Sons of the Lion Page 2

  “That is good to hear.” Leeto’s smile was ghastly to behold, Thorpi realized. It was one of the Human facial traits which had begun to catch on across the known universe, and it had multiple effects on some races. For a Veetanho, it made a rictus death mask on the female who used it, similar to the bliss they exhibited when asserting dominance over a chosen male to mate with right before killing him. Thorpi was shaken to the core by the grotesque sight. “However, with the Four Horsemen flouting their arrogance and believing their own lies of supremacy, the Mercenary Guild has consulted the laws and decided they must be brought to heel. For this to occur, the guild must take full control of the Human home world of Earth. They are, after all, only provisional members of the Galactic Union.”

  Thorpi’s entire body stiffened at this. If the Mercenary Guild was pulling this stunt now, then the Information Guild’s agents were possibly compromised.

  “Is this wise?” he prodded gently.

  “It is,” Leeto nodded, looking down at him with a very curious expression on her face. “Do you not think so?”

  “It is…an interesting tactic,” he said after a momentary pause.

  “You have doubts?”

  “More like personal concerns.” Thorpi demurred to the superior female as he recognized the barest hints of anger upon her face.

  “Peepo’s concerns are all we should worry about at the moment,” Leeto stated, evidently not pleased with his response. Since he could find no other way to voice his concerns without seeming to attack his mother or her plans, he remained quiet. Leeto took his subservience for something else and continued, the subtle shift of her body language telling him she was pleased once more. “What the general is offering is something that might be of use to your colonel, if he were up to the task.”

  “Which is?”

  “Control over his homeland’s western coastal nations,” Leeto announced. “In exchange for assisting in quelling any mercenary guilds in the area around the Mediterranean Sea who do not come to heel. The Kakata Korps will also receive a very nice stipend from the guild until cessation of actions and the Four Horsemen are brought to justice. The contract will be in perpetuity, of course.”

  Thorpi was not the chief financial officer of the mercenary company, so had no say in the matter. He felt fortunate this thankless job fell on the shoulders of Captain Zion Jacobs, 3rd Company Commander. With the Korps’ expansion after their first two successful missions, Colonel Luo had purchased more up-to-date armor and equipment, as well as hired Liberians and Ugandans who had recently finished their training at the established Mercenary Service Track school outside Monrovia. After seeing the pay and opportunities provided by being a mercenary, thousands of applicants had sought entrance to the school. It had created a boon for the local economy as well, though it hadn’t filtered out to the people yet. Liberia was known for crooked politicians and wayward projects which went nowhere but spent a lot of money somehow. Very much like the Mercenary Guild, Thorpi thought humorlessly.

  “Do you have a contract prepared so I may bring it to my commanding officer?” Thorpi asked as the mention of “perpetuity” filtered through his head. Typically, the guild did not offer contracts in this manner, preferring to put them on the open market to be bid upon within designated merc pits via the GalNet. However, when they did do this, it meant big money for a mercenary company. Plus, in perpetuity meant guaranteed money until cessation of hostilities, which could be many years down the road. Humans were worse than Goka when it came to eliminating them, not because of any inherent toughness but because Humans were so damned persistent. It was a boon, as well as a curse. Credits could be had by all with this stipulation.

  “I had it drawn up and completed before you arrived,” she replied. “Check your pinplants. I’ve uploaded it for you to take to your colonel and have him sign.”

  “I can’t promise he’ll sign it, but I will do my best to ensure that he does.”

  “If he does not sign, then he is in violation of Guild Law, like the Four Horsemen. He will be arrested, summarily tried, and then executed at the guild’s pleasure,” Leeto warned him. Thorpi’s blood ran cold but he kept his expression carefully neutral.

  “I do not think he will disagree with the wording of this contract, and will likely sign,” Thorpi said and dipped his head lower still as he mentally inspected the language and verbiage of the contract. It all seemed okay to him, but then Guild Law was not his specialty. Moving hundreds of thousands of tons worth of military hardware in preparation of an assault was his first love and chosen profession.

