Politics Equals Death: From the Athena Lee Universe (Smuggle Life Book 2)

by T S Paul

  “How so?”

  “If Eric thought I wouldn’t harm him, he wouldn’t talk. The threats needed to be real.” Steve was still covered in blood and sweat.

  “The blood,” she said slowly.

  “Mine.”

  Rea was utterly lost and confused. “Yours?”

  “Yes. Mine. I’ll tell you inside.”

  “Okay.”

  In the safehouse, Steve washed at the kitchen sink. “I cut myself to show him how crazy I was. I needed to get into his head. He had to think I was crazy. Like super insane.”

  From the way the others stared at him, it worked. Rea wasn’t sure what to make of it what he was saying. It was beyond nuts. So far past the edge of insanity that she had trouble understanding all that he did, but it must have succeeded.

  “He spilled the beans,” Steve said. “The slaves are at four different camps outside the city. They get them from the rural areas of the planet and ship them to the highest bidder.”

  None of that really surprised Rea, but they had the exact locations. That was good and meant they could set up a real plan and make a move against Todd.

  “Most of the people in the government are under his thumb. Only a few don’t want anything to do with it.”

  Steve wrote those names down on a piece of paper, and Nicole and Aldis went to work looking into them to verify what Steve had found out.

  “Okay,” Rea said. “I don’t like what you did, but you got results. Don’t scare us like that again, please!”

  The team nodded. None of them appeared to be pleased with Steve’s approach. Rea didn’t blame them. They had seen a crazy man walk in and ask for the keys. He could have been normal by then, but he had appeared to be over the edge. He had been too far gone to help, and it had been just a show.

  “I’m sorry,” Steve said. “I really am, but it was worth it.”

  Rea detested agreeing with him, but she did. “It was.”

  <<<>>>

  That evening, they followed Aldis’s direction to a meeting in the city that wasn’t far from the capitol building. Having the base of their enemy so close was a little nerve-wracking for Rea. She just couldn’t get over feeling this exposed. Doubts and worries kept creeping into her mind, and the main one was the thought that perhaps this was just a setup. She had seen too many of those in her time, both in the Navy and as a smuggler.

  Steve was also on edge, his body tense and his gaze constantly looking in every direction. Overall, the remainder of the team appeared to be relaxed. That was good at least.

  The meeting place was in the basement of one of many restaurants on the main strip. A short, pudgy man greeted Aldis. “Hello, friend.”

  Aldis nodded. “Hi, Cody. This is my Captain, Rea Dodge.” He pointed to Rea.

  “I know. We’ve seen all your photos. Rea, Steve, and Lindsey.”

  Rea smiled and nodded. The news had them all over it and not just on the monitors, but flyers and anywhere else a person could think of. One of the many worries that Rea was facing.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Rea said.

  “The pleasure is mine,” Cody said. “We have had been waiting for a chance to make a move.”

  “I hope we can help. It will be tough if this is all you have.” Rea didn’t like their odds if they could only muster a few hundred. From what Eric said, each compound had many armed men. That was too much for them to handle.

  Another person approached them. She was tall and beefy.

  Cody stepped to the side. “This is Major McGee.”

  Not many other females compared in size to Rea, but this woman did. She was bigger and wider than the Captain, and just slightly shorter.

  “Hello,” Rea said.

  “Nice to meet you,” McGee said. “I’m in charge of this group.”

  Steve reached out to shake her hand. “Then you’re the person we need to talk to.”

  The Major smiled and brushed back her deep black hair. “I am. We have been hoping to make a move against the Governor but just don’t have enough intel.”

  “That we have,” Rea said. They at least had managed that much.

  They went over all they had learned with McGee and Cody. Both were very impressed.

  McGee turned to Cody. “How did you not find any of this?”

  “It’s not like they hacked in to find it,” Cody said. “They kidnapped a man. I’m a hacker. Not a mercenary.” He turned to Steve. “No offense.”

  “None taken.”

  The rest of the crew remained silent as they talked. It wasn’t until the discussion was starting to die down that any of them spoke.

  “Is this all we have?” Lindsey asked.

  Cody nodded. “Unfortunately. Not many are willing to stand up against the Governor. Most don’t believe the rumors.”

  It wasn’t a big surprise that many wouldn’t risk their lives fighting him. Todd had his hand on the pulse of the planet. He had the most important people under his thumb, and nothing could happen without him knowing about it. If people did something, they would pay the price.

  It was clear now to the crew of the Rossi. They were feeling the push of that controlling presence and needed to get out from under it. Rea wasn’t sure what to do now. Hopefully, they would figure that out tonight.

  “I know this isn’t ideal,” Steve said, “but what if we attack one of the compounds and attempt to take the Governor?”

  Rea wasn’t sure what to think. It started a big debate among those at the meeting. It went on for several hours, but eventually, everyone agreed. It gave those who knew it was happening a chance to cover their tracks.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next morning, Steve rose early to prep for the attack on the Governor. He needed to get a few supplies. They would be assaulting the Governor at his home late tonight. The one thing the group had was that he was at his home every night and its location. That would be useful. It wasn’t the most guarded either.

