by Mia R Kleve
One thing Zerze was not, was frustrated. Far from it; he patiently answered Millzak’s questions. He understood it took a little more for his partner to fully understand things. He did not mind.
In a way, Zerze envied Millzak. Sometimes he tended to overthink things. His friend, however, never did that. He studied whatever was at hand until he understood it, never more.
There had been many times over the last couple of years when Millzak had interrupted the SleSha’s study to just talk or distract him otherwise. Millzak always told Zerze he felt he needed it. Zerze had to admit, many times he did need the brief break, even if it was to help Millzak study; it took his mind off the stress of trying to be number one, and it helped to ground him. Millzak had a way of easing his stress. It had been that way since they first met.
Once, during their freshman year, a group of upperclassmen had harassed Zerze. It stopped completely once Millzak cornered the four of them and let them know in no uncertain terms that he had four fists, as he counted them out slowly, and he would use them to defend anyone who needed it. He also counted the four of the upperclassmen and informed them the numbers were the same.
When Millzak said it to them, it came across as information he felt they needed to know. When they tried to shrug off what they had been doing, he told them they were lying. It was harassment and not just having a bit of fun. Confronted with a large, very strong Lumar, who seemed to not care about their hints at blackmail, or even acknowledge it, the Jeha acting as the group’s ringleader backed off, and it never happened again.
Millzak watched the screen on the bulkhead. When he saw the shuttle number he was waiting on light up, he stood, gathered his gear, and turned to Zerze.
“My shuttle is here,” he said. “If I complete my mission before it is time to go back to the Academy, I will find you. We can wait for our transport back to the Academy together. If not, I will see you here.”
“You will complete it, my friend,” Zerze said. “If I finish mine first, I will come to you. I would tell you to honor the threat and set the terms, but I don’t think the missions we have been assigned will require it. Instead, I will wish you good fortunes.”
Zerze watched Millzak leave the waiting area. He knew he would finish his own mission first. Afterward, he would find a way to help Millzak in a way it wouldn’t count against his friend and his evaluation. They were supposed to complete their mission on their own unless specifically assigned to the same place. If he was caught, he would face the instructors and stand his ground for his friend, like Millzak had for him years ago, instructions be damned.
* * *
Sharvaton Mining Headquarters
Trindlark
“What do you mean you requested Peacemaker assistance?” demanded Korleego. She pushed her dark glasses back up her nose. The Veetanho was close to losing her temper, an undignified reaction from an executive in the mining industry.
“I-I thought it best,” stammered Daylinn. She was confused at Korleego’s reaction. “Credits have gone missing. It disappears. The Pangtol Company asked if I could assist. I can find no unauthorized entry into the account, by normal means or hacking. The recorded camera feed shows the hard credit being counted and the deposit slip going into the slot to direct the funds.”
The Aposo wiped her face with her small paw and continued, bolstered by the facts. “All of the tellers at the credit exchange have been questioned locally. None show an increase in wealth. None have hidden accounts where the credit could have been transferred, even if one managed to slip by my searches. The credit disappears and never shows up anywhere else.”
“You have been working for them, too? You work for Sharvaton Mining Control, not the companies we contract under us! We cannot be held accountable for the missing funds!” exclaimed the Veetanho. “If the contracted company cannot pay its wages fully, that is not our concern!”
“But, President Korleego, the miners need their credits,” reasoned Daylinn. “Just because I work for you in accounting does not mean I don’t feel for them. I volunteered my time. Someone is stealing from them…and their families.”
“Feel!” screamed Korleego. “Feel! You don’t feel for them. You just do your job for my company. You had no right to request assistance from anyone, much less Peacemakers. It’s bad enough they are coming here; now I am told they will be on Gondlo as well.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Daylinn nodded. “The miners are threatening to strike. They did not receive wages for the fifth week in a row. Their families grow hungry. Many have had to move in together to cut expenses.”
As an Aposo, Daylinn was rodent-like, as was her Veetanho boss, only smaller, but she didn’t have dark glasses concealing her eyes so her genuine concern was easy to see in them. It sent the company president over the edge.
“Get out!” Korleego shouted. “You’re fired! Don’t even try and get a severance package. I’ll see you in court for attempting to destroy my company. If you try and gain employment in a company contracted by me, you will be blamed for the losses, and I will see to it you never work in finance again!” She stormed out of the room.
Daylinn stood, quietly gathered her few belongings from the desk in her small office and left the building. She had no idea what she would do in the next few minutes, much less the rest of her life. She was too stunned to express emotions. She knew she had enough in her savings to return home but not enough to secure a place to stay and look for employment. She thought when she landed this job a year ago, it would be a company she could build a career with, somewhere to work happily with her numbers and computers until she retired.
It had seemed so promising. Now, because she tried to do the right thing, she had lost that dream. She walked slowly to her company provided home, gathered a few belongings and clothes to fill a bag, and went to the starport. There was no sense in hanging around. There was nothing left for her in this system.
