Edge World

by Michael Guinn

  “If the lack of communications is important for whatever group is behind this, then the destruction of some machinery is not going to be noticed in the long run.” James retorted.

  As they walked out of the instrument rooms, James somewhat reluctantly, Ronald had a brainstorm.

  “I still say no to breaking things up. Let’s wait until tomorrow and if no one shows up by then, I have an idea.”

  “An idea? What kind of idea Ronald?”

  “You gave it to me, James. We won’t break anything but I bet I can find a power switch or plug. We will just turn the power off and on several times. Someone is bound to notice then.”

  “That might work,” James agreed somewhat disgruntled that he hadn’t thought of it. “But not tomorrow morning, now. I have a real bad feeling about this, Ronald, a real bad feeling.” They started to search for a button, switch or plug, what-ever they could find to interrupt the law-enforcement comm system.

  *****

  At OSI headquarters the senior officers were concerned. Realizing that static was interfering with communications, Captain Santos may have waited until she got to Chief Onn’s village and his more powerful communication unit, but she should have been there the night before last. Definitely today if Captain Santos and Sgt. Onn had been delayed and camped overnight. Lt. Baker had seen them take overnight paks so something could have delayed them till today, but why nothing today? They had told the lower-ranked officers that they were sending someone to look for her, but they hadn’t. Afraid they were over-acting, they were hesitant to send someone if Captain Santos turned up first. And if something had happened, they needed to send more than just one or two officers. But for now, two officers would have to do. With instructions to communicate back to headquarters if they could, or fly back at speed if they had to, two officers were dispatched.

  “We need more information here about the Pawassa,” Lt. Baker said. “I know the Captain doesn’t believe they are responsible for the caravan attacks, but Jacob Ericson sure does, and I think we should take that into account.”

  “What about the problem with the static on our communication systems,” Lt. Owens, newly promoted to the position of Night Supervisor asked. “Are we doing anything about that? We wouldn’t have this problem if we had decent communications.”

  Investigator Lanos spoke up, “I sent two good officers to check out the Satellite Control Center a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, a major storm out of the polar region moved south, completely covering the island the Center is on as well as some two hundred kilometers south. We have not had any communication from them, even one with a lot of static. There may be several reasons for that, including their trying to fly back in the storm, or running into serious trouble at the Center.”

  “Which theory do you subscribe to, Lanos,” asked Lt. Owens?

  “It’s a tossup, but the men I sent are very good officers. Our new officers from the academy have just graduated and are scheduled to report in on Firstday next week. We had delayed them from starting immediately so Captain Santos could give a little speech and meet each one of them but now I don’t know.”

  “I suggest we bring in immediately as many as we can contact,” said Lt. Owens. “I know a number of them will have scattered on their first free time after the nine months of Academy but get as many as we can. There are a lot of positions that we can fill with green officers, freeing up experienced men that I think we are going to need immediately, if not sooner.”

  “I agree completely with Lt. Owens,” said Lt. Baker, Captain Santos’ assistant. “I think Captain Santos would agree also if she was here, and that’s what we need, to get her here now.”

  *****

  Professor Liam Smith decided it was time to bring the largest law enforcement organization on the planet into what he was doing in order to get their help. That he was going to see the Captain, that is Amanda, at home was to keep the information as secure as possible and had nothing to do with the fact that he had fallen in love with her and wanted to see her again, badly, and not wanting to wait till the weekend. As he flew his aircar to Amanda’s home he rehearsed several conversations with her in his head. I was well after work hours so he felt certain he would find her at home with her twin daughters. But as he approached the house there were at least three City Militia aircars on the front landing area as well as an ambulance, all flashing bright red and blue lights. The front door of Amanda’s house also stood open and a Militia Officer was just exiting the building. As Liam stepped out of his aircar one of the officers walked over to him

  “I am sorry, sir, but you can’t stay here,” the officer said, “This is a crime scene.”

  Liam’s heart jumped into his throat. “What kind of crime? No one was killed, were they?”

  “I am sorry, sir. I can’t answer that. Would you please get back into your aircar and leave?”

  Liam was considering either decking the obnoxious officer in front of him but knew he was just doing his job, and would have fired any officer that allowed a civilian to walk into a crime scene, or pulling out his own federal identification when a Sgt. walked over.

  “Do you know the people who live in this house,” the Sargent asked Liam?

  Liam answered yes just as another Militia Officer ran up to the Sargent, saying “This is ‘Captain Santos’ house.”

  “Of course it is, now is anyone hurt?” Liam asked somewhat forcefully.

  “The Sgt., taken aback by the news that this was the house of the head of OSI, seemed more forthcoming to Liam.

  “We got a comm stating three hoodlums had invaded the house here and had been repulsed by the inhabitants and that we could find them lying in front of the house. That was all; it was on a message delay. When we got here we found two men and a woman. All had been stunned plus one of the men had several serious broken bones. That’s all we know.”

  “Is anyone in the house,” Liam asked? “I saw an officer walk out when I

  landed.”

