The Shattered Empire (The Shadow Space Chronicles Book 2)

by Kal Spriggs

  Jessica looked away and Garret let out an angry breath, “Sorry sir, I won't let my emotions get the better of me.” He ignored how she rolled her eyes at his comment.

  “My apologies, Commodore, regardless of my personal distaste for one of your officers, that does not carry over onto your entire command,” Jessica said in an icy tone that seemed to belie her words. She cleared her throat. “I'd called you here to discuss future missions with your forces. I hope you understand when I say that I am uncertain where the Warwagon and your gunships fit into our overall offensive and defensive operations.”

  “I understand,” the Commodore said. “And in truth, you have a point. The old ship is too slow to keep up with most of the raiders you've recruited and the same goes for our Hammers. The War Dogs are designed for a brute force approach, either defensive or full offensive, not to skirmish or raid.”

  “Yes,” Jessica said. “As our military advisers have informed us.” She sighed, “In truth, we can't afford to continue paying you if you can't perform the missions we need.”

  “I'm not trying to pick a fight,” Garret said as preamble. From the glare he received, he might as well not have bothered. “But you need a strong defensive unit here. Sooner or later Nova Corp or Presidente Salazar will get tired of the raids and try to take you out. We can smash the backbone of any such attempt, something most of your privateers don't have the training or discipline to do.”

  She scowled, but she nodded, “It's a conclusion we've come to ourselves. That doesn't change the fact that we have a cash flow issue.”

  Garret managed to keep from mentioning that was a problem they had created by bringing on so many privateers all at once. From the look on her face, she could hear his unspoken criticism anyway. I guess she can read me just as well as I can her, Garret thought, or maybe I'm more like my brother than I realized.

  “Perhaps we can settle that,” Commodore Pierce said. He lowered his tone, “Look, to be honest Counselor, it looks like you may need the protection and we don't like to screw over our employers or to leave them in the lurch, not when they're good people.”

  She cocked a disbelieving eyebrow at him, but she nodded for him to continue.

  “We just brought up Azure to a full flight, which Captain Penwaithe commands. Our transport ships for those are perfectly capable of keeping up with most of these raiders and his Hammers can detach for battle as necessary.” He shrugged, “The Warwagon took more damage than I'd like to admit in that last fight. We'll be repairing her for a few more months, at least. Let us keep our repair contract with you, keep us supplied, and we'll be your backstop here while we undergo upgrades and repairs. You only pay for the Hammers and those will be out of your raid income rather than your war chest.”

  Jessica frowned, “Will that repair contract include your damage and upgrades?”

  Garret looked at the Commodore, who seemed very relaxed for the fact that he was going to be paying the Warwagon's crew's income out of his pocket. “No, it doesn't. We've already ordered most of those parts, anyway and it's good training for my people to do the work.” Garret bit his lip nervously. That was a huge expense that the Commodore had just added to their operating budget. Like most mercenary companies, their budget was normally trimmed to the bone. He couldn't guess how the Commodore planned to pay for it all, especially with the recent expenditures of the expansion.

  “That's more than fair, actually,” Jessica said. “I suppose you would want salvage rights over anything you stop in orbit?”

  “Of course,” Commander Pierce said.

  “Very well,” she nodded. “I think that does settle the cost of keeping you on.” She shook her head, “But that doesn't change how we're going to be operating. Right now, Admiral Mannetti is our primary lead on operations, understood?”

  “Yes,” Commodore Pierce said. “Of course.” The edge to his voice, however, suggested that would only last as long as it had to. Oddly enough, Jessica gave him a single nod at that. I really need to find out what the hell is going on here, Garret thought.

  “Well then, Counselor, I won't take any more of your time. Thank you,” the Commodore said and led the way out into the offices. Garret saw that the pirate Stavros was still seated, waiting, along with his female companion. The pirate gave them both an dismissive wave as they left the offices.

  “That went well,” Commodore Pierce said.

  “Sorry that I reacted to her like that, sir,” Garret said quietly.

  “Oh, that's fine, Garret,” Commodore Pierce said. “Apparently it was a day for high emotions.” He paused, though on the steps and checked his datapad. “Ah, good news, she's already pushed the contract through.” Garret nearly choked at that. For that to be the case, she must have already had their terms drafted. Garret suddenly wondered if his boss had asked him along purely as a sideshow to distract any eavesdroppers.

