The Chaos Sutra

by Gregg Vann

  “We’re pulling a small strike force together from several different units, so that none of our current deployments are compromised. But rest assured, Miso, everything will be in place soon.”

  {How many warships do you need to destroy a monastery? I should think one alone would do. Bodhi Prime is lightly defended by an insignificant number of unarmed monks and scientists}

  “If you’d spent any time in their system recently you might have discovered otherwise. According to our source on Prime—someone lowly placed, but highly reliable—the Bodhi purchased a planetary defense array from the Blenej. Something the Blenej ambassador neglected to mention in our meeting, but I can’t blame him for hedging his bets. In fact, I rather respect it. Regardless, the Bodhi had the array secretly installed right after the Brenin War, and it’s now armed and active. A full Udek attack fleet would find it laughable, but a minimal force must be chosen carefully—and properly outfitted to get past the new defenses.”

  {But it’s been days, and it seems like nothing is happening. And all you’ve provided me with are excuses and flowery explanations}

  “Everything I’m telling you is the truth,” Stenth replied. “You have to understand, Miso, the Udek were at the forefront of every major battle of the Brenin War, and our forces were heavily degraded during those savage engagements. And then immediately after the conflict ended, we launched operations in several different regions of the galaxy, trying to take advantage of the chaotic aftermath with what ships and soldiers we had left. We remain the strongest military force—bar none. But our power has been diminished, temporarily at least. That is the plain truth of things, Miso. We will get this done, I assure you. It will just take a little more time.”

  {Time} Miso scoffed. {After what happened to me on Ulor XI, time is my second greatest enemy. It trails just behind the Bodhi}

  A buzzer rang on Awi Stenth’s desk and he keyed the door open. A courier from military command came into the room and handed him a dataslate.

  “Ah, perfect timing.” The chancellor waved the man away and began sorting through the classified communication, searching for the more salient parts. He spoke to Miso without looking up. “Four days. They’ll be ready to move on Bodhi Prime in four more days. Hmmm… That’s odd.”

  {What is it?} Miso asked.

  “Eh? Oh, it’s nothing that concerns you, or our plans. It seems there’s been something of an open rebellion on Polit. The details are still coming in. As I told you, we have many different operations underway.”

  {And as I told you, I don’t care. Your problems are your own}

  “Of course,” Stenth replied tersely.

  He copied the report on the Iriq to his personal archive without a second thought. Stenth intended to investigate the matter further when he wasn’t so pressed for time, and burdened by countless responsibilities—including the madman standing before him. But if the chancellor had known the complete story of what happened on that distant world, and more importantly, who was behind it…

  Awi Stenth would have reacted quite differently.

  Tien stared out from the middle of the Iriq encampment, looking through small breaks in the overhead canopy at the column of smoke rising in the distance. The burning remnants of the Udek compound marked the sky like an ebony serpent, reaching for the heavens.

  The Iriq had been meticulous, no, maniacally thorough when placing their explosive charges. As if leaving any piece of Udek equipment larger than a square meter would somehow keep the stigma of the occupation alive. They were immensely successful in that regard; the buildings, bodies, and vehicles were gone. And all that remained of the Udek now was smoke, and a burning crater where their base used to be. From the expressions Tien saw on the faces of the Iriq, even that was too much.

  The Udek had placed the facility on Polit as a message—that the Confederation was here to stay, and there was nothing the Iriq could do but accept it. The trail of smoke drifting high up into the night air said otherwise.

  It was almost time to go. Maxal and Ayel were making their final goodbyes to friends and fellow rebels. And Brother Ryll had already boarded the ship, to begin gathering the tools he would need to repair and rearm Tien’s body on the way to Ko’ln. Some of the Iriq had headed back to their homes soon after the raid ended, and Kuv left the camp earlier to meet with the planet’s leadership in the capital city—whether he’d receive a medal, or a trip to prison, Tien couldn’t guess. But the majority of the survivors still remained in the camp, albeit a good number of them seriously wounded.

