by Frank Carey
"I wonder if Savannah knows?" Kel said.
"I doubt it. R-Sec security is pretty good. Well, I really need to get back to the office..."
Kel handed her a box containing an assortment of pastries. "For the road," he said.
"Bye, bye," Sam said while waving goodbye.
"Bye, bye, cutie," Grendel said with a little wave. She held up the box. "Thanks for these."
"I'll show you out," Sheila said.
With a final wave, Sheila and Grendel walked out of the kitchen, leaving Kel and Sam to dish up some breakfast.
Sheila returned carrying her datapad, one of the new quantum computer-based ones. Kel recognized the look on her face. "You don't buy the RS explanation, do you?"
"Nope. They're trying to keep us out of this, and I don't feel like being kept out." She glanced up at her mate. "You know you can sit this one out."
He smiled as he watched his daughter eat, then shook his head. "I know she's not our daughter, but I want to help her. Call me a fool, but I've got this feeling she needs us."
Sheila patted his hand. "Your daddy is a keeper."
"Yes," Sam said with a smile and a nod.
"Now, watch how Mommy breaks into a top secret database while daddy stares in horror."
More grin.
Sheila got to work typing commands into the pad. "I'm in." She began humming as she carefully made her way through layers of data separated by security.
Kel placed a plate of pancakes off to the side of the datapad. "R-Sec has its own freighters?" he asked.
"All the intelligence and security services do. They find it simpler to run their own ships instead of depending on civilian or military assets. They also rent them out during down periods—a great way to refill the coffers."
"Is that why you have a license? Because of your work in the intelligence service?"
"Actually, it's the other way around. I dated a guy in college who was a pilot. He let me fly left seat in a shuttle he piloted. I got hooked, which led to a license, which led to a pilot job at a front company for the SIS. The rest, as they say, is history. OK, I found the freighter. The 'Yosho Maru.' It's been leased to a small company who is unaware they work for OffSec. Yep, reported stolen with one deckhand thought to still be aboard." She ran her finger down the screen, making clicking noises as she went. "FTL drive systems, eight of them, complete with control modules. Why the heck steal drive systems? None of this is making any sense." She tapped her teeth while staring at Sam. "You and I have a problem, Dragon. We can't go run off and save the League..."
"Or a woman who is our daughter in another universe." He hugged his daughter. "This is where we are parents and put our family first."
"No, this is where we learn to delegate authority. We may not be able to fly off and save the day, but we can find and hire someone who can."
Kel sat his daughter down on a stool and handed her a spoon and a bowl of batter to stir, which she did with gusto. "Got someone in mind?"
"Oh, yeah, and I hear he's looking for work." She took out her comm and typed in a number. "Sheila Minty calling for Gustav Curran... Yes, I'll hold."
Gustav? Kel mouthed silently.
"Yeah... Gus, buddy! It's Sheila. How's it hanging? Gus! I'm a married woman now, you cad. Listen, I need your help with a job... You're on Ventos Prime? Excellent. I'm sending you the address, so get over here. Of course I'll feed you... Perfect. Bye."
"Three," Samantha stated.
"I see my little girl is learning her numbers!" Sheila said. "Gus is coming over."
"And Gus is?"
"He's a finder. We met on a case I was working on a few years back, and the guy is good, real good. He can find anything."
"So, why does he need work?"
"He just got back from a two-year stint in witness protection."
The doorbell rang. Sheila walked out, then returned with a tall, tan Storen wearing a one-piece uniform emblazoned with the name "Furball" on its breast pocket and shoulders.
"Gus, this is my husband Kel and our daughter, Samantha. Kel, Sam, this is Gustav Curran, captain of the Furball."
Gus leaned over, took Sam's hand, and gave it a gentle shake. "Enchanté Mademoiselle."
Sam giggled.
He turned to Kel and looked up at the much-taller Basili. "So, you're Dr. Kellen Matu Hardy, professor of history and troubleshooter. It is an honor to meet you, sir."
