by Tobias Roote
Kildark was sympathetic to Frey’s worries, but had his own problems. He was being called a traitor openly by some members of staff and the council were contacting individuals for any facts they could get hold of to ascertain their stance in the matter. It didn’t help having the whole thing played out on the newsreels, although as Kildark said, it was at least forcing people to face the facts of a Core navy that exceeded the agreed peacetime fleet size by more than double, and that was just known ships.
A call buzzed through on their private network.
Kildark’s bleak countenance appeared and Frey slipped the call onto the main screen so the room’s audio would pick up.
“General ?” Vargo welcomed Kildark.
“Elder Vargo,” Kildark nodded circumspectly. His relationship with the Dispersalistas would have him thrown into a jail somewhere dark, dank and very remote if it was discovered. However, their mutual interests meant that it was imperative they worked together on many of the cases that the DIA uncovered. Without the DIA’s extensive espionage network the AWA wouldn’t exist.
“Frey wanted to know the second my team were despatched to the Archon sector. They just left. These are the transponder codes and bearing in mind the shitstorm going down here right now, I would recommend you get one of your defender teams to shadow them. They’re going to need some backup.”
“I understand, General. I might also say, that the ‘shitstorm’ has been very ably managed, but fear that Grady has probably over-extended his involvement with your organisation. He’s going to be a major target for the Core and you don’t need that kind of attention,” Vargo suggested to the AWA director.
“He’s our best agent, Vargo. I don’t want to lose him,” Kildark replied, thinking the elder thought he was a liability, which he wasn’t. Not by a long shot.
“Hmmh ! I understand. Perhaps we can find another use for him. I will await the outcome of the mission to the Archon sector before making a final decision,” Vargo compromised.
As the image of Kildark disappeared, Vargo turned to his secretary who was as much a friend as confidante, “Frey, we both know that Grady is finished with the AWA. To be honest, we could use him elsewhere. Give some thought as to repositioning him somewhere away from Core or AWA involvement for a while to let the heat die down,” he suggested strongly.
Frey, who knew just how deeply Grady was involved with the arrest of the Core officer and their history, was more than happy to oblige his superior and was already looking at upcoming scenarios that needed an agent of Grady’s calibre.
Exodus System - Simas’ Operation Centre
Where Vargo was deeply concerned over the turn of events on Fording Station, Simas was personally thrilled. He’d been planning to bring down the upstart organisation, the AWA, for years, ever since its ill-conceived idea was put into operation at the end of the Mutant Wars. He alone knew what it had cost him in terms of thwarted plans. He’d had to put his retirement on hold for years as a result. Now, after decades of planning and gerrymandering he was close to having not only his revenge on the DIA, the personal clandestine agency of his enemy Vargo, but also the Empire itself. He would also end up being the richest man in the known universe having surreptitiously taken major steps to ensure his investments would prosper in such a climate.
The only downside to all of this was that the only person who knew of all the planning and secret operations against his competitors and enemies alike, was looking back at him in the mirror. His people knew nothing, believing him to be a committed Dispersalist and highly respected elder. None of his colleagues knew, with the exception of Vargo who believed something was up, but didn’t know what. Perhaps that woman, Shallon, who always appeared to be looking through him as if trying to read his thoughts, had suspicions. He shuddered ; she gave him the creeps and was a priority target for elimination, once the world order changed.
He’d foregone the natural-looking greying and wrinkling process of the anti-ageing serums and instead gone for the prime-look, the one that said to him that kept him as a perfect example of human engineering, which of course, he was. Unlike the other elders, Simas had completely embraced the cloning and rejuvenation technology and had secretly replicated much of the knowledge and expertise held exclusively by the Dispersalistas and was now selling it in a very private and exclusive marketplace.
As a result, he was already fulfilling a major demand with world leaders, and corporate bosses wanting to extend their own lifespans and their active careers. All owed Simas their good fortune, and he was collecting on the debt daily and furthering his own ambitions in the process. He was already an incredibly rich individual, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted to use his money to dominate the Empire and all the planets. His ambition was second only to his vanity although both these obsessions were well hidden from the view of his colleagues and associates. He believed he was the most successful entrepreneur in the history of their universe and unlike most, he knew there were others out there inhabited by humanity. He wanted to rule them too and with his immortality technology he would rule it forever.
The file on the cloned asset he had placed within Fording Station AW Command Centre was still on his viewscreen. The asset had died as planned and now he had no further use for it. He mentally closed the data image and instructed it to delete itself. There were no other copies, part of Simas’ ongoing security ethos was to leave nothing to be discovered by his arch enemy, Vargo and his DIA. The empty space blinked once to confirm the action.
He chuckled, his mood frivolously drunk on the maturing of long held plans. The idea of creating a clone of Director Preston to eliminate another clone of Director Preston was designed to do nothing more than confuse any investigation by the AWA into his death. In the meantime, the real Director Preston was their meal ticket to the shut-down of the AWA. He mentally pressed the comms switch that would connect him to his party and was pleased to see it answer immediately. A delay would have meant that his importance to them had lessened.
