Green World Read online

“What would they do next?” I asked, then I immediately answered before she could come up with any answers of her own. She was a clever woman. “They’d send more agents, that’s what. Maybe a team of men with teleport harnesses to bring them back to Earth, pronto.”

  Abigail looked worried. She gazed out the doorway. “You didn’t come directly to this warehouse, did you?”

  I shook my head.

  “You arrived at building six… there might be more agents in there by now. Shit.”

  “That’s what I’m saying, girl. Now, do you want to listen to my proposition?”

  She snorted. “What would that be?”

  “Let’s you and me get out of here. It’s a good deal gone sour, that’s all. Just take your profits and run off. Isn’t that what any member of the Claver-clan would do?”

  “James… I’m sorry about this. Really I am. But I’m not in charge of this operation. I’m not running some petty theft racket—I just work here.”

  I blinked at her, not really understanding what she was talking about. If this wasn’t about turning a profit for the Clavers, what was it about?

  Before I had time to ask her anymore questions however, she shot me dead.

  -7-

  When I was revived an unknown time later, I awakened with a curious mind. Who might be interested enough in old McGill to give him one more chance at life? Would it be a friend—or a hated enemy?

  My first clue was the sound of a male voice. Then another chimed in. My heart sank to hear them both. One was that of Maurice Armel, the other was deep, rough… could it be a saurian? I thought that it might be.

  “We should not do this,” the saurian said. “What is done is done. We should leave it.”

  “Shut up, Raash,” Armel said. “Get him awake and off that table. I have… questions.”

  I tried to say something, but it came out as a mumble. I felt drugged. Had they given me something before I’d even awakened? That seemed like dirty pool to me.

  Strong, scaly hands grabbed me under the armpits. I was hauled up into a sitting position. I dared to open my eyes a crack, expecting to have my optic nerve blinded by the usual glare of someone’s Blue Deck.

  But this place was different. It was dimly lit for a revival chamber. No Earth facility I’d ever heard of would have an O. R. that looked like this dingy pit.

  My heart sank. I wasn’t on Earth. I was probably nowhere near it. I was out somewhere in the frontier provinces, probably.

  My mouth and throat were too dry to form words. That was weird, too. I bit my cheek and let a little blood and spittle trickle. That allowed me to speak.

  “What do you pencil-dicks want with me?” I managed to rasp out.

  The saurian spoke up proudly. “You see there? He speaks! No one can revive a loose pile of scat like McGill better than Raash can. Raash is the best.”

  “Yes, yes,” Armel said, sounding completely unimpressed. “Your skills are renown, Raash. Now leave us so that we may talk like two civilized beings.”

  “Foolish. This one is aggressive. I know him well. He stalks you. You are his prey.”

  Armel heaved a sigh. “I’m not unaware of this man’s reputation. We have killed one another on several occasions in the past.”

  Raash let go of my arms, and I struggled to keep from slumping over. That wasn’t normal. Sure, I’d just been revived and rubbery muscles were to be expected—but I’d been shot up with something on top of that to keep me docile.

  Raash walked out. My eyes were half-closed, but I heard his thick feet scratching on the tiled floor. His tail made a sound like a fire hose being dragged away.

  “Foolish…” he muttered to himself on the way out.

  Armel laughed. “Raash has a vaunted opinion of you, McGill. He thinks you are dangerous even when you’re as weak as a kitten.”

  “I’m not so weak,” I slurred. “Just try me!”

  Armel reached out a gloved hand. I saw it because my chin was on my chest, and my blinking eyes caught a glimpse as it approached. He poked me in the belly—hard.

  That didn’t hurt or anything, but it made me lurch and reach out with my hands. I tried to grab Armel, but my limbs were clumsy. Damn.

  I teetered, lost my balance, and slid off the gurney. Armel let me fall, and he kept on laughing. I was on my ass on the tiles, looking around angrily. The world spun, and it was sickening to keep my eyes open, but I did it anyway.

