Void Contract (Gigaparsec Book 1)

by Scott Rhine

  The officer handed Max the camera, took the last life vest, and dove over the side.

  Just outside of blaster range, Max idled the boat again and called the Turtle Embassy without encryption. Anyone with a radio tuned to this frequency would be able to hear his broadcast, including the sheriff and governor’s head of intelligence. “A pirate craft using proscribed weaponry has engaged in open warfare with the natives of Eden. Uploading the film and location now. Requesting rescue and arrest of survivors. Suspected link to the criminal mastermind Vrilkesh.”

  “Roger, Medusa. ETA forty-nine minutes.”

  “That’s too long. Their shuttle is breached and sinking. I’ll attempt to pull them from the water. His Blue Claw bodyguards swim worse than my anchor.”

  Once he hid the camera in the bow, Max radioed Zrulkesh. “We’re coming to rescue you, sir. No one is following me.”

  Max heard one of the bodyguard’s voices over the radio. “He’s fading in and out of consciousness. He hit his head pretty badly on impact.”

  “Holster your weapons,” Max requested. “I’m coming in, unarmed on a humanitarian mission.”

  “Roger, Doc. We lost all but one of the rifles in the attack anyway. Who gave those animals a rocket?”

  “How many of you survived?”

  “Just the boss and me,” said the lone Blue Claw miner.

  Max grinned. The addled bodyguard wasn’t using names. He decided to use that to get some more incriminating footage. As he taxied up to the mostly submerged wreck, he circled. Because the cargo section was an empty skeleton with no trapped air, the tail of the craft pointed straight down in the water. Gouts of sealant foam had been liberally sprayed to keep the damaged cockpit above water. With the open escape hatch in the center, the bobbing craft resembled a Monet water lily. “I need to find the best attach point. That twisted metal would puncture my craft and sink us all before help arrives.”

  The bodyguard in his spiffy black-and-neon-green track suit nodded. “Throw me a line.”

  “Vrilkesh is going to end up in police custody if he survives,” Max said, picking up the loose end of a nylon rope that resembled his recent bonds.

  “That’s a problem for another day. The boss will just be happy to visit a real hospital.”

  Max lowered his arm. “Toss me your employer’s computer pad first.”

  “Why?”

  “It has the number for Sageworthy’s bank account full of illegal funds that Vrilkesh stole. If that gets lost, I don’t get my finder’s fee.” It had all the accounts Max would need, including the promissory note.

  “Sure.” The guard crawled into the cockpit and emerged clutching a personal computer with a cracked screen.

  They tied off the raft and performed the exchange carefully. Max tucked the device into an airtight plastic cooler, used for fish from the smell of it. Soon the guard dragged Zrulkesh over for a transfer to the rescue vessel.

  Crouching on the prow, Max held up a hand to stop him. “Is the metal you delivered for building spaceships?”

  “Huh?”

  “The odd alloy isn’t meant for gravity applications. Why bring it here? Was it meant to build an escape ship for the locals who were exiled here?”

  The Saurian miner estimated the distance to the raft, but it seemed too far to jump with such a load. “Who wants to know?”

  “Beloved Sanderjee is concerned for her wellbeing.”

  This assurance seemed to allay the miner’s fears. “The people here wanted straight iron, nothing special. The mix came from another job that we never got paid for. It was a shame to let it go to waste.” Dragging the moaning Zrulkesh forward, the last miner said, “You’re a doctor. Aren’t you supposed to help people?”

  “Bring him over.”

  When both Saurians were on the raft, Max examined the captain’s head wound. “I lost my medical bag when the Mbutu captured me. Get the first-aid kit from the cockpit.”

  The guard rushed back inside. Max didn’t know the guard’s name and didn’t want to know. Having a personal relationship made what he had to do more difficult.

  Max swung the captain’s ceremonial blade down hard on the anchor rope. It took him a couple swings to separate the crafts. He pushed away from the floating wreck and sheathed the sword.

  The guard heard him and ran out, shouting, “Where are you going?”

