Payback Is a Given: Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 2 Read online

  “How did you get your information?” asked the Admiral.

  Hawkins paused as he was obviously considering his response and how much to tell. Finally he spoke, “Several sources. The initial word came from a crewman on the supply runs to one of the three gathering points. He noticed tons of supplies being dropped off in the middle of nowhere. He knew from the type and amount of supplies that the final destination was a shipyard doing major ship construction and he knew of no shipyard in the area. He let me know and I sent a small trading ship into OrCon space to follow up on the information. The crewman had attached a beacon to one of the supply pallets destined for Murmansk. Our trading ship activated the beacon that responded with a two-second burst transmission along a narrow beam. The ship was waiting along that beam route and, measuring the time of the beam travel, we were able to estimate the location of the base. But, we didn’t know exactly what the OrCons were doing there. The ship went as close as possible for a look around. They did not get to the base so their findings were limited, but they did pinpoint the base location and the activity going on around there. We also spread very liberal bribes and some blackmail among the supply ship crews, supply companies, and minor government officials to learn more. We don’t have it all yet but will have more by the time we execute the mission.” It was an incomplete truth, but an incomplete truth was always more believable than a total lie.

  The three pirates moved toward the hatch.

  “Thank you for the presentation and the subspace demonstration. Give us three days to get a decision,” Lord Cunningham walked to the hatch with Hawkins. At the hatch, he shook hands with Hawkins and then moved to the intel expert. “Thank you, Baby Doll.” He shook her hand and got a whimsical elfin smile in return. Cunningham turned to the operations officer. “Thank you… Tactical. I’m sorry but I didn’t get your name.”

  “My name is Tactical,” the woman replied unperturbed.

  “Yes, of course. Thank you for the brief, Tactical.” Cunningham did not miss a beat as he shook her hand. He was a professional at this.

  Chapter 4

  Sky Mallory walked back to the shuttle bay with the three pirates. She waved off the Marines as an escort and the four walked the corridors alone. “Good sales job,” Sky complimented as she walked alongside Rafe. The two women seem to deliberately slow their pace to allow Rafe and Sky a bit of a lead and, at least, the illusion of privacy.

  “Haven’t bought it yet. But I think they will.”

  “Probably. The potential gains are too high to be passed up. Your price was interesting.”

  “We’re easy but we’re not cheap. Truth is we’re burning through our reserves with the increase in our operations, and we have to make a bold move. I admit this will be a bit of a challenge to pull off and stay alive.”

  “How is the Badlands?”

  They walked in silence for a few paces before he responded. “We are putting a serious hurt on the Goth commercial interests and on their allies in the Badlands. They’ve increased their military forces in the field as a response, but we have avoided them so far. Of course, this increased Goth presence also puts a crimp in the activities of other pirates and various other people in the region. These people understand we must get revenge for the hit on our house, but eventually they are going to want to move on and will want us to stop provoking the Goths. Our revenge timeline is rapidly shrinking with the push to return to business as usual. We also owe payback to the OrCons for their part in the hit on our house. So we’ll strike a major blow against the OrCons in this operation. With this mission completed, we will have hit the Goths, their Badland interests, and the OrCons; we can call it almost even.”

  “Almost even?”

  “We know the names of each of the OrCon and Goth ships involved in the strike on our house. We can’t allow them to survive. It may take time but we will get them all.”

  The statement’s harsh tone caught Sky by surprise, and she moved on to another question quickly. “With your major ships and captains away on this mission, aren’t you concerned about the window of opportunity it will give the Goths in the Badlands?”

  “If this mission is a go, there will have to be a workup period for practice, and then a full-fledged dress rehearsal prior to departure on the actual mission.” He then added in a light tone, “And, of course, any dress rehearsal should be as realistic as possible to ensure the training has adequately prepared ships and crews for the upcoming mission.”

  “Of course,” Sky walked on in silence. “Which base?” She knew without a doubt that the dress rehearsal would be a hit on a Goth base.

  “You know my information reports the OrCons had picked up their Goth escort from the Goth base on Rosstrappe. It was the escort that found and pointed out our house, and the OrCons who did the actual shooting. We hold both groups responsible. We need to make a point that such attacks are unacceptable. I think a hit on Rosstrappe and then on Murmansk will drive that point home. Everyone has recorders surrounding their bases so we’ll be captured on imagery. We want them to see us.”

  “Rosstrappe, huh?” Mallory mused aloud. She wanted to ask one more question but she didn’t know how to phrase it, and she wasn’t sure she really wanted an answer. The two walked in silence for a few seconds.

  “The answer to your next question is no,” Raferty stated with certainty.

  “No?”

  “You want to know if we will target the Rosstrappe base housing to kill their women and children in response to the hit on Charlie house. The answer is. We will definitely not do that. There are some lines I won’t cross,” Raferty stated and then added, “Of course if another house is hit…” He let the remainder of the statement fade away.

  Sky nodded and discovered she was very happy with the answer. She liked Raferty Hawkins very much and respected him as well. She wanted to hold on to both emotions.

