The Line of Duty
Outpost 23
Memories of the previous night danced across Luna’s mind and settled in the pit of her stomach. She discovered from the station logs that there’d only been three new residents in the last month: the physician’s assistant who’d waited twelve weeks for transfer orders, an ensign assigned to the astronomy team, and Astor. The passing ships’ manifests remained to comb through, but Dunnagan seemed to think that job sounded more prestigious, so he kept it for himself. There was no avoiding it: she had to treat Astor as a suspect and dig into her past.
Luna pecked at the bridge station’s keys. She couldn’t confront the guilt of allowing Astor access to the system in her quarters, so she started with the officers. She skimmed the orders, wondering why they were so late. The words “maternity leave” jumped out to explain the lag. That explained the lieutenant’s whereabouts before her transfer. The astronomer turned out to be a recent graduate. She found nothing remarkable about his university career.
Then, she had no choice but to begin her investigation of Astor. She was astonished to learn the vessel that transported her came from the Procyon A Penal Colony. Luna’s heart leaped through her chest. She interfaced with Procyon A’s network. Astor was incarcerated there for four months. Their records showed her cellmate was a member of the nefarious Sirius Syndicate. She read the criminal history. It listed only petty theft on Vapolor, a planet known for its poverty and hostility. She felt tears form. Humans didn’t live somewhere that rough voluntarily, and it was impressive she escaped with a rap sheet so short.
The trail would end there. Luna shut the screen off. Vapolor kept few records, and those it had weren’t trustworthy. Whatever the specifics of Astor’s life there, it must’ve been horrific. And yet, Luna’s research had virtually exonerated the other two newcomers. She shuddered to think what the captain would assume when she delivered the information. At least she had uncovered these details instead of Dunnagan.
She stood from the console and began pacing. Under no circumstances would she reveal what she’d discovered until she made a definitive connection. Astor was delicate and naive. Her criminal history was negligible. Luna didn’t believe she was capable of anything so calculated. Besides, the captain’s next question would concern her whereabouts and opportunity, and Luna would die of embarrassment if she had to admit that.
Mathers noticed her out of her seat. “Need more work, Knolls? Dunnagan, give Knolls something else to do.”
Luna huffed, but she’d take any distractions from her discoveries. She stomped up to Dunnagan.
“Half a day, that’s what you put in,” he chided.
“I started running a decryption program to trace the hacker’s information.” Tracking anything capable of breaching the station’s firewalls was a long shot, but if it had originated in her bedroom, she wanted to know first.
Dunnagan snorted. “Waste of time. Those files are toast.”
“There were three new residents this month.”
“Five ships are docked right now, and ten others have come and gone this week. Try checking everyone in those crews.” Sweat beaded on his forehead. He had bitten off more than intended.
“How’s that going?”
“The Discovery had some suspicious passengers, but I cleared them. And I went to a security conference with her first mate and half her crew; they’re stand-up guys. I looked into anyone I didn’t recognize.” He’d exerted his normal amount of effort.
“That leaves the other human ship, plus the Tresicans, the Omarites, and the Antarians, none of whom will you know by name,” she calculated.
He spread his fingers wide over his computer console. “Feel free to jump in.”
“Guess I’ll work on the aliens. I don’t have your personal connections,” she spat.
“Great. Start with the Boarheads.” He waved her away. “No one thinks the Swannecks did this.”
Her mouth gaped. “Those are offensive terms, Dunnagan.”
“Fuck you, Knolls.” He flipped her off.
She returned to her seat and checked the logs for the name of the Tresican ship. For all his racism, he was probably right regarding the Omarites; they were notorious pacificists. The warship Pain Bringer was on routine patrol, according to its manifest. Which revealed that the six individuals she’d stared down in the bar comprised the whole crew. She knew where they spent part of the evening and had an excellent idea of how they passed the rest of their time. A quick call would confirm.
A few buttons later, the receptionist on duty at the Arena smiled on the screen. “This is Commander Knolls,” she clipped. “Can you verify for me that a group of Tresicans visited your facilities last night?”
“I’ll say!” The girl turned a unique shade of red. “We’re still cleaning up the training course. They ripped the obstacles right out of the deck plates!”
“How long were they there?” Six intoxicated assholes could affect that level of damage and move on to different avenues of mischief while the night was young.
“We called security to escort them to their ship, but it took a couple of hours to convince them to leave.” Her voice sped up, desperate to apologize. “We’re cleaning up the mess as fast as we can. We’ll have the course repaired in a few days.”
Luna put her palm up to stop the onslaught. “I have every confidence you’re working efficiently. I’m not calling to complain about your progress. In fact, you’ve been quite helpful.”
The robotically cheerful expression returned before Luna broke the connection.
She rubbed her temples. There went a whole crew full of suspects she’d rather have implicated than Astor.
The console chirped with an incoming message. Luna flicked the button to answer the call.
Astor’s glowing image startled her. “Hey. Are you calling me here?”
All the joy drained from Astor’s face. “Is that not okay? The computer just registered you’re logged in.”
Too late, Luna heard her own words. “I’m sorry. It’s fine. It surprised me, that’s all.” She forced a smile. “What’s up?”
