Ep.#6 - For the Triumph of Evil (The Frontiers Saga - Part 2: Rogue Castes)

by Ryk Brown

  Cameron looked at the lieutenant commander. “I guess Nathan is going to have to go back down to Corinair. General Telles is not going to like this.”

  * * *

  Suvan Navarro walked down the corridor leading from the shuttle docks to the number two assembly bay of the Takaran shipyards. It had taken him five days to finally land a position on one of the hull painting crews. Five days of sitting around the trades house, waiting for an opening. Even then, an opening had only come due to an accident in which a member of the paint crew, to which he was now assigned, had lost his life.

  Although Suvan did not wish ill will on any of his fellow Takarans, he knew the time would come when he might have to take one or more of their lives in order to accomplish his goals. If killing a few innocent Takarans was the price of liberation for the entire Pentaurus cluster, then it was a price Suvan was willing to pay, and ten times over, if need be.

  Stealing the Teyentah was going to be hard enough. Finding people to help him was going to be even more difficult. The men building this ship were all gainfully employed, in trades the Dusahn desperately needed. Their futures were secured, as were those of their families. Convincing such men to risk everything on so risky a plan would not be easy, and would take a great deal of time.

  Unfortunately, time was something that was in short supply. Once the Teyentah was completed, she would be assigned a Dusahn crew and put into service, at which point her theft would be impossible. If he was going to make off with a three-kilometer-long warship, he would have to do it soon.

  He followed the line of workers, turning the final corner. Before him was the Teyentah, floating motionless in her assembly bay, separated from him only by massive windows lining the bay-side deck on which he now stood.

  The Teyentah was a beautiful ship, all function over form. She followed the modular design that had become so popular toward the end of Caius’s reign. The concept allowed sections to be removed or added to a ship’s core structure, making it easy to reconfigure to meet its new mission by either adding, removing, or reorganizing her modules as needed.

  The Teyentah had been configured as a battleship. She was smaller than the Avendahl had been, by a considerable margin, and she had nowhere near the firepower Suvan’s former ship had possessed. But she had three flight decks: two for fighters, and one for heavier ships, all of which were already partially loaded with spacecraft. In addition, she had four gun pods, each carrying two, independently-powered, double-barreled mark three plasma cannons, as well as multiple point-defense turrets. All in all, she had ten mark three turrets, four missile launchers, forty point-defense turrets, and four forward-facing mark five plasma torpedo cannons. She also had the ability to launch any number of automated, self-guided weapons from her flight decks, such as jump KKVs. Combined with the upgraded Dusahn shielding, she would likely be a match for a ship twice her size.

  Yet, the Dusahn did not seem to be in a hurry to finish the work that Casimir Ta’Akar had begun more than seven years ago, just before he was assassinated and his house dissolved. It seemed an odd decision, but Suvan was not one to question such a gift, for this delay was the one thing he had going for him in this crazy scheme of his.

  And so, Suvan Navarro would bide his time, painting the exterior of the ship he planned to someday steal, all the while keeping his eyes and ears peeled, looking for any opportunities that might come his way. At this point, he had no plan. For plans were born from intelligence, of which he had almost none. So, his first order of business was to gather as much intel as he possibly could.

  But for now, he would paint.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Nathan stood at the hotel bar, nursing his cocktail and tugging every now and again at the tall collar that wrapped completely around his neck. The stiff white collar reminded him of the priests’ on Jerenbaugh. He had always hated taking runs to that world, as it was almost impossible not to get tripped up by any number of rules imposed by their theocratic government. Josh, himself, had been arrested there, for nothing more than saying hello to, who he perceived to be, an attractive, single woman. She had been attractive, just not single, as evidenced by the parallax earring hanging from her left earlobe. Of course, Josh had no idea of the significance of that particular piece of jewelry; a fact that had nearly gotten him executed, and had cost the Seiiki the entire profit from her haul.

