“Again I ask, anything else I need to know? I was only gone a week.”
“No,” she smiled, “there’s nothing.”
“You know I can handle it, right? I’m not going to let her get to me,” I said, looking from Natalia to Imelda. Neither said anything else, so I grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off my face and left without acknowledging anyone. I planned on coming back in a short while and continuing my workout.
Chapter 3
I walked to the bridge, where Lorelei and Binda were discussing the trip to Athena. Binda had some concerns about what was going to happen on the two planets we were going to visit. She wasn’t happy about stopping to visit Trillond. I waited quietly until they acknowledged me.
“This is the person responsible, Binda. You can talk to him about it, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t listen to you,” Lorelei said, staring me straight in the eyes.
I decided to ignore Lorelei altogether. “Binda, what is it you aren’t happy about? I don’t know if I can fix the problem, but I do promise to listen and work out something if it’s possible,” I said.
“When I decided to stay on as a part of your crew, I was hoping we would not be visiting Trillond,” Binda explained. “It wouldn’t surprise me to find I'm at odds with my own government. Princess E'Aria has put me in a tough situation after she was a factor in my staying aboard. Then when she decided to leave, I couldn’t go with her.”
“Why don’t you just stay aboard the ship, then,” I offered. “We won’t be staying long. If you give us a list of your wants from home we can acquire them for you. After we arrive it may be possible to see if we can get you down to the surface without any issues, if you would like us to try?”
“If our stay is really going to be as short as you say, then it may be possible to slip on and off the world without incident,” Binda mused.
I stepped over next to Lorelei and grabbed her by the wrist. “Look at your hand and tell me what you see.” She tried to pull her arm free. “Well?”
“Let me go, I know what I see,” she hissed.
“You better be seeing someone that listened to you,” I told her. “Had I not, you wouldn’t be sitting here, let alone captain of my ship. If you're angry at me then we need to work it out, clear the air, or part ways. I won’t have you or anyone backstabbing and bad mouthing on my own damn ship.”
“It’s all your fault. Andrea, E'Aria, all of it. We were happy, like a family, then you had to try and save, what, a bunch of man eating insects? Your blond bitch's pets!” she yelled, not caring who heard.
“Lorelei, enough!” Binda yelled back. “He had no way of knowing, and we were on the bridge. We should have been actively scanning for trouble. There is plenty of blame to go around. Has he ever blamed us for Andrea's death? We've all be happy to let him take all the blame when it wasn’t all his to bear.”
I stood stunned, letting her words soak in. Lorelei wouldn’t meet my gaze, but Binda did, the sadness there just under the surface. I left that room without a word. That was two times now I had just walked out, leaving things unsaid.
Since the time of her death, no one had even hinted that it could be anyone’s fault but mine. I didn’t blame anyone, I only wondered how they thought it was all on me.
I had things to do. My arrival on Trillond would most likely be in black armor, and I needed to clean it up. I was their hero once and still might be. Looking the part wouldn’t hurt any, and being prepared wouldn’t either.
zzz
“Captain, the trap is set. We will activate the beacon and return to the ship,” the pirate reported.
“Good,” the captain replied. “Well done.” “When they are all on the ship, torpedo it as soon as it pulls away from the wreckage. We need this ruse to look believable, since I know they are not stupid. You may divide their belongings amongst the crew,” the captain told her first officer. She pushed her black hair behind her ear as she studied the screens. Her blue eyes never missed a thing.
Her ship was cloaked, so unless her target was looking for just tiny distortion in space, they wouldn’t see her watching them. The small Trillond runabout they had intercepted had nothing much of value, but the men had found a few things that would keep them occupied tonight — two females and a stocked bar. They had killed the males and stripped the small ship of everything of value.
It had been a month or longer since her escape from the Cjittan mother ship where she was created. She was physically fully grown; she knew that much through simple comparison to other females. It was her mind that had been expanding and growing at an alarming rate.
She knew what killing was and had laughed as she left them standing in the shuttle bay with the body of her dead master and the wounded man she was supposed to kill. She knew her master was an evil creature, but the man was not. He had helped the others and then freed them, and he had also killed her sister, but deep down she knew that day would have come anyway; if not by his hand, then someone else. She was lost in thought as she stared at the screens. She looked around her.
The autopilot took the ship to the meeting place where she would obtain a crew to help her with the ship. The captain and the crew waited in a bar for her arrival. It wasn’t until she got there that she told them the master had been killed. The captain saw an opportunity, or so he thought, as he ordered drinks while putting his arm around her.
“You will need a partner who knows his way around and can put credits in your pocket. The ship isn’t going to fly forever on the same fuel,” he said. “I propose a seventy-thirty split. You’ll just need to look pretty, take care of me at night, and collect your credits.”
She rested her hand on his inner thigh. “I believe you have your numbers backward, captain. It’s my ship, so the larger share goes to the owner.” She moved her hand down towards his knee then slowly pulled it back, trailing her fingertips.
“If you think rubbing my leg will get me to change my mind you’re crazy,” he said.
“No, just being friendly is all. You like friendly, don’t you captain?” Her other arm wrapped around his shoulder. She used the same movement to touch the opposite side of his face.
