The Star Cross by Raymond L. Weil

mission,” explained Tomalson. “From what our prisoners
have told us, almost anything anyone may want is available for sale on the
planet Kubitz. It has a massive interplanetary black market and the largest
slave market in our section of the galaxy.”
    “The people who
were taken from Earth,” Kurt began, as his mind worked, “could they be there?”
    “Probably,”
General Braid answered. “From what our prisoners said, the captives will be
trained for three or four months on the planet Kubitz to increase their worth
in the slave auction. They will be sold there—to people and representatives
from planets near and far—as household servants, general laborers, and even to
brothels.”
    “You’re going
to Kubitz with the Star Cross and buy our people back,” Tomalson said.
    “That won’t be
easy to accomplish,” Kurt said, his eyes narrowing. “We don’t speak their
language, understand their culture, have knowledge of the planet … Hard to plan
for our safety and the captives’ protection with such disadvantages.”
    “We will not
allow our people to be sold into slavery,” Tomalson said in a very determined
voice.
    “I agree. I’m
thinking strategy out loud here,” Kurt replied with a nod. “But once the
Profiteers return, won’t they just send more humans to Kubitz to be sold as
slaves?”
    “Most likely,”
Braid responded. “But going to Kubitz to buy back our people is only a cover.
From what our prisoners say, it’s quite common for representatives from other worlds
to show up at Kubitz to buy back their people who have been taken captive. It
seems as if the Profiteer race as a whole hijacks cargo ships and passenger
liners from some of the more civilized worlds on a pretty routine basis.”
    “Why do these
civilized worlds tolerate this pirate activity?” asked Kurt, with a deep frown.
“Why don’t they put an end to these Profiteers?”
    “Too costly,”
Tomalson explained. “The commercial price of dealing with the Profiteers is far
less than fighting a war with them. The Gothan Empire is careful not to
overstep their raiding, lest they give the civilized worlds a sufficient reason
to retaliate.”
    “So what other
reason is there for me to travel to Kubitz?” Kurt asked, still eyeing the shiny
bars stacked everywhere. He knew he was looking at billions of dollars in gold.
    “To procure an
orbital defensive weapons system,” Tomalson said, his eyes focusing sharply on
Kurt. “Most of the civilized worlds have such systems, as well as Marsten and
Kubitz. It keeps their worlds safe from attacks or makes such attacks so costly
as to render them impractical. We want one.”
    “Just one?”
Kurt asked.
    “Yes. Put it
around Newton,” answered Tomalson. “Once Newton is secure you can begin to concentrate
on making it too expensive for these Profiteers to remain in the Solar System.
We want you to take a page from their book. Turn your fleet into raiders, and
take their ships and convoys leaving our Earth. If we can get the Profiteers to
withdraw, perhaps we can eventually install such a defense system around Earth
also.”
    “So why would
they sell us something that cuts into their profits? And what’s to stop them
from destroying my fleet when we fly into their den and selling me and my crew
as slaves? Do you really think the Profiteers will allow us to walk away, once
we’ve paid the ransom for our people? Plus, how do we know we can trust
anything those prisoners told you? I need to see a map of Kubitz, if that’s
even possible. Otherwise how are we going to find our way safely around that
foreign planet that we didn’t even know existed two weeks ago?” asked Kurt,
seeing a number of serious holes in the general’s and fleet admiral’s plan.
What they were asking sounded nearly impossible.
    “With this,”
General Braid said. He opened another door, and the three men stepped inside.
Two more heavily armed Marines stood next to the wall, keeping a close watch on
the