Chapter 240: (Nakteti) (1/2)

Nakteti stood next to Major Carnight, her mother a few feet away and standing next to Captain Manners. Both Tnvaru were holding tight to their gripping sticks with all four hands, staring out the macroplas at the blackness of space beyond.

The space station was huge, to say the least. Normally used by the massive Terran dreadnoughts or leviathan class vessels it was also used for the larger trading vessels.

Nakteti was always amused by the fact that Terran trade ships were often bigger than warships of the same class. She wasn't aware of the exact tonnage, but just sheer size most trade vessels were much more massive than their military counterparts. She knew it was because they lacked the sheer mass and didn't have the energy requirements of a warship, but it was still somewhat daunting.

Dozens of ships were slowing down, being grabbed by the station's tractor/pressor beams as the tugs maneuvered them into position.

”They've been attacked,” Sangbre said softly. ”Many of them are damaged.”

”Yes,” Captain Manners said.

Nakteti reached out and tapped the macroplas, focusing on one ship in particular that was brightly painted with images of cartoon characters on the hull. One of the engines was obviously destroyed, another was leaking energy from a large crack down the side. The multicolor paintjob was blackened and scorched. Nakteti swooped to a different one, this one showing craters and pits in the bare minimum hull armor most Terran transport and trade ships ran with.

”What happened?” Nakteti asked.

”We're not sure yet. They've been streaming in all day, all of them broadcasting priority signals,” Major Carnight said. ”All of them are broadcasting emergency signals too. As soon as I heard, I arranged for you to get shuttle transport up here.”

”That is Max-a-Million's ship,” Sangbre said, highlighting one of the largest cargo ships. ”I recognize it's terrible paint job and its ostentatious appearance.” The ship was, like many of the others, multicolored with animated paint jobs . ”It is damaged. I fear I know where they were.”

Nakteti turned to Sangbre. ”Where?”

”Tnvaru,” Sangbre said, trembling slightly. ”I sent the junkers and traders to Tnvaru to bring back wood and plants and other examples of life from our home-world, as well as retrieve as much personnel property as they could from our people.”

Nakteti nodded. In the year since she had purchased the world the Tnvaru had abandoned their homeworld and moved to the colony worlds after the Lanaktallan had insisted that all Tnvaru leave Unified Council Space. Most of them had been packed into converted luxury liners by the tens of thousands, forced to leave behind everything but a small bag or two during the mad scramble to leave Unified Council Space. Not everyone had left, there were some who refused to leave the homeworld even with all the shocking revelations that had taken place, but it was less than a million Tnvaru.

”They were attacked in Tnvaru. The Unified Council?” Nakteti wondered.

”I want to talk to Max, he's the one I brokered this through,” Sangbre insisted.

Major Carnight checked his implant and saw the Max was already getting ready to disembark only a short distance away down the concourse. ”This way, ladies,” he said.

Nakteti grabbed his hand with two of her own. Sangbre did not, drawing herself up and holding tight to her gripping stick. The walk was short, through only a single emergency door. The first thing Nakteti noticed is that there was a Confederate Emergency Medical Team surrounding the door to the umbilical that had been pressurized during her walk.

”I hope Max himself has not been injured,” Sangbre said.

Major Carnight checked his implant and frowned. The data was locked behind security that was still being applied to data from the incoming ships.

Something big had happened.

”He informed me that he was going to hire mercenaries to assure his safety from Unified Military Council Forces,” Sangbre said. ”The Council must have wanted to destroy him very very badly.”

”Max's cargo leviathan is also armed. Anti-piracy weaponry in the Confederacy, but that kind of weaponry and shielding should have easily protected him from anything the UMC could have fielded,” Nakteti added.

”And a couple dozen high end mercenaries should have deterred the UMC from attacking,” Sangbre murmured.

The aperture dilated open and the medical crew moved into the umbilical, their pace steady and careful but still giving the impression of urgency. The quartet stood and waited for a few minutes till finally someone came back out.

Max was missing his garish suit covered in animated cartoons, instead he was dressed in a battered but well kept armored vac-suit, the face shield retracted. His normally jovial expression was gone, replaced by exhaustion and a faint aura of defeat. The little robot following him didn't squeak and bounce but just trundled along on its little treads.

”Matron Sangbre, Matron Nakteti,” he said, moving slowly up to the quartet. He shook his head and gave a harsh barking laugh. ”First time I've ever had to say this: I'm going to have to refund your money, I had to drop your cargo.”

Sangbre nodded slowly. ”Come, Max, let us find a place to relax. You look as if you could use a good sit down.”

Max nodded. ”Someplace that isn't a crash cradle? Definitely.”

Major Carnight checked his implant. There was a receiving lounge that was cleared out and available. He noted the rest of the lounges were all labeled for medical use only and frowned slightly.

”Is there a problem, Major?” Nakteti asked.

Major Carnight shook his head. ”No, no. Right this way,” he said.

Max moved slowly and the quartet dropped their pace to stay with him as they moved a couple dozen meters down a hallway and through an emergency door.

The lounge was stripped down and Captain Manners noted that the normal posters were missing as well as the displays were all turned off and withdrawn into the walls. He locked eyes with Major Carnight, who gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Max dropped into a chair, sighing, and put his feet up on his little robot, who gave a short little happy tune.

Sangbre called up some cold drinks, taking one to Max, before sitting down.