  Nathan smiled, remembering the look on Josh’s face when Connor had come to pick him up after paying off the young woman’s husband to convince him to drop the charges. He looked like a scared kid who finally spotted his long-lost parent. It was the first time Connor had ever seen Josh take a tongue-lashing from Marcus without defending himself. Even Neli had given him a piece of her mind, which was something Josh never tolerated…not from Neli.

  “Are you going to buy me a drink, or what?”

  Nathan turned to look at Jessica, his mouth dropping to the floor. “Wow.”

  “Good reaction,” she said, taking his drink from his hand and tossing it down her throat.

  “You clean up nice…especially for a soldier-girl.”

  “Two more,” Jessica told the bartender, signaling to him.

  Nathan couldn’t stop staring. “Can you even breathe in that thing? It looks like it’s painted onto you.”

  “It’s surprisingly comfortable, actually.”

  Nathan looked her up and down again. “I can’t believe you’re eight years older than when I first met you.”

  “And you started off so well,” Jessica said, shaking her head as she picked up her drink.

  “No, I mean, you look like you’re nineteen…twenty tops. You’re actually making me feel embarrassed. I mean, you can bounce a credit chip off your abs.” Nathan picked up his drink and tossed it back in a single gulp. “I need to start doing some crunches, or something.”

  “Aww, I think that little layer of baby fat around your belly is kind of cute,” Jessica teased, pinching the side of his belly. “That suit does not look comfortable.”

  “That’s because it isn’t,” Nathan agreed, tugging at his collar again. “Are all the men on this planet long-necked, or something? I feel like this collar is digging into my jaw.”

  Jessica reached up and touched the back of his collar, causing it to soften along the top edge. “Didn’t you bother reading the instructions?”

  “I don’t intend to wash it,” Nathan replied. “What did you do?” he wondered, finally able to relax.

  “They’re smart clothes, Nathan,” she explained. “How do you think I got into this thing?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “It felt about three sizes too big when I put it on. Then I pressed a spot up here, and it just formed to my body in all the right places, all by itself.”

  “So, this is a ‘smart jacket’?”

  “You’d know that if you’d read the instructions.”

  “Who the hell reads instructions on clothing?” Nathan wondered. “Shall we?” he asked, offering her his arm.

  Jessica took his arm, and the two of them walked out of the bar and into the hotel lobby, where they found their driver waiting for them.

  “Captain Scott?” the man asked, a twinge of local accent in his speech.

  “Yes,” Nathan replied.

  “Your car is waiting, sir,” the driver said, turning to lead them out.

  Nathan and Jessica followed the driver out, and climbed into one of a dozen, or so, limousines sitting in front of the hotel entrance.

  “Nice,” Jessica commented as the driver closed the door. “I haven’t been in a limo in at least a decade.”

  “What was the occasion?” Nathan wondered.

  “Prom, I think.”

  “A decade?”

  “I said at least a decade,” Jessica defended. “And if I remember correctly, I didn’t look half as good as I do now.”

  “Of that, I am certain,” Nathan replied as the driver climbed into the front seat.

  The limo rose up from
the ground, and began gliding away from the hotel on a cushion of anti-gravity. Nathan looked out the window as they pulled out of the hotel property. The streets of the city were lit in pale hues of blue and green, with other colors mixed in where they needed to compliment the city decor and architecture. The limo pulled out onto the main road which ran along the water’s edge, and wrapped around the perimeter of this section of the massive floating city. All three of Rakuen’s moons were out, providing a dazzling mixture of blues and reds, causing lavender sparkles in the crests of the waves in the distance.

  Nathan could imagine how the view must have captured the hearts of the first settlers to colonize Rakuen. It was a truly beautiful world, blessed with an abundance of water that was home to a multitude of plant and aquatic life, most of which were not only edible, but quite delicious.

  As Connor Tuplo, Nathan had visited this world a few times before, but he had never been able to afford to partake in its offerings. The landing and facilities fees imposed on foreign ships were steep, and Connor had always been forced to underbid his competition in order to win such runs. Most of his trips to Rakuen had barely paid for their return, as nothing was ever hauled from Rakuen in a foreign ship, not since they first received jump drive technology a few years ago, thanks to Ranni Enterprises.

