Machine World (Undying Mercenaries Book 4) (27 page)

-36-

The Nairb Prefect stared at me without pity or anger. He seemed mildly curious, that was about it. But that didn’t mean I was in the clear. Humans were barely interesting to any representative of the Empire.

“This creature is the individual known at James McGill?” the Nairb asked.

I looked around for hints, but Graves, Winslade and the rest of them wore faces of stone. I was on my own.

“Yes sir,” I said. “That’s me.”

“You are an anomaly,” the Nairb said. “Our records indicate you were permed more than six years ago. Yet your Galactic Citizenry Identification Number cross-references with several other criminal cases that are still pending. How is this possible?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Sometimes on Earth, our computers confuse one person for another. Maybe it’s the same with databases in the Core Systems.”

Around me, the officers tightened up their faces as if they were in pain. I didn’t care. They’d hung me out to dry, and if they didn’t like how I answered questions, they shouldn’t have put me on the spot with these officials and let me fly solo. They were all too worried about being implicated somehow to openly defend me. Since it was “screw McGill” time, I figured I could say whatever I damn-well wanted.

The Nairb chattered something with another, off-screen compatriot. The second creature answered, and the Nairb then turned his ugly mug back toward me.

“Your suggestion is highly irregular and offensive. Comparing frontier technology to that of the Core Systems is unthinkable. Your comments will be stricken from the official record of this investigation.”

I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, so I didn’t say anything.

“Let us proceed,” the alien continued. “It has come to our attention that this expeditionary force, launched by the level-two civilization known as ‘Humanity,’ has performed a number of violations in this star system. Your mere presence in this system is unauthorized, and—”

“Hold on a minute,” Winslade interrupted in alarm. “I thought you were only interested in this individual, McGill. What are you really investigating?”

The Nairb’s green, bulbous face turned to gaze at him. The Nairbs had always looked like seals to me, and I couldn’t tell one from the other, so I wasn’t sure if I’d dealt with this individual Prefect before or not.

“You will contain further outbursts. They may be construed as attempted interference with an official Imperial inquiry.”

Winslade fell silent again. He didn’t look happy. People rarely did when they dealt with the Nairbs, and as far as I knew, this was Winslade’s first go-around with them.

The Nairb turned back to me. “As I was saying…it has been reported that this expeditionary force fired upon an Imperial trade ship. You were named as a witness to this occurrence. You will render your testimony immediately.”

Blinking in confusion, I thought about it for a second. They had to be talking about Claver’s freighter.

“We didn’t fire on any Imperial trade ships,” I said. “We fired on ships from the Cephalopod Kingdom. Ships that aren’t supposed to be in this star system, which has been claimed by the Empire.”

The Nairb ruffled himself. That indicated he was getting a little bit excited. It was like watching a dog perk up his ears. He thought he was getting somewhere—not a good sign.

“You witnessed this attack?”

“Yes, from the command deck of
Cyclops
, one of our warships.”

The Nairb checked with his off-screen sidekick again. “We have verification from two sources, then.”

My tapper began to buzz on my arm. I glanced over, and saw Graves was tapping away on his tapper, no doubt texting me to shut the hell up. I ignored my tapper and Graves, and I kept on talking.

“No, no you don’t have confirmation from me on anything,” I said. “Listen, we fired on enemy warships, not the trade ship. The trade ship was undamaged, it retreated intact. Surely you can verify that.”

“Immaterial. The neutral warships in question were escorting the trade ship. They had an official charter to do so. By firing on the escorts, you legally attacked an Imperial freighter.”

“But the squids are at war with us! We represent the Empire in Frontier 921. If they are fighting us, and we’re fighting them, we have to be expected to defend ourselves.”

“Your facts are so disorganized they are nearly incoherent. There is no officially recognized state of war between the Cephalopod Kingdom and the Galactic Empire. The jurisdiction of Humans as Enforcers ends at the border of Frontier 921, which you left behind to invade this system. It is your task force that is the aggressor, attacking a neutral entity without authorization to do so.”

In extreme cases, even I know when I’m out of my depth. This was clearly one of those occasions. I took a quick look around at the officers who stood in a mute circle. Their faces registered shock and sick fear. None of them looked to me like they knew what the hell to say any more than I did, so I kept on going.

