“Yes, Sir!” they shouted.
“Fall out!”
The group fragmented and headed for the building, though there was very little chatter, none of the candidates knew each other yet. Kaufman and Barski watched the rabble heading towards their new quarters.
“This is starting to feel ever more like a military unit, Eric,” said Max.
“True, but then, isn’t that a fair assessment of our new role?”
“I’m just not sure we should be drawing from the ranks of the police force if we want to create a team of killers.”
“They’ll do what is needed of them, just as we will. The very reason we have been selected instead of military personnel is because we ask these questions when they do not. I want to interview each of them separately before the day is out. I want you there throughout, you can keep the men updated via the comms.”
* * *
Kaufman sat at the desk in the room allocated to him. It was clinical in its design and condition, nothing more than what was essential and not a speck of dust in sight. The door to the room rang out with three knocks. Eric looked over at Max, knowing that their work was about to begin.
“Come in!” shouted Kaufman.
The door swung open and Sergeant Denver came in. He was an imposing man in his stature and confidence, but from his body language he also commanded a lot of respect and had a profoundly capable nature.
“Sergeant, please sit down.”
Denver took off his cap and sat down before them. His badge was gleaming, his dress uniform impeccably turned out. The badge had been worn down through many years of polishing, it was clear that he had served for a long time. His file showed he was thirty-nine and had served since the age of nineteen.
“Sergeant, may I call you Ray?”
“Yes Sir.”
“Ray, I am going to be straight with you. Yesterday I was a Detective Sergeant. Today things are very different. You must surely understand the complications in forming a trusting and effective team in such a short period?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Along with Barski here, you are one of three sergeants among the list. Over the coming week I will be establishing sections and their leaders, it is important that this unit has a well-established chain of command. I want you to continue at your current rank in this unit. However, know that like everyone else, you will be expected to prove yourself. If you make it through selection, you will continue in the IBI with this rank.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“That will be all, Sergeant.”
“Sir, I thought this was an interview?”
“It is, but I have learnt all I can and need to learn from sitting in an office. I like you Ray, I think you will be a solid addition to the team, please don’t disappoint us.”
Denver grinned widely, he was a confident man, never showing an ounce of fear and had clearly relaxed with the information he had been given.
“Thank you, Sergeant, I’ll see you in the morning,” said Kaufman.
Both men left in the room knew that few interviews that day would be as quick or smooth. By the time they reached the last candidate, Kaufman had sent eight back home. There was no room for error in this new work and he needed to be thoroughly confident in the men and women who he would soon call colleagues.
Kaufman sat back in his chair, his feet resting on the table. His back ached from being stuck in the room for so long, he was tired and agitated. There were many fine men and women who had passed through their office that day, but also some testing ones. Barski sat with his head in his hands, thoroughly bored of the repetition. The door knocked harshly, but neither man responded for a moment, not until the door was knocked again.
“Come in!” shouted Kaufman.
He didn’t remove his feet from the table, a fact he knew that the military officers of the camp would hate if they saw it, but one that also amused him. A woman walked into the room, she was of oriental origins. She was slight in figure, but she stood upright and walked with confidence. She wore civilian clothes, but an officer’s badge was hung about her neck. She stood before them, almost at attention, awaiting command.
“Sergeant Lin?” asked Barski.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Please, sit down,” said Kaufman.
She took a seat before them, but she didn’t relax.
“How long have you been a Sergeant?”
“Two years, Sir.”
“And you’re twenty-six now, that’s some fast progress, Sergeant.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“So tell me, are you ambitious or just good at what you do?”
“Can I not be both, Sir?”
Kaufman smiled. The plucky sergeant amused him.
“You have risen quickly in the ranks, Lin, so where do you see your career going?”
“Honestly, Sir, I just keep doing my job, so wherever that takes me.”
“Lin, we need leadership. As you must be aware, this sort of unit would normally take months to set up, we have seven days. There are three sergeants among the ranks, Barski here, Denver and you. I want you to continue at your current rank throughout the training, if you make it through selection, and you continue to show the leadership skills required, you will keep that rank.”
“Will that be all, Sir?”
“Yes, you may leave.”
“Thank you, Sir. I look forward to working with you.”
Lin’s confidence still amused Kaufman and it was the sort of quality he could appreciate in a team leader. She walked out the room as Barski looked to Kaufman for some insight into the conclusion of the day.
“What next?” asked Max.
“We’ll start training tomorrow, but it’s more about selection and team acclimatisation than teaching them anything new. All of the candidates have the training for what we need so now we just need to establish the best ones for the job in hand. One other thing, I want a fourth sergeant. That’ll give us four sections of five people. Yours will be one man short, but you’ll usually be working with me.
“Ok, have you got any ideas?”
