‘Not
much of a base,’
Dar thought, trying to divide his attention between flying the ship, looking out
the forward window and concentrating on Rishana Hagen. He had practiced for
almost a day how to think in a way that told her he wanted that particular
thought read. With her reluctance to get into anyone’s head uninvited it
didn’t always work, but this time he broadcasted his intentions clear enough.
‘Looks
like a couple of huge cargo containers dropped in the middle of nowhere,’
Rishana’s voice sounded in his head.
The
Bolian turned his full attention to the landing. Kendall was in the lounge at
the Hawk’s rear, so there was little risk in speaking out. “I think that’s
exactly what they are. The colony transports probably couldn’t land on Talkha,
but with the low gravity of this moon they had no trouble dropping their cargo
here. Transferring cargo to smaller shuttles must have been a lot easier on this
moon than in zero-gee and the big containers remained behind.”
The
Betazoid likewise used her voice to continue the conversation. “And now they
have converted the containers to housing.” She studied the Hawk’s
sensors. “I am reading three ships down there that must be privateers. Then
there are two shuttles, likely Talkhan ships. Close to one hundred life forms,
about half of them humans. Let’s assume a crew of twenty for each of the
raiders and about thirty-five base personnel.”
“Sounds
about right.” Dar Enikal slowed the ship to a leisurely approach to a landing
pad close to the largest building. “Anything else?”
“Just
one thing. This place doesn’t look to be equipped for major shipbuilding or
maintenance work. If the Talkhans brought in large quantities of weapons to
outfit the privateers, they are not doing the modifications here.”
Dar
set the Hawk down on the landing field and shut off the engines. “Not a
bad landing,” Rishana commented.
“I
am not a pilot by training, but I am still a Starfleet officer,” Enikal
replied without inflexion. “Or at least I was until a few seconds ago.” He
rose and held his arm in Rishana’s direction. “Now, shall we go, my dear
Risha?”
*****
Major
Kendall held open the door for his guests. ‘The
very model of a courteous officer,’ Lafayette thought as he followed Morin
Vados and his Orion companion, holding out his hand to stop the door from
slamming into his face. Kendall had let go of it just in time to hit Lafayette. ‘Too
bad he is such a predictable asshole.’ The privateer felt like grinning
and so he did.
Kendall
steered Vados straight through the common room towards one of the rear doors
opposite the main entrance. “Mr. Vados, if you don’t mind I would like to
begin our negotiations as soon as possible. My office should provide us with all
the privacy we need.”
‘His
office,’
André Lafayette mentally repeated and frowned. The small briefing room was
shared by all the Talkhan observers, but now that Kendall had been tasked to
negotiate with Vados it suddenly was all his. For a second the privateer
wondered if Kendall’s colleagues shared his disgust for the ostentatious
major, but then someone caught his eye and he wandered away from the small
group.
“Kapitän
Hartmann, I thought you would be on another mission by now.” He extended his
arm to his colleague.
Hartmann
gripped Lafayette’s hand. “Just a bit of routine maintenance on my ship.
Once that is dealt with I’ll be on my way. Shouldn’t take more than a few
hours.” He let go of Lafayette’s hand who flexed his fingers behind his back
to get the blood flowing again. “Say,” the Kapitän asked, “who are our
visitors?”
“See
that Bolian? That’s Morin Vados.” Before Hartmann had a chance to ask,
Lafayette added: “Yes, the one and only. And no, I have no idea what the
Talkhans want of him.”
“That
is not what I was about to ask. What I am much more interested in is who
Vados’s beautiful companion is.”
Lafayette
eyed the Orion who was exchanging a few hushed words with Vados, before the
Bolian and Kendall made for the briefing room. The young woman casually looked
around the large room for a moment, then she followed the two men.
“I’ll
introduce you as soon as possible,” Lafayette offered.
*****
Dar
Enikal looked around the small briefing room. It was at best a makeshift affair.
Cables ran all across the floor, linking the computer terminal to the
communications unit, connecting both to a power output that looked like an
accident waiting to happen. Nothing in the whole base looked like it was meant
to last very long, a thought he filed away in his memory for later scrutiny.
“Is
there anything I can offer you?” Major Kendall asked.
“No,
not at the moment,” Morin Vados replied. “Why don’t we just get down to
business?”
