by A. K. DuBoff
“What kind of backwater hole did you bring us to this time, sir?” Rodrick asked Sandren from the captain’s seat.
The major chuckled. “We thought getting a reminder about our place in the universe might do everyone some good.”
Kira didn’t know the details, but she’d heard that Rodrick had trained under Sandren when he had first joined the Guard. They’d maintained a good-natured rapport over the years, and she’d often observed their interactions to be more casual than most conducted with the major. Then again, her own relationship with Sandren was on the casual side, so maybe that was just how he was. Sometimes a personal connection trumped rank when it came to face-to-face, but everyone knew the chain of command when they were in the thick of it.
Sandren stood in the center of the bridge with his hands clasped, and Kira took up a position next to him.
“We’re processing the initial readings now,” Aleya reported. “As long-range scans had indicated, there’s some strange radiation in the system. We haven’t identified a source yet, but these first readings may help narrow it down.”
Kira watched the data populate on the central holodisplay. It was by no means her specialization, but something about the readings looked strange.
“Does this seem unusual to anyone?” she asked to no one in particular, pointing to a dark patch on the visual representation of the system. The map included an overlay of the radiation, electromagnetic, and other relevant properties in each area.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Aleya agreed.
“The readings make it look like there’s a dwarf planet there, but the gravitational models indicate that there shouldn’t be anything there,” observed Rodrick.
Kira frowned. “So, mystery planet?”
“Or something else.” Rodrick sighed. “We’ll need to get close enough to get visual confirmation.”
“Only problem with that is getting close to something that may be dangerous,” Sandren cautioned.
“Isn’t that what we came here to do, sir?” Kira questioned. “We crossed over that danger threshold when we decided to come here in the first place.”
“Our stealth tech is solid,” Rodrick added. “There are no guarantees they can’t detect us, but we’re certainly not waving a flashing sign saying that we’re here. It’s possible we can get closer for an inspection without being spotted.”
“Then we have to try,” Sandren said. “What else are we working with in the system? Any other anomalies?”
“Nothing else that distinctive,” Aleya replied, “though there is a gas giant on the other side of the system.” She frowned.
“What is it?” Sandren prompted.
“It may be nothing.” The first officer crossed her arms. “The odd, dark spot that may be a dwarf planet and this gas giant are exactly opposite the star from each other right now.”
“So?” Kira asked.
She nodded. “It’s probably coincidence, but given the weird readings, it seemed worth noting.”
Sandren stroked his chin. “We’ll keep it in mind.”
Kira scowled.
Kira chuckled in her mind.
Sandren was still studying the system map on the holodisplay. “Are you able to overlay the data we gathered when the control signal was traced from Jared to the system?”
Aleya nodded. “Yes. Not surprisingly, it traced back to the strange, dark area.”
“I’m going to venture that’s not a coincidence,” Kira chimed in.
“Certainly not.” Sandren agreed. “The question is, what’s capable of creating that kind of distortion?”
“It might be some kind of stealth technology,” Rodrick suggested. “We couldn’t detect anything anomalous from a distance, and what’s more, we can’t determine the nature of the body—just that there’s something strange going on there.”
“That would be more than enough cloaking if they’re able to keep people out of the system,” Kira assessed.
Sandren tapped his index finger beneath his lower lip. “Very true. And what about the radiation?”
“It’s a relatively low level, but it’s almost everywhere,” Aleya replied. “Nothing our shields can’t handle, but it’s a high enough concentration that some civilian vessels might have trouble, if they hung around for too long.”
“A deterrent?” Kira asked.
“Irradiating an entire system is a tall order,” Sandren replied.
“But not unfeasible.”
“True,” the major conceded, “and these Gaelons have demonstrated that they’re willing to go to great lengths.”
“We’re going to make a push to call them ‘Trols’,” Kira interjected.
Sandren thought about it for a second. “That does sound way better.”
Kira smiled. “Sometimes it’s all about the branding.”
CHAPTER 7
The situation on Mysar was more concerning than Ellen had anticipated. She raised her gaze from the personnel records displayed on the table in front of her.
“This isn’t why I came here,” she stated to Trisha. “We would have sent someone else—or a whole team—to help, had we known.”
The other woman wrung her hands. “I know, but we weren’t sure if we could trust Elusia. If we requested you—”
Ellen groaned. “I’m no one special.”
