Palatius started to crawl toward the side, and she shot him in the leg. He yowled, trying to crawl faster but dragging his injured leg behind him. Seequa ran two steps, reared back, and swung her weapon aiming at the fibrous skin that covered his head. She hit him with everything left of her strength and delivered an injury from which he would not recover.
Seeing the damage, Seequa Holmes stumbled to her knees and puked over the edge of the stage.
“We need to get back to the ship,” Tyler said urgently in the silence of the aftermath.
General Reynolds pulled the governor-general upright, and they surveyed the area. Chaos ensued from the audience, who trampled each other trying to get away from the cacophony of battle. Ankh appeared from where he’d hidden inside the heavy cabinet of the lectern.
Floyd cried into everyone’s minds.
The General looked at Lindy, who pointed at Red. Reynolds hurried to him and checked for a pulse, and immediately lifted the big man into his arms. The concern on his face drove Lindy to climb to her feet despite the blood streaming from a dozen wounds on her body.
Rivka jumped onto the stage to assess the damage, but the blood flowing down her head ran into her eye. She rubbed it away, unconcerned with her own health. Half her crew was being carried by the other half.
A massive fireball appeared in the sky.
“Back to the ship!” Rivka ordered.
“Wait!” the General ordered. “These two need a Pod-doc, and they need it right goddamn now.”
“We can Gate out from within the atmosphere,” Rivka declared.
“We can’t,” Ankh clarified.
“Any Pod-docs on Corran?” she asked the governor-general.
“No. That’s forbidden technology for non-members,” he explained, but she had stopped listening after the word ‘no.’ The Magistrate pulled Lindy close so she could lean on her as they headed for the stairs.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The fireball coalesced into a great hulking warship streaking toward them far too quickly. It came to an abrupt stop and settled toward the chairs and tents of the audience area. The remainder of the crowd dashed out of its way. The War Axe landed, crushing whatever was beneath it.
The forcefield protecting the hangar bay shimmered and then went out as people dressed in combat uniforms appeared, jumped to the ground and started forming a defensive perimeter.
The dentist ran past Rivka with Jay in his arms and the wombat on his heels. The General caught up to him despite carrying the huge bodyguard. Rivka and Lindy did the three-legged shuffle, falling behind with each step. Ankh was running and yelling that he needed to be there. Seequa Holmes and the governor-general ran up, each grabbing an arm to carry the Crenellian to the destroyer.
Terry and Char ran down the short ramp to intercept the group and guide them to sickbay. Terry took Ankh in hand and yelled that he’d meet them upstairs. While the others went for the elevator, TH accelerated to a speed that strained even his abilities. He hit the doorway off the hangar bay and vaulted nearly a flight of steps in a single leap. He bounced off the bulkhead before turning and repeating the feat. Reaching the level where medical was located, he ran, sliding to a stop to drop Ankh off well before the others arrived.
Ankh hurried inside, chased away the technician, and brought up the holoscreens, instantly engaging with Erasmus and his considerable intellect to ensure that the Magistrate’s crew was taken care of.
Tyler arrived first with Jay, depositing her into the Pod-doc. The cover closed.
The dentist stood and looked at it. “What now?”
“We wait,” Terry told him.
“How long?” General Reynolds asked.
“Don’t know, but she was alive when she went in, so she’ll be fine when she comes out.”
“How long?” General Reynolds repeated.
Terry gritted his teeth in frustration. Ankh was deep within the holographic interface and wasn’t up for answering questions.
Red bled heavily from too many wounds. His nanocytes couldn’t keep up.
“Don’t let him die,” Lindy pleaded from the doorway.
The click of a dog’s nails on the deck plating echoed down the corridor as Dokken ran toward them. He slid into Rivka, nearly knocking her down. Floyd whined from somewhere in the ship. She hadn’t made it to Medical yet.
Relax, little girl. We’re doing all we can, TH told her.
“Let her through!” Char yelled.
Cordelia Dawn appeared in the crush of people outside the sickbay. “Put him down,” she ordered the General, who complied without hesitation.
She knelt next to Red and looked him over quickly before putting one hand on a wound in his neck and the other on his shoulder. She closed her glowing blue eyes and the same glow appeared beneath her hands, increasing in intensity with each passing second. She pressed her eyes closed, furrowing her brow with the effort.
Red’s breathing slowed, until with a single exhale, he stopped.
Lindy gasped and started to cry. The governor-general and Seequa Holmes leaned against each other as they hung their heads.
“Shhh,” Charumati said, taking the woman by the arm and smiling reassuringly.
With a heave, Red arched his back, sucked in a huge lungful of air, and opened his eyes. His breathing was initially rapid and shallow, but it started to slow and deepen. His eyes fluttered open.
Cory’s arms sagged and the blue glow faded. She sat heavily and almost fell over. Terry lifted her and held her.
“That mission sucked,” Red grumbled.
