by RJ Johnson
"You can't just eyeball it?"
Emeline shook her head. "It's too fine. One mistapped thruster and we're boned."
"So how do we find out the rotation rate?" Meade asked.
Emeline shrugged. "I'm open to suggestions."
Meade lowered his head and drummed his fingers on the top of his head. It was a ritual he practiced whenever he was in deep thought. The ritual never failed him.
"What about running lights?" Meade asked raising his head. "Back in the naval days on the Homeworld, ships at sea used to use flashing lights to communicate long distances between ships. Any way we can use that?"
Emeline nodded, smiling broadly, "I knew there was a reason I kept you around Meade. You're a smart one you are."
Emeline quickly typed on the Garuda's consoles and the running lights on the ship began to flash a message to Rosetta. The lights on Rosetta flashed in acknowledgment. Emeline glanced at the translation matrix in front of her on screen.
"I've got the rotation rate, repositioning ion drives."
The massive ion drives on either side of the ship shut down and rotated 180 degrees. They fired up as Emeline pushed the throttle to 150%.
"Call out the speeds for me will ya?" Emeline asked.
"Fifteen hundred meters per second and falling." Meade announced. Amla and Suresh stood behind their charges, their eyes wide as they watched the once tiny rock on the view screen grow larger until it was impossibly large before their eyes. The once tiny dot of light in front of them expanded to a massive looking hole within the asteroid. Meade could make out tiny people running back and forth, moving ships and equipment around to fit the Garuda's inside. Meade watched as the bay began to tilt to the right.
"We're drifting." Meade warned.
"I see it. Don't worry, we got this." Emeline tapped quickly on the console in front of her.
"Their damn readings are off." Emeline groused. "Adjusting the rotation rate."
The bay righted itself in front of them once again and they were back on course.
"Five hundred meters per second." Meade called out. Emeline throttled down the ion drives as the Higgs field generators between the Garuda and Rosetta linked up and put the ship on a landing course for the bay.
"One hundred meters per second." Meade announced. The enormous bay was directly ahead and by the looks of it was almost too small to accommodate the Garuda. "I hope we're not too big for 'em."
"That's what she said," Emeline chuckled and adjusted the heading one final time.
The ship landed inside Rosetta and Emeline fired the retro thrusters one last time as The Garuda, beaten, scarred, and bruised from its travels through the Asteroid belt landed inside Rosetta.
The engines whined down and Emeline began to shut every system down one by one. She glanced at Meade. "We're here. Now it's up to you to get us home."
Meade felt as if the entire asteroid Rosetta was now sitting on his shoulders. Sinjakama's father had died here, and it was up to him to find the killer, or it was likely he and Emeline weren't going home in anything other than a body bag. Sinjakama had made that clear enough in the medical bay. He hoped he was up for the challenge.
Chapter Nine
The workers outside the Garuda rushed over to the beaten ship and without prompting began repairing the dings and damage created by the meteor storm. Meade opened the exit door and stepped out into the landing bay. The air was stale, smelling of oil, smoke and sweat. Meade smiled; it was almost like being back home on Mars, never mind the fact that they were nearly 90 million kilometers away from his cozy little office in Valles Marineris. All that was missing was the heavy smoke of the ORI mining machines that pervaded the Martian colony.
"Mr. Sinjakama!" A short Chinese man rushed over to their group bowing deeply to their host, "It is with great respect and honor that we welcome you to Rosetta, the Consortium's finest engineering and technical achievement!"
He turned towards Meade and saluted in the traditional Consortium way, a closed fist pounded across his chest, lowering his head bowing deeply to Meade. Meade cocked his head confused and wasn't sure exactly how to respond to the gesture. He wasn't a Consortium man and as such, wasn't sure of the protocols involved with greeting a fellow Consortium citizen.
"Mr. Meade, it is rude to leave the man hanging." Sinjakama said appearing next to him. He returned the salute and Meade clumsily followed his lead. The squat Chinese man relaxed his fist bringing it to his side as he bowed deeply before Sinjakama.
"Honored guests, Master Sinjakama, Master Koschei bids you welcome to our humble colony and offers you his deepest regrets for your father's passing." The man was bald, his dark blue robes stinking of the man's sweat. Meade finally recognized him from the info dump Palmetto had provided. This was Zheng Yanxiong, Koschei's right hand man and second in command of Rosetta. There wasn't much information about the man except for a brief description and his penchant for prostitutes. How that particular piece of information came to be in the file, Meade didn't want to really know.
"Where is Koschei? Why didn't he meet us here?" Sinjakama demanded.
Yanxiong bowed again, "I offer my humblest apologies, but unforeseen circumstances have detained Master Koschei to oversee important mining operations on the dark side of Rosetta. I have been instructed to show you to your suites and offer you our hospitality."
"I would rather get to the business of examining my father's body." Sinjakama snapped.
Yanxiong raised his head, Meade could see the terrified look on his face. "I am afraid that will not be possible."
