The Ripple in Space-Time: Free City Book 1 (The Free City Series) (2 page)

3. News Item: Free City Bicentennial
preparations

Dateline: 30th of May, 2445; Free City, Earth

Free City Mayor Lily Borja
detailed the elaborate preparations pertaining to next year
’
s Bicentennial celebrations for the fair city today.

At a daylong media conference in
City Hall, Mayor Borja unveiled detailed renditions and models of the several
pavilions sponsored by some of Free City
’
s most prominent institutions
and organizations.

The ornate exhibit submitted by
the Free City Historical Society garnered much attention by the conference
attendees. The group plans to reenact the long history of the autonomous and
independent municipality from its origins more than two hundred and fifty years
ago as a disorganized refugee camp on the northern edge of the Shannon Basin
following the anarchy at the conclusion of the Second Amero-Asian War to its
much revered current status as the sole shining light of freedom and
enlightenment in the otherwise grim Solar System.

Free City University will
highlight the many achievements that have sprung from the venerable institution
in the last two centuries. Foremost, of course, is the extensive effort to
store progressively higher energy densities in ever-smaller spaces, mainly by
developing various pairings of matter and antimatter. The work carried out at
the recently destroyed Lunar Ultra Energy Lab run by the University undoubtedly
will receive significant scrutiny by the celebrants.

The Free City University Student
Union is organizing a colorful parade that will progress through the city on
most Saturdays during June and July. The parade participants will include the
many social organizations that are currently active at the institution. The
largest contingent will likely be the Enlightenment Crusaders with adherents
attending from the city and all seven of the fiefdoms. The group has promised
to highlight its nonconformist and experimental nature in lively and most
likely noisy detail.

The Free City Municipal Government
plans to accentuate the city
’
s unique position as the lone
bastion of impartiality in the sea of corruption and inequity that pervades
life outside the metropolitan borders. To that end, both the High Court and the
Inquisitor's Office have produced several documentaries about the ongoing
efforts to reduce graft and extortion amongst the seven quarrelsome leaders of
the Warlord Syndicate.

The Warlord Syndicate for its part
will promote the dozen or so vacation destinations in the seven fiefdoms beyond
the borders of our fair city. It
’
s hoped that the wealthier and
more adventurous residents of Free City will endeavor to travel abroad to enjoy
holidays in the fiefdoms. Current statistics reveal that city vacationers
travel primarily to the venerable Sea of Tranquility Historical Resort on the
Moon and the rugged Australian Outbacks Theme Park in IndoPacifica.

The Bicentennial Exposition will
take place in Roscommon Park from March 16 to August 23, 2446.

4. Contacts and cohorts
Lev was waiting for him just
outside of the particularly seamy
Club Glut
on Fourth Street.

Ryo shook his head in dismay at
the two work-weary prostitutes halfheartedly hustling several well-dressed
teenage boys in front of the raucous nightspot. The boys laughed nervously at
the old hookers before slipping into the club.

“
Have you been here before?
”
Lev shouted
above the pounding beat that pulsed out of the open doors.

“
I
’
m not a regular,
”
Ryo grinned,
“
but I have been here far too
often.
”

The young man advanced towards the
ticket kiosk but the old Investigator waved him off. Ryo held up his Inquisitor
’
s Office badge and the attendant nodded tepidly.

Just beyond the doors, the club
was a sweaty and confusing mass of wannabe dancers, vibrantly attired
Enlightenment Crusaders and inebriated office workers all gyrating to the
painfully loud and pervasive beat.

Ryo tugged Lev towards the huge
bar that stretched along one sidewall. While they waited for a bartender,
several statuesque women nearby gawked at Lev.

Ryo chuckled; young love, or at
least pheromones, were in the air.

Far down the long bar, the head
bartender noticed the men.

“Ryo Trop, you old dog! What
brings you here tonight?”

“Just catching up on a little
work.” He nodded to the bar man, “Hey Vayk, how’s business tonight?”

“I can’t complain and if I do, no
one listens anyway. Do you two want anything?”

Ryo shook his head, “Nothing for
me.”

Lev smiled playfully, “I’ll have a
Gin and Tonic.”

The bartender’s bushy eyebrows
arched up, “Oh, a traditionalist; hopefully I can find some gin here
somewhere.”

“Before you go off hunting for
ancient spirits,” Ryo’s hand clasped the man’s wrist, “I’m looking for a Mining
Guild Appraiser named Thacker who’s supposed to be here somewhere. Have you
seen him tonight?”

“Yeah, Mr. Thacker is in Rumpus
Room 3 with a few of the local tarts.”

“Excellent,
”
Ryo waved his fingertips over the bartender
’
s payment interface,
“
we
’
ll take the
drink in Room 3 then.
”

The small rectangular interface
attached to the barman
’
s bicep summarized the financial
transaction,
“
Ryo Trop, the premium well drink tab is 13 Standard Units.
Do you wish to leave Mr. Vayk a tip?
”

He nodded to the hopeful
bartender,
“
Yes, 50 Units for my most cooperative friend.”

“
Confirmed,
”
the interface replied,
“
63 Standard Units charged to
Ryo Trop.
”

The barman trotted off with a wide
grin.

Ryo smirked curtly at the
loitering women before he and Lev left the bar for the long and slow trip
across the tumultuous dance floor to Rumpus Room 3.

A stocky guard blocked the door to
the private room until Ryo
’
s badge caused him to flinch
away in panic.

Rumpus Room 3 was surprisingly
quiet compared to the deafening hypnotic swirl of the dance floor, the room
seemed much more like a softly lit parlor in a fine Free City house than a side
area to the wild nightlife just outside.

