Jupiter and the Union of Assassins

There are people out to kill her. Fortunately, there are also people ready to protect her.

[Author's note: This story follows the stories Jupiter, Kiza, Razo, and the Really Good Donuts, Jupiter and the Start of Something; Jupiter and the Double-Double Cross; and Jupiter, Kiza, and the Little Umbrella Syndrome.]

Jupiter Jones looked out the fifth-story window of the rather unremarkable office. It had been chosen for its unremarkability, and it was located on the pleasant but unremarkable planet of Grizikity 12(m). The sign on the door said Transworld Enterprises. One of Karrick's ideas.

Caine, standing next to Jupiter at the window, pointed at the patch of lovely greenery not far away. "The Gardens of Grizikity," he said. "Quite famous in this quadrant."

"Perhaps we could go there," said Jupiter. "You and me."

"Why?" said Caine.

"Well, uh, I guess ... we could take a walk. Or something. Or a fly. No, that would sort of defeat the purpose of going, I suppose. So a walk."

Kiza Stinger, sitting at a desk covered with papers and padds, gave a little laugh. "Get a room," she muttered.

"We have a room," said Caine. "We recently rented this office, don't you remember?"

Kiza sighed. "Splices," she muttered. "No sense of metaphor."

"But I have an outstanding sense of smell," said Caine. "And I have wings." He let his wings unfurl – and accidentally swept half of the papers and padds from Kiza's desk. "Whoops," he said. "Sorry – " He turned again, making Jupiter duck to avoid getting whacked.

"Uh, let's make that a game for outdoors only," said Jupiter.

Caine grunted and re-furled his wings. He began to help Kiza collect the papers. "Did you tell her about the message?" he said to her.

"What message?" said Jupiter.

"An odd one," said Kiza. "Source unknown and unverifiable, which is why I didn't tell you. Ever since word of your ascension went around, we've had a lot of messages. A mix of dubious pleas for money and whacko conspiracy theories."

"But very few with this level of encryption," said Caine.

"Tell me," said Jupiter.

" 'Beware. A friend.'," said Kiza. "That's it. Not a whole lot of information, really."

Razo Tatto and Karrick came in from other room of the office suite. "Which is why," said Razo, "that either Caine or me have been with you nearly the whole time since it was received."

Jupiter glanced at Caine. "So you're ... a bodyguard?" she said. "Guarding ... my body?"

"Yes. No. Not entirely. More no than yes."

Razo shook her head. "Get a room," she muttered.

"Already been there today," said Kiza before Caine could speak. "Anyway, let's not forget that we are here for a purpose. To review Jupiter's situation, since the recent settlement of Balem's estate on the terms she demanded."

"Which must have been humiliating for Titus and Kalique," said Karrick.

"Fringe benefit," said Jupiter. "So am I still rich?"

"More than ever," said Kiza. She pushed some keys on her computer and a holographic image of a large chunk of space appeared in mid-air. "This is the quadrant you now control. Hundreds of planets. I had a list, until Caine knocked it off my desk. It will probably turn up."

"Cool!" said Jupiter.

Kiza pushed some more keys, and various planets turned different colours. "The blue ones are well-populated planets that are no longer going to be harvested. The green ones are planets with good resources. The purple ones are one that can be terraformed to support populations."

"Hey, there's mine!" said Karrick, pointing at one. "Terrazo-Kopty 9."

"What are the red ones?" said Jupiter.

"Slave planets," said Razo. "Like mine, M'B'ary, that one, there."

"Hold it," said Jupiter. "You mean that there are planets that have slavery in my quadrant? My quadrant?"

"Quite a few," said Caine.

"Well, that's not going to continue," said Jupiter. "Can I, you know, make some sort of announcement? A proclamation or something?"

Razo stared at her. "You ... would do that?" she said.

"Most certainly, definitely, immediately, no question, yes," said Jupiter. "No slavery in my quadrant. Or any other, if I have anything to say about it."

"Wow," said Razo softly.

"It might not be as easy as making a statement," said Kiza. "These slavery companies, they are powerful. A business."

"We are a business too," said Karrick. "You have a lot of money, my lady. You inherited a lot and you have made a lot from the sale of Terran products. The little umbrellas alone have generated a huge amount of money. My clan could not keep up with demand. We have had to engage other clans."

"Really? How much money are we talking about?"

Karrick told her the figure. And the figures for the other products as well.

"Wow," said Razo again.

"That's not counting the income from sales of damaskatine," added Kiza. "And we haven't worked out the donut thing yet."

"Pity," said Razo. "About the donuts."

Caine suddenly stiffened. "I ... smell something," he said.

"Is it donuts?" said Razo.

"It is not," said Caine.

It happened fast. There were explosions in two of the walls. A half-dozen pale-skinned people burst into the room, guns drawn.

But Caine, warned, already had his wings unfurled. "Down!" he shouted. As Jupiter, Kiza, Razo and Karrick ducked he swivelled, smashing his wings into the attackers, scattering them. Razo had her Tzlaki pistol drawn and was firing. Karrick rose up and, with a savage snarl, picked up two of the attackers and smashed them together.

