Duty and Obligation

by Sean Benjamin

  Hochstadt shook her head in disgust. “Let them bitch all they want. I’ll just send a copy of that prison imagery as a response to their complaints. The complainers can answer that mail.”

  Dietrich nodded. “Now the different subject. You are aware of Admiral Muller and his Green Squadron convoy system?”

  Hochstadt nodded. “He sent in a proposal paper. I read it, and it is in staffing now for comment from my people. He is doing the convoys on an interim basis to test the practical value and to see how many merchant ships want to participate. I understand you were approached informally but declined to partake.”

  Dietrich shrugged slightly. “It is just an attempt to bring Hawkins to battle. He won’t engage unless he thinks he can win, and he will probably be right. He wins the fight and grabs the convoy ships. Most those ships will be slavers. There is no other reason for them to join the convoy. If he grabs the ships and they are slavers, then the story is the Goldenes Tor Imperial Navy is escorting slavers to keep them safe. That won’t do us any favors.”

  He looked at Hochstadt, awaiting an answer. She replied, “If Hawkins wins the battle.”

  Dietrich responded, “He won’t attack until he is sure he can win. Muller has beefed up escorts and is now using half his squadron for each convoy. One battlecruiser, one heavy, one light, and three destroyers. That is a lot of firepower and will tip Hawkins off that the real reason for the convoys is to bring him to battle. But Hawkins can match that power with his ships and those freighter/missile boats he has. Those ships change configuration and registry all the time so no way to locate them. If I was Hawkins, I would put two or three of them in the convoy as slavers and then have them shoot volleys at the battlecruiser at close range. If they have the element of surprise, they get the battlecruiser for sure. After that, the pirates have the advantage if they have all their ships there. If the Royal Navy is involved in grabbing all the convoy ships while Hawkins fights our people, this has the potential to be a disaster all the way around.”

  Hochstadt sat back in her chair, deep in thought. “Wilma Landau with Gold Squadron is starting the convoy system too. She is in the Cinnamon System so would parade the convoys right by the new Zeke base at Agra 2. Hawkins might hit there.”

  “He could. If he can win a fight right in front of the Agra people, that would be a big victory.”

  Hochstadt frowned and then continued. “I’m thinking we could put some of our Q ships in the convoy. That would help win the battle if there is one.”

  “It’s worth a try. I understand we have a few of them still running around, but they haven’t had much success against Hawkins. They could be a plus in this scenario.”

  Hochstadt nodded in agreement. “I’ll round them up and send them to Muller and Landau.”

  Dietrich nodded and leaned back in his chair. He looked at Hochstadt for a long second. “That imagery is enough to make your skin crawl, isn’t it?”

  Hochstadt nodded. “Over the years I have heard of stuff like that happening in many different places, and yet, it always surprises me when I see it is still going on. I wonder why I’m still surprised. Maybe I keep thinking we are making progress as the human race when we might not be making any progress at all.” She stared at the wall where the action had been projected. “You know I hate Killian O’Hare, and I thought I always would, but right now I feel sorry for her. She is a beautiful woman and probably was a beautiful girl back then. She would have been an easy target in that prison and clearly went through hell there. I wouldn’t wish that on even her. I can see why she is crazy.”

  Dietrich nodded. “Right after the Kiraloch incident, she told me she hates Goths but wouldn’t say why. If she had family killed with Hawkins’ mother and then the prison experience, I can see why she would hate us.”

  Both were quiet for a short while. Dietrich rose and turned to the door. “I better get after it,” he said quietly.

  Hochstadt stood up also. She talked to her friend. “Rick?” He stopped and looked at her. She continued. “Thanks for all your work and support.”

  He smiled. “Glad to do it and always will.”

  She gave an answering smile. “If you need to kick some serious ass on Bolindale, I’ll back you no matter what.”

  Dietrich continued to smile. “I’ll get the job done while doing the best I can to keep both of us out of trouble.”

