He almost choked in shock. “What?”
“You heard me.”
His face screwed up as he turned back to Xanne for confirmation. Instead he found the woman shaking her head. “No. With an elasson in charge there, it’s a high profile target and too risky to attempt an infiltration.”
“We’ll get help.”
Xanne’s lips pursed…then, presumably deducing the kind of help he meant, she acquiesced with a terse nod.
The clamor continued as other locations were debated and assignments handed out. He stood and, with a wary eye on Cosime, jerked his head toward the door and headed out of the briefing room.
On the way to catch a transport to the Andromeda III Arx, he contacted the Siyane.
“Valkyrie, put me on speaker.”
Valkyrie: ‘Done.’
“I hope you all aren’t busy.”
Alex: “Well, we sort of are. AEGIS is about to hit another Machim facility, and we were going along to help.”
“Hmm. You could do that. Or you could help me rescue Felzeor from a Directorate dragnet.”
Caleb: “Where do we collect you?”
He thought that would get their attention. He chuckled, then took the time to award Cosime a smile. “See? Now you get to meet them.”
9
SIYANE
MILKY WAY SECTOR 24 / ANDROMEDA GALAXY
* * *
THE SIYANE DOCKED AT THE ANDROMEDA III ARX using spoofed credentials, but they didn’t risk disembarking. Even aside from the ongoing dragnet, in the wake of the Provision Network Gateway battle Vigil had ratcheted up security three-fold at every facility under its control. It was now all but impossible for him or Alex to get inside most locations—through the front door, anyway.
A Naraida whom Eren introduced as Cosime trailed the Anaden through the airlock into the Siyane’s cabin. Caleb had spotted a few Naraida among the anarchs at Post Satus, but he’d yet to interact with one. She had luminescent white hair framing large, gem-like eyes, and a sing-song voice with a wispy timbre but a spirited tenor. Her mannerisms suggested barely restrained energy despite a delicate if not fragile build.
Eren glanced around the cabin, then at Caleb, as they departed the Arx and traversed the gateway to Andromeda, hopefully before anyone realized they had been there. “Where’s Mesme?”
“Meeting us at Serifos, and reluctantly so. The Kats are in quite a frenzy dealing with the Eradication Order and trying to deliver provisions around it while protecting the hidden portals.”
Cosime arched an eyebrow. “Kats in a frenzy? The world truly has gone mad.”
Alex chuckled as she exited the cockpit to join them. “We’re definitely through the looking glass now. What’s the plan, Eren?”
‘Eren doesn’t make plans.’
“Yes, I do, Valkyrie. They just go to Hades once implemented is all.” He flashed an almost sheepish cringe. “We won’t really know until we get there.”
Silence hung in the cabin as everyone stared at Eren.
“Okay, we do know a few things. Serifos is a recreational planet, so it doesn’t have the kind of heavy orbital security Machimis does—merely a few detection beacons. We should be able to stealth all the way to the surface, where we can land right outside the Plousia Chateau grounds. Those will be guarded, locked down and probably blocked off, but Mesme should be able to transport us through the lockdown security field. Once we’re inside the field, I can contact Thelkt and find out where he is…if he still is.”
“What about Felzeor?” The avian anarch didn’t lack for bravery, but this only increased Caleb’s desire to protect his little friend from harm.
Eren smiled indulgently. “I expect he’ll be relatively safe and sound inside Thelkt’s residence. As we talked about before, the Directorate doesn’t consider the Volucri to be fully sentient, so Vigil won’t put a priority on interrogating him. In fact, he may escape their notice entirely.”
“Where is this residence?” Caleb recognized he was pushing toward blind obsession. But he’d never met this ‘Thelkt,’ and while intellectually he wished Eren’s friend well and hoped the anarch survived the night, emotionally he could only care about Thelkt in relation to rescuing Felzeor. Priorities.
