As the Gravity Flipped

by Herschel K. Stroganoff

  A slight chemical odour set his nose on edge. He heard the sound of tense conversation as he strode past by the kitchens on his right.

  "Who the fuck are you?" a dark haired man asked, his eyes wide, hostile.

  Ajay started. "Raul Merfan, I'm a trader," he stammered, pulling at his ponytail. "I heard the distress signal. What's happened here?"

  The man shook his head. "I don't think anyone sent a distress signal here. I think you're mistaken."

  "I can assure you I'm not United Solar if that's what you're worried about. I saw the ships. What's happened?"

  The man frowned, but did not respond.

  "What happened?" Ajay repeated.

  "We were over the other side. We couldn't do anything," the man said in a trembling voice.

  Ajay stepped forward and opened the door to the mess hall. His eyes widened at the sight before him. "What happened?"

  "Janis saved us," the man, averting his gaze from the mess hall. "I think the United Solar people had started killing some of the workers. We'd--." The man hesitated for a long moment.

  "Would it help if I told you I wasn't an Affiliate?" Ajay said.

  The man nodded, biting his lower lip. "We'd taken over. I think that's why they were here. When the Yao died we had no work - we weren't getting paid. I think that's why they were here."

  "How were they killed?"

  "Janis mixed up some chemicals and poisoned the room."

  Ajay coughed.

  "Don't worry. It's safe now. I can show you if you'd like?"

  Ajay gave a half-shrug. "What's your name?"

  "Arfo."

  Ajay regarded at Arfo's face for several seconds, considering its features. "Arfo?"

  "That's right."

  "I'm Ajay Johal - it's good to finally meet you in person."

  Arfo embraced Ajay with a short hug.

  "Thanks for coming - I didn't buy that independent trader nonsense for a second."

  Ajay gave a half smile. "It's mostly true," he said.

  Arfo led the way into the kitchen. He gestured to Janis's hunched corpse. "She's a hero," Arfo said. "She's done more for this platform than anyone could know."

  Ajay looked through the kitchen hatch at the bodies piled up in the along the far, furrowing his brow as four workers lifted a body then carried it away.

  "What are they doing?" Ajay asked.

  Arfo sighed. "They're taking him to an airlock. We've had a lot of funerals today."

  "I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do?"

  "Do you think you can find out why they came?"

  Ajay nodded. "I can try. In the meantime, I'm going to get a message to Azra. The ships weren't United Solar - they were Muedin, and they were heavily armed."

  "Why would the Muedin have anything to do with a workers' revolt?"

  Ajay rubbed his chin. "Maybe their timing was a coincidence. Maybe there was something else on here they were after."

  "The Yao archive," Arfo said in low voice.

  "The Yao archive? Of course." Ajay slapped his forehead. "That's what Armand was on with."

  Arfo nodded.

  "If the Muedin got hold of the archive, their power would increase exponentially," Ajay mused. "And I don't think that what we've seen here will be their only attempt at this."

  Ajay could not read Arfo's expression.

  "Do you think they'll send more ships?" Arfo asked after a long moment.

  Ajay gave an agonised look. "Absolutely," he said.

  # # #

  Armand: The Occulto, in region of Lunar

  28/07/6,544, 10:35 (IST)

  "How do I look?"

  Armand hardly recognised Chao-xing with her head shaved bald save for a sharp black spiked fringe, bright red tunic and colourful lights dancing before her eyes. "Like a Yao," he said. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

  "We've come this far," Chao-xing said. "The knock-on effect of the deaths are more than I anticipated."

  "Any regrets?"

  Chao-xing shrugged. "Maybe. It's weird not feeling other Yaos shaping your thoughts, but--," Chao-xing paused for a long moment. "Perhaps we should have intervened sooner, but what's done is done."

  Armand nodded. "Right, what's done is done."

  "We just need to look forward now. Take back the power and bring the Purdah into the Assembly. It might not be enough to bring in the changes we want, but it's a start - there's twenty-four seats that will need filling."

