“It’s what they do. They sell weapons,” Ankh explained. “Crenellia is a planet on the frontier and is not yet a signatory to the Federation, although negotiations are ongoing.”
“They won’t fight once we’re inside?”
“They will use their technology. If they are being held hostage, then Shnobhauer will use Crenellian technology. No matter who is in charge inside, you will have to fight the automated weaponry. If I’m inside when the systems are not actively engaged, Erasmus and I can probably access them and shut them off.”
Rivka removed her datapad from the inside pocket of her Magistrate’s jacket. She shivered, even though the room was hot. “Chaz, send a message to Crenellations, Inc that the Crenellian ambassador is on his way.”
“I’ll take five teams,” Harpeth told the officers. He pointed at individuals, and they nodded to acknowledge. “The rest of you are on standby. Wait in the tactical deployment area two blocks from the target structure.”
Rivka led the way out. When Ankh left the room, Red handed his railgun to Lindy and picked up the Crenellian. “You and me, buddy. Let’s rock that guy’s world.”
“You can’t kill him.”
“You know I want to, Ankh, but I won’t. The Magistrate will extract every bit of intel from his brain before judging him. My guess is that he’ll die ugly.”
“I think we all die ugly when it’s time,” Ankh replied.
“Damn. You two are bringing me down. I’d say don’t take risks, but that would be abjectly moronic. Try to take risks that aren’t too risky.” Rivka wasn’t sure she should hug Red since she didn’t want to crush Ankh. In the end, she decided a gentle hand on Ankh’s head would suffice. “Don’t you dare die. Either of you. I should be the one going in there.”
“The difference between you and us, Magistrate, is that we’re expendable.”
“I’m not,” Ankh interjected.
Rivka snorted. “And neither are you, you big goon. I’ve gotten used to you blocking my sun. Don’t make me try to find someone else. Lindy might miss you, too.”
“Maybe,” Lindy added.
Jay had been suspiciously absent from the conversation, so it surprised the others when she finally spoke. “I should go with them as Ankh’s special assistant.”
Red shook his head.
“I’d like that,” Ankh said. Red stopped and stared.
“Say what?”
“Okay,” Rivka found herself saying. The banter stopped as they climbed into the law enforcement van.
Ankh started his own briefing for Red and Jay. “My people are no physical threat to you, but under no circumstances should you allow them to touch or interact with any equipment...” He continued to talk until they arrived at the corner. They’d walk from there.
Rivka grimaced as the three exited the van. Red removed his vest and patted himself down. Rivka handed her neutron pulse weapon to him. It looked like a flashlight. He winked when he palmed it. Jay took Ankh’s hand, and together they walked into the roadway and toward Crenellations, Inc.
Lindy stood shoulder to shoulder with the Magistrate.
“I feel like shit,” Rivka stated.
“Me, too,” Lindy agreed.
Harpeth sat in the passenger’s seat, watching. “What now, Magistrate?”
“We prepare ourselves for a violent breach. Bring your explosives team and be ready.”
Harpeth snapped his fingers, and two pairs of individuals jogged up. “Prepare for an explosive breach of the front door. On my order.”
Lindy handed Red’s railgun to Rivka. “For when the power of the law is secondary to physics.”
“Blazer. I can’t believe he named his gun.”
“That’s not the only gun he’s named,” Lindy hinted.
Rivka turned to her new teammate. “I’m glad you joined us. I’m sorry you have to be here for this. I don’t even want to watch this. I like being on the doing end of things.”
“I’m not sure I could be anywhere else right now, Magistrate.” Lindy raised her railgun and tapped Blazer. “May this be resolved quickly. To the pain.”
“To the pain,” Rivka replied before chuckling. “Maybe we should have brought the mech.”
We’re walking toward the front door, Red reported over their internal comm link. He scanned the front of the building looking for weaponry, but nothing stuck out. He identified panels disguised to look like part of the building. Emplacements. Good field of fire. Safe at the entrance.
