by DC Bastien
"It must open doors for you."
"Slams some in our face, too. Sure Peters told you about that?" He missed the title off deliberately, to see her response.
Cubbus barely flinched, but the sour line around her mouth was not going to soften, he was sure.
"If you mean the problems on the Adquem station, we are aware of the rising hostilities, yes."
"Rising... you do know they threatened two of my crew? And no, I didn't mean that. Well. I did. But I also meant what happened on Antion."
"I am unaware what might have befallen you there."
"So you really don't mind that there's Roq going around luring innocent Sianar in to - well, we don't know if they intended on killing or kidnapping..."
"Innocent, Captain?"
"Yes. Innocent." The bile was rising in his gullet. He steered clear of this sort for a reason, mostly. Except for that self-destructive streak he couldn't quite shake. The need to walk up to the hornet's nest and nudge it, just to make sure.
"You must file a report, then."
"Good thing we already have."
"Then one of the Enforcers will look into it shortly, I am sure."
Something was making the hair on the back of Vadim's neck stand up. It was just... wrong. It felt more wrong than the normal wrong he felt around the law and in posh, self-obsessed places like this blue monstrosity of architecture. God, he didn't miss this.
"Good thing the Whales are in the area," he said, using the periphery of his vision to gauge her response.
"Yes. A sizeable herd has been grazing the outskirts for some time, now. They are always a boost to flagging economies like this one."
"Where would we be without them." It was supposed to be a rhetorical question, but really it was just words that tumbled out as his mind worked on something more important.
"I suspect we would all be on our home planets," she replied, far too literally.
"Sure. Well. I better be going. Can't keep you waiting, can we? Sure you got some not-innocent farmers to put in thumbscrews until he squawks. No, wait: that's your underlings. You only want the ones who already sang like little birdies."
"Please remember to pay any and all taxes whilst you are on Lineon," she said. "We should hate to have to confiscate your ship."
"Not as much as I'd hate it. Alright... get Pete to call me when he's done, yeah? And you..." he air-cocked two invisible handguns. "...stay groovy."
Vadim tried to keep his pace even as he went back to the ship, even though everything in him screamed run.
***
"Tell me the damned savannah cat is in the litterbox," Vadim yelled to the airlock.
"Kre-Nappre is currently off-board," Messenger replied.
"Great. Any more rats deserted the sinking ship?"
"Our position is firm, Captain. Judge Peters is in the Ur-capital building, Biann is outside in the communal area with other engineers. However everyone else is currently on-board."
"Call B back."
"As you wish, Captain."
"And can you see where that damned old coot went to? Or does the Ur think that they're too high and mighty to let a Captain know where his crew is?"
"As you are aware, I am forbidden from monitoring remote, Ur-ruled property. It is even more illegal than the remote monitoring of non-Ur property."
"Yes, I'm aware, and you're aware that I'm aware, but I'm still asking you if you can see the Judge."
"I cannot."
"Where's Kre at?" he asked, stomping further into the ship.
"There is a local community centre for the migrant population twelve kilometres away. She is holding an open-air seminar on thermodynamics and energy sources. There is a sizeable number of attendants."
"Hah. So you're monitoring anyway."
"Of course. You frequently wish me to know things at short notice, so I simply prepare in advance," the ship said smoothly. "Engineer Biann is about to board."
"I was socialising, Captain!" Biann said before Vadim could reply to Messenger. "Socialising. You know! When you talk to people, and it isn't about work!"
"Don't pay you to socialise, Twinkle. Pay you to engineer."
"And do you need me to engineer right now, or were you just trying to rid my life of what little joy I have?" she asked, righteous and indignant.
"You were hustling, weren't you, my little Heliotrope nightmare?" he asked, hands on his hips.
"I was winning," she said, nose wrinkling in distaste. It was a gesture she'd picked up from him, not one her species was known for.
"Using your pretty eyes and delicate voice to make the big boys fall for you is still hustling, B. And yes, I do need you. Not to engineer, but to be on the ship. Which is about to be up."
"It... what?"
"Just trust me on this. We need to be up, and then away."
She shook her head, following him towards the bridge. It wasn't unusual for him to find some reason to leave on next to no notice. Normally there was more gunfire and shouting, but there was still time. "What about Judge Peters?"
"He's smack bang in the middle of an Ur building, Biann. They're probably sucking the life and soul out of him as we speak."
"What did you do that's illegal this time?"
"Why does everyone assume I broke the law?! Nothing. I just know we need to get Kre, and we need to get the Judge, and we need to get out of here. Sharpish."
"So Avery was right to warn you off?" Saidhe asked as they caught up with her and Loap, who by now had taken their seats on the bridge.
"Oh would you... could you not gang up on me? No. Avery was not right. There is never a time in which Avery is right. It just happens that... bad things are going on right now. Where he said they would. Coincidentally."
"Would you like me to send Kre a message to her earpiece?" Loap asked.
