The Hidden Treasure of Darfor

Lieutenant Tuk was in a bad mood today, Sergeant Joval could tell. The loudness of his footsteps and the pace of his walk were directly related to how pissed off he was. This morning, the Lieutenant moved at a very brisk pace, his shoes creating loud CLACK sounds with each stride. His heavy footsteps created an ominous rhythm which reverberated around the corridors and offices of the precinct building. As he entered the main office, he stopped and scanned the room, before spotting the Sergeant and marching straight towards him. Joval pretended to be busy typing a report, but he knew what was coming next. It had happened many, many times before: every time something went wrong, every time a major case was left unsolved, every time a suspect escaped capture, the Lieutenant vented his frustration at those under his command. Unfortunately for Joval, his computer terminal was close to Tuk’s office and he frequently bore the brunt of the Lieutenant’s outbursts.

  ‘Sergeant Joval!’ Tuk spat out, virtually spraying him with saliva as he did so.

  The Lieutenant’s species was well suited to administration and organisational tasks thanks to their extremely large brains, but being short and round, they were ill suited to any physical tasks at all. Apart from, say, setting a new record for the amount of snacks they could cram in their cheeks whilst watching videos on the entertainment channels. This made it a little awkward for Joval – whose species was tall, lightly muscular and athletic – to take such abuse from the Lieutenant without bursting out laughing. There was something about standing there and taking the frequent dressing-downs from the diminutive Lieutenant which was almost comical. This was made especially so due to the overly dramatic rants which Tuk frequently yelled, his eyes almost bugging out of his head as he did so. However, Joval knew that any disrespectful sniggering on his part would result in an immediate demotion, so he had learned long ago to control his laughter.

  ‘Lieutenant!’ the Sergeant replied, standing up from his desk.

  The difference in size became instantly apparent – the Sergeant had to be at least thirteen or fourteen inches taller than his boss.

  ‘Where are we with the Zalnar raid?’ demanded Tuk, eyes narrowed.

  Joval took a deep breath before answering, ‘All suspects were apprehended successfully and processed at the booking station. We have conducted a preliminary round of questioning for all suspects at this time.’

  The sergeant stopped talking for a moment upon realising that he sounded like he was giving a statement to the press, not talking to a fellow officer. Realising this, he relaxed slightly. However, that relaxed state only lasted for a couple of seconds, as Tuk started talking again.

  ‘Is that so?’ the Lieutenant mused, pacing back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back.

  This can’t be good. He looks like he’s gearing up to say something, thought Joval as he quickly tried to think of a reason that would allow him to be excused.

  Unfortunately for him, Tuk began to reach boiling point quicker than he could think of a pretext that would allow him to slip away.

  ‘Sit down, Sergeant,’ commanded Tuk as he paced.

  Joval reluctantly did so.

  ‘Mind telling me why a complaint has been filed against you and your squad?’ the Lieutenant asked, his voice tinged with anger around the edges.

  Joval was taken aback for a moment, his mouth opening in shock.

  ‘Sir?’ was all he could mumble in confusion.

  ‘A complaint has been filed by not one, but every single suspect that you have brought in from the Zalnar raid.’

  ‘What’s the complaint?’

  ‘They’re saying that you used unnecessary force to apprehend them. They’re claiming police brutality!’ Tuk’s voice rose sharply as he delivered that last sentence.

  Joval was dumbfounded by this.

  ‘That’s crazy,’ he began, before being cut off by an incensed Tuk.

  ‘No, what’s crazy is that if their lawyers manage to prove it, we might have to drop the charges and let them walk!’

  Joval decided to fight his corner over this.

  ‘But sir, we didn’t use live rounds or physically beat them. They were all being extremely threatening and we were forced to respond and contain the situation or risk it escalating uncontrollably. We did what we had to do.’

  This, as it turned out, was probably a mistake. Tuk didn’t reply right away, but he was seething and Joval noticed that his eyes were bulging and his cheeks changing colour to an angry red. He was about to explode.

  ‘”What you had to do?” “What you had to do?!” Don’t speak such garbage! They teach you fifty different ways to immobilise potential threats back at the academy; it covers every type of species in the known galaxy and by following these techniques you can apprehend any suspect unharmed.’

  I’d like to see you apprehend any suspect at all without using a weapon, you trumped up little squirt, thought Joval in irritation as the lieutenant continued his tirade of abuse.

  The rant was beginning to attract the attention of everyone else in the main office – everyone had turned to watch what was happening. Joval tried his best to keep calm as the shouting continued.

