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  "Oh, relax, Fifi. What could possibly go wrong?"

  Chapter Five

  ENGSTROM STOOD BY the air lock. The Federation shuttle shuddered as the connector bridged with the pirate ship Phaethon. She watched the display cycling from the red to green. She had not expected to find a salvage ship alongside the research vessel broadcasting the distress signal. Admiral Kronos would be fuming that pirates were trying to steal a Federation ship.

  "We've got a seal to their door. Atmosphere's synced," said Li keying in a command on the mobile keyboard. Her fingers blurred across the keys. "I've hijacked the AI. Visual in three, two..."

  The monitor showed a grid of video feeds. Li expanded the central one. Three pirates standing in the cockpit. They looked to be arguing.

  "Just the three?"

  Li's fingers clacked on the keyboard as she pulled up vitals. She glanced up at Engstrom and then back at the monitors.

  Marine Team 6 gathered behind Engstrom, eyes hidden behind face shields, arms tense in body armor. She knew they were as nervous as she was. But she trusted them with her life. Today she would prove to Kronos that Marine Team 6 deserved more respect.

  "We're clear," said Li. "These three."

  "Send a message back to the Poros. We're going in. Li, Harrison, you watch our backs. Any sign of trouble cut the bridge and put a hole in their flank."

  Harrison stepped forward. "Sarge, I want to come."

  She shook her head. "You watch our backs."

  "But..."

  "That's an order."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Engstrom opened the intercom. "Captain of the Phaethon, this is Sergeant Engstrom of the Federated Space Marines. You are in violation of Federation Space Regulation R-3. We have seized control of your ship's AI. Prepare to be boarded. Any resistance will be met with deadly force. Drop your weapons, lie on your stomachs, and lock your fingers behind your heads. You have five seconds to comply with my orders. Failure to comply with result in loss of atmospherics."

  She watched the feed. Li had not yet pulled up an audio feed but she could see that they were arguing and the woman among them was waving her gun around dangerously. But then, one by one, they lay their weapons on the floor, lowered themselves to the floor, and assumed a submissive position.

  "Let's secure the vessel," Engstrom said to her assembled team.

  Fifteen minutes later, Engstrom sat in the cockpit of the Phaethon with the pirate captain. His wrists were bound with handcuffs. He fiddled with them as if he might be able to wiggle his way free. Behind him, Harrison stood, legs wide, his electric prod in one hand. Engstrom would need to talk to him later about being a bit too over enthusiastic.

  Engstrom pulled off her helmet and sat down in the chair opposite the pirate captain. Snake Walker, registered owner and captain of the Phaethon, an expired permit to salvage in Zone 14. No criminal warrants, but time served. Not much else in terms of data about him that she could pull up from the shuttle AI. She imagined that the Poros would have more complete records.

  Snake winked his one good eye at her and smiled widely. He brought both hands up to his face and vigorously scratched his beard. More long stubble than real beard, a symptom of neglect rather than attention, Engstrom thought.

  The other two pirates already were in the holding area in the Federation shuttle. She wanted to talk to the captain alone. She needed to find out what had happened. When they searched the research vessel, Harrison had barely gotten his helmet off before he threw up on the floor. She should not have given in to his puppy dog looks and let him go with her to secure the vessel. She was getting too soft. But he had paid the price.

  She, too, had felt her stomach roll at the sight of all the blood, the desecrated bodies. She needed to know what happened.

  Snake spoke before she could. "This is a mistake." He ran his fingertips through his beard smoothing it. "We're just salvage pirates. That ship was floating out there in space. It was like that when we found it."

  Engstrom paused. She knew she could ask him more pointed questions but sometimes she found that it was better to let suspects talk. If they were guilty of something, they had a tendency to implicate themselves or leave enough clues for Engstrom to begin a productive line of question.

  "I know my salvage rights," said Snake. "We were well within our rights to claim that ship."

  "Your salvage permit is expired. And we are in Zone 22."

  He sat back, a smooth smile playing across his lips. "We were outside of Federated Territories when we found the vessel. Just bringing it back in to formally make our claim for the salvage."

