Gateway

Sept. 25 - Gateway

"Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found out by calculation. It must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions of the enemy." - Sun Tzu

-----

It the skies above Shadow orbit two space stations. Serenity Station is an Alliance facility and houses the customs office for the region. Gateway on the other hand is a neutral station and sees a great deal of traffic both commercial and military.

It was here that I again met Jai Raghilda, owner and operator of Necessity Shipping and trade delegate for the Consolidate Associate Traders of Zenobia. It was easy enough to arrange to be here when she passed through. She had to file her route on any official business.

As I approached she greeted me, "Ma'am"

"Hello Ms. Raghilda."

"Coincidence finding you here," she replied. "We run in the same circles it would seem."

She knew I was looking for her. She must have known. "Did you receive my message?" I asked.

"Yes Ma'am."

"Excellent. Do you have a few minutes to chat?"

"Sure, I don't depart for a little while yet. Fueling and transhipment."

"Very good. Let's take a seat then shall we?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

We settled ourselves in one of the lounge areas on the promenade.

"Pardon me for being in casual clothes," she said. "We don't usually uniform up until we get closer to the Core."

"Of course."

"We really should when we are in Gateway though," she continued.

"The Trade Association has always set it's own protocols around such things," I replied.

"The protocols are Uniform in the Core. But I think this should be considered that border. Just a thought."

"First, let me congratulation you," I began, "You have led a wonderful campaign of expanding the trade network

"I have been fortunate. I think the need was such that it kind of made it happen."

"You are an excellent negotiator it seems," I added.

"The current political climate was conducive to it. Confidentially, I am a better business woman than I am a pilot."

"There is one thing that may be a concern..." I handed her a photograph,"...this is you see a matter of uniforms."

It was a photograph from the old Zenobia Low Orbital Station. I showed Ms. Raghilda and an older man both wearing Dharma Initiative overalls. They were standing on a docking port with Zeno Baxton and another man. Baxton, while being well connection in Zenobian trade circles, is known to have a criminal record and ties to the Independence military.

"Yes, our clothes got dirty, the old man gave us the coveralls....."

"This was taken sometime ago at the old low orbital station."

It took my team days of sifting through security camera feeds to find this image.

"....Desmond Serenity, one of the trustees of Dharma," she added.

"Indeed," I replied. The elusive Mr. Serenity.

"Yes, Ma'am. Coop was showing us the shuttle he had in dockage. The auto pilot was twitchy."

Coop must have been the fourth person in the picture.

"Go on."

"The old man talked on about some things I couldn't follow."

"Such as?"

"Coop didn't seem to like him much. He talked about his old Army Unit."

"What did he say?"

"He used to live in Hale I think, before the war or something."

"And his unit?"

"He was in the army during the war. Members of his old unit were dying off. He should consider smoking and drinking less. He reeked of beer and generic cigarettes. That was the day Sheriff Gallagher was shot. It was in the papers. Probably why I forgot all about him. Two snipers shot Sheriff Gallagher down in his own office."

"And his old unit ..tell me about that."

"I don't know anything about his old unit. Oh, wait, I have a photo." She dug around in her pack for a picture as we continued talking.

"Did they catch the snipers that tried to kill the sheriff?"

"No. Not even close. They found the weapons. Gallagher did anyway. Alliance issue, but outdated."

I frowned, "Hmmm. Last time we talked, Ms Raghilda. You asked if I would be your backup."

"Yes ma'am." She finally found the photo she was looking for and passed it to me.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" I asked.

"No. Things go on."

"Then why did you ask me?"

"I am out of the loop. Its usually 11:59 when I find out anything. You were looking for Zenobian stuff in places I frequent. It means I will probably be there when it goes sideways."

"This picture... of you in the Dharma overalls, would be considered incriminating in some places you see. There is evidence linking Dharma to a bombing of one of our research facilities."

"Dharma is a public charity, their products are in stores."

"A convenient cover."

"Dharma?"

"I will be making a report next week. I need to know if I should be including this picture."

"I don't see why not".

"...and then it will be for others to do as they see fit."

"Is it not more likely that some criminal like InupThoret used Dharma materials in the commission of a crime. I assumed that is why he stole the Dharma delivery truck."

That was a fair point.

"Inup Thoret is a dime store thug," I said, "The Alliance officer that lost him should be on charges."

