Breach of Peace by Daniel Gibbs & Gary T Stevens

Author:Daniel Gibbs & Gary T Stevens [Gibbs, Daniel & Stevens, Gary T]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-25T08:00:00+00:00

There were several pirate bands that operated in the vicinity of the Trifid Nebula. Each had different characteristics to it. The Tokarevs of Cyrilgrad, for instance, allowed merchants to pay protection and not only left them alone, they protected them while openly attacking the League whenever the opportunity presented itself. Harr'al pirates raided ships for slaves as much as cargo. The pirate ships that operated out of Trinidad Station had varying codes of honor, but all agreed not to target each other and not to kill spacers out of hand, since independent cargo ships were necessary to the station's economy. A vessel known on Trinidad Station was typically left alone as well, pirate or not. Pirates from the Aland system, on the other hand, used kidnapping and ransoms to supplement their income.

And then there were the Tash'vakal.

The Tash'vakal were a reptilian species like the Saurians. But while Saurians were bipeds, the Tash'vakal were a hexalimbed species with a segmented body that allowed them to use their limbs as hands or feet. The species was a divided one, with no central government, and clans and tribes were still central to Tash'vakal social organization. Some of these groups became space-dwelling lifeforms over the centuries, acclimated to living in low-G and zero-G conditions, and so they became nomadic, going to planets only to pick up the materials needed to maintain their sustenance. For many of these nomads, the line between trader and pirate blurred, as most were willing to steal what they needed if it could not be easily acquired.

The Mek'taman Clan was closer to the pirate side, and threw in the willingness to be mercenaries while they were at it. And in recent months, they'd grown desperate.

Which was the only reason they'd accept a deal with Chantavit Li.

Ship-Lord Jastavi of the Pahknabi presented the offer to his fellows and to the Clan's Chief, the venerable female Lamat, Ship-Lord of the Vanarak. Lamat's reign had been long and fruitful, but recent setbacks were making it tenuous. The Mek'taman were likely to remove her if fortunes didn't change soon.

Which was precisely why Jastavi presented it to her first and won her support. He had every intention of succeeding her as Clan Chief and knew that her endorsement, and success with it, would go far in securing that title.

The Council meeting was aboard Vanarak, as was custom in the Mek'taman. The Ship-Lords, sixteen in all, were arranged around a circular table of green plastic construction, their segmented bodies resting on cushioned seats built to comfortably accommodate their forms. Their scaled skin tended to dark reds and browns, unlike planet-dwelling Tash'vakal who had lighter colors due to their frequent exposure to UV rays from stars. Each Ship-Lord had access to food and drink, provided as by custom by the Chief, with each Ship-Lord having a taster present to prevent poisonings—hosting Ship-Lords would be insulted to not see a taster, since it would imply a fellow Ship-Lord thought they were too stupid to think of poisoning food.

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