  Still chuckling, Armel knelt and looked me in the eye. “You’ve been given a sedative. They told me it should affect your nervous system, but not your mind. As I watch your idiotic behavior, however—this has me concerned…”

  “You’d best be even more concerned when this stuff wears off.”

  Armel tsked at me. “Now, now, you should be grateful. After all, you were as good as permed out there on Green World. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Out there? This isn’t Green World?”

  “Not here, no. We are on Rigel.”

  That statement ran a shot of adrenalin through my guts. My eyes widened, and they were almost fully open now.

  “Ah!” Armel hooted. “I see that this tidbit has piqued your interest. Let me think why… ah yes, perhaps it is because on Rigel there is no creature, big or small, that is more hated than James McGill. Could that be it?”

  I shrugged, trying to play it cool. “I’ve been here before.”

  “Indeed, I remember! More importantly, the people of Rigel remember. Did you know that there are memorials built to grieve those you killed on that single day of infamy? Claver and I worked hard to focus their great hate upon a single name.”

  “Didn’t want to take any of the blame yourselves, huh?”

  “Absolutely not. And why should we? James McGill came to the space station. He damaged the generators, causing the force field network to partially collapse. Thousands died, perhaps millions.”

  “That’s a crying shame, but in war, sometimes people die. What do you want, Armel?”

  He sucked in a deep breath and let it out through his nostrils. “That is the question, isn’t it? Do I wish for revenge? It would be so easy to hand you over to Squanto. I would be a hero. I would be richly rewarded. The vicious little bears that inhabit this world would dance in the streets.”

  Thinking about dancing bears made me laugh, which quickly turned into a cough. You have to remember, I was a little bit high.

  “That thought amuses you, eh? Well then, I’ll give you another: I could enslave you here at my base. I have many followers now, McGill. Not just the saurians—that legion is no more than a color-guard. No, whole planets yearn to tear down Earth, and they believe they can do it.”

  He finally had my interest. I felt the urge to frown, but I went with the slack-jawed drooling moron look instead. It was always safer.

  “Uh…” I said, “I’m not entirely following you. I’m not feeling all that sharp right now.”

  “Yes, yes, of course you aren’t. Let me try to explain. Earth has been expanding lately, no?”

  “We sure have.”

  “That’s right. Humanity has reached out and declared outright war on numerous aliens. In the growing group of the abused species are the Cephalopods, the Vulbites—and don’t forget the Wur.”

  “Rigel, too.”

  “That goes without saying. Additionally, Earth has also challenged two flavors of Galactic: the Mogwa and the Skay.”

  I nodded, unable to argue with him.

  “The list doesn’t even end there. There is more hate for our kind abroad than you might realize. We’ve ruined economies as well as planets, McGill. Some who might be thought of as friends are not really. Not at all.”

  I frowned, forcing myself to think a bit. “Like the saurians?”

  “You’re not a complete imbecile after all! Well done! Yes, the saurians, because we stole their metals trade by shipping ore from Machine World. Then there are the Skrul, who have lost their monopoly on piloting starships. Lastly, I would urge you to co
unt in the sad peoples of Tau Ceti.”

  “Tech World? What have the Tau got to be butt-hurt about?”

  “Well firstly, you personally tried to destroy Gelt Station.”

  “That’s a damned lie!”

  Armel silenced me with fluttering fingers. “Have it your way. The truth is they once had a lock on the local trade of minor goods. Now, Earth has cut into all of that. Our worlds trade between one another, and we have all the richest planets.”

  “Uh… how’s that?”

  “Have you been listening? Or is that great, dormant organ in your skull failing you yet again? I just explained that Steel World is broke, as are the Skrul and so many others. Then there are the planets that have suffered devastation after being drawn into our pointless wars. The Pegs, the scuppers of Storm World, the three tribes of Edge World—”

  “What? The Pegs? We went out there to save their asses from the Skay. And those scuppers—”

  Armel shook his head, tsking at me again like I was the biggest retard ever conceived. “You should be familiar with the nature of all beings in these situations. Everyone begins to hate those who play the savior almost as much as they hate the original aggressor. People resent a winner, James McGill. Earth makes them feel inferior, and that sensation has festered.”

