by Russell Fine
“Hi, I do not know if you remember me. My name is Valik Marstal. We met several years ago at a trade conference.”
“Yes Valik, I remember you. Are you here on Coplent?”
“I am currently on the space station. The power unit on my ship failed and I will have to be here for several days while it is being repaired. I was hoping I could stay with you.”
“Of course, you can stay with us. I can pick you up on the station in two hours. It will be nice to see you again.”
“Thank you. I will be waiting for you.”
Valik thanked the station master for his help and walked over to the shuttle bay area to wait.
While he was waiting, the station master gave him back his bank card and said, “You have permission to remain on Coplent for ten days. You must report to a local police station before the end of the day and tell them where you will be staying. You will be subject to arrest if you do not comply with these instructions.”
“I understand. I appreciate your helping me and I will not break any of your rules.”
“One more thing, I need one of your hands, palm up. I am going to insert a microscopic tracker. It will dissolve in thirty days.”
Valik offered him his right hand, palm up.
The station master pressed a small device onto Valik’s palm. He said, “This will not hurt.” Then he pushed a button on the top of the device.
There was a short, high-pitched sound.
“You were right. It did not hurt.”
The station master smiled at him and went back to his office. About a half hour later, a shuttle arrived. Robelt Flemm stepped out of the shuttle bay looked at Valik, smiled, and said, “Valik, it is good to see you again, my friend. Melda is anxious to see you too.”
Valik and the man hugged briefly and they went together into the shuttle bay and then into the small shuttle docked there. As soon as the shuttle hatch was shut, Valik took a small pad of paper from his pocket, wrote a note, and handed it to Robelt.
The note read: ‘Do not talk about the mission. They put a transmitter in my hand.’
Robelt read the note and said, “Melda is making you a surprise dinner. I am sure you will like it. Most of the native food on Coplent is awful.”
“Thank you. I am looking forward to it.”
They said very little on the descent to the home. Once they were inside, Valik discovered Melda did indeed prepare a special dinner. They had a friendly conversation during dinner, but there was no discussion of the reason for Valik’s visit. After dinner they went into a room that was set up as an office and sat down by a table. Robelt handed Valik a pad of paper and while they talked about old times and mutual friends, Valik wrote down the assignment. Robelt read it, wrote, “I need money” on the note, and handed it back to Valik. Valik handed him a bank card and wrote on the paper, “There is two thousand hirodim in the account,” and he said, “I have to report to the police to let them know where I am staying. Can you take me?”
“Sure.”
They spent the next three days talking a lot, but saying nothing of consequence. At the end of the third day, Valik received a message indicating his ship would be ready the next morning.
The next day, Valik was taken back to the space station where he waited a short time until a shuttle was available. Once aboard, it took him back to his ship and he immediately left Coplent. His mission had been successful.
The same day Valik left, Robelt made a reservation at Procolt Paradise for him and Melda. The first available reservation was almost two years away, but that was okay because it gave him time to plan the attack.
Procolt Paradise
Procolt Paradise was hugely successful. The new communication system really simplified the reservation process. When the resort first opened, the squirrels wanted to play a part in the operation, so they were put in charge of reservations and were doing an excellent job.
S43 was going through the reservations for the next ten days and he ran across one that concerned him. The reservation was for Robelt and Melda Flemm. They were residents of Coplent, but the name Flemm was unusual for Coplent. After a little research, he discovered that Flemm was a common name on Crosus. A further check with the records on Coplent indicated that Robelt and Melda had emigrated from Crosus to Coplent ten years ago. S43 still remembered the attack on Procolt 2 and was uncomfortable with somebody from Crosus staying at the resort. He sent a message to Jeffery about the reservation and then forgot about it.
Jeffery received the message, thought about it for a few moments, and decided there was no reason for concern.
Fifteen days later, in the middle of the night, there was an explosion. Everyone at Procolt Paradise was awaked by the sound. Moments later, Jeffery received an anonymous message.
“The marina has been destroyed to prove to you that we are fully capable of destroying Procolt Paradise. So far, no lives have been lost, but that will change if you refuse to meet our demands. Explosive devices have been placed in both guest towers. Do not try looking for them. They are both very powerful and very small. You would never find them. These are our demands:
Two hundred and fifty thousand hirodim are to be placed in account 347299064201 in the Trade Group Bank. The complete design specifications for the new propulsion, navigation, communication systems and power modules must be placed in box 3794 at the Trade Group Bank Branch 17 on Coplent. You have five days to comply with these demands. Additionally, no ships are to arrive or depart from Procolt 2. If you fail to comply with these demands, thousands of your guests will die.”
Jeffery had never expected an attack on the resort. They had no weapons except for a few handheld units on the ships, and they had not been used for years. He showed the note to Debbie.
After she read it, she asked, “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. The money isn’t a problem, we have at least three times that much in our accounts. I’m sure I could get the plans for the systems as well, but I don’t want to give in to terrorists.”
At that moment, the door chimed. Jeffery opened the door and S1 was standing there. He walked in and said calmly, “I know what’s going on and I think I have a solution to the problem.”
About the Author
Russell Fine is a retired tech manual author, and a business owner with his wife, Sherry, of over fifty years. He always had a passion for writing short stories, science fiction, and mysteries that intrigue and stimulate the readers mind. As a member of his local writer’s group in Tennessee, that passion is stoked into flames weekly. After a series of shorts were written, he collaborated to create the Frank Carver mysteries along with the Future World History novels. Russell lives in Tennessee with his wife, and three poodles.
To contact Russell directly, email him at [email protected]
About the Publisher
Burning Willow Press is a independent publisher of science fiction, fantasy and horror, with genres blended into other formats as well. Located in South Carolina, in the US, BWP has published more than seventy dreams with the interests of the authors at heart since 2015, and that gentle reader will double by 2020. Be sure to check us out on our Facebook page, Twitter: @Burning_willow, and on Instagram: @BWPLLC for updates and news on releases.
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