by TR Cameron
He asked, “What do you think of the new guy?”
The pilot shrugged. “Meh. Military people are always annoying. Now stop talking, I’m trying to work.”
She pushed the throttle, and the ship roared forward, headed for the stars.
By the time they’d reached the jump point, the data package containing the details of their mission had arrived. The jump itself went off without issue, and Jax reviewed their orders on his wrist comm as he walked toward the galley where the rest had gathered, Cia pushing him in the back as he slowed while reading. “Move it. Stop being reticent.”
He let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Do you ever quit?”
She slipped past him with a grin lighting up her face. “Nope. Never. Better learn to deal with it.
He took the stairs one at a time, which was doubtless unimpressive to the rest of the team gathered around the dining table since she’d vaulted all of them in a single leap. He shook his head. “Enthusiasm abounds. That’s because she hasn’t seen our mission yet.”
Verrand nodded. “Lay it on us, Reese.”
“I don’t wish to alarm you, but the success of this operation seems to rest on Cia’s shoulders.”
The pilot straightened in surprise from where she’d been whispering in Kimmel’s ear. “Say what now?
Jax nodded. “Yep. Apparently, you are the key to us getting access to what we need. You know someone by the name of Muip Vardebron ?”
She scowled. “That guy is a total dirtbag. My family quit working with him years ago.”
Marshall asked, “Your family?”
Cia rolled her eyes. “Rearden. Based on Mars. Trading house, a pretty big one.”
He nodded. “I’ve heard of it. I think my company has employed them on occasion.”
The standard shrug she used when discussing her family appeared. “Most companies have, really. We have our claws into everything.”
Jax said, “So, is he going to be happy to see you?”
“Uh, no. Not likely. We’ll need to find someone to act as a go-between.”
Sirenno, who’d been sitting quietly with his arms crossed during the discussion, said, “And will your family’s contacts be able to help with that?”
Cia sighed. “Maybe. But my knowledge of them is out of date. So I’m going to have to make the ultimate sacrifice.”
Kimmel twisted to look up at her with a smile. “I’m sure that talking to your family isn’t that horrendous.”
The pilot shook her head. “You haven’t met my family.”
Cia departed to send some messages, and Jax tapped Marshall on the shoulder. “I’d like to show you something.” The man rose obediently and followed him back into the exercise area at the rear of the recreation section.
Marshall emitted a low whistle. “This ship really makes the best of what its small size allows.” A note of condescension was present in the statement, which was part of why Jax had decided he needed some one-on-one training. Or, as a former instructor had referred to it, “A verbal smack upside the head to hit the reset button buried deep within the dense mulch that lives where the brain ought to be.”
“The Grace is a marvel. I’ve never been on anything other than a naval vessel that can outshine her, and some of those would find it a close competition.” He shook his head and handed over one of the collapsible batons he’d grabbed from the rack of training weapons as they’d entered. The other man flicked it out with a casual twist of his wrist. “Let’s do some basic strikes and blocks while we talk. Take it through the numbers. Quarter speed, no damaging one another, please.”
Marshall nodded and stretched his arms across his chest, then swept them wide to limber his muscles. Jax did the same with his baton. Each attack vector was assigned a number for practice purposes, and the other man would have learned them in basic just as Jax had. The cycle began with inward strikes at the head from each side, then the torso, then the legs, followed by an upward strike at the groin and a downward one at the skull. They slowly worked through the sequence, learning one another’s movements, then naturally increased the tempo on the second round.
Jax asked, “How do you think you fit in so far?” He angled a block to throw the other man off pace, but his partner quickly recovered.
“Well enough. I think my prior military experience makes it pretty easy to slide into a team operation, you know?”
Jax blocked high, then took the offensive for the next sequence, arcing his left stick in at about a third speed toward Marshall’s head. The man deflected it cleanly. “About that. You have to remember that these folks don’t have the same fundamental experience we do. They won’t necessarily react to things the way you anticipate.”
Marshall frowned. “Are you saying they’re not up to the task?”
He suppressed a sigh. “Not at all. I’m saying that they can reach the same destination, but the path they take to get there could be a little different than the one you or I might see most clearly. I’ve found that I have to adapt more than expected, but that their ideas are often as good as or better than mine.”
The other man took over the role of attacker, and the speed increased again. Their heavy plastic batons cracked as they intersected, the beat pushing them both to increase their velocity. His breath was coming a little faster with the exertion, and as he spoke, it was clear that his opponent’s was, as well. “I’m sure they’ll be great to work with. Don’t worry. I can find a way to be part of any situation.”
Not quite the introspective acknowledgment I was looking for, to be honest. The vibration of his wrist comm forestalled his reply. He stepped back out of range and lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Cia wants me up front. We’ll have to finish this another time.”
Marshall grinned. “Maybe we can take it to full speed.”
Jax nodded. “Maybe.” He returned his batons to the rack and headed for the pilot compartment, thinking that his new team member might wind up being as much a problem as an asset. He laughed inwardly. And it’s fair to say that maybe, just maybe, the same has been said about me in the past.
