Eight
Planet Wayfarer
Syndicate Star System Wayfarer
17 September 2017
General Rongar's words hung in the air like a prediction of doom. And who is to say he was wrong? Looking at the holographic map of the galaxy with the rash of red dots indicating unwarranted attacks, one could surmise that a calculated campaign was already underway.
They were playing catchup with no idea who, or what, they were up against.
Cobra turned to Anyssa. "Do you have the coordinates for the transfer station?"
The princess nodded.
"What are you thinking?" Marina asked. "We already searched the station and those vessels that were still intact."
That was news to Cobra. No one had said that any ships had survived the attack. He had presumed any and all ships in the system had been destroyed outright. "You engaged in a search and rescue. I am going to conduct a search and recovery."
"For what reason?" Nash inquired.
"Because I don't believe anyone could have done all that damage and not lose a few people. I don't care how well an attack is pulled off. There are always casualties."
"He's right," Rongar put in. "As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with his assessment. I, too, find it difficult to believe there were no bodies recovered from the enemy." He did not add his speculation that any bodies discovered would not be what anyone would expect. He and Sagan had conducted more research on the star system he had sent the destroyer out to investigate. An investigation which ended in the loss of that warship. The information that turned up chilled him, but he still had to be sure. And he needed to talk to Horde Prime.
Marina fixed the general with an acid stare. "Are you saying we are incompetent? That we don't know how to conduct a proper search?"
"Of course not. I'm sure you were thorough. But as Cobra said, you searched for survivors. No recovery was initiated."
"And we don't know where this enemy will strike next," Nash added.
"Let them come," Marina spat, defiantly. "We will be ready for them."
It was no state secret that the families had armed starships. Many transports had minimal weaponry to defend themselves from pirates. Other rumors making the rounds spoke of several families purchasing old warships that had been stripped of military-grade weapons and equipment. Those families were busy restoring them as best they could with whatever black market equipment they could get their hands on.
"I guess we know who wears the pants in that family," Cobra commented to Rongar. The general snickered, despite the gravity of the discussion.
Boss Marina fumed with barely restrained anger. "You must be crazy to antagonize us."
"I'm crazy," Cobra echoed. He turned to Rongar stating, "She's the one thinking poorly armed transports and obsolete starships can stand against whatever attacked that transfer point."
Rongar shrugged absently. "It's all the corruption. It corrodes their brains."
"Nice one," Cobra replied, nodding his compliments.
The general winked in response.
"If we might get back to the matter at hand?" Boss Nash proposed. Secretly, he enjoyed seeing the only female head of a family put in her place, but he kept that pleasure carefully hidden.
"I will continue my investigation while Cobra conducts his," Rongar declared.
"And what exactly do you plan on doing?" Marina demanded, tersely.
"It's better if you don't know."
The boss muttered something about a typical Hordling response.
"I trust you will contact us with any new developments?" Cobra asked. "In the spirit of cooperation in this endeavor." As long as it lasts, he added silently.
Anyssa spoke up before any of the bosses could, particularly Boss Marina. "The Horde and the Val-kyrie are in agreement that this is not the work of either of our governments. So, it would be to our advantage to pool our information in an effort to identify the real enemy."
"And then what? You already know we can't stand against whoever is conducting these attacks. Will either of your governments come to our aid if we call for help?" Boss Lazar asked.
Anyssa looked to General Rongar. His nod of assent was almost imperceptible. "As an official representative of my government, I am authorized to pledge such support should you call for it."
Much to everyone's amazement, General Rongar added his affirmation that the Horde would assist if called upon for help. Cobra wondered just how much latitude the man had to make such an assurance. He had the sudden thought that Horde Prime might not know the general was present at the meeting. Or maybe he didn't care. Either way, the man was going out on a limb joining this temporary alliance against a common enemy.
Cobra's respect for him went up a few notches.
With nothing new to discuss, the meeting adjourned.
Cobra shoved back his chair and rose. Anyssa followed his lead, taking her place in front of Jon and Apone and following Cobra and Teelana.
Taking back the rifle from Jon, Cobra said to the general, "You might want to leave through one of the back entrances."
Frowning, Rongar asked, "Why?"
Instead of answering, Cobra turned to the three bosses. "Which one of you clowns is responsible for the lookouts?"
All three looked confused.
"You do have surveillance systems installed? Take a look on the left. Up the street about a hundred yards."
Boss Lazar touched the control pad set in the table's surface, brought up the feed from on of the external cameras. He focused it on the location Cobra told him. The vehicle was still parked outside with the occupants intently watching the front entrance.
"Well?" Cobra prodded, steel in his voice.
