The Clone Conundrum (Forgotten Fodder Book 2)

by MJ Blehart

A moment later came Barr’s voice: “Yes, Marshal?”

  “Captain Barr,” she began, “delay the warp. I need a secure comm to Deputy Director Samarin.”

  “Very well,” Captain Barr said. “I’ll ping you as soon as it is set up.”

  “Gwok out,” Onima replied. She started after Jace and Martinez toward her office in the MBCC.

  It was not unusual for new assignments to be made to a marshal’s team without consultation, at least when they were below the rank of a deputy marshal.

  Onima’s CBI crew was made up of numerous operatives who served as analysts, investigators, medical examiners, and enforcement agents on warrant teams. The vast majority of these were special agents and agents.

  Deputy marshals tended to be more independent and have more variable skills. While even those who served in analysis and medical could rise to these ranks, a deputy marshal such as Martinez was a more independent entity.

  Such deputy marshals normally became marshals along the way. Onima had mentored a half-dozen deputy marshals since becoming a marshal. But she had had the chance to review them and their credentials prior to adding them to her team. Normally when you would be mentoring someone in the way a marshal did with a deputy marshal, you had the final say about bringing them onto your team or not.

  Martinez’s governor concerned her. Samarin suspected Jiro Rand. Thus, Onima now found herself in an unusual situation.

  As Onima reached the MBCC, Jace was introducing Martinez to Feroz, who would proceed to introduce her to other members of the team.

  When Onima reached her office, her comm beeped.

  “Captain Barr?” she answered.

  “Deputy Director Samarin on a secure channel,” the Aquila’s captain informed her.

  “Thank you,” Onima said.

  She took her seat at her terminal and brought up her comm. Samarin’s face was on the screen.

  “Yes, Marshal Gwok?” Samarin said.

  “Deputy Director,” Onima said formally. “Were you aware that Director Rand was assigning a deputy marshal to my team?”

  Samarin sighed. “I was not, until just a short time ago. Director Rand sent me a memo to inform me that since you did not currently have a deputy marshal and were working on an expansive case, he was sending one to you.”

  Onima tilted her head to one side and asked, “Do you know anything about this Deputy Marshal Martinez?”

  “Nothing beyond her service record,” Samarin replied. “Which is interesting, FYI. I suspect, if presented with a choice, you may have wanted to take her on.”

  “Perhaps,” Onima conceded, “but I don’t like having someone foisted on me. It makes me uncomfortable and, given our recent conversations, suspicious.”

  “Understood,” Samarin said. “I cannot do anything to rescind this assignment, since Director Rand is one of my superiors. I’d advise you to bring Deputy Marshal Martinez onto your team and get her up to speed on your present investigations—but I trust you will also keep some matters more private, as you see fit.”

  Onima had always appreciated that Samarin gave her a great deal of leeway in her operations. He had, after all, served as a marshal himself. He knew investigations could result in the unexpected, and that some means to gather information were less than by the book.

  Maxwell Samarin had been Onima’s mentor when she’d been a deputy marshal as well. Her way of operating mirrored his own from when he’d been a marshal, and he knew it.

  So long as nothing they did violated the letter of the law—and, if regulations and laws were skirted, it was kept under wraps—Samarin would be okay with it.

  His main concern was admissible evidence to present to the courts once arrests were made and cases left the Bureau’s hands. Whatever means were necessary to reach those ends were generally not a deputy director’s concern.

  “I will get her up to speed on the overall aspects of my caseload,” Onima agreed.

  “Very good,” Samarin said. “Is there anything further, Marshal Gwok?”

  “No, sir,” Onima said. “Thank you for your time.”

  Samarin nodded. “Take care, Onima. Good hunting. Samarin out.”

  The signal ended, and Onima leaned back in her chair.

  The investigation into Palmer Cadoret’s murder continued to pull up new surprises. Despite Onima’s misgivings about Director Rand, she hoped Kara Martinez would prove to be an asset.

  Onima straightened her chair and tapped her comm.

  “Yes, Marshal Gwok?” Captain Barr replied.

  “Please proceed with setting up the warp bubble. Take us to Vuk.”

  4

  The Aquila arrived in the Wolf 359 solar system and took up an orbit around planet Vuk.

  After some more digging into the info from Palmer Cadoret that Ms. Varma had shared, the team had determined that he had visited a coastal city called Giseladorf.

  Onima had been uncomfortable including Martinez in their work, concerned that the new deputy marshal’s assignment to her team was a deliberate attempt by Director Rand to keep tabs on the investigation.

  Meanwhile, Martinez had given no indication that she would do anything but her job. While Jace, Yael, and Feroz continued to pour through the data, Onima had filled Martinez in on the investigation thus far.

  She’d decided to downplay Jace’s involvement, as well as where some of the information they were working with had come from and how they had acquired it.

