by K A Bledsoe
Diarmin nodded, crossing his arms as well. “Yes. I don’t mind losing the money for Kurla’s trip; that was just extra. But the cargo…”
“I didn’t trust Bondle, but I figured I could handle him.”
“The patrol changes things. Couldn’t have predicted that.”
“I should have,” she said in a mumble. Not quietly enough since, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her husband turn his head toward her. She still didn’t look at him, not wanting to see his expression. “Maybe we should have run,” she mumbled again.
Diarmin turned his head back to stare at the hatch. “We could still run now. Deliver the cargo to Reese and take whatever they give us.”
That shocked her out of her self-absorption enough to look at him. He looked at her and she couldn’t read his expression.
“Are you serious?”
Diarmin shrugged, arms still crossed. “Why not? At least we’d get some money out of all the time we’ve already put into this.”
“You know why not. We would become what we have been trying so hard to get away from. That criminal world.”
“I said ‘We could.’ Doesn’t mean we should.” He gave her a half smile, but Lenore wasn’t sure if he was joking.
“I’ll take the bridge,” she said. “You make sure the cargo bay is secure.”
Diarmin gave a quick salute and left for the bay. Lenore stared after him before she left in the opposite direction. As she reached the bridge, she was slightly startled that Quinn was already there in the navigator’s seat. She hadn’t seen him go to the bridge. She berated herself for letting her awareness slip. She had seen him in the cargo bay and lounge, but she let him be since she didn’t exactly order him back to his room after he was questioned. She shook her head as she took the command chair. Sometimes she longed for how everyone followed orders to the letter in the Xa’ti’al.
That thought nearly caused her to spring upright. Why would she think that? Blind obedience was one of the things she had hated. And Diarmin suggesting they steal the cargo and run from the law? Was telling the stories of their past somehow making them revert to who they used to be?
No! She wouldn’t let that happen. She shook her head again, quite violently this time, and must have made some sound because Quinn turned his head to look at her oddly. Trying to avoid any questions, Lenore cleared her throat and opened the intercom to Allison’s cabin.
“Alli, can we have you on the bridge, please?”
“On my way.”
As if in answer, the com board pinged and Lenore answered the hail.
“Sentinel Five ready for docking sequence.” The voice belonged to the lieutenant. “Please transmit the specifications of the cargo bay opening so we can adjust the field.”
“Acknowledged,” she responded then opened the cargo bay com. “They are on their way.”
“All prepped here,” was Diarmin’s response. Allison clambered up the ladder and took her station.
Within five minutes, the large ship had expertly maneuvered into place and extended the field that would become a barrier to space, a force-field airlock that allowed both cargo bays to be opened in space. Lenore alerted Diarmin and told Allison to put the cargo bay on the monitor. She complied just in time to hear the echo of the airlock at the top of the cargo bay ladder slam shut. Diarmin would wait until the all clear was sounded that the field was stable so the atmosphere wouldn’t be sucked out when the bay opened.
Another five minutes and the private and corporal were in the bay, activating the anti-grav platforms. The camera showed Diarmin with his arms crossed, offering no assistance and with a look on his face that probably mirrored hers earlier. The cargo disappeared from view and Lenore could feel the vibrations through the deck of the cargo bay doors closing.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Captain Fleming. I hope it won’t be necessary to be in touch soon.”
“Agreed. Fleming out.” Lenore chose to ignore Hammins’s awkwardly phrased comment which could be taken either as a polite farewell or subtle threat.
Diarmin appeared at the ladder and continued to the science seat. “Well,” he said as he sat down heavily. “That’s that.”
Quinn nodded, his face grim. Allison stared with wide eyes and Lenore said nothing. The silence on the bridge stretched on as she sunk deeper into introspection.
“What course should I set?” Quinn finally asked.
Lenore looked at Diarmin. Should they get supplies, look for another job, head for the nearest planet? She and her husband stared at each other as if they could communicate telepathically. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Why wasn’t she?
“Something feels off,” were the words that came out of her mouth. Instead of questions from the others, all Lenore saw was nods and relief.
“I’ve been feeling that since they first hailed us, but events moved too quickly to think about what was happening,” said Diarmin.
“Do I set a course?” asked Quinn.
“No,” said Lenore. “Let’s do some investigating of our own. I want some answers.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
An hour later, the family gathered in the lounge with their findings. Each had their own assignments, but Diarmin felt that his discovery might be the most important. As soon as Quinn took his seat at the couch, Diarmin tossed three devices on the low table between everyone.
“What are those?” asked Lenore as she picked one up. Each of the kids also grabbed one to look at closer.
“I’m not sure. As you can see, they have been damaged beyond recognition, but I can surmise what they used to be by where they were found.”
“Where?” asked Allison and Quinn at the same time.
“One was in the cargo bay, just across from where the six-alls were, one in our cabin and one on the bridge. I didn’t check in your kids’ cabins.”
“Some kind of surveillance devices,” said Lenore, her face grim.
