Chapter 19: Dead Station

Three years teaching new marshals was both rewarding and frustrating. It ended just after the emperor stepped down and his granddaughter ascended to the throne. She was the one to swear the graduating class in. She had visited us many times while we were here. Sometime just to vent and try to get past my guard while sparing, other times it was to give advice or ask it.

I glanced at Amanda in her civilian clothes and smiled as she kept feeling her pelvis, “Still want to wait to have it moved to an artificial womb?”

She grinned and stuck out her tongue, “Yes.”

Dragon chirped and Cynthia poked her head out of Amanda’s bag. She looked up at her before looking at Dragon and answering. I grinned as Amanda snorted and started for the shuttle, “Come on.”

The empress had spent a full day with Amanda shopping somewhere and when they returned Amanda had changed her mind about children. Not only that but her grandfather was sending his doctor out to remove and place the embryo into the artificial womb. I glanced at marshal Skyler as she caught up, “And did his nibs tell you to guard her?”

She smiled sweetly, “And her majesty.”

Amanda shook her head, “Why?”

I grinned as we walked into the small private shuttle, “Did you see the empress when her dragon’s eggs hatched?”

She grinned as she took a seat, “It reminded me of us when ours hatches.”

I nodded and looked at Skyler, “I heard captain Michaels is retiring to be with his spouse.”

She laughed, “He spends hours playing with their twins.”

I sat beside Amanda and glanced at the copilot, “Samantha sent me a message that they are opening the womb for her third baby next week.”

Skyler was speaking with the copilot as Amanda glanced at me, “And how does Domino feel about another daughter?”

I grinned, “The oldest has him wrapped around her finger.”

When Skyler came back to sit we talked about something else. The trip to Kent did not take long on the small courier and then we were taking a shuttle down to the planet. By the time we walked out of the starport Skyler was more than ready to get back to her own station. The moment I walked through the doors of the Marshals building I knew something was wrong.

I shifted and held my hand out, “Get her out now!”

Skyler pulled Amanda back as I dropped my bag and moved into the room. I could see one foot sticking out from behind the guard desk, “Dragon.”

She leaped into the air towards the desk and I saw two dead guards through her eyes. I did not see wounds and slipped nose filters in before moving to the desk. I went around and squatted beside the bodies and examined them before I stood. I reached out and pressed a large red button on the desk and flashing red lights went off with loud sirens as the building was sealed.

I turned and started checking the courtrooms before using the stairs and going to the next level. This floor was for the guards and their offices. What I found was more dead ... a lot more. I used my comm and called the planet constable commander. When his comm was answered it was by an assistant, “Constable commander McBeth’s comm.”

I headed for the next floor, “This is marshal Morpheus. I need a full response at the marshals building.”

The man snorted, “Sorry marshal but that is your responsibility and our officers have a lot on their plate right now.”

I growled as I looked out at dead bodies in the hallway of the next floor, “Whoever the hell you are get me the constable commander now! You tell him marshal commander Morpheus wants a full response and if he is not here with it in ten minutes I am coming to shoot him for treason!”

I disconnected and called Amanda, “I am on the third floor and so far everyone is dead. You know where the safe houses are. Get to one and stay there until you hear from me.”

She growled, “I can...”

I cut her off, “Poison gas is still circulating through the building and you are pregnant.”

“Damn it Morpheus!”

I smiled as I started for the next floor, “See you later.”

While checking the floor I called the fleet base and the commander. Like the constables an assistant answered, “This is Lieutenant Murphy, the commander is busy right...”

I broke in, “This is marshal commander Morpheus. I need to speak with the commander now.”

The lieutenant cleared his throat, “I will have him call you back...”

I snapped, “Lieutenant I told you who I am. Now you find the commander and you give him the damn comm or I swear I will have you shot.”

It was a few moments before the commander came on, “Who the hell...”

I growled, “Shut up and listen commander before I relieve you. My name is Morpheus, marshal commander Morpheus. Now I am issuing a class three chem or bio alert and need the marshals building sealed and a containment field established. No one is to enter without a full containment suit. I need a decon unit at the front entrance as soon as possible. We are going to need a lot of body bags and your best medical examiner.”

