Ahead Full Read online

  Stephen chuckled. “If it matters, those aren’t mutually exclusive.”

  —

  Lerr’ek was surprised to see Faleepio waiting for him as he exited his office. “Problems?”

  “Not yet.” Faleepio stepped up beside Lerr’ek and nodded at the other four Noel-ni.

  Lerr’ek eyed the four guards and continued walking out of the building. “I’m just going to close a deal.”

  “I am aware of that, Lerr’ek,” the Noel-ni admitted, “but I can’t find those two troublemakers, even with all our contacts. If they try to attack you on the way to or from the meeting, I would be pleased to make their acquaintance.”

  Lerr’ek chuckled. “For however long it takes you to kill them, you mean?”

  “You know me too well,” Faleepio admitted. “I’m not good with competition, and I am telling you right now that Bad Company is competition. They might have a lot of legitimate enterprises, but our people know not to cross them without expecting reprisal.”

  “Perhaps they have left?”

  “No.” The Noel-ni shook his head. “Their ship is still here.”

  “Didn’t get stolen?” Lerr’ek grunted. “Will wonders never cease!”

  “It has been tried, I’m told,” Faleepio said. “They prepaid all the permits necessary to protect their ship with deadly force.”

  “So, a worthy set of adversaries.” Lerr’ek reached up and scratched his face. “It has been a while since anyone has given me a challenge.”

  Faleepio looked the big Zhyn over. “You have your weapons?”

  “My friend,” the Zhyn’s voice turned somber, “I am always armed.” They took a right to get to the tram. “That is practically what ‘Zhyn’ means. To ask a Zhyn warrior if he is armed is like asking him if he enjoys drinking.”

  “I can never tell with you people,” Faleepio admitted. “You tend to solve your problems by punching your opponents out. Then, for good luck, you stomp on their heads.”

  The aliens in front of them waved at the group to go ahead, so the five Noel-ni and the Zhyn entered the tram. “Only if we really don’t want them coming back around. We stomp on their hand if we only want to disable them. Hard to shoot a weapon with a smashed hand,” Lerr’ek clarified for his partner.

  —

  “Incoming,” ADAM said to Bethany Anne and Stephen. They had moved out most of the furniture in the rather large office. It was part of a bigger warehouse, so the size was greater than it would have been in an office building. Most of the meetings must have been held in Fre’dhom’s office.

  “Well, I think that about does it.” Bethany Anne looked around. “You got the start of this meeting?”

  “Of course,” Stephen told her. “I’ve been handling business negotiations for centuries.”

  “Sure, with humans,” she told him. “I’ll be watching from right next door.”

  Stephen waved a negligent hand and Bethany Anne stepped sideways into the Etheric, leaving him alone. He walked over to the desk and rested his rear against it. Now comfortable, he crossed his arms and waited for the group to arrive.

  He didn’t have to wait long.

  The Zhyn was huge; Stephen could see that much through the dirty glass. His massive blue head bobbed between the soot smudges. The door opened and a Noel-ni with crossed bandoliers stepped in first, checking the office out before he moved out of the way for the Zhyn to enter.

  “You are not Fre’dhom,” the massive thug stated. “So you either believe you can negotiate on his behalf, which you cannot, or you believe you can stop this transaction, which is also impossible.”

  Stephen smiled, leaving his hands crossed across his chest. “Well, you have the part where I am not Fre’dhom correct.”

  “He is one of the two we are looking for,” Faleepio said. This got the attention of the other four Noel-ni, who spread out.

  Stephen pursed his lips. “Yes. I’m the sane one.”

  I heard that! Bethany Anne’s voice echoed in his mind.

  How the hell does she do that? he wondered.

  “What does ‘sane’ mean to you?” the Zhyn asked. “I am Lerr’ek. Who are you?”

  “My name is Stephen,” he replied. “And as the legal representative for the new owner, I’m quite certain that Fre’dhom cannot legally negotiate on behalf of this company. I’m here to offer you the option to leave without great bodily harm and possible death.”

