The Ghost Of Alastair Xero Part IV: A Reeves Calder Mystery

“Just give us the codes to your ship. Who the hell do you think you are?” Linus said as he tenderized my face.

“Detective— ah, Reeves— jeez! Calder!” I said like a man being punched. 

“Linus, can you relax a little?” Kilroy yelled at him. He was beginning to look like a total babe again. 

“Don’t worry so much,” I spat a little blood, “I promise I won’t hurt him too bad,” I smiled at Kilroy. 

“We need to be sure his ship isn’t sending for backup. You saw the earwig. He’s talking to someone onboard.” 

“It will take days for anyone to get here. All we have to do is make it look like she took everything and ran.” Priya pointed at Renee who was tied up to a bridge chair. 

“Hey that’s not bad,” Kilroy said, “I bet a slot would even open up for the ship. I have flight training. We can make it look like she auto docked it.”

“You have it all figured out don’t you?” I said. 

“You could have just written a report and gone home. Nobody was getting hurt. What did any of this matter to you?” Kilroy asked. 

“Because, Charles. What you’re dealing with will swallow you whole. Even if I never showed up you were going to be put in a bad position— and someone was gonna get hurt.” 

“That nosy witch! She couldn’t leave it alone! She kept coming back to J7 until she found the fluxin hatch!” Priya screamed. Distraught and breathing heavy. 

“You killed her,” I said. 

“Ahhhhhhh!” She screamed and ran off behind me to the cabins. 

Kilroy shook his head at me. With the commotion calmed his eyes looked heavy now. 

“She didn’t mean for it to happen. She got scared. She only meant to knock her out.”

“You usually do it, right? She didn’t know when to shut it off.”

“She’s not a monster.” 

“I’ve never investigated a monster. Just a lot of unintended consequences.” 

“We done with the therapy?” Linus cracked his knuckles. 

“Put them in one of the cabins. We have one hour to meet up and I really don’t want to deal with any more fluxin distractions,” he regarded Renee and I, “please don’t make this any worse.” 

Linus gleefully manhandled us both into the first cabin he found. Heinrich Vertz’s. 

He pushed us both inside, “I’d enjoy the bed if I were you. Probably the last good one you’ll ever see.” 

The door wooshed shut and we were left to feel the vibration of acceleration. Once we hit cruising speed the space became eerily silent. 

“What were you thinking?!” I probably said it louder than I intended. But I was pretty sure the rooms were sound proofed. 

“Who are you to talk?” 

“I’m a professional!” 

“Really? Is that what you are?! I’m no expert but it looks like you got captured!” 

“What— I— I figured— I was almost there! I almost had it all! The last little piece, the damn door lock. They swapped it. If Archie would have just let me look at anything!” 

I flopped on the sultan's bed and hit my head on the headboard. Renee sat struggling with her bonds. Seemingly unbothered by the state of me. (Did I look that rough already?). Before long she mysteriously had herself loose.

“Scrappy knots. I’m embarrassed it took me this long,” she reached over to me and undid mine. “Larry ghosted after you left but I just couldn’t leave those tanks. That woman. They don’t—,” she breathed in deep.   

“They don’t deserve to earn a cred for it. I get it. Believe or not I’ve been told to leave it alone a time or two.” 

She looked at me curiously, “Did you?” 

I smiled, pain shot through my lip, “This also isn’t the first time I’ve been locked up awaiting an uncertain fate.” 

“How did you get out alive?” 

“Said stupid things to their face and did smart things behind their backs.” 

“Any smart ideas?” 

“I was just about to ask you the same. Anything we can use as a weapon?” 

We both looked around. The room was a museum. I focused on the desk which was covered with tablets with different ancient news articles. It had a small plaque;

Contents of Heinrich Vertz’s Desk on the day of his death. 

That meant there’d be little more than empty toiletries and out of style furniture. 

“Aha!” Renee exclaimed as she looked through the trunk at the foot of the bed. She proudly held up a wooden ball with a tag dangling from it. I took the tag. 

Kloot

Used in the game Klootschieten. Played on Earth in the Netherlands and Northern Germany, players throw a wooden ball filled with lead pellets for distance. 

The thing seemed like it belonged in an ancient fantasy movie. Bashing someone’s armored head in. 

“That could definitely kill someone, but at least it’s something. The lifeboat I searched earlier, does it function?” 

“It should, Inter-Gal regs. How long it will last or how far it will travel I don’t know.” 

The emergency escape capsule was a one person escape pod that was just big enough to hold two people. But that was located in the engine room, of which we would have to enter the bridge to get to the stairwell for. 

“Kilroy has that gun. So he needs to go down first and fast. He may also be the only one who can take the Kloot,” I rummaged through a night table drawer that had nothing but copies of Vertz’s books in it. 

“I played rocket ball in school. Intersystem champions three years in a row. I could hit that idiot's dome with my eyes closed.”  

Suddenly I felt better that it was Linus hitting me and not her. I went over and looked at the door panel and found the manual release. I slid the door open enough to peek out. I could just barely see into the bridge but it looked like they were all facing forward. Kilroy in the middle and Linus a little closer to the back. 

