Alien Exodus

3. Damn Lucky

~Ramuell~

~Ramuell~My stomach churned when I thought of what the Serefim Security officers might have seen in my security file. They might know about my involvement with the Crow Clan and the Port Authority battle. They could know I was suspected of collaborating with Oprit Robia from Realta-Gorm 4. The Serefim Presidium had designated Oprit Robia a terrorist organization.

But even if they knew all that, I also figured they knew I was Kadeya’s grandson and enjoyed the protection of the Law and Order Directorate on the homeworld; a protection that was stipulated in the agreement Grandmaster Elyon had negotiated with Sean, the Law and Order Directorate’s Special Assistant. When one of the sentries pulled my crate full of stolen weapons out from under the counter and popped open the first of three latches, I decided to be bold.

“I really don’t have time for you to inspect the crate’s contents. Those supplies are needed by Nefilim Project staff, and I must not miss the shuttle back to the surface.”

mustI grabbed the crate’s pull handle and turned to leave. The larger man seized my shoulder and spun me around. “Your friends downstairs just might have to wait a day or two for their precious supplies.”

As the other sentry popped open the second latch I said, “May I remind you that the nefilim eradication mission is an authorized project; one the Presidium has a special interest in.”

The sentry paused and stood upright. He looked up at his colleague, whose face had taken on the hard adamancy of a man needing power and control. The shorter man shrugged, reached down, popped open the third latch, and lifted the lid. The two men peered into the crate. They saw two boxes of UV Protectant skin gel, three containers of laboratory equipment cleaning detergent, several bottles of topical disinfectant solution, and two boxes of sterile surgical gloves.

Before either sentry had time to pick up one of the boxes and expose the cache of weaponry, I slammed the lid hard, barely missing the shorter man’s fingers. I snapped the latches closed, turned and hauled the crate away. Over my shoulder, I called, “If I miss the shuttle, you will be responding to a formal complaint from my supervisor.”

will I’m pretty sure they knew Azazel was my supervisor. They probably also knew that Azazel and Trace, the Presidium’s Chief Administrator, were close friends. I glanced back and saw the taller sentry’s belligerence had morphed to worry.

As soon as I rounded the corner, I leaned over, placing both hands on my knees. I wasn’t sure if I was going to vomit or faint. I sucked in several deep breaths. Standing slowly, I pulled the bottle from the side pocket of my backpack and squirted water on my face. I took a couple of gulps then grabbed the crate handle and began trotting toward Port #4. I knew the shuttlecraft was awaiting my return and would not leave without me.

* * *

As he listened to the story of our misadventure aboard the orbiter, Azazel ran his fingers through his thick chestnut hair. His expression seemed to be more one of concern than disapproval. “This won’t do…won’t do at all. You’re damn lucky to not be in the orbiter’s brig or dismissed from service and on a 4-D ship back to Domhan Siol.”

I was taken aback by the Director’s comment. “I thought we were pretty clever getting out of a tight spot.”

He plopped his hands on his office desk and leaned forward. “Heck yeah, you were clever—and courageous.” Waggling his finger he added, “But we are not being clever.”

weI looked over and saw Vapula’s confused expression.

Azazel continued, “Look, when we were laying in our stock of supplies for the long haul, Kadeya could not have foreseen our need for additional firepower. Given the fighting that has broken out, no matter how you cut the loaf, we need to stockpile a lot of items that will be considered contraband by the Presidium and the Serefim Security apparatchiks.”

He blew out a forceful exhale. “We need to be much more clever. Sending G-12 team members to raid the armory or the pharmacy or wherever just won’t do. We need to get together with Semyaza and develop a better strategy. If we continue on this path it’s only a matter of time before one of our people gets caught.”

Vapula looked down at her lap then back up at Director Azazel. “I suppose we should have abandoned the crate in the armory, hightailed it for the shuttle and gotten our butts back down here. But in the excitement of the moment, all I could think about was accomplishing our mission.” She bit back a grin. “And we did!”

Azazel looked back and forth between Vapula and me. “Yes you did, but…”

“But,” I interrupted, “we put ourselves, you, and all of the Nefilim Project team in danger.

“Sir, I’m sorry. And you’re right. We must abate the risk factors. We need to rethink how we obtain the more…uhm, the more controversial supplies. Do you want me to set up a meeting with Semyaza?”

“No,” Azazel answered. “I’ll do it and let you know when he’s available.”