“All right,” Brother Martin said, his amiable façade regaining control. “Honestly, if we all will settle down, I can explain.”
John took a seat beside Brother Martin, but Voide reached for controls on her belt.
“As long as we are being honest,” Voide said, “let me go first.”
Prophane-gray skin emerged as her stealth suit’s chameleon field dissipated, and her human complexion faded. She reached up and removed the colored contacts, revealing her bright yellow eyes. Brother Martin gasped and scooted as far away from her as he could within the confines of his chair.
“Now then,” Voide said finally taking a seat on the other side of Brother Martin from where John was as she smiled broadly revealing her vampiric canines, “you were saying something about the Prophane?”
Twitch leaned over in her chair and whispered to Molon.
“See, I told you she would look for any excuse to break cover.”
“Doesn’t count,” Molon whispered back. “Brother Martin isn’t the Tede authorities. Besides, we’re inside the 'aliens-allowed’ starport, so not actually illegal.”
“Technicalities,” Twitch replied.
Molon fought back a grin. He knew Voide’s move was calculated to put the monk into an uncomfortable state. If he was in fear for his life, he was more likely to let something slip that might give them some edge in the discussion.
It achieved the desired effect.
Brother Martin shifted nervously in his chair and stared at Voide for a long moment. His voice and hands both bore a slight tremble at the very idea that he was sitting next to a living Prophane.
“Brother Martin,” Molon said, straining to hide his amusement. “Allow me to introduce Lieutenant Commander Yasu Matsumura, my security chief. She’s a Prophane Pariah, as I am sure you noticed. Anyway, I believe you were about to enlighten us on the details of what happened at John’s home and what business you had with Elena Salzmann?”
“Um, yes,” the monk said, gaining a tentative grip on his composure.
Brother Martin grabbed the arms of his chair tightly, possibly attempting to steady his hands. Although he was addressing Molon, and the room in general, his eyes remained steadfastly focused on Voide.
“We approached Dr. Elena Salzmann with a proposal to pay for access to all her research data to date.”
“To what end?” John prompted.
“We discussed possible applications that might aid in our fight against the Daemi.”
“Possible applications?” John snapped. “Meaning biological warfare, right?”
“Something like that,” Brother Martin said, nodding. “We felt sure one of the Faithful would rally behind the idea.”
“Yet she didn’t,” Twitch responded.
“No,” Brother Martin admitted. “She did not.”
Molon saw John’s face turn red as he balled his hands into fists. John was clearly struggling to maintain his composure and his seat. Molon tensed slightly and prepared to intervene if the doctor lost control of his emotions. Pounding on a patron was no way to negotiate a partial payday.
“Elena took an oath to do no harm,” John interjected through gritted teeth. “She was a healer, not a mass-murderer.”
“Destroying demons is hardly murder,” Brother Martin said as he tore his gaze from Voide and faced John. “As one of the Faithful and a follower of the Lion, you should know that, Dr. Salzmann.”
Molon growled under his breath. Not this religious hokum again. His adoptive parents had been Faithful and were good people, but sometimes the Faithful party line could be used to justify all kinds of atrocities. Human history was full of wars started because one group thought another group worshipped the wrong god.
“’Demons’ is a superstitions term,” Molon interjected. “Both the Angelicum and the Daemi are sophont races who visited Earth early on in its history. Some believed they were messengers sent by the Creator. Others say the visits were interstellar reconnaissance missions. Either way, they’re sophonts, not spirits, good or evil.”
Both Brother Martin and John turned and stared with surprise at the Lubanian captain. He liked surprising people who weren’t aware of his upbringing. Growing up away from other Lubanians had come at a cost, but there were a lot of advantages growing up among humans as well.
“What?” Molon laughed. “I was raised by humans. I’ve studied your history and your Scriptures. Now can we get back to the question at hand. Elena turned you down, so I’m thinking maybe you arranged for her and John to be removed so your agents could grab her data while they were away.”
