BATTLESHIP OSIRIS, SIGMA-13 SYSTEM

Silence permeated the room. It was King who finally broke it.

"Um, excuse me, but could you say that again?"

Orillion smiled. "I thought that would get your attention. Apparently, cardamine is a deadly poison to the Nomads. They won't come through the jump hole into Omicron Alpha because the cardamine buried with the Outcast derelicts repels them. It's kind of like the old mythological belief that garlic repelled vampires. Well, I believe that we have found our garlic for the vampires, as it were.

"We intend to figure out a way we can turn cardamine into an offensive weapon. Doing so will inevitably turn the tide in our conflict with the Nomads. That is all the information I can provide at this point. Any questions?"

The room was still silent.

"Very well. Dismissed. Trent, King, would you please stay?"

The room emptied, leaving Orillion, Chavez, Trent and King.

"Gentlemen, we have to move quickly on this. We need to get cardamine samples here to study. Trent, I will leave that in your hands." Trent nodded.

"What?" King said, a little surprised.

"I'll explain later." Trent said. Looks like the gig was up, he thought to himself.

"Good. Meet me in the hangar in one hour. Secondly," Orillion continued, "we need to find Colonel Zane. Trent, do you have any idea where she is?"

Trent winced. "No, she left the LSF and went to Kusari six months ago. I haven't seen her since."

"Hmm, that's an odd move for her. I will contact Lord Hakkera and see if he can locate her. King, I want you to fly to Kusari and meet Hakkera. See if you can help him find Jun'ko. I'm going to take Mr. Chavez down to meet our scientists and brief them. That's all, gentlemen."

Trent and King left the room.

"So, what's with you and the cardamine? You're not a junkie, are you?"

"No, I just have...connections."

"You know, I'm getting kind of tired of hearing about your 'connections'. No more bull, Trent. What are you really doing?"

"Look, King, it's better if I keep it under wraps for awhile."

"Trent, are you a criminal?" King asked bluntly.

Trent exhaled slowly. Well, might as well tell him.

"Sometimes."

The two men looked at each other in an uncomfortable silence.

"Sometimes? What the hell does that mean?" King asked testily.

"What is this, an interrogation?"

"I want to know what it is you're not telling me. You're hiding something. And if you don't tell me I'll take it up with Orillion. We need to have people we can trust here."

Trent finally snapped. "You do that, King, because he already knows. You want the truth? I'm Carter Logan! I've worked for the Liberty Rogues, the Corsairs, the Outcasts, and a lot of others. You want me to go on?"

King stared at Trent with a menacing look in his eyes.

"Damn, you think you know someone." King turned and walked away.

"Trent, I want you to take this ship with you on your run." Orillion had met Trent in the hanger and led him over to a Border Worlds Sabre. Trent looked and liked.

"I can live with that. But why?"

"It's better you go incognito rather than as Edison Trent in one of my Anubises. You think you can dust off Carter Logan again?"

"Do I have a choice? Besides, I think everyone here knows now," Trent said, shooting a dirty look at King on the other side of the hangar. Orillion saw the look and the man it was directed at.

"King knows?"

"Yes."

"Trent, I know you and King are friends, and I'm sorry that I had to put you in such an awkward position. I felt that we could benefit from some criminal perspective, and a freelancer like you seemed the best way to do that."

"It doesn't matter now. I've got to get moving."

"What's your plan"

"Probably Ruiz Base. It's not too far from here."

"Good. Trent, it is vitally important that we get the cardamine, but it is even more important that you use your contacts to get in good with the Outcasts. We may need a lot more cardamine in the future, and they will probably deal much better with a group of so-called terrorists than anyone else."

"Terrorists?"

"Trent, no one in the colonies except for us and President Jacobi know anything about the Nomad incident. The Order is still considered a criminal organization in the Houses. That may work to our advantage."

"I got it. I better get going. See you later."

"Good luck."

RUIZ BASE, OMICRON BETA SYSTEM

"Roger, Mr. Logan. You are cleared for docking. Welcome back."

"Thank you, Ruiz Base. Out."

Trent eased his Sabre into the docking portal, now convinced he would have to convince Orillion into letting him have this ship. It had performed flawlessly, easily handling a Corsair surprise attack in Sigma-19. And, being the top-of-the-line ship of the Outcasts, that certainly couldn't hurt either.

"Ah, Mr. Logan! What a surprise! It's been a long time!" Commodity Exchange Manager Pedro Gallardo exclaimed as Trent walked into the exchange.

"How have you been, Pedro?" Trent asked.

"Ah, business has been a little slow as of late. Don't know why. Must be just one of those things."

"Well, maybe I can help change your fortunes a little bit. I happen to be working for an individual who's looking to establish a route for trafficking cardamine, and I recommended you. He would like to have a sample before he makes an offer, however, and I am the courier. If you please, I need a hold full of your best stuff."

"Anything for my kind of scum. I'll have it loaded for you within the hour."

"Fine. I'll transfer the payment then."

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Logan. If you're interested in making some serious credits, there is a two-million-credit bounty on the head of one Ernesto Chavez. He's a traitorous bastard that has apparently sold the Outcast's most inner secrets to the highest bidder. If anyone can terminate him, it would be you."

Trent smiled. If only you knew, you Outcast weenie. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the tip. You can contact me in the bar when you're ready to settle up." Trent turned around and headed for the bar. Suddenly his neural net silent alarm went off. He walked to a dark corner of the bar and activated it.

"Trent here."

"Trent, it's Juni."

Trent's jaw dropped. "Juni? Where the hell have you been?"

"Trent, I can't talk for long. I need to speak with you in person. Meet me on Ogashawa in Sigma-19. And don't tell anyone else. Please."

"Juni, what the hell is going on?"

"I have to go. Just meet me on Ogashawa and I'll explain. Juni out."

Trent turned off his neural net. What was that all about? he wondered. His neural net alarm for Carter Logan chimed.

"Mr. Logan, your cargo is ready."

"Ah, thank you. I'm now transferring payment. Thanks Pedro. See you soon."

"Good luck my friend."

Trent made his way to the hangar, wondering what he should do. Ogashawa was on the way back to the Osiris; should he stop and see what was up with Juni?

He launched his Sabre into space and decided that he needed to deliver the cardamine first. Orillion needed to hear about this.

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