The Betwixt Book One (34 page)

‘
Shut up. She's going—’

‘
Nowhere.’ A voice came over the ship's com unit, filtering in
from the ceiling above.

‘
Who are you?’ The Commander's voice couldn't hide the stress,
and crackled with anger and frustration. He didn't want to lose
hold of the situation, but things seemed to be slipping from his
control.

‘
I'm the leader of the Tarian Mercenary band,’ the voice was
clearly not Tarian, even sounded human and . . .
though I couldn't be sure, had a strangely familiar ring to
it.

The Commander remained quiet for a moment. ‘It won't take long
for my ship to detect you – if you've come in on a cruiser, you can
guarantee they will get to you before you leave orbit.’

‘
A bit late in the game to be pulling out the cavalry card,
isn't it, Commander Jason Cole?’ the voice was odd, seemed to be
straining itself to put on an overly formal tone, like it were
trying to sound professional, cavalier.

‘
I don't need the cavalry, I'm the one with all the guns.’ The
Commander's head dipped a bit, but his arms were still held out,
guns at the ready.

‘
For now. But if you want to live, if you want to come along
for the ride – then I'd drop them, if I were you.’

‘
That isn't going to happen—’

‘
The Rain Man wants you alive, it was part of his deal. He
believes it will cause too much emotional stress to Mini if we
dispose of you in usual style. He thinks she'll be less cooperative
then, less likely to help us out with one of her usual friendly
smiles.’ The voice added a short, sharp chuckle at the
end.

My lips parted, eyes crinkling with confusion. How did it know
I usually smile? Was it just a lucky guess . . .
or . . . .

‘
And you see, I really want to keep Mini on-side on this one.
She's going to be mighty helpful, if only I can find a way to make
her play ball. And that's where you are going to come in, Commander
Jason Cole. You're going to be the sweet little puppy I kick if
Mini starts to get less than cooperative.’

I felt like someone had struck me with their full might, right
in the center of my stomach. I felt like coughing and wheezing,
spluttering and gasping. Oh . . .
no . . . no, no, no – this couldn't end
well.

‘
You honestly think you are going to make it off this planet
with a citizen and a GAM officer? They'll hunt you to the ends of
the galaxy.’ If the voice's threat had affected the Commander, he
didn't show it. His voice was full of the same level of
determination, the same pitch of barely contained rage.

‘
Let them try. We may not be a match for the GAM head on, you
do spend an awful lot of money on your fancy armor, after all. But
we know how to run, how to keep quiet, how to stay undetected. And
you know that, Commander. Just as you know you have already lost
this situation—’

‘
I have not lost this situation—’

‘
Yes you have, and the sooner you put down your guns, the
sooner I don't have to break your arms to get to them. Now play
nice, or you'll get it,’ the voice changed pitches for a second,
became far deeper, far brusquer.

I knew that voice, I knew it – I just couldn't remember from
where.

‘
Who are you?’ I spoke up, croaking. ‘And what do you want with
us?’

‘
Mini, I'm glad you haven't guessed yet – I wouldn't want to
spoil the surprise. And what do I want with you? I'm the leader of
a mercenary band, I want you to help me make money. Or, more
specifically, find weapons.’

‘
What? What weapons? I don't know where there are any weapons!’
I said through a desperate laugh. I mean, it was ludicrous. If this
man, whoever he was, wanted someone to collect firearms for him, he
would have had more luck with Crag'tal – or any piece of scum he
could scrape off a passing transport or backwater
planet.

‘
No, you don't. I know where they are – I just need you to help
me get there,’ the voice had its fake, professional tone
again.

‘
None of this is going to happen. You're all talk, all
threats,’ the Commander still held his guns steady, ‘but no action.
If things are in your favor – why haven't you acted yet? You're
just some guy with a com-link – weapon-less and playing some
idiotic, see-through game – trying to get me to drop my
guns.’

‘
You have a point, Commander. I'm far more menacing in the
flesh.’ The voice cut out with an ominous buzz.

The airlock behind the Tarians began to open again. The
Commander twisted his head towards it, but then back to the Rain
Man – he was obviously having trouble deciding who was the greater
threat.

But I stared at the airlock as it disappeared into some slot
in the ship's hull. I wanted to know who that voice was,
desperately, with every itching tingle running up and down my
spine. I knew it, I knew it – but I just couldn't
remember . . . 

A figure appeared, too much fake light streaming in behind it
and making it too hard to see it properly. I could make out several
other shapes behind it, though, make out their long and heavy
guns.

They started to walk towards us. My breath slowed as I
redirected every ounce of attention on the figure, trying to make
out its features through the light.

‘
The GAM will be here any minute,’ the Commander snapped, ‘when
you opened that airlock, you gave me an opportunity to send a
message. This is all going to be over, surrender while you still
can.’

‘
I used to be a GAM, Commander. Just an engineer, but I still
know GAM reaction time. So you can't lie to me. I'd estimate we
have about five minutes to take your guns and bundle you both into
our cruiser. And as for the GAM attacking our ship before we have a
chance to leave the planet – I know the protocols, and they're
clear about not getting into ship-to-ship fire-fights in
planet-dock. Too much collateral damage.’ The man seemed to stop
just in from the airlock, his face still infuriatingly hidden by
the light.

He was a GAM, an ex GAM – but how did he know me? The
Commander was really the first galactic soldier I'd ever properly
met . . . . Ah! Who was this guy?

‘
Come on, Mini, aren't you going to come over here and give me
a hug?’

‘
Who are you?’ I asked, voice desperate.

‘
You really don't remember me? Well, I did pay a lot to have
this knew fancy voice synth installed. But still, we've known each
other for years, kid – I would have expected more from you.
Especially since you have those fancy eyes of yours.’

