The Lost Ship of the Tucker Rebellion - Marie Sexton Page 0,38
it.
They made their way back to the cargo bay, where Denver and Marit were already waiting with their escorts. Much to Denver’s dismay, the two uniformed inspectors were studying the floor.
“Sir,” one of them said, gesturing Gerald over.
“What is it?”
The three men put their heads together, talking quietly.
Denver shook his head, wanting to tell Laramie to calm down. A glance to his left showed him Marit nervously chewing a cuticle.
“Are we done here?” Denver asked. He spoke a bit louder than he meant to, and his voice seemed to echo off the metal walls.
Gerald turned to face him. “Not quite. All our sweeper bots are currently in use at a facility in the Scab.”
“I won’t be able to get them here until tomorrow at the earliest,” Gerald continued, “but—”
“Wait! Sweeper bots?” Denver said, hoping Gerald couldn’t hear the panic in his voice. He hoped he only sounded mystified. “What the hell do you need those for?”
“Until then,” Gerald continued, as if Denver hadn’t spoken at all, “we’ll settle for removal of all these floor panels.” He gestured around the cargo bay. “Just to make sure you haven’t stashed anything out of sight.”
“Don’t you need a warrant or something to do that?” Marit asked.
“Not if I have reasonable suspicion.”
“But you don’t,” Laramie said. “You’re just grasping at straws.”
“What does it matter?” Gerald asked. “If you’re as innocent as you claim, you have nothing to hide.”
“Titan X Imports and Exports Rules and Regulations,” OPAL suddenly said through the ship speakers. “Section C, article seven, points three through nine.”
“What?” Denver was pretty sure every single person in the cargo bay had asked the question at the same time.
“Point three of the regulations states that no shipboard panels, walls, or ventilation grates may be dismantled without written notice being given upon boarding of the ship in question. Point four of the regulations states that, should the captain of said ship object, station security shall be notified. Point five states that, upon arrival of station security, all personnel shall be removed from the ship, and the ship sealed and quarantined until a legal representative for both sides of the dispute can be made available to witness the inspection. Article six—”
“We get it!” Gerald said.
But OPAL wasn’t about to stop now. “—states that if the captain of the ship agrees to aforementioned search, and no contraband is found—”
“But if contraband is found—” Gerald tried to say.
“—the imports inspection team shall be personally responsible for returning ship to its previous condition, replacing all aforementioned shipboard panels, walls, or ventilation grates. Point seven states that this same inspection team shall then be financially responsible for any damage done to the ship as a result of—”
“Enough!” Gerald shouted.
“But she still has two more points to go,” Laramie said, all mock innocence, and Denver had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at how red Gerald’s face had become.
“It seems we are done here,” Denver said.
Gerald took a deep breath and ran his hand over his short-cropped hair. He straightened his jacket. He squared his shoulders and took a step toward Denver as if to stare him down. Too bad for him he was stuck staring at Denver’s Adam’s apple.
“Captain Claybourne, I am hereby legally notifying you of intent to search your ship by Titan X Department of Intergalactic Imports and Exports. You will now vacate your ship—”
“Titan X Imports and Exports Rules and Regulations, Section C, Article eight, point two states that—”
“Fine! You’ll be allowed to remain on board. But I’ll have men watching your bay. Is that acceptable?”
He seemed to be directing this last question more to the wall than to anybody in the room.
“That is within the legal confines of Rules and Regulations.”
“Good. We’ll unload all the stuff we’ve already inventoried now. But I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon at the latest with sweeper bots, and with the full legal authority of the department behind me. If you require legal representation during the time of your search, you are responsible for finding said representation and having them present at the designated time. There will be no more delays. Have I made myself my clear?”