Space Pioneer 2 - The Titan Plot - 4. Chapter 4

The Daglon warship reached the edge of the solar system and Lest commanded the switch to space jump mode. The sound of the engines changed, the light on the bridge briefly flickered, and then the ship moved on, folding the space on its way. The course was set on Rho 59, a four-days trip from their current position in space.

"What are the Titans doing?" Lest asked, rising from his chair.

Hulton brought up the monitoring windows. The Titan men were each sitting on the bed and staring into the room.

"What about the woman?" Lest asked.

Hulton opened another window. The men on the bridge gathered behind Hulton and looked at the screen. The woman was standing in Jeff’s room.

"She’s wearing the outfit of the Titan upper class. The long dress, the veil, and the scarf," Lest said.

The woman raised her hands and took off her veil. She was young, with almond shaped eyes, black hair and very pale skin. She undid her braids and brushed back her long hair.

"She’s beautiful," Le’Ton said admiringly.

Corr patted his shoulder. "Forget it," he said. "She’s confined to Jeff’s room."

"Where did you take your stuff to, by the way?" Lest asked, turning to Jeff.

"To your room," Jeff replied.

"Not too bad," Lest said with a smile.

Hulton turned his head and gave them a meaningful look. Lest rolled his eyes and Jeff waved his hand at Hulton. The men turned back to the screen.

The Titan woman had gone to the mirror and was studying her face. She touched her cheekbones, then turned away from the mirror and went to the bed, took the plastic bag and emptied it. The contents were sprawled on the bed.

"Clothes of the female kind. I had a close look at them," Le’Ton said.

"What do you mean? Panties and bras?" Lest asked.

Le’Ton’s cheeks reddened. Corr moved closer to the console and Hulton leaned forward. Jeff gave a laugh.

"Monitor off. Back to work all," Lest commanded and returned to his seat.

Hulton closed the window. "She might be hungry," he said.

"The Titans booked room service. I won’t let them enter the galley. Corr, switch on the intercom and ask them what they want. Two men will bring them their meals. One carries the food and the other a plasma gun," Lest said.

"I volunteer," Hulton said quickly.

"You? Don’t you always stress that you are more of the thinking kind and not so much a practical person?" Lest asked.

"Learning by doing is a path to gain knowledge," Hulton replied. "I experiment with new software all the time."

"The lady is not a software tool. Don’t think I cannot see through you," Lest said.

"I volunteer, too," Le’Ton said.

"Why doesn’t this surprise me?" Lest asked. He waved his hand. "Okay, go down. Keep focused, no distractions and no small talk with the lady. If I see any such thing happen, I’ll send Galven and Forrit next time. We’re monitoring the rooms."

***

A short while later, the two men were on their way to the quarters. The Titan men had ordered water and a stew, whereas the lady had wanted vanilla soufflé and black current juice. When Lest had told her that his ship was not a gourmet restaurant, Lady Tiana had also ordered water and the typical Titan stew. Lest was glad the food processor was able to produce it.

Lest and Jeff watched the men on the monitoring screen and Jeff unlocked one door after the other from the bridge. Hulton held out a tray with food when the door opened. Ion’s companions quickly seized a mug, a bowl and a spoon and then retreated into the rooms, but Ion grimaced when the door opened and was apparently complaining.

"He doesn’t like being locked up, but he can complain until he’s blue in the face. This won’t change until the end of the flight," Lest said.

"Attention. They’re coming to my room now," Jeff said.

He unlocked the door. Tiana startled, but then hurried to the door and smiled at the man with the tray in his hands. Hulton was staring at the young woman, his eyes big and wide.

"He’s not an expert in the social field," Lest said drily. "I don’t think he’ll volunteer again."

Jeff laughed and pointed at the screen. "Neither is Le’Ton," he said.

Le’Ton was standing in the doorway, a plasma gun in his hands and his eyes grimly fixed on the lady. Lady Tiana gave him a nod upon which Le’Ton relaxed. He leaned idly against the doorframe and smiled broadly at the woman.

