Shadow Lead Analyst G’Lon, of the Imperial Analytical Cabal, was reviewing the data forwarded from the Missile Corvette J’New. At first, he thought it must be some image projection of a ship from the D’Rin star cluster’s Human side. Those sometimes happened, but never at this distance. The hard spectral analysis of the ship proved it wasn’t a mirage. The best K’Rang astrographers had surveyed the star cluster for over a decade and pronounced it impassable. How could they have been wrong? Over 100 Shadow Force scouts in six ships had perished, verifying the impassability of this zone.
Here, if true, the Humans had an open path between two K’Rang main worlds. An invasion through this approach could split the empire. The Shadow Force Fleet and Imperial Fleet were still reconstituting from the debacle at G’Dranu, or New Alexandria, as the Humans called it. Fleet severely reduced K’Rang main world defenses to bolster the frontier against an expected Human counterattack.
He set up an emergency meeting with Master Tactician B’Gotil, of the Imperial Staff, to brief his findings. He also forwarded a message to the K’Rang Fleet Personnel Directorate, recommending approval for the promotion of Sensor Technician T’Get and an appropriate award for Sensor Lead Technician H’Talli. A short call to the captain of the J’New sent it on an immediate sortie to monitor the location where the Human ship was detected.
Kelly reviewed what the sensor section found for him on Debran Industries. Friedrich Debran was the second son of industrialist Johann Debran. His brother, Wilhelm, had been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for Debran Industries, Inc., but died in a ground car accident before he had been in the job for a month. Police had investigated the accident, thought that there was something suspicious about it, but couldn’t find any hard evidence of wrongdoing.
Kelly reviewed the growth of Debran Industries, Inc. since the changeover. Friedrich did a very good job as CEO. He grew the business and diversified the company to include light manufacturing, electronics, mining, shipping, entertainment, and armaments. The net worth of the company had grown by 300 % under his stewardship. There were more than a few securities commission concerns on some of the mergers, but they always went through, such as the 51 % controlling interest in the Indigo Consortium after the mysterious fire that killed Charles Delphant, the Indigo Consortium’s former CEO and brother of Debran’s chief of staff.
It was obvious that Debran was politically connected and could get his way when needed. Kelly checked political contribution databases and found extensive contributions to Colonial Party candidates and causes. Kelly found a think tank sponsored by Debran that was frequently quoted in news reports, supporting the Colonial Party agenda.
On the personal side, Friedrich had been married to Julia Deirdre Halscomb since 2295.08.03. He had two daughters: Christine, 26, and Sylvia, 21. The daughters were frequent subjects of tabloid gossip and Tri-Vid celebrity shows. He checked out their photos and saw they were lookers. Most of the pictures were taken in high-end locations and hotspots with them in little to no clothing.
Kelly pulled up some photos of Mrs. Debran, which showed where the girls got their looks. She conveyed a sense of grace and style in every photo, whether posed or candid. Kelly looked up her family and saw she was from an Old Earth banking family, and had a fortune of her own that may have rivaled Debran’s. Kelly wondered if theirs was a marriage of two great families for commercial purposes or for love.
Sally Halstead was uncharacteristically whistling while she prepared the evening meal. One-Eyed Pete suspected it had something to do with the new dishwasher she’d convinced him to hire.
One-Eyed Pete had no interest in Sally beyond her ability to cook excellent meals and make him a lot of credits. If young Russell Obwobwo made her happy, Pete was happy. He did get a kick out of watching the two of them trying to be discreet and failing miserably. The two were smitten with each other. He could see it in their eyes and their inability to avoid brushing up against each other. They did make an odd couple. You wouldn’t think a young, strong, handsome man would feel attraction towards a pear-shaped, plain woman ten years his senior or vice versa, but they did.
Pete was happy to have Russell around. In addition to keeping Sally beaming, he had a green thumb when it came to growing herbs. A small shipment of live herb plants and seeds came in on a captured ship. Russell convinced Pete to bid on them and established a small herb garden, which produced many more fresh herbs than Sally could use. Pete sold these to his fellow restaurant owners at a tidy profit. Russell had already repaid his own purchase cost with the profits from his herb garden. Pete had plans to expand the herb garden next year.
Pete’s reverie was halted as two members of the Ascetic Guards, a Deacon, third-class and an Acolyte, second-class, entered the kitchen through the delivery door. He moved to intercept them, thinking they had come in the wrong door.
“Gentlemen, can I help you? Our dining room is through the glass door on the street front.”
The senior guard pulled a pocket tablet out and said, “We have a special order here to be filled.”
