by Ryan Vermont
“I’m wasting my time with you!” he roared. Vopalis turned back to the marines in his rear. “Kill him and make sure the silencers are set; I don’t need any problems from the other building tenants.”
“I know how you can get it!” I shouted. This was the apex of what I’d done my entire life.
“Oh?" he spoke again, his hand stayed on more time. “Talk, my little Terran. I’m not a patient man, as you can tell."
“Korth knows about it,” I explained. “He can help you get it.”
“Then, why do I need to have you involved?” he asked. “If Korth Cinzar has that key, we’ll just buy it from him.”
“Didn’t say he has the key," I explained. "But he does know where it can be found. I can broker the deal for a small fee. He’ll never trust you enough to do business.”
“He doesn’t trust you much either. I understand you made him look bad in front of his men.’
“That is in the past. We’ve kissed and made-up. Let me get in touch with him, and we’ll set up a meeting. You can meet him here and bring your execution squad along if it makes you happy. I’ve got a big conference room you can use too.”
Vopalis stood there and appeared to think for a minute. This was a very dangerous game I played, one that might go bad at any minute. But I didn’t have many options. If he called Korth to find out about the key, it would all be over.
“Al. right," Vopalis agreed. “I’ll give you 24 hours standard to set this meeting up. I’ll be back to this same spot at that time, and you better be here with Korth and his crew. Don’t even think about making a run, because I know all the ways off this disgusting piece of slag. And don’t try to hide because I have plenty of silver to hand out. I know it will go far in this scenic paradise.”
I didn’t say a word, merely nodded in understanding.
The commander backed out, his eyes still on me as the two marines in the rear opened the door for him. The others filed out behind and, the door closed.
I didn’t move until I heard Rashina lock the door. Then, I began to send out a mind probe.
It didn’t take long to locate High Commander Vopalis. He was in the truck with his men that he’d rented for to this location. I hadn’t thought to ask him how he knew where to find me, but, right then, that wasn’t the thing I needed to know.
The truck pulled away from the small strip of businesses where the safe house was located. I knew it was in motion because Vopalis was in the driver’s cab with his second. I saw it all clear through the eyes of Vopalis because he had his helm off. The driver looked over at his commanding officer and waited for instructions.
“Damn," Vopalis swore, “this is going to take longer than I’d hoped. At least, I have a way to get that ship off this piece of dung without making a big mess.”
“I’d have waxed him, sir,” the second spoke as he turned on the engine. “He’s a disgusting Terry. I never did trust those people. They’ve ruined every planet that let them settle.”
“No, I still need him. The empire needs that ship for some reason. It seems to fit into the overall battle plan. We get the Byzantium back to the nearest naval station and let the engineers go through it until they’ve found what everyone wants, whatever that is. I need to get back to assessing this rock for its forward base opportunities. We’re going to need it very soon. Once the Maharajah of Merkata knows we have ambitions on his territory, he’ll want to fortify this sector against us. Can’t let him do that. Can’t let him have an opening to slow us down.”
“It’ll be the best use for this asteroid,” the second pointed out. “Good reason to get this rabble out of here and put them to good use. This place sickens me every time I step outside.”
What the hell? I thought. The maharajah was a local despot everyone had to endure. He had the lock on a large molybdenum deposit on one of the prime moons of his planet. His population didn’t think much of him, but no one ever fielded a revolutionary movement to oust His Serene Majesty. Outside his fortified palace, he didn’t have much in the way of control and left everyone alone. They might grumble about his inept ways, but let some outside power make a move, and the populace would rally around him.
I probed deeper below the conscious level. What I found from the second was the usual disgust at everyone who wasn’t like him. It was what I sensed from the commander that made my internal organs freeze.
They wanted to use Nyx Station as a concealed bomb against the maharajah. It was part of their overall strategy to lure his small space force out to the vicinity of the Nyx asteroid. Then, they would detonate a stellar bomb stored inside the asteroid. The explosion would destroy every ship in thes maharajah’s fleet, and he’d be finished, allowing the Irunian Empire to annex his system. There were plans beyond that, but they didn’t interest me.
