Chapter 150: [ Book 2 ] Chapter 10: Findings

Carnen watched the construction cart jettison into space. The cart’s emergency decompression kit activated, an inflatable barrier enveloping the vehicle in a temporary protective envelope. It drifted out of view of the viewport, leaving him looking at the glimmer of a handful of freighters in a holding pattern.

The perspective of defeat.

“We’ve lost them,” Eptus said from behind as another cart pulled up.

Carnen turned as Stevson and Kemp hopped out of the second cart with the rest of Sentinel team. Kemp asked, "Where's the rest of the couriers?"

Carnen nodded at the airlock. "Shot themselves out in the cart."

"No shit," Stevson said, peering through the viewport. "Guess they really didn't want to get caught."

"The traitor survived, but he's in critical condition," the Sentinel medtech reported to Carnen and the Sentinel supervisor. "I recommend getting him to the BADSHIP immediately if we have any hope of stabilizing him for intergation."

"Go. We'll be right behind you," Carnen said to Eptus. The supervisor rounded up Sentinel team. They climbed into the second cart with the unconscious defector and sped off.

Warden team climbed into the other cart. As Carnen started forward, Kemp said, "I pulled the berth assignment of the courier ship from one of the dead courier's datapads. A light freighter called Harmony. If we move fast, we'll have time to search the ship before station security links it to the victims."

"What about the escaped couriers? They're floating around out there," Stevson said.

"Someone will pick them up before we had the chance, even if BADSHIP launched as soon as Sentinel was aboard," Carnen said. "Searching their ship for intel is the better play."

"You're the boss," Stevson said.

They avoided the corridors where they chased the couriers. Still, the civilians they passed were in an agitated state as word of the violence spread. A few of the wall displays showed live news feeds from the crime scenes. Security officers stood along temporary barriers while medtechs went to attend to the casualties. Or, in this case, the fatalities.

Carnen followed his PD's navigation guide to the courier ship berth. But thoughts of the unexpected setback kept pushing their way to the front of his mind. He saw the deep brown eyes of the man who foiled the operation at the moment of triumph. As Carnen squared off with the savior through the airlock viewport, he could see another layer of fear in the man’s eyes. Questioning the action he was about to take. No matter the statisical probablilties of survival, throwing oneself into space would never come easy.

Carnen shouldn’t have hesitated when the other cart stalled in the corridor and put a shot right between the man’s eyes.

A lesson to be learned.

“We’ve got a new problem," Kemp said as they neared the berth. "There was a disturbance at the lounge near where you spotted the traitor. A lone male Pree was arrested for assaulting a performer. Security has detained him. I pulled his name from the station records and it matches a Project Fidelity asset.”

"You told us no assets were activated outside of Preemona yet," Carnen said.

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"That is still the case. Unless the liaison is being dishonest, then we might've had another rogue activation. We won’t know unless we bring them in for analysis. I highly recommend we get this Pree released into our custody."

Carnen opened the comm to Eptus and asked for Sentinel team's status. They had made it to the BADSHIP and were stabilizing the traitor. Carnen updated Eptus on the situation. “Go to the security office and have them release the prisoner into your custody. Use your Ministry of Security credentials to generate a confidential warrant.”

“Commander, I’m not sure that will work. That sort of jurisdiction is a gray area until the charter issue gets resolved.”

“Then it will take some persuasion. Give the duty officer an off-the-record explanation that the warrant is related to fraudulent activity regarding the charter vote. They won't want anything to do with that political minefield. When you get him released into your custody, take him to the BADSHIP and stick him in hold two. We’ll figure out what to do with him from there. Get it done, supervisor. We have escaped couriers to track down.”

“Yes, commander,” Eptus said and closed the comm.

“Think he can manage that?” Stevson asked.

“He better,” Carnen said as the cart approacjhed the Harmony’s berth.

The station-side hatch was closed. Carnen parked the cart in a blocking position and Warden temp stepped out. Stevson hacked the panel while Carnen kept watch. Less than a minute later, it opened.

Warden team boarded the ship. They moved swiftly to clear the vessel, knowing there wasn't much time until security arrived.

From his first step aboard, Carnen knew something was different about this ship and the crew it held.

Past the main airlock, they found a small cargo hold set up with what looked to be a stage and entertainment equipment. Lights, projectors, lasers, speakers, holos. Another compartment was configured into what could only be described as a spa. It held a treatment table and various devices and products lining the shelves. Stevson said it was the opposite of a torture chamber; anyone taken there was going to enjoy it no matter what. The galley came next. The compartment was stocked with better-than-average sustenance—real fruit and vegetables, nutritious blended beverages, and vitamin and mineral packets.

They searched the crew quarters next. The air filtration systems were updated with aftermarket environmental controllers. Custom displays lined the bulkheads. Two adjoining compartments had the common bulkhead cut out, creating a larger living space. The two bunk slots had been modified to hold one larger bunk capable of sleeping several bodies. Each compartment held a distinct scent of the soil and bark of the great forests on Preemona.

“These accommodations are the opposite of typical haulers. What the hell kind of ship is this?” Stevson asked.

“One with a crew who wanted to be comfortable,” Kemp said.

The rest of the ship was unremarkable. And deserted. It appeared that all but the three escaped couriers had perished in the ambush.

On the bridge, Kemp and Stevson grabbed any data they could quickly pull—logs, caches, databases. They installed a few trackers for the hell of it, though Carnen suspected those escaped couriers were never coming back.

Their sweep complete, Warden team slipped off the ship like ghosts in the night.

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