Free Viking by Daniel Hardman

information. And as long as exposure was a risk, he
didn’t dare proceed with the real mission on Erisa Beta II. He’d juggled schedules and
assignments and put the viking crew in a harmless holding pattern to buy a few days,
but it couldn’t go on like this much longer. He had to plug his leak in time to shift
the crew and lay claim to the ground he wanted.
    A massive breach of the company’s network might explain it. That had been his first
thought after initial threats to expose the EB II claim fraud. But security experts
assured him that a digital invasion, even if successful, would trigger all sorts of
alarms. Audits had been squeaky clean, and the fabricated evidence he’d left in
strategic locations hadn’t been touched. Nobody was snooping on his files.
    That left people. Some individual—or, even worse, some group—with personal, internal
knowledge of MEEGO’s activities must be selling the information. Or using it directly,
of course. For the past couple weeks he’d been wracking his brains to discover who it
could be. The scientists were natural suspects, so he’d completely replaced the
earthside EB II team. It made no difference.
    He had briefly considered Edvardsen, the project director. The scope of the
culprit’s knowledge sometimes coincided pretty closely with hers. Certainly neither she
nor the blackmailer knew what the future focus of the mission would be. But her hands
were too dirty to blackmail anyone. Senior management? Not likely; the handful who knew
details of the mission were in up to their necks and couldn’t risk exposure. And they
would soon be fabulously rich anyway. Besides, a blackmailer with their knowledge would
hardly be asking for chicken feed.
    The flight plan changed things.
    He had spoken with the ship’s captain personally when he signed the charter. MEEGO
wanted quick departure and minimal transit time at any cost. Minimal time , he’d
stressed.
    “It’ll be more expensive to work on a short timetable,” the captain had
responded.
    “As long as you stay within reason. The schedule is critical for us.”
    “That’s fine. I’ll send along a flight plan in a couple hours when I clear all the
red tape.” The captain had eyed him intently as he said it, waiting for a response.
    “That won’t be necessary. We’ll just leave it in your hands.”
    The captain had nodded solemnly, and they had both understood that MEEGO was looking
the other way while the captain skirted the edges of the law. So how did the
blackmailer know how many jumps they’d done? Nobody at MEEGO knew that—only the vikings
themselves.
    Could a viking be in on this? He hadn’t seriously considered that possibility
before, because some of the information was beyond their clearance. Besides, they’d
been in isolation since their training began, and now that the implants were activated,
they couldn’t even go to the bathroom in privacy. But maybe a viking informant had
found a way to pass back mission particulars to an outside partner with more limited
access. He couldn’t see how—yet it would explain the detailed knowledge of some items
and the apparent ignorance of others... If a crewmember was the only source of the
blow-by-blow happenings on the planet, there was suddenly light at the end of the
tunnel.
    “Well?”
    Bezovnik snapped back to the conversation at hand, trying to suppress the surge of
elation in his voice.
    “I’m telling you, a million is a lot of money.”
    “Poor Bezovnik! The police will feel sorry for you.”
    “Very funny. Since you’re so clever, why don’t you tell me how to get that kind of
cash? I certainly don’t have it in my pocket.”
    “I’ll bet MEEGO will float a loan.”
    “MEEGO has auditors and accountants, you fool! How do I expense it? I can’t commit
another crime just to keep my nose clean with you!”
    “Oh, come, come. I’m sure your conscience will see the light. Given your experience
with creative