by Sam Lippert
“All three of you are alive and out of danger. In the intelligence business that is an unqualified success!” Winette shook her head.
“I'll need money. From the sounds of it, a lot of money.” Tranda's lips curled into a smile, and the Saffronite's eyes twinkled as they always did at the thought of a good Janga game or twenty.
“Give me your comcard.” Tranda took it out and handed it to Winette, who passed it through a scanner. “Your card is now linked to an account with more than you should need, unless you are not as good as Nathan says.”
* * *
Omany spent less than five minutes in the security station. Remi knew this because she was still in the excruciating process of attempting to place an n-wave call to her mother from an Axis comcard issued to an enlisted sailor, when he came gliding out of the door.
“Come my child,” her mentor verbally nudged her. “This,” he produced a comcard from his robes, “will keep the wolves at bay only until the Sargent awakens and notices that it is missing.”
Remi moved to put her comcard away, when the screen lit up with a friendly face.
“Winette?” the Princess' jaw dropped as she said it. “How in the hell?”
“Imperial Intelligence, remember?” the agent smiled. “If you and Omany are done playing with security, take the next shuttle to Vegas. Meet me at a place called The Joint. I will have a comcard for Omany when you arrive.”
“Vegas?” the Princess was confused. “Nathan and Nola are in Nexus, aren't they?”
“Trust me, sister, Vegas is the place to be right now.” With that Winette cut the connection.
* * *
Gambling has been a part of human existence as far back as anyone has cared to investigate. There have been many times in history when it has been made illegal in an ill conceived attempt to put a stop to it, but it flourishes non-the-less. There is just something uniquely human about putting it all on the table and placing a bet, usually with no more knowledge of the outcome than a hunch or a feeling, but always with the hope of hitting it big.
At a time when it was illegal on most of Old Earth, gambling built a city in the desert southwest of one of the most powerful, but also most puritanical nations on the planet. That city was Vegas' namesake.
Although gambling, the concept, has been with humanity throughout the ages, every generation or so we find a new way to do it, and that game becomes the rage. The others, things like Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Texas Hold'em (and many, many more) never go away, they just take a back seat to what is currently en vogue.
Janga is this generation's game.
It has its roots in a parlor game invented in the late twentieth century on Old Earth. The game itself is one of dexterity and hand -eye coordination. The sequence of events that brought the game from its humble beginnings to the spectacle it is today, while interesting, have no place here.
At its core, Janga involves players attempting to re-stack a tower of blocks, a single block at a time, without causing the tower to fall. The tower is comprised of eighteen layers, each consisting of three rectangular blocks. The blocks of each layer are aligned edge to edge so as to form a square. Blocks of each layer are arranged to lie across the blocks of the preceding layer. Players take turns carefully removing a block from the tower and placing it on top of the tower. This continues until the tower falls. Such was the humble game of the twentieth century.
Janga, as it is played in Vegas, takes far more skill and cunning, and wagers occur on three levels. This three-tiered bet structure is part of why the game is so popular.
The blocks are colored: red, blue and green. Each layer of the tower is made up of one of each color block. The 'house' (casino) determines basic odds for the success of each of the three colors, these odds change after each move, as the structure and make-up of the tower changes. Players bid for the ability to move a block, by assigning an amount to a color. This is the color of the block the player will attempt to move. If he is successful, he wins a multiple of his bet, based on the odds assigned by the house. (Remember, the odds here are strictly based on the physics of the tower at the time the bet is made, not on the ability of the player.) This is the first tier.
The typical contest is between two players. Once player one has selected his color and placed his wager, player two can 'steal' the player's turn by betting more on either the same color, or a different color. The first player must then either outbid the second, or stand. This continues until one of the players stands. The player who stands then has the option of placing a bet against the success of their opponent. The wager is made directly with the opponent, and can be either accepted or denied by him. This is the second tier.
The game is played in front of an audience. The higher the stakes of the game, the larger the audience. High stakes games, of the nature of the one between Tranda and Marag, take place in what is quite literally a Colosseum with thousands of spectators. Once the player's wagers are set, the spectators get to wager on the success or failure of the turn, based on odds that take into account both the current nature of the structure and the player's overall skill at the game, based on their performance in every Janga game they have played in Vegas. These odds are only made known to the spectators, not the players themselves. This is the third tier of betting, and the one where Vegas makes most of its money.
There is one final bit of complication. At eighteen levels, the tower is not quite tall enough to be effected by the spin of the Vegas habitat, but as it gets taller, the effect becomes more and more pronounced. Many a Janga player who is considered quite skilled on his homeworld has found that he just could not quite get the hang of the game in Vegas.
Tranda sat opposite Marag. Getting into the game had not been difficult, as Winette had been on the ball and accepted the challenge on his behalf as soon as it was posted, before he had even agreed to play.
Working in a radio room, and living in one of the most expensive habitats in the galaxy, Tranda had never had the funds to play in a high stakes game before. In a way it was less distracting than other games. The table was on the floor of the arena, and was lit in such a way that the players could not even see the spectators, very different from the tables on a casino floor. Because of the stakes involved, the audience was quiet until after a move was made, something that never happened around the lower tables.
