Part 1

  Vilnius, Miska, and Utena piled out of their speeder as soon as they halted in front of the Utopia power station. The station was a tall, cylindrical building on the far edge of town. It was essentially an energy conversion facility that used the mines surplus coaxium to provide energy for the town. It was completely automated with the exception of having to refill the coaxium tanks when they were getting low. That meant that every so often the Ugnaught maintenance crew was required to do service checks. The last such check was just over a week ago and all had been well. However, last night there had been some power fluctuations that the automated system was unable to explain or correct. That prompted the system to request a maintenance call which went out to Vilnius’ crew.

  Utena popped open the speeder's cargo compartment and removed a tool kit. The others were already at the control room's circular door at the base of the tower. The door spun open for them and they proceeded inside.

  Vilnius took a seat at one of the control consoles, activating the readout screens. He took note of one particular reading and pointed it out to Miska. “What do you make of that?”

  Miska studied the screen for a moment. “The auto injection system is out of alignment.”

  Vilnius nodded. “Correct!”

  Utena had caught up and down as looking over their shoulders. “Out but not by much.”

  Vilnius scoffed, “Out is out. Go get it fixed.”

  Utena scowled and took his tool kit to a hatchway at the back of the room. The hatch, circular like the front door, spun open and he crawled inside. The maintenance tunnel was only a meter in diameter so he had to crawl his way to the controls at the end of the shaft. He was thankful he’d remembered to bring pads for his knees. The end of the tunnel opened into another chamber. It was larger but not by much.

  Utena knew there was something amiss as he approached the end of the tunnel. There was a large bundle on the floor of the opening. Upon closer inspection it was a large rubberized bag about twice as long as wide with a long zipper type closure running the full length.

  That’s weird, he thought. It appeared to be a storage bag of some sort but this was definitely not a storage area. He snorted and grasped the zipper pulling it open.

  The rotting, vaguely metallic smell hit him like a slap in the face. His curiosity overpowered his sense of smell and he peeled back the plastic revealing a body.

  A dead body.

  Utena recoiled in shock, not purely from the fright of seeing someone dead but also because he recognized her. It was Lexa, the bartender from the saloon.

  Utena left the body and his bag of tools, scrambling back down the maintenance shaft.

  He burst through the circular doorway back into the control room.

  Vilnius rounded on him instantly. “What are you doing back here? Your readings are still off.”

  Utena took a moment to catch his breath and regain composure before saying, “There’s a body. . . at the end of the shaft!”

  “A body?” Miska asked, incredulous.

  He nodded rapidly but Vilnius smacked him on the arm. “We don’t have time for jokes, youngster.”

  Utena shook his head, “Not a joke. It’s Lexa, the bartender. She’s dead!”

  Vilnius could see now that the young man was shaken. He rose quickly from his chair and headed down the shaft followed by Miska who was just curious.

  Utena, suddenly exhausted, collapsed into the chair vacated by his father. He didn’t have to wait long before the others returned.

  Vilnius started barking orders as soon as he cleared the doorway. “You two take the speeder. Go get the Sheriff and Doc Mason. And hurry!”

  *****

  Miska and Utena returned to the power station followed by a second speeder carrying Sheriff Ghor and Doc Mason.

  They headed inside where they were met by Vilnius.

  Ghor addressed him as soon as they entered. “Vilnius, what’s this chatter about a body?”

  “Dead as a doornail. It’s down the maintenance shaft.”

  Doc Mason scowled. “The maintenance shaft?”

  The Ugnought nodded. “The youngster found her down there. She’s in a body bag. We opened it to see what was inside but otherwise everything is as we found it.”

  “She? You sure recognized the victim?” Ghor asked.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Utena answered, “Yeah, it’s definitely Lexa.”

  Miska opened the maintenance door. Ghor pointed down the shaft. “Let’s go.”

  The Doc grumbled something under his breath but crawled into the shaft ahead of the sheriff.

  At the end of the shaft they found the body just as the Ugnoughts had described.

  Ghor scowled, unconsciously mimicking the Doc. “How’d she die, Doc?”

  Mason had opened the rubberized bag and peeled it back completely away from the body.

  Mason sighed and pointed to the young victim's chest. “Puncture wound. Looks like a stabbing.”

  Ghor nudged the bag with her foot. “What’s this all about?”

  “Good question,” Mason said. “I wonder where it came from.”

  “You keep any body bags around?” she asked.

  Mason shook his head. “Nope. Do you keep any with the emergency supplies?”

  The sheriff chuckled inspite of the macabre scene. “I have no idea. Guess we should find out.”

  Doc Mason stood up. “I’ll take her back to the office and do an autopsy.”

  Ghor waved Vilnius over. He’d been waiting in the maintenance shaft. “Hey Vil, you see anything out of place or missing here?”

  He shook his head. “I can look again but we didn’t notice anything like that.”

  Ghor watched the Doc close the zipper on the bag. “What did Utena come in here for anyway?”

  “The auto injector was slightly out of alignment. He came here to adjust them. It’s a common enough procedure.”

  “Do the injectors go out of alignment often?”

  Vilnius harrumphed. “They weren’t that far off.”

  “Your standards are just that high, eh?”

  Vilnius just nodded.

