Jason King: Agent to the Stars 1: The Enclaves of Sylox

by T. R. Harris

  “She also set up the CIA, as well. By going around blabbing about how she works for us, the entire Human government will be linked to the theft and held responsible. The operation is almost too transparent and amateurish in a way, but it looks like it may produce the desired results.”

  “I’m glad you admire the tradecraft, Cyrus, but I’m being made the scapegoat in all this. Even though the entire race will be implicated in the theft, the government will do all they can to place the blame squarely on me and Miranda, just to cover their asses.”

  “Can you blame them?”

  “Nah, but that just means I need to do everything I can to recover the frickin statue before she has it cut down. Where exactly is Hyben? I haven’t even had a chance to check,” I asked Yorf.

  “It’s about six hundred light-years from here. Your Noreen should make the trip in two days,” the alien said.

  “Two there and two back,” I said. “Since I’ve already wasted a day, that only leaves me three to find her and the statue somewhere in a planet-size hiding place.”

  “I will assist by researching all those on Hyben with the expertise to do the required work on the Stone,” Yorf said, “with a special emphasis on those who would accept such a contract. Many would not, considering the notoriety of the Stone and the implications of its destruction.”

  “That would really be helpful, thanks.” I looked at both alien and Human and nodded. “The two of you are taking a terrible risk, but without your help the mission would be a failure even before it begins.”

  “It’s still a long shot that this works out,” Cyrus said, leaving out the very important for you at the end of the sentence. “But we’ll keep working on this end to find out who’s pulling the strings back here. They have to be big, powerful and have a vested interest in the destruction of the Earth. And everyone leaves a trail, believe you me. Good luck, Jason. Oh … and Hooah!”

  I looked hard at Cyrus. I had had my suspicions, but now it was confirmed. Sometime in the storied past of Cyrus Blake, he had been an Army Ranger, just like me.

  “Hooah!” I replied back, just as the alien Yorf spoke up.

  “I do not understand the translation – of which there is none. Is this a code of some sort among Humans?”

  “For some Humans,” Cyrus answered. “Between the best.”

  Chapter 18

  I managed to get into the Zanzibar Executive Spaceport through the VIP entrance in Bill’s car, avoiding the four smaller news vans parked near the main entrance. The larger vans were reserved for my home and office; these were here just on the off chance I decided to bolt from the planet.

  But even though I had gotten into the spaceport unseen, these bastards also knew where my hangar was located, so another cluster of vans sat on the tarmac blocking the large doors. Well, that would have to change. When the time came for launch, hopefully these crazed news hounds would be smart enough to clear out of the way, otherwise they would learn what a black hole looks like from the inside looking out.

  I had the Noreen II for only six days before all hell broke loose, but during that time I managed to install some of the vital upgrades I’d been planning for weeks. My little Fusion flitter had been equipped with several armament upgrades, as well as two defensive counter measures. Fortunately, I’d never needed to use any of them here in the Sylox system. Yet with the Noreen, the entire galaxy was open to me, so having an effective means of protection was a priority.

  Since the upgrades were not standard on the Fusion, I was able to remove them before Vol'ox came for the trade-in. I then spent three days reinstalling them in and on the Noreen II, which I had affectionately christened The Enterprise.

  Yeah, call me sentimental and unoriginal, but I’m a big fan of the series, movies and spin-offs, even in reruns. And now that I had my own means of going where no one has gone before, the name seemed appropriate, if not a little pretentious.

  I accessed my hangar unseen from the rear and once inside, I began preparing the tiny starship for my journey to Hyben. I was more than anxious to get off Sylox; there were just too many factions conspiring against me. I wished I could just start killing people. That was always a cathartic experience, but I couldn’t do that here on the planet. However in space, now that was another matter altogether.

  With the upgrades I’d made to the Enterprise, I was confident I could counter any acts of aggression that befell me in space. Besides, no one who came up against me would be expecting the greeting they’d get. The weapons were well-hidden, and the specs of the N-Two didn’t show any of my upgrades. Call me arrogant, but I really wished some son-of-bitch would try me.

  In reality, that was the last thing I needed – a battle in outer space. I was under the ultimate deadline, so I didn’t have time to dicker around with any would-be pirate, rogue or amateur advantage-taker in the vast emptiness of interstellar space.

  I did a quick, yet detailed walk-around of the craft, and found two not-very-well-hidden tracking devices. Even though I suspected these were only the ones I was supposed to find – rather than those I wasn’t – I still took them through a side door to Simon Patel’s hangar and attached them to his Nova Model-Six. I knew he was heading out in a few hours for a hunting safari on some near-by exotic alien world, so this just might provide me with a little operating room before those who placed the devices realized their mistake.

  I knew I was probably being overly cautious. Nothing in my seven years on Sylox had convinced me that the aliens – any aliens – were very sophisticated when it came to the ways of war, police procedures or even the commission of crimes. Their minds just didn’t have the same devious creativity as Humans. I was counting on this to help me do my job without too much interference, either from those trying to help or those who were not.

