Free Chronicles of a Space Mercenary 0: Tanya by Ronald Wintrick Page A

erred once did not mean he would err again. He would have every one of those Operatives out hunting for her, and those seemed like insurmountable odds.
    That meant she had to kill him first. That meant she needed resources. She had never visited a Kievor Trade Station, but the stories were almost unbelievable; a lawless land where anything went, where thousands of various races of aliens came to trade and congregate. And fight. The Luxury Liner's internal address system interrupted her further thoughts.
    “Go od evening ladies and gentlemen; Captain Abrams at your service.” The announcement began. “I always like to give a friendly warning to those of you who have never visited a Kievor Trade Station previously. As you know there is no human law aboard this Trade Station. There is no law at all! There are few humans and even fewer alien races which will be sympathetic to you. You will receive no outside aid once you have debarked! I am hoping you have all booked passage knowing what business you are about. The Kievor Trade Station is an extremely dangerous place. Under no circumstances should anyone leave this ship without being fully armed and proficient in the use of those weapons. I further recommend that you go in groups of at least fifteen. This ship leaves tomorrow at oh-twelve hundred! Do not be late! We do not take roll-call. With that said, enjoy your landfall.”
    Tanya wouldn't be back aboard ship tomorrow, roll-call or not.
     
    Chapter 20
     
    The moment she departed the liner, she realized that all the unbelievable stories that she’d heard about Kievor trade stations didn’t come close to the actual reality. Tanya had seen many aliens throughout the course of her life, many now doing business on human worlds, but the plethora of life visible to her just upon first glance was wide-ranging and varied .
    Mostly they were lizards. All were armed. They seemed to glance her way as they passed, a double take in many cases, as Tanya moved out with the other departing tourists. Perhaps tourists wasn't exactly the right description; they were adventure-seekers mostly, the sons and daughters of the rich. But there were more than a few hard-eyed men and women among them looking to make their fortunes. If the stories were true, a few of them would, but most wouldn't. Most of that type would only find death here.
    Tanya had seen lizards on human worlds, but not many. Most lizards, the formal term being reptile if a human didn't want to be disrespectful, did not like humans. Few reptiles liked mammals at all, since their diets consisted primarily of mammals, and they saw mammals and especially humans as below contempt. Most other sentient mammals came equipped with the similar attributes of lizards, sharp long teeth and claws to match. Humans came with none of these.
    So first humans were mammals, and second most humans couldn't fight their way of out a wet paper sack, whereas it was well known that all lizards could and in most cases loved to fight. They came directly from their shells prepared to fight. They fought ferociously and were always ready. They needed little incentive. Tanya was reserving judgment for the moment, though her laser-pistol was more than loose in its holster.
    There would be plenty of time to test the legends concerning how well lizards fought. With her plans there was little doubt she would find out. She stared unflinching back at the lizards who turned to look, returning their hatred with her eyes only; a small quirk of a smile twisting her lips.
    The second thing Tanya noticed as she continued to slowly move through the throngs was the fact that many of these lizards, the females at least, were festooned with jewelry. She remembered well the lesson her returning memories had imparted to her; in a lawless land, whatever could be taken and held was property. There was no law whatsoever on Kievor Trade Stations and only one rule; do not screw with the Kievor. It was just then that the Kievors