Solbidyum Wars Saga 7: Hunt for the Reduviids

by Dale C. Musser

  “If you do find them, then what?” Kala asked.

  “Then we go in and get them,” I said. “Hopefully Hakwin is still alive and not cooperating with them willingly – and hopefully he hasn’t become a whacked-out God Sweat addict. It would be great if we could get him to help us solve this problem we have with the speed ceiling on our ships. As for Sisopan, I would prefer that she die, to be honest; but if we can take her alive, we will. I know there’s potential to extract a wealth of information from her about Brotherhood activities.”

  “Stop it, Reide! Don’t tease him!” I heard Lunnie’s voice shouting in the next room.

  “I’m a fubalo burger, eat me.” Reidecor was apparently teaching Mimic some new and colorful language, as I could hear the fubalo burger phrase repeated while Reide laughed a deep belly-laugh.”

  “Stop it, Reide, it’s not funny! Daddyyyy, make Reide stop making Mimic say I’m a fubalo burger, eat me!” Lunnie said, as she barged into our room with Mimic in her arms.

  “I’m a fubalo burger, eat me,” Mimic said, while looking directly into my eyes.

  “See Dad, see what he’s doing?!” Lunnie said crossly.

  “See Dad, see what he’s doing?!” Mimic repeated.

  “Reide, stop tormenting your sister and Mimic,” I said, while trying not to grin.

  Reide peeked around the corner to reveal one eye and half of a huge grin. Lunnie glared at him and stuck out her tongue. Sticking out one's tongue seemed to be a universal sign of childhood contempt.

  “So can I go, Daddy?”

  “Go where?” I asked. Lunnie’s abrupt change of subject caught me off guard, but in the back of my mind I knew there was something I was supposed to be remembering; I just couldn’t place it.

  DAD! You and mother said you would tell me this morning if I could go to the estate for a while be with my friends – AND bond with Poccot.”

  “Oh yeah, right,” I said as it all came back to “me. “I’m sorry Lunnie, but with the attack that happened yesterday and all that went on after, I haven’t been home to talk with your mother about it.”

  “Day before yesterday,” said Kala.

  “Huh?” I asked.

  “Dad!” Lunnie exclaimed in disappointment.

  “The attack was at dinner two nights ago, not yesterday.”

  “Dad!”

  “Oh yeah, right.” I was beginning to feel like I was losing the plot and that maybe I should go back to bed.

  “Tib,” said Kala, “I’ve talked to Jenira and she says that she and a few of the Women with Swords are willing to accompany Lunnie to the estate for a while. She says she will do her best to watch out for Lunnie while remaining as unobtrusive as possible, so she can associate with her friends freely. I’m willing to let her go if you are.”

  “Seriously?” I asked, somewhat shocked at Kala’s decision. Kala had been overly-protective of the twins ever since they got lost in the maintenance tunnels when they were three… and the later episode at the theater, where they nearly drowned on the anti-gravity stage inside the suspended pool of water didn’t help to quell those tendencies. So to hear her say she was willing to allow Lunnie to travel to the estate for two weeks without her was the last thing I expected. “What about Reidecor? Is he going too?"

  “If Lunnie gets to go to the estate, I want to go too!” Reidecor declared from his position around the corner.

  “What will you do there?” I asked.

  “I can go playing with Rory at the cove.”

  The cove was an area of the estate we had set aside years ago for orphans from Goo’Waddle. Most of them were now grown and had moved away from the estate; but as they left, there were always new orphans to replace them. Many were refugees from planets attacked or captured by the Brotherhood. Rory was one of those orphans. He was unusual, in that he was the first person I had encountered in the Federation who had Down Syndrome – a condition that was much more prevalent on Earth than anywhere I’d visited in the Federation. Though it wasn’t unheard of, it was extremely rare. Because of the advanced capabilities of the Federation scientists and medical professionals, this genetic anomaly could be corrected as late as the second trimester of fetal development by way of something they called migrated in vitro genetic splicing. However, it wasn’t always caught in time.

