Enforcer

by Kevin Ikenberry

  “We know for sure this wasn’t taken when they say it was,’ he said, “and at least some of the bodies in that barracks were killed at different times.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “But when was the video made?”

  “Hold on…” she said as she hit several commands. “I thought I saw…” The image shifted, advancing quickly, as the camera panned left and right a few more times before passing over one of the nightstands. “There.” The image froze. She hit a few more keys and the image zoomed in on a chronometer sitting on a nightstand. She chuckled. “Amateurs.”

  “Seven fifteen on the morning of the ninth,” Hr’ent said, shaking his head.

  “About 16 hours after the girl was shot.”

  “That’s right.”

  “And Rsach saw this?” Hr’ent asked.

  “Yes, but that’s where the story gets even more bizarre.” She turned to face him.

  “Bizarre? How?” he asked, meeting her gaze.

  “The Blue Flight pilots reported that Rsach and Tyrn received a coded message with at least a portion of this video attached. They know because Rsach and Tyrn talked about it.” She looked up at Hr’ent with a dubious look on her face. “Apparently, that priority message was set to destroy itself after the first viewing.”

  “Destroy itself?” Hr’ent asked. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

  “It’s a new one on me,” Graa’vaa said, bewildered. “And once they watched it, Rsach immediately ordered Blue Flight to set them down near the ISMC compound rather than contacting the GenSha as they were originally ordered.”

  “No shit?”

  “Nope,” Graa’vaa said with a good deal of suspicion.

  “Do you know who sent it?”

  “Not yet,” Graa’vaa replied, shaking her head. “I was able to dig through the ship’s data buffers and find the coded message.” She let out a long breath. “Most people don’t know how these systems work,” she added under her breath. “I haven’t been able to decrypt it yet, but I hope that I’ll be able to…eventually.”

  “Make it a priority,” Hr’ent said. “We need to know where it came from.”

  “Agreed.”

  “So, ISMC created the bait and somehow got it in the hands of the Peacemaker team, and for reasons unknown, they took it at face value.”

  “That seems to be the case,” she said, uneasiness in her voice. “Is it possible one or more members of the Peacemaker team have been subverted?”

  “Not Rsach,” Hr’ent said quickly. “Maybe one of the others. I don’t know them very well, although Rsach and Vresh are sort of a package deal, so it would have to be one of the other two.”

  “I thought you hated Rsach,” she said. Hr’ent got a surprised look on his face. He wasn’t aware that his feelings for Rsach were common knowledge. She looked almost apologetic. “I read Hak’s files on you…and him.”

  Hr’ent chuckled. Of course. “I do hate Rsach. I even contemplated ripping his head off at the graduation ceremony. He’s arrogant beyond compare, but I find it very hard to believe he would sell anyone out, especially here.” Hr’ent considered the possibilities. “It’s his first mission as a Peacemaker, and everything else aside, he’d want to be more successful on his first mission than any Peacemaker before him.”

  “If you say so,” she said a bit dubiously.

  Hr’ent gave it some more thought and finally came to the conclusion that Rsach might be a lot of things, but a sell-out definitely wasn’t one of them. There was a lot of information for him to process, but the information they really needed lay on the surface of Godannii 2. There was only one way to find out for sure. He locked eyes with Graa’vaa.

  “We need more intel to complete our preparation of the battlespace,” he said, grinning at her. “I suppose I’ll just have to go down there and get it.”

  “That’s part of your mission,” she replied. “Hak wants to brief you in two hours, just before we transition into the system. Once we get to Godannii 2, you’re going to be too busy to think about the details.”

  * * * * *

  Chapter Twenty

  Godannii 2 Gate Control

  Command Bridge

  “He’s asking for you again,” the senior comms officer said. She was young—despite her rank—and the burgundy stripes along her gray body indicated she was of good breeding. Nobody on the bridge missed the concern in her somber voice, and that concern had been growing for six hours.

