"Something wrong, my dearest darling?" she said, mimicking his latest accent as she shut the door and helped him with the packages.
"You were supposed to select one or two outfits to help you blend into the general populous, not every bloody thing on the shelves that might fit!" he growled.
"Oh, please. Are you going to tell me that you didn't drink one of your precious gin and tonics the first chance you got?"
"I'll have you know that I made due with aged double-black whiskey."
"And I made due with shopping from a catalog rather than trying everything on. The sacrifices we make in the line of duty."
"Well then explain this!" he said, reaching into a bag and pulling out a small pink bag with dog bones and paw prints on it.
"Ooh!" she exclaimed, snatching it away and digging through it. "Ma, come here!"
"Garotte has returned. We must contact Lex. There is a message indicating that he attempted to contact us."
If Ma had been capable of being interrupted, she would have been. Instead, her slidepad finished reading off her statement as she was snatched away and assaulted by Silo with the contents of the bag. Garotte shook his head and walked over to the ship's console, plugging his own slidepad into the appropriate socket.
"Open Com Lex. Audio only," he said.
After a few moments of encryption and negotiation, the connection was established. There was the sound of hushed conversation and hurried shutting of doors.
"Lex, my boy?" Garotte said.
"Yeah! Yeah, Garotte, I'm here."
"Is this a bad time?"
"No, this is fine."
"Are you certain? Because it sounds like you aren't alone. And I had some very personal questions to ask."
"Yeah, there's going to be a lot of questions going in both directions. Can you switch on the video?"
"That depends. Who is with you right now?"
"My girlfriend Michella, and her intern, Jon."
"Get them to leave."
"I have information you need," Michella said, "And you have information I want. I can help you."
"Why would you have information I need? Why would you even know what information I need?"
"Told them some things," Lex said.
"Did you now? Well, Mr. Alexander, congratulations on making the transition from questionable asset to undeniable liability. Close c-"
Ma interrupted him, yipping madly. Garotte rolled his eyes.
"Give the computer her pad, would you?" he groaned without looking.
"Sorry sweetheart, here you go. Just try to hold still," Silo said, reaching over and handing the device to the creature.
"Girlfriend is reporter. May have good info," came the hastily assembled reply.
"I'm not certain a reporter is likely to have any information I can use."
"Hey! I'll have you know that it was her utter disregard for local laws and personal safety that got that signal to you from the pad on that ship! And all of that footage!" Jon objected.
"Was that the intern?"
"Yes."
"Tell the intern to leave."
"Hey!"
"Jon, you didn't even want us to contact them in the first place," Lex said.
"Yeah, but I finally managed to psyche myself up for it. I don't want to get kicked out after all of that!"
"This isn't a field trip. The students don't get to take the tour," Garotte said.
"I'm not just a student! I get a paycheck, too!"
"Out!" Garotte said.
"Jon, please," Michella said calmly.
"But! … Fine. I get to do all of the dangerous stuff and none of the fun stuff," he grumbled.
"One moment, my boy. A quick lesson before you go. The dangerous stuff is the fun stuff. Keep that in mind while the adults talk business."
Jon grunted, then there was the sound of a door opening and closing.
"He's gone," Michella said.
"Very well. Now, what's this about footage?" Garotte said.
"You haven't seen? Surely it made it to all of the special feeds by now!" Michella said defensively.
"Sorry, my dear. I have been a bit busy with my own concerns to be watching the local news."
"There was an attack on Tessera by the same people you're after. If you are able to accept a data transmission, I'll send you the raw data."
"Are we set up for that, Ma?" Garotte asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"Do it."
A few moments later, the video footage was delivered. Garotte tracked through it on the ships monitors.
"Egad..." he said quietly as he watched the insane race to the scene unfold in fast forward. "Those are our boys, alright. What the hell were they doing on Tessera?"
"I can tell you what they did, precisely, as well as the scope and depth of their involvement with several key military locations, but I'll require some information in return."
"And what might that be?"
"An even exchange. You tell me anything about this group that you've learned, anything you've done against them, everything."
"To what end?"
"So that I can include them in my eventual reports on this matter."
"That isn't feasible. I can't have any sensitive information I might have accumulated broadcast to the masses."
"If you agree to allow us exclusive access, then I will naturally hold back any information you give me for any reasonable amount of time. If you don't think that you can trust me, then just remember my name when your mission is through, because I guarantee you, I will find you. And I will have questions. And I will expect gratitude."
Garotte leaned back and laughed. "Oh, I do love a woman with confidence. Let me get a look at you," he said, tapping the control to activate the video feed.
The scene that appeared on his screen was the inside of Michella's luxurious hotel room, the attentive young reporter with notepad and pen in hand, Lex beside her on the couch. They, in turn, saw Garotte sitting in the control chair, Silo and Ma out of view in the passenger and cargo area.
"And a toothsome young lady as well? Lex, my boy, my hat is off to you. Alright then. Since, as you say, we need this information, I would say that you should show your cards first."
