The Alpha Choice

by M. D. Hall

  ‘I can’t use any mind control techniques upon him, if you want to keep him alive.’

  Darl had no idea what she was talking about, but then why would he, or anyone outside the Agency.

  ‘Commander, when the Agency recruits an operative the new agent has a device implanted deep into the brain. Its purpose is twofold: if any attempt is made to read, or control the mind of the agent all neural pathways are severed and death swiftly follows. Any attempt to resuscitate the agent will merely result in an animated body, in a vegetative state; Secondly, if an agent is in hostile territory with no hope of rescue, the device can be activated by entering a trancelike state where the device will recognise certain brainwave patterns, and then activate itself with the same result.’

  ‘I had no idea,’ Darl responded, visibly shocked.

  ‘Very few people outside the Agency do. So you can now see, I hope, why it’s crucial I speak to him alone, unmonitored and soon. He can end his life at will, at any moment, particularly as he now finds himself, one may say, in hostile territory with no hope of rescue.’

  ‘Can’t we prevent the device from operating?’

  ‘No, my own thoughts are that he is holding on so that he can tell me something, and the only way for me to find out is to speak to him, alone. If we delay, you run the risk of him concluding he won’t see me, at which point he will activate the device. If I speak to him, he might even agree to making a full formal confession, implicating others and tying this matter up, once and for all.’

  ‘Do you seriously think he will do that?’

  ‘Honestly? No, not really, but I do think we can get something.’

  Darl was feeling decidedly unwell. The plot had been uncovered and the perpetrator discovered, only for him to find this was not the end, only the beginning. ‘What of your colleague, Beron?’

  ‘I simply don’t know. He was adamant, on Telluria, that the female’s death was an accident, but until he is found and I have the opportunity to interrogate him, we can't be sure. I do think that he is unlikely, if involved, to activate his device.’

  ‘How can you be certain?’

  ‘I can’t, but it’s the most unlikely outcome,’ it was becoming obvious that she would have to spell it out to the commander. ‘Let us ignore, for the moment, that he is telling the truth. We don’t have any evidence that anyone, other than Garnoth, is involved, the investigation could end with him. If Beron activates his device he confirms that Garnoth wasn’t acting alone, and we’re unlikely to stop until we root out the others. He must live to prevent us drawing that conclusion.’

  Darl walked over to Garnoth's chair and sat in it, almost as though by sitting there he could read the man’s mind. Some minutes passed as he wrestled with what he had been told, and what he perceived his duty to be. Finally, he spoke. ‘I’m uncomfortable with your proposal, but you already know that. I’m also aware that we have no leads, and the only way to get them is for Garnoth to open up to someone he trusts. The only person on this ship who might have his trust is you.’

  He stood, his mind made up. ‘I agree, and before you say anything, I won't raise my expectations. If this doesn’t work I can't see anything else that will.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘For what,’ he asked.

  ‘For trusting in me.’

  ‘I don’t see that I have any other choice,’ and with that, he walked out of the staterooms, leaving Tala alone, with her thoughts. It occurred to her that she had not been assigned quarters. Looking around, she decided these would do, very nicely.

  Ω

  Gorn was aware of the whole scenario unfolding, which was hardly surprising considering he was its author. It was he who directed Darl to Garnoth, and he who activated another hidden routine within the Avatar’s programming. He thought it only fair to permit his signature to be seen by the machine. It was unable to divulge his identity, as he had tapped into its fundamental programming, nor could it prevent itself from advancing upon those who would destroy it and in so doing, herald its own destruction.

  It was never Gorn’s intention to harm any living person in that room, irrespective of who they were. All he wanted, was the Avatar to trigger the protective response of the guards’ weapons, and so remove the only evidence that could link him with the plot.

  What of Garnoth?