  "Definitely a start, but we can't just settle into the system - we can't be complacent."

  "I've got big plans for the Union - believe me, there won't be any time for complacency."

  # # #

  Eight linked to child smuggling

  Originally published by Lunar Chronicle, 12/02/6,343

  Child traffickers operating in the Jovian regions have been detained by United Solar officials following an investigation by the Judiciary.

  Investigator Tshilidzi Dumi found evidence suggesting children were being trafficked from birth from platforms around Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Jupiter to be sold on Mars and Lunar.

  The group, originally believed to be working with the Purdah, were found to be an independent group involved in racketeering and slavery.

  Five men and three women are awaiting charges and are currently being held by the Judiciary.

  Investigator Dumi said the arrests were an important step in the Union's security.

  Lunar Secretary Takeshi Ozu said: "These arrests are testament to the reach of the Judiciary.

  "We believe that this trade helps fund criminal activities conducted by the Purdah.

  "This disgraceful trade has no place in our Union."

  The Secretary added there were a number of children seeking adoption with the Judiciary Orphanage and urged citizens to consider adopting a child through official channels.

  If you know of anyone who has adopted an illegal child, please report them to a United Solar officer.

  # # #

  Chapter Eighteen

  Meer: Vin Ranghi Household, Insularum 2, Lunar

  26/07/6,544, 13:13 (IST)

  "Why won't you just eat your steak?" Meer said, exasperated as Riko hid beneath the pine dining table. "Get up from there, you little brat."

  "I don't want steak I said, I want my mummy."

  Meer scowled and poured the steak and potatoes into the waste chute, grinding her teeth as they turned to mush, then disappeared. "Fine. You won't have anything then. You can starve for all I care."

  Riko crawled from beneath the table and stood to her feet. Meer watched with disdain as Riko folded her arms and pushed out her bottom lip.

  "I don't like you," Riko said.

  "Well, I don't like you either, you little--." Meer turned as a knock came from her door. She brushed down her skirts then glared at Riko. "You'd better smile and be good," she hissed in a low whisper.

  Riko stuck her chin out defiantly as Meer strode to the door.

  Meer opened the door and scoffed at the sight of an old Boeki trader. He wore brown overalls and a toothy smile.

  "I'm sorry, I'm not interested in buying any wares today, thank you." Meer began to close the door.

  "I'm not selling anything," Wynn said. "Are you Madam Ranghi?"

  Meer's eyes narrowed for a moment as she regarded Wynn. "Who's asking?"

  "My name's Wynn Efans, I'm, erm--."

  "Well spit it out, man."

  "You've got a friend of mine's daughter. There was a mistake and--."

  "Wynn! Wynn! Wynn!" Riko called, bouncing excitedly as she squeezed past Meer's skirts.

  "Stop jumping," Meer snapped.

  Riko ran to Wynn and put her arms around his legs. "You take me to my mummy now," Riko said.

  "I told you, I'm your mummy--." Meer paused as she looked at Riko as Wynn picked her up and lifted her onto his hip. "Well, she's never hugged me like that," she scoffed.

  "You see Riko was taken by--."

  "I don't care about your pathetic l
ife story, man," Meer said shaking her head. "Just take the little brat. I don't want her anyway. She's so needy. I bought a child for me, not for her. It just simply won't do. Just take her away. I don't care."

  She waved them away and closed the door.

  # # #

  Azra: The Coraygar, in region of Titan, Saturn

  17/07/6,544, 20:07 (IST)

  "I think we made a mistake not backing up Ajay," Azra said. She turned off the display of her terminal and turned to Taslim.

  He lifted his head from a microscope, squinting as he met Azra's gaze. "What's changed your mind?" he asked.

  "It's these intercepts, mainly."

  "Show me," Taslim said, walking over to Azra.

  Azra turned back to her terminal, then switched on its display. She scrolled through a series of decoded messages. "It seems that Muedin were trying to take over the Yao, or maybe just take their technology. It's not really clear."

  "I suppose that makes sense," Taslim said.

