by Dave Lemel
Simon tried to give Todd a moment of peace to digest what he was looking at it, but he failed to keep his raging curiosity from bubbling to the surface. “Could I maybe…”
“Here, take it.” Todd tossed the piece of paper at him and shifted his focus out the window.
In the top left corner was a simple compass rose. Toward the bottom right there were crudely drawn train tracks leading into a box with “Penko Peak Station” written on it. From the left side of the box, a line gently wiggled up and left at an angle until it hit a small circle with “Prisco” written under it. From there, a line went straight as an arrow up from the circle to a cluster of open-bottom triangles. To the right of the straight line was marked “1.5 miles,” underlined twice.
“So,” Todd muttered, maintaining his gaze out the side, “what do you think?”
“I think it’s simple but it should help a lot. Obviously, we start at this Penko Peak train station. Then we make our way to a town called Prisco. From there, it’s light on detail.”
“One and a half miles due north into the mountains.”
“I mean, yeah, I get that part; it’s just, where do we look from there?”
“Like you said,” Todd turned back toward Simon now, “it’s simple, but it should help a lot.”
Simon nodded. “All right, now how do we get the cash back to Tenjo?”
“Give it back? Why should we give it back?”
“What do you mean why should we give it back? Todd, we’re not crooks. Heck, we’re kinda supposed to be like the opposite.”
“Whatever, man; that jerk deserves it. Besides,” Todd said, pointing at the map, “we need the cash to buy two train tickets now.”
“So we request a transfer and go pick it up at that bank we talked about before.”
“And if Tenjo reported our burglary to the cops? Buddy, we took the whole safe, not just a map. If we had just swiped the map he was trying to extort us with, it would be a hard thing to report. We forced our way in and made off with a safe. We can’t risk going into a bank anymore.”
Simon looked down at the pile of cash on his lap. “I absolutely hate it, but you’re right. And we got to go now. If they do start looking for us, the Jandor train station would be a bad spot to show our faces.”
Todd tossed the safe in the back and grabbed the packs. “Put some of that in both these. I’ll call Foggen to see if he knows where the station is.”
Seconds later, Foggen’s slender purple face appeared on Todd’s link. “What can I do to assist you, Todd?”
“Is there a train station close to us that would have trains heading directly up to the mountains?”
“Yes. From your current location, you will need to go three blocks west and three south. There you will find the station that has trains directly up to and down from the mountains above Jandor. It is a long, flat building with a large clock on a peak over the main entrance. You will be able to secure transportation by train into the mountains from there.”
“Thanks, Foggen. Tell Ben that’s what we’re doing right now. Next communication will be from higher altitude.”
“Hey,” Simon jumped in, “one more thing. What do cops wear around here?” Simon winked at Todd. “Asking for a friend.”
“In Jandor, if I recall correctly, bright pink; but there are special forces groups that you may see more of. Those are all ex- soldiers and they wear all tan. They mostly handle terrorism-related issues.”
Todd nodded. “Thanks again.”
“My pleasure,” replied Foggen. “Good luck.”
The two marshals jumped out of their cruiser and jogged up the ramp. As they hit street level, Todd turned to run up the hill. “All the way west before we turn south. I’d rather be two blocks above Tenjo’s street when we pass there.”
“Good call.” Simon adjusted his pack and grabbed Todd’s arm. “Walk. Just a couple of tourists headed up to the mountains for some hiking. Nothing to see here.”
“Right.” Todd slowed to a relaxed pace matching Simon’s. “Totally stoked for this hike, brah. Gonna be epic.”
Simon’s face looked like he sat in a chair he hadn’t anticipated being wet. “What was that?”
“Trying to act normal. Like you said, nothing to see here. Isn’t that how you Rado boys talk when you’re pumped for a hike?”
Simon shook his head. “Just shut up and walk.” As they rounded the corner three blocks west, a large clock with interwoven rune-like characters marking the hours became visible on a peak of a building in the distance. “That has to be it.”
“Good-looking building. At least it’s not shockingly pastel from what I can see so far,” observed Todd. “I really hope we can catch something tonight. I’d rather not spend the night there for multiple reasons.”
They entered through a large set of doors under the clock and found themselves in a cavernous interior with orange tiled floor and mint green walls and pillars. After surveying the interior for a few seconds, Todd pointed to a three-sided display hanging from the ceiling by cables attached far above. “That’s gotta be the schedule.”
“It’s going to take more than a few days to get used to the color palette they use on this planet.” Simon rubbed his eyes as they walked. “Either that, or I’m going to need a pair of glasses to adjust the spectrum I see in.”
“Looks like a train leaves for Penko Peak in less than two minutes.”
“Well, that’s lucky,” Simon responded, “also looks like if we miss this one we wait till morning.”
“Yep. Where the heck do you buy tickets?”
“Maybe those?” Simon pointed at a bank of machines lining the outer wall of a circular structure nearby. Todd saw what he was pointing at and headed straight for them.
“Okay,” Todd swiped and tapped the screens, “looks like I got two for Penko Peak ready to print. Start feeding bills in until it spits ’em out.”
