The Ghost Fleet Page 9

  “Assurances that whatever deal we make would be honored across the Syndicate,” Tira said. A thought popped up in her head and she eyed the man. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know you. You might very well be a middle man. I know how cutthroat things can be in organizations like the Syndicate. You may want to milk me for information, only to present them as yours to the boss and then kill me.”

  The man was silent for a while, mauling over what Tira had said. Tira felt an avalanche of reasons why she needed assurance bubbling on the tip of her tongue. But she practiced restraint. She didn’t want to appear desperate. It was bad enough that her cover was her real identity.

  The man finally nodded. “I agree you require assurance.”

  Silence.

  Tira said, “So? Are you going to prove to me you’re the leader of the Syndicate, or point me in the direction of the boss? Or are you just going to stare at me all day?”

  “You really want to join the Syndicate?” the man asked with that irritating smile on his lips.

  Tira growled, feigning frustration. “Look, sir, I didn’t come here to joke around. If the guards I put a bullet through won’t convince you, then what will?”

  The man shrugged, like a few dead men was nothing too serious.

  “Men come a dime a dozen,” he said, reinforcing his action. “I have an army at my beck and call. A few dead dumbasses don’t mean a thing.”

  “Then what does?” Tira shot back, realizing how the man had sneakily cornered the conversation and turned the table such that she was the one with a point to prove and not him.

  Fuck!

  “A simple reason why you defected from the Terran Armada,” he replied.

  Tira opened her mouth to speak, but the man raised a finger, silencing her.

  “Don’t lie to me, please,” he said. “I’ll know. Tell me everything. What unit where you operating in? What was your job description? Why did you leave? Why do you want to join the Syndicate? Don’t tell me anything you’re not comfortable telling me, in case I don’t turn out to be who you’re looking for.”

  “Shit, man,” Tira gasped. “Just fucking tell me if you’re the leader of the Syndicate.”

  The man shook his head. “The Syndicate isn’t some piss poor organization. There are safe guards. There are vetting procedures. We don’t want people infiltrating our ranks. Surely, a Terran Armada officer such as yourself understands this.”

  Tira immediately picked up on the allusion and replied. “Former officer,” she said with an emphasis on ‘former’.

  The man flashed her a knowing smile. “Forgive me. Former Terran Armada Officer.”

  Tira drew in a lungful of breath and told a very compelling story. In the time he had asked the question and now, she had composed a very impressive dossier on the average Intelligence operative.

  She had enough information to do so in such a way that was original and provable—there was no question he could ask that she couldn’t answer with her knowledge of the Terran Armada.

  It was part of her training.

  By the time she was done, she had both the man and herself convinced that she was a disgruntled, disillusioned and underpaid officer, who wanted out of the Armada and a quick way to make money.

  “And what can you offer?”

  “Flight paths,” she replied. “Flight plans. Coordinates. Secret projects. I have a whole stash of information that would benefit the Syndicate. I also have access codes, lots of them. Heck, I could probably get you into the Terran Armada Complex on New Washington or past any Armada blockade. I’m going to be a valuable member of the team, as long as I get paid and get rich while doing so.”

  The man’s expression was impassive. Try as she did, Tira couldn’t read any emotion in his eyes. She wasn’t sure if he believed her or not. Earlier, he appeared intrigued by her. Now, there was nothing.

  “So it’s all about the money for you?”

  Tira didn’t reply for a moment.

  Wasn’t it all about the money for these folks? She questioned herself. She had grown to believe that people who resorted to crime, especially organized crime, did it just to make money.

  A light came on in Tira’s mind and she suddenly saw how she could get the information she needed. She struck swiftly.

  “Isn’t that why you’re here?” she asked. “Isn’t it why you run one of the most dangerous organizations in the galaxy? Isn’t it all about the money?”

  “No,” he replied, his façade descending into rage. He tried to hide it, but Tira knew she had hit a nerve. “Money isn't everything.”

