by C. R. Daems
"All right, Miss Tamatha Naquin. It's a deal."
* * *
We spent the next three days documenting every client she could remember, every house she stayed in between assignments, the people she had met, and the systems she had been on. Now I had the names of thirty rich men who were undoubtedly regular clients of the group, twenty brothels on eight different systems, and four names I thought were part of the group running the kidnapping ring: Tashia, who gave the women their options, Lucio, who indoctrinated the women, and Efrain and Stefan, who accompanied them to have their names changed and arranged their transportation and housing. Tamatha had a sizeable bank account on Amend under the name Debbie Thomas but was afraid to use it for fear they could track her if she did.
For security, I had Tamatha moved to the Taranis. Late on the third night, Banner, Stamm, Tamatha, and I sat in my dining room drinking coffee.
"What now?" Tamatha asked.
"Attend to lose ends," I said. "Banner, who is the commanding military officer on Safe Harbor?" I looked to him. He was busy on his tablet for several minutes.
"Brigadier General Presley," he finally said.
"Send the following message to General Presley and use my NIA title," I said.
General Presley, I would appreciate it if you would do whatever is necessary to secure the safety of Mr. Frank Naquin and his family. Take into account that this protection may be necessary for an extended period of time and that a criminal organization is involved with potential ties on Safe Harbor. This is a P1A request and not to be discussed except on a need-to-know basis. I will update General Guzman. You may contact me on the UAS Cruiser Taranis if necessary. Inform Mr. Naquin that his daughter is safe.
"Thank you," Tamatha whispered in genuine relief.
"Tamatha, what were you studying in college before you were abducted?"
"Engineering."
"How is the drug addiction doing?" I asked as an idea began forming.
"I will never touch them again. Those drugs are linked directly to the abuse I suffered, not to pleasure. I haven't even been tempted since I found the Mercy Clinic."
I nodded and left for Captain Martz's office and was admitted immediately.
"What can I do for you…Anna?"
"I have a personal request…" I went on to explain the problem and my idea. An hour later, I returned to questioning faces.
"Congratulations, Tamatha; you are going to be crew on the Taranis. You will tutor under the communications officer."
"Me?"
"Yes; it's the safest place I can think of, you will learn a skill, and it will give you a chance to think about what you want to do after I destroy your former employer," I said, which elicited a smile from Tamatha.
"Thank you, ma'am. I'm glad I trusted you."
"Banner, see if you can find out where General Guzman is right now. Maybe the local commander knows. I would imagine they keep an eye on their boss." I smiled, thinking about his volatile nature. Banner was back in less than a half hour.
"Ma'am, he's on Fire Rock," Banner said, frowning. "Maybe something to do with Higgins?"
"It's possible. That's good, as Captain Martz is preparing to depart for Fire Rock within the hour."
CHAPTER FORTY- ONE
Star System: Fire Rock – Good News, Bad News
When I exited the shuttle with my escort, Commander Taber waited with General Guzman and another older man I didn't recognize. He looked very distinguished with his silver hair, expensive dark gray suit, and pleasant but no-nonsense face. I saluted Guzman before returning Taber's salute.
"Admiral Paulus, you already know General Guzman, but I'd like you to meet Police Commissioner Goodwin. Commissioner Goodwin, this is Admiral Paulus…" Taber stopped in mid-sentence as Red took that moment to appear and wrap around my neck with his red head pointing at Goodwin. "And her ever-present krait, Red," he finished. Goodwin had stopped halfway to me.
"Is he venomous?" he asked, appraising Red.
I took his hand and shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Commissioner Goodwin. Very, but he's lazy and not inclined to bite unless someone is trying to kill his meal ticket."
Goodwin laughed after a short pause and extracted his hand as he took a small step backward. "That would be justification," he said, then asked, "What do you intend to do with Higgins?"
I noticed Guzman looked very interested and watched me closely.
"Ironically, although he violated the secrecy of a P1A project, his intent was to get revenge on me, hoping General Guzman would, at a minimum, get me demoted or replaced and best case, kill me. Consequently, although I have justification to send him to Stonewall, it doesn't feel appropriate since his action didn't impact the project. I'll settle for him being removed from office. He appears more interested in his power rather than the citizens he's supposed to be protecting. I had to force him to help with the missing women I was pursuing when every other commissioner was eager to cooperate."
"That's very generous, Admiral Paulus," Goodwin said, obviously pleased.
"I'd like to bring you up to date on the Magic Act project and I have a personal update for General Guzman," I said, noticing Guzman's look had changed. Through Red, I could feel it had gone from suspicion to approval.
"You can use my office to update the General and then give me a briefing," Goodman said as we headed for the ground vehicles Pannell had arranged.
