In the ensuing half-second of silence, forty-four Eligible minds leaped to the same conclusion. Then, all at once, the room erupted with shouted questions and denials.
“What’s that about the door sealing itself? Doesn’t the Meniscus Field—?”
“I didn’t think there was any connection. I thought it must be a malfunctioning—!”
“Doesn’t the Meniscus Field generator control airflow? Isn’t that how it supercools the area where—?”
“Detmar, you and Vera were talking about putting on PLS suits and going onto the landing deck to—”
“We never touched the damn thing! All we did was—!”
“Isn’t the life support console supposed to—?”
“But nothing happened, I told you! It just ran for a while and then it—!”
“I never programmed that routine. It was—!”
“It was the Nandrians, when they installed the—!”
“It was encrypted, for crysakes! How was I supposed to know—?”
“The Nandrians warned us, remember? They told us—!”
“Damn!” Gavin Holchuk crossed the remaining distance between them and planted himself directly in front of Drew. “You knew,” he declared accusingly.
Instantly, the room went quiet again.
“I suspected,” Drew replied. “When we stopped over on the Zoo, Bonelli hinted to me that they had had an accident involving the Meniscus Field. He explained in great detail how the field worked, dropping the temperature, sealing the doors…. The puzzle pieces were there,” he continued, raising his voice to include the assembled crewmembers in the discussion. “I just needed your help to put them all together.”
But Holchuk wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. “So the Ranger kommandant was giving you a starting point for your own investigation, one cop to another.”
Drew uttered a rueful laugh. “Not a chance. As far as Bonelli is concerned, my Security background is useless and so am I. That’s why I’m going to close this case, file the report, and kick his sorry behind all the way back to the Zoo. And you’re going to help me.”
The atmosphere in the room lightened perceptibly as the meaning of his words sank in.
“So, are we agreed then?” said Drew. “If I overheard correctly, when the Nandrians installed the Meniscus Field generator on the landing deck, they also very generously supplied some encrypted security software, which was unintentionally activated when some naturally curious individuals got too close to the device. As a totally unexpected result, a field formed outside the landing deck — in Khaloub’s quarters, in fact — where he had the bad luck to be sleeping, and he accidentally froze to death because access doors automatically seal shut when the generator starts up, making rescue impossible. Does that about cover it?”
The room rippled with muffled laughter.
“Is that what you’re putting in the official report?” Holchuk wanted to know.
“I wish it were,” Drew replied grimly. “Unfortunately, Earth Council got this technology from the Nandrians illegally. They probably chose these locations to test it in order to give themselves deniability with the Galactic Council in case of an accident just like this one. After all, you’ve been trading with the Nandrians for years. Thanks to a nonstop flow of lemon juice, there’s alien technology all over Daisy Hub.”
Beside him, Ruby hissed angrily, “Those bastards set us up!”
“Don’t worry, Mom,” he assured her. “Deniability is a double-edged sword. When they set us up, they set themselves up as well.”
Chapter 10
SISCO SISCO.
Time of report: Year 6040 G.C.E., Interval 37, Day 5, 2240 hours, station time.
I have been able to determine that the death of Karim Khaloub was, in fact, accidental. I repeat, there was no foul play. However, the circumstances leading up to the death of the station manager were unusual and may have involved an alien species. Any reports filed through official channels must therefore be regarded as incomplete, as I am covertly continuing to investigate. Details will follow as soon as I have confirmed them beyond any doubt. Especially if they implicate an alien species, it is essential that all information pertaining to this matter be both completely accurate and classified top secret until further notice. Do not send additional personnel. I am well placed to conduct the investigation alone and will keep my cover for as long as necessary.
SISCO SISCO.
Chapter 11
The countdown had begun. Bonelli would be arriving in under two station hours. Departments had met to discuss the situation. It was time for Drew to start doing his job.
