by R S Penney
Atero faced her, chewing gum quite thoroughly. His eyes were marked by dark circles, and his mop of brown hair looked even more unkempt than usual. Had the man been up all night? “I checked the cloaking device against schematics we received from the Ragnos Confederacy back when we were still exchanging information.”
“And?”
“There's no doubt about it,” he said. “This is Ragnosian tech.”
Hearing that left her feeling tense. Ragnosian tech on this side of the galaxy? That meant someone had been using the Class-2 SlipGates. Council had ordered starships to keep a watch on every star system with a Gate in it, but their resources were finite. There were Gates in Dead Space that they couldn't monitor, for instance.
Larani approached the ring of consoles in the middle of the room.
Gripping the edges of one in both hands, she stood with her head hanging. “Do we have any indication of how the Sons of Savard got this technology?” she asked. “Is there any reason to think the Ragnosians are sponsoring them?”
“That's outside my purview.”
“Yeah…I suppose it is,” Larani muttered. “All right. Let's focus on what we can control. Do you have an effective countermeasure?”
Atero stood with his hands pressed to his sides, his eyes downcast. “Well, as I told you last night,” he began. “The cloaking device does nothing to limit EM emissions from the subject it's cloaking. Simple infrared visors will work.”
Larani rounded on him.
She narrowed her eyes as she stared him down. “Something doesn't add up here.” This strange niggling feeling had been tormenting her ever since she saw the cloaking devices in action. “These cloaks…They're not very useful.”
“Well, it's a matter of perspective.”
Larani shut her eyes tight, then gave her head a shake. “No…” she said, stepping forward. “What would be the point in delivering this technology to Leyrian terrorists if it can be so easily countered?”
Spots of colour appeared on the good doctor's cheeks, and he kept his gaze fixed on the floor. He reached up to clamp a hand onto the back of his neck. “Well, I think maybe they weren't expecting the average person to have IR visors lying around.”
“And Keepers with spatial awareness?”
“Maybe the Ragnosians don't know the limits of Keepers power.”
Larani traced her fingers along the top of each console as she paced a slow circuit around the room. “It's possible,” she said. “But if you're looking for allies, giving them useless tech, won't help.”
“I don't follow-”
She whirled around to face the window and found herself staring at a beautiful city under a cloudy sky. There had been no further attacks on infrastructure since the incident last week; she was beginning to suspect that Sons of Savard had been crippled when her people brought in over two dozen of them.
So, why was Isara affiliated with them?
A clone of Jena…
It occurred to Larani that while they may have some extreme differences in terms of personality, in some ways, Jena and Isara were very much alike. Both natural fighters, both able to dominate a conversation through sheer force of personality. It brought up some uncomfortable questions in terms of the nature vs nurture debate. Jena and Isara shared many of the same skills but used them for different ends.
That being the case, perhaps the best way to determine Isara's motivations was to ask what Jena would have done in her place. It had taken Larani some time to warm up to a junior director with boyish hair and a tendency to throw the rule book out the window, but she had come to respect Jena. The woman could play politics with the best of them.
Larani often wished she could have been there on the day that Jena had stormed into a meeting between Slade's cronies and a dozen Canadian law-enforcement officials. She would have loved to have seen the looks on their faces when Jena defied protocol and simply revealed the existence of Amps.
The move made her look impulsive and reckless, but it had also thrown Slade off balance and ensured that Jena would be in charge of the investigation. Which was the whole point. Jena was the sort of woman who would aim every weapon in her arsenal at one target so that you wouldn't notice when she pointed one tiny pistol at another.
If aiding the Sons of Savard wasn't Isara's true purpose…
“What if the tech was an end unto itself?” Larani whispered.
“Ma'am?”
Larani's eyes flicked back and forth as she went over it in her mind. “What if there was no military objective?” she murmured. “What if getting Ragnosian tech onto Leyria was the goal? And making sure we found it…”
She spun around.