  Gotcha!

  Tira arched her eyebrow and put up an amused smile on her face. “So, you run the Syndicate, after all?”

  The reaction was immediate. The man suddenly realized how Tira had played him. A look of surprise at her appeared on his face. Seconds later, it vanished, being replaced by an amused smile.

  “Congratulations,” he said with a clap. “You found me. The question is, do I want you? Do I have need of what you want to offer?”

  Fuck you, too, Tira didn’t voice out. She stood up and casually walked over to the window, taking care to put as much distance between herself and the man.

  “I think the question is, how much am I willing to accept?” she replied.

  “I don’t—”

  “Before you go on,” she cut him off. “Please refill my glass. I want some more.”

  Tira didn’t look back at the man, but she could feel his angered eyes bore holes in the back of her neck.

  As soon as she heard the chink of glass, she whispered, “Confirmed.”

  The response came a second later, “Roger. We’re moving in. Stand by.”

  Tira knocked the window. It was reinforced carbonite, and she knew she would have to fight the man.

  Back at her seat, she took the wine and sipped at it. The man never let his gaze waver. He was giving her one of those intense stares, like he was looking through her and into her soul.

  “So does the leader of the Syndicate have a name?” Tira said. “Or should I just call you leader?”

  The man didn’t have the opportunity to respond, because almost immediately, there was commotion outside on the warehouse floor. Loud reports of gunfire followed by shouts blasted into the office.

  Tira watched the man, ready to fly across the desk for his neck.

  She was dismayed when he didn’t look shocked, nor appear uneasy.

  He didn’t even bat an eyelid.

  All he did was smile at her.

  Chapter 16

  Jeryl

  “Tira’s capable of handling this, right?” Ashley asked rhetorically.

  Jeryl knew that it wasn’t an actual question. It was just her way of dealing with the situation at hand, a situation where she was standing on the sidelines, waiting.

  “If anybody’s going to be just fine, it’s Tira,” Jeryl assured her anyway.

  The captain was carefully monitoring the situation as best as he could from his vantage point. He and Ashley were far too recognizable to join Tira and Jeremy, the smuggler turned Intelligence operative, on their sojourn into Syndicate headquarters.

  All we can do is wait, Jeryl thought to himself.

  He was holed up in the seedy bar where they had their first rendezvous with Jeremy, as it was the only place on this planet where he felt confident hanging out for the time being. His group had already established themselves as not the kind of people you mess with, and Jeremy had put in a good word for them as well.

  Of course, if they knew we were here to put pressure on the Syndicate, they might not be so accepting of our presence, he thought.

  At least Jeryl was able to track where Tira was. It allowed him to follow the situation from afar. She also had her comm device on her, naturally, so if she needed to get a hold of Jeryl, she could. Jeryl was ready to jump in to help her if she needed it: he had an elite team of marksmen, soldiers, and pilots at his disposal. The captain had sent a message up to The Seeker to a
lert his crew to be ready for a firefight. If violence was necessary—and with the Syndicate, it probably would be—Jeryl and his team were prepared.

  Moreover, if The Ghost’s captain was here...Jeryl would take the chance.

  For now, though, he was playing the waiting game. He wasn’t happy about it, but at least Ashley was there to keep him calm. Her presence was always a welcome one, even if it increased his worry in other ways. Though she was a tremendous pilot and more than capable of handling herself, she was, in his mind, first and foremost the future mother of his child.

  Nothing bad will ever happen to her again, he swore, I will lay down my own life before I let any harm come to her.

  Jeryl looked up at Ashley.

  “We know Tira got in the building and she hasn’t sent me any messages, so she’s safe for now. She knows how to handle herself, and if they haven’t killed her yet, they probably aren’t suspicious.”

  “That’s such a grim way of looking at it,” Ashley replied.

  “True, but this is a grim situation,” Jeryl countered.

