--

Admittedly, I've had the idea for this fic for a long, long time. I had written quite a bit of it months ago, but have only recently come back to it. After some re-editing, I'm finally ready to start posting it. This will be at least three chapters, I'm assuming.

--

Artistic License

Chapter 1

"Have you seen Boss?"

Swan turned her swivel chair around to see Jasmine standing at the doorway to the Maintenance Room. She placed down her teacup on top of the newspaper that was sitting on the console in front of her. Jasmine could make out the headline from where she stood-- something about some jewel robberies that had been plaguing the city.

"I saw him earlier this morning," Swan said, looking up to meet the younger woman's eyes. "I think he said something about heading to the lobby."

"Thanks, Swan-san." She smiled, quickly turned and left Swan's workplace.

Jasmine hurried toward the direction of the lobby of the DekaBase. SPD officers were running around every which way throughout the corridors, almost as if in a state of confusion. It gave the attractive young officer a claustrophobic feeling. Yes, things were incredibly hectic these days. Lately, there had been a large re-increase in crime, especially among the Seijiin population. Everyone was feeling the stress. In fact, Jasmine hadn't seen many of her friends in days; everyone was so busy working on different cases. Jasmine and Kruger were supposed to be working on paperwork that morning, but he still hadn't shown up. Thus, the yellow-uniformed deka had decided to go looking for him.

She swiftly turned the corner and entered the lobby area of the DekaBase. This is where people were checked in, inspected for weapons and given ID before entering. Jasmine squinted--it looked like Doggie was at the receptionist's desk, wearing a black tank-top and a pair of blue jeans. That's odd he's so dressed-down, Jasmine thought. She squinted yet again. Was the lighting in the room bad? It looked like his fur was a violet color rather than its normal blue.

"I'll inform him that you've come shortly," The receptionist said, not even looking up from his desk.

Jasmine smiled and walked up behind the tall canine humanoid, then reached up and put her hands on his broad shoulders.

"Boss," Jasmine laughed. "What are you doing out here? I thought we were going to get those papers signed and filed."

The Anubinoid's head quickly turned to face Jasmine. The ESPer let out a gasp of startled surprise.

The face was not of Doggie Kruger. For one, he was wearing an eye patch across his left eye; the one uncovered was a gold-brown color. His fur was a lot more ruffled and scraggly-looking than Kruger's. His hot breath smelled of tobacco smoke, a long tooth was exposed on the right side of his mouth. Finally, instead of two triangular black spots on the forehead, he had two circular ones. Upon closer inspection, Jasmine realized it was no trick of the light--his fur was violet, not blue.

"Hey," The Anubinoid's voice boomed in amusement, in a husky tone very unlike Kruger's. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

--

Kruger walked into the lobby and looked around. Jasmine wasn't anywhere to be seen. Swan had mentioned that she had headed toward the lobby, so he quickly made his way to the area hoping to catch up with her. He had to meet Sen and Umeko earlier at their stakeout, which is why he had missed the time they were supposed to meet to work on paperwork. After a few moments, he decided to ask the receptionist.

"Oh yes, sir, she was here." He replied. "She left to one of the guest rooms, with a visitor who came here to see you."

"To see me?" Kruger asked, his brows going up in surprise. "Name please."

"Yes sir," The receptionist said, quickly fumbling for his clipboard. "Let's see... the name was Fang Halley."

"Halley?!" Kruger was taken aback. I haven't seen Halley in over 7 years, back on Anubis.

Kruger noticed the receptionist adjust his large-rimmed glasses as he stared back at him.

"Uh...Thanks," Kruger said. "What room was he assigned?"

"Room Twelve, sir."

Kruger nodded, and then started down the hall.

'Halley, my best friend from my youth,' Kruger thought. 'We were inseparable. Our parents had been friends even before we were born, so I suppose it was only natural... And we only got closer after...No I don't want to think about that time again, it's what caused me to want to be a Space Policeman in the first place. Well, we both took the entrance exam and I passed with flying colors. Halley, well, he was never much into learning and tests. Last I heard, he had become a Space Transporter...'

Kruger's thought process was broken as he stopped outside the door to Guest Room Twelve. He input the code and opened the door.

"And then," Halley was laughing. His back turned from Kruger and he was sitting in a chair at a table. Jasmine was facing him at the other side. "I bust through the door and there Krug was, bare-ass naked."

Kruger's mouth dropped open in shock. Jasmine's face was beat red in embarrassment. Her brown eyes diverted from Halley to the door.

