behind her desk, her blue eyes evaluated him. She absently brushed a lock of her blonde hair out of her eyes, “I am the Contractor.”
He nodded politely, “I am Baron Lucius Giovanni, until lately of the Nova Roma Empire, and I’ve come to you with a business proposition.”
She looked him up and down. He could see her eyes dissect him from his perfectly polished dress boots to his impeccable black dress uniform. Her eyes ranged over his service ribbons, though he doubted she recognized any of them. “You're a little short to be a warlord. You're a mercenary?”
He felt a bit of tension relax in the muscles between his shoulder-blades. He realized that she didn't care about who his father was, or what he'd done. “I was once of the Imperial Fleet.”
“ So you’re a deserter then, and probably a pirate.”
Lucius’s polite smile went away. “I did not desert. Nova Roma fell to the Chxor four days ago. We took too much damage in a recent battle to make it back in time.”
She paled, “Nova Roma fell?” He could see her drawing the implications to her own world’s security. They weren’t good, Lucius knew, not with an entire sector of space now under the control of an expansionist alien power. “Four days ago, you said?”
Lucius nodded, “There will probably be a number of ships fleeing the fall. It’s probable many pirates will take advantage of the chaos.”
She grimaced, “You Nova Romans aren’t much better. We’ve a number of Saragossa refugees here. I’ve heard what you did there.”
Lucius shrugged, “I didn’t make the foreign policy of my world. Every nation has done what it must to survive, since the fall of Amalgamated Worlds. At the time, we hoped turning Saragossa into a target would buy us a decade before the Chxor turned their attention to us.”
“Well, we see how that little debacle turned out, don’t we?” the Contractor replied dryly.
Lucius gritted his teeth, “Look, we can snipe at each other all day, or you can listen to my offer, and then go back to whatever business you do on this backwater colony.”
She smiled icily, “Well, then, state your business.”
“ Thank you,” Lucius nodded, “Simply put, I’ve two warships. You could spend hundreds of millions of whatever currency you use building a shipyard large enough and then hundreds of millions more building the ships. You can outfit those ships for millions more, and then spend millions paying upkeep.” Lucius smiled, “Or you could pay me a few million to stick around and defend your system.”
The Contractor's eyes narrowed ,“Captain Beeson said one of those ships fired on us not too long ago.”
“The Ghornath aboard said your people fired without warning when they questioned your people about a Ghornath refugee ship,” Lucius held her gaze until she looked away.
“ The last mercenaries we hired, the ones who fled your arrival, did the firing. Their captain assured us the Ghornath could not be trusted,” she cocked her head at him. “It is hard to get hired guns that aren't either bullies, opportunistic pirates, or cowards.”
Lucius held out one hand, palm upwards, “Then you see the importance of having someone trustworthy around.”
“Can you be trusted?” The Contractor arched an eyebrow.
Lucius sighed, “Madame Contractor, if we work out a deal, I will honor it, I swear.”
They locked gazes for a long moment. Lucius could see determination and strength in her blue eyes, but he wondered what she saw in his own dark eyes. “Very well,” she sighed, “What are your terms?”
“ Money is the first issue. We will, of course, accept the local currency, so long as we can use it to buy supplies and some items we can’t build aboard ship,” Lucius said. “I’m unsure of the value of your currency, so, for the first payment, I’ll accept what you paid those fellows who just ran off.”
“ Their rates were
He nodded politely, “I am Baron Lucius Giovanni, until lately of the Nova Roma Empire, and I’ve come to you with a business proposition.”
She looked him up and down. He could see her eyes dissect him from his perfectly polished dress boots to his impeccable black dress uniform. Her eyes ranged over his service ribbons, though he doubted she recognized any of them. “You're a little short to be a warlord. You're a mercenary?”
He felt a bit of tension relax in the muscles between his shoulder-blades. He realized that she didn't care about who his father was, or what he'd done. “I was once of the Imperial Fleet.”
“ So you’re a deserter then, and probably a pirate.”
Lucius’s polite smile went away. “I did not desert. Nova Roma fell to the Chxor four days ago. We took too much damage in a recent battle to make it back in time.”
She paled, “Nova Roma fell?” He could see her drawing the implications to her own world’s security. They weren’t good, Lucius knew, not with an entire sector of space now under the control of an expansionist alien power. “Four days ago, you said?”
Lucius nodded, “There will probably be a number of ships fleeing the fall. It’s probable many pirates will take advantage of the chaos.”
She grimaced, “You Nova Romans aren’t much better. We’ve a number of Saragossa refugees here. I’ve heard what you did there.”
Lucius shrugged, “I didn’t make the foreign policy of my world. Every nation has done what it must to survive, since the fall of Amalgamated Worlds. At the time, we hoped turning Saragossa into a target would buy us a decade before the Chxor turned their attention to us.”
“Well, we see how that little debacle turned out, don’t we?” the Contractor replied dryly.
Lucius gritted his teeth, “Look, we can snipe at each other all day, or you can listen to my offer, and then go back to whatever business you do on this backwater colony.”
She smiled icily, “Well, then, state your business.”
“ Thank you,” Lucius nodded, “Simply put, I’ve two warships. You could spend hundreds of millions of whatever currency you use building a shipyard large enough and then hundreds of millions more building the ships. You can outfit those ships for millions more, and then spend millions paying upkeep.” Lucius smiled, “Or you could pay me a few million to stick around and defend your system.”
The Contractor's eyes narrowed ,“Captain Beeson said one of those ships fired on us not too long ago.”
“The Ghornath aboard said your people fired without warning when they questioned your people about a Ghornath refugee ship,” Lucius held her gaze until she looked away.
“ The last mercenaries we hired, the ones who fled your arrival, did the firing. Their captain assured us the Ghornath could not be trusted,” she cocked her head at him. “It is hard to get hired guns that aren't either bullies, opportunistic pirates, or cowards.”
Lucius held out one hand, palm upwards, “Then you see the importance of having someone trustworthy around.”
“Can you be trusted?” The Contractor arched an eyebrow.
Lucius sighed, “Madame Contractor, if we work out a deal, I will honor it, I swear.”
They locked gazes for a long moment. Lucius could see determination and strength in her blue eyes, but he wondered what she saw in his own dark eyes. “Very well,” she sighed, “What are your terms?”
“ Money is the first issue. We will, of course, accept the local currency, so long as we can use it to buy supplies and some items we can’t build aboard ship,” Lucius said. “I’m unsure of the value of your currency, so, for the first payment, I’ll accept what you paid those fellows who just ran off.”
“ Their rates were
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