Barry Longyear - Enemy Papers

The back of Michael Hill’s white camouflage coat is scorched. Yamagata makes a comment about being half a step ahead of the volcano. A search of the corpse’s pockets produces an expensive leather identification case with Hill’s credentials and permits from Earth IMPEX, Draco, and other governmental authorities. It contains, as well, a company travel pass, pictures of beings of several species, and over sixteen hundred credits in currency. There is the key to his rented flyer, a key to his room at Colony House, an exclusive hotel in First Colony. There is a smashed pocket computer, and Yamagata bags all of it to bring back to the Aakva Lua laboratory. There is nothing I see that connects Michael Hill to the Timans.

Later, up at the mouth of the cave, I stand outside with the others as Kita Yamagata, wearing a protective suit and respirator, enters alone. Sanda explains that Yamagata has experience as an arson investigator, arson being mostly a human way of killing. Falna remarks that Yamagata seems to be a rather competent medical investigator, as well.

While we wait, Sanda goes over the terms of the agreement once more with Jeriba Zammis. Aakva Lua is free to release information to any other investigative company or police authority that may wish to pursue the matter, even if such action is opposed to the legal interests of Jeriba Zammis or other members, employees, or agents of the Jeriba line or Jeriba estate. Aakva Lua may also seek and accept employment from parties other than Jeriba Zammis, using such information, and so on and so forth, la la la. Zammis agrees to it all.

Sanda asks Davidge and me questions regarding Hill’s possible motives. I relate my experience with the IMPEX representative on the ship, and Davidge and I share with the investigator conjectures concerning old vengeance and recent insanity. Davidge does not share our thoughts about the talma and the possible Timan interference. I keep silent on this matter as well.

While Sanda returns to the bottom of the cliff and supervises its operatives in loading the body into an Aakva Lua flyer, I notice once more Zammis’s troubled manner. It is looking at the entrance to the cave, the leather-and-stick door open.

Jeriba Zammis notices me and says, "In doing business I have been to Draco, Earth, and many of the planets colonized by both powers. So many times I have seen populations living as though in the midst of a war zone. The inhabitants divide themselves into tribes, arm themselves, put bars on windows, and live in fear. The wealthy turn their estates into forts and their retainers into armies." It motions toward the cave with its hand. "Thieves, killers, terrorists insane on religion or politics. Gangs of criminals prowling the streets. I believed that Planet Friendship was exempt."

"How can any place be exempt?" I ask.

Zammis looks upon me as though I am mad. "We have no tribes here. The lesson of Friendship is that money, race, and belief are nothing next to fellowship. We are not awash in poverty, crime, or repression!"

Davidge is looking out over the sea. He glances toward Zammis, and says, "Sharks don’t kill because they’re poor, criminal, insane, or repressed, Zammis. Sharks kill because they’re sharks."

"Michael Hill?" demands Zammis. "Michael Hill was a shark? He was a fine, intelligent, imaginative man of business. I know his family. He has taken the repasts here at the estate. Michael Hill was no shark, Uncle."

Davidge looks at me and nods as a tiny smile pulls back the left corner of his mouth. I watch as he picks up a rock and hands it to Jeriba Zammis. "Is this a shark?" asks the human.

Zammis takes the rock and studies it for a moment. Keeping the rock, Ty’s parent looks at Davidge, frowns, and asks, "Who?" I am confused, not knowing what a shark is nor the meaning of the rock.

Zammis opens its mouth to ask again and Davidge cuts off its former student with a wave of his finger as Kita Yamagata lumbers into view, the helmet of her protective suit back, the respirator hanging from a strap around her neck. In her gloved hands are the remains of a metal case, its top and two sides melted away. She stops in front of us and holds out her treasure. "One thing we know for sure is that Brother Hill didn’t know drool about setting fires. At least, not with one of these things."

"What is that?" I ask.

Yamagata looks at Davidge. He shrugs and shakes his head. "What we have here, folks," says the woman, "is a mining tool called a thermal drill. It uses a special plastic explosive called Thermex. Under various brand names, Thermex is used by most large mining operations in the quadrant." She wiggles a finger at a tangle of wires and molten metal next to a lump of black goo in the bottom of the case.

"This case was filled with the stuff. It burns hot enough to turn rock to ashes with almost no smoke. Lots of steam, though, if there’s water in the drilling medium." She pokes a wad of wires and melted circuit boards. "With this gadget you can program the size and shape of the burn. Miners use it for tunneling, removing obstructions, drilling holes―wherever they want to get rid of some rock." Yamagata holds up a gloved hand and points at the black lump in the bottom of the case. "This stuff used to be an initiator. When it is triggered, it vaporizes, combines with an igniter, the combination achieving a high enough temperature to ignite the Thermex. If it doesn’t go in exactly that sequence, the Thermex won’t ignite. Instead it will melt or vaporize. It’s a safety thing. This initiator was never triggered."

Davidge moves a step closer and looks down into the box. "It looks like there was a fire to me."

She looks up at him and grins. "Oh, there was a fire, all right. The igniter was set off out of sequence. That was what caused the fire. Because it couldn’t combine with the trigger vapor, though, it couldn’t ignite the Thermex." Yamagata turns and holds her hand toward the entrance to the cave.

"If this thing had been set off in the proper sequence, Mr. Davidge, that cave would be one big hole in the ground. As it is, it’s just a smoked-out mess. The Thermex vapor condensed on the wood and smothered the fire started by the igniter. That’s the glossy black stuff that covers everything in there." She turns back and looks at us one at a time.

"Now, what I don’t understand is this: a man like Mr. Hill, running around the quadrant for Earth IMPEX, probably knows more about mining methods and equipment than just about anybody." Her gaze rests on Jeriba Zammis.

Zammis nods. "Of course. IMPEX has been using thermal drills since before the war. You can’t sell the customer unless you can show him how the gadget works. Michael Hill was well qualified to represent IMPEX’s interests, and he certainly knew how to use a thermal drill."

Davidge points at the partially melted case and says to Kita Yamagata, "I thought you said Hill didn’t know drool about setting off one of these."

The woman grins. "I’ll bet my next two paychecks that this drill isn’t one of the IMPEX models. IMPEX and JACHE," she explains, "have licenses to produce the stuff from Nisak, who made it available to both outfits before the war. Each company produces its own range of models."

Nisak. I look at Davidge, but he is looking at the investigator. "Timan Nisak?" he asks.

"That’s right. Timan Nisak invented Thermex and the thermal drill. In any event, it appears that Michael Hill wasn’t thoroughly familiar with this particular model, and ichi-bu hachi ken ." She sees our confused expressions and says, "One-tenth of an inch, forty-eight feet."

While Zammis and I remain confused, Davidge smiles slightly and says, "Small errors can result in big mistakes."

She smiles widely, obviously pleased that Davidge understood her enigmatic reference, and says to us all, "I’ll bet that this is either a JACHE drill or one from Timan Nisak."