by Dan Oakley
As he did so, the low hum decreased and the gentle vibration beneath my feet slowed to nothing.
“We should all sit down and secure our harnesses,” Finn said. “Docking is automated, but as they have to accommodate a variety of vessels, sometimes the attachment procedure can be slightly out of line, which results in a bumpy landing.”
We did as we were told, sitting down and buckling up. Then it was just a matter of counting down the minutes.
We’d been sitting in silence for at least five minutes when Trella said, “Don’t give anyone your real name, when you arrive. We’ve been put on the rebellion watchlist.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s a list of mages suspected of working for the resistance. It means any of the security forces within the Kingdoms have the right to stop and search us and imprison us, before handing us over to the Kingdoms’ elite inquisitors.”
I shuddered.
“Surely they don’t have Finn’s name?” I asked. “He hasn’t done anything.”
Trella shook her head. “No, just mine and yours. I suspect the commander added our names just to be safe. He thought we’d been killed on Tor, but I guess this is his way of tying up loose ends.”
“So what will you do?” Finn asked. “Marrachi is a forward-thinking civilisation, but everything relies on ID cards. You can’t do anything or get anywhere without one.”
“I have a friend who’s going to meet us on ring seven,” Trella said. “He’ll bring us ID chips. We just need somehow to get off the ship and meet up with him.”
Finn grimaced. “I don’t think that’s going to be easy.”
“Well, we don’t have much of a choice.”
“What about me?” Kira asked.
Trella turned to her and smiled. “You’re not on the list, but he’s going to bring an ID chip for you. It might be easier than trying to explain how you managed to get off Tor. Then at some point, I guess you’ll want to track down your parents.”
Kira didn’t look as excited by the suggestion as I’d expected her to be. She lowered her gaze to the floor.
Before she replied, the intercom sounded, and a disembodied male voice came through the speakers in the bridge. “Confirm docking the vessel Payma Blue to dock 982, ring seven, space station twelve. Welcome to Marrachi, Payma Blue. Prepare to be boarded for inspection.”
At those last words we all looked up. Finn looked even paler than usual.
“Inspection?” Kira repeated. “I guess that scuppers our plans.”
Finn covered his face with his hands, and Trella groaned.
I knew how they felt. Just when we’d escaped disaster to arrive on Marrachi safely, we’d run into yet another complication.
Chapter 16
Getting boarded by Marrachi security agents was the last thing we needed when we were trying to keep a low profile.
“The way I see it, we only have one option,” I said after a moment of stunned silence. “We’ll set our weapons to stun and ambush them when they come aboard. Then we’ll make our escape before they come around and raise the alarm.” I turned to Finn. “Are the docks heavily patrolled?”
He looked horrified at my plan. “No… they’re not heavily patrolled, but there are customs officers. Rings one to three are far more closely scrutinised because that’s where the big shipments arrive. The other rings are for people like us in smaller vessels, small-time traders generally.”
“Small-time traders mixed in with the occasional pirate,” Kira commented dryly.
I stood up, grabbing the gun I’d hoped we wouldn’t need. “Then I suggest we all get our weapons and get ready. Where will they board, Finn?”
“At the rear. Near the cargo docks. They probably just want to inspect the cargo. Maybe we won’t have to stun them… I figured they’d let us dock and leave us alone. A vessel this size isn’t really a big deal. Maybe they’ve started random spot checks.” He sighed. “We’re going to have a hard time explaining why we have stolen goods aboard, that’s for sure.”
“Exactly,” I said. “That’s why I think we need to stun them before we have to answer any awkward questions. Plus the fact, we’ve got a bunch of pirates locked up, and I don’t really want to have to explain that.”
“But we haven’t done anything wrong,” Kira protested. “Surely if we explained that we were captured by pirates and that we have evidence on board, they’d believe our story over the pirates.”
“We don’t have time for that,” Trella said. “My sister’s trial could take place next week. What if the security agents interrogate us for days before coming to the conclusion we are innocent?” She shook her head stubbornly. “I need to get off this ship as soon as possible.”
“So you agree with me?” I asked Trella. “We need to stun them?”
Trella shook her head. “No, Tomas, I think that’s a terrible idea. If we do that, when they wake up, they’ll send the full force of the Marrachi security forces after us.”
I let out a long breath. She was right, but right now, I couldn’t see another option. “So what do you suggest?”
“I think we should use the pirates’ IDs.”
I frowned. “How will that help us? I don’t think any of us will pass for burly Marrachi men. Especially you.” I gestured at Trella. “You’ve got red hair, but your skin is far too pale to pass for a Marrachi citizen.”
Kira interrupted, “Finn is a Marrachi citizen and his skin is almost as fair as Trella’s.”
Finn frowned. “My grandfather moved his family here. Marrachi is the only planet I’ve ever called home. Not everyone in Marrachi has dark skin and red hair.” He bent his head to the side then shrugged. “But I have to admit, most people do. We will stand out. And it’s not like we can just flash the ID cards and hope they don’t pay attention. Each of the ID cards has an embedded chip containing biometric data. We won’t match.”
