Eavesdown Docks (Part Two)

Dec. 26 - 27 - Eavesdown Docks, Persephone

"Nice office." remarked Brooke, "My men would be having a fit if they knew I was here with you."

"We shouldn't be disturbed here," I said, "Their sheriff is a non-starter I hear."

Non-starter was an understatement. The office had the look of being unused. The sheriff, whoever he or she was, probably worked from home.

"First," I began, "how are you doing?" I looked at her very pregnant belly, "My goodness...soon eh?"

Brooke gave a little smile. "My baby is moving around like crazy. I think she's ready to make her mark on the 'verse."

I smiled genuinely. "Well, if there is anything I can do.... tell me."

"I wanted to talk to you," she began "... about well .... about Tee. What can you tell me about his whereabouts ... about what he is doing..."

"Well, the last info I had is that he left the Rim and he went to Al Raqis. That's all I have so far."

The ship he had left the Rim on had been registered as TTW Cordelia class freighter, 'Christine', bound for Al Raqis. Easy to trace.

Brooke nodded and blinked. "So he is here...I heard rumors but ... it's good to know the truth."

"I'll know more later," I added. "I was beyond the Rim checking on the obsidian source you told me about."

I took a breath. "I'm sorry about Sentry."

She sighed. "One other thing, Pepper .... it's about Sentry .... I ... well... we both know what happened. Since well ... I want his name cleared. We both know he didn't do what they said he did..."

"Cleared?" I asked "He's probably dead Brooke, you have to accept that."

"I'm aware that he's dead, Pepper ...." She bit her lip. "But ... I care about his name. Don't you? Want to let his family believe he was mass murderer?"

"Well I.... Brooke... I don't know how to say this." This did feel awkward. "Okay, Sentry's name might be cleared in the process of another investigation.

Brooke gave a nod. "I understand. They might blame it on someone else..."

She didn't understand. Not yet. "Brooke... I'm opening an internal investigation"

"On this judge you told me about?" she asked.

"No, Brooke. On William. I received the go ahead from my Colonel this week." I felt deeply sad. This investigation would open up wounds in Brooke's life.

She blinked a few times. "Tee.... what exactly did he do?" She then frowned. "There was that head in front of his office ... and the body at the crash.."

"Brooke, do you know what blastomeres are?"

Brooke nodded. "They're a highly technical weapon."

"No, they're genetic material, highly illegal to trade. Sentry saw Tee receive some in a deal... before Sentry was framed."

She said nothing.

"What can you tell me about Sanders? You thought he was dead. What happened there?"

Brooke frowned. "Pepper .... I'm not sure I want to talk about it. Not ... not when it might go on the record. He was a good officer, a good man and I don't want his name dragged through the mud."

"That's fine that he was a good man," I granted, "I need to know how come he wasn't dead the first time and where is his body now."

"His body was taken back to his parents."

I frowned "On what planet?"

"Londinum." She raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying his body wasn't returned? I had Sentry and Dex take care of it."

I said nothing. I was piecing things together.

Brooke frowned. "Pepper .. what is it?"

"I have to get back there... I will have someone check."

She looked at me.

"Brooke," I said softly "...this thing is big."

"You aren't saying that he survived a headshot ... or someone took his body?"

"No," I said, "I'm saying this thing... with Tee and Sentry... the orders to hold Sentry came from high up..."

She nodded. "How do you think Tee was involved?"

"I'm not sure yet....I'm trying to get the whole picture." The answer to that still eluded me.

I continued. "The blastomeres... did you ever see them appear on cargo manifests when Tee was ... well before he showed himself to be who he was?

Brooke shook her head. "Honestly ... I uhm ...." She thought a bit. "It wasn't just the blastomeres that weren't on the cargo manifest."

"What else?"

"Weapons ... energy substances..."

"Why did Tee kill Sanders?" I asked. "Jealousy? or something more?"

"I ... don't know. It was all a blur."

My communicator buzzed quietly and I received a private message.

"Zenobia Base to Major Siamendes" It was my backup.

I touched my radio, "Go ahead Base."

"An observation probe has detected an unknown figure outside your location," reported my backup.

"Roger that," I replied.

Brooke frowned staying as quiet as possible.

"Check you perimeter for possible security breaches," my backup added.

"Roger that," I replied once more.

I put my finger to my lips and stepped out of the door.

A quick survey of the street and the space between the sheriff's office and the infirmary next door showed no one. I was not prepared to leave Brooke and search house to house. Instead I returned to the office and beckoned Brooke to join me.

"What's going on Pepper?" she asked.

I took her far out onto the empty landing pad where I would see anyone approach us, then I explained, "Long range scans from my Trooper indicated someone near us."

I continued. "Look ...I don't know how he is involved yet.."

"I understand, but you will let me know...."

"..but there is enough for me to open an investigation on William."

She smiled a bit "And I'll give you any help I can." She sighed. "Pepper .. I loved Sanders and ... I loved Tee."

"You need to stay clear of him," I added.

She nodded. "I plan on it. The man that is William is not the man I loved." Brooke sighed, "And he has promised to do everything he can to take my child."

I grew cold when I heard this.

"Do you have someone you can trust? to hide you?" I asked.

Brooke gave a little smile. "Yes, though as much as I trust you, probably best not to reveal his name. Just in case someone is listening."

"Yes. Good," I said. "I need to know as much as you can tell me about William and anything else that can help me on this."

