Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Set Three: Books 15-21, Never Submit, Never Surrender, Forever Defend, Might Makes Right, Ahead Full, Capture Death, Life Goes On (Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Sets Book 3)

by Michael Anderle

  Tabitha smiled as the young woman walked away.

  It wasn't that Tabitha was a very messy person. It was just that she was a very busy person, and whatever she was working had her attention. Slowing down to do something like…oh, cleaning up dirty clothes, never seem to have the highest priority.

  She finished adding the extra supplies she wanted to her go-bag, and after stepping back into her closet she laid her work clothes out on the bed. She was going in her synthetic black leather outfit this time, with the extra armor Jean had supplied.

  She walked back to her closet and started pulling out different boxes labeled with symbols that she had created. They represented the different tools and tricks that she enjoyed using as a Ranger.

  She made three more trips to the closet, setting boxes on the bed after each. She looked at what she had laid out so far and considered what she still wanted from the closet, and spoke aloud. “Achronyx?”

  Her personal EI spoke from her tablet on the dresser. “Yes?"

  “Do me a favor and order a transfer cart to the suite. I've got too much stuff to move myself. And then take it down to the ship in Bay 212. I understand that bay has the ship we are using for our trip."

  Her EI quickly responded, “Request taken care of."

  Tabitha raised an eyebrow. This was the easiest Achronyx had been in the last three days.

  Normally he was a pain in the ass. If she’d had time, she would have had ADAM take a look at her EI and find out what was wrong with him. However, it was one of those cases where she either didn’t have enough time, or didn’t think about it when she did.

  He had to be the most recalcitrant EI that she had ever dealt with. If she didn't know any better, she would swear Achronyx was made up of a bunch of IBM PC Junior's all strung together.

  Tabitha exited her room and crossed the suite toward Anne's. She was going to give the teenager one more hug goodbye.

  Just to make sure the young girl was doing okay.

  QBBS Meredith Reynolds

  Giannini walked into the little kitchenette she shared with Sia. It was a nice two-bedroom, two-bath suite often referred to as a ‘roommate plan’ on Earth. The kitchen, living room, and dining room were situated between the two bedrooms.

  She had the room without the en suite bath, since she was the neater of the two women and would keep it cleaner for guests. Giannini opened the little refrigerator—which had technology for cooling she was completely in awe of—and snagged a bottle of beer.

  She looked at the little label All Guns Blazing had placed on the bottle and raised an eyebrow. It said that it had a hint of berry in it. She reached to her right and opened a drawer, grabbing a bottle opener to pop off the cap, then tossed the cap into a bag with the others. She would take all the bottle caps back to the guys when the bag was full.

  She walked into the living room, sat on the couch and grabbed a tablet to turn on the news. When she took a sip of her beer, she had to admit it did have a nice hint of berries. She turned the beer bottle around to look at the label again and reviewed the ingredients.

  It was raspberry that they had used in this recipe, or at least that was what they claimed on the label. Knowing Bobcat, William, and Marcus, it could be anything. As long as it tasted like berries to Bobcat, that was what the label said.

  She picked the tablet back up and scrolled through the different channels available, both the internal options and those from the Yollin networks which would be translated. Although she could ask the entertainment EI to choose a station, she preferred to review the information in text form and pick one herself.

  Giannini noticed that one of her favorite Yollin newscasters had a special on and asked the EI to turn on channel twenty-two. The suite's projector turned on, and a nice forty-eight-inch picture appeared on the wall opposite her.

  She took another sip of her beer as she watched the breaking news about another public riot on the television.

  R’Chkoklet, Planet Yoll

  The young female Yollin reporter turned to view the camera. “Hello, this is Pehl-eck, and I am reporting from the town of R'Chkoklet in the Upper-Caste Business Zone. There is a mob of protesters throwing stones at the building and shouting slogans at those inside. There was a violent outburst here just hours ago. Some of the upper-caste Yollins have refused to accept the edicts coming from the Etheric Empire. When a traditionally lower-caste member refused the commands of three previously upper-caste members in a small breakfast shop this morning, they grabbed him and pulled him out into the street.”