Dr. Atero jumped back in surprise and put a hand over his heart. His face contorted into an ugly snarl that he smothered half a second later. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I still don't understand what you're getting at.”
“Who else knows about this cloaking tech?”
“I…I haven't spoken to anyone else, but…”
“But what?”
The man's mouth worked silently for several seconds before he touched the tips of his fingers to his forehead. “The logs,” he said. “I've been recording them, of course, and I've made them all publicly available in case any of our people encounter this tech in the field. It's standard procedure!”
As if on cue, Larani's multi-tool chirped with an alert. She had programmed it to e-mail her every time Councilor Dusep gave a speech or an interview. She wanted to keep tabs on what that man was up to.
Larani tapped at her multi-tool, opening the link to Dusep's livestream and sending the feed to the screen on the wall. Moments later, she was looking at a small crowd of reporters standing on the steps of the Hall of Council.
Dusep stood behind a podium with his hands gripping the lectern, and his face was grim. “Cloaking technology,” he said. “Ragnosian cloaking technology used on our planet against our citizens. It's exactly what I've been warning about!”
Larani felt her lips peel away from clenched teeth. She shook her head with a feral growl. “How did he find out about that?” she snapped. “I want a list of everyone who has accessed those logs.”
On the screen, Dusep assumed the role of the noble statesman, standing tall and proud with his head held high. “Since the day news broke about the Class-2 SlipGates, Leyrian citizens have been justifiably concerned about the threat posed by hostile powers from across the galaxy.”
He ran his gaze over the assembled reporters and practically sneered. “It's no secret that the Ragnos Confederacy holds us in contempt,” he went on. “Our many attempts to share information, to build diplomatic ties, were met with hostility. They've stonewalled us at every turn!”
Larani cursed.
As if he could sense her reaction, Dusep offered a small smile. More likely, it was duping delight. Some people displayed such tells when they knew their manipulations were successful. “Now that it's possible for the Ragnosians to physically come here…”
He left that sentence unfinished, but the implication was enough to send murmurs through the crowd. “I share your concern!” Dusep went on, pouncing on the unrest at the first opportunity. “I have shared your concern from the very beginning! But Council has repeatedly opted to ignore the justifiable fears of their own constituents! And as a result, we have Ragnosian cloaking devices in our cities!”
Of course, he'd do this, Larani growled inside her own head. When I find whoever told him about the cloaking devices…
Gripping the sides of the lectern with both hands, Dusep leaned forward with a grin that belonged on a raptor. “It makes me question the leadership among the Keepers!” he thundered. “Yes! We place too much faith in them!”
People muttered angrily in response.
“I hear your frustration!” Dusep shouted. “But consider the simple facts! Grecken Slade, quite possibly the worst terrorist we've seen in four centuries, was able to infiltrate the highest echelons of the Justice Keeper hierarchy.
“It
was a team of Justice Keepers who allowed Slade to activate the Class-2 Gates, thereby exposing us to the Ragnosian threat. And now…And now! Ragnosian cloaking devices have found their way into our capitol!
“This very morning, a conscientious young Justice Keeper informed me that two of these devices were being stored in the Denarian Keeper Office!”
By this point, Dusep's face was so flushed that you might have expected his skin to catch fire. “And if you want proof,” he said. “Then I'm happy to offer it.”
He drew aside his jacket to reveal one of the cloaking devices clipped to his belt. Then, with a few quick taps, he began to disappear, his body fading away until he was completely invisible.
Gasps filled the air.
Moments later, Dusep returned, his body rippling like water disturbed by a rock until he was solid again. “You see?” he exclaimed. “The Justice Keepers have known of this threat for some time, and did they report it to Council? No! They are untrustworthy!”'
“Kill newsfeed!” Larani barked.
As soon as she spoke, Atero jumped backward and raised a hand to his temple. His face was bone-white. “I…I…I…” The man gasped. “I don't know how he could have gotten his hands on that.”
