Might Makes Right (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 18) Read online

  Bocklans smiled. “That’s…good to know,” he admitted. “I was wondering how you were going to use the fact that your own people were going to perish.”

  “Easy,” the Leath answered. “The Etheric Empire was willing to kill their own people to take out the highest-level officer in the Leath military.”

  Bocklans shuddered at the cold manner in which this Leath—who had yet to give him a name—had just told him they were going to kill their highest-ranking military officer.

  —

  Prime Intelligence Two clasped his hood to his face and exited the restaurant. He had walked down the sidewalk for only fifty paces before an enclosed four-person hovercar whisked up. He opened the door to the back seat and slid in.

  Once inside, he found Second Line Prime Commander Tehrle on the seat next to him. “How did your meeting go?”

  Prime Intelligence Two took off his hood and turned to his old friend. “Well enough. Mercenaries honor themselves and their reputations. They have taken the job.” The car was speeding toward the spaceport. “Yours?”

  Tehrle turned to look out the window. “The gods willed that they should also accept the job.”

  “Assassins to clean up any loose ends,” Two mused. “Now we just have to implement the plan.” He noticed his friend’s jaw clenching. “First Line Prime Commander Ch’lockteck is either going to be removed from the military with all honors erased, or he will die valiantly for his people. Which end to his career do you believe he would rather have?”

  Tehrle made a fist, then opened it, spreading his fingers out. “Ch’lockteck would rather go down fighting. At least this way he will have a chance to redeem his continued mistakes with the gods.”

  “And,” Two answered, directing his gaze toward the front of the car, “so he shall.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Kraaz watched the Leath slip out of the booth and nod in his direction before heading out of the restaurant. He turned to Bocklans. “Job?”

  “Yes,” the leader answered, “but it isn’t going to be easy.” He thought about it. “We need to hire outside help; high-quality, low-risk grunt killers.”

  “Cannon fodder?” Kraaz asked. “Anything I should know?”

  Bocklans shook his head. “They just need to know which way to point their weapons and who’s on our side.”

  “Typical member-initiation job.” Kraaz answered. “How many spots?”

  Bocklans considered his answer. The Darkness for Hire mercenary group had over three hundred members at present, and at best he would need forty down-and-dirty and a hellacious number of killers. He knew enough about both sides to believe it wouldn’t go down very easily, even if none of the peacekeeping team had decent weapons to return fire.

  Plus, he needed a group to go after the engines.

  “Call it twenty for our engineering demolition team, with a special pickup plan, and another hundred shooters,” Bocklans answered.

  Kraaz eyed Bocklans. “Special pickup plan?”

  Bocklans turned and smiled at the large Shrillexian. “Yes. They need to exit the floating hotel, fall a significant distance, and successfully not go splat on the ground. We will be there to pick them up.”

  “Oh.” Kraaz thought about it. “Wing suits?”

  “Huh.” Bocklans pondered the option. “That’s damned smart.” He slid out of the booth. “Got any ideas for new recruits?”

  Kraaz nodded to the far booth, and Bocklans noted the other Shrillexian. “Fine with me. Catch up.”

  Bocklans met up with P’kert and both Tulets exited the restaurant as Kraaz walked over to the other occupant. He was fully aware the other Shrillexian knew he was there, but he knocked on the tabletop to officially get his attention.

  Kraaz greeted him while at the same time elevating his opinion. This one’s eyes and simple movements didn’t speak of lack of practice. “May I sit?”

  “Sure.” The seated Shrillexian nodded to the other side of the booth. “North Continent?”

  “Yes,” Kraaz admitted. “Terrel mountains.”

  “Went by there once; a small village, good swimming.”

  “Probably Chr’stylx, maybe two hundred inhabitants,” Kraaz sat down, “if you count the farm animals.”

  “Good enough.” The other chuckled.

  “My name is Kraaz, and I’m wondering if you are serving or committed?”

  The Shrillexian nodded. “Name’s Shi-tan, and committed.”

  Kraaz tried to remember where he‘d heard that name. “Mercenary or commercial?”

  “Commercial,” Shi-tan told him. “New group.”

