OMEGA Exile (17 page)

I turned to face Maxin.

Maxin spoke. "If that is OK with you, that is. I have a spare room at the house, and my wife wouldn’t mind."

A waiter approached our table with a look of apprehension. "Can I get anyone drinks over here? Something to eat?"

I asked, "Do you have any frozen fruit drinks?"

The waiter slowly nodded. "We have one that is Human coconut flavored that we call the Tropica Treat, and another that is made with red and white Hassa berries that we call a Fruity Face."

I replied, "I will have a Fruity Face, then. I like Hassa berries."

The four Igari at the table and the Igari waiter looked on in stunned silence.

Maxin slapped me on the shoulder and laughed. "Who knew Gruntas had such a sense of humor!"

The rest of the table erupted in laughter. When the others had settled down and given their drink orders, the waiter pointed at me and then at the drink menu. I again asked for the Fruity Face. The table again erupted in laughter.

When the Igaris had quieted to a level where I could talk, I repeated my order. "One Fruity Face, please."

The waiter turned and headed to the bar with a story for the bartender. I turned back toward the Igari, and the table quieted.

Maxin spoke. "This is Mira, she runs our scheduling desk. This is Beega. He is a patrol pilot like I am. And this one, with the big head, this is Gubba. Gubba runs a small import/export business."

Gubba said, "If you want an ion amplifier for almost any appliance, I can get it."

I replied, "Ion amplifiers—you mean like the ones that are supposed to increase the efficiency of your kitchen appliances? I have seen advertisements for those on SS5."

Gubba nodded. "Those are probably coming from my competitors. They have a huge markup on them because they go through several middlemen."

Maxin pointed at Gubba. "Gubba has connections right on Orwall."

I spoke to Gubba. "Any idea why the Owallians are here? They have the portals tied up so I can’t get home."

Gubba leaned in. "You know they make the ion amplifiers for all five galaxies, right? It has made them extremely wealthy. I think they are negotiating with someone to buy all their production for the coming year. It has me very worried that my source will dry up. Amplifiers are 60 percent of my business. Of course, I am hoping that is just rumor, but my source is on Orwall."

I thought for a moment. "Surely there is enough supply already out there that it would not matter much. It’s not like we are at war or something."

Gubba again leaned in. "We may not be at war now, but I believe one is coming. There is too much activity in the black markets, and too many rumors flying around. I heard an entire security station was taken over in Andromeda. Word out of there has been muted lately. I don’t know, I wonder if the New Alliance is coming apart. I don’t think most would be upset about that."

Maxin said, "If that were to happen, it would be utter chaos. The power grabs by the different political parties would bring many colonies to war. I prefer to have a central government. I just wish it wasn’t all-powerful. It just makes corruption that much more likely."

Mira added her thoughts. "At least the AMP was a loose central government. The planets or colonies mostly governed themselves, levied their own taxes, negotiated their own trade. I know my job used to be a lot easier."

Beega spoke. "They have us out on patrol almost every day, and shifts are longer. Mr. Beutcher, how are things on SS5?"

I replied, "I hear rumblings of people not being happy. And the smuggling of goods has picked up. Who would have been so bold a decade ago to destroy a security ship and kill a detective? Something like that just didn’t happen back then."

"I believe we are on the cusp of another revolution," said Gubba. "This one won’t be a quiet coup like the last one. I think it will be an all-out war to unseat those who are in power."

Gubba looked around nervously. "I shouldn’t be talking about this.
We
shouldn’t be talking about this. The families have spies everywhere, and such idle talk might be taken as the beginnings of a conspiracy."

I leaned in. "I am a government spy."

The group was silent for several seconds. I began to laugh and was soon accompanied by several other nervous chuckles.

I said, "I must apologize for that. Gruntas have a dry sense of humor. I was merely going for a laugh, and the joke obviously did not come across as such."

Gubba leaned back and wiped his forehead. "I shall have to remember that about Gruntas, Mr. Beutcher. My two hearts nearly both stopped at once!"

The banter at the table slowly picked back up as more rounds of alcoholic beverages were consumed. When the group broke up, the others departed with smiles on their faces. They had stories to tell to others about the Grunta they were friends with. Maxin was a kind and friendly host during the remainder of my stay. No further information was gained about the Orwalls and who they were negotiating with, if that was what was going on at all.