In the first hour of night shift, lights were dimming in nonessential areas all over the station. The twilight illumination in AdComm cast worried shadows on the faces of the small group assembled there. Drew had mentally checked them off as they arrived: Gavin Holchuk, Jason Smith, Doc Ktumba, Ruby McNeil, Landing Deck Supervisor Lucas Soaring Hawk (stern-faced, taciturn), Dockmaster Orvy Hagman (muscle with attitude), and Generated Field Wizard Devanan Singh (smirking, superior). His war council, Drew thought wryly. He still didn’t have an office. He’d pulled the available chairs into the middle of the room, but Ruby was the only one actually sitting. Everyone else apparently preferred to perch on tables or lean against filing cabinets. And once again, Drew was in a meeting, the outcome of which could determine his own fate and affect the lives of millions. But, hey, no pressure…
“As I see it, we have a couple of major problems to resolve,” he announced. “Our first is Bonelli’s report to Security. I understand why he lied about the circumstances surrounding Khaloub’s death. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to corroborate the lie.”
“What? Why?” demanded Smith. “That generator is dangerous. We need to let Earth Council know about this or they’ll never take it off the station.”
“What makes you think they don’t already know about it?” Hagman replied hotly. “Wake up, boy! Earth doesn’t care what happens to us.”
Drew sighed. “Maybe I didn’t make this clear to everyone earlier. The Meniscus Field generator is forbidden technology, acquired by Earth from the Nandrians without the knowledge of the Great Galactic Council. It’s classified top secret. If it were mentioned in a Security report on an accidental death and the Great Council were to find out about it—”
“Earth Council would get what it deserved for dealing under the table,” declared Smith. “I don’t see the problem.”
Of course, he wouldn’t. Smith’s biofile had been bang on. For that matter, so had Hagman’s.
“The problem?” Holchuk cut in grimly. “The problem is that Earth made a promise not to reveal the source of the technology, and we would be breaking it, betraying the Nandrians’ trust. The Nandrians have a very strict code. Betrayal demands retribution. The last time something like this happened, they destroyed an entire home world.”
Into the silence that followed his statement, Ruby whispered incredulously, “They would attack Earth?”
“Attack it and, as a point of honor, eliminate it. There’s a reason why they’re the most feared warriors in the galaxy.”
‘Mom’ swallowed audibly. “I guess we’d better figure out how a man could have ended up inside an airlock in his pajamas, then.”
“Sleepwalking,” the Doc piped up .
All turned to stare at her in disbelief. “Sleepwalking?” Drew echoed. “Isn’t that a little too simple?”
She shrugged. “Possibly, but stranger things have happened out here. Besides, the simpler we keep it, the easier it will be to keep it straight.”
There was some wisdom to that, he had to admit. Still…
“There are security vidcams on all the Utilities Decks,” he reminded them, “and flatscreen playbacks available for review at the end of each shift. What if someone asks for proof? Shouldn’t there be a vi
sual record of Khaloub stepping into the airlock? Shouldn’t someone have seen him doing it?”
“Not on L Deck,” replied Singh. “There’s sporadic interference from the gravity field generators down there. Video transmissions originating south of J Deck have been iffy for some time.”
Drew glanced sharply at him. “Have they? And how long has this been going on?”
The engineer’s smirk became positively Cheshire Cat-like.
Khaloub had encouraged them to use their imaginations, make their own fun, Jensen had said. Somehow, Drew didn’t think this was what the previous station manager had had in mind. But it suited his purposes just fine.
“Okay, so we have that covered. But he still had to get from his quarters down to Deck L,” he pointed out. “It would help if we had an eyewitness to some part of that.”
“He used the tube door nearest his quarters,” said Ruby quietly. “I had the watch in AdComm and was on my way there. When he crossed the corridor, I assumed he was going to the kitchen to get a snack. He did that from time to time. And everyone knows that sleepwalkers never actually look as though they’re sleeping.”
