At first, Pacifica’s discovery of Sahara was an unwelcome shock, throwing a spanner into Roux’s carefully laid plans. It wasn’t long, however, before he realized the situation could be used to his advantage. Not content to put all their eggs in one basket, multiple avenues of attack were being developed, and the ‘team’ met regularly to share new ideas and progress reports. The information Roux just acquired held the potential to do severe damage to the Presidents’ image and agenda, and he was eager to see what his companions would make of it. First, though, he wanted to hear progress reports from the other men assembled here tonight.
“Let’s get started gentlemen. Thomas, do we have the cooperation of the news media outlet you promised?”
Thomas Jenks, eighth district, liked to think he was Roux’s closest confidant, and something of a genius in ‘making arrangements’ which were beneficial to his career. He would be shocked to learn Roux not only despised him, but chose him to be the first of the sacrificial lambs when the time came. Until then, Roux would put up with the insufferable prick as long as he delivered on his promises.
Jenks leaned back in his comfortable chair, a smug smile on his pasty face.
“Oren Carruthers is the owner of the largest media company on Sahara, and I am delighted to announce he is fully prepared to accept my editorial leadership on important news stories. I have arranged secure links to his home and office exclusively for my use, and they enable me to reach him at any time.”
“If I tell him to report pigs fly, he will do so aggressively and with a straight face. Tomorrow morning, they will begin a series on Pacifica, highlighting their military aggression and blatant annexation of the Earth and moon. Sahara is going to be exposed to the dark underbelly of our supposed benefactors, instead of just the feel-good nonsense the other media outlets have been spewing.”
Smiles broke out across the room, and Roux pretended to be amazed by this pronouncement.
“I am very impressed, Thomas. May I ask how you managed to get such complete cooperation?”
Jenks preened under the attention from his fellow Senators, and was more than eager to give them a little taste of his genius.
“Let’s just say Carruthers needs better security on his data interface. The man has been involved in some legally dubious financial transactions, as well as potentially embarrassing personal activities. He was most eager to keep the government, not to mention his wife, from learning of his indiscretions.”
Though Roux was pleased to have the media in his collective pocket, he resisted the urge to remind Jenks he was the one who suggested the plan of attack in the first place. The simpering idiot was too busy patting himself on the back to even remember where the idea came from, which was just fine. It would be Roux’s turn to smile soon enough.
Seth Poulter, twenty-first district, was a reliable but bland fellow who specialized in cultivating distractions rather than frontal assaults. Roux called on him next to report on his most recent activities.
“If you will recall, I planted a seed following the presidential election regarding some potential security breaches in the tallying software. In the next couple of days, I intend to revisit this little controversy by suggesting the election may have been rigged. In and of itself, it won’t do much damage, but when we really begin to hammer away at Morales’ integrity, we can let the merest suggestion her people hijacked the election act as one more chink in her armor. Meanwhile, I am looking into some of her more unpopular votes during her senate career.”
The others all nodded, faces twisted with malice aforethought. Poulter’s smile was genuine, but not for the same reason as his fellow conspirators. As a spy for the Vice President, he was well positioned to deliver crucial information to the Morales government. It wasn’t out of a love for the present regime per se, but was more of a kick in the pants to Worden Roux. The man was a menace to the Saharan people, and anything he could do to take him out was, in his mind, a public service. If Roux ever suspected he was a mole, Poulter would experience a very quick and grisly death. It was best to continue playing the game very carefully, and do as much damage as possible while he could.
The last two miscreants in the room were Nolan Beade, sixteenth District, and Steven Hartog, thirtieth District. These two boasted of connections within the military which they were cultivating, though nothing yet came of it. Meanwhile, they hatched a terrorist group which was going to start shaking things up in the next week. Their focus was not on killing people, but rather scaring them into thinking Morales had some nasty enemies for a reason.
Some well-placed missives in the local news, a bit of graffiti in public places, and of course timely bomb threats should do the trick. If not, they could always turn up the heat as needed. The two rabid dogs were practically salivating as they described their plans, eager to actually get started. Roux congratulated them on their creative thinking, and then spoke briefly about how and when to begin. It was getting late, however, and Roux was eager to share his own bit of news.
“Well, gentlemen, I think the ideas expressed here tonight are going to help our cause a great deal in the days to come. I am just as eager as you to see our dear President crumble under the pressure we will bring to bear, as well as getting those interfering Pacificans off Saharan soil once and for all. I have been made privy to an interesting development out of our science department which may prove to be very helpful.”
“It seems the water project has run into a snag at their primary asteroid processing site. Apparently, a bunch of those nasty looking dragon things are living nearby and have been disturbed by the team’s activity. I think it would be appropriate to stage a protest, a very loud and angry protest, at the obvious mistreatment of a native species. If we play this right, we can make both Pacifica and Morales look bad. How long will it take to set up?”
