OMEGA Exile (5 page)

I stopped. "I have an idea. Go on up and keep Raptor company. I will see what I can do."

I made my way out of Bay-17 and was suddenly confronted by Paq Wendell. "Where you headed, Knog?"

"I’m heading down to Deck-97 to the salvage yards. I have a friend down there that I want to say hey to."

The Captain replied, "Would that be Ogu? The guy you were having lunch with yesterday?"

I nodded.

The Captain sighed. "Well, try to keep it brief. I don’t like Miss Salton being on that ship alone."

I again nodded as I proceeded past the Captain on my way. When I arrived at the salvage yard, I went straight to Ogu.

After a quick greet, I got down to business. "I need a sensor to sweep the
Daunte
with. My new trainee comes with bugs. The Saltons really look after their own, and while that is fine from a security standpoint, both of us would like some privacy. I need something to sweep the ship with that will tell me if we have a dead zone."

Ogu smiled. "I can do you one better. I have a detector for you to use, but I also have a scrambler that will mask either audio or ionics in an area from two meters up to ten meters in diameter."

We walked toward a storage area as Ogu continued: "I would suggest you do the sweep of the ship and find a spot with the lowest sensor detection. Set this scrambler to the minimum setting at that location only when you want to have that private conversation. It is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand or a pocket. When your conversation is done, just turn it off. If those listening on the other end determine something is wrong and come to check the ship, they will find everything working as normal. Just don’t let them catch you with it."

I nodded. "That sounds doable. All I have to do with the scrambler is give it to my trainee. They won’t be searching her, and I’m certain she would use the device judiciously. I’ll need something else to take back with me in case they come questioning you as to what I purchased. Maybe a lumbar support for my chair. I tend to slouch, and that might actually be helpful."

Ogu laughed. "One lumbar cushion coming up. I have a size that will fit the chair of the
Daunte
well. That ship may be new, but the pilot’s chair is a standard model that has been in use for about fifteen years. I have a number of those supports."

I grabbed Ogu by his shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze. "Write it up as a normal sale so we have a record. I want this to look like I was just here as a customer."

Ogu replied, "I will lock away the few items I have that might not sit well with the authorities should they come searching."

I transferred the eighteen credits. "Sorry, I didn’t intend to bring in heat on you."

Ogu laughed again . "Don’t worry about it. If they come, it won’t be the first time. I have a good system in place to deal with it just in case."

I thanked Ogu and headed back to the
Daunte
. As I approached Bay-17, Paq Wendell was again waiting for me.

Paq said, "That didn’t take long."

I held out the lumbar support. "I’ve been wanting one of these for some time. One of those things you don’t think about when you aren’t in the chair."

I stopped. "Captain, is everything OK?"

The Captain held up his hand. "This whole thing has me nervous, that’s all. I can’t say I like all the attention from the higher-ups. The Chief has been leaning on me hard to keep a close eye on things."

I patted the Captain on the back. "She’s a smart girl, Captain. So long as she sticks with me, she will be fine. I’m not one for sticking my neck out there too far."

Paq Wendell took half a step back. "You? I know you don’t go charging into trouble, but you have certainly found enough of it over the years. Those stars don’t come to inspectors who don’t poke their nose deep into the business of others. Keep her out of those situations, Knog. We can’t afford the problems that will come if there is an incident of any sort."

I nodded as I turned to finish my walk to the ship. "She’s in good hands, Captain. Go back to your desk and get some work done."

Joni was waiting hen I reached the top of the
Daunte
’s ramp-way. Before she could speak, I raised my finger over my mouth. I pulled the signal detector from my pouch and handed it to her. She smiled and immediately got to work with her sweep. In fifteen short minutes, she had identified four listening devices and a weak signal zone by the galley oven.

I pulled out the scrambler, turned on the oven, and flipped the scrambler to its minimum setting. "This will be our spot if we need to discuss anything in private. Turn on the oven and then this device. It will give us a couple of meters of talk area. You keep both of these, and if asked, you did not get them from me."

Joni nodded. "Oh, I will keep them secure. Security doesn’t go into my bags for anything."

Joni then stepped up on her toes and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. I was not expecting it, and if the tough gray skin on my cheeks could have blushed, I would have.