"Daglon macho behavior," Lest commented.

Tiana took the tray and placed it on the table. She looked back at the men, then covered her mouth with a hand and lowered her eyes. Hulton and Le’Ton stepped back. The automatic door closed and Jeff locked it from the bridge. Tiana raised her eyes, looked at the door, and then started to laugh. She was holding her belly.

"We see the not entirely unexpected effect of macho behavior," Jeff said, reaching out and closing the window.

Lest made a dismissive gesture with his hand and went back to his seat. A short time later, Hulton and Le’Ton entered the bridge.

"Anything you can conclude from the closer look you had at our passengers?" Lest asked.

"Not exactly," Le’Ton replied. "Did you watch us from the bridge?"

"We did," Lest said. "It seemed the lady had a good time. She was laughing heartily after you’d left."

Le’Ton turned to the console abruptly. Corr gave him a sideways glance and smirked.

Hulton shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "How about I check out the portable devices the Titans were carrying?" he asked.

"Good idea, Hulton," Lest said, pointing at a side console. "Don’t break the locks, please."

Hulton moved to the console and bowed over the devices.

"Le’Ton, check the Horus computer and find out about Rho 59. If necessary, connect to the Alliance database. I want to know more about our destination," Lest said, rising to his feet. "I’m going to the galley. The sight of the stew made me feel hungry. Jeff, do you want to bear me company?"

Jeff nodded and the men left the bridge.

Corr turned to Le’Ton. "Is she as beautiful as she looked on the screen?" he asked.

"Very beautiful," Le’Ton replied. "I wonder if they kidnapped her or if she went with them of her own accord."

***

Doctor Midad entered the galley and went to the food processor. He ordered a cup of coffee and a chicken sandwich, then joined Lest and Jeff at their table.

"I was thinking," he said. "Cleus is famous for its medical centers. People come from all over space for treatments on Cleus. I’m wondering if Lady Tiana was there for treatment, too. The Titans might have kidnapped her on Cleus."

"I’m not so sure they kidnapped her," Lest said, struggling with spaghetti. "Why did you use the food processor and don’t try the fresh food Hulton has ordered?" he asked.

"Fresh food?" Midad asked back.

Lest nodded at three crates that were aligned against the wall.

"Not exactly fresh food," Jeff said. "Packages of pre-prepared meals. You just need to pick one and put it in the box over there. A microwave oven or sort of. Hulton bought it, too. I picked chicken ragout. It’s good."

"Since when is Hulton an expert in the cooking field?" Midad asked, walking to the crates and inspecting them.

"It seems he’s widening his fields of expertise lately," Lest said. "Now back to the Titans on board of our ship. I don’t think we’ll get anything out of the men, but how about we’ll talk with the lady."

"Forget about Hulton and Le’Ton," Jeff said. "Corr is not an option either. Galven and Forrit? I’m having doubts."

"This leaves you and me and Doctor Midad," Lest said, turning to Midad who was placing a meal into the microwave box.

Midad looked up. "What did you say, Lest?" he asked.

"What did you pick?" Lest asked back, pointing his fork at the microwave box.

"Vegetable gratin," Midad replied. "The dish looked good in the picture." He took the meal and went to the table.

"We’ll buy more of this stuff when we’re back," Lest said. "Midad, I want you to talk with the lady. Inquire about her health. I want to know if they kidnapped her or if she went with them of her own accord."

"I can try. Perhaps I will learn why she was on Cleus," Midad said. "However, if she’s in the plot or is forced to keep silent, it will be difficult to make her talk. Maybe I should take a meal from the crate and surprise her with it. It might ease the tension of the situation."

"Good idea," Lest said. "She wanted vanilla soufflé. Look if you find something similar in the crates."

"I actually saw a package titled vanilla soufflé," Midad replied.

"Perfect," Lest said. "I must thank Hulton for his circumspection."

