Floxham Island ~ Sinclair V-Log AZ267/M (2 page)

Smiling back, I
looked him right in the eyes. “I’m here to take one of your staff
members into custody and deliver him into the hands of the
appropriate authorities,” I replied, my eyes still holding his.

His smile
faltered and the steeple toppled. “Into custody? Who? and what
for?”

My hand fumbled
in my pocket for my data viewer and I tried not to smile at the way
I’d expertly put him completely off his guard. He’d secretly hate
me for it, but I didn’t care. It was a victory; a small victory but
a victory nonetheless and in this job you have to take the joy
wherever you find it. As nonchalantly as I could, I tapped the
screen and waited for a photograph of Nembier to pop up before
handing it over.

“Professor
Kluvak Nembier is his name,” I said, “although you probably know
him by some other name. He’s wanted in connection with nine murders
on Agrillia 3. I know he came aboard your vessel when you called
into Agrillia a few days ago and I also know he wasn’t on the
passenger manifest so you must’ve hired him as casual labour.” Hann
and his second in command, to whom I still hadn’t been introduced,
studied the photo as I was speaking. Then something passed between
them; a fleeting look that told me they knew who I was talking
about.

“He’s working
as casual labour in stores,” the second in command said as he
glanced at me. “One of the staff had to leave suddenly due to a
bereavement and we took this guy on to fill in. So far I haven’t
had any complaints from the other stores staff, so I assume he’s
doing the job okay.”

“Nine murders
you say?” Hann asked, his face now a little paler than when we
first shook hands. His eyebrows shot to the top of his head as I
nodded slowly and noticed the shock register in his expression.
“Thank god he’s not working with the passengers,” he said quietly
as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his brow.
“Okay Mr Sinclair, what do you want us to do?”

Great. Now I
had Hann’s full co-operation the games could stop and I could get
on with the job. “Thank you Captain,” I smiled broadly, resisting
the urge to steeple my own hands. That would just be rude and
pompous I thought so I satisfied myself with a broad grin. “I
presume you’d like this business to be conducted out of sight of
your passengers?” He nodded furiously. “Do you have a plan of the
liner so I can see the location of where he works?” The second in
command, who I had already nicknamed Flark, tapped on a console and
brought up a map of the area where Nembier worked.

“This is the
stores here,” he said as he pointed.

“And he works
inside there? All the time?” I asked and he nodded. “Is there
another way out?” Another nod and I swore. “Is he working right
now?” Another nod. “What time does he get off?” Flark went to check
and was back within a couple of minutes.

“Three hours
till the end of his shift,” he responded and I swore again. The
last thing I wanted was for this to become an unseemly chase along
corridors where paying passengers were likely to be wandering
around. Then an idea suddenly presented itself to me and I smiled
again.

“Does he have a
room of his own or does he share?” I asked and breathed a sigh of
relief when Flark told me he has his own quarters.

“Normally he’d
be sharing with two other staff but as we have one in the infirmary
and the other position still vacant, he’s got the room to
himself.”

“Wonderful,” I
grinned. “Let’s go.”

Flark led the
way down to the lower levels where the staff accommodation was
situated and as we descended, the place became dirtier and
shabbier. Hann used his Captain’s password to over ride the private
code on the entry system and we entered Nembier’s room.

“Captain,” I
smiled. “Would you be so kind as to order Nembier back here to his
room to help deal with a water leak in the bathroom?” Hann nodded
and tapped the comms panel on the wall by the door. Nembier’s
bathroom was no bigger than the wash cubicle on board my ship and
offered just a basin, toilet and single shower cubicle. The basin
to my left offered just enough space for someone to wash their
hands and I was pleased to notice it was even smaller than mine as
I turned both taps on full blast, before indicating to Hann and
Flark to hide behind the door. We pressed ourselves against the
wall and waited.

Five minutes
later we heard the click as the security system accepted Nembier’s
pass code and unlocked the door. Gun in hand, I held my breath as
the door opened and a small wiry man entered. Before he took his
third step across the room the sedative dart hit him square in the
nape of the neck. Within twenty seconds he was on the floor and out
for the count and I was securing his hands and feet. After hauling
him up onto the bed I turned and smiled at Hann and Flark.

