I turned back to Go. "Do you still have the chair?"
Go shook his head. "Malcom is sitting in it!"
I nodded as I stood up and hunched over. "Let’s go get our chair back."
Go leaped up, giddy with excitement. "I sure am happy to be your maintainer, Mr. Beutcher. I think things are finally looking up around here."
I walked over and stood next to Malcom with Go eagerly standing behind me with a big grin. "Mr. Barber. I believe you are sitting in my chair. I would like it back now."
Malcom replied as he looked at his magazine, "It wasn’t bolted down. Rules of the bay say that makes it fair game for whoever can put it to use. And as you can see, I’m using it!"
Go reacted. "That’s our chair, get out of it!"
I turned back to look at Go. He went silent.
When I returned my gaze to Malcom, he continued to swipe through his magazine.
I spoke. "I’m asking you to please get out of my chair."
Malcom shrugged. "Hmm."
I leaned in close to his head and let out a low growl. "I want my chair. Either you get out of it now, or I pull you out by your head."
Malcom showed a sudden nervousness. He stood and held out his magazine in a 'take it' gesture. I picked up the heavy leather-and-steel chair with one hand and turned back toward the
Mabel
. Go was beside himself.
Malcom spoke as I walked away. "I should report you for threatening me!"
I laughed. "I’m sure the Captain would want to hear all about it. You should go up and tell him right now."
Malcom turned toward Gerald. "Gerald, did you see that? The dinosaur took my chair!"
Gerald glanced up, chuckled, and pushed his hat back over his eyes.
I carried the chair into the cockpit. "How long to get this bolted in?"
Go replied as he headed for his tools, "Give me three minutes!"
The scrawny Human was in and out of the cockpit several times in the three minutes that he had budgeted. On his third trip, the lights on the chair arm lit up and the console recognized the copilot’s controls.
Go smiled. "All set!"
I pointed back. "Button up that hatch, and let’s take her out."
We soon lifted off the deck. Go walked me through the steps for exiting the gravity wall into the free space beyond.
I spoke. "We don’t have to file flight plans? And what of portal sweeps? Do we call them in if we have the coordinates?"
Go laughed. "Portal sweeps? You are dreaming; we haven’t had those in fifteen years. Something was broken when the AMP was in charge, and no one out here could fix it. If we want to actually go somewhere, we have to actually go there, I mean fly there the whole way."
I pushed the throttle to full and was surprised by the acceleration of the old ship.
Mabel
, for an old ship, still had some guts to her.
After an hour of tutorial, I brought the ship to a stop. "Should we do an inspection?"
Go replied, "What? Now? I don’t know, I’ve never been out here for one of those."
I laughed. "Well, I think it’s time you saw how the professionals do it. Pull up the nav display and pick out a vessel."
Go eagerly complied. "How about this tug? He’s not even hauling anything. That should be simple, right?"
I replied, "Tug it is. Set us a course for intercept, and we'll see what she’s hauling."
Fifteen minutes later, we were pulling alongside the space tug. "Captain of tug WXM44788A. This is Detective Beutcher of the New Alliance security force. You have been selected for a random inspection. Under the shipping laws of the New Alliance, I am ordering you to a full stop for an inspection."
Several seconds passed before a response came back. "What? Who is this? I’m not even hauling anything."
I replied, "Captain, come to a full stop, or I will be forced to shut down your core."
Several more seconds passed before the tug began to slow. I pulled the
Mabel
alongside and connected with a universal docking collar. I crossed through the docking tube with Go close behind.
The captain was standing in a small cabin area with his arms crossed. "What’s the meaning of this? I paid my shipping dues to the security force last week."
I looked at the captain. "I apologize if some misguided detective has been shaking you down, Captain. I am only here to inspect your tug. Now, may I have a copy of your manifest logs?"
The captain laughed. "Manifest logs? I don’t think I’ve had manifest logs in a dozen years. Nobody requires them, so nobody carries them. You have got to be new to the force."
I shook my head. "Forty-plus years, Captain. Only those years were in a sector where the rules were generally followed. I’m not sure there are any rules out here."
The captain replied, "You want rules? You cross the slavers, and you will see what the rules are out here. Take that as a warning. They will kill you dead if you mess with their business."
I nodded. "I will keep that in mind, Captain. The design of this tug shows two sets of storage lockers and a bilge tub. If you can show me to each of those, we will try to get you on your way."
The captain complied with the locker searches turning up clean. "This is the bilge tub. I don’t think you are getting in there, though. I don’t know why anyone would want to, but it’s rusted shut."
I inspected the leaky seal. The captain was right. The bilge tub had probably been rusted shut for as long as he had been flying the tug. After signing a log, I thanked the captain for his time and moved back through the transfer tube.
