  Now I believed in a whole lot of things I once thought were superstition.

  “You have a starship?” she asked. “Sister and I have always thought about leaving Queen’s Hat and exploring the universe.”

  “Yeah, but she’s down right now,” I replied.

  “Oh?” the woman raised an eyebrow.

  “Yeah. Engines. I need an engineer. But I don’t have money, so…” I gestured to Byron.

  “Perhaps I can help,” she whispered.

  “You know an engineer? Or someone who does drive repair?” I asked.

  “I know many people. Perhaps if you scratch our backs, I’ll scratch yours,” she whispered and then winked at me.

  “I’m already working for your boss,” I whispered with a chuckle. “Or am I really working for you?”

  “You are smarter than you look.” The woman smirked.

  “What’s your name? I keep thinking of you as ‘one of the twins’. I’m sure you get that a lot.” She was actually pleasant to talk to, and I was further convinced she and her sister were actually pulling Byron’s strings.

  “I’m Paula, and we do get that a lot,” she said with a laugh. “My sister is Kasta.” She nodded to the pair walking in front of us.

  “Pleased to meet you,” I said.

  “I find myself liking you more, Adam. Part of me doesn’t want to help you with your ship, so that you can stay with us longer.” Paula’s smile was all sorts of charming.

  “I like you as well. How did you end up with Byron? He doesn’t seem--”

  “He’s helped us.” Paula shrugged slender shoulders. “It’s hard for women to get things done on Queen’s Hat.”

  “I see,” I said, and I was now convinced that the two women were actually in charge of Byron’s criminal operations.

  “This is the place.”

  Byron and Kasta maneuvered around some tables and entered the doorway of the coffee shop. The place was named Peeking Steam, and the interior was a collage of red, brown, and black aged brick, with an endless array of copper pipes attached to the walls and ceiling. At first, I thought the pipes were just for decoration, but there were old fashioned pressure gauges placed throughout the labyrinthine mess, and their red needles spun in time with the baristas pushing coffee out of the massive machine behind the counter.

  The place was packed, and Byron pushed people aside so that he could lead us toward the back of the shop. Once we were there, I saw another door leading to a small restaurant. The bald gangster shoved open the door, and we followed him inside.

  The place looked like a small diner. The room was a rectangular shape, and maybe only five meters wide and fifteen meters long. Booths lined one side of the wall opposite a long counter. Everything was crafted with brick, wood, or the same copper pipes which were present in the main room of the cafe.

  “You girls sit here,” he said as he pointed to an open booth near where we had entered. They followed his instruction, and I walked with the man to the other side of the small restaurant. Besides the waitress behind the counter, there were only two other booths each with a pair of customers.

  “Here,” Byron said as he sat down at a table. It was the only table in the place, the rest of the seating areas were booths, and I noticed the four customers we passed glance at each other when we sat down.

  “Those the Bettas?” I whispered to him. The group of four were two men and two women, and I didn’t get any sort of hostile vibes from them.

  “Naw. They work for me,” he said. “Hey! You four can clear out now. Watch the streets for them and the fucking cops. Eh?”

  The four customers nodded at the bald man, slid out of their booths, and then exited to the cafe.

  “Check for the banger under the table,” Byron whispered to me.

  “I feel it,” I confirmed as I reached under the table and brushed my hands against the handle of the shotgun. It had two triggers, and I practiced reaching for it a few times.

  I hoped I wouldn't have to use it. I imagined Byron would have no problem giving me up to the cops if they came to investigate a shooting, and the walls of the cafe weren’t thick enough to silence the blast of a gun.

  “Coffee?” the waitress was at my side and pouring the steaming brown liquid into cups for each of us. Her hand was shaking a bit, and I guessed that she wasn’t working for the gangster. He’d probably taken this store for his business today, and the poor woman had pulled the short straw when they decided who was going to work this shift.

  “Yeah, bring us two full Englishes eh? Ask my girls if they want anything.” He nodded to the twin women at the back of the restaurant.

  “Yes, sir. What kind of toast do you want?”

  “White,” Byron said.

  “Same,” I answered before she could ask me.

  “And get started on two more of them for when my guests arrive,” Byron ordered.

  “Will do. Thank you.” The waitress walked down the restaurant to where the twin blonde women sat.

  As the waitress took their order, two men opened the door from the cafe and stepped into the restaurant. They both wore expensive suits, carried canes, and had on top hats. Their clothes weren’t as decorative as those Byron and I wore, but the material looked expensive. The first man to step through was probably as big as me, and his eyes fixed onto our table with an intense stare. The man behind him was thinner, and half a foot taller. He glanced in our direction, pulled a gold pocket watch out of his coat pocket, glanced at it, and then put it back before he followed the larger man past the three women.

  “I’m on time,” the man with the watch said.

  “I didn’t say shit, Mate,” Byron said before he sipped his coffee.

  “You didn’t have to. Your ass-face says it all,” the man with the pocket watch said as he sat down. His muscle followed suit, and the big man nodded to me.

