Free Manifest by Viola Grace Page A

boxes.
    “You are sipping that coffee like you have had some additional training.”
    “I will be dealing with races alien to me on a daily basis. A little etiquette was called for.”
    “Well, if I am allowed to interact with anyone sexually before I leave, would you care to join me?”
    She snorted. “I would love to, but I leave in the morning. The rest of my training will be on the job. Plus, it would be weird calling out my own name during sex, not that I haven’t done it.”
    He nearly sprayed his coffee but he recovered quickly. “Well, that will be a mental image to keep me warm at night.”
    She winked and they sat for hours, talking about their hopes and plans for the future. He didn’t ask her where she was going, she didn’t ask him about the Selna instructor he had. It was just two friends talking over coffee until the wee hours on the base.
     
    * * * *
     
    Two years after that night on Luna base, Mel saw Mel walking through her space station with his client. The wealthy woman was draped over his muscular arm and two of her four breasts were parked on his forearm.
    Mel didn’t embarrass him. She nodded at him on her way to her shift and he nodded slightly in return. It was nice to see him again. He looked happy and fit. There was an amused but cheerful gleam in his eye that hadn’t been there when they left Earth. He was adapting to his new life rather well.
    She checked into work and settled in at her desk. Whistling softly, she looked at the roster of incoming ships. The Makuada station was a busy port between jump points. A seal of shipment from Makuada was required for trading with several dozen worlds and systems.
    Agent Geller was one of the best, if not the best agent, at the station. Mel hummed to herself as she checked the logged-in ships.
    She put on her tool belt and gripped her data pad in one hand with her stylus behind her ear. Mel headed to the docks and wondered who she would be working with today. She got different guards each day, and while they were all fixated on their duty, some were more fun to work with than others.
    Her group was waiting for her and she sighed with relief. “Tois, Wikins, Nav, Kaylor. Good morning.”
    They stood straight at her approach. “Good morning, Agent Geller.” They spoke in unison.
    She smiled. “Shall we begin? The first vessel is out of Arcath on the way to the ninth sector. Manifest indicates dry goods. Moderate technology and four passengers. Let’s go.”
    They converged on the ship, removed crew and passengers before the scanners did a life sweep.
    Mel checked the readout and noted any anomalies before entering the hold with two of the guards while the other two watched the entryway, her recorder was in the air behind her head.
    She used her tools to remove the webbing that held them down and she popped open the locks on the crates. The manifest listed moderate tech and the two boxes she singled out were definitely high tech and not repair parts for the ship.
    “Weapons. Com units. Lock and seize.”
    Tois strapped a customs seal on each of the boxes, put some small mag lifts on each crate and she and Wikins pushed them out of the hold and into the customs lockup.
    Mel filled out the report for the captain and offered him the choice between a hefty fine and he could keep the cargo, surrendering the cargo or jail time and forfeiture of his ship.
    “I will surrender the cargo.”
    “Thank you. Sign here.” She handed the data pad over, and he confirmed her findings and signed over the cargo.
    He signed the document with his scaly thumb. “You are Agent Geller?”
    She nodded. “I am.”
    “It figures that I would get you.”
    She didn’t smile. “I suppose that is your luck. Good day, Captain. The remainder of your cargo has the seal. You are cleared to continue your journey.”
    She filed away with her guards as the captain and passengers stared after her. She shrugged. A completely fitted suit was only practical in her job. It