“Nonsense,” Brother Martin answered, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture as if to fan away the very idea. “If we wanted them removed, why would we have put up a contract to pay for their rescue?”
“Makes a great alibi,” Voide offered. “Plus, it sounds like you never intended to pay off the contract.”
“Ridiculous!” Brother Martin objected, turning a pleading gaze toward Molon. “We are freedom fighters, captain, but we are not kidnappers. I was thrilled to get your message about completing the mission.”
“Yeah,” Twitch reasoned, “so thrilled you dispatched those monks to Dr. Salzmann’s house after you received the prearranged mission complete signal. That’s why you didn’t acknowledge it as soon as we hit orbit yesterday.”
Brother Martin flushed. He was struggling under the multi-front barrage of questions. He hung his head slightly before turning to address Twitch.
“Admittedly,” the monk explained, “I thought it might be worthwhile to send a few of the brothers to Dr. Salzmann’s home to make a thorough search before we concluded our business. I am sorry the encounter went poorly. Perhaps they mistook you for Dawnstar forces trying to get their hands on the data. However, I assure you I gave no orders for the house to be destroyed and I most certainly had nothing to do with the abduction.”
Brother Martin turned his gaze to John. “Were you able to retrieve the data from the house, Dr. Salzmann?”
“No,” Voide said, cutting off whatever response John started to make. “By the time we got there, the house was ablaze, and the arsonists were fleeing. If your men didn’t retrieve the data, then it is gone.”
With a brief scowl at Voide’s statement, Brother Martin stood up and turned to leave. Molon had been through these types of situations enough times to know the monk wasn’t buying what Voide was selling. Once they were in a secure location, Voide would fill Molon in on the details she obviously was keeping from Brother Martin. In the meantime, it looked like their payday was about to walk out the door.
“The contract as written was not successfully completed,” Brother Martin said, a business-like efficiency returning to his voice. “It was for both Salzmanns, which you were unable to secure. I expect you will issue the release of funds back to us, Captain Hawkins, along with acknowledgement of failure to complete the mission.”
And there it was. His XO didn’t look eager to let the matter drop quite so easily. Twitch leaned forward in her chair, her left hand on the table and her right still firmly gripping Plan B below.
“So you intend to stiff us completely?” Twitch said. “For a monk, you sure are a crook.”
“When you send the release, captain,” Brother Martin said to Molon, ignoring Twitch’s insult, “if you will also send along an itemized list of costs you incurred on the mission, I will issue a reimbursement voucher for that amount, payable in Theocreds. I am a reasonable man.”
With that, Brother Martin turned and briskly exited the room without so much as a backward glance.
“But I still have questions,” John called after the monk, his petition going completely unacknowledged.
“Well, mystery solved,” Molon said, holstering his automag and walking over to pat John on the shoulder. “At least we know who grabbed you and who sent us to fetch you.”
“We still didn’t get paid,” Voide griped. “I told you we weren’t going to get paid.”
&nbs
p; “Don’t worry about funds, captain,” John replied. “I will issue a credit voucher against any supplies you need that are available on Tede. It is the least I can do.”
“Thank you, John.”
“It is not a problem, captain.”
Molon liked the doctor. He was a decent man, a true Faithful like Molon’s own adoptive parents. Who knew when knowing a multi-millionaire might come in handy in the future.
“You are a good man, Doc,” Molon said, patting the doctor on the shoulder. “Let me know if there is ever anything we can do for you.”
“Actually, captain, there may be.”
“Really,” Molon raised an eyebrow, wondering if his polite offer of assistance was about to come back and bite him already. “What can I do for you, John?”
“Well, on our trip back from my house, Voide made a suggestion that suddenly makes a lot of sense to me.”
“Oh really?” Voide added, her voice filled with warning.
“Tede clearly is not the safest place for me anymore. I would like to take Voide’s suggestion and join Star Wolf’s crew.”
