Chapter 15: Why is He Involved?

Celyciia Paydhal and Sergeant Ruddick sat on a picnic blanket in the soft ankle deep grass of North Africa Park, the largest Terran style park of Reckno City. The capitol of Recksnostal Colony. Ruddick said after he devoured another sandwich. “This is how I dreamed police work would be, before I ever joined the force.”

Celyciia smiled. “Having a picnic in the park and eating while on duty?”

He shook his head. “Of course not, I eat all the time on duty or not. No I mean us listening in on the bait and wait for something to happen, and then we follow the lead, put the facts and clues together and solve a case. I mean us doing it and not a Law Logic Computronic figuring out whose mining claim was violated and then GalNet issuing a citation or a warning.”

The Saresii Police Lieutenant sighed. “Yes I know exactly what you mean. I almost hope we don’t solve the case all too fast. There is so much we can learn from him. Real Police work I mean.”

Another sandwich disappeared and the Sergeant said. “I never thought I would say it, but I don’t even miss Old Snukkler anymore. I feel like a real policeman and after reading your case report I am convinced you were right from the start. Nothing of that case added up and someone is trying to pull the wool over our eyes. Well the Precinct is behind you Ma’am one hundred percent.”

The Saresii woman sipped on her coffee and glanced over the rim, past the Sergeant watching the blue skinned Thauran sitting on a bench waiting for the contact to arrive. “It took you over three years Sarge.”

“Captain Snukkler was a liked person. Someone new and Saresii at that replacing the old Garbini was not expected.”

“You don’t like Saresii?”

“Oh they are all very nice to look at, but you never know if you deal with a woman or a man and then the whole mind reading Psionic thing.”

“You had a methane breathing Tree Polyp as a boss and that was better than a Saresii?”

“Klack, Garbini, Purple Throat makes no difference Ma’am. I am not only a police man but a proud Union Citizen and not a Xenophobe. You Saresii are not Xeno, you’re human. Gorgeous beautiful women and the thought that some are men are more alien to me than a Takkian. Its old fashioned and wrong I know, but I can’t help it.”

“I am all woman and I am one of those rare Saresii who have no telepathic abilities at all. Besides you are a Federal Police man and should be PSI shielded.”

“You only told us that a few weeks ago and to someone who has no idea about Psionics they are all a little spooky. Someone saying to you are shielded and you feel no different than before doesn’t give me much confidence I am afraid.”

The Saresii Woman said. “I had no idea.”

The Sergeant said. “That’s why I am a Sergeant and not an Officer. I am a simple person at heart and like things to be black and white. Of course nothing really is, but one cannot really jump over his own shadow.”

The Saresii wanted to say something when she saw someone approaching the Thauran Warden. The man looked like he just stepped out for lunch from one of the many businesses that lined the park. He sat down right next to the Thauran.

Both the sergeant and the Saresii Lieutenant had sensitive surveillance equipment and listened in. The man, a human said. “Your usefulness has expired, but I am curious to find you out and about.”

The Thauran answered. “I want 50,000 Credits or I tell them about you!”

The man in the shirt laughed but it was not an easy laugh. “If you do, how will you explain all the bribes you took and all the crocked deals we made? You will hang for that.”

“I don’t care. I come clean and maybe I get a deal.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Meet me here tomorrow!”

“Not good enough. I want to see you in 4 hours with the money or I will tell the Feds everything I know. There is no space bus and no scheduled starts so you can make a run in that time.”

“You won’t live long enough to enjoy that money.”

“You made the mistake letting me live, now go get my money. Or it is you who will hang.” Sergeant Ruddick gave the sign and two of his men disguised as park maintenance personnel followed the business man.

Ruddick eyes gleamed. “This is real crime and conspiracy right here on our little Colony. Do we inform HQ about this?”

The blue skinned warden came over and said, “No not yet.” The Old detective in his disguise as Thauran Warden added. “It is going to be very interesting soon. I expect someone will try to kill me. So stay on your toes. Even after 3000 years I am not really ready to meet my maker.”

“No worries Mr. Decker,” the Sergeant said. “We might be just a back world precinct but we are Federal Police and we got six fully cloaked surprises in the area, not to mention a micro millimeter satellite scanning everyone.”

The old detective took the last sandwich and said. “I never doubted you guys, not a minute. Well I am back at my bench. As soon as our friend receives instructions we should expect action.”

Celyciia Paydhal tapped her tiny ear piece. “SII confirms receiving a federal Court order to allow GalNet tracing. We should be able to tell from where they get their instructions too.”

The woman worked as a clerk at the Science Council for over twenty five years and was an outstanding citizen, member of several charitable organizations and a prayer leader for the Daughters of the Reformed Back Looking Buddhists of the Third Incarnation. She was groomed and pampered by her handler without her really knowing it until she was a willing tool. She didn’t even think of herself as a spy. What harm could it do if her friends knew where the Science Council sent its Explorer ships? Since she was one of the clerks in the Chief Dispatchers office of the Explorer fleet, it was easy for her to obtain such information. Carrying it out handwritten on a piece of paper was something the advanced data storage scanners in the exit door frames did not even register. The advanced technology completely overlooked the real old fashioned methods.