I looked around the marshal floor at several dead and growled as I spun and headed for the stairs, “Everyone inside is dead.”

He was quiet when he answered, “I will send everyone marshal.”

I disconnected as I opened the door and started down. The crowd of constables outside the front door looked pissed as I came out the stairwell door and crossed the lobby. The commander moved to the door as if I would let him in. I stopped at the desk to shut the loud sirens off before moving to the door. I gestured, “Stand back, everyone in the building is dead. We have a level three chem or bio threat.”

The commander’s face went white, “When...”

I cut him off, “Seal off everything from the street in. Fleet is sending people to seal the building and decon but you need to make sure no civilian gets close.”

He nodded and turned to start barking orders. I went back to the desk and accessed the comm and then made a call on the star comm. It was a minute before commissioner Alexander appeared. He smiled but I shook my head, “The station on Kent is dead. I will be recalling all marshals from the satellite stations. This might be a direct attack against imperial authority.”

He straightened, “I will let the empress know. She might want to send one of the fleets in just in case.”

He hesitated, “Amanda?”

I smiled, “Safe but not happy.”

He smiled and then straightened, “Find who did this and bring them in.”

The star comm ended and I turned to look out the lobby windows. It took six hours to seal the building and then decon each floor and remove the bodies. By then I knew what poison had been used and knew Dragon and I were immune. All the marshals assigned had been recalled and I was reviewing all security vids. I found the single maintenance man that had carried a long tank of something in.

It was the same tank the fleet decon team had found as the source of the poison. I was running the building bio scan data when the constable commander stepped into the tent. I glanced at him and turned, “Time for us to speak commander.”

He stiffened as he crossed the floor, “You do not command the constables on this planet.”

I nodded, “Normally you are correct but you as their commander know under what situation that is not true. Marshals do not and have not wanted to do your job. We do not want to oversee you or tell you how to do your job. However there are times when we must command and you as subjects of the empire are required to obey.”

I looked at the comp when it stopped with the identity of the suspect, “You and your constables have a hard enough job without becoming aggressive with the marshals or turning into traitors. We support you whenever you ask and expect the courtesy returned.”

He cleared his throat, “It does not seem that way with all the marshals spread out to different systems.”

I looked at him, “And has the marshals here not been able to do what was asked or expected of them?”

He blinked and finally shook his head, “No.”

I downloaded the data to my comp and stood, “Than we are agreed. We both serve the people and help each other.”

He smiled and nodded and I started for the door, “Dragon.”

She leaped from the small folding table and flew to land on my shoulder as I stepped out of the tent. I nodded to the commando beside the door, “Let the commander know I have an ID on a suspect. As soon as your people are done they can return to the base. Let them know I said thank you and will send a few cases of ale.”

He grinned, “Thanks sir.”

I snorted as I started walking, “Just marshal.”

I took a marshal vehicle to the city work yard and set down in the restricted area by the gate. I walked in and headed to the office and a pretty woman stood as I opened the door. She frowned at Dragon on my shoulder as I crossed to the counter and set my badge on it, “I need the location of city worker Dolan Edward Algorson.”

She looked at the badge and turned to a comp terminal, “Just a second constable.”

I waited until she looked at me, “He is working in shop four. I can have security bring him up or...”

I turned, “I am a marshal not a constable and I will get him myself.”

I stopped at the door and looked back, “If you contact him and warn him I am coming you will face the death chamber with him.”

Her face went white as I left and walked around the office and headed into the complex. At least each large shop had very large numbers that could be seen clearly. When I stepped into the shop there were a dozen men working on machinery. Dragon leaped into the air as several turned to watch. I walked deeper into the shop and searched for the man I had come for.

I found him in the back using a laser welder. I glanced at the men following me with large wrenches in their hands and kept moving. When I reached Algorson he glanced up and then past me. I shook my head, “Put the welder down and your hands up.”

He grinned, “Why?”

I shifted slightly, “Because if you do not I will shoot you in both shoulders before I break your legs.”

I pulled my weapon and brought it up to point at one of the men moving towards me, “Interfere with me and I will kill you.”

He froze and licked his lips, “You can not kill all of use.”