Centauri Justice Read online

  "And a Vex? She as tough as I've heard?" Tourmaline asked.

  "Tougher. Whoever hit my sisters came after you?" Tamara asked.

  "Course they did, girl. I was always the real prize, you know that." Tourmaline coughed and her hand raised to cover her mouth came away speckled with blood.

  "You've been shot," Tamara said.

  "Hit, kicked, beat with a pipe, and run down by an aircar. Shot is about the only thing I haven't been. I'm dying and we haven't got much time."

  "Where are you? We've a member of the royal line, we can fix you."

  "You're doing no such thing. I've got the fucker who did this locked in my hold. Won't hold him, but my engines go critical in five minutes and it won't matter. Things we need to discuss before that happens," Tourmaline said.

  Tamara gave a laugh that seemed almost bitter. "I can't be the last."

  "You're not, far as I know. But the others are in hiding and I can't reach them, and I've five minutes left to live, so you're up. But this won't play out like you think."

  "I don't want you becoming her," Quinn said.

  "Tell the boytoy to shut up."

  Tamara put a hand on Quinn's arm. "Please. My life, my business, my choice. I need to at least hear her out."

  Quinn nodded, though he wasn't happy about it.

  "You are so disgusting and weak. I don't know where I went wrong with you," Tourmaline said.

  "I'm not the one dying in five minutes, you hateful old harpy. Tell me what I need to know," Tamara said.

  Tourmaline laughed at that, the sound turning into wet, wheezing coughs that took her some time to recover from.

  "Fine. This is almost going to be fun. I'm a lie, girl—always have been."

  "Excuse me?" Tamara asked, confused.

  "I'm not the real Tourmaline. You won't be either. I'm fair sure I've got the real deal locked up in my hold," Tourmaline said.

  "You have a clock quickly running down. Explain yourself," Tamara snapped.

  "We lost the archive, millenia back. But the money? The influence? It’s all tied to Tourmaline, to our story. I'm sending you a file. The codes, what we've put together. You'll have to bluff your way through it, but you'll manage. I made you to be a liar, I made all of you to be liars."

  Tamara's shocked look faded into laughter, and there was something dark to the sound. "My turn to talk, you deceitful old hag. The archive is behind the Divide. It has to be."

  "Sealed away from us forever," Tourmaline said, leaning against her instruments. "How basically competent of you to have figured that out."

  "I know where a hole is. I can get to the other side."

  It was Tourmaline's turn to look shocked, and then wear a weak smile. "He came through, and it is a him now. But he's not right, he isn't even of our blood. Wanted what we stole from him, to take back the name we pretended a right to."

  Tamara said intently, "And when you kill him, his next in line is going to activate. He'll have one—if he has the original Tourmaline's memories, he'll have one. I need the archive location. The real one. Do you have it?"

  Tourmaline turned away from the camera for a moment and a hint of real bitterness entered her voice. "I liked torturing you. Making you live the lie, like I have. I don't know if I want to make you the real one. You don't deserve it. You're not worthy."

  Quinn said, "I'm really not liking my mother-in-law,"

  Kara nodded."I'm thinking I'd shoot her, if she weren't already about to explode."

  Tamara told her mother, "I'm blood, unlike that thing locked up in your hold. I hate you, I've always hated you, but I will make your legacy a real thing."

  "The world is Singara Four. There were security protocols in place. We've lost them," Tourmaline said, a violent spasm wracking her body. "Don't think I'm going to make it to the end of the countdown."

  Tamara seemed at a loss for words until she said, "You were a good liar and a terrible person. I'll take care of my sisters."

  "You are my greatest disappointment. Remember that, when you breathe your last," Tourmaline said, and the commlink died.

  Quinn reached out to comfort Tamara and she shook her head.

  "I don't need your soothing, Quinn. I know you think of her as my mother, but I don't, truly. If I was forced to compete with my sisters, it was because that woman was holding the whip. I'll shed no tears." Tamara let out a low breath.

  It might be true, but Quinn wasn't sure it was that easy. Even family you hated were family, in the end, and their departure always took something from you.

