The Hidden Treasure of Darfor

by David Shewring

Back on Nexus One, Sergeant Joval walked through the corridors of his police station at a brisk pace with a computer tablet in his hand and a new sense of purpose bringing a smile to his lips. He was full of confidence and in a rather good mood as he entered his commander’s office. Unfortunately, this was not destined to last. As soon as Joval stepped foot into the room he could sense the hostile mood in the air, it was almost palpable. The sliding door to the Lieutenant’s office silently slid shut and Joval stood politely still, waiting for Tuk to say something. The Lieutenant was going through some files on his large desk and his face was a picture of displeasure. Something had clearly upset him. Tuk continued his task without acknowledging Joval for some twenty seconds before he eventually looked up and spoke. Joval simply stood still as he respected the chain of command and passed the time by casually scrutinising the commander’s office. For a mere Lieutenant in the Galactic Police Force, Tuk had done very well for himself. His office was big – as large as the offices which were normally given to Captains and above. It was also extremely messy; there were files, computer tablets and mini-computers strewn everywhere with large piles of boxes stacked in the corners. His bin was overflowing with empty packets and wrappers which used to contain an assortment of fried foods and sweet snacks – Tuk obviously consumed them at a faster rate than the automated garbage disposal system emptied the bins in the station. His desk was an exercise in organised chaos – there were no fewer than three separate computer displays on it and these were surrounded by notepads, files and more files, with the odd smear on the desk surface from previously spilled drinks. Joval’s train of thought was interrupted by Tuk breaking the silence.

  ‘Sergeant Joval, I’m rather busy....what do you have for me?’

  ‘I’m sorry sir, this won’t take a moment. I have information regarding the “Zalnar raid” case.’

  This made Tuk stop what he was doing. He put the files down, leaned back in his ample chair and gave the Sergeant his full attention.

  ‘Go on, tell me more.’

  ‘I checked all the communications records from the personal com units that were confiscated. Most aren’t worth mentioning but one is – one of the suspects made a two minute call to something called a “Spay’Ar dig site”. Check this out – the owner of that piece of land is listed as a Mr Vallan,’ said Joval as he handed Tuk the computer tablet he had been carrying.

  The Lieutenant’s eyes narrowed as he studied the information on the tablet’s display.

  ‘Vallan? As in, head of the Vallan Organisation?’ he asked.

  ‘That’s right – the one that we believe has links to criminal activity all over the planet and probably beyond too.’

  Tuk sighed deeply as he thumbed the tablet’s screen, flicking through the information at a swift speed.

  ‘Well, we’ve known about him for years but no police force has ever been able to collect enough evidence to prosecute him. That man is extremely careful about destroying anything that could be traced back to him and he usually gets someone else to do the dirty work so he can appear clean, at least in the public eye. In any case, Mr Vallan’s personal residence is not in our precinct, it’s not even in this district! Our department has no jurisdiction in investigating him,’ said Tuk.

  He tossed the tablet carelessly in Joval’s general direction with an air of impudence about him. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Joval snatched the tablet out of the air without even trying, but he was confused by his superior’s attitude. The smile had long since faded from his dark blue lips.

  ‘Even if that is the case, I could contact the relevant precinct and together we could stage a joint investigation that could finally bring the Vallan organization down! Or at least shine a light on Mr Vallan’s dodgy dealings. With this exposed, perhaps people will be less inclined to do business with him and maybe he will be forced to leave Nexus One.’

  ‘That is a very big leap, Sergeant,’ said Tuk, eyeing Joval with a somewhat cold stare. ‘How exactly do you go from linking Vallan with narcotics to making him leave the planet?’

  Joval shifted his weight uneasily in his stance. He didn’t understand why Tuk wasn’t happy that he had found a lead at all.

  ‘Well sir, I admit perhaps that was an exaggeration on my part. Nevertheless, this is a definite link to the Vallan Organisation and I strongly feel it is worth pursuing. Trust me, my team and I can do this.’

  Tuk sighed again and leaned back in his chair, as if he was considering something in his head.

  A few moments later, he said, ‘Even if you can do this, which I seriously doubt, the other department will get the credit, not us. It won’t help us bring down the crime rate in our own precinct. If that’s the only lead on this case then forget about it, it’s only drugs.’

  Joval was dumbfounded.

  ‘Sir?’ he said quietly in disbelief.

  ‘Stop working on the Zalnar raid case. Work some other cases instead and get them solved, Joval. That’s an order!’ Tuk’s voice had risen in volume and it seemed like he was starting to get annoyed. When the Sergeant hesitated, the Lieutenant added, ‘That means now, Sergeant! Leave, I have work to do.’

  Tuk went back to ignoring his subordinate and picked up the files on his desk and resumed going through them.

  In a combination of bewilderment and shock, Joval mumbled ‘Right away, sir,’ and clumsily turned on his heels and walked out of the office. Once he was outside and the door had slid shut, he said to himself, ‘What in the galaxy was that all about?’

  As he walked back to his own desk in the main office area, Joval tried to fathom what had just taken place in Tuk’s office but he could not do so.

  ‘This whole thing is so weird,’ he muttered under his breath as he sat back down at his station and placed the tablet on his own desk. ‘First, Tuk is so determined to solve this case he asks me to break regulations and perform a personal communications record search. Then, as soon as I turn up a solid lead, he berates me, tells me to forget about it and work another case. What made him change his mind so quickly?’

  For a few minutes, Joval tried to work at his computer, but his brain nagged him and refused to the let the matter go. After a small sigh, Joval decided to keep doing some more digging into the Vallan Organisation and see what he could turn up, no matter what his Lieutenant had said. Tuk had been hostile and unreasonable once too often and Joval was sick of it. He was determined to be a good Galactic Police Sergeant and follow his leads until he could crack the case. He quickly glanced around the office to make sure no one was paying attention to him then he got to work.

  Chapter 18