by Jessie Wolf
“Sweet mother of god! Can you tell how long this has been going on?”
I got that for you Maiha and if that last bit of information upset you this is going to blow your top. Ever since General Stonewall and Blackstone were posted here nineteen years ago and your buddy Blackstone took his seat in the Hall of Lords as the rep. for the Blackstone and Kiel Families. (Dee De)
“YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME! That son-of-a-Harconain night porter. I will have his balls for breakfast and his ass for dinner. Dee De get me the Provost Marshal at the P.D.F. Head Quarters.”
Give me a minute. (Dee De)
“Get me the Head of Space Port Security Charley I want this to be a conference call.”
Doing it now commander. (Charley)
While I waited for them to make the connections I went over in my head the possible amount of credits that could have been syphoned off by all the parties involved. The number that I came up with was staggering. More than two hundred and seventy billion Gold credits. Almost a full one third of the planetary income for the past seventeen years. If those greedy sons-of-bitches had managed to get the military manufacturers placed on the open market like the rest of the planets manufacturing base it would have been closer to two thirds. Oh shit! I sent Suzume into that snake pit with only her father for backup. “Kina I need you in here right now with Gin please.” I yelled out.
While I was waiting for them I began to write out orders for Maj. Howard. I knew I could just send him the orders over the house net but I didn’t trust that it hadn’t been hacked. Or that someone wouldn’t sell off the info in this order to one of the opposition. If I was right even though we were paying top dollar to the House troops and the Household staff they were still squeaking by.
“You called for us, my Lady?” asked Kina.
“Yes. I know it is late but I need you the two of you to carry a message to Maj. Howard for me. Please don’t argue with me. I don’t want the two of you going over there by yourselves. I have a feeling that at least one or more may be in the employ of one of my enemies if they were to see the two of you by your selves in that area it will raise suspicion. Ladies Maids just don’t enter a military compound by themselves. Now here you go and be careful.” Was all I told them before I sent them on their way.
Commander: I have the Space port head of security online (Charley)
And have the Provost Marshal. (Dee De)
“Thank you.”
“Gentlemen I am sorry for the late hour of this call. But the reason for it is rather important. You see some information regarding a very sophisticated form of embezzlement has come into my possession. I will be sending the two of you the file; once you have it down loaded and then printed out as a hard copy.” I told them.
“How does this involve the Military ma’am?” asked the P.M.
“It’s involves the former High Lord Marshals for this system. It would appear that they have been receiving pay offs from certain members of the Civilian Parliament.”
“What may I do for you, Lady Nakatoma?” asked Plaint.
“Chief, I need you to stop any and all members of the local government from leaving the planet and there for the system. Can you do that or will you need help from Col. Campbell over in Space Command?” I told him.
“I got it taken care of Lady Nakatoma.” Was all he said. Then he signed off.
“Lady Nakatoma, you have leveled some rather steep charges against the members of Parliament, Hall of Lords and the Governor as well. Do you have any idea of what this could do to the Hades government?” asked the P.M.
I was beginning to doubt his loyalty to the P.D.F. so I decided to be up front with him. “Yes I do, sir. I believe that with the arrests of the corrupt individuals who are raping this planet the people who live here will have a better life. Without having to give up more than fifty percent of their income for taxes. Now are you going to be part of the solution or part of the problem? I hope the former but if it the latter I will have no qualms about having you arrested for mutiny. Do I make myself clear sir?”
“By what authority do you have the right to have me arrested little girl? From what I understand you have not been appointed as Head of House or even graduated from high school yet?” came his rather snide reply.
That was it; I had had enough. It was time to put this ass hat in his place. “You want to know by what authority very well then. By High Command order 801b, sub section 5, as pursuant to combat personnel in the field under unusual circumstances, and as the recently appointed Head of House for the Nakatoma Family by First Lady Nakatoma Dai Etsu I am assuming command. Authorization Delta 7219, Beta 6 Code word Hell Fire. Understand you self-righteous ass hat. If I have to I will relieve the enter P.D.F. High command and have each and every one of them along with you in irons before sunrise. Do I make myself clear? I will cut out the corruption in this system it is the last thing I do. Now fallow your orders Col.” I know it is a gamble to try using my old codes. But I have to get this guy either on my side or out of the way.
A few seconds later he came back to me. “Lady Nakatoma, please forgive me. I had no idea that you were a First Lord of the Death Dealers or that you had been appointed to the Head of House for your family. Of course I will give you my full cooperation in this matter. What do you need me and my command to do?”
That was more like it. It also seems that my rank as a First High Lord has been given to my ‘granddaughter’. I think the High Command on Earth Prime is going to back any play I make in this system. It also tells me that they know something is up in this area as well. What I don’t know. But I will find out. But first I had to get the political situation under control and returned to the people of this system. Start by arresting the corrupt members of the government. “Col. I need you to swear out arrest warrants for the people on that list. Then execute them in the morning. Don’t worry about the Lord high Marshal; I will inform him of what is going on myself.”
