The Luntan governor paced the floor of the atrium. "You're correct. Any hint that your favortism for a particular species would unravel this investigation. Five days. I wish this matter to be solved. The Jolangus produce shipments must be stopped."

  "I'm a bit confused why do the shipments keep coming if the food is so dangerous? Why do you keep allowing the shipments?"

  "It's not that frequent. Many of the shipments have no particular issue and many of the citizens down play the risk but the trend is clear. The Jolangus goods are becoming more aggressive. The number of missing toes has increased. And still the citizens here desire the sweet treats and take the risks. Luntan's do not restrict our freedoms without proper and clear reasons."

  "Or it's simple politics. Get the Trade Council to ban a produce and you don't have the burden of enforcement. And you're not taking away a treat from the people, you're saving toes."

  "I have no response for this. The sky council," Governor Asvenia pointed to a floating platform with ornate poles. Luntan sat on the poles in a circle above. He continued, "will see to any concerns you may have. You have four days remaining with your investigation. I look forward to seeing the signed papers cross my aerial platform." He stretched his wings and took off to a smaller platform above the sky council.

  "Great. How do I get out of here?" Zander jumped and in the low gravity he could make it to the lowest exit in the atrium. He grabbed the railing and slid down the building to the street. The Luntan's colony was all about flight, and they were not much on waste exposal. A sweet smell wafted through the street and Zander followed a run off from a market. The trail of waste continued to below into the ocean depths. The source of the runoff was a market filled with the sweets. They were unloading a new shipment of the cabbage as he walked up.

  Zander tried to jump up to them but ultimately it was a familiar face that provided assistance. The young Luntan peered over the edge. "Mother, the human is here." The mother Luntan flew down and grabbed Zanders shoulders she flew up carrying him to the market proper.

  The view above looked much different. Pod's and platforms across the city were bustling with Luntan flying around. "You don't seem worried about the cabbage today."

  The Luntan mother announced herself after she smiled at her son. "I'm Fleema, my son Lopa was so determined to get a sweet treat. After our travels I relented. But no, we are in no danger. It's always safe when the cabbage is fresh."

  Her husband joined in taking a bite. "Unless it's raining. Honestly, the acidic rain of this place is the worst. But the market owner swears the cabbage will cause no harm unless it rains."

  "Interesting. But the cabbage and the rain are not new. The rains always been acidic."

  "That's true. But the superstition seems to be true as long as we buy the cabbage before it rains we have no troubles."

  Lopa handed Detective Zander a cabbage. Why don't you try some.

  "Thanks kid." Shilo Zander took a small bite. "That is sweet. Do you mind if I keep it?"

  "Go ahead." Lopa flew off to play air tag with a few other kids his age.

  Zander turned his attention to the adults. "What do you two do?"

  Fleema said, "I work in healthcare. My husband is in city planning."

  Zander looked out across the way to the ocean. "The map of the town was corrupted. Could you point out where cabbage attacks occured?"

  "Oh that's easy. This place has least amount of incidents. It's why we are here. It's the closest to the sky bridge and has the freshest goods. The worst cases happened down by the docks. And over there along the coast."

  "Why do you have docks? I don't see any ships."

  "Oh that's for the submarines. We are a flying people. It's fun to fly over the ocean but this ocean is much too acidic for us. That's why the Ryshaloians moved in. They don't mind the acid in the water."

  "Oh honey don't you remember swimming in the sea of Io."

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  Io, that sounded familiar to Zander but his brain buzzed with thoughts. "Thanks for the thoughts and the cabbage." He took another bite of the sweet goods and took off down the hill towards the docks. He walked along the trail of waste which was growing in size and becoming a proper river of water flowing towards the ocean.

  Once he was past the towers of pods and platforms he could see that the colony continued underwater. The standard Ryshaloian domes emitted light but the one closest to the rivers move had no lights.

  Zander repositioned his hat, closed in his suits breathing. As long as the space conditions were correct, meaning no large projectiles and only moderately extreme temperatures, and he didn't mind recycled air he could walk along the stars, or in this case swim down to an empty Ryshaloian dome. Cabbage in hand he swam down to the colony and peered inside. The place should be swarming in intelligent eels. Eels looking to sale or buy something. His suit complained about the acidic nature of the ocean but he ticked the amber alarm away. Only a touch corrosive.

  Something wiggled at his fingertips and the cabbage was alive. It was quickly growing tentacles and teeth. Ryshaloians swam above and he shouted out. His suit translated and emited a high pitched sound calling for help. The aliens turned towards him and began to attack him.

  Zander stopped swimming and sunk down deeper into the depths. He couldn't handle the cabbage and the eels at the same time. He triggered his suits electric charge which zapped himself along with cabbage. The cabbage relented and Zander took refuge in the dome. He walked the hallways and found a lab with notes clearly outlining a process to activate latent genes in the cabbage when exposed to the acidic rain. A Ryshaloian engineered this? Zander captured notes of the lab and made sure his suits' surveillance had captured his full encounter in the ocean before he pulled his pistol out and started his walk back to the dome's underwater opening.

  That station's lights flickered on and the automatic doors opened to rooms that had been inaccessible to him before. Cabbage teeth and tentacles lashed out at him and Zander fired round off clearing his path back to the exit. He swam upwards and trekked his way back to the base of the sky bridge.

  Fleema dropped down to investigate his strange appearance. "Detective, swimming here is for the Ryshaloians."

  "It's not the swimming that was the hazard. But I think I found enough evidence to show that the Jolangus are not to blame. This issue was engineered and I believe it to be by the Rhshaloians. Could you fly me up to the sky council."

  "I guess I could do that. It's a bit higher up than the market but I should be able to do that."

  Detective Zander struggled to position himself on the poles but heights mattered to the Luntans and he wasn't going to have them look down on him as he challenged the case before him.

  "Detective Zander, we were informed that you would be visiting. Have you signed the documents showing support for our case."

  "No, I bring new evidence. Evidence which should have been obvious but before that evidence is introduced I have a complaint about the data files I was sent. The map outline where attacks have occured was corrupted. It was also buried in a heap of data I believe was meant to keep me from investigating. If I was to review each of these files by hand it would take months at least."

  He pointed them to the file. "Could you bring your copy up. Oh good you found the file and have a lovely holographic display. Such detail an in an outdoors location. There could you zoom in a bit. As you can see attacks most often occur near the ocean. I can see a large number of attacks elsewhere of course but I have none of your weather data. It seems that acidic water of a very specific mix activates the cabbage. The carnivorous genes of this plant are ... well they are most gruesome. I thought they would get me for sure."

  Detective Zander wiped his brow. "But the genes have been modified. There's no doubt tampering has occured but that tampering of the cabbage's genetics was done here by a Ryshaloian lab that has been abandoned. And I suspect I know why. I'm not a complete expert of the alien species but Ryshaloians love the acid water. I don't think they appreciate the sweetness of the cabbages. This is theory but I'm sure the Luntans will do a thorough investigation in this." He paused for dramatic effect and to make sure they heard his next words clearly. "I will be handing this evidence of the the Ryshaloian lab and the map over to the Galactic Trade Council, in a very formal and public meeting I am sure. In the mean time I will be marking this investigation in favor of allowing Jolangus shipments to continue. But I recommend that you water seal them prior to selling to the general population."