Come to Jesus Meeting - Part 2
14 Jan 2018MMMMMalcolm
It took a couple weeks for Kay to get the items I needed, but boy did she come through. I asked for one gun and she brought me three. I had a blaster strapped to my hip, but all my attention was on the pistols that were barely larger than my hands. “What’re these pistols called again?” I asked; testing the little chrome plated, black gripped shooters.
“Boberg XR9-S. Kamorin Historic Weapons replicated the 21st century firearms from Earth’s history.”
“But they’re so little.”
“Five inches long by four inches high to be exact. That’s so they fit in the jacket that comes with them. Anything larger than what’s needed to utilize the seven round nine millimeter clip is just fluff.”
I put on the black leather jacket. Outside it looked like any other flight jacket. It had pockets, a zipper, and it was leather. Inside it had holsters built into each side. The trick was I knew the little noise makers were there. But, a special liner was sown between the holsters inside and the leather outside. In a pat down, the liner felt like my ribs.
“If asked, surrender the blaster on your hip and the blade on your thigh. Then lift your arms for a pat down. Kamorin boasts a 99% success rating as long as you're not electronically scanned.”
I looked Kay up and down. Was that the secret of her hidden blaster? Were her hips and thighs “unnaturally enhanced” in that remlok suit? I didn’t dare ask.
The ship’s intercom broke the silence.
“Commander Abaez?”
“This is Marquis Abaez,” I replied, flexing my political clout.
“My apologies Marquis. I am Captain Hines. Colonel Dexter Gilbert requests the honor of your presence. He sent me to escort you safely to Ahaut Front headquarters.”
“Someone’s been busy while I was gone,” Kay interjected.
“Who me? I’ve just been club hopping and dancing; a regular lazy bum.” I smiled then spoke to the captain. “Is it alright to bring a plus one?”
“Certainly sir. I’ll notify the Colonel.”
“Splendid. We will be right out. Give us a minute to freshen up.” I chambered a round in each pistol and zipped up my jacket before extending a hand to Kay. “Shall we?”
Ahaut Front’s local headquarters took up one side of Firsoff Orbital. A shuttle on the pad next to Warm Embrace took us to the private dock. Captain Hines and a detail of five soldiers escorted us to Colonel Gilbert’s office. For the first time in my life, I felt important. Gilbert’s office was huge and that fact was magnified by a sparse decorating style. Each wall only had one piece of artwork. The glass topped metal desk had no drawers. Other than the Colonel’s chair behind his desk, there were only two other chairs in the whole room. There weren’t any side tables. Either Gilbert wasn’t born and raised in the Empire or he had serious trust issues. My guess is the latter, considering how fast Captain Hines took my blaster and blade and then thoroughly patted us down. Dictators tend to be cynical.
“Marquis Abaez, welcome.” The Colonel stood smiling behind his desk as Captain Hines closed the door and stood guard behind us. He wore grey shoes that matched his grey slacks. A white silk shirt rested behind a high collar blue suede jacket. He was young for a colonel. His golden blonde hair, which perfectly matched the gold Imperial symbol on his lapel and the sash across his chest, didn’t have a hint of grey; not even in his goatee. “And who is this lovely lady accompanying you?”
“Commander Crystal Cross.” Kay answered, extending her hand. The Colonel ignored the formal Imperial greeting. Despite the smiles, the meeting was not meant to be a pleasant gathering.
“Welcome Miss Cross. Please, everyone have a seat. I’ve asked you here today because it seems every piece of strategic data that crosses my desk has a certain Commander Abaez’s name on it. Why is that?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But, I get the feeling you’re about tell us.”
“Come now Ikem. I can call you Ikem right? Let’s not play games. You know, just as well as I, that you are doing everything in your power to advance the efforts of Ajoku Industries. You also know that as the controlling faction in this system, Ajoku Industries stands in the way of Ahaut Front’s expansion here.
When we first met, you offered to help me and my expansion efforts. Explain to me how helping my competitor is helping me.”
Gilbert sat casually behind his desk. The glass top gave the sense he had nothing up his sleeve, but I had the distinct feeling Captain Hines was aiming my own weapon at the back of my head. I figured starting my answer with “well Dexter, I can call you Dexter right?” would not be a good idea.
“Colonel Gilbert, I assure you, I am helping you. Pay attention, because I’m only going to explain this once. Ahaut Front is the controlling faction in HIP 8444 and wants to expand here in HIP 8758. The problem is you are at war with Kolhou Wu Systems in Kolhou Wu. So how do you gain control of HIP 8758 while fighting in Kolhou Wu without spreading your resources so thin you lose control of HIP 8444?
You accept my offer to help and then don’t question that help when you receive it, that’s how.” I heard Captain Hines take a couple steps behind me. “Ajoku Industries just declared war on HIP 8444 Comms Solutions. Even though Ajoku is the controlling faction they don’t have the most influence. That honor belongs to Allied HIP 8758 Bureau. Rumor has it Allied plans to declare war on Ajoku and crush what little influence they have. If I help Ajoku defeat Comms and then greatly weaken Allied, where do you think that will leave you?”
We all sat quiet for a moment while I let that sink in. Gilbert smiled and leaned back in his chair, but I knew he was not happy about being made a fool of in front of a subordinate. Dictators are fickle that way.
“Ajoku and Comms are weak. Allied is not. Are you certain you can weaken Allied enough for us to step in?”
“You’ve read your strategic data files. Yesterday, I singlehandedly destroyed 102 Comms ships while my more skilled co-pilot here was away running errands. Now that she’s back with nothing better to do, what do you think we are capable of?”
Gilbert just grunted as he admired the picture I was painting; no doubt thinking how he could parlay it into a promotion. Since I had him by the balls, I might as well squeeze.
“When I first offered my help, you told me if I needed anything don’t hesitate to ask. Thinking through my plan out loud, it dawned on me there’s an awesome way you could help.”
“Really, how’s that?” he asked, awoken from his daydream.
“I only ask that we be given a suite here in your headquarters and that every mission we perform be posted in the local Galnet report. Living in a ship can be hard on the reflexes and no one in their right mind would shun Imperial notoriety. Especially a gun for hire Earther like myself.”
“Excuse me?” Col. Gilbert was thrown for a loop. “You don’t want political position or your weight in credits?”
“Well, if you insist. I really didn’t want to impose. Thanks in advance for my promotion to Duke and a new Imperial Cutter. You can keep the credits though. By the time we’re done, my lovely partner and I will have more credits than we will know what to do with. Until then, I’ll accept your hospitality and the Galnet postings as your show of good faith.”
Gilbert laughed. This time I was thrown for a loop. I laughed. Kay laughed. I heard Captain Hines laugh. It was weird; even weirder when it stopped.
“You’ve got yourself a deal Duke Abaez. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some preparations I have to make. Captain Hines will escort you to our guest suite.”
It wasn’t until after the captain had left us alone that I realized my hands were shaking. I played poker before back on Earth, but I have never bluffed such a weak hand when the stakes were this high. I turned to Kay.
“Relax; everything is going according to plan. We’ll be gone before anyone is the wiser.”
She was right, but that didn’t keep my hands from shaking. If we screwed this up… I didn’t want to think about it.