  "That's not what your AI record indicates."

  "Ha, the AI. That old thing. It gets the dates all wrong and is always telling us we are three zones over from where we are. Unreliable piece of programming. Her records won't stand up in court."

  "So sure?"

  "It hasn't been admissible in the last three trials."

  Engstrom fought the urge to clench her fists and carefully lay them flat on the tablet in her lap. "You got it all figured out, don't you?"

  He leaned back in his chair. "I like to think of myself as a worldly man. Got a good sense of how the world actually works." Snake glanced at the nametag on her body armor. "Look, Engstrom, Sergeant Engstrom, you know we're right. I'm more than willing to talk to someone in charge and argue my case, cause I'm right, but there is really no reason to have us shackled like common criminals."

  Engstrom chuckled. "I got my orders."

  "You know how these things work, Sarge." He winked. "Get me to the right person so I can pay my fine."

  "Enough with the lip." She nodded to Harrison and he jabbed Snake with his prod.

  Snake winced in pain at the electric shock. "Oh, man, was that really necessary? Did you have to do that? That's my bad side."

  Harrison jabbed him again.

  This time Snake shut up.

  "I want to know about the crew of the research vessel," said Engstrom.

  Snake suddenly stopped smiling. "You can't be trying to pin that on me. You can look at the videos feeds from the AI."

  "The unreliable, inadmissible-in-court AI video feeds."

  He leaned forward. "I get what you're trying to do. I've been around the block a few times. Despite my dashing good looks, I'm no spring chicken. I understand the ways of the galaxy, and especially the ways of the police, or the marines in this case. How much?"

  "What?"

  He glanced at Harrison real quick and then lowered his voice to a whisper. "How much? How many credits to just write this off as a salvage crew bringing in a vessel from outside federation territory? A few credits in your hand and a few credits in mine, and everyone leaves happy. You don't really want to deal with the hassle of hauling us back to your convoy, processing the ships, and going through some fruitless administrative process with your higher ups. I know you're the Space Marines, but you're really just escorting cargo. Credits first in this world of ours."

  Engstrom waited until Snake had nothing more to say. "You're offering a bribe?"

  He shook his head. "A bribe? No, I wouldn't call it that, pretty lady. Just a finder's fee. A donation to your team so at their next R&R layover you can buy them enough rounds of drinks that they forget the boredom of the convoy. A morale builder. Not a bribe." He winked.

  "You should have reported that ship immediately."

  "Sue me if I wanted to earn a few credits. Man's gotta eat."

  Engstrom leaned in close to Snake, her voice a whisper. "You're exactly the problem humanity's facing. Selfish to your rotten core. You care nothing for others but only for yourself. I know your type."

  He whispered back. "And I know your type, a tight ass afraid of breaking the rules, even when you know what the right thing to do is. You're the iron fist of the tyrannical Federation. I'll be remembered as a hero."

  "You won't be remembered at all."

  He glanced back at Harrison and then returned to Engstrom. "Come on. What do you need?
I can help you with anything. I could double the usual finder's fee. But, for that I'd want one thing in return. A kiss. A lingering one. Despite our warring words, I think you and I have chemistry. Tell me I'm wrong."

  Heat washed across Engstrom's cheeks, and her breath trapped in her chest. Her heart raced suddenly. She glanced up at Harrison's whose face only tightened. Engstrom's breath exploded out of her mouth as she sprung to her feet.

  "Captain Snake Williams, I am formally charging you with a violation of Federation Space Regulation R-3, illegal salvage, Regulation R-3-a, salvaging with an expired permit, and Regulation C-1, suspected murder in the act of space piracy."

  "Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" He leapt up from his seat but this time Harrison was on him without any indication from Engstrom. The ensign drove prod into his neck and kept it there until Snake had collapsed to the ground.

  He spit saliva in between the curses erupting from his lips. "You know I did nothing wrong."

  Harrison zapped him back to the ground.

  "You violated the regulations."