  The video showed some b-roll of the other location and people milling around as the reporter continued speaking over the clip. “It’s reported that they then kicked him repeatedly, leaving him severely injured. I understand others called in medical support, who were able to provide him care. The lower-caste member suffered multiple head wounds and cracks throughout the carapace on his chest and arms as he tried to protect himself. These upper-caste members were protesting the actions of the alien Empress Bethany Anne, who challenged and defeated our Kurtherian-infested former king mere weeks ago. The whole revolution has upended our religious and societal understandings; many at the top are contending that the video of the king was faked. They are also accusing those of us in the news of supporting the overthrow, and are critical of us giving our support to the aliens. There has been a lot of strain between the various castes as all Yollins seek new equilibrium in our relationships with each other."

  Pehl-eck ducked her head when a large explosion reverberated down the street from the building behind her. She gasped in shock when she saw the destruction wrought by those inside the building. It appeared that they used military weapons on the rioters surrounding the building, who were chanting at them for hurting the low-caste Yollin.

  There were now bodies lying in the street, and screams of pain and fright could be heard from her location some distance away.

  She put a hand up to her mouth and continued reporting, "Oh my gods! The upper-caste members have attacked the rioters around their building! This is no longer merely an angry group of people yelling insults and throwing stones at each other. This is now a war zone!"

  Pehl-eck turned back to the camera. "We all know that changes in society can be hard. However, what will be done to those who refuse the edicts coming down upon us? That is an open question I would like to ask the Empress of the humans. What are you going to do to those members of the upper castes who refuse to accept that all Yollins are equal?"

  Pehl-eck waved a hand, the gesture encompassing the building and the dead and injured people behind her. "Will there be any justice for these people, or is this something that we Yollins will have to figure out ourselves?"

  3

  Spaceport Outside Minor City, One Hour from Planetary Capital

  "I see you're not drinking that new revolutionary stuff," Ghyr-lihk asked Captain Maek-ven as he slid into the booth the Yollin occupied. The lights were low in this spaceport bar, which was the haven of captains and higher-ranked officers.

  Ghyr-lihk had fully expected to find Maek-ven here after the operation to get the spice.

  Maek-ven glanced up and gave Ghyr-lihk a small smile, and he reached out and pushed the half-empty amber liquor bottle toward him. He pointed. "You might want to drink a bit of that. Considering how the operation went, we need to toast a fallen comrade. It’s the least we can do."

  Ghyr-lihk raised an eyebrow. "Don't mind if I do, although if the rumors about him were true Ster-hel was an asshole. I'm not sure if I will be drinking to his demise or toasting the fact I don't have to deal with him again."

  Captain Maek-ven nodded in agreement. "Yep. He ignored orders one too many times, confident he had the ability to call upon the ship’s armament to save his ass. This time it didn’t happen."

  Ghyr-lihk uncapped the bottle and held it beneath his nose, nodding his appreciation at the fine aroma. He raised the bottle in salute to the captain before pouring his glass a quarter full, then reca
pped the bottle and set it back in the middle of the table with a thump. "Did you pay for the good stuff to honor the missing?"

  Maek-ven chuckled dryly in response to the question.

  "That's what I thought. So why are you paying for the good stuff, Maek-ven?"

  Captain Maek-ven looked around the bar, which was mostly empty. There were the two others: a waitress who was drying glasses behind the bar, and the barkeep, who was off to the side half-asleep. He turned back to his friend. “Every once in a while, you get sent on an operation where you see enough bad shit to appreciate living again."

  Ghyr-lihk’s mandibles clicked in confusion. “From a human? I've seen a few of them; they don't look like much. What happened to get you all messed up like this?"

