"A Break"

[Joe Manning 0]

A break.

 

That was all Joe could think. Was he getting colder in his old age with his years of experience in Bull's Head? He hadn't seen any casualty reports from the bombing yet, but no doubt innocent lives had been lost, to say nothing of the damage that any ensuing panic could cause throughout the city. Joe remembered a time when he valued life above anything else ... when he would have given his own life to save a dying patient if the equation were that simple. This 'Systems Enterprises' may have been a corrupt outfit, but innocent people always had a tendency to get caught in corporate webs. He was sure that a few people who were just working for the company to make ends meet, just trying to support families in the city and abroad, had been killed in the blast.

 

A break. That was all he could think.

 

The Rainmakers were now active. They'd spent five days in hiding -- biding their time, surveying the city, planning whatever attacks were scheduled for the night. Now they were out in the open; they would have to be to target the city. An explosive being detonated on an upper floor of a corporate office tower (where the security was always most amply funded) was not a sloppy spur-of-the-moment act. It would have required layers of planning and, possibly, the support of people inside the building. There would be trails to the Rainmakers that could be picked up if the right information was located.

 

Marshall Savoy would also be looking for those trails.

 

Joe was assuming that Savoy was not serious when she threatened to pull her offer if the Rainmakers launched any attacks in the city. She had gone to Joe because she needed Qob; attacks in the city would only heighten the urgency to apprehend Minos. The thought was beginning to face Joe, however, that the simple play -- handing Minos over and expecting possession of his ship simply and neatly returned -- would not be the most prudent. Other possibilities were floating through his mind, such as using knowledge of Minos' whereabouts as leverage against Savoy.

 

Now the mad race was in full-swing. By declaring themselves openly, the Rainmakers would be making it easier for the Guardians to locate them. But with each subsequent attack, more pressure would be placed on the Guardians to lift the planetary blockade. Amidst this large-scale game of chicken, the Guardians had unknown competition to contend with -- Joe would be seeking to beat the Guardians to Minos.

 

T'Aral had already uncovered something interesting in Systems Enterprises' records. An employee had been in frequent contact with Marshall Savoy over the past few months with regards to an investigation. That same employee had simultaneously been showing signs of illicit dealings on the side. He was now being transported to a secure location by the Guardians. A Guardian VIP under escort? A suspect in the bombing? Perhaps there were other, unrelated, strings to be found -- another source of leverage against Savoy possibly, or something that could be used to score points with the Marshall.

 

Cold, indifferent weighing of factors. Was he emotionally detaching himself from the recent loss of half of his crew? Becoming a grim, callous Hyadean? ... Becoming a Captain?

 

"Here," Joe pointed T'Aral's attention into a nearby alleyway. They were several blocks from the Maze. There was a nondescript wooden door halfway along the wall of one of the adjacent buildings. Joe lifted his finger to indicate a smoky window two stories up. "Assuming no one's screwed around in there, you should have a computer uplink ... and we'll be secure."

 

* * * * * * *

Seven Years Ago

 

The dusty wind whipped at Joe's hair as he looked into the alleyway. There was a nondescript wooden door halfway along the wall of one of the adjacent buildings. Joe lifted his gaze to a clear window two stories up. A massive hand thumped his upper back before Pete Gibbons stepped into view at his side.

 

"Looks lovely, Commander," Pete said. Joe looked at the security officer and flashed his Irish smile, still full of youth after sixty plus years. "It's got sort of a 'condo by the bay' quality to it. Doubt it's got elevator service though. You've got to enjoy staring at bricks as much as you enjoy looking out over a bay. And I doubt we'll be getting a bellboy. You'll have to carry your own luggage, Monique."

 

"I was planning to make you carry it, Pete," the petite young tech expert replied in her slight French accent as she stepped around Joe's other side. She bounded into the alley toward the door. "I like it. Nice and concealed."

 

"Wait, I better go first," Pete raced ahead of her. "Just in case the rats are big enough to be considered hostiles."

 

Joe laughed at the motley pair and looked back at Nickles, who just shook his head and moved around to follow them. Tranquility was as unfamiliar a place as he could find himself, in the middle of a city cut off from the Federation trying to get by on its own. It was comforting to be in the company of good friends, all in the same spot of trying to find a ship to crew in unfamiliar territory. His first few years in Bull's Head had not been easy for him; it hadn't been easy for any of the others, either. But knowing that he could lean on any one of them for support gave him the lift that he needed.

 

He felt a hand on his arm. "Well, shall we have a look inside then?"

 

Joe turned his head to look at Duke Redding. "After you, friend."