by S F Chapman
New Roman authorities were slowly capitulating to the inevitable change.
Zmuda grinned with proud satisfaction when he read that hundreds of Enlightenment Crusaders from Free City University had converged on New Rome to lend their support to the local revolutionaries. For the first time in nearly two centuries, many more people were flooding out of Free City then were clamoring to get in.
Dr. Suzuki had taken over his half-dozen classes in the Department of Advanced Applied Molecular Biology. Although the grades of his students had dipped slightly since his abrupt departure, Zmuda was satisfied that the fledgling instructor had sufficiently motivated his eager young charges.
The tireless Suzuki had also cloned several new members of the CRAMP from the secret old database that Zmuda had used earlier to produce Jasper and Mixion. When the Lieutenant and his cohorts eventually returned to the University in many months, there would be plenty of untraceable agents that the CRAMP could deploy.
But the most startling news for the clandestine organization was the secret vow of support from the Free City Prime Minister. A great deal of money had been surreptitiously diverted from other projects to fund the CRAMP for the next few years.
Perhaps now, Zmuda speculated, with the first wobbly steps away from the tyranny and subjugation of the past, the CRAMP would achieve its goal of allowing all humans to live freely once more.
• • •
It was the middle of the night, shipboard time; although Zmuda noticed with some amusement that the craft’s control panel indicated that it was midmorning Universal Time. He had carefully calculated the optimum hour to transmit this particular communiqué, taking into account the relative locations of the two vessels, the sleeping patterns of his crewmates and the likelihood that the recipient would be available to respond.
Thankfully, due to the dwindling amount of propellent remaining after the mad dash to Titan, the return speed of his spacecraft was now ridiculously slow and he would be able to enjoy a long conversation before he slipped out of range.
The Lieutenant entered the connection information and the vessel’s communication system began the methodical automated search through the profusion of asteroids far below.
After nearly an hour of patient waiting, the contact acknowledgment light flashed.
He had found his compatriot.
“Ryo Trop, Zmuda here! We’ve arching over your location on the way back to Earth.”
“Lieutenant! I noticed that the encryption is ‘on;’ is this another Top Secret message?”
“No,” he chortled, “only medium secret. I don’t want any eavesdroppers in the Belt to discover my dual identities.”
“Fair enough.”
“We were quite successful with our effort on Titan. The x-pathogen worked acceptably well, although I’ll have to improve the virility and simplify the delivery system,” Zmuda reported.
“Are the Outer Reaches Warlord-free?”
“Yes,” the Lieutenant said with great satisfaction. “We deployed a tiny satellite to snoop on Titan before we left. Evidently the palace slaves finished off Dimitri on his deathbed. I have a spectacular surveillance photo of his corpse dangling alongside his father’s on the moon’s surface. If necessary, the CRAMP will use the image to allay fears of future attacks by the lunatic.”
“That’s great news. Can I share it with my crew?”
“Please do. How is your quest for the pirates and the missing munitions?”
“Well,” Ryo vacillated, “it’s not working out as well as your recent effort.”
Zmuda frowned, “My condolences. Bring me up to date.”
“We dug up a lucky tip in a bar on one of the nearby asteroids about a marooned supertanker.”
“The Xenon Lightning?” the Lieutenant interrupted.
“Yes, how did you guess?”
“One of my CRAMP cronies discovered a morsel about a group of fairly inept raiders called the Kuiper Belt Shipjacks. Someone had paid them an absurd amount of money to commandeer the unladened vessel. We wondered over a few beers why anyone would hijack an empty tanker when a fully loaded one would be worth trillions more.”
“We’re guessing that it was some sort of hideout. Unfortunately the pirates along with the all-important antimatter have slipped away.”
“Are you back to sniffing around on a cold trail?”
“Luckily no. We’re tracking them using a gravitational distortion that the strange stuff onboard the ship produces but with all of the clatter caused by the asteroids it is quite a challenge.”
