Planet Killer (Star Kingdom Book 6)

by Lindsay Buroker

  “Is that what you were doing when I got here? In the towel?”

  “Something like that.”

  Asger tapped the extra pertundo, knowing it would feel like a greater burden than it was as he carried it back to the ship. “I’ll let you know if anything changes back home. You were a good knight, Tristan. You worked harder than anybody and deserved the position. I don’t know what all happened with Jorg…”

  “I punched him.” Tristan twitched a shoulder. “And fell in love with a woman he was a jerk to.” He looked at Nalini, who nodded firmly.

  “He doesn’t rule the Kingdom yet,” Asger said. “If I ever manage to prove myself worthy of my position, and gain the king’s favor, I’ll ask him about you. Or if…” Not for the first time, Asger found himself thinking about the conversation he’d had with Casmir. “Or if the Kingdom itself ever changes. I have a friend who thinks it should.”

  “Is it one of the friends who’s in jail here?” Qin murmured. “Maybe we should see if these people here can get them out.”

  Nalini opened her mouth, but the door chime rang. “Devi, will you get that?” she asked instead of whatever she’d planned to say.

  “I will, so long as you remember that I am first and foremost your bodyguard. There’s a robot in the closet that’s supposed to open the door and clean the floors.”

  “We’ll have to see about getting it fixed now that we’re home for a week or two.”

  “Did another knight come with you?” Tristan asked Asger.

  “Not a knight, no. Someone who could probably fix any broken robots around here though.”

  “Probably?” Qin asked.

  “Definitely,” Asger said. “The robots might fall in love with him afterward and follow him around while playing operas.”

  “Technically, Viggo plays the operas. Always the same one. He’s got the robot vacuums choreographed to it.”

  Tristan looked like he didn’t know what to say.

  A throat cleared in the foyer, and a man in a security uniform peered into the living room. Asger braced himself. Qin rested her hand on her stunner.

  “Your Highness?” the security officer asked diffidently even as he frowned fiercely at Asger and Qin. “Those… people attacked a number of staff and security officers. I don’t believe you’re safe, even with Tristan.”

  “I’ll be all right,” Nalini said. “I’ve got Tristan and Devi to protect me.”

  “That is correct,” Devi said, “and one of us is a more capable protector than the other. Tristan is a little on the dim side, you know.”

  The officer shook his head. “Your Highness, there’s footage of them destroying drones and beating up two men. They should be taken to the detention center. Or deported. If you don’t agree, I will have to speak with your father.”

  “I’ll speak with him myself,” Nalini said. “I understand the detention center is in a state of disrepair.”

  Asger raised his eyebrows, wondering what she’d learned from her comm calls. He hoped Casmir and Kim—and Zee—hadn’t made things worse.

  “Er, that’s temporary.”

  “Perhaps you should deal with Dubashi’s men and not worry about these two people,” Nalini said. “I’m questioning them and will have them kicked off the station if they don’t give me the right information.”

  “Oh.” The officer digested that. “This is an interrogation?”

  He looked at the tiny sandwiches on the tray.

  “It is. Princesses feed their captured prisoners before they interrogate them. The etiquette books require that we be regal and polite.”

  “I think you’re teasing me, Your Highness.”

  Nalini picked up a few sandwiches, stacked them, and walked them to the officer. “Please enjoy these and go back to your station. Trust that I’m capable enough to deal with these minor threats to the palace’s safety.”

  The man looked glummer than a pallbearer at a funeral, but he accepted the food and allowed Devi to walk him out.

  Asger allowed himself to relax an iota once he was gone and it appeared that he and Qin were safe, as long as they stayed in Nalini’s good graces.

  “Tristan,” Asger said, “is there any chance you could get our friends out of the detention center? They didn’t do anything. Their only crime is being from the Kingdom.”

  “What are their names?” Nalini asked, returning to the living area.

  She must not have learned everything. Strange that she’d mentioned Prince Dubashi.

  “Scholar Sato and Professor Dabrowski,” Asger said.

