Private Dicks

by Samantha M. Derr

  "They're resupplying in space," Allie said, shaking her head. "They're keeping the ship out of orbit of any inhabited planet."

  That would solve that problem for Volkov. Ships in transit were protected from being stopped for inspections because of the prohibitive cost—both for the authorities and for the ship being inspected. Most ships ran tight to the wire on fuel; stopping then starting often caused them to waste enough fuel that they couldn't reach their destination.

  "Will you take the case?" Allie asked. She was still standing in front of his desk, but not looming like Norris had.

  "I want hazard pay," Shi said, mentally kicking himself. Agreeing was stupid, but even if he'd broken things off with Elis, he couldn't sit back and let Elis be killed because of a mole. If it had been Elis' own stupidity… Shi would probably still take the job. "And twice my usual rate."

  "Done," Allie said, opening her handbag again. She pulled out a data pad and slid it across the desk towards him. "That has everything we know that will be pertinent. It will clear itself in three hours. If you need anything, let me know." She pulled out a simple card and tossed it on top of the desk. "This is a no-contact undercover mission—"

  "Not an issue," Shi said, picking up the card instead of the data pad. It simply read Allie with a 14-digit phone number below. "Anything else?"

  "Good luck," Allie said, snapping her handbag shut. She turned and strode towards the door. Shi let her go, picking up the data pad. Scooting his chair back, he propped his feet up on the desk and started to read.

  *~*~*

  Volkov's ship was hiring for a few different positions, but Shi settled on applying for a job as an assistant to the engineer. It was a simple job, which required basic math and the balls to do all the semi-dangerous jobs of running a ship's engine that a ship's engineer was too valuable to risk doing. One of his aliases, Shin Mari, was perfect for the job. Shin had worked as an assistant to the engineer previously, and had a few misdemeanor charges for barroom brawling on his record.

  Hopefully, that would show he didn't give a shit about breaking the law, plus had experience with doing the job. Shi had sent in the electronic application the day Allie had given him the job, then spent the rest of the day shuffling his cases around to the rest of the investigators in his office. He'd cited a family emergency, and none of them knew that Shi no longer had family.

  He'd gotten a communique early this morning telling him to be at the docks for an interview. It had included a note to be ready to leave immediately if he'd was hired. Shi packed a bag with clothes to last for a week; if they didn't have a uniform (doubtful), he'd be able to do laundry on the ship.

  Picking up the transponder, Shi flipped open the box and rolled his eyes again at its contents. A simple gold band rested in the center of the box. The gold was worn, not bright and new, and Shi picked it up and slid it onto his left ring finger. Shi stared at his finger a minute, shaking his head and making himself move. It wouldn't do to be too late to his interview.

  He caught the train to the spacedocks, striding out into the chaotic mess with his duffle slung over his shoulder. His jacket was unzipped, clearly showing off the stun gun at his waist. It was of dubious legality to carry it in plain sight, but no one would harass him for it at the docks, and it might lend him a bit of credibility with the interviewers.

  Meet by bay 432CX, the communique had said. Shi picked up his pace, dodging around workers and travelers. Bay 432CX was quiet when Shi ducked into it. A small transport was docked. It wouldn't hold more than a handful of people and a few crates of supplies. There were two men standing near the loading ramp, discussing something. They were dressed in rough work clothes, nothing fancy, and one of them held a large data tablet that he was paying more attention than the other man.

  "Hey!" Shi shouted, his voice echoing across the bay. Both men stopped what they were doing to turn and stare at him. Neither of them looked friendly, but Shi hadn't exactly expected a welcome wagon. "I'm here about the job."

  "One minute," the man with the data tablet said, waving at him dismissively. He said something quietly to the other man, who nodded and then loped onto the ship. The man continued to pay attention to his tablet for a few more moments as Shi waited impatiently, shifting his weight and taking the chance to get a good look at the ship.

  It was short range, obviously meant to shuttle people and a small amount of goods between a ship in orbit and the planet. The ship in orbit wouldn't be Volkov's; that would put him too close to the planet and being ordered down for an inspection.