The first few turns of a Janga game were fairly predictable. The initial odds for all three colors were zero to one, so in the early game you simply got to keep your money if you were successful. As the game progressed and the tower geometry shifted, the odds could change quite rapidly.
Tranda got the first bid. He bet one thousand, the minimum bet, on red. He always opened with red. As expected, Marag declined to counter, or to place a second tier bet. Tranda waited for the light on the table that indicated the audience betting window was closed, then he removed the outside red block from level three and carefully placed it across the center top of the tower.
Marag made a similar move, removing an outside yellow block from row seven, placing it next to Tranda's red block.
Play continued in this low key fashion until turn eight. Marag took the conservative bet, wagering one-thousand on blue at twelve to ten odds. Tranda made his move, betting two-thousand on yellow at seven to one. Tranda could make a seven to one move with one hand tied behind his back and blindfolded, but Marag didn't know that. The General didn't counter, and offered a one-thousand second tier wager, which Tranda promptly accepted.
Tranda went for the obvious yellow move, a block in level sixteen. He was less than careful when removing the block, causing the tower to topple, giving the win to Marag. The tower was reset, and Marag's confidence was bolstered.
And so it went, over and over. Whenever possible for little cost, Tranda would topple the tower and Marag's confidence grew. The Saffronite didn't do it too often, for fear that Marag would catch on, but Tranda needed the General not to hesitate to go 'all in' when the time came. This style o
f play was lost on a linear thinker like Marag.
In match eight Tranda pulled out all of the stops, playing like a magical creature. The Saffronite made a ten to one play, causing Marag to lose ten thousand, a thirteen to one play where the General lost forty thousand, and a twenty-seven to one play that cost Marag ninety-six thousand, and that was just the beginning of how the Royal Guard was decimated in that match.
It all came down to round twenty. It was Marag's turn to start the bidding. True to form, he made the most conservative wager, betting ten thousand on red at ten to one. Tranda saw a yellow play he knew he could make, and bet fifteen thousand at fifteen to one. The bidding continued to escalate, until Marag was 'all in' on his red play. Tranda topped the General's bid by one thousand.
Marag could not stay in the bidding, and he saw no yellow play he felt the Saffronite could make. He offered a second tier wager that was the equivalent of his red bet, adding the claim check for the artwork for good measure. The Saffronite accepted the bet.
Now Tranda had to make the play.
* * *
Daniels spent the entire series of Janga matches watching from the front row, immediately behind Marag. With the lighting and his position, he had a great view of the game without the risk of being spotted by the General. Floor level was standing room only, so he had spent the full eight matches on his feet, a welcome change after what had seemed like all day on a shuttle. As he always did when watching Tranda play, he tried to spot the move his friend intended to make.
Frankly, this one had him stumped. He just could not see a yellow move his friend had any hope of making. Had Tranda become overconfident?
The feel of her hand in his wiped any concern for the game out of his mind. He knew immediately it was her, because the touch was accompanied by the tingle that always came when her skin met his.
Nathan turned to Remini, taking her other hand in his. Her beautiful brown eyes glistened with tears. He pulled her close...
The crowd erupted in cheers as Tranda's play was made! Nathan and Remi were jostled, disrupting the moment. Once again, the pair had been saved from themselves.
At least they were together again.
CHAPTER XII
With the Princess safely off the Kurufet Rising, Devka's mission was nearly complete. There was only one thing left to do. She inserted a memory crystal into the computer terminal in the Purser's office, and activated it. By necessity the Purser's terminal linked to all terminals and memory banks aboard the ship. With Devka's access codes, the program on the crystal could do its two part job: first, copy all of the data from the ship's systems onto the high-capacity crystal and second, implant a virus that would disable the ship's systems if an attempt was made to leave Axis.
The Empress had dispatched a unit of the Imperial Navy to collect the Kurufet Rising and her crew. The ship would be returned to a Navy dry dock, given a thorough security sweep, then it would be returned to service as the Imperial Yacht. The crew would not be so lucky. They would be tried for treason, with Devka's testimony and the data on the crystal being submitted as evidence.
When the cyber-sabotage was complete, Devka removed the crystal and secured it on her person. She made her way off the ship, ostensibly for shore leave. As she left she keyed a command to the virus that reprogrammed all of Kurufet Rising's airlocks to be entry only. The ship was now a very effective detainment center.
She purchased passage to Kurufet on a private space line. Not knowing the extent to which the traitors had penetrated the Navy, this seemed safer than riding home with the approaching vessels.
* * *
Unmitigated disaster. There was no other way for Marag to describe what had happened, and it was all that monster Sokolov's fault! He was the one who insisted on moving too soon! With the tracking device on the Nola he could have grabbed the Princess anytime, but Sokolov had forced his hand.
