Descent

by Hamish Spiers

  She pulled out her communicator and thumbed it on. “Alia. You there?”

  “Right here, babe,” her partner in crime replied in her usual nonchalant manner.

  “Everything’s looking good so far,” Jiang said. “The ship’s open for business and I should be able to get to it.”

  “And the guards?”

  “Two men outside by the nose. A good fifty meters away from where I’m standing. How many people can you pick up?”

  Alia was one level above with a gadget that Drackson had found, one that Jiang knew was probably illegal but was, for jobs like these, very handy.

  “That’s all,” Alia said. “Just two readings.” She hesitated. “Now are you absolutely sure about this?”

  Jiang realized she was sweating a little, beads trickling down her forehead. It seemed sound enough. She’d approach the hatch and if she triggered an alarm, then she’d just tell the guards she was checking the fuel lines. However, this wasn’t exactly the kind of work she had done when she’d been working for the Federation. She hoped she was up to it.

  “Yeah, I can do this,” she said. “Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck then.”

  Jiang switched her communicator off and opened the nearest grate, climbing out onto the hangar deck. Without making a sound, she entered the Drifter’s Folly and jogged towards the back of the ship - the area where, according to Alia’s opinion based on the type of ship it was, the cargo hold would be.

  It wasn’t difficult to find but it sure was an eye opener.

  After taking a couple of seconds to work out just how much cargo the crew were hauling, Jiang turned to leave... and stopped.

  There were muffled voices in the distance.

  She switched her communicator on again. “Alia, what’s going on?”

  Alia’s tone was now anything but nonchalant. “The crew’s coming back. All of them.”

  Jiang swallowed. Then she heard voices.

  “What’s the story, boss?” someone asked.

  “The agent’s ready to rendezvous with us,” another voice replied. “Get to your posts. We’re leaving this dump.”

  “You’ve got to get out of there,” Alia hissed over the communicator.

  “I can’t,” Jiang told her, keeping her voice calm. “I’m trapped.”

  “But they’ll find you.”

  “I can hide here until these guys land at their next destination,” she said, taking a nervous glance at the cargo around her. A cargo that seemed even more ominous now that she was facing the prospect of spending a day or so hiding amongst it. “Besides, you’ll know where I am.”

  “I’ll tell Drackson and Naima right away.”

  “Do that,” Jiang said. “And tell them that the Drifter’s Folly is carrying deep space mines. Tons of them.”

  7. Outside Friendly Territory

  Considering the variations in topography, differences in vegetation and the wide variety of ecosystems found on numerous inhabited worlds, Imraec Tarc at first seems almost bland by comparison.

  With a very minimal axial tilt, seasons are far less pronounced than they are on many livable planets and its relatively close proximity to its sun has created an almost uniform tropical climate over most of its surface, with colder conditions only to be found near its poles.

  The resulting effect on the evolution of Imraec Tarc’s plant life, that large areas of the planet’s surface are covered with rainforests and jungles, is therefore not unexpected. But what may surprise the visitor who arrives with preconceived notions is that these environments offer wonders almost infinite in their capacity.

  Some regions are covered in vast forests of towering trees, where giant flowers reach out for the sunlight and rigid vines crisscross high over the ground. In other areas, one can find palms sprouting through sands, with hundreds of fresh water streams between them on paths to the sea. And the more one sees, the more one discovers that simple words like jungle and rainforest do little to convey the many wonders of this world.

  “What are you reading?”

  Asten put the pad on the seat beside him and smiled at his wife. “I’ve just been doing a bit of research on the place.”

  Selina raised her eyebrows. “I was rather under the impression that there’s not much information available about Imraec Tarc. After all, that’s part of the reason we’re going on this trip, isn’t it?”

  “True,” Asten said. “Which is probably why I haven’t found anything about its inhabitants or its military history.”

  “So what have you found?”

