In Fire Forged: Worlds of Honor V-ARC (7 page)

“Who?” Judith asked, when Todd poked his head back into the passenger compartment from the flight deck.

“Sorry if I’m interrupting anything,” he said, “but it’s pretty obvious these people are going to make orbit before we do, and I don’t really recall anyone explaining just what it is we’re going to do when that happens.”

He looked back and forth between Michael and Lieutenant Valles.

“They’re only going to be fourteen minutes ahead of us,” Michael pointed out, “and it’s going to take at least a few minutes for them to get a shuttle up from the planet to meet them. So, for all intents and purposes, we’ll actually be in a dead heat.”

“And we’re going to do precisely what after this ‘dead heat’ arrival?” Todd inquired politely.

“I’ve been thinking about that, Toad Breath,” Michael replied. “I’ve pulled the stats on
Banshee
from her last safety inspection, and she’s completely unarmed. So one possibility is to make orbit right behind her, then use
Ogapoge
’s guns to prevent the landing shuttle from docking with her. They may not even have realized we’re back here, and even if they have, there wouldn’t be a lot they could do about it.”

“And then? Threaten to fire on
Banshee
if they don’t surrender and hand Ruth over?”

“Tempting, Toad Breath. Very tempting. And it would
probably
work, assuming these people are as professional as I think they are. On the other hand, they’d know we were basically bluffing. There’s no way we’re going to fire on them when they’ve got Ruth on board.”

“So once they know we’ve got them and their shuttle can’t get to them, we call in the cops?”

“If we have to,” Michael agreed. “I’d really rather not do that, though. If they really are professionals, they’re probably smart enough to hand Ruth over unharmed when they realize they’re trapped. Certainly no
professional
criminal is going to risk making things even worse by harming her at that point! But if we do it that way, the kidnapping, at least, comes out into the open, and I doubt we’ll ever have any hard proof of who was really behind it.”

“I know you, Michael,” Todd said, watching him narrowly. “And I know that tone of voice. So since it’s obvious you don’t want to do it ‘that way,’ suppose you tell us just what you
do
have in mind?”

“What I’d really like to do is to let them land—with Ruth,” Michael said, looking squarely at Judith. “I’m pretty sure I know where they’re headed, and if I’m right, and if Vincent can whistle up a couple of sting ships from the Sphinx detachment, we could use them to cover the estate and prevent anyone from smuggling her out while I confront the estate’s owners over the com.” He smiled thinly. “Believe me. Once they know that we know who they are and can prove their involvement if we have to, they’ll hand Ruth back so fast her head will spin! We may not want this to come out into the open, but neither will
they
…especially with the possibility of prison hovering in the background. But only if you trust me enough to do it that way, Judith. Otherwise, we hold them here in orbit, call the cops, and get Ruth back
now,
and the hell with the scandal or nailing the people behind it.”

Judith looked back at him levelly. Her face looked thin and pinched with worry, but his heart swelled at what he saw in her extraordinary eyes.

“I trust you,” she said simply. “But I would like to know what makes you so confident that you know where they’re heading and who’s responsible for all this, Michael.”

“Of course,” he said. “Let me show you what I’ve been working on.” He turned his minicomp so she could see the display and started tapping keys.
 

“I was fascinated by the software the kidnappers used when they contacted you,” he began. “Eventually, I want to go into research and design for the Navy. So while Todd has been reading spaceship ’zines, I’ve been keeping up with the latest in technology—especially electronics and communications.”

Judith was nodding, her expression relaxing a touch. Michael couldn’t help but remember how she hadn’t drawn her hand back when he’d squeezed it, and he longed to reach out again.

But enough is enough,
he cautioned himself, and returned to his explanation.

“What struck me right off was that the software being used to generate that particular avatar simulation was a very new design.” Seeing a wrinkle of protest shaping around her mouth, he hastened to continue. “Really. I realize to you it probably didn’t look any different from the programs kids use to play games, but I assure you, it was cutting edge. That particular program is very, very expensive, and so I figured that relatively few copies would have been sold at this point. I contacted the company and requested a list of purchasers—hinting I was interested in buying a copy myself, and wanted to check with others who were using the program.”

