Horizon Down (Galaxy Mavericks Book 9) Page 4

  Beauregard’s voice came through staticky.

  “Good to hear from you, Grayson,” Beau said. “What’s going on?”

  Grayson looked out the window, where a steady stream of gray Argus ships streamed by. Gray and light, like paper airplanes, with blinking noses, they sped through the galaxy. A pig’s voice grunted on the secondary radio, as if it were giving the other Argus ships a pep talk. The sounds made Grayson wince.

  “What’s that I hear?” Beau asked.

  “You’re gonna want to get Commander Ponty online,” Grayson said. “We’ve got an Argus problem.”

  “Arguses? Where?”

  “Soon to be everywhere,” Grayson said. “They’re coming out of hyperspace like cockroaches on the run. I’ve never seen so many of these ships, man.”

  Silence.

  Grayson knew Beau well enough to know that he was thinking. He was probably pacing around the bridge, thinking of the next move.

  “I’ll let the commander know. But we’re occupied.”

  “Get unoccupied,” Grayson said. “These pigs aren’t joking around.”

  “Take care of yourself, Grayson. You guys are lucky you didn’t get wiped out by the Planet Eaters.”

  “Speaking of them, what happened to you guys out there?” Grayson asked. “I’ve been trying to reach Devi but she won’t pick up.”

  “She just left. She's coming for you. Will and I have been assigned to another mission.”

  “Reassigned?”

  “More search and rescue. The commander wanted to safeguard Keltie and Michiko, but with the attack on Gargantua, it's pretty clear that they are not being targeted. Our mission is to find any displaced survivors from Defestus.”

  “Oh boy,” Grayson said. “That's not a mission I'd want. You guys are gonna be bored. Ain't nobody there, man.”

  “You're probably right,” Beau said.

  “You guys shouldn't be there,” Grayson said. “There might still be leftover Planet Eaters.”

  “We’ll be a little smarter than the army,” Beau said. Grayson knew a sly grin was creeping across his buddy’s face. “Commander Ponty’s got permission to send a fleet of scanning drones before us.”

  “Smart,” Grayson said. “Well, good luck. And keep Will out of trouble for me, will you?”

  Will interjected on the radio.

  “You're a bigger death risk, buddy,” Will said.

  Grayson laughed. “Ha. Maybe you're right.”

  “Is Eddie with you?” Will asked.

  “Right here,” Eddie said.

  “Remember our deal, man,” Will said jokingly.

  “Won't ever forget it,” Eddie said.

  Beauregard disconnected.

  Grayson and Eddie stood on the bridge, watching the Argus ships disappear into the distance.

  “Our family is back on Macalestern,” Raul said. He sat in the pilot seat, doffed his tam and took the controls.

  “Can you call them?” Eddie asked.

  Raul shook his head. “Where we’re from, we fight to defend our loved ones.”

  “That being said, might not be a bad idea to forewarn ‘em,” Grayson said. He grabbed onto a nearby pipe as Raul steered the ship forward.

  He clapped Eddie on the back.

  “Ever dealt with an Argus before?” Grayson asked.

  Eddie gulped.

  “Wonderful experience,” Grayson said. “Christmas has come early for you, my man.”

  Eddie turned pale. He was shaking.

  Grayson frowned.

  “Now come on,” Grayson said, trying to soothe him, “You've come a long way. Don't go back on me now. You're regressing.”

  “I just got a bad feeling about this just now. I don't know—I just…I just don't think I'm cut out for this.”

  “Neither am I,” Grayson said. “Neither am I. Or Devi. Or Keltie. Hell, not even Michiko’s cut out for this crap. But I’d say we’re doing okay.”

  Eddie brightened.

  “Maybe, yeah. Maybe, maybe you're right.”

  Grayson put his hand on Eddie’s shoulder as Raul blasted forward, toward Macalestern.

  “Then let’s go adelante, my friend.”

  “How about we stick with English for a little while?”