Drew nodded. “That works. And you’ll swear to it? In a tribunal chamber if necessary?”
She flashed him a grin. “Cross my heart and hope to fry, Chief.”
“All right, then. Doc, we’ll need a medical report…?”
“Already done.”
“Good. Ruby, how about the thumbprint?”
“No luck, Chief,” she apologized. “It was kind of short notice.”
“Not a problem — we’ll switch to plan B. When Bonelli arrives, direct him to one of the docking modules on A Deck, but don’t let him onto the station. Keep the archway sealed.”
“You’re going to try to convince him to thumbprint your report, aren’t you?” Ktumba demanded. “How?”
“I have about an hour to figure that out,” he told her. “But it has to be his word against mine. No audio or video record, anywhere.”
Singh and Soaring Hawk exchanged a significant look. “Leave that to us, boss,” said Hawk. “It’s about time the microgenerators on the PLS suits got checked out.”
“Diagnostic testing,” Singh added, his smile even wider than before. “You know how touchy that kind of technology can be if it sits idle too long.”
Everyone was grinning conspiratorially now. The mavericks and misfits were planning mischief. Making their own fun. Drew had a sense of déjà vu, as though if he closed his eyes and opened them again, he might find himself back in New Chicago, at a strategy meeting of the Warrior Kings. But, of course, he wasn’t — and problem number two remained to be dealt with.
“Okay, moving along, then…” He paused and blew out a worried breath. “This one’s a prizewinner, people. I don’t expect us to solve it here and now, but I want you all thinking about it. Smith is right about one thing — the Meniscus Field generators on the Zoo and the Hub are a constant danger to us. That’s why we have to find a way to get rid of them. I don’t suppose we can simply ask the Nandrians to take them back…?”
Holchuk shook his head. “Asking a Nandrian to renege on a deal is tantamount to suicide.”
It figured that they would have a no-returns policy. “What about asking them to help us disable the generators?”
“That would be sabotage. They would consider us to be traitors to our own government and summarily execute us, on Earth’s behalf. And leave the Meniscus Fields installed on both stations,” Holchuk added, his brow quirking sardonically.
“What if the generators malfunctioned on their own?” Drew persisted.
“The Nandrians would replace the defective merchandise. It would be the honorable thing to do.”
Of course, it would, Drew thought sourly.
“Mr. Townsend, what’s the real problem with these field generators?” asked Smith. “It’s the failsafe, right? If we could figure out how to disarm the failsafe without damaging the rest of the mechanism—”
“Forget it!” Hagman declared loudly, his face twisted in disgust. “If we could just figure out how to get a look inside the damn thing without setting it off and killing someone else on the Hub, it would be a flippin’ miracle!”
Deep down, Drew found himself agreeing with the dockmaster. There were at least two trained engineers in the room, neither of them ready even to guess at a solution. Perhaps none existed. If they couldn’t return or disable the alien technology, they might simply have to work around it.
Drew glanced curiously at Ruby, who had gone very quiet; she was staring at the toe of her boot, her expression shifting from concentration to bemusement and back. A moment later, she inhaled deeply, raised her eyes to meet his, and said in a firm, clear voice, “I think I know how we could look inside the casing. But I’ll need to convince him.”
“Him?”
“The Muralist. He’d have to give up his molecular paintbrush.”
Chapter 12
It was show time. For a bunch of bad apples who didn’t work well with others, the crew of Daisy Hub was beginning to pull together with promising speed. The EIS would be pleased with his next report. Together, Singh and Hawk had figured out a way to generate a jamming field from Deck B that would encompass Bonelli’s short-hopper. Ruby had promised to get the Muralist to hand over his alien device for study. Even the Doc seemed to be coming around, slowly. It was a start.
Drew blanked the screen of his compupad and punched up a channel on his wristcomm. “I’m ready,” he announced to whoever was on watch in AdComm. “Release the archway to docking module 3.”