"Agreed."

"I hope I am given that file in fact."

"Ma'am, you are aware that I have a long history of cooperating with law enforcement."

"You have an untarnished record."

"I had a licence to salvage that derelict ship but when I found out it was not as it seemed, I forewent the profit and handed it over to the authorities."

"You did the right thing Ms Raghilda."

"This is an interesting photograph you have given me....that appears to be the Sheriff..."

"Yes ma'am, a copy of usually sits on Sheriff Gallagher's desk. You may have seen it."

"The office was being cleaned I believe the day I arrived in Hales." I said almost automatically as I play with the image in my fingers.

"Ah. Anyway, its no secret. Everyone knows that Gallagher was a medic during the war. I don't know much about his service other than that."

"You may wish however to dispose of those overalls and disassociate yourself from that charity in anyway."

"Since my association with CATZ, they are my only association of any kind."

"Anyway, that is not why I wanted to meet with you." I planned to switch topics. Keep things off balance. It was a shot in the dark anyway. Instead she took the opening.

"Could I ask you a couple of unrelated questions? Does the Alliance still deny the existence of Reavers?" she asked.

"That is certainly unrelated...why do you ask?"

"You haven't read my record? Ah, okay. I returned home from University. My entire family was wiped out and half eaten.

"By reavers, yes, and yes I have read your file."

"The local garrison told me there was no such thing. What will you tell me?"

"About reavers?"

"Were they idiots or a.....s?"

"Possibly both or kept out of the loop as you put it."

"Does the Alliance still deny reavers exist?"

"Your question has caught me off guard. You should come work for me."

"I am presenting you with an opportunity to build my trust. Get back to me."

Cheeky, full of spirit.

"Let me answer your question with a story. You are aware that I am looking for forged relics of St Zenobius."

"Yes ma'am."

"That is the official version. Often the official version is an attempt at disinformation. I am in fact looking for the authentic remains."

I felt awkward telling her the truth.

"I thought they were in an Alliance Vault or something."

"The authentic remains were hidden away during the war."

"So, they are still there, yes?"

"They have gone missing."

"Oh,I was there when the Bihar was doing some testing, but that was the last I heard. The rest is only what I read in the papers."

"They were lost sometime ago."

"How do you know?"

"You can apply what I have said concerning the official story to what happened to your family."

"Yeah. So now you know what I want. I want the official story on my family's massacre."

"...and I want those relics."

"I have no idea where you can find the relics."

"But you do have a network...."

"How can I help?"

"...and a secretary who also works at Blue Sun."

"Yes, Miss Emma."

"You have offices on the surface Shadow."

"Yes ma'am and dockage here in high orbit. The bulk carrier Behemoth moors in high orbit."

"Well I am not very welcome there as you can imagine."

"The Alliance has an official presence here again, no?"

"I am referring to wandering around on the surface."

"Yeah, people get twitchy... it's why we don't uniform up in the border or rim: uniforms freak the locals."

"I am suggesting then an exchange of information."

"I am happy to help however I can."

"If you hear of anything concerning the relics you tell me. In return I will get you information concerning what happened to your family."

"If you can give me something more specific I can probably find something before the 11th hour."

I thought for a moment.

"You have any local leads or connections to it yet? I can't ask around for the relics."

"There is a navigator by the name of Ardra. She is likely to have some information."

"I can get you something on Ardra."

I almost fell off the sofa."You recognize the name?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"That's twice you have caught me off guard...

"Okay, back to my botched salvage operation. The Persephone was being used as a staging area for organ harvesting from kidnapped victims.

"...you really should consider a career in SIU."

"No ma'am."

I smiled.

She continued, "There is a height requirement."

"Go on," I prompted, "... tell me about how you know about Ardra."

"I got the tip on the Persephone from a salvage broker on Zenobia. I don't understand how they profit from it, but it was a setup somehow for me or someone else. Well, the salvage broker did not care for me dumping the cargo with the authorities even though that was my legal obligation. We quickly figured out if we didn't get to the bottom of this, we would be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives. The sheriff was shot the next day."

"The snipers?" I asked.

"Emphasized the point. I started sleeping in high orbit. My cousin Moira is a doctor. She sniffed around Zenobia and found a couple of unregistered organ transplant operations."

