Second Contact (Opus X: Fleet of One Book 1) by Michael Anderle

Author:Michael Anderle [Anderle, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2022-02-10T16:00:00+00:00

A quick call with a brief explanation and the transmission of official ID authorization codes led to a gratifyingly quick police response. Kat didn’t even have to use her emergency codes.

Cyrus paced the living room as Kat explained everything and asked for the aid of the locals. Soon, the police drones and the dome’s cameras were searching for the vehicle.

A data window appeared in front of Kat and Cyrus. It showed the suspects hopping out of a hovertruck and climbing into a flitter. The vehicle took off and flew to an external access tunnel leading out of the dome onto the surface of the planet.

Cyrus ground his teeth as the tunnel gate slowly ground open and the flitter slipped through. If they’d been right about the men, they could have downed their vehicle right there and retrieved the box.

“Thank you, Officer,” Kat sent over her PNIU. “That’s very helpful. Do you have active tracking on them outside the dome?”

“Yes, Agent Lesone,” the police officer replied. “We’ve got them on thermal. Sometimes they’re smart enough to shield their heat signatures or keep below the radar, but this isn’t our first time dealing with someone fleeing a dome in a hurry. Most of our antisocials are from off-colony. They forget what it means to live in a place this cold and everything involved.”

“Do you have units available to follow them?” Kat asked.

This would be the true test of local law enforcement’s capabilities. Cyrus didn’t worry since they had access to the Argo as a last line of defense.

The police officer sighed. “Things are stretched pretty thin, ma’am. There was a big incident earlier today near the port, and the militia is helping us clean up after that. With all due respect, we’ll just have the Fleet tag them when they try to run. That’s a lot safer than trying to dig them out of whatever hole they’re hiding in.”

“You can’t do that,” Cyrus insisted. “They’ve got important archaeological artifacts. We could lose them if we don’t go after them. This is a major xenoarchaeological find.”

“I appreciate that these guys are smugglers, Dr. Sandoval,” the police officer commented, “but we’ve found that unless there’s an immediate risk to someone’s life, the best thing to do with assholes who leave the domes is wait them out. It’s hard for them to land or takeoff anywhere near the colony without being spotted, and none of them are ready to stare down a Fleet cruiser. That makes a lot more sense than risking people in a fight in pressure suits.” He chuckled. “We’ll get your old Navigator urns back. Don’t worry. We’ve grabbed Rivers, and we have your recording. He’ll let us know if they’ve got other places.”

Cyrus frowned. “Damn it.”

“I’m sorry,” the officer continued. “I’ve got to go. We’re receiving reports of an accident at one of the industrial processing plants. They need law enforcement on-site.”

“Thank you for your assistance, Officer,” Kat replied. “Please send us the tracking information so we can keep an eye on things.

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