The Last Spartan 1: Different Paths

by A. E. McCullough

  With a signal from his friend, the SWAT escort halted fifty feet from the Nemesis and took up a watchful but defensive stance. Iaido realized they were trying to scan him to get an idea what they were facing. Of course, he knew they weren’t receiving any type of reading about him or his armor. His ARC Suit --Assault-Recon-Combat-- was far more advanced than theirs. Being ex-military issue it had no discernible pattern or reflective surfaces. It was made from the finest alloys available and was protection against most ballistic weapons and all forms of non-lethal technology. Powered by a small anti-matter generator, it had an array of electronic marvels; HUD, scanners, jammers, comms and an onboard weapon system. It truly was a self-contained assault weapon in itself.

  Lt. Kristopher stepped forward. “Iaido you old warhorse!”

  Activating the external speakers, Iaido’s voice was slightly hollow when he replied. “Hello KC.”

  Lt. Palummo asked over the local SWAT tac-net. “KC? Where did you get that nickname?”

  Kristopher answered over their local channel. “In the military, everything is last name first, first name last. So I was known more often as Kristopher - Charles or KC.” Turning his attention back to his friend Kristopher asked, “Don’t you ever take that damn armor off?”

  “Typically…but not when I’m transporting cargo.”

  Lt. Palummo’s voice once again asked over their local channel. “Cargo?”

  It was Sgt. Hamilton who answered. “Bounty Hunters commonly refer to their prisoners as ‘marks’ before capture and ‘cargo’ afterwards. I supposed it helps dehumanize the targets in their minds.”

  “How do you know that Hammy?”

  “College classes in Criminal Justice Psychology. You would be amazed at some of the facts I have rolling around in my head.”

  “Ssshhh,” came a voice tagged with Lt. Kristopher’s identifier.

  Iaido took a moment to study his old friend as he talked in the private SWAT channel.

  KC still looked to be in good shape. His ebony skin betrayed his Caribbean ancestry while his short dark hair and mustache were beginning to show a bit of gray at the temples.

  After a moment, Iaido gestured toward the escorts. “Who are the grunts?”

  Glancing back, Kristopher shrugged his shoulders. “Guard dogs. Your bounty has ruffled a few feathers around here. We’ve had calls from just about everyone he ever swindled. Any problems getting here?”

  “Just the JDL. They tried to bounty jump me as I exited hyperspace.”

  “We were afraid of that. They have become more aggressive over the last few months. I’ll have to contact the Galactic Marshals about them…again.” Kristopher shook his head to clear it. “But that is my concern; not yours. So, where is this scumbag?”

  Iaido moved to the stern of his ship and pointed at a hatch. “Right here.”

  “In the cargo compartment? Why would you stick him in there?”

  As Iaido punched in the code to unlock the compartment and the hatch slid back to reveal a well-muscled man who was bound, feet, hands, knees and arms. A helmet covered his head and he was securely strapped to the deck.

  “He stinks.”

  Kristopher got a whiff of the unmistakable odor of feces and the smell nearly overwhelmed him. “Gods above! That’s horrendous. Where did you find him?”

  “Haven. He was playing pool in a bar. When I identified myself he made a break for it and jumped into a sewer to escape capture. It didn’t work.”

  Pulling off the prisoner’s helmet, Iaido tossed it back into the cargo hold.

  Free of the helmet, Jagger Jax snarled at Iaido. When he spoke, it was in a raspy voice. “You stupid son of a bitch! You ruined my jacket! You’ll pay for that.”

  “No I won’t.” Iaido slammed the cargo hatch shut. There was a loud clunk as the hatch connected with the criminal’s head. The bounty hunter turned his attention back to his friend. “Now…about my payment?”

  Lt. Kristopher gestured the SWAT grunts forward but Iaido moved slightly and blocked their access to the hatch. The SWAT officers stopped in their tracks and eyed the bounty hunter suspiciously. Without saying a word, Iaido had become more deadly and they recognized that fact.

  When Iaido spoke his voice seemed colder, more distant. “Business first. If you want Jagger Jax, then you must pay the bounty.”

