by Saxon Andrew
• • •
An hour later, Barney said over the bridge’s loud speaker from the landing bay, “Everything is stored and the ship is ready to go.”
Leonidas looked at Carl, “Take the ship out and enter Kellenger’s coordinates in the stardrive.”
“Captain, is it safe to go there after what’s happened?”
“This ship is not listed on any Unity records. Armed ships go to Kellinger on a regular basis and I think we’ll be safe.” Leo sat back in the command chair and watched the ship lift from the berth holding it and rise into the morning sky. It reached orbit and boosted toward the filament. The first intersection was an hour away.
• • •
They arrived at the intersection where twenty filaments crossed each other and the ship moved to a large filament headed toward the Kellinger Filament. Leo pulled a number up on his communicator and scrolled down to a number he had taken from Ana’s communicator. He pressed it and saw a face appear on the small display, “Do you remember me?”
“I do.”
“I want to have a private meeting with you. Will you do it?”
“When will you arrive?”
“How do you know I’m not there now?”
“I have my ways.”
“I should be there in another twelve hours.”
“Go to a restaurant named the Grove. I’ll be waiting for you there in twelve hours.”
“Thank you.”
Leo sighed and sat back in his chair. He closed his eyes and felt the headache pounding in his head. He would be carrying a bottle of water in the future. He had way too much to drink the night before and he wouldn’t be doing that again.
• • •
“Please state the nature of your visit to Kellinger?” sounded out of the loud speaker.
Leo leaned forward and pressed a button on his panel connecting him with Kellenger’s Traffic Control, “I am meeting someone for a short meeting and then I’ll be leaving.”
“Your ship is an armed vessel and you will park in the outer most orbit with the other armed ships.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you require a shuttle to go to the surface?”
“No, I’ll be taking my own.”
“Is your shuttle armed?”
“The one I’m taking is not.”
“You are approved to land. What location will you be going to?”
“The Grove Restaurant in the main city.”
“A parking place has been designated for your arrival and the coordinates will follow.”
“Thank you, Traffic Control.”
“You’re welcome.”
• • •
“Sir…I mean, Captain, there is an armed Romanov Warship holding orbit close to our assigned orbital location. We are currently being scanned by it.”
“Let me know if they move.”
“They are holding position, Captain.”
Leo looked at Barney, “You have the ship.” Barney nodded and moved to the command chair. Leo stood and left the bridge for the landing bay. He arrived and saw the shuttle was powered and ready for launch, “Nick, I want to exit the port side.”
The landing bay door began opening and Leo smiled. The Romanov Warship was on the starboard side and would not have a view into the bay. He knew the commander of the warship wouldn’t like that but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He entered the shuttle and heard Barney say over his communicator, “The Romanov Warship is powering up and is moving around to our port side.”
Leo quickly exited the ship and Nick had the landing bay door closed before the warship could arrive to scan the interior of the landing bay. Leo saw the warship slow and then move back to its former location. Good. Now his ship was in the Romanov database and he was certain Traffic Control would be queried on who owned the vessel. The Thermopylae’s transponder would show it listed to one Leonidas Alexander. The search of his name should turn up his history and whoever was working behind the scenes in the Romanov Organization should also learn who he is. That information might be passed along to John Blakely and it could possibly cause him to be approached by the Spider. The first part of his cover was now in place. The coming meeting should nail it down.
• • •
He arrived at the Grove and the Maître d’ greeted him at the door, “May I assist you?”
“I’m meeting someone.” Leo saw a hand raised in the back of the restaurant and smiled, “There he is.”
The Maître d’ turned and stared across the restaurant, turned back to Leonidas and smiled, “Enjoy your dinner.”
Leo walked to the table and heard, “You’re right on time.”
“Thank you, Kenneth. I appreciate your meeting with me.”
“I expect us to be recorded rather quickly.”
Leo looked around and didn’t see anything in the pattern. He quickly said, “I want you to not mention anything about a purple card.”
“I can do that. How is Ana?”
“You also need to say nothing about her. What is your relationship to her?”
“What do you mean?”
“We don’t have long to talk openly. A Romanov Warship is parked close to my ship and I’m pretty certain they’re assigned someone to follow me. They should learn from Traffic Control that I came here. I don’t have time to waste so you need to start talking before we’re recorded.”
“Why do you say we have a relationship?”
“Because you were picked up immediately after we left you the first time. Someone knows you have an interest in her. What is it?”
“Will you not tell her?”
“I will keep the information secret.”
“She’s my daughter.”
“What!?”
“My wife left me when she and her sister were babies. She sold them to Serge. I found out and he managed to convince me that they would have a better life with him than with a single parent. I was given the position with the Treasury so I could have some contact with her.”
Leo looked out at the restaurant and visually scanned the room. He jerked his eyes back to the entrance and saw a well-dressed couple enter. He turned back to Kenneth and narrowed his eyes. Kenneth looked at the door and saw the couple. The woman glanced their way and he turned back to Leo and slightly nodded. “How may I be of assistance, Mr.?”
