Law's End

by Glenn Douglass

  In Kassad's view it was a needlessly naïve perspective that she needed to set aside. "If Law's End teaches us anything it's that math is not always a perfect tool for modeling the universe. I know that any one of a million things could have gone wrong; things completely unrelated to Law's End. You know the risks up here, you've educated yourself, and maybe you've done some travelling, but until you've experienced the hazards first hand you don't really understand how dangerous this is. I've run salvage on ships that had the best equipment and the best trained crews and they weren't dealing with Law's End. That's the risk any of us take when we choose to live and work out here."

  Greene stood defiantly glaring down at Kassad. "They're going to be okay. I know it."

  Already preparing for the worst Kassad didn't want to have to deal with a hysterical widow on top of having to secure the bodies of the research team for transport. "Are you sure you're prepared? Because I've seen what grief can do to a person; make them irrational, self destructive. You're living with hope right now, but if they didn't make it you have to be ready for that."

  "Well you've really set my mind at ease." Greene said wanting to slap Kassad but instead deciding to leave the room.

  Kassad continued to explain reasonably even after Greene retreated to her stateroom. "There's a difference between being ready and being delusional. Both are minds sets, but one is far more likely to get you killed then the other. I don't doubt that this is going to be hard on you no matter what we find, but it will only be harder if you keep insisting that reality is going to conform to your desires."

  Chapter 5: "Interception"

  "When logic and reason are not in support of what you want then an appeal to base irrational emotion is the only route left available. If you can convince people that your goals feel right then you have a chance to win support, however this makes your goals no more logical or reasonable. When logic and reason are not in support of what you want then you are insane and should be stopped."

  Excerpt taken from "The Collected Wisdom of Herself, Volume III"

  In a brilliant explosion of azure luminescence the Sabha arrived. Traveling at warp speeds inevitably resulted in picking up the trace amounts of hydrogen and other gas and debris along the route. These gasses accumulated along the leading edge of the warp field until that field was dropped. With older drives the buildup would continue until the gas achieved pressures needed for fusion with the resulting energy release destroying the ship responsible for them. Newer drive systems like that used by the Sabha allowed the gasses to bleed off before reaching this critical mass, but there were usually still enough trapped gasses for a light show upon arrival.

  Even with the safety systems functioning normally the build up over such a long journey was tremendous. Concentrations of ions and free electrons rippled energetically as they sought to find equilibrium in the rapidly expanding cloud. Portions of the cloud were turned rainbow hued as they were shot through with auroras and minute ball lightning. All of this was spectacularly brief, and soon the cloud dissipated to where it could no longer be detected by the unaided eye.

  Grinning at the pleasing results of his skill Kassad announced for everyone to hear, "Five light minutes outside of Law's End. Not a bad bit of navigation, wouldn't you agree Canis?" Canis responded with an approvingly loud bark as he set off to perform his post transit inspections.

  Gesturing significantly towards Canis, Kassad looked to Misses Greene, "Would you care to make it unanimous?"

  Time spent in transit had never stopped being grating for Greene who replied sarcastically, "Hooray, you got us from point A to point B and we didn't die. Now we just have to survive the part that's actually dangerous."

  As he performed the standard post transit flight checks Kassad complained, "No respect for craft."

  ******

  On the triangular arranged bridge of the Armhamon Lawship its sensor operator announced mechanically and without looking up from their display, "Deck Officer, contact emerging from warp at seven nine by one four three true and thirty light seconds."

  In the blue and white jumpsuit uniform that did little to conceal or flatter his form the Officer of the Deck, informally referred to as the Deck Officer, looked up from the daily reports of the big ship's departments and reflexively ordered, "Identify."

  Internally and well hidden from his subordinates the Deck Officer was shocked by the arrival. They'd been on station for over a month enforcing an interdiction of the nearby stellar system with very little legal justification and no activity to speak of. It was only the grind of daily routine that kept him from making an issue of their lingering on the fringes of Laniakea for no discernible reason.

  With a predatory grin the sensor operator announced, "Contact is Nadir class patrol frigate registered as private speculative trader under the name Sabha. Current owner, Kassad Mir, has twenty-four separate Lawship watch notices," watch notices were the Lawship networks way of keeping each other apprised of encounters with suspected criminals, "one arrest, and no convictions."

  Incredulously the Deck Officer blurted, "A pirate?" It was a shocking reversal for the Deck Officer who had began to suspect the entire ordeal would end in embarrassing uneventfulness. "Send the identification and track information to tactical and comm stations. Communications warn them off from any system approach." Unbuckling himself from the Armhamon's command chair he announced, "Tactical station, you have the deck. I'll inform the captain personally."

  ******

  Just as Kassad was about to explain the nuanced virtues of his navigational skill the communications display in the Sabha's control console lit up, "Sabha, this is the Lawship Armhamon. You are approaching the Law's End barrier. Correct your course or you will be intercepted."