  "It's this stuff from Ajay that's most concerning. He says people have been killed on Titan, and that someone killed the Muedin people. It's a bit garbled, but he says the orbiter is safe and Arfo's running things."

  "We should help then," Taslim said.

  Azra nodded her agreement.

  "So, wait, what happened to all the Muedin ships?" he asked. "Are they just docked on the orbiter?"

  Azra turned to see Taslim's eyes brighten. "What is it?" she asked.

  "I don't know. What if we took control of the orbiter? I bet we could use the ships and turn it into an extension of the Coraygar. Imagine it."

  "That could be amazing," Azra said.

  "I know; the resources - the potential. If what Armand says is true, we won't have any problems from United Solar. I think we can make it work."

  "The archive, the orbiter, the ships - we just take them all?"

  "Who's going to stop us?"

  # # #

  Akira: Offices of the Lunar Chronicle, Insularum 2, Lunar

  28/07/6,544, 12:35 (IST)

  Akira kept her hands held behind her head as Molotok agents swarmed through the newsroom.

  She watched helplessly as Ken blocked the entrance to his private office. "You've got no right to be here," he said.

  An agent punched Ken hard in the stomach. Akira winced as Ken bend over double, coughing and groaning.

  She shared glances with Osuma while the agents rifled through drawers, overturned terminals and flipped through pages of notes. Her heart pounded as a masked officer squared up to her.

  "Madam Yamamoto?"

  Akira gave a quick nod. "Yes," she gulped.

  "You'll have to come with us."

  # # #

  Natsuki: Efans Household, Insularum 5, Lunar

  26/07/6,544, 16:03 (IST)

  Natsuki halted her nervous pacing when the door swing open.

  "Mummy!" called Riko.

  A sunburst of happiness exploded in Natsuki's heart as she ran to her daughter and embraced. "I missed you, I missed you," she said between frantic kisses.

  With tears in her eyes, she looked up at Wynn. "I don't know how to thank you," she said.

  "Honestly," Wynn shrugged. "I don't know what happened. She just gave her to me. She was bored with the novelty of having a kid."

  Natsuki furrowed her brow. "She just gave her back? That seems a bit odd."

  "Trust me," Wynn smiled. "Those Ranghis are the epitome of 'a bit odd'."

  Natsuki looked down at Riko's leather tunic, confused. "Who dresses a child like this?"

  "Those Ranghi's have expensive taste," said Wynn.

  "Expensive, but bad. There's not a way they could track Riko? Maybe something in her clothes?" Natsuki ran her fingers along the tunic's tight-stitched seams.

  Wynn sighed. "That's something the Yaos might do, so I doubt it."

  "Just to be safe, I'm going to burn it as soon as I can get her something new."

  "Mummy! Mummy! Where's Daddy?" Riko asked.

  Natsuki gulped. "It's just Mummy and Riko now. I'll never let anyone take you away again, I promise."

  # # #

  Akira: Holding Cells, Judiciary, Insularum 1, Lunar

  28/07/6,544, 15:07 (IST)

  Akira was disorientated without her glasses. She could smell cider on Takeshi's breath as he stood before her, but all she could see was blue and black smudges.

  "You've been an annoyance to me for too long Madam Yamamoto," Takeshi said.

  "I'm just a reporter," Akira said, shivering as she felt the hairs on her neck stand on end.

  "Do you know the amount of damage you have done to my reputation with your treasonous words?" Takeshi said. "Do you know what damage your words have done to the security of our Union?"

  Akira shook her head. "I never wrote anything that wasn't true. You know that."

  Takeshi tutted. "First there was that disgraceful piece you did about Hayao Kurosawa and his traitor wife. I hoped when you learned of Madam Kurosawa's arrest you'd fall in line."

  "What? Like the rest of the hacks?" Akira spat.

  "You call them hacks - I call them allies. We're at war and you're spreading doubt. Do you not understand how dangerous that is?"

  Akira clenched her jaw and breathed deeply through her nose. "But who are you at war against?"

