Gray Panthers Captain Short Blade (8 page)

“Captain, isn’t it risky for you to come down here? What if the enemy returns and you’re not available to lead the fleet?” Harve asked.

“I had to come down here, MO. Now gather your team.”

Harve gave a slight whistle and pointed to himself. The entire team formed in front of him.

“MO, stand with your team, please,” the captain instructed. “Attention all. I’ve witnessed the scene of a battle in which our sailors and marines were outnumbered but still managed to destroy their attackers and capture valuable material. You have earned the close combat medal.”

A marine filmed the captain as he decorated each member of the team. The two marines who were already combat veterans received small sword devices attached to their close combat medal.

“MO, send your team to the shuttles. I want to talk with you.”

Harve knew his team had heard the order, so he simply looked at them and nodded. They walked quietly to the shuttles.

“MO Harve, you did well here today. You showed that Libra volunteers will fight against their own species, side-by-side with Jacka. Many will be surprised. It’ll be good for our Libra to see you decorated. It helps that you are an officer, as well. Now let’s get off this ice ball and back on the ship. Contrary to popular belief, I can’t stand the cold.”

Harve was pleased, but concerned. Would he be thrown out like a piece of bait again?

Kansas City, Earth

17 April 2129

The Phoenix had no trouble getting a parking pad near the stockyard, since Short Blade had done business in the area many times in the past. Short Blade decided to see how well each of his men would show their initiative.

“Jimmy, I want you to get me a hundred Holsteins. Have a vet make sure they’re good and healthy. I have an account set up, so after you get a price have them charge my account. Any questions?”

“You have a large range area with plenty of feed, right?”

“Yes, I have quite a bit of land and grass,” Short Blade answered, slightly puzzled.

“Then why not get Holstein calves and their mothers? That way you could fit more animals into the shuttle, and the price would be lower. It would take a little longer to turn a profit, but it would be larger in the long run. Also, have you given any thought to breeding your herd? Do you have any bulls?”

Short Blade looked at Jimmy in amazement. He’d assumed that Jimmy knew nothing about cattle, but he here was, asking many of the same questions Short Blade had already been considering.

“Yes, I’ve given that some thought, but I don’t have enough experience to make those decisions yet. I think we’d also need a full-time vet for that.”

“I actually grew up not far from here. When I left, I never wanted to see another cow as long as I lived. I can most likely find you a vet who would leave everything he has here to go work on your ranch for next to nothing. You could raise your own cows without having to buy them here on Earth.”

Short Blade considered what Jimmy had said and trusted his opinion. “You know how big the main cargo bay is. Fill it with what you think will make the best use of the space and give us the most return on our money. We’ll leave after sun-up tomorrow.”

“Okay, boss. You won’t be sorry,” Jimmy said, waving as he turned to go.

Short Blade felt a little apprehensive upon hearing those words. He remembered an old officer’s saying: Never trust chiefs. He also remembered that he was once a chief.

Guns had been smiling as he watched the debate between Short Blade and Jimmy. Now that the matter of the cattle was settled, it was his turn. “What have you got for me?” he asked.

“My security force is still wearing blue clan uniforms. I don’t want them to be mistaken as clan when they’re in the field. Get some camouflage material for new uniforms. It should be lightweight, since Jackas are seldom cold on their own home world. And make sure it’s waterproof. Get enough for two hundred uniforms. I have a feeling I’ll be needing more security. Get some denim, too. The tailors back on the home world can’t get enough of it. Get a thousand bolts in different colors—except black. Black is the color of criminals and is shunned.”

“I thought the second cargo bay could hold more than that.”

“I already have cargo there. The fabric will have to fit wherever there’s room. When you’re done, I’ll have rooms for all of us at the Orient Inn. Anything else?”

“Just be careful. There are lots of inbred types out there that would like to cause you trouble.”

“Yes, I’ve already learned to be careful here, Guns.”

Short Blade checked his wrist computer as the limo he’d ordered pulled up. A huge man wearing a three-piece suit got out from the passenger’s side and approached. There was an obvious bulge under his arm.

“Welcome back to Kansas City, Mr. Short Blade. I’ve been sent by the Orient Inn to ensure that your visit is safe and enjoyable,” he said in a neutral voice.