“Thank you for
you co-operation Captain. Job done quick and clean. Wish they were
all as easy as this one,” I said as I returned to the bathroom and
turned off the taps.

“No problem Mr
Sinclair,” Hann nodded as he ran a hand through his hair and
straightened his shirt. “Is there anything else we can do to
help?”

This guy was
being so nice it was almost embarrassing. Forcing myself not to
laugh, I nodded. “Yes actually there is. Do you have somewhere
secure I could use to interview him? The rules dictate that I go
through the proper procedure before taking him back to the
authorities. Y’know a formal interview so that he knows why he’s
being held and what his rights are?”

He nodded and
turned to Flark. “Can you arrange for one of the quarantine units
in the infirmary to be made available as soon as possible?” Flark
nodded and left the room and Hann nodded to me. “The infirmary has
three quarantine units just in case of a breakout of something
virulently contagious infecting the ship. They are completely
secure and private and you’re welcome to use one of them for as
long as you need.”

This was very
helpful. Quite often I end up doing these interviews in bathrooms,
cupboards and all manner of places, so to have the use of a proper
facility would make things much more comfortable and reminded me of
my days as a desk bound official in Law Enforcement. In those days
I had more responsibility and all the back up I could ask for,
without too much of the dirty work. Good hours, good facilities and
good pay. Trouble was I was bored to fuck with the predictability
and safeness of it all. The petty rules and regulations I was
forced to stick to irritated me no end and so many times I had to
sit back and let some asshole walk out the door because of some
rule or stupid regulation. In the end I knew something had to give
and it was either give it up or go freelance. Over the years I’d
built up a decent network of contacts and I was good at my job; I
enjoyed it and wasn’t about to just throw it all away so I handed
in my uniform and office keys, took possession of an ex law
enforcement official tag, used up a sizeable portion of my savings
to buy my own ship and went freelance. The thrill of the chase took
years off me and the freedom to do what I do well without the
constriction of petty regulations was like a burden lifted off my
shoulders for the first time. My very first job after going
freelance was the happiest time I’d known in years and I swear I
had a grin on my face the whole damn time. It was still nice to be
offered decent facilities in which to do my job though and I smiled
at Hann.

“Thanks
Captain, that’ll do nicely. When he wakes up I’ll get him installed
in there and hopefully we should both be out of your hair within a
few hours and on our way to Floxham Island.”

His eyebrows
shot up in surprise. “Floxham Island? You’re taking him there?”

“Yeah.”

“Well there’s
no need to rush off then. We’re stopping there so why not stay on
board and enjoy a few days relaxation?” This news surprised me and
I must have looked bemused because Hann sniggered at my expression.
It’s one of my regular delivery points as it’s in a main shipping
lane and easy for the authorities to get to for trials and
sentencing hearings. Why would a passenger liner be calling there?
Even a low budget outfit like Nightliner surely had no need to call
into that place.

“Why the hell
are you calling there?”

“It’s one of
our regular stops Mr Sinclair. As you are no doubt aware,
Nightliner isn’t exactly the most elite cruise line in the
business.” He was right, I was very aware of this fact from the
moment I came aboard. “We deliver a supply of a few luxuries
whenever we pass by the Floxham system that the staff isn’t
afforded by the Law Enforcement Agency and we usually have a few
people wishing to visit with family members who work or are
incarcerated there. We drop the supplies and the visitors, along
with a shuttle lander and crew and leave them there whilst we
continue on to The Oasis for a day of sun and relaxation. We then
return to pick up the visitors and carry on our way. You’re more
than welcome to remain on board with us until we reach Floxham and
if you don’t fancy spending three days down there in their
visitor’s accommodations, you can use your own vessel once we get
there. It’ll give you a few days to relax and save you some fuel
and of course, the Sally B’s facilities are at your disposal free
of charge.”