  “Something a naturalist published over two centuries ago,” Asten said, bringing up the cover of the document on his pad and showing it to Selina. “The Jungles of Imraec Tarc.”

  Selina smiled. “I’m sure that book will come in handy.”

  Asten laughed a little and put the pad back down. “Who knows?” He then paused. Selina’s smile had faded. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve been feeling a little off lately,” she told him. “So I did a few tests with the on-board medical kit.”

  Asten felt a lump rise in his throat and he forced his sudden emotions down. “You’re pregnant?”

  Selina smiled but her eyes were moist and her lips quivered a little as she did. “At least over two months, it looks like, although you wouldn’t notice it. Maybe three.”

  Asten climbed to his feet and held his wife close to him. He gave her a smile of his own, laughing a little. “Hey. This is what we wanted, right?”

  “Yes,” Selina said, “but not exactly like this though.”

  “Don’t worry,” Asten assured her. “This little job’s not going to get in the way of this moment. We’ll have it down and dusted before you’re too far into the second trimester.”

  Selina nodded. “It’s all right. I would have taken the job anyway. It’s just that...”

  Asten sighed. “You’d rather we weren’t going on this crazy trip right now?”

  “Yeah,” Selina managed, brushing a tear from one eye.

  Asten squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. It’ll be over soon and then we can get ready to welcome our child into this life.” When Selina didn’t reply right away, he gave her another smile. “Come on. I think, job or no job, this still calls for celebration. Let me make you a nice dinner.”

  Selina glanced at the galley and laughed. “With shipboard rations?”

  Asten laughed too, then leaned over and kissed her. “For you, honey, I can work miracles.”

  Carla smiled as Eroim fine-tuned the communication frequency. “How’s the weather there, Hellesis?”

  “At this time of year,” the man at the other end replied, “it’s gorgeous. Everyone’s quite happy to have a bit of shore leave. How did the rescue mission go?”

  Carla sighed. “It could have gone better.”

  “I’m sorry,” Hellesis said.

  “Me too,” Carla replied. “However, we did save someone; someone on the Lantern is alive because we took that call and went out there. A good man.”

  “Well, that’s something.”

  “It’s more than you might think, Hellesis,” Carla said. “A lot more.”

  “So what’s the story? Are you guys heading back here?”

  “Possibly but not just yet. There’s still a few more things we want to check out here first. You can tell the freelance crews that if they want to wait it out, we can probably line up some more good jobs for them in a month or so. And the pay from the last job was nothing to sneer at, was it? Also, they can always do some other work to tide themselves over and we can get in touch with them when we’re back.”

  “I think they’d like to keep the relationship going,” Hellesis said. “We all work pretty well together.”

  “That’s why we brought them on, Hellesis,” Carla said.

  “True. By the way, these things you’ve got to check out... this little errand you’re on...”

  “Yes?”

  “Is there anything the rest of us can d
o to help?”

  Carla sighed. “I wish there were, Hellesis. But for the moment, I’d say the best thing you guys can do to help is to stay somewhere where I can reach you again without too much trouble.”

  “Will do. There are some really good hiking trails around this part of Phalamki.”

  “You’re in the Telaga region?”

  “I’ve got a soft spot for it,” Hellesis said.

  Carla smiled. “Yes, I know.”

  “Despite the ugly name.”

  “You don’t like the name?” Carla asked. “I think it’s rather nice myself. It means ‘cascades’ in old Phalamkian.”

  “I didn’t know you knew any old Phalamkian.”

  “I don’t. Lord Erama told me what it meant.”

  “I didn’t know Lord Erama knew any old Phalamkian either,” Hellesis said.

  “He probably saw the explanation in an old atlas or something,” Carla said, still smiling. “Anyway, I’m glad to know you’ve got something to keep you occupied while we’re away.”

  “Me too. Talk to you soon?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  Carla leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes for a few moments. Then, dragging her fingers over her temples and back through her wavy red hair, she opened them again and stood up. “Eroim?”

