The space station's corridors were brightly lit. In a world where there was no night or day, the intensity of the lighting in the corridors gave residents an indication of time. In a few hours they would be dimmer, indicating it was evening.
"Do you really think this will work Inspector?" the head of station security asked. "I mean no disrespect, but, well, the police force isn't known for it's beautiful women. Surely hiring some models or, ahem, professional ladies, would be a better idea. I mean they would work better as bait?"
Avi was getting another headache and they still had four residential quarters to visit plus all the paperwork to fill out. So much paperwork. He knew they were still behind the killer, but so far no reported missing persons or victims had turned up here. May be they were in time to stop him? There were four bars on this station that fit the profile and he needed them all staked out. The trail had led him here to this station, he was sure this is where the perp would strike next.
"This man likes to take his time and kill women in some of the most horrific ways I've seen in my 35 years on the force. If you think I'm setting any woman up as bait who isn't licenced to carry, and knows how to handle a piece, then you are very much mistaken!" Avi said.
They arrived at a door and he pressed the call button.
"Yes, but it's all going to be pointless if he's not interested in them. This man goes for beautiful and provocatively dressed gold-diggers. Hairy, butch women aren't his thing!"
Avi was sick of the guys whining, but he needed him with him currently. The case the man carried was the reason why he was there. In it were four H-Type Caldari Navy Issue blaster pistols. These weapons were strictly controlled. As well as being small and easy to conceal, they were made of special alloys and components that hid them from even the most advanced weapons sensors. Not even the Police were allowed to carry them under normal circumstances. Each weapon had to be handed to the officer directly and thumb-print authorisation obtained by the head of station security. Avi needed them issuing to his "bait" officers. Weapon alarms going off every five minutes might give the killer a hint something was amiss with his potential victim.
"Hello" a female voice sounded through the intercom.
"Hello Detective Mila, it's Inspector Avi. I'm here with your new temporary side-arm and a guy who thinks we're wasting our time as all female CNP officers look like the back ends of Slaver Hounds!"
The face of the head of security dropped in shock, his cheeks turning crimson.
Mila giggled and the door buzzed, signifying it was unlocked. Avi hit the open button and stepped inside followed by the red faced head of station security.
Inspector Avi moved to one side and the other man saw Mila standing in front of him, dressed ready to head up to the higher deck bars.
"So...... still think this won't work?"
The head of security was speechless.
"Looking good Mila. Now get tooled up and head to Bar Morphite. Make sure that blaster is accessible. You know what this guy is capable of. Here is your communications package, ensure you keep an open comm line continuously. I need you up there in 20 minutes." Avi knew time was not on their side.
-o0o-
Marcus looked up at the immense battlecruiser hanging there. He gave the hand he was holding a gentle squeeze. The woman looked at him and smiled. The hover-platform jerked as it freed itself from the dock-deck and started to ferry them over to the Drake.
"I've added you as a guest to the manifest" said the woman affixing a badge to his jacket "Nobody should bother you. Just wait in the reception room for ten minutes and then take the lift to deck 34. Go to corridor 18 and room 18425, that's my quarters. Don't let anyone see you enter. If there is anyone in the corridor, just walk past and double back. Most are on shore-leave so it's likely to be empty."
Marcus thought of the dangers. The women he usually picked up had quarters on the station. This time he'd got someone who crewed on a battlecruiser. He had thought about skipping, but then he thought that a battlecrusiers crew quarters weren't probably much different to a stations. Probably not as well sound insulated, he'd just have to gag her better.
He smiled at his future victim and she smiled back.
-o0o-
"Inspector, this is control, I think we need to stand down for the night. He's not coming."
"Damn it, one more hour, tell the others I'll personally authorise the overtime. He'll be here!”
-o0o-
Marcus looked around the room. There was nowhere to hide the body. He'd placed his souvenirs into his case and was ready to leave, but leaving the quarters like this meant the first person to enter would raise the alarm. His shuttle wasn’t leaving until the afternoon. He needed time.
