The Star Cross: The Dark Invaders (23 page)

“Tarnth knows
more about them than I do,” Mara replied. “He recognized the ships as soon as
we encountered them. He needs to be released as well.”

“What does Tarnth
do on this ship?”

“He’s our
tactical officer.”

Kurt
considered Mara’s request. “If I agree to let him out, will the two of you
promise not to try to escape or to contact your people until such time as I
deem appropriate?”

“We’re
Lakiams,” spoke Mara in a voice of superiority. “Acts of violence are
distasteful to us. We will not attempt to escape or send a message to our
fleet. However, I must warn you that we expect to be allowed to return home, or
there will be severe consequences for your world.”

“Very well,”
Kurt said. “Lomatz, let Tarnth out of his cell. I want to know what happened to
them in their battle with the black ships and if they have any ideas on how to
fight them.”

Kurt just
hoped this wasn’t a mistake. The two Lakiams were probably much smarter than
the people he normally dealt with. He would have to be extremely careful how he
negotiated with the pair. It would also be wise for him to keep in mind the two
Lakiams would have their own agenda and probably one not in the best interest
of Newton.

High Profiteer
Creed was growing impatient. Once more, his order for new ships had been
denied. Creed wasn’t certain what was going on, but the shipyards were
operating around the clock as well as all the orbital construction facilities
for defensive platforms. Something was in the air, and Creed suspected it was
bad news. He wondered if some Profiteer had offended one of the Protector
Worlds or, even worse, one of the lofty Enlightened Worlds. Great care had
always been taken in raids not to risk the ire of either. While those worlds
would endure the hijacking of an occasional cargo ship or even a passenger
liner, they wouldn’t tolerate anything beyond that.

“A lot of
rumors are going around Kubitz,” Second Profiteer Lantz said. “I’ve never seen
it like this before.”

Creed turned
his attention to Lantz, who was well-known for his lavish spending at the
capital’s pleasure houses. Probably where he heard all these rumors.

“At least
we’ve gotten all our ships repaired and updated,” Creed said. It had cost 20
percent more than normal, but they were all done. “What are these rumors you’ve
been hearing?” Creed knew Profiteers and other humanoids from across the galaxy
could be found indulging in the wanton entertainment the numerous pleasure
houses offered. With all the intoxicating drinks available, people might say
things they normally would keep secret.

Lantz leaned
closer to Creed, as if he didn’t want the rest of the crew to hear.
“Something’s spooked the Protector Worlds. Of all the defensive platforms being
built, many of them are being shipped out. Suddenly all the Protector Worlds
and Enlightened Worlds are concerned about the defenses around their home
planets. I was at the Haslen Pleasure House the other night, and I overheard two
Profiteers from the Ormot clan, talking about some mysterious black ships which
are attacking Enlightened World colonies.”

“
Plhtup
!”
swore High Profiteer Creed, shaking his head. “I don’t believe any of those
rumors about a mysterious ancient race wiping out entire Enlightened World
colonies. If you ask me, some Protector World is just spreading those rumors to
force the Enlightened Worlds to pay up more for their defense. It’s good
business strategy.”

“I don’t
know,” Lantz replied doubtfully, his eyes narrowing. “You’ve heard about all
the meetings going on between the different worlds of the empire. Something’s
going on, and it’s not good.”

Creed went
silent, lost in thought. Lantz was correct about that. A lot of secret meetings
had been conducted on Marsten between various planetary leaders of the empire
as well as some of the largest Profiteer clans. Something was definitely going
on, and it was making people nervous. Creed shifted his eyes to the main
viewscreen. It showed many more ships than normal. Even the tactical screen was
full of ship icons. It seemed as if everyone had suddenly turned up at Kubitz,
shopping for weapons.

“Ready my
shuttle,” ordered Creed, reaching a decision. “I’m going to Kubitz and meeting
with Toblan. There has to be a way to get the ships I want.”

Lantz looked
long and hard at the High Profiteer. “Just be careful around Toblan. He may
jack up the prices for the warships based on increased demand.”

Creed didn’t
reply. Second Profiteer Lantz was concerned about too much of their credit
reserves being spent on the new fleet. All Lantz wanted was enough credits for
the pleasure houses and the women he had in his little menagerie. Creed was
more interested in getting to Earth and stripping it of its remaining wealth.
If he were successful, he would be set for life. Others could worry about this
supposed threat from the mysterious black ships.

