Jebel turned the pickup gain on the radio down as his rover worked its way over the edge of a harshly-lit cliff face. Earth was up this time of day, so that even the shadows were not so dark. He sipped some water from the nipple under his chin and darkened his face plate another notch, wishing for the hundredth time that there was more room for his tail.
The static on the radio cleared enough to hear again when he reached the bottom of the cliff, so he turned it back on and tuned in on a channel doing news. "... they think that they can get away with holding loyalties to anything but The Peoples Lunar Commonwealth. This claim that Eagle's Landing is the fifty-fourth state of the union is ludicrous! America is an Earth country not.."
Another voice cut in. "Yes, yes, yes, we have all heard this before from you lunies." Jebel grinned. Gov. Krandall always did have a way with words. "This state has been here for more then twenty years," he continued. "It has some of the oldest landings made on the moon and the oldest bases on the moon within its borders. What makes you think that we are about to turn our backs on citizenship to join your goverment... a system of government (I might add) that amounts to little more then a dictatorship?"
The lunies voice was rather shrill in responding. "We help the good of all people by sharing everything.."
"Sirs?" said a third voice. "It is time for a commercial break." The third voice turned to the audience. We will be back after these words from our sponsor."
*"Come to Paradise Inn and feel the virtual rooms. The sun on your snout!
The wind in your fur. There's no substitute for flying within the
artificial..
He was at the meeting place and the sales representative was waiting next to their rover. He could not see the face behind the gold shield that they had down.
"So, how've you been, Yar?" Jebel asked.
"Ok, I guess. The cost of raising food here is out of this world"
"Well, anyway, how's my order coming?" Yar glanced at his electronic pad.
"Well, electromagnetic pulse convertors are hard to make. It'll probably be another month or so"
Jebel sighed and sat down at the table. "I need those by next week. And you know what happens when I don't get what I need." Jebel patted the device at his side. "So don't mess with me."
Yar looked at the enigmatic device. "Threats won't get your convertors built any faster. Consider yourself lucky I don't have to get parts shipped in.
Jebel frowned and pulled the device from his belt. "I'm sorry I have to do this then. I'll have to shop for another quote."
Artemis City, Lunar Commonwealth. 0800 standard Universal Time.
"Good morning, Artemis City, this is Winston Lessa with the morning edition of the news. Last night's murder of ElectroCorp sales representative Sallacia Yar is still the top story; Jebel Paxton is still on the loose, and considered dangerous. I repeat, extremely dangerous. Jebel's description is as follows - he is a six foot two feline, with a scar on his right shoulder. If you have any information as to the whereabouts of this -- *click*"
Paul Kresko flipped off the radio and sighed. Yet another murder case... Just what the city needed. This string of murders didn't help the image of the Commonwealth any, that's for sure, and as Minister of Public Safety, this was a problem. A big problem. If the Commonwealth was ever going to gain any trust in the public eye, it was going to have to shape up, and, he thought, the police are not doing enough... It was time to take matters into his own paws. "Terri?"
"Yes, Mr. Kresko?"
"Hold all my calls until I get back."
"I'm looking for an electromagnetic pulse converter." Jebel looked around the dingy room. A table, a chair, and a small cabinet were the only objects which could truly be called furniture, but the half-dismantled pieces of electronic equipment more than adequately filled the extra space.
"Electromagnetic pulse converter, eh?" The tall equine behind the desk looked curiously at him. "That might take some doing. When do you need it?"
"By next week. I need to --" He stopped at a sharp gesture.
"I don't care what your plans are, and it's better for both of us that I not know... but one week isn't much time."
"It's all the time I have," answered Jebel. "If you can't do it, I'll go elsewhere."
"No, I can do it." She flicked her tail thoughtfully. "The question is, can you afford it?"
Lunar Time 1200 Hours..
Paul Kresko was sitting at his desk. Thinking on his problem. 'Where to start' he thought. '2 deaths in 2 days' Not good PR at all... If he wanted to make the Moon a better place in the Earth's eye, he'd have to move... "I just need one lead to begin..." he mused.
Then suddenly his Com unit buzzed: "Sir, I've got what you wanted from the Police Lab," Terri said over the com unit.
Paul pushed a button on the unit. "Good. Bring it in," he said. The door opened and Terri stepped in carrying a small pad in his hands. In two steps he was at Paul's Desk, which was about 10 feet from the door.
"Will you stop that hopping Terri, it's bad enough that this gravity already plays with my stomach. I dont need you hopping around to remind me," Paul Said.
"Sorry Sir," replied Terri.
