Chapter 23
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We were swept out to Adicus where we landed the Daunte and stowed it in a government-controlled lot at the main spaceport. Adicus was 94 percent standard gravity. I once again found myself hopping along as I walked. Our liaison met up with us in the government lounge adjacent to the lot.
Morris Brassel held out his hand. “I’ve been expecting you. Welcome to paradise. Morris Brassel.”
I shook his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Brassel.”
Morris shook his head. “Not so formal around here. Everyone just calls me Mo. If you do the same, there will be a lot less confusion on my part.”
Joni took his hand. “Mo.”
Mo pointed to the door. “If you don’t mind, I’ll get started as we walk. I have an office on the other side of the spaceport.”
As we stepped into the hallway, I said, “What is it we are supposed to be doing here, Mo?”
“What? They didn’t tell you? How am I supposed to know?”
After several seconds of laughter, Mo continued, “I’m just jerking your chains. I have the assignment locked away up here in my head. Now if I can just remember where I put the key.”
Again the silence was defining.
“Boy, you two are a tough crowd. I guess I’ll have to be all serious with you, because my attempts at humor are all bombing. Anyway, here's what we have. I have a friend who tells me that he knows where there is a large stash of blaster tips just waiting to be turned into weapons.
“I figured I needed help before trying to conduct any type of raid. I was hoping for more than two people, though. The warehouse in question has several hundred people working there. You two must be something special if that’s all they're sending.”
Mo looked up at my shoulder pad. “What the…? I don’t think I’ve ever seen four stars. Let alone five. I guess you are something special, then.”
I shook my head as I replied, “Nothing special, just in the right place at the right time, that’s all. You said we'll be raiding a warehouse? Do we have diagrams of its layout? How many people are there, for what shifts? How many of those people are security rated or have weapons?”
Mo smiled. “I have all that and more waiting in my office. I’ve made it my business over the last two weeks to gather all the intel I could. I have shipping schedules, manager names, I even have the codes to break into the environmental system. What I needed was help, and I’ll have to say that only two people showing up is a bit of a shock.”
Joni replied, “You said this is only an unconfirmed rumor right now. I would think if you tried to barge in there with a group of people, you might end up with a small war on your hands. They probably just sent us to confirm the rumor. We can call for backup then if needed.”
Mo shook his head. “Well, unless you have a magic wand, you aren’t going to get close to that place. They have it locked down tight.”
As we turned the corner into Mo’s office, I said, “We came in under a government security flight, so we're unregistered. Do you know if the warehouse has any jobs posted? That would seem the easy way in.”
Mo nodded. “I investigated that possibility. Almost all the workers are Igari. There aren’t any Humans, and I think they would be suspicious of any that applied. Gruntas are a different story. They usually aren’t involved in nefarious projects. Do you have any warehousing skills? Shipping, scheduling, billing, or accounting? They might even have need of a computer tech or programmer.”
“The limit of my warehousing skills would probably be loading boxes. I'm familiar with manifest logs, but only from an inspection viewpoint.”
“OK, hard labor it is. I don’t know if you're familiar with warehouse box lifting and stacking, but it is a physically demanding job. Most will only last a few weeks before they quit. They might actually appreciate the brute strength of a Grunta in there. I’ll get started on arranging a complete background for you, previous work references, a new name, and a reason for coming to Adicus. I’m thinking you're migrating and looking for a place to plant your family.”
I crossed my arms as I leaned back in the chair. “For what reason would I migrate?”
Mo shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe the world you're coming from doesn’t have work. It shouldn’t be hard to find a cover that fits that scenario. Adicus is doing well right now because it’s harvest season. If the job is only temporary, well, that will work for us too. I would suggest you go out and tour around the city that surrounds this spaceport. You are going to have to ditch those stars and this girl.”
Joni scowled. “Hey!”
Mo laughed. “No disrespect intended. It just won’t do him any good to be seen with a Human.”
“Well, what am I supposed to do while he’s in the warehouse?”
Mo smiled. “You and I get to be the bad Humans. We will press for inspections, look for records, try to find any off-duty workers to pump for information; you know, the usual stuff. Meanwhile, Knog will be our eyes and ears on the inside. We just need a good name for him.”
Joni raised her hand. “Oh, let me name him.”
Mo looked over at me. I shrugged.
Joni continued, “I’m thinking something like Bogg Huber.”
Mo replied, “Knog, that sound like a Grunta name?”
I nodded. “It would do. I've heard of Chuber. Huber could easily be a variant of that.”
Mo punched away at the keys on his old-style terminal. “Bogg Huber it is. Welcome to Adicus, Mr. Huber. Now we just need to outfit you with the proper clothing and a credit store. I have a much older model here in my desk. I’ll get it activated and throw a couple hundred credits on there. Just enough for you to survive until you hit your first payday.”