  “Commander Penwaithe!” Jessica's voice came from behind them.

  Garret turned, surprised to see her only a few meters away. “Yes?”

  She sighed, “Your brother mentioned that he would like to see you. If you can manage to be civil, you could come by our house this weekend. You could meet your nephews, maybe pretend you give a damn about someone besides yourself.” The dispassion in her voice cut him in a way her previous anger hadn't.

  Garret managed a slight nod, “Of course. I'll try to make it.”

  “I'll send you the address, thanks. If nothing else, your nephews would like to meet their uncle,” Jessica said and turned away.

  Garret met the Commodore's gaze. There was something there, like an echo of Garret's pain in the other man. “Well,” he clapped a hand on Garret's shoulder. “Perhaps we should get off this planet before we run into anyone else from our pasts, eh?”

  ***

  Halcyon Colony, Garris Major System

  Contested

  October 7, 2403

  Mason stepped onto the bridge of the Kraken in full raging Stavros mode, “Out, damn you worthless bags of excrement! Out, off my bridge!” He shouted. “That damned fool Pierce wants to insult me in front of Admiral Mannetti just show that he's a man, does he! I'll give him a piece of my mind. Out, all of you!” He waved his hand at the bridge crew, most of whom scurried out. Lauren, who stood beside him, clearly intimidated them as much with her silence as Stavros's angry bluster. The memory of what had happened to the Roirdan boy hung in the air.

  “What's going on?” Lauren asked as the last of the crew hurried out.

  Kandergain appeared from one of the side hatches, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. “Something up?” She asked. Mason quirked an eyebrow at Kandergain. The psychic closed her eyes for a moment and then gave him a nod. That meant they were free of any kind of bugs for the time being.

  “You see the old dreadnought in parking orbit over Halcyon?” Mason asked.

  Lauren brought it up, “Yeah, I noticed it when we came in, I honestly thought someone had just parked the old wreck there as some kind of station or something.”

  “No, it's still operational,” Mason said. “That's the flagship of the War Dogs, it's Commodore Frank Pierce's flagship.” He sighed, “Part of me wishes it really wasn't here.” He didn't want to do what he was about to do. I don't really have much of a choice, Mason thought darkly. He keyed up the laser transceiver and punched in the code for the dreadnought. A moment later, a crewman's face appeared on his screen. “This is Captain Stavros Heraklion, of the Kraken. You tell that bastard Pierce that I demand to speak with him! He owes me an apology for that humiliation in the Counselor's offices.”

  “Uh, I'll tell him you called,” the communications tech said.

  “You get him on now or I'll broadcast this full band to every ship in orbit!” Mason shouted and waved his arms. The tech blanched and nodded quickly. He could see the woman speak to someone off the screen for a moment and then look back. “The Commodore will receive your transmission, uh, Captain Stavros. He's moving to his private briefing room now.”
The display switched over to a hold screen that showed the War Dog's crest: a snarling mastiff's head at the center of an explosion.

  Mason waited until the screen switched again, this time to display Commodore Frank Pierce. Mason brought him up on the main screen. Before Mason could speak, the Commodore did, “This end is secure, we swept for bugs upon my arrival, I figured you would call.” There was a tone of resignation in his voice.

  Mason felt some of his tension ease. “I wasn't sure you really recognized me.”

  “How could I not?” Frank Pierce asked. “Dammit, Tommy, what the hell are you doing here, dressed like that imbecile, no less? I thought you were out of this business!”

  “I thought the same of you,” Mason said. The surprise he had felt upon seeing him walk into the Counselor's offices had nearly blown his cover.

  The mercenary commander looked away, “I'm good at it. And it's easier on the conscience when you fight with some kind of ethical code.” He cleared his throat, “Who are these other two... and do they know... do they know everything?”

  “Not everything, Frankie,” Mason said softly. He glanced at Lauren and Kandergain. “This is Lauren Kelly, she's... a good friend and companion. She's helping out on this run. The tall one here is Kandergain, she's a psychic, works against the Shadow Lords and Balor,” Mason said.

