 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Excerpt from Wake of the Nightshade |
Silver and Hogarth stood in the stellar cartography chart room at the
IPF headquarters. They were looking at the locations of the vigilante
attacks.
“If, Mr. Silver, we draw a line through these locations, what can we
see?”
“Clearly a trafficker’s run, Vice Director. The locations are well known
hubs for all manner of illicit substance delivery. Mord is a little out of
the way but still a good chance for a payoff. We must also note that
the other planets have all the necessary monitoring stations to watch
for ships that fit the profile of any drop ship.”
“Yet, they were not triggered,” Hogarth said.
“Perhaps that is what this is truly about, Sir. A criminal entity has
devised a method to make deliveries that are more difficult to
detect. That would certainly be worth all this trouble. The vigilante
may not be a vigilante at all, but instead may simply be a rival trying
to wreck whatever profits this group is acquiring. Of course, they
make deliveries all the time without being seen. The IPF doesn’t have
the resources to watch every planet at all times. Do we have any
reports of supplies running low or prices on trafficked substances
increasing?”
“An astute question, Agent Silver. But no, supply is plentiful and our
informants tell us that business is brisk at the usual locations.”
“That means the supply lines are up and running. The laws of
economics, Vice director.”
“Go on, Agent Silver.”
“A decrease in planet fall attempts is known, yet supply is abundant.
A decrease in delivery frequency should trigger an increase in price.
Again, none is seen. No one gives away things that cost more than
they used to or sells them at the same price if they can avoid it. More
or the same amount of contraband is on hand but the transport costs
seem to have gone down considerably. This means one dangerous
conclusion.”
“And that is?” Hogarth looked at Silver.
“All these factors point to huge increases in profits,” Silver stepped
closer to the images. “This money can be used for research or
reinvestment in other operations. The answer is obvious: Our
adversaries have devised a new method of delivery that we are
unaware of. The vigilante knows this and is trying to destroy it or the
profits derived there from. A rival organization is most probably
behind this. We should also not forget that this entity is dealing in
slavery. Do we have any reports from our operatives on the outlying
planets that any attacks or raids have taken place?”
“There was a report from a farming community that a number of
workers were taken with one disturbing twist.” Hogarth joined him at
an image of Mord.
“And that was?” Silver looked closer at a monitoring station.
“One of the foremen managed to get a lighter used to ferry
employees to the surface into open space,” Hogarth said. “He
followed the trajectory of the escaping shockers but when he broke
the atmosphere, he found a most unsettling fact.”
“Yes?” Silver looked at the Vice Director.
“Nothing, Agent Silver. The shockers were gone. No trace. By our
calculations, he was only minutes behind. That is not enough time to
get out of the gravity well of the planet and make a jump. We ran
the scenario. It doesn’t work. Any ship that is non military doesn’t
have the necessary engine size to initiate a jump that close to the
gravity well of the planet. There is simply no ship, besides a frigate
class ship, or larger, that could have made a jump like that.”
“That is troubling news, Vice Director. Is it possible that some
syndicate could have a ship of that size? That is unprecedented.”
“It is possible, but unlikely. I don’t rule it out but I think that we should
also follow your thoughts on a new method of delivery. As I study this
case, that is where the evidence is pointing.” Hogarth looked at the
maps.
“A larger ship is a possibility,” Silver said. “A larger ship could also be
using this new method of planet fall, whatever that may be. I have
some ideas.” Silver adjusted his coat.
“What method do you surmise they have discovered,” Hogarth
asked.
“There is probably a new type of signature generator that we haven’
t seen,” Silver said. “Perhaps they have a new code of some sort.
They may also have turned more individuals at the monitoring
stations. As you know, only ships that have jumped into the system
are monitored. It is possible that the jumps may not be being
logged, but that is unlikely. It is more probable, with all the other
activities of late, that they have designed a system that is not being
detected by the usual channels, including us. Perhaps the Dark Room
can shed some light on this issue. I believe that this is the main clue
that we are seeking. A new and more economical delivery system
would increase profits substantially. There is a more sinister aspect as
well.”
“And that is,” Hogarth asked.
“This means that certain criminal organizations can now come and
go as they please and, at this moment, we are unable to stop them.”
Silver said this without anger. This was the job.
Hogarth thought a moment. The implications were substantial. Virtual
invisibility was a very dangerous weapon. Abductions, kidnapping,
smuggling, and even assassination could increase sharply throughout
the galaxy unless they were able to solve this riddle. The galaxy was
very large and finding clues in it was already difficult enough.
“Are you sure we are on the right path, Agent Silver?”
“No, Vice Director. We, however, must follow the lines of facts that
are available to us. All of this points in this direction. There is a new
delivery system and we must ferret out its method. Whether it is a
new signature or a ship that can’t be seen or some other mystery will
be revealed in time.”