  Trying to seem casual, Max squeezed the camera into the cooler without glancing at it. The evidence would survive even he didn’t.

  “Throw me the kit, and I’ll treat your boss,” Max promised. “Even a criminal deserves to live.” He had sworn to Krannek not to harm Vrilkesh. That also meant saving anyone he was framing to become Vrilkesh. As he closed the lid of the cooler, he noted that the light on top was still green.

  The guard tossed over a medical kit the size of a tackle box. It bounced off the bench seat of the raft and spilled open on the floor. “What about me?”

  Max picked up a sterile bandage before it soaked through with the muddy water in the bottom of the boat. “In a minute. Let me tend to the mastermind, and then I have a few more questions.” He searched for antiseptic next. When he glanced up, the guard was gone. “Hell, no.”

  Max dove over the edge of the raft, keeping the vessel and captain between him and the angry guard. The sloshing of water against him brought back several memories of Phibs hunting him, lurking below the surface, ready to rip off a limb.

  The Saurian crawled out of the cockpit, waving a Magi rifle. “Now you’re going to do what I say.”

  “Union security is minutes away,” Max shouted as he clung to the slick side of the raft. “I’ll tell them you acted to save life. Your sentience will probably still be revoked, but they may let you stay on the preserve if you surrender now.”

  “I won’t be here when they arrive,” said the last guard. “Push that boat over, or I fire.”

  “We can talk about this.” Max spit out water from a wavelet. Was that sound a splash from something living? Alligators didn’t hunt in deep water like this. Did anything else?

  “10 … 9 …”

  “You’re going to kill me anyway once you have what you want.”

  “Yeah.”

  Hearing the power-up whine, Max activated his vest and dove. A quick burst of pink ruptured the zodiac on two sides. Bubbles filled the water. Max pushed against the bottom of the sinking boat to hold himself under for the minute or so his Turtle-tech air bubble lasted. Then he pushed away from the craft and held his breath as long as he could.

  When he saw the floundering Zrulkesh, Max was forced to act. He kicked over to the drowning Saurian, grabbed him around the chest, and surfaced. “Don’t shoot!” Max spotted the fish cooler floating on the surface and grabbed that to help keep him afloat. “I’m holding your boss above water. If I die, he dies. Either way, there’s no way you’re getting off that wreck before the cops arrive.”

  The final guard glowered at the rifle. He could hear the sky-tearing sound the security jump jets made as they approached. “They can’t come after my clan with no evidence.” The Saurian disappeared into the cockpit a final time.

  Max kicked and paddled for all he was worth to put distance between him and the dying shuttle. He needn’t have bothered, because the water heaved outward with the explosive release of the oxygen in the reserve tanks. Due to the force of the wave, Max lost his grip on the heavy captain when the front pocket on the track suit ripped. However, he was clear of the suction that dragged the remainder of the wreck to the bottom of the deepest lake on the planet.

  Though he lost consciousness briefly, the bandages on Max’s wrist held his arm securely inside the handle of the cooler.

  Chapter 29 – The Official Story

  Divers attached a rescue harness to Max. Inside the Yellow Slash attack vessel, the medic strapped him to a back board for transport. He catalogued the damage done to Max during the last day, including shrapnel fragments he hadn’t remembered. “You need skin grafts.”
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  “Not the Conception hospital. Assassins,” Max mumbled. His tongue was thick because of the sedatives. They had injected him before cutting the fish cooler off his more injured arm. Despite his defenses, his right forearm had come in contact with water brought to boiling by the beam weapon.

  “You’re delirious.”

  Wincing at the pain of flexing his muscles, Max grabbed the medic’s arm. “No. Page Captain Zrulkesh on the space station. He’ll tell you.”

  “How about a compromise. I’ll take you to the embassy clinic first if you agree to take something for this pain.”

  “Deal.” Lack of sleep combined with the painkiller swept him under like the dam bursting over the camp.

  ****

  When Max woke, he was hungry. Commander Krannek entered the room soon after. He handed Max a repaired computer pad. “A small token of our thanks. We should give you a medal for this covert operation, but I don’t think you know what covert means anymore.”