  Faleepio looked around, his eyes narrowing. “We now have you, but your partner is out there somewhere.” He turned back to Stephen. “Is this location wired for explosives? If you die, then we all die?”

  Stephen chuckled. “Well, no …”

  Faleepio moved. His race was known for its lightning-quick reflexes, and it was almost impossible to figure out what they were going to do since they lacked physical tells. Thus it was a complete surprise when his hand slapped down, pulled his pistol, raised it, and shot the legal representative right in the stomach.

  Stephen’s body flew over the desk, flipping behind it to fall with a thud to the floor.

  “Faleepio,” Lerr’ek growled. “Did you consider that maybe we might have wanted more information out of him before you killed him.?”

  “I shot him in what humans call their ‘stomach,’” he shrugged. “Painful, but not immediately deadly.”

  Lerr’ek’s eyes opened in surprise when the human rose from behind the desk, his eyes glowing red. Stephen growled, “You foolish idiots.”

  He held two pistols before him. Before he finished his words the four guards had been blown apart, splattering the front wall with blood and gore. Their armor had been ineffective against his weapons.

  He stared at Faleepio, who had his pistol aimed at Stephen “Try it again, and I will personally ...”

  Faleepio had already fired and dodged, attempting to figure out where his target would fall this time, when the pain in his shoulder caused him to cry out in agony.

  His arm had been blown off a little below it.

  “Blow your arm off,” Stephen finished.

  Faleepio was on the floor, trying to pull a medical syringe from his bandolier with his left hand. His opponent wasn’t but half a step from where he had aimed.

  Stephen’s left pistol was directed at Lerr’ek. “I wouldn’t go for those guns unless you want to experience what being gut-shot by a Jean Dukes feels like.”

  Lerr’ek’s eyes opened wide and he looked at the weapons. Turning around, he viewed the damage to the guards and prudently decided not to question whether those pistols were originals.

  He believed they were.

  Lerr’ek noticed that Stephen had allowed Faleepio to pull out a syringe and stick himself. The medical nanites would kill the pain and start as much healing as possible. He realized who he was speaking with. “You’re the Empress’ Stephen, from the Empire.”

  “I tried to warn you.” Stephen shook his head as a new figure entered the room. She appeared between Stephen and Lerr’ek.

  Faleepio gasped in recognition as he tried to handle his pain. “Youuu …” he hissed. “How could Bad Company get you to deal with such an insignificant worm?”

  The grating voice seemed amused as she pulled back her hood. “It was their anniversary, asshole.” She turned one hand palm-up, and a red ball of energy formed. She casually flung it toward Faleepio and the globe hit him in the chest. He died screaming.

  She strolled over to look at the dead Noel-ni. “This is what happens when those you pick on have friends.”

  She turned toward the Zhyn. He raised an eyebrow. “Baba Yaga?”

  “Lerr’ek.” She walked over to him. “Ambitious, but very Zhyn.”

  “I’m having a problem seeing that as a negative,” he replied, careful to keep his hands away from anything that could be accidentally taken for a weapon. Faleepio and his guards had been much faster than Lerr’ek, and these two just took them out.

  “How typically Zhyn.” Baba Yaga regarded him. “And no, that was not a
judgment—merely a recognition that you are what you are. The problem,” she looked around, “was that I didn’t appreciate the methods Faleepio employed.”

  “I can see that,” he agreed. “Obviously it wasn’t a problem for me.”

  Baba Yaga nodded. “I could use someone like you in my plans. I’ve already,” she waved a hand, “bought your companies. You have no more stock.”

  He blinked. “That is…unexpected.”

  “And no more money,” she continued. “I could not allow you to work for me when you had all that money from using strongarm tactics to purchase companies.”

  “That…is depressing.” Lerr’ek tried to keep the anger out of his voice.

  “Don’t worry,” she told him. “I’m just getting started. Your people have tried to take over this planet using improper methods. You are going to repay those you stole from, and you will pay your penance to me for ten years for hurting a Bad Company contractor. But first …” she walked to him and looked up into his face, which towered a foot above her, “I want you to see what hell can be like.”

