“That is a lie. We have been monitoring all ships leaving and there are no records of passage by any of the people we seek,” the man in black said.
“It’s good to see that M.I. is still just as stupid as they always have been,” I said, to get the button-pushing started. “I imagine you don’t apprehend too many fugitives, do you, being so lazy and stupid as to expect them to announce their whereabouts and plans openly to everyone.”
Alona, Emily and a few others became visibly uneasy with my antagonistic remarks. They had been around me long enough to know what was coming next. “We have things to do,” I said, “so if you people don’t mind, we’ll get back to work.”
“We are going to search your ship,” Captain Mahajan said. “We have permission.”
“Really? I’m the only one who could grant you permission, and I didn’t, so move on.”
“I gave them permission!” E’Aria said.
“Means nothing, it’s not yours to give,” I told her.
“Benjamin!” Alona Aok Prime Minister yelled above the voices. “She is the regent of Trillond and has the authority to have any ship searched.”
“Any ship other than this one,” I said. “Refresh my memory, Prime Minister. Did Trillond sign a treaty with Cjittan and Allond and the Alliance just last month? And what does that treaty have to say about search and seizure of a ship that a diplomat is traveling on? When I found out we had the queen of the Cjittan Empire as a passenger, I read that section of the treaty, and guess what it says? I’ll give you a minute, then you can share with the others here.”
Alona looked over at E’Aria. “I’m afraid he is right. That ship is as sovereign as an embassy and is currently designated as her flagship for as long as she travels with them. We have no authority to board or search it.”
I walked in E’Aria’s direction. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Colonel Diz’zok motion to two of his men. They got between me and her and stood shoulder-to-shoulder. I thought about moving them but stopped instead. She was only a few feet behind them.
“Have I ever lied to you? Answer the question!” I yelled. “Have I ever lied to any of my family or friends?”
“No!” she yelled back, then fell silent.
“You need to leave now, Regent. We have work to do. Choose your new friends wisely, since I can guarantee you won’t have the same level of trust with them as you once had with us.”
I turned and walked back towards Imelda and the ramp into the Claymore, telling everyone that was coming with us to move. Grubb, Buddy and Adam were with them. I knew they would be. A second later I heard the crackle of a laser above my head. It hit the hull above the ramp.
“You aren’t going anywhere,” the M.I officer said.
Captain Mahajan looked a little concerned at this turn of events. Every soldier Alliance and Trillond alike had a hand resting on their sidearm. I turned and walked back down towards him.
“Stop right there!” he said when I was four feet away.
I was close enough that I could have taken him out, but feeling as sore as I did, I wanted to get closer.
“You think this is going to get you what? An invitation onto my ship?” I said, shrugging my shoulders and rolling my head left and right to loosen up my neck. I’m sure his brain registered the small step I took while he watched my head and shoulders, but his overconfidence wasn’t listening.
I heard the oddest noise behind me, and then the biggest glob of mucus I had ever seen hit the M.I officer in the head. His head was covered in it; it oozed off onto his chest and shoulders. I stepped forward and took him totally unaware, my fist planted in his gut, and he doubled over. My elbow to the back of his head put him down on his hands and knees.
I stepped on the hand holding the pistol and kicked his other arm, his face hitting the ground hard. I placed my boot on his neck and looked at the assembled crowd.
I made another split-second decision, knowing this one could hurt in a different way — I wasn’t sure yet. Eyeballing the crowd, I panned from one group to the other.
“I’m done,” I told them. “I’m done being nice and putting myself and my friends at risk. This situation was resolved with no bloodshed or violence, this guy here-” I gestured to the guy on the floor “- had to screw it up. There is always going to be a winner and a loser in life. This guy lost, and the minute I turn my back, look what happens.” No one said anything.