When the portal gates were reopened, I made my way to the nearest security station and waited for a pickup by Joni. Once back at SS5, I filed a report that contained the information I had gathered.

Gretchin spoke over the comm. "Well, how was your first time out as an intel officer, Mr. Beutcher? That was a gutsy move with the lifepod. The higher-ups were impressed with your report."

I replied, "It wasn’t like I was at risk. In fact, the group of Igari that I connected with were very pleasant people. My cover story was tight, and the novelty of them being around a Grunta for the first time set them at ease with their talk. I don’t know that I would have such luck elsewhere."

Gretchin smiled. "I think you are a natural, Mr. Beutcher. If they perceive the likelihood of your being a spy as small, they will tell you much more than otherwise."

Joni asked, "Do you have any more outings scheduled for us like that one? I would love to give that a try."

Gretchin shook her head. "I don’t know if that will work for you, Miss Salton. Since Humans, your family, are in control of this sector, it may be difficult for a Human to gain the trust of others. Knog is an outsider, even though he works for the government. Gruntas are viewed as very independent, placing them above suspicion to some degree. We have another assignment scheduled for tomorrow. Take the remainder of the day and relax. You have both earned it."

The following day, Gretchin had our new orders. We would be making a trip out to the Orwall system to perform random inspections. I had to wonder if it was the Saltons’ way of telling the Orwallians to "watch it" or just that they were being watched. Either way, I didn’t much care for being stuck in the middle of a potentially political dispute. Politics on such a grand scale had a tendency to get people killed. I didn’t want to be one of them.

Joni spoke as we arrived in the system. "OK, let’s pick out a ship and get started. We have three to choose from. Two are outbound and one is inbound."

I replied, "Let’s start off with the inbound vessel. Chances are that it is returning from a delivery and is largely empty. Is it a freighter, ore hauler, or transport?"

Joni shook her head as the ship came into full view of our sensors. "It’s not any of those. It’s a destroyer. Why would a destroyer be out here?"

I pulled up the display. "It’s an escort. They must have a valuable cargo going out that needs protection. It could be a load of blaster amplifiers."

Joni gave me a concerned look. "Why would we send a single destroyer for that after seeing what pirates did with that cesium hauler? I would think that if it was blaster parts being shipped, we would have a more powerful escort."

I nodded. "They might not want to draw attention to it, or perhaps that destroyer is one of the newly upgraded ones."

"I think we need to see what is on the manifest of the ship it will be guarding. If it’s what we think it might be, then I think we should shadow them."

I replied, "It looks like they won’t be escorting either of the departing ships. Let’s pick out one of them for a search. We can follow after the destroyer when they leave."

We pulled alongside a small freighter and signaled an all-stop. The freighter complied, and we soon found ourselves standing in the docking bay. The manifest administrator came down from the bridge with a scowl on his face.

Balu Hossa, the administrator, said, "We just filed this with the port authorities. We have a tight schedule that we need to keep. What is the meaning of this inspection?"

The Orwalls were a short, stocky species who had a muscular build and a jet-black skin tone. Their eyes were constantly shifting, as they liked to be fully aware of their surroundings. As one of the first species to sign the AMP accords, they had been given the responsibility of ion amplifier production.

It was said that only a handful of Orwallians knew the actual secrets to their manufacture. Those individuals led lives that were watched every moment from the time they accepted the job until their deaths. It was a high honor to know, and after two thousand years of guarding the secrets of ion amplification, those secrets remained fully under the Orwallians’ control.

I transferred the ship’s manifest to my arm pad holo-display. "As I am sure you are aware, cooperation with random inspections is the law. The sooner you comply and answer questions, the sooner we can get you back en route to your destination. Let’s start in the back with Bay-6 and work our way forward. It looks like you have a load of food stores designated. I didn’t think Orwall was an exporter of agricultural product. I’m interested to see what it is."

Balu replied, "It’s Bakka root. Some worlds treasure it as a spice. It has been growing in popularity in the past few years. Personally, I think it has a disgusting taste, but some people obviously disagree."

As we entered the storage bay, I selected a container for a scan. "I would think farming would be beneath most Orwallians. You have a lock on ion amplifiers. Why would you need to be selling anything else?"

