“That will do nicely, and thank you,” Niebecker said.
He disappeared into the cabin, and the security officers heard the soft sound of the locks engaging.
An hour after Niebecker boarded, Ashton, in guise as Nicholas Carter, also boarded the ISS Star of Sintar, likewise escorted to the ship by his IPD colleagues, then handed over to the ship’s security.
He was placed in a cabin near the other end of the ship. It was no less in luxury – neither man was in a top of the line stateroom, nor were they in the lowest class – but it was as far away from Niebecker’s cabin as possible. This was hoped to ensure greater security for both men, neither of whom knew the other was aboard.
They had just enough time to get settled in, and the ship left orbit, headed for the hypergate.
An hour later, the ship vanished from the three-dimensional universe into hyperspace.
“GO! GO! GO! GO!” Carolina IPD Director Annette Browning ordered, and her people headed out to Consulate Row, to raid several of the consulates, including those of Garland and Berinia.
Annalia and the Democracy of Planets were left alone… for the time.
Though there were investigators swarming all over the Annalian consulate, looking for ‘clues’ to the apparent murder of the consul, His Excellency Abelson Niebecker.
In the Imperial City, an important meeting was going on in a virtual conference room. IPD Director Lee Carter, IPD Investigations Assistant Leads Winston Peabody and Peter Stone, ICPD chief Major General Harold Quan, ICPD Investigations Lead Brigadier General Maia Peterson, Imperial Guard General Brian Daggert, and all the available members of The Team and Ashton’s Gang – minus Detectives Callista Ames and Dominick Ashton, and Investigator Level Three Richard Honda – all convened, regardless of time of night, waiting anxiously for word.
Abruptly Callista Ames popped into the virtual room. A general groaning exclamation went up.
“Cally, woman, what the hell are you doin’ here?” Maia Peterson demanded. “You’re s’posed to be in the hospital, in bed, asleep.”
“I’m not gonna do anything, I swear,” she said, sounding plaintive. “But you guys are gonna know something about Nick before I do, so I wanted to at least be here to listen and find out. I was about to go crazy, sitting there in the hospital bed, not knowing. And it wasn’t doing my blood pressure any good. So the doctor told me if I had some way of finding out, I should use it, just to… I dunno, act.”
“Aw,” the sigh went around the room. “All right, girl, sit with me, then,” Peterson offered, generating a virtual chair beside her. “Lee’s gonna get the notice first, and he’ll tell the rest of us.”
“Right,” Carter agreed, then held up a hand. “Whoa – hang on.”
Everyone tensed. Peterson took Ames’ hand and held it tightly.
“Okay, the word is good,” Carter said after a moment. “Honda is undercover, and Niebecker and Ashton are both offworld. Everybody – GO!”
They went, dropping out of the VR channel and physically leaving their buildings, as IPD officers, ICPD officers, and Imperial Marines under the command of General Daggert, set out to round up nearly a hundred enemy agents, interrogate them, and execute them, under Imperial order.
A quick standard interrogation of the Garland spy they already had in custody had indicated he didn’t murder his Berinian colleague – at least, according to the lie detector chair, to which they resorted after he steadfastly insisted upon his innocence.
“Which means we have an open murder case,” Stone said to Peabody.
“True. But the guy claims – on the chair – to know nothing about it, so I don’t see holding up the Imperial warrant on that account,” Peabody replied.
“Make sure Carter knows, and we tell Nick when he gets back. We got a cold case.”
“We do, and between us, we will.”
By dawn of the next morning, ninety-two out of ninety-seven spies had been apprehended, interrogated, and executed by the Imperial Marines, with the assistance of the IPD and ICPD.
Including the half-dozen Annalian operatives.
Two spies – one from Garland, one from Berinia – were found, already dead.
The Return
When the ISS Star of Sintar arrived at Sintar, two ship’s security guards arrived at Niebecker’s cabin with the codeword ‘Bebop,’ and he was escorted to the shuttle down to the Imperial City Spaceport. All went well, and as soon as he got past the gate, two men in casual dress met him.
“Bebop,” one murmured in the secure VR channel assigned to the former consul, and Niebecker nodded. “Come this way, sir,” the man added. “My name is Colonel David Mercer, and I’m part of His Majesty’s Imperial Guard. We’ve been dispatched to see you safely to your new life – well away from Imperial City, let me add. But first, you’ll be visiting Director Carter for an overnight stay in his residence, which is as safe as they come, and a chance to talk.”
“Thank you very much,” Niebecker said, as they escorted him out of the concourse.
Ashton came down on the next shuttle sans disguise. Waiting for him at the gate were Carter, Peterson, and Alexandre Ames; Laura Ames was home with little Paul. Several IPD officers stood guard nearby, ensuring the safety of their newly-returned Investigative Lead.
“Welcome home, son,” Carter said, as he, Peterson, and Ames hugged Ashton. “How was your flight?”
“It was fine. Boring, even,” Ashton said. “But getting to the spaceport on Carolina was interesting.”
“Yes, I had a report on that,” Carter said. “I have a new shock plate waiting for your vest.”
“Good. How’s Cal doing?”
“Better,” Alexandre Ames said. “We have hopes she’ll come home in the next day or two. The doctors
