Never Surrender (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 16) Read online

  “Same shit, different species,” she retorted once more.

  “That wasn’t a full answer,” Kiel pointed out.

  There was silence on the line.

  Kael-ven got the message, “Alright, we asked you to join this call to discuss new information Kiel has found out related to an effort by those Yollins in the Straiphus system to attack here in the home system. They are formulating a plan both externally in the Straiphus system and seeking support here.”

  “I understand,” she replied, “we are aware of some questionable maneuvers in their system from a few spy ships we have over there. However, we haven’t pushed into the system because we needed to get the damaged ships from the first fight completely fixed. Also, I’d like to have additional weapon capabilities tested and online.”

  “They have three capital ships over there, right?” Kael-ven asked.

  “Yes, but that is our biggest concern, Kael-ven,” she replied, “we can only find two.”

  “How the hell do you hide a capital ship?” Kiel interrupted, “It’s not like you park the SonofaGro’lick in a barn somewhere.”

  “Well, on the other side of a moon, works,” Kael-ven started before Bethany Anne added.

  “We looked behind everywhere we could think of. While it should be around, it isn’t.” There was a pause before she added, “Suggestions guys?”

  Kael-ven tapped the table, then answered, “Why don’t we talk with the Defense Minister?”

  Executive Prison, Planet Yoll

  E’kolorn had been considering the implications since his wife had been to his cell, with the promise that she would be back in a week's time. That she spoke of what amounted to better conditions under the aliens, not worse, had been very surprising.

  No one had come to get him, and no one had changed the routine, but inside himself, something had changed.

  He had hope.

  Hope that he hadn’t made the wrong decision to stop King Yoll, to force him to fight the Alien Empress. He hadn’t expected the King to fail, and therefore for his people to fall into the hands of the aliens.

  No different, he supposed, than the Yollins forcing other people to be under Yollins.

  Except, the Etheric Empire was making the Yollin world better, at least according to his wife.

  He was pondering these things when continued knocking on his door finally grabbed his attention. “Yes?”

  “You are requested to clean up and meet with the Etheric Empire’s agent. Do you consent to this meeting?”

  “I have a choice?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’m told you do,” admitted his guard from the other side of the door. “But I can tell you that if I were you, I’d go.”

  E’kolorn stood up from his bed and walked to the door, and spoke through the slot. “Why is that?” he replied, his voice normal since he wasn’t yelling from his bed.

  The slot opened, his jailor stared at him, “Because the alien is offering you a choice, and I confirmed, you saying ‘no’ is just that, no. They want you to come because they have questions you can answer. If your heart isn’t in it, I’m told to have you stay.”

  “What is ‘it’?”

  “Above my responsibility,” the guard replied.

  There was a moment as E’kolorn softly tapped his mandibles together in thought before he answered, “I’ll go.”

  —

  It had taken only a short while to shower, fix his face and put on the clean badge of office which had been brought to him.

  When walking out of the shower room, the guard was waiting, “No locking devices?” E’kolorn asked, expecting to be cuffed before they left the prison.

  The guard shook his head, “No.” The guard looked around and then stepped up closer to the ex-Defense Minister, “But if you want to take some unasked-for advice?”

  E’kolorn nodded, “Sure, I’ll listen.”

  “The one here to escort you is one of those aliens that stays around the alien Empress. These guys don’t play around. They are professional, and they take care of business. I watched one go into a building this week and wipe out everyone in there trying to kill him. He was blown out the damned building from the fifth floor, and he never hit the ground. Just flew back to the fifth floor and finished his job. Not one of the those who were killing other Yollins made it out alive.”

  “He just killed everyone?” E’kolorn asked.

  “No, he spared some stupid youth who thought he knew how to operate a set of armor.”

  E’kolorn grimaced, “How bad did the fight go between the two?”

  The guard looked at him, “You really have been out of touch. What fight? He knocked the kid out of the window. Dropped down from the third floor, yanked something from the back of the kid’s armor then walked back into the building.” He shrugged, “He just ignored all the idiots thinking they were joining a grand riot.”

  E’kolorn shook his head, “How bad are we overmatched?”

  “What overmatched?” The guard asked, “The aliens are bringing good changes to our planet. Sure, there are some hotheads, but so far, I’m thinking the leader is doing a better job than the King ever did.”

  “Their Empress?” E’kolorn asked, surprised.

  “No, Leader Kael-ven, the Yollin Captain that had been sent by King Yoll to spy on their system.”

  Now, E’kolorn knew he hadn’t asked enough questions of his wife. However, he was willing to forgive himself. He had needed the companionship, the knowledge and reassurance his family was safe.

  He had needed her time, her affections, her respect, and love. She had provided all of that and more.

