Metal Boxes

by Alan Black

  Jimbo laughed, “You always had trouble with math. Besides that is what my p.a. is for. If I can’t figure it out then I just let the p.a. handle the math.”

  Stone shook his head. “Trust me. Study the math.”

  “You heard your cousin, young man,” Aunt Ruth ordered.

  “As you wish, your Ladyship,” Jimbo said. “Commander Wright, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope you will be staying with us for awhile? And you, couz, it is good to have you back among the living.” He turned his sister by the shoulder and they scooted down a side corridor.

  Aunt Ruth reached out and drew Stone into a hug. “I am glad you are here too, Trey. Your mother is going to be so happy to have you back.”

  Stone hugged her back as hard as he could. “Quad, I have never been so happy to be anywhere in my life.”

  She pushed him away. “Sorry. Jim Junior was right. You do need a toother and a shower. And from the looks of it you both could use some new uniforms. I didn’t think those navy utilities tore that easy.”

  A male voice called out from the living room, “They don’t, Ruth. I really need to talk to those two before you hustle them off to get cleaned up.”

  Aunt Ruth led them into the main cabin. It had been converted to look like the living room on a farmhouse with hard wood decks and calico curtains.

  “Oh my! I love this décor,” Wright exclaimed. “It is almost like home.”

  Aunt Ruth smiled, “Thank you, Commander. It is designed after my husband’s childhood home. He grew up on a farm on a little planet near the Ursis Major cluster.”

  “No! Really? So did I,” Wright said.

  “Well, it is a small galaxy after all,” Aunt Ruth said. “I am sure you never heard of it, a little planet named Colorado?”

  “You’re kidding?” Wright stared. “That is where I was born.”

  The man in the room said, “Old home week then, Commander Wright. You will have to talk it over with James when he gets back aboard.”

  “Okay, sorry, “Aunt Ruth said. “Commander Wright and Midshipman Stone, this obnoxious half-overweight goofball is none other than Ivan Storovitch. Actually Trey, I think you know Mister Storovitch?”

  Stone stuck out his hand to shake. “I am sorry, signore. I am not that good with faces and the name doesn’t ring any bells. But any friend of Quad’s is a friend of mine.”

  “We have met but you were about four years old the last time I saw you,” Storovitch said, clasping Stone’s hand tightly. “I wouldn’t expect you to remember. Commander Wright, please forgive me for interrupting the world renounced Stone hospitality. I am sure James and Ruth would have you showered, dressed and fed dinner by now if I hadn’t insisted we meet as soon as you could get here.”

  “I heard that ‘renounced’, you turd,” Aunt Ruth said. “I will not have my hospitality dismissed so easily.” She spoke into her p.a. “Brenda, we are not moving to the dining room just yet. Bring some drinks and goodies into the living room.” She turned to the group. “Everyone sit. Even me, Mister Storovitch, because I am not leaving no matter what you have to discuss with these two.”

  Before Storovitch could answer a young teenage girl came into the room. She was short and muscular. She put down the tray of drinks, stood over Stone and glared down at him.

  Finally she said, “Trey, don’t you ever die on me again!”

  “Hola, Cinco. Good to see you too,” Stone said.

  “Damn skippy!” Brenda said. “Do you know your mom and my mom were bailing on the command structure? Grandpa was about to move me from five to two. I would have never gotten to go to medical school. Jim Junior and Melanie were moving up to Trey and Quad.”

  “Sorry cousin. I will try to be more careful next time,” Stone laughed.

  “I don’t know why I would expect you to change,” Brenda snorted. She pointed a stubby finger at Stone’s chest. “You drink the green juice. Commander Wright, if it would please you, the green drink is a fruit juice mixture but I have fortified it. Ship scanners are showing both of you haven’t exactly been eating nutritiously.”

  Brenda turned to go but stopped and continued, “I have some snacks I will bring in for you two. Mom and Signore Storovitch have already eaten but I imagine the good signore could choke down another piece of pie?” She froze in mid step. “What the heck are those?”

