Fatal flaws gate ghosts.., p.20
Fatal Flaws (Gate Ghosts Book 13), page 20
Seeing Vextra staring at the walkway and the ground around it, Shemla asked, “What do you expect to find?”
Suddenly, Vextra halted, bent over, and used her device to record images.
With each flash, Shemla saw a boot print in the soft ground beside the walkway.
Then Vextra laid her foot beside one clear print and took a few more images.
About that time, the pair’s transport pulled into the lot.
“Lose the jacket,” Vextra instructed, which made Shemla exude hissing laughter.
Gratefully, Shemla doffed the jacket, dumping it into a recycling container.
After climbing into Gedrake’s vehicle, Vextra instructed, “Head to the capital.” Then she made a vid call to Soiter.
“Company,” Soiter replied swiftly. “Race Relations Minister Fetler. Part of investigation.”
“We’ll have to forget the abbreviated speech, Ministers,” Vextra replied. “This is too important. Soiter, the data that you’ve been receiving from the drone is tracking two high-speed transports that are returning to the capital.”
Then Vextra sent a stream of images.
“You’ve three Freiot faces of five individuals who got into one vehicle,” Vextra continued. “Two of them were watchers on my associate’s place. I don’t know the third face.”
Fetler ran facial recognition on the three Freiots. He promptly had their IDs. “All three are security agents. You might be able to guess their immediate superior,” he said.
“Chief Bangrath,” Vextra replied.
“Correct,” Fetler responded.
“What do you know about the other transport?” Soiter inquired.
“That information will cost you, Soiter,” Vextra replied, which took the minister aback.
“I’m curious,” Fetler said, having noticed the way that Soiter was reacting to the attractive face in his display. “Just exactly what price would you extract from the minister?”
Vextra issued a soft hiss, “I like your friend, Soiter,” she said. “When the investigation finishes, you take me to enjoy a leisurely evening meal at one of the capital’s most prestigious establishments.”
“A most fair offer,” Fetler replied, before Soiter could think of what to say. Staring at his friend, he added, “Time’s a-wasting, Soiter. Transports are on their way here.”
“Agreed,” Soiter finally said. After a brief hesitation, he added, “I look forward it.”
“Regard the last several images,” Vextra instructed, feeling extremely satisfied with her exchange with Soiter.
“Boot tracks?” Fetler queried dubiously, until he saw the final side-by-side comparison. “Big feet. Too big for Freiots.”
“That was my thought,” Vextra responded. “Three of these figures, who were heavier than Freiots, got into the other transport. Is what you’ve been given enough to prove collusion?”
“No,” Soiter and Fetler chimed together.
“However,” Fetler continued, “I believe we have enough to detain the individuals in both transports for questioning. Certainly, the Freiots will face disciplinary charges from Security Command. This might be enough to call into question the Utilimat-Freiot agreement.”
“Has that been your goal all along?” Vextra inquired. When the ministers were quiet, she added, “So, we get rid of our Utilimat alliances and seek the support of the conclave. I approve.”
The ministers were still silent, and Vextra and Shemla laughed at their reticence.
Then Vextra said, “Soiter, I’ll choose the date and time for our evening out. You can pick the place.” Then she ended the call.
Fetler regarded his friend. “Soiter?” he queried. “Not Minister Soiter?”
“We’ve worked together many times,” Soiter dissembled, shrugging.
“Attractive,” Fetler commented.
“I thought you said that time was a-wasting,” Soiter returned, which made Fetler hiss.
Then Soiter’s device hummed. Guelmer was calling, and he quickly answered it.
“Soiter, your agent is superb,” Guelmer said. “I congratulate you on the hire. Remember to keep your evening meal appointment.”
Soiter frowned at Fetler, who had held up his device to indicate he’d connected to Guelmer.
“About the two transports,” Soiter said, to get the conversation on track.
“I support your concept of arrest and interrogation,” Guelmer replied. “We’ve sufficient cause to obtain a judicial order to that effect.”
“I’ll get started on that,” Soiter replied.
Soiter’s and Fetler’s devices buzzed.
“Already did that,” Guelmer responded. “You have copies of the warrants. Commander Carthal is organizing the interception team. I want the two of you there as observers. A media crew has been called to record the entire event.”
“You want the populace to know what the Utilimats have been doing,” Fetler volunteered.
“More than that, Fetler, I want Freiots to know what some of their citizens are willing to do to undermine our society,” Guelmer pointed out.
“It won’t hurt to have independent documentation when we confront the Utilimat council,” Soiter added.
“You’d better hurry. A high-speed transport is waiting for you outside your offices,” Guelmer said, ending the call.
Despite the late hour, there were a few government employees still in the building. It was memorable to them to see two ministers running as if to save their lives.
Strapped into the high-speed transport, Soiter contacted Commander Carthal.
“What’s the best timing for our arrival?” Soiter asked.
“This is getting to be a large party,” Carthal replied. “My team is nearing the interception point. I’ve made sure the media crew is behind us and won’t be employing lights until the target transports are stopped.”
“This is meant to be a public party,” Soiter corrected.