  Reide and Rory made a strange pair. Rory idolized Reide and was fascinated by everything Reide did. Reide liked Rory, because he was attentive to all he said and showed interest in what he was doing. When we were at the estate, the two were inseparable.

  “What do you think, Kala? Would you survive letting BOTH of your children out of your sight for that long?” I chided.

  “Oh Tib, I don’t care. There’s no reason Lunnie should be the only one allowed to go. Let them both go. It’s only for two weeks.”

  “So we can go?” Lunnie asked eagerly.

  “Yes, you and Reide can go,” I said. “But what about Mimic? Who’s going to take care of him?”

  “But what about Mimic? Who’s going to take care of him?” Mimic repeated.

  “I’ll take him with me. It will do him good to get some fresh air and sunshine,” Lunnie said. I had to suppress a grin at her attempt to sound grown-up by saying Mimic needed fresh air. In truth, she was probably right; it probably wouldn’t hurt the critter any.

  Five years had passed since the Federation saved Weccies from the Brotherhood attack and, in the long restoration period following that crisis, a strong alliance formed between the Federation and the otherwise fiercely independent nation-planet. Until the Weccies were able to rebuild their forces and reestablish their defenses, the Federation agreed to keep the starship SOKAIA stationed in orbit for interim protection. Once the Weccies were again confident in their ability to defend themselves, the SOKAIA was reassigned elsewhere; but an active starship-sized Cantolla Gate was maintained nearby to facilitate a speedy response, should the need arise. A limited-use Cantolla Gate was left on the mercantile space station used by the Weccies to carry out interplanetary transactions and dock freighter pallets of commercial goods at an accessible point outside of their defended orbits. Anyone conducting business with the Weccies accepted this unusual and unforgiving means of planetary oversight without question; the Weccies did not allow outsiders to set foot on their planet, and these terms were not negotiable.

  When I made my request to the Weccies to speak to Chief Banker Arjuk Norcar, I wasn’t sure how long it would be before he responded; but as one of the planet's largest depositors, I expected it wouldn’t be a terribly long wait. It was important that I had a clear head and no distractions when I talked to Norcar, so I kept my morning activities comparatively simple and quiet. I was back aboard my carrier flagship, the MAXETTE, when he called.

  “Admiral Tibby, what a pleasure to speak with you again. How may I be of service? I hope all things are well…?” Arjuk Norcar said as soon as he appeared on the vid screen.

  “I’m not sure that well is the term I would use, Chief Banker, but things seem to be stable at the moment. At least I can say that we haven’t lost anymore planets to the Brotherhood in some time now; but they did give us a shakeup this week.”

  “Yes, I saw the broadcasts of the attack during the inauguration dinner. Messy thing, that attack. I’ve also heard there was a rather nasty skirmish where you lost several dozen patrol ships and men; but I’m confident that this won’t become the norm, Admiral. I trust that your call doesn’t have anything to do with these events…?” he finished again with a tone of query.

  “Not directly, sir,” I said, “but insofar as the Brotherhood is concerned, yes, it does.”

  “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that,” he replied with a bit less cheer in his banker’s temperament, “Nevertheless, how may I be of help?”

  “We’re searching for a scientist who we believe is being held against his will by the Brotherhood. We also believe that we’ve discovered the hideout of Sisopan, one of the chief operatives responsible for the Brotherho
od’s Reduviid terrorists. You may have seen the images of her that were broadcasted during the news conference. Unfortunately, both the scientist and the hideout appear to be located on the planet Epsirt, and we have no way of getting any of our own operatives to the planet’s surface to investigate.”

  “Yes, I understand they allow only property owners and their employees on the surface,” replied Norcar. “But I don’t know how I can assist you with this matter. We have no agents on Epsirt.”

