by Sid Kar
The space control identified his ship and sent him back instructions for the spaceport. Antrar switched his spaceship back to ‘manual’ and took control and steadily brought it down in a controlled descent. Once at the spaceport, he registered his spaceship under a false name and rented an airship. As a Starfirian national he had a right to travel anywhere in Starfire space and thus did not have to show an identification beyond proving his nationality, which his former army card established, and avoided getting on the space traffic records.
This planet and the region was under Regional Star Commander Carvyk Botlar and Antrar highly suspected his involvement in the attack on Conquistador during its transit to Nestor by unidentified spaceships whom he was almost completely certain were other Starfirian army starships. But why? And while commander Carvyk did not know that Antrar was abroad Conquistador, he was not going to take any risk by leaving his name in the travel records.
Antrar had sent a query to Army Records Department to get an address on Yarwyk Gyte and was waiting to receive an answer to that. Meanwhile, there was a discrepancy about the events surrounding the assassination attempt on Nestorian vice-chancellor Remus Torus. He had it straight from the horses’ mouth, the assassin named Silencer himself, a confession of his role. But there had also been a second assassin who had been named as the sole culprit in the official version released to the news.
Antrar sensed that an answer he might find here could blow the cover up wide open. But first, he had to get himself an ally and in particular someone who was experienced in investigations. He could not go to the Army because its hierarchy had been penetrated by a very strange sort of a conspiracy and he did not know where its’ tentacles had spread. But there was the SPASI: Secret Politics And State Investigations. It was the civilian state department for all government investigations inside Starfirian space and it had a totally separate chain of command from the Department of Army Investigations and it answered directly to state leaders, not to army commanders.
Antrar’s airship came to a stop in front of a four story rectangular building that was protected by a wall and armed guards with laser guns patrolled atop it and on the roof. The building was in a sparsely populated area and its address was available in the airship’s database. Antrar parked the airship outside the wall and walked towards the gate where two SPASI guards stopped him and inquired as to his business.
He was let in without delay after he showed his former army card. On the first floor the receptionist waved him away when he asked for an appointment with the chief detective of the office and asked him to schedule it for days down the road. But when he gave her his name, his status as a war hero quickly got him scheduled on the calendar for that very day.
Antrar took a seat on a sofa against the wall while the receptionist talked with her chief upstairs. She put down her phone and turned to Antrar with a smile.
“Com Antrar,” the receptionist said, “the base chief will see you now in his office on the fourth floor. You won’t miss the signs.”
“Thank you madam,” Antrar replied with a smile of his own and took the elevators up. He followed the signs and knocked on the door of a large, spacious office that had been left open.
“You would be Commodore Antrar Wyft?” SPASI man said and extended his hand, “I am chief detective Rockvyk Torryen, chief of SPASI for planet Bravo and the entire Zarrvyk Province.”
“Former Commodore,” Antrar shook his hand and Rockvyk pointed him to a chair in front of his desk. Rockvyk was a large man standing four or five inches over six feet with a wide chest and strong shoulders. He had a hard, rectangular face that did justice to his name, a rocky jaw but with gentle eyes carrying glint of a grin and slightly disheveled short hair with one strand coming over his left forehead. He must have been in his forty’s, Antrar reckoned and his hand grip was as strong as he looked.
“I am honored to have a man like you in my office, sir,” Rockvyk said. Antrar noticed that his eyes made his grin appear far more cunning than the man probably intended.
“Chief Rockvyk, if you don’t mind me asking, what is your background?” Antrar asked.
“Well sir, I am a SPASI lifer,” Rockvyk replied, “father was a policeman, so I did two years in police right after school. But father had made enemies and they couldn’t get to him as he was ranked higher but when he retired they took out their revenge on me assigning me the shabbiest of the tasks a policeman can do. And I dreamed to be a big shot detective anyhow, so I told them fellas to take a hike and quit. Then I joined SPASI and stayed with it for the next twenty four years.”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Antrar laughed, “I mean your postings and departments in SPASI.”
