Cassiopeia , Batik Magal, Delegor
“I don’t think I can learn all these procedures in time,” Rivka complained. “But you can.”
“I already have the entirety of their laws and procedures downloaded and available. I will be able to comply with their guidelines,” Chaz replied confidently.
“We will be able to comply. Can two prosecutors ask questions?”
“No. The entirety of Delegor law is based on efficiency. Keep that in mind for all we do. Limited paperwork. One doesn’t build a foundation for the suspect’s guilt. It is stated and reinforced. That’s it.”
“This shouldn’t take long, then. What kind of punishment is available?”
“Generally a mind infiltration. Hypnosis to cause the guilty pain when they think of issues surrounding that crime. Taking property that’s not theirs, for example.”
“That would work. The crime is vanity. Standing on other’s backs to lift yourself above them, Mister Ambassador. Your punishment is humility. Get your hands dirty. Accept being one of the people, you fucking toad.”
“You were so close, too, Magistrate, but alas, none of that is a crime on Delegor. I think the charge of being in possession of stolen property is, how do you say it, a slam dunk? But that’s it. Trafficking, kidnapping, none of the big crimes. Possession isn’t even a felony here.”
“I’m taking the ambassador to trial over a misdemeanor?”
“It would appear so,” Chaz remarked. “I’ve found out what happened to our cab. It was reported as stolen and recovered.”
“If we want another cab, will they send it?”
“Probably. I don’t think they’ve linked the broken code to us.”
“Did we pay the bill for the travel?” Rivka wondered.
“All of it and then some. We cannot steal what we paid for, Magistrate. I’ve verified that with the local business charter and laws.”
“Then how did it get reported as stolen?” Rivka stood up in the small ship, decided she couldn’t pace, and sat down again.
“It wasn’t where they thought it would be. I think it should have been logged as a software failure and not as a stolen vehicle. I’ve registered a complaint with the cab company.”
“Good call, Chaz. I’m off my game. I’m worried about everything else that’s going on. As a matter of fact, Margaret, get me Wyatt Earp , please.”
Chaz smiled. “I like how you always say ‘please’ when talking with one of us.”
“Common courtesy, Chaz. Thanks for your help, too. This whole thing with Bik Tia Nor would be a nightmare if I had to learn the nuances of Delegor law. That’s about a year’s worth of study.”
Margaret interrupted. “I have Clevarious for you, Magistrate.”
“C. ‘Sup?”
“Good news, Magistrate. We have recovered Cole, Petricia, and Joseph. We have the two Furlorians in custody. We believe we know where Private Elbinar is and will continue to pursue that lead.”
“Are they okay?”
“Cole and Petricia are still unconscious, but Joseph has come out of it, and, well…you’ll have to hear it from the others.”
“Then give me someone else. Lindy or Clodagh, please.”
“They are busy bringing the injured on board. They are still on gurneys. The crew is limited to its smallest and physically weakest members.”
“Lindy isn’t weak. What the hell are you going on about, C?”
“Lindy is the exception. The other members are muscling the gurneys through the airlock.”
“Give me Clodagh, please.”
“One sec,” the SI replied.
Chaz maintained a neutral expression.
“Magistrate. It’s, like, real work out here, but we have them back. Next stop is this big motherfucker on the other side of us to get Elbinar, but we’ll wait for Bad Company backup. It won’t be too much longer.”
“What did Joseph do?”
Time passed like slowly dripping water before Clodagh answered, “I don’t know. When we found them, they were unconscious, almost in a coma.”
“They shouldn’t have taken him.” Rivka wasn’t very sympathetic about the retaliation after the violation of his body. “Again. But I’ll take a look when I’m back. I won’t rush to judgment.”
“Something else, too. We rescued our people because of Ankh. He forced the crew of Grand Glory to stand down. They thought he was a Skaine.”
“But he’s not blue. Good for him. Did he say why he did it?”
“Not a word.”
“Ted and Joseph are old friends. They’ve been together for about a hundred and twenty-five years,” Rivka explained.
“That’s probably it. Ted made a call on Joseph’s behalf. Ankh will do anything for Ted.”
