Blood Alliance

by Connie Suttle

  "I have the manifests," Rajeon passed a comp-vid to Trent. "I also have the flight plans and thought to pull the actual flight memory from each ship. There were slight deviations in each. The navigator claimed it was to avoid space debris in one instance. Another, it was a glitch in the nav-comp. Third time, to work around crowded conditions in the shipping lanes."

  "Let me guess—each time they were hit, they were off course?" Travis snorted.

  "Yep. The records indicate just that."

  "Same company or different ones? Same navigator or different ones?" I asked.

  "Different each time on both counts," Rajeon reported.

  "You're really good at this," Travis told Rajeon. Rajeon grinned.

  "If this is connected, and it could very well be," Travis turned to me, "then somebody has been screwing around with the navigators. They have free rein to make minor course adjustments without informing the Captain. A major change will have to be approved by the Captain or second-in-command."

  "You're saying that each time, the ship was just enough off course to be hit by pirates?"

  "That's the way I see it," Rajeon agreed.

  "I think we need to interview all three navigators, then."

  "I'll send a notice to the local ASD, but the navigators in question may not be on the planet right now. They're navigators, and they ship out regularly," Trent observed.

  "We can work around that if we have to—I think we really need to see all three of them and as soon as possible. If we're forced to catch up with them on a ship, then Morrett has to come with us."

  "I will come." Morrett, who'd remained silent during our early morning meeting, spoke. "If they have obsession or compulsion, I will know it."

  "I think Travis, Morrett and Rajeon should go if it's necessary. That will leave enough of us here to fend off an attack if something happens," Perri suggested.

  "Find out where the navigators are, right away," I said. "We need you gone and back before the meeting with the Shipping Federation."

  "I have that information now," Trent tapped the comp-vid. "Two are here; one is on a ship bound for Lurjakk. The ASD is already gearing up to bring the first two here. I'm sending you the flight plan for the third's ship."

  "I think we can hit that," Travis agreed. "Just in case, I'll notify Zaria."

  "Get it done," I grinned at him. It was nice being in charge for a change. "Now, what are you wearing for the reception tonight?" I turned to Perri. "We have to coordinate, you know."

  Travis

  I'm sending Valegar, Zaria sent. He knows the layout of the ship in question, so even if it's hidden by bone dust, he can aim for a specific section inside the ship and still get there.

  I didn't need to ask how that happened; Valegar had likely bent time to get to the ship when it was last in port. No Larentii would be seen unless they wanted it, and nobody would find a power tag placed by a Larentii unless they wanted it found. Valegar would get us where we needed to go, in order to have a personal chat with the navigator.

  Seconds later, Valegar appeared. We'd borrowed an empty, inner office to make our departure and return; Perri and Zanfield would ensure it remained locked.

  "Ready?" Val offered a rare smile.

  "Ready."

  Suddenly, we were on board the Delineator, where our navigator-suspect worked. Currently, he was on a sleep rotation while the ship's comp flew a course designated by him.

  "Time to wake up sleeping beauty," I whispered. Rajeon and Morrett nodded their agreement. Val transported us to the navigator's berth, where we found Cadge Arra wide awake atop his bunk, both hands behind his head while he stared at the ceiling.

  "Hello, Cadge," I greeted him, causing him to jump and scramble against the wall, his arms raised to defend himself from blows.

  "Zaria says to bring him back with us. Now." Valegar made himself visible to Cadge. The subsequent, indrawn breath actually sounded relieved.

  "Ordered by the Captain?" Zanfield questioned Cadge while the rest of us, Zaria included, looked on.

  "He ordered me to take the ship off-course. Then he told me that I'd lose my license if I told anyone that he ordered it, and to write in the records that we encountered space debris, which caused the course corrections. He's been Captain for nearly sixty years. I've been a navigator for less than five."

  "Where is he now?" I asked. "What's his name?"

  "Captain Varber, and he's still with the fleet, although I heard he was making plans to retire."

