Starlight Gleaming Ch. 16

The speaker roughly groped her breasts, causing her to cry out. When milk flowed, soaking her shirt, he whooped.

"Aw! She's a mommy! Where's your baby, little mommy?"

Meeno, who'd been on the floor, tried to rise up to her defense, but one of the thugs punched him, knocking him down, and two of them then kicked him several times. The others laughed derisively.

Outside, from the front yard, I could hear Jerro and Dechak yelling. Two of the gang members drew knives and went out onto the porch, taunting them in return. That left five gang members inside. No visible guns.

Five against one. And about thirty feet distance. For a man with a knife, that was within a kill-zone. I needed to even the odds in a hurry. Normally, I'd put two rounds in each target to make sure they stayed down, but I needed to take out numbers before they began to react.

Drawing the Caiman, I stepped into the dining room, put two hands on my pistol to steady my aim, a picked my first target. I fired the pistol in rapid succession. The .35 caliber slugs dropped three immediately.

They reacted quickly. Almost too quickly. The first one dropped, but one turned and made it a few feet across the room. Another, considerably further.

The fourth actually reached me, but I ducked the knife swing, smacking the side of his head with my pistol butt. He dropped to the floor, moaning. Using my foot, I pinned his wrist and collected the blade, keeping part of my eyes on last one, who grabbed Eesa, using her as a shield between us.

One possibly dead, two alive with gunshot wounds, and one stunned. In a matter of seconds, the situation had changed radically.

"We're Wild Jaguars! Make a move and I'll cut her!" the leader yelled, holding his knife to Eesa's throat.

The thug at my feet began to move. Using my weight, I stomped on the hand nearest me. The man yelled and curled into a ball, cradling his hand.

"I am Lord Ranji Kandikan. I am an officer in the Imperial Air Force, you tapir's prick. Look at my uniform, you moron. I am a nobleman! That woman you're holding hostage is pledged to my service, which puts her under my protection. This house belongs to Lady Zaniyah Tlacotli, a noblewoman! Did you think you would get away with attack her home forever? You broke into here while I was present. You are armed, threatening harm to my people. Your lives are forfeit twice over, just for tonight alone! If you survive - and that's a big if right now - the city will make an example of you. That means a temple execution. And they won't waste narcotics on you beforehand. They'll just hold you down and cut out your heart in the city square as a warning to anyone else who dares raise their hand against the noble castes. Surrender now or it's the temple for any survivors. Warrior's Word on it."

"No! You do what I say, or I will hurt her!"

"Not happening. You have five seconds to surrender. Five. Four..."

One of the two remaining men clutched his chest, panting as his blood spilled out. The second thug, holding his bleeding shoulder, begged, "Don't let us die, Paro! Give up! I don't wanna die at some freaky temple!"

Paro, grabbing Eesa's arm, began edging toward the front door, pulling her with him.

During the fight inside, the two grandsons must have take care of the others outside the house. Jerro suddenly appeared, blocking his exit. His large club had fresh blood on the end. Dechak loomed behind him.

Paro was trapped.

"Three seconds," I warned, pointing my pistol to the one on the floor. "Two ..."

Paro tossed aside his knife, shoved Eesa away, and held up his hands. She immediately ran to Meeno, helping him up.

Jerro gave the gang leader a predatory look. "Lord Kandikan, what should we do with him?"

Putting on my safety, I put the gun into my belt. Grabbing the man on the floor, he kicked out, but I evaded it. A foot to the groin ended his fight. I rolled him onto his stomach. Pulled a zip-tie from my belt pocket and secured his hands together. "I haven't decided yet, Jerro. This group has terrorized Lady Zaniyah for a long time. Stolen from her and assaulted her multiple times. For all I know, they may have raped her, too. All of those crimes are capital offenses. I should have him flayed alive-"

"No!" Paro shrieked, his eyes bulging. "You said you wouldn't do that if I gave up!"

Ignoring him, I moved over and squatted down briefly to assess the nearest wounded men. The man with the chest wound was beginning to gasp, spitting blood and growing pale. Blood soaked his shirt, pooling on the carpet. Lung shot. The one with the bleeding shoulder began to cry.

"Your lives are now in my hands. You two are hurt bad. You might not make it. If I get you medical attention, you will owe me five years of your life as indentured servants. Do you agree?"

Both nodded.

"I warn you now, any further resistence, and I will just kill you." Then turned my attention back to Paro as I called out, "Meeno? Are you okay?"