  He nodded to the guard and the two of them started heading out of the prison, to what future, he wasn’t sure.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Skaine Slaver Ship Kalifo - Eudos System (Etheric Empire - Yollin Territory)

  “What do you mean, we need to keep our heads down?” The five-foot-tall, blue skinned, large head, bulbous blue eyes and thin bodied Skaine yelled at the communications device.

  The space station manager’s voice was annoyed, “Keep yelling at me, Gyrm, and I’ll forget to warn your ass, and you can suffer your ignorance.”

  Gyrm looked down and made a note, taking ten points off of Space Station Two-Seven’s Manager’s score. The station manager had been in the good zone, but two more drops like this, and Gyrm would need to make a permanent example of the Yollin.

  No one talked to the Skaine like this, no matter how powerful they were.

  “I find your communications disrespectful, Ghy’luck,” Gyrm answered, “why would you think there is anything in this pitiful excuse for a system that would make me worry?”

  “Don’t you know shit about what has happened, Gyrm?” the frustrated Yollin’s voice came back, “Damn, didn’t you get the memo?”

  “I would have to know what a ‘memo’ is, to know if I got one, ass,” Gyrm replied. “I’ve got over one-hundred and thirty prime candidates for the outer marker mining efforts. No tags, no tracebacks, and all clean.”

  “That is the shit I’m trying to warn you about, Gyrm.” On the other side of the conversation, Ghy’luck wiped his mandibles, “Hold on ... go active frequency 222.72.”

  “Frequency 222.72,” Gyrm confirmed and set the new frequency on his communicator. This time, the connection was sent with video, not just audio. The station master wasn’t on the screen, yet. However, Gyrm could hear movement off screen. A door shut, and then the station master came into the screen’s view and sat down.

  “Video, Gyrm?”

  “Right,” Gyrm set the communication to two-way video, “there.”

  “Better.” The Yollin stared at the screen a moment, “Weren’t you in a Green set of robes last time?”

  “Yes, you are perceptive. The blue you see me wearing is due to a raise in rank. I’m now in charge of our group.”

  The Yollin glanced off screen, “I see only one ship, Gyrm.”

  “There are three of us here,
the other two are lying silently in the asteroids.”

  The Yollin nodded his understanding before returning to the screen, “Ok, I’m going to assume you have been out in the scavenger worlds.” He put up a hand to forestall any comment from Gyrm, “Don’t deny it, I don’t care.” He dropped his hand, “Yoll has been conquered by an alien group.”

  Gyrm barked out in a sibilant hissing laughter, “Isn’t that some shit?” The Yollin looked uncomfortable on the screen, “Wait! Did you guys try to take over someone who fought back and kicked your ass?”

  Gyrm slapped his chair and hooted, “That’s it! Oh, that is just too rich for words.” The Skaine continued laughing.

  “Keep it up, you pirate prick,” Ghy’luck ground out, “and I’ll let you learn at the end of one of their lasers.”

  Gyrm’s eyes narrowed, but his laughter continued, “I’m in the slaving group, not the pirate group as you should well know. Those pirate pricks, as you call them, couldn’t navigate their way out of a tub you wash in if you drained it of liquid. Idiots, by and large.”

  Ghy’luck interrupted, “Weren’t you in the pirate group?”

  “That’s why I know how bad they are, and notice how quickly I moved to slaving.”

  “I’ve no idea, you never told me.” Ghy’luck admitted.

  “It was quick, trust me.” Gyrm finally settled down, “So, who are these alien overlords now?”

  “They call themselves the Etheric Empire, with a human Empress as their lead. A while back, we received a torp with a lot of video related to the battle, and frankly, they kicked our home fleet’s ass. There isn’t much there except them now. I’m not sure what the other two systems are going to do, but Eudos can’t stage a counter-attack for shit even if we wanted to. This system is good for raw materials, the local planet’s people are useless as slave labor.”

  “Wasn’t that what you just told me, no slaves?” Gyrm asked.

  “Yes, they sent something they call a memo, it says slaving is to stop immediately. So, you need to stop it…” The Yollin smiled into the screen, “Make sure you have no slaves on your ships, and whatever you do, don’t even consider trying to do a system-wide notice like you would have done before. We don’t know if they have spy ships here.”

  “What ships do they have there?” Gyrm asked, leaning forward in his chair.

  “Well,” Ghy’luck waved his hand, “unknown at this time. We don’t have any on our scopes, but the information in the torp suggested they have cloaking technology.”

  The Skaine slave commander thought about the information Ghy’luck was entrusting to him. Without much thought, he glanced down and erased the deduction in his points. He wouldn’t provide Ghy’luck any extra benefit for the warning, but his disrespect was warranted as his stress must be high right now.

  No one should say that the Skaine couldn’t understand and adjust to the particulars of their contacts.