  One of Bith Sundo’s compatriots had been trying to reach Gate Control—and Director Kraibozsh specifically—every hour on the hour as the deadline drew near. “And he’s contacted every ship that’s come through the gate for the past nine hours, looking for updates.” When the controller didn’t reply, she punched several controls on the panel in front of her with stubby fingers and turned away from her screen. “Sir?” she asked a bit insistently.

  Senior Controller Kraibozsh grunted with frustration, the tips of his bifurcated trunk thrashing slightly, as he stared at his faint reflection in the wide viewport at the front of the bridge.

  “Ignore his calls,” he ordered. He let his eyes shift focus outward toward the distant glowing orb of Godannii, the G-type star that anchored the stargate in its distant orbit. He vainly struggled to pick out the tiny spark of light to the right of the star that would be Godannii 2, and he contemplated how many had already been killed in the conflict. Kraibozsh had struggled with his conscience and his loyalty for days, ever since Bith broadcast that ridiculous threat across the system and beyond.

  The Peacemaker Guild doesn’t negotiate with terrorists when their own people are being held. Ever. Kraibozsh shook his head.

  His thoughts were in turmoil, caught between his long-time relationship with an old friend who had suffered dearly over the years, gate master policies, and his feelings about Bith’s irrational actions. Sometimes, you have to draw a line, even when a comrade ends up on the other side of it. Kraibozsh turned away from the viewscreen and looked at the young comms officer. “Terminate the connection and disregard all further hails. He’s gotten all he’s going to get.” Kraibozsh got a stern look in his eyes. “Those are Peacemakers down there, and Bith Sundo crossed a line there may be no coming back from.”

  He shook his head and marched up to the command chair at the back of the bridge. He dropped his massive, brownish-gray form into the well-worn seat and leaned back with a long exhale. His guts churned. Painted yourself into a corner, haven’t you, old friend, he thought.

  “New emergence in sector four. Initial comms scan is silent, but the vessel’s signature is definite,” one of the traffic controllers said from her station on the other side of the bridge. She didn’t have to say who. Everyone knew a Peacemaker Blue Flight was inbound. There had to be.

  “More Peacemakers, no doubt,” the senior comms officer said.

  “I doubt that,” Kraibozsh said quietly. He’d been a gate controller for 11 years, and a traffic controller for 20 before that. When Peacemakers got into trouble, the guild didn’t send more Peacemakers—they sent an Enforcer.

  “Sir?” she asked.

  “Never mind,” he said with a wave of his stubby hand. “What of those Veetanho mercenaries?”

  “They made orbit 30 minutes ago,” the sensors officer said. He was many years older than the senior comms officer and had been up for the position, but he hadn’t wanted the job or the responsibility. “Aaand…they just requested permission from ISMC to begin orbital bombardment.” He said it as if he didn’t believe it. “The response was a negative from the ISMC Director’s cruiser. They said there were still friendlies on the ground, but they weren’t specific. They ordered the mercs to send in dropships and focus on the areas surrounding Moppicut.”

  Kraibozsh rubbed his forehead with his trunk. “Travok help them,” he whispered, sending a silent prayer up to the Sumatozou’s primary deity. He suddenly feared for his friend’s life, but Bith had gotten himself into the burning war that was tearing Godannii 2 apart.
And then he poured fuel on and fanned the flames. Something occurred to Kraibozsh. Orbital bombardment had been an option for ISMC and other corporations in the past. For them to wave off such a military response meant it was more than just friendlies on the ground. The director himself? he thought. It must be.

  “Sir,” the sensors officer said, “Blue Flight’s transponder isn’t active. They came through the gate without it.”

  “Interesting,” Kraibozsh said under his breath. His thoughts were racing. He was even more certain the Blue Flight had an Enforcer on it. And he had a strong suspicion about what would come next. Enforcers were the final option for the Peacemaker Guild, and they were rarely forgiving.

  “Should we notify Sundo that their transponder is inoperable, sir?” the comms officer asked. She’d been pulling for the GenSha from the outset, and he knew it.

