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THE TRILLIAN HONKED and rasped in his language, expressing a storm of delight to see me, then he extended an armored sharp-clawed foot. I already knew this gesture and, removing my helmet, let the alien “crocodile” touch my bare neck with his sharpened claw as a sign of trust. In his turn, the Trader eagerly exposed his chest, allowing me to touch a vulnerable gap in his armor with a sharp knife.
Gerd Ussh Veesh gave a satisfied honk and clicked his tongue, walking a circle and looking over my excellent Tolili-Ukh X Meleyephatian frigate. With the look of a connoisseur, he studied the stabilizers, landing supports, laser cannons and thrusters. After that, leaving his two impressively large Bodyguards at the gangway, the Trader walked or rather crawled after me to the starship. There he greeted Gerd Ayni and Tini, who he knew well (in fact, we were all locked up together and suspected of killing the incarnation of the Great First Female of the Miyelonian race!), then gratefully accepted a glass of alcoholic cocktail from the orange Translator. His split tongue slithered into the glass and he gave a satisfied hiss, savoring the drink. But he quickly set the glass aside to show that he’d come on business.
“My human friend! I’m glad to see you in good health!” said the merchant, finally switching to Geckho. “I heard on the news that you got yourself into a tiff with some Miyelonian pirates. I wanted to help because you’re my friend but I see you’re doing just fine on your own. That’s some serious hardware!”
The huge Trillian pointed a claw at a monitor, which was showing the Meleyephatian programmer testing the first of the Immolator robots. And it was already on its feet. The walking robot was obediently carrying out the commands and most importantly was behaving peaceably. So it looked like the reprogramming procedure had been a success.
“Yes, that thing is no joke,” I agreed, meanwhile realizing that I should have turned off the screen so our secrets wouldn’t get out. At any rate, I hurriedly sent my flying drone to a more distant section of the frigate hold so my guest wouldn’t see. And it wasn’t that I didn’t trust Gerd Ussh Veesh. More the opposite. I simply thought it best to keep my cards close to my chest.
“Four Immolators! The Pride of the Bushy Shadow will come to severely regret tangling with you, Leng Gnat. They are probably already at a standstill now that Kung Keetsie-Myau has commented the conflict and said she wanted to have a talk with you.”
Well, well! I had a very hard time keeping the ambivalent look on my face and not showing how astonished I was. So then, the Great One was aware of events on the station and had even made a public comment. And on top of that, she wanted to have a talk with me. I wonder what exactly she said to make the bookies change the odds of this war so abruptly!
I didn’t even have to ask that out loud or give any mental commands. Tini, Ayukh and Gerd Ayni had already guessed what I wanted and were poking at their palmtops, racing to be the first to find this information for me. And meanwhile I responded to the respected Trader that I valued my acquaintance with such an influential individual as the Miyelonian Fleet Commander Kung Keetsie-Myau, but still didn’t expect her to intervene in such a mundane conflict. I was already doing fine, especially if I could smooth over a minor issue I was having with trading.
The Trillian honked in satisfaction. Seemingly it was equivalent to happy laughter:
“A trading issue? My human friend, I suspect that you cannot sell your platinum. Is that right?”
I didn’t try and deny it, just confirmed that was what I was referring to.
“It’s because the Pride of the Bushy Shadow has lain claim to your cargo and declared they will take the platinum containers as spoils of war – both as booty and a security to end the fighting on Kasti-Utsh III. See, in these kinds of wars the official aggressor may specify something belonging to the defending party as collateral against potential reparation payments. So there has been a temporary hold placed on your thirteen containers of superfine platinum powder in the trade system. If you lose and don’t have the money to pay up, your opponent will confiscate the platinum. And they’ll probably take your ship too. The pirates are very mad at you and burning with desire to compensate all their losses.”
Damn! That scared me, especially the possibility of losing my starship which had been quite a pain to get in the first place, and which I had invested so much effort and funds into. But I finally knew why I couldn’t sell the precious metal. This was now a critical situation – without the money from the platinum, I had no way of winning this war. Even with the ancient drone and four Immolators, the pirates would take down my small team sooner or later.
My mood sunk beneath the deck of my ship. At that moment, Gerd Ayni pulled away from her palmtop and raised her snout, clearly looking to make eye contact with me so she wouldn’t have to say anything out loud. Seemingly, the Miyelonian was the first of my companions to find the required information. I met eyes with the orange kitty.