"Let me see what you have," said Paul.
"It's the Business Pad from that Yer fellow who was attacked." Terri handed the pad to Paul.
"Good," he said.
"Lets see what our Friend Mr. Jebel Wanted." Paul Pushed a few buttons on the pad and began to read. "Hmmm", he whispered to himself. "There are only 2 places left to get a converter..."
Jebel stumbled through the dank alleyway avoiding the trash and sleeping vagrants in his path. "Damn!" This was his third attempt. The doorway was in a dark corner of an alcove. He slipped in silently and closed it behind himself with nary a click.
"That's far enough!" The voice came from darkness behind a small table with a work light bent over it. "Your coming has not been unnoticed."
"So? Can you do what I asked?" Jebel approached the table and placed both hands flat onto it, fingers splayed out. His eyes adjusted to the dim light and he could make out the figure that sat beyond him.
"I am the best!" came the low reply. "You want a pulse converter and you want it now."
"Exactly. Can you do it?" Jebel tensed. This was not going like he thought it might.
An uncharacteristic chuckle danced around his head. "Of course! Can you pay?"
Jebel nodded slowly.
"Keep in mind I am not going the way of the last two you visited," the voice snarled. "One false move and they scrape you off the walls and ceiling!"
Jebel snarled. "It WASN'T ME! You think I'd blow away my only chance to get a converter? Get REAL!"
The figure in the dark shifted. Glowing green eyes blinked and narrowed. The blue-black, polished barrel of a particle rifle slid into the light and focused right between Jebel's eyes.
Kresko tried to stifle a yawn as he staggered into work. It wasn't proper for a Minister to show physical weakness, even if he had been up all night for nothing, too. Neither of the remaining black-market dealers capable of obtaining an EMP converter had done anything last night but sleep soundly in their pseudo-G cocoons. He paged Terri to ask if he'd been able to turn up any other leads. Spinning his wheels was frustrating, even if -- "WHAT?"
"That's right, sir, there was another murder last night. One 'Geran Willings'... wasn't he one of the ones you were staking out?"
"That's impossible," Kresko said, reading over the report. Impossible, but true, it seemed. He must have seen the police watching him and gone off to do business elsewhere and Jebel had murdered him, just like the others.
Kresko called up the files on the last dealer and looked them over. It wasn't likely that this 'Kelly Dare' would be able to get Paxton what he was looking for, but he'd have to try. With Geran, one of the slipperiest criminals ever to claw to the top... well, the middle, perhaps... With him dead, she'd know she didn't have a chance in hell of getting out alive. Unless he helped her, of course.
He called up the shuttle schedule and fiddled impatiently with trivial paperwork until it was time to catch the tube to the sub-dome, where her day-job was.
Jebel Paxton cursed as he listened to Artemis City News. Another one dead like all of the others. 'What in the hell is happening here.' He hit his fist onto the table. He typed onto the call pad and put in his code and then watched the screen blink at him. A computers voice bleeped. "Your call is being put through."
Jebel looked at the screen and at the Badger. "Hello Governor Krandall, I have not been able to get ahold of the converter that we need here in Artemis City. So far everyone with whom I have taken up business has ended up dead."
Krandall looked at the other on the scratchy image and nodded. He sighed heavily. This was not his day at all. There were already reports coming in from the farside observatory and the viking probe. "Ok, Jebel. Do you have any more leads on where to get the parts? We need them by next week or the main system here in Eagle's Landing will be going down."
Jebel nodded to the Governor. "I understand Krandall. There is one more person that I can go to. By the name of Kelly Dare... no last name as far as I can tell. So far though all that I have talked to were murdered soon afterwards. Can you tell me anything about that?"
Jebel suspected who was involved.
"Minister Kresko, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
"I think you know, Dare. It's about converters."
Dare sucked at her lip, "Not much call for it. specialty item."
"That's not what I mean and you know it. Someone is going to come looking for one. Someone who does not take no for an acceptable answer.
Dare flipped her snout up. "I can take care of myself just fine."
Kresko paused. "That's what Geran thought... or hadn't you heard?"
"Geran was getting sloppy. He forgot to take simple precautions. Anyway, I don't have a converter."
"Do you think Jebel will take that for an answer? Don't think that your mutual connection to the Lunar Popular Front will count for much."
"Very well... But consider yourself warned, Dare. If you show up on the obits tomorrow, I won't know whether to cry - or laugh."
"Ha."
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Jebel's voice - low, rasping - called in from outside as the door swung open - "All right, Kelly, I've got a, hello, who's this?"