  He hoped that Tira was able to get in good with the crew—it was their best chance of stopping the raids on the transport ship convoys. The Armada needed it. He remembered Flynn’s words: The Union can’t have one of its own ships being used by pirates.

  Jeryl also had to admit that this was a personal matter. It’s more than just the fact that his own ship had been attacked by these pirates. If not for a well-timed FTL jump, The Seeker could’ve been lost like so many ships before it. The fact that the Syndicate, and its new mysterious leader, were using the The Ghost in their raids made his blood boil.

  It made him think of Kaine. One in a long line of friends he had lost during the war. No, friend wasn’t strong enough of a word. The two men were practically brothers. They were incredibly close when Kaine and his ship were lost in the Earth-Sonali War.

  Now his ship belongs to the pirates, he thought. Kaine’s memory deserves better than that. I’m going to get The Ghost out of the Syndicate’s hands. I don’t care what it takes.

  Fortunately, his own desires aligned with Admiral Flynn and the Armada. They were all on the same page. Now, if Tira was able to infiltrate the Syndicate, the next step in the plan would start.

  So he waited, his comm device clutched in his hand. He was able to follow everything that had been happening, and it would hopefully only be a matter of time.

  Jeryl and Ashley waited patiently. Tira had been in her location for a little while at this point. She had to be in the Syndicate’s warehouse. Who was she meeting with? How much progress was she making? Jeryl wanted the answers to these questions as soon as possible. The waiting was getting to him. It was time to take the next step.

  “I’m going to contact the ship and ask for my team to be sent down.”

  “Are you sure?” Ashley replied.

  Jeryl nodded, adding, “If things take a turn for the worst, we wouldn’t want to lose a second. I’m going to bring the team down now. Then we’ll approach Tira’s location and wait for her to contact me.”

  “If you feel that is the best plan of action...then let’s do it,” Ashley responded.

  Jeryl, comm device already in hand, called up to The Seeker.

  “Send the team down in a shuttle. If we find our target, we’re going to attack once I get confirmation from Tira.”

  The message was received, and in short order, a shuttle was sent down to the planet. Jeryl and Ashley took their leave, and they headed toward the rendezvous point, a piece of open ground close to the warehouse . The captain watched the shuttle arrive and went to greet it. His team, including the Hunter pilots, piled out of the ship. They all carried tactical gear and top-of-the-line rifles.

  “Captain,” Powers said with a salute.

  “I’m glad you’re all here. I have Tira’s location. We’ll head over there now, but be careful. We don’t want to lose the element of surprise,” Jeryl instructed his crew.

  Everybody, except Ashley whose pregnancy left her omitted from a possible fight, began heading toward Tira’s location. As they made their way toward the outskirts of the town, they found themselves standing outside a non-descript, decrepit warehouse.

  This must be the place, Jeryl thought.

  “Secure the perimeter,” he declared, and his team followed his commands.

  There were a few different entrance points to the warehouse, and he wanted to be sure they were all covered. Jeryl didn’t want anybody being able to escape. Suddenly, a message came over the comm device.

  It was from Tira.

  “Confirmed,” she said quietly.

  Finally, a lucky break.

  He acknowledged Tira and ran his tongue over his dry lips.

  He had hoped that they’d be able to get inside the Syndicate and try and work their way up to finding the leader. To find out the leader was here, though, meant they could possibly take out the entire organization in one fell swoop. This made the plan clear. They needed to storm the building.

  “The leader of the Syndicate is inside the warehouse. Prepare to storm the building and come out firing on my command.”

  The team acknowledged the plan and waited patiently for the go ahead.

  This is for Kaine, Jeryl thought, and then he gave the go signal to storm the complex.

  Jeryl led a few of his men through one of the doors. He kicked it in and was immediately faced down by Syndicate men. He fired a shot, hitting one of them in the arm. As the man groaned and fell to the floor, his rag-tag group of criminals scattered. Their presence was known, and Jeryl could hear gunshots elsewhere in the building. This was a real firefight now.