  Frankie's eyebrows went up, “Oh really?” He seemed to appraise Kandergain for a quick moment. That moment lengthened and his eyes narrowed, “I think we've met, actually. Terra Nova, in battle against Shadow Lord Sanctus. You gave us enough warning to undock from the station before her suicide team took it out.”

  “I'm glad you remember,” Kandergain said. “Not many survivors of that fight, though I'm glad to see the War Dogs have not only survived but prospered.”

  He snorted, “Prosperity might be a bit of an exaggeration.” His gaze went to Lauren, “Companion, eh?” His gaze was appraising, but there was something in his tone that sounded almost envious. Hard, Mason thought, to live a life of command, never able to open yourself to someone, especially when you have secrets like ours.

  Mason smirked a bit at Lauren's flush, “Comrade, may be a more accurate descriptor,” Mason said. His words, if anything seemed to make Lauren even more irate.

  “I had the drop on you, didn't I?” Lauren snapped at Frankie.

  “You did,” Frankie said. He looked at Mason, “But we're going a bit far afield. You know my purpose here. I'm not sure I even want to guess at yours.”

  “Have you heard of what happened out in the Faraday system, yet?” Mason asked intently. If the other man knew what had happened out there, they might sway him over entirely. Then again, with what Mason knew of him, Frankie would be hard to turn against his employers.

  “Some vague rumors about the Dreyfus Fleet and some warlord defeating the Chxor or maybe the Balor, nothing more than that,” Frankie answered. His eyes went narrow, “Don't tell me you were involved in that!”

  “I was on the ground, with Lauren here, fighting the Chxor,” Mason answered. “We left before the big battle...”

  “I was there,” Kandergain said. “We engaged and destroyed both a Chxor fleet and a Balor one with the Dreyfus Fleet. Baron Lucius Giovanni was in command. They've founded a new nation out there, the United Colonies.”

  Frank raised an eyebrow, “Huh. That's interesting. Did you say Lucius Giovanni?”

  “Yes,” Kandergain said, “Why?”

  “Because there's a Marius Giovanni whose face has been plastered all over the news feeds, talking about some grand alliance for the past couple days,” Frank said. “Apparently a couple of Nova Roma worlds have held out against the Chxor and signed up with the Centauri Confederation. He's also talking some kind of alliance pending with the Faraday system and the Dreyfus Fleet.”

  Kandergain began to swear.

  “You can deal with that later,” Mason said to Kandergain. “ Look, that's part of why we're here, Frankie. Admiral Mannetti has some serious ire with Baron Giovanni and his United Colonies. So does her 'friend' Admiral Collae. They both helped to liberate Faraday from the Chxor and then double-crossed Giovanni afterward to try to keep the planet and the Dreyfus Fleet.”

  “Let me guess, he double-crossed them back?” Frank asked.

  “In a manner of speaking,” Mason said. “Turned it around on them, captured Admiral Mannetti and forced Collae to flee. Only someone sprung Mannetti and now she's here and so is Collae. Collae tried to recruit Tommy King to go after her, probably in a way that wouldn't mess up whatever he's got going on here. We're trying to figure out why they're here.”

  Frankie nodded, “So you did a Dread Pirate Roberts...”

  “What is it with that?” Lauren snapped.

  “Old movie, quite good,” Kandergain said. She gave Lauren a quick, evaluative gaze, “Well before your time.”

  “... get recruited by the Halcyon government, come out here and hope to get to the bottom of it all?” Frankie asked. At Mason's nod, he continued, “Well, you're in luck, we're trying to piece it together too. Our employers seem to trust Admiral Mannetti pretty implicitly, which tells me they have some serious leverage on her, somehow. It looks to me like she's bringing in more and more of the gutter scum that follow her type, probably in the hopes of seizing the entire colony and taking whatever it is she wants.”

  “What would that be?” Mason asked.

  Frankie didn't quite meet his eyes, “We're not entirely certain yet. I've got some ties and contacts here. I'll continue to work that end... how about we use our little enmity to get you in good with Admiral Mannetti?”

  Mason grimaced. “That sounds like something that will get some of our people killed,” he said. “I prefer the smoldering gaze approach and just proving capable as a privateer. I really don't want to get innocent, or even relatively innocent, people killed.”

