Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition (90 page)

Well, it would
be a ship carrying the software for all of the basic computer and
navigational equipment as the likeliest choice and it would be some
company that carried along those specific routes on a regular
basis. That meant Klaj, Qat, Nimb, or Rut.

That meant the
"Nimb Colossus." The hijacking would take place at a very specific
point in TTH4, which would take some doing! How was it possible to
"wait" for your quarry in TTH4? TR or T6 could trace the ships
there, but how could they intercept?

That meant an
impossible process must be set up to eject the ships into N space.
There was no other way the cargo could be moved. There was also
absolutely no way the passengers wouldn't be perfectly well aware
they were shifted in planes. The feeling of "mental twist" would be
magnified tremendously from an outside force that could do
that.

The "Nimb
Colossus" would be loading tomorrow so T6 could send a floater to
put one of the special tracers on it and Kit would follow very
closely. It should prove interesting.

TR said Tab was
unavailable and would be traveling as a special crew member aboard
the "Colossus" so it would tag along using the same trace T6 used.
They could easily follow the pirates, but it was fairly certain
they'd be landing on the restricted planet, Larmooth, with the
loot. Both TR and Kit located the planet from different analyses.
That made it a fair certainty.

It would be
interesting to see how it was done and no one would interrupt the
pirates. Fleet could be called in to make sure there would be no
escape when the time came, but there was more to this than simply
stopping the piracies and returning the merchandise. They had to
know how it was done to prevent the same kind of thing happening in
the future and they had to know who was behind it.

TR placed the
tracer, then announced there was another tracer along the same
lines but at a far different frequency already aboard the ship.

Well, they knew
how the ships were located in TTH4! Now all they had to do was find
how the information was of any use.

Kit waited
until it was time for the "Colossus" to lift off, then went above
atmosphere where he and T6 met with TR. Tab was aboard as stowage
expert.

They stayed
closely graviticly linked as they followed the "Colossus" at a good
distance. They were very close to the point they had calculated
when the attack came.

So that was how
it was done! One of Maita's own inventions and one TR had used
against the Tlessarian brain ship! That meant someone from fleet
had talked too much or had sold out.

*

Tab rechecked
the ship, then went to quarters where the four crewmembers and two
passengers were sitting around. He sat to talk with them while they
traded stories. Tab was watching the internal timer because TR had
warned him about where and when the attack would take place. It was
past critical time and nothing had happened so it wouldn't be this
trip.

But hadn't he
felt a sort of vertigo for the smallest fraction of a second? What
would cause a robot to feel vertigo?

So that was how
they did it! Tab raced to the hold to find it emptied of software
and computer spare parts and the navigational moder frames while
the smaller part of the cargo and the mail were untouched.

He reported to
the captain that they had been relieved of the cargo and they
checked the hold again together. The captain nor anyone else aboard
the ship could believe it had happened.

"But when was
it possible?" Captain Harst asked in exasperation. "We're in TTH
four! It can't be done!"

"Not in TTH
four, it can't," Tab agreed. "We were pulled out of TTH four.

"Oh, great
colliding galaxies! I know how it was done, but I don't know HOW
they did it!"

"This mess must
have affected all our minds," Harst replied dryly. "I know what you
mean. You know what process they used, but you don't know how they
used it."

"I know the
process," Tab said as dryly. "I know all about how it was done, I
just don't know how it's possible for them to work when the process
is in effect. It will be close to impossible – as close as you can
get."

He got a
strange look, but no one asked him anything else.

They landed and
filled out the crime reports. The others had to report that Tab
acted in an odd manner after the hijacking and that he was the only
one who knew when it was done so he asked for the probe to allay
their suspicions. He could control the probe, though no organic
could. He was fully exonerated.

He went aboard
TR, who reported Kit was at Larmooth aboard T6 trying to discover a
way to contract for some stolen goods. TR explained what had
happened: "They used three small ships and put an inertial stasis
field around you, then, when you popped into N space, they went
aboard and took what they wanted, used the drag on the inertial
field to take you back into TTH four and sent you on your way.
Simple," TR reported.