“I saved your green asses yesterday from one of your own. My reasons were somewhat selfish, of course, since my family and friends were in danger. But the end result was beneficial to all of you. I’ve always thought things are either black or white, right or wrong, but I think I’m going gray. I’m going to operate as I see fit, and I don’t care about your laws and treaties.”
“Benjamin, what are you saying?” Emily asked, breaking the silence.
“Imelda, this one is yours. Take him now!” I yelled towards the ship. She was there almost before I was two steps away. I looked at her huge head as she leaned forward, picking the M.I officer up by his head. She lifted him up as she stood on her back four legs and hooked her first two into his body.
She devoured him using her front four legs to constantly hold and adjust as she fed. Blood sprayed and rained down on me, but I stood unmoving, except to pick up the pistol that fell to the ground. My crew watched from the hold in shock, not believing what I had done, while some soldiers retched and others ran away, some doing both at the same time.
E’Aria, Alona, and Emily, along with Colonel Diz’zok and Captain Mahajan and a few others, stood not far away, trying not to watch but unable to help themselves, looking at Imelda then looking away. I walked up to them, the pistol held straight, level finger on the trigger.
“This is goodbye” I told them. “I see no reason to ever come back here. If you ever need me, I’m sure you will be able to get ahold of me through our mutual friends — and understand that if you do reach out to me for help, I’m doing it my way, and nobody will put conditions on me or my crew.”
“I want this man taken into custody immediately!” Captain Mahajan said to E’Aria and Alona. He wouldn’t look at me.
“Hey asshole,” I said to him, gesturing with my head at the grisly scene behind me. “I’m sure she has room to eat a few more of you. Furthermore, if I see a warship pointed in my direction, I’ll blow a hole in it and board it, and when I’m done I guarantee there will be no one left alive. If you want to test my resolve, just come after me and see what happens.”
“Captain,” Alona said quietly, “it would probably be best if you returned with your men to your ship. Having done that, you should set a course for the border and join the other ships you have positioned there.” Her tone was not so diplomatic.
“Yes, that would be a g0od idea, Captain,” E’Aria unflinchingly added. She stood straight looking him in the eyes.
I turned and walked back to the Claymore.
“Benjamin, wait!” E’Aria yelled, running over to me. “You don’t have to stay away.”
“Yes, I do. Not because of this, but because of you. You don’t need me here mucking up everything. You’ve had the job two days and you’re already killing people, or trying to please whoever comes along.”
“I know,” she sobbed, breaking down in front of me. “There is so much pressure, with billions of people relying on me to make the right decisions. Instead of being welcomed to the throne, I face unwelcome faces and acts by traitorous military leaders.
“Some of that has been handled,” I told her in a gentler tone. “Don’t let up on the search to find other conspirators within the ranks. This may be the best piece of advice I can give you — listen and work with your aunt. Alona knows so much and is in touch with the universe outside of Trillond. Put aside whatever you hold against her and seek her counsel. She loves you very much, and I’m sure she is proud of you and wants you to succeed.”
“I will try,” she sniffled.
“No,” I said, “you must do more than try, E’A
ria. She has carried this empire on her shoulders while your father lived the good life of a king. She supported you getting out on your own, I know she did, and she probably felt it would be good for you to see life outside of the palace without a servant catering to your every need.” I paused to think before going on.
“If I could, I would try and talk her into coming with me. I could use her wisdom and advice, sometimes. And then sometimes, you’ve just got to eat your enemies so they know you’re not fucking playing,” I said emphatically.
“Well, you’re traveling with the right crowd for that.”
“E’Aria, we are going to Athena, and I don’t know how it’s going to turn out. I’m going to find and kill some people. If I get it done and we get away, we are going to be wanted by the authorities. That’s something else you don’t want or need to deal with.”
“Aisling sent me a message,” she said. “It arrived right before you did. She is very upset with you, and she told me to tell you not to ever come around her or her ship ever again. She also said that General Gray is fine. He took passage on a Trillond freighter heading for Athena. He is going to try and make a case for them so they can return home.”
