Elijah saw Bruiser standing in the dock waiting for him. Bruiser saw him too and started towards him. Whats up boss?
Grab your gear soldier, were taking a little trip.
Great, where to?
Manhattan.
Now I know youre joking. Why the hell would you want to go there?
Because Crow asked me to and Im not joking.
Alright, but youd better get some sleep in the mean time. Its going to be a while before they finish unloading the ship.
Were not taking the salvager. Were leaving now, and I want a little more discrete transport anyway.
Im not sure I like the sound of that.
Oh well. Its necessary Im afraid. He looked across the bay and saw a familiar ship with half a body sticking out from underneath. As he walked over to the older combat service freighter he was impressed at the shape it was in. So, youve still got this heap in good running order I see.
The figure underneath the ship slid out the rest of the way revealing the slender frame of a woman dressed in black overalls. Mackenzie Mason stood up and wiped the grease from her face, her long black hair tied behind her head.
Elijah greeted her as she stood, Good to see you again Mac. Good to see this ship again as well.
You too Lije.I think. What can I do for you? I know its a big say when a big salvage captain such as you comes looking for me.
Well, Ive got a little situation and I need a ride.
You need a ride from me? Thats rich. Where to anyway?
Manhattan.
Oh hell no! What do you want to go there for?
Its complicated. To tell you the truth, I dont want to go, but Im going anyway. Its business.
Ya know Lije, youre gonna owe me big for this one.
I know. So anyway, how soon can you be ready to take off?
I can have a pre flight done in twenty minutes. Is that enough time for you to be ready?
I think we can manage that. He turned back to Bruiser. Grab your stuff and lets go.
Ok, but why are we taking this thing? Id much rather be back on your ship.
Well, Im told the Liberty Navy is getting a little too trigger happy. A big ship like mine is just too tempting a target. We need to be a little quieter anyway.
Elijah leaned back in his seat. Beaumont was well behind them as they headed for the jump gate. He was thinking that he should be sleeping about now, and instead he was back in space. He opened the case he received on Beaumont. There was a recording inside from Jack Crow and some data disks. Mac, Bruiser, you guys ready to learn what this is all about?
Damn straight. Bruiser told him
That goes for me too. Mackenzie yelled back from the pilots chair.
Ok, here goes. He reached forward and inserted a disk into a small console behind the main cockpit.
The screen lit up and the face of Jack Crow appeared. Greetings Lije. Thanks for taking this one. I know youre wondering what this is all about and Im sure Bruiser is sitting next to you wondering the same.
Boy hes funny. Shot Bruiser
Ok, heres the deal guys. Weve been getting many complaints about the Liberty Navy harassing Junkers. Now they have really stepped in it. They destroyed a salvage frigate in Manhattan orbit. I know what youre thinking, but the captain wasnt smuggling anything. In fact, the ship was not involved in illegal activity at all from what we can determine. There were several Congress vessels in orbit who witnessed everything, including me personally. In your package you will find gun camera footage from several of those ships along with scans of the ship that was destroyed. When you get to Manhattan, go to the Green Turtle Pub at the North end of the spaceport. We have an agent who will meet you there. Hes not a Congress agent. He works for a radical group that is trying to expose corruption in the Liberty Government. Hes going to help blow the lid off this one and not get our hands as dirty. Keep in mind that we think his group is also leaking info to the Xenos so be careful what you tell him. Just give him the info you have there. Stay low, if the government figures out why youre there, they arent going to be too happy. Ill contact you over a secure channel when I reach Rochester and give you more details.
Elijah say up in his chair, Son of a
Bruiser leaned back and laughed, You get me into some of the craziest messes. Why do I still hang around you anyway?
Because Im your hero or maybe because Ive made you rich, I dont know. You know you love this stuff.
What about me, came a shrill voice from the cockpit, just how rich am I going to get for flying you into this hornets nest?
I love you too Mac. Dont worry, I'll see that you are all taken care of. Personally I think this one should be on Crows dime. Hes going to owe us all for this, and once we collect, Im going to hit him.
Jack Crow reached down and pushed the control bar to cut his cruise engines. His bull dog fighter slowed down in the midst of the great debris field. Rochester station loomed in front of him as his ship silently drifted towards the docking bay. Rochester, this is Crow, Im transmitting my authorization code and I need to dock quick.
Welcome Arbiter, proceed to dock two. Theyre waiting for you there now.
Roger, beginning docking sequence now.
As Jack stepped down from his fighter he saw a crowd assembled in the docking bay that was much larger than usual. Technicians were running about and there was a great deal of scrap metal laid out across the deck. He called over to the dock chief, Serena, give me a report, what the hell is all this?
Serena Porter walked over to greet him, Good to see you too boss. What youre looking at is only the beginning, this is what weve been able to salvage so far. The rest is on going.
Ok, fine. How many people did we lose?
No Congress members were hurt, but a few independent Junkers were killed aboard the Salvager. We have been able to rescue many though. There were two salvagers present when it happened so we were able to begin rescue and salvage immediately.
Well, thats one good thing I guess. What is all this on the deck, it doesnt look like wreckage to me?
