Anarchate Vigilante (Vigilante Series 4) by T. Jackson King Page A

asked as its Whiskers of Distinction drooped to the posture of Hope Abandoned.
    Matt showed his teeth. It was not a smile. “Fifteen years ago you and your crew hid inside the asteroid belt of the Human colony world known as Thuringia. Your assault shuttles landed quickly, captured forty-seven Humans for cloneslave reservoirs, destroyed homes and farms, then left the system, never to be seen again. Do you recall this raid?”
    “ Possibly,” said Markel in gravelly Belizel, his snout nose lifting a bit. “My memory of ancient events is poor.”
    “Perhaps I can motivate a better memory. Suit, move me close enough to touch the Bridge wall.”
    “Yes, my good Matthew,” said the CPU in what sounded like a friendly tone. He ignored the incipient sign of emotion in Suit’s Tactical CPU.
    Suit pulled Matt closer to the transparent Bridge wall using its onboard tractors, then held him motionless as Matt reached out with his right gauntlet. Pointing with his index finger, he activated the fingertip laser embedded in the gauntlet. The transparent polymer began to bubble as green laser heat began melting it away. The polymer wall was just a centimeter thick and his laser was fairly powerful.
    “Stop!” cried Markel. “If you burn a hole I will lose my air and be unable to answer any questions!”
    “Quite so,” Matt said as he shut off the fingertip laser and drew back his gauntlet. “Your NavCore cloneslave files document a Human female known as Kristen Dragoneaux, ship ID XC3427ZipSedNine. She survived to be sold as a labor slave on planet Megil, of star Alkalurops C.”
    “I do recall the sale of that nearly hairless biped,” Markel said. “What is your interest in the biped?”
    “She was my mother ,” Matt hissed, showing his teeth again. “Your ship records document that you sold her to an Anarchate merchant for twenty-three platinum Standards. What is the species and name of the merchant? And what world did the merchant call his home base?”
    Markel gripped the metal supports inside his Control Booth as if he wished to make his Booth vanish into FTL Translation. The Spelidon lifted one clawhand to scratch at a leather harness that crossed his hairy chest. “If you have my NavCore records, you know what I know.”
    “Wrong,” Matt said, moving his gauntlet toward the bubble wall. “I do not know what you may remember that is not in the NavCore record file. What species was this merchant? What name sigil did it use?”
    Markel blinked. “If I tell you this data, what happens to me?”
    “You die a less painful death.”
    The giant rat gritted teeth. “You Humans are direct, I will grant you that. My memory says the merchant belonged to the Mican species. Name of Masterful. He was an employee of Halicene Conglomerate, on leave from work at the commercial embassy on planet Working, at star Antares.” Its whiskers moved to Future Possible mode.
    “Good. A second question,” Matt said as he slowly drew back his hand gauntlet. “Another Human biped who survived your raid to be sold as a labor slave on Megil was one Charlotte Dragoneaux . Hair color red, height nearly equal to that of her mother, Kristen, ship ID XC1422HaloFourSed. You sold her on Megil. To a Meligun. For nineteen platinum Standards. What is the name sigil and work duty of the Meligun customer?”
    Markel blinked slowly, as if tired. “My NavCore data told you what you just spoke. Why do you need more?”
    Matt moved his gauntlet back to the polymer glass wall and activated his fingertip laser. The formerly hot spot glowed red and began to bubble again. “Your records do not include the data I asked for. Your memory surely has that data. Or do I detect a refusal to answer my questions?”
    Markel let go the handrails inside his Command Booth and floated freely with in the booth since power to the Bridge gravplates had long ago disappeared. Its whiskers moved back into the position of Hope Abandoned. “The Meligun’s name sigil was Nak