Running With Argentine

by William Lee Gordon

"One advantage we have is that a prospecting ship is set up to spend a lot of time in deep space – just like long-haul freighters."

  The Guildsman mulled that over for a moment and said, "I can see the logic in that. In your situation I'd probably be trying to do the same. The thing is, we're going to run into the same situation here.

  "There's not a lot of people that will be willing to risk valuable freight in the hands of an unknown carrier… And as I'm sure you can understand, under the circumstances, the Guild won't ensure the cargo."

  "How can that be? I would assume that long-haul ships would always be in demand?"

  "Well, it’s not the ship we’re talking about, is it?" the guildsman said. "It's the crew that everybody is being cautious with. No offense meant."

  "No offense taken," muttered Argentine.

  "Look, the truth is we’re a very insular society. We've learned the hard way and our rules are based on those hard lessons. Still, I can understand your point of view. A man can't break into a guild unless he is given a chance…

  "I'll tell you what, let me check and see if we've got any Fourth Class Mail sitting around. It wouldn't pay much; it probably won’t even cover your expenses. But it would help establish a beginning record for your crew…"

  "We’d be very grateful for anything at this point," Argentine admitted. "We expected we’d have to start small… But, just what is Fourth Class Mail?"

  While the guildsman scrolled through files on the monitor in front of him he explained, "Fourth Class Mail is reserved for things that don't necessarily ever have to arrive at their destination. Non-valuable personal effects being sent home to family members of the deceased, uninsured packages being returned as undeliverable… Those types of things."

  When they'd said, start off small, they'd really meant it, Argentine mused. But the upside was that if they could build a reputation here they could buy themselves some time and some stability to get back into the more lucrative profession of prospecting. Once they were geared up for that, they could go anywhere they wanted...

  They could earn enough credits for everyone to settle down someplace with a life of luxury. Or, they could continue plying the stars and going wherever the solar winds took them.

  They would be truly free for the first time in any of their lives.

  "Hmm," Guildsman Martin said. "There's a flag on your file. I'm afraid I'm not to be able to help you until you get it removed."

  "Who put the flag there and what do we need to do?" asked the lieutenant.

  "The flag was put there by the Asperian Police. Apparently, they want to talk to you."

  ΔΔΔ

  "Really? You have that many astrogators as members? And they're all based out of Asperia?"

  Gossip, Barry, and Sami were sitting in the lobby of the Asperian Astrogation Guild's offices. Platform 12 was, indeed, the hub for Asperia’s interstellar commerce. It was no surprise then that these offices were located here.

  And nice offices they were. The Pelican’s crew was still getting used to the idea that a space platform could have multi-story open spaces utilized for concourses or other public areas. It was an incredible waste of space.

  That's why the guild's atrium was so impressive. It was a lavish display of wealth that this private lobby was open to three levels.

  They were all sitting in comfortable faux leather chairs. Across from them sat the guild staffer, Trina Durham.

  "From what I understand from our membership, this is one of the best guild halls in known space," Trina responded. "Everyone wants to base out of here."

  When they'd first sat down with Trina in the lobby, she and Sami had started chatting immediately. It was obvious that Trina had been chosen as a guild greeter for her bubbly personality. That matched Sami perfectly and the girls spent the better part of five minutes acting as if they were long lost friends.

  Because pilots also used yarmulke-like skullcaps to interface with the ships computers, Trina eventually turned to him.

  "So, are you an astrogator too?" she inquired with a smile.

  "No, not hardly. I," he said with some pride. "Am a pilot."

  "Oh…" she said with a little less enthusiasm. "I'm sure the Pilots Guildhall is nice too."

  Barry frowned.

  He really shouldn't have been surprised by her response. While piloting was a valuable skill, it was a skill that many people could learn with the proper training, patience, and experience.

  Astrogation, on the other hand, required a innate talent that was as rare as it was valuable. It was only natural that an astrogator would be accorded more respect than a pilot.

  That didn't mean that Barry had to like it, though.

  Oblivious to having offered any unintentional insult, Trina continued…

  "When you register with our guild you will, of course, have full guild privileges. Temporary accommodations are available in this building for a very reasonable rate.

  "Ah, most of them are single occupancy… There will of course be an adjoining room for your arms man," she said while giving a nod to Gossip. But is Barry your… Significant Other?"

  Sami giggled.

  "I'll take my own accommodations at the Pilots Guild, thank you," Barry said with only a small amount of indignation in his voice.

