Deputy Morpheus - Cover

Deputy Morpheus

Copyright© 2020 by Ka Hmnd

Chapter 7: A Bad Marshal

I glanced up as the room quieted and looked at the doorway to see a slim man. He glanced around and walked through the desks towards my end of the room. I looked at the commander when he walked out but the man that had to be a marshal stopped in front of my desk, “My name is Gunder Smith from the marshal auditors office.”

I sat back and smiled, “How can I help you?”

He shifted slightly and I drew my weapon. He froze with a small weapon half out of his sleeve. He licked his lips, “I should have warned you.”

He slowly finished pulling the weapon and set it on my desk, “Have you seen one of these before?”

I put my weapon away and ignored Dragon as she leaped from her stand to my shoulder. I glanced at the weapon before looking at auditor Smith, “Yes.”

He nodded, “Would you make one?”

I smiled and pulled Dragon onto my lap, “No.”

He tilted his head, “Even if the emperor asked?”

I grinned, “If he asked ... in person I would consider it.”

He frowned and glanced around, “How many others know how to make one?”

I thought about it, “Maybe three.”

Smith sighed, “We need the names.”

I touched my comm and input an address and a moment later a small holo appeared. I smiled slightly, “I am sorry to disturb you commissioner Drake. I have a marshal auditor named Smith here with a cell disruptor. He has questioned me about making one for the emperor and wants the names of the others that have the knowledge to do it.”

The commissioner sighed, “Let the auditor know we already have the names. He is to turn over any and all information on the case he is working on to you. This is now your only case Morpheus, from his majesty’s mouth to your ears. You work it alone with the emperor’s seal.”

I looked at a surprised Smith as the commissioner’s holo vanished, “What type of case?”

His lips thinned, “We have suspicions that a marshal has gone bad.”

I ignored the murmuring in the room, “The file?”

He pulled a small data chip and set it on the table, “This is the only file.”

I nodded and continued to look at him, “Tell me what is not in it?”

He sighed and looked down for a minute before looking at me, “Do you know the Polic system?”

I smiled slightly, “Everyone knows the Polic system. It is one of the richest systems in the empire.”

He nodded, “First there was a minor discrepancy in the accounting department and then we believe several escaped prisoner names were deleted from the data net.”

I glanced around as a few of the marshals around us hissed. I leaned forward and picked up the data chip before grabbing my ready bag beside the desk. I shrugged at Amanda, “Destroy the weapon.”

She nodded and I started walking for the door. I did not bother stopping at dispersing and took a public vehicle to the starport. I used a public kosik and used my private account to purchase a ticket to Polic. I relaxed in the first class lounge and held Dragon as I thought about what I had to do. I pulled my comp and touched a button to isolate it before slipping the data chip into the slot.

I started reading and understood why Smith had the weapon. It was more then twelve hours before the liner heading out started boarding. I went up on the first shuttle and went straight to the jump room to wait. It was a long time before the crew and passengers began coming in. After we jumped I was up and walking out as others clung to their seats or were sick.

I left my bag in a nice suite and went to the first class lounge. It was a week before I transferred to the liner heading to Polic. I took the first shuttle down and walked through the crowed port. I used public transport to take me across the huge city. When the vehicle stopped in front of the marshals building I walked straight to the front doors and touched my badge to the door plate as I walked through.

I accessed the building secure data banks to find the location of all the marshals. I ignored the guards as they started for me and locked out all the marshal floors. I glanced at a guard, “No one leaves unless I authorize it.”

She swallowed, “Your name marshal?”

I started for the lifts, “Morpheus.”

I walked off the lift to the murmuring of twice as many marshals than I was used to and Dragon shifted and flexed her wings. The room quieted as they turned to look at me. I glanced around, “My name is Morpheus and this station is now quarantined. There will be no transmissions out and no one will leave.”

A marshal commander stepped out the door to his office, “That is my decision marshal.”

I glanced at him, “Not this time. Every marshal here or assigned here is now under my command. If you like I will have the emperor tell you personally.”

I looked around, “Before I leave one of you will be going to the death chamber.”

