Descent

by Hamish Spiers

  Jiang frowned. The building was a large hexagonal structure some nine or ten storeys high. There were several entrances, with armed human sentries posted outside each of them, and even what appeared to be automated turrets around the rooftops.

  “We’re not seriously going to try to get in there, are we?” she asked her companion of circumstance.

  “We most certainly are,” Vismach replied. “And I am confident in our success.”

  “This is stupid,” Jiang muttered. “I don’t know why I’m following you around. I should just lie low until Drackson gets here.”

  “We’re helping the war effort,” Vismach said.

  Jiang looked at him. “We’re not at war.”

  Vismach shrugged. “Not yet. But we will be soon enough.”

  “Fine. But tell me this. How come you haven’t told me your plan yet?”

  “Because you won’t like it,” Vismach said. “I’ve often found it’s easier to apologize afterwards than ask for permission beforehand.”

  “You hardly need my permission,” Jiang replied, keeping her voice low. “You do what you like anyway. You don’t even stay in prison when you’re put there.”

  “I find prison confining,” Vismach said, pulling out a remote. “All right. Here goes.”

  “What’s that for?”

  “A mine I stole earlier,” Vismach explained. “Not one of those heavy ones from the Drifter’s Folly.”

  Then, before Jiang could form a reply, he flicked a switch. There was a deafening crash and the night sky lit up like the glare of the midday sun. Debris rained down on the street before them. Concrete rubble and metal shrapnel exploded against the communication center, taking chips and dents out of the walls and the roof, while roving beams of orange light shot out from the building and the wail of a siren rang over the city.

  Several of the sentries who had been guarding the building left their posts, running towards the site of the sudden detonation - an older building opposite the communications center.

  Jiang swallowed. The massive explosion, and the destruction all around it, shook her to the core.

  “No, no,” she murmured to Vismach, backing away from the glare of the burning wreckage. “You’re on your own.”

  Vismach gave her a cold glance. “This isn’t the time to get jittery, Jiang. The sentries will not leave their posts for long.” He sprinted across the street, ducking into the nearest entrance to the communications building. He looked back her way for a moment but Jiang shook her head and ran from the scene.

  15. Decision on Hie’shi

  The ground based headquarters for the Hie’shi Defense Forces in Traeist City were reportedly both large and elegant, boasting a level of comfort not normally associated with the military. However, as the Hie’shi rarely allowed outside visitors access to their more sensitive facilities, Maia had to take their word for it.

  The conference room that had been provided for her presentation was more than sufficient though, comfortably seating the numerous Frontier naval officials and dignitaries who had come to Hie’shi to hear the plan she and Zak had worked on for the resolution of the Imraec Tarc matter.

  As she finished their outline and took the measure of the room, she saw looks of approval from many of the attendees. Some faces were unreadable to her though, either because of her lack of familiarity with the species or because the individuals themselves were practiced in concealing their reactions. Her gaze drifted over everyone who was seated, coming to rest on the group of Hie’shi at the front of the audience - and one in the garb of the Hie’shi Defense Forces with a golden strip over his shoulder signifying his rank.

  It was this individual, among all who were gathered in the room, who spoke first.

  “You mean to secure Katara before taking making any moves against Imraec Tarc then,” he said. His tone conveyed nothing to Maia.

  “Yes, Admiral Seirvek. That’s what we mean,” she said, her own tone guarded.

  “An unnecessary precaution,” the admiral said with a wave of his hand. “If we take the Imraehi on their homeworld by surprise, we can easily mitigate their ability to use Katara as a bargaining chip.”

