The Pilots and the Frontier
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: After all this time, you know what this means, right? Rating: K Time: About three years after my story the Pilots and the Passengers.
"Ensign Spotty!" Skinny bellowed. "Can you shut down the defensive weapons from here?"
Spotty ran to the main control station and looked it over briefly, then he began inputting commands.
"All done, sir. Weapons are inactive."
Skinny got on the radio to Rick, still in the Pika-Don.
"Rick, can you contact the Blood Rock and tell them to land the rest of the force. I can't raise them from this deep in the Sky Cave. They can come in through the main space dock."
"I can and will, Skinny."
The long, lean shape of the cruiser just managed to squeeze into the space dock's opening and began disgorging six hundred Kzin troops, well-armed and armored like their comrades already inside.
Meanwhile, Moecious, who was well known to the inhabitants of the Sky Cave went on the public communications system to assure everyone that General Skinny was only interested in overthrowing Wha An and had no intention of changing everything that made the Sky Cave so profitable. That was not strictly the truth, but only a few anti-Imperial organizations would discover this.
So as to disguise his true rank and importance in the Patriarchy, Skinny referred to himself as General Skinny. If word got out that he was a Patriarchal duke, no one would believe that someone so high in the Patriarchy wasn't working for the Patriarchy and the Empire.
Few of Wha An's troops surrendered. They knew they were hated by the inhabitants of the Sky Cave and even if the Kzin allowed them to honorably surrender, they'd never survive the wrath of the people they'd oppressed. And many of the inhabitants of the Sky Cave were the kind of people who could make death a very painful experience.
When Wha An's quarters were over run, he was found dead by his own hand. Hologams of his dead body were broadcast all over the Sky Cave to assure people he was truly dead and no longer a menace to them.
Then General Skinny spoke to his new subjects.
"I am General (Growl), called by humans, General Skinny. I am the younger son of a very large Kzin clan. Because of my youth, the best I could hope for would be a long slog leading to being no more than being the governor of a small province on my family's world. I became aware of the existence and location of this place quite by accident and decided to emulate the Kzin of old by conquering it."
"Have no fears for your personal safety, or for your property and income. I will be reinstating the laws and taxes in force during the reign of the old Lord of the Sky Cave."
When Skinny was done, he was approached by one of his officers.
"General, we've found Wah An's interrogation center. There's someone you need to see."
In the interrogation chamber was an obese and well dressed human, and a naked human female. The female was on her knees and shivering and crying. As Skinny approached, she lost control of her bladder.
"You are the interrogator?" Skinny demanded.
The man bowed.
"I am, General Skinny. You will find my methods are the most modern and up to date. We do not use crude torture here, no indeed. We use chemicals that induce the subject to cooperate fully with us. While the woman looks damaged now, I assure you that in twenty-four hours, she'll be fine."
"You sent word that I should see this woman. Why?"
"She's an Imperial Intelligence agent." He turned to the woman. "Silla, please tell the nice general who you work for."
"I work for the Imperial Central Intelligence Organization." She said in a low, dull voice.
Skinny nodded and smiled.
"Many years ago, a very wise human said, "You'll get more with a kind word and a gun than you'll get with a kind word alone."."
The interrogator nodded. Then, very briefly a sense of shock and disbelief ran through his mind as Skinny's vibro knife opened him from the crotch to his Adam's apple.
"However, I prefer to use my own people for that." Skinny said turning to the Kzin officer. "See to it that's she's cared for. An ICIO agent here will complicate things."
Skinny, Moecious, Rick and Kate met to decide what to do about the ICIO agent.
"She knows me." Moecious said. "She's the same Silla I met when I picked up the package at G/3. I've read the dossier they made on her when she was interrogated. She's ICIO all right. Low level, but ICIO. And, she doesn't know anything about anyone else in either Naval Intelligence or the ICIO. This is one time that a strict need to know policy helps us."
Skinny shook his head.
"Technically, we have no authority from either the Empire or the Patriarchy to take over the Sky Cave. It's not at all in the jurisdiction of the Patriarchy and we have no idea what plans the Empire has for it. We do know that the Empire is very interested in the place. However, they're still trying to absorb the Glimmer Reach and may not have any immediate plans for it. Then again, they just might."
"Worse comes to worse, we'll be in the middle of a gigantic pissing contest between Naval Intelligence and the ICIO. And you know who'll get pissed on." Rick added.
"I think the best thing to do is to continue with our cover story with this Silla. I'm a free-lance Kzin who gathered a band from his clan and attacked the Sky Cave. No official connection to the Empire or the Patriarchy. Now, how do we sell this to Silla?"
Silla woke up to find a large, furry, but familiar face looking down on her.
"Citizen Cervesa, what are you doing here. Where am I? What happened?"
Moecious smiled at the woman.