  “I didn’t think you did. The nature of your assistance, Chief Banker, would pertain more precisely to a Federation prisoner convicted of treason – a man named Rinncal Haf-joab,” I saw Norcar raise an eyebrow when I said the name, “who happens to own an estate on Epsirt. We’re hoping that a private buyer might convince him to sell this property and that the new owner would then concede to securing a number of Federation covert agents as his employees, which means sponsoring the necessary visas – preferably on an expedited basis – to allow them passage to the surface. However, given the circumstances, it’s highly unlikely that Rinncal would sell to anyone from the Federation.”

  “I know this Rinncal Haf-joab. He maintains sizeable deposits on Weccies. I hope you aren’t planning to ask me to do anything with his funds, Admiral. I’m afraid that would violate our banking statutes.”

  No, Chief Banker, nothing of that nature; rather, I was thinking that you yourself might serve as the buyer.”

  “Before you speak, allow me to say, first off, that your support would come with no financial risk, as the purchase of the estate would proceed with my own private funds. Likewise, your personal safety would not be compromised in any way, since your physical presence at the estate during these operations would not be required. Nor would our investigation be traceable back to you, as our agents’ clandestine movements outside the estate would be virtually indistinguishable from those associated with their sanctioned roles as the buyer’s representatives.

  “Of course, I wouldn’t make a request of this magnitude without offering significant compensation for your expertise in matters of financial finesse, which I believe is essential to gaining Rinncal’s trust and convincing him to sell. As far as the effort associated with the recording of deeds and vetting of entry documents, I understand that remote protocols are used routinely for these purposes. Just the same, these matters would require your attention and your attention only, and would likewise involve a considerable commitment.

  “Of course, my people would be available to assist with details such as preparation of credentials that align with the visa applications; formal requests for expedited entry documents outlining some urgency that supports the need for speedy access – let’s say, oversight of some aspect of the estate such as an urgent repair or time-sensitive renovation project; and other documents such as proxies or owner declarations.

  “To the point, Chief Banker, in return for your keen negotiating skills, valuable time and irreproachable discretion, the estate would belong to you in every respect – legally and otherwise – as the sole buyer of record to use or sell as you please, once the operation is concluded.”

  “I see. Interesting offer.”

  Norcar paused thoughtfully before continuing. “I’ve heard the estates on Epsirt are quite exquisite. What makes you think that Rinncal Haf-joab will sell the place to me?”

  “Well, for one thing, it’s costing him a lot of money to maintain and, while he certainly has lots of money, he can’t use the place and won’t be able to for a long time to come. If someone were to come to him with an offer about 50% higher than the going market price, I think he might give the opportunity some serious thought – especially if the buyer is someone he thinks might be influential in optimizing his financial interest in the future, should he ever get out of prison.”

  “What do you know about his estate? Do you have any information about it – its size or value?” Norcar asked.

  “No, sir, I don’t. However, I’m sure we can obtain that information,” I added quickly.

  “I don’t think that will be necessary,” Norcar said. “As part of our banking functions, we keep that sort of information on hand about all our clients – even you Tibby. I’m sure we have complete plans to Rinncal’s estate here, as well as a detailed register of all assets he has at the estate.” I could see Norcar’s hands moving over a terminal keyboard as he spoke to me. “Ah, yes, here we have it. Are you sure you want to do this, Tibby? It’s a considerable amount. You’re looking at billions in Federation credits.”

  “If it gets me Sisopan and I can find the scientist and rescue him; it will be worth every credit!” I exclaimed.

  “All right, let me look into this. I'll let you know something in a day or two, if you can wait that long,” Norcar said.

  “Excellent, I’m confident that we can work something out.”

  “As am I,” Norcar said with a grin. “I’ve wanted to take a nice long vacation and Epsirt sounds like the perfect place.”

