OMEGA Exile (7 page)

Garrett looked over the video feeds. "We have another problem. There are eight more guards coming down from the bridge. Things might get a little unsettled in that docking bay for a bit. If they hang out, your chances of another diversion working are going to go way down. Somebody will be watching their backs."

I agin checked the cargo bay. "How long before they arrive?"

Garrett replied, "I give you two minutes, three tops. That bridge is eighteen decks up, and the bay is a good distance from the bridge."

I punched in the code and opened the door. An alert went off on the bridge.

Garrett came back on the comm. "OK, looks like the squad leader just got a signal from the bridge officers. They are picking up the pace."

I ran through the cargo bay with my audio on full. "Joni! If you are in here, make yourself known!"

At the far end of the bay, in a darkened corner, a figure was standing on a high container, waving their arms.

I opened a comm to her last known channel. "Joni, come down! We have to get out of here fast. We only have another minute before the Igari are going to be all over us!"

In a surprising move, Jonias Salton jumped the six meters down to the deck and rolled out into a full run.

As I turned and we made our way back toward the docking bay, Garrett said, "You have just under a minute."

I waved my arms for the crewman, and another diversion began. We sprinted the thirty meters to the bilge room hallway unseen.

I typed in the passcode on the hatch door. "We are almost done."

The door did not open. I tried a second and a third time, with no luck.

Garrett checked a flashing symbol on his display. "I have another alarm. This time it’s on the door in front of you. They must have locked out the codes when that other door came open!"

We were stuck. I pulled the blaster Garrett had given me and headed back toward the end of the hall.

I peeked around the corner. "We need a way out of here, Garrett. I can’t defend this position for more than a minute!"

Garrett replied, "I’m working on it!"

With time running out, I signaled the crewman for the third time. As he stood and began to stomp his feet, the Igari guards again moved toward him, gesturing for him to sit down. In a move that was out of character for my normal subdued nature, I stepped out and fired two blaster bolts into the backs of the Igari guards. The captured crewman stopped and stared for several seconds before running for the blasters the two dead Igari had dropped.

I ran out and yelled, "Cover that hallway! There are at least eight guards coming down from the bridge!"

Two crewmen grabbed the blasters and sprinted down the hall to the elevator doors. When the doors opened, the Igari were caught in a deadly crossfire by surprise. The crewmen yelled, and a dozen of their comrades raced down the hall to claim the newly liberated weapons.

I spoke over the comm to Garrett. "Get us out of here! The Humans are attempting to retake the ship."

Garrett yelled over the comm, "Get back in the hallway by the bilge! A shuttle is about to come through that gravity wall. Guaranteed it'll be loaded with troops!"

I took Joni by the arm as I turned to yell at the remaining crewmen. "Take cover! A shuttle is about to come through there with more troops!"

The crewmen began to scatter, with two running in our direction. I pulled Joni around the corner just as the shuttle came into view. As it settled, the ramp-way lowered and the first of forty-eight Igari stormed out onto the deck. A fierce storm of blaster fire erupted from the hallway to the elevators. A flurry of ion bolts were returned by the Igari as they spread out on the deck around the shuttle. Two blaster repeaters, the weapons of the shuttle, were then turned toward the hallway, with several bursts of rapid fire sent screaming down toward the elevators. The two crewmen that had joined our position huddled behind us.

As I turned back to check on Joni, an ion bolt exploded into the wall behind us. Shrapnel was sent flying, injuring one of the two crewmen.

I pointed. "Get down the hall and lie low!"

Joni moved in close behind me. "Put me where I can get a shot off!"

I turned back and fired two bolts out around the corner in the direction of the shuttle.

Garrett said, "Whoa! Nice shots!"

I looked back around the corner at the two dead Igari. "I couldn’t see what I was shooting at. Just blind luck!"

An ion bolt impacted the floor just in front of us, and another hit the wall across from our position as the Igari began to spread out their formation.

I yelled, "Garrett! Get us out of here!"

Garrett replied, "Turn your ass around and get to the end of that hall! I’m coming in!"

I turned Joni around and we ran for the back of the hall. The
Jess
came sliding through the gravity wall with her twin cannons blazing. The shuttle was quickly disarmed and half of the two dozen soldiers surrounding it killed. Two additional blasts took out another three soldiers on the ground, and a third rolled up the shuttle ramp-way, taking out the remaining Igari aboard.

The Human crewmen stormed out of the elevator hall, catching the remaining Igari in a bad position. Thirty seconds after Garrett’s arrival, the fighting had come to an end.

Joni and I ran across the deck towards the
Jess
. "What were you doing out there that took so long?"