Kendall
took a seat at the other end of the table. “Very well. What you must
understand is that I am not authorized to finish any deal. I am only here to
tell you our requirements and find out if you can deliver what we need. If I
determine that you can, someone else will take over for me.”
“I
see.” Vados bobbed his head ever so slightly. “What is it you need?”
The
Talkhan officer cracked his knuckles. “There is one thing we should talk about
first. My superiors are a bit worried about your well-timed arrival here, at a
time when we need your services most. As it happens I share that concern.”
Kendall’s voice turned cold and his eyes narrowed to small slits. “Tell me,
is it only coincidence that you were passing by our system only hours ago?”
His right moved towards the edge of the desk, closer to the sidearm on his belt.
“No,
of course not.” Morin Vados leaned forward, his folded hands on the table
clearly visible to the Talkhan officer.
“My
business may be buying and selling, but making a profit in my line of business
all depends on knowing where and when to buy or sell.” He smiled at his host.
“I knew that your people wanted to buy and I knew who was selling to you. I
have certain sources who indicated your supply had just dried up, so it was only
natural that I seized the opportunity to offer my services. Coincidence had
nothing to do with it.”
Kendall
slightly relaxed, but his eyes were glued to the Bolian’s face. “If you knew
all that I would bet that my superiors will be very interested to gain access to
your informants. I am certain you could make a nice profit selling us a bit of
information, besides your usual... commodities.”
Vados
laughed out loud. When he had recovered from the sudden outburst he waggled a
finger at Kendall. “Oh no. That kind of information is worth more than you can
probably afford. But let’s not dwell on that. Let us talk about how I may be
able to provide for your more immediate needs.”
*****
"That
was quick," Lafayette remarked.
"We
are not done. Your Major Kendall received a call he wanted to take in
private," Morin Vados replied.
"He
sure isn't my major." When he had
managed to fight down the edge in his voice André added: "One of my
colleagues is eager to meet you." As Vados nodded his agreement Lafayette
gestured for Hartmann to join them. "Mr. Vados, Kapitän Hartmann."
Both
men shook hands and exchanged a "pleased to meet you", before Hartmann
turned towards Risha. "Pray tell Mr. Vados, who is your lovely
companion?"
"Captain
Hartmann, meet my associate, Risha."
Hartmann
surprised everyone with a deep bow and brought Risha's hand close to his lips.
"Walter Hartmann. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Risha."
"Now,
if you will please excuse me, Captain Hartmann," Vados said. "I am a
bit hungry and would like to use this break in my negotiations with Major
Kendall to get something to eat."
"Yes,
of course," the privateer replied without taking his eyes of Risha's face.
Vados
lightly touched the Orion's arm. "Why don't you take some time off to
relax, my dear. You must be tired from our journey." Before she had a
chance to reply he turned to Lafayette. "I assume one can get a decent meal
around here, Captain?"
"Oh
sure. This place may not look like much, but with so many different people
around we take care to offer something for every taste. Just follow me." He
pointed at a door behind the bar and lead the way.
Kapitän
Hartmann put on his most charming smile "I hope you won’t think of me as
being too bold, but now that your employer has left you all to yourself, perhaps
you would like to join me for a drink?"
Risha
looked to Morin Vados who had stopped by the door and met her gaze. 'Have you set the camera?' she
asked.
'Yes,
encrypted burst transmission to the Hawk
every two hours. Be there on time for the first transmission.'
'I
will,'
Risha thought back before turning to Hartmann "I would love to."
*****
Risha
was still nursing her first drink while Hartmann had just started on his third.
"What I can't understand is what someone like you is doing in a place like
this. Such an urbane man like you, you just don't belong in such a rough
place."
"Ach,
we all have to make the best of the circumstances we find ourselves in.
Circumstances that we often have little choice about I might add." Hartmann
ran his fingers along his receding hairline and drew a face.
Risha
showed him her most charming smile. "I am sure your luck will turn for the
better soon."
"I
wish I was as confident of that as you are." Hartmann sighed and took a
small sip from his glass.
"You
should be. Morin never deals in small quantities. Usually that means an
expanding operation. I think that would mean a more permanent base for you
instead of this makeshift affair. Don’t you?"
The
privateer raised his glass at her before taking another sip. After a moment of
silence he said, "are you trying to get me drunk, so I tell you what I know
about the Talkhan's plans?"