“The palladon informed me that two transports were to be interdicted and everyone detained,” Carthal said. “I’ve the tracking data on their positions, but the palladon didn’t tell me who we’re arresting.”
“In one of the transports will be five individuals. We know positively that three are security agents,” Fetler explained. “More than likely, one of the other two will be Chief Bangrath.”
“And why am I arresting my agents?” Carthal demanded.
Soiter and Fetler briefly eyed each other. Their slender tongues indicated the anticipation they felt knowing the response Soiter would deliver.
“In the other transport will be Utilimats,” Soiter replied. “We’ve proof of their clandestine meeting with Freiots.”
There was near silence from Carthal.
“Still there, Commander?” Fetler asked politely.
“I made a stink with my senior officers about our call,” Carthal replied. “They insisted I was blowing the matter into space. After I met with them, I thought my career was at an end. Now it looks much brighter.”
The ministers and the commander shared some enthusiastic hissing. For Freiots who dedicated their lives to service, the opportunity to catch traitors was to be appreciated.
While Soiter maintained contact with Carthal, he gestured for Fetler’s device. Then he input Vextra’s ID.
Vextra regarded the unknown device ID, and she frowned, suspicious of who might be calling in the highly charged circumstances.
Shemla snatched the device, accepted the call, and said, “Who is this?”
Soiter didn’t recognize the voice, and he answered indignantly, “Who’s this?”
Then the ministers heard the laughter of two females.
“Soiter, do you realize how many carefully crafted safety protocols have been negated in just a short period?” Vextra inquired rhetorically. “Whose device did you use?”
“Mine,” Fetler replied.
“Ah, yes. My new friend,” Vextra replied.
“I want to know who answered,” Soiter queried.
“That would be me,” Shemla replied, which made the ministers hiss amusingly.
“Does me have a name?” Fetler inquired.
Shemla regarded Vextra, who shook her head. “Yes,” she replied.
Soiter and Fetler stared at the device held between them. It appeared that the agents liked their anonymity, but that might soon come to an end.
“My call is to warn the both of you,” Soiter said. “Keep an eye on your drone’s position. It will come to a halt on the high-speed lanes. Security Command is stopping those two transports. Commander Carthal has a judicial order to detain the occupants.”
“And Agents, if you wish to keep your identities out of the media, don’t get close to the arrest,” Fetler warned.
“Thank you, good friends,” Vextra replied.
“Our thanks go to you and your associate,” Soiter replied. “You’ve done your government a great service.”
“Just pay your bills on time, Soiter. Both of them,” Vextra replied.
“No worries about the night out,” Fetler hurriedly said. “Palladon Guelmer heard your call to us. He told Soiter to keep his appointment.”
Before Vextra ended the call, Fetler and Soiter heard the females hissing sharply at the idea of the palladon directing Soiter to keep a date with an agent he’d hired.
Vextra directed her attention to their young driver. “Keep a good distance from the drone’s position, without endangering us from other vehicles,” she said.
Gedrake nodded and moved to the slowest lane behind a huge cargo transport.
“How will the commander stop two high-speed transports?” Shemla inquired.
“Security has electronic triggers along these lanes,” Gedrake replied. “At some point, they’ll be activated. The transports we’re chasing will be brought to a halt. We and others will be slowed and stopped too. This will happen as far behind us as necessary to control traffic.”
Gedrake had no sooner spoken than the lanes of vehicles began decelerating.
“Stay behind the heavy,” Vextra instructed.
The young driver hissed. “I don’t have a choice,” he replied. “These electronic triggers do more than slow transports. They control every vehicle.”
“Always good to learn new things,” Vextra remarked.
Up ahead, Commander Carthal stood behind security transports and waited until the target vehicles came to a stop. His device was connected to his transport’s speakers. “Step out of your vehicles,” he ordered.
When there was no response, Carthal repeated the command. Still there was no answer. Turning toward the media crew leader, he said, “Turn on your lights, record, but stay behind my transports.”
Then Carthal noted that Soiter and Fetler had joined him. “You’re sure there are agents in one of those vehicles?” he asked.
Soiter held up his device. “Do you recognize any of these individuals?” he asked, as he displayed each Freiot.
“All of them,” Carthal replied. “Agents, you have moments to exit your vehicle or vehicles,” he directed decisively. “If you fail to respond to my order, that charge will be added to those you’re about to face.”
The doors of the second transport opened. Five figures exited the vehicle. They still wore their hooded cloaks.
“Remove your hoods,” Carthal ordered.
Reluctantly, five individuals uncovered themselves, and the media crew focused on their faces.
Carthal hissed in a combination of dismay that security agents were to be detained and relief that he’d been right to support the government’s allegations.
“Approach our vehicles,” Carthal added. When the five suspects neared the security transports, Carthal’s agents swarmed out to take them into custody and loaded them into a waiting van.
As Bangrath walked past the ministers, he hostilely glared at them, and neither Soiter nor Fetler gave him the satisfaction of a response.
After Vextra’s driver halted behind the huge cargo transport, Vextra and Shemla left their vehicle and edged around the back of the cargo hauler.
“Can we get closer?” Shemla inquired.