  “Professor Dabrowski, the roboticist?” Tristan asked. “He’s here?”

  “You know him?”

  “Not personally, but I watched a number of his free lectures on the network. I couldn’t afford— Uhm, there wasn’t time in my training for a formal university education, but I was looking for instruction that went beyond the rudimentary mathematics courses I had, and he has lectures up on calculus, linear algebra, kinematics, and the like. And he used robots to demonstrate a lot of the concepts. They were enjoyable lectures.”

  “Kine-what?” Asger hadn’t known Tristan had academic inclinations. He couldn’t remember ever seeing his fellow knight toting a book around.

  “The geometry of motion, it’s called. In mechanical engineering, it’s used to predict the movements of systems composed of joined parts like engines or a robotic arm.” Tristan grinned. “Or a human arm holding a pertundo. For one of my final presentations, I applied mathematics to hand-to-hand combat to explain why some attacks and defenses that are thousands of years old have changed little over time. They’ve proven their effectiveness.”

  Tristan glanced at Nalini, and she smiled back fondly.

  “This is why I’ve put him to work in my business,” she said. “Not so much for math related to combat, but he’s getting quite good at calculating returns on investment on the fly.”

  “And here I would have guessed it had to do with what he looks like in a towel,” Asger said.

  Qin nodded agreement. Asger tamped down a twinge of jealousy that arose.

  “That doesn’t hurt either,” Nalini said.

  Tristan’s cheeks turned pink.

  Nalini held up a finger. “I’ll check on your friends, but I don’t think they’re in the detention center. I hope they aren’t. There was an incident there with some of Dubashi’s men being caught infiltrating our security center and… I’m not sure yet. They’re being questioned.”

  Qin stirred. “I hope someone wasn’t after Casmir. He’s still got that bounty on his head, doesn’t he? Issued by Dubashi.”

  Asger stood, wanting to go check on their friends himself. But he waited for Nalini, who had the abstract gaze of someone checking the network or reading messages on her contacts.

  “Ah.” She snorted softly. “They’re with my father.”

  “Your father the sultan?” Asger asked. “Are they being questioned?”

  “You could say that. My father wants your professor to build him something called a crusher.”

  13

  Casmir didn’t expect to receive any messages while he was in System Stymphalia, since he didn’t know anyone here besides Ishii—and that dreadful Ambassador Romano—but a text came in while he and Kim and Zee were following Sultan Shayban and his bodyguards to Stardust Palace’s manufacturing facility. It was from the last person he thought would voluntarily talk to him again.

  Greetings, my roboticist nemesis, Kyla Moonrazor’s words popped up on his contact. I did not expect you to follow me to this system. Are you stalking me? Did my kiss stimulate you so?

  I didn’t know you were here, Casmir replied.

  A likely story. I told you we can take control of this gate when we’re ready to make use of it.

  I assumed that wouldn’t be for a few decades since you only got part of the gate.

  Don’t remind me. It was rude of you to call down all those scavengers to steal pieces. We should have worked together. We co
uld even now be preparing to leave the Twelve Systems.

  That’s not my goal.

  I’m distressed that my kiss didn’t sway you to follow me across the stars.

  Casmir decided mentioning that she was old enough to be his mother—and then some—wouldn’t be a flattering observation. Given my sweaty, puking, plague-ridden state during that kiss, I assumed it was only to throw off Rache and keep him from shooting you.

  That is possibly true. The mercenary is vexing. He almost got me three times, and he collapsed half of my base and killed one of my fellow high shamans. I will shoot him as soon as I get a chance. Or perhaps strangle him.

  An alarm gong rang in Casmir’s mind. Was Moonrazor on the station? The station Rache was on his way to visit?

  There wasn’t a lag delay between their exchanges. She had to be here or somewhere close.

  What are you doing now that your plan has been delayed? Casmir wouldn’t mention that Rache was on the way.

  Regrouping. Contacting other high shamans in this system. What are you doing on Stardust Palace Station?