As we pulled away from the tug, I spoke. "That was a standard inspection. Shorter than most, but largely the same. When we get back, I’ll write up the report and list you as an attendee."
Go was all smiles for the return trip to Bay-68. When we set down on the deck, the detective named Carter was standing just outside of his ship with his maintainer.
I walked over and introduced myself. "Mr. Carter, Knog Beutcher. I’m the new detective."
Carter continued to look at whatever his maintainer was doing. "Yeah, whatever, congratulations or condolences, take your pick."
I continued, "I wanted to ask you a couple of questions, if you don’t mind. I just had a tug captain warn me about the slavers. Is that something I should be worried about?"
Tom Carter turned around with an agitated look on his face that quickly turned to surprise. "Look, I…whoa, hello? Nobody said the new guy would be Grunta!"
I replied, "I’m sorry if I startled you, Mr. Carter. Now, can you tell me anything about the slavers?"
Tom Carter puffed up his chest. "Hey, nobody was startled here. I just wasn’t expecting a Grunta. And as for your slavers question, yeah, you don’t want to mess with those people. I think they have ties going up to the station Governor, so you cause them problems and you are going to disappear, and no one will care.
"And stay away from the Dallex colony and any ship heading to or from there. I hear that’s where they do most of their trading. If a ship is registered for a Dallex pickup or drop-off, you are going to want to steer clear of it."
I replied, "I appreciate your candid response, Mr. Carter. I am sure I will have further questions for you from time to time."
Tom Carter nodded as he turned back to his ship. "Sure, no problem."
As I began to turn away, Carter looked back for one last word. "Oh, and if you ask anything at all of Malcom, he’s probably lying to you, hoping you will screw something up. He’s one of those guys that think bringing others down somehow boosts him up. You are best off just not dealing with him at all if you can."
I nodded. "Thanks for the information, Mr. Carter. I'll keep that in mind."
As I walked past Gerald in his chair, he spoke. "I heard you asking about slavers. Let me just tell you they are bad news. Detective Hal, the guy you took over for, got his throat slit by them because they thought he was nosing around. Hal didn’t want anything to do with them. I think he butted heads with Malcom one too many times, and Malcom set him up. Just watch yourself around Malcom. He plays dirty."
I completed my report and dropped it on Rex’s desk.
"What’s this?"
I replied, "It’s my first report. I performed a random inspection. It’s all there in the report, should you feel the desire to read it."
The Captain looked down at the report and back at me with a scowl. "Your first day here and you drop a report on my desk? Are you looking for trouble, Mr. Butcher? Can’t you see that I’m a busy man?"
The Captain looked down at the report, grabbed a pen, and signed it, throwing it on a stack by the door.
I spoke. "You really need some automation here, Captain. No one has used paper for millennia."
The Captain smirked. "You aren’t in Alpha anymore, Butcher. Out here, you use whatever you have available."
The Captain leaned forward. "Now if we were trafficking slaves, we would have the best equipment credits could buy. I could be on level 4 right now, chumming it up with Governor Marcos, but instead I choose to be down here in this crap hole with the likes of you."
I replied, "Something tells me you wouldn’t be happy up there, Captain."
The Captain sat back in his chair, his two lower hands on his desk while his upper hands stretched behind his head. He wiggled the unlit stogie in his mouth as he thought.
Rex said, "I think the load of them up there are scum, Butcher. If I could shut down the trading of lives for credits, I would do it in an instant. I only have one little problem with doing that. I don’t have a thousand armed ships with a thousand armed men. The slavers are well-equipped and have an army of armed thugs to keep things going their way. If I…we…were to attempt to crack down on them in any way, not only would we have the Governor beating down our door, but we probably wouldn’t last the night."
I replied, "Sometimes you just have to do what’s right, Captain. If the environmental unit on your ship starts spitting out foul air, you don’t run around with a filter in your hands trying to clean it. You go in and find out where the real problem is and fix it. If the evaporator is full of corrosion, you rip it out and replace it."
The Captain shook his head. "I knew you were trouble when you first came in here, Butcher. Talk like that is only going to get us both killed. I may despise my job, and the people I work for, but my wife likes that I make a steady paycheck, even if she makes more than I do."
"What does your wife do, Captain?", I said.
The Captain pulled the stogie from his mouth with one of his upper hands. "She’s a clothing buyer for a retail chain that has seventeen stores out here in Omega. She is one of the few legit people I know. Smart woman, I’m lucky to have her."
The Captain returned his gaze to the papers on top of his desk. "Now, I’ve got work to do, Butcher. Don’t cause me more."
I nodded. "I’ll get out of your way, Captain. Oh, and the name’s Beutcher, not Butcher."