“Alexander. Leonidas Alexander.”
“What do you require?”
“I have come into possession of some funds that I need you to put in a safe place where I can access them from time to time.”
Kenneth stared at Leo and said with his head tilted, “Were these funds acquired legally?”
“Does it really matter?”
“Did you acquire these funds in the Unity’s Territory?”
“No.”
“Then no, it doesn’t matter.”
“I may be coming back from time to time to deposit more.”
Leo saw Kenneth wanted to ask questions but he stayed in role, “There will be a charge to handle this.”
“That’s fine.”
Kenneth stared at Leo and remembered that Ana had said that he was going after the pirate that killed Lyla. He lowered his eyes, “You do know that Tortuga has banks that could handle this?”
“I don’t go there and I don’t trust their banks. I prefer to operate alone.”
“How did you get my name?”
The question startled Leo but he recovered and smiled, “Now that is something I will keep to myself but the one who recommended you is someone I trust to give me good information. Was he right?”
“I’m certainly more expensive than most you might deal with but I can assure you your funds will be safe in the Unity’s Treasury and you will have immediate access to them.”
Leo smiled, “Good.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white card, “This is the current account I have them in and I want you to transfer them into one of your accounts immediately.”
“If I might a
sk, how much are we talking about?”
“Seven million credits.”
Kenneth took his communicator out of his coat pocket and pushed the card into the bottom of it. He looked at the display and pressed some buttons. After the communicator beeped, he took the card out and handed it back to Leo. He pressed another button and after three beeps, another white card came out of the bottom of his communicator. He handed it to Leo and smiled, “I’ve taken a hundred thousand for the initial establishment of your account. This card will allow you to access your account at any electronic banking module.”
“Do I have to come back here to make deposits?”
“No, you do not,” Kenneth answered. “You can make the transfer at any banking module and they will go into your account. Of course, there will be a small fee for the transaction.”
Leo lowered his eyes, “Exactly how small?”
“One half of one percent of the total.”
“That’s fine.” Leo stood up and Kenneth quickly said, “Don’t leave; I’m paying for your dinner.”
Leo laughed, “At the rate you charged me, you should. However, I’m not really comfortable hanging out here and need to get back to my ship. Thank you for your assistance.”
“Let me know if I can help you in the future.”
“I will.” Leo turned and left the restaurant. The couple tried hard not to be noticed but they failed. Their pattern did not match the others and it was clear they were there for reasons other than enjoying a meal.
Kenneth sat back and waited for his meal to arrive and saw the woman’s mouth moving out of the corner of his eye. Her companion was not looking at her and he knew she was reporting to someone. He did know that the account Mr. Alexander had given him was not the one he had originally established during their first meeting. That meant the funds had been moved and he no longer had to worry about the original account being found. He knew Ana was safe. If she weren’t then Mr. Alexander would have told him. He sat back and enjoyed his dinner. He didn’t notice when the couple got up and left the restaurant.
• • •
“Sir, that shuttle is returning from the planet.”
“Move us around to the port side of that vessel.” The Romanov Warship moved out of its assigned location and moved around the Thermopylae. It arrived as the shuttle turned suddenly and flew into the starboard landing bay doors. The commander smiled, this owner was a sly one. He saw the ship’s systems energize and he kept his ship to the starboard side as it turned and boosted away toward the filament. Why had he been prevented from scanning inside the landing bay? He thought about following it but decided that if the Daughter showed up in his absence, he would have a heavy price to pay. He sent the scans to the Romanov Security Department and moved his ship back to its assigned location.
• • •
The Security Chief stared at the scans made of the armed ship and listened to the conversation with the Treasury Banker again. This was something out of the ordinary and things like that always raised his suspicions. The ship was not on any registry in the Unity. It was previously owned by a commercial company that sold it several years back and it was about twenty years old. Evidently, this new owner bought it and had the two blasters installed after the purchase. The situation looked tame on the surface but that pirate had come directly to Ana’s father to deposit funds. Where would he have run across anyone that would recommend him? Could this have something to do with her disappearance? He said, “Computer, do a search of all bankers licensed to open accounts at the Unity’s Treasury on Kellinger and show me the list.”
A list appeared on his monitor and he started at the top and scrolled down; the last name on the list was Ana’s father. Ummm. If that pirate had done the same search, he would have seen the last name on the list and probably would have chosen it. He sat back and thought about it. The pirate would have figured that all the names above Ana father’s name would get the bulk of business from those that made the same search. He would only receive what trickled down. The pirate wanted someone who was hungry for deposits and would be willing to turn a blind eye as to how the funds were procured. The pirate probably made up someone recommending him and trusted the computer’s list to turn him toward a banker willing to work with him. If his name wasn’t the last one, then that would have created an entirely different dynamic. But it was last and it made sense that someone wanting to go unnoticed would chose that name.
