Bounty's Call

by Max Jager

  Jameson hesitated. "That's not going to happen."

  "Right. But what is the contingency?"

  "Keep the Crimson in high orbit. And take care of Grade."

  Mathison didn't have anything else to say. Which was good, because Jameson didn't want to think about failure. Not right now; not when Axus was so close.

  Eventually he took a service corridor leading to one of the expensive observation restaurants. Here staff filled the halls, most of whom took little notice of Jameson even in full body armor and with his faceplate on. His ID chip was broadcasting the appropriate credentials. As long as he wasn't in their way or disrupting the guests, they could care less about the scraggily looking traveler wearing a trench coat over some serious military hardware.

  The restaurant was huge; four levels of successive decks left open by a massive window that gazed down on Aquarius. The tables were spread out, the noise in the large room somehow muted. Jameson found a private booth on the first floor, letting his cybernetic eye scan across the atrium at various tables. He wasn't surprised when Axus didn't show up on his report.

  He was surprised when he spotted Jaxx.

  Trying not to give himself away, Jameson leaned casually against a galley railing to get a better look. The man was sitting one level down from him, in conversation with another man in a plain suit. Empty plates sat around their table, indicative that they had been there for some time. They were alone, no sight of armed bodyguards.

  Jameson wasn't surprised. Jaxx had military experience with Draconia. He was a soldier, too, perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He had probably armed himself to the teeth under that cheap suit. If he had managed to sneak into a Gibraltarian resort without setting off any alarms, he no doubt had managed to smuggle arms in as well.

  It was the final nail in the coffin. Jaxx had only one reason to be here: to meet with Axus. Axus must have lurked deep within Gibraltar space for some time now. Now here they were, on a vacation resort world, far from any prying eyes to meet and trade secrets.

  Jameson didn't care about the secrets. He only cared about getting his target.

  Fifteen minutes later, Jaxx took a private call. It lasted all of a few seconds. The two men nodded, paid their bill, and made to leave.

  Jameson followed.

  Christmas Tree Station had neglected some of the more stringent security measures Jameson was accustomed to at traditional Gibraltar stations. That meant he had full use of Mathison's hack into camera feeds, watching Jaxx on a small screen in his HUD. He followed Jaxx's position from a level down, keeping a safe distance. They headed up several more floors, coming towards the public docking ring.

  Now it was time for a risky move. Using his armor's software interface, Jameson hacked the station mainframe and located a private yacht registered to Jaxx. There were three registered, actually, but only one had rating for in-atmosphere use. Jameson picked that one and forged ahead of Jaxx's path. Getting aboard was easy, since there were several utility ports supplying the yacht for a short jaunt down to the planet. The ship doubled for both space and seafaring use. Since ocean terrain completely covered Aquarius, there was no other ship capable of venturing planetside.

  Jameson stowed himself aboard quietly in one of utility sections and waited. Five minutes later, Jaxx boarded.

  The luxury yacht barely made a rumble as it detached from the Station, entering Aquarius' atmosphere. Jameson's body armor filled him in with their location and movement on his HUD. He watched inside his faceplate as they ventured far out away from any of the traditional sites, several thousand kilometers over distant ocean waters.

  Axus wanted to meet somewhere very secluded.

  The yacht eventually came to a rest, activating its repulsor engines and holding position two hundred meters above the ocean surface. Jameson took the opportunity to move from his hiding place. He wanted to be ready to jump into action the moment Axus arrived.

  It took another half an hour before another yacht cruised down from the sky, hovering just off the starboard of Jaxx's ship. A bridge reached out between the two ships to form a walkway. From an access hatch over the main deck, Jameson watched as Jaxx and his buddy in the suit strode across to the other side.

  Once certain he was undetected, Jameson swung himself over the edge of the ship. Activating clingers powered by his armor, he clung to the edge of Jaxx's yacht. He climbed quickly on the underside of the walkway, monitoring Jaxx the whole way. After a brief pause on the other side, he swung up around onto the new deck, killing his armor's clingers.

  Jameson followed as closely as he could behind Jaxx's entourage. Twice the situation forced him to take back ways and side corridors. At one point, he ascended a utility shaft, activating his armor's clinger system so that he could climb up underneath a ceiling overhang. Now he was five meters above a new observation deck, tucked away near the stern of the yacht.

  Below, a solitary man in a dark uniform and long coat stood waiting, his back leaning casually against the deck railing. Sweat pooling on his face, Jameson sucked in a silent breath, feeling anxiety well up inside. After all this time, there was so much unchanged about the face far below him, standing in the light.

  This is the man that made my life hell.

  Jaxx suddenly stepped out onto the deck with his travel companion. Jameson was halfway reaching for his sidearm when Axus began to speak.

  "Jaxx! How kind of you to join me for discussions of overthrowing empires."

  Jaxx suddenly looked nervous, casting a wary eye out towards the expansive ocean. "I thought we were meeting somewhere more discrete."