-

Later that
afternoon High Profiteer Creed was in a noisy bar, waiting for Toblan to show
up. The weapons dealer had insisted on meeting at this establishment near his
place of business. Creed took a long drink of the strong alcoholic beverage he
had ordered. It burned slightly going down, but it created a pleasant buzz in
his head. The music in the bar was loud and the place was full of customers.
Most were drinking, and some were watching the stage where several scantily
clad women performed. One thing nearly everyone had in common were the sidearms
strapped to their waists. Even the women in the bar were armed.

Watching the
door, Creed saw Toblan enter, flanked by two guards. The weapons dealer didn’t
go anywhere without an armed escort.

Spotting High
Profiteer Creed, Toblan made his way to his table. “I see you made it,” said
Toblan, taking a seat across from the Profiteer.

“Yeah,”
responded Creed, taking another long drink. Setting down his nearly empty
glass, he looked at Toblan. “What’s going on with my ship deal? Why am I
getting the runaround?”

Toblan let out
a deep sigh and shrugged his shoulders. “Ships are in high demand. Every world in
the empire has placed orders for more warships. The demand is more than our
shipyards can handle.”

Creed leaned
forward and slid an envelope across the table. Toblan picked it up and glanced
inside at the thick wad of credit notes.

“I’ll double
that if you can get me the ships I want.” Creed knew the fifty-thousand-credit
bribe he had just given Toblan might be enough to push the weapons dealer into
arranging for the ships. Bribes, sometimes very large bribes, were quite common
on Kubitz, particularly with large business deals involving a lot of credits.

Toblan handed
the envelope to one of his security people, who placed it in a secure pouch
attached to his belt. “I might be able to do something,” Toblan said slowly.
“It will be expensive, and it won’t be the ships you originally ordered.”

“What type of
ships can you get me and how much?” Creed knew, from the way Toblan was acting,
this would be expensive.

Toblan reached
into his pocket and removed a contract. “I took the liberty of drawing this up.
The Profiteer world of Lumoz ordered some fully updated ships to add to its
fleet. Unfortunately, due to a recent fine from the Controllers, they no longer
have the credits to pay for the ships. They’re currently in my possession, and
I would be glad to turn them over to you if you’re willing to pay a premium
price.”

Creed gritted
his teeth, knowing he was about to be taken to the cleaners by the weapons
dealer, but he was over a barrel with little he could do if he wanted the extra
ships. “What type of ships and how much is this premium price?”

“I can get you
six battlecruisers and ten escort cruisers for three hundred million credits.”

Creeds eyes
glowed red with anger. “That’s nearly double the normal price!”

“Sorry,” said
Toblan, shrugging his shoulders. “That’s the going rate. You can take it or
leave it. Others are interested in the ships as well, but, due to our past
relationship working out arms deals, I’m offering you first choice.”

“What about a
battleship as a new command ship?” Creed really wanted to move to a more
powerful ship for his own protection. The last battle with Fleet Admiral
Vickers had demonstrated very plainly he needed one.

Toblan shook
his head. “I can’t get one. Battleships are at a premium, and it will be months
before one becomes available.”

“I’ll need
some new cargo ships and detainee ships as well.” Hopefully the modifications
made to his ships would be sufficient. It was disappointing to hear a
battleship wasn’t available.

“Those I can
get at the standard rate,” Toblan answered as he called up some information on
a hand computer pad. “They’re not in very high demand at the moment.”

After a few
more minutes haggling over prices, Creed finally signed Toblan’s contract. This
would put a big dent in his credit reserves, but all would easily be replaced
from the raid on Earth. When Second Profiteer Lantz heard how much the new
ships cost, he would scream in disbelief. Creed could already hear Lantz
lamenting how he couldn’t go to the pleasure houses and how his reputation
would suffer.

A commotion
near the stage drew their attention. A large man stood up and slugged the man
near him in the jaw, sending him flying backward, crashing to the floor. “I saw
her first!” he yelled, pointing to one of the nearly naked women on the stage.
“Stay away from her!”

The other man
staggered back to his feet, drew his sidearm and promptly shot his attacker in
the chest. The man fell to the floor, unmoving. “You can have her!” Holstering
the gun, the shooter turned around and exited the bar.

Creed turned
toward Toblan. Shooting incidents of this kind were quite common. The Enforcers
would look into it, and fines would be assessed. The bar had security cameras,
which would have recorded the incident. “How soon can you deliver the ships?”

“As soon as
payment has been confirmed, they’re yours,” answered Toblan as several
Enforcers entered the bar and walked over to the dead man.