  "Oh great," Trina said in that perky manner of hers. "Now Sami, I understand you’re new to Asperia so the first thing we want to do is determine if you need to go through recertification or if your skills and experience are such that we can avoid all that."

  "What does recertification entail?" Sami asked.

  "We seldom have to mess with it. If we have ongoing trade with the system your previous Guildhall was located in it's really just a formality. If you're coming from some place outside the system, we just need to wait until we can get a message to them and they can validate the history you give us."

  "I'm just curious, Trina." Barry butted in. "If that didn't work out what would she need to go through?"

  "Typically you would need to tag along with a certified guild instructor when they take on a mission. They need to supervise you in seventeen jumps, so it could be one long haul or several short-haul missions."

  Sami was dumbstruck.

  "You'd need to pay your own way, of course. You'll also need to pay the instructor's fee and cover any customs or visa fees at ports of call."

  "Trust me," Barry said. "Her skills are off the chart."

  Sami stared at him in astonishment. It was the first he'd ever complemented her.

  "Super!" Trina gushed. "I'd hate for you to have to go through recertification; it's a long and expensive process."

  "Sami, why don't I have you fill out your guild registration and while it's being approved I can show you around to the spa, the health club, the pool, and the restaurants?"

  "You have a pool? On an orbital platform?" Barry questioned.

  "That's right, the only one. We're the Astrogators Guild," she reiterated as if that explained everything.

  She handed Sami a data pad as she stood up.

  "I'll be back in a few minutes to collect this and then we can start our tour," she said with a smile.

  Once she'd left, Sami spent a few moments consoling Barry's ego. Then she turned her attention to the questionnaire…

  "They want a ten year work history. They want to know where I trained in astrogation and they want a reference from an officer on every ship I've served on. They want to know what my previous guild affiliation was… Barry, if it even still exists I’m persona non-grata there!”

  "Calm down. It shouldn't be too much of a problem," said Barry. "I'm sure that Argentine can fix you up with something."

  "I don’t know," she mused. "It says here that these are the minimal requirements, and… If it were any other guild…

  "Barry, you know that astrogators keep better traveling records than anyone. This guild is going to know about the People's Republic of Chezden. We haven’t traveled that far… If I lie on this application, they'
re going to figure it out.

  "I'm not sure that even Argentine’s superpowers can fix this…"

  Barry, assuming she was being rhetorical, didn't say anything.

  Meanwhile, Sami placed the tablet on the small table in front of them and stood up to leave…

  ΔΔΔ

  "The ore has already been transferred dockside. This is the holding Bay number and I have the transfer authorization codes," the chief said.

  "Very good," said the banker. "Just squirt us the codes and give us a biometric sample, and the transfer will be complete."

  The chief exchanged glances with Rory.

  Noticing his confusion the banker continued, "Just insert your finger in that machine there."

  Still waiting for his finger to be pricked he was surprised when the banker said, "Okay, all done! Now, with your permission, I'd like to discuss the different types of accounts you can choose from to hold your funds."

  "No offense, but I'd really prefer to go over that later. Right now we need to withdraw some local credits and get settled in. Can you just put our credits in a standard account until tomorrow? We can figure out the details then…"

  "Of course!" the banker said with a smile. "The transfer is complete. Congratulations gentlemen! You are now a depositing member of the First Mercantile Bank and Trust."

  "And now, if we could collect some of our credits?"

  "Of course. Let me show you how to go about it. First, we simply file an electronic withdrawal request…”

  The banker’s brow furrowed…

  "Hmm, that's interesting."

  After a moment of silence the chief asked, "What's interesting?"

  "I've seldom seen this," he said, this time without a smile. "It appears that your account has been frozen."

  "Frozen?" was all the chief could say.

  "Yes. I'm afraid I won't be able to honor your withdrawal request. However, I'm sure you'll clear up whatever complication you have with the authorities and then we’ll be happy to serve you."

  "I don't have any complications with the authorities – I just arrived in-system!" the chief exclaimed.

  "Well, I'm sure it's just an error then," he said diplomatically. "But you'll still need to clear the issue with the Asperian Police. It looks like it's the Enforcement Division that ordered the freeze.”

  Realizing that he had just dumped all their working capital into an account that they had no access to, the chief said, "You know what? Just forget about the whole thing. I don't want to open up an account – we’ll get this mess straightened out first and then come back and see you."

  "I'm sure you know I can't legally do that," the banker said with a straight face.

  "Sure you can! Our ore is still sitting on the dock; there hasn't even been time to move it yet! Let's just erase our transaction as a mistake and start over. What do you say?"

