by A. K. DuBoff
Kira frowned. “That’s not good.”
Lexi dug her fingers into her hair on the top of her head. “That was so stupid. I know how to be careful. It was sloppy and reckless.”
“Hey, we’re all getting antsy. Mistakes happen,” the other woman assured her. Though the words were kind, there was tension around her eyes.
I just called attention to the plans not being secure, and these two are my friends. I may have blown all the cover. Lexi’s own mental berating made up for the lack of criticism from her companion. They were in trouble now, and she knew it.
Chapter 7
When Jason’s TSS transport ship dropped out of subspace, he took in the impressive sight of the artificial planetary rings and spacedocks encircling the highly developed planet of Lynaeda.
Whereas most Taran worlds had retained a large proportion of greenspace for both environmental management and aesthetic reasons, the Lynaedans had opted to utilize their planet’s surface area for industrial and commercial development. The result was a greyish hue to the planet when viewed from space, with so many lights illuminating the night side that it appeared to be a singular glow.
“I can’t decide if it’s marvelous or hideous,” Jason’s travel companion, Sabrina, commented from the adjacent seat as they gazed out the viewport.
“Maybe a little of both,” he replied.
Dressed in a smart, gray business suit with her blonde hair pulled into a bun, Sabrina consulted her tablet. “I’m curious to hear what Ambassador Greggor has to say about this offer. Are you ready to plead the case?”
“A little more prep time would be nice, but I think I can handle it with your help.”
“Oh, yeah. We’ve got this.” She flashed a confident smile.
A few years older than Jason, the TSS legal advisor was on the Militia side of the organization, which Jason and his father had agreed was for the best, given the Lynaedans’ caution surrounding those with abilities. Despite not having telepathic Gifts, she had every bit the negotiating prowess of any Agent representative. Furthermore, since she had spent time on Lynaeda as part of the TSS’ previous outreach efforts, she was an ideal colleague to assist Jason in his present mission.
Nerves rose in Jason’s chest as they approached the planet. Have I done enough for them to take me at my word, or will they test me again?
Given their divergent views of autonomy and privacy, if the Lynaedans didn’t feel they were getting transparent answers from someone, they would forcibly extract the truth through a direct bioelectronic interface—and perceived no ethical violation in doing so. Since Gifted people possessed the means to get around the Lynaedans’ normal evaluation tools for honesty, they were automatically deemed unreliable, no matter spoken assurances about having good intentions.
Consequently, all Gifted were required to submit to direct mental links. In Jason’s case, they’d tricked him into an intrusive neural link during their first meeting. He had been forced to open his thoughts to the Lynaedans in a way that he wasn’t accustomed to doing, and even that had only gained him slight favor. Though the Lynaedans didn’t view their actions as a violation, such invasive practices were in direct opposition to the strict code of conduct within the TSS related to telepathic probing.
He’d been wary to go to Lynaeda every time since. Even so, his duty to the TSS drove him forward now. Moreover, his concern for the Empire’s future demanded he set aside his personal feelings. The Lynaedans were the best partners for manufacturing the new power core, and without that new technology to bolster their defensive capabilities, the TSS had no hope of making a stand against the Erebus. It was imperative he find a way to make this deal—even if that meant putting himself in an uncomfortable place.
Jason rose from his seat in the transport’s lounge and walked over to the viewport, taking the opportunity to stretch out his legs and back after the several hour journey. “This is going to be a tough sell,” he said to Sabrina while focusing on the scenery outside.
“They should jump at the chance to have ownership of something this lucrative. Look at this place!” She spread her arms wide to encompass the breadth of the planet’s development. “Their power demands are enormous. A new option that’s a fraction of the size and significantly higher output is a game-changer.”
“It doesn’t alter that they’re highly insular and wary of outsiders.” He frowned. “I have no choice but to open my mind to them the moment we step into that meeting, and they’ll see right away that I don’t trust the Erebus to have benevolent intentions.”
“But you do believe that we need this core to be mass-produced?”
“Yes.”
“T you’ll be genuine in your plea.”
“Right, and ‘we need to do this, but doing so may doom us all’ isn’t a great sales pitch.”
Sabrina scowled. “Obviously, don’t say that.”
“I never would, but that’s about the only thing that’s been on my mind for the past several months.”
Sabrina evaluated him. “You might want to adjust that thinking before we go into the meeting.”
Jason shook his head and shrugged. “They’ll see through it. Won’t matter.”
She sighed. “And I imagine this is why you like to keep up mental guards.”
“Now you understand the problem.”
“Facts prevail. And the facts in this case are that the Taran Empire—and the Lynaedans—would benefit from this technology,” Sabrina said. “They’re the ‘tech heads’, right? They’ll have to see that.”
“They’re not fond of that nickname.”
“Oh.”
“Granted, they do implant cybernetics in their heads, so it’s an apt description.” He smiled.
“It never came up in our previous dealings.” She waved her hand. “No matter. We need to win them over, so I’ll call them whatever they please.”
