When the survivors were safely in their hole, the night started to come alive. Nocturnal creatures that ate the fruit from the orchard began to emerge, and so did their predators. Nothing seemed to make any effort to be quiet, so sleeping wasn’t an option.
“Screw this,” McGuire said wearily. “I’m going to do a circuit to see what we have around us for neighbors. When I get back, I’ll say ‘banana.’ You will reply with ‘apple.’ That way you’ll know it’s me, and I’ll know the hole isn’t under new management.”
Thirty steps ahead of the shuttle the debris from another wreck was strewn across a couple hundred feet. Field gear and body parts were everywhere. Movement ahead made McGuire drop to the ground. An alien had picked up part of a leg from a trooper and was sitting in the grass with it. Magnifying her optics, she could see the small sword in its paws as it carved small chunks of flesh from the bone and stored them in a knapsack. When it finished, it flung the bag on its shoulder, took a look around, and began walking into the orchard.
McGuire fought the urge to puke as she raised her beamer, sighting in on the Red Coat but then changing her mind. It would be good to know where the enemy was located.
“Gray Panthers are not in season today. You’re going to pay,” she said under her breath as she started to follow the alien. The next second she found herself flat on the ground, her face in the torso of a dead trooper.
“When the hell am I going to wake up from this nightmare?” she muttered. She used the dead trooper’s water container to wash his blood and entrails from her face, gagging in the process. She examined the trooper’s beamer and saw that it was still serviceable. Then she got up and tried to pick up the alien’s trail.
“There you are, you bastard,” she said as she caught sight of the creature. A few minutes later, she almost lost the alien again when it dropped into a hole. She could hear voices coming from the hole, so she took the extra beamer and switched it to setting three, the dead man’s setting. Then she pulled the trigger, knowing the weapon would explode in thirty seconds. At five seconds she grabbed the barrel and tossed it into the hole as she dove to the ground. A brilliant white flash emanated from the hole up into the sky, and a small shock wave escaped upward. Surprisingly, there was no sound of an explosion.
“I think it’s time to go home,” she said to herself, feeling almost good as she started back to the hole.
Jacka home world
14 November 2128
Dan was getting anxious. What the hell am I doing on a planet of alien mercenaries? They’re probably trying to set a price on my head with the Libra right now.
“Good morning, Dan. I hope you slept well. My wife and family were happy to see me. I thank you again for bringing me home.” Although Colonel Blade sounded happy, Dan detected there was something wrong.
“I’m happy for you, my friend. That is what we fight for, is it not? Family?”
“I have bad news. The council is not as I remember it. The influence of the outside world has affected it. Many openly argued about what was in the deal for them. They were not looking out for the people. I am ashamed.”
“Colonel, they are politicians, not warriors. They have different priorities. Knowing what you have told me, I’ll speak with them again, like a politician.”
“That is good, because I am here to take you to them. They wait for us.” Dan followed, knowing what he had to do, and was amazed that he didn’t even feel dirty.
“Dan Daniels, we have discussed what you have come to offer us.”
“I apologize to the council. I did not mention an important part of my plan. May I have a few minutes to explain it to you?”
“Go ahead. You may speak.”
“Honored council members, I forgot to mention the problems involved with my plan. I only spoke of the good. You see, each of your clans would need to put your people to work. You would need to grow food to sell to the fleet. Others would have to make and sell uniforms. Weapons would need to be repaired, so someone would have to have to set up a factory for that. In fact, for all of the infrastructure, someone would need to build factories. Others would need to provide housing to those who worked in the factories. I’m afraid all those businesses would fall on your shoulders, or on those who might pay you to allow them to set up the businesses. I guess in your wisdom you could spread this between your clans. If needed, I could provide what we call start-up loans to cover the cost of building and equipment. The members of this council would get these loans at zero interest, out of respect for your positions. For those of your clans we would provide the loans at low interest. I regret I did not mention this burden earlier, esteemed council members.” Dan noticed the council members were practically ignoring him as they argued among themselves.
“Thank you, Dan Daniels. We will need to debate the information you have brought us. Colonel Blade, escort Dan Daniels out to the hallway, please.” The speaker looked eager for them to leave.
Right away, the council members began to talk about their share of the profits for supplying an army and a fleet. Talk then turned to the new fields that would be reclaimed from the desert to be used for growing food, and the heavy construction industry that would be necessary to build factories—factories that could sell to other planets any excess materials the army didn’t need. Dozens of ideas and plans spilled out that would profit the members of the council.
“Please come back in, Dan Daniels,” the main speaker for the council said. “We have studied the matter and agree with your plans. It will be a burden upon us, but we will do it for the sake of our people.”
“Thank you, esteemed council members. I will need you to start recalling all your warriors so we can begin to train them in the new technologies. I understand that some of you have contracts that must be broken for your warriors to come home. Let me know the cost involved in breaking the contracts and I will compensate you.