  Axus threw up his arms jovially. "We're out in the middle of the ocean. The only thing out this far is whatever Nereis settlements happen to be under water. And I can assure you they'd be just as happy to have us rid them of Gibraltar once and for all."

  Jameson mentally swore, retracting his hand. As much as he wanted to put an energy round right between Axus's beady eyes, he was too curious for his own good. What was this all about? Why was Draconia reaching out to Axus now?

  Jaxx exhaled long and hard. "Mr. Axus, while my superiors are more than grateful for the events you orchestrated surrounding the Peacemaker Fleet, they are naturally skeptical. We knew we could absolve our government of any involvement with Peacemaker. But we're in dangerous waters. Why do you want to take this further?"

  Axus's expression hardened. "They're too powerful to leave alone."

  A moment of silence passed between them, and Jameson considered reaching for his sidearm again. Then Axus continued, a bit of his former cheerful attitude having crept back into his tone.

  "Let me ask you something, Jaxx. Do you think the Peacemaker Fleet was the limit of Gibraltar's aggression? I've seen a lot in the last four years. Not one, but three other shipyards are well on their way to making up for everything we accomplished. Peacemaker was just the lead project. Gibraltar has the resources it needs to build a Fleet a dozen times over in the coming years. War will come; it's inevitable."

  Jameson frowned, feeling very confused now; the blood rushing to his head wasn't helping either. How many years had Gibraltar planned and prepared for Draconia to be the inevitable ones to start a war? Yet here was Axus, trying to convince a representative of Draconia that war was coming to them.

  So who was actually starting this war?

  "You see," Axus continued, "the key is a preemptive strike that cripples Gibraltar. Not by an offensive fleet, as both sides think is the only way to beat a Mutually Assured Destruction scenario. I mean turning your cannons on them first."

  Jaxx looked very uncomfortable. "Axus, I did not come here to talk to you about strategic warfare…"

  Axus held up a calming hand. "Now hear me out, I know this is a dicey subject. Trust me; I was in Gibraltar's Intel Division for a lot of years. They don't like talking about the cannons or MAD anymore than you do. The reason war hasn't broken out is because both sides know resorting to their cannons would spell immediate destruc
tion. No one knows where all the cannons are, and worlds will be burnt to cinders before we get to that point.

  "But MAD is still beatable and Draconia can come out on top if they cripple Gibraltar's Strategic Grid first. Wipe out their WMDs, fry a couple of important worlds, and then demand unconditional surrender."

  Axus clapped his hands together triumphantly.

  Jaxx didn't say anything at first. Jameson was again tempted to reach for his sidearm. He couldn't see how Axus had any way to get that kind of information to Draconia. The location of either side's cannons was so classified that only a handful of leaders and a highly encrypted MATHISON network had any complete working knowledge of the set up. Yet Axus seemed to promise all of that to Draconia, offering a perfect solution to the MAD situation and defeat of Gibraltar.

  "Even if we could pull off a first strike," Jaxx began tentatively, "Draconia doesn't have the kind of resources to force an occupation of nearly a thousand worlds. This would be as when our ancestors ruled only one world—Earth—and one nation decided to hold the others all at once. It's a logistical nightmare. And that's assuming you can get us a way into the Gibraltar Strategic Grid."

  Axus cackled, sending a wave of unpleasant memories washing back over Jameson. That laugh still haunted some of his worst nightmares.

  "If you can convince your superiors of my offer, I will personally see to crippling the Strategic Grid," said Axus. "Those are details for later. As for occupation, that's a moot point. Your empire will have all your cannons intact and Gibraltar will be the only man standing without a gun. They can't do anything. If they so much as hint at an uprising, you can continue frying their assets left and right. Shit, destroy some important worlds to set them back a few centuries. Meanwhile, Draconia continues to expand and develop, becoming the single greatest empire in human history."

  Jameson watched the expression in Jaxx's posture change. He had gone from fearfully skeptical to hungrily curious. Axus was playing the part of the crafty salesman, making an offer that was all too tempting.

  "You make very persuasive arguments, Mr. Axus."

  Axus shrugged, smirking self-importantly to himself.

  "I will bring your offer back to my superiors and we will contact you on the usual channels with our decisions."

  "I'll be waiting."

  "In the meantime, I should get going." Jaxx glanced anxiously at the man in the suit that had accompanied him.

  "What's the rush?" said Axus. "You afraid we were followed?"

  "Not followed," Jaxx emphasized, "but I certainly don't want to get caught in Gibraltar space."

  Axus laughed again. "It makes no difference whether they catch you here, in the Expanse, or even on Draconia's front doorstep. But if you want your false sense of security, be my guest."

  Jaxx looked relieved. "Send us the signal when you're ready."

  "You won't miss it," Axus replied, his tone growing serious.

  Jaxx and his associate nodded; then left, heading back to their yacht. It was all Jameson needed to hear as he retrieved his sidearm. After Axus he needed to get back to Gibraltar; try to sort through the madness Axus seemed to have sown.

  There seemed to be just one problem; Jameson's sidearm wasn't responding.

