Chronicles of a Space Mercenary 3: Vengeance (22 page)

“I’m not unhappy to see the end of them.” Leethea said.

“I’m sure we’ll meet again.” I contradicted. “I expect they’ll be hot on our trail the moment they find their precious mine completely vaporized.” The only thing that remained of their mine was a monstrous crater.

“You leave a
trail of enemies every direction you turn.” Serrath said; “You mentioned a plan?”

“Of course I did.” I said thinking quickly because as of that moment I still hadn’t devised the plan I had proclaimed to possess.

“We’re waiting.” Leethea said when I didn’t immediately elaborate.

“We’
re going to create a diversion.” I said. “The Vaes will follow us to the Station and in the melee we’re going to steal the Kievor’s data-base.” This message was of course delivered to every Fsyth aboard every ship the moment it came out of my mouth and now with conclusiveness we had a plan.

“A diversion?” Serrath asked. “Do y
ou seriously believe the Kievor will fall for that?”

“Do you have a better plan?” I asked.

“I suppose it sounds as good as any other.” Serrath conceded. Of course she knew I had made that plan purely on the spur of the moment and it was purely a bullshit plan but I also truly believe she forces me into these rash decision making positions because she actually
likes
the half-ass plans I come up with when I was put under pressure. I seemed to think my clearest when the shit was the deepest and the deeper the shit the better she supposed our odds.

I brought the entire Armada out of warp
inside
the Kievor’s Protected Zone with absolute unerring precision that I would never be able to duplicate in my human form- at least not without a little restructuring and organizing of certain integral bodily systems. I was beginning to appreciate an aspect of the Fsyth biological system for something that would never be possible with my link to the Alartaw AI’s. With my link I was able to command my AI’s with equal unerring precision the difference being that the AI’s then did the piloting while in the case of my Fsyth pheromone link I was
hands
-
on
flying my Fsyth Armada with full control of the entire procedure. In my mind’s eye I could see space around me and it was a fully three-dimensional awareness that is impossible to describe. I had to hurry and get out of this skin.

“We’re here.” Serrath said.

“Now the fun begins.” Leethea added. She looked completely serious and I vowed again to get us out of these skins before we went totally insane and decided we wanted to keep them.

Chapter 53

“Welcome King of the Fsyth.” The Kievor voice spoke from the thin air of my Bridge as my Armada came in to dock on the hull of the Station. I could afford to dock them inside though the cost of doing so would assuredly be enough to bankrupt all but the wealthiest beings. I didn’t want them inside the Station however I wanted them where they would be most readily available and of the two choices this was both the cheapest and would leave my ships the most accessible. Not that we would be able to leave unless the Kievor allowed it- or weren’t aware of our treacheries- but it made me feel better with the illusion that I would be able to just jump in my ship and fly away when my business here was finished. As usual I had no idea what I was getting us into and there was no telling what might happen when one of my spur-of-the-moment plans finally went terribly awry. This was one of those situations where I thought the chance was very good but as in all things I just bulled my way ahead and hoped and prayed to the malignant Universe that I would slip my Fate yet one more time. Some-Being must be listening I have always believed though that God’s Name might very well be Luck. “Will you be staying long, Your Majesty?” The Kievor asked.

“
Only long enough to let the Vaes cool down.” I lied with the full sure knowledge the Vaes would not cool down until reptile blood ran cold- colder than it already was, in any case. I meant to write a new chapter in the saga that was the Fsyth and Vaes’ blood-feud that would be remembered forever by both- if both survived. Did it bother my conscious at all that I was leading the entire Fsyth Empire down the road to destruction for my own personal gain? Not in the least I said to myself. It was that malignant Universe thing again- if you weren’t one of the strong and willing to do whatever was necessary you were one of the weak- and everybeing knows what the Universe does to the weak.

“
The Kievor are at your service.” The Kievor said then went on, as I had expected; “Any and all damages to the Station will be compensated by the King or Emperor of the responsible parties. You are in a state of war and as such the compensation…”

“Yeah yeah yeah.” I interrupted the Kievor and that was the last we heard from it. I imagined triple the normal fees but what could a reptile do.
The King’s coffers were full and paying the bills wouldn’t be a problem.

“I think the Kievor know something we don’t.” Leethea said.

“Nothing we weren’t already aware of.” Serrath contradicted this time.

“I would guess the hour of their coming will
be within minutes.” I surmised.

“I would guess even sooner than that.” Serrath said with her usual calm equanimity. Calm on the exterior only- and seldom a warning when that calm was going to be disturbed.
I thought the command which would spread my next words to my Fsyth Legions and then gave the order to prepare for war.

“
We will skirmish in the same fashion as we fought for Cravotia. We’re going to be outnumbered for a while so every reptile must make his life count for at least three or no Fsyth will leave here alive!” All heard and all were eager to follow their new King into battle, no matter how odd the strategy might seem. Their fervent battle cries were heard reverberating on every ship. The Vaes would not fire on my ships in the Protected Zone so their only other option would be to meet us inside and where, in my experience, such odds weren’t as detrimental as they might be on the spacefield of battle. The odds couldn’t be any worse in any case so at least it wasn’t a step in the very worst direction though clearly it wasn’t a step in the best. The best would be the one in the direction of the remainder of my forces. To gather all my forces first, but they were on the way and I was in no mood to dally- nor of course was the game exactly what it seemed. Add the fact that there were good strong intoxicants onboard the Trade Station and the fact that I wanted to get to the drinking of them
before
the Vaes arrived- and since I was sure I didn’t have long to wait- I meant to get right to it.