"Oh, Boss," Jasmine said in surprise when she noticed him. "When... when did you get here?"

"Good 'ol Dog!," Halley got up from the chair and turned to face his old friend. He gave Kruger a one-armed bear hug. Halley was taller than Kruger by about an inch. "Krug, how the hell have ya been?"

"H-Halley," Kruger stammered, his face flushed red under his fur. "Did you just tell Jasmine the story of that stupid suit you tricked me into wearing, the one that completely disintegrated about an hour after I put it on?"

"With the matching underwear, yeah, why?" Halley laughed. "Oh yeah, you were pretty pissed about it back then. I remember you got me back by--"

Kruger grunted, clearly trying to change the subject. "I see you haven't changed much, Hal." Kruger smiled in spite of himself. Though he could be obnoxious, Halley was always a fun guy to be around. "I see you've met one of my officers, Jasmine."

"Oh yeah, real affectionate that one," Halley said. "Practically gave me a big 'ol hug when I got here. I think she thought I was you I recon. Smells like lavender.."

Jasmine looked down, embarrassment showing on her face. "Boss, I..." he began.

"Don't mention it," said Kruger, sitting down next to her. He looked up at Halley. "So what're you doing in these parts? Still transporting from Anubis to other planets?"

"You bet," Halley said, turning his chair around and sitting on it, resting his large and strong forearms on the back of the chair. "Always been a lot of money in it. I've been bringing some rare Anubian art to a private Gallery here lately."

"Oh, that's right." Jasmine added. "A friend of mine had visited there last week. They've been showcasing Anubian art at the Metropolitan Gallery in the past month. I hear it's really beautiful."

"So yeah, now ya know what I'm up to," Halley said. "That, and I've got a lady here on Earth. She takes a lot of my free energies if ya know what I mean."

Jasmine turned away embarrassed once again. Kruger smiled.

"Thinking about settling down and getting married this time, Halley?"

"Ya kidding?" Halley smiled. "You know that's not my style. Plus she's an artist and doesn't believe in marriage. Isn't that perfect?"

"Nope, you really haven't changed at all." Kruger observed.

Halley laughed, but then got rather quiet. His look suddenly changed to a serious expression.

"Krug, I know you're the chief of police here." Halley began. "So, I really didn't know where else to turn..."

"Fang...er, I mean, Halley-san, are you having some kind of trouble?" Jasmine asked, her brow furrowing under her dark hair.

"I'm not sure," Halley answered. "How much do you know about weight distribution in packages?"

"Not much," Kruger responded. "I assume that since you handle large items daily that you're more knowledgeable in that area than I."

"Well, it's just the weirdest thing," Halley began. "When I dropped off some Anubian pottery last month, it felt liked it weighed maybe about 15 pounds in the shipping case. No more, no less. However, when I picked it up the other day after they were done with it, it felt like it weighed about 50."

Jasmine and Kruger both looked at each other, confused. "What are you saying, Halley?" Kruger asked. "Are you saying that the same exact case, with the same exact items weighed more?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Halley nodded.

"Maybe something additional was in there?" Jasmine asked.

"That's what I was afraid of," Halley turned to Jasmine. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a cigarette. "Do you mind?"

Jasmine nodded that she did not, but then Kruger interrupted his old companion.

"Sorry, we have a no smoking rule within DekaBase. You were saying?"

"Oh, my apologies," Halley stumbled and put the cigarette back into his pocket. "Well, yeah that's what I was thinkin'. I was worried maybe someone was trying to smuggle drugs in there. Wouldn't be the first time someone tried that on me. But I catch it every time. However, I opened the case and inspected the pots. There was nothing inside of it."

"Weird," Jasmine agreed.

"My gal thinks I'm just getting old," Halley laughed. "But I wondered if they could be counterfeit."

"That's a possibility," Jasmine agreed. "Cheaper materials always weigh more, so forgeries are often heavier than the genuine items."

"I asked an expert back on Anubis," Halley continued. "You know, once I got back. The guy at the museum looked at the stuff, then back at me like I was nuts. Said it was gen-u-ine Rex Galleio. Could tell by the engravings or something."

"So, what do you want us to do?" Kruger asked.

"Maybe poke around the museum," Halley said. "Talk to that chick, what's her name.. oh Stevenson..." Halley enunciated her name in a mocking way. "Mel Stevenson, the lady who owns the gallery, American or British by the sounds of it. She's my boss, but she's always late on paying me. I mean really late. Forgets a man's gotta support himself I think. She's always hanging with that crummy lawyer, Rhodes and that fatty businessman Hiroshi Chen. She's a slut."

