Underworld Elements: A Lesfic Space Opera (Space Station Frontera Book 1) by Rachel Ford

Author:Rachel Ford [Ford, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-07-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

1600 Hours, Station Time

On a scale of one to ten, where one was trial by combat and ten was rainbows, unicorns and mutual understanding and cooperation, Kalandri’s meeting with the mayor ranked a solid two and a half or three.

No one died, so that was a definite positive. Probably the only positive in the entire encounter.

She hadn’t even reached her point when Belcher started to scream. Had she been doing her job, he said, no one else would have died. Had she and her deputies been searching for the killer instead of coddling a bunch of saboteurs, Mr. Vandermeer would still be drawing breath.

It only got worse when she mentioned the camera, and the need to negotiate with the engineering department.

By time she departed his office, Mayor Belcher was purple in the face and physically shaking with rage. As for Kalandri, her hands were balled into fists – fists that still hadn’t unclenched by time she reached her office.

She found Maggie, Kay and Sydney from the Black Flag waiting for her. “Statements. Right.”

“Actually, we’re not here about the statements,” Maggie said. “I mean, we can do that too. But we just got word that our departure approval has been rescinded.”

“What? Why?”

“We were hoping you could tell us, Marshal,” Sydney said.

“Me? It’s the first I’m hearing of it.”

“The order said to remain docked until further notice. It said we were being grounded over ‘security concerns,’” Kay said.

“Was there a signature on the order?” Kalandri asked.

“No, but it came from the mayor’s office.”

“Belcher. That son-of-a-bitch.” Kalandri felt her fists balling again.

Maggie and Kay exchanged glances. “We’re not – under suspicion, are we?”

“Not from me. But the mayor is a law unto himself. Give me a moment, will you?” She dialed Belcher’s office, and reached his secretary. The poor woman hesitated to put her through, but Kalandri insisted.

A moment later, Belcher’s voice barked over the line, “What the hell do you want now, Marshal? Don’t you have work?”

She didn’t bother with a preamble. The sooner she was off the line, the better. “Did you ground the Black Flag?”

“Of course.”

“Why?”

“It’s not your place to question my decisions, dammit.”

“Security of the station is my call. You don’t have authority to be grounding ships and deciding who can come and go.”

“We’re in a state of emergency,” he bellowed. “Maybe you should brush up on your station law, Marshal.”

She didn’t remember any paragraphs or subparagraphs that gave him that authority, but it didn’t even matter in the moment. “Well if you’re going to play marshal, I at least need to know what the hell is going on, on the station,” she raged back.

Belcher seemed nonplussed by her heretofore contained rage. For a moment, he went entirely silent. Then he sputtered, “Well, it’s – it’s obvious, isn’t it? There weren’t any murders until they showed up. They’re involved.”

“Mayor, you can’t just hold people –”

“I can do whatever I damned well please,” he shot back.

“Is that in the code too?” she retorted.

“You listen to me, Marshal, you just focus on doing your damned job.

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