First of the First

by Andrew Maclure

  “That’s interesting.” Mark said.

  “That she and I used to be friends?” the Colonel asked.

  “No, that she used to be polite and respectful. Are you sure it was the same person? What do you think, Orange?”

  “It doesn’t sound like Mike.” he said thoughtfully and looked at the Major. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same person?”

  “Of course we are!” snapped Major Bryd Sa Dett. “We took DNA samples when you came on board the flagship. Do you think we are fools?”

  “Of course not.” Mark said. “But it might have been a genuine case of mistaken identity.”

  “Why are we talking to you idiots?” the Major asked exasperatedly.. “

  “Well, that would be because Orange is a skilled military strategist and negotiator and I am a Friend of the People with my own People’s craft and the authority to use the full extent of the People’s military and defensive technology to protect the interests and wellbeing of my friend, Hess An Sur, First Born of the First Family of the Herassan Federation of the Five Planets, known to me as Mike. It is her wish to execute her plan without any outside interference. If anyone were to thwart her by intervening it would be me. I have enough of the People’s tech implanted to enable me to take on an army, and as you have seen, in the unlikely event that I needed any support, I can call upon the resources of the military wing of the People, known as the Tolen. That is why you are talking to us two ‘idiots’.”

  “Thank you for the clarification Mark, Friend of the People,” the Colonel said, “I have heard of your battle with Tk'ng Dach Rm. I believe that you didn’t escape unscathed.”

  “That is true, Tk'ng Dach Rm had gained access to some of the technology left over from the AI war, but I still bested him. The People have preserved his head that I took as proof of death for those that still follow him. You can rest assured that there is no more of the old AI tech in the galaxy. If there were, the Tolen would have recovered or destroyed it, and they do not operate with a light touch, so it would not have gone unnoticed.”

  “Ah, the Tolen.” the Colonel said. “I have only recently heard of them. I have not seen them in action.”

  “Trust me, with the weapons they use, you really don’t want to. I am sorry, but this meeting was a courtesy, not a discussion. We trust Hess An Sur’s judgment and we salute her bravery. She wanted you to be kept informed, this is what we are doing. We will have her under constant observation with the cloaked drones, we will be on standby to react quickly should she need support. Realistically, I cannot guarantee her safety, but we will do all that is possible to protect her while respecting her wishes.” Mark stood, “It was a pleasure meeting you Colonel. Major, I hope next time we meet it will be in more cordial circumstances. If you would stand please, I will blink you to your shuttle.”

  The Swift was now in a geo stationary orbit above the city of Tefran at an altitude of six hundred kilometers. It’s presence easily observable from the surface of the planet, but not as menacing and oppressive as when it was a mere fifty kilometers above the city, it’s one hundred kilometer wide circular and matt black mass blocking out the sun and plunging Tefran into a deep twilight.

  After the two Herassans had left, Orange said, “You could take on an army single handed? I think you were exaggerating Mark. I know about the weapon implanted in your right arm, but that would hardly defeat a whole army.”

  “That’s supposed to be a secret. How do you know about it?”

  “It’s difficult to keep secrets in the team.”

  “You’ve managed pretty well. No one knows what you are or where you’re from.”

  “That’s true.” Orange agreed, “So you were just boasting.”

  “No, the Tolen gave me another implanted weapon when I went to meet them. It’s one of theirs, not one used by any of the normal People, though from the few I’ve met, I don’t think there are any ‘normal’ People.”

  “What does it do?”

  “It gives me nightmares. I hope to god I never have to use it. But that really is a secret, I shouldn’t have told you. I’m sure you can keep it to yourself, just like I keep to myself the People’s theory about where you came from.”

  Orange leaned forward and said in a low threatening voice, “And where do the People think I came from?”

  Mark leaned forward and said in an equally low voice, “That’s our secret.” He stared into Orange’s eyes for a few moments, then leaned back in his chair again. “I need a strong drink after meeting them. Are you coming to the bar with me for a coffee?”

  Chapter Thirty Nine

  Departure

  “For the tenth time, I’m ready.” Mike said. “You’re really starting to piss me off!”

  “I just want to make sure nothing goes wrong.” Mark said.

  “If you don’t shut up it will, because I’ll shoot you. Let’s go right now. It will be light in less than half an hour, and it will take that long to get there. Just remember to shut down all their surveillance cameras when I arrive.”

  The rest of the team were on board the lander which was in a clearing in a patch of woodland, about three hundred kilometers from the rebel HQ and well away from any habitation or cultivated land.

