“Captain Kaufman. We’ve got three dead and four in custody. Once we’ve processed them, they are all yours.”
“Sir? They’re your prisoners.”
“Not our job, Sergeant. We catch or kill. Detainment and sentencing is beyond our remit.”
“Great, so you crap on our turf and expect us to clean it up!”
Kaufman looked up at the man with disdain. Barski turned with disgust.
“Hey, I didn’t see you getting the job done!” shouted Max.
Kaufman put his hand up to stop his friend. He looked back to Higgins.
“Sergeant, I don’t much like your tone. We’ve just got a job done that will substantially improve the security and wellbeing of your station.”
“We are quite capable of handling that ourselves!” snapped the Sergeant.
“If that were the case then we would never have come here. I will route out the gangs from every colony, no matter how many people I have to piss off. If you can’t appreciate help when it’s given, that’s your problem, millions of taxpayers do.”
The Sergeant lowered his head and was obviously feeling a little sheepish. Kaufman felt for him. He remembered his days, not so long ago, when he worked in a regular precinct. It was never a welcome idea to see someone muscling in and making you appear inept.
“Sergeant, your duty is to keep the station and its people safe. I have no doubt you and your people have been doing a great job, but our work is specialised. We don’t handle the everyday crime and safety of an entire populace. That’s your job. There’s no need for competition here. We aren’t wrangling for your jobs nor wanting to make anyone look incapable. No one police force can handle all the crime in its district. Let us help when we can.”
The man nodded, but he still didn’t like their presence. Kaufman doubted that he would ever change, but at least he had become tolerable.
“This is a win for you too, Sergeant. On the record we made the initial assault. But your people have the suspects in custody and get to publicise to the colony how you just made everyone’s lives and businesses that much safer. Very good, Sergeant.”
The man nodded again, he knew that he should take the public relations victory for what it was. They always needed it. He grudgingly reached out his hand and offered it to the Captain.
“Alright, it’ll take us about an hour to fill out our reports and purchase the supplies we need while we’re here. Then we’ll be out of your way.”
“I’ll let the Chief know.”
“Thank you, Sergeant.”
The man rushed off to continue about his day. For them the mission was over, but for a colony police force the job never stopped. Kaufman did not envy the beat cops around them. He remembered the gruelling work from years before and not once would wish for it back. He turned back to Barski.
“Three dead, no civilian or officers casualties and the rest in custody. Damn fine work!”
“It could have gone smoother.”
“There are no absolutes in this life, Max. We can only do our best with what we are faced with.”
“With all those explosives, I suppose it could have been a lot worse.”
“Indeed.”
Kaufman looked around at his team who were relieved with the situation but bored and tired of standing around the scene.
“Locals can handle it from here, so let’s move.”
Another mission completed without injury, Denton would be pleased. Despite their successes, it was a constant battle to keep up the funding they required to keep the IBI operational. During the tough times that gripped the Solar System, it was hard to justify another policing organisation that generated no income and cost a great deal.
“Lin, Morrison, we’re done here. Back to the boat for an immediate report.”
“Sir, one of the detainees we have here is a government agent. How do you wish us to proceed?” asked Lin.
Kaufman shot a look at Barski. They looked as surprised as each other.
“Hold him, we’re en route!”
It was just a couple of minutes walk back to the gang’s hideout, which they had recently breached. The room was filled with both IBI officers and locals. Lin was holding a man between two storage units to keep him firmly in place and out of sight.
“Captain Kaufman!” he called out.
They strode right up to Lin and looked in at the man. He was in his late thirties or early forties. He wore labourer’s trousers, scruffy boots and military jacket decades old and well out of date. His face was adorned with stubble and he certainly looked like one of the gang.
“Captain, good to see you. I am here undercover. Can we go somewhere a little more private?” whispered the man.
“Not until I have some proof of who you are. I can see no genuine reason for you to be among a violent gang. If you are who you say you are, what are you doing here?”
“I am not at liberty to divulge that information, Captain. It is above your clearance level.”
Despite the man’s rough look his accent was now at least indicative of his status. Kaufman doubted that any low life criminal, if caught, would be able to convincingly fake being a government agent. That fact made him uneasier because he couldn’t think of any legitimate reason why this man would be involved in such a place.
“What proof have you got of your status?”
“I am undercover here, but I do have my ID hidden in the back lining of my jacket.”
Barski patted the jacket down and finally found the ID. He held it up for Eric to see. It was indeed a government ID of some sort, but Kaufman was still uncomfortable with the entire situation.
“IDs can be forged. I’m will have to check this out, so you will remain in our custody until it is resolved.”
“If you contact Senator Malory, he will clear everything up.”
The man was whispering and peering around to be sure that as few people heard him as possible. Kaufman appreciated that if the man was telling the truth he would be keen to conceal the truth, but the whole story was already feeling out of place.
“A Senator? What does he have to do with this?”
