13 Degrees of Separation (45 page)

Savo winced. From her expression the kid meant every word.
With her fearsome reputation he was fairly sure she'd do it too. “Maybe so but
that might get him off. And we've got other bigger fish to fry here. No if he's
smart he'll turn himself in, he's got nowhere to go. If the corporation gets
him he's toast. They'll feed him to the nearest recycler and deny ever seeing
him.”

“Pretty much what I'd do,” Mairi vowed, remembering Digs.

“Yeah well, that's sort of frowned on around here so let
the authorities do their job.”

“Yes sir.”

“Don't call me...” he sighed and shook his head. “Forget it
smart aleck. Just go get some rest,” he said, tugging on the hat brim. She
laughed when he pulled the hat down over her eyes.

“Just remember we're not all like that. Don't take it out
on all of us. K?” he asked, brown eyes locked into hers. She nodded and reached
out and hugged him. He chuffed and then squirmed out of her grip. “Knock it
off, hitting on the boss. What'll my wife and family think?” he demanded
mockingly. She threw her head back and laughed.

“Hey what'd I say?” he demanded.

...*...*...*...*...

Harif sat in his cell, unhappy about everything. He'd
screwed himself, he realized that now. He looked up when he heard the lock
disengage. A drunk down the hall hooted and then grunted as another kicked him.
There was a soft groan and then silence.

He'd been momentarily distracted by the kick, turning to the
sound. That was one thing that scared him in here, someone with a shiv or an ax
to grind killing him. When he turned back to the bars framing his cell door and
only look into something other than blank gray walls he flinched. A familiar
small figure with burning red eyes was on the other side of the bars.

“Why,” she asked softly, coldly. She had wanted to do this
even though Savo and Alice hadn't wanted her to do it. But she had to, she had
to confront the prick herself. She had to know herself, not here it second
hand. “Why Harif? Tell me that. You
owe
me that,” she snarled.

Her arms are at her sides. Harif gulped and then felt his
brow sweet as those eyes bore into his. He couldn't more, could hardly breath.
Finally the spell seemed to ease as Mairi crossed her arms. “Well?” she
demanded.

He licked his lips uncertainly. “I... my attorney said to
keep my mouth shut.”

“Why Harif?” she demanded, still not giving up.

“The money all right!” he said angrily, getting up and
pacing. “I'm an idiot! I know that now! I got greedy. Stupid and greedy. They
dangled enough creds so I could retire on and I jumped at it.” He paced for a
minute and then gave her a sidelong look. Her red eyes bore into him once more,
seeing into his soul. Something shriveled inside him. “You'd do it too if
they'd given you a chance,” he said.

“They did. I turned em down,” Mairi replied. “I suggest you
help the sheriff.”

“You think it will help?” Harif asked, laughing bitterly.
“It'll what? Shave a year or two off my sentence?” he asked.

“No,
I
wanted you for spacer's justice but they are
still debating it,” Mairi replied. “Spacer justice means you get a quick trial
and then you are spaced,” she said softly. He stared at her, frozen in shock
and intense fear.

“You feel the air ripped from your lungs, your body tearing
itself apart as your blood freezes. Your eyeballs boil, your lungs implode....
cold, so cold,” her voice whispered. He shivered involuntarily “I should know,
I went through a small taste of it to avoid getting killed by you.” He shivered.
“It can take some people a couple of minutes to die I heard. I'd make sure you
did,” she said. He gulped. “The Spirit's of space may have mercy on you. I sure
won't. You better hope they decide to hold you. If you and I ever cross paths
again...” she left the threat lingering in the air. He stepped back and tripped
on the edge of his bulk. He sat hard and gulped, looking up at her from the
prone position.

“You've got about 24 hours before they figure out what they
do with you. If they have enough of a case on the others they'll keep you and
ask for you. If not, you're mine,” she growled. He shivered again, gibbering in
terror. He could feel his bladder loosening.