  They nodded to each other, and he departed. She sat back down in her chair and surveyed the empty room. She shook her head slowly. Hawkins and others like him were her enemies, but at least, they were upfront about it. She thought her worst enemies were some of the citizens and some of the corporations of the Goldenes Tor who operated in the Badlands. They were a law unto themselves and they liked it that way. Well, nothing lasts forever.

  Chapter 37

  Three days passed since Hochstadt’s love nest had been found. His air car never left his residence in the capitol city as the Baron conducted his business in a chauffeured air car befitting his status as a member of the royal family.

  He did call Gabby for a date during the week. Gabby agreed and a fine dinner was had the next night. The date ended with a passionate kiss at her door that seemed to be a prelude for the remainder of the evening. Rather than invite him in, Gabby broke the mood by asking about his hidden retreat. Hochstadt saw where this was going. Gabrielle wouldn’t make any sort of commitment to him until he made a grand gesture of some sort. He told her the place was called the Hideaway within the family and was closely guarded by all family members. Only the closest of friends were invited there. Hochstadt suggested they were on the verge of becoming close friends so a visit was very much in order. He suggested he would take her to the Hideaway in four days. He would call her with the time he would be by to pick her up. She should pack for an overnight stay. Gabby agreed. She gave Hochstadt a passionate kiss as a sample of things to come, and the Baron departed.

  As soon as his departure was confirmed, a war council was held in the apartment across the hall.

  “He definitely wants you now,” Jasmine said. “The delay means he has work commitments he can’t get out of or he has a previous engagement at the Hideaway. I think the latter. This could be the time to get a look at him in action there. We need to be able to move in a hurry.”

  Whitlock issued orders. “Me, Jazz, and Scarecrow will do the recon.” He turned to Gabby. “I don’t want you with us. The three of us might get caught while we are observing. If that happens, we have to ensure there is no link to you. Regardless of our situation, you will have to carry out the mission solo.” Gabby nodded and Dylan continued. “We need to dress warmly and take food and drink. We’ll be on the hillside all night so plan appropriately.”

  “I’ll pack the air car with our gear so we can move in a hurry if the Baron goes to the Hideaway,” said Scarecrow.

  The next evening the Baron’s marked air car left his residence and headed in the direction of the Hideaway. The three would-be assassins moved to their transportation and followed the Baron at a leisurely pace toward the same destination. There was no reason to hurry as they were sure the Baron’s method of entertainment was never hastily done. He would arrive well before his guest so he could set the stage.

  They used the same parking place as before and hiked to their perch above the Hideaway. The Baron’s air car was the lone vehicle parked outside the front door. Scarecrow set up a recorder to capture all of the activity expected to take place outside for their future study. He settled in behind the recorder and the other two took up positions on each side. Everyone got as comfortable as possible.

  Within minutes, dusk began to settle over the hills. Whitlock was sure whoever was coming wouldn’t want to come up the narrow private road surrounded by trees and rocks in the dark so they should have a short wait. He was right. The sounds of an approaching air car drifted up to them from below. A second later, the expensive vehicle appeared from the forest at a slow rate of speed. It parked next to the first car and a young d
ark woman exited through the driver’s side door. She was dressed in an expensive dress with appropriate jewelry and carried an overnight bag. She moved toward the cabin with a self-assured grace. Hochstadt emerged to greet her on the porch. He took the bag and then gave her a long adoring kiss followed by a tight lingering hug. He whispered in her ear and she laughed as she leaned back to look at him. Another long kiss and then the pair went inside arm in arm.

  Dylan spoke to Scarecrow. “Did you get that?”

  Scarecrow smiled in the gathering darkness as he patted the recorder. “Every bit. All the details, including her wedding ring.”

  Jazz said, “He is smooth. I’ll give him that.”

  “I think he has this down to a science,” agreed Dylan.

  Scarecrow said, “And while he is conducting his experiments, we’ll be out here waiting patiently. I bet it’s an all-nighter.”

