Aneka Jansen 6: The Lowest Depths of Shame

by Niall Teasdale

  It was also why Leeforth was standing nearby in full Marine armour and carrying a rifle which looked large against her slim frame. She handled it like a pro, however. She was an ex-Marine, so she was a pro, but her talents were not really needed.

  ‘You sure you need to see this?’ Leeforth asked over the direct radio connection they had set up.

  ‘Yes,’ Ape replied. ‘I need to see this.’

  ‘It’s not like this is our fault, and the Guardians have this covered.’

  There was silence for a second as a stretcher with a rather small body on it was carried out.

  ‘Something doesn’t feel right about the way this happened,’ Ape said, and then moved toward a figure walking out of the tunnel the microbots had carved. He switched his suit to external speaker. ‘Captain Tasker, you’re finding hostages?’

  ‘We’re finding bodies,’ Tasker replied sourly. ‘The explosions brought the roof down across half the mine. We’re hoping to find some people alive deeper in the tunnels, but… Kids, Ape… They were children.’

  ‘Yes… we need to talk, somewhere private.’

  ‘The Hand? Meet me up there.’

  Ape nodded, turning on his heel. ‘Judy, let’s go. We’ve a meeting to attend.’

  Shadataga.

  ‘We’ve been through every scrap of sensor data we have, several times,’ Winter said. ‘None of our systems picked up any radio traffic of the kind reported by this frigate.’

  ‘That… seems odd,’ Aneka said.

  ‘But inconclusive. The frigate was in a low orbit. It could have picked something up we could not.’

  ‘Your message suggested that your findings were more… more of an issue than that.’

  ‘Yes… You read the end of mystery novels first, don’t you?’

  ‘No! I just… like getting to the point.’

  Winter’s lips twitched. ‘The nuclear detonations happened more or less immediately after the interception of ground battery fire and the elimination of a large number of fighters. None of the Navy’s missiles appeared to be in the area of the detonations. It would appear that the Herosians did, indeed, set off nuclear charges themselves.’

  ‘Except,’ War put in, ‘that the explosions were low-altitude air bursts. One at about seventy-five metres, the other at fifty. Not high, but higher than any of the buildings in the area.’

  ‘But none of the missiles got that low,’ Aneka said, her eyes on the tracks of every weapon that had dropped down from the ships in orbit.

  ‘That ignores this anomaly.’ The display retraced its steps to before the missile were launched and rotated, swinging around to show them the far side of the planet where a lone frigate was low in the atmosphere. There were heat markers showing on its forward hull. ‘We detected this ship launching missiles forty-seven seconds before the barrage begins. There are no tracks after five seconds, indicating that the weapons launched dropped into a terrain-following mode. Given probable velocity and compensating for terrain…’

  ‘That thing launched the nukes,’ Aneka finished. ‘Why?’

  ‘That,’ Winter said, ‘is a very good question.’

  BC-101 Hand of God.

  ‘We detected nothing from any surface radio station,’ Tasker stated, ‘but the frigate doing the reporting was in a low orbit and radio is…’

  ‘Unreliable when there are missiles flying about?’ Leeforth suggested.

  ‘Among other things. There was a fair level of jamming going on.’

  ‘If I were being suspicious,’ Ape said, ‘jamming like that would make it uncertain whether such a transmission had been made.’

  ‘That possibility has not gone unnoticed,’ Tasker said slowly. ‘Norden has been running a number of lines of analysis to determine exactly what happened during the battle.’

  ‘You know…’ Leeforth said. ‘We are spinning some sort of conspiracy theory here.’

  ‘Yes,’ Ape replied. ‘Which is pretty crazy really…’

  Shadataga.

  ‘The news networks all across the Federation are buzzing with anti-Herosian sentiment,’ Winter said. ‘There’s some hints of resentment for the Torem attitude to the war, but it’s subtle at the moment. The main push is anger toward the Herosians.’

  ‘Have the reports from Beryum reached New Earth yet?’ Aneka asked.

  ‘No, but they have reached Dokar. The reaction has been inflammatory, spurred on by some spin from this Front Line News network.’