  “Well, we're fighting the Colonial Republic and Nova Corp's pawns, so not a lot of innocent people involved,” Frankie said with a grunt. “Alright, I prefer that approach myself. Though knowing the type of scum who would sign on with the likes of Stavros, I'm surprised you aren't willing to sacrifice the lot of them.”

  “Sorry to disappoint,” Mason said, “but no, not even the worst of the lot.” Mason thought of the Roirdan boy again and shook his head.

  “I didn't say disappointed,” Frankie said, his voice sincere, “I said surprised. Perhaps even pleasantly. You've changed a bit, I guess.”

  “And you too,” Mason said. “Alright, I'm signing off. I'll pump up the rage on my end, I'm sure you can manage it all from yours. Thanks, Frankie.”

  “Of course,” he said. He paused, “Tell me, Tommy, did Stavros die a bad death?”

  Mason flinched a bit at the tone, but he met Frankie's eyes, “A very horrible one.”

  The smile from Frankie showed that he hadn't quite managed to bury all of his demons. “Thanks, Tommy. I'm glad you took care of that for me.” He cut the connection before Mason could respond.

  ***

  Faraday

  United Colonies

  October 13, 2403

  Matthew Nogita stepped forward and greeted the Baron as the older man stepped off the shuttle. “Baron Giovanni, welcome to Skydock Station.”

  “I see we've gotten around to naming it,” the Baron said. “Sorry that I didn't make it to the christening.”

  “I imagine you might have had a few things going on, Baron,” Matthew said. He started to lead the way out of the shuttle bay, but the Baron held up a hand as he took in the activity. “I see a lot of uniforms up here.”

  Matthew couldn't hide his frown, “Yes, sir. Ever since the attack we've had a military presence, both throughout the station and in the command hub, as well.”

  “You don't approve?” Baron Giovanni asked. His voice was neutral, which Matthew recognized as his way of sounding out Matthew's honest opinion. It was a tendency of his that Matthew appreciated, he let the people who worked for him express their opinion
s before he gave them his. More often than not, Matthew had run into bosses who expressed their opinions and required their subordinates to emulate them.

  “It's not the security aspect, it's just that... well, they're not working with us. This is a civilian station. We just started work on the military platforms, if you hadn't heard. The work on those we expect to have military oversight, but they've been digging into everything up here, almost like they want to find something wrong with how we're doing business.”

  “Interesting,” Baron Giovanni said. “Has Captain Beeson arrived already?”

  “Yes, Baron,” Matthew said. The Faraday native had arrived early in the morning, with a casual mention that he was acting as the Baron's aide. Matthew guessed that measured up somewhere between a secretary and an assistant, but he didn't know why a senior officer would have that duty in the military. Now that he thought of it, Captain Beeson had seemed rather interested in some of the activity by the military personnel aboard.

  “Good,” Baron Giovanni said. “I heard that repairs were completed?”

  “Oh, of course, Baron,” Matthew said eagerly. “We had the entire station back up to full operations within a week of the attack. I had them pull one of the Chxor plants from salvage for power and we've installed a secondary reactor as well. We've also installed some point defense turrets, nothing strong enough to even scratch the paint on a real warship, but enough to stop a missile or kinetic weapon, we hope.” That was where some of the military types had come from, as crews and operators for the weapons until Matthew's civilian crew finished their training. But their support staff had arrived and then others, it almost felt like an invasion at this point.

  “Well, some kind of defensive ability is nice,” the Baron said. He sounded somewhat distracted though. “How is construction on the vessels proceeding?”

  “Very well,” Matthew said. He shook his head, “Honestly, I'm glad everyone is so behind this new government and your people. Worker motivation is through the roof, even with uncertainties over the economy.” His quasi-real position as the station supervisor had been approved by the new Economic Minister. Matthew's pay was negligible, but the goal, or so they said, was to privatize the station. With his contacts and experience, he figured he would be able to easily start-up a new business, particularly with the shares that workers on the station earned in regards to station ownership. “The incentive program is a nice touch there too.” Most of the workers were furiously trading them, either for cash or shares with ships or companies. Matthew had already accumulated a tidy number, though he wasn't nearly as ruthless in his trades as some.