Marque of Caine

by Charles E Gannon

  “Then that’s where we’ll meet. Ten minutes?”

  “Give me fifteen.”

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  MARCH 2125

  DEEP SPACE, BD+13 778

  Despite a life that spanned many centuries and historical events, Eku sat among Riordan and his companions as if he were a bookish new student unexpectedly invited to sit at the popular kids’ lunch table.

  “So Hsontlosh is getting suspicious?” Tagawa asked Eku.

  The factotum nodded. “He feels an urgent need to get to the next destination. He is preparing for another standing shift. But even if it does not damage the drive and capacitors, the outcome is likely to be dire.”

  Bannor nodded. “You mean, we might be unable to seize control and get back home?”

  “That, too, but I was referring to our probable destination.”

  “Which is?” Yaargraukh asked.

  “In official Ktor space.”

  Ignoring the stares exchanged among his crew, Riordan leaned toward Eku. “What do you mean by ‘official’ Ktor space? Is there any other kind?”

  Eku shrugged. “Legally speaking, no. Practically speaking, yes. For weeks now, we have been traveling in what the Ktor call the Scatters: an outback inhabited by their Exodates and other renegades. But I am almost certain our next destination is 13 Orionis, a member system of the Ktoran Sphere.”

  Duncan crossed his arms. “Do you think Hsontlosh has been heading there all along?”

  “If so, then the path he charted through the Border Worlds and Scatters is mystifyingly circuitous.”

  Craig Girten frowned. “Then what’s he been doing? Kinda strange for a grifter to go sightseeing before he’s completed his con.”

  Dora’s smile was crooked, knowing. “Nah. He’s not sightseeing. He’s been trawling for a fence.”

  “For a ‘fence’?” Yaargraukh’s small black eyes extended far out of his head. “Hsontlosh is searching deep space for a vertical barrier?”

  “No, no. A fence is…is a go-between, a person who finds buyers for a thief’s stolen goods.” Dora smiled. “Saw this all the time in Africa. If you’re dealing in contraband, you don’t go straight into a new port. You watch the traffic, then hang just offshore, maybe send someone to drop a few hints in a dockside dive. In a few days, you’re contacted by a local fence. Far safer than doing business with the primary customer. If you’re stupid enough to deliver the goods to them directly, they’re likely to just take you out of the equation and walk away with the merchandise.”

  “Okay,” Craig said, “but if that’s true, then why has Captain Treefrog stopped looking for a fence? Why suddenly rush straight into the very place he’s been trying to stay out of?”

  Duncan’s eyes narrowed. “Because we’ve spooked him by changing our routine. Bannor’s watch should have gone back into cold sleep last night, but here we are, still awake. We’ve also started interacting with Eku. And now we’re in a room where Hsontlosh can’t see or hear us because of a suspiciously convenient electrical failure. He knows we’ve started asking questions, the kind that could ruin his big score.”

  Newton sighed. “Yes, but what is his big score?”

  Eku touched his index fingers together: a Dornaani gesture signifying rumination. “It has been speculated that some loji go over the Ktor border to acquire the ancient technology that is still discovered in the Scatters.”

  All eyes turned toward the factotum.

  Riordan folded his hands patiently. “I think you should tell us more about that, Eku.”

  “Of course. Many believe that the comparative rapidity with which the Ktor regained spaceflight after the Final War indicates that they had limited access to ancient devices. If prospecting for such items is ongoing, loji might acquire these artifacts from the Ktor renegades who reside in the Scatters.”

  Duncan sighed, leaned back. “Well, now we know how Heethoo and her allies mean to expose Hsontlosh, and why.”

  Yaargraukh pony-nodded. “It would prove that the loji have been trading with a hostile polity in order to procure technologies that would enable them to challenge the Collective’s supremacy. The Senior Arbiters would have no choice but to preemptively eliminate the loji threat.

  “At the same time, Hsontlosh’s own actions will rid the Senior Assembly’s isolationists of a more recent, yet particularly vexing problem.”

  “What problem?” Caine asked.