Nash and Marina shook their heads. "They are no one in our employ," Lazar said.
"They could be waiting for you," Rongar pointed out.
Cobra shook his head. "They perked up when you stepped out of the alley and crossed the street. We crossed further away and came in the back. After you had already entered. They never saw us."
Cobra's meaning became clear. The group was waiting for Rongar. The bosses knew of the meeting though only three showed up for it. Apparently, someone had other ideas.
"The back it is, then," the general decided.
With one last scathing look at the three bosses, Cobra left the council chamber. His group parted ways with the Horde general in the back alley.
"Watch your back," Cobra advised.
"Sound advice at any time," Rongar assured him.
As they did before, Cobra's group crossed the crowded street in ones and twos. The lookouts were still intent on finding Rongar, so the crossing went unnoticed. Cobra watched for anyone in front paying more attention than usual, while Apone watched their backtrail. The others observed the sides. They were minutes away from the hangar when Gabe called.
"There seems to be a problem," Gabe said.
Cobra's warped sense of humor decided to come out. "Yeah. We're posing as bounty hunters and royal escorts when we could be enjoying nature while fishing. Or seeing a good movie with gratuitous explosions."
"Or even a bad movie with gratuitous explosions," Jon added.
"Or a – what do you call it? – a chick flick," Teelana inserted.
Cobra could see Gabe rolling his eyes. "I mean near the hangar where the Horde shuttle is docked," Gabe elaborated, not quite hiding an exasperated sigh. "Miriam broke into the city surveillance systems-"
"Which was pathetically easy," the AI broke in.
"-and found a group of humans and aliens strung out around the bay," Gabe finished.
The group stopped and stepped out of the traffic flow to process the report. "Miriam, patch me through to that shuttle on the frequency Rongar provided."
"Just what do you think I am?" the AI responded, indignant.
Without missing a beat, Cobra replied, "A homicidal AI installed in a powerful starship forever in search of things to blow up."
A slight pause, then, "Just so we have an understanding," Miriam said. "Channel open."
"Who is this?" an unfamiliar voice demanded.
"Who is this?" Cobra asked.
"Sagan. Who are you?"
"Someone calling to warn you that your general is walking into a trap."
After a pause, Sagan replied. "They will regret it. He came here under a flag of truce."
Cobra began moving toward the hangar again, pace quickened as much as possible with the current foot traffic. "Well, someone doesn't care about that. Warn him to go to ground. If he tries to shoot it out, you'll be looking for a new general." Cobra cut the connection and dialed up Boss Nash.
"That was fast," the boss said.
"Find out who those men belong to. They are laying in wait for Rongar near his shuttle."
"Can you assist him?"
"We're too far away. If you can get me a name and location of their owner, I can do something," Cobra assured the boss.
"Will their owner be upset?" Nash asked, sounding a touch hopeful.
"That or dead. His choice." Cobra closed the channel before the boss could reply.
The group covered the remaining distance to the starship in record time. No one lay in wait for them, but then, anyone trying to waylay them would have been stupid to do so. Miriam already had the loading platform lowered; scrambling aboard, Teelana punched the button to raise the platform. It seemed to take forever, but took only about a minute.
Cobra dropped his rifle and coat at the back of the cockpit. Teelana threw her cape and hood atop it. Both hurried into their positions while Anyssa and Jon took the port and starboard stations respectively. Gabe and Apone stood over the display table, examining a map of the spaceport and city.
Ladyhawke lifted off and soared away to the north. Cobra reasoned that whoever was disregarding the truce, he had to be in the city, or close to it. The crime families were so rich they could afford homes all over the planet. And probably did.
Boss Nash finally got back to him minutes after Cobra decided on an orbital flight pattern. "The soldiers, if you want to call them that, belong to Boss Drexer. He is currently residing in his home northeast of the city."
Altering course, Cobra asked for details on the home's proximity to the city, probable number of people in residence, and whether the boss's family was with him. Nash could provide details on the grounds and the amount of personnel Drexer normally had with him. According Nash, the man's family usually stayed at the main residence located in a city on the northern part of the continent. Cobra thanked him and closed the channel.
"Why do you care if the man's family is home? The Val-kyrie don't."
"I want make a statement," Cobra told the AI. "Not rack up a body count."
Miriam actually sounded like she was pouting. "Couldn't we do both?"
Ignoring the bloodthirsty artificial intelligence, Cobra deliberately concentrated on his piloting.
"Are we really going to save a Horde general?" Jon asked unnecessarily.
"We are today," Cobra answered.