Roger, Rivka replied, unsure what Red’s running narrative meant, but happy that he was engaged.
Jay pressed the button while Ankh stared at the camera. Red was surprised to hear it buzzing through the door. The deactivation had only been while he and Rivka were out front.
A Crenellian face appeared on the screen.
Probably not hostages. A Crenellian answered the doorbell, he relayed.
“What do you want?” the voice asked evenly.
“You know what I want,” Ankh replied in the same tone.
“Maybe you can enlighten us, traitor.”
“This could have gone one of two ways. I had hoped for the first while knowing the second was correct. Give up the human. He has crimes to answer for. And so, it appears, do you.”
“We provide a valuable service to the entire galaxy.”
“Of course, you do, but you don’t need to supply terrorists. There are a great number of planets that could use Crenellian help, but your arrogance and egos are getting in the way of good business and technological advancement. There is more you don’t know than you can imagine.” Ankh stared emotionlessly at the screen.
Red nodded in appreciation of the monumental burn delivered by the tiny big-headed alien to his countrymen.
“You’re not coming in,” the Crenellian on the screen replied.
“I expected as much.”
The screen went blank, and the door popped open. Ankh motioned for Red to enter. He hurried around Ankh and Jay and pushed the door open carefully as his eyes darted around the unknown entry. No one was there. He tiptoed through.
Ankh has opened the door. Follow us in, Red reported. Erasmus?
There is so much they don’t know. Ankh’s internal voice laughed. By answering our ring, they opened the door and didn’t even know it.
“Go, go, go!” Rivka called as she and Lindy started running.
Harpeth was caught flat-footed. “Go where?”
“We’re in,” Rivka shouted over her shoulder as she turned the corner and ran toward Crenellations, Inc.
Ankh and Jay followed Red inside.
Goggles, the Crenellian told them before he moved his into place.
The lights went out. Emergency systems instantly appeared, bathing the area in red, but only for a few moments before they, too, disappeared.
Vered walked slowly as music started playing. Grainger’s death metal. It wasn’t loud, but it would cover any sound they made short of firing a railgun.
They’d become the predators. Red snarled, wishing for his railgun, when someone bumped into him from behind. He glanced over his shoulder, where Rivka was holding Blazer out. He took it in one hand, passing the neutron pulse device to her with the other. He smiled savagely, his goggles hiding the determination in his eyes.
Lindy flared to his side, pointing to her goggles and then to the room on her right. She held up a single digit, drew a line across her throat, and stabbed a finger in the opposite direction. Red hatcheted his arm to the left and started moving that way.
I have a Crenellian at a workstation in front of me. He is working the keyboard. Lindy reported.
Shoot the computer, Ankh ordered.
She aimed and fired a single projectile. The railgun’s crash shook the tables within the room, exploding the computer and blowing the Crenellian backward off his chair.
Oops, Lindy exclaimed. She moved carefully through the room toward the injured alien. Dropping to a knee, she kept her railgun pointed at a second doorway. T
he Crenellian’s small neck pulsed with life. Lindy removed a zip tie from her pocket and locked his small arms behind his back.
Ankh strolled in behind her, stepping casually around the injured Crenellian.
What is this place? Jay asked.
A workshop. Look for a technology demonstration room, an immersive holographic experience. It helps sell the products when the buyers are on the receiving end of what the weapons can do. There may even be a live-fire system in the basement. I believe that’s where the others will be.
There’s no place to relax in here, Jay commented.
That’s not what we do. There will be a nice kitchen and a nice bathroom with a sauna. Engaging our minds is the epitome of who we are.
Are the weapons turned off, Ankh? We’re not going to get lit up every time we walk into a room, are we? Rivka asked.
The systems are completely under Erasmus’ control. If there is a standalone system, not on the grid, Erasmus cannot be held responsible for that. Ankh stopped and looked around. Jay kneeled next to him.