"You're in Doctor Patel's clinic here in the Sky Cave. There's been a change of ownership of the Sky Cave. Wha An is dead as are most of his people. General (Growl), that is General Skinny to humans, is in charge. Although I suppose I should refer to him as Lord Skinny, the Lord of the Sky Cave."
"How do you come to be here?" The woman asked.
"Happenstance. Once I got to my ship with the data cube, I went to a set of coordinates in deep space, near the exact middle of no place. When, after five days with no one showing up to take the cube, I headed for an airless moon in an uninhabitable solar system where I was told I'd find a very small domed facility. All I found was a very large radioactive crater."
"As I'm sure you know, my work is arranged through a series of anonymous cutouts. I had no idea who I was working for and they had no idea who I was. That's very safe for both parties unless things go disastrously wrong."
"As it happens, I know General Skinny. His clan has their own military including their own intelligence and cryptographic personnel. I took the cube to him. I don't know all of what they found on the cube, but they did find the coordinates for the Sky Cave. General Skinny decided to take it over." Moecious laughed. "He is one of those people who feels it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than for permission. I do believe the Patriarchy was happy to see the last of him. I believe they thought he was something of a loose cannon."
"I mentioned to Skinny that I already knew where the Sky Cave was and could be a help to him and so, here I am."
"You've operated as a smuggler from the Sky Cave?" Silla asked.
"Actually, I own a tavern here. I'm known as Moecious locally. I'd appreciate you using that name."
"What will happen to me?"
"Lord Skinny has read your interrogation file and knows you're an ICIO agent. Since the Patriarchy is a part of the Empire, you'll be sent back to the Empire."
"And do what?" Silla said bitterly. "I'm a blown spy who failed in her mission. I'm not likely to be any use to the ICIO."
"How did you end up with the ICIO?" Moecious asked, being rather curious.
"I was born on G/3. I have no idea who my father was and only a vague recollection of my mother. I was taken in by an aunt who trained me to be a pickpocket. More than anything else, I wanted off that miserable rock, so while my friends got high or got laid, I studied. I learned any number of useful skills. Then my aunt got killed by a rival and I went on my own. I was asked by a man to steal a few things. I did and got paid. It wasn't until later that he told me he worked for the ICIO. And he told me that unless I worked for them, he'd leave G/3 for good but tell everyone on the moon that I was an Imperial spy. And now here I am."
"At least you got off of G/3, Silla. And if ICIO has no further use for you, I'll bet Lord Skinny can use you and if he can't, I can. I've seen you work and you're very good."
"Now, I'll take you to the Jolly Spacer so we can have lunch. It's been several hours since breakfast and I'm starved."
Moecious hadn't yet been back to the Jolly Spacer, and met his friends a block away. They were introduced as his associates. No further explanation was given to Silla and she didn't ask for any.
"Someone else took over the Jolly Spacer in my absence. He's dead, but he may have left some of his people behind. They may not be happy to be out of a job." He loosened his blaster in its holster.
The Jolly Spacer was deserted except for two people. One was huge and muscular, although no match for either Moecious or Spotty. The other was a tall, slender brunette.
"Good day. I'm Moecious and I own the Jolly Spacer." He walked to the man. "And who are you?"
"Gavits, sir. I …was in charge here."
"Bouncer?"
"Yes, sir. Bouncer and bartender. Wha An forbid anyone from having any weapons of any sort except for his people. The defensive weapons you had installed were removed, so I was brought in to keep order."
"Are you any good as a bartender?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then get behind the bar and make me an Explosive Decompression."
Gavits got behind the bar and began mixing. He handed a glass to Moecious, who took a sip.
"Not bad. You used more Delvian whiskey than I would have, but some people prefer it that way. Now, make me a Warp Core Failure."
Moecious kept asking for different drinks and Gavits kept making them.
"Okay, Gavits, now make me a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster."
Gavits put on a pair of thick gloves and a thick facemask, opened a sealed compartment behind the bar and made one.
"Hmm. Very good, Gavits. You're hired. As a bartender, not a bouncer." Moecious turned to the woman. "And who are you?"
"Genavian Gavits. He's my mate. I maintain the games here."
Moecious frowned.
"What games?"
Genavian pointed to a row of consoles in the back.
"Those are games of skill, not games of chance. You hire a console and play against your friends. Some play just for fun, but most wager against each other."
"What's the house's cut?"
Genavian shook her head.
"Nothing. We just make money from the rental. Because of that, the games are more popular. Most people think games where the house takes a cut are rigged, which they are, of course."
"You're hired as well, Genavian…."
That was as far as Moecious got before he was interrupted by a commotion outside.
Author's note: Does anyone know who the wise human was that Skinny quoted to the interrogator just before killing him? The answer will be at the end of tomorrow's exciting chapter.
TBC