The Genius Asylum: Sic Transit Terra Book 1 (24 page)

Chapter 39

Drew and
Ruby stepped out of tube cars on opposite sides of AdComm, and O’Malley joined them a couple of minutes later. Somebody had gathered all the chairs and arranged them in a semi-circle in front of the station manager’s desk. As expected, none of the mission team were sitting yet. Drew glanced around, feeling momentarily buoyed by the sight of their beaming faces. Well, most of them. Holchuk stood off by himself, arms crossed, his expression inscrutable. Townsend could feel the Chief Cargo Inspector’s eyes on him as he rounded the row of filing cabinets and took his seat.

“Everyone, please sit down,” Drew invited them, “and let’s begin the—”

Lydia’s voice interrupted him. “Drew, I’m getting a commburst from Zulu. It’s Major Cisco. He’s speaking very quickly and his pronunciation is atrocious, but I’m getting the gist of it. He definitely isn’t happy. Something about a missing officer. He’s coming back here as soon as possible to search for him. And he keeps repeating the word ‘purple’.”

“Purple?” Drew echoed. On cue, Gouryas unrolled a bundle he’d brought with him to the debriefing. It was a PLS suit and it was bright purple, right down to the glove fastenings. Drew had to suppress a smile. “You painted Zulu purple?” So much for sneaking aboard and away undetected. No wonder Ruby had referred to the team’s technology as ‘toys’.

“Not intentionally,” Singh explained. “The paint job appears to be a side effect. The paintbrush was obviously set for purple, and—”

“I didn’t want to risk turning part of the Ranger station into acrylic by trying to reverse it, so I left it painted,” said Gouryas. “We were only on the landing deck, anyway—”

“—which Cisco now thinks you vandalized for fun while rescuing Bonelli,” concluded Drew. “But you said it was a side effect. What was the main effect?”

The two engineers exchanged a conspiratorial look. “An invisibility field,” announced Singh. In an instant, they were competing to tell the story. Their excitement grew as they relished each new detail, making them sound more like hyperactive children than trained professionals. Drew listened in bemusement, his eyes widening as they swung back and forth. Then, abruptly, the recitation was over. Gouryas and Singh sat back in their chairs, grinning smugly and waiting to be congratulated.

For several seconds, Drew was speechless. He’d sent a team to Zulu to figure out how to shut down a dangerous piece of equipment, and they’d managed instead to turn it into a defensive advantage. And that was a good thing, he told himself. Daisy Hub was an outpost, weaponless and vulnerable. Anything that could protect the Hub and its crew from as yet unknown enemies had to be considered a valuable gift, even one that had come from the Nandrians with some assembly required and no instruction manual.

It wasn’t an oversight. The Nandrians loved riddles and puzzles and knew that the Humans did too. So, they’d given Daisy Hub the invisibility field generator in pieces, evidently anticipating that the crew would enjoy figuring out what it was. That meant the security protocols were probably just an empty threat, which would in turn mean that Drew’s earlier suspicion was correct — Khaloub’s death had been murder, made to look accidental by the only man aboard the Hub who could have arranged it. Drew’s report to SISCO had stated categorically that the station manager’s death had involved no foul play. If the EIS hadn’t ordered this hit, they were all in deep trouble.

Carefully composing his features, Drew turned to meet Holchuk’s steady gaze. “Do you have anything to add, Mr. Holchuk?”

The other man shook his head. “Just that the Nandrians will expect the courtesy of a thank you. There’s a generosity appreciation script. The next time Nagor boards the station, you’ll have to meet him on A Deck and…” He let his voice trail off. “You okay, boss man?” asked Holchuk with a faint grin.

Another speech at swordpoint. Terrific. “I’ll let you know,” he muttered, then gathered himself and announced to all present, “So, we’re now in possession of a stealth cloak, which Earth Council knows nothing about. And the first time we use this field, it’s going to paint the Hub purple?”

“Or green, or orange, or whatever the setting on the paintbrush happens to be,” Singh informed him.

“Yellow’s nice,” Ruby chimed in helpfully. “It’s a cheerful color.”

“Actually,” said Gouryas, “we don’t know for sure that that effect has to happen. I left the casing open when I activated the field generator and it spray-painted the landing deck. Maybe there’s a setting on the paintbrush we haven’t found yet. Or maybe we need to keep the generator in a small, enclosed space. We’ll need some time to experiment with the invisibility field and figure out how it works.”