Almost too perfect. I got the creeps immediately. 

“Okay. You aim for Mr gorgeous. I’ll jump on the ugly one. I doubt Priya is an obstacle without a n2 tank in her hand.” 

She rolled the smooth wooden ball in her hand. Her hands dipped ever so slightly responding to the weight. 

“That thing’s a lot heavier than a rocket ball, you sure you got this?” I said. 

All emotions washed away from her face, “I got this.” 

The door slid open the rest of the way ninja silent. I crept forward first, keeping low. Renee followed right behind me. We coordinated perfectly. I held up three fingers and counted down. When my last finger dropped Renee threw the Kloot at Kilroy hitting him square in the back of the head.  

“What the—,” Linus yelled. 

But I was on him fast. I don’t know where I got the energy from but I hit him so hard he went flying back into the console. I jumped forward and hit him a few more times until I was sure he wasn’t getting up immediately. 

Done. But now there was Priya. 

Priya stood with Kilroy’s gun at her feet, shaking. I met her eyes and gently shook my head no. Tears streamed down her face but she didn’t move. 

“Go!” I yelled. 

Renee took off to the engine room and I followed. I could hear the two men groaning in my wake. We flew down the stairs and into the cramped engine room. The opening was in the back. I slid in first and she next since the controls were on the outside. 

We squeezed in and were just about to close the door when I saw another label I hadn’t bothered to look at before. 

This is an authentic replica of an escape pod from this era. If this were a real escape pod it could pilot you to the nearest space station in a time of crisis. 

“Yup. It was just way too easy. Didn’t you think it was too easy?” 

“This fluxin company!” I could feel the heat coming off her increase. 

Thumping sounds grew closer as our captors searched for us. It didn’t sound like all three of them. It didn’t take long for them to figure it out.

Not long after Linus was in front of us with the gun, fiddling with a loose tooth.

“I could kiww’ you boaff’ wite heww.” 

“Uh— what’s up, doc?” I said. 

~~

Having your genius escape blow up in your face really takes the wind out of your sails. I practically melted into the chair I was ordered to. 

Kilroy was rubbing his head and watching the monitors for an approaching craft. Priya sat down having a one sided conversation with her parents in her head. She was cracked worse than an over pressurized cargo container. 

“No— this is crazy. This isn’t you. Just work and go home, Priya. Why invite trouble?”

Renee was silent again and seething. But the nervous way her eyes dotted around the room revealed the underlying fear. 

“You good?” I whispered to her. 

“Are you serious?” She answered incredulously. 

“Yeah— poor choice of words I guess,” I willed up the most confident gaze I could, “We’re not out of this yet, Renee.” 

“Once we’re loaded on that ship and it goes FTL we are— there’s no way we’re coming back from that.” 

“We fought our way off of here. That boat’s bound to have working escape pods.” 

“But we won’t be fighting a bunch of tired warehouse workers will we, Reeves?” 

I felt that wave of nervousness you get from wanting to be reassuring but also needing to be realistic. 

We didn’t feel the ship dock. You never do. That’s why military airlocks explode if you don’t enter the right entry code. I had little hope this ancient ship had that feature. 

The two men manhandled us over to the dock with Priya following behind sullenly. 

“Priya, once we have the deal set you and Linus will start bringing up canisters,” he waited for a response, “Priya! You hear me?” 

She grumbled back an affirmative. 

“These guys are bound to pay way more than those farmers we usually sell to,” Linus said excitedly. 

“You haven’t agreed on a deal yet?” I chuckled. 

“I got this, detective. This is a good faith transaction. Just enough to show we’re serious. If they want the N2 to keep coming— they need to play ball.” 

Just then Renee burst into laughter. Great belly guffaws erupted from her discouraged consternation.

“She’s slipped a gear, Charlie,” Linus started laughing himself. 

“What’s so funny?” Kilroy said, concerned. 

“The tanks!” She could barely get it out, “I— hahaha— they’re gone! You’ve got nothing fluxin ugly piece of filter scum!” 

I couldn’t tell if Kilroy was worried about the canisters or really offended by the attack on his looks. 

“Go check—,” he barked at Linus, “NOW!”

Linus scampered off. Renee was cry laughing at this point. 

“Before they got back. I didn’t have enough time to get them off before Admin locked the doors— I did the next best thing.” 

Linus returned, frantic, “Nothing's there! I don’t know what this witch did but they’re all gone!” 

He leaned in and slapped her hard across the face. Renee just continued laughing at him. 

“Where? Where did you put them?” Kilroy held up his gun to her head. His hand trembled. 

“I shoved them out of the auxiliary airlock. They’re floating around the station right now!” Another ball of spit flew out of her mouth. 

“Ahhhhh!” Kilroy pressed the trigger.

Nothing came out. He pressed it over and over. 

“It wasn’t even loaded?” I needed a towel to wipe the egg off my face. 

“I just wanted to make some extra creds! I’m not a killer! This wasn’t supposed to go this way,” his arms dropped to his sides, “they’re going to kill us all— or worse.” 

