Chapter 18: Not Again!

Phil

Riddick felt like a child in a shiny world of really big adult things, The Federal Police Precinct responsible for Blue Moon had its very own Minimon Space Station and it was busier than Silver Hawks Emporium two days before Union Week. He marveled at the rows of shiny Victoria Class Police Cruisers, the latest models, with all the bells and whistles. Back at the Recksnostal they had two almost 100 year old units. Granted they were still perfectly alright and they had never needed more than one.

Celyciia who had been at the Precinct of Pluribus didn’t appear to be impressed, but he was and he almost got weak knees as he saw the Canteen. “Look at that, three counters, two buffets with chefs and look at these serve-matics.”

They had followed Phil and Celyciia said. “Sorry Phil, but my Sergeant always thinks about food and eating first.”

Phil turned. “I got you here so we can grab a bite before we go up and see TeePee. We haven’t eaten since we arrived in this System and that was this morning and I am hungry”

To Riddick he said. “This is the best of the sixteen canteens they have. And much less crowded than the main one.”

Riddick gasped. “Sixteen others?”

The Saresii lieutenant laughed as she saw the heaping plate her sergeant carried to their table a few moments later. Phil too was working on a sizable steak. She was just about to finish her Saresii Fungiwich when the biggest Pertharian they had ever seen stomped across the room and stopped inches before the flimsy looking table. His four arms flailing like the pistons of some ancient machine. Beings carrying their trays scrambling to get out of the way, only Phil appeared completely unimpressed and kept eating his steak, but he had no chance.

The Pertharian lifted him right out of the chair, Celyciia was expecting to hear bones crush and all the blood squeezed out of the old detective.

The Pertharian was wearing a Federal Police Uniform and growled. “Phil, you son of a gun, I just found out you’re here and as usual from the booking desk. It is so good to see you!”

Phil unable to move and pinned to the massive chest coughed. “You do remember we are in public and that we humans are a tad more fragile than you.”

The monstrous, four armed giant with the gray and red rock like skin set the detective back down and placed himself onto a chair that adapted to his size. “I am sorry old friend, but it is four years now since the last time you have been here.”

By now no one was eating and a huge crowd had gathered around the small table, even the cooks and servers and of course beings from every corner of the Union. Riddick felt like a music celebrity or something and now was quite embarrassed that everyone saw his mountain of food piled up before him. He could hear the comments and the whispered “Phil Decker”, “Immortal Detective” comments.

A Spindlar uses his long neck to get close to Celyciia and asked. “Are you working with him on a case?” The Saresii Lieutenant turned and said. “Yes we investigating an incident that occurred in our precinct.”

“You are so lucky, I’d give 1 meter of my left arm. How is he?”

Riddick budded in. “He lives up to his reputation and legend but is the nicest normal guy you ever meet.”

Phil who finally managed to untangle himself from the titans bear hug said to the Spindlar. “Next time I am near the Pandsol district. I’ll look you up and we can go solving some crime together, Captain Nulbrer. No need to lose a piece of arm over.”

The Pertharian said. “He knows that because your Badge shows the precinct number and he knows them all.” Then to Phil he said. “My SWAT team is all upset that you called the Marines instead of us.”

They had a great time at the huge Precinct, the big Pertharian turned out to be the Commanding Officer and a good friend of Phil.

Both Riddick and Celyciia were treated almost like royalty. Later they interviewed the arrested business man and his cronies. The nervous Terran human yielded the best information as he had followed the woman after she had rented the luxury yacht to a warehouse on the same moon. According to their investigation, Ieshia Yeager was a former Science Corps member that got arrested for smuggling dangerous life forms from Green Hell and opted for Psych Surgery instead of penal colony.

Celyciia was still working on her PDD while she followed Riddick and Phil to that warehouse on Blue Moon. The more she dug into the past of Ms. Yeager the more inconsistencies she found. According to her court papers she was born on Balisong Colony and also went to Union School there, but she could not find any actual records of the Union School teacher that signed her grades, her teacher Mr. Onyma only signed her papers and grades and none of the other class mates grades. While Mr. Onyma was a registered Union School teacher she could not find any other pupil he graded or educated. A call to the Balisong Police department actually yielded a surprise. One of the officers there was in the same class and he sent in the actual Year book and records and there was no Ieshia Yeager at all.

She wondered why her dodgy records did not ring any alarm bells at court. She just requested the arrest report when Phil said. “One of the prisoners at the prison colony was a native of Green Hell and he was arrested with her. His records are genuine.”

