“The message referencing the early arrival of ARC Lance?”
“The very one.”
“I can, provided the information is still in the system.” Ho paused for several seconds as he connected to the station systems via ARC Lance’s gear. “It is a police agency code, from a device belonging to a Robert M. Borne, Inspector, Third Section detective branch, Second Precinct.”
“That’s the Bombo on the audio!” Nikira said. “It ties in.”
“How do you figure that?” Teller said.
“Robert M. Borne.”
Teller shook his head.
Nikira sighed loudly. “Robert, as in Bob. Bob M. Borne. Use all three to create an abbreviate. Bombo. B-O from Bob, M as in the middle initial, B-O from Borne. Bombo! It’s obvious.”
“That’s a stretch, Niki.”
“Wanna bet?”
“You know better than that.”
“Wise, Captain,” Ho said. “She is correct. The communications intercepts I have stored indicate the device used by the person called Bombo is the same device used to send the message to Miz Gomez.”
Nikira clapped her hands and laughed. “This is my job, cuz. Do I tell you how to fly? Never doubt the Niki, Tell.”
. . .
Hellington departed Commerce Station and the Boddan system without incident, soon making slipspace for the Lyrisium.
Nikira took over the vid deck as soon as they made transition, quickly going over the captures on the pellet. “This, the audio, and the data in the cases will do the trick. I’ll bet I can convince my producer to do more than just a news spot with this. I’m talking exposé.”
“What about Florry? Will he get into trouble over this?” Ursula asked.
“Not unless he wants to confess. The vid is tagged as Commerce Station Police, clear as day. He wouldn’t have pushed this our way without knowing what would happen.”
“I think he knew who I was,” Jessop said. “He knew and chose to help us.” He looked at Nikira. “What if they ask about where you got the vid?”
“I’m a Journo. Hyper won’t give a blast about where I got it, they’ll just be glad I did. Besides. a girl’s gotta have some secrets. I think you’re right about Florry. A stand-up guy. The kind of guy that might be able to make good use of audio captures, you know, get them to the right people who might like to put the screws to some dirty cops? An intrepid journalist might be able to make that happen. Now, if you don’t mind, I have vid to sort through before we get to Vicimere.”
By the time they were putting down on the Hyper Media Center spacefield, Nikira knew what segments of video she intended to use and was eager to start work.
“News travels fast here, faster than just about anywhere else,” she said as they walked down the port airlock ramp. “That’s where they get the saying, ‘in a Clarion second.’ This is one of the places where info gets blasted out to the rest of the galaxy. It starts fast and slows down the farther it gets, but it gets, you know? I’m calling my boss and letting him know what I’ve got. No promises, but I am reasonably certain you’ll be in the clear in low time.”
“Not to sound ungrateful or faithless,” Teller said, “but the way things go for us, I’ll believe it when I see it. We’ll swing by the spacer’s relay while you do your thing.”
“Do you think someone might know we’re here?” Ursula said as they made their way to one of the service buildings at the edge of the spacefield.
“I don’t expect too many of our sort would be dropping in here, but it never hurts to check. Hugh knows we might come here and he may have told someone like Rory or Ty where we might be.”
The spacer’s relay was an automated system, using the same type of console that housed Merl the cheery and helpful bot in the media center lobby.
Teller flipped through terms and names by which he or Ord might be contacted. He found one seeking ‘The Wing’.
“We have one. A multi pass message from Peachy. I’m guessing it might be something from Ty and Brabs.”
“What does it say,” Jessop asked.
“See for yourself,” Tell said as he stepped aside.
On the screen was, FOR THE WING AND COMPANY VIA STORMY VANCE - THE BIG KNOB - NOON DAVIS - ORIG MSG: ATTENTION: THE WING AND CO. OLD PAL PEACHY HAS WORD. ON SAME JOB. YKW.
“YKW?” Ursula said.
“You Know Where,” Ned responded.
“Do we go see him?”
