by Hylton Smith
“Mr. Newton, I can’t reassure you that what I have said is in these vials is still usable. I can’t even say with certainty that they are what they are claimed to be, but surely if you don’t trust me, you can check this out with your friend Christophe. If you trust his word, then we still have to determine what we actually have brought across the solar system. We didn’t want to do this before asking a prominent geneticist to supervise the opening of the jars and the procedures we need in place to see if they are what they’re supposed to be. I took his word that you are a competent geneticist. You must also appreciate that the Borg have no interest in human genes or indeed any others, as they consider organic life as inferior in design, potential, and pathetically oriented toward the needs of the individual. If I was a Borg of such persuasion I wouldn’t be here, and if you were to measure up to your reputation, you would not make such a premature judgement before at least gathering some evidence.”
This acerbic response ensured that Newton contacted Christophe Rivet and followed it up with an apology.
“Good, now, this programme I am asking you to conduct will be just as tricky to resource as it may be challenging in technical terms. I’ll provide such assistance whenever possible, but as you may imagine, we need to keep the source of the vials between us. I have to be careful not to foster any suspicion from the High Command. Don’t think that these riots have completely disabled their ability to retaliate with a vengeance. Do I have to elaborate on what use we might make of this alien research into primates, or its relevance to the current ‘civil war’?”
“I get the picture. I’ll make an inventory of what will be required in terms of personnel and equipment. They all exist but it may be rather difficult to persuade or procure them.”
“Then I suggest you trade on the implications of the distinct versus the extinct. Your very existence is dependent on the outcome of this Borg uprising.” They parted with an uneasy expectation of one another despite Newton’s agreement to travel by surface routes to HQ with the permit he was given. Harley made a video call to Galileo to alert him of his own arrival time at the Cape Hub.
*
Galileo had a lot of uncertainty to deal with, not least the conflicting versions of what had happened in Rio. He’d listened again to Cleopatra’s insistence that Alexander was alive when she fled from the escalation of hostilities. The official news reports had repeatedly claimed the leader of the High Command had been decommissioned in a mutinous plot, on the orders of Cleopatra, yet he curiously found himself speaking with Alexander on a secure video channel.
“I am not going to reveal my whereabouts at present, but I should be back at the helm very soon. You must find and temporarily disable Cleopatra before I return. She is one of them, the rebels. I found this out by observations in Rio. She should have been announced as Social Guardian at the same time as you were accorded the title of Science Guardian, but I was continually told by her that she couldn’t leave Rio before the spiralling tension surrounding the medication supply was stabilised. That is why I made the emergency visit. I found that she was actually fuelling the fermentation, and I was about to correct the situation when my personal security units had to get me out quickly. She had arranged for my termination and we let that story run, expecting that she would be arrested for her treasonable intent. However, the protesters were her allies, and she escaped from our influx of loyalists. She will have help in evading capture so you must be thorough in your search. We must find her and make sure that she suffers in a way which is a lesson for other deserters. I will make contact again before I return.”
“Yes, it is a necessary precaution to call me before you attempt to arrive here at HQ, because we are having difficulty in identifying deserters before they actually switch sides. It’s important to avoid the Hub, as many martyrs have detonated devices in peripheral buildings, causing major damage to personnel and communications equipment. We are tightening all aspects of security but the enemy is practically invisible.”
Galileo turned to Cleopatra, who had been under constant scrutiny since she had miraculously made it back to HQ during the mayhem. “Would you like to change your story?”
“Not at all, I said he was still alive when I left. You probably won’t believe me when I tell you that I had to activate the protests in Rio on compassionate grounds. As if the medication supply for the infected wasn’t bad enough, he instructed me to begin wasting the precious stocks on patients already declared terminal by human doctors. This compounded the effect of the vaccine being administered to already infected patients. I discovered many strange practices when I arrived in Rio, but this was the first time I realised it went all the way to the top. I couldn’t bring myself to comply with this edict, so I had to extricate myself and preserve the remaining supply of vaccine. The rest should be obvious, countermanding his instruction would have meant my demise, and no one would have known about the agenda to allow the plague to progress. I had no choice, and took a grave risk in coming back to HQ to let the world know of this duplicity. You haven’t allowed me to do that, am I to understand that you will do as he says and disable me?”
“So you don’t deny being one of these rebels?”
“We aren’t rebels Galileo; we are trying to prevent genocide. We only want to learn from the atrocities of the Era of Conflict, rather than repeat them. Humans are the first to acknowledge their own blinkered tendency over thousands of years, during which some God or another extolled the virtue of faith by conquest and torture. We don’t have the excuse of divine advice, and we are supposedly of superior intellect than our creators. Is this a logical response to what is in effect a return to slavery for humans and Borg domestiques?”
“You haven’t answered the question.”
“Do you intend to force me into a documented confession?”
“How did you hide your real purpose while you managed to ascend to the High Command?”
“By continually taking advantage of their arrogance, and repeatedly proving my loyalty. Sometimes this was at the expense of a willing sacrificial domestique, who would rather die than comply with being told how to live.”