"Name's Kresko. And you're Jebel Paxton, yes?"
The panther's eyes narrowed. "You're the one that's been following me, aren't you?"
"That's right. Following your every move..."
"Then," said Jebel, "I've got something for you," drawing his plasma pistol. Before he could fire it, however, Kresko was out of the way, his own gun drawn. The two stood off for a while while Kelly watched, seemingly indifferent.
Finally Jebel spoke - "Tell me! Why are you murdering everyone I talk to? I'm on a mission from Governor Krandall himself..."
Kresko blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me... This is a government mission. I'm getting paid well for it."
"But - the murders... I've been following the trail, and it leads to you."
"Look, we need to talk. Without our guns. Someone's trying to make a fool out of both of us, and it's going to take all our efforts to find out who."
"And when we do..." Kresko and Jebel nodded in silent agreement. "Let's go."
Kresko opened the door to his office and ushered Jebel towards a chair. "Now, before we go chasing after this murderer, I wonder if you could explain your side of the story?"
Jebel smiled, "Sounds like you know half of it already. Governor Krandall has hired me to find certain pieces of equipment for one of the Lunar scientific teams whose lab got destroyed. Some items on his list were fairly easy to find. Unfortunately, the electromagnetic pulse converter was not one of them."
"Do you know anything about what this team was doing when their experiments blew up?"
Jebel shook his head, "I know what you're thinking, Minister, but no, it wasn't sabotage. According to the reports the explosion was nothing more sinister than a faulty wire. But the scientists, and Krandall, were afraid of the bad publicity for Luna, should knowledge of their carelessness get out... so they went through other sources."
"What about the experiments themselves?"
"Ask Krandall, I'm no scientist." Jebel seemed uninterested.
"But why go to all that trouble to prevent you from getting the pulse converter?" Kresko insisted.
"That I think I have an answer to." Jebel leaned forward conspiratorially. "And I think I know who, as well."
"Who? Kresko demanded. "Who?"
Jebel waved him to be quiet. "Yer sounding like an owl. Think for yourself! Who would stand to gain if Eagle's Landing was in jeopardy?"
Kresko blinked.
"That's what I am doing out here, running around, taking a chance on gettin' my tail shot off!" Jebel walked to the view port and looked out of it at the lunar landscape beyond, dotted with scientific installations and greenhouse domes, green and verdant. "When you answer my question, you too will know."
Kresko stood at the port and stared outward. His mind worked feverishly. "We both stand to lose, ya know . . ." Jebel did not look at Kresko. He deliberately kept his gaze ahead.
Kresko nodded. "It isn't from my side."
Jebel nodded perfunctorially. "Nor mine."
Kresko sighed and turned away. "Look, we may be rivals, but the moon is not an armed camp. THAT was in the agreements signed long ago. My government is not involved."
"Who is?" Jebel turned to him slowly. "The common thread?"
Kresko's eyes dilated into colorless orbs.
Jebel grinned and nodded knowingly. "You begin to see the whole picture."
"They . . . they can't do that!"
Jebel came to the desk. "
"Impossible!" Kresko shook his head, refusing to believe what he now suspected. "They . . . they can't be allowed to get away with it!"
Jebel stared into Kresko's distraught face. "Both sides are on the receiving end! We have the problem now! You're next!"
A rumbling shook the office gently and set the overhead lamps swinging. Jebel ran to the port and stared. His ears flattened. "It's begun!"
"What's going on? What is that?"
"They're here," Jebel said. "We'd better head for the shelters."
Just then the port shattered, and Jebel fell to the ground, clawing at his face as the air rushed out into the vacuum. Kresko grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him into the shelter. Kelly was nowhere to be seen... he hoped she was somewhere safe. After the airlock to the emergency shelter was sealed, he looked around and cursed. What should have been a month's worth of supplies was missing. Instead, machinery and industrial equipment was stacked from floor to ceiling. Even the air tanks had been ripped out to leave more room for storage. But his first concern was Jebel. The panther was in sorry shape. Shards of plastic from the shattered port had cut up his face pretty badly, and there was a large welt from the rock that had broken the window in the first place and knocked him unconscious. Kresko rummaged around until he found a pair of needle-nose pliers and tried to pick out the shrapnel.
"What hit me," Jebel murmered, slitting his eyes open. "AAH!" Seeing the minister leaning over him with a weapon near his eyes, he lashed out with his claws and leaped back into a corner, where he almost collapsed. "Urrrgh..."
Kresko hissed and pressed a paw to his side, muttering something about lunatic capitalists.
