by Dietmar Wehr
Neither man spoke on the way back. Magnusson exited the aircar with Hoch and walked with him up to the ship.
“Before I leave you, Captain, I want to say this. I think you killed Traeger, and I think you had something to do with Adenaur’s death, but I can’t prove either one. From what we’ve been able to learn, Adenaur was no saint either, so maybe you thought you were doing the right thing. I’d like to think so. I hope, for your sake, that I don’t have to question you again about another death. I’m telling you now, if I find enough evidence to convict you of murder, I’ll do my duty regardless of how I might feel about the fairness of what you’ve done. Is that clear, Racheengel?’
“It’s clear.”
“Good. One last thing. Both Adenaur and Traeger were powerful people with powerful friends. I’d watch my back if I were you. Good-bye, Captain. Hopefully we won’t meet again.”
Without waiting for a response, Magnusson turned and walked to his aircar.
Hoch breathed a sigh of relief. How often could he get away with these kinds of things before his luck ran out?
[We’ll just have to keep making our own luck, Hoch.]
“Yeah, and speaking of which, let’s sell our cargo and buy what we want to buy so that we can head back to space.”
[Roger that. I have half a dozen offers for the brandy. Do you wish to sell all of it to the highest bidder, who’s willing to take the whole load, or spread the cargo around to establish business relationships for future deals?]
“Who’s the highest bidder?”
[It’s a subsidiary of URS.]
“Hm. In that case, spread the cargo around.”
[Done. It will all be unloaded in approximately 18 hours. We should wait until all cargo has been offloaded and the money paid before we commit to purchases. What will you do now?]
“I’m tired; still on Dresden day/night cycle. A nap sounds good to me right now. Hopefully when I wake up, I’ll have enough credits to pay for a decent meal. I’m sick and tired of the frozen stuff.”
When he did awaken, he found that one of the transactions had been paid for, and he decided to go to one of the better restaurants in the city. From past experience, he knew that the restaurant always checked their customers for weapons and refused entrance if they found any. That meant that he had to leave behind his stunner and other weapons. Keko was not happy about that, but Hoch was adamant.
An hour later, Hoch left the restaurant and had Keko call one of the city’s driverless taxis. As soon as he got in, he felt dizzy and passed out. Keko tried to call for police assistance, but found that all EM frequencies were being blocked. When the taxi came to a stop, someone took her off Hoch’s head and activated her shut down switch.
She powered back up again and found that time had passed. Someone had placed her on a table and must have accidentally pressed the power button as they did so. She could see a large, well-decorated room. Hoch was slumped in a chair with his hands restrained behind his back by a set of elaborate handcuffs. There was a man standing in front of Hoch. The right side of his face was bandaged, and his right arm was immobilized in a sling. He was speaking to Hoch.
“—up dammit! Come on, Racheengel, wake the fuck up!” He slapped Hoch a couple of times and then Hoch began to move his head.
“That’s better. In case you’re wondering, I’m Captain DeHavilland. As you can see, I was injured during your cowardly ambush at Dresden. This,” he pointed to his face, “was pretty damned painful, and you’re going to get payback for that among other things—like my damaged ship and injury to some of my crew. But I think I’ll have to wait in line. There’s someone else who has first call on getting even. She’s on her way now.”
Keko checked and found that she was able to access the local network. They were on the top floor of a residential tower about 55 kilometers from the city. It took some doing, but she was able to send some simple instructions to Angelfire’s auto-pilot. It would get here in a few minutes.
Hoch was still groggy from whatever had knocked him out, but his head was clear by the time DeHavilland’s mystery companion arrived. When she stood in front of him, he couldn’t decide if he was attracted or repelled by her appearance. She was wearing an outfit—he wasn’t sure if he should call it a top or a dress—that scarcely covered her multi-coloured pubic hair. The fabric continuously changed from transparent to translucent, then to a solid white before back to transparent again. This meant that every few seconds her breasts were revealed, and it was beginning to make him dizzy, so he concentrated on her face. That, too, was a riot of colors which flowed into her spiked hair.
