Running With Argentine (12 page)

Spiraling
Down

Asperia’s
Gravity Well

"If you
didn't
grow up
on Tiffany's planet, where did you grow up?"
Argentine prodded Mandi to continue.

They were all on the bridge waiting for Mandi to finish her story…

"My mother died when I was very young," she began.

The chief rolled his eyes.

Mandi saw it and frowned at him…

"At any rate, my father raised me and of course I went
where he went. Back then, Tiffany's planet was a lot different than it is today.
All of the groundside colonies were established, but physical labor was the
primary type of work available. He… wasn't very good at that."

"Did he have any training?" Sami asked.

"Of course. He was a systems analyst and
programmer."

"Well, I'll believe that," Barry remarked.

Argentine shot him a stern glance.

"Anyway, an information technology position opened up
on one of the supply ships and he took it. Everything worked out well, for a
while. So we found ourselves tramping around the space lanes.”

“You didn’t learn everything you know by looking over
daddy’s shoulder,” the chief flatly stated.

"No. Unfortunately, daddy had some weaknesses…"

Furtively glancing at Argentine, and knowing they wouldn't
let her off the hook without details, she added…

"Gambling. Among others…"

Summoning some inner strength she continued…

"Eventually they owned him. They started him off small;
the
favors
they asked him to do weren’t illegal, not really. But
eventually he was into it deep enough that, in the eyes of the authorities, he
was as big a criminal as they were."

"Who are
they
, and what were they having him
do?" Barry asked, interested in spite of himself.

"They're called Los Lobos del Noche, and they had him
providing shipping manifests, loading schedules, flight plans… Whatever was
needed to help them pirate and smuggle."

"They were a cartel and your father is a crook,"
the chief summed up.

Shaking her head Mandi said, "No, they
are
a
cartel, and… I never thought of daddy that way. He was always looking for a way
to get us out, but… He died in a government raid when I was nine years
old."

"So what happened to you?" Argentine asked in a
voice that was softer than he'd intended.

"I was raised by the cartel. By that point my computer
skills were… growing. They took care of me and I did what was necessary to
survive.

"Somewhere along the line they moved me back to Asperia
and permanently grounded me. I guess I was too valuable to be going out on
raids anymore."

"Asperia? You mean you've lived here? Do the authorities
know you here?" asked the chief.

"They know of the cartel; it’s based on Asperia."

"Just how big is this cartel?" the lieutenant
asked.

Running her tongue along the inside of her cheek, an obvious
nervous habit, Mandi said, "They're more spread out than large, but they
have people on a dozen planets and influence on at least a dozen more. They're
a tight-knit group but their reputation is kind of… huge."

"So what were you doing back on Tiffany's Planet?"
Argentine asked. "And for that matter, you obviously lied about that too…
You're not running from their government, are you?"

"I did not lie!" she said, indignant. "I am
so running from the Tiffany's Planet enforcers. It's just a coincidence that
I'm also running from the cartel…"

"What?" Barry and several others cried out.

"There was an incident…"

"When you were on Asperia?" Argentine prodded.

After Mandi nodded he said, "How long ago was
this?"

"It was my fifteenth birthday," she said with some
small pride in her voice.

“Old news, then,” Argentine murmured with obvious relief.

"What happened?" the lieutenant demanded.

After a hard pause she said, "I'm not a killer! You
have to understand… I've never killed anyone before or since it happened,
but…"

Everyone on the bridge was enthralled…

"The group of thugs that had enslaved my father was
visiting Asperia. By then, they had risen in power to run the entire cartel's
business on Tiffany's. Their trip to the cartel's home was sort of a rite of
passage for them; it was a big deal."

"So you killed them," Argentine said softly.

Mandi simply nodded.

"Does anyone know you were behind it?" Lieutenant
Stark, being ever practical, asked.

Nodding more vigorously Mandi said, "Oh yes, I remotely
hacked into their ship systems and drained all the oxygen out of the atmosphere
when they were on final approach. When the port authorities opened the hatch to
their ship they found thirty-four dead bodies."

The lieutenant broke the stunned silence by asking,
"Okay, but that still doesn't tell us how they knew it was you…"

"They know because I used the ship's interior cameras
to film them. I recorded every gasp, every cough… every twitch of their dying
corpses. I ended the short recording with my father's name and R.I.P.
superimposed across the screen and then broadcast it to every public access
point across the orbital station."

Nobody knew what to say.

With quiet contemplation Mandi added, "In retrospect I
probably should've said,
'Payback is a Bitch,'
and left it at that.

ΔΔΔ

"So, you
are wanted by both the cartel
and
the Asperian authorities," the
chief clarified. "Have you got anyone else mad at you that we ought to
know about?"

