(Posted on 03-31-2001)
The Crescent Station File
Part 2
Zert piloted his Miranu courier towards the moon of Tummi in the Zidagar system. So far the journey had been uneventful enough. He had traveled under the pretext of being a human trader on a delivery run to Tummi. Because he was in the central crescent he hadn't had any renegade problems, and in the guise of a trader he was bothered by the Strand War.
Tummi lay before his eyes getting larger and larger on his cockpit screem, he hailed landing to control and requested clearance to land.
"Affirmitive," came the voice of the dock officer, "you are clear to land in docking bay 36 for goods delivery."
Zert piloted towards the blue and green sphere of the moon, slowing down to 0.001 AU/H to enter the planet's atmoshpere. The craft coursed through the upper reaches of the planet's atmosophere and in no time at all Zert had docked at Tummi spaceport. The cargo of ship building materials was unloaded from his ships bays and Zert took his payment of 30000 credits and walked off into the spaceport.
Zert knew from experience that Zidagar millitary command was located somewhere inside the spaceport. He walked past the bars and shops heading for the far end of the complex. Spotting a passing official he asked him the way to the Military department of the port. The official pointed to a large but inconspicious building about three-hundred metres away. Zert strode off in the direction of the command centre. He entered the door of the military building using a fake ID-card and passed through the first checkpoint with a fake retinal scan, but then he ran into trouble: a young Zidagar clerk asked him what his business was with the admiral. Usually anyone who had gotten to this stage was considered to have passed all the neccesary checks, but Zert guessed that the Zidagar official was probably being overzealous on his first day of work.
"My business with the admiral is confidential,"Zert replied. "I am selling information which is too sensitive to be listed openly."
The ploy worked, the unsure young guard backed down, not wishing to displease his masters by delaying something important, and let Zert through.
He knocked on the door of the admiral's office and waited for an answer. The Zidagar admiral opened the door of the office and looked at Zert.
"Who are you he said and how did you get here?"
"That dosen't matter," countered Zert, adopting the haughty arrogant pose of the sort of person who would risk bluffing his way into a military building just to make money. "What does matter is that I've got information to sell about the Azdgari."
This caught the commander's attention instantly. "Information about what?" he said.
"About plans for an almost invincible type of warship the Azdgari are working on," Zert replied. "In thirty days time, an Azdgari warship will be passing through the Leka system carying plans for a new type of Azdgarim super warship"
"How do you know this?" asked the Zidagar admiral.
"I work as a free lance agent for the Miranu intelligence service," replied Zert, sticking as close to the truth as possible. "One of their spies heard about the warship plans and the Miranu ordered me here to sell the information to you. Be in the Leka system in twenty days time and you'll be able to intercept the plans."
"What assurance can you offer me that this isn't an Azdgari trap?" demanded the admiral.
"None at all," replied Zert, "but if it is, you'll only lose one or two ships; but if it isn't, you'll gain plans for an almost invincible ship."
The Zidagar commander thought about this for a few seconds.
"Okay," he said, "we'll investigate the Leka system at the right date and if you've told us the truth then we'll send you a payment of a few hundred-thousand credits."
"Done," replied Zert, and walked out of the commander's office. Five minutes later he was blasting off Tummi, the first stage of his plan completed sucessfully.
(This message has been edited by moderator (edited 03-31-2001).)