  The old man turned around in his seat. “Captain?”

  “Contact the Phalamkian Defense Forces and establish a channel with a ship called the Valiant. They’ll ask you for a clearance code since you’re calling from out here on a private vessel.” Carla walked over to him and fiddled with the communications controls, bringing something up on the screen. “The code’s in the ship’s data banks... here.”

  She headed for the doorway. “Once you’ve established a channel, divert the call to my quarters.”

  Eroim nodded. “Right you are, Captain.”

  Carla left the bridge and once in her cabin, she sat down at her desk and waited. It didn’t take long.

  Eroim’s voice came over the speaker. “The Valiant will be on in a moment, Captain.”

  “Thank you, Eroim,” Carla replied. She waited a second longer.

  “Valiant reads, Lantern,” came a new voice. “You may proceed.”

  “I’d like to speak to either the Adopted Lady Erama or Master Zak if they’re available,” Carla told the Valiant’s communications officer. “I’m Carla Casdan. They know who I am.”

  “One moment.”

  There was another wait, although not too long, and then Carla heard Zak’s voice.

  “Carla. Good to hear from you. I had heard you were going to be on Phalamki for the next little while but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

  “Something came up,” Carla said.

  “Go on.”

  Carla took a breath. “We’ve discovered people involved in a weapons smuggling ring mining something called delydrium.”

  “I know it,” Zak replied.

  “I’ve been given good reason to believe they were mining it for its explosive properties.”

  “Makes sense if they’re involved in weapons smuggling. You found the mine, I take it?”

  “What’s left of it,” Carla said. “There was... an accident and the group has cleared out. However, we know they were hauling the delydrium to a place called Felkar. And apparently, Felkar is a socially isolated world that sold out its neighbors to the Levarc during the war.”

  “Interesting.”

  “And its closest trading partner is -”

  “Imraec Tarc,” Zak finished. “Which is very interesting. I’m glad you contacted me about this. Are you coming back to Phalamki now?”

  “Soon, I think... but not just yet.”

  “Well, be careful then,” Zak said. “You’re not exactly in friendly territory out there.”

  Carla sighed. “True.”

  “Incidentally, I’ve just had a chat with your mother and Admiral Kalae. Apparently, Lyla’s going to be stopping by Phalamki tomorrow with her husband. Thought you might like to know.”

  Carla smiled. “Then I’ll try to get back sooner rather than later. Wouldn’t want to miss catching up with everyone. By the way, is everything all right with you?”

  “Everything’s fine here.”

  “You sound a bit distracted, that’s all. Busy week?”

  “Administration work,” Zak replied. “You know how it is.”

  Carla nodded to herself. That didn’t ring true to her but if Zak didn’t want to talk about what he was really up to, then she wasn’t going to pry. Especially on an open channel. “Fair enough. Well, I suppose I’d better let you get back to it. Thanks, Zak. I’ll see you when I get back.”

  “Have a safe trip.”

  After terminating the transmission, Carla sat still for a while, biting at her lip with her gaze cast down. Again, she wondered what Zak was up to and why her information about Felkar and Imraec Tarc would have interested him. Perhaps the United Frontier was preparing to take those military measures against Imraec Tarc that her sister Lyla and some of the other diplomats had mentioned. And perhaps it was high time. However, she was left with an uneasy feeling.

  Jiang crept out of the hatchway to the cargo bay and looked both ways down the corridor. It was time to attend to some basic needs again. She didn’t relish leaving the relative safety of her cover and risking discovery but she’d already helped herself to one meal and used the amenities a couple of times without any trouble. It was a large ship for one thing and, for another, no one among the crew appeared to be keeping much of a lookout. She could slip past any of these pirates who were still awake.

