Paradox Hunt

by Dee Garretson

  “Wren wants to see you in the cockpit,” she said.

  “Why?”

  Nic shrugged. “I’m just delivering the message.”

  Wren was the only one in the cockpit. She must have done a shift change with Pixie at some point. “What’s up?” I asked her.

  “Ansun isn’t the only who has a reward on him,” she said, her eyes wide. “There’s a reward out for you too. It says your name is Quinn Neen. Are you related to Admiral Neen?”

  I dropped down into the seat next to her. I should have felt horrified at the news, but somehow I wasn’t surprised. It was too difficult to drop out of sight, especially with my grandfather looking for me with all the resources he had at his disposal.

  “Where did you see that? What does it say? Is it in the media like I’ve been kidnapped or something?”

  “No, it’s on a secret channel that raiders use to communicate. That’s what is odd about it. Someone must think you are somewhere a raider could spot you.” She called up information on the slip. An old picture of me came up, taken about three years ago.

  Now I did feel a rush of horror. A raider channel? Vire. She must have recognized me. The reward could be to take me to her, and then she’d ransom me off.

  Wren looked at the image and then back at me. “It doesn’t look much like you. You had a child’s face then. If people are looking for a boy like that, they won’t think you are him.”

  That was sort of a relief. “Who is posting the reward? If someone wanted to collect the money, where would they go?”

  “It’s just a number that refers to a contact point. There’s no way to tell who posted it.”

  I knew it was Vire. “Can Samson get into the government database and change the facial recognition algorithms for my identity? Like, if someone put in an image of me, it would record my features differently so that it would lead to different identities?”

  “He could probably link your name to a different name, so it automatically goes to that other person, someone who looks like you. They do that when people use multiple identities. They link it to what they believe is the person’s actual name.”

  “So some poor kid out there is going to be flagged with my name.”

  “Yes, but if anyone tracks him down, they’ll figure out he isn’t you. It shouldn’t really cause the person any trouble. It’s not like you are a criminal or anything.”

  “Okay. I’ll get Lainie to explain to Samson what he needs to do.” I felt relieved. A raider reward put out on me was a small problem compared to what else we were facing.

  Chapter Sixteen

  There were no other ships in the port at Lengo. I had hoped to see my father’s ship, the one that Ansun had stolen. Not only would it be a definite sign Ansun was nearby, it would give me a chance to get it back. I suspected Ansun had used an MI to change both the Pelican’s transponder code and registry information. Short of seeing it somewhere, we wouldn’t be able to find it.

  We waited to be cleared to disembark. Samson used the idents that Tineg had created for us and relayed the information to the port official. The MI had been unable to repair Tineg, so Samson had taken over many duties, sitting at the same slip in the cockpit.

  “What happens if our idents don’t pass the clearance here? Can you bribe the official?” I asked Divana.

  “Yes, but don’t borrow trouble. I’ve already paid his inflated landing fee without question, so he’s taken his nice little bonus. Most of these officials are corrupt but not too greedy. They know demanding too much might get them into trouble.”

  “Am I going with you?” Samson asked Lainie. “I could collect much information about this place.”

  “No, it’s best if you stay here,” Lainie said. I watched the expression on the MI’s face turn to disappointment. It was really amazing how the programming nailed human expressions.

  When we got clearance and stepped off the ramp, a blast of heat hit us. The sky was cloudless and the sun beat down, but I’d assumed there would be a breeze off the ocean, which was just meters away. The water was a spectacular blue, a shade I didn’t know how to describe. It was unlike any other ocean I’d ever seen. It reminded me of how a child would color in an ocean, picking the bluest blue they could find. I could easily imagine being happy waking up every morning to the sight of it. After staying in the floating living quarters on Fosaan, I’d never be quite satisfied living away from the ocean again.

  The port official came out of the only building on the site, which from what I could see through the open door looked like a one-person office.

  “Any way to get transport into town?” Nic asked the man, who was wearing a uniform that was a size too small for him. It must have been very uncomfortable in the heat.

  “No, not regular transport, though I can contact someone to come and pick you up.” He took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead and then glanced back at his office. I’m sure he wanted back into the air conditioning. “A couple of people are willing to ferry visitors, though you might have to wait a bit if they are busy with something else.”

  “Let’s walk,” I said. “We’ve been cooped up too long.”

  “Any problem with that?” Decker asked.

  The man shrugged. “No rule that you can’t.”

  “No, I mean how dangerous is it to walk? Any wildlife we have to look out for?” Decker gestured at the tall grass that bordered the edge of the port.

  “We heard there were dangerous animals on this part of Earth.” Lainie added, playing the part of tourist-to-Earth.

  The official laughed. “You mean like lions? You’ve been reading too much tourist garbage. Do you think lions just hang out along the road waiting to pounce on unsuspecting tourists?”

  “I don’t know!” Decker said. “It doesn’t hurt to ask.”