"I am just a historian trying to keep his family safe. I understand you have a knack for finding things."
"I call it a gift. So, Sheila, what is it that you’ve lost?"
"Our daughter, Savannah, and a shipment of FTL drive systems?"
"Huh? Don't you have one daughter?"
"Yep."
"Well, she's right here!" he said while tickling her belly.
Sam giggled more.
"It's a little more complicated," Kel said. Sheila explained.
"You're kidding me, right?"
Kel and Sheila shook their heads. After a moment, Sam joined in.
"Darn. I've seen things in this universe few others have seen. Heck, a Logash shunted me up to a station without a ship, but I've never heard anything like this story."
"Will you help us?" Sheila asked.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world. Can I see the manifest?" Sheila showed him the document on her datapad. "Now, you said her quantum spin signature was only slightly different from this universe?" he asked.
Kel nodded, "Which explains how she is able to be our daughter."
"It also means you need two specially modified FTL drive units to get there from here."
Now it was Sheila's turn to be lost. "Huh?"
"Before disappearing, Harmon Aymar figured out how to modify an other-space FTL engine so that it could take a ship from this universe to another one, then back again, but only if the difference in quantum spin signature—dQSS—was large. That's how he was able to transport his ship to the Alue universe. Since then, the boffins found that you could move to really close universes—small dQSS values—if you use two engines which are just slightly out of sync. By adjusting the delta frequency, one can dial which nearby universe one wants to visit, at least that's the theory."
"And these are modified drives?"
"Yep. Four matched pairs, enough for four ships."
"We need to tell the Queen, or at least R-Sec..." Kel said.
"We can't. We aren't supposed to know about this," Sheila reminded him.
"Stop!" Gus said with a smile so as not to scare Sam.
"Stop!" Sam said for emphasis.
Gus continued, "I’ll take the assignment, and I will deal with the government. No names will be mentioned, and no one will know you three are involved. Trust me, this is what I do for a living."
"What about paying you?" Kel asked.
"Pshaw!" Gus said while waving off the idea of the Hardies paying anything.
"Pshaw!" Sam said for emphasis.
"You sure?" Sheila asked. "I know you haven't had a lot of work lately..."
The Storen captain sighed. "Ever hear of witness protection?"
"WitSec? You?" Sheila exclaimed, not letting on that Neta had already filled her in on the whole sordid affair.
"Yeah. I got back a couple of weeks ago, so this job is perfect. Can I have this?" he asked while holding up the pad.
"Yeah, it’s untraceable."
"That's the Sheila I know. Look, you three go about your business while I take care of this. I'll contact you when I find Savannah, the ship, and the deckhand."
"Thanks, Gus. You're the best," Sheila said as she hugged him.
"Best!" Sam said as she leaned over for a hug.
"Thanks," Kel said as he handed over a box of fresh scones. Gus peaked inside and started to drool.
"There goes my boyish figure. Got to go. Sheila, you can contact me through the usual channels. As for you, Sprite, keep these two in check, OK?"
"O! K!" She replied loudly.
Sheila led him out. When s
he returned, she sat down and took Sam from Kel. "Kel, are we doing the right thing?"
"I believe so," he replied. "Gus seems to be ideally suited for the task and exceptionally capable."
"Thanks. It helps. Well, what do we do now?"
The doorbell rang.
"We have breakfast," Kel said as he went to see who was at the door.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Gus walked into the nondescript hanger and headed to a dark area on the far side of the giant space. There, hidden by the gloom stood a ship, the League courier Furball, a picture of a large furry rodent painted prominently on its vertical stabilizer. It was small and sleek, but its size belied its capabilities.
The Furball was a state-of-the-art FTL courier with enhanced computer and communications systems. She was designed specifically for data acquisition and analysis as it pertained to finding lost items and people. Be it a stolen piece of art or a fugitive skipping out on a bail bond, the resources of the Furball could be quickly brought to bear to find that which had gone missing.
