Fya giggled as most of those present gawked at her, and Evelyn looked at them for a moment, then rolled her eyes, murmuring. “What? I have standards.”
“I can tell,” Dirax said, examining Evelyn speculatively.
“Well. That is everything I have to tell you. I recommend staying on the ship, as I said. I expect to be gone for most of tomorrow, so figure out some way to occupy yourselves,” Evelyn said, standing up to leave.
She was halfway to the door when Vaneryth spoke. “May I ask why you’ll be gone?”
“I have a gun to sell to one of the Pirate Kings,” Evelyn replied, just as the door slid shut behind her, cutting off any comments before they could be made. That prompted a smile to flit across her face, as she did enjoy timing like that.
Now she just needed to figure out whether she wanted to be in full armor when she met Captain Eight-Fist or if she should be more casually deadly. Decisions, decisions.
Chapter 13
“Welcome aboard, Evelyn! Or would you like to go by one of your epithets? I particularly like ‘The Butcher of Azure Seas,’” Captain Eight-Fist boomed, grinning as Evelyn debarked from the shuttle.
The Pirate King was a large, imposing human man, with wide shoulders and a solid-looking body, which likely had been solid even before he’d installed so many cybernetics. His right leg and arm had been replaced with cybernetic ones, and Evelyn knew that the arm was part of why he was called Eight-Fist. It not only had eight different weapons built into it, but the fist could reshape into a small wrecking ball which had a jackhammer function for shattering armor or objects. He had a large, bushy brown beard, but it was his dark brown eyes that stole her attention and improved Evelyn’s opinion of the captain. No one with that sort of gaze was stupid or weak enough to irritate her.
He was a reflection of his ship, the Shark’s Maw, Evelyn decided. The battleship was fast and sleek for such a large ship, and its sinister outline was festooned with weapons and armor, while a pair of fighter bays lurked toward the aft, well-protected from most angles. Most of the ship bore enchantments, which Evelyn heartily approved of. She’d love to have something like it herself, but she doubted she’d have the patience for a custom ship to be built to her specifications.
“Evelyn will work perfectly.” Evelyn replied calmly, studiously ignoring the dozen pirates who were lounging around the docking bay with practiced laziness, though she thought that they weren’t quite as bored or relaxed as they made out.
Their mohawks, bright hair colors, and overly elaborate outfits reminded her of some gangs, and were almost enough to distract the eye from their gear, which was excellent quality, and all of them had hands near their weapons. It was enough to make her smile.
“Good! I heard what you did to the bastards who shot up your shop. That was fine work!” Eight-Fist said, grinning broadly as he gestured toward the airlock nearby and began stomping toward it. “If that’s a good example of your handiwork, I suspect you’d make an excellent pirate. There’s always room for another king or queen, after all!”
Evelyn laughed, smiling at him as several of the pirates casually started following them. She wondered what they made of her outfit, which was simpler clothing. A leather jacket and pants, along with a spider-silk shirt, it wasn’t that impressive compared to what surrounded her. She didn’t need it to be impressive, though.
“I did consider taking up piracy after I left behind my old life, but I decided against it,” Evelyn replied, glancing around as they passed through the airlock. While garish, the ship was in good repair. “It struck me as requiring a touch too much responsibility, and I’ve always had issues with authority figures. I wouldn’t do well under another captain, and organizing a crew sounds too much like politics. Besides, I’d want to attack military ships for a proper fight, and that doesn’t seem to be what most pirates prefer.”
“Depends on the pirate,” Eight-Fist replied, grinning over his shoulder at her. “Me, for instance, I don’t see any reason not to attack a fortress with a juicy prize inside it. At least you know what you want! You wouldn’t believe how many idjets screw everything up when they realize they want something different.”
“I believe I have something of an idea,” Evelyn said, a ghost of a smile flashing across her face as she thought back to her… abdication. She was amazed the full story hadn’t gotten out, as if it had, people would be far more concerned about her.