  "It's because I asked for a kiss, isn't it? Found a tender spot."

  "Harrison take him back to the hold and put a gag in him. I don't want to hear another word out of his mouth for the entire trip back to the convoy."

  Harrison jerked Snake up by the arm and thrust him down the hall.

  Engstrom waited until they were gone, waited until her heart stopped feeling as if it would leap out of her chest. Once she was settled and composed, she would return to the shuttle and order Li to bring them back the Poros.

  She sat, settling her breath, and watching the video replay the moment Snake and the others found the bodies in the cockpit. Suddenly she realized her fingers touched her lips, and she tore her hand away as quickly as she could, but even then the memory of the touch lingered.

  She returned her fingers to her lips.

  "Sergeant?"

  She pulled her fingers away.

  It was Li. "Sergeant? We found something in the hold of the Galileo."

  "Yes? What is it?"

  "Eggs, ma'am. I think they are eggs."

  Chapter Six

  SNAKE STARED UP at the wall camera in the holding cell on the Federation destroyer Poros and flipped it off with his middle finger. He wondered how soon that sergeant would come back and name her price.

  "Snake, this is not looking good in the first place," said Fifi. "Do you have to get them more agitated?"

  "It's a game," croaked Snake. He leaned back and yawned. He wanted to sleep but the benches were rock hard and cold. Plus the manacles around his wrists made it hard to lie down. "These guys are just better at it than most."

  "Game of death?" asked Crunch.

  "Oh, you big oaf, is that block of wood between your shoulders completely empty? It's all about the money."

  "Don't think these marines are interested in our money. They are marines, not hired security."

  "Ha. Shows what you know of the galaxy. I don't care whether you're wearing a soldier's uniform or a priest's uniform, a heavy hand get things done."

  "You're going to bribe them or slap them?" asked Crunch straining against his shackles. The veins on his thick neck bulged and his mass of muscles suddenly swelled beneath his shirt. Snake expected the chains to snap beneath the force. Instead, the metal plates in the floor groaned but did not budge.

  Even if they did snap and Crunch was able to get them out of the holding cell, they were trapped in the middle of what Snake imagined would be a hundred marines. Not much of a chance to make a sneaky get away. Plus he wanted that ship. It was his by right. He knew and they knew it. Now he just had to figure out exactly how much he would have to pay.

  "This is just an elaborate ruse," continued Snake. "They know we have the right to that salvage. They just want their palms greased, and then we can be on our way with the ship."

  "They're just going to take a bribe like that?"

  "No. We'll call it a fine or a tax." Suddenly the far door in the room opened and several marines filed in and stood on either side of the door. Snake recognized Sergeant Engstrom. She refused to make eye contact with him. Opposite her was Harrison. Snake wanted to pry that prod out of his hands and let him be on the other end of it. The marines were followed by three older men who filled out their uniforms with age and weight. The three shuffled to seats set behind a desk opposite the three prisoners.

  The one in the middle, an Admiral by the look of the stripes on his uniform, scowled at the tablet in front of him. He swiped at the screen several times and with each subsequent swipe, his scowl deepened. He looked up several times at Snake and finally spoke through clenched teeth. Snake leaned forward and saw the name Kronos printed on his uniform.

  "Snake Williams. Owner of the Phaethon. You're vessel is registered as a civilian transport."

  "Yes, sir. Proud citizen of the Federation."

  "You served?" asked Admiral Kronos.

  "Federated Space Marine Corps. Valerie Battalion, sir! Semper Fi." Snake winked at Crunch. "Served with honor, sir!"

  "Then discharged."

  Snake bobbled his head.

  "And straight to prison."

  "It was a misunderstanding of sorts."

  "Five years hard labor at Williams Penal Colony. That does not sound like any sort of misunderstanding. It sounds like punishment for a dereliction in duty."

  "They were afraid to go after the heart of the insurrection on Mars. Me and my men wanted the fighting to end. We saw an opportunity and took initiative."

  "You're actions led to your fellow soldiers getting killed."

  "We were led into a trap by a maniac."