"Fair enough. What would you like to know?"
"What were they after on Tessera?"
"They were stealing something called Esche alloy."
Garotte snapped his fingers. "Ma. The parts list. Is that on it?"
After a few moments, the reply came. "Esche alloy is the most difficult component of the CME Activator to attain. It is reasonable to assume that they are in possession of all of the other components, or have devised a way to manufacture them. Even if they have not, said components are simple to assemble from basic materials."
"Miss... I'm sorry what is your last name, my girl?"
"Modane."
"Miss Modane, exactly how much alloy was stolen?"
"8 kilos."
"Ma. How much alloy would they need to make one of those weapons?"
"Based upon initial designs, 350 grams."
"So they've got enough to make more than twenty of these things?"
"22.857142 repeating," Ma said.
"And how many weapons would they need to cause serious damage?"
"Deploying one device will cause intermittent failures and extreme damage in most unshielded electrical systems of a star system for approximately four to eleven days, depending on solar characteristics. Deploying three to six will cause a sustained effect that will completely destroy or irreparably damage all electrical systems of a star system and will last for a number of months evenly distributed about a mean of five months. A similar but diminishing effect will be felt within a radius-"
"Good enough for me," Garotte said, ignoring the remaining explanation as she droned on in the background. "How exactly did you get-"
"One moment, I want to hear the effects of the weapon," Michella said, scribbling furiously.
"Miss Moda
ne, you have my word as a gentleman that you will be given full access to the computer system's interminable supply of unnecessarily detailed facts when the key points have been covered. Now, as I said, how did you get a transmitting device onto one of their ships?"
"I threw it on there right before they took off. You actually might even see it on the video."
"The video mostly shows a wall during their takeoff," Garotte said.
"I know..." muttered Michella
"And how did you know that they would be heading to Tessera for the Esche alloy? That sort of information would have been helpful if you'd shared it with us, Lex, my boy."
"I didn't know they would be showing up. I went to Tessera to visit Mitch. There is a convention going on, and she's a speaker," the pilot explained.
"... One moment. Let me see if I understand this correctly. You were concerned that you were getting too deep into the dirty side of this operation, so you left for a resort planet, only to bear firsthand witness to what was unmistakably the most aggressive and deadly use of force since the operation began. Egad, my boy. What are the odds?"
"An accurate calculation of so infinitesimal a value exceeds my current resources," Ma said, having just finished her previous statement. "Mr. Alexander has a perplexing tendency to fall victim to statistically confounding coincidences and disasters. He appears to be a nexus of probabilistic aberration. It is a trait that could benefit from further study. Also, it is advisable that you pay attention to my-"
"Moving on!" Garotte interrupted, speaking over the continuing reprimand, "Contrary to my expectation, you seem to have some quality information. Let us get down to brass tacks, then..."
The next few minutes were densely packed with information. Michella delivered a carefully filtered list of places and names she had been able to unearth in her investigations. There were very few specifics, but each new organization or military post she named that had been infiltrated by the Neo-Luddites hardened Garotte's expression further. What few morsels of information he had been able to discover on his own agreed with her own findings, which unfortunately meant that her findings were almost certainly accurate. If that was the case, the scope of the task at hand was made infinitely more massive. Reporter and spy alike agreed that approximately six months ago, something or someone had injected the group with intelligence, finances, and leadership sufficient to turn them from a loosely affiliated group of dedicated but disorganized subversives to a surgical and single-minded organization.
In exchange for the fruits of Michella's labors, Garotte traded juicy but, from his point of view, strategically harmless bits of information. He described their equipment and tactics, the details of their maneuvers on Manticore. A fair share of the intelligence he'd dug up had been worthless to him, but would add plenty of depth and color to Michella's report.
"Right, well. I would say that was a mutually beneficial arrangement. I'll let you two get on your way."
"Wait. I would still like to ask this AI a few questions," Michella said.
"Ah, yes. Ma, come here and," Garotte began, leaning back to address the creature directly for the first time since the call had been placed. When he caught a glimpse of what Silo had been up to, he palmed his face. "Good lord, woman. As if the estrogen levels in this ship weren't high enough."
"What? I think she looks darling. Go 'head, sweetheart. Go answer some questions," Silo said from out of sight.
Garotte stood, shaking his head and muttering to himself while a quiet tapping approached the chair. A moment later Ma leaped into the vacated control chair, slidepad in her teeth, and set it down on the console. Silo had clearly been busy. The little creature was now wearing a small pink hoodie. She had a bright pink patent leather collar with a tag reading "Sassy" spelled out in pink and white sequins. There were clip-on faux hoop earrings, three in one ear and two in the other, a pink hair bow was clipped on top of her head, and her nails were painted, predictably, pink. Michella fought heroically to maintain her rigid and professional demeanor, but the bundle of tooth-rotting cuteness presented to her was enough to send a tremor through her carefully cultivated facade.
Ma tapped out a message. "Hello, Miss Modane. It is very nice to see you again."