  "Clan is clan," Kara said, sitting up to lean against Tamara.

  "I know we've other things on our plate, but I need to get to the archive," Tamara said.

  "An ancient data store that, best case, is guarded with killer security that, if we breached it, would erase your brain and put in your sociopath ancestor who just killed your sort of mom?" Quinn asked.

  "It doesn't erase, and whatever that thing in her hold is, it isn't Tourmaline. You can't just write any personality into any body. Brains are unique and genetic markers matter. It isn't Tourmaline who killed Tazza, but something holding her hostage. Some corrupted form of what she is supposed to be."

  "I'm still not seeing any upside. When things slow down, we can discuss it," Quinn said.

  "Somewhere there is a timer counting down, and when that man fails to report in his next-in-line is going to get the message, and get the codes. Then he’s going to come here and come after my sisters, and after me," Tamara said.

  "Maybe I can go with her? Take another ship?" Kara asked.

  "We don't know what is on the other side of the Divide. Reaching this world might take a skimmer drive, might mean going through places you need a good pilot," Quinn said.

  "So we go. If I have Tourmaline's accounts I can hire mercenaries. We can fight with money," Tamara said.

  "Your sisters need somewhere safe, we'll provide it. I already promised that. I mean it, but right now saving the colony has to come first. After that, after, we can figure out what to do about the archive. You know that’s the right thing to do," Quinn said.

  "It isn't the right thing for me," Tamara said, letting out a long breath and rubbing her eyes.

  "Don't know why you want to be some creepy old lady you'd probably hate anyways," Kara said.

  "I truly don't know if I would. It was always the goal growing up. That was always the ultimate definition of winning, but I was always running towards a lie. But even if I didn't use the archive I'd want to secure it. Keep it safe."

  "It means this much to her, we've got to do it," Kara said, matter-of-fact.

  Quinn didn't want her anywhere near that archive. Tamara had wanted it too much, and for all of her life. Putting her close to it would be an enormous temptation.

  It also wasn't his choice to make, not really.

  "After we save the colony," Quinn said.

  8

  "This is a bad plan," Dela said from the copilot’s seat.

  "Might be, but it is the only one we have," Quinn said.

  The Centauri Bliss was sitting outside the Runestone leading to the Angaraka system and waiting for the all-clear from Mara and Tamara to proceed. They'd gone ahead in the Tango to hack the systems on the Block.

  "Maybe next time we don't poke the monster with the guns and the money to come after us?" Dela asked.

  "Weren't my decision alone that we wanted to do some good along with getting paid. We steal from the wicked, we're going to have to get used to folks with a heap of spite coming to our door," Quinn said.

  "Sofia didn't get a chance to bounce back because we didn't let her. Maybe next time we do this, we hit harder, Captain," Dela said.

  It was something to consider. They hadn't killed Sofia themselves, but they'd unveiled her schemes before her peers on Arkstone and let them tear her to shreds. They'd hit Sinclair, but not enough to deal him a mortal blow—that was proving a mistake. It was like any fight. If you went in without a plan on how to finish it
, then you deserved what you got.

  "If we can get those ships and the station working, they won't be trying to get at us through the colony again. You're right though, we need to hit harder," Quinn said.

  The comm panel beeped.

  "We're in. You're clear to proceed," Mara called.

  "We're live. Save our disruptor rounds for any gunships that get a good firing angle," Quinn said.

  "Got it," Dela said.

  Quinn hit the ship-wide comm. "We're a go. Call out."

  "Engineering go," Melody said.

  "Runic Sphere go," Jinx said.

  "Security go," Kara said.

  "Cargo bay a go, sir," Taki said.

  "I'm a go," Dela said.

  Quinn hit the command, triggering the extended jump. Reality warped and distended. For a time he lived the life of a baron on the Deep Rim. An honorary title, a wife was truly the baroness. A formidable woman he'd saved from pirates during his brief stint in the Marshals. It was a good life, until the war.

  Reality snapped back with a dizzying disconnect as the might-have-beens faded.

