Chapter 10 - Regroup

Wardroom of the Nicodemus

Admiral Jerral Kerensky Starport, Novaterra, Union of Federated Systems

Sunday, 16 September 3488

            “He said what?”

            Tobias looked across the table, to the figure at Rigby’s right. Absent for their discussions thus far, the previously empty seat was now occupied by the pale hologram of the cassock-clad Father Thomas Wexler, complete with his usual black hat – a capello romano, common amongst priests. The normally calm Jesuit sat stroking a hand through his golden beard – thicker than usual, thanks to the month-long Ignatian retreat he had just completed. His even countenance held little of the sudden exclamation which had just escaped Father Thomas’ lips, though Tobias caught his gaze and saw the deep concerned etched into his light eyes.

            A digital sigh came from Tobias’ left, where Xanthe sat in holographic form, her and Aves still back in the Ironbound District. A pained expression crossed the young woman’s face. “He said that the last time they saw Euphemia at Stardust, she was hanging out with a Dorylaetian who went by the name of ‘Lor Nevas’. The Quorthwar showed me his face, and it was one of the transitional deacons from St. Stephen’s.” The very thought of that began to fill Tobias’ mind with all sorts of unwelcome images of various instances of clerical malfeasance. The kid had only received one stage of Sacramentum Ordinis – the Sacrament of Holy Orders – and thus wasn’t a full priest in his own right, yet still carried the weight of responsibility. A night of partying at a secret club hidden in a warehouse, even if innocent of the myriad of temptations such a lifestyle brought with it, was still wrought with scandal.

            “Do you think they were giving you accurate information?” Asked Doc, that deep mechanical buzz to his voice. “Federal Security hasn’t been known for their honesty.”

            “Yeah, I think they’re telling the truth.” Xanthe replied, her expression shifting to something sour. “Aves’ girlfriend confirmed that one after the whole kerfuffle.”

            There was a sudden muffled banging sound over the comms channel, followed by a curse. In almost comical fashion, Aves holographic head began to rise up in the seat opposite Xanthe. It seemed like the hologram had come from beneath the table, though that only a illusion of the projection system. He was in the same speeder as Xanthe, Aves likely working under the center console and thus out of range of the camera, causing the effect. The Talosian was rubbing the top of his head. “Don’t give me that,” He snapped at Xanthe. “I had no reason to think that she was some sort of federal agent.”

            “Right,” Xanthe replied, darkly. “You were spending a bit too much time staring at her cleavage to do anything as difficult as ‘thinking’.” Even through the pale hologram, Tobias could see Aves’ face begin to gain color as he rounded an angry expression up and to his right. In reality Xanthe was probably seated there in the speeder, but in the wardroom it just looked like he had turned his anger on Doc, who was next to him. The Irannoid only crossed his top set of arms in a very Humanoid gesture of offense.

            “What did you just say to me?” Aves bit out. He turned a sudden entreaty on the head of the table. “Captain, Father, I swear I wasn’t…”

            Tobias caught the priest’s eye again, as Father Thomas lowered his head and began shaking it, a small smile on his lips. Captain Rigby was massaging her temples and held up a hand to stop Aves’ justifications. “Okay, okay, that’s enough,” She announced, cutting through that stalemate and ending it. She continued: “What else did you learn about this…Lor Nevas?”

            Aves returned his look to Xanthe – or Doc, depending on one’s perspective – that palpable anger still in his gaze, finally abating after a moment. “Not much,” He said, his voice still strained. “They wanted to interview him, but the archdiocese chancery is stonewalling them. We said we might be able to call in our secret weapon to cut through the red tape, so-to-speak.”

            Father Thomas gave a knowing look. “I assume by ‘secret weapon’, you mean me? I presume you want to see if I can speak with him?” Came his gentle voice, muffled by the hologram.

            “I imagine Lor Nevas would be more open speaking with you than some FedSec goons.” Xanthe agreed.

            The priest nodded. “My shuttle should arrive in the next few hours, and I can head right down to St. Stephen’s. As it turns out, I know the rector and a few of the sisters pretty well.” That came as little surprise to Tobias. Father Thomas Wexler’s contacts within the Church went about as far as Captain Rigby’s did without.