“I see that our guest is finally awake, Captain DeHavilland,” said the woman with obvious contempt. “I don’t expect you to know who I am, Captain Racheengel, and I don’t feel like telling you my name, but suffice it to say that Adenaur was my husband, and Traeger was my brother. I’m so happy to finally have you in my clutches, you murdering piece of scum!” She stepped closer, showing Hoch her metallic fingernails that looked like claws. Before he could try to evade, she slashed his left cheek with her right hand. He felt the blood run down his face and neck. The thought occurred to him that maybe his luck really had finally run out. He had lost Keko; she was nowhere in sight, although his ability to look around was limited, and he didn’t want this woman or DeHavilland wondering why he was looking for his headband.
“That was just a tiny, tiny taste of what to expect, Captain. I love to use my claws to inflict pain. My brother was a master at that, and I learned a few things from him, so you and I are going to have lots of fun. When I’m done with you, you’ll no longer be a man, but you’ll still be alive, and I’ll allow Captain DeHavilland to finish you off.”
Hoch was wondering if there was anything he could say, when he felt the vibration of some kind of click in the device that was holding his hands together behind his back. He carefully tried moving both hands and realized that one hand was no longer held tight. He kept both hands where they were, just in case there was someone behind him.
Keko had established a direct link to Angelfire now that the ship was close by. She had also accessed the floor plan of this level and had commanded the ship to rise up to it, but from the opposite side of the building. Even though it was now dark, the walls around this room were mostly transparent, and bringing the ship up on this side would have sacrificed the element of surprise. With the ship hovering in the right spot, the railgun turret activated itself and loaded a KE round.
“What do you think, DeHavilland? Shall I slash his dick off first, then blind him, or the other way around?” Hoch could tell that DeHavilland was not exactly comfortable with the idea of a man’s dick being cut off even if it was someone else’s. Just as DeHavilland opened his mouth to answer, there was a sound like a crack of thunder that seemed to come from behind Hoch. The woman’s head jerked backward so violently that he was sure her spine had snapped. He knew what had just happened. Angelfire had fired a KE round with enough velocity to penetrate all the way through the building. That meant that Keko had to be nearby and was watching.
DeHavilland was so stunned by the sound of the shot that he didn’t notice what had happened to the woman for a couple of vital seconds. When he did, he started to crouch down. That was when Hoch heard the second shot. DeHavilland screamed and covered the left side of his head with his hand. Hoch’s heart sank when he realized that the second shot was just a glancing blow. When DeHavilland saw Hoch get up with the handcuffs dangling from just one wrist, he reached for his gun. Hoch was able to grab DeHavilland’s gun hand before he could aim the gun, and Hoch’s momentum knocked DeHavilland backwards with Hoch falling on top of him.
It was obvious that DeHavilland could not use his right arm at all, but he was still trying to aim his gun with his left hand. Hoch put his left hand over DeHavilland’s hand and his right hand on DeHavilland’s wrist. With two hands versus one, it only took a few seconds until Hoch had forced the gun up until it was pointed at DeHavilland’s hea
d. He then pushed DeHavilland’s trigger finger down on the trigger. DeHavilland’s yell was cut off by the shot. Hoch quickly looked around to see if there was anyone else to shoot at, but the room was empty. He did notice his headband on a side table and stumbled over to it. No sooner had he put it on than he heard Keko’s voice.
[The surveillance system in this place cannot be erased, Hoch. That, plus the damage the two rounds did, will clearly point to Angelfire and therefore you. We can’t let Magnusson and his forensic team look at this place. Fortunately, that psychopathic woman was paranoid enough to keep one of URS’s lithium plasma devices on the premises, probably to hide incriminating evidence of her own sins if necessary. I can set the device to go off after we’ve left. It’ll vaporize the entire top four floors of the building.]
