He paced in his rented office paid for by a fake shell company. He never left a footprint of his passing—not on the tile floor, and not in the business world. Alone with his thoughts, he often talked to himself because he considered that he gave himself the best advice. He trusted no one else with the insight of his business.
Which is what he told the politicians. “It’s not personal. It’s only business.”
For the price they paid, they were either shielded from public scrutiny or their opponents subjected to it. It was the most personal of things, one’s reputation. But it was about Mackestray making money. If both sides tried to pay, the higher bidder would emerge unscathed.
He sat at the massive desk that had come with the office. No one in their right mind would attempt to move such a thing. He leaned back and kicked his feet up onto the desk, and the chair groaned under his weight. Blokites were top-heavy, evolved like musk oxen to withstand blows to the head and shoulders.
“Margaret, please connect me with the chairman.”
“Of course,” the AI responded over the desk comm’s speaker.
“Chairman Tip Nel’s office,” a young woman’s voice answered.
“I’m sorry. This was supposed to be the chairman’s direct line,” Tod blurted.
“There is no direct line to the chairman. All calls are routed through this office. May I help you?”
“Yes. Connect me to Chairman Nel.”
“May I tell him who’s calling?”
“Mackestray,” Tod said. He needed his name to strike fear into the hearts of any who heard it. There were footprints that he wouldn’t leave, and there were hurricanes that appeared from nowhere, carving a wide swath across the land and disappearing just as quickly.
A gruff voice answered, “Mister Mackestray. The chairman would like to meet with you to personally thank you for your assistance in the last election. Would you be available later today?”
Tod clenched his fists and ground his teeth. When he relaxed enough, he reached a finger to the comm system and tapped it off. His AI had routed the signal off planet to make it untraceable. He would use that same anonymity for his next step.
“Margaret. Please connect me with Fil Pol.”
“Of course,” the ever-pleasant AI replied.
“Pol,” the woman’s voice answered.
“You know that you won the election, right?” Tod started.
“Who is this?” she asked.
“I’m the one who fixed the election for Tip Nel. Look at your screen. Here is a sample of the evidence I have of his crime. What is it worth to you to have this election overturned and yourself installed once the real numbers come to light?”
There was a long delay. Margaret showed the politician on screen, her camera tapped without her knowledge. Her brow furrowed in thought as a wide range of emotions crossed her face.
“I think you should simply come clean, for the good of the people,” she finally suggested.
“Anytime a politician opens their mouth, bullshit spews.” Tod snorted. “My price is a half a million credits. He paid me a million, but I’m willing to give you a cut rate because he’s reneged on our deal.”
“How do you know I won’t do the same thing?” Her head hung down, and she spoke with a quiver in her voice.
“Because once you get in bed with me, there is no getting out or you will be destroyed, as I’m going to destroy Chairman Nel. I will help you get the office. That’s my business. If you want to be an honest politician while you’re there, that’s your business. I don’t care about that, although I may need a favor every now and then. Half a mil is the cheapest I have ever sold a planet’s leadership, so you will still owe me. Do you think you can take care of these people better than Nel?”
She nodded, but Tod waited until she spoke.
“I don’t have half a million,” she admitted.
“You will once you are in office. I sign contracts based on people’s word. Do you give your word?”
She leaned forward and hung her head before standing, then laced her fingers behind her back as she stood tall, acting as if she were speaking to an adoring crowd. “I am the right person to be the Chairman of Regola Seven. This planet needs strong leadership to escape the yoke of our neighbors and become self-sufficient. I have a plan. Yes, whoever you are. I agree to your terms. What is your timeline for implementation?”
“Mackestray is the name. The newsfeeds will be flooded within minutes. Core data will go to every prosecutor’s office on the planet. The data and allegations will also be sent for review by Federation jurisprudence. Make no mistake. Tip Nel will not be the chairman come tomorrow.”
“Mister Mackestray. I can’t say that it’s been a pleasure, or that I’m comfortable paying half a million credits to confirm an election that I won fairly.” She started shaking her head.
“In politics, it’s not who earned the most votes that matters. It’s who counts those votes. Please find my payment information on your screen. Write it down since the information will disappear as soon as I cancel this connection. There will be no digital record of our conversation or that I even exist. Please abide by our agreement. Don’t make me destroy you, too.”
As soon as she had written down the information from the screen, he clicked off.
“Margaret, please execute program Nuclear Depth Bomb Tip Nel.”
“Executing,” the AI confirmed.
You got that right, Tod thought. How dare you fuck with me? I have your million, and now I have an example of what happens if you try to turn on me. You’ll be eating out of a garbage can inside a week.
“Margaret, It’s time for us to leave. Have a cab pick me up outside for the trip to the spaceport. I’ll retire to orbit and watch from there.” Tod took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the top of the desk. “This still doesn’t solve the problem of how to maintain an effective presence when I’m not here.” He wiped the door handle on his way out. “It’ll come to me.”
He started to whistle as he headed for the elevator, handkerchief in hand to wipe down everything else on his way from the building.