            “Now that that’s out of the way,” Tobias continued. “Care to tell us about the rest of this story? Including exactly how you came across two FedSec agents at this place?” It was the question burning in everyone’s mind. Xanthe and Aves were supposed to have been back at the starport over an hour before, and when they failed to return with naught but a message teasing the presence of federal agents at the club, everyone’s interest and concern had been piqued.

            Xanthe opened her mouth to speak when the door to the wardroom suddenly slid open. All heads turned to see Brextallor enter first, followed closely by an annoyed-looking Javyar, angrily swatting Cupertino away from his legs. The blue dog was intently sniffing at the Parfful’s fur, a common occurrence that Javyar absolutely detested.

            “At ease, mutt.” Javyar grunted, forcing Cupertino’s head away as he went to sit down in his usual chair. Even as he did, the dog laid his head against Javyar’s legs, and continued to try and seize his attention.

            “Don’t mind him,” Theck said. “He just doesn’t like cats.”

            The Parfful shot him a look. “I am not a cat.” A few chuckles went around the room.

            “I don’t think he knows the difference,” Xanthe pointed out. “You look like a cat and smell like a cat. I don’t think he notices that you’re a little too big to be a cat.” The Parfful were of course a species of feline beings, though according to scientific studying that went way above Tobias’ paygrade, they were only ever-so distantly related to any domestic form of cat. Regardless the term ‘cat’ was thrown around very often as a shorthand form to refer to the species, often in a dismissive context.

            Javyar shoved the dog away from him. “This stupid animal wouldn’t know a cat if it bit him.” He leaned down, bearing his sharp teeth and hissing at the dog. “Which I’m feeling very inclined to do right now.”

            Rigby, who looked thoroughly amused, shook her head. “You’re going to have to forgive his stupidity. It comes with age.” She slapped the edge of her chair, the metallic echo immediately grabbing the dog’s attention. “Hey! Cupertino!” She called, the dog’s head snapping to attention. The old dog knew little and listened to nobody, save the voice of his master. “Here, boy.” The dog obeyed and finally left Javyar alone. It sat down next to Rigby’s chair, and she began scratching the dog between the ears.

            “Thank you,” Javyar grunted, frustratedly.

            “You’re late,” Theck said flatly, moving the discussion along.

            “There were…extenuating circumstances,” Javyar replied. “We were held up down below.”

            “Javyar, Brex, good to see you both.” Father Thomas greeted with his characteristic warmth.

            “Evening, Father,” The Proximan replied, barely even registering the unexpected reappearance of a man whom most of them hadn’t seen in over a month.

            Javyar did a double take towards the priest’s hologram, giving the expected response. “What are you doing here? I thought you were gone for another few weeks.”

            Tobias turned a grin on Father Thomas. “That’s his way of saying, ‘hello’.”

            Thomas laughed, nodding to the Parfful. “That was my initial plan, but the retreat ended a few days back, and Judith apprised me of the situation last night. Speaking with Cardinal Bihar, we both decided that I’d be better able to serve here.”

            “Rome eager to help out their shining star in the Senate, I presume?” Javyar asked.

            Thomas only shrugged, unphased by the insinuation. “I wouldn’t claim to know; it’s not my job to figure those things out.”

            “He hasn’t arrived a moment too soon,” Doc added to the Parfful. “A deacon with the Church has been implicated in this whole mess.”

            Javyar’s attitude seemed to perk up at that one. “A deacon you say?” He asked. “A holy type who it turns out is not quite so holy?” The mockery was plain in his voice. Tobias only rolled his eyes.  

            “Shove it,” Xanthe ground out. “We don’t care to hear your attitude.”

            Javyar let out a purr-like noise of amusement. “A bit tense in here, tonight.”

            “Wait until you hear what Xanthe and Aves found out.” Tobias said, setting Xanthe up to retell the story. She quickly brought Javyar and Brextallor up to speed with what had been covered thus far, right down the discovery of the FedSec agents.

            “Who, I might add,” Aves said, his head reappearing above the table. “Probably ran a knife through the main power system of our speeder.” As soon as it had appeared, he returned to his work out of sight, but his voice continued. “We’re lucky we were able to get the long-distance comms transmitter back online.”

            This gained Brextallor’s attention. “Which speeder are you using?” He asked.

            “The Hourton Drive Systems one,” Aves’ invisible voice replied, referring to one of the two speeders they kept on the ship.

