Duty and Obligation

by Sean Benjamin

  “You seem to like the food here,” Baby Doll observed.

  Samantha could only nod as her mouth was full. She swallowed and then spoke. “Best food ever. Never seen so much in one place. All good too.” She glanced around to see if anyone was eavesdropping and then went on. “And everything is so clean. The ship is clean. The workspaces are clean. Our personal areas are clean. We get to wash our clothes whenever we want. Shower whenever we want. Everyone helps keep the ship clean and organized. Nobody yelling about getting it done. People just do it on their own. This ship is great.”

  Baby Doll nodded. Samantha wasn’t the first crewmember who had spent much of life half-starved in filthy conditions. Baby Doll knew she would get used to her new circumstances and then throttle back on the food and the compliments.

  “Captain likes a clean ship. Hell, all captains like a clean ship. Crew does too although they will bitch about cleaning duties. For most of the crew, this is the best home they have ever had, and they are proud of Predator. They want her to be up to speed.”

  “Best home I ever had,” agreed Samantha as she shoveled in food.

  “So, how’s work?” Baby Doll thought she knew the answer but wanted to hear it firsthand.

  Another pause as her companion had to swallow again. “I love it,” replied Samantha. “Doctor Windsor is a great teacher and knows a lot. The other two med techs help, so it has been real good. Doctor Windsor is easy to work for. He is so relaxed about everything.”

  Baby Doll smiled at that. “Yep, if the Doc got any more relaxed, rigor mortis would set in.”

  Samantha looked at Baby Doll with no expression. Baby Doll said, “Whenever you get around to doing your first smile, call me. I want to be there to see it.”

  Samantha nodded and then gave a slight smile. She let it fade and said, “That was just for you. I wouldn’t want to pull you away from your job just for a smile.”

  Baby Doll laughed, and Samantha did an actual smile then.

  Baby Doll grew serious. “From your remarks and food intake, I gather you like it here. I hear you are fitting in just fine.”

  Samantha nodded. “I do like it here. Everyone helps out everyone else. I’m learning good stuff. Holly is looking out for me.” She paused now and stared at her plate before bringing her gaze back to Baby Doll. “I know that we started out with this being a temporary setup and all but I was thinking…,” She let her voice fade away while looking at Baby Doll expectantly.

  Baby Doll smiled at her. “You don’t need my permission to stay. You can stay if you want. As long as you are a contributing member of the crew and follow our few rules, nobody will throw you off the ship.”

  Samantha gave her a big smile then. Baby Doll smiled back and then added. “I’ll add you to the ship’s roster and start a pay account for you. We need to get you a ship’s dagger. That makes it official.”

  Samantha hurriedly cleaned her plate. The two stood up, dropped their dishes off at the scullery, and departed the compartment. Baby Doll took her to the armory.

  After getting a dagger and putting it on her belt, Samantha returned to medical. Raferty Hawkins was lying on an exam table on his stomach wearing a pair of shorts and shirt as Doc Windsor examined the recent work on his thigh. Hawkins glanced at the new crewmember as she stopped next to Doc Windsor and watched. He smiled up at her and introduced himself. “Captain Raferty Hawkins. Forgive me for not getting up.”

  Hawkins got Samantha’s serious expression in return and then a serious reply as she got right down to business. “Samantha, new med tech. I like it here and hope to stay. Baby Doll said I could.” Samantha suddenly realized that she might be hanging Baby Doll out to dry so quickly added. “If it’s okay with you…. sir.”

  Rafe nodded approval while letting the “sir” slide. Baby Doll had already mentioned it to him, not as a proposal but as a done deal. He could live with it. “I trust Baby Doll’s judgment. Welcome aboard. We can always use good people here, and Doc speaks highly of you.”

  Samantha nodded her thanks and moved away to the other side of the compartment to a med tech for more instruction.

  Doc Windsor leaned over him as he concluded his exam. He talked with a note of worry in his soft voice. “When did I mention her to you?”

  Hawkins whispered back, “You didn’t, but it sounded good.”