“You seem confident I will acquire a job in the warehouse.”
“Like I said, it’s harvest season around here, and they're always short of physical labor this time of year. It used to be that automated machines would do most of the harvest, but years of weak economies have most of those machines sitting idle and in need of repair. A strong back and sure hands are king around here now.”
Joni said, “If you're wanting to build trust, you should talk bad about my family. That shouldn’t be too hard for you, since you’ve met them.”
Mo looked at me with an inquisitive look. “Your family? You're saying you're of the Saltons?”
Joni laughed. “Uncle Harden says I'm his favorite niece.”
Mo sat back from his desk. “Well, this changes everything. I can’t have you going in that warehouse as a hostile. What if they were to grab you?”
Joni shook her head. “I would assume we could come up with a name for me as well. And forget about me being a Salton; treat me like you would any other detective.”
I said, “How about something like Jetta Squirrel?”
Joni snarled. “I’m not going to be called Jetta Squirrel.”
Mo laughed. “Actually, I think it’s kind of catchy. And it would certainly throw off any suspicion, because who would make such a name up?”
I nodded. “I think it fits. Jetta Squirrel, warehouse inspector, junior grade.”
Joni winced. “Junior grade? How am I going to command any respect with that?”
Mo looked off in thought for moment and then returned. “I have to say, Bogg. I like it. The odd name and a junior title, it gives her reason to be unreasonable, which is what we want. I'll work up a full ID for you on that, and I’ll have you being transferred here as my assistant from SS14. I know a few detectives there who can set up the cover for me. We'll have to give you housing, clothes, the works.”
The remainder of the day was spent in Mo’s office with the door closed. An aide came in with the biggest clothes he could find at a thrift store. I walked down the hall to change. When I returned, Joni burst into laughter.
“What’s so funny? I kind of like these clothes.”
Joni shook her head. “A flowery shirt? Really? You look like you're on holiday, not
out looking for work.”
“This is common dress on Ketcheran IV, where I supposedly come from. Besides, how many Igari are going to laugh at a Grunta?”
Mo looked at Joni. “The fact that he stands out will help him to blend in as well. Spies don’t like to be noticed, and he will definitely be noticed. So, Mr. Huber, here is your credit store. You have 213 credits to your name. I would suggest getting a dumpy apartment two blocks from the warehouse in the Heretic Place rental community. Believe me, it sounds even better than it is. It would be where someone looking for a job at the warehouse might stay. They rent by the half day also, so you might even split an apartment with someone on the other shift.
“When you leave this office, go down this hallway until it ends, turn left, and work your way through the storage area. Tell the guard that Mo said to let you out into the alleyway. Once you're out that door, you're on your own. I'll enter your information into the job site, so all you have to do is walk in the door there tomorrow morning.
“If you don’t get hired, just come back to this office. Otherwise, I'll meet you in three days at the Cardo Lounge; it’s six blocks west of the warehouse. Be there when your shift ends and sit at the bar.”
As I stepped up to the door to leave, I turned back to the desk and nodded goodbye. “Mo, Jetta.”
I left the office to a half-scowling Joni. I made my way to the exit door. The guard let me out into the alley as planned. I was now on the streets of the Adicus capital city, Chursey. It was everywhere I had never wanted to be.
The people of Chursey were overwhelmingly Igari, as was nearly half of the Alpha sector. With my flowery shirt, I was the object of many a chuckle, but they were all careful to not anger the big Grunta who was passing them by. The walk over to the warehouse district was eighteen blocks. I enjoyed the walk even though my springy step brought even more curious looks.
The Heretic Place rentals weren’t much more than a shantytown. Cheap plastic one-room “villas,” as they were called, held a stand-up shower, a small commode built for an Igari, a sink, and a hot plate for cooking. There was no refrigeration unit, and the bed was a half-meter short of my needs. The unit had four walls, a door, and a metal roof with no insulation.
Nights on Adicus were cool, but I was a Grunta, so I didn’t much care. We weren’t cold blooded, but our thick skin insulated us from extreme cold and heat. Cool nights would not be a problem. Besides, I was an out-of-work Grunta with only a few hundred credits to his name. The Heretic Place rentals would be exactly where I would stay if that life was my current situation.
The landlord gave me a key and told me I would have to work out my sharing arrangement with the Igari worker who worked the night shift. Adicus ran on twenty-two-hour days, and shifts ran eleven hours on, eleven hours off, every single day. If I got the job, I would be expected in before the other worker left; unless we bumped into each other at work, we would never see each other. Again, I didn't much care, as I was not looking for immediate friends.