First, taking a final look around, Gus walked up to the ship and placed his palm on a pale rectangle inset into the craft’s skin. Immediately, a hatch opened above his head as a ramp slid out of the fuselage and extended down to the floor. Gus walked up into the ship, closing the hatch behind him. "Minnie! Are you awake, girl?"
"Of course, sir. I am always awake. How did your meeting go?"
"Fantastic, old friend. We have a job. Contact R-Sec Security Chief Neta Tavish, please, and use the secure line."
"Yes, sir..."
"This is Neta, and I hope this is important."
"Neta! It's Gus. How are you this fine day?"
"Gus, I'm busy. Spill it."
"I hear a young Basili of Patriarchal lineage stole one of your R-Sec freighters and you need her found on the QT. I wanted to offer you my services at my usual rates."
"Wait one..." she said as the line switched to classical music.
"Gus, I thought for sure we had a job."
"We do, and we will," he answered.
"Gus, where the hell did you get this information?"
"Sorry, Neta, but my sources are confidential. Anyway, what's the fuss? We're just talking about some privileged youngin trying to prove something to her parents, aren't we? If you want, I could call some friends of mine if you find my rates too high."
"No! No Friends. No calls. This is confidential. OK, you have the contract. You should be getting details and paperwork in your in-box within thirty minutes. This is ultra-hush-hush, understand?" Gus could see her agitated tail swishing back and forth behind her.
"Understood, Boss. The QT light is burning brightly. Hey, how about you and me..."
"Goodbye, Gus, and good hunting. Neta out."
Gus snapped off the comm. "Someday, Minnie, she'll say yes."
"Someday. Gus, what are we looking for this time?”
"A stolen ship, a missing deckhand, and a girl from another universe."
"Ah, the same old, same old."
Gus laughed. "Minnie! Clear the data banks and open a new project. Call this one Samantha."
"Yes, sir. Ready for data input."
Gus placed Sheila's datapad on the console. In moments, Minnie had its contents loaded into her memory. Now, all they needed was the "Official" data from R-Sec.
"Time to go a finding," Gus said as holographic representations of Sheila's data appeared above the console.
###
Gus read through the two packets of information while Minnie gathered more information from the InterWeb. Finally, he stopped and got out of his seat to stretch. "I think she's going to head back to where the probe found her—the variable Cepheid star."
"Why would she do that?"
"A hunch. According to OffSec, an automated mapping ship was diverted to the VC by a distress beacon. Per standard operating procedure, the ship initiated a high-precision life signs scan of the area. That's when it found the station and the ship she was aboard. This ship is similar to one of our transports, but most of its systems—except the beacon and life support—were slagged by a powerful energy surge. It's a wonder she survived."
Minnie took the report from him and read it. "Lucky? Impossible. She should have fried if she was aboard..."
"Exactly. If she was aboard. What if she arrived right after the systems slagged. From what I've read, trans-universe gateways can persist up to fifteen minutes after power shutdown."
"So, someone opened a gate, blew the ship, then sent her over. Sounds odd."
"Sounds desperate," he noted.
"And this leads you to think she's heading back to the VC?"
"I think she's going home with her booty. What better place to return than the location you first arrive in. That star is the key, I just know it.”
"Does that star have a name?" Minnie asked.
"According to the League Stellar Catalog, it is LGC584673a"
"I say we re-designate it Charlene."
"Fine. Charlene it is. Minnie, old friend, check to see if OffSec has locked down the intergalactic gate system yet."
"Working. Yes, sort of. All transport to the LMC is now being routed through the Alyson gate. All ships must decant at Alyson before reentering the system and proceeding to Arctillus."
"What lame-ass reason did the Erdexi give?"
"Routine maintenance and upgrades."
"I smell burning pants. OK, so she encounters a chokepoint at Alyson even if she doesn't use the gateways, instead opting for the conventional FTL drive. We're faster than that freighter, so we can be there waiting for her, but so will OffSec." He grabbed a datapad from the table and tied it into the ship's network. "Does she need anything else to move between universes?" he asked as he thumbed through the drive specs.