“You’ll have
your credits tomorrow,” promised Creed. He was still angry at the cost of the
warships, but he could launch his attack on Earth much sooner. When he got back
to the
Ascendant Destruction
, he would send some messages to several of
the smaller Marsten Profiteer clans, which had shown an interest in the raid on
Earth. He would also contact Dacroni Clan Leader Jarls. He had also expressed
an interest and was willing to commit more of his ships to the attack. The
mercenary was demanding payment up front for going on the raid as well as a
percentage of the take. It would be expensive, but Creed needed Jarls’s
battleships.

-

Back on Earth,
things were going very badly for President Mayfield. Thanks to Marlen Stroud
and his cronies, the North American Union was reaching a crisis point over Newton’s independence. Riots had happened in several cities, and online petitions for Mayfield’s
resignation had reached twenty million signatures. The Internet and other media
platforms were full of rumors and false innuendoes.

“Both the
European Union and the Russian Collective have recognized Newton’s independence
and signed trade deals,” said Mayfield, speaking to the three men on the other
side of his desk. “A number of other countries have followed suit. I don’t
think there’s anything Marlen Stroud can do to reverse Newton’s independence.”

“No, there’s
not, and I think he accepts that,” replied Raul Gutierrez. “He’s just using the
Newton issue to stoke the fire for your removal.”

“What’s the
latest word on the Cabinet?” asked Mayfield, looking at Raul.

“Not good,”
Raul replied, his face showing concern. “Stroud’s been picking up support as
the public outrage over Newton’s independence grows. He’s pushing for a Cabinet
vote to remove you from power for treason.”

“Treason!”
roared General Braid, his face turning red in anger. “How can granting Newton independence be considered treason? The man’s mad.”

“Several
constitutional scholars have weighed in, supporting Stroud’s accusations,” Raul
said. “I’ve used some of my connections, and Stroud may have bought their
testimony.”

“How many more
votes does he need in the Cabinet before he can remove me from power?” Mayfield
had hoped to buy a few more weeks or even several months’ time before a vote
was called. A lot of colonists wanted to go to Newton, and, once Stroud
succeeded in taking the presidency away, all immigration would come to a
screeching halt.

“One,” Raul
answered gravely. “There’s a chance he may already have that vote. He met in
private last night with Connie Saxon and had a long talk with her over dinner.
I’m afraid she will be joining his side.”

President
Mayfield stood up and walked to the large window. He hadn’t expected things to
move so quickly. Newton didn’t have enough colonists yet to fight a prolonged
war against the mysterious black ships if it came to that. He watched for a
moment as several cranes lifted steel beams into place on a building a few
blocks away. He wished it were possible to speed up the construction. He would
have liked to see Washington DC, returned to its former glory before he was
removed from office.

“How long can
we delay the vote?”

“Only a few
days,” Raul replied. “Once Stroud is confident he has the necessary votes,
he’ll call an emergency meeting of the Cabinet. It can be done without your
presence. A vote of ‘no confidence’ will result in your immediate removal as
president. The Cabinet will then vote to elect someone to finish out your term
until new general elections can be held.”

“One guess who
that will be,” muttered General Braid disgustedly. “This is Stroud’s attempt at
a legal coup.”

President
Mayfield left the window and sat back down behind his desk. “Admiral Tomalson,
what will happen to the fleet if Marlen Stroud takes over as president of the
North American Union?”

“He’ll remove
me immediately and put someone he can control in charge of the fleet. I’m
afraid whoever he replaces me with won’t understand the danger the Profiteers
represent—and particularly those mysterious black ships. We’ll be in a
substantially weakened position to defend ourselves.”

President
Mayfield took a deep breath as he realized what needed to be done. “General
Braid and Raul, I need you to leave the room so I can speak to Fleet Admiral
Tomalson in private.”

The two men
stood up and left as instructed, leaving the president alone with the fleet admiral.

“I think we
need to put our plan for Fort Knox into operation.”

“If Stroud
finds out what we’ve done, he’ll hang both of us out to dry,” answered
Tomalson, his eyes watching the president. “We’re talking about real treason
here. If we’re caught, he’ll imprison both of us and throw away the key.”

Mayfield shook
his head. “Only me. Once Stroud succeeds in removing me from office, you’re to
take the
Retribution
and go to Newton along with the cargo ships.”
Mayfield pulled open a drawer in his desk and took out an envelope. “Inside are
your official orders from me as president. It will protect you from any charges
of treason Stroud may attempt to bring up. It states specifically that you were
operating under my direct orders.”