  Lt. Kristopher cleared his throat to ease the tension he felt building between his friend and the SWAT officers. Pulling out a cred-stix he said, “Relax. I have your hundred thousand credits here.”

  “Negative, the price is two-hundred thousand. The base bounty was one-hundred but there is a bonus of fifty thousand if he was returned before the fifteenth and another fifty if he was still able to talk. I have met both conditions.”

  “Damn Iaido, you are good.”

  Lt. Kristopher laughed before pulling out a second cred-stix. “Here you go. Two-hundred grand as promised. A bargain in my book. This scumbag has been on the run for too many years.”

  Pocketing the cred-stix, Iaido stepped back to allow access to the hatch.

  As the SWAT officers began to cart him off, Kristopher moved to follow but turned back. “I have reports to write but we need to get together for a beer real soon.”

  “Only if you’re buying. You still owe me from that time on Andromeda Station.” Iaido tossed his friend a memory crystal. “Here’s all the data from the capture; warrants, vid-feed, transfer paperwork, the usual stuff.”

  “Thanks. I’ll call you later. We need to catch up. Lysette has been hammering me to have you over for dinner.”

  Iaido nodded. “Give your wife a hug from me.”

  Lt. Kristopher grinned. “Will do. Stay safe my friend.”

  Iaido stayed on alert and watched as his friend followed the SWAT team and their prisoner out of the hangar before turning the opposite way to head home.

  Chapter 5

  When Iaido finally stepped through the door into his office, he pulled off his sunglasses and felt a sense of peace flow over him. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath letting the hint of jasmine and mint fill his senses. He could also smell Diana’s perfume, a mix of vanilla and some flowery scent he couldn’t describe.

  After the shuttle ride down from orbit and the crowded tram, where it seemed like every one of New Atlanta’s sixty-seven million inhabitants were always in a rush and in Iaido’s path. He knew it was an exaggeration but after spending the last month in space, the pedestrian traffic of New Atlanta was a bit overwhelming.

  As the door closed behind him, the noise of the modern world was left behind. Only the gentle melody of water falling on rocks reached his ears. Only here, in his sanctuary was it truly quiet. Many believed space to be quiet and it probably would be if you didn’t want to live. The machinery designed to keep a person alive always makes noise, from the constant humming of the generators to the whirring of the environmental systems.

  Opening his eyes, Iaido wasn’t surprised to see Diana standing still behind the desk watching him; she knew not to interrupt him while he worked at finding his center.

  Iaido let his eyes play over the room. It was an octagon shape and very simple in décor. Directly across from the entrance was a synthetic oak desk with a computer and vid-phone on it with his beautiful assistant Diana standing behind it. On the wall behind her was a flat-screen monitor broken up into two sections; showing the news and the stock market. Flanking her on each side were large fish tanks built into the wall; the one to his left contained fresh water fish, the other salt water. Just in front of the fish tanks were matching pedestals of synthetic oak with synth-leather bound books open on it. Without looking Iaido knew the left one to be Sun Tzu’s Art of War opened to the fifth chapter and the right to be Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of Five Ring opened to the fire scroll.

  Bringing his gaze back to Diana, Iaido let his eyes roam up and down her body. Barely five foot tall, she was well proportioned for her size with a small waist, well defined hips, firm buttocks and perky br
easts that weren’t overly large for her frame but far from flat-chested. Her short mousey blonde hair was messed up with that sexy windblown look while her button nose and crooked smile turned heads and broke hearts. She was wearing a matching white knit skirt and halter top that accented her figure nicely.

  Iaido smiled. “Hey Doll.”

  “Hey yourself.” Gliding around the desk, she twirled in mid-stride and struck a pose like a runway model before asking, “You like?”

  “Yes, very much.”

  Diana stepped in and raised herself up to her tiptoes to gently kiss him. “Welcome home lover.”

  Enjoying the softness of her lips for a moment, Iaido finally broke the kiss and headed into the depths of his sanctuary.

  As Diana fell in beside him she asked, “Any trouble?”

