In Enemy Territory - Shannon West Page 0,7
playing games, delaying responses, pretending to have communication difficulties with what they say are transmissions blocked first by plasma storms and then gusts of solar wind from their sun. They’ve been saying the showers of radiation and powerful magnetic fields most recently have interfered with their communications systems.”
“Is that true?”
“It’s impossible to say, considering the vast distances involved, but we’re pretty sure it’s another stalling tactic. The commandant has adamantly refused to extradite the young men.”
“Can he do that?”
“Not really, no, though it’s been working so far. Stalling tactics again. He’s asked for King Davos himself to come to the planet to discuss the situation.”
“What? How does a damn prison commandant have the nerve to ask anything of the king? That’s outrageous. Don’t they have their own king or president or something?”
“The commandant of the prison is also their Chief Consul and political leader. It’s an odd system, but remember this prison is their entire industry, their largest employer, and the income from it comprises the largest part of their economy. This man is some kind of former general, I think, in their army. He’s an elected official.”
“Can’t we just go in and get our citizens? Land some troops like we did on Laltana for your extraction?”
“And possibly reignite a war in that part of the galaxy? No, the entire Manifreean Galaxy went Alliance, and we have no friends there. It’s so far away from us too that we’d have to bring in much more than just a raiding party. We’d have to bring in a starcruiser, and that would be like lighting a match to an already explosive situation. My father is prepared to do it if things escalate or if they force us to, but he wants to try other methods first and avoid what would inevitably be perceived as an invasion. Some of the former Alliance planets have been uneasy since Mikos landed here on Laltana with his men anyway. Another so-called invasion would cause unnecessary panic.”
“Well, diplomacy doesn’t seem to have worked.”
“No, it hasn’t. That’s why we’re taking matters into our own hands. We have prisoners going to Gatifrey soon to serve out their sentences. I’ve chosen one of them to gather information for us so that when we go in for the raid, we’ll know exactly where to land and what kind of force we’ll be up against. We’ll back him with resources to do this, of course. I understand the penal colony is rife with prison gangs on Gatifrey. Dangerous ones. And the currency for those gangs is drugs and contraband, so we’ll make sure he has access to that. We can help him establish our own small power base. We need a person who’s slick and ruthless. Someone capable of going in there cold and basically forming his own gang to get into the contraband market. That person and his new connections can then provide you with protection when you arrive to arrange the extraction.”
“But why even deal with someone like that? Why not let me do it? I can make those same connections if you provide me what I need.”
“With respect, Kylon, I have to disagree. You’re far too upright and honorable for one thing, and I think they’d know that right away. It’s your bearing and the way you hold yourself. Besides, you’re a Tygerian, and we’re not exactly popular with the prison population. No, I need a real criminal. Someone ruthless and not above breaking the law to get what he wants. Someone smart and cagey, but also self-entitled, who believes they deserve superior treatment regardless of their own contribution to society. And narcissistic—a man who believes he’s owed something. A man who justifies his crimes and will do whatever it takes to make his life better. One who’ll jump at the chance for a reduced sentence.”
“And just who might this depraved individual be?”
“I was thinking of…Rasc Centarlo.”
“Centarlo?” Kylon jumped to his feet. “Oh fuck, no!”
Larz chuckled. “I thought that might be your reaction. But hear me out. I realize it must seem highly…unusual. But we have to approach this situation very carefully if we have any hope of finding our missing men. We still have no idea why the Gatifreyans purchased the boys or what exactly happened to them once they were convicted and got inside that massive penal colony.”
“Gods, I hope they haven’t been abused.”
“We just don’t know. It’s actually unlikely they were used as love slaves because that concept has never existed in the Gatifreyan culture. That