Meeno nodded, wincing as he tried to reassure Eesa. Holding one arm around his ribs. He had the beginnings of a black eye, and his lip was split. "Yes, my lord. I've had worse. I will be fine."

"Jerro, go next door and call for the police. Meeno? Eesa? Go with him. No need for you to remain here."

"Grandma tried calling for help," Dechak informed me. "But her phone's not working."

"That's because I unplugged the phone to get computer access. Unplug the cable from my laptop and plug it back into your phone. It should resume working normally."

Nodding, Jerro and Eesa helped Meeno outside. Dechak moved aside to let them exit.

Just then, the lights suddenly blinked on inside the house. Running water gushing from a faucet could be heard from the kitchen. Stepping back carefully, I picked up the receiver on the wall-mounted phone. A dial-tone. I was about to call the police when I heard approaching sirens.

"Paro, down on your knees. Deechak, pick up their knives, but keep an eye on them. If Paro moves, introduce your club to his head," I instructed. "Be careful. They might have secondary weapons on them."

"Yes, my lord." After Collecting Paro's knife, he moved gingerly about, collecting more blades.

Going to the kitchen sink, I turned off the faucet. Taking a clean rag from the dinning room table, I walked over to the one with the chest wound. "Paro, get over here."

"What?"

Dechak kicked him. "You heard his lordship! Move your ass!"

"Take this rag and press it here." Taking his hand, I pushed his hand over the wound. "Hard, like that. Keep him propped up against the chair. Don't let him fall over. If you want to save him, this will help him from bleeding out too fast."

"O-okay."

"Dechak?" I stood up slowly.

The big man looked at me with concern. "You okay, Lord Kandikan? You don't look so good."

I felt a real need to sit down, so I did. "I might have a concussion. Is that one dead? All right. Drag the dead man outside. Pretty soon the body will piss and shit, and that will stink the place up."

"Sure." He set his club just outside the door, then hauled it outside.

I closed my eyes for just a second.

Suddenly knocked onto the floor, I looked up. Paro had my pistol pointed at me.

"I'm gonna make you pay! You killed Snakeman and hurt my crew! No one touches the Wild Jaguars! No one!"

Click! Click!

Rolling forward, I swept out with my leg as I pulled my own belt knife. He struggled, but went down. Clambering over him, I shoved hard. My blade sank into right kidney. Paro jerked, and quit struggling. To make sure, I held him down and stabbed again. For several seconds he struggled, then he went limp.

Dechak stood in the doorway. "You need a hand, Lord Kandikan?"

"No. Just another body to take out."

Pulling out my blade, I wiped it on Paro's shirt. I had warned him.

Deechak handed me my pistol. Thank the gods I'd put the safety on. My fortune, too, that Paro hadn't known how to release it. Otherwise, I would be dead. When I stood up, Deechak started dragging the body outside.

I had Paro's blood on my shirt and trousers. I wondered if Teela knew how to take out bloodstains.

Two medicos hurried in through the door just then. Behind them came Jerro.

"That one's the worst," I said, pointing to the one with the chest wound.

"What happened here?" exclaimed one. Seeing my uniform, he stopped.

I checked the blade. Clean enough. I sheathed it. "Breaking and entry. Multiple counts of assault, theft, and extortion. Attempting to do bodily harm to an officer of the Imperial Air Service and those pledged to his service."

"If you are going to have them killed, there's no point in us working on them," the second medico growled petulantly.

"I've agreed to cover their medical costs in return for five years indentured service. Do what you are trained to do."

"Gammik, tend the chest wound first. I'll get his information for the report." The other one grumbled further, but went to work anyway.

I gave my contact information, and then signed on the financial section where he indicated. Jerro helped with the first gurney. I helped with the second one. Once both were loaded, the ambulance took off.

Feeling more clear-headed, I pulled my pistol and checked it. Popping the release, I pulled out the magazine and confirmed the number of rounds. It's easy to lose track in a firefight. There was a round in the chamber and six in the magazine. Five shells expended, three men hit. I needed to hit the range again. I hoped I didn't need my pistol any time soon. I reloaded the magazine and put it back into my belt, safety off.

Outside, there was a police cruiser by the curb. Two policemen, one talking with Teela in the yard, while the other, a police corporal and a bit older, spoke with Zaniyah on Teela's porch. No sign of Eesa, Meeno, or the baby. Maybe they were inside.