Zmuda winced; with the antimatter still at large, continuing blackmail was inevitable. “I wish you the greatest of luck in your search.”
“We certainly need it right now,” Ryo groaned.
“In a more minor matter; during our shindig at the Titan Palace we acquired a new crew member. She’s an adolescent former slave girl and an exceptionally wonderful child. I’d love to find an especially attentive guardian for her when we return to Free City.”
“Interesting.”
“Do you know of anyone who might be up to the task?” Zmuda wondered.
“Perhaps,” Ryo replied after a protracted silence.
35. The payoff “See?” Lev said.
Ryo tilted his head and tried to make sense of the speckled image on the gravitational scanner. “I’m really not very good at this sort of thing.”
Lev traced his finger over the screen, “This is the stolen antimatter. I’m guessing that the pirates are now moving fast enough that we can detect the heavy stuff that they stole from the lunar lab.”
“Any idea where they are?”
Lev made some calculations, “About twenty kilometers away and trudging along at five kilometers per hour towards the edge of the Asteroid Belt.”
“Alright; I’d like to stop them before they reach open space. Go up to the cockpit and help Keira track them down.”
• • •
Keira nudged the Seiran gently over a tumbling asteroid.
“There they are!” Lev pointed to the left. “The Belle is much bigger than I imagined,” he noted with dismay.
The hijacked Ore Runner dwarfed the Interceptor that was sent to overtake it.
Ryo studied the distant vessel, “The Butin Belle is unarmed and the pirates don’t know that we’re stalking them.”
Keira gloated, “We’ve got quite an arsenal of weapons, if push comes to shove.”
“I guess that will all help,” Lev turned to his crewmates in bewilderment. “How exactly are we going to get them to stop?”
The old Investigator stared at the Liaison Officer turned hotshot spacecraft pilot in sudden consternation.
Keira shook her head.
“I have no idea,” Ryo groaned.
• • •
For hours Keira had cautiously skirted in a wide arc around the slow moving Ore Runner, now they were dead ahead of the big vessel cloaked by a cloud of floating rubble that had undoubtedly been a hefty asteroid at some point in the past.
“Pull up and switch off the anti-detection system,” Ryo said.
Keira complied.
For several tense minutes, the Belle continued towards the little craft.
Ryo switched on the ship to ship radio, “The is Inspector Trop of the Free City Inquisitor’s Office, stop and prepare to be boarded.”
“I’m afraid not Inspector.”
“Then we will open fire.”
“With what?”
Ryo pointed to Keira and she blasted a small asteroid several hundred meters to the side of the Butin Belle, sending a glowing shower of incandescent gravel in all directions.
The maneuvering thrusters on the big ship reluctantly fired and the Ore Runner came to a halt.
A gruff voice boomed over the radio in the Seiran, “We seem to have a stand off, Inspector.”
Ryo pondered the situation for many minutes. “We have reliable information that you are holding a hostage and are in possession of stolen propert
y.”
“Yes we are!” snorted the unseen outlaw. “We have one Doctor Jana Fesai, formerly a resident of the Ultra Energy Lab on the Sea of Crisis. You can get her back with a suitable payment.”
“Dr. Fesai was killed,” Ryo signaled to his confused shipmates that his comment to the pirates was a ruse.
“Say something to the nice Inspector, sweetie,” the pirate prompted.
“Ah,” a hoarse woman uttered, “I’m...Jana Fesai.”
“I have the Doctor’s dossier right here,” Ryo continued, “let’s see if the details match up. The Doctor has a townhouse in Free City; on what street is it located?”
The woman’s shaky voice strengthened, “Breton Street.”
Lev’s head slowly bobbed as he listened to the familiar sound.
“Ms Fesai has a pet at that house. What type of animal is it and what is its name?”
“Iridium!” the radio reverberated. “My cat’s name is Iridium. He lives with my son, Lev on Breton Street in the Old Town District of Free City!”