If there were such a system, Erasmus better tell us where it is, or he is responsible. Rivka was adamant about that. The more hope she had for getting through this without getting hurt, the more she wanted to come through unscathed.
She’d already shared some of her blood with the ground of Collum Gate. She wished to share no more of hers or from anyone on her team’s.
Red and Rivka prowled through the left-hand rooms, which were austere and utilitarian, containing nothing of note. They reminded her of Ankh’s cabin on Peacekeeper.
They need some color in their lives, she suggested.
We’re at the door to the basement, Lindy relayed. Grainger’s death metal continued to scrape across their eardrums. No one complained.
Wait there until we’ve checked upstairs, Rivka ordered.
Red and Rivka circled back to the front of the building and slowly climbed the curving staircase. A marble railing arced upward, drawing the eye to a skylight above, currently filled with the dark of the night sky. Whoever built it took care with the simple elegance. Rivka appreciated the beauty in the single moment she allowed herself.
Red quickly moved off the steps and onto the balcony. He stopped to survey his surroundings, crouching to make himself a smaller target. Rivka ducked behind him, understanding why but thinking it did little for a man of Red’s size. He waved at her to follow, and they started at the far end to funnel anyone who ran down the stairs and out the front door to where Harpeth and his men should be.
The farthest room was the sleeping quarters. Six small beds were arrayed in two rows. More physical austerity from the cerebral race.
Room after room, labs and workshops, but the last room they checked, the one closest to the staircase, was the largest and completely packed with military hardware. There was even a satellite hanging from the ceiling. A plasma weapon’s launch barrel protruded from it, pointing directly at the door through which they’d entered.
Once Red confirmed that no one was hiding in the display room he whispered, “How’d they get this stuff up here?”
Rivka shrugged. None of the equipment was manned. It was all made to be operated remotely. Effortless warfare.
“I’m glad Ankh is on our side, but I’m not liking his people much.”
“The galaxy will be fine without this crap. War needs to be expensive; have a high cost in lives, so people think twice before waging it.”
They’re coming out, Lindy blurted directly into their minds.
In a rush, the door popped open, and a small bot ran headlong into Lindy. She had been ready but still wasn’t able to respond before being bowled over backward. The suspect was next out, delivering a stiff arm to Jay’s forehead before running for the front door. Four Crenellians rushed out and tried to grab Ankh.
Jay picked him up and spun, delivering a back kick that impacted the chest of the closest Crenellian. She spun back, throwing a wild roundhouse kick at the other four. They dodged back, one of them tripping over their prone comrade.
With Ankh still in her arms. Jay closed on them. “Leave him alone!” she shouted. The Crenellians backed away as she kicked at their faces.
Maybe you should make them lie on the floor? Ankh suggested.
“Get on the floor! On your faces, maggots!” Jay was unhappy. Not only had she been attacked, but she was also afraid she’d killed one of the Crenellians. He was on the floor, unmoving, unblinking eyes staring at nothing.
The others assumed the face-down position, and Jay started to hyperventilate.
He’s running toward the front door! Lindy passed.
We’re upstairs, Rivka replied. She and Red bolted from the room and jumped down the stairs, hitting the fifth step down, before leaping again. The suspect appeared for a moment as he ran through the foyer and into the entryway. Bodies collided with grunts.
“Got you,” Harpeth declared. “Cuff him and hold him tight.”
Rivka and Red hit the bottom step together, finally slowing when they saw the uniformed personnel blocking the entryway. They held a struggling and squirming figure.
“Please turn the lights on, Erasmus,” Rivka requested. The lights blazed to life, bathing the area in their warm glow.
One of the officers grabbed a handful of hair and turned the man’s face toward Rivka.
“Bindola Shnobhauer. At last, we meet,” she said coldly, watching Harpeth to see if he would take the man away before she could talk to him. Zombie him.
Chapter Nineteen
She grabbed him by the arm and looked into his dark eyes, the depths of which seemed empty. The spark of life and joy was gone. She could feel the despair within his mind.