***

Midad left for sickbay. Lest and Jeff went back on the bridge.

"What did you find out about Rho 59, Le’Ton?" Lest asked.

"It’s an old Titan mining station, long deserted," Le’Ton replied. "The space port is no longer being operated, but I think we can touch down in the main area without difficulties. The dwarf planet is at the edge of the Titan Empire and belongs to an asteroid belt. The Titans mined the asteroids in the past, but their mining interests have long shifted to places elsewhere."

"A perfect place to unload illegal cargo. Are the Titans monitoring the area? I imagine they watch out for possible invaders into their territory," Lest said.

"I suspect they left monitoring probes," Le’Ton replied. "I’m certain that Titan ships are patrolling the area, but ship presence might be low in the sector."

"We’re supposed to fly in full stealth mode. It seems Perez reckoned with ships," Lest said. "Le’Ton, Corr, go down and grab a meal. Hulton has bought some pre-prepared dishes. You’ll find them in the crates in the galley. The meals are good."

Corr and Le’Ton left the bridge.

"Thank you, captain," Hulton said from the background. "I’m happy to hear you like the food."

Lest turned to him. "Go down, too, Hulton," he said. "You can resume checking on the devices later."

"I think I’m already done with them," Hulton replied. "These are communicating and hacking devices. The latest models in space. Very advanced gadgets. I actually bought a similar set on Cyrus."

"Hacking devices? It doesn’t surprise me. Lock them away on the bridge," Lest said. He shifted in his seat. "I wished this operation was already done, but unfortunately it has only begun," he said, looking after Hulton who was leaving the bridge. "What do you think, Jeff? Are the Titans terrorists?"

"I suppose so," Jeff said. "And the lady is their pawn."

***

Midad visited Lady Tiana and then went to the lounge where the Horus crew had assembled.

"She told me little," the doctor said, "but I can conclude a few things nonetheless. But first let me tell you about the Titans. I read up on the Empire of Titania before I went to see the lady."

"The ruling Titan class is a warrior class with strong hierarchies and a patriarchic structure. The first recorded leader ruled roughly 38,000 years ago, but there were probably many sovereigns before him, although their names are not recorded. The first son succeeds the father unless the head of the empire has no children or only daughters. The latter marks the beginning of a new dynasty. It happened rarely in Titan history. The current dynasty is the fifth dynasty. If the head of the empire dies childless, his closest male relative will succeed the throne. If the man has only daughters, the husband of the eldest daughter will seize the reign. Since the latter permits a non-relative seizing power, a few requirements must be met. The daughter must be of the age of consent, which means she must be at least twenty-two years old and emotionally and mentally stable and healthy. Three independent experts must provide their expertise. As you can guess, this situation is not desirable as the various political parties will each produce a marriage candidate and the woman must make a choice. It happened only once in the past, about 8,000 years ago, when the only daughter of the Titan ruler married her father’s most trusted counselor. The head of the empire died childless in the other cases of dynasty change."

Midad looked at the men.

"Tian Mu, the current head of the empire has only one child, a daughter named Tiana. She turned twenty-two three months ago. I think you can now understand the situation we’re in. It’s a highly explosive political situation. Lady Tiana’s husband will be the future head of the Empire of Titania and it will mark a dynasty change," he said.

Lest gave a whistle. "It’s crystal clear to me now. I think the vendee who bought the cargo and organized the Titans’ trip on my ship plans to marry Tian Mu’s daughter, but is not an acknowledged marriage candidate," he said. "The three Titans are his henchmen. They kidnapped the woman on Cleus."

"If she was kidnapped, why did she not protest when she entered the ship?" Jeff asked. "She could have complained to us. Did she complain to you, Doctor Midad?"