  With all vestiges of friendliness gone, the banker said, "My best suggestion, friend, is for you to speak with the police. I strongly urge you to go see them at their office, but if you keep insisting I can arrange for them to come here…

  "Which would you prefer?"

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Prime Suspects

  Platform 12

  "Don't beat yourself up, Chief. You're not the one to put us in this situation."

  Argentine was fit to be tied. He was playing by the rules but other people kept stacking the deck against them.

  He keyed his communicator again, "I think it would be best to get everyone back to the ship. The lieutenant and I will head over to the enforcement division and see if we can't figure this out."

  "Frank, are you sure you want to do that?" came back the Chiefs concerned voice. "What if they try to hold you? There's nothing holding us here… At least, not yet.

  "We could just chalk this up as a bad experience and move on," he finished.

  "And just how would we do that?" Argentine responded more gruffly than he intended. "I'm not sure we have enough credits left to pay new docking fees, let alone try to hire a crew. You know as well as I do, Chief, we can't keep going like this…

  "Our best chance is for me to go resolve this. If they wanted to arrest me I think they would've already done it."

  "Okay, I can't say that you're not right. I just don't like it. Be careful and let us know as soon as you leave their offices."

  "You got it, Chief. In the meantime, see if the rest of you can't figure out a strategy for us to turn some unofficial credits so that we can run if we have to."

  He turned to the lieutenant, "You heard?"

  He nodded.

  "Okay then, we're off to the lion’s den…"

  ΔΔΔ

  The office that Enforcer Davis had asked them to step into looked suspiciously like an interrogation chamber.

  Except for a beverage dispenser that was built into the wall, the only other furniture was a rectangular table in the middle of the room with chairs on either side of it.

  The walls were decorated with various photos and outdoor scenery, but the most notable was what Argentine assumed was a one-way mirror.

  "So, Enforcer Davis, do you want to let us in on what's going on here?" Lieutenant Stark started the conversation.

  Argentine, considering how agitated and frustrated he currently was, had decided that it was best to let him take the lead.

  "Going on?" the enforcer repeated. "That's what we were hoping you could help us with."

  When the lieutenant didn't say anything, the enforcer continued…

  "Look, gentleman… There is no reason this needs to be contentious. My only goal is to get this cleared up as fast as possible and let you get on with your life…

  "I know this room is uncomfortable, but all of our real offices are in use right now and I didn't want you to have to wait any longer than necessary…

  "Can I get you anything to drink? Something to snack on?"

  They both shook their heads, no.

  Continuing conversationally, the enforcer asked, "You've stated that this is your first visit to our system. Where do you boys hail from?"

  After a lingering moment, Lieutenant Stark spoke…

  "Do I address you as Enforcer Davis, or just Davis?"

  The other man shrugged, as if he didn't care.

  "Okay, Davis. You want us to believe you're on our side, but that's not really the case. You're not on anyone's side. You're trying to figure something out and are trying to test us, trick us, and figure us out all at the same time.

  "The thing is, until we know what you're trying to figure out… Until we know what you suspect us of, we won't be able to decide whether to cooperate with you or not…

  "I can respect your professionalism, but if you respect ours everything will move a whole lot faster," he finished.

  "What I can respect," Davis said with a wry smile. "Is that you seem to be very familiar with enforcer tactics. It sounds to me like you’ve spent a lot of time on that side of the table."

  With a smile that was anything but friendly the lieutenant retorted, "No, I’ve spent a lot of time on your side of the table, but you're not going to know anything about that at this rate."

  The silence stretched out.

  Finally, as if reaching a decision, Davis lost his smile. Argentine was amazed as the enforcer's entire body language changed in an instant.

  "Okay, tough guy. Let's lay everything out on the table…"

  Lieutenant Stark didn't think for a moment that Davis would spill everything he knew, but he nodded for him to continue.

  "Your ship arrives at Tiffany's Planet twelve days ago from Darkspace…"

  When the lieutenant raised an eyebrow, Davis elaborated…

  "Darkspace is what we call anything beyond our sphere of cooperating systems."

  When he nodded the inspector continued…

  "Anyway, after spending very little time there you show up here. And then not fifteen minutes after you dock, our security recognizes that a wanted criminal is on the platfo
rm.

  "A criminal that was suspected to be holed-up on Tiffany's planet."

  "Now, while it's true that your ship wasn't the only one to arrive in that hour window before we detected her, your ship is the only one that came in directly from Tiffany's planet.