Near the center of the opulent
lounge, huddled around a large low table, sat a husky middle-aged man with
three ridiculously thin and vacuous young women.

The man looked up in alarm at the
intruders.

Ryo noticed a great deal of
contraband aphrodisiacs and hallucinogens spread out on the table,
“
Mr. Thacker, I
’
m Investigator Trop from the
Inquisitor
’
s Office.
”

The women rustled nervously.

With so much illicit activity
transpiring in this room, Ryo mirthfully noted, one way or another he
’
d easily get whatever information that he needed.

“
Mr. Thacker, may I remind you that these items are
prohibited in Free City.
”
He tersely added,
“
Are these young ladies of legal age and registered with the Courtesan
’
s Union?
”

The big man shifted anxiously,
“
Well, I...
”

“
Fortunately for you,
”
Ryo declared,
“
I
’
m not working with the Vice Detail tonight. However if
things don
’
t go well, I may have to call them in for a bit of advice.
”

The detective
’
s power play caused two of the women to whimper uncontrollably.

The Mining Guild Appraiser was
sweating profusely, “Mr. Trop, how may I assist you tonight?”

Ryo studied the big man for an
uncomfortably long time before answering, “I have some questions about
unsanctioned mining operations near the Lunar Ultra Energy Lab just before its destruction.”

“Oh; that,” Thacker sighed with
relief.

• • •

Two hours later Ryo waved absently
to Lev as the younger man boarded the city transport across the street from the
club with one of Thacker’s underage woman. The investigator withdrew the communication
device from his pocket and waited several minutes in the brisk night air before
he contacted his boss.

“Well,” Ryo summarized, “the
Mining Guild Appraiser says that there almost certainly wasn’t any mineral
extraction going on near the Lab before the blast.
”

The tiny image of Helga frowned on
the communication display,
“
And you
’
re confident that he
’
s a reliable source?
”

“
Absolutely.
”
Ryo nodded,
“
The Mining Guild is especially adept and draconian at detecting even the
tiniest tunneling operations.
”
He smiled at his stern
supervisor;
“
They make billions every year in fees from both legitimate
and illicit endeavors. Apparently they can even catch a single rouge miner with
a hand spade and a rusty wheelbarrow.
”

His implacable boss didn
’
t seem to be amused by his dry humor.

“
Damn it,
”
Helga muttered.
“
The mischievous miners run amuck theory would have neatly explained the
catastrophe. Now we seem to have a much more nettlesome mystery, who or what
really caused the explosion? With nearly all of the physical evidence destroyed
or buried under tons of radioactive lunar rubble, it’s going to be particularly
difficult and time consuming to discover what happened.”

“So what’s next?” he asked.

For just a brief instant she
looked very weary, “The heat is on in this matter, hundreds were killed and a
very expensive facility was destroyed. The Warlord Syndicate is especially
displeased that their huge investment was lost and there is a colossal amount
of pressure being applied to the Inquisitor
’
s Office to come
up with some answers.
”

The steely old woman scowled,
“
We need to find the right answers, not some phony smokescreen. You
’
re going to have to rummage around in the outside world, I
’
m afraid.
”

“
Yeah, I figured as much.
”
Ryo slumped in
dismay, despite his keen desire to remain in the comparative safety of Free
City, the investigation was already tugging him inextricability out into the
unruly domain of the Warlords.

“Alright,” Helga puffed, “you have
a full expense account for this matter, but I expect some results that I can
report to the press in the next few days. Ryo, because of the complexities of
this case, I want you to work with a Fiefdom Liaison Agent.
”

“
Mackillroy?
”
he asked hopefully.

“
No, Mac
’
s busy with the assassination in
New Rome. I
’
m sending you the address of someone new, a promising young
Liaison Agent named Norton who
’
s currently tending to some
trivial matters in Dublin.
”

The screen faded.

Dublin, Ryo winced, was a
hazardous two-hour trip beyond the Free City limits and well into the lawless
neighboring fiefdom of EurAfrica.

5. News Item: The pirate scourge continues
Dateline: 3rd of June, 2445; Free City, Earth

The recent spat of space piracy
and hijacking continues to vex transportation officials and ship owners.

Dozens of vessels, both large and
small, have suffered the ill effects of the marauding raiders. Most small ships
have been quickly set free upon payment of ransom demands but a few especially
valuable large freighters are still being held as the criminals negotiate ever-larger
payoffs.

The Warlord Syndicate, which has
sustained significant losses at the hands of the thieves, announced that it
would soon offer a bounty of up to ten thousand Standard Units each for several
suspected outlaws.

Four ships remain inexplicability
missing, most notably the notorious
Butin Belle
which disappeared near
Mars almost three months ago. The infamous ship is a small, fast and highly
maneuverable Ore-Runner Class midget space freighter used primarily in the past
by illicit miners in the Asteroid Belt. The craft’s comparatively small size
and great speed allowed the former clandestine operators to evade Mining Guild
inspectors.

The
Butin Belle
’
s
main engine is a ubiquitous and
very powerful ion drive which can propel the craft to an impressive maximum
speed of over 45 Astronomical Units per year.

The
Butin Belle
had been
engaged recently by Celestial Delivery Systems as a quick transporter between
Mars and the Kuiper Belt Station in the Outer Reaches. Both Celestial Delivery
Systems and Warlord Syndicate Underwriters are eager to recover the valuable
and one of a kind vessel.

Anyone with information regarding
hijacked vessels or the activities of pirates should contact the Free City
Inquisitor's Office or the Vessel Registry Bureau.