”What happened?” Nakteti asked.

Max heaved a sigh and set down his drink. ”The hiring was no problem. We had a good sized fleet when we dropped into the Tnvaru system. Almost three hundred junkers and traders, sixty mercs so that each group of ten had two escorts, a few companies of infantry for security.”

He rubbed his face with one hand, winced, and slowly tugged his glove off.

”The system was being absorbed by the Lanaktallan when we arrived. We had the firepower to make them at least act like they were going to leave us alone, so we all went into parking orbits and started heading planetside to load up personnel effects, gather foliage and fauna, things like that,” Max said. He rubbed his face again. ”We'd been at it for about three days when everything came apart on us.”

Sangbre twisted her grip on her stick with her catching hands. ”The Executors?”

Max shook his head. ”No. Precursors.”

Sangbre and Nakteti both rocked back.

”Thirty made the initial helljump into the system and immediately moved to attack vectors on the belt facilities and gas giant facilities,” Max said.

----------------------

”Talk to me, Are-Two,” Max said, pausing from where he was overseeing a group of drumbles from packing up the personal belongings of another family into the plas-crates.

--thirty attack class amw moving to attack asteroid belt and gas giant facilities-- his eVI aboard his ship answered. --Executor and UMC are moving to defend planet and facilities--

”Yeah, like they'll be able to stop them,” Max said, thinking rapidly.

The Lanaktallan next to him trotted to face him. ”What is wrong, Maximum Max?”

”Precursor Autonomous War Machines just helljumped into the system,” Max said, tapping his leg and staring at the crate.

”That is impossible. As one of the Executor Most Highs I would have been notified,” the Lanaktallan harrumphed. He touched him implant. ”This is A'abvi'is, give me a system status.”

”Are-Two, warm up the engines, we might have to get out of Dodge Challenger if the UMC can't hold them off,” Max ordered.

--roger roger--

”Hey, Max, this is Rapier, my ship eVI just pinged me, said we've got in-system helljumps,” one of the larger junkers called out over the comlink.

”Are-Two just told me. It's thirty of them, but attack class not harvesters, the UMC should be able to handle them,” Max said. He waved at the drumbles to load the crates in the apartment onto the shuttle outside.

”I see a harvester, I'm out,” Rapier warned.

”We see a harvester, I'm right there with you,” Max said, watching at the robotic drumbles carried the crates out. He turned to the Lanaktallan. ”Next apartment, my Six Eyed Sitter.”

”A moment, Maximum Max,” the Lanaktallan said, holding up two hands. He went back to speaking over his datalink. ”I order you, lowly one, to report to me what is going on in the system.”

The Lanaktallan's crests suddenly expanded and he whinnied in fear. All six eyes opened wide and his tendrils curled tightly. The Lanaktallan turned to Max, who had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

”Max, you do things for money like any sensible beings, correct?” the Lanaktallan asked.

”Of course, my man. Credits, favors, and goods are the lifeblood of the galaxy,” Max said.

The Lanaktallan reached into his vest and pulled out his Executor medallion. ”This is pure platinum casing with red diamond decorations,” the Lanaktallan said. ”The crest of a Most High System Executor.”

”I see that,” Max said, using his datalink to tell his drumbles to hold off on loading the plas crates.

”I will give this to you in return for your solemn junk man oath,” The Lanaktallan said.

”What do you need?” Max asked. It was more than the metals and gems, those could be easily fabbed up or recovered, it was the solid tangible proof that the Lanaktallan was willing to pay for something.

”My wife and three colts are only sixty miles away, on my estate, where I have nearly thirty workers,” the Lanaktallan said. He pulled the medallion off of his neck. ”Get my wife, my colts, my servants, and their families out of this system.” He held it forward. ”Get them out, Maximum Max, and this is yours.”

Max thought it over. He had his ship configured for multiple client secured cargos, which meant he had literally thousands of storage areas. His crew quarters were largely in use by his crew, but fifty or so additional beings wouldn't make a difference.

Before he could answer the Lanaktallan held the medallion up to his face and pressed the center gem. A light passed over the Lanaktallan's face and the medallion beeped.

”This Terran, Maximum Max a Millions the Junker, is operating under my authority. Impede or interfere with him at your own peril, so say I, A'abvi'is, Grand Executor,” the Lanaktallan said. He grabbed Max's hand and pressed the medallion into it. ”Please, Max, my family. I cannot help them, I must go and help defend the system, but you, you can save them.”

”I'd be going for Terran space, A'ab, my man,” Max said. ”I'd be running hard for Confed space.”

”As long as you have my family taken somewhere safe, I do not care where you run,” the Lanaktallan looked out the window at the Executor craft landing next to Max's cargo shuttle. ”I will die here. Do not let my family die. Give me your word.”

Max looked at the medallion, then at the Lanaktallan. ”You have my word, Junker's Code of Honor.”

The Lanaktallan just nodded. He tossed Max another little device. ”This will lift the security lock on your weapons that you voluntarily agreed to.”

Without another word he galloped out as Max turned and looked at his shuttle. The dumblers were waiting at the back ramp, still carrying the plas-crates.

--max max harvesters many many harvesters--

”How close, Are-Two?” he asked.

--eight hours if they come straight in--

He took a deep breath and made a decision. ”Boys, dump the cargo. Are-Two, dump the cargo, wet-print enviro-gens and bring the shuttles down on my position.”