by T. R. Harris
When Cyrus answered, his tone was understandably icy. I told him about my arrest and got the distinct impression that he knew more of the details than even I did. Even though the phone was untraceable from my end, it wasn’t from his, so we talked briefly and generically about the arrest, with him telling me not to worry, and that it will all work out. And then we ended the conversation with an innocuous mention of the next softball game, scheduled for eight tonight at the Sterling Bridge South softball field.
I looked at my watch. The next game was actually scheduled for two days from now, and at the Newport Dunes field. That meant I had an hour to kill before the meeting with Cyrus at the Sterling Bridge South ball field….
Chapter 17
The field was only five minutes away, so I decided to kill some time by swinging by Bill’s house. He, of all people, wouldn’t turn me away.
Besides, I had decided to use him to help get me into the spaceport – another place that would surely be infested with news crews by now. After all, public records were a bitch, because if one wanted to, they could learn so much about a person – like where one parked their private starship.
I just had to get my ass into space. After that, it would be virtually impossible to follow me, especially in the Noreen. Only Class-3 military vessels could travel faster, and as far as I knew, Channel Three News didn’t have one of those – not yet.
Bill’s house had a side-entry garage, so I entered the driveway and swung the car parallel to the front entrance. I then scooted to my right and exited out the passenger side, crouching in the shadows until I was at the front door.
Bill didn’t seem surprised to see me.
“I know you are innocent, my Captain. You surely would not have done this thing.”
“Thanks, Bill. It’s good to know I still have friends left. Needless to say, my day has turned into a real bitch.”
Bill frowned. “I have noticed that when upset you have a tendency to lapse into fits of heavy Human slang; however, I do believe I understand your sentiment.”
“Sorry.”
“So what is it you wish of me? I will do what I can, but I regret to inform that my support can only be limited and private. I am a Zorphin government official. I cannot publicly advocate for you.”
“I understand that, and I do appreciate the risk you’re taking. But I’m meeting with Cyrus in a few minutes, and then after that I need to get off the planet.”
“In your new Noreen II? That is such a magnificent vessel. I hope to someday be invited aboard.”
“Of course, just not this trip.”
“Where are you going?”
“I think it best if I keep that to myself. With all the drones flying around, our meeting here may eventually come out, and I wouldn’t want you to feel you have to hide anything from the Enforcers.”
“Perfectly acceptable.”
“But I’d like you to get me into the spaceport, maybe in the back of your official transport, through the VIP entrance.”
“That would appear to be a very active participation on my part. I would suggest that you take my official vehicle yourself. That will get you through the gates without question. And if asked I can state that you illegally acquired the transport without my knowledge.”
“That sounds even better.”
“So do you know who did this?”
“Pretty sure it was Miranda Moore.”
“The cousin?”
“That’s right.”
I saw an expression of excitement light up Bill’s face. “I have met her! So I know the perpetrator of this fantastic crime! This is exhilarating!”
“I’m glad you think so. But she set me up to take the blame. Now I only have eight days to find her and return the statue.”
“Then you must know where she may be!”
“I have an idea. Once I meet with Cyrus I’ll have a better feel for things.”
“Is she affiliated with Mr. Cyrus? It is common knowledge that he is in the Human intelligence gathering business.”
“Nope; she’s just a freelancer – she’s independent – although I know for a fact that she’s had help from others here in the Capital.”
Bill frowned and his tone dropped an octave. “Who would that be?”
“I don’t know, just a few thugs trying to act tough so far. But I got the distinct impression that she screwed them – betrayed them.”
“So screwed means to betray? I was under the impression it meant something entirely different in the Human language.”
“It has many meanings, my friend. But now, I will take you up on your offer to appropriate your official vehicle. I have to get going.”
“Best of luck, my Captain.” Bill said, as he awkwardly attempted to shake my hand. He still didn’t have that gesture down all the way. “Take care at the spaceport. I know there are forces that would welcome a war between Velosia and Simore. Keeping the Unity Stone lost would make that happen, so there may be those out to stop you from accomplishing your mission.”
“No shit?”
“No shit, my Captain. Politics is a very disgraceful profession, even to those of us within it.”
**********
It was the normal gray shade of night when I arrived at the softball field, having used all my skills to make sure I wasn’t followed from Bill’s house. I knew it was probably all for naught, since drones and other distance-oriented devices could track me without me ever knowing. I hated those little bastards, which had been so prevalent back on Earth before I left.
But regardless of the risk, I had to meet Cyrus. If anyone had the answers about what the hell was going on, it would be him. Besides, I didn’t have much time to work up a more elaborate plan.
I found Cyrus – along with an alien – in the upper seats of the bleachers, under an aluminum awning. There were four lunchbox-sized electronic devices set around the area, obviously some kind of dampening field to keep our conversation private. Cyrus looked concerned.
“Looks like you’ve got yourself in some real shit this time, Jason, and just meeting you here could really screw up my career.”