  She pushed him backward, and the Zhyn flew off his feet and disappeared into the Etheric realm.

  “I’ll be back,” she called over her shoulder, and stepped into the realm herself.

  Stephen looked around at the mess and sighed. “Clean up on aisle three…”

  —

  In the other dimension, the Zhyn businessman screamed in pain as he paid for the suffering he had caused. He was learning what it meant to displease Baba Yaga.

  Once he was suitably broken, Baba Yaga put him back together again.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Devon, Commercial Spaceport

  The old Leath male limped across the back docks, working his way to the main entrance as he scanned the area. The docks were enclosed, which pleased him. He didn’t want to seal up in a full atmosuit anyway. He had never liked atmosuits.

  Coming to the main entrance, he flashed his go-anywhere security badge. The night-time security guard deftly pocketed the cred chip, and Jerrleck was inside the city.

  Rarely did small cities on ass-end-of-nowhere planets like Devon have any serious information when two star-powers were fighting for supremacy. However, they were often good places to lie low. And, if nothing else, he was pretty sure that if they suspected he faked his death back on Leath, this wouldn’t be the first, second, or even tenth most likely place they’d expect him to hide.

  Not that he had ever intended to hide. No, Jerrleck expected to die. He just hoped it was after he had helped his people.

  By making a deal with a demon.

  The clunk clunk clunk of his cane reverberated down the hallway as he ambled past stores and shipping companies, all closed during the third shift. Glancing over his shoulder, he pursed his lips and reached up to scratch his tusk. He continued down the hallway, looking for a public restroom, and battled his way past the spring-loaded door.

  It had all been strictly for the cameras, if anyone were watching.

  Fortunately most restrooms in public areas were still not recorded, except the sink area. He made his way inside a stall and locked the door, then stood up straight and stretched.

  Oh, by the stars… He cracked his neck. That felt good!

  He pulled out an advanced tablet and dialed the city ethernet. By piggybacking on the signal he was able to connect surreptitiously to a one-way drop-zone of information. After pulling the information down he disconnected, and it took him only three minutes to sort the information into ‘new,” “relevant,” and ‘interesting.’

  His eyes flitted from segment to segment, and stopped. He went back to the previous segment and read it again.

  There was a new ship docked at the station, and the hacking boards were all mentioning how no one could break its codes.

  For them it was a challenge.

  For Jerrleck it was hope.

  He stowed the tablet, stood and grabbed his cane. He hunched again, old age once more resting on his shoulders like a blanket. He unlocked his stall and headed back toward the docks.

  He needed to make his way to the personal docking areas. If he could get a view of this ship, he felt he could make a good guess whether it was the ship of the being he was trying to find.

  What he would say to her before she killed him out of hand, he hadn’t quite figured out.

  QBBS Asteroid R2D2, R&D

  Tina looked at the numbers and laid her head on the standing desk. “I hate this!” she moaned.

  “Numbers?” Marcus tried to look at what she was working on. Stepping from his location, he nudged her. “I can’t see through all the hair.”

  “I could cut it,” she mumbled from underneath it. “I just kept it long because you like long hair. Now that I have you, I’m ok with it short.”

  Marcus blinked at the back of her head. “You had it long because I like long hair?” He thought back to any comments he might have made about long hair. “Are you talking about that time I complimented Yelena?”

  “Mmmhmmm.” The fuzzy hair blob moved up and down.

  “I was told by Bobcat she was feeling down, I was searching for a way to compliment her that evening.”

  The fuzzy blob of hair lifted off the table. She moved her hair to the side and looked up at Marcus. “You don’t like long hair?”

  Behind her, Bobcat and William were both shaking their heads vigorously and Bobcat was making the universal gesture for cutting his throat.

  “I like whatever style you happen to be wearing. I’m not picky about hair. I fell in love with your mind, not your hairstyle.”

  A half-millisecond later, he remembered to smile.