  A few seats away from Admiral Seirvek, Senator Ereis spoke up. “Admiral. May I remind you that there are Imraehi on Katara? They could slaughter the local inhabitants, lay waste to their cities -”

  “I doubt,” the admiral cut him off, “if they would do so with their own world under siege by a vastly superior force.” He climbed to his feet and addressed the assembly. “And, ladies and gentlemen, we would be a vastly superior force. Let us not delude ourselves over the relative importance of this matter. Imraec Tarc is not a world deserving of too much concern. It is a speck. A nuisance with arrogant pretences. A nation that imagines itself to be far greater than it really is. It is the opinion of both myself and my colleagues that far too much discussion has been wasted on the Imraehi already. The neighboring political powers approve of our intervening on Katara’s behalf. The Federation. The Harskan Sector. The Minstrahn Empire and the Autonomous Levarc Territories. And the United Frontier has more than enough power to overwhelm this little rogue state.”

  “You sound like Corinthe.”

  Admiral Seirvek’s eyes narrowed and he scanned the assembly. “Who said that?”

  A Calae woman rose from her seat. “I did.”

  “Lady Aleiris, you see a parallel where there is none. It would not be the act of an aggressor to incapacitate one people’s ability to subjugate another. We would be liberators, not conquerors. However, my point was not that the Imraehi should be crushed - although that would certainly be their just dessert - but that there is no need for us to be hesitant in dealing with them. It is a simple matter and we have already wasted too much time in discussing it.” He gestured to Maia at the front of the room, Zak beside her. “Maia Kaleilae, the Adopted Lady Erama, and Master Zak’s strategy is sound. They have anticipated potential problems and outlined thorough measures that can be taken to prevent them. I have no argument against it save one. And that is that to carry it out would be a massive waste of time and resources.”

  “Many lives on Katara hang in the balance,” Admiral Kalae said, rising to her feet as well. “Precautions are always called for in such situations.”

  “I don’t disagree,” Admiral Seirvek told her. “And with the permission of all who are gathered here, perhaps I can outline the precautions I have drawn up with the Hie’shi navy.”

  “By all means.”

  “It won’t take long,” the admiral replied, walking to the front of the room and standing beside Zak and Maia. “We position Tridents in orbit over Imraec Tarc ready to destroy their orbital stations and other space based weaponry. Then we contact the planetary defense forces and issue our demands, destroying their defenses if they fail to comply. And we issue a warning that any actions by their people on Katara against the local population will be severely punished.”

  “Did you say Tridents?” Admiral Kalae asked. “Hie’shi Tridents?”

  A Heg-shur climbed to his feet, unfolding his great bulk in a stance of aggression. “The Hie’shi can act alone?”

  “By the charter of the United Frontier,” Admiral Seirvek told him, “any nation among us can act according to this manner. While we would be gladder to have a combined strike force with our best ships, my people are more than capable of dealing with the Imraehi ourselves.” He glanced at Maia when he mentioned their ‘best ships’, possibly referring to the Freedom-class Dreadnoughts. Then he looked at Admiral Kalae. “And in answer to your question, yes. I did say Tridents.”

  Admiral Draedon of the Ellast Defense Forces joined those standing in the audience. “What about the reports of mines that are being scattered around the planet?”

  “We generated most of those reports, Admiral,” Seirvek replied. “We have someone on the ground who is working closely with us to neutralize any advantages the enemy might hold over us.”

  Beside the Hie’shi admiral, Zak
choose to speak up. “You’ve made several good points, Admiral. And you’re right. If you want to launch an independent strike against Imraec Tarc, the charter doesn’t allow us to prevent you from carrying it out. However, while you have your resources, we have ours. And if you choose to carry out your own attack against Imraec Tarc without the approval of the other member states of this alliance, then we can then choose to withhold our resources from you.”

  Seirvek’s eyes narrowed again. “We don’t need your Dreadnoughts, Master Zak. My Tridents are more than suited to the task.”

  “I wasn’t referring to the Dreadnoughts,” Zak said. “I was referring to my own information sources. I have someone keeping track of pirates and privateers who are heading into Imraehi space to join their growing navy and I already have a comprehensive list of private vessels in Imraehi service. I have other people following a weapons smuggling trail that leads to one of Imraec Tarc’s closest allies. And I have another field agent who’s ascertaining the extent of Imraec Tarc’s defense network in its entirety and what it consists of.”