  "Did Varber have connections to the other pirated ships?" Rajeon directed his question to Trent, who was busy with his comp-vid.

  "Nothing apparent," Trent reported moments later. "Different Captains each time. By the way, the other two navigators are waiting outside with an ASD escort."

  "Bring them in," Zanfield said. "I'll be interested in their stories, too."

  Zaria

  Cadge is telling the truth, and he's terrified he'll lose his license, I sent to Zanfield and the others, while two more navigators were brought into Zanfield's borrowed office.

  "Would you prefer that I stay?" The ASD agent asked Zanfield.

  He can stay, I sent. He plans to secretly record this portion of the meeting. I think he should do just that.

  "Please," Zanfield offered chairs to our new arrivals. "Now, let's get right down to business; we don't have a lot of time before the meeting I have scheduled with the Shipping Federation, who seem to want me to do something about the piracy occurring on their ships outside Murazalian-controlled shipping lanes."

  "If these attacks of piracy were planned, as all of you are saying, what do you imagine was in the cargo that the pirates wanted?" Travis asked. All three navigators had similar stories to tell—the commanding officer in each case had ordered them to deviate from their original course.

  "I have no idea," Cadge spoke first. "We were carrying farm-bots, seeds and seedlings—mostly trees—to restore a burned fruit and nut farm. I don't know why anyone would want to steal that."

  "What about you, Nenn?" I turned to the second navigator.

  "Nothing out of the ordinary," Nenn replied. "We were on our way back with a load of sand for glass. We also had three passengers that nobody was supposed to know about. After we were pirated, the sand and the passengers were gone."

  We'll be back, Zaria told me. She and Valegar, who were invisible to the others, departed.

  Zaria

  Val and I bent time, arriving seconds before the pirates boarded.

  Dearest, we cannot interfere with this event; you know this, Val reminded me as we watched the loading bay door open—from the inside.

  I know. I didn't tell him that I might find what I wanted to know just by looking at a few of the participants. He probably knew it, too, but didn't voice his opinions.

  On this ship, the Chief Engineer stood by after opening the door, while enormous barrels of sand were transported from one ship to the other.

  The Captain issued a command for the remaining crew to stand down and leave the loading bay, because the pirates demanded it. Failure to comply would result in their deaths.

  The Engineer is sweating and his heart rate is quite fast, Val reported.

  That's because he figured out what's in those barrels, beside sand.

  What is that, dear one? Val turned to me.

  Uranium, I breathed a mental sigh. No wonder he had a heart attack afterward. They weren't stealing sand. They were transporting an illegal substance, and ah, those three Sirenali, right there, I added, as three women opened a hidden door in the last barrel and stepped out of it. The barrel was large enough for them to have supplies and makeshift beds. I imagined they'd gotten out a time or two, just for exercise.

  Somehow, Nenn had caught them outside their temporary habitat and was threatened if he revealed what he knew. The women were escorted off the ship, their empty barrel came next, and the Chief Engineer, clutching his chest, manually shut the door behind them.

  Shall we see who delivered
the sand to the ship? I asked Val, who was now very intrigued. I paid no mind when the engineer dropped to his knees from the pain in his chest. I think a visit to the Captain is the first place to start.

  When we visited the third ship, which was reportedly carrying organic fertilizer, it wasn't just the smell of cow dung that hit my nostrils. If Lissa were here, she could probably tell us how many and what type of cows had pooped, and just how many bodies were buried in each wooden barrel of the same.

  My love, Val sent as the pirates boarded this ship to take its cargo, do you see what I see?

  That this is the same bunch of pirates? Yeah, I see that, all right.

  I have a plan, Val grimaced.

  Honey, you're the one who said no interference.

  They've forgotten that barrel hidden behind the broken-down loader.

  So they have.

  Shall we go stand there?

  I think we should.

  Val moved us quickly, and, as he knew it would, the shield around us also hid the barrel behind us. We watched as once again, the pirates exited the cargo hold and the Captain shut the door manually behind them.