“That is classified, Captain. All I can do is ask you to contact the Senator and notify him that you have Doyle in your custody.”
Kaufman looked at the ID card.
“John Doyle, that your name?”
“No, Sir, just a codename. Please contact the senator ASAP and mention this to nobody outside of your team.”
“We are heading back to our ship and will resolve this there. I will arrange contact with the Senator forthwith and get this sorted. If you are the agent you claim, you were hanging with a dangerous crowd here.”
“All part of the job, Captain.”
“Sir, you have already told Sergeant Gibbons that we are handing over the prisoners to the locals.”
“And so we shall, Max, but not this one. He’s required to assist us in another investigation.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
“Everyone fall in, back to the boat.”
They strolled out of the freight storage area with the man who claimed to be a government agent in restraint. None of the local police attempted to stop them from leaving with a prisoner, nobody but their bosses would dare question the action. Kaufman knew he’d have a lot of explaining to do in the near future. He was already uncomfortable and could feel the storm gathering around them.
Kaufman led his IBI team of eighteen officers and marched in a column two wide with the prisoner at their centre. Their weapons were lowered but always ready. They had come to expect trouble at any time when on missions. Business had already resumed as normal on the colony and much of it had never even stopped. Most of the colony was still unaware of the capture of the gang, or perhaps that they were even there in the first place. It would only be a matter of time before the news broke and colony leaders would be asking about the missing suspect.
“Captain Kaufman!”
He tightened his grip on his rifle and quickly scanned to fi
nd the source of the call. A woman in a side corridor approached at a brisk walking pace. She was in her mid twenties and in casual but well fitted trousers and jacket. Her hair was tied back and she wore high-top combat boots. They were recognisable to any officer even with tops covered by the trousers. Everything about her told him she was a cop, and yet her jacket did not give away the shape of a gun nor did she have a badge in sight.
The column had already stopped behind Kaufman and he held his rifle ready to lift to his shoulder, yet his instincts told him that the woman was not a threat to them.
“What can I do for you, officer?” he asked.
She stopped in front of him with a shocked looked about her face.
“Sir, my name is Cheryl Kaminski. I am on the force, but not here. I would love the opportunity to speak to you in private, Sir.”
“Walk with us, Kaminski. We are on the clock.”
He looked back and nodded for the column to continue onwards as the woman walked with on with him.
“What can I do for you?”
“Sir, you have an opening in your team, and I want in.”
He looked at her with a surprised glance. It was far from procedure for an officer to approach the team while on a mission in a colony where she clearly did not belong.
“Where are you from, Kaminski?”
“Marsau, Sir, Precinct 12.”
“Then you knew Sergeant Nowak?”
“Yes, Sir, very much so!”
“Go on.”
“He was my uncle, Sir.”
“Then I am sorry for your loss. He was a great officer and a good man.”
“Thank you, Sir. I know that I cannot take his position and rank, but I want the job, Sir.”
Kaufman continued on in thought for a moment. It was completely out of the blue, and while he admired his fallen comrade, he was wary of letting that relationship cloud his judgement.
“I cannot take you onto the team based on your blood, Kaminski. It would be unprofessional and against regulations. Not least the fact that this is a dangerous job, as you well know. Your family has already lost one good officer, so why would you want to put yourself in the firing line?”
“I am already in the firing line, Sir. I was Nowak’s partner for two years. I have his instincts, his training. I can do the job and I want in.”
“Sorry, but you’ll have to go through the proper channels. Go home, and think it over, and if you still want this in a week, have your application sent through to our office.”
“But, Sir...”
“Sorry, officer. I appreciate the time you have taken and commend you on your initiative, but we are in the middle of a job. Go home, and think it over. I must get back to work.”
The woman stopped and shook her head in disbelief. She was pissed off and stubborn. Kaufman could already see a lot of Nowak in her. He wondered if she would make a good addition to the team, but he had bigger things to be concerned about. She stopped and stared at the column as it marched past heading for the Intrepid.
A few moments later his thoughts turned to his fallen friend again, Nowak. By the time he had reached the ship, the meeting with his comrade’s niece had lapsed completely from his memory and he returned to the task at hand. They approached the ramp of the ship and could see Fletcher already loading up the first of the food supplies he had bought for their stores.
“Do you want the prisoner in holding, Sir?” asked Barski.
“No, bring him up to the bridge, but the restraints stay on and I want two guards on him at all times!”
He stopped on the ramp to look back at the team.
“Good work everyone. Get your reports filled out as quickly as possible and then take some rest and get some chow!”
* * *
Kaufman stood in front of his desk slowing pulling his armour off as he waited for the transmission to connect to Commander Denton. He already knew that he would not like any of what he was going to hear about the man they had in custody, but he was still curious.
“Commander Denton’s office.”
“This is Kaufman, put me through to the Commander.”
“Please hold, Captain.”
Denton appeared on screen with a broad grin across his face.