“Probably,” said Diarmin. “I will have to take them apart to see if they were video or audio or both.” He knew his lips showed a grim line. “They were hidden very well, in plain sight yet camouflaged to match their surroundings exactly.”
“Who do you think put them there?” asked Quinn.
“I don’t know. I ran a scan for fingerprints and DNA but found nothing.”
“I didn’t find anything like this in Bondle’s cabin,” said Lenore and Quinn shook his head indicating he had found nothing in Kurla’s. “Or anything else odd. Only what you would expect to see. And they left nothing behind. Did you have any luck, Alli?”
Allison was peering intently at the device, muttering to herself.
“Alli, what did you find?” Lenore asked.
“That’s it!” Allison cried, causing Diarmin to startle slightly even though they were waiting for her to speak.
“What’s ‘it’?” asked Quinn.
“These devices must have been interfering with our communication systems within the ship, though I’m not sure how far back the glitches go.” Her voice devolved back into a self-absorbed mutter. “Maybe if I look at the time indexes and cross-check when they first appear—”
“Alli!” said all three other family members simultaneously.
“Huh? What?” Allison looked up, blinking as if she had forgotten everyone was there.
Diarmin sighed, knowing she did that when she was thinking hard about a tech or computer problem. “Explain, please.”
“Oh, sorry.” She grinned, slightly embarrassed. “I had seen some anomalies in our communication systems, mostly inter-ship, but often enough that I kept looking for what might have caused them. Diagnostics showed nothing but if these are surveillance devices, they probably interfered with our systems when they would send out a signal.” She turned the device over to examine closely. “If it weren’t slagged I could try it out, see if it creates the glitch, in fact, maybe I could...”
As she trailed off, Lenore rolled her eyes and Diarmin could see she was trying to be
patient. But it wasn’t her best quality.
“Why didn’t you tell us about these anomalies?” she asked.
“I told Dad, but we haven’t had time to talk about it. I thought they were only a problem I needed to correct in the systems. I never would have guessed it was this. These devices explain everything. Well, almost.”
“Almost?” asked Quinn.
“Well, there was one instance where the anomaly wasn’t an interference but instead a... I don’t know how to explain it in layman’s terms... maybe like a camouflaged pulse laid over a random static burst that was then deleted—”
“Never mind explaining the anomaly,” said Diarmin. “What do you think caused it?”
“More importantly, when did it occur,” said Lenore.
Diarmin looked at Lenore and saw the beginnings of anger. Not at Allison but at the discovery. She suspects something.
“As to the cause, I am not sure, but I can tell you exactly when.” Allison looked at her mother as if she didn’t want to tell her. “It happened while we were dealing with the leak and the, well, you know.”
Diarmin felt his gut tighten though he had half-guessed that answer because of Lenore’s reaction. The look on his wife’s face now could only be described as thunderous.
Several moments passed without anyone speaking. Lenore was the first to speak, her expression now one of determination.
“Okay. We will consider what exactly that means, but for now, Alli, please report on what you found while we were searching the cabins.”
“Well, depends on what you mean by ‘found.’” Allison tucked her feet under her on the couch and fiddled with the ruined device. “I tried to contact the lab using the code that Bondle had initially called us on but received no answer. I also hacked the city’s database and could find nothing, no news reports or even private government documents that had any mentions of illegal cargo. The only mention of the lab is when it was built, corresponding to what Bondle told us.”
“Did you hack into the laboratory computers?” asked Diarmin.
Allison shook her head and tossed the device back to the table. “I tried but couldn’t find them.”
“What do you mean?” asked Quinn.
“I mean I couldn’t find them. Which indicates either that they don’t have any computers connected to the IGNet or they are simply turned off. Can’t read something that has no signal. If I was there I might, but from here…” she shrugged.
“And the patrol?” asked Lenore.
“All legit,” said Allison. “Lieutenant Sherrod Hammins has been the commanding officer of Sentinel Five for two years and five months, based in the asteroid belt between the fifth and sixth planets of the Welanon system. Their base is small, usually staffed by only three or four, more like an outpost than a large base. The corporal and private were recently transferred there, but such transfers occur every six months to a year, and theirs had been scheduled for sixty-five days.”
“So all we know is that someone placed spy devices on the ship,” said Quinn.
“It couldn’t have been the patrol, they didn’t have the time or opportunity,” said Diarmin.
“Not to mention no reason to do so,” said Lenore.
“So that means that one of the passengers did it,” said Allison. “But who and why?”
“I think Bondle was transporting something other than vaccines,” said Lenore. “Maybe bioweapons or even explosives since radiation was detected. The device was to keep watch in case anyone got too curious.”
“I’m tempted to say Kurla since she was caught with stolen items,” said Diarmin. “Why would Bondle bother with planting stolen goods in her cabin?”
“To distract us from his possibly dangerous cargo, by focusing on the immediate threat rather than a possible one.”
Diarmin shook his head. “If he used the devices, he would have known in plenty of time to redirect our attention another way. No, it had to be Kurla who planted them, possibly looking for ways to make money other than stealing the small, very valuable items that could be easily hidden in her bag.”