The girl’s body was still on the bed, her wrists and ankles bound together making her into one big loop. Her body was a patchwork of cuts from the serrated Minmatar blade. She'd lasted nearly 90 minutes which Marcus was impressed with given her small frame. He'd expected her to last less than that.
In the end he realised he had no choice. He left the room and secured the door with her own personal passcode which he’d already extracted from her to ensure his escape from the Drake. He added a "Do not disturb" command to the door lock. He easily retraced his steps and soon was back on the hover platform heading back to the hanger dock. He could see two men waiting at the platform landing bay. He became worried, until he noticed they were crew, probably coming back after a night of partying. Even from this distance, he could see they were drunk. That would work in his favour in case anyone asked them if they'd seen a strange face that day.
"Alright mate!" one of the drunks greeted him as the hover platform docked. Marcus just smiled and nodded as he walked past. Suddenly a blinding pain hit him in the back and he blacked out.
-o0o-
"Inspector, its 4am station time"
Avi checked his watch. Shaking his head in disappointment.
"OK, OK. Everyone can stand down. Get some sleep people, we start again at 7pm tonight!"
-o0o-
Marcus woke in a dimly lit room. He was cuffed to a metal chair. A hologram appeared in front of him.
"Hello Marcus. Do you know why you are here?"
Marcus swallowed hard. He tried to think of something to say.
"Well, let me show you this…" the hologram of the man melted away and was replaced by the scene of Marcus in the woman’s quarters. A high-definition holographic projection showed him slowly and methodically working on the woman.
"That...... that's....... that's not me!" Marcus stammered. The image morphed back into that of the man who started laughing.
"Is that the best you can come up with? That holo-recording could be used in any court of the four Empires. In fact, I could ask anyone one of the multiple Caldari Navy Police officers who are currently sat in every bar on Deck 13 of this station. I assume they are here looking for you"
Marcus began to sob, he knew he'd been caught red-handed.
"Oh man up! For a serial killer, you are a whiney little thing aren't you? You’d make a good hi-sec carebear!"
Marcus looked up at the hologram.
"Who are you?"
"I'm the capsuleer of this ship. To be honest with you, you got very unlucky. I was testing some fits and was in my capsule as you were working on one of my crew. We capsuleers know everything that's happening in our ships when we are hooked up."
Marcus suddenly started to wonder. If he was watching, why didn't he try and stop him? Why didn't he send security straight to his location? Why the underhand take-down at the hover platform so long after the event?
"So, what now?" Marcus asked.
"Well that is up to you. I have the room number of Inspector Avi of the CN Police Force who is here heading up the operation to capture you. I could just hand you in. I'm sure my standings with the Caldari Navy would improve with that"
"You said it's up to me. Therefore I assume there is another option?"
"Well yes in fact there is. I could send maintenance drones to Steffi's quarters to scrub it clean and remove the body. Then I could flag her as a deserter and assign some executive quarters to you as a guest on the ship"
Marcus was speechless. He just gapped at the hologram.
"Why would you do that?"
"I have my reasons. You'd get access to random and remote stations to continue your, shall we say 'hobby', with your quarters specially equipped for 'entertaining'. You'll have better opportunities and a lot more protection. The Police almost have you; you should know that by now. They are tracking you effectively. On this ship, they won’t be able to anymore"
"What do you want in return" Marcus asked?
"To do what I did last time. To watch from afar." was the capsuleers answer.
-o0o-
It was the early hours of the next morning as Inspector Avi stared out of the bars viewport. He'd been nursing the same drink for over an hour keeping an eye on Mila sat in the opposite corner. A Drake class battlecruiser caught his eye as it undocked, a welcome distraction from the boring haulers he kept seeing. He admired the enormous warship bristling with heavy missile launchers as it aligned and slipped into warp, vanishing into the blackness of space.
With the brief distraction gone, Inspector Avi went back to scanning the room, looking for his suspect.