  “Can we go now?” Mike asked, on the verge of firing her Mark Eight pulse weapon at him. She knew it wouldn’t actually injure him, but it would make her feel better.

  “Stop buggering around Mark! She’s ready, we’re ready, you’re a dick. Let’s go!” Sally said, as exasperated as Mike at the delay.

  “You said you take orders from me, so stand down and let me run this show.” Mark said.

  “You do remember that if I punch you, your AI will let me through your armor?”

  “Bloody AI.” Mark muttered, then to his AI. “Kate, take us to the drop zone.”

  “Yes Mark. Take a seat.”

  “I’m fine standing. Won’t anyone do as I tell them?”

  “Very well.”

  The lander did a full emergency take off and continued at maximum acceleration. Mark, being the only one standing, was the only one that got thrown to the floor by the acceleration, and he slid halfway along the gangway between the seats.

  “I suppose you think that’s funny!” he snapped at his AI.

  “You are correct Mark. We are now flying sub-sonically and will arrive in time to make a slower, stealth approach a few minutes before it starts to get light, enough time for Mike to get to the entrance in the dark.”

  “I thought you could eliminate inertia in this lander with a modulated Higgs field.”

  “You are correct Mark. I can’t think why I forgot.”

  “You can’t forget anything. You just wanted me to fall flat on my face!”

  “Ah yes. That would explain it.”

  “Why couldn’t I have been given a more cooperative AI?”

  “It is part of my role to help you become a leader and earn the respect of those around you. You were, as Sally so succinctly put it, being a dick. Hopefully you will remember this incident and learn from it.”

  “You could have just said something.”

  “You probably wouldn’t have remembered, and it certainly wouldn’t have been as entertaining.”

  “Are you having trouble with your AI again?” Simon asked, with a grin on his face.

  “Bloody AI.” Mark muttered, as he pulled himself to his feet. He walked to the back of the lander and sat by himself.

  Sally walked from the front and sat next to him. Mark glared at her and looked away. She jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. He spun round and saw she had a big grin on her face. “I love your AI.” she said.

  “I’ll do you a swap.”

  “You’re so cute when you’re grumpy.”

  “With you and my AI, that’s most of the time.”

  Chapter Forty

  Approach

  The lander, in full stealth mode, settled to the ground behind an automated factory building. Mike stood at the door as
the ramp slid out silently and walked down it as soon as it hit the ground. She continued without a pause toward the entrance to the warehouse building the rebels used as their headquarters.

  “Everybody stay strapped into your seats” Mark called out. “If Mike needs support, the lander will take us into the building. This will be an emergency maneuver and although the inertial dampening will be activated this time, it will still be a rough ride.”

  “If you look at the entrance Mark, you’ll see it isn’t wide enough or high enough for the lander to go through.” Touren said.

  “This is a People’s lander Touren, and I wasn’t planning to use the entrance.”

  ◆◆◆

  Mike cleared her mind as she walked, relaxing all the small muscles in her body, arms, neck and face that she wasn’t using to walk or carry her weapon. She focused on her progress, one step at a time, not thinking of the hassles of getting there on time, no thought of what would happen when she reached the entrance. She knew she was prepared. She would react to each challenge as it arose with the same focus, the same relaxed frame of mind.

  A small smile flitted across her face as she heard a bird starting to sing, welcoming the first glimmer of light on the eastern horizon. This is where she was supposed to be, where she wanted to be. Nothing else mattered.

  As she turned a corner and got sight of the entrance, she saw two armed guards either side of the door. They noticed her at the same time and sprang to attention, weapons up, wondering who was approaching, carrying a weapon and wearing unfamiliar body armor.

  Mike didn’t break her stride. She was quite relaxed and still wore the lingering trace of a smile on her face. She did, however, flick the safety off her Mark Eight pulse rifle.

  When she was within ten meters of the guards and showed no sign of slowing down, the guard on the left called out, “Who are you, what do you want?”

  Mike could see that these weren’t the heavily built thugs that did Brel Edd Senn’s dirty work. They must be some of the original rebel group, and from what Sha Ast Ral had told her, they shouldn’t pose much of a threat, but she didn’t want to hurt them.

  “Stand down soldiers, I am Hess An Sur, First Born of the First. I have come to see Brel Edd Senn. I am not your enemy.”

  By now she had halted, three meters from the guards. She held her weapon down, but ready to use, her right hand close to the sheath at her waist that held her blade.

