Crave - 23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Merrick followed Senator Elsan to the throne room, aware of his surroundings, but deep in thought. It had been a productive morning for the investigation so far. When the Alecteran came to their room, he confirmed that individual interviews had been arranged with the counseurs. Just prior to the senator’s arrival, Landin discovered the name of the Ultec ship and its captain, and forwarded the information to Jenson and the human investigator. Fortunately the ship was still in orbit around its home planet. Merrick was pleased with the progress being made, but was disturbed by the news Jenson had to share.

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“We have the name of the captain.” Merrick smiled at the handsome face on the screen. “Landin should be sending that to you now.”

“I have it, thank you.” Jenson sounded distracted. “I have some information for you too.”

“What’s going on, J?”

“I looked through my mission notes after we signed off yesterday.” Merrick looked more closely at the vampire and realized how tired he appeared. There were dark smudges under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept at all since their last conversation.

“Mission notes? From Alect-3?”

“No.” Jenson sighed. “Logs I have from other operations over the years. The ones where things went wrong. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first assignment I’ve been on where people have been hurt.”

“What did you find?” Merrick had a feeling that he wasn’t going to like what Jenson discovered.

“It looks like the Terezinians may have been involved in more than bringing flauros to Alect-3.”

Merrick felt anger spark inside of him. “What do you mean?”

“During an operation several years ago, two of our ship’s crew were badly hurt when an unmanned deep core drill exploded. I was on Veanga to assess a potential collaboration with Anglia to manufacture the drills on a large scale. The builder was adamant something must have been tampered with, but at the time we attributed the accident to faulty design and put a hold on talks. A few minutes ago, I confirmed with the Veangan attaché that the cooling system they used was purchased from Terarzin a few weeks before testing. There were a few other incidents over the years that I didn’t connect at the time. They were on different planets… with different species. Every representative I’ve been able to contact has confirmed their planet has a trade relationship with Terezin. There was either a Terezin representative cleared to be in the area or their technology had been used in some way during each accident. These incidents may not be connected, but there are far too many similarities to be coincidental.”

Merrick swore out loud. He was sure Landin and Kalen would have heard him from the other room. “Those bastards. Didn’t they care how many people they could have hurt?”

“I think this has to be Jorrah’s doing. There’s no other logical explanation.” Jenson sounded weary… and very sad. “He works for the Terazin Trade Alliance and has the connections to pull this off.”

“Shit… I’m sorry, J.” Merrick wished he was there to pull the vampire into his arms. Jenson only nodded in response. He didn’t miss the telltale dampness of the vampire’s eyes.

“I’ve spoken to my father, and if the Ultec captain confirms Terezin involvement, he’ll be requesting their government surrender Jorrah to Anglia for questioning.”

“I’ll make sure you’re one of the first to know,” Merrick promised. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, J. I swear.” He hesitated for a second, not liking what he was going to have to say next. “Jenson? If we find out that Jorrah is involved, I need to tell Landin and Kalen about Kel. They need to know what we could be dealing with.” The vampire was clearly not happy about having his private life discussed with anyone, but he acknowledged that Merrick’s men needed to be prepared.

Merrick left the conversation wanting to head straight for Terezin and shake the truth out of Jorrah Varro. What happened to Kel was tragic, but it was an accident. Jenson would never have purposely hurt Kel. The man should have been around the two lovers long enough to know that.

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“Wait here.” The Senator’s voice drew Merrick from his thoughts. “Someone will come to get you when we’re ready.” Merrick acknowledged his understanding and watched the door close behind the tall male.

While waiting, he decided to distract himself by examining the etchings on the floor. The language wasn’t familiar, but it was beautifully carved. He could feel the guards’ eyes following him, but wasn’t bothered by their scrutiny. Being in such close proximity to the Maser and Counseury, he would have been disappointed if the guards weren’t wary.

“Commander Weir?” A soft voice called to him. Waiting by the open door was a very young-looking male, whose petite frame seemed to drown in his ornate robes. “The Counsery is ready to see you now.”

The first thing Merrick noticed when he stepped into the room was the barely veiled disgust on the faces of a few of the counseurs. The Maser sat at the head of the large table, with the Senator sitting to his left. Merrick thought the leader looked rather pleased with himself.

“Gentlemen.” Merrick bowed to the group and moved to the far end of the table, where the young Alecteran pulled out a chair for him. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

“Of course, Commander.” Maser Luda gave him a wide smile. “We’re as anxious as you are to discover who’s responsible for the attacks on Alect-3.”

“Thank you, Maser.” He inclined his head. He could see several of the males around the table scowling, but no one voiced any objections. “I understand I’ll be meeting with each Counseur individually?”

“Yes,” Maser Luda agreed. “The Counseury was asked to make themselves available to you and your team during the investigative process.” The leader turned his attention on the males sitting around him. “Our business for this morning is concluded. This meeting is adjourned. Senator Elsan will contact you to confirm our next meeting date.” The counseurs stood with their leader, and bowed as he swept out of the room with several guards in tow.

