“One thing leads to another Jo. Its what Grandma always said, but somehow I never believed her. Well, she was always calling me Jo, called everyone Jo for that matter. She was always worrying about her, but then everyone was, including me I suppose. Now. Well, it’s a long story and best told from the start otherwise things get rather convoluted. They’ll get convoluted anyway, its that sort of story.
But, I'm procrastinating, its one of my failings.”
“We know that,” sighed the lawyer. “Now just get on with it. We don’t have much time.”
“Maybe, but I’d hate to rush things,” thought Carol.
“Right, well everything started when Jo took the runabout.”
“Whose was the runabout?”
“It was Mum and Dad’s, but after the,”
“Accident,” said the lawyer quickly.
“Surely that’s for the Inquiry to decide. When it finally gets round to making a decision,” asked Carol.
“I’ve seen the evidence. There is no doubt that it was an accident,” said the lawyer.
“So why has the Inquiry taken so long?” asked Carol.
“These things take time,” said the lawyer.
“Five years and counting,” said Carol.
“Your sister took the runabout. Why?” asked the lawyer trying to get the interview back to the subject.
“There was a party, on the far side of the moon, they’d have let her use it anyway. “Better that than she hitch a lift in any old crate,” Mum used to say,” she faltered. Mum was always telling her to look after her little sister.
“She’s too impulsive,” Mum would say. “She frightens me sometimes the things she does. You’re much more sensible Carol, so you must make sure she doesn’t come to any harm, remind her to be careful.”
“I’ve let Mum down big time,” thought Carol, “I just hope she comes out of this OK.”
“A simple trip to the moon. There should have been no problems,” prompted the lawyer.
“Well,” hesitated Carol. “I think she may have forgotten to run a diagnostic on the runabout before she left.”
“It’s a pretty good guess. She never runs it, I have to do it for her, but this time I didn’t go with her. Parties just aren’t me and with Jo there no one notices I’ve even come.” thought Carol.
“Doesn’t she realise that’s illegal?”
“She’d taken it out earlier in that day, maybe she didn’t think it was necessary. It takes so long to run and she never likes to arrive late.”
“Every time means every time,” started the lawyer.
“I could live without this,” thought Carol silently cursing her little sister.
“I know,” she smiled. “Whatever. Somewhere between here and the moon the runabout stopped working.”
“On the way there or on the way back? Did she run out of fuel or was there a mechanical breakdown? Can you be more specific?”
“No. I checked with Space Control on the moon. They had no record of her arriving.”
“Then she didn’t get there.”
“They had no record of that evening’s movements. There was some sort of computer malfunction. They couldn’t or wouldn’t explain it.”
“There’s no reason for them to withhold the information, so they probably hadn’t located the origin of the fault.”
“Just like they couldn’t explain their lack of records at the time of Mum and Dad’s “accident”,” thought Carol.
“Anyway, somewhere between here and the moon the runabout stopped. She put out a call for the breakdown people to come and sort it.”
“Would this be the RSSC?”
“Probably. I can’t remember. Anyway, I checked with them, the call was logged, but they didn’t come. Someone we know saw the runabout taken away by a deep space cruiser.”
“Who was this?”
“I promised not to say.”
“Most irregular,” said the lawyer.
“You ain’t heard nothing yet,” thought Carol
“He said that the runabout might have been taken to the outer planets. So I took Dad’s spaceship there to try and find Joe.”
“I hope you ran the diagnostics.”
“Of course,” snapped Carol.
“And that you had the necessary paperwork.”
“What do you think, it takes at least seven weeks for that lot to come through, even if you do bribe the officials. And God alone knows what could happen to Jo in that time.”
“Actually she probably organise the revolt of the workers and have everyone waiting on her every word,” thought Carol.
“No paperwork,” sniffed the lawyer. “And how did you get past the sensor array?”
“My friend knows ways. I just wanted to get my sister back.”
“OK So you went off to the outer planets to find your runabout and your sister, wouldn’t it have been more sensible to just contact the authorities and leave it to them?”
“Not if I wanted to see Jo again,” thought Carol.
“Maybe,” She said vaguely.
