Kraaz grunted. “For a non-Shrillexian, it was amazing how my blood sang when she walked down that hall.” He shrugged. “It was a shame I was on the other team, but we gave our word, and word is blood.”
Shi-tan looked from the front yard to the valley below, then at the mountain peak in the distance. “What happened to your mercenary company?”
“You don’t know?” Kraaz asked, but Shi-tan continued gazing into the distance. “Leader Bocklans, a Tulet, was fired for such a monumental screw-up, and the few of us who finally got back to the meeting place a month later voted to break up the company. Some figured if we stayed together, the Etheric Empire would put a price on our heads.”
“Well,” Shi-tan turned back to look at Kraaz, “it wouldn’t have been a price on your heads. She would have sent the Guardians, or a Bitch or two. Either way, the mercenary company would have been dissolved.”
“She’s that way? That isn’t right.” Kraaz thought about it. “Mercenary companies wouldn’t come after her.”
“She doesn’t care. It’s a message that might makes right. For the longest time, no one came after mercenary companies because other mercs would aid them in a fight, and who would want a bunch of mercenary companies pursuing them?”
“Well, apparently she doesn’t care.”
“She is after much bigger fish. She is a live-and-let-live type of person. You chose to not let-live and she returns the favor.”
Kraaz eyed Shi-tan. “How did she beat the assassins?”
“One almost got her, but she was warned by a guard just before he was hit.”
“Taken out by us?” Kraaz asked.
“Not out—he healed in the hospital. But he is now a believer in armor. He happened to trip across one of your teams just as you started the operation. It was just enough to have her friends take action.”
Shi-tan understood Kraaz’ need to know how things had gone so wrong, so he continued explaining a few after-action items. “The first assassin was killed by Bethany Anne. They didn’t trip the second assassin until some of her Guardians had changed forms. One of the Guardians, Peter, smelled and heard the second assassin. He punched through some metal, grabbed the assassin who was hiding inside, and ripped him back out. The assassin punched two slugs into Peter’s gut and got his head ripped off for his efforts.”
“Peter died?” Kraaz asked.
“No, he’s a Pricolici,” Shi-tan replied. “They heal fast. I’m told he bitched for a while because the shots put him on the ground with his guts everywhere. The armor stopped it from being worse, but it’s hard to protect against a blast when the barrel is at point-blank range.”
“I have no idea what a Pricolici is, but healing fast would be nice.” Kraaz took a moment to look around. “I wouldn’t have listened to your warning if you had told me straight out, so I can’t bitch when I’m here without an arm.”
“Too many of our people wouldn’t be here at all. You had to eat your pride to do it,” Shi-tan pointed out.
Kraaz looked at Shi-tan, “Have you seen her when she is Death, coming for you?” Shi-tan shook his head, and it was Kraaz’ turn to look at the mountain in the distance. “Well, let me tell you, fear is plentiful. It was like she was pushing it ahead of her. It made it very difficult to think, much less return fire.”
There was a pause as both Shrillexians were lost in their own thoughts. “Regrets?” Shi-tan asked finally.
“It took a few weeks,” Kraaz admitted, “but now I don’t have any. We were outmanned, outplayed, and frankly outclassed. The Leath have got some damned good PR people spinning it like crazy, that they aren’t the ones who hired the whole hit in the first place.” His eyes narrowed. “Why hasn’t the Etheric Empire pointed their fingers at the Leath?”
“I’m not part of that group,” Shi-tan admitted, “so I don’t have a clue. What are you planning to do next?”
Kraaz narrowed his eyes. “I’m not staying here. I’m not fit to be a rancher or a farmer, or frankly to stay here at all.” He nodded to the ship above them. “I don’t know who might want me, but I’ll get fitted for an arm and I’ll do something. I’m too young to die here on our planet. Just, next time I’ll make sure to vet the company I’m with a little better.” He chuckled for a moment, a little glint of humor in his eyes. “Make sure they have the right attitude when it comes to taking on Death.”