The last round of Janga had even cost him the claim ticket for the art he had pawned! He was so sure that this Tranda person was not going be able to make a yellow play, given the way the first seven matches had been played! The Saffronite had seemed extraordinarily lucky in the eighth match! That luck should have run out, but it had not, and now he had lost everything! Well, not everything, exactly, he still had the Princess and Kurufet Rising. His top priority was now to get back to the ship and figure out what to do next. This time without Sokolov's 'help.'
The lights came up in the Coliseum. As Marag turned to leave, he saw a dead man! 'Captain' Nathan Daniels was moving out of the spectator area, hand in hand with none other than Princess Remini! As the pair made their way over to congratulate his opponent, Marag realized just how badly he had been crushed.
If Daniels was alive, and the Princess was off the ship, that must mean Imperial Intelligence was involved. Likely there was an operative waiting nearby to arrest him. Marag did his best to melt into the crowd and slowly made his way to one of the spectator exits.
Surprisingly Marag was able to make it through the streets of Vegas and onto the shuttle back to Axis. In retrospect this should have been a clear indication to him that he was overlooking something.
The shuttle trip seemed to take an eternity. Once he was back on Axis he made his way to where Kurufet Rising was docked. Much to his surprise all was seemingly normal around the airlock. Looking back, this should have been another clue.
Once safely aboard the ship, his fear turned to rage. On the trip back, he had plenty of time to think about who the KII mole on the ship was. His first thought had been that Verstaten priest. All Kalifet military vessels sailed with a chaplain, who generally was not a member of the military. There had been no chaplain, of any denomination, within the anti-peace activists who had been available to crew the Kurufet Rising, so he had sailed with Mory, an unknown. Upon further reflection, he realized that Mory had not been with the boarding party when they took the Nola. Taking that into consideration he became sure Devka was the KII agent responsible for his downfall, as she had been the member of the boarding party he had sent to ensure Daniels was dead. He went to the nearest terminal and queried Devka's location.
Of course she wasn't aboard. Marag smashed his fist through the screen of the terminal. The violent act quelled his rage a little, giving him the ability to think a little more clearly. It was time to run. If Devka was no longer aboard the ship it was probably in his best interest to leave as well. She was no doubt meeting with a larger force of agents preparing to board the ship and arrest everyone.
Marag went back to the airlock he had just come through and attempted to exit. The door would not open. He keyed the command override code. Still the portal remained stubbornly closed. He rushed to the control room, even though he knew in the back of his mind it was futile. If Devka went to the trouble to seal the exits, there was no way the ship would be allowed to undock from the station. It was now obvious why he was allowed to make his way back to the ship after the disastrous Janga game.
The control room was empty as the ship was docked. This meant there was no one to see the General make a fool of himself as he attempted to 'cast off' from the station. The instant he finished keying in the command the ship's control systems shut down, and a notification from KII appeared on the screens stating that the entire ship was under arrest, and must wait for the authorities to arrive.
Once again, Marag was out of his element. A lifetime of training told him to stay put when ordered to do so, but he knew that doing so would only lead to the humiliation of a public trial and his eventual execution as a traitor. To avoid that he needed to improvise.
Luckily the Imperial Intelligence lock down virus did not disable shipboard communications. Marag was able to order the ship's computer technicians to the control room and set them to work disabling the virus.
More than anything, Marag needed time. He did not know when the arrest team would arrive, but he knew that if he could get the ship undocked from Axis it would certainly be more difficult for them to execute the arrest or
der.
Slowly an idea came to him. It was one that was so good, so original that it propelled him out of command and down to the engine room.
* * *
Mory had a duty to perform. It was not one he wanted to do, nor was it one he would take any pleasure in doing, but it must be done. A High Priest of Verstaten had betrayed the Order. This offense must be reported to the Elite.
Princess Remini had not been at all startled when Omany, a man she thought to be dead, had sat up very much alive. There could be only one explanation for this. Omany, High Priest of Verstaten, had shared knowledge of at least one of the Ways with his young charge! This matter needed to be investigated by the Elite to determine just how deep the betrayal had gone, and so that an appropriate penalty could be handed down.
The young priest bought a ticket to Verstat, it was the most circuitous route he could find, with three stops along the way. Just because a task must be done does not mean it has to be done quickly.
* * *
“Remi, this is Tranda,” Nathan said as the pair approached the Janga table.
“Very nice to meet you,” Tranda took the Princess' hand, and kissed it, in a gesture that was centuries old. “So, you actually consented to a year with this one,” The Saffronite nodded in Nathan's direction, “In that tin can he calls a ship?” A smile broke across Tranda's face. “The few days a year he's here are rough enough for me, and these stations are huge!”
“It can be a bit trying,” the Princess beamed. “But, if you think Nola is a tin can, you really don't know a thing about spaceships!”
“Enough about me,” Nathan derailed that conversation train. “That was an amazing play Tranda! I really didn't see where you had a yellow move that you could make!”
“I, however, thought the play was obvious,” Omany stepped out of the crowd, followed closely by Winette. “Although I do think there was a blue play that would have been far more impressive.”
Tranda was thoughtful. “I think I know the one you mean. I considered it, but I was pretty sure removing that block would create an instability due to Vegas' spin. I felt the yellow was the safer play.”