“Good. The guards will bring you to your things. You’ll want to report to your team. They’ll eventually wonder where you’ve been.”
“Eventually? How long was I…” he words trailed off.
“You were unconscious for no more than an hour, but the juices extracted from the Pino Berry can be quite potent, so it may feel like you’ve been asleep much longer. I have other tasks that require my attention. I trust you will cooperate going forward?”
Something shifted inside Clio. The mist in her head evaporated instantly, replaced by an intense sense of clarity. She fought against the searing heat threatening to explode in her chest. The last thing she needed was to lose control and hurt somebody. Clio closed her eyes and willed her lungs to draw slower deep breaths, just as Zora had taught her. The burning flames gradually subsided.
Clio opened her eyes to find a guard had moved closer, and held his hand out for support. She brushed it away.
“I’ll cooperate,” she said, her nostrils flaring. “Where’s Minister Straiya?”
“She’s tying up business in the Open Chamber. She’ll come to see you soon.”
ANOTHER STRING
To say the Open Chamber was the last place Grimshaw wanted to go was an understatement. He swiped through his exogear as he rested in the public waiting area beyond the grand doors. He’d quickly learned that even a high-ranking puppet had to wait his turn. It had been his seventh time appearing before the Galactic Council since arriving on the Sentinel, and the criminal levels of bureaucracy all but drove him insane. A man could barely move on the Sentinel for fear of getting tangled in light-years of red tape. For a Captain in charge of a team tasked with tracking down Chimera, it was only worse.
Grimshaw finished typing and hit send, his shoulders suddenly a little lighter after finally catching up on his messages. He rolled his head and stretched out a knot in his neck. Grimshaw's exotool pinged as three new appeared in his inbox, and he ground his teeth. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get ahead on the Sentinel.
How am I supposed to catch up with Chimera when I can hardly keep up with my damned schedule. Damn Council.
It had all seemed so easy when Grimshaw had first arrived on board the station, but he had stumbled directly into the Council’s web, and he had yet to find a way out of it.
Grimshaw noticed an urgent icon next to one of the messages from Admiral Axton but decided to read it later. The admiral wanted a slice of Grimshaw, just like everyone one else. A nearby news terminal broadcast a barely-audible message, but it caught his attention.
“Repairs are still underway at Gate Sigma,” the reporter announced. “The advanced Tal’Ri repair team refuse to comment on progress, but from what our drones have picked up, it looks it’ll be several more Galactic weeks before the gate opens again. The interview with the Pro-Human League leader is coming right up. But first, a word from our sponsors.”
Grimshaw sighed. The longer Gate Sigma was down, the longer they remained open to attack. On the bright side, it meant that the Confederation Fleet couldn’t summon him before he had a chance to free the North Star from the clutches of the Galactic Council.
Grimshaw’s attention turned to the many frescoes that lined the tower’s walls. One section depicted a group of ancient rafarrian warriors battling something akin to a dragon wrapped around a leafless tree. Grimshaw assumed it was some mythological creature, but after seeing the monstrosities on Colony 115, he wouldn’t have been too surprised if such beasts had once existed.
The events on the colony plagued his mind daily. He couldn’t help but be horrified by the thought of what might happen if the chits ever attacked other human planets—even Earth which was exposed while Gate Sigma remained closed. Humans alone wouldn’t stand a chance. The Galactic Alliance would need to be involved, and the only way that would happen was if he could convince the Galactic Council to flex their arms.
Someone ahead cleared their throat, and Grimshaw suddenly realized an attendant was trying to get his attention.
“Ah, yes.” He waved, walking to the doors, shoulder back and chin out.
“Captain Grimshaw of the Confederation Fleet,” the rafarrian administrator at the chamber door announced. “Requesting an audience with the laudable Galactic Council. Please present yourself.”
“Captain Grimshaw present,” he said as he approached the giant doorway.