He looked at the pirate’s name on the ship’s registry and said, “Computer, do a search of Unity records for anyone with the name Leonidas Alexander.”
“There is no one with that name.”
“Then look up anyone with the first name of Leonidas.”
“Ten names appear.”
“Show them to me.” The Chief stared at the list and said after a moment, “The fifth one on the list is named Leonidas Alexander Piper. Why didn’t you initially give that to me?”
“Because Alexander is not his last name.”
“How should I have asked the question?”
“You should have asked me to search Unity Records for a name with those two terms in it.”
The Security Chief rolled his eyes. Dealing with computers could be maddening. But they could only do what they were programed to do. “Pull the records of this person and recite them to me.”
“Colonel Leonidas Alexander Piper served in the Tenth Mercenary Legion Commanded by General Mark Anderson. He was considered the Legion’s top combat officer and was awarded the following medals by the planets that hired the Legion…”
“Skip the list of metal.”
“He fought in twenty major campaigns on twelve different planets over thirteen years and was instrumental in the victory on Regulus. It was after that Victory that Regulus asked for membership in the Unity and the Tenth Legion was disbanded. There are no further records on him since that time.”
“I understand that the fighting on Regulus was brutal.”
“Of the Six Legions of mercenaries hired by the Planet’s Government, more than sixty percent of them were killed in the fighting.”
“What percent were lost by the Tenth Legion?”
“Fifteen percent.”
“Were they involved in the heavy fighting?”
“They were in the center of the front lines during the defense of the Capital. They broke through the lines of the attackers and allowed the other legions to roll them up and defeat them. According to written accounts of the battle, it was his battalion that led the breakout and the Mercenaries called him Leonidas the Great after the war concluded six weeks later.”
“Is there anything else?”
“Regulus did not pay the Legions after the conclusion of the war. They asked to join the Unity and the Unity Fleet that arrived ordered the Legions disbanded and confiscated their weapons preventing them from taking what they were owed. It also prevented them from continuing to sell their services to other planets.”
The Security Chief’s eyes narrowed. This pirate was a former mercenary commander who was considered one of the best. He had little doubt that the crew of his ship were former mercenaries that served with him and that made his ship incredibly dangerous. He could understand why this Leonidas would turn to piracy after the betrayal on Regulus. He would have no love for the Unity and even less for planetary governments.
He wondered why the pirate had said he did not go to Tortuga or trust their banks. He had to think of himself as a warrior and above the scum of pirates that frequented Tortuga. He had a mission to make the Unity pay for what it did and piracy was the means he intended to use to do it. Now all the pieces fit and he could put it aside. This pirate had nothing to do with the disappearance of Ana. He sat back and said, “Put this ship’s contact information on the list of possible assets.”
“The ship Thermopylae has been added to the list.”
“Notify all of our sources to report any activity that this ship might be involved in the future.”
“Messag
e put on the cue for delivery.”
He would keep an eye on this ship. One never knew when a good pirate might be needed. He might use him to go to Tortuga to keep an eye out for Ana’s possible appearance. That appeared to be the only avenue left open to find her. She had disappeared and he was no closer to finding her.
Chapter Nine
Desiree sat in the command chair and stared at the filament intersection ahead of them. Victoria was sitting in a duplicate chair next to her and said, “What’s the plan?”
“According to the Cartian Map, there is a major filament two intersections away that we can hop on and leave this galaxy at high speed.”
“Are we in a hurry?”
“Not really, but we do have a nine month deadline. We’ll need to visit as many planets as possible outside our galaxy before we come back. We really should get to another galaxy quickly and start that process.”
Gem stepped through the bridge’s portal and said, “It’s time.”
Desiree turned to Jack and said, “You have the ship. I’ve entered the filament we want to take and let me know when we arrive.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Jack, you need to address me as Maid Desiree and Victoria as My Lady.”
“Maid?”
“I will be her personal maiden and will be at her beck and call. I will be acting subservient to her and you should address all your dialogue toward her. I should go pretty much unnoticed whenever we leave the ship.”
“Yes, Maid Desiree.”
Desiree stood up, “That’s better.” Victoria stood up with her and they left the bridge for Gem’s lab. Desiree smiled as they arrived, “I’ve been looking forward to this, Gem.”
Gem clacked before saying, “This is going to take some focus. It won’t be painful but it will be one of the most difficult things you’ve ever done.”
“What do we do first?” Victoria asked.
Gem pressed a button on his console and two man sized figures emerged from the floor, “I want each of you to move to one of the figures and assume a normal stance in front of it.” They followed his instructions and Gem pointed at the monitor on the wall, “These figures are wired to display how much force is used when you strike them. If you hit them hard enough to knock them down without harming them physically, a white number one will appear on the monitor. If you hit them hard enough to do them physical harm, a green number two will appear. If you hit them hard enough to kill them, a red number three will appear.”