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  “I think Pops and his hand trumps anything you might have,” I warned the other groups. “You’ve pissed him off. If I was any of you, I’d get out of here. One wrong move, and we’ll all be red sauce.”

  “You wouldn’t dare use that thing,” Ixlid smirked at Pops. “At this range, you’ll be dead too.” He folded his arms over his suit and smiled.

  “Why don’t you try me?” Pops returned. “What have I got to lose, Greenface? I’m an old man. The empire doesn’t have much use for has-beens like me. They’d rather we all die so that they can use the resources on the next batch of suicide commandos. What do I care? No dependents, nothing to worry about. I can do one right thing and rid the universe of the scum I see in front of me. How many people have you ripped off or overcharged? How many soldiers out there died because you sold them crap guns? How many houses fell because the builders used your shitty bricks? Come on, assholes; make an old man happy.”

  They stood there trying to come up with a plan. No one spoke to each other. They didn’t have to. Each group planned out the next move by way of looks and glances. I could see them in a quandary. They wanted to get me, but that weapon had enough power to take them out with a trigger pull.

  Pops didn’t move either. He stood behind the gun and matched their glares with his.

  Then the silver mechanicals swarmed over Pops as one unit. I don’t know how they knew what to do, but somehow, Ixlid managed to send them a plan. At the same time, two mechanicals leaped in our direction. I later surmised that their idea was to distract Pops and his gun so that they could snatch me away. It almost worked.

  I heard a snap and a sizzle as two of the silver suits dropped to the floor in a cloud of smoke. Pops seemed to know how to operate the weapon for close-range work and fired it at the two nearest ones. There was no flash from the weapon or loud retort. The only way I knew he’d used it was the mechanicals who froze, smoked, and fell to the floor. One of them started to burn. The weapon’s ultrasonic blast destroyed the internal operating system of it.

  I had my gun out and was ready to see how it worked. The first bullet went through the helmet of the mechanical near me and sent shards of electronics across the room. I’d wondered about the kinds of bullets the gun used. This prototype had loaded itself with hollow points. I made this observation because nothing came out of the back of the helmet. I’d expected the bullet to go through and crack the polycarbonate across from me, but nothing emerged from the other side of the mechanical’s head. It flew back and hit the floor after being shot.

  Zilpha managed to take care of the second one. I swung my pistol in its direction, but she was already in range. Zilpha chopped downward and imbedded her blade in the shoulder of the attacker mechanical. Before it could move to defend itself, she powered the blade down and cut. I saw sparks fly in the air from what she did. The fourth mechanical went down in the same direction as the first three.

  Now, there were two out-of-commission mechanicals on the floor to accompany the two fried by Pops and his weapon. The one Zilpha struck moved around for a bit and shut down. Its operating system had decided it wasn’t worthwhile to forge onward.

  The Travelers began to move out the store first. One of the juniors went to the door and pushed it open. He held it open as the others backed out behind him. The clan leader was the last to go. None of them said a word but kept their eyes on the gun Pops had on the counter. Soon, they were outside. Through the window, I watched them back down the street until they were all out of view.

  Some of the locals began to assemble outside. They weren’t used to any violent activity around here. This wasn’t a settlement world administered by the empire. Someone would call the MPs.

  Pops swung the barrels of the weapon at Ixlid and his remaining mechanicals. “You got anything else to say, Fatty?” he asked him. “Because I’d like to see how this thing works on your hide. I’m sure it would be instructional.”

  The mechanicals moved protectively in front of Ixlid as he too backed out of the store. He was a bit faster this time. Ixlid didn’t say a world about the mechanicals on the floor. The damaged goods probably offended his sense of decor.

  “This ain’t over yet,” Ixlid growled at Pops. “Korth will know what shit you just pulled here. You think he’ll still do business with you after what happened? The empire won’t be able to protect your operation anymore.”

  “You let me worry about that,” Pops snapped back. “I’m good with the way things have played out. At least, I don’t have to worry about your pathetic ass.”

  Ixlid vanished out the door with the mechanicals. Soon, they too were gone from view.

  Pops waited a bit, then turned off the gun. I heard it power down as he watched the door in case anyone else had similar ideas. Pops set the gun down on the floor with a huff and shoved it in the corner where he’d kept it. A few boxes covered it from view.

  “Thanks, Pops,” I told him.

  “Don’t mention it," he stood up and replied. “I’ve itched to try that thing out for months. Guess it does work just like the manual said it would. Must say I was surprised about those,” he commented as he pointed to the mechanicals on the floor. “Thought for sure I’d have to turn up the setting.”

  “Excuse me,” a voice said from the door. “Was there a problem in here?”

  I looked up to see two Irunian MPs standing at the front door. They’d somehow walked in after Pops put away the gun.

  “Nah," Pops told them. “Someone tried to sell me some crap mechanicals. and they didn’t work.” He waved his hand at the floor.

  Zilpha had already folded up her naginata and put it pack in her purse. Likewise, my designer gun was holstered out of view.

  “Somebody called in a complaint,” the MP explained. “We have to look into these things.”

  Pops leaned over the counter and looked at the insignia on the MPs uniform.