That was a hell of a way to start a conversation.
“I appreciate the risk you’re taking, but I hope you know I had nothing to do with this?”
“Unfortunately, reality has little to do with the situation. You’re being set up to take a major fall, and I don’t know what I can do about it.”
“So what is going on, and why are they doing this to me?”
“It’s not just you, Jason It’s the entire Human race. Already information has been leaked to the alien media about Miranda Moore’s supposed affiliation with the Human intelligence services. They even have a partial of the report you turned over to me just this morning. And of course your name is plastered everywhere.”
“Why would anyone believe we’d want to start a galactic war?”
Cyrus turned to the alien. He was a X’ilon, a Humanoid/Prime with light pink skin and a set of furry antennae which could detect changes in air pressure around him. They made good covert agents – as well as exceptional lookouts.
“This is Yorf; he’s our resident expert on intergalactic relations and historical references. Since Humans are so new on the scene, we rely a lot on other species to fill in the gaps in our understanding. He’s been doing some good research on Earth’s involvement with the Union – both past and present – and has found some very interesting data. Go ahead, Yorf.”
“Yes, Mr. Cyrus. Although your planet has only been a member of the Union for fourteen years, it was first proposed for membership two-hundred fourteen years ago.”
“That long ago, why? Does it have something to do with the S’morean Crisis?”
“Simorean, Mr. King, not S’morean,” Yorf corrected. “So you have heard of it?”
“Just in passing. A few weeks ago Jonk Limbor mentioned it.”
I saw the alien and Cyrus pass a look between themselves. It seems I’d touched a nerve.
> “So why were we being considered for the Union back then when we didn’t even have cars, planes or any real advanced technology to speak of?” I asked. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Agreed, yet it was no less than the Amelians themselves who sponsored your membership. And when the Amelians brought an action before the Council, it was taken very seriously. However, the Simoreans took a most-adamant stand in opposition, which caused a rift that nearly destroyed the newly-reorganized Galactic Union.
“This was a formative time for the Union. The Amelians had backed away from total control of the organization, allowing other races a more active role. It was also just after the Capital was moved from Amelia – where it had been for seven hundred years – to a more neutral location here on Sylox. The Simorean Disposition, as it’s officially known, was the first major crisis to occur since the transition, and the other races – led by the Simoreans – were determined to make their authority known.
“Curiously, it also seems the Amelians tried two other times after the crisis – unsuccessfully – to make Earth a member. You were only allowed in this time through a thin coalition of smaller races who voted in your favor – once again sponsored by the Amelians.”
“So how does all this relate to my situation? Sorry to be impatient, but I don’t have a lot of time.”
“Quite understandable, Mr. King,” said Yorf. “It is now being circulated that the Humans are seeking revenge against the Simoreans for their opposition to Earth’s membership, by instigating a war between them and the Velosians.”
“That’s crazy,” I said.
“With a war between Velosia and Simore, both of those races would suffer in power and influence. You Humans have made remarkable strides in the short time you’ve been members, mainly through your building prowess, and as a result, your financial position is growing faster than any before you. A diminishing of the influence of the two aforementioned races would elevate the Humans to a higher level – if the Union survives the war.”
“The revenge angle is absurd on its face,” Cyrus said. “An all-out war does no one any good, and why would we seek revenge for an act we weren’t even aware of until now? There’s more to this.”
“There always is,” I said with a snort. “So you think it might be financial – all about the money? Someone doesn’t like all the business we’re taking from them, including my old friend Jonk Limbor and his building contractors.”
“Ain’t that always the case, Jason? But don’t underestimate Limbor. He’s in a group called the Linorean Foundation.”
“That’s a new one,” I said.
“They’re kind of like the Freemasons-on-steroids, only about a billion times more powerful. They’re made up of dozens of different races and have their tentacles in just about every industry in the galaxy. Yet their main activity has to do with construction, and not just of housing communities and hospitals, but of entire planets – or the things that go on them.”
I nodded my head. “Yeah, I’ve worked with more than my fair share of building contractors back home, and I know them to be the most ruthless S.O.B.s around. I can imagine what a galaxy-wide group of them would be like. So they want to shut us down, and the best way to do that is to have the Earth destroyed.”
“Or expelled from the Union,” said Yorf. “That would be the simplest solution.”
“And taking this big-ass diamond statue could make all that happen?”
“It could, if whoever is behind this allows it to go that far,” Yorf said. “Yet with even how pragmatic the Linoreans may be, I seriously doubt they wish a war to ravage the Union.”
“So returning the statue will stop the war, right?”
“If done in time. The two parties have always carried a tremendous amount of hatred for one another, and the disappearance of the Unity Stone is only an excuse to do what they have both sought for several hundred years – a final resolution to their conflict. Once forces are put in motion, it may be impossible to stop the momentum towards all-out war.”
“Can’t we go to someone with this information and lay it all out, just like we’ve done here?”
