Moreland finally reached the head of the Pink Sun’s formation and turned to look at them. However, he seemed confused when none of them made a move to do as he’d ordered.
“Krytaar, tell your men to stand down!” the Chief snapped.
“Not going to happen, Moreland,” Krytaar replied.
Moreland scowled. “You are all deputies of the Peacekeeper Department, and I am the head of that department!” he said. “You will do as I say, or under the watchful eye of the Great Observer, I swear I will arrest the whole lot of you!”
Krytaar finally removed his gaze from the Rangers and turned it toward the Peacekeeper. “You and what army?” he asked.
The brazenness of the reply took Moreland back a bit, enough that he didn’t appear to know how to respond.
“No one is being arrested here today, Chief,” Krytaar stated. “Now go back to your office, sit your flabby rear down, and turn a blind eye while me and mine sort out this situation.”
Moreland scowled at Krytaar, looking insulted that the man would dismiss him and his position so readily.
“Do as he says, Moreland!” Berenger called out. “No need to put yourself in the middle of this squickstorm! Head on back to safety!”
Moreland glanced behind him at Berenger, his indignant look only growing at the Ranger’s suggestion.
“Please,” Deckland whispered to himself. “Please… stay out of this…”
Moreland turned back to Krytaar. The Peacekeeper’s jaw was set, and his eyes were hard. “You are not in charge here, Krytaar,” he said. “I am the law in this town. And so long as it is my duty and privilege to wear the badge of a Peacekeeper, I will not allow you or your men to run roughshod over me. Now, I don’t know what’s going on here or why you’ve brought your entire force to have a showdown with these Rangers, but I do know that the only way I’m going to permit you Pinkies to do whatever the blazes you want in my town is over my dead body.”
Krytaar’s mouth twisted into the hint of a smirk at that statement.
“If that’s what it takes,” he said.
Moreland’s eyes went wide the second he realized what Krytaar’s statement meant. His hand instinctively went to his sidearm, but before he could even grip its handle, Krytaar lifted his weapon and shot Moreland in the chest.
“NO!” screamed Deckland.
Moreland was dead before he hit the ground, crumpling into a heap as his chest smoked from the plasma bolt’s deadly impact.
The moments between the firing of the opening salvo and Moreland falling to the street felt like they were moving in slow motion to Deckland. He could see the Pink Sun soldiers all taking that as their cue that the gloves were now off. That the law was no longer any concern. That they were free to do whatever it is they wanted, and there was no one left to stop them.
No one but Deckland and Berenger.
Just as the Pink Suns all moved to raise their weapons toward the Rangers, Berenger gave the signal.
“Now, Wadsworth!” he cried.
Before any of the Pink Suns could fire, large plasma bolts showered down from the sky, tearing through their ranks as the powerful blasts took some of them out. In the distance, The Leadbelly was rocketing toward the settlement, firing off its forward plasma cannon right at the men who’d been foolish enough to meet the Rangers out in the open.
Deckland and Berenger immediately targeted the snipers while they were distracted by The Leadbelly’s attack. Deckland aimed and brought down the soldier on the building to his left in two shots. Berenger brought down the shooter on the building to the right in one.
What remained of the Pink Sun squad began to scramble as The Leadbelly screamed by overhead, completing its strafing run. But Deckland and Berenger marched forward, firing at the men relentlessly and dropping them before they could make it to cover. Any attempt at return fire from their opponents went wide and missed the Rangers.
When The Leadbelly had attacked, Krytaar had dived to the ground to avoid the rainstorm of plasma blasts. Now, as his men all died around him, he got to his knees, abandoning his weapon, and raised his hands over his head.
“I surrender!” Krytaar said, glaring at Berenger in disdain at being outmaneuvered.
Without hesitation, Berenger aimed his pistol and fired, hitting Krytaar square between the eyes.
