Stargazer Maxima (Cosmic Justice League Book 1) Read online

  It was not a first time that she decided to drop any possible witnesses.

  Three for the road, three for being free…free at last.

  This will be done clean, it's my last job. No more after this.

  She loaded her rifle with 3 bullets. As her targets stood still, she tilted her gun from one target to the next two as fast as she could. Doing it for a few more times, she made sure that her muscles remembered the move. In the end she felt confident and sure she could have shot them blindfolded if need be.

  …

  The man that finally appeared in front of them looked not much younger than Val, but his hair seemed almost completely gone, and was a head shorter than even Timor.

  “Doctor Larik?”

  “Yes?”

  “I am ECI Valricus Dan, and this is EJI Timor. We would like to ask you a few questions.”

  “Yes?”

  The doctor seemed confused at least.

  “Do you know Senator Sulivaro?”

  “No, I cannot say I do.”

  “That is strange…So, you are not aware that he scheduled a trip to Zalirus in order to meet with you?”

  “No, no… I am aware of that. But you can check with my secretary, and if she said that he did have an appointment...”

  “Yes, actually we have already contacted your secretary. Not only did she say that he had an appointment, but she also mentioned that it was not the first time you two met.”

  “Well, I am not aware of that.” A few moments of pause on Doctors face certainly meant that he was already accessing his secretary and checking for prior meetings. To Val, he truly was not trying to hide anything, and seemed more confused than anything else.

  “Yes. the senator did schedule meeting with me during my last Neuroscience conference at the Capital, but actually he missed our meeting and I really never had a chance to meet him then. And you are right, he did schedule a meeting with me, but he didn't come on that meeting as well.”

  “He could not make it since, we believe that he was on the flight of TK 120X that blew up.” Timor jumped in, ready to offer explanation to a worried doctor.

  “Oh, I see…” The doctor seemed sincerely upset and concerned.

  “Do you have any idea what he wanted to talk to you about?”

  “I don't know, we really never talked personally...But it must be something to do with my work, what else?...I don't see anything else that could interest him.”

  “Well, not much is known of your recent work. Actually, the last researched you have done was completed over 10 years ago...”

  …

  Mikka let go of her breathe, and lightly squeezed the trigger. Instantly she saw how the bullet folded the man in half, blasting him from the doorway into his home.

  ‘My last job is done,’ she thought and tilted the rifle to the second target, and… Froze...She saw the man turn around. She saw his face again, and remembered that face at last. And she didn't want to pull the trigger again.

  …

  Val knew in an instance that Doctor was hit by a bullet. Actually he knew the doctor would be hit as he felt the bullet pass right next to his cheek. He turned around to see where the shot was fired from even before the doctor hit the floor. Instantly he fired five shots above the rooftops as he was sure that the assassin was lurking there.

  The next moment, he was already on the top of Timor who watched everything in confusion and disbelief. He pushed his young apprentice as far inside the house he could, slamming the door behind them with his foot.

  “Stay down!” He screamed at Timor who seemed ready to get up.

  Long time has passed since the last time he fired his gun, something he really didn't particularly care for. But, that time, laying there on the floor, waiting for the next bullet to arrive, it certainly felt good to have it in his hand.

  In the trees, second street down. Trajectory was all too clear to him and he fired another salvo of bullets toward the place through the window he broke. He looked at his communication pod, scanned the space with a thermal signature app, but nothing came back.

  “The assassin must be wearing steal suite. Might be already gone…If he wanted us dead, we would be laying dead here now.”

  “Well, look at it this way Val, now we are definitely dealing with a murder investigation!”

  “No, not necessarily,” Val answered while he stepped closer to the doctor’s body and see if he was still alive…

  There was no blood, and the doctor seemed almost sleeping if not for the thick greenish liquid coming from enormous hole in his torn stomach.

  “What is that?” Timor asked.

  “That is an android… a human android.”

  “A humanoid? “ Timor could not believe it.

  “Yes.”

  “But haven't they been outlawed for the last 300 years? I’ve only seen them in museums.”

  “Yes...yes they had....they are illegal. And to tell you the truth, I do not recall the last time I run into one. It seems we have more mystery, hah? Look, we need to catch that killer, and we also need to take this humanoid before the local police comes. Until we know more about what is going on here, we keep this strictly between ourselves, Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “I go after the killer on my jetter and you, you take this body in the sedan to this address here, okay? Can you do that?”

  “Yes I can.” Timor answered looking confused at the card with address on it that Val shoved into his hands.

  “Give that card to the tall bold guy there….he will give you a key to a safe house.” Val said as he already ran out of the house, way before Timor could say anything else.

  Val actually wasn’t sure that the assassin has already left. Maybe he was still lurking around, waiting to put a bullet in him as well.

  ….

  The jetter didn't come out of their sedan as fast as Val would have liked. It unfolded even slower. So, a long moment has passed until he dished out his scanner and worked the skies around, looking for anything out of place.

