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The
Inquest:
By Markus Thyme
On
the landing pad a Calanian Royal Navy Shuttle rested beside the Prince’s
Royal Yacht. What
Inside
the main hall of the farm, which had been converted to a makeshift court, the
manager and sub managers of the operation had been gathered. Military guards
stood around the room. On the stage was one table behind which sat the
Emperor’s Regent, Maliki. An aid stood beside the table. Maliki look quite grim, but
not as grim as the farm manager Najaf and his aid Laden.
When
Najaf had realized the extend of his losses to the mysterious killer, he was in
a panic. He had visions of hundreds of enemies stalking the forest around his
compound, striking at will and leaving no trace except the single inexplicable
wound. Even the posting of guards had been a disaster. Over half of them had been
killed in a single night and the compound was virtually unguarded. Still, all
he could do was post more guards creating a very small inner perimeter. The
landing pad and the Prince’s yacht we left unguarded in order to protect
the compound center.
When
the cargo ship landed, Najaf did not waste time loading it. He just sent it
back immediately with a full report as far as he could determine the situation.
He had 14 dead and something near panic within his staff. These were, after
all, farm and packing plant workers, not soldiers. Until this time, there had
been no need for soldiers. Now the Prince and his entourage were dead and 14
others killed mysteriously, by who? That was what Najaf did not know.
Six
weeks of terror had elapsed while the cargo ship returned and the Royal Navy
landed with a regiment of Marines and the Emperor’s Regent. The compound
was secure now, with a ring of trained assault troops lead by a crack Marine
Major. The compound was secure, but Najaf and Laden felt very insecure under the
gaze of the Regent.
The
Regent had Najaf’s report in his hand. He had already read it. He also
had the report from the Cispa representative. He scanned that, then he motioned
to his aid. The aid listened to a curt order then motioned to Najaf. Najaf approached
the bench with some trepidation.
“My
services, Your Honor,” he offered.
“I’ll pass on the services,
Najaf. It’s answers I want. What in Karuk’s Subfire is happening
here?”
“Your
Honor, everything I know is in that report. I know nothing more. I would
happily tell you if I did.”
Maliki
stared at Najaf, but it changes nothing. It only made Najaf squirm.
“The
Cispa agent knows nothing, either,” said Maliki. “She says as much
in her report. You were running a marginal operation here, producing exotic meat
for the Calanian market. Everything was in order. Even the Cispa agent agrees
nothing was amiss. Then one day, the Prince and his dandies are all dead. They
died in a flyer crash that could not have happened, but it happened. I assure
you, this did not please my Emperor.”
Najaf
looked dismayed and spread his hands in a gesture of chagrin. He just shook his
head.
“You
have nothing to say?”
“Nothing
your honor. I fail to grasp these events,” whispered Najaf.
“What
of the slain workers, Najaf? Do you have any idea what it was that caused their
deaths?”
“Najaf
looked even more uncomfortable.
“I
wish I knew more, your honor. I only know what we found. After the death of
Abdul, each time I tried to defend this place, I found more slain workers. When
I set guards, most of them were slain. I know not how, who, or what your
honor.”
“Did
you investigate the crash site, Najaf?”
“I
did not your honor. I sent a group of competent workers. They all saw the same scene.
They all gave the same report. The flyer had crashed and burned. There were no
remains to recover. There were no humans about. I do not know what happened or
how.”
The
regent leaned back in his chair looking at the ceiling. He looked weary. He
gave a huge sigh and turned back to Najaf.
“You
should have sent a report as soon as the Prince’s flyer crashed. You
should not have delayed waiting for a cargo ship. You could have sent your aid
with the Price’s Yacht.”
“Yes,
your honor. In looking back, I see that I have failed. I only plead that I am
not a military man. I am a simple farm manager.”
“Oh,
very well, Najaf. I would have acted differently, but I cannot fault you
overmuch. It is true you are a simple manager.”
Najaf
did not even react to the insult. He just stood mute.
Maliki
pondered for a moment, then he said, “I will go myself to the crash
scene. After this much time, I doubt I will find anything, even with the
Major’s medical team. Still, we must try.”
At
that time, a Marine Captain entered the hall and strode to the stage. He handed
a report to Maliki’s aid, saluted, turned, and left the hall. The aid
took the report to the Regent who flipped through it.
Maliki
looked at Naajf again and spoke, “The Marines exhumed several of your
workers and the medical people did some autopsies. In all cases, it seems you
workers were killed with a single stab from a small instrument, perhaps a
stiletto.”
“That
is why we found no other marks, remarked Najaf, “but how could an
assailant get so near without being detected?”
“That
is a fair question, Najaf, and one we must try to answer. However it happened,
it seems we have some rogue humans about. We must also decide what to do about
that.”
“It
is true there are wild humans here, though I have never seen a live one,”
said Najaf. “I recall in my first years here the wealthy would come here
to hunt them. That was before Cispa of course.”
“Of
course,” said Maliki wryly. “Cispa!”
The
way he spoke the word made it a curse.
“I
suspect, when it is all done, it will be all over for you and this operation
Najaf. We cannot spare a regiment of Royal Marines to defend a marginal meat
packing plant. This place will be closed at least. I have yet to decide what
else we will do. I will ponder that as I gather what evidence is yet available.
I will hope you will not come to trial over this. My first conclusion is there
is nothing you could have done. No one knows better than me that the Prince was
of a strong mind. He would not be told what was best for him. It had put him in
harms way many times before this.”
At
the mention of a trial, Najaf began looking quite ill. He knew a trial rarely
ended in acquittal. The only way to avoid execution was to avoid the trial.
“Oh,
cheer up, Najaf,” soothed Maliki. “Unless I find evidence of malfeasance
or misfeasance I cannot recommend punitive action against you. I believe you
acted in good, if misguided, faith. Why not come with me now, while I inspect
the crash scene.”
“Najaf
understood the Regent’s words not as a suggestion, but an order.
When
the flyer rose from the pad, Bruce awoke and climbed down to sit beside
“What
is this,” he asked.
“I
know not,” replied
“It
travels westward, toward our home,” whispered Bruce. “this be a bad
sign.”
“Mayhap
not,” said
“That
be true, but these be Invaders of a different type. They be more like the ones
told of in the ancient chronicles.”
“Indeed,
they be different,” agreed
“There
be no way to warn the Elders.”
“Nay,”
laughed
“Aye,
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