Expanding Horizons Snippet 3

 Last snippet and then I'll publish the book probably this afternoon or tomorrow sometime.

Chapter 3

 

SG7-171, Sigma sector

 

Draco idly listened to the report on the hunt for the missing spook. They had finally arrived in the 171 star system and found a message in the hidden buoy from the admiral. Apparently, Golden Goose had dropped him off at this location and then moved on.

The ONI lieutenant took his sweet time sorting it out before releasing some of the information. The admiral had altered his appearance shockingly. He was traveling under the alias Harold Walter White, somewhat appropriate according to the lieutenant though he didn’t say why. That set them off to go to the planet and take a look while the ship stripped the buoy of ship traffic through the star system between the admiral’s last message and their arrival time.

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Sergeant Holy Winters stuffed her hands in her pockets as she picked up the trail where Admiral Michael Briggs had left off. She browsed the bar district. They had an alias and face to use as a description though they were strictly forbidden to mention them to anyone.

Which made finding someone who didn’t want to be found all the harder she thought in annoyance.

“This is impossible,” she muttered.

“Maybe we should put a bounty on his head?” Ari asked.

The sergeant turned to her with a “You aren’t serious” look on her face.

“Look, I know it is a risk, but I’m thinking we put up a paternity bounty or something that fits with his profile.”

The sergeant shook her head. “Spooks do not like any attention drawn to themselves or a public record. They slip in and out.”

“All right, fine, how the hell are we supposed to find him if we can’t ask or show his picture?”

“No idea,” she muttered.

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Draco picked up news in a bar about two big fellas, Jacob and TJ, who paid well for tips about spacers. Usually, the spacer went missing sometime shortly after.

There was speculation that they were killing them. Others said they had shanghaied the poor sod to their ship, just one missing man among many.

He got a name of the ship they traveled on, a nondescript Clydesdale class freighter called FX-9915A. He bought a round of drinks for his informant and even paid his back tab. That got others talking about the duo in hopes of getting a free drink. He didn’t begrudge them, even if they just confirmed what he already knew. He didn’t care; it was all on ONI’s dime anyway.

Angie confirmed the ship in their briefing files and then uploaded the tip to the ship and the waiting ONI lieutenant.

They got an acknowledgment of the report as well as a request for more information.

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On the cruiser, Captain Howard listened to a briefing. The lieutenant confirmed that the freighter FX-9915A was identified as a pirate. “We have no record of them in the official database outside of this area. I am cross-referencing port of calls they might have made in the area as well as the timing of their movements.

“Be aware they might have changed their ID codes and name in different ports,” the ship’s AI warned.

The lieutenant paused and then nodded.

“Checking, I have found four other ships that match the general description of FX-9915A,” the AI reported.

“Put it on a map with time codes. The same for the known appearances of the ship,” the captain ordered.

The AI did so and then with his own initiative drew lines between the locations with time codes. There was a big hole though in some of the lines.

“So, somewhere in this given area?” the captain asked as he made a circling gesture over a volume of space. It was in the search zone of the El Dorado. Dozens of ships were searching that volume of space.

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, we might have narrowed down the search zone or we might have a red herring. I’m curious as to which this will turn out to be.”

“Sir, what happened to the admiral?”

“Damned if I know. All I do know is that he’s now rather thoroughly on his own,” the captain said with a resigned shake of his head. “He’s gone where we can’t follow.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Draco wasn’t surprised when they were recalled a week after being deployed to the planet. He was a bit surprised that the captain wanted to move around the area and strip the hidden spy drones and message buoys in the empty star systems in ten star systems. All with an eye to picking up the Clydesdale’s trail.

He wondered if they were going to try to catch and board the ship. Apparently, that was still up in the air after their debrief.

“Good work. You did well. Time to hit the hay again. We’ll wake you when we find a target for you,” the captain said simply.

Draco exchanged looks with his squad and then they got up and headed to the stasis pod compartment.

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