  “That’s not a very friendly way to start a conversation. I even ordered your breakfast.”

  “You’ve killed half a dozen of my bookies,” the other man snarled.

  “And you killed a few of my guys. You wanted this meeting. I agreed. Now here we are. What ya want, Mate?”

  The man with the pocket watch looked at me and then back at Byron. “I think you know what I want.”

  “Naw, Mate. If I knew what you wanted. I wouldn’t be so nice to ya.”

  “Then let me lay it out for you: You got an agreement with Kar. He’s opening a business in my District. He’s gotta go through me for protection.” the slimy man with the pocket watch pointed his own thumb at his chest.

  “You’ll have to talk to Kar about that.” Byron shrugged.

  “Yeah. I’ve tried. He won’t talk to me. You’re gonna fix that.”

  “See, I’m wondering how big your balls are. You come into my house, after killing my men, then you start making demands of me.” Byron let out a chuckle after he spoke and leaned back in his chair. The gangster didn’t seem phased by a
nything, and I wondered if he was on some sort of drug.

  “My balls are plenty big enough. You agreed to this meeting cause you know you can’t handle your own district and mine as well. That offer you sent me four months ago? It’s insulting. I want ninety percent of what Kar is paying you, or you’re going to have a problem keeping his ass clean. Know what I mean?”

  “I think you misunderstand the relationship Kar and I have. We are partners. I don’t work for him. I don’t work for anyone.” Byron paused as the waitress approached the table and set down the food.

  “I just got you gents white toast. Hope it’s okay,” she said as she set two plates in front of the other men. The big one nodded at the server, but the leader didn’t pay any attention to her.

  “How about a refill? Then you can go.” Byron raised his glass of coffee, and the woman filled it up with a shaking hand. Then she filled up coffee for the other two men, left the pitcher on the table, and walked through the door into the kitchen.

  “Go ahead and eat,” Byron said as he gestured to the food. “Talks like this are best done on a full stomach.”

  “I’m not gonna eat your poisoned food. Asshole.”

  “Look, Mate, you’re here because I want to do business with ya. Here,” Byron moved his fork across the table and scooped up some of the beans off the other man’s plate, then he carefully took a bite out of them. “You got a good breakfast there. The eggs, bacon, sausage, bread, and beans. You’ll think better on a full stomach.” Byron cut into one of his sausages and then scooped up some beans before putting it all into his mouth.

  The three of us stared at him for a few moments, but my stomach began to growl, and I followed my new boss’ example. Eating reminded me how long I’d fasted before yesterday. Then I thought of Z alone in our hotel room. I was sure she was awake by now, and I guessed that she’d ordered a bunch of room service. Thoughts of Z reminded me of last night.

  I forced my brain to focus on the movements of the two men sitting across the table from me. They had both started eating, but the big one who sat opposite me was also watching me as he ate. There was a bit of posturing there, and I guessed the man wanted to fight me.

  I needed to keep my head in the game, not think about my evolving love life.

  “See? Good, eh? This is my favorite place.” Byron spoke around a mouthful of food and gestured at the men with his fork.

  “Yeah. Isn’t bad,” the man with the watch said.

  “You eat fast,” the big man told me after I’d finished wolfing down the food.

  “Whoa,” Byron said. “You want another plate?”

  “No, thanks. I just eat fast,” I replied. My stomach was screaming for another plate, or seven, but I didn’t want to prolong this meeting.

  I also figured this was going to end violently, and I didn’t want to have a full stomach. I hadn’t tasted any of the coffee yet, so I grabbed my cup and took a sip while the other three men finished eating.

  “Alright,” the man with the watch said as he set down his fork and wiped his mouth off with a napkin. He’d cleared his plate and used his last piece of bread to wipe up the remaining juices. “Let’s talk about my offer.”

  “Offer, eh?” Byron snickered. “Before breakfast, it was a threat.”

  “Now I’m in a better mood.”

  “Mate, I hear what you’re saying, but we’ve got a big problem. A few actually,” the bald gangster sighed.

  “You can’t manage protection for Kar’s operations here and in my district. I know you can’t. Especially when I make it a problem for you. He doesn’t even have to know. My guys will be there instead of yours, and you keep ten percent. It’s a fair deal to you. You get ten for just sitting around. If you have a problem with that offer, then you’re stupid.”

  “Mate,” Byron said with a sigh. “My problem is that you aren’t leading the Bettas anymore. I am. So, I don’t really need to pay you anything.”

  “What the fuck you talking about?”

  “Call your friends, Jackal.” Byron wiped his mouth with his napkin and then took a sip of coffee.

  The watch man Byron just called “Jackal” stared. The bald man met his glare, but his facial expression didn’t change. The tension between the four of us had relaxed during the meal, but it now filled the air like static electricity.

  “I wanna wipe that fucking expression off your ugly face, Byron,” Jackal seethed. “You know what’s gonna happen if you don’t take my deal?”