Judith managed a smile—a very small one, but the bravery of it wrung Michael’s heart.

“And the opportunity of being able to say ‘as used by Crown Prince Michael’ was such a tremendous temptation that I bet they overcame any qualms they had about customer confidentiality.”

“That’s right,” Michael said. “But I wasn’t pinning all my hopes on that one angle. I also put in a request for information about
Banshee
. Vincent helped there. Between his sources and mine, we came up with the owner of the ship.”

Judith frowned. “Wouldn’t that be a matter of public registration?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Michael agreed, “and learning the ship was owned by Starflight Rentals told us less than nothing. However, Starflight Rentals is a franchise, and this particular franchise is run by Timberlake Incorporated of Sphinx, and Timberlake Incorporated of Sphinx is owned by Mountain Holding Trust, and Mountain Holding Trust is wholly owned by one George Ramsbottom—who also happens to be on the very short list of people who bought the security software package in question.”

“And
Banshee
is heading toward Sphinx,” Judith said.

“Michael,” Todd said, his voice puzzled, “wasn’t the young lady—the one we met today—wasn’t her name…”

“Alice Ramsbottom,” Michael said with deep satisfaction. “Alice Ramsbottom who ‘just happened’ to show up when we were leaving Mount Royal today. I wonder if she was checking our timetable, making sure we would arrive at Judith’s apartment at the right psychological moment.”

“But,” Todd protested, “Alice asked us if we could stop and have a coffee or something.”

“I am willing to bet,” Michael said, “that if we had accepted, she would have ‘just happened’ to be called back to work in time for us to make our timely departure. As it was, we were a little early, but that worked to our advantage.”

“She seemed like such a nice girl,” Todd said, disbelief and a mournful note coloring his words.

“I liked her, too, when we were kids,” Michael admitted. “But a lot of years have passed. Alice said she was working as her father’s secretary. George Ramsbottom is an outspoken Conservative. Like most Conservatives, he is adamantly against our alliance with Grayson. Come to think of it, Babette Ramsbottom, Alice’s mother, has also spoken against it—but from the Liberal position. Isolationism’s probably the only point where the Liberals and the Conservative Association actually agree. So Alice could have been scouting for either of her folks.”

“And she seemed like such a nice girl,” Todd repeated.

“Prisons are full of people who seemed like ‘nice girls,’ Lieutenant Liatt,” Vincent observed sourly. “And I’d have to say, your Highness,” he continued, turning to Michael, “that I think your reasoning is sound.”

“And can the Sphinx detachment rustle up the sting ships for us?” Michael asked.

“There will probably be some questions asked,” Vincent replied with what Michael recognized as massive understatement. “The fact that I’m assigned directly to
you
should mean that they only get asked afterward, however. In fact, I can probably arrange to have an entire company ready to move in on the ground to tighten the perimeter, if you wish.”

“I wish,” Michael said grimly, and Vincent bent his head in brief, formal acknowledgment of his prince’s order.

“In that case, Your Highness, I should probably get busy on the com.”

*
   
*
   
*

“Michael, I don’t think
Banshee
is heading for a standard orbit after all,” Todd Liatt said. “Look at this.”

Michael poked his head into the flight deck and frowned. Todd was right. Rather than settling into one of the low orbits small ships like
Banshee
and
Ogapoge
would normally use to rendezvous with passenger shuttles, the other runabout was obviously bound for a much higher orbit.

“They’re headed for that freight platform,” Todd said, indicating the transponder beacon. “Aslan Station,” he added.

“Vincent,” Michael called over his shoulder, “I think something new has been added.”

“Were we wrong about the Ramsbottoms?” Judith asked, her voice tense, and Michael spared her a small smile. How many anxious mothers would have said “we” in a case like this instead of “you,” he wondered.

“I don’t think so,” he replied. “Aslan Station is a freight and passenger transfer platform that just happens to be operated by Timberlake Incorporated under a long-term lease from Astro Control.”

