by J. K. Mabrey
“If we can secure a temporary supply of what we need, it might calm the Earth Council from approving of the attack. You’ll need to act as a liaison for Earth. We can’t do it officially, the Council would be enraged, but through black market channels, we could provide relief to the provinces, and quell the growing unrest.”
“We should start on Iridim,” Brax said. “They’re known to trade anything and everything, and they'll even help get it from other systems if we need it.”
“Ok, that’s settled, me and Brax'll go to Iridim,” Zavik said.
“And what about me?” Dani interjected. “What do you think I’m going to do, sit on my hands and knees waiting for you to get back?” Dani said as she sat up.
“Look," Zavik said as he moved closer to her, "you need to rest and heal. Besides, it’s too dangerous, I don’t want you to-“
“It doesn’t matter what you want,” she said. “You need me to pilot the ship, and you need my computer skills. A minute ago you needed me on your side, you can't just ditch me once you have the green-light."
“I hate to get involved in matters such as this,” Brax said, “but she has a point.”
He glared at Brax. “Fine," Zavik conceded, "but I want you to get a full check over in medical before we head off.”
“And what of Vask?” Brax asked. “Are you coming too?”
“No,” he said. “I have my own business to take care of. I’ll catch a shuttle to Cedona, provide what I can to the ambassador to help expose Red Moon.”
“Thank you,” Zavik said as they shook hands, “for everything.”
“Very good,” Mike said. “Sounds like this little plan of yours is coming together quite nicely. Just hurry, I don’t have a timetable on when Earth will strike, it could be any day. If you don’t secure those supplies before then, it will mean open war with the Council.”
“We know what’s at stake here, Mike,” Zavik said. “We’ll move out as soon as possible.”
***
Almost three hours later the Rinada finally left DF-002 and set out for the Cedona portal. Dani had passed all tests and showed no signs of permanent damage from Varin’s assault, just as she had insisted all along. Zavik was relieved, but he knew she was going to come with them no matter what the medics said.
They decided to head for Cedona since Earth had no direct portal to Iridim. Cedona was the best place to bypass through; it would provide no resistance to them like some other systems might. They had to pay a small fee to Cedona in order to pass through their system. It was a modest fee, but well worth the security to Zavik. It was taken from their account as soon as they passed through the portal. It was possible to travel through portals and not pay the fees, but this alerted the system authority and could get a ship into a whole lot of unwanted trouble. As a smuggler, Zavik had done such maneuvers many times. He, well actually Dani, had become quite good at it in fact. But on this trip, they did not want to draw any undue attention, so they paid the toll and proceeded to the portal for Iridium. The Rinada was capable of masking its true account name and developing random ones linked to the same account. The systems still got paid, but they had no record of who truly entered their system. It was another device of the smuggler’s creed, and would help conceal them from the reaches of Red Moon’s spies.
Once in Iridim space Zavik and Dani turned to Brax. “So where do we go now?” Zavik asked.
"Head to Syngaz,” Brax said. “It’s the largest port city in the sector. If we’ll be able to find any reliable supplies, it will come from there.”
The Rinada landed at Syngaz’s spaceport. The planet was teeming with activity. This port was very active, unlike Theros. The Rinada had to queue to wait for a landing pad to open. Ships were constantly lifting off and landing around the heavily industrialized city. The Rinada was finally given the green light to land. It descended below the buildings and came to rest in a small, private dock. Brax warned Zavik and Dani that they would be wanted all over the galaxy. On Iridim the Council had a firm hold on the government actions. However, the black market, fueled by Red Moon, among others, was growing in strength. The best option would be to secure the goods from legitimate sources, before settling on the black market. Earth would be much more willing to accept aid from the Syngaz system, over the local criminal organization. It would also look more acceptable to the Galactic Council, if it were exposed.
Zavik knew they would have to keep low profiles here. Iridim had many human visitors, but there would be an alert out for them. Brax could only guess what size bounty Red Moon had offered for their capture. It had to be one of the largest out there.