  Grayson laughed and pointed at him. It was true. His Spanish was regressing.

  He wagged his finger at Eddie.

  “You, my friend, got yourself a deal.”

  8

  “It's good to be home,” Florian said.

  He stretched as his ship cleared atmospheric re-entry. The ship stopped its violent shaking and the watery world of Macalestern. The oceans were stormy and choppy, just how he liked them, and the foreboding gray skies matched his emotions exactly right now.

  The ship steered toward the circular living platform— a sprawling city resplendent in the sun, filled with flying ships crossing in and out of the shadows of skyscrapers.

  “Isn't my planet just gorgeous?” Florian asked, gesturing across the window.

  Hux, who was sitting on the floor, watching everything with a blank face, yawned.

  “Good morning, planet,” Florian said, grinning at the living platform. “How has your week been? Did you miss me?”

  He clenched a fist.

  “Are you ready for the shit storm that I bring with me? Oh, life is about to get so very difficult. And only I will be able save you, my dear, sweet, city of fucking, lovable idiots.”

  He smirked as the ship neared the Macalestern Corporate Headquarters, a series of towers that rose high over all the other buildings.

  “Have a great day, my little planet,” Florian said. “Because soon, I'm going own every piece of you. Toodles.”

  Then he turned, snapped his fingers and walked off the bridge, whistling.

  The ship touched down on a landing pad on top of Macalestern Tower One.

  The airlock doors opened into an overcast, rain-kissed sky.

  The wind blew bitterly, carrying a sharp chill off the ocean. It cut through Florian’s suit, straight to his blood.

  He inhaled and closed his eyes, opening his arms wide to a security guard who waved at him.

  “Gentlemen,” Florian said.

  “Good morning, sir,” the guard said. “I trust you had productive travels?”

  Florian laughed.

  “Productive as hell!” Florian said.

  Hux and Tatiana followed Florian off the spaceship.

  “About time you two slowpokes caught up,” Florian said.

  “You're in a jolly mood today,” Tatiana said.

  “How can I not be in a jolly mood?” Florian asked, sniffing the damp air. “The oceans are roaring, the clouds are graying, the city is just waking up, with the gentle twitters of birdsong and car horns in the air—”

  “Florian!” a voice cried.

  Masashi Sakamoto stood on the roof. He wore a dapper blue suit with a red tie, and his face was wrinkled into a frown. A team of men and women was with him, and he blocked the covered entrance to the building.

  “Ah, Masashi,” Florian said, as Hux and Tatiana joined him.

  “Come with me,” Sakamoto said, turning. The sliding glass doors opened and he walked down a stairwell.

  Florian snickered and spoke to Hux and Tatiana behind his palm.

  “Let me do the talking. I'm going to enjoy this.”

  They followed Masashi and his team down the stairs and into the oak-paneled executive suite, where long skylights let in the morning light.

  They entered the board room. It was empty.

  Sakamoto slammed the door behind them.

  “Seriously, Masashi,” Florian said. “Anger doesn't look good on you. You're going to give yourself a heart attack stomping around like that.”

  “Where have you been?” Sakamoto asked.

  “Why do you care?” Florian asked.

  “We were about to consider reporting you for job abandonment,” Sakamoto said.

  “Oh, I bet you would have lo
ved that,” Florian said. “That's the kind of fantasy that gives you wet dreams at night, isn't it?”

  “Where were you?”

  “I did a little vacation, a little negotiation, a little, you know, business development. Since you put me as Vice President of New Ventures, I've been out hustling, Masashi.”

  Sakamoto said nothing.

  “The board will be here soon,” he said. “Why don't you explain it to them?”

  “I'd be happy to,” Florian said. “Besides, I have some incredible news that's going to scare the living hell out of them.”

  “Out with it.”

  “Did you know that the emperor of the Zachary Empire is dead?”

  Sakamoto exhaled incredulously. He sat down in a chair.

  “You're lying.”

  “Sure,” Florian said. “But word has it that the empire is awfully pissed off right now.”