  “Nothing I couldn’t handle. Pax is doing a run down on the Nemesis. Make sure Jay’s techs give her a good once over.”

  “Sure thing boss.”

  Iaido stepped in his armory and scanned the shelves out of habit taking into account everything available. The shelves were full of the gadgets and gizmos of his trade ranging from caltrops to razor nets to smoke grenades. The opposite wall was full of pegs with weapons of every kind on them: blasters, rifles, pistols, bows, knives and swords. Having left his ARC armor on the Nemesis, Iaido had opted for a more covert look; black trench coat over black synth-leather pants with built-in trauma plates and a grey shirt over his flak jacket.

  He pulled out the cred-stixs and handed them to Diana. “You were right. They only wanted to pay the base bounty.”

  “I told you. They never like to pay the proper amount. My guess is that many hunters are reluctant to demand the bonuses.”

  Iaido removed the scabbard which held his energy blade and placed it reverently on its own rack. Even after years of using this particular weapon, he paused to ponder the simple beauty of the deadly weapon.

  It was an almost exact replica of a traditional katana but there were several differences. The weaponsmith had used a rare metal known as orichalcum which could only be mined from asteroids. The scientist who discovered the rare ore had named it after the mythical metal from ancient earth due to its coppery-goldish hue. Using a blend of modern science and ancient techniques, they folded the metal over one thousand times during the forging process. This act, in conjunction with the extremely high tensile strength of the metal, made the sword nearly unbreakable.

  Then, the engineers got ahold of the weapon. Adding a mini anti-matter generator in the hilt, the sword actually vibrated at over five hundred mega-hertz which allowed the weapon to slice through just about any man-made object. Secondly, this caused the lighting effect which ran up and down his blade. Since the current carried nearly two hundred amperes of electricity, the arcs and sparks could also kill an average human.

  It truly was a marvelous weapon and he was thankful to have it. The Sgt. Major had somehow acquired it and held onto it while he was incarcerated.

  Realizing that he had been standing there staring at his sword for a short time, he quickly downloaded the rest of his weapons and body armor. Within moments, Iaido was stripped down to his briefs as Diana’s hands gently traced the numerous scars that covered his body. Her touch was both relaxing and exciting, turning to face her, Iaido ran his hands across her body and pulled her close.

  “It’s good to be home.”

  As she leaned up to kiss him, a chime sounded in the front room which signaled that someone had entered the staircase which led to his office. Pulling herself away, Diana moved to the doorway.

  “Get a shower, you’re all sweaty. I’ll get rid of our guest and then give you a real welcome home.”

  Her crooked smile and sashaying hips promised him a warm homecoming.

  * * * * *

  Greatly refreshed from the shower, Iaido pulled on some sweat pants and a t-shirt before moving into his study. It was a relaxing place with a faux fireplace to warm the air, soft lighting and comfortable chairs. The walls were lined with synthetic wood shelves filled with books from all over the known galaxy. Most were military text books. The rest were histories. Many were old, some near ancient, dating from the years before the meteor. Iaido had read every book in this room, no matter the language they were written in or the subject they covered.

  A large fish tank filled one wall which allowed Iaido to see into his lobby where two men dressed in dark suits with short haircuts and dark glasses waited.

  Iaido took a moment to study the agents. Both stood close to six feet in height, one’s hair was dark with highlights of grey while the other was blonde and baby-faced. The senior of the two agents moved around the room slowly pausing briefly to study the two ancient texts. He seemed to be in his mid to late thirties and in good shape given that he had broad shoulders and a lean waist. A slightly crooked nose and a scar over his right eye told the bounty hunter that this agent had seen action, either in the war or in the streets.

  The blonde baby-faced agent was completely different. His rigid posture and well-groomed nails showed that he was used to a more affluent lifestyle. Iaido guessed that this agent was being groomed by his parents for some political position. He seemed unsure of what to do, so he just sat down and gawked at Diana. Even sitting down the young agent looked out of place as if he didn’t have permission to relax.

