Step 2: Follow the Clues
02 Apr 2018MMMMMalcolm
Carey Station is a Coriolis star port in the LHS 3549 system. It’s the main hub for this high tech, federally aligned system, housing over thirteen million citizens. Transports filled with rare ores, industrial equipment, and technological advancements come and go constantly, making it a bright target for pirates. Unfortunately, the system’s high security makes it a hard target.I had just taken ‘AWS Breathless’ out of hyperspace when Kay contacted me.
“All evidence points to deliberate attacks on shipments headed to Carey Station,” her holo-projection informed me. “From what I can gather, dad was marked through my little sister Kristina. Someone named Asher befriended her and gave her a model T9 to give to my dad. The model has a low power NFC device that scans my father’s terminal looking for unapproved shipping manifests with high value cargo headed to Carey Station. Once it finds the desired manifests, it codes a hidden message that automatically sends itself as soon as the manifest is approved by my father and confirmed by the receiving dock manager. Seven shipments have been attacked so far.”
“Where are these messages sent?” I asked.
“We don’t know. The message makes over a thousand jumps before it reaches its destination and we lose track of it every time one of those jumps heads out to Colonia. One thing we do know however is each transport is attacked in the Guangul system.”
“That makes sense, the Guangul system has a lower security level and is less than ten light years away from LHS 3549. So we have a name and an area of focus. Is there anything else?”
“We left the NFC device running. I figured we could use it to set a trap for the pirates.”
“Smart. Give me a few days to step on some toes out here and see if anyone hollers.”
“Wil do. Oh, and Malcolm…”
“Yeah”
“Be careful.”
I smiled at the projection, but I didn’t say anything. I just ended the transmission. Careful; hmm, let’s see if that is even possible. Halfway between the main star and the station I set the Anaconda’s throttle to zero and devised a plan. Who would I talk to, I thought? Logic dictates I start at the end and work back towards the beginning. Ok, that means I have to pay a visit to the technology broker. How do I get the information I need? A stake out would take too long. I could mention the party director’s plan but I doubt he’s even aware of it. System security is too tight to threaten bodily harm. That left me only one card to play. I hurriedly typed and printed a document on the ships computer and then finished my trip to the station. After docking I rushed to my quarters and was extremely grateful I had a black suit on board. I changed out of my remlok and paired the suit with a white shirt and a nice pair of shoes. Costume, check; the suit should make me look official. Prop, check; I grabbed the document off the system console and left the ship. Now for a little special affect. I walked/jogged from the docks to the broker’s shop. I paused a minute before entering.
“I hope this works.”
I walked into the shop. The broker was at the far end of the room talking to a pair of pilots. Good, I thought, more voices to add to the confusion. I locked the door behind me and pulled out a blaster.
“Ok, don’t anybody move! You’re all under arrest!”
The broker moved towards me, leaving his two clients staring at each other in disbelief. “Excuse me, who are you? I run a respectable business here!”
“That’s close enough buddy,” I said waving my gun around. “Back up is on its way. Until they get here I don’t want you getting any ideas. You two, take a seat over there.” I pointed my gun at the pilots and waved them over to a couple seats a few paces to their left. Pulling out my document from an inside suit jacket pocket, I returned my attention to the broker. “We’ll see just how respectable this business is. I’m inspector Jones from station security. I have here a warrant to search this shop for contraband Thargoid Tissue samples. We received an anonymous tip you’ve been selling illegal AX weapons here.” I put my document back in my pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. As I move closer to the broker, I start wiping the sweat I built up running to the shop. I really just want to distort my facial features. “Alright, turn around and put your hands behind your back.” The broker turned away from me but he did not stop protesting.
“I assure you officer; this is all a big misunderstanding.” He put his hands behind his back. I bound them with some plastic cord I picked up along the way.
“Yeah, yeah. Save it buddy. You know, rights and silence and such. I hope you have adequate counsel. Now don’t move!”
“I have more than counsel,” the broker stammered over his shop counter. “You can contact Kris Brewer; he’ll vouch for me.”
“Oh will he now? Who’s Kris Brewer and why should I care about what he has to say?”
“Overseer Brewer is the chief investor on this station. He fronted the funds I needed to open this shop. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of him.” I hadn’t heard of him because I just arrived on the station a few minutes ago. I couldn’t let him know that though.
“Oh we’ve been watching him too and you just gave me the evidence I needed to tie him to these crimes. We weren’t sure who the master mind was, but now thanks to you we know. Now stand there and shut up!” The broker dropped his head and sighed as he faced the back of his shop. I turned to the pilots. “Your turn hotshots; let me see some I.D. We’re looking for a pilot named Asher. He’s the mule of this operation. Those Pilot’s Fed licenses better not be fake.” The pilots showed me their licenses. They were legit, as far as I could tell, and neither one was named Asher. I ushered them to the door. “Ok you two are clean. You’re free to go but don’t let me see your faces around here again or you’ll be locked up next to this guy!” The pilots hurried out the door and disappeared amongst the people and the other shops. I figured it was time I did the same.
