Once he was rid of Ruth, he and Tess would have to have a long talk! It might be advisable to prolong his stay on Faith long enough to have that talk. At least with atmosphere outside the ship, he would have a slight chance of surviving the experience if the talk turned bad!
In the meantime, he decided, he would be very nice to both Ruth and Tess!
The atmosphere aboard Cheetah thawed considerably after Cale announced his plans, and the trip passed fairly quickly. Ruth no longer huddled crying in her stateroom. She apparently accessed all of Tess’s records about Faith, and was certain she would be welcomed there.
And she was. When Cale reported his mission to deliver a possible immigrant, the announcement was greeted with a certain amount of reticence and suspicion. Ruth was escorted from Cheetah by four police officers and a “counselor.”
It was the next day before Tess reported three visitors, a conservatively well-dressed man carrying a briefcase and two rather obvious bodyguards.
When they were comfortably seated in the lounge, the man smiled. “I am Aron Ekron, Assistant Director of Justice for the government of Faith.
“Justice?” Cale suddenly turned cold. He couldn’t think of anything he had done that would interest the Justice Ministry. Could Ruth have talked about the irregularities in Cheetah ’s papers? Or said something about Cale himself?
“Yes,” Ekron replied, his professional smile still firmly pasted on his pleasant features, “My colleagues over at Immigration wanted me to tell you that we have welcomed Sister Ruth to Faith, and begun the immigration process.”
“I’m delighted to hear it,” Cale replied. “She has a very strong faith”
Ekron straightened, placing his briefcase on his lap. “Yes, well, I should also mention that your generous contribution will make her a very wealthy woman here.”
Cale nodded, smiling.
“But now,” Ekron continued, “We come to my business. The registration you provided upon your arrival indicates that your ship is a fast courier, with limited passenger accommodation. I notice, however, that you have not placed a notice on the Worldnet advertising your availability.”
“Well, no,” Cale replied. “Circumstances forced me to divert to Faith, but I have obligations in other systems that will not permit me to solicit contracts here.”
Ekron’s smile faded slightly. “Yes. Well, I’m afraid you will have to accept one. A government contract. You will find the terms quite generous, but I’m afraid we must insist.”
Cale frowned. “I see. What is the nature of this non-negotiable contract?
Ekron clicked the hasps and opened his briefcase. “We have an unfortunate individual who is being sent into exile. We wish to contract you to transport this individual off-world.”
Cale’s frown deepened. “You want me to transport a criminal? Why not just slap them in jail? Or execute them?”
Ekron flushed and cleared his throat noisily. “Yes, well, she isn’t actually a criminal, at least not in the conventional sense. But she is a troublemaker and rabble rouser of the worst sort.” His face lost its professional neutrality and his tone gained an edge of anger. “Her actions against both the Church and the government have been so disruptive as to constitute religious and social terrorism,” he continued. “Both the government and the church agree that this person is a threat to the civil and spiritual well-being of the people of Faith.” Ekron seemed to gather himself and regain his composure.
“She constantly accuses the Church and state of illegal and immoral collusion, and keeps referring to the government as a theocracy comparable to the old Mission for the Greater Glory of God.”
“Is it?” Cale asked quietly.
Ekron’s equilibrium slipped again. “Of course not! Oh, there are some slight similarities, of course. Our ancestors fled a secular tyranny on Greenfields. We have virtually universal membership in the Church, so naturally the Church is an influential institution.' He scowled. 'She knows better, of course. Her father is the Supreme Archbishop of the Church on Faith. Yet she continues her vile charges.”
Ekron seemed to collect himself, and rummaged in his briefcase. “Now, to business,” he said with a meaningless smile. “The government has authorized a payment in Alliance credits equal to the standard fare for a trip of two jumps on a vessel of your class. It has also authorized payment of the reward that was offered for her conviction, as a substantial bonus.
“In addition,” he continued as though awarding a prize, “the Church has agreed to match that bonus. All payments to be in cash, of course. You will do very well off this slight detour, Captain. Oh, there is one more thing,' he added. 'The senior Archbishop is naturally concerned with his daughter’s welfare. You will be carrying a substantial letter of credit drawn on an Ararat bank in Alliance credits. Once you reach your destination, and release the young lady, you are to give her the letter of credit. It is hoped that it will help her establish a new and more positive life on another planet.”
“So, where am I supposed to take her?”
Ekron shrugged. 'Anywhere she chooses, as long as it is at least two jumps distant from Faith'
Cale shrugged. 'With all those Alliance credits, what's to keep her from booking another ship back?'
Ekron's slow smile was tinged with malice. 'Nothing except common sense, Captain. I rather wish she would. Then she would be a common criminal. We know very well how to deal with those on Faith.'
I'll bet you do, Cale thought. 'And when might I expect my passenger?'
'At any time now, Captain. Once she arrives, you are not to release her bonds or her gag until you are in space. She is to be given no opportunity to escape.' Ekron's expression turned savage. 'To be honest, once you get into space, I don't care if you space the stupid chit! Just make sure she never sees Faith again!' He handed Cale a thick envelope of Alliance Credits, then grabbed his briefcase, and stamped out the hatch, his two-man escort hurrying to catch up.
Cale shook his head and sighed. He was still not going to have a chance to investigate Tess. And the more he learned about Tess, the more she was beginning to frighten him. On top of that, he was going to be saddled with yet another wayward female. Shaking his head, he went to check that the stateroom used by Ruth would be usable for — whatever her name was.
Fortunately, Ruth was a fastidious person. The stateroom was, he admitted ruefully, in better condition than his own. He returned to the main lounge just in time to see a medical ambulance pull up to the bottom of Cheetah 's ramp. Four burly men got out. Two of them were in the traditional white of the medical profession, but the other two wore civilian clothing and the indefinable air that screamed 'Cop'.
The med techs slid a stretcher from the ambulance, ignoring the struggles of the figure it carried. One of the cops grabbed a small travel bag and led the others up the ramp. The other brought up the rear. The cheerful, smiling air of the cop in front reminded Cale of Smiley. 'We've brought your passenger, Captain,' he said in a hearty, friendly tone, 'Where do you want her?'
Cale rose to lead the group to the now-empty stateroom. As he had thought, the stretcher contained a thoroughly bound and gagged young woman. Above the gag, her green eyes were narrowed and her face was red with anger. Her brown hair whipped from side to side with her head in impotent fury. Cale told himself he would need to be very careful when releasing this tigress!
The white-coated med techs swiftly and smoothly moved their helpless patient from the stretcher to the bunk, ignoring her struggles and the muffled 'umph' when they dropped her on the bed.
'Strap her in good, boys,' the cop instructed. 'We wouldn't want her to fall out of bed during liftoff!' He laughed loudly at his own joke, and then turned to Cale.
'This bag is her belongings,' he said cheerfully, 'and here's the releaser for the stickybonds,' the man said. 'I expect you've been told you're not to release her until you're in space. The same restriction goes for the gag,' he continued, 'and you should be glad for it. Otherwise she'd bust your eardrums and teach you some cuss words you didn't know!' He laughed heartily again, then he and the other cop followed the med techs down the ramp.
Cale decided that the best course of action was to get off Faith before he attracted any more government attention. 'Tess,' he asked, 'Are we ready to lift?'
'Reprovisioning and fueling are complete, Captain,' came the crisp reply. 'We can lift as soon as we get clearance and seal hatches.'
'Good,' he replied, 'Let's get out of here before anything else happens!'
