“We were all astonished to find she had a match among the Mylos Fleet! All seemed well, the only clue that it might not be smooth sailing was a lack of proof. No wedding invitations came our way, and for good reason. As we found out, the supposedly perfectly matched couple only actually celebrated their nuptials with a human style wedding two weeks ago. But let’s back up. Only several days prior, a popular family eating venue exploded immediately after Miss Marley left it. It killed a young elementary school teacher who had befriended her, as well as killing one of my staff while maiming another. Several brides, their children, and restaurant staff were also injured or killed.”
Jackie stood up and crossed to a viewscreen that gave the appearance of being a window that looked down on Earth. She looked ‘out’ and began speaking once more. “Coincidence? Perhaps, but witnesses place her with a known member of her former terrorist group during her honeymoon. Suspicions regarding her involvement are mounting, as her friends turn their backs on her. Indeed, this was the scene just three days ago.” The viewscreen flickered, the Earth window now showing a clip depicting her visit to her classroom.
Jackie turned to face the cameraman once more, holding up her hands in supplication. “I know, I know. It’s still only conjecture at this point, though it seems there is pretty solid intel behind it, as the woman with me was Commander Gundar’s own mate. As for where our number one suspect was taken away to, I’m reliably informed she is under the watchful eye of Fleet Security in what they will only say is a secure location. That certainly sounds like a cell of some kind to me. The big question I’m sure we all have is, “Will the Mylos actually charge her this time and lock her away?” I hope so, as the other option is to let her go free again, to plot more terror. I’m sure we’re all grateful that she didn’t go on a spree while back on Earth.” The camera zoomed in on Jackie’s face. “This has been a special report from Jackie O’Hannigan on the Bride Murders. Please tune in next time as we continue to update you with more updates as they come in.”
Marley stared at the viewscreen. This was bad. This was very, very bad.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Kranow flexed his jaw. The awful woman would not stop talking.
“Tell us, Kranow, did you suspect your bride at all? How did she manage to fool you so completely?” Jackie persisted. He refused to respond, brushing past her to complete his pre-flight check.
“Are you checking the shuttle for possible incendiary devices? Is the Fleet concerned about possible sleeper agents working with Marley?”
He felt his skin ripple as anger flushed his skin and brought his scales forward. He knew if he looked at her, she would see the change to his pupils. “Please excuse me, I have a flight to make,” he gritted out, pushing past her and her cameraman to dash up the ramp. Closing the ramp behind him, he buckled himself into his seat quickly and began turning the engines on. Activating the viewscreens, he felt a rush of satisfaction as he took in the pair’s shocked expressions as they scrambled away. No doubt they would complain to Gundar, but they were the ones haranguing him despite himself and the flight line chief pointing out he was departing immediately and that they needed to move away.
Once they were a safe distance and his sensors confirmed there were no further obstacles, he asked for permission to take off. That granted, he began the short journey to Earth. He relaxed. The company on the return trip promised to be pleasant as he quite enjoyed ferrying the human families up to the fleet. This time, he was to go to Fort Huachuca to pick up a newly retired soldier who had Sachuu quite excited. Sergeant First Class Neil Montgomery had completed his twenty years and was ready to use his skills for the Mylos. Former CID, Sachuu had eagerly put him forward to join his team. It was hoped that he could help offer insights that would help them close the Jackie O’Hannigan case.
SFC Montgomery was waiting for him at the flight line when he arrived, a military issue duffle bag at his feet. A young that Kranow gauged to be around a decade old stood at his side, chewing her lip. Several large boxes were also waiting on the tarmac, as were the civilian contracted people he recalled were referred to as ‘movers’.
“I am Kranow, your pilot and soon to be neighbor. You will have quarters next door to my mate and me,” he greeted the male and his young.
Montgomery gave a nod. “I’m Sergeant First Class Neil Montgomery and this is my eleven year old daughter, Casey. I was told we could bring up our household goods. Is there enough room on the shuttle or will they have to be shipped later?”
Kranow surveyed the boxes. “There is plenty of room in the cargo area. I will open the hold and supervise the loading.
“Uh, there’s more on the truck over there,” Montgomery said. “Our living room suite, dining table, and beds and stuff.”
Kranow nodded. “There is enough room, provided nothing is overly bulky.”
“No, nothing heavy or bulky. We’ve always traveled light, right, kiddo?” Casey peered at her father through her dark bangs and glanced away, nodding. Montgomery sighed. “Sorry. She’s been like this for the past year and a half, ever since her mom left. I’m hoping the change in scenery will help.”
“Left,” Casety said bitterly. “Abandoned us, you mean.” She turned stormy eyes to Kranow. “She ran off with her civilian boss and has started a new family, one she’s not interested in sharing with me. Like I’m garbage or something.”
“Hey, now,” her father said sharply. “You’re not garbage. Your mom has her head in the wrong place right now, but I see you. You’re smart, intelligent, funny, and the best kid anyone could ever hope for.”
