22


Chief Squad Leader Locke must’ve been squared away, because he arrived in his shuttle minutes later. We greeted him in the airlock, and I realized he had to be a relative of Karn.
I also suspected that chief squad leader was a significantly higher rank than I had assumed. His uniform was far more utilitarian than the general’s outfit, but he had stripes on his arms and his collar. He also carried himself like he deserved respect.
The man was shorter than Karn, and very thick through the shoulders. It was difficult to tell much else about him because he wore an environment suit, a clear-faced helmet, and the gloves this type of equipment required.
“I’m CSL Locke. I’m to take you to the planet for a meeting with the president,” he said.
“The president?” As a professional assassin, I was amazed we would be taken straight to the leader of this planet.
“General Karn explained that you would be talking to his boss,” Locke stated. “He also said you are on a tight schedule, so let’s get moving.”
I introduced Elise and he introduced ten of his men who were armed and wearing non-powered armor.
“They won’t be coming on the mission with us,” he said. “They are to secure your ship for the duration.”
“That’s not gonna happen,” I said.
CSL Locke stiffened but said nothing.
“We need that fuel,” Elise said, shifting her stance like she was ready to fight but would wait for my signal.
The soldiers watched her. They were pros and had to know she was getting ready for combat. What they thought of this was hard to guess.
“Path, are you watching the airlock?” I asked.
“I am, Reaper,” he said.
“Can you take them?” I was hopeful but not sure.
“One at a time or all at once?” Path asked.
“Who are you talking to?” Locke demanded.
“The head of my own security element,” I answered. “We’re linked by my computer.” The word didn’t describe X-37 well, but I wasn’t about to share all of our secrets to these people.
“Nice improvisation,” X-37 commented.
Locke seemed thoughtful, his eyes narrowing as he considered me again. “You won’t be able to maintain contact with your computer on the surface, or especially after you embark upon the president’s mission.”
I wasn’t about to explain how wrong he was. “Let me worry about that. This doesn’t sound like a very secret mission.”
“Everyone knows about the crisis,” Locke said. “Now if you’ll allow my squad access to your ship, I can get you down to the planet. The clock is ticking, sir.”
“Their gear is simplistic, but they appear to be professionals,” X-37 said. “Their uniforms contain more ornamentation than the tactical gear common to Union troops on deployment.”
“Thanks, X,” I murmured.
“Are we going to have a problem, sir?” Locke asked.
His men shifted uneasily. They were professionals, but two of them were green replacements, which suggested this was a society at war with someone, or each other.
“Path, make arrangements for our visitors,” I ordered.
“Already done, Reaper. I’ve set up the lounge to resemble a bridge,” Path said.
“There is a forty-seven percent chance they will see through this ruse and become violent,” X-37 said without including our guests on the conversation.
“I’m always prepared for that,” Path said calmly.
The interior door opened. Path stepped through, looking Locke and his men up and down. “Come with me.”
“Go,” Locke said to his squad.
When they were gone, Locke moved closer. “I don’t want trouble, sir.”
“I’m sure we’ll be best friends,” I said. “As long as your people don’t turn out to be another version of the Union.”
Locke nodded. Short, stocky, and all business, I already wished he was part of my crew. Hopefully, nothing that happened in the next several hours changed my opinion of the soldier.
“You work directly for Karn?” I asked.
“Yes, sir,” he answered.
“You’ll have to explain your chain of command sometime,” I said.
“Of course,” Locke said, then waved us inside the shuttle.
We strapped in and held on as the chief squad leader flew us to the surface—obviously believing he was a hot-shot fighter jock.
Elise laughed loudly during the hardest turns, which made Locke smile—something I hadn’t expected the man to do.
“We’re landing in the presidential palace. Don’t stare at her bodyguards. If they tell you to do something, comply immediately,” Locke warned.
The shuttle touched down on a landing pad amidst the sprawling gardens of the Wallach presidential palace. The guards, as it turned out, wore mechanized exoskeletons that made them nearly seven feet tall.
“There are more guards in the garden than you realize,” X-37 said. “Look closely and you will see several standing along the wall that have vines growing out of their gear—living camouflage. Just remember they are there and consider they are both more clever and dangerous than we initially assumed.”
“Sure thing, X,” I replied almost inaudibly.
