OMEGA Exile (15 page)

After shutting down the heating system to preserve the remains, I moved back through the air lock into free space. The blood and guts that adorned my chest were quickly frozen solid. I banged my fist on my chest plating several times and watched quietly as the frozen remains popped free and slowly floated away.

The old Igari’s body would be dissected by the medical teams back on the station, looking for any clue as to where he had been or where he was going. I thought it fitting that my fellow detective, no matter what his current occupation had been, would at least have a small part of him that remained in space, drifting between the stars that he at one time had guarded from criminal behavior. I looked back and nodded farewell as I moved up the ramp-way and through the gravity wall.

"What happened over there?" asked Joni.

I walked into the cockpit and sat down in my chair. "There was one passenger aboard, an old Igari. He took his life before I could get anything out of him."

An alarm sounded on Joni’s display. "What is that?"

Joni replied, "The interior of that ship just got roasted with a firebomb. I don’t think there will be much for us to pull back to the station anymore."

Joni looked up. "You look kind of shook up. Did the Igari say anything at all?"

I pulled up my holo-display with an image of the dark, floating ship beside us. "He congratulated me on my fourth star and then asked to touch it."

"That’s weird. He wanted to touch your stars?"

I nodded, still in disbelief. "Yeah, and then he blew his own head off. I tapped off his frozen remains outside before coming back aboard. He said that all was lost here and that his time had come. He also said they had already gotten to me."

Joni replied, "Who has already gotten to you? It sounds like the guy had already lost it himself."

I looked at Joni. "He wasn’t nervous about being caught. He was calm and collected, very lucid in what he was saying. It has me thinking about what it is that we are doing out here. As detectives, what is one of the first things we learn to do before going out and looking for criminals? We learn the rules, of course, but we also learn all we can about those we are hunting. We know their reasons for what they are doing, we know where they like to hide, and we have a good sense of who it is we are chasing."

Joni replied, "Are you saying you think we need to know more about the Free Alliance?"

I nodded. "Yes. Who the main players are, where they can be found in concentration, who is sympathetic to their cause. If we are out here trying to catch them, or at least stop them from disrupting the war effort, we should learn everything we can about them."

Joni sat back in her chair. "Know thine enemy. I’ve heard my uncle say that a hundred times."

"Precisely. When we return, I’m going to ask to be fully briefed on the Free Alliance. Had we known who we might be chasing, I might have prevented his suicide. We would have a high-value rebel in our custody right now. Instead we are just pulling his ashes back with us."

The ride back to the Jergens was quiet. We dropped the small flier back in the freighter’s hold and attached the tether to the much-larger ship. Our progress would be slow. The normally eighteen-hour trip to the nearby SS29 would take three days pulling the freighter.

When we arrived, we were met by two ships that belonged to the Zed Corporation. The tow of the freighter would be logged as a rescue of a stranded ship. We heard nothing further about the freighter’s crew, the Free Alliance rebel, or how he had come to be where he was. We were told that our mission wasn’t to question why things happened as they did, but to act on the information we had been given. It was not the normal process for a detective to follow. I was beginning to feel more like a pawn than a patriot. If we wanted answers, Joni and I would have to dig deeper on our own.

With the capture and death of one of the Alpha sector’s most wanted, Joni and I were again given a three-day break. Portal travel to and from SS5 had been restored, and we soon found ourselves stepping through a portal on Balimus II. It was then a twenty-minute ride on a pair of rented helocycles out to my home. I settled into the Beutcher family farm and smiled as I looked around at the full and thriving livestock pens.

Joni dismounted and looked around. "Wow, you have a nice farm going here. When you said
farm
before, I thought you would just have a couple of fields of crops."

I replied, "My wife is very driven and industrious. That Gallig pen is new and I see it is full. She must be preparing to move them to market. They look healthy and fat."

As I walked toward our den, the word of my arrival got out and a herd of little Gruntas came pouring from the doorway. I was soon covered in Grunta youth, the last of which knocked me backward onto the ground. Joni giggled at the sight of all the wiggling, nubby tails, and then scowled as the little Grunta began licking. To me it was pure joy. There was nothing like the welcoming one received after a long time away from home.

When the excitement of the welcome had died down, I rose and brushed the dust from my back. My wife was standing in the doorway. We soon joined foreheads, and my wife began to make that soft cooing sound that always filled my thoughts while I was away. Joni’s smile over the cute and loving connection soon turned to shock as my wife began to savagely pound me on the chest and shoulders with her fists. It was the final sequence of the welcome-home process. Although bruised from the episode, I could not have been happier.

I said, "I see you added Galligs while I was away. They appear to be doing well."

Getta Beutcher smiled. "Yes. I used the pay increase from your promotion to invest in a Gallig sow who was expecting. Your children have done an excellent job of tending to their every need. They should be going to market soon, and Gallig is selling at a premium right now. With the struggling economy, people are shopping for the lesser meats. With the proceeds from the sale, I should be able to expand our small herd to a second breeding pen. Although, I have had thoughts of purchasing a breeding pair of Dillets instead. The market for those is strong as well."