Riddick looked over the gray, square building covered with a fine dusting of brown dirt. It looked well maintained but abandoned and he said as they approached the closed roll door. “Green Hell is all this about Califerm?”

Phil shook his head. “I don’t think so, while there is a lucrative market for these drugs, the efforts taken in this case have cost more money than the entire Califerm drug market yields in five years, but I am convinced the raid on the prison camp was meant for Harlex Gedde.”

Riddick now looked at his PDD, while Phil retrieved a little device from his coat pocket and placed it on the Warehouse ID lock. Riddick said. “I’ve seen this name on the list of prisoners but he is a small time exotic animal smuggler from Green Hell without any prior convictions, there is no measurable crime rate on Green Hell. From what I hear you can’t get outside without getting killed and there is no industry and no resources.”

Celyciia leaned forward to see what the device Decker attached to the lock and from the shape and design she was certain it was a Saresii device form the First Age. “You seem to have more First Ages stuff than anyone I know.”

“It’s not Saresii, it’s from Mother Machine.”

The door lock chirped and rolled up. “No worries, we got permission by the Real Estate owner. I just didn’t want to wait till he had a chance to call anyone.”

“Why not a Search Warrant?” Riddick wanted to know.

“It’s on its way too, but a Search warrant has to be served. With the permission of the Building Owner we can go in right away.”

Riddick was sure nothing has changed how warehouses looked and smelled in the last few thousand years, no matter where they were, especially the seemingly abandoned ones. It was empty, no boxes, no crates and a fine layer of dust, with a thousand tracks. The Saresii girl stopped. “Don’t we want to get Forensics down here first?”

Phil had also stopped and stood there, pushing his hat back and he mumbled. “I was so sure...”

She said. “Phil what did you expect to find?”

The roll door closed with a noisy metallic bang and he said. “Them.”

A inhuman mechanical voice said. “Sorry Mr. Decker but this is as far as your investigation goes. This is of no concern to the Federal Police.”

Roy

The appearance of the pirates had a surprising calming effect on the remaining passengers. They stopped screaming and running around. The question of the pirate leader was still hanging in the air as one of his men aimed his blaster at a group of aliens, Roy was surprised they knew his name while his mind raced to find a way to distract them long enough to do something.

Especially since the pirates had a robot. There was a sudden loud popping noise and out of nowhere Partner had arrived. Roy did not waste the opportunity The pirate aiming at the ugly aliens fired just as Partner had arrived, but his blaster shot hit the ceiling far above the heads of the ugly aliens, a steak knife was sticking out of his left eye socket, Roy had thrown the knife and simultaneously pulled his blaster, his Green Hell honed reaction speed was clearly apparent, as his TKU roared before the pirates could aim. This was no blaster with energy beams. This was a TKU and it fired bolts of superheated matter, and it had, despite the kinetic compensator, an enormous kick. His bolt hit the robot with the force of 20 tons kinetic energy per square centimeter and with over a million degrees. The robots entire torso was instantly vaporized into a spray of molten metal, showering two pirates close by.

Roy kept the trigger finger depressed and a bolt of his weapon severed the shooting arm of another pirate clean off. Tables and curtains started burning. The automatic fire depression system came on and green beams siphoned the energy from the fires. Roy threw himself forward as two blaster shots singed the air where his face has been a fraction of a moment earlier. He rolled over his shoulder, and into a crouching firing position. Partner tore like a living battering ram into the remaining pirates, again shrugging off blaster fire like water; its claws turned a quadruped pirate into gory pulp. Another managed to activate a force field but it flickered and collapsed after only two wipes of Partners claws. Roy had reached the completely overwhelmed pirate captain who simply had not anticipated such a fast and furious response. Roy held the still hot muzzle of his TKU inches before the pirates eyes. “I am Roy Masters. You tell all your men aboard to drop their weapons and surrender. I make this demand only once. Then I will shoot you and Partner and I will hunt the rest ourselves!”

Okkhmer glanced over to the black beast who just cracked his last man’s skull under massive paws and came towards him, Partners eyes glowed in the brightest red, energies sizzled between those short horns. These usually solid horns shone in a brilliant white light The pirate captain pushed a control on his belt and a force shield came on and sneered. “You almost had me!”

Roy visibly dialed the TKU to max. “Let’s see if your Force field withstands that!”