“Claver,” I said. “He’s behind all this, isn’t he? Doesn’t the accused have the right to know who his accuser is?”

“Yes. The initial complaint was filed by an individual self-identified as Claver.”

“And when was the complaint filed?”

“Fourteen months and six days ago by your accounting of time.”

That one stumped me. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Claver had ratted on us to the Empire more than a year back? That meant he’d done it after Tech World, where I’d killed him twice.

“Fourteen months ago?” I asked. “How could he complain about an alleged crime that hadn’t even happened yet?”

“He did not. He filed an initial charge of misconduct concerning Human interaction with neutral entities on Tau Ceti. Initially, the charge was dismissed, but an investigation was launched as further complaints came in of misused technology, overreaching of local authority and several other lesser violations. We haven’t yet gotten to that part of this investigation. You will be formally charged in due time—the case is quite complex. Be assured, justice will be served and punishment promptly meted out.”

I was finally beginning to catch on. Claver had been working with the Nairbs all along since he’d escaped us back on Tech World. He’d been out to screw everyone who’d thwarted his plans then through the byzantine Galactic legal process.

As a general rule, humans avoided Galactic Law. It was just too dangerous. You might want to accuse your nephew of embezzling a few credits from your family-owned company but end up perming most of your relations as a side effect. Normally, no one would want to take that kind of chance.

But Claver—I knew this rodent pretty well. He didn’t care who got hurt, as long he reached his goals and got even with anyone who stood in his way. Accordingly, he’d been filing criminal charges with the Nairbs for years. The Nairb ship couldn’t have gotten here so quickly if they hadn’t been lurking around this region of space. They must have been watching us. They’d waited until they had a serious charge they could nail us with. They’d finally jumped in and slapped us with crimes they already knew we’d committed. It was a setup, a
fait accompli
.

What galled me the most was that they’d used me to confirm the crime and admit our guilt. I felt like the dummy Claver was always claiming I was.

“Let me ask one more question,” I said.

“Highly irregular. The accused is wasting the court’s time, and the situation is bordering on contempt.”

The accused.
That’s what I was. I was standing trial right here, right now. That’s how the Nairbs liked to do things; they knew what was going on, while you were hit with something from out of the blue.

“Nevertheless, I believe I’m within my rights to ask questions that help me understand what I’m accused of.”

“Proceed,” the Nairb said grudgingly.

“Why isn’t there a state of war between the Empire and the Kingdom?”

“Such a state has not been officially declared.”

“But this species blew up a ship at Dust World—Zeta Herculis. Check your records on that.”

“Immaterial,” said the Nairb. “The perpetrators of that crime were annihilated on a neighboring world.”

“But the squids have a kingdom,” I insisted. “A multi-star civilization. Destroying one of their worlds isn’t enough to eliminate the threat.”

“The perpetrators are all listed as deceased. The matter is officially closed.”

“Then you Nairbs made a mistake.”

“Insults will not improve your odds of survival, McGill-creature.”

I heaved a sigh. This Nairb was a poster-child for his species. They were unbending, prickly and arrogant.

“All right then, answer me this: How can Claver, a known criminal, just waltz in here and fly a freighter around, negotiating as if he represents the Empire.
We
represent the Empire officially, not him.”

“There are no outstanding warrants nor open investigations against Claver. If you wish to file a complaint, the nearest office for doing so is located in Frontier 921—where your jurisdiction ends, I might point out.”

Nodding, I thought it over. No one had charged Claver with a galactic-level crime because we’d figured he was dead. He’d as much as told me he had another body going somewhere when he died in our custody back on Tech World, but apparently, no one had been concerned enough to go through all the work it took to involve the Nairbs.

“I’ve got one more request—” I began, but the Nairb didn’t let me finish.

“Request denied. The court has been more than patient with your insolent questions, McGill-creature. Summary judgment has been reached. You will report within an hour to our ship for processing. If you do not, the Human task force will be held in contempt and charged with aiding and abetting a fugitive. Court adjourned.”

The channel closed. I was stunned. I stared at the display, which now depicted only Machine World and the ships in orbit above it.

Looking around the group of officers, I was surprised at their expressions. They looked relieved. A few, such as Winslade, even looked happy.