Her pitiless eyes bore into him. “Do what they want. Serve
your time. When you get out, get out of space. Go to the ground dirtsider, and
dig a deep hole there and hope I never come looking for you,” she whispered,
voice ugly with hatred and barely suppressed rage.

Harif nodded hysterically, seeing the mayhem barely leashed
within her. He'd heard of spacer justice. He didn't want to go out into the
outer dark without a suit. It was a terrible way to die. He nodded again.

Her pitiless eyes studied him like something she'd scraped
off her boot. Slowly she turned and walked out without further word. He crawled
onto the bed and into a fetal position.

Mairi paused after she left the jail. She turned, spotting
the sheriff there looking at her. Slowly he tipped his hat back, eying her.
“You little lady are somethin else. You ever want a job, let me know,” he said.
They had enough for a circumstantial case, but they needed to flip at least one
of the lower people in the scheme to roll on the others. Once they did that the
entire mess would unravel and they'd begin falling all over themselves pointing
their fingers at each other in order to save their own hides.

Harif was the first domino, she'd knocked it over expertly,
or so he thought. He'd give the little bastard a little more time to sweat
before he sent someone in to provide him a chance to confess, repent, and beg
for absolution and mercy. Not that the little slike deserved it, but they had
bigger fish to fry here.

He had to admire the girl, she'd talked him into this with
that very thought in mind. Apparently there was a lot of brain in that little
body of hers, Derrango thought, smiling only slightly in approval.

Mairi snorted. “Thanks but I've got a job. It's about time
I got back to it actually,” she said, smiling. “Thanks though,” she said,
giving him a polite nod as she turned and left.

...*...*...*...*...

There was still a big investigation to perform. The justice
system tried to keep the media out of it but of course the more they tried the
more interested the media became. Eventually the DA and Sheriff Derrango met
with the dogs and warned them not to discuss the case with each other or with
anyone else. “If you do you could taint any jury pool and therefore taint any
chance of getting a conviction. Loose lips sink ships!” the DA warned with one
finger raised.

Savo snorted. He'd been around enough investigations to see
the writing on the wall. “A gag order? Not going to work councilor, the whole
thing is out on the net for everyone to see. And no, we're not shutting up when
someone may get away with it. That includes station council members. If one is
involved I want their ass.” His brown eyes looked into the DA. “They aren't
immune to prosecution.”

“No, not they aren't,” the DA said slowly when Derrango
turned to stare as well.

Derrango tipped his hat back. “We'll get to the bottom of
things,” he said. “You've got my word, justice will be done,” he said simply.
Savo nodded. He didn't trust the lawyer, but Derrango was a different story. He
had a sense of honor.

It was sabotage obviously, though some tried to feed
accident and inept Yard dog handling and hardware to the media. However Clio
and the sheriff proved otherwise. The Sheriff and AI showed a meeting between
Hafif and the corporate flack 'Mario' in a shady bar called the blue plate
special. Harif was arrested when he tried to run in a shuttle to the planet.
“Where the hell do you think you're going?” The deputy asked, yanking the kid
up by the scruff of the neck. The kid whimpered, nearly pissing his pants.

Dreyfus and Mario the corporate flack were both implicated
and went into hiding briefly. They turned up when Mario was spotted by Olga and
turned in for a reward.

A warrant was served on the McDougall corporation under the
ever watchful eyes of the media. McDougall Corporation took a hit as staffers
either clammed up damning themselves or fell all over themselves offering
tidbits of information implicating others in exchange for immunity from
prosecution. Overnight stocks tumbled, they were hammered in every media forum
and by their clients who broke contracts and left in droves to distance
themselves from the fiasco.