The rafarrian flicked her grey, shoulder-length tentacles to display her frustration with having to repeat herself. Standing almost seven feet tall, she towered over Grimshaw and, despite her rafarrian features, appeared regal in her elaborate tower livery.
Grimshaw held out his exogear, and she scanned it with her own.
“Identity confirmed,” the administrator as if she hadn’t admitted him to the Open Chamber several times before. “You may enter.”
“You have my thanks,” he muttered the formal response.
“See the administrator at the desk when you return for your weapons.” She stepped aside and operated the controls on her exogear.
The two heavily armed tower guards—one shanti, one human—parted in tandem with the heavy chamber doors. Light from the waiting area spilled into the dim hallways beyond where two rows of tower guards lined the walls. Grimshaw passed along the corridor eyes directly ahead and stopped before the second set of security doors. By design, they wouldn’t part until the first set had closed.
At least they take their security seriously.
As the vestibule doors crunched closed behind him, the second barrier parted, revealing the Open Chamber pit.
Grimshaw drew a deep breath and stepped over the threshold. He made his way to the common raised platform in the center of the pit. Powerful beams lit the low platform from various angles, distinguishing it from the rest of the Chamber. It gave the occupant the impression that they stood under trail. High-tiered seating rose in a full circle around the pit, from which politicians could study their quarry.
Even with more than half the seats vacant, close to a hundred councilors and other politicians attended the session. As far as he understood it, the Chamber was rarely more than half-full. Straiya had informed Grimshaw that he drew something of a crowd in the Open Chamber sessions, though he had never been able to figure out why.
On a seven-seated platform several feet above the pit, four Ministers evaluated him.
Minister’s Straiya and Foster sat to one side. Minister Farmorai of the rafarrians and a holoform representing Minister Xu sat to the other side. Rarely did the Tal’Ri attend matters in person.
All ministers had never been present for one of Grimshaw’s appearances, and the empty seats seemed to serve as a barrier between two opposing sides. Or perhaps it was another part of their game. Grimshaw wasn’t sure.
He looked up at them, trying to maintain a solemn expression under their lofty glares.
“I hope you’ve got news for us on Chimera, Captain,” Minister Foster demanded.
“Not yet, Minister.” Grimshaw tried not to sound too annoyed. He was the one there to do the drilling. “We’re still working on it.”
Minister Foster rubbed his hand through his greying hair. “Then why are you here?”
“With all due respect, you know why I’m here, Minister.”
“You’ve stood before the Council several times, Captain. You know the procedure. Announce the reason for your visit. For the archives.”
Silence filled the hollow space and pressed in around Grimshaw like it meant to suffocate him. He sensed a great frustration in the Council and other officials in attendance, and it wasn’t just because they were nearing the end of another long day.
Grimshaw drew a deep breath to still his irritation. “I’m here to petition the Council for an update on the events on Colony 115.” The words came out harsher than he’d hoped.
The rafarrian Minister cackled. “You mean that illegal operation you humans and the shanti had on the Fringe?”
“I would caution agai
nst such accusations, Minister Farmorai,” Straiya countered.
“Article fifteen of the Galactic Alliance Charter states that the Galactic Council must approve the development of military technology involving two or more Galactic Alliance races.”
“Rich coming from someone who only quotes the GAC when it suits them,” Foster added.
Minister Farmorai laughed again; Grimshaw detected a hint of unease. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I wager you don’t either.”
“Article fifteen didn’t come up when your people shipped triathium to the Wargs three rotations ago,” Straiya said with that knowing smile she often wore.
“Well, ah, technically the Wargs were not in Galactic Alliance, given that their membership was once again undergoing review,” the Rafarrian stuttered. “Well…ah—”
“Let’s stick to the matter at hand.” Minister Foster cut in on the quarreling, turning the conversation back to Grimshaw. “Haven’t you contacted the Confederation Fleet as we suggested, Captain?”
“Yes, but with Gate Sigma still down, communications with the Confederation is erratic at best.”
“So what is it you require from the Council?”
