The Asking Price of Stars Read online

  “Sandy, sometimes you ask too many questions,” Artystaar winked and continued. “The captured Free Humans provides much of the labor. Out here there is no need to meet the terms of The Grand Treaty III. Who will know if we recycle Free Humans back to be bound laborers on a nameless planet?”

  “Let’s see if our new commander has plans to sleep on 3rd watch,” Sandy replied ignoring Artystaar’s rhetorical question.

  Chapter Thirty

  - The Planet Horizon - 08-15-518.

  Two months in space later, the Outcast Lady neared Horizon. It was a strange planet with only one small moon and no tilt to the planet’s axis. No tides and seasons existed. Either tropics or deserts covered the equatorial islands. Endless temperate zone islands covered the area halfway to the poles and large arctic zones enveloped the poles. Circulating ocean currents kept the planet from becoming uninhabitable. Currents transferred vast amounts of heated water to the poles and cold water to the equator. Only a handful of the tropical islands held pirate bases. Horizon’s capital, ‘Friendly’ was located at the mouth of a river system on the largest tropical island.

  As the Lady neared orbit, Tracey used the optical systems to scan the city. She reported, “The name must be a joke. Large areas of forest have been cut with no sign of replanting. Factories and warehouses line the river which flows through the city. The road system has no pattern; it looks as if wild animal tracks were paved. Giant piles of trash can be seen from orbit. Smoke fills the air. A dark scum clouds the river where it reaches the bay and extends kilos out to sea.”

  “The Space Port appears disorganized, poorly laid out, and lifters are scattered around the field,” Tracey continued. “I can see two old space ships which crashed while attempting surface landings. Long ago the ships were pushed to the edge of the landing area. In spite of its poor condition, the Space Port is defended by an array of the up-to-date weapons. The Capital is a slum, the Space Port a mess. But, the estates, along the golden beach nineteen kilos south of the city, are beautifully kept. These estates are also defended by the modern weapons,” Tracey concluded.

  “Thanks Tracey,” Kat said. “Sounds like what we are seeking.” Kat continued on an open com line, “This is Commander Jang of the ship Outcast Lady requesting an orbit position.”

  The reply came back, “This is Horizon Space Station Control; I don’t give a damn where you park that junk pile. Just stay clear of satellites or other ships. Your orbit tariff is two hundred Imperials, transmit the funds now. What is your purpose on Horizon?”

  Kat responded, “We are delivering a shipment to Sun Transaction Trading. We request a space station docking port for our lifter. We will be docking in one hour.”

  The station consisted of the hulks of two large Imperial merchants attached to a spherical center section. With half of the lifter docking ports unused, there should be no problem with Kat’s request.

  “Attack plans would already be underway if Station Control knew the shipment contained a thousand cases of live Martheain Herb Tea Bugs. The bloody damn bugs are worth more than the whole damn station,” Czajka, their guide, commented. She was acting as an agent for the Lady.

  *********

  The Space Station reeked of sweat, cooking vegetables and burned out lifter motors. Half of the plants used to clear CO2 were dead. Strangely the station was clean with swept decks, clean walls and no trash. Tracey, Kat and Czajka walked down the main passageway. Shadow followed a few steps behind, his eyes scanning the foot traffic around them.

  A lean young man suddenly came running out of the crowd in front of them. A second assailant lurked in the background. The young man pushed Kat to the deck and cut free Kat’s data pack with the speed and fluidity of a skilled Field Ball Player. He tossed the data pack to the second assailant. She caught it and began to run. As the young man raced past Tracey, she drew her compact pistol, turned and shot the man in the back of the head with the speed and fluidity of a skilled Field Ball Player. A fine mist of blood and brains exploded from his forehead. Three seconds later Czajka’s dagger plunged in his left lung via his back.