Teller shook his head. “Not until we see what Niki has in mind. If it works like she thinks, we’ll be free to visit him at our leisure. If not, we might need help from the Makreurys anyway, and he’ll likely know where we can go. We’ll wait.”
“Nikira waits,” Ord said with a point at the Lance. She stood next to the ship tapping at her data pad.
Teller cleared the message from the display. “That didn’t take long. Let’s go see what the verdict be.”
“We’re a go,” she said as the group approached. “I just need to get to my office and start work.”
“How long do you think it will take?” Teller said.
“A day, two with sleep, but that’s why caffeie exists. Another day for the bosses to look it over, order changes, then green light the thing. Once there, it’s just a case of uploading it onto the info pods for distribution.”
“Are you sure they’ll ‘green light’ it?” Ursula said.
“Never doubt the Niki. Trust me, they have no choice at this point. Want to come see me work?”
“We’ll stay here I think,” Teller said. “Just in case we need to make a quick getaway, I’d like to be near our best means of away.”
“Sounds boring. You ought to see me when I’m wound up. Drop by my office if you want. Either way, I’ll keep you updated.” She turned and made for a nearby shuttle. “Keep the data pads on, kids,” she yelled over her shoulder.
. . .
“It’s a piece of work, I’m telling you!” Nikira blurted out as soon as Teller answered her call. “I’m coming down to see you. It’s quicker than you coming up. See you when I see you!”
Teller smiled and shook his head as he looked at the data pad. “Not a sound in edgewise,” he muttered.
Nikira showed up a short time later, seemingly unfazed by an entire cycle of time spent working.
“We’re waiting on the top floors to do their thing,” she said. “By tomorrow this time, the tale ought to be hitting the vid decks here and be going out on info pods. A few days, maybe a tenday from now, you should be free and easy.”
“That’s great news, Niki,” Teller said. “How long until this hits Vachsblad and Boddan-Three?”
“I’d have to look up the pod routes, but three or four days at most. You have something in mind, don’t you? I can tell. That brain of yours makes a racket when you’re thinking about something.”
“At least it’s not my mouth making all the racket like some cousin of mine. What if we took this to those places. Fly there direct and broadcast it?”
“Get it to the source soonest. I see. I could get you the codes for the vid sats and beacons around and on the planets and stations. I know a gal in distribution, she’d help. You’ll have to take the whole vid log, but a burst transmission takes just a unit or so.” She paused for an instant before her eyes lit up. “I’ll see that you get paid. Acme Rapid Carrier is a registered company in Syndic and Confed space. I looked it up. I’ll put you down as a special courier.”
“The last courier gig we had turned into this mess we’re in.”
“Then sit pat and let it play out.”
“That’d be the smart play, but there’s something about all of this that sticks in my intake. We’ve stayed ahead or slipped out of everything they’ve thrown at us, but it’s all been defensive, fending off their attacks. If there’s a last punch to be thrown in this mismatch, I want it to be us. I want to put their lights out.”
“Same old Tell. Pride and bravado and not a scintilla of sense. Then again, I’d want to shove it down their t
hroats were I in your position.”
“The sooner the better. The longer we wait, the more likely a bounty hunter or some Syndic cruiser comes a’calling. I say we deliver the bad news to Boddan-Three and Vachsblad ourselves.”
“Ord wants them to know it was us. We do it as ARC Lance,” Ord said.
Teller smiled. “Laser straight we do. We wait until we’re going fast enough to peel the finish off the hull before we make slipspace, emerge near the planets to send the word, then right back into slipspace and gone.” He looked to Ned, Ursula, and Ho. “Like I said, not the smartest of plays. You guys might want to stay here.”
“I think I speak for all of us when I say,” Ned replied with a shake of his head, “you ought to know better than that by now. I’m going.”
“Ned is correct. I’m also going,” Ursula said. “We have pride as well.”
“And bravado,” Ho said. “I shall be with you.”