IPF headquarters. They were looking at the locations of the vigilante
attacks.
“If, Mr. Silver, we draw a line through these locations, what can we
see?”
“Clearly a trafficker’s run, Vice Director. The locations are well known
hubs for all manner of illicit substance delivery. Mord is a little out of
the way but still a good chance for a payoff. We must also note that
the other planets have all the necessary monitoring stations to watch
for ships that fit the profile of any drop ship.”
“Yet, they were not triggered,” Hogarth said.
“Perhaps that is what this is truly about, Sir. A criminal entity has
devised a method to make deliveries that are more difficult to
detect. That would certainly be worth all this trouble. The vigilante
may not be a vigilante at all, but instead may simply be a rival trying
to wreck whatever profits this group is acquiring. Of course, they
make deliveries all the time without being seen. The IPF doesn’t have
the resources to watch every planet at all times. Do we have any
reports of supplies running low or prices on trafficked substances
increasing?”
“An astute question, Agent Silver. But no, supply is plentiful and our
informants tell us that business is brisk at the usual locations.”
“That means the supply lines are up and running. The laws of
economics, Vice director.”
“Go on, Agent Silver.”
“A decrease in planet fall attempts is known, yet supply is abundant.
A decrease in delivery frequency should trigger an increase in price.
Again, none is seen. No one gives away things that cost more than
they used to or sells them at the same price if they can avoid it. More
or the same amount of contraband is on hand but the transport costs
seem to have gone down considerably. This means one dangerous
conclusion.”
“And that is?” Hogarth looked at Silver.
“All these factors point to huge increases in profits,” Silver stepped
closer to the images. “This money can be used for research or
reinvestment in other operations. The answer is obvious: Our
adversaries have devised a new method of delivery that we are
unaware of. The vigilante knows this and is trying to destroy it or the
profits derived there from. A rival organization is most probably
behind this. We should also not forget that this entity is dealing in
slavery. Do we have any reports from our operatives on the outlying
planets that any attacks or raids have taken place?”
“There was a report from a farming community that a number of
workers were taken with one disturbing twist.” Hogarth joined him at
an image of Mord.
“And that was?” Silver looked closer at a monitoring station.
“One of the foremen managed to get a lighter used to ferry
employees to the surface into open space,” Hogarth said. “He
followed the trajectory of the escaping shockers but when he broke
the atmosphere, he found a most unsettling fact.”
“Yes?” Silver looked at the Vice Director.
“Nothing, Agent Silver. The shockers were gone. No trace. By our
calculations, he was only minutes behind. That is not enough time to
get out of the gravity well of the planet and make a jump. We ran
the scenario. It doesn’t work. Any ship that is non military doesn’t
have the necessary engine size to initiate a jump that close to the
gravity well of the planet. There is simply no ship, besides a frigate
class ship, or larger, that could have made a jump like that.”
“That is troubling news, Vice Director. Is it possible that some
syndicate could have a ship of that size? That is unprecedented.”
“It is possible, but unlikely. I don’t rule it out but I think that we should
also follow your thoughts on a new method of delivery. As I study this
case, that is where the evidence is pointing.” Hogarth looked at the
maps.
“A larger ship is a possibility,” Silver said. “A larger ship could also be
using this new method of planet fall, whatever that may be. I have
some ideas.” Silver adjusted his coat.
“What method do you surmise they have discovered,” Hogarth
asked.
“There is probably a new type of signature generator that we haven’
t seen,” Silver said. “Perhaps they have a new code of some sort.
They may also have turned more individuals at the monitoring
stations. As you know, only ships that have jumped into the system
are monitored. It is possible that the jumps may not be being
logged, but that is unlikely. It is more probable, with all the other
activities of late, that they have designed a system that is not being
detected by the usual channels, including us. Perhaps the Dark Room
can shed some light on this issue. I believe that this is the main clue
that we are seeking. A new and more economical delivery system
would increase profits substantially. There is a more sinister aspect as
well.”
“And that is,” Hogarth asked.
“This means that certain criminal organizations can now come and
go as they please and, at this moment, we are unable to stop them.”
Silver said this without anger. This was the job.
Hogarth thought a moment. The implications were substantial. Virtual
invisibility was a very dangerous weapon. Abductions, kidnapping,
smuggling, and even assassination could increase sharply throughout
the galaxy unless they were able to solve this riddle. The galaxy was
very large and finding clues in it was already difficult enough.
“Are you sure we are on the right path, Agent Silver?”
“No, Vice Director. We, however, must follow the lines of facts that
are available to us. All of this points in this direction. There is a new
delivery system and we must ferret out its method. Whether it is a
new signature or a ship that can’t be seen or some other mystery will
be revealed in time.”