  “How many died?”

  “Initial estimates are a hundred and fifty. We’ll never know for certain due to jurisdiction. The tribal council is burying the dead and questioning the living.”

  Max wanted to throw up. My body count is probably ten times that of the entire Mbutu Cartel, and they were monsters.

  “We watched the recording, even the muffled part. Turtle tech can do wonders with audio analysis. The transcript answered most of our questions. DNA analysis on the wallet confirms it came from your quarry, Vrilkesh. The captain of The Inner Eye gave us a sample to compare against, and the sheriff confirms that the Saurians in the picture were Vrilkesh’s known associates. You did everything you could for him and the Union.” The head of security sighed, sadder than he should have been.

  Max’s arms were wrapped in bandages up to his elbows, but the commander seemed to be in more pain. “You loved Vrilkesh.”

  Krannek’s snout jerked up. Relationships between males were unacceptable in his culture.

  “I won’t tell,” Max said softly. “Who was the female teacher who provided cover for your affair?”

  “My sister runs the Crèche School and lives with me. She’s homely and bossy, but she kept our secret at the cost of her own reputation. By way of thanks, Vrilkesh fertilized an egg clutch so she could finally have children of her own. He called it his duty to the uplifters. The children will be brilliant strategists.”

  Still fuzzy from the medicine, Max said, “So your sister was the beard?” The metaphor didn’t translate well to a species without hair.

  “How did you know?” Krannek asked.

  “Zrulkesh hated him. He told the crew of The Inner Eye, but none of them put two and two together.”

  Face averted, Krannek asked, “What do you want to keep my secret?”

  “Just for you to listen for a moment. You pulled me out of enemy territory at risk to your life and career, so you deserve to know the truth.”

  Krannek raised his brow. “Guilty conscience?”

  “Not the way you think.” Max glanced at the door to make sure it was closed. “What we talk about in this room goes to our graves.”

  “Agreed.”

  “I wanted to help Vrilkesh from the beginning, but the gangs would never let him rest here.”

  “They wouldn’t rest until he was dead. I always knew I only had him for a short time, which is why I agreed to the children.” In a gesture of grief, Krannek wrapped his claws behind his own head.

  “Listen!” Max removed the nearest hand before the claws could inflict any self-mutilation. “This whole thing was designed to separate Zrulkesh from the space station so that Vrilkesh could steal his identity.”

  “But the copilot confirmed everything,” Krannek said, refusing to believe his lover was safe.

  “Once we deduct refueling expenses, there are only two people left now to divide all those profits, and I’m the only one with the codes to make that happen.” Max tapped the computer pad. “I’m sure the real Vrilkesh convinced Jubalasch of the advantages.”

  “Jubalasch has applied to retire in Conception.” Commander Krannek tapped his own computer pad for a few moments. “He purchased Vrilkesh’s villa for a single credit.”

  “I think his silence has been adequately purchased, but let me tell you a few details you could hold over his head if he strays.” Max explained what he knew about the smugglers’ operations.

  Krannek nodded. “They’re probably robbing old Phib mines. The Phibs no longer have ships to haul ore. From the sounds of it, no one procured legal mineral rights to those systems near the gap. That region is generally owned by the Bankers, and they don’t like trespassers.”

  Max snorted. “This is like a funeral. There are some secrets you only find out about your relatives after they’re dead.”

  “I’m never going to see Vrilkesh again, am I?”

  “I’ll invite him to the ceremony.” Max’s stomach growled loudly. “He can bring my friend Reuben. You can use guarding Reuben as an excuse to follow him around.”

  “Why would this other friend need a guard? Is he a criminal?”

  “I’ll explain if you bring me some food. I’m so hungry I could eat a tree-possum.”

  ****

  His only other visitor that week was Roz. She rocked nervously in the visitor’s chair, dressed in her usual uniform. An embassy guard stood outside the open door, so she spoke in hushed English. “Wow. This medicine they have you on is expensive. I had to fly the load in personally. Are you rich or something?”