“I will have my people bring negotiators to work out the details of the plan. I will also have the bankers provide the loans. Specialists will also be with them to help you get the right equipment for building and any other needs you may have.” Dan tried not to laugh at the council members. They had not yet met the attorneys, bankers, and salesmen who would give them lessons on capitalism.
“We shall have a feast in your honor tonight, Dan Daniels,” a council member said happily. Dan accepted the invitation and left with Blade.
“You spoke to them like whores, and they listened to every word. How did you know that would happen, Dan?”
“Colonel, a soldier goes into battle the first time not knowing what to expect. Politics is not any different. Like war, it’s ugly, and you change quickly or you are dead. I am glad you saw that, because I know you are a man of honor. I am going to request that you be the intermediary for all transactions. I am also going to demand that in order to keep you unbiased you perform that duty as a private citizen. You will need an army of accountants and attorneys to track everything. You will also become very rich. I know that is not what you want, but that you will do it as a duty to your people. Politicians, as you just saw, need to be watched carefully.”
“I do not like this, Dan. I feel dirty. It is beneath my honor,” Blade protested.
“You will be the one who sees that the troops get what they need. That the families of those troops are not unfairly taxed. You will help make it possible for veterans to have honorable jobs. Do you know of anyone else for the position? I will work with any person you name,” Dan offered.
“Damn you, Dan Daniels, I will do it,” Blade accepted despairingly, as an act of duty. The pair rested in the guesthouse as Blade went over some of the etiquette to be observed at the celebration that evening.
“You must not look a person in the eyes and show your fangs. That is a challenge to the death. You must remember that, in case you tell a joke and laugh in the human way. Our people slap the shoulder of one who is making a joke or telling a story. But only with the left paw. Using the right paw is
an insult. If someone does not believe what you are saying, they will look to the sky. If they believe you or support you, they will look toward the middle of your body.”
“Is there a way to tell if someone is lying?” Dan asked.
“No one will lie! That is a direct violation of our people’s beliefs. One may misdirect, though, without it being a lie. It is an art to say one thing and mean another,” Blade said with a hint of admiration.
“We have a couple of hours. I’m going to take a catnap. I’m sure it will be an interesting night.”
“I will wake you in two hours, Dan.”
Dan lay in the bed, which reminded him of a feather mattress, though it was much deeper and softer. He pressed the button behind his ear, figuring it would be a good time to check in with Grub.
“Grub, what do you know?” Dan asked quietly, so Blade wouldn’t overhear.
“I do not know much, since you forbade me from using faeries to check on what the government officials are doing. A couple of short-range Libra ships have come and departed. They could have also been Jacka-owned.”
“I have a bad feeling, so keep an eye on me if you can. I know you have at least a couple covering me. I’m going to take a little nap before the party.” Dan lay back in the bed, quickly falling asleep.
The room was black when he woke up, and he realized he wasn’t alone. His cute idea of giving Blade back his weapons to defend him had backfired. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocketknife, opening it quietly.
“Hello? Is someone there?” By instinct alone, he rolled backward to the other side of the bed and heard the mattress rip where he had been.
“It’s a bitch trying to kill someone if you can’t see them,” Dan taunted. “You should have come prepared. I’d hate to think that an amateur like you could kill me.” Dan looked toward the door and hollered, “Colonel Blade, I have an assassin in my room!”
The assassin, still unseen, made his way around the bed in the only direction possible, irritated that he must hurry now because his victim had shouted out. Dan smelled the assassin as he approached. The smell of spoiled milk, he thought. He grabbed the bed cover and threw it in what he believed to be the assassin’s direction, then lunged after it. The would-be killer was closer than he thought. Pure adrenalin took over as Dan repeatedly drove his knife through the bed cover, feeling it make solid contact with each thrust.
The light came on and Blade ran in in time to witness Dan making a final jab into the covered assailant. The attacker dropped to his knees and then fell onto his face. Blade drew his sword and nodded to Dan to pull the cover off the assassin.
On the ground lay a huge Jacka dressed in black. His right paw held a sword that was stuck into his left leg. Dan surmised that it had happened when he’d followed up throwing the bedcovers with a body block. The Jacka’s chest had two dozen punctures from the pocketknife.
“This is bad,” Blade said, poking lightly at the body with his sword, testing to see if there was any response.
“Do ya really think that?” Dan almost shouted as the adrenaline continued to pump.
“This Jacka is in black.”
“You don’t like his fucking color choice?” Dan tried to bring himself back from the edge of hysteria.
“Black is the color of the criminal. When one is forced to leave their clan, they must wear black, or it is a death sentence. Usually, they go off-world. No one would allow themselves to be seen with a criminal.”
“Do you think it’s a coincidence he was here?” Dan asked as he looked toward the open door that led into a garden. He then knelt down and looked through the assassin’s pockets, which were empty except for a small electronic box.
“Someone does not want you to succeed,” Blade said, looking concerned. “That is a scrambler. It interferes with all electronics for a hundred feet. We will find no security footage of his entrance.”
“What do we do with the body?”