Gabe finally found the location using the display's scroll function. Teelana plugged in the coordinates, and Cobra shot off across the sky. Miriam reluctantly opened a channel to General Rongar's commlink relayed through his shuttle. Sounds of laser weapon discharges and impacts flooded the cockpit.
"Everything all right, general," Cobra asked.
Several more discharges sounded off before Rongar responded. "Fine. Just another day on a planet run by crime families."
"Is your position secure?"
Snapping off several answering shots, Rongar responded grimly, "As secure as I can make it. Wish I had a rifle instead of this stupid pistol!"
Chuckling, Cobra said, "Hold on a little longer. I'm seeing what I can do to get you out of there."
Misinterpreting Cobra's intent, Rongar advised, "Don't. There are too many people around, even though these guys have pretty much chased off the pedestrians."
"Not to worry. I'm going straight to the source. Standby."
Boss Drexer was not happy. His men spotted the Horde general entering the council building. They briefly lost track of the man when he left via a back entrance about forty-five minutes later, but had managed to re-acquire the target on his way back to the waiting shuttle. Nash, Dariand and Marina might be willing to debase themselves to the level of meeting with the man in good faith, but he had lost too much in the attack on the transfer nexus to let the Horde off so easily. He had seen the sensor images just as the other bosses, but he didn't buy the explanation the Horde abandoned the plan of using an old battlestar to frame the Val-kyrie. As a matter of fact, he did not believe the Val-kyrie wouldn't stoop to hitting virtually unarmed targets like a transfer nexus. He knew they would if it served their purpose.
His troops surrounding the hangar had caught sight of the general, as expected. What wasn't expected was a warning reaching him in time for Rongar to narrowly avoid the trap. Currently, his men had the general pinned a scant fifty meters from the safety of his ship. However, the niche he had taken refuge in ensured that while he couldn't reach his ship, Drexer's men could not reach the general without taking losses. Even now, several foolish men had been cut down by Rongar's sharpshooting. It was a standoff, and Drexer did not have any more men close by to send in the break the stalemate.
Ranting and raving at his men did not help. There had to be a way to turn this to his advantage. Glaring about the lavish office, Drexer fumed in irritation. The comm sounded, chiming insistently. Snapping it up, Drexer pressed it to his right ear. "Talk to me," he barked.
"Don't bark at me in that tone of voice, Drexer. It may work with your foot soldiers, but I've killed for less," Cobra growled menacingly.
"Who is this?"
"Don't you just hate it when carefully laid plans get flushed down the crapper?"
Drexer snapped the handset away from his ear for moment, perplexed. "Who the hell is this?" he demanded again.
"Look out your front window."
Drexer walked over to the bank of windows and snapped a shear drapery panel aside. There was nothing out there but the back of the estate and a stunning view of the spaceport to the southwest.
"The other front window," the voice pointed out in irritation.
Frowning, the boss strode across the room, expensive boots clomping on the wood floor as he went. The door slid open when he punched the control panel. Stepping out on the balcony running across the back of the house, Drexer's eyes scanned the open floor plan of the common area and front entrance. Several expectant faces turned up to stare at their boss. At a gesture, one man hastened to work the controls that operated the motorized drapes blocking the massive picture windows.
Boss Drexer was a thin man with an athletic build. He was no pushover. While his frame was not covered in ropey masses of muscles, he could hold his own a fight due to his knowledge of martial arts. Drexer had had a few close calls in past fights, but he always managed to come out on top.
The sight greeting him as the draperies rolled back almost made him implode in his britches. Hovering approximately a thousand yards away, and over a thousand feet up, was a starship all the bosses had become familiar with over the past several months.
"Cobra," Drexer hissed at a near whisper. As he watched the blue panels on the outrigger pods on the sides of the fuselage parted horizontally and retracted to reveal the weapons hidden there.
"Yes," Cobra cooed, smoothly. His voice hardened, demanding, "Call off your dogs, Drexer. General Rongar came to Wayfarer under a family-issued flag of truce."
"You don't give me orders, bounty hunter. I'm not afraid of you."
Cobra expected that answer. With a deft touch, he tilted the bow down slightly and lined up on the first target. A ten-foot wall encircled the compound sixty meters out from the main building. There was absolutely no cover anywhere inside the compound, so everyone patrolling the grounds was clearly visible.
Squeezing gently, Cobra sent twin streams of plasma bolts into the wall. Sweeping from left to right, reinforced masonry exploded in clouds of dust and debris, sending the patrolling hardmen scrambling for nonexistent cover. The iron gates lay in scattered, twisted pieces across the hard-packed grounds.
"Let the general leave unharmed, Drexer. He's not your enemy," Cobra warned. "Make no mistake, boss, I have no qualms about ending you right here and now. No one will come running to your aid, I'm sure."
