A Greater Interest: Samair in Argos: Book 4

by Michael Kotcher

  She had to clench her jaw to keep from grinding her teeth. “Things might have been different,” she admitted, feeling the bile again. “You want the records?”

  “See?” he said, nodding. “Even someone who’s been around since the Republic/Federation war can learn.”

  Then her eyes narrowed. “But you want something else, Colonel. I can tell.” She was certain of that and a second later she was rewarded when her hunch paid off.

  Now it was his turn to grit his teeth. “Yes, I do want something. The Leytonstone took some damage in Ulla-tran and now she needs some serious repair work.”

  “And now you want me to fix your ship for you?” She was flabbergasted at his presumption.

  “I’m asking that you do it for the good of Seylonique. Not to mention the local area of space.”

  Tamara chuckled. “You’re really going to pull the ‘greater good’ argument here? You make me eat humble pie and then demand things from me? Damn, Colonel. You have got some serious balls.” She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I’m serious, Samair,” Gants pushed on. “Think about it. This ship is probably the most powerful warship in the Argos Cluster. You’ve traveled far more around this area of space than I have. Am I wrong?”

  Tamara sighed, shifting a bit in her seat. “From what little of the Argos Cluster I’ve seen… no. You’re probably not wrong. Though the fact that the pirate ‘lord’ there has himself a heavy cruiser and a pair of light cruisers isn’t good. Where there’s one there’s more. And I know that Ulla-tran has a heavy cruiser of its own too. So while yes, the Leytonstone is the heavy hitter in the Cluster, you won’t be in command of the only heavy hitter forever.”

  “But while Seylonique is in control of the heavy hitter, there is a certain degree of… stability in the local space. Or if not stability,” he went on quickly, seeing her frown, “then caution. If the pirates think that a battlecruiser might drop in on them if they come here, then they’re going to act differently then if they know it won’t.”

  Tamara stared at him for a long moment. “You have a point,” she growled.

  “Ah,” he said, nodding, leaning back in his chair, slightly, flicking a pointing finger toward the vid pickup.

  “I’ll admit, we need to get that ship of yours fully operational before the pirates decide to come back here. I’d like to have a serious surprise waiting for them.”

  “I’d like to have several surprises waiting for them when they come back here,” Gants said wryly.

  “I’m working on my end, Colonel,” Tamara replied, her tone challenging. “I think you need to speak with the admin council and your fellow Navy officers and noncoms and civilian contractors and come up with a few on your own side.”

  “Yeah, about your side, Samair,” he said, crossing his own arms over his chest. “What the hell is the story with that giant ball of molten iron you have floating out there? And with the huge batteries of turbolasers heating it up?”

  “Well, dear Colonel,” she said, “I’m trying to keep the bastards from dropping rocks on my peoples’ heads.”

  He stared at her, uncomprehending. “And you plan to do that with a giant ball of metal?”

  “Oh, no, Colonel Gants. I intend to do that with a giant shield made of metal.” Her face was completely serious, without a trace of humor or irony. “I’m replacing the ships lost and I’ve got two other ships on the schedule. Another destroyer and another escort-frigate. Not to mention all the weapons platforms we’ve built out here: bigger, nastier ones. I’m trying very hard not to get caught flat-footed again.” She sighed. “And I’ve even got Navy ships patrolling the area around the gas mine. I’ll send you the data packet showing the complete record of the battle from my ships and satellites. I absolutely want you and your officers and ships to be prepared when they come back. And make no mistake, Colonel, the fact that they left without trashing the outer system means that they will be back. And they’ll be better prepared next time.”

  He considered his words. “I will await those records, Captain,” he said, giving her the courtesy of her rank. “And I would like to speak with you further about getting my ship repaired.”

  Tamara sighed. “I’m afraid you’ll need to wait on that score, Colonel. I have a meeting with Councilor Hroth in a short while. She’s setting up shop on the Kutok mine, or rather out here in the outer system until a more suitable location is constructed.”