Joni stepped back and smiled. "We have four bugs on this boat, aside from any official comm channels they are watching. I won’t ask where you got these from, and I won’t divulge that, should I be asked. Now, let’s get a new inspection scheduled so we aren’t just sitting here."

I brought up the scheduling list on the holo-display. A small freighter carrying fusion reactors for use in transportation vehicles was next on the list. We would not need to be in position for intercept for another seven hours. I posted a request and received an assignment to do a final check on a ship that was arriving at SS5 Bay-19.

The ship was carrying frozen produce and was requesting a portal transfer to the colony on Nars II. It was a private hauler under contract to the Motlin Corporation. After three hours of checking every possible hiding place for contraband, we gave a clean signal to the portal generation crew. Minutes after our leaving the ship, it was transported to the space around Nars for the delivery of its cargo. We returned to the
Daunte
to wait for our next assignment to begin.

The following week of inspections went off without a hitch. Joni Salton was thorough in her efforts. I only needed bring the occasional minor mistake to her attention. After an eight-hour inspection of a large ore carrier, we returned to SS5.

We landed in Bay-17. "Here we are, back at our own private docking bay."

Paq Wendell was waiting when the ramp-way lowered. On his third step up, he was confronted by Raptor looking down the stairs with an unnerving stare.

Wendell spoke quietly. "I don’t think that animal likes me."

Joni laughed. "He’s just protective, Captain. Is there anything you need?"

The Captain shook his head. "No, I just have some news I thought you might be interested in. They caught up to one of the Igari who attacked the guards in the hallway in front of Sam’s. He hasn’t divulged any names or the intent of the attack, but it’s only a matter of time. The Salton security force doing the interrogating will use brute force if they have to. It isn’t like the old laws of the AMP have to be followed anymore."

Joni had a dejected look on her face after the Captain left. "Whoever that is, they are going to be ripped apart. And that will likely go for everyone they know as well. I sometimes wonder if a lot of people would still be alive had I just stayed put in the family compound on Alpha Prime. It kind of weighs on your soul when you know people are being tortured in your name."

I placed my hand on Joni’s shoulder. "One should only bear the responsibility for one’s own actions. You have done nothing wrong and should not carry that burden. Have you spoken with the security force about this?"

Joni offered a half laugh. "They couldn’t care less about what I think. They are out here to protect me, and anyone who gets in their way will just get rolled over. I love my family, Knog, but they are not kind or fair or even the slightest bit remorseful for anything they do. They crave absolute power and will savage anyone who they believe to be a threat."

I replied, "In all fairness, the Igari who attacked were unprovoked. Those guards who died had families as well. While I may not agree with the methods your father’s people will use to investigate, I do believe those responsible should be brought in to stand trial. Lives have been lost."

After signaling Joni to move over by the oven, I turned on the scrambler. "Are you sure you should be talking about this with them listening?"

Joni looked toward the nearest bug. "This is about the only time they listen to me, Knog. Besides, they have heard me say that same thing a hundred times. You had a good response, and they won’t question you about it. I, on the other hand, need to be careful that I don’t elicit a response from you that they don’t like. You are the first real person I have been able to talk with in years. My friends in the academy, I always suspected they were plants."

I flipped the scrambler off. "Have a seat, and I’ll bring over a cup of coffee. We’ll look over the next assignment and review the ship design for possible contraband locations."

Joni smiled and moved over to the copilot’s chair. After several hours of study, our next scheduled inspection was due. It was a medium-sized ore carrier that came with a destroyer escort. The carrier was too big for portal transfer, and the cargo too valuable to ship without a destroyer tagging along.

"What’s so valuable about cesium ore that it has to have a military escort?" Joni asked.

"Cesium runs all the generators in the Alliance. Without it, there wouldn’t be any portals, and the propulsion systems on these ships would be very limited. I had an engineer once tell me that the run from the station out to Omirus colony would take nineteen months instead of the two days it takes us now. This whole alliance runs on cesium."

Joni leaned back in her chair. "Where does all the cesium come from?"

I pulled up a star system diagram on the holo-display. "This is the only place I know of directly. A planet in the Holloway system. It has a molten core that is largely made up of cesium. I know there are other sources out there; this one is the closest to the Alpha sector."