“Not a scintilla,” Niki said with some head shaking of her own. “but I admire your pluck. Make a nice follow-up to the whole thing… unless you get smeared.”
. . .
“You should have gone to family to start, Tell,” Niki said as the Lance and her crew prepared to depart. “You found Hugh, that led to me, and problem solved. How difficult was that?”
“Right, ignoring all that led up to this, I should have dragged family into my troubles first thing. I’m sure that’s exactly what you would have done.”
“Never, cousin. But then, I care deeply. You’ll do better next time, I’m sure of it.”
“I learned my lesson. If there is a next time, I’ll come straight to you the instant I have assassins in tow. Let’s stay in touch.”
Nikira smiled. “Sure! I might need a ride sometime.”
Teller laughed. “And I might need you to clear up this Malarkey thing.”
“I’ll go you one better. I’ll see if I can muddy things up for you. If it works, you can fly me to Lilium Paradise if I ever take a vacation.”
“Deal.”
“Don’t get dead, Tell,” she said as they hugged.
“Not part of the plan. You do the same.” He gently tugged one of her ears and ran for the Lance.
Nikira laughed.
. . . . .
. . . . .
14
Flies in the Ointment
. . . . .
Excerpt from, Cap’n Cosmos’ Guide to it All, the Interstellar Guide for Endeavoring Spacers.
Cap’n, when I’m old enough, I’d like to go spaceabout. Any advice on how I might prepare until then?
-Mick D. Dunn
A top-notch question, Mick! Going spaceabout, ah, that takes the Cap’n back. To those not in the know, going spaceabout is wandering the galaxy solo or with a small group. Not for the faint of heart, but Endeavoring Spacers don’t suffer from that malady, am I right?
There’s three things you’ll need if you’re going spaceabout, the three Bs: Blanky, Brolly, and Blaster. Those—or their appropriate substitute—will keep you warm, dry, and protected under most circumstances. One other addition the Cap’n might suggest would be the Cap’n Cosmos’ Guides Complete Compendium Collection. That may seem a redundant title, but it is quite comprehensive and contains cardinal cognizance that might be useful.
Were I in your boots, I’d start saving my creds and begin researching the gear that’s right for the trip. Once you can afford it, buy it and learn how to use it.
A blanket, towel, cushion, bandage, and more, a blanky is a rectangle of a thousand uses. There’s a lot of blankys out there, but you can’t go wrong with the Dadams LPD life preservation device, and I’m not just saying that because they sponsor the Cap’n’s vid log either. The Cap’n toted an LPD long before they paid him to promote them. There are blankys out there, but only one company that makes the LPD, Dadams. Now with location technology so you’ll always know where it is!
A Brolly, also called an umbrella, broll, ‘breller, and Digby, seems like an antiquated device, and it is, but that doesn’t mean it’s useless. You could say the same thing about underwear. A good brolly is sturdy and multi-functional: melee weapon, shelter, shade, walking stick, and more. You can’t say that about skivvies.
Blasters, or some other form of proven being-stopper, are a necessity, even if you’re handy at fistics or some other form of unarmed fighting. Stopping an assailant beyond acid-spitting range is preferable to the alternative. Trust the Cap’n on this one, acid hurts and should it ever be spat upon you, you’ll be thankful you had a blanky along.
. . .
“Patrol craft astern,” Ursula said as ARC Lance emerged from slipspace into the Boddan system. “It’s designated the S-21. Data on your screens.”
“Sending vid log broadcast, Captain,” Ho announced. “One point two chrono units to completion.”
“She’s scanning,” Ursula said as she sifted the data that crowded her display.
Teller looked at the velocity difference and distance between the two vessels. “We’ll be fine. I’ll have us on course for Vachsblad in no time. Ho, call it when the transmission is complete.”
“Course locked into astrogation,” Ord said. “RE gens will have field ready to deploy before broadcast is concluded.”