She handed the little note to her handler in an open air cafe in the Outer Ring Park of the Assembly and he thanked her with a kiss and a bunch of flowers. As spies went she worked very cheap.

Her handler felt so secure that he didn’t really try to conceal his movements and after a little round trip with a bubble cap he went to a Union Post Office and send high resolution images of the paper to his contact. Those Union Fools with their precious freedoms and liberties making it a Federal Crime to intercept or open mail. They took this very serious and it was the safest way to send intelligence material. While he felt the Union was a bunch of idiotic fools, with a Kermac in charge the Union would be master of the entire Galaxy, he actually enjoyed is life here on Pluribus and hoped his masters would take their time with overthrowing the Union.

Why his masters wanted to know the exact course an Explorer was scheduled to take was unimportant to him.

The evening had ended bittersweet as his parents officially said good bye and would leave in less than a week. Their explorer was already on its way to pick them up.

Roy walked next to Partner along the shore of a jungle river, carefully avoiding Mortar toads and Murder Grass patches and was brooding about the recent changes in his life. It soon would change even more when he was about to go to College in the Sol system, almost 2500 Light years distant.

There was a hidden cove with a waterfall and a small pool, one of his favorite places to go. It was only twelve miles from the house and it was his personal secret place when he needed to think. Not that there was really anything he had to decide.

He wanted to become a Marine but he didn’t want to leave either. The future so it appeared had even more change in store than the last few days.

As he reached the little cove, where the fresh water of a creek rushed over a rock face and gushed down about twenty meters (65’-7”) in to a pool. While there was Tantalus Oaks and Strangle vines all over. The moss clinging to the rocks was not the moving Killer Moss found at the shores of the big lakes.

There wasn’t enough room for Stompers or Insectos and Water Snake roaming season was still a few months away.

So he looked forward to a few hours of relaxing there before he would find his way to the Rocks and meet his friends.

“Hello Roy!” A melodic female voice greeted him as walked around the last tree covered boulder to enter the little cove.

The green haired woman was sitting on a round boulder, churning the water before her with lazy moves of her right foot.

Roy relaxed and said. “Oh it is you again. You sure get around and you keep it quiet as it seems.”

She leaned back supported by her arms. Her hair almost touched the stone as she arched that way but again she was not saying anything.

So Roy said. “For a girl you sure don’t talk much. Do you have a name?”

She glanced at him and said. “You can call me Quara if you like.”

“You are the strangest girl and your answers are just as strange.”

She said. “So are you, walking through this jungle being friends with the most vicious beast at his side.”

Roy almost laughed. “Quara, this is Partner. He is the gentlest animal on this planet. You can pet him!”

She got up. “You don’t even know what it is, Roy.” She was clearly afraid of it.

“No I don’t but you can trust me and him. I won’t hurt anything if I don’t have to and he won’t either.”

She jumped to shore and reached out with a trembling hand. Partner squeezed his eyes close and sneezed.”

She retracted her hand but repeated the careful gesture and finally made contact with Partners fur and then she relaxed and petted the animal. “I always liked that about you, Roy.”

“Would you stop talking in riddles please and say something that makes sense? How can you like something about me, without me knowing you? What is it you like anyway?”

“The ones that came from the Skies, made their home on the isle on the lake. They could not be scared away. They remained and it took much effort to keep their numbers small. Yet they never gave up and come and measure and probe everything.”

“Are you talking about Ant Hill? Aren’t you from there as well?” She kept petting Partner and slowly shook her head. “No Roy, Qaroniel is my home.”

“Is this a Union world nearby?”

She spread her arms. “Roy this is Qaroniel, it is all around you.”

“Green Hell?”

“This is how you call it. Some others called it Imthe-Seth and before that there were those who cursed it saying Mrtgtha, but it has been Qaroniel first.”

Roy scratched his chin. “Those are the old names the Saresii and the Sarans used.” He looked at her with a quizzed look. “Just who are you exactly?”

“I am Qaroniel.”

Phil

Phil Decker had his feet up on the desk and leaned back, his arms crossed before his chest and his hat, they all now knew was called a fedora pulled into his face and it appeared as if he was sleeping. Everyone in the small Union Police precinct by now knew who he was.

Almost everyone had checked GalNet on him. Some were intimidated; others had a hard time to understand what or who he was, but that all had changed fast. They accepted him as one of their own and that he happened to be a living legend was just something in the background.

His experience however and his incredible sense for details was truly amazing.

The young Saresii Officer was standing by the Serv-Matic half across the room, holding a cup of Saresii tea. With one eye she watched a field screen that showed the action a floor below where four men and a woman where booked and processed. Two would be assassins and two conspirators with the possibility of an interstellar mystery that pointed to enemies of the Union. Murder, spies and conspiracies now that was something different than checking on mining claims and fining freighters for taking NonCits to other places.