"She trained on Zenobia, yes."

"Interned or Residency, I am not sure. Medical school was in Ariel. She was on a Zenobian scholarship, I think. Somehow the Ardra person transports the illegal organs."

I twisted my mouth a bit as I processed the information.

"Moira has the manifests," added Jai.

"She pulled the manifests?"

"Sure."

"Okay ... go on."

"The salvage agent that gave me the job is where Ardra gets her work."

"...and who would that be?"

"Mercedes. ummm something. I can get you the manifests, it should give you what you need."

"Thank you....then what happened?"

"I can't trust the Alliance or local law enforcement to take care of it. So I am investigating myself. Else another tragedy will be just a political expediency."

"...and how do you think that will end?"

"It will end sideways like everything does. Thus, my request for backup."

"Well if you don't call this being in trouble, I'm not sure what is."

"Did you read how Lilybell was kidnapped by reavers?"

"She was raised by reavers," I shrugged. "She was probably just visiting family."

"I am not in trouble as in I am not out of compliance with my legal obligations. It doesn't mean the 'verse is not full of wrongness."

"There is more to being in trouble than trouble with the law."

"When I am being interviewed by law enforcement, what should I think they are asking?"

"If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about," I tried to be reassuring but it came out rehearsed.

"Law enforcement protects the law and the establishment. If I am lucky, that includes me. But if it is incovenient, I will be discarded. Like my family was."

"Tell me the details about the loss of your family. The file is terse."

"Mom, dad, sisters, uncles, aunts and several cousins. No survivors. Only those of us that were away when it happened."

"Where was the family home?"

"Sweethaven in Aphrodite....orbits Murphy like Shadow does."

I took a breath. "Reavers were the result of an experiment gone wrong...." I explained.

"Yeah."

"This much has been said before..." I acknowledged. Nothing new here, I thought. Move along.

"I don't believe that anymore. There were supposed only 30,000. That was 15 years ago. They either are breeding in the wild or someone is making new ones."

"I will see what I can find out." Not that I would necessarily share it.

"One more thing," Jai insisted.

"Yes?"

She began, "I want this organ legger thing done. I still have nightmares. I am happy to do this. You want my trust, put them down. Down a horrible prison never to be heard from. This is worse than reavers. Reavers are insane, these people made a choice to be evil. I don't want to hear about some deal. I want justice."

I paused. The law and order I believed in. It is a necessary thing to preserve civilization and to control the darker aspects of human nature. And along the way there were trade off to achieve the necessary ends. Justice, I wasn't so sure it was actually possible.

I began, "Justice is a difficult thing to managed..."

Jai exploded, "Not a good answer!"

I was stunned at the emotion in her reaction.

"Have you visited the Persephone? Go there. See it. Then decide if you want to make a 'balance' deal with those bastards."

I begun to walk away. What could I say? I had seen the secrets of the Persephone.

"See that? I want these creeps off my back, you backpedaled already!"

I retreated. "I will be in touch."

She called after me, "I will get you your files."

Her rage was withering. The encounter actually left me shaken inside.

-----

Upon return to my transport, I sent a message to Ms. Raghilda. It read:

"Find Cody Winterwolf.

He is wanted in connection with the murder of Reginald Brigston, an Alliance officer.

Brigston had in his possession a data disc containing information on reaver experiments.

Find Winterwolf. Find the disc and maybe you will find your answers.

Message ends."

The data on that disk might actually help her achieve some sort of closure ... and her search may lead me to Cody Winterwolf.

-----

[OOC - thank you to Jai Raghilda and Gallagher Aeon for use of their pictures]

Insurance

Sept. 24 - Zenobia

Under my orders, I had the forged casket of St. Zenobius placed in the Parliamentary Auditorium of the public space station over Zenobia. Only now it is a replica designed for ceremonial functions. The existence of two caskets is now official.

If the test results from Bihar's Department of Antiquities should surface suggesting a "forgery", well then they obviously tested the replica by mistake. For all that anyone knows, the original is safely aboard the Antares in deep space.

I suspect that Ardra is keeping the original casket as insurance. There has been no whisper of it since the first samples were leaked onto the black market. Should anyone truly back her into a corner, she can turn around and use the casket as leverage to force assistance from either the Zenobian military or the trade faction.

