No more episodes until next week after this one, have to do some work!
Rela Qi Gets in Deep
Part 3
Rela and Sannis were taken directly to the station Security Chief’s office. The Teladi official sat behind an impressive desk inlaid with strips of majaglit. The effect of this was somewhat marred by scuff marks along the skirting of the desk and the piles of datacards, infocubes and assorted miniconsoles covering the desktop. The Security Chief himself was a rather overweight Teladi with slicker skin than the norm. Rela thought the Teladi was probably one to overindulge in nostrop oil products but then his experience with Teladi was hardly vast.
The Boron and his erstwhile passenger were prodded forward, their captors had made themselves understood with projacs rather than words all the way up to the security deck. The Chief continued to work at his main console a moment, then looked up.
‘Well, well, well. What have we here that’s so important to Family Chin that they have the Profit Guild jumping up and down, eh? I have orders straight from the Office of Profit Protection. You,’ the Teladi pointed at Sannis, ‘are to be handed over to Chin Security. Anything to say about that?’
‘I have no great desire to tour Chin’s Clouds,’ Sannis replied as dryly as possible for a Teladi.
The Chief laughed, not altogether without humour. ‘I think we’ll have to see what Family Chin says about that. As for you,’ he looked at Rela, ‘I have no orders with regard to you.’ The Teladi looked thoughtful. ‘Again, I think we’ll see what the Split have to say.’ As if on cue, a tone sounded from the Security Chief’s console. ‘Yes?’
‘Dock office here, sir. The Split freighter Payment in Kind has docked. The captain, an Overcommander T’tra Pak, is demanding to see you, sir.’
‘Escort the Overcommander up here. Let no other Split accompany him.’
‘Acknowledged. Dock office out.’
The Chief turned back to his captives. ‘Now then, my friends. We’ll soon know what’s what, yes?’ He indicated a couch by the facing wall. ‘I suggest you sit. I have some items to review before the good Overcommander arrives.’
Rela and Sannis looked at one another and in the first act of mutual understanding that had passed between them, both shrugged and sat down.
Rela turned to Sannis, ‘Are you going to tell me what this is all about?’
‘No.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘I don’t want you to know. It’s as simple as that,’ replied Sannis.
Rela felt a little angry about the casual way in which the Teladi had brushed him aside. Sannis, for his part, seemed perfectly calm and was admiring the view out of the external wall visiplate.
It wasn’t long before a bristlingly angry Split strode in, followed by two Teladi guards struggling to keep up.
‘What do you mean by stripping me of my guard, Security Chief? I warn you, the Family Chin do not take such discourtesies lightly!’ barked the irate Split.
The Security Chief looked bored. ‘Calm yourself, Overcommander Pak, it is my unbreakable habit to admit only one armed guest at a time. You did note that I have not given orders to have your sidearm removed, I take it?’
‘Ha! Had you done so, your guards would be dead. Now, to business. Where are the prisoners?’
The Chief indicated the couch. Pak turned and leaned forward in a half-crouch, a typical Split mannerism harking back to the species’ predator ancestry.
‘So! I have you at last, Sannis. Who is this Boron? No doubt one of your confederates? We will soon find out.’ The Split turned back to the Teladi official, ‘You will surrender them to me at once. Have them escorted to my ship.’ The Split made to turn, contemptuously regarding his word as law.
‘My orders from the Guild pertain only to Sunosias Suulaeos Sannis. This Boron,’ the Security Chief consulted his console, ‘Rela Qi, is not named in the instruction. I hardly think I can hand him over without proper authorisation.’
Pak slowly turned back to face the Chief. ‘Do you defy the will of Family Chin?’ he whispered.
‘It is, rather, a matter of not presuming to exceed the orders of my superiors.’
The Split considered this reply. The Teladi had been clever, such a sentiment was perfectly understandable to the rigidly militaristic mindset of the Split.
‘Your suggestion?’ he said at last. Here the Split played on Teladi psychology, this was a classic invitation to propose an informal arrangement.
‘My view is that the Profit Guild will not easily submit a Boron citizen into the hands of Family Chin without taking some time to check the fellow’s connections. This rogue,’ the Chief indicated Sannis, ‘is no great worry. A diplomatic incident with the Boron however...’
‘You are telling me I will have to wait. Unacceptable. I must leave immediately. I have no time for the diplomatic scruples of the Guild. An alternative must be found, this Boron may have information vital to the security of the Family.’
‘Perhaps you could leave the matter of his interrogation to me? My officers are experienced,’ offered the Teladi with organ-piercing shrewdness.
‘No! The information cannot be allowed to be bought and sold like so many units of Chelt! I make you an offer, 10,000 credits for the Boron’s worthless hide,’ said Pak. The Teladi Security Chief had skilfully manoeuvred Pak into making the first move.
‘A trivial amount. I know of nobody who would accept such an offer. I know friends who have made deals of like nature involving, oh, up to 200,000 credits.’
Overcommander Pak jerked back convulsively. ‘That is an outrageous suggestion,’ he hissed.
‘Nevertheless, I foresee the Boron entering my interrogation room unless there is some compensation for the Profit Guild auditors,’ said the Chief meaningfully.
‘I see. Would they be satisfied by 100,000 credits?’
‘They may be. I myself feel that an extra 50,000 for incidental expenses would be a fairer offer.’
Pak shook his head in disgust but made the sign of assent with his hand. ‘Where is your transaction console?’
‘Here, close by my desk,’ smiled the Teladi.
Rela jumped up, ‘Wait a minute! You can’t simply sell me to him. I have rights. I’m a Boron citizen!’
Pak turned and barked, ‘Silence! Family Chin will yet make a profit from this, if I have to oversee your stint in the silicon mines myself.’