  Six steps farther back, Shadow sliced the throat of the accomplice who had been waiting for the handoff. The girl looked no more than seventeen standard years. She had been drawing her rocket pistol when Shadow cut her down. Shadow thought, by the gods, how sad, she is my age and a pretty one!

  Regaining his feet Kat said, “Thanks damn thanks! It looks as if someone wants to know about us, the ship, or our cargo.”

  Tracey recovered the data pack from the corpse lying on the ground and handed it to Kat.

  A few bystanders gathered around the bodies. No one appeared concerned over two dead bodies lying in the station’s main passage way. A tall kid with a pock marked face, yelled, “Nice shooting Blondie!”

  Shadow and Czajka carefully sliced open both of the female corpse eyes. Czajka withdrew a lens from inside the girl’s right eye.

  “What have you got, Czajka?” Kat asked.

  “It’s a lens doc from her eye. It’s likely to have a letter of intent engraved into it stating the price to be paid for your data pack. Perhaps we can find who sent these young people.” She smiled and said, “Thanks to First Officer Watkins, I don’t think we will find out much from the boy’s eyes.”

  The first official to arrive was a structural inspector whose only concern was to ascertain the ability of the station to hold atmosphere. She was gone as soon as she determined that there was no damage to the outer wall which could cause a latent failure.

  After the structural inspector’s departure, a security officer arrived. He was a human with dark hair and carried twenty-five kilos too much weight. He took statements from each of the group and also from couple of witnesses. He then confiscated the dead girl’s rocket pistol, worth ten plus Imperials on the gray market. Within a half hour he called in a cleanup crew, accepted a small bribe and told everyone at the scene that they were free to go. No one had said anything about the lens doc.

  Tracey asked, "We just killed two people on a crowded open passageway and it generated less fuss than shooting a dog would back home. Is this customary?” She was incredulous.

  “Welcome to Horizon,” Czajka replied. “By the way Tracey, both you and Shadow have earned a kill dot. The tattoo shops will have a copy of the security report within an hour. You can get your tats today. I would not delay; the value of kill dots when dealing with smugglers and pirates cannot be overestimated.”

  “Shouldn’t you also receive a kill dot?” Tracey asked.

  “No. The thief was dead before my dagger broke his skin.” Czajka replied.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  - Planet Horizon - 08-07-518.

  A few days later, the big lifter from Outcast Lady dropped toward the Horizon’s surface. Shadow and Light sat together talking. Light asked, “What is it like getting a tat?”

  Shadow told her, “At the meeting with Sun Transaction Trading, the Vice Director Sam Yazdan showed more interest in Tracey’s and my kills than in our cargo. After the meeting, he insisted we use a talented tattoo artist named Benjamin Jing Hoe. Once we located Ben’s shop, we began the process. Ben had a copy of the security report. He told us we were getting black dots based the fact that both the boy and girl assailants were trained thieves and known killers. Black dots are used for kills of the military, but also extended to smugglers, thieves and anyone else trained in hand to hand combat. “

  “Each dot is twelve millimeters in diameter,” explained Shadow. “The dots are not just solid color. Each dot is an intricate design. A two-millimeter outer ring of color is followed by a two-millimeter band of information. Sometimes just the date of the kill is within the band. Sometimes the victim’s initials or name and the location of the kill are added. The center is a four-millimeter circle of nearly solid complex design.”

  Shadow continued, “Tracey and I chose to add the date and the names of our kills in the band. We thought their names would go unrecorded otherwi
se. Completing the tattoo took only twenty-five minutes.”

  Light said, “You two were good to add their names. Their bodies are unclaimed and will be burned with the trash. No one will remember them on Horizon.”

  Light looked around the 20-person lifter. Each of them wore a new dress uniform of light tan with a black pullover. The jackets were waist length. The uniforms, typical of contract officers and sergeants, were tailored in the last few days on Horizon Station. Shadow, Fidelity and she wore sergeant’s uniforms with dark green four pointed stars pinned on over the heart and the same star embroidered on the pullover.