  “You’ll be fine.” His eyes moved over each of us as if just noticing us for the first time. “People are more dangerous than lions, especially for a bunch of lambs like you. First time here?” he asked. I felt a ping of worry at his sudden interest. He checked the records and then pointed at our clothes. “Says the ship came from Woab. Is that what they wear there? Looks comfortable in this heat.”

  “They are,” I said. “But we got the clothes on Reyet a while ago. Kept them around just for a trip like this. It’s hot on Reyet too.” I had no idea what the climate was like on Woab. I doubted if the man would check, but better not to chance being caught in an unimportant lie.

  At least Javen was believable as a tourist. He was looking all around like he wanted to take in every bit of the scenery. I hadn’t thought about it before, but as far as I knew, he’d only ever been on Fosaan and Reyet.

  “Let’s go,” I said to the others. “I want to get something to eat.” I wanted us to move along before the official could ask more questions.

  “Not the best place for young tourists,” the man said, “especially ones who aren’t familiar with the area.” His tone was casual, but I could tell he’d decided to fish for information.

  “We like beaches,” I said, moving toward the road. “After we go into town, we’re going to spend some time on the beach. We heard there are kilometers of good beaches up and down the coast.”

  “I suppose, though most people don’t like completely deserted beaches. Just watch yourselves. I don’t know about Woab, but around here, there are people who will take advantage of you.”

  “Thanks for the warning.” I called back over my shoulder. I picked up my pace, glad the others were following at the same speed. I hoped the official would forget about us as soon as we were out of sight.

  The road only went a short way inland before it wound back to run along the beach. Grassland stretched as far as I could see. The heat was intense. Even the loose-fitting Reyetan clothes didn’t help much.

  A lizard scuttled across the road, but I didn’t see any other signs of life. It wasn’t so unexpected that there wasn’t an abundance o
f animals, but I’d thought we’d come upon a few birds, or at least hear them.

  Just like the port, the town sat right next to the beach, though it was so small it could barely be classified as a town. I counted a total of ten small buildings, three of which looked like they hadn’t been used in a while. There was no one out on the one street, and I couldn’t tell if anyone was inside any of the buildings. The only people we saw were a few sunbathers and some vendors at beach stands selling food, drinks, and trinkets.

  “This doesn’t seem promising,” Lainie said.

  “What do we do?” Javen asked. “We can’t just go up to someone and ask if there is a factory close by.”

  “I’ve got an idea,” Lainie said. She walked over to woman at a small stand selling drinks and jewelry.

  “Hi,” Lainie said. “I was wondering if you could help me. I’m trying to find my brother.”

  The woman put down a bead she had been stringing on a necklace and looked up at Lainie, a curious expression on her face.

  “He’s kind of a free spirit, and he told a friend he was coming here to see if he could find work,” Lainie said. “I really need to find him—there are some family things he needs to take care of. Do you know if a stranger has been around here recently, looking for work?”

  “Just a few tourists,” the woman said. “Like always. And none of them are young. We don’t get those kinds of tourists. Too quiet here.” She waved at the nearly empty beach.

  “Maybe he’s here but you haven’t seen him. Can you tell me where one might go to look for work?”

  The woman pointed at the buildings. “I’d know if anyone new started working at any of these places. There isn’t anywhere else unless you want to go up the coast. A few more tourists up that way.”

  “So, there’s no factory or farm work?” Lainie asked.

  The woman scoffed. “Not for three hundred years. You do know where you are, don’t you? Right next to one of the biggest exclusion zones in the world.”

  “I know. I really thought I might get lucky and find him.” Lainie sounded so sad. I could tell by the woman’s expression that she felt sorry for her.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I think you should try somewhere else.”

  “Thank you,” Lainie said.

  We moved out of earshot. “Should we try to find transport to go up the coast?” Decker asked.

  Lainie shook her head. “No, she would have mentioned if there were newly opened factories up that way.”

  I looked out at the ocean. “This place is almost too isolated and deserted. Ansun and a whole bunch of Fosaanians would have attracted way too much attention. They aren’t here. I was wrong.” We’d come so far and still not a single sign of Ansun.

  “So we try the next place on the list,” Lainie said, sounding cheerful, as if the whole expedition hadn’t been a bust. The others began to walk toward the port.

  I looked back at the woman and her stand. “Go ahead,” I said. “I’ll catch up.” I walked back to the stand. “I’ll take that,” I said, pointing to one of the necklaces and taking out some currency.

  “Fine choice,” the woman replied. She took it off the stand and handed it to me. “Enjoy.”

  I turned to find the others staring at me.

  “You don’t usually wear jewelry,” Lainie said. “Now seems like an odd time to start.”

  “It’s not for me. It’s for Pixie. Remember she said she likes presents?”

  “No,” Javen replied.

  “There is something Pixie likes besides death-defying piloting?” Decker asked.

  “Yes, she said it when we were first introduced.” I was sure she had said something about presents.

  “Okay, but why are you giving her a present?” Nic asked. “That’s just weird.”

  “I don’t know. Why not?” I really didn’t have a reason. It had just seemed like a good idea. “Let’s get back to the ship before we melt in this heat.”

  The temperature felt like it rose a degree every step we took back to the port. I was drenched in sweat by the time we reached the entrance.