“What?” Voide snapped. “When did I—”
“If you still need a ship’s doctor, that is,” John continued, cutting off her objection. “I would be happy to fill in for a while, at least until you find a proper replacement.”
Star Wolf really could use a proper doctor aboard. The corpsmen were top notch, but still they were field medics, not real surgeons. They had lost a couple of good crewmen for want of the difference between a corpsman and a surgeon. Besides, if it flustered Voide this much, the amusement value alone would be worth the price of admission.
“Great idea, Doc,” Molon answered, trying to suppress a devilish grin as Voide’s complexion seemed to go even grayer than usual.
“But,” Voide spluttered, “that’s not what I— ”
“You are welcome on Star Wolf as long as you earn your keep like the rest of the crew,” Molon continued.
“I will, captain,” John said shaking Molon’s hand vigoursly and flashing a brief grin in Voide’s direction. “Thank you.”
“Captain,” Voide said, looking like she’d eaten a bag of lemons. “I said hide on Star Wolf, not join the blasted crew.”
“Either way, it’s a good idea,” Molon answered.
“But— ” Voide started to argue but Molon cut her off.
“With that settled, I believe you have a good bit of debriefing to do about your little foray.”
“Oh, yeah,” Voide replied, dropping any further arguments against John coming on board. “I might have been a little loose with the truth on some of the details.”
“Really?” Twitch jibed. “You are usually so forthcoming and open.”
“Yeah, that’s me,” Voide answered.
“Let’s leave that discussion until we are back aboard Star Wolf,” Molon said, glancing around the private room they had been using. “Too many ears here.”
The captain moved toward the lounge exit. John followed close behind, leaning in toward Voide and whispering to her as he passed. Molon’s superior Lubanian hearing caught the comment.
“Guess tomorrow I’ll be a little more than just a lingering memory after all.”
Molon smiled. He didn’t understand the full context of John’s taunt, but guessed it was a continuation of some private exchange the two had shared. Whatever it was, Voide’s fuming silence, rather than a violent outburst, hinted that John might be making progress building bridges with the volatile security chief.
Seven – Back to the Stars
Molon and Twitch entered Star Wolf’s conference room just aft of the bridge. Voide and John were close on their heels. The Lubanian captain proceeded to the control panel beside the hatchway leading to the bridge and activated the controls.
“Command protocol blackout CR1, authorization Molon Hawkins, captain.”
A digitized voice answered.
“Voice recognition accepted. Input verification code to initiate blackout protocol for Star Wolf room CR1.”
Molon punched an alpha-numeric code into the control panel, using his body to block line of sight to the panel.”
“Verification code accepted. Star Wolf room CR1 is in blackout protocol.”
Inside the room, the sound of heavy magnetic locks sounded from both the fore and aft doors. A shimmering energy field coated the walls. The droning hum of white noise emanated from the room’s audio system speakers. Above each door, a tiny LED light flashed alternately red and bluish-black.
“So what—,” John started.
Twitch held a finger up to the front of her lips and shook her head, silencing the doctor. At a nod from Molon, Voide pulled out the small device from a zippered pocket on her stealth suit which John had seen her use to scan his bedroom before she burned his house down. It flashed and hummed quietly as she walked around the room moving the device close to every square meter of the walls, the conference table, and each chair in the room.
“All clear,” Voide announced, putting the scanner away.
“Isn’t this your ship?” John asked, skewing his face into a puzzled gaze. “You think your own people would bug the room?”
“Standard procedure in a situation like this,” Twitch replied.
Molon took at seat at the head of the oblong conference table. He motioned for his crewmates to do likewise. Voide and Twitch sat down on either side of Molon, but John remained standing, pacing back and forth. Whatever had happened down on Tede, it had rattled John badly. Molon only hoped the doctor’s agitation came from the Brothers and not from Voide.
“Look, John,” Molon said. “I can see you are upset, and with good reason. Dangerous people made a bold raid across the Theocracy border to kidnap you. Then allies of the Theocracy burned your house down and tried to kill you.”