  One of Admiral Seirvek’s associates called out from the front row of the assembly. “He’s referring to Drackson Araujion, Admiral. Our own man informs us that one of his people is presently on Imraec Tarc.”

  Admiral Seirvek turned to Zak with a short laugh. “Drackson Araujion? You may as well ask the president of the Federation to gather intelligence for you. It’d be about as low key.”

  Zak didn’t rise to the bait. “Drackson may be well known but he’s more than capable of maintaining a low profile. And his associates are just as discreet. I can assure you that the information Maia and I have been gathering from all these sources is substantial.”

  “Then in the interests of cooperation,” Admiral Seirvek replied, “you should share it. Or are you going to let good Hie’shi die for your pride?”

  “No Hie’shi need die,” Zak told him, keeping his voice calm. “But I oppose the type of action you’re proposing and if withholding information about the Imraehi’s capabilities is what it takes to make you call it off, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

  Senator Ereis approached the small group, laying a hand on the Seirvek’s arm. “Admiral. Be reasonable.”

  Seirvek shook the hand off and turned to the senator. “I always strive to be reasonable, Senator. If Master Zak does not wish to share his information with us, then I shall lead my strike against the enemy without it and hold him no grudge.”

  “You know, Admiral,” Zak interrupted, “from your own source on Imraec Tarc, that the Imraehi are Phalamkian.”

  Seirvek nodded. “Yes, although I chose not to make an issue of it. It doesn’t color my perception of Phalamki in any way. It’s simply a minor curiosity.”

  Zak smiled. “Perhaps. However, it has shed some light on certain pieces of data that Drackson Araujion’s sources have passed on to us. His people have retrieved a lot of information from the Imraehi regarding their orbital defenses around both Imraec Tarc and Katara. I imagine your own source has passed on some of this data as well. Now, while a lot of it is in Corsidan, no doubt due to the large number of non-Imraehi personnel in their military forces, we found that a number of documents were in a completely unknown language to us, and were therefore indecipherable.”

  “Old Phalamkian,” Seirvek said.

  “Indeed. However, we’re fortunate in that we have available to us an expert in old Phalamkian and he is presently deciphering these documents, providing us with an even more comprehensive knowledge of the Imraehi’s defense capabilities.”

  Seirvek regarded Zak with a blank gaze. “You’re welcome to your expert.”

  As the din grew outside, Zak and Maia followed Senator Ereis into the smaller adjoining conference room, Zak closing the door behind them.

  “Well, that was a waste of time,” Maia said. “It’s obvious Admiral Seirvek was never interested in hearing our suggestions.”

  Senator Ereis sighed and gestured for them to sit. “Yes. It seems he has been intending to carry out his own plans from the beginning.”

  “Hold on a second,” Zak said, his voice calm. “The United Frontier charter may allow the Hie’shi to act independently in this matter but Admiral Seirvek still requires the approval of the Hie’shi government.”

  Maia looked at the Hie’shi senator sitting across the table from them. “But he’s already got it. Hasn’t he, Senator?”

  Zak frowned. “Is that true?”

  “Maia is right, my friend,” the senator replied. “He doesn’t have the entire government’s support - and he most certainly does not have mine - but he has enough. A fifty-three percent majority and that’s all he requires. He will proceed with his plans and, most likely, he’ll proceed immediately. He delayed out of courtesy to you two.”

  “Some courtesy,” Maia said.

  A drawn out click escaped from the Hie’shi senator. “But it was a courtesy, Lady Erama, although I can understand if it did not appear so to you. However, we are Hie’shi and our ways are, of course, not your own. However, this day has not been a waste of time. We now know exactly what Admiral Seirvek intends and you can adjust your own plans accordingly. You do not need to work with him but there’s nothing to stop you from using him to your advantage.”

  Five minutes later, the three of them returned to the main conference room, where Zak approached the Hie’shi naval commander once more.