“Unfortunately, those who wish the plan to be carried to fruition are integrated into nearly every level of the Union government and military.”
“And we may not have time, Jason,” Cyrus added. “I’ve been getting directives all day from Earth for me to cut all ties to you, and to Miranda Moore – of which there are none with her.”
“They’re cutting me loose?”
“They’re not stupid, Jason; they can read the tea leaves just like anyone. If the Earth doesn’t throw you and Miranda to the wolves – and do it often and publically – then we could be drawn into a war we cannot defend against. The aliens are too powerful and too technically-advanced.”
I slumped down in my seat and stared out at the bright green grass of the outfield, still clearly visible in the quasi-darkness of nighttime on Sylox. I had really been counting on Cyrus – hell the entire Human delegation – to come to my defense. After all, I’m innocent. But now I was seeing that that didn’t matter, and that I was on my own. I was in the process of being sacrificed for the common good.
Well bully for me!
I went ahead and told Cyrus and the alien about my encounter with the gang-that-couldn’t-shoot straight earlier this morning. Of course, I left out the part about me actually working for them now. Cyrus found the information to be particularly interesting.
“You say this happened before the police told you what was going on?”
“Yeah, around nine this morning.”
Cyrus and the alien shared another seemingly telepathic look at each other.
“Jason, the Stone wasn’t taken until about four this morning. And the news didn’t break until ten.”
“So what? These guys are working with her. That’s obvious.”
“But they don’t know where she is, and that has them worried.”
“A double-cross? That’s what I thought, too.”
“Looks like it to me,” Cyrus said. “And now they believe she may be headed for a place called Hyben?”
Cyrus looked at Yorf as he mentioned the name of the planet.
The alien had his face buried in his datapad.
“Oh, this is not good,” Yorf said.
“What does it say?” I asked.
“Hyben is where the original black dwarf fragment was carved into its present shape. They are experts at working with precious minerals, such as diamond.”
“She’s going to have it cut down.”
“And if she does—” Cyrus began.
“—there will be no way of stopping the war,” I finished the sentence for him.
There was uneasy silence on the bleachers for several moments, as each of us digested the information we had so far. For my part, I felt like I was missing something – hell, a lot of something’s.
“So what’s keeping these two races from going to war right now? Why have I been given eight days to return the statue?”
“That is from an amendment to the original peace accords,” Yorf began. “Back at the time when the Capital was moved to Sylox, the ship transporting the Unity Stone became disabled and the Stone was lost for a period of two days. War nearly occurred at that time. Since then, the two opponents agreed to an eleven-day period of grace before acting.”
“So why do I only have eight?”
Cyrus smiled. “It’s because the Council believes either the Velosians or the Simoreans will act pre-emptily before the deadline, just to get a jump on the other side. Even though the agreement calls for eleven days to pass before war, everyone expects the first actions to take place a day or two before.”
“Unfortunately, that makes a lot of sense, even though it really screws me up. So exactly how did Miranda and I go about stealing such an important artifact in the first place? As one of the primary suspects in the theft, I’m supposed to know this.”
“Your Miss Moore place
d a reading device on Orn’s data center when she first accessed the home,” Yorf answered. “It was able to record all of the Velosian’s entries and correspondences. It was from here that she learned of the access code to Orn’s office complex, as well as to the vault holding the Stone. Once ready to commit the crime, she returned to the property and reacquired the device and all the data it contained.”
“And none of the Council Member’s security firewalls detected the device?”
“Apparently not. It was not until after the theft occurred and a detailed scan of the data center was conducted, that signs of the device were detected.”
I looked to Cyrus. “Is that kind of equipment something that’s easily acquired?”
Yorf spoke again. “It is not. And most frankly, it is beyond the technology of the Humans, especially in light of the sophistication of the Council Member’s security protocols.”
“So she got the equipment from someone else, someone with the technology to bypass the security.”
“That’s right, Jason,” Cyrus said. “She’s obviously working with another race other than Human, and has been for a while. It took a lot of expertise and big bucks to forge the credentials to join the Wilsons for their trip to Sylox. And she also knew they would be working with you, the real estate agent who just happened to have the listing on the Council Member’s home.”
“I did think it was strange that Orn’s office was unlocked when I showed the house that first day. It had never been before.”
“That’s because it wasn’t unlocked – until Moore got there. It even took expertise beyond what we have to get through the security at the door.”
“Then why couldn’t she just access the house by herself? Why did she need me?”
“The external security is more sophisticated than that internally,” Yorf explained. “She could get into the office, but not the residence. For that she needed you.”
“And from what I’ve learned,” Cyrus interjected, “that house was way out of the price range of the Wilsons. Why were you even showing it to them the first place?”
“Miranda; it was her idea. Show them something extremely high-priced and then the other homes would look like bargains. Yeah, I fell for it, and so would you – if you’ve ever met the woman.”