Galactic Imperium

by J McGovern

  ‘Certainly. Please provide security clearance.’

  ‘Override: Velvet Nights.’

  There was a slight pause, and Glitz’s stomach lurched slightly. What if it was the wrong code? What if security came charging in to arrest them?

  ‘Override accepted.’

  The lift began to move down, and Glitz wiped his brow. A few seconds later, the doors slid open again, and they stepped into what looked like a darkened warehouse. A sensor, responding to their presence, activated the lights. As the gravity globes hanging above the storage bay flickered on, the men realised just how big the place was. It had to be almost the size of a gravity-ball pitch.

  Glitz wandered over to a computer terminal, and tried to access it. But the system kept locking him out, because he didn’t have the required clearance. Once again, he found himself wishing for Tekka’s presence. No doubt, the man would have been able to hack the computer in a matter of seconds. As a last resort, he typed ‘Velvet Nights’ into the system, and laughed aloud when he was granted access. The security in the hospital was appalling, but Glitz wasn’t complaining.

  He managed to activate the virtual interface, and a hologram of a woman appeared. It was the same woman that had been the face of the computer inside the elevator.

  ‘Good morning. How can I help you, sir?’

  ‘We’re looking for a shipment.’ Glitz checked the notes on his pocket tablet. ‘Shipment number 00392. A consignment of medical lasers — Cellzers.’

  ‘Shipment registered as returned to manufacturer. Shipment number 00392 was collected thirty minutes ago by a courier from T&L.’

  ‘Space!’

  So the lasers had already been collected; they were too late. Glitz hadn’t thought to ask Spaceman when the Cellzers were due to be picked up. He was so angry that he kicked a nearby shelf; with a crash, a few boxes fell to the floor.

  ‘So where’s the shipment now?’ Doland said.

  ‘T&L use the rail network almost exclusively,’ the computer explained, ‘so in all likelihood the cargo is travelling towards the spaceport via the grav-train.’

  Glitz’s heart leapt. So maybe it wasn’t too late. There was still a chance of picking up the lasers before they were returned to the East Galaxy Company. It was still possible for them to make the one million credits after all.

  ‘Come on! We’ve got no time to lose! We’ve got to catch up with that train!’

  Glitz and Doland ran back to the Wreck, which was still parked in a transport bay near the hospital. The new plan was risky, but the prize was worth the risk. With trembling hands, Glitz began to prepare the ship for ascent.

  ‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ Doland wrung his hands together. ‘It seems … I don’t know … maybe the traffic authority will try to blast us out of the sky.’

  ‘Why in the name of space would they do that? We’ve got landing permission, remember. All we need to do is catch up with the train, climb inside, pick up the Cellzers, and get the hell out of here.’

  ‘I don’t know …’

  Doland still looked uneasy. Glitz rolled his eyes, and started to lower the ship. There was no time to wait around. If the train had left over thirty minutes ago, it could be arriving at the spaceport any minute. As they rose up higher, they could begin to make out the grav-train tracks. There were only two tracks, which ran adjacently in a straight line from one end of the Health Zone to the other. As they got nearer, Glitz spotted the train.

  ‘There it is!’

  It couldn’t be more than sixty miles from the spaceport; they would have to be quick. They flew over the Health Zone, passing hundreds of hospitals, as they followed the line of the tracks. A few patients in the garden of one hospital glanced at them with curiosity; it was unusual for a ship to be flying so low across the planet.

  ‘Nearly there,’ Glitz said.

  They had finally caught up with the grav-train, and Glitz set the controls so they would travel at a constant speed above the vehicle, keeping pace with it. Luckily the tracks were extremely straight, which made them easy to follow.

  Glitz pulled out what looked like a length of metal rope from under the ship’s console. On each end of the rope, there was a small cube. ‘Atom clamps. Took them from Alyce’s pack when she wasn’t looking. She’d have killed me if she knew. Here, come and give me a hand.’

  They left the flight deck and headed to the ship’s hatch. Glitz opened the door, and air began to rush in, creating a deafening sound. He fixed one of the atom clamps to the floor by the exit hatch; it held tight, adhering to the molecules.

  Aiming carefully, Glitz threw the other end of the rope out of the hatch. It shattered a skylight in the roof of one of the train carriages, and the other atom clamp stuck fast to the floor of the carriage. Now, the metal rope between the atom clamps was vertical, connecting their ship with the train carriage.

  ‘Follow me,’ Glitz said.

  He swallowed, and then, taking hold of the metal rope, slid down from the ship into the train carriage. ‘Come on!’ he shouted.

  Doland didn’t plan on going anywhere. He was perfectly happy where he —

  The ship jolted, throwing him out of the hatch. He managed to keep hold of the rope, and he slid into the carriage.

  ‘Good jump.’

  Glitz took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He had to think straight. Where would the shipment be? He glanced around the carriage. The train was clearly owned by T&L, because it was filled with boxes, letters and parcels. But none of the mail had been sorted yet. The lasers could be in any carriage …

  His eyes alighted on a huge crate, which was marked 00392. He laughed out loud, feeling almost like someone who had just won the Galactic Lottery. ‘What are the chances of that?’ He pointed at the crate. ‘Come on, let’s lift it and get out of here.’

