Chapter 16. Unfinished business.

After a short nap, Thaum went back to the cockpit. Ellora and Alice were looking at a star map. Various areas were in red. Alice tapped away on her Galactic net console, then pressed on another star system, turning it red.

Thaum asked, "so, what are you doing?"

Alice said, "well, first we were trying to figure out where you were taking us. But now we are mapping routes out of the Empire."

Thaum asked, "find any."

She sighed, "no. Every time we come up with something, another problem comes up."

Thaum sat in the Captain's seat and looked at the map, "okay, talk me through the thought process, and I'll see what I can add."

Ellora stood up and pointed at the map, "red areas are areas with high Empire activity or control. Military outposts. Worlds with solid ties to the Empire, etc. Going anywhere near there with our ship id will get us caught.

So first, we thought the border would be the biggest problem. It has a sensor net and patrols that would pose a problem. We only just started thinking of solutions to that when we realized another problem.

Fuel, we will have to refuel several times before even reaching the border. I know for a fact from my time running a mining operation that all refueling stations have strong ties to the Empire. It was an attempt to combat piracy. The stations would send word of our location if they sold fuel to us at all.

So I thought we could find traveling ships. Cargo haulers on shipping lanes miners whatever. I've bought spare fuel from them before in a pinch. However, it would only take one to send a message to the wrong person.

Worse yet, considering the money involved, they might issue a bounty. We can't trust anyone now…."

Alice added, "we have thought of bribing the border guards when we get to it. Even bribing those we buy fuel from because we have the money. However, there's nothing stopping them from taking the money and informing the Empire anyway.

We could also probably outrun most pursuits, but that will only work for so long. Each time they get our location and direction will make escaping more difficult."

Thaum rolled his eyes, "if you get stuck, you should ask for help. If you asked the ship, it would have told you it has a miniature extractor and refinery. It would be slow, but we can refuel at most nebula. And if you asked me, I could offer the sage advice of copying the experts."

Ellora said, "I wanted to wake you, but Alice insisted it was a really bad idea, so we didn't. Who are the experts on… whatever this is."

Thaum said, "Crossing the border undetected. Smugglers. Refueling and general ship maintenance without involving the authorities. Pirates. Which conveniently is where we are currently headed. Before we met you, we were tracking an illegal arms dealer. Now we just have more reasons to get him. First, for reasons. Second for his contact list and skills."

They continued to discuss the details for a while, but they didn't have enough information to make any solid plans. Thaum went back to watching the last season of his current show. Ellora went to Thaum's room to sleep, and Alice found something to do on the galactic net.

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Two days later.

Thaum woke up. He saw Ellora sitting on the side of the bed, fiddling with a handheld device. Thaum looked over her shoulder, startling her, "you have been fiddling with that thing for a while now. Don't tell me you have been trying to compose a letter for your crew this entire time."

She jumped up, "it's rude to read over people's shoulder like that… and they aren't my crew anymore."

Thaum asked, "is that why you haven't mentioned wanting to leave the ship. I was going to leave you at the next stop. You were obviously a part of a mining fleet for the last few years, not a pirate group. So the Empire shouldn't give you much trouble."

She shrugged, "probably."

Thaum said, "well, the Empire will only take the excuse that you were taken for a ride for so long. Figure out what you want to do soon because this isn't a passenger cruse-ship.

[Captain, we have reached the destination 7 minutes ago. Crew-mate Alice wishes to speak to you once you have woken up.]

Thaum gave Ellora one last glance before leaving for the cockpit.

On screen was a large trading station. Dozens of resource and cargo freighters were space docked, long tubelike arms reaching from the station connecting to the ship's airlocks. Hundreds of small dock ships flew around carrying cargo containers to storage or other vessels.

Thaum's ship sat just outside sensor range. Alice wanted to know how they would get in if they still wanted the arms dealer. Thaum smiled, closed his eyes, and focused for a few breaths. Then said, "like this."

He flashed blue and was gone. Alice starred, her jaw unintentionally hung open, "what the fuck!?" She sat there in disbelief for several minutes. She couldn't believe that he was telling the truth about magic. Teleportation too, if he didn't just vaporize himself.

Meanwhile, Thaum found himself in a toilet cubical on the station. He looked through the walls for any cameras and found none.

Decent sensors were rare, but a large trade station like this would probably have some. Thaum was curious what the sensors would think of him suddenly appearing on the station. Or if they were looking for that kind of thing at all.

He walked through a corridor. A door opened to his left, and two people in jumpsuits walked through. They were concentrating on their argument, so Thaum ignored them. He passed several more people, none of which seemed interested in him.

