Read Online The Star Cross by Raymond L. Weil - Free Book Online

shields.”
    “I don’t believe
they’re quite as primitive as you suggest, if they could take out some of your
ships,” Jarls replied with a crafty look in his eyes. “I heard what happened to
your fleet in the human system.”
    He had done
his research prior to coming over to the Ascendant Destruction . His people
had bribed several crewmembers of the Marsten ships in order to get them to reveal
what had happened. The humans did to High Profiteer Creed exactly what Jarls would
have done to them. A mercenary fleet would never have let their guard down,
like Creed had.
    Creed remained
silent.
    “Particle
weapons and KEW batteries,” Jarls said in a matter-of-fact voice. “Hyperdrives
and energy shields. I don’t know if I would call them primitive.”
    “But KEW weapons,” protested Creed, shaking his head. “No one uses them anymore!”
    “Perhaps not,”
replied Jarls, reaching out and touching one of the tantalizing gold bars. He
ran his fingers across the metal thinking about what he could buy with several
of these. “But a ship without an energy shield can easily be destroyed by the
type of KEW batteries the humans used. They’re a very effective weapon in the
right situation, as I’m sure you recently learned. They’re also extremely
inexpensive to operate.”
    Jarls picked
up one of the gold bars and knew from its weight that it was real and worth
about 1.2 million credits. Credits were the universal currency used throughout
the known galaxy. A fully armed battlecruiser cost around ten to twelve million
credits. A battleship, like the ones he possessed, would cost around fifteen to
twenty million.
    “I would like
to hire your battleships to remove the threat of the human warships and to
ensure that the human system stays under my control for at least ninety days,”
Creed said.
    “You wish us to
remove a fleet that will undoubtedly be expecting an attack,” Jarls began, as
he added up the cost in his head. “After the human fleet has been destroyed or
driven off, we then need to hold the system for an additional ninety days,
while you strip the human planet of its wealth.”
    “Yes,” Creed
said in a low voice.
    “One hundred
million credits up front and 10 percent of what you remove from the planet in
those ninety days,” Jarls said, as he picked up a second gold bar with his
other hand.
    “One hundred
million credits and 10 percent!” roared Creed, standing up in anger. “That’s
ridiculous. I could buy my own battleships for that price!”
    “Not with the
well-trained crews I have,” Jarls answered, nonplussed by Creed’s reaction. “In
ninety days, you can strip this human world of several billion credits, if this
gold is an example of what’s available on that planet. I can give you ninety
days of guaranteed safety to remove whatever you want from the planet, with the
option to renew for another ninety days for an additional 20 percent.”
    Creed sat back
down and thought over Jarls’s proposal. “You guarantee my ships’ safety?”
    “Yes,” Jarls
replied. “Your ships will not be attacked while my fleet is in the system.”
    “I will agree
to it with one modification. I want one of your battleships to accompany any
cargo ships or detainee ships I send back to Marsten or Kubitz. I will provide
my own warships as well, to help protect these convoys, but one of your battleships
must go along to ensure their safety.”
    Jarls gazed at
Creed thoughtfully. It sounded as if this human world might be very rich in
gold and perhaps other valuables. His 10 percent could be a very sizable
payoff. “I agree,” he said after a moment. “I will have you a signed contract,
notarized by one of the Kubitz Controllers, within twenty-two hours.”
    “How soon
before you can get to Earth?”
    “I will be
taking twenty battleships,” Jarls answered. “I have twelve here and will need
to send for eight more. I should be able to leave within five days.”
    “Very well,”