“Thanks, Markov. I appreciate your support.”
I look over at Derek. “I’m so sorry you’re involved in this too. You can’t return to your life on Delta either.” I cross my arms tightly, willing myself not to cry.
Derek comes over and wraps his arm around me despite my protest. “I already told you we were in this together.”
“But it will just be us now. We won’t have Red or my dad’s help. We can’t afford to involve anyone else into this. It’s too dangerous.”
“Bren, on this I agree with Markov.” He glances quickly at Markov. “I know you can figure this out and then they’ll have to let us go back to Delta.”
I allow him to hold me even as I don’t feel part of my body at the moment. My mind is going over all the horror and clues and names and information I’ve heard and seen over the last few months. Yes, it will be good to go somewhere quiet and safe so I can sort through all this and see what I’m missing. I lay my head onto Derek’s shoulder and let him hold me while I start organizing my thoughts into a plan of action. Plan your work; work your plan, Bren.
21
Fugitives
We unceremoniously drop Markov off at the hospital ship. His ship is anxious to get to the site of a planet-wide disease outbreak so they only slow down long enough for us to dock and let him off.
I hug him tightly before he runs out of the small ship and across the large docking bay. Before he leaves though, I feel him slip something into my pocket, and I’m anxious to get back to my quarters to look and see what it is. But first, I need to talk to the captain.
And then it dawns on me that I never told Markov the other issue. Our discovery that the EPL is involved in all this. I sigh and head back into the corridor with Derek, my hand folded around the object in my pocket from Markov.
Derek and I enter the bridge again; most of the same crew is still working. I’m not sure how big their crew is, but they all seem to be hard working.
“Captain?”
A tall thin man turns around to face us. He’s got pink, clean-shaven cheeks and a receding hairline. He wears a white sweater and black slacks. He is nothing like the rest of the rough and laid-back crew. Next to him stands the second officer who is a large man with a mustache that runs down into a trimmed goatee. I had assumed he was the captain earlier because he was giving orders at the time.
“Yes, Miss Teves?”
I drag my gaze off the strange sweater to the captain’s ruddy face. “Where did Red tell you to take us next?”
“Straight to the point, then?” The captain straightens his narrow shoulders. “He actually didn’t say. His only instructions were to pick you two up and get Markov to the rendezvous with the hospital ship. I’m assuming you’ll need to go to one of our safe stations though?” He types in a few commands on the console in front of him, and my picture pops up on the screen. Underneath the picture it says ‘Wanted by Galactic Command.’ It has a description of me and a reward of half a million credits.
“Wow.” I stare up at the old picture of me. It’s my Delta ID picture, taken the first day I stepped foot on the space station. I was tired, belligerent, and still mourning my mother. I can tell by my seething expression the picture was taken after they had installed my implant. Mom was horribly against even the idea of implants and fought hard so Mars Colony didn’t use them. I look down at my wrist, the triangle implant barely showing the time through the deep bronze of my skin. My breath catches in my chest, and I look at Derek.
“Our implants. They’ll be able to track us with these.”
Derek’s shoulders slump. “I forgot about those. I should’ve remembered to deactivate them when we were in security.”
The Captain takes small steps towards us. He stops next to me and touches my implant lightly with perfectly manicured fingers. “You don’t have to worry about those while on board my ship. We have jammers.” He grins, showing bright white, perfectly straight teeth. His pale skin is even smooth and perfect, other than the ruddiness in his cheeks. Obviously, he’s never worked in the mines.
“You can do that? Jam the signals from our implants?”
“Yes. Check the time.”
I look down and see the clock is several hours behind the one on the ship’s main screen. It probably stopped the second I stepped aboard this ship. I grin. “Thank you. We appreciate that.” I look over at Derek and then up at the screen. “So you’re not going to turn us in for the reward? Captain…?” I’m hoping we didn’t go through all this just to be taken to a different galactic outpost.
He presses a hand to his chest. “I’m Captain Parson.” He gives me a slight bow of his head. “And of course not. Red compensates me much more than the galactic command ever could. Besides if Red values you enough to trade his freedom for yours, than there must be something special about you. Or something important you need to be doing.” Although there’s still a trace of a smile on his face, his eyes are dark and hard as he drills me with his gaze.
Derek steps close to me, our arms touching. I appreciate the support, and it keeps me from stepping backwards from the captain’s glare. “I’m sorry about what happened to Red. And yes there is something I need to be doing, but I’ve been running from the galactic commander for the last several days, and I haven’t been able to go through all the data we’ve collected yet.”
The captain nods to one of the crew who types in a few commands, and the galactic commander’s picture comes up on the screen. “This commander?”
My heart skips a beat. “Yes, that’s him.” I’m not sure exactly how much Red told this captain so I don’t say anything else.
A second window opens up beside the commander’s picture and shows a news vid. The vid is muted, but I can tell by the graphic it’s about the commander. I look up at the captain. “What’s happening?”