I had a chat with the Colonel, to review the forensics from the clone body and to discuss aspects of the case.

-----

"Do we have an idea who made the clone from the forensics?" I asked.

"We know whose work it was based on, but not who actually made it," said the Colonel. "Mini Zebes provides the equipment. Mindo provided the know how. This is information we received from the forensics."

"Lily said Mindo like labs," I remarked.

"The Alliance has been stealing Mindo's research for years, but Mindo may or may not have made the clone. We are leaning towards no, but we are not sure."

I nodded.

The Colonel continued, "We think whoever made the clone is who is extorting Ardra into service. We are digging up new information on a group of transhumanists. They believe that some fusion of human and machine will be a transcendant experience 'Beyond Human'."

I was familiar with some of the concepts of transhumanism. I thought that Krenshar, the sentient replicant, might be considered post-human by that philosophy, and perhaps even idolized by its followers. It's always good to keep an eye on potential messiahs.

"We think that Ardra fell in with them after her burn notice. And now has buyer's remorse."

"Buyer's remorse?" I asked.

The Colonel continued, "She attempted a metamorphosis and was displeased with the results."

"Yes," I could imagine.

"A combination of narcotics, dna splicing and cybernetics...Her DNA is severely deviated from the human norm....degenerating chromosomal damage."

-----

Ardra.

I will have to track her down and do something no one quite expects.

I'm going to offer her a job.

The Lesson of the Sand

Sept. 20 - Splintered Rock

Today was a day I had set aside for spice harvesting and a survey of the deep desert. After collecting extra water for the long trek I planned, I headed out away from the landing pad and towards some distant rocks and caves.

As I padded across the dunes, occasionally I saw the sand heave like the swell of a wave in the ocean. At first I thought it a trick of the heated air. Then, off in the distance, I swear I saw something large and dark break the surface of the desert then just as quickly disappear beneath the sands. The air filled with the heavy cinnamon smell of spice.

In the deep desert, the sand is endless and the sun relentless. Besides the natural dehydration that occurs, simply walking through the desert drains the vitality from you. I must have pushed myself too far, too fast. I started to feel light-headed and so headed back.

I regained consciousness in the shade of the vaporator close to the Hagga Settlement. I must have passed out. Somehow I crawled back here. It probably saved my life.

If I died out here, they would never find the bones.

I drained one of my canteens and climbed the worn stone steps up to the Hagga Settlement itself. In the box set aside for that purpose, I left Joan al Jofar, the keeper of the sands, three bags of raw spice as payment for rent on my house and in fulfillment of my water debt to her.

I love this floor. In another life, I would live here. I would harvest the spice and drink my coffee, relaxing on pillows as the heat of the basin rises. Within these walls, I would teach my daughter how to weave and I would grow old beside that window...

-----

Returned to the sand basin I watched as a superb looking craft landed nearby on the sand. The pilot looked like a distant cousin of LilyBell the deputy sheriff from Hale’s Moon.

She greeted me cheerfully, “You not got sue pr powers, so whay you crose welsend at legs he?”

'Not got super powers' is right. I almost died out here and it wasn’t even lunch.

“Hey you liek go som wher? I ge frendin out at caves. We cen fly som wher if you liek.”

I agreed. I needed the rest before I attempted another trip into the desert.

“Com,” she said with a smile.

The interior of the craft was cool and inviting. I settled into a comfortable chair mid-deck feeling humbled by the sand.

“Hey wher you liek to fly?” called my pilot, whose name turned out to be Maya.

“You are the pilot.”

“To town? Caves?” asked Maya.

“Yes, that sounds nice.”

“You be at caves. I see you.”

To the town it was to be then.

Once arriving back at the landing pad, I bid my pilot farewell. I then resupplied and returned to the desert to harvest spice closer to civilization.

There I came across a man in a dark uniform holding a scanner of some kind in his right hand. He wore a headset and a dark beret. I greeted him.

“Maraanash,” he replied. “Welcome to the desert...”

“Thank you. I am Major Siamendes, SIU, Alliance Military, Zenobia.”

He grinned and asked playfully, "Hot enough for you? It's not the heat. It's the utter lack of humidity..."

“Yes it is hot...” I acknowledged.

“Baroun Tardis, Scout Service... they conned me into "Station Chief" here.”

“A pleasure to meet you.”

