by P. A. Piatt
“Another?”
“Hmm… not right now.” He stood up and smoothed back his hair with both hands. “All this talk about prostitutes has got me thinking.” He pointed up the stairs. “Which room has time on it?”
“Rooms Three and Four. I don’t know if they’re still taking customers, but you can try.”
A low voice—Male? Female?—answered Jandahl’s knock on Room Four. He turned the knob and entered.
Inside was a plainly furnished room with a queen-sized bed flanked by nightstands, a small table, and two cushioned chairs. An attractive woman was curled up in one chair holding a long-stemmed cigarette holder held between slender fingers tipped with brilliant red fingernails.
“What’ll it be, lover?” she purred.
Jandahl pulled a roll of scrip from his pocket. “Just talk.”
The prostitute sighed. “Okay. The hourly rate is the same. Talk ain’t cheap here in the House of Shaysanda.”
Jandahl chuckled as he peeled off several bills. “That’s fine.”
“You want me to talk dirty to you, Daddy? Humiliate you? Have you been a bad boy?”
“Nothing like that. I want to have a chat, like two regular people.” He stopped counting scrip. “When we’re done I want to make sure nobody will find out what we talked about.”
The prostitute unfolded herself from the chair and approached him with an exaggerated hip-wiggle.
“Honey, for that amount of money, my lips are sealed forever.” She held out her hand, and Jandahl gave her half the scrip. She chewed on her bottom lip in a pouty expression. “What’s wrong, baby, don’t you trust Shaysanda?”
“Sure I trust you. That’s why I gave you half.”
Shaysanda sashayed back to her chair and draped herself across it in a casually seductive pose. “What do you want to talk about?”
Jandahl took the other chair. “Tell me about this afternoon with the police and the Space Marines. What happened?”
Shaysanda stiffened and her eyes narrowed. “Baby, Shaysanda doesn’t mess with the police. Why would you ask me something like that?”
“I’m an interested bystander, is all.”
“Sugar, you’re a terrible liar.”
Jandahl shrugged but remained silent. He knew he could outlast Shaysanda’s greed, and he was right.
Bracelets jangled, and costume jewelry sparkled as Shaysanda waved her hands.
“Look, honey, it was just a thing, okay? There was a big party downstairs with a bunch of these guys. Two of them came upstairs for, you know, whatever. The next thing I know, the cops kicked the door open and dragged them out.”
“What about the China Mike?”
“It was on the nightstand. Someone must have tipped off the police because they went straight for it.”
“Was it theirs? The Space Marines?”
Shaysanda looked away.
“Was it yours?”
The prostitute locked eyes with the intelligence operator, and Jandahl saw a flash of anger. “Daddy, you’re gonna make Shaysanda angry if you keep talking like that.” She blinked, and the anger was gone. “I do this because I like it and because it pays better than any job I could get in the plant. I like the drug, but that doesn’t mean I’m a junkie.”
“Okay. If the China Mike wasn’t theirs and it wasn’t yours, whose was it?”
“Are you sure you’re not a cop?”
Jandahl held up his right hand and smiled. “I’m not a cop. Promise.”
Shaysanda reached for her cigarettes and made a show out of inserting a new one into her cigarette holder. Jandahl knew it was a stall tactic, but he played along. He picked up the lighter from the table and lit her cigarette. She gave him a coquettish look as she blew out a long stream of smoke.
“It’s a shame that all you want to do is talk, Daddy,” she murmured as she ran her hand along her thigh. “A good-looking man like you deserves more than chitchat.”
“Let’s get back to the China Mike. Whose was it?”
“I don’t know.”
“It hurts my feelings when you lie to me, Shaysanda. It makes me want to keep the rest of my money.”
Jandahl watched her entire physical demeanor change. Her shoulders slumped, and her flirtatious smile faded.
