Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings (The Messenger Archive Book 1)

by DC Bastien

  A pause. The Banker continued to un-stare.

  "We know you're making the Hleen unpopular," Vadim said. It was beyond playing coy, really. "And if the Hleen are unpopular, then the Ur-court falls. And if you upset Kre here's father? Well. Then the Sianar go on the warpath. And then the Roq do. And then everything blows up."

  "How do you intend to stop us?"

  "If you're found out, then you fail. Simple, really. You pit all the major factions against one another, and you reap the rewards. What was it, not enough people paying you guys? You want to sell more weapons, more ships, more graveyards? War good for the economy?"

  "You did not answer the question."

  "You didn't answer mine."

  "We've worked out how to get around your camouflage," Kre said. It might have been a bit of an over-exaggeration, but not too much. "I'm assuming you can fool the security and biometric systems because - being the Bank - you funded their development."

  "That will not stop us."

  "Maybe not. Maybe identifying whether someone's really who they say they are won't stop you, but you know what will?" Vadim asked. "People not trusting you. Or your goods. Or your services. If people find out you engineered a war, they won't go through you. They will go against you. And maybe you think you could all-out win against all the combined sentient species. Or maybe you were using us to whittle one another down. I don't really care. What I do know is... you have to stop this. You have to stop this, right now."

  The Banker seemed to consider that, taking a half-step back. "If we kill you, no one will know."

  "Oh, they will. See, we're not dumb. We've put several deadlocked messages. If we don't go back and unlock them, then come a certain time, they'll inform key people. Kre's father's a bit of a big deal, you know. And I've got ties with the Kior-Dhalias. Avery knows practically every major player in the Ur, and them some. Biann and Saidhe will tell their people, and our little friend Loap? Yeah. He's not on the Messenger. Before we entered the dark zone, we jettisoned a small escape-craft. One with a carefully attached AI. It's all locked up for now, but when he gets back to core space, he'll hand that over to a relevant authority, along with all the other data we collected, and they'll put two and two together."

  "We will prevent them."

  "All of them?" Avery asked. "You really sure you can block them all? You wouldn't be certain. Not if we didn't call them off ourselves."

  This was pretty much an insane way of negotiating, Vadim realised, but it was also pretty damn cool.

  "If we allowed you to live, then you would simply spread the information anyway."

  "Not necessarily." Avery pulled out his tablet, and placed it on the table. "We're here to negotiate. We'll write a contract. A very, very, detailed contract. We'll sell our information, in exchange for you ceasing to pursue warfare."

  Vadim couldn't help but smile. It was almost-legalese, but more than that... it was economics. And for a species that valued economics and contract-law to the nth degree... well.

  "You wish to... barter?"

  "Nope. We want you to read the fully binding contract. Says right there about you no longer impersonating other species. About not pushing for war, either on a massive scale or a smaller scale. Says also that you won't find ways for us or our nearest and dearest to have accidents, and... oh yes. That you'll stop interfering with Whales. My engineer put that in. She's pretty pissed with you about that."

  The Banker looked down at the pad, then he held out his hand.

  "We'll let you consider our terms, and then sign. We'll also lodge a copy with the Ur-court, for future reference. It will be sealed so no one needs to read it unless either side accuses the other of breaking the terms. Oh - yes. And we'll want Judge Peters - the real one - back."

  "That is not possible."

  Kre growled at the back of her throat. "Why not?"

  "He is not in our custody. He... left."

  "Left how?" Vadim asked.

  "He escaped. We were unable to keep him detained on Lineon. His whereabouts are currently unknown."

  "Right." Vadim tapped his gun against his thigh. "I see."

  "It is the truth. We do not have his whereabouts."

  "Okay, then a condition is going to be that if you find his whereabouts, you'll disclose them. Immediately."

  "Yes."

  "And all charges against us will be dropped, right before those imposter-Judges and Enforcers go back to being what they really are."

  "Yes."

  "Great. Well... if that's all, we'll be going back."

  The Banker stared.

  "...you gonna give us directions?"

  ***

  [Ashroe: And.... bam. There's your hook for your sequel.]

  [Sianor: Poor Judge Peters!]

  [Ashroe: You knew he was too smart to stay locked up for long, though.]

  [Sianor: I did, I know...]

  [Ashroe: You sure you're happy with the contract?]

  [Sianor: I am! They don't have the gunpower for a real fire-fight. And they're trying to avoid loss of life, obviously.]

  [Ashroe: Yes, and if they showed up with the Sianar fleet... well. It would be pretty damn obvious.]

  [Sianor: Creepy faceless monsters are creepy, though!]

  [Ashroe: I don't know why more fic writers don't make them bad. Look at them!]

  [Sianor: Never trust anything that you can't work out how it would drink coffee?]

  [Ashroe: I like that one!]

  [Sianor: Well, there's only a few loose ends left to tie up now.]

  [Ashroe: Would you like to have the honours?]

  [Sianor: Yes... I think I would.]

  ***

  "So, it worked?" Loap asked.