“A pleasure here as well, Ma'am.”

“.. and you are in charge of the port then?” I asked

“No, not really... the starport was here before I arrived. The Scout Service contracted with the locals to let us put a way-station here.”

“Excellent,” I replied. He handed me a scanner much like his own. “What might this be?”

“A survey tool for looking for minerals or chemicals.”

“Does it work locating spice?” Hope springs eternal.

Baroun Tardis shook his head, “Sadly, no.”

“Sadly indeed,” I remarked. Using the paracompass was difficult at best.

“There's some copper yonder,” pointed my companion. “I was going to grab some.”

“Splendid. Lead on.”

We trekked across the sand and up a small rise in the rock. The scanner buzzed and hummed in his hand and in a short while he was collecting his mineral.

I took the opportunity to ask about my hallucination. “Oh ... can you tell me about the creature I saw....”

“Huge, moves along the ground, leaves a cloud of sand?”

“Yes.”

“Sandworm.”

“Worm?” I was stunned. “A bit large I'd say....”

“Yeah, they grow big here.”

“It seemed drawn towards me when I walked.” I thought at the time it was an illusion of the heat.

“They detect the vibration of your feet on the sand, or so I'm told.”

“Indeed...” Well, this would prove trouble for our mechs crossing the desert, I thought.

“It was a pleasure to meet you Baroun,” I said with a smile.

Baroun Tardis nodded, "Honor was all mine"

-----

We parted ways and being a few bags of spice heavier, I again ventured into the deep desert.

Learning my lesson, this time I stopped often to rest and to conserve my energy.

Exploring the deep desert I came across a number of caves that showed signs of residency. Most were simple affairs, but deep inside one cavern was a sophisticated elevating platform that access to different levels of the cavern including a well defended watchtower made of the surrounding rock.

Clearly this was not a primitive people. It suggested a degree of organization and technological advancement that must be factored into any plans before offers of support are made to the current government.

The next step will have to be a close look at the political factions here. Weigh the strengths. Explore the fault lines. Watch.

I completed the day with more harvesting, slowly and respectfully moving across the sand.

The day drew to a close and I returned to the landing pad. My pack was filled with small bags of raw spice. With my military designation, I should have no difficulty passing customs unmolested.

As I crossed the landing pad, I saw the figure of Sentry Swashbuckler speaking with a water seller from Shadow. Sentry was the man that Colonel M_______ instructed me to interrogate concerning the increased trade between Hale’s Moon and MacLaren’s Drift.

However, I was out of uniform, over heated, and seriously thirsty. All that along with my head abuzz with raw spice, I was in no condition to apprehend myself let alone anyone else. Sentry would just have to wait until I was ready for him.

Water Debt

Sept 19 - Splintered Rock

I returned to Splintered Rock with two objectives in mind.

First, Ardra's file indicated an addiction to spice. If I was lucky enough to locate her I would need some to use as a bargaining chip. If I collected it myself there would be fewer questions, and it would give me a chance to investigate the process of spice harvesting itself.

Second, I could also use the opportunity to explore the desert beyond the settlement and complete my analysis of the planet's defensive situation.

Recently on Splintered Rock, there were reports of an attack on an unarmed civilian cargo ship by extremist group engaging in anti-offworlder activity. The local government were reported as being caught off-guard. If we were to offer military assistance and it was accepted, this would provide the Alliance with the opportunity we needed to gain a foothold on Arrakis and begin a program of control over the spice trade.

But before any Alliance troops set foot on the desert sand, we needed more information: what was the level of threat from the indigenous population? Was the attack an isolated incident? Or the precursor to a larger conflict?

When travelling in the desert, the primary concern is dehydration. The inhabitants of this planet devised an ingenious solution: a suit that recycles the moisture given off in breath, perspiration and the like, and so minimizes the loss of water to the body. They are tight fitting and can be worn beneath other clothing.

The spice itself can be found in deposits within the desert. To locate it, one uses a paracompass worn on the forearm. A sifting device is also necessary to remove any spice one may find from the sand.

So equipped, I set out into the desert.

I walked over dune and rise. I walked past rocky outcrops and across plateaus. On occasion my paracompass gave a hopeful sign but as much as I searched I could not find a spice deposit.

The heat was oppressive. It was not long before my canteens were almost empty and the need to find more water outweighed all other concerns.

