Unraveling Conspiracy (Forgotten Fodder Book 3)

by MJ Blehart

  “I think we’re even on that end,” Jace remarked. “I owe you my life too.”

  “Personally,” Onima added, “I am also glad I can call you a friend.”

  “If I may,” Kara said, “I feel the same, Jace.”

  Onima noted that Jace looked uncomfortable. He didn’t blush, probably because, as a clone programmed with certain emotional inhibitors, he likely couldn’t. But for a non-clone, that is how she would have characterized his reaction.

  The time for such sentiment was over. There was business to attend to. She changed the topic and said, “As for the rest of the team...I have known Yael a very long time, certainly longer than Feroz. I trust her implicitly. I have no concerns about her. From all I have seen personally and professionally from Dr. Patel....well, I think Maira is also completely trustworthy.”

  “I agree,” Jace said immediately. “Both of them have been instrumental in all of this, and I certainly have no concerns about them.”

  “Yes,” Kara agreed. “From all I’ve seen of them, I think they can be trusted.”

  “Which brings us to our newest team member,” said Onima, “Teru.”

  “Honestly,” Jace said, “they have impressed me. They are extraordinarily good. That they got the data recovered - and found and disarmed Feroz’s traps - is impressive. I once met a code-breaker/hacker during the war who was good, but not even close to what Feroz or Teru are capable of.”

  “Agreed,” said Kara. “It also helps that Deputy Director Samarin himself sent you Teru. I think we can trust them, at least professionally.”

  “I think so too,” Onima agreed. “However, let’s still be cautious about what we share with them. I like them a lot and am impressed by their skill. But caution, I believe, is still warranted.”

  “Yes.” Jace nodded.

  “Uh-huh,” said Kara.

  Onima took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Now, then. If Bettani is on Calvert, presumedly paying a visit to Nazari, the question is why? What does it mean? And how does it tie into the connections between them and Gray and Chaung?”

  “Good questions,” said Jace. “Perhaps this would be the time to involve Teru.”

  “Good idea,” said Kara.

  Onima agreed. Without a word, she stood, as did the other two. The trio left Onima’s office and went right to Teru’s workstation.

  “Welcome back,” Teru said. “I suppose we’re en route to Calvert?”

  “Yes, we are,” Onima said.

  “Great,” Teru replied. “So, what do you three need from me?”

  “Why do you think this isn’t just a social call?” asked Kara.

  Teru laughed. “The three of you came out of the office and straight here like soldiers on the march. It’s obvious something’s on your mind. What do you need?”

  “Fair enough.” Onima hoped that her immediate affinity for the new cryptanalyst wasn’t misplaced. “I presume, since you work for Samarin, that you are aware of Gray and Chaung’s numerous shell companies?”

  “The legitimate connections, illegitimate, or presumed ones?” asked Teru.

  “Yes,” replied Onima.

  “Of course.”

  “Good,” Onima said. “Can you run a search and see if there is any data tying any of them to Ms. Nazari’s wellness center?”

  “On it,” Teru said. The metal arms extended from their implants on the side of Teru’s head, and the holographic screen formed before their eyes.

  “Let’s see....” Teru mused, running through data. “Ms. Nazari’s wellness center is called Whole-Body Holistic and Medical Wellness, Ltd. There’s only the one center, though they have plans to open satellites down the line. If it’s medical in any way, they practice it. Aaand...look at that. They have several large investors, including Ehrlich Immuno-Research.”

  “I know that name,” Onima said.

  “Yup,” Teru said, “one of Gray and Chuang’s medical shell companies.”

  “We are going to need to get in there,” said Kara.

  “That might pose another problem,” remarked Jace.

  Onima suspected she knew what Jace was thinking, but prompted him, “That being...?”

  “If Bettani is there, it’s possible Feroz is there with him. Bettani interacted with the three of us, so he is likely to be on the lookout for us.”

  “Ta mah duh,” exclaimed Kara. “As if that’s not bad enough, if Feroz is there, he knows us. If he’s connected to Rand or anyone else in the Bureau, he knows we’re still on the case.”

  “All we can do is cross that bridge when we come to it,” said Onima. “But yes, I suspect getting into that wellness center is going to be an interesting but necessary challenge.”

  6

  The CBI Daedalus reached Calvert.

  Jace was still getting used to his new quarters, having his own office, and the way everyone treated him. Unlike the rest of his post-war experience, for the first time, Jace had a sense of what non-clones experienced.

  He had worked a great deal with Teru since they had joined the team. Prior to entering the warp bubble, Teru had downloaded as much as they could about Ms. Nazari’s wellness center. Further, Teru had acquired and shared with the team a lot of information about Emerson City.