The Captain returned the stogie to his mouth as he looked up. "Get out of my office, Butcher."
I made my way back to Bay-68 and a waiting Go. "Are there any standard inspections that we are scheduled to perform?"
Go shook his head. "As far as I know, you guys just go out when you feel like it. The Captain doesn’t care, his Chief doesn’t care, and we know the Governor doesn’t care."
I looked at Go. "Well, I care. Let’s go see if we can straighten this sector out."
Go moved toward the ship as I turned back towards the bay door. "Wait. Where are you going? I thought we were going out."
I looked back as I smiled. "You get
Mabel
ready; I’ll be back shortly."
As I walked back into the security offices, John Baxter was sitting in front of the lone computer at his desk.
I sat in a chair beside him. "Mr. Baxter, Knog Beutcher. I was wondering if you could help me?"
Baxter replied, "I guess that would depend on what you need."
I nodded. "What I need is a list of ships in this sector that are registered to the station Governor."
Baxter reached for his keyboard and then stopped. "Wait. The Governor? I…I don’t know if I can do that."
I pointed towards his computer. "From what I understand, you know quite a bit about how these things are put together. Captain says you pieced this one together yourself. I would think that someone with that kind of ingenuity and self-determination could dig up a few public records."
Baxter sighed. "OK, Mr. Beutcher. You don’t have to stroke me so hard. I’ll pull up your list. It should be over at the printer by the time you get there."
I looked back at the ancient piece of hardware that John Baxter used as a printer. With all the rewired replacement parts it took to spit out a document, it was a wonder that it worked at all. I retrieved my list, nodded my head to John Baxter, and headed back to Bay-68.
Go was standing by
Mabel
. "What’ya got? What’s that?"
As I stepped up into the hatchway, I stopped and turned. "It’s trouble. And we are going to see how deep we can get into it."
Go smiled as he stepped aboard, pulling the hatch closed behind him. "Trouble? When you say that, Mr. Beutcher, it doesn’t sound like it’s a bad thing."
I replied as I sat in the pilot’s chair and flipped the switches that brought
Mabel
to life. "It all depends on your perspective, Go. For us, we will just be doing our jobs. Others, however, may not view it that way. Here, pick a ship off this list, and let’s see if we can find it."
Go took the paper list as he settled into the copilot’s chair. "Hey, I know this ship! That’s the Governor’s personal cruiser!"
I smiled. "Let’s hope the Governor is running a clean ship, then. If not, we may have to write a citation or place him under arrest."
Go’s eyes got big. "I have to say that I think that might be taking it a bit too far, Mr. Beutcher. You do that, and we are just going to end up dead."
As the
Mabel
lifted up from the deck, I turned to face Go. "We aren’t going to slap the Governor in the face just yet, Go. We are going to chip away at the edges of his little illicit empire. When we find a weak point, we will work it to our advantage. If we present the right information to him, I think we might find the Governor will come crawling."
Go checked the gauges in front of him. "I’m not sure what you meant by all that, but you make it sound interesting. Anyway, I’ve enjoyed being your maintainer since I walked in that bay door and you defended me. You can count me in for whatever you are planning."
I replied, "Well, if you see or hear something that looks like it might get us killed, I hope you will speak up. You won’t hurt my feelings with whatever you have to say, so if you are unsure about whatever it is we are doing, just say it."
Go smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Beutcher. I can’t promise you anything, but I'll try."
The
Mabel
slid out of Bay-68 and was soon accelerating away from SS241. Go hand typed the list of the Governor’s ships into the
Mabel
’s computer. A quick search of our nav system yielded one of those ships in transit from Algo IV. The
Helmund
was a small freighter. I set a course for intercept and pushed the throttle to full.
As we pulled in close to the
Helmund
, I broadcast on the general comm. "
Helmund
, this is the
Mabel
, a ship of the security forces of SS241. Please bring your vessel to a full stop for an inspection."
The captain of the
Helmund
replied, "What?"
I repeated my message and then added the part about shutting his core systems down. The captain complied, and I squeezed the
Mabel
into his tight docking bay. Go opened the hatch and I stepped out.
As Go began to follow, I held up my hand. "You stay here until I know it’s safe. Pull up any monitors you can access and keep me informed of anything that looks suspicious."
Go stepped back inside and pulled the hatch shut. I stood beside our ship, waiting for the captain or one of his crew.
The captain came through a hatchway. "What is the meaning of this? The Governor owns this ship!"
I nodded. "That is understood, Captain. Under the authority of the security forces of this sector, I am performing an inspection. Do you have a manifest of whatever it is you are hauling?"
The captain looked confused. "Manifest? Nobody uses manifests. Is that something new?"