Drew sighed inwardly. Experiment where, precisely? They couldn’t just stage a show for the Rangers each time they needed to borrow Zulu. And what about the damage that had already been done to the bulkheads on the Hub? Twenty-five soft spots, hull integrity dropping — never mind what the effect of painting the shuttle deck purple might be!

Holchuk’s harsh voice brought him back to the moment. “Time will be a problem if we can’t do something about that ninja over on the Zoo,” the Chief Cargo Inspector was pointing out. “He nearly killed Bonelli. Now he knows that we’ve been there and that Bonelli is over here. And from what I’ve seen, his hands and feet really are lethal weapons.”

Fortunately, Townsend had already thought of that. “O’Malley? What were you able to find?”

“I checked out Major Cisco, boss, as you requested. Bottom line, Cisco’s creds are definitely bogus. And they’re crude. There’s minimal backstory, with no cross-referencing to speak of. Clearly, it’s a rush job, and that’s not how the Authorities operate. They keep a closet full of ready-made shell identities that their agents can step into and out of. Impeccably crafted.”

“You’ve seen them?” Ruby joked.

Eyes twinkling, O’Malley leaned toward her and intimated, “Seen them? I created some of them.” Then, serious once more, he continued, “The only reason I can think of for a government agency to send someone off-planet with creds like this would be to get rid of him. He’d be outed the first time he tried to access a credit account, and people would be lining up to hit him with a baseball bat.”

“Except that he knew his creds wouldn’t stand up,” said Townsend. “That’s why he attacked Bonelli — he was checking Cisco out on the database.”

“Then the major didn’t come from any branch of Earth’s government,” O’Malley concluded. “He’s a freelancer, and I think I know what brought him here.” A pause for dramatic effect, then, “You asked me to check for an arrest warrant? There was one issued for Captain Bonelli, time stamped the same date as those creds were entered in the system, but three hours earlier.”

“Bogus as well?”

O’Malley shook his head. “I’m not sure. The warrant is thumbprinted by some big-hat on Earth’s High Council, but that could have been his secretary doing a favor for someone. It’s illegal, but a lot of those high officials get stamps made of their thumbprints so someone else can do the real work while they’re off at the sports complex. According to the warrant, Bonelli is wanted by the Space Installation Authority for treason and espionage.”

‘The people we both work for,’ Quan had said.

Townsend swore under his breath. “It’s bogus, O’Malley. Cisco had another reason for coming out here, and it’s nothing to do with the SIA.” He paused, debating briefly with himself. They were good people, Spike had said. They deserved to know the truth. Yes, they did, Drew decided, and the sooner he started telling it, the better: “He wants Yoko. Alison Morgan must have filed her complaint the second she stepped aboard the long-hopper taking her home. That’s how Cisco knew to come here.”

“He knows about Yoko?” O’Malley demanded, stiffening in his seat.

Ruby pursed her lips tightly, saying nothing.

Drew nodded wearily. “He knows all about Yoko, and he’s apparently promised her to a Greater European genetics firm. The arrest warrant was his ticket to Zulu, and the detachment at Zulu gives him something to threaten us with if we refuse to surrender her to him. Needless to say, even if the warrant turns out to be genuine, we are not handing Bonelli — or Yoko — over to that sadistic little privateer.”

“I don’t understand,” said Smith. “What’s so special about a cloned white rat?”

Drew opened his mouth to answer, then shut it again. Deserving to know the truth was one thing; breaking the Doc’s confidence while she was elbow-deep in Bonelli’s innards was another.

Then O’Malley leaned toward Smith and told him in a stage whisper, “Jason, she’s not cloned.”

Townsend wanted to smack him. Ruby was sitting closer to him — she stretched out a leg and kicked him, hard, in the calf. But it was too late.

“Oh,” said Smith. A moment later, as the meaning of the words sank in, his eyes opened wide and he repeated in amazement, “Ohhh!”

Drew got to his feet. If he moved quickly, the situation could still be contained. “Yes, boys and girls,” he announced, “Yoko really is the Überrat. And that knowledge, which until a minute ago was a closely-guarded secret, is not to be repeated to anyone outside this room. Is that understood?” he concluded sternly.

Everyone replied at once:

“Yes, sir.”

“Absolutely, Drew.”