“At this stage, no, I want to see how they handle themselves tomorrow.”
At first light their training began, divided into three sections led by each of the sergeants. The remaining few days saw constant tests of tactics, marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, room entry tactics and evasive and aggressive driving tactics. On the evening of the sixth night, Kaufman and Barski sat in the office for the last time, the candidates’ files open on the desk.
Selecting team members based on skill was not an easy feat, seeing as they were all of a high calibre. However, the growing realisation of the work they were about to embark on had seen many leave in the previous days. They now had just twenty-three of the fifty candidates left on site. Kaufman flicked through the files on the screen.
“You know who you want to kick?” asked Max.
“Here you are, the five to be sent home.”
“Christ, I thought you’d need some time to make the decision?”
“No, tomorrow we are starting the most difficult task of our lives, it’s easy to reject applicants when you know you may well need to put your life in their hands the next day.”
Barski flicked through the file, he nodded as he did so. It was indeed true what Kaufman had said. Putting his life in the hands of relative strangers was not at all an appealing idea, so choosing carefully was easier than he had realised.
“You think Denton will really send us out tomorrow, Eric?”
“Yes, he has no choice, the last seven days have already used up more time that he could really afford.”
“Do you trust the team we have?”
“They are a competent group of officers, but do I trust them? No. When we know that corruption is rife, starting a unit from various departments of unknown officers is a major gamble. Sadly, there wasn’t really any other option. We need to develop as a team as quickly as possible, but we must also be very careful about any l
eaks within the unit.”
“We’re not ready for the mission they are going to hand us and you know it. We need a month of training at the least, and some less vital missions to get the team operational,” said Max.
“Again, time is not a luxury we have, we have to make do.”
Max shook his head. He had severe reservations about the plan and the unit they had established.
“What is it?” asked Eric.
“I just get the feeling that a politician has conceived this idea without any idea of field application, I think they are expecting more than we are able to offer them.”
“True, but this is the hand we have been dealt, let’s just go out there and give it our all.”
Chapter 4
“Attention!” shouted Barski.
It was early in the morning and the sun was up, beating down on the formed unit of potential recruits. Kaufman approached, dressed identically to the others. All were wearing military training black combat trousers and t-shirts. Each wore high cut combat boots and was stood in a uniformed fashion. There was only one aspect that set them aside from the army units, their haircuts.
“At ease!” shouted Kaufman.
He looked across the line of twenty-three men and women. They were all capable and experienced officers and had given a solid account of themselves over the selection process. He could see that they were all anxiously waiting for the results.
“Ladies and Gentleman, thank you all for your effort and dedication over the last few days. Those of you that are still standing before me today have shown an immense amount of skill and ability. However, as you know, we can only accept eighteen of you into the IBI. Therefore, I will not leave you hanging any longer. Lewis! Mathewson! Liu! Nilsson! Martinez! Thank you for your time, you are dismissed, please report to the base HQ, you will be debriefed and returned to your units!”
Kaufman and Barski watched as the heads bowed of those who were being sent home, though it was hard to tell if they were angry or relieved. Being accepted into their new team was a great opportunity for both career and reputation, but it was also a massive responsibility and gamble. Eric watched as the five men and women passed out of view, he turned back to the unit.
“I welcome you all into the IBI, congratulations!”
A cheer rang out as the officers erupted into a shrill of excitement.
“Alright! Alright, pipe down!” shouted Barski.
“The first thing we must set down before anything else is the chain of command. This organisation was formed on the recommendation of Senator Wilks to the President himself. Commander Denton runs the IBI from our office in Los Brezos. I presently command all field units. You will be organised into four sections, each led by a sergeant. Sergeant Barski here will be my Number Two and supersede all other field operatives except myself.”
As Kaufman looked around the unit they could barely hide their excitement and anticipation.
“Lin, Denver, step forward!”
The two sergeants stepped out from the line.
“These two officers will maintain their rank of Sergeant, each taking charge of a section. Diaz, step forward!
Kaufman walked along the line and stopped at the officer, Ricardo Diaz.
“Diaz has shown leadership and initiative above and beyond his station. Officer Diaz, I am promoting you to the rank of Sergeant in the Interplanetary Bureau of Investigation, effective immediately! Congratulations, Sergeant!”
“Thank you, Sir!”
In the distance they could hear a large vessel approaching, exactly at the time that Denton said he would. Kaufman turned to see the vehicle, his unit still formed and waiting with anticipation. A huge luxury space yacht hovered into view and touched down on the training ground before them. The ship had a sleek black hull of almost ninety metres in length. It was a lavishly design and a far cry from anything that would be seen on the military base.
The doors opened and a ramp extended to the ground, Commander Denton stepped through the opening and walking briskly towards them.
