Espero (The Silver Ships Book 6)
Page 21
“What’s up, Boss?” the pilot asked, while prepping the shuttle for liftoff.
“Once you get clear of the dome, circle back toward Cressida. Then you’re going to head for Kadmir’s domes on Udrides before you make contact.”
“Got it … you want us to appear like we’re coming from Cressida with a load of miners,” the pilot said.
“Sharp boy,” Toyo said, slapping the young pilot on the shoulder. “That’s just what I want. When we’re headed toward Udrides, get hold of Kadmir’s reservations, and tell them a mining operation had to shut down for two weeks due to gas venting in the shafts. They have to make major repairs, and you have a shuttle full of miners, looking for some downtime.”
“Do we have a company name?”
“No, play dumb. You’re just a shuttle jockey. They tell you to pick people up, so you pick them up. You have no idea of the company.”
“Can do, Boss. What about funds? This is a short-notice reservation.”
“Tell them you have an open account for your passengers. All charges for the crew’s stay are to be attached to the account information you’ll be sending.”
“That should get their attention,” the pilot crowed.
“Now, when we get there, I’m looking for a good spot to land. Don’t set us down in the open. If you have to fake a little engine power loss or something to place us in a more secluded spot, that’s what I’m looking for. We need time to get as many people off as we can before we’re noticed.”
“Easily done, Boss,” the pilot said. The boy was hired only three weeks ago. His uncle worked in Toyo’s clubs and got him the job. He was ecstatic at the number of credits deposited weekly into his account, but he should have found a different job.
* * *
Having discovered the supply of drug-manufacturing components, Miranda needed a means of following them. Included in Z’s list of devices, which were stored onboard the traveler, were items that would aid her, and she made her way to the landing bay to collect them. She was stopped by bay control at the entrance and waited patiently until the bay was pressurized after a shuttle’s exit.
Aboard the ship, Miranda worked through several containers, pulling out tiny vid cams and locator beacons. Such a thoughtful man, Miranda thought. Where are you hiding, Z, that we’ve never met?
Using the commanders’ implant recordings of the shipping-receiving area, Miranda was able to slip in; plant the cams, beacons, and a repeater to boost the devices’ signals; and exit the facilities without detection. Making her way back through the corridors, Miranda received Deirdre’s comm, which linked her with Svetlana.
After a lengthy delay, Svetlana sent,
Miranda smiled. The commander’s thoughts were calm and controlled. The woman was ready to plan an exit or defend her people against incarceration by Toyo’s security forces. Harakens, Miranda thought, and her smile grew wider.
* * *
“So what’s the plan?” Deirdre asked.
Svetlana sent her a short vid of Dillon Jameson, Toyo’s head of security. He was staring at something and licking his lower lip. Svetlana followed Jameson’s eyeline and it led to Deirdre, who was leaning over the bar to order another round of drinks for some patrons, and her wrap was exposing her long, slender, shapely legs up to a hint of her tight buttocks.
“Great. I get to play bait,” Deirdre grumped.
“I thought we’d approach him as the twins who want to play,” Svetlana replied.
“What’s the end maneuver?”
“We’ve noticed that the patrons, including us, are carrying dome ID cards, but Miranda was taken to see Toyo by Jameson, and she noted that he didn’t use a card to access the lifts.”
“Which means security, at least Jameson, is carrying an implant,” Deirdre finished for her.
“Exactly, my dark sister. If anyone would have complete access to this establishment’s structures, it would be the head of security,” Svetlana reasoned.
“There’s a question of timing,” Deirdre said. “If we wait to grab Jameson, the supplies might be moved before we have the implant, and Miranda must have it to follow the supplies. But, if we take him too soon, we may have to keep him incapacitated for a significant duration. For all we know, they might move those supplies infrequently.”
“I don’t think so,” Svetlana replied. “On three different types of chemical containers, the manufacture dates were only a couple of days apart. This lab is producing a significant volume.”
“Question answered … let’s go find us a man, my bright twin,” Deirdre said.
The commanders opened the door of the small utility room where they had been hiding while conversing. Just before exiting, they crossed arms behind each other and leaned together. Stepping into the corridor, they passed two of Toyo’s service personnel. The women could only wonder what was on the mind of the men, who adopted wistful expressions at the sight of exotic Méridiens, exiting a utility room.
It took Svetlana and Deirdre several hours to locate Jameson. None of the Harakens had him in sight, but finally he was spotted leaving the administration area, making for the upper levels of the main dome. The commanders followed the signals of their people as the Harakens tracked the man’s movements.
