Stand or Fall (The Omega War Book 4) Page 7

  Tirr felt his antenna flop in embarrassment. Taal chittered in response. He looked down at the ground to search for the words that wouldn’t come. Gathering his composure, he looked up at her. “Honored Queen, I am to report on my plans for the guard.”

  “No, you’re not,” Taal said. Her head cocked slightly to her right. “You are a competent officer and a compassionate leader. I know you will lead the guard to the best of your ability. I’ve asked to see you for my own information. Even Keshell isn’t aware of the question I want to ask you.”

  Tirr nodded. “How may I be of service, Honored Queen?”

  Taal pointed at him. “You are my commander of the guard, and you can dispense with formality within these chambers when only we are present. I suffer fools poorly, Tirr. You are no fool, and I expect your honest assessment of every topic brought to your attention.”

  “You shall have it,” Tirr replied. Leaving off the honorific almost made him stumble, but the satisfied wave of the queen’s antennae settled his nerves.

  “Good. I want to know about Jessica Francis,” Taal said. “Reports from Weqq state she fought her own kind and actively defended the MinSha. Is this true?”

  Tirr nodded solemnly. “Yes, Honored Queen. From the moment of the first attack, the Peacemaker came to my aid and placed herself on the defensive wall. I watched her lay fire on the Human CASPers. She reset the automated defensive pylons manually. When thrown from the compound by explosive force and rescued by the TriRusk, she came back to the compound and fought the Humans until our combined forces achieved victory.”

  “I do not believe you,” Taal’s eyes blazed. “Humans are distrustful and beneath our sacred honor, Tirr. Their actions are part of a larger game; that is all.”

  Tirr felt his abdomen twist in on itself. Males died for less than the things he needed to say. He steeled himself and took a breath. “I am sorry, Honored Queen. You are mistaken about Jessica Francis.”

  Taal shot off her seat. She towered over him, menacingly. “What did you say?”

  “You are mistaken.” Tirr swallowed. “I fought alongside her. She ultimately saved my life. Her friend Tara Mason tended my wounds while the Peacemaker pursued the Human commander.”

  “Did she kill the Human commander for his crimes?” Taal seethed. “Or did she try to uphold some kind of justice and send him to a Peacemaker tribunal?”

  “She let the Urrtam feed on him.”

  Taal’s expression softened. “She what?”

  “The Human commander was Raleigh Reilly. He had a valid contract under the auspices of the Mercenary Guild to eliminate all life on Weqq. Whether it was provocation or other ill purpose, I cannot say. When he ran into the jungle, Jessica followed. She did not arrest him.”

  “Why did the Urrtam not kill her as well?”

  “They adapt well and recognize threats. The TriRusk Kurrang beat them away from her once, and he treated her wounds with local flora. Either that was enough, or they saw her as a threat,” Tirr said. “Jessica turned away from Reilly and let them feed.”

  Taal studied him again and sat quietly on her throne. “Interesting, Colonel Tirr. I did not know about the contract, but it changes nothing. Our family’s loyalty remains with the Mercenary Guild for the coming conflict.”

  “They cannot be trusted,” Tirr blurted.

  Again, the queen merely looked at him. After a moment of silence, her gaze moved on to Keshell. “Please see to it that diplomatic messages convey this information to the hive. I am leery of humanity, Tirr.”

  “Jessica Francis is a Peacemaker, and she can be trusted. She defended the MinSha, which no one expected her to do. Placing her life on the line was one thing. For what she did for me and the command I assumed in the absence of a leader, I will trust her until I scratch my burial hole in the soil, Honored Queen. She is my friend, above all else.”

  Taal looked at Keshell for a long moment. The chief of staff stepped forward. “You are aware our mercenary forces have taken orders from Lieutenant General Chinayl?”

  “Yes. She sits on the Mercenary Guild council.”

  Keshell nodded. “She directed her clutch-sister, Drehnayl, to attack the Human colonies in the outer rim. They decimated a Human settlement called New Persia that lies just inside the boundaries of this region. The Peacemakers have sent Jessica Francis to ascertain the damage and to determine who performed the act. Will she figure out who was responsible?”