Pete came up to them and looked at the tablet.
“Gentlemen, we can provide you with the first and second meals on your list, but the third is not available on Barataria. If it were, it would be here in my kitchen. Sally, come look at this.”
Sally came over and perused the menu on the tablet and then exploded, “Pearlfish! What dumbass thought they could get pearlfish? Those are embargoed from export out of the Spica system. They’re on the endangered species list, fer chrissake. Nobody can get pearlfish. How about wingfish in a butter sauce? Those I got.”
The two guards looked at each other with looks of pure puzzlement. Their simple diet included nothing on the tablet. The senior guard pulled out a communicator and spoke briefly. He put away his communicator and said the wingfish would be fine, then asked if they could be ready in 30–45 minutes.
Sally threw up her hands and said, “Who is this for? It’s obviously not someone that’s been on Barataria for long, if they think we can get pearlfish.”
The guards were unresponsive to her query, so she pulled ingredients out of her larder and started her prep. In 40 minutes she had completed the meals, plated them, and prepared them for carry out. The meals were more than the two guards could manage by themselves, so Russell was dragooned into helping them. Russell wouldn’t really be needed until later, when the dinner meal was served, so Pete let him go with the guards to ensure the meals’ safe arrival at their destination.
Russell rode with the guards to a house on the north ridgeline above the city, where the senior members of the brotherhood had their homes. They pulled through the gate of a massive house built in the style of an English manor house, and around back, where several liveried servants met them, dressed in an old English style matching the large house.
Russell supervised the transfer of the meals. While the guards weren’t looking, he asked the servants who lived here.
The nearest servant said, “Pipe down. They might hear you. Nobody lives here. This is a holding facility for prisoners being ransomed.”
Russell dropped his voice and asked, “ How many people are here right now?”
The servant replied, “Just three at the moment. They came in last night. They must be important. This is the first time we’ve ever sent out for meals.”
The senior guard looked back to the unloading and shouted at Russell, “You there, hurry it up or you’ll be walking back to the restaurant.”
Russell finished passing the meals out to the servants, sat down in the rear of the vehicle, and was driven back to the Ruin View. On the way back he pondered on what he had just learned.
Roger Delphant worked on other matters while he waited for his 1200 appointment. They were not late, just not early. He didn’t like them and wanted to get them in and out of his office as soon as possible.
His secretary knocked on his door, stepped in, and announced Captain Ben Alden was here to see him. Roger saw him beyond her and waved him in. His secretary closed the door as she left.
Roger got up, shook Ben’s hand and offered him a drink. Ben turned it down, so they got down to business. There was not much beating around the bush with these people.
“Captain, you’ve come alone?”
“It only takes one of us to execute a contract.”
Captain Ben Alden looked more like a prizefighter than a ship’s captain. He had one droopy eye and a cauliflower ear. Anyone examining his knuckles would see evidence he had forced his will on many men in his life.
“Mr. Delphant, I was sorry to hear about your brother. What a tragic loss of life.”
“Thank you, Captain, it was quite tragic. Accidents do happen.”
“Now, what can we do for Debran Industries, Inc.? Are some miners acting up again?”
“No, not this time. Mrs. Debran and her two daughters have come up missing and Mr. Debran wants to keep all his options open. He doesn’t feel that he can rely on the local authorities and Fleet is only sending in one ship. How many ships can you assemble if cost is no object?”
“In that case, I can get you a fleet of twenty ships: one fighter carrier with four fighters, three gun corvettes, ten missile patrol boats, ten armed cargo ships with 100 troops onboard each, and six medium gun boats. They won’t be cheap, but you already covered that. We’ve worked for you before and this is a family matter, so we’ll keep our price reasonable. When do you need us? I assume right now.”
“Ben, we need you within five days. There is a Scout Force ship coming in then. We assume he will patrol into the Pleiades star cluster. Everywhere else has been searched multiple times, so that’s the only real option left. If he goes in, we want you to track his path so that you can navigate to whatever he finds.”
“Mr. Debran suspects his family was taken by the Marauders that have been working the Rigel to Aldebaran trade route, and that they are based somewhere in the star cluster. He wants you to prepare your ships to launch a rescue mission into the star cluster. If any harm comes to his family, he wants you to find the Marauders’ base and destroy it. Kill everyone associated with it. Leave not one brick stacked on another when you are done.”
“If you find the Debran women alive and free them, your fee will be doubled. If they are harmed or dead and you destroy the base, your fee will be doubled also. Do you understand?”
“Sure, dead or alive we get double. You have a deal, Mr. Delphant. I’ll have that drink now.”