  Tina blinked at him for a moment. “Is that your way of saying you want me for my mind, not my body?”

  This time Marcus paused to consider the ramifications before he shrugged. “Well, the body is the frosting on the mind-cake.”

  “I’m not sure if I should be impressed that you like me for my intellect or annoyed that my body is playing second fiddle.”

  “Don’t most women want to be liked for their minds?”

  “Well, sure,” Tina admitted. “Unless we want to feel attractive, in which case we don’t. What I want is to be able to mess up your mind at will using my body.”

  “What if I confess you can?” Marcus raised an eyebrow.

  “You don’t raise your eyebrow as slick as Bobcat does, but it is fetching,” she admitted, then stretched her back, thrust her chest out, and turned back and forth slowly. “Did you know that we figured out the final calculations for the BYPS array?” she asked, checking that the shirt was tight.

  “Oh really?” Marcus turned toward the whiteboards where they had been working on the calculations for the BYPS’ energy usage.

  She dropped her pose and slapped his arm. “That,” he turned to see her finger pointed right at his face, “is how I know I can’t mess with your mind at will!”

  He looked at her, confused, and turned toward Bobcat and William. Both had planted their hands over their eyes and hung their heads.

  The universal symbol for, “Dude, you just fucked up.”

  QBBS Meredith Reynolds

  Admiral Thomas took three paces across his office, turned, and walked three back. He looked at the old-fashioned timepiece on his wrist and sighed. He continued to pace, and finally heard the knock he had been expecting.

  “Come in!”

  Vice Admiral Kael-ven entered, with Yollin Marine Supreme Military Commander Kiel. Both Yollins had experienced the benefits of the Pod-doc, but their genetics didn’t allow for an indefinite life.

  “Admiral.” Kael-ven reached out to clasp Admiral Thomas’ hand. Thomas wrapped Kael-ven’s hand in his own before turning to clasp Kiel’s as well. “Good friends, I appreciate you coming all this way to see me.”

  “You call, we scoot.” Kiel chuckled. “Plus we get a chance to load up on some of Yelena’s personal stock. It’s a win-win.”

  “Or lose,” Kael-ve
n stated, “if you happen to be me.”

  “You lost the bet again?” Thomas asked.

  “I’m down six to five, so I get the larger part of the bill,” he admitted.

  “That isn’t so bad,” Thomas remarked and turned around, heading to the large wooden meeting table in his office. “I need some help reading this, and I think I can trust you two.”

  Kael-ven’s clop, clop sounded as he walked over to the table. “Is that book what I think it is?”

  “I don’t know,” Admiral Thomas admitted, “but I’m hoping it’s the information that sent you to our solar system.” He grabbed the large log book that had been found in an old research room on Yoll. “It’s locked, and it says it needs either the lead scientist, the king of Yoll, or Captain Kael-ven T’chmon’s DNA to unlock it.” He turned to Kael-ven and handed him the log. “Since the lead scientist is long dead and the king even longer, that leaves you.”

  There was a pause before Admiral Thomas nodded to Kael-ven. “I hope to God you can unlock this for me.”

  Leath System, Black Eagle Team EI, Callsign “Ricky Bobby”

  For an EI, a few seconds is an eternity, a few years an eon, and decades are simply forever.

  Ricky Bobby, the wingman for the Empress’ Ace Captain Julianna Fregin, was running out of options. He had been stationed inside the Leath solar system as the secret eyes that sent the Etheric Empire a heads-up whenever the Leath released a large group of ships to take over some system somewhere.

  It usually took the Empire a few weeks to a few months to find the new Leath infestation, and then the Leath and the Empire would fight fiercely.

  It was never pretty.

  Ricky Bobby understood the value he brought to the Empire, and had worked hard across the decades to stay in the shadows of the asteroids and space detritus which allowed him to move through the system.

  Unfortunately, his time on-station had taken its toll; Ricky Bobby knew he wasn’t going to last too much longer. He decided he would put his thoughts on life and existence into a single compendium and shoot the update to his partner.