Joni looked around. "You have quite the farm here, Knog. You must be proud."

I nodded. "I am proud of Getta and the little ones. This is all their doing. My income has gone toward paying for our land. Getta is responsible for all of what you see here. It is a much different culture than that of Humans. Our women are strong, much like you, Joni Salton. Grunta men are not so driven. If our livelihoods were left entirely up to us, I’m afraid we might all starve."

Getta smiled. "Grunta men are not good decision makers. Knog is an exception. Most have no ambition or direction unless they have a strong woman behind them. Those are the Grunta who thrive and prosper."

I replied, "It is true. In our history books, before the AMP or the New Alliance, they talk of our women as great warriors. We were a species that was in the great War of Wars before the Humans freed us all. Our ancestors settled here on Balimus II and have lived in peace and prosperity ever since. Our numbers at the end of the war were only in the hundreds of thousands. We now approach three hundred million. All because of our strong women."

Our trip to Balimus soon came to an end. After several portal jumps, we found ourselves back on the
Daunte
, waiting for a new mission.

Gretchin came over the comm. "I take it the trip went well?"

Joni replied, "Knog’s family is wonderful. They were all well behaved and well spoken, and even had a good sense of humor. I was glad I got to meet them."

Gretchin smiled. "It sounds like you had a good time. This morning, however, it’s back to work for us. You two did well on your last mission. We were sure the rebel security officer was moving through that area, we just didn’t know how. Now for our next mission. We believe a similar situation is happening in and around Zanus I. You will be swept over to SS6, after which you will make your way out to the Zanus system to observe. You may be out there for a month, so I again took the liberty of ordering supplies. I take it that the last stocking was adequate?"

Joni replied, "We have been eating well, Gretchin. Thank you. When do we leave?"

Gretchin sent over the mission data. "You may ask for the portal jump as soon as you have your supplies aboard. I would expect that to happen at any time now."

I said, "Can you give us any more info on what it is we are looking for? Send us some data on the Free Alliance. If we can study up on them, it will be a lot easier for us to recognize behavior that would fit what we would expect. At the moment, we really don’t know anything about this movement other than what they call themselves."

Gretchin was quiet for a moment. "I will turn in that request for you, Mr. Beutcher, but for now, we will just have to use what little information we have available to us."

The supplies arrived and were stocked. Joni coordinated our portal sweep out to SS6. As we mapped out our observation plan for the Zanus system, a thought came into my mind.

"I think we should go aboard the station before heading out to Zanus."

Joni replied, "That wasn’t in the mission plan."

I nodded. "You are right, it wasn’t. However, we have been given latitude to use our discretion, and part of our mission here is to sniff out the Free Alliance rebels. I haven’t told this to anyone, but the rebel who killed himself was a three-star detective on this station. I think we should poke around and see what we can find out about him."

Joni replied, "If they find out you left out that
huge
piece of information, they are going to be livid."

I nodded. "Well, now you know as well. Should we try to use it to gain knowledge about the Free Alliance, or should we just call it in and let the organization handle it?"

Joni shook her head. "They aren’t telling us anything, so I think we should reciprocate. Besides, it might be kind of fun to do some real detective legwork."

I furrowed my brow as we walked down the
Daunte
’s ramp-way. "Real detective legwork? What do you mean by that?"

Joni rolled her eyes. "OK, maybe that wasn’t the best use of words.
Real detective
as in traditional sense of a detective, not that we aren’t real detectives. I wasn’t trying to—"

I held up my hand. "Relax. I was joking with you. I know what you meant."

Joni shook her head. "You really need to work on that dry sense of humor. I have a hard time telling when you are serious and when you are just jerking me around."

I replied, "I will take that thought under advisement."

We left the docking bay and headed to the nearest commercial section of the ship. I wore my uniform, while Joni walked beside me in civilian dress. When we reached an area of restaurants and bars, we split up with a goal of meeting back there in two hours.

I walked into a bar and grill restaurant and sat down at the bar.

The Human bartender took my order. "What can I get for you?"

I replied, "Frozen fruit twist, please."

The bartender looked at me suspiciously. "OK, you know that has alcohol in it, though, right?"

I nodded. "I am familiar with it."

The bartender turned around to fill the order as he looked over his shoulder. "You’re a Grunta, right?"

"I am."

After blending several frozen fruits, the bartender turned back around with the frozen pink drink. "Here you go. Not that it’s any of my business, but that doesn’t seem like something a Grunta would drink."

I picked up the tall glass, and with two chugs the frozen concoction was gone. "I’ll have another, please."

The bartender held up his hand. "Even though those look harmless, they are heavy on the liquor. You might want to pace yourself."

I half smiled. "Alcohol doesn’t affect Grunta. I drink because I like the frozen feeling in my gullet."

The bartender nodded his head. "That would explain why we rarely see any Grunta at the bar. Not that there are many of you around anyway, but I would have pegged you as drinkers."

I looked down the bar at an Igari who was having one too many. I changed stools and sat beside him.