"Thank you, Commissioner. Commander Taber, why don't you come along since you are actively involved?"
* * *
"You what!?" Guzman bellowed in his best megaphone voice, turning heads in the outer office although the office door was closed and the room relatively soundproof. "Then you can free my daughter!" He stood to deliver his tirade.
I held up one finger. "First, you have no authority to give me orders. In fact, if I were to press charges, a court martial board would consider your actions unbecoming an officer." I paused, holding up another finger. "Second, I don't owe you the time of day. I don't owe you an explanation for what I'm doing, what I plan to do, or when I plan to do it. I don't owe you information on Susan or any other individual in the Magic Act. Nor does any other person involved on the project. In fact, attempting to obtain information from me or them would be a violation of a P1A project and justification to have you sentenced to Stonewall for the rest of your life." I paused and held up a third finger. "Third, considering your behavior, I seriously wonder if you shouldn't retire. You're not acting like someone fit to command men into battle." I pointed to the chair. He sat. I stood and walked to the door, saw Banner, and raised my voice. "Lieutenant Banner, can you get the general and me some hot coffee? His coffee is cold and it's making him cranky."
A minute later Banner appeared with two cups, one straight coffee and one a milky color. When he closed the door, I continued. "And the only reason I put up with your outrageous behavior is because I know the pain my mother experienced when she thought me dead at the hands of the pirates. A reasonable question would have been, Why did you free this current woman and not the others?" I said as I sat. "After all, there are eighty-plus women in their hands, not just your daughter."
"Why?" He whispered.
"The answer is, I didn't free her. She resorted to years of drugs to survive the special abuse they forced on her, and she finally cracked and escaped."
"Cracked? It was heroic, brave, the right thing to do…"
"Actually, she considers herself a coward who betrayed everything she believes in." I held up my hand. "That's the problem. You're viewing their world from your uninformed perspective—saving your daughter and alleviating your pain. Your daughter and the other women are looking at their world as it is. In your daughter's case, saving the lives of her mother, father, brothers, and having her sister dragged into the world of sex trafficking. In that sense, staying is brave, running cowardice." I paused for his knee-jerk response.
"I could protect Susan and my family."
"Maybe. Something you woul
d be willing to gamble on, but I doubt Susan would. Consequently, she is willing to suffer so you won't. And that sums up the difference between you and me and the reason I question your fitness to command. You are concerned about Susan. I am concerned about all the missing women and the others who may be taken while I seek to destroy the kidnapping ring." I stood and opened the door when I saw the commissioner talking with Banner and Stamm. "Commissioner if we can use your conference room, I'll bring you up to date," I said loudly. When the commissioner and his chief deputy, Stamm, Banner, and I were seated, I began.
"It sounds like you've made a lot of progress," Goodwin said when I had finished.
"In beginning to understand their operation but not toward finding the leaders and destroying their organization. I believe the women have come in contact with some of the top leaders, but they have never seen their headquarters, or know what system it's on, or how the clients communicate with them, or how they select, kidnap, or transport the women…"
"Something most civilians don't understand. Most cases are solved after weeks and sometimes months of talking with people, collecting evidence at the crime scene, stakeouts, and searching through piles of garbage. The criminals usually don't leave their names and signed confessions."
* * *
On the way out, General Guzman stood waiting.
"Sir?" I asked.
"I'm passing the word to my commanders that they are to support you unequivocally, the Naquins will have our full protection, and that there's no need to check with me or report the actions they take." His voice was monotone. "Everything you said was right. You're in charge and are doing your best for the women and their families." He nodded and ambled off, head down in thought or prayer—or both.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Star System: Eastar – A New Adversary
The trip home took a little over four days, giving me lots of time to think—too much. I could think of no action I could take that would get me closer to the kidnappers. I just had to wait while the thousand people I had searching collected the bit and pieces which would fill in the puzzle and lead to the kidnapping ring's demise. But every day it took was another day the women suffered, and still other women were being kidnapped. I wanted to scream, to demand the space gods' help—just a finger pointing in the right direction. But screaming didn't help and the space gods didn't appear interested. Mercifully, we reached Eastar and I was relieved knowing I would have my mother to whine to.
