Chapter 6, part 1
To an unknowing observer the sight of four Loroi prisoners being escorted one by one to the shuttle bay in order to wait for the shuttle that would take them down to Earth would seem like overkill. With their hands and feet bound in chains, their heads covered with a black hood and wearing full spectrum suppressors one would think that there was no way for them to be of any threat but Alexandra didn’t want to take any chances and had each of them being escorted by three of her Reforged while also having arranged for the corridors that they would go through to be free of any traffic and onlookers.
The Loroi Captain of the Lucky Dime, already discontent due to having to make a detour to Earth, didn’t like that but agreed to it, if only because she wasn’t in the mood to see the rumors about Enforcers running amuck on her ship be proven correct. The marines also played along with the farce and added some of their number as lookouts in key junctions. The Mizol had also backed off but they did so after having sent a few messages of their own to the Union embassy on Earth while receiving only a couple of responses. One had only to guess what those messages were really about but Alexandra was certain that the Union would throw a lot of its diplomatic weight to extradite the Enforcers and the Ganger back to them.
Alexandra could only hope that the intelligence officer receiving her own reports would catch on her heavy handed hints about the importance of the prisoners and the evidence she has secured; resulting in them pushing things high enough up the ladder for someone who sees the full picture to take notice and act accordingly.
Now she and Astarte stood alone in full armor at the shuttle bay, waiting for the shuttle from Earth’s immigration authorities to finish its approach. If all went well the two of them would hand off the prisoners to the immigration officers on the shuttle and then they would ride with the shuttle down to Earth to a debriefing where hopefully they will talk with an intelligence officer worth a damn.
Things however didn’t look like they would go well from the moment the shuttle touched down and the ‘immigration’ officers walked out. For one their armor and equipment didn’t bare any markings of being part of the Confederate Immigration Authority, the shuttle did but there was nothing on them to highlight them as immigration officers, in fact their full face helmets didn’t allow for any distinguishing facial feature to be shown.
“Lieutenant Alexandra Pierian?” The man who seemed to be in charged asked at that.
“Yes, and you are?” The man didn’t reply at that, just typed something on a small data pad he held and her H.U.D. flashed an order for her to obey his instructions without asking questions for the time being, Astarte mentally signaling her that she received the same instructions. “I understand.”
“Good, I see that you have isolated all of the prisoners in separate rooms, tied them up properly and ensured that no lookie loos are around.” He begun after reading something on his tablet. “I want you to instruct your girls to vacate the premises and to return to their normal duties. My men will handle the rest.”
Alexandra simply nodded for Astarte to give the necessary orders and observed in silence as the ‘immigration’ officers filled out and went to the nearby empty rooms where the ganger and the three enforcers were separately held.
“What’s this all about?” Astarte sent.
“I think that someone from really up high took notice of this mess.” Alexandra replied as the first trio of officers brought one of the prisoners up to the shuttle. The man in charge looked at her and his tablet flashed a quick message before nodding for her to be escorted aboard.
“Have you collected all the evidence and their belongings?” The man asked the two of them at that.
“Yes, the evidence we collected are in this box here.” Alexandra replied while pointing to a box right behind her. “Their belongings and assigned tablets are in the four boxes over there.”
“Did you do a full sweep of their cabins? Checked if they hid anything in any other part of the ship?” The man asked again.
“We did, we found nothing out of the ordinary.” Alexandra replied.
“Are you certain?” The man insisted.
“Nothing that comes to mind right now.” Alexandra replied again, the man nodding nonchalantly.
“Do you need to take anything else with you for the trip?”
“We have everything we need with us.” Alexandra replied while showing the two duffel bags she and Astarte carried.
“Good.” The man replied and proceeded to see to the other three prisoners in silence without letting out a single word.
“They look efficient.” Astarte commented as the last of the prisoners was marched inside, with the various boxes being carried inside soon after.
“That they do.”
“Follow me.” The man ordered dryly as he turned on the spot, both Alexandra and Astarte following into the shuttle and past the first compartment where three of the prisoners had been tied down onto secured chairs, with a pair of ‘immigration’ officers sitting at each of their sides.
The second compartment they passed by was a large storage room where a plethora of unusual equipment was stored in. The third compartment and the last before the cockpit was a simple passenger compartment, with several ‘immigration’ officers sitting at the back, still fully suited up and with one of the prisoners sitting at the top row next to a flaxen haired Loroi who wore the distinct navy blue uniform of the Confederate Navy as well as a full spectrum supressor.
“I trust that you have a package for me?” The Loroi asked in English as Alexandra and Astarte were brought up to her.
“Indeed.” Astarte replied as she took out the cryogenic lockbox from her duffel bag and offered it to her.
“Can you open it?” The Loroi asked and Astarte opened it in the way the ganger had taught her.
“Damn, they actually fucking did it...” The Loroi said as she took a vial out of the cold storage and looked at it before putting it back into the lockbox and closing it. “You two know what this means right?”
“That we never saw anything and we should never speak about it.” Alexandra replied as she and Astarte sat down next to the Loroi.
“We are way past that point; the Union may have been fooled for now but if a Mizol gets their hands on you they will come to know.” The Loroi said.
“I doubt that...” Astarte replied at that.
“Master Sergeant Astarte is it? A goddess of war, a fitting name in its own way for a Teidar wannabe with quick fists.” The Loroi replied. “I trust that Lieutenant Alexandra has a different opinion.”
“If a proper Mizol wants to know they will know, they may need to take their time but they will know.” Alexanda replied.
“Good to see an Alexandra that is smart for a change.” The Loroi commented. “Then again, you were a ganger so you were bound to know better. I wasn’t a ganger but I worked with enough gangs for the good of my Guild to know that the pact applied to me as well; fortunately for me they simply snapped almost the entirety of my Guild and shipped us all over the border. No questions asked and no accusations levied against any of us. Just an inconvenience that needed to go away, same as you two although I am certain that Master Sergeant Astarte had graduated to an annoyance if only because of her temper and telekinesis.” Astarte let out a chuckle at that.
“You do seem to know a lot about us but I don’t see anything about you on your uniform ma’am.” Alexandra commented as she glanced to the unmarked navy uniform that the flaxen Loroi wore.
“And you shouldn’t see because I am not really here, nor are the pilots and the men you have seen so far. This is an ordinary immigration authority shuttle, transferring some troublesome prisoners for processing; we shouldn’t be here at all and as far as the system is aware we aren’t.” The Loroi replied. “But I am here and I am Captain Maria Ambrosia of Confederate Naval Intelligence; and I have to say Lieutenant that I am actually impressed. Plenty of vain glorious Reforged with ‘warrior’ names would have found some way to make a mess out of things; you didn’t.”
“I simply acted as I thought appropriate.”
“Everyone says that; few actually come out without making some nasty mistakes on the way to the exit.” Captain Ambrosia replied. “Here you are, however; having fixed a mess that you didn’t know existed before you stumbled upon it. Making my life far easier than it had any right to be considering the stakes.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
“Good to know, although you won’t be as glad when you hear out how exactly I have planned to clean up the trail.”
Chapter 6, part 2:
https://www.well-of-souls.com/forums/vi ... 163#p40163