  Jeryl and his team were at a disadvantage. This was a Syndicate building, after all. They knew their way around it. The Seeker’s crew had never been here. They had to be on their guard, but they also had to find their way to Tira...and that as fast as possible.

  “Just keep pressing forward! Watch your ass and keep your gun drawn!” Jeryl yelled out at his crew.

  As the team made their way further into the building, Jeryl suddenly heard a gunshot ring out. A particle beam hit the wall a mere foot or so from his head.

  “We’re under fire!”

  Jeryl and his squad ducked behind a collection of wood crates that were stacked in the hallway. The captain poked his head out to assess the situation. There were five Syndicate members, guns drawn, pinning Jeryl down.

  “There are five of them. We have to be careful to make it out of this,” he declared.

  The shots were raining down on The Seeker’s team.

  Fuck, he thought, we’re easy pickings if we don’t move.

  He took a deep breath, and ducked out from behind the crates, staying low to the ground. With swiftness, he lined up a shot and pulled the trigger.

  It was a direct hit.

  You’re close, I can feel it, he thought as he took down another Syndicate member. The Ghost’s new captain was somewhere on the building, and Jeryl was eager to meet him and have him in chains.

  If he didn’t shoot him first, that was.

  Chapter 17

  Jeryl

  After dropping the remaining three Syndicate members, they darted into a room at the end of the corridor.

  Jeryl glanced over his shoulder to see how his team was doing. Less than two minutes inside the building, and they already had a body count. Not bad, but he knew that the challenge was only going to ratchet up before he got to Tira and the bastard in charge of the Syndicate.

  “Weapon status?”

  “We’re good to go here, sir,” Powers said, glancing at the charge level of his rifle. “I just hope Tira will stay safe until we get to her.”

  Jeryl smiled, trying to hide his own anxiety.

  He checked Tira’s vitals and location once more through the control tablet he had on his wrist.

  “She’s fine.” He glanced at the rest of the team and they all gave him thumbs up; they were ready to go. “Okay, men, standard formation
. Powers will lay suppression fire and I will enter the room and neutralize the targets. The rest of you, follow twenty seconds behind and secure our rear. By the numbers, people.”

  Powers crouched down and made his way to the open door. Once there, he angled his gun inside and started shooting off concentrated stunning blasts. Jeryl took the opportunity and darted into the room.

  One of the three men that were guarding the room had collapsed on the floor, his hands clutching at his chest, right where a suppression blast had hit him. Jeryl quickly turned his gun on the other person in the room and pulled the trigger. The man went down, collapsing like a marionette with its strings cut.

  As his squad stormed in, particle beams crisscrossed the room, hitting the Syndicate bastards in quick succession. Turning on his heels, Jeryl swept the room through the scope of his rifle. With no hostiles in sight, he finally lowered it.

  Quickly looking around the room, his gaze fell on a bolted door. He walked over to it as the rest the team entered and secured the stunned criminal. “What do you think of this, Powers?”

  Powers plugged in a mobile terminal into the door’s locking mechanism and whistled. “They have some high-end security in this joint. Combination voice, DNA, and blood flow sensors. Can’t bypass them. What do we do?”

  Jeryl looked at the prisoner and sighed. “I guess it’s time for 20 Questions.” He walked over to the prisoner and kicked him in the gut. “Wake up, sunshine. Time to do your patriotic duty and help bring your buddies to justice.”

  The man stirred feebly, finally slowly focusing his eyes. “Fuck off, you bastard. I don’t need to do anything for you Arnada assholes.”

  “Well, at least we know he can talk,” one of the assault team members said, suppressing a laugh.

  Powers switched the setting of his pistol to below stun, a nasty little feature good for a swift jolt but nothing more. “We need your help opening a door. I hate to sound trite, but we can make this very uncomfortable for you.”

  He knelt beside the prisoner and pressed the pistol to the man’s temple.