"Yes, an Elven Industries 2109-6b transmodulator. A crate of them was supposed to accompany the drives, but it got hung-up on Earth. That's why the freighter was still in dock on Ventos Prime."
"Earth it is. Minnie, file a flight plan while I start preflight. Let's go see if Ms. Hardy is as smart as we give her credit for being."
"Aye, aye, Captain.
###
The Furball entered Earth orbit several hours later and waited for landing clearance. "Gus, Ground Control estimates we'll be on the ground in about thirty minutes due to an unusually full pattern."
"Copy that. Any sign of our friend?"
"Nope. If she's here, then she's fairly well hid."
"Can you connect me with the local Elven Industries field office?"
"Roger that. One moment..."
An image of a blond human male appeared above the holotable. "This is Horst Fowler, Elven Industries Limited. Can I help you?"
"Capt. Gustav Curran, Finder," he said as a holo of his ID was sent over the link. "I'm looking for a ship, the ESF Yosho Maru. She was last seen on Ventos Prime where she was waiting for a crate of parts." He then reeled off the crate's ID number.
"One moment... Yes, the crate was mislabeled, but we were able to locate it."
"Has it been shipped yet?"
"No. It's scheduled to go out tomorrow afternoon."
"Good. I want you to put it under remote surveillance until further notice. I am to be informed immediately if any unauthorized persons approach it."
"Understood, sir."
"Good. I plan to join you in a few hours. Keep me posted. Curran out."
"This all assumes she even knows these parts are on Earth."
"Ya gotta start somewhere. Look, I want to check with a few people while we wait for Savannah. Care to join me?"
A tall, red-haired, human woman appeared wearing jeans, white shirt, and a leather shoulder sweater. A small spotted eagle-owl appeared on her right shoulder where it sat and stared at Gus. She scratched the creatures neck with a finger. Horus twisted his head sideways so that Minnie was scratching the top of his head.
"Right. OK, I'm going to go prep for landing. You two are welcome to join me."
; Minnie smiled as she followed Gus to the cockpit while Horus continued to enjoy the scratch.
###
Kel paced the hallway while an amused Sheila watched from her large, overstuffed chair situated across from Director Tavish's office. The two of them had been summoned shortly after they talked to Gus Curran about finding Savannah.
"Honey, you do know that you're wearing a path in the carpeting?"
"Sorry, I'm just nervous. What the hell does the director of R-Sec want with us?"
"She probably wants to throw us into jail for not instilling morals into our daughter, Savannah."
Kel looked to the ceiling in prayer as his mate chuckled. "Sweety, stop worrying," she continued. "You have nothing to worry about. Think about it. Where's our daughter?"
"Having a play date with the Queen Mother."
"Do you really think they'd arrest you while Lenora plays with your kid?"
He sat down next to her. "You're right. I worry for no reason. I wonder how Gus is doing."
"He'd let us know if there's a problem, or if he found her. Trust me."
The door to the office opened, followed by the head of a petite, young elf receptionist. "Drs. Hardy? The director will see you now."
Kel and Sheila got up and followed the woman through the door, across the anteroom, and into the director's office where Neta was sitting behind her desk, scowling at its screen. "Have a seat, you two. Can I get you a drink?"
"No, thank you," Kel said as he looked around the room.
"Whiskey, neat," Sheila said as they both sat down.
"Girl, you never change, do you?" Neta asked while pouring her and Sheila drinks. Finished, she handed one to her before returning to her seat behind the desk. "What do you think, Kel?"
"Lovely, especially the pieces that aren't forgeries, though the forgeries are wonderful in their own right."
"Which ones are real?" Neta asked while Sheila just looked dumbfounded.
"There's only one real piece. The art deco dog statue is authentic 20th century Earth. The rest are all fakes."
"You pass the test, Doctor. Your wife obtained the dog on an assignment. The rest are here to test so-called experts that come through from time to time."
"Kel, you know art?" Sheila asked in disbelief.
"I dabble. What can we do for you, Director?"