Hoch shook his head in despair. “What about other people on those floors? We can’t kill any innocents.”
[There are none. The only people left in the complex are two of DeHavilland’s minions, who we already tried to kill at Dresden, and one of her people, who assisted her in torturing and killing others according to the recorded data I’ve been able to review. Anyone below this complex will get shaken up, but not die. The ship is setting down on the landing pad on the roof. I suggest we leave now, Hoch.]
Hoch looked at the electronic handcuffs dangling from his left hand. “Can you release the other side?” The device clicked and fell to the floor. “Thanks. How do I get to the roof?” Keko told him, and, in less than a minute, he was standing on the roof, trying not to get blown off by the high winds. Keko was also having difficulty getting Angelfire to set down where she wanted it. The landing ended up being less than perfect, but nothing was damaged, and Hoch let himself collapse on the deck just inside the hatch. He was still feeling the after effects of the knockout gas, the adrenaline rush of fighting with DeHavilland and the fear of almost being turned into a eunuch, not to mention the blood loss from the deep and still painful scratches on his face.
Keko woke him up a few hours later. The ship was back at the spaceport in the exact same location and position as before. Magnusson was back, too, and was demanding to talk with him.
“Are we in trouble, Keko?”
[Not that I know of, Hoch. I took the liberty of falsifying the spaceport’s radar data that showed the ship’s flight there and back. It now shows no flight at all. The explosion went as planned, vaporizing everything in that room and all recorded data from the computer system there. Pretend you don’t know anything about any explosion. I recommend you hurry up, Hoch. Magnusson looks like he’s getting annoyed with the wait. I used your voice to tell him I’d be out in a minute or two.]
When Hoch finally did ask Keko to open the hatch, Magnusson stepped inside before Hoch had a chance to step out.
“What the hell did you do now?” asked Magnusson.
Hoch tried to keep his voice calm. “Ah, um not sure I know what you’re referring to, Chief Inspector.”
“Don’t give me that Chief Inspector crap, Racheengel. You know damn well what I’m talking about. The top four floors of the Majestic Building were vaporized by an explosion that military specialists have told me was some kind of mini-nuke! Guess who owned and lived in that complex?”
Hoch shook his head. “No idea.”
Magnusson scowled at him. “Her name was Rhiannon Bianca Traeger-Adenaur. Brother to the Traeger that you killed not that long ago, and widow of CEO Adenaur who you killed before that! So, I ask you again, what the hell did you do, and what the hell happened to your face?”
Hoch had forgotten about the bandages on the cuts. “I stumbled over a piece of equipment in the cargo hold and a container with sharp edges fell on me. I haven’t done anything, Chief Inspector. The ship and I have been here for the last 24 hours, except for a visit to a restaurant last night for dinner.”
In a calmer voice, Magnusson said, “That’s not what some eye-witnesses have told us. They said they saw this ship lift off and then land again AFTER that explosion, which was seen and heard all the way here and beyond.”
Hoch tried his best to look puzzled. “I have no idea why some people are saying that. Just check with spaceport radar if you don’t believe me.”
“I already have, and no, I don’t believe you, in spite of what the radar data shows. God dammit, Racheengel, death follows you around like some kind of curse or something. Who’s next on your hit list?”
Hoch decided to push back a little. “Aw, come on, Chief Inspector. A hit list? Death following me around? Do you think I’m some kind of avenging angel or something?”
Magnusson took his time answering. “Interesting tattoo you have on your hand there, a skull with angel wings. What a coincidence.” He paused again and Hoch stayed silent. “We found another eye-witness who says that you looked like you had passed out when you got into a taxi outside the restaurant. Did Her Nibs’ minions kidnap you in order to get even?” His voice was low now, almost conspiratorial.
Hoch was almost tempted to tell Magnusson what really had happened, but Keko’s reminder to play dumb stopped him. He laughed instead. “God no, nothing that dramatic. I was just tired and let myself lay down for a quick nap on the way back.”
