(eng) Michael La Ronn - Galaxy Mavericks 08 by Planet Eaters

Author:Planet Eaters [Eaters, Planet]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

13

“I never thought I’d say this, but I’m starting to get used to handcuffs.”

Florian held out his wrists as two soldiers unlocked his cell door and pulled him out. They slapped handcuffs on his wrist.

The Zachary ship was equipped with a jail section—not surprising for an imperial galactic empire that paid no respect to the rights of anyone, let alone its citizens. Florian spent the last few hours scheming in a closet-sized cell, all by himself, under a solitary, blood-red light.

As the guards pushed him down the hallway, Hux and Tatiana emerged from their cells, in handcuffs and guided by guards.

“Glad to see you two are still alive,” Florian said.

“You okay, boss?” Hux asked.

“Aside from a stiff neck and a lot of wasted time, I’m fabulous,” Florian said.

He spit in the eye of one of the guards, and the man punched him in the stomach.

The blow hurt and Florian keeled over. Then he looked up, grinning.

“Assault and battery,” Florian said. “Add that to the long, long list of grievances in which I’m going to destroy you and your boss.”

“We don’t submit to your courts,” the guard said.

“But you do submit to the court of public opinion, you idiot,” Florian said.

Jax was waiting for them at the end of the hallway.

“Where is Miloschenko?” she asked.

“Fuck you,” Florian said.

“Just checking to see if you wanted to change your story,” she said. “This is your last chance.”

“And this is your last chance, beautiful.”

Jax’s face hardened. She turned and walked through an automatic sliding door. The guards made Florian, Tatiana and Hux follow.

They entered the ship’s bridge, a wide oval filled with dashboards and screens.

A black man sat on a black throne. He wore burgundy robes and had a golden, triangular crown. Metal tethers extended from his back and moved behind him like octopus tentacles. Each tether had a metal, red eye at the end. The man’s face was covered with swirling tattoos, with two lightning strikes under his eyes.

“Mr. Macalestern,” the emperor said. “It is not a pleasure to see you again.”

“Likewise,” Florian said. “Why don’t we get this over with. Here’s the deal—”

WHAM!

Jax hit him with the butt of her handcoil.

“The emperor speaks first, and you will speak only if he asks you to,” Jax said.

Florian growled as he tried to catch his breath. That hit was going to leave a nasty bruise.

“Tavin Miloschenko was an indispensable part of the empire,” the emperor said. “With all of his responsibilities and…inventions, he is desperately needed. Surely you understand this?”

“You bet,” Florian said. “And I have nothing to do with his disappearance, if that’s what you’re insinuating.”

“You lie,” the emperor said. “You’re a rotten, spoiled scoundrel. We’ve done our homework on you. You think that you can get away with anything. You’ve never been told no. You’ve never felt true pain.”

The words stung him.

True pain…

True pain.

True pain!

What did this bastard know about true pain? Did he ever see his mother die in front of his eyes from a stranger just looking for money? Did

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