by Paul Barrett
“That’s my impression, too,” Hawk took a vegetable chip from the basket on the table. “I grabbed a tool belt and a datapad and went in through the loading dock. No one even gave me a second glance. I walked around everywhere, looking busy and making notes. I’m no expert on shipping and warehouse procedures, but nothing seemed even remotely out of place. When I left through the front door, the receptionist asked me if I had found everything okay. If anything, they should have tighter security. I could have walked out with a thruster under each arm, and someone would have held the door open for me.” Hawk tossed the chip into his mouth.
“So, why didn’t you ask the receptionist why the company wanted Ship?” Laura said with a smile.
Hawk swallowed. “That may not be a bad approach. I’ve been trying to decide the best way to go about this and haven’t come up with much. How about you? Any thoughts?”
Laura considered for a moment, playing with the straw in her tea. “We could go in posing as a buyer and ask. Of course, we’d have to use some ploy to get in front of someone in the know. Since I’ve already made the initial contact, it shouldn’t be too difficult. We just need to come up with a plausible reason.” She stopped as the waitress brought their sandwiches and refilled their glasses.
As soon as she left, Hawk said, “The problem is that there is a plot to kill us and capture Ship. We know Moran is behind it, and all indicators point to this company as the source of our problems. I’m not sure how smart it would be just to walk in and ask. We might be stepping into another elaborate trap.”
Laura leaned across the table. “What does your gut tell you?”.
Hawk thought for a second. “That we have a legitimate business being used as a front, possibly without their knowledge.” He paused a moment. “I don’t know how well I should trust my gut instincts anymore.”
“Your instincts are fine, just rusty. When we finish lunch, I’ll make a call and see if I can set up a meeting for tomorrow.”
Hawk nodded and spoke around a mouthful of food. “Just us. We’ll use the rest for backup and support.”
“Let me get this straight,” Ashron said as the crew sat in the wardroom. “You’re just going to waltz in, walk up to the head honcho, and, nice as you please, ask him why he wants our heads.”
“That’s pretty much it,” Hawk replied. “And it’s she. The head of Seladyne Propulsion is a woman.
“Ship!”
“Yes, Ashron?”
“Place an ad in the local paper. Captain wanted, brains preferred but obviously not necessary.”
“I think it will work,” Gerard said. “From what you’ve told me and from my research here, there appears to be no danger whatsoever.”
“No danger, he says.” Ashron slumped into his chair. “For the last month or so, people have been hell-bent on making luggage out of my hide, and you say there’s no danger.”
“I would stress the word ‘appears,’” Gerard said.
“Lovely,” Ashron said, sinking lower into his seat.
Hawk turned to Gerard. “We’re a hundred percent the funds for the Meta Brévé project originate from this company?”
“One hundred. And, I might add, a large quantity of funds. Looking over their tax records, I’d say much more money than their product output could account for.”
“We’re definitely looking at a front,” Laura stated. “Have we found out who Bill is?”
“No,” Gerard answered. “It’s not a common name, and there are no Williams or Bills in their personnel files. They have a secure access system for upper management. Ship and I are working on getting into it.”
“Unless you can crack it, we’ll have to ask at our meeting tomorrow and play it by ear,” Hawk said. “Although I’m guessing Bill is a code name precisely because it’s so uncommon. We’ll give this a shot. Everyone will be close, and if need be, we can evacuate in a hurry. Ashron, I expect you to have a nice diversion planned should we need one.”
“Not to worry, Captain. I’ll be there to save your butts when you get into trouble again.”
“Hopefully, you won’t be needed,” Laura said. “If everything goes well, we’ll get the information we need without any trouble.”
“Let’s hope,” Hawk said without much conviction. “Remember, Moran is still out there. Blowing up the outpost at Meta-Brévé may have thrown him off our trail, but I wouldn’t count on it.”
Gerard pulled the crew van up to the front of the building. “I’ll be nearby,” he said. “Give a shout if you need me.”
Hawk opened the door. “Let’s do this.”
“Good luck,” Gerard said as Laura closed the door.
They watched Gerard pull the craft back into the flow of traffic and disappear around a corner, in search of a free space where he could park and stake out the building entrance from across the street.
Hawk turned to Laura. “Shall we?”
“Let’s.”
They walked toward the ten-story building, the smallest in a cluster of beige-colored high-rises, and strolled into the lobby. The reception desk sat in the center of a foyer, comprised of a semicircle with two hallways leading toward the back of the building around either side. Hawk noticed several monitors and a communications panel behind the desk. None of them were currently operating. He assumed the counter did double duty as a security station at night.
The receptionist acknowledged them with a smile and held up one finger as she spoke to someone on her headset. After transferring the call, she looked up and said, “Welcome to Seladyne Propulsion. How can I help you?”
“I have a ten-thirty appointment with Talec. Would you tell him Laura Benzing is here, please?”
“Certainly. I believe he’s expecting you. One moment.” The receptionist pressed a button on the console, and a holograph of Talec’s pale blue face popped up on the desk. “Yes?”
“A Laura Benzing to see you,” the receptionist said.