“Tell her I’m sorry, and quit being such a crybaby. I will see her later when I’m done on Athena and we can straighten things out.”
She pulled the sleeve to her gown down to cover her hand. Reaching up, she wiped the blood off my cheek. Grabbing my head, she gently pulled me to her face and kissed my cheek, holding my face against hers. “Maybe not soon, but someday you’ll come back to me, Benjamin Jamison. You have people here who love you and we all will want to see you again.”
I knew I wouldn’t want to be her. The life she had ahead of her was definitely not for me. She would be great as regent, and later as the queen.
I watched her walk back to Alona and Emily. She grabbed her aunt and pulled her into a hug. Alona looked at me over E’Aria’s shoulder and smiled.
Colonel Diz’zok seemed calm under the circumstances and his men were over their shock. He watched the two women who began walking back towards the palace and, with a last look in my direction, fell in behind them.
Chapter 19
“How long ‘til we meet the shuttle?” I asked.
“Less than an hour, they’re maintaining speed and course and I’ve set ours to overtake them,” Lorelei answered. I felt it was better that they hadn’t stopped to wait on us.
“Good call,” I said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t have some kind of trouble before we get out of Trillond space. They’re still patrolling the border hoping to catch Aisling and the Warhammer.”
“Aisling seems to be adjusting to life on the run. Maybe they’ll be taking up the skull and crossbones,” Lorelei said jokingly.
“I would say she’s more like Robin Hood than Anne Bonney if that happens, but you never know, life in the black can change a man or woman. I don’t know about the skull and crossbones, but I’ve a feeling we will be operating in the gray from here on out.”
“Gray? You’re going to kill some people on Athena. I think we might be beyond gray, Benjamin.”
“Yes, in Alliance space we will have a price on our heads, but I don’t plan on returning. There are places we will find work that coincides with our particular skill sets. I wouldn’t say it in front of Taz, but I think her empire has that ‘do unto others before they do unto you, shoot first and ask questions later’ feel to it. We will hire out our services.”
“Mercenaries? Not much better than pirates, if you ask me,” Lorelei said.
“Some, maybe, but not all. We will get paid by an employer and do what the job requires. No stealing, murdering of innocents, etcetera. If there is a bonus, we may do what it takes to collect it. We are good people, Lorelei. I’m not going to kill innocents, you know that.”
“Well, I know we’re going to starve to death if you keep that do-gooder attitude.”
“Nah, we won’t starve,” I chuckled. “I’ll sell your body by the hour in every port we land in. If you’re any good, that will cover food and drink. If not, I’ll throw Binda in to sweeten the deal.”
“You know that wouldn’t work,” Bina jumped, playing along. "she would enjoy it too much and start doing it for free.” “You’re right, of course. I guess we’ll have to come up with a new plan,” I said. “Damn! Just when I thought I had it figured out.”
“Both of you can kiss my ass,” Lorelei said, feigning irritation.
“I haven’t seen hide or hair of Grubb, Buddy or Adam. Any thoughts besides what I already suspect?” I asked.
“You mean that they’re embarrassed or purposely avoiding you?” Binda answered.
“I saw Her Highness leading the three of them off towards the hold earlier,” Lorelei added.
“Maybe I should go check on them,” I said.
“Maybe she’s tired of sleeping with an uncooperative man and is making up for lost time.”
“What would you know about any of that?” I asked, my curiosity piqued and a frown on my face.
“She can be quite talkative. She felt she was doing something wrong. I told her anyone who would refuse her had something wrong with them, and it wasn’t her fault.”
“I usually wouldn’t agree with you, but you’re right. It is me, not her.”
“I know that!” Lorelei said. “It’s obvious to anyone interested. Maybe you should take Blue Eyes to your room some night and pretend, just to get yourself back in the saddle.”