  **********

  Needless to say, it came as quite a shock to those waiting outside the hangar when the doors suddenly slid open and I maneuvered the Noreen out on the tarmac using chemical exhaust. The area filled with a thick gray smoke, made even darker by the dimness of the night. As news crews scrambled for safety, fighting for breath and cover, I initiated a very shallow gravity-well and lifted off. Much of the smoke was sucked up in the well, and I could see on the rear monitor a crowd of bewildered aliens staring up at me as I faded into the night sky.

  Hasta la vista, suckers!

  **********

  The Noreen made quick work of the Sylox stellar system, and forty-two minutes after liftoff I was able to crank the engines up to full power without fear of disrupting any nearby gravity sources.

  Hyben was forty-three hours away, and that time would pass with excruciating slowness. I didn’t have any detailed plan for once I got there – how could I – so I cleaned my weapons, tried to get some rest, and did my best to formalize a few the contingency plans I had bouncing around in my head in case I failed.

  If failure was the end result of my little trek to Hyben, then I would be the only available scapegoat in the entire affair. Earth may be on the schedule for destruction, but it would be my hide that would be Earth’s only chance of survival.

  So … would I surrender myself, admit to being behind the entire heist, and absolve Humanity of all responsibility? If I did, then I would be a hero back home, with monuments and high schools named after me.

  Not!

  I would be reviled, and my name would be synonymous with that of a Hitler or Pol Pot. I would be accused of risking the utter destruction of my homeworld – and its billions of inhabitants – for the sake of avarice.

  Sorry, Jason, but there would be no statues in your honor or high school cheerleaders with your name emblazoned across their budding bosoms.

  So as not to appear ungrateful – instead of being noble and sacrifice myself for the common good – I would simply disappear, trusting that the Earth would find some way of saving itself at the expense of my name and reputation.

  Although the Noreen had a range of about five thousand light-years between re
charging, before leaving the office earlier I had absconded with some seventy-four thousand dollars’ worth of Union credits from the escrow account at the office. It wasn’t much, but it would get me to the other side of the galaxy if I didn’t go balls-to-the-wall getting there.

  And if everything did work out fine, then hopefully I could get the money back in the account before the regulators noticed.

  At the time, that was the least of my worries.

  Chapter 19

  True to his word, Cyrus’s alien associate Yorf came through with more information about Hyben and its jewel-cutting industry. I was still twenty-seven hours out from the planet when his pink face showed up on my comm screen.

  “The planet had once been much more prosperous than it is today,” he told me. “When the Capital moved from Amelia to Sylox, it left Hyben out of the major space lanes, a position it had once enjoyed. So you will find that the planet and its inhabitants may be on the rougher side of the spectrum.”

  I wasn’t worried. I knew that Humans possessed certain advantages over the common alien, advantages of speed, strength and coordination – even though we had not had the opportunity to demonstrate any of this in the short time we’d been members of the Union. And with technology as it was, individual physical superiority meant very little to a battlecruiser in orbit dropping firebombs on the surface below. In this new reality, even Smurfs could destroy the Earth, if they had the right equipment.

  But on a backwards world full of misfits and miscreants, I should be able to hold my own quite nicely.

  “What about the jewel-cutters, are they still in business?”

  “Some, but not nearly as many as before. The planet’s own supply of precious stones dried up long ago, so for centuries before they had relied on off-planet business to survive. After the Sylox move, most of that business went away.”

  “So probably any of the surviving businesses would take on the job of cutting down such a large stone,” I concluded. “So how many are left?”

  “Nineteen thousand.”

  “Nineteen thousand! How the hell I’m I supposed to find the one Miranda has contacted – if any? Hell, we’re not even sure she’s heading there.”

  “That I do not know, Mon King. Yet the original creator of the Unity Stone is still in business – at least the company is still operating.”

  “But would they be willing to destroy their most famous and elaborate creation?”

  “In light of the extreme sensitivity of the operation, and the consequences that would result, they could command whatever price they wish. Considering the current state of economic affairs on the planet, it is a possibility.”

  “That’s assuming Miranda has a benefactor with deep pockets. But I get the impression she’s gone rogue.”

  “Then a share of the Stone would be appropriate, I would imagine.”

  Yorf had a point. A nearly-twenty-nine thousand carat diamond could be broken into hundreds of pieces, each worth a not-so-small fortune. And that would still leave plenty for Miranda.

  I looked at my power gauge and saw that it was already maxed out; I couldn’t get to Hyben soon enough. Miranda wouldn’t waste time there. She would be in and out in a flash.

  “Anyone else I should consider?” I asked. If Miranda was smart – and she was – she might even start a bidding war among some of the top cutters. That might just buy me a little time.

  “I have five others who, according to their latest profit filings, might be very interested in taking on such a project. I will send their information in a burst message directly to your computer at the conclusion of our verbal conversation.”

  “Any other news? I know things were moving pretty fast when I left.”

  “I regret to inform you that Mon Cyrus Blake has been relieved of his post pending an inquiry into our meeting with you. As a subordinate, I was spared such humiliation, and I have yet to reveal your destination, although that may change as the questioning is scheduled to continue.”