"The only thing
that's simple here is you," Tab retorted.

"If I didn't
have the feeling that you're right I'd make an appropriate remark.
Explain," TR said.

"They
physically boarded us?" Tab asked. "They came aboard and took what
they wanted?"

"So?" TR
asked.

"While we were
in an inertial stasis field? One we never came out of?" Tab
replied. "Talk about magic! How could you miss that?"

"They should've
been stassified in there along with you!" TR cried. "Nothing can
relmove with-in the field! Not even electrons! How did they DO
that?"

"They've
discovered a principle we know nothing about," Tab suggested. "Call
Maita and lay this data out. Tell it we're going to go to Kit and
we're going to try to find what's behind this! Maita has to find
out who let them know about the ... nobody. If they've figured a
way to move in that field they had to be able to set up the conic
field in the first place. I'm afraid we're working against genius
here, TR. Get Thing involved. It'll love this little puzzle.

"Head for
Larmooth. I'll try to find an excuse for us to know about the
place."

"I'm sure
they'll advertise their wares among certain elements of galactic
society," TR replied. "We'll be at Larmooth in about twenty
minutes. Thing is working in its gardens, but Maita's sending the
floater for it."

They orbited
Larmooth until TR found the special beaconsat operating off the
normal trader channels. It asked for landing instructions.

"This is a
restricted planet," a voice came back. "There is no permission
granted for groundfall here."

"Hey!" TR
responded. "I didn't follow that beaconsat here by accident! Gimme
a break!"

"Who are you?"
the voice asked.

"I'm a Jornian
citizen who likes to bargain shop," TR replied as it told Tab to
get into the shop fast for a disguise.

"There are Zurn
down there and this guy's voice range is most certainly Jornian!
You can be Loahr. It's a common alias among them.

"What I'm
beginning to get irritated by is the way Jornians insist on
bringing the Zurn into their crooked little deals! I'll be damned
glad when the race grows up a bit! There's genius there. I can see
where the stasis thing came from, but enough is enough!"

Tab was in the
shop being changed quickly. TR still had the pattern from a recent
involvement with the Jornians so it could be done without
reprogramming the servos. TR was able to get permission to land. T6
was sitting close on the pads, but didn't make any attempt to
contact them so TR knew something was up and there could be a trace
even of the highly sophisticated system they used.

Shielded light
beams couldn't be traced! TR set up a beam it was sure couldn't be
detected without something directly between the ships and asked T6
what was the matter.

"There's an
interference scanner that will come by in a few seconds so make one
pulse and don't communicate further," T6 sent. "Kit is being held
and they may have a way to detect coms between any of us. Kit is
here."

There was a
picture map of the area with a light at one spot. There wouldn't be
any further communication for awhile.

Tab sat back to
think, then got up and headed for the door.

"Shield stasis
fields and inertial fields," Tab cautioned as he went to the door.
"Nobody comes aboard you. Nobody but Kit or me."

"How in the
hell can I shield stasis or inertial fields?" TR asked
exasperatedly.

"Oh, try the
same way they do," Tab answered. "Closed moebus repulse looped
carrier fields."

"I will be
damned!" TR replied. "I think maybe I can construct ... moebus? The
field will have to twist on itself and will.... Oh, this is good! I
think maybe I can ... this is fascinating!"

Tab went out
grinning to himself. TR would see what he had seen. This time they
were one up on Thing! Finally!

* *

Kit looked out
through the narrow window and wondered what would be his best
chance. He could probably walk right through that wall, but then he
wouldn't have a chance of finding out who or what was behind this.
He could possibly learn something if he stayed in and kept quiet.
They wouldn't be able to find anything about him.

Had they
managed to get aboard T6? If so, had they discovered anything?