I came across a large vaporator where the sand basin met a wall of rock. These devices gather the moisture from the air. There are a number of them scattered throughout Splintered Rock. This one was locked and the code for the public wind traps near the landing pad yielded no results. This however did not dissuade me.

The code to open the vaporator was six digits long. Each digit was one of six possible symbols. This made a total of 46,656 possible combinations. I set to work and broke the code intwo minutes.

Feeling a sense of accomplishment I drained the wind trap, filling my canteens. When I looked up, standing near by was a woman dressed in black watching me at work.

"Hello," I said.

"Hello," the woman replied, "May I be of some assistance?"

"I am trying my hand at harvesting spice." It seemed the right thing to say.

"Have you been able to get any water?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you."

"From this unit?" She seemed surprised.

Uh oh, I thought. "Yes," I replied.

"I haven't tried it yet. Hmm," she said thoughfully.

I introduced myself. "I am Major Pepper Siamendes. I am with the Alliance." It was not a secret.

"It is nice to meet you," she added. "I get very few visitors way out here."

"I was happy to find water, I must say." I tried to gloss over the fact that I had broken into this unit.

"I've been waiting for a while to get to get this unit up and running. The water sellers are all criminals."

"To whom do I have the pleasure of talking with?"

"I am Joan al Jofar. And this is my home. I am the keeper of these sands."

"I am pleased to meet you." It was unavoidable now. I asked, "Ah, did I do wrong taking water from this unit? I didn't realize it was your home..." That was at least the truth of it.

"It's not a very good lock," she remarked. My earlier feeling of achievement evaporated.

"Can I give you something in exchange for the water I removed?"

"That is the way of the desert."

I'll bet it is, I thought. Water is the difference of life and death out here. I was also keenly aware that 65% of body mass was water.

"Then name your price." I took her water. I was committed. I might as well see this through.

"I am the keeper of the Hagga Village to the East. It would please me if you would rent one the houses there. That is my price."

"Agreed," I said at once. "Please lead me to the village."

She led the way up a set of stone steps worn into the rock. They wound up to an archway beyond which sat five two-story houses.

"Each house is rentable with spice. I costs a lot to live out in the desert away from imperial eyes. The price is spice, of course. That is the coin of the deep desert."

"Which house is to be mine?" I asked.

"That is the gift of the desert. You may choose whichever house pleases you."

I selected the house in the middle of the semi-circle. While the pairs of houses on either side where touching each other the middle house stood alone. It afforded the greatest degree of privacy. Yet with a run I could jump from my roof to the houses on either side. It also had a clear view to the entrance to the village.

"I have things I must attend to. If you need anything you may call on me."

"And do you live here too?" I asked.

"I live up there." She pointed to structure on a higher plateau reachable by a further set of steps.

"I came to Arrakis looking for information on a Guild Steersman named Ardra."

"Hmmmmm. Ardra. And a Guild Steersman. Information on any Guild Steersman is valuable and dangerous."

"Indeed," I conceded.

The woman looked up in the sky. "You will notice that there are no satellites above this sky. We like it that way."

I pressed the matter. "Ardra is a person of interest in the matter of some stolen antiquities so my people have sent me out to gain answers."

"The information you seek is..." She looked to the sky again. "I am sorry. But I can not help you."

"I see." I was disappointed and let it show.

"I must go now," she said.

"Thank you for your help and your water."

"May your way be clear and may Shai Halud smile upon you."

She was invoking the blessing of a local diety no doubt. I thanked her, then added, "May I share water with you before you go?"

I offered her one of my canteens which she accepted with grace.

"Thank you for your gift," she replied.

"You are most welcome. I hope our paths cross again

"I think they will." And with that she departed as quietly as she had appeared.

I returned to the desert.

It was another hour before I found a deposit of spice and began my first harvest. The air was full of the scent of cinnamon. Breathing the raw spice in as I sifted the sand was an experience very difficult to describe. There was a slight sense of euphoria mixed with a hint of dread. There was a sense of being able to see the horizon clearly for the first time. It was not unpleasant, neither was it exactly comfortable. I'm sure the experience would vary from person to person, but I had to wonder what it was like for someone like Ardra.

I gathered enough for three small pouches. I decided that was enough for my first day and returned to the settlement.