Alistair Bennett monitored the Vigilant’s entry into the sector. He watched as they advanced right up to his position, then flashed them the recognition code and was impressed as they smoothly lined up and docked with his airlock. Their helmsman was good.
He walked back to his airlock and cycled it open after checking the positive seal. An armed duo met him at the lock. He verified his identity to them as the Kelly came into view.
“Please excuse the drama, Alistair, but we have to be careful. There appears to be a lot riding on us. Please follow me.”
“Captain, there is something I need to do first. Let me show you what I’ve done to my ship since last you saw it.”
He turned and walked away before Kelly could answer yes or no. Kelly followed, leaving the two sensor crewmen to guard the airlock.
Alistair turned around just before Kelly caught up.
“I have to put my companion to bed. I don’t suppose you have facilities aboard your ship for cats.”
“Cats? No, we don’t. Fleet regs are very strict about pets and mascots on board. Only flag officers can get away with that. The health people would throw a fit if they found a flea in one of my compartments.”
Alistair kept on walking forward in his ship. “I figured as much, not that my cat has fleas. Rojo should be asleep by now. I gave him a mickey as you were approaching.”
“A mickey? What is that and what are you going to do with him?”
“Oh, he’s about to take a very long nap. I’ve done it before. He goes to sleep, I put him into a stasis chamber, and I pull him back out when I get back.”
Kelly had met Rojo before. Rojo was a very large cat, probably 9 kilos in weight. Kelly wondered about his name, because rojo was the old Earth Spanish word for red.
“Doesn’t Rojo mean red?” he asked.
“True, but it does seem to suit him. Besides, it’s the only name he answers to. I tried dozens before settling on that one.”
Alistair picked the cat up, slipped him into a cat carrier, and lowered him into a chest type stasis chamber.
“There. When I get back I’ll pull him out, let him wake up, and he’ll be the most refreshed kitty in this sector.”
Kelly was amazed, “Are you sure it doesn’t hurt him?”
“It hasn’t yet. I’ve kept him in stasis for up to six months and it hasn’t hurt him. Captain, let me show you something.”
Alistair led Kelly to the bridge and punched some buttons on the command terminal. A new holographic display opened up from the floor. In the middle of the display was their current position. Alistair stepped in front of the display and pointed to what was obviously the Pleiades star cluster.
“Here is where I lost the track of the ion trail. If I had continued, the gravity fields would have torn my ship apart, never mind the effect of the X-ray discharges from all these brown dwarves.”
“I couldn’t go in, so I scanned as deep as I could from the peripheries. I detected these energy spikes here near this yellow dwarf star. I suspect that may be where our pirates’ lair might be. Of course, knowing where it is doesn’t mean we can get at it. I’m sure there isn’t a straight line path from here to there.”
Kelly studied the holograph closely.
“No, not a straight path, but I bet my ship can figure it out. It will still be like going through a maze with dead ends and wrong turns. I’m sure they didn’t leave a breadcrumb trail.”
“That’s why I called for you, Kelly. Now, if you will authorize the transfer of this data, I’ll shoot it over to your ships data banks.”
Kelly called over to Chief B to allow a data transfer. In seconds, it was done.
“Alistair, can I help you with any gear you need to move over to my ship?”
“No, thanks, captain, I travel light. Let’s go.” Alistair picked up a medium duffle and allowed Kelly to lead him back to the Vigilant.
Captain Alden entered his missile corvette and immediately handed his comms tech a message to send out offering work to the various ships’ captains that would make up his fleet. He received responses almost immediately from all but a few of them. He sent the rendezvous point to those that responded and waited for the others to respond. He had enough ships from the initial responses to accomplish his mission, but wanted a full consist. He had time. None of them would be more than a few days away.
While he waited, Ben Alden took in some of the sights and entertainments available here on Rigel Station. It had a reputation as a place where a lonely spacer could find a good time. He took in the bars, gambling halls, shows, restaurants, and the less genteel pleasures available. He was looking for more than just a good time. He was looking for information.
In the morning, he made his way back to his ship and checked in on whether more responses had been received. They had and he was missing only one ship of the ones he had called for. He saw Captain McDougall’s response and thought if McDougall was coming, so was Captain Dobbs. The two were practically inseparable, at least as long as Captain Alden had known them.
He reviewed his fleet consist and thought he could face anything the pirates threw at him. He sent messages to all the responding captains to collect anything they could on the pirate base in the star cluster. Surely there were pirates or ex-pirates with loose lips that a few well-placed drinks could loosen further.