Poor Man's Fight (2015) by Elliott Kay

Author:Elliott Kay [Kay, Elliott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: YA, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Action & Adventure
ISBN: 1477830782
Amazon: B00RH1NV4M
Publisher: Skyscape
Published: 2015-06-15T12:00:00+00:00

***

“I am Prince Khalil,” the holographic image said. “To whom am I speaking?” The prince wore hand-tailored slacks and a silk shirt, cutting an image of sophistication and affluence without the opulence normally displayed by the rest of his family. Though he stood tall and proud, signs of stress were plain. His breath came out heavily. It obviously required no small effort to remain calm. He felt fear, and also rage, but Khalil strove to master both.

Casey didn’t hold it against him. The guy was completely fucked, just like all his people. “Afternoon, your highness,” Casey said. He reached out to grab one of the five men kneeling before him with hands behind their heads, shoved the poor fellow down onto the ground and casually put two bullets in his back. “That’s who I am. Just so we understand one another. You can call me ‘captain,’ by the way. That’s all you get.”

Though horrified, Khalil reasserted his composure with a sharp, deep breath. He saw other pirates there in the palace conference room with Casey, along with four other trusted servants—men and women with families—right in their reach. “Please,” Khalil said, maintaining his composure as best he could, “no further demonstrations are necessary.” He swallowed hard, trying not to look at the body on the floor. “I am… told you wish to discuss demands.”

“Yeah,” Casey grunted. “A cease-fire, more or less. Not that many of your guys are left to shoot at us anymore. But I’m sure you’ve got a few in reserve in your little bolt-hole there.” Casey took a cup offered to him by a comrade, sipped, grimaced and tossed it aside.

“Ugh. Tea. Y’know, I had it in my head that I was gonna come down here and have this conversation over some good wine. I mean I figured hey, this guy’s royalty, he’s gotta have some good stuff, right? But then I got here and one of my guys reminded me that you Hashemites don’t drink. And I knew that. God dammit, I knew that. So now I don’t know whether I’m more disappointed in you or in me.”

Some of the conflict in the prince’s eyes settled. He took in a deep breath, settling more on the side of contempt than fear. “What is the meaning of this attack?” he asked flatly.

“Thievery,” Casey nodded. “We’re here for thievery. That’s pretty much it.” He paused a moment before elaborating. “Long as you want to cut right to the chase: we’ve got your palace. We’ve got your city, and we’ve pretty much got this whole planet by the balls. Help is a couple days away at least.

“We’re gonna loot this place and leave. We’re gonna take every valuable thing that ain’t bolted down, and we’ll probably pry up anything that is bolted if we like it enough. My men are running through your streets looking for cash and jewels and if they find any people they like, they’ll take them, too. But I’m pretty sure that the single most valuable thing here is you.

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