by G W Langdon
“When we brought StarTripper to Heyre, a Dawn Wall Protocol activated a failSafe distress call to a dormant geneSeed.”
“Insurance against being double-crossed.”
“I haven’t located the receiver of the failSafe and Iris has no idea.”
“We must find Jbir intact before she does,” Reuzk said. “Round up the living and dead pirates who had contact with Jbir leading up to 7508. He would have boasted about the starMap to someone.”
“The pirates’ mistrust of outsiders reduces the matrix of search possibilities, but uncovering Jbir’s secrets will take time.”
“Assign an Indigo priority sub-routine to finding Jbir’s failSafe—preferably alive and intact, but I’ll settle for just his neurals.”
“Violet?”
“Not while we have an Infiltrator on the loose.”
Amie diminished to the size of the empty glass. “Don’t forget your meeting this evening,” she said and blinked out.
Reuzk massaged his tired brow and reflected on his next move. No more mister nice guy. It was time to shake the tree.
Chapter 24
Ba’illi slipped out the castle gates and over the moat bridge. He nervously fingered the leather pouch that Queen Lillia had given him for General Reuzk with very specific conditions that left no confusion about what would happen if he failed. He squeezed the hard, egg-shaped object and cursed how the original, carefree, escape from the castle grounds to meet the pirate Tiekur had become a deadly serious mission he ‘mustn’t deviate from.’ He patted the blaster underneath his coat pocket.
The siren sounded and the melatarins lazing on the mud banks twitched awake and scurried into the moat with an unnatural speed and agility for their two-ton weight and stout legs. The melatarins headed in strict formation to the feeding bay for a meal of dead or diseased animals shipped in from the farms on the Outer Domains. He shivered. What other modifications had Doctor Teripeli implanted into the melatarins’ genes and neurals to make the ultimate moat guards?
He disembarked the Aiakar ferry at the Bridge station and hopped onto the hyperLoop shuttle for the five-minute ride through the crater wall and onto Port Lyonia. The shuttle flashed from the Rim tunnel and Nu’hieté opened out wide and unruly like an angry sea. At four hundred miles an hour, the foreground tree-lined suburbs were a green and white blur. SkyBugs raced along ten-deep skyWays around the cloud-piercing skyReachers. Out beyond the crater rim, the red tip of the Federation Tower stared down upon Nu’hieté like a giant, all-seeing eye, which in all practical terms it was.
Original knowledge was almost impossible to come by in a hyper-tech world. Teripeli’s memory wipes helped keep things fresh, but having old knowledge ‘forgotten’ came with the cost of placing his happiness at the mercy of a psychopath.
The arrival of Thomas changed everything.
The dull, routine days were gone and his real passion of spying outside was suddenly back in favor. The untainted gossip found only on the port’s porous streets tantalized his heart with a chance to learn something genuinely new. The jostling crowds that mired bureaucracies and frustrated the Federation intelligence services demanded a great spy forsake the easy, surface whispers for a worthy story and seek out the true gems of discord and duplicity amongst the edgy street chatter in the most wretched and vile nests. He wouldn’t want it any other way. ‘Hands on, ears tuned, and eyes wide open,’ that was his credo.
Ba’illi forged clear of the crowded station and headed down the cobbled streets for Kilep. It had taken decades of graft to establish the spy network across the three power bases of Heyre. No spymaster could duplicate his privileged access to the world of Queen Lillia, the tactical penetration of the political bureaucracies the Senators relied upon, and the notoriously suspicious Federation. Dealing with the Federation carried the risk of misinformation, but they were also his greatest source of news she found useful. Unfortunately, Reuzk’s growing interest in Queen Lillia’s past meant he’d have to stay extra vigilant.
He rounded the corner and breezed inside the Four Avenues of Kilep, in love with the eclectic mix of transient beings who never outstayed their welcome or talked to anybody they considered a threat to their secrets. Aromas of the spices brought down from the lowland spice plantations drifted from the sidewalk food courts. Bright displays flashed around the parlor doorways, briefly lighting the dark stairways to the underground dens.
