Fool's Gold: Carson Lyle's War - Part One by Thomas J. Rock Read Free Book Online

lengthy investigation in jeopardy,” said Two, as he moved to stand next to One.
    Lyle laughed out loud. "I would think you guys are supposed to be smart. That was pretty stupid, if you ask me." He laughed, when he said it, but inside Lyle was fuming. Shorty was an Authority fink! Son of a bitch!
    "We didn't ask you," said Two.
    "You should have." Lyle laughed again.
    He noticed Agent Two showing perceptible grinding of his jaw. "Problem, Chief? You seem to be a little irritated there. I'll be sure to tell everyone you do have feelings."
    Two started to remove a glove while taking a step forward.
    One grabbed his arm. Two paused for a moment then relented and slipped his glove back on his hand.
    "You're here because we have an offer for you."
    Lyle laughed louder and harder.
    "Keep laughing," Two said.
    "Right now, we have all the documentation prepared to file formal charges against you for possession of stolen Authority military property—”
    “Yeah, well, if you had done any kind of homework on me, you’d know I’m the last guy the Authority should be coming to with an offer.”
    "Mr. Lyle, you're in a lot of trouble," One said. “Even we didn’t have you on these charges, the Governor of Rygel is said still to have a standing price on your head for that spice incident six months ago. Officially, the government doesn’t back bounties but that doesn’t mean you can’t just show up on his doorstep anonymously.”
    Lyle shook his head, with a smile. “He shouldn’t have tried to stiff me on that job.”
    Two straightened. “Well, this is a very different job that could you could stand to profit greatly from, if you cooperate.”
    "So what stolen Authority property am I supposed to have?"
    "Combat mech parts that went missing last month,” said One.
    This time Lyle shook his head with a sly smile and said under his breath, "A fucking 'clerical error'. Yeah, that figures. Actually, you guys don't have shit. That load was cleared by your Authority Customs as legal. The contract had their chop. That relieves me of any of that responsibility."
    This time Two actually laughed. "Is that what you're going with? You don't think the Grey Corporation has the resources to pay off a customs inspector? We allowed it to pass. Shorty, as you call him, was our willing and highly paid mule."
    "It's plain and simple," One said. "We have you dead to rights for these charges. All we have to do is file them. Your ship is already impounded. It's as good as gone."
    That got Lyle angry. Mad Jack would come back from the grave to kick his ass if he knew he’d lost the ship, especially to Authority impound.
    "I've got rights," Lyle said. It sounded utterly ridiculous to himself when he said it. Trying to invoke his rights as granted by an Authority that he had zero respect for. Pathetic.
    "Now," One said, "You do have a recourse. As I said before, you can help us."
    Lyle resumed laughing.
    "Do you have any idea why Grey Corporation would even bother acquiring such a substantial load of mech parts under the table? Of everything they do, their military contracts are in other areas. So why?"
    "Fine. Why?"
    "Who would want Mech parts?"
    Lyle sighed. "A Mech unit."
    "The units based here wouldn’t need to buy stolen parts, would they?"
    Lyle shrugged. “The Authority doesn’t bother providing sufficient basic needs for most of the people out here, so failing to supply its own military isn’t too much of a stretch.”
    Neither agent reacted to the comment
    Lyle thought for a moment. Where was this leading? Other Mech units...
    “The rogues in the Outer Rim,” Lyle said, finally.
    "More specifically, the 501st Mech Battalion."
    Lyle went wide-eyed. He knew the 501st to be the largest of the rogue Mech Corps units that defected at the start of the war. They started a wave of defections of most of the other smaller units that were based in the Outer Rim, effectively splitting the Mech Corps in two. It made a war over a difference in