  “We had to go through a security system, but there is no one in the house.” Coming somewhat to his senses, the Sgt. asked, “What exactly are you doing here and who are you?”

  “I am Professor Liam Smithe and I am a friend of the family. Has Captain Santos and her daughters been reached since you say no one is in the house,” Liam asked?

  “We are in the process of locating the Santos family. That is all I can tell you. Now you need to leave the area while we do our job.”

  Liam started to argue but then realized that if the house was empty these Militia men couldn’t tell him anything he wanted to know.

  “Thank you Sgt., I will leave immediately,” Liam said. After getting back into his car he made a beeline to OSI headquarters. His emotions were all over the place. At least Amanda wasn’t dead as far as anyone knew, but where was she and where were the twins? Liam thought up scenario after scenario as he flew to OSI headquarters but finally gave up know he needed facts, not speculation. OSI headquarters seemed a beehive of activity with numerous aircars landing everywhere, even on what passed as a street. He had no choice but to follow their example, landing almost a quarter of kilometer away from the buildings. A short hike is probably good for me, Liam thought, all too aware of the growth of his waist. At the entrance a Sargent was directing most of the newcomers toward a large room with chairs which was already half full. When he came to Liam however, he stopped and took a second look at him. “You don’t look like one of our new officers,” the Sargent said, “how can we help you?”

  Through past experience Liam knew that if he said he was there to get information about Captain Santos and her daughters, he would be turned away, considered just another snoop.

  “I have some information for Captain Santos that she asked me to dig up. It is urgent.”

  “Captain Santos isn’t here at the moment but if it is urgent one of her Lieutenants will help you.” The Sgt. motioned to an officer standing nearby to take Liam down a long hall that led to a much smaller room.
As he entered it was evident that some kind of emergency was in the works. A tall, dark hair Lt. broke away from a talk he was having with a Sgt. and walked over to him.

  “What can we do for you, Sir,” Lt. Adams asked.

  “Do you know that Captain Santos and her daughters have been killed or kidnapped? This brought a look of astonishment to the Lt.’s face. He yelled to another Lt. to come over and join him.

  “I am Lt. Adams and this is Lt. Owens and you are…?”

  “Professor Liam Smithe. I have been assisting Captain Santos with my knowledge of jungle tribes. Do you know where she is right now?” Liam may have stretched his ‘assisting’ roll a little, but by damn he needed to know if she was ok.

  “Captain Santos left day before yesterday to meet with Chief Onn but we haven’t heard from her and she was due back last night,” Lt. Owens said.

  “What about her daughters,” Liam asked?

  “Her daughters?” What about her daughters?”

  “You don’t know that her house has been ransacked with three suspects found stunned in front of her house and both daughters are missing?”

  If OSI headquarters had been in confusion before, there was near panic after Liam’s statement. Finally, Lt. Baker settled everyone down so they could hear Liam speak.

  It was evident from the reposes of the people around him that Captain Santos, no less her daughters, were well liked, and even loved. Evidently the City Militia had not informed OSI yet of what had happened at Captain Santos’

  “When did you hear about this Professor Smithe,” Lt. Baker asked? We haven’t heard anything at all from the Militia. Lt. Adams, why don’t you get on the comm and find out what the hell the Militia is doing?””

  “Actually, I flew straight here but don’t your agencies work close together?”

  “Most of us do cooperate with each other but there are some who think we take all of the credit,” Lt. Baker said with a slight grudge.

  “I stopped at Captain Santos’s house with some information I wanted to share,” said Liam, “There were Militia all over the place, with one coming out of the house and two others helping medics place a person in the ambulance that was there. Two other unknowns were in confinement and looked like they had been recently stunned…I mean…

  what I would expect someone stunned to look like. They took my name and told me to go away.”

  Sargent Townsead spoke up at that. “Some of the Militia work well with us. Obviously it wasn’t Investigator Yugoslav or you would have been treated better. Any indication that there had been injuries? It wasn’t one of the family that you saw put into the ambulance?”

  “No, they were putting a male into the ambulance, and one that looked like he had several broken bones. But you knew Captain Santos was missing?”

  “I am afraid so, Professor,” Lt. Baker continued, we can’t give you any particulars but she should have been back by now and we haven’t even heard any attempts to contact us by comm. What is your interest in the family, Professor Smithe?”

  Liam had to think a minute before he spoke. Telling Captain Santos as head of OSI of his assignment on Edge World was one thing, but telling a room full of her people was another.

  “If you must know I have been seeing Amanda several times a week and like her children as well.” Not too far from the truth. “I am very worried that something has happened to her.”

  “We are going to do all we can to find her if she has fallen into trouble. The fact that her daughters are also missing makes it even more disturbing,” Lt. Baker said, trying to sooth the Professor. “I suggest you go back to your hotel and we will comm you as soon as we find any traces of them.”

  “What about her daughters, Tanya and Kristina?”

  “That will have to wait until we get a report from the Militia. In any case there is nothing we can do about them until morning. Now go get some rest.”