Simon unzipped Todd’s pack slightly and grabbed a few of the pink bills. He fed one then another in, and just as he was about to continue, the machine made a muffled grinding sound and a tray slid out holding two tickets. Simon stuffed the rest of the bills in his pocket and grabbed the tickets, handing one to Todd. “C’mon, looks like a train is loading right over there. I’ll bet that’s us.”
They zig-zagged through the sparse crowd and stopped behind a pair of Gleebans in a short line at one of the open doors. Once the two in front of them had been granted access, they handed their tickets to the Gleeban at the door. He quickly glanced at the tickets, marked them, handed them back, and waved Todd and Simon inside.
The interior of the train car was two rows of benches split by an aisle running down the middle of them. They walked through the fully occupied car, and at the back opened the door to the next car. This car was full at the front but the back half was completely empty. They made their way to the rear, slid their packs under the bench, and plopped down.
Not a second later, an announcement was made over a loudspeaker; the train jolted, then slowly exited the station. The train car was dimly lit, and the combination of overcast skies and sunset outside made it darker and darker the further they left the lights of Jandor behind.
The train had been clickity-clacking up the tracks for nearly half an Earth hour as Todd stared vacantly at a now slightly worn photograph of a small boy and his father. Simon perused pictures of Penny on his link beside him as he heard the door at the front of the car open and then close. He glanced up, then back to his link. He was aware the figure that had just entered the car had sat in the seat in front of him, but he had thought nothing of it. Todd tapped him on the leg. Simon changed his focus from his link to Todd. Todd pointed at the back of the Gleeban in front of Simon and clearly mouthed, “Benjo.”
Simon looked quick before turning back to Todd and mouthing, “Tenjo?”
Todd shook his head vigorously
. “B,” he mouthed. Then in as quiet a whisper as he could manage, “Buh, B, Benjo.”
Simon’s mouth dropped open in realization, and his eyes followed suit. He looked at the back of the Gleeban’s head again, then Todd. A grin spread across his face, and quick as a hiccup, he reached both arms over the seat back and around the Gleeban’s head, firmly covering his mouth with one and wrapping his neck with the other. He then leaned in close by his ear and whispered, “Hey, Benjo. How ya been?”
The shock of being smothered from behind had suppressed any initial struggle, but he knew that voice. He also knew the star marshals had wanted to question him regarding a tragic misunderstanding he had been involved in back on Callisto. He panicked. Simon increased the pressure with both arms and whispered firmly in his ear. “Relax. I promise we are not here for you. Swear on my badge. I’m going to let you go now if you promise to stay calm.” Simon bent his head around to make eye contact with Benjo’s rectangular pupil. “You got it?”
Benjo’s muscles un-tensed, and he stared back into Simon’s eye. He made one little nod, and Simon released him. He spun himself in his seat and threw an arm over the back. He stretched his neck. “My Jordan person, my Cain person, if you are not here for me, then who?”
“Long story,” replied Todd.
“There is time. We have a ways to climb, and it is too dark to enjoy the scenery.”
“How ’bout you tell us what happened at that card game?”
Benjo turned to Simon. “You said you weren’t here for me.”
Todd responded. “He meant it. Still interested in hearing what happened.”
“What difference will it make? I cannot go back to your solar system now. Nobody will believe a Gleeban drifter when his dagger ended up in a miner’s back.”
“Try us,” said Simon, “we had a hard time believing you’d be guilty of murder from the moment we heard it. You just don’t strike us as the type.”
Benjo’s shoebox pupils shifted back and forth between Todd and Simon a few times. He turned his body fully around on his bench, swung his other arm over the back, and began revealing his version of events.
Chapter 16
Benjo’s story was believable, and fit well with what they knew of him. He was not above attempting to increase the odds of a game of chance in his favor. He had found a willing partner while tossing back a few drinks that night. They hatched a crude plan and found a game to execute it in.
Not long after they had begun playing, one of the other beings in the game correctly accused Benjo and his newfound partner of being in cahoots. From there, all hell broke loose. The man he had paired up with fought off the two attackers as well as he could, but they found themselves backed into a corner, and Benjo pulled out his dagger. One of the attackers did not like that and responded by pulling out his own blade. The man Benjo had paired with grabbed Benjo’s dagger, and the next sequence happened so fast Benjo could not remember any details other than the armed attacker lying face down with Benjo’s dagger sticking out of his back.
“So,” Benjo leaned in anxiously, “will you be clearing my name?”
“That’s above our paygrade,” replied Todd.
Benjo’s head tilted. “This means what?”
“He means we do not make those decisions. We’ll relay your story to our boss, but until we get his response, I’d stay out of Earth’s solar system if I were you.”
Benjo nodded and turned his focus out the window at the darkness and shadows whipping by. Every now and then a light or small cluster of them could be seen at dramatically varying heights like twinkling white specs showing through a black curtain. “It may be for the best. I have not been home in a very long time. If I feel the need to wander again, there are always other solar systems.”
“What made you start in the first place?” asked Todd.