Risha
sharply sucked in a lungful of air before she got her surprise under control.
When she did, she opened her mind to the emotions around her. She had never
honed her empathic abilities much, but the emotions she picked up from Hartmann
were clear enough - calmness and curiosity. She thought about it for several
seconds, but the lack of any hostility in the privateer's emotions helped her
make up her mind fast.
"Yes,
that's the general idea. Gathering information for Morin is one of my primary
tasks. Does it work?"
"It
would have, had I not suspected as much," Hartmann replied. “I have met
quite a few Bolians and all of them expressed amorous desire only in people of
their own species. Vados could be the exception to the rule, but going by his
reputation I would say all he is interested in is business. That left valet,
bodyguard, or informant. A valet would stay more in the background and a
bodyguard would wear more practical shoes.”
“I
knew the shoes were a bit too much, but it was hardly my idea.” Risha
shrugged. “If you want to take the pay you have to take the orders. I guess
you know that yourself.”
"Yes.
Now that you mention it, how much longer do you think you will be in Mr. Vados's
employ?"
"I
am not sure. A few more months, maybe a year. Life on his base can be pretty
dull at times, so Morin likes to change his associates from time to time,
just to have some change. Why?"
"Can
you keep a secret if it will not affect your employer's business and may open up
a lucrative opportunity for you in the future?"
Risha
crossed her legs and leaned closer to Hartmann. "If it will not affect my
contract with Vados I might be interested. Especially if your information helps
him strike a favorable deal here. I get paid a bonus, depending on the value of
the information I can provide, you know."
Hartmann
took another sip from his glass before he too, leaned closer and lowered his
voice to a whisper. "I want out of the privateering business, but if I want
to set myself up as an independent businessman I need information, contacts,
clients. When your contract with Vados expires you get me all the information
you can find and it should pay off nicely. We could even become partners. In
return I will tell you everything I know about the comings and goings on this
base and all I know about the Talkhan operation, of course provided Vados never
learns how you got this information."
*****
‘Has
anyone been here?’
‘No.
I checked all the sensors twice. No one tried to board the Hawk
in our absence, but feel free to check for yourself.’
Dar
did just that, first studying the internal sensors, then retrieving the
tricorder he had hidden in one of the maintenance ducts and studying the display
closely, before he was satisfied that he could speak with Rishana in complete
privacy. “So, did you learn anything from Captain Hartmann?”
“You’d
be surprised.” She told him about her conversation with the privateer and
recapped the human’s reasons for wanting out of his current occupation.
“Hartmann has been in this business for too long. He knows he is good at it,
even if he never stressed that point, but a part of him thinks he’s so far
only survived on luck. He wants to get out before his luck deserts him. He has a
good reputation among privateers and mercenaries and building on that and the
information he hopes Risha can provide, he wants to set himself up as a broker
for mercenary services.”
“Not
a bad plan. What did he tell you about the Talkhans?”
“A
lot.” Rishana closed her eyes and tried to recall every detail the human had
mentioned. “The privateers’ contracts are up for review in four weeks. At
that time the Talkhans can terminate the contracts or prolong them as they
please. A lot of the loot the raiders are bringing in is loaded into the Talkhan
shuttles and shipped out, but Hartmann is positive none of it ever left this
moon. The Ferengi have been here at least twice during the last six weeks, but
they never approached Talkha, both times entering an orbit around this moon for
an hour or two and then leaving as fast as they came.”
She
opened her eyes and looked at her Bolian colleague. “And once Hartmann heard
the Talkhan officers talk about something they referred to as the Alpha Site. He
is certain they weren’t talking about the privateer base, but what this Alpha
Site is he doesn’t know.”
“I
see. So the Talkhans are hoarding weapons and loot somewhere on this very
moon.” Dar Enikal pinched his nose and frowned. “They wouldn’t call it
Alpha if that place wasn’t of more importance to them than this base here.
They are planning something big, that’s for sure. Did you have time to review
our surveillance of Kendall’s com briefing?”
“Yes.
I think it confirms a lot of what you just said, but see for yourself.”
Rishana played the surveillance record and the more Dar listened, the more he
started to worry.
*****
“Sir!”
Kendall stood to attention the second the monitor came to life.
