Mercenary Instinct (a science fiction romance) (35 page)

The guide who had led Viktor’s team through
the maze sighed and jogged down the ramp. He returned shortly with
a rag.

“
We’ll take our two hundred
thousand now,” Viktor said, “and leave the girls for whatever you
want them for. They’re trouble. You’re welcome to them.”

“
Trouble?” Felgard regarded
Ankari and the others mildly. “Hard to imagine.”

“
If you didn’t think they
were trouble, you wouldn’t have offered so much to have them
delivered.” Viktor tried to make that sound like a leading
question. He still wondered why Felgard hadn’t simply sent his own
men out to find Ankari and her friends, not that they had been easy
to find on that remote planet. It had been luck and Thomlin’s
restless net explorations that had led Mandrake Company to
them.

“
Hm,” was all Felgard
said.

“
The money,” Viktor
prompted again. He wasn’t in a hurry to leave Ankari in here, but
Felgard would expect this attitude from him. He wondered if the
finance lord would try to get away with a hundred thousand, his
original offer. He expected it, in truth. Or he expected the man to
give him nothing, except a guide to lead them past even deadlier
traps on the way out. He hadn’t missed the way the guide had stood
by while Viktor’s team dealt with the bridge attack.

“
Yes, yes, the money, of
course,” Felgard said. “If you and your hulking men will return to
your shuttle, I’ll have it delivered on a truck. Solid gold, right?
Isn’t that what you bounty hunters always want? No flimsy digital
money?”

Viktor hesitated—a lot of
bounty hunters and mercenaries
did
require physical payment, gold being the only
constant in a galaxy where GalCon was always fiddling with the
amount of fiat currency out there, causing the value of an aurum to
change from day to day. But if Viktor accepted a transfer of funds
into the company account, there would be no reason to return to the
shuttle to accept delivery of anything. They needn’t leave the
women’s sides until they knew why Felgard wanted them.

“
Gold isn’t necessary.
Transfer the funds directly to the Mandrake Company account, and
we’ll leave promptly.”

“
Ah?” Felgard tilted his
head, watching Viktor through those quirky spectacles. “I’m afraid
the physical gold has already been prepared. It
is
how you’ll be paid. As soon as you
arrive at your shuttle.”

“
I have a man at the
shuttle. You can deliver it to him while we wait.”

“
You’d trust a mercenary
not to fly off with that much gold? And your shuttle?”

“
I trust my men, yes.”
Viktor met Ankari’s eyes. He didn’t give her anything so obvious as
a wink, but she had been watching him, waiting for his signal, and
she stepped forward immediately. It was doubtful whether Felgard
intended to deal honestly, so Ankari might as well ask her
questions sooner, rather than later, before Felgard tried to
force
Viktor and his men
to leave.

“
Lord Felgard,” Ankari
said. Her voice came out steady, even though she must be nervous.
She met his eyes, and Viktor allowed himself a moment of pride
before returning his focus to watching Felgard and the guards.
“You’ve gone to great lengths to bring us here.” Ankari gestured to
her friends. “And to say you’ve inconvenienced us would be an
understatement. These gun-happy clods blew up my
ship
.” She might have
forgiven Viktor for that—though he hadn’t actually asked—but she
wouldn’t ever forget, that was a certainty, and there was nothing
feigned about the aggravation in her voice. “If you’re done
chitchatting with the bounty hunters, I’d sure like to know
why.”

Felgard sighed at her, as if she were some
tedious gnat batting about his ears. “I suppose I must talk to you
since you started the company, but I’m far more interested in
discussing things with your microbiologist.”

The Keys woman looked more like she wanted
to step back than to step forward. She glanced at the armed men
around the room, swallowed, and didn’t say a word.

“
I want these thugs out of
here first though,” Felgard said. “I have no interest in discussing
business matters in front of gun-happy clods as you rather politely
called them.” He smiled at her.