  Florian clucked his tongue.

  “And rumor also has it that they are maybe kind of sort of going to retaliate.”

  “Retaliate!” Sakamoto said. “You did this.”

  “Are you fucking kidding?” Florian asked. “You're trying to say that I would commit treason against my own fucking galaxy? Shut the hell up, because if you start saying that outside this room, I'm going to sue you into the grave.”

  He growled and flicked his wrist. “Besides, I have a new venture idea that the board will appreciate very much. If you think I had something to do with this crap, then stick around for my presentation.”

  The door opened and everyone went silent as they faced the door.

  Annaliese Macalestern entered, arms folded.

  “Florian, where have you been?” she asked. Her face was worn with worry, and her pale skin was masked with makeup.

  Treatments.

  Damn, she'd begun the treatments. How could he have forgotten?

  “Hey, auntie,” Florian said. “I found us a new venture.”

  “This isn't the time for new ventures,” she said.

  “It's the perfect time,” Florian said. When his aunt gave him a death glare, he cleared his throat. “Um, erhm, with all due respect.”

  “Did you see the news while you were out gallivanting?”

  “See?” Florian said, leering at Sakamoto, “at least somebody watches the news in this place. Isn't the empire intriguing, auntie?”

  “Intriguing?” Annaliese asked. “Empire? Florian, what are you talking about?”

  “The emperor is dead.”

  “That's not the news I was referring to,” she said, frowning. “I'm talking about the Arguses.”

  Florian’s smile faded. “Huh?”

  Annaliese clapped, and a television in the corner of the room flickered on.

  An Argus was speaking from the dark cockpit of a ship. He looked like a boar, with brown, bristly hair and yellow tusks.

  “Bok bok, pa-bok bok ong-pa ong-pa ONG-pa!”

  A translator offscreen spoke.

  “Today begins the complete destruction of humankind. Humanity killed one of our captains,” the boar said. “We will exact our revenge as a result.”

  Annaliese turned off the television.

  “Well, damn,” Florian said. “Sucks to be humanity right now.”

  “The Arguses are coming to Macalestern,” Sakamoto said.

  The entire executive team sat in the board room, watching a holographic star map that hovered over the large table.

  The mood was heavy. Just how Florian liked it. What a way to ruin a good mood. Everybody sat around the table as if the world were ending.

  Annaliese paced the room.

  “We must send an envoy,” she said.

  “Are you crazy?” Sakamoto asked. “You want them to destroy whoever goes up there?”

  Annaliese stopped and looked out the window. The sun glinted off the sides of the skyscrapers outside. She was thinking hard. Florian knew she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

  “As the biggest employer in the galaxy and a provider of homes, work, and livelihood for the majority of this planet’s residents, we owe them a defense.”

  “There's no defending from a fleet,” Sakamoto said. “They're bent on our destruction. There's no reasoning with them.”

  “That's why I will go,” Annaliese said.

  Everyone in the room rose and talked at the same time.

  “Auntie, don't be ridiculous,” Florian said.

  “Annaliese, you cannot go,” Sakamoto said.

  “I have nothing to lose,” she said.

  “We have everything to lose,” Sakamoto said. “Please allow me to go. I will represent you and the board.”

  Florian punched the table. “Fuck that.”

  Everyone turned to him.

  Sakamoto frowned.

  “Just a minute ago,” Florian said, “you were shitting your pants about the pigs. Now you're big and brave all of a sudden?”

  “I outrank you,” Sakamoto said.

  “What is this, the military?” Florian asked. “Auntie, if you want an ambassador, I'll volunteer. I'll make the old impassioned plea. And if they kill me, at least the company will be fine.”

  “I insist that you send me instead,” Sakamoto said.

  Florian waved at his aunt. “Time is ticking, auntie. Let me handle this.”

  Annaliese paused, thinking.