  Scarecrow would be proven correct. The team split up the time for watch with Jazz taking the first shift. Nobody departed during the night. All three watchers were awake when the first shreds of daylight hit the hills. It was not until late morning when Ernst Hochstadt and his lady emerged onto the porch. She was in a dress with a matching jacket suitable for the office while he was in an extravagant lounge robe. They kissed passionately, and she reluctantly walked to her air car. He sent her off with blown kisses and waves while looking regretful at the parting. With one last wave, the woman entered the air car, started it, and departed. The luxury air car moved down the narrow road and was quickly swallowed up in the forest.

  Ernst Hochstadt waved goodbye the entire time as he stayed on the porch until the vehicle was out of sight. He then hurried inside. Forty minutes later, he reappeared on the porch and took a seat in one of the chairs. He had changed clothes into more formal wear. With his slicked back hair, smooth chin, and highly groomed mustache, he had clearly showered and shaved. He waited patiently.

  In ten minutes, another air car could be heard coming up the hill. It emerged from the forest and moved rapidly toward the chalet. Ernst stood and watched the approaching air car with obvious interest. Unlike the air car that had recently departed, it was small and nondescript, one of thousands on the road. There was only the driver inside. The air car stopped behind Hochstadt’s car so the driver was hidden from view. As the air car shut down, the driver’s door opened and, to nobody’s surprise, a woman emerged.

  “This guy can go through some women,” remarked Scarecrow.

  “You jealous?” asked Jasmine.

  “Yeah.” Scarecrow was being honest. “I kinda am.”

  “I’ll be sure to tell Gabby.”

  “Hey, what is said on stakeout, stays on stakeout.”

  Whitlock cut in. “Make sure you get this on imagery.”

  “Of course.” Scarecrow was all business now.

  The woman came around the air car’s front toward the porch and now was in full view of the watchers. The air car may have been unremarkable, but the woman was not. Tall and statuesque, she moved with elegance and confidence. She was a woman who was used to being the center of attention and reveled in it. She wore expensive everything. Her hair was the latest style and expertly done. Her cosmetics were superb, and jewelry adorned each finger and her throat. She moved in a straight line to the waiting, smiling man. She had barely gotten up on the porch before the two launched themselves at each other. They eagerly sought each other’s lips while doing communal groping.

  “Damn, that is one serious hello. That kind of closure rate and impact could break a tooth.” Scarecrow had a close-up view through the lens of his recorder.

  The couple held their lip lock while Hochstadt backed toward the building’s entrance with her clinging to him like a coat of paint. They spun inside and the door closed behind them.

  Jazz looked at Scarecrow. “Please tell me you got that on imagery.”

  “Yup.” Scarecrow patted the camera. “All right in here.”

  “Fantastic.” She looked at Scarecrow and Whitlock beyond him. She smiled a gorgeous smile. “I think we just solved our little problem.” They both stared at her. Jasmine never stopped smiling. “You do know who that was, don’t you?” The two men shook their heads. Scarecrow took a stab at it. “A new girlfriend who is older but clearly rich and still nice looking. Judging from the air car, she likes to travel incognito.”

  Jazz shook her head in exasperation. “Men! Anyway, that was Carlotta.” She was met with two blank stares. She shook her head again. “Carlotta, as in the Emperor’s wife!”

  “He is having an affair with the Emperor’s wife?” Whitlock said in amazement. He looked down at the Hideaway. “Wow, that is one dumb son of a bitch.”

  “Wait a second, wouldn’t that make her his aunt?” Scarecrow was catching up.

  “Yes,” Jazz agreed. “By marriage.”

  Scarecrow shook his head. “Never happened in my family. I guess they do things differently here in the old country.”

  Whitlock continued to watch the house as he thought through the possibilities. He turned to the others. “I think you’re right, Jazz. We just found a way to end Ernst without a kill shot.” He paused for a second and then added, “Of course, the Emperor may want that pleasure for himself.”