“Well,” he said, giving me an appraising up-down glance. “An inexpensive solution has been reached. We’ll deliver the guilty party to the Nairbs, and the case will be closed. It could have gone much worse.”

“I don’t see how,” I said, “from my point of view.”

Winslade clapped a collection of skinny fingers on my shoulder. “I want to thank you for this sacrifice, McGill,” he said. “As your commander, I’ll log a note to your parents explaining that although you died as a criminal convicted of Imperial High Crimes, you took your punishment honorably and thereby saved two legions.”

Turning slightly, I glared down at him. His fingers retreated hastily, and his smile faded.

“So that’s it, huh?” I demanded. “You’re just going to let Claver get away with perming me? He’s not done with you yet. He’ll keep at it. He’s the real enemy here—surely you people can see that.”

Scanning the faces of the officers, they looked troubled. They studied the displays. Only Graves looked me in the eye—but that man could put a gun in his mother’s mouth without showing any emotion if he thought it was the right thing to do.

“McGill,” Graves said. “You’ve got an hour. No one here can do anything to help you. I suggest you spend your final minutes wisely, and then you’ll be transported to the Nairb ship for processing.”

That was it then. My heart sank. If Graves wasn’t going to stand up for me, I was lost. I nodded grimly to Graves.

“All right. I can see I don’t have any friends here. Remember me in your dreams, comrades.”

I walked out on them but quickly noticed I wasn’t alone. A trio of MPs trailed me. They weren’t going to let me hide or escape. They’d grab me and drag me to the Nairb ship when the time came.

It was comforting to know that someone finally gave a damn about what happened to me.

-37-

Before I could get to the Nairb ship, I needed to be in space. Accordingly, I took a lifter they had waiting for me up to
Cyclops
. The pilot suggested I just fly directly to the Nairb ship to save time.

“I’ve got an hour,” I said, glowering at him. “And I intend to use it.”

There was only one person I could think of who might be able to alter the course of my destiny. I headed over to Turov’s office on Gold Deck and tapped on her door.

She took her sweet time opening it. As a man with only forty-odd minutes left to breathe, I felt her delay in my bones.

“McGill?” she asked when she finally answered the door. She appeared to be surprised to see me. “What do you want?”

“May I come in, Imperator?”

She considered for a moment then waved her hand in resignation. “Very well.”

She moved behind her desk and fooled with a pile of computer scrolls and her tapper. I stood at attention in front of her, waiting. After a full minute passed, I lost my cool.

“Sir?” I asked. “I’ve only got a few minutes left to make my case.”

“What?” she asked, distracted. “Oh yes, the conviction. Very unfortunate. Now, if you’ll excuse me, McGill, I’ve got a battle report to—”

“No sir,” I said. “I can’t excuse you. I have to talk to you. There are certain realities between us that must be resolved before I surrender myself to the Nairbs.”

“What realities?” she asked, but I could see I had her attention. Her eyes were on me, and they were hooded and distrustful.

“I know about your key—since I found it in the first place. I could tell the Nairbs about it.”

“I doubt they would listen.”

“Are you willing to take that chance?”

She pinched her pretty mouth into a tight line. “This kind of weaseling is unseemly,” she said. “Take your punishment like a man. You deserve it, even you must admit that.”

“No less than you do,” I said, and I found I had raised my voice a fraction. I was almost yelling—I couldn’t help it. “You helped push Xlur’s air car off the roof back at Central, same as me. You ordered me to pull the trigger, in fact.”

“Slanderous statements. Wild accusations made by a desperate criminal in his final moments.”

“That’s not—”

“Not true? No, of course it isn’t. But that’s what the Nairbs will be told. There is no evidence to support your wild charges. Even Xlur himself never made a complaint. You have nothing, McGill.”

“Well then…” I said, thinking fast. “Just agree to one thing, and I won’t bother to press further. I won’t make any accusations at all.”

“Name it.”

“Revive me when the Nairb ship leaves the system. This doesn’t have to be a permanent thing. Put me back on the line in Winslade’s cohort. The Nairbs will never notice.”

Turov heaved a sigh and for the first time she looked troubled.

“I’m going to lay my cards on the table, James,” she said. “If you were anyone else, I’d lie to you. I’d assure you that I was going to revive you. But I can’t lie to a man of honor such as yourself. The truth is that I can’t allow you to return to life.”