Suddenly, all the attackers were down.

"Who are these guys!?" said Jupiter.

"From the Union of Assassins," said Razo. "They work under contract. Often for Titus Abraxas, but not always. They come from T'Pua, which is in a sector he controls."

"And they have a union?" said Jupiter.

"We have to get Jupiter out of here," said Caine. "Kiza, where is your vehicle?"

"Parked on the roof."

"As is my cycle," said Razo.

"Uh, what's that?" said Jupiter, pointing to the window.

There was a ship de-cloaking there. A large gun emerged.

They all dived through one of the holes in the wall as the room was suddenly filled with energy bolts.

"Damn, I was just starting to like that office," said Kiza.

They were all up and running, going for the roof. They made it. Razo climbed onto her sky-cycle and drew a big gun. Kiza climbed into the Sheldon Cooper. She pushed a series of buttons and a gun emerged from the roof.

"Accessory?" said Jupiter.

"Dad insisted," said Kiza.

"I am too large for these vehicles," said Karrick. "So I will stay, and take care of anyone else who appears here."

"We should split up," said Caine, unfurling his wings again. "They're sure to have more than one ship, but they won't know who to follow. They'll have to divide their forces."

"I have the gravity boots," said Jupiter. "I can fly."

Suddenly, a T'Pua attack ship swept in. Razo and Kiza took to the air, firing. Caine grabbed Jupiter and took off.

Two more T'Pua ships were coming in. Razo fired a series of missiles at one, and then turned and sped away. The ship followed. Another went after Kiza, going in the opposite direction.

Caine let go of Jupiter, and she activated the boots. "Stay close!" said Caine, drawing his gun and firing. He pulled out another pistol and handed it to her.

Then a bolt of energy from the T'Pua ship smashed into one of Caine's wings. It broke off in a series of prosthetic feathers. He started to fall.

Jupiter fired at the ship, aiming at what she hoped was the cockpit. The windscreen, or whatever it was, broke, and the ship turned away.

Jupiter started downwards, after Caine. For a moment, she could not see him. When she did, she realised he was a long way away.

Faster, she told herself. She pushed her muscles to the limit.

Caine was spinning, out of control, the ground rushing towards him. I hope she got away safely, he thought.

And then – "Gotcha!"

She had him – just. She managed to pull up, just twenty metres from the ground. She fought to regain height – but a T'Pua ship was closing in. Its guns swivelled towards them.

And then it was raked by fire, Razo from one side and Kiza from the other. There was an explosion on the side.

Razo and Kiza, each being pursued, turned away.

But the damaged T'Pua ship was not giving up. It continued to pursue them.

"Climb on my back," said Jupiter. Caine did, and drew his pistol, firing.

The ship fired a volley of missiles. Jupiter dodged as well as she could, but one exploded close, knocking Caine's gun from his hand.

Jupiter felt one of the boots stutter in its energy flow. Damaged. No telling how long it would last. She had to get down, and fast.

And then she saw the Gardens. She made for the open space.

The T'Pua ship followed, but it was in trouble, on fire and trailing smoke. Jupiter handed Caine the pistol, and he fired again. And then the gun clicked on empty.

The boot failed just as she was coming in to land. She ploughed into the ground, rolling, and ended up in a bed of flowers. Immediately, she looked for Caine. He had come down hard, and one of his legs looked broken.

The T'Pua ship passed over them, and smashed into the ground twenty metres away. But then a door in the side opened, and an Assassin stepped out. He was holding a pulse rifle. He began to walk towards her.

Jupiter looked around. She could run, but that would mean leaving Caine. So, no, not an option.

And then she realised there were bees buzzing around her. Bees. A lot of bees.

She turned to the Assassin. "Tell me something," she said. "Who is it that wants me dead?"

"Practically everyone," he said. He lifted the rifle.

Jupiter pointed to the Assassin. "Sic 'im," she said.

Immediately, a cloud of bees descended on the Assassin. He screamed as he was stung, again and again and again. He threw down the gun and ran.

She went to Caine and helped him to his feet. "Thanks for the catch," he said, as they began to hobble back to the building with their shot-up office.

"Looks like we got to go for a walk in the famous Gardens of Grizikity after all," she said.

The Sheldon Cooper landed and Kiza stepped out. "Need a lift?" she said.

"What happened to the T'Pua ships?" said Jupiter, as she helped Caine into the vehicle.

"The one that was after me took off and I think Razo knocked the other one down," said Kiza. "I tell you, that girl can be pretty odd but she's damn good in a fight."

"Damn good," said Caine.

They made it back to the office. Karrick was there. "I had a word with one of the Assassins who was not dead at that time," she said. "He indicated that they had been hired by Kalique Abraxas, with the co-operation of Titus Abrasax. But the recommendation to engage the Union was made by Gras Traxati."

"And who," said Jupiter, "is Gras Traxati?"

"He is the head of the largest of the slaving corporations," said Razo. "In your quadrant."

Jupiter considered. "Tell this man," she said, "that Jupiter Jones wishes to meet with him."

END