do-gooder soldiers that
came out of Trantson about a hundred fifty years ago," Uncle Virge
said. "Each of them had a small dragon tattoo on his back just between
his shoulder blades. Said it gave them strength and courage."
"Sounds Chinese," Jack offered. "Dragons were a big deal in their
ancient legends."
"Actually, they did claim they were inspired by some obscure
Terran Chinese or Japanese story," Uncle Virge said. "Of course, they
also said they were descendants of the Knights Templar of Terran
Europe, so who knows what they were thinking. If they were thinking at
all."
"Sounds like you don't like them."
"What's not to like?" Uncle Virge countered. "The whole group died
out maybe ten years after they got started."
Jack puckered his lips. "Because they tried to be helpful?"
"Because they got involved with other people's problems instead of
taking care of their own," Uncle Virge said. "That's the lesson here,
Jack lad. You have to look out for yourself, because no one will do it
for you."
"Jack!" Draycos called.
Jack looked up. The dragon was standing beside one of the lockers
about thirty feet away, his head turned in Jack's direction.
"Something?" Jack asked.
"Perhaps," Draycos said, his tail twitching. "Come."
Jack was at his side a few seconds later. "What is it?"
"This storage unit," Draycos said, poking his snout at the door.
"It is alone of all the others in having this attached to it."
Jack frowned. Stuck across the door beside the lock mechanism was
a small sticker with red edges.
A sticker with some very interesting words:
PROPERTY OF BRAXTON UNIVERSIS, INC.
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
Beneath the words was one of the most recognizable symbols in the
Orion Arm: the Braxton Universis corporate logo.
"I do not read your word-symbols," Draycos went on. "What does it
say?"
"It says the stuff inside is the property of Braxton Universis,"
Jack told him. "And that casual snoops like us are to keep our hands
off."
Draycos's green eyes glittered. "Yet you said all their material
should already be gone."
"Yes, I did, didn't I?" Jack agreed, studying the lock.
"How's it look, lad?" Uncle Virge asked from the comm clip.
"Not too bad," Jack said. The lock was sturdy enough, but it
didn't look too complicated. Certainly not for someone who'd studied
under Uncle Virgil. "Looks pretty standard for this type of locker. I
wish I'd brought some real tools, though."
"What will you do?" Draycos asked.
"We call it breaking and entering," Uncle Virge said, an edge of
sarcasm to his voice. "Not something a noble warrior of the K'da would
do, I'm sure, but it's better than staring at a locked door and
wondering what's inside."
"You said you had a sensor device," Draycos pointed out, gesturing
to the EvGa in Jack's hand.
"Sure, but it won't see through locked doors," Jack told him.
"It's a police EvGa, an evidence-gathering sensor. It can pull up
fingerprints and dust and fiber samples, but not much more than that."
"Then let us first use it," Draycos said. "Afterwards, perhaps
there will be another way to look inside."
"Such as?" Uncle Virge asked.
"No, he's right," Jack spoke up quickly. There had been a
challenge in Uncle Virge's voice, and he didn't want to sit here
listening to the two of them argue. "I'll start with the locker. Ready?"
"Ready," Uncle Virge muttered.
It took five minutes for Jack to run the EvGa over the front of
the locker. There were dozens of fingerprints, plus various alien
smudges and finger marks. Uncle Virge dutifully logged each one as the
sensor picked it up and analyzed it. "A waste of time," he grumbled
about every other minute. "A whole army of people could have come
through here in the past two weeks."
"Yet this locker warns others to stay away," Draycos pointed out.
"It doesn't say not to touch," Uncle Virge countered. "You almost
done, Jack?"
"Finished," Jack said, lifting the EvGa away from the door.
"What's the grand total?"
"We've got eighteen separate sets of human
came out of Trantson about a hundred fifty years ago," Uncle Virge
said. "Each of them had a small dragon tattoo on his back just between
his shoulder blades. Said it gave them strength and courage."
"Sounds Chinese," Jack offered. "Dragons were a big deal in their
ancient legends."
"Actually, they did claim they were inspired by some obscure
Terran Chinese or Japanese story," Uncle Virge said. "Of course, they
also said they were descendants of the Knights Templar of Terran
Europe, so who knows what they were thinking. If they were thinking at
all."
"Sounds like you don't like them."
"What's not to like?" Uncle Virge countered. "The whole group died
out maybe ten years after they got started."
Jack puckered his lips. "Because they tried to be helpful?"
"Because they got involved with other people's problems instead of
taking care of their own," Uncle Virge said. "That's the lesson here,
Jack lad. You have to look out for yourself, because no one will do it
for you."
"Jack!" Draycos called.
Jack looked up. The dragon was standing beside one of the lockers
about thirty feet away, his head turned in Jack's direction.
"Something?" Jack asked.
"Perhaps," Draycos said, his tail twitching. "Come."
Jack was at his side a few seconds later. "What is it?"
"This storage unit," Draycos said, poking his snout at the door.
"It is alone of all the others in having this attached to it."
Jack frowned. Stuck across the door beside the lock mechanism was
a small sticker with red edges.
A sticker with some very interesting words:
PROPERTY OF BRAXTON UNIVERSIS, INC.
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
Beneath the words was one of the most recognizable symbols in the
Orion Arm: the Braxton Universis corporate logo.
"I do not read your word-symbols," Draycos went on. "What does it
say?"
"It says the stuff inside is the property of Braxton Universis,"
Jack told him. "And that casual snoops like us are to keep our hands
off."
Draycos's green eyes glittered. "Yet you said all their material
should already be gone."
"Yes, I did, didn't I?" Jack agreed, studying the lock.
"How's it look, lad?" Uncle Virge asked from the comm clip.
"Not too bad," Jack said. The lock was sturdy enough, but it
didn't look too complicated. Certainly not for someone who'd studied
under Uncle Virgil. "Looks pretty standard for this type of locker. I
wish I'd brought some real tools, though."
"What will you do?" Draycos asked.
"We call it breaking and entering," Uncle Virge said, an edge of
sarcasm to his voice. "Not something a noble warrior of the K'da would
do, I'm sure, but it's better than staring at a locked door and
wondering what's inside."
"You said you had a sensor device," Draycos pointed out, gesturing
to the EvGa in Jack's hand.
"Sure, but it won't see through locked doors," Jack told him.
"It's a police EvGa, an evidence-gathering sensor. It can pull up
fingerprints and dust and fiber samples, but not much more than that."
"Then let us first use it," Draycos said. "Afterwards, perhaps
there will be another way to look inside."
"Such as?" Uncle Virge asked.
"No, he's right," Jack spoke up quickly. There had been a
challenge in Uncle Virge's voice, and he didn't want to sit here
listening to the two of them argue. "I'll start with the locker. Ready?"
"Ready," Uncle Virge muttered.
It took five minutes for Jack to run the EvGa over the front of
the locker. There were dozens of fingerprints, plus various alien
smudges and finger marks. Uncle Virge dutifully logged each one as the
sensor picked it up and analyzed it. "A waste of time," he grumbled
about every other minute. "A whole army of people could have come
through here in the past two weeks."
"Yet this locker warns others to stay away," Draycos pointed out.
"It doesn't say not to touch," Uncle Virge countered. "You almost
done, Jack?"
"Finished," Jack said, lifting the EvGa away from the door.
"What's the grand total?"
"We've got eighteen separate sets of human
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