  Much though it pained Gorn, to implicate an innocent man, in Garnoth's case innocence was a relative term. Even Darl would find it difficult to accept that the Avatar acted alone, and given enough time, Darl and Garnoth would find a way back to Gorn. The only way to prevent that from happening was for the Avatar to denounce its master before its complete destruction prevented anyone from disproving its final words.

  What of the Avatar?

  Over the preceding weeks, Gorn had come to know the machine better than anyone, far better than those who built it, or the man whose engrams it contained. He was aware of its thought processes right up to the moment of its destruction. The one thing that troubled him was the corruption of its programming. He knew this made no sense, the Avatar had no feelings and no personality, it may have looked and sounded like a man, but it was not a man. Yet, during those last few moments, when it was confused and could not put a name to what it was experiencing, he thought he sensed what might have been a fledgling emotion, sorrow.

  He consoled himself, knowing what he had done was necessary and he derived no pleasure from it, but tucked away at the back of his mind, in a place he hoped he would never visit again, was the knowledge that he alone, might have witnessed the first sputtering flame of truly sentient artificial life, now extinguished, forever.

  That was more than an hour ago and it was time to deal with other matters. He checked the time, soon Trang would be outside the door. Narol’s current whereabouts were displayed by the console, and Gorn raised his eyebrows.

  It was at that moment that Trang chose to arrive. The image of her standing outside his quarters, appeared in the centre of the room, but before she had a chance to say anything, Gorn gave the instruction for the doors to be opened. ‘It’s time we met my aunt, and you’ll never guess where she is!’

  Ω

  Gorn and Trang made their way to the bridge. As expected, Darl greeted them as he exited his stateroom, with none other than Narol.

  The commander remonstrated with them. ‘While you are to be lauded for seeking such an early return to duty, I must insist that you follow orders and return to quarters.’ Despite his many failings, he was protective towards his younger officers.

  Trang, made mild protestations to the effect that she was fit and ready to resume duty, and in so doing, steered him away from Gorn and Narol. This appeared to amuse Darl who, as he patiently listened to the spurious reasons espoused by the young woman, was wholly oblivious to a second, quieter conversation between the science officer and Narol.

  It was the first time Gorn had seen his aunt looking less than composed. She appeared genuinely nervous, perhaps, he thought, she’s frightened I’m going to expose her, here and now. There would only be moments to get his message across. After a few brief seconds, Narol had regained her composure and the two of them parted.

  Trang knew her part in the subterfuge was over as soon as Gorn walked over to the commander, leaving Narol alone with her thoughts.

  ‘Sir, when do you propose debriefing me on the matters we raised this morning?’

  ‘To the point, Gorn,’ Darl responded. ‘There’s no longer any need for a debrief, all the evidence we needed was on Kirion’s console. It seems he had suspicions for some time, but couldn’t pinpoint what and where Garnoth's Avatar would strike. I’m not even sure I should be telling you this,’ he looked over to Narol as though to satisfy himself she was out of earshot, and saw her walking towards a newly reactivated teleport station.

  ‘Some of the AI techs seem convinced that the Avatar might have evolved some kind of intelligence, independent of Garnoth. We’ll probably never know why it destroyed itself,’ he noticed
surprise in Gorn's face. ‘Oh yes, that’s what the techs seem to think. Solving that problem will keep them busy for years, although I know they would rather have had the machine for analysis.’

  The commander took a deep breath. ‘There are a few power players, both inside and outside the Agency, who have been waiting for an opportunity like this to arise, well perhaps not quite like this. One thing is certain, Garnoth is finished.’ There was a malicious glee, barely suppressed in the way Darl spoke; he had never been comfortable with Garnoth and his Avatar on board his ship.

  As though remembering something, he spoke again. ‘I can see what the two of you are up to.’

  Trang was the first to respond. ‘You can?’

  ‘It’s obvious to an experienced hand…you're trying to get yourselves involved in this investigation, the answer is, no! You’ve been through enough, for one voyage,’ he looked at them as though weighing something in his mind. ‘You might as well know that I've put you both forward for commendations, be satisfied with that and get yourselves back to your quarters.’ He turned to Gorn. ‘I’d wager it was Trang's idea to come and see me?’