Viktor wanted to punch him, but the chair
was a good twenty feet away. He would be shot countless times
before he could cross that distance.

Felgard’s eyes flickered, issuing some
command via the spectacles, and the androids came to life. They
strode toward the group of mercenaries.

Viktor hadn’t planned to make threats until
later, but he lunged to the side and wrapped his hand around Keys’s
neck. “Stop them, or she dies,” he barked.

He hadn’t disclosed this contingency to the
women, and Keys’s eyes widened with believable fear. So long as
Ankari didn’t think he meant it.

“
Please, Captain,” Felgard
said. “You’ll be dead before her body hits the ground. The rest of
your men will soon follow.” Despite his words, he
had
ordered the androids
to halt.

“
So long as whatever
nefarious plan you’re concocting is thwarted too.”

“
As if you care about my
plans. This is about you not believing I intend to pay you, is that
it?”

“
You
are
being shifty about it,” Viktor
growled.

“
Very well.” Felgard’s eyes
twitched a few times.

The tablet in Viktor’s cargo pocket
bleeped.

“
You’ll want to take a look
at that,” Felgard said blandly.

“
Tick,” Viktor said. He
wasn’t going to release Keys’s neck; the androids probably had
orders to shoot him the instant he did.

Tick unbuttoned the pocket and withdrew the
tablet. He unfolded it and held it up so Viktor could see it. An
alert informed him that a deposit for the full amount had been
dropped into the company account. That was unexpected. And not
particularly desirable, because he now had no reason to stay.

“
Take it and the men back
to the shuttle,” Viktor said. “I’ll stay to make sure you don’t
meet with trouble on the way.” He glanced back, finding Aster and
meeting his eyes again. Only for a heartbeat.

“
Really, Captain,” Felgard
said. “Are you going to stand there with your hand around that
woman’s neck for the next hour?”

“
Only until I’m sure my
people have safely left your compound. Someone seems to have
installed booby traps.”

“
If you’re referring to the
results of my botanical hobbies, I assure you those are merely
pleasant decorations.”

Rowan, the man who’d been bitten twice by
those botanical hobbies, scoffed loudly.

“
They do keep the staff on
their toes,” Felgard added with a smile.

Viktor tilted his head toward his men. They
hesitated, but finally trooped out. He was relieved they cared
enough not to want to leave him, but he definitely had the feeling
Felgard wasn’t going to talk about his hopes and ambitions—or
problems—in front of so many. With just Viktor there alongside the
women, maybe he would. Especially if he had plans to eliminate
Viktor, which, given the pest Viktor was making of himself, he
might.

“
You’ve been paid,
Captain.” Felgard’s tone was harder now, his eyes
cooler.

“
Release my new
microbiologist.”

* * *

“
Your
microbiologist
?
” Ankari asked, noting that Viktor’s fingers didn’t leave
Lauren’s throat. Lauren looked as nervous at that as she was about
Felgard. Ankari didn’t dare signal her that she would be fine, at
least insofar as Viktor was concerned. “Do you think that you’ve
bought us, Lord Felgard? As if we’re exotic pets on sale to the
highest bidder?”

“
Don’t flatter yourself,
girl. You’re not that exotic.”

Viktor’s eyes narrowed, as if he wanted to
punch the man for the insult. Or kill him.

Ankari jerked her head toward Lauren,
willing her to talk. Felgard seemed more interested in speaking
with her than in with anyone else. If she was the only one he had
needed from the beginning, why had he bothered to have all three of
them captured?

Lauren took a deep breath and lifted her
chin, grimacing at the fingers resting on her throat, then spoke.
“What do you want from us, Lord Felgard?”

Felgard gave Viktor an annoyed
why-are-you-still-here look, but answered.

