by Kal Spriggs
Mike frowned and Simon could tell the other man didn’t quite buy it. Well, it’s not like I can tell him that I don’t trust him, not with this, Simon thought. “Look, it’s either that or we push the briefing back.”
Mike grimaced, “No, rounding everyone up short of an emergency is hard enough. Hell, I swear Run must disappear into a hidey hole or something half the time.”
Simon shrugged. Despite Run’s disregard for human life, the little alien now looked like one of the less likely suspects. “Maybe,” Simon said noncommittally.
Mike frowned and Simon could see the suspicion in the other man’s dark eyes. Still, he finally gave a nod, “Very well, your show.” He turned to the others, who had all filed on the bridge while Simon and Mike talked. “Thanks for coming, everyone. I’ll cover what our plan for the day is here in a moment. First, though, Simon has apparently uncovered some information that he feels we all need to hear.”
Simon searched the faces of his companions as Mike made that announcement. He half hoped to see guilt, suspicion, or even panic. Instead, he saw boredom and mild interest. So either the killers are better actors than I could have guessed or they think they’ve covered their trail so well that they’re safe. The only exceptions were Pixel, Michael, and Elena. Pixel had a pinched look on his face, as if he expected a blow. Michael and Elena both stood near the door, as Simon had asked. He hadn’t fully briefed them, but he had needed to verify some of the information, so both could guess where this would go.
Plus she has access to the armory, so I had someone to lock it down, just in case this really goes bad, Simon thought. She was, other than Run, the only member of the crew that he felt he could trust. Her earlier warning of a conspiracy seemed more and more likely.
“Alright, everyone,” Simon said. “I wanted all of you to hear this, and it needs to be said openly.” He scanned the others even as he activated his console. It brought up the files that Pixel had given him the night before. The same files that he’d spent the entire night pouring over. “Crowe, among his other talents, was an accomplished hacker. He’s assembled quite a bit more than we thought from the files of Fontaine, this ship, and even from the Chxor vessels and station. He used those files to assemble a very complete dossier on all of us… to include things that I’m sure most of you thought were safely in your past.”
Simon saw many of the others go still. Ariadne looked puzzled, which made Simon’s heart sink, if she could put up such a deceptive face under these circumstances, then it meant that Simon had to reevaluate his perception of her. Combined with her abilities, her pretense of confusion made her far more likely a suspect. Mike looked angry, which Simon could guess meant that he either was irritated that Simon went for a confrontation or that he was angry that his past was about to be revealed. Eric looked tense, but the twitchy mercenary always looked poised for combat. Pixel looked grim, but he already knew what Simon knew… did that mean that he feared what Simon was about to reveal or that he feared that his edited data hadn’t succeeded? I wish I knew enough about computers to tell if he gave me the real data, Simon thought, not for the first time. He had spent hours agonizing over what to do, and no little amount of that time in consideration of just how dangerous the engineer could be.
Of the aliens, Run merely looked bored, though Simon couldn’t guess if the alien really felt an emotion such as that. Or perhaps the little alien simply didn’t care what Simon had uncovered because he knew it wouldn’t implicate him. Rastar had turned a pale shade of tan, but Simon noted the big alien’s four arms all had shifted closer to his weapons. Anubus had cocked his jackal-like head, as if to study Simon more carefully. His claws were still sheathed, but Simon knew that could change in a heart beat… or mid swing.
Simon activated the simple program he had enabled and all the screens aboard the bridge came to life. He watched each face as their eyes searched the screens, each one with a different dossier. “So let’s start this off,” Simon said, his voice level. Best to start with the most likely suspects, he thought. “Anubus: wanted in the Colonial Republic system of Anvil for charges of piracy, murder, sabotage, kidnapping, and extortion. You were captain of a frigate which you stole and a crew of thirty other pirates. Among your many crimes, you apparently massacred your entire crew when you suspected they attempted to betray you to the authorities.”