"Maybe a few ex-boyfriends, but besides that no one
that I know of."

"Not that she knows of," the lieutenant said
almost admiringly.

"Isn't that enough?" the chief was agitated.
"We're trying to make a new start… Gain some credibility with the Asperian
authorities… And we're bringing this kind of trouble with us?

"We might as well paint a skull and crossbones on our
hull!"

"Hey! It's not like you guys are as pure as the driven
snow! He," she said pointing at Barry. "Is on the run just as much as
I am. And for that matter, we never really have discussed what the rest of you
are running from…

"Would you care to talk about that?" she finished.

"This conversation isn’t about us, it's about
you," was the only thing Argentine could really think of to retort with.

"Relax; you have nothing to worry about. They have the
wrong image of me in their database. Their facial recognition software won't
work. They’ll never know I'm back."

"How did you change your image…? No, wait. Never
mind," Argentine shook his head.

"We could turn her over to the authorities," mused
the lieutenant. "They might consider it a sign of good faith in our
part…"

Before anyone could say anything Sami almost shouted,
"We are not going to turn her in! So just figure something else out!"

"Sami, we may not…" the chief started to say.

"Oh, look!" Mandi said aloud. "We're being
hailed…"

ΔΔΔ

The Asperian
customs agent was friendly enough.

His ship had intersected the Pelican's
system descent
spiral
and his two-man team had boarded for a standard inspection.

"What brings you into Asperian space, Captain…?
Argentine, is it?" he said while looking at his data pad. "Of the
good ship… Pelican? Funny name for a ship…" he murmured.

"Yes, that's right. If we can't find work we’ll just be
passing through, but we’re hoping someone will need our services."

"Hmm, that may not be as easy as you think. This is
your first time here, right?"

"That's right. We know we may have to start off small
and build a reputation, but we’re willing to make a go of it if someone will
give us a chance."

"Well, that's the right attitude. Where are you
from?"

"Eh… we…"

"We're originally from the Ornitholian Empire,"
Barry jumped in. "From down spiral."

"Can't say that I've ever heard of it," the agent
responded. "But everyone's got to be from somewhere, right?"

"Your ship's manifest says you're carrying a crew of
seven. Is that still accurate?"

"Ah, yes. It is," Argentine managed to answer.

"Kind of undermanned, aren't you"?

"Yeah, we are. We are hoping to hire some crew."

Just then the customs officer's two agents returned to the
bridge.

"All clear. We're good here," they announced.

Argentine hadn't even realized he’d been holding his breath.

The eighth (and temporary) member of their crew, Mandi, had
earlier disappeared from the bridge – right after the customs officer had made
clear his intention to board their ship.

“How many generations has she been yours?”

“I’m sorry?”

“The ship. How many generations has she been in your family?
She’s an old ship, but I suspect she’s been a good one.”

Argentine nodded and mumbled something about having her for
a long time. The agent seemed talkative and no one wanted to interrupt him…

“It’s amazing, really,” he continued. “No matter how many
outsider ships I’ve run across in my career they all have one thing in common… ninety-nine
percent of them started out life as a warship. Once all the weapons and
defensive shields become outdated, though, they’re just a bunch of junk to most
navies. The only thing they’re good for is hauling freight.

“Just out of curiosity, did the original weapon’s systems
degrade over time or were they already removed before your family acquired the
ship?”

“How do you know our weapons don’t work?” Argentine couldn’t
help but ask.

The customs agent chuckled.

“Don’t worry Captain. We know you’re clean because we ran a
scan and your ship isn’t capable of any weapons caliber energy generation. But
no other non-Asperian ship in our inner system is either. We wouldn’t permit
that.”

“The weapons systems were removed before our family took
possession of the ship,” the lieutenant interjected.

“Ah, I thought as much…

"Okay, Captain. We won't hold you up any longer… With a
ship like this you might want to try hooking up with some of the long haul
shipping companies. You might have to start off small, but that would probably
be the fastest way to earn a living.

“I’ll request a docking berth for you on Platform 12. That’s
where you’re most likely to make the kind of shipping contacts you’re looking
for.”

"I… appreciate the help and the advice," said
Argentine. "I'll keep it in mind."

"Advice is worth what you pay for it, but all the same
I like to be welcoming to new folk. I hope you'll consider it friendly, though,
if I give you a warning…

"Study your informational packets about our system and
our laws. As long as you color within the lines I think you'll like what we've
built here.

"But if you can't play nice, this isn't where you want
to be. Do we understand each other, Captain?"

Docking
at Platform 12

“Ornitholian Empire?” the
chief demanded. “Where in the darkest corners of your black heart did you come
up with that?”

