“Yes, he does,” Stepyan said, coming into the mess, and I realized Case must have had him copied in on the conversation from the start, “but he put Case in charge of keeping the crew safe, and you put me in charge of seeing that what was needed got done.”
The hardness I remembered noticing on our first meeting was out on display for everyone to see. Anyone would have thought we were at war… Oh, wait…
“But…”
Stepyan held up a hand, and his face softened.
“He knew what he was doing when he brought us on board, kid. He knew there would be times when he could not bring himself to do what needed to be done—and we accepted that there would be times when he would keep us leashed.”
He looked around the mess, and then back to me.
“In return, we keep the ship safe, and he keeps us…out of sight and out of mind. Right now, he’s not here to hold the leash, and he knew what he was doing when he put Case in charge.”
The smile he shot me was not a smile, and his expression went back to being harder than I’d ever seen it. The pleasant smile he’d stuck on didn’t fool me for a second—and would never be enough to mask the glacial look in his eyes.
“The only question we have is whether you can do what you need to do to break Mack free, while we do what we need to do to keep his people safe.”
“Eh hem.” Abby cleared her throat, drawing Stepyan’s attention. “That’s all very well and good, but we first need to make sure we have the right person. Right now, we only have evidence that two of his companies are involved. I would hate to take him out, if it’s merely an over-ambitious underling.”
Stepyan stared at the intercom, and then lowered his chin in a single nod.
“You have a point. Your plan?”
“Cutter and I go to Depredides and see if the source is from inside Sharovan or located elsewhere. We already know one of Sharovan’s officers issued the contract at Mishamblin’s request, but we don’t know how far up the chain of command he went, before he issued the contract. We don’t know if he issued it on his own, or under instruction. All we know is that the Star Shadows took it. We’ll see how far the request went, before we let you loose on the tycoon.”
Stepyan looked over at Case, and I caught the understanding that passed between them. It was a look that reminded me far too much of Delight. As if they heard that thought, they tilted their heads and looked over at me.
“Delight would already be on her way to kill the man. We, at least, are giving you the chance to verify the target.”
The idea that Delight would go after a target without verification was mildly disturbing, but Case shook her head.
“She’d be verifying while hunting, ensuring the capture while deciding if the kill was needed. We’re just being polite.”
Oh, they were, were they?
Looking at them, I was kinda glad they had to stay with the ship. The thought of them roaming the universe in pursuit of unknown targets was frightening—especially since I wasn’t sure of Costoganzi’s guilt.
“Neither are we,” Case said, “but I’m getting to the point where I’d rather shoot first and ask later, because, once the wolves catch up with us, there won’t be time for questions. Only the contract—and none of us are going to be allowed to walk away from that.”
I nodded, and changed the subject.
“How did the jump go?”
“We’re in orbit,” she said. “I got Abs to help bring in the Marie. It’s how you almost got yourself killed. We took our eyes off you for six minutes and forty-three point two seconds, and that was all the time you needed.”
To really screw things up, was something she didn’t add, but, then, she didn’t need to. I’d been caught putting two and two together in the systems of the company that had probably put the contract together. They’d know we were coming, and catching whoever was behind it was going to be just that little bit harder because of it.
“And then Abby pulled me out before they could close the trap,” I said, “and they followed me back and fried the computer.”
Case’s eyes got wide, and Stepyan shifted his head so he could watch me from the corner of one eye.
“No,” Abby said. “You were clear. I fried the computer. It was the only way to be sure you’d get away clean.”
Man, she coulda warned a girl.
“Didn’t have time,” Abby told us. “I had to break contact, or they’d have been able to latch on and follow me back, and I couldn’t have that.”
Case looked over at us.
“I’ll stay in orbit for a month. After that, I’m flying us back to K’Kavor and asking sanctuary for the crew. The queen made it clear she still feels like they owe us, so they’ll keep Mack’s people and the Marie safe. Once we’re parked, Steps and I are going hunting.”
“We’ll be back by then,” I said, and pushed out of my chair.
Hella had returned with coffee and eats, and my cup was empty. I refilled it, snagged a couple of extras off the plate, and headed for the door.
“Take the dog with you,” Case said. “He’s driving the crew crazy.”
And they were under enough pressure as it was, without the constant reminder that Rohan, Mack and Tens weren’t there to help them. I got it—much as I didn’t want the extra distraction while I worked. I took two steps back and snagged a couple of extra sandwiches from the table. Cascade probably didn’t need to be bribed to come with me, but he’d appreciate the treats.
“See you in a coupla weeks.”
“Happy hunting.”
15—A Depredides Welcome
Depredides didn’t exactly welcome us with open arms. In fact, if I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought they were waiting for us. Contact with the tower gave us no warning. It was brisk and businesslike, and Sharovan didn’t return my calls. The tarmac Abs touched down on was as empty as the grave, and I slipped a leash on Cascade so I could take him for a quick walk to a nearby fence.
“I’ll be back for my ID in ten,” I said, reaching out to open the door leading from the cabin to the tarmac.
