Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison 4: Empires at War (Part One) Read online

  “How are you feeling?” I asked Binda, squeezing her shoulders gently.

  “I’m ok, just trying to sort it all out,” Binda answered. “Those people are going to grill me for answers that I’m not sure I’ll have.”

  “Listen, I won’t let it get out of hand,” I told her. “When you’re done, you’re done, and you can leave. Unless you saw this evil leader’s day planner in your dream vision and know exactly when they are coming, there isn’t much you can say. Our best bet is to notify the outlying systems closest to where we think these jokers will attack first, then wait, prepare, and be ready for them.”

  “You might do those things, but these people will do nothing and will refuse to believe until it’s too late,” Binda said. “I’m not positive, but I think it’s been close to a thousand years since the last war with the Khalnalax.”

  “It’s ok if they don’t believe it,” I said. “That doesn’t change the facts. You could have all the correct answers and some would still not believe you. There are people like that everywhere, but for those who believe, we do our best. We will make plans, plural, A, B, C, D, for as many contingencies as we can foresee. You’ve been around and you know how things are, so don’t sweat it.”

  Crnana yelled over all the conversations for us to take our seats. Binda and I moved toward the long table to sit down. Taz sat at the head and the two chairs beside her remained empty. There were cards at each seat to identify the occupant. It was divided, with my people down one side and the Cjittan on the other. Our side had a lot of empty seats. We had kept to ourselves for most of our stay, so none of my people should have made any enemies, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the faces across the table from them. I gave Natalia and Genius credit for not squirming under the scrutiny.

  Binda and I were the last to get to the table, except for a couple of Cjittan males who were milling around by Taz. They hurriedly sat in the two empty seats beside her right before we arrived. Binda elbowed me and smiled. I looked at the cards bearing our names, then walked slowly to the seats that the interlopers were supposed to be sitting in. I looked back at Taz, who sat stone-faced, staring straight ahead. The Cjittan males had smirks on their faces, at least until I started walking back. The smirks faded with each step I took in their direction. The poor bastards must have thought we were going to sit in their seats and be quiet about it. Natalia sat next to one of them and was smiling as I approached.

  “Are you just going to sit there and do nothing?” I asked Taz under my breath as I walked.

  “Benjamin, she is forbidden to interfere,” Lemra explained while Taz sat quietly. I nodded my understanding and approached the males.

  “Look, guys, if someone put you up to this, it’s cool. I get it maybe you can’t read, no hard feelings—that is, if you’re out of my seat by the time I get there,” I said to them. I really didn’t want this to get violent. No, that wasn’t true. I was tired of it. I stopped next to Taz. They both sat with their arms crossed over their chests, leaning back defiantly. The others at the table were silent. Some possibly amused.

  “Taz,” I asked politely, “would you stand a minute and step back, please?” She stood, her face still unmoving. I hadn’t planned it, but I pulled her by the arm and kissed her hard until she responded. I let the kiss continue until she was relaxed, then broke it off, moving her out of my way. I heard gasps and giggles from my daughter and one of terrible trio, my name for Taz’s personal female body guards. I sat in her chair and scooted right next to the male in my seat, put my arm around him and patted him on the back.

  “You see how it’s done? No game playing or this posturing bullshit,” I explained cordially. He was looking at me like I was his inbred cousin until the hand I patted his back with slammed his face into the table once, “I,” twice, “am,” and three times, “tired of this shit.” I stood quickly and swiveled at the waist, kicking out over the one still face down on the table. My foot connected with the back of the other’s head, then I palm punched him in face, rocking him back. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him forward, where he met my palm again. On his third return, I grabbed a handful of hair and slammed his face into the table. Grabbing them both by the collars, I pulled them from their chairs, letting them fall to the floor. My foot connected with one then the other. Someone was screaming my name. Maybe more than one. I stopped.