I replied, "Under the laws of the New Alliance, every ship that is transporting any goods, even personal, should have a manifest prepared, listing all said goods. That is how taxes are paid, Captain, which is how they pay my salary."
The captain shook his head. "So, that’s what this is, a shakedown. How much do you want so I can get moving?"
I pointed toward the ship’s holds. "Sorry, Captain. I don’t do shakedowns, only inspections. Now, if you would like to accompany me, I’m sure we can get this over with quickly and get you on your way."
The captain had a confused look on his face as he followed. I stepped through a hatch and walked down a narrow hall to the first cargo bay of the three-bay ship.
After stepping through the hatchway into the first bay, I spoke. "I count sixteen identical containers. Can you tell me what they carry?"
The captain replied, "I have no idea. I just pick up whatever the Governor’s staff asks. He’s the boss, so I just do as I’m told."
I stepped over to the first container. "Let’s open this one and see what we have."
The captain sighed as he pulled a chain winch to a position above the container. He attached the four hooks of the chain to the container lid before walking around to unsnap the latches that held it in place. As he pulled on the chain, the heavy lid lifted off the two-meter-high steel shipping box.
As we looked inside, the captain spoke. "Wow, looks like the Governor is living pretty good."
I replied as I looked over the opulent furnishings contained within, "I would bet our taxes paid for it. Go ahead and drop the lid back on; let’s see what we have in bay two."
The captain reattached the lid, and we walked to the second bay. The steel containers it held were of a slightly smaller size. Once they were open, the contents were revealed. There were statues, vases, and various other works of art. All were heavily adorned with ornate jewels and precious metals.
The captain stepped back. "I know what this is!"
I looked at him as I replied, "You sound sure. What are we looking at?"
The captain reached into the container, running his fingers across the top of a gold picture frame. "A few months ago, the high museum on Falco was robbed. The place was nearly cleaned out. There was a big investigation with thousands of police scouring the planet. They found nothing. I picked this cargo up in Agar City on Falco two days ago. Governor Marcos must be behind the theft."
The captain then turned toward me with a worried look in his eye. "Please, Mr. Beutcher. I didn’t know anything about this. I just make runs when I am asked."
I shook my head. "As the captain of this vessel, you are responsible for its cargo. The law is very clear on that. However, I believe we might be able to work up an agreement on this. I am going to fill out a complete report. I will then make sure the report will be released if something untimely were to happen to me, just to insure my own safety. You will now become part of an open investigation into the Governor and his corruption. You have officially become an operative of the security service."
The captain gave an anguished look. "So, you are blackmailing me?"
I replied, "As inspection detectives, we are given discretion when it comes to writing citations or conducting a full arrest. That discretion allows us to overlook a transgression, if it furthers an investigation. I have a complete video and audio record of today’s inspection. If you cooperate, I can make that recording go away. And if you are worried that I might make you do something that is in violation of the law, you need not worry. I seek information only. If you provide that information in a complete and timely manner, there will not be any further issue for you."
The captain looked away in thought and turned back. "OK, Mr. Beutcher. I guess I don’t have much of a choice. I suppose you want me to spill my guts on the Governor? I can tell you everything I know in fifteen minutes."
I returned to the bridge with the captain. He dismissed the other two crew members that were in the room. They each left to attend to other trivial maintenance matters that were on the captain’s list. The captain told all he knew.
The Governor was indeed in thick with the slavers. He didn’t run slaves himself, but he made sure that everyone under his authority turned a blind eye. The Governor himself enjoyed trafficking in stolen goods and not in stolen lives, as the captain had called them. The slavers made sure the Governor was kept in a steady supply of thieved contraband.
As I climbed back aboard the
Mabel
, Go was waiting. "Well, what happened? What was he carrying?"
I replied, "He was carrying containers for the Governor."
Go frowned. "That’s it? Nothing more? I was sure we would find something."
I replied, "Sometimes the information you gather is far more valuable than nailing someone for contraband. I picked up valuable insight into the Governor. I will refrain from enlightening you until I have had the time to piece together a more complete picture."
Go half smiled. "I guess I shouldn’t complain. I have already seen and done more with you in two days than with the previous three detectives I was assigned to."
As we lifted out of the docking bay, I spoke. "Previous three detectives?"
Go nodded. "Yeah. There was Dave Mitchell. He was my first. He disappeared about six months after I started. Ship and all, just gone. Then there was Manitel. She was a Magonia like Meli and Mr. Boglio. She quit and moved away. And then Hal. He got his throat cut while on an inspection. The recorders had been scrubbed, but there was residual from a docking bay on the landing gear. He had definitely been on another ship when it happened. Plus, there was the fact that there was no blood here in the cockpit. They let him bleed out, then moved his body back onto the ship and set it afloat in free space."