Rivka opened the hatch on the yacht to get fresh air. “Thanks, Clodagh. If anything changes, let me know, but I’ll be in court soon. We caught them giving the ambassador Elbinar’s blood. After this short trial, we’ll be back in space, hunting down an organization called Blood Supplies Limited. If we have the Gate closed off, then they aren’t moving any of the blood currently in stock. We may have already accomplished the primary goal of the case, which was to interdict the blood trade. Once we have Elbinar in hand, we can declare victory. I’ll be there as soon as I can. The Gate to Tyrosint is in Fenegus. Send the coordinates to Margaret. We’ll be rocking the yacht. Look! There’s Tyler. Call if you have anything.”
Doctor Toofakre walked slowly. Under the late afternoon sun, he sported a pale shade of green. He stumbled inside.
“What took you so long?” Rivka asked.
“That was the worst food of all time, and I had to down a triple portion of it. I took my bullet for you, Rivka. I’m a member of the club. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to heave my guts out.”
Tyler staggered toward the hatch, leaning against it as his stomach rebelled from the abuse. The sickening splatter came moments before the smell filled the cabin. Rivka wrinkled her nose. “Margaret, vent the air. Vents, full power, give me a hundred and ten percent! I’m giving her all she’s got, Cap’n.”
Chaz sat pleasantly, unaffected by sight, sound, or smell. “I love being me,” he told her. Rivka held her shirt over her face, trying to take shallow breaths until the cabin air had been cleansed.
Chaz cleared the one couch, and the doctor reclined on it. Rivka doused a washcloth with water and put it on his forehead. She gave him a bottle of water too, but he didn’t drink. He remained where he was, lying there with a rag cooling his head. “It was horrible,” he mumbled.
“You took one for the team. We caught the ambassador juicing. We could have used you to explain some of the technical details of the transfusion, but we each have our role to play. They recovered Joseph, Petricia, and Cole. Just one more to drag from the clutches of the scumbags. We’re close to gutting this organization. And Chaz, be a hon and clean the puke off the hatch, please.”
Tyler’s chest rose and fell regularly. “You’ve caught the ones running it?”
Rivka slouched against the wall. “We’ve caught the foot soldiers but not the general.”
“You’ve interdicted the trade for a short while, but as long as the leadership remains, they’ll establish it anew. The warriors won’t be safe anywhere. Supply and demand. As long as the demand exists, someone will step up to supply it. And there’s big money involved, which changes the dynamic. My mind is exceptionally clear, but my stomach resents me.” Tyler tried to sit up but found it to be too great an effort and flopped back down. Chaz took the pilot’s seat, mostly unused since Margaret flew the ship wherever they needed to go.
“At least we’ll get our people back, assuming Private Elbinar is on the big ship that Wyatt Earp has cornered.
“Is Onyx open yet?”
“They should be. Margaret, get me Team Talon.”
“You mean, Red and Dennicron,” Margaret sniped back. Rivka made a face and nodded.
“Magistrate. Orders?”
“Can you leave?”
“Yes. The station is now open and in business.”
“Bring the Vengeance to Delegor and pick us up. We’ll depart as soon as this evening’s trial is over.”
“Why do you have to wait?”
“Efficiency and expediency. The only way to leave earlier would be to drop the charges.” She looked at Chaz for confirmation, and he nodded. “I’m not willing to do that. I need to demonstrate that the ambassador is involved in the blood trade and the illegal acquisition and distribution of enhanced blood products.”
“We’ll be standing by. Margaret, guide us into where you are. I don’t think Cassiopeia will fit in the cargo bay, so we’ll rig an energy tether just like we have from Wyatt Earp .”
“See you soon, and bring food. What the Delegorites eat is somewhat unpalatable, as we’ve discovered the hard way. Give Nathan my best.”
“On our way, Magistrate,” Red confirmed.
After the call ended, Rivka stared at the deck. “I should have thought of that earlier.”
Chaz shook his head violently, almost to the point of twisting it off his neck. “Sorry about that,” he said as he stopped moving and fixed Rivka with his business look. “We should have brought it up sooner. You don’t have to think of all of it, only the important stuff. I suggest you study the elements of cross-examination before the trial. I’ll summon a car so we can get there early.”