Joni looked over the diagram. "If cesium is our main power source, I would think you would want more than a single warship guarding it."

I replied, "Other than the Alliance military, there are no other militarized ships in the five galaxies of the New Alliance. You hear about the occasional pirate raid, but even they would have difficulty with taking an ore ship of that size. Pirate activity is mostly limited to the small transport out in deep space, where they can get in and out quickly. It generally doesn’t pay much, so it is a rare occurrence. And pirate hostility like that is dealt with quickly. SS5 has five ships like this.

"Ship traffic is more prevalent in the outer colonies than here. You can travel on foot to any of the planets, colonies, or stations through the portals, but if you want to leave civilization, you have to have a ship. You know, most people live their entire lives without ever boarding a ship."

Joni nodded. "I guess I never really thought about that. I have been so many places, through portals and on ships, that it never occurred to me that most people don’t even travel."

I continued, "I believe that most species, other than Humans, prefer a simple life where they get up every day and perform the same activities. We all have limited time in our lives; most prefer that time to be safe and secure, filled with familiar activities and events. Humans, on the other hand, are one of the few species who often seek adventure."

Joni looked over at me. "How about you? Are you an adventure seeker?"

"For a Grunta, I am. Our people prefer the familiar life. A life hat is quiet and full of repetition. I found that while I do not have an outgoing personality, I do enjoy interaction with others. I suppose that is as adventurous as I get."

Joni poked at my arm. "So you’re saying you’ve never thought about venturing out to do some exploring? There are a lot of places to see out there in the Alliance. When I was young, my father would take us on the occasional treasure hunt to a faraway world. It’s one of my favorite memories, before everything got so political."

I replied, "I chose the inspection service with the idea that I would get my adventures by meeting people from other species and other worlds. One of my favorite encounters was with a Gursen captain and his crew. The Gursen are the only species I have met from the Andromeda galaxy. Their movements about the ship were extremely slow and quite frustrating, but they were great conversationalists and kept me well entertained during my three-day inspection."

Joni laughed. "Three days! Now see, that is something I would enjoy as well. As far as galaxy meets go, I have talked with other Humans from the Milky Way and from the Saw Blade. Of late, the families have really closed off intergalaxy travel. I could see a time when those portals are shut down altogether. There is only a single portal going to each."

I pulled up another diagram. "SS6 has the portal from here to Andromeda. They say the power it takes to keep the portal open is twice what most planets consume and one hundred times more than most colonies. A large part of SS6 is rumored to be nothing but generators."

Joni pulled up a diagram of the portal station on SS6. "One thing I find fascinating is the history of the portals. It was Humans that built all of these two thousand years ago. Shortly thereafter, the secrets of just how they work and how to construct them were hidden away. They built this fantastic transportation system and then locked away how they did it. My uncle has been obsessed with finding out how they work. I think he has big plans for them should his people ever figure it out."

I replied, "That power usage is also why we only sweep small ships like this one through portals. This cesium ore hauler that we will be looking over... that has enough ore to keep SS5 running at its current level for three years. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if the cesium stopped."

Joni cringed. "Now that’s a scary thought."

The inspection time was soon upon us, and the
Daunte
was swept out to a location in the path of the ore ship.

As the
Jasmire
slowed to a stop, I raised her captain on the comm. "This is Detective Beutcher with the SS5 security force. Please open your gravity wall for a boarding and standard security inspection and search."

A voice responded, "This is the
Jasmire
. You are free to dock, Mr. Beutcher. We look forward to the inspection. Administrator Duggar will be waiting on deck with the manifest logs. We only haul one item, so the inspection should be an in and out for you."

I replied as I approached the docking bay, "Thank you,
Jasmire
, we will attempt to get you back on your way as soon as possible."

When the ramp-way had finished lowering, we stood. "Joni, from here on, it is your inspection. Would you like me to follow along or wait here with Raptor?"

Joni smiled. "I would prefer if you came along. You keep me on my toes, and besides, I enjoy the banter you sometimes strike up with the administrators. I love the way you phrase your questions. The responses you get are priceless."