“At
ease, Major, at ease.” Minister Novak made a small casual gesture and Kendall
relaxed a little. “And do sit down Kendall or at least adjust your
monitor pick-up. I hate looking at your stomach all the time.”
“Yes,
sir. I am sorry, sir.” The major sat down and for a moment Novak just enjoyed
the uneasiness of his subordinate.
“You
have made contact with Vados?” Just waiting long enough for the major to nod
his head Novak went on. “Very well. I would negotiate with him myself, but
unfortunately I can’t leave Altassa at the moment, so you will handle things
at the Beta Site. Now listen carefully.”
“What
we still need are mines. I don’t care how smart or dumb their targeting
systems are, as long as they can do some serious damage. And we still need
jamming equipment. Again I don’t care what type you can get, as long as you
get some. Cheap systems in large quantities to saturate an area or a few
high-tech toys that each cover a larger area, it makes no difference. After that
go by the priorities on the list you already have.”
“I
understand, sir.”
“I
hope you do, because we don’t have any room for mistakes. Tretyak is getting a
little too nervous and may start to spill the beans to the Federation if we
don't take swift and decisive action. We will have to advance our time-table as
much as possible.” Novak’s eyes narrowed and his steely gaze held
Kendall’s eyes like a snake starring down a rabbit. “Make one mistake and
everything could fall apart. Procure the resources we need. I can’t offer you
unlimited funds, but everything we have is at your disposal. Just make the best
of it, but remember where these resources come from. Don’t fail me or we will
all suffer the consequences.”
The
screen went blank and Kendall swallowed hard. What was it humans had once called
the situation he now found himself in? ‘Between
a rock and a hard place.’ If only they had known how it was being caught
between a politician and his pocketbook they would have coined a different
phrase.
*****
"Novak,
the Talkhan Minister of Defense. Interesting," Dar said. “Anything
else?”
“Not
much,” Rishana replied. “After that, Kendall studied files on his computer.
Most of the time he was between the camera and the screen, but what little I
have seen looked like a list of military hardware.”
When
Dar replied with just a grunt Rishana asked: "How did your negotiations
with the Major go?"
"Once
he picked up speed going through his shopping list I couldn’t get a word in
edgewise, so I decided to buy some time after he ran out off steam." Dar
leaned back in his seat and rubbed his forehead. "I flooded Kendall with so
many options and technical details that he was happy to agree when I suggested I
would provide him with a detailed list of weapons and prices to peruse at his
leisure. The data the Malinche sent us and my own knowledge of weapon
systems should be good enough to improvise something convincing."
“How
long do you have to come up with that list?”
“Oh,
I told him I would have it ready as soon as possible, which will be a lot later
than he would like. Writing that catalogue should take me about two or three
hours to get it right, but after that I intend to get some sleep. The more
Kendall has to sweat, the more nervous - and hopefully talkative - he should
become.”
“Anything
I can do to help you with that catalogue?”
Dar
Enikal shook his head. “No. Try to get some more from Hartmann and try to
confirm his information from other sources. The Major dropped a few rather
disparaging remarks about the privateers during our meeting. If you play on that
underlying conflict you might get something from Lafayette. It’s obvious he
and Kendall don’t get along well, but Lafayette was more interested in talking
about Vados than himself during our lunch.”
“I’ll
try my best, but we had a lucky break with Hartmann. I don’t expect our luck
to continue forever.”
“Neither
do I, but in that case we will just have to work a bit harder to gather the
intelligence we need.” The Bolian flashed her an encouraging smile. “But why
don’t you get some sleep first? We have both been up for quite some time and
if you leave the Hawk as soon as I enter it, it won’t help project the
impression we want everyone to get.”
*****
When
Risha entered the common room it was nearly empty. The few privateers who
congregated in the far corner greeted her with whistles and shouts and motioned
her towards their table, but she ignored them for now, making her way to the bar
instead.
For
nearly two days she had tried to get some information from the privateers and
the Talkhans and playing her role was starting to get tiresome. Hartmann had
been a valuable source of information, but apart from him no one else seemed to
care much about what was really going on. The privateers were just happy to have
landed a steady job and the Talkhans were just following orders. Perhaps the new
arrivals had some useful information, but Rishana strongly doubted it. ‘Oh
what the heck. If I really was someone like Risha I’d just enjoy myself,
wouldn’t I?’
