Chapter Forty Three: A Toll Offense

"Get out from that spaceship with your arms up now! Do not make any move that will suggest that you are attempting to retrieve a deadly weapon or you will be attacked by the fullest extent of the power of the Needle!"

The Space Police has just intercepted a space vessel that had been reported to them from the official channels of intelligence reports to have violated the Toll regulations, and now it has been proven to be just that, exactly how the scam was narrated by the document available from the Home Authority.

"All of you will move to the nearest platform with your hands behind your neck!"

The occupants of the subject spaceship fully cooperated with police operations as they set out one by one to exit towards the police platform where they will be waiting to be handcuffed. When all of them were already detained inside the vehicle for police custody, the investigators carefully searched the arrested vessel for something that may be illegal inside its cargo port.

"Is there anything illicit inside your ship that we need to know of?"

The detainees heard the question clearly, but nobody wanted to answer; they seem to be finally aware that reality is now setting in, and their legal standing as a free person may now be extremely jeoperdized.

"Why are you attempting to access the security border in order to land in the Ministry of Space? Where is your itenerary? We want to see it."

As some of the police continues the exhaustive search of the itenerant vehicle, the Captain of the Space Ship presented the itenerary of the vessel to the police asking for it; the instrument was cleared by the Representative of the Minister Secretariat. Everything is seemingly in order for now.

"What are you going to do in Planet Damonsham? Why are you headed there?"

Still, there was no proper answer to be elicited. Their faces show all the signs of utter defeat, and with their heads bowed so low, it seems pretty obvious that they are now confirming all the suspicions that they are, in fact, committing a Toll offense in transit.

"You do understand that the world of Fantasy maintains strict control and impose harsher penalties for any Toll infraction?"

"Yes," the Captain finally said, although his voice sounded weakly.

"And is this the proper case? What violation are you attempting to commit?"

The Captain, whose head is still hanging low, could not make himself to say something further, although the police could ascertain that he was trying to hide something, but attempting to extract a confession at this moment will be very difficult to do so.

There was still no harm until someone shouted.

"Positive! There is something peculiar inside the cargo!"

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The Chapter is sponsored by Tiffany & Co.