  The Block loomed before them. It was a massive ship, and an ugly one. No attempt at aesthetics had ever been applied and it was a stubby box of a hull studded with sensor and gun towers.

  The extended jump had already taken them three-quarters of the distance from the local Runestone to it and Quinn was ramping up the engines, the deck beneath his feet rattling.

  There were more gunships than there should have been. There were supposed to be eight on duty, but near the Runestone ten were clustered, and another ten were closer to the Block.

  Armored plates were sliding aside on the Block revealing a line of fueling nozzles. The sensitive fueling machinery and unarmored fuel tanks were marked with flashing lights.

  It was thirty seconds before Dela called out, "We got their attention. Interceptors inbound."

  Gunships were approaching, but still no incoming fire came from the Block.

  Telemetry data came in, Mara had marked a landing spot for them. It looked like she'd decided on a large strut between two fuel tanks, solid enough for them to grapple on and in a sensitive enough area the enemy shouldn't want to shoot.

  "When in range we need disruptor rounds here and here," Quinn said, tapping at the display.

  "Shut down the shutter in case they try to pull down the ceiling on top of us? Aye, Captain," Dela said.

  The intercepting ships angled for position, trying to get a good line of fire that let them get off a shot without endangering the Block. The incoming rounds were irregular, and Quinn weaved to avoid them, but they were closing fast.

  "Shutters, then the ships," Quinn said.

  "On it," Dela said.

  The world below rapidly became the fuel tanks, the Bliss approaching fast. Dela fired off a pair of disruptor shots, blue sparks rippling out from the point of impact as they hit the electronics controlling the armored shutters.

  Quinn hit the side thrusters, spinning the Centauri Bliss around even as he flared a full burn on the engines. Violent shaking rattled throughout the ship as they bled off most of the momentum. Dela snapped off several rounds at gunships not expecting the maneuver. Three hits scored and the craft went dead, drifting in space.

  The Centauri Bliss continued its way down, far slower than before and at the last second Quinn engaged the magnetic grapples. A light on the panel indicated the Tango had just docked, intercepting them on their way down. Good.

  "Jinx, all aboard. You have a go," Quinn said.

  The air took on a faint shimmer, but that was it. There should be more.

  "Jinx?" Quinn asked.

  "I'm trying. Just ... give me a minute here. This isn't easy," Jinx said.

  Space shimmered more and Quinn felt his stomach churning. They weren't going anywhere though and the surviving gunships were still incoming.

  "Want me to take the Whiskey up and play defense?" Dela asked.

  "You'd be shot to pieces and left behind if the plan goes off," Quinn said, unbuckling himself. "I give the signal, release the clamps and send us at the Runestone full burn."

  "On it, Captain," Dela said.

  Quinn headed for the cargo hold. That was where Jinx had set herself up amidst the reserve fuel tanks filled with mana.

  Mara and Tamara caught him in the hall, coming from the shuttle docks.

  "Why aren't we moving?" Mara asked

  "Let's find out. Might need your knowledge," Quinn said.

  Jinx was strapped into a seat, the runic orb mounted before her. The rune on Jinx's hand glowed a brilliant blue, as usual, and her fingers were splayed upon the orb. Still, at a glance something was wrong. The last time she'd used the orb it had showed inner runes of the same coloration, but this time red runes flickered inside.

  Taki stood nearby looking anxious. "As soon as she brought it to life it was like this."

  "What are you feeling?" Mara asked, crouching beside her.

  "Desperation, fear, rage. So much," Jinx said with a waver in her voice. "I'm trying to force it down, but I don't know how. I'm not strong enough."

  "Not that this ain't fascinating, but if we can't go I need to know now so we can maybe get out of this alive," Quinn said.

  "Emotions are powerful. Jinx is trying to exert control over a lot of minds in turmoil," Mara said. "She's got the power, but it is a delicate line to walk."

  Blue and red runes danced around each other in the sphere, and Quinn felt his stomach churn once more and space half-lurched.

  "Hate to rush you, Captain, but we've got folks in atmosphere suits approaching. Looks like if they can't shoot us off, they mean to board us," Dela said.

  "We're out of time," Quinn said.