Shi-tan smiled, then nodded to himself when he got the command in his ear’s receiver. “So, about that… I know a company that might want to interview you.”
Kraaz looked at him. “Is it a good company?”
Shi-tan chuckled. “Oh, it’s a very Bad Company. But,” he nodded to him, “it is the best family you will ever join. I personally guarantee that, on my family’s honor.”
Kraaz looked around, taking in the sights: his family’s home, the valley, and the trees. He looked back at Shi-tan. “On your family’s honor?”
“My personal honor,” Shi-tan confirmed. “My boss is on a bit of a Shrillexian hiring spree.”
“But you said it is a bad company,” Kraaz returned, eyes inquiring.
“That’s actually the name of the company. Bad Company. Consider us good guys who wear black.”
Kraaz stared at him blankly for a moment.
Shi-tan sighed, “Apparently I need to show you a few of the human movies they call Westerns before that will make any sense to you. We’re the good guys, but the laws are a bit nebulous for us at times.”
Kraaz started to smile. “Like spying on secret meetings?” He reached up and rubbed his jaw with his hand. “How did you get that knowledge?”
“Well,” Shi-tan grinned, “that’s the bad part. It’s what we did with it that makes it good.”
“Action?” Kraaz asked.
“How often do you want your ass kicked?” Shi-tan queried in return.
Kraaz stood up and walked over to the pistol. “Give me a few minutes to lock this place down. I haven’t had a good ass kicking since…”
Kraaz opened the door, his voice floating back from inside the house, “Death blew my arm off.”
While Kraaz was inside the house, Shi-tan stepped off the porch and looked around his planet. It was damned beautiful in these mountains. Then he looked at the ship floating above him.
But the planet wasn’t home, and it didn’t have family waiting for him to come back to them.
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, All Guns Blazing
Stephen walked past the long line of people waiting to get into the bar and nodded to the bouncer they had stationed up front. He didn’t really enjoy coming through the front, but when he walked through without waiting, those who asked “who the special one was” would find out he worked with the Empress.
Directly.
That would generally cause people in the line to start whispering about his importance, and it helped business. Stephen walked through the bar, stopping a couple of times to speak to people he recognized as being regulars and congratulating a few, dropping a few things he knew or remembered about them.
On one occasion he had noticed an upset young female who normally would have been surrounded by friends. He glanced into her mind and realized she was lovesick over a male on her team. She was a Were, he was a Guardian Marine, and apparently her heart had gone in a direction her mind had never expected.
He felt for her, but having your heart ripped out was part of growing up. Sometimes love didn’t care about the rules, but the rules didn’t get changed to fit your heart. Stephen had sent a message to Yelena to find another female Were to come say “hi” and hopefully help her.
This time there weren’t any problems, just congratulations on a new child to be offered to one regular who was drinking with friends to celebrate.
He finally made it to the kitchen, and from there into the small meeting room where Cheryl Lynn and Yelena were waiting for him. He smiled at both and sat down.
“This has to be quick,” Cheryl Lynn started. “Bethany Anne isn’t happy the L
eath are so quiet, and we have proof they are moving ships around. They are up to something, but we don’t know what.” She touched a button on her tablet. “Baghdad Bob is due to be on again in two hours, so I have to be there to refute his latest lies.”
“Sorry,” Yelena asked, “Baghdad Bob?”
“Um.” Cheryl Lynn explained. “That’s right, he was probably more of an American thing. Way back when the US was after Saddam Hussein, his Information Minister Saeed al-Sahaf would come on TV and say stuff so hilariously inaccurate that other countries accused then-President George W. Bush of hiring the guy during the war. He would say stuff like ‘the Americans are on the run,’ and yet you could see American tanks in the background of the video being shown to back his claims.” She shrugged. “So now anytime you have a mouthpiece for a government or company who is lying outrageously, we tend to call them Baghdad Bobs after Saeed al-Sahaf and his lies.”
“You remember his name?” Yelena asked.
“Only because I had to look it up to tell Peter the story two days ago,” she answered. “So, getting back on track, the plans are looking good.”