After the doors closed, Senator Elsan addressed Merrick. “Commander, your first appointment is with Counseur Rossud.” He gave a hard look to the males at the table. “The rest of you have your itineraries. Please ensure that you’re available, as scheduled.” In silence, the group left the senator and Merrick alone in the room.

As soon as the doors closed, Merrick turned to the taller man. “I need Kalen and Landin here for the interviews.”

“Of course. I’ll have someone bring them from the visitor’s quarters. Come, let me show you the office you’ll be using.” The room they entered was fairly close to the throne room, and in the same wing as the counseurs’ offices. Since this was a heavily secured area, only Merrick was given access the room and limited, supervised access to the rest of the wing.

Kalen and Landin were sitting on either side of him at a small table when Rossud arrived. Their research told them he was younger than the rest of the counseurs by several years. As was the case in many patriarchal societies, family leadership and landholdings were passed down from father to eldest son. Rossud’s father had died the year before and his son now occupied the position of leader for their territory.

“Thank you for joining us, Counseur Rossud.” Merrick rose and bowed to the younger male. Although it rankled him to show deference to the arrogant Alecteran, Merrick knew there were customs he needed to abide by.

“I wasn’t given a choice… believe me.” The young male muttered, sitting heavily in the chair offered to him. “Let’s just get this over with, shall we?”

“Of course.” Merrick gave the male a bright smile before turning to Landin. “Do you have the logs?” The Anphilian handed Merrick his comm pad with the required information already loaded on the screen. “I’ve been granted access to the security logs for the inter-planetary communications system. During our review, there appeared to be some unusual activity using your clearance.” Merrick turned the screen to the male across the table. “Normally, off planet transmissions aren’t unusual, but Alecterans don’t make it a habit to communicate with other species. It looks like you’ve made contact with someone from the planet Ultec several times over the last couple of months.” Merrick watched the younger male closely and noticed a tightening of his lips as he stared at the screen. “Can you explain this?”

“Is it a crime to contact our trading partners?” The male scoffed, leaning back in his chair.

“It could be, when the counseur making the transmissions isn’t on the trade committee, and the trading partner in question is potentially responsible for illegally delivering flauros to Alect-3.”

The young male’s brow furrowed in apparent confusion. “I don’t… that wasn’t why…” The counseur stuttered for a moment before straightening in his seat and clearing his throat. “I have no idea what you’re referring to.”

Merrick studied the young male for a few moments. He seemed agitated, but Merrick’s gut told him whatever the young male was doing, it didn’t have anything to do with Alect-3. “Counseur Rossud….” Merrick softened his voice. “Why were you contacting the Ultecs?”

The male shook his head slightly. “It isn’t a crime to contact our trading partners,” he repeated.

“Would this have anything to do with the fact that several of your family’s companies are on the verge of closing?” Kalen interrupted, leaning towards the young Alecteran.

“What?” The male startled visibly and turned on Kalen. “How did you…? Who told you that?”

“It was easy enough to find out.” Kalen shrugged his shoulder. “Before your father’s death, two Rossud factories ceased production. Since you took over the family title, you’ve had to sell off several land holdings. How much debt did he leave you with? Is that why you were so easily convinced to help deliver those creatures to Alect-3? For the money?”

The counseur sputtered and pounded his fist on the table. “That’s a lie… it’s outrageous. How dare you insult my father!”

“Counseur Rossud,” Merrick began again, drawing the agitated male’s attention back to him. “No one is trying to insult your father. I’m sure Kalen didn’t mean it that way. We don’t always have control over the economy or the viability of a business. I sympathize, but we do need answers. Why have you been contacting the Ultecs?” Merrick paused for a moment, letting the Alecteran fidget in front of them. “We can look into this more closely… speak to the Counseury and trade committee, but I thought you might like to give us your version of events first.”

The male sat stiffly for several seconds before he seemed to deflate. “I was trying negotiate a deal to ship garments and textiles to off world markets,” he whispered.

“Why didn’t you just go through the trade committee?” Merrick was confused. Why would such a straightforward trading contract need to be kept secret?

“Those items aren’t on our approved trade list,” the male looked down at the table, his long fingers scrubbing at some invisible mark. He looked even younger as he sat across from them, squirming in his seat.

“Surely the Counseury would have approved those items if you’d asked?”

“And admit how badly my companies are doing? That would be tantamount to admitting my failure as territory leader. I will NOT lose my territory.” The Alecteran’s retort was harsh before rising with a sigh to stand behind his chair. “Are we done here? Can I leave now? I think I’ve told you everything you need to know.” He looked uncomfortable as he waited to be dismissed.

“Yes, for now,” Merrick replied. “But we may have more questions for you later. I’ll also need the names of your contacts on Ultec to confirm what you’ve told us.” The counseur nodded without a word, before hurrying out of the room. Merrick looked between Landin and Kalen. “Thoughts?”