Simon had his hand behind his back, tucked under his suit jacket where he’d holstered his pistol. The ivory grip felt warm and comfortable in his hand as he waited for the Wrethe’s reaction. Simon expected anything from a berserk homicidal rage to a seething condemnation. He did not expect the dry chuckle and the wolf-like grin, “Yes, so?”
The others had shifted away from the Wrethe, who seemed to take the cleared space around him as his due. “You killed your own crew?”
“They betrayed me and they paid the price… a fact which you all should remember,” Anubus growled. The temperature on the bridge seemed to drop at his base voice. His jackal grin lent extra credence to his threat.
Simon could see that his reveal had not had the desired effect. If anything, Anubus seemed to wear his crimes like a badge of honor. My god, he thought, what kind of savages have I fallen in with? He pointed at the next screen, “Eric Striker, wanted for desertion from the Centauri Military Forces. Wanted in questioning for the murder of a senior officer. In addition, there’s a significant bounty placed on the Tanis Classifieds with a note that you’ve killed the last police team that tried to apprehend you and bring you to justice.”
Eric glowered at Simon, “The first two ‘crimes’ are bullshit. I served with honor, right up until-” He broke off. A rush of emotions flitted across the other man’s face. “And that ‘police team’ I killed weren’t cops, they were a hired bag team that someone deputized.”
“Nonetheless, Crowe knew you were wanted, knew about your bounty, did you kill him because of that?” Simon demanded.
Eric looked at him in consternation. “Are you kidding? How was I supposed to know he had this? The bastard never said a thing.”
Simon ground his teeth. “You’d be likely to say that if he confronted you and tried to compel you to work for him.” He paused, “Crowe’s notes say that he blackmailed someone on the team into being his partner… was it you? You could have provided him the combat power he might have wanted. Plus, you dealt the final blow to Ghost, maybe you stole the Wrethe’s environmental suit after that.”
“That’s absurd,” Eric said. “First off, if Crowe had tried to blackmail me, I’d probably have killed him then and there. I wouldn’t simmer about it or hatch some weird cover up. And I’d tell you all. I’m not afraid of any of that coming up. I can explain it all and I’ve got records to back me.”
“What about the bounty?” Mike asked.
Eric looked over at Mike with a hurt expression, “Really Mike? You think I’m stupid enough to trust Crowe in regards to that? He might not tell the rest of you, but he’d sure as hell try to turn me in to get it himself.”
Simon shook his head, “None of that clears you.”
“No, but none of it proves I did anything, either,” Eric snapped.
Simon glanced around at the others, but their faces still showed confusion more than anything. Guilty people panicked when their motives were revealed… unless they were psychopaths or sociopaths. Finally Simon decided to move on.
“Pixel… or should we call you Kevin Lynch?” Simon asked. He brought up the Engineer’s dossier on the main screen. “Wanted for questioning in the Lithia system in relation to the terrorist attack on New Glasglow’s capital city of Origin. Authorities linked you to the computer that was used to reprogram the city reactor, and to the people believed to have conducted the terrorist attack.” Looks of horror met his announcement, and Simon felt a sick twist in his stomach at the look of pain on the engineers face.
“I can’t…” Pixel looked away. “I was involved… but I was deceived. I trusted a friend, and I never questioned his motives. I
should have, but I didn’t. I swear to you all, I was not a part of his team and I had no idea what he planned to do.” He took a deep breath, “It was supposed to be a prank!”
Ariadne walked over to the console, “Now, look, the charges were dropped, anyway, almost a year ago. Clearly the authorities don’t hold him responsible anymore.”
Simon grimaced, “It doesn’t matter, he was involved. He said it himself, just now. That makes him an accessory to an attack that killed millions.” Some of the others looked conflicted. But Simon could tell that his aggressive stance had put them all on the defensive. He had painted all of them as possible suspects, so none of them were likely to pass judgment on their fellows.