  "Get over here, then," the man snapped, his voice sharp. He still hadn't looked up from his tablet. Shi moved, crossing the bay nice and slow, as though he hadn't been left waiting. "You have any family, Mari?"

  "No, sir," Shi replied, unsurprised when the man stared the ring on his hand. "She's dead."

  The man nodded, leaving it at that. "You understand what radio silence means?"

  "I got no one to talk to," Shi said, shrugging. "You get vids out there, or does that count, too?"

  "There's an extensive library, and you can book holovid time," the man said dismissively. "We'll be out at least six months."

  "As long as I'm getting paid, I don't care," Shi said dismissively. "The longer I'm off planet, the better." Shi glanced at the ring on his hand, then curled the hand into a fist.

  "This isn't a pleasure jaunt—" The man started, scowling at him.

  "I've been on ships before, sir," Shi said, cutting him off. "Long haul and short haul. I know how to keep my head down and do my job. I want off this rock, and I don't rightly care how I do it."

  "Fine," the man said, turning the data tablet towards Shi. "You read over the contract I sent?"

  "Yeah, yeah," Shi muttered, pressing his hand against the tablet's surface. It scanned his hand, chirped happily, and the man pulled the tablet back towards him. He tapped a few things, frowned, then jerked a thumb towards the transport.

  "Take off is in twenty minutes."

  Shi took that as a good sign. He strolled towards the transport, climbing the ramp and ducking into the ship. The interior was crammed full of crates, with only the forward four chairs free of any clutter. The pilot—the other man from the bay—was already seated, fiddling with controls, and Shi took one of the two seats in the second row of chairs. Dropping his duffle next to the seat, he strapped in.

  It had been a few years since he'd been on a transport. They were never a smooth ride, but they were stable enough. He'd spent a few years in his early twenties ship hopping—that part of Shin's background wasn't untrue. Shi had worked as an assistant to the engineer for three months before he decided he wasn't stupid enough to keep risking his life and his balls to radiation and other dangers.

  Hopefully he wouldn't lose either on this jaunt as well. It hadn't been long after that trip that Shi had settled into working as a detective, and started the process to get his licenses. The military license had been a whim; Shi had been low on money at that point, and the licensing office had been offering an insane amount for compensation.

  It was during his course for military training that Shi had met Elis. There had been hundreds of stupid courses he'd had to take, and Elis had shown up to a few of them. He'd attracted Shi's attention the very first time Shi had seen him. Elis had a presence about him, even when he was sitting still. He was dangerous, like a coiled snake waiting to spring.

  Shi had been the only one to pass the test that day; they'd been doing a practical demonstration of something that Shi didn't remember. Elis had been sneaking around and pickpocketing everyone. Shi had caught him, instinctively grabbing Elis when his hand slipped, whisper soft, into Shi's pocket. Too many years of dealing with pickpockets in the district he'd grown up in had come back to save him.

  Elis had grinned, meeting Shi's glare with a challenging look. He'd found Shi after a different class, dragged him off to a late lunch. It started out casual, and Shi wasn't sure when it had gotten serious, only that it had. Elis had
made promises to stay, promises he had to have known he couldn't keep, not as a member of Team Bakala. He couldn't tell Shi was he was doing, but that was all right. Elis was military, obviously high up in the covert division, and Shi understood that.

  It was a stupid fight that had ended it. Shi toyed with the fake gold ring, twisting it around his finger. Shi had taken on a stupid case, but one that could have repercussions if he pissed off the wrong person with what he found. Elis had tried to get him to drop it, saying it wasn't safe, and if that wasn't hypocritical, Shi didn't know the meaning of the word. He'd refused, they'd fought, Elis had stormed off… Shi had expected they'd make up within a few days, but Elis ran off, disappeared without a trace.

  That had been four months ago, and Shi was supposed to be over Elis by now. He wasn't supposed to be doing something that was even more dangerous than the case that had pissed Elis off, just to save Elis if he could. Sighing, Shi glanced up as the man from the bay climbed into the transport. His data tablet was tucked away, and his boots clomped loudly on the ramp as he walked across it.