I couldn’t see through the darkened helmet visors of the non-camouflaged soldiers. They watched us without issuing orders through their voice boxes. The only part of their gear that was powered was the exoskeleton—which I assumed made them stronger, faster, and more intimidating than anyone else on Wallach. The armor they wore on their body, however, was unpowered just like Locke’s men wore.
“Stay close to me,” Locke said. “I’ll try to keep you out of trouble. Please remember my warnings. The Presidential Guards are authorized to shoot anyone who steps out of line—and I mean even one step in a direction they don’t like.”
“Noted,” I said. “You hear the man, Elise? Is X translating fast enough for you to keep up with the conversation?”
“Not stepping out of line. Got it. X is doing a great job,” she answered, swaggering like a gunslinger with her pistol on her hip and a sword Path had recently given her strapped across her back. “Their language is easy to pick up if you pay attention.”
“Your young charge has an affinity for languages,” Locke observed.
“She’s not my charge. Do we need to check our weapons before we meet the president?” I asked.
“No. Is that how they do things where you are from? Is there no honor among your assassins that they would approach a target under a flag of truce and then violate their host’s trust?” Locke asked.
“Well, things are different in the Union. Let’s just leave it at that,” I said.
“Keep your weapons. I hope you are not false. An incident now would dishonor me, my family, and my superior—and result in an extreme amount of violence by the Presidential Guards,” Locke said.
“Is there anything else I should know?” I asked.
“Actually, sir, there is one thing you might want to prepare yourself for,” he said. “Her appearance can… affect someone who has never seen her.”
“Just come out and say it, Chief,” I said, seeing something in his expression that made me think he wasn’t warning me she was a horribly disfigured freak like me.
“She’s quite stunning, sir,” he said. “She’s also very popular and very competent. No one else could’ve achieved the things she’s achieved since the crisis began.”
“Good to know. I’ll be on my best behavior,” I assured him.
We entered the palace with CSL Locke a step ahead of me and to my left. There were already guards inside the audience room, so the others didn’t follow in their powerful exoskeleton gear. I heard them stomping to their new positions near the entrance to the chamber.
The woman who strode toward us was breathtaking. Tall and confident, she wore a green version of General Karn’s uniform, but with almost no adornment. The high collar was ringed in platinum embroidered bands, as were the cuffs of her formal coat.
Her hair...was amazing—thick, luxurious, and red. She’d had it braided into a rope that looked magical.
“Reaper Cain, your heart rate is significantly elevated. Is that because there is a powerful antenna woven through her hair braid?” X-37 advised. “I assure you this is not inherently dangerous, but a communication boost of some sort.”
I inconspicuously made a series of hand movements to tell X-37 that I was busy and couldn’t talk.
“I’m also detecting several indicators that she has nerve-ware,” X-37 said helpfully.
I really wanted to ask for clarification. Instead, I received the handshake of the President of Wallach.
“Greetings,” she said, firmly shaking my hand. “I’m told your name’s Halek Cain. I’m Amanda Coronas, President of Wallach.”
“Good to meet you,” I said, holding her gaze. “I’ve met presidents before, and they usually had somebody announce them.”
“Is that a criticism of my lack security or a compliment?” she asked with a confidential smile that undid me.
“No, of course not. I mean, you have your Presidential Guards. I mean, it’s a compliment. The handshake is very welcoming,” I stuttered.
“Very smooth, Reaper Cain,” X-37 commented unhelpfully.
Amanda Coronas, president of an entire planet, leaned near enough to breathe on me and spoke softly. “You’re augmented. Are you a world leader among your people?”
“No,” I managed.
“No? Are your people so wealthy that they augment everyone?” she asked, pulling back, then darting her eyes briefly toward Elise. “She’s not augmented. The swordsman on your ship wasn’t augmented despite his confidence.”
Her statement revealed a lot, including the fact that Karn’s team had briefed her thoroughly.
“I’m an outlaw,” I said.
“That is what my warden tells me,” said. “There must be more to your story. Perhaps your family fell from favor, or maybe you are an exiled prince.”
Elise burst into laughter.
“The young woman has excellent hearing and understands me, apparently,” she said. “I thought I was being discreet.”
“She’s one of a kind,” I muttered as I gave Elise a signal to shut it.
Amanda Coronas stepped back, her demeanor businesslike now. “Your arm is cybernetic. To what purpose? Is it a tool or a weapon?”
“A little of both,” I said.
“You’re a soldier?”
