Rath's Rebellion (The Janus Group Book 5)

by Piers Platt

  “Paisen Oryx also used precision kinetic darts while Detective Beauceron was working with her,” Atalia pointed out. “Though not in combination with the device.” She studied the room. “Is everyone following so far?”

  Senator Tsokel glanced around the room. “I believe so,” he said.

  “Good, because this is where it gets weird, sir,” Atalia told him. She pulled up a photo of the Rampart Guardian. “This is the ship that purchased and deployed the drone over New Liberia. It’s our assumption that the high energy prototype is on board this vessel, the Rampart Guardian.”

  The commanding general pointed at the screen. “That’s the same ship—,” she started.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Atalia said. “Just hang on a second, we’ll get there. So a month ago, the Guardian arrived over New Liberia. They bought a complement of drones, and conducted the weapon test over the factory, and then left. And I believe most of you know where it showed up next,” Atalia said.

  “Scapa,” the general said. “It shot down one of my police cruisers and helped Rath Kaldirim escape from custody.”

  “True,” Beauceron agreed.

  “Paisen Oryx is our chief suspect for that incident,” the general pointed out. “Your investigation seems to have confirmed her involvement. She bought this ship, armed it with this weapon of hers, and then broke her friend out of jail.”

  “Not necessarily, ma’am,” Beauceron said. “Initially, we believed Paisen might have been involved in the high energy weapon test. So we followed a lead to a luxury resort on Bellislas that she had rented. She wasn’t at the resort when we arrived, but evidence collected during the raid suggested that she was headed to Jokuan, a planet in the Territories.”

  At the back of the room, Beauceron saw the female Senate Guard shift slightly in her seat, and he thought he caught a flicker of surprise on her face. Beauceron turned his attention back to the briefing, gesturing to Atalia to continue.

  His partner showed several of the maps they had taken from the resort’s computer. “Oryx seems to have recruited a number of other ex-guildsmen, but we’re still trying to determine why they went to Jokuan, and what their intent was,” Atalia reported.

  Tsokel and another senator glanced at each other.

  “If I may—” Senator Foss started, but Tsokel cut him off immediately.

  “Senator. Please let the detectives continue.”

  “As you wish,” Foss demurred.

  Beauceron frowned. There’s something they’re not telling us.

  Atalia pointed at the map of Jokuan on the viewscreen. “Detective Beauceron and I went to Jokuan, following Paisen. The numbers on the map correspond to training areas that the Jokuan military uses. Although frankly, right now they look more like staging areas – we saw a lot of Jokuan military elements in those areas, but mostly they seemed to be packing their equipment up, and loading it onto deep space vessels.”

  The general frowned again, and rubbed at her temple. “So this Oryx woman has recruited a team of guildsmen, built herself a super-weapon, and now she’s in league with the Jokuan military? An army that appears to be preparing for war?”

  “Possibly,” Atalia said. “Honestly, we found no evidence of Paisen Oryx on Jokuan, apart from an abandoned safe house, and the body of one of her teammates, who had been murdered. So we’re still trying to evaluate her role in all of this. But we did find the ship.”

  “Well, if her ship’s there …” the commanding general suggested.

  “We don’t think it’s her ship,” Atalia corrected her. She flipped to the next slide, showing a photo of the landing field, and the Rampart Guardian bathed in floodlight. “Martin?”

  Beauceron cleared his throat. “This ship is over two hundred years old. So to trace its origins, we need to review a little Federacy history. Anders Ricken was supposedly killed on Caustiga in 2180, putting an end to the Third Colonial War. Now, the Rampart Guardian was purchased and delivered to Caustiga, and equipped with ten cryo-sleep pods less than a month later. It left Caustiga soon afterwards and has not been seen in Federacy space since.”

  “What are you suggesting?” Senator Foss asked. “I’m not sure I’m following.”

  “They’re suggesting there’s some connection between Ricken’s revolution and this ship,” Tsokel said.

