Reaper Inc.

by Thomas Wright

  "Harry, we need to sit down and plan out our trip in as much detail as possible. Do you have any experience in space travel, being a part of a military organization, anything like that?"

  "I was next in line to become chieftain of my village. Our chieftain was dying and selected me to be his successor. My experience as you call it was on the ark. The master kept me in the area where they kept the beasts. He knew that I wasn't an animal but it was his twisted pleasure to keep me there. The guards would wake me with their sticks never letting me sleep more than a few hours. I tried laying in the middle where they couldn’t reach me but then they would use a gun instead of the stick. After some time, I learned to wake up before they arrived and prepared mentally for what would happen. I do not believe any of that counts to answer your question."

  "I understand why you were crazy when they put you in the arena with me. I could see the burns on you from the stun sticks. You are better now, I hope. I can't have you going crazy on my ship hurting the crew."

  "I am better knowing I am going home and am not alone." Harry looked from Ben to the queen.

  Tazleaha walked in and stood in front of them. Ben had a flashback he was in school and in the principal’s office. Ben noticed Harry was not much shorter sitting than she was standing but he still had to look up.

  "Harry, would you wait outside the shuttle? I will call you when Ben and I are finished speaking."

  "Yes, your highness." Harry walked out and away from the shuttle.

  Tazleaha said, "His people, the Rohn, are a peaceful species as are the Soren who also inhabit the planet. It is strange to find there was treachery in his village but it is not unheard of."

  "It happens in most societies. It sometimes is a positive force for change and the good outweighs the changes in tradition. I don’t think that is the case here. The problem is how Harry and his family were dealt with."

  "Now I must deal with you, Benjamin. I need you to remove all your weapons and turn them over to me. I will see you have them if needed or when you leave."

  "And if I refuse?"

  "Must you always do things contrary to the wise decision?"

  "I find when I need my weapons the most someone has taken them away. One of your people has already tried to kill me. Have you forgotten?" Ben's tone was beginning to elevate.

  "I explained that to you, it is an isolated incident."

  "So you say. Forgive me if I can't believe you know everything that is happening right under your nose."

  Harry could hear the conversation escalate as well as the crack that followed. He would not interfere with it; it was just one more thing being worked out in Benjamin's current situation.

  Ben felt the burn and his eyes watered. It came fast with no hesitation. As the right hand followed on through, the left grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him into a kiss. Someone had been studying; there was no lack of effort on her part. Ben finally relented and returned her efforts, his arms around her waist he pulled her in tight. They separated a minute later and she put her hands against his chest, staring at the reaper that was staring at her. Before he could say anything, she pushed him hard back into the seat. Putting her foot on the seat next to him, she bent over nose to nose staring into his eyes.

  "I am going to talk to Harry for a minute then we will both return."

  "Hopefully not the way you just talked to me."

  "Not hardly, stop interrupting."

  "When we return, I expect to see a pile of weapons on the floor." She gave him a peck on the lips and patted his face where her hand print currently resided. "Good times baby, good times," she said walking away.

  He sat feeling guilty as he unbuckled and removed his weapons. Looking at them he decided to keep his combat knife. Removing the long knife from his belt he put it back on and slid the smaller one around to the middle of his back. They walked in just as he finished buckling his belt. He didn’t have his poker face on and must have looked guilty. Tazleaha looked at the pile then at him. She stepped into his space smoothly and wrapped her arms around his waist feeling the knife she knew would be there.

  "You just couldn’t do it, could you?"

  "C'mon, negotiate here. I gave you all the big bad stuff. Can't I keep the smallest just to let me sleep better at night."

  "Give or I will have him hold you while I remove it."

  Harry said, "Ben, do as the queen asks. I will be close as well as your friend Grubb if trouble does somehow manage to find you."

  "Don’t you have some lover who wants to kick my ass? Don’t you think I should be prepared for anything?"

  "No, he has contacted me and we have arranged a meeting on Allond. I preferred to do it on Cjittan but he wants to humiliate you in front of the Allond."

  "Well that is just great. What if I kill this lover of yours? Am I going to end up having to kill more of his family or will this be settled?"

  "It will be considered settled."

  "What about the rest? I know you have more than one, you said this one was the most popular."

  "There are others. I do not know what they will do or plan."

  "How many others?"

  "Let us get through the peace process so you are no longer my enemy and then I will introduce you at court and educate you in the matters of a suitor."

  "Do you kiss all your enemies?" She was saved from having to answer by the pilot announcing they were ready to depart. Ben leaned over and picked up his weapons and laid them across his lap.

  Grubb greeted Tazleaha and Ben and popped his eyes back in his head after seeing Harry duck coming out the shuttle door.

  "You seem to be attracting some big hairy ones on this trip."

  The queen gave Grubb a freezing stare.

  "Um, did you think, no I didn’t mean you. No you are not hairy or big, well you're tall and shapely and perfect. . ."

  "Damn Grubb, quit stuttering. She just suckered you right into a compliment. You could have just said she isn’t that hairy and been done."

