Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition Page 29

  "I've met the Vendans," the Kheth said. "You're very much like them, but I think you aren't Vendan?

  "This is Kann, a Gorovian male. This is Memah-Te, a male Mome, and Silith, an Eacheron female. I am Serz, a Kheth male."

  "I'm Lion, a Kappin male," Z replied. "I guess you knew I was male. It's obvious among most mammals. I'm from the planet, Slentayll. We have two mostly-reptilian native races as well as the mammalian Kappins. I understand we're unique in that we have three distinct evolutions on one world, but there are strong natural barriers which have only recently been conquered on Slentayll."

  "I haf heard of your vorld," the Gorovian said in its heavy guttural accent. "I am a scientist. It is truly a vonderful vorld, I tink! I vould luff to visit. Zere iss zo much to learn. Tree distinct evolutionz! I tink it vould be fascinating!"

  "You would be most welcome," Z invited. "You somewhat resemble the Feach, who my people know. They have our greatest respect. We know the Kheth on Slentayll, too. They're almost exactly like the Klifts. We're just beginning to go to other worlds, so we have a lot to learn, ourselves."

  They spent the game chatting about worlds and peoples. Nothing was said about the casinos or the Jornians. The estate was never mentioned. The closest thing to any clue at all was when Z said he wanted to open a tourist agency on Slentayll and to see about import and export possibilities.

  "Take care who you deal with on some of the vacation worlds," Silith warned. "I am sad to say that not everyone is honest here. It is much worse on places such as Sentah. Be careful of who you deal with. I have heard stories!" She would say nothing more. She just warned she had heard things weren't always what they seemed, but wouldn't make any charges against anyone. It was mostly only tales and a feeling sometimes that things weren't right.

  Z felt this would be the wrong time to press. He changed the subject.

  They had a pleasant evening. Z lost, but not heavily. These people played for the love of the game.

  When he felt the tingle from his recorder he made his exit, saying he hoped to play with such good company again, but he must return to the port. He had some very early business meetings. His his lifemate would be waiting. He then had to explain that his lifemate wasn't with him here because she wanted to shop. He didn't care for that. Silith laughed and said she liked an honest man. Most men would make excuses that had nothing to do with the truth when it came to normal differences between male and female psychology.

  He wasn't so casual once he was outside, but hurriedly hailed a rental carrier and got back to the port as fast as he could.

  "They're having their meeting right now!" T6 greeted as he came aboard. "I managed to get a broadcasting floater in there. They have no protection against it now, but I suppose they will soon. We'll hope they tell us something before that happens. The meeting started a few minutes after the call. I called when the gathering came together.

  "Not too much has happened yet. They're each trying to fix the blame on someone not there. Dir is really getting cut to small bloody pieces! It seems he's being personally blamed for as much as bankrupting three of their best establishments through sheer stupidity.

  "Settle back and enjoy!"

  Business Meeting

  "...do you think is going on?" a voice said as Z sat at the pilot's console on T6 on pad eleven C, Spaceport, Netdel, to listen to the spy sensors very recently secreted in the heating ducts in the estate house where the crime syndicate manager, the Jornian, Narmel, had earlier arrived only a few hours later than Z and T6, after Narmel left Tltle in an extreme hurry, when his partner, Dir, also a Jornian, and other members of that criminal syndicate, including the Zurn people, Kloot and Harp (though Harp had been allowed to temporarily escape for the express purpose of causing Narmel's flight to avoid prosecution, but was now back in custody) had been arrested and were being held on a charge of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to commit murder at the time when Z and Thing were within seconds of being lasered by the Zurn representatives of the crime syndicate operating on the vacation worlds in their hotel room with the protective floater locked outside – which was why Z and Thing had come here in the first place aboard Maita with T6 tagging along after Tab and TR had been assigned to the problem of the brains from Tlesson that were threatening a sphere of more than three hundred plazsis' diameter with their overly paranoid military programming, while Thing was assigned to stay on Tltle in company with a VWPA officer, Neels, who they knew was part of the crime syndicate or was working with that organization in its attempts to gain control of the legal casinos established on those worlds long ago by Maita and its crew after the world had been wrested from the pirates. (There! I've always wanted to explain one of my stories to this point in one such sentence! – Z Zutec.)