  “Your gorilla over here is going to pull his gun and shoot me, and then your twelve boys outside are going to rush in and take out the crew I have in the cafe. You’ve also got another thirty men at Kar’s hotel, and you’ll think you can kill my guys in the lobby there,” the bald man answered with obvious boredom, and I saw Jackal's face twist with confusion.

  “What the--”

  “Call your friends, Jackal,” Byron demanded again.

  The other man’s mouth formed a line, and I saw his eyes narrow. The big guy on the opposite side of the table from me rested his hand on the polished wood, and he leaned forward so the front of his jacket opened. There was a bulge near his armpit, and I guessed that the gun wasn’t large.

  “Naw, no need to call them,” Jackal said with a small chuckle. “You’re just going to--”

  “Call your fucking friends!” Byron slammed his hand on the table, and the plates leapt into the air.

  Big fucker reached into his coat, but I was already moving.

  I didn’t want to shoot the guy since that would alert everyone in the coffee shop as to what was going on. Instead, I reached across the table and grabbed the man’s right wrist a hair before it disappeared into his coat. His arm was thick, but my hands were large, so I had no problem holding onto him.

  My opponent hadn’t expected my speed and continued to try and reach for his gun as he turned his left shoulder away from me. The movement convinced me that he wasn’t actually trained in any sort of martial arts since it was the kind of defense someone who had never fought a stronger opponent would use. His twist didn’t dislodge my fingers from his grip, but it did give me access to his head, and I reached over the table with my left hand to grab under his chin. A simple lift made his head tilt backward, and I yanked him toward the edge of the table to trip him up.

  The big man went down, and I slammed my knee into his stomach as soon as he landed. His breath came out with a gasp, and he reached up with his left hand to grab at my face.

  Jackal let out a shout when I body-slammed his guard, but I couldn’t look around to see what the smaller man was doing. I couldn’t let go of his right hand or he’d pull his gun, so I snatched his left arm with my left hand and leaned down so my fingers folded over his neck. The big fucker was really strong, but I possessed tiger strength. I also had years of hand-to-hand and joint manipulation combat training the big man lacked. As soon as I got his arm over his throat, I jerked my knee up to lay across his right arm so that it was pinned to his chest.

  The man couldn’t pull his gun now, and I had my right hand free. I thought about choking him out, but it would probably take too long, so I slammed my palm into his face once, twice, and a third time to knock him unconscious. The struggle only took a handful of seconds, and I glanced back at Jackal to ensure he hadn’t pulled out a weapon. The man hadn’t, so I reached into his guard’s coat and pulled out the gun. It was a revolver with the trigger guard filed off so someone with my size hand could fit their finger against the trigger.

  “Looks like your man was carrying an illegal weapon,” I said as I cracked open the cylinder. The bullets were a small caliber, maybe only 5mm, but they would have punched a hole through a skull at such a close range.

  “I didn’t know he was--” Jackal started to say, but Byron cut him off.

  “Are you fucking with me, Mate? He’s your man. I knew he had a fucking gun on him.”

  “You shoot me, you’re going to have all my men in here in a--”

  “Jackal, you
are all kinds of stupid. I’ve been telling you to call your friends because I’ve already taken care of them. I’m frankly a bit upset that my clever maneuvering is lost on such a thick-headed bloke like you. I’ve been planning this coup for a good two months.”

  “Two months?” the man with the pocket watch squeaked.

  “Yeah, Mate. You see, you’re right. I can’t handle Huyan Kar’s new business in your district, so I was going to come ask you for a partnership. Well, I was debating between partnering or just taking over your crew. Then you had to go and kill some of my blokes. Really soured my feelings toward you. I always thought you were a little shit, but you kinda screwed yourself.”

  “Listen, Byron. Let’s talk about this. You’re right, I shouldn’t have come after you. Ninety percent was too much to ask. You let me walk out of here, and I’ll put my guys to the task for a flat fee. Let’s say a hundred a day. It’s a fair deal.”

  “Ahhh, Jackal,” the bald gangster said with a sigh. “I’m afraid that’s not gonna do at all. You see, Mate, there is no ‘your guys’ anymore. They are my guys, and I’m not so sure I want to pay you to manage my guys.”

  “How about I work for you then?” Jackal asked desperately. “I’ve learned my lesson, and--”

  “That’s a great idea!” Byron said with a dry chuckle. “I need help running that district, these guys already know you, and I’m sure I can trust you to handle my affairs over there.”

  “Uhhh. You can?” Jackal seemed confused.

  “Mate, why do you think you are alive right now? I could have killed you as soon as you murdered my men, but instead, I just kicked ya around a little bit to see what you were made of. Now I know. You’re a spineless little shit that will do whatever he can to survive. I can use someone like that. What do you say?”

  “Yes! Thank you!” Jackal said with obvious relief.

  “Good!” Byron sat up in his chair and straightened his coat. “There’s just one problem, Mate. You did try to take me out. I’m one to let bygones be, but I’ve just taken over your crew, and my men kind of want some revenge.”

  Jackal’s face turned five shades whiter.