With Krytaar’s death, the last of the Pink Sun threat had been neutralized. The two Rangers stood in the street, surrounded by bodies as smoke, dust, and the smell of burnt ozone hung in the air. Berenger met Deckland’s gaze as his partner looked up from Krytaar’s body.
“That was for Moreland,” Berenger said.
“He’d surrendered,” Deckland said. “That was wrong.”
“That was justice,” stated Berenger. “Even if it weren’t exactly legal.”
Deckland looked at Chief Moreland’s body. A part of him knew Berenger had been wrong to kill a man who was surrendering, but that righteous voice within him was quickly growing less convincing with each innocent life lost. Rather than press the issue, Deckland simply nodded.
“Let’s finish this,” Deckland said.
With that, Deckland and Berenger walked past the bodies and into the administration building.
Chapter 19
Deckland and Berenger made their way up the stairs of the municipal building, keeping an eye out for trouble as they ascended. They could hear commotion on the floors as they passed, with anyone they ran into inside the stairwell looking at them with fear before rushing out through an exit door. No doubt what had just transpired outside had gotten a lot of attention from those within the building.
They were almost to the floor housing the governor’s office when Berenger suddenly winced as his hand went to his bionic eye. “Blast it,” Berenger muttered.
“What’s wrong?” asked Deckland with concern.
“Getting more of that electrical interference we ran into at the lab,” Berenger replied. “It’s jamming my recording ability again.”
“Stygaard must have the same technology in his office,” Deckland grumbled. “He doesn’t want anything that’s about to happen to be recorded.”
“Which means he don’t plan on coming along peacefully.”
“We just took out his private army. I don’t know how he plans to resist.”
“He’s still got his two-man security detail,” Berenger pointed out.
“Even odds for once,” Deckland said as he started climbing the stairs again. “Hardly seems fair to them.”
Berenger chuckled as he followed his partner. “Don’t get cocky, kid,” he cautioned.
The two men emerged onto the floor of the governor’s offices, their weapons at the ready. There was no one around, the employees obviously having cleared out when the shooting outside had started. Deckland frowned as he looked around.
“Think he may have run?” Deckland asked.
“Where to? There ain’t nowhere for him to go on this planet,” replied Berenger, who tapped the side of his head again as his bionic eye blinked.
“You going to be able to do this?” Deckland inquired, noting the trouble Berenger was having with his implant.
“I’ll be fine. My eye can still target and lock onto things. But if you want to get a confession, just wait until we’re out of range of this recording jammer.”
“Hopefully, we’ll be that lucky,” Deckland said. “Come on…”
The two men headed toward the main office, kicking open the double doors there to find two Pink Sun soldiers in the anteroom leading to Stygaard’s office. They both had their weapons raised, prompting Deckland and Berenger to take cover on either side of the entrance. One of the men was Rykar Stiles, Stygaard’s bodyguard.
“Drop your weapons!” Deckland called out. “Get on your knees and put your hands behind your head!”
Neither of the men moved, each holding his position with his weapon trained on the doorway.
“This is your final warning!” Deckland said. “Drop your weap
ons, get on your knees, and put your hands behind your heads, or we will be forced to shoot you!”
When it became obvious that neither bodyguard was going to surrender, Berenger decided to try a different tactic.
“Stygaard!” he called out. “Come on out here and give yourself up! Or do you want more blood on your hands?”
With that, the door to the governor’s private office slid open and Stygaard emerged, smoking a cigarette and wielding a small blaster pistol himself. “The only bloody hands around here are yours, Rangers,” Stygaard said, sounding calm and unafraid. “You just gunned down eight men in full view of my office.”
“Those men were interfering with a law enforcement investigation and presented an imminent threat to our safety,” Deckland said.
“Plus, they had it coming,” Berenger added.
“So, are you here to kill me, too?” Stygaard asked.
“We’re here to arrest you,” stated Deckland.
“I see,” Stygaard replied as he set his small blaster pistol on the secretary’s desk in front of his bodyguards. He signaled for Stiles and his companion to lower their weapons.