            “Hmm,” Brex replied with all of the focus of the tech he was. “Long-distance comms and the main ignition are wired a bit differently on the Hourton.”

            “You don’t say,” Aves replied, sourly. “That’s exactly why I could get one working and not the other.” 

            “Have you tried disconnecting and reconnecting the ignition system?”

            Aves head reappeared, an annoyed expression in his face. “Do I look like a novice to you?”

            Brex’ head wobbled a bit, indicating frustration. “Not at the break, at the ignition switch.” He said.

            “At…” Aves paused. “…the what? Why there?”

            “It is a bit of a technical peculiarity with that model of Hourton.” Brex said, his tone one he would use when addressing a child. “Try that.”

            Before Aves could reply, Javyar broke back in. “Your troubleshooting is all very stimulating, but…” He began to rub one of his whiskers. “You said that you ran into FedSec? That’s very interesting.”

            Xanthe nodded. “Yeah, there were two of them: a Human named Andara and a Quorthwar named Maro. Apparently, they’ve been staking out this Stardust place for the past few weeks as part of some murder investigations that FedSec is tracking. A number of people involved in either the Entente or with certain defense contractors have been turning up dead. The primary suspects were all virtual nobodies, who either died at the scene or died sometime later, in custody.”

            “And it just so happened that two similar goons chased us right out of the club and practically killed us.” Aves’ voice added.

            Xanthe seemed to shudder. “The two FedSec agents actually saved us, all things considering.”

            Tobias frowned. “Who were these goons?”

            “A Human and a Drayen.” Aves replied. “Real nasty types. The Drayen woman had a tattoo on her arm, which Andara said the other suspects also had. It was of a Borthys Hydra.”

            Tobias considered that. The world in question – Borthys – was a sparsely-populated world covered with a single ocean near the Inner Radius of the galaxy. It was a Union-controlled world, primarily populated by Freelysh, Aquish, and various other species who could live underwater. The creature in question was a many-headed water beast which stalked the deepest depths of the Borthys ocean, given its name by the Human explorers who had first discovered it, the name an homage to the Old Terran mythological creature of the same name. The creature was savagely vicious, attacking anyone or anything that crept too close to its deepwater caves. Rumors abounded that the Borthys Hydra also had the ability to regrow slain heads like the mythological creature of old, but that claim was unsubstantiated. 

            “Borthys Hydra, you say?” This was Javyar again, still twirling his whiskers. From the thoughtful tone of his voice, everyone was silent to give him time to speak. “That’s the same emblem that was used by the Laramie Raiders, way back in their heyday.”

            “I vaguely recall the name,” Captain Rigby said, her head slowly nodding in recognition. “But it’s been well over a decade.”

            “That’s because they’ve been inactive since the war.” Javyar added. “They were composed of members of a Union military unit who defected back in ’72 and went into business for themselves, causing a whole heap of trouble across the Deep Space Sectors.” He continued. The region in question referred to the Union’s longest single border, that which it shared with frontier space at the edge of the known galaxy. Full of small colony worlds with various levels of development, not all were readily accessible by defense forces and many weren’t Union member worlds, making them common targets of pirates. “Their leader was their former commander, one Brego Dershwell.” That name stirred a sudden distant memory in Tobias mind.

            “Commander Dershwell?” He asked. “I know that name; his defection was still news back when I was in Basic Training. They said he and his squad made off with an Orion-class frigate loaded to the teeth with all sorts of weapons. It caused a real headache for the military, not the least bit because all the soldiers under his command – nearly seventy-five in total – defected with him. Not a single one left their commander.”

            “Talk about loyal,” Xanthe commented.

            “What was the reason for their defection?” This came from Thomas, seated comfortably in his chair. He had one hand absently thumbing his pectoral cross.

            “That’s the best part,” Tobias said, leaning in and letting a wide, conspiratorial grin cross his face. “They didn’t agree with the signing of the Aldebaran Entente.”

            “You’re kidding!” Xanthe cried. “That’s gotta be it, then. They’re definitely involved in some way.”

            “Impossible,” This was Captain Rigby. “Javyar, weren’t the Laramie Raiders all rounded up when the Union began attempting to pacify the Deep Space Sectors after the war?” A military operation that had ended about as well as the various attempts to quell the ever-increasing series of rebellions, Tobias thought but didn’t say.