  “Very good, creche sister,” Leeto rasped with pleasure. Thorpi swallowed and his claws twitched. The longer he remained in the room alone with her, the more uncomfortable he became. It was time to leave.

  “When does Earth fall?” Thorpi asked, his voice quiet as his mind raced to find a way to navigate the turbulent waters of the coming storm. He was certain he could spin this in a way so Mulbah did not go on a murderous rampage. It would be difficult with the offer of a free Liberia for the Korps to run, as well as control over the entire coast in exchange for regular work to the north. Thorpi knew of at least a dozen mercenary companies which operated around the large body of water, none of whom even gave a fair shake to the Liberian company. Plus, Thorpi recalled just how loyal Mulbah was to his homeland.

  “Soon,” Leeto replied.

  This wasn’t too surprising. Earth, for the most part, was as crooked as a Zuparti conducting a business deal. Corruption ran rampant throughout the government of Liberia, and it was definitely a sore spot for the company CEO. Colonel Luo’s dream of a true Liberian paradise would never come true as long as the politicians milked the merc company for every credit they could and then wasted them away purchasing more votes from an ignorant populace. Thorpi schooled his features for perfect calm before looking up at Leeto.

  “And how long will Colonel Luo have to decide?” he continued after a moment of silence.

  “He has until his arrival back in Earth’s system to decide,” said Leeto. Thorpi nodded slowly. This made a certain amount of sense, since it would be two more jumps until they reached Earth. As nice as it would have been for the company to remain closer to Earth, the Four Horsemen were the ones who usually received the plum contracts closer to home. Other merc companies needed to go farther out to find good-paying contracts. The Kakata Korps, thanks to how new it was, had to travel farther still to find contracts where they did not lose money. This resulted in them sometimes taking long odds against a superior force, yet Mulbah was clever, and Thorpi was a tactical genius, for a creche sister. The Korps always found a way to win the fight.

  This would also give Thorpi a chance to get the contract and information to his contact in the Information Guild. Before this meeting, he hadn’t known why his old friend Tookapa had been pushing for more information from Earth. Knowledge cut both ways, and Thorpi had a horrible feeling this was tied in with Peepo’s plans for the Humans, and Earth. It was not comforting.

  “Earth?” Thorpi asked, swallowing as his mouth suddenly became dry. He needed to know so when he made the pitch to Mulbah the Liberian wouldn’t strangle him right then and there. “I need to know when.”

  Leeto bared her teeth in excitement. “Earth falls tomorrow.”

  * * * * *

  Part One—The Proud Lion

  Chapter One

  SOGA HQ, Sao Paolo, Brazil, Earth

  General Peepo, leader of the Mercenary Guild forces, scanned the latest information brought to her by her chief of staff. Captain Beeko was, as usual, punctual and timely with her reports. The majority of Earth’s mercenary companies had made their way off-world in a desperate, last-second escape, leaving behind only the dregs and those who would follow the Mercenary Guild purely for the money. The list of companies still on Earth wasn’t impressive, but at least it was mostly comprehensive. Her eyes flicked down the slate screen as she read the names and tried to recall what their specialties were.

&nbs
p; Varangian Guard. Proud, but slow on the uptake. Not considered elite. Better at intimidation and crowd control than first strike contracts. Decent defenders, however. They had accepted the Mercenary Guild ruling Earth without too much question. For the time being, they were providing site security in Sao Paolo for the Mercenary Guild as it strengthened its grip on Earth. Their commanding officer really liked the credits which were flowing into his coffers now. She saw a little side note warning about their negotiation tactics and chittered softly in amusement. How very Flatar of them.

  Middle Kingdom Dragon Guard. Peepo shuddered at the memory of her earlier meeting with the diminutive Human woman. There was an active and open hostility between the Dragon Guard and the Golden Horde. Some historical reference the Veetanho did not fully understand between the Horde and the Guard involving who had the right to rule or some such nonsense. The Dragon Guard had agreed to accept the guild’s pay, even if some of the fallout from the bombing of the Golden Horde’s HQ site had impacted the region where the Dragon Guard recruited from. The strange little woman from the Guard had taken everything in stride, looking at Peepo with those cold, lifeless eyes.