Jameson was reported entering one of the prestigious lounges, reserved for only the wealthiest of patrons. The lounge was on the highest level of the main dome, and its transparent ceiling gave the patrons an unobstructed and magnificent view of the stars and the small shipping station that held a geosynchronous position over Toyo’s domes. Lighting in the lounge was discreet, dimmed to enable a better view overhead. It was a lounge that the commanders and Miranda already knew well.
At the doors, Svetlana sent,
In response, Deirdre’s piercing eyes took on a soft expression. She linked her hand in Svetlana’s and gave her a soft purse of her lips.
Svetlana burst into laughter, and the doors slid aside for them. Entering the exclusive lounge, Svetlana’s hearty laugh announced them, causing eyes to turn their way. The commanders wandered the lounge as if they were sizin
g up patrons for their next adventure. Along their route, patrons smiled and offered to buy drinks or stimulants. Finally, the two women stopped near Jameson, who was leaning with his back against the bar, having stopped his conversation with an attendant to watch the Méridien women.
Jameson’s heart raced when the dark Méridien smiled at him and whispered to her light twin, who nodded, and the two women approached him.
“Hello, Ser, I’m Deirdre. This is my friend, Svetlana. Might you be available for some entertainment?”
The commanders never had it so easy. They suggested their suite to Jameson and added that their assignation would be more pleasurable if they weren’t disturbed by the demands of his office. Jameson readily agreed. He touched his ear comm and said to his deputy, “Don’t disturb me unless the dome cracks.” Toyo’s warnings to maintain tight control in his absence seemed to have miraculously fled Jameson’s mind.
The security chief thought he was to enjoy the fantasy of a lifetime. Inside the twins’ suite, they leaned against him, nibbling on each side of his neck. However, only Svetlana was using her teeth and tongue. Deirdre was using her attentions to disguise the administration of a fast-acting soporific injection into Jameson’s neck.
“Quickly,” Deirdre said, as Jameson’s legs sagged.
The women guided a sinking Jameson toward the bed, shoving him the last meter as his legs collapsed. The man flopped face down on the bed, and the women rolled him over to prevent his suffocation.
“So, we’re looking for a security implant,” Deirdre said, surveying the comatose form on the bed. “Clothes or body?”
“Better be thorough,” Svetlana replied. “Let’s take it step by step.”
The women stripped off Jameson’s dark red uniform and felt along every centimeter of fabric for a telltale bump. Having no success, they went through every item of the security officer’s clothing.
“Some things should be beneath a commander’s dignity,” Deirdre said, looking at Jameson’s overweight, pale, naked body.
“It could be worse,” Svetlana said, grinning at her fellow Haraken. “If we didn’t have the soporific, we would have been doing this while entertaining him.”
“Point,” Deirdre agreed. “Thank the stars for small fortunes.”
After two passes, feeling along every inch of flesh for a telltale bump, the women still hadn’t found an implant.
“We could call Miranda and have her try to locate it,” Deirdre said, exasperated.
“And admit we can’t find something as primitive as a New Terran implant on one man’s comatose, naked body?” Svetlana challenged. “Well, about the only things left that we haven’t searched are the orifices and …” she said, and then halted.
“What?” Deirdre asked, as Svetlana scrambled to the top of the bed, running her hands through Jameson’s thick, luxurious mane of hair, an oddity for any spacer.
“Found it,” Svetlana exulted.
“Black space,” Deirdre swore. “You mean I’ve had to perform two intimate body searches on this … this … excuse for a male anatomy, and the implant was under his scalp?”
“Such are the fortunes of war … so I’ve heard Alex say,” Svetlana said, grinning. She rolled off the bed, dug through a med kit, and returned with a small laser knife, a tiny container, and a tube of medical nanites.
Deirdre spread the hair apart, and Svetlana activated the laser knife, making a small incision in the scalp. Reversing the laser knife, she inserted the tube end onto the incision and pressed a button on the side. The device sucked the tiny implant into its opening, and Svetlana carefully withdrew the device and deposited the implant in the container Deirdre held out for her. Then Svetlana smeared a drop of medical nanites on the incision, which immediately went to work sealing the wound.
“Should we dress him?” Deirdre asked.
“I wouldn’t. When he wakes up without clothes, he might think he had the time of his life. Besides, we have no idea how long we’re going to have to keep him under.”
Deirdre kept company with Jameson while ensuring she had a second injection of soporific close at hand.
In the meantime, Svetlana hurried to deliver the implant to Miranda. Reaching the corridor junction from where Miranda’s comm originated, Svetlana looked around in confusion.
“Up here, dear,” Miranda said.
Looking overhead, Svetlana saw Miranda wedged between the pipes and conduits that ran in the corridor’s peaked overhead.