  “What are you going to say to him?” Jessica asked.

  “I haven’t really thought about it,” Nathan admitted. “I guess I was planning on letting the conversation take its natural course, and see if I can comfortably steer it toward a discussion on the threat the Dusahn pose to, not only Rakuen, but, the entire quadrant.”

  “What about this Takaran businessman?” Jessica wondered. “You’re not buying that cover, are you?”

  “I’m neither buying, nor not buying it,” Nathan admitted. “I am, however, somewhat suspicious.”

  “Our latest intel suggests the Dusahn are still quite selective about who they allow to travel in and out of their systems within the Pentaurus sector.”

  “But that water purification plant was destroyed, wasn’t it?” Nathan said.

  “It was.”

  “Then he may not be a spy.”

  “Or, he may not know he is a spy,” Jessica pointed out.

  “The Takarans use Corinairan nanites,” Nathan reminded her.

  “Which can be completely flushed out in only a few week’s time, and we’re now a month into the Dusahn occupation.”

  “That’s cutting it a bit close,” Nathan said.

  “Doesn’t mean it isn’t possible,” Jessica replied. “Just keep your wits about you, and don’t reveal anything about our strengths, or lack thereof.”

  “If this person is a spy, couldn’t we use that to our advantage?” Nathan suggested. “Feed him some false intel to take back to the Dusahn. Maybe set a trap to take out a few of their ships while keeping our risk low?”

  “False intel ops can be tricky,” Jessica warned. “If not done correctly, they can bite you in the ass. Better to just keep things simple for now. Remember, we’re here to pick up a couple of shuttles, and try to talk Yokimah into convincing the Gunyoki to join us.” Jessica looked out the window as the limo transitioned from the thoroughfare to the city streets. “To be honest, I’m not sure Yokimah has as much power and influence as you think he does. At best, I don’t think he could do more than give us his Gunyoki racers. We’d still need pilots for them.”

  “He’s got more influence than you think,” Nathan insisted. “And there are hundreds of Gunyoki racers in the Rogen system. Honestly, though, I’d be happy with just his twelve. Put jump drives in them, and they’d be nearly as deadly as gunships, and definitely more maneuverable.”

  “Let’s hope you’re right,” Jessica said. “We’re pulling up to the restaurant now.”

  Nathan looked out the front windows just in time to see the crowd of people gathered in front of the restaurant. “What the hell?” He looked at Jessica.

  “Don’t look at me,” she told him. “I have no idea what’s going on.”

  “Driver,” Nathan called, tapping on the window dividing the driver’s compartment from theirs.

  “Yes, sir,” the driver replied as the window lowered.

  “What’s with all the people? Is this some kind of grand opening, or something?”

  “No, sir, the Porta Constantona is one of the oldest establishments in the city.”

  “Then why the crowds?” Jessica wondered.

  “They are here to see you, sir,” the driver said, surprised they did not know. “They are here to see Na-Tan,” he added, smiling.

  “Great,” Jessica said sarcastically.

  “You guys wanted to use me as a recruitment tool,” Nathan reminded her. “I guess this is where it starts.”

  “Yokimah is up to something,” Jessica told him. “I can feel it.”

  “People like him are always up to something,” Nathan assured her as the limousine pulled to a stop and settled slowly back onto its gear.

  Bright lights on a dozen different vid-cams snapped on as the driver got out and rushed back to open the door for Jessica. He graciously extended his hand, bowing slightly, so as not to block the view of any of the vid-cams. Jessica stepped out, smiled at the crowds, and did her best to look sexy rather than menacing. She stepped to one side to make room for Nathan, who followed her out of the limousine.

  The crowd erupted in cheers for the legend they had all thought long dead. People randomly shouted Na-Tan as he offered his arm to Jessica and escorted her into the restaurant, politely waving at the crowd as they passed by.

  “I’m glad I dressed up for this,” Jessica said. “It would’ve been awfully embarrassing if we had shown up in those drab, gray uniforms of ours.”