“Very well, my Lady I will get on right away. Good night.” And with that he signed off.
Dee De get the Lord High Marshal on the line for me please.”
Working up the connection now. (Dee De)
I know I am pushing the situation but I have to stop those ass hats before they can cover their tracks.
“General, please forgive the late hour. It is unfortunately necessary. I am sending you a file that you should download then print out in a hard copy format. What I have discovered is that the corruption I uncovered with your predecessor goes far beyond just the local H.C.S. and the P.D.F. I have taken steps to have the individuals on that list arrested for treason in the morning.” I waited for his reply. I could hear his printer in the back ground. A few seconds later.
“My Lady Nakatoma, if you have any I repeat any grief or aggravation from my command let me know. For the past four years I have been trying to find a link between the people on this list and the corruption that has run rampant on this planet.” I could hear the excitement in his voice. “To finally be able to put a stop to it has been a goal of mine for a while. When I was promoted to Lord High Marshal one of the first things I did was to run the Back ground checks you had suggested. Because of that there are now nine new members of the ‘Stonewall platoon’ over at the stockade awaiting trial. You will have the full support of this chain-of-command Lady Nakatoma.”
I was a little shocked by the fact he was already investigating the corruption on Hades. “General were you sent here by the High Command on Earth Prime to investigate what was going on here on Hades or the entire system?”
“No ma’am I wasn’t. Hades is to be my retirement posting, but as I traveled around in my duties what I saw sicken me. So I started digging on my own. However I kept hitting road blocks in my investigations. I had just about given up on it. Then two days ago I get handed all the power and authority I needed to tear down those road blocks by rising to Lord High Marshal. All thanks to you.” Boy was he happy. No wonder he came out to the port the other day to thank me pers
onally. I had given him the key to solving half the problems here on Hades. Ok that gets him in my corner. Now to go in for the kill.
“Lord Marshal I have to ask but how do you feel about the High Families here on Hades? What I mean is, are there any besides House Nakatoma that you feel we can trust?”
“That is simple, Lady Nakatoma. The fallowing Families need to go. Blackstone, White, Rossi, Thorn, Thornhill, Stonewall, and Chapel. All of who are on the list as traitors or as their representative.” I hear a heavy sigh on his end. “All of these individuals have at one time or another managed to block my own investigations. The rest of the High Families are trust worthy as far as it goes. However they have been rendered almost powerless in the Hall of Lords as the other seven are either the First Lord for the Hall of Lords, and the entire Counsel of Lords for the Hall of Lords in the Parliament it’s not much there they control the Planetary Governor, the Sectary General for the Planetary Parliament, its First Speaker, and the ruling Party Leader. In other words that whole stinking lot needs to be ripped out like a cancer.”
“Very well then; that is exactly what we will do. Starting tomorrow morning we are taking back the government of this planet and returning it to the people and the High Families who can be trusted to do their duty to the people.” It was getting late so I decided to end the call and go to bed. “Until tomorrow General goodnight.”
“Any time My Lady; any time. Until tomorrow, goodnight.” And he signed off.
Hey kiddo you’re pushing it kind of hard here aren’t you? I mean the way you’re going about this it’s like an assault on the Government and all its branches. You sure this is the rout you want to take? (Dee De)
“No Dee De, I’m not. However it’s too late to stop now. If we do the ones we’re after they will not have a chance to cover-up or get rid of evidence. I have wanted to know why they left my daughter and her husband to die on Havens Mist for over twenty years now. It looks like they did it on purpose so that the strongest House Family would be weakened by infighting. With the ruling Family without representation in either the Hall of Lords or Parliament they had free run in getting what they wanted. Well the Nakatoma Family has a rightful Head of House. I will no longer allow them the chance to bleed this planet dry.”
This will look like a coup you know that, right? I mean you’re using the P.D.F. Provost Marshall and to carry out the arrests of civilian personnel. They might just brand you a revolutionist and demand your own arrest. What will you do if they try that? (Dee De)
“Simple. I will become exactly that. But the difference will be that I will have not only our House troops at my disposal but the P.D.F. as well. Thanks to what the Provost did earlier I now know that my statutes as a Death Dealer are still in effect. This opens up all my options.”
The commander is correct Dee De. I have just finished verifying that the command and authority over ride codes for James Owens now belong to Nakatoma Maiha Mana. I have checked and rechecked but it would seem that the First Lord of the Military has assigned all of those codes to you. It would seem the High Command on Earth Prime once an active Death Dealer is in system and on planet. (Charley)
“Alright, I’ll buy that, but the 64 credit question is why? Those yahoo’s don’t do anything without a reason. Any guess’s as to why?”
Just one, commander, and I don’t think you’ll like it. (Charley)
“Ok Charley, out with it. What you got?”