Eight-Fist stopped at a door and opened it, stomping inside, and when Evelyn followed, she found herself in what looked like a small lounge of sorts, complete with a bar, though it wasn’t tended. Eight-Fist grabbed a bottle from behind it and poured himself a glass as the door slid closed behind them, giving privacy at last.
“Care for anything to drink?” Eight-Fist asked, grinning. “We’ve got most types of booze available, and the nicest stuff is stocked here.”
“Thank you, but no,” Evelyn replied, smiling as she set the case on the counter, then used her implants to unlock it. “I’d rather show you what you came here for. Not the gun you were looking for, but part of the same series.”
Eight-Fist let out a low whistle, taking a drink, then leaned over to examine the rifle more closely. It wasn’t in one piece, as it’d been packed for transit, but even disassembled the Echris combat rifle was a beautiful, lethal-looking weapon. The Echris were artisans that took pride in the deadly beauty combined with functionality of their weapons, and only did limited production runs of every model. This was among the collector editions, and, if Evelyn was being honest, was in even better condition than the one she’d had.
“That is one beautiful gun. Almost a shame to use it, but if Keelbreaker wants to, I’m not going to argue,” Eight-Fist said after a minute, setting the glass down as his smile faded. “Problem is… what does the dragon want for it?”
“I asked her as well, but she said she’d rather discuss that directly,” Evelyn told him, inclining her head slightly. His eyes narrowed, but she continued. “She gave me a projection sphere, so you could speak without either of you being in danger.”
“Hrrm. Well, let’s hear it, then,” Eight-Fist said, his living hand reaching up to run along the edge of his cybernetic arm.
Evelyn nodded, stepping away, and pulling out the projection sphere. It looked much like a black orb of glass the size of one joint of her thumb, and she channeled mana into it, bringing the sphere to life… and was ready to shield both of them if it turned out Xalryx had betrayed her.
The orb began glowing a soft blue, then floated up out of her hand as light seeped out of it and took the form of Xalryx, the woman who Evelyn had dealt with. The dragon looked around, then smiled widely.
“Ah, thank you, Miss Tarth,” Xalryx said, focusing on Evelyn, then on Captain Eight-Fist. “And Captain Eight-Fist! Your reputation precedes you, and it’s an excellent opportunity to meet you face to face, at least in a manner of speaking.”
“Yes, yes, an honor and all that shit. What do you want for the gun,” Eight-Fist demanded, his good humor nowhere in sight.
“Nothing directly, as it happens. I came here to arrange for… intervention.” Xalryx replied calmly, as if she’d expected that response. “Let me put this bluntly, as that is what you’d prefer. I have a rival whose reputation I wish to destroy and doing so will enrich anyone who does so.”
“The last time I got involved with a dragon house, I lost an arm. Why would I step into the middle of your politics?” Eight-Fist demanded. “That’s a good way to rouse an entire dragon fleet, which is a mite too much even for me.”
Evelyn couldn’t help a slight nod of agreement. Dragons were among the richest species in the known galaxy, if not flat-out the richest, and they’d used their wealth to build up a military might that no one could challenge. Challenging a draconic house was a quick route to suicide.
“I believe that you misunderstand me,” Xalryx said, pausing for a moment, then shook her head. “Perhaps a touch of background is in order. I am a candidate t
o apprentice with the cluster’s Grand Treasurer. So is the rival in question, and our wealth is considered to be part of our application. The two of us are close in all qualifications, which is why she chose to take rather… excessive risks in her attempts to pull ahead.”
Xalryx paused again, and Evelyn could practically see her reluctance, but she spoke again at last, her tone heavy. “She found a mythrite-rich asteroid only fifty AU from Nald. It is worth ten million mythrite at the very minimum. Likely five to six times that much.”
Evelyn’s eyebrows shot upward at that, and she whistled, then spoke. “If it has that much mythrite ore, I’d think her house would have sent extremely heavy security for it, and officially claimed it.”