“I get it—you want to rescue Felzeor. That works. Since Thelkt doesn’t know you, it’ll go more smoothly if Cosime and I retrieve him. Valkyrie, do you have those schematics I sent you ready?”
‘I do.’
A holo of a large, multi-level structure, a somewhat less expansive building behind it and numerous smaller buildings surrounding both appeared at the data center.
“I expect Vigil to have all the targeted detainees corralled somewhere in the main building, but beyond that we’ll have to get a read once we make contact with Thelkt.” Eren spun the holo sixty degrees and focused one of the smaller buildings along the far boundary of the grounds. “This is Thelkt’s place. Valkyrie has the passcode to get inside, but it could be subject to additional security checks under the lockdown.”
Alex nodded confidently. “I’ll hack whatever we run up against.”
“After Machimis, I don’t doubt you will. So the plan is this: Mesme gets us inside the security perimeter. Cosime and I find and rescue Thelkt, then Mesme whisks us three back to the Siyane. Caleb and Alex retrieve Felzeor, then Mesme whisks you three back to the Siyane. We leave.”
‘Is this where I say that is a terrible plan?’
Cosime grinned. “I like your ship.”
Eren scowled at her, but the expression lacked any hard edges. “You would. We’ll improvise, all right? We’re good at that. I’ve done missions with everyone here, and we are all unequivocally good at that.”
In another circumstance Caleb would have enjoyed pondering the nuanced interaction between Eren and Cosime and what it might mean. Eren was a complicated one, and this woman was clearly a piece of the puzzle. But for now he simply nodded in agreement. “We are. Once we’re inside and moving, Mesme can concentrate on helping you. I’ll get Alex and Felzeor back to the Siyane.”
Eren shot him a curious look. “Oh? You can do that now, then?”
He shrugged. “So long as I can visualize where to go.”
“Well…good. Makes things easier.”
Some things. Caleb studied the schematics, noting the ingress and egress points for the main building and along the perimeter, potential choke points, trap-friendly areas and viable escape routes.
Alex drew beside him and silently wound an arm around his waist. He hugged her close, in a silent acknowledgment of all the things not able to be said, then shifted his gaze from the holo to Eren. “What else do we need to know?”
“Expect an army of Vigil drones, nearly as many Praesidis guards, a Machim ground detachment of super-soldiers and at least one Inquisitor. Oh, and security barriers everywhere. Possibly some of those mechs we met on Helix Retention, too. You Humans have kicked off a shitstorm of epic proportions.”
Alex spread her arms wide as she went over to the cabinet holding their gear. “It’s one of our best skills.”
SERIFOS
ANDROMEDA GALAXY
LGG REGION VI
The Plousia Chateau complex had reached a state of total lockdown when Nyx elasson-Praesidis arrived. All visitors had been removed, all employees accounted for and all entrances and exits guarded.
But that wasn’t why she was here. Vigil officers and the ela Inquisitor onsite could vet the staff and root out any anarch plants in their midst without the need for her specialized assistance.
No, she was hunting one very specific anarch—the one who would lead her to Prisoner #HR-MW26-6143.015-6. His trail led directly here.
Cam data from the Machim Headquarters Data Control server room contained multiple images of the Anaden who had accompanied the Humans during the data breach. It was a lucky break, as the Vigil weaponry that nullified him had obliterated the face of the corpse.
When cross-referenced against trillions of captures from
security cams at thousands of locations, a handful of likely matches had surfaced. The clearest match came from footage of a recent incident at MW Sector 23 Administration, and it confirmed the man’s collusion with the Human prisoners. Though they were hooded, the two individuals he fled with were probable matches to the prisoners. The fact one had used diati to effect their escape rendered their identities a certainty.
The timing of the incident correlated with an anomaly in the location’s Data Vault, but her investigation there had garnered no further leads. A voluminous breadth of data stored in the Data Vault made it impossible to speculate about what the anarch had been after.
The next best match originated in security footage from Plousia, only days before the Machim Central Command breach, in the form of several separate captures over the course of a night and morning. The anarch hadn’t merely been here. He had lingered here.