  “So,” Gyrm finally looked up, “I’m completely good delivering those who wish employment in the far outer asteroid fields for room and board, a much better solution than the life they expected on their decrepit planets before?”

  Not much of a life, Gyrm thought, but completely within the limits of the memo (whatever the hell that was) that Ghy’luck was sharing with him right now.

  “That sounds agreeable, Captain of the Kalifo. As an Etheric Empire representative in the Yollin system Eubos, providing transportation for a fee to those who seek employment in other systems is a beneficial occupation.”

  Gyrm smiled. The Yollin was speaking bureaucratic like he sucked on the tit of a politician.

  His kind of contact.

  Gyrm reached down and added twenty points for the lesson Ghy’luck had just delivered to him. Now, how to pay Ghy’luck his fee…

  “Am I to pay the usual charge,” Grym rushed to get ahead of Ghy’luck’s effort to stop him from talking, “for recharging our systems from the local Sun?”

  Ghy’luck shut his mandibles. He had been concerned the Skaine was going to be stupid. There never was a fee for solar charging by any System Government. Except for those whose governments were completely inefficient. They were worse than bandits.

  “Yes,” Ghy’luck replied, “I will give you the account number for transferring your fees once you confirm total usage.” He looked around on his desk, “What did we charge you last time for solar charging?”

  “I’ll have my second send you the previous bill, so you can confirm with your accounting. I wouldn’t want any paperwork to be misplaced,” Grym answered.

  “That works for me. Good luck with your transportation efforts and may you provide homes for all of those seeking a better life.”

  “Agreed Station Manager, Captain of the Kalifo out.” The Skaine shut down the connection and leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling.

  There was always more than one way to accomplish one’s goals. You didn’t have to use the same playbook as those in the pirate group would, most every time.

  Bunch of non-creative hacks.

  He leaned forward and touched two buttons on his console, “This is Gyrm to ship’s Captains, you need to bring your weapons on-standby. This system may be hot.”

  Once the two Captains of his support vessels confirmed their orders, Gyrm leaned back in his chair once again.

  Now, how to figure out how to sell his slaves, legally.

  QBS Achronyx

  “Achronyx, can we go through the Annex Gate cloaked?” Tabitha asked as she and the four Tontos sat in their chairs on the ship’s bridge.

  “Technically, yes. However, the chance for problems during the gate transfer increase. It is possible the system could jettison the ship at a different trajectory, speed or even drop it into the system in another location outside of normal operation parameters.”

  “So, you’re telling me yes it can be done, but it is a bad idea?”

  “I don’t have parameters to quantify good or bad, Captain Tabitha, I am simply explaining the risks.”

  Tabitha pressed her lips together. She didn’t want to be called Captain by Achronyx. However, anytime she asked something related to the navigation or fighting of the ship, he switched to calling her Captain instead of Ranger.

  Typical EI behavior.

  Right?

  She couldn’t tell. It was like all of her hacking into computers and making them her bitch had created a Karmic Imbalance, and the Universe was delivering the bill, and Achronyx was its name.

  Fucking shit, she grimaced.

  “What is the chance of us having a reduction of abilities and or dying on the other side of the Annex Gate if we do this?”

  “First pass at calculating chances is 3.2 percent chance of a reduction in capabilities including cloaking and damage to the ship’s body.”

  Tabitha blinked a moment, “Achronyx, what is the reduction?”

  “It fluctuates, but the average is 2.2 percent.”

  “What is it on the high side?” Tabitha asked. Something was working here in their communication.

  “Unity,” Achronyx answered.

  Tabitha sighed, that wasn’t the best answer to her question. “Chance of that happening?”

  “One in 3.4 million.”

  Hirotoshi looked over at his leader, “Why do you wish to go in cloaked, Kemosabe?”

  It was a testament to Tabitha’s acceptance to her guys ribbing that she didn’t even question the title anymore, “What if they are just waiting on the other side of the Annex Gate to blow away the Etheric Empire’s lawful representatives?”

  “Can we not cloak immediately upon exit, when the Annex Gate flare occurs?” Katsu asked.

  “Achronyx, please answer that question.”

  “Yes, Katsu, we can cloak immediately upon exit.”

  You jackass! Tabitha thought, “Not that question, the one about doing the cloaking during the exit flare when we arrive?”

  “Yes, it has a high probability of success that we can cloak in time if you
permit me to deal with the timing.”

  Like I’m thinking I’m going to push a button? Maybe Bethany Anne was right, maybe she was too sensitive.

  “Because the chance of success if a human were to push the button is reduced by 72.3%.”

  You fucking electronic pain-in-my-ass, she fumed. “Yes,” she bit off her retort, “I am assuming my EI would cloak since the EI is also taking care of the chauffeuring of the ship.”

  “Piloting,” the EI corrected.