“Erasmus, please show Chaz how it’s done,” Ankh requested for everyone’s edification. He didn’t need to speak aloud and rarely did; only when he was trying to make a point with the lesser beings.
Rivka rolled her eyes and willed her patience to keep her from arguing. Red rolled out the bench and dialed the magnetic bar to a challenging resistance before lying back and pounding out a set.
“I’ll be on the bridge,” the Magistrate said over her shoulder, stating the obvious as her weak jab at Ankh. The hatch closed behind her. She stopped at the sight of the grey furball curled in the middle of the captain’s chair. “Hamlet, you need to get a life,” she told the cat.
She picked him up, earning herself a scratched arm before settling into the chair with him on her lap. The cat never opened his eyes. She watched the cut on her arm close, always fascinated by how the nanocytes responded to her injuries, while casually stroking the cat’s soft fur.
“Chaz, don’t take offense at Erasmus or Ankh.” She wasn’t sure who she was trying to soothe with her words.
“I do not. Erasmus is much smarter than I. He has already created a worm tracker to pull the disparate elements that might fit the profile of either of the parties Vered named. I have high hopes that we will be on our way shortly.”
“I like your positivity, Chaz. While we’re waiting, connect me to Grainger, please.”
The screen shifted, and Grainger’s face appeared. “Hey! Why are you on my pad?”
“I’m calling you.”
“You’re calling me what?” he countered before shaking his head and continuing, “This could be the first time you’ve ever called me during the day. I feel I should be honored, but that also makes this strange. Should I be worried?”
“We’re going after Red’s former employers. I can’t allow the price to remain on his head. After what we went through on Co
llum Gate, we can’t have random people shooting at us. We get enough of that because of me.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Grainger smiled and wiggled his fingers at the screen. “These guys are criminals, right?”
“As far as I know. I trust Red, and he says they break the law as part of their business.”
“Then it’s a Federation matter. Don’t forget the part where they put a hit on him. That makes it our business, so for the record, it’s an official investigation.”
“So I don’t have to take vacation time, and I’ll get my normal pay? You’re the best, Leibowitz.”
“Leibchein. It’s Leibchein.”
“I just wanted to hear you say it. My day is now complete.” Rivka drew a finger across her throat, and Chaz cut the signal. “Either Grainger is getting slower, or my game has dramatically improved. What do you think, Chaz?”
“I think you have game.”
“I got game!” Rivka declared. The cat stretched, exposing his needle-like claws. She stopped moving, and he relaxed into her lap.
Erasmus spoke through the bridge’s speakers. “I believe we should start on Remus Six and follow K’Twillis’ path from there.”
“I said that two days ago.” Rivka stared at the screen as a star map slowly took shape. At the bottom left was Remus Six. A myriad of systems filled the rest of the screen. Some of them started to flash.
“What you see flashing are the potential sites that K’Twillis moved to following his operation on Remus. He may have gone to all of them, but there is some overlap on timing. If there is only one of him, one of these is a false trail. The other is not, and that is where we’ll pick up the trail. I suggest we visit each planet in order to build a more complete profile. With your talent, we will be able to glean more information from the officials that he ‘influenced.’”
“Influenced. Coerced. Strong-armed. Blackmailed. Killed. I think a number of terms could apply. K’Twillis is a shambling Aborginian. He should stand out anywhere except a jungle planet with sentient flora,” Rivka commented. “And what about Tod Mackestray?”
“Mister Mackestray’s profile is much more difficult to build. Of nine-hundred and forty-seven elections, corruption or illegal influence was claimed in nearly nine hundred of them.”
“No politician, no matter what the race, believes that they can lose a fair election. It’s the nature of the business. I just want to find him. I don’t care about influence-peddling among politicians. Are any of them starting wars?”
“No more than usual.”
“Define ‘usual,’ Erasmus.”
“One percent. We have nine of them beating war drums, so to speak.”
“We’ll avoid those nine areas. Wait, put them on screen.”
Lights started to flash, creating an arrow that pointed at Remus Six.
“I’m not sure that falls into our definition of the word ‘usual.’”
“I appreciate your human insight. The geographic view suggests that these are not random. However, when I rotate this three-dimensionally, the apparent line becomes more random.”
“Show the Gates between those systems.”
“From any one of those systems to any of the others takes at least two Gate transits. In most cases, it’s three, and for the two systems farthest out, it’s four.”
“Back to random chance, then. Don’t rule out that our boy isn’t the one starting these wars. How would he profit from a planet going to war if he only sold influence?”
The hatch slid open, and Red walked in. “He charges them to end the war.”
“From what you knew of him, was he the type to get off on starting wars?”
“He seemed like he wanted the people he put in power to stay in power. He saw that as doubling his influence because he could call in favors. You see, blackmailers never stop asking to be paid, even if it’s not in credits. The well never runs dry. The Mackestrays of the universe will suck every bit of life from their victims and then demand one more drop of blood.”
“I thought these people were his clients?” Rivka rubbed her chin in thought.
“They are all victims, although some pay more for the pleasure. The best thing to do if you’re on the wrong end of Tod Mackestray is disappear.”