  “Yeah, I think I’m going to need to adopt a different image in the future,” Nathan told her as they entered the restaurant. The buzz of the crowd quickly diminished as the doors closed behind them, and they were immediately enveloped in the restaurant’s sound-controlled environment.

  “Captain Scott, welcome!” the maitre d’ gushed, stepping forward to offer his hand. “And the infamous, and stunning, Lieutenant Commander Nash,” he added, lightly kissing the back of her hand. “We are honored by your presence. Please…if you’ll follow me, Mister Yokimah is expecting you.”

  “We didn’t get this kind of reception last time,” Jessica said under her breath as they followed the maitre d’ into the main dining room.

  “They probably didn’t believe us last time,” Nathan replied.

  The main dining room was eerily silent, with the only sounds being those of the staff moving about, ducking in and out of the sound suppression fields surrounding each table. As they moved through the room, every pair of eyes eventually fell upon them. People spoke silently to one another as they watched Nathan and Jessica, and a few even raised their glasses in salute to the famous duo.

  Nathan felt that familiar, unpleasant feeling once again. The same feeling that had plagued him throughout his life. It was the feeling of every eye being upon him which had caused him to enlist, and seek a position that would take him into deep space where he could take refuge in obscurity. Unfortunately, that had not gone as planned.

  The maitre d’ led them to a private dining enclave that was slightly elevated and surrounded by shimmering windows through which one could not view the interior from the main dining room. The maitre d’ led them inside, then stepped aside, handing them off to the private maitre d’ who stood watch over Ito Yokimah’s party. He led them to their seats, taking care to ensure they were comfortable and had fresh beverages to quench their thirst before stepping back.

  “Welcome, Captain, Lieutenant Commander,” Mister Yokimah greeted. “I trust your ride in was pleasant?”

  “Quite so, thank you,” Nathan replied.

  “I believe you already know my wife, Jana. And this is Jorkar Seeley, of Takara.”

  “A pleasure, Mister Seeley,” Nathan greeted.

  “The ple
asure, or should I say, honor, is all mine, I assure you,” Mister Seeley replied. “Your name is quite well known among my people.”

  “This is Lieutenant Commander Jessica Nash,” Nathan said, introducing her to the Takaran businessman.

  Mister Seeley’s eyes lit up. “Mister Yokimah, you didn’t tell me…” He looked at Jessica. “The Jessica Nash? The one who fired the shot that ended the reign of Caius Ta’Akar?”

  Jessica nodded, smiling perhaps a bit too much. She felt Nathan’s elbow gently poking her side. “It was a hell of a shot.”

  “That would be the understatement of the century,” Mister Seeley said. “That shot changed Takara forever.”

  “Not all would say for the better, I understand,” Nathan said.

  “True, there are many who benefited greatly from the reign of Caius. I assure you, however, that I was not one of them. In fact, my fortunes did not turn until well after that shot was fired.”

  “Which house is it you serve?” Jessica asked.

  “Straight to business,” Mister Seeley remarked. “I like you.”

  Jessica just smiled politely.

  “I currently serve House Jolenza,” Mister Seeley announced proudly.

  “Currently?” Nathan wondered. “I was under the impression that one’s loyalty to their house was for life.”

  “In the old days, yes. However, even before the fall of Caius, changing ones house affiliation was not uncommon, albeit somewhat difficult.”

  “Which house did you serve before House Jolenza?” Jessica asked.

  “I proudly served House Navarro, until it fell from grace in Takaran society and was disbanded.”

  “Some would say looted,” Nathan remarked as he sipped his glass of wine.

  “And I would agree with them,” Mister Seeley replied. “Suvan Navarro was a man of principal, one of the few who deserved his title. I ended up with House Jolenza when they were bequeathed a portion of House Navarro’s lands.”

  Nathan did not look pleased.

  “It was a tumultuous time,” Mister Seeley added, noticing the captain’s expression. “The assassination of Prince Casimir was most distasteful, in the eyes of the commoners. But, as you are well aware, the nobles of Takara have always been more concerned with maintaining their own wealth and position than anything else.”