Garrett replied, "I came in behind the escort ship and took out her port engine. She dropped back, but I would imagine she can catch up with a few repairs. So, we need to get out of here as soon as we can."

I looked around at the destruction that had just occurred. The two crewmen, one injured, slowly moved out of the hallway behind us.

As we reached the extended ramp-way of the
Jess
, I stopped Joni. "Go up and wait. I’m going to assist the Humans. If they can take this ship, they can return home."

As I sprinted away from the
Jess
, Garrett came on the comm. "Tell me you aren’t doing what I think you are doing."

I replied, "I can’t just leave these men. We have to at least give them a chance!"

By the time I reached the bridge, the fighting was over. The remaining Igari had fought to the death, and control of the
Jasmire
had been returned to the Humans. The ship’s course was adjusted to take it to the closest colony.

I spoke with the officer in charge. "Lieutenant, I am going to need a favor from you."

The lieutenant replied, "Whatever you ask, Sir. We are in your debt."

I nodded. "I need you to erase the data recorders and have your men all tell the same story of what happened here. You are going to report that your men overpowered the guards and retook this ship, and we caught up after the fighting was over. I don’t want any word of us instigating the fight. We were only here afterward."

The lieutenant gave me a confused look.

"I have an important client with me, Lieutenant. It is in all our best interest that she not be involved. Just stick to that script and we will all come out of this like heroes."

The lieutenant replied, "Sir, at this point, these men won’t have issue with anything you want us to do. We owe you our lives. Consider your request as already granted."

I thanked the Lieutenant and returned to the
Jess
. Joni was sitting in a chair, while Garrett had locked himself in his sleeping quarters.

Joni spoke. "What is going on? The pilot of this ship... he locked himself in his quarters and he won’t speak to me."

"I’ll fill you in on the way back to the
Daunte
."

As we lifted off the deck and taxied toward the gravity wall, the Lieutenant came over the comm. "Just wanted to thank you again for your efforts, Mr. Beutcher. We should be at Hanton Downs Colony in two days. The authorities can take this ship from there."

I replied, "Thanks, Lieutenant. The drive of your men is what made this all possible to begin with. You were met with an overwhelming force and managed to come out with most of them still alive and your cargo intact. We lost lives today, but that comes with the line of duty we are in. The best we can do is to continue on."

I landed the
Jess
on the rogue moon beside the
Daunte
. A transfer of Raptor was made and the ramp-way closed.

After lifting off, I turned to Joni. "You are straight on the story, right?"

Joni replied, "Yes. The pirates attacked; we pursued and caught up after the action was over. I was never in harm’s way, and I insisted that we follow. All the bases are covered if everyone sticks to their stories."

I smiled. "We have to consider what happened. If your father believes this job to be even mildly dangerous, he is going to pull you back close. All your schooling efforts will have been wasted."

Joni nodded. "I know. I’m just a little frustrated right now at thinking about everything that just happened. All that action, and I was only witness to a couple of minutes of it. I pulled my blaster, but I never got off a shot."

I replied, "Well, I’m hoping what we did back there was the right thing."

Joni pulled her head back as if shocked. "What? Why would you say that?"

I sat back in my chair, crossing my arms. "These people, it seems mostly the Igari, are not happy with your uncle’s rule. The decisions being made by the ruling families are having far-reaching effects on the everyday citizen. People’s lives, the lives of their families, their sustenance and survival, are all in jeopardy. Most can only be pushed just so far before they begin to push back. If your family doesn’t begin to make wholesale changes, this is all only going to get worse."

Joni replied, "I’ve heard rumblings, but most are too scared to say anything around me. I appreciate the fact that you speak out like you do. I’m not involved in the family’s politics, but I do see some of the results. That attack—I was not prepared for anything like that. I felt like a coward just hiding away in that cargo hold."

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Very few people will naturally act in those situations. Most have to go through extensive training, such as military drills, in order to know what to do. Others gain that knowledge through experience."

Joni replied, "You weren’t in the military, were you?"

I shook my head. "No, but I am old, and with age comes stubbornness. You just develop an attitude that you aren’t going to take crap from anyone, and that spills over into your decision making. Sometimes that’s a good thing, and sometimes not so much.

"I’m a perfect example. The Captain took me off inspections of Motlin ships because I am not tolerant of those in power taking advantage of the system. I think the Motlin Corporation has a lot of smuggling going on, and their crews are taking advantage of the company name, expecting to be conveniently overlooked when contraband is found. That hard-nosed trait used to be sought after; now it’s a hindrance to your career."

Joni smiled. "Well, if it’s all the same to you, Mr. Beutcher, it’s one of the things I admire in someone. What do you have if you don’t have principles?"

I replied, "Unfortunately, you have what we are living with today."