Tyler tried to rise again, managing to get where he could rest his elbows on the table. “I hope that green you’ve got going isn’t permanent,” Rivka told him.
“I was going to insist on going, but I think I’ll remain here and hold down the fort. Did I hear that Red is bringing real food?”
“He will have something that will settle your stomach. I wonder if your issues are related to new nanos, too. Your first treatment, so your gut is still figuring itself out.”
“I’m pretty sure it has everything to do with that horrendous meal I was forced to consume.”
“At least your teeth are in good shape for all the chewing.” Rivka smiled.
Tyler laid down again and waved his free hand, adjusting his wet rag with the other until it covered his eyes. “Kick the riffraff out, Margaret. I need sleep.”
“You heard him,” Margaret noted. “Off you go. Win your case. And by then, I expect we’ll have Destiny’s Vengeance looming nearby. Go on, now.”
The SI chased the Magistrate and the SCAMP off her ship.
As soon as they were clear, the outer hatch closed.
“Did we just get kicked off our own ship?” Rivka wondered as they stared at the sealed vessel.
Chaz smiled. “How about SIs and their freedom? Go, Singularity!”
Rivka loved the logic train it took for leaving the yacht to Chaz’s statement. She clapped at his successful response. Their cab had not yet shown up, so they waited. “What’s it going to take to win this case?”
“Have a different case,” Chaz said.
“There’s a time to be defeatist, and other times when we can’t be. I’ve only lost one case in my life, and that was because I didn’t prosecute it well. We haven’t prepared as much as I want to for this case, but the usual theatrics have no place in a Delegor court. We had our facts the second we walked in on the ambassador and the doctor.”
“Will they hold up to scrutiny?” Chaz asked.
“With no experience in the Delegor court system, I don’t know what kind of scrutiny to expect. One would think my word would be good enough, but I doubt that will work. The ambassador’s smug expression suggested his word will triumph.”
“How about my word? I’m a citizen of the Singularity. My data will stand up to any challenge.”
“We’ll have to count on that.” She nodded at the inbound cab. “Time to put on our game faces. We have a case to try.”
Wyatt Earp , Asteroid Belt, Tyrosint System
Two gurneys and Joseph stood in the corridor. The rest of the crew fidgeted uncomfortably. Clodagh meandered until she was face to face with Joseph. “We can’t leave them like that. They’re incapable of flying their ship.”
Joseph shrugged. “Maybe they should have thought of that before they became pirates.”
“I think you need to restore their minds.”
“I’ve not taken their minds,” Joseph countered.
“But they’re brain-dead.”
“Not in the least, my dear. They are sampling living through the memories that I’ve shared with them, memories of what I’ve done to people. Nothing more. Every day we share our experiences with each other in order to grow as a species.”
“Is that what you call growing?” Clodagh pointed through the airlock that was still attached to Grand Glory .
“I expect the Bad Company will be able to tow them into a friendly port. With therapy, they’ll probably be able to get past the vile nature of their crimes.”
“I wish you hadn’t done that to them. It’s not our place to punish the criminals. It’s Rivka’s and hers alone.”
Joseph nodded. “I submit myself to her judgment. In the meantime, I’ll take one of your combat suits and board that big freighter. I’ll make sure Private Elbinar is freed.”
Clodagh shook her head, not taking her gaze off Joseph’s red eyes. “Lindy, secure the suits. No one is to take them or leave the ship.”
“Are we going to have a problem, Chief Engineer? Because I don’t want any problems. I know what I need to do and what has to be done. No one is better suited to do it than me. The logic is infallible.”
“The Magistrate is on her way,” Clevarious interjected. “Red and Dennicron will pick them up, and they will Gate directly here. We need only wait a few hours. It will take that much time for the Bad Company to get into position, blocking the freighter. We won’t take any action until then. Please, Joseph. Don’t go vigilante on us.”
“The love of my long life is once again in a coma because there are those who value her blood as a commodity and her body for the blood it provides and not the keen mind and kind soul within. That’s twice now. That’s FUCKING TWICE! ” Joseph roared. Clodagh stumbled back until Lindy caught her. “My apologies, lovely lady. Anyone who participates in this blood trade is my mortal enemy. There can be no other way. I’m taking a suit, and I’m boarding that ship.”