  “We weren’t told you were coming.” the guard challenged her.

  “That’s because I’m not expected. I share the objectives of the rebel movement, to remove the aristocracy from the governance of the Empire and to cede power to the people, not to an aristocratic family like mine,” she smiled, “or to some tyrant to rule over us all. I am going to meet Brel Edd Senn to explain this to him and replace him as leader of the rebels.”

  “You must be mad!” the guard said. “Please, leave now. If you go in there, you’ll get killed, and if we let you in, we’ll disappear too.”

  “I see your problem,” Mike said, why don’t the two of you leave and come back when it’s all over.”

  “If we leave while we’re supposed to be on guard, Brel Edd Senn will have us hunted down and killed! He’s very hot on loyalty – and retribution.”

  “In that case, go past that factory building,” she gestured with her Mark Eight, “and turn right. You’ll see a military lander. They will expect you and will look after you. They will keep you safe from anyone and anything for as long as it takes.”

  “You’ve got the army here? I don’t trust them. Brel Edd Senn said he has infiltrated them. They are as likely to kill us as he is!”

  “Not the Herassan army. Have you heard of Sally’s Army?”

  “Yes, of course. Everyone has.”

  “General Sally is on board the lander, along with Mark, Friend of the People and slayer of Tk'ng Dach Rm, and seven of her best soldiers. You will be safe with them.”

  “Mark who? I’ve never heard of him.”

  “Well, let’s just say, you haven’t missed much, but he has a People’s starship and access to their technology. You can’t get any safer than that.”

  “The two guards turned to each other and had a rapid, whispered conversation.

  “OK, we’ll go, but come with us. You haven’t met his personal entourage. They’re a bunch of thugs who will beat the crap out of anyone who gets in their way, and sometimes they don’t stop at that. They were going to kidnap you and bring you here, you’ll just make it easy for them if you go in by yourself!”

  Mike looked at them with a puzzled look. “They did have me kidnapped and brought here by a team led by Shah Ast Ral. I escaped, but there was a lot of shooting with KE weapons, didn’t you hear it?”

  “No, and no one has said anything about it. That would explain why we haven’t seen Shah Ast Ral for a few days.”

  “Shit! I hope she is just keeping her head down and not been made to ‘disappear’ by Brel Edd Senn’s thugs. You’d better get going. This is not a place you want to be for the next few hours.”

  The two guards looked at each other, then started walking to the building Mike had pointed them at. “Run!” she called out at them, and they both broke into a sprint.

  Mike quickly sent a message to Sally, then thought she should send it to Mark too, as he was trying to act like a leader, so far unsuccessfully. ‘Still,’ she thought to herself, ‘at least he’s stopped whining and sulking.’

  It was quite light now. The sun would be rising soon. She paused, regulating her breathing, relaxing her body and clearing her mind again. She was focused on one thing now, entering the building, ready to counter any resistance she found. Preferably with words for most of the rebels or at most disabling them without injuring them too badly, but with deadly force against Brel Edd Senn’s henchmen. She would show them the same lack of mercy as they had shown her.

  Chapter Forty One

  Into The Belly Of The Beast

  Mike moved to the gap in the sliding warehouse doors. She reached into her backpack and took out a device. She pulled a hair thin flexible thread from it and held it to the gap. The thread stiffened and bent round the door to poke inside the building. The camera at the end of the probe fed an image directly into her visual cortex and she looked around. She hadn’t seen the entrance before, she had a bag over her head on the way in and was badly shot up and in considerable pain when she was carried out. She had seen the map the drones had constructed, but it’s never the same as seeing for yourself. The probe showed her a large empty room with a doorway either side and a larger gap big enough to get a pallet truck through, opposite the entrance doors. This must have been the original goods inward bay.

  She stepped inside with her pulse rifle up and ready to fire. “It’s time to show me where everyone is.” she said to her AI.

  Her AI put the map of the building overlaying her visual field, like a head up display, but without a screen. The map zoomed in to the area surrounding her, showing three green dots in the room on the right, the room on the left was empty.

  “Green dots are the rebels?” she asked her AI.

  “Correct, and they are unarmed. Brel Edd Senn’s people will be red, rebels with weapons will show as orange.”

  “What about Brel Edd Senn’s people that are unarmed?”

  “All of his people should be considered as hostile, whether they are armed or not.”

  “Yeah, good advice. Which one is Brel Edd Senn?”

  “He is the pulsing white dot.”