  I don't think he wants this barrel, do you? I turned my face up to Val's.

  I can't say that he would; it stinks of excrement and decomposing human.

  I'll take it with us, then. He'd appreciate that if he knew.

  Travis, I sent, have someone bring Captain Deherdt to the meeting. I believe he'll have something interesting to report to the delegates of the Shipping Federation.

  Opal, Kell, I sent next. I really, really, need your help.

  Presidential Palace, Murazal

  Zanfield

  It was difficult, but we managed it. "Welcome," I stood to greet the delegates from the Shipping Federation. They'd been led into a small room often used by the guards. They were expecting to visit my office, instead.

  Well, the actual meeting wasn't going to take place in the Presidential Palace, anyway. "I've had the meeting relocated," I told them. "We only have three hours, so we should get going."

  "Where?" Darak, President of the Shipping Federation, demanded.

  "Oh, you'll recognize the place. It's in a Shipping Federation warehouse, commandeered by the ASD. This meeting involves both visual and physical aids for your perusal, and a very unusual story to go with them. Shall we?" I urged them toward the door they'd just entered. "A hover-limo is waiting outside for us, and drinks and snacks will be provided."

  Mumbling to one another, I took the lead and pulled them into the rotunda, where Travis, Trent, Rajeon and Morrett waited to escort us. No doubt, the real and very obsessed President of Murazal wouldn't have looked into this mess; he'd likely been told not to, and to make excuses. Instead, today would be quite the eye-opener, as Travis was fond of saying.

  Still, it made me wonder who'd placed the obsession in the first place. As far as I knew, nobody had stepped forward to attempt it another time.

  I'm still concerned all of this could be a trap, I sent to Zaria, who'd gone back to Kwark after arranging things here for us.

  As am I, she returned. Someone is watching, I'm sure of it, and if they haven't started figuring all this out by now, then they're more dimwitted than I think they are. Keep your wits about you and don't go anywhere alone. I've grown attached to you, for some reason. You're the younger brother I should have had and didn't.

  You count me as family? I almost stopped in my tracks, which would have caused the President of the Shipping Federation to run into me.

  Honey, I count you as family.

  I have family, then, I agreed.

  Of course you do. Now, go give those guys an eye full.

  I intend to.

  "What's this?" President Darak exploded as we walked into the massive warehouse, where a large crate and two barrels waited for us. One barrel was enormous—and gave off a stink that would cause a scent-impaired vetti-slug to cover his nose.

  Travis, Rajeon and Morrett were already here, along with Kell Abenott and his wife, Opal Tadewi. Both held high-ranking positions in the ASD. Zaria had certainly put the effort into this investigation.

  "Good afternoon, President Darak," Kell stepped forward. "I am Vice-Director Abenott of the ASD. This is Vice-Director Tadewi of the ASD," he introduced Opal. "At President Ylisis' request, we have investigated all three incidents of piracy on Murazalian vessels. It's quite interesting what we found."

  "What's that?" Darak lifted his collar to cover his nose, so his words were garbled.

  "Bring out the accused," Kell nodded to Travis, who issued the order verbally into his comp-vid. Moments later, two Captains and a Chief Engineer were brought out of the warehouse office, all three in power cuffs.

  "We have conclusive evidence that these three, along with the deceased engineer, took bribes to order the pirated ships off course, so they could be attacked by the pirates who paid them," Kell stated without inflection. "As for the larger barrel, we've done an image scan, and know what it contains."

  "Cow shit," muttered Darak. "I've checked the manifests myself."

  "Ah, but what you don't know is what wasn't listed on the manifest. There is a body inside this barrel, President Darak. President Ylisis asked us to wait to reveal it at your arrival. You see that the seals are still intact, and the locks provided by the shipping company have not been tampered with. Whether the person inside the barrel died of natural causes or was murdered, we have yet to determine."

  "They were smuggling bodies?" Darak's Vice President was aghast at Kell's words.