“Fine,” Rivka conceded. “We’ll call that one a mission, but the rest are cases. Don’t make me fight you on that.”
“Welcome to the War Axe, General Reynolds, Governor-General Mar.” Micky beamed at his guests.
“I appreciate the timeliness of your arrival, Skipper,” the General said, using the nickname Terry Henry had given Micky. “I always appreciate fireworks when someone joins the Federation, but usually we aren’t on the receiving end of the exploding stuff.”
“I’d like to say that my people have things under control, but there’s still a little strife at the central market. It appears that some of those being traded held a grudge against the guards. A few were torn apart, so the newly freed celebrated by getting themselves arrested for murder.”
“I hope we can talk about that before anyone goes to prison,” the General warned.
Rivka and TH entered the conference room with a few others on their heels. “There’s an awful lot of revision that needs to happen with your legal system, Ignacio. The Federation supports planets in how they govern themselves, but I have some personal issues with the way your laws are written.” Rivka had been on the wrong end of those laws, and if they remained as they were, former slaves would get arrested and become slaves once again.
That was the General’s point in avoiding quick sentencing.
“I am open to a complete rewrite. I hope that you will be able to stay and provide some oversight of the process.” The governor-general looked contrite and sincere.
“I will not be able to, but I can make a few recommendations. My class from law school was filled with sharp minds who would rise to this challenge. I’ll make some calls.”
Reynolds nodded at Rivka in appreciation of her offer.
Jay appeared, carrying Floyd. The group parted and offered her a seat. She didn’t argue. “I thought the Pod-doc was supposed to rejuvenate me, but I feel tired.”
Floyd cheered with a hearty, Wheeee!
TH scratched behind her ears. “I miss you, Floyd,” he said.
Miss you, too. You’re still mine, she replied happily.
Terry’s smile slowly faded. “Don’t tell me you pooped outside our door.”
Char shook her head.
It’s how I tell everyone how much I love them.
Terry had no comeback.
“That’s okay, little girl,” Terry conceded reluctantly.
“Where’s
that dentist?” General Reynolds asked.
Rivka moved slowly out of the General’s line of sight.
“Here, General!” Tyler called from the corridor outside.
The two men approached each other for a hearty handshake. “I appreciate what you did to help the victims and the crew.”
“My pleasure, General, but don’t ask me to go out there again. That is not my cup of go-juice.”
“I don’t blame you. Rivka runs on rocket fuel and Moonstokle pie.”
“Yes!” Terry pumped his fist. “Did you get that, Smedley? Tell me you got that. Gin up an ad to flood Keeg Station. The leader of the Etheric Federation says the Magistrate runs on rocket fuel and Moonstokle pie, available from TH’s All Guns Blazing!”
“Aren’t you taking liberties, Colonel?” Reynolds asked.
“Absolutely! Most people don’t eat that crap, but they won’t know they need it until we tell them.” TH grinned.
“I better get back,” the governor-general interrupted. “I don’t want the masses to think I’ve abandoned them. “Miss Holmes, shall we?”
“You’re going to stay on Corran?” Rivka wondered.
“The interim Ambassador,” the General replied before Seequa could. “I think if anyone can keep the focus on dismantling the slave trade, it will be her.”
“You got that right, Lance,” Seequa replied, giving the General a fist-bump.
“I better get going as well,” the General told them. He looked at Micky. “Just one thing: I need a ride to orbit.”
“Take my ship, General,” Rivka offered.
“I think your ship is on the hangar deck of the War Axe,” he replied. “I’ll take your old ride, but you can transfer your stuff first. My people won’t be here for a few hours. In the interim, if I can get a private space with a comm link, I have some work to do. Never a dull moment in the Etheric Federation.”
“You can have this space, General.” The two shook hands, and Micky shooed everyone out.
“Behold, Magistrate! Your chariot,” Terry said proudly, sweeping an arm wide to take in the entirety of the cutter.
“What the hell happened to my new ship?” Rivka asked.
“You didn’t think the Skaines were just going to give it to us, did you?”
“I think we need a better definition of ‘new,’” Red grumbled, leaning against the doorframe with Lindy hugging him tightly.
The group headed inside the ship. Rivka wore a look of shock.
“Grenades?” Red asked.
“An unfortunately large number of them,” TH admitted. “But after a fresh coat of paint, no one will know the difference.”
“I should have known!” Ankh looked up at the colonel. “The destroyer of all things.”
“Hey, little buddy!” Terry said in a friendly voice. “If your evil twins would have played nice...”
“We need a real engineer,” Chaz interrupted over the ship’s comm system.
“Oh, good. You’re on board. What’s the damage?” Rivka asked.
“Besides the affront to my dignity? There are significant issues with key systems. Additionally, the power source, Gate drive, and transmitters have not yet been installed. It’ll be a week of one-hundred-percent effort to get this thing ready to fly.”
“Great!” Rivka replied to everyone’s surprise. “I could use some downtime.”