“Mike, there’s precious little on you, besides the fact that you’re wanted for questioning in a smuggling operation with ties to the pirate Tommy King,” Simon said to the Captain, who just gave him a shrug in return. “Ariadne, you’re wanted for the murder on Cetus, Qiang, and Faraday.”
The psychic went a bit pale at that, but she nodded, “I… was involved on Cetus, but it was an accident. It was self defense, on Qiang.” She frowned, “Honestly, I’ve never been to Faraday, so I’m not sure what that’s about.” She said it all with a calm tone, as if being wanted for three separate sets of murders were something that could easily be explained away.
“Rastar…” Simon brought up the alien’s file, “You’re wanted in Centauri space for a laundry list of crimes ranging from assault and battery to murder. You also have not just one, but two bounty listings, one for thirty two million Confederation Dollars and the other for forty million Tau Ceti Separatist Dollars. One contract lists you as wanted alive, the other just requests your head.”
The entire bridge went silent. They all realized, just as Simon did, that someone could buy a star ship or live a life of luxury for that kind of money.
The big alien shrugged, “Well, sometimes people have misunderstandings like this.” His mirrored eyes gave no sign of his emotions, though his hide had gone a lighter tan color. Simon guessed that meant surprise or worry, though he wasn’t sure.
Mike gave the big alien with a look of consternation, “A thirty million dollar misunderstanding?” His tone suggested that he didn’t accept that response any more than Simon did.
Rastar shrugged, “These things happen.” His brown hide took on a shade of muted green, which, if Simon remembered right, meant he found the situation amusing.
Ariadne spoke up, “He did say that Chxor space was safer for him.”
Mike seemed flabbergasted by the payday. “Thirty two million??”
Rastar looked relaxed, but Simon noted how tense the big alien had gone. He could see the muscles under the big alien’s hide grow taut. Simon also saw shades of red darken his brown hide. Simon decided to press harder and asked, “Did you kill Crowe because you found out that he knew?”
Rastar looked over at Simon, “I very much doubt that Crowe could collect on his own. Even if I did know, I wouldn’t see him as a threat.”
“But maybe you killed him to keep him silent, da?” Elena snapped.
Rastar’s hide turned pink… but he didn’t look over at the bounty hunter. He kept silent for a long moment, but when he spoke, Simon could hear an edge of anger in his deep voice, “I did not kill him. I didn’t know that anyone else knew. I give you my word of honor.”
“Someone held him down while someone else cut on him, this would take two people with two sets of hands… or one alien with the same, da?” Elena asked.
The bridge had gone totally silent. Simon saw Anubus shift, and an appraising look came to his dark eyes. “She’s right.”
Rastar looked around at the others. “This is absurd, Annie, I know you don’t believe that I’d do that to Crowe!”
“You beat him up when you found he’d stolen gold,” Mike said, his voice calm.
“But only because he tried to frame me!” Rastar shouted. His hide had turned a deeper shade of red. “And accusations such as this are wrong. I would not kill a helpless man!”
Ariadne moved forward to stand between Rastar and Anubus. She stood with a stance of determination to her slender frame and a frown on her face. The stance would have seemed absurd, except that her hair had begun to stir in a breeze which touched no one else and the air temperature in the bridge dropped sharply enough that Simon heard the environmental systems kick on. “We know he didn’t do it,” Ariadne said sharply. “It’s greed or worse that would make anyone think that Rastar would hurt someone like that.” Her voice seemed more powerful than her thin frame should produce. “He’s lost his temper before, but he’s never been cruel… and someone would have to be absolutely vicious to do that to him.”
Despite himself, Simon nodded. He somehow doubted that the big alien had it in him to do something that nasty. Simon took a deep breath, “But you could have held him down with your abilities, or had someone else do it by controlling them.”
“What?” Ariadne’s look of determination was replaced by hurt and shock on her face.
“Yes…” Anubus growled. “You hated Crowe and suspected him of being a rogue psychic. If he thought to gain leverage over you with your past, you might have used any one of us as your tools to silence him.” The Wrethe cocked his head, “And indeed, even Simon here could have been your tool.”
