“What are you implying?” he asked.
“Well, let’s say I wanted something from these stations, but I wanted to throw people off the trail. So I hit the station fast and hard, got what I wanted, and left the wraiths behind to throw off pursuit,” I said.
Narcion looked stunned. “I would not have thought of that!”
“Yeah, well, I guess it pays to have lived with the criminal element my whole life.” I could not help but be a bit proud that I had finally figured something out faster than he did. I figured it might not happen again, but for that movement I had pulled it off.
“That makes more sense than anything else I have come up with, but it really means we need to get to that station before the attack and see if we can catch them in the act,” he said.
“Too bad we don’t have real wizards out here that could whisk us there in an instant,” I mused.
“True, but there might be another way,” he said. He put a call in to his government contact.
“Hello, Narcion. I trust all is going well?” answered the contact.
“Yes, but I have some things to report. First, the power system on the station is damaged. I will send along a report from my engineer, but the long and short of it is that it will need major work before it’s turned back on.”
“Wonderful! Any more good news?” he asked.
“We have eliminated five wraiths, but I will have to do another sweep before I can say if there are any more. That being said, I am going to recommend we abandon this station for the present,” said Narcion.
“Why?” he asked.
“We think we have figured out that the next station to be hit will be Bonair. I suggest we evacuate that station and fill it with robotic defenders,” stated Narcion.
“How do you know this?” he asked.
Narcion pulled up the list of stations he had and overlaid it on the screen. “I got this list from the station’s computers, and I believe I have worked out the pattern designed by whoever is behind these attacks.”
“I thought you said the station had no power?” he asked.
Narcion chuckled. “You still don’t trust me? As you will know from the station’s report to your central command, we did successfully get power for a short period of time. That will all be in my engineer’s report. Now, as I was saying: we evacuate the station, fill it with robot defenders, and I take my team and hide on the station. This way we have a chance at catching the attackers in the act.”
He leaned back in his chair and seemed to think about that for a while. “You’ll never make it there in time.”
“By myself, no, but I know you have a fleet within a jump of this station ready to move in. I could link up with that fleet, and I am sure they could make the trip much faster,” said Narcion.
Since how far a ship could jump in a single step was dependent on how big a gravity bubble it could create, large fleets with many jump drives would link their ships together to create one massive gravity bubble. That would allow the fleet as a whole to travel great distances much faster than any individual ship in the fleet could ever hope to.
“That would leave that station undefended,” he said.
“Leave a couple of ships behind to stand watch. It would only be for long enough to make the round trip. Besides, if there are any wraiths left on the station you could just let any attacker take it and leave them to the wraiths,” said Narcion.
“The very act of evacuating the station could mean the attackers choose a different station. It might be best just to drop you in there and not say anything,” he said.
I cursed and said, “Thousands will die!”
“Yes, but thousands will die on a different station if you got the target wrong or they switch targets. We can’t empty every station in the quadrant,” he said.
Narcion sighed heavily and said, “I hate to admit it, but he is probably right. Evacuating the station probably saves no one, and could cost us our shot at catching these people. If we are there we can at least hope to stop the attack before many are lost.”
“I don’t like it one bit,” I said.
“Good, you shouldn’t; but I have to concede that the best plan is for us to drop in secretly and not change anything about the station,” said Narcion.
“We can deploy shock troops to the station, but I doubt it would do any good,” said the official.
“So then we are agreed? We abandon this station, link up with your fleet, and head to the next target?” asked Narcion.
“See if you can determine if there are any wraiths left on the station, and I will contact the fleet. I will be in touch,” said the official, who then cut the channel.
Narcion smiled and said, “He likes to cut me off like that every chance he can get. Head back to the station and do a close fly-by. Let’s see if anyone is left.”
After a quick message to let Crivreen and Felix know what we were doing, I flew back towards the station. I programmed the ship’s autopilot to orbit once at one hundred meters and then pull out to five hundred kilometers so that I would not have to worry about the controls.
Once we were close enough I used my Sight to scan the station and I found two wraiths that were calmly watching us. I got the impression that they were hiding and waiting for us to come back. There was not much in the way of intelligence in their thoughts, just basic animal emotions and instincts.
“What did you see?” asked Narcion as the ship flew away from the station.
“Two, waiting for us,” I said.
“That matches my impression. Good, then the station will be very well-defended if we abandon it,” he said.
“Does that mean we will have to come back and clean it up later?” I asked.
“We might, but if they just let it sit for a month the wraiths will starve to death,” he said.
“So you’re telling me we are only making money because the government is too impatient to wait for it to solve itself?” I asked.