He looked at his watch. “Is it ten-thirty already? Tell her I’ll be right down.”
The receptionist disconnected and looked up.
“I heard,” Laura said. “Thank you very much. We’ll wait over here.”
They moved over to a waiting area and sat down in two of the several chairs gathered around a small table. Various magazines lay on the tabletop. Hawk picked one up and flipped through it. “It’s nice to be on a planet that still believes in printed material.”
“You have to admit the accessibility of information on a monitor and the lack of advertising have their benefits,” Laura said.
“I like the advertisements,” Hawk said. “It gives me an idea of what people are interested in.”
“You just like the pictures,” she said, scanning the page he had turned to. A beautiful humanoid woman stretched across the page. Though Laura couldn’t quite discern the model’s race, she was a prime example of the species. The print advertised some type of mind-altering drug that was supposed to be ingested with cold fluid. The attractive model stood on a beach of black sand playing Taldé, a game requiring great skill and dexterity. Laura seriously doubted anyone would be able to play it while consuming the product advertised.
“No, really,” Hawk said, “This is intellectually stimulating.”
Before Laura could reply, Talec approached from the hallway to their right.
Smiling, she stood and held out a hand. “Good to see you again.”
His small ears twitched as he smiled and offered his own cerulean hand. “Good to see you,” he said in a soft voice as he looked up at Laura. “I have the specs you wanted to see.”
“Good. I’d like you to meet my associate, Sean Grey. Sean, this is Talec…I’m sorry, I don’t remember your last name.”
“Wicktorick,” Talec said, taking Hawk’s outstretched hand, “Talec is fine. Please follow me. We’ll go to one of the conference rooms and see if what we’ve prepared is satisfactory.”
They followed him down the viridian hallway toward a pair of lifts. Talec�
��s bluish skin almost disappeared against the similarly colored walls. A shiver of apprehension hit Hawk.
When they reached the silver-colored lifts, Talec’s skin tone changed, his face and hands taking on metallic glints to match the doors.
“You’re a Chameleon,” Hawk said, voice level despite his sudden unease.
Talec smiled as the lift doors opened. “Our race is called Slandarnis, though we are commonly referred to as Chameleons.” He stepped on to the lift. Hawk and Laura followed. Wondering why Laura hadn’t mentioned Talec’s race, Hawk balled his hands into fists, ready in case something bad happened.
“Fifth floor,” Talec said. As the door closed and the elevator rose, Talec turned to Hawk. Splotches of brown, matching the compartment’s paneling, had appeared on the small male’s face. “I’m only half-Slandarnis. As you’ve probably noticed, I can’t control the color shifts.”
Hawk nodded, keeping his relief hidden as he loosened his fists. Chameleons often served as spies and assassins, where their color-shifting abilities gave them a distinct advantage. Half-breeds lost the capability, retaining only the capacity to mimic portions of their surroundings unconsciously. Laura hadn’t mentioned it because it wasn’t important, and Hawk realized how edgy he still felt despite the seeming innocuousness of their environment.
“I’m sorry you had to wait,” Talec continued, smoothing his lemon-colored shirt, a strange match against his skin. “I was working on the price sheet when you called up. It’s a rough draft, but the numbers will be pretty close to the final total.”
The upward movement stopped, and the doors opened. They stepped out into a carpeted hallway that led off in two directions. They followed Talec, passing the doorways of several spacious private offices, most occupied with busy salespeople and upper executive types. Consumed with their work, most didn’t even notice their passage.
This is no trap, Hawk thought. The whole situation seemed too permanent. The carpet, though nice, showed at least two years’ wear. The chairs downstairs had also seen their fair share of use. The place had not been hastily put together.
Talec opened a set of double doors into a large meeting room. An oak colored table occupied the center, surrounded by twenty chairs and topped by a holo-unit. Each position around the table also had a terminal with a separate monitor and e-paper slot.
“There’s the information,” Talec said, pointing to two sheets of electronic paper lying on the table. “Take some time to look over the information provided. If you have any questions, I’ll be back to answer them in just a moment.” He left the room, closing the two doors behind him.
Hawk and Laura seated themselves at the chairs. Hawk pulled a black cube from his pocket and sat it on the table. While they waited, Hawk and Laura studied the schematics and numbers in front of him. “These look pretty good,” Hawk commented.
After about a minute, the cube turned bright green on all sides, indicating the absence of electronic listening devices.
“So, what do you think?”
Hawk placed the cube back in his pocket. “I think this guy is going to be disappointed when he finds out why we’re really here. It’s a shame, too. From what little I’ve seen of their work, it’s quite good.
Laura smiled. “I think we can both be happy.”
Hawk waited.
“Wolf sat me down one day and told me about some improvements he and Gerard wanted to make to Ship’s main and ripspace systems, ways to make them more efficient and faster without increasing the mass. The conversation was over coffee and just casual chatter, but when I found out we were coming here, I pressed him for more information. He had some specific ideas and even drew up some plans. He, Gerard, and I sat down yesterday and reviewed the preliminary work-ups Talec had done. They both agreed that if Seladyne Propulsion isn’t what it claims to be, they had gone to great lengths to find knowledgeable people in this particular area of engineering.”
