Never Surrender Read online

  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.

  “Same thing,” Tabitha replied before adding, “Make it so, Achronyx.”

  Tabitha snickered to herself.

  —

  The QBS Achronyx was sitting in space a half hour outside of the Annex Gate, as the 3D map was displaying a system star map while Achronyx provided an update about Eubos.

  The EI explained, “There are 112 different space stations, bases on planets, and different major areas. Two of the planetoids have archaeological digs that existed before the Yollins took over this system. There are both Yollins and other aliens in this area of the system. However, King Yoll didn’t mind the illegalities so long as the mining throughput was sufficient. Apparently, the Bible according to King Yoll didn’t apply here. There is a small planet of marsupials which have been forced into slave labor upon occasion. The local Yollins don’t have a reason to help stop slave trading because they need bodies. The local marsupials really aren't that equipped to be in outer space.”

  “It seems we have several issues to handle. First, the present methods of production using slaves. Second, the future change over to a slave-less production, and lastly, dealing with those providing the slaves.”

  “And, what are slaves?” Ryu added.

  “Come again?” Tabitha asked.

  “What do we classify as slaves?” Ryu asked, “What about individuals who are working something off? What about prisoners stuck out here? There are three separate issues which might include debtors, prisoners, legal guard of prisoners (if any) to deal with. All examples of people who would like to be released because they are slaves, and would probably lie through their teeth so we would force the issue and potentially release criminals back into society.” Ryu explained.

  “Well...Fuck.” Tabitha murmured.

  Sometimes, she thought, having centuries old history books walking around with you could be SUCH a molesta y fastidio.

  Executive Prison, Planet Yoll

  Scott was waiting patiently for the Yollin Defense Minister. He had reviewed all of the notes that ADAM had, and asked Kael-ven about his opinion on this individual.

  For an alien, E’kolorn was just a man doing his job to the best of his ability. He had used his only option left to protect the people as best he could. He had no way of knowing that Bethany Anne was bluffing about slamming rocks into the space stations.

  Nor would she have dropped the space stations out of orbit. She would have, however, dropped a puck on the King’s palace grounds. That place would have been a large hole in the ground if she had been forced to continue the fight.

  Cheating aside, the result Bethany Anne accomplished was the best they could hope for from the challenge.

  Scott heard the footsteps coming down the hall and stood up.

  Two Yollins came into the room. One was a guard, the other had a badge of office attached at his breast.

  Dressing a Yollin was about as beneficial as dressing a Wookie would have been. Or maybe a horse, considering Kael-ven. This caused Scott to smile, wondering how a Yollin with four legs would put on pants?

  The Defense Minister, himself having four legs, walked over to Scott and nodded.

  “I am formally taking responsibility for this prisoner, Guard K’lrek,” Scott told him. The Guard looked back in surprise. “What? You thought I wouldn’t?” Scott asked.

  “No,” the guard answered, “I didn’t think it would be formal.”

  Scott lifted his arm and pointed to a device he had strapped to his forearm, “This records everything I do. The Empress is very persnickety about how her personal Guards act. Should I have failed to act accordingly, my next sparring session with her would have been a bit more painful.”

  “Excuse me,” E’kolorn interjected and both men turned to him, “what do you mean, ‘would have been more painful?”

  “It means my healing time for fucking up would be increased due to me getting my ass kicked. Bethany Anne is a high-contact boss. As in, the bigger the fuck-up, the higher the amount of contact. While we get our own licks in from time to time, a fight with her can sometimes be one-sided.”

  “You hit your own Empress?” the ex-Defense Minister asked.

  “How else would you spar?” Scott asked, “Just stand there and take it? That wouldn’t do Bethany Anne any good. Trust me, we know she can take most anything we can throw at her, so if we get a chance, we make sure to teach her a lesson every chance we get.”

  The human scratched his face, “Unfortunately, she doesn’t usually fall for the same trick twice, so we have to figure out new ideas to get through her defenses.” He stuck out his hand, “I’m Scott, I’ll be your partner for today, keep all hands to yourself, and everything will go just fine. If you mouth off to the Empress, which I don’t suggest, you will earn pain. Perhaps not in front of her. However,” Scott pointed to E’kolorn, “she is offering you dignity and an opportunity to act civil. I don’t care how mad you might be, she cares and doesn’t deserve to hear about anything you don’t like, am I clear?”

  The previous Defense Minister thought about it a moment, “If I am disrespectful, you will hurt me later.”