Stephen nodded. “Team BMW is going to be stuck in R&D for at least a decade or more.” Yelena grimaced, and he turned to his left to face her. “It’s true. They are working on two projects, and neither one is a cake-walk.”
“I know.” Her shoulders relaxed. “I get him for the weekends mostly, or I can go over there, but occasionally I’d like a big man-chest to rest my head on and he isn’t available.”
“So what do you do?” Cheryl Lynn asked.
“Bellatrix has to suffice,” Yelena answered. “Or I start thinking about a new beer recipe and tease him via video.”
“Does it work?”
“Only once,” she admitted. “But I think he only told me it did and was really here for something else.”
“No, I’m aware of that story,” Stephen replied. “He was here for you, and made up the reason to come get the part.”
“Awww,” the two ladies spoke at the same time.
“So,” Stephen got them back to business, “new bars?”
“Yes.” Yelena nodded. “But do we franchise, or…” She saw Cheryl Lynn’s face. “Ok, we stick with our own people.”
“I get that you are thinking profit,” Cheryl Lynn replied, “but we can’t trust a franchise, even if they are vetted by us in advance. We want complete control, and no one should be able to question us.”
“I’d suggest a profit-sharing plan as well,” Stephen added. “Further, we need to figure out something as amazing as the window into space for each bar.”
“Ooohhh!” Yelena’s eyes went distant. “Each bar is absolutely unique, one of a kind in that area of space.”
“Yes. Determine the best things about this bar and replicate to the best of our ability,” Stephen agreed.
“Keep them in the Etheric Empire for now,” Cheryl Lynn added. “We don’t want to be in the jurisdiction of another polity.”
“Do we keep the All Guns Blazing name?” Yelena asked. “So we could have an All Guns Blazing Straiphus for example?”
“That brand is priceless,” Cheryl Lynn told them. “Plus, we will sell clothing and merch. Further, I think we need to do some sort of challenge for our customers to try all the liquor, and if they do they get a patch or something.”
“You know how the merchant ship crews like their buttons and patches.”
Stephen’s eyes opened. “I like that,” he exclaimed. “Imagine someone walking around on another space station with half their vest full of All Guns Blazing patches?”
“Walking marketing.” Cheryl Lynn nodded. “The kind that pays us and then promotes us.”
19
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Empress’ Suite
Bethany Anne walked into the large closet and looked around. The room was about twenty feet by thirty feet and had all sorts of sections for clothes that were relevant to each role she played and even sorted by what species she had to meet with for an event.
She hated most of it.
She gnawed on her lip, her mind considering the ramifications of what she was considering. So far she had been pretty good at hiding her thoughts from her two tag-alongs.
Just then Ashur padded into the room. Matrix is finally going to his self-defense lessons without me having to pester him.
Bethany Anne looked at the white German Shepherd standing just inside the doorway. “He should since he almost got his ass handed to him permanently.”
Bellatrix was livid. I think she had a bit of a scare again. It took Yelena a while to calm her down.
“Mothers! Can’t live with them if they worry… Ok, never.” She continued her look around the closet. “How are you?”
It hurt when I thought he was dead, but we spoke about that. I used to hate the armor as much as he did, so I understood his annoyance. However, I’ve been better… What are you doing?
Restrict your questions to me only. I don’t need Nosy Nancy One and Two to start asking questions before I understand what’s on my mind.
Ashur walked a few more feet into her closet and dropped to the floor with his tongue hanging out. We going somewhere we shouldn’t?
Maybe.
Good. I’m bored.
Maybe not. You are pretty hard to hide. Your damn picture has been spread across the systems. Hell, I understand there is actually a doll of you over in the Torcellan system.
Think again.
“Huh?” Bethany Anne caught the amusement in Ashur’s mental voice and turned back to him. “How are you doing that?” she asked, when she saw that Ashur had changed his coat to a light tan and his feet to black. She walked over to him and knelt, stroking his fur.
You can stop that sometime next week.
