Elite

by Allen Stroud

  ‘You’re Gebrial, right?’

  She frowned, but nodded.

  ‘I’m Darren Bowles; Jallin told me your name. We don’t have much time, give me the rucksack.’

  ‘Why?’ Gebrial asked.

  ‘Because a person carrying two bags is more suspicious than two people carrying one each,’ Bowles said. ‘I’m to bring you to the meeting place. Keep me in sight.’

  The press thinned and Bowles walked out confidently following the exit signs, the grey security uniform deterring any cursory glance. Gebrial followed, watching how people averted their gaze and tried hard not to draw attention to themselves. A LaveSec badge and greys, the perfect reflective disguise.

  They went up an escalator and into a glass dome lobby. ‘Stay close,’ Bowles whispered as they got to the barriers. Gebrial noticed most people were queueing in front of a retina scanner. Bowles led her away to a manual barrier and nodded to another guard before lifting it and letting her through. Gebrial realised if she’d come here alone, she’d never have got out.

  Outside, the terminal district was an open pedestrianised plaza. Most people walked quickly from the hyperrail towards a variety of towering city structures all around them. A high wall stretched away into the distance, separating this part of the city from the rest. Clothing styles leaned towards the functional, though many individuals wore black goggles in the sunlight.

  Bowles grabbed her elbow and propelled her forwards. ‘Don’t stop walking, you stick out. The whole area is under surveillance. You need to act like you know where you’re going, even if you don’t.’

  ‘Where are we going?’ Gebrial asked.

  ‘The building ahead,’ Bowles said. ‘Not the tower, the four storey next door. That’s Ashoria’s power regulation plant. You really send the message?’

  ‘Message?’

  ‘The five words on the wideband broadcast. They went all over the planet till the network got purged.’

  ‘Yeah that was me. How did you find us?’

  ‘Jallin alerted our cell. We joined you on the train as soon as we could.’

  ‘You really LaveSec?’

  ‘Ashoria security, yes, otherwise we’d be arrested already. Surveillance system picks up faces, particularly here, in the Spacer hub. However, it’ll take a bit longer searching through the planetary database to find you.’

  ‘They’ve spotted me?’

  ‘Probably,’ Bowles said, ‘no point in trying to avoid it, they have cameras everywhere.’

  ‘What do we do?’ Gebrial said.

  ‘Keep walking, by the time they work out you’re from off planet, it won’t matter.’

  They reached the building steps and went into the lobby, a busy place, with columns in the imperial style. Smartly dressed men and women congregated in groups, viewscreens on the walls played Walden’s speeches over and over. Occasionally Gebrial made out phrases she remembered from before – ‘fate or chance’, ‘Together we are strong’. Bowles swiped a pass card at the turnstyle and held the barrier for her. A woman standing behind the reception desk glanced up and smiled.

  ‘How can we help, officer?’

  Bowles returned the smile. ‘Like to keep this lady here with me