“Lieutenant Kaufman! I assume you have selected your team?” shouted Denton.
“Yes, Sir!”
Denton turned to the new team.
“Welcome all of you to the IBI. On any other occasion this would be a formal greeting and ceremony, but as you all know by now, that is a luxury that none of us can afford. Yesterday saw a major heist of a private security bank train on the Moon. This crime is already under investigation and is not your concern. I have reason to believe, based on assessment of the patterns of the crimes, that Mars will be a major target within days.”
The group looked at Denton with both shock and intrigue, they all knew that they would be put immediately on the front line, but the facts were still surprising.
“I present to you your ship, it will be your home for the foreseeable future. This vessel was seized from a Chinese crime lord last month, it cost more than all of you will earn in your life times, but take heed in the fact that we got it for nothing.”
“Sir, will it not send out the wrong message?” asked Kaufman.
“No, we are liquidating criminal assets and putting them to good use, I want that to be public knowledge. Anyway, it was the only vessel that was up to the task that I could procure in such a short time. She’s faster than anything her size and is ideal for the job. I have had key modifications made internally, including a substantial armoury and dock with six patrol cars.”
“I don’t know what to say, Sir.”
“Don’t be fooled by the luxury, the job you have to do is going to be down and dirty. Now, you cannot waste any further time, it’s a two day journey to Mars, we’ll be in regular communication to help you get fully operational. I see you have three qualified pilots among your ranks that can handle this ship, you should get moving immediately, your take off clearance has already been cleared and a course plotted.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Good luck to all of you!” shouted Denton.
“Those qualified to fly this beast head for the bridge to get accustomed with the systems. Fall out and mount up!” shouted Kaufman.
The team immediately descended upon the vessel’s ramp. Kaufman shot a look at Denton as he watched them embark. Denton’s face was showing immense concern, it was clear that there was a lot lying in the balance. The Commander walked up to Kaufman.
“Just remember, results are essential, failure will be met with serious consequences.”
Kaufman nodded, he knew what was at stake, and almost all of the pressure sat on his shoulders. Denton was in charge of the operation, but as head of the field teams, he would likely take the blame for any mistakes. He followed up the ramp behind the last of his team and hit the door switch. The interior was even more lavish than he could have imagined, a level of luxury he had never before seen in his life.
The floors glittered with a shimmer from the crystal inset marble. There was an elevator either side of the corridor, another door ahead of them. The men were cramming into both of the elevators. Mirrors surrounded them on all sides.
“Take us up to the bridge!” ordered Kaufman.
The doors shut behind them and the elevator rocketed up, taking just seconds to reach the bridge. Kaufman could see the list of levels alongside their appropriate switches, there were four floors in the ship, but the doors had opened before he had time to read what each of them were. The ten men poured out onto the bridge floor, the other half of the team already investigating their new command centre.
It seemed that Denton had had only limited time to refit the vessel, the majority of it still being the lavish luxury yacht interior that it used to be. Computer consoles and workstations had been retrofitted throughout. The bridge was ten metres square. Up ahead they could see out across the military base, the thick translucent plastic stretching all the way over their heads. It was more like a viewing deck than a command centre, though it would allow them a remarkable peripheral vision.
“Who here
is flight trained for this?” asked Kaufman.
“We are, Sir.”
“Right, Anders, take the helm. Singh, Weber, stick with him and familiarise yourself with the systems, get us in the air asap!”
All the crew stood on the bridge, eagerly awaiting lift off. Half of them had never even left Earth. Kaufman had no memory of having done so either. They could hear the engines increase in pitch below them and the weighty yacht lifted off the ground, so smooth that you would barely know you were in the air if you could not see it for yourself. An intercom rang at one of the consoles. Kaufman pressed the open channel button.
“Kaufman, it’s Denton. Put me on speaker.”
“You’re on, Commander, all twenty crew in attendance.”
“I am sorry I did not have time for more of a ceremony for you all. Ideally I would also have liked some time to go over the ship’s features with you all, but I am needed at the office. We are still setting up essential systems. The office team have been recruited and are working to get us operational. I will have one of our team contact you later today for further information. For now, I want you to acclimatise yourselves with the vessel. Quarters have been arranged for all of you with extensive wardrobes.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Oh, and one last thing. I had the name removed from the ship before you took delivery, as it was not fitting for its new purpose. Kaufman, naming the ship is your decision, for now you are flying with the temporary handle of IBI1.”
“Thank you, Commander.”
“Good luck to you all, Denton out.”
Kaufman looked up through the viewing deck. The crew were all fixated on the view as they were breaking through the atmosphere. Everyone remained silent, simply staring out beyond the ship until they finally broke out of orbit. Space travel had never appealed to Kaufman, but he could not help but feel in awe at the sight before him.
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