  ‘It was a fiasco, that’s what it was!’ spat Tuk. ‘Sounds like you were starting a war rather than conducting a stealth raid! You do know that at close range, even stun rounds can occasionally cause adverse reactions or even death amongst targets! Who fired the first shot?’

  ‘Sir?’

  ‘Who started this whole damn mess?’

  Joval bit his lip, stopping himself from angrily telling the Lieutenant to back the hell off and calm down.

  With great restraint, he replied in a very low voice, ‘It was me, sir. I was the one who opened fire on the suspects.’

  Tuk seemed to have reached his boiling point and vented as much as he needed to. From this point on, he slowly became quieter and quieter until he was virtually back to normal.

  ‘Really? I expected better from you, Joval,’ he said, shaking his head disappointedly.

  Joval wasn’t sincere but he apologised anyway, sensing that it would help to diffuse the situation.

  ‘I’m sorry, sir. I guess things just got out of hand.’ Then he added, ‘It won’t happen again.’

  That did it. Tuk sucked in a huge lungful of air and let it out noisily in a very loud sigh.

  ‘Make sure that it doesn’t. I need you to lead your squad and set a good example for them to follow. Everyone looks up to their superiors for guidance on how to behave. We are one of the top precincts in this district,’ Tuk leaned in towards the Sergeant and said in a low whisper, ‘and we need to keep it that way. Our crime rate has been going up for months now and I’m catching heat from the higher-ups. We need to turn things around – quickly.’

  ‘Yes, sir. I’ll try my best,’ Joval replied.

  ‘Good,’ said Tuk, nodding enthusiastically. ‘Good. So we understand each other?’

  ‘Perfectly, sir,’ agreed Joval, well aware that it was his boss’s head on the chopping block and not his, even though the Lieutenant might try and make out otherwise.

  He smiled silently at that thought. Tuk stood up straight again and smoothed his shirt, the buttons straining to stay closed as they fought against his rather massive girth.

  ‘Well, now that that’s sorted, give me some more details on the case. Did the suspects give up any useful information under questioning?’

  ‘Unfortunately not much,’ Joval reluctantly reported. ‘They did make reference to a particular club which is used to move the drugs. I checked and the place is apparently owned by an off-worlder.’

  ‘Which planet is he from?’

  ‘Loballon.’

  ‘Have you checked with the police force there?’

  ‘Yes, and the person who allegedly owns the club does not exist in their records. It is likely a fake name in order to hide who is really behind it.’

  ‘Hmm,’ pondered Tuk as he attempted to cross his arms over his large stomach.

  He failed and eventu
ally settled for simply clasping his hands together. ‘That certainly is suspicious, which means that they are likely up to no good, possibly something even more serious than selling illicit substances.’

  ‘Agreed.’

  ‘Have you tried checking their known associates?’

  ‘Yes, sir. Just your regular dealers, some extortionists and a couple of prostitutes. Nothing that would constitute a higher-up. We don’t know who is behind the importing of this illegal substance and, unsurprisingly, the suspects won’t name names.’

  Tuk paused for a while, seemingly lost in thought.

  Just as Joval was beginning to get uncomfortable, the Lieutenant suddenly said, ‘You have their personal com units don’t you?’

  ‘Yes, sir. They were bagged as evidence when we arrested the suspects.’

  Tuk sighed loudly before leaning in towards Joval and saying quietly, ‘Check the ID codes on their com chips. Search for who they have been calling and when.’

  Joval’s brow furrowed slightly.

  ‘Sir? Are you talking about checking their communication logs?’

  Tuk said nothing.

  ‘But that’s impossible without permission from an Arbiter. We can’t just check without-’

  ‘I know the law, Sergeant,’ interrupted Tuk swiftly and softly. ‘But tell me this. Do you have any leads on this case at the moment?’

  ‘Well, not as such...’

  ‘Then do as I say, but keep it off the record.’

  Joval simply stared as his boss in apparent disbelief.

  ‘Listen, we can’t afford any more unsolved cases right now. They’re using fake names so they must be up to something seriously illegal. Check their com records and see what turns up.’

  And with that Tuk turned on his heels and walked off, his shiny shoes making loud CLACK sounds as he departed. Joval watched Tuk leave and then slowly turned round in his chair to face his computer terminal again.

  Did that really just happen? He thought to himself.

  He shrugged and began searching the evidence log on his computer screen, hunting for the appropriate com units. Joval wasn’t entirely comfortable doing this – he knew that it would be better for all the citizens in the local district if the drugs were off the streets and the dealers all in a correctional institute but still, doing it whilst ignoring the law seemed hypocritical to say the least.