"Not yet. I don't want to give the game away if they're monitoring," Vadim answered. "We need to save our scramblers in case of a real emergency. I think we should mosey on closer, quick-drop someone, grab the tiger by the tail and then make tracks."
"I will volunteer," Loap said at once. "They would not expect a Roq to be colluding with a Sianar."
"It's not collusion," Vadim sighed. "I don't know what's wrong, I just know something is. The damned High Judge didn't know about the assassination-or-kidnap attempt, and didn't know about the Whale thing, and I know Judge Peters transmitted both. So either she's the dumbest High Judge I've ever met - which is saying something - or there's... something we don't understand going on."
"You're going to try to break him out?" Saidhe asked, swivelling her chair around for once.
The Captain nodded. "Yep."
"A Judge. From an Ur-court?"
"Yep."
"...this will be worth seeing," Saidhe mumbled and wheeled her chair back front and centre. "Alright. Loap, request a berth closer to the accommodation complex. That way our sudden lift and shift won't look strange. Then get ready for a running pick-up."
"How running?" the Roq asked.
"Put your best shoes on," Vadim answered.
***
[Ashroe: Big damn action sequence time!]
[Sianor: Yep, I drew up some draft blueprints. I hope you don't think that OTT.]
[Ashroe: Oh god, no! I like to get a feel for the physical layout.]
[Sianor: Phew. I've drawn on some progression lines as well. I find I can choreograph better that way. It's no work of art, it's mostly just boxes with arrows and labels on, but it does the job.]
[Ashroe: You have no idea the amount of research I will put in even to get the travel time right, or the star colour, or... well anything, really.]
[Sianor: You end up looking up the weirdest of shit. I swear if anyone ever looks at my browser history they will think I am trying to plot some treason or murder. Or both.]
[Ashroe: Like when you have to look up how long it takes to heal from certain wounds, or how to construct explosives, or how to conceal a killing?]
[Sianor: YES.]
; [Ashroe: Been there, done that, hit the work's filter for 'inappropriate material'...]
[Sianor: Oh my god. I worry even thinking about it. At least I just hit my ISP's hit list and not the college.]
[Ashroe: Thankfully the boss knows I'm a writer, not actually plotting a coup. Well... now he does. Doesn't know it's fanfic I write, though!]
[Sianor: I knew someone in high school who wrote fic, but that was it. It's always a difficult conversation to start off.]
[Ashroe: 'So you're a writer?' Yep. 'What do you write?' ...science fiction. 'Can I read it?' When I finish editing it.]
[Sianor: You ever get tempted to just let them at it?]
[Ashroe: If they push and they aren't fen, or aren't geeks, then I just tell them precisely what it's about and then I get the smile and nod and they write you off as a crazy cat-lady.]
[Sianor: One day it won't be considered nuts.]
[Ashroe: And on that day I will sell all my back-catalogue of erotic fiction about other people's characters and live like a queen.]
[Sianor: Living the dream...]
***
"...except inside a black hole," Kre added. "Which is... excuse me a second... please discuss amongst yourselves."
The Sianar rose from her chair, padding around the small group of children, the unemployed and the elderly, trying to tune out the muttering. At the back of the hall, Loap was standing to attention, waiting.
"What is wrong?" she asked, as she stalked closer.
"Not in here," Loap replied, tossing his head over his shoulder. "Out there."
"Alright, but I am in the middle of my ministry," she grumbled, following the Roq outside. "This must be important."
Outside, where the Messenger was rumbling just a few feet above the ground.
"What is going on?" she hissed, over the low rumble of the engines. "Does Captain Vadim not realise that such behaviour in the forum is not permissible? Does he find this amusing?"
"Very possibly, but I have been sent to fetch you. The Captain believes the Judge is in danger, and has decided to rescue him."
"I thought the Judge had asked us to visit this planet in order to speak with his peers?"
"He did. It is those peers that the Captain believes are putting Judge Peters at risk."
"But my ministry..."
"Will have to wait. What's more important, Kre, some science you can always come back to, or a life you might not be able to?"
A shrug of her powerful shoulders and the Sianar leapt straight up, landing in the open hangar bay. "Do you need me to help you in?" she asked, lying flat on her stomach and offering a paw down.
"...yes."
***
"You cannot simply break into an Ur-court," Kre-Nappre complained, her tail swishing over the backs of her legs in obvious agitation. "Their buildings are the most secure, other than the Banks. There would be no way to--"
"I'm going to stop you there, Fluffy. I know precisely how to get in." Vadim was standing beside his chair, because Xaix had claimed it again. The small, furry lizard was whirring in discomfort, clearly picking up on the vibes of the room. The Captain reached down to scritch behind an ear, and the Ru settled, but remained alert.
"Nonsense," Kre answered. "It is not possible. No one has ever circumvented Ur security. It is impenetrable."
"Not if you have an access pass."