Clodagh hung her head, her chest heaving, struggling to breathe as she started to sob. A splat sounded as liquid hit the floor.
“Oh, no!” Clodagh cried.
Lindy pointed a finger at Joseph. “I’m with you. Kill them all, but not right now. Everyone put their personal shit aside because it looks like we’re delivering a baby, and not one fucking person on this ship knows how.”
“I do,” Clevarious said. “And you do, too. You were all there for when Vered the Mighty was born.”
“Kind of. We didn’t do anything,” Lindy shot back. “We’ll take you to the guest quarters. It’s where we deliver babies, isn’t it?”
“It’s too soon!” Clodagh called, nearly collapsing. Lindy caught her, and Joseph, despite his weakness, picked her up.
“Where to?” he asked, the fire gone from his eyes, replaced by profound sadness. It made Lindy’s breath catch.
She shook off the feeling. “Follow me.” She walked quickly down the corridor.
“I’ll stay with them,” Ryleigh said, pointing at the gurneys. Groenwyn and Lauton hurried after the others.
In the small room beyond the captain’s suite, nearly across from the brig, Joseph put Clodagh in the bed.
“I could have walked.” She grunted under the strain of the contractions, which were increasing in frequency.
“You need to relax.”
Groenwyn looked at the door to the brig. “There’s a doctor in there,” she said softly.
Lindy snarled. “No fucking way.”
“Not only no,” Clodagh added. “Hell, no and fuck, no.”
“We’re all going to make it through this,” Lindy told them. “Get hot water and towels. Lots of towels.”
Lauton took off before anyone else could move. Joseph held Clodagh’s hand and moved the hair away from her face. “I’m sorry for causing you such grief,” he whispered.
“It wasn’t you. I get you. It was that fucker, Cole. Somebody get him in here so I can break his fingers one by one. He said he was an equal partner. Let him feel his fair share!” She started laughing maniacally.
Groenwyn backed away from the door. “Don’t you dare,” Lindy snapped at her. Groenwyn sulked her way back into the room.
“I was going to see if we could wake Cole.”
“Yes, wake Cole!” Clodagh shouted. Groenwyn was off like a shot, leaving Lindy with the business of the baby delivery while Joseph worked to calm the waking dragon.
Lauton returned with a bucket of hot water and four towels. It had to be good enough. “Let’s get one under here.” Lindy worked it under Clodagh’s buttocks and moved her legs into the birthing position. She didn’t have to check anything. The top of the baby’s head was already visible. Lauton’s eyes rolled back in her head and she went over backward, bouncing off the wall and a dresser before ending up on the carpeted deck.
Lindy could do nothing. Her focus was elsewhere. Clodagh had a death grip on Joseph’s hand. He was unable to move.
“One more little push. Jumping Jehoshaphat!” Lindy cried as she caught the baby before she shot off the bed and onto the floor. The afterbirth followed, unruptured. Lindy pulled a knife out of her boot, wiped it on her pants, and cleanly sliced the umbilical cord after she clamped it. “Your daughter.”
Clodagh held out her arms to take the small but fully formed baby. Lindy tied off the umbilical before wrapping the baby in a dry towel.
Groenwyn returned with a half-conscious Cole leaning heavily on her.
“Alant, isn’t she beautiful?”
“I’m sorry to bother you,” Clevarious said. “The freighter is moving away.”
Lindy looked at Clodagh and then Joseph. Groenwyn couldn’t extricate herself from Cole. “I got it,” Lindy declared and worked her way out of the room, stopping in the cargo bay to quickly clean up. By the time she reached the bridge, she was still covered in blood, including on her face and in her hair. She didn’t sit in the captain’s chair because she wasn’t sure where else she was a mess.
But her hands were clean.
“Aurora, report.”
“We’ve uncoupled from Grand Glory and are in a slow-motion pursuit. They appear to be moving out of the asteroid field.”
“Clevarious, get me the Bad Company at Tyrosint.”
The comm crackled to signal a connection.