Sinjakama struck Yanxiong across the jaw the crack echoing across the landing bay. "What have you mongrels done with my father's body?"
Yanxiong cowed before Sinjakama, "It is Rosetta policy that once a man's body has been examined by the Medical Bay and Autodoc records made, all bodies are disposed of by ejecting them into space. We do not have the tools necessary to care for a decaying body."
Sinjakama was enraged and began to strike the man repeatedly. Yanxiong cried out and tumbled to the ground prostrating himself before Sinjakama.
"I don't see how that's gonna help." Meade said to Sinjakama dryly. "The man can't magically summon your father's body back from the deep."
"Yes, but perhaps it will make me feel better." Sinjakama replied haughtily as he wiped Yanxiong's blood from his knuckles. "Tell Koschei I wish to see him immediately and escort my investigator and his concubine to their quarters."
Meade tried to hide the smile that was spreading across his face. He was glad Emeline was still on the bridge finishing up the landing checklist. If she heard Sinjakama describe her as his concubine, he had no doubt that their employer would be sitting in a heap on the floor bleeding from the head along with Yanxiong.
"Of course sir, of course." Yanxiong rose from the deck and whistled as several men appeared next to him in red jumpsuits. Yanxiong yelled at them in Chinese and they entered the Garuda.
"I wish to be taken to my suite until such time Koschei is ready to meet with me." Sinjakama said. "I do not wish to be disturbed. Mr. Meade you are now on the clock. Find out what happened to my father, I wish to be done with this business in 48 hours. No less. Understood?"
Meade nodded and Sinjakama was rushed away by a team of men and women in blue and red jumpsuits leaving him with Yanxiong.
"The men will take your belongings to your suite." Yanxiong said as they watched Sinjakama move towards the Tuns which would take them to the main deck. "I understand you are here as an impartial investigator of Dr. Sinjakama's death?"
"That's what they tell me." Meade said cautiously. "If I find something worth investigating anyway." He didn't know Yanxiong, but from all indications in Palmetto's file, he was not someone he should readily trust.
"I understand." Yanxiong said, his face troubled. "I have been instructed by Mr. Koschei to be forthright and honest with you and assist with your investigation in any way possible."
"If that's the case, what do you t
hink happened to Sinjakama Senior?" Meade asked, his eyes searching Yanxiong's. He didn't know Yanxiong, but his instincts on the man were that he wasn't likely to get a straight answer. He wasn't disappointed.
"I believe the report we sent to Sinjakama's people summed up the situation nicely." Yanxiong said shrugging. "If there was anything that was not included, I would have been the first to notice and it would be my duty to report any discrepancies. Else I might face disciplinary action." He shuddered.
"Disciplinary action?" Meade asked, an eyebrow raising.
Yanxiong spun on his heel and for the first time looked at Meade in his eyes. "Master Sinjakama is a highly valued officer and politician within the Consortium, and his father was a highly respected engineer and scientist. If there was something I knew about his death and didn't report it," Yanxiong shrugged, "my life would be worth little more than the time it would take for a Consortium Alpha to drag me to the nearest airlock and shove me outside into the cold vacuum of space." Yanxiong smiled, his jagged yellow teeth marring his already unpleasant looking face. "I have been instructed to assist you in any aspect of your investigation and I would be happy to act as your guide here on Rosetta. It is my duty after all."
"I appreciate that, but I think me and my friend will do just fine on our own." Meade replied. He was always suspicious of people who were too willing to help. It made him uncomfortable. "The info dump provided by Sinjakama included a full map of Rosetta and codes, so I think me and Em will get along just fine." He turned to see Emeline emerging from the ship cautiously looking around the landing bay, "Speak of the devil."
Meade waved to Emeline and she jogged to catch up to Meade and Yanxiong on the deck of the landing bay. She glared at Yanxiong, examining him for a moment before speaking.
"You Yanxiong?" She demanded.
His eyes narrowed and wasn't sure how to respond to a woman who was so brazen. "I am."
"The Garuda requires a complete shakedown, top to bottom. Patch all the holes, run every diagnostic on the computers you have and make sure you recalibrate every quantum circuit on that damn bucket. We had a rough ride out to Rosetta and I don't plan on having that much trouble on our way back."
He glanced at Meade who just grinned and opened his hands with his palms out. "She's the one in charge, I just follow her orders."
Yanxiong grinned. "I knew Coalition men were cowed easily by their women, but I never thought I would see it for myself."
Meade glanced at Emeline and cocked his head. "It ain't exactly so much that as it is we don't push 'em down to make our penises look bigger in the morning."
Yanxiong smirked and indicated they should follow him. They followed him as they walked through the expansive landing bay. Meade looked around and couldn't help but be impressed. The place was large - larger than anything he'd ever seen on Mars. The Consortium had certainly spared no expense here. Hundreds of personal Aerocycles hovered as the men and women working on various spaceships of Consortium design were maintained. Meade pointed to a group of men and women who were busy repainting over a large expanse of the wall covering up huge red lettering that read 'The Lightbringer comes and shall set you free!'