“I’ll take the lead here,” Brax offered. “You two should perhaps hide on the ship, while I scout the port.”
“You want us to just sit here while you broker negotiations for Earth?” Zavik asked.
“It will be very dangerous for you two, the bounty will be enormous. Varin will fear that you will reveal his secret. He will want to eliminate you as quickly as possible.”
“That guy sure does know how to give you a warm feeling inside," Dani said.
“So, again, I would suggest you two stay behind while I have a go at the port. If I find anything promising, I’ll be sure to inform you.”
“Ok, we’ll go with your plan," Zavik said. "Don’t be long.”
“Give me four hours.”
Brax left the Rinada and headed for the heart of the port. He had never been to Iridim before, and being on unfamiliar territory was not something he liked. He knew he wouldn’t be able to actually broker a deal for Earth, but he could locate a large supply of the necessary materials. Despite the Council’s stonewalling, the materials Earth needed were relatively abundant and easy to procure. The Council had ordered many systems to limit their shipments, but Iridim was rogue enough to ignore the Council if Earth would pay enough.
Dani told Brax that the Chokmnd government had an embassy in Syngaz, and suggested he try there first. He walked to the embassy. It was not far off from the port. A remarkably unremarkable building was situated on a corner leading away from the port. The Chokmnd embassy took up half of the building. The other half was being rented out to a couple of Savins as a local pawnshop. It was quite possibly the smallest embassy Brax had ever seen, of any race, much less the Chokmnd. He did not consider that a good sign. Perhaps the Chokmnd did not have as much presence on Iridium as he hoped. Brax entered the embassy and spoke softly to the secretary at the front desk. “Whom should I speak to about procuring a certain specific set of supplies?”
“Are you expected by someone?” the secretary asked.
“No,” he said thinking it was unlikely anyone was ever expected. “I just arrived on Iridim, and was hoping my embassy would be able to assist in finding a steady flow of supplies I need. This planet is unfamiliar to me, I would hate to overstep my boundaries.”
“I see what you mean, Mr.?”
“Miro, Brax Miro.”
“Well Mr. Miro, I believe you can talk with Rankel Gafin, he may be able to help coordinate trade between the locals and Chokmnd civilians. Of course, any transactions sanctioned on this planet will need to be tracked and taxed as per regulations.”
“Oh, I understand that. I just hope he can help me find what I need.” Brax did not intend to use the embassy to approve of any transaction. The Chokmnd embassy would alert the Council of any trade to Earth immediately.
The secretary showed Brax to Gafin’s office. She opened the door and said, “Mr. Gafin, this gentleman would like a sit down with you.”
“Come in please,” the older Chokmnd said in a gruff voice. “I am Rankel Gafin, I work for the local Chokmnd ambassador on trade relations. What can I do for you?” The windowless office was as small and cramped as the building. A single desk with a chair on each side was all that occupied the room.
Brax reached to shake his hand and sat down across from him. “I am Brax Miro, I need to acquire some sensitive assets for a client of mine.”
&nb
sp; “I see," he said and paused. "Are these illegal assets?”
“No, of course not,” he said. “It’s a slew of restoration supplies for areas hit with devastating drought and overpopulation.”
“Ah, yes, supplies such as those are hot commodities right now, though not very scarce. The Galactic Council has taken quite an interest in all trafficking of such supplies. Frankly, I blame it on Earth attempting to hoard such large amounts as they are.”
“Yes, they are making my quest more difficult that’s for sure.” Brax feigned anger. “I was hoping to find a reliable source on Iridim, but I’ve never been here before. I don’t have any contacts to meet.”
“You were hoping the embassy might be able to steer you in the right direction? I can probably help with that. Although, I cannot guarantee the supplies will come from a legitimate source. Iridim has a lot of underground organizations that might be able to acquire the material you need easier.”