  Peepo paused as she came to the third and final company on her list. It was the least known of the three, despite having a Veetanho on its staff. One of her children even, though Thorpi was a mere creche sister. But still…Peepo could think of no reason why the information detailing the company was so sparse. They were still relatively new to the mercenary business, but their success rate was phenomenal. Their losses were always under 5% of their full strength, and their profit margins were through the roof. She swiped left and peered at Colonel Mulbah Luo’s information profile and was quickly able to discern just why they were financially successful in spite of being so small.

  An accountant and inventor who passed his VOWs, she realized as she continued reading. The company had actually not been one of the Human groups she had believed would work with the guild, which made their acceptance of the deal more than a little suspicious. After all the fighting and delaying tactics by the mercenary companies before they had left Earth, Peepo had believed the Kakata Korps would follow the lead of the Horsemen.

  According to Leeto, Thorpi had claimed the Korps wanted no part of the Horsemen’s rebellion against the Merc Guild. Peepo had her doubts about both the Korps and the creche sister. Still, they were going to be confined to operations in the Mediterranean Sea and southern Europe, as well as pacifying western Africa. With her spawn guiding them, they could undoubtedly be a huge asset while remaining safely occupied and out of the way. Once their operations against the remaining mercs were done and her final plan was executed she would then have the Korps eliminated. After all, they were not necessary in the final scheme of things. The Horsemen were the key to it all.

  “General?” Captain Beeko interrupted her reading as she poked head through the open doorway. Peepo looked up in irritation but stopped the quick rebuke as she saw the look on other Veetanho’s furry face.

  “What is it?”

  “We’ve captured Sansar Enkh!” Beeko informed her, excitement bubbling forth. Peepo stared at her chief of staff for a long moment, concerned.

  “Captured?”

  “Well,” Beeko looked down, mildly embarrassed, “she showed up downstairs fifteen minutes ago and surrendered.”

  “I see,” Peepo nodded, even though she did not. What game is this? “Where is she now?”

  “Being taken to a holding cell to await guild justice,” Beeko stated.

  Peepo held up a paw, considering. “Bring her to me first,” Peepo said as she looked around the former secretary general’s office. It would do to serve as a reminder to the Human just who ruled this planet now, a point she planned on driving home shortly. “Make sure she arrives in one piece and in relatively good health, Captain.”

  “Yes, General!” Beeko disappeared from the room and Peepo’s shoulders relaxed.

  The goal had been to decapitate the leadership of the Four Horsemen and bring the rest of the Human mercenary companies to heel. The plan hadn’t worked out quite the way she had planned but holding one of the Four Horsemen commanders was better than none at all. It would make the trial and eventual conviction better if one of them were there in person, instead of all of them being tried in absentia.

  For the first time since she had set foot on this repulsive planet, things were starting to look up.

  * * *

  Möller Interstellar Consortium Vessel Jörgummund, Emergence Point, Sol System

  Colonel Mulbah Luo backed himself into the chair and looked around at his gathered senior staff. He was pleased with what he saw gathered before him, even though the topic at hand was not the most desirable one. Running his fingers along the trim of his unadorned black beret, he could feel the edge of the nasty scar hidden beneath. This scar had not been earned in combat though. No, that would have been honorable and not forced him to order a uniform change for the entire Kakata Korps.

  Thrashing about in his bunk one night, Mulbah had not strapped himself down tightly enough following the company’s first contract and had split his head open wide upon the edge of the bunk. Embarrassing as hell, the mess had been even worse to clean up. Blood in zero gravity got everywhere. It had amazed him to find blood in his compartment three weeks later, after he had sanitized the berthing area five times. His three senior officers had teased him mercilessly, which forced him to action. The berets were ordered for all members of the Korps, with him wearing the black beret. His officers wore blood red, with a logo for each of their companies, while enlisted wore blue with the matching company patch.