  ‘I met their lead reporter. He’s an arsehole.’

  ‘He seems to have an eye for finding the right line to take to maximise his audience. There is no evidence that he’s working for anyone official, but his position within the fleet allows him to get footage others would not, and this clearly rides on portraying the Navy in the best light. And there is the matter of the video from Marchant…’

  ‘Where there was apparently a lot of fighting, despite there being no one to fight.’

  ‘Analysis of the footage was made difficult by the apparent source,’ War said. ‘Most of the video comes from suit camera feeds. The resolution was low and there are a lot of digitisation artefacts. However, we managed to find certain faults in some of the stills which indicate that at least some of the material was manufactured.’

  Aneka looked between the two AIs. ‘You, uh, realise we’re talking about some sort of conspiracy to keep the war going?’

  ‘Yes,’ Winter replied. ‘Why is that difficult to accept?’

  BC-101 Hand of God.

  ‘Is it that crazy?’ Tasker said. ‘How much business is there in war?’

  ‘You think someone would try to keep the war running for the money?’ Leeforth asked.

  ‘Money has always been a rather strong motivator for action,’ Ape replied. ‘The Herosians have always believed in it. And with the Herosians in utter disarray, the Navy can walk in and take over without trouble.’

  ‘Especially with our forces backing it,’ Tasker added.

  ‘But it’s circumstantial,’ Ape went on. ‘There’s nothing here we can prove a conspiracy with.’

  ‘True. And we’re basically military.’ Tasker sighed. ‘This is something for the politicians to deal with.’

  Shadataga.

  ‘We need more information. It’s too circumstantial.’ Aneka’s eyes moved back to the displays. ‘Even that missile launch doesn’t actually prove the nukes came from a Jenlay ship.’

  ‘I agree,’ Winter replied, nodding. ‘I’m convinced there’s something wrong, but we’re going to need more. And we need to know who is behind this. With the Herosians we were fairly sure it was a few clans, possibly only a military element. Here…’

  ‘The planning for this will have begun recently,’ War said. ‘Someone is grasping an opportunity. We need to get Speaker involved more closely. Begin running projections of likely candidates. We will need more information.’

  ‘That is already in progress. My avatars on New Earth are prioritising collection of data on this subject.’