  Tazleaha turned her gaze to Ben. "Do you have any respect for my position, for me? I had thought to show you some things that would have proved your statement to be false prior to your making it, but I believe you will have to wait until you make it up to me."

  Grubb and Harry both shook their head at the same time. That little incident made the trip to Allond a long one. Ben, Grubb, and Harry worked on a supply list and then Ben added twenty percent overage to it. He obtained everything he needed, star charts, inhabited planets, dangerous inhabited planets from number two who transmitted the detailed data to Lorelei on the Claymore. Four starships traveled together while one stayed and escorted the slower moving ark towards Allond space. The Warhammer and the remaining Trillond ships departed returning to their duty locations and hiding place respectively. That party was over but another would start on Allond shortly. Ben wasn’t going to let his fledgling company go down the drain just because of a few setbacks, broken bones, strained friendships, kidnapping, and murder. There were some good things. . .the pencil lead in his brain broke and he couldn’t write them on his mental list.

  Chapter 35

  Ben lay on the large, overstuffed mattress in his huge apartment at the palace. They had been back for one day. The Emperor decided to let all the parties involved regroup and be prepared to start first thing in the morning. Someone had tried to wake Ben up first thing in the morning but he didn’t answer the door.

  Pillow over his head, he tried to ignore whoever was shaking him. Finally he had had enough of keeping the pillow over his head, he said, "Go away. I am trying for some peace and quiet. If you're lost, the peace summit is thataway. If you keep trying to wake me, you better have a piece of cake and a piece of fruit, a piece of ass would be nice and a cup of coffee. I'm not getting up for anything else."

  The shaking stopped and it was quiet. He couldn’t help himself. He moved the pillow and rolled over trying to focus on at least ten individuals who stood in his room. He wasn’t going to get out
of having to get up when the emperor, queen and a large number of dignitaries all stood looking at him.

  Some overweight pompous looking individual asked, "Emperor Xamand, did we waste an hour for this?"

  Ben really did hate people like that. "Ok, I know now why you are all empty handed. Tubby there must have eaten all the breakfast cakes and fruit." He looked at Tazleaha. "You have a few minutes for some me and you time?" She gave him a hard look. "No, ok, that's three down, did anyone bring coffee? Ok, I gotta tell ya, the room is beyond beautiful but the room service sucks."

  Grubb and Harry walked in and Grubb at least had coffee and some hangover pills.

  Ben said, "Harry, keep an eye on the fat guy with the red face. He looks like he is gonna have a coronary."

  Emperor Xamand said, "Benjamin, we have indulged you enough this morning. We are going to return to our meeting and you need be there in fifteen minutes or leave my planet."

  Most of the group walked out except for Tazleaha, Alona and Ben saw Nedra now that the others were gone. Tazleaha did that thing when her hand was faster than his eye and slapped the hell out of him. Surprisingly enough, she kissed him again and bit his earlobe."Cooperate and then maybe we will see about some me and you time," she whispered, straightened up and walked out of the room.

  "I thought you were handling the negotiations for the Alliance?" Ben asked Alona.

  "I am."

  "Where is Senator Sims? Why isn’t he with you?"

  "Ben, he disappeared right after we got the news about you being alive and the death of the one they called the master."

  "There was a clone of him on that ship. I killed it."

  "I know that too. I have been briefed on almost everything so far."

  "Really then, what the hell is the matter with your niece?"

  "Get dressed. You are running out of time. He meant what he said."

  Ben splashed water on his face, slipped on a tee shirt and his pants. "Let's go!"

  ****

  Ben felt like he was caught in a time warp. The constant drone of someone wanting something kept ringing in his ears. He looked up and down a table of at least a hundred representatives. A data pad was provided at each seat. He wasn’t familiar with it so he sat playing around with it trying to figure out its functions. Tazleaha sat straight across from him. She cleared her throat. He looked up at her.

  "You were asked a question."

  "Damn." Ben mumbled and looked down the table. A thin, skinny whip-like individual raised his hand and Ben nodded. He wasn’t sure if it was a joke but the pompous red-faced one sat next to him.

  "Why are you here?" he asked from fifty feet away. This was stupid; he wasn’t going to be yelling down the table. He liked yelling, but not right now. He got up and walked toward the end of the table. The thin man became very nervous. Ben stopped and leaned down looking at the pompous, walking heart attack.

  "You see the chair I just vacated across from the beautiful Queen Tazleaha." He didn’t know if she could hear him or not. "Go sit in it while I explain to your friend why I am here, now move it!"

  Ben looked around at the faces. He guessed the most important were sitting down on the other end. Why he was there he didn’t know. "So let me ask first, are you all subjects of one emperor or another?" There was a round of nods and yes's. "So, if I ask you questions, you will have to temper your answers so you don’t get your asses handed to you?" There was a lag time to process his question. Some got it and explained to those who didn’t. Most then looked around nervously before nodding; most didn’t vocalize their answer.

  "Ok, here is the story, so basically your queen heard of our small Alliance of planets in a solar system that borders the Trillond Empire. Trillond became a member of our Alliance and we have lived in peace with them from the beginning. She sent her warriors to scout and report back to her. We fought and turned them away leaving one of our ships just barely operable but the other fought better and had minimal damage. I was told by her mantis emissaries that she would think on the matter of invading our worlds. There was another, more capable member of our party who was supposed to meet with all of you but he has gone missing."

  While Ben told the story, he pointed his finger at the end of the table even though he wasn’t talking about them. "That is the very short version. So now you are stuck with me. I have some ideas about establishing protected planets until there is a sustainable food source then opening it for feeding for a period of time. There would be plants and animals and if managed properly along with other planets, the warriors would not have to destroy a thriving planet to feed their numbers." Ben pointed again even though he had finished talking.

  A female of a race Ben did not know asked, "Why do you point at our leaders and why, when nothing is said."

  "It is like a mental warfare. They are probably distracted, now worrying about what kind of trouble I am causing stirring up with their governors. Yet I said nothing at all against them? I happen to be very fond of both. We can call it a trick or ruse." She nodded and looked at him like he was off in a bubble.

  She said, "They may not find it amusing."

  "I know, it's great isn’t it? A little chaos and disruption."

  "The one you call Tubby is the newly appointed governor of Lotham. He does not speak well of you."

  "He doesn’t know me. Did he tell you how the Allond sent me into the jungle with no weapons to find the previous governor's bastard child? I found that the child was dead but had a friend who was with him and escaped and was hunted by wild animals. I found the child and we fought the animal by throwing stones at it until it went away. We were lucky it had fed very recently."

  "The governor's mistress was getting out of hand and the only thing she had on him was the child they had together. He told the children of a cave where there was treasure and sent them to with directions to find it. It was also the home of two large predators. Did he tell you any of that? Yes, I wanted to kill the governor for what he did to the children but I didn’t. That is the truth of the story and the Emperor Xamand can testify to it." Ben finished the story and all eyes were glued on him.

  Someone asked, "They would let you take no weapons? Why?

  "I just lost my mate in a battle with the Allith. I was angry at the time and they were worried I would kill someone."

  Another said, "You would have killed the governor." It was a statement more than a question.

  "No, I don’t think so. I had a knife in my boot and had the governor on the ground where I could have slit his throat." Ben made the old finger across the throat sign from one side to the other. It must be universal because it required no explanation. "But I didn’t. I turned him over to the military who were present."

  Tazleaha saw Ben making strange motions that didn’t look right to her so she got up and eased in his direction. As she got closer, she noticed they were all listening to him intently, even ones almost out of earshot were leaning in their direction watching and trying to catch what was being said.

  The skinny governor who had called him out touched his arm and motioned to Tazleaha's approach. Everyone straightened up and Ben stood up. "Let's all get together later for drinks at dinner shall we?" They all nodded. "I will send Tubby back. Would you please enlighten him for me? Or I can have the Emperor do it; give him the choice."

  Tazleaha was on the other side of the table as Ben walked back to his chair. The occupant sneered at him as he approached. She watched him but continued to walk slowly along pausing to touch her governors as she got to each one. She stopped behind the skinny one and put both hands on his shoulders.

  "What was he saying to everyone?"

  "My queen, he spoke of our incursion and the attack on their ships, then of his ideas about feeding grounds for the warriors and then about the rumors the Governor of Lotham has been spreading."

  "Why did he continually point in our direction? I think Emperor Xamand would like to know also."

  "My queen it had nothing to do with our conversatio
ns. He said it would distract you until you would have to find out what it was about, when in reality, it was nothing at all." All of the governors shook their heads affirming his statement. "He said it was a trick or ruse. He seems to take pleasure in taunting those above his station." A loud squeal brought the table to a hush as Ben had the governor by the ear dragging him back to his own chair. Tazleaha stood unmoving as Ben deposited him back into his own chair.

  "I hope you are not here interrogating and harassing them into telling you our conversations." The poor guy stiffened up and Ben knew.

  "Aww, you told her everything, didn’t you?" The guy slumped this time.

  "Hey, it's ok, it is all true. I wish you wouldn't have told her about the pointing thing though. I was hoping to do that for a few more days. Get her really cranked up."

  "Your highness, if you are through brow beating your people, may I walk you back to your place at the table?" Ben took her arm and gently pulled her away from the poor governor. He heard a few gasps as they walked. Tazleaha looked at him in his tee shirt and pants, barefoot, in the grand hall of one of the most powerful leaders known. She realized that he didn’t care about his feet or that he won over any governor within hearing distance of the end of the table.

  All of the governors relaxed and stared at them as he walked her back to her seat. Discussions continued, the skinny governor said, "We do have to keep in mind that he and his people are technically our enemy."

  One of the Allond governors said, "He doesn’t look or act like your enemy."

  "Yes, I noticed that too."

  The discussions were called to an end an hour before dinner was planned in the grand hall. Ben had spoken with a number of the governors who were gathering information from each other and from Ben. Some of the individual planets had agriculture but not much in the way of ranching or fisheries. When he suggested the queen pay them for what they produced to feed the military, it became very quiet.