  “You need to put a stop to this or the next will be worse. I’m not going to put up with it any longer.” Taz was surrounded by her people. No one said a word. There was blood on the table and floor and I wasn’t going to sit there now.

  “Come on, Binda,” I said, picking up our place cards. We walked to the two empty seats and sat down right in the middle of the Cjittan faction. Wolves among sheep; they sounded like a herd of bleating sheep in their righteous uproar. I sat next to a quiet female and noticed her surname was the same as one of two I had just attacked.

  “Hello, I’m Benjamin,” I said, holding out my hand. I sat while she looked at it like it was a snake. “I’m sorry, is that your brother?” I asked.

  “No, that would be my husband,” she answered. “I am the ambassador to Allond. I know who you are. I was away the last time you visited the emperor.”

  “If he’s married to you, what is he doing over there trying to cozy up to Tazleaha?” I asked.

  “You do not know?” she said, looking me up and down. “Has nobody informed you of our tradition for the selection of the royal husband?”

  “Evidently they skimmed over a few things, though I knew about the list of suitors,” I said, eyebrows raised. I finally let my outstretched hand drop.

  “Any male may petition. Most do not because of social standing and political reasons, but if your rank is high enough then you petition to be put on the list of suitors.”

  Movement caught my attention as Taz sat down and the others were helped into the two seats.

  “I knew that, but I assumed these suitors were single,” I said. “What would happen if she picked a married man? Would he have two wives?”

  “Oh, no. My children and I would be lost to him. It would be as if we didn’t exist,” she said. I could tell she was hiding her hurt as her brow lowered and she looked away. I wanted to go beat on them both some more but this time I asked first.

  “Would you like me to go back up there and work him over some more? I would be happy to do it. I went easy on them,” I said softly.

  “You went easy on them?” she asked more harshly, her tone reeking of disbelief.

  “Yes. I was only forceful enough to discourage them from doing it again.”

  “It is too late for you to worry about the people of Cjittan’s opinion of you,” she said. I assume in reference to going easy on them.

  “If you are done with your conversation, Benjamin, I would like to get this meeting underway,” Taz said forcefully, her glare cold and angry.

  I looked at the ambassador. “And somehow now this is my fault,” I said with a small smile. She said nothing.

  Taz launched into the high points of Binda’s dream. Leaving out how she knew of the situation, she presented it as if it were official facts. I knew this tactic would work for the short term, but the long haul would be full of questions. There was a lot of murmuring as the briefing continued and the information from the archives played in the center of the table.

  It was fifteen minutes before I finally got my first look at a Khalnalax, and I now understood the revulsion its name had produced earlier. My brain saw a squid with grasshopper legs. Two eyes on stalks sat on the elongated head, with at least eight appendages protruding from around the abdomen. I smelled a rat. What was before me was the Etash. The Khalnalax engineered warrior. Taz didn’t know I already knew what the Khalnalax looked like and that wasn’t it. I had done my own research. “That doesn’t look that hard to kill.” I said absentmindedly.

  “It’s not,” the ambassador said, overhearing me. “It’s the other four million right behind it that might slow you down.
They are egg layers; they produce hundreds of young.”

  “I like you, ambassador,” I told her. “You sure you don’t want me to go kick his ass some more?”

  “I believe my queen will be unhappy with us if we do not stop talking,” she said, glancing down the table.

  “Only if we don’t stop talking?” I said. Binda elbowed me in the ribs, my people across the table were in a state of amusement. Natalia was mouthing for me to shut up, clearly embarrassed.

  I settled in for the long haul. My blood had cooled down. Other than the ambassador, I didn’t know any of the individuals on my side of the table, since Taz hadn’t introduced them or my people. Maybe the interruption at the beginning had thrown her off the agenda; it definitely guaranteed me an ass-chewing when this was over.