  “Both of you guys in Zeta Company?” he asked.

  The effect was instant. Both MPs stopped and looked at him with wide-eyed expressions. “How did you know about the Zetas?” the younger of the two asked him.

  “I was in Slappy Ferndeck’s group,” Pops told them. “That was years before you were ever born.”

  They were speechless. “You went through the Battle of Neekof?” the older of the two spoke.

  “All the way,” Pops replied.

  “Only four made it back,” the younger spoke too.

  “And I’m one of them,” Pops let him know. “Which is why I cashed out later. You tell Slappy that Bergedorf said hello if you see him.”

  “Will do," the younger one spoke again. “Sir.”

  They both turned and left. I bet neither one filed a report.

  “What was that all about?” I asked Pops after they left.

  “Nothing special,” he sighed. “Some of these damn kids forget how the empire got so big. Come on; help me get these pieces of junk to the back room.”

  We helped Pops move the mechanicals out of the way and into the back warehouse. They didn’t leave much of a smell, even after the one had burned for a few minutes. Pops thought it was due to their crappy construction.

  Then, he gave us the directions to a local hotel where we could stay until things blew over.

  “It’s not in the best part of the legation,” he told us. “But I’m sure you won’t mind.”

  At the door, Pops handed me a case he’d brought along.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  “Some cash, clothes, and a few more toys,” he replied. “Don’t use all of them up at once. And keep it in mind the next time we have to do some business.”

  Zilpha gave him a hug. I shook his hand, and we both left the shop.

  Chapter Ten

  We were out of the shop, but the danger was far from over. The streets of the Irunian legation might be clean and full of order, but there were plenty of people out there who wanted to find me. I was certain one of the MPs looked at me funny before Pops asked him abo
ut his unit. Had they taken any pictures, someone might’ve made the connection between me and the wanted posters on the duty-free shop.

  We continued to head toward the address Pops gave us back at the store. It was quite a walk, but we didn’t have any other way to get there. The surface tubes and transports ran in other directions. Plus, I wasn’t in a big hurry to place myself in a car where a camera might spot me. It was bad enough on the street. I knew cameras lined the building exteriors. But so long as I kept my head down and away from them, I should be all right. And that cloaker helped.

  “What was that Pops talked about with those MPs?” Zilpha asked. “It had the right effect. Got them away from the disaster right after it happened.”

  I thought a minute before it came to me. One of the lesser battles of the Taelor Peninsular War in the Hammer Cluster. Two hundred Irunian commandos at a surrounded garrison for 60 standard days against the local rebels until the empire sent in a relief force. The MP was right. Only four men came out alive from that one. Pops would be the right age. I’d learned about it years later.

  “Pops was one of four men to survive a battle that killed almost 200,” I explained to her. “The survivors are considered immortal by the Irunian rank and file. I’m surprised they didn’t ask for his blessing.”

  “He ever mention it to you before?” Zilpha asked me.

  “No; you don’t talk about something like that.”

  We found the hotel a few minutes later. “Great Southern” was proclaimed over the top of it, but the place lost its glory years ago. I looked around and realized we were in a downscale neighborhood.

  Most of the legation was military and had to pass military specifications. It reminded me of base housing from my years in the Janissaries. The difference here was that the Irunian military could marry after they put in a certain amount of time, so it wasn’t unusual to see officers with their families stroll down the street in non-combat zones.

  Janissary housing, on the other hand, was barracks for the lower ranks with larger rooms reserved for officers. Each housing area had a small division devoted to the pleasure women who made their coin taking care of the fighting man’s personal needs. The Janissary corps realized years into its creation that it made sense for them to hire women for the troops. Better that than deal with the after-effects of horny young men turned loose on a civilian population.

  The hotel clerk, an older Terran with a nametag, had us sign the guest book and looked us over. His tag read “Hewey," and he had the appearance of someone who’d spent his life taking orders from people who assumed he was their servant. I knew we’d passed his test when Hewey saw the case Pops gave us. He lightened up right away. We were people who had money to spend.

  “How long you plan to stay?” he asked me.

  “At least a week,” I told him. “How much?”

  He quoted a price and recited the house rules from memory. I could tell the recitation was automatic. He’d done it for so many years, it flowed out of him.

  I handed Hewey some bills, and he handed me the key. “And keep it quiet,” he added. “This may not look like a five-star place, but we do our best to keep it up. You need anything, call down here at the front desk. If I’m not here, the owner will be around. You can’t miss him. Tall, dark blue Morbashi man.” He looked askew at Zilpha. “A bit like you, in fact.”

  “Metice,” she told him. “My mother’s Terran; Dad was from that world.”

  I found the room and let us in a few minutes later. I was glad to see it was on the first floor. Not that I mind walking up stairs or using the elevator, but the first floor is best for getting out in a hurry. In our situation, it was a possibility that we’d need to do just that.

  Zilpha tossed her jacket onto a chair. The moment I locked the door behind us, she proceeded to strip her clothes off. I stood there and tried to remember all the ways out of the legation and wondered whether Korth be able to cover them all with his people. Zilpha dropped her thong as she lay down on the bed. She pulled one leg up between her thighs.