The light twinkled back into her eyes. “I was wondering if you want to have dinner tonight. I worked the lunch shift.”
Luna’s heart melted. Seeing Astor made it impossible to say no. Despite what she’d learned, she couldn’t believe someone so amazing was capable of such deception. If she used Luna for access codes, why would she be interested in a second date?
“I’d love to see you again.” Her grin widened. “I’m almost done. Meet me at my quarters in two hours?”
“Looking forward to it.” Astor winked and cut the transmission.
The remaining half-hour of work crawled by at sub-light speeds.
***
Luna flicked her hair back as she glanced around the living room. Whenever she wore it out of her customary ponytail, she felt it tickle her face relentlessly, but she wanted to put in an effort tonight. The space was much tidier compared to the prior evening. Inviting Astor to examine the closets would demonstrate housecleaning neglect, but upon a cursory glance, the home appeared presentable.
The chime rang out. Luna sucked in a deep breath and smoothed the front of her periwinkle top.
Astor waited in the hall, in a gauzy mint dress that clung to her midsection and floated to her knees.
Luna reached out and drew her through the doorway. “Wow, you look amazing.”
“Thanks. So do you.” She touched the ends of her unbound mane flitting around her shoulders. “Your hair looks pretty down.”
She grasped the retreating hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. “Where do you want to have dinner?”
Astor shrugged, sending ripples in her low-cut dress. “I got here a week ago, so I haven’t learned the station and found the best places to eat yet.”
A pang of guilt hit Luna because she already knew what her snooping had uncovered the day Astor arrived. It nearly caused her to fumble her preplanned romantic suggestion, but she choked out, “Have you tried the Beluvian restaurant on the plaza?”
She shook her head. “No. I haven’t checked everything out.”
Luna tucked an annoying lock behind her ear. “How do you feel about spicy food? It has a distinctive flavor and a definite kick.”
“I love heat.” She bounced on the balls of her feet.
Luna offered her an arm, and Astor accepted with an impish smile. They set off toward the lifts, with Luna leading the way.
While they rode to the plaza, Astor turned to her and clasped her hands. “I had a great time last night.”
“So did I,” Luna breathed. She leaned in and their lips met. Their sweet reunion smoldered like a comet flown too close to the sun.
The doors chimed, and they stepped out into the bustling open market. Shopkeepers of various species called out from the shops as customers strolled past.
“Herbs and spices from around the Galaxy.”
“This gown suits you perfectly, my dear.”
“Uncle Al’s Emporium. We have everything you need to feel at home. Wherever home happens to be.”
“I might have to check out Uncle Al’s sometime,” Astor joked as they passed.
“You should,” Luna teased, pressing a piece of hair into place. “Al is Antarian and nobody’s uncle, but he has childhood treasures from thirty-five planets. From stuffed animals to harpozones from Mifriled.”
They laughed as they walked into the restaurant and chose a secluded corner table. Tiny strings of lights hung from the ceiling, creating a cozy ambiance.
Astor’s eyes danced down the list of strange meals on the menu. “What do you recommend?” she asked.
“Restor tastes a bit like chicken,” Luna advised. “Mesic is harder to describe, but I enjoy it. Anything with Orin sauce is good.” She tucked a stray lock away again.
Astor suppressed a giggle. “Your hair drives you nuts when it’s loose, doesn’t it?”
She flushed. “A little,” she admitted.
“Here, try this.” Astor reached into her purse and pulled out a pair of crystal-studded barrettes. Leaning across the table, she affixed one on each side of Luna’s head, pinning back the offending tresses. “Better?”
Luna touched a clip, surprised something so tiny made a difference. “Yes, actually. That’s much less distracting.”
When the server came, they ordered complementary dishes so Astor could taste an array of foods.
“How was your day?” Astor inquired.
A wave of guilt washed over Luna. Her mouth went dry as she searched for an answer she could give. “Well, I looked into our rowdy friends’ activities after they left the bar.”
A wicked smile flashed. “Why? To send them a thank-you note?”
“Ummm…”
Astor rolled her eyes. “Oh, I see. Is it station business that you aren’t allowed to discuss?”
“Something like that.” Luna’s heart pounded against her ribcage.
Astor ran her fingers along Luna’s forearm. “I guess I have to get used to official matters that I won’t be privy to if I’m going to date a commander. That’s okay,” she demurred. “I can’t tell you about the officer’s lunch order that I may or may not have gotten wrong on purpose.”
Luna chuckled, the tension ebbing. “Way to stick it to the man.”
A commotion started near the front of the restaurant. A boisterous new diner stumbled into the establishment. Luna craned her neck and saw it was Dunnagan. “Speaking of the man,” she grumbled.
He wandered up to various tables, spewing comments. Of course, he noticed them.
“Hey, Knolls!” He sauntered over. “Don’t you look pretty with your little barrettes?”
“Fuck off, Dunnagan.”
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” His voice dripped with innuendo.
“No.” With that, Astor reached across the table and took Luna’s hand possessively.
Dunnagan gave a lewd waggle of his eyebrows and left to pester someone else, but the damage was done. He’d seen Luna on a date with the woman who should be her prime suspect. She’d have no room to finagle the truth; unless she caught the real culprit, she was royally fucked.