“We’re progressing well, don’t you think, Phang ?” he said with a smirk on his face.
The ENCIO director of security nodded. “I agree, but there are problems with the unfortunate failure to take down Kildark. It means Preston is locked-in until we can extricate him, probably until after the event now. Kildark needs to be neutralised as soon as possible. The news and the resistance to our actions are building and it will soon be impossible to disguise our involvement publicly.”
“We needn’t worry about that, your new battleships and superiority in space should ensure compliance from the Empire. We own enough of the world leaders to ensure our success. It will require you making sure that our enemies are neutralised, though. I hear that the AWA has sent out agents to the Archon sector. This was exactly what we wanted to avoid at all costs. They must be eliminated,” Simas told him keeping his tone even. His eyes didn’t betray his disappointment and simmering anger at the failure of Phang to complete his part of the mission. Still, no matter, his plans included the ultimate removal of Phang and the AWA might not even be relevant in the end.
“Update me on the shake-out trials of the new battleships,” Simas requested.
“Oh ! Yes, not bad, actually. The Dramatus and Carristo have been undergoing full stress testing of the new engines. The new power source mined from Archon is amazing, it performs at least 300% better than any other power cell in the Empire and the massive increase in efficiency means we can either carry 25% of the normal fuel load, or travel four-times the distance.
“We’ve begun designing new ships based on the results from the trials and engine production is already under way. We anticipate all ships will be retrofitted with the power cells within the next two years. Sooner, if we can resolve the unfortunate matter of the indigent population without causing the Empire to take an interest - it’s still one of their planets, after all.”
“You and I know that, Phang. However, the records of ownership of that particular planet have been
mislaid and as possession is 99% of planetary law, we can, and will, refute their claim on that world if it arises,” Simas reassured him. He knew because his own agents had removed all references from the Empire’s databases along with half a dozen other planets that were of strategic importance to him.
The discussion continued for a few minutes, the information he sought which Phang had already provided, was the successful conclusion of the Core naval tests on the new power source. What Phang didn’t know was that the companies that owned both the power source and the new engines were his. When production was scaled up, the profit from all the orders would flow to him. He was in control and it wouldn't be long before Phang and everyone else knew it.
Chapter Thirteen
Archon sector, ENCIO Corporation Controlled Space
Grady was feeling nervous “We need to be bloody careful here, we are deep in Core territory.”
He flipped over the star chart he had in his notes. “What’s our time-scale to this Archon-5, Ario ?”
“We will enter Archon-5 orbit in twelve and a half hours at present speed,” the AI responded.
Shrilla voiced her concerns.
“I just can’t believe that Kildark thinks this is more important than the survival of the AW. A bunch of new mutants turning up is a big deal, but if the AW falls, then these mutants won’t have any defence from the corporations. It will be a bloodbath.”
Grady wasn’t so sure this wasn’t more important. He responded thoughtfully. “Reading between the lines of the mission notes I think Kildark isn’t telling us the full story. These people appear to have been established a long time. The medical notes recovered imply there is a fair degree of stabilisation, we just might have our first case of natural mutants, and that would set a dangerous precedent with the corporations and Febrillo Alliance. Neither wants mutants to become an issue they have to deal with out in the open. It could be what Kildark is worried about, that with AW neutralised, it would result in this problem being swept away out of sight. If we succeed in this assignment, then the AW becomes a real stumbling block to the corporations plans for expansion.”
“Yes, that sounds reasonable and an equally solid foundation for a cautious approach. Still, I feel as though something stinks in all this,” Shrilla replied reluctantly.
“I agree, but we need to concentrate. I think Kildark is over optimistic about his ability to call on friends in high places. In my experience, and I do have some in this, they have a habit of slipping through your fingers when you most need them. Politicians are two-faced and have a tendency to fall on the side of the hunters when they smell blood.”
He’d given Range a few contacts of his own before he left. He had no faith in the existing security and wasn’t going to leave the AW exposed. With Fuego out of the way for a few days, they had a window of opportunity that might allow them to complete this mission and get back without being blown out of space in any subsequent retaliation from Core.
While they still had time to kill, Grady relaxed and mentally reviewed the data. A prowler drone had first reported activity on the planet Archon-5 after it had successfully finished circumnavigating the planet. The drones were very sophisticated pieces of equipment, big enough to house four hundred tiny geological survey drones ; it would remain in position for as long as a year while its smaller cousins mapped the planet below. As it correlated the data, it continued to hone the surveys until it had specific areas of interest, then concentrated all of the drones in each area in turn to provide detailed maps of potential mining operations.
It was during one of these operations that the mainly automated land base was subject to an unusual attack. The humans who were researching the planet’s biology, mainly looking for pathogens and toxins that would affect the clone workers ability to operate had been attacked by a small band of marauding humanoids. Evidence indicated they were either mutant clones or an indigenous species. If the latter, there would need to be an investigation and the intention of the corporation that owned the planet was to call in mutant hunters to eradicate them.