  Yaargraukh turned to look at him. “You, Commodore. Or, more specifically, the provocative issue for which you have become the symbol: the fate of the Lost Soldiers. If Hsontlosh delivers you into the hands of the Ktor, they acquire a new source of political leverage. Or classified information. Or both.”

  Duncan shook his head. “Shit, the Ktor could spin the narrative around one hundred and eighty degrees. Once they have the commodore, they could claim he hired Hsontlosh to sneak him over their border to spy, to seed a plague virus, or just sow discord in the Sphere. But whatever story they might cook up, you can be sure of this: they’ll use every method at their disposal to get all the intel between his ears.”

  He turned to Riordan. “Sorry, sir, but no one can hold up under that forever. You’ll almost certainly reveal that Alnduul has, with a nod from Collective officials, violated the CTR’s borders to exfiltrate the Lost Soldiers. If that’s made public, it means the end of any moral or legal authority associated with the Collective or the Custodians. The Accord would be finished.”

  “But then Heethoo and Laynshooz can’t be behind what Hsontlosh is doing,” Dora almost shouted. “If the Ktor reveal that the Dornaani can’t or won’t control their own Custodians or loji, that’s a black eye for the Collective. So what do three highly placed Arbiters get out of that?”

  Riordan smiled. “They get everything they want, Ms. Veriden. Firstly, if Alnduul does go over our border to bring back the Lost Soldiers, you can be sure no one will have ordered him to do it. He’ll have been given verbal encouragement to ‘work out the particulars’ on his own. Meaning the Senior Arbiters can wash their hands of it later, claim that Alnduul went rogue.

  “But implicating Alnduul is only a means to an end for Heethoo and her conspirators. They’re hunting much bigger game.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like political transformation. The debacle involving me and Hsontlosh will vindicate all their accusations. I’m the exemplar of intemperate humanity, constantly disrupting peace and balance. Alnduul’s assistance proves that Custodians will break every rule to help Earth. The more moderate Arbiters who supported him will be called irresolute and blamed for threatening the peace and tranquility of all Dornaani. Hsontlosh’s actions prove that the loji are working to overthrow the Collective by actively cooperating with the Ktor.”

  Eku’s breath was shallow. “So, a coup d’état.”

  Riordan shrugged. “But probably without a drop of blood spilled. A ‘firmer’ Senior Assembly will replace the current one and come down hard on the loji…with lethal force, if necessary. They’ll resolve the Lost Soldier issue by putting both our people and Alnduul in detention cells. Or graves. And finally, they can point to our actions as proof that Earth is the loose cannon they’ve always claimed, that it can’t control its own forces. We’ll no longer be a protected species; we’ll be on parole. The landgrab will be shut down, by force, if necessary. And the new isolationist Senior Assembly will do it all in the name of saving both the Collective and the Accord.”

  Riordan leaned back. “No, Ms. Veriden, Heethoo and her cabal stand to get everything they want. Just by letting us continue along our merry way.”

  Ayana nodded. “I believe your analysis of Heethoo and her allies to be accurate, Commodore. However, you may be overlooking one of the motivations of the Ktor. Arguably, the one that is most important to them.”

  Riordan raised an eyebrow. “You certainly have my attention, Ms. Tagawa.”

  “The Ktor will want you, personally, Commodore. They would also be gratified to capture y
our staff—collectively, you have frustrated several of their stratagems.”

  Bannor frowned. “Are you saying they want us for interrogation or for revenge?”

  “Neither, Colonel. I am saying that they want you for analysis.”

  Dora guffawed. “Ending with dissection, I’m sure.”

  “Or what might be worse,” Ayana admitted. She waited for several seconds of uniformly wide-eyed silence to pass. “The Ktor admire strength, success, those who surprise them. It teaches them how to improve their own performance. It is also how they screen for genetic qualities they wish to appropriate.” She looked around the table. “Do not underestimate the Ktor determination to perfect themselves by integrating others’ presumed traits into their own genecode. Be assured, this is part of their motivation.” She sat back in her chair and sipped at her glass of water.

  Riordan exhaled. “Well, at the risk of monstrous understatement, that is certainly food for thought. But right now, we need a plan.”