  “Those are your cousin’s things…pets…whatever,” Aunt Ruth said. “Brenda, I know you have been stuck in the kitchen, but these are the drascos that were all over the station broadcasts. And you need to watch your language, Cinco. You may not be moving up to second place in the command structure but you are my oldest daughter and still number five.”

  “If I ever saw a creature worthy of curse words it would be them,” Brenda snorted. “How do I get past them through the door?”

  “Sorry, Cinco,” Stone said. He pulled out a golden ooze bar and sliced two slivers with his survival knife. “Jay, you sit here and Peebee, you sit next to her quietly, okay?” He was pleased the drascos scuttled quickly to where he indicated. He knew they were not obeying him as much as he was gesturing where to sit with the drasco equivalent of a candy bar.

  Aunt Ruth looked at the ooze bar. “Survival rations? Is that what you two have been eating?”

  Wright shook her head. “Not exactly, Signora Stone. That is just boiled down tree sap. It isn’t digestible by humans. We have been eating drasco jerky, a few berries and some tubers.”

  Brenda looked startled. “Those nightmare creatures? That is what you have been eating?”

  Stone laughed. “Believe me it was a welcome relief after a week on survival bars. Once you get past the slightly rancid flavor, drasco turns out to be only marginally better than starving to death.” He looked at his Aunt Ruth. “Quad, speaking of death, I suppose the navy reported we were dead?”

  Aunt Ruth looked at Storovitch and cocked an eyebrow.

  “I guess I didn’t properly introduce myself,” Storovitch said. “Mister Stone, you may have heard your parents mention me?”

  Stone shook his head. “I am sorry, signore. The name really isn’t familiar.”

  “How soon they forget! Have you heard them mention an old friend named Maggot?” Storovitch asked.

  Stone looked surprised. “Maggot? Oh yeah, all the time. He was Dad’s best man at their wedding and he introduced them. He was in the army with Dad and he was the one that got them into trouble on-”

  Storovitch raised his hand to interrupt. “That’s me. I want you to know that I got them out of trouble too. Now I am the agent in charge of Empire’s Military Investigative Service on Brickman’s Station.”

  “You are the E.M.I.S. Agent?” Wright asked.

  Before Storovitch could answer Stone said, “I thought Dad said you were still in the army.”

  Storovitch replied, “Well Mister Stone, technically I am in the army but I am not really. For that matter, your dad was never in the army either.”

  “Yes he was,” Stone said. “I have seen the vids and he even put on his old uniform once to show me.”

  “This is just between the EMIS and the Stone family, right?” Storovitch replied with a smile. “Well Mister Stone, you ask your father to show you his navy lieutenant’s uniform when you see him next. Or maybe his marine lance corporal’s uniform.”

  Stone said, “I don’t understand, Signore Storovitch.”

  “You go ahead and call me Maggot, son,” Storovitch replied. “I was in the room when your parents had you circumcised so I guess that qualifies you to drop the Signore. Listen Mister Stone, the Empire’s Military Investigative Service is an organization authorized by the Emperor to track down and stop crime in all branches of the military. We can assume any rank in any service that we desire. When we do so we are a part of that branch and are fully functioning members. Your father and I worked together on many cases. He was the best the EMIS has seen in a hundred years. At least he was until your mother dragged him away to married drudgery on some
old freighter.”

  Before Stone could interrupt him, Maggot held up a warning hand. “That is all old history. We need to take care of you two. The Periodontitis reported you as having been killed in a pod accident in hyperspace or murdered, depending on who tells the story.

  “I took the report from Admiral Shalako. I could have passed the news through channels, but I knew James and Ruth were here. I have known your Aunt Ruth almost as long as your mother. So I came and reported your death to them. Together we composed a message to your parents and your grandparents. I filed all the appropriate documents and tagged them for the Periodontitis’ investigation file. That was three weeks ago. I just received confirmation of message receipt from your grandfather.”

  “Then Mom and Dad think I am dead?” Stone asked.

  Maggot nodded, “Son, everybody thinks you are dead. And I mean everybody. I would like to keep it that way until I get your side of the story. I am not sure it is possible with the parade you two performed coming up Brickman’s corridor.”