“Understood, Mr. Townsend.”

“Mum’s the word.”

“Of course, Chief.”

“Not a word, boss.”

Holchuk said nothing, just began to smile and nod emphatically. Drew had never seen him like this. Evidently, neither had anyone else in the room.

“Gavin, what’s the matter?” demanded Ruby.

“We’re a House!” he declared. “And Yoko is our living staff!”

“And what precisely is a living staff?” Drew asked wearily.

“It symbolizes the power and longevity of the House,” Holchuk replied, then explained, “According to legend, Nandor was not the original home world of the Nandrians. When they left it to explore the galaxy, they wanted to bring with them the sacred tree of their ancestors, but it refused to be transplanted. So, each House took a cutting from the tree. The Nandrians believe that the cuttings are still connected to the tree in some mysterious way, and that’s why each living staff continues to put out leaves and branches, centuries later. They also believe that if even one staff were to be destroyed, the entire tree back on the original home world would die; so, protecting its living staff — its
tseritsa
— is every House’s sacred obligation.”

“What you’re saying is that if the Nandrians knew about Yoko, then this secret hasn’t been as closely guarded as you thought it was,” remarked Singh.

“Not true,” countered Ruby. “All they had to do was keep their eyes open. We’ve been going to great lengths to protect Yoko, ever since Naguchi brought her aboard the Hub. And it’s common knowledge that live animals are forbidden on ships and hubs, and yet Yoko rides all over the station on Rob’s shoulder. Clearly, she’s a very special creature.”

Lydia spoke up then, adding, “The Galactic database includes information about Earth’s fauna. The Nandrians wouldn’t have had to look too hard to discover the average lifespan of a
rattus norvegicus
. After that, it would just be a matter of putting two and two together. And the Nandrians are really good at that.”

As she returned her attention to her console, an idea began to glimmer in Drew’s mind. “So the Nandrians believe that Yoko is our…
tseritsa
?” Holchuk nodded. “And if even one
tseritsa
comes to harm, every House has been disgraced?”

“You getting a brainstorm, boss man?”

“I think I am, Mr. Holchuk. Our first priority right now is finding a safe hiding place for Yoko and Bonelli,” he said. “Cisco will be here in a few hours to search every corner of the Hub, and he’ll be armed to the teeth, so we can’t simply refuse to let him dock.” Drew turned his head in Lydia’s direction and opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to the punch.

“I’m receiving another transmission, Mr. Townsend,” she said brightly. “It’s from the
Krronn
. The
tekl’hananni
scores have been posted, and Trokerk is ahead by twelve. Nagor is requesting docking module one. He’ll be arriving in less than five hours.”

Drew tried to make his expression reproachful. “You sent that mayday, didn’t you?”

She just smiled and busied herself with her communications board.

It was all Drew could do to contain his glee. Cisco would arrive on Daisy Hub to find a Nandrian victory party in full swing. It was almost poetic.

“Mr. Holchuk, is there a script for requesting the safekeeping of a precious object and sanctuary for a wrongly accused man?”

Holchuk nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll tack it onto your generosity appreciation speech,” he said, then wheeled and headed for the tube door.

“Isn’t there something we can do about Cisco, Drew?” asked Ruby, her voice and expression both strained. “He’s like a poisonous spider lurking on a web. Is there any way that we can prevent him from returning to the Ranger station once he leaves here?”

“What if we convinced him that he’d killed Bonelli?” suggested Gouryas. “That would take care of two problems at once.”

Drew shook his head. “Not really. First, he’d insist on seeing the body. Then he’d insist on taking it back as proof that he’d served the warrant.”

“What if we convinced the
Rangers
that he’d killed Bonelli?” mused O’Malley.

Drew considered this for five full seconds and could find no downside. “Keep talking, O’Malley.”

The ratkeeper leaned forward, warming to his subject. “We transmit a medical report and death certificate to the Zoo, as soon as Cisco docks here. We let him search the Hub. He finds nothing. He demands to search the
Krronn
, but the Nandrians won’t permit it. So he has no choice but to leave, threatening to return with an armed boarding party once the Nandrians have gone. Back on Zulu, he walks, unsuspecting, right into a mutiny.”

“Fourteen Rangers against one ninja?” said Smith. “Don’t forget, I’ve seen what a martial arts expert can do. It’s entirely possible he’ll be able to put down the mutiny. Then what?”