Read Online Starship's Mage: Episode 2 by Glynn Stewart - Free Book Online
Authors: Glynn Stewart
Ads: Link
the guard eyed them. “Honed to a few molecules thick.”
The guard took the two kukris very respectfully, and then blinked as Singh reached up to his turban and produced a collapsible baton, a small yellow lightning bolt on the black case marked it as electrified.
“That’s everything,” he announced as the guards piled the weapons by the scanner. “It better not leave without me,” he told them fiercely.
“The boss promised,” the vocal guard told him. “He don’t make promises we can’t keep.”
This, David considered, was as much a warning as a reassurance .
The interior of the warehouse, once you got past the spartan security checkpoint, looked like any small office complex. There were even potted plants that they were led past until they finally reached a plain-looking door. There was nothing to distinguish this door from any other office door they’d seen coming through.
“ You’re expected,” the guard told them, and then opened the door.
Carmichael led the way and David followed into a neat, perfectly organized, office that wouldn’t have looked out of place for any corporate CEO in the Protectorate.
“Have a seat,” the man seated behind the heavy metal desk instructed, gesturing to the chairs . The mob boss Carney could almost be mistaken for the muscle outside, until you saw his eyes. For all his size and muscle, Carney’s eyes were ice blue, flat and cold.
“Thank you for meeting with me,” David told him as he and his fellows took the two seats. Those flat eyes leveled on him.
“ I’ll confess,” the boss said, his voice slow and precise, “that Carmichael’s description of your offer intrigued me. I do wonder, though, why you think you can succeed in breaking my people out where I would fail?”
“Unless System Security is more incompetent that any force I’ve ever met,” David replied, “anyone coming in to visit your people will be searched and watched like a hawk. They’ll assume anyone meeting convicted mob offenders may have been bought or compromised by their employers.”
“My man, on the other hand, has been a model prisoner and we have not caused any trouble on the station . They won’t suspect us, so we can get useful gear closer than any of your people,” the Captain explained.
“Fair,” Carney grunted . “What’s your offer?”
“We need a distraction and certain gear – flash-bangs, Nix-Six grenades and stunguns,” David told him. “I need security away from the connector between the jail and the dock – we’ll head straight for my ship and break it free as well once Damien is clear.”
“In exchange, we’ll free one of your people when we break Damien out, and pay you one million Martian dollars.”
“ Nix-Six is not an easy item to acquire,” Carney observed. Nix-Six was the common name for ‘Neutralization Solution Six,’ the current standard knockout gas issued to police riot suppression squads.
“Corinthian System Security has it as standard issue,” David replied. “Do you expect me to believe that if the CSS has it, you don’t?”
The mob boss chuckled, a smile momentarily even reaching his eyes.
“True,” he conceded. “But a million dollars…” he shrugged. “A million makes almost no difference to the value of your offer, and one rescue is far too little. No deal.”
David started to rise to leave in silence, but the mob boss waved him back to his seat.
“No deal at that rate,” he clarified. “I don’t want your money Captain. But understand that System Security swept up a cell of my best operators six months ago.”
“I’ll get you your gear – hell, I’ll throw in body armor and I think I can get you the codes to unlock the cells in the Core – but we’ll do this on my terms. I have six guys in the cells in the Core. You’ll free them all.”
David winced . It was a better deal than he’d hoped for, but he knew what kind of ‘operators’ ended up in the Core – hit men and the most violent
The guard took the two kukris very respectfully, and then blinked as Singh reached up to his turban and produced a collapsible baton, a small yellow lightning bolt on the black case marked it as electrified.
“That’s everything,” he announced as the guards piled the weapons by the scanner. “It better not leave without me,” he told them fiercely.
“The boss promised,” the vocal guard told him. “He don’t make promises we can’t keep.”
This, David considered, was as much a warning as a reassurance .
The interior of the warehouse, once you got past the spartan security checkpoint, looked like any small office complex. There were even potted plants that they were led past until they finally reached a plain-looking door. There was nothing to distinguish this door from any other office door they’d seen coming through.
“ You’re expected,” the guard told them, and then opened the door.
Carmichael led the way and David followed into a neat, perfectly organized, office that wouldn’t have looked out of place for any corporate CEO in the Protectorate.
“Have a seat,” the man seated behind the heavy metal desk instructed, gesturing to the chairs . The mob boss Carney could almost be mistaken for the muscle outside, until you saw his eyes. For all his size and muscle, Carney’s eyes were ice blue, flat and cold.
“Thank you for meeting with me,” David told him as he and his fellows took the two seats. Those flat eyes leveled on him.
“ I’ll confess,” the boss said, his voice slow and precise, “that Carmichael’s description of your offer intrigued me. I do wonder, though, why you think you can succeed in breaking my people out where I would fail?”
“Unless System Security is more incompetent that any force I’ve ever met,” David replied, “anyone coming in to visit your people will be searched and watched like a hawk. They’ll assume anyone meeting convicted mob offenders may have been bought or compromised by their employers.”
“My man, on the other hand, has been a model prisoner and we have not caused any trouble on the station . They won’t suspect us, so we can get useful gear closer than any of your people,” the Captain explained.
“Fair,” Carney grunted . “What’s your offer?”
“We need a distraction and certain gear – flash-bangs, Nix-Six grenades and stunguns,” David told him. “I need security away from the connector between the jail and the dock – we’ll head straight for my ship and break it free as well once Damien is clear.”
“In exchange, we’ll free one of your people when we break Damien out, and pay you one million Martian dollars.”
“ Nix-Six is not an easy item to acquire,” Carney observed. Nix-Six was the common name for ‘Neutralization Solution Six,’ the current standard knockout gas issued to police riot suppression squads.
“Corinthian System Security has it as standard issue,” David replied. “Do you expect me to believe that if the CSS has it, you don’t?”
The mob boss chuckled, a smile momentarily even reaching his eyes.
“True,” he conceded. “But a million dollars…” he shrugged. “A million makes almost no difference to the value of your offer, and one rescue is far too little. No deal.”
David started to rise to leave in silence, but the mob boss waved him back to his seat.
“No deal at that rate,” he clarified. “I don’t want your money Captain. But understand that System Security swept up a cell of my best operators six months ago.”
“I’ll get you your gear – hell, I’ll throw in body armor and I think I can get you the codes to unlock the cells in the Core – but we’ll do this on my terms. I have six guys in the cells in the Core. You’ll free them all.”
David winced . It was a better deal than he’d hoped for, but he knew what kind of ‘operators’ ended up in the Core – hit men and the most violent
Similar Books