  For her part, Diana was purposely ignoring them while typing loudly onto her keypad which in itself was odd since the keyboard was completely virtual and she could fully integrate into the system. Diana had purposely turned on the clacking sounds of an ancient keyboard to annoy the two waiting men.

  Iaido stepped silently into the room. “To what do I owe a visit from the Feds?”

  The blonde agent bolted upright while the dark haired agent just turned slowly to face Iaido before moving forward as if to shake hands and to begin his introductions.

  Iaido held up his hands in a stopping motion. “I know you are agents Proctor and Gamble or Siegfried and Roy, it doesn’t matter. I only want to know two things. What brought you to my door and how to get you to leave again?”

  The senior agent didn’t seem fazed by Iaido’s rudeness. Pulling out his badge and credentials that proclaimed his status with the FSA, the Federal Security Agency, he calmly introduced himself.

  “Actually Mr. Spartan, I am Special Agent Johnson and this is my partner Agent Smith. We would like to ask you a few questions concerning a retired UNCF Sergeant Major John Spenton.”

  Iaido quietly stood his ground, eyes never leaving the older agent’s eyes yet he uttered not a word.

  Unfazed Special Agent Johnson continued with his questions. “Do you know a retired UNCF Sgt. Major Spenton?”

  Iaido nodded. “Yes.”

  The blonde agent moved closer taking up a slight flanking position on Iaido which placed him strategically between him and the exit.

  Special Agent Johnson asked, “Could you tell us more about your relationship with Sgt. Major Spenton?”

  “Yes.”

  “And?” prompted the younger agent.

  “Did you have a question Agent Smith?”

  The young agent jabbed his finger at Iaido’s face. “Listen here punk! No over-glorified slave trader is going to give us the run around! Now, answer the damn question!”

  Iaido slowly raised a finger. “That’s strike one, junior. Don’t let the fact of you being a Federal Agent give you a false sense of security.”

  “Are you threatening me?” Agent Smith yelled. His face flush was with anger and hands clenched.

  Special Agent Johnson stepped in front of his young protégé before the situation spun out of control. “Mr. Spartan, I apologize for my partner’s lack of manners but it has been a long day and we are following up a lead. It seems that Sgt. Major Spenton called your office yesterday evening then shortly afterwards placed a call to your vessel the Nemesis which was in hyperspace at the time. We would like to know more about those calls.”

  Iaido turned his
gaze back to the senior agent. “The Sergeant Major is an old friend. Since when has it become the prerogative of the government to investigate calls between friends?”

  “There could be several reasons we would investigate calls; a crime might be in the process of being committed or planned.”

  “Ah, I see. But you and I both know that the government can and does screen all calls for just such a reason.”

  Special Agent Johnson nodded. “True, but these particular calls made by Sgt. Major Spenton were shielded and encrypted.”

  “Old habits die hard I guess. You still haven’t told me why you want to know about those calls.”

  Special Agent Johnson shook his head. “I’m sorry but I cannot comment on an ongoing investigation.”

  “Then gentlemen, we are through here.” Iaido gestured to the door. He could tell that Diana was already hacking into the Federal database by the silence of her typing.

  Agent Smith added, “You know we can come back with a warrant for the records of those calls?”

  “Go right ahead. I’ll have my lawyer meet you at the courthouse.”

  Staring into Iaido’s grey eyes, Special Agent Johnson spread his hands in a helpless gesture. “Mr. Spartan, be reasonable.”

  “I am being reasonable. From my perspective, you want the contents of a private conversation that could be full of personal information without telling me anything.” Shaking his head, Iaido said, “Nope. It’s not going to happen. Unless you want to come clean, you and junior there can just leave.”

  Special Agent Johnson nodded. “All right. You will find out soon enough. Sgt. Major Spenton died last night.”

  “You mean he was murdered last night.”

  Agent Smith asked, “How would you know that unless you had something to do with it? It could’ve been an accident or suicide?”

  Iaido fixed the younger agent with a stare. “Listen here junior, if it was an accident or suicide it wouldn’t involve the Feds and there would be no reason for your visit and these questions.” He turned his attention back to the senior agent and asked, “What does this have to do with me?”