“I think he’s telling the truth.” Landin’s voice was hesitant. “I know I’m not an expert interrogator, but he seemed honestly upset about his businesses, and too proud to admit the trouble he’s in to the rest of the Counseury.”

Merrick turned to Kalen. “I agree with Landin.” The man leaned back in his seat. “The story is plausible. His arrogance and pride would keep him from asking for help. I’m not sure how he thought he could continue to keep his side trade agreement a secret, but I doubt he was thinking that far ahead.”

“Or, he was too arrogant to think he’d ever get caught,” Landin added, causing the other two to laugh in agreement.

The last two morning meetings were uneventful. Each counseur seemed cooperative, and Landin didn’t find any unusual activity associated with their security clearances. Counseur Jolquin wasn’t friendly, but he wasn’t overtly hostile either. Merrick got the impression the male felt it was beneath him to be answerable to a lowly Commander. Despite the conceit, he didn’t believe the older male was associated with the attacks. Counseur Mentach was congenial and answered all of their questions without hesitation. He was even supportive of his leader’s attempts to drag Alectera out of its isolationism. One of the reasons, Merrick learned, was that Mentach’s younger son wanted to attend the Anglian academy for envoy training. The young male had aspirations of someday filling that position for his home world.

Merrick hoped they could learn something useful from the five counseurs they were seeing in the afternoon. He wondered if the Ultec captain knew anything beneficial to the investigation. They were lucky the Earth ship, The Marquis, was returning from a nearby sector and was easily diverted to Ultec.

They had just returned from the noon meal and were discussing strategy for the afternoon when he received a vid call request from The Marquis. He left the other two huddled around the computer while he accepted the call. Agent Telepyleia Harndi’s familiar face appeared on the screen.

“Commander Merrick Weir. How long has it been? Five years?”

“More like six, Agent Harndi.”

“Call me Leia, please.” The older woman smiled.

Merrick returned the grin. He had admired the retired Agent since she’d taught his Inter-Planetary Criminal Investigations class at the academy. He was happy when he’d learned of her return to active duty shortly after he graduated. “Leia, then. I heard they managed to talk you out of retirement.”

Leia’s throaty laugh echoed over the vid screen. “I was tired of sending everyone out into the field and not going myself. I missed the excitement. We’ll have to catch up again soon. You were always one of my favourite students.”

Merrick chuckled. “If that was true you would have given me an ‘A’ in your class.”

“Just because I liked you didn’t mean I wasn’t going to challenge you,” she retorted. Her eyes twinkled with mirth before she turned serious. “I believe I have the answers you sent me here to look for.”

Merrick straightened in his seat. “What did you find out?”

“I spoke with Captain Uremar and his crew. He claims they were hired by the Alecteran trade committee to deliver cargo to Alect-3. His ship has made so many deliveries to and from Alectera that he didn’t ask any questions. He claims the containers were already sealed when they were delivered to the ship.” She paused and appeared to be reading something on her screen. “The manifest said the pods contained materials for a water treatment system on Alect-3. It was signed and approved by an officer in their export offices with a note that a passenger would accompany them. After the drop off, the ship went to Alectera for its usual pick up, before returning the Ultec. Several of the crew told me the passenger disembarked as soon as they returned and no one knows his current whereabouts.”

“Is there proof of the requisition from Alectera?”

“I have everything. Manifests, delivery slips, communications, even their loading and off-loading logs. I’ll send copies to you shortly. Whoever arranged the delivery used very official looking documentation.”

“Official looking?” Merrick’s eyebrow raised at Leia’s choice of words.

“Oh, I have no doubt it was forged.” One side of her mouth lifted in a smirk. “I’ve compared it with other requisitions they’ve received, and there are subtle inconsistencies I’ll point out in my report. The trade bureau here has been extremely helpful to my investigation, especially since they’ve just entered into negotiations with the EAC for long range delivery contracts.”

Merrick chuckled. Telepyleia Harndi could be tenacious, and he had no doubt the Ultec government had offered their full cooperation. “What about the passenger? Do you have any information on him?”

“I haven’t been able to identify him… yet. He called himself Mihenkel. I doubt it was his real name, but the crew did confirm he was Terezinian. I have an image from the security feed in the shuttle bay. I’ll send that to you as well.” Merrick’s heart thumped in his chest. Mihenkel? Wasn’t that Kel’s full name? If he had any lingering doubts about Jorrah Varro’s involvement, this news dispelled them. It was too much of a coincidence.

“Send me everything as soon as you can. I’d like to read your report before the interrogations this afternoon.”

“You’ll have it within the hour.” Leia smiled again. “It is good to speak to you again, Merrick. Don’t be a stranger, all right?”

After they signed off Merrick turned his attention back to Landin and Kalen. They must have picked up on his mood because they stopped what they were doing and turned to their commander.

“There’s something I need to tell you both about Terezin,” Merrick began.

p>Thank you to my amazing editor, Gary.     Thank you to everyone who reads and supports the story.