  “You seem out of practice,” Kraaz remarked, but Shi-tan shut him down by laughing.

  “Not hardly. In fact, I’m in more practice than I’ve been in years.” He pointed to his face. “If you are asking about the lack of scars, my company has a really good medical plan.”

  “All right.” Kraaz reached into a belt pouch. “I’ve got a few cards. If you meet someone who wants to join a mercenary group, we are initiating.”

  Shi-tan nodded his understanding. It was going to be a rough job, but if you made it you were in the company. He grabbed the cards Kraaz held out. “Timeframe?”

  Kraaz thought about that. “Two weeks max to call me. The rest will probably be travel time and practice. They need their own equipment; we don’t want complete newbies.”

  Shi-tan nodded. “Understood.”

  Kraaz slid out of the booth. “Practice?”

  Shi-tan looked up from his seat with a small smile playing on his lips. “You sure you’ve got time to heal before your job?”

  Kraaz smirked. He liked this Shrillexian. “You and what posse?”

  “Oh, just me.” He reached into his belt, grabbed some local currency, counted out enough for the meal plus a tip, and then added some more on top. “I’ll pay for your food.” He called the waiter over. “Kraaz here is going to be back to pick up a meal to help his stomach settle in about five minutes. I’m leaving enough here to cover it plus a tip, got me?”

  The waiter turned to Kraaz. “Sir?”

  “Oh, what the hell.” Kraaz grunted. “It’ll be my celebratory ass-kicking sandwich.”

  Shi-tan stood up, and up, and up. Kraaz hadn’t realized the Shrillexian was as tall as he was, but he didn’t seem to be as well-muscled.

  The two exited the restaurant and turned right. “About a block away,” Shi-tan commented, “there is a field and some fencing that hides most of it.”

  “Worried about someone seeing you getting pounded down?” Kraaz needled. Shi-tan remained quiet.

  The two made it down the block to the field, then each turned sideways to slide between chunks of the fence, Shi-tan going first.

  On the other side, both took off their belts and pouches. Shi-tan twisted his neck, popping his vertebrae.

  “Get ready for a proper Darkness-for-Hire ass-kicking,” Kraaz said. He ran at Shi-tan, thinking to catch him off-guard.

  On Shrillex, so long as both fighters had dropped their belts, it was officially permitted to attack. Normally that wasn’t what happened, but Kraaz had been out in the field too long to worry about what was normal versus what was prudent.

  What was prudent was getting in the first—

  The sledgehammer that punched him in the gut came out of nowhere, and sent him stumbling backward five steps before he lost his footing and fell. He allowed the momentum to throw him into a somersault and got back up, his hands ready to punch. And was surprised.

  Shi-tan had barely stepped forward and was moving his fists in patterns he hadn’t seen before.

  “The problem,” Shi-tan told him, “is that we Shrillexians are often too obvious in our need to fight.”

  “Yessss.” Kraaz exhaled the word, allowing his healing to catch up with his breath. “I’d say I appreciate the chance to catch my breath, but I think I need to punch you so you don’t talk me into suicide.”

  Shi-tan chuckled. “Doubt that.”

&
nbsp; “No,” Kraaz stepped forward on the balls of his feet, “I think—” he jumped at Shi-tan, smashing his right fist into flesh. Pain exploded in his fist, and his knees buckled. He could hear the bones in his hand crack.

  Shi-tan had caught Kraaz’ hand and was squeezing it. Kraaz looked up just in time to see Shi-tan’s fist slam down.

  Kraaz hit the ground, blood pouring from a cut on his cheek. His bony spikes started to emerge from his face, and he had to concentrate to pull them back in. It was considered beyond cheating to use them in a friendly fight.

  Or a friendly ass-kicking, especially if it was you who was on the receiving end.

  Kraaz rolled sideways and pushed himself off the ground.

  “Are you ready?” Shi-tan asked, and Kraaz grinned. It was one thing to fight, but it was an honor to fight someone so much better than you that they used it as a training exercise.