Boss Drexer did something one should never, ever do. Especially to someone with Cobra's reputation: Try and call his bluff. "You're bluffing. Even you wouldn't kill a boss without consulting the others."
Cobra shifted to target two. "Miriam, set quantum torpedoes to one-quarter power." When she reluctantly acknowledged, he launched a torpedo straight into a small structure - likely a vehicle garage – sitting due west of the main building. The building erupted in a spectacular fireball and sent more soldiers diving for non-existent cover.
Making sure Drexer heard his next orders to the AI, Cobra commanded, "Miriam, back us off to minimum safe distance, set plasma levels to maximum and ready two torpedoes."
Miriam took control, lifting the starship another thousand feet and backing away to almost mile. "That structure is so flimsy, one torpedo at max yield will be more than enough. Two will likely turn the entire compound into a smoking crater," she advised.
"I'm good with that," Cobra told her. "How 'bout it, Drexer? Wanna see firsthand what a quantum torpedo can do? The Val-kyrie say it's quite a sight to behold. For a split second, anyway."
"You won't do it. The other bosses won't stand for it," Drexer declared. He put as much bravado into his voice as he could, but he couldn't hide a touch of uncertainty.
"Prove it," Cobra challenged.
He couldn't, of course. None of the bosses made lasting alliances. What happened to one family stayed with that family.
The hardmen down in the common area stared nervously up at their boss. Their loyalty usually went unquestioned. Facing annihilation by a bounty hunter in command of a starship loaded with Val-kyrie tech was pushing things a bit far. Several were on the verge of cutting and running in an instant.
The comm unit chimed insistently in Drexer's hand. His thumb slid to the appropriate button to switch lines. "What?" he snapped.
"This is Dariand. I'm here with Nash and Marina," Dariand said, evenly. "We have been hearing and seeing everything. We have taken a vote. It was unanimous. If you don't allow General Rongar to leave peacefully to help discover who is attacking us out in space, we hereby authorize the bounty hunter Cobra to level your estate. With you inside it."
"Make your choice," Cobra added. Miriam had tapped into Drexer's comm system, so he heard the decision the three bosses had come to. "Make it a good one."
Growling, Drexer cut the two calls, punched in another code for the man leading the capture team. He spoke briefly with the man, practically shouted at him when the guy questioned his boss's orders. Drexer stabbed the button to end the call and viciously threw the handset against the nearest wall, shattering it.
"You still there, general?" Cobra asked.
"Right here. Looks like they are pulling back. Do I want to know what you did?"
Cobra grinned. "Well, I wouldn't want to give you any ideas." The sound of a laser discharging punctuated the silence. "General?"
"Nothing to worry about. One thug thought he would still try and take me. Sadly, he won't learn from his mistake."
Cobra sagged in his seat. "Get to your shuttle and get out as quick as you can. I will cover you."
Minutes later, Miriam reported the Horde shuttle taking off from the hanger ad arrowing for the stars. Cobra powered down the weapon systems, dull thunks marking the closing of the armored hatches over the weapons bays. Engaging the thrusters, Cobra guided the starship into a speeding turn as tight as the ship could make it, building up speed as it went, and executing a flyby at several hundred feet over the estate at just over Mach one. The shockwave rattled the building down to the foundations, causing more panic inside the structure.
Ladyhawke easily caught up to the shuttle as it cleared the atmosphere. With the MASC system engaged, Rongar would not be able to scan the starship. Flying in its wake meant he wouldn't get a visual look, either.
"Call me when you have something. I will do the same," the general said.
"As soon as we have something, you'll be the first I call," Cobra promised. The weirdness of working with a Horde general was not lost on him.
"I have one request, though," Rongar added.
"Which is?"
"When we speak next, drop the disguises. I know who you really are."
Frowning, Cobra said, cautiously, "If you knew, why not expose us?"
"Because it amuses me. Especially after what I saw today." Rongar closed the channel.
Both starships jumped into hyperspace on different vectors. When they were safely on their way, Cobra and Teelana climbed out of their seats and walked to the back of the cockpit to pick up their discarded gear.
"Is it always like this wherever you two go?" Jon asked, somewhat mystified.
"Yup," Cobra deadpanned.
"Pretty much," Teelana added. She paused at the aft hatch to say, "And sometimes it actually gets dangerous."
When they left the cockpit, Jon turned to Apone and Gabe.
"You're the one who wanted see firsthand what it's like on the other side," Gabe pointed out.
Apone merely grinned.
Turning back to the control panel, Jon muttered, "I was wrong. Both of them are getting worse."
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