The Phoenix Reckoning (The Phoenix Conspiracy Series Book 6) by Richard Sanders Page A

“Because we’re the muscle in this operation.”
    “And just what, exactly, is this operation?” asked Summers, as she sat in her chair, left of the command position. Although Calvin had explained the basic details to Nimoux—who had since gone below to prepare—Summers had been absent at the time and missed the explanation.
    “We’re going to get our repairs, get resupplied, and get those soldiers I asked for,” said Calvin with a bit of glee.
    “In exchange for what?” asked Summers, folding her arms. She, quite wisely, didn’t trust the Roscos to be so charitable.
    “In exchange for a little help,” said Calvin. “Sarah,” Calvin turned to face her. “Move us ahead to the station and request clearance to dock as soon as possible.”
    “Aye, aye.”
    “What kind of help?” pressed Summers.
    Before Calvin answered her, he had one more question for Shen. “Do we see any other vessels present, besides the patrol squadron and ourselves?” Calvin knew that Grady would have diverted all traffic away from Aleator for the moment, and docked all of his unarmed ships.
    “No, sir. No other ships,” said Shen.
    “That’s strange,” said Summers, raising an eyebrow. She kept her eyes on Calvin. “This is a den for crooks, thieves, smugglers, and all sorts of riff raff, I would expect it to be bustling with ships of all stripes.”
    “One would think,” said Calvin. He returned to the command position.
    “Come on, Calvin,” said Summers. “Level with me. What the hell is going on?”
    “Well, since you asked me nicely,” he said, “we’re here to assist the Roscos in a battle.”
    “A battle ?” Summers looked bewildered. “Against who ? And why ?”
    “Why? Well, in exchange for all the stuff I just told you, repairs, resupply, and a soldier garrison. As for the who, it would seem that the Roscos have been having trouble with the Khans lately.”
    “What else is new?” asked Shen, obviously wise to the fact that the Khans and Roscos had been bitter enemies and competitors for control of the black market for decades, if not centuries.
    “Well, you know how the Roscos have mostly kept to Aleator and the Khans have been, shall we say, more dispersed throughout the galaxy?” asked Calvin.
    “Yes,” said Shen.
    “Well, their operations still required a central hub; I’ll give you a Q if you can guess where.”
    Shen thought about it for a moment. Then he turned to face Calvin. “On Tybur.”
    “Exactly right,” said Calvin. “And not only that, it’s no secret that the Khans have always envied the Roscos for having possession of Aleator. It’s much better located and far more established than anything the Khans ever put together. That’s why the Roscos can sit fat and happy, letting the dirty money come to them, rather than having to seek out the seedier clientele of the galaxy themselves.”
    “And your point would be?” asked Shen.
    “Well, recent events have made Tybur…inhospitable to the Khans. In fact, they’ve been entirely removed from Alliance space—either by the Rotham, the Enclave, or both. That makes them one large, dangerous gang of wandering, violent nomads in search of a home.”
    “The Khans are going to attack Aleator,” said Shen. “And we’re going to help the Roscos defend it?”
    Calvin gave Shen a slow clap. “Right on the nose.”
    “This is absurd,” said Summers. “We have a mission to do; we need to get inside Polarian Forbidden Space and put an end to this vast conspiracy once and for all, and you would have us spend our time, and risk our lives, in some gang territory dispute.”
    “Oh, the implications of this battle are much more than that,” said Calvin, his eyes narrowing as he thought about it. “Not only is it in the best interest of the Empire that the Roscos control Aleator and not the unpredictable Khans, there is one more dark variable to this equation.”
    “And…?” asked Summers.
    Calvin required a moment before he could