Chapter Fifteen
The capital of planet Nacopra wasn’t nearly as grand as the last city his team had visited. That one had been solidly under Confederacy control, in a system they’d held for decades. This one was on the fringes of Confederacy territory, on the boundary of that occupied by the Alien Coalition, and had changed hands a few times in the previous decade. The UCCA hadn’t made a play for it, figuring they’d leave the precarious system alone and let the others argue about it.
The Grace plunged through the clouds into the lower atmosphere, and Cia cursed as a bolt of lightning cracked near the ship. “Damn it to hell.” She swerved but was careful to keep them in the yellow rectangular tunnel overlaid on the exterior view. His navigation controls presented the same information, but as a wireframe diagram, for reasons he didn’t really understand.
They were buffeted by gusts of air and torrential sheets of falling water as they made their way to the spaceport. The pilot muttered, “Place like this, you’d think they’d have indoor landing spots.”
Jax laughed. “Umbrellas are a thing, you know.”
She gestured at the display. “In this wind? Probably even a portable shield wouldn’t hold up against that nonsense.” A shake of her head sent her short hair swiveling. “No, we’re going to get wet. The best we can hope for is that the Grace is assigned a berth near the walkway.”
Naturally, the ship wound up parked about as far from the walkway as it could be. However, the large vehicle that pulled up beside the ship once her engines were shut down alleviated all concerns. Cia put the systems into standby, ready to be activated remotely at need, and gathered them all in the galley. “Okay, I’ve arranged for an invitation. Our host has sent a bus to pick us up, looks like a luxury model. Probably trying to look good in the hopes I’ll say something positive about them to my family.”
Ethan Kimmel interrupted, “I take it that this
person doesn’t know that you all don’t get along?”
“No, we keep that information close. If asked, my parents and siblings simply claim I’m out ‘experiencing life’ before joining the business formally. It’s far from unheard of in their circles. And I don’t contradict that story, except among those I like. Well, and Jax, since I’m stuck with him.”
The fact that only a couple low chuckles sounded in response was a good gauge of his team’s nervousness. He said, “So, if I hear you right, what you’re saying is that we can’t trust the contact you’ve, uh, contacted, or the person they’re taking us to meet.”
She nodded. “Your hearing seems perfect. Exactly so. We should assume that the bus is wired for audio and video, at least, and probably a full-body scan isn’t out of the question. Also, I wouldn’t recommend partaking of anything that might be inside.”
Sirenno frowned. “Like what?”
Cia’s shoulders lifted and fell in a shrug. “In the past, I’ve been greeted with alcohol, drugs both legal and not, and men, women, and pleasure robots for the taking.”
Marshall made a shocked noise. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. Where there’s money in hand and money to be made, there’s no limit to what people will do. Again, not my family, and not my people, but morals are extremely flexible with this crowd. The same warnings apply when we see Vardebron.”
Umbrellas were sufficient to protect them as they relocated to the bus, and sure enough, refreshments awaited them. Fortunately, the vehicle was empty except presumably for a driver in the closed cab and Cia’s contact waiting in the back. He didn’t rise at their appearance, simply nodded and gestured toward the seats on either side. When she arrived, however, he stood and in a display of obsequiousness more impressive than Jax had ever seen, welcomed her to the planet and thanked her for contacting him. He was thin and jittery, his limbs seeming to shake even in those moments when not deliberately in motion. His nose was sharp and a little too small for his face, offsetting his eyes, which were a bit too big. His hair was wispy and turning to grey. For all of that, his clothes were elegant and his manners flawless. Strange combination. And Cia’s warning wasn’t necessary—I would never trust this guy.
Her shift into what he’d come to think of as “trader mode” was seamless. Although she hadn’t dressed to impress, came with her hand out for help, and was maybe a third of his age, she clearly held the position of senior partner in their relationship. She deflected his flattery without fully acknowledging it and took a seat a few away from him, denying him the status that a closer choice would potentially have conveyed. Once the initial greetings were done, she asked, “So what can we expect?”
The man’s hands were gripped tightly together, but that was his only sign of nervousness or displeasure. He sounded like he might have been discussing a fine evening at the theater when he replied, “Oh, the usual. Lots of guards, lots of guns, lots of effort to make visitors feel threatened. He hardly ever goes through with it, though. And certainly, he’d be a fool to try such a thing with someone like you, Master Rearden.”
She returned a dismissive wave. “Which is not the same as saying he would never threaten me. Intentional?”
His eyes crinkled a little, signaling concern. “I wouldn’t wish to speak badly of another, but there has been some question of late as to the, shall we say, mental acuity of our friend Vardebron. His actions have tended toward the impulsive.”
Cia nodded, her face neutral. “Examples? Explanations?”
He shrugged. “Capriciousness, Master Rearden, in matters personal and business both. It would be inappropriate for me to say more than that.” More like, you’re afraid of losing your value as a go-between if she decides to give this up as a bad idea, which is more and more what it appears to be. “People I trust have ventured that perhaps he has found himself in some sort of straits that are distracting him from focusing on issues of import.”