  Steve walked out the safe house, but before he reached the car, Lindsey rushed out to him. “I’m going with you.”

  “If you wish,” Steve said.

  “I do,” Lindsey.

  The pair got into the car together and drove back into the city. One of their goals was to scout out the house to make sure they would be able to attack it. The plan was for the crew of the Rossi to take the Governor and the rebels to lead the fight for the slave compound.

  For the first part of the trip, they rode in silence as Steve tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Every time he glanced at Lindsey, she appeared on the verge of speaking but held her tongue. It was driving Steve crazy. If she had something to say, she should just come out and say it. This silence was annoying, and it was distracting Steve.

  The man wasn’t going to relent. If Lindsey wanted to talk, he would force her to be the one to bring it up. Clearly, she wanted to say something, and it wouldn’t be good for him. That much was certain.

  Around them, the landscape shifted from the county to the city and back to a more residential area. It was a nice part of the town, located on the opposite side as one of the slave compounds.

  Freeing the slaves at the compound would show the rest of the people here what Todd had been doing, and how he had treated people on the planet. At least that was the plan.

  “Steve,” Lindsey said. Her voice was hesitant. “We need to talk.”

  “Okay,” Steve said. He held back a groan and kept his gaze on the road. The old warrior wasn’t sure what this was going to be about. It wasn’t like he had a lot of experience with relationships. Even the concept of romance was new to him. What the Marine understood was fighting and planning missions.

  “About?”

  “You.”

  That got his attention and surprised him. Steve wasn’t sure what she would want to talk about. He had done nothing to her or anyone else. Yesterday, he had been driven, focused on the mission and getting what they needed. That was all he did, nothing too extreme.

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bsp; “Me? I don’t understand.” He continued to drive and scout out the area, doing his best to multitask. “What did I do?” Now the poor man was totally confused.

  Lindsey sighed. “What did you do? Have you forgotten about yesterday?”

  “No.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Lindsey sounded annoyed and frustrated with him.

  This was going badly for him, and he didn’t even know why. All Steve had done was follow through on his mission.

  “I’m sorry,” Steve said. He hoped that might help with whatever he did wrong.

  “You really have no idea what you did wrong yesterday.”

  “I don’t.”

  “You scared me. The team. It looked like you beat Eric to death.”

  “But I didn’t.”

  “I know, but the way you acted after, the whole thing, it was frightening. We were all scared, and then you act like nothing happened.”

  “It was nothing,” Steve said. “Just my job.”

  “We aren’t Marines. The rest of us don’t have your training.”

  She was right, they weren’t, and he had acted like they were. That had been a mistake. Steve felt like he was making too many of those.

  “I’m sorry. I really am. You’re right. You don’t, and I have to be better.”

  “Thank you.”

  The rest of the trip was easy and friendly for Steve. Lindsey didn’t grill him anymore about his behavior, and that was a relief. Right now, he needed to focus on the mission and the plan.

  Ten minutes later, they arrived in the Governor’s neighborhood.

  “This car is going to stand out,” Lindsey said.

  Again, she was right. Driving a beater in most of the city helped to blend in or at least not draw attention. But in this upscale part of town, it would be noticed.

  Steve crinkled his nose and thought for a moment. “Let’s do one drive by,” he said. “If we need a second pass, we’ll have to either walk or get another car.”

  “You mean to steal a car.”

  Steve shrugged. It wasn't beneath them. They stole plenty when they needed to. It wasn’t like what they did was strictly legal. Breaking the law was part of the job description. Adding a second grand theft auto to the list of crimes on New Philly was no big deal in Steve’s mind.

  “I do.”

  “Joy,” Lindsey said. “I do like the life we lead.”

  Steve smiled. “As do I.”

  Since he didn’t want to stand out, Steve went just over the speed limit as he drove through the neighborhood. He turned to Lindsey. “Use the tablet and discreetly take pics of the house.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  Governor Todd lived in what Steve would call a mansion. The large estate covered more land than most buildings did in the city. It had to have cost a vast sum of money, more than Steve had ever seen and more than most people would make in their lifetimes. The large fence surrounding the property stood over ten feet tall. At least it didn’t have barbwire around the top, Steve thought. Lining the top of the wall and the house were numerous security cameras. Nicole or Aldis should be able to handle those. Getting over the fence shouldn’t be too tough.

  “How many guards do you see?” Steve asked. He counted at least a dozen but wanted to know what she saw.

  “I lost track at ten,” Lindsey said.

  That was a lot of men for Steve to deal with, not that it wasn’t possible if he had surprise on his side. A good ambush was always the key to taking out men when you were outnumbered. In his experience, if he could sneak up and take out a few before they realized he was there, he would be golden. He also understood that more men would be here when Todd was actually home.

  Lindsey snapped several photos as he drove past. Those would be useful later in the planning and prep this afternoon. He wanted a chance to study the property for weaknesses.

  After leaving the neighborhood, Steve decided they wouldn’t need to go back. He had what he needed, the location and the basic layout of the outside. One of the team members should be able to hack and get the layout of the inside. As much as Steve would like to get in, that would have to suffice.

  “We need to stop and get some supplies,” Steve said.