“Sir, I know you were a big time commodore in the army and all,” Rockvyk put both of his hands on his waists, “but that knowledge could be state secrets.”
“I understand, but I need to be able to trust you and don’t call me sir,” Antrar said, “You wanted to be a big time detective…”
“Wanted as a young man, all young SPASI detectives dream of it but then you realize that most of the work is information collection and interviews and all but you come to like it and realize its importance…”
“How would you like to investigate a matter that could become the biggest scandal of the century or even a millennium,” Antrar asked leaning forward. He knew that if Rockvyk was part of it, he could suspect Antrar was talking of the same, but Antrar had concocted a false tale in his mind, just the same, if he did not come to trust this SPASI man.
“Alright, if we can’t trust our own war hero, then who can we trust, right?” Rockvyk said.
“Right,”
“I have been stuck in the Counter-Smuggling Division of SPASI since I started,” Rockvyk said while he walked over to a drawer, took out a folder and yanked a piece of paper therein that he smacked down in front of Antrar on the wide table, “That’s my record. All twenty four years’ worth. I worked in the interior space in all but the last two years identifying smuggling dens hidden in interstellar space. Then I was sent to the frontiers to identify smuggling routes into our space. They call it a promotion and it is as far as rank and pay goes, I became a Chief Detective after all, but it is demotion when it comes to the lifestyle. You must have seen outside of our office, nothing much to do around here.”
“Lucky for me though, that is just the type of background I trust,” Antrar said, “don’t take it the wrong way, but no one would think of involving you in a high level scheme.”
“Now you tell me what is all this about, all this talk of a scandal of a century…” Rockvyk began to speak.
“What do you know about the assassin who tried to take out Nestorian VC Remus?” Antrar asked.
“Huh?” Rockvyk was slightly confused, “I know everything because I was there escorting VC Remus when the assassin fired lasers from an orbital resort into Commander Carvyk’s palace.”
“And he was found dead, correct?”
“Rocket Troops from the palace flew there and shot him,” Rockvyk said.
“And what about the second assassin?”
“What second assassin?”
“Don’t you find it suspicious that no rocket trooper was shot trying to take down a professional hitman?” Antrar asked.
“It is possible they ambushed him,” Rockvyk said, “What is this about second assassin?”
“Magyar Harwyk, the notorious assassin also known as The Silencer,” Antrar said, “He was about to take a laser shot from the moon at VC Remus when he was interrupted by the Nestorian shooter. It was Magyar who shot him out of anger for messing up his hit.”
“No one can take a shot from a moon to the planet…”
“The Silencer can, he has done once before as a freelance contractor for Starfire Army,” Antrar said.
“Whoa! Commodore, should you be telling me that?” Rockvyk raised his palm in air facing Antrar.
“No, but you shouldn’t be telling me either, I am retired after a
ll,” Antrar grinned.
“Suppose I believe you, what evidence…”
“Fellow, I talked to Silencer and he confirmed it in his own words,” Antrar said, “You can call me a liar but there it stands.”
“Commodore, I am not going to call you a liar,” Rockvyk said scratching his chin but his hard chin did not move at all, “but suppose it is true, suppose the Army does not want it known that Magyar was hired as a backup…”
Antrar guffawed and chortled at the same time, “Magyar is one of the best hitman in the galaxy.”
“Alright, then suppose the other one was hired as a backup…”
“One doesn’t hire a backup to a man like Silencer, but let’s go with your reasoning,” Antrar said.
“And the army doesn’t want it known if Silencer is caught and he spills the beans of his previous clients, but even then it would just be an embarrassment, not a scandal of a century, let alone of a millennium,” Rockvyk said.
“I love the Starfire Army, just like you I have been a lifer, never did nothing outside of the army till I retired,” Antrar said, “I would never embarrass the army in public. This is about something a lot bigger and I can only lead you on to it once you start believing me that there is something shady going on here.”