  “Or something. I once did them a favor, and the Yellow Slash Clan has a long memory. You look nice,” Max said, trying to change topics.

  “You look like you fell into a bailing machine,” she blurted.

  “I can always count on your honesty,” he replied. “That’s a good thing.”

  She blushed, unsure what to say. “What happened?”

  “A whole bunch of people tried to kill me but died suddenly of natural causes.”

  Offended, Roz stood to leave. “You could just say it’s classified.”

  Max put a hand out to stop her. I remember when I was that innocent. “Sorry. A Saurian joke. I’m not used to talking to other Humans. I thought I could practice talking with you.”

  She rocked on the ball chair again. “About what?”

  “How about your name? What’s it short for?”

  “Shiraz,” she said, sounding six-years-old.

  “That’s beautiful.”

  Roz blushed. “It’s stupid. My brothers are called Merlot and Riesling, and my sister is Madeira. Mom had no concept of birth control. She blamed us on whatever wine she had the night before.”

  “I’ll bet you’re a teetotaler.”

  Roz glanced down, embarrassed by the implied virginity.

  “It’s okay, admirable even. Control and propriety are important for someone in a position of authority like you.”

  “Thanks.”

  One word answers. “If you’re going to work on my ship, you’re going to have to learn to relax around me. I don’t bite.”

  “I—I’m not sure I can take a job like that. I’m not a skilled pilot.”

  “You’re very well-rounded … skill-wise. You were top of your class in alien tech repair. Besides, the automatics do most of the flying. You mainly need to talk to traffic control, dock the ship, and oversee maintenance.”

  She bit her lip. “I guess.”

  Max placed a hand on hers. “Take a trip up with me after the luau. If you don’t fall in love with the ship, you’re free to go. I’ll pay station rates for your time.”

  “Okay.”

  “Wait till you meet the astrogator, Echo. She’s a Magi.”

  Roz leaned forward, hooked. “What does she look like?”

  “That’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself. I’ll pick you ladies up in a minibus an hour before the ceremony.”

  “Minibus?”

  Max counted off the people in the entourage: Vrilkesh, Kr
annek, Reuben, the bodyguard, the driver, himself, and two ladies. “There’ll be eight of us.”

  “I still don’t know why you asked me.”

  He wanted her around long term for the ship, but he didn’t want to mislead her. You’re probably the only woman I know who wouldn’t try to kill or betray me. “I’ve been at war a long time.” With Phibs and myself. “I have difficultly trusting.” Even here after all the awards he had earned, if he said the wrong thing, or developed dementia, they would put him down like a rabid dog to protect themselves. “I need to build a core of people I can learn to trust, and that’s who I chose for the bus.”

  “Doesn’t seem much like a date.”

  He held out his bandaged arms. “Sorry I won’t be fit for hugging or groping. I’ll just pretend to be a gentleman. In my tribe, one of each person’s parents goes on every date.”

  “!Kung?”

  “The religious side. To have any long-term relationship, business or personal, we want to see how well our families mesh. Like it or not, who we choose as friends makes a statement about us.”

  Chapter 30 – Handshakes and Promises

  The day of the ceremony, Max met Vrilkesh at the spaceport arrivals lounge. The Saurian gave him an appraising look. “A tuxedo becomes you.”

  “The long sleeves hide my scars. I’m stuck with it because I already checked all my other gear through security for the flight out tonight,” Max replied. “That’s quite a fancy jacket you have there.” French royalty would have been at home in it.

  “Silk-lined vicuna.” Vrilkesh preened. “My children will carry this proud day as their last memory of me. I thank you for allowing me to share the stage as your second.”

  “You kept your word and freed my friends when I could not. I am honored by your presence.”

  Reuben sprinted to greet Max. “Bro, how’re you feeling? When Krannek returned ‘Zrulkesh’s’ computer pad, he told us you have several new scars.”

  “As of today I’m completely off the painkillers,” Max said. The audible quotes around the false Zrulkesh’s name would draw suspicion if he didn’t nip it in the bud now. Addressing the Saurian, he asked, “What do we call you from now on?”