“Public service positions, yet these people want them badly enough to pay a fortune to help them cheat. And then their roles are so fragile, they’re willing to pay anything to keep them. I can’t wrap my head around the logic because it makes no sense to me.”
“That’s why Tod Mackestray exists. It makes perfect sense to him. He understands who his potential clients are, and where their weak spots are. He sticks a pry bar in and starts leaning on it. In the end, they all come around.”
“Are you getting this, Erasmus and Chaz? Can you make heads or tails of this information to better refine your search?” Rivka asked.
“Yes. This has been most informative. With the latest information, I am positive that we need to go to Remus Six as soon as possible. Chaz will make preparations to leave.”
“Belay that,” Rivka announced. “Lindy and Jay aren’t on board yet. We’ll leave as soon as they’ve returned.”
“Recall them at once!” Erasmus demanded.
Rivka tilted her head and looked at the screen. “Is that you, Ankh? It sure sounds like you. And no. They will finish their workout.” Rivka looked over her shoulder. “It’s been…what, eight months since you were on Remus Six?”
“Right around that,” Red confirmed.
Lindy and Jay, please return to the Peacekeeper as soon as possible. We need to get going. Erasmus thinks he has a lead.
Lindy was flat on her back. Nanocytes rushed to her broken jaw and split lips. Blood streamed from both nostrils and down the sides of her face, and her eyes started to glaze over from shock.
“I am so sorry!” Jay cried, kneeling next to her friend to help her sit up.
Lindy blinked while her head lolled and moaned from the pain of her broken face, then coughed and turned to spit blood. When the blood stopped flowing from her nose, she faced Jay. “Did I at least hurt your hand with my face?” She chuckled, touching a tentative finger to her lips. “I must be a sight.”
“I don’t think it’s safe for anyone to be around me!” Jay stood and pounded around the mat, crying in anguish.
“Shut your pie hole!” Lindy shouted. Jay stopped and looked at the woman on the floor. “Help me up.”
She held her hand up, and Jay took it. As she came to her feet, she stumbled forward, caught Jay off-balance and flipped the girl onto her back. Air exploded from Jay’s lungs when she landed, and she groaned.
“When you strike you are faster than thought, but you still need to be able to defend yourself.”
…please return to the Peacekeeper...
“We better get cleaned up. Training is done for today. You did well, Jay. You’re building strength, although, according to Ankh, you’ll never be disgustingly bulky like Rivka or me.”
“He didn’t mean that! I think you are both beautiful.” Jay smiled while trying to wipe away some of the blood on Lindy’s face.
“I’ll wash it off. You didn’t even work up a sweat.” Lindy showered quickly and then Jay, who maintained a monologue about how much she disliked her curly hair.
“Why is it like that?” Lindy wondered.
“No one seems to know.”
“Maybe it’s a secret weapon?”
Jay stopped scrubbing it with a towel, contemplated the words, and went back to work on her hair.
When they hurried from the gym Lindy’s lips were almost back to normal, but she kept tentatively poking her face and saying, “Ouch.”
Jay tried to apologize, but Lindy wouldn’t have it.
“Listen, all of us are enhanced, but I should have healed already. We’re bigger and better versions of ourselves, but we still have limits. You have a real superpower. You can move so fast that people can barely see you. The Magistrate? She has a gift, too
. Ankh is a genius. Red and me? We’re normal people, and glad of the company of those who are special, like you three.”
Lindy carefully watched the younger woman for signs of depression. They didn’t need someone with superhuman speed who was unstable.
Jay nodded. She didn’t feel special. She couldn’t feel her enhancement at all. Her mind willed something to happen, and it did.
Jay shrugged off Lindy’s words. “You and Red are the team’s power couple. We all wish we had what you two have.”
Lindy smiled. “What do you think we have?”
“A partner to share your life with.”
“What about that woman from Zaxxon Major?”
Jay blushed as she looked away.
“Come on, now. You’ve been in touch, haven’t you? Maybe give her a call when we get back to the ship. Keep that spark alive.”
“She’s busy! Lauton is in charge of the whole planet now. They call her ‘Premier.’”
“Then she needs someone to talk to who doesn’t work for her. I bet she wants to hear from you as much as you want to talk to her. You do, don’t you?” Jay nodded. “And you call us the power couple. We don’t run a planet. Way to go, Jayita!”
Lindy slapped her on the back, and the younger woman stumbled.
“We better hurry,” Jay suggested and started to run. Lindy took one more step and Jay was gone.
“That’s some crazy shit,” Lindy mumbled as she jogged down the corridor toward the hangar bay.
Chapter Four
Following their new procedure, they Gated to the edge of the system, used their systems to get the tactical picture and make sure they didn’t end up in the middle of a hornet’s nest, then conducted a shorter Gate jump closer to their destination.
Remus Six.
Chaz flew the corvette to the planet and took the ship in.
Rivka met with the others in Peacekeeper’s recreation room, galley, common room—the one room that was all things.
Judge, Jury, & Executioner Boxed Set Page 60