Personal Log 110: 21st - 27th March, 3302
14 Oct 2016Jemine Caesar
21st - 27th March, 3302 The next day, March 21st, I received a recorded message from Sam. "Have been relieved of diplomacy duties and taken to Sol for own safety. Will explain later. Love, Sam."
What in the name of Gaia had Sam got into this time?
I took The Last Thing on some more courier missions. On arrival at Epsilon Indi I was hailed by a commander with the callsign Shadow_333, who introduced himself as a member of the Hutton Truckers. I had read about this organisation in Valentina! magazine. Shadow_333 told me that the Truckers were always looking to recruit new members, and that I was welcome to contact them any time. I thanked him for his courtesy, and promised to look them up next time I was in Alpha Centauri.
At Flade Enterprise I unloaded the consignment of copper I had brought from Wise 0855-0714. Taking a quick break in one of the station's cafe's, I received a k-cast from Sam.
"Sorry for my hasty departure earlier," he said. "Truth is, it seems that a faction in Beta Hydri thinks I'm some sort of spy for one of their rivals. Admiral Remi has arranged sanctuary for me at Sol until it blows over, which, thankfully, shouldn't take long."
"Well," I said, "If I know you, you'll be out bounty hunting, so please take care."
Sam laughed. "Don't worry, my love, I'm-- uh-oh!"
A bang. Static. Silence.
*****
Sam, I learned later, had been interdicted by an Anaconda. The ensuing battle had reduced his hull to a mere 8%, forcing him to flee for safety. Sam was filling me in on the details by k-cast as I sat in a cafe on Wilcutt Orbital, an industrial outpost in the LHS 263 system. As we spoke, I was suddenly aware that I was being watched. I turned, to see a woman standing by my side.
She had greying black hair, piercing green eyes and a thin-lipped smile. She was dressed in Federation style clothing, of a label which I recognised was not cheap. She looked about 60, though I suspected there might be a few extra years hidden by cosmetic surgery and lasertox. 70 or 75 might have been nearer the mark. In any case she was tall and athletically built. And she knew my name.
"Miss Jemine Caesar?" she asked. I replied that I was. "I'm Federal Agent Conrad," she said. "I need to talk with you on an urgent matter."
Agent Conrad explained that she was one of the officers investigating the deaths of the girls on the Harem List, and that she had been sent to find me.
"We've known these were murders almost from the start," she confided. "The murderer has always managed to stay one step ahead of us so far. We're dealing with someone who is extremely clever and utterly devious."
Conrad told me that her orders were to escort me to a place of safety in the Sol system. "We're now finally closing in on the murderer," she added. "All the remaining women on the Harem List have already been taken into protective custody at Sol."
Conrad then said that an operation had been put in place to trap the killer. An undercover agent had taken the place of the next intended victim, Fiona Davis.
"No," I said. "That can't be right. The murders have followed a definite pattern. I should be next."
Agent Conrad shook her head. "The murderer skipped you to go to number 12 on the list. The body of Saskia Gerhardt was found on March 15th. Gerhardt was a dentist's receptionist. She'd been working after hours in the surgery, updating patient records. She was overpowered and strapped into the dentist's chair, her head was immobilized and her mouth clamped open. A laser drill bored straight through her head. It took hours for her to die."
I felt physically sick. Was there no end to the depravity of the monster responsible for these horrendous murders?
Agent Conrad told me she would take me to Sol in my own ship, and that we should leave immediately.
Aboard The Last Thing I Do , Agent Conrad took the pilot's chair. I sat in the co-pilot position. I called Sam to let him know about this latest turn of events. He was as sickened as I had been to hear the manner of Saskia Gerhardt's death.
As we prepared for the first jump into witchspace, I glanced over to the navcom. Something wasn't right.
"Agent Conrad?" I said, uneasily. "That course... It takes us away from Sol, not towards it."
Suddenly, I realised the truth.
"SAM!" I yelled into the comms. "I've been kidnapped!"
Then everything went black.