  "It seems to be some kind of syndicate that's been here a long time and is keeping a low profile," Narmel's voice answered. "I tell you, the Mentan alone can wreck us! It can win any game it plays and always plays at top stakes. If we refuse to pay off we lose all our customers. If we pay we could be bankrupt within two hundred days.

  "I made a mistake when I handed the problem to Dir. I have to admit it! He sent out four Zurn to question that With character – he's a Maitan – and then to eliminate him and the Mentan. They screwed it up like you won't believe! Not only didn't they kill them off, the whole bunch are in prison! They put them on the probe!"

  "I received word they’d caught Harp, a Zurn who escaped, when he was still with Dir," another voice announced. "They're putting Dir on the probe.

  "You know what that means? Do you have any vague idea of the disaster that can drop on our heads?"

  "Dir only knows your name and that you're over me," Narmel replied. "How could they put him on the probe? Nobody they know about was actually killed! They screwed that up completely. There was no capital crime committed – that they know of. There are very strict rules about the probe and we all know it, so don't panic for no reason!"

  There was further mumbling about a conspiracy law that would allow use of the probe. "Great exploding galaxies, Eed! That'll put the empire right smack in the middle of it! If they get me you know damned well I'll be put on the probe! You've got to get me out of here!" Narmel cried.

  "It will take a certain time for them to trace this place," Eed replied. "I was wondering about the use of the probe, myself. Maq, here, did a legal check for me through her office. We may have misunderstood the law. Tell us what's happened and how we get around it, Maq."

  The voice of the first speaker said, "It seems it's an old law from clear back when these were pirate worlds. ("Thanks, Maita," Z said quickly.) It was originally meant to prevent any of the old pirate lords from taking over the vacation worlds, I think. It never came up before, so we haven't heard of it. Those judges crossreference all cases automatically and this one happened to fit the old conspiracy laws. Two or more beings without any possible personal stake attempted to commit a murder makes it an automatic.

  "I'm not positive yet, but I think the fact the Zurn used the hypnotic drugs had something to do with the classification, too. It's very tightly arranged. We have no recourse. It's law, recorded and with numerous, albeit long past, precedents.

  "This is the bad news and is why Dir was arrested and why he was put on the probe. I'll read the pertinent parts to you. You can see pretty much where we stand at this point. We'll have to make some definite plans.

  "'When it is shown a conspiracy has been assembled with murder as an end to its proceedings, person or persons who are convicted of doing or attempting to do – that is the important clause here – that or those murder or murders, the criminal conspiracy act shall be enjoined into the proceedings by continuing decree.

  "'Conspiracy shall be defined as being any time two or more persons work together to pay for, coerce, or otherwise cause a criminal act to be perpetuated or attempted – again, that is the pertinent phrase.

  "'Murder or attempted murder in a case of conspiracy shall be defined as a capital crim
e and shall be treated in all manner as a capital crime.'

  "It says to see definition Probe Use 'C' at this point. I'll read what that says and you'll be able to see where we stand under this law.

  "'In cases of criminal conspiracy where murder or attempted murder – again, the pertinent words – are proven, those convicted shall be condemned to immediate execution and shall be placed on the probe. If it is shown the perpetrators of the several crimes were working under higher orders or were being paid, coerced, or otherwise used to commit impersonal murder, the sentence shall be commuted to a lesser charge, which shall be decided by the judge upon complete consideration of that or those perpetrator's or perpetrators' records.'

  "This is the clause that scares pure hell out of me!

  "'Shift of guilt in full account shall thereupon be placed directly upon the person or conspirator (plurals included), who shall stand convicted of capital murder, at that point.'

  "That would then put the whole mess directly on Dir's head. He's automatically convicted of capital murder as soon as his name comes up on the probe. That's not the point that scares me. This is.