Her expression lightened, and he looked at Valles.

“I think we’re going to need docking clearance, Vincent. Can you arrange it without bringing me into the equation? Just a nice, simple little civilian docking request?”

“I believe I can manage that, Your Highness,” Vincent agreed, and bent over the com again while
Banshee
headed directly towards the platform. The other ship was obviously expected and precleared to dock, and Michael frowned as
Banshee
settled into the platform’s docking arms and the personnel tube ran out to her.

“Problems, Vincent?” he asked quietly while Todd brought
Ogapoge
smoothly to rest relative to the platform. There seemed to be a
lot
of small craft and heavy-lift shuttles in the vicinity, but no one seemed in any hurry to insert
Ogapoge
into the approach pattern.

“I’m afraid so, Your Highness,” Vincent admitted. “The station seems to be very busy at this time of day.”

The lieutenant’s eyes met Michael’s and the prince frowned.

“You think they’re really that busy?” he asked. “Or is it just a trick to keep us floating around out here?”

“I don’t know,” Vincent said slowly. “I’m inclined to think it’s genuine, judging by the traffic we’re observing. Of course, they knew where they were going before we did. If they also knew how busy Aslan was going to be, they may have deliberately factored that into their planning. Preclearing
Banshee
would be one way to let them get back a bit of their lead on any pursuers.”

“Can we do anything to hold
Banshee
?”

“We could,” Vincent hesitated. “I’m in touch with the platform Customs detachment, and I’m sure I could convince them to take a special interest in her. But interfering that openly might have severe ramifications for Miss Ruth.”

“You’re right,” Michael said. “We’re just going to have to get aboard ourselves.”

Time passed with aching slowness as they waited to be cleared to approach the orbital station. Vincent had contnued his communication with the station’s Customs and Astro Control detachments while they waited. Now he spoke with a degree of hesitation unusual for him.

“Prince Michael, I think we have a problem.
Banshee
has been docked for over forty minutes now, but according to the senior Customs officer, she’s more or less sitting there abandoned. Her passengers apparently debarked immediately and headed for another ship,
Cormorant,
which arrived in from Manticore just a short time ago. Both of them boarded
Cormorant
and have already departed the station.”

“Course?” Michael said.

“They requested clearance for out-system. That’s all. Space is a big place. We could search for hours and not find them, even though they don’t have a very big head start.”

“Crew?” Judith interrupted before Michael could ask for more details. “Did they see Ruth?”

Vincent shook his head. “The pair had with them several pieces of luggage. I asked a few discreet questions, and there were two trunks of a size that could have held your daughter. I’m sorry, ma’am.”

Michael slammed his fist into his palm. “Damn!”

“We’ve got clearance—finally,” Todd put in from the flight deck. “Do you want me to go ahead and dock? Or do we track
Cormorant
?”

“Take us in,” Michael said. “We’re going to have to check to make sure they weren’t just cutting their losses. They could have left Ruth behind on
Banshee
. Or they could have traded her to someone else and she could be on station. And maybe we can get some better information as to
Cormorant
’s destination.”

“Right,” Todd said.
 

“Vincent,” Michael said. “I want everything you can get me about
Cormorant
. There must be in-station cameras. Get us pictures of her crew. Bend rules. Go ahead and throw my name around with the people you’re already talking to. I also want a full list of ships that leave that station after
Banshee
’s arrival, their destinations, everything, just in case there was an exchange.”

“Yes, sir.”

Michael reached over and squeezed Judith’s hand. “Let me see what I can learn about
Cormorant
. That’s still our most likely target.”

He took out his minicomp, logged into the Sphinx planetary data system, and started requesting information. Fortunately, he was requesting information on a civilian ship, so he did not run into any of the difficulties he might have had he been making the same requests about a military vessel.

The results came in just as Todd was bringing them into dock.

“I found out a few things,” Michael said. He felt a vicious smile twist his face. “
Cormorant
arrived in dock only a few hours ago. She’s also owned by Starflight Rentals. By odd coincidence she included among its incoming passengers someone I would very much like to speak with, someone who I believe is still on station.”