“I’m a specialist.” There was nothing I could say to minimize more accurate descriptors like assassin or enforcer.
“I see.” She consulted with her advisors. The men and women she summoned to her side watched me like I was dangerous.
“You give off that vibe,” Elise said.
“What vibe?” I felt my cigar pouch and decided, why the hell not?
“Like you’re going to kill everyone in the room,” Elise clarified.
I nursed the Gronic Fats to life.
“I can’t take you anywhere,” Elise said, turning red with embarrassment.
“What do you think you’re doing?” a presidential aide said. The guards around the edge of the room shifted weapons just enough to remind me how totally outgunned I was.
The President of Wallach pushed past the enraged advisor. “Yes, Mr. Cain, what do you think you’re doing not sharing?”
Maybe Elise was more surprised than I was at what happened next, but it was hard to say.
The president took my cigar, put it to her very sultry lips, and inhaled.
I waited for her to gag, but she merely held it away from her and considered it. “Interesting. Are you a connoisseur?”
“Yeah, I guess I am. You?” I responded.
“Hardly, but I thought I might save you from the scorn of my people. My predecessor was a big fan of cigars—very well known for sharing them with trusted friends.”
“Is that what we are now?” I asked.
“Perhaps we are,” she answered.
“Who was your predecessor? Some ass-kicking war hero or something?” I asked, chatting her up like we were going to be friends.
“He was my father,” she said. “A good man, but simple and shortsighted. Walk with me, Mr. Cain. I’ve convinced them you’re worth a shot. Whoever you are, and wherever you’re from, we can make a deal if you can do something for us.”
I followed her to a holo table in the next room. Her guards, presidential aides, and other politicians surrounded us as we moved and watched me like I was rabid predator.
Which I was, of course.
“There is a creature hunting our maintenance crews and damaging the lower levels of our power plant. If the reactor melts down, we won’t be able to evacuate fast enough,” she said, then pointed to several key areas on the power plant schematics as she explained details.
“What percentage of Wallach’s population can realistically escape this planet before there is a massive nuclear incident?” I asked, noting the power plant was bigger than any I’d ever seen or heard of. It was like an entire town of reactors.
“Five percent will survive,” she said. “For how long, there is no way to tell. The void is not bristling with habitable planets.”
I knew she was wrong, sort of, but didn’t interrupt. X-37 advised me the locals knew about slip tunnels but believed they were nearly as dangerous as a nuclear meltdown with the potential to crack their planet and ruin the atmosphere forever.
“What can you tell me about the creature?” I asked.
“Less than I would like, but I can have my neural computer send information to yours,” she said, holding my gaze. “If you can keep a confidence.”
“I’m good at keeping secrets,” I said without thinking. “It comes with the job.”
“I bet it does,” she said too quietly for anyone but me to hear. “Very few people on Wallach have neural-comps; your unit is telling mine he is called a nerve-ware limited artificial intelligence.”
“X, are you talking to her LAI without telling me?” I demanded.
“I was going to tell you later, Reaper Cain,” X-37 said.
“I bet you were,” I snorted. “We’re going to have a serious talk after this.”
“Of course, Reaper Cain,” X-37 said.
I squared off with Amanda Coronas. “We need some ground rules.”
“I agree,” she said. “Please calm yourself before you upset my guards. They’re very protective.”
“Your heart rate and blood pressure are not improving, Reaper Cain,” X-37 said.
“I know that, X. It’s not every day I get betrayed by my digital best friend,” I said.
“You’re being dramatic,” X said.
Elise, who had been watching with unconcealed interest, crossed her arms almost like she had heard my LAI.
“Are you talking to everyone?” I asked.
“I am keeping Elise in the loop via her earbud since we are on a dangerous mission among strangers we can’t trust,” X-37 explained.
“Well, yeah. Sure,” I said, noticing that Amanda was watching me carefully as she waited with surprising patience. Ignoring my backstabbing, promiscuous LAI, I focused on the amazingly attractive redhead who was the most powerful person on Wallach.
“Will you help us?” she asked.
“Sure,” I answered with foolhardy confidence. “Just get the fuel ready for my friends on the Bold Freedom and point where I need to go. One nuclear power plant vandalizing monster pelt coming up.”
“He means he will take the job,” X-37 said to the president’s LAI, or neural-comp as she called it. I could only hear one side of the conversation but assumed X wasn’t embarrassing us.