“Kidnapping is illegal. The best way to discourage it is not to give in to demands and to tell the authorities immediately and let them investigate it.”
“Kidnappers make demands, they didn’t and I didn’t report it. I wanted to tell my sister off for being impulsive. Anyway. We went to the outer planets. At first all we did was come up against stone walls. No one knew anything, or if they did they weren't telling us. Then my friend saw the deep space cruiser. The one that had taken the runabout. It was being overhauled by some subcontractor, not the sort of people I’d choose to see to Dad’s spaceship, though I suppose they couldn’t exactly go to a main agent. Anyway, in the confusion we managed to sneak on board to look for clues. Anything to help us find Jo...”
“Boarding a spacecraft without the owners consent,” muttered the lawyer.
“Is illegal. I know, but I hardly think he’s likely to press charges,” said Carol.
“So what did you find out?” asked the lawyer.
“Before we got picked up?” said Carol.
“Before you were picked up?”
“I found out that this wasn’t the first runabout that he’d immobilised and picked up. It’s a regular thing. He has a buyer who tells him what type of runabout to steal. He has access to the sensor arrays database and logs, so he knows what’s where.”
“But that information has restricted access,” said the lawyer.
“His buyer has access.”
“That’s impossible.”
“No. Access is just part of his job. He passed the codes on so someone could locate the vehicles he had buyers for. They were taken to the outer planets till they told him where and when they were to be delivered.”
“So this wasn’t just a one off incident?” asked the lawyer.
“Not the brightest,” thought Carol, “but we’re getting there, I suppose.”
“No. This wasn’t a one off. Neither was Jo the only one to be picked up with her runabout.”
“What’s happened to these people?”
“He’s got them working a mine on another planet.”
“Why don’t they leave?”
“To leave you need a spaceship.”
“And you were going to collect them when we picked you up?”
“Oh no,” smiled Carol. “I was creating a diversion whilst my friend went to pick them up in the thief's spaceship.”
“Why?”
“Best way I could think of to bring back the evidence. The ships got the best cloaking device I’ve ever seen, and its amazing what locations are programmed into their computer. They should’ve downloaded the evidence to the Judicial Mainframe by now,” said Carol turning to the VDU as the picture changed from a pleasant pastoral scene to the words News Flash. The background music ceased and a news reader appeared at the desk looking flustered.
“The President has just resigned after the Judicial Mainframe was presented with conclusive evidence of his malpractices over the last 20 years. These offences include the systematic theft and resale of space vehicles, to fund his lifestyle, the kidnapping and forced labour of the owners in illegal mining operations and the murder of political opponents. He has been sentenced to a judicial vaporisation, unfortunately he managed to evade arrest, but the authorities are confident that he will not long evade capture.
Elections for a new President will be held in one months time. Meanwhile the vice President will take over.”
“This is for you Mum and Dad,” thought Carol getting up to leave the room.
“Where are you going?” asked the lawyer.
“To find my sister,” she replied.
“But we haven’t finished,” said the lawyer.
“Oh I think we have.” smiled Carol as a large armed Policeman smashed through the door.
“Lawyer Birdport, we are arresting you in connection with the Presidents unlawful dealings. May I warn you that if you resist arrest we may use force.”
“I know,” said the lawyer. “I will not resist.”
“Your sister's in arrival lounge 47a,” he said smiling at Carol.
“One thing leads to another,” thought Carol. “But at least they’ve lead me back to my little sister.”
“There she is,” Carol smiled to herself as she entered arrival lounge 47a. “Just as I should’ve know she’d be, looking immaculate and with everyone waiting on her hand and foot.”
“Carol,” smiled Joe waving to her sister. “Do tell me you’ve come to take us home.”
“Us?” asked Carol
“Us,” said a man and woman walking across the arrival lounge.
“Mum, Dad,” she shrieked suddenly recognising them. “I didn't dare hope you'd still be alive,” Carol said. “I just wanted to get Joe back.”
“You've done that and more,” said Mum.
“We're very proud of you,” said Dad.
“So can we go home?” asked Joe. “I could soak in a hot bath for a whole day.”
“Nothing changes,” thought Carol smiling.
by J.M. Nye
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