  Grunting in frustration, more sweat dripping in his faceplate, Jameson brought the weapon up to examine it closer. The perfect shot wasn't going to last forever!

  Axus turned to gaze out over the bright blue green ocean, stretching off in all directions. He relaxed, his pose casual. Jameson waited as a software reboot surged through his sidearm, the tension killing him. Part of him wanted to kill his clingers now, drop down from above, and plunge his knife through Axus's chest. His sidearm seemed worthless suddenly and this would be so quick and easy.

  In the background, Jameson heard the other yacht fire up its repulsors to full strength. They faded as it disappeared unseen back into the sky. Jaxx was beyond helping Axus at this point. And there didn't seem to be anyone else aboard this ship. It was time—

  "Are you going to stay up there all day?"

  Jameson felt a stone drop in his stomach. Axus spun slowly on his heels, grinning as he gazed up at where Jameson hung suspended from the overhang ceiling under the yacht's upper deck.

  "Hello, Jameson," he said in a homicidally cheerful tone. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

  Something clicked for Jameson: Axus had planned for this encounter. He had known Jameson would come; had watched for him carefully even as Jameson snuck aboard the ship. But hadn't he known that Jameson would bring a gun? That he risked himself standing out in the open?

  The answer came to Jameson as he killed his clingers, dropping down to the deck below. Axus must have found some sort of tech that disabled Jameson's sidearm. Something that would force him into a direct encounter…

  Axus held up his hands, showing that he was unarmed. "Ready for another tango in the circle?" His grin grew wider. "I think I can still beat you."

  Jameson growled, moving forward to attack. He knew Axus was playing him for the fool. Goading him into a lose-lose fight. But what choice did he have? He had to disregard all his other plans now.

  Axus was ready, both side stepping the attack and grabbing hold of the arm meant to strike his chest. Using Jameson's momentum, he flipped him up into the air and flat on his back against the deck.

  Jameson quickly rolled to the side and sprung to his feet, bringing his arms and hands out in front of him in a traditional Likuji fighting stance. Axus nodded, impressed.

  "Glad to see you've been keeping up with the form since our last spar. Too bad it won't do you any good."

  Axus was quick; much quicker than Jameson remembered.

  He's been training; he's been improving all these years.

  The blows came quick and with merciless aggression. Even with his armor, the blows resonated with sharp pain across Jameson's body. Furthermore, Axus seemed to know precisely where the armor was at its thinnest, striking hard against his forearms and shins. He was too fast.

  Jameson fell flat on his back again, too winded to leap to his feet. Axus stood over him, off to the side, still cackling with amusement.

  "Some things never change I guess," he said, exhaling.

  The pain gnawed at Jameson from all sides. It hurt just to breathe. He needed to distract Axus; figure out some way to keep him occupied until he could summon enough strength to limp away. Because Jameson was certain this fight was over.

  Now it was just a matter of staying alive until the next one.

  "I've got something to show you," Axus said suddenly, a sinister grin crossing his features.

  Jameson kept his breathing even, willing strength to return to his limbs. He was glad to see Axus distracted by whatever nonsense had his attention.

  Axus loosened his uniform sleeve, rolling it back to reveal his bare arm. A stab of horror suddenly welled up inside of Jameson.

  The sleeve cinched back, Axus pressed firmly on the exposed flesh. As if on command, the hidden tattoos summoned forth to the surface, revealing Axus's butchery list of Eighth Flotilla. Anguish washed over Jameson inescapably as he watched lines slash through the names of Jester and Sal. The latest of his victims.

  Axus's scorecard as he picked Jameson's friends off.

  Axus cackled again. "Thought you might like that." He began rolling back his sleeve. "Just like good old days, choppin'-block-doc."

  Wrath and agony replaced the physical pain. Jameson leapt to his feet with lightning reflexes, having no trouble ignoring his screaming muscles. It was time to finish this. For good.

  As Jameson struck out at Axus, he readied his hands to make a three-pronged attack. It was all he had left, but it was a move he had practiced with enough tenacity that he knew it could disable Axus. And with Jameson's surprise burst of speed, there was no way—

  Axus easily sidestepped around Jameson entirely, not even taking his hands out of his long coat pockets. Jameson watched in horror as all three of his practiced jabs st
ruck thin at thin air. The final swipe sapped the last of his strength.

  As Axus slipped out of reach, Jameson felt himself tumbling forward, ramming his gut into the balcony railing. His armor took the brunt of the impact, but the reverberations sent fresh waves of pain through the hits Axus had scored previously.

  Somewhere from behind, Axus landed an air kick that sent Jameson upward and over the railing.

  "Goodbye, Jameson!" he heard Axus call out after him. "Hope to see you in Hell…!"

  The last of Axus's words faded as the yacht vanished behind him, the world tumbling over. Jameson was numbly aware of the sensation of falling. The expansive ocean below raced up to meet him.

  It was over? Axus had finally won? It left a strange, almost hollowness within Jameson. That was it? Axus wasn't going to blast him with his sidearm or finish it through some form of torture? Just kick him over the edge and leave him for dead?