He was probably right about that. These organizations operated in fringe space. Unless someone was willing to send an army they always had the upper hand. 

The airlock finished cycling and the doors opened. Two men dressed head to toe in tactical gear inched forward. Large caliber weapons hung at their sides. Their faces were emotionless and professional. 

Kilroy stood in front of us all nervously. Like he was about to show up empty handed to a deal with ruthless killers. Appropriate. 

“Uh— Welcome, I’m Charlie Kilroy. Hank’s friend.” 

“Hello— Hank's friend,” a voice like butter bellowed from behind the guards. A voice I’ve heard before, “I am Seraphine Tromperie.” 

A tall beautiful woman emerged. Dark olive skin and jet black hair. A piercing stare that could shred you into tiny pieces with a simple glance. 

“Ms Tromperie. It’s a pleasure to meet you— maybe we could have a seat and discuss things?” 

“You have my goods— you get my money and my gratitude. What else is there to talk about? Have one of your helpers here bring me my nitrogen.” 

“Well that’s part of what I want to talk about. First! These two— we brought them on to sweeten the deal.” 

She looked at him slightly annoyed, “I don’t deal in slaves. Slaves aren’t loyal. Only people who owe you something are loyal. Or stupid.” 

Then her gorgeous hazel orbs caught my tired bruised face. 

“Hello, Seraphine,” everyone in the room took a double take except for the guards, “Tomlin— Cedrick,” I nodded at them. They didn’t nod back. 

“Oh my. A moment ago this was all incredibly blasé— now I am positively tickled,” she walked over, nudging Linus out of the way and planted a big sloppy kiss on my lips, “Hello, Reeves. How are you doing?” 

I shrugged, “It’s a nice place really but the staff are awful—,” I smiled at Renee, “There’s a few superstars that will be getting a great review, however.” 

She turned back to Kilroy, “I’ll be taking this shipment at a discount but we won't be able to do business again.”

“What? What do you mean?” Linus was enraged. He inched closer to her making Tomlin and Cedrick raise their weapons. 

“Shut your hole, Linus! That’s going to be a problem, Ms Tromperie.” 

Seraphine giggled and walked back over to me. She reached around and undid my bonds, “Your usual shenanigans, I assume?” 

“I won’t claim all the credit. Like I said, some of the staff are very helpful.” 

She turned back to her guards, “Take the three with us.” 

“I thought you didn’t take slaves?” Priya finally spoke up.

“Oh, honey. Indentured servants are a different story entirely.” 

“Seraphine,” I slid up next to her and brushed her hand, “They’re of no use to you— let me take them back. I’d consider it a favor.” 

“You owing me a favor sounds delicious, Reeves. But I wasted a lot of antimatter getting to this boring patch of space.” 

I winked at Renee, “I think I have something to offer.” 

~~

“You just gave it away?!” Archie boiled over.

“It seemed like the best solution at the time. Hey, I didn’t blow it up!” I clapped. 

Turns out the Kartoffelsalat was worth quite a bit on the vintage ship black market. It also turned out that every VHS holding had its own version of the Potato Salad. Archie didn’t know this yet. I doubt he does to this day. 

“To some unknown criminal?!” 

After some back and forth— as well as offering them back to Seraphine— the four to twelves agreed to keep quiet on her involvement. 

“Fringe farmers— no big target, Administrator. You got the perpetrators and once the tanks are retrieved you’ll have the goods. I’d say that’s a big win. I’m sure there’s insurance on the ship. You saved the day!” 

Archie paced back and forth, arguing with himself, “It will have to do. Give me your invoice and please be on your way.” 

“Faster than light, Archie. But I have just one more thing I need to do.” 

~~

“I didn’t know you, Velouria. You were probably just like me. Just— trying to make it through the contract. I’m sure you have people somewhere that love you. And they’ll miss you so much better than I could even try. but I’m so sorry for my part in it. I hope you can find some peace.” 

Her voice echoed down J7. Renee and I stood with a hastily arranged monument to Velouria. 

“That was simply touching,” I had my communicator out so Watson could join in. 

“Look at you getting all emotional,” I said. 

“I will outlive all of you by eons. I must be prepared to grieve. If one is to rule a people one must first love the people.” 

“Is he serious?” Renee asked. 

“I honestly can’t tell at this point. I just try to stay on his good side.” 

Renee smirked, “Are you ever going to tell me about that woman back there?” 

“It’s a very very long story.” 

“I’ve got the time.” 

I smiled playfully, “okay then. It all started about ten years ago—,” 

“Did you hear that?” Renee grabbed my wrist and tensed up.

The lights dimmed out of nowhere. I swear the temperature dropped almost twenty degrees. The hairs on my neck stood up instantly. Renee was frozen in shock. 

The sound of scraping metal bounced off the walls. Swirling frost hung in the air down at the end of the hall. Two red dots appeared floating in the cloud. 

I looked at the floating vapor of death ahead and put Renee’s hand in mine, “You wanna get out of here?” 

She kissed me right on my split lip, “Yes, please.” 

And we both ran as far away as we could.

The End 

P.S. 

Watson did indeed record the rocket-ball game. 

Without sound.