Kranow hummed in agreement. “Young are to be treasured, always. You will be cherished among the Mylos.”
“What, like, because I’m a kid, I’ll be like a princess or something?”
“You are a female young, which is rare among my people, but all young are considered treasures.”
Casey gave him a tight smile. “Huh. So, we’re gonna live next door to you? You got any kids?”
“My first young will be born later this year,” Kranow told her proudly. He turned away and re-entered the ship, opening the hold before re-emerging. While Casey sat inside the shuttle watching a new orientation film one of the brides had made for children joining the Fleet, Neil Montgomery and Kranow assisted the movers in loading the hold.
Everything did indeed fit, with a small amount of room to spare. Casey looked up. “We going now?’
“Unless there is anything else you wish to bring,” Kranow told her. Casey’s lip began to wobble.
“I wish I could have brought Fritz,” she said, swiping at her eyes to dash away tears.
“Fritz?” Kranow asked, turning to regard her father.
“Her dachshund. There was no mention of pets being allowed, so…”
Kranow looked at the disconsolate child before returning his gaze to her father. “Is Fritz close by?”
“Yeah, a buddy who lives right here on post agreed to take him. He picked him this morning.”
“Can you contact him? We can pick up this Fritz and whatever it is he needs to live onboard ship.”
“Oh, Daddy, can we?”
“You sure it’s okay?”
“You will have to clean its filth, but yes.”
“Let me give him a call, okay?” Montgomery stepped outside of the shuttle and pulled a phone out of his pocket. “Good thing I took this along so I could copy over all my phone numbers,” he said, selecting a name from his contacts and initiating a call. “Hey, Jones, I hate to ask this, but would you mind if we came to get Fritz?” Montgomery laughed. “You and Trish did, huh? Yeah, you’re right. She told the Mylos officer about Fritz and he just looked at her and told me to find out if we could fetch him. Right, let Trish know I’ll be there as soon as I can figure out a ride. Yeah? All right. Mmhmm, that’s right. Thanks, man.” He disconnected and poked his head back into the shuttle. “Okay, we got a pup to bring home with us.”
Kranow regarded him steadily. “E
xcellent. Can you call for a taxi?”
Montgomery grinned. “No need, my buddy is bringing him. Be about an hour, though.”
Kranow tilted his head to one side. “Is that enough time to get to the Commissary? Casey was telling me of her favorite snacks and I thought my bride might enjoy them.”
“Uh, okay, yeah, we can catch the shuttle bus at the stop on the main road.” He glanced at his phone. “Should be here in less than fifteen.”
Kranow and Casey shared a smile. “Let’s go then,” Casey said. “The Mylos have shopping privileges, so Kranow can come in and shop with us and everything. It was on the video.”
Montgomery sighed. “The Commissary is never a quick trip. I best call Jones back in case we’re a little late.”
“Come on, Kraonow, the bus stop is this way,” Casey said, tugging the large alien’s hand. He smiled down at her. His day had become brighter indeed, he reflected, as he allowed himself to be led along.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Casey ventured out into the hallway. Her father was busy putting her bed together and Fritz was antsy, sniffing around their front door, eager to go check out the new, exciting scents. She checked her pockets. Dog treats, check. Baggy of disinfectant wipes, check. Bags for poop, check. Wad of folded super absorbent paper towels, check. That should cover the possibilities. “Come on, Fritz,” she said to the small dog and led him along with the leash. They made it to the elevator without Fritz making a mess.
Casey glanced down the corridor to the door of their quarters. She hadn’t gone very far and she’d been gone less than five minutes. Deciding it wasn’t enough exercise for Fritz, she palmed the door of the elevator open like Kranow had showed them and remembered what the orientation video had said. “Level three for the recreation area,” she said to herself. She looked at the alien numbers on the buttons. Was the keypad the same as on a human elevator? Oh I can ask the ship’s AI. Captain Kranow said it can hear me everywhere and on our ship, its name is…it sounded like a number…Oh, I know!
“Xero?” she called out experimentally.
“Hello. How may I be of assistance?” came the reply.
“Oh, um, I’m Casey. Casey Montgomery. I just moved here with my dad. He’s uh…”
“Hi, Casey. I know who you are. I see Fritz is with you.”
“You know my dog’s name?”
“Your bio signatures and physical images were uploaded to me prior to your arrival. You are in the elevator on your residential deck. Where do you wish to go?”
“I wanted to take Fritz for a walk in the park.”
“There is a small park onboard ship on level three, in the recreation area. I have lit the appropriate button for you so you can see which one to press the next time.” Casey looked and noted the position. She felt the elevator begin to move.
“Thanks,” she said.
“My pleasure. Just call my name if you need anything else, Casey.” The elevator stopped and the door opened.