  After her first stopover, she proceeded into the mess and took a preserved meal container out of the supply cupboard. Then she pulled the other containers behind it forward to hide the gap. It was a sensible precaution, of course, one she’d already used on this trip, but she then realized where she’d learned it. Or rather who she’d learned it from, a Hie’shi criminal named Vismach who had hidden aboard her ship when she’d been working for the Department of Security in the Federation. She had discovered he was on board her ship despite his trick, she remembered with some pride. It had nearly got her killed but it had also cracked open the case she’d been working on at the time.

  Like that creep Derairc she’d run into earlier, she’d put Vismach away too. And like Derairc, someone had breached prison security systems and got him out again. With a conscious effort, Jiang put him out of her mind and took her dinner back to the cargo hold. She had far more pressing things to worry about right then.

  The Albatross came out of lightspeed at yet another one of the rendezvous points of the kind that Drackson preferred these days. A point in deep space just far enough away from the nearest shipping lane to render the possibility of any unwanted visitors dropping by unlikely.

  “Are we on schedule, Naima?” Drackson asked.

  His now inseparable Harskan companion checked her instruments. “We are. Your friend Captain Braesk can’t be too far away.”

  Drackson switched on his communicator. “He’ll be here on time. Now, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to contact Zak.”

  Naima shrugged. “It’s all right by me.”

  Drackson smiled. “I’m so glad.” As he made his transmission, he spoke in Corsidan. “This is the Albatross contacting the Phalamkian Defense Forces. We request a channel with the Valiant.”

  “We read you, Albatross. Do you have a clearance code?”

  “Transmitting now,” Drackson told the speaker at the other end.

  “Thank you, Albatross. We’re redirecting your transmission now.”

  There was a short pause and then another voice came over the communicator. “Valiant reads, Albatross. Please proceed.”

  “This is Drackson fei Araujion requesting to speak to Master Zak,” Drackson said. “Is he available?”

  “I will transfer you, sir. One moment.”

  Another pause followed and Drackson heard a more familiar voice.
“Drackson. How may I be of service?”

  Drackson smiled again. “I want an official United Frontier bounty - claimable in all jurisdictions - put out on one Merec Derairc, wanted for attempted kidnap and three murders.”

  There was another pause, not due to technical reasons this time.

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it,” Drackson replied.

  “I understand that money’s not something you’re in short supply of,” Zak said.

  “I’m not after money,” Drackson explained. “I need a legitimate reason to head into some potentially unfriendly territory.”

  “I understand,” Zak said. “I talked to Asten and Selina when they came back to Phalamki after meeting you. Drackson, I should tell you that things are proceeding perhaps a little more quickly at this end than we expected. We may need more of your help in the not too distant future. Are you sure that putting yourself and... your friends... at risk like this is a good idea?”

  “You don’t need to worry about anything on our account,” Drackson said. “And as for my help, when you need it, you’ll be able to count on it.”

  “You have a reassuring manner, Drackson. I’ll take your word for it. As for this gambit of yours, the bounty on your man will be out before an hour’s up. However, are you reasonably sure no opportunist is going to find him prematurely for your purposes?”

  “If they do, they’ll have to bring him back to Frontier territory to claim their prize,” Drackson pointed out. “And until then, the bounty will still be officially up for grabs. I guess that bringing Derairc back would take them a little while. Certainly long enough for my purposes, I think. And if they do bring him in, it’ll be good for society at large as well.”

  “All right, Drackson,” Zak replied. “I’ll get right on it. Valiant out.”

  Drackson then stood up and he and Naima left the bridge. “That’s one part of the job done. Now we’ll just have to wait for Braesk. We’re going to need that equipment earlier than I expected.”

  “Don’t worry about Jiang,” Naima told him, her tone one of reassurance. “You said it yourself. She’s a capable woman.”

  “She is,” Drackson said. “But I wouldn’t care for her chances if one of those pirates discovered her on their ship. There’s the obvious risk, of course, but from my research, I understand that the crew of the Drifter’s Folly have also been involved in kidnapping and slavery. I trust I don’t have to draw you a picture.”