            Javyar scoffed. “Depends on what your source is. According to the Ministry of War, the Laramie Raiders were completely stamped out, and Brego Dershwell was killed in battle over Watauga II. Unofficially, Dershwell was never at Watauga, and he took his top lieutenants and went into hiding.”

            Tobias sank back into his memory, trying to see if he recalled anything more about the Deep Space Campaign. He had never heard of these Laramie Raiders and only knew Dershwell as a traitor, but knew that the Ministry of War had been keen to make the campaign look more successful than it was. While many pirate groups had been stamped out, whether these Laramie Raiders were the ones stamped out or the ones who got away, he couldn’t know. “A buddy of mine was involved in that campaign, and he might know a thing or two about these Laramies,” He said, finally. “Let me check with him and see what he says about it.”

            “Good idea,” Rigby agreed. “Javyar, would you be able to poke around for more information on Dershwell, and if he could still be alive?” The Parfful nodded.

            “Should we tell FedSec about this?” Aves asked, reappearing for the moment.

            Xanthe scoffed. “You’re just itching to see Andara again, aren’t you?” Aves scowled at where she was seated in the speeder, again catching Doc in the crossfire.

            “Actually, I just thought it’d be good to compare notes. You know, see what they might know?” Aves said, explaining it as if she was a child. The Quorthwenne sneered back at him.

            “Let me handle that one,” Rigby decided.

            “Good call, Captain.” Xanthe said.

            As was a rarity, Theck spoke up. “Did anything else happen over the course of your busy date?”

            Xanthe and Aves seemed to consider that before the full gravity of what Theck had said dawned on them, catching the nigh-imperceptible smirk at the edge of his face. Tobias laughed out loud, but Aves’ expression was much less jovial. “You’re a comedian, Theck. You know that?” He shot back.

            “Aves almost got me killed twice, so I suppose ‘not very well’ is the correct answer to that.” Xanthe replied.

            “I saved your skin. If it wasn’t for me, those two goons would have killed the both of us.” Aves insisted. “And besides, you could have easily gotten us killed with that vent escape.”

            “I suppose ‘no’ is the answer to your question.” Came Doc’s dry response to Theck.

            “Javyar, Brextallor, what have you two found out this evening?” Rigby asked. Javyar leaned over and swatted at the Proximan’s shoulder. “We’re up, little guy. Time to start paying attention.”

            Brex turned his blank face on Javyar. “I was paying attention.” He said, an annoyed insistence to his voice.

            Tobias looked to the Captain. “I think we need to reassess who we pair off together on these assignments.” A knowing grin was her response.

            “Anyway,” Javyar began. “I was able to talk with my contact Pendrood, and he was able to steer us in the direction of someone he knows. He was…more than cooperative.” Tobias raised an eyebrow at what sorts of sordid techniques Javyar had utilized to elicit this cooperation but remained silent.

            “It turns out there was someone asking around for help with some Horizon District job a few months back,” Brex added. “A Human with a heavily burned and scarred face.”

            “That’s an awfully specific yet vague description.” Tobias pointed out.

            “Was this ‘something’ related to the Senate in particular?” Father Thomas asked.

            “You tell me,” Javyar replied. “Pendrood’s friend – one Sammy Fisk who’ve I had the displeasure of meeting five total times, now – was paid to put this scarred mystery man in contact with a someone looking for work up there. The criteria he gave was very specific too: a male – preferably Human or Dorylaetian – without a record, willing to work with no questions asked, and with enough of an upper-class background to not attract and suspicion. And the best part?” Javyar paused dramatically, as if to build up tension. “Fisk was paid one hundred thousand credits for this.”

            Tobias whistled. “That’s a hell of a lot of money for a simple meet-and-greet.”

            “And very telling criterion. Perfect for a patsy with no connections.” Rigby added. “Whose name did Fisk give him?”

            “A kid who attends Pershing Technical Institute. Name’s Desmon Ontellus, Dorylaetian, aged 21. He’s from a wealthy Horizon District family but squandered most of his part of the fortune. He’s broke and desperate, which is how he came to Fisk’s attention as someone looking for work. Fisk recommended him for the contact.”

            “Did this man give any inkling of indication as to what he wanted the kid to do?” Doc asked.