After watching him chug two shots and half a beer, I said, "Looks like you have something on your mind."

The Igari looked up. "My job is crap and my wife is leaving me."

I replied, "OK, that sounds like you have reason to be upset. Is it from the economy?"

The Igari nodded his head. "The economy is crap, my job is crap, and my wife is leaving me."

The Igari looked back up at me. "Four stars. You don’t see many cops with those."

I replied, "Well, I’m not really a cop. I’m an inspection detective. You know, I check ships for people smuggling stuff."

The Igari ordered another round. "Smugglers. How’s that working out for you?"

I laughed. "Business is good, which means my job is crap. With this economy, everyone is wanting to sneak things around without paying their taxes on it. It used to be a cushy job, but now it is all work."

The Igari held up a shot. "Your job is crap!"

He turned up the small glass, downing the syrupy alcoholic mix inside it. "My job is crap too. Did I tell you my wife left me?"

I nodded. "You did. That’s crap."

The Igari smiled. "Hey, I like you. For a cop, you aren’t so bad."

Before I could speak, the Igari fell off his stool, passed out on the floor.

The bartender came around from behind the bar. "He is in here every week, and every week he falls off that stool. I want to refuse him service, but the owners won’t let me. They say they need the money and it’s not their place to stop him from something he obviously wants to do. Can I get a hand from you? I want to put him in that booth over there."

I stood and picked the Igari up by the waist. Four steps later, I had him deposited in the booth the bartender had indicated. The Igari was dead to the world.

I sat back on my stool at the bar. "So, he’s a regular. What kind of job does he have that he hates so much?"

The bartender laughed as he slung his rag across the bar. "He’s a civil servant. He gives out business licenses. With taxes the way they are, everyone gives him grief when they find out what they have to pay. He says it’s one of those thankless jobs where everyone hates him because he is the one who has to collect. I think there is a little of that and a little of him just not liking people."

I replied, "I can’t say I am viewed as being popular with the public either. Either I’m holding someone up from getting to where they want to go or I’m locking them up for transporting illegal contraband."

The bartender smiled. "Sounds like you have a crappy job."

I shook my head just before chugging another frozen fruit twist. "No, I actually love my job. I’m just not very popular with the people."

The bartender laughed and served up a drink to another patron before returning. "Another?"

I held up my hand. "Don’t want to get brain freeze. Say, you ever have anyone hanging out that is fed up with the New Alliance? I know I have all these stars on my shoulder, but that doesn’t mean I like all the politicos who are now running our government."

The bartender shook his head. "I try to stay out of all that. Not good for business, if you know what I mean. People fall on one side of that or the other, very few in the middle."

I nodded as I held out my credit store for payment. After leaving a decent tip, I stood to move to the next watering hole. The bartender leaned forward on the bar. "If you are looking for the rabble-rouser crowd, you might check out the Gaxos Lounge. Go down four hallways and make a right. You can’t miss it."

I nodded my thanks as I left the restaurant. After a short walk, I found myself in the Gaxos. Igari music was blaring, and a lively crowd of Igari men and women were packed around one end of the bar. I sat on a stool as close to them as I could without crowding their space. The four stars on my uniform quieted things down.

I ordered another frozen twist, and when the bartender placed it in front of me and I chugged it down, the group of young Igaris burst into laughter. I ordered another round.

A thin Igari male then stepped up beside me, obviously trying to impress the females that were with the group. "I don’t get you. Two meters tall and built like a Borak, and you are slamming frozen drinks. Something doesn’t fit."

I smiled. "Gruntas like frozen drinks. I just got a bonus at work. Bartender, give them a round of whatever they are having."

The bartender looked at the Igari standing next to me, who nodded.

The Igari said, "What’s your name, and what are all those stars on your shoulder? You don’t look like a cop."

I shook my head. "No, no cop. Just a ship inspector. I try to catch smugglers. It’s a thankless job, and I sometimes wonder why I do it. My bosses are all political now. I’ve been thinking of retiring."

The Igari held out his hand. "Rolta, Fex Rolta’s my name. I think you’ll find a lot of like-minded people here when it comes to politics."

I downed my second round to smiles and laughter. "I used to have a great job. Now, with all the politics and new taxes, people are doing things they have never done before. It seems with this crappy economy, everyone is a smuggler. Sometimes I just want to wave them on through and skip writing all the reports. Most of them aren’t real crooks. They are people just trying to get by."

Fex smacked me on the shoulder. "I hear you, brother. Two of my friends here, just out of university, and they can’t find a job better than a retail clerk. We have been circulating petitions asking the governor to ease up. So far, it hasn’t helped."

I replied, "Yeah, there are a lot of unhappy people out there. I don’t think the decision making at the top is helping anything. The media tries to paint a bright picture, but word on the street says otherwise. I just wish there was something I could do."

I was laying it on thick, and the young Igari was eating it up. I wasn’t one to deceive others, but there was a revolution in the works, and I needed insight as to who was behind it. After an hour of making friends with the group, I decided it was time to go check on Joni.