“Who else is killing the aliens?” she demanded. No one. The shooter had been a pleasant surprise, a competent marksman to join the cause of Collum First. She saw in Bindola’s mind the knife attack that he’d made on the ambassador. It had given him a feeling of superiority for a few moments. It had given him joy.
Rivka let go and stepped away.
“What’d you see?” Harpeth asked.
“He is a very sick man. His mind is genius, and his rational being is almost gone. He’s to be pitied. Supra, find everyone associated with Collum First. You’ll want to talk to them about their irrational hatred toward aliens.”
Rivka moved close to grip Shnobhauer by the neck. “Where were you going in such a hurry?”
Away. Anywhere but there.
“Where is your bomb factory?”
Factory? Each one is a work of art. A bomb studio…yes. That’s what it is.
“You’ll want to bring the Crenellians in, too. He was making bombs in the basement. He attached one of those bombs to our van to destroy the evidence and his accomplices,” Rivka told the supra. “No honor among this band of thieves.”
Supra Harpeth waved his officers past. Lindy was in the doorway, waiting while Jay hovered over the prone captives, unable to take her eyes from the alien she’d killed.
“One last question,” Rivka started. “You worked with aliens to kill aliens. How do you justify that within that brain of yours?”
Fury! The aliens are all predators. Turn them against each other. They are nothing more than genetic failures on a galactic scale.
“Indeed,” Rivka replied. “Lock him up forever. He’s taken his last breath of free air. For the record, Bindola Shnobhauer, you have been judged.”
Harpeth nodded before shaking his head. “You know our laws, Magistrate. He’ll be executed before the night is out.”
“Why? What will capital punishment do in this case?”
The supra looked around before leaning close and speaking in a hush. “Because we have to win, and win big. No one can rise from the penal system and challenge authority. Not someone with his disdain for life.”
“There’s no cost savings?”
“Of course there is. We’d pay for rehabilitation if it worked, but the recidivism rate is too high. None of the training o
r touchy-feely programs work with any semblance of reliability.”
“So you make the problem go away?” Rivka cocked her head to give him side-eye.
“We deal with such problems in a definitive way.” Harpeth didn’t invite further discussion on the subject as Bindola Shnobhauer was shackled and led to a waiting cruiser. He was chained to a ring inside the vehicle, and two officers took positions on either side of him. With a lead and trail car, the small convoy lifted into the air and raced away.
Four Crenellians appeared in handcuffs. The fifth required a stretcher, and the sixth needed a body bag. They were sequestered while waiting for a vehicle to take them away.
Rivka and Red joined the others in the back where steps led to the basement. Ankh was trying to guide Jay from the building, but she wouldn’t budge. She continued to stare at the spot on the floor where the dead Crenellian had lain. Rivka was torn between wanting to look in the basement and helping her crew.
Red saved her from having to make the decision. “Lindy and I will take a look downstairs. Watch over them while we’re gone.” Red pointed with his chin at Ankh and Jay.
“Will do, Boss,” Rivka replied. The big man nodded, and together with Lindy, they headed below ground. Five minutes later, they returned. “Too many weapons and explosives. I’m surprised they didn’t blow themselves up.”
“Anything else?”
“Computer systems. A bunch of them; probably run all the different toys they have in this place. I’m not sure how you would dismantle a weapons cache like we have here. If you blew it in place, secondary explosions would level the block.”
“We’ll leave that for Harpeth to figure out. Jay, honey? Come with us. I think we’ll go back to our ship now and get some rest.”
Law enforcement vehicles were stacked up in front of Crenellations, Inc. The ambulance pulled up and removed the injured alien. Two officers climbed into the back with him. The body bag went into a different vehicle. The four prisoners were put in the back of a windowless hover sedan. Ankh stood tall on the steps as he watched his people hauled away.
Judge, Jury, & Executioner Boxed Set Page 56