  Maek-ven reached forward and grabbed his glass, swirling the liquid before raising it and taking a sip. He lowered his glass and eyed his friend. “Let's just say, there are apparently some humans you don't want to piss off."

  Ghyr-lihk waved a hand. “Come on, there's got to be more to it than that. Ber’knick has already said that Ster-hel was ripped apart, if you believe him."

  Captain Maek-ven chuckled once more and set his drink down on the table. "You see the bottle right there, Ghyr-lihk? The one that's half empty?" Ghyr-lihk nodded. "I cracked that bottle just a few hours ago when I was finally able to release the built-up tension from the operation."

  "Did the human try to cheat you?" Ghyr-lihk asked.

  Maek-ven shook his head. “No. In fact, I would say he was the most up-and-up druggie I've ever dealt with."

  Ghyr-lihk frowned, trying to understand the situation "Is that why you trusted him? He's a druggie?"

  Maek-ven’s mandibles clicked twice in agreement. “Yes. I know the power of drugs, and he wants a drink that's created from these ingredients—one his leader has banned. If he can get us to make the beverage, everyone is blessed and he gets to come down here and have the drink he wants. I can understand that motivation, and I can even agree with it." Maek-ven met Ghyr-lihk's eyes. "But let me tell you something. Don't ever, and I mean ever, try to buy his animal if he says, ‘No.’"

  Captain Maek-ven's hand start to tremble as he finished his thought. "Just leave well enough alone."

  QBBS Meredith Reynolds

  "My point," Bethany Anne told the Yollin representatives, "is that the planet is poorly utilized. You were told that you needed to expand into space without any justification."

  "That is just not true," Chr-taleen replied. "We have the calculations to support why we needed to go into space."

  If Bethany Anne had known she was going to have to help rebuild the planet, she might have been tempted to just let the king live.

  It had not taken long, with the help of an artificial intelligence such as ADAM and an understanding of the Kurtherian mindset compliments of TOM, to understand what King Yoll had accomplished on the planet.

  Using machinations over generations, he encouraged the Yollins to believe they had outgrown their world. Then he used religious texts—which he had written—to further support efforts to take over other planets and enslave their people.

  If you wanted to be strictly analytical about it, she could appreciate his plan. Unfortunately for King Yoll, she wasn't analytical enough.

  "Chr-taleen, I will give you a thousand pages of scientific documentation that proves—if you are willing to pay attention to facts—that this planet is only thirty percent utilized. That includes twenty-seven percent for foodstuffs, thirty-six percent of arable land, and seventeen percent for cities and communal areas. In fact, we could bring back every single one of the Yollins who are presently off-world and still only be at forty-seven percent utilization of this planet. If I have to get one of your religious bibles and beat you around the head with it until you understand, I will!"

  Bethany Anne’s eyes flashed red, reminding the Yollin just who he was speaking to.

  Chr-taleen sat back in his chair, his mandibles grating against each other. "How much time do I have to review these documents?"

  "You have three turns of your time to make a decision as to what you will or won't believe. If you choose not to believe, I will allow you one opportunity to make your case. If you cannot scientifically argue—and win—your position, you choices will be stepping down, stepping aside, believing the new information to be true, or being ejected off of a spaceship going toward the sun. Your pick."

  Chr-taleen's mandibles stopped moving. "I do hope that is multiple choice, even if I choose not to believe the information provided me?"

  Bethany Anne chuckled. "You’ll only be ejected from a spaceship if you really, really tick me off. I don't mind a logical argument, but I abhor someone being obstinate just for the sake of being obstinate. Should you choose not to believe this information and you have no good reason why, I would suggest you retire from your job early.”

  >>Bethany Anne?<<

  Yes, ADAM?

