“First pass at calculating chances is, three-point-two percent chance of a reduction in capabilities including cloaking and damage to the ship’s body.”
Tabitha blinked a moment. “Achronyx, what is the reduction?”
“It fluctuates, but the average is two-point-two percent.”
“What is it on the high side?” Tabitha asked. Something was working here in their communication.
“Unity,” Achronyx answered.
Tabitha sighed. That wasn’t the best answer to her question. “Chance of that happening?”
“One in three-point-four million.”
Hirotoshi looked at his leader. “Why do you wish to go in cloaked, Kemosabe?”
It was a testament to Tabitha’s acceptance of her guys’ ribbing that she didn’t even question the title anymore. “What if they are just waiting on the other side of the Annex Gate to blow away the Etheric Empire’s lawful representatives?”
“Can we not cloak immediately upon exit, when the Annex Gate flare occurs?” Katsu asked.
“Achronyx, please answer that question.”
“Yes, Katsu, we can cloak immediately upon exit.”
You jackass! Tabitha thought. “Not that question, the one about doing the cloaking during the exit flare when we arrive?”
“There is a high probability that we can successfully cloak in time if you permit me to deal with the timing.”
Like I’m thinking I’m going to push a button? Maybe Bethany Anne was right. Maybe she was too sensitive.
“Because the chance of success if a human were to push the button is reduced by seventy-two-point-three percent.”
You fucking electronic pain-in-my-ass, she fumed, and bit off her retort. “Yes, I am assuming my EI would cloak since the EI is also taking care of the chauffeuring of the ship.”
“Piloting,” the EI corrected.
“Same thing,” Tabitha replied, then added, “Make it so, Achronyx.”
Tabitha snickered to herself.
The QBS Achronyx sat in space a half-hour from the Annex Gate. The 3D map was displaying the system star while Achronyx provided an update about Eubos.
The EI explained, “There are a hundred and twelve different space stations, bases on planets, and major areas. Two of the planetoids have archaeological digs that existed before the Yollins took over this system. There are both Yollins and other aliens in this area of the system. King Yoll didn’t mind the illegalities, so long as the mining throughput was sufficient—apparently the Bible according to King Yoll didn’t apply here. There is a small planet of marsupials which have been forced into slave labor upon occasion, but they really aren't equipped to be in outer space. The local Yollins don’t have a reason to help stop slave trading because they need bodies.”
“It seems we have several issues to handle. First, the present methods of production using slaves. Second, the future changeover to a slave-less production, and lastly, dealing with those providing the slaves.”
“And, who are slaves?” Ryu added.
“Come again?” Tabitha asked.
“Who do we classify as slaves?” Ryu asked. “What about individuals who are working something off? What about prisoners stuck out here? There are three separate issues which might include debtors, prisoners, and legal guard of prisoners (if any) to deal with—all examples of people who would like to be released because they are slaves, and would probably lie through their teeth so we would force the issue and potentially release criminals back into society.”
“Well, fuck,” Tabitha murmured.
Sometimes, she thought, having centuries-old history books walking around with you could be SUCH a molesta y fastidio.
Planet Yoll, Executive Prison
Scott waited patiently for the former Yollin Defense Minister. He had reviewed all the notes that ADAM provided, and had asked Kael-ven his opinion on this individual.
E’Kolorn had just been a person doing his job to the best of his ability, who had used his only remaining option to protect his people as best he could. He had no way of knowing Bethany Anne had been bluffing about slamming rocks into the space stations.
Nor would she have dropped the space stations out of orbit. She would have, however, dropped a puck on the king’s palace grounds. That place would have been a large hole in the ground if she had been forced to continue the fight.
Cheating aside, the result Bethany Anne accomplished had been the best they could hope for from the challenge.
Scott heard footsteps coming down the hall and stood up.
Two Yollins came into the room. One was a guard, and the other had a badge of office attached at his breast.
Dressing a Yollin would have been about as beneficial as dressing a Wookie—or maybe a horse, considering Kael-ven. Scott smiled, wondering how a Yollin with four legs would put on pants.
The Defense Minister, who himself had four legs, walked over to Scott and nodded.
“I am formally taking responsibility for this prisoner, Guard K’lrek,” Scott told the guard, who looked at him in surprise. “What? You thought I wouldn’t?” Scott asked.
“No,” the guard answered, “but I didn’t think it would be formal.”
Scott lifted his arm and pointed to a device strapped to his forearm. “This records everything I do. The Empress is very persnickety about how her personal guards act. Should I have failed to act accordingly, my next sparring session with her would have been much more painful.”
“Excuse me,” E’Kolorn interjected, and both men turned to him. “What do you mean, ‘would have been much more painful?’”
“It means my healing time for fucking up would have been increased due to me getting my ass kicked. Bethany Anne is a high-contact boss. As in, the bigger the fuck-up, the higher the amount of contact. While we get our own licks in from time to time, a fight with her can sometimes be one-sided.”
“You hit your Empress?” the ex-Defense Minister asked.