Lev pressed his hands to his face and quietly whimpered with relief. Touchingly, Ryo watched as Keira wrapped her arms protectively around the tearful man.
“Alright; I’m satisfied,” the Investigator said. “We’d like to get her back.”
“One million Units,” the outlaw snorted defiantly.
Ryo rolled his eyes, “It’s a person you’re ransoming, not a hijacked freighter.”
The pirate laughed, “Just checking to see if you’re paying attention, Inspector. We’ll let her go for five hundred thousand.”
“No deal,” Ryo bluffed.
Lev stared at the old Investigator in shock.
He signaled to the young man to remain quiet.
“Well I guess we’ll kill her then.”
Ryo smiled wryly, now the pirates were bluffing, “Everyone thinks she dead already.”
The trio on board the Seiran could hear the outlaws arguing about what to do next.
“Alright,” the pirate continued, “make an offer.”
“Ten thousand,” Ryo quickly bid.
“Fifty!” the raider shouted back.
“Fifteen.”
“Twenty five.”
Ryo nodded, “We’ll pay twenty five thousand, but I want a hand to hand exchange to insure there’s no double-crossing.”
“Deal.”
Lev was visibly relieved.
“Mr. Trop,” the pirate continued, “you may dock with and board our fine ship to take possession of Dr. Fesai. Kindly bring along a payment interface showing a deposit of twenty five thousand Units made to Gristle’s Raiders.”
“No weapons,” Ryo countered.
“Fair enough.”
• • •
While Keira brought the Seiran along side the much larger ship and gently prodded the craft towards the docking port, she listened to the men as they engaged in some sort of secretive planning.
“Here,” Lev pointed to the screen as Ryo looked on with interest, “and here.”
“And that will achieve the desired effect?” the old Investigator asked.
“It should, but it’ll take a little while.”
Ryo ruminated on the risky plan before answering, “OK; do it then.”
• • •
“Bosco Kremerling?” Ryo inquired of the burly man who met him and Keira at the docking hatch.
“Call me Boz,” the First Mate said absently. “We don’t often have visitors,” he chuckled sarcastically, “please excuse the untidiness.”
Ryo warily appraised the big man.
The pirate studied Keira with interest. “I’ll trade you this one for the old hag straight away,” he sneered.
Keira growled at the man.
“And feisty, no less,” the First Mate remarked.
Ryo glared at the pirate, “The original deal only.”
“It’s your money.”
They followed Boz down a long passageway to the control room of the ship. There, loosely strapped to a communication panel, was a haggard middle-aged woman. At last, they had located the long missing scientist.
A wiry man watched the new arrivals with interest, “Welcome to the Butin Belle, I am Captain Olin Gristle.”
“Captain,” Ryo nodded tepidly. “I’m Inspector Trop and this is my associate, Liaison Officer Norton.”
Gristle held out his hand, “The money please.”
Keira handed a payment interface to the Captain.
Gristle entered several numbers and smiled, “Excellent; I see that the payment has been properly credited.”
The First Mate released the hostage and she swiftly joined her liberators.
“Gentleman,” Ryo scowled at the fugitives, “I’m arresting you under the authority of the Free City High Court and the Warlord Syndicate.”
The Captain laughed.
Boz smirked, “Well you see Inspector Trop, we don’t plan to go with you now that we’ve extracted the ransom for the old crone.”
The two groups scrutinized each other suspiciously.
When the tension of the stand off finally got the better of her, Keira lunged at the burly First Mate but he easily deflected her. The big man reached behind the communications panel and produced a potent looking side arm and a long glinting dagger.
“You have two choices,” Boz waved the weapons ominously, “get the hell off the ship or die right here like the stupid fools that you are.”
Ryo spun around and pushed the women towards the docking hatch. “LET’S GET OUT OF HERE!”