  He was sure that the police has detected flying bullets and that the squads were already racing through the sky toward the doctor's house.

  He activated his signature on the jetter and raised it above tops of the trees where a shooter might still be hiding.

  Still, he could see nothing out of ordinary.

  He positioned his jetter above the tree from which trajectory of the bullet should have come from, looked toward the doctor's house to see Timor already entering the sedan and driving away.

  The jetter suddenly seemed to be hit with such a force that it through it good 10 yards away, making it spin around with Val hectically trying to stay in the saddle and not fall 50 feet down.

  When he finally got control over the engine, he raced back, but nothing seem to be there. He scanned the whole area again on all frequencies and noted a week sound signature of an object flying away through the sky, but the object he could not see.

  He locked to it, and gave it a full thrust. He knew that his jetter, with the tweaks he has done on it himself, was faster than anything out there that was being mass produced. In one of his prior occupations, when his blood was still hot, he engineered and raced these sky engines, successfully enough to make a small fortune and acquire a fame that he found tasteless in the end.

  So as he approached the object, he had no doubt he would reach it in a minute or two. But that seemed obvious to the assassin as well, and suddenly the object with almost perfect invisible coat suddenly dropped down to the street level where the noise of a ground traffic could interfere with its locked sound signature.

  Val dropped from the 500 feet instantly as well, almost knocking down a low flying food delivery drone from a local grocery store.

  He noticed two police jetters already pull in behind him, their lights flashing, moving the traffic out of the way.

  They followed him as he raced down the Main Avenue to the Ocean Park. He looked at the tracker but the assassin was nowh
ere on it.

  He must be hiding, he thought and decided to slow down

  But as he slowed down, the two police jetters behind him rammed into his left side with the full force.

  The power of the impact throw Val’s ride against the trunk of the nearby tree. The branches scratched his jacket, his face, and he lost sitting on the engine, and fell thirty feet down. An airbag in his jacket did a poor job to cushioned his fall, and the pain jolted and overpowered his whole body to the borderline of consciousness. In a distance, he noted his jetter crashing down and cared little, even for a two uniformed men who swiftly pulled above him.

  Maybe this is it, he thought as he turned his head to look at the barrels of guns pointing at him.

  “ECI Val?” One of them asked for a confirmation.

  Of course they know who I am…My signature, they have to know who I am…They know.

  Val didn’t hear shots, didn’t even feel it this time. But two cops dropped dead with huge growing spots of blood emerging from their chests. Surprise and disbelief was on both of their face. How many thousands years of life did this stop?

  Val didn’t understand anything until he saw, hovering 20 feet above the ground, uncloaked in a black leathering suite, the assassin putting away one very strange looking rifle.

  The second later, the assassin flew away, but even though only half conscious, Val could swear he saw parts of a burning red hair sticking from underneath the assassin’s head gear.

  He took all his pain, embraced it and put it aside, then crawled to the closest police jetter and climbed on it.

  Then suddenly his consciousness had left him, and he dropped to the ground.

  Chapter 9 Who is She?

  Timor tried to reach Val, but all his communications were down. He tried locating him through the tracker. That didn't work either.

  He was nervously pacing from one wall of their hotel suite to another. He tried again and again, but no connection was made. The information he had for him was just too much to keep all inside.

  Then his communication pod lighted up. He was sure it was Val and jumped enthusiastically to answer it. But on the other side did not appear Val, but his commissioner.

  “Sir?”

  “What is going on over there? Where is ECI Val?”

  “I…I am not sure.”

  “You look very confused Timor F. I guess I can understand that. I have some bad news for you Timor. It seems you will not work with Chief Inspector Val any more. You are to return home right away…It seems that you and Val have been causing some trouble over there, haven’t you?”

  “No, no, that is not right sir…”

  “No, that is not how it looks to me….We have some serious complaints about two of you from the local police department, and the material I am looking over here does not look good for either of you.”

  “That is not true, sir. All we are doing…”

  “You will explain everything to me in person as soon as you come back. Exactly what two of you are doing in an investigation that has already been concluded, wasting a precious departments resources like that. There will be an official inquiry…”

  “But sir-”

  “No, do not want to hear anything right now! Val is out! I am taking his badge down! And he’ll be lucky if he even gets to Pluk?! Abusing his position like that! I am taking him off the case-”

  “But you cannot do that! He is only one of the fifty emperor’s appointed investigators. Only the emperor himself can-“

  The smile flashed over his commissioner’s face. “Yeah, maybe he can go and complain to the emperor then.”

  “Look, I do not want to cause any trouble for you. I understand that you are young and that your mentor was responsible for all of this. So maybe there is a way for you to… avoid being punished, if you know what I mean.”

  “What exactly is he charged with?”

  “Unsuitable conducts, actually 3 violations of unsuitable conduct during the last 1000 days.”

  “During the last 1000 days? What conduct? And why bring it on now? When was the last one done?”