You can call me
all sorts of names, and even the unpleasant ones will sometimes be
deserved but stupid will never be one of them. A few days relaxing
on a cruise liner free of charge while my prisoner was safely
stowed away. Was I interested?

“Well that’s
extremely kind of you Captain,” I smiled and nodded. “I’d be happy
to accept your hospitality.” He nodded back and seemed relieved
that I’d accepted his offer. It was obvious to me that he took this
as a sign that I was unlikely to report him to the authorities for
taking Nembier on without the proper checks and he was right. At
the end of the day all I’m interested in is getting to my target.
People break rules all the time; hell I break rules all the time
and it wouldn’t serve me to take the time and effort to report Hann
for taking on some casual labour. Besides, building a good working
relationship with him might come in handy at some time in the
future and I’m always aware of the benefits of having a good
network of contacts. It’s what my job is built on and without them,
I’d be out of a job. Like I said before, I’m not stupid and I’m
also well aware of the potential benefits that come from letting
him think I might just decide to report him!

Hann suggested
he call for a medical team to transport Nembier to the quarantine
bay on a stretcher so that if any passengers saw him, they’d assume
he was sick and being taken to the infirmary. He didn’t want his
passengers getting upset by seeing a guy in restraints. That’s
understandable so I agreed and we were soon escorting a still
unconscious Nembier to the quarantine bay where he was installed to
wake up. After I removed his restraints and the room was secured, a
doctor examined him and estimated he’d be out for a couple of hours
so Hann suggested he find me a room where I could take a shower and
change my clothes before having a meal with him. The Sally B is a
big liner with a large number of rooms but I was expecting to be
installed within a cubicle no bigger than the firearms locker on
board my ship, seeing as I was not paying for the pleasure but to
my complete surprise I found myself being given a large room with
private bathroom.

“Very nice room
Captain, thank you very much,” I said and meant every word.

“You’re very
welcome Mr Sinclair. You have done us a favour by getting rid of a
murderer who could potentially have caused havoc on board and we
are very grateful.” He’d got one up on me and he knew it; my
surprise at the luxury of the room he’d given me gave him the upper
hand. That didn’t bother me really; I’d got my man and now had a
few days in which to relax at no expense to myself so I was happy
to give a bit of ground in our little power game. “Dinner is in an
hour. The dining hall is on deck three. Just give your name to the
man on the door and he’ll show you to my table. There’s no dress
code by the way.” Now he was kicking me in the groin. Not only had
he gained a point by giving me this nice room but that remark was
just gratuitous point scoring and I was annoyed.

“Okay Captain
I’ll look forward to it and thank you again for your hospitality.”
He was still smiling to himself as he let himself out and I
supposed he was laughing quietly to himself all the way back to his
office. A quick trip back to my ship to collect what belongings I
felt I might need was my next course of action and within twenty
minutes I was enjoying a wonderful hot shower. Although I live and
work in my ship for months at a time, I have a shower on board;
don’t get me wrong I have all the facilities I need but they’re
basic. This however, was luxury after what I’m used to and gave me
an opportunity to take a bit of care over my appearance for a
change.

The job I do
doesn’t often call for me to look like I’ve just stepped out of a
clothes store and I’m no male model but I do okay for myself. You
couldn’t honestly call me the worst looking guy in the galaxy and
when I do get the opportunity to take some care, I can turn a head
or two. My home world is Sigma Prime and we’re lucky because we’re
known as a good looking race. Sigma men tend to be solidly built
and firm and others tend to describe us as having enigmatic good
looks, whatever that means. Once I was showered I looked out the
best shirt I had and a fresh pair of pants and took a long, hard
look in the mirror. The need for a haircut was obvious to me right
away and I made a vow to seek out a hairdresser right after dinner.
There’s no way I’m the vainest guy around but I do like my hair to
be good and as I looked at my reflection I was not totally happy.
My job keeps me in shape okay but I realised that from the neck up,
I looked tired. Not only was my hair a bit neglected but my face
looked a little stressed. Okay so I had a plan; dinner, interview
Nembier then a haircut and a dermal.