Judge, Jury, & Executioner Boxed Set

by Craig Martelle

  “Ted has begun the efforts to program the fleet for random and violent action,” K’Thrall reported with less frustration in his voice.

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” Terry said.

  Clifton turned from his position at the helm. “Federation Corvette Seven Seven Four preparing to Gate in.”

  “Roger,” Micky acknowledged. The klaxons sounded as the enemy destroyer appeared not far from the War Axe. “Fire!”

  The warship fired streams of railgun projectiles in a blanket around the enemy ship, covering the estimated travel routes. It turned its nose toward the Axe and started to fire.

  “Cease fire!” Terry yelled. “We can’t risk hitting the corvette.”

  “Call the corvette and delay the Gate.”

  “Too late,” Clifton reported.

  “Cease fire,” Micky confirmed. The stream trailed off as projectiles and plasma bolts from the enemy ship approached. “Extend the forward shield!”

  “Captain?” Clifton called.

  The ship’s artificial intelligence, General Smedley Butler, executed the order. “Shields are extended but have weakened by twenty-five percent. I don’t recommend extending them farther, or the degradation would render them useless. Do you intend for the inbound ship to Gate between the shield and the ship? I would not recommend such a course of action.”

  “No choice, Smedley. Ship-wide, brace for impact.” The command echoed throughout the ship as the crew scrambled to secure themselves. “Prepare to open the hangar doors.”

  The first projectiles disintegrated against the gravitic shields, but the volume of fire overwhelmed the defenses. The prow of the War Axe screamed in agony, and those on the bridge winced at the sound. The plasma deflected.

  “Starting to drift,” Helm remarked. “Compensating with thrusters.”

  “Gate forming,” K’Thrall reported from the Combat Information Center deep in the heart of the ship. It was where the captain should have been, but he’d refused to leave the bridge. He wanted to fight the ship (the jargon for taking a ship into battle) from the bridge, where he was more vulnerable but felt more in control.

  The corvette slid through the Gate, almost crashing into the War Axe. Its engines flared as they brought the small ship to a full stop.

  The Bad Company’s fleet was moving to contact. Ships with a clear line of fire were sending streams of hypervelocity projectiles at the enemy destroyer. Unfazed, it pressed toward the War Axe.

  “Open the doors and bring the corvette in. Retract the shields,” Micky ordered.

  “Terry to Rivka,” Terry said aloud, expecting Smedley to patch him through. “Let Smedley take control of your ship and stand by. We’re in the middle of trying not to die, so bear with us. Walton out.”

  The corvette immediately started moving toward the opening hangar bay doors. It hesitated until there was enough clearance, then smoothly slipped inside.

  “Fire all weapons,” Micky ordered. The War Axe shifted position as the mains shuddered into action. Massive railguns along the port and starboard lengths of the ship sent heavier projectiles at a faster rate of speed. The enemy destroyer lurched away, then faded and was gone.

  “Fire into the projected flight path and in a three-sixty around where it disappeared,” Micky shouted.

  The ship’s nose circled to direct the fire of the main weapons. A spark and explosion detailed a hit on the enemy’s invisible ship. The War Axe zeroed its fire but wasn’t rewarded with the enemy’s destruction.

  The hangar bay doors closed tightly behind the corvette.

  “Damage control to stations. Let’s fix the damage before that bastard returns. We hurt him, but not enough. Next time, people, we’ll splatter his ship across the stars,” Micky vowed. Smedley sounded the appropriate call to action within the ship. Terry looked at the captain but didn’t have the right words of encouragement.

  “I’m going to the hangar bay to meet the Magistrate,” Terry told him on his way out. He hurried off the bridge, almost running into his wife Charumati. “Rivka is here. Going down to say hi and see what she needs.”

  Char followed. “How’s the ship?”

  “Been better. Ted is working on something to try to get in front of this bastard.”

  “How is it possible that someone is owning us like this? We have the entire Harborian Fleet incorporated into Bad Company, and we can’t even get off a shot.”

