Maniacs The Krittika Conflict - By Nick S. Thomas Page 0,41
stake in the profits.”
He looked at the two of them carefully and spoke to Erin.
“That what you’re getting?”
She fumbled as she tried to respond. Mason jumped in before he could carry on.
“She’ll be getting standard rate for the ship’s crew, five percent. I’m asking you in for a single job.”
“And if I die during this job?”
“Well then it doesn’t matter, does it?”
“So you must have some idea I am right for the job?”
“You know how to wear a gun. You have been monitoring this room since we got in. You have the strongest defensive position. You’re ready to defend yourself at a moment’s notice and you clearly served.”
“Most perceptive, Captain; Staff Sergeant in the VASI Second Army. You a soldier yourself?”
“Nope, just a man with a gun who wants to make some money.”
“Really, because you look more like a man of principle to me? Nobody would take the job of fighting Volkov for any price in the world. And then there’s you,” he said, looking to Erin.
“A mercenary wouldn’t have such a pretty girl working as an equal in this job.”
“Maybe I just like to be surrounded by pretty things.”
He looked around at their surroundings and smirked.
“So you need to wear those things all the time?” asked Mason.
He was pointing at the man’s exoskeleton. The struts of the device were just a couple of centimetres thick, with joints at the knee and foot and a power source at the waist.
“If I want to stand,” he replied. “Rest of the time I’m on wheels. These legs have solar recharging. In a sunny environment, I can get up to twelve hours out of these babies, enough to get a job done.”
“As long as you don’t have to stay in the field.”
He took another sip of his beer.
“Captain, if you came to a bar on this little world looking for hired guns, then you must be desperate. I’m all out of credits and have nowhere left to go. I was honourably discharged for medical reasons due to injuries sustained. The money I got from the Army didn’t come close to covering the medical bills. These legs blew my pay out, and now I’m just as desperate as you. So you say you’ll give me three percent of the money to fight for you. I say, let me sign up for the long haul and take the full five.”
He lifted his glass as a salute, knocked back the thick liquid, and slammed the glass back down on the table. Mason sat back and thought about it for a moment.
“Tell me you have many other choices?” he continued.
He’s right. He’s a wreck of a man, but the best hope I’ve found yet of a useable ally.
“Those legs of yours, they going to cause us any trouble?”
“None, I can be as good as any man for most of every day.”
“And the rest of the time?”
“Running on wheels. But you can’t tell me you need me on my feet every hour of every day?”
“You be honest and fight hard, that’ll do.”
He stretched out a hand, and it was quickly accepted. They could both tell Hughes was taking the job out of desperation. Neither of them could see he had any hope of getting anywhere on Krittika. He had the look of a man trapped on a frontier world having expended the last of his wealth.
“When do we start?” asked Hughes.
“Right now. Militia under the control of Sergeant Hunter kicked up some trouble in town today, and we sent ‘em packing. It won’t be long till they come back in greater number. Have you got weapons?”
“I haven’t got much more than you see me wearing.”
They were the words of a desperate man. Erin gained respect for Mason for taking him in, but Mason only saw a trained gun hand that could be helpful.
“When do we leave?”
Mason looked around the room. He saw little potential for further fighters to join them.
“You know anyone who would want in on this deal? It’s damn dangerous, but the payoff is great.”
“I can’t say I made any friends here. Even on a world like this, the Alliance has a lot of influence.”
“And yet you are here?” he asked.
“War is over for me. I gave everything I had to give. Now its some other fool’s time to do so.”
“You really believe that?” asked Mason.
“Why is it any concern of yours?”
“Because the war goes on. But for us, we fight for each other. We must trust each other and be there for the crew. Can