The recreation area turned out to be a circular track with greenery around its perimeter and within the inner ring of the track. She spotted three Mylos males jogging along the track. She urged Fritz forward, careful to keep him on the grass. After he’d done his business and she’d bagged it, she looked about for a place to throw it away. Spying a trashcan by a bench, she hurried over. More people were arriving in the area. Three more joggers made an appearance as did a human female on a bicycle. She sat and people watched, thinking how quite ordinary feeling this actually extraordinary scene was. While it looked like they were outdoors, from the grass, to the feeling of air moving against her skin like a gentle breeze, to sun and sky that she reckoned must be projected by a giant viewscreen, it could be any one of a dozen similar places she’d been to on Earth. But it’s not. We’re in space. With gravity even.
She stiffened in her seat as a human woman and her human male companion settled onto the bench behind her and began to have a conversation. Casey didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the loud whisper the woman spoke in made it impossible to not hear. She’d probably be quieter if she just spoke in a normal, low voice. What made Casey remain though, was the topic of conversation. If she left now, she might draw more attention to herself and the fact that she’s actually heard what they were talking about. She realized it was better to wait until she could go without drawing attention to herself.
“Look, Jeff got lucky with the jammer. The AIs will be looking for any kind of anomaly like a sudden dead spot, though. And I don’t how he got the materials up here, much less assembled them. That doesn’t matter. They think the Human Right chick did it, that Marley did it, okay? They have her locked up and are keeping tabs on things in case she has any co-conspirators. That’s where you come in. I need you to go back down planet-side and call the woman whose name I gave you. She works in a warehouse that ships goods to the Fleet.”
“And she’s going to do what? Put something in a shipment? I don’t want any part in blowing people up.”
“She’s going to fabricate an order for something, but it’ll actually be a 3-D printer inside the box. It will arrive a few days before you return but I’ll accept the package for you. In the meantime, she’ll email you a link to a file with the pattern to use in the 3-D printer.”
“A pattern for what?”
“Just bring a pair gloves back, in your pocket, okay?”
“It’s for a gun, isn’t it?’
“Don’t say that so loud! There’s a kid sitting behind us! Look!”
“They probably have ear buds in. See? She’s not even listening. Look, why do you even need me?”
“Don’t be like that. If this gets out, they’ll think you’ve been part of this from day one.” The woman’s tone was menacing.
Casey focused on her breathing. Her heart was thundering within her chest. Just play it cool, Casey. She began bopping her head and humming as if she was listening to music, as they thought she might be.
The couple got up and moved away. Once she saw they were gone, she waited several more minutes before leaving the area herself. I need to go tell Daddy. He’ll know who to tell. She made it to the elevator. “Oh crap. I forget the level we’re on. Xero!” she called out.
“Your heart rate is elevated. Is everything all right?”
“I gotta go home. I need to tell my dad…they said they were going to get a gun, using a 3-D printer, and someone named Jeff made something that I think was bad and they think some lady did something with it but she didn’t.”
“Elevator doors locked. Casey, I am patching you through to our Chief of Security.” Casey’s back slid against the wall and she sat down on the floor. Fritz licked her face and she scooped him onto her lap. A man’s deep voice came over the speaker.
“Casey? I am Sachuu, chief of security. Your father will be joining my team.”
“Hi, sir.”
“I want you to stay right there. I’m coming with your father to where you are. You can tell us what has you so frightened.”
“I wasn’t trying to listen,” she said. “But I couldn’t help it and it sounded bad.”
“Just relax. We’ll be there in a few minutes. Xeranos will verify who we are before opening the door, okay?”
“Okay.” She buried her face in her dog’s fur. “See, it’s gonna be okay, Fritzie. Daddy and his boss are gonna stop the bad guys.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
When the end came, it came suddenly. Marley’s first inkling was the door to the hospital room opening, admitting a wildly grinning Kranow and a bouncing Darla.
“Good, you’re dressed!” Darla said. “Get something o your feet and let’s go!”
Kranow shook his head at Darla’s antics and glanced about the room. Spying her shoes, he picked them up and brought them to her. “You get to return now. Jackie O’Hannigan and her accomplices have been arrested. Sachuu has them in the brig.”
Marley’s eyes grew round. “Really? What happened?”
“She ran her big mo
uth and got overheard. Xero checked the security logs and matched the data to the kid’s story, so they arrested her and her personal assistant. The guy spilled the beans to Sachuu, said he’d had no idea until she tried to get him to agree to do this thing that she was the mastermind behind the attack.” Darla’s words came out in a rush. Darla threw a glare at Kranow. “I’m not entirely sure I forgive Sachuu and Gundar for their own dastardly trick, though.”
Marley looked at Kranow quizzically as she tied the laces on her Keds. He smiled gently at her. “It’s a long story. It begins with a young named Casey and her dog Fritz. Today I picked them and her father up in the shuttle, as her father is taking part in the post-human military program.”
Marley stood up. “Okay, well, I’m ready to go. I don’t want to wait another second. If I don’t ever see this room again, it’ll be too soon, I tell you!” She stood up and walked towards the door. “You guys can tell me the whole story as we go home.”
Kranow (Mate the Stars Book 4) Page 15
