by T. R. Harris
“Laboratory Two.”
“Did you examine the collar at the time you recovered the unit?”
“I did, briefly.”
“Did it appear to be broken, subjected to stress?”
Darion shook her head. “It did not appear so. I can order an immediate examination if you would like.”
“Do so. You can go. Supervise this examination personally. I want to know how and why that collar opened. It is the only way the Human could have escaped.”
“There were four dead guards in the corridor,” Darion said, frowning.
“Yes, four more casualties to be added to the millions the Humans have already killed. We cannot start the war soon enough, Specialist Seven Crolous. The Humans must pay for what they’ve done.”
“Indeed. The responsible parties should pay.”
“And that they will.”
Darion nodded. If she had anything to do about it, they would.
Chapter 17
When they thought it was safe, Zac was allowed to come up for air now and then, although he couldn’t sit up fully and take in the scenery. Even so, what he saw of the Azlorean countryside beyond the city was pleasant, consisting of rolling hills covered in golden grass that danced in a light breeze. He had no idea what part of the planet he was on but figured he’d been kept in the capital city. He was a High Priority Prisoner. Besides, there was no sign of damage from nuclear weapons in the area; everything seemed tranquil and safe.
Of course, it would be, Zac thought. The perpetrators of the conspiracy would not allow the Human forces to bombard their homes. That probably happened on the other side of the planet or in an area where either the dregs lived or where the enemies of the State could be found. Letting the Humans take out the garbage was an efficient side-effect of their evil plan. Not only can the leaders begin building a galactic empire on the heels of the Seken victories, but they can do so without any pesky opposition to get in the way.
Another two hours of driving brought them to a new subdivision being literally carved out of native soil. Zac sat fascinated as they passed dozens of bubble-shaped homes being constructed by a legion of robots. Not a person was seen anywhere. But what was truly amazing was how excavators were digging into the ground near a building site and dumping the soil into a large processor on wheels. Out the other end came a sticky material cast to form walls and other building components. Before his eyes, he watched the shell of one of the bubble homes take shape. Most of the structures had one central bubble surrounded by a variety of smaller ones. Some of the larger homes even had bubbles stacked on top of other bubbles.
He looked into the distance. The hills were dotted with hundreds of structures, a city growing out of the countryside. The largest bubble homes were reserved for lots along a meandering river set in a picture-perfect valley. Other machines were placing trees in pre-ordained locations along the river, while rust-colored rocks the size of houses were being placed strategically to round out the scene. It was all planned and done automatically, the epitome of efficiency in a High-Tier society.
The car continued until it ran along a section of completed homes along the river. Here there were people, but residents, not workers. A slanted driveway at one of the homes led down to a door panel that slid open, and the car slipped inside underneath the multi-bubble structure. Undoubtedly, this had to be one of the more expensive homes in the neighborhood.
If this was to be his safehouse, it was going to be a nice one.
Once in the garage, the natives relaxed, even smiling as they stepped up the stairs into the main salon. They didn’t motion for Zac to follow, assuming that he would of his own volition.
The stairs entered into a grand, circular chamber with a ceiling easily fifty feet high with a skylight at the top. Along the outer rim of the central dome, smaller ones were attached, each with balconies and stairs leading up. A smaller bubble was attached to the back of the central dome, with a series of wide glass panel doors revealing a spectacular view of the coursing river. A wooden deck completed the scene, which extended over the riverbank by a dozen feet.
Damn, the Azloreans sure know how to live well, Zac thought. I must be tied in with people with money.
“Nice home,” he commented.
The driver of the car, a square-shouldered male, came up to him. “We have not been introduced. I am Skor Vonet, the first companion of Darion.”
Zac looked around. “Wow, being a security officer must pay well on Voris.”
At first, Skor didn’t understand what he was saying, but then recognition came to his multi-faceted face. “I am a senior technology scientist at a large manufacturing enterprise in Sanfor, the city we just left. It is the Central City of the Azlorean Semitor, so most of the more powerful enterprises are located there. And yes, I am compensated well. However, this residence is not of the stature I believe you think it is. It is a manufactured home placed well outside the city. It was relatively inexpensive compared to similar structures in Sanfor.”
“So, what are we going to do here?” Zac asked. “Is this the final destination or just a layover?”
“Follow me. An associate has been installing the equipment for the past two days. He should be completed by now.”
Skor led him and the younger native through a portal and down a short connecting hall to another, smaller dome. It was a workshop with a series of long tables with electronic equipment stacked ten feet high. Although Zac got the impression the work being done here was haphazard and thrown together, there were no dangling wires or misplaced units. Everything was neat, square and with utility. Was this how the Azloreans did everything?
The third native from the car was now sitting at a console with three lit screens in front of him. Sine waves moved hypnotically on one of them while data streams in the native language scrolled by on the other two. The seated native turned to greet them.