That drew a frown from his pilot. “It would need to be something significant to draw that one away from operating his business.”
“Exactly what I’ve said, Master Rearden. But I have not been able to ascertain what it might be, despite considerable investment in attempting to do so on your behalf.” Jax highly doubted the man had done much of anything on anyone’s “behalf” but his own for some time, but it was a nice play. Cia’s hint of a smile suggested she’d noticed the wordplay and felt the same.
“All right. Anything else we should know before we brace the dragon in his den?”
Her contact held up a data chip. “Only this, which is the latest information I was able to procure on the layout of the interior, the nature of the security systems, and the current complement of guards.”
She bestowed a genuine smile on him. “Oh, very well done, Uzur. Thank you for anticipating my needs so expertly.” He beamed under her praise as she accepted the chip and handed it off to Kimmel, who carried a small palm computer with no wireless connectivity specifically for moments like this. He slotted the item into it to test it for viruses, malware, or other hidden surprises. A moment later he nodded, withdrew it, and inserted it into his wrist comm, which then sent it to all of theirs.
Cia shifted a couple of seats closer, tapping Marshall to get him to move and receiving a small scowl in return. Then, she put her hand on Uzur’s arm. “So, tell me what your company is up to these days.”
The darkened windows of their ride kept them from seeing the city areas they passed through, although Jax watched their progress on his wrist comm’s map. Need to get some autonomous drones for these situations. Maybe make them standard equipment on the Grace. He filed it away as a suggestion for afterward, since wishing for things he didn’t have was not a productive way to spend pre-mission time.
When the vehicle stopped and he hopped out of it, he was greeted by the sight of a lavish and decidedly gaudy domicile. The mansion stretched for a distance to the right and left, and had two separate ornate front entrances, each with a circular lane so cars could drop guests off under the canopies that extended to more than ten feet away from the house. The doors before them were two stories high and the same white mixed with grey color as the polished stone that was the house’s primary construction material. Gold filigree rendered symbols he didn’t recognize on them. Probably a family crest or some such thing. They opened as Cia stepped from the bus. Clearly, she has a status that the rest of us lack in the eyes of the person we’re meeting.
She swept forward and stopped in front of a man in a tuxedo. “Cia Rearden and company. Please convey our thanks to Mister Vardebron for receiving us.”
Jax had originally thought the man might be their host. He downgraded him to butler after Cia’s comment. The servant was tall, stately, somewhere between thin and muscular. The way his black coat moved over his starched white shirt suggested the presence of a pistol underneath his arm. That hadn’t been part of the briefing they’d received, although it was certainly in keeping with the owner’s overwhelming concern with the security of his home. He’d installed systems and backup systems, plus at least half again as many personnel as Jax would have detailed to protect the place. Cia’s discomfort with him was coming into focus since only someone who didn’t always stay on the legitimate side of the business line would need such a substantial number of guardians.
He led them to a spacious den with entry doors almost as large as the ones they’d already passed through. Inside was a portly man, probably in his fifties to judge from the thinning hair and skin that was starting to wrinkle. He sat on an uncomfortable-looking couch with thin cushions and metal arms and legs. Arrayed around him were equally unappealing chairs, to which the butler directed them. Cia took the one nearest their host. Her neutral expression, so different than those he was used to seeing on her face, told him she didn’t see the man as an ally by any means.
She cleared her throat. “Thank you for meeting with us, Mister Vardebron. I respect you too much to waste your time, so I’ll get right to the
point. We’ve been sent to acquire a certain item that I believe you have the connections to secure. Money is an object, of course, as it always is, but not an insurmountable one as long as the terms are reasonable.”
He nodded. “Do go on, Master Rearden.” The way he said it raised the hairs on the back of Jax’s neck. He was insulted on Cia’s behalf and braced himself for her to respond in kind.
Instead, she shrugged and replied passively, “It’s all right here.” She held up a data chip, and the butler inserted it into a tablet that he extended for his employer to view.
The man rubbed the short beard on his chin and made soft noises as he took in the data. Finally, he said, “What you ask for is possible, but I’m afraid it’s going to take more than money to accomplish it.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s another business deal I’m working on completing that requires something of a show of force. I notice you’ve brought a group that would serve that purpose adequately with you. So, for the payment of handling my needs on this other transaction, I will secure the item you desire and sell it to you at cost, plus ten percent.”
If it had been him in the seat next to the man, he would have been bristling with outrage and trying to control his voice. Cia maintained an air of perfect calm as she replied, “We accept. Shall we get to the details?”
Chapter Sixteen
“The details are annoying, is what they are,” Cia groused as she lifted the Grace from its pad and aimed it for the skies above. “The extra ten percent was a deliberate insult. Later, when I have time to think it through and do it right, he’s going to pay for that.”
Jax laughed. “You have more of a killer instinct than you let on.”
“I haven’t left the expectations behind just because I’m not currently part of the family business. You don’t do something like that to a partner.”