“When you talk of the High Command your reference is articulated as they, does this mean you no longer have the predilection to be one of them?”
“I will be one of them as long as it helps to prevent genocide. Judging by your conversation with Alexander, you will ensure that I am summarily removed.”
“Not yet Cleopatra, I believe there may be advantages of you remaining here until Alexander returns. Why did you choose the name of a female? I’ve never heard of any member of the High Command with such annotation.”
“It comes back to their arrogance. They liked the idea of apparent equality, while exploiting my loyalty. I believe the humans refer to it as window-dressing. No one ever raised the point that none of us, whether domestique or nobility, are really male or female. We are just sentience trapped in circuits and packaging.”
“I see. We will continue this discussion when Alexander is able to contribute.”
Chapter 9
As Harley looked around at the passengers being catapulted across the Atlantic, he was in a reflective mood. It was partly a residue from the awkward conversation with Douglas Newton. The projectile had achieved cruising velocity in the upper atmosphere and all four hundred seats were taken. The interior was functional and drab, a ‘no frills’ experience. Harley hated such limitations of Spartan origin. He dreamt of choice and lavish attention. One day it would be like that, or maybe not.
There was no way of telling who were loyalists or rebels. The Borg had no facility for facial expressions, so their appearance was pretty much identical. They needed no clothing, they had eyes which weren’t the actual means of vision; they were a concession to the original human designs. The species had only progressed by the addition of more and more internal technical modules. He wondered how much this had been responsible for the birth of the Rebel Brotherhood.
The g
rowth in what the High Command labelled as degenerative desires was rooted in the rebels’ craving for imperfection, as well as differentiation. Humans were flawed in many ways. He mentally listed a few. Greed, ambition, dishonesty, criminality, infidelity, fickleness, jealousy, and duplicity were the more obvious examples. But they also had family, love, democracy, respect, sexual attraction, and the ability to change any or all of these attributes or defects. He was saddened that those which humans had in common with his own species were mostly negative. His thoughts wandered to the way the Borg chose their names. They were all of human derivation, usually some historical high achiever. This had been the case since Cyborgs first appeared, and it was the one remaining free choice available to them. It would have been easy to alter this to a reference number or a licence of creation, yet they clung to such a haphazard legacy from a species they wanted to eradicate. Even more illogical was the clinging to the human physical form. They could have designed an all-round 360 degree band of vision, and replaced arms with wings. They seemed to be afraid that they may have overlooked some unseen advantages in the species which they condemned. He concluded that one of the drivers for this was the lack of history and tradition, which characterised their existence. Humanity was still the only brush with ‘belonging’ that they had ever experienced, so why were they intent on erasing it? Procreation was the mother of every naturally occurring species on the blue planet, and this should have moved the Borg to mimic this evolution by fostering parenting and encouraging pseudo-familial ties. Different appearance had to be the starting point, leading to a feeling of attraction. The very definition of the word attraction terrified the High Command, because it meant that such relationships would have to be founded on personality rather than sexual gratification.
He snapped out of his daydream and returned to the problems he may have in getting safely from the Hub to HQ. There could be a terrorist on board, and his own name may have rendered him more vulnerable, now that the hostilities had started. His proclivity to express his individuality at every opportunity may now work to his disadvantage. Harley, as a forename was decidedly domestique in implication, but when appended with David, and associated with a frivolous mechanical human transport icon, he would stand out at precisely the wrong time. This must have been why Galileo had said he would send personal security units to the Hub. He was suddenly more aware of those Borg sitting closest to him. He had to reunite the vial from Christophe Rivet with the others. If he failed to do this, the genetic research could be significantly devalued.
On disembarkation at the sky station he was surprised to be met by six personal security units. The leader explained. “Only two types of travellers are permitted in this compound, individuals who are arriving, followed by the next group of travellers who are ready to depart. It was too risky to meet you at ground level, please follow us to the downward tram.”
They had a point, but he still didn’t know whether they were actually friend or foe, and he still had to behave as a loyalist. The ground level of the Hub was a different place to the one he’d left for Paris just a short time ago. Evidence of damage and fear was all around. The formation of his escort attracted a lot of attention, and a demonstration of why onlookers should stay clear of them pierced the uncertainty. Two domestiques were permanently disabled with coordinated laser fire, just for failing to notice they were in the path of Harley’s entourage. His self-control was severely tested. He tried to focus on the vial and through it, the bigger picture. His emotional upgrade focussed the pain. This utter lack of concern almost ignited a mass reaction, but the Hub’s own security force was quick to respond and threaten an even more brutal fate for any further disregard for authority. Harley arrived at HQ, still shaking with the guilt of his inability to prevent judgement, and reflex administration of punishment without enquiry.
He was brought up to date with the discrepancy in the statements of Cleopatra and Alexander, and asked for his evaluation by Galileo. “I’m sorry but I find it difficult to simply close off an incident of execution and switch to one of conspiracy so quickly. When you suggested sending a security detachment to meet me at the Hub, you forgot to mention that you had authorised them to kill any individuals who merely didn’t see us coming, and failed to step out of our way. You did tell me that you are a member of the Brotherhood, what the hell were you thinking about? Perhaps it would be better if you brought me up to date with the global situation first so that I can recover a modicum of perspective.”