Stupefied bodies lay scattered around the courtyard like flotsam after the night’s revelry. Those had that ended the night with their sensibilities intact lay in the shade, while the others, with less foresight or care for the day to come, squirmed in the rising heat.
Dressed neatly, but with a knocked-about edge, he ordered a bottle of Spirel at the bar, to be delivered with two glasses to his corner table. He stepped over the disheveled drunk lying on the dusty floor and kicked a chair under the table. Tiekur had better have what he promised. This place was a dump. He placed his lightPad on the table and opened an unfinished game of chess.
The drunk lifted the straw hat off his face and rolled to his feet. “I’ve been waiting since yesterday for you to show,” he said, pulling up a chair.
The waiter set the drinks on the table.
Ba’illi tasted the Spirel and cursed the watered-down street mix of his favorite drink. He tapped the lightPad once for a minimum tip and the waiter’s badge rang like an old-fashioned cash register. He hated paying in such a ‘public’ way. For all he knew, Reuzk had just found out where he was and maybe even who he was meeting.
“You said it was important,” he said, checking around the room.
“You’ll let her know where you heard it first, deal?”
“Wait.” Ba’illi wrapped the lightPad inside a silver cloth and slid it beneath his coat.
“Big news,” Tiekur said, trying to keep his hand steady and not his drink. “Can you help?”
He casually appraised Tiekur. He’d never seen him this way. Tiekur was one of the last of the old spies from the Early Days and only valued news that would upscale his reputation. Common spies were rampant hedonists: better spiceRolls, classier pleasure models, high-Color VR, health upgrades, vacations to the Inlets on the coast—desires which came and went. Elite spies craved recognition above all else because fame was the greatest antidote against the curse of an invisible life. “I’m good for my word.”
“This is different.” Tiekur leaned forward on his elbows. “Can you protect me?”
“Oh, that kind of information. Reuzk?”
“He’s issued an Indigo alert.”
“Reuzk and Indigo. You don’t hear those two words every day in the same sentence. This sounds dangerous—for both of us.”
“I’m old now. No reGen for me. When I go, that’s it. I want to go out in a ‘blaze,’ like my dear friend Jbir. I need the right powers to know.”
“You’ll get more than a ‘blaze’ if you double-cross me. What’s all the fuss about?”
Tiekur lifted his hat to his ear and blocked out the bar. “A failSafe,” he whispered.
“Go on, but this had better be good.”
“Reuzk is after Jbir.”
“Jbir’s dead.” He tipped his green hat forward. “Why does Reuzk want Jbir?”
“It’s a big cover-up. Long-time ago. Rumors are it involved Decay.”
“And you think Queen Lillia needs to be aware of this because…”
Tiekur jammed his hat on. “Don’t play cute with me,” he said, seething to stop his voice rising. “You know as well as I do that she sent Jbir away to stop him talking. Are you with me, or not?”
He slid an encoded biometric card across the table. “Use this if you get into a tight situation. The signal goes straight to her so be doubly sure if you decide to use it.”
Tiekur turned the card over and rubbed his bony fingers over the red dragon.
“Don’t look so excited. I don’t hand those out every day. I’m going out of my way here.”
“It’
s not that, but on second thoughts…” He handed the card back.
“It doesn’t work like that,” Ba’illi said, refusing the card. “You tell me what you know about the failSafe, or you’ll never work again.”
Tiekur pocketed the card. “That’s the spirit.”
“For a moment, I thought the great Tiekur had gone soft.”
Tiekur coughed last night’s smoke off his lungs. “It took me a while to put the pieces together, but if Reuzk finds the failSafe or hacks Jbir’s neurals—because he won’t spill any other way—then he’ll find out about Tilas.”
“Tilas? I don’t understand.”
“It was before your time.”
