Running With Argentine (20 page)

"You have no idea what all those regulations are doing
to the economy - to the people. The big businesses are getting bigger and the
small independents are getting snuffed out.

“The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

"What I'm trying to tell you, Captain. Is that Asperia
is a pressure cooker. You've come to us during interesting times. If I were
you, I’d just hope that everything doesn't blow up in your face."

With that, Mandi turned and walked away. Leaving him
standing there with a whole new set of worries.

In
Orbit at Trinity

“Captain? If I might have a word?”

“What is it, Marko?” Argentine asked.

He had been walking down the length of the ship’s spine when
the leader of the Petulengro family approached him.

“The ship, she is looking very nice? Yes?”

“Your people did a good job,” he admitted.

Actually, the ship hadn’t looked this good in recent memory.
The Petulengros had not only repaired everything in sight, they had cleaned and
decorated too.

The water dispenser in the mess no longer rattled and then
there was that interior door latch that had been frozen for as long as
Argentine could remember. A whole host of small fixes had been implemented all
over the ship.

As pleased as he was with this, he couldn’t say the same
about the way they were redecorating the corridor that connected all the cargo
bays… Or, maybe he should leave off the
re
, as they’d never been
decorated in the first place.

At any rate, conduits, fixtures… now everything but the
floor was covered in swirls of bright color. Argentine hadn’t even realized
they were carrying any paint on board - and he’d just finished taking
inventory…

“The Petulengro clan, we are strong people,” the older man
agreed. “Our name is an ancient one. They say it stretches back to the dawn of
time when humanity first started working with metals!”

Argentine didn’t believe that for a minute. Still, they had
done a good job…

“Is there something I can do for you, Marko?”

“You have been so gracious to our family,” he began…

All 27 of you
, Argentine thought to himself.

“You rescued us when our need was dire. We are indeed
fortunate to have met a man of your integrity…”

“Marko, please… just tell me what you want.”

“We don’t want to be dumped on Trinity.”

“What?”

“We know about Trinity, Captain. It is not a good place. We
know you only agreed to take us away from Asperia, but we appeal to your
sensibilities as a good man not to strand us there.”

“I, uh…”

“We know it is a burden to have extra people aboard, but
have we not been useful? Anything else you need, anything you want us to do, we
are at your command… but please don’t make us debark on Trinity.”

In truth, Argentine had never even considered it. He
certainly didn’t want to carry passengers any longer than he had to, but it had
never crossed his mind to dump them off on a embargoed planet - especially not
one with the reputation of Trinity.

“Ok, sure. We can take you as far as Paladin III. That’s
where the professor and… everyone else will be getting off. Would that suit you
better?”

“Blessings from my family, Captain!” Marko declared with
enthusiasm. “My sister told us all that you were a great man! She knows these
things… You must let us thank you properly! Have dinner with us one of these
evenings. We can do amazing things with all these plain things you like to eat
- you’ll see! Also, we can regale you with our histories that extend back to
the first planet! We will show you our gratitude…”

Marko was saying these things over his shoulder as he
retreated back down the corridor.

Which left Argentine momentarily alone with his thoughts…

So, the professor and the Petulengros would be leaving them
on Paladin III. It had only now occurred to Argentine that Mandi had never once
mentioned when she intended to leave them.

ΔΔΔ

“Firs… Ah, Captain, we’re making our final
approach to Trinity,” said Barry from his pilot station. “We’ll establish orbit
in seventy-three minutes.”

“Thank you Pilot,” Argentine replied. “Sami, talk to me.”

“There’s a lot of space junk orbiting the planet, Captain.
Some of it is incredibly large… but I’m not detecting any energy emissions.”

“It’s wreckage from the war,” Mandi spoke plainly for
everyone to hear. “They took all the derelict ships and put them on a ballistic
course, spiraling into the sun. The platforms, shipyards, and orbital
manufactories were much too large for that, though… so they holed them to space
and left them in place.”

“So, Trinity doesn’t have a space presence?” he asked.

“No. Asperia didn’t embargo the system; they embargoed the
planet itself. They are not permitted to build or operate anything that can achieve
orbit, and no one from the outside is allowed to establish orbit or land.”

“That’s just swell,” Barry muttered.

“Why aren’t we seeing any military presence here?” Argentine
wanted to know.

The professor spoke up…

“Accommodations have been made.”

“Accommodations? Professor, are you saying you have friends
in the Asperian military?”

“No! Not I… and I wouldn’t call them friends either. I
understand that it’s more like an… arrangement.”

“Someone got bribed,” Lieutenant Stark threw in.

“What, exactly, is the arrangement?” Argentine wanted to
know.

“I don’t know all the details,” the professor responded.
“But we have a window.”

“How long of a window?”

“Well, we were delayed by over a week. I’m… I’m not really
sure.”

“Wonderful,” several of them said at the same time.

“So what’s next?” Argentine asked the professor? “Where do
we put you down?”