“Can you arrange a meeting between me and this Silencer?” Rockvyk narrowed his eyes as he asked.
“Are you willing to come fly with me to Jiggermaster’s Den?” Antrar asked with a smile.
“Joking huh? I have booked many of his smugglers, he would tie me to a rocket and blast against an asteroid,” Rockvyk said.
“You know about his methods too, eh?”
“A pilot of a smuggling vessel who was going to rat on him to us, he blasted that way.”
“That’s not an option for us, but I can do one better,” Rockvyk said, “You see,
I talked to Commodore Raptor of Conquistador who was VC of Victory at the time of the assassination attempt and his starship tracked Silencer’s flight. I can arrange a meeting between us and Commodore of Victory, whoever that is.”
“I would certainly be interested in that,” Rockvyk said. He knew it was not SPASI’s job to investigate dubious plots inside the Army but as a detective his curiosity to uncover mysterious was overwhelmingly strong. “But it would be difficult to get an appointment with a commodore…”
“You forget, it will be me calling upon him,” Antrar smiled and got up.
“Then let’s go,” Rockvyk said. He returned his record to his drawer and picked up a couple of items, told the receptionist on the phone that he would be out for the rest of the day and both of them walked out of his office. Rockvyk locked the door and they headed outside to Antrar’s rental airship.
Antrar and Rockvyk boarded a transport space shuttle to Starship Victory which was stationed in the orbit of Planet Bravo. Starship Victory was an older spaceship that had seen better days and even some worse days when it had taken beatings in the battle. It was approximately 15 miles long on its longest axis and 7 miles wide at its broadest. Like most Starfirian Army starships it was painted red and black, with black predominating to allow camouflage against space when needed with a star field painted on black for further authentic blending against the background. The red paint was concentrated on the angular locations for emphasis of the distinct structure. All the paint pixels were actually micro-screens that could be changed to any color to allow blending into any background such as planetary, stellar or asteroid field.
Even for an ex-officer like Antrar it would have taken many hours to get permission to board the starship and his name would go on the records of the channels he had perused. However, as a former commodore he knew all the secret radio frequencies starship command rooms utilized to communicate with each other and he radioed directly to Victory’s command room and requested permission to board. This was granted and they were escorted into the Commodore’s personal leisure room upon boarding the ship.
“Commodore Antrar,” Commodore Dartar Myft rose from the sofa and offered his hands to Antrar and Rockvyk. “You remember me, don’t you, we have met before.”
“I do,” Antrar replied taking his seat on a single cushion on the side and Rockvyk sat down on the sofa in front of Dartar. “And this is Chief Detective Rockvyk.”
“We are familiar with each other,” Rockvyk said, “We usually meet at one or two parties a year hosted by Commander Carvyk.”
“Yes, I know Rockvyk,” Dartar said, “And I know he likes cigars, care for one yourself Com Antrar?”
“Sure,” Antrar replied. Dartar had already placed a decorated box of cigar on the small table in front of him and he offered one each to Antrar and Rockvyk. He lit up his own cigar then passed the lighter around and waved for the Starship Guards who had escorted his guests to leave them.
“Sorry my VC could not be here, he was promoted to his own starship and I have not been assigned a replacement,” Dartar said.
“Actually, Com Dartar it is because of Com Raptor Warwyk that we wanted to see you,” Antrar said.
“You met him?” Dartar asked puffing his cigar.
“But don’t ask how,” Antrar replied.
“He told you to come see me for something?” Dartar asked.
“It was something he said,” Antrar said, “that you had tracked the assassin who tried to take out Nestorian vice-chancellor on your starship scanners from the moon orbiting around Bravo all the way to deep space.”
“Yes so,” Dartar said.
Rockvyk almost jumped hearing the nonchalant tone of Dartar’s reply, “Commodore, are you really saying there was a second assassin?”
Dartar realized what he had blurted out, put aside his cigar and leaned forward. The room had sound proof walls but he whispered, “I see. Is SPASI investigating this?”