“Check the safe you used to store the two devices.”
The man hopped, then quickly shuffled around and practically tripped over his feet as he made his way to the locked cupboard in the corner. He dropped to one knee in front of it and began typing in his code.
Moments later, the door snapped open with a ca-thunk. Atero knelt there with his back turned, slowly shaking his head. “Only one,” he whispered. “They…they…they…Um. They took one of the devices and gave it to-”
“Yes, Doctor,” Larani said. “That much is obvious.”
“I…I…I didn't…”
“I know…If you'll excuse me, Doctor. I have matters to attend to.”
Ten minutes after she left the Science Lab, the double doors to her office slid apart, and Cassiara Seyrus came striding through. The woman wore a skirt and dark pink blouse along with a pair of high heels, and she moved with a grace only a Keeper could manage. “You wanted to see me, ma'am?”
Sitting back in her chair, Larani closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I did,” she said. “I trust you've seen the latest press conference.”
“I have.”
Larani stood, smoothing her shirt with one hand, and stepped up to her desk with her head down. “Then you know that someone took one of the cloaking devices without authorization,” she said. “I want to know who.”
Cassiara stared vacantly into the distance for a moment, and then she nodded once in confirmation. “Yes, ma'am,” she said, turning to go. “Jack and I will start looking into it immediately.”
“Just you, Agent Seyrus.”
Cassi froze in mid-step. “Ma'am?”
“Tell Hunter I want him to interrogate Isara,” Larani replied. “I want to know everything that woman knows.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
When Cassi was gone, Larani dropped into her chair and tried her best to calm her frayed nerves. The pieces were there in her mind, but she didn't like the image they were forming when she put them together. Isara had gone out of her way to smuggle foreign weapons onto Leyrian soil. Now Dusep had them, and true to form, he was using them to stir up fear and controversy.
When they had first discovered the SuperGates, Anna had said that it was only a matter of time before Leyria and Ragnos found themselves in conflict. And who knew what the Antaurans would do with this third player on the map?
So, the Overseers had used Slade to open massive SlipGates that could transport starships across the galaxy, and now one of their agents was stirring up fear and mistrust between two of the galaxy's major powers. It didn't take a genius to see what the end goal was. She just prayed she could stop it before it was too late.
Isara relaxed as she stretched out on the soft bed in her cell. Comfortable sleeping arrangements were a luxury she sometimes had to do without. Serving the Inzari was not always a pleasant experience, but it was necessary. One did not deny a god. She smiled to herself as she considered how well her latest gambit was unfolding.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
Chapter 20
“I think you had better tell me everything, Larani.”
Cradling a warm cup of tea in two hands, Larani felt steam waft up to wash over her face. She breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of mint. “For starters, Dusep was less than honest in his press conference.”
With the onset of early evening, Sarona Vason's office was lit by small lamps on small tables in two corners. Lamps that cast warm golden light on the many bookshelves along the white walls. The furniture here was archaic – except for the desk, of course – but this office had existed for centuries, and the traditionalists worked to ensure that it remained in its current form.
The Prime Council sat patiently in a large blue chair, folding her hands in her lap and smiling as she waited for Larani to finish her thought. Seeing the woman in simple casual clothing always felt disorienting, but of course, Sarona would only wear her robes when Council was in session.
“We've known about the cloaking devices for less than twenty-four hours,” Larani explained. “There was no conspiracy to keep them hidden from you.”
With a grunt, Sarona stood up. Her face twisted in a wince. “Old bones,” she said. “I believe that you had no intention to hide anything, but you can see how this looks.”
Lifting the cup to her lips, Larani closed her eyes and slurped as she took a sip. “I suppose it would be too much to hope that people should care more about how things are,” she said. “And less for how things look.”
Sarona turned her back and shuffled over to the window, pausing there with her hands upon the windowsill. “That is exactly what I would expect to hear from a Keeper,” she said. “You must know most people don't think in those terms.”