“Shaysanda, listen to me.” Jandahl leaned forward in his chair and lowered his voice. It was an effective technique to foster a sense of us-versus-the-world. He had used it to great effect many times in the past. “I don’t care what you’re into or how you make your living. I want to know how two Space Marines, who haven’t been here for a week, got involved with the resistance.”
At the mention of the resistance, Shaysanda stiffened.
“The resistance?” She wagged an index finger at him. “I don’t know who you are, mister, but you need to get out of here.”
Jandahl chuckled. “What happened to ‘Daddy’? Don’t you want the rest of your money?” He held up the folded scrip, and her eyes tracked it. “C’mon, Shaysanda. I just want to know where the China Mike came from. Whatever else the resistance is into is none of my business. And to tell you the truth, if I had to work in this fucking place, I’d probably join them.”
Shaysanda giggled, and the tension between them drained away. She glanced at the door and took a deep breath. “Okay, look. The bouncer, Shag? He gave me the stuff and told me that if any of the Space Marines came upstairs I was to offer them some and then leave it on the nightstand. I thought he was trying to hook them with a free sample. I didn’t know the cops would bust in.”
“Shag? He’s not in the resistance. He’s one of the GRC mercenaries.” Jandahl unconsciously touched his cheek.
“Why do you keep talking about the resistance? They’re not pushing the China Mike.”
Jandahl was taken aback. “But the resistance sells China Mike to fund their movement.”
The prostitute shook her head. “No, baby. You’ve got it all wrong. China Mike is one of their main grievances. They don’t deal it.”
“If not the resistance, then who?”
“All I know is that Shag is the only guy I buy from these days. If he’s not resistance, then he’s something else.” She shrugged and held out her hand. “I’ve said enough, Daddy. How about my money?”
* * *
One of the colonial policemen directed Fortis to the police headquarters office complex. An officer there escorted him to the chief’s office. Chief Schultz greeted him with a tepid handshake and a disapproving look on his fleshy face.
“Lieutenant, I had hoped we would meet under different circumstances.”
Fortis nodded and said nothing.
Schultz opened two file folders on the desk in front of him. “Private Marx and Private Landis. Arrested at the Cock and Tail and charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute China Mike.”
“That can’t be right, Chief. My Marines know better than to get mixed up with that stuff.”
“When my men arrested them they discovered the Marines had a substantial amount of China Mike packaged for sale.”
“That doesn’t make sense. How did they get caught? Were they arrested for making a deal?”
Chief Schultz shook his head. “We received an anonymous tip that warned of illegal drug activity on the second floor of the Cock and Tail. An undercover operative confirmed the report, and we acted.”
“Chief, we’ve only been here for three days. This is the first time any of us have been out. You expect me to believe that somehow, in a bar full of fellow Marines, these two decided to deal drugs? Who were they going to sell to?”
Schultz folded his hands in front of him. “What you believe is not my concern, Lieutenant, and neither are the motives and schemes of drug dealers. My concern is enforcing the law. Your men broke the law, and my men arrested them. When the colonial circuit judge arrives, they will stand trial.”
“When will that be?”
Schultz consulted his computer. “The judge will be here eight weeks from tomorrow.”
“Eight weeks?”
The chief looked at his screen again. “That’s what it says here. Eight weeks. From tomorrow.”
“They can’t stay here eight weeks. We’ll be gone before that, Chief.”
Schultz shrugged. “Not Marx and Landis. They have a court date in eight weeks.”
“From tomorrow. Yeah, I get it.” Fortis sighed and rubbed his face. “There’s nothing I can do to get them out?”
“You could talk to the governor, but I don’t think that will do much good. He’s a stickler for the law.”
“Can I see them?”
“Of course.” Schultz reached for his communicator and paused. “You won’t try to break them out, will you?”
Fortis gave him a blank stare at the clumsy attempt at humor. The chief shrugged again and picked up his handset. A tall, broad-shouldered colonial policeman appeared in response to the call. “Upham” was embroidered on his name patch.