Blue Sun

Sept . 16 - Hale's Moon

The gravel made a satisfying crunch beneath my boots as I approached the edge of the settlement. The interplanetary corporation, Blue Sun, had offices here and it was here that I came to find x0x0 Zhangsun.

I stopped near a half buried railroad track and surveyed the scene before me. To my immediate right was a cottage, it's yellow walls offering some relief from the pervasive grey. Beyond that was a small stable. In the distance directly ahead from where I stood, sat the corporate offices of Blue Sun. To my left rose the valley wall from which a woman approached. Her gait was unmistakable but her color was all wrong.

"Hello Deputy," I said as she came closer.

Her eyes grew wide when she saw me. The fur on her cheeks was caked with foundation and blush.

"Her... just playing wif make-up. No tell ok?"

"Okay," I said. It was not my business what another law woman did on her own time, as long as it's harmless. "I'm looking for x0x0 Zhangsun. Blue Sun."

"Redfur," remarked Lily. "That her house." She indicated the pretty yellow cottage.

We approached the house together. It was a combination of private rooms and an open air kitchen and dining area.

Lily looked at the make-up and items she had scattered all around the house. She looked at me and asked, "You no tell for sure ok?"

"I can keep a secret, " I assured her. What's one more secret?

Lily disappeared inside the private rooms and emerged her normal blue color.

"It looks like I will need an appointment," I said when she reappeared.

"Miss Emma make appointments for it. It office over there. You want in it?"

"Yes please. Thank you."

"Not supposed to let nobody in. You got candy right?"

I came prepared. "Let me check... do you like chocolate?"

Lily nodded rapidly.

I produced a chocolate bunny on a stick from the pouch on my belt and we were soon inside the office building.


"Ok," said the Deputy," Miss x0x0 office up them steps."

With a thank you, I climbed the spiral staircase to the second floor. The office was empty. At one end of the room sat a desk with a computer in standby mode. I ignored the desire to run my fingers across its keyboard, to tempt open the lock files.... Instead I returned to the first floor.

"I will have to return when she is here," I declared.

Lily looked up, her mouth covered in chocolate. "What you wants? Maybe Lily can find it?"

"There was a man killed," I began, "an Alliance officer."

Lily interrupted, "What him name? Not Chen." She looked terrified. "Please Miss. No Chen."

"Not Chen," I assured her.

Lily shrugged and suddenly seemed to lose interest. We left the office building and she began to run in circles on the lunar surface.

As she passed me I asked her a question, "Aodhfionn M______. That's his name. Have you heard about that murder?"

"No," she remarked and kept moving.

"Well, thank you for your assistance."

"You see Chen you say hello from Lily ok?"

"May Miss x0x0 will have information..." I added.

Lily stopped suddenly. "Her scary Miss."

"Oh?" I replied. "Why is she scary?"

Lily explained, "Lily put in her electric and rooms and ... well her just scary. Seen her make some man fall down just look at him."

I twisted my mouth in thought. Intriguing.

"How do you think she did that?" I asked.

"How her do it?"

"Yes, how?"

Lily started to shake a little. "Not know nuffing about them."

Lily ran off in her wide circles once again, while I walked in a more or less straight line across the compound to the stable. Lily rejoined me.

"I see security cameras," I pointed out.


"Yes," replied Lily as she stroked the nose of the horse. She continued, "Miss x0x0 horse. From Mister Niska. This stable, her open soon say for citizens. Them make a park too. Blue Sun nice."

"Do you think there is information on those cameras about the officer who was killed?" I asked. Unlikely I realized. Try as I might, I couldn't imagine a ship full of miscreants fresh from murdering the Colonel's clone, disembarking before a security camera in front of the Blue Sun corporate offices. It was a shot in the dark.

"Lily can access," she said and she gave a voice command.

The camera chattered and we had a list of names.

• x0x0 Zhangsun and Emma Ditko (Blue Sun)
• Jai Raghilda (the trader, that woman is every where)
• Griffen Shinn (the ship captain I met on my previous visit)
• My own name of course, and a few I didn't recognize, but took note of nevertheless.
• And one other name..... Cody Winterwolf.... that was useful....

Having made my notes, I continued. "The body of the officer was found near a laboratory. The laboratory was ransacked."