Larani did know it; in fact, she knew it all too well. Most people were pretty decent on the inside, but they panicked easily. You had to be made of sterner stuff if you wanted to Bond a Nassai. “And if I told you that Dusep is almost certainly playing into Isara's hand?” she asked. “Tension between Leyria and Ragnos seems to be the point here.”
“And how did you reach that conclusion?”
“Isara served Slade.”
The Prime Council stiffened at that, but she kept her back turned and stared through the window pane. “Keepers and their games,” she grumbled. “I begin to wonder if maybe Dusep has a point.”
“Slade was never a Keeper.”
“Can you be sure of that?” At last, Sarona turned around, and her face was haggard. “I've read your reports about corrupted symbionts and plots to serve the Overseers. How do you know the man wasn't just like the rest of you?”
Larani couldn't be sure, and that was a big part of what bothered her. There might have been a time when Grecken Slade was an ideal Keeper. When exactly did he fall? Did he start his career with good intentions, or was he corrupt to the bone from the very beginning? Not knowing bothered her.
Larani set her cup on a nearby table.
She stood up and paced across the room, reviewing everything she had learned. “The exact circumstances of Slade's betrayal are tangential,” she said. “We know that Slade was responsible for opening the Class-2 SlipGates.”
“Indeed.”
“Slade made it possible for the Ragnos Confederacy to access our little corner of the galaxy,” Larani went on. “And now, one of Slade's minions is taking actions that will almost certainly increase tensions between our two worlds. It's not hard to see what the end goal is.”
Leaning against the windowsill with her arms crossed, Sarona frowned and shook her head. “Justice Keepers,” she whispered. “The lot of you are so very good at spinning a yarn, you might have found prestigious careers in film-making.”
“So, you don't believe Slade's people are tryi
ng to start a war?”
“That is one potential motivation for their actions,” Sarona answered. “But it could just as easily be a case of Isara wanting to destabilize our economy and using the Sons of Savard to do it. Perhaps the cloaking devices were only a means to that end.”
Larani snapped her mouth shut before she succumbed to the urge to say something entirely inappropriate. Spending so much time with young Hunter had earned her some bad habits, it seemed. The cloaking devices were next to useless against a Justice Keeper; Isara would know as much, and since people without a symbiont could overcome them with a simple pair of IR goggles, it wasn't likely that she would believe the devices could offer much of an edge to a rag-tag band of terrorists.
But they would stir up all kinds of controversy.
“I will make a public apology, of course,” Larani said. “Maybe that will be enough to mitigate some of the damage Dusep has done.”
“It's a start.”
The last thing Jack wanted to do was spend an hour in an interrogation room with a woman who wore the face of someone he once loved. Someone he still loved. Even after learning that Isara was a doppelganger, he still couldn't help but see Jena each and every time he thought of her.
But Larani wanted to get to the heart of what this woman knew, and that meant he was stuck trying to ferret out the goods. One downside to developing a reputation for being able to smell a lie from half a mile away: you were the first person people went to when they wanted someone questioned.
Jack walked through the gray-walled hallway in black pants and his brown jacket, heaving out a deep breath. “Think of it as a challenge,” he muttered to himself. “Besides, you need a new story to tell at next week's Masochists Anonymous.”
As he neared the door to Isara's cell, he noticed Anna standing there with her back turned, rocking on the balls of her feet. His one-time best friend wore gray pants and a black blouse, and she kept her hair up in a ponytail. The sight of her made his heart skip a beat and left him feeling uneasy.
Running into her at Harry's place had already left him feeling more than a little off balance, and Harry's insistence that they “sort out their issues” didn't help matters. Jack was afraid that Anna would think he'd put Harry up to it. Well…maybe not. You only had to spend a few days with the grizzled old cop to know that he expected everyone to be on their best behaviour all the time.