  ‘You couldn’t possibly expect me to betray a confidence, sir?’

  Darl smiled. ‘Of course not, but I would watch this young woman, she is very persuasive.’ More seriously, he added. ‘I won't leave either of you out of action for any longer than the minimum required by regulations. You will be seen by counsellors in three hours, and back on duty tomorrow morning,’ it was critical to the mental wellbeing of the crew that the Te’ath sidereal clock was maintained while on board.

  He stepped back, and both young officers inclined their heads in acknowledgement before made their way from the bridge.

  Approaching the teleport stations, Gorn stopped. Despite his rational mind telling him that all teleports were cleared as safe, his instincts threatened to overwhelm him. Feeling Trang's hand on his arm, he looked at her and saw reassurance in her eyes. Rationality restored, he stepped onto the platform.

  Ω

  Back in her quarters, Narol made straight for the console, and sat down. Darl was keeping her out of the loop, but she expected that she was about to be enlightened. She accessed her personal log knowing that while such items were always subject to surveillance, her brilliant nephew would have ensured that not only was this communication private, there would be no trace of it ever existing, once she had viewed it.

  Gorn's disembodied face appeared in front of her.

  ‘Hello, Aunt. Everything seems to have gone as well as you could have hoped, with the exception of Kirion, but that didn’t have to happen. Perhaps you thought there was no choice, and that makes you very dangerous, you bite and I need to draw your poison. First, we should have no more contact. Second, you will take no action against Trang, our families or myself, and you had better hope that we all remain accident free. If you succumb to the temptation to make good your attempt on my life, your network will be laid bare before the Agency and the Council,’ the image fell silent, giving her time to absorb the ultimatum. ‘I imagine you're probably weighing up the probabilities, and wondering whether I can deliver on my promise.’

  The image smiled. ‘When the Avatar came on board you must have panicked. How, you must have thought, could I possibly fulfil my promise to you, when our every action was being monitored by Garnoth and his machine?’ Another pause, and Narol had the uncomfortable feeling that it was not simply a holo-image before her, but Gorn himself. The feeling was still there when the message continued. ‘Despite your network of agents on board this ship I suspect that what I’m about to tell you will come as something of a surprise. I used the Avatar to sabotage the Tellurian mission, and ensured Garnoth was implicated. It was I who instructed the machine to seek its own destruction, to prevent the Agency tracing anything back to me.’

  Her nephew stopped talking, and Narol felt his eyes bore into her. How was he able to do that? At once everything became crystal clear to her. She had grossly underestimated his abilities. He had already ensured his safety and anonymity, sweeping aside her clumsy attempts to protect the Vanguard. If he could use the Avatar to wreck the invasion plans, he most certainly could destroy her network. She looked at the silent image, knowing that it would not speak again. Her feelings and thoughts were as one, Gorn was the most potent force the network had uncovered in three thousand years, and she had alienated that force.

  Despite the success of the operation, she knew she had delivered a more damaging blow to the rebellion. Within moments, the image was gone and she was alone in her quarters. Narol wondered, ruefully, what she could have achieved with Gorn by her side and then, pushing such thoughts to one side, set in motion the order rescinding the death sentences on her nephew, and the girl.

  Ω

  Gorn turned to Trang. ‘She’s played the message, it’s over.’

  Trang sighed. ‘You know we can't go back after all we've seen…and done.’

  He nodded, but added wistfully, ‘I'm not sure if we would have more chance of success with my aunt than without her.’

  ‘We both know she’s too unstable.’

  He had to agree. ‘What about their intelligence network? She knew of the invasion plans well enough in advance to get me involved.’

  ‘Oh,’ Trang responded sweetly, ‘you’ve already shown yourself to be adept at listening in on her plans. I've no doubt you can extend that to her entire network once we've identified them…’

  He cut in. ‘Once we've identified them?’