Magnusson sighed. “Okay, keep playing it your way. You’re living dangerously, and one of these days I expect to be standing over your dead body saying ‘I told you so’. Any chance that you’ll be leaving Earth again soon?”
“As a matter of fact, I’m just waiting for delivery of some cargo, which I expect to get later today, and then Angelfire and I will be on our way.”
“That would be nice. Just so you know, a couple of my people will be keeping your ship under observation until then…for your own protection, of course.”
Hoch nodded. “Of course. Thank you, Chief Inspector. Are we done now?”
Magnusson gave him a quirky smile and stepped off the ship without saying another word.
The trip back to Dresden seemed to go quickly. The Station bought the equipment they had asked for, paying for it with more brandy. Hoch used their FTL transmitter to ask Ceridian what they wanted him to bring back after he sold the latest batch of brandy. When he got the reply, Angelfire left the station. He didn’t see Eriko and didn’t ask about her.
Once he was back on Earth again, it didn’t take long to sell the brandy. It took longer to decide what to buy because Ceridian had told him to bring back supplies that they would use to fix up the ship’s crew quarters, and they left it up to him to decide what kind of materials, colors, etc. He was scanning what was available on the computer when Keko told him he had a visitor.
[There’s an air-limo with URS livery landing beside the ship, Hoch. Perhaps you should put your stunner on before you go outside?]
Hoch quickly took Keko’s advice. When he exited the ship, he saw that the limo gull-wing door was open and a well-dressed, young woman was standing half way between the limo and the ship.
“Hello, Captain Racheengel. My name is Teresa Wang. I’m assistant to the Chairwoman and CEO of URS. I’m here to tell you that the CEO would like to have a brief chat with you. If you’d be so kind as to enter the limo…?”
Hoch’s gut was warning him to not enter the limo in spite of the fact that the young lady seemed completely non-threatening and quite polite. The perfect cover for a trap!
[I think you’re safe, Hoch. The Chief Inspector’s people are watching us again, and besides, you have your stunner. Hold your breath for a bit when you get in just in case.]
Hoch gestured for the young lady to walk ahead of him, and when they got to the limo, he stopped beside the open door. “This is as far as I go. If you want to chat, we can still do that with me out here and you in there,” he said.
Wang must have been given some kind of sign because she quickly got in, and a second later, another well-dressed woman gracefully stepped out. She looked at Hoch with an amused smile, and he had the strangest feeling that he had seen this woman before. She seemed so familiar. With a gas
p, he said, “Sara?”
Her smile faded. “No, Captain Racheengel, I’m not Sara Fontaine. I’m her aunt Rachel and the daughter of the woman you knew as Mistress Fontaine. Our family is once again in control of the URS Board and Executive. You can relax, Captain. You have nothing to fear from me. You’ve given my family in general, and my niece Sara in particular, a great deal of assistance, and on behalf of all of us, I thank you.”
Hoch felt his face flush. She had the same kind of charisma that her mother had, and it was hard to ignore. “I owed Sara, and as for the rest, well, I did what I had to do.”
Her amused smile was back again. “You’re too modest, Captain. You’d be surprised by how much I know of your exploits. My mother told me about her High Avenging Angel, and you have proven yourself to be exactly that. That’s why I’m here in person. The Traeger/Adenaur faction has pretty much been crushed thanks to your bravery, but they had friends, you may be sure of that, and those friends are just as powerful and just as ruthless as the people you’ve already met. If you continue to come back here, sooner or later you’ll be killed. I do not want to see that happen. Therefore, I strongly urge you to find another trading opportunity somewhere else. If the Dresden families are willing to sell their brandy and any other future product to URS exclusively, I promise to pay them a fair price for it. That kind of arrangement will enable me to quash any further plans the Board might come up with to take control of the Dresden Station and Colony, but those families will have to do it without your help. If they can’t get a ship of their own, URS will send one of ours to carry the cargo. Does that sound fair, Captain?”