  Kronos stared at the screen. "Dereliction of duty. But more than just disobeying an order. You were going after the bounty. You wanted the credits for capturing Philipus. And your men paid the price for your greed."

  "What is this? Am I suddenly on trial again? I already served the time for the crimes I committed. I already paid my price to society. I'm done with that now. Done with the military. Done with the federation. I just want to be left alone. And while, we're talking about this when are you going to give my back my ship. And my salvage. You've got no right to hold me here."

  Kronos's lips turned up in a slight smile. "The Galileo does not belong to you. It belongs to the Federation."

  "Oh, no, not by the laws of the Federation. I know my salvage rights. Common Galactic Law, Part 7, Section 4, Paragraph 3, which discusses, as I am sure you are aware, the inalienable rights of the citizens, and non-citizens, of the Federation to lay claim to unoccupied space vessels that fall outside of the territorial boundaries of the Federation Space, as set forth in the Galactic Territorial and Expansion Treaty of 3131."

  "Enough," barked Admiral Kronos. "I know the law."

  "So how much is the fine?" asked Snake. He lifted his hand against the shackles and shot a thumbs up at Crunch.

  "No fine."

  Snake smiled at Fifi, and whispered. "We are going to make out like thieves here."

  "The Galileo is claimed by the Federated Forces under Martial Law Decree."

  "You can't do that. There's no war. You can't declare martial law."

  "Sergeant Engstrom, take the prisoners to the prison ship and prepare them for pod stasis."

  "They're going to freeze us!" exclaimed Fifi. "What the hell? Crunch, do something!"

  "No! I can't go under. Not again!" Crunch half-stood in his chair, muscles straining against the chains. This time Snake heard metal groaning and a rivet popped out of the floor and bounced off the ceiling.

  Snake waved his hands at his companion to settle him down.

  But, it was too late. Ensign Harrison leapt forward and jabbed the electric prod into the neck of the giant. The air cracked with a surge of blood light, and Crunch's body spasmed, legs and arms locked, face in a rictus, before suddenly collapsing unconscious on the ground.

  Snake tried to rise and Harrison inched towards him.

  "All, ri
ght, all right. I'm not trying to escape." He turned back towards Kronos. "I get it. I get the game. No fine. Right. But, we can negotiate a finder's fee. Ten percent of the salvage. That's fair. You get a nice clean cut. No work on your end. We can put a retainer on my account so as soon as I sell the ship, the money will be transferred directly to the Poros's account."

  "This trial is over." Admiral Kronos rose, wincing as he straightened his back.

  "Or your personal account. No difference to me, Admiral, sir."

  Admiral Kronos shook his head. "Time's up, son."

  Snake leapt up out of his chair, arms held back by the shackles. "You gotta give me something here, Admiral. Ain't no negotiating if you ain't gonna even ask for anything."

  "I don't need to ask. Out here. I take. I do what I want. And those below me follow my orders."

  "Are we negotiating now?"

  "The ship is mine."

  "Fine. You take it. It's yours. But let me and my crew go. You at least have to give me that. You owe me that."

  "I owe nothing to you, soldier."

  "Well, you treacherous coward, you think you're going to get away with this. I'm going to get Federation prosecutors on your ..."

  Snake's threat died in his throat. At right that moment, Harrison jabbed his prod into the small of Snake's back. He screamed in pain, jaw frozen open, fists clenched, and for a moment he felt as if he would tear out of the chains, but Harrison must have thumbed the prod to the next level, and the last thing Snake remembered before passing out was the stench of singed flesh and the feeling that someone had driven a screwdriver into his spine.

  Chapter Seven

  SNAKE WOKE TO lights. Flickering lights. A ceiling. He lay on his back, and the lights passed in front of him. He was on his back and being moved down a hallway. He turned his head. He saw metal walls with rivets and exposed pipes. Not the Poros anymore. A different ship, more of a cargo vessel or freighter, something not used for human transport.

  He shivered. He moaned and tried to sit up but his wrists would not move. He glanced down. His wrists were cuffed onto a transport gurney.