Balu huffed. "Until recently, we didn’t have to. Our trade was robust and our product always in demand. The Saltons have been seriously restricting trade of late, and with the new tax structure we are struggling. For centuries we have been an importer of foods and consumer goods. With trade restrictions and new taxes, the prices of those products have gone up threefold. The common citizens are struggling to feed and clothe their families."

I nodded as the scan came back clean. "I had no idea Orwall had such troubles. I tell you, Balu, it’s hard to shake off some of the old notions we had from the AMP. So much has changed in the last decade that you have to wonder where things are going. They can’t keep going in the same direction."

With my statements, the manifest administrator of the
Callits
changed his tone. Instead of anger at me, it was directed at the ruling family. I mentioned my stay on Zanus and the Orwallian visitors that had been there only days before. He was completely unaware of anything that wasn’t being broadcast by the Orwall media. The common citizens didn’t have time to delve into politics. They were just trying to survive.

The
Callits
fully checked out and was soon on its way. I sat in my pilot’s chair, writing up my report.

Joni said, "You were ripping into the New Alliance and my family pretty good back there. Is that the way you really feel?"

I chuckled. "There was a little truth in there, but it was mainly an effort to build trust with Mr. Hossa. What I find interesting is the different perspectives I keep getting from each of these planets and colonies. The state of affairs is far from what we are led to believe by the SS5 media statements. If your uncle doesn’t begin to make changes soon, I think we will be looking at an all-out revolution. Although, I don’t think it will be an organized one. It could easily be every planet for themselves."

Joni replied, "My uncle has his team of handlers around him all the time that prevent anyone from speaking to him. I will advise my father about this when I talk to him next. He meets with my uncle daily. They have to know what’s going on out here. How could they not?"

I pulled up the nav screen with the other vessels in the Orwall system. "The decisions you make are only as good as the information you have. It could be that his handlers are incompetent and ill informed, or perhaps they have their own agendas. What seems obvious to us might be hidden to them, as their time is spent with political operatives and diplomats."

Joni sighed. "Maybe it’s time they had some new people around them. It just doesn’t seem like it would be that hard to change things for the better."

I replied, "I believe I will have a talk with my wife next time I speak to her. She should make at least the minimum of preparations for our family if something such as a rebellion or revolution comes. The Grunta are a self-reliant people, but just like every other planet in the New Alliance, our defenses come
from
the New Alliance."

Joni spoke. "On a different subject, we have a freighter coming out that is heading directly for SS6. Standard shipping lanes would send it past two other colonies, Amber Theft and Rollika, before reaching the station. It doesn’t make sense to fly directly there; that is high-risk space with few travelers."

I replied, "Set a course for her, and we will check it out. That destroyer escort is just sitting there. We have time."

The all-stop signal was sent and the freighter slowed. Joni maneuvered the
Daunte
into the docking bay, and we were soon standing on the deck.

The captain came down from the bridge with the manifest administrator and approached us immediately. "What is the meaning of this? We left port ten minutes ago!"

Joni replied, "Under the laws of the New Alliance, we have the right to search any ship at any time after it has left port. You have been selected for a random search. May I see your manifest, please."

The captain pushed the administrator behind him. "You may not. We are in Orwall space and under the treaty signed with the New Alliance. All traffic flow within our territorial borders is subject to the laws of Orwall only. We remain forty million kilometers inside that space. You are in violation of the treaty signed by the Salton family and the rest of the New Alliance! Get back in your ship and leave!"

I said, "You have our apologies if that is true, Captain. Give me one moment to verify."

I pulled up information on the Orwall system and any shipping treaties that were in place. I was surprised to find the amendment to the treaty that the captain referenced.

I nodded. "Indeed you are correct, Captain. It seems we have overstepped our bounds here. I apologize. We will withdraw immediately."

After boarding the
Daunte
and exiting the docking bay, Joni said, "So... what do we do now?"

I replied, "We wait. The border of Orwallian territory is only forty million kilometers away. If the captain crosses that border, we will inspect his vessel. If he chooses to stay, we will have to keep an eye on him. I would have to believe that he is carrying contraband of some sort. Otherwise, his schedules would have demanded that he allow an inspection just so he could get it over with."

For an hour we sat beside the
Murwall
as its captain kept her in place.