            “Nope,” Javyar replied. “Fisk just gave the name, got his payday, and stopped caring. That is, until he got a frantic call from Desmon a little under a week ago.” Tobias narrowed his eyes at that one.

            “Continue,” Rigby said.

            “Fisk says the call came in last Tuesday or Wednesday. Kid’s hysterical, blabbering on about someone following him. Fisk gets him to calm down, and Desmon explains that he finished the job – the specifics of which he didn’t offer – but had been heading back to Novaterra when he began to suspect someone was following him.”

            “Figures. These shadowy types barely trust themselves.” Xanthe commented. 

            “Did he get a good look at the pursuer?” Rigby asked.

            Javyar shook his head. “Fisk said the kid mentioned something about a Drayen or Parfful, but Fisk also said the kid was making little sense. Desmon apparently seemed unwilling to come right back to Novaterra, and said he needed some place to lie low for a bit. Fisk recommended a place and…ah…” A grin came to his face. “You’re probably not going to like where Fisk sent him.”

            “Try me,” Rigby answered.

            The Parfful continued: “The planet Lentan, in the Strythan Nebula.” Tobias looked at the others, whose expressions about matched his own.

            “You’re right,” Theck grunted. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

            Captain Rigby leaned back in her chair, the hints of a resigned smirk on her lips. “He sent this kid to go hiding under Callahan’s guiding wing, did he?”

            The echo of a digital scoff from Xanthe. “Callahan Vorknor? The pirate?”

             “Unless you know of some other Callahan who makes his home in the middle of a nebula, where an imprecise hyperspace jump could leave you dead in open space.” Tobias offered wryly. Over the years they’d had the displeasure of meeting the self-styled “pirate lord” on several occasions, and not all friendly. Tobias turned to the Captain. “I can’t quite remember; are we currently on good terms with Vorknor, or not?”

            “If I remember correctly, it’s unclear.” Father Thomas chimed in. “We requisitioned one of his shipments, though tried to keep our involvement out of it.”

            Tobias suddenly remembered that last encounter. “Oh right, that’s when we airlocked six-hundred kilos of glitterdust over the fifth moon of Antares.” The drug in question was one of the most potent available for consumption by mammalian beings, and very illegal in most civilized systems.

            “Airlocked and vaped,” Xanthe corrected, a look of smug satisfaction on her pink face. “That last part was my idea.”

            “Of course,” Tobias replied. “How could I forget?” Her contribution of deciding to blast the drugs with the Nicodemus’ rear laser cannon had been the pièce de résistance to the whole event.

            “Either way, we do need to speak with him.” Rigby continued, back on topic. “We need to see this Desmon Ontellus and find out exactly how he fits into this conspiracy.”

            “If he’s involved at all.” Javyar countered.

            “He’s involved.” Tobias replied. “The parameters are very specific, and it’s right in the region of Novaterra we’re looking for.”

            “That’s an awfully bold assumption,” Javyar replied. “Best leave those to the Captain, no?”

            Tobias shrugged. “Sure. Captain? What do you think?” Rigby seemed to be carefully weighing the situation.

            “I think you’re right.” She said, finally. “Let’s not forget the one-hundred thousand credits this Sammy Fisk was paid, and all for a name. The contact wanted this job done and knew the price to keep questions asked to a minimum.” Rigby turned her cool gaze on Tobias. “You up for paying Vorknor a visit?”

            Tobias grimaced. “I don’t relish ever seeing that man again, but for Euphemia’s sake?” He shrugged. “Sure. Can I at least bring back up?”

            Rigby nodded. “Garrick?”

            Another muffled thumping sound from the speeder comms channel, followed by Aves’ stifled curse. His head reappeared with a frustrated look, only melting away when he saw that the Captain had been the one to use his first name. “Yes?”

            “When you return, are you up to accompany Tobias to Lentan?”

            Aves seemed to consider it. “How long’s the trip over there?”

            Tobias thought. “In the Nicodemus? Probably a day and a half.”

            “It would be quicker, if not for the shoddy patch job which was done the last time the jumpdrive was damaged.” Came an unexpected response. All eyes fell to the end of the table, where Brextallor had just dropped that fact. Aves, to whom the passive-aggressive comment was directed, rounded on the Proximan.