“Captain, the Great One really has commented on the war on Kasti-Utsh III. Kung Keetsie-Myau has opined that the best possible end to your smoldering conflict would be an official duel between the two leaders: the human Leng Gnat and Gerd Abi Pan-Miay. A duel could settle all your disputes once and for all. And the Great One also said that if it really does come to a duel, she would be willing to bet a million crypto on Gnat to win. She said her ‘marriage-dance partner’ had made a lasting impression on her with his handling of her strongest admirer – her future husband Gerd Lekku. And if Leng Gnat doesn’t let her down and wins the duel with the pirate leader, Keetsie is willing to give you an audience and offer ‘something of interest both to the human and his entire planet.’“
Psionic skill increased to level ninety-five!
Well, well... I led my gaze over the popup message. The Miyelonian fleet commander simply left me no choice, giving me an unambiguous condition for an audience. Sure, Kung Keetsie-Myau only surrounded herself with the best of the best and the right to speak with the Great One had to be earned. However, why did the vaunted commander think that the pirate leader would agree to a duel with me? What possible reason could Big Abi have to take a risk and agree to a duel, if his pride was in a position to win regardless? I asked that out loud.
“What do you mean?” Tini asked in surprise at the way I posed the question. “That would give the leader of the pirate pride a massive boost to Fame and Authority! Big Abi is already very respected in pirate circles. With a win like that under his belt, the other prides might line up behind him. There is a distinctly possibility he could become a Leng if he can take down a man everyone thinks will win. And based on the betting, that is exactly what you are. Gerd Abi could also hit it big at the betting agency if he wins, and he is definitely a gambler! So captain, if you challenge Big Abi to a duel, he’s sure to agree!”
“You’ve faced off against the Pride of the Bushy Shadow and its leader before,” the experienced Trader added to my ward’s admonishment. “He’s a dangerous, unprincipled pirate. Gerd Abi may well agree to a duel with you, but he will try to make it the final chapter of your story. And before that, he will send his goons to destroy your property and take everything of even the most remote value. So a duel would not take the place of a war with the pirates, but it could finish it.”
Okay, sounds plausible. I really did have to think about this a bit. But what to do now? Hold down the fort with all the reprogrammed Immolators and send the Small Relict Guard Drone into battle? And meanwhile invite that black-furred Journalist to our ship and, after saying our point of view on the origins of this war, challenge the fearsome pirate to a duel with the whole galaxy watching?
I was torn from contemplation by Gerd Ussh Veesh:
“Say, human friend, how can I help? You want a couple of my best guards for a bit? You want me to cover your frigate as it leaves the station maybe? Or give you a loan with your starship as collateral perhaps?”
I shook my head “no.” I was not willing to risk my ship. But a different idea came to my mind:
“Buy the containers of platinum from me!” I suggested. “Now there’s paying business! Right now, no one will take the precious metal even at a severely reduced price. But when the war is over and the hold is removed, you’ll easily be able to earn thirty percent profit!”
The space crocodile considered it and lamentingly rasped through his teeth:
“You’re asking me to take a big risk. I could lose my trade license if someone finds out. The punishment for trading in disputed and confiscated goods on Miyelonian stations is very harsh. Worse than for contraband. I wouldn’t get away with just a fine. I’ll take one container max. My bodyguards will take the box to the neighboring destroyer, but first we have to get all the security cameras in the corridor turned off...”
“One box won’t be enough,” I interrupted the Trader. “That won’t be enough money for me. At least three boxes! Wait, don’t argue, hear me out. Furthermore, you can bet that I’ll lose, then I’ll throw the thing. Remember, the odds right now are seven to one, so every million you put in now will earn you six. You stand to make a fortune! And I think such sound advice merits sharing the reward with me.”
Gerd Ussh Veesh started honking indignantly. However, he calmed down fairly quickly and, lowering his voice to a whisper, said:
“Alright. Three boxes of platinum. Half a million crypto. But keep in mind what a big risk I’m taking here, human. For help like this, I get to ask you a favor in return. Do you agree to that?”
Danger Sense skill increased to level sixty-nine!
Yes, I know, I know. I didn’t much like what was happening either. No system messages needed. Out of the corner of my eye, I unwittingly noticed the burnt-in rune for Execution on the armored gray Trillian’s chest. Gerd Ussh Veesh was a member of the Hive of Tintara, which had an extremely murky reputation, and promising a favor to a space mafioso could come back to give me quite the painful nip in the ass in the future. But I didn’t see any other way out. I had only six crew members and no money to pay the reparations. If I didn’t agree to the Trillian’s condition, I was in for a big defeat in the war with the Pride of the Bushy Shadow. And that would lead to a severe loss of Authority. Then the influential leaders of the Miyelonian race might lose interest in me. And to top it all off, I’d be losing my valuable cargo and perhaps even my frigate. Overall, it could be a complete shellacking and the end to all my hopes and dreams. So I told the Trader I agreed and extended a hand, sealing my understanding with the space crocodile.
