Chương 22: Customary Procedures

As Felix disconnected from the ship to make his way to the cargo bay, he would have best described the overwhelming sensation coursing through Magpie as unsettled. On their way to join the rest of the crew in the bay, Misty had explained this sort of inspection was highly unusual—normally these were done by a quick scan. Someone had an interest in Magpie and her crew.

"Just smile, don't volunteer anything, and trust Mitch. He knows how to handle this," Misty told him as they arrived. She moved to stand beside Doc and Gavin, while Felix stood beside Bates. The Manta corvette had attached itself to the docking port on the right side of the cargo bay, where the top of Magpie's "wing" narrowed into a sort of landing platform for transfers in space. Once settled firmly on the pad, the visiting corvette had extended a docking tube to the smaller door set on the larger cargo airlock.

Kyra, stationed by the interior door, gave Felix a thumbs up.

"Pressure's up, they're ready." Felix gave her a nod.

"Go ahead and open up." She keyed a command into the panel beside the door, then the exterior personnel door opened, admitting their unwanted guests. Four men could be seen through the window, though it was difficult to discern anything else about them. Another light flashed, and Kyra pushed a second key to close the exterior door and cycle the interior open, and she stepped back to join the crew.

Three men, dressed in armored vacuum suits and equipped with a battle rifle lighter than what the Hirelane toughs had carried, spread out into the cargo bay. Though their weapons weren't held at the ready, they couldn't help but exude a low level of menace as they examined the crew for threats. The fourth man, smaller but square like a bodybuilder, stepped out from behind the last, striding across the deck plating with impatient intensity.

Unlike his guards, he didn't bother with a vacuum suit, instead settling for a military dress uniform in Frielandian blues and greys, a swath of medals chattering against his chest and hair cut flat enough Felix could have landed a fighter on it. He examined the gathered Magpie crew with irritated disdain.

"Alright, which one of you is the Captain of this thing?" Felix stepped forward, extending a hand.

"That would be me. Comman—Captain Felix Conway." The man—the name badge on his breast said Krupp—looked Felix up and down, eyes narrowing at the patches affixed to Felix's jumpsuit. After a long moment he grasped Felix's offered hand in a firm shake.

"Lieutenant Commander Krupp, of His Grace's Cruiser Seeker of Light." His eyes ran across the pilot again.

"A jumper, I see." Again, Felix realized his shortcomings in learning about the new universe in which he found himself. He'd assumed Frieland was a republic, but it sounded now as if it had at least some form of a monarchy. I'm going to need to do some more studying. Mentally, he kicked himself for not making enough time, especially considering how long he'd spent just sitting and watching space go by. He put on a pained smile, attempting at least, to appear welcoming.

"Welcome aboard, Lieutenant Commander. I guess the jumper part is obvious with the uniform, isn't it." Felix released Krupp's hand.

"How can we help you today, sir? Bit of a surprise to find a patrol here."

"A surprise for us too. It appears you've made friends somewhere, especially with the little run-in you had with the lane pirates yesterday." Krupp raised an eyebrow.

"It's not often a tramp freighter like this makes short work of that kind of ambush." Felix flashed a smile, but the man didn't seem to either notice or care.

"I'm a good pilot, I've been told, and Magpie is tougher than she might look."

"A good pilot doesn't just roll over pirates like that," Krupp said, eying him warily.

"A very good pilot," Felix replied, letting his smile bare some teeth. Krupp stared at him, then shook his head.

"I need your manifests, then we'll do a spot check of cargo. I want whoever manages the cargo, while the rest of you stay right there." He pointed to the empty corner nearest to the airlock.

"If you need to use the head, well, tough. If you attempt to leave the area or get in my way, that will count as obstruction and the offender will come spend a night on the Seeker."

"Bates," Felix said, waving the large man forward. Krupp held out a hand expectantly and Bates passed a pad over to him, and then led the Magpie' s loadmaster toward the stacked crates secured nearby. After a moment, Krupp looked back at Felix.

"Are you coming, or would you like an engraved invitation?"