Simon felt his heart go cold at that thought.
“No,” Pixel said. “That’s not possible.”
“Why?” Anubus growled.
“Because Ariadne couldn’t hurt a fly, not unless she was protecting us,” Pixel said.
“That’s not true, she’s killed before,” Simon said.
“Only in self defense!” Ariadne said.
“This is going nowhere,” Mike growled. “Move on with the brief, I’m sure you’ve got some more skeletons to drag out of the closet.”
Simon grimaced, “Mandy and Miranda…” He pulled up their combined dossier which included a variety of pictures of them. “Clearly Crowe was fixated on both of you. Some of his photos are very compromising.” Simon pulled up a picture that showed Mandy using the shower. The short redhead’s blush went up into her scalp. “He also had a list of your previous convictions as well as systems and planets you’re wanted in. Your apparent crimes included inciting riots, assault on political figures, even inciting insurrection. He also, apparently, learned that you were both psychics.”
Miranda stepped forward, “So?”
“So you may have killed him to keep that quiet or because you caught him at his snooping. Or because he tried to blackmail one or both of you into, ah, sexual favors.” Simon said. The last seemed the most likely, Simon had earlier decided.
“I wouldn’t put it past him, the pervert!” Mandy shouted.
Miranda shook her head at her friend and turned her gaze on the others, “We’ve made no attempt to hide our past. He’s got a lot more detail than we’ve told you, but not that much more that we’d be concerned about it being revealed.”
“And if I caught him snooping, I’d beat his ass and cut off his balls,” Mandy snapped, “Not hold him down and cut his chest.”
“Noted,” Mike said dryly. He looked at Simon, “Anything else?”
Simon took a deep breath, “This could be a conspiracy. All of you have sordid pasts, what if you learned that he knew this, what if you all worked together to silence him?” As he asked the words, he prepared himself for a violent response.
“That’s absurd,” Mike said. “All of us have shown that we didn’t fear what he knew. For that matter, half of what he ‘knew’ is only half-right… or dead wrong.” The derision in his voice made Simon grit his teeth.
“The fact remains that none of you have come forward with this information!” Simon snapped. “Half of you are wanted criminals, the other half are suspected of piracy, terrorism or murder!”
“And so are you,” Mike said, his voice cold. “How are you any different?”
“I told you that from the beginning. I wa
s framed for the murder of my partner,” Simon said. Even so, he flushed at the reminder.
“Pull up his dossier,” Mike said.
Pixel stepped over and pulled up Simon’s file. Simon grimaced as the others read through it. It did not flatter, him, he knew. A series of poor evaluations. An investigation into his financial records. The case against him for the murder of his partner and the evidence that the CSB and Ministry of Justice had assembled. Simon couldn’t guess how Crowe had gained that level of access. Perhaps he’d found it in the Chxor files. It didn’t make much sense, but it was all he could come up with.
“Looks like a pretty solid case,” Mike said, finally. “Sudden influx of cash, right after the assassination, your partner was investigating a money trail from the same account that sent you the money. He winds up dead from a bomb, they find traces of explosives in your apartment…”
“I didn’t kill him!” Simon snapped.
“That’s what they all say, right?” Mike drawled. “No, I’m ending this witch hunt. You’ve dragged us all through enough muck for the day. This is a ship full of people who saved your life time and again, who got you out of that hellhole of a prison station where you would have died, otherwise.”
“This is a ship full of secrets and lies!” Simon shouted. The others stared at him in shock.
Mike let out a deep sigh. “How long have you been up, Simon? How hard have you been working this investigation over the past three days?”
Simon shook his head, “Now you’re trying to discredit—”
“I’m trying to say that you’re under stress and make sure that the rest of the crew doesn’t hold this against you,” Mike said. “That’s the job of the Captain, to manage the crew and ship. Clearly, I’ve fucked up.” The smaller man gave a sigh. “I should have realized that you got too close. You’re chasing shadows, and you’re paranoid and frustrated.”