Doom Star: Book 02 - Bio-Weapon Read Online Free Page A

that,” Vip said.
    Out of the corner of his eye, Marten watched the silent Mongol. Kang had probably killed more men in combat than the rest of them put together. They were all FEC Army heroes, having all fought in the Japan Campaign six months ago.
    “You want to know why?” Kang asked.
    “I asked you didn’t I?” Vip said.
    Kang scratched at his crossword puzzle. Then he held it out for Vip. “I wrote out the reason.”
    Vip winked at Lance before stepping near to grab the journal.
    For all his bulk, Kang could strike quicker than a mongoose. He dropped the crossword puzzle and latched onto Vip’s wrist. Then he stood, yanked Vip against his chest and with one hand grabbed the little man by his jacket collar. He lifted Vip off his toes.
    “Dance, boy,” Kang said. He jerked Vip up and down until Vip slapped the vast forearm with something that sizzled.
    Kang hissed as his hand opened reflexively.
    Vip jumped back into the main isle. Metal glittered in his palm. It was a stolen agonizer, a PHC tool, probably dropped somewhere when the Highborn had killed the Social Unitarians at the start of the rebellion. The stubborn PHC people had refused to surrender.
    Kang tested his hand by flexing it several times. Then he glared at Vip.
    Lance took that moment to stand, pocket his plastic credits and block Kang’s way out. Although as tall and broad-shouldered as Kang, the Brit with his sweeping dark hair probably weighed only half as much. But then he was mostly gristle and whalebone, as he liked to say.
    Kang’s upper lip twitched.
    “Vip!” Marten said. He desperately wanted to avoid a forbidden shuttle fight that would cancel the trip.
    Kang, Lance and Vip glanced at him, as did Omi, who sat beside Marten.
    “Give me the agonizer,” Marten said.
    “It’s mine,” Vip said.
    “Yeah,” Marten said. “But I don’t want you carrying it during leave and getting yourself in trouble.”
    “If I don’t have it,” Vip said. “Then you’ll have it, and then you’ll get in trouble. Bet you hadn’t thought of that.”
    “Gimme,” Marten said, holding out his hand.
    Vip weighed the tiny torture device.
    Lance turned from Kang, giving his friend Vip a significant glance before he jerked his head at Marten.
    Vip whined, “But I want to fix the dealer who thought he could—”
    Lance cleared his throat and shook his head. “Give it up,” he said.
    Vip pouted a moment longer, then shrugged and tossed it to Marten. He put the agonizer in his jacket pocket.
    Marten now regarded Kang, who still flexed his hand. “You ought to relax. In a few more minutes we’re at the Pleasure Palace and we can all get drinks.”
    “Are you buying me a round?” Kang asked.
    Marten calculated his slender supply of credits—a few less than Lance because he’d played poker with him last night. “Sure,” he said, knowing he needed every plastic token he had. “One round.”
    Kang grunted. Then he picked the crossword journal off the floor and sat down. He used his pencil to trace heavy lines one tiny box at a time.
    “Docking in one minute,” a female pilot said over the intercom. “Please take your seats and buckle in.”
    Omi and Marten exchanged glances. Because the HB mania for rank had infected most of the shock troopers, they hadn’t told the others about the gelding tape. As elite shock troopers, they outranked all Earthbound FEC fighters. In the carefully layered strata for premen, fighting forces in space or planet-side trumped everyone else. Next, were police and monitors. Below them were the captains of industry and the personal techs of various Highborn. Thus among the shock troops the most coveted position was maniple leader. As soon as the Highborn created higher command slots, such as mission first commander and second and third, then no doubt the struggle among the maniple leaders for those slots would become intense.
    So… who to trust, that had been Marten’s question. Not Kang, who had always been first