But before he could unleash the full power of his TKU which would not have been a good idea, a glistening beam cracked from Partners horns and the pirates personal force field collapsed while his Shield belt sizzled, smoked and melted to a clump.

Roy grinned cold. “Shouldn’t buy shield belts from Techno-Shack.”

Partner came closer opening its maw smeared with blood and pieces of flesh still clinging to chaffs and canines then Partner roared.

Roy grabbed the pirate by the throat.” You were saying?”

“My ship will open fire!”

“With you here?”

A passenger pointed at a view port. “Pirates your goose is cooked, the USS Devastator is here!”

All the threats and all the gruesome brutal actions of Roy and Partner did not have the same effect with the pirate than that! His eyes widened even more in sheer panic. “Oh shit!”

Roy gave the Pirate a rough shake and squeezed a little harder. “Never mind that, what did you want from me?”

The Pirate gargled and went limb. One of the ugly aliens approached. It was about two meters tall, had a somewhat humanoid body shape; bipedal, two arms and a head but that’s where the humanoid similarities ended. It’s head looked almost exactly like a fresh plugged and butchered chicken on top of their thin necks, complete with drumstick legs and fleshy little wings on the side. The eyes had the appearance of peeled onion bulbs stuck into the sides. The alien wore a long gown like garment in shimmering purples and silvers and his disturbingly ugly mouth, underneath the Onion bulb eyes opened and closed. “You have saved our lives. You saved my life! That shot was aimed at me!”

“It okay, Mr. Wurgus, I am sure you would have done the same.”

“No frankly not, at least not until now, it has the appearance that there are indeed humans who do not dislike us and even fight for us!”

Cara came over as well. “That was something, you and your animal fought like a platoon of Marines!”

“No, Ma’am. I would not dare to compare me with Marines. I did however have a good teacher who was one though. Do you know why they knew me?”

Before Cara could give Roy an answer, the Wurgus spoke but this time to Cara. “Your young human companion should have been with you as we had our talks. In the light of his actions and words, I will reconsider and I will rethink my objections to a Union Membership.”

She gave the unconscious pirate a strange look and the said. “Your Highness, as serious and tragic this situation was. I must say I am elated to hear you have changed your mind. However this young man is a civilian and not associated with me or my work.”

The Wurgus said. “He should be, we want him to be at our next meeting. He saved my life.”

Then the Wurgus turned to Roy and added: “You will be the first human welcome on Wurgus ships”

The rest of the passengers were glued to the view screen and a woman cheered. “Marines are here!” The Wurgus leader ignored it and continued moving his bulbous eyes to Cara. “I like him, he will be accepted and honored as Union Representative. I have said what needs to be said!”

Then he handed Roy a little dice like cube. “This is a Lontghk Token making you a honorary member of my Pod group.

Roy had dropped the unconscious Pirate and said. “Thank you, this is mighty nice of you Mr. Wurgus. You seem a nice person and after talking to you, you aren’t half as ugly as I thought!”

Cara gasped. Roy didn’t notice and added, “But then I bet my TKU you Wurgus probably think we humans are as ugly as sin!”

The Wurgus was quiet, looked at Roy, then a blubbering sound came out of the mouth and the Alien threw his head back and patted Roy’s shoulder. “Human you are straight and honest. No false compliments. You say it as it is, like a real Wurgus.”

The pirate stirred, but Partner put a paw on his chest and the man quit moving.

The Wurgus still had his hand on Roy’s shoulder. “I am Patriarch Sensitu of the Morlga Wurgus. Your Highness would be the proper address indeed, but not to you, You call me Mr. Wurgus anytime and I will feel delight.”

In all that chaos around them, the Wurgus engaged in a little social chat. Roy was eager to get some answers of his own but the Wurgus kept going and asked. “Do you think we should join your Union?”

Roy shrugged. “I don’t know, I am not a Wurgus. I guess you got to answer that question yourself and what is good for your folks.”

“But what do you think?”

Roy sighed and tried to remember what he had learned in Xeno Class. “I learned in school you are mighty good with suns but you don’t have a home planet anymore because you saved everyone’s asses when you made your own Sun go Supernova to stop the first Y’All invasion. Normally we should join you and say thanks and then make sure we find the nicest planet and give it to you. At least that seems fair to me”

Again there was silence, Roy hoped that this was the last of it, as he really wanted to sort things out.

The Wurgus however asked after a few silent moments. “You have never met a Wurgus before?”