  She changed the subject. “The Goths will want to retaliate. The OrCons, too.”

  “Certainly. The OrCons will want to hit us back, but I’m not sure they can spare the assets to do it immediately. It’s a long way to the Badlands for them, and the Goths are going to be leery about the OrCons continually crossing their territory. Plus, if we do the Murmansk raid and get away clean, the OrCons will pull assets off the front lines to cut us off from returning home. I’m not your admiral but, if I were, I would monitor the front lines and when the OrCons weaken a sector to find us, I would hit it hard. Twin defeats at Murmansk and on the front lines would take the OrCons out of the revenge business, at least temporarily. They would keep all their assets close at hand until the situation stabilized.

  “The Goths have to come back at us after the Rosstrappe hit. The most vulnerable time for us will be right after Rosstrappe when our four ships are gone on the Murmansk raid, and the Goths want revenge for the Rosstrappe attack. That’s a window of five standard weeks, given travel time to-and-from the Badlands, and the time spent in OrCon space on the mission. I’m leaving Daniel Sorensen in Rebel in command of the flotilla. He is to avoid major fights and just duck and weave. Dan is a cautious captain, and it will be no problem keeping a low profile. Most of Flot 1 will go to ground, catch up on maintenance, and visit their houses, so they should be out of harm’s way for the majority of the time we are gone. The longer we drag this out the more impatient the Goths will become. They will probably take some ill-advised chances, and there will be opportunity there. Hopefully, it won’t present itself until we get back to the Badlands.”

  The party was approaching the hatch to the hangar bay. Their walk was almost to an end, and Sky wanted to ask one more question. “Why Ensign Bychovskaya?”

  Despite the broad inquiry, Hawkins knew exactly what she meant.

  “We looked at a number of experts within the Empire in the fields of engine signatures, harmonics, etc. All of them certainly have more education and experience than Blondie but the job doesn’t require the best in the field, only someone who is very good and will look at the challeng
e with no preconceived notions. Blondie did several projects centering on ship harmonics while at the academy. We’ve read her published papers. She knows what we want without getting too grandiose in her solutions, so will be able to work with our limited resources. There are certainly many more-qualified experts, but she is exactly what we are looking for. Also, we needed someone who could adapt to our way of life. I was only half joking when I asked Blondie if she would like to be a pirate. The newcomer must adjust to our methods of operation and our life style. We ruled out your military propulsion experts because of that. I have no intention of justifying my actions, or the actions of my crew, to a Royal Navy senior officer who is sharing my bridge with me. If that person were to protest our ways of doing business once too often, I might succumb to the temptation to blow him or her out an airlock. That might be very satisfying short term, but it would be bad for our relationship with the Aurora Empire in the long run.

  “We ruled out all civilians because of the necessity of combat raids against two major naval bases and the long workup period. Civilians would probably not adjust well to our unstructured lifestyle and long space-time. We also live outside of law and order. Violence is a continuous aspect of our business. I suspect most civilians could not make that jump.

  “Blondie is smart, well-trained, and junior enough not to have illusions of grandeur. She will work her job and stay out of the rest of our business while adjusting to our happy-go-lucky lifestyle. She fits the bill perfectly.”

  “You got Predator ready to come in here without her help. Can’t you do the same for Murmansk?”

  Rafe smiled and leaned toward Mallory. “I’ll let you in on a secret. It took all of our knowledge, much trial and error, and a whole bunch of practice and luck to pull off our trick today. We can’t do it for four ships, especially considering we will be hitting a target we have limited intel about. We need Blondie.”

  Sky nodded. At first glance, Blondie had seemed an odd choice, but Hawkins had been looking at more than just the job but the whole requirement for living with the pirates for several months. Based on that, Blondie made good sense.

  Suddenly they were at the shuttle dock. The four of them proceeded through the hatch and to the side of the Predator shuttle. Sky shook hands with the three pirates.

  “See you in three days,” Sky spoke quietly. “I think you have a real shot at getting this.”

  “We’ll see,” replied Rafe. “But I do like our chances. Fair winds and following seas, Captain.”

  “Also to you, Captain,” Sky replied in kind.

  The three visitors entered the shuttle and closed it up. Sky returned to the hatch and exited the hangar bay. She turned and stood watching the hangar deck through the hatch porthole as it decompressed, the outer doors slid open, and the shuttle departed for Predator. She returned to the flag briefing room and joined the two men still there. They had been in quiet conversation but stopped as Sky took the seat recently vacated by Hawkins so she could view both men.

  “What do you think, Sky?” Cunningham asked directly.

  “I admit a certain prejudice in Captain Hawkins’ favor because of all he did for me in the Badlands. But I think it’s a go. Big price, but if he pulled it off, it would be a war-changing event.”

  “Agreed,” the Lord nodded. “You don’t think he’ll run with the money?”

  “No. He’s not built that way. He is a pirate and certainly has no problem killing people, but there is something… honorable about him. I do not see him running with the credits.”