* * *
We arrived back too late for Lulltrel to suggest I stop in to work to update her, so Pannell flew me straight home. At the door I was surprised Alexa wasn't waiting. She usually knew exactly when I would arrive and was waiting with a loving hug to welcome me home. I entered and shouted, "Mother, your gypsy daughter is home." No answer. The home was deathly quiet, and I began to worry. It was too late for her to be working at the courthouse, and knowing I was arriving back today, she wouldn't have gone out. Then I felt unreasonably hurt that she wasn't home to greet me. It had been all I could think of all day—get home and spend time with my mother. I stomped up the stairs, feeling like an adolescent who had been grounded for something she didn't do. At the top of the stairs, I looked toward Alexa's bedroom door a saw it open and the bed empty. Then I heard several musical chimes coming from the room. My mood lightened and I smiled, thinking she had some sort of surprise homecoming for me. Unusual, but if it pleased her, it pleased me. On the bed lay a tablet flashing Click for your surprise. I did, screamed, and dropped the tablet. The screen showed a picture of Alexa tied to a chair, shirt and bra off, and HELP carved into her chest with blood dripping from the cuts. When I had stopped throwing up and crying enough to see, I clicked on the message icon blinking next to her head and a message appeared.
My sister said you were annoying her and asked me to talk to you—in private—and convince you to stop. Actually, if I remember correctly, she said, "Make the little bitch suffer, then kill her." She was very upset. So I don't disappoint my sister, you will meet with me at GPS coordinates 40.2028 and 10.4416 tonight at midnight. If you come alone, we can negotiate the release of your mother. In that case, I will give you a fighting chance to kill me. If you refuse to come, I will begin sending you pieces of your mother as souvenirs. If you come and aren't alone, you will never see your mother again. Best wishes for a speedy decision.
I ran and retrieved my tablet from my purse, opened it, and entered the GPS coordinates. Judging by the satellite images, it was open country on the backside of Eastar. Hilly with only a few structures, each separated by many klicks. I picked up the foreign tablet and ran out the front door to my skimmer, climbed in the pilot's chair, and froze. Think, I chided myself. Think—what I do will determine Alexa's life, I mused. I wasn't dealing with a normal, rational human being. The sister had leverage—Alexa—but so did I. I sucked in a breath and typed:
I'm not meeting you in the dark. You need to arrange for us to meet early in the morning before the sun is visible but it's light enough for me to see my mother's condition. If I don't like her condition, I'll know you're a psychopath and can't be trusted and I will leave knowing you will kill her eventually regardless of what I do. If you send me so much as a fingernail, I will assume you're a psychopath and you will have to come get me.
I clicked Send and sat back, shaking uncontrollably, feeling like I was naked inside a meat-packing freezer. Several minutes later, a mail icon appeared. I clicked on it.
I'm Yanira, an honorable sister of the Kaliam. My word is my bond. You can trust me. The GPS I gave you at five hundred hours Eastar time. Come alone.
Yes, I can trust your word to your sister and the Kaliam, whoever they are, but not to a frightened young woman who you have given your word to kill. Out of curiosity, I searched for sister and Kaliam and was rewarded with a lengthy article. Kali was a blade fighting style developed on old Earth and further evolved on Sudan. The Kaliam was a sisterhood that practiced the art. The article went on to explain their traditions, including the Circle of Truth and Death by a Hundred Cuts. Membership was a closely held secret and the group were thought to be assassins and suspected responsible for a variety of killings. So much for a fair fight. I called Pannell.
"Paul, you, me, and all my security. Alexa has been kidnapped and I'm about to do something reckless, but hopefully with your help, not foolish or stupid."
"We'll be right over. Don't leave." He cut the connection. I snorted. I'd wager he had a tracking device on my skimmer, tablet, and me as well as two men sitting in a military shuttle not a hundred meters away.
* * *
When Paul arrived, I showed him the foreign tablet and the messages—the sister's and mine.
"What are you planning?" he asked. I could sense his surprise that I hadn't run off immediately.
"Red and I are planning to free our mother and kill the sister bitch," I said, not smiling or thinking it funny.
"Good idea. How?" he asked cautiously, probably remembering all my previous rash and reckless behavior.
"I don't know, but I'm not going alone. I'm taking you and whoever else you want to invite," I said and could feel his relief and trepidation.
"But she said you were to come alone," he said and looked to be awaiting the punchline.
"Fuck her with barbed wire—"
Paul choked and roared out a laugh.
"She has no choice like I have none. She has Alexa, so I have to go. She needs me, so she has no option but to work around the change in plans," I said, and Paul nodded with a small smile—he was going to the party.
* * *
Paul circled the area from several klicks up. "There are two people below. Both are sitting in…chairs or on benches. However, there are two shuttles behind that hill two hundred meters north and eight men on the hill looking down on the spot where Alexa and Yanira are sitting," Paul said, then added, "We could blow away the shuttles and the eight men leaving the sister without protection and a means of escape."
"No. She
prides herself as an honorable sister-soldier, at least honorable to the sisterhood, so I'd be inclined to think she would kill Alexa and martyr herself fighting your men. Land and I'll go negotiate. You can blow her and her men away if things go badly," I said. "I'm not suicidal, Paul. But not trying to save my mother isn't an option."