  “Let’s face it,” Florian said, “do you really think they're going to expect someone like me? Might even give them a hard on to see a young man like me begging for the survival of humanity…”

  “Send Florian,” Chief Counsel said. “He's young, and if he fails, it’s less risk.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Florian said. “We’ll leave immediately. Email me some talking points.”

  He rose and snuck a smirk at Sakamoto as he walked out.

  Florian opened the door to the roof, but his aunt called him.

  She was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

  It was just the two of them in the stairwell, the loud hum of the spaceship on the roof getting ready for takeoff.

  “Auntie,” Florian said.

  “Where have you been?” she asked.

  “Sakamoto bent me over, so I had to go out and find something worthy of the board’s consideration,” Florian said, walking down the steps. “Everything’s fine. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine,” Annaliese said. “I worry about you, Florian.”

  Florian laughed. “What’s there to worry about?”

  Annaliese looked at him long and hard.

  “What’s the new venture you found?” she asked.

  “It’s still in the works, and it’s a radical direction,” he said. “I’m not quite ready to discuss yet.”

  “Florian.”

  “Someone’s got to defend this place,” he said.

  Annaliese repeated his words.

  “You don’t mean…no. No! Absolutely not.”

  Florian hugged his aunt.

  “I’ll be back soon,” he said.

  Then he jogged up the stairs, pushed open the door into the rainy morning, and joined Hux and Tatiana as they boarded the spaceship.

  Florian leaned against a railing and stared out the window.

  The ship exited Macalestern’s atmosphere. Space swung across the windows as the ship accelerated.

  In the distance, a fleet of Argus ships floated, their spiked noses glowing. A large ship in the middle was twice as big as the others.

  He stared at the string of ships that stretched endless across the stars.

  What a fine time for this bullshit!

  “I don't need this,” Florian said. “I've already got enough going without these damn pigs meddling in the galaxy’s affairs.”

  He turned to Hux. “Did you bring the Puentes?”

  “An associate’s bringing them and will rendezvous in about five minutes,” Hux said.

  “It'll be nice to get rid of them,” Florian said. “Of all the crimes I've committed, kidnapping doesn't l
ook good on me. Somebody hail the porkies.”

  The pilot opened up the radio.

  Florian snapped his fingers and pointed at a middle-aged translator sitting on the floor. The translator jumped up and ran to the radio.

  An Argus spoke, and the translator spoke, reading from a tablet.

  Florian checked his own tablet.

  Talking points emailed by his aunt.

  We are an envoy from the Macalestern Corporation. We have come to request that you reconsider your attacks. You will surely win. But doing so will surely bring your own planet and citizens into jeopardy as our military will counterattack. Let us walk away from this peacefully and remove this conflict to the Rah Accord convention…

  Florian groaned.

  These talking points were just as he expected them to be.

  Eloquent.

  Passionate.

  Wooden.

  Anybody who got in front of the pigs talking like that would get a hoof in their face.

  “The Arguses have accepted our communication,” the pilot said. “Their weapons are still active.”

  “Prepare for connection,” Florian said

  “They're not going to disarm,” Tatiana said, reading an article from a tablet. “According to all known Argus encounters, they keep their weapons active during negotiations because ninety percent of negotiations fail or end in death.”

  “Brilliant,” Hux said.

  “It's fine,” Florian said. “I dare them to make us part of the ninety percent,” Florian said.

  The spaceship steered for the Argus commander ship.

  Florian waited for Smoke to wake up. The cyborg lay in the corner of the airlock.

  Florian nudged him with his boot gently.

  Smoke opened his eyes.

  “You want more information about Josie?” Florian asked. “Then complete your first mission.”

  Smoke blinked. Then he stood up and dusted himself off.

  Florian grinned. Then he waved for the cyborg to follow.

  “Follow me.”

  The airlocks connected, and as the gears clicked and turned, Florian, Hux, Tatiana, two armed guards, and a translator stood in front of the door, waiting for it to open.

  They were quiet.

  Florian focused on the mission ahead. Focused on not making any mistakes he'd regret.