  “Yes,” Tirr said. “She will not stop until she has answers.”

  Queen Taal spoke slowly. “I support our mercenary forces, Tirr. If Jessica Francis comes here looking for answers, I will not give her any, and I forbid you to do the same.”

  Tirr stiffened. “There’s no ‘if’ about her coming here, Honored Queen. She will come for answers and get them whether you want her to or not.”

  Taal chittered. “She’s a Human, Tirr.”

  “No, she’s a Peacemaker. One of the best ones I’ve ever seen.”

  “We will likely see for ourselves. Once she completes her investigation at New Persia, I expect her findings will lead her here.” She lowered her eyes to Tirr. “Then, Colonel Tirr, we’ll see how correct your assumptions are.”

  * * *

  Rains walked onto the Peacemaker transport with the bag he’d carried from the Academy slung over his left shoulder. In the loading bay, he saw a pallet of gear holding both his and Vannix’s combat gear. The Veetanho walked over to the pallet and retrieved a small bag. Rains walked up to her side.

  “You brought my gear and everything. How thoughtful.”

  Vannix snorted, and her nose twitched. “You’re going to need it.”

  “To do what, exactly? I mean, what’s to prevent me from walking away right now?”

  Vannix frowned at him. “First, you’re AWOL, remember? That’s against the Peacemaker Code of Conduct and punishable under the Galactic Code. Second, you’re Human and damned good at what you do. The rest of the galaxy doesn’t know you’re a Peacemaker, officially. That makes you a valuable intelligence asset, which is how they’re employing us. I do the official bureaucratic stuff you hate, and you get to do the fun slinking around stuff you prefer. Does that sound good?”

  “Maybe,” Rains conceded. “What am I looking for?”

  Vannix looked up at him. Her black eyes glittered in the bay’s lighting. “Not what. Who? A Human named Tara Mason.”

  “Are you serious?” Rains shook his head. “Shit, Vannix. Since when are Peacemakers private investigators? That’s who you hire to find missing persons on this planet.”

  “She’s not on this planet. You can stop playing the ‘I’m better than this’ game, too. Finding Tara Mason is our mission. Take it, or I’m prepared to haul you back to Kleve in manacles, Jackson.” Vannix stared at him.

  Rains bit down on the sarcastic retort threatening to form and forced his brain to see the situation from the point of view he’d cultivated over the last three years at Peacemaker U. “What’s so special about her?”

  “If we find her, we may find the Snowman.”

  “Frosty the Snowman? He’s a jolly happy—” The words died on his lips as Vannix frowned enough to bare her sharp teeth. “I take it you don’t like Christmas music.”

  Vannix flared. “Will you shut up, Jackson? I mean really shut up and listen for a fucking change?”

  His sullen anger evaporated in an instant. Vannix rarely swore, and everything about her attitude told him she was deadly serious about the mission and hauling his sorry ass back to Kleve, if necessary. He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. Who’s the Snowman?”

  Vannix shook her head. “You really paid no attention in Human mercenary recognition classes, did you?”

  “I can name the Four Horsemen. Does that count?”

  “Be serious, would you?” Vannix asked. “Intergalactic Haulers? That name ring a bell?

  Rains nodded. As a kid, he’d seen the big freighters depart once a month with fresh food from E
arth and return with a bevy of weapons and the like. Like so many kids living away from Earth, the big red-and-black-trimmed ships were a sign that Humans belonged in the universe. Learning Intergalactic Haulers was a mercenary company in disguise hadn’t shocked a single being in his class other than him. The idea that something so good and pure, seemingly, had a difficult past changed everything.

  “I know them, yes,” Rains said. “This hasn’t brought the conversation back to why I have to go on this mission.”

  “I’m going to say this once, so pay attention. Tara Mason was involved in the situation on Weqq and—”

  “What’s Weqq?” Rains asked.

