The Captain of the Chicago shouldn't have gone out of his way to annoy Keri. Casis knew Keri was a psi heading to Terra Nova to help settle some trouble. Apparently, it never occurred to him that his ship might be the problem. Over the next three days, Keri had to decide what was going on aboard the ship.
Kessie, second in command, escorted him to a room and sealed the door without a word. He sat on the rather hard cot and barely noticed the door close.
Then he began sorting through the few facts he'd already picked up. If they'd been wise, they'd have had a party rather than sequester him away from everyone. An overload of psi impressions might have buried other things.
He already knew Calis and Kessie were ass deep in smuggling. Some of the crew knew it, but surprisingly few deemed to be involved. They'd drawn attention when they recently lost a bay master to an accident and hired someone to take the spot, which happened on even IWC ships out in the wilds where no military person might be available.
The hire might have gone under the radar, but the person they hired had Ross House ties and happened to pop up on a list that some dutiful clerk had actually checked.
By the time Chicago sailed blithely into port at Tempest, the military had placed Keri to go with them on to Terra Nova. Calis didn't want him, but the IWC command gave him no choice.
Keri went aboard with now show. The short walk had taken him through the bay and up to his quarters. He had picked up enough just there to give the officials several charges to file, starting with the 'accident' that had killed Bay Master Whoder -- who had been part of the smuggling for years until Ross House said they wanted someone on the inside.
The problem now was to get off the Chicago alive. Even the people who sent him to the craft -- at least the ones who had handled him -- had no idea this was more than a check on a few crew members. Keri had felt the paranoia when he came aboard, and now, alone in this room, he began to pick up more.
He knew when Captain Calis -- and he had begun to consider what a psi might have picked up already. Damn the IWC for listing him as a psi as though it would make no difference to someone guilty of a crime. He'd almost wonder if someone hadn't purposely...
Now there was another touch of paranoia, but maybe a justified one. What if someone let the people on the ship know he was coming? Who else might be in this little smuggling game?
Keri had to pretend not to notice Calis outside the door and hide his ability, but the Captain's emotions came through the metal door like a cold wind. Keri had dealt with the military before, including ones who didn't trust him just on principle, but this ... this felt dark and dangerous, and Keri had nowhere to run.
By the second day, Keri knew they meant to kill him. He had picked that much up. They also had him locked in the room with no food or water. They'd get him weak first and easy to deal with when they took him.
He'd gone through deprivation before. Besides, he had a few things in his pack, being the mistrusting person he'd learned to be in the last few years. Keri knew they were watching him, but he could sneak sips of juice, at least.
And he knew when they were about to open the door and take him. They watched the cam, and he stayed still on the cot.
"Time to take a long, last walk, boy," Calis said as someone else grabbed his arm.
It was easy. Keri twisted to the right, grabbed a laser pistol, and kicked. He slid out between the three people, heading straight down the hall, hitting the door lock to give him a little more time. The Captain had cleared this area, and Keri shot vidcams and lights along the way. He'd taken them by surprise -- and he had the advantage since he knew exactly where not to go.
Keri also knew they were only one day out from Terra Nova, and the ship wasn't likely to hold off since they had both buyers and IWC waiting. He also had the advantage of knowing what rooms were empty -- and what codes could open the doors, though he almost couldn't focus to locate the pattern.
Keri hid in a storage room barely large enough to squeeze into -- but that helped as well. He carefully pushed aside boxes, slid behind them, and slid them back into place. They opened the door and closed it again. Luckily, no one looked too carefully.
He found a box with cookies and probably gained five pounds before they reached Terra Nova. They weren't even particularly good cookies.
Calis was panicked, and with reason. Kessie had walked off the ship just after landing and clearly intended to disappear. Keri made it at least to the bay, and since they were in the process of off-loading, it proved easier to move along the edges of crates --
"He already left, sir," Calis said and even managed to sound sincere. "We were barely down. Flighty person. Not exactly stable. Hope he wasn't needed for anything important here."
"I've already done my job," Keri said.
Calis did what he expected -- drew his laser and fired. Keri had already dropped to cover, and the IWC soldiers took care of the rest.
He went and gave his report, took a flight to Mars, and locked himself in his quarters. There had to be a better way to make a living, but the military would not give him up easily, even when they didn't really trust him.
Keri knew it.
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