Star Law: A Marshal Cole Series

Chapter 21 (d)

"What do we do now?" Strasser asked. It was a good question and Gaulle had no easy answers.

"We have less than four days to make it to Hawks and then disappear after," said Gaulle. "We go back our quarters, monitor things passively and act accordingly if we hear something."

"The fact that we seem to be hunted by one of our own doesn't leave me at all comfortable," said Goroshenko. "At the rate we're going there won't be any of us left in four days."

Goroshenko was always an irritant to Gaulle. Still, it was difficult not to deal with the fact that they had lost two people. "The danger we have being exposed applies to Orion Ruskovich as well," began Gaulle. "Singh was not able to find a record of her on the ship using facial recognition. It means she's a stowaway."

"She's been doing a pretty good job of evading people," groused Goroshenko. "Not to mention killing them."

"We now know she's on board and can safeguard against her," said Gaulle.

"We can?" asked Nguyen. "How?"

Gaulle turned to Adjani and Adisa. "Is there an anonymous site to report crime?"

"Yes, sir," Adjani answered.

"We're going to give all of it to them," said Gaulle.

"Give what to whom?" Strasser questioned. It looked like everyone else in the room was curious as well.

"A dossier on Orion Ruskovich," said Gaulle.

"Doesn't that implicate us?" Goroshenko asked. "I mean the first question I ask if a dossier like that comes to me is who sent it and why."

"They certainly can and will ask but their first priority will be finding Orion," said Gaulle. "And this will make it difficult for her or security to look for us."

"If she is apprehended by security, will she just turn us in" asked Strasser. "Aren't we on the run as well?"

"She's right," said Goroshenko. "She knows most if not all of us. She might trade on the only card she has."

"Aubrey Chase Chen created a narrative on her relationship with Orion. It removed the rest of us from the story," said Gaulle. "When she first ran away, the dossier was cooked up to show that Chen acted as guardian by the government who suspected psi abilities never seen in a human."

"That's not far from the truth," observed Nguyen. "She has powers that continue to surprise us."

"The dossier went on to list some of the psi powers she had," continued Gaulle. "It also suggested possible involvement in the death of her parents."

Nguyen gasped. "You didn't."

"We did," insisted Gaulle. "In the end, we didn't need it as we found her on our own and until now presumed her dead."

Goroshenko snorted at that. "She certainly didn't stay dead."

"We still have the dossier to send to security now," said Gaulle. "She won't have room to move with everyone looking for."

"And what would you have us do?" Strasser asked.

"I want everyone to stay in their cabins except for Adjani and Adisa," replied Gaulle. "They can detect Orion's presence if she draws near. But we all alert security if she is seen. Let them run her down. Go, but keep hourly contact with me."

Strasser, Nguyen and Goroshenko headed for the door while Adjani and Adisa waited behind.

"Do you really want us to do nothing?" asked Adjani.

Gaulle's eyes narrowed. "If you have her in your sights, take her down. You have weapons?"

Adisa opened his jacket and Gaulle saw a pistol tucked inside. There were a variety of other weapons including percussive explosives and flechette sabot. "My brother and I have a debt to repay."

"You are the only ones I know who can do the job," said Gaulle. "Goroshenko and the women have their uses but they can't do the heavy lifting."

Adjani nodded. "The best outcome is if she's dead."

"Yes," answered Gualle. "Either by our hand or ship security's. She still poses a danger to us all. She can't be allowed to live. And we don't want her talking."

"Understood," replied Adjani.

"You have the dossier on Ruskovich that you want us to deliver?" Adisa asked.

Gaulle handed over a small thumb drive and Adjani slipped it into a pocket.

"Upload it immediately. We should see the results shortly so be mindful not to be caught up in a dragnet," said Gaulle.

The drive could be uploaded anonymously to a crimestoppers line that went direct to security. There was some risk handing the information over but the convention was to investigate the claims made rather than figure out who handed them over. In fact, the system only worked as well as it did if witnesses or informants knew police would not look for them.

Gaulle placed a hand on the shoulders of both Adjani and Adisa. Neither of the brothers smiled much but they stood up straight and proud and nodded their heads. Moments later they were out the door as well to carry out their assignments.