36. Reunion “GET IN!” Lev quickly pulled his mother and the boarding party through the docking hatch.
Keira slammed the door closed.
A disturbing low-level vibration rattled through the ship.
“DID YOU DO IT?” Ryo shouted to the young man.
“YES!”
The Seiran shuddered painfully as the pirates engaged the huge engine of the Butin Belle.
Ryo hammered the ‘Emergency Docking Disengage’ button and the predacious Interceptor grudgingly unleashed the much larger Ore Runner.
The rapidly building thrust of the escaping vessel violently battered the patrol craft as it whipped past.
From the radio in the cockpit, the raucous cackling of the escaping criminals echoed though the Seiran.
When the brutal pummeling finally subsided, Lev embraced his recently liberated mother. “I knew you weren’t dead,” he whispered.
Jana stared at him with misty eyes, “I almost was more than once.”
Keira shook her head in dismay, “I can’t believe that they got away with the antimatter.”
Still panting from the panicky escape, Ryo grinned knowingly at Lev, “They’ll never collect on the ransom.”
“How can you be sure?” Keira asked.
Lev chuckled, “While you and Ryo were onboard the pirate’s ship, I sent a surreptitious command signal to the Belle.”
Jana tilted her head in confusion.
“What good did that do?” Keira asked in annoyance. “They’re still at large.”
He kissed her forehead, “I permanently jammed the engine to maximum output and locked out the maneuvering and override controls.”
Both of the women slowly nodded as they grasped the implications of the tampering.
Keira smiled, “They’re stuck going straight ahead at full blast?”
“Until they eventually run out of propellent,” Ryo snorted.
Lev laughed as he wrapped an arm around Keira, “The Belle will coast forever through deep space after that, although without an energy source, I suspect that the life support systems will give out in a week or two.”
“I can’t believe that you come halfway across the Solar System to get me,” Jana stared her son.
Lev beamed at the attention.
Ryo started down the passageway towards the cockpit, “Let’s see if we can figure out where the doomed raiders are headed.”
“So you two are an item?” Jana aske
d the Liaison Officer as they followed the old Investigator.
“Yeah, I guess we are,” Keira blushed.
Lev nodded tentatively, “We got off to a shaky start, but we’re doing pretty well now.”
Keira kissed his cheek, “I think we were both hopelessly smitten with each other at different times. It just took us a long time to finally get past the superficial exteriors and really appreciate each other.”
Lev smiled.
“I suspect that you’ll both do well together.” Jana noted. “I can’t wait to get back to Free City,” she squeezed through the corridor with the others, “I’d just love to have a hot bath, a really big meal and a chance to reread Macbeth.”
“Macbeth?” Lev asked.
“Anything but A Midsummer Night's Dream,” Jana groaned.
“I thought that was your favorite Shakespearian play?”
“It was.”
The group crowded into the cockpit.
“When we return,” Ryo intoned, “I plan to exercise my option for an early retirement.”
“Retire?” Keira stared at him in disbelief. “What on earth are you going to do with all of that free time?”
“There’s a little girl that I heard about recently who’ll need an especially steady hand to guide her into adulthood,” Ryo said with a strange faraway look in his eyes. “Perhaps I’ll take on that challenge.”
The weary foursome watched from the cockpit windows as the Butin Belle streaked past the ragged edge of the Asteroid Belt. After many minutes, all that could be seen of escaping fugitives was the sinister violet-blue exhaust from the burly ion engine.
“What about the others still locked away on the Lightning?” Jana asked Ryo. “I don’t think that we could possibly fit them into this ship.”
“Not to worry,” he assured her, “a couple of Syndicate Tugs are on the way from Vesta to salvage the tanker and rescue the occupants.”
While the disdainful taunts of the escaping pirates filled the cramped cockpit, each of the four brooding shipmates of the overcrowded Seiran considered the doleful rubble field and the vast celestial vista beyond.