Thaum sat down in the corner of the cafeteria with a glass of water. He people watched for half an hour. A teleportation spell half-constructed and a moment from activation. But nothing happened.

Thaum shrugged to himself then sent out a search spell to find his target. He gave a half-smile then began the hunt.

Several more corridors later and a few armed station guards later, he stood outside the target's room. He flicked his vision to the magical spectrum and looked into the room through the wall.

Several people sat near the door. The target was in a smaller room to the side. Thaum wondered how he wanted to do this for a moment.

There were cameras in the main room, and they might be connected to the station's system. It would be too difficult to mess with the station's recordings after the fact. So Thaum continued looking.

The people near the door had weapons. In belts or hidden by clothing instead of holsters. So probably not station security, making it less likely those cameras go to the station feeds.

The target's room had several monitors against the wall. He thought for a moment, then sent out a simple spell. A wave of invisible mana covered the rooms. Then it was all attracted to anything with an electrical charge. The cables lit up to his eyes, and he easily followed the cameras to the target's monitors.

'good,' he thought. No point in setting up wires if it was running wirelessly; Which was another point in favor of the feeds only going to the smaller monitors.

Thaum also started seeing all the defense systems in the target's office. Any plans of walking in as a client were thrown out. Thaum was still confident of taking the man anyway, but he found well-defended rats irritating to speak with.

He focused on the cameras and melted their electronics. Created a black blob over the lens for good measure, then moved to the wall the guards were sitting behind. He focused a mass of mana in his hand and phased it through the wall.

The mana exploded out, overloading and knocking out the regular humans. Thaum stepped through the wall and took a laser pistol from a guard's waistband.

He kept an eye on his target through the wall, but he hadn't moved. He mentally shrugged and did the same with the target's office. A ball of mana was released into the room. Thaum stepped through the wall and picked up the target.

Thaum put the pistol under the table and killed the other room's occupant. Then phased out of the office and killed the guards. He shot the cameras before teleporting back to his ship with the target.

Alice jumped when he appeared, "damn, that's scary. You can just appear whenever you want."

Thaum shook his head, "it's a little more complicated than that, but yes. Now I'm sure you don't want to see this." he gestured down the hall to her room.

She said, "can't you do whatever you're going to do in the airlock. I doubt you clean."

Thaum paused, "that's a good idea." He took the man to the airlock after giving Alice a half-smile. She nodded back with a pale face.

A few minutes later.

Thaum had started pulling things from the man's mind. He was careful not to damage the man yet, so it took close to an hour. He found what was needed and made a few adjustments before the man woke up.

Thaum said, "don't bother struggling. You are already captured, Mr. Victor."

Victor stood up, "what. The. fuck. On what charges."

Thaum just stood there stone-faced. The man was seeing this room as an Imperial interrogation cell. Armed guards were standing just outside the hardened glass room. Victor saw Thaum dressed in official Imperial garb, but the rank or title escaped him at the moment.

Thaum finally said, "two weeks ago, you sold two class 3 laser gun systems to a pirate group."

Victor huffed, "bullshit, what proof do you have. I only sell to legitimate businesses."

Thaum said, "Okay, then what is this? It has all the deals you made written down." He took out a little blank box made of magic and waved it around.

Victor paled, "you still have nothing."

Thaum smiled, "your license doesn't allow you to sell half of the stuff on here, and of the things you are allowed, not in the volume you have sold."

Victor scowled, "that is just some random notebook. I say it, and my lawyer will say it. There is no way to prove any of those transactions transpired, or even that, that notebook is mine."

Thaum rolled his eyes, "it has your handwriting. Your fingerprints and your DNA on it. Seriously who uses physical media nowadays."

Victor spat, "fuck you."

Thaum frowned, "I'll pass. Now I would like you to look at this." He waved his hand, and a screen appeared showing Victor's own memories. Scenes of various sales flicked by. Victor's face was completely drained of color. He didn't ask why, how, or why. He was too stunned.

Victor asked, "what do you want?"

Thaum said, "Nothing, I already have everything I want from you. Except for your life." He placed a laser pistol on the ground. "so, if you would so kindly give me that."

Victor laughed, "I don't know what game your playing, but I'm not stupid enough to touch that."

Thaum just smirked, "if you can survive a day of what your kind creates, you get to live." Then he walked out of the airlock.

Thaum entered the cockpit and sat down. He imput new coordinates and flicked on a show. The last episode, not that he would particularly enjoy it, given his mood.

Alice asked, "so, what did you do with him."

Thaum replied, "I'm just showing him a memory."

Fifteen minutes later, the computer said, [target is deceased. Opening airlock.]

Thaum noticed Alice twitch and the faint tremor of her hand, but he didn't care. Bandits and those that help them deserve worse.