  "Send Xaix over first, then you know we've not all been duplicated," Biann suggested.

  "If he bites me again, I want you all to remember that the little swine hates my guts," Vadim insisted.

  As soon as Loap let him go, Xaix bounced out of the tiny house-ship and ran around everyone in turn. Eventually he sat by Biann's foot and barked until she picked him up.

  "Well, you all look right to me."

  "Kre never left our sight," Avery pointed out. "But it still might be worth jolting Biann and Saidhe, just to be sure."

  "Hey!"

  "Or not."

  "For that, you can do the EVA to fix my ship back up," Biann insisted. "I want to get out of Creepsville as soon as we can."

  "They accepted your terms in full?" Loap asked.

  "Yep. Even the one I slipped in there about the five hundred thousand bars. So we should be able to afford any repairs needed, make up for lost time, and replenish my emergency stores... plus a nice little bonus for all of us."

  "I still can't believe you chose to make a profit from saving the galaxy, Kip," Ithon complained, even though he was on his way to get into the suit.

  "It's not a profit! It's fair recompense for being shot at! And threatened! And stuff!"

  "So what now?" Saidhe asked.

  "Well. We sit and wait for a Whale to take us back to core space. Then... then we find the Judge."

  "He's not on Lineon?" Loap asked.

  "Apparently not."

  "I'll go back into the Enforcers. Make sure I keep my eye open for him. See if they will give me my ship back, or if I have to request another one," Avery decided.

  Saidhe and her sister shared a look.

  "You not staying?" Biann asked, as sweet as she could.

  "No. I've got work to do."

  Saidhe did a little fist pump, and Biann rolled her eyes.

  "...were you guys running another book on us?" Vadim complained. "Don't think I don't find these things out!"

  "You left us with prisoners! We had to do something!" Saidhe said, her voice a little on the defensive side.

  "Next they'll be betting on which of us likes to t--"

  Vadim slapped his hand over the Enforcer's mouth. "Shut. Up."

  "Mm-mmf!"

  ***

  The nea
rest big system was the Alpha Lyrae. Vadim insisted on handing the contract in himself, and Kre insisted on acting as unofficial body guard. Avery had gone to report back for duty, but they both finished at roughly the same time.

  Kre murmured a brief excuse, and went to find a message service.

  Which left Ithon and Kip alone.

  "So. Guess this is it for now," the Captain said.

  "Yep. I think so."

  "You gonna keep that place? Your little hidey hole?"

  "I don't think so. It was never really very 'me'. I'll get a new one."

  "Really?"

  "I think so. If I even bother. I'm... I'm ship-born, same as you. I'll never feel comfortable with a 'base' if it can't up and leave."

  "Pity. The ceiling really was something."

  Ithon laughed, and pecked a quick kiss on his cheek. "It's only a temporary good-bye, you know. When I find your Judge, I'll be back."

  "That's if we don't find him first."

  "If you do, I'll be back anyway - to give him hell."

  "Fair enough."

  Vadim's tongue stole out over his lips. It was a good-bye, no matter what the pain in his ass said. It was good-bye.

  "Strange working together again. Reminded me why you got on my nerves so much."

  Avery laughed, and tossed his head. "You wonder why all your friends think you're a dick? This is why. Let's just leave it at this, before either of us gets all teary-eyed. Alright?"

  "Alright."

  "Where did Kre disappear to? Can't she stand to be around Public Displays of Aggression?"

  "Said she was gonna call her father. Think we'll be finding some excuse to do a run to Raboros, soon."

  "Good plan. He's a good man, Ail-Za. I think she's probably about ready to see him again. Tell him hello from me, and that I haven't dragged his family name through the mud yet."

  "Give it time."

  "See you around, Kip."

  Vadim didn't answer, he just watched him go.

  He was right. It wouldn't be long.

  ***

  [Ashroe: Aaaaand.... done.]

  [Sianor: It's... it's onion. I swear.]

  [Ashroe: I know. These damn hotdogs.]

  [Sianor: They would kill one another if they stayed together long-term, I am sure of it.]

  [Ashroe: Same. So... now it's just… posting and canon.]

  [Sianor: And one day soon... sequel.]

  [Ashroe: I think so. I want to see how this season pans out. See what we want to steal, and what we want to ignore.]

  [Sianor: I'm gonna email you every day, you know.]

  [Ashroe: If you didn't, I'd be pissed.]

  [Sianor: Well... how late is it there?]

  [Ashroe: Uhm...]

  [Sianor: It's 3 AM! What is wrong with you!?]

  [Ashroe: ART, woman, art!]

  [Sianor: Go to bed! We can edit in the morning.]

  [Ashroe: Fine, fine. But if I'd tried to leave in the middle of that section...]

  [Sianor: Yes, I might have deployed the flying monkeys. But now... sleep.]

  [Ashroe: Ma'am, yes, Ma'am.]

  [Sianor: Miss you x]

  [Ashroe: Miss you too xx]

  [Ashroe is offline.]

  [Sianor is offline.]