  “Okay.”

  Over the next several hours, Steve took them around the city getting different things, like climbing supplies to scale the fence and other weapons. The weapons were items that Major McGee would help supply. In fact, the Major had given Steve a location to pick up the guns. Obtaining weapons was not hard here on New Philly, but having an inside source helped.

  Inside the illegal gun shop, Steve walked around, checking out the weapons. The man who ran it followed Steve and Lindsey. The owner refused to give his name, which really wasn’t a big deal to Steve but confused Lindsey. It left her concerned about dealing with a man whose name they did not know.

  It wasn't like the last time they dealt with people and knew their names. Steve lost track of the number of John Smiths, they did business with. Knowing the name of a source did not guarantee they were truthful. This was just a more honest approach to it, and Steve approved.

  The man was the typical underground dealer of illegal goods. His attitude said, I don’t trust you, and you shouldn’t trust me. Both the Marine and the dealer kept watchful eyes on each other.

  “McGee told me to give you whatever you wanted,” the dealer said. “To put it on her tab.”

  “Good,” Steve said.

  He needed weapons that wouldn’t kill but would take his targets down for the count. McGee and Rea both said they both wanted to limit any public outcry over the operation. It was understandable, and killing would be a last resort.

  The Rossi crew had always done its best to avoid killing people. Steve had complied with their standards since he’d joined. In some cases, he had men near death, and they most likely didn’t get saved in time, but they had been given a chance. He thought that was fair.

  Steve chose an assortment of weapons, and they left the supplier. He was glad someone else was paying because otherwise, it would have cost him a fortune. Hopefully, this was the first of many things to go their way today and on New Philly. If everything went according to plan, they would get Todd tonight. Then the group would free some slaves and tomorrow show the planet what the Governor had been doing to his people.

  In the car, Lindsey turned to Steve. “That man gave me the creeps.”

  “Most men in that business are on the creepy side.”

  Lindsey groaned. “At least we are done.”

  “For now,” Steve said. “Tonight, the real fun starts.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Rea stood outside of the safe house after a day of planning and talking. Major McGee and her people would be attacking the compound on the west side of town. They were now waiting for a large transport to arrive.

  Aldis exited the house and walked over to Rea. “Should be here any minute.”

  Steve was furious with Rea for letting someone not part of their crew learn the location of the safe house. He had gone over and over about it being a breach of protocol. It had to be done, they needed the help with transport. No matter what Steve believed. Rea told him.

  Without looking at the hacker, she said, “Good.”

  It was the pudgy man they had to meet the night before. Cody would be joining their team for this mission. It amazed Rea that they had moved this fast. While it was necessary for the Rossi crew, that wasn’t the case for the rest of the people involved. They could afford to take time and plan, yet they moved now swiftly and efficiently.

  It was a testament to how bad Todd was and the damage he had done to New Philly. No one wanted to wait, not even a day. The horrible situation broke Rea’s heart a little. She knew that many planets in the Empire were under control of inept or bad people, but that didn’t make seeing it firsthand any easier.

  A large panel van pulled into the driveway, and Cody stepped out.

  “Right on time,” Aldis said.
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  Rea, on the other hand, felt he was a few minutes late, but that was her military training. To be late was unacceptable. To be on time is to be late, and to be early is to be on time. It made perfect sense to anyone with a military background.

  “Hey, hey,” Cody said. “Ready to kick some Governor butt?”

  As if on cue, Steve and the rest of the team exited the house. All were ready to go, dressed for combat and stealth. Steve was armed to the teeth and had a look of ‘don’t mess with me or I’ll kill you for just sneezing.’

  Rea wasn’t going to get in his way, and everyone on her crew knew to not mess with him. These were the tense moments of any mission, the calm before the storm, and Steve was getting himself ready to be the storm.

  For him, it would be a crazy one, and Rea needed him at his best. It would be ideal to let him get into his battle zone. The crew knew to give him a wide berth, even Lindsey.

  Rea learned that the engineer had talked to Steve today about what he had done yesterday. Lindsey was braver than she appeared, or stupider. Since she survived, Rea was leaning toward brave. She must really care for the man and wanted to make sure he was in the right place. It had been a good plan on Steve’s part, but Rea just wished he had let her in on it.

  The crew loaded up the supplies they needed for the mission into the van and drove off. It was the do or die time.

  <<<>>>

  The trip was mostly made in silence as everyone got into the right mindset. Even for smugglers, this wasn’t a typical job. Sure, the Rossi crew had done tense things before like getting cargo on or off planets that were said to be impossible. They had even been chased across space by pirates and the Navy.

  Even kidnapping. Twice in a short relativity period of time. Now, they were doing it again, although this time it was more of a coup d'état. This wasn’t something Rea had ever thought she would be a part of. Not in a million years. Displacing a bad ruler was not a course she had taken at the academy.

  The van stopped, and the passengers became visibly tense. Rea breathed in deeply and held it while she said a silent prayer to no god in particular, but any who would listen. She wasn’t sure what the people here believed in, but it couldn’t be worse than some of the other planets. Some worshiped “pasta” or something like that. Rea tried not to listen when told about it since it hurt her head.