“They never said anything to me directly. It’s just a feeling.”
“I’ll follow your lead. I’m just here for the paperwork.”
He nodded. “Now to close the deal.”
The TSS transport ship docked at one of the massive stations orbiting the planet. This one was geosynchronous, serving as the upper anchor point for a space elevator leading to Ulthren, the capital city of Lynaeda—not that Jason could distinguish where one city ended and another began, everything was so developed on the surface. Due to that population density and the associated activity, surface-to-orbit spacecraft were a rarity, making the space elevator the most practical way to get to the planet below.
Jason and Sabrina descended the gangway from the ship to the station, where they were met by four escorts. The men didn’t have overt weapons visible, but the way they carried themselves indicated combat training. No doubt, they had significant strength cybernetic enhancements beyond the muscular physiques visible under their jumpsuits.
“Hello, and thank you for receiving us,” Jason greeted.
“Ambassador Greggor is expecting you,” one of the larger men said and turned to begin walking toward the elevator access.
With small-talk clearly out of the question, Jason and Sabrina followed him in silence. The three other escorts fell into step behind them.
As with his previous visits to Lynaeda, Jason was fascinated by the range of people walking around the spaceport. Some looked indistinguishable from the Tarans he’d see elsewhere, while others had undergone significant modifications to their appearance, ranging from external cybernetic augmentations to subdermal implants that added ridges or horns to give an almost alien appearance. A significant number of people had replaced their organic eyes with ocular implants, creating a strange uncanny valley effect as he caught the gazes of the passersby.
The Lynaedans regarded him with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. His TSS Agent uniform was a well-known symbol, but he suspected they recognized him, specifically; Sietinens rarely went unnoticed, especially among those perpetually connected to news streams.
Thei
r party had a chamber to themselves on the elevator, and Jason took the opportunity to properly take in the view of the planet during the descent. He’d been somewhat distracted on his previous visits, so he hadn’t notice the detail like how the cities had been built up over the large bodies of water and where greenspaces had been enclosed within biodomes. Though he missed seeing an expanse of ocean and vast swaths of green forest from above, he realized the planet wasn’t nearly as gray and devoid of nature as he’d once thought.
Upon reaching the surface, they exited the elevator and were greeted by another set of escorts, this time dressed more business professional than military guard.
A young purple-haired woman standing at the front of the group bowed her head to Jason. “Welcome back to Lynaeda. I’m Ashan.”
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Agent Jason Sietinen, and Sabrina Matael is here to serve as TSS legal counsel.”
Sabrina smiled. “It’s an honor to be here.”
Ashan evaluated them. Though a slight smile turned up her lips, her gaze was calculating and guarded. “Ambassador Greggor and the Chancellor are waiting to speak with you.”
Jason tried to hide his surprise. “I didn’t realize Chancellor Ewen would be joining us today.”
“Yes.” Ashan gave a prim smile and another slight bow of her head before pivoting on her heel to begin walking through the broad receiving hall.
Sabrina shot Jason a glance he took to mean ‘this’ll be interesting!’ before the two of them followed the government representative.
The receiving hall was an impressive chamber with a curved roof towering at least ten meters overhead. Its ceiling was a massive visual display alternating between a realistic rendition of natural sky to intercuts of advertisements. Solicitations of other sorts abounded on the ground level, with kiosks and popup holographic displays promoting various services, products, and cybernetic modification experts. The flashy colors and sounds were an assault to Jason’s senses, since he was accustomed to the relatively subdued environment of TSS Headquarters. Even compared to the vibrant commercial ports on Tararia, this was over-the-top.
Ashan took a quick pace through the middle of the hall, and others hurried to clear a path well ahead of her. Some cast Jason an evaluative look as he passed by but the expressions of the onlookers remained neutral.
No doubt, this TSS visit is going to be all over the news tonight, he assessed.
A hundred meters from the elevator, Ashan took a sharp left through an open set of double-doors decorated with fine-detail metalwork in contrasting tones, giving the appearance of circuitry.
The corridor beyond had none of the commercial advertisements found in the main hall, and the furnishings were distinctly more opulent, befitting a place of official business where first impressions were everything.
Ashan gestured to a conference room off to the right, which was already occupied by half a dozen people.
Jason recognized the woman sitting at the head of the table as Chancellor Ewen, and the woman to her right was Ambassador Greggor, with whom he’d conducted most of his prior dealings with the Lynaedans. The remaining men and women around the table had the poised look of administrators and advisors who felt they had more important things to do than attend an unplanned meeting.
Chancellor Ewen indicated Jason should take the seat to her left. He complied, and Sabrina sat next to him.
“I’m honored to formally make your acquaintance, Chancellor,” he said with a respectful nod to the older woman. “Wonderful to see you again, Ambassador Greggor.”
“Since it appears communications with the TSS are going to become a regular occurrence, I figured it was time to hear your pitch firsthand,” Ewen replied. A thin fiber optic inlay patterned her forehead and temples, which transitioned into her upswept hair. The most striking feature of her appearance, though, was the intense glow of her blue-hued artificial eyes, perhaps meant to mimic the bioluminescent irises found in those with abilities.