Joni changed the subject. "Why won’t you tell me who it was that helped us out back there? Whose ship was that? I’m guessing it was a bodyguard my father has watching over me."

I looked at Joni. "Some questions are better left unanswered. Just know that it’s the reason we are both sitting here right now. While that assault wasn’t because of you, had word gotten out that you were taken in it, it would have spelled more trouble for your family."

Upon arrival at SS5, the Captain was waiting on the deck of Bay-17. "Where have you been? Why did you not follow protocol?"

I replied, "Miss Salton just filed a full report. Just after our arrival, the freighter and its escort ship were attacked. It was Igari pirates. They overwhelmed the destroyer, capturing it and its crew. They took possession of the
Jasmire
and left. Miss Salton insisted that we follow and assist. I tried to tell her that we were not prepared to do anything, as our equipment is for inspection and not war. She, however, insisted, so we pursued."

The Captain rubbed the hair on the sides of his head. "Are you nuts? We can’t let her chase pirates out there! What if she had been captured!"

I shook my head. "She wasn’t captured, Captain. We did our best to keep our distance. The crewmen of the escort managed to overthrow their captors, and the
Jasmire
should be pulling into the Hanton Downs colony anytime now."

The Captain replied, "Hanton Downs? That is a long way from where you were supposed to be!"

I laughed. "Captain, I think you are letting yourself get too worked up. Miss Salton is here, she is safe, and the
Jasmire
is back in the hands of the Motlin Corporation crews. If you read your report, you will find that we were never in any real danger. I’m starting to worry about you, Captain. If you are worried about the Saltons, I believe they will be pleased with how all this turned out."

As I began to walk past Paq Wendell, he reached out and grabbed my arm. "Is that blood? On your back right here. That looks like dried blood!"

I looked over my shoulder. "Hmm. We did board the
Jasmire
after she was retaken. Perhaps I got that from one of the crew."

The Captain replied, "Something doesn’t pass the sniff test here, Knog. You are too calm about all this. I
will
find out what happened, and when I do, I am going to be on you like—"

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "There you go again, Captain. You are all wrapped up in drama. Are you having hormone problems?"

Paq Wendell scowled. "Hormone problems? I’ll—"

Joni Salton emerged from the
Daunte
. "Hey, Captain, did you hear? The
Jasmire
got hijacked!"

The Captain’s tone changed. "Yes, Miss Salton, so Knog tells me. It looks like everything worked out OK for you, though."

Joni nodded as she walked past the smiling Captain. "I would have to say that it was a great learning experience, Captain. Mr. Beutcher kept me safe, and I got to see the whole thing. How many of your detectives can say they were witness to a cesium ore hauler being captured by pirates?"

The Captain continued to smile as Joni moved away. "I’m glad we could give you the positive experience, Miss Salton!"

The Captain turned back to me, poking his finger into my chest. "I’ve known you long enough to know that I am not getting the whole truth here, Beutcher. Just hope the Chief doesn’t get wind of anything that does not line up with that report."

I smiled. "I don’t think the Chief will take any issue with Miss Salton’s report, Captain. You might see if you can find a way to relax. You’ve been a bit too stressed lately."

As I walked away, the Captain stared. I was certain our next assignments would be close to the station, if not just outside. It would not be the best training mix for Joni, but the alternative would be nothing at all.

Our next dozen assignments were as uneventful as could possibly be. Joni was beginning to get agitated at the lack of any real detective work involved with the cream-puff missions that made up our new schedule. The pace was slow, and the inspections slower.

After a particularly docile inspection, Joni spoke. "Are random inspections ever done?"

I replied, "It used to be a common practice in the AMP. If you finished up with a ship, and another was in the vicinity, it was up to the inspector if they chose to call that ship in or not. I used to do it at least one per week back in the day."

Joni asked, "Why aren’t they done anymore?"

I threw up a single hand. "I’m not sure. If I had to guess, it was because detectives aren’t interested in the extra paperwork. And if the ship you stop happened to be owned by a politician or one of the families, you would get a hard time from command."

Joni nodded. "So is it not legal to do them now?"

I smiled. "There are no laws against it, or written procedures. Are you suggesting we do a random inspection?"

Joni grinned. "I am suggesting exactly that. I think we should throw a hook out for the next ship that enters our space. Maybe we can catch something!"

I agreed. The next ship to enter our vicinity was a personal cruiser belonging to the trade commissioner of Javax V. The Javax colony specialized in the mining of ores and the fabrication of steel used for shipbuilding.

When Joni and I stepped aboard the
Wrellis
, the commissioner was indignant. "What is the meaning of this? I passed inspection on SS7 yesterday!"