The Alliance of Worlds had heard rumours [unspecified] through one of their sympathisers and had inserted an agent as part of the ship-based team orbiting the planet. Word got back to AW that there was going to be a hunt, and before they could do anything further, the situation in AW occurred.
Kildark believed the attack on the AWC was intended as a distraction for the Febrillo Alliance and the pro-clone lobby while ENCIO quietly removed the evidence that would be uncovered in any planetary investigation. The intended attack on Grady was supposed to take him out before he was hired to infiltrate the hunters contracted to Archon-5, which meant they knew he would be called so his cover had obviously been blown.
Shrilla had circumvented their plans with the sabotage of the hunters ships, and now they were headed in to assess the situation and report back. Their agent was still in place orbiting Archon-5. They would need to find some way of extracting the agent at the mission end.
They had a clear brief. Assess the indigents of Archon-5. Establish if they were mutants, or another humanoid species. If they were mutant, provide evidence that they were stable and posed no threat of virus to the clone worlds, or if an alien humanoid species, for work to cease and the planet would be regarded as inhabited and incorporated into the protection of the Empire.
Grady was under no illusions. If the mutants were stable they would be allowed to survive, but the corporation-controlled laws would apply and they would be marginalised and treated as company property. They probably wouldn’t be much better off. Still, you could only fight the battles - winning the wars would take a seismic shift in the balance of power, which was unlikely in the short term.
He was pulled from his mental review by the AI’s voice.
“Approaching Archon-5 and incorporating sensor baffles. Should I proceed with execution of concealed landing ?”
“Yes, ensure no drone surveillance can pick up our entry point and proceed to programmed LZ at one-tenth power,” Grady responded.
Shrilla was already checking her equipment. Grady needed to do the same and joined her on the deck with their equipment spread between them leaving Ario to negotiate their arrival. With luck, nobody would notice anything and they could proceed with their mission faster.
They both looked at the landscape viewer to assess their intended landing zone ; Grady’s finger outlined the areas of interest.
“We’ll be landing within twenty miles of the furthest point of ENCIO patrolled territory. From there we progress on foot until we can assess the local situation,” he said while bolting night-sights to his laser cutter ; it was his favoured weapon. The needle-like beam could kill precisely and at long range. His two blasters were good for twenty shots each, the energy cells each contained enough power for a similar number and he had two barrels that held twenty each and hooked onto the sides of his backpack. He kept a ceramic-thor blade strapped to his calf and an unrepressed blaster rifle with a staccato trigger. Good for bursts of up to forty bolts per second, it had a much better impact than the standard single one-second blasts. Not recommended for in-ship action, but great for outdoor shooting. The energy charges were the same as the blasters.
Shrilla preferred more lightweight solutions, her sniper rifle would send flechette rounds over a mile and the auto-compensator’s would take care of everything between her and the target. It was silent with virtually no recoil and wasn’t standard military issue. You had to be invited to own one of these - the manufacturers were picky. Grady was quietly impressed with his new partner. Her shortish hair was professional, once helmeted up she would look like a man and judging by the size of her rucksack she wouldn’t be travelling light either.
They were ready.
Landmass, Archon-5, ENCIO Corporation Controlled Space
As they landed Ario deployed the balloon camouflage to hide the vessel. The ‘camose’ were designed to simulate the local environment and had an 80% efficiency reco
rd in off-world deployment. Within seconds they were completely hidden and the balloons also helped to deflect satellite and drone sensors. They were really that good.
Shrilla checked the composition of the local atmosphere before twisting the valve. They both had their standard-issue helmet visors that incorporated micro-filters to extract potentially harmful airborne spores. They also doubled-up as a health monitor, checking their vitals via their exhalations. It would warn them if they weren’t getting sufficient gases, or if other problems were developing. Neither ever travelled without them. One spore lodging in the lung could spell disaster thousands of miles away from the nearest MedicBot.
“OK, let’s move out,” she said, taking the lead and stooping below the bottom lining of the balloons that came down almost to ground level and provided a deterrent to local visitors as well as airborne. The jungle soon became visible at the edge of the small clearing that the Citrix had landed in.
Grady pulled his knife, it would be ideal if they had to cut their path as it left no frequency signature, a laser was quicker and worked over a longer distance, but difficult to hide the evidence. In the end it wasn’t needed and he pushed it back into its sheath, relying instead on his arms to push the native creeper growth aside. There were striking similarities to other human inhabited worlds, but not mutant ones where they had been physically adapted to deal with the different atmospheres and habitats.
“What are we looking for ?” Shrilla looked for confirmation of their intent. It was her first op as a mutant hunter and she was happy to learn whatever she could from Grady.
“We need to establish an awareness of what goes for normal on this planet, we can do that quickly by keeping our attention unfocused. It’s surprising how much the mind picks up when it’s not discounting anything. What we’re looking for will stand out, whatever it is will give us a heads-up. If we’re dealing with humans, mutant or otherwise, we will see indications. If it’s an alien species, we may not recognise anything, but should sense it. It’s just knowing it when you look at it.” Grady thought he should have explained himself better, so to clarify what he meant he provided an instance.