  The crate was surprisingly light, despite the large size. Glitz guessed that it was fitted with a weight-reduction system, making it easy to carry despite the mass.

  ‘Hey! Put down that crate!’

  Glitz tensed. Three men had entered the carriage. They were dressed in odd black uniforms, which did not bear any official insignia.

  ‘I said put it down!’

  ‘Fine.’ Glitz made a movement as if to put down the crate. Then he shouted, ‘Doland, grab hold!’

  Glitz took hold of the atom clamp wire, and Doland did the same — they managed to take hold of it without letting go of the box, because it was so lightweight. Glitz kicked out his foot suddenly, activating the atom clamp. The bottom fixture came loose, and the wire dragged the two men up out of the train carriage and back into the Wreck. Glitz slammed the hatch.

  There was the sound of a laser shot, and the ship shuddered.

  ‘They’re firing at us!’ Doland said.

  Glitz leapt over to the controls and began to steer the ship away from the train. The three men in black uniforms fired at the ship a few more times, but within a few seconds they were out of range.

  ‘Space, that was close!’ Glitz said. ‘But one million credits!’

  Doland grinned. ‘Let’s make sure we’ve got the right box first.’

  The two men stepped over to the crate to look inside. There were about a hundred white items, which looked more like code scanners than lasers. Glitz took one of the lasers out, and turned it over in his hands. The operation seemed fairly straightforward. They were powered by a small solar grid, and there were only three controls: one to remove the safety, one for the setting, and one to activate. Flicking through the operation manual, Glitz read that the Cellzers could be used to cut and repair many different things, including skin, bandages and stitches, and even materials such as metal. Glitz turned off the safety and held the Cellzer at arm’s length.

  ‘Careful with that!’

  Glitz ignored him, and pointed the device towards a piece of bent metal that was beginning to come loose from the side of the ship. The Cellzer, which was set to -5, emitted a glow, and within seconds the metal had
become re-joined. Glitz pulled it firmly, and it wouldn’t budge. The two men stared, impressed.

  ‘Seems to be in full working order,’ Glitz muttered. ‘So why were they due to be recalled? Anyway, I suppose it doesn’t matter. We’ll make a good profit for these on Silicon Valley. Come on!’

  Glitz set a course for the planet in question, which was unaccountably named Silicon Valley. No one really knew where the name came from; obviously it had something to do with the material used in many computer components. But the ‘Valley’ part of the name was strange. The planet was infamous as a centre of cybercrime. All of the most notorious hackers, crackers, blackmailers and alien porn-dealers made their home there. Glitz tended to avoid the place, mostly because he was always worried that someone would be able to access his credit account remotely and steal all of his money. But he knew a man on Silicon Valley that would be very interested in the Cellzers, and not only because they contained valuable Zirgotic crystals.

  The two men landed on the planet in one of the public hangars. The fee was quite expensive, but it was one of the few places on the planet where it would be even remotely safe to park a spacecraft — even one as useless as the Wreck. The world had only small pockets of green land in the more wealthy areas; aside from that, it was covered pole to pole in one sprawling city. Whole families of hackers were born and died on the same world. Parents would bring their children up in the art of computer fraud, and many of the biggest crime organisations on the planet were family-owned. The only group resembling a police force on Silicon Valley were the Bouncers, who mainly spent their time flying around and intimidating people. The Bouncers more often than not had heavy links with the big crime syndicates, and you could avoid punishment for virtually anything if you could come up with the right price.

  ‘I don’t like the look of this place,’ Doland said, as they strolled through a street. The air was heady with the scent of fried street food, and the road was strewn with litter.

  ‘Just keep your head down and you’ll be fine.’

  The two men passed through the rougher suburbs of the city and got on a grav-train. They watched the city speed past. Eventually the houses began to look a little less rundown. They were entering the wealthy exurbia. The inhabitants of the area were still criminals, of course. No one but a criminal would live on a world like Silicon Valley. But these were the homes of the truly successful criminals, those who had hacked their way to riches. Nearly every city on Silicon Valley had such areas, which were generally known as Havens. The creator of Benediction, a virus that had stolen credits from billions of accounts across the Imperium, lived in one of the Havens. If he left the planet, he would be quickly arrested, so for him it was a haven in the literal sense of the world. Many citizens of the Imperium were angered by the existence of a planet like Silicon Valley — a place where computer criminals could operate freely, without fear of reprisals. But, in truth, there was very little the Imperium could do. Certainly, they could storm in and arrest everyone, or even utterly wipe out the planet. But they were painfully conscious that they were dealing with the most technically competent people in the galaxy. A ten-year-old boy brought up on the planet could probably wipe out their most advanced systems with a single button press. So the Imperium kept a close eye on the planet, while conscious that there was very little they could do to control it.