“Last time, I was told you’d look into it.”
“And so we will.” Minister Foster’s voice boomed. “However, we have more pressing matters at hand, Captain. Your little stunt with Project Zero has sown disquiet in no small measure. We’ll spend the next rotation, and then some, cleaning up the mess you and your crew made. And that’s before we’ve even dealt with whispers of wars and rebellions.” Minster Foster shot Minister Straiya an accusing glare that she refused to acknowledge. “In the meantime, we’ve forwarded your request onto the Confederation Fleet through an agent. They will have to take care of things until we’ve freed up resources.”
“But what if the chits…I mean aphni attack—”
“What these pirates decide to do in human space is no concern of the Council’s,” Minister Xi’s projection cut in. “As Minister Foster has already informed you, weightier matters demand our attention at present.”
Grimshaw clenched his fists as he turned to the Tal’Ri Minister’s shifting holoform. “Pirates?”
“You reported a single ship, did you not?”
“A single destroyer of immense size and the command of other vessels—”
“Still,” the Tal’Ri representative cut in. “It was hardly a military exercise and therefore cannot be treated as an act of war against the Galactic Alliance. Even if we were to act, we have so few details on this marauding band.”
“My report was very clear about the threat to the Galactic Alliance. You could at least send a ship to check—”
“We’ve read your report, Aegis Grimshaw,” Straiya said, stressing his title. “Sending an agent to work with the Confederation Fleet is the best we can hope for. With Gate Sigma down and the increased volume coming through Gate Altos, accessing the Fringes is next to impossible. The agent we sent has been instructed to provide relief supplies to the colony once the ship-ways have cleared; Fully funded by this Council, of course.”
A relief effort for the colonists that survived—if any—was a step in the right direction, but it was a small concession in the grand scheme of things. Grimshaw changed tact. “What about the samples we brought back? We provided plenty of hard evidence. Weapons, armor, organics.”
“Those remain quarantined pending review,” Xi said with disgust.
A wave of heat rolled up Grimshaw’s back. He did his best to suppress his ire. “We’ve been on the Sentinel for months. Surely they’ve been processed already.”
“Need we remind you how reckless it was to bring such foreign samples on board,” Minister Farmorai said. “Doing so put the lives of every citizen on this station at great risk. It’s been centuries since we’ve had a serious outbreak, but the last one wiped out a quarter of the Sentinel’s population. So you’ll have to forgive us for taking precautions.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, Minister Farmorai is right,” Minister Straiya said. “The arrival of Project Zero has put a lot of additional…stress on station affairs. We'll sort through these things given in their own time.”
The Rafarrian Minister shot Grimshaw a vindictive smile, his many rows of sharpened teeth gleaming in the cold light.
Sometimes, Grimshaw wondered whose ally Straiya was. Trying to understand politicians and the many webs they wove hurt his head. It took everything he had not to raise his voice. “While on the point, access to the Nor…Project Zero would aid us greatly in tracking Chimera. Her advanced artificial intelligence—”
“We will not allow it,” Minister Xi’s voice boomed as it always did when discussing the ship.
“Our technicians have not finished investigating the ship, and there’s no telling how dangerous the AI is. For all we know, it has was compromised by the Chimera agents in Xerecorp Labs,” Minister Foster added. “A breach of Sentinel systems would be devastating.”
“You’ve risked infecting our people and the station,” Minister Farmorai added.
“No one has never hacked the Sentinel core,” Grimshaw objected. “The ancient technology is beyond understanding.”
“And we will not offer a terrorist organization the opportunity to change that,” Minister Farmorai shouted, his shrill voice echoing through the chamber.
A wave of nervous chatter rolled through those gathered.
Foster raised his hand for quiet. “Is that all, Captain?”
“Once more thing.” Grimshaw cleared his throat. “I still believe that going ahead with the Sentinel Ceremony is unwise.” He looked about the crowds and selected his next words carefully. “Given what you’ve mentioned and the lack of progress regarding Chimera and their…intentions…I would recommend postponing the celebrations.”