  Kraibozsh clenched his teeth in frustration. There was only one answer to that question.

  “Negative,” he said in a stern voice. “Blue Flight wants to run silent. We will neither hinder nor help either side from this moment forward, per the regs. Am I clear?” He projected his voice, clearly addressing the entire command staff.

  “Yes, sir,” they said together, their voices raised.

  “The stage is set,” Kraibozsh whispered under his breath. He glanced at the countdown he’d set on the slate mounted to the arm of his chair. It read T-PLUS TWELVE MINUTES, and the clock was still ticking. He couldn’t help wondering if Bith had made good on his threat and murdered a Peacemaker in cold blood.

  May Travok have mercy on the spirit of your ancestors, old friend.

  * * *

  Godannii 2

  Black Sector, Moppicut City

  Bith looked down at the needler in his hand, and a wave of nausea washed over him. He’d killed before, but not like this. Never like this. He raised his eyes to where the four young Peacemakers sat in chairs along the far wall of the conference room. A pair of GenSha miners stood on either side of them, a few meters off, with laser rifles leveled and set to auto-fire. Two more GenSha guards were by the open doors of the conference room where everything had started. Gorn was off to the side, an ugly sneer on his face as he watched the Peacemakers. He was inspecting an exceptionally fine, lightweight combat sword of gleaming titanium—mostly just a short sword in his hands—that he’d taken out of the Peacemaker’s equipment crates. Korvan, the remaining ISMC suit, was still down the hall being interrogated by several GenSha bruisers who had sworn to Bith they wouldn’t kill him.

  Bith fixed his gaze on each of the Peacemakers, one by one, then glanced up at the clock above their heads. Two minutes to go. He checked the load of his pistol and started moving across the room. He had to force himself. Gorn had offered to take Bith’s place, but Bith refused. He’d made the threat, and on his head the responsibility—and consequences—would rest.

  He came to a stop a few meters from where the Peacemakers sat.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Peacemaker Rsach said. “It’s not too late to negotiate your way out of this shit storm.”

  The words made Bith’s anger flare, and he narrowed his eyes at the naive Jeha.

  “It was too late when you decided to meet with ISMC without contacting us, Peacemaker.” He spat the last word out like it was a piece of rotten tuber. “You broke your own rules.”

  “We had ord—”

  “Shut it,” Bith barked. “It’s too late for words…” He glanced at the clock. “One hundred and seventy hours too late.”

  He raised the pistol slowly. He was torn between shooting the foolish Jeha or the Jivool Peacemaker that sat beside him. He held the weapon steady, aiming it between them as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his comm unit. He hit a few buttons and waited for it to connect.

  “I’m here,” Saul replied.

  “Any response?” Bith asked. He’d tasked Saul with contacting Gate Command to see if the Peacemakers had returned to the Godannii system.

  “I would have contacted you if there was.” Saul cleared his throat. “But there’s something you should know.”

  Bith lowered the needler slightly.

  “What is it?”

  “Their mercenaries have arrived. Looks like a large Veetanho cruiser with plenty of room for dropships and troops. ISMC made good on their promise of upping the stakes.” There was another pause. “Time’s about out down there, Bith. Are you absolutely certain you need to pull that trigger? You can’t take that back. And if they decide to bomb us from space, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

  “I know,” Bith said, gritting his teeth. He ran through the possibilities. Things had not gone as well as he’d hoped, and with one or more companies of well-equipped, well-trained Veetanho mercs about to make landfall, he was about to have even bigger problems. The GenSha had numbers, but the mercs were professionals. Casualties were about to rise significantly.

  “Bith…” Saul said quietly, fear and anticipation in his voice.

  “I said, I know.”

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  Bith took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. As he did, the nausea started to abate. He slipped the needler back into its holster. A maelstrom of emotions roiled inside him—relief, doubt, anxiety, and anger all vied for supremacy in his heart.

  “Contact the commanders and give them an update,” he said. “Tell them we’re mobilizing immediately.”