  Maxal had tried unsuccessfully to stop Ayel from joining them on the mission to Ko’ln. And despite proving herself during the recent battle, and the fact they could use all the help they could get, Tien had expressed his own reservations about her coming along. But Ayel was adamant, informing them both that her work on Polit was done. She was determined not to leave Maxal’s side, ever again—especially after she heard where he was going next. Ayel wasn’t privy to any details of the mission—Tien had insisted on absolute secrecy until after they left the planet—but she was bright enough to realize that whatever was going on, there was a real possibility she might never see Maxal again. And that, Ayel would not accept.

  “Are you enjoying yourself?” a female voice asked, interrupting Tien’s thoughts. “How does it feel to watch the last command of my career disappear into the sky, knowing you were responsible? I’d hoped you were done wrecking my life after you ditched me on Bodhi Prime. But I guess getting me demoted wasn’t good enough for you.”

  “Come on,” Tien said, grabbing Eraz’s handcuffs to lead her up the ramp and into the ship. “It’s time to go home.”

  “You can’t possibly be expecting a warm reception when we get there. Hell, they’ll probably hold a lottery to see who gets to kill you. Or maybe even an auction—death by highest bidder. Before today, I thought the Special Corp would have the honor of taking your life. But after sabotaging our occupation of Polit, I think it’ll be the Udek military putting a bullet in your head.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” Tien replied. “I have some plans of my own for when we arrive on Ko’ln. And none of them involve me getting shot.”

  Once inside the ship, Tien pushed Eraz down into one of the jump seats at the rear of the cockpit, right next to Brother Ryll. He buckled her in securely as Maxal and Ayel made their way aboard, strapping themselves in up front. Maxal had moved his ship to the rebel encampment earlier to offload medical supplies for the wounded; it might be a day or so before things on Polit calmed down enough to medevac them all out to hospitals. He’d unavoidably wrecked a good portion of the protective canopy when he brought the ship down in the center of the camp, but there was no longer any need for the rebels to hide.

  “Is everyone ready?” Maxal asked.

  “We are,” Tien answered, grabbing his own jump seat. “Did you get the codes?”

  “I did. And we should have no problems getting through the new defense grid, or past the Iriq fleet. Once I send the proper Friend-or-Foe ident, it will be smooth sailing, all the way through the system.”

  “Until we encounter the Udek,” Tien pointed out.

  “Well…yes. Until that.”

  The sound of conversation was replaced by the whine of the engines as Maxal powered up the ship, and then they slowly rose up through the canopy before ascending into the sky. Tien watched as the forest below them receded into an indistinct blotch of green—bordered on one side by a large ocean, but otherwise completely surrounded by the vast, open plains of the savanna. That sight too was soon lost behind gray-tinged clouds as they reached higher into the atmosphere, and then the last vestiges of Polit finally yielded to the all-encompassing blackness of space. An Iriq warship pinged them as soon as they broke free from the planet’s gravity well. Maxal sent a coded response, and they were cleared almost immediately.

  “Efficient,” Tien noted.

  “The Iriq are definitely on their toes,” Maxal said. “They’re not sure w
hat the Udek will do next, so they intend to remain vigilant and ready to fight—just in case the Confederation tries to retake the planet. Everyone seems to be holding their collective breaths right now, waiting to see what happens. The Udek can be quite unpredictable, so it’s really anyone’s guess. But as you well know, Tien, their default action is always battle.”

  “Always,” Tien said. “Count on it.”

  Maxal checked and then re-checked his scanner readings. He didn’t understand what he was seeing. “You’re not going to believe this, but I have a clear path all the way out of the system. The Udek have assembled all of their ships together in a loose formation, just beyond the Iriq territorial boundaries. They’re probably awaiting orders from Ko’ln, or independently assessing the situation to plot their next move.”

  “Then we need to go,” Tien replied. “Now. Before the Udek have a chance to redeploy and make our lives difficult.”

  “Agreed.”