Bonelli had been kept trapped inside his ship for nearly twenty station minutes. He wouldn’t be happy. That was all right, thought Drew grimly. He’d finally managed to place the Ranger’s voice and was less than ecstatic about seeing him again as well.
Doors slid aside. Townsend stepped through them into a passenger area set up like a small conference room, just as Bonelli emerged from the short-hopper’s cockpit with a sour expression on his face. “So, you finally came to your senses? About bloody time!”
Drew dropped the compupad onto the conference table. “There’s your final report. We’ve corroborated your findings with medical evidence and a witness’s sworn statement. All you have to do is print it and send it on, and the matter is closed.”
“I’m not thumbprinting anything without personal verification, desk boy,” the Ranger informed him. “I’m the law here, and you’re not authorized—”
“Stuff it, Bonelli. As station manager, I’m the law on Daisy Hub. And since we’re backing you up on a Kings-sized lie, I’ve just given you all the verification you need.”
Bonelli’s expression changed as though controlled by a switch, from threatening grimace to knowing smile. “Well, since you put it that way… You don’t mind if I read it over first?” Drew nodded stiffly in reply. “I wondered when your memory would click in. How have you been, Snooper?”
The Ranger stepped forward and extended his hand for shaking. Drew pointedly ignored it. “We were never friends, so don’t go warm and fuzzy on me. The only reason I allowed you to dock was to give you that report, and a message for your boys.”
Bonelli chuckled indulgently. “Quite the tough guy you’ve turned into. It’s a shame you don’t have any firepower to back up that attitude, kid. We’d make a great team.”
“Sure — until I turned my back.”
His grin instantly erased, the Ranger shook his head sadly. “You’ve become cynical, Snooper. I guess the years can do that to a person.”
Yeah, five years in particular, Drew thought. Bonelli, on the other hand, hadn’t changed a bit.
“Okay, Captain, here’s the bottom line. Unless I specifically request your help, I want the Rangers to stay away from Daisy Hub. You and your boys are not welcome here.”
Bonelli was shaking his
head again. And smiling.
Drew leaned closer and purposely lowered his voice. “Oh, and if I hear so much as a rumor that one of your people laid a finger on one of mine, I’ll personally come over there and dispense some street-style justice,” he promised. “Remember what the Warrior Kings used to do to nest-raiders in the Zone?”
Bonelli raised his hands in a gesture of appeasement. “Okay, that was unfortunate. They got excited, they crossed the line. But she shouldn’t have—”
“What? She shouldn’t have worn those clothes? She shouldn’t have smiled at anyone?”
“Listen, it’s past. The men responsible have been disciplined.”
“Really? Are they still breathing? Because I can fix that.”
The Ranger fell back a step. “Hold on! Cripes, Townsend, what the hell did she tell you?”
Bonelli’s forehead and upper lip were glossy with perspiration. It looked good on him, Drew decided.
“You’re making a big mistake, kid. You need us. Your friends in high places can’t protect you out here.”
“You’re talking garbage. I don’t have friends in high places.”
“Oh, yeah? How do you think you managed to get back your Eligibility? Somebody liked you, Townsend. But they’re back on Earth and you’re out here on your own, and I’m the one with the guns.”
More threats? He had no idea.
Aloud, Drew said, “Be that as it may, Bonelli, as station manager I’m warning you to stay off my turf. If any of your boys try to dock here uninvited, they’re in for a nasty surprise.”
Without waiting for the Ranger’s reply, Drew wheeled and left the shuttle. He stepped through the archway, hit the intercomm button on the wall and announced, “I’m clear, AdComm. Seal the doors and blow the clamps. Let’s speed him on his way.”
The answering voice was so filled with elation that he scarcely recognized it. “Yes, sir, Mr. Townsend!” said Lydia Garfield.
The Genius Asylum: Sic Transit Terra Book 1 Page 9