Midad shook his head. "No, she did not," he said. "It puzzled me, too, and I was wondering if she was in the plot and wanted to overturn her own father. I touched subtly on various topics, but she warmed up only to my questions regarding her health. Then again, this is not unusual for a Titan member of the upper class. They don’t discuss personal matters with strangers. They don’t talk about family affairs, their leisure activities, vacation trips and so on. They don’t speak with strangers about politics, mind you. So her silence on various matters doesn’t necessary mean she was keeping things from me. She was maybe just trying to be polite in the Titan understanding of a polite conversation. I tend to believe the latter, because her overall demeanor was very polite. She actually wanted to put on her scarf and veil, the automatic reaction of a Titan woman when suddenly confronted with a stranger, and she only refrained from covering her face because of the vanilla soufflé I had put on the table."

"If she really was kidnapped, this was her chance to ask our assistance," Jeff said.

"Not necessarily so," Hulton tossed in. "She might consider us just another bunch of criminals. Unless she’s not completely stupid, she must think that the Daglon warship is stolen and operated by a captain and crew who are neither Daglon nor Alliance soldiers."

"True," Jeff said. "We locked her up in a room. This doesn’t speak much for us either. She might think she better keeps her mouth shut for fear of reprisal."

"I don’t exactly understand why Perez was looking for a warship. Any cargo ship could have made the trip," Corr said.

"He already knew of the Cleus ship. He knew the Titans shot the crew," Lest said. "The Cleus ship was a commercial ship. I guess Perez hoped a warship would intimidate the Titans."

"Intimidate is the wrong word," Midad said. "Like I said, the Titans are a warrior caste. They hold warriors and their deeds in high respect. A captain who seized a warship and did not get caught must impress them greatly. Remember, Ion seized an Atkon gunship on Alpha And. A smaller and less striking ship would have served the purpose."

"Yes," Jeff said. "Why did they fly to Cyrus and not directly to Rho 59? Neither with the Cleus ship nor with the Atkon gunship?"

"A commercial ship of the Cleus type can’t fly in stealth mode," Hulton said.

"The Atkon gunship could have travelled in stealth mode and covered the distance from Alpha And to Rho 59, if fully fuelled," Le’Ton said. "I suspect the ship was not yet re-fuelled when the Titans seized it on Alpha And. Cyrus was the logical choice. Unfortunately for them, the righteous owner of the Atkon ship reported his ship missing and Cyrus security detected it despite the probably altered ship code."

"I suspect the owner of the Atkon ship knew how to pull a few strings," Lest said. "Anyway, now what do you think, Midad? Was Tiana kidnapped or does she play along?"

"I honestly can’t tell," Midad replied. "I think she was on Cleus for the independent medical expertise on her emotional and mental health. She’s not yet married. She doesn’t wear the marriage tattoos on her cheekbones, but I think she expects to be married soon. She often touched her cheekbones during our talk and looked absently into the room."

"We saw her standing in front of the mirror in my room and examining her cheekbones," Jeff said.

"How did you see this?" Midad asked.

"The passenger rooms are being monitored. We watched her from the bridge," Jeff said.

Midad gave a disgusted grunt. "Did you watch me in her room, too?" he asked.

"We had to monitor the meeting in order to study her body language," Lest said.

Midad was shaking head. "And what did this study give away?" he asked.

"I thought she was nervous. Like you said, she often touched her face. She was shifting in her chair and staring into the room," Jeff said. "Well, it might all have to do with her looking forward to her marriage."

"Or fear of it," Lest said, rising to his feet. "Three more days and then we’re done with the operation anyway. Why bother with it?"

He left the lounge and went back on the bridge. The others looked after him.

"I can smell a guilty conscience," Corr said. "The captain is feeling bad about the situation."

"No wonder with terrorists on board of our ship," Le’Ton said. "Did you really get it? The lady’s marriage marks the beginning of a new Titan dynasty and we’re part of the operation that will lead up to it."

"I wished I were not," Jeff said, rising from his chair.

He left the lounge. Doctor Midad followed him.

"I’m having an idea as to how to get in touch with the lady and question her a bit," Le’Ton said with a sly smile, turning to Corr and Hulton.

***