"Again? Oh. Yes. In Trevor's apartment. When you... licked me."
"It seemed to be the expected behavior at the time."
Michella closed her eyes and tried to picture a simple computer terminal.
"Summarize the effects of the, er, CME Activator."
"Deploying one device will cause intermittent failures and extreme damage in most unshielded electrical systems of a star system for approximately four to eleven days, depending on solar characteristics. Deploying three to six will cause a sustained effect that will completely destroy or irreparably damage all electrical systems of a star system and will last for a number of months evenly distributed about a mean of five months. A similar but diminishing effect will be felt within a radius which will expand at the speed of solar wind. These estimates are based upon experimental data and simulation of the existing design. If proposed improvements are applied, the duration and intensity of the effects will increase by 200 to 300%."
"Have you traced the location of the device we were able to plant?"
"No. The high probability of its discovery shortly after it is remotely activated has motivated us to wait until the device is likely to have been taken to its final destination."
"When do you suppose that will be?"
"Undetermined."
"Would you be willing to send the footage Trevor described to me that was recorded during the initial capture of the scientist named Karter?"
"Pending the successful completion of this operation, I will gladly provide you with a copy of the footage, edited to remove any depiction of items or persons considered to be sensitive."
"Excellent," Michella said, opening her eyes and fighting back another coo of adoration. "And Ma?"
"Yes."
"Have someone take a picture of you dressed up like that and send it to me," Michella said quickly.
"Yes, Miss Modane."
"Goodbye. I'll be in contact."
"Goodbye, Miss Modane. You have been extremely helpful. Mr. Alexander, I don't suppose you have reconsidered your decision to withdraw from the mission. Your aid would no doubt be highly useful, and your presence is always appreciated."
"Uh..." Lex said, his hesitation enough to prompt a hard look from Michella. "No thanks, Ma. But let me know how everything turns out."
"I will be sure to do so. Goodbye."
"So long."
With that, she cut off the transmission.
"You heard her, sweetheart," Silo said, snatching Ma's slidepad. "Smile!"
Ma straightened mechanically in the chair, and produced the nearest approximation of a smile as could be achieved on a face that wasn't really designed for it. The result was halfway between grin and a snarl. Silo snapped the picture and turned the device to the AI.
"What do you think?"
Ma looked closely at the image, then looked herself over, for the first time noticing the degree of her transformation. She then tugged the slidepad from Silo's fingers and assembled a reply.
"Attractive though the accessories are, I fear that they may be undermining my already vastly diminished credibility in this form. Please remove them," she said. A moment later she pulled up the image again, then amended. "Except for the earrings. The nail polish may also stay."
"I knew you'd like it," Silo said, scooping up the AI and starting to remove the items Ma had nixed. "So, Garotte. What do you think about the mission now? I'd say the new info changes things."
"I'll say... What I had turned up suggested that they were military certainly, but if this Modane woman is right, and it seems likely, then... Well, virtually every military organization is likely to at least have eyes and ears. And the heists she says they pulled off... These folks are exceptionally well equipped."
"Well, they are fixated
on the dangerous, unstable stuff, right? Doesn't that mean there is a good chance that most of them will be at least equipped with things that are likely to blow up in their faces?"
"Maybe, maybe not. Funny thing about inconsistent and unreliable weapons; you cannot depend upon them to be consistently unreliable."
"You said we've got better weapons waiting for us at the rendezvous, right?"
"Better, yes, but not nearly good enough. With the sort of manpower and training we're looking at, they'll be good enough for a smash and grab or two, but only if we know precisely where our target is and we can get in and out quickly. For a full rescue, assuming they've taken the precaution to put Karter in a well guarded facility, we'll need a lot more men. But if they've got that alloy, and it is the last piece of the puzzle for them, then we've got to assume that they are going to be ready to deploy soon. At the very least, that means that Karter will have served the purpose they captured him for, and thus could be on his way to execution. More likely and more worrying, it means they are probably nearly ready to use the weapon, and they've gotten Karter to cooperate with them, which means steadily escalating attacks and more insane equipment. Either way, we're running out of time. After we get properly equipped, we may have the time to make one more stop."
"So I suppose you'll be wanting to release Claymore, then," Silo said.
"Thank you, no," scoffed Garotte. "Useful though he is during the planning phase, I'm not certain how much help he would be at this juncture."
"In other words, you should have gotten him first."
"But then we wouldn't be having this charming and fulfilling conversation," he said with a gentlemanly gesture.
"Why did you get me first?" Silo said sternly.
"I have my reasons."
"Are you going to share, or am I going to have to be persuasive..." Silo said, cracking her knuckles.
"How unladylike," he said in mock reproach. "Very well... As you know, I was able to secure a comparatively comfortable sentence by..."
"Ratting the rest of us out..." she growled.
"I was going to say 'offering my cooperation.' But... Well, let us just say that I cooperated more vigorously against him than you. He's aware of it. I'm fairly certain it would have been difficult to convince him to come along."
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