“We’re on our way, Wyatt Earp . It took us longer to get a ship and crew out of here than we wanted. We were in the middle of a down maintenance cycle when our active ships were called away to deal with a little issue on Tissikinnon Four.”
“ETA?”
“Should be at your position in twenty.”
“Target is on the move. We’ll get him to shut down, one way or another.”
“Look for the Battleship Potemkin . They’ll be there soon.”
“Captain Abercrombie. It’ll be good to see him again,” Lindy replied.
“Sounds like you have it under control. Bad Company out.”
Once the line was dead, Lindy muttered, “We have it completely under control. Trust us.” She wanted to flop into the chair, but there was still work to be done. “Kennedy, can you plink the maneuvering thrusters on that crate?”
“Say, ten percent charge on the plasma cannon. We can do that. Why just the maneuvering thrusters?”
“A ship without the ability to maneuver through tight spaces will never manage to get through a Gate or even navigate an asteroid field. And the thrusters are some of the easiest systems to fix,” Lindy declared. “Aren’t they?”
Aurora and Kennedy both shrugged. Clevarious came to their rescue. “The best I can tell you is that they should be.”
“Good enough for me. Shut them down but do not blow them up. One of our people is on board. System scan been able to tell us where?”
“There’s a dampening field inside that tub,” Kennedy grumbled. “We can’t see dick.”
Lindy snorted. “I see you’re learning to speak the language of us knuckle-draggers. You guys should be better than that.”
“I learned that one from the Magistrate,” Kennedy replied.
“I guess that means I’ve been overruled. Let’s see what you’ve got. Precise targeting and precision shooting. Commence our combat run.”
“A slow-motion run,” Aurora said. She maneuvered the ship away from the freighter’s slipstream to move up the starboard side.
“Entering firing solutions. Speed steady at point-five kilometers per second. Passing aft. Fire when we reach amidship. Counting down. Three. Two. One.” The plasma cannon snapped off twelve shots in rapid succession. Kennedy beamed at the effort. “Verifying damage. Ten of twelve thrusters are offline. Slow to point one.”
“Slowing, aye,” Aurora confirmed.
“Retargeting.” Kennedy studied the panel. “Targets locked. Firing.”
The main switched to show the tactical display. A close-up display of the freighter showed all twelve starboard-side thrusters in red.
Wyatt Earp looped over the top of the freighter, swinging wide to get around an asteroid as the vessel started to fly in a straight line, corkscrewing through space. It tried to rotate to take its port thrusters away from the line of fire, but it lumbered precariously, unable to hold a straight course. Exhaust flares signaled that the ship had throttled up in an attempt to use forward thrust to help it hold a line. During the acceleration, it stopped twisting.
Kennedy locked and fired.
“Six more down. Six to go.” The ship held its course. Kennedy fired again. “Two more.”
Aurora shook her head. “Moving to a safe distance. Sorry, Ken.”
“C, get me the captain of that ship.” Lindy moved in front of the captain’s chair, standing with her feet spread wide and her fists jammed on her hips.
“They are answering,” Clevarious said, surprise in her voice.
“This is…” The ship’s captain stopped mid-sentence. “You’re beautiful.”
Lindy closed her eyes and tried not to be angry. “This is Captain Lindy of the heavy frigate Wyatt Earp , on orders of Magistrate Rivka Anoa. Your ship has been implicated in a series of violent crimes. You will move your crew into one section of the ship and then prepare to be boarded.”
“Implicated? No. We’re a simple exploration vessel looking for the next great haul of rare minerals.”
“You are not. You will move your crew to one section of the ship and prepare to be boarded. If any harm comes to the kidnapped person from whom you are extracting blood, you will suffer under the greatest burden of the law.”
Joseph strolled onto the bridge. His eyes flashed red and glowed. “I will see pain comes to you, pain from which you will never be free. Imagine being on fire from here to the end of your days.”
“Joseph,” Lindy whispered over her shoulder, but his focus was on the freighter captain.
“You will heave to, and these good people will board your ship. See that no harm has come to Private Elbinar. That is your only way out.” Joseph pointed at the image on the screen. “I’ll be waiting for you.”