  Overall, Martinez seemed to be an able agent. But between Samarin’s warnings about the company, a possible mole, and Martinez’s placement on the team by Rand, Onima took caution.

  When the Aquila reached Vuk, the team prepared to board a shuttle to the surface.

  Martinez approached Onima. “May I ask a question?” Martinez requested.

  “Of course,” Onima said.

  “I understand why the clone—pardon me—Jace is joining us. But what about the cryptanalyst and medical examiner?”

  Having the pair joining them on the mission was unusual. Onima debated how to respond before saying, “We are looking for a biologist, and Dr. Patel might be useful. And to speed up our search for her, having Agent Jones along is easier than trying to communicate while he is in orbit.”

  “Fair enough,” Martinez said.

  While it was unusual to include such specialists in a mission, it was not unprecedented. Still, Onima recognized it was a unique approach.

  Once the team had boarded the shuttle, Onima, Jace, and Martinez joined Yael on the flight deck. Dr. Patel and Feroz were content to stay in the smaller passenger compartment of this shuttle.

  Jace sat behind Yael, and Martinez behind Onima. The team was set.

  “November Charlie Three-One-Four ready for departure,” Yael said into her headset. A second later she added, “Copy that. Lifting and heading for the planet now.”

  The shuttle rose gently, turned to face the open bay door, and flew off into space.

  “Vuk control, this is Confederation Official November Charlie Three-One-Four requesting vector for landing in Giseladorf,” Yael said. Then, “Copy that. November Charlie Three-One-Four has the vector. Thank you. Out.”

  Yael addressed Onima and company. “It should be an easy trip from here. We’re clear all the way to Giseladorf Starport.”

  “Thank you, Yael,” Onima said.

  “Have you and Marshal Gwok been working together for a while, Agent Amber?” Martinez questioned.

  “Yes,” Yael replied. “Since before Marshal Gwok was made a marshal.”

  “Apart from Mr. Rojas here, this team has been tight for some time, no?”

  “You could say that,” Yael replied. She looked back at the deputy marshal. “Any reason you’re asking?”

  “Simple curiosity,” Martinez replied. Her tone shifted. “I am new to all of you. You’re on a first-name basis with one another. I am an outsider.”

  Yael chuckled. “That’s fair. Well then, Deputy Martinez, tell us a little about yourself.” />
  Onima appreciated that Yael had started that conversation. She couldn’t deny that, even with her suspicions regarding Martinez, she was curious too.

  “Well,” Martinez said, “I was born and raised on Aarde, in the Kapteyn’s Star solar system. I had a fairly normal childhood—until the war started, when I was ten. I finished school, but just after graduation, our town got bombed. My parents survived, but we lost our home. I decided that, rather than go off to school, I’d join the NEEA planetary security forces.

  “At that point in the war, the main fighting was being handled by the clones, but strategy and command was in the hands of non-clones. As a junior agent, much of my duties involved courier service between command, planetary security, and the clone forces. In fact, a year in, I worked with a Rojas clone like you, Jace.”

  “There are a lot of us,” Jace remarked. “Do you remember his designation?”

  “Yes,” Martinez replied. “K3-1554. I worked with him for about five months...until he was killed during a particularly ugly battle. I fought during that battle, actually—my whole team got pulled into it. We lost three of our senior agents and half the junior agents. When the fight was over, bad as it had been, turned out we’d gotten lucky. Two other local planetary security forces had gotten caught in the crossfire and had been totally wiped out.”

  She paused to regain her composure, then continued, “During the rest of my tenure with the NEEA planetary security forces, I was involved in handling local law enforcement and criminal investigation. With the obliteration of those two security forces, ours had to pick up a lot of extra duties. But then the IHCF came in and eliminated the NEEA. With the creation of the AECC, anyone below a specific grade in local security was relieved. I was below that grade.”

  “I can relate,” Yael said. “I was a planetary security pilot, and because I was under the grade level they kept, I got relieved of duty too.”

  Martinez nodded. “Turns out, though, it was a blessing for me. I wanted to leave Aarde and see what else was out there. I took my savings and shuttled up to a warp-capable ship. First trip took me to Bumi Prime, and I encountered a CBI recruiter.”

  “I remember that time period,” Onima said. “The executive director felt that those like you would make excellent new agents.”

  “That’s a fact,” Martinez said. “I got to work on some interesting cases, largely involving corruption among former NEEA and NECC planetary security forces. During one of these, I managed to stop an ugly confrontation from turning violent. That got me the attention of then-Deputy Director Rand and a promotion to special agent. There was a price for that, however.”

  “In what way?” asked Onima.

  “I’ve never been assigned a permanent team,” Martinez replied. “You lot have been working together for some time. I would get assigned to a mission, case, or investigation or two with a given marshal and their team until its completion. Then my governor would have me reassigned somewhere else. It keeps things interesting but impersonal, and every team is different.”