            “First you’re on my case about the speeder, an now the jumpdrive? I’d like to see you try and apply a fix in what was practically zero-grav!” Aves exclaimed.

            “I would, if I had not been busy trying to fix that gravitational issue." Brex replied, flatly. “Unless you would rather have died from the G-force.”

            “Okay ladies, calm down,” Xanthe announced, her voice suddenly deeper as she feigned the authority of a ship captain. “You can keep bickering about your technical skills on your own time. We have a job to do.”

            Aves just turned his ire on her. “Oh, shut up. You’re the queen of pointless bickering. What’s that Old Terran proverb about the pot and kettle?” She stuck her tongue out at him.

            “Even with a jumpdrive at full capacity,” Rigby cut in, again doing her job of keeping this discussion from turning into an Aves-Xanthe shouting match. “It would still take nearly a day to make it to Lentan. Let me see if I can requisition some starfighters from Partash.”

            “See if he can get a pair of Arrowheads.” Tobias suggested. “Those’ll get us there in 12-14 hours, tops. That’s about the fastest unless you want to try fastening a jumpdrive onto a trebuchet.”

            “I’m sure the ‘master technician’ could do it.” Aves said sourly, throwing a thumb down at Brex.

            “That would be impossible, as installing a jump drive on a stationary piece of an Old Terran medieval war machine would not affect the being who had been fired from the device.” Brex answered, matter-of-factly. “He would suffocate to death in open space, while the trebuchet would be lost in limbo-space.”

            Aves grumbled. “It’s called a joke.”

            The Proximan stared blankly around at the others seated there. “I do not understand.”

            “Ignore him,” Xanthe said to Brex with a snicker. “That’s what I do.”

            “Okay, so I’m going to say that’s settled: Tobias, you and Garrick will head out to the Strythan Nebula and try to get a lead on this Desmon Ontellus. I’ll send a message to Callahan Vorknor and see if I have any favors left to call in.” Rigby decided.

            Tobias and Aves nodded to each other. “Copy that, Captain.”

            “I’ll stop by St. Stephen’s as soon as I arrive,” Father Thomas added.

            “Isn’t that a bit of what they call a ‘conflict of interest’?” Javyar asked. “I mean, no offense Father, but you’re hardly going to be objective dealing with one of your own.”

            “And you’re a shining ball of objectivity, huh?” Theck muttered. 

            “True,” The Jesuit agreed. “That’s why I want you to come with me.”

            Xanthe’s hologram practically leapt into the air. “That’s a terrible idea! I’m pretty sure Jav would spontaneously combust if he ever stepped foot in a church.” The Parfful only laughed.

            “The Good Lord would be doing us all a favor with that one,” Theck added, getting a dangerous grin from Javyar.

            Father Thomas shook his head. “It’s because of his rather…unorthodox beliefs that I want him there. It’ll be good to have someone to be a bit more forceful if needed.”

            “In that case I’m coming too,” Theck said. “Just so that he doesn’t try to crack this Lor Nevas’ ribs like he did Sammy Fisk.” Javyar looked offended but did not protest at the insinuation of what he may or may not have done to Fisk.

            “Alright, so that’s the second team covered,” Rigby said. “I’ll be tracking down this Hontaro Deckran from JekWare that Partash told me about. Xanthe, Brextallor, would you both be willing to join me?”

            “Anything if it means I don’t have to work with Aves, again. I’m in.” Xanthe said.

            Brex approximated his best impression of a nod. “I will join you. Where will we be meeting with this Deckran?”

            “To be determined.” Rigby answered. “Partash refused to give up his locating, but I’ll have it by morning.”

            “So that’s it, then?” Tobias asked. Everyone had a task, and he needed to urgently go prep for a long trip. “Class dismissed?”

            “One more thing,” Rigby said. “Our job is to locate and rescue Euphemia Sethell. However, if you happen across any information concerning Ranshal Korgwesh – our other missing senator’s kid – try and dig as deeply as possible.”

            “You don’t trust Meera Trepko to find him?” Theck asked.

            “No. I don’t” Rigby replied. She squinted. “It’s strange.”

            “What’s strange?” Xanthe asked.

            “Trepko. She’s not quite the type to run rescue operations.”

            Tobias chuckled. “And we are?”  

            Rigby’s gave a bashful grin. “Point taken. Dismissed.”