  “Signore Storovitch, someone tried to kill us,” Wright responded. “If it were known we was still alive then they might try again. We decided…no! I decided the more conspicuous we are the harder it would be to make us just disappear again.”

  Maggot said, “Commander, I am not criticizing your actions. Still, if it had been me, I might have called for help.”

  Wright shot back. “Call who? Should we have called the Empire’s Military Investigative Service? We made that call. You were not there, you’re still not there; you are still out to lunch. And for all we knew you are involved with whoever tried to kill us. Who else was there? The Stone family? Tried that, but Midshipman Stone is dead, remember. The call was refused.”

  Maggot held up his hands in surrender. “I give. You are right. It was the phone call that alerted us to your presence on the station. The auto answer system shut you down but instead of a call going to station security authorities, I had a patch shunting all calls using either of your names to my p.a. We did a quick vid check and saw your march around the corridor.”

  Stone raised his hand for attention. “Signore Stor…Maggot, may I ask why you are here with my family?”

  “He is a guest in my home, young man,” Aunt Ruth said. “He is a very old friend of mine and both of your parents. He is always welcome and that is not to be questioned.”

  Stone shook his head, “No, Quad. Someone tried to kill me. Nothing and no one outside of me, my family and Commander Wright is without question. No. And I will pull family rank if I have to.”

  “He is right, Ruth,” Maggot said. “If I were in his position I wouldn’t even trust family. But then I don’t trust my family anyway. Mister Stone, I was here to request, beg, and or plead for a ride to Lazzaroni Station. Your grandfather has called for a gathering of all of the family for your funeral. I wanted to be there. Ruth invited me to stay for lunch.”

  Stone turned pale. “My…?”

  “Yes, Mister Stone,” Maggot nodded. “Your funeral, that is what they give people who are dead. Commander Wright, I understand, as of the last I heard, your mother had not announced any plans for your memorial service.”

  Wright said with a grin, “I am sorry for that. I would have liked to go. Can we get a message to Mom saying I am still alive?”

  “Commander, I will send a message myself if you insist,” Maggot said.

  Wright said, “Insist? Oh, right. You still want to try and keep it a secret that we are still alive. No, I won’t insist. Instead send her a belated birthday message from Trudy.”

  “Trudy?” Maggot asked.

  Wright nodded, “Yep. Trudy was my favorite goat. Mom and I used to laugh about me treating Trudy as if she were my sister. It is kind of like a family code. Trust me Mom will know it is from me.”

  Brenda dropped a tray of sandwiches on table and sat at her mother’s feet.

  Maggot spoke into his p.a. for a minute. “I have done as you have requested. I really need to get your side of what was going on. We need to see if we can flush out whoever is behind your attempted murder before they find out you are still alive.”

  “Not likely they don’t know,” Aunt Ruth snorted. “Those goons outside the hanger door weren’t your typical mugger types. They were sent by someone.”

  Maggot nodded. “That means it is someone on the station, whatever is going on is not limited to the Periodontitis. The ship is at the heart of what is going on. However, the shipside part of the conspiracy may not know you two have been resurrected from the grave.”

  Stone reached forward, grabbed a sandwich and winced slightly having forgotten about his cut and bruised hands. They were comfortably numb until he grabbed something. He ignored the pain and with a sigh shoved the sandwich into his mouth. It was liverwurst with mayo on rye bread. He hated liverwurst with mayo on rye bread, but it was the best sandwich he had eaten in weeks.

  “Freeze, you moron,” Brenda shouted.

  Everyone froze.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Brenda leapt to Stone’s side. “What is wrong with your hands?”

  “Just the aftermath of working hard for a living, “Stone said with a shrug, speaking around a mouthful of sandwich. “You ought to try it some time.”

  “Shut up, idiot,” Brenda said. “Don’t you know to put something on cuts like these? Who knows what infections might be setting in?”

  Stone grinned at his cousin. “Nice bedside manner, Doc Cinco. There wasn’t anything on the planet to put on these cuts except drasco spit.” He meant to just gesture to the drascos sitting next to him, but his hand got too close to Peebee. She grabbed his hand with her mouth and held it there. “See? Drasco spit.”