The discussion which ensued was both energetic and detailed as they divided up the various duties among them. The media would, of course, be there to cover the story, with appropriate interviews and imagery. The group finally broke up for the night, each person eager to complete their assigned tasks. Roux’s good mood lasted well into the evening, as he contemplated the mayhem he was about to unleash.
Several minutes later, Seth Poulter reached his home and activated the security system. There was no time to arrange a clandestine meeting with Samuel Flynn, but there was another way to reach him without too much risk. The device was small enough to fit in his hand, and he retrieved it from the false bottom of the flower pot resting near the front window. He keyed the proper sequence and waited patiently for Flynn to respond, knowing he would need time to get himself to a secure location before answering. Finally, the device beeped and a series of symbols raced across the small viewscreen before a deeply shadowed face appeared.
“Good evening. How may I help you?”
The voice was scrambled to make it unrecognizable, yet he could clearly understand what was being said. “I have news which cannot wait...”
Chapter 4
Darkness was no barrier for the Rxyl, their eyes adjusting easily as they spread out across the barren ground near their nest. Sh’zul was perched in his usual spot, looking down at the scouts he sent out. The pale ones were gone. The strange objects were also gone, even though the scouts had buried them. It was as though nothing unusual took place here at all. The hatchlings needed quiet and seclusion before and after they emerged, which was why the birthing chambers were separate from the main living quarters of the people.
If the pale ones should return and begin digging again, it would put them all in danger, forcing a confrontation. This was something Sh’zul wanted to avoid, but he lacked adequate knowledge concerning the creatures living nearby. For now, it was once again peaceful and quiet, and he hoped it would remain so. He signaled the scouts to return, waiting for them to slip one by one into the well-hidden entrances to the nest.
A strange feeling stopped Sh’zul in his tracks, and he looked up into the night sky. Something
....something was watching him. He could feel it, though he saw nothing except the lights in the vast darkness. It was one more thing to ask the pale ones about, if he ever got the chance to taste their minds.
####
Olivia Morales ushered Vice President Flynn into her office with a sweeping gesture of her arm, and sat wearily behind her desk. She was used to an early start each day, but this was pushing it. Flynn dropped into the chair opposite her with a huge yawn, and she was taken aback for a moment as his appearance finally registered. Usually fresh, neat and full of energy, the man she knew so well was disheveled, unshaven, and had dark circles under his eyes.
“I assume you have a very good reason for getting me up so early. And by the way, you look like hell, Sam. What is going on?”
Flynn gave her a half-hearted smile and stifled another yawn.
“Sorry, Olivia, I’ve literally been up all night. Some information has come to my attention which you need to know. It concerns Roux and company, and you’re not going to like it.”
He spent the next half hour filling her in on the details from his late night contact, and got a perverse sense of satisfaction as the bag of dirty tricks he opened registered on her face. She looked him right in the eye.
“Please tell me you didn’t do anything illegal to obtain this information. From the sounds of it, someone is telling tales out of school, and it would have to be a very strategically placed someone.”
Sam merely looked at her and smiled.
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
She wagged a finger in his direction and then heaved a sigh.
“All right, you win. I appreciate what you are doing, even though it’s going to keep me up nights wondering when they are going to arrest you. Go ahead and keep your secrets; we obviously have more important issues to deal with here.”
He nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. There isn’t much we can do about the media situation, except to hope the others will be more even- handed in their coverage of events. Perhaps we can head off some of this by holding an exclusive press conference. We’ll just have to make sure the invitation for the Carruthers Media Group gets misplaced somehow.”
The smile on Morale’s face let him know she liked the idea.
“Good thinking, Sam. As far as the ‘rigged election’ goes, I believe Allsion Roha is about finished with the story she has been working on. Perhaps we can persuade her to release it sooner and get the truth out there before they start throwing mud. I’ll have our people work up a response ahead of time so we can counter their nonsense right away. I think the vast majority of voters will see this story for what it really is and ignore it.”
“What worries me is this false terrorist group activity they have planned. Things could get out of hand very quickly, and despite what they may claim, someone is going to get hurt. I want you to have a chat with our Constable. If our law enforcement units are forewarned, perhaps they can catch some of them in the act. If nothing else, they may need to step up their patrols and surveillance. We’re going to have to let Arlington and Swanson know about this as well. They may even be willing to lend us some of those buoys to help us keep an eye on things.”
“Right,” Sam agreed, “and they are definitely going to want to alert their own people. Between us, we may be able to keep this from escalating too far. Did you remember we have a meeting late this morning with Arlington, Davis and Swanson? Coincidentally, it concerns the last item on Roux’s hit list – the planned protest out at the original water project site. There’s more going on there than meets the eye, and I am curious what they have to say.”
Morales looked confused for a moment before a look of dread crossed her face.
“What do you suppose they found? They already moved the project to the opposite shore, and the first asteroids will arrive in about two hours. What is it Roux knows and we don’t?”
Sam shook his head.