  “We got off some shots, and hit it, too,” Terry explained as they went down the six flights to the hangar level. “I don’t know how badly we hurt it, or exactly how badly it hurt us. We found out that it doesn’t have shields while cloaked, so it could be using Federation technology. I don’t know. More importantly, Ted doesn’t know, and that’s what bothers me the most.”

  Char listened carefully. “What are we trying to protect?”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “What is it attacking? As in, what is worth dying for?”

  “The station where R2D2 has their research facility. The shipyard isn’t cutting edge yet. If it gets damaged, it can be repaired without too much difficulty. The Harborian Fleet is here, but killing a hundred ships is a tall order. Killing the War Axe would be a major coup for the bad guys, because the Direct Action Branch is on board. Our combat suits are here. We have advanced weapons, but we also have Ted and his AI Plato and our friendly Crenellian.”

  She frowned. “Do you think someone is trying to kill our Ted?”

  “Crazy thought, but it’s all I can come up with. Someone is coming after the heart and the genius of the Bad Company.” TH shrugged.

  His wife sighed. “I hope you’re wrong, or that Ted does what Ted does and finds a way to track this flaming bunghole so we can kill him.”

  “Nothing like a missile up the tailpipe to let you know that you messed with the wrong people.”

  “That’s one way to do it,” Char remarked.

  They walked onto the hangar deck and stopped. “Where do you think the access is?” Terry asked.

  Char shrugged. Their question was answered when the hatch popped and a short ramp extended to the deck. Terry and Char stepped to the bottom and waited. First person out was a big man, heavily armed.

  “Why, Rivka! You’ve changed so much since last we met.”

  “Red, meet Terry and Char,” a voice yelled from within the ship as she peeked around her bodyguard.

  The tension in the man’s face eased as he approached. “Bodyguard?” Terry asked. The two men shook hands, matching the power in the other’s grip.

  “My name is Vered. My job is to keep Rivka safe. I hope you understand.”

  “I used to do some of that myself, about a million years ago. I do understand, my man. I doubt the Magistrate is very popular with the criminals.”

  “You can say that again.”

  “The Magistrate can protect herself,” Rivka called from the hatch. “But since he’s on the payroll, I let him carry all my firepower.”

  Terry glanced at Red to see a minute shake of his head.

  “Of course, Magistrate. You want something that you think I can provide?”

  Rivka hugged Char first, then Terry Henry. “What the hell is going on out there? We Gated into the front of your ship. Should that have blown something up, namely, you?”

  “That’s what the AI said. Imagine how surprised and pleased we are not to be dead. But that’s also a testament to Ted’s engineering of the new Gates, which your ship has. They are much cleaner with the post-Gate energy dissipation, or so I’ve been told.”

  Char stepped in to answer Rivka’s question. “An enemy destroyer showed up out of nowhere and started shooting. It can cloak, and it’s giving us fits. A small fleet of ships like it, and we’d all be dead. At least it’s only the one, so we have an uneasy stalemate at present. Sometimes one or the other gets off a shot that lands close to home. One of these times, it’s going to hit something important.”

  “I like to say that hope is a lousy plan,” T
erry offered. “But hope is all we got.”

  “You have something else, too. You mentioned you might be able to loan me a techno-whiz on a short-term contract?”

  “Nothing like getting right to it, eh Magistrate?” Terry looked down. “Have you grown taller since Onyx Station?”

  “About six inches. I changed my hair too, but you’re a man and probably didn’t notice.”

  “Your eyes are different, too,” Terry added in a weak attempt to redeem himself. “Pod-doc?”

  “Necessary evil in this line of work. The ambient temperature on a planet where we conducted an arbitration was one hundred and sixty degrees Fahrenheit. Without the nano boost, I would have been like him.”

  “Oh, my God! Do you have to tell everyone?” Red blurted.

  Rivka laughed. “I do. I really do. He passed out, and I had to carry him, in the heat. I told him he needs to eat more salads, but he’s not doing that.”

  “I’m good now,” Red gruffed.

  Jay and Lindy slowly descended the stairs.

  “You can put your hardware away, Red. On the War Axe, you are under my protection and that of the Bad Company. There is no threat to the Magistrate.”