“That’s fine by me," Brax said, understanding the urgency of the need outweighed the legitimacy of the deal, "they don’t need to be clean. I just need them in a hurry.”
“Then go to the Consortium, you can meet with a Rovun named Yersum.” Gafin handed Brax a card. “I know him well, he’ll be able to help you find your precious supplies. I’ll let him know your coming.”
“Thank you, Mr. Gafin. My clients will be indebted to you and the Chokmnd Government.”
“If he can get your supplies, you will need to fill out our commodities transaction form. Anything this large will need to be taxed and tracked. The Council has been a little more diligent about this sort of thing lately, and especially since it is for restoration supplies.”
“I understand,” Brax said. With that Brax left the office and headed back to town to meet with Gafin’s contact. The Consortium was a large building crawling with all manner of species, even a few humans were running around attending to business. The location Yersum worked out of was a small shopping area inside the building. There were many computer terminals with a few people checking out the available merchandise. Apparently, this Rovun was a large merchant trader. If he didn’t have the supplies on hand, there was a good chance he could get them, for the right price. Brax approached the counter, “I need to speak with Yersum.”
He was addressing a small Rovun at the counter, but one behind him replied. “Gafin send you?”
“Yeah, he did. You Yersum?” Brax asked.
“Yeah, that’s me," the shadowed figure said. "Step back here. Let's see if we can help you out.”
Brax walked around the counter and followed the Rovun to the back of the store. The Chokmnds and Rovuns might not agree on most things politically, but for many millenniums they had been respectful and friendly in most other aspects. Brax only had a little worry about stepping into a back room surrounded by Rovuns. "Thank you for meeting with me,” Brax said.
“Don’t thank me yet," the grizzly beast replied. "We still need to find out what you need. Then you can thank me with your money. So what is it you need?”
“I need supplies for restoration efforts, for drought, famine, overpopulation, that kind of stuff. I have a readout of all the specifics here.” Brax took out a datapad that had a list generated by Mike of what they would need to satisfy Earth.
“This is a lot of stuff. What are you trying to do, fix half a planet?”
“Something like that,” Brax said.
“Well, I don’t see anything on here that looks outrageously unobtainable.” He sat down at his terminal. “I’ll just have to give a call out to see if we can get as much as you need. I warn you, this will be expensive. It may also raise the eyebrows of the Galactic Council. I’m not sure what your feelings are on that.”
“My clients would prefer that the Council is kept in the dark,” Brax said lowering his voice. “I’m hoping we could even keep the Chokmnd embassy out of this. They would have to take down too much information, and it could get back to the Council. My clients don’t want any unnecessary questions. I’m sure you can understand.”
“Of course I can," he said. "That’s what we excel at around here. I’ll do my best to keep this low profile, but it will take more time, and be more expensive. So whom are we delivering the supplies to?”
“That’s not really of concern, is it?” Brax said decisively.
“I need to know where the supplies are being sent. There’s too much here to just ship somewhere for you to pick up. It will need to be shipped directly to your client’s destination. Otherwise, it just adds more chains to the link, increasing the possibility of exposure. So where are they going?”
Brax sat silent for a moment. Reluctantly he said, “They're needed for Earth.”
“Oh!" Yersum said in surprise. "Now that is definitely a reason to want to keep off the Council's radar. They would not be happy if a system disobeyed their new directive to limit Earth supplies.”
“It won’t be a problem?” Brax asked.
“The Council wouldn’t be a problem, no," Yersum agreed. "The problem, I’m afraid would be Red Moon.”
“Red Moon!” he gasped. “Why would they be a problem?”
Yersum leaned back in his chair and said, “Well you see, a score this big might be able to fly under the radar of the Council, but it would never go without raising an alert from Red Moon. They’re involved in too much trafficking around here.”
“So why would their knowledge be a problem? They have no quarrels with Earth.” Brax knew that wasn’t the case.