  Tracey as pilot and Cici, as gunner were both dressed in the officer’s version of the new uniform with six pointed Stars. As Commander and as Chief Time Wave Navigator Kat and Peter also wore the officer’s version of the tan dress uniform. Both had pinned on dark green seven pointed stars.

  Tracey flew northward toward the verdant green islands of the temperate zone islands. Purple Cat was curled up in an empty seat just behind Tracey. Before they left, Czajka had insisted Tracey bring Purple Cat because it was customary that Horizon women of the pirate aristocracy carried their c-cats to all social gatherings.

  As they flew, Cici looked out from gunner’s bubble and saw the lush green islands changing. Palm- like trees were replaced by near-oaks, near-pines, and giikotr like trees. She saw no sign of estates or farms. On a few islands, herds of Vraciek were grazing in the open grasslands. The Vraciek were not native to Horizon, someone had to place them on the islands. In the lush endless summer, the Vraciek would grow quickly and face no winter starvation. But they would need to be herded to new grass areas every few weeks. The Vraciek were too dumb to move themselves to new pastures. Someone must herd them and live on these islands.

  Cici remembered, my father loved the Vraciek that we raised at home on Craig-Land. They looked somewhat like a cross between a large sheep and small cow covered in blue fur. The Vraciek are not as smart as sheep. Imperial geneticists bred them to be docile and easily handled. They just want to eat and breed. It took people with my family’s love of the land and passion for ranching to protect and raise them. The fact that the meat, milk, and wool they produced were all excellent allowing us to live very comfortable lives. Nevertheless, when herding at night, I remember lying out on green hill tops, staring up at the stars, and wondering what is life like up there?

  Cici snapped back to full alert as two armed lifters closed on them from the north. The lifters swung a wide circle and took positions on either side of their lifter about 100 meters out. One of lifters sent a tight beam command, “This is Commander Contreras, follow us in and do not, I repeat do not deviate from our course.”

  Tracey responded, “Commander understood. We are locking on to your course.”

  They flew over the surf line of a large island within two hours. After a half hour more, the lifters continued north into a gap in a range of mountains over the coastal plain. Kat, who stood behind Tracey’s seat said, “By the gods what a view!” They flew over a ridge covered with near-pines. Opening before them was a high valley. A clear river flowed down the center then through a gap in the ridge that they had just passed over and fell 300 meters into the mist of the plain below. On either side, forest covered mountains rose up. Between the mountains was a wide grass covered valley. The far end of the valley opened into a view of a distant snow covered mountain range. In the center of the range rising above the clouds was a volcano. Kat thought, the mother of all volcanoes; it formed this island.

  The armed lifters began their descent and Tracey followed them down. Below was a plastio-cement landing field. Four other armed lifters were parked on the field. Encircled in trees at edge of field were two buildings; one a flight control center and one a modest warehouse. Camouflaged air defense weapons arrays were located at the north and south ends of the field.

  As Tracey landed an electro-van drove out from the Flight Control Center. An officer walked over from the armed lifter which landed to their right. A human officer was dressed in blue dress uniform pants with a bright orange pullover. Pinned on his chest was the black seven pointed star of a Captain. The opening in the right sleeve of his pullover exposed four Kill Dots; two green, one black and one red.

  He hailed them, “I am Sanjay Contreras. Please follow me to the van." The party loaded into the van and it started up a dirt road toward a low hill covered with trees at the north end of the valley. Unaware of the importance of this meeting, Purple Cat slept contentedly in the carry bag on Tracey’s right shoulder.

  After a somewhat bumpy ride, the van stopped at the foot of a set of carved stone steps which led into the trees on the hill. Kat looked around as they walked forward and topped the stone steps.