“Rather undignified for a woman of my caliber, I must admit, dear,” Miranda said, smiling down at Svetlana. “But expediency and necessity demand action.”
Svetlana smiled back and tossed the small cylinder containing the implant up to her. The SADE freed one arm to snatch the cylinder, while using her other limbs to lock her body in place.
“Nice trick,” Svetlana acknowledged.
“Avatars do have their uses, dear. Now run along before someone wonders why you’re talking to the overhead.”
Svetlana snickered at the thought and hurried away. Miranda had a final message for her, and Svetlana passed it to the nearest Harakens, who would forward the message to their compatriots. Since there was no telling when the drug supplies would be moved, Miranda requested the Harakens keep the peace to prevent Jameson from being contacted by his deputy.
Over the next hours, Toyo’s young security personnel witnessed altercation after altercation interrupted by the Kephron miners, who had landed at the domes with the Méridien women. At one point, two patrons, who were about to come to blows over a fem, found their way blocked by the miners who soon had the patrons laughing about their altercation over free drinks, courtesy of the miners.
“Must be the influence of those three Méridiens,” one young male security personnel said to his friend, having watched the breakup of the two patrons by the miners.
“Those Méridien women can influence me anytime,” the other young man replied.
-22-
“What signals are you talking about?” Tatia asked Alex.
“Christie signaled me by hand,” Alex explained. “It’s something we worked up when we were children, a way of communicating without adults knowing what we were saying.”
“And what was she saying?” Drake asked.
“Don’t trust this man,” Alex replied. He called a meeting of the principals aboard the Tanaka, deciding to include Drake and Jaya, since it concerned New Terra’s people and territories. “So, how do we approach this meeting, Tatia?” Alex asked.
“I’m in complete agreement with Christie and her hand signals,” Tatia replied. “We take great care with this man. Don’t presume anything, except that at the time the vid was sent the girls were in the Udrides’ domes. They might not be there by the time you arrive, and this could be an opportunity for Kadmir to take you hostage.”
“To what end?” Renée asked.
“You’re presuming that Kadmir is telling you the truth about rescuing the girls from Toyo, Ser, because our evidence points to Toyo’s people kidnapping them,” Tatia said, while pacing in the captain’s large salon. “Let me give you another scenario. The three criminal heads are working together. Yes, it was a mistake to take the girls, but by Kadmir pretending to have rescued the girls from Toyo, they draw Alex close. They take him hostage and bargain for no retaliation against any of the domes in return for Alex and the girls’ freedom.
“I never realized the extent of devious thought you must have practiced in your former position, Tatia, to have worked to capture people like this. It’s a wonder that you survived at all,” Renée said in amazement.
“Every one of them is a Downing, some smaller, some bigger,” Tatia said sadly.
“So?” Alex said, prompting his previous question.
“We go in as prepared as we can be,” Tatia replied.
* * *
Tatia’s definition of total preparation involved a traveler filled from bow to stern with Harakens. She selected those with the best shooter qual
ifications and armed them with stun guns and four with plasma rifles.
“We can’t exit the traveler wearing environment suits,” Tatia told the troops, who were using the bay to prepare. “Those with rifles exit last, and the rifles are only to be used below surface and never aimed upward. So, please, no holing the domes. It wouldn’t make for much of a rescue.”
Circling back to the cabin reserved for Alex and Renée, Tatia wasn’t prepared to find her principals outfitted in matte back, skin suits. The material hugged every inch of their bodies, and Tatia spared a moment to admire the musculature and build of her president.
Tatia glanced at Renée, who was strapping a stun gun on her upper thigh. She said, “Um, Ser —” But before Tatia could complete her comment, Renée drew her weapon, fired it at a wall, and returned it to its holster in the blink of an eye. Tatia could barely catch the wink of the weapon’s telltale that indicated it had been fired.
“Méridien reflexes,” Renée said simply and fixed her stare on Tatia. “Admiral, you will need to fill our traveler with only people prepared to fight, and do not expect me, under any circumstances, to stand aside while others protect my own.”
Tatia threw an imploring look at Alex, who replied, “Don’t look at me. I know when not to argue.” She watched Alex strap a second weapon on his left thigh. “Are you telling me that you can shoot with either hand?” Tatia asked with incredulity.
Alex broke out in laughter. “No, I’m probably only half as good as your worst trooper. So, I figured I would need twice as many shots.”
Tatia left the cabin, annoyed at the impending headache of trying to keep both of her principals safe. Why did I think this would ever get any easier? I love the two of them, but stunning both of them might make my life simpler, Tatia thought, and then she paused in the corridor, shook her head, and broke into a smile. “But then life would be so dull,” she said to the empty corridor.