“Officer Upham, take Lieutenant Fortis to see our guests. Let them use Interview Room Two; the room without the surveillance system.”
Upham gave him a confused look. “Uh, okay, Chief. This way, Lieutenant.”
“You make a lot of arrests?” Fortis asked on their way to the holding cells.
“No, heh. Actually, your guys are the second and third people I’ve seen arrested since I started here.”
“How long have you been a policeman?”
“Two years.”
Fortis stopped. Upham turned and looked at him.
“In two years, you’ve seen three arrests?”
“Yep. Right after I started, an electrician went crazy and strangled his manager in Garage Six. That was the first one. Now, two Space Marines; that makes three.” He chuckled. “Not a lot of crime here.”
Fortis saw a large sign that read HOLDING CELLS over the door at the end of the corridor.
“If there’s so little crime, what do you do with your time?”
The officer held the door open for Fortis. “Plow dirt after sifters, mostly.”
* * * * *
Chapter Fourteen
Marx and Landis were grim-faced when Upham ushered them into the interview room, but they broke into wide grins when they saw Lieutenant Fortis seated at the table.
“LT, you gotta get us out of here,” blurted Marx.
“This is bullshit, sir. We didn’t do anything,” added Landis.
Fortis put his finger to his lips and pointed to the ceiling. “You two need to understand that I’m not your attorney and I could be compelled to testify to anything you tell me.”
The two Marines looked around the room and then nodded.
“In fact,” Fortis continued, “it would be best if you didn’t say anything to anyone about this. Not even each other. Understand?”
Marx and Landis nodded again.
“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, tell me, how have you been treated so far? Any trouble?”
The Marines exchanged glances. “Good so far,” said Marx. “We’ve only been here an hour.”
Fortis gave a self-conscious chuckle, and his face flushed. His nap had distorted his body clock and he had begun to think it was the following morning.
He didn’t know what to say to Marx and Landis. He didn’t want to mention anything about the eight-week wait for the judge, at least until he spoke to Governor Czrk. If he couldn’t convince the governor to release them, he would have to appeal to Battalion for guidance, which would complicate everything.
Fortis stood up.
“I will do everything I can to get you guys out of here. You’ve got to do your part to help me, though. Do what you’re told and don’t cause any trouble.”
“DINLI, sir?”
They smiled, and Fortis was glad to see the pair was in good spirits.
* * *
Fortis searched for the rest of the platoon and found them gathered in the cafeteria under the watchful eye of several colonial policemen. Most of the Space Marines were flaked out on the floor, sound asleep. He waved Ystremski away from the group. They leaned in close to converse.
“What the hell happened?” Fortis whispered.
“After you left things got a little crazy,” replied Ystremski. “What do you expect when you mix Space Marines and free booze? Marx and Landis decided to satisfy their curiosity about the whole apple and banana thing. I saw them head upstairs and then the place filled up with cops. They lined us all up in the street and hauled those two away. I tried to find out what was going on, but they wouldn’t talk to a lowly corporal.”
“What a fucking mess.”
“Have you seen Marx and Landis? How are they?”
“They’re okay. Confused, but okay.”
“What did the governor have to say?”
“I haven’t talked to him yet. After I get you guys out of here, that’s my next stop.”
“You know, LT, this smells like a shakedown.”
“A shakedown?”
Ystremski looked over his shoulder. “Yeah. Sometimes local cops grab a Space Marine, trump up some charges, and then offer to release them on ‘bail.’ The hat gets passed and we pay the ransom. If we don’t, the Marine gets screwed by the locals and then again by the ISMC for going AWOL.”
Fortis groaned. “Fantastic.”
“It’s kind of weird, though. If this is a shakedown, it’s a strange time for it. We can’t raise a lot from a single platoon, and we sure as hell can’t call Battalion and ask for more.”
“Huh. Well, I guess I’ll know more after I talk to Governor Czrk.”