As soon as his security detail complied, Deckland and Berenger entered the room, their weapons at the ready. Though the two Pink Sun soldiers had lowered their rifles, they had not relinquished them. Stygaard looked at the two Rangers like he’d look at something foul caked on the bottom of his shoe and took a long drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke in the Rangers’ direction.
“What, pray tell, are the charges for which you plan to arrest me?” he inquired.
“Kidnapping for one,” Deckland stated. “Illegal genetic experimentation. Contract murder. I’m sure we can find more to charge you with, given time.”
“And I assume you have an arrest warrant for these charges signed by an Imperial judiciary?”
“We have sufficient probable cause for an arrest,” Deckland retorted.
“Probable cause, you say?” said Stygaard, as though he found the notion funny. “Such as?”
“We found your hidden lab,” said Berenger.
“Lab?” said Stygaard, innocently. “What lab?”
“We have evidence tying you to the abductions of twelve children,” Deckland stated.
“I highly doubt that, considering I’ve never abducted anybody, and I certainly can’t be held responsible for the actions of everyone who passes through my colony.”
“You can’t talk your way out of this, Stygaard,” Deckland said. “One way or another, you’re coming with us.”
“I am going nowhere, gentlemen. Particularly not with you.”
“You are,” cautioned Berenger. “It’s just a matter of hard you want to make it.”
“My security detail here will not allow you to take me into custody,” Stygaard said. “However, let’s say I agreed to go along with this ridiculous assertion that I’ve committed the crimes you’re accusing me of and allow you to arrest me. What do you hope to achieve by doing such a thing?”
“You’re going to pay for your crimes,” Deckland insisted.
“Will I?” Stygaard said, thoughtfully. “Let’s just say… hypothetically, of course… that I did all you’ve accused me of. You arrest me, bring me straight to Barnholm, and toss me in jail. Within two, maybe three hours, I’ll have an army of lawyers in Landfall who will facilitate my release. And while I’m catching my private shuttle back here to Sarjana, those same lawyers will be demanding to see the evidence upon which you’ve based your probable cause. And should that somehow hold up – and I highly doubt it will – they will begin preparing my defense for whatever trial you think will be held over this, at which point my money and influence will outweigh your so-called evidence. So, how does that equate to me paying for anything other than legal bills?”
“You know as well as we do that any arrest will hurt your chances at a Legacy, which is why you’re resisting us,” replied Deckland. “You might be able to ultimately buy your way out of this, but even if it generates enough scandal to cost you your chance at a Legacy, it’ll be worth it.”
“Oh, my! A scandal!” said Stygaard in mock concern. “People in the core worlds have a funny way of overlooking scandals that occur in the backend of the galaxy, my dear fellow. By the time scandals make their way across the Great Expanse, they’re usually old news – particularly to people whose bank accounts benefit from ignoring them. And here in Alpha Renway, I reign supreme. Not even the worst scandal in the universe can shake the hold I have on this system. So, knowing that this crusade you both are on is useless, I ask you – is it really worth risking your lives over such a thing?”
“We’ve been doing just fine so far,” Berenger said. “The question you gotta be asking is: is this worth risking your life over?”
“If I honestly thought my life were at risk, you’d never have made it into these offices,” Stygaard replied. “My men here are armed in order to protect me, but I can see now that you Rangers with your badges, blasters, and bluster offer no threat to me, be it physical or legal. And if it weren’t for the bodies you dropped outside on my doorstep, I’d be inclined to write you off as nothing more than a waste of my precious time. Now, if you insist on persisting with this ludicrous notion of arresting me, might I suggest the two of you holster your weapons, so we can speak as civilized people?”
“Not so long as your men remain armed,” Berenger said.
“Very well,” Stygaard replied with an exasperated sigh. He nodded to his bodyguards, who placed their rifles on the desk before them. Though they were disarmed, the weapons were still within their reach. However, it was enough of a gesture to get the Rangers to cautiously holster their blasters.
