Chapter 4: Tuesday - Sub-Decurion Anthony Chan

Sub-Decurion Chan sat in the office of Public Defender Alicia Sweetwater, reviewing the file in front of him. The chairs beside him were occupied by District Attorney Roger Allenby and FBI Agent Pam Watkins. The office's air conditioning was struggling to keep the Florida Panhandle heat at bay.

"Yes, I think I can help your client, but with his CAP score, that's going to prove somewhat challenging. We can discuss the option with him, but I'm not certain he'll want to take it."

"I don't know what his CAP score is," the Public Defender confessed.

"I have access to that data through our AI," he assured her. "Let's just say he's not a sponsor. Still, Mr. Becker has skills we need and doesn't have a criminal mentality, so we can spirit him away for you into the ultimate witness protection program."

"We'll need him to return to testify," worried Allenby.

"Your courts are able to accept testimony through remote feeds. We can make Mr. Becker available to testify at your convenience — in fact, we can make Mr. Becker testify at your convenience. There may be a time lag between question and answer, but none greater than a few minutes, and the answers we can guarantee will be complete and truthful."

Watkins sat there and kept her mouth shut. If Whitefeather's people could help the FBI by getting their witnesses the hell out of Dodge, she did not want to upset the applecart. The importance her bosses placed on this meeting was amply demonstrated by the fact she'd been flown down on an Air Force C-32A. Modified for VIP flight from the basic model Boeing 757, the fleet of six C-32 aircraft were usually used by the Vice President, First Lady and members of Congress. Right now, the aircraft Pam had been unceremoniously dumped into as sole passenger back in Washington was sitting with its 16 crew members at the runway at nearby Eglin Air Force Base, awaiting her return from the Public Defender's office. Someone had pulled some serious strings.

"I think that's acceptable," came a voice from the phone — Judge John Newton from the Court of Appeals, who was teleconferenced in.

"If the courts are amenable to Mr. Becker's extraction and his family, and the Federal Justice Department's representative for the Witness Protection Program has no objections, then let's start the ball rolling. Let me see how soon we can extract them. Just a second, please." Sub-Decurion Chan's visage became blank, recognizable by any who had seen its like before as sub-vocal communications with an AI.

"We'll need to confirm with Mr. Becker that he is amenable to being extracted as a concubine, along with his 'significant other'. We'll do a CAP retest to confirm he needs to be extracted as concubine rather than as a volunteer, and then get him and Ms. Clay to agree to our recommended sponsor."

"Can you tell us what colony you'll be sending them to?" Alicia queried anxiously.

"No, Ma'am. It's not good for security. Good security requires both clearance to that level of classification, and a 'need to know'. You really don't need to know where he went, just that you can ask us to produce him when the trial comes. Let's talk to him and his lady, shall we?"

Interrogation Room Three was as sterile as any interrogation room in any police precinct throughout the civilized world: solid metal chairs and table bolted to the floor, no windows except the one-way mirror to the observation room next door. Interrogation Room Seven was the same as this one, except as it held three rambunctious rug rats all under the age of six: five-year-old Rob, four-year-old Roy and two-year-old Rick. Sub-Decurion Chan directed the accompanying Fleet Auxiliary rating to set up the transporter nexus in Interrogation Room Seven and guard it with her life. He, the public defender, the DA and the FBI agent then proceeded to meet with Randolph Becker and Francine Clay.

Both Randy and Fran's eyes went wide when they saw the Sub-Decurion enter the room. The grey colour and black Sam Browne belt did remind them of the Pennsylvania State Troopers, except for the Prussian collar. It definitely bore no resemblence whatsoever to local police uniforms nor to the open neck shirts of light tan with dark epaulets that the Florida Highway Patrol wore. They had no idea what he represented.

Sub-Decurion Chan fished two electronic devices from his uniform pocket. "Mr. Becker, Ms. Clay, my card." He winked at them in a friendly manner. "We like to go for the high-tech style." As the devices planted instructions on their minds and inserted nanites into their bodies to reinforce those instructions, Chan made 'keep quiet' gestures at his compatriots. As the instructions were implanted, Chan considered the two potential concubines. Both were in their early 30's, but looked older, careworn and troubled. Fran Clay was tending toward stout, to be kind, in fact she was borderline morbidly obese, with straw-like hair that was badly in need of a higher quality conditioner than human technology on Earth currently possessed. Her common-law husband wore his hair short, and was a tall drink of water that a gentle breeze could snap in two. Both wore the same kind of guarded look as a mouse trapped between a cat's paws.

"I understand that the DA would like you to turn State's Evidence, but you've got some concerns."

"Well," Randy gulped, looking at his wife. He continued in a low voice, "I want them to get Fran and the kids extracted. I've made mistakes, but they shouldn't pay for them. And I definitely don't want my kids here when the Swarm arrives."

"I think we can help. Let me introduce myself. I'm Sub-Decurion Anthony Chan of the Confederacy Civil Service. We're the part of the Confederacy that deals with sponsors' dependants and concubines."

"Concubines?" Fran asked, a touch of trepidation in her voice.

"Yes, those adults with a CAP score of less than six point five. I understand you both have CAP scores less than that."

Both adults fished out their CAP cards. Chan put them into the reader, more to confirm that these were valid CAP cards in the hands of the legal holder than to confirm the CAP score. Randy had only hit a 4.1, dragged down mostly by insecurity and a non-aggressive nature, only partially offset by intelligence and loyalty. Fran managed 5.1, mostly due to nurturing skills and personal loyalty, with her lack of inventiveness and her sheep-like nature keeping her from being a sponsor.