Free Edge of Redemption (A Star Too Far Book 3) by Casey Calouette Page A

green winks came and William’s heartbeat dropped just a touch. The taste of metal was in the back of his mouth.
    Mass driver rounds slammed into the Grouper in flashes of green and white. The Gallipoli ceased fire and all was silent.
    “ Grouper report,” William called over the comms.
    “Our cargo! Have you any idea what those containers are worth? They’re irreplaceable!” a voice wailed over the comms.
    William keyed the mute for the main speaker. “If they have anything important to say, let me know, Ms. Shay.” He cleared his throat and didn’t relish hailing the Gallipoli . He’d made a point of criticizing the Captain of the ship when he discovered he was a mercenary. All he could picture was the mercs who had enslaved the planet Redmond and were going to turn it over to the Hun. Maybe he’d been too harsh, he thought. “ Gallipoli , well done. Thank you for the assistance.”
    “We’ll send you the bill,” Mustafa called back in a heavy voice.
    William smiled and nodded. He’d earned that one. “Huron, see if the Grouper needs anything, otherwise we continue on.” He kicked back and reviewed the footage of the attack. These weren’t weapons of war, they were designed to inhibit shipping but not destroy it. All signals pointed to a weapon designed to stop the flow of shipping.

CHAPTER EIGHT
    Natyasha felt the anger rise. She turned and snapped her head to the Ambassador. “Don’t lecture me about necessities, Myint.” She turned away and looked up to the raw stone of the wall behind her. It was one of the few places around that didn’t weep corrosion. Mineral poor, and safe from prying eyes.
    “When the time comes, we will offer support,” Ambassador Myint said in a low voice.
    “Why not explain it? Put it to the council? Surely they’ll see the logic?” Garth said. He swirled a wide-mouthed glass before him and stared into the oily brown liquor.
    Natyasha pictured the stoic faces of those small minded council members. “Half of them are with, or imported here, by Core. The others are old school colonists, they won’t see the necessities.”
    If only it was so easy, she thought. None of them would see that they had to nurture one suitor while exploring all the other options. She looked up to the Ambassador. Slimy bastard, she thought, but weren’t they all?
    “What of Core?” Ambassador Myint asked as he paced.
    “What of them? They’re the root of the problem here. No tariffs from the Harmony Worlds right?”
    “No unequal tariffs.”
    Natyasha glared back at the Ambassador. Slimy, she could almost feel it. She needed leverage. The Ambassador would bring troops, foreign troops, and if she didn’t have a counter, they’d be in control. “How tight is the Harmony front?”
    Myint raised an eyebrow and shrugged slightly. “I’m an Ambassador, not an Admiral.”
    “But surely you must know if the Harmony Worlds will spare starships for us?” Natyasha asked. “How long can we remain free of Core and the UC?”
    “How long do we have to? Really?” Garth asked as he leaned forward in his chair. “Once the borders have shifted it’ll be difficult for them to come back in. Cast off that tariff and it’ll be impossible to bring back in.”
    Natyasha didn’t buy it. “Core has a claim here, a lot of infrastructure, they won’t just let us walk with it.”
    She hated to admit how much of the planet was Core owned. The layer of corporate nanites was thick on damn near everything.
    How to get that leverage? She pictured a Hun garrison, her own militia could counter that well enough. Even if they were outgunned, the colonists would have a numerical advantage. She glanced at Myint and watched him expound the details of Burmese origins. It was difficult to keep the disgust off her face. The Ambassador was nearly slavering over the chance to seize the colony, her colony.
    Bark spoke and startled Natyasha. “Ma’am, a moment?”
    Natyasha nodded and the pair walked out of the room