  *****

  A few hours later Sheriff Ghor opened the door to Doc Mason's medical clinic and stepped inside. The small lobby was empty of people. Only a small desk for reception and a couple of chairs for waiting were to be found. There was a tiny bell on the desk and Ghor tapped it. Nothing. No sound. She tapped it again with the same results.

  She frowned, That’s weird.

  Doc Mason appeared at the door to the inner office. “Bell doesn’t work. Been meaning to have Vilnius have a look.”

  The sheriff shrugged. “You have anything?”

  He motioned to her, “Come on back. I’ve been working on the autopsy.”

  Doc led the sheriff to a room in his back office that had been set up for doing minor operations. It was the only place in town that was remotely suitable for the examination of a corpse. Ghor looked around the shabby room with its dim lighting and peeling, yellowing paint. She found herself hoping she’d never have to come here for the Doc’s services.

  Her nose scrunched, hoping that it was only the dead body contributing to the odor.

  She pointed at the sheet draped corpse of the former bartender. “What have you found?”

  Doc Mason pulled the sheet back exposing the body to the waist. The flesh was pasty white, washed out by the harsh overhead light. The crimson defect in the center showed up with stark relief. He pointed with a pen anyway. “Probably the cause of death. No other obvious injuries.”

  Ghor sighed and bent over the body, hoping in vain that some genius level, crime solving thought would just come to her.

  Mason continued, “The weapon was thin and sharp. Double edged, judging by the wound. Knife of some kind.”

  Ghor swore. “Nothing to indicate who did it?”

  Doc Mason shook his head.

  At that moment they both heard the front door open and they heard Deputy Kiro’s voice come from the tiny lobby, “Doc? Sheriff? Anyone here?”

  Doc Mason called back, “We’re here!”

  The doc pulled the sheet back over the body of the victim. The sheriff and the doc went back to the lobby where Kiro was waiting for them, holding his hat in his hands and shuffling his feet.

  The sheriff spoke first, “What’s going on, Kiro?”

  “I got a message from Vilnius. He wants you to come back to the power station. Didn’t say why.”

  She gestured at the door, “Let’s go.”

  On their way out she glanced back at the Doc. “Let me know if you find anything else.”

  He nodded as the door closed behind them.

  *****

  Deputy Kiro pulled the speeder up to the power station next to the Ugnought’s speeder that was still parked outside.

  Kiro and Ghor headed inside.

  Vilnius, who was sitting at the control panel, looked over his shoulder. “Ah! Sheriff! Deputy! Come in.”

  Ghor took a seat next to the old Ugnought. Kiro stood just behind, looking over their shoulders.

  “Where’s your help?” the sheriff asked

  Vilnius snorted. “After finding the body the youngsters were useless. I sent them home.”

  Ghor swallowed a laugh and chided herself. There was nothing about this that was funny really. She'd known Lexa her whole life. She’d been a kind girl who didn’t deserve to die like this.

  “Deputy said you were up here working on something. Did you find something?”

  Vilnius turned back to the control panel and its display screen. “I’ve been trying to recover the video from the cameras,” he said pointing up at one of them attached to the upper corner of the room. “The power fluctuations damaged the files but I think I might be able to see a couple of images.”

  They watched the display but it showed nothing but what appeared to be an interference pattern. Finally one frozen image cleared showing a form dressed in black dragging the body bag through the narrow maintenance shaft. The figure's right hand was clearly visible and there was a ring with a large stone wrapped by a serpent visible on the fourth finger.

  Vilnius pushed back slightly from the console. “That’s it. Best I can do.”

  Ghor squinted at the screen. “So this is our culprit.”

  She stared at the screen for a few moments before looking over at Vilnius. “Can you get me a copy of this image?”

  Vilnius nodded. “Give me a minute and I’ll print it for you now.”

  *****

  Ghor and Kiro walked into the sheriff's office to find the Colonel waiting for them. He was sitting in the big chair behind Ghor’s desk. He was leaning back and had a foot up on the corner of her desk.

  She forced a smile into her face and managed to look him in the eye. “Good afternoon, Colonel. What can we do for you?”

  He dropped his foot off the desk and leaned forward. “I hear there’s been a tragedy.”

  Ghor nodded. “The Ugnought maintenance crew found the bartender, Lexa, dead.”

  “Accident?” The Colonel inquired.

  She shook her head slowly. “Looks like murder. Stab wound to the chest.”

  “Murder? Who could have done this?”

  Again Ghor shook her large head. “I don’t know yet but I have some clues.” She pulled out the picture Vilnius had printed and handed it to the Colonel.

  He looked at it thoughtfully. “Not much to go on.”

  Ghor nodded agreement. “Doc Mason is working on the autopsy. He was able to give me a possible description of the likely weapon. He may be able to get us some more information.”

  The Colonel handed the picture back to the sheriff and stood up. “You’ll keep me apprised of any new details?” It seemed less like a request and more like an order.

  “Of course,” she replied, expending extra effort to keep her temper in check.

  The Colonel walked out of the office without another word.

  Ghor and Kiro watched him go. When the door closed Kiro let out a sigh. “That was weird. Has he ever been in here before?”

  “Not that I can remember.” Ghor sighed heavily. “Well. I’ve got to go search the girl’s apartment.”

  Kiro spoke up, “I can do it, if you want.”

  The sheriff shook her head. “No. I’m going to do it. Hold down the fort here.”