  Smiles were exchanged all around. They settled in to wait for the lady’s departure. It happened three hours later. The departure was marked by much affection and more groping in front of the cabin. Finally, Carlotta reluctantly broke from her lover and entered her air car. With one final blown kiss, she drove into the trees and down the hill with the Baron waving the entire time. This evolution was also caught by the recorder.

  The three observers nodded to each other for a job well done as the Baron reentered the building. They packed up their gear and moved down the hill away from the cabin to their hidden transportation. On the trip home, their plan began to take shape. Once they ran it by Gabby, it was a done deal.

  ~ ~ ~

  Early the next day the first fragments of their news story found their way into cyberspace. An article about an illicit affair between two members of the royal family appeared out of nowhere. Such gossip always had a ready audience. The arrival of a certain lady at a certain gentleman’s retreat quickly caught every reader’s attention. Neither of the participants were named but the story’s details narrowed the list of suspects down considerably. These stories tended to attract great attention at first but then died quickly if readers concluded this was written fantasy or a hatchet job on a royal family member with no basis in fact. Additional viable information had to be continuously added to keep up the interest level.

  In the early afternoon, the story was expanded on with a few more facts added concerning the departure of the lady from the love nest that she and her lover used for their many meetings. Again, no names were used but descriptions of the two beautiful people were included. Speculation as to the two identities became the day’s great game as the story quickly mushroomed across the many webs and channels that handled the flow of information within the Goldenes Tor. Readers sensed this had the smell of real scandal and they wanted every detail.

  The story picked up momentum. Late that evening, images were added to the story. There was no doubt as to the identity of the two lovers now. The images were of the arrival and departure of Carlotta and the Baron’s treatment of her. They were clear and sharp. The activity was obvious. The story was picked up by the mainstream media on several planets.

  Chapter 38

  Captain Lisa Cassidy disembarked from the shuttle at the main shipyard offices at San Cristine on Mala Leche. She was followed by Ace from Rebel II and two Royal Marines. All four people wore sidearms. The party was greeted by Heinrich Obermann, shipyard manager. Obermann had watched their approach with some confusion. When the two ships had entered orbit, they had been identified as a Royal Navy light cruiser of the Explorer class and a Royal Navy destroyer of the Armet class. The message received at the shipyard requested a visit by the two ship captains. T
he woman in a Royal Navy uniform was definitely a Royal Navy ship’s captain, but the man with her was definitely not a Royal Navy ship’s captain. Obermann was not too worried although, as a general rule, he didn’t like surprises. They hardly ever turned out to be pleasant.

  He shook the two captains’ hands as names were exchanged. The manager ushered them into the building and on to his office. Seats were taken around a conference table. Refreshments were offered and politely refused.

  Obermann smiled as he started the discussion. “How may we assist the Royal Navy today?”

  Cassidy gave an answering smile as she passed across a disk and papers. “You have a ship from the Aeonian Conglomeration here about to under some mods. We swung by her on the way in and see she is named Dindrane. We understand the AC put in a rush order for her. The reason it is a rush order is you are removing all evidence of her being a slave ship. I am here to claim her under Measure 200, an anti-slavery law passed by my government to combat slavery and its profits. She will be evidence in the prosecution of AC personnel. We wish to take her now.”

  Obermann looked over the papers and then Cassidy without expression. The papers were the legal filings for what Cassidy had just stated she wanted to do. This was not a scenario he had envisioned as he mentally ran through a list of likely topics while awaiting their arrival. He knew the AC had already paid the bill for the upcoming work, so there would be no profit loss here. In fact, they would come out ahead by keeping the money without ever doing the work. However, customers didn’t like it when shipyards gave away their ships to whoever decided to make a claim on them. A bad precedent would be set. Slavery only complicated the issue. The manager nodded once and picked up a pad from in front of him. “Let me review the work order for Dindrane. One moment, please.”