  Once inside the transport, he pressed a series of buttons on the panel by the door, making the ramp retract into the ship and the door slide shut. He headed up to the front, completely ignoring Shi.

  "We have clearance?"

  The pilot grunted, and Shi settled in. He hoped this trip went quickly, and he was able to find Elis and activate the transponder before anyone was able to poke a hole in his story.

  *~*~*

  It took Shi an entire month to get to Volkov's flagship. The transport had taken him to another ship, which made several pit stops at different planets, offloading suspiciously marked crates and taking on more supplies. The flagship was huge, equipped with enough firepower to sink half a planetary fleet. It had three engine rooms, Shi learned as he was shuffled off to a tiny crew quarters. He'd been assigned to the one on K deck, and would start third shift that night.

  They'd arrived late enough in the evening that Shi had only a few hours to grab some sleep before his first shift began. He stowed his duffle under the tiny bunk, then crawled into bed, ignoring the itch to go searching for Elis. Wherever Elis was, it wasn't going to be easy to find, and it would be even harder to get to.

  In fact, Shi conceded, it would be best if he didn't try to get near Elis at all. No doubt Elis was monitored around the clock; it would be highly suspicious for Shi to get anywhere near him. Shi had to do two things: figure out where Elis was to make rescue easy and find out where they were, so he knew when they'd reach the "few days from a planet" timeline Allie had specified.

  Neither of which would be easy, Shi thought, stuffing the pillow up under his head as he stared at the ceiling of his bunk. Elis would be hidden, to keep him away from people like Shi. Likewise, the course of the ship would be confidential. He might have a chance of figuring something out from the engine room. The head engineer would be aware of the course, since that would affect how much fuel they needed, among other things.

  Closing his eyes, Shi ran his thumb across the gold band on his ring finger. It was soothing, for whatever reason, and he'd become almost attached to it over the last month. Maybe if he rescued Elis, he could make Elis replace the ring.

  Shi rolled his eyes at himself. There was no telling that Elis would even want anything to do with him. Four months was a long time, and Shi doubted Elis had been stuck on this ship for that long. If Elis had wanted him back, Elis would have let him know.

  Turning onto his side, Shi scowled at the wall, then buried his head in his pillow. He needed to stop daydreaming and focus on his job. He could daydream all he wanted after he'd managed to save Elis or get them both killed.

  He woke to the sound of the alarm he'd set, beeping obnoxiously through the room. "Quiet," Shi grumbled, then shoved himself out of bed before he could go back to sleep again. Stumbling across the room, Shi smacked the control panel in the wall. The alarm shut off and the lights flared to full brightness.

  The room he'd been assigned to was little more than a cubby. The bunk took up much of it, set low across the wall opposite the door. There were drawers above it, which explained the low ceiling. There was more storage underneath, and Shi wondered why the hell they hadn't put the drawers down there so there was less chance he'd smack his head. There was also, Shi noticed belatedly, a vid panel on the wall at the foot of the bed. He doubted he'd get more than whatever vids were in the ship's collection, but he could check that out later, see if he could get any useful information on the ship's layout or course.

  Changing his shirt, Shi ran a hand through his hair a few times to settle any locks that were sticking up. He could use a shave, but that could wait. He didn't want to appear too concerned about his looks on the first day of the job. Giving the room a last cursory look, Shi kicked his duffle back under the bed and left his discarded shirt on the bed. His things had been searched once, when they were en route, but he didn't doubt they'd do it again.

  Running his thumb over the ring, Shi reluctantly gave the military credit for the ring. It might have been found out if it were among his things, but he never took it off, and no one seemed inclined to doubt the story about the dead fiancée—or to push about it, which Shi also appreciated. Not that he planned to say much if he was pressed. He'd rather throw a punch than talk about it—or at least, Shin Mari would.