  Bannor nodded. “We have two primary objectives: get rid of Hsontlosh’s robots and get access to the bridge.” He leaned toward Eku. “The robots—how dangerous are they?”

  Eku stammered. “I…I do not know if they are armed. I have never seen either model before. The repairbots came with the ship, so they are very old.”

  Not what Bannor asked, Eku. Riordan made sure his voice radiated patience. “Okay, so let’s assume the robots are not armed. How dangerous could they become?”

  “Usually not very. Dornaani robots are programmed to reject any orders that would injure sapients.” Eku paused, then added, “However, there are both built-in overrides and gray-market work-arounds that can alter that.”

  Like pulling teeth. “And if the robots’ programming has been altered or overridden as you just outlined, then how dangerous are they?”

  Eku shrugged. “They will be impervious to any physical force we can generate ourselves. Unless an unusually large individual were to be wielding a very heavy hammer or pick-ax.” He glanced briefly at Yaargraukh.

  Duncan leaned toward Eku. “How good are their sensors?”

  Eku’s small Adam’s apple cycled rapidly. “The two proxrovs’ sensors are quite acute. Those on the three maintenance bots are rudimentary: audio, basic visual with IR and low light. Image resolution will be limited except in their primary activity range: one to two meters. However, Dornaani robots are quite robust. I doubt you would succeed at disabling their sensors.”

  Duncan smiled; Caine could see the impatient grimace behind it. “So, if the sensors can’t be knocked out, is there any way to obstruct them?”

  Eku thought a moment, then nodded. “The ship’s paint supplies are not restricted. Dornaani paint is, to use your term, ‘smart.’ It can be programmed to spread in a radially symmetric pattern, and accrete in user-defined layers. Hull paint is particularly sophisticated. With the proper settings, it could be preprogrammed to completely cover the visual light sensors and seriously degrade the infrared. However, control over the robots’ movements would then default to the ship’s main computer, using the interior sensors. That’s how the bots are deployed to the systems they must service: the ship shows them where to go.”

  “And the two proxrovs?”

  “More agile, more autonomous, but less heavily built.”

  Newton’s eyes were hard. “Weak spots?”

  Eku nodded. “The neck. But unlike a human, the back is more vulnerable than the front.”

  Dora’s grin was mirthless. “Good to know.”

  Ayana put down her glass of water. “It seems inevitable that, at some point, we must take the bridge. But how?”

  Eku shrugged. “The ship’s welding kits can cut through the bulkhead and expose the door controls. But all heavy tools are stored in engineering. Which is also sealed.”

  Yaargraukh’s neck shook as if suddenly chilled. “Even with torches, we lack the time. If Hsontlosh is readying the ship for a standing shift, he may risk engaging the drive early, rather than waiting while we breach the doors.”

  Bannor shrugged. “I don’t disagree, but what’s the alternative? Use the fob to get on the bridge? Hsontlosh keeps those two proxrovs with him all the time. They may not have any built-in offensive systems, but if Hsontlosh has weapons, he can arm them.”

  Miles sighed. “Yeah, and last I checked, our own packs are stored in the hold, behind the same bulkhead as engineering. So we’d have to go against them with whatever clubs we can scrounge. Anyone up for that?”

  A chorus of negative grumbles was the only response.

  Eku cleared his throat and said, “I have a firearm.” Again, he became the focal point of every pair of eyes in the room.

  He rose and removed the weapon from a secure panel beneath his bunk. It was an antique that had probably started life as a military sidearm, but—its brass cartridge design eclipsed by caseless and then dustmix and liquimix ammunition—it had obviously been decommissioned for sale on the civilian market. “A nine-millimeter, I believe it is called. Manufactured by a firm known as…Ruger?”

  Bannor smiled. “How many rounds?”

  “Forty-two. And three, er, clips?”

  “Magazines,” Craig Girten corrected irritably.

  Ayana nodded approvingly at the weapon. “That is an excellent addition. But there are two matters we have not yet addressed. Firstly, what prevents Hsontlosh from disrupting any plan by detaching from the spinbuoy and putting us all in zero gee?”

