Dangerous Evolution by Gregg Vann Read Free Book Online Page A

shot.
     

Chapter
Three
     
    Considering the unusual composition of our group, the Transit to
Harrakan Station was remarkably uneventful.
    Ensign Mendoza spent her time dissecting the blackout unit, trying
to glean any additional information from it. She was powered by the exuberance
of youth and her new found importance within the hierarchy of the Babylon .
I was confident that she’d figure out how the device was installed on Evan’s
ship, and maybe even how it’d made it past the station inspector—a bribe being
the most likely explanation for the latter.
    Del sequestered itself in empty crew quarters near the front of
the ship, speaking to no one. Captain Stinson and I made ourselves at home on the
bridge; he was reviewing real-time video of the ongoing interrogations on
Evan’s Moon, while I continued to sift through Val’s personal files. 
    “Anything useful on the feed?” I asked.
    “Nothing yet. It seems like Miss Evans was keeping everything to
herself.” He paused the image and the screen dimmed automatically. “But all of the
staff agree; other than the increased secrecy, she was behaving normally. No
signs of any duress.”
    He looked toward the back of the ship and lowered his voice. “They
also say that the Sentients never acted threatening, and if anything, were deferential to Miss Evans.”
    I lowered my voice to match his, wondering how well developed
Sentient hearing was—not knowing if they augmented it like they did their
vision. “Now that is interesting,” I said.
    “Very,” he agreed.  “Apparently, the Sentients came and went
frequently; the staff got the impression that Miss Evans was sending them off
to gather materials.”
    “Materials? Do we know what type of stuff they brought back to the
dome?”
    “Unfortunately, no. The containers were always cryo-sealed. She
made them pass whatever it was through bio-screening, to make sure it wasn’t
dangerous, then she deleted the records herself. The staff only knew that they
were biological samples of some sort.”
    “Asking the Sentients about it directly would be pointless,” I
said. “We’ll have to find out about their project on our own.”
    I blew out my breath in frustration. “We still don’t even know if
it’s related to the kidnapping.”
    “Indeed,” he said. “But that project is the only thing out of the
ordinary in Evan’s life at the moment, and the mystery around it makes me very
suspicious.”
    “Me too.” I pointed to the back of the ship. “ Anything involving them should make you suspicious; keep your ship prepared for...complications.”
    “Already done.” He noted the consternation on my face. “No luck decrypting
that locked file, huh?”
    “Not yet. As you might guess, my status gives me access to the
best software and cryptographers in the Sectors. I sent it directly to Prima’s
Cipher Division, but I still haven’t heard back yet.”
    “I think I can comfortably say that Miss Evan’s intellect,
influence, and wealth, probably give her the same capabilities as our Cipher Division,”
Stinson said reluctantly.
    “You’re probably right,” I shrugged, folding up my pad and putting
it back in the holster. I started rubbing my eyes.
    “Have you brought the other Special Inquisitors in on this, or are
you on your own?”
    “On my own for now; the other six have their own responsibilities
at the moment, but if this degenerates into something more serious,
specifically involving the Sentients, I won’t hesitate to call them in. They’ve
all received a mission brief.”
    Each inquisitor had confirmed receipt of my interim report within
minutes of the transmission. We rarely updated each other on individual cases—unless
they involved a particular hazard or concern in an inquisitor’s Sector—but this
case involved us all, and it was incumbent on me to keep every Sector updated.
    “How exactly does it all work?” Stinson asked. “With the Special
Inquisitors, I mean, if you don’t