  Maxal set a direct course for Ko’ln and toggled the autopilot on, and then he and Ayel fell into easy conversation. Tien needed to have a talk of his own, one of far greater import, but his partner would be a more reluctant participant. Eraz sensed his eagerness to speak as Tien turned to look at her.

  “What do you want, Tien? I mean, really want. Why didn’t you just kill me like all the others? Especially after what I did to you—or would have done to you if you hadn’t escaped Bodhi Prime and taken up sanctuary on Obas.”

  “Because I need your help, Eraz. You’re the reason I came to Polit. The only reason.”

  Her face twisted in anger and Eraz lunged forward, but she was stopped by the restraints. “Are you telling me that you destroyed my command and cost the Udek Confederation an entire planet just to ask for my help? Fucking hell, Tien. Only you…” Eraz leaned back in her chair again and began laughing—a reaction prompted by disbelief, not mirth.

  “This is serious!” Brother Ryll snapped. “A man’s life is at stake. You have to help us!”

  Commander Eraz slowly turned her head to the side, trapping the monk under a withering gaze. “I don’t have to do anything, human. I’m already dead.” She nodded over at Tien. “You know who he is, and what he does. As soon as he told me his name I knew that I would die. The only questions left are when and how.”

  “I’m not going to kill you,” Tien said. “I told you that. If I wanted you dead, Eraz, you’d be nothing more than ash and a bad memory right now. I need your cooperation, and that’s the truth.”

  “So you say. And maybe you do want my help, for a time. But what happens when my usefulness is over?”

  “Then we go our separate ways. No debts owed or favors incurred. But most importantly for you, no vendettas left unfulfilled. I’ll forget all about our unfortunate past—when you promised me a full pardon, and then tried to return me to the tender mercies of the Special Corp instead. Do you remember that, Eraz? Because I certainly do.”

  “You act like I had a choice, Tien. Not all of us are so willing to abandon everything we know and just walk away.”

  Eraz shifted in her seat and stared at Tien’s blank face, trying to read his intentions. But it was absolutely impossible. There were no facial expressions or telling mannerisms—no clues whatsoever. No way to know what he was really thinking.

  “Why should I trust you?” she asked. “How can I trust you? You’re a fucking Special Corp operative, Tien. Or you were. You will say anything, do anything, to get what you want.”

  “You can trust me because we share a common enemy. Awi Stenth.”

  “Stenth!” Eraz spat. “Do you have any idea what that bastard did to me after your escape? When you surfaced later on Obas, he became convinced that I’d helped you. That I let you go. They demoted me, Tien, and pulled me from active duty. And for a while, I wondered if I was going to live. But then they reinstated me and shipped me off to Polit, and I began to question if I even wanted to.” Eraz frowned, crinkling the seal around her mask and releasing a tiny whiff of methane into the air. “Awi Stenth… Do you know what the Special Corp does to people during an interrogation, Tien? What they did to me.”

  Tien saw an uncharacteristic flash of fear in Eraz’s eyes, and he understood. “I know exactly what they do, Eraz. I used to be the one doing it.”

  She smirked. “Then you understand that they aren’t exactly kind.”

  “When is our race kind to anyone?” Tien said.

  “Our children? Always. Our spouses? Occasionally. Everyone else? Never.”

  “Then why were you so surprised by your treatment?”

  “I wasn’t,” Eraz said. “And I realize it’s exponentially worse for any non-Udek; there are no rules or restrictions whatsoever regarding them. I counted my blessings, what few of them there were. But Awi Stenth personally took part in my interrogation, Tien. Have you ever heard of such a thing? The head of Special Corp torturing a prisoner himself? I’m not talking about an enemy combatant, or an outed spy—Stenth delights in dealing with those. But an Udek military officer? We conduct our own inquiries; you know that. But Stenth pulled enough strings to make it happen. He took your defection hard, Tien. And he made me pay for it. No matter how many times I told him the truth, he refused to believe me. He just wouldn’t stop. And you know what he used on me, Tien. You know what Awi Stenth keeps in that fucking sphere of his. You’ve seen it…”

  Tien watched Eraz’s rage well up to the surface. It was the very impetus she’d need to set aside her sense of duty to the Udek and assist Tien on his mission. He’d heard about her mistreatment at Stenth’s hands through his sources on Ko’ln, and Eraz’s anger over that indignity had always been central to Tien’s plans. Now it had been activated, and it was time to manipulate that hatred for all it was worth—another carefully calculated maneuver to help Tien meet his objectives.