Those bastards intended to destroy Nyx Station.
I’d suspected some such plan was in the works for a long time. The Irunians had too much interest in a lone asteroid trading port to make anyone feel good about it. It was a subject you’d hear mentioned in taverns and on the street corners. Everyone had a theory as to what the the Irunian Empire’s real interest in Nyx Station was. More than a few ideas suggested it was to destroy Nyx. Looks like they were right on what the Irunians wanted, although no one guessed the reason for it. It didn’t matter; in the end, the station would be vaporized and its population with it. Those that were on the station, that is. I’m sure pay-offs would be made at the top level to get the richest families out before it all took place. Funny how they always escaped these things.
It left me with one thing to do. I had to get the Byzantium off Nyx Station. Everyone wanted that starship, although it wasn’t clear to me how it tied into the Irunian plan to turn Nyx into a hidden bomb. There was something in it that they needed for their overall goals. If I took the Byzantium away from their bloody hands, the Irunian Empire would need to delay their plans to rig Nyx with nuclear charges. They’d be forced to come up with plans to get the starship back instead. And maybe I could find out what technology Rashina was supposed to unlock that made the Byzantium so desirable to everyone.
My mind returned to the here-and-now. I blinked as contact with Vopalis was lost. Now, I needed to get back on the other side of the wall behind me and talk to the women.
I punched the security code to the door and went through. Once on the other side, I headed straight for the kitchen where I knew the women would be waiting for me.
Both held hands with each other, which wasn’t a bad thing, but it could complicate matters. I felt a little bit of the heart tingle from Zilpha toward Rashina. Right now, Zilpha wanted to be in a bubble path with the Angelika woman. Funny how stress and danger bring out our inner desires.
“Why did you stand there and do nothing after they left?” Zilpha asked me.
“What’s this meeting you promised the commander supposed to bring about?” Rashina demanded.
I sat them down at the table and held hands with each, which started another electric current through us. This time, I was able to suppress it, but it did have the benefit of putting them in a better mood to hear what I had to say. When I finished telling them about what I’d picked up through the mind probe, they looked at each other for a few seconds. Strange as it may sound, it was at that moment I realized both of those women were my lovers.
“This is not a good idea," Rashina said. “I still have a lot to recover, but that commander is a bad person to mess with. You need to take what you know to the people who run this station, not us.”
“They’ll never believe me,” I countered. “I’m a cheap enforcer for a gangster, so why should they?”
“How are we going to get in there and activate that starship?” Zilpha asked. “You’ll need to get someone who can get past the security. There’s only one person I know.”
“And you know her best,” I told Zilpha. “Jenica. She does want to see you again, and I know the feeling is mutual.”
“She’s not the kind
to do favors,” Zilpha pointed out. “She’ll demand a lot from me." She looked at Rashina, then me. “But I think I could sweeten the deal if it included you and her.”
As bad as our current situation might be, that got a smile out of everyone.
Chapter Sixteen
We found Jenica in a bookstore far from the docks.
It wasn’t the normal place you’d find the little Felinx. Most of the time, she worked undercover. Usually in a capacity that was sure to toss her target off the trail of what she was after. My initial conversation after I met Jenica involved the time she’d cursed out a truck driver while she, in a latex bodysuit, drove a fast car down the street. In the back seat, she had a bound man from the upper levels.
“Why did you curse out the truck driver?” I asked her.
“I didn’t like the way he talked to me through the open window,” she sneered. “A woman’s got enough trouble earning a decent living in this town; don’t need no flak from an asshole in the cab of a 10-wheeler.”
“And the guy tied up in the back? A case you were working on?”
“No, that was my date for the evening. We were late to the party.”