  “What is your view of the military aspects of the mission? Is it feasible, or are we overestimating the chances of success because we want it to happen so badly?” Admiral Barrett threw out.

  Sky looked up to the overhead as she considered the idea. “That could be. The brief was so general as to be useless for detailed evaluation. Just what the pirates wanted. It’s enough to get our interest without telling us anything of value. But they did get into this base undetected. That demonstration speaks more than the brief. I think Murmansk will be tougher, especially trying to get four ships through the defenses undetected. Their attack won’t do great damage, but it could inflict key damage if the right targets are hit. Even if they are destroyed in the attempt and don’t cause any damage at Murmansk, the fact that the location of their secret base is now known will give the OrCons pause. Captain Hawkins mentioned to me on the walk back to their shuttle that if they are successful and get away, the OrCons are going to have to pull units off the frontier to close off all escape routes. This will weaken a sector somewhere and give us an opportunity to jump on somebody.”

  “We were discussing exactly that when you returned,” Admiral Barrett remarked. He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers, elbows on the chair arms. He stared into the middle distance for a few seconds. “It is a heavy price tag, but we are going to spend a helluva lot more money on this war. I agree with Captain Mallory. We should pay the price. The pirate is right. We don’t do “sneaky” very well but neither do the OrCons. They won’t see this coming. We could even help the pirates cross the frontier with a raid of our own to pull the OrCons’ attention to another sector while the pirates cross into enemy territory. If the OrCons weaken an area to pursue the pirates after the raid, we will hit that area. This has potential to be a shift in the momentum of this war. Can’t let it pass.”

  Lord Cunningham threw out one more question. “Why our young Ensign? Surely there are dozens of more qualified experts in the field. Do the pirates know something we don’t?”

  “I asked Captain Hawkins the same question,” Sky answered. She shared his reply with them. The two men saw that it made sense from the pirate’s point of view.

  “Then we are all in agreement about this offer,” Lord Cunningham said with finality. “I’m going to take the recording of this meeting, add my own impressions and my recommendation for approval, and forward it all to Zelenka. If approved, we should easily get their authorization for the money transfer within three days. Also, I see a slight modification to the proposed plan. Let me go over it with you.”

  Chapter 5

  Prime Minister Morgan Strickland sat in the back of his chauffeured air car as it took him to the Royal Palace. He ordered his thoughts. The recent meeting with key military leaders and the party leaders in the upper and lower assemblies had been unanimous in supporting the pirate proposal. It had been a spirited debate, but the potential gains outweighed the suspicion of the pirates or the long odds against success. Strangely, nobody mentioned the payment money. “Or not so strange,” thought Strickland. It wasn’t their money and they wanted to win the war by any means possible. Now all key members of his government were in favor of the mission. Although the Queen’s permission was not required to approve the mission, having her blessing and support would be key in limiting the damage to his government if this episode went wrong, and all the facts came out for the opposition Mercantile Party to feast upon.

  The air car stopped at the rear entrance of the Palace used by government officials for discrete arrivals and departures. The Prime Minister took a deep breath, departed the car, and entered the Palace. He was escorted through the many halls and rooms to the Queen’s private office.

  “Please be seated, Mr. Prime Minister,” Queen Alexis nodded to a chair in front of her desk as she continued to type on her computer. “Forgive me but please let me finish this and I will be with you very shortly.”

  She was at work in her office in the government wing of the palace. Dressed in a tailored business suit and suitably coiffured, she could pass for a high-ranking financial officer, a member of the entertainment business, or an industrial executive. She was bigger than all of them. She served as queen of the largest known empire to mankind, head of the government that ruled over dozens of solar systems and hundreds of planets, and the symbol of stability and enduring strength in an ever-changing universe.

  As Strickland sat down, he reflected on his relationship with the
monarch. As head of the Party of the Realm in the Lower House, he had met the Queen on several occasions, but had not known her well at all. His party had been the minority party in both houses for the last several years, as the Mercantile Party had run the government during a period of growth and prosperity. It seemed this control would continue as the perennial squabbling with the Orion Confederation over borders, trade, expansion, and natural resources had ended, and talks to resolve all these issues had commenced with much fanfare. A successful result to these talks would have cemented the Mercantile Party in power for a long time.

  This all changed two months ago with the Orion surprise attack on the Empire. The resulting military defeat had thrown the Mercantiles out of power and ushered in the Party of the Realm. To his surprise, his party elected him prime minister rather than choosing the Duke of Marblecliff, leader of the Realm party in the Upper House. Strickland had been prime minister for only three months but had gotten to know the Queen more in those three months than in all the years prior. He had found her to be cultured, polite, and dignified, but underneath was a core of titanium and a cold focus on what was necessary to win this war.

  Alexis had been the third child so had never been groomed for the crown. That training centered on Sophia, the eldest of three children. Sophia had been studious and dependable, a fine future queen. Next in line was Matthew, a wild and unruly youth who grew into a wild and unruly young adult. He liked racing fast air cars, any dangerous recreational activity, and all women.