  “Glad to hear that. Thought I might be starting to have walking blackout episodes again.” The relief in Windsor’s voice was noticeable. “I really hate those. You regain your consciousness in the damnedest places with the damnedest people. Can be embarrassing.”

  “No walking blackouts episodes. You’re doing fine,” replied Rafe.

  Doc slapped him on the shoulder as a signal he was done. Raferty sat up. Doc spoke in an official tone. “Doctor Bergeron does fine work. He knows his stuff. You are healing up well. Give it a few more weeks. No strain on the legs like leg exercises in the gym or running. Normal activity will be fine. The pain pills given to you by Doctor Bergeron should handle any discomfort. If you run out, let me know.” Doc now lowered his voice and switched subjects. “Truth is Samantha is doing very well. I’m glad to have her here in medical.” He gave a wide smile and talked with obvious pride. “She’s a murderer, you know.”

  Rafe smiled back. “She’ll fit right in then.” The two men nodded at each other.

  Chapter 30

  Commander Fritz Steiner had been on Bolindale for five days. He had presented his orders to the Strasberg Mining Corporation planetary director and the head of the planetary council. They were not happy to see an investigation beginning that they could not control. They were less happy when it became apparent that Steiner didn’t much give a damn about their feelings. They were downright unhappy when their complaints to Admiral Hochstadt at Rosstrappe went unanswered.

  The company and government officials then stonewalled Steiner. The records he reviewed had clearly been purged of pertinent information. Facilities were not available for touring. No officials or prison authorities were provided for interviews. His response was to take ten heavily armed Imperial soldiers with him to the Longwall Prison and force his way inside. When the acting warden refused to allow him beyond the front reception area, Steiner had him arrested. He then informed the others in his way that his soldiers would begin shooting people who blocked his path. Everyone got out of the way.

  Steiner knew the prison officials wouldn’t talk but the prisoners would. He confined the prison staff to the dining hall and began systematically interviewing prisoners, women first. All the women had multiple versions of the same story. Steiner was sickened. He believed them but needed tangible proof. One woman provided a name.

  Steiner looked calmly across the small table at the old convict in a yellow jumpsuit. The man gave him a wizened smile in return. Steiner couldn’t help but smile back at him. If it wasn’t for the old man’s record of decades of petty crimes and theft, he would have guessed that the guy was somebody’s wise old great grandfather.

  “How are you, Mister Winkler?” Steiner asked in a polite tone.

  “Quite well, young man. And you can stop with the mister stuff. Just call me Kid. Everyone does.”

  “Why do they call you Kid?”

  The old guy smiled and revealed a row of missing teeth. “My first prison time was a long time back. I actually was a kid, and that was what they called me. Both prisoners and guards. I have been in and out over the years and there were always prisoners and guards there from the earlier times and they still called me Kid. It became my name. This last prison term is for life and I’m still Kid although it’s kinda a joke with everyone now.”

  Steiner nodded. “I’m hoping you can help me, Kid.”

  “Why would I wanna to do that?”

  “Because it would be the right thing to do.”

  Kid laughed. “I ain’t never done the right thing in my life, Sonny.”

  Steiner shrugged. “It’s a good a time as any to start.” He paused. “Those pirates
came here for a reason, and I want to know why, and I think you can help me.”

  Kid stared at the Goth officer. He was clearly taking Steiner’s measure and weighing his words before speaking. “Why would I help you get them? I hope they get away. That one I talked to was a little cutie. Name of Baby Doll. Fits her too.”

  Steiner gave a smile and Kid caught it. He asked, “You know this Baby Doll?”

  “I know of her and she is a cutie. When I was captain of a destroyer, I fought against some of them but not her.”

  Kid was interested. “Which ones?”

  “Most of the pirates I fought against were not part of the fight here. One of the pirates I fought against who was also here was Killian O’Hare, the one who lost her hand.”

  Kid nodded and then asked, “Did you beat ‘em? You musta or you wouldn’t be alive right now.”