"Right, sorry. First time for everything and all that." While the rest of the crew huddled in the corner, quietly talking amongst themselves as two of the guards moved to either side of them, Felix and the third guard joined Krupp and Bates. The inspector grunted as he scrolled the list of cargo, checking the final destination on the manifest. Nearing the middle, he jabbed his finger against one line.

"This one. I want this one." Felix leaned over to look, but a sideways glance from Krupp settled him back on his feet. The only thing Felix could make out on that line was the destination: Firewater. Bates rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, that one's gonna take a bit to get to, you know. Are you sure you want it?" He waved at the nearest stacked rows of crates.

"These are a lot easier to get to." A cold hand gripped Felix's neck as Krupp scowled. Was that the part of the cargo Misty had warned him about? The Frieland officer was obviously no fool; deflection like that would only further entice him. What was Bates doing? Felix let out a tense puff of breath. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Nervous about something…captain?" Krup asked. Felix winced. He wasn't helping, either. Time to play a bit of truth, at least.

"Sorry, first time doing one of these inspections."

"And yet you're a captain and a 'very good pilot.' Curious." Krupp prodded the pad again, back to Bates.

"I want this one. You're a cargo handling class, right?" Bates nodded.

"Then you have the skills to make this quick. I know this ship has quantum storage, the manifest is far too large for its ship class otherwise."

"Right, I suppose it is," Bates grimaced.

"I forget that sometimes. It'll be just a minute." He held his hand out.

"Tablet?" Krupp returned the manifest tablet, and Bates tapped on it a few times, before pointing to the hand truck for moving the pallets secured against the wall.

"I still gotta move a few of these stacks to get to it."

"Do what you need, but keep it slow. I have time, and my men are watching." Krupp made a 'follow-me' motion with his head and stepped away to give Bates room to work. Once they were clear, spoke to Felix, voice lower.

"Interesting that you're headed to Rust with a cargo for Firewater. You are aware of that settlement's status?" Felix nodded, slow, cautious.

"Yes, my operations officer was just filling me in on their situation. I'm still learning my way around."

"Well, then, are you aware of the Frieland penalties for smuggling illegal equipment?" Krupp's tone, though quiet and conversational, held an edge of threat.

"Your ship's file does highlight the amount of debt you and your crew are under." There was a scraping noise, sharp and gravely, as a stack was settled to one side by Bates' movement.

"Hirelane's penalties are much…gentler than Frieland," Krupp continued.

"They do still allow you some freedom, after all."

"I see," was all Felix could say as he watched Bates shift another pallet of crates. Krupp wasn't finished, however.

"A very good pilot in a freighter does not appear to a squadron of Lockjaws as an existential threat, but here you are…and I have a fairly certain idea of how that came to be." He caught Felix's eye.

"I suggest, captain, you choose your freight with greater discernment." The warning hung, quiet and dangerous, between them as Bates waved from the desired cargo pallet.

"Understood," Felix said, then let out another long breath, thinking back to his introduction to Al, back in Buffalo, and the sign and counter-sign on the chit from the bar. It can't hurt, he thought before continuing.

"I appreciate the enlightenment." Krupp examined Felix again for a moment before turning and leading the two of them back to Bates.

"Let's see what you've got in here." He compared the tag on the crate with the manifest and the data from their scan and once satisfied, he nodded to Bates.

"Open it." Bates pointed to the strip of metal binding the latch.

"It's got a seal on it."

"I'll reseal it with a customs tag, if everything is in order." The cargo handler shrugged, pulled a cutter from his pocket and sliced the band before twisting the latches on the crate's lid.

"Give me a hand a sec?" he asked, looking at Felix.

"Grab the other side of the lid." The two men lifted it off and set it against the other cargo, then stepped away allowing Krupp the opportunity to look inside. Frowning, the inspector pulled packing material aside to reveal the contents of the crate, cylindrical devices that were not easily recognizable by Felix. Krupp, however, seemed to be slightly disappointed. He looked down at the tablet, then back into the case and pulled out one of the objects, examining its tags against his list.