  Aneka got to her feet and started for the door. ‘The bit I always hated about wars is the waiting. Then again, I’m not especially fond of the flying lead either, but at least then something’s happening.’

  ~~~

  Of the Jenlay on Shadataga only Drake seemed to take the news that the Navy might have been responsible for the nukes on Beryum calmly. Even Bashford, who was not the least cynical of men, and Gillian, who seemed well aware that people could be back-stabbing bastards, seemed like they would take some convincing. Drake, however, nodded after Aneka had told them what the AIs had found.

  ‘I wouldn’t put it past them,’ he stated flatly.

  ‘Nuking our own people?’ Monkey said. ‘Dad may be many things, but…’

  ‘Not everyone in the Navy is like your father. Ape and I may not see eye-to-eye on everything all the time, but he came up through the ranks, worked to get where he is. The same cannot be said for a lot of those who outrank him.’

  ‘But…�
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  ‘David,’ Aneka said, ‘if that frigate did launch those missiles, someone made sure that it would be out on the other side of the planet where they thought no one would see it. If the footage from Marchant was faked, we can assume they could edit the records to remove the launches if they wanted, so they did not want anyone knowing what happened. That implies that most of the forces at Beryum didn’t know about this plan, and they probably still don’t. Damn it, your father arrested me when I first arrived and even I don’t think he’d agree to something like this!’

  ‘So we’re talking about a rogue element in the Navy?’ Ella suggested. ‘Just as the Herosians suggested before war broke out.’

  ‘Exactly like,’ Gillian replied. ‘Because there had to be political backing for their activities, and that goes double for this. I just hope Senator Elroy isn’t at the top of the tree.’

  High Yorkbridge, New Earth, 14.7.530 FSC.

  ‘Most of the fleet is shipping out today,’ Truelove said. ‘The hospital facilities on Beryum were badly damaged. The only hope some of the injured have is Dokar. From the reports I’ve been seeing, some of them will need to be put into cold sleep and brought back here.’

  Jackson Elroy rubbed at the bridge of his nose and nodded. He looked, Truelove thought, older than he had before all this had started. He had lost friends, some of them very close friends, and there had been nothing he could really do to stop that from happening. His home city had been damaged when the Herosians attacked. His home was a parking lot. It had taken its toll.

  ‘I am still,’ he said, his voice soft, ‘having some difficulty in believing that the Herosians detonated nuclear weapons in some sort of… vengeance strike.’

  ‘It is difficult to believe, sir.’

  ‘Has the Agency come to any conclusions?’

  Truelove considered her answer for a second. It was long enough for Elroy to look up at her. ‘The Agency has concluded that everything happened the way Rear Admiral Thackett’s report indicates it did, sir,’ she said carefully.

  ‘I see.’ He lowered his eyes. ‘I’m concerned about the media spin at the moment. There seems to be some effort to demonise the Herosians. I admit to some animosity toward them myself, but this seems like… rabble-rousing.’

  ‘Yes, sir. Unfortunately, were you to direct your efforts toward negating that currently, the results would be unsure and may well result in a drop in your popularity.’

  ‘Huh. There are elections at the end of this month…’

  Truelove nodded. ‘Your best course of action would be visible support for less militant candidates. They are more likely to have viable policies so it will appear that you are simply supporting them on that basis.’

  Elroy managed a slight smile. ‘You have an astute eye for politics, Agent Truelove.’

  ‘I get very good advice, sir,’ Truelove replied.

  Tristar Township.

  ‘What is your assessment of our bereaved Senator?’ The person doing the questioning did not look like she should be phrasing it the way she was. She looked to be in her teens, and was dressed in a pair of indecently tiny shorts and a cropped top made of fishnet. Truelove always had a little trouble dealing with Winter’s Number Nine avatar, but she struggled on.

  ‘I think he’s genuine. I don’t think he knows anything about this plot, if it exists.’

  ‘Something is… rotten in the State of Denmark,’ Winter replied.

  ‘Sorry?’

  The teenager smiled. ‘An old, old quote, from a playwright named Shakespeare. There is something going on, something unsettling. If Elroy is not involved, and the man I knew would not be, then someone else is. My disquiet comes from the stress he’s been under. What has happened to him recently might have changed him.’

  ‘Not like that.’ Truelove looked around at her bodyguard and lover. ‘Justine? You’ve got Winter’s brain and you’ve been with me when I’ve talked to him…’

  ‘I think he wants this over with,’ Justine replied. ‘He wants things back to some form of normalcy, the sooner the better. And I think he’s worried it’s not going to happen fast enough for him.’

  Winter glowered at the floor. ‘I think he’s right.’

  Shadataga, 1.8.530 FSC.

  ‘I’m getting upgraded too,’ Ella said, bouncing into the apartment.

  Aneka peered at her. ‘I like your body organic. Mostly organic anyway.’

  Ella grinned. ‘You say the sweetest things. It’s the inorganic bits I’m having upgraded. I spoke to some of the technical AIs and Winter, and they can swap my computer implant out for the shiny new ones everyone else has, and my eyes… Oh you should see the specs on the eyes!’