He laughed and said, “Not exactly. It is not practical for them. They have no way of knowing when it would be safe to re-enter a station, and the station is vulnerable to attack while no one is aboard to run its defenses.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Welcome aboard, Agent Byron,” said the deck officer as I boarded.
As special investigator I had certain privileges which others in my field were amazed I did not exploit more. I did not abuse my power, but sometimes it was convenient; this was definitely one of those times. “Is he on board?”
“Yes, sir. He is waiting in the conference room,” said the officer.
“Excellent,” I replied. One of those privileges was the ability to pull random people in for questioning without cause or justification. In a sense, I hated this privilege, as it seemed wrong and very open to abuse by those with less conscience, but there was no other way I was going to get to talk to this guy. Chances are good that he would kill me on sight under other conditions.
“Sir, are you sure you do not want guards to accompany you?” the officer asked.
“No, thanks. Is something bothering you?” I asked.
“Sir, he seems dangerous.” The officer stumbled trying to say that. He was a young man, and I suspected his lack of experience was the primary reason he had even brought this up.
“Yes, he is. In fact, he is one of the most dangerous men in the quadrant. I would suggest you should be extremely careful not to upset him,” I said and walked past him.
It was a major risk bringing in a man like this, but I knew he had information that I would not be able to get easily elsewhere. He was the only lead I had right now.
As I walked into the room he said, “Hello, Special Agent Byron.”
His voice and demeanor were emotionless. He was completely in control and gave no indication how he felt about being brought in like this. I was told he did not resist at all, and acted like he was expecting them when they arrived at his home.
&
nbsp; He had no visible weapons, but I was not foolish enough to think he was unarmed. Even if he was, his empty hands were far more deadly than most armed men. “Good, you have been briefed. Now, if you don’t mind I have some questions for you.”
I did my best to look just as calm and under control as he was. I placed some tablets with various records displayed on the table in front of him. They all showed different crimes we believed he was connected to, but could not prove. He did not even glance at them. He just sat there emotionlessly waiting.
“I need information, and I know you can provide it,” I began.
“That is blindly obvious,” he said.
“Tell me about the girl,” I said.
If I had hoped to throw him off balance at all, I was mistaken. He did not change his expression as he said, “No red herrings. Just ask what you want to know.”
“Fine. I know you accepted a contract to kill Narcion. I know you went after him, but before you got very far you turned around and rushed back to your employer at high speed. Then your employer turned up dead, and you stopped hunting Narcion.”
Again, I failed to make any impact on him at all. “Keep going,” he said.
“Keep going?” I asked.
“Yes, you have more information. You are trying to throw me off by saying a little here and there, so that you can catch me in a lie. I know how interrogations work,” he said.
“I bet you have conducted some in your time,” I said.
“Yes, but I doubt I was ever as polite as you are,” he said.
I was sure he was right, and was very glad to be the interrogator in this case. “Fine, then. We know that you met up with Narcion in your employer’s office, and he turned the girl over to you. You both left, and you have not taken another contract since. Why?”
“That is not your real question either. Just ask it,” he said without the slightest break in his stolid expression.
I leaned back in my chair and considered my options. He had complete control over this interview, and he knew it. He had absolutely no fear of me, and that put me in a weak position.
“All right, I’ll play your game for now. I want Narcion, and you are the only person to face him and live. What can you tell me about him?” I asked.
“Finally, we are getting somewhere. Narcion is a good and loyal contractor for you people. He has served you well and vastly undercharges for his services. Why do you want him?” he asked.
“While we appreciate his help, it is very convenient that he is the only one who can handle the wraiths,” I said.
“Oh, I assure you he is not behind them; in fact, just the opposite,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Narcion has dedicated his life to figuring out who is behind the wraiths and stopping them. It is the only thing he cares about.”
“Then our motives and his are the same,” I said.
“No, they are not. You want to stop the wraiths. He wants to get whoever is behind them,” he said.
“I see the difference,” I said. It was subtle, but explained why he was willing to walk away from a station with a couple of wraiths on it and rush to a station that did not yet have any.
“It is the only reason he takes your contracts. He would not bother with them otherwise. He is hoping that through you he will get enough information to track down his target,” he said.
“Why are you being so helpful?” I asked.
“Because I want the same thing you want: his secret way of fighting the wraiths. I hate knowing there is something out there that can best me with such ease,” he said.
“What makes you think I will tell you?” I asked.
“If you do not, I will find out from one of my other friends in your organization. Either way, I get what I want,” he said.
He had me there, but the more I thought about it, the more advantageous it would be to me in the long run to give him the information and possibly create a more long-term relationship with him. “Fair enough. What else can you tell me?”