  Casmir definitely wasn’t the stalker in this pairing. Why was she keeping tabs on him? He had never given her permission to contact him through his chip, nor should she have been able to track him through it, but he wasn’t surprised that she could. If she was here, it was also possible she’d seen him in person or on a camera.

  He caught himself glancing over his shoulder. There was nobody trailing after them, and Zee walked solidly and protectively behind him.

  Kim raised her eyebrows. Casmir waved a finger; he would explain after he figured out what Moonrazor wanted.

  I’m a civilian advisor commanded to do work for the Kingdom Fleet, he replied, figuring she could guess as much and that he wasn’t giving away secret intelligence.

  Working for the military? What a waste. You should come work for me.

  Your offer still stands?

  Certainly. I contacted you to thank you for removing the security system on the gate. It will be much easier to study it and replicate it now.

  Somehow, Casmir doubted that was the real reason she’d sought him out, but he said, You’re welcome. Then, since she appeared to feel grateful toward him, he added, May I ask a question I’ve been wondering about?

  Go ahead.

  What were your people doing on Odin this past year? I was assigned to stop some terrorists who were bombing our cities, and the leader, the former chief superintendent of Royal Intelligence, was wearing some cybernetic upgrades and had what looked like astroshamans defending his base.

  Shayban slowed down as they entered a refining area full of ore being processed, the warm air heavy with the scent of molten metal. They stepped onto a flat automated cart that rolled up to their group, and it whizzed them through the massive facility.

  Shayban gestured to stockpiles of materials and spoke proudly of all that he’d built on his station. It occurred to Casmir that this place would be large enough to build and house gate pieces. He wondered if Moonrazor was here investigating the possibility.

  Casmir nodded and made suitably enthusiastic noises as he read Moonrazor’s reply.

  Those weren’t my people. Your former chief superintendent Bernard was one of Dubashi’s new followers, seeking to prove himself worthy in the new order Dubashi wants to create and setting up a base in a remote location for… certain reasons. So many seek to curry Dubashi’s favor, simply because he is rich. He barely qualifies as a high shaman, but he’s as old as dirt, so it would be difficult to evict him from the fold. Besides, once my people and I leave the Twelve Systems, we’ll care nothing for what he does here or on Odin. Let him have his world.

  His world? Odin? Casmir frowned at the implications.

  But what he asked was, Prince Dubashi of the Miners’ Union is an astroshaman? A high shaman? One of your leaders? That surprised him more than anything else she’d revealed.

  Of course.

  That’s not in his public record. I’ve been reading about him. He doesn’t have any obvious cybernetic upgrades in his photos.

  He opts for subtle human-like upgrades. There are many high shamans who do not advertise their association with the order to outsiders. But I’m sure one of your Royal Intelligence officers could have ferreted it out. I do not know if Dubashi offered anything to Bernard for stirring up trouble on Odin, but it is likely Dubashi did want reports back and may have subverted the chief with some offer. Everybody knows Dubashi has had his eye on Odin for years.

  Not everybody. Casmir hadn’t known anything about the prince, or even heard about him in the news, until he’d learned about the bounty on his head.

  When you say he wants Odin, Casmir replied, do you mean he wants control of the planet?

  I mean that he wants the planet. Odin is the crown jewel in the Twelve Systems. Breathable air, the perfect blend of earth and sea, millions of species of animals and birds and fish that can survive there. The most Earth-like planet in the systems. Everybody covets it, even if they say they don’t. Even those of us born in space feel the call of grasses and forests and lakes under a yellow sun. It’s in our genes. I suppose Dubashi is still human enough to long for those things.

  The cart took them from the refinery into an area filled with giant robotic tools, manufacturing equipment, and conveyor belts. Shayban pointed toward a glassed-in work area at the back.

  Casmir, suspecting he would soon need his full attention to negotiate with the sultan, attempted to finish his conversation with Moonrazor. Thank you for answering my questions.

  You can consider my debt to you repaid.