“They would, if they knew about it.” Xalryx agreed, smiling coldly. “She would have to share the profit with her clan if she did so, however, which would reduce her share to where she wouldn’t be able to assure her ascendency. So instead, she has kept it quiet. I only found out due to taking pains to watch her movements, and she’s sent a crew to acquire the asteroid and return it to Nald.”
“So you want, what, for me to acquire the asteroid and bring it to you?” Eight-Fist asked skeptically. “Not sure my crew would go along with that, even if I wanted to do it.”
“Oh no. I want to destroy her reputation, good Captain. If her poor decision were to get out, or worse, if it were to be publicized that she not only lost the asteroid, but allowed it to go to pirates, that would utterly destroy her chances at becoming the Grand Treasurer’s apprentice. Risks like that are not ones the leader of a cluster’s finances can afford to take,” Xalryx said, smiling coldly. “Captain, my ‘price’ is that you take the mythrite asteroid for yourself, then ensure that the ship which you took it from is publicly known. The ship is registered to her, and the trail of information showing she found it is in place. I simply ask that my involvement is kept out of it.”
Evelyn studied the two, then asked, “Just to be sure, would her house lash out at the Captain when they found out?”
“No. It would be her fault that such a large profit was lost to the house, so she would bear all responsibility,” Xalryx assured her. “If it were another dragon which took the asteroid, it would be an entirely different matter. Then it would become house against house, which is frowned upon.”
“Huh. So… you want to give me a gun and an opportunity to pirate an asteroid worth ten to fifty million mythrite in order to get rid of a rival,” Eight-Fist said, much of his wariness having faded as he rubbed his chin. “What sort of ship is picking it up?”
“A Stone Drake heavy tug,” Xalryx replied instantly, and Eight-Fist snorted.
“She used one of those? No escorts?” the pirate demanded incredulously, and Evelyn wondered why, as she wasn’t conversant with draconic ships, while he obviously was.
“No. If she hired escorts, her superiors might have asked questions,” Xalryx replied, an almost shark-like grin on her face.
“In that case, I do believe you have a deal,” Eight-Fist replied, his own smile quite telling. “Get me the coordinates and when the ship left, and I’ll do the rest. I guarantee, you won’t be mentioned as long as you’re right about the lack of retaliation.”
“Excellent. It was a pleasure not doing business with you, Captain Eight-Fist,” Xalryx said, obviously satisfied, and turned her attention to Evelyn. “Miss Tarth, I must thank you. A payment has been made to your account, along with a bonus for your discretion.”
“Thank you. As I’m sure you wish to give the coordinates and such in private, I will take my leave,” Evelyn told them, amusement washing over her as she added. “Good fortune in business, Xalryx, and good hunting, Captain. Oh, and I do hope that you have a productive discussion with the Commodore.”
“Oh, I will. Believe me, I will,” Eight-Fist said, his gaze hardening, then he nodded to Evelyn. “If you ever want to take up piracy, send me a message. I’ll sponsor you.”
“Thank you,” Evelyn replied, amusement washing over her, then she headed for the door.
That had certainly been a productive meeting, and she wished more went that way.
Chapter 14
Evelyn had been surprised the previous day. Rather than hiding from her, as she’d half-expected, once she’d returned from the deal, she’d found herself surrounded by the former slaves, or at least some of them. She hadn’t answered any questions about the details of the deal, but she’d been relatively patient with them, at least as long as they weren’t overly annoying. At a certain point she hadn’t been willing to put up with Zelirana anymore and had told the succubus that she should go clean the head. The succubus hadn’t looked happy at the instructions, but she’d done it anyway, which mildly impressed Evelyn.
The part which had surprised her the most was when Moon and Star had quietly offered to join her in bed that evening. They’d also been far more skilled than she’d expected, which had made the night more pleasant. It was a good part of why Evelyn had been in a better mood for most of the morning.