“Your commander has gone missing. They last saw him on that asteroid mine with a certain fugitive coroner’s daughter.”
My hands go clammy and my knees weak. I find an empty seat and sit down. “You don’t think I had anything to do with his disappearance do you?”
“No, of course not. But he was tasked with taking Red into custody, and now we’re hearing chatter the galactic troops have lost Red as well.” The captain waves again to his crewman, and the pictures change to a symbol similar to the Ash Corp’s logo, one of stars overlaid over a starship. But this picture, in place of the Ash Corp starship, has a pirate starship. The EPL’s guiding pirate starship.
My mouth drops open. It’s the same dangerous group Red thinks is behind all the attacks. “Do you think they have them?” I finally stutter.
“No doubt. Red is the only businessman who hasn’t bowed down to their intimidation tactics. The galactic commander was probably just collateral damage.”
“You think Ash Corp has bowed down to this gang of pirates?” I look at Derek who keeps his face neutral.
The captain purses his lips. “For a young investigator who is supposed to be such hot stuff, you sure do seem clueless.”
I cross my arms and grind my jaw. “If you think so, then enlighten me. What am I clueless about?”
“That the EPL has control over the whole galaxy, not just the galactic command.”
I stare at the captain, his beady eyes although still angry, have intelligence and a surprising depth behind them. His flamboyant attitude and baby face is just an act. I narrow my eyes at him. “We need to talk in private.” Maybe then he’ll drop this act.
But he keeps talking, flinging his arms around, saying, “We can trust my crew. They know more about the EPL and their connections with Ash Corp, Sol base, and the galactic troops than you do it seems.”
“I understand you trust them. I don’t trust anybody. Please can we talk in private?” I enunciate carefully so there’s no misunderstanding.
He clamps his mouth shut and suddenly he stands taller and drops his act. Without saying anything he storms off the bridge.
Derek and I hurry after the
strange captain. He takes a sudden turn down a corridor, and I have to slow down so I don’t run into the wall. This corridor is hospital white, brand new, and there’s only one door at the end.
The captain hesitates beside the door but then leans forward so the computer can scan his palm and retina patterns. He turns in the doorway waiting for us, his lips pulled into a thin line.
We enter into an equally white room. The desk, the chairs, everything here is white. It looks nothing like the rest of his ship. There’s a large viewing window lit up around the edges, framing the passing stars. The view is amazing, and the whole atmosphere in this room is exactly opposite of what I was expecting of a privateer’s office.
“This is as private as we’re going to get Miss Teves. I guarantee there’s no bugs, no chance of any kind of tracking or listening devices in here.”
I turn to the captain who is now sitting relaxed behind his white desk like a king on his throne. He motions us to sit, and I sink into a soft, cushioned white chair opposite him. “This room is amazing, captain.” Even the air in here smells pure.
He smiles genuinely. “Thank you. I’ve picked up a few unique trinkets and decorating ideas across the galaxy.”
Derek is quiet as we take in all the glass, metal, and who-knows-what kind of knick-knacks piled around the room. The captain is definitely an eclectic collector. My eyes fall upon a red rock encased in a clear box on the edge of his desk. I lean forward to get a better view.
“Yes, it’s from Mars.”
I lean back quickly. “The dark umber of that rock means it only comes from down deep in the mines. And there’s only one mine I know of which was that pure.” I frown. The mine my mom died in. There was a push from high up to dig faster, pull more of this pure rock out, that it ended up causing many accidents and fatalities. Mom was trying to help the miners with safety precautions even during crunch time. Maybe that was all more politically volatile than I knew. As kids do we really know our parents’ motivations and what they stand for?
I sit back, putting distance between the blood red rock and myself. Derek reaches out and grasps my hand and squeezes. I squeeze back and clear my throat. “The reason we need privacy is because I believe all this started with my mom.” My gaze returns to the rock against my will.
“The problems with the asteroid mine attacks started with your mom?” The captain leans forward, a confused expression on his ruddy face.
“No. Well, yes. It’s more complicated than that. I think Ash Corp started a dangerous research project because of something my mom discovered. And then somehow the galactic command and the EPL got involved.”
“So you do know more about the EPL than you let on,” says the captain with his fingers steepled in front of him.
I smile. “Yes. And I think I know what they’re all after.”
“What?” the captain and Derek say at the same time.
I look at them both. “I haven’t had time to look over all the data with a fine tooth comb yet. But I do have an educated idea.” I pull my tablet out of my pack. “I’ve thought about everything I’ve learned so far; the data the galactic commander gave me, the information Red told me, what we discovered down in the mine, and what I’ve been remembering from my childhood — it all leads to my theory that my mom accidentally started all of this with something she discovered years ago.”
The captain folds his hands together on the desk and stares at me. “You’re telling me this much, but you’re not going to tell me details, are you?”