  “I’m offering you a chance to strike back at him, Eraz. This is your one shot at revenge. I want Awi Stenth dead, and you can help make that happen.”

  She looked at him in disbelief. “Do you seriously think you can travel to Ko’ln undetected? You, of all people, the most wanted man in the entire Confederation. I suppose then you’ll just stroll into Special Corp headquarters and kill the chancellor, right? Awi Stenth. You’re mad.”

  “Your military clearances will get us through the Interdiction Zone and down to the surface…with a little added subterfuge. You can tell them you commandeered this vessel after the attack on Polit, and then rushed back to Ko’ln to make your report in person, carrying vital, classified information that can’t be relayed through regular channels. If you intimate that someone in the blockade was part of a larger betrayal—one that not only led to the attack on the base, but is also part of a plot extending far beyond Polit—it will explain why you’re flying back to Ko’ln on an alien ship. Don’t worry, I have a good idea how we can craft a believable scenario. One that gets us right where we need to go.”

  Eraz smiled, and then lifted her manacled hands to gesture at Tien. “Clever, but it sounds awfully flimsy, even to me. They would want to speak with me in person about a claim like that though, that’s for certain. But even if by some miracle we do manage to get down to the surface, do you really think you can walk around the capital looking like that? These other three won’t exactly blend in either. And what am I supposed to tell the generals when I show up for the debriefing? As soon as we land, they’ll pull me into headquarters to discuss what happened on Polit.”

  “We have three days in transit to solidify your story and formulate a workable plan for the others. And I know Nykor like the back of my hand. So don’t worry, I’ll be able to slip around the city unseen. I’m confiscating that darksuit you’re wearing too. It’ll certainly help.”

  “Well, I hope you have better luck than the Special Corp operative who left it behind on Polit.”

  “What happened to him?” Tien asked.

  “Let’s just say that I don’t think the Corp sent us their best. The rebels caught him trying to in
filtrate one of their camps, so they dismembered the poor soul and dropped his pieces just beyond our security perimeter.”

  So that’s where Kuv got his intel, Tien realized. I can understand why he might be reluctant to share that bit of information with another Special Corp operative.

  “As bad as that sounds, Eraz, it’s still fairly tame compared to what Awi Stenth is capable of. We need to be smart about how we do this.”

  “Believe me,” she replied, “I already know that.” Eraz gave Brother Ryll a curious glance before turning back to Tien. “Tell me, what does this monk have to do with anything? Especially concerning Stenth and the Corp?”

  “Now that is one long and interesting story,” Tien replied. “And you’ll get all of the details once you’ve joined this operation.”

  Eraz looked down at her restraints, pausing for a moment to consider her predicament. She raised her arms and twisted the manacles side to side. “So you’ll just take my word, and then let me go? That seems rather reckless.”

  “I’ll trust you to make the smart play here, Eraz. You lost your entire command during our raid. All of your troops were massacred, every single one of them. Yet somehow, you managed to survive the assault. It wouldn’t be hard to convince the Udek that you were working with us all along, especially since Stenth already believes you betrayed him in the past. I can fertilize those seeds of doubt with select pieces of disinformation, and help them grow into lies large enough to get you killed. You need to understand something, Eraz: we’re doing this, with or without you. If you cooperate, you at least have a chance at survival. But if you don’t, you’re as good as dead.”

  “So, let me get this straight,” she said. “If I agree to commit treason, you’re offering me a chance for revenge against Awi Stenth. But if I refuse, you’re threatening to sow misinformation that paints me as a traitor anyway, knowing full well that my own people will kill me. Is this some twisted form of blackmail?”

  “Yes,” Tien replied. “That’s exactly what this is.”