  Casmir hadn’t believed Moonrazor in debt to him—if anything, he’d expected her to resent him for working against her in her base—but if she wanted to give him information, he would cheerfully take it.

  And know that I wouldn’t object, she added, if you killed Dubashi. He is not a true believer who is fully committed to transcending our flesh forms and fully embracing the next evolution. It was only his money that bought him his position in the order, long before I was influential enough to object, and there are many who resent that he has used us to further his ambitions.

  I’m not a killer.

  Send your pet mercenary after him then.

  Casmir choked on the idea of Rache being his minion—or even working with him toward the same goal.

  The cart whirred to a stop, the group stepping off in front of an assembly line with the housings for robotic floor moppers flowing past on a conveyor belt. Casmir recorded a short video clip to share with Viggo, in case he would be interested in adding to his collection of robot cleaners, or simply wanted to see the manufacturing process.

  “Mining is the primary way my family and our people earn our livelihoods,” Shayban said, “but we do manufacture a few consumer goods that are popular in the system. We also build security drones and robots, so I believe you’ll find that we have everything you need to make a crusher.”

  Shayban looked Zee up and down again, admiring his lines as if he were a treasured lover.

  “This is far more than I could have asked for, Sultan,” Casmir said. “And I’m quite willing to make you a crusher if you supply the materials, but…” He glanced at Kim. This would be the challenging part. “I was actually sent to make an army of them to serve the Kingdom.”

  Shayban’s bushy eyebrows drew together.

  “That’s what I was ordered to do,” Casmir hurried on to explain. “Mind you, I’m not in the military, and even though I’m a Kingdom subject, I prefer to do things my way. I’ve learned that my crushers can be used to hurt—to kill—innocent people, so I’m not eager to hand them over to a military leader or even a prince.”

  “Especially a prince, I should think,” Shayban said with a distasteful snarl.

  Casmir spread a hand, not wanting to argue. “I’ve been debating how I can help my people get Dubashi’s forces out of our system without burdening my conscience with more guilt than it already carries. I belie
ve that if I personally command the crushers I make, I can ensure they aren’t used for evil.”

  Shayban frowned at him. Right, he didn’t know Casmir well enough to know he wasn’t evil. Or maybe he was wondering where Casmir planned to get the materials to build this army.

  “I understand we have a common enemy in Prince Dubashi,” Casmir said.

  “Yes… I was willing to work with the Kingdom because of that common enemy, but then your king sent me a spoiled prince who’s not fit to touch my daughter.”

  “Now he’s sent you a polite roboticist who only wants to touch your ore.” Casmir offered his most affable smile.

  “How much do these crushers cost to make, and what exactly will you do with them once you build them?”

  “They’re not inexpensive. I can send you a raw materials list and approximately how much time I’ll need in your workshop. If I can retool some of your manufacturing equipment, the process will go much more quickly. As for what I’ll do with them, I hope to take them back to System Lion to help break the blockade and protect my people on Odin.”

  Casmir shivered as Moonrazor’s words came to mind. He didn’t know if he could trust that anything she’d told him was true, but if it was, and if Dubashi truly wanted his entire planet…

  “How does that help me with my Dubashi problem?” Shayban asked. “Once his mercenaries and military forces are cleared out of your system, will you lead your Kingdom fleet back here to deal with him?” Shayban’s eyes narrowed with speculation. “And once Dubashi has been ousted, will you leave the asteroid belts and territories he controls in my hands?”

  “Ah.” Casmir wished he could say yes, because Shayban looked like he might trust him to do it, if he gave his word, but the Kingdom fleet was far from being under his command. “I’m only an advisor, so I couldn’t guarantee that the captains would be willing to come back here to help you afterward.”

  Worse, Casmir highly doubted that Jorg would consider that—especially if Shayban had recently refused his marriage proposal to his daughter. Jorg might even argue that Stardust Palace should be the first station to be usurped by the Kingdom if it was able to expand again. Though Casmir hoped that once his people succeeded in driving off the invaders, they would settle down and learn to be happy with what they had. Was that wishful thinking?