I waited a second before hiding away my gun. Can’t get caught with that. Just as I was about to make my escape, the broker made one final plea.
“Please inspector, just contact Mr. Brewer. You’ll see there’s no illegal activity here. There are no AX weapons here and I don’t know anyone named Asher.” I believed him. I left him bound in front of his counter, pleading his case.
I passed a clothing shop around the corner on my way in. I ducked in there and bought a change of clothes. I bought a cap to hide my hair, some jeans, a brown shirt, and some black boots. I also got a jean jacket to hide my blaster. I know; I was shocked they had one too.
I rushed back to my ship, stowed the gun, and shredded the fake document. My hands were shaking uncontrollably. I let out a nervous laugh. Inspector Jones, ha, I can’t believe that worked! I hopped onto Galnet and searched for Overseer Kris Brewer. It didn’t take me long to find him and to discover he was having some problems with a pirate faction in the Guangul system. I made a trip to Mr. Brewer’s office.
Mr. Brewer had a male office assistant; no doubt to discourage bruisers like myself from barging in unannounced.
“Mr. Brewer”
“Yes Robert”
“There’s a Commander Goodwin here to see you.”
“Does he have an appointment?”
“No sir. He says he’s a bounty hunter and wants to help you with your Guangul Brothers problem.”
“Send him in Robert. Thank you.”
Mr. Brewer’s office looked like any other mid-level office in federal space. It was just large enough for the occupant to feel important as he conducted his business. The feds are more concerned with function than form; unlike the flashy Imperials. He was fortunate enough to have a window overlooking the station’s ring; albeit a small one. The Overseer made the most of what he was given with a few personal touches, like plants and small sculptures and a miniature waterfall in one corner. I sat in one of the leather chairs in front of his big mahogany desk.
“Well Commander Goodwin,” Kris said as he leaned back in his chair. “What can I do for you?” I was about to answer when I noticed a model T9 sitting on his desk.
“That’s a cool model you got there. Where can I get one?”
“You’ll have to ask my assistant. He gave it to me the week after he started working here.”
“And how long has he been working with you exactly?”
“About a year now. My last assistant never came back from a vacation. Her shuttle was attacked by pirates. System security said all aboard were either killed or sold as slaves. But you didn’t come to talk about my assistants commander.”
“Quite right sir. I came to talk about pirates; specifically pirates from the Guangul system. I'll be straight with you Mr. Brewer. The company I work for has been losing shipments to this station in that system. They sent me to figure out who's behind these attacks and stop them.“ The overseer sat rubbing his chin as he contemplated my statements.
"I must say commander, your timing is impeccable. I've been having trouble with the Guangul Brothers for nearly a year. They're the largest pirate faction in Guangul. If anyone raided your shipments, it would be them. Only problem is, no one knows who their leader is or where their base is located. Our refinery lost a T7 full of palladium in that system a few days back. If you can recover the black box for me, maybe we can find a clue that will tell us who and where they are." It was my turn to rub my chin.
I dropped ‘Brethless’ into the coordinates Mr. Brewer sent me. My canopy filled with the debris of a destroyed ship. A quick glance at contacts told me the black box was floating amongst the twisted metal. I selected it and fired off a limpet to retrieve it. Seconds later, I was hurtling through hyperspace back to Carey station with my prize in the hold. On my way back I downloaded the data stored in the box.
“That’s good news commander,” Kris Brewer stated. “But why did you insist I meet you on the docks to get it? I’m a very busy man. I can’t be away from my office very long.” He sat on my bridge as we reviewed the data.
“I asked you here because your office is not safe.” I showed the overseer an image of the T9 on Mr. Wantz’s desk. “My employer has a model exactly like yours on his desk. We discovered a low power NFC device hidden in its base. It intercepted the manifests of the shipments we lost in Guangul and sent them to the Guangul Brothers. That’s how they knew what to steal, when to steal it, and where. I believe the Guangul Brothers killed your assistant and replaced her with one of their members. The T7 that carried this black box was doomed the minute you approved a manifest for it.”
“I had my suspicions, but never had any proof. Can I use your communications to contact station security?”
“You could, but I have a better idea. Give me a day to get my copilot and then send me a contract to apprehend the pirate that attacked this T7. We’ll bait him with a phony manifest from my employer. By the time I’m done, you’ll have no more problems from the Guangul Brothers.”