* * *
Millzak walked past the customs area, a large bag slung over an upper shoulder and a small case in one of his hands. He nodded at the agent checking another passenger’s belongings and kept going. The exposed Peacemaker Candidate badge and the well-known Peacemaker jumpsuit was obvious to the busy Veetanho. A few minutes after he passed, the agent made a quick call.
Millzak looked around in the waiting area. He saw the sliding doors leading out of the building. He knew there would be transport services outside. They were always at starports, and he knew how to use them. He would ask the operator to take him to the mining headquarters. He looked at the screen on the slate in his hand. Sharvaton Mining Control. He repeated it to himself several times before glancing around again.
At seven feet tall, the Lumar was an imposing figure, one most beings in the galaxy would avoid if possible. Everyone cleared a path for him as he walked toward the doors. All of them except one, a small Aposo. She was staring at her feet as she walked…right into Millzak.
She stumbled backward after running into his seemingly immovable bulk. “I am so sorry,” she apologized and scrambled for her bag.
“It is all right,” Millzak said with a small smile. “Are you injured?” he asked.
The Aposo looked up at hearing his deep voice. Her eyes went wide, likely thinking that Lumar were big, of low intelligence, usually rude, and nearly always mean, which made them perfect mercenaries.
She looked him over and seemed surprised at the pleasant expression on his face. It was then she noticed what he was wearing and the glint of his shining badge. His Peacemaker’s badge.
“Peacemaker!” she exclaimed. “You came.”
“I am not yet a Peacemaker,” Millzak said. “I am a candidate. Yes, I came. I am here.”
“My name is Daylinn,” said the Aposo. “I requested Peacemaker intervention. I did not know they would send a candidate, but you have the same authority if you were assigned a mission. Don’t you?”
“Yes, I am a candidate,” Millzak said. “I have been assigned. Your name is listed as the
contact for…” he paused a moment and thought. “Sharvaton Mining.”
Daylinn’s whole demeanor changed. She stared off in the distance, after a moment she looked up at him and said, “I was your contact. I am no longer the contact.” She picked her bag up and turned to walk away.
Millzak studied her for a moment. “Stop. Come sit with me. Tell me what is wrong. Before I go, I will try and help you.”
He guided her to a small sitting area. There were two tables. One was occupied by a pair of starport employees. The two occupants quickly gathered their belongings and left. The last thing they wanted was to get involved with whatever brought a Peacemaker to the planet, especially one as imposing as Millzak.
“Please tell me why you are so upset,” Millzak said. “Sometimes talking about a problem helps.” He could tell the small Aposo sitting across from him was close to falling apart. He felt her emotions strongly. This one was close to the edge. He felt this once before from a candidate, considering something drastic after the loss of his entire clan in a tragic accident. Now was the time to try and help. Now.
“I…I have been fired,” said Daylinn. For some reason she felt she could open up to the large Peacemaker. The words came in a rush. “I have only enough credits to get home. I spent my savings on implants last year. I wouldn’t have if I had known. I didn’t know. I don’t have anywhere to go when I get there. I have no family. There is no one left. I know a few others, but not many. I was always reclusive, stuck in my computers with my numbers and programs.” The words coming from her slowed as she rambled. “I never made many friends. I don’t know what I am going to do. I just don’t know.” The last came out as a whisper as she stared off again.
“Tell me little one, why are you fired?” Millzak prompted her.
Daylinn looked at Millzak, puzzled. “Because I asked for Peacemaker assistance.”
“I do not pretend to be a smart Lumar,” Millzak said, “but even I know that is no reason to lose your job. Did you do anything else to anger your boss?”
“I tried to help the Pangtol Mining Company find their missing credits,” answered Daylinn. “I am an accountant, or I was, anyway. The president was not happy about it. I was only trying to help.”
“So, credits are missing,” Millzak said. He reached for his slate and slowly typed in a note. “Tell me, did you take it?”
“What? No,” Daylinn answered. “I tried to help find it.”
Millzak looked at here for a long moment, nodded, and took more notes. “Where did you look?” he asked.
“I searched their banking records, their account,” Daylinn said. She appeared to be more comfortable with the change in the conversation. Numbers and computers were her life. “I ran several standard programs attempting to determine if there were authorized or unauthorized withdrawals or hacking attempts on the account. I found nothing.”
Millzak put his slate down. “This case will have a lot of math…and use of computers, won’t it?”
“Well, yes,” Daylinn said. Confusion was evident in her voice. “Many credits are missing. The mining company cannot meet its payroll. The miners are threatening to strike, and my old company contracts a security force that will use intimidation and violence to make them go back to work. It will get bad at the mines.”
“The mines are on the other planet, right?” Millzak asked.
“Yes,” Daylinn said. “The rare elements are mined on Gondlo. They are shipped from there. A percentage of the profit goes to the company employing the miners. It is delivered here weekly, and several deposits are made simultaneously in the credit exchange. They use actual hard credits. The system buying the majority of the raw metals insist on paying in hard credits. I know it’s very unusual, but some systems do not trust digital currency. It seems so old fashioned to me; it’s almost impossible to believe it is still done that way anywhere in the galaxy.”
“I understand,” Millzak said. “An account with credits you cannot touch, where you can only see numbers, can be confusing.”
