The Black Ships: An Epic Space Opera Adventure by G.P. Hudson

Author:G.P. Hudson [Hudson, G.P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thavma Press
Published: 2025-03-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter twenty-four

“Maggie, has the enemy warship entered the star system yet?” Max said as the planet Miskheta grew larger on the main holodisplay. The rest of the crew had come out of the Keegan Effect but were still a little groggy.

“It has not,” said Maggie.

“Let me know the second it exits that Keegan Point.”

“As you prefer, Captain.”

“Sir, the planet Miskheta is hailing us,” said Lieutenant Varro.

“Alright, patch them through to my console,” said Max, thinking he might as well get this over with.

The round, blotchy face of the planet’s security chief, Colonel Draag, appeared on Max’s display. “You!” said Draag once he recognized Max. “You’ve got a pair coming back here.”

“Yeah, well, I just couldn’t stay away,” Max said with a smile. “Look, Draag, I am not here to cause any trouble. So if you just let me go about my business, I’ll be gone before you know it.”

Draag flashed Max a cunning smirk and said, “Business, eh? Aren’t you an assassin?”

“No, I am not.”

“Sure you’re not,” Draag said sarcastically. “As far as I know, you have not answered for the murder you committed the last time you were here.”

“Meyers was a known pirate wanted for high crimes against the Union.”

“This is not a Union star system!” Draag bellowed. “The Union cannot just come here and kill Miskheta citizens.”

“Yes, I’m sure Meyers was a fine upstanding citizen,” Max sneered.

“You need to pay restitution.”

“Restitution? For what?”

“Meyers was a generous contributor to Miskheta causes.”

“You mean you lost the bribes he gave you.”

Draag’s eyes narrowed. “You will pay restitution, or you will not step foot on Miskheta.”

Max sighed. “How much do you want?”

“Three hundred thousand Union credits.”

“That’s absurd!”

“You know where the Keegan Point is.”

As with the Kevasian Syndicate, Max had access to Agency funds for situations like this. The amount was not high compared to what he gave Kevasian, but he really didn’t like Draag and hated the idea of enriching him. “I’ll give you one hundred thousand.”

“No deal.”

“Fine, two hundred thousand.”

“I think all those assassinations have damaged your hearing,” said Draag. “Three hundred thousand Union credits. Take it or leave it.”

Max ground his teeth but knew he should just pay up. “Fine. Three hundred thousand. But that means we are free to do what we need without harassment.”

“You cannot kill anyone!”

“We are not killing anybody.”

“Very well. Pay up, and you’ll be allowed to conduct your business and be on your way without any interference.” Draag studied Max for a second and then said, “By the way, how’s that pretty wife of yours?”

Max glared at the holodisplay and wished he had Draag in front of him in person so that he could snap his neck. “My wife is dead,” Max said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, I had no idea. My condolences.”

Max continued to glare at Draag but did not answer.

“Very well, once you send me the credits, you will be permitted to enter Miskhetan orbit. That ship you’re in is not allowed to enter our atmosphere. Use a shuttle to come down to the surface.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.