Chapter 48

Tean grinned, “Your favourite Customs Officer, Manny, also contacted me.”

“It would appear that he guessed that I was making the booking for you, or else Anne told him. He said he just wanted to ensure I was on the up and up. He even popped over to check out Aida.”

“Apparently, Patrol ships don’t normally park in Section C. He damn near laughed his head off when I explained that the ship was yours.”

Zeke chuckled as he was sure Manny gave Aida a good going over.

“Oh, by the way, as far as most people know, the pirate’s Patrol ship broke up. I told the Newsos I flew your new ship to you from Mars before coming to Morpheus to collect some missing crew members.”

“My dad, Tye Connors, works at the Ministry for Transport on Mars. He has Aida registered in your company name, Z.Salvage. He would like you to sign some documents he sent to me. Apparently, you need to alter the company name and add the ‘& Rescue’.”

Zeke chuckled, “You mean he is the Minister of Transport. I didn’t realise he was your dad. I guess I now know why he wanted me to meet his family.”

“Oh, no, he didn’t! The damn man keeps trying to marry me off. If he knew you like both sexes, he’d offer up Lindsay, too. He thinks my little brother is gay, but I think he is more like you.”

Zeke frowned, “I don’t think I’ve met him.”

“You probably haven’t. Lindsay is an overachiever. He is twenty-two, a year and a half younger than me. He has been attending a Military University in Australia for the last five years. He has been doing all sorts of space-related and engineering degrees while learning to fly shuttles.”

She grimaced again, “Imagine my surprise when I told him about my job and why I was on Morpheus; he begged to be considered for a position on the crew.”

Zeke frowned, “Which position did he want?”

“Any. Apparently, he is rated as a pilot, a navigator, and an engineer for all systems on most spaceships up to battleships. Lindsay is weird. He sees a system or a machine and automatically knows how it works.”

“Ever thought of the fact that if you can wear a two-gem item, so, could he? We will probably find he can wield Earth and Energy. Lore and Physics may also be top contenders. I think you have other traits, too. I just didn’t have stronger items to offer you.”

Tean digested this information. “Actually, I think you are correct. That would explain a lot. I think he is stronger than me, magically.”

Zeke shrugged, “Maybe, maybe not. Your traits just might manifest differently. I’ve read that two mages can have the same magical gems. However, depending on the order of dominance and their mindset, their areas of expertise can be very different.”

“I never thought of it that way, thanks,” Tean said.

“The question is, do you want your brother on the same ship as you?” Zeke asked her.

Tean screwed up her face in indecision, causing Zeke to chuckle before he asked, “When is he due to finish his time on Earth?”

Tean sighed, “He has. He was having a holiday before coming home until I called to see how he was. He should arrive here on the next shuttle. So about three hours. I have to go pick him up.”

“Fine, bring him here, and I’ll check him out. I must see some people first, but it shouldn’t take long.”

Tean nodded and said, “Well, like I said earlier, the Newsos are sniffing around looking for you. The sacking and incarceration of the SSG Minister for Defence, an UNSEC Ship’s Captain and an ESC Major is big news.”

“They are all a-twitter about you battling space pirates and then having to rescue them. The Free Space junkies are up in arms that the SSG and the ESC were trying to stop you from cleaning up the space around Earth. They are just as likely to mob and kill you with their gratification.”

Zeke couldn’t help letting go of a deep chuckle of amusement. “I’ll try to avoid them. Kilos has a safe place I can transport to. I also have some cargo for him, so I’ll take that with me. Freya will give you and your brother access, so you can come and go as you please.”

“Oh, before I go, you forgot to tell me about Harry?”

“Ah, yes. Captain Harry Stanwell is in a bit of a pickle. Some of his bosses want to lock him up and throw away the key for insubordination. Some want to promote him, citing that locking him up would incite the press who were touting him as a hero.”

“Others want to ship him off to the Ceres Space Station in the Asteroid Belt. Out of sight and far from the local press. However, they all agree that letting him leave is out of the question. His quitting the ESC would make them look bad and affect their jobs. Having a senior officer arrested was bad enough.”

“Hum, while I’m gone, call Anne and then your dad. Get Anne to contact her friend General Carmichael on Earth. They may have a solution. Your dad has some pull and is good at thinking outside the box, so get him in on the act.”

“Maybe the General can transfer Harry to Mars’s UNSEC division, and your dad can get him loaned to me. Alternatively, he could go to UNSEC on Morpheus, and they can loan him to me.”

“Ooh, I like it. It gets Harry away from the ESC. Since you are contracted to UNSEC, them giving you an officer and a hero to oversee your space rescue operations looks good in the news for them. And it gives you credibility. It also explains why you need a Patrol ship.”

“Damn, you are smart like your dad. Give it a go. We don’t have much to lose. True, I could find another Captain or just get you to do it. However, I don’t think Paula would be happy if I didn’t try to rescue Harry. Plus, I like the bloke, and he is one of my people now.”

Tean giggled, “You big softy. How do you know about them?”

“They should have put the towels in the washer or recycled them. I also needed to put some air freshener in my medical bay.”