“How else would you spar?” Scott asked. “Just stand there and take it? That wouldn’t do Bethany Anne any good. Trust me, we know she can take most anything we can throw at her, so if we get a chance we make sure to teach her a lesson.”
The human scratched his face. “Unfortunately she doesn’t usually fall for the same trick twice, so we have to figure out new ways to get through her defenses.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Scott. I’ll be your partner for today. Keep all hands to yourself, and everything will go just fine. If you mouth off to the Empress, which I don’t suggest, you will earn pain, although perhaps not in front of her. However,” Scott pointed to E’Kolorn, “she is offering you dignity and an opportunity to act civil. I don’t care how mad you might be…she cares, and doesn’t deserve to hear about anything you don’t like, am I clear?”
The previous Defense Minister thought about it for a moment. “If I am disrespectful you will hurt me later.”
Scott considered his answer. “A little blunt, but that is the basic message. So don’t fuck up.”
The two left the prison and boarded a ship that was floating above the ground. It had a Yollin symbol next to one he guessed was an alien skull with pointed teeth.
E’Kolorn looked over the city at the stadium in the distance that had been the end of King Yoll.
And the Kurtherian who was using the Yollin body like a puppet.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“The new government leadership’s building. We will land on the top, and go down from there. You will be seen on news video, so you decide if you want to walk like a hero or a prisoner.”
“No beating me to make sure I walk a certain way?” E’Kolorn asked.
“That’s up to you, but we have a saying on our planet: ‘Act like you want to be treated.’ So, if you want to be treated like a prisoner, feel free to act like it. I imagine I can facilitate your act. I have already reviewed your records. You are treated well, and not abused. It isn’t a hotel, but killing many of our people when we asked f
or safe passage doesn’t rate you a king-sized bed, either.”
E’Kolorn didn’t argue that he had been under orders. The aliens knew it.
Moments later, the Pod landed on the new Government building and the two got out. They went past the guards stationed at the top. E’Kolorn looked up to see the massive ship the Empress used hovering not that far above them in the sky.
A warning that idiots flying around wouldn’t be permitted to live, he imagined. He wondered for a moment about their method of propulsion. What he wouldn’t give to know if the Ixtalis had gotten their hooks in them already! Or had the Ixtalis gotten their hooks into the aliens before they had shown up in his planet’s backyard?
The two of them went down five floors and passed more guards as they left the elevator.
When they finally arrived at the last set of doors, there were two more aliens in red armor like Scott’s. One had skin somewhat darker than Scott’s, and the other was significantly darker than Scott.
Neither carried the wounds that being blown out a fifth story window would cause.
The two entered the meeting room and walked up to Kael-ven and Bethany Anne. “My Empress, I would like to introduce you to former Defense Minister, E’Kolorn.”
Bethany Anne stood up and reached toward him, holding out her hand as his guard had done. He took it, and she shook his hand before releasing it. “How was the meeting with your wife?”
“That was you?” he asked. He had wondered if she had been the person who had made the meeting happen.
A Yollin who was standing next to the Empress held out his hand in the same fashion the Empress had. “No, that was me. My name is Kael-ven.”
Perhaps it was true that she had a docile Yollin standing in for her?
Kael-ven continued, “I could not confirm for a while why you obeyed King Yoll’s orders but then capitulated, or encouraged him to fight Bethany Anne when you did.”
“That was an easy decision. She,” and E’Kolorn tilted his head to Bethany Anne, “could have easily killed those on the space stations or pummeled the planet with kinetic weapons. As Defense Minister, my job was to defend the people. It seemed an easy decision once she requested to fight for the role of king.”
The Empress pursed her lips, which was odd to see in someone with no mandibles. “What if we had started with attacks like that?”
E’Kolorn shrugged. “Well, then I would have fought you tooth and nail.”
The Empress seemed to withdraw into herself for a few moments, and E’Kolorn wondered if he had just messed up.
“I think you will work well, E’Kolorn. I think you will work well indeed,” she told him.
Work well on what? he wondered.
15
Eubos System, Station One-Eight-Two
Yollin Station Manager Denigh closed his eyes, then tapped his mandibles twice, before turning in his chair and stabbing the call button. “Yes, Comms?”
“Station Manager, we are being hailed by aliens, sir.”
“Coc’li,” Denigh answered slowly, “we know about hundreds of species, ourselves. Do you know which particular alien race, or are you going to make me play ‘five questions before I put my clawed foot up your ass?’”
There was a moment as Coc’li seemed to parse his comments. “The humans, sir.”
“You imbecile!” Denigh stood up. “I’m coming to Communications. You should have said that first!”
Denigh slammed the button again and grabbed his tablet.
It seemed his boring time was officially over.
So was his curiosity about whether the humans would show up in this backward area of Yollin space.
—
Tabitha watched the seconds tick up on the clock. “Well, the bet is now between Ryu and Hirotoshi as to who wins. We still haven’t heard from the station manager.”
“That was a sucker bet.” Ryu commented. “The manager over there is going to want to be in the communications room. It was unlikely he was sitting in there, and now he is trying to figure out where we are.”