"But you do not have--"
Loap laughed, a croaky, rattling noise, and chattered his teeth in amusement. "He does."
"But... how?" Kre's fur was ruffling in distress, and she looked from person to person for guidance.
"Remember we had a hitchhiker, until Adquem?" Vadim was clearly puffed up now, enjoying the Sianar's surprise. The longer-serving crew members didn't seem to be as taken aback.
"Avery will kill you," Saidhe mumbled.
Vadim cupped a hand around his ear. "What was that?"
"I said: 'Where would you like me to take you to, Captain?'..."
"Drop me at the accommodation block. Stall getting properly docked so you can pick me up hot if need be. I'll go in alone. That way if you don't hear from me, I want you all to vamoose."
Biann did not like the sound of that. "Captain..."
"No ifs, no buts. Plausible deniability. Mind, if you accidentally forgot how to fly properly and knocked a hole in the cells of the court on your way out..."
***
Captain Vadim went to his quarters and pulled out the wardrobe unit. At the back, behind the boots, was a small box which was genetically locked. He pressed his thumb to the sensor, and muttered the right words to unfasten the lock. There were other words, too. Words that would fry the whole contents, rather than let them fall into the wrong hands, but he wasn't doing this under duress. The box had various little bits in: old greetings chips with novelty sound and video recordings, a stash of untraceable credit bars, several documents of not-entirely truthful identities and the deed to the ship. He pushed them aside and his fingers felt for the tiny little clips, shaped like the 'Ur' symbol in the Hleen tongue. They were like stars cut in half, scored deeply into the metal, slightly battered and pock-marked, but with a perfect surface shine. The symbolism was not lost on him.
Vadim lifted them up and clipped them to the inside of the cuffs of his long, white shirt. He didn't have the full regalia to wear, but undercover Ur-Enforcers often enough wore them inside their cuffs like this, in case they were picked up by another when acting suspiciously. It wasn't exactly a secret, but it was enough to pass by all but the most intent of criminals if you were careful and didn't gesture overmuch. He could pretend he'd been on a mission and he was still running 'hot'.
The box was closed, and he went over to the vanity stand. There were some powders, mostly used for freshening up clothing. He tipped some into a cloth and dragged his comb through it, before brushing it through his hair, leaving faint traces by his temples like a gentle dusting of paler strands growing out. It would look like he'd done a shoddy dye-job, which is why he didn't match the photo and biometric information on Avery's pass. His build and height would not stand excessive scrutiny, but this wasn't ever going to be a perfect job.
Next was the boot-black, rubbed in splotches over the backs of his knuckles, and one smear across a cheekbone, to help disrupt the most superficial of facial recognition. It would do enough to look like he'd been in a fight, but to really sell it... the knife in his boot came out, a fine splash of surgical alcohol, and he cut from the top of his jawbone into his cheek. Shallow, so it wouldn't bleed too heavily or leave a lasting mark, and some of the blood was rubbed into the nail beds around his fingers. A ruffling of his clothing (more transferred blood and boot black) and he was ready.
The second best way to avoid detection, as he'd learned long ago, was to look like you should be wherever it was you wanted to be. People didn't approach a man who walked with purpose. The very best way, though, was to look like approaching you would lead to more work, or danger, or pity. People ignored the poor and needy, and an Enforcer clearly striding around right after a fight had either crossed some line, or needed help submitting a lot of paperwork.
No matter the species, they all averted the eyes.
Well. Except the Kior-Dhalias. But their help was normally more trouble than it was worth.
***
[Ashroe: There is no way he wasn't an Enforcer in a past life.]
[Sianor: I totally agree. Especially the way he is around other Ur-officials.]
[Ashroe: I know some people call him out on being racist because he favours a Human Judge, but have they looked at his crew?]
[Sianor: Hahah, I know! He's only got one Human onboard. And yes he calls them all names, but he'd do the same to a Human crewman, I'm sure.]
[Ashroe: I wonder if they will ever give us the backstory, or leave it open.]
[Sianor: I kind of hope they don't. I like having hints and things like this, so you're left speculating. Piecing things together instead of being drip-fed.]
[Ash
roe: And it means everyone's realities can co-exist.]
[Sianor: Ooh, yes. I guess it's the same with the shipping.]
[Ashroe: If they do give us the backstory, it will be if they get Avery back. And considering his actor, it's very likely. He loves to do repeated guest spots.]
[Sianor: Did I hear right that he's a geek himself?]
[Ashroe: Huge geek! He fanboys at conventions as much as the guests do.]
[Sianor: Wow. I'd love to meet some of them, but then again I kind of don't.]
[Ashroe: Yes. I've had a few characters spoilt for me when I met the actor/actress. I know I should be able to suspend my disbelief, but if they're an asshole I just can't. Similarly if I like an actor I end up warming to his roles.]
[Sianor: Did I hear right that he follows you on twitter?]