  "'The probe will then be used on that person – etc. – and the same sequence of events shall transpire, as though that person were the original arrestee.'

  "This means, in simple terms, that they can use the fact that Narmel ordered Dir to murder – or to cause the murder of – those people to put him on the probe. It will come out then that Narmel fastcommed you and you ordered Narmel to order Dir to order the Zurn or whatever and you will be candidate for the probe! If it's shown someone ordered you to start the thing, then they go on the probe until we reach the top.

  "You waited a full two hours to call Narmel with the order to tell Dir to kill them, so I can assume that you’ve talked it over with someone else. I can also assume you know exactly who it was you talked to, meaning they will be candidates for the probe. The way this is set up it doesn't stop until they reach the top. It doesn’t end until they reach the top!

  "Eed, did you have to wait for that person to call back?" Z was very attentive now.

  "I'm afraid so," Eed answered.

  Eed wasn't top man. Neither was the one he called if that one had to wait for orders. There were at least two strata above Eed.

  "That means we have to be very sure Narmel isn't put on the probe, doesn't it?" Eed said, musingly. "Narmel, get to the port and head out to one of the uncharted worlds we've located. Don't tell anyone where you're going. Not us and not anyone else. Do a midcourse correction after starting for one place and program whichever world you chose then. Maybe make two or three course deviations. Let no one know your final destination. That means no one!

  "Set your fastcom to the standby channel and don't use it for any purpose, whatever. Wait for us to call you. It may take a year before this is all cleared up. It may take more.

  "Go now. We can't wait. We can't take chances."

  There was a scraping of chairs and Maq said, "I hope you had the sense to use an alias when you came in here?"

  "Yes, I came in under...." Narmel said.

  "No!" Eed cried sharply. "We shouldn't even know that! They can't get from us what we don't have! Use your head! No one is to know anything!"

  "Good thinking!" Maq agreed.

  There followed a bit of scraping and thumping, then footsteps heading for the door, then some rustlings.

  "I'm going to head for Bypass," Eed said. "I came in quietly and I'll go just as quietly. No one knows I was here and no one will. I'm sorry about this, but you're the only one here who can tie me to this, Maq."

  There was the Whup! Whup! of a disruptor beam. There wouldn't be enough of Maq left to identify.

  There was the sound of a handcom being coded, a pause, then, "Klaht? This is Eed. Get my ship ready as quickly as you can and get clearance for Hoe Goht Nea. Use the name I used when I came in. Destination, Fortney. I can change my mind in flight. Narmel is on his way there. Put the safety valve on line in his ship. One minute into TTH."

  There were some more scrapings and rustlings and the sound of humming, then receding footsteps, then silence.

  "Lovely people, these crime lords!" T6 said. "He gets rid of good old Maq and dear friend Narmel and the chain stops right there. Should we grab Narmel?"

  "Let's get the police here to pick him up," Z suggested. "We have to stay out of it as much as possible. Maybe we can get him to talk without waiting for him to be taken to Tltle and put on the probe.

  "Get pictures of this Klaht character setting up the bomb on his ship. We can use that to get him on the probe in the same conspiracy. The more the better."

  T6 sent a sensor floater with full audio/video pickups and recorders to watch Klaht – who was, apparently, the same one who had taken the car and Narmel out the gate before.

  Z decided to go to the center to await Narmel's arrest while T6 called the local police to say he was sure the wanted criminal, Narmel, was at the spaceport and would soon return his gate pass. It was under an alias, so they would have to watch the place.

  Z arrived at the center to see the car outside the doorway. He stepped out of sight as a police cruiser came to park behind it and an officer got out.

  Z went inside the terminal center just as Klaht went out the door. He grinned, then walked along the hall to the port police office to await the bringing in of the prisoner. He was shocked a few seconds later when T6 called to say it had the pictures and there was no doubt whatever Klaht had placed something against the moder control section. He'd let the need for the evidence in the pictures completely slip his mind.