  “Yes, sir,” Atalia agreed. “About ten minutes after the Rampart Guardian landed on Jokuan, General Yo-Tsai, the commanding general of Jokuan’s joint military forces, arrived at the landing field. Here he is disembarking from his transport along with a contingent of security guards.” She looked meaningfully at Beauceron.

  “Immediately after that,” Beauceron added, taking a deep breath, “four people left the Rampart Guardian and met with General Yo-Tsai.” He clicked to the next photo, which had been enlarged to show a close-up of the people descending the Guardian’s ramp. Beauceron caught several sharp intakes of breath from the audience.

  “The woman is Jaymy McGovan, a nurse from Scapa who was also Rath Kaldirim’s girlfriend. We’re assuming the young man beside her is Rath Kaldirim, using a cover identity – his face doesn’t match anyone in the IP database.” Beauceron pointed at the screen. “I want to stress that this is our hypothesis, and since former Guild personnel appear to be connected to this case, we can never really be sure who is who. That applies to the older man in these photos as well, but facial recognition and simulated aging software give a decent probability that it’s Marec Lonergan, a member of Ricken’s so-called ‘Council of Six’ during the Third Colonial War. And this, of course, appears to be Anders Ricken himself.”

  The room remained silent.

  “To recap, then,” Beauceron said, awkwardly. “Our hypothesis is that Anders Ricken and his key lieutenants faked their deaths, and have been in hibernation since the end of the Third Colonial War. They have now acquired a weapon of mass destruction and appear to be partnering with both Rath Kaldirim and the Jokuan military. And possibly with Paisen Oryx, as well. What their aims might be, we can’t say for sure.”

  “What’s your best guess?” Colonel Jesk prompted.

  “Sir, our best estimate is that they intend to start another major interstellar war. Likely with the aim of overthrowing the Federacy.”

  “Isn’t it possible that all of this is a ruse – that Ricken is dead, and he’s just being impersonated by former guildsmen?” Senator Tsokel asked.

  “It’s certainly possible,” Beauceron agreed. “But if so, I’m not sure what they intend to achieve by doing so. Most guildsmen are motivated by money, and I don’t see how tricking the Jokuans into starting a war leads to a payday for them. So our best guess is that that really is Anders Ricken. Frankly, it’s the most dangerous scenario, too. Which I think should factor into how we – you – decide to respond.”

  The room stayed quiet again.

  Finally, Senator Herek spoke up. “Senator Tsokel, might I suggest that we ask our law enforcement colleagues to step out for a minute, so that we can discuss this and … other information we have … just amongst ourselves. Just committee members, for a few minutes?”

  Senator Tsokel leaned back in his chair, studying Beauceron and Atalia. “Detectives, what clearance level do you have?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Beauceron admitted. “None, I suppose.”

  Atalia chuckled. “I’m cleared for Secret, sir – all Territories-based officers are.”

  “Well, as of now, you’re both cleared for anything I say you are,” Tsokel decided. “So let me bring everyone up to speed. As part of our committee responsibilities, we’ve been keeping a close eye on Jokuan’s activities recently. I’d rather not reveal our sources, for several reasons. But news of their military activity is … well, it’s not news to us. Though it’s very concerning that they appear to be accelerating their efforts.” He paused, running his fingers along the edge of his datascroll absentmindedly. “Our sources tell us the Jokuans are running out of cash, and they’re planning to attack another planet fo
r economic gain.”

  “I’d believe it, based on what we saw on Jokuan,” Atalia told him. “Those boys were gearing up for something big.”

  Tsokel nodded. “But Ricken’s involvement – if your hypothesis is correct – that’s a new angle. Our society stands on the brink of uprising as it is. If Anders Ricken, the poster boy for misplaced idealism, were to enter the mix, I shudder to think what could happen. The Jokuans could raid a planet or two before we stopped them. But that man – or someone pretending to be him – could send our entire civilization into anarchy and chaos.”

  “The people are already protesting us in the streets,” Senator Herek pointed out. “They’d rally to his flag by the billions.”