  Aneka grinned at her. ‘Good as mine?’

  ‘Except I decided to keep the magnification rather than going for telescopic. I’ll be able to see all the pretty colours you can.’

  ‘Be careful of that. Make sure the computer can do an overlay for the wide-spectrum stuff, because if you just see everything it’ll give you a migraine. How long will you be out of action?’

  ‘A few hours. It’s all nanotech morphy stuff. We’re doing it tomorrow.’

  ‘That quick? Have to love the future. And I’m sure I can think of something to occupy myself for a few hours.’

  2.8.530 FSC.

  Gillian was sitting in the darkness on one of the chairs beside the pool outside her apartment, staring into space. In reality she was examining the results from the Representative appointments which had happened on New Earth the day before. She was not happy.

  ‘You’ve seen the election results then?’ Aneka asked as she walked up to sit down beside the archaeologist. Ella was in not-really-surgery and, actually, she had nothing much to do.

  ‘I’m seeing them. Twenty open positions, eighteen filled by candidates who were in the Navy. Sixteen of those have… Let’s just say they aren’t pro-Herosian.’

  ‘Speaker says it’s a significant shift in the balance of the government.’

  ‘It is. Worse, it indicates that the media campaign pushing for further action against the Herosians is working.’

  ‘I didn’t doubt it would. The results from some of the other worlds aren’t much better.’

  ‘Several lost Senators when Obati was destroyed. Even though the war affected them little, they feel like it did. This will make it very hard for Elroy to keep a lid on things. There will be pressure to attack the Herosians while we have the Old Earth forces available and the Herosian communications network is down.’

  ‘Well, Abby won’t stand for their ships being used in any form of retributive attack.’

  Gillian nodded. ‘That may slow them down, but I think that it won’t stop them.’

  ‘No,’ Aneka agreed. ‘They’ve heard the sound of trumpets and they like it.’

  ‘I’m sorry?’

  ‘It’s a quotation, sort of. Voltaire. “It is forbidden to kill. Therefore murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”’

  ‘Oh. Voltaire didn’t like war much then?’

  ‘Don’t know. Sounds like it. But there’s another one. Hemmingway.’ Aneka got up and turned toward the buildings. ‘It goes, “There is no hunting like the hunting of men, and those who have hunted armed men long enough, and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.” That’s the one I have to worry about.’ And with that, she walked away.

  Tristar Township, New Earth.

  ‘This is bad, isn’t it?’ Janna said, her eyes on the wall screen. ‘I mean… People are really fired up about hitting back at the Herosians.’

  Sharissa wrapped an arm around her shoulders. ‘Yes, they are, but rattling sabres don’t have to end up with clashing ones.’

  ‘It isn’t sabres I’m worried about. It’s nuclear missiles.’

  ‘I don’t think you need worry about those too much,’ Winter said as she walked in, or her Number Eight body walked in. Janna liked that one, especially the large breasts and long,
scarlet hair, so the effect was immediately calming. ‘I have found an interesting fact, however.’

  Truelove, who had been sitting watching the news with a slightly more resigned expression on her face, looked up. ‘Oh?’

  ‘Our recent appointees to the Representatives’ Council all belong to the same club.’

  ‘A… club?’

  ‘The Gobari Club. It has a lot of ex-Navy people in it. They have a couple of huge holographic tanks and they like to replay old battles, and some made up ones, to see if they could do better.’

  ‘A war-gaming club,’ Sharissa put in.

  Winter walked over to the sofas and settled herself down beside Janna, flashing Sharissa a quick grin as the elder Narrows seemed to relax even more; you could always count on Janna’s libido to reduce her anxiety.

  ‘Basically,’ Winter went on, ‘that seems to be accurate. Jason Pierce is a member.’

  ‘He’s mentioned “The Club” several times,’ Truelove said. ‘Never the name. It’s named for the military strategist?’

  ‘Yes. Rather a serious man, very little sense of humour, but he did adapt Sun Tzu well for space conflict. Not that he credited the original author. The members of the club have, of course, “improved” upon his work over time…’

  ‘Which is why it took an Old Earth tactician to win the battle here for us?’ Sharissa asked.

  ‘Admiral Farmer was also a member,’ Winter replied. ‘I have no way of knowing where his tactics came from. My analysis suggests that he paid little attention to his strategy courses at all. Thackett, the man in charge of the recapture operations, has a better grasp of the techniques. A slightly better grasp.’

  ‘He has the “all war is deception” part down if what you’re suggesting is correct.’

  ‘And it appears,’ Winter said sourly, ‘that he is not the only one.’

  Shadataga, 7.8.530 FSC.

  ‘The fleet arrived at Dokar yesterday,’ War stated, waving a hand at the display table that was showing a huge number of dots floating around a planet which seemed to have a lot of orbital stations around it anyway. ‘The Hand of God dropped off a few patients for the local medical facilities, and then left for New Earth. They have the most seriously injured people aboard and are taking them for treatment there.’