The Ripple in Space-Time: Free City Book 1 (The Free City Series) by S F Chapman

that
Daniel Kufuzu or perhaps his step brother Dimitri Verhovnyi are involved with
these pirates due to their past misdeeds with some of the roving marauders. ”
    “ Alright, I ’ ll look into that, ” the Investigator smiled.
    After several minutes of light
banter, Ryo followed the big man back into the student-filled main office. He
watched with quiet amusement as Lieutenant Zmuda returned to his alternate
persona as Professor Malcolm Evans.
    “ Ah, you ’ ve done a fabulous job! ”
    As Ryo slogged back between the two
Science buildings, he mentally manipulated the scraps of information that the
Lieutenant had supplied to him. Why would either of the Warlords that Zmuda
mentioned be connected to the destruction of the Ultra Energy Lab that was
funded by the Warlord Syndicate of which they were both members?
    Still deep in thought, Ryo pushed
open the door to the dim Physics Department workroom where he had left his
cohorts. In the stark light of the desktop display, he spotted Keira hastily
pull her hand away from Lev ’ s.
    The two dallying detectives turned
in unison towards him, a monochrome lunar image stood frozen on the desktop
screen.
    “ What did you two find? ”
    Keira sheepishly shifted her chair
away from Lev ’ s and gestured for Ryo to join them.
    The old Investigator examined the
still photo of a colossal smooth charcoal-gray crater depressed in the center
of mottled slate and silver-colored highlands. Dozens of smaller dimples
pockmarked the surrounding surface.
    Lev ’ s finger traced
the huge lunar basin; “ This is the Sea of Crisis about
27 minutes before the explosion. ” He pointed to an incongruous
beige rectangle on one side of the depression, “ Here ’ s the Ultra Energy Lab, or at least the part that ’ s above the surface. ”
    Ryo frowned at the image, “ That ’ s not much help. ”
    “ From this high up, you can ’ t pick out any
details, ” Keira noted, “ but the picture quality is good
enough that we can zoom in to a resolution of about ten square centimeters. ”
    Lev brushed the toolbar and the
beige rectangle grew to fill most of the screen. A strangely out of place black
speck was perched on one corner of the massive structure.
    “What’s that thing?” Ryo wondered.
    Lev manipulated the controls until
the dark anomaly occupied the entire display.
    “ We were looking at this earlier, ” Keira tilted her head to the side, “ it ’ s some sort of unusual spacecraft. ”
    Ryo nodded slowly, “ I think that ’ s an Ore Runner, although it doesn ’ t look anything like the Lunar variant. ” He pondered it
for nearly a minute. “ I ’ ve got an idea
that might pan out for us. Lev, send this image off for me. ”
    The young man slid his fingers
over the toolbar, “ Where to? ”
    The older man leaned forward and
entered the address of the Vessel Registry Bureau, “ Inspector Ryo Trop, ID 783682. Identify craft and detail current status
and location.”
    Several seconds later the stark
lunar image was replaced by a crisp registration photo of the spacecraft in
dry-dock. A long scrolling description filled the bottom of the screen: Vessel identified as the Butin Belle. Special Midget Ore Runner Class 37a.
Construction completed on 13th of November 2429 at the Vesta Ship Works.
Currently registered to Celestial Delivery Systems, Mariner Station, Mars.
Hijacked by unknown individuals on 12th of February, 2445. Present location
unknown.
    “ Pirates again, ” Ryo muttered.
    Keira looked up at him, “ What does Butin Belle mean? ”
    Ryo shook his head, “ I don ’ t know; it ’ s French, I think. ”
    “ Beautiful loot, ” Lev chuckled.

13. Titan Palace Saturn was slowly rising above the
horizon.
    Dimitri Verhovnyi stared through
one of the many thick plate glass windows of the palace at the shimmering
sliver of the monstrous gas giant as it grew ever-larger. Soon the stupendous
rings would edge into view and the majestic planet would gradually shift from