  Lawships were the backbone of intergalactic civilization. Any world or species could sponsor one so long as it and its crew maintained the proper standards and certifications. The ships were generally recognized to have broad discretion to enforce a few universal laws outside of the jurisdictions of the worlds sponsoring them. They also more routinely enforced local laws inside those jurisdictions for the world's sponsoring them.

  Giving Greene an accusing glare Kassad commented sarcastically, "Strange place to find a Lawship. I don't suppose they're looking for someone specifically attempting a rescue mission?"

  Lawships could theoretically operate anywhere outside of recognized world legal jurisdictions to discourage large scale piracy or extensive smuggling. In practical terms they still answered to their sponsoring authority as well as the certifying authority. As a result they tended to stick close to home when they left port at all. It was rare to find a Lawship in deep space in pursuit of a target vessel let alone on the fringes of Laniakea itself.

  A bit too innocently for Kassad's ears Greene wondered aloud, "Maybe they're conducting their own rescue operation?"

  Kassad rolled his eyes and then bitterly grumbled, "Then someone should tell them to get to it already as the word coincidence strains credulity for two ships meeting in the vast expanse of space."

  All it took was a quick glance at the sensors to show the Armhamon to be too far away to successfully make an interception without the Sabha allowing it. Any shooting done at this range would have been more of the 'saturate the area' variety rather than 'pinpoint disabling fire' sort. A Lawship was required to justify any use of force, and would be hard pressed to explain why it used overwhelming force on a presumably unarmed civilian ship officially engaged in a rescue operation.

  If Greene knew or suspected anything she did a masterful job of concealing it. "You think they're here for us, but why?"

  Shaking his head at the perceived continuing evasion Kassad keyed the communications system. "Armhamon, this is Captain Kassad Mir of the independent vessel Sabha. We are engaged in a rescue mission beyond the Law's End barrier."

  Discretely Kassad performed a passive scan of the Armhamon. You never knew what might get pressed into service as a Lawship. Some were repu
rposed military craft while others were glorified freighters with improved sensors and a few weapons mounted where the frame wouldn't buckle under their firing.

  ******

  The Armhamon was named for the wealthy politician who had sponsored her. Running on a law and order platform as an expedient way of distinguishing themselves from the other candidates the commissioning of the ship had captured the public imagination. That political victory and the brief career it had fueled were only the origin story for a ship that had gone on to win considerable local fame on her own.

  In no small part the fame of the Armhamon had been driven by the ruthless ambition of its captain, Tereth Andrews. Captain Andrews was a hard woman who had dedicated herself to law and order mainly out of an addiction to imposing her will upon others with 'the law' being a convenient justification. It was an attitude that had won her few friends and more than a few admirers from those in position to direct her tendencies.

  "Status?" Andrews demanded, her blue and white jumpsuit uniform accentuating the hard lines of her lean frame as she strode onto the now accelerating Armhamon's bridge.

  The crewman at the communications station replied, "We warned them off. They responded by invoking rescue mission priority status." The last words drew another predatory grin from the sensor operator.

  Andrews dismissed the notion with a sneer as she took her place in the Armhamon's command chair. No one needed to be told that the captain had assumed command of the situation. No one was surprised when the captain diverted control of sensors and communications stations to her own console.

  ******

  There was such a long pause that Kassad was ready to believe that they would be allowed to proceed unmolested when the Armhamon's reply came. "Rescue mission is it? Sabha we do not recognize your mission as legitimate. Shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded."

  Of immediate concern for Kassad was the reality that there were some Lawships sponsored by less reputable polities. Some Lawships became self sponsoring and pushed the boundaries of their legal powers. Every once in a while a Lawship went completely rogue and had to be hunted down by other Lawships.

  Demanding a halt to a rescue operation was going too far and Kassad wasn't shy about saying so. "You can refuse to recognize the legitimacy of our mission all you want, however you have no authority to interfere in a stated rescue operation." Rescue missions, particularly in the vastness of space where seconds counted, were granted broad legal protections. "I have a fifteen person scientific expedition trapped in Lawless space. If we come back without any bodies then you can charge us with falsely evoking emergency status." Falsely declaring an emergency was a serious charge and having his ship confiscated was the least hardship that could be inflicted on him.

  Undaunted by Kassad's protest the Armhamon sternly replied, "Sabha, if you enter Lawless space we will be waiting to take your ship when you emerge, emergency or not."

  Kassad smirked in amusement. It was a bold threat. Then again it wouldn't be the first time Kassad had found it necessary to sneak past a Lawship.

  After setting aside the threat Kassad considered the advantages of a consultation with the opposition and in exceedingly innocent tones inquired, "Armhamon, is there something you can tell me that would convince me that this is not a rescue mission? I admit the contracting party is not above suspicion, however to the best of my knowledge this is a rescue operation. Please advise?"

  Greene gave Kassad a confused look. "What are you doing?"

  Kassad gave Greene a sidelong look in return, "Getting the information you and Cameron declined to share."

  The offense Greene projected was genuine, "I'm telling you this is a rescue mission. My husband is out there."