I nodded as we walked down the steps. "I find I can tell a lot about the individual if I ask questions they are not expecting. If you get back an immediate answer, it is probably rehearsed and they have something to hide. I like the confused look: that is a sign that you are off base with any suspicions. Facial expressions can give you information that doesn’t get returned in an answer. Ask the administrator when the last time it was that his manifest tally didn’t match his cargo. If he’s never had an issue, he may be slow to answer. If he has been skimming, he may come back with an indignant reaction."

As we stepped out onto the deck, the administrator was waiting. "Hello, Mr. Beutcher. I am Thaz Couberg. I have the logs here for your review."

Joni stepped forward. "Mr. Couberg, Inspector Salton. I will be conducting the inspection today."

Joni loaded the logs. "Sixty million metric tons. Interesting."

The administrator gave no reaction.

"Mr. Couberg, have you ever had an instance where the manifest did not match your cargo?"

Thaz Couberg was silent for several seconds before answering. "I do not recall ever having an incident as such, Inspector. Has that been an issue with cesium ore? There is not much use for it expect for power stations."

Joni nodded. "Have you ever been arrested, Mr. Couberg?"

The administrator was stoic with his response. "I have not."

Joni pulled me to the side. "I didn’t get anything out of him, Knog. What am I doing wrong?"

I shook my head. "The art of eliciting a telling response is something that will take you years to develop. It is not a simple question and answer. It takes finesse with the timing of the delivery, and with your body language and voice inflections. Observe."

I spoke. "Mr. Couberg, have you ever been to the Andromeda galaxy? I understand there is a large black market for cesium there."

The administrator stopped, tilting his head to one side. "Cesium? Who would buy it? It’s expensive to transport, with all the shielding the hauler has to provide. And it’s too easy to detect it in large quantities. I would think if you wanted to smuggle something, there are a lot of things that are in bigger demand than cesium. Is that becoming a problem?"

I shook my head. "Merely a conversation starter, Mr. Couberg. I enjoy hearing what transport crews have to say, as I believe they have the pulse of the alliance."

The administrator began to spill his guts on items he had seen smuggled. "As a directly flagged Motlin ship, the captain and crew dare not smuggle anything of value. Causing embarrassment to the corporation would earn you an immediate firing and a retroactive pay recovery in an attempt for the company to recoup any losses the transgression may cause. The Motlin crews are paid well, and few would risk an infraction."

As we worked our way through the outer holds, Joni asked for radiation suits so that we could perform a full cargo inspection. The administrator gave a concerned response, which brought Joni to attention.

Joni spoke. "Is there something we shouldn’t see in the holds, Mr. Couberg?"

The Human administrator shook his head. "As a fellow Human, I just can’t see why you would have an interest in going in there. You do know cesium is dangerous in this particular ore form. It has been processed into cesium-137 salts, which are quite harmful to living things."

Joni replied, "Thanks for your concern, but I would like to do the inspection just the same."

The administrator nodded. "We have suits over here. Let me notify the captain of this request. He will want to be present for it. Pull the suit on and zip it up. I will have one of my crew check it. Mr. Beutcher, would you like to inspect as well?"

I held up my hand. "No thank you, Mr. Couberg. I would ask that you have your crewman do a thorough check of the seal. I am responsible for my trainee’s safety and would appreciate any extra effort on your part to ensure that safety."

Couberg nodded. "I will assist in the check, Mr. Beutcher. She will be secure."

With the suit on and tested, Joni was directed to the door that led to a decontamination room before entering the cargo holds. Once through, she began to inspect the cesium salts that were stacked on pallets of sealed containers.

The captain, Holland Juvis, an Igari, joined us.

Joni spoke over the comm. "You run a tight ship, Captain. I’m not picking up much, if any, leakage from these containers. Very little."

The captain replied, "I do my best, Detective. My crew and I have been working together for many years—"

The nav officer came over the comm as a rumble could be felt throughout the ore ship. "Captain! Ships are attacking our escort! Ion beams are firing from multiple directions!"

The captain turned and ran toward the bridge.

I headed for the
Daunte
. "Joni, we are under some type of attack. Stay put in that hold until I tell you to do otherwise. If I can find a way out, I will call you!"