I gaze out the window for a second, pulling confidence from the stars. “No, it would put you too much at risk if you knew more. And honestly I don’t know every detail yet.” I look back at the captain. “After Red sacrificed himself for me, I promised I wouldn’t put anyone else in danger. I just want you to know I’m grateful for you transporting us away from Delta. And that I need one more favor.”
I hear Derek sit forward beside me. I dig my fingers into the soft cushioned arms of the chair as I perch on the edge.
The captain stands up and walks to the window. “And what kind of favor would that be?”
I look at Derek and then wait for the captain to turn back around. Once I have his attention I stand up. “I need you to tell me where the next asteroid attack is going to be.”
22
Four Words
Derek stands up so fast he bumps the chair, and it makes a loud screech on the crisp white floor. I keep my gaze on the captain. I don’t want to miss any small tell.
The captain doesn’t disappoint. I see it waver across his expression in the seconds before he can pull on his fake persona again.
“And how in the world would I know such a thing?”
“Because you tried warning the Tempest.”
“What?” exclaims Derek beside me. I cringe inwardly because Derek and I haven’t had time to talk about all the information I’ve learned over the last few days.
But the captain is already walking over to his desk. His face is angry. “I should dump you both at the nearest asteroid. This kind of accusation is crazy. Especially coming from a naive kid.”
I don’t allow myself to get defensive from his insult. I know he’s covering up the fact that I surprised him. I wait until he sits back down again before I approach and place both palms flat on the stark white desk as I lean toward him.
“The security tapes mentioned another courier ship in the area. They couldn’t identify it so they assumed it was a pirate ship. Most pirates remove all identifying markings and alter their outside appearance so that their ships can’t be easily identified. So Delta security didn’t even bother tracking you. But I did. And it was a ship matching your cobbled together creation here.” I wave my hand in the air. “At first I thought maybe you were in the area trying to steal the data from the Tempest like the other pirates. But now I think you were there to warn the Tempest about the danger they faced by picking up the stranded courier family. You were tracking the data stick.”
The captain closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “Red tried to warn me about you. Said you would see through my facade.” He opens his eyes, their dark depths no longer harboring anger. “Red’s always right. I should’ve believed him.”
“You knew and yet you didn’t stop those attacks?” Derek’s voice is loud in the peaceful room. He stomps toward the window, his shoulders and arms stiff.
The captain frowns. “I wasn’t close enough. They weren’t answering their comms. I did try to warn Delta Station security though.” His words are biting as he takes in Derek’s uniform and security insignia.
Derek lets out a growl of frustration as he lets his head fall back. “The sergeant probably took your hail. We knew the sergeant was involved too late.” He turns back toward us. “Sorry for my outburst, captain.”
“It’s all right Mr. Paz. I’ve thought over the whole situation so many times trying to see if there was something else I could’ve done.” He shrugs. “We can’t do anything about the past now. But in the present, we can make a difference. About your favor, Miss Teves.”
“Yes?”
“Why do you think I would know the location of the next attack?”
“With my knowledge of the situation and your experience with the whole courier system, I think together we could spot an anomaly that might show us the location of the next attack.”
“You would have to tell me some details so I know what we’re looking for.” He looks up at me, studying me.
“Yes.” I nod reluctantly. I pushed the captain to frustration because I needed to find out if I could truly trust him. Even though at this point I have no other choice, I felt I needed extra assurance.
“Do you have a vid screen in amongst all this history?” I smile.
He smiles and pushes a button. The white wall behind him comes to life. As I hand him the data stick from the Tempest I remember the object Markov gave me as he left. I pull it out of my pocket as the captain busies himself with bringing up my files.
Until I read the words.
Then my whole body goes cold.
“Mars is next. Red.”
I stare at the four words scrolling across the tiny screen in horror.
“What’s wrong, Bren?” Derek leans over, and I hand him the small trinket.
“Markov slipped this to me as he left the ship.”
“Wow. Do you think he knew what the message said?” Derek asks, his voice an octave higher than normal.
I stare at a small blemish on the captain’s impeccably white desk. I want to lean forward and clean it off, erase it. Just like I want to have never seen this message. I glance at Derek. “Yes, Markov had to have known the message because he set a password only he and I would know.”
Derek’s jaw flexes but he doesn’t say anything. I don’t have time to smooth out hurt feelings and jealousies right now so I keep talking. “We need to figure out if the message is true.”
“Miss Teves? What is it?” asks the captain. I can sense him walking around his desk toward me. Would Red trust this captain? Why didn’t he give him the message? Why all this secrecy?
I look up as the captain stops in front of me. I take the gadget back from Derek and hold it for a moment. Again as I go over my options I don’t see any scenario where I can’t afford to trust this captain. Red placed me on this ship for a reason.
Delta Fringe Series Boxset: Books 1-3 Page 33