Trella flapped a hand in dismissal. “That won’t be a problem. If you can get me the cards, then I can put a glamour spell on them to mask the printed letters and the images. The security forces will see what we want them to see.”
“The glamour spell won’t be necessary. Nothing is printed on the cards. But can you get past the problem of the biometric chip?” Finn asked, intrigued.
“I’ll hack it. I can change the data. If there aren’t too many variables, it will only take me five minutes, but you need to get me those cards now.”
“They’re kept within the main control dashboard,” Finn said. “At least I think they are.”
On the far side of the bridge, Finn accessed a concealed drawer and pulled it open. Inside were several clear panels. He pressed on the clear material, popping out four small, rectangular objects.
They looked transparent. I couldn’t see any pictures or text.
“They’re the ID cards?” I asked in disbelief.
“Yes, they used to have names and other details printed on them, but due to new identity privacy laws, they can only be read if you have an appropriate scanner, which basically means only law enforcement or governmental agents can see your personal information.”
I’d have to take his word for it. They looked like rectangles of glass to me.
“So what do we do with them?” Finn asked.
“I’ll use energy to hack the data stored on the chip,” Trella said calmly, setting them down on her lap and then holding her hands above them.
She was silent for a few moments, and none of us interrupted because we didn’t want to mess up whatever kind of magic she was doing. I glanced at the time on my wrist device, guessing we only had minutes left before we were boarded.
As Trella cast her magic, Finn made his way over to the main console and began tapping buttons. “What are you doing?” Kira asked.
“I’m readying the rear access door, so they can come aboard.”
He flicked a switch on the console, and above us, on the clear touchscreen, a crisp image appeared of the area around the docking st
ation. Gathered in the docking area, were four tall men, dressed in black uniforms and with black flat caps.
I studied them nervously. They didn’t look happy.
Trella let out a sigh of relief and handed out the clear, rectangular ID cards.
I took mine and was surprised by how light it was. There was a tiny hole in the top. I turned it over in my hands, but Finn was right nothing was printed on the surface. How could we check whether Trella’s hacking had worked? I guessed we would just have to trust her.
“They’re coming aboard now,” Finn confirmed.
Kira took a step closer to me. I couldn’t blame her. The men boarding the ship looked like they meant business. Kira had experienced betrayal and cruelty from people wearing Kingdoms uniforms in the past, so I couldn’t blame her for being very wary.
“What IDs did you give us?” Finn asked. “Did you change mine?”
Trella nodded. “Yes, I thought there would be a record of your disappearance from Marrachi, which could lead to questions. Questions we don’t have time to stick around and answer.”
Finn swallowed nervously, his gaze flickering up to the screen.
“We just need to get through this, and then you can be reunited with your family,” I said.
He took a deep breath and nodded.
“Are you going to tell us about our new identities?” I asked Trella.
“I’ve kept first names the same for simplicities’ sake. The rest I made up as I went along. I don’t have time to explain in depth. We just have to hope they don’t ask any questions.”
“We need to go and greet them,” Finn said, wringing his hands.
Trella nodded. “I’ll come with you. On the way, I want to cast a glamour spell on the room we have the pirates in. We don’t want the security agents to stumble across them.”
The two of them left Kira and me alone.
“I don’t like this, Tomas. Isn’t there a way we could just sneak off the ship without the agents noticing?”
I wished there was. “It’ll be okay,” I said. “Trella knows what she’s doing.”
I really hoped she did.
We waited for ages, thinking the worst, then heard the ominous sound of footsteps approaching the bridge.
Kira shifted so she was partially hidden behind me as the security agents marched in.
“This is the rest of the crew,” Trella said, then she turned to us. “The officers would like to inspect your ID cards.”
She looked so calm and in control. I didn’t know how she did it.
My palms were sweaty as I walked forward, holding the small clear object in my hand.
The first security officer took it from me with a nod. All four of them were typical Marrachi men, dark skin with bright red hair showing from beneath their caps.
I guessed Trella and Finn’s ID had already been checked and stood up to scrutiny.
But the security officer ran the small dark scanner over my ID card three times.
How much information had Trella put on the chip anyway? Did it really take that long to read a chip? And what the hell were we going to do if they didn’t only want to inspect the cargo. What if they checked the rest of the ship and found the captive pirates in the brig, despite Trella’s glamour spell.
My heart was beating hard when the security agent finally looked up and his crystal blue eyes met mine.
There was suspicion in the depths of his eyes. He hadn’t been fooled by my ID.
“Tomas Damelin?” He raised an eyebrow.
I nodded, hoping that was in fact the name Trella had programmed onto the ID card.
“It says here you worked security on ring eight two years ago.”
I waited a beat before answering. “That’s right.”
I tried to sound confident, but my reply came out more like a question.
“That’s funny. So did I, and I don’t remember you.” He took a step closer, peering intently at my face. “I would have remembered you. You stand out. You look…different.”