  Martinez had a wistful look in her eye. Onima turned to look out the viewport as it got lighter. They were entering the atmosphere now.

  “It seems to be working out for you,” Jace said. “I presume that’s how you made deputy marshal.”

  “That’s a fact,” Martinez agreed. “I was assigned to an investigation of a planetary government official suspected of taking bribes and other corruption. Bribes were the smallest matter: she was also directly and indirectly responsible for a half-dozen murders. She ran before we could apprehend her, but I figured out where she was running to, and that led to her arrest.”

  Onima vaguely recalled hearing about that incident from the marshal who had run that case, but she couldn’t recall who the marshal had been.

  Before she could ask, Yael interrupted. “Giseladorf Starport, this is Confederation Official November Charlie Three-One-Four on approach. Requesting final.” There was a moment of silence as Yael received a response, which she acknowledged with, “Copy that. November Charlie Three-One-Four now on final approach. Out.”

  Onima looked to Martinez. “It will be interesting to see how you work with this team, Deputy Martinez.”

  “I look forward to finding out myself,” Martinez replied. Then she turned her attention to Jace. “Tell me, Mr. Rojas....No, that’s weird. Sorry—may I call you Jace?”

  “Sure,” Jace said.

  “Thanks. Tell me, Jace, how did you wind up working with Marshal Gwok and her team?”

  Onima listened casually, but she’d made Jace aware of the connections inside the CBI she believed Gray and Chuang had, and Jace left out certain details in his narrative.

  Still, Onima admitted, Martinez’s story checked out. It matched what Onima had found when she’d looked into the deputy marshal’s service record. But Onima was as wary of Director Rand as her own governor was. She would still be cautious with information around Martinez.

  Outside the viewport was a green ocean, a city of low buildings that appeared to be a white stucco, and a spaceport to the east of the city. Yael was bringing them in.

  Yael commed, “Giseladorf Starport, this is Confederation Official November Charlie Three-One-Four. Landing bay cited and confirmed.”

  The view outside became naught but sky as Yael altered their flight to be purely vertical. A few moments later, the shuttle was down.

  “All ashore who’s going ashore,” Yael said. “Am I staying here, boss?”

  “No,” Onima said. “Please join us.”

  Jace and Martinez departed the flight deck, followed by Onima and Yael. In the passenger compartment, Dr. Patel and Feroz were awaiting them. But if Onima hadn’t known better, she might have thought they were wearing guilty expressions.

  “There should be a local terminal in the bay,” Onima said. “Feroz, let’s see if you can figure out who and where this scientist is.”

  “Okay,” Feroz said.

  They descended to the lower bay and walked past the parked hovervan. The door had opened, and a warm, salty smell greeted them.

  Onima had always liked oceans. There was something peaceful about them.

  As they stepped down the ramp, they noticed a man in coveralls awaiting them.

  “Greetings,” he said. “As a representative of the mechanics’ union of Giseladorf Spaceport, I am to inquire whether you need maintenance of any kind.”

  Before Onima could answer, Yael chuckled and pointed to the ship. “This, my friend, is a Confederation shuttlecraft. Sorry, but we have no need of your services.”

  “Very well,” he said. “Good day.” Then he left.

  “That was odd,” Martinez remarked.

  Yael was still chuckling. “Someone didn’t bother to check the registry. Some of the locals will do anything to generate work.”

  Feroz had made his way to the terminal. Jace was beside Onima, looking about.

  “Something interesting you, Jace?” Onima asked.

  “Listen,” Jace said. “Do you hear that?”

  Onima paused. She heard the ocean, some mechanical noises, and a few other sounds, but nothing odd. “No,” she replied.

  “Exactly,” Jace said. He pointed toward the city. “No sounds of motorized vehicles, and the usual constant takeoffs and landings in a spaceport are absent. It’s just unusually quiet.”

  “Huh,” Onima said. “That is interesting. We may not be able to use the van.”

  “I don’t think this town is much larger than five or six total kilometers in any direction,” Jace said. “I don’t think we’ll need it.”

  Onima approached Feroz at the local terminal, and the others followed her. “Any luck?” she asked.

  “Well,” Feroz said, not looking away from the terminal, “it’s fortunate that Giseladorf is a small city. Hell, I think it’s only a city because of this spaceport. Based on the data we have, our person of interest has two or three aliases. Checking on that. Because this city is so small, the tech is a bit out
dated.”

  “Where did you acquire your info?” asked Martinez.

  Onima evaded the question. “That is a story for another time.”

  “Here,” Feroz called out. “Yeah, I am pretty sure this is her. Raima Smith.”

  “How far?” asked Onima.

  “Two kilometers due west,” Feroz said. “312 Blumestadt. Oh, and no vehicles allowed in the city.”

  “We walk, then,” Onima said.

  Onima downloaded a local map to her datacard and led the way from the spaceport.