“I’m not so sure about your theory that they have no quarrels with Earth," Yersum said. "They recently issued a directive that any and all business with Earth is to be suspended.”
“Suspended? They’ve ordered that?” Brax asked not really surprised at the directive.
“Yes," he said with a smile, "and no new deals or agreements are to be made.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to be careful that they don’t get knowledge of this one.”
“I don’t think you quite understand the severity, Mr. Miro. Red Moon has threatened anyone who continues to do business with Earth, with open hostilities. They will bring down the full force of their organization on anyone; planet, organization, race. You won't find anyone willing to risk that, especially to help Earth. I suggest you give up this contract of yours. It will only get you killed.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t just give it up like that. The situation will just get worse," Brax paused, "for everyone, if Earth doesn’t get these supplies.”
“Personally," Yersum said, "under different circumstances, I would have helped you, even for Earth. But, I can’t say this directive from Red Moon saddens me. Humans are an arrogant race, they need to be shown their place in the galaxy, and it’s not in any position of power.”
“Yeah," Brax said dryly, "let your home planet starve and we'll see how you feel about that.”
“If we caused it, due to our own stupidity?” he asked. “I’d hope we’d learn from it, hope that it’d make us stronger. Who knows, that might be what happens to Earth. Humans could come out of this stronger than anyone could hope for.”
“Guess we’ll find out in time.”
“Indeed," Yersum said. "Look, here, we can’t help you. Red Moon is too well established in the sector. I suggest you try a different world, Mr. Miro. I know someone on Qualim who does what I do here. Red Moon has no presence on Qualim, and they won’t be intimidated by any threats of helping Earth. He may be able to help you in securing these supplies.”
“Thank you," Brax said while standing up. “And you’ll keep this little meeting secret?”
Yersum shook his hand and said, “As long as what I’ve told you doesn’t get back to me, I’ll keep your secret? I don’t need Red Moon coming after me for even suggesting help to you. Give me your data pad. I’ll upload his information for you." Yersum took the data pad and uploaded coordinates for Brax. "Good luck in your search for a death wish," he said as Brax left to make his trek back to the Rinada.
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Parley
The ambassador stepped through the grand opening of the Council Chambers. She had been summoned to answer about an Earth sanctioned attack. She arrived promptly, as usual, her head of security Bendix at her side. Admittedly, she was nervous. The Council was furious about what Earth did, and she was sure Varin had manipulated all he could to make it look even worse for her.
“What are you going to tell the Council, ma’am?” Bendix asked.
“I’m not certain yet," she said, a wavering concern highlighted her face. "We don’t have any proof that what Zavik said about Paquiko’s Chief of Staff is true. I cannot bring that up in a public meeting like this, it would be...unwise. Our version of events should hold up well enough. If they can’t disprove it, then we should get by with little more than a warning from the Council.”
She arrived and entered alone, as was customary. The atmosphere was even less friendly than the last time she was in the chambers. The room was silent and a chill crept up her sleeveless arm. Even Conchu couldn't muster a friendly face. Ambassador Hains was alone, and she truly felt it.
“Ambassador Hains,” Paquiko said immediately as she stepped to the podium, “we’re glad you could meet us so urgently, there is much to discuss.”
“I agree, Councilor. I have been busy these last few hours," she said, "as I’m sure you can understand.”
“Yes," he said, "we can all appreciate the stress being put on you right now. However, we must ascertain what transpired on Theros and why it was allowed to happen. There are of course repercussions to actions such as these.”
“I’m certain you will find that our actions were just and necessary, Councilors.”
“Why did Earth order a strike team to attack an installation on Theros?” Bamino asked.
The ambassador had practiced her prepared statements many times. She inhaled a deep breath and began to deliver them with ease and authority. “The facility you speak of had captured two Earthlings and were torturing them. A strike team was organized to go and rescue them. We couldn’t wait for approval from the Council, as I’m sure you can understand.”