Aeolus Investigations Episode 3

Available on Amazon.com

It’s been eleven months since Lexi Stevens burst onto the stage of the interstellar civilization known as the Accord. She thought, like her two friends Ron and Geena Samue, she was destined to be an insurance investigator. Geena has been showing her the ropes. Her ex-spy friend Pete Isher has been offering advice. It sounded like a good life.

In the first two episodes, the successful missions Aeolus completed has brought them fame and fortune, becoming personal acquaintances with the rulers of more than one Accord world.

The Accord has its share of problems. Stagnant technology and social growth. Uncontrolled predation on its shipping by pirates. Unfortunately, the activities of Aeolus has brought them to the attention of those pirates. Now Lexi has bounty hunters after her.

She wanted to be an insurance investigator. Destiny has other plans for her and the Aeolus Investigations team.

Paladin — Chapter 4 The Weapon Shop of Isher

Eight days before leaving Cardin, Lexi visited the shop where she purchased her comm-gear and weapon-simulator the last time she was in town. She wasn’t shopping for anything specific this time around other than silencers for the team’s Glocks, but it was fun browsing and who knew, maybe something new had come in that would pique her interest. Sometimes she felt like a kid let loose in a candy store. With Daddy’s credit card.

The shop was owned by Pete Isher, an interesting middle-aged man who, frankly, thought a lot like she did. He kind of reminds me of Dad. She suspected that he had been a detective, a criminal, or maybe a spy in his younger days. Maybe he still is. She had been developing a cordial relationship with and mutual respect for him since the first time she entered his shop. “Hello, Miss Stevens,” he said as she walked to his counter. “Looking for anything in particular today? I have upgraded software for the firearm simulators I think you should look at.”

This visit, she had some serious questions for the shop’s proprietor, such as why he hadn’t sold her silencers with the guns in the first place. She told him what she expected to be doing with them. She also wanted to press him on why he decided to notify the authorities on Naragene Nine it was her team responsible for the recovery of the Rose of Light. Both Jis and Jadkin denied having anything to do with that. It had to be Pete. There wasn’t anyone else.

“Maybe,” she said. “And please, I’m Lexi, remember. Not Miss Stevens.”

He replied, “Yes. I remember. Sometimes formality conveys situational information that can’t be spoken aloud.” He smiled. “Who knows, you could have a listening device on your back.”

Lexi frowned, wondering what that meant. “Listen, Pete, I was recently in a situation where I think I might have found body armor convenient. To be blunt, people were shooting at us. I took a bullet in the shoulder. What’s your opinion on that?”

“Even a shoulder wound can be fatal. We’ll fit you with body armor while you’re here.” He hesitated a moment, seeming distracted. “I should probably sell you the software so you can fabricate your own for your team members. However, my opinion is don’t put yourself in front of a bullet. The coverage isn’t complete and at any rate, armor can be pierced. I really want to sell you this software upgrade for the gun simulator. I think you’ll be impressed. You’re one of my few customers, you know, who not only appreciates what I have to offer but can also handle yourself in real-life, dangerous situations. I’m greatly impressed with your success going up against the pirates on Hepca. Step over here with me a moment if you don’t mind. Do you have your contact lens in?”

Puzzled, Lexi moved to stand next to him behind his counter. How can he know anything about what happened on Hepca? Why did he refer to the criminals we dealt with as “pirates?”

He asked, “How far along are you with the current version of the target range software?”

“It’s not much of a challenge anymore,” Lexi admitted. “And yes, I am wearing the lens.” The contact lens component of her comm-gear allowed Urania to see whatever the wearer was watching. It also gave Urania the ability to supply maps and information updates by means of optical overlays. It took a little bit of getting used to, but was a fantastic enhancement to the team’s effectiveness when Urania could hack an enemy datanet and transmit floor plans to mobile assets. It proved its worth when they were hunting down the guards in the chalet on Hepca. The “pirates” in the chalet on Hepca? Depending on the types of sensors deployed on the enemy base, Urania should also be able to pinpoint the locations of hostiles in real-time.

“That’s good,” Pete said. “It’ll help you follow the action in the simulation I want you to watch.” While she was still wondering what he might mean by that, he handed her a Glock, fully loaded and ready to be fired in his simulated range. In weight and feel, the gun was indistinguishable from the real item. When fired, both the kick and noise would be completely convincing. She had a set of them they still practiced with on the ship. As he picked up one for himself, he said, “Take a look at the detail. This scenario pits you against three armed men with questionable intentions who follow you from the street into a shop much like mine.”

The portable models she owned made use of goggles for the simulation. She glanced down at the countertop display as three armed men appeared at a glass doorway of a storefront. What she didn’t see was the green LED dot that should have been visible on the base of a simulated Glock in the gun’s reflection in the highly polished countertop. One of the men was just now outside the door, about to walk through the doorway into the store. Two others were close behind him.

When the door’s chime sounded at the same time the man in the simulation walked in, she suddenly realized Pete was setting up an ambush. She didn’t know what was going on, but she trusted Pete. For one thing, he just handed her a live weapon. If something was about to go down, they were on the same side. The Glock she was holding was not one of the simulated pieces. At least she hoped it wasn’t. It was nearly impossible to tell the difference until you pulled the trigger and someone died. They were that well designed. That’s why they had the green light on the base. She doubted this one had burned out.

“Allow me to reset the simulation to the start. It won’t take long. Why don’t you go take a look at the camo gear over there while I do that,” he suggested. Noting that would put the men he was concerned about in their crossfire, she walked to the far corner of the room. Through her lens, she had the same view of the shop as was on his display. I’ll have to have a talk with Pete about this. He isn’t supposed be able to hack my lens. What kind of connections does the man have if he knows about what went down on Hepca?

As the first man to enter the shop approached him, Pete said, “I’m helping another customer at the moment, sir. Is there anything quick I can do for you?”

The man chuckled and drew a gun from inside his jacket. Pete was fast, but not fast enough to beat a much younger, experienced mercenary to the punch. Lexi’s reaction time was another story. She took out both the man threatening Pete and the second man who entered the shop while Pete was still in the process of bringing up his own handgun. Pete shot the third man while he was still outside of Lexi’s line of sight. Unlike Lexi’s kills, his man didn’t die instantly. Unfortunately, he expired less than a minute later. “Dammit,” Pete said. “We really wanted to question one of these guys. Words to the wise, Lexi, don’t always be lethal. This wasn’t an attempted robbery. These guys followed you into my shop. Do you know why?”

“No,” she admitted.

“Well, let’s see what we’ve got then. Check them for ID. I’ll run them through the datanet.” At her raised eyebrows, he admitted, “I have access to the Planetary Police datanet.” He gave her a conspiratorial wink and added, “Don’t tell anyone.”

“Of course not. Why did you announce that my team recovered the Rose of Light? And why didn’t you sell me silencers when I bought the Glocks?”

“I guessed what you would be going up against, Lexi. There have been rumblings on the dark web for over a year about an organization running operations on Naragene Nine. You can’t keep something like the recovery of the Rose quiet anyway. Letting the Naragene Criminal Investigative Bureau know your team was responsible served your purpose well. Did it not?”

Lexi shrugged. “Yes, Geena thinks it did. But you should have discussed it with us.”

“I’ll concede that point. As to the silencers, you need to learn to think of things like that for yourself. I like you, Lexi. I’m happy to advise and assist.” He frowned. “But I’m not your nanny.”

She frowned back. “How about removing the bug on my back, Pete. Or did you make that up?”

Paladin is available on Amazon.com