  "Every barrel on board that ship held at least one body within the compost. This is the only barrel we were able to recover. At this time, we do not have information on where the other barrels are. As for the other shipments, we have no idea why the pirates wanted fruit and nut trees or farm-bots, but the last shipment wasn't only sand for glass."

  "I can't wait to hear this," Darak grumbled.

  "Uranium was packed within the sand. Now, you know as well as I do what the penalties are for shipping illegal substances, and in such large quantities."

  "Mother Murazal be merciful," Darak's Vice President wailed.

  "We've already questioned these three, and I'm sure we'll be asking even more questions—not only of those shipping companies, but many in your organization as well. If you have any knowledge of these incidents, or of the bribes placed, now is the time to speak," Kell ended his speech.

  He'd glossed over the three Sirenali passengers that were transported. I'm sure Zaria requested it. That was something for us to investigate, rather than the ASD or the Shipping Federation of Murazal.

  "Please, send images of what is found in that barrel," Darak was ready to gag, I could tell. "With your permission, President Ylisis, I'd like to take my associates and go."

  "You have my permission. We'll contact you with further information," I waved them away. It was all Darak could do not to run out of the warehouse.

  "We'll get the barrel sorted, and give reports to you and to Zaria," Opal stepped forward and shook my hand. "I don't think anyone could have filled in for Ylisis better than you."

  "Thank you," I grinned and felt embarrassed at the same time.

  "Keep up the good work, all of you," Kell sounded pleased. "Stay in touch, too, if you notice anything that we should know."

  "We will," Travis agreed.

  "Incoming," Rajeon shouted, and before any of us could react, he'd formed a tangled, diamond web about us and flung us out the warehouse door while the cavernous building and the evidence sitting within it was blown to bits.

  "I think somebody didn't want us to see what was in that barrel," Opal complained. Someone had transported us to a nearby warehouse, where we were gathering our wits and looking for cuts and bruises from the blast. Kell had taken charge of our prisoners, who were shaken but unhurt.

  I'd already been in contact with Security, their explosives experts and the fire brigade, ordering all of them to the scene. All told, Rajeon had kept
us shielded quite well; we only had torn clothing, a few cuts and minor bruises to account for our nearness to the explosion.

  Rajeon sat on an empty crate, head bowed and hands hanging loose after his amazing rescue; I imagine his heart was still beating triple time—mine certainly was.

  "Where'd you learn that trick?" Opal knelt down next to him. "It's quite amazing. I only had a personal shield up," she added.

  "It's something my father taught me," Rajeon lifted his head to look at her.

  "You want a special agent's job with the ASD, you have it," Kell gruffed.

  "We ah, Randl has dibs, through Ildevar," Travis said softly.

  "If you decide not to work with the Formidables, come see me," Kell nodded.

  "Thank you, sir, but Randl and I have an agreement," Rajeon dipped his head to Kell.

  Thank the stars, I sent to Travis. Rajeon would be a wonderful addition to our crew.

  "I'll bring in a crew to help investigate," Kell said. "Here's your ride back to the Presidential Palace."

  The hover-limo pulled up outside the warehouse; Trent and Perri got out. That told me that both had gone over the limo completely, making sure it was safe before we got in.

  "We'll see you soon," Opal called out as we limped toward the vehicle. I lifted a hand in a half-wave—shock was beginning to set in and we still had a blasted party to attend later.

  Corez

  Lissa

  Just a little banged up, that's all, Travis reported. Mom, that warehouse was checked over roughly an hour before we held the meeting there. Kell and Opal's crew are sniffing around and checking all outside vids, but so far, they've found nothing.

  So the explosives had to be folded, skipped or transported in somehow.

  That's our theory. We have a reception tonight, so we can't leave Zanfield without a proper guard to go looking for ourselves.

  What does Zaria say?

  She says that she'll do some checking on her end tomorrow—they have a party on Kwark tonight for one of her mates. He's about to have four arms.