  Takeshi sniffed. "Second, you wrote a grossly inaccurate piece about the evacuation of V5. And you talk about hacks?"

  "What do you want from me?" Akira asked.

  "To pay. To face trial. You're simply too dangerous to have around."

  Against her will, Akira could feel her hands tremble as a cold sweat spread across her body. "I can help you," she said.

  "I doubt anything you could do will be of help to me."

  Akira sighed. "I can tell you where Natsuki Kurosawa has been hiding." She waited for a long moment as Takeshi considered this.

  The cell door creaked open at that moment and she heard a new person enter the cell.

  "Secretary, an emergency session of the Assembly has been called. You're wanted immediately."

  Akira thought she recognised the voice, but could not place it. A male, someone on the Assembly. She shook her head.

  "Give me five more minutes," Takeshi said.

  "We need to go now."

  "They can wait."

  Akira sighed as she heard the footsteps leave and the door click shut.

  "Where were we?" Takeshi asked. "Ah yes, you were trying to make a deal. We'll get Madam Kurosawa, eventually; it's only a matter of time. Tell me something good - tell me something I can use."

  Akira scratched behind her ear. "What if I gave you Wynn Efans?"

  Akira heard Takeshi pace around the cell as he considered this.

  "If you give me Representative Efans, Madam Kurosawa and you agree to run all of your stories by me before you post them to the feeds, then I'm happy to avoid the messiness of a trial."

  Akira nodded. "Natsuki has been hiding at Wynn's home until he can help her escape from Lunar."

  "That's very useful Madam Yamamoto. I'll certainly consider releasing you. But now I must attend an Assembly meeting."

  "What about releasing me?" Akira asked desperately.

  "I'll certainly be considering it over the next few days. Goodbye, Madam Yamamoto."

  Akira heard the door close behind Takeshi and regretted her betrayal.

  # # #

  Tshilidzi: United Solar Assembly, Insularum 1, Lunar

  28/07/6,544, 15:21 (IST)

  Tshilidzi felt an operative dryness prickle his throat. He knew the Representatives would unpack and unpick every word, every detail and every accusation he was about to put forward. He reached for a glass of water with a trembling hand.

  " I was given the task of investigating the deaths of at least twenty-three members of the Yao," Tshilidzi said. "It hasn't been an easy task. One assassination - and I am calling these murders assassinations - would be challenging to investigate so I hope the Representatives
will be able to appreciate how difficult my task has been."

  Tshilidzi heard coughs and shuffles echo around the Chamber. He looked up to his left at Akash perched on his platform, regarding the Assembly with an impassive expression.

  "The facts of the case are already known. All the victims were killed using remotely programmed mining drones. It's highly probable the drones would have used the Yao implants to track them and carry out the killings. Because of the closeness of the reported times of death at each location, I've been able to work out that a signal must have originated somewhere in the region of Lunar or Mars."

  Tshilidzi paused as he took a sip of water. His heartbeat pounded in his chest. "Bodies were found across the Union from the H3 platform near Mercury to the K19 mining platform beyond Neptune. These are the facts of the case."

  Clearing his throat, Tshilidzi turned to Akash. "Now we go on to my investigation. I was tasked to answer two key questions: who did this and why? Much of the 'why' will be speculations based on the events that followed the assassinations, but hopefully I'll be able to demonstrate a clear motivation and intent.

  "The difficulty has been in finding a single cause - I haven't done that. Instead, what I've tried to do is outline a few different, but equally compelling motivations. Is this acceptable to you Chair?"

  "That is acceptable Investigator Dumi. Please continue."

  Tshilidzi took a sip from his water. He felt a tremble as he looked across the rows of faces staring at him - so much hung on his words.

  "I've grouped the motivations into political and economic concerns.

  "Politically, as Representatives are no doubt aware, the Yao's default political position was to resist change and development while doing everything in their power to protect and promote their own concerns." Tshilidzi paused as knowing glances, laughs and nods swept across the Chamber. "But some of us you will also know that historically they were very much in favour of sharing their innovations - this changed, as we know, because of political pressures within the Assembly.