I walked the distance to the Cardo Lounge and ordered up a frozen drink. When the eight credits were deducted from my credit store, I cringed. I looked around at the sad faces of those who toiled all day only to drag themselves to the watering hole for a few hours of cheer before heading home to do it all over again tomorrow.
The following morning, I was up and out of the shared rental before the Igari returned from his night shift. I walked into the front of the warehouse and into the office area. The Igari who worked the personnel office was called out to meet me for an interview. His initial shock and intimidation were soon overridden by my easy demeanor and my apparent eagerness to work. When the warehouse supervisor came out, he was all smiles at the sight of the big Grunta standing before him.
I was given a badge and encouraged to start work immediately. I did. When the shift ended, the other loaders asked if I wanted to go out for a drink. As I held my credit store up to the pay module, I nodded in agreement.
We met at a bar just around the corner from the warehouse. My new coworkers were all too eager to show off their new monster of a box loader. Two hours after the evening began, the other workers began to stumble out, heading for their respective hovels. I walked back to my rental and plopped down in the short bed.
The following morning, I had no issue with getting up and heading for work. I stopped at the local market and loaded up on foods that would bolster my energy. The workday flew by, and I was again invited out for a drink by the crew. After the first few rounds, they began to loosen up.
I said, “So, Dotta, what is through those red doors we're told to stay away from? Do they have live animals back there or something?”
Dotta laughed. “Live animals? Hahaha! No, we're just told not to discuss it. I keep waiting for the security forces to bust in there and find a thousand liters of bleurgh or something. I don’t want to be around if that happens.”
Kanki said, “They're probably lacing the water with it to make us work harder. I heard they're going to be asking for double shifts.”
Lodexa added a comment. “My cousin says it’s weapons for a rebellion.”
The other Igari suddenly went quiet.
Dotta leaned in. “We told you to not say that out loud. If that's what's back there, we may all be involved in it one day. Until that happens, I don’t want to jeopardize my job. If the wrong person overhears you, they will send in security troops and shut the place down.”
“Do the people here resent the ruling families as well? There was a lot of unrest in the colony I came from. Everyone says they're responsible for the bad economies and that we would be better off without them.”
Dotta replied, “And what do you think personally, Bogg?”
I took a big swig of the cheap swill they called “goocha.” “I think they tax too much and line the pockets of their friends with the proceeds. The common man suffers. We suffer.”
Dotta reached out and patted my shoulder. “We suffer. That is exactly true. What I fear, though, is that if a rebellion does come, we will all suffer further before things get better.”
Lodexa asked, “Why would you think that?”
Dotta sipped his goocha. “I think that, because with a rebellion you will create a power vacuum. The first to fill that vacuum are usually those who are most bold and most cruel. They take what they want when they want it, only at our level that means they're taking directly from us. If a rebellion comes, it needs to be organized. Still, though, many may suffer. Our warehouse, for instance: we move items for import and export. Without the Alliance, goods will not move until new trade relations are created. We will be the first to suffer in a rebellion.”
I looked at Dotta. “It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this.”
Dotta nodded. “More than you know. But we must be rid of the ruling families; they're bleeding us dry. Are any of you prepared to take up arms should a rebellion happen?”
The others were silent.
Dotta turned to me. “Bogg, would you come down on the side of the rebellion or the families, or would you just sit on the sidelines like these mooches?”
Kanki said, “Hey, I never said I wouldn’t join. I probably would, but I know nothing about fighting. What would we be using, anyway? The security forces have blasters.”
Dotta sat back and crossed his arms. “And what if the rebels had blasters as well; would you participate then?”
Lodexa added. “If shown how to use one, I would use a blaster. Pew! Pew! Pew! Hahahaha!”
The group, excluding Dotta, erupted in laughter.
Lodexa slapped Dotta on the arm. “Oh, come on. There is no rebellion today, only goocha!”
The revelry continued for another half hour before the group broke up to go home. Dotta remained in his chair, with an unhappy look on his face. I stopped at the lounge door and returned to my chair.
“Do you really think we are that close to a rebellion?”
“Yes, and those idiots will struggle to survive in its
aftermath. They'll be given the scraps left over from those who fight and take power. When those scraps run out, they'll be left to beg.”
I sat forward in my chair. “I do not wish to beg, Dotta. I have a family to feed. If this rebellion happens, I will be cut off from them, and I cannot leave now because I am broke. How would I prepare for this rebellion should it happen? What could I do to secure a position with the rebels?”
Dotta shook his head. “You get right to the point, don’t you, Bogg. I've always heard that Gruntas say what they feel, when they feel it. I had joked it was because they were big enough to say what they wanted, regardless of how they felt. Now I know it is the other. Tomorrow, after our shift, meet me at the Hagu Street exit. We will talk.”