  I blinked and frowned, wondering if he could be right. It was true that most people I met, no matter whether they flapped, swam or ran on hooves, tended to be ingrates.

  “Okay,” I said, deciding to accept his point. “Where does that leave us?”

  “Why, with a gigantic problem. Virtually everyone hates Earth. They all want to bring her down. Accordingly, they are gathering, organizing, quietly forming an aggressive alliance.”

  “Hmm… where do you stand on all this?”

  Armel’s mustache twitched and turned up at the corners. “Just where all mercenaries have always stood. I profit from war. When great events occur, I will always be there, aiding those who pay me the most handsome wage.”

  I glared at him. “A rebel, then. Through and through. A traitor—”

  Armel laughed and threw up a cautionary hand. I spat at him, but it ran down my flappy cheeks.

  “No, no—you misunderstand. If I was choosing to move against Earth, why would I have revived you?”

  I puzzled over that one for a minute. “To make Squanto happy? To sell me to Rigel as a public exhibit?”

  Armel pursed his lips and nodded as if considering the idea. “I have to admit, it would be profitable. But I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because, my benighted friend, I think Earth is going to win the coming conflict.”

  -8-

  Struggling with legs like mud, I stood up and looked down on him, swaying badly. My jaw sagged so low my chin hit my chest, and it wasn’t even an act.

  “Seriously?” I managed to say. “You think I can get you back into Earth’s good graces? That’s a tall order Armel.”

  “Yes, it is. What do you say?”

  I blinked a few times, considering the idea. The more I thought about it, the more insane it seemed.

  My first instinct, naturally, was to lie through my teeth. If Armel wanted to give me another chance to keep breathing, and the only price was making a damned fool out of myself, well sir, it sounded like a pretty good bet.

  Accordingly, I should grin and tell him it would all be as easy as peach pie. That was my first instinct—and I almost did it.

  But, for some reason, when I brought my chin back under control and tried to force a welcoming smile, I failed to do it. I felt compelled, somehow to tell him the honest truth.

  “Armel, I… I don’t think I can pull it off. Not even me, with all my good looks and fine reputation… that’s a joke, by the way.”

  “I know…” he said, and he began to pace. “I thank you for the honest answer.”

  “Uh…” I said, fighting the urge to start lying in earnest. I really wanted to lie. I wanted to lie my damned ass off, and every instinct in me was telling me to—but I just couldn’t.

  “What’d you shoot into my arm, anyways?” I demanded. “Some kind of truth serum?”

  Armel’s fingers tapped at his chin. “Something like that. Listen, McGill, tell me why this can’t be done?”

  “Why? Isn’t that pretty frigging obvious?”

  “Indulge me. List the problems as you see them.”

  “Uh… okay. First off, you’re talking James McGill, here. I’m not Drusus. I’m not even Turov. I’m a nobody.”

  “Untrue, but I understand your meaning. Continue.”

  “Okay,” I said, struggling to think and to gain control of my tongue at the same time. I half failed at both. “Do I have to point out that you are on Earth’s most-wanted list of traitors? That you fought against us openly at Edge World?”

  “Granted, but that was strictly business. I am a mercenary. I fight for the highest bidder. Why wouldn’t Earth buy out my contract?”

  “Because they consider you a turncoat, that’s why.”

  “But you have dealings with Claver and his clone armies. They’re turncoats as well.”

  I shook my head, and began clumsily pulling on some clothing. My body was sticky with fluids, and I knew that would only get worse as the goo began to dry. As there wasn’t a shower stall in sight, I decided to dress now before everything got crusty.

  “It’s not the same. You were sworn into Earth’s service, but you went AWOL. Claver has been an independent trader for a long time, and he did rebel, sure… but…”

  The more I thought it over, I realized Armel had a point. Claver was at least as bad as Armel. What was the difference? It was hard to think clearly, I was still a little fuzzy.