You were originally coming here to say good bye to your fallen comrades. When you filed your flight plan back on Apollo they found a chance to place a Death Dealer in system and not go through channels; the very channels that would alert the people who are soon to be arrested. (Charley)
Only one problem with that Charley for James Owens to be able to act as a Death Dealer I would have to be activated. Before our entry to this system I was in a default state of inactive. (Dee De)
All it would take is the override signal to be broadcast at the jump point. Once we crossed into normal space you would have been activated. The prefect plan. The Death Gates system gets a Death Dealer First Lord who can take down the corrupted political system while giving one of the most highly decorated Death Dealer ever a chance to clear the names of his daughter, son-in-law, and the 3rd ACR. All the while getting a little justice and revenge on those responsible for what had happened on Havens Mist. What they had not planned for was the pirate attack. And the secondary reconfiguration protocols being activated. That is why the former High Lord Marshall rushed to clear your arrival. (Charley)
“Ok that sounds reasonable. Do you have any proof, Charley?”
Just a file with the title Operation Lazarus in the H.C. high security files. (Charley)
You did not hack the H.C. security files did you, Charley? (Dee De)
No need to Dee De we have full access to those files and any information in the H.C.S. and P.D.F. servers. (Charley)
When were you going to tell about this little ability? (Dee De)
I had thought that you knew already. It was on the read out of the reconfigure specs. It was listed as COMBAT CONTROL COMMUNICATION CENTER ACCESS LEVEL 5 INTER NET ACCESS UNLIMITED. Did you not realize what that meant? (Charley)
“So that’s what all that was about. I just thought it was a mobile C&C unit so I could help coordinate local combat operations in case of the destruction of the local C&C.”
With that type of access we can override everything done in the past forty years with just a command over ride. We can even change the outcome of the votes cast to pass the laws on this planet. (Dee De)
“We’ll pick this up in the morning. I need some sleep.”
I have just taken off my obi and sandals when Kina and Gin returned. They both quickly gave me a hand getting undressed. Then into a fresh sleeping corset and nightgown. Once I was ready for bed they informed me that Maj. Howard said that it will be done before sunrise. “Thank you ladies for all you’ve done for me this evening. I will see in the morning. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight my Lady.” And they left.
And with that I crawled into bed and went to sleep. And so ended my first full day as the Head of House for the Nakatoma Family. I hope that they all aren’t like this one.
Across town…..
Lt Suzume Walking Water’s Hotel room
“I cannot believe those people won’t even let me in to chambers. I’m her Ladyship’s appointed Representative with all the correct documentation. How can they just stop me from even going in?” I was ranting I know but I was furious. That and afraid of what Lady Maiha will do when she finds out. I know that she wasn’t joking about sending in the A.P.S. House troops or calling down the full might of the P.D.F. in an all-out revolt. What is even more terrifying than that would be her using her ability to call in other Death Dealers and how many she would bring in? That would be something I would not want to see.
“Child, you do know that all you have to do is sit back and wait, right?” asked my father.
“Papa just what in the name of all the gods are you talking about?”
“Oh the impudence of youth. Did you not see the other Representatives in the hall way from the other Families? The ones who are loyal to House Nakatoma. The ones who do all they can to try and stop the others who only support the off world Houses and Families.” He said looking at me. “Did you learn nothing from the members of the High Command Staff about politics child?”
I felt like a fool. Here was my father once again treating me like a child again. However Lady Nakatoma did send him with her to be an advisor in these matters. He had years of experience in these types of matters where I had almost none. “How could you know that? I mean I saw more than one person in the hallway. Besides which if they are being kept out what good will those do us?”
“Child, for once will you use that genius I.Q. for yours and think. Or do I have to break it down for you?” he said with some exasperation. “Well come on, think. Child, you have the ability now just put two and two toge
ther and come up with four.”
I still didn’t see what he was seeing. I mean if all those people in the hallway were the Representatives for the other Houses and High Families that would mean only seven Houses and Families were actually represented in the Hall of Lords and in the Parliament chambers. If that was the case then other fourteen Houses and Families have no representation in either branch of government. That would also mean that the Planetary Governor and Lieutenant Governor are in on the corruption of the system. They were the ones who were supposed to keep this from happening. It was like I was hit over the head with a club.
Before I could tell my father what I had come to realize there was a knock at the room door. “Are expecting someone, papa?” when he shook his head no I pulled my sidearm out and flipped off the safety. As I approached the door he did the same. Looking through the peep hole I saw a man in a hotel uniform. “Who is it?”
“Room service. I have the extra towels you order.” The man said through the door.
“We didn’t order any towels. Thank you any way.”
At that point he pulled out a high-powered assault rifle and pointed it at the door. I jumped back to the side before he could fire through. I watched as the door came off its hinges the fool was using high impact-high explosive rounds. Those things were made to take on A.P. Suits. Is he out of his mind using them in a hotel? They will go through the walls and the people on the other side. Not to mention making a mess out of whoever was his target. As I roll out of the way the assassin charges into the room. He sees me before my father which may be why I am still alive. Because as he turned his weapon on me my father put four rounds from his pistol in the center of his chest and one in the head. Talk about your training taking over that was old school C.Q.C. battle drill. As I watch the assassin fall I saw that he had a backup who was coming through the door aiming at my father. I didn’t think twice. I put two in his chest and two in his head.