He checked several more, waved the tablet over the crate, then nodded at Felix.

"Serial numbers on these filtration units all match the manifest. Everything lines up in this one. Go ahead and close it up." Felix and Bates returned the cover, then twisted the latches back into place. Krupp, however, did not make a move to reseal it.

"Those ones. Open them." He pointed at the very first crates Bates had argued for opening, then pulled up their manifests.

"Excuse me?" Bates blinking as he looked between the official and the ones he'd just moved.

"Now you want them, after I dug this one out for you?" Krupp smiled, thin and impatient.

"Yes, this isn't my first cargo inspection. You could have thrown up a fight to lure me into this one, when the real goods are hiding in the ones you offered. Takes some guts, but if the Captain's flying is anything to go by, you've got plenty of those aboard." Bates clenched his jaw and shot Felix a look. Felix, in turn, just shrugged.

"Show the man his crates, I guess?" Stomping, more than walking, Bates repeated the process with the seal and lid on the requested crate, with Felix helping again. For a second time, Krupp examined the labels and contents, a perplexed look on his face.

"Everything checks out here, too." This time he whirled and pointed at a random pallet, followed by another, then another, this time on his tablet. They'd opened seven different crates before Krupp stood in the middle of the cargo, scratching his head.

"We had a tip you were running something, but everything checks out." He looked around, irritation now the only expression he could muster.

"This report is going to be a headache." The man who had been following nearby stepped over and leaned in close, whispering to Krupp, who nodded, then pulled a handful of seals from his pocket.

"As much as I want to spend the next week digging through your entire bay, I've got to move on. Legally, I've already pushed things without a full warrant." He threaded the flexible plastic through each of the opened crates, replacing the original metal seals.

"As far as the pirates are concerned, we've already reviewed the sensor data and everything checks out. You claim has been approved and you can expect payment on the next disbursement cycle. You're free to go." He shot a pointed look at Felix.

"Remember what I said." Krupp made a circling motion with his hand and led the three guards back into the airlock between the ships, leaving the Magpie's crew alone in the bay. After a moment, a tremor ran through the deck and they let out a collective sigh. Except for Bates, who was beaming, staring off into the bay.

"What are you so happy about?" Felix asked as the other four came over and joined them.

"Just gained a level in Loadmaster from that one. I'm now a six!" He grinned down at Felix.

"That was fun!" Misty gave her brother a hug.

"Good work, he had me a bit worried, especially when he started just picking things at random."

"Naw, I got this." Pride oozed from Bates as he basked in his success.

"Well, where are the ones we were worried about?" Felix looked around the bay. Nothing stood out, but that didn't mean anything to him. Whatever Bates had done, he couldn't see it. Bates stood a bit taller, straightening his jumpsuit, his grin widening as he pointed at one of the seven crates sporting a fresh customs seal, the very first the inspector had requested.

"That's one of 'em." Felix blinked.

"What? How?"

"Sleight of Cargo," he said, reading the name off his System display.

"I can swap the contents of a crate in quantum storage before I call it out. Doesn't break the seals or anything." The crate vanished, replaced by another.

"This is where the filters came from. They take up the same spot in the quantum cargo, container numbers and all. Just make sure they're the same volume, and everything fits."

"I…don't understand."

"Space magic," Bates and Kyra both said together. Felix pointed toward the airlock.

"But if he knows about Loadmasters and quantum space magic cargo nonsense, why did he just…let you do it?"

"I can explain," Doc interjected.

"You can't just see anyone's abilities and skills. The System doesn't allow that, and you can't be compelled to share. So, he can't prove anything, short of having his own class ability to find the cargo trick."

"So, basically, Bates is a smuggler class."

"No, I'm a Loadmaster who's just gotten a little better at smuggling." Gavin clasped Felix on the shoulder.

"Now that show and tell is over, I believe we've got a schedule to keep."

"Right. On to…" Felix winced, that involuntary discomfort returning.

"Ohio."