Probably not.
The important equipment aboard was mostly in the programings so
they couldn't get to it in a stasis field.

How had they
been able to move about inside of that field? It didn't make any
sense! It was Jornians and Zurn, though only the Jornians would
know this was a crooked operation. The Zurn wouldn't go along with
it if they knew. It would stop immediately when medical supplies
were taken.

Why must a race
with the good abilities and potentials of the Jornians go through
this stage? They had so much to offer.

Should he have
contacted Maita before coming here and told it about the ability of
the Jornians to move about inside a stasis field? Thing may be able
to figure out how it was done in time. If the Jornians found the
principle in years of research hing could find it in days. If it
were an accidental discovery maybe even Thing couldn't figure it
out.

Kit thought:
Here I am locked in a cell and I'm thinking about what Thing can
do! I can't even dare to try to contact T6. This is ridiculous!
I'll give it one more day, then I'll have to do something. They
don't want to hurt anyone for a change so I've got that going for
me. Maybe they figure so long as no one's killed the empire will
stay out of it. They think in weird ways.

There was some
sort of pattern or password or something and he didn't know it so
was grabbed. Maybe they'd try to sell T6, too, but there was no way
anyone other than he or Tab could get that ship to do anything at
all.

Could they
destroy its intelligence? Kit sincerely hoped that was the one
impossibility that had been put in by Maita. He would self-destruct
if anything happened to T6.

Concentrate on
the problem at hand. They had this contraband stored here. One ship
had come that Kit knew of to buy a load. It left with the gincha.
Maybe T6 could trace the chits and would know where the stuff was
taken and what kind of prices they were getting for stuff. They
would need to find the entire route the goods followed to be able
to end the scheme. It would have to come at one time, not in
pieces.

He heard a ship
come in and looked out the little air vent.

It was TR!
Would they grab Tab now?

That question
was answered after a few more minutes. Two Jornians with hand phase
shifter beamers led another Jornian in and told him to sit. They
asked Kit if he wanted anything, were told no, and left.

"Hi, I'm
Loahr," the Jornian said. "I take it that's your ship on the
pads?

"I landed next
to you. I hope I can make a deal for some of that nav stuff! I know
just where to move it fast! You after ... you're a Kheth. What
would you be after?"

So it was Tab
in disguise and he wasn't worried about being held. That was
good.

"I'm called
Giam," Kit replied. "I happened to see the planet was occupied.
There were three ships sitting out there as plain as day so I
called in and got a ridiculous story about some kind of special
permitted operation. I landed anyway and ended up in here.

"What do you
mean about nav equipment? This is an empire restricted planet! They
can't use it as a transfer station!"

"Wow! Are you
dense!" Tab cried.

This was for
the obvious bugs his internals detected around the room. He was
certain Kit had detected them, too, so Kit was communicating in
that manner that he had gotten himself into a position where he
couldn't act as a crook or buyer so had acted like a Kheth would
act. Outraged at any sign of illegal dealings of any sort. Tab
would know Kit had figured out too late he shouldn't have come as a
Kheth. The Kheth didn't get involved in such dealings. Ever.

"Dense?" Kit
replied coldly. "Do you feel that anyone with personal honor is
dense?

"I see! This is
all stolen goods, isn't it? That's why it's on a restricted
planet!

"Well, you can
rest assured the emperor will find it on the yearly scan! It won't
last! That IS, after all, what the scan is FOR!"

"Yearly scan?"
Tab asked.

"Why,
certainly," Kit replied. "All closed and restricted worlds are
scanned once every year for abuses such as this ever since those
Immins were using Tabori over a hundred years ago. Emperor Maita
has decreed that the same sort of criminal activity will not be
allowed to flourish ever again in this galaxy. You know how he is
about that sort of thing and it gives Fleet something to do while
keeping this sort of thing from thriving. I'd think the scan is due
here quite soon. I'm fairly sure it's nearly a year since the last
one.