  Steiner shook his head. “I didn’t beat them, they let my ship go because I had tried to do them a favor before that particular fight happened, and they appreciated the effort.”

  Kid regarded the navy man for a long moment. “You tryin’ to do ‘em a favor now?”

  “No, I’m trying to get the truth now. I want the truth whether it helps them or hurts them.” He leaned toward Winkler. “I think you can help me with that. I want the truth and what happens after that depends on what that truth is.”

  The convict smiled wide, an image of innocence. Steiner thought the old man had had a lifetime perfecting that look. Kid asked, “What makes you think that I can help you?”

  Steiner shrugged “Just a feeling.”

  “She told you, didn’t she?” Kid’s tone said that it was not really a question.

  Now it was Steiner’s turn to look innocuous. “I have no idea what you mean.”

  Kid Winkler laughed. “Don’t try that innocent look on me, Sonny. I was doin’ it since before your daddy was born.” He paused now and then nodded to himself. “Thelma told you. Can’t say I blame her. She is old now but been in the system a long time, long before this sewer was built. Whatever jail you’re in, it don’t really matter. They’re all the same, and she has been through hell in this damn prison system. She and I are friends. Have been for years. I could never help her much before, but I think I can now.” He looked at Steiner and shrugged. “Hell, if I had wanted to keep it a secret, I shouldn’t have told her ‘bout it to begin with.” He continued to look directly at Steiner and waited.

  Steiner talked softly. “She and many of the other women gave me testimony about conditions around here, but she said you can help make it stick.”

  The old man smiled to himself. “Yeah, I can help. When the pirates left and before the town police got here, we all had a few minutes to ourselves. Most every prisoner ran for it, for all the good it did ‘em. I didn’t. I’m too old and nowhere to go. What I did was to go to the control room where all the recordings come to. I knew once they got the prison back, they would make everything disappear or change ‘em. I downloaded the pirate attack and whatever else was on the camera feeds up ‘till then. I got the attack and two hours ‘fore that. I hid the disk out front behind the entrance sign on the wall next to the main doors. There is a gap there where the wall ain’t quite straight up and down. You’ll find the disk in that little gap.” He smiled at Steiner. “I knew they would search the prison for sure after the pirate raid to see if us prisoners had hid anything away, but they would never think to search outside the prison. That disk will tell you all you need to know about that day and what goes on ‘round here all the time.”

  Steiner thanked him. He silently promised himself he would help this man and his friend, Thelma, if the information turned out to be correct. The officer gathered his materials and his team and departed for the day. He stopped at the sign on the wall by the entrance. He stuck his little finger in a slight gap between the sign and the wall of the building. The small disk was there, and he took it.

  Back in his hotel room, he and his team watched the entire disk projected on a wall. It was all the camera feeds from everywhere in the jail. Much of the video showed the same action from different perspectives. There was no sound, but there didn’t need to be. After it was over, Steiner sat staring at the now blank wall beyond the computer projector as his team sat quietly waiting for his comments. The disk showed it all. The investigation was over. His team now knew everything that had occurred during the pirate attack. Also, why the pirates had come in the first place. The events on the recording before the pirate attack and Killian O’Hare’s actions during the fighting made the reasons for the attack very clear. Steiner couldn’t know for sure, but he suspected O’Hare had spent time in that prison around the time all the adults in her group had been killed. Before recording the pirate attack, the cameras had recorded what seemed to be routine activity throughout the jail. It also showed what passed for business-as-usual in the women’s section of the prison. If O’Hare went through that as a young woman… Steiner heaved a heavy sigh. Yes, he knew exactly why the pirates had shown up. They were there to collect a debt from long ago. Steiner was rather glad they had succeeded.

  He stood and addressed his group. “We were sent here to find out why the pirates attacked this one prison and what the people in power were hiding. We now know the answers to both questions. Although we have no proof from other prisons, I suspect it will be much as this, so I’m not wasting time to learn the obvious. This is time-critical in that the people here will do all they can to bury this and figure out ways to influence any future investigations.