  “Only if you think—” Kraaz had started to answer as his opponent attacked, his right elbow aiming for the mercenary. Kraaz moved his own arm to block it, but Shi-tan had already pivoted clockwise on his forward foot, raising his right arm as his body gained speed. His elbow slammed against Kraaz’ skull, sending him staggering to his left.

  Kraaz tried to set himself into a defensive position, but Shi-tan was already inside his guard. “My boss calls this a gimme,” Shi-tan said conversationally as he slapped Kraaz’ left block out of the way and smashed his knuckles into Kraaz’ nose, breaking it.

  Kraaz tried to back up, but this just allowed Shi-tan to set one leg and lash out with the other, kicking Kraaz in the chest. The impact jetted him ten feet backward, where he crashed to the ground with the air knocked out of him.

  “The problem…” his opponent said as Kraaz tried to remember which side Shi-tan was coming from so he could roll the opposite way. Too late—Shi-tan grabbed Kraaz by the throat. “…is that sometimes a lack of scars just means that your opponent has truly incredible medical care.”

  Kraaz felt his feet leave the ground as Shi-tan lifted him into the air. He ritually popped Shi-tan’s forearm twice and was let go to land on his feet.

  Shi-tan helped him stand while he got his breath back. “I think,” Kraaz coughed, trying to encourage his neck to heal as he stood there, “I’ll go eat my ass-kicked sandwich.”

  Shi-tan laughed a moment. “That would be good—the food will help you heal. But you will need to wipe off the blood before you get back to your ship.”

  Kraaz shook his head. “No, let them know I got my own ass kicked. It will help some of them realize there is always someone out there who can hand your ass back with change, if they want.” He looked at Shi-tan. “I misjudged you. My mistake.”

  Shi-tan shrugged. “It happens.” He clapped Kraaz on the shoulder as he walked past him. “I’ve got to get back to my family, so take care of yourself.”

  Kraaz turned to watch his fellow Shrillexian stride away. “Any words of wisdom?” he called. It was customary, if a fellow beat you soundly, to ask for advice to help you improve your fighting.

  Shi-tan turned and eyed Kraaz a moment, considering his words before speaking.

  “Anyone can bring death, but if you want to know true death? Well, she dresses in armor, and her eyes glow red. When Death comes for you, ask forgiveness.” He pursed his lips. “She just might have pity.”

  He finished speaking, turned sideways, and slipped back through the fence.

  QBBS Asteroid R2D2

  “I can’t believe you got Bethany Anne’s approval to call this R2D2.” Tina glanced outside the Executive Pod as they headed toward four large asteroids. These had been pulled from the orbit of the sixth planet in the Yollin system, a planet named Yellek that was a particularly ghastly shade of green.

  It had taken the team four months to stabilize the four asteroids in a decent orbit in the Quarantined Zone.

  So far, no ships had entered the areas the QBS ArchAngel II and the QBS Reynolds would gate into. It wasn’t entirely due to the fact that they could gate right in on anything in that system (which was true), but also because the broadcast warning was “We shoot trespassers.”

  Which was to say that as they entered the system, all ships were shown the areas that were “no go-no way-no how” as the documents and videos explained it.

  Basically, they were given a map of the system and images of ships being blown apart as they crossed the lines into the restricted areas. There had been plenty of jokes about the rather blunt message, but so far there hadn’t been any incidents due to miscommunication.

  You cross the line, we kill you dead.

  The little Executive Pod slid into the virtually roped-off space and approached the asteroids.

  “Easy enough,” Marcus answered. “I told her I wanted to name them Right One and Two and Designate One and Two. I can’t help it if she didn’t think about what would happen if we shortened the names to just their initials.”

  “Or,” Tina turned to look at Marcus, “she knew exactly what you were doing and didn’t care, because George Lucas isn’t going to sue her out here in the middle of nowhere?”

  “Well, technically—” Marcus started before Tina interrupted.

  “Yes, we are in the Yollin system, but I don’t think that Earth trademark laws apply this many light years away.”

  Bobcat snorted. “I’d love to see the look on Bethany Anne’s face if a lawyer tried to serve her.”