  “Admiral Seirvek.”

  The admiral made a drawn out click. “Master Zak. You were convening with the esteemed senator, I see. I trust your talk went satisfactorily. Now, I’m afraid that I have lots to organize so my time is short. But what can I do for you?”

  “I may not personally agree with what you’re intending to do, Admiral,” Zak said. “However, we are working towards the same goal and, more than that, we are on the same side.”

  “Yes, Master Zak?”

  “We will share whatever information we have.”

  “Will you also be combining your naval assets with our own?”

  “Our task force and yours will be operating independently of each other,” Zak said. “However, Maia and I believe that each group should be a United Frontier task force. We’ll consult with the representatives of the other Frontier nations who are here today and see what ships can be allocated to each of our groups. Also, I should add that in light of the reports of Imraehi mines that you’ve provided for the rest of us, we’ve commissioned repairs on our old wartime mine sweepers.”

  “We’ve made repairs on our own too,” Admiral Seirvek said. “Although we had a couple still in service. There are a few pirate organizations that use mines to protect their bases.”

  “True,” Zak said. “Anyway, since your task force will be the one arriving at Imraec Tarc first, we’ll add our mine sweepers to your own.”

  The admiral nodded and extended his hand. “Thank you, Master Zak. I wish you and your task force the best of luck.”

  Zak accepted the handshake. “And to you as well, Admiral. I trust we will meet again soon.”

  Deramar Ardeis looked up from his desk as a fellow Imraehi entered his office. “Commander Elos,” he said, addressing his colleague in their common language.

  The commander produced a pad and handed it to his superior. “We sent a probe over the Kalaer River as you requested. Both the Younger Lady Erama and Master Asten appear uninjured and are still moving towards the river. If they make it past the sentinel flowers, I’d say they’ll find the ruins.”

  “That’s the plan,” Ardeis replied as he inspected the pad. “And I doubt the sentinel flowers will pose much of a problem for our intrepid travelers.”

  “There’s something else, sir,” Commander Elos said. “The probe detected faint transmissions from them. The jungle’s scrambling the signal but it seems they’re carrying tracking beacons.”

  “I knew that already, Commander,” Ardeis said. “And I made the decision not to search them for the beacons while they were in our
custody. As you say, the jungle’s scrambling the signal anyway - and when they reach the coast, they may need their tracking beacons if they are to leave Imraec Tarc quickly.”

  “If they reach the coast,” the commander reminded him. “They might not be able to work out how to make a sufficient watercraft and even then -”

  “You’re right, of course,” Ardeis interrupted. “However, I have every confidence that they will make it before their supplies run out and avoid the pitfalls along the way.”

  The commander smiled. “Some of the boys think we should open a book. It could be interesting to place a wager on this.”

  Ardeis sighed. “At present, Commander, I am demonstrating a point to Lady Erama and her husband. One that will, with any luck, help them to understand our position better. If we were to ‘open a book’ on them, so to speak, then we would be toying with their lives. And that, Commander, is a monstrous thing to do.”

  “My apologies, sir.”

  Ardeis waved a hand. “Forget it. Now, has there been any further word on our pest?”

  Commander Elos shook his head. “That Hie’shi is a crafty villain. We’re still working out just how much damage he did last night. And the city surveillance network is still down.”

  Ardeis nodded. “You fixed the latest problem you found but there’s clearly another one.”

  “That’s it,” the commander said. “However, I assure you that we’ll find the little runt and when we do, I’ll have him shot.”

  “Oh no!” Ardeis exclaimed, looking surprised at the commander. “If and when you find this fellow, I’d like to buy his services.”

  “With respect, sir, you must be joking.”

  “I am in deadly earnest, Commander,” Ardeis replied. “Now, the pattern. He is damaging our orbital defense systems but he’s doing it through ground based transmissions and tinkering with mines and equipment that have passed through this port. Correct?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “However, the stinger nets are safe from such interference at present. Also correct?”