"Halley-san!" Jasmine shouted out, aghast.

"Hey, those are Yuri's words, not mine." Halley laughed. " Oh, Yuri's my girl."

"So you're saying," Kruger interjected. "You want us to poke around and bother these people just because one of your packages got heavier?"

"Yeah, send some guys or something," Halley said distractedly. "See if it makes that bimbo get nervous."

"Halley, understand that this is a busy time at SPD," Kruger began. "Almost all of our people are on major assignments."

"Krug, I really wouldn't ask this if I wasn't suspicious something's up," Halley said. "At one time you said we have the same instincts, I just couldn't cut the learnin' part. Think of this as a personal favor."

Kruger growled deep and his throat and said nothing. Jasmine looked over at her boss with concern. Doggie felt Jasmine's brown eyes watching him, and knew that she sensed it--the years of friendship between him and Halley that made it difficult to say no, the secrets that were shared between them, the good times and the bad...

"Alright," Kruger said finally.

"Sweet," Halley grinned. He then got up and placed his chair by Jasmine. He sat back down and put his arm around her. "While you're doing that I'll stay here and chat with your cute little friend more. I'm sure she'd love to hear a lot more stories of our wild and crazy school days, wouldn't you cutie?"

"Um..." By Jasmine's expression, Kruger could tell she was pretty uncomfortable. Kruger felt a little annoyed, it was like Halley wasn't letting Jasmine's case of mistaken identity drop--and was continuing to tease her with how close they were...Kruger shook his head. Why must I always let Halley push my buttons? He thought. And why is it always so hard to stay mad at him for it?

"As I said, we're short-staffed and I could use Jasmine's assistance on this," Kruger said triumphantly, feeling like he got Halley back. "Jasmine is an ESPer and her insight would be quite valuable."

Jasmine looked back at Halley during this and smiled at him nervously, almost as if a big secret of her's had been let out.

"Heh," Halley laughed. "You've won this round Doggie Kruger, but there'll be other chances to let Marika-chan know what makes you tick."

Halley got up and walked to the door.

"I'm going out, I need a smoke," he muttered.

Kruger smiled. That was as close to a thanks as he was going to get from Fang Halley.

--

Kruger and Jasmine were in one of the SPD Deka Machine vehicles. Kruger was focusing on the road ahead, deep in thought. What would he say once he got to the Gallery? Come flat out and say the guy handling their shipments thinks they're stealing, then counterfeiting, items? No, that could cost Halley his job...

"Your friend," Jasmine said suddenly, turning away from the passenger side window. "He seems...nice."

Kruger grunted and didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry about that story he was telling me. I tried to stop him numerous times, but he just keep going."

"Don't worry about it, Halley's like that. A real jerk."

"But yet we're going to the gallery.." Jasmine said pointedly.

"It's complicated," Kruger responded, still keeping his eyes on the road. "It's really hard to explain, I guess it's because we go so far back. I'd bet there's nothing Halley doesn't know about me up to a certain point."

"I'm kind of jealous," Jasmine said inadvertently.

Kruger's eyes darted to where Jasmine was sitting. She quickly looked away, a small amount of red flushed on her face. Kruger wasn't about to mention that he too felt a little bit jealous of all the attention Halley was shoving on Jasmine--he knew that his old friend was mostly doing it to jab at him in the first place. And Kruger couldn't lie to himself, it was bothering him. Jasmine was almost like a daughter to him, after all.

"Forget it, I'm sorry." Jasmine said.

"Don't be," Kruger said, watching the road once more. "I guess I don't really like to talk about the past all that much."

"I understand," Jasmine said. "I just want you to know I'm here for you, like you've been for me I guess."

Kruger smiled. "Of course."

"He's really different from you," Jasmine thought out loud. "Perhaps that's why you were such good friends."

"We're here," Kruger interrupted, pulling up to the Metropolitan Gallery. "Unfortunately, right now we've got a red light on ESPer investigations, since this isn't exactly in the S.P.D.'s jurisdiction. So, just follow my lead, keep a sharp eye out and don't disagree with anything I say. Heck, I'm worried I'm a little rusty, it's been some time since I've done this part of a Deka's job."

Jasmine nodded and straightened the jacket of her uniform. Kruger parked the car and pocketed his license, which had been sitting on the dashboard.

--

"Counterfeiting? Has someone accused us of that?"

