Starship: Mercenary (Starship, Book 3) by Mike Resnick Page A

can’t tell me what I want to know if they’re dead.”
    “They’re not going to tell you, period,” said Val.
    Cole shrugged. “You never know.”
    “You’ve got something up your sleeve, don’t you, sir?” said Chadwick.
    “Just his arm,” said Val. “I say kill them the second they walk in, and then go after the others.”
    “Then what?” said Cole. “If we destroy their ship, you’re still without a vessel and we haven’t earned our money, since he’ll probably send his whole fleet here, guns blazing.”
    “We have to face them sooner or later,” said Val. “I prefer sooner.”
    “Oh, we’ll face them, all right,” agreed Cole. “But let’s see if we can reduce their firepower first.”
    “One at a time or all at once, it makes no difference to me,” said Val.
    Suddenly Chadwick chuckled and Cole turned to him. “What’s so funny?”
    “It reminds me of something Commander Forrice is always saying after he and you discuss some problem,” answered Chadwick. “Something to the effect that the problem was a whole lot simpler when it only had him thinking about it.”
    “That’s Four Eyes, all right,” said Cole.
    “They’re coming, sir,” said Jack-in-the-Box softly.
    “Whatever happens,” said Cole, “no one shoots or does anything else until I give the signal.” He stared directly at Val. “That’s an order.”
    A few seconds later two leather-clad men, one bearded, one clean-shaven, entered the office. Both were heavily armed. The smooth-faced one had a pulse gun in his hand, and immediately trained it on Val, Pampas, Chadwick, and the Mollutei.
    The bearded one stared at Cole for a moment. “I should have known those spineless cowards would hire help.”
    “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance too,” said Cole.
    “I know who you are, Wilson Cole,” said the man. “I’ve seen your face on enough Wanted posters and holocasts. Why is the most decorated officer in the Republic hiring out as a mercenary?”
    “Because I’m not in the Republic, in case you hadn’t noticed,” said Cole. “But there’s no need for us to be enemies. Possibly Genghis Khan is looking for an ally.”
    “Why should he want to deal with the notorious Wilson Cole?”
    “There’s no reason why we can’t be allies.”
    “We need no allies.”
    “Why not fly me up to the shuttle and let me send a subspace message to him?” persisted Cole. “I’d do it from here, but I don’t have the necessary access codes.”
    “You don’t need the codes,” said the man. “Besides, they only respond to my voiceprint. And you’re not going to live long enough to contact him.”
    “It’s a pity,” said Cole. “We could have been friends.”
    “We don’t want any friends.”
    “What can I offer you as a show of good faith?”
    “Keep your good faith,” said the man.
    “We’re wasting time,” said the smooth-shaven man. “Let’s take care of business and get the hell back to home base.”
    The bearded man stared at Cole. “I’m only going to ask once: Do you have the money?”
    “Yeah, I’ve got it. I don’t suppose you’d care to split it down the middle? You take half, we take half, nobody shoots anybody, and we all walk away a little richer.”
    “Nobody shoots anybody,” said the man sarcastically. “I think we’d rather have the money and take our chances.”
    “Don’t do it, Bull,” said Cole to Pampas, who had been standing absolutely still. “This man you’re facing is Demon Jack Devereaux. He’s killed twenty men. Maybe twenty-five. You don’t want to go up against him.”
    “You sure as hell don’t,” agreed the bearded man. “But I’m Blackbeard Strahan. Never heard of this Devereaux.”
    “He’s a pirate,” said Cole. “Weapons or freehand, you’ll never find anyone tougher. And he’s got a little eight-man ship that could probably blow that big vessel of yours right out of the ether.”
    “The eight-man ship’s never been created that could