"What just happened," he asked.
"...been following them for... months now..." Jebel murmered, sliding to the floor. "...thought they'd come after us, though."
"They blew the dome," Kresko said. "Not even the martians would be crazy enough to try that."
Jebel laughed bitterly. "They blew our main field generators two weeks ago, Kresko. In five days on the *outside,* the backups'll give out, then the next solar flare and we're toast."
He seemed to be doing a little better, as long as he didn't move. "We were building a replacement in secret. We didn't want anyone taking advantage of the situation." He looked the Minister in the eye. "Especially not *you*. We knew you'd give us what we needed if we signed your stupid proclamation. "But with all the security we couldn't get competent staff, and... well... field generators are tricky things.
"So what does that have to do with this -- with this OUTRAGE?" Kresko asked, motioning towards the airlock.
"In five days, a ship is arriving from Mars. They've kept hidden on the dark side... not an efficient trajectory. So when our observatory caught them, we knew something was up. And with all the broadcasts we've both been receiving, it wasn't too hard to put two and two together."
"We though they'd invade -- I mean, 'rescue' us," Jabal snarled, "And then come after you. But it looks like they're going for everything at once."
"There has to be something we can do," Kresko said, trying to reach the government offices. But either from the metal and rock surrounding the shelter, or because of... something else... there was no response. And a quick check revealed that the shelter's communications console was missing as well.
"I'm open to suggestions," Jebel replied, wincing at the blood that came away on his paw as he wiped off his face.
Kresko blinked and shrugged. He didn't know about all of this till just now. "We have to get to my goverment and tell them. You EL people have known about this for a long time? Do you have any other plans to try and keep them out?
Jebel looked at the PLC Minister and grinned. Even though he was hurting all over. "There are six launches coming from earth with supplies in them for an army. They will be here in 4 weeks. Not enough time though. The Martians are here now.
Kresko looked around the room and spotted two suits over in one corner and went to get them. They were not the right size or the right body type but they would have to do. "Is there any way that we can get into contact with the EL and ask about working together? We have no wish to be controlled by some outside power."
Jebel nodded. "No problem. We have to get to a main communications link though. I bet Radio is out... Com Phones as well." Jebel grabbed one of the suits and started to put it on, getting smears of blood onto the gloves and arms. He took the smaller suit as the minister was a bit fat. He started to seal all of the latches and looked up. The minister was having problems with his suit. Jebel shook his head.
---
Three hours later they were sitting within a phone both inside one of the smaller domes of Artemis City with the vid on. Gov. Krandall was on the screen. "We need the converter though to complete the repairs of the system, Paul Kresko. There can be no deal till we are agreed on that."
Paul ground his teeth. This talking was getting so old. Capitalists. They were always the same. "Okay, Krandall. The PLC will formally state that we no longer have any interest, real "or" imagined, on EL Lands or territory. Also, we will sign the treaty. Now. Can you deliver the weapons to us? We need to be able to defend ourselves."
Krandall nodded at the other end of the line. "They will arrive in Artemis City within the day. There are not many though. The main shipment is still four weeks away. Till then we are on our own. The Martians can't really start landings for another week... they can drop bombs though, as they already have in Artemis City. Mining jacks stopped the missiles coming into Eagle's Landing itself. I suggest you find out how to use them also, for shooting the missiles down.
The screen went blank and Kresko looked up at Jebel. "What is wrong with you people? First we are like enemys forever... and now this?
Jebel laughed... "Hey. We never had anything against the PLC. Just how how you thought of us!
Kresko humphed and got up, leaving the booth... there was a lot of work ahead of him. He had to put together some kind of defense for the PLC and find out how to tell the people that they were now friends with the EL. That meant getting the loudmouths off of the air and get friendly twits onto the airwaves. His thoughts wandered down the paths of goverment red tape.....
Jebel watched the minister go and grinned. He turned back to the phone and dialed up the Governor again. "Hello Krandall. How soon with the shipment really get here?"
Krandall blinked and held his badger paw to his chest. "Why Jebel... You don't think that I would lie to you do you?"
Jebel laughed at the phone and just watched it. The Governor held up his paw... only one finger up.
Krandall nodded.. "The rest of the US is not going to leave us with our pants down. The shipment will be here in time for the martians landings. That is not what we are worried about though."
Jebel looked smug and his brow squished... "Not what you are worried about? What else is there?"
Krandall looked at Jebel. "I have another Job for you Jebel... You are going to Mars. Looks like we are going to war... planet to planet style."