Melanie (or rather, Mel as she liked to be called.) Stevenson was a very European-looking blonde woman who had her hair in a bun. She had introduced herself as the gallery's owner as soon as Kruger and Jasmine had walked in. She had no British accent, so Kruger assumed she must be American. She had a harshness about her that seemed to be balanced with a flirtatious side. With many of the comments she made, it was as if she was trying to be overly sensual. Kruger could tell from the first handshake that Jasmine seemed not to like her very much.

"I wouldn't say accused," Kruger said. " I would merely say some have shown... concerns."

"And you're from Anubis' Space Police?" She asked.

"No ma'am. As I've said before I'm from Earth's Branch." Kruger reiterated.

"Tell Anubis they have no reason to worry," Miss Stevenson said harshly. "They will be getting the genuine articles back. Rex Galleio was a fabulous Anubian artist, whose pottery work has captivated millions across the universe. We respect that and take extra care with it. Now, unless you have a cute little... what do you call them? Oh, warrant or something, I suggest you leave."

"Thank you for your time, Ma'am." Kruger said. He turned to Jasmine and began to exit the building. Miss Stevenson sat down at her desk and began to dial her phone.

--

"That went as well as expected," Kruger said, opening his car door. As soon as he had sat at the driver's seat he turned to Jasmine.

"Well, notice anything interesting?"

"Only a bit," Jasmine began. "First of which she was heavily flirting with you when we first arrived, and never dropped the act the whole time, even when she got ticked off. Her mannerisms were very coquettish. I'm not one to start rumors about people, but after meeting her I wouldn't be surprised if Halley-san's comment about her had a small ring of truth about it."

Kruger couldn't help but smile at Jasmine's dead-on observation.

"When you brought up the idea of counterfeiting, her face twitched for a moment," Jasmine replied. "It was practically prominent in her left eyelid. She then tried to turn the questions around, almost like she was the one asking them. This is a tactic to avoid answering anything that could be incriminating, which only occurs when the person being questioned is in a familiar place. It would never work in an interrogation room. Anyway, her eyes kept glancing at the phone after you brought up the notion. I would say she's on the phone right now, probably saying something like 'we've got a problem'."

Kruger nodded, listening intently. He turned toward the Gallery and could see Stevenson in her office through the glass window. She was indeed on the phone.

"Not bad," Kruger mused. "Particularly because you're a little hindered without using your powers."

"What about you, Boss?" The beautiful ESPer inquired. "Notice anything strange?"

Doggie nodded. "As a matter of fact, yes. She wiped her hands once on her skirt when she told me to tell Anubis not to worry. Her hands were perspiring, usually a telltale sign of lying--or at least someone trying to hide something. Her voice cracked slightly when she said 'cute little warrant', halfway through the word little. It was like she was afraid there would be, and she bit her lower lip for approximately half a second when she finished speaking, also a sign of nervousness."

"Amazing observations, Boss," Jasmine smiled. "What do you think?"

"None of the things we noticed today could really prove anything," Kruger said with a shrug.

"True," Jasmine responded. "But I agree with Halley-san, something strange is going on. Either she is involved in something potentially illegal, or she is aware of it. The fact that she was looking at the phone means she wanted someone to know about your conversation. But the question is why?"

Kruger thought for a minute taking it all in.

"I wish we could use those powers of yours," Kruger said. "We would've known immediately. Also, it's a shame that everyone else is so busy with other assignments. If our suspicions are correct, this could become an inter-planetary incident."

"I agree," Jasmine said. "Luckily, it's well in the Space Police jurisdiction, since Planet Anubis is involved. I say we call up Chief Numa-O and get that warrant. Halley's testimony might be enough to get the ball rolling. Then I can attempt it."

"In the meantime," Kruger began. "I've got an idea, we'll call in the pottery that was returned. Maybe Swan can inspect it and see if it's the real deal."

"Good idea, Boss," Jasmine smiled. "Maybe there's something simple they missed like..."

"The make-up of the item." Kruger finished her sentence. "The museum owner recognized it as the work of Rex Galleio...but what about the clay used in it? It could just be it's only found on Earth. The soil on Anubis is very different than that of Earth."

"That would be really stupid of them though." Jasmine said pointedly.

Kruger nodded and put on his sunglasses.

"Often the criminal element is," He grinned.

Kruger started up the engine of the Machine Doberman and pulled out of the parking lot of the art gallery. Stevenson looked outside as he did so. She was still on the phone, a peculiar look on her face.