  The official came out of his office right away, as if he’d been waiting for us. “You’re back sooner than I expected,” he said.

  “Well, you were right,” Lainie said. “Not much there. Kind of boring. We’re going to try someplace else. Maybe up the coast.”

  He smiled and waved at the beaches. “I shouldn’t have played it down so much. We do have nice beaches. Why don’t you stay for a while? I have a cousin who has great lodgings. I can contact him, and he can be here right away. He’ll provide you with a wonderful time. Wait right here.” He went back into his office.

  “I don’t like this,” Javen said.

  Nic was already moving toward the ship. “Yes, time to go.”

  We ran back to the ship. The ramp was lowered before we reached it. I was relieved they were waiting for us.

  Once aboard, I saw both Divana and Pixie looked tense. “We were hoping you’d be smart enough to realize something is off,” Divana said. “He’s been asking us too many questions. Wren was ready to blast the office if necessary.”

  “Maybe I should blast it anyway,” Wren said hopefully. “Teach him a lesson.”

  “No. Blasting buildings on Earth will get you noticed,” Divana said. “Take us up, Pixie.”

  The ship rose. I looked out and saw the man emerge from his office. I also saw a vehicle barreling down the road to the port. I doubted it was the cousin.

  “He’s got an image of the ship,” Divana said. “We need to change the transponder number again. Samson, put in a destination of Woab under our current number, and then we’ll change before the next landing.”

  “He’s got our identities too,” I reminded her.

  “Samson can fix that.”

  “Yes,” Samson said. “It is quite fascinating to assign professions to new identities. Humans have quite a range of jobs. Quinn, would you like to be a professional bird trainer? You do have some skills with birds. Or perhaps you would like to suggest something. I am not aware of the entire range of your skills.”

  I wasn’t either. Did I have a range of skills? Finding myself in bad situations with a need to figure a way out of them didn’t exactly qualify me for anything. “Better just make us all students,” I said.

  “Can Lainie at least be a circus performer?” Samson asked, a hopeful tone in his voice. “She is quite acrobatic.”

  “No, that would definitely stand out. She’ll have to be a student too.”

  The MI gave an elaborate sigh and went back communicating with the slip.

  “So how long before we land at Oblast?” Decker asked.

  “It will be some hours,” Pixie said. “We can’t get approval for this kind of ship to move on the Earth air travel routes at low altitudes. We’re going to have to go up and out of the atmosphere and then head on a course away from the planet before we reverse and come back down in Oblast. It will take us three hours to get far enough out before we won’t cause any suspicion reversing course and coming back to Earth.”

  Lainie yawned. “Good. Time to eat and sleep. I need both.”

  The others left the cockpit, but I waited until we were set on our temporary outbound course and then gave Pixie the necklace. You would have thought I’d given her diamonds the way she crooned over it. She put it on and then got up from her station and spun around, nearly losing her balance.

  “Why did you do that?” Divana asked, her voice dripping with suspicion. “What do you want from her?”

  “I don’t want anything. It was just an impulse,” I said.

  “Right.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Don’t give the kid a hard time,” Pixie scolded. “You’ve never given me a present.”

  Since Divana wouldn’t stop glaring at me, I cleared out of the cockpit. I hadn’t planned to sleep again but did, soundly, until the comm in our quarters woke me.

  “Wake u
p, Quinn,” Wren’s voice said. “We’re coming down in Oblast.”

  When I came back into the cockpit, I saw Javen staring out the viewport. “I’ve heard about snow,” he murmured.

  “There’s a lot of it,” Lainie said.

  That was an understatement. As we landed, I could see snow piled up around the port in mounds taller than me. The mounds were going to get taller too. Snow was falling so heavily we could barely see to the perimeter of the port.

  I hadn’t even thought about the fact that it would be winter in the northern hemisphere. If the Fosaanians were actually there, the snow must have been a shock for them. No part of Fosaan ever went below freezing.

  The port was bigger than the one at Lengo. There were several ships in residence, but no sign of the Pelican.

  Divana looked out the viewport. “I don’t like this. Why are all these ships here?”

  Pixie joined her. They looked at each other. “Samson, run the registry numbers on these ships.”

  He listed off what he had found, a variety of passenger liners, research vessels, and shuttles.

  “The descriptions don’t match the type of ships here,” I said. “These are all freighters.”

  “They’re raider ships,” Pixie said, her voice grim. “But I don’t recognize any of them.”

  “Ansun must have hired them. We knew he had a lot of people to move,” I said. “He’s here.”

  The landing area was mostly clear of snow, though I could tell some of the inlaid heating elements were not working because random piles of snow dotted the surface, some a couple of meters high. No one seemed concerned by them, and it didn’t look like anyone was making an attempt to clear them away. The people on the ground just walked around them.

  “I hope this is the right place,” Decker said. “I don’t want to take a tour of every rundown spaceport in the galaxy. This looks even worse than the one on Reyet.”

  “I don’t know how you can tell,” Nic said. “It’s all covered in snow.”