“Why not?”

“The Nairbs already figured out that something improper happened the last time. If it happens again, that becomes more than a mistake. It becomes a conspiracy. A flagrant disregard for the justice system. They could drag all of Earth into the mess. Can you understand that I can’t take that risk?”

What hurt the most was that I
could
see her point of view. It wasn’t fair, but if a single man had to be permed to save all of Earth—well hell, I’d do the same thing.

“So I’m screwed,” I said, “that’s what you’re saying?”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

I drew myself up and saluted.

“Goodbye, Galina,” I said. She flinched at the use of her first name, but made no complaint. I marched out of her office. Her eyes lingered on my back as I left, I could feel them, but I didn’t look back at her.

I took a pinnace to the Nairb ship minutes later. My commanders had it all gassed up and ready to go—very considerate of them.

Moving as quickly as I could through airlocks and security points, I was stripped of weaponry and deposited on the Nairb ship. Checking my chronometer, I had about twenty minutes to go when I arrived.

They didn’t even have an escort to greet me. Instead, there were yellow arrows on the floor to guide me to the processing center.

The gravity was light, putting a spring in my step as I followed the arrows like an animal being led to slaughter.

It galled me a little that the Nairbs were so certain of their power and supremacy they hadn’t even bothered to put me under guard. It was insulting. I knew from experience that they liked to stay in their offices, but you’d think they could come out to take a personal interest in their prisoners.

I followed the arrows for several minutes. I’d been in Nairb ships before. They were big, empty affairs. Chambers echoed with nothing in them. I’d always wondered what else they might be used for under different circumstances. Maybe the overly spacious ships were built to impress, or maybe they were just examples of wasted tax credits and misallocated funds. Either way, they were lonely places to wander for a convicted man.

When I reached the processing center, I was greeted by a familiar face. Claver was there in one of the witness seats off to the left.

The processing chamber itself consisted of four projectors aimed at a circular scorch-mark on the deck. I could only imagine that I was supposed to stand there and let them burn me down to atoms.

Nairbs fiddled with the controls, and the projectors slewed and tracked upward a bit. I think they were adjusting their execution machine for my considerable height.

“Welcome to the end of the line, McGill,” Claver said. “I hope you don’t mind if I watch justice as it’s being served.”

“Not at all. I think I’ll join you.”

Careful not to enter the central execution area, I circled around the chamber to approach the witness gallery. Claver stood up in alarm and watched me suspiciously.

“What are you doing? Your place is right there. See that burn-mark in the center? The floor there is made of stardust. Material so dense it can’t burn. The projectors are powerful and quick. Don’t be afraid. You won’t feel a thing.”

“I’m not afraid,” I said truthfully. I gave him a little grin.

We both stood about five seats apart in the gallery. I waved for him to be seated and took a chair myself. The Nairbs ignored both of us while fooling with their equipment and barking at each other in their odd language.

“See?” I said. “Nairbs can count. They know I still have about fifteen minutes to report. They don’t care what I do until then.”

Eyeing me distrustfully, Claver sat down slowly. Then we had ourselves a good, old-fashioned stare-down. It made me feel happy to see worry in his face. He thought he had the tiger caged—but he wasn’t absolutely sure of it.

Claver finally shrugged and tried to relax. We watched the Nairbs go about their work. I reflected that in the old days, prisoners were often treated to the sight of watching their executioners build gallows to hang them with. The difference here was a matter of speed and efficiency. I only had a few minutes left.

What would it feel like to stand there and be blasted into a wisp of white-hot plasma by multiple intersecting beams of energy? Probably, it wouldn’t feel like anything at all. One second I’d be standing there, and the next I’d be a puff of expanding steam and dust particles. I tried to tell myself I’d been through worse—because I had—but somehow that wasn’t good enough.

“You’re going to stand there and let them light you up?” Claver asked.

“That’s the plan.”

“I can wait for that,” he said, crossing his arms.

“So can I,” I said, relaxing and leaning back in my chair. It creaked with my weight. It wasn’t shaped exactly right for a human, but it worked well enough. I took my boots off and put my feet up on the back of the chair in the row in front of me. I did my best to look like a man who didn’t have a care in the world.