“Captain, I am already hearing reports that you brought down the Northside Crew without any civilian or officer casualties. Congratulations!”
“Thank you, Sir. I am calling about a matter which has arisen due to the arrests.”
“Go on, Captain.”
“I have a man claiming to be a Government agent. He will not give a name other than his codename, John Doyle. He claims to be working undercover. He has a government ID of a type I don’t recognise. I don’t know if it is real or not.”
“Do you believe him?”
“Sadly I do, and he fits the profile. At least, once he had dropped the gang identity. He says to contact Senator Malory who will clear everything up.”
“A Senator? What on earth for?”
“No idea, Sir. I don’t know what is going on here, but I don’t like it. I could see no justifiable reason for an him to be inserted into the criminal gang, nor a reason for him to stay among them, for which he clearly has for some time.”
“Okay, leave this with me.”
“Where are you going with this, Sir?”
“I’ll do as Mr Doyle asked. He says to talk to Senator Malory and I will. If the Senator can explain this then we can take it from there. The Senators all have Secret Service agents working for them and he could well be tasked to the Senator. Why he would be where you found him is a mystery, and one that can only be answered by reaching the Senator personally.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“You have the authority to hold this Doyle, but do not explain to the Damasia locals why. That is classified for now. Set off as soon as you can. The new crew are awaiting you on Ganymede.”
“Got it, Kaufman out.”
He hit the comms button to end the transmission and slumped down into his chair. They’d just completed their mission in good time and without serious incident, and yet it was far from the happy end to the day that they had hoped. The door buzzer rang. Kaufman hit the door open tab and Barski staggered in and sat the chair in front of him.
“We’re off the deck in five,” he said.
“Good, I don’t want to waste another second here. The unveiling ceremony is taking place this time tomorrow and we are cutting it fine.”
“We’ll make it.”
Kaufman nodded. He knew they’d be fine, providing nothing disastrous occurred.
“Any news on this spook, Eric?”
“Denton is looking into it now, but I suspect he’ll soon hit a brick wall. Either this guy is lying, or whoever he is working for will lie about why he is here.”
“What possible reason could an agent have for being in a gang like that?”
“It isn’t unheard of for such agents to work in deep cover for high risk missions. They have no authorisation to do so and would be considered an espionage threat by most governments.”
“Or he’s covering up some major illegal activity.”
“Indeed, that’s an ugly possibility which I don’t want to imagine.”
The intercom cut in and Anders’ voice rang out.
“Lift-off in sixty seconds, all crew ready for take-off.”
“Look on the bright side, we got the job done,” said Barski.
“True. See the prisoner to one of the spare quarters. You can remove the comp bands. However, I want him under video surveillance and a two-guard watch on the door at all times.”
Barski nodded and left the room to go about his tasks. Kaufman leaned in towards his display, sighing at the thought of the reports he had to fill in. Denton had always done his best to limit the amount of unnecessary paperwork, but he was a stickler for getting it right.
They were just a day off from the launch of their second IBI task force, but the suspect they had aboard already overshadowed i
t. Kaufman loaded up the case files on his computer ready to make the new entries. He flipped through all the cases they had worked from day one, and he marvelled at the successes they had achieved.
The high profile heists that plagued the colonies just months before were now few and far between. The task of rounding up the perpetrators continued and meant that many case files remained open, but they had caught many of the most dangerous and successful of the criminals involved.
Eight hours later, after a boring stint of data entry and a much more enjoyable meal, Kaufman finally lay down in his luxury quarters. He lay on his bed wondering about the identity and reason behind the agent’s involvement, but he could do little more than guess at an answer. He finally fell asleep, but it was far from a comfortable night. The risks before him and his men plagued his dreams.
Chapter 2
Kaufman woke naturally after ten hours. It had not been a good sleep, but at least it was a long one. With plenty of time to rest before they reached Ganymede, he had been able to go to bed without an alarm clock, which was a rare experience in his work. He desperately wanted answers but didn’t have a clue where to begin. Making the most of his free time he climbed into the lavishly sized bath in his room. Lying back, he put on some blues music and relaxed. He knew it unlikely he’d have the opportunity again anytime soon.
He left his quarters and was immediately greeted by Laine, Thompson and Ryan coming and going from their rooms. Their faces beamed with the success of the previous day and the rewards it had brought. He could not bring himself to darken their day with the threat he suspected would soon be at their doorstep. Without knowing what new enemy they would face, he already felt that it would be like nothing they had encountered before. Most people would consider him a sceptic for thinking so negatively of the situation, but his gut told him that they were heading for their greatest challenge yet.
He clipped the strap of his holster around his leg that carried his beloved Hogswell & Simms T141. He would never be anywhere in his line of work without a weapon. Danger could come from the most unlikely of places, and a gun would make many of them easier to deal with. That was something he often recited to his crew, and it had been told to him since he was a rookie.
Starforce Ganymede II Page 2