Rath's Gambit (The Janus Group Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

transfer station and managed to gain access to the ship, they’ve been searching all passenger areas, but it’s been nearly eight hours, and dozens of flights have left the planet in that time. I was about to send them back to their original assignments.”
    Nkosi’s eyes narrowed. “No. Keep them searching. That team’s sole purpose from now on is tracking 621. Every lead, no matter how small. Put the word out to all channels – our contacts within Interstellar Police, clients, Territorial military recruiters, everyone. I’m putting a twenty million dollar bounty on him, dead or alive.”
    “Yes, ma’am. I think there’s a good chance he’s going to try to find 339, given she’s likely still alive, and we believe she warned him about … retirement.”
    Nkosi frowned. “True. It’s a risk, but ultimately a minor one. They would certainly be more dangerous together, but neither of them has any usable intelligence about Group operations. We compartmentalize too well.”
    Altaras nodded, and turned to leave.
    “And if they do join forces,” Nkosi noted. “It will be easier to find them.”
     
    * * *
     
    The baggage train lurched to a stop, and Rath floated across the inside of the container, bumping gently against the wall with several of the loose bags. Zero-gravity always made him feel slightly out-of-sorts, and being locked inside a dark, half-full cargo container didn’t help. Gaining access to the cargo hold had taken some planning, but impersonating the captain of the ship had ultimately allowed him to borrow a keycard from an unsuspecting steward. Once he had launched the empty escape pod, it had taken him just a few minutes to make his way down to the hold, find the right baggage container, cut the lock, and then stow himself inside. After that, it was simply a matter of waiting while the baggage handler drones moved him and his container from the ship to the transfer station, and then over onto the outbound ship.
    The hardest part was finding a baggage container scheduled to be transferred directly to another flight.
    His new ship launched from the dock several minutes later, and Rath cracked open the cargo container as he felt the ship’s engines rumble to life. The hold was empty – he floated across to a ladder set in the wall, and pulled himself hand over hand up to the hatch. He shut the hatch behind him, then hurried down the access-way, but ran into a maintenance worker before he could exit into one of the passenger areas.
    “Woah,” the worker said, “You’re not allowed back here, my friend.”
    “I know!” Rath said, throwing his hands up in mock exasperation. “I must have taken a wrong turn – where’s the cafeteria?”
    The man gave him a funny look, but walked him to another hatch, and pointed the way to the cafeteria.
    “Thanks,” Rath told him. He passed through the cafeteria, walking on to a passenger entertainment center. There, he found an information booth with a holographic avatar wearing the uniform of a spaceline representative. The avatar smiled as Rath approached.
    “Can I help you, sir?”
    “Yeah,” Rath told her. “I need to book a connecting flight when this one docks.”
    “Of course, I can help you with that. Where will you be traveling to?”
    “Lakeworld,” Rath said.
    “Business or pleasure?” she asked.
    Rath frowned, at a loss. “Meeting a friend.”

3
    Beauceron looked up when an aide stuck her head through the doors.
    “They’re ready for you,” the woman reported.
    Beauceron took a deep breath, steeling himself, and then stood up from the bench. Beside him, Rozhkov stood, too. The older man opened his mouth to say something, then shrugged, and just squeezed Beauceron’s shoulder reassuringly. Beauceron pushed through the double doors.
    The conference room was large, but nearly empty of people. It had been rearranged so that a single table stood at the front of the room, along which sat five senior officers. Two empty chairs sat facing