“You know I could just take your ship,” he smirked. “You came here alone, unarmed and naïve. I am amused you think you can negotiate.”
“You could do that if. . .” the sentence trailed off as she pulled his hair back and hit him hard, crushing his throat. He was trying to suck in gulps of air when she stood and broke his neck. The cracking sound made the pirates at the table shiver for a second, until they saw his pistol in her hand pointed at them.
“. . . if you weren't dead,” she finished saying. “Now, who wants to step up and negotiate with me?” The comment hung on the air and no one moved. “Good. Do you wish to pledge your loyalty to me and my ship? I think you'll like it. It has some things you have never seen before — like a cloak.”
“Captain!” She returned to the present. “Torpedo away,” her weapons officer reported.
“Very good. Move us out of here, just far enough that we can watch everything clearly. Shut down the power to all non-essentials and power up the cloak. They should be along shortly.”
“What will we do when they get here, captain?” her helmsman asked.
“I have unfinished business,” she replied. “And if the opportunity presents itself, I may want to take advantage of it. But I won’t risk this ship or the crew unnecessarily, so we will watch and wait.”
“How do you know they will stop for the beacon?” the weapons officer asked.
“They will,” she said. “He can’t help himself, he will have to check for survivors.”
She had just killed her own crew. They were still loyal to the previous captain and were trying to incite a mutiny. Most of the others were happy about the change in leadership. The four in the shuttle had thought they would make a run for it later, never wondering why they were picked to scuttle the yacht. Their leader didn’t think their new captain had it i
n her to do anything about their grumblings, but he was about to find out different.
“I have picked up their signal, captain. They are headed for Trillond. We may need to put another torpedo into the wreckage to draw them in.”
“Fire lasers at the wreckage,” she answered coldly. “I'm sure they will pick that up. Now move it, let’s not get caught here.”
zzz
“What do we have?” Lorelei asked.
“Looks like a Trillond runabout and shuttle destroyed. What would you like to do, captain?”
“Now you call me captain, when it’s my ass on the line.”
“You are the captain,” Binda said.
“Power up the shields and weapons, and run the scanners up to full power. We'll have no repeats,” Lorelei said. “Nedra, report to the bridge immediately.”
When I heard Lorelei call Nedra, I figured I should pay a visit to the bridge.
“You’re not Nedra, go back to your quarters!” Lorelei yelled at me.
“She will be along in a minute. Whatcha got?”
“You don’t need to know, we’ll handle it. You are not a member of this crew and therefore have no say, so go back to your quarters!” Lorelei was furious.
“Damn,” I said. “In my next life I'm hoping for some male friends. I pay your wages, blondie, so watch the mouth.”
“Your girlfriend pays our wages, slick, you don’t own a part of the company anymore. Remember?”
“Just a temporary setback,” I replied. “I’ll get it back, space rat, but I don’t need it to fire you!”
It sounded harsher than it was. I know Lorelei was stressed and the banter made her feel better, even if she didn’t let on. She still had some pirate in her, no backing down. If there were a bunch of pirates standing around instead of Binda she would have some cred in their eyes for standing up to me.
“Captain, permission to suit up and be on standby just in case?” I said.
“Yeah, good idea,” she muttered. “Go on, get out of here.”
That was pirate for ‘permission granted.’ I was a little worried about this situation so deep into Trillond space. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but I didn’t think this kind of thing happened this close to the home world. The borders, yes, but not here.
I tapped my com. “Binda, this doesn’t feel right to me. Would you suggest to the captain we contact the Trillond Navy with the coordinates and keep our distance? We can watch over the site until they show up.”
“Okay, she answered, “I'll make the suggestion.”
I went and suited up. There was something about my armor that changed me, not a lot but enough. I wasn’t one to take any shit from anyone on any given day, but when I put this on it meant there was serious business to take care of, and it didn’t stop until every weapon I owned was in place, except for my rifle. I would retrieve it when it came time to leave the ship.
I walked back towards the bridge and heard a voice I recognized but couldn’t place. It was threatening Lorelei and talking down to her. Then I heard it threaten Binda, being even harsher. Nedra hadn’t said anything and hadn’t been addressed either.
“Binda, did I hear right? He doesn’t recognize Lorelei as captain,” I said.
“Yes, and he’s threatening to fire on us if we don’t power down our weapons and our shields. Lorelei called Queen Tazleaha, she’s coming to talk to him.”
“Okay, good. Make sure you and Lorelei are respectful to him and the Queen. I have a plan.”
I waited until I heard Taz walking and met her halfway. “I need you to do something for me,” I said. “Be nice to the asshole on the vid and invite him and his officers over.” I reached over and unhooked the top two clasps on her shirt. She watched me with interest then smirked.
“Benjamin, what are you going to do?”
“In the name of diplomacy, I won’t kill anyone, that’s all I'm saying.” I folded the material back on both sides.
“Do you like what you see?” she asked.
“Yes, and I'm sure he will too. Com me when you’re done with their arrival time. I want you, Lorelei, Binda, and Nedra in the main cargo hold when they get here to greet them.”