John bellowed an exaggerated interjection souding like something midway between a mocking laugh and an indignant harrumph. He stopped pacing, slapped both hands on the table, and faced Molon.
“The Brothers of the Lion?” John replied, shooting a scathing glare in Voide’s direction before returning his attention to Molon. “It was your pyromaniac security chief who burned my house down.”
Oh, well. Voide not being at least partially responsible for John state of mind was wishful thinking. Molon shook his head before glancing in Voide’s direction.
“Hows that again?” Molon queried as Voide flashed a sheepish grin. “Maybe you two’d better bring me up to speed from the beginning.”
Voide and John vollied comments like a game of netball as they recounted their trip to John’s home, including John having recovered Elena’s disguised datacube, which he now wore around his neck. As they completed their story, Molon pulled absent-mindedly at the fur on his chin, considering the implications of the chain of events. There was a far deeper motive to this matter than Dawnstar and a group of militant monks haggling over some research notes.
“I suppose you are lucky Elena made that backup,” Molon said, hoping to soothe John’s growing agitation. “At least that gives you a starting point to unwind this thing.”
“Yeah, but since the custom reader for it mysteriously burned up in a freak house fire,” John said, shooting Voide another sour look, “I don’t really have any way to access the data.”
“That’s no problem,” Twitch replied. “Dub should be able to rig something up to dump the data onto a more standard medium.”
“I’ll ask him about that,” John answered, appearing to relax a little.
The room grew silent as Molon stared off into nothing for a few moments, mentally assembling pieces of this puzzle. Twitch, and Voide sat in patient silence awaiting his next words. Even John finally sensed the awkwardness of him standing, dropped quietly into a seat next to Twitch, and waited.
“I think I see what may be going on here,” Molon finally piped up just as the others were beginning to look a little uncomfortable in the extended pause.
“So you gonna sh
are with the class, or are we playing twenty questions?” Twitch snarked.
“The Brothers of the Lion want Elena’s research to make a bio-weapon against the Daemi. Brother Martin said as much. Dawnstar probably had a similar motive.”
“Dawnstar space doesn’t border the Daemi, or the Prophane advance for that matter,” Twitch replied.
“No, but they are allied with the Provisional Imperium, which borders both,” Molon reasoned. “That would be a lucrative toy in Dawnstar’s war chest.”
John slapped the table, startling his companions.
“That was their plan all along!”
“Whose plan?” Voide asked.
“Dawnstar’s. That’s why they were funding Elena’s research.”
“You said that was before the Shattering,” Molon replied. “You think Dawnstar was seeking a bioweapon pre-Shattering?”
“Yeah, maybe,” John answered. “The Daemi malmorphsy bio-weapon was destroyed centuries ago, but the genetically inherited components of malmorphsy remain an ongoing problem. Pre-Shattering there was no reason to think their interest in Elena’s work was anything other than altruistic. The Prophane advance had only started to seriously impinge on the far tailward edge of human space, and the Daemi had not been an active threat for over a century and a half.”
“So, you don’t believe Dawnstar was looking to develop a marketable cure for malmorphsy?” Molon asked.
“I did at the time, I suppose, but I see clearly now,” John replied. “The Dawnstar representatives were never interested in Elena’s breakthroughs with human malmorphs, even though curing humans was her passion. They only brought her genetic samples and data from non-human malmorphs.”
“They only brought data,” Twitch asked, “not live subjects?”
“Tede’s laws prevented them from bringing live non-human subjects on planet.”
“Why not just move her research to a more open system?” Twitch asked.
“They tried,” said John. “Despite many attempts to get her to move, Elena loved our life on Tede. She wouldn’t even consider uprooting. With such a focus on the transmission of the malmorphsy mutation in non-humans, it is likely Dawnstar had ideas of developing a targeted bio-weapon even before the Shattering.”
Star Wolf (Shattered Galaxy) Page 11