  “I’m very troubled about these ex-Guild players getting involved,” Senator Foss broke in. “After all, what’s their angle? I can imagine that this Kaldirim man is upset at having been convicted of murder, so perhaps he just wants to lash out at the system. But now we hear that Paisen Oryx is involved as well?”

  “Possibly,” Beauceron said. “But we’re not really sure she does fit in.”

  “It seems clear to me,” Foss replied. “This Paisen woman felt she owed it to her friend to save him from a death sentence on Scapa. She’s allied herself with the Jokuans and Ricken for some reason, so she put pressure on Ricken to help her break Kaldirim out.”

  Beauceron knitted his brow. “The method of Rath’s escape isn’t in keeping with how Paisen operates. If she wanted to break him out of jail, it’s likely she would have figured out a way to make him simply disappear.” He sighed. “I know those two well. At least, I thought I did. I’m having trouble figuring out what they’re doing mixed up in all of this.”

  Foss cocked an eyebrow, and made eye contact with Tsokel. “Perhaps these Guild types are more willing to betray their allies than any of us anticipated, Detective.”

  Tsokel shot Foss a look of warning. “Enough, Gaspar. We can speculate about the guildsmen all we want. But the threat remains. We need to determine how to react. So at this point, we’ll continue with just the committee members, please.” The old senator turned to Beauceron and Atalia. “Detectives, thank you for your time.”

  “Of course, sir,” Beauceron said.

  He and Atalia gathered their bags and followed the two Senate Guards through the conference room doors, along with Jesk and the commanding general. The older woman turned and shook hands with Beauceron and Atalia. “Well handled,” she told them. “They’re not an easy crowd. You have quarters here on Anchorpoint?”

  “We’ve got a hotel room, ma’am,” Atalia told her.

  “You better have two hotel rooms,” she told them, jokingly. “Fraternization between partners is against the code of ethics.”

  Beauceron blushed, but the general missed it. “Go get some rest,” she continued. “I imagine we’ll be sending you back to Jokuan soon. Colonel Jesk, let’s head to my office and review your potential response plans – I have a feeling the senators will be calling me back in there soon to give them some options. And I don’t have a goddamn clue what to tell them right now.”

  34

  “We simply cannot activate the Fleet Reaction Force,” Senator Herek said. “Even if we could convince enough senators to vote for it, in this political climate, the people would perceive it as a first step toward establishing martial law. It would doom us all.”

  “But the Jokuans could be preparing to attack us here at Anchorpoint, for all we know,” Senator Laans argued. “We need to do something to counter that threat.”

  “But what?” Foss asked. “I’m not convinced they are a threat to begin with.”

  Tsokel rubbed at his forehead, and glanced around the conference room. “I don’t know that we’re going to be any more productive on this topic,” he decided. “We’ve been debating for over an hour now, and I haven’t heard any viable options.”

  “Interstellar Police is bound to have contingency plans,” Senator Campos pointed out. “We should hear the commanding general’s thoughts.”

  “I agree,” Tsokel said, “but not tonight. I imagine we each need a short break before the State of the Federacy Address, which begins in a mere … twenty minutes. I will see all of you there.”

  The senators stood up, gathering their datascrolls and notes. Foss was first out the door, where he spotted Shofel waiting for him in one of the chairs lining the hallway. His chief of staff stood up, and pointed back toward the conference room.

  “Something urgent’s come up, sir,” Shofel said. “It would be best if we discussed it at once.”

  Foss frowned, but waited while the other senators exited, and then followed Shofel back into the empty conference room. He shut the door, but remained standing.

  “Well?”

  “It’s a report from Sipadan, sir. The production facility.”

  “I take it it’s not good news,” Foss said, grimacing.

  “It’s not the news you were hoping for, no,” Shofel admitted. “And I’m afraid this report is somewhat dated at this point, it took a while for the news to reach me, via the mercenary company we hired.”

  “What happened?” Foss asked, impatiently.

  “Things are still murky,” Shofel said. “They attacked Hawken and the girl. But it appears that most of the mercenaries were killed or severely injured during a car chase, and an ensuing shoot-out at a nearby mall.”