The bookstore consisted of 36 rooms of overstock books from various publishers throughout the galaxy. It was a great way to kill a few hours if you liked to read. I never understood the logic in having the books stacked so closely together. At least not until I tried to read an entire chapter one day and was forced to move out of the way of the other patrons. Six times. Obviously, putting so many books close together was not an encouragement to treat the store as a library.
We saw her the minute I walked into the store. I’d told the other two to wait outside. When I went in, I spotted Jenica under the counter of “Lofts of Books,” the name of the store. Jenica didn’t notice me and left the counter with a stack of Mayer Timson novels headed for one of the back rooms. I followed her, but she didn’t hear my steps on the floor. I figured this was the last place she expected to see me.
“Any good?” I asked, as Jenica shoved the last one on the shelf. Her back was still to me.
“Haven’t ready any of his,” she replied, facing the shelf. “I’m told the wolf girl books are good, but I like more bedroom action in what I read.” At which point she turned around and saw me.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded. “Are you trying to blow my cover? How did you know I was here?” I could tell she was angry.
She also wore a tight business dress and jacket. This put her furry cleavage on display. Although I’m sure they weren’t useful, Jenica sported a pair of large, horn-rim glasses on her face. All she needed was a stiff cane to complete the “Mistress Library” look.
“I asked around,” I replied. “Not that hard to find you, if I ask the right people. Then, I probed for you when I found the right area. I guess this isn’t a real job?”
She gave me the look of twin daggers. “Good,” I replied. “I was afraid you’d hung up your spurs."
“That day will never come,” she snapped back. “I’m working for the owner of the place. Someone keeps stealing books, and she thinks it’s an inside job.”
“Is it?"
“Yes. I found the culprit yesterday. He confessed to me last night. I’m turning the little prick in when the owner shows up.”
“I’ll bet you had to use your commando training to get it out of him,” I kidded her.
“Nope," she countered. “He even showed me how he did it. All it took was a wooden paddle and a pair of leather boots.”
“Can you take a break?” I asked her. “There are two people outside who want to talk to you.”
Jenica ran one hand across the fur on her face. I wanted to feel that soft fur against me, but there was a problem I needed to solve first.
“What’s this all about?” she asked. “It better not be another Terran couple looking for a third. The last one you tried to hook me up with ended up getting divorced because the husband took to me better than his wife.”
“No, this one concerns some business, not lifestyles.”
“Al. right, then. I’ll listen."
She followed me outside after telling another clerk she’s be on break for a few minutes. There weren’t many customers in the place, so it wasn’t a problem that day. I noticed she pocketed the glasses the moment we stepped outside.
The courtyard in front of the bookstore was filled with small statues made by Nyxian artists. Zilpha was off to one side looking at one. I walked Jenica over to Rashina and introduced her.
Once again, I could see the effect Rashina had on other people, especially women who liked women. Jenica froze and tried to fix her hair.
By now, Zilpha noticed I was there with Jenica. As the Felinx woman stood smitten with Rashina, Zilpha came over and slid one arm protectively around the Angelika. It was a subtle hint, and Jenica didn’t get the message.
“Fixer tell you what we need?” Zilpha asked Jenica. “My, don’t you look so proper today."
Zilpha sized up Jenica as a potential rival. Both women stared at the other.
I was about to intervene when Rashina broadcasted her sense of love and understanding, topped with a subtle flavor of erotica. Both women caught their breath and looked down. It even influenced me.
“Stefan says you can get us into the place where the starship is held,” Rashina mentioned. “I just know you’ll be glad to help us." She extended her hand and squeezed that of Jenica. I watched as the ecstasy pulse traveled back and forth between the women. It traveled back from Jenica to Rashina and grounded on Zilpha. I was afraid to complete the circuit and explode all four of us.
“I, uh, well, I,” Jenica gushed, her pelt bristling, a response I knew about. “I’m about finished with this job. All I need to do is file a report with the owner and take the ball gag out of my locker.”