  In hindsight, Mulbah found the color combination was actually a stroke of genius. It helped the new recruits to quickly figure out the rank structure, and since there were only five officers in the Korps for the time being, it enabled Mulbah to establish a solid senior NCO rank structure based solely on experience and merit. Following the ranking structure of Cartwright’s Cavaliers had paid off in huge dividends. Mulbah inwardly smiled at this. In order to be the best, one had to beat the best. Emulating the best was a step in the right direction.

  Of course, this had led the Liberian government to cry foul and demand he promote those who were related to politicians faster. Stubbornly, Mulbah had refused. His mercenary company, his rules. The Mercenary Guild law stated as much. Rather politely, he had pointed this out to the now-former president Teah Njie during their last meeting before the Korps had shipped out on a new contract. Soon after, the Liberian government had raised taxes on all businesses where 90% of their business took place outside the country’s borders.

  This blatant attack on the Korps, which was the only business in the country which was still turning a profit at this point, was almost too much for Mulbah. His homeland held a special place in his heart, and he wanted more than anything to see Liberia rise up to take its place among the greatest democratic nations on Earth. It soured his stomach to watch the insipid greed of his fellow countrymen hamper the country’s natural development.

  As he listened in on the arguments around the table, he thought about the two ways to handle the situation. The first was obvious: leave Liberia and re-establish the Korps’ HQ in another country. However, pride prevented Mulbah from taking this easy way out. The desire to be Africa’s premier mercenary company kept him in Liberia. No other country on the continent, save perhaps Egypt, had the infrastructure necessary for a mercenary company to succeed. He had no desire to move his company over 7,500 kilometers to a country where he had absolutely zero contacts. Cairo, while being a potential location for a starport, was simply too much of a cesspool to actually be of use.

  The second option was attractive but potentially dangerous. It was also the reason for the current staff meeting with his senior officers.

  “I’m not asking for your decision on the matter,” Mulbah said, interrupting the argument between Captain Samson Tolbert of the 1st Company and his counterpart in 2nd Company, Captain Anton
ious Karnga. The two officers had started out as mere mechanics for the company Mulbah had bought out but had been pressed into being CASPer drivers after it became apparent the Korps would not be able to afford to hire new ones. They had performed admirably and later been promoted when Mulbah brought in new hires.

  “Then what are you asking, bass?” Samson asked in a respectful tone. He waved a hand in front of his face, his expression dark. “The way the guild says it, the Horsemen had turned their backs on Earth and broken Guild Law. But would they really do that? We do not know them very well, bass, but I do not think they would betray Earth.”

  “Greed makes people do strange things,” Antonious interjected as he glared at his counterpart. They were friends, true, and fought well together in battle. They were also prideful men, and they constantly jockeyed with one another for superiority. It was a rivalry Mulbah didn’t feel the need to quash, not yet at least. If it began to affect their performance in the field, only then would he step in. Antonious continued, “We could have gotten to know them better, bass. Laziness on our part.”

  Mulbah inwardly winced at this. It had been his fault he hadn’t built up much of a tête-à-tête with the major mercenary companies of Earth. Building a company from the ground up was time consuming, and it left little time for much else. It was part of the reason why his now-ex-wife was living with her new boyfriend in Baltimore and had a generous alimony package to boot.

  However, he did have one contact in the Winged Hussars, albeit a loose one that not too many people knew about. The only problem was he hadn’t heard from Wendy since the Korps had accepted the sublet contract months before. He had no idea if the Sanders girl was alive or dead at this point. If the Hussars had fled Earth to try and save it later, surely they would have sent out a message to all Human mercenary companies about what was going on and would have provided some sort of evidence to back up their claims. It was this lack of evidence—or even a message to the Korps, really—which was swaying Mulbah toward believing the Mercenary Guild. He had a gut feeling Antonious shared in his suspicions.