First Watch: A Watcher Bay Adventure (17 page)



CHAPTER 1: DOWNS AND UPS

Outpost Security Head Quarters-Office of Constable James Paladini

1 hour to Impact

Down, and up.
“
Ninety-nine,
”
Paladini exhailed through his teeth as he rose from his squat.

Down and up,
“
One Hundred.
”

Finished with his afternoon calisthenics, Constable James Paladini moved from the corner of his spacious but sparsely furnished office to the wall with it
’
s locked cabinet full of heavy bolters. He removed his saber from his belt and placed it carefully back on the display mount where it stayed whenever he sat behind his desk.

Paladini didn
’
t remove any of the rest of his charcoal-colored, ballistic security armor. Even back on New Eden he
’
d have warn full armor and his saber when working out, in order to remain accustomed to the weight and feel of it, but Paladini always wore full battle dress instead of his officer
’
s uniform since coming to Tenebra. It started with wariness at the remote mining planet
’
s reputation for disregarding law and order and now, in the middle of his second tour he kept doing it to compensate for the lower gravity. It also helped seal his reputation.

Paladini moved his chair aside and leaned forward, bracing his six foot five inch frame on his compudesk. Before him lay a digital mountain of reports. Each line on the screen built into the desk represented a file he needed to review and sign off on, or worse, fill out personally. The screen contained only what had come in today, so Paladini gestured over the screen to reprioritized the most urgent files to the top. The screen filled with lines highlighted in red, some with exclamation points after their titles and some blinking angrily.

Paladini grimaced and fumbled blindly for his chair so he could begin work, but was interrupted by a chime at his door. He glanced up from the paperwork he promised himself he
’
d finish and identified the outline of his Executive Officer through the frosted plaz-steel of his office door by his slender build and textbook straight stance.

The outgoing Constable, who left in disgrace, warned Paladini that Declyn was somehow responsible for his demise.

“
I can
’
t prove it,
”
warned the former Constable,
“
but I know he screwed me over.
”

Despite that, Paladini liked the young XO he
’
d inherited. Lieutenant Declyn boasted a record setting eight tours with Outpost station, Tenebra, and so far, was the only other security officer, besidesPaladini, with good posture and regard for doing things by the book.

Paladini hoped to any god who
’
d listen that he would not be here another six tours, the nine New Eden months he
’
d been here already grated on him like bad boots. He suppressed a shutter and gestured for the front door to open.

The doors slid silently to the side and Paladini took in the appearance of his executive office as he entered and stood at parade rest.

Lt. Declyn
’
s short, normally spiky hair swept back in an uncharacteristic manor, and a nano-band held a cut on his forehead shut while tiny nanites worked to close the wound.

“
I take it he resisted,
”
said Paladini, by way of acknowledgement.

“
He did, sir,
”
replied Declyn.
“
You
’
d think six-to-one odds would have convinced even a Dwarf to come quietly. I guess some people never heard about living to fight another day.
”

Darvin Splicers came from Ardesco, the mining planet closest to the sun, and had been genetically modified to withstand heavy gravity. Many people called them Dwarves since their short, muscular bodies resembled a mythical people from old Earth.

Paladini glanced down at the compudesk screen loaded with busywork. He
’
d trained alongside a few Darvin Splicers who left mining and joined the New Eden security patrol. Once you got past their obstinate nature they made loyal companions.

Without looking up Paladini nodded,
“
I
’
m surprised you didn
’
t take any of the AI security bots?
”

“
I took three,
”
said Declyn.
“
He used the first one to club the other two to bits.
”

“
Well,
”
Paladini opened a file marked urgent,
“
be sure to add resisting arrest to Sargent Clark
’
s charges.
”

“
But that along with selling Stim makes him eligible for 10 years at the super max.
”
Declyn looked a bit dismayed.

Paladini could understand Declyn
’
s concern for the Dwarf, but rules were rules.
“
I realize that Stim is a relatively harmless bio enhancer, but it
’
s potentially habit forming, and therefore controlled, and therefore we execute that control.
”

Paladini went back to his paperwork.
“
Besides, he
’
s clearly dangerous.
”

“
If we hadn
’
t gone to arrest him for the Stim, he wouldn
’
t have resisted.
”
Declyn fingered the black
“
V
”
-shaped smart viewers stuck to his skin near the corner of his eyes.

Paladini caught the motion.
“
Those decorative sun shades aren
’
t exactly regulation.
”

“
They
’
re more than sun shades, sir,
”
Declyn defended.
“
The field they project also corrects my astigmatism. They
’
re a medical modification allowable under the uniform code of uniform dress.
”

When Paladini harrumphed at the technicality, Declyn steered the conversation back to business and away from his flair for fashion.
“
The Dwarf, Clark, put three of our personnel in the medeco bay, and Harwong and Mancini are on long patrol still.
”

“
We
’
re technically understaffed.
”
Paladini tapped the signature line on the electronic document open on his virtual desktop, then with a flip on his hand, closed the document and opened another.
“
We only have four hours left in this shift. If nothing major happens we should be fine. I can
’
t call anyone back from liberty early because most of them are due in on the next lifter from New Eden.
”

Declyn nodded and threw one last item onto Paladini
’
s already overburdened plate.
“
The crime prediction software finally produced a name. Some old scientist named Marlin. Do you want me to sit on it until next shift or take the rest of the duty officers to collect him?
”

Paladini looked up and considered the dilemma.
“
Where is he now?
”

“
A club in the the Dark Quarters.
”

Paladini inclined his head a few millimeters then quickly announced his decision.
“
Negative. Maintain high visibility of all available personnel. I will personally go retrieve this Marlin character and see to his re-education.
”

“
Alone?
”

Paladini waved off his subordinate
’
s concern.
“
I should be able to handle one old man.
”

As Declyn left the office, Paladini gestured over his desktop, sweeping the rest of the files into an auto-save folder where he
’
d find them the next time he got a chance. He was chronically behind on paperwork and needed to catch up before it affected his performance scores. On the other hand, he
’
d fought hard to be a testing location for the crime prediction software. He couldn
’
t lose his spot without a fight. The paperwork would have to wait.

Chapter 1