  “About a few days ago…I think you even witnessed it yourself. That is why I wanted to talk to you. I understand he threatened the local police commissioner…

  “Yes, but-”

  “But I have no interest of going over it now! You are to return home at once! And we will talk about it here, face to face in the Capital. Maybe there is still a way to save your career…”

  The commissioner watched closely the expression on Timor’s face before continuing.

  “You understand that if his charges prove to be true…” the commissioner continued slowly as he saw a trace of doubt deepen inside Timor’s eyes, “…You might stand to gain advancements really fast, maybe even get in a position to ask for the main investigators badge within the next 500 days? You understand that right? The department needs young investigators who can follow the code and implement morality standards. On the other hand, we can’t afford to have people creating problems.”

  “Yes, of course, sir, yes of course. I understand.”

  “You are young and smart…We need people like that. Don’t throw your life away.”

  “No, no, I won’t.”

  “Good, good to hear that. So, am I to conclude then that we can expect to have a full cooperation with you?”

  “Of course.”

  “So, this is what I want you to do, listen…”

  After he finished giving instructions, on the other side of the empire, the Capitan right away placed another call. The woman, brunette, looking in her prime 30s, on the other side answered right away.

  “Madam Bolivual, it seems we will be able to finally get rid of Inspector Val once and for all. It all may work out much easier than we originally thought.”

  Madam’s face seemed to unsettle the Capitan enough to stop talking.

  “When?”

  “We have some undisputable proof now, so I would say within next 10 to 20 days. We will have a witness now.”

  “Just make it happen, fast.”

  “I understand.”

  “And, Commissioner,”

  “Yes?”

  “I think I was very clear the last time we talked…”

  The commissioner suddenly became even more unsure of himself.

  “Yes?” His voice trembled.

  “Don’t call me unless it is outmost necessary.”

  ….

  “Who are you?” Val asked as he opened his eyes to see a young woman with a skinny face and a long red hair staring over him.

  She didn’t answer.

  “You do not know?” He asked again.

  “You don't know?” she asked back straight at him, her eyes staring, not leaving his.

  “No…No, I do not. I am sure I do not. Are you the one that shot, the assassin?”

  “You really don’t remember me?” Mikka asked, her wrinkle-free forehead suddenly becoming very wrinkled.

  “No, I cannot say I do… I am sure I have never seen you before…at least not in your present body.”

  ”It's the same body. I do not change.”

  “No, no I do not remember. I am sure of it.” Val tried to remember, but nothing came back.

  “Where should I have met you?” Someone I judged…Run through his mind.

  A small thin smile emerged on her face, but no words came out.

  “For how long was I out?” he asked in the end surrendering.

  “Almost entire day. Now, my time to ask questions. What does one ECI has to do with a little known doctor on a far away planet?”

  “What does one assassin has to do with him?” I am sure she is the killer, had to be.

  “It was just a job…That’s all.” Suddenly Mikka felt like talking, relaxed. “Don’t know who ordered it , or why…Don’t care either…You know how it works. But what is your story? What are you doing here?” Mikka pressed not really ready to let it all go.

  “Just trying to tie up some loo
se ends...”

  “What loose ends?”

  “It seems the doctor was to meet with one senator. We wanted him to shed some light in exact reasons why one senator would leave his duty, the comfort of the Capital and his family, and meet with him face-to-face on the other side of the empire. What could have been so important?”

  “And they send ECI for that?”

  “The senator was on the ship that got destroyed.”

  “Oh…You are investigating the transporter crash?”

  “Is that what they are calling it, a crash?”

  “Yeah, media is saying that it must have collided with some space object, meteor, at least that is what some analysts are saying. What else could it be?”

  “Well, that's what we are trying to find out. Listen, I am in a lot of pain…Is there anything you can give me?” He felt the pain travel through his whole body starting in the back. He tried to be as still as possible but even breathing came with the pain. He was not sure that even moving his little finger would not hurt.

  “Why should I? I’ve already saved your life…Now you want me to cook a dinner for you as well?”

  “No, I doubt you would know how, plus I am in enough pain already…”

  She giggled. “You are right about that. But if you believe that maybe the crash was sort of an assassination targeting the senator, I've got to tell you, that would be really stupid. There are easier ways to kill someone than to destroy a whole ship.” Mikka seemed interested with the subject. “And that is something I would know about.”

  “I know, but things are not adding up. That’s why we have to look into any inconsistency. And the doctor is one of them, okay? Happy now? Now, tell me, why am I here?”

  “Whatever you are doing, you don't seem to be a favorite among local police...”

  “What do you want with me? Why did you save me? And why did you bring me here?”

  “I don't really know why I saved you, but that is why I brought you here. At that moment, it seemed like a good idea. Now, I think you are hurt and have internal bleedings. You have… maybe a day or so life in you. Maybe I should have left you there. Or, right now, I can end your life here, now…No charge.