Eventually, the general comm channel alert sounded. "Inspectors, this is the captain of the
Murwall
. I have filed a harassment complaint against your vessel. You continue to sit in place in a move to further intimidate us. If this harassment doesn’t stop, expect a visit from an Orwall representative."

I replied, "That is your prerogative, Captain. However, we will remain in this position until such time as we choose to leave. When your ship crosses that border out there, you will be under our jurisdiction. At that point, this becomes
my
sector, and we play by
my
rules."

The captain huffed as he closed the comm channel. Fifteen minutes later, a diplomatic vessel was heading in our direction. When the ship had come alongside our own, I lowered the
Daunte
’s ramp. A representative of the Orwallian government made the transfer and climbed the steps up through the gravity wall. Raptor stood at attention.

The Orwallian spoke. "Mr. Beutcher, my name is Abvus Molly. Captain Dwellony tells me that he informed you of the treaty rights of the Orwallians to govern our own territorial space. He has filed a harassment complaint against you. Why do you persist in sitting here in violation of our laws?"

Joni wanted to speak. I held up my hand to stop her. "Mr. Molly, we are not in violation of any Orwallian laws. Our inspection was premature. We apologized and left the vessel immediately. Our presence here is a lawful one. While the treaty allows inspection rights by your people in your space, it also allows free travel in that space for all. We are merely expressing our right to that free travel."

Abvus Molly frowned. "I am afraid this will be the trigger for an unfortunate event, Mr. Beutcher. My people have had enough of the overbearing hand of the Salton family. A congregation is awaiting my return for a vote to rescind the treaty and withdraw from the New Alliance. Your people will be notified of the outcome of that vote once it is done. If the path to secession is chosen, the price of ion amplifiers will skyrocket. The availability of those amplifiers will also likely be restricted in the Salton family sectors."

I replied, "If the Orwallians choose to secede, it will not be because of our presence here. I don’t know what it is that your captain has on that vessel, but once it leaves Orwallian space, it will be inspected. It has to pass through Salton family space to get anywhere else."

Abvus Molly smiled. "I’m afraid you underestimate the power of trade in a required commodity, Mr. Beutcher. In order to keep the flow of ion amplifiers moving out to the other families’ territories, nine of the twelve families have already preliminarily agreed to a free trade and protection pact. Any attempt to stop the flow of ion amplifiers will be met with severe damage to the relations of the Saltons with the others at a minimum. Orwall will once again be a free planet, with its people in control of their own destiny."

The Orwallian representative turned back down the steps and was soon heading back to the planet.

"This is not good news," Joni said. "The Alpha sector will be thrown into chaos without a good supply of amplifiers. They are a staple of everything that operates with ion power, which is... everything. My uncle will have no choice but to recognize their freedom and embrace a new trade treaty, under
their
terms. Having some control over the amplifier trade has been a big point of leverage for my uncle during negotiations with the others. If that vote goes through, we just moved from a position of power to a position of weakness."

I replied, "Take us in close to Orwall. We need to open a direct comm channel through those portals to SS5. They won’t be able to stop the vote, but we should at least be able to give them a couple of hours’ notice about what is transpiring out here."

A comm was opened, and Chief Jamia was quickly on the other end. "Are you sure about this, Mr. Beutcher? If so, I have to move this information up the chain immediately. This is dreadful news."

I replied, "Sorry, Chief. I’m afraid it’s true. I expect to hear the results at any time. There was word that this was triggered by our presence here, but I have no doubt that this vote was happening either way. I would expect trouble from Zanus and Cardello as well. They are the closest neighbors and are both close to the Orwallians. I would bet if you check ship travel records, the Orwallians paid a visit to Cardello as well."

Jamia sighed. "Let’s hope that doesn’t happen, Mr. Beutcher. That might start an avalanche of secessions. We could end up as a security station that has no real function. All our salaries, pensions, and benefits would vanish in an instant, as well as our jobs. Be careful out there, Mr. Beutcher. Things could get ugly in a hurry."

As the chief closed out the comm, Joni said, "Hey, that destroyer is moving out. I don’t see any other ships going with it. I bet they are pulling out. The
Murwall
is turning toward Cardello. Should I set an intercept course for her?"

I replied, "Send us out at a different angle. I want them to think they are in the clear. We can catch up to them in free space. I am interested in what they have on that ship."