  Calvert had seen a lot of battles during the war. Emerson City, its capital, had not escaped unscathed. This, however, had provided Jace with some ideas that might help the team avoid notice.

  Just after their arrival, Yael had come to find Onima.

  “I was going to prep the shuttle when I got a message from Captain Barr,” Yael told her. “He said we should go to the secondary landing bay.”

  “‘We’?” Onima inquired.

  “That’s what he said.”

  “Jace, Kara, shall we?” Onima asked.

  They followed Yael to the secondary bay rather than the main shuttle bay. It was meant to receive smaller ships visiting the Daedalus, since the other bay had multiple shuttles and various CBI ground vehicles.

  Yael tapped on the small screen on the jamb, and the hatch slid open.

  They stepped inside and saw a ship that was between the size of the small and the larger CBI shuttles.

  “Oh, this is too good,” Yael remarked as they approached the ship.

  “Is this a private yacht?” asked Kara.

  “It certainly looks that way,” said Onima. “Do the new Mythology II-class starships come with a captain’s gig?”

  “Not to my knowledge,” said Kara.

  “Barr told me to come check this out,” Yael said. “Let’s do so.”

  The quartet boarded the small ship. It was immediately apparent that it was intended for more luxurious passage than traveling on a shuttle.

  The lower deck, like CBI shuttles, held a hovervan, hovercar, and two hoverbikes. The mid deck featured three compartments with comfortable seating that could probably accommodate a whole warrant team, based on Jace’s previous experience. The mid deck was also where the control deck was.

  The top level of the ship featured a galley, head, and some sleeping berths. It was rather luxurious compared to most of the starships Jace had ever traveled on.

  When they reached the flight deck, Yael was clearly excited. It was not much different from the shuttle flight deck, save an extra bench seat against the rear bulkhead. Granted, the chairs appeared to be considerably more comfortable than those on the shuttles.

  “What is it about this that has you so thrilled?” Kara asked Yael.

  “Do you know how much more maneuverable than a shuttle this ship is?” asked Yael. “I mean, it’s not a combat craft, but this is an impressive ship.”

  “She’s a Rockhopper LX yacht,” said Captain Barr, unexpectedly appearing in the hatchway between the flight deck and mid deck. “Equipped to link up to a Journeyman Warp-Craft.”

  “What’s that?” asked Onima.

  “Something none of us can afford,” Kara answered.

  Barr chuckled. “I think if we combined our salarie
s, we could cover half of one.”

  “It’s an external warp bubble-generating craft that a private yacht like this one can dock with,” Yael explained. “Rather than land aboard a no-accommodations transport, you get your own warp-capable starship. I believe, given the price of ownership, a Journeyman Warp-Craft can be rented.”

  “Why do we have one of these here?” asked Jace.

  “Director Samarin and I had a conversation,” Barr said. “We determined that, given the uncertainty of Mr. Jones’ whereabouts, and that certain parties may be looking for Bureau shuttles landing at spaceports, this offered a little more subtle stealth.”

  “That’s really smart,” said Kara.

  “Especially as Feroz wouldn’t know about it.” Jace looked to Barr. “Presuming, of course, that few are aware of this.”

  Barr chuckled. “The secondary bay tends to be disregarded unless we’re receiving a visitor. You four, Deputy Director Samarin, and I, are the only ones who know that the Minotaur is here.”

  “This is outstanding,” said Yael.

  “Thank you for thinking about this sort of thing, Captain,” said Onima.

  “You’re welcome,” Barr said. “You need every advantage you can get.”

  They left the Minotaur and prepared to head down to the planet. Jace gathered the information he needed, downloading all the data he had researched to his datacard.

  Yael, Onima, Kara, and Jace left the Daedalus and flew down to Emerson City.

  As they reached orbit and prepared to enter the atmosphere, Yael opened her comm.

  “Emerson City Port Authority, this is Papa-Yankee-Oh-Nine-Seven-Two Minotaur. Requesting port options,” Yael said.

  The speaker on the flight deck was active. “Minotaur, this is Emerson City Port Authority. There are three options. There is the main public spaceport, as well as two private spaceport options, though I doubt the corporate port is for you. Recommend contacting the East Emerson Yacht Club.”

  “Thank you,” Yael replied. “Minotaur, out.”

  “What are you thinking?” asked Onima.

  “If Feroz is here, he knows we’re coming,” Yael said. “He knows by now that we got off the Aquila, so he’s likely keeping an eye on the port. While the Minotaur offers a cover, we’re even better off if we land somewhere private.”

  “Smart,” Kara remarked.

  Yael contacted the private spaceport, and, making use of Onima’s discretionary funds, they paid to land the Minotaur in a bay there.

  Once they landed, Kara again checked on her tracker. “Bettani is still here.”

  Onima spun her chair to face Kara. “Can you pinpoint where he is?”