“Yeah, you are a glutton for punishment,” she told him as she checked her hands. She grasped a few hairs and examined them in the light. “Wow, how do you do this?”
I worked with TOM. Apparently if you can control the nanocytes, you can modify your body structure. I’ve been working on changing my fur color for a little while. Bellatrix and I are going to go to the costume ball as each other if she can figure it out.
Bethany Anne dusted her hands to get off the hair and stood up. “That gives me an idea.”
TOM?
Yes, Oh Most Wonderful of Wonderful Organic Vehicles? What are we doing in the closet?
ADAM?
>> Yes, ma’am?<<
Kiss-ass.
>>Wait until she can pull you out and stomp on your head, then you might have a little bit more respect.<<
She can already shock me, and we both know she won’t kill us.
Are you two quite through having a conversation in my head?
Sure, for the moment, TOM agreed. Still curious why we are in the closet. I know for a fact you have nothing on your schedule for a week.
Exactly. Both of you are commanded to not divulge where I am until I allow you to state otherwise. And that means no hints either, ADAM.
Where are we going? TOM asked. She could almost sense him wanting to move her eyes so he could look around.
Have you read the story, The Prince and the Pauper?
>>Yes, as of a second ago. We have no Prince..ess.<<
No.
Bethany Anne wanted to roll her eyes as ADAM updated TOM.
>>There was a prince who wanted to go out of the castle, and he found a fellow who looked just like him. They switched places so each could experience the other’s lot in life. Unfortunately for the prince, no one believed he was the prince when his father died on the throne while he was away. It was written by Mark Twain in America in 1881 as a parable to not judge a person by his appearance.<<
I highly doubt anyone is going to sit on Bethany Anne’s throne while she is gone.
No one wants it, so that is why it’s safe, Bethany Anne jumped in. Make sure you guys are locked into whatever projects and have what you need.
Who are you bringing alo
ng? TOM asked. When Bethany Anne didn’t reply, TOM sighed.
Well, shit!
Bethany Anne went to one side of her closet near the back corner and pushed some dresses to the side. She grabbed a box and pulled it out, then walked toward her dressing table. Dropping the box on the table, she pulled off the top.
Folded neatly inside were some old leather pants, three Under Armour shirts, and some old holsters. Bethany Anne ran her hand over the leather and cracked a smile.
ADAM, send a message to Reynolds.
>> The space station Reynolds, or the superdreadnought?<<
Well, fuck, Bethany Anne mused. Really didn’t think that through too well. The ship. Tell him to start powering up.
Why aren’t you taking ArchAngel? TOM asked, curious.
Everyone expects the Empress to be on ArchAngel, that’s why. Plus, Reynolds has something I want.
TOM connected to ADAM and the two went through the manifest. So far, neither saw anything out of the ordinary.
What could she want?
Planet Leath, Main Continent, Leath Navy Department, R&D, Third Level Underground
First Line Prime Commander Tehrle nodded his head at the two second line Navy strategists he passed as he walked down the hall. For once he didn’t have five others dogging his steps as he went to his meeting.
It was refreshing, actually.
When the previous First had sacrificed himself for the greater good, Tehrle had been ready to step into the position and move forward with new plans. Unfortunately, he had to deal with some politics at the same time.
Then Prime Intelligence One got involved, and there were two sudden leaves of absence by the military’s top brass. Tehrle’s troubles settled down, allowing him to focus on beating the Etheric Empire.
Security checked him one more time before he walked to the final door—no window in it, just a vast amount of metal—which was opened by a guard. He strode through.
In this meeting he was going to find out what changes their ships needed before they could overpower the Etheric Empire.
Further, he was going to meet the Sixth of the Seven after this meeting to see what the gods could provide, beyond what the Leath had been able to figure out. Sometimes he wished the gods would just tell them what to do, not focus on allowing the Leath to come up with ideas in the first place.
Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Set Three: Books 15-21, Never Submit, Never Surrender, Forever Defend, Might Makes Right, Ahead Full, Capture Death, Life Goes On (Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Sets Book 3) Page 88