  >>We are receiving information that there is an uprising in one of the smaller outlying towns. Started by those previously of the second-level caste, there are now injuries and potentially deaths on the scene. More of the press are heading in that direction. My interpretation is this is going to require force.<<

  Bethany Anne put a finger up to stop the communication directed at her. "I apologize. There is an issue on the planet that I urgently need to review." Bethany Anne picked up her tablet, on which ADAM had already queued up the necessary news report for her. He piped the information straight into her ears, so she could watch the video but no one else would hear the video playback.

  As she continued watching, those at the table noticed that her eyes were growing red. It was obvious something on her tablet was causing her to become angry.

  A moment later one of her security men walked into the room. Chr-taleen recognized him due to his size as the one called ‘John Grimes.’ As he spoke to the human leader, her eyes went dimmed and then returned to their normal color again.

  She nodded sharply, and her security guard left the meeting room.

  A moment later she was ready to continue their conversation, and Chr-taleen took the opportunity to ask a question. “What has happened?" He pointed around the table. "We saw that something upset you." He pointed to his eyes. "Your eyes started to grow red again."

  Bethany Anne smiled in a way that Chr-taleen recognized was not meant to be pleasant when she answered, "There has been an uprising which has hurt Yollins. Those in the upper castes are not pleased with me abolishing the old system, and are upset that they must now pull their own weight. Some of those who are upset decided to try their hand at violent responses. Had I gone down there, I would have had to restrain my reaction."

  Chr-taleen was confused. "If you had gone down there you would've had to restrain your reaction? How would you have preferred to react?"

  "I have no patience for those who resort to violence when upset. We can have conversations without it. As the leader of the humans who have annexed Yoll, I would have had to be nice or risk creating a larger issue with my reputation. If I had reacted as I personally wished, my reputation might have been manipulated in the press." She nodded toward the door through which her guard had left. "Now that John has gone down there?” She looked at those around the table.

  “Their lives aren’t worth shit."

  4

  E’Kolorn, Defense Minister under King Yoll, reviewed the book in his hands for a moment, clicked his mandibles twice in annoyance, and threw the book across the cell. He barely noticed the loud slap and then fwhomp as it hit the hard rock floor as he thought about his life.

  His life had been a lie.

  He glanced at the religious text and the pages he had ripped out over the weeks he had been here in isolation as his mind ran thru past scenes of him working for the king.

  For a damned Kurtherian!

  It took a moment for his mind to register the click-click-click-click of someone walking down the hallway. He glanced up from the couch where
he was resting, and over toward the opening in the metal door where he might see a face.

  Any face.

  When the footsteps continued past he looked back down, ignoring whatever was going to happen to someone else in this cell block. No one was going to come looking for the false king’s Defense Minister.

  It didn’t matter that his efforts had been for his people, his world. Even at the end, he had made a decision that ignored the king’s commands and maneuvered the King into accepting the challenge.

  His mandibles opened and paused there before they slowly closed.

  E’Kolorn supposed that if he were honest with himself he had played a small part in the demise of that rotten royal bastard. If it wouldn’t have messed up his little cell, he would have spat at the mere thought of that Kurtherian puppet.

  Kurtherian… What a kick between the back set of legs that was.

  A female voice called out louder, and E’Kolorn wondered if he could rip his sheet apart and use it for ear plugs.

  He didn’t want to listen to anyone enjoying a conjugal visit.

  It took another couple shouts before he looked up, realization dawning on his face. “Rea-behk?”

  “It’s about time you recognized your wife’s voice!” she answered. “Can I come in?”

  E’Kolorn looked around his cell, thanking whoever was escorting her for the thoughtful act of not letting her see immediately into his cell. He got up from the couch and went to his bed, laying the sheets out nicely. “One second.”

  He kicked the false bible under his bunk, and grabbed three crumpled pages and dropped them into the trash can. Thank his ancestors he had at least kept himself presentable.

  “You can come in now!” he called. He stood by the back wall, which was proper anytime the guards opened the door. The viewing window in the door slid open. He recognized one of the two guards, who nodded to E’Kolorn to confirm his position and opened the door.