“That’s how we want it.” Teller glanced at his friend. “Concluded? Are you on to the letter C in that blasted language program?”
“No. Ho.”
“Great. That’s all I need.”
. . .
“Ship just out of slipspace, sir,” said S-21’s navigator. “It is moving away from us and fast!”
“Transponder identifies her as the ARC Lance, sir!” the coms operator said. “That’s the bird that smoked us back—”
“I know what it is,” S-21’s commander barked. “Action posture! We will pursue. Weapons, lock them up! Stand by to fire. The Swift missed. We won’t. Order them to power down.”
“ARC Lance, this is Boddan System Patrol ship S-Twenty-one. Power down immediately,” the communications operator said.
“Any response?”
”She’s sending a burst broadcast, sir,” coms reported. “It’s not directed at us. We’ll have to run it through the systems to know what it is.”
“Never mind that now. Weapons, status?”
“I’ve got’em, lieutenant,” the weapons operator said. “Arming missiles.”
S-21’s thrusters came on, pushing her forward and her crew back into their seats. “That bird’s too hot, sir,” the helmsman said surveying his screens. “She’ll make slipspace before—”
“Fire when ready,” the commander said. “He’s not slipping us a second time.”
“Helm’s right, sir,” the weapons operator said. “Distance and velocity readings don’t favor a—”
“Fire when ready,” the commander snapped.
A few seconds later the weapons operator said, “Weapons away, sir. Fired them all.”
The commander brought up weapons information on his command display. “Tracking… locked… we have her.”
The helmsman rolled his eyes. “Check nav, sir. She can generate a Raker Effect field in no time. She’ll be gone by—”
“Target off scopes. Missiles off track, lieutenant.”
The commander slammed his fist onto the armrest. “Damnatio!”
“That bird is one serious piece of work, sir,” the helmsman said with a smile unseen by the commander. His smile broadened at the thought of operating a ride like the ARC Lance. Indy starship captain someday? he thought. Why not?
“Destruct the missiles, sir?” the weapons operator said.
S-21’s commander growled. “Affirmative.”
“A whole load of missiles… off into space,” the helmsman commented. “What’s the unit cost on those?”
The weapons operator mulled the question for a moment. “In Caperan creds it’s about—”
“Enough,” the commander said in a tone indicating he conceded defeat. “Let’s return to station
.” What in Hades was that all about?
. . .
“One down, one to go,” Jessop said.
“Then a hop out of system to cover our tracks, a course adjustment, and a jump to Brooks,” Teller said. “We’ll see what Peachy knows and decide where we go from there.”
The vid log broadcast in the Faeros system was less dramatic than that over Boddan III and ARC Lance was nearly ready to enter slipspace once again before the first calls came to pursue her. As planned, a short jump to empty space, a course correction, and another jump soon had them on their way to the Brooks system. When they emerged, Lance’s transponder told any who might inquire that she was the KRD Darby once again.
“It seems the PS Dardanal is not in-system at this time, Captain,” Ho reported.
“Then we wait.”
. . .
“Captain, PS Dardanal has emerged from slipspace and is inbound,” Ho said over the Lance’s intercom.
Teller sprung from his seat in the common room and said, “On my way,” as he made for the hatch.
The other three Humans followed.
“Hail him,” Teller said as he fell into his pilot’s seat.
“I have him,” Ho said.
“Good to hear you’re in one piece,” Peachy said. “That incident over Sessler way was all the talk for awhile.”
“It was something all right,” Teller replied.
“You get that Altairie thing straightened out?”
Teller laughed and shook his head before he keyed the transmit button. “Not just yet, Peach. You had a message on the spacer’s relay for us.”
“That’s right! Almost forgot about it. Ty and Brabs know of a place you might use for a laylow if you need one, Meltan.”
“Never heard of it.”
“I should have thought of it now that I think about it. In the Fargon system. That’s Fargon, not the Far Gone system now, just to be clear.”
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