  “This is Jayita and Lindy, members of my team.”

  “And you protect them all?” Terry asked Red.

  “To the best of my ability, and with my life, if need be.”

  “I knew you were a good man when I saw you.” Terry turned toward the others. “I’m Terry Henry Walton, but my friends call me TH.”

  “You don’t want to be anything other than a friend to this guy,” Rivka told the women.

  “He’s a big pussycat,” Char suggested.

  “Mine is, too,” Lindy said as she took Red’s arm. “I heard TH tell you that you’re off the clock.”

  “Stand down, Red. Relax,” Rivka ordered. “Take a tour of the ship. Maybe see if there is anything in their armory they’d be willing to part with.”

  “Christina, can you meet us on the hangar deck?” Terry asked aloud.

  “On my way,” Terry’s Executive Officer replied over the hangar deck’s sound system.

  “Who do you have in mind?” Char asked. Judging by Rivka’s fidgeting, she assumed the Magistrate was in a hurry.

  “Ankh,” Terry replied.

  “Uncle who?” Jay asked.

  “Ankh’Po’Turn. He’s a Crenellian who has been working with Ted for a little while now. He has the chops, and he has a new AI that he carries around with him, just like Ted.”

  “A Crenellian?”

  “Small humanoids with oversized heads and no sense of humor. He doesn’t eat much or take up much space. We’ll see what he thinks of the idea.”

  “You haven’t asked him yet?” Char poked Terry in the chest.

  “I have, but was light on the details. You know Ankh. He wanted answers that I couldn’t give him, so he told me to go away.”

  “That sounds like Ankh,” Char admitted.

  Christina and Kai appeared and walked toward them. Christina eyed Red warily. Kai beamed his brightest smile at the three women. “Incorrigible,” Char mumbled.

  “My! Who are these astral delights? Constellations are named after treasures such as these. I am Kai, and humbly at your service.”

  “What is wrong with you?” Christina asked, with a snort and a chuckle.

  “Me? You wound me gravely, my love,” Kai replied softly while making cow eyes at her.

  Jay stepped forward. “I’m Jay!” she said in a young voice. Kai kissed the back of her hand. Christina watched in amusement. Lindy offered her hand, and Red thrust his hand in front of hers.

  “Red,” he offered gruffly.

  Lindy tried to shoulder him out of the way but bounced off his massive bicep.

  “My, aren’t you a big one!” Kai exclaimed, shaking his hand quickly before working his way to Lindy.

  “Forget him,” Christina suggested. “He’s mostly harmless. I’m Colonel Christina Lowell. Nice to have you on board. I hear you’re looking for technical help.”

  “Magistrate Rivka Anoa, and yes. The Bad Company’s Direct Action Branch comes highly recommended.”

  Terry interrupted everyone by throwing his hands in the air and calling for quiet. “Christina, show Red the armory and see if there is anything we can spare that he might need. It all goes to support the Federation. Kai, if you would be so kind as to give Jay and Lindy a quick tour of the ship, I’d appreciate it. Rivka, with us. Let’s go talk to Ankh.”

  “Ladies.” Kai offered an elbow to each.

  Christina shook her head. “He’s mine,” she said loudly enough for all to hear.

  Red cleared his throat, “She’s...” He stopped himself. “I’m hers,” he corrected and pointed to Lindy. She looked over her shoulder and winked.

  Terry, Char, and Rivka followed Kai and his charges toward the interior of the ship. Christina and Red headed toward the front of the hangar and the access to the armory.

  “In the old days, crew fraternization would have been strictly prohibited. Sometimes it created more problems than it solved, but other times it saved the young from themselves. Now, I don’t see the issue. I don’t care as long as they can fight. We don’t have time to play games when we’re knee-deep in the shit, and they all know that.” Terry indicated the others with his eyes.

  “I just want people to comply with the Federation’s laws. It’s really not that hard. I think I can sum up the entirety of the law in a few choice words. ‘Don’t be a dick.’”

  “I couldn’t have said it better myself. But since the universe’s inhabitants can’t comply with that one simple premise, there are people like us.”