He was right about that. No one could confuse me with a Marrachi man. For one thing, my hair was dark, practically black, and though my skin tanned well in the sun, it was nowhere near as dark as a native Marrachi. Then again, Finn had been welcomed to the planet with his family, and he was far paler than me. Maybe I could bluff my way out of this.
“I used to shave my hair back then, and I had more of a tan.” I grinned.
I waited for his response, but was met with silence. He turned and exchanged glances with his fellow security agents.
Did they believe me? Were they about to haul me off to a prison ship?
He continued to stare at me as the agent beside him reached out for Kira’s ID.
Luckily, hers didn’t seem to cause any trouble.
“You’re a Kavius native?”
Kira nodded. “That’s right.”
“You’re young to be working on a vessel like this one. How long have you been on this ship?”
“Oh…” Kira mumbled. “Let me see…” She pretended to count on her fingers. To our left, I saw Trella raise one finger and pretend to scratch the side of her nose.
Was that one year or one month?
“I guess about a year now,” Kira said finally.
Thankfully, that seemed to satisfy the security agent.
I would have let out a sigh of relief if it wasn’t for the fact the man who checked my ID was still staring daggers at me.
“What cargo do you have aboard the ship?” he asked.
“Some electronic equipment we are transporting for a client,” Finn replied.
“Will you be unloading today?”
Finn shook his head. “No, it’s been a long day. We will probably leave unloading until tomorrow.”
The officer nodded. “We’d like one of you to escort us through the cargo bay.”
“Of course, I can do that. Is there something in particular you’re looking for?”
“No, it’s a new Kingdoms directive. We stop and check vessels at random now.”
“In that case, if you’d like to follow me.” Finn led the security agents out of the bridge, and when they’d left the room, Kira and I collapsed back into the seats we’d been sitting in during docking.
Relief washed over me, but we hadn’t gotten away with it yet. The security officers were still aboard the ship. I just hoped Finn was convincing and managed to hide or glamour some of the stolen equipment.
Trella paced the area in front of our seats. “As soon as they’re gone, we need to get out of here. I just hope this inspection doesn’t take too long.”
“Oh, look.” Kira pointed at the touchscreen behind us.
Finn must have changed it to show the cargo storage area before he left. On the screen, we could see him walking around with the officers.
I watched, holding my breath at times, as the agents peered at the different units.
I was impressed by Finn’s cool head. If I didn’t know he was hiding stolen goods, I would have believed he was an honest small-time trader.
“They’re leaving the cargo area,” Kira said, getting to her feet. “Do you think that’s it? Are they leaving?”
Trella came to stand beside her. “Unfortunately not.” She flicked across the touchscreen to show the security officers entering the main corridor. She scowled. “It looks like they’re coming back to the bridge.”
“Do you think they’ve found something?” Kira whispered urgently.
“I doubt it,” Trella replied. “The glamour spell should last for hours. Maybe it’s just more routine questions.”
“I thought we were home and dry,” I said, feeling my stomach sink.
We’d stashed weapons in a cupboard beside my feet, so I guessed we could always fall back on my original plan to stun the security agents. But I wouldn’t get the weapons until it was clear there was no other option.
I’d seen stunners attached to the security agents’ belts. I was pretty sure they’d probably be just
as quick, if not quicker, than me.
When they entered the bridge again, the security officers asked to see the log files for our journey.
They seemed satisfied with the files Finn showed them, and I’d started to believe we were in the clear, when the tall officer turned and looked directly at me with narrowed blue eyes.
“The cargo seems to be in order. We’ll just take one last look around the ship. It shouldn’t take long. How many rooms are there aboard this vessel.”
“There are seventeen different rooms,” Finn cut in. “But as you can see, we don’t have a full crew at the moment so we don’t use them all. There’s not much point in checking.”
The security agent smiled coldly. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
Trella looked at me, no longer looking so calm and collected.
No, no, no…
There’s nothing wrong with this vessel. There’s no point looking around. You’re wasting time.
After a moment, the shortest officer blinked a couple of times and shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong with this vessel. Why are we wasting time?”
The other agents regarded him with surprise. The agent who’d checked my ID frowned. “What’s wrong with you? Are you feeling okay?”
The shorter man put a hand against his forehead. “I just feel… like we’ve spent enough time here. I’m getting a headache…”
The agent with the suspicious eyes paused before replying. “Maybe we should get back to the control room.” He turned to Finn. “You are free to disembark. Have you already engaged a crew to help you unload?”
Finn shook his head. “Not yet.”
“There’s been a change to procedure. There are now only six haulage companies authorised to access the rings and transport goods on space station twelve, so you’ll have to use one of them. You’ll find the contact information on your docking registration file.”
“Right, thank you,” Finn said.
“That was really weird,” Kira said after the agents had left. “We got lucky with that agent getting a headache. If they’d tried to search all seventeen rooms, they would have realised we’d tried to hide one.”