“I’ve got full access to the archives and the only mention of Jbir I recall was that he ran errands for Emperor Tilaxian. Contraband, but that’s hardly a crime Reuzk would pursue now.” He poured another drink and topped up Tiekur’s glass. Had Teripeli wiped other memories?
“You don’t know anything about what happened back there. Your type wouldn’t have had security clearance.”
“What do you mean?”
Tiekur eased back in his chair. “Emperor Tilaxian kept those dealings very close. Not many would have known what was really going on.”
“And you do?”
“An old spy tells another old spy. Jbir brought a lot more to Heyre than contraband. You mention this to her majesty and see what kind of reaction you get.” His eyes widened. “No, don’t.”
“How did you find out about the failSafe? It mightn’t be real.”
“I was at a funeral for Heratu and got chatting to someone I hadn’t seen since the old days. It was a big surprise because I thought he’d died a long time ago.”
“How sweet.”
“Turns out, he was on his last legs and wanted to pass on a secret he’d been keeping ‘under his hat.’ Said it was too big a deal to let it lapse. In his young days, before he came over to our side, he worked at the Kaleria Asylum.”
“Yes,” Ba’illi said, pulling his chair forward. “What of it?”
“He had a visitor show up one day with a special pass to the mausoleum.”
“So?”
“That’s what I thought. Officially, there isn’t a mausoleum, but as it turns out there is.”
“Let me see. Someone showed up and asked to see a place that does… does not exist, and left. You astound me.”
“Dummy. ‘Mausoleum’ is code for a place to hide things—for an extended time. Sometimes I wonder how you’ve lasted this long. This old spy was no idiot, unlike you. He lifted an image from the security system of the asylum visitor.” Tiekur drew a photo from his breast pocket. “Recognize this face?”
“Not really.”
“He’s young then, out of uniform, wearing a hat. Look at the face. There’s only one reason somebody like him would ask to go to the Kaleria mausoleum.”
“Senator Telion is long dead.”
“Extra dead, as most are who have connections to Jbir. It was only when I heard that Reuzk was searching for a failSafe that I joined the two.” Tiekur stood up. “All hell is about to blow around this place and you’d better be on the right team when it does.”
#
Ba’illi cut a crooked path to his meeting with Reuzk, edging into alleyways and pausing for a short time then darting on. He wished he hadn’t met Tiekur until afterwards. Matters were awkward now and Reuzk could smell a lie from three moons away.
He stopped outside the footwear shop, glanced up and down the street to make sure there wasn’t any ‘glue’ on his tail and pointed to the red shoe in the lightMatrix sales rack. The shop door popped open and the sentry at the counter motioned him down the low hallway. “Last door on the right.”
A single lightSphere hanging from the ceiling illuminated a cloth-covered table and the two padded wooden chairs in the middle of the small room. He eased onto the seat, nervous about before but glad that he’d soon be free of Queen Lillia’s ‘gift.’
Reuzk appeared through a shielded side door. “You’ve been a busy spy today.”
“No, not really. Just the usual catch-ups.”
“You sure?” he said, sitting down. “You look… frail.”
Ba’illi slid the pouch across the table. “Queen Lillia said it would help with the Defense of Heyre.”
Reuzk untied the pouch string and removed the Tylinite egg. “A geneVault. You have my attention.”
“She said it’s a secret from King Jialin.”
“She abandoned him.”
“She wants to help, trust me.”
“Do you trust her?”
“With my life.”
“Tilas has nothing to offer the Federation. How do I know there isn’t a trap inside the vault?”
“Apparently, you have the key. It must have been quantum encrypted when the Federation was on Tilas.”
“Interesting. It could be one of ours.” Reuzk drew a lightPad scanner from the drawer under the table and placed the geneVault on the screen. He keyed in a 200x magnification and peered into the lightMatrix. “I’m no expert, but King Jialin’s stamp appears genuine.” He dragged his finger along the slider and increased the magnification. “The dragon security bands look good.” He drilled down between the iridescent scales. “Impressive workmanship. The serials appear Federation, but I’ll need Amie to verify the quantum authenticity.” He pushed the lightPad aside. “How is Thomas these days?”