“Continue.” Hawk had noticed the gleam Laura got when one of her plans came together, especially behind his back.
“Well, we worked into the night trying to decide if these plans would work and if they would be an improvement. I didn’t do much. Not my area of expertise. Wolf and Gerard did all the work, and they concluded that we were on to something. They did another work up, and we sent them to Talec last night.”
Hawk held up his hand. “This is all well and good, but it has no bearing on why we’re here.”
“It does, sort of.”
Hawk raised his eyebrows.
“I’ll get to the bottom line. Gerard and Wolf feel that if this is a legitimate company, and I think we all agree it is, then we have devised a marketable item. In other words, we could make some money out of this and improve Ship at the same time.” She settled back in her chair, crossed her arms, and waited for a response.
“Make money, huh?”
She smiled.
“And all three of you feel this is a good venture?”
Laura nodded as a knock sounded at the door. Talec opened it. He stood there with a human female at his side.
“Please forgive the intrusion,” Talec said. “If you need more time, we’ll be glad to return later.”
“No,” Hawk stood. “We were just finishing.”
Talec approached the table. “I’d like to introduce my boss and the owner of the company, Ms. Rianna Selan. Rianna, this is Laura Benzing and Sean Grey.”
“The pleasure is mine,” Rianna took both of their hands warmly. She was a short, older woman, barely coming to Hawk’s chest. She appeared to be in her mid-seventies. The authority of age shone through her bright green eyes. Her well-lined face radiated an air of regality and power, and the wrinkles around her mouth proved she still knew how to smile and laugh.
Hawk spoke to Rianna. “Tell me, does Talec have your full approval to speak for the company?”
“Well, yes,” she answered with a questioning tilt of her head.
“The reason I ask is because I feel you and I may have more pressing business, and I would like to let Laura and Talec handle this deal while we talk.”
“I’m afraid you have me at a complete disadvantage, because I haven’t a clue as to what kind of business you could be talking about.”
“Please humor me for a moment,” he said with a friendly smile. “Do you have a secure place we could talk and leave these two alone to hammer out the specifics?”
For a long moment, she studied Laura and Hawk. Hawk felt sure she was gauging them, trying to puzzle out his request. Did she know anything about Ship? Was she attempting to decide how best to break away and warn someone? Or was she afraid? Nothing in her warm face and friendly eyes gave him any clues.
Finally, she nodded. “All right. But my people have put a lot of energy into this project, Mister Grey.” She fixed him with a cool stare, her warm eyes turning emerald hard. “Don’t let me find that it was all a waste. Follow me.”
With a reassuring nod to Laura, he followed her out of the room. They walked in silence to the lifts. “My office,” she said to the speaker as they stepped through the doors.
“I know you have a lot of questions,” Hawk said as they ascended, “and I hope to be able to answer them all. Rest assured, I don’t mean any harm to you or your company.”
“I run a tight ship here, Mister Grey, and I don’t like surprises. Lately, some things have happened that are out of my control. Forgive my caution, but I don’t need any more of those types of dealings.”
Her words put Hawk on his guard, even as it gave him hope. She had unwittingly confirmed her company’s involvement with Moran; she obviously didn’t care for the partnership.
The doors opened, and they stepped into a large and lavishly furnished office. Hawk noticed artifacts from many planets he had visited and many others he had not. A large desk, devoid of any clutter, nestled near the all-glass back wall. The wall overlooked a stunning botanical garden that contained a variety of rare and exotic plants. Hawk thought a small anim
al moved through the growth.
As Rianna took a seat behind her desk, Hawk paused to admire a case of ancient weaponry from the Zincon region of Rega, a giant planet populated by a race of fierce four-armed warriors.
“I have a passion for travel, Mister Grey, and I collect something from everywhere I go.”
“You have exquisite taste,” Hawk said as he admired a case of artwork.
“Thank you. But we digress. You mentioned something about business we need to discuss?”
Hawk walked over and sat in one of the overstuffed chairs in front of her desk. “I’m not quite sure where to begin,” he said, leaning back against the soft cushion. “We― meaning you and I―have a problem.”
“And what would that be?”
“I am the captain of a Light Support Cruiser named The Flaming Star. Laura is one of my crew members, first officer and ship’s doctor. We have a talented engineer who came up with the drive unit improvements, but we are not a company, and that is not our purpose in being here. We originally came to your company for information.”
“Corporate espionage?” she asked, seeming more amused than alarmed. “We’re not a very big fish, Mister Grey.”
“No, and neither are we,” he said pointedly.
She offered no readable expression.
“I’ll cut to the chase,” Hawk continued. “My crew and I just came from a planet called Meta Brévé. Ever hear of it?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever been there?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
“It’s part of the problem I’m talking about. Are you familiar with the restrictions on a tech level one planet?”
“I am. No advanced technology whatsoever. No exceptions and they are well monitored. I went to one on an art-buying trip many years ago. I found the hassle and expense of getting the permits too onerous and haven’t done it since.”