  Pressing the button to open the door, Shi stepped out into the hallway. He nodded in greeting to the few people who were emerging from their own rooms, likely on the same shift. Shi meandered down the hallway, stopping briefly to use the facilities, before heading to the shuttle room. The ship was large enough that it had its own internal shuttle transport running between the different sections of the ship.

  It took him a few minutes to puzzle out that he was in section Q14 – Residential, Workers, another minute to find the train that would take him to section K03 – Engineering, Rear Center. Shi hung around another few minutes, noting where else the trains ran. He found the mess in the center of the ship, part of a sprawling court that included a few shops for toiletries, games, and snacks. He located the bridge, some cargo areas, and the holovid rooms, but he either overlooked the brig or it wasn't on the map.

  Likely it wasn't on there, Shi thought as he headed towards the shuttle that would take him to K deck. He climbed on board, ducking his head to get through the short doorway. The shuttle was half-full, and Shi chose an empty seat, putting some space between himself and the other passengers. Most ignored him like he was ignoring them. A few gave him a second glance, probably because he was a new face, but Shi ignored them as well.

  The shuttle jolted into motion, rushing through the tunnels with a steady thrum. It made a number of stops and people came and went. Shi stood when it reached K deck, slipping off the shuttle before the three people waiting got on. One other man got off with him, though he headed towards the higher numbered sections as Shi turned down the corridor that should take him to the lower numbered sections.

  Thankfully, everything was well labeled, so it didn't take him long to find the engineering section. The space ship's engine's noise dominated the room, its steady thrum pulsing through the floor. The engineering section was huge, encompassing the space three sections of a deck typically took up. It also spanned three decks, the engine rising high into the ship. Control panels spanned the walls on the lowest level, but were much more sparse on the upper levels, dotting the walls at random intervals.

  "You the new assistant?" A man barked from a nearby panel. He didn't look away from what he was doing, his fingers flying over the touch screen buttons in front of him. He looked to be fifteen or twenty years older than Shi, and wore a navy blue jacket with gold markings down the sleeves. Likely the master engineer of this engine room, Shi decided.

  "Yes, sir," Shi replied smartly, waiting to be told what to do.

  "Go talk to Kins," the master engineer said, pointing in the general direction of a man about twenty feet down the wall, working on something els
e. "Do whatever he tells you."

  Shi nodded, despite knowing the master engineer wasn't looking at him, and headed in that direction. Kins looked up when he approached, punching a last few buttons. The panel flashed something brightly, too quickly for Shi to catch.

  "You're late," Kins said. He didn't sound accusing or upset, following up with, "Third shift starts at 2200 exactly, not 2210. You get an hour break at 0300, then work through until your replacement shows up. Usually 0700."

  Shi nodded, accepting that. It was better than the other ship he'd worked on. That shift had been 1600 to 0100, with no break.

  "You're training today and tomorrow. We use a custom software, none of that stupid fancy shit regular ships use," Kins said, jabbing a few more buttons on his screen. The screen did look unfamiliar, Shi noted, hoping he could pick it up quickly. He didn't think Kins or the master engineer would take kindly to him flubbing.

  "After that, you'll be on diagnostics for a few months," Kins continued, turning sharply and striding towards the ladder that led to the upper levels. Shi followed, making a face. Diagnostics were tedious, annoying, and time-consuming. They were also the easiest and least dangerous task for an assistant to perform, and would give him access to a computer terminal that might allow him to figure out where they were, where they were going, and when they'd be close to an inhabited planet.

  Shi climbed the ladder after Kins, chiding himself to have patience. He'd spend a few days learning the system, then a few days doing diagnostics as instructed, and then he could start rooting around for the information he really needed. Rushing or getting impatient would only get him caught, and Shi had no doubt that Allie wasn't lying when she said that she'd rather Volkov kill Elis. He highly doubted he added any value in her mind.

  Kins hopped off the ladder on the second level, walking over to a control panel. There was no seat here, which meant that Shi got to stand while he was doing his training. Kins punched a handful of buttons on the panel, pulling up a simple interface with a video front and center.