“
I want what you offer, or
what you believe you’ll be able to offer soon,” Felgard said. “You
and your friends will work for me here until you’ve created a
viable treatment plan. You’ll do the research, and they’ll continue
to search the galaxy, retrieving whatever samples you need. With an
escort of people and my fastest ship, of course.” He smiled at her,
as if he were displaying the epitome of generosity. Jamie’s face
grew speculative, as if she was faintly intrigued by the notion,
and Ankari frowned at her. “Your company’s time estimate is,
however, too far out for my needs,” Felgard continued. “You’ll have
to come up with a viable treatment plan within six
months.”

“
And you intend to keep us
as slaves until then?” Ankari asked.

“
You’ll be kept well, and
once you’ve completed what I’ve asked, you may leave.” He smiled
again. He was trying too hard. Out of desperation? Or because he
was lying and didn’t want them to see through it?

“
I don’t understand,”
Ankari said. “Why didn’t you just contact us? Aside from your
slavery and sleepless nights proposition, we may have been willing
to work with you.”

Felgard snorted. “That’s highly unlikely,
given my history. You’ve researched me by now, I’m certain.”

Ankari didn’t respond right away. Did he
think she had dug up more than she had? Or was there something in
what she had that meant more than she realized? “I’m an open-minded
woman, Lord Felgard.” There, that made it sound like she knew what
he was talking about. Probably.

He snorted again. “I’m sure you would say
anything at this point to avoid your fate, but come now. You’re
telling me that you would have worked with me? You a Spero-born
woman and me... a Spero-born man?”

Yes, thanks to Fumio, she had known that,
but she still didn’t see why it should affect her opinion
negatively. After all, a common background had drawn Viktor closer
to her. Surely it ought to be the same with finance lords. Except
she didn’t feel closer to him, not at all. His expression told her
more was coming, the unpleasant part.

“
A Spero-born man who
betrayed his people,” Felgard added, his gaze shifting from her
toward one of the window displays showing market tickers for Novus
Earth and Paradise.

Viktor stirred, his eyes closing to slits.
He still had Lauren by the neck—she didn’t appear pleased by this
fact—but there was no bite to the grip.

“
People make mistakes,”
Ankari said. She doubted very much she would be in the mood to
absolve him when she found out what his “mistake” had been, but she
wanted to keep him talking. What had he done that was so terrible
that he had been certain she would never agree to work with
him?

“
Mistake.” Felgard barked a
short, harsh laugh. “What a strange word choice for you. When I...”
He looked at her curiously. “Do you even know?”

No. But she could guess that this had
something to do with the destruction of the planet. He couldn’t
possibly be responsible or blame himself for that, could he? He was
a civilian and always had been—that much was in his public
record.

“
GalCon was determined,”
Ankari said. “Our people were stubborn. Proud. They would have been
defeated one way or another.”

“
But how easy it was for
the fleet to sneak in once the planetary defense grid was lowered.
At precisely the time they requested.” His mouth twisted. “Like
you, girl, I had a lot of companies in my youth. I started many,
seeking that elusive route into the upper crust of society, the
financially independent, the untouchable. The lords. Like with you,
some of those businesses failed, some succeeded moderately well,
and perhaps I would have found what I sought eventually if I’d kept
plugging away, but humans are not known for patience. Especially
young and ambitious ones. I wanted it all overnight, and that’s
what they offered me. Felgard, founder and owner of Trak Teck
Enterprises, the company that installed the planetary defense grid
and serviced and maintained it. And programmed it.” He was looking
at the screen again, or perhaps the ocean view in the distance.
“They offered me a fortune. What I considered a fortune at the time
anyway. And the opportunity to meet all the right people, to
schmooze and network, to ensure my company became a famous entity
on the exchange. To ensure I had everything I could ever
want.”

Ankari’s blood had chilled in her veins, and
the climate-controlled air was suddenly far too cold for her
tastes. She was staring at the man who had brought about Spero’s
destruction? Or at least assisted it along? What might have
happened if the planetary grid hadn’t fallen? The news had always
blamed the Crimson Ops for that disaster. No one had ever whispered
of betrayal from within. From a civilian contractor who had been
hired to defend the planet... not make it more vulnerable.