“This is my Bloodet Kinos Nosormin. He is the owner of this dwelling.”
“Bloodet?”
Skor frowned, searching for a definition of the word, something the Human would understand. “He was born of the same mating pair as I.”
“Ah, a brother. We would call him your brother.”
“It does not matter. If our plan works, there will be no need for Azloreans and Humans to share a more detailed understanding of our languages.” Skor’s two main eyes locked on Zac. “I have seen the recording where officials admit to being a part of the death of millions of my people. I understand you did not do it intentionally. However, the fact that your people did the killing is difficult for me to forgive. My anger at you is second only to my anger at my own people. That is why we must work together to prevent a tragedy of epic proportions. A war with the Azloreans will mean the end of your species—that you must acknowledge. That would be unfortunate, especially when it is not necessary. Yet, even more Azloreans will die. They already have in the execution of your escape. One of those you killed is an acquaintance of Darion’s. We have shared meals with him and his mate. This must stop, and soon. Already the Azlorean fleet is being assembled and integrated into the Seken armada. It sits at the outskirts of the Voris system and grows larger every day. Reports place the launching at approximately twelve days. Conscription has started, which means many innocent Azloreans will be sent to fight a war thousands of light-units away. And all on a false pretense. As I said, this must end.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Skor motioned to the equipment. “You are to make a series of broadcasts, telling the people of Voris what you know of this conspiracy. We will also broadcast the recording from the interview as proof of what you say.”
Skor did not sound confident in his speech. Zac was missing something.
“What’s wrong? You don’t think this will work?”
“I am a professional in the field of advanced electronic systems. I know what can be done with recordings and even live broadcasts. The government—or those affiliated with the government behind this
conspiracy—will have all the assets they need to counter our evidence. That is why you must keep repeating the message as many times as you can before…”
“Before what?”
Skor looked again at the assortment of high-tech equipment. “As you can assess, in a society such as ours, there is very little privacy. Electronic surveillance is everywhere, even when not intentional. Although we value our freedoms, we also accept this fact. That is why most of us strive to live honorable lives. If not, we will be found out, eventually. The signals that go out from here will be encrypted to the highest degree, but that will not be enough to remain untraceable for long. Each broadcast you make will be broken into thousands of smaller units and then relayed to hundreds of satellites around Voris. Then they will be rebroadcast to assembly stations across the planet. The people will hear and see, but the signal will not stay anonymous for long.”
“How long?”
“Ten days, possibly a little longer.” Skor looked around at the other two natives in the room. They had dour looks on their faces, as best Zac could determine. “Once the location is pinpointed, it will lead to me, Darion and all the others. Our only hope is if the message you send creates a groundswell of action around the planet. There must be an outcry for justice, giving us shelter from the vindictive merchants behind this ruse. By starting down this path, we are surrendering our freedoms, and indeed, our lives. If our enemies will kill eighteen million Azloreans, they will not hesitate to kill a few more—along with a Human of ill repute. We are prepared to take that risk. Are you, Zac Murphy?”
“It’s not like I have any choice,” Zac sighed. “Of course, I’ll do everything I can. If I fail, my species die, and me along with it. I’ve never been much for public speaking, but in this case, I’ll give it my best.”
Kallen Zaphin burst into Torin Nassmar’s office—his real office—with his usually pale yellow face looking almost brown from the anger he was feeling. The Senior Inquisitor’s office was in a flowing arch-shaped structure hundreds of feet high and running two miles from base to base. It sat in the middle of Sanfor, with the security center on the lower floors and penetrating nine stories below ground level. The embedded bubble that was Nassmar’s office was placed close to the top of the arch, affording an incredible view of the city, a view which Kallen ignored.
“Murphy has escaped? Is this to be believed?”
“Calm yourself, Kallen. He will be found. It appears to have been a simple episode of opportunity; his security collar failed.”
“I do not believe that. You do not know Zac Murphy as I do. Nothing much of chance happens around him. Is the incident being investigated?”
Nassmar frowned. “Of course it is. We are not incompetent. If this was intentional, we will know very soon.”
“That would mean he has found allies among your people. How is that so? He has been locked down, with no communication.”
Nassmar scanned a datapad on his desk. “He had communications with two individuals, both regarding the faulty security collar.”
“Then they are behind this! Arrest them, interrogate them. Find out where he went.”
“That is also in process. And I see not why you are so concerned. He is one Human on a planet of Azloreans. All he is looking for is salvation, if even temporary.”
“He could disrupt our plans.”
Nassmar shook his head. “I see not how. Even if he repeats his wild claims to a few he comes in contact with, they are the rants of a desperate creature. No one will believe him. And even if they did, there is nothing a few individuals can do to stop us.”
“I want to have access to the investigation. I want to speak to the two security officers who spoke with him.”