"Don't worry," she said, "I won't let him get the child." She then smiles. "I wish ..." She stops herself. "Alright. What I know about William. He, well, is intelligent. I know that he was sent to watch over Mikie."

"You said she was a weapon. What did you mean?"

Brooke bit her lip. "Something was done to her. I'm not sure what, but she has some kind of verbal trigger. She heals faster than anyone I know .. and is incredibly strong."

I sighed, "Okay..I've heard of that sort of thing."

I had heard of gifted children adjusted, modified to accentuate their talents. Recently, one of them hacked into my computer back on Zenobia. How she got into my ship I have yet to discover. The watcher drones showed no signs of tampering.

"...and William was to watch over her," I connected the dots. "Then she was arrested ....with Sentry... for nuking Londinium. What was Sentry's link to Tee?"

"He was hired by Tee...through me ...." Brooke shook her head. "In some way I am responsible for the death of Sentry, and for every life that Tee has taken.. if I hadn't been in his life..."

"Stop that!" I said firmly, "He is responsible for his crimes. Not you."

She smiled slightly. "Maybe ...."

My radio buzzed. My backup reported, "Ma'am You've got multiple questionable figures in your location." A crowd of five.

"Sentry saw him make the blastomere deal... that was enough to have Tee on charges," I shook my head. "I still can't figure the whole picture."

Brooke sighed. "Sentry is gone, Pepper ... he can't exactly testify."

"Exactly," I admitted, "I need to get to Londinium and find out more." Londinium was the key.

"But .. if he was alive .. would the testimony be enough to get him off?"

"Sentry?" I asked, "Get him off? I don't know anymore Brooke."

"I will see what I can do," she said "Maybe he wrote it down somewhere in a journal."

"No," I said. There would be little point. "I want you safe. Let me see what I can do." I looked at her belly again. "I'll send word."

"Pepper .... I ... I would ask you to join us.. but I know better. Plus .... you're the only person I still trust in the Alliance..."

I spelled it out for her. "I promised that I would protect the Alliance from all enemies and dangers from outside or within. Nothing has changed."

She nodded a bit. "You are a better solider than I, Pepper."

I gave a half smile, "You have more friends, so maybe you are better off."

My radio buzzed again. The crowd had grown to seven.

Brooke put her hand on her stomach. "I'd like you to see the baby, once she is born, but I .... it probably won't be for a while. I don't trust William not to track you in order to get to the baby." She smiled a bit. "I'm sure you have more friends than you think..."

"I'll be tracking William," I admitted, "I'm sure he will be doing the same once he realizes."

I paused then added, "I might have to dig a bit into Sanders' background."

"I ... Pepper. There is something you should know. The reason I left...."

"Yes?"

"Sanders, over two years ago, he found information ... about what Blue Sun was doing to certain subjects..." She shook her head. "Pepper ... it was horrible. He ... he wanted me out of there. So he sent Chai to get me. I had no choice at that point but to leave. A few months later before he left for his last mission, he sent me all the paperwork."

"Which you kept safe?" I asked.

Brooke replied. "I might. Either way. I ... I know you'd find that out. Your investigation will lead to me in time ... you'll have no choice at some point, Pepper ...."

"You haven't done anything wrong Brooke... and Sanders found out.... hmm, did he fake his death or was it something else?"

"The Alliance doesn't care Pepper .... It isn't what you and I believed in school."

"There are more like me than you may think Brooke."

"I believe at first he faked his own death. Wanted to live a new life ... only he was corrupted by the drug." She sighed. "Pepper ... there might be more .. but you must join together. You must keep them from destroying the rest of us."

I grew quiet.

"I'm not just talking about me," she elaborated "... but my crew and the others."

My radio buzzed. It was my backup. "You have incoming."

An unidentified figure wearing a pressure suit approached across the empty landing pad. He appeared to be unarmed.

I touched my radio "Stand by."

The voice of the figure in the suit was distorted through the helmet speaker. His or her face was disguised by the polarized glass. "I was wondering if I could find passage off this planet..."

Brooke looked over and smiled at the figure. "Don't worry too much about him," she assured me, "he's a friend..."

"A friend..." I began

Brooke smiled. "I think he's telling me I'm being slow.."

"Very perceptive, Ma'am" said the one in the pressure suit.

"Does he mind removing his helmet?" I asked.

"Just looking for passage," he said "Sorry to have bothered you."

I smiled as the figure withdrew to the street next to the sheriff's office.

"What drug?" I asked "You said 'he was corrupted by the drug'."

Brooke laughed. "Wish I knew ...." Then she grows serious. "Oh, you mean Sanders."

"Yes."

"The drug you are looking into: OX."

"Obsidian?" I rolled my eyes.

She nodded "I found that he was given it when he was sick ..."

"And he became a user?" I asked.

"At least from what I was told."

"Okay," I said adding things up. "There is another connection then. Your crew goes to protect your trade route and finds the drug but someone takes a picture of them with it and sends it to me."

"Yes ... they wanted to cause trouble with my crew..." She frowns. "And I don't like that..."

"Cause trouble? or get them out of the way?" I asked rhetorically.

I noticed the sky. The night had progressed.

"You better get going," I said.

She nodded. "Alright. Just be careful."

"You too." I managed a weak smile.

Brooke hugged me quickly. "Don't forget who you are. And that's not just the uniform."

She joined her friend with the pressure suit and together they slipped away into the night.

I touched my radio. "Transport please."