Rela turned very, very pale and sat, almost collapsed, back down onto the couch.
Completing the formalities, Pak asked, ‘Will your guards now escort the prisoners to my ship?’
‘With pleasure, Overcommander, with pleasure. Will you take some nostrop coffee with me? Surely you have time?’
The Split snorted in disgust, pivoted on his heel and strode out of the office as quickly as he had arrived.
The Teladi Security Chief shrugged and smiled at Rela and Sannis. ‘Time for you to leave, I’m afraid. I would wish you a safe voyage but under the circumstances...’
The Split vessel rang to all manner of unpleasant mechanical sounds, the distant barking of Split officers, curious gurgling noises from the walls and an ever-present, deeply unsettling low humming. Rela and Sannis had been placed together in a cell with a fixed bunk, fixed chair and fixed table. Sannis sat at the table, seemingly contemplating the universe, while Rela sat, dejected, on the bunk.
‘Will you please tell me what this is all about? I would like to know what I’m going to be tortured and worked to death for,’ Rela asked the Teladi.
Sannis sighed. ‘Why do you think we’ve been put in here together? The room is monitored. They can see and hear everything. I don’t propose to reward their cunning.’
‘Well, where do you think they are taking us? We can talk about that, at least.’
‘I would hazard a guess at Family Chin or Chin’s Clouds. I suspect some senior Chin Security officers will want to work us over. They may even involve a true Chin. They don’t like leaving the security of their core territories.’
‘Ah.’ Rela didn’t like the idea of being worked over by a Split full stop, let alone senior Chin Security officers.
‘Now. I’d like to rest. You can keep the bunk, just don’t disturb me.’ The Teladi went back to his meditation.
Time passed in a measurable fashion. Rela had isolated some regular noises and the effect of jumping was always evident. He reckoned they were making steady but careful progress. The Chin were not using the full speed of their ship. It would attract too much attention, he supposed.
Six jumps later, he realised they could be in Family Chin the next time they jumped. He assumed they must be in Chin’s Fire. Suddenly he heard a whine. The ship was dropping out of SETA. Strange, the surging noise accompanying going into SETA had come only a moment ago. They must be docking with a station in this sector. Very near the gate though.
A tremendous hammer-blow shook the ship. Rela leapt up. That felt like a collision or... an attack? Maybe a missile or a powerful energy weapon? Sannis had come out of his contemplative rest too. He was tensed, ready for action.
The ship shuddered to another blow. Rela thought he felt an ebbing aftershock. He’d heard the big guns had such an effect. Someone was using plasma throwers on the Payment in Kind. Suddenly the ship rang to a cacophony of mechanical noises. They were releasing the drones. They must be. It sounded like a whole battery of hatches opening. Another shocking impact. Rela reckoned the shields wouldn’t be able to stand much more of this. Then the ship felt as if it had gone backwards for the merest instant. Missile launch?
More fire, a shrieking sound, some kind of power-feedback. Rela guessed what that meant, the shields had gone down. They were wide open. Forget the drones. Whoever was mounting that kind of firepower could simply fly through a cloud of drones and not feel it.
More clangings, sounds of something locking onto the ship. They were being boarded. Now there’d be a fight. All those Chin troopers would take a toll of their enemy.
Rela said, ‘Maybe we should...’
‘Shut up!’ snapped Sannis.
The cell door flew open. There stood Overcommander Pak, projac in hand. ‘My ship is crippled, Sannis, but you will gain no advantage.’ The Split raised his weapon.
Rela was to the side and realised immediately what the Chin was going to do. He leaped forward and knocked Pak’s arm down. A dreadful stalk of blue-white energy erupted from the projac, scorching a trail across the table and floor towards the struggling pair. Sannis stood in shock on the other side of the table.
Rela’s instincts had taken over. The Boron were good at one thing if they were good at anything: grappling with a foe, a consequence of their omnivorous ancestry – fish, after all, were hard to keep a hold of. Pak, however, was hardly a fish. He was a brutally strong Split soldier. The Split slammed Rela back against the bunk. It was all Rela could do to smash Pak’s arm against the floor. The projac went skittering across the room.
Sannis had recovered himself and jumped for the weapon, scooping it up in a trice.
‘Pak, you miserable chelt!. Stand up. Get away from Rela Qi.’
The struggle wound down. Pak straightened, leaving Rela lying against the side of the bunk. The Chin Security officer glared at the Teladi with the defiance typical of his species.
‘Do your worst, Teladi scum.’
‘That I will. Your time in this universe is at...’
‘That will be enough of that!’ boomed an unfamiliar voice.
All turned to see a space-armoured figure at the doorway, aiming the long barrel of a personal PAC straight at Sannis.
‘Drop the projac, please.’ Sannis complied. The figure came forward. He was followed by two similarly armoured figures.
‘Take the Split back to our brig,’ said the first figure. ‘I’ll deal with these others.’ The space-troops took Pak away, their own PACs enforcing the directive most eloquently.
The first figure turned to Sannis and shipped his PAC. With the air of a magician, the figure raised hands to his head, unlocked his helmet and took it off. The face that was revealed stunned the Boron and Teladi alike.
Standing before them was Zola No, the most notorious Boron pirate lord in all the universe. ‘Hello, Sannis,’ said Zola No. ‘I want a little word with you...’
Rela Qi Gets in Deep - Part 3 (01.05.03)
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Jasperodus
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Rela Qi Gets in Deep - Part 3 (01.05.03)
Last edited by Jasperodus on Thu, 1. May 03, 16:09, edited 1 time in total.
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Jasperodus
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- Joined: Thu, 17. Apr 03, 13:06