  "We bring someone else into the link. Jinx doesn't know me well enough to trust me yet. Taki lacks the control, Quinn lacks the monster. Tamara, are you as awful a person as I think you are? Because if so we really need you right about now," Mara said.

  "Bad going on better," Tamara said. "If it’s control you need I've got it. What do I need to do?"

  "Reach out, hand on the sphere. You're not a mage, it’s going to burn. Probably literally. Keep it in place, hold your focus," Mara said.

  Tamara didn't even hesitate, reaching out and resting her hand along the surface of the sphere. Sparks erupted from the contact and she grunted.

  The spinning of the runes in the sphere began to slow. While the red didn't fade, it did shift and Quinn thought he saw the flickers of complex shapes taking form.

  "That helps but it isn't ... there is still too much. I don't think I can take the whole thing," Jinx said.

  Taki pulled out a tablet, tapping rapidly and displaying it. The original blueprint. "Prisoner containment is all aft of the ship. We don't need the fore sections."

  Smoke was starting to waft from Tamara's hand, the air filling with the scent of roasting meat. Her jaw was clenched tight, her touch steady.

  Quinn was reminded again just how formidable his wife was, how formidable all his wives were.

  Reality twisted. Quinn was a song passed on, a melody changing with each telling. A tale forever shifting for thousands of years until at last it was told no more. Then, for a time, he was a reindeer regretting how much his antlers itched.

  Then reality reasserted itself.

  Tamara stumbled backward, her charred hand lifting off the sphere and leaving ash and blood behind. Quinn grabbed Tamara before she could collapse.

  9

  Quinn supported Tamara, Taki slipping into place on her other side as they carried her to the infirmary. They tossed her onto a bunk and Taki tore the seals off a medpack, pressing it upon the ruins of her hand. With more money coming in they'd been able to afford better packs. If still not the quality one could find in the Core, these were at least the higher end of what was available in Arkstone.

  "I can watch her, sir. Dela probably needs you," Taki said.

  Quinn hated to leave Tamara like this, and he was worried a
bout Jinx as well, but he knew Taki was right. He was of the most use in the pilot’s seat, so he headed back for the bridge.

  Dela was tapping busily at keys. It was an ominous sign considering they were slick with vomit and she didn’t care—she still didn't have her space-legs for a rune sphere jump.

  "What have we got?" Quinn asked, taking his seat.

  "That jump hit the Block hard. Fuel tanks ruptured and ignited," Dela said, tapping away furiously. "I disengaged us but we're a mess."

  They were, the systems status board was covered in red and yellow blinking lights. Each one was a system either past tolerances or close to it.

  Things might still feel normal enough inside the ship, but that wouldn't be the case. They were rapidly consuming resources now in limited supply.

  "Melody, status," Quinn called.

  "Had a fire, but suppressors caught it. I can give you twenty percent power on the main engine and one lateral thruster. Two hours of life support, maybe, but you'd be pretty delirious at the end," Melody said.

  The proximity detectors weren't detecting the Imperium ships Quinn expected to be there, but they still registered the Block, which meant the detectors weren't broken. No incoming comm channels either—things should be noisy in the Core.

  "I don't think we hit where we were aiming for. Got a fix?" Quinn asked.

  "Negative. No navigational beacons and I've been busy keeping us from exploding, Captain," Dela said.

  "I'll handle the exploding. Get us a location," Quinn said.

  Wherever they were it definitely wasn't the Core. No Runestones, they were fully off the grid. No stations, no ships. A blue star, and the first few worlds in the system that were far too hot to be habitable. The fourth was a maybe, with an atmosphere and cloud cover. It was the best hope the system offered, and Quinn set a course but didn't engage the engines yet.

  "No match in the known database, but I do have a match in the one Mara provided. We're past the Divide, way past. Singara system," Dela said.

  "Well, that is all too familiar," Quinn said.

  "Captain?" Dela asked.

  "Tamara wanted to come here. I told her it was a really bad idea. Things in the back got all magically messed up and she had to step in. I’m guessing a bit of what she wanted must have seeped in," Quinn said.