“One piece of advice, don’t ask him how much, let him lead you to it. These pissant bureaucrats don’t like to be confronted with their bullshit. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of his underlings makes the demand.” Ystremski nodded toward the door, and Fortis saw Chief Schultz approaching them. “Like the chief here.”
“Lieutenant Fortis, your men are free to go,” the chief puffed. “There won’t be any additional charges filed.”
“A bargain,” muttered the corporal.
“Oh, and the governor would like to see you, Lieutenant.”
“Great, thanks,” replied Fortis. He turned to Ystremski. “Get them back to the berthing compartment. Nobody leaves this facility without my express permission, and they don’t leave berthing without yours.”
Fortis followed the portly police chief out the door. He heard Ystremski rouse the napping platoon and smiled.
“Let’s go, ladies! Time to get up and at ’em. You guys look like you could use some exercise.”
* * *
Shultz escorted Fortis to the governor’s office, where they were met by the governor, along with Chive, who scowled at the young Space Marine. Fortis took a seat, and, before the governor could speak, he launched into his prepared remarks.
“Governor, please accept my apologies for any trouble my Space Marines have caused. This was no way to repay your gracious hospitality, and I promise you it won’t happen again as long as we are here.”
Governor Czrk responded with a thin smile. “Lieutenant, I appreciate your apology, and I’m sure that the actions of Marx and Landis do not represent the ISMC or your platoon.”
After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, Fortis glanced at Schultz and Chive. “Governor, can we speak in private?”
Governor Czrk wrinkled his nose for a second and then gestured to the chief and head of security. “You can speak freely in front of these men. There are no secrets here on Eros-28.”
“Okay.” Fortis took a deep breath. “Chief Schultz told me the judge isn’t due here for eight weeks.”
Czrk nodded but said nothing.
“Governor, I don’t think we’ll be here for eight weeks, and I can’t leave Marx and Landis here when we go.”
Czrk’s eyebrows went up. “Why not? We’ll treat them well as long as they behave. They’ll receive a fair trial. Based on what I’ve been told about their crimes, I expect the judge will sentence th
em to time served. After that, we will release them to the ISMC. Eight weeks of time served sounds like a fair sentence for dealing drugs.”
“It is fair. The problem is that Battalion isn’t going to wait that long. We’ll be off on the far side of who-knows-where and those two won’t be able to catch up with us.”
“We can send them back to Terra Earth with a deep-space mission crew. A shuttle heads back there every six months or so.”
“That’s very generous, sir, except that the ISMC will classify them as AWOL if they don’t come back with us. In two months, the ISMC will downgrade their status to deserter. When they get back to Terra Earth, the ISMC will court martial them, and they’ll go to military prison.”
“Hmm. That would be unfortunate.”
“Sir, what if they’re acquitted? They will have spent eight weeks waiting on the judge for nothing. Their lives will be destroyed for something they didn’t do.”
“Lieutenant, they were found in possession of China Mike. That’s really not in dispute.”
Fortis looked Czrk straight in the eye. “Is there anything we can do to avoid all that?”
“What do you mean, Lieutenant?”
Fortis glanced at Chief Schultz and Director Chive. “When we get on that Fleet transport you will never hear from us again. Even if Marx and Landis are guilty—and that’s a big if—they’ll be out of your hair. One thing I guarantee you; whatever misery they might feel sitting in your jail for eight weeks, Corporal Ystremski can dispense misery tenfold with his special brand of attention.” Fortis threw up his hands. “Otherwise, we leave them with you, they do their time served, and then you have to worry about how to get them back to Terra Earth. It hardly seems worth it.”
Czrk’s eyes flitted to Schultz and then Chive before he answered. “My hands are tied. Marx and Landis were arrested and charged. The rest is up to the judge.”
Fortis struggled to hide his disappointment as he stood up. “I’m sorry to hear that, Governor, but I understand.” He stuck out his hand and the two men shook. “With your permission, I’d like to visit with them regularly.”