“He has taken on an apprentice, a former slave named Zah’rak who also knows the secret of fighting the wraiths. In addition, he has taken on two hired magi, Crivreen and Felix. He is teaching them how to use their spells to fight, but as of my last information, he has not given them any insight to his art,” he said.
“So the best way to reach this information would be through Zah’rak?” I asked.
“No, he is too loyal. He sees Narcion as a father figure. Crivreen idolizes Narcion, but Felix is just a hired hand. His loyalty is only as deep as his terms of employment. Narcion does not trust him, but Felix will get you access to Crivreen, who is a bit naïve and is therefore your best chance of getting real information.”
I wondered at the information he had. “You obviously had a plan to get to Narcion. What was it?”
“Narcion is focused on his mission. Nothing will shake him from that, and that is his only real weakness. My plan was to bait him with the promise of information and then spring my trap. He is clever, so the false information would have had to be perfect. My plans were interrupted before I had a chance to bait the trap.”
“Why did you stop chasing him?” I asked.
“He offered a truce, and with my employer dead I saw no reason to execute the contract,” he said.
“A truce? That does not sound like him,” I said.
“You are mistaken. It is exactly like him. A fight with me would have been a distraction from his plans. Everything he does is to that end. Every action he takes is measured against how it will help or hinder that goal.”
His insight into Narcion was incredible. He was known as the best assassin in the quadrant, at any price. A dangerous target like Narcion would be just the kind of job he would want to take; yet he let him go. I wondered: was he afraid of Narcion?
“What else do I need to know?” I asked.
“There is another person hunting Narcion,” he said. He then reached into an inner pocket and pulled out a datapad. Once activated, it showed a picture of an indistinct person talking to Zah’rak. “Whoever this is, he is good. I have almost nothing on him, and he vanished right after this image.”
“Any idea of what he wants?” I asked.
“No, nor does the station have any record of anyone who might match his description coming or going around that time,” he said.
“Normally if someone told me that a random person was after Narcion, I would think nothing of it; but you are concerned about this person?” I asked.
“Special Agent Byron, I know of at most three people in this quadrant who might possess the skill to go after Narcion, and none of them is on his tail. This fellow has all the markings of a top-notch assassin, but no one knows who he is. He is not likely to prove a concern to you, except that he might kill Narcion before you can get your answer,” he said.
“That would definitely be undesirable. You think this person is planning a hit?” I asked.
“He is planning something, and judging by how angry he made Zah’rak I doubt it is a friendly get-together,” he said.
We talked a while longer, but he did not have any more information of interest. I told the guards to return him to where they had picked him up, but he said he did not need the ride and left on his own. I wondered what I was getting into. Everything I learned about Narcion placed him as a very dangerous man. There seemed to be no limit to his reach and abilities.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Zah’rak, when we come out of this last jump, break away from the fleet and dock at the station,” said Narcion as I joined him on the bridge.
The government had decided to go with Narcion’s plan, and we had spent several days traveling with their fleet. It was an uneventful trip, which allowed me to finish my new armor and start Crivreen’s set. Felix and Crivreen continued their training with Narcion during the day, but at night things were a bit different.
Narcion was focused
completely on making sure I understood all of the systems on the cruiser and had full access to his research library. He kept saying things like, “I don’t have much time left,” and “You’re not ready yet,” but he never clarified what he meant by that. I did not like to think about life without him, so I didn’t press him on it.
“What is the plan?” I asked.
“That’s easy; we dock and wait for something exciting to happen,” he said.
Before I could respond we entered jump space. Once again I was struck by how peaceful it felt there. Most people did not seem to like the experience, but I had come to look forward to it; it had a calming and relaxing feel. It was always too brief a trip into jump space, though I could not judge how long it was; time had no meaning there.
After we came out of jump space, I docked at the station as Narcion had asked and followed him down to Engineering to talk with Crivreen and Felix.
“While we are here, we always travel in pairs. Felix, Crivreen, since you can’t sense wraiths like Zah’rak and I can, it would be best if one of us is always with you. We will take turns, with one set of us on the station and the other on this ship at all times. I expect it will be a few days before anything happens, so let’s take this time to learn about the station. As you wander, study the inhabitants and look for anything unusual. It is a big station, so there is no way we can cover all of it in advance, but maybe we will get lucky and stumble onto something.”
“Narcion, I would like to go to the station first, then,” I said. “I need to buy better tools to work this leather with.”
“Excellent idea. You and Crivreen head over as soon as you are ready. Use the IDs that the government provided us with to make your purchases. Then the special agent they’ve hired to track me will go nuts trying to figure out what leathercraft tools have to do with fighting wraiths,” he said with a grin.
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