  Shit! I hated that for Cyrus. Maybe if my mission succeeded he could be reinstated. And I couldn’t assume my destination was a secret, either. I’m sure there was still some hidden tracking device attached to the ship. But I was fortunate to be in the Enterprise. It was faster than anything but the largest capital ships, so even if Miranda had left Sylox immediately after the heist, by conventional travel we would get to Hyben at about the same time.

  And, of course, this also assumed Miranda was even heading for Hyben at all. For all I knew, she could be a hotel room in Sylox City, raiding the minibar and watching HBO, just waiting for the heat to cool down.

  “What about Miranda, do you have any more info whether she’s left Sylox for sure?”

  “Seventeen private spacecraft left the planet within a couple hours of the crime, and the Enforcers are in the process of tracking down each of them. So far, five still remain at large. Gravity trails show one of these missing vessels heading in the direction of Hyben.”

  “That’s about the best news I’ve had in a while, Yorf, thanks. Let me know the moment these ships are found. I think my odds just got a little better.”

  “Please be cautious on Hyben, Mr. King. The natives have been in a very bad mood for centuries. They don’t much care for the Union, or any of its current members.”

  “Don’t worry, Mon Yorf, neither do I. And I’m in a pretty nasty mood myself. I think I’d welcome the chance to crack a few skulls right about now.”

  Chapter 20

  Although the Enterprise could zip through space at unimaginable speeds, it still couldn’t beat wormhole-communications across interstellar distances. So when I picked up a tail just this side of Hyben, I knew I had just met a small – yet expected – welcoming committee.

  From the conversation with my kidnappers, I felt those behind this entire scheme didn’t really want a war, they simply wanted to blame the Humans for taking the galaxy to the brink. So I really wasn’t expecting interference in my mission, especially since it was to save the precious Unity Stone from destruction.

  So when the much larger ship cut across my bow and fired a warning salvo in my direction, it came as a surprise.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I screamed into the comm. “You have to know I’m under a deadline.”

  “Your mission has come to an end, Mon Jason King,” was the scratchy reply. “Deenergize your engines and prepare for boarding.”

  “Are you crazy? The Unity Stone will be destroyed if I don’t get to Hyben on time. If that happens, there’ll be a war – that’s for damn sure.”

  “According to our employers, that would be a welcome outcome. Now obey … or you will be destroyed.”

  Dammit, I didn’t have time for this! And now there was another faction that wanted a war. This was an unexpected kink in my plans.

  I complied and shut down the engines. The huge ship would maneuver in closer and then attach an umbilical. Even though I wasn’t worried, this was still a delay, a delay I couldn’t afford.

  However…. My attitude shifted when a thought occurred to me: The people on that ship may have information I need. This captain knows the agenda of his superiors; he’d just revealed as much to me.

  So I’ll let them live, at least for a while, if they can give me what I need – information.

  I waited until the large, gray, cigar-shaped spacecraft was about two hundred yards away, before I sent out a small missile with two thick cables attached. I knew the crew of the other ship would see the missile coming on their proximity screens, but because the sensors wouldn’t pick up any trace of explosives, their auto defense systems would not kick in before the missile reached the hull. That was a mistake. Because when it hit, the disruptor voltage sent through the cables was soon coursing throughout the hull, overloading all the electronics aboard the ship.

  Immediately, systems aboard the attacker began to shut down, as circuits opened and relays tripped. Within seconds the behemoth was dead in the water – or space, in this case
.

  Next, I sent over a second missile carrying a small acoustic pickup. Once attached to the hull of the dead ship, it was capable of picking up sounds from inside the vessel, and also allowed for me to communicate with those inside.

  When I cranked up the sensitivity on the pickup, a cacophony of confused and angry voices could be heard through the small speakers of the Noreen II. I activated a switch. “Shut the hell up!”

  I knew my words would resonate throughout the entire ship, and there came a momentary silence in the speakers, as the crew stopped to question where the phantom voice had come from. With no apparent source, the bombast arose again.

  “Be quiet, all of you! This is Jason King. I wish to speak to your captain. Just talk … and I’ll hear you.”

  A moment later, I heard a weak voice say: “I hear you. This is Groff Nuer; I am the controller of this vessel. What have you done to my ship?”

  “I gave it a heart attack. Do you understand the reference?”

  “Yes … yes I do.”

  “Good, and since your systems are all dead – including life support – I’m sure you realize you only have a short time before things get really uncomfortable over there. Also, you should know that my ship is fully functional and that I possess an eight-meg flash cannon, which is capable of easily penetrating your hull. You and your vessel are completely at my mercy. Do you agree?”

  After a slight hesitation, the muffled voice of Groff Nuer concurred. “So what are your plans for us, Mon King?”

  “That’s simple: I should just blow your sorry ass to smithereens, but you probably don’t understand what I just said, do you?”

  “I grasp the meaning.”

  “Good, now answer some questions, and depending on how well you do will determine the fate of you and your crew.”