Joni took the lead. "In accordance with the shipping laws of the Salton Empire, random inspections are to periodically take place. I would like to offer you the option of reporting all contraband on this vessel before the inspection begins. I am told the fines levied for such are substantially lower than those where contraband is
discovered
. Is there anything you would like to report at this time?"

The commissioner waved his finger. "I don’t know who you think you are dealing with, Detective, but I have friends in high places, and when I report your names to them, I will be sure to let them know that I felt I was being harassed!"

Joni smiled. "Commissioner, I am sure you are well respected in your colony. An arrest and a heavy fine would not be viewed as popular for an elected official. I will give you one more opportunity to declare any contraband that you might have aboard."

The commissioner’s finger turned into a balled fist as he turned for an electronic pad. "I am going to scan each of your badges for my complaint!"

I stepped forward and my badge was scanned.

"Mr. Beutcher, I hope you don’t mind losing one of those stars!"

Joni stepped up.

"And Miss…Salton."

The commissioner looked up with a worried expression.

Joni nodded and offered a wide smile. "You were saying, Commissioner? You have a complaint?"

The commissioner offered a half scowl. "I suppose the meaning of your smile is that my complaints will go unheard."

I said, "That is a good assumption, Commissioner. Would you like to take this opportunity to declare any contraband?"

The commissioner took several minutes to compile a listing of the illegal materials on his ship. The list included a number of banned food substances, including coffee, a dangerous pet, and a blaster rifle that far exceeded the power output limits placed on civilian target practice and hunting weapons. When we said goodbye to the commissioner, he was sulking.

As the ramp-way of the
Daunte
closed, Joni remarked. "Wow, did you see the hate in his eyes!"

I smiled. "I would say you enjoyed that immensely. Now, before we leave, I would like to consider using your discretion to try to flip the commissioner from someone who outright hates you to someone who might see you as a possible ally."

Joni squinted one eye. "Why would I do that? The guy was being an ass, and he is getting what he deserves."

I replied, "Our job out here is not to piss off every guy we find carrying a little contraband. It is to stop that flow of the small stuff while we search out the big scores. I would bet your commissioner would be willing to trade information for a little discretion on our part. Any confiscation we made with cause will go in as public record. Mr. Thomas might be willing to cooperate if you were to offer to use some of your discretionary power in the name of catching the big crooks. We took his stuff. If we leave him with his dignity, he may actually be grateful. Besides, I would guess he would be one to favor having a Salton on his side."

Joni winced. "Well, I’m certainly not on his side, but I get where you are going."

Joni opened a comm channel. "Commissioner Thomas, I have an offer you may want to entertain for a moment. It may be beneficial to both you and me."

The commissioner replied, "I am listening."

Joni continued: "I have it in my authority to use a little... discretion... when it comes to the confiscation of what is considered
minor
contraband. As I am sure you understand, Detective Beutcher and I are in the business of preventing the large-scale flow of illegal trade—trade, by the way, that hurts your legitimate businessmen. I may be willing to remove the ‘confiscation with cause’ selection on my report of this incident, essentially keeping your name from being entered in the public record if you were to offer knowledge, even hearsay, of any larger illegal transportation operations. I find it better to make allies and friends, rather than enemies... when given the opportunity. Would you perhaps have any knowledge that might sway my decision on your case?"

The commissioner was silent for several seconds. "I may have something for you along those lines, Miss Salton. What assurances do I have that you will keep your word should I offer you this information?"

Joni laughed. "I’m sorry, Mr. Thomas, I can offer no assurances other than to say that I will take it under strong consideration. If the information you have is worthwhile, would it not be in my best interest to have you as an ally and not an enemy?"

The commissioner replied, "I suppose."

I was impressed by the way Joni Salton took on a senior politician who had made his living through making deals with others. Her offer was all possibilities with no promise. If the information was worthless, Commissioner Thomas had no one to blame but himself.

As the commissioner was released and we pulled away, I said, "You handled that like someone who had been doing it for years."

Joni smirked. "I’ve seen enough politics in my life to know how a negotiation goes when you have the upper hand. Now, we have this information, what are we going to do with it?"

I replied, "You are the acting officer. You came by this information through your thorough investigative activities. I believe that makes it your decision to either pursue this or pass it off to the Captain for another detective to check into."

Joni shook her head. "Uh, no. I am not handing this off so we can get another squeaky-clean inspection added to our schedule. We have eight hours until we are due on the
Fromrider
for an inspection of its seed cargo. I think we look into this now."

I smiled. "Detective, set the course for the path of the
Angel’s Fire
. If we bust a freighter loaded with bleurgh, you will get recognition, whether you want that recognition or not."