"Well, I didn't hear any of you coming up with anything
better!" Barry defended himself. "Besides, it helps explain the name
of our ship."

"And why would we need to explain away the name, Pelican?"
insisted the chief.

"Because it's a stupid name for a ship! And everyone
but you backwater turds knows it…" Barry fumed.

"Okay children, recess is over," Argentine
interceded. “Why didn’t they know our ship is armed?”

“Armed?” Mandi exclaimed. “You call a few railguns armament?
Sheesh!”

“Those railguns will throw sabots with enough velocity to
release several megatons of kinetic energy - each,” he said defensively. “And
we can throw 30 shots a minute! I hardly think that’s something to scoff at!”

Everyone was staring at her, so she made a show of
responding…

“Captain, I didn’t mean to belittle the size of your gun,
and maybe where you come from you’re used to getting nice and close to each
other to make your kills more personal, but in this sector of space kinetic
weapons are almost useless.

“Battles are fought with energy cannons from long distances.
If you used a railgun, your target would simply move out of the way before the
sabot could get there.

“Since this is a mining ship I’m sure they mistook your
mighty railguns as nothing more than a way to pulverize asteroids to make ore
extraction easier.”

Her small speech had started out snarky, but by the time she
finished it wasn’t without compassion. It was one of the most infuriating
things about her; just when you were sure she was laughing at you she made you
think…

Changing the subject Argentine said, "Barry? What do
you know about Asperia?"

"I can tell you anything you want to know," said
Mandi.

"If you don't mind, I think we'd all rather hear it
from Barry," said the chief, feeling the need to defend his friend.

Mandi cocked her head in a
go screw yourself
manner.

"Asperia is probably one of the better-known systems in
this section of the spiral arm. There are, of course, rumors of much larger and
more advanced systems further up spiral, but I've never met anyone that's
actually been to any of them.

"It has a rather complex and cocked up social
structure…

"They remain steadfastly neutral to the conflicts of
all the independent star systems in their range of trade and travel. They've
gotten rich by being a safe port of trade for all factions."

"So they’re friends to everyone?" Sami asked.

Mandi murmured, "Humph."

"You saw the customs agent," he replied. "He's
pretty typical; it's a polite society. But just remember that being friendly
doesn't mean they’re on your side and it doesn’t mean they won't shoot you down
in cold blood if you violate their rules."

"You said their social structure was complex?" prodded
Argentine.

"That's right, First. Everyone's your mate until things
go argy-bargy. The government itself is pretty loose; they don't have a lot of
laws. There are things that are legal here that you won't find any place else.

"On the other hand, everyone has an allegiance to
something...

"The Trade Guilds are powerful and that's who writes
most of the laws. Interstellar shipping, for example, has its own Guild and if
you want to ship anything you'd best abide by their rules.

"Judging from our customs agent, I'm guessing Platform
Twelve is where they're based.

"Above the guilds are the Open Societies. These are
groups of like-minded people that have nothing better to do than get together
and tell everyone else how to live their lives. They’re dull as dishwater if
you ask me."

"Dear God," Mandi declared. "Let me off the
ship before he gets us all killed."

Barry sent her a hateful look and Argentine asked,
"What's wrong now?"

"He doesn't have any idea what he's talking
about," said Mandi. "I mean, what he said about the trade guilds is
fine, but… The Open Societies are
a lot
more important than what he’s
saying."

Argentine sighed.

"Okay Mandi… Explain."

"The Open Societies only
sound
innocuous. They
have names like The Society for Feline Preservation, or The Society of the
Living Woman, but that's not what they're really about...

"The Trade Guilds make up most of the laws but they
don't have a vote in the planetary government; the Open Societies do. There are
a lot of them, and they don't often agree on anything, but when a bunch of them
do they are a powerful voting bloc."

"You make it sound like they’re political
parties," Barry said.

"That's right," Mandi conceded. "On a lot of
planets that's exactly what you'd call them."

"Something's not adding up," Argentine decided.
"A system like that would lead to straight anarchy; there wouldn't be
any
planetary laws."

"I told you the setup was bonkers," Barry said.

"It's not crazy, you just obviously don't know the
whole of it…" she retorted.

"You're leaving the Secret Societies out of the
picture."

When Barry remained silent, she continued…

"Above the Open Societies are the Secret Societies.
Nobody knows exactly how many of them there are because they’re, well… Secret.
Likewise, nobody knows exactly who's a member or not."

Argentine was frowning so Mandi quickly moved on…

"The Secret Societies have veto power over anything the
Open Societies want to do. It would take a two-thirds majority vote of the Open
Societies to overrule a Secret Society veto. I don't even know that it's ever
happened…"

"So what you're saying is…" the chief tried to
summarize. "That the guilds make almost all the rules and we damn well
better follow them, but the planetary laws are made up by bunches of people
some of which we’ll never even know who they are?"