Shouts of malcontent and hackles erupted among the eaves.
“Quiet,” Minister Xi’s voice resonated through the chamber, silencing the turbulence. “The Sentinel Ceremony is an important tradition. It is as integral to our society as the laws that guide us. One cannot simply postpone such a thing.”
“Will you consider relocating the public celebration to a more secure location? Sentinel Square is not the easiest position to defend.”
“You suspect that Chimera will cause trouble during the festival?” Xi asked.“ What evidence have you?”
“No evidence.” Grimshaw avoided telling them it was merely a feeling. “But it would be wise to take precautions. The people will celebrate, of course. But pressing ahead with the ceremony in Sentinel Square is not—”
“Not necessary?” Minister Farmorai spat. “This is the problem with humans. They turn up uninvited one day and expect us to change the very fabric of our culture. I tire of their unreasonable demands,” he gestured at Grimshaw. “Will you next request that we submit all power to you humans?”
“Bridle your tongue,” Straiya warned.
The rafarrian minister looked to Xi for support and when none was forthcoming sank back in his seat.
“Postponing or adjusting the ceremony would be to admit defeat to Chimera,” Foster said. “It cannot be allowed.”
The crowd raised their voices in agreement.
“At least allow me to post some of my people,” Grimshaw all but pleaded.
“That won’t be necessary,” Minister Xi said. “Sergeant Chin’s people are more than capable.”
“It has been settled. The ceremony will proceed as planned. I take it that is all.”
Grimshaw had to stop himself from sighing. “That’s everything.”
“You did insist that this so-called Chimera problem was dealt with by humans,” Xi said. “Since it appears to be of human origin.”
“I’m sure Captain Grimshaw will have better news for us next time,” Minister Foster said. “Isn’t that right, Captain.”
“I’ll do my best,” was the only answer he could manage.
“If you fail us, Captain, w
e’ll have no choice but to hand the project over to Sentinel Security, and you don’t need me to tell you they already have enough on their plates.” Minister Foster said.
Grimshaw gave a curt nod. “Understood.”
That concludes our session,” Minister Foster said. “Today’s session is adjourned.” Minister Foster swung his hammer, and the place erupted into conversation as politicians left their seats.
Two guards approached Grimshaw and escorted him back into the empty waiting area. They returned to the Open Chamber corridor, the sturdy doors locking behind them.
Grimshaw took a minute to gather his thoughts in the silence. The Council was locking him out of the North Star for political reasons. Any other reason they gave was a lie. He hated having to deal with vipers, but it was an unfortunate part of his job. Everyone seemed to have a string on him: Minister Straiya had made him an Aegis and Minister Foster had placed him in charge of the Chimera project. He’d also supported Admiral Axton’s decision to promote him to captain. Grimshaw scratched the shadow growing on his jaw. He would need to start thinking more like politicians if he was going to play their game. He needed to start pulling on strings of his own.
His exogear alerted him to a call. Grimshaw was going to ignore it until he noticed it was coming from Taza Arkona. He glanced about and, satisfied the area was still empty, answered.
“Is this a secure channel?” Grimshaw asked.
“No. I’m broadcasting our conversation all of the station.” Taza’s words dripped with sarcasm. “Of course it’s secure. What do you take me for?”
“We can’t talk long. I’m just outside the Open Chamber.”
“Well stick a bonnet on my head and call me Shelly.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve got something you’ll want to see.” The ex-archagent sounded excited. “Remember our deal?”
“What about it?”
“Let’s say I might have the key to getting you back onto the North Star. Meet me at the usual place. Thirty minutes.”
Grimshaw was about to ask for details, but Taza cut the line. The man was almost as much of a serpent as the Council and Grimshaw had already had his fill of snakes for the day, but he was eager to find out more about this key.
Enter The Shroud: Galactic Sentinel Book Two Page 2