“That will do no good. All you will do is get in the way. Let the investigation proceed. If there is evidence of collusion, I will grant your request. But only then. First, we need to determine if a crime has been committed.”
“Zac Murphy has escaped! Is that not a crime?”
“A crime committed by others, Kallen. Now leave. I have work to do. As you know, the fleet is launching soon. There is much to do ahead of time.”
Darion was in Laboratory Two when Sornum De’lason was brought in. She was under guard and not looking at all content with the turn of events. The Juris-Four was there, along with two other high officials in the Semitor.
Darion had the security collar lying in pieces on a central table. Two other techs stood off to the side, looking concerned.
Sornum looked at the collar and then at Darion.
“What is this about? Why have I been brought here?”
The Juris stepped up to her. “Is this the security collar you worked on yesterday?”
“I do not know. I would have to examine the number.”
“Then do so.”
Sornum bent over the device and looked for the small, engraved numbers signifying the device’s identification.
“Yes, this is it,” Sornum confirmed. “It was last on the neck of the Human prisoner.”
“Were you aware that the Human has escaped his confinement with his whereabouts currently unknown?”
“I knew of an event in the security building, but I had not heard the details. How did he escape? That would be impossible—”
She looked down at the collar again, and her mouth fell open. “No, I was not involved!” she claimed. “I replaced the faulty module as directed by Darion Crolous. It was recorded. And there were two guards in the room with me at the time.”
The Juris looked at Darion and nodded. Darion held up a small square box not much larger than the end of her finger. “Is this the module you placed in the collar, Sornum?”
“I have no idea. I would have to look at the ident number, as well.”
“There is no need; we have already verified that it is the unit. And your fingerprints were on it for further verification.”
“You requested the unit be replaced.”
“Because there was an intermittent fault in the circuit.”
“There was. And I replaced it with a new unit. If that device was also faulty, then that is not my responsibility.”
“Were you aware that a secondary release switch was added to this module, one that worked independently of my department controls?”
“That is impossible. I inspected the unit myself. There were no additional components.”
Darion looked at the Juris. “You may take the module as evidence. I have nothing more to say.”
“You did this!” Sornum screamed. “You switched the modules!”
“Why would she do that?” the Juris asked.
“She does not like me. She knows I have been vying for a transfer to replace her in her position. Why would I want to help the Human? I lost Bloodnets in the killings.”
“As did we all,” the Jurist said. “That does not matter. All that matters now is that there is evidence of tampering with the security collar, and your fingerprints are on the suspect module. Why you would help the Human escape will be determined later. But for now, you are being placed in holding detention as the investigation progresses. Take her away.”
The other security personnel in the room surrounded Sornum and placed restraints on her. She glared at Darion as she was taken from the room. The Juris turned to Darion.
“Retain all parts of the collar as well as security video from the meeting with the Human, both meetings. You and De’lason were the only two individuals to meet with him in his room. As far as I am concerned, you are both suspects.”
“I understand, Juris-Four. I am a trained security officer; I understand the protocols.”
“Then keep yourself available for further interviews.”
“I will.”
The Juris and his team left. Darion gave instructions to the techs to box up the collar and place it in a safe. Then she returned to her office.
Yes, Darion Crolous was a trained security officer. And one of the first things she learned was that every crime need
ed a suspect. Without one, the investigation would continue into perpetuity. And once a person of interest was identified, the authorities tend to focus all their attention on making the case against that individual, leaving most other clues to grow stale. Darion gave them Sornum De’lason. That will occupy the Juris long enough for the rest of her plan to play out. She had no false illusions that her role in the events would not eventually become known. But by then, she hoped to be on the winning side of the conspiracy, a hero rather than a traitor. It would be the only way she—and Skor—would survive in the long run.
Chapter 18
“So, what do you want me to say?” Zac asked Kinos Nosormin, Skor’s brother.
“Introduce yourself and then relate what you know about the attack and how the Humans were maneuvered into carrying it out,” Kinos answered. “Your words will be translated immediately into Azlorean Direct, making them understood by ninety percent of the population.” He tapped a smaller monitor on top of the larger one. “I have also placed a timer on the transmission. We cannot broadcast for more than five minutes; otherwise, our position can be discovered.”
“That’s not a lot of time.”
“Inform the public that there will be more broadcasts in the future with additional details.”
“What about the recording of the meeting? That was a lot longer than five minutes.”
Minos grimaced. “That is true. It will be compressed and broadcast in a single burst. Others will unpack the signal and, hopefully, broadcast it in its entirety.”
“What if no one does? It’s just my word against what everyone on the planet saw happen.”
“If the conspirators are powerful enough to squelch all dissemination of the full broadcast, we will find other avenues for release. And to achieve the greatest impact, the recording must be played in its entirety. It shows how Torin Nassmar—along with the Antaerean—deceived you into attacking.”