“Good to see you again, Mr. Smith. This is Mr. Wright. My other associate, Mr. Brewster, has already left to take care of some business on my behalf. Both will be staying with me while I’m here.”

“Uh, boss?” Guns said in a low voice, his head tilted down and toward Short Blade.

“Yes, Guns?”

“This was a last-minute trip. How do you rate this kind of attention from the Orient Inn?”

“Well, back when we were on shore leave together in Phoenix, during the war, you impressed upon me the importance of having some place to go to relax and enjoy. So, I bought a small interest in the chain to ensure that wherever I found myself I’d be comfortable and wouldn’t have to worry about the ‘inbred’ types you mentioned.”

“You learned well, boss,” Guns said with a slight salute. He returned to the shuttle as Short Blade followed his bodyguard to the limousine. He was looking forward to visiting the clubroom on the sixtieth floor of the Orient later to see what kind of deals he’d be offered.

The drive to the hotel didn’t take long. Short Blade was amused by the variety of staff members who were there to welcome him. He felt like a general reviewing his troops.

“Welcome back to the Orient Inn, Mr. Short Blade,” the manager said with a slight bow of his head. “The Galaxy Room has been prepared for you on the penthouse level, and I made sure that the refrigerator has been stocked with a variety of dairy products for you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Mooney. You always make me feel welcome and comfortable. If you will excuse me, I thought I would spend a few minutes in the clubroom. If you will excuse me, please.” Short Blade had to shuffle a bit in his attempts to get past the manager, as the man kept getting in the way.

“Of course, sir. Have a good day, sir.”

Short Blade shook the manager’s hand and did his best not to laugh as he turned to leave. He knew that adults and children alike were gawking at him, but he chose to ignore them as he walked across the lobby to the elevators.

Entering the clubroom, Short Blade was happy to see that his leather chair had been set up next to a window. Hopping up into it, he could feel where the sun had warmed the seat. As he stretched out, he noticed that a glass of heavy cream had been placed on the small table next to the chair. He luxuriated in the shaft of sunlight and the softness of the chair. The view from the window was magnificent. As content as he was, though, he wondered how long it would be before the first proposition was offered. This was where most of his deals seemed to originate when he was on Earth. He took a small sip of the cool cream and began to feel even more relaxed.

A hand on his shoulder brought him to instant alertness. With a glance at the table he saw that he had finished the cream. A small, slim woman stood in front of him, surrounded by a halo of sunlight.

“Uh, you can take the glass, thank you,” he said, stifling a yawn. “I’d like a glass of ice water, please.” When the woman didn’t move, he took another look and noticed that she wasn’t dressed like a server. “My apologies, ma’am. May I help you?” He tried to focus on her, but the sun was in his eyes.

“I was hoping you might be open to a business deal,” the woman replied. “I need to take my tour group to the lunar base, but the ship they were going to use was decommissioned earlier than expected. They have no assets at the moment, and I would hate to lose out on the commission.”

The hair on Short Blade’s entire body began to stand on end. “When was the tour supposed to take place, Ms. …”

“I apologize. I should have introduced myself. I’m Jane Smith, from Lunar Tours. Until recently, I was in a limited partnership with the Gray Panthers. Our arrangement included one orbit around the moon followed by a quick tour of the public area of Peary Crater Lunar Base.”

“When would you need my services, Ms. Smith? How many passengers are there, and how much would you be willing to pay?”

The woman smiled brightly at Short Blade’s questions, but as she opened her mouth to respond, he continued to speak.

“Oh, I forgot to mention that although my shuttle was made here on Earth, it’s registered on the Jacka home world. That means once the passengers are aboard my ship, they’ll be subject to Jacka law. I once had a passenger try to pull a weapon, and he was killed before I even realized what was happening. The shuttle’s self-defense systems are managed by a class-one AI. They can be quite deadly. My insurance agency requires me to make you aware of this before we enter into any business arrangement. I apologize for interrupting you, Ms. Smith. Please continue.”

The woman was still smiling, but her eyes had taken on a cold look.

“Thank you, Mr. Short Blade. I wasn’t aware of that. I’ll have to check on our insurance before I can proceed. Have a nice day.” She didn’t notice that Short Blade was talking quietly as she walked away.

“Phoenix, did my faeries capture the conversation I just had?”