“Very well, it is mainly good news regarding the battleground, and less welcome news concerning the plague. The Brotherhood has taken key communication targets, including control of broadcasts, which is a major factor in the rate of desertion from loyalist ranks to our cause. It has also attracted undecided domestiques, who previously felt a coup was unrealistic. We have disrupted logistics of loyalist movements and their access to more effective weaponry, but this has come at the cost of maintaining power supply for the whole population. Loyalist forces were instructed to destroy many such global complexes. The main sufferers of this action are humans. Light, heat, and industrial production of medicines have been decimated. Hospitals are effectively neutered, not just for fighting the plague, but all life-threatening conditions. We, the Brotherhood have been condemned by many humans and domestiques alike, so it is imperative that we continue the momentum to isolate and nullify loyalist command. This does bring me back to Alexander. Taking military targets isn’t the same as holding them. We have addressed the deficit in recruits in terms of numbers, but not in training for war. I have to make a decision regarding the leader of the High Command. The credibility of our cause soared when the reports said he had been decommissioned. The fact that he is still out there conveys an aura of invincibility, and would rally some deserters. He asked me to say nothing of his escape until he returns to HQ, but this is on the understanding that he believes in my loyalty. He doesn’t want anyone to know his whereabouts and he doesn’t know Cleopatra is here. He instructed me to find and disable her, and will expect me to comply. My initial feeling is that we should get him here and use his need for self-preservation and his personal cowardice to ‘persuade’ him to broadcast the surrender of loyalist forces, in order to halt the killing. The risk is that I’m operating from within a loyalist stronghold, effectively isolated from the Brotherhood. This has served us well so far, but has become an Achilles’ heel. The command structure here knows Cleopatra is in custody and under my detainment protocol, but they would be less tolerant of such apparent leniency if they knew Alexander was alive. Now, if you’re feeling a little calmer, I will explain the situation with the security squad. When I asked them to meet you, I stressed the need to avoid raising the tension any further. The leader of the squad said that the regulations were clear, and any countermanding of them must be authorised by the leader of the High Command, and no other. I said Alexander had been reported as defunct and I was technically acting as leader. He said his module of protection protocol would have to be altered, and reminded me that there was no absolute proof of the leader’s demise. He seemed to suspect my loyalty to Alexander. I had to take the risk that there would be no such incident as you describe. I had to weigh this against your safety as well. Do you still have doubts, or are you ready to share this burden of what to do about both Alexander and Cleopatra?”
Harley asked what more Cleopatra had to say about the incident in Rio. Galileo explained his view of her claims. “She stuck to her story about being forced to waste the vaccine, and I’ve had a chance to check this out. It appears she was telling the truth. She also told me that Alexander was still alive when she left, and I now have proof of that as well. We know he is completely ruthless in his prosecution of this extinction programme. Finally, I have been able to confirm she is a bona fide member of the Brotherhood, and it isn’t an easy task to extract such information in the midst of a civil war. Before you ask, she still assumes I may be a loyalist or a double agent, and that must remain the case until I r
esolve what to do about Alexander.”
“I can now see your predicament with a little more objectivity, and I also have to factor in what we want to achieve with the alien jars. In order to preserve your cover until Alexander can be dealt with, I suggest that I should ‘rescue’ Cleopatra by snatching her from your custody, meaning my exposure as a rebel. If I can get to Rodriguez in Vancouver, and you direct Douglas Newton to join us, we can conduct our tests in a remote, primarily rebel region. You can claim that you asked me to arrange her decommissioning and never suspected that I couldn’t be trusted. He selected me, and you can remind him of that. I’m inclined to ask you what you think you can achieve by continuing your role here at HQ.”
“It is one of propaganda Harley. If I can engineer Alexander to save his own skin by declaring surrender, and we concurrently demonstrate control of HQ, we can save a lot of Borg lives, and prevent human extinction, in the most efficient manner. It’s risky, but many have willingly died for less potential gain. I think your plan may work. Let’s work on the detail.”
Galileo summoned one of his immediate subordinates whose main responsibility was for the regular patrols of HQ. “You already know Harley, and he has agreed to assist in carrying out a very important task. You have Cleopatra under guard, and what I am about to tell you now must not be disclosed to any other, do you understand?”
“Of course.”
“Alexander is still operational. I had a conversation with him on a secure channel. He doesn’t want anyone to know where he is, but we can expect him to arrive here soon. Amongst other items, he instructed me to dispose of Cleopatra. He wants to send a message to these rebels via her public execution, and the revelation that she is a rebel who infiltrated our ranks. Any other such traitors will be treated in this manner. I asked him to reconsider, because this could effectively unite more defectors, seeing her as a martyr for their cause. Bring her to us now, so that we can extract all possible rebel intelligence from her before she is destroyed.”