“They’ll still outnumber us two to one!” Commander Yu
pointed out reluctantly, as if it were something which had simply slipped my mind and now reminded I would quickly amend my orders. I gave him a tolerant smile- all teeth because that was all I was capable of- before I responded;

“That means the odds are in our favor.” I said
, as if that somehow explained everything and he was simply too dull to understand it. The Commander didn’t seem to wish to delve further into my madness and I didn’t blame him. Command was only held by the strong and I would excise any weaknesses within my ranks as would any other reptile in my position. Rebellion could not be fomented from the grave. The Commander turned away and studiously looked in another direction. Smart reptile I thought and a reptile I might be able to count on in a pinch.

“I’m going aboard.” I said as I headed for the hatch. “Anyone care to join me?”
I was in a reptile watering-hole not a moment later but not before Serrath who beat me through the entrance by a length.

“Thirsty?” I asked as
Leethea and I joined her at the bar.

“Nothing several strong drinks won’t quench.” Serrath replied as she waved down the bartender.

Chapter 54

“I suppose you’ve been thinking about how we’re going to accomplish what we have to accomplish?” Serrath asked as she set her empty tankard down. A small wisp of white steam curled up out of the tankard and quickly dissipated. Toxic stuff.

“Pretty much all I’ve been thinking about.” I said as I put my empty tankard down.

“Why do I feel so reassured?” Leethea asked.

“Maybe it’s the crowd of bodyguards.” Serrath responded to Leethea and then turned to me; “I thought it was every reptile for himself? How are we going to get to kill anybeing with all those guards in the way?”

“I’m sure we’ll get our opportunity.” I said as my second drink arrived and faintly I thought I heard the sound of far-off blaster-fire. I wasn’t the only one. Suddenly every Fsyth in the bar was attentive. I downed my drink and then turned to the Fsyth in the bar surrounding me. The watering-hole was full of Fsyth and for as far out into the corridor as I could see from my vantage. This would never do. One concerted round of blaster fire would take hundreds of us but most importantly I felt enclosed by my own soldiery. Flesh was not a good barricade against blaster fire. I was going to be out in the open where I was mobile and I didn’t mean with a crowd of Fsyth betraying my every movement. “Fsyth disperse.” I said as I headed for the exit. “It’s every Fsyth for himself. No reptile is to follow me!” It goes without saying that Serrath and Leethea were hot on my heels, but they weren’t really reptiles so really didn’t count.

There was a lift tube
not a dozen steps from the entrance to the watering-hole and moments after that we were ejected into a corridor hundreds of stories below where we had just been. The only chance the Fsyth would have to survive until the rest of our forces could arrive was to make every Fsyth life cost as much as was possible. How could I be so sure the Emperor of the Vaes would arrive with every fighter at his disposal, every ship packed to the gunwales- because that would be the response I would give if one of my own planets was attacked. The Queen had broken their own rule and so there was no doubt in this reptile’s mind that the Vaes Emperor would come with everything he had. And now he was here though here was a big place. I looked at the blaster on my hip and both Serrath and Leethea caught what I was thinking. This blaster and the one on my other hip as well as those the females were carrying all carried secondary functionality. I think the look in my eye was clear indication of what I intended. We would see once and for all just how powerful the Kievor’s AI was with the extra data surplus of two entire reptilian races doing battle in the corridors of the Station and the general mayhem that would cause.

“
You only live once.” Serrath said as we found ourselves at the bar of yet another watering-hole. I had never known Tanya, Meerla or Serrath to need liquid courage before an adventure but it was upon her heels that Leethea and I found ourselves as Serrath led us into the reptilian establishment and up to the bar. Not that I wouldn’t have a drink or three as well since we were already here. The rule I held for myself when it came to piloting I steadfastly held to the opposite when it came to this close-combat street-fighting stuff. I couldn’t explain the how’s or why’s of my success but maybe it was the fact that it was only my life I would be losing if intoxicated reflexes were slow to the draw and secretly I had a death wish that try as I might I couldn’t seem to fulfill. Who could really say? Not this insignificant being.

“I’ll have a double of whatever he’s having.” Leethea said nodding her head in my direction when the reptile bartender finally made his insolent way over to serve us. I supposed he could be insolent with the miniature auto-cannon mounted in the far corner of the bar and hooked to a computer that would shoot first and not know
any questions to ask. I made a mental note not to make any threatening gestures in the bartender’s direction no matter how insolent he might become. Enmity was my natural environment and I wallowed in it like a pig in his slops.

“I think we had better drink these quickly.” I said once we had received our drinks and the
slightly more subservient bartender- with fat tip nestled safely in his account- had gone to make our second round. Our cups would be empty by the time he returned. We saluted one another, clinking our glasses together, then poured our drinks down our necks and slammed the empty unbreakable carbon glasses on the bar simultaneously to let the bartender know to hurry up. I felt the immediate narcotic effect of the drink and my immediate future seemed to brighten. If I was really to think about it I supposed I had fewer qualms about blowing away whole corridors filled with beings while I was slightly- or more- intoxicated but I wondered what Serrath’s reason was.

“Cheers to our death!” I said as I slammed my cup down.

“Cheers.” They replied. The bartender was returned and we sent him for our thirds. I poured mine down my neck only a moment after Serrath and only a moment before Leethea. This one would almost do the trick I decided as I felt it immediately enter my bloodstream. Serrath looked about ready to storm hell with a bucket of water and Leethea… she had the craziest look in her eyes that I have ever seen there, wrong-slitted eyes or not.

“You going to be all right?” I asked Leethea. I wasn’t quite sure.

“I’ve never been better.” Leethea replied. Our drinks arrived and so had the time of reckoning. I actually took a sip of this one first, might as well have a little taste, before pouring the rest down my neck. It was time to pay the piper.