Supremacy's Outlaw: A Space Opera Thriller Series (Insurgency Saga Book 3) by T.E. Bakutis (top 100 books of all time checklist .TXT) 📗

Star’s Landing was anyone’s guess, but Lozano would not have that authority after President Mendoza demanded her resignation.

“It could have been much worse,” Elena Ryke said. She stood beside him now, and Coffman caught the barest of shrugs. “It was magnificent how our combined fire cut through that Truther army. I applaud you for having the wherewithal to shoot first.”

“We didn’t,” Coffman said. “We thought you did.”

“No employee of mine would pull the trigger until I had expressly authorized it.”

“It wasn’t the Supremacy,” Coffman said.

“Then it is odd, isn’t it, that shortly after all three of us were lured here, under the pretense of securing Jan Sabato, someone shot the Truthers with whom we were attempting to negotiate. They, of course, immediately shot back, ensuring a firefight erupted. With two foolish acts, all our joined forces were united against a single target.”

Coffman felt the uneasy feeling in his stomach turn into a hard rock. “That was convenient, wasn’t it.”

“Was the mini-nuke Sabato mentioned another ruse?”

“No, it’s there.” Coffman had gotten confirmation from his scout drones as soon as he sent them to fly over the wreckage. “Contained, but leaking radiation. If it had gone off ...”

“So it would seem,” Ryke declared, “that we just saved Star’s Landing, thousands of innocent people, and Armistice Day. It would seem we are all heroes.”

“It would seem that way,” Coffman agreed.

“Oh, do cheer up.” Ryke clapped him on the back. “You’ll certainly be promoted after this.” Ryke looked past him, at the Supremacy forces. “Are you sure I cannot murder them?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Coffman scowled at her. “You’re lucky I haven’t arrested you and your mercenaries as it is.”

“For what?” Ryke asked lightly. “Taking a walk?”

Behind them, someone cleared her throat. Coffman glanced back to find one of Ryke’s bodyguards, a woman in tight black body armor with a long dark ponytail, standing at attention.

“Yes?” Ryke said as she turned. “What is it, Sasha?”

“Ma’am.” Sasha swallowed. “Our guest has wandered off.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Coffman caught one moment of truly vicious rage. Then it was gone, replaced with Ryke’s predatory smile. “I see. I expected something like this.”

“Problem?” Coffman asked.

“An internal matter,” Ryke said, casually waving the matter aside. “Nothing you need concern yourself with.”

“Then why are you still here?”

Ryke laughed, patted his arm, and stepped away. “I’ll leave you to your diplomacy, Lieutenant. I do hope you have a pleasant day.” She turned to Sasha. “Shall we?”

Coffman kept one eye on Ryke as she and her ponytailed bodyguard strode off. Judging from the phrase “wandered off,” it seemed one of Ryke’s prisoners had somehow escaped her iron clutches. Normally, Coffman would consider following up on that, but he had bigger concerns at the moment.

Like a platoon of Supremacy Vindicators who shouldn’t even be on the planet. Like an active mini-nuke buried in a bunch of sewage plant rubble. Also, a slippery thief who’d apparently played everyone here for fools.

“The Supremacy captain is coming your way now, Lieutenant,” one of Coffman’s aides said over their private channel. “He seems pleased about something.”

“Great,” Coffman growled. “Maybe I can get him out of here without causing an interplanetary incident.”

Coffman waited as a tall Advanced man in a black uniform strode over. He had hard eyes and a trimmed black goatee. His name was Captain Karus Varik, and though Coffman had never met him, rumors suggested he was a self-righteous dick.

“Lieutenant,” Varik said, “I’m here to inform you we will be leaving Star’s Landing. We have what we came for.”

Coffman nodded. “And what’s that?”

“Classified government information stolen by a local thief. That information has been recovered.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Coffman really wasn’t. “You do understand there will be further inquiries about this.”

“We had full clearance from your government officials to launch this operation,” Varik said, with a dickish shrug. “If your diplomatic office authorized our joint operation in error, you should really take that up with them, shouldn’t you?”

Coffman was certainly going to do that. “How soon will you be off planet?”

“As soon as we return to our shuttles.”

“Great. I’ll make sure no one shoots you on your way out.”

“Thank you.” Varik stroked his goatee. “There is one other matter. A body we’d like to take home with us.”

“Whose?” Coffman asked. The Supremacy didn’t seem to be missing a single Vindicator.

“An agent of our government who was, unfortunately, another victim of your Truthers.” Varik shrugged. “He was authorized to be here. I can forward you his diplomatic visa if you like.”

“I’d like that,” Coffman said.

The information came immediately, and Coffman hid all but the slightest of scowls. So Security Chief Bharat Dhillon had gotten himself captured by Esparza’s forces, then burned alive. Coffman remembered the man from their brief confrontation in the Sledge. Dhillon, too, had been hunting Jan Sabato.

Funny how it all came back to Jan Sabato.

“I’m assuming you have no objection?” Varik said.

“No. He’s one of yours. Take care of him.”

“We will.” Varik inclined his head. “Good day.”

Varik spun and marched off. Coffman didn’t watch him go. He hated coincidences, and there were about thirty of them piled up down here in the rubble. He’d just been played by the man who murdered four of his officers, and that stung.

Coffman stood, thinking and brooding, until another transmission came in. “Lieutenant! We’ve got him! Esparza!”

Coffman straightened. “Alive?”

“Yes, sir. He’s still a bit groggy from the stunner, but we have him in custody.”

“Anyone with him?” Coffman asked. Even he hadn’t expected to net the most wanted Truther on the planet alive.

“Just a body, sir,” the soldier said. “DNA was inconclusive, but he was