“Whatever he’s really going after, it can’t be the welfare of the sand dragons. He’s never shown any interest in the few indigenous species left on the planet, so why now? Whatever he knows, or thinks he knows, I will feel a lot better when we find out why the Pacifica delegation is also concerned. My gut tells me this issue may be more complicated than a minor disturbance to the local wildlife.”
####
The Sentinel hovered just outside a massive asteroid belt on the outskirts of the Wadi system. For many hours it went quietly about its business, scanning the belt for needed minerals and ice. The mineral asteroids were being sent to a holding area adjacent to the orbital smelter, which was now fully operational. Soon, the hulls for a new line of intra-system ships would be floating in orbit like a string of metallic pearls.
The ice asteroids, however, were being shunted into Sahara orbit to be picked up and processed by another Sentinel. One by one, the asteroids would be brought to the newly prepared staging site, which abutted the western shore of the dry lakebed. It was far enough south of Reno to prevent any noise or disruption of normal activity, but close enough it could be seen by anyone interested in watching.
####
In fifteen minutes, the first asteroid was due to arrive, and the site was crowded with science teams, security personnel, and the media. A hastily-constructed observation platform was strategically placed to offer the best views, and the air was filled with excitement. Kiren and her team were on the secured lower level of the platform, separate from the rest of the crowd, and were conducting last minute adjustments to their sensors and equipment. The burly, red-haired chief of security approached Kiren from across the room and cleared his throat. Startled, she noticed him waiting patiently and pushed away from her work station.
“How may I help you, Chief?”
The man nodded in acknowledgement.
“Good morning, Ensign. We have a request from Ambassador Swanson to join your team this morning. Shall I escort him in?”
Kiren’s heart skipped a beat while her mind scrabbled for solid ground. Why would the Ambassador want to come down here? There was a perfectly comfortable place provided for VIP’s on the upper level. She was flustered by the last minute request, almost as much by the person making it. Well, flustered or not, the man was waiting for a reply, and she forced a pleasant smile onto her face.
“Of course, Chief. Please bring him to the observation deck.”
####
Andre Swanson waited nervously for the security chief to return with an answer. For all of his public bravado, he was rather reticent when it came to interpersonal relationships – especially those of the romantic variety. There was no professional reason for his request to join Kiren and her team, but there was a personal one. Hiding behind his status as Ambassador kept anyone from asking uncomfortable questions, and he was hoping no one would discover his true motivation.
He was most impressed with Ensign Perry, even before they were both chosen for the mission to Sahara. Their paths barely even crossed before, but recent opportunities arose to quietly observe her during numerous meetings and a few social events. She was smart, strong, and beautiful, and he liked what he saw. Despite her well known father, she did not appear to possess an overinflated opinion of herself. She was, it seemed, an intriguing balance of her parent’s best qualities, and who could blame him for wanting to get to know her better?
The broad shouldered Chief appeared at last.
“Ensign Perry has asked you join her on the observation deck. If you would follow me please?”
Swanson breathed an unobtrusive sigh of relief and hurried along through a security checkpoint, down a flight of stairs, and across a well appointed work area to the semi-circular observation deck. Kiren turned as they approached, thanked the Chief, and led her guest to a prime spot along the wall of glass. From here, there was a clear view of the staging area, dry lakebed, and the city of Reno.
Kiren, nervous in his presence, willed the butterflies in her mid-section to quiet down before she spoke again.
“You are just in time, Ambassador. The first asteroid is due in two minutes.”
Swanson turned away from the view to face her.
“Please call me Andre. Thank you for allowing me to join you.”
Kiren flushed and opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and tried again.
“Very well, Andre. If you will excuse me, I need to check in with my team and will join you shortly.”
Swanson smiled warmly and turned back to look out over the landscape.
Kiren chided herself for acting like a lovesick schoolgirl, and moved quickly to make sure everything was ready. The dedicated buoy she requested was in place and would record the entire process from start to finish. Even with the aid of Sentinels, it would take weeks to locate and process enough ice asteroids to fill just this one lakebed, let alone replenish the entire planet. Evaporation, farming and drinking water would all take their toll on the water supply over time, but the project already made allowance for it in their plans. With one last adjustment, Kiren finished her final series of checks, and joined her team, and Andre, at the windows.
In the blink of an eye, the huge Sentinel appeared over the staging area with an enormous rock and ice asteroid suspended beneath it. Golden rays extended into the frozen mass, extracting all the rock and debris and depositing it on the ground for later retrieval. After less than a minute, a giant ball of crystal clear ice hung suspended in the air, raining liquid water onto the parched surface of Sahara. The Sentinel then glided over towards Reno and gently lowered the ice to the lakebed floor and released it. The upper deck observers were cheering and clapping excitedly as the dream of re-hydrating their planet took its first step. The Sentinel disappeared and reappeared in seconds with the next asteroid, and repeated the procedure.
Odyssey (Galactic Neighborhood Book 2) Page 5