The first capture was a brief image at the entrance to the central ballrooms, partially obscured by the crowd. It was followed by a longer, better shot on the second level, then two images from a hallway in the accommodations wing. He’d kept his face averted from the cam in the hallway both times, but the hair and clothing matched. In the first, he’d been accompanied by an Idoni woman; if it proved necessary, Nyx would track her down next.
She passed the pervasive Vigil presence stationed around the perimeter of the complex without acknowledging them and made her way to a palatial estate behind the central building. The Vigil contingent at the palace was in protective rather than containment mode, as the proprietor, Avdei elasson-Idoni, was not suspected of being an anarch agent.
This did not, however, absolve the elasson of responsibility.
She found Avdei lolling on a chaise lounge in the anteroom to his bedchamber, wearing a gilded black-and-gold robe and sipping on a milky, fizzing concoction. A serpent in a chained collar slithered along the top of the chaise and down over Avdei’s legs, while a small winged creature resembling a mutated butterfly balanced on the man’s shoulder, using its tiny appendages to knead his muscles.
“Inquisitor, do come in. May I offer you a drink?” He motioned toward a naked Naraida shivering in the corner next to a refreshment bar.
“This is not a social call.”
“They never are for your kind, are they? A regret, to be sure. I don’t suppose you are here to inform me that this madness has at last reached a climactic conclusion and I can get back to my business of pleasure?”
Her terse expression morphed to incredulity. “You don’t care whether you have anarch agents among your staff?”
“Oh, for certain I care, as it will be bad for business. But so is this witch hunt.”
“It will be done when it is done and is not the purpose of my visit. I am hunting an anarch, but not one of yours.”
“None of them are ‘mine,’ Inquisitor. So I’m left to ponder again why you are here, casting a gloom over an otherwise relaxing evening.” He regarded her with bored eyes. The winged creature sidled across the back of his neck to reach the other shoulder and resume its work.
“Images of a known anarch agent—an Idoni, we believe—were captured by your security cams several weeks ago. I need to know more about this individual’s actions while he was here, including who he interacted with, what he purchased using what credentials and what his depravities of choice were.”
“My dear Inquisitor, you don’t need me for that. You evidently have access to Plousia’s every inner working, so simply call up the records from the night in question.” He took a long sip of his drink then offered it to the winged pet, who darted a thin, over-long tongue into the glass.
Nyx choked back disgust. “If I knew his ID particulars, I would not be suffering you now. Anarchs are…competent at keeping themselves out of the system through a variety of underhanded techniques. Therefore, I need you to look at the images and tell me what you know about this individual.”
Without waiting for a response, she splayed the images in a row in front of him.
Avdei glanced at them for hardly a second before waving them away and arching a haughty eyebrow in her direction. “Yes. I do believe that individual is in fact a member of the Idoni Dynasty.”
She flicked her wrist, and the winged pet flew off his shoulder, sailed through the air and slammed into the right wall of the anteroom. A tiny streak of turquoise blood trailed behind it as it slid down the wall and landed in a tiny, lifeless heap on the floor.
“How dare you! That was my property!”
“Petition your Primor for a replacement pet. Must I strangle the life out of your serpent next, or will you give me due attention?”
The serpent reared up to hiss at her. If it understood her, good. Avdei stroked it protectively, and it curled up beneath his outstretched arm while keeping a single reptilian eye locked on her.
The elasson glowered at her in blatant malice as well, tinged by a hint of fear. Also good. “Show me the images again.”
She obliged him, and he projected at least the appearance of studying them more closely as he sipped on his drink. After two scans he focused in on one of the images in particular and gradually began to frown. He started to wave them away once again, then presumably thought the better of it. “I’m done.”
She left the images hovering between them. “Well?”
“It’s possible I saw the individual visiting with my Director of Guest Amenities, Thelkt Lonaervin.”
“It’s ‘possible’?”