Silence greeted me, and I frowned when Abby didn’t reply.
“Abs?”
And then the lights went out.
Again.
“You are shitt…”
The metallic bounce of the stun grenade made me look down, when I should have been diving for cover. Cascade made a leap for the cockpit, tearing the leash from my hand. He got through, just as the bang drowned out the rest of my sentence, and the explosion slammed into me. A fragment of captured sun filled the cabin as I crashed into a bulkhead, and the cabin vanished in the glare.
I was sure the boot in my gut should have made more sound approaching, definitely sure that the funny blob wavering back and forth above me might have been a face. Couldn’t hear a thing over the ringing in my ears, or see more than shadows past the dazzling overlay blurring my vision. I tried to speak, felt my jaw moving. Didn’t. Hear. A. Thing.
Holy Hell, but these bastards didn’t half know how to throw a welcome bash!
I must have moved too much, or something, because the next time the boot hit, it lifted me off the floor and into the wall. I hit hard, and slid back down to the decking. Pretty sure I was shouting, but I still couldn’t’ hear a thing.
Sound roared in my ears, a multitude of waves, and the world grew just a little bit clearer—which was a pity because someone was intent on kicking the crap out of me, and they didn’t care that I wasn’t offering the slightest sign of resistance. I thought I heard barking, followed by the flare of a pistol. The barking stopped, and I hoped Cascade had survived.
I wasn’t so sure I would. I curled into a ball, risking a peek from behind the shelter of my arms, and caught a fist to the side of the head, partly blocked by my forearm, partly not. Apparently, those kinds of stars still stand out when most of your vision is drowned in glare. I tucked my head tight, and hoped they’d stop so
on.
The shouting became clearer, and I had the distinct impression someone had gone way over their remit of capture. Thing was, I needed to talk to Sharovan, so I had to make sure the good folk currently beating me into submission were the right good folk… so to speak—and there was only one way to do that.
I stretched out of my implant, and found the planetary communication network. Since I didn’t know how long it would be before the next fist or boot struck, I gave that thing a very hurried tweak, and shoved a message into the system. I didn’t care how many private comms devices it hit.
“Sharovan Protective Services, I need to speak to you. Sharovan…”
A strong hand wrapped around my wrist, and shook me.
“We’re here.”
This time it came through the implant, and I heard the voice loud and clear. How…
“You knocked on our door. We have contingencies for that.”
Well, of course they did. I stayed curled up in a ball, waiting for my ears to stop ringing, and not wanting to open my eyes. The voice echoed through my implant, but it didn’t matter. My head was still rattled, and I was having trouble stringing two thoughts together.
“Give it a minute.”
To my surprise, they did. Actually, they gave it several minutes.
“How’s my dog?” I asked, when I could sit up without feeling like I was going to fall over.
“Sleeping off a stun shot. What did you want to see us about, Cutter?”
“You know who I am?”
“We still have a warrant out for your arrest, and alerts at every entry point for your return.”
Well, that explained the welcoming committee. I stamped down, hard, on the fear rising in my gut.
“I’m sure there’s a fine I can pay for my first visit—and this one? Well, maybe I can do you a favor.”
I could see him, now. I didn’t recognize him. He didn’t look convinced that I had anything to offer, as he pushed off the wall.
“Why don’t you come down to the office.”
It didn’t sound like a question, but I answered it, anyway.
“Sure.” I put my hands down on the floor, and then paused. “I’m going to get up, now. Is that okay?”
He made a gesture with his hand.
“Sure, and then you’re gonna turn around and face the wall.”
It was not exactly what I’d had in mind, but I nodded.
“Agreed.”
Getting up was harder and easier than what was expected. The armored underwear hadn’t absorbed everything, and there was a lot of me that wasn’t happy with recent events. I ignored it, made it to my feet, and turned around. Have to say, getting cuffed was getting old, but I didn’t bother arguing.
We left Cascade in the cockpit, and I hoped there wasn’t going to be too much of a mess to clean up.
“What did you do to my ship?” I asked as he guided me out of the ship.
“She’s Dasojin. She’s wanted on conspiracy charges for your last visit.”
“She told me to buy an account.”
“And you didn’t listen.”
“I was trying to stay off the radar.”
He snorted.
“And then she helped break you out of custody.”
He turned me towards the shuttle waiting in the shadows beside a nearby shed.
“Have you got guards on her?”
“Why?”
And it struck me that he might not have a clue as to what was going on. I slowed my steps.
“You’re not holding her for collection?”
“Why would I do that? I’m here to fill the warrant we have outstanding. There’s a very small cell, on a not-too-distant moon waiting for you, meals and other comforts dependent on how well you can dig.”
A penal mine? Why hadn’t that come up in my background check on Depredides?
“It’s a state secret, reserved for those whose key gets thrown away.”
My hopes for paying off a simple, if somewhat exorbitant, fine grew instantly smaller.
“What about the contract?”
He stilled, his head shifting as he scanned the dark, and I began regretting not trying to land in daylight.
