“Anytime, Billy.” Kami clinked her glass to his, then fired back its contents. “Now, are we gonna stand around here drinking all day or get down to business?”
“A little of both, I’d expect.” Taylor signaled for a fresh round. “Billy says you’ve got a line on a pretty sweet garrison opportunity.”
“That is the rumor.” Kami sighed. “I’ll be straight with you, boys. My clients initially wanted no part of Swamp Eagle Security for this gig. We’re talking nada. Not after last year’s screw-up with the Ytara clan.”
“We’ve been over this,” Billy said. “Even the Mercenary Guild gave us a pass for that. If your clients truly wanna know what the Eagles are about on a job, let them speak with any of the dozen or more species we’ve dealt with since returning from Rukoria.”
Kami raised her hands. “Chill out, Husker. I got it. And for the record, so do my clients after the chat I had with them about your recent Emza exploits.”
“So the Vuhov clan is prepared to consider our bid, then?” Taylor said.
“Yours and, at last count, 17 others.” The Sirra’Kan lowered her eyes. “Before this goes any further, guys, you need to know something.”
“What’s that?” Jack asked.
“Some things have changed since Husker and I last spoke a month ago,” Kami said.
Taylor wrinkled his nose as the server bot returned with their drinks. “Changed how?”
“The garrison deal isn’t worth 30 million credits anymore,” Kami said. “It’s worth 15.”
“What?” Billy bolted upright.
“Sorry, Husker, I truly am,” Kami said. “The Vuhov thought it over and ultimately decided the best way to address their incursion problem moving forward is to meet the threat head-on. That means contracting with two merc outfits instead of one.”
The Farts exchanged grumbles across the table.
“Who’d you net for the first contract?” Stan asked.
“I have a Goka unit that’s willing to bring three full companies for the price of two,” Kami said. “Otherwise, we’d likely be dickering over 10 million credits right now instead of 15.”
Billy rubbed his forehead. “The Goka can’t always be trusted, Kami. Hell, you were a merc. You know that as well as anybody.”
“You let me worry about the Goka.” Kami kept her focus on Taylor. “So, what do ya say, Chief? Is Swamp Eagle Security still interested?”
Try as he might, Taylor couldn’t hide his annoyance at being caught in what felt an awful lot like a bait and switch situation. Still, he trusted in Kami’s history with his XO. Moreover, Billy was her point of contact for this job, and he’d spent most of the last month in hyperspace, traveling between star systems. That’d left him pretty much unreachable.
“We’re still interested. But.” Taylor raised a finger. “Not for a cent less than 20 million credits. I also want a 5 million bonus for each attack we have to repel usin’ force of arms.”
“The Vuhov clan will never go for that.” Kami frowned.
“Then it looks like you’ve got some interviews to conduct.” Taylor rose from his seat. “It was real nice meetin’ ya, Ms. K’Nami. Fellas, we’re outta here.”
“Wait,” Kami said. “I might can get the Vuhov to sign off on 17 million with a 4 million credit combat bonus, up to three occurrences.”
Taylor exhaled and kept his voice low. “I empathize with your position, I really do. Now I need you to empathize with mine. I came all the way out here expectin’ to throw my hat in the ring for a garrison contract valued at 30 million credits. Now that figure’s been cut in half. I ain’t about that.” He shifted his stance. “What would your clients say to 19 million with a bonus cap of five occurrences?”
“I think they’d like 16 and three a lot better,” Kami said.
“Yeah, well.” Taylor huffed. “My Buma nav officer would like to be the height of a Lumar, but that ain’t happenin’, either. What about eighteen-five and a four cap?”
“Seventeen-five and four.”
“Eighteen-two and four,” Taylor said.
“Eighteen and three.”
Taylor shook his head. “Sorry, ma’am, but I’m standin’ firm at eighteen-two with four engagement bonuses. Under those terms, the first combat is on us, and your clients get two full companies of trustworthy troops who ain’t gonna to turn around and eat them if things go south in the field.”
Kami chewed her lip. “Is that your final offer?”
“All the way to the bank,” Taylor said. “Or not. That’s up to you.”
The Sirra’Kan aimed a pensive stare at her whiskey glass then bellowed a hard sigh. “All right, Chief Van Zant. I think we have—”
“Not yet, you don’t!” a male voice announced.
Jack palmed his face as a collective groan swept across the table. “Oh, you’ve gotta be shittin’ me.”
Had Taylor not been paying attention, he might’ve thought Frank had left his post on the Osyrys to join them in the pit, what with the New York accent and all. Alas, he knew better. “Hey, Paulie. Funny runnin’ into you here today.”
“Is it really, though?” A silver-haired human swaggered toward their table wearing green fatigues of a strikingly similar shade to those worn by the Eagles and the toothy grin of a Great White shark.
“Colonel Paul S. Torrio, I presume,” Kami said. “You’re late.”
“Two perks to bein’ the boss, sweetheart. You’re always right, and a dramatic entrance is always on the table.” Torrio collapsed into the booth with a second man wearing captain stripes and aimed a smirk at Taylor. “What? You didn’t honestly think you’d be the only outfit in line to make a run at the Vuhov’s payday, did ya?”
“Not at all.” Taylor stifled a choke on the colonel’s cologne. “The only human outfit from Jacksonville, North Florida, maybe, but not the only bidders.”
Kami’s eyes drifted from one human commander to the other.