  “I’m sending this video to the Admiral personally in one minute. Nobody talks of this with anybody outside this room. Nobody puts this information in a comm to anybody. Nobody gossips about this with anybody. If word of this leaks out, I will trace that leak down, and I will splatter someone on the nearest bulkhead. Any questions?” Nobody had a question. Steiner sent the information directly to Admiral Hochstadt.

  Chapter 31

  Gabrielle had spent her day at the polo matches with Baron Ernst Hochstadt. The time had been interesting. She had been introduced to Prince Joseph and spent several minutes talking to him as the Baron had to step away to take a long comm call. Gabby was sure this was arranged so she could realize how lucky she was to have the prince all to herself for a time. She found she liked the young man but also that his reputation was accurate. He was a playboy with an interest in women, horses, and a good time. For anything else, he had an attention span that could be measured by a lightning flash. Gabby could see that Baron Hochstadt controlled their business relationship, and the prince would agree to anything or sign anything as long as he made profit, and it didn’t disrupt his social schedule. She suspected he didn’t even read what he signed but took his cousin’s word for it. Gabby had no doubt that the elimination of the Baron would leave the prince adrift with no guidance. Then he would default to his party boy persona, and that would be that. The Sunrise Grange would lose their royal protection and royal interest.

  The Baron returned to Gabby as the prince left to mount up for his match. The remainder of the day was spent with introductions to many of the polo crowd and the Baron describing life among the elites as the polo match provided background entertainment. Gabrielle smiled at everyone and said little. She was the perfect companion for the Baron. Beautiful and vacant. All the men they met wished they could find such a mistress.

  At the end of the game, everyone said their goodbyes to each other and moved to their transportation. Nobody knew who had won, but that really wasn’t the point of the occasion. Hochstadt had conducted himself as a gentleman throughout the day but seemed slightly preoccupied. Gabby had the impression this was just filler for him as he waited for a more important engagement. She hoped it was true. That might be the opening they needed. The Baron took his date home and opened the door to her apartment for her. As a test, Gabrielle invited him in for refreshments, but Hochstadt begged off, citing an upcoming business meal. They parted with a friendly kiss and a mutual promise to
get together again soon.

  Gabby entered her apartment, moved to a window and watched her escort drive away. Then she watched another air car follow him. She smiled. Dylan Whitlock and Scarecrow had been waiting for the return of the couple from the polo match. When the Baron had escorted Gabby back to her apartment, the two men had put a tracker on the Baron’s car. They had then gone to their own air car down the street and waited. When the Baron had driven away, Dylan and Scarecrow followed him to parts unknown. Since the Baron was driving himself in an anonymous air car, it was assumed he was heading to a scheduled rendezvous with a young lady. Whitlock and his people needed to know where that was located and how conducive that place would be as the spot to kill Baron Ernst Hochstadt.

  When the Baron was driving through the busy city and its heavy traffic, Whitlock maintained a line of sight on his air car. As he departed the city and moved into the surrounding hills, Whitlock backed off. They now depended on the tracker and a rare glimpse of the Baron’s air car ahead of them to maintain contact. Forty-five minutes later the tracker showed Hochstadt’s vehicle turning onto a side road and heading up a forested hill. Whitlock slowed slightly as his air car came to that turnoff.

  “I wouldn’t,” advised Scarecrow. “It looks like a private entrance to a residence. There could be recorders or some other form of security guarding the road.”

  Whitlock agreed, “Probably. We’ll find another way.”

  He continued past the road entrance. Two kilometers further along, there was a lookout point on the right side of the road with a small parking lot. Whitlock put their air car in a marked parking space and the two men climbed out. There were two other cars and five people there. The pair moved to the edge of the lot to take in the scenery, well away from the other sightseers. The view looked out on a wide valley. To the left in the distance was the capital city, but the men were giving their attention to their right. There were a series of tall hills there. Each one was slightly higher as they moved away from the road Whitlock had just driven. Somewhere in that area was the Baron.