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Steven G. Williams
Wake of the Nightshade
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.”
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.”