  It’s the biggest camping building I have ever seen, he observed. The structure spread out along ridge of the hill, plastio-carbon posts six meters high supported a flat roof over 50 meters long. The walls are fabric in some areas open in others. In the center of the camp, banners of orange fabric few from poles on either side of the plastio-carbon doors, why the doors? Guards, dressed in orange utilities and with rocket long guns, are opening the doors for us.

  Once inside Captain Contreras led the group into the main entrance hall. The far wall opened into a view of a valley covered with a dense mass of trees. In the distance the mountain range rose up with the great volcano emerging from mists of the valley floor.

  Kat said to no one specific, “And I thought the view from flying in on the lifter was something special.”

  A small old man in the grey uniform of a bound human laborer greeted them. Tracey let out a “Damn” on the occasion of the first time she was face to face with a bound laborer. She had seen them in vids, but seeing one face to face was different. The old man appeared thin and fragile and Tracey was not sure he could walk much further.

  The man smiled and, as if reading her thoughts said, “Miss, you will get used to us if you spend much time on Horizon. All of you please follow me. There is a room on the right where you can rest and relax until it’s time. The other servants and I will bring refreshments.” He then turned and added, “Captain Contreras will rejoin you later.” It sounded almost like a whisper. “Oh, yes you will need to leave all your weapons here with the guards”

  They rested in a room just off the entrance hall. One wall was open to the view of the snowcapped mountains. The room was furnished with comfortable camping furniture and equipped with all the facilities needed. True to his word, the old man and three ladies, as old and frail as himself, served cold drinks and hot gubble brew. All of the ladies were in bound laborer grey. During the next hour, the old man asked each of the crew if they were comfortable and inquired if they needed anything. One of the ladies even brought bowls of water and food for the c-cat.

  After refreshments, the old man and one the women returned to the room dragging two large folding tables. The two of them were barely able to move the tables. Kat and Tracey jumped up to help with one table. Peter and Fidelity grabbed the other. Cici and Light took heavy trays of food from the other two old women. Shadow moved the camp chairs to the side to open a space for the tables and helped set them up.

  The old man announced, “My apologies for the delay. We will be serving you a light meal.” The ‘light’ meal was very generous and tasty and served in many courses.

  Upon completion of the meal the old man said, “Please follow me to the sovereignty room.” They were searched one more time for weapons by armed guards posted at the doorway. The Sovereignty Room opened on one side to the view. At the far end was a platform raised a single step up. Two guards flanked the platform. Three humans were seated on the platform. In front of the platform two dozen chairs were arranged in three rows. Captain Contreras was seated in the last row but otherwise the seats were empty.

  Tracey and the others walked toward the platform. The old man motioned them to the chairs.

  The man in the center must be the grand leader on Horizon. He’s ov
er two meters tall, black hair cut short; scars on his face, right arm covered Kill Dots, one ugly bastard, Tracey thought.

  The ‘ugly bastard ‘arose, walked to edge of the platform and said, “I am Garman Rayyan Warlord of Horizon and Pirate Fleets; Lord of Death and Destruction. We are not pleased with your existence.”

  Tracey thought, is he going to kill us now or after dinner? Perhaps he will wait until dawn. If that’s the case, I will not sleep alone this night.

  At that point, the old man stepped on to the platform and said, “Thank you General Rayyan, I will

  take it from here.”

  *********

  Centari Shamir was the leader of the group of young people called the ‘Lost’ who were recruited for the crew on Pangerbar. Centari was tracing the source of the lens-doc previously cut from the dead girl who was neutralized in an altercation earlier in the day. Sam Yazdan, the Vice Director from Sun Transaction Trading, gave Nirabella and Spider a list of people to interview regarding the incident. Spider enlisted Centari to help.

  Centari sat in the office of an information broker, Yazdan the Fat and a distant cousin of Sam Yazdan. The office overlooked the sweltering main road of Friendly. The road between the city center and space port was filled with taverns, whore houses, weapons shops and drug dens. Yazdan’s office was on second story of an establishment which appeared to be housing all four.