  I expected that it would be several weeks, rather than a day or two, before I would hear anything more from Norcar; so I was delighted when, only a few hours later, I received a data packet from him containing information that the Weccies had on Rinncal’s estate. I must say I was impressed. His Epsirt estate was almost as large as my estate on Megelleon. The estate was indeed beautiful. In spite of the fact that approximately two-thirds of Epsirt was ice-covered, the equatorial region offered a temperate climate year-round with daytime temperatures of about 25.5C and low nighttime temperature of about 12C. The images provided by Norcar showed the estate complex surrounded by large areas of green grasses and trees of all sorts and sizes. Streams and fountains were found throughout the property, as well as colorful flowers and birds. Rooms were lavishly decorated and expensive pieces of art could be seen in every space. The Weccies report stated that, at any given time, a number of slaves were held on the property. Epsirt was outside the Federation and slavery was permitted on this world. Rinncal had long since been known for his habit of keeping slaves – mostly females – and based on the images of scantily clad women contained in the records, the larger part of them were retained more for pleasure than manual labor of any sort. The Weccies report stated that many of the slaves had been sold off after Rinncal went to prison, as he was no longer able to make use of them. He’d also reduced his staff to grounds and housekeepers, and the estate had not been visited by anyone since his incarceration. Among the records Norcar had included a recent itemized list of monthly maintenance expenses; even with the radical reduction in staff, the cost was still very high. After reviewing the remaining data in the report and receiving additional details from Narcar, I had no doubt that Rinncal would take the offer to sell, especially after Norcar related to me that Rinncal’s businesses were not doing very well. Since his conviction, he’d lost nearly a third of his wealth.”

  Norcar made arrangements to contact Rinncal through the regular legal and penal channels, taking his time, in order to make it look as though his interest was genuine. Because of Rinncal’s financial woes, Norcar felt it best that we start out with a lower-than-market offer, so it would appear we were trying to take advantage of the situation. Norcar fully expected Rinncal to turn it down in anticipation of getting more by holding out. We were shocked when Rinncal accepted the offer within two days without stipulations or any further negotiation. I transferred the funds to Norcar to close the deal and Norcar initiated arrangements to take possession of the estate. However, due to the legal red-tape on Epsirt, it was expected take over a month to close the sale and finalize Norcar as the estate’s owner of record. In the meantime, I had my hands full with other Federation matters.

  It wasn’t until three days after the twins left for Megelleon that Kala and I finally had a chance to enjoy breakfast together. Just to sit quietly and watch Kala read Jenira’s as I sipped a cup of foccee was a rare delight. Kala kept herself sufficiently apprised of Lunnie’s and Reidecor’s daily activities via Jenira, who mon
itored them both constantly in case of trouble. Lunnie seemed to be having a great time, per Jenira’s reports. She went riding regularly with her friends, each of them choosing their most beloved horse or pony from the small herd we now maintained on the estate. Reidecor and Rory spent their time hanging about the cove, exploring the base of the cliff and, according to Jenira, spending a good deal of time looking at rocks.

  “You know, Tibby, in many ways Lunnie is like my sister,” Kala said abruptly, “but in others she is quite different. She looks so much like my sister when she was that age; only her hair has a slight red tint, where my sister’s was strictly blond. I’m guessing she got that red bit from you.”

  “Oh, now you’re trying to tell me I’m her father?” I exclaimed with mocking humor.

  “Yeah, like there could be any doubt about it,” Kala laughed.

  As she examined more images of the twins sent by Jenira, she said, “My sister never had the interest in plants and animals that Lunnie does, but my mother sure did. My sister was more mechanically minded, but not nearly to the degree that Reidecor is. Reidecor’s interests are more focused, like my dad’s. By the way, did A’Lappe tell you that Reide duplicated the Tottalax sleep weapon two weeks ago and cast everyone in the engineering section into a five-hour slumber?”

  “Yeah, I heard about it from Kerabac. He was less than happy to find out that no one was awake to man the monitors. I had a talk with Reide about it; I don’t think anything like that will happen again,” I said, hoping all the while that it wouldn’t.

  “I need to report to the MAXETTE,” I said as I finished my last bites of breakfast. “Stonbersa and Kophious have been reporting more strange activity along the borders of their sectors. Something is brewing with the Brotherhood and I fear they may be planning some major offensive. By the stars, I wish we could get our hands on the information needed to boost the speed of our ships to match theirs.”

  “Maybe you should try their tactics and steal one of theirs to see how it works,” Kala said.