Free Mutiny on Outstation Zori by John Hegenberger

days." She rambled on in the hopes of appearing disarming. "Even Professor Keith lost her grant because she prematurely let the media think she'd discovered the lost civilization of Krypt—"
    The Admin Exec gave a quiet laugh, shaking his bearded head. "You have quite a wit about you."
    They were alone together ln the passageway. The walls and floor showed no signs of a struggle. In fact, Aura realized that the dock area seemed squared away and normal; nothing like what it should have looked like had there been a struggle for power on the station.
    "I don't dispute your name," the man smiled. "But had you been part of an archeological expedition in our sector, I'm certain you'd have checked in with us much earlier before this… eh, for purposes of personal security and back up." He turned and Aura followed him down a cramped but clean corridor. "And since I happen to know that this is your first visit to Zori, I suspect your story is a bit untrue."
    This guy is sharp . Aura tried to scan his mind and only got back a mild haze of impressions. Perhaps she was losing her abilities, or perhaps..."Has there been some problem here on Zori? Is everyone all right?"
    Zurek spread his hands openly. "Everyone on Zori is fine, thank you. We are extremely busy preparing for an important event, which is why I am the only person free to come greet you. I wish you no harm, but I must learn where you actually came from. We cannot afford a confrontation at this time with the Imperium."
    Aura found a smile and gave it to him. "So, why did you send a message saying you were closing relations? Surely, you must have realized that such an announcement only attract the notice of the Imperial fleet."
    "Is that what you are?" Ben Zurek asked as they rounded a curve and stopped at a ladder. "A representative of the Imperial fleet?"
    "No. I represent a communications net interested in acquiring exclusive rights to your story for distribution on the Galactic comlink."
    Zurek laughed again. A deep hearty sound that bubbled up from his chest and shook him he stood. "I'm afraid I don't believe that story either." A panel suddenly slid aside on Aura's left, revealing a uniformed military guard aiming a stunner directly at her ear. "But I'm hopeful that you will volunteer the truth in the next twenty-four hours."
    Aura realized she'd been suckered calmly and professionally by this clever man. Why wasn't I more cautious when I found I couldn't scan this guy? I must really be losing my touch.
    Zurek stepped back to allow the guard to pat her down. The handmaser was removed from its holster and all personal property taken from her pockets. Aura wore no jewelry, but if she had, she was certain it too would have been confiscated.
    "You have no right to hold me," she charged. "I came here to help, or at least to learn more about your condition. I pose you no threat." She thought she recognized the uniformed guard from the personnel listings she had studied before approaching the station. Admiral Sydney Long was high-ranking enough to have better things to do on Zori than lowly guard duty. Maybe the situation here was more complex than she had anticipated.
    Admiral Long gestured with the stunner for Aura to step back through the open doorway. "If you please," she said.
    The two women locked eyes until the door slid shut.
    Aura sent an impression back to the Dagger , tipping her teammates that things were not good on Zori. Time for Plan B.
    * * *
    Kleg maneuvered his ship closer to the Outstation that had taken in Aura's flitter less than an hour earlier. He concentrated on positioning the Dagger as close as possible to the Imperium station without risking detection of the cloak from Zori's proximity sensors.
    "HOW MUCH LONGER WILL THIS TAKE," came a message on one of the ship's screens. "SEEMS LIKE I'VE BEEN OUT HERE FOR AGES."
    On the outer hull of the ship, the Dagger 's co-pilot stood hunched over the wrist key-pad on his vacuum suit. The key-pad connected