The Alpha Protocol: Alpha Protocol Book 1 by Duncan Hamilton (read more books .txt) 📕

his way through the criminal hierarchy on New Portsmouth. He was an entertaining raconteur, and charismatic, even if Samson still thought his default demeanour to be menacing. Samson found himself warming to the man, and had to remind himself that he and his pirate empire were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of naval personnel, law enforcement officers, and innocent civilians. Nonetheless, it became apparent to him that Smith was as much legend as truth, and reading between the lines, he could tell that plenty of the naval personnel Smith had interacted with had greed rather than duty as a motive. Officers like that deserved what they got. Getting themselves killed while trying to line their own pockets by aiding a wanted criminal definitely did not qualify as dying in the line of duty.

Samson stood and walked to the viewscreen in Maggie’s lounge when Talhoffer 18-D hove into view after a short Current transit. This was where Smith claimed to have discovered the alien ship. There was nothing remarkable about the planet other than that it had a breathable atmosphere, although with a lower oxygen content than was ideal. It didn’t look like there was much water, either. Not much to recommend it, but he supposed in another fifty years or so, all being well, it might be a candidate for terraforming, after a few icy asteroids were dragged into a decaying orbit to introduce some additional moisture.

‘What brought you out here in the first place?’ Samson said.

‘Oh, you know, this and that.’

‘You said that before,’ Samson said. ‘I don’t actually know. It’s just curiosity.’

‘Every pirate king needs his secret desert island hideaway,’ Smith said. ‘I came across this planet when I was looking for mine.’

‘This one didn’t fit the bill?’

Smith adopted a forlorn expression. ‘A little too dry for my taste. Still, good for the ship. Not sure how long it’s been down there, but it looks like new. Aside from the fact that it’s crashed.’

Samson returned his gaze to the viewscreen and the planet, which was rapidly growing larger.

‘We’ll set her down and I’ll show you what I found,’ Smith said. ‘You’re not going to believe it.’

‘I might, you know,’ Samson said.

Smith shook his head and smiled. ‘This is going to change your life.’

The Maggie touched down on the planet’s surface so gently Samson wasn’t even certain it had actually happened. The entire trip out had been as luxurious a time as he had ever experienced, even though it felt like he was sitting in a tiger’s cage. Smith had been a perfect host, but Samson was so keen to see the crashed ship that he was willing to give up the Maggie’s comforts.

‘So,’ Smith said. ‘There’s a few things I should tell you before we get out there. We spotted a ship landing on this planet when we dropped out of the Current.’

‘What?’ Samson said, his heart sinking.

‘Yeah. Seems like whoever lost it has come to fetch it.’

‘What do you know about this ship?’ If it was the hostile ship, they could be in very deep trouble.

‘It wasn’t big. Looked like a scout ship of some sort. Lots of unusual trace signatures. Our scans say it dropped out of the Current pretty close to the planet, which small human ships don’t tend to be able to do, so I’d say it’s definitely not one of ours.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me this before we landed?’

‘Because it didn’t matter then.’

‘What do you mean? We should have reconsidered landing. Waited for the fleet.’

‘Over a scout ship?’ Smith said. ‘And risk losing the prize? If all you Navy boys were that soft, my life woulda been a lot easier. Did you really think we were just going to drop in and take what we wanted?’

Samson’s initial reaction was yes, but he felt foolish at the thought of admitting it.

‘We’ll nip in, kill any of the new arrivals that gives us bother, and if it looks like some of their friends are going to arrive, we pinch anything that’s not bolted down and get. With the Maggie’s upgrades, she’s just as fast and nimble as they are. We’ll blast out of orbit, pop into the Current, and they’ll never see us again.’

Samson nodded. Having the new alien agitator certainly made evasion easier. There would be no more wounded retreats across a star system trying to get to the Nexus portal. A ship with enough power and a functioning agitator could jump away from trouble instantly, leaving their pursuer no idea of where they might drop out of the Current again.

‘We should move fast to secure the site. Where did the alien ship land?’

‘Not too far away, but we’ll beat them to it. We can set up an ambush at the crash site, and I’ll send a couple of my lads around behind them to knock out their ship. With a bit of luck, your lot will arrive before their lot, and you’ll get a two-for-one deal.’ He paused a moment. ‘I should ask for another pardon, just in case I have a relapse.’ He chuckled as the door to the lounge opened and four men walked in, dressed in battle suits similar to the one Price wore on boarding operations.

‘Lieutenant, this motley group is Bert, Trevor, Nigel, and Ali.’

The four men nodded but didn’t say anything. It seemed they already knew exactly who Samson and Price were.

‘They know what they’re about,’ Smith said, ‘so you don’t need to worry about them. Better than Marines.’ He cast a glance over at Price. ‘And before your feelings get all hurt, they’ve proved it. More than once. Bert and Nige were GSOC once upon a time. Got bored of bad food and crap pay. Didn’t you, lads?’

‘That’s right, Kingston,’ said the larger of the two, a man with sandy hair.

Samson had no idea whether he was Bert or Nige, but the fact that he was former GSOC—Galactic Special Operations Command—meant that he was a serious operator. Even Price would have to credit them