“You know you don’t give orders on this ship,” she said, eyebrows raised. “I thought I heard the captain make that clear to you.”
“I'm not, you are, and he needs to be taught a lesson,” I said. “He believes females shouldn’t be in charge of anything. Think about that and make sure he gets his ass over here.”
She continued to the bridge and I put my plan into action. “Grubb, Buddy, Adam, Natalia, Harry — meet me in the main cargo hold now!” I said into the com.
I outlined my plan to everyone, including Imelda, who had never shown it before but had a sense of humor. It was scary that I sensed she would like what I had cooked up.
We powered down our shields and weapons, and so did the Trillond corvette. “We are on our way,” Taz said. I stood in the shadows waiting for them, the lights dimmed leaving just enough light to see the floor in the open area.
“What's wrong with the lights?” Lorelei said. Her companions looked around the hold. A light over the cleared area in the center became brighter.
“Go stand in the light and smile when they exit their shuttle,” I said from the shadows.
“Ben,” Adam whispered, “the shuttle is about fifteen seconds out, so get ready.”
“Thanks Adam,” I said. “This won’t take long. What's for dinner?”
“Cheeseburgers,” he said. I could hear him laughing.
“God I love you,” I answered. “Too bad you aren’t a woman, or I'd marry you.”
“Who says I'm not a woman!”
“Damn, forget I said anything,” I chuckled. “But really, are we having cheeseburgers?”
“No, probably some synth crap again. Sorry, man.”
“Well at least I can complain to management now that I'm not management,” I joked. “Let’s make a point of stocking up when we get to Athena.”
“Oh yeah, I plan on it,” he said, then paused. “They're here.”
“Thanks.”
“Okay, ladies, they’re here,” I said out loud. “Just tell them we had a fire and the lights still aren’t working right.”
Chapter 4
The Trillond shuttle sat itself down softly in our hold. I watched from my spot behind the crates in the shadows. The doors opened and the captain stepped out into our ship. He looked around warily, but the four females smiling at him eased his tension. His officers walked single file behind him. There was another face I recognized immediately — the doctor who had helped us out with the refugees.
Taz stood in a relaxed manner. I couldn’t see her face, but at the moment I enjoyed the view. Lorelei put her hands behind her back, holding one and giving me the finger with the other. I had to smile at her, even though she would never know.
“Captain,” Taz said, “it’s so good to meet you. You've met my first officer Lorelei and second Binda. This is Nedra, our tactical officer. I am Tazleaha, Queen of the Cjittan Empire. These good people are transporting me to meet with your king and then the President of the Alliance.”
“Why would you, the so-called Queen of Cjittan, travel in this manner?” the captain said. “You command thousands of warships.”
“Captain, please. If I wanted it known I would have brought my very own battle cruiser and my flagship, and you would be listening to the rescue beacon of your escape pod while watching the flaming debris of your ship float pass you. My hosts are much more patient and enjoy a friendship with your Prime Minister and Princess Aok.”
At that revelation the captain scowled, and his officers became wide-eyed.
“You will answer for destroying and killing four Trillond citizens,” he barked.
“Captain, I will do no such thing. The wreckage was already here, and some of those bodies are not Trillond. I'm sure you know that, and you should also know that this incident will be reported to your superior
s. I asked you here in an act of good faith,” she said calmly.
“Buddy, lights — now!” I said before Taz could finish her little speech. It was pitch black, and I could hear the fear in the voice of the Trillond captain as he yelled at Taz. I turned on the thermal sensor in my helmet and walked quickly up to the middle of the four women, moving Taz and Lorelei apart and stepping between them. I stopped six inches from the captain.
Natalia and Imelda were silently descending from above and behind the Trillond officers. “Buddy, lights on!” I was grabbing the captain by the front of his uniform when the lights came up again, just a bit brighter than before.
“Remember me, asshole? What's it been? Six, no, seven months since we last met.” I left my visor down and blacked out. He was on his tip toes as I pulled him up close to my face. “I would have hoped you might have learned to treat people a little better after that, but some people never learn, do they, doctor?”
The doctor was visibly shaken, but I could tell he was remembering the day we had docked with their broken ship. I continued, fishing for an answer. “Your captain is still very rude, doc. Can't you do something for him — or to him?”
“I . . . don’t know,” the doctor said slowly.
“No problem doc,” I answered, “I'm here to help.” I lifted the captain higher so now only his toes were dragging the floor. He started to swing wildly, his fists hitting my armor.
“Look, dumbass,” I said, “that isn’t going to do you any good.” The officers turned, watching me haul their captain back towards their shuttle, then suddenly screamed the screams of a terrified soul. Imelda stood no more than ten feet behind them. Natalia sat upon her in Andrea's black armor. I spun the captain around so he could see where he was going.
While this little scene played out, Harry, Buddy and Grubb had joined the women, weapons in hand. The Trillond officers backed right into their waiting hands. I heard Grubb say, “On your knees now!” The captain was thrashing around like a wild man, but to no avail.
Natalia stood and, perfectly balanced, walked down Imelda’s leg. Imelda slowly worked her mouths back and forth like scissors.
The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: No More Lies (Book 3) Page 3
