Ann Aguirre - Havoc

Tonight, the still was unlocked, and most of the men were drinking themselves stupid—with Dred’s blessing—leaving a light crew on watch. He didn’t agree with the decision, but he knew better than to question the Dread Queen. Perhaps she’s right. The mercs probably won’t move on us again for a while. They’ll be wondering how many Peacemakers we have, how well fortified Queensland is. They also need time to rest and regroup.

So do we.

He was in no mood to watch criminals get soused, however, and partner up in an orgy supposedly in honor of Ike. So Tam went to Dred’s quarters to bathe. She wouldn’t mind—or she never had in the past—as long as he tidied up after himself. In some corner of his brain, he hoped the san-shower would wash away the profound feeling of failure. If he’d planned better or noticed the drone cam tracking them, Vost wouldn’t have gotten the drop on them.

Ike wouldn’t be dead.

Martine surprised him when he stepped out of Dred’s quarters. He’d expected she would be drinking with the others. But instead, she was propped on the opposite wall, arms folded over her chest. He tilted his head.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m thinking it’s more the opposite.”

“In what regard?”

“You don’t think I can tell you got a knife buried in you blade deep? Figuratively speaking.”

Tam was speechless for a few seconds. “I don’t see why you’d notice. Or care.”

“Funny thing about arrangements. We’ve nearly come to one, don’t you think?”

He nodded. In here, sex was entirely separate from emotional entanglements, however. It was better and safer that way. Since he wasn’t in the mood for games, he didn’t see why she was waiting for him.

“That means you’re my business, and I look after what’s mine.”

Her tone sent a frisson down his spine. There was no beginning or end point; he couldn’t remember a time when that hadn’t been the case for him. In some way, he’d always known he was meant to serve, and it gave him pleasure. It didn’t even have to be sexual in nature though that was best.

“What do you mean?” he asked though he knew.

“I can’t have you whipping yourself over Ike. That’s my job.”

“Not today,” he said politely.

“I wouldn’t have thought you’d be so literal. Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“You think you’re the only one with secrets? Trust me.”

That was an impossible request, but when she put out her hand, he took it. Then she pulled him along, past the hall to the common room, past the hydroponics garden and the armory, past the dorms. The only thing back this way was the ladder to the next level. They had so much space to protect now that it almost wasn’t even worth it; numbers in Queensland had diminished to the point that they no longer needed to expand.

It might be dangerous to break away from the pack like this, but the promise of silence lured him on, almost as much as the neat sway of Martine’s hips. She cast a look back every now and then, making sure he was still with her. He appreciated her silence, too. They emerged in a narrow hallway he’d never seen before, almost as if this were between levels on the station.

She read the question in his eyes, and answered, “I think this is where the maintenance crew hid from their supervisors.”

“Back when it was a mineral refinery?” It amused but didn’t surprise him. Tam could well imagine men holing up here to take a nap.

The ceiling was low enough that he and Martine had to hunch over. She continued down to the end, then darted into a small room that was more of an alcove, with odds and ends in it, things she’d scavenged and hidden away for her personal enjoyment. He examined the items, including the cushions and the electronics affixed to the wall.

“Portable entertainment unit, broken when I found it. Ike got it running for me.”

Now Tam understood. This was a quieter homage than was going on currently in Queensland. “That’s Ike for you. He could fix anything.”

She nodded. “It has sixteen old vids on it, and I’ve watched them so many times that I can quote all of the lines. Some of them are truly terrible, but I thought you might like to watch them with me.”

Tam considered refusing. This was a sort of closeness he’d eschewed for turns. Instead, he let her draw him into the nest she’d made, then Martine flicked on the screen. For the first time in longer than he could recall, he didn’t feel alone.

“THEYhave a fragging Peacemaker.” Casto slammed a fist into the wall, rattling the sensitive equipment stacked on the shelves above. “Any other surprises, Commander?”

“I’m sure there will be many before we’re through here.” Vost kept his tone mild.

“This is bullshit. I say we cut line and bug out. Who’s with me?” The flash of teeth presented the words as a joke, but those eyes were dead serious.

Mary curse it. Casto was skating pretty close to mutiny, and Vost was hanging on to his men by the scruff of their necks. This wasn’t the in-and-out, easy money they had been promised. But since when did anything ever pan out that way?

“We won’t be dividing up into patrols anymore.” He spoke over the rumble of discontent, hoping to reassure the mercs. “Given what we know of our enemy, we can’t assume that a small squad will be sufficient to take them out.”

“Wish you’d made that call before so many of us died,” Casto muttered.

Too far.

Vost knew exactly what he could tolerate—what could be written off and what had to be dealt with. Casto was now an obstacle to overcome. He whirled and slammed his lieutenant to the ground in a move that he’d learned on Nicu Tertius. The other merc didn’t look so cocky staring up from his back with a man’s boot on his chest.

“You think I’m looking for a performance review from you, soldier?”

Casto looked like he wanted to shoot Vost in the face, but he got the respectful words out. “No, sir.”

“Then you shut the fuck up and listen.” Vost glanced around the room, seeing the right mixture of awe and respect back in his men’s faces. “Any of the rest of you have something to say?”

They shook their heads.

Pointedly, he didn’t let Casto up. This is what you get when you cross me. “I don’t like dissent among the ranks. I know this op has gone to shit. Trust me, I’m very aware. That just means we have to adapt. Or do you agree with Casto that scumbags armed with forks and spears are too much for us?”

“Like hell,” Duran said.

“Exactly my point. We patrol together from here on out. And fuck the Conglomerate’s ban on weapons that’ll fuck up the facility.”

“Does this mean I get to use the grenade launcher?” Redmond asked.

“Why not? I don’t give two shits how much it costs the suits to patch this place up once we’re done with it. They try to dock our pay for damages and we’ll . . . discuss that difference of opinion.”

“Just like you did with Casto?” Duran grinned.

From the twist of Casto’s mouth, he was plenty pissed. Good. Remember how it feels when you cross me. Vost leaned down. “Next time I hear anything like that from you, I don’t knock you down. I take you out and promote from within. Understood?”

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.”

Vost then showed he could be a good sport by towing his lieutenant to his feet. “Redmond, you lead the watch. The rest of us will catch forty winks.”

“You got it, sir.”

Wearily, Vost moved down the hall to the room he’d apportioned for the barracks. The men who weren’t standing guard followed suit. Nobody said much as they stripped out of their armor, but they were all professional enough to secure it before crashing out. Like everyone else, he had a thermal blanket to roll up into. It seemed like forever since he’d had a hot meal or a proper wash. He was wary of using too much water as he didn’t control the facility resources.