  Brenda grimaced, “That is disgusting. You stay here until I go get a medkit. You too, Commander. You both need deep medscans.”

  Aunt Ruth shook her head in resignation. “She is going to be a terror when she really gets some real medical training.”

  Stone asked, “Well, what were we talking about before Brenda jumped in…oh yeah…we already knew people other than navy personnel were involved in the thefts on the Periodontitis.” He explained about finding the sand and rocks in shipping containers on third watch leading to their ‘murder’.

  “Well, that dovetails into the investigation I have already been running against the Periodontitis,” Maggot replied. “It would take more than a few people to manage such theft. It would take more than the buyer and the seller. You would need people in accounts payable, in procurement, in receiving, in warehousing and in disposal. Now all we need is proof, some documentation. I could have squeezed the people the navy grabbed for your murders, but I didn’t have the holding facility for both of them without using station security facilities and I don’t trust anyone on this station right now. I need to send a message to Tamvor Station to have the E.M.I.S. agents grab them up at the Periodontitis’ next stop.”

  Stone looked at Wright, then he looked at Maggot. “They caught them?”

  The E.M.I.S. agent nodded. “Yes, Mister Stone. I have the report here. They nabbed a couple of marines named, let’s see… First Lieutenant Vedrian and a Second Lieutenant Hammermill.”

  “What!?” Both Stone and Wright shouted.

  “No way, Maggot,” Stone said. “Aunt Ruth, I know Allie. There is no way she did this. She’s…” his voice trailed off.

  “I agree with Mister Stone,” Wright said. “First Lieutenant Allie Vedrian is my friend and she is Mister Stone’s girlfriend.”

  Stone blushed.

  Maggot called up Allie’s service video and set it to broadcast. Her hologram appeared in the middle of the room. Allie was dressed in full dress blues and receiving the Emperor’s Cross for Combat Gallantry. The dress uniform did not do anything to hide her physique.

  Maggot whistled softly.

  “I agree,” Aunt Ruth said. “Nice catch, Trey. However, your youthful hormones aside, are you sure she wasn’t just using you. No offense, but sometimes you young b
oys don’t think with your brains.”

  “I am not a young boy,” Wright answered instead of Stone. “Allie is my friend. I trust her.”

  “Okay,” Maggot nodded. “We will set it aside for now. What about this other marine, Hammermill?”

  “Hammer is my friend,” Stone said. “He has been there for me, helped me. I can’t believe he would try to kill me.”

  “Okay, I will buy that for now,” Maggot said thoughtfully. “It may be someone on the Periodontitis is looking for a patsy or a fall guy. The initial reports said Hammermill enlisted Vedrian’s help to get rid of Mister Stone because Hammermill was jealous. According to the reports I got, Commander Wright and Lieutenant Hammermill were having an affair and Midshipman Stone had come between them.”

  Wright laughed. “Come on, Agent Storovitch. Call up Hammermill’s service video.”

  Second Lieutenant Hammermill’s hologram sprang into existence in middle of the room. He was standing drenched in mud and gore on the middle of some battlefield. His massive muscles flexed across his neck and arms as he worked excess adrenalin out of his system. He noticed the camera taking his vid. He gave the cameraman a wide grin. It was a flash of bright white teeth. Then he gave the cameraman a universal single digit salute. The vid froze as Hammermill twisted at some small noise, his shirt flying open to show rippling muscles tensing for combat. Nothing in the video explained why the marine was fighting without his combat armor.

  Brenda stepped into the room. She gave a quiet low whistle that was almost an echo of Maggot’s earlier tuneless whistle of appreciation. “I think I will join the marines.” She moved to sit on the deck next to Stone’s feet. She took the hand not in Peebee’s mouth and began to slather a salve on his palm making tsking noises.

  Wright nodded, “I agree, Signorina Stone.” She stood up and walked next to Hammermill’s video. “I would climb into bed with this stack of manliness in a nanosecond, but…” She had a look on her face defying anyone to vocalize the obvious mismatch. “You don’t have to say it. Hammer could have anyone on the Ol’ Toothless he wanted. He is a nice guy; I am just not in his class.”