“You’ve lived on Mysar! Most Elusians either hate this world or are indifferent, at best.”
“Trisha, you have a serious issue with government stability right now. I can’t fix this alone.”
As Ellen had dug into the present state of affairs, she’d made an alarming discovery. While a number of the government officials were still physically present, many had never been in full control of their actions for the duration of their tenure. Far more people than she’d been led to believe. When Leon had asked her to look into the testing, she never dreamed that almost everyone who’d been working for the government would be flagged as a potential risk.
Aside from that concern, there was the political component. When she volunteered for the assignment, her assumption had been that there were frontrunner candidates already lined up to take over as chancellor. Now she wasn’t sure anyone wanted the job.
They want me to make recommendations for new leaders, but how many of these people truly know how to do their jobs—or even want this as a career? She wasn’t sure how to proceed.
“We didn’t mean to mislead you,” Trisha continued. “If there are people you can trust, bring them in.”
“You’re missing my point. I shouldn’t be the person leading this effort in the first place. And how can you possibly trust me when I’ve switched allegiance?”
“Because you changed your views in the interest of bringing our people together.” Trisha looked her in the eyes. “That’s the mindset we need right now.”
“B
ut still.” Ellen massaged the bridge of her nose. “All right, look, we need to gather a better baseline for what people remember while Reya was in control.”
Trisha’s eyebrows drew together. “Reya?”
“That was the name of the presence controlling Chancellor Hale,” Ellen explained.
The other woman’s face drained. “I didn’t know it had a name.”
“That’s how it identified itself, anyway. We’ve only encountered one other being like it. That one could only control one person at a time, except for short bursts in which it could influence others to perform a specific task.”
“But Reya was…?”
“That’s what we need to find out,” Ellen continued. “We know it was using Hale as a hub, but what was the nature of the control over the others? I have a list of three dozen people here who held the most senior positions in the Mysaran government, and all admitted to having at least one memory gap that suggests they were subverted by Reya. Did they ever actually do their jobs, and do them well? Or did their political prowess come from Reya’s influence? I can’t begin to make recommendations about anyone’s fitness to lead until I know more about what was done to them.”
“What do you need? How can I help?” Trisha’s eager tone had a hint of desperation that concerned Ellen, but she’d take that enthusiasm over indifference.
“I guess we need to have interviews with some people and see what insights they can share,” Ellen responded. And, hopefully, someone will express interest in their job.
“Do you have anyone in mind, or should I make some selections?”
Ellen looked over the personnel list again. “Bring in Garett Steckler and Fiona Wyles, then select three others at random.”
Trisha nodded. “One at a time or in a group?”
“Individually,” Ellen instructed. “I’ll wait here.”
“I’ll send Fiona in first,” Trisha acknowledged and departed to summon the requested people.
Ellen rose from the table and turned around to gaze out the window at the city below. People were still going about their lives like nothing had changed. Would they be so calm if they realized no one was really running this world right now?
She knew she’d be freaking out. If she weren’t in the inner circle regarding the matter, she’d consider cutting her losses and moving somewhere with less drama, where she could live out a peaceful life. But, people were counting on her. Not to mention she was beginning to suspect she was addicted to drama.
Five minutes later, a knock sounded on the door. A petite woman with dark complexion entered.
Ellen recognized her from the photo in her personnel file. “Hi, Fiona, my name is Ellen Calleti. I’ve come from Elusia to offer my support while you rebuild the Mysaran government.”
“Yes, I’ve heard about you,” Fiona replied. She closed the door behind her.
“Word travels quickly,” Ellen said with a smile.
“There’s been a lot to talk about.” Fiona slowly walked to the table and placed her hands on the back of a chair. “What’s the particular matter you wanted to discuss with me?”
Ellen mirrored Fiona’s stance on the opposite side of the table. “I wanted to learn more about your past work experience and your aspirations going forward.”
Fiona raised an eyebrow. “To see if I’m qualified to do my job?”
“I’m not here to pass judgment on qualifications. But I do want to make sure people land where they want to be.”
“That’s an interesting distinction,” Fiona said, tracing the seam in the fabric along the top of the chair with her index finger. “I always considered qualifications to be the most important factor when selecting someone for a job.”