  “Uh…” I said. “Here’s what I think the difference is: you just don’t have the same value as Claver. As a trader, he’s worth more than any single military commander with a legion behind him.”

  “Ah-ha,” Armel said. “That’s a good point. You’re saying you doubt I can convince Central to take a chance on me due to my lack of strategic value.”

  “Exactly.”

  Armel looked smug. “What if I were to inform you that I would come with more than a few thousand surly reptile troops?”

  “Well… whatever you’re thinking of, it had better be good. Don’t forget that you also killed a tall stack of Galactics. The Mogwa frown on that sort of thing even harder than the boys back at Central do.”

  Armel made a dismissive gesture and turned away. “Come, come. This way. Follow me, you tottering ape.”

  I did as I was commanded. It was almost as if my big feet had a mind of their own.

  Marching along behind him through cavernous passages, I thought about clocking him from behind, I really did—but I couldn’t.

  I tried to reach out a foot and hook his ankle—but it just didn’t happen. I couldn’t do it. Damn. Whatever he’d shot me up with, I was really feeling it. I felt like a robot with a restraining chip plugged into my chassis.

  Armel led me through a twisting set of rocky tunnels. There was melted rock all around the walls and ceiling, and I knew they must have used a beam-driller to create this maze.

  “What is this place anyway, Armel? This isn’t Rigel proper, is it?”

  “No. As non-natives, we’re not good enough to set foot upon their holy mother planet. We’re on a moon of significant size instead.”

  “Huh…”

  I knew that Rigel had a few big moons, and that the planet itself was a large one, but I’d never been anywhere other than their main space station.

  Eventually, the passageway ended and we found ourselves on a ledge over a huge, sweeping chasm. The floor just fell away from my feet, and I stopped shuffling along barely in time. I found myself looking down over a sheer drop that rivaled the Grand Canyon itself back home.

  By this time, I was walking almost naturally, but my head still hadn’t cleared. I wondered how long his drug would affect me, but I wasn’t dumb e
nough to ask. Did that mean it was beginning to lose its grip? I wasn’t sure.

  Armel stood at my side and spoke in a conspiratorial tone. “You see that bulk? Down there? That’s an energy plant. It operates by harnessing a tiny singularity.”

  “A black hole? That’s what’s inside that big machine?”

  “Yes… sort of. It is a controlled gravity source that’s managed and utilized in many ways. Just think, McGill, if we could harness the forces of gravity so thoroughly. The Rigellians use it as a power source.”

  “Uh… can’t we already do that? We’ve got floaters and stuff back home. Hell, I’ve got a coffee table that—”

  “Yes, yes, but you fail to understand my point, imbecile.”

  When you were hanging around with the likes of Maurice Armel, you couldn’t afford to have a thin skin. He was positively obnoxious, but I’d gotten over that for the most part. Still, I felt a twitch of irritation at his continuous barrage of insults. If he’d been a bit closer, I might have reached out and given him a push, sending him spinning off the ledge and down a kilometer or two. He’d make a nice splattering stain on that big machine down there…

  Snorting, I gave my head a shake. Yes, there could be no doubt about it, I was returning to normal.

  “What’s troubling you, my primate friend?” he asked me.

  “Uh… I don’t rightly know.”

  It was half a lie. I rejoiced inside. I hadn’t exactly lied, but I hadn’t told the truth, either. I was definitely returning to normal.

  Swaying on my feet and blinking, I made a show of rubbing my face, then my hair and my neck. I looked as stupid as possible and kept staring into the abyss.

  “I should have expected nothing more,” Armel sniffed. He turned back to the pit and the machine that crouched below us. “You feel its tug, don’t you? Doesn’t it seem like we’re being pulled right off this ledge? That is the power of the machine below. It is like the center of the universe.”

  “It kind of does feel like it’s pulling on me.”

  “Right. That is the effect of a tiny pinpoint of mass. A singularity of manageable size. It’s the reason why you are feeling almost a normal level of gravity here on a small moon.”