Ba’illi twiddled the miniature amulet of Queen Lillia hanging around his neck.
“It won’t work in here. Our conversation is secure,” Reuzk assured.
“I shouldn’t talk about him.”
“I ask only because he might help in the Defense. Come now, Ba’illi, we’ve known each other for a long time. He’s tucked up securely inside the castle so what harm could possibly come from talking?” He offered a golden spiceRoll. “General stuff, nothing sensitive.”
Ba’illi puffed several times for a good burn. “Thomas was like a child when we first got him, but he’s better now.”
Reuzk pushed a tray in front of him. “Does Thomas take risks, or does he prefer to play it safe?”
“He’s definitely a risk-taker, which isn’t a bad trait when supported by calculations.”
“Responsible for his actions, that sort of thing.”
“No, I wouldn’t say that.”
“Well, what do you mean then?”
“Tom is deficient in chess, but excels at backgammon.”
“Backgammon?”
“It’s an Earth game, with dice. He loves to bet big on the chance of a lucky roll. Objectively, he needs luck against me to counter his inferior intellect. He becomes ruthless when he holds the advantage and implements reckless strategies. One time, he risked everything for victory.”
“And?”
Ba’illi drew down on the Roll and shook his head as he let the smoke out slowly. “It was a crushing and humiliating victory that took the loser several games to regain his composure.”
“You mean you.”
“At times, he has the impulsive talents of a tyrant. I hope his wayward belief in a god reins in his desire for revenge against an unjust world. What worries me the most is that despite his naive outlook, Tom has the qualities of a fearless killer.”
“He is.”
“I don’t follow.”
Reuzk pulled back the lapel on his jacket and placed a 5D data orb on the table. “As a good host, I have a gift for you to take back.”
“I can’t. I don’t have the authority.”
“Come now,” he said, rolling the orb across the cloth top, “you’re not worried there’s something nasty inside? I only want to help, as she does. Don’t you trust me?”
“But, my life…”
“Relax. It’s for the knight anyway. She will look, but he must see what’s inside.”
“I’ll do my best, but if she insists…”
“Have a family screening for all I care, but the Third Knight gets to see.” R
euzk leaned over. “I’ll be talking to him, so no tricks—from anyone.”
“What is ‘Alice Holt?’” Ba’illi asked, running his fingers over the Primary Identifier. “Tom?”
“He does not need to see it.” Reuzk put the scanner back in the tray and brushed the table with his broad hands. “Does he mention Sarra much?”
“Oh, all the time,” he said, dropping the orb into the pouch. “Whatever happened to her, Sarra? It’s for Tom… while I’m here.”
“She never survived the crash. I’m sorry. For its own reason, the Négus left her there to die.”
“I will inform the queen and she can tell Tom. It’s bad news, but not knowing is driving him crazy, which is the last thing he needs.”
“Why’s that?”
He finished the Roll with a lustful drawdown. “Tom has a busy mind. He wants to know as much as he can about the world and by extension, the universe. Deep down, I think he aspires to be like me.”
“And how’s that working out for him?”
“He’s a mess at times. No wonder he’s taken to smoking Blues.”
“That’s a shame. I’m sure he’s a good man behind the frantic life she has him laboring under. His was a simple world and Heyre must be hell for him.”
“He’s tough and might turn into someone worthy, but between you and me…”
“Which it is.”
“I don’t think he can become a great king and defeat Decay. The Methuselah pill cannot make up for his other limitations. At least the Armada gives you a fighting chance. One man can’t change the world.”
“Methuselah pill?”
“I probably shouldn’t have said…”
“You’re right, a pill’s nothing compared to the Armada.” Reuzk slipped the geneVault into the hidden seam. Thank Queen Lillia for the gift. I’m sure she’s trying her best to do what’s right for Heyre.”
“She is,” Ba’illi eagerly agreed.
“Before you go, is there any other news I should know about?”