His thin, pale lips contorted into an unflattering pout. “I think so, yes.”
“And Thelkt Lonaervin is now…?”
“With the rest of the executive management in Aster Suite 3, awaiting his turn in front of your interrogators.”
“Thank you for your cooperation.” She withdrew the images and pivoted to leave, then paused and glared over her shoulder. “Don’t go too far, and try to stay lucid. I may have further need of you.”
10
SERIFOS
ANDROMEDA GALAXY
* * *
MESME ARRIVED IN A TORNADO OF blue-white light approximately ten seconds before the Kat was needed. What am I required to do?
Eren double-checked the contents of his pack and regrettably forewent chastising the Kat for cutting it so close, on account of urgency. “There’s a physical force-field barrier in place ten meters outside the Plousia grounds. Get the four of us inside it, to a location roughly…here.” He pointed to an open area near Thelkt’s residence on the holo rotating above the data center.
“Hold there while I contact Thelkt, then move Cosime and me—” he jerked a thumb over his shoulder “—this is Cosime—somewhere inside the main building. I’ll tell you exactly where when I know. Make yourself scarce, then come get us when I yell, ‘Help!’ Or something to that effect.”
Alex glanced at the churning lights while she fitted her spiral bracelet-weapon on her forearm. “Everything all right, Mesme?”
‘All right’ is a term which no longer has definable meaning. Matters continue. Let us do the same.
She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Sorry I asked.”
Caleb stepped to the center of the cabin. “Everyone ready? Gather around and let’s go.”
Mustn’t we ‘check’ our communications before departing?
Eren tried not to laugh, and failed. “We already did, but you’re absolutely right. We need to confirm you’re linked in.”
Mnemosyne: Check.
“And you’re good.” He joined Caleb and the others, and Mesme wasted no time in spiriting them away.
The humid, fragrant air assaulted Eren’s senses as Mesme dissipated. It was night, but the reflected light of two moons lit the verdant landscape to dusk.
They’d arrived in the shadow of one of the ubiquitous oversized ferns; it provided them marginal cover, but not enough. Eren contacted Thelkt on a (hopefully) secure channel.
Any chance you’re still alive?
Eren, my friend. Your arrival is fortuit
ous, if foolhardy.
That’s me. Where are you?
The second floor of the Aster building, in the third event suite, where they are treating the management with a measure of decorum. But you will not make it here, as Vigil is present in force.
Just get ready.
Felzeor is inside—
—Your house, yes? We’re on that, too. Now get ready.
“Thelkt confirms Felzeor’s at his residence.”
Caleb and Alex were gone before Eren had finished the sentence, and in the suddenness of their absence he honestly couldn’t say if they’d Veiled or teleported.
He pivoted to Cosime. “Activate the personal concealment device they gave you. This is going to be fun.”
She reached around behind her waist, then vanished; her cackle of delight echoed into empty air.
“Mesme, we need to move to the second floor of the big wing in the rear of the main building. Is that enough of a description?”
It suffices. The Kat whirled up once more, and on Eren’s next blink the scene shifted again.
They were at the far end of a wide hallway. A transparent ceiling high above allowed moonlight in, though any natural glow it created was drowned out by the bright artificial lighting turned up to full. A large Vigil drone patrolled the hallway, but in a rare stroke of luck it was moving away from them and missed the brief appearance of Mesme’s diaphanous form. Two Praesidis guards stood outside each suite’s entrance.
Mesme departed, the door to the third suite opened, and additional guards escorted a shackled Naraida out. They turned left with their captive and started moving down the hall.
Eren: “Go now.”
He and Cosime sprinted down the hall past the first two sets of guards, who never realized they were there. As they approached the third suite, Eren slung an EM grenade toward the still-open doorway. It slid inside as the door started to close and detonated, temporarily shorting out all electronics in a four-meter vicinity. The door stopped halfway to shut.
Rubicon: Aurora Resonant Book Two (Aurora Rhapsody 8) Page 7