Mandi nodded and Barry said, "See? I told you… They're
all mad as a bag of ferrets."

"Why do the guilds put up with it?" asked the
chief.

Barry looked confused. Mandi asked, "Put up with
what?"

"Why do the guilds put up with all this nonsense about
open and closed societies? They're the ones that make all the rules and keep
everything running… Why would they put up with any interference in their operations?"

As if speaking to a child Mandi said, "Because the Open
Societies control Police Enforcement and the Secret Societies control the
military."

The chief nodded his head rapidly a few times, as if it's
the answer he'd expected all along.

ΔΔΔ

If most of the
crew had been impressed by the infrastructure surrounding Tiffany's planet,
they were in awe at what they saw surrounding Asperia.

Orbital Platform 12 was one of several dozen such platforms
visible. As large as it was, it paled in comparison to the size of the…
floating cities.

Argentine didn't know what else to call them. Huge
constructions that had to house thousands, they were spaced equidistantly in
what appeared to be geostationary orbits.

By sheer numbers, however, the vast majority of equatorial
orbit space was taken up by industry. Factories, laboratories, manufactories,
shipyards… There even looked to be a large number of medical facilities.

Interspersed over land masses were space elevators. These
giant orbital constructions anchored one end of a fine, almost invisible thread
that dropped down through the atmosphere and were secured by elevator terminal
stations on the ground.

All of this infrastructure was nowhere close to being a
complete ring around Asperia, but it was easy to imagine it turning into one a
hundred years from now.

Ships like the Pelican didn't really have windows, but that
didn't keep everyone from gathering on the bridge and turning on every view
screen to ogle as much of this technological marvel as possible.

Argentine smiled.

Ever since they'd left the People's Republic he'd felt the
weight of responsibility for those that were following him.

Watching everyone now, excited as little kids, gave him
hope. Maybe he could lead them to a good future after all…

ΔΔΔ

"So that's
the plan. Does anyone have any questions?"

They had just finished docking with platform 12 and were
awaiting the final clearances to debark.

It was hard for everyone to hide their excitement and
Argentine had to admit, he felt it too. But they had things to accomplish and
they couldn't lose sight of them...

"So, one more time…

"Chief, you're going to cash in the rest of our
processed ore and make sure docking fees are paid up, consumables replenished,
yada yada yada… Right?"

The chief nodded once.

"I want you to take Rory with you, just to be
safe."

The chief said, "Sure." Rory just shrugged.

"Sami, you and Barry are going to feel out the locals
and try to get an idea of what our best prospects might be. We need to figure
out a strategy to gain some reputation and acceptance around here… If you could
figure out what guilds we need to cozy up to, which companies might be more
likely to contract with us it could be a big help.

"Take Gossip with you and all three of you be careful!
Remember, until we figure out the ropes we're the outsiders here.

"While you're getting an unofficial feel for the lay of
the land, Lieutenant Stark and I will check in with the Port Authority and make
an official call on the Interstellar Shipping Guild.

"We’ll all meet back here in six hours and compare
notes.
Do not
be late."

Lastly, he turned to Mandi…

"Well, I guess this is it…"

"I guess it is," she replied.

"We did our part, we got you here. As a good faith
gesture, I'd like your word that you won't mess us up or get us involved with
the authorities or the cartels…"

Did Argentine detect a little bit of sadness in her? Her
goodbye was surprisingly made up of few words… "You have my word,"
was all she softly said.

"Okay everyone," he said with enthusiasm.
"Let's be about it!"

ΔΔΔ

Orbital
platform 12 was set up for cargo to be unloaded on one level while passengers
and crew could debark on the level just below.

They entered a crowded terminal area.

Their senses were immediately overpowered with the sights
and smells of an unfettered and uncontrolled economic system. Holographic
advertisements clamored for their attention over here while olfactory enhanced
ads also vied for their interest.

Clothing styles were… different. The cuts and styles were
all within acceptable norms, but the fabrics and colors were obviously set to
different tastes.

Of his crew, even Barry was a little in awe of the spectacle
around them.

Mandi was… Mandi was nowhere to be seen.

They made their way from their specific gate and plunged
into the mostly one-way foot traffic heading towards what appeared to be a
security station.

A flashing screen caught Argentine's attention...

Some kind of security emblem appeared at the same time
loudspeakers called, "Attention! Attention! We have a biometric alert!
This woman is wanted by planetary enforcement. If you see her, contact any
authority immediately. Repeat, this woman…"

The security camera image on the screen was Mandi…