“Well, we certainly hope this is the beginning of a longstanding good relationship.” Jason smiled. “I’m Agent Jason Sietinen, and I’m accompanied today by Sabrina Matael, one of our TSS legal advisors, whom some of you may know.”
“Your reputation precedes you,” the Chancellor said.
“In a positive light, I hope.”
“With the Sietinen name, we’re never sure what to think.” She searched his face, likely looking for subtle changes in temperature or eye movement to gauge his thoughts.
“I assure you, I am here only as a TSS representative. My family has nothing to do with it.”
“Except, that can never truly be the case, can it?” Ambassador Greggor asked, folding her hands on the smooth tabletop. She leaned forward.
Honesty is the only option. Jason nodded. “You’re right. My family’s positions of leadership within both Taran politics and the military mean that we must tread carefully in certain matters. I am here now because we need a partner to serve as a neutral third-party to bring a new technology to market. It can’t come from the TSS directly because that’s not our place, and to hand it over to any existing corporation would upset the balance of power.”
“Why us?” Greggor asked.
“Because you understand technology better than any other subculture within the Taran Empire. You have the infrastructure to quickly ramp up to large-scale production and can offer the necessary technical expertise to create variations for different applications while maintaining exemplary quality control.”
The chancellor pressed her lips into an intrigued smile as she spoke. “And what is it that we would be producing?”
Jason slid his handheld from his breast pocket and placed it on the conference table to sync with the holoprojector. He brought up a wireframe engineering diagram of the Erebus’ remarkable ‘gift’. “A new type of power core.”
The Lynaedans evaluated the three-dimensional holographic rendering, using the bioelectronic interfaces in their brains to manipulate the model in different directions and zoom levels without making any physical movement.
“A curious design,” said a middle-aged man with burgundy hair, seated a couple of seats down the table from Jason. “What kind of testing has been carried out?”
“Seven months of intensive field protocols. My father oversaw it himself,” Jason replied.
The man nodded, satisfied. Though it was a vague answer, the engineering skills of Wil Sietinen were well-known, especially among this technologically fluent culture. Even to them, the advent of the independent jump drive had been an astonishing breakthrough, granting a significant measure of celebrity to Wil as its creator.
“This design has the potential to change the game across the Empire,” Jason explained. “The miniaturized versions of this core could enable technologies we haven’t been able to implement through other methods—that means lower costs and access for people who never would have been able to have that standard of living without these changes.
“I know Lynaedans’ relationship with technology is different than it is for many other Tarans. This is a chance to narrow that gap. We’d like to continue bringing people across the disparate Taran worlds closer together, and this seems like a good place to start.” Jason looked around the faces at the conference table when he finished, weighing their reactions. There wasn’t overwhelming enthusiasm, but he at least didn’t see repulsion.
“I’ll be honest, we did approach the Aesir before coming to you,” he continued. “However, they aren’t entrenched in Taran commerce in the way you are, so they suggested that you would make better partners to bring this to market. The TSS is happy to advise, but we can’t be the face of the effort. It’s important for the larger political stability of the Empire for us to maintain neutrality and not profit from any innovation.”
“What about the independent jump drive?” Greggor asked. “You can’t profess your family has not gained significant wealth from that invention, and it originated within the TSS.”
“My father was a Junior Agent in the TSS at the time, yes, but the jump drive’s development was done on his own time and he has always personally held the patent; it was only licensed to the TSS. A subtle distinction, I know, but it’s a different situation than this power core. The independent jump drive, at its heart, is a string of code that could be applied to existing physical devices. A power core is a unique physical item itself.”
Ewen nodded slowly. “All right, I understand the difference. So you wish to turn over the technology in its entirety, or are you simply looking to license it to us?”
Jason turned to Sabrina and gave her a subtle nod to answer.
The legal representative took over. “The TSS proposes that the power core design be entered into a ‘restricted public domain’ registration. This classification is reserved for technologies that are not owned by any one organization but require oversight in their production in the interest of public good. The entity on Lynaeda of your choosing would be granted a ten-year stewardship with renewals in perpetuity so long as agreed upon performance benchmarks are met.”
Chancellor Ewen and Ambassador Greggor looked at each other, their eyes twitching slightly with what Jason suspected was the telltale signs of a conversation over the local Net.
After several seconds, Ambassador Greggor nodded slowly. “It is an interesting proposition. However, we must decline.”
Stars, not them, too! How is it this difficult to get people to take such a lucrative deal? Jason schooled his expression to keep his disappointment from showing. “May I ask why?”
“Frankly, we are hesitant to have that level of close involvement with the Taran government.”
Sounds awfully similar to how Dad said the Aesir responded. Jason folded his hands on the tabletop. “This wouldn’t entail dealings with the government. You’d be functioning as an independent contractor. It’s no different than when you sell your other products outside the Lynaedan system.”