“Yes, the conversation was captured, both audio and video.”

“Please find out all you can about her. Is it too late to send faeries to follow her?”

“It is too late. I can ask the Gray Panther’s AI to track her.”

“Never mind. Just let me know what you find out about her, please.”

Short Blade saw that he was losing the sun and decided it was time to go up to the penthouse.

At the stockyard, Jimmy found that he was actually enjoying himself. He had noticed that the quality differed considerably from one herd to another, as did the price. Remembering an old friend from his childhood, he decided to take a chance on contacting him. He activated his comm implant to see if it would interact with the phone system.

“Comm,
Kuckunniwi.” Jimmy heard the ringing and wondered how many years it had been since he’d seen his friend.

“Hello?” a female voice answered.

“Hello, is
Kuckunniwi there, please?” Jimmy didn’t remember his friend having a wife.

“
Kuckunniwi died almost twenty years ago,” the woman told him. “This is his granddaughter, Namid.”

“I’m sorry, Namid. Kuckunniwi and I were school friends. I was hoping to get his advice on something. I forgot that time marches on. He was a good and wise man. No one knew more about cows than he did.”

“I could help you. I’m a veterinarian.”

Jimmy took a deep breath and sighed before launching into his explanation. “This is going to sound like I hit the booze a little early, so bear with me, please. I retired from the Gray Panthers, and I’m helping a friend who raises Holsteins on another planet. Our shuttle is big enough to hold a hundred cows, and I want to make sure we get the right mix of cows, calves and bulls
—”

“You’re right. You do sound like you hit the firewater, Mr. …”

“Brewster. Jimmy.
Your grandfather called me Hotuaekhaashtait, which translates to—
”

“Tall Bull. I know the Cheyenne language. He spoke of you many times. Are you sure you’re not drinking, Mr. Brewster?”

“Namid, if you go on the Internet, you’ll find information about my friend Short Blade. He’s from the Jacka planet Glory. They’ve done stories about him buying cows before.”

“Okay, Mr. Brewster
—”

“Please, my friends call me Jimmy.”

“Jimmy, does he have a vet on this planet of his?”

“I don’t think so
.”

“Do you realize that improper enzymes and nutrients and dozens of other things could be harming his herd on an alien planet? I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I own a small herd of Holsteins with some prize bulls. The market here in California hasn’t been good. I’ll sell you my herd, help you transport them, and check out his herd when we get there. It’s always been my dream to travel in space. Do we have a deal?”

“Namid, you remind me of your grandfather. We have a deal. The only problem is we’re departing in the morning.”

“I’ll be ready. I live just outside of Winters. I’ll have an area cleared where your shuttle can land.”

After she hung up, Namid looked around her small house and out the window at her cows in the corral. Her excitement was overshadowed temporarily by anxiety as she pondered what to take with her. She would need supplies to test the herd. She looked around the house again and resisted the urge to burn it down. Instead, she called a friend whose husband was a real estate agent. She told her friend that she had just taken a job overseas and needed her husband to sell everything for her as soon as possible. They arranged for the money to be deposited in her account.

Meanwhile, Guns had finally found the factory he’d been looking for. It had gone out of business more than thirty years ago, and he was hoping the material he wanted would be there. The agent met him at the door to get him past the security guards.

“Here we are, Mr. Wright. I’m here to help you however I can.” The man seemed overeager to Guns.

The inside walls were all tagged with graffiti and most of the windows were broken. The machinery had been vandalized, and Guns was sure the missing parts were no longer available.

“The place is more wrecked than I thought it would be. I’m just wasting our time here,” he told the agent.

“Oh, but the upstairs is untouched, Mr. Wright. You might change your mind once you see it.”

The agent led Guns to a door in the back and unlocked the heavy padlock so they could access the stairs. At the top of the stairs they stepped into a huge storeroom. Military uniforms in various states of completion were strewn in a corner. The remainder of the room was filled with gigantic rolls of camouflage material and other fabrics.

“I’m not interested in the building or the machinery. I’d consider taking the camouflage material, even though it’s at least thirty years out of date. Throw in the other fabric and make me an offer. Let’s see what we can agree on,” Guns proposed, realizing he was looking at ten times the amount of material Short Blade wanted.