"Mindo," replied Lily. "Him go labs."

"Mindo," I repeated, feeling the name on my lips. "Tell me about Mindo."

"Him maked Lily," she replied. She then stood upright and spoke, "Blue Sun Special Project single source 041295 Genetic Construct."

She resumed her usual posture and continued, "Mindo make Blue. Mindo work Blue Sun and hate him sister....Lily fail. Ok ok."

The Deputy then clicked a bit before returning her attention to the horse. "Pony. Lily love you."

"Thank you for your time and help Deputy. Where can I find Mindo?"

"Him ranned to...hmmm. Her not supposed to tell."

"Okay," I conceded. Then suddenly Lily scampered off down the road. There was no other word for it.

-----

Crossing the half buried tracks again I heard the following message come across on the general frequency:

**static** This is Blue Sun Special Services requesting permission to land in public dock. Bringing medical supplies ** Hale's Tower. Come in. **

I cut into the transmission.

** This is Major Siamendes, Special Investigations Unit, on a private channel ** May I have a moment of your time?**

The pilot replied: Need to land this boat. I'm heading over to my private land.

I acknowledged: I will meet you at your office.

-----

"Hello Ms. Zhangsun."

x0x0 Zhangsun struggled with the door to her offices. She shook her head, "I'd invite you in but it seems Lily has locked me out of my own office. Damn cat."

I made note of that last remark. I've been to Hale's only a few times but have learned quickly that no one calls LilyBell a cat. No one, except Ms. Zhangsun it seems.

She turned to face me. "Yes anyway. Join me in my cottage. More comfortable anyway."

We cross to her house and she invited me in. "Thank you. A pleasant cottage indeed," I commented.

"Someone's been in here," she said. I assumed her remark was directed at the makeup and other items scattered on the floor. I said nothing.

We settled on the sofa and she began," What brings you all this way? And... I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name."

I introduced myself and answered,"There was a murder recently of an Alliance officer."

She sat calmly and showed no expression whatsoever.

"He was slain near a laboratory which had been ransacked," I added.

"What laboratory would that be?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

Ms. Zhangsun did not smile.

"We realize that Blue Sun has excellent security assets here as in other places..."

"Major," she interrupted. "What do you want, exactly?"

I continued undeterred, "... and we were hoping that you could shine a light on who may have killed this man."

I produced a photograph. It was not the usual photograph of the Colonel, a head and shoulders portrait. Instead, I offered her a picture of the Colonel as he stood next to the cloning tank in Zenobia South.

We all have our candy. Lily's is chocolate. Mine is information. I'm betting x0x0's is technology.

She looked the photo. "I've seen that man. Just once. but I'm not aware of any place on Hale's that looks like that.. Is he that man that was killed?"

"That laboratory is elsewhere," I replied. "Yes, that is the officer. The body was riddled with bullets and arrows."

"Arrows?"

"Arrows yes."

"There are only two... well, one I suppose. Reavers and LilyBell Snoodle."

"The Deputy?" I asked.

"She was raised by Reavers," added Ms. Zhangsun. "She is good with a bow. I have not seen her armed for some time though."

"And unlikely to be attacking an Alliance officer." I spoke instrumentally, trying to evoke a response.

"Who can tell with that one?" Ms. Zhangsun stood up. "I'm afraid I can't help you," she said firmly.

"Of course," I replied. You have helped me a lot I thought. I now had a suspect in the clone murder.

"I will contact you if I hear anything," she added.

"If your security cameras have picked up anything at all that could be of help, SIU would appreciated it."

"I'll ask Lily. She and Emma manage my affairs."

Pleasantries exchanged we walked to the exit of her cottage.


"Oh.. one more thing," I said. "What can you tell me about the Dharma Initiative?"

"They do some sort of charity work, I believe. I've discussed the Railroad project with someone from there... can't recall who."

"Does the name Desmond Serenity mean anything?"

"I believe he was a prosecuting attorney here, a long time ago."

"Whatever happened to him?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. I stay out of people's business here and they stay out of mine."

"Of course," I replied. "Well, thank you for your time."

"Works best for everyone." She looked at me directly.

Ah, I thought, a veiled threat. I responded the best way I know. "May I give you my card?"

"Yes," she smiled a little.

"Thank you," I said. "Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye Major."

I nodded and returned to my ship.