“You want me to work in this bucket?” Lieutenant Clodagh Shortall asked, looking as shocked at Rivka had.
“Yes,” Ankh said.
“Okay, but on one condition. You have to rescue my boyfriend. Someone abandoned him in interstellar space.”
“The destroyer of all things...” Ankh mumbled.
“I’m telling you—a fresh coat of paint, maybe some pictures. You’ll grow to love it.”
“Will we ever get the smell out?” Jay asked, walking slowly through the cutters’ narrow corridors. “Where’s Hamlet?”
“On that...” Rivka started.
“You didn’t leave him on Peacekeeper, did you?” Jay demanded.
“No. He left of his own accord. Seems he stowed away. Again.” Rivka took out her datapad and tapped a few buttons. She held it up for the others to see. Hamlet was curled up in a small case of clothes.
General Reynolds’ clothes.
The End
Judge, Jury, & Executioner, Book 5
If you like this book, please leave a review. This is a new series, so the only way I can decide whether to commit more time to it is by getting feedback from you, the readers. Your opinion matters to me. Continue or not? I have only so much time to craft new stories. Help me invest that time wisely. Plus, reviews buoy my spirits and stoke the fires of creativity.
Don’t stop now! Keep turning the pages as Craig & Michael talk about their thoughts on this book and the overall project called the Age of Expansion.
Your new favorite legal eagle will return!
Author Notes - Craig Martelle
Written February 1, 2019
You are still reading! Thank you for staying on board until now. It doesn’t get much better than that.
The names! So many names in this volume. I browse the internet to come up with some, and others I name after people in my life.
Amberly is named on behalf of Amberlina Alvezios, daughter of my good friend Stephen Lee. She and her family are settling into life with their new baby Amelia. Congratulations! Amberly is the jewel of Corran.
The alien from Rawfield – that’s for Rita A. Whinfield (RAW field). Rita is a stalwart fan who is always ready with kind words about my stories. She deserves her own shout out.
I named Markmal’s chief of operations “Candi Matz,” a name provided by Chrisa Changala. I work closely with the fans who follow me on the Kurtherian Gambit Fans and Authors Facebook group. That’s where I’ll ask for names or planets or aliens, or just about anything. And Tracie Martin provided Fenek Eudoxius for the planet where they were headed. I asked for a variety of names—a man, a woman, a male, a female, a raving lunatic, and a butthole. You never know when a butthole is going to pop out of nowhere and need an appropriate designation. So there we have it.
Ch'ta'ka came from Kathleen Snowberger as an alien name in my butthole-name-question. My compliments to the great Kurtherian Gambit readers for coming up with names for me.
Curt Spa provided the names of his grandchildren—so exotic. Zaiden, Klavin, and Vaidyn. They all deserve to be in a bestselling science fiction story. Thanks, Curt, for chiming in.
I’ve quoted Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken in its entirety, which is legal. The poem is in the public domain for anyone to use. It is a beautiful example of flow and impact. It is my favorite poem, and I thought it appropriate for that moment in the story.
Peace, fellow humans.
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That’s it—break’s over, back to writing the next book. Peace, fellow humans.
Books by Craig Martelle
Craig Martelle’s other books (listed by series)
For a
complete list of books from Craig, please see www.craigmartelle.comCraig Martelle’s other books (listed by series)
Terry Henry Walton Chronicles (co-written with Michael Anderle) – a post-apocalyptic paranormal adventure
Gateway to the Universe (co-written with Justin Sloan & Michael Anderle) – this book transitions the characters from the Terry Henry Walton Chronicles to The Bad Company
The Bad Company (co-written with Michael Anderle) – a military science fiction space opera
End Times Alaska (also available in audio) – a Permuted Press publication – a post-apocalyptic survivalist adventure
The Free Trader – a Young Adult Science Fiction Action Adventure
Cygnus Space Opera – A Young Adult Space Opera (set in the Free Trader universe)
Darklanding (co-written with Scott Moon) – a Space Western
Judge, Jury, & Executioner – a space opera adventure legal thriller
Rick Banik – Spy & Terrorism Action Adventure
Become a Successful Indie Author – a non-fiction work
Metamorphosis Alpha – stories from the world’s first science fiction RPG
The Expanding Universe – science fiction anthologies
Shadow Vanguard – a Tom Dublin series
Enemy of my Enemy (co-written with Tim Marquitz) – A galactic alien military space opera
Superdreadnought (co-written with Tim Marquitz) – an AI military space opera
Metal Legion (co-written with Caleb Wachter) – a galactic military sci-fi with mechs
End Days (co-written with E.E. Isherwood) – a post-apocalyptic adventure
Mystically Engineered (co-written with Valerie Emerson) – dragons in space
Monster Case Files (co-written with Kathryn Hearst) – a young-adult cozy mystery series
Books By Michael Anderle
For a complete list of books by Michael Anderle, please visit:
Slave Trade Page 20