The local police uniforms wore black trousers, and red shirts. City arms on a patch on the right arm. Precinct and rank on the left arm.

Dechak hauled out the cuffed man, throwing him to the ground by the policeman talking to his grandmother. The thug cussed, yelling about his hand and his balls hurting. Deechak slapped him alongside the head and told him to shut up. Then he glanced around. "The others must have got away."

The younger policeman spotted the zip-tie cuffs. He looked at me as I walked up to them.

The Wild Jaguar was hauled roughly to his feet and stuffed into the backseat of the cruiser.

A second patrol cruiser arrived, pulling into the spot vacated by the ambulance.

The corporal raised his eyebrows at the new arrivals, coming slowly down the steps.

I turned and saw the two men get out of the vehicle. When they spotted me, they ignored everyone else. Without a word, they started to move apart.

That set off alarm bells for me. Taking a step back, I held out my left hand, while my right dropped to my pistol, putting my hand around the grip, but didn't draw it yet.

"Stop right there! I am Air Security, a Warrior officer on active duty! Civilian police have no authority over me. Both of you, freeze. Now! I will discuss things, but do not make a hostile move, or I will respond accordingly."

The police corporal behind me began herding Teela and the others closer to the house. His partner moved to the rear of their own cruiser. In case a firefight broke out, it gave him cover. A good idea. Too bad I wasn't there beside him.

The men before me paused and glanced at each other, then resumed slowly moving closer.

"I said freeze!" I repeated, and drew my pistol.

"Come on, Lieutenant. We're all friends here," smiled the one on my right, holding his hands away from his body, away from his own weapon. "We're all law enforcement here."

"Yeah," added his partner. "Relax, Kandikan, we mean you no-"

My eyes snapped to him. My name patch was still in the dryer.

His partner realized the gaff at the same time.

I got off two shots at the first one. The first one hit his chest, absorbed by his armor, but the second slug punched a hole in his face, killing him instantly.

The second man charged, taking me to the ground, his hands twisting away my gun. It vanished as we rolled on the ground. I tried to employ my hand-to-hand skills, but another wave of dizziness nearly overwhelmed me. He got in three good punches into my ribs and another to the side of my face. I was hurting. Then he managed to draw his own pistol. I grabbed his hand as we rolled again, struggling to keep the barrel of his pistol pointed away from me.

Pulling the trigger, he fired, hoping to hit me. Two shots rang out, and then a third. Those watching us dove for cover.

Gasping and grunting, I kicked and clawed, seeking any advantage. My hand found a pressure point on his wrist. He yelled as the pistol fell away, and we continued rolling in the dirt. Off the curb and into the hard street.

He got his leg up and kicked, throwing me back. I landed hard, scraping a knee, but then rolled into a crouch. He glanced about looking for his gun. In the gutter. As he moved, I blocked his access. He moved into the third Jaguar kata, but as I moved to counter, he shifted to the seventh.

Block, block, shift! Parry, block, parry, strike!

I took a solid hit to the chest, but countered with two of my own. He made the mistake of using the same attack pattern again. Slipping past his punch, I grabbed his arm and twisted, using our combined weight to drop as I leveraged him beneath me. He smacked his shoulder hard against the asphalt, yelling in pain. As he tried to break free, I twisted his arm harder still, all the while moving my legs around him. Grunting and swearing, he tried lift both of us. I closed my legs around his waist, locking them as I shifted onto his back. Slipped my arms under his own, then clasped them together behind his neck. Classic ninth Snake, ending in a full nelson with my legs wrapped around his mid-section.

He tried lifting us again, but like the snake would, I used our combined weight and heaved us over again. The other side of his face smacked into the asphalt. He cursed vividly.

"How did you know my name!" I yelled into his ear.

"Eat shit, traitor!" he snarled back.

He tried to roll me onto my back again, but again I went with the roll and carried us back over. The other side of his face kissed the street and he yelled in pain. Both sides of his face scuffed and bleeding and heaving for air, he paused, helpless.

"Talk!" I demanded. "Who sent you here to kill me! Names!"

"Imperial... Security," he grunted out.

"Yeah? Air Security, Imperial Air Service! You came to kill me. Your partner's dead and you cannot stop me from doing you next. Who sent you!"

For several seconds he resisted while I squeezed. The pressure on his neck grew.

"Talk!"

Finally he gasped out, "Chatolklan."

"Liar! Chatolklan is dead!" I snapped out.

"His brother!" he yelled, thrashing his legs about. "You killed his brother. He... he wants revenge!"