“But she has very little knowledge of computers or technology,” said Quinn.
“And what makes you say that?” said Lenore. Her tone was sharp and Diarmin suspected she was losing patience with the lack of definitive answers. And she didn’t like being caught on the receiving end of deception.
“She said so,” Quinn said, his tone defensive. When nobody commented, he went on, carefully avoiding his mother’s glare. “She seems too young for that kind of espionage anyway.”
Allison sputtered and Quinn looked away, obviously realizing too late what he had said. His own sister could do all that easily. Not to mention his mother had done a lot more when she was a lot younger than Kurla. He mumbled an apology and Diarmin thought he would have to intercede in another argument but apparently Lenore and Allison decided to let it go.
For now.
“There’s no proof of who put them there or why. I think the best we can say is that one of our passengers is guilty and the other innocent,” said Lenore.
“Former passengers,” said Diarmin but regretted the words as soon as they were out. Lenore’s head whipped around, eyes narrowing at him.
“Former?”
“They are not our problem anymore. Let the patrol sort the whole mess out.”
Lenore gripped the arms of her chair and stared. Diarmin stared back to show he could be as stubborn as she could. The silence stretched on, Allison and Quinn taking turns glancing at both parents.
Finally, Lenore sighed and spoke in that dangerously quiet voice. “For all we know, the patrol may be behind all this. As far as I am concerned, it is my fault if I let harm come to a passenger aboard my ship, blameless or not. If everything turns out to be in order, I will take the heat and listen to your ‘I told you so’ for as long as you want to say it. But I feel in my gut something is wrong and I need to put it right.”
She looked at each of her family’s faces in turn as if daring them to argue further. Diarmin was tempted, but he had only brought up the possibility of leaving so all possible choices were discussed. Privately, he thought she was right in that they couldn’t leave either Kurla or Bondle to be a pawn in whatever was going on.
“Okay.” Lenore nodded decisively. “Allison, contact the planetary authorities on Drenon and see if they can’t get in touch with the lab, more importantly with the assistant. Then help your father with finding out anything you can about those devices. Quinn, search your and Allison’s cabin for any similar devices. I will locate the base so we can be on our way within the hour.”
***
At exactly one hour after she issued her directives, everyone was in their seats on the bridge with the exception of Allison. After sending the coordinates to Diarmin so he could set course for the base, she paged her daughter.
“Alli, we’re heading out. We need you up here.”
“Give me a minute. Wrapping something up.”
She closed communications without waiting for Lenore to answer. Lenore looked at her husband, but he answered before she could ask.
“She never came to help me with the devices which is unfortunate because I found something that I need help deciphering.”
Five minutes later the ship was ready to leave, and Lenore was itching to go. She reached out to call Allison again but the sound of footsteps on the ladder stopped her.
“Sorry it took so long but I found some things you need to see,” she said.
“Good, because I found nothing,” said Quinn.
“I might have found something, but you go ahead, Alli,” said Diarmin.
“You can tell us on the way to the base. Diarmin, let’s—”
“Wait, Mom,” said Allison. “You need to hear this first. Won’t take long.”
Lenore gestured for her to continue, trying not to be annoyed at being interrupted or for the delay.
“First, I contacted Drenon to see if they could check out the l
ab. I posed as an investigator and they were only too happy to help, once they verified my ID of course.”
“ID?” asked Quinn.
“Sure, I always keep a few in my database ready to go in case of situations like this,” she explained. “Some can be adapted to whatever occupation I need but there are a few standard ones like an investigator, physician, and even a researcher. You’d be surprised how many people will just give information away if they think they will be in a book about—”
“Back to your report, Alli,” said Lenore, well aware of her daughter’s tendency for tangents.
“Oh, yes. Well, they sent someone to the lab and found that it had been broken into. They discovered, um…” As she trailed off, her face took on a pinched look that was relatively new. Lenore thought she knew what was coming.
“They found Assistant Mills. He was dead. Extensive blood loss from possible torture.” She swallowed, her short phrases indicating her distress. Lenore’s heart went out to her, but Allison gamely went on. “Unfortunately, the security tapes were wiped, and they could find no other immediate evidence. I convinced them to turn on the computers so I could see what I could find. They were damaged, but I did find some evidence that the system had been hacked shortly after we picked up Bondle. Later that day, in fact.”
“By who?”
“That I don’t know. Yet. If it is possible, I will find it.” Her fierce tone proved her determination. Quinn reached out and put a hand on Allison’s shoulder very briefly. He understood his sister’s feelings about death more than anyone, and Lenore briefly wished again that she had her son’s empathy.
“Mill’s death is unfortunate. But we need to get going.”
“Wait, there’s more,” said Allison. She sat at her station and punched at the keyboard. “I got curious about who might be hacking in so I backtracked the records of the patrol. This is what I found.” One last harder-than-any-other punch of a key and the main screen showed two pictures of patrolmen, a corporal and private.