  Kara nodded, and a holographic map appeared between her and Onima. A dot began to blink.

  Onima shook her head in disbelief. “It can’t be this easy.”

  Jace looked closer. Sure enough, it was Nazari’s wellness center.

  “If we had more than circumstantial evidence, this is where I’d bring in a couple warrant teams,” said Kara.

  “No,” Onima said. “Getting a warrant is too risky at this juncture. Rand is likely keeping close tabs on Samarin, and if he goes to get me a warrant, I suspect it won’t be a secret.”

  “Bettani knows all three of us,” said Kara. “Sneaking in presents a lot of challenges.”

  “True,” Jace agreed, “but I have a thought about that.”

  The other three looked at him.

  “I did some research en route,” he began. “The wellness center employs clones for bio-waste cleanup and disposal. Clones tend to have no loyalties to anyone, since nobody has loyalties to us, so I think we should pay the locals a visit and see if we can enlist their aid.”

  Yael perked up. “That’s an interesting idea.”

  “It might also give us more insight into what exactly this wellness center does,” Onima said. “They list a whole lot of different disciplines on their public records. But given their ties to Gray and Chuang, and the amount of money moving through them, there must be experimental and less-than-legitimate procedures being employed.”

  “Agreed,” said Jace. “And the clones will know all about it.”

  “Where do we find them?” asked Onima. “I didn’t see an old battlefield when we flew in.”

  “You wouldn’t,” Jace said. “But I checked on this. Emerson City, during the war, saw combat. The western edge of the city was something of a self-enclosed mini city. They had industrial complexes there, and people lived and worked all in the same kilometer or two of space. While some of what they did was private industry, they also manufactured war machines. Specifically, tanks and mechs for the NECC.”

  “On the edge of a city?” asked Kara.

  Jace nodded. “Apparently this was pre-war weapons manufacturing, so nobody thought twice about it being a potential target. The industry was wiped out or abandoned during the war, and as such, the people left. In the end, while other parts of the city were damaged in attacks, they were fixed. However, the western side was abandoned. Except by clones.”

  Jace spun around, tapped a couple icons on a screen, then turned to look at the holographic map now projected between him and others. “Before and during the war, these were tenements. Since the clones took part in the reconstruction efforts across the city after the war, they were allowed to take up residence here.”

  “Do they get treated better here than, say, on Raven?” asked Onima.

  “No,” Jace said without hesitation. “Clones are still second-class citizens here. Particularly those like me, from the infantry. From my research, that’s most of the clones who occupy these tenements, many of which are—or at least were—condemned. But the clones have done what they can to make them livable.”

  Onima looked to Kara, weighing the pros and cons of his suggestion.

  “If Feroz or Bettani are about,” Kara said, “they will recognize us.”

  “Before we send someone else in that they don’t know,” Onima said, “we need this info.”

  “Am I waiting here for you?” asked Yael.

  “I think so,” Onima said. “But stay in touch.”

  “Of course,” Yael said.

  The hovervan was similar to those that the CBI used, but slightly less industrial and more civilized. Jace wasn’t sure what it was about the vehicle that gave that impression, but he felt it rather strongly.

  The drive was about forty minutes, since the private spaceport was on the eastern side of the city. The city itself was a mix of tall skyscrapers, open parks, and less impressive mixed-use structures. Whatever damage might have been inflicted on Emerson City by the war, at least from the east to the center, it had been erased like it had never been.

  That changed as they went west of the center. It was subtle at first, but there were obviously newer structures among the rest, as well as gaps where buildings had likely been but that had not been re-erected since.

  Jace had fought in more than one city during his service. It was often random which buildings were affected and which were left alone. Some represented industries the military wanted to bring down, while others made great command centers, lookout points, or offered excellent cover.

  And then, of course, sometimes you randomly ducked into a building for cover, and the enemy decided it would be a good idea to trap you under its rubble.

  They had always tried to avoid civilians and inflicting casualties among them. But war machines like tanks and mechs, despite precision munitions, still did collateral damage. Unless a city had been evacuated or otherwise abandoned, urban combat was a nightmare for civilians.

  It tended to get particularly ugly when they resisted the clones trying to shepherd them out before they got caught in the crossfire.

  The buildings ahead were badly damaged. Some were partially collapsed, others had chunks taken out of them, and there were lots of rubble piles that used to be buildings. None in this area were more than twenty stories high, and all of them were in disrepair.

  A
t least at a distance, they looked pretty bad. As they neared, they noticed many had undergone repairs in one form or another, sometimes with scaffolding or crude buttressing to keep them standing.

  “Where do we want to stop, Jace?” Onima asked over her shoulder.

  “Let’s figure out which building is the most whole,” Jace said. “That’s probably where we’ll find the majority.”