  “Would Ankh be a good addition to my team?” Rivka asked. They followed Kai, Jay, and Lindy up the stairs. Kai led his group into the corridor on the second level. Terry pointed up one more level.

  “He’s tenacious, and will help you with your technical issues. The Crenellians are a cerebral lot. He won’t party with you or do anything you might consider fun, but he’s a player. When the chips were down, he was right there with us, using his mind to save our lives. If he agrees to go with you, you won’t be sorry,” Terry suggested.

  “Who flies your ship?” Char asked.

  “Chaz, the EI.”

  “If Ankh is on board, he’ll probably want his AI to take over the ship duties so the two aren’t butting heads.”

  “I don’t think Chaz will like that.”

  “Did you say EI or AI?”

  “He says he’s an EI.”

  “Smedley tried to do that to us, too. I think it’s their self-protection kicking in when they become self-aware. Fewer expectations of an EI. How can you tell an EI has ascended? When he insists he’s an EI.”

  “I suspect as much. I hope Ankh joins us.”

  “So this is her,” Ankh said, appearing from around a corner. The Crenellian carried the case with his AI, one of Plato’s Stepchildren called Erasmus, like a backpack.

  “I am Magistrate Rivka Anoa. Do you know what Magistrates do?”

  Ankh looked at her emotionlessly, the same way he looked at everyone.

  “That’s his way of saying no,” Char explained.

  “I have to go to planets with less-than-stellar law enforcement to not only interpret the laws but investigate crimes, try the accused, and punish the guilty. I am the judge, jury, and executioner. I need you to help me with the first part, investigating crimes.”

  “Yes. I wouldn’t be any good at the last part. You will have to take care of that yourself. I will transmit my terms to you. I will review your proposal and give you my decision within thirty days.”

  “Ankh!” Terry said as the small humanoid turned to walk away. “She needs an answer right now because she has to leave.”

  “Then the answer is no,” Ankh replied over his shoulder.

  “Ankh!” Terry stopped him a second time. “You will be challenged like never before by people who are hostile to our way of life. You
will be in constant combat with the digital worlds we have created to make our lives easier. That’s where the evidence exists. You know that there only two people in the whole universe who can get into any system, find the info, and get out without anyone ever knowing they were there. That’s you and Ted, and Ted isn’t going to leave Felicity for any longer than he has to. The Federation is calling. Is the Ankh-man going to answer?”

  “Ankh-man?” Char whispered.

  The Crenellian looked blankly at Terry and then turned to Rivka. “I want double pay and my own room, unlimited Etheric energy, and double rations.”

  “Have you seen Red and how much he can eat? What do you need double rations for?”

  “To see where you’d draw the line in our negotiations. I can have the energy?”

  “We have two of the miniaturized Etheric power supplies on board to energize the Gate, shields, and all other systems simultaneously.”

  “Two? On that small ship?”

  “It’s not that small, is it? They promised me a frigate when my team grows large enough,” she lied.

  Ankh nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.” He walked past them, oblivious to whether they followed.

  “You’re going to give him double pay?”

  “First, I have no idea what any of us are getting paid, so double an unknown is still unknown. What are you paying him?”

  Terry looked to Char. She shrugged. “We don’t know.”

  “And there we are. I’ll double that.”

  “Don’t lose him, or he’ll have your ship reconfigured before you catch up.”

  “He wouldn’t dare,” Rivka exclaimed, running toward the stairs.

  Chapter Nine

  Bring back your guests, people. That didn’t take as long as we thought it would. Say your goodbyes to Ankh. I suspect that he might not be back, Terry transmitted using his comm chip.

  Terry and Char ran into Kai, Jay, and Lindy on their way to the hangar bay. They stopped abruptly, and Terry almost tripped over them.

  “What is that?” Jay asked, pointing.

  “That’s Floyd. She’s a wombat.” Terry squeezed past the mini-mob, and Floyd waddled happily up to him. He held his arms out, and she jumped. He caught her and pulled her to his chest. “Everyone say hi to Floyd.”