  “Hey, Fixer,” she cooed to me. “After all we’ve been through today, I could use something fixed.”

  “So could I,” I replied to her. “As a matter of fact, I’ve got the tool you need. But you’ll have to wait a bit. I need to do a perimeter check and make sure Boss Korth doesn’t have any of his goons or bounty hunters outside. Then, I can come back and take care of you.”

  Zilpha pouted a bit, then jumped off the bed. She tossed her arms around my neck and gave me a big kiss. I loved the way she smelled, and I felt her hot breath. After the mess today, I was ready for those sweet, blue thighs. She pulled away and her eyes went violet.

  I understood what that color signified.

  She released me and marched into the small shower that was set into one side. The hotel room consisted of a large bed, drawer, and table. There was a phone by one side of the bed.

  A few minutes later, I heard the water running as I exited the room. I locked the door behind me.

  The hotel room opened into a hallway that terminated on one end to an exit. It surprised me that the managers allowed you to go in and out without passing by the front desk. I thought about it, and it hit me this might be an added attraction to the place. I could see it as a popular location for off-duty military personnel who wanted to sneak someone in and out undetected.

  Once outside the hotel, I looked around at the street. I was in a back alley that wrapped around the whole building. I took a brief walk around it. From what I could tell, there were two more exits to and from the hotel, one on each side. Also, plenty of places to linger back at the main street in case you wanted to be sure no one spotted you or your “friend” walking inside. The management knew their clientele very well.

  I returned to the hotel and explored the first floor, but made sure the desk clerk didn’t notice my activity. I found a small restaurant on the first floor that emptied into a bar. Now, there was a place I needed to go after the crap I’d been through today.

  But the bar was deserted. It was well stocked, but no one appeared to be on duty. Perhaps the bartender was gone taking a smoke break, but I hadn’t spotted anyone when outside the hotel. I’d have noticed someone in bar attire. I hadn’t seen anyone lurking out there at all, and it was still early in the evening.

  “Well, hello handsome,” a voice called to me from the other end of the bar. I turned to look at its source. Guess the bar wasn’t empty after all.

  In the far, dark end of the bar, sat a tall woman with a definite green tint to her complexion. She wasn’t Terran, that was for sure, not even a mix. I was certain I knew something about her planet of origin, but I couldn’t remember anything at the moment. She had a mixed drink in front of her and sat alone. There was no one else in the bar other than us, which I confirmed this time by a quick scan of the room.

  She was hard to see in the low light of the bar. No matter; we were the only two patrons in the place. The green tint and height had me confused for a bit, but I’d seen beings of her stature before. I tried hard to remember where her type came from and then, I remembered.

  I walked over and sat down next to her. “Mariposa?” I asked. “That’s your home planet, correct?” I raked my mind to come up with something else I could use to extend the conversation.

  “Right you are, Sweetheart,” she told me. “And I’m stuck in this place for the next six standard months.” She took out a cigarette, placed it in her mouth, and shuffled around in her purse for a lighter.

  I had a lit match at the end of her cigarette in seconds. She looked at me with those high cheekbones and narrow gold eyes that made me glad my waist was hidden from view. At this rate, it would lift the bar off the floor.

  “Dentata,” she introduced herself between puffs on the cigarette. She extended one manicured hand, and I took it.

  Dentata wore a sheer top that let me see the black bra underneath, with a matching leather mini skirt. Polished black pumps would elevate her six-foot
stature another six inches the moment she stood up. I looked down and tried not to be excited by the fishnet stockings she wore. By the look on her face, I hadn’t managed to conceal my interest.

  “Stefan,” I told her. “But my friends call me Fixer.”

  “So, why do they call you Fixer, Stefan?” she asked me. “There has to be a story behind that name.” Her voice was sultry and had the sound of bourbon poured over ice.

  “I take care of people’s problems, “I explained. “If someone needs something fixed, I can make it happen.” I waited to see what she thought of my line.

  “Then, maybe you can fix something for me, Fixer,” Dentata said in a low tone. “I’m stuck here for another six months. I took a job with the trade delegation, and the goddamn Irunians dumped us in this hotel. I’ve haven’t had any love in months, not since I dumped my boyfriend and girlfriend. That was back when I was posted on Artisan. What are you doing tonight?”

  Something else ran through my mind about the women from that planet. Again, I tried not to show my excitement. I wasn’t afraid of a simple bar rise; right now, I was worried my boner would knock it through the ceiling. Sweet Mother Tara, this was just what I needed right now after the shit today. What we both needed, as Zilpha liked women of any humanoid species.

  I didn’t have time to get in touch with Zilpha, which forced me to make a quick judgement call. I’d done a few three-ways with Zilpha and her former girlfriends in the past, but those took weeks to plan out. Heavens forbid someone be left out of the equation when you’re trying to connect the circuit.

  Zilpha was coming out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her when I unlocked the hotel room door and stuck my head inside. I’d spent the previous five minutes letting Dentata know about our situation overall and how the evening could work out to benefit everyone. I only needed to give Zilpha some advance warning.