  Begrudgingly Kassad was willing to concede that Greene might not know everything. "But that's not the whole story, and I doubt that I'll get the whole story from the Armhamon either, but they certainly aren't out here patrolling the boarders of Laniakea."

  Greene shook her head. "If there's any criminality here it is with you and your ship."

  Canis growled indignantly.

  Kassad stated in only half mock offense, "My record is clean and pristine… as far as I'm aware."

  "Then there's more to this then I…" Greene was abruptly cut off by the communications circuit.

  "Sabha, if you continue on your current course the Armhamon will be standing by to conduct a customs search and… lend aid upon your return. Do not attempt to evade us. If you do your ship will be labeled as a pirate vessel to be seized at will. You cannot outrun the reach of the Code of Law."

  Code of Law was the bare bones agreement that allowed the hundred thousand galaxies to function as much as it did. As far as any criminals were concerned it provided the framework for both the Lawships and bounty hunters that made their vocations complicated. More importantly it established a basic set of dos and don'ts for the legitimate interaction of the myriad of alien species that called Laniakea home.

  The backbone of the Code of Law system was structured around information sharing among those who submitted to work under its constraints. University organized information sharing served as a carrot to promote cooperation and good faith dealings keeping any one species from developing an overwhelming edge against the others. It also served as a stick to spread information about those operating beyond its constraints effectively locking them out of Laniakea's trade network. A byproduct was that this information sharing allowed Lawships to work as a cohesive whole in spite of their diverse origins.

  "Understood Armhamon." Kassad responded simply before keying off the communications circuit and adding, "Renaming the Sabha would be a nuisance."

  Finally concluding their analysis of the Lawship the Sabha's systems classified the Armhamon as a Dedalus class cruiser. A serious warship design her hull was built around a single massive weapon that could punch hole a through a small moon. Because that kind of firepower was never enough for military designers the Armhamon was also fitted with a variety of smaller mid-ranged weapons. While the main gun required the entire Armhamon to point where it was to be directed the smaller weapons were turreted to provide complete coverage. Any of the Armhamon's weapons would be more than enough to tear completely through the smaller Sabha with a single hit.

  Putting one hand on his shoulder Greene tried to reassure the pirate that to continue their mission. "Kassad, you have to trust me. You have to believe me. I don't know why that ship is here. What we're doing is a legitimate rescue. We have to help those people."

  Unconvinced that any trust was truly a necessity for the conclusion of his mission Kassad responded honestly, "There's too much money and firepower involved in all of this for everything to be above board," he gave Greene a well practiced devil-may-care grin, "but I expect we'll find out the whole story before long."

  Chapter 6: "Out Law"

  "Our contact with and knowledge of civilizations outside of Laniakea is extraordinarily limited. We know that there have been expeditions sent to study our supercluster only from evidence left behind by these expeditions. No formal contact has been established nor even a basis for communication formulated."

  -Excerpt from University database entry on topic of the Lawless.

  No matter how intense or focused the Sabha's sensors were made to sweep ahead of them they detected nothing. No portion of the electromagnetic spectrum was able to detect the shift in the laws of physics that was called Law's End. As far as could be determined they were simply transiting another unremarkable stretch of interstellar space.

  Only slightly disappointed by the lack of stimuli Kassad turned to practical matters. "Very well, if the supply ship's numbers are right we'll pass Law's End in five minutes. I am shutting down and disconnecting all faster than light drives." A series of console taps and physical switch flips resulted in some ominous mechanical thudding. "Shutting down and disconnecting reactionless drive." Another series of console taps and the unlocking and toggling of a big bar attached to multiple s
witches resulted in a tremendous bang that was even more felt than heard as the remaining stored potential energy was released into the ship's hull. "Running all circuits through redundant buffers and bringing all manual controls online." This time the commands made half of the console controls go dark and the virtual display entered a minimalist mode where everything outside the cockpit was rendered in a simplified wireframe style. "There we are, ready for Lawless space."

  Unclenching her hands through an exercise of will Greene said, "I hope so."

  "What's the worst that could happen?" Kassad asked.

  In Kassad's own mind the answer was that they'd have to turn around empty handed thus foregoing the mission's lucrative payday. The matter of the Lawship barely rose to the level of a trivial annoyance, and one Kassad had already decided to ignore. He had also set aside any concerns about Law's End and decided to treat the region as just another hazardous flight area.

  Ignoring the question and all the worst case scenarios that it brought up Greene asked, "Why do you think we're out here? Why is that Lawship out here waiting for us?"

  Kassad gave his passenger an appraising look before conceding that she probably knew only as much as he himself did. "All I know is that this is not just a simple rescue mission."

  It wasn't what Greene wanted to hear, but if it was something that could affect the success of the mission then she had to know. "Why not?"

  Hesitating for a moment Kassad relented that his suspicions weren't a matter for secrecy. "The pay's too good, that Lawship cannot be a coincidence, and the last time I did a job for Professor Fitzgerald I almost ended up in a penal colony."