Benjo sighed. “Oh, a few things, I suppose. The never-ending cycle of violence here was a big one. It was just something I had accepted as a fixture of life here. I’m from the mountains, so it never directly affected me anyway. Then in my early twenties, my brother was caught up in it, and my life changed forever.”
“What happened?” Simon asked as he fidgeted in his seat, uncertain whether he was physically uncomfortable or if unraveling this deeper layer of Benjo had made him psychologically uncomfortable.
“He was attending school in Jandor. Wrong place, wrong time. Went for lunch in a cafeteria on campus, and a Mintari terrorist walked in and blew himself up.”
Todd’s eyes narrowed. “A suicide bomber?”
“Yes. The Mintari extremists use them quite regularly. Gleebans have never, nor would they ever, attack a school of any kind.”
Todd uncrossed his arms and leaned back slightly. “So, you started wandering right then, or did you fight for a while after that?”
“Fight? No. I am not a fighter. Also, I do not solely blame the Mintari for what happened. Gleebans have contributed plenty to get this never-ending bloodshed to the point it is today. I will say this, though, I do believe if the Mintari destroyed all their weapons tomorrow, there would be peace. If Gleebans were to destroy their arms, we would be slaughtered.”
“Okay, so you did begin wandering right away,” said Todd.
“Not immediately. About a year after my brother was killed, I was just lost. I did not know what to do with myself, so I was doing nothing. Then one night I walked out of the bar I had been drinking the evening away in. With my head spinning, I headed down a trail, found a clearing, and laid down. It was a perfectly clear night. I stared up at the stars for hours. That’s when it hit me. Head out there . I was wasting a life here on Gleeb, but something about wandering the galaxy, even with no real purpose or direction, seemed like a life well lived. I scrounged up all the money I had, then scrounged up a little more in a manner I’m not comfortable sharing with two star marshals, and started drifting from port to port.”
“How long ago was that?” asked Simon.
“Enough questions for me. Now one for you. If you have not come to Gleeb chasing me, then what did you come for?”
Simon and Todd shared an uneasy glance.
“You can trust me,” Benjo interjected into the silence. “I need you two to try to clear my name. Why would I betray your confidence?”
“That’s true,” said Simon. “Plus, we know the person we’re looking for is not someone he has any reason to tip off, or any way of knowing at all for that matter.”
“It is a human?” Benjo’s furry face appeared a bit surprised. “You said person. That would stand out here. Especially in the mountains. I may be able to help.”
Simon shrugged at Todd and directed an open hand in Benjo’s direction. Todd’s face clenched, he closed his eyes, and he nodded clearly twice. Simon turned his attention back to Benjo. “There is a fugitive hiding out in the mountains here. He is human, and he is an ex-marshal.”
Benjo’s abbreviated muzzle mouth opened a little and he squinted out the window. He leaned back slightly. “How can you be certain he is in the mountains here?”
“He sent a distress call and left a map to his location. We have recovered the map.” He winked at Todd. “It’s a long story.”
“May I see the map?”
Simon glanced at Todd, who returned his glance with a shrug. “What difference would that make at this point?”
Simon reached under his seat and pulled his pack out. He unzipped a small pouch on the side. The small map emerged from the pouch in his hand, and he unfolded it. Benjo leaned over the back of his seat. Simon turned it so that the map was oriented correctly for Benjo’s perspective.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Benjo looked it over closely. “It does not show an end point.”
“Yeah, we figure we hike into the mountains due north from this Prisco town exactly one and a half miles.”<
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“And then what?”
“Well, hopefully he’s right at that point, somewhere obvious, or we start looking harder from there.”
Benjo scratched under one of his ears and shook his head. “What kind of supplies you got?”
Simon held his pack up. “Just two packs like this and some extra clothes.”
“No tent? Is there food for a couple days in them at least?”
“No. Pretty much just clothes.”
“That is not the easiest hike. If you do not find your fugitive right away, you will want more than just clothes with you.”
Todd sat up straighter. “He’s right. What were we planning on doing? Hiking in and out every day till we found him?”
“Things have been happening kind of fast since we got here,” Simon spat out before settling down again. “Still not sure how we missed that though.”
They both stared out windows on opposite sides of the car until Benjo broke the silence. “I am from Prisco. One of my oldest friends runs his family’s motel there. At least he did before I left. I could get us a room there for the night and take you to get supplies in the morning. Then you can head out onto the trails prepared.”
Simon felt a vibration on his right forearm. He pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt up. “It’s Ben.”
“Go for it,” replied Todd, “nobody in this car to worry about.”
Simon tapped his link, and Ben’s big face instantly dominated the screen. “What’s up, Ben?”
“Just talked to your wife. Simple status report, but she wanted me to relay a message to you.”
After a pause, Simon cleared his throat. “Which is?”
“Oh, right, sorry, call her when you get a chance.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep. That’s all she said. ‘Have Simon call me when he can.’”
“Hmm, all right.” Simon rubbed his chin. “Well, we’re on our way to a little mountain town called Prisco to spend the night. I’ll call her when we get to our motel. You’ll get my message when I need you to relay.”