  A medic entered the room and began working on the two males next to Taz while she went on about the history of conflict between the species. He looked them both over and tapped some kind of com on his wrist. A few minutes later, two orderlies came in and took both of them away. I wondered how long knuckleheads like those two would keep showing up, and when I would end up killing one of them. So far I hadn’t taken it to that extreme but I was getting there. Old Scarface had come at me twice now, once at the ball when I first met Taz and then again when we left Allond on our way to Athena. He was out there somewhere, probably planning some other form of mischief. I would bury him.

  Taz droned on about history, about the Allond and their conflicts with her people, then went on about another species I hadn’t heard of before. Not sure what the history lesson was for, unless it had been meant for my people, most of whom I didn’t bring. Seeing that, she should have skipped it, in my opinion. I eased out of my chair and walked to the windows farthest from the table. It was a beautiful day, with a lot of activity outside the walls. Cjittan, as well as other aliens, walked here and there, all wearing fine clothes. Some had children or pets, and others were in groups, couples or alone. They had no idea what was coming, and at the moment maybe it was better they didn’t. Taz was still talking, but the words just blurred together in my head. We needed to get going; there was recon to be done and we had people to warn. Or maybe I was just bored.

  I watched some flying reptiles as they circled over the forest canopy in the distance. If it came to war, Taz’s insect army would feed well and die well, fulfilling their purpose in life. Not long ago we were worried about how to feed them all. The problem might be solved. Now that would be something to see. Scary as hell, too. The enemy must have very destructive firepower if they can destroy the life on a planet, I thought. There were so many beautiful worlds; we couldn’t let them be utterly destroyed.

  “I’m sorry, Benjamin, am I boring you?” Taz asked from across the room. Every head at the table was turned in my direction.

  Somehow I knew honesty might not be the best policy in this situation.

  “My apologies, please continue,” I answered, continuing my study of the outside world.

  “Will you return to your seat?” Taz asked.

  “I don’t feel like sitting and can hear you just fine.”

  “I have no doubt you can hear me, but are you listening?”

  “Not really,” I answered. “Something is off about this meeting, and I’ll figure it out in a few minutes. In the meantime, feel free to drone on.” I guess honesty won, but I could have used a little tact.

  Somebody I didn’t know, some elderly statesman, stood up and began to speak. “My queen, your human pet is crude and violent but also perceptive. We, your people, already know our history and your human friends do not care. They all have the look of hardened soldiers—even the child has an edge about her. If the ministry would allow, providing all the facts to them may bear fruit the current discussion would never achieve.”

  The speaker looked at the much younger female sitting next to him. Across the table, Genius sat admiring her. I couldn’t blame him; she was a looker and evidently someone of importance within Taz’s government. She wasn’t built anything like Taz, who brought to mind Norse legends of warrior women. She was slim and fit with an air of confidence; her face was angular and had attractive lines with full lips. Her cheeks were high like Taz’s—otherwise, in general, she looked like all the rest of her people and wore her platinum hair long and straight. She continued to stare at the tablet in front of her, then, after what seemed like an eternity, she looked down the table at Taz.

  I was already tired of the silent dramatics and had the feeling we were being treated to a load of crap. The infatuation Genius had with the pretty female across from him was the only thing of interest to me.

  “Well, what the fuck? Are you gonna get on with the truth or can we leave?” The question was not directed to anyone. “Then let me help you out. Genius, go ahead.” I gestured to him. I was glad one of the first things I did this morning was find out what the hell a Khalnalax was. The reactions I witnessed in Binda’s room led me to believe we would be involved in something. Soon. Weeks ago I gave Genius the ok to prowl around in the Cjittan network at the palace. Poor guy would have went nuts by now if I hadn’t let him play.

  The holo changed and the picture now looked like a Cjittan male, only red. “Ladies and gents, I give you the other half of the Khalnalax,” I said, watching the room explode, then turned to watch the peaceful world outside my window. I should say Taz, the pretty one and a few others exploded. The rest just sat waiting for the briefing to continue or end. Like me.