  “Underst—”

  Bith cut the connection and turned to Gorn.

  “We need to go,” he said.

  “Go?” Gorn looked disappointed. “Why?”

  Bith shook his head, then turned his eyes to the blood-thirsty union rep.

  “Things just got more complicated,” he said with a good bit of frustration. He raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Veetanho mercs have entered orbit and are probably preparing to bombard us from space or send down a swarm of dropships.”

  Gorn’s features tightened into a snarl, and he slammed the silver blade home in the scabbard at his hip.

  “What about the Peacemakers?” he asked hungrily. “Time’s up.” He’d been itching to take things to the next level.

  Bith turned and pointed at the Jivool Peacemaker against the wall, staring into his eyes with determination.

  Although he tried to put a brave face on it, Tyrn’s eyes went wide, one of them twitching slightly in fear.

  “I will kill that one with my own hands once we deal with the mercenaries.” He turned back to Gorn. “But first, we need to deploy our forces and prepare to defend our positions.”

  * * *

  Godannii 2 - Approaching Orbital Insertion

  Peacemaker Blue Flight

  Hr’ent and Graa’vaa joined Hak around a circular Tri-V station. The interior room of the Blue Flight doubled as an intelligence center and mission planning cell. With two Oogar inside, it was more cramped than any of them wanted, but the protection of the ship and its dampened systems was necessary for classified discussion. The Sidar looked at them for a moment before speaking. “I’m not one for pretense, and while I assume you’ve figured out the mission we’re sending you to complete, I have to ensure that you are aware of the overall situation as we know it as well as any limitations you may face.”

  “I understand.” Hr’ent crossed his arms. “What do we know about the Peacemaker team?”

  Graa’vaa spoke quietly. “The order to support this situation came directly from the Guild Master’s office. Shortly after our team’s arrival, the GenSha moved against the Iron Sky Mining Corporation, and the situation descended into abject chaos.”

  “Where was the team? I mean, where did they land?” Hr’ent asked.

  “At an ISMC facility on the outskirts of Moppicut City—not the one where we think the Peacemakers are being held.”

  “So, that video they received really was bait, and Rsach took it all in one big bite.” Hr’ent shook his head.

  “It seems that way,” Hak replied somberly. �
�And because they went to ISMC first, against the orders I know Selector Grektch gave them, I have no doubt the GenSha were outraged at what they must have considered a betrayal.”

  Hr’ent studied the digital map for a moment. Given the proximity to the city, it was reasonable to think the GenSha had been waiting for the Peacemakers. Gods, they walked right into a trap.

  “Given the circumstances and lack of current data,” Hak-Chet said, “we’re sending you in to gain additional intelligence about the situation on the ground. Based on what you find, we’ll explore appropriate courses of action. The intent is to deliver you via high-altitude, high-opening jump from at least 60 kilometers outside Moppicut City. You’ll glide to a drop zone we designate and collect your equipment pallet, which should land well ahead of you. From there, you’ll move to the city, establish a base of operations, and reconnoiter.”

  “Understood.” Hr’ent brightened. He hadn’t jumped from a dropship in a long time, but it was one of his favorite activities. “When?”

  “We enter orbit in about three hours. We will arrange a high-speed trajectory for orbital insertion. You’ll drop in four hours,” Hak-Chet replied with a nod at Graa’vaa.

  “We’ll see about getting more information. There’s a tremendous amount of electromagnetic noise in the area. Everything is garbled. As we get closer, we may be able to pick up some actionable intelligence.” Graa’vaa paused. “We do know the GenSha essentially have control of the city, but ISMC forces are shooting them on sight. The GenSha are responding in kind.”

  “That includes civilians in violation of their martial law implementation, Hr’ent.” Hak frowned. “That’s why we have to figure out what’s going on before you charge in and rescue the team. Once you’ve pulled them out, be prepared to go after the GenSha leadership. We have to put an end to this illegal rebellion with a quick and quiet close.”