  William chuckled. “Hello, my name is… OH MY GOD, YOUR FACE IS ON FIRE! YOU’RE A DEMON, AREN’T YOU?” He pushed both arms out. “Right before she pushed him into the Etheric.”

  “Wow, you don’t like lawyers much, do you?” Tina asked.

  “It’s been much easier since ADAM, Meredith and Bethany Anne started handling this sort of thing rather than lawyers,” Bobcat told her.

  “Does anything get to Bethany Anne?” Tina asked, forgetting to watch as the Executive Pod slowed down and an area in the deep shadow of the asteroid opened.

  “Nothing, anymore,” William answered her question. “Last time she got pissed off at an inane question, she read their thoughts and both were sent to prison asteroids.”

  “For pissing her off?” Tina asked. “That seems a bit harsh.”

  “Not really,” Marcus answered. “One was trying to steal the intellectual property of the other. And the second one was guilty of something back on Earth that pissed her off so badly she contemplated killing him.”

  “But she didn’t?” Tina asked. “I mean, obviously not right then, but she usually doesn’t withhold the stick, so to speak.”

  “I think he had been punished before,” Bobcat looked up, trying to remember, “back on Earth, but she found out he wasn’t penitent or something. She made sure he wouldn’t have the opportunity to do it again.”

  “Anyway,” William took back the conversation, “no one wants the Empress digging around in their mind for old shit, so they allow the courts to deal with it.”

  The shadow caught Tina’s attention as they ducked under the overhang and slid into the bay inside the asteroid. Behind them, the stars shone brightly.

  Tina was the first to exit the Pod, followed by Bobcat, William, and then Marcus, who made sure the Pod was locked.

  “Why do you do that?” Tina asked. “Who is going to steal one of our Pods out here?”

  “Probably no one,” Marcus admitted, walking around her to exit the bay, “but I like to practice safe Podding.”

  There was a groan from William and an “I’m working on it!” from Marcus ahead of her. Tina just shook her head and started walking as the guys went through the exit. The door slid closed behind them all.

  It was her first visit to the new Research and Development Asteroid for Team BMW, and she’d be damned if she’d get lost.

  She went through the door and lost it. There were four hallways that went every which way, and she couldn’t see the guys at all. “Fuck!” she hissed, her frustration plain on her face.

  “Tina!” She whirled to
see Marcus down a hallway, his head sticking out from a second hallway. “This way.” He ducked back.

  She double-timed it to the hallway and jogged just a bit to catch up with him.

  —

  “R2!” William called as Tina entered the room and stopped short. The roof was at least ten meters high, and the room was a large domed circle. In the middle were four tables, each with a computer and tablet, and she could see table-based holographic units for personal work and a central unit she imagined would be used for group efforts.

  There were also old-school whiteboards on casters around the tables.

  “Yes, William?” A voice sounded from the room’s speakers. The closer Tina walked to the middle tables, the better she could hear the EI’s voice. She also noticed that the voice started with a little chirp, slightly reminiscent of the chirp from that old science fiction movie.

  “That affectation,” Bobcat said as he sat at his table to turn on his computer, “is going to drive me to drink.”

  “You don’t need a reason to drink,” Marcus pointed out, “and you can tell R2 to stop it anytime.”

  “I’m just preparing you for the future,” Bobcat commented, his computer booting as he got up and walked to William’s table. “What do you have for us?”

  “This,” he said, and threw his fist out. His hologram sprang to life.

  Marcus looked up as Tina walked toward the two guys and glanced at William’s display before putting his head back down.

  Seconds later, Marcus’ head jerked back up. “That’s not possible.”

  “That’s what I said,” William told him as he pointed to the hologram. “R2, highlight and enlarge section three, three.” A large component of the electronics of the ESD Beam technology appeared in the hologram.

  Tina stood back and watched.

  Marcus got up. “The…” he started, then got lost in thought again.

  Bobcat rubbed his chin. “Where did you get this?”

  “Random bullshit from our computers in the monkey’s paw offices.”

  “R2,” Marcus requested, “let me speak with Reynolds, please.”

  “Space station or ship?”