“No,” Rockvyk said and looked at Antrar.
“But Army Investigations should,” Antrar said.
“Look, since Raptor has already told you, Com Antrar, and you have told detective Rockvyk, I will confirm. There was a spaceship that rapidly accelerated away from the moon. After Raptor was given command of Conquistador and had left, I sent a team of Strike Soldiers from our starship to the approximate launch location of the assassin’s spaceship and found an observatory nearby with two dead astronomers and someone had used the telescope, probably as an enlargement scope for a laser rifle.”
“Why is army hiding this?” Rockvyk asked, “and why not share with SPASI. We know secrets have to be kept to avoid embarrassment to the Army.”
“Embarrassment to the Army?” Dartar picked up his cigar and leaned back, “More like embarrassment to Commander Carvyk.”
“Is he the one to put out the official version of a single, Nestorian assassin for that attempt?” Antrar asked.
“Who else can slap an official silence order on a starship commodore like myself?” Dartar said.
“But why?” Rockvyk asked.
“You are a detective, SPASI man, figure it out,” Dartar said, “Sounds pretty simple to me.”
“Yes, of course,” Rockvyk almost startled himself, “A Nestorian assassin means it was an internal intrigue amongst themselves and this news of an attempted coup coming out of Nestor only confirms that. But another assassin, a hired Starfirian one, means there are individuals in Starfire Empire, powerful individuals, who didn’t want VC Remus to invoke the protection clause.”
“Alright,” Antrar said. His mind had been gasping towards this thesis and Rockvyk had laid it out clearly. He knew more than either which only confirmed this theory further in his mind. “Commodore Dartar, would you be willing to go on record in front of an Army Board of Inquest about this?”
“If you can get House of War to establish one,” Dartar said, “Why the hell not? Even if Commander Carvyk comes out of it without blemish and his rank intact, he can’t do jack to me. I am due to retire in a year or two anyhow. Indeed, this old warhorse is due for decommission about the same time as my retirement, that�
�s why my reassigned officers like Raptor and Tollvyk haven’t been replaced either. Conquistador is meant to round up the standard thirty ship frontier fleet after Victory.”
“You seem to be convinced about Com. Carvyk’s malfeasance,” Rockvyk raised a brow.
“Off the record and just between us, I never liked him,” Dartar said, “But this isn’t the only strange behavior on his part.”
Antrar and Rockvyk looked at each other and Rockvyk shook his head. He hadn’t heard of anything else.
“You wouldn’t know of this Rockvyk, these are internal army matters,” Dartar said, “First, he promotes my VC Raptor to Starship Conquistador’s highest rank and selects officers like Tollvyk? I am fond of my junior officers, but there is a reason these boys were on this ship that is forever stuck in orbital duty, never being assigned to chase smugglers or patrol our space borders where they may have to do actual warfighting. Why not the best officers from the Sixth Frontier Fleet? For that matter, why not the best officers from our whole Empire, all the top graduates of Space Warfare Academy and battle experienced veterans majority of whom stock the Central and Core Fleets?”
“Strange decision on Carvyk’s part indeed,” Antrar said, “Though I have to say in Raptor and Tollvyk and rest of that company’s defense they have stepped up to their responsibilities big time and if I had to pick one Starship Commodore to fight alongside me it would be Raptor.”
“Is that so?” Dartar was slightly surprised, “I am glad my boys are doing great.”
“I wasn’t one of those top ten percent graduate of the academy,” Antrar said.
“Neither was I,” Dartar said, “But that brings me to the second strange matter. After Commodore Raptor’s message of his battle reached our capital, House of War has decided to send half of the Sixth Frontier Fleet to Nestorian Republic to defend it against any further invasions from these Mercurians. However, they have appointed Commodore Segwyk Rafter of Starship Masterpiece as the Battle Star Commander. Can you believe that? Now I don’t want to sound sour, but you know me, I fought in the late war Com. Antrar, although I was posted far away from your location, at the far edge of our frontlines.”