“Negative,” Vextra whispered. “I just want confirmation of who is in the lead transport.”
At the roadblock, Soiter addressed the commander and said, “If we’re right about the occupants of the other vehicle, you won’t have jurisdiction over them.”
“Are you saying I can’t order them out of their transport?” Carthal asked.
“Yes, you can for the purposes of identification, but nothing more than that,” Fetler interjected. “What Minister Soiter is intimating is that it might be best if the three of us approach the transport and deliver a demand from Palladon Guelmer that they reveal themselves.”
“Just show themselves?” Carthal queried dubiously.
“Show and identify themselves, with the media crew recording every moment,” Soiter replied, indicating the waiting crew members with a finger.
“I understand,” Carthal replied. “We want proof of Utilimat involvement.” Then he nodded and gestured toward the transport.
Spying a security commander and two ministers approaching the first vehicle, the media crew hurried around the blocking security transports for better images of the suspects. Their drones preceded them, but each crew member held a vid cam to capture the event from every angle. Adding to the spectacle, the drones and the vid cams had their own powerful lights, which illuminated the darkness.
Stopping a short distance from the target transport, Carthal eyed Soiter, as if to indicate he would follow the minister’s lead.
“By order of Palladon Guelmer, you’re required to identify yourself to Commander Carthal of Security Command,” Soiter said. “If you’re not Freiot citizens, then you may go on your way. If you refuse to exit this vehicle, then it will be opened by electronic methods, rendering the transport temporarily inoperable. Furthermore, you’ll find we won’t be amenable to reactivating your transport.”
Faced with an impossible situation, the three occupants of the target transport signaled the doors open. Individuals heavier and taller than Freiots emerged, wearing hooded cloaks.
Carthal, Soiter, and Fetler waited for the final action.
Slowly, the suspects lifted their hoods from their heads and removed their cloaks. Then everyone had a good look at three Utilimats, each of them wearing officers’ uniforms with insignias.
Carthal stepped forward and held out his device. “State your name, rank, and purpose of stepping foot on the Freiot home world,” he directed.
The last request was what put the Utilimats in an awkward position. By the agreement, they were to land on Freiot planets only with permissions of various government offices.
Nevertheless, the Utilimats stated their names and ranks. Then they offered excuses about emergency conditions that could only be revealed by the Utilimat commander.
When the exchange was done, the roadblock was cleared, and the electronic triggers regulated the flow of traffic. With that, the Utilimats went on their way.
Before the cargo transport moved, Vextra and Shemla were back in their transport. They found their driver eyeing the images from his drone, which he’d collected.
“That was some investigation,” the youth said admiringly. “Call me anytime!”
“Some investigation,” Shemla whispered into Vextra’s tympanum.
14: Confessions Needed
By the time the van containing the detained agents pulled underneath Security Command headquarters, Carthal had already received the raw vids from the media crew. The arrangement was that the media was free to broadcast the event, and he wouldn’t expose the vids for a full cycle.
Carthal no sooner stepped through the receiving doors to register the charges against the suspects than he received a message from a senior officer’s admin. Turning to his second-in-command, he said, “I’ve got to go upstairs and report. Put the suspects in detention. When I get back, we’ll work out the charges.”
Upstairs, four of the seven senior command officers waited for Carthal.
“Realizing the severity of the circumstances of these arrests, it would be paramount that we take over the investigation,” a senior officer stated. He was one of the individuals who thought Carthal had originally been exaggerating the ministers’ suspicions.
“However,” another senior officer interrupted, “the majority of us have a different opinion. You were smart to follow your instincts, Commander, and the night’s outcome proved you right. We’ve received the palladon’s praise of your actions. As such, you’re appointed to lead the investigation and work with a judicial representative for prosecution. Do us proud, Commander. Dismissed.”
Carthal nodded his appreciation and swiftly left the room. He was in a bit of a daze as he descended to suspect receiving. Typically, an individual two levels above his station would be the investigator and would act as the liaison with the prosecutor.
In the receiving sublevel, Carthal and his second-in-command worked through the lengthy list of charges against Bangrath. The other three agents faced fewer charges. Although, they were the most serious ones, such as colluding with a foreign race.
“You should know that we’ve already received a judicial order to release Lister,” the subcommander said to Carthal.
“How’s that possible? We haven’t even charged him yet,” Carthal responded.
“It merely states that Security Command has overstepped its bounds by detaining Lister,” the subcommander replied, sending the judicial order to Carthal.
“This makes no sense,” Carthal mused, as he read the order.
“And it won’t,” a female voice replied.
Carthal turned to see a no-nonsense female step up to him.
“Commander, my name is Gostel. I’m from the government’s prosecutorial office. The judicial order you received is from a good friend of Lister. How about you show me your evidence, and I’ll see if we can’t supersede that judicial order?”
“This way,” Carthal replied, indicating a bright corridor behind him.
Carthal and Gostel worked late into the evening to review the evidence.
“You’re right, Commander. There’s a strong case against the agents, but little against Lister,” Gostel said, when they finished reviewing the evidence. “However, you have enough to detain him for two cycles, during which you’re free to interrogate him.”