  “Gods! Don’t you pay attention to anything but your species and the opposite gender?” Vannix mocked him. “Weqq was all over the GalNet news feeds not long ago. A Human mercenary company appeared on a MinSha-controlled world with a valid contract to kill everything in their path. Peacemaker Francis stopped them. In the aftermath of the mission, one of the mercs turned out to be Jessica’s friend from her qualification mission on Araf. Do you remember that one?”

  “Vaguely,” Rains said, but he couldn’t remember anything specific about Jessica Francis or her missions. Sure, she was the first Peacemaker, but he was one as well. Following in her footsteps had been all that mattered. Where she went and what she did had nothing to do with him.

  “That friend,” Vannix continued, “is Tara Mason. Guild Master Rsach deputized her and sent her to find Snowman. He’s the CEO of Intergalactic Haulers. The guild wants him for questioning at Peacemaker Francis’ request, because he may have a tie to recent issues with CASPers across the galaxy going into emergency shutdown mode in combat operations. A lot of good mercenaries are dying because of it. The trouble is, Tara Mason disappeared. No one’s seen her since, and her trail has gone cold. We’ve been tasked with finding her.”

  Rains chewed on the inside of his lower lip for a moment. “Rsach deputized her to find this Snowman guy? Sounds a bit farfetched, Vannix. Kinda like furry-faced aliens.”

  “Fuck you,” Vannix grinned. “Snowman offered Tara a job a while back. If anyone has an idea where he is and can get to him, it’s her.”

  “But nobody can find her, and the Peacemaker Guild doesn’t want to put out an APB. I get it.”

  “APB? What is that?”

  Rains chuckled. “Old law enforcement term from Earth. Means All Points Bulletin. It’s basically a GalNet flash message.”

  “Right, that’s what the Guild doesn’t want to do.”

  Rains nodded. “So, this Tara Mason is in trouble?”

  “Unknown. We have to find her first.”

  Rains stroked the stubble on this chin. “We find her, we find this Snowman guy and bring him in, right?”

  “You got it.”

  “I don’t know,” Rains said. “Seems like a lot of trouble for someone who likely went AWOL.”

  “Not funny. You may be able to ask around and see what you can find out about Snowman and Tara Mason. At least, it would be much easier for you than me. And it’s not just important that we find them—it’s critically important. It’s one of Guild Master’s Rsach’s top priorities right now, despite General Peepo and her minions up there in orbit. It’s only a matter of time before you Humans make alliances with some of the other races, and all-out war starts. We have to find Snowman and bring him in for that reason…and a few other reasons, too.”

  “Really?” Rains squinted at her. “Like what?”

  “First is that Snowman’s real name is James Edward Francis. He’s Peacemaker Francis’ father. He may also have inadvertently helped the Mercenary Guild in their fight against humanity, but he also may hold a key for defeating the Mercenary Guild if war does break out. That’s why we must find him.”

  Rains kicked the combat gear bag with his name stenciled on the fat, round end. He was the perfect guy for the job, he had to admit, and the mission sounded infinitely more fun than wasting away doing administrative duty for months or longer based on his conduct. But, there was something else. He couldn’t immediately put his finger on it, but the idea of a Peacemaker going after her father for a crime seemed crazy, yet it also idealized the concept of duty. He hadn’t had a family, so he couldn’t relate directly, but the idea of pursuing a loved one to the ends of the galaxy for the truth did call to him. Tara Mason, whoever she was, would be the key, but bringing Snowman in was something he couldn’t pass up. A chance at formal recognition was within his grasp.

  “They want me to get close? Because I’m Human?”

  Vannix nodded. “That and because you’re a Peacemaker, Jackson. A damned good one. We’re a good team, too. I’ll do the official looking, and you’ll do your thing. We’ll find them, together.”

  Rains nodded, and a slow, easy smile crossed his face. “Jessica’s father, huh? I’m in.”