Tabitha smirked. There were twenty seconds to go before Hirotoshi lost and Ryu won.
“Well, let’s test that theory, shall we?”
“Wait, Kemosabe,” Ryu interjected. “That wasn’t instruction to suggest—”
“Achronyx,” Tabitha said, “please cancel the cloaking, provided we are in no danger.”
“There is always danger,” the EI replied.
“Danger of more than one percent,” she clarified.
“Uncloaking,” Achronyx confirmed.
“This is Station One-Eight-Two,” came a voice over the comm.
Ryu groaned behind Tabitha as she, Katsu, and Shin chuckled. She could hear the small gold coins that were legal tender in the Etheric Empire jingle as they were taken off the table by Hirotoshi.
“This is the Etheric Empire’s QBS Achronyx,” Tabitha replied. “Ranger Tabitha speaking. We would like instructions on how to dock, information on the internal atmosphere, and an opportunity to speak with the Station Manager.”
“We do not recognize the ship design,” the voice came back. “It seems to be based on a Yollin scout vessel, but it is not the same size.”
“True,” Tabitha replied. “But the connections are standard, I assure you.”
“Well,” the Yollin voice came back, “I would like to confirm…”
This time Tabitha overrode the person speaking. “Look, here is how it will go. This is Her Majesty’s Ranger Tabitha. You will provide docking instructions, or I’ll shoot a hole in the nearest surface in order to dock. Keep dicking with me, and when I get on the space station I’ll make sure to look three times as hard for infractions. When I find those infractions, I will immediately implement Justice. Since I don’t have any detention facilities, I’ll just throw whoever fucked up off the station without a suit. Have I made myself clear?”
There was a pause.
“Please use docking location B-14. It seems we have a few ships leaving quickly.”
“I’ll just bet you do,” Tabitha murmured to herself. “Achronyx, are there any issues locating B-14?”
“No.”
“Then take us there, but maintain active defenses.”
“Understood,” he supplied.
“Well.” The station manager thought about the discussion after the call disconnected. “I guess that answers the question about whether they are friendly, unfriendly, or willing to put a clawed foot up my ass.”
“We have four different ships requesting immediate departure,” Comms spoke to the station manager. “We will need to unlock those ships at the right time for balance issues.”
“I guess the R’cklickn are leaving before the light gets shined on them.” He rubbed his mandible.”
“Sir, did you see the image of their ship?”
“Just a glance, why?”
Coc’li pulled the station's video up and dialed in the magnification.
“That’s…” the station manager paused a moment, “a lot of guns.”
“That is not a normal scouting vessel,” Coc’li agreed.
The station manager pointed to the screen. “Dial up the magnification on the ship emblem.”
Coc’li leaned forward. “Are those pointed teeth?”
Denigh stood up. “They aren’t herbivores, not with pointed teeth.”
The station manager started walking out of the Comms room to head toward berth B-14 and called over his shoulder, “Next time aliens that conquer our home world show up, how about you start off the conversation with that information?”
Tabitha checked her guns, made sure her equipment was in each pocket, and confirmed she had plenty of ammo.
She dialed the gun down to three. She didn’t want to blow any unnecessary holes in the Space Station’s walls if she could help it—for now.
She grabbed her soft helmet and stuffed it into one of her pockets. It would help if she was in a bad place and needed air.
She considere
d kicking out her spurs, but decided not to. Those should come out, she decided, at an opportune time.
“Achronyx,” she called, “are we good with gravity and air?”
“Yes. Gravity is three percent above the norm, air is acceptable. The additional trace gasses are not detrimental to your physiology.”
Tabitha reached up to pat between her breasts, just confirming her Ranger’s medallion was lodged there. She had other identification, but it had been decided that the medallion was one form every Ranger would carry. It had chips embedded in the casting that would confirm its validity, as well as tell if the wearer was the correct Ranger—and whether that Ranger was alive.
If not, it would send information through the Etheric to the Meredith Reynolds. That information would be used to locate the Empress’ Rangers who died, and facilitate finding the ones who killed them.
Tabitha left her cabin and walked to the bridge. “Katsu, when we dock, make sure you work on their computer systems with Achronyx. I want to have everything sucked out of their system and any other ships you can get by the time we leave.”
“Isn’t that illegal?” he asked as he started bringing up the necessary screens to work on her request.
Tabitha tapped herself on the chest and smiled. “Interestingly enough, we are still under Etheric Martial Law in these areas, so the answer is ‘no.'”
“And when we revert back to normal Etheric Law?”
“Then the choice is left up to the Ranger when said Ranger is on an operation. So, since I am the Ranger in question…”
“The answer will still be ‘suck it all dry,'” her Tonto responded. “Yes, Kemosabe.”
Tabitha left the bridge and worked her way to the docking area. The connection between the ship and the station had been established, and Hirotoshi was waiting for her. Ryu and a Yollin were standing on the deck of the space station.
“Shall we, Number One?” she asked.
Hirotoshi harrumphed, and Tabitha walked out of the ship with him following. The ship’s door irised closed behind them.
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) Page 36