“There,” Stygaard said with a smile. “Now that everyone’s calm and reasonable, we can get down to the real business at hand here. So, tell me, gentlemen… what is your price?”
“Our price?” asked Deckland.
“How much do you want to make this nasty bit of business go away?” Stygaard inquired. “How’s a million digicredits each, sound?”
Deckland and Berenger exchanged disbelieving glances.
“Two million? Three?” Stygaard offered. “Go on. Name your price.”
“We’re not for sale,” Berenger responded, coldly.
“Everyone has a price, Ranger,” Stygaard declared. “And if you share yours with me, I can ensure that it is met. You two walk away rich, I get back to business, and all is right in the galaxy.”
“There is nothing right about twelve dead children!” exclaimed Deckland.
“Is twelve your number, then? A million per child, let’s say?” replied Stygaard as casually as if he were negotiating the mining rights to a plot of land. “I assume this would be for each of you, so a cool 24 million digicredits to get you on your way? How’s that sound?”
Deckland glared at Stygaard. “You want to know my price?” he asked. “My price is seeing you behind bars for the rest of your natural life. That’s my price.”
Stygaard returned Deckland’s disdainful glare. “That is not an outcome that is on the table, my dear man,” the governor stated.
“I beg to differ,” drawled Berenger.
Stygaard shook his head and looked at the Rangers as though they were children who were struggling to grasp a simple concept. “You still don’t understand, do you?” Stygaard said. “Right now, I am willing to pay you both absurdly large amounts of money to make you go away. Now, the men who are responsible for having kidnapped those children are already dead. You’ve already had your pound of flesh by killing my Pink Sun security force. Everyone who could possibly pay the price for what happened to those kids has already paid it. Pursuing me will get you nothing but more trouble as I bring my resources to bear. No matter what you do, this will all be swept under the rug. I urge you gentlemen to be smart and use this opportunity I am granting you to come out ahead here.”
“You really think you can get away with this?” growled Deckland. “You really think
you can kidnap, experiment on, and kill twelve children, and just walk away?”
“There are no witnesses, Ranger,” Stygaard replied. “No bodies. No secret lab built into the mountains. No evidence of any kind that points in my direction. And as of this morning, the Imperial Councils have voted to bring my petition for Legacy status to the Emperor. Before anyone who matters will be able to read your baseless reports and review your unsubstantiated charges, I will be one of the most powerful men in this part of Scutum-Centarus. You ask if you think I can get away with this? My dear man, look around! I already have.”
Deckland felt unbridled rage bubble up inside him as Stygaard smiled smugly at him. For a moment, his glare made the Stygaard’s two bodyguards tense enough to prepare to go for their weapons, but Stygaard signaled for them to remain at ease.
“I would strongly suggest you control yourself, now, Ranger,” Stygaard said. “It would be a shame to kill you in my office.”
“You didn’t have a problem with trying to kill us at Waystation 4855,” said Berenger. “Or out on your front yard, for that matter.”
“Frankly, the only reason I’m willing to allow you two to walk out of here is because your deaths at this point will cause me more of a headache than allowing you to run off back to Barnholm,” Stygaard said. “You two men are linked to a massacre on a space station, and now you’ve gunned down my colony’s entire complement of Peacekeeper deputies, as well as our Chief. Killing you will bring more investigation and scrutiny to my doorstep, but since you are apparently unwilling to play this smart and take my money, here is what will happen when I let you go… you will return home, file your unsubstantiated reports, and scream at the top of your lungs to anyone who will listen about how I’m some vile, greedy, evil man who killed a bunch of children via illegal genetic experimentation. And after everyone in a position of power is finished ignoring you, you will be demoted and placed on indefinite leave as you are investigated until the day you die for your own killings, both here in the colony and on the waystation. You will be buried, gentlemen. Humiliated. Forgotten. The sum of your efforts will be relegated to nothing but a footnote at the start of Legacy Stygaard.”
Lawmen- Rook and Berenger Page 21