It really isnt. It was jettisoned from the salvager before it was destroyed. Apparently this is what sparked the whole incident.
So, youre telling me that not only did they blow his ship to pieces after he complied with their demands and dropped this, but you can prove it as well.
Absolutely, and it gets even better. Come over here and look at these. There are large pieces from a drive shaft over here. Thats mostly Hessian engineering youre looking at there, with a few modifications. That definitely didnt come off any navy vessel. Admiral Malaign must think were all a bunch of idiots who cant tell the difference.
I think she just under estimated Junker salvage tactics. She probably never expected that wed be able to recover this and get it back here so quickly.
I dont get it. If they blew up his ship because of this, why didnt they take it back?
I dont think they ever wanted it in the first place. It was all an excuse. This was about making a statement that they can do what they want with Junkers. This will not stand with me. Ok, I need to get up to the control room. Keep up the good work here and report to me when the rest of the salvage starts coming in.
No problem boss.
Jack stepped into the main control center of Rochester Base still wearing his flight suit. He walked over to a communications tech. This is a secure frequency for Captain Elijah Tallwood. Open a channel to him and call me when you make contact. He walked over and sat in a seat looking out across the debris field. He wanted to be back on the bridge of his own salvage frigate traveling across Sirius seeing a different system each day. Instead he was here, cleaning up a big mess.
The communications tech called to him, Arbiter Crow, I have Captain Tallwood for you.
Elijah was starting to sleep comfortably when Bruiser tapped him on the shoulder. Hey boss, Crows calling for you.
As usual, his timing is perfect. Fire it up, and lets see what he has to say.
The screen flashed on and Jack Crows face once again appeared in front of them, this time on a live feed. Hello Lije, hows the trip.
I want to be home sleeping on my own ship, thats how its going.
Sorry about this. This one is getting ugly and I need someone I can really trust. How are you getting to Manhattan?
Macs driving.
Good, she knows what shes doing as well. Tell her to be careful around the planet. The Navy is really getting heated about this and I think they know were up to something.
Great, so whats the story now?
Weve been able to salvage some of the debris from this incident already. The navy accused a Junker captain of carrying a stolen engine. They were so hot they didnt even see that he jettisoned it before they blasted his ship and they made no attempt to recover it. Its now here on the deck. We can show that it was dumped before the vessel was destroyed, and we can also prove that it did not come off any naval vessel.
Wonderful, that will make someone happy. So, who is this guy Im supposed to meet with?
Hes a pretty shady olboy actually. Hes helped us in the past, but as I said, we think hes also helping the Xenos so we keep him at a distance. Hes part of a group that exposes corruption within Liberty. They are able to send underground broadcasts about things the government doesnt want people to know. They are useful because it often keeps us from getting our hands dirty. The problem is we are already pretty involved in this so if anything goes public, the navy is pretty much going to know it came from us.
Lovely, theyll probably shoot me in the back before I get off the planet.
Thats what I love about you Lije, youre such a good natured individual.
Ok, well weve got about 2 more hours and well be there.
Good to hear it. Be careful my friend.
You know it. The screen went blank and Elijah leaned back in his seat. Hes going to get me killed. I just know it.
Bruiser spoke up, Well get some more rest. Youre going to need it. I know that part of the spaceport pretty well, and Ive still got some friends there. I can get us in and out easy enough. There are still some places I can get us through safely where the navy will be very unwelcome.
Elijah answered him, Thats just great, but what about all those raggedy lookin bums that are actually working for the LSF? You can get shot in the back and never know what happened?
Boss trust me, Ill look out for you.
The small craft shot out of the last trade lane and their destination loomed in front of them, Planet Manhattan. Large transports and liners orbited the planet, while smaller craft were running everywhere between the planet, the orbiting stations and the trade lanes.
Elijah sat on the edge of his seat. This is where the fun begins.
Mac called back from the cockpit, This is nothing Lije. Theres so much traffic here, well just get lost in the shuffle.
I hope so. As he said that, he looked to the port side to see a naval cruiser drift past them heading in the opposite direction.
Mac called back again, Ok Lije, were in line for the docking ring, should just be a few minutes.
The small craft touched down in the large spaceport and Elijah and Bruiser quickly jumped off. Mac exited behind them and began to inspect the ship. Elijah gave her some last instructions. Mac, Im going to try to make this as quick as I can so be ready to take off as soon as possible.
You got it boss.
The two men made their way through the spaceport. Manhattan had one of the largest ports in all of Sirius. It was easy to blend into the crowd here. It was also easy to meet with an untimely end if you didnt watch your back. Liberty promoted itself as a free state where anyone could live safely, but unless you chose to live in the smaller isolated communities up in the mountain terrain, this was far from true.
They found the bar where their meeting was suppose to take place and sat down. Elijah was tired and ordered a drink. Bruiser sat with his back to the wall and watched the crowd. So, wheres this mysterious contact? he asked Elijah.
From what Crow said, Im sure hes going to find us.
I hope he does it soon.