"What's the Lightbringer?" Meade quizzed Yanxiong. Yanxiong was stunned and began to try and hurry his guests past the graffiti on the landing bay walls as he chuckled nervously.
"The Lightbringer is a God the underclass has taken to worship. Some of our immigrants still rely on the antiquated notion of a deity guiding their life." He shrugged and not so gently pushed Meade past the red lettering promising salvation. "It is superstitions they use to overcome the fear of living on an Asteroid. That is all. Come sir, the Rampet which will take you to your quarters are just ahead."
Emeline touched Meade's arm and pointed to another wall defaced by the Lightbringer's followers. This was more ominous in its message promising swift death to those who oppress the righteous. Meade raised an eyebrow and shot her a look. Their stay on Rosetta had just become infinitely more interesting for them.
Meade glanced back at the Supervisor who had spotted Meade looking over their work and had turned to his workers shouting in what he thought was Chinese to work harder to cover up the biblical propaganda.
"Here we are sir." Yanxiong announced as they approached the Tun entrance. "This personal tram will take you and your guest anywhere you wish on the station. All that is required is for you to enter your destination in your ArmBar and it will travel through the Tuns taking you where you wish to go. My understanding is that no portion of the station is out of bounds during your investigation and as such, I have unlocked all travel restrictions on this pod."
"What's it called?" Emeline asked bemused as she looked at the delicate pod that opened the shield.
"We call them Rampets. They travel through Rosetta at high speeds allowing our working class access where they need to go - within limits of course." Yanxiong smiled, once again displaying his yellowing teeth. He bowed to Emeline and Meade.
"I shall take my leave of you here. If you will excuse me, I will go about the business of inspecting your ship and supervising the repairs needed." He turned, walking quickly away, his robes whisking the deck as he retreated.
Emeline shouted after Yanxiong as he entered the ship. "Make sure you reboot that damned AI too, I refuse to let all that lousy Consortium engineering kill us!" Yanxiong didn't respond, either uncaring of her demands, or out of earshot.
Emeline looked around the expansive landing bay and took in Rosetta's majesty. "They may be a huge collection of assholes, but I gotta give 'em credit where credit's due. This place is incredible!" She gushed. "You still wish you were back on Mars?"
Meade glanced around at the workers who had already begun to erect scaffolding in place around the Garuda's hull. Meade was impressed, the men and women of Rosetta were already hard at work repairing Sinjakama's ship.
"It certainly looks like they know how to give their people a lot of motivation around here." Meade replied. His thoughts turned to the investigation at hand. Forty eight hours wasn't a lot of time to solve a murder, but he'd done the impossible before. "Where do you think we should start?"
"Scene of the crime seems like as good as any place to start." Emeline offered.
Meade nodded. "My thoughts exactly." Meade tapped quickly on his ArmBar as he opened up a map of Rosetta's inner workings and how to get from the launch bay to the Pit which was where they had found Sinjakama Sr.'s body.
"You on the other hand, need rest." Meade said authoritatively. "You've been up for far too long and you'll be no use to me if you fall asleep in the middle of our investigation."
Emeline shook her head in protest. "I don't trust leaving you alone in this place."
"If it makes you feel any better, I'll take Suresh with me. He'll be able to help keep me out of trouble."
Emeline began to protest, but Meade cut her off. "No arguments Em. Amla!" he called out to the servant girl who had been following them from a distance. She and Suresh rushed up to them and bowed expectantly. Meade waved off the bow and they looked up. "Amla, get Em to her quarters and make sure she gets some rest."
Amla bowed, "It will be done. Come along madame."
Emeline began to protest again, but thought better of it. She looked gratefully at Meade as Amla dragged her off towards the Tuns.
"Suresh, you'll come along with me and help me talk to the people here."
Suresh was surprised, "Sir? Wouldn't you rather have me set up your quarters?"
Meade shook his head. "I'll need you to talk to the workers around here. They'll be much more likely to speak to you than some Runabout from Mars they don't know. They're your people."
Suresh looked unsure. "Sir, I don't know welcoming they will be of me, but if you believe I can be of some assistance, I will gladly help in any way I can."
"Good," Meade replied, adjusting his hat, "Cause by the looks of things around here, I'm gonna need all the help I can get."
Chapter Ten
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br /> The Pit was a flurry of activity. Thousands of men and women were scattered all across the vast thousand foot hole in the asteroid all of them hard at work tagging and mining the valuable ORI within its walls. The Mass Driver at the bottom was whining loudly as the magnets within sped up to accelerate its latest payload towards Earth's L1 Lagrange point. The L1 Lagrange point was the closest point to Earth that allowed a massive ORI processing station remain stationary relative to Earth's orbit.
The payload accelerated out of the mass driver and began its six month long journey full of the Osmium, Rhenium and Iridium that the Consortium would use to build its spaceships, Rebreather suits, and thousands of other technologies that kept the Consortium economy chugging along. Their ability to mine the ORI at such a cheap price from Rosetta was killing the Coalition economy and they knew it.