  I wonder if the pressures of command force you to reconsider your morals if things aren’t going your way...he wondered as he searched.

  The sergeant then found what he was looking for and brought up the communication records of the five devices that were confiscated when the suspects were arrested. He stared at the list of numbers that seemed to stretch on forever down the long screen of the terminal and couldn’t stop a small sigh from escaping his lips. It would take him hours to go through every single one and check the conversations that had taken place over the coms. Frustrated but seeing no alternative, he quickly scanned the list of locations and names to see if anything stood out before he began going through each one methodically.

  These guys sure have been busy on their coms, thought Joval. They’ve contacted shops, personal residences, offices, nightclubs, restaurants, even something called a ‘Spay’Ar site’...

  His thoughts were interrupted by an officer walking up to him.

  ‘Excuse me, Sergeant?’

  Joval quickly swiped his hand over one of the controls and the screen went back to its default setting, the list of numbers quickly vanishing. He turned in his chair to face a slim, young woman wearing an immaculately pressed uniform.

  ‘Hi Le’Mi. What’s up?’

  ‘I just...wanted to thank you,’ said Le’Mi, blushing ever so slightly as she did so.

  Joval relaxed, leaned back in his chair and smiled warmly.

  ‘For what?’ he asked innocently.

  ‘For telling the Lieutenant that it was you who fired the first shot during the stealth raid,’ she explained, lowering her voice to a whisper so no one else could hear her.

  Joval was slightly taken aback by that. Not that Le’Mi would express such a sentiment, but that she had heard his whisper from so far away – her desk was on the other side of the room. Joval glanced at her thin, elongated and slightly pointy ears and marvelled at her hearing ability. He knew that Le’Mi’s species had excellent hearing but that was still very impressive, even by her standards.

  ‘Don’t mention it,’ breezed Joval casually.

  ‘How can I not mention it? You saved my butt!’ Le’Mi was insistent. ‘I thought Tuk was going to find out it was me who discharged my weapon and fire me on the spot.’

  ‘Honestly, it’s nothing. And by the way, don’t worry too much about the Lieutenant. He just needs to vent every now and then but he doesn’t mean anything by it.’

  Le’Mi regarded her squad leader with a sceptical look.

  ‘You’re too understanding, Joval. There’s no excuse for behaving like he did, yelling at you in front of the whole office like that.’

  Joval simply smiled warmly again.

  ‘I’m telling you, it’s fine. Forget about it.’

  Le’Mi’s expression softened as she couldn’t help but smile too.

  ‘And another thing, you’re far too nice, Sergeant Joval. I wish you were our Lieutenant and not Tuk!’

  Then she began to blush and fidget, worrying that perhaps she had said too much. Joval laughed just a little. So did Le’Mi.

  ‘Well, I have to fly the flag for nice guys, so to speak. It’s tough ‘cause there aren’t many of us left in the galaxy,’ the Sergeant replied with a sly smile.

  ‘You’re right about that,’ said Le’Mi as she stared deep into Joval’s dark eyes, her gaze lingering just a little too long.

  Just as Joval was starting to detect a hint of sexual tension in the air, he and Le’Mi were interrupted by a fairly short yet extremely stocky officer walking up to them with strong, steady steps.

  ‘Hey guys,’ greeted Tylorran as he approached.

  He was cradling a box of what looked like savoury snacks in one hand and popping them in his mouth at regular intervals with the other.

  ‘Tylorran,’ said Joval as he responded with a nod.

  Le’Mi mostly succeeded in stifling an exasperated sigh.

  ‘What’s up, Le’Mi?’ asked Tylorran through mouthfuls of pastry.

  ‘Hm?’ Le’Mi glanced quickly at Tylorran, then Joval, then her shoes, then back to Tylorran again. ‘What? Oh, nothing, no, nothing. Nothing’s up at all. Not a thing.’

  Upon realising she was behaving very awkwardly and worried that her colleague might suspect something, she made a hasty exit.

  ‘I have to go. Excuse me,’ said Le’Mi as she quickly walked back to her desk on the other side of the main office.

  ‘What’s up with her?’ asked Tylorran, watching Le’Mi walk away with a confused expression on his features.

  ‘Beats me,’ replied Joval, smiling as he turned in his chair and resumed typing on his computer terminal.

  Tylorran simply shrugged, brushed some crumbs off his slightly crumpled uniform that had clearly not seen a clothes presser in days and casually walked off, munching as he did so. Joval checked that no one else was about to interrupt him and brought up the list of com contacts on his terminal screen once more.

  Chapter 12