Pulling a data chip from his pocket, the professor said,
“Make laser contact with these coordinates and they’ll give you a location.
Once I’m on the ground I’ll know better how much time I’ll need, but it
shouldn’t be more than a day or two.”

“Why so long?” the lieutenant wanted to know. “I thought you
just needed to pick up a box of rocks?”

“Yes. I mean, no! I need to inspect the site the fossils
were collected from, of course. I can assure you though; I have no intention of
spending a minute more than necessary down there.”

“It doesn’t sound like you have much faith in your hosts.”

“If they were scientists… but they’re not. We’re paying them
a small fortune.”

“Speaking of that, Captain. Who were you planning on sending
along with him?” Mandi wanted to know. “Remember, if he doesn’t make it to
Paladin III…”

“We don’t get paid,” Argentine finished for her.

He sighed, then said, “Lieutenant, are you up for an
excursion?”

He also looked questioningly at Mandi…

“I really need to wash my hair; I’ll sit this one out, thank
you.”

The lieutenant nodded, and then said, “I’m going to take
Gossip with me.”

“Agreed,” Argentine said. “Someone tell the chief to get the
shuttle ready to transport three. I don’t want to waste any time whatsoever.”

ΔΔΔ

They ended up
prepping the shuttle for four.

Barry would pilot them to their rendezvous and then return
the shuttle to their ship. No one was comfortable leaving their only
ground-to-orbit transportation unattended.

The coordinates they’d been given led to a sprawling country
estate.

Lieutenant Stark had insisted on studying the aerial images
they’d captured on the way down. Even after landing he’d dedicated a full
fifteen minutes more scrutiny before allowing them to exit the shuttle.

To say that the vast open yard that they’d been directed to
land in was well cared for would be an understatement.

It reminded him more of a professional playing field of some
type rather than just a grassy expanse.

The lawn itself was surrounded by what he now realized were
sculpted hedges. Many were carved into forms and animals. It was possible at
several points in the distance to see people doing trimming and maintenance.

Approaching them was an elegant figure. Dressed in white,
the young man made a stately progression towards them.

“You must be Lord Tiren,” Professor Sullivan said as he drew
close.

The man stopped and said, “Greetings from Lord Tiren. If you
will follow me I will take you to him.”

On
Trinity

They passed
through several gardens and walked by what the lieutenant remembered from the
aerial images as a maze.

The grass gave way to a loose pebble walkway, then stone, and
eventually what looked like marble.

There were several fountains but not all of them contained
water; or, at least, it didn’t all look like water.

After taking a series of steps, they approached what the
lieutenant had assumed would be the beginnings of the villa itself. From above,
it had appeared to be a series of connected buildings leading to the
main-house. It was now apparent, however, that these were a series of large,
open-walled mezzanines that served as a long winding lobby to the estate itself.

From the images, he knew that this wasn’t the front of the
house. This was an area dedicated to serving hundreds of houseguests. There
were sections that were obviously dedicated to various sports involving
variously sized and shaped balls. Another section dealt with water sports.
There were a number of what looked to be open bars, and wait staff stood
respectfully aside the many sitting areas waiting to take the orders of
nonexistent guests.

In short, it was like a plush resort for the mega rich… except
there were no such personages visible.

Lieutenant Stark was a true professional. Far from being
awed, he was trying to figure out what felt so wrong about the place.

It was the professor’s constant pattering that helped him
put it all together.

There were no guests, but there were a fair number of people
about. They were just unnaturally quiet.

He had noticed the lack of automation right away. Nobody
paid human labor to do menial tasks anymore. Things like gardening and lawn
care were easily and cheaply taken care of by mechanical means.

The very wealthy sometimes flaunted that wealth by eschewing
the universally accepted food and drink dispensers and paying dearly for human
service, but he’d never seen it on this scale before. And he’d never seen it
being wasted like this - there was simply nothing for the servers to do…

And that’s when the understanding dawned.

Everyone was beautiful, perfectly dressed and perfectly
mannered. And if their guide was typical…

Their ten-minute walk ended as they reached the villa
proper.

ΔΔΔ

Once they
entered the estate house the differences were obvious.

For one thing, the servants all wore a black and white
livery; not the all-white of the lobby staff or the khaki of the grounds crew.

For another, there were actually people here. People that
were being served, not the other way around.

The third noticeable difference was that his communicator
lost its signal with the ship. It was something he had expected…

Just inside the doors was another massive lobby. This time,
however, a small group of younger ladies were cloistered in a sitting area and
being served what looked to be some type of iced drink. They paused their
conversation when first noticing the lieutenant’s group but then quickly
returned to whatever subject they had been enthusiastically discussing.

The further they walked through the Villa the more justified
the lieutenant felt about his conclusions. Everywhere he looked, there were
massive amounts of manual labor being ostentatiously displayed. Whether it was
polishing brass and wood, replacing fixtures, or simply standing by and waiting
for someone to attend to… Human labor seemed to have totally replaced any of
the automation that humanity had become accustomed to for centuries now.