“I will call the captain of the guard. We are under the protection of the council, so this must be reported. This will also give you acceptance as a warrior when the story is revealed.”
The arrival of the guards coincided with that of a dignitary from the council who had come to get Dan. The dignitary stood back and listened to the exchange. The guard captain acknowledged that three guards had been killed, including two who manned the same post together. The killer had used a short sword on all three, so it was said that he must have been a very worthy opponent.
“Come. The feast awaits. The guards can clean up this mess and have the killer’s boss before the festivities are over,” the dignitary said pompously.
On the way to the celebration, Dan tolerated the babbling of the dignitary as he tried to figure out the most likely one from the council to have had him marked for death.
“The guest of honor finally arrives!” The speaker was the Libra ambassador, who lifted his drink in salute. Dan lost control of himself and headed toward the Libra. The entire room watched as he walked across the open space, stopping to pick up a drink before he got to the ambassador.
“My friends, I would like to make a toast. Here is to incompetent assassins and the fools who hire them!” Dan stared straight at the Libra as he felt the fire of whatever was in the glass go down his throat. He enjoyed the shocked look on the Libra’s face as word quickly spread about the dead guards. Dan was a hero for killing the criminal.
“I, I had nothing to do with that,” the ambassador exclaimed righteously, scanning the room for someone who would back him up.
“Of course, Ambassador. You are only the mortal enemy of me and my people.” Dan made a point of looking upward, with as much theatrics as possible, and the guests murmured loudly.
“Ignorant upstart. You should have more respect for your betters,” the ambassador said defiantly, believing himself safe from the mad human.
“Do not worry, Ambassador. I don’t harm children, the old, or runts.” Dan smiled broadly for the entire room as he directed his gaze toward the ambassador and firmly patted his shoulder with his right hand. He turned his back and laughed as he walked away from the ambassador, his disgust plainly shown for all.
The ambassador pulled out his ceremonial sword and attacked Dan from behind as the guests stared in horror. The ambassador’s sword arm was above his head when Dan turned and moved inside of his arm, shoving the pocketknife deep into the ambassador’s belly and forcing it straight up until it stopped. Dan pulled out his knife and shoved the ambassador backward. The ambassador dropped his sword and looked down to see his entrails and heart hanging out. He looked up again at Dan and then collapsed.
“My apologies to you all. If I had expected to do battle, I would have brought a real weapon.” Dan showed his pocketknife before reaching down and using the dead alien’s clothing to clean his blade.
An officer started to clap and the rest of the room joined in, showing their approval and their admiration for Dan’s gall and ability.
“You have made an impression on many here today,” Blade whispered to Dan. “For a small species that we already respected, you have elevated yourself and your species to a new level in our people’s eyes. Most of those here hate gatherings of this nature, so you have also made their day.”
“Will this be enough of a buzzkill to end the party?” Dan asked hopefully as servants took away the body.
“Oh, no. Now the party will last even longer. Warriors and want-to-be warriors will congratulate you and ask to see your weapon. They will then tell a war story of their own, which you must pretend to show interest in.”
“Can I ask a favor of you, Sharp Blade, my best friend of the Jacka?” Dan asked desperately.
“Of course, Dan.”
“Get to our shuttle as quickly as possible. In the refrigeration unit is a cardboard box. Please rush to get it here.” Blade nodded and left immediately, to Dan’s relief.
The crowd started to move in on Dan as a council member congratulated him on his victo
ry. When he asked to see the pocketknife, Dan handed it to him, but he was unable to open it with his thick paws. Dan made a point of deliberately showing the entire outside of the knife before opening it, letting the other blade and screwdriver open as well before he handed it back to the council member. Dan explained the functions of the knife, feeling like a salesman—especially with this audience.
The council member was almost through with a long-winded story when Dan spied Blade re-entering the room, completely out of breath.
“That was an amazing story of heroism and bravery. I am very impressed!” Dan looked at the speaker’s waist to show his sincerity.
“I have a drink from my planet,” Dan said. “It is a special drink for only warriors. As you have all seen a minor example of my warrior skills, I wish to share the moment with all of you with this special drink. I warn you now, it is most potent.”
“Allow me the privilege of pouring, Dan Daniels. I have had the honor of trying this drink. He is right—it is most potent!” Blade pulled out four one-gallon plastic jugs of milk and began to pour.
“I recommend using a small glass,” Blade warned, and the guests lined up politely with small glasses in their paws, as instructed. Those who had already sampled the milk started to relax and comment on it as more waited eagerly to try the drink. By the time they’d all had a first round, everyone came back with bigger glasses. Only one jug had been emptied. Blade instructed a server to take the jugs and set up trays with filled glasses around the room to avoid any lines, recommending that he hurry.
“Dan Daniels, you are the devil. In the morning these fools will all wish to be dead and will wish a particularly painful death on you,” Blade predicted.
“That is why we’ll be gone first thing in the morning, as planned.”
Gray Panthers: Dixie Page 17