Now she watched as the hacker approached, her eyebrows rising marginally. They were hardly what she’d expected, as a two and a half meter mech marched into the bay past a group of workers who were repairing some of the damage to the bay floor. The mech was shining, with a golden chrome surface that would take an enormous amount of work to maintain, and several weapon mounts she could see, though she doubted they’d been fired often. If they had, there’d be more soot adhered to the barrels.
The mech paused when it was a dozen meters from the ship, then the hacker spoke through the speaker, his voice mildly sibilant. “Captain, permission to approach and debark?”
“Granted. I presume you are Kragg?” Evelyn asked, watching casually.
“I am! Many pardons, but will leaving my vehicle outside be safe? The last time I left it out, I found it covered in scratches.” Kragg asked, taking several more steps closer, then the mech paused and drooped downward slightly. The chest portion hissed, then unlatched, slowly lowering as a small stepladder extended from it.
From inside emerged a kobold, and Evelyn resisted the urge to smile. He was wearing a bright gold jacket with overalls under it and had a pair of elaborate goggles strapped across his forehead. He had modest brown scales, but all of his fangs were gilded in gold. Once the stepladder was in place he adroitly hopped down. The creature might not have wings and he was only a half-meter tall, but he looked enough like a dragon she could understand where kobold claims of draconic ancestry might come from.
“If anyone touches it, obviously they’re tired of living. I won’t tolerate anything of the sort,” Evelyn assured Kragg, a smile playing across her lips.
“Excellent!” Kragg replied, giving her a toothy grin as he retrieved a data pad from the mech, then the hatch folded shut behind him. “I need a vehicle, of course. Too small for these streets, yes, too small indeed! If not in vehicle, I get stepped on! And do they offer to pay for injuries, broken toes, destroyed polish? Of course not! I get to pay for it all. Inconsiderate, yes it is.”
“Ah, that would explain why you brought it,” Evelyn said, inclining her head, then gestured to the ramp into the ship. “If you’d follow me? We can discuss your work once we’re aboard.”
“Yes, yes!” Kragg agreed, and quickly followed her aboard. The doors slid shut once his tail cleared the threshold, then he spoke. “I understand what you desire, yes! Break encryption on slaves, very tricky at times, reassign to local control and rebuild firewalls to keep others out, yes, easy easy. Dolls, much easier. No delicate soft hardware to worry about. Build better defenses once they are yours! All for excellent price, much mythrite, most profitable!”
“It is, as long as you complete the job. And no leaving back doors for anyone, including yourself, is that clear?” Evelyn replied, turning to the kobold again, slightly amused despite herself.
“As a polished, smooth, astral ore canopy!” Kragg assured her, grinning broadly. “No, no, once I am done, I would ha
ve to break in again myself! Easier, just because I have done it before, but still hard! Probably harder than what I must break through this time.”
“Good. In that case, which do you wish to start with? The Dolls, or the women?” Evelyn asked, smiling slightly more now.
“The women, yes, yes!” Kragg replied immediately. “Much more difficult, must start with them while mind is sharpest! Will take many hours, many cycles. Maybe two, maybe six. If all same encryption, might be fast! If not, might be slow, slow, slow.”
“Very well, that is acceptable,” Evelyn said, nodding slightly, then gestured to the hall. “If you’ll follow me? I asked them to wait for us.”
“Yes, yes, time to work! Must earn my keep, I must!” Kragg said cheerfully, scampering after Evelyn as she moved.
Either Kragg was even better than he claimed, or the encryption on the women’s implants was far worse than she’d thought it was, Evelyn decided three hours later. She knew just enough about programming to suspect that it was mostly the former, which she didn’t mind at all.
The cheerful kobold had cracked the encryption on Vaneryth’s implants in an hour and a half, and had cackled madly on succeeding, muttering things about ‘winging down on his prey’ as he did so. It’d taken a little more time for him to adjust the settings appropriately, then he started on the next person, Ilyra, and he ripped through the protections quite quickly in comparison.
Chosen of Chaos (Eve of Destruction Book 1) Page 9