Throughout the entire walk the professor had been chattering
away, probably hiding his nervousness. Unless addressed directly, though, their
guide hadn't said a word. Even then, his answers were short and perfunctory;
usually deferring to Lord Tiren.

They were eventually led into a relatively small square
room. It was only small compared to where they were coming from. This ceiling
was of normal height and the room could comfortably accommodate about thirty
people. There was one door on each wall.

Right now, it was empty. But it held sofas and chairs as
plush as any they'd seen on their long walk.

One odd thing that the lieutenant immediately noticed was
that all the furniture was confined to the center of the room. The outside
walls were completely clutter-free.

Their guide, saying nothing, reached out with one hand and
grabbed the polished brass railing that circumnavigated the room.

Sharing a glance with Gossip he shrugged, and they both did
the same.

He had just said, "Ah, you might want…" when the
room started to move. After helping the professor keep his balance, he put some
thought to where they must be in the Villa. They were moving forward, not up or
down like an elevator. It might have that capability, but for now, the room was
more like a train car… and that meant they were probably headed to the other
side of the estate.

There wasn't anything particularly sinister about any of
this, but the further away they got from where they had entered, the more
problematic any potential rescue would become. Not that he was anticipating the
need to be rescued… But old habits from a lifetime of security work with the
People's Republic of Chezden kept him constantly assessing contingencies.

When the room finally slowed to a stop, they exited through
the opposite door.

Lieutenant Stark’s senses immediately went on alert.

From the moment they had stepped out of the room the
environment had changed.

It wasn't the furniture; they were still in luxurious and
comfortable surroundings. Black-and-white liveried servants still dotted the
hallways and alcoves.

No, what was different where the black clad security forces.

Heavily muscled and obviously armed, they were still attired
in what the Lieutenant was starting to realize was the planet’s idea of formal
dress. But there was no mistaking the bearing of these… Soldiers.

ΔΔΔ

They were everywhere.

Most simply stood to the side as they strolled through the
long hallways, but the lieutenant wasn’t fooled. They kept their weight
balanced on the balls of their feet and their eyes never stopped moving.

It was… impressive.

Chokepoint
was the word the lieutenant mentally
checked off in his mind. The train-room (or rooms, if there was more than one)
acted as a natural chokepoint that separated the rest of the Villa from this
more secure section.

They entered a sitting room with large floor to ceiling
windows that gave a spectacular view of a large lake. The vista was made even grander
by the fact that the Villa was apparently perched on the top edge of a 100-meter
cliff.

This confirmed his guess; they were indeed on the opposite
side of the Villa. Almost automatically he mentally noted that no escape could
be made in this direction.

What held the professor’s attention, however, was the man
seated before them. The lieutenant couldn’t help but notice that he had let
them walk all the way to him before standing up in greeting.

“Lord Tiren, I presume?” the professor started. Without
waiting for a response he continued, “I am Professor John Sullivan from Denmany
University on Asperia, at your service.”

After a long moment, Tiren waived for them to take
comfortable seats arranged around the low table in front of him.

“Please join me for some tea,” he said. “I know you’ve had a
long journey.”

Once the conversation started, Lord Tiren was friendly
enough. And while the lieutenant couldn’t put his finger on it, there was
something causing the hair on the back of his neck to tingle. It was a warning
he’d learned not to ignore.

He didn’t touch his tea. With inward approval, he noticed
that Gossip hadn’t either.

The professor was obviously a polite man by nature, but it
was just as obvious that he was growing impatient with all the pleasantries.

Finally, he said, “Lord Tiren, you are certainly a gracious
host but I’m sure you can understand my excitement to inspect the specimens?”

“I’d thought that after the long trip you might prefer to
have dinner and rest; we could get started on that first thing in the morning…”

“Well, I appreciate your concern, but maybe if I could just
have a preliminary look at some of them?”

Lord Tiren pursed his lips in slight distaste, but then
said…

“Of course. I’m assuming you’ve brought confirmation of
payment?”

The professor handed over a data chip.

Within the Asperian sphere, interplanetary commerce was
conducted with eCredit.

Everyday walking around money used specific weights of the
platinum metals; Palladium and Rhodium were popular. They were totally
unsuited, however, for the vast sums involved with interstellar trade.

The eCredit system relied on a Block Chain, or shared public
ledger. All confirmed transactions are included in the block chain. This way,
eCredit wallets can calculate their spendable balance and new transactions can
be verified. Advanced cryptography enforces the integrity and chronological
order of the block chain.

While the ‘funds’ had actually been transferred before the
professor left Asperia, the recipient couldn’t actually claim them without the
encrypted codes on the data chip - and only Lord Tiren had the encryption key.

“I will need to validate this, of course,” he said as he accepted
the chip. “In the meantime why don’t you make yourself comfortable? I’ll return
as soon as I have confirmation.”

With a mumbled acquiescence the professor gave a courteous
quarter bow, and Lord Tiren left the room.