* * *
THERE THEY ARE! THEY’RE crawling single-file through the ventilation shaft, just as I thought. So they did figure out where our frigate ended up. Seven... then a group of eight, and another group a bit behind that makes... Twenty-five players! Woah! The Pride of the Bushy Shadow had thrown half of their current player base into this attack. That was probably everyone they had who knew how to hold a gun.
Scanning skill increased to level fifty-eight!
Ugh, I wish there was a way to send a stream of scorching hot plasma down that tube! Then we could take out all three groups in one go! I turned on the ship loudspeaker and asked Ayni, who was standing next to me:
“Ask Wizzz how it’s going with the Immolators, would you? We might need them very soon.”
Thirty seconds later, the orange Translator relayed his response:
“Wizzz says that one is almost good to go, but hasn’t turned on yet. It’s currently having updates installed for all its combat programs and undergoing compatibility testing. He’s still working with the other Immolators.”
Damn! At this key moment, none of my combat robots were in fighting shape. Although... An Immolator was not the best choice here. The ventilation was up high, just under the hangar ceiling. The robot could barely hit it. And it would be even worse at shooting along the shaft. Seemingly, like it or not, I’d have to deploy my small Relict Guard Drone – the flying sphere was just the right size for the ventilation system.
Targeting skill increased to level thirty-eight!
You have reached level eighty-nine!
You have received three skill points (total points accumulated: six).
Woah! That surpassed all my expectations! The drone shot off down the shaft like a speeding bullet, absolutely wasting our opponents. Just five seconds and all the attackers were gone! Now the pirates wouldn’t be bothering us for another fifteen minutes. This was the very time to get to the next part of my plan.
I thought through the order of my actions one more time and, wishing myself luck, opened an offer I’d saved in the faction-leader menu under the Diplomacy tab.
ATTENTION!!! The Relict Faction has agreed to pay the Pride of the Bushy Shadow reparations of 480,000 crypto. War over!
ATTENTION!!! 5,766 crypto has been withdrawn from your account to compensate damages sustained by the Kasti-Utsh III station.
Fame increased to 79.
Authority reduced to 64!
Authority reduced to 63!
Authority reduced to 62!
The defeat came at a heavy cost to my Authority. But that was predictable and even inevitable. Almost immediately, my wallet gave a buzz. Finally the offers for the ten platinum containers I put up at lower than market prices were taken off hold and the Traders (or more likely automated trading bots) were hurrying to buy my high-value goods. Then a few error messages also jumped in, saying I no longer had all the platinum – the game system had noticed the three missing containers.
No matter. The most important part was done. I told Tini and Denni Marko to get in touch with the purchasers. I needed to get delivery addresses to punch into the conveyor belt transport system – I checked the balance in my wallet. Almost one and a half million crypto. Not bad! But where was the money from Gerd Ussh Veesh? Did the Trillian really scam me and decide not to pay the “reward” for my timely advice?
Thankfully, I was being unfair to the Trader. A split second later, my balance went up another eight hundred thousand crypto. The space crocodile had kept his word. Good. I activated the Diplomacy tab yet again. Did the pirates think they’d already won? Try this one on for size! The stakes of the game are about to go up!!!
ATTENTION!!! The Relict Faction has issued an official declaration of war on the Pride of the Bushy Shadow! Zone of conflict: all interior areas of the Kasti-Utsh III station, except residential sectors and the administration floor. A deposit of one million crypto has been paid. Combat activity shall begin immediately and last until one of the parties achieves total victory or the losing side pays the victor reparations of four million crypto.
Fame increased to 80.
Authority increased to 63!
Authority increased to 64!
That almost compensated my lost Authority. In fact, considering the double Fame boost, it all turned out for the best. Then Gerd Ayni touched my shoulder, drawing my attention:
“Captain, Wizzz is saying that two of the Immolators are ready.”
Just two? Oh well, should be enough. I’ll take Denni Marko, Tini and Gerd Ayni with me, plus the Relict drone along with them. Most important is not wasting time! We only have fifteen minutes to make a counterattack before the Pride of the Bushy Shadow’s main forces will have respawned.
However, I was interrupted before I could start issuing orders. The familiar voice of my business partner Uline Tar rang out in my headphones:
“Ain’t this just the way it goes. I leave you alone for one minute and what do I find? War, bodies and destruction! What have you gotten yourself into this time?”
How happy I was to hear that nagging voice! And the next voice as well, which belonged to Dmitry Zheltov:
“Captain, we have arrived. Sixteen players, four new. Stationed at hangar 8-505. Ready for battle. We await your orders.”
That was just amazing! My respawned team got to the station before Big Abi and his cutthroats! Now we had a complete advantage in combat power! But yikes. I did not envy the pirates of the Pride of the Bushy Shadow!