  Liam left, but not to go back to his hotel. He flew back to near Captain Santos’ house. After parking his aircar he walked as close as allowed to the house. After a careful perusal of the few officers still on scene, he put his attention on one, somewhat overweight and older militiaman standing near one of their aircars. After several minutes he got the attention of the man and motioned him over. Liam noticed that though he must have spent quite a few years with the City Militia, he hadn’t advanced past corporal.

  “Good evening, Sgt.,” purposely bumping him up a rank, “lots of excitement here tonight isn’t there?

  “Just another night,” the corporal said, “And I was supposed to be off shift an hour ago.”

  “Just more overtime in the paycheck, eh?”

  “Overtime my ass. They don’t pay overtime unless it is approved in advance. It’s only the bigshots that collect any overtime.”

  Ha Ha, thought Liam, am I good or what. “I don’t suppose that you can tell me what happened here tonight could you?” This was accomplished with two weeks pay in local currency stuck out between the fingers of his right hand.

  The corporal looked around quickly and then made the money disappear in and instant.

  “Whatcha want to know,” the corporal said?

  “How did you boys get this call?”

  “A delayed message came into our central office saying that three thugs had broken in and had been stunned. They were to be found in front of this address.”

  “Was it a man or woman that called the message in?

  “Female. One of the other officers said he recognized her as one of Captain Santos’ kids.”

  “And when you got here?”

  “Sure enough, there were three people lying in front of the house and they had all been stunned. One of them, besides being stunned had several broken bones. The house still had a security system engaged.”

  “What was found in the house,” Liam asked?

  The militia officer didn’t say anything until Liam had produced another bill which quickly disappeared.

  “There was no one found in the house. It looked like a scuffle had taken place; a place on one wall had a big dent in it and some blood on the floor. But no one and no further messages. Definitely no sign of the daughters or Captain Santos. Their housekeeper just returned home from a shopping trip a few minutes ago and she is in hysterics.”

  Liam turned back and entered his aircar but he didn’t leave immediately. Unless there were more than three attackers, and there was no sign of that considering the message the Militia had received from one of the daughters, the girls had left on their own. They were too young to fly. the Militia was going over an aircar parked in front of the house that probably belonged to the attackers. So where were the girls? Liam had not really met the girls and had to go by what Amanda had told him about them, but at first wash he bet they were going to try and find their mother. He couldn’t search near as well for Amanda as OSI, but he couldn’t sit still and wait. It wasn’t his nature. He knew from the OSI Officers that she had gone to talk with Chief Onn. He knew the location of the village and his best bet would to go there and see what he could get out of the Chief. Liam had talked to him before, and really, this tied in with his current assignment anyway. He headed back to his hotel, knowing that he wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night at all. Liam just had to hope he wasn’t too late for Amanda.

  Chapter 11

  Large feathery moths fluttered in and out of the landing stage lights while strange croaks and squeals came up from the riverbank. The air was dank, oppressive and very hot even after dark. Tanya and Kristina stood hesitantly in the lights of the terminal office which were going dark one by one now that the last of the cargo had been secured for the night. The terminal served not only the air shuttle but also the heavy riverboats plying the Columbia River. But there were no riverboats tied up to the extensive dock and the few other buildings seemed closed up for the night, although most of them seemed to be long warehouses.

  There were a number of smaller buildings and houses farther inland from the riverbank; so
me of them showed lights here and there. The girls were hesitant to just knock on a door where there were lights, but they really didn’t know what else to do. The very few times they had come with their mother to see Chief Onn they had flown directly in an aircar, but they knew that was a route from this river port directly to his village. They didn’t know how far or even if they could walk there.

  “What do we do now, Tamara,” Kristina asked? “Maybe we should have waited till morning to come here.”

  “Sure, and after the Militia arrived, do you think they would have let us go anywhere? We would have had guards day and night until Mom showed up.” Tamara didn’t voice the thought that what if she never showed up.

  There had been one other passenger on the shuttle with them, a much older man in the casual dress of a riverboat man. The girls had thought at one point of asking him how to get to the village but hesitated too long before he walked off to what appeared to be a tavern. At least is was highly lit with lots of noise coming out of it. The girls stood there until the last of the terminal lights were out, watching a few men and women go in and out of the tavern. They had almost nerved themselves to go over there and at least see if someone could give them directions, when three or four apparently young men left the tavern in a group. They stood together talking loudly as if discussing their next course of action when one of them noticed Tamara and Kristina still standing in the over-night lights of the terminal. They immediately quieted as they were obviously discussing the two girls as they slowly migrated towards them. Neither Tamara nor Kristina were overly concerned, as women were seldom molested on Edge World, and besides they were carrying several stunners apiece: their own and the ones recovered from their previous attackers. Then again, the men were young and appeared to be very drunk. However, they had gotten only half-way to the girls when another, apparently older man, came out of the tavern and walked over to them. A short discussion ensued after which the four drunks walked off into the darkness. The old man then walked over to Tamara and Kristina.