  “And Hawken? Is he alive?”

  “We don’t know. None of the mercenaries have reported in, and news reports haven’t named any of the victims,” Shofel said.

  “Fuck,” Foss said. “If Hawken was dead, the press would have announced it. The man’s been all over TV of late with his goddamn campaign against us.”

  “Perhaps, sir. It’s probably safer to assume he got away.”

  “What about the mercenaries – the survivors? They’re in police custody?” Foss asked.

  “They’re in the hospital, sir.”

  “What do they know about us?”

  “Nothing,” Shofel said. “I hired them anonymously, and all communications since then have remained encrypted and anonymous. They just know they were working for Shibuden-Klein.”

  “There’s nothing that could link them to the Church?”

  Shofel shook his head. “No.” He frowned. “… but the head of security at Shibuden-Klein is missing, too. Apparently he accompanied the mercenaries during the attack.”

  “Missing? As in dead, or possibly arrested?”

  “I don’t know,” Shofel said.

  “What does he know?” Foss asked.

  “I gave him the order to kill Hawken,” Shofel replied.

  “Did you name me?”

  “Of course not, sir. But … he knows who I work for.”

  “Fuck!” Foss turned, holding a clenched fist to his chin. “It’s tenuous, but if they arrested him, and he talked … they could be coming here. When did you say the attack happened?”

  “The day before yesterday,” Shofel said.

  “Fuck,” Foss repeated. He drew his holophone out of his pocket, and swiped on the screen for several seconds. “Flight time from Sipadan to Anchorpoint … twenty hours.” He looked up at Shofel. “They could be here already, if they followed the trail.”

  “The trail would lead to me,” Shofel noted, swallowing nervously.

  Foss ignored him, pacing down the length of the conference room, lost in thought. “I need somewhere to go, away from Anchorpoint. Somewhere to regroup for a time. Plan our next move.”

  “The State of the Federacy Address is tonight,” Shofel said.

  Foss waved him away. “It’s too dangerous to stay here. What did Simi Quorn say about opportunity?”

  “I don’t know, sir,” Shofel said.

  “He said, ‘Opportunity is often cloaked in threat.’ And so it is. This is the perfect time to visit our allies.”

  “Who?” Shofel asked.

  “Never mind,” Foss said, heading for the door. He typed a number on
his holophone, and held it to his ear as the two men hurried down the corridor.

  “This is Foss,” he said. “Prepare my shuttle for immediate departure.” He hung up, and stopped in front of a bank of elevators, pressing the Down button.

  “Where are we going, sir?” Shofel asked, as a set of doors opened.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Foss said, scowling. “I need you as far away from me as possible right now.” He stepped inside the elevator.

  “But they’ll be looking for me,” Shofel protested, remaining in the hallway.

  “So take care they don’t find you.”

  35

  Vence found Paisen waiting in the hotel’s lobby. The older woman still resembled the Senate Guard she had mimicked to gain entrance to the Senate offices, which elicited a frown from Vence. She sat in an easy chair across from Paisen.

  “Where are our two friends?” Paisen asked, referring to the Senate Guard and the taxi driver they had kidnapped.

  “I rented a storage unit, and left them inside with some food and water,” Vence replied. “They’ll be fine for a couple hours. Did you find out who betrayed us?”

  “Possibly,” Paisen said. “Beauceron and his friend have been busy – chasing ghosts, and not just us. They believe Anders Ricken is back from the dead, and leading a revolution along with Rath and the Jokuans.”

  “What?” Vence asked, shaking her head. “What the hell is going on?”

  “More than we know,” Paisen said. “Apparently a lot more.”

  “This is Beauceron’s hotel?” Vence asked.

  “Yeah. He and his partner have rooms upstairs. She’s an undercover cop that works in the Territories: Atalia il-Singh. The two of them raided our place back on Bellislas.”

  “Christ,” Vence swore. “How did they find it?”

  “That’s exactly what I intend to ask them,” Paisen said. “Among other things. Come on.”