  A few minutes passed, with some arguing and a little yelling—all the usual things that happen when I attend a meeting. One difference, however, was that this time it wasn’t me or my people making the noise. They sat quietly watching our hosts. I felt a presence beside me. A hand touched my arm, dragging my attention away from the world beyond the window.

  “I need you and Genius to go with the guards peacefully,” Taz said. “You will be questioned and then released.”

  “For what? What if I refuse?” I answered, looking past her at the guards and the attractive female holding Genius by the arm with one hand and his data pad with the other. “When this is over you are going to owe me big time,” I whispered in her ear.

  “Don’t do this to me, Benjamin. You and Genius have committed a crime and they will need to see to what extent you succeeded in infiltrating our network.”

  “Genius,” I said to him quietly, “do not say a word. Am I clear?”

  “Yeah, Boss! No problem.”

  “She’s gorgeous. Genius, don’t tell me no problem. I saw your tongue hanging out from across the room.”

  Our new friend scowled at me and smiled at Genius. She was going to play it for all it was worth.

  We left the room and walked down a long hallway, surrounded by guards. The woman walked behind us, looking through Genius’ data pad. I turned around to look at her and got reprimanded by the guard on my right.

  “Look, buddy,” I told him, “I’m sure you scare children and old people with that tone, but use it one more time with me and you won’t be able to speak for a month.”

  “You think you’re protected by the queen,” he answered coldly, “but you would be wrong.”

  “Look, I don’t care,” I said. “In the end, you still won’t be able to talk for a month, if not longer. Hell, I might even break your neck and make this world a better place.”

  “This will go much easier on you if you cooperate,” the woman said casually as we walked.

  “Genius, tell her I am cooperating,” I replied. “I’m pretty sure she hasn’t seen me in an uncooperative mood just yet.”

  “It’s true,” Genius told her. “He is cooperating. I’ve known him for a long time and this ranks as one of the easiest arrests I can remember.”

  “See, I told you,” I said. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “You can ask,” she replied stiffly, “but you may not get an answer.”

  “It seems we are accused of committing a crime,” I said. “Are we entitled to leg
al representation? I’m just curious. We may be more inclined to answer your questions if we know more about what we’re up against.”

  “You are not Cjittan. There will be no representation.”

  “That’s too bad. I was hoping for a more harmonious outcome. I know the queen would have preferred it also,” I said.

  “What did you say to the queen before we left meeting?”

  “Not much,” I said nonchalantly. “Just that when this is over she’s going to be my bitch.”

  Genius looked at me and I winked at him then panned my head around slowly, taking in the guards’ new attitudes. When I looked back, he flicked all his fingers on one hand twice then held up two. Ten against two. I nodded, acknowledging his count, not sure why he was telling me.

  “I’m glad we came here,” I said loudly. “The women are all starving for attention from a real male. We’ll have a new female every night wanting to give themselves over to us. Even the females with mates will be in our bedrooms at night begging for it.” I was laying it on thick and it worked quickly. My favorite guard, the one on my right, took a swing at my head, and I turned and grabbed his arm. We were toe to toe and an uppercut was the most effective punch I could maneuver. It worked well enough, snapping his head back and making him fall into the guard closest to him. Two guards were trying to drag Genius away and I punched one of them in the back of the head. Who turns their back on a combatant? He deserved it, I thought. Genius nailed the other and we squared off with the rest.

  We were doing well until twenty other guards showed up with Taz and Ronnie. We were both bleeding a little and smiling. We took it easy on them when we realized all the things they didn’t know, such as how to fight. I guess that’s what happens when you breed giant insects to do your fighting for you.

  Taz was staring at me. I knew something like this was going to happen. Ronnie stood next to her, smiling, which seemed odd until Taz reached into her shirt between her breasts and pulled out a small bag. Ronnie held out her hand and it was deposited on her palm. She shook it so we could hear it jingle and walked away, not even bothering to check our damage.