  "Send the pictures on a floater," Z instructed over the hand radio. "Stills and the whole thing on holocrystal so we can play it for them."

  He strolled outside again to wait for the floater and noticed Narmel's car was gone and the police cruiser was still there. The two officers were waiting on the sidewalk, watching everyone who approached.

  He ran to the nearest officer and asked if they had seen that Narmel had been in the car that was there ahead of them and was he arrested? Where had he been taken?

  "Are you the one who identified the criminal, Narmel, as being on the port?" the cop asked.

  "Yes, yes!" Z said impatiently. "I'm an empire agent! Where has Narmel been taken? It's important!"

  "Uh, do you have identification?" the cop asked.

  Z went through his pouch and took out his empire ID as the floater came to deliver the pictures.

  "Well, Mr. Lion," the officer said. "The car that was here – the only one since we arrived – was delivered by a Gid Klaht. He is known to us. He is the only one who entered the car."

  "Oh my God!" Z shouted. "T Six! They let him...."

  "Narmel's ship is taking off!" T6 cried over the speakers on the floater.

  "Stop him!" Z shouted.

  "I can't. He doesn't answer any calls on standard or fastcom." T6 replied. "He's going into TTH right now."

  Z looked at the cops a moment, then swore a long string, then said through his teeth, "Did either of you idiots think to look INSIDE of the car, or did you let Klaht walk out and drive it away?

  "Let's go into the office. I want you to see something. You can then go arrest Klaht."

  "Arrest him? Why?" the cop asked.

  "Murder. Premeditated. Conspiracy laws apply," Z answered. "He put a bomb on Narmel's ship against the moder unit housing. It's on a timer that's activated as soon as the ship goes into IDmode. Narmel is becoming vapor in another plane about now."

  They went inside, where Z showed the pictures to the captain, who then demanded Z prove it was a bomb and not merely repairs. The floater, which was hovering over their heads, played the part of Eed's words over the com phone to Klaht ordering the bomb to be placed.

  "We have no idea what this Eed character looks like, what name he has for...." Z started, then yelled, "T Six! What name is Eed using on his ship?"

  "Hoe something. Hoe Goht Nea," T6 replied.

  "Sto
p a ship registered under that name!" Z cried. "He's the one who's the head of all of this. We have him on the com phone and can prove him through voiceprint."

  The captain grabbed his intercom and demanded that Hoe Goht Nea be intercepted and not allowed to take off.

  "What or who is this T Six?" an officer asked.

  "It's a computer aboard my ship," Z replied shortly. "It's an incorruptible witness. All empire agents have one at all times. Maita demands it to keep us honest."

  "There is no ship registered under that name anywhere on the port and hasn't been," the captain said. "Klaht is on the way over with two officers.

  "What was that conspiracy thing you mentioned? Is the charge to be murder, attempted murder, suspected murder? If this holopicture was made by your T Six without editing, then it is all the testimony I need to hold him, but what charge can I use? We won't be getting any proof of the crime. Not in another plane."

  "I, T Six, computer and machine employed by the Maitan Empire as corroborating witness to agent Lion, do hereby offer as sworn testimony those items already presented for view and swear as to their authenticity," T6 testified over the floater. "I suggest you charge one Gid Klaht under the conspiracy laws and place him aboard the ship of Agent Lion for transport to the planet, Tltle, where this case is in progress at this time through Empire Court Judge S twelve hyphen T forty four NY hyphen four A."

  "You see, we're here on direct orders of Emperor Maita," Z said. "There's quite a large organized criminal activity on the vacation worlds. We have orders to put an end to it.

  "By authority of Emperor Maita, I hereby enjoin you and all of your officers from mentioning anything about this case to anyone. You aren't to so much as discuss it among yourselves."

  "Oh, stars!" one of the officers cried. "When I mess up I do it at the worst possible time! I should have had the sense to check that car!"

  "Our orders weren't plain," Z said. "What's done is done. We should've told you Narmel would stay in the car. We as much as knew it.