Chapter 11

Dead, yeah right. I didn’t believe Shin Tsuro to be dead if they paid me. Either he managed to escape or he struck some sort of deal with the Counter spook service. While I had my money on the second possibility, either way, wasn’t good enough for me. That sun-baked goon would not have the last laugh.

Now, my friend here is your next lesson. This time the prey is much more cunning and just might even have government help. I needed to find out if he did accept a deal.

That chrome skinned Intel officer was way to fast on the scene for being there by accident.

I went straight to the next public library and to the desk of the OOCA, I knew I would find there.

Well, I am sure this is one thing I don’t have to explain to you, right? Office of Citizen affairs? Ah well, I might have to explain it anyway, since you might wonder what I would do in a Library. Any Union colony of this size has a public library. It has to do with the Freedom of Education and Information act stipulating that every Union citizen must have access to free info and all tools to further his or her education. The libraries have as you know, or as you should know have a librarian who is also an Office of Citizen Affairs officer. In the case of the library of Blisterbahl Green, it was the many times’ size reduced Avatar projection of a Bandrupo. The only vaguely human-shaped being was very friendly and after it had greeted me, I came right to the point.”I am here to complain about the post office employee of Gullster’s paradise. The postmaster has shot and killed an Andorian and has been apprehended by Union police on Blisterbahl Green for unrelated espionage and clandestine activities. As a citizen, I demand to see the police report.” I transferred a copy of the signed incident report, Tsuro had given me.

I had the great fortune that this was a Bandrupo. While any librarian would have taken my complaint and sent it to appropriate entities, a Bandrupo was not only the largest known planet-bound life form and of mountain size. While their size limited them in many ways, there was hardly a species taking the concept of citizenship more serious.

“One moment Citizen Marifou. I am in contact with the Investigation Department of the Union Post Office and Police headquarters. You are correct, there are inconsistencies. Your complaint has created an official OOCA investigation.” The Bandrupo gave me a case reference and promised a follow up as soon as possible.

I grinned as I left the library. That would stir up things nicely. If they thought I was an uninformed joker who would take the word of a spook, they banked on the wrong ideas. As I mentioned, I am a lawful Union citizen. Captain Pulzier quoted Citizen rights and duties, well he had to learn that I paid attention in Union school.

I decided to visit the knowledgeable Plato one more time, just to make sure I covered the other possibility, of Tsuro being on the run on his own that is.

Leaving the world on a construction material freighter was out for a while, but there was always a way if you had the money and found a good connector. Maybe Lun could point in the right direction. After all, he had done so before.

I needed to check on my Angel’s wing anyway as I wanted to see if the police had delivered the Monoflash for me as they had said they did.

Sure enough, the Monoflash was sitting there before my ship. The speeder was crusted thick with dead bugs and sported a thin coat of slimy green algae.

Before I had a chance to use the call box and ask for Lun, the canopy of my Monoflash folded back and I stared into the business end of a Shiss blaster.”I don’t have time for pleasantries, Mr. Marifou. I need to get off-planet and you will provide that service. Open that ship of yours, now!”

He waved the ugly, but quite potent Ion based weapon with an impatient move.

“So you didn’t fall to your death after all.”

“Neither did you.”

“Fooling a telepath might come in handy for me. You wouldn’t share how you did that?”