“I thought you solved this case with a paddle?” I asked her. Right now, Jenica would’ve told me anything I wanted to know for an hour of Rashina’s time.
“That too,” she answered. “Broke the paddle over his ass and had to throw it away. I made him bring me the ball gag this morning to work. Was planning on putting a collar on him and dragging his butt into the owner’s office to confess. The owner might keep him around. She’s all intrigued by what I did. So, maybe they’ll both get something out of this."
I managed to pull Jenica back from Rashina a few inches. I needed to talk to her in a better frame of mind.
“Do you know anything about a green Amazon who works down in the Irunian legation?” I asked her. “Zilpha and I had a tumble with her the other night, and we think she might’ve been a plant.” I briefly described Dentata, what happened, and the vision of her on the phone.
“Oh, her,” Jenica said as she remembered Dentata. She played with a pendant around her neck and tried not to look askew at Rashina. “I’ve seen her around a bit. Thought she might work on the side as an escort, but I never spent any time around her. Always seemed to have plenty of cash, according to the people I know who went out with her. I have no idea who she’s working for now.”
Jenica leaned close to me. “Hey, Fixer,” she whispered into my ear, the glamor of Rashina abating somewhat. “I liked meeting your friend and will consider your job, but I need to finish what I started today. There’s a young man in there with a sore ass. He’s ripped off the lady who owns that place too many times.”
“You can’t just go inside and tell her what you found out?” Zilpha asked, as she rubbed Rashina’s back. She was in range and heard it all. “We’d all like you to help us. How difficult can it be to wrap this thing up?”
“I need to make sure I get paid,” Jenica replied, a little irritated that she was overheard. “I want to make sure I give my clients something extra, so they’ll refer me to other people. Yeah, I could wrap this up and leave, but I detected needs in both the owner and that asshole. They could be resolved if I bring him in there on a leash. Holy Bast, that kid’s in love with her. Ripping hi
s boss off was a way to get attention. Furthermore, she’s had the hots for him since he started working there, but she won’t admit it. By the way, I can’t have you three around here blowing my cover. So, stay out here.”
“Why won’t she admit it?” I asked Jenica. Now, she had me intrigued by this story.
“Because the boss-lady is from the upper levels,” Jenica explained. “The kid’s just 18 and 15 years younger than her. She’s afraid how it will make her look."
Jenica stopped her speech and looked at the two women across from her. She looked over at me and touched my hand. I could feel the hormones in the air. Some from Rashina, the rest from us.
“You did this intentionally,” Jenica said to me. “Didn’t you?" I smiled, and her ears lowered, another sign I remembered.
“Maybe," I answered with a smile.
Jenica thought for a minute. She looked over at the entrance as a tall Terran woman who exuded authority walked into the bookstore. This had to be the owner.
“Oh, hell!” Jenica exclaimed. “Give me a half-hour. Guess it’s going to be everyone’s lucky day.”
I stood there with Zilpha and Rashina, wondering how long this would take. It could go down many ways. I hadn’t seen the young man she mentioned but felt for both of them. It was a tough world we lived in. Any way they could find a little happiness, so much the better. I hoped both of them were ready for all it entailed, if Jenica’s plan came to fruition. The age difference alone could be a big issue, at least for Terans. And waiting on her like a servant every day would get very boring very quickly.
“So, what did you think of her?” I asked Rashina. I didn’t have to ask Zilpha about her as the two already had a history.
“She’s smart,” Rashina spoke. “A good protector. I wouldn’t mind having that woman in my circle at all. She would bring a lot into it. However, I felt a bit of jealousy from her when Zilpha showed affection toward me. How do you handle these issues on Nyx?"
“Depends on the beings involved,” I answered.
Not being a social counselor myself, it never made a lot of sense to me. I was accustomed to solving problems with a gun or knife in hand. In the Janissaries, we didn’t have those issues. Your big concern was survival and whether the bashirs would send you into another hot zone that month.