I peered at him again, this time concentrating with all my
might. There was an immense amount of light coming in behind the
man, far too much for it to have occurred naturally. Perhaps the
Tarians had sets of Dazzlers to give them the advantage on entry.
And even though these had no chance of working against the
Commander's light-filtering helmet, they were strong enough to play
havoc with my vision.

But the man, whoever he was, was right. Dazzlers or not, I did
have fancy eyes. I took a breath and . . . well
tried to concentrate on blocking out the light.

It took a moment, but things began to dull as my eyes took in
less and less of the light being blasted out by the Dazzlers behind
the Tarians.

That's when I could make out his round bald head, that little
half-beard he always had, and those stormy-gray eyes. I could even
see the nick of a scar above his left ear – the one he'd gotten in
a bar fight with two Hantari.

‘
You!’ I practically screamed.

‘
There you go kid, that's better, right? Really, I would have
thought you'd have more to say to me – what with leaving and not
even handing in your resignation. I wasn't too happy when you just
left, not telling me where you'd gone. So how’s about it,
Mini?’

‘
Marty.’

Chapter 19

There was a standoff in the corridor. A silent, careful,
still, standoff as I stared at my previous employer. Marty, I
couldn't believe it. After all these years at his service,
listening to his wild stories and lessons, making sure to follow
his orders, and keeping his bar clean. All that, only to find out
this.

‘
What the—’ I began.

‘
Don't say hell now, Mini, I wouldn't want to shock the
politeness right out of you. Because that's one of the great things
you've got going for you, sweetie, you're nice, genuine about it
too. You were a good kid to have behind the bar—’

‘
You're a mercenary,’ I cut in, not about to stand by and
listen to him recount the old days, when the Commander and I were
standing in the middle of a very precarious situation. Jason still
had his arms outstretched, guns pointed both at the Tarians and the
Rain Man.

‘
No,’ Marty put up one thick finger, the one with the massive
nick out of the top – a scar he'd proudly received from punching a
Hantari right on its armor plated chest. ‘I'm a mercenary leader.
Hell, I leave the running around and shooting to the Tarians, they
seem to like that kind of stuff. No, me, I just organize things,
find targets, keep my ear to the ground, and follow the throb of
Central Credits.’

‘
I trusted you—’ I balled my hands up into fists. Not ordinary
fists though, not where I could feel my fingers dig into my palms,
or notice the pull of skin across my knuckles. No, these fists were
too tight – all I could feel was the squeeze as the blood slowly
left them.

‘
No, sweetie, you didn't trust me. You just knew me – and
before now, I'd never given you a reason to find me a threat.
Knowing somebody ain't trusting somebody, take that as a lesson
from a mercenary leader—’

‘
Mini, who the hell is this guy?’ Jason's voice was strained,
the electronic disturbance from his suit's helmet making it crackle
and spit.

‘
Now, now, Commander – don't interrupt. This is a reunion for
Mini and I—’

‘
Shut up – drop your weapons or I'll shoot your friends.’ The
Commander tightened his grip around the assault rifle, which was
still pointed in a straight, direct line at the Tarian Mercs in
front of him. I could hear the almost inaudible hiss of his glove's
mechanics as the Commander's fingers stretched back and forth
across the trigger, the rest of the gun braced against his
forearm.

‘
No you won't. Standard operating procedure, Commander, states
that in a situation where tactical—’

‘
I know the SOP for this situation, but I'm going to default to
shooting your ass instead.’ Jason now turned fully to face Marty,
finally tearing his gaze away from the Rain Man.

Marty laughed, and it was the same as I remembered. He began
with a sharp chuckle that ended with a strange hiccup that shook
his chest up and down like someone had just slammed into his belly
with the butt of a gun. ‘You got balls, kid, you really do. If this
were any other circumstance, I'd be getting you a free drink. But,
damn, all I got on me is this.’ Marty reached into his
pocket.

Before my former employer could pull out whatever he had
tucked away inside his standard navy-blue and white flight suit,
the Commander had already fired.

In moments that flashed by with snippets – fragments of
confused action – I watched Jason fire his rifle at the Mercs in
front of him, then plough my way and slam me to the side, till he
had us both up against the wall.

But Marty had the thing from his pocket and had thrown it our
way.

Jason put a hand flat on my chest, letting one of his guns
tumble to the ground and clatter by my feet. He pushed me backwards
with enough strength to send me tumbling and rolling behind him,
like an apple dropped from a speeding street cruiser.

‘
Get—’ he began, before the flash grenade went off.

There was a pulse of electricity, a keening, high-pitched
screech that cut through my hearing and sent me limp to the
ground.

The flash grenade had overloaded my nervous system, sent a
massive, momentary shock through my body that was more than enough
to leave me paralyzed on the floor. I watched with open eyes,
unable to close or blink them shut for even a moment. The grenade
had discharged right over the Commander, sending arcing blue
electricity cascading through his suit. He clutched at it with his
hands, as if he were trying to wipe it off, like the blue energy
was some great hive of wasps that was attacking him limb by
limb.

I could tell he was in pain, tell it hurt more than anything
my still form could feel. He let out the most strangled of cries,
before dropping to one knee.

‘
All the way down,’ Marty spat, walking up to the Commander and
placing a pulse pistol between Jason's helmet and shoulders – right
against his throat.

The Commander didn't fall to the ground, but nor did he
rise.

‘
Ha,’ Marty had that false humor in his voice again, that light
note of friendliness that I'd once admired about him. Except it was
sickening now, because I could see the real man behind it. ‘I would
have thought my modified flash grenade would have done more than
that to you, Commander. Hell, when I tested this on some
unsuspecting space pirates, they had to be taken out in little
containers. Either your GAM armor is stronger than I remember, or
you've got one hell of a point to prove.’