God's Bounty Hunter (Biddy Mackay Space Detective Book 1) by T Olivant (reading in the dark .txt) 📕

One of the ships, the biggest of the three was coming down even lower.  It made an ominous bass sound as it hovered above them, the sort of note that vibrated in your guts.  It should have made Lu Tang nervous.  It might have done, had he retained all of his human functions.  As it was he was feeling exhilarated.  This was much more interesting than sitting in his cell on Widdershins 3.

The young Detective seemed to share some of his exhilaration.  There were spots of color on her cheeks that he could see even through the plastic of her spacesuit.  She seemed to be shouting into her radio, but he couldn’t hear anymore over the sound of approaching engines.  Then she yelled out so loud that he did hear something.

“Well tell them all to bloody well land and we’ll have it out on the ground.  At least then I’ll be able to hear myself think.”

Just a few seconds later two of the spacecraft veered away to land nearby.  Each had chosen a landing position far enough to be out of touching distance.  Lu Tang smiled.  It would have been very embarrassing all round if they had crashed into one another.  The third spaceship, a long black thing that Lu Tang didn’t recognize, stayed floating above them.

“Think it’s a good idea to have them all come down here?” The muscle asked.  Lu Tang clicked his teeth.  He would never have allowed that sort of subordination.

“We meet them face to face.  I’m not sure who they all are, but I have my suspicions.”

“Maybe we could sell him off to the highest bidder?”

Lu Tang reserved a special glare for the muscle.  The Detective laughed, so he hoped it was meant to have been a joke.

“Put the restraints on him.”

Lu Tang held out his hands and the muscle wrapped a piece of metallic tape around his wrists.  He didn’t fight it.  What would be the point?

“I, Biddy Mackay, Detective, am placing you under arrest.  You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in any intergalactic judgement chamber you may be taken to.  Understand?”

“Yes.” Perhaps the girl wasn’t dumb after all.  Lu Tang knew that she had just staked a claim over his person.  She had taken him into custody.  Hopefully that still meant something in this century.

“Hey!” A shout came over from a group of men hurrying towards them.  Lu Tang turned to watch the show.  How long would the Detective last against the grownups?

A man with some sort of ridiculous round hat on his head seemed to be leading the group from the West.  He arrived with two big men carrying guns nearly the same size as them.  Lu Tang rolled his eyes.  Testosterone again.

Just as this little group arrived, a cloud of dust was kicked up from the East.  On a little rover there were two figures, skimming across the ground.

“Okay, group B win for style,” the Detective said.  She turned to face him.

“Any idea who these guys are?”

Lu Tang shrugged. “There are some people who would like to apprehend me.  I suggest that before they arrive you might want to take possession of the box on the floor of the life-raft.”

The Detective glared at him for a moment, then went to retrieve the box.

“What is it?” The muscle asked, pulling it out of her arms.

“Something valuable.  Not a bomb.  And I asked the Detective to hold it, not you.”

“Stay where you are!” The first group had arrived.  Stupid hat man stormed over to the Detective.  Lu Tang was glad to see that his armed guards had stayed slightly back.

“I am Captain Campbell, Sub-Chief of Scotclan in this quadrant.”

“Pleased to meet you,” the Detective replied.  She was being deliberately subservient, or so it seemed to Lu Tang.  There was probably some sort of power play going on.  What a bore it was to be played with as a toy by these humans.

“Where is the Observer?”

“In my cells.”

The man wrinkled his nose. “This is some sort of joke?”

“Not at all.  I have arrested her for attempted murder.”

“Of him?” The man gestured at the Augment.

“No.  Of Tibo, the starglider pilot.”

A ripple of shock went across the Augment’s brain. “Tibo’s dead?”

The Detective gave him a Look. “I said attempted murder.  He is currently awaiting treatment.”

Lu Tang shook his head.  Incompetence seemed to be a hallmark of this young woman’s job.  Why on earth had they tried to kill Tibo?  It couldn’t have been self-defense: Tibo had always been too fat and lazy to fight anyone.

“Stay back!” The two-armed men that had arrived with the Scotclan Chief suddenly raised their weapons.  Everyone turned to face the couple that were climbing off the buggy.

They were dressed in slim fitting spacesuits covered in pockets and tools and their tattoos were visible through their helmets.

“Ah, these may be my clients,” Lu Tang said to the young Detective. “I don’t suppose you would let me speak to them in private?”

She gave him another Look.  These humans were so rude.

“I am conducting an arrest on behalf of Scotclan.  Would you care to state your business with my suspect?”

The female gang leader looked the young Detective up and down in a dismissive fashion.

“I am the Leader of the Council of Eritree and I have a prior arrangement with this man.”

Lu Tang raised an eyebrow.  Not just a gang member.  The gang member.  The most established gangs in this system had become the government.

“I’m afraid this is a murder investigation so your arrangement will have to wait.”

“You are on the soil of Eritree.” The woman’s metallic tattoos gleamed in the light. “We are in charge here.”

“Scotclan have intergalactic jurisdiction.