Daylinn tilted her head slightly and her ears perked up at hearing this. “How will you determine where the missing credits are going? I could not figure it out. I have watched the video of the deposits being made—the deposit slips filled out, the credits being counted, and the deposit slips being fed into the slot on the computer. The next day a deposit is missing, sometimes completely.”
“Deposit slip?” Millzak asked. “One is filled out for every deposit?”
“Well, yes,” Daylinn answered. “I mean, the slips are preprinted with the account information, then the amount of the deposit is filled in and it goes into the slot. The credits are placed in the exchange’s vault. I should tell you, the beings in the exchange have been very helpful, I feel they have allowed me access to more than they probably should. We could not determine where the credits are going. There have been no attempts to gain access to the account other than when the company itself does it. Every other account in the exchange has the proper amount of credits, coinciding with their own deposit slips.”
“Co…what?” Millzak asked.
“Coinciding. It means their credits matches the amount they should have,” explained Daylinn.
Millzak thought for a moment. Math, computers, credits, accounts, unauthorized access. These were things he knew he was not good at. He needed help. An idea came to him.
“You do not work for—” he consulted his slate, “—Sharvaton anymore. Correct?”
“No,” Daylinn said, her shoulders slumped. Millzak knew the discussion of the missing credits had pulled her out of her depression for a while, but it was threatening to come back.
“Good,” Millzak said. “I am authorized to contract help from the locals if it is needed. I need help. You will be my math and computer consultant. The Peacemaker Guild will pay you standard contract fees. I do not know what they are, but I can find out. Will you help me?”
“I—why yes, Peacemaker Candidate,” Daylinn said, standing. “I will help in any way I can. There are Caroon families in desperate need. I have to help.”
“Good. Thank you,” Millzak said. “Since you do not work for them anymore, there will not be a…a…” He tried to think of the words.
“Conflict of interest?” Daylinn prompted.
“Yes! Those are the words,” Millzak said. He grinned. “We will start at the credit exchange. Lead the way.” He grabbed his case, adjusted the strap of his large bag across his shoulder, kept his slate in one hand, and reached down with his free hand and picked up her bag for her. Sometimes it was good to have four hands.
* * *
Chapter Four
The credit exchange was a local business owned by a Caroon, though it tied into the network of credit exchanges throughout the galaxy. The owner/president was more than relieved to see Millzak enter his establishment with the accountant who had been trying to determine where the missing credits had gone. As expected, the Peacemaker was given full access to the computer system.
This time Daylinn had access to much more than the account in question and the limited programs allowed before. It wasn’t that the president hadn’t wanted to give her more before, but there were regulations in the credit exchange industry that had to be adhered to. A Peacemaker on-sight requesting full access for his assistant was a completely different matter. The president was thrilled to have an excuse to allow unlimited access.
“Daylinn,” Millzak said, “I am going to question everyone working here. I would like you to perform your searches again. I am told you will have greater access than you had before.”
“Yes, Peacemaker Candidate,” Daylinn said. “I have a question first. Before, I used standard programing. Am I authorized to use some of my own…um, personal programming? Or perhaps write what I may need to do a thorough search?”
Millzak looked at his new assistant and grinned. “You mean hack the system? I know what hacking is. I cannot do it. I use the standard programs available to Peacemakers. I am authorizing y
ou, with the Peacemakers Guild’s full backing, to use whatever means you feel are necessary to get the answers I need. Do not harm their system or leave a rear hatch. Or a door…or…?”
“You mean a back door?” Daylinn prodded.
“Yes, that. A back door,” Millzak said. “Do not leave a back door or do anything dishonest. I trust you, Daylinn, but I must let you know that once my mission has been accomplished it may be followed up by the nearest Peacemaker. It is written in our mission guidelines. I remember.”
“I understand,” Daylinn said, nodding. “I would not dream of doing so. Thank you for your trust.” She turned back to the console, cracked her fingers, hit a few keys, and got the faraway look indicating she had engaged her implants. Moments later she was lost in the system.
Millzak watched her work for a minute. As always, he was impressed by someone as intelligent as Daylinn. He was not jealous; he had long ago accepted his limitations. He was, however, smart enough to learn ways around them. Use what you have, find what you need. There is always a way, look for the simple solution. Never learn to fail. The big Lumar nodded his head as he recited his own personal motto in his mind and turned to find a room suitable for his interviews.
Three hours later, Daylinn walked into the conference-room-turned-interrogation-room. Millzak looked away from the Caroon he was glaring at. He could see the exhaustion on her face.
“What have you found?” Millzak asked.
“I used all my resources, Peacemaker Candidate,” she said as she climbed up and flopped down into an empty chair. “The only thing I could find is a small blank section in the deposit timings. It is as if a slight hiccup occurred in the system.”
“A hiccup?” Millzak asked. “Can a computer hiccup?”
“No, Peacemaker Candidate,” she answered, smiling. “It is a figure of speech. There was a slight hesitation. It was deliberate. I found the embedded code that caused it. I removed it from the system. Peacemaker, it was uploaded here in the building.”