Page 73 - The Chronicles Ser2 (6-10)

Mark had realised who. He picked Jinny up in Main Street and they headed to the parking
spot outside Meadow Park. Carlo was sitting at a Glika Board table. Glika was a form of
chess that used an octagonal board. Pieces could be moved in various ways around a circuit,
but only moved between circuits on either the throw of a dice landing on a six or to
“eliminate” an opponent’s piece of equal stature. He had a game in progress with someone
Lomax didn’t recognise. Jinny gasped; tears came to her eyes. Carlo had found her Father;
he looked older more haggard but it was Him. She looked at Lomax who was dumbfounded.
Max Tibers had been declared missing, possibly dead while on a remote survey mission.
How had Carlo found him when hundreds of authority investigators hadn’t? Jinny and
Lomax approached slowly. Carlo nudged the old man and the figure turned around to see
them. He was up quick and racing toward Jinny. Lomax left the two of them and took the
fruit bowl over to Carlo.

“How in Valen’s name did you pull this one off?” Lomax asked

“I heard a couple of snippets on the “Grape Vine” and managed to put two and two
together. If the Casino hadn’t been bombed the guys holding him would have probably
killed him but they were killed in the explosions. He’s been imprisoned, tortured and made
to do some nasty kind of experimenting for a group of mercenaries. They found him
unconscious on a moon in the Jibidar system. The survey ship had been attacked by a
Gantrax patrol. They barely made the landing. The Gantrax followed them down and
slaughtered most of them. Bet you didn’t know those buggers were meat eaters? He and
two female crew members were the only ones they left alive. The Gantrax ransacked the
ship for any removable parts and marooned them. That’s when the Moon’s natives found
them. The females were taken and he was left to wander and fend for himself. He must
have collapsed and the Mercenaries took him.” Carlo revealed. He then went on to say that
Max had been effectively a slave. The Hittai as they called themselves; were in the employ
of a drugs baron out on Mixlar 4. As Max was also trained as a chemist, they used him to
synthesise their stuff, and test them on the natives and young women.

They seem to have been looking for a sex specific drug that would only affect women. The
day he was brought here he was put in a back water garret in the Shiloh Ghetto. Two of
them watched over him till he was needed. He’d planned his escape for years. The bombing
gave him the opportunity.” They always had a third guard somewhere, he’d been called in
to babysit while they had gone out on a meet. It seemed they were inside the place when
the Bomb went off. Max heard the ruckus and managed to overpower the guard. He’d been
in Shiloh years ago so knew how to evade capture. I came across him in an alley behind a
brothel I sometimes frequent. I recognised him from the holographs that were circulated, as
had my two compatriots. They only needed me to confirm who he was. I called you as to
keep them out of it; some Syndicate types are watching them. He was carrying a sample of
the product.” Carlo continued and handed Lomax a vial with a pale blue-white powder
inside.

“I’ll have the Lab examine this. But it looks like a form of “Hooky Mary” The Kolos region has
been having trouble with date raping lately, this might be the cause. It’s pretty potent stuff
from all accounts and expensive. I can see why they’d want to protect Max if he’s been
making the stuff. That fruit bowl doesn’t seem reward enough” Lomax said