Maybe
Dar would get lucky with Kendall. He had stalled him so long, worked him up
close to throwing a fit that the Talkhan might actually divulge some useful
information, but until that happened Rishana still had her part to play.
Armed
with a mug of coffee she let her eyes wander around the large room, but there
was little to see apart from chairs and tables. The style was all different, but
the feel of the place reminded her of a holonovel she had once played, something
the humans called a Western. ‘Oh well, I
am here to gather information, not admire the furniture,’ she reminded
herself and sauntered towards the privateers gathered in the corner.
Half
an hour later Rishana was running out of playful retorts to the not so subtle
advances of her hosts. ‘Like a very
realistic holonovel,’ she mentally quoted herself and fought down a frown.
‘Like hell.’ At least she had learned a few things about men –
a scantily clad woman handling a long wooden object in a suggestive fashion had
the same effect on almost every humanoid male regardless of their species. Not
that that knowledge had done her any good so far.
Just
as the Mirardorn standing behind her leaned closer again to guide her hands in
another of his not very helpful Dom-jot lessons, a door behind the bar opened
and André Lafayette and the Orion who had tended the bar every evening entered
the common room.
Risha
leaned against the gaming table and half-turning held the cue between herself
and the Mirardorn who had insisted on teaching her the game. “Will you hold
this for me, please? I really need another coffee.” Rishana forced a wide smile on her lips as she went on. “Morin has
kept me up so long last night, I am just too tired for your game.”
Without
waiting for an answer Risha pushed the cue into the Miradorn’s hands and made
for the bar. Lafayette and his Orion companion had settled down at the counter
with some breakfast, but Risha ignored them until she had reached the replicator.
“I
hope you don’t mind me helping myself to some coffee.”
“No,
of course not,” Lafayette replied. “Why don’t you join me and Shadira for
breakfast?” He gestured towards a stool at his side.
“I’d
be delighted,” Risha said and carried her cup to the chair on Lafayette’s
left as Shadira sat down on the privateer’s right.
“I
am sorry we can’t offer you more hospitality than this makeshift base,” André
Lafayette remarked in Orion.
“Oh,
that’s okay. I don’t expect to be her for very long anyway,” Risha replied
in Federation Standard.
André
put down his mug and shook his head disapprovingly. “You don’t have to use a
foreign language. I know enough Orion to understand you in your native
tongue.”
“Perhaps,”
Risha said, still using Federation Standard, “but Morin wants me to use
Standard as much as I can and while he isn’t here he still is my employer, so
I follow his orders. I guess in a way my situation isn’t too different from
yours, Captain. I follow Morin’s orders and you follow Kendall’s orders.”
André
nearly swallowed the wrong way and coughed. “We have to do what we have to,”
he managed before he coughed some more.
Rishana
opened herself to the emotions around her, trying her best to ignore the
privateers in the far corner of the room. Shadira was difficult to read, but
Lafayette clearly broadcasted his hostility for Kendall.
“You
know,” Risha carefully said, “many people here are not what I expected.
Morin usually deals with revolutionaries, politicians, or military officers like
Kendall only, but people like Hartmann and you...”
She
took a sip of coffee and looked at Lafayette’s reflection in the mirror behind
the bar. “It’s odd how different you are from the people you work for.“
Lafayette
frowned, but quickly got his expression under control. “Out here two things
will keep you alive, wealth and success. If I can get both at the same time
that’s fine by me.”
“I
know what you mean,” Risha said. “Right now I’d rather be someplace else,
but I do what I have to do to get what I want.” She took another sip from her
cup and shrugged. “Oh well, this place is bound to change soon. Perhaps I’ll
like it more then.”
“What
do you mean?”
“It’s
not really my business, but the Talkhans are buying more weapons than they will
ever need, so I guess they want to upgrade your ships soon.” Risha took
another sip of coffee. “That means they will retain you quite a while, so an
upgrade of this base would make sense too, don’t you think?”
André
Lafayette leaned close to Shadira and whispered something in her ear Risha
didn’t get, but the Orion rose immediately and headed for the door behind the
bar, leaving her untouched breakfast behind.
‘Now
it gets interesting,’
Rishana thought as she studied Lafayette’s worried expression in the mirror.
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5
Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12