As they sat there a man in a naval uniform approached the table and slid into their booth. Bruiser put his hand inside his coat, but Elijah stopped him. Its ok. Dave here is somewhat lacking in common sense, but hes harmless.
Lacking in common sense, thats a find way to greet an old friend. I was gonna buy you a drink even.
Elijah answered him, and what would the good Admiral Malaign say if she saw you drinking with Junkers?
Itd probably give her another excuse to want to shoot someone.
Does everyone know about that by now?
You talking about the Junker that got wasted in orbit? No, almost no one knows about that. Its funny, they love to brag when they catch people, especially when theres a lot of drama, but this has been really quiet.
You seem to know about it.
Yeah, well I know a lot of things I shouldnt. You know that.
And now you are hoping that I will tell you something else juicy you can take back to the fleet.
Again, nice words for an old friend.
Dave, you flatter yourself. Now just what is it that I can do for you?
I just want to talk, thats all. I assume youre here because of what happened?
What makes you think I give a damn about what happened? Im just lining up new contacts for shipping.
Nice story, but I know you. You hate Manhattan. I also know that you havent done any shipping in a long time. You really think the navy doesnt know about your little raiding parties in Texas?
I dont know what youre talking about.
Yes you do. If youre smart youll listen to me. They know what youre doing. The only reason they arent shutting you down is because you know that area so well and youre doing things for the embargo that they cant. They know that you mostly jack people who are sneaking around the embargo because they are the ones who would never complain to the authorities about it. But listen up my friend. If youre here to make trouble for the navy about what happened they might decide not to be so lenient in the future.
Thats nice. Here I thought you were here fishing for information for yourself. Instead youre doing the navys dirty work coming in here to threaten me.
Think that if you want. Truth is I really do care about what happens to you. Im not involved in this and I dont want to be. Its way too hot. If youre smart you wont get involved either.
Ive already told you why Im here.
Yes you have, and you know how much I believe that. Enjoy your drink. Dave got up and left the bar quickly.
Elijah looked at Bruiser, Follow him.
What about you?
Im fine. No one is going to do anything in here. I want to know what hes up to. Find out.
You got it. Watch your back while Im gone.
You too.
Elijah sat in the booth and watched Bruiser disappear out the door. About two minutes later a man walked up to his table. Captain Tallwood, do you mind if I sit down?
Elijah stared hard at the man, and you are?
Well, Im me. I think thats enough. What is more important is that we have a mutual friend named Jack.
Elijah motioned for the man to sit down, Ok then, what can I do for you?
Im hoping you can do quite a bit for me. Would you care to show me what you brought?
Elijah pulled a small envelope out of his jacket, and slid it across the table. I hope there is something in here that was worth all this nonsense.
Oh its not nonsense captain. This will be one of the greatest blows we have been able to strike to the Liberty Government yet. I have to wonder if the president himself even realizes what is going on here.
What the hell are you talking about?
Have you even looked at this data captain?
I have.
Then why dont you see it? The navy has just introduced a new level of corruption in addition to all the other various levels that exist within the government. When this is exposed it could tear the tight knit fabric of the government apart. That is exactly what my group has been hoping for.
Elijah lened across the table, Just what exactly is the group you represent?
Youll be hearing more about us soon, the strange man told him we are looking to expose the corruption in the Liberty government. What you have just shown me is something new even beyond what we have been investigating.
Well, Im glad you can make some use of this. Im told there is even more coming.
Oh
Yes, they are still investigating on Rochester. So far Im told they have recovered enough to show that the navy was lying and that the engine component on board the salvager did not come off any naval vessel.
Its nice that you can show the navy was lying. Weve caught them at that often enough, but the origin of the cargo doesnt really concern me that much.
Why not, didnt you just hear me? We can prove the whole thing was a setup.
What youve already shown me is enough to prove that. Youre not seeing the big picture here. Liberty law forbids the Navy to interfere in domestic security. Naval vessels are not allowed to stop ships and demand they drop their cargo. From what you have shown me, there were no LPI vessels involved in this incident at all. It wouldnt have mattered if the ship in question had one engine component or a hold full of cardamine, the navys actions would have been just as illegal.
So, now the navy is just acting like common pirates?
Youre still thinking small captain. This is much more than piracy. Its a coup.
What are you talking about?
The navy clearly sees themselves as above the law. Admiral Malaign seems to think she can do whatever pleases her at the moment. They have decided that they can make up the laws as they go along. They are trying to be the real power in Liberty. So much for freedom and power in the peoples hands, we will soon be living under martial law.
You really think its that bad?
Captain, I know it is. Weve been watching Admiral Malaign. She clearly feels that the laws of the state do not apply to her and that she alone has the power to decide what should be done with peoples lives. This is a very dangerous thing. We will not allow this to remain secret.
Well best of luck to you then.
Thank you for the help captain, and watch your back.
Ill do that.
The man got up from the table and disappeared out the door. Elijah pulled a communicator from his coat and pushed a button, Bruiser, whats going on?
Nothing much, he headed out of the spaceport on a public transport. Looks like hes headed to a residential area. I think hes harmless.
Ok, Im ready to go, get back here.
Already on my way.