  ‘We’re still a team, aren't we?’

  He nodded, liking the sound of that, but adding: ‘The team needs to be bigger, we need to involve your father, and mine as well as the others.’

  She could see the beginnings of a frown appearing. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘My father. If Narol was looking to get rid of me, because of what I know, she would want to kill him at the same time. If she hasn’t done anything already, he’ll be safe, but…’

  She smiled. ‘There is no but. Don’t you think they worked that one out themselves? Between them, Jaron and my father have quite a network. Any attempts on your father would have failed.’

  ‘You’re probably right, and as far as their involvement…’

  ‘They’re already involved, and we do need their experience. For a start, do we make everything that’s been happening public knowledge?’ She shook her head. ‘Imagine the impact? We can't be naïve and rush in, but neither can we sit back and do nothing, that would be no more effective than your aunt and her people. The fact that this invasion failed, won't stop the Council from trying again, somewhere else. We have to be ready, and this time we won't be able to cast blame on an Avatar.’

  ‘We’ve already had some help,’ Gorn then told her of the discussion between Garnoth and Tala.’

  ‘That makes all the difference, I had no idea the Council were so vulnerable. We need to find out who is in the anti expansionist faction and work on them, plant the seeds of Custodian involvement and nurture them, while playing down the role of the rebellion.’

  Gorn knew that she was right, on all counts, but it was not going to be easy. If they succeeded, Te’ath would change immeasurably in just a few years. Of course, at that precise moment, neither of them had any idea that there were other, unforeseen changes just over the horizon, and not all of them welcome.

  Ω

  By the following day, Tala was satisfied that her meeting with Garnoth would not be overheard or overseen. She had also carefully examined the evidence that led to the arrest, it was compelling. The young Zagball star, Gorn had acted properly when he spotted the anomalous spike in the Tellurian bound transmission. Taking the news to Kirion was what she would have done, in his place.

  She had seen, and done many unpleasant things as an agent, but could well imagine how the death of Kirion must have affected the young man, Zagball certainly didn't prepare him for that, she thought wryly.

  The Avatar must have been monitoring all activi
ty concerning the carrier wave. When Gorn spotted the anomaly it will have been noted, and all his movements tracked. From that moment he was marked for death. Further analysis of the accident confirmed what she already suspected. The Avatar tampered with both teleport bays. Had Kirion waited just a matter of seconds, it was certain that both would have died, and a vaporisation of that magnitude would almost certainly have terminated the girl. Neither young officer had been told that it was not an accident as Darl saw no point in worrying them unduly. He had foolishly, in her view, advised the boy he was now safe. At first glance, the statement was correct, he was safe from the Avatar, but the machine was just a tool. The underlying danger remained and that might give her the edge she needed to find her quarry; keep watching Gorn and wait for the strike. Her theory was based on the premise that Garnoth was innocent, and that was where her problem lay. For her plan to have a successful conclusion, he had to be found guilty!

  As Tala entered Garnoth's detention cell she saw the man she once venerated and feared, sitting in the corner of the small room and looking straight at her. He had the look of a man who had resolved what he must do, and was content with the outcome. The one time spymaster gestured to the simple chair next to the bench upon which he sat.

  Once she was seated, he spoke. ‘I take it we are not being monitored?’

  ‘Of course not,’ she replied. ‘If Darl hadn’t agreed to the condition, I wouldn’t be here now.’

  Nodding, he proceeded to explain his theory, and Tala simply listened. When he had finished, she asked him the one question she dreaded asking, because she already suspected what his answer would be. ‘What do you propose we do now?’

  ‘There is only one solution, as you very well know. The Council must be presented with a neat package. It is already abroad that I have been arrested, and while I live, our quarry will think he or she remains in danger. You need to close the case quickly, with no loose ends. This will allow our saboteur to carry on business, unafraid of discovery. It is only then that you can pursue your own line of enquiry, and discover the truth.’