They looked at each other as I set my bag on a desk and walked to the commander, “I will start with you.”

He backed up and I followed him into his office. Dragon leaped and glided out to a desk outside the office as I gestured to a chair, “Sit.”

He just looked at me and I shifted before striking. He folded and dropped as I bent to lift his weapon and tilt his head, “I said sit.”

He glared as he tried to catch a breath and finally moved to the side and sat in a chair. I tossed his weapon onto the desk and walked around behind him, “One of the marshals here is bad. Not only have they allowed escaped prisoners to go free. They have stolen funds from dispersing.”

I pushed the tiny needle into his neck and walked back in front of him. I looked into his face, “One of you has also accessed my restricted and classified records and used some of the information to build a cell disruptor.”

He was frozen but his eyes flickered and I smiled, “Now I will ask one question and you will answer. Are you the bastard I want?”

He licked his lips and croaked, “No.”

I looked at him for a minute before reaching out to remove the needle, “It will take a few minutes to wear off.”

I waited until he shuddered and glared at me before shrugging, “You are a marshal. Now are you going to interfere or help?”

He continued to look at me, “How do you know it is...”

I waved my hand, “You know auditors better than me. The theft came from this building. The data net corruption deleting the prisoners names came from the marshals on this floor. My sealed file was access by one of the marshals assigned here.”

He looked towards the door and finally nodded, “What do you want me to do?”

I smiled, “Nothing. I will bring each marshal in here and ask my question.”

The commander frowned, “This is not standard and the court might...”

I waved, “When whoever it was accessed my file he accessed more than just my information. This is now a violation of imperial secrets.”

He blinked, “That is a...”

He nodded, “Whatever you need.”

I gestured to his desk and turned to walk back to the door. Dragon was by my bag and standing on her back legs as three marshals hesitated in passing her. My hands twisted and I flicked my wrist. The men screamed as they fell and I looked around, “You have a choice, cooperate or all of you will be confined and imprisoned.”

I walked to the men and knelt to pull the tiny darts out, “You were told not to leave.”

I pulled one up and pushed him towards the commander’s office. I turned as a marshal pulled a weapon and pointed it at me, “I think you are the one that will be going to prison.”

I smiled and turned to face him fully, “That makes this easier.”

Dragon was suddenly landing on his shoulder and biting. The marshal froze and I walked to him and took the weapon before touching a vial to his throat. He shifted and shuddered as his eyes flickered. I stuck a needle into his throat and waited as he tried to move. The other marshals in the room stirred as I patted his cheek, “Are you the back stabbing bastard I want?”

His eyes flicked and he croaked, “Yes.”

I smiled, “Who else is bad?”

He shivered, “No one.”

I nodded, “What did you do with the information you stole?”

He continued to shiver and shake, “Sold it.”

I sighed, “That is it, make it hard. Who did you sell it to?”

He began to shudder with strain, “Boss Crip.”

I ignored the marshals hiss of anger, “Who paid you to erase the prisoners names?”

His shudders were becoming trembling seizures, “Ser Jenkins.”

I reached out to pull the needle out and glanced at the closest marshal, “Strip him and put him in a cell. He is not to speak with anyone.”

I looked around as Dragon leaped and glided to my shoulder, “Now I want volunteers to bring Ser Jenkins in.”

The room shifted and stepped closer. I smiled and turned to the closest data interface. I unlocked the building and contacted the security. I turned and glanced around, “Why are you still here? We have an asshole that corrupted a marshal and paid to keep prisoners free.”

They all started for the lifts as the commander chuckled from his doorway. I glanced at him, “Where can I find Boss Crip?”

He pursed his lips, “We get updates for known criminals from the constables. I think the last on Boss Crip was in the underground but we do not have an imperial warrant for him.”

I touched the data interface, “Commissioner Drake.”

It was several moments before the star comm holograph appeared and I could see the emperor behind the commissioner, “Yes?”

I smiled, “I have the marshal. I sent the others to bring in the person that bought the prisoners freedom. We have another problem though, he sold the info to a person call Boss Crip. I will have a judge issue a warrant and go after him but the weapon information may have gotten out.”

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