“Skills and experience don’t carry the same weight when the person isn’t committed to their position.”
“I’ll give you that.” Fiona evaluated her. “Let’s just cut to the heart of the issue. You want to know if I’m interested in being chancellor?”
She’s certainly sharp, but I’m not getting the warm fuzzies from her. This might not be the kind of person we need right now.
Ellen flashed a curt smile. “That isn’t the reason for this meeting. I only wanted to discuss your time working with Cynthia Hale.”
“Ah.” Understanding passed across Fiona’s face. “Was I myself or was I subverted?”
“That’s the ultimate question, yes.” Ellen gestured to the chairs for them to sit.
Fiona pulled back the chair she had been standing behind and lowered herself with the grace of a dancer—or at least of someone who knew how to put on a good show. “Self-report doesn’t make for an ideal evaluation tool.”
“It doesn’t,” Ellen agreed, “but that’s all we have. I hope that people are willing to be honest, for the sake of creating a good future on Mysar.”
“You won’t find any opposition from me. To that end, I’ll tell you that I shouldn’t be chancellor.”
Didn’t see that coming. Given the woman’s previous statements, Ellen had been certain Fiona was interested. “Why not?” Ellen asked.
“For the very reason you’re using nonverbal tactics to equalize the power balance between us, consciously or not. I have enough self-awareness to recognize that I’m not the kind of person who sets others at ease. You’re on the defensive. I’m an acquired taste, and that’s not the right person to have as the face of a planet.”
Ellen chuckled. “I’d argue that level of understanding is precisely what would make you a good leader.”
Fiona shrugged. “Perhaps. But to your point earlier, I don’t want the job.” She smiled. “Besides, you said that’s not why we’re meeting.”
“Right.” Ellen refocused on the task at hand. “Your time with Chancellor Hale.”
“I was something like an enforcer for her,” Fiona continued. “She liked my brand of bite. Now, to answer the question you keep talking around: I was me, to the best of my recollection. I’m certain she influenced me now and then, but I can trace the logic of my actions back to my own thoughts and feelings. I was convinced I was doing good work.”
“And what was the work you did as an enforcer?” Ellen prompted.
“When others needed help with being convinced to do their own assigned tasks, I would pay them a visit. I think Hale liked to send me because I don’t look intimidating, and I could catch people off-guard when I went to put them in their place.”
“Is there any particular matter where people needed extra convincing?”
Fiona’s show of composed strength cracked the slightest measure. “Yes, there was something. A facility that we weren’t supposed to talk about.”
Ellen came to attention. “What was it?”
“I don’t know what they did in there, but it was more common than not for people to spend one day there and not want to go back. I’d need to convince them that it would be a mistake to abandon their post.”
“Did anyone ever say why they didn’t want to go back?”
Fiona shook her head. “I never went there myself—Hale made sure I didn’t. But the workers would talk about The Pit and how they didn’t like how it got inside their heads. I thought they were crazy at the time.”
A chill washed over Ellen. “Where is this facility located?”
“Outside of town, midway between the capitol building and the city. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but I hear there’s an underground superstructure.”
“How did you convince people to work there?” Ellen asked tentatively.
Fiona crossed her arms. “I used Hale’s words, not mine. The meaning is pretty different, now that I know what was really going on. I was told to tell them that if they didn’t go there of their own accord, they would be ‘compelled to comply’.”
“And they listened to that?”
The other woman shook her head slowly. “Not always. I mean, I was good at my job, and it’s a small enough place that people typically needed to follow the work. But when they didn’t li
sten… when I saw them again, they were different. That was what true subversion looks like.”
“Has anyone been to that facility since Hale’s death?”
“No.”
Ellen fixed Fiona in a level gaze. “I know I don’t need to spell out the reason for you. Will you go there with me?”
Fiona nodded. “I wouldn’t have mentioned it otherwise.”
Ellen activated the comm controls via the tabletop. “Trisha, cancel those other meetings. We’re going to take a field trip.”
CHAPTER 8
It was the times when missions took Kira to places away from navigation beacon network when she was reminded that space was really big. And empty.
Kira paced in front of the galley viewport while she waited to catch their first sight of what had appeared to be a dark spot on the system scans. She was one hundred percent certain they’d find something there, but it was anyone’s guess what it might be.
Kira sighed.