Ian and Malcolm McDougall were implicated. They had already
gone into hiding, but were trapped on the station. Their father raged from the
planet, the 'grand old man' had a heart attack during an on camera rant and had
to be rushed to the nearest medical facility. His collapse forced the twins out
of hiding. They attempted to leave the station to attend to their father but
the AI's monitoring ticket purchases used facial recognition to pick them out
of the crowd despite their attempt at using false names. Security isolated
them. Ian hung his head in defeat as they were cuffed. “Like common criminals!”
Malcolm snarled, threatening them. This too was added to the list of charges
against them. His threats and being hauled off in chains and his brother's
acidic comment to shut up made system wide news.

Mario, Dreyfus, and Harif turned on the McDougall and
RinWerks corporations as states evidence. They had their chance to tell their
stories on the witness stand, detailing how all the Major corporations and the
space station wanted the equipment the Yard dogs had. But they couldn't seize
or steal it, due to the justice system and the limits they had found out about
the dog's hardware. Since it was all encrypted so only the dogs could use it
they had hatched a new plan. They'd found out about the loop hole, the company
could be driven into bankruptcy or be forced to  agree to sell the equipment.
When their market manipulations and other ploys failed they were forced to more
sterner measures.

Mr. Kenny Kennet was implicated in the scandal, but he had
kept enough cut outs between him and Dreyfus, Harif, and Mario to keep himself
out of trouble. He had pointedly answered no comment when questioned by the
media, and when on the stand he'd refused to answer questions due to his
Federation Constitutional right not to implicate himself.

...*...*...*...*...

Kennet was forced from the council. He fumed, at ends on
what to do. Finally he managed to get a meeting with Yan Fu several days later.
A tired looking Yan Fu who worked on his calligraphy and who patiently
explained what a fool he had been.  Kennet rallied, but Fu interrupted him.
“Me. I meant me. You as well of course, but to begin with me.” This stopped
Kennet in his tracks. “I was a fool for wanting to get rid of Irons, I realize
that error in judgment now. I tried to make amends before the admiral left, and
if he should return I will do my best to restore my honor,” he said simply,
setting his calligraphy brush down. He stroked his beard with a faraway look
for a long moment.

Finally he harrumphed and turned back to the painting he
had been working on. He studied it for a long moment, judging it imperfect,
just like himself and his wayward student.

Kennet cleared his throat. Annoyed Fu looked up. Kennet
tried to argue that he had been following the master's principles and
teachings, but Yan explained that the Yard Dogs couldn't make weapons, and
therefore couldn't make warships. “They were never a threat, in fact they were
an asset you should have nurtured.” All they can currently do was repair ships
and make sublight platforms and craft. Kennet was humiliated, head down, eyes
burning in shame. Yan Fu dismissed him with a wave, informing him he needed to
meditate on such things in his exile.

He left the quarters in a daze, now not sure what to do
with his cyber life. One thing was for certain, he had plenty of time to
reflect on his many errors.

...*...*...*...*...

The station council backed the Yard dogs in a news
conference. Yan Fu and the Berkhearts made a big deal out of their ongoing
support and of paying their legal fees and making the guilty corporations and
Kenny Kennet pay for the repairs and medical costs. Both corporations go
bankrupt. Yard dogs received a settlement as well as controlling interest in
the McDougall corporation's space venture.  They folded it's assets into the
yard dogs in a merger. Many in the corporation were now eager to please, if
only to keep their jobs. Then a starship came in and they negotiated a rebuild
in exchange for a load of prime material. When the negotiation was agreed upon
they eagerly went to work.

...*...*...*...*...

“And that's that,” Mairi said, grinning. She now had a
dozen pilots under her now. She still flew of course, but she liked not being
the only pilot. With the burden lifted from her shoulders she felt like a new
woman, more relaxed and not nearly as pressured. She had a home and was
comfortable in her job. Olga had moved out, she had gone ground side to date
someone and hadn't returned. At this point Mairi didn't care anymore. Her
mother would land on her feet... or she wouldn't. She had more important things
on her mind, like rebuilding the future.

“Mairi, come on, let's go, we've got a schedule to keep!”
Sparks said, waving a tablet. “Let's get this whale peeled and fixed up! We've
only got a week!” he called.