"Commander Chatolklan betrayed the Empire. He earned what all treasonous bastards earn. A ticket to the dead lands. Warrior to Warrior, will you yield?"

"I... cannot."

And there it was. I held a man's life in my arms. Heard him answer my demand that he yield. I knew that if I let him go, he'd do his best to end me.

I had no choice.

"So be it."

I squeezed until felt-heard his neck pop. He immediately collapsed in my arms.

For several seconds, I remained there, gasping for air. I pushed aside any thoughts of remorse. I'd given him a means of surrender and he'd refused. I was a Warrior and he was my enemy. He was dead and I was still standing.

Needed to stand. My head pounded. Throbbed painfully.

I shoved his body away and staggered to my feet.

Both policemen watched me intently.

Neither one had offered their help, which made me surly. Then I noticed daylight was fading fast. My watch said twenty minutes to eighteen hundred hours.

Carefully brushing off my scuffed and dirty uniform, I glared. "Are you going to try to arrest me?"

The police corporal shook his head. "No, my lord. We've verified your identity. The picture on file matches you. We have no jurisdiction over you. Was he really Imperial Security?"

"I don't know and I don't care. They tried to kill me and got what they deserved. What I do know is there are standing orders from the War Minister himself to watch over and protect Lady Zaniyah, the woman who lives in that house. Paro and his scum should never have gotten near her. I intend to find out who is responsible for this lapse and put them to task for it."

The corporal nodded, then gestured at the bodies. "What about these two?"

I shrugged. "Call the morgue. Neither one of you have body-weave armor I see. The one I shot is useless now, but if the other fits, take it." I pointed to the vehicle that the imposters had driven. "Is that patrol car yours?"

The younger one examined the license plate, then called it in.

The corporal shook his head. "No. It's not even a regulation plate. You wouldn't notice that right away, unless you were paying attention. All you'd see would be the colors, the lights on top, and the uniforms." He looked at the patch on the dead man's shoulder. "I know pretty much everyone at the Ninth Precinct. Never seen either one of them before."

"I would pretty much guarantee they aren't local," I assured him.

While the police corporal checked the driver's door and examined the city seal, I leaned down and emptied the pockets of the dead man in the street. Stuffed his wallet and other odds and ends into my own pocket. Took his cuffs, baton, and ammunition pouch.

There was a tearing sound; the city seal on the door was some sort of temporary sticker. The corporal pulled it off, wadding it up. He removed the sticker on the other side as well. Tossed both into the back of the fake cruiser.

I collected my own pistol, and both of ones belonging to the fake police. Then emptied the pockets of the second dead man.

How did these assassins know I was here? I wondered.

Even with my pounding head, it was obvious. Chatolklan, like his brother, was probably in Imperial Security. Someone must have run Ket Beelo through both civilian and military databases. Maybe run my face against the Armed Forces database. Or there was a mole in Itznacoco's office. Somehow they linked that fake identity back to me, which meant my real identity was blown and known. Which also meant they must have monitored my bank activity. My using the encrypted connection from Mahingo War Base probably didn't even slow them down.

Seven hells, I'd even left my laptop on so as to get my undelivered email, effectively giving them a beacon right to Teela's house!

And that meant there was another faction within Imperial Security running around. Maybe more. I had naively thought it was just Supay and Itznacoco, struggling for mastery. I realized Itznacoco had hinted at it when I'd last visited him in Tikún. Imperial Security, working for other masters, he'd said. Plural.

Seven hells! If they knew who I was, they knew about my family. I needed to get home! Now!

The younger partner returned from their own vehicle. "According to dispatch, this vehicle was sent to the recyclers last year."

His partner, the older one, rolled his eyes. "Probably either Boss Kentochti or Boss Slemoko."

"You mean that you know the names of the criminal gang leaders and your lord hasn't done anything to deal with them?" I set both wallets onto the trunk of the fake cruiser.

They looked at each other, then to me. "Not much we can do on our own. The lord has his arrangements, you understand."

"Seven hells. Yeah, I suppose you're stuck," I admitted. "Especially if the rats have been allowed to become entrenched. Corrupt men taking bribes, and good people either turned or blackmailed to look the other way. The blame for that falls squarely on your lord. Look at this neighborhood. Your lord bleeds his people dry and fertile growing land dies of thirst, while he throws parties. And no doubt the criminal gangs steal most of what's left. Those who live on this street don't trust you any more than the gang I dealt with today."