“Lorelei, I’m not going to use or abuse any of you, and certainly not her. I can wait for however long it takes.”
“By the time you’re ready, there may not be anyone waiting.”
“Maybe not,” I acknowledged, “and if that’s the case I’ll live with it.”
“You don’t seem to have any problem attracting females of any species or trouble. Trouble mostly, they go hand-in-hand with you,” Binda said.
“I’m going to find my disillusioned crew and see what kind of trouble they are getting into,” I told both of them. “Let me know when we’ve caught up to the shuttle and taking it aboard.”
I walked slowly, hoping to catch the sound of voices, but I didn’t hear anything until I was almost to the cargo hold. I could her Taz’s voice. Walking in, I caught the end of her telling three men she was disappointed they had even thought about taking any offer the Alliance Captain had dangled in front of them.
She shut up as soon as she noticed me. The four looked guilty, even though it seemed they were getting a dressing-down.
“So I assume because you’re on my ship that you’re part of my crew and not freeloading passengers, am I right?” I asked — a little harshly, but I was still pretty put out with them.
All four nodded, which I thought was funny. Taz had never been part of the crew in any sense. I figured it was her subconscious still lecturing them, giving them the right answer.
“Get your asses to work,” I said. “I’m not happy with you three at the moment. My shuttle will be here shortly, and I want this hold organized before it gets here.”
“Benjamin, we need to talk about my shuttle, and how it became your shuttle, or so you think,” Taz said, walking towards me.
“I don’t have time now, but I would be happy to talk about it some other time,” I told her.
“Really? What do have to do right now that is so important?” she challenged.
“I have to prepare for a meeting with the crew. I want some of my people thinking about where we can land and not get into trouble before I complete what I set out to do.”
“What about what I need to accomplish? I will need time,” Taz said.
“You can stay as long as you like, but if we need to leave quickly you may find yourself on your own. If you can get a ride to Trillond space, though, we can meet you somewhere for a ride back to Cjittan.”
“I don’t want to ride with just anyone,” she said, frowning. “You will wait until I conclude my business with the pr
esident.”
“You’re not listening as usual,” I answered. “If it gets too hot, we are going to have to leave pronto. We aren’t hanging around just for you. You’ll have to meet us or arrange transport all the way home — it’s up to you.”
I walked out, wanting to cut the conversation short. Nothing she could say was going to change my mind. I couldn’t let my crew or my ship be captured. I wasn’t totally sure they grasped what I was prepared to do on Athena when I caught up to the people whose names were on the list. There was one I would have to think about hard, but not the others.
She was right behind me, saying something about people turning their back on her while she was talking, and what would happen to them if they were on Cjittan.
“You really need to shut up,” I told her, turning around, “or I’m going to let you out right here, and you can walk all the way to Athena.”
“You cannot have a civil conversation without threatening someone, can you?” she responded.
“There are people you can’t help but threaten. It’s the only thing they understand. I’ve been known to follow up on my threats, so just keep that in mind if you continue to antagonize me,” I said.
“Benjamin, we need not be at odds all the time. I am sure we can come to an equitable arrangement. Maybe we could discuss it later this evening?” She put the palms of her hands on my chest and leaned in, laying her head against my shoulder.
“I don’t know, Taz. As long as you’re a queen and I’m nobody, we will most likely always be at odds. It will be hard for you not to order me around like you do your own people, and just as hard for me to take orders.”
“Maybe you and I can temper our headstrong attitudes and work things out,” she said. “I would be willing to try.”
“Maybe,” I said. “We can talk about this later. I need to talk to my people and come up with a plan for getting on and off Athena without alerting the good guys or the bad guys. I’m hoping someone can turn the transponder off, and we can stay far enough away that we can’t be identified.”
“You have a unique warship, unlike anything the majority of your people have ever laid eyes on, except for a few Alliance starship captains. It will be noticed,” Taz said.
The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: No More Lies (Book 3) Page 15