  Eku shook his head. “He will not do that. Dornaani robots have a precautionary design limitation: they have no zero-gee capability. They would become useless to him.”

  “Reassuring,” agreed Tagawa. “Secondly, let us say we use the fob and enter the bridge. What is to prevent Hsontlosh from taking all the ship’s systems off-line before we can retask the fob to override them. And if he does so, can we restore those systems if he refuses to cooperate?”

  “Or if he’s dead?” O’Garran added.

  Eku frowned. “Eventually. But not all of them. And it would take a long time.”

  “How long?”

  The factotum shrugged. “Weeks. Months. Maybe longer. It depends upon three factors: the encryption; the intricacy of the software; and, most important, if Hsontlosh installed failsafes that require biometric overrides.”

  Craig Girten blinked. “What the hell does that mean?”

  Newton began explaining before Eku could start. “Some of the ship’s controls might not respond without Hsontlosh’s fingerprint, retinal pattern, or genetic sample.”

  Riordan leaned forward. “So we’ve now identified three tactical approaches that won’t work.

  “Crashing the whole system ourselves might paralyze both sides at first, but Hsontlosh is the only one who can bring up the life support systems quickly enough to keep us from asphyxiating, freezing, or both. So he wins.

  “Crashing a smaller number of key systems isn’t any better. Hsontlosh can stop us simply by crashing all the other systems, too. Once again, he comes out on top.

  “And although we can use the fob get on the bridge, we’ve only got one old pistol and a bunch of improvised clubs to take on two tough proxrovs. So, even if we eventually disable them, Hsontlosh will have had plenty of time to, again, crash the system. Hell, if the proxrovs are holding us off, he might have enough time to summon the repairbots to come in behind us.

  “And it doesn’t matter if we target engineering, instead. Same problems, same outcome.”

  Dora pushed back from the table. “Madre! I thought we were trying to come up with a way to win, not ways to lose!”

  Riordan smiled. “It’s easier to see the path to victory when you’ve eliminated all the paths that won’t take you there.”

  Ayana nodded. “However, all the paths end at this quandary: how do we overcome the robots and gain entrance to the bridge at the same time?”

  Riordan stared at Ayana for a long moment and then smiled. “Thank you, Ms. Tagawa.”

 
“For what?”

  “For helping me see a solution.” Riordan glanced around the table. “We don’t use the fob to overcome Hsontlosh. We use it to trick him into both opening the bridge’s iris valve and putting the robots in vulnerable positions.”

  Yaargraukh leaned forward slowly; his shadow blacked out half the table. “Intriguing. How do you propose to do this?”

  “First, we don’t go after the robots; we bring them to us. Second, we have to enter a place Hsontlosh doesn’t want us nosing around, but doesn’t have anything crucial, nothing that would prompt him to crash the ship’s systems.”

  Bannor shrugged. “Okay, but if we’re not breaking into engineering or the bridge, what’s left that will get a rise out of him?”

  Riordan nodded toward the stern of the ship. “Near Airlock Two, there are three midship compartments that he’s locked against entry. Ostensibly, they’re for storing maintenance spares, emergency stores, and fragile cargo.”

  Duncan frowned. “Well, that’s pretty standard. You don’t want passengers messing up your supplies or vice versa. Breaking into those compartments might not get a rise out of him.”

  Riordan smiled. “Except for the one compartment where he hasn’t just locked out passengers; Eku doesn’t have access either.”

  The factotum nodded as their eyes turned to him. “As I told Mr. Riordan some time ago, my ID chip should have granted me entry, but it did not. When I asked Hsontlosh to authorize my access, he refused.”

  “You know,” Dora observed in a sly tone, “that mystery room just might be where Hsontlosh keeps the weapons rack that’s missing from his ship’s locker. Or maybe it’s where he stores other gear that could be used against him.”

  Duncan smiled. “Which sure does make it an especially tempting target.”

  Dora’s lip curled. “True, that.”

  Bannor leaned back. “I think we’ve figured out where to use that fob, Commodore.”

  Riordan smiled. “So do I. Although we’re going to have to task it to do a little selective data erasure at the same time.” He looked at Eku. “Can the fob do that?”