  Glitz and Doland got off the grav-train. The city there seemed almost utopian. The streets were perfectly clean, and even the weather seemed better — the result of atmospheric nanoparticles, Glitz guessed. Not wishing to stay very long on the planet, they visited the magnificent home of Glitz’s contact, who was a man named Fellian. Unlike most of the residents of the Haven, he was not a hacker. He owned an illegal trading platform that operated in the dark corners of the Net, which was called the Amber Road. People from all over the Imperium traded goods using discreet (illegal) delivery services, while avoiding both taxes and control on prohibited items. As Glitz predicted, Fellian was very excited by the Cellzers, and readily agreed to pay Glitz one million credits. They both knew that he was likely to make a huge profit. The Zirgotic crystals alone were worth more than that amount, because there had been 112 of the devices when they had actually counted. They had kept two of the Cellzers, in case they came in useful. Glitz wasn’t going to argue with a million credits; it wasn’t a bad wage for a day’s work.

  Glitz and Doland left the planet quickly, slightly worried that some computer genius would find a way to rob them of their new funds, even though they had placed them in a secret and secure account. But luck was on their side, and they managed to leave the planet without event. When they were far away from Silicon Valley, Glitz turned to Doland and grinned.

  ‘A million credits, eh?’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘What do you say I call up Spaceman and see if he has any other jobs lined up?’

  Doland sighed. ‘Thanks, but … this life isn’t for me. I haven’t been able to relax since I was arrested. It’s been non-stop. First I was sent to prison, then I escaped, then I had my DNA transmogrified, then I was re-captured, then I was sent on a mission by the Navy, and then I was nearly killed by armed guards on a grav-train … I want to go home.’

  Glitz glanced at Doland’s miserable face, and clapped a hand on his shoulder. ‘I understand. Let’s get you back to Opus.’

  The funds obtained from the sale were distributed — 10% of the full amount went to Spaceman, as commission for the job. Then the remaining 90% was split in half between Glitz and Doland. That left them with 450,000 credits each. It wasn’t bad at all for a day’s work. Glitz immediately decided to spend a portion of the funds on a new ship; he didn’t think he could bear another flight on the Wreck.

  ‘I suppose I’m just a coward,’ Doland said glumly, after Glitz had set the course for their new destination. His face took on the slightly rigid quality that is often seen in men struggling to express their feelings. ‘I’m nothing like you. I can’t be fearless in the face of danger.’

  Glitz laughed bitterly. ‘Don’t be jealous of me.’ He sighed. It seemed it was the time for speaking hard truths. ‘I’m not brave, or daring. I started smuggling because it was easier than looking for a promotion, or a better job. I got into crime because it was easy, not because I’m tough. My father always wanted me to be a doctor, or an engineer … but I didn’t listen. Too hard. Too much study. I thought I was getting on the right path by entering the cadets, but I only ended up getting kicked out for sleeping with an officer. I suppose a psychologist would say I slept with her to sabotage my career, because I secretly wanted out. And I guess he would be right …’

  The men sat by the ship’s controls in silence for a few minutes, watching the stars fly past. They seemed to have formed a sort of kinship of uselessness — they had drawn closer to each other by feeling similarly inadequate. The journey to Opus took several days. They spent most of the time playing cards, and stopped off at several space bars along the way. After their takings from selling the lasers, they could afford to go to slightly more classy establishments than Glitz was used to. He had never even heard of Charotan wine before entering a small, expensive bar in the Vortigan Sector. When they finally landed on Opus, Glitz was sorry to see Doland depart.

  He handed Doland a contact chip. ‘Stay in touch. If you ever need anything — well, let me know.’

  ‘I will.’ Doland smiled. ‘Look after yourself, mate.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  There was no need for any more words. On the long flight to Opus, the men had already exhausted nearly every topic of conversation. The men smiled, nodded, and walked in opposite directions. Doland walked towards his old house, which was in a town called Magra. He would talk to his wife, find out if there was any chance of reconciliation. If not … well, there were bound to be other women on the planet. He had never been in love with his wife — it had always been simply a marriage of convenience. They had been two lonely individuals who, for one reason or another, h
ad never found the right partner. So they had ended up settling for each other. Glitz headed back into the Wreck, and took off into space.

  ‘So it’s just me again,’ Glitz muttered to himself. ‘They’ve all gone. It’s just me. Me and the stars. Just like the old days.’

  There was a bleeping sound, which signalled an incoming call on the Net. Glitz cursed, assuming that it was Spaceman with another tempting mission. It was a pretty bad state of affairs when the only person who ever wants to speak to you is a criminal trying to get you involved in illegal activity. But his heart leapt when he saw the callsign:

  ‘Hello!’ Glitz said, accepting the vidcall immediately.

  Alyce’s face appeared on the screen. He didn’t recognise the background; it seemed that she was in some sort of hotel room. She was wearing a casual blouse, and her hair was down, so apparently she was still on leave from the Navy. She smiled when she saw Glitz, her eyes lighting up with excitement.