“What contract?”
“The one your company issued for the crew of the Shady Marie and all Dasojin craft.”
I had to admit, it was a calculated risk. The wolves had spread news of their bounty as wide as I could imagine anything being spread. And I was wondering how the hell he didn’t know about the contract. It had come from his fucking office!
“You have proof?”
And I was torn. How far did the trail go? If I showed him the message, now, would I end up just another corpse dumped on the edge of an ex-atmo airfield? Or in chains and on my way to the wolves? After all, Sharovan was corporate. Who’s to say they wouldn’t decide to take the profit offered on the contract—given we were just criminals to them?
I hesitated, trying to run the odds.
“Show me the proof,” he insisted, keeping his voice in my head, and pulling me close.
No threats. No cajoling. Just a simple demand. I took a breath, and passed his presence the email I’d pulled from the router. He read it, his hand curling around my arm, as though I’d try to run.
“This contract…” he began, and I handed him the digital copy Case had given me before we left, and then I passed him the ones the wolves had just issued.
He was silent, reading them through in a swift first pass.
“I could really cash out on these,” he said, and I hung my head.
So much for getting out from under, but he laughed at my discomfort, before growing serious and coming straight to the point.
“The officer who issued the contract has gone missing—and wasn’t authorized to make the offer. I’ll put a guard on your ship.”
I raised my head.
“I still have to take you back to HQ, but I’ll have someone bring the dog.”
“He’ll be better off…”
“With you,” my captor said. “I’ll put a guard on the HMT, but I won’t guarantee they’ll be able to hold off the sort of folk this kind of credit will attract. Better the dog is with you if anything happens.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“Get in the shuttle,” he ordered, as one of his team detached itself from the hangar and headed up into Abby’s hull.
I kept walking, keeping a careful eye on the shadows by the hangar, the ones around the vehicles parked in the lot just beyond the fence, as well as the skimmer parked before us. I might have felt a fool, if my escort wasn’t doing the same.
“Just how wide does your alert go?”
“It’s supposed to just come to the enforcement office.”
“But you can’t be sure.”
He highlighted the documents in my head.
“Those came from the enforcement office, and they are not authorized. I’m not taking any chances.”
“And?” I asked, because there had to be more.
We were approaching the skimmer and he unlocked the door while we were still two meters out.
“In.”
“Where’s the rest of your team?”
“We’re here,” came from behind us as we passed the hangar. I froze, stopping so fast, my escort ran into the back of me.
“Simon!”
Simon. Ice washed through the centre of me, leaving a chill frosting my arms. I turned, aware that my shoulders were hunched and tight, even as I forced myself to stand straight.
He was holding Cascade in his arms, smirking like the cat who’d cornered the canary. The smirk vanished as I looked him up and down like he was something the cat had dragged in. I did my best impression of Mack, or Tek, or every other commander I’d ever seen giving a sub-standard recruit the once over.
“Not so tough without your tangler, are you?” I said, and turned back to the waiting skimmer.
“Tangler?” my escort wanted to know.
“She was being uncooperative.”
“Mmhmm, while chained up, inside a box. Stay the fuck out of my head.”
“Tough words for a girl in cuffs.”
He might have had a point, but I wasn’t going to admit it. I heard him take a breath like he was going to say something else.
“That’s enough, Simon. Put the dog in the skimmer.”
Simon looked at me, and then walked over and set the dog down in the skimmer. I held myself very, very still as he passed, feeling the pressure of the hand wrapped tightly around my bicep, and remembering I was cuffed, and couldn’t even begin to try beating the living shit out of the man. I’ll give Simon this, he set Cascade very gently down on the skimmer floor.
I watched him straighten, and turn, and then realized I was still standing where I’d been stopped when he’d returned with the dog, that my escort had been watching him, too.
“Down!” rattled through my head, and I followed the sideways jerk that pulled me against my captor and down with him onto the pavement.
Bolts of light slashed through the place where we’d been standing, slamming Simon backward and into the skimmer.
“Stay still; they want you alive,” and the grip on my arm was gone, the warm body that had cushioned my fall, wriggling away in the dark.
Man, I hoped that was a promise he’d return.
I thought about moving, but blaster fire raged overhead and the sound of solids slamming into the skimmer and the wall of the hangar, rang too close. Even if they wanted me alive, there was no guarantee they’d stop shooting in time if I stood up in their line of fire. More shots came from Abby’s direction, and they didn’t sound like her wing-mounted cannons. All I could hope was that whatever Sharovan had hit her with would also stop anyone booting her up and flying her away.
I heard the sound of something big coming in, and realized they might not have to boot Abby up. She could always be heavy-lifted out of here. Twisting my head, I located the skimmer. It was stands-down and had a half-meter of clearance underneath, which meant I didn’t have to stand up to reach cover.
If these guys were serious, they’d have my bios dialed in, and should let me get to shelter. I mean, if I was trying to bring a bounty in, I’d let it move out of the middle of a fire-fight…
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