  * * * * *

  Chapter Seven

  Stargate

  Torgero System

  The timing of Jessica’s arrival on the thrust core’s central bridge as they neared the hyperspace gate was attributable to a nagging suspicion rather than actual protocol. The events on New Persia caused her gut to twist in a way she couldn’t overlook. While she trusted Dreel, she wondered about the Pendal flight crew and their willingness to follow her orders. They continued to do what she asked, as expected, but her distrust in everything grew by the moment. The Pendal brought the ship to a halt one hundred kilometers from the gate.

  For five minutes, Jessica watched the clearance icon on the main control panel remain red. When nothing changed, she pointed to it. “I thought we had immediate diplomatic clearance?”

  “We do, Peacemaker,” the Pendal command pilot said. “The gate master has not replied.”

  “Transmit Peacemaker authentication code One Sierra in addition to the diplomatic codes.”

  “Yes, Peacemaker.”

  The icon remained infuriatingly red. Jessica scowled. She pushed away from the command console and returned to the passageway. Just below the bridge portal, she tapped her earpiece. “Lucille? Send Peacemaker authentication Two Sierra with urgent caveats.”

  <>

  Jessica pushed into the main bridge area again. The Pendal command pilot turned his head her way. “There is no response, Peacemaker.”

  “Spin up the yacht. I’ll handle this personally.”

  “Acknowledged. Initiating manual docking procedures. Three minutes.”

  Jessica gently pushed off the bridge portal’s collar with her hands and flew down the passageway with her arms in front of her, not unlike a superhero from the comics of her youth. At the main spine, she turned toward the bow and pushed herself along one wall. While microgravity played hell with the Human vestibular system, it was a tremendous amount of fun. She smiled and quickly let the euphoria go—there was much to do. She reached the yacht in two minutes, hurried to her quarters, and opened the hatch. Inside the room, her BAMF jacket was securely attached to the near left wall, along with her extra bandolier. She removed the inner liner of the jacket from the less flexible shell, then adjusted the holster on her right thigh. For a brief moment, she stared at the pistol’s grip. She worked it out of the holster smoothly and ensured the weapon was charged and ready to fire.

  Be prepared for anything, her father’s familiar voice advised. He’d always told her to be ready for anything, and the advice never served her poorly.

  Jessica holstered her pistol and tugged on the inner liner of her BAMF combat jacket. The liner was the same color and had the distinctive yellow “see me” stripe around the left shoulder. The thin jacket also served as an extra layer of insulation from the unnatural cold of most gates, and it could defeat most bladed weapons. She smiled, “Stylish and functional.”

  <>
>
  “Can’t be helped, Lucille.” Jessica consulted a wall-mounted mirror. The jacket over her bandolier looked a little puffier than normal, but she couldn’t help it. It would look like an afterthought, and that could be enough to turn an enemy’s perceived opening into disappointment or physical injury.

  A wall-mounted loudspeaker near the door clicked to life. “Peacemaker, we are docking in one minute.”

  Jessica blinked. The yacht’s uncoupling from the thrust core had been silent and smooth. “Copy that. Meet me at the main hatch the moment we have a good seal,” Jessica said and prepared for the slight gravity of the gate control station. The onset of gravity came with the briefest mental discomfort as some of her body weight suddenly returned, but Jessica shook it off and strode for the door. Down the passageway, she sighted the Pendal co-pilot already near the troop door. He’d likely been moving while gravity returned, which Jessica marveled at. He turned and nodded at her as the hatchway slid open.

  The scent of roasted peanuts filled her nostrils, which was odd and, strangely, made her hungry. She pushed the weird craving for her mother’s boiled peanuts away as she walked down the four steps from the hatch to the cool, dark deck of the gate control station’s cavernous hangar. Most gate control stations had a staff of dozens, and there were almost always several ships waiting to depart a particular system. Even at a small station like this one, there should have been someone to meet them. Aside from a seemingly normal collection of shipping crates and automated pallet systems, though, the hangar was deserted. Jessica tapped her earpiece casually as she tucked her hair behind her left ear.

  “Lucille, tap into whatever networks you can. Something’s not right.”

  <