  Gants nodded in understanding. “I completely understand. I’ve had more than my share of meetings with the admin council and I know how demanding they can be. I’ll be in the area for at least another day, though. I have some meetings of my own to attend.”

  “I’ll try to get back to you in a day or so, Colonel. I know you don’t want to wait and I don’t want to keep you waiting. But I have some other things to deal with first. Once I get those things nailed down, we can get your ship into one of the slips.”

  “Thank you, Samair. I’ll speak with the council myself and work out the payment for this.”

  Tamara nodded. “Thank you for thinking of that, Colonel. And for not making me be the materialistic weasel who demands payment.”

  He took a slow, deep breath and then let it out just as slowly. “Samair, I know that you and I have been on opposite sides of the fence before. We squared off in battle and you managed to pull a victory from what should have been a defeat. I respect your prowess and that of your tech and your people. You’ve proven you can be a stars-damned pain in the ass. But if we can figure out a way to…”

  “Just get along?” she drawled and she saw her pilot cover a laugh by pretending to cough.

  “Work together to protect this star system, its citizens and its assets,” he corrected. “I don’t expect us to get along. I don’t expect that you and I are ever going to be firm friends, or even standing on the same sides of an argument. But I would like to think that we could work toward the same goals.”

  You assume, dear Colonel, that all our goals are the same. But what he was saying made sense. “I can agree with what you’re saying, in principle. I would like to see those things strengthened and protected, but I can imagine that on many issues we’re going to have differences in opinions on how that should be carried out.”

  “I daresay we will,” he agreed. “But I’d like to think that two people as capable and powerful as we would be able to figure a way to get the necessary things done.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll look over those files and get back to you.” Gants ended the transmission.

  Tamara turned and smacked the pilot on the arm with the back of her hand. “Get us in to the station, Mike,” she growled, flopping into the copilot’s couch and setting up the communication’s link to the battlecruiser to transfer the files over.

  The arrival of Councilor Carriger Hroth was as close to a non-event as it was possible to be for a member of the administratory council. She arrived with a staff of six, stepping out of the airlock, leading the way forward. She, unlike the First Principles Chief of Operations, had no bodyguards, though by the various scans performed by Chief Nymeria as well as the Security AI Magnus, it was determined that two of the aides were armed with pistols under their jackets. Tamara’s guards, as well as a contingent of Corajen’s deputies were all standing by; the guards with their weapons held openly and the deputies with their stunners holstered at their sides.

  The harried-looking Tiyaana Moreetz stood by Tamara, with Corajen standing on the Station manager’s other side. The lupusan chief of security looked relaxed, almost bored by the whole proceedings. She had to know that by having a member of the admin council residing on the Kutok mining station, her own base of operations, her job just got that much harder. It wasn’t as though the gas mine was an open port, filled with wanderers and cutthroats, but just having the councilor underfoot would complicate things.

  The councilor approached the trio of females, her hands outstretched and reaching for the young Station Manager. Tamara hung back, n
ot offended by the gesture. She might be in charge of the company, one slot below the owner, but she’d put Ms. Moreetz in command of the station. It was only courteous and polite that Tiyaana be greeted first.

  The long, clawed fingers of the lupusan councilor closed gently over the smooth hands of the human woman. “Station Manager Moreetz, what an absolute pleasure it is to see you. I understand that there has been a great spot of bother out here. I’m hoping that we can avoid that sort of thing in the future. But I was pleased to hear that you were a female capable of keeping a cool head in the crisis.”

  Tiyaana beamed in surprise. After a second of holding the woman’s hands, Carriger released her. “I’m glad to have you along, Councilor,” the woman said, both confused and pleased by the councilor’s words and actions.

  Tamara’s left eyebrow rose, but she quickly suppressed the gesture. After a second longer of holding Tiyaana’s hands, Carriger released her and turned to Tamara. “Ms. Samair.”

  “Captain Samair,” Corajen corrected in an undertone, but everyone in the entryway heard her.

  The councilor flicked her ears in annoyance. “Captain Samair, yes. My apologies.”

  Tamara waved it away, but couldn’t help but notice that the councilor wasn’t so effusive in her greetings to her as she had been to Tiyaana. Hroth didn’t stretch out her hands to Tamara; she folded them together in front of her. She mentally brushed it aside, not really bothered by it, but filing away the information for later.

  “Think nothing of it, Councilor. Welcome to the Kutok mine.” Tamara flashed a smile. “I must say, Councilor, I’m actually surprised you didn’t bring any press with you. Your aide, Undersecretary Wyatt, was quite concerned about arrangements and making sure there were sufficient… sundries… for reporters, well-wishers and the like.”

  Carriger gave a slight shrug. “I’ll be out here for a while, and I didn’t want to disrupt operations here on my first day.”

  Tamara smirked. “So your second day, then?”

  Carriger yipped. “Perhaps. I’d prefer to keep the disruptions to a bare minimum, if I’m honest.” She spread her hands to encompass the station around her. “The fuel that this station brings up and refines is the lifeblood of the space operations in the system. I want to do as little as possible to disturb that.”

  “I certainly appreciate that, Councilor. But perhaps we can get out of the entryway here and adjourn to the conference rooms?”

  “Or your suites, if you’re tired from your trip,” Tiyaana put in.

  Carriger glanced at one of her aides, then turned back to the station manager with a smile. “Thank you, Ms. Moreetz, but I didn’t come all the way out here to sleep. We’ll get to that in due time, but if it’s all the same to you, could we adjourn to those conference rooms? We’ve a few things to discuss. And if you could have some of my aides brought to the suite to get things settled?”

  Tiyaana nodded. “Of course.” She gestured. “This way please? Chief, please dismiss this lot.”

  Corajen didn’t even speak, she just grunted, glanced at one of her lieutenants and all but two of the deputies left the area. Tiyaana turned and led the group, the main group with the councilor right at her elbow, a pair of aides just behind them with Tamara and her own guards trailing along at the rear. Tamara wasn’t sure what this was all about, or what it was that the councilor’s agenda for being out here meant, but for now she just had to go along with it.

  Arriving at the conference room, Calvin and Kayla peeled off from the group of bodyguards and took up position on the opposite side of the corridor from the door. None of the aides followed suit, trotting along after their councilor and the station manager into the room, with Tamara continuing along in the rear. Once inside, Tiyaana went to the far side of the heavy, long table (sturdy plastic that was textured and colored to look like hardwood) across from the door and sat down, her favored spot. It allowed her to see the entire table, while keeping her in the midst of anyone involved in the discussions. Tamara took one of the seats further down, on the opposite side of the table, away from but with her back toward the door. Viktoriya, Kiki and Beau took up positions around the room, with the young female only a few meters from her principle, with Beau on the far side of the room, and Viktoriya standing not too far from the station manager, but out of the immediate line of sight of the door.

  The councilor, meanwhile, took a look at the dynamic in the room and then turned and sat down at the head of the table, her aides spreading out to seats on the right and the left. She sat herself down with extreme dignity and Tamara had to suppress a snort. Next thing is she’s going to say, ‘Thank you all for coming.’

  “Now, I would appreciate a briefing on your activities here in the outer system.” The councilor looked up to the two women seated at the middle of the table, several meters away, looking at them as though they were the lowest level interns on her staff.

  “Please,” Tamara replied, unable to stop herself. The scowls that turned her way would have simultaneously broiled her alive and blasted her to bits. Tiyaana only looked uncomfortable and the bodyguards were stone faced, blending into the bulkheads.

  “Excuse me, Ms. Samair?” Carriger asked, her expression calm, but the feed coming from Tamara’s optic sensors told the truth. She wasn’t angry, not yet, but there was a slight irritation. Perhaps Hroth had needed to deal with unruly conferences with the rest of the admin council in the past. The more she thought about it, the more that seemed likely.

  Tamara sighed, trying to figure out how to maneuver through this morass that she’d somehow walked into. Willingly, she admitted to herself, and with a full amount of bitterness. I’ve been spoiled. I’ve gotten so used to doing things my own way and on the company’s timetable that I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have any serious oversight. I knew that those days were over and now I’m lashing out. “Apologies,” Tamara said. “But I know that you’re a member of the administratory council, ma’am, but you’re not in a government building. This is a civilian facility. Please don’t bark orders at me or my people.”

  Carriger looked to the human woman down the table from her for a long moment. “You’ve got some serious guts speaking to me like that, Samair. I can see now why it is that Councilors Cresswell and Kly hate your guts.”

  “Don’t bring those two on my station, Councilor,” Tamara said, feeling her mouth starting to gear up even as a small part of her brain attempted to slam the brakes on.

  “This is not a productive discussion, Ms. Samair,” the she-wolf replied, the fur on her neck starting to rise. “I didn’t come here to dictate terms or to piss anyone off.”

  “No, I suppose you didn’t,” Tamara said, feeling a tap on her shin from the toe of Tiyaana’s boot. She flashed a glance to the station manager, whose pleading face was laser focused on Tamara’s. Tamara gave a slow blink and then turned back to the councilor. “But let’s keep things civil. I am not one of your staffers here.” She gestured.

  “But you are one of the people who are subject to Seylonique law,” Carriger pointed out. “In fact,” she went on, “you and your company have made an incredible fortune on those laws and by the strength of our citizens. You have gained more power and influence in a shorter period of time than anyone in the history of our star system, Samair. I know that would give one a certain sense of entitlement and arrogance.” She smiled, but then the smile turned frigid. “But I don’t truck with that kind of nonsense. You, Samair, and your company, are subject to the rule of law and the rule of the admin council. So if my lack of manners offends you…” Carriger leaned forward. “So what?” she growled.

  The bodyguards shifted, uncomfortably. Nothing had happened, nothing overt, but tensions were ramping up in here, and quickly.

  Tamara digested that for a moment. Then she shrugged. “Are you here to try and nationalize the Kutok mine? First Principles as an entire entity?” There was just the slightest emphasis on the word ‘try’.

  Hroth ignored the furtive an
d rapid glances of her staffers and focused on the woman. She sat back more comfortably in the chair. Then she shook her head. “There are no plans for that at this time, or as far as I am aware at any point in the future. Unless it becomes clear that First Principles poses a threat to the safety and good order of the star system or her citizens.”

  The COO nodded. “I see.” Then she gestured to Tiyaana. “Ms. Moreetz, if you would please provide a quick synopsis of operations here on the mine? I’ll get into the more esoteric details of other projects once you’ve finished.”

  Moreetz looked like a field mouse caught in the open between a wolf and an owl. There was the potential for disaster in all directions. But she put on a professional smile and soldiered on. “Of course, ma’am. In the last quarter, well, ever since the invasion by pirate forces…”

  As the woman spoke, Carriger sat back and listened attentively, while her aides took notes on their tablets. The report went on for some time, as First Principles and by that their Chief of Operations Tamara Samair, had a lot of projects underway at this time. The gas mine had been brought up to full capacity and Tiyaana was in the process of having a great deal of the collection and processing sectors automated, which would considerably cut down on the staff needed for the station itself. Most of the functions were automated, and apparently the Station Manager was in talks with her COO about getting an upgrade to the computer systems, which would allow for a fifteen to twenty percent reduction of the workforce. Now, those workers were not going to be released into the ether, no, some were being transferred to the shipyards, a few were going to be made crew on the slew of new defense ships that would be rolling off the production lines in a day or so, and still more were to be transferred to a second constructor ship she was building.

  On top of that, FP was building weapons platforms, carpeting local space with guns and missile launchers, blanketing the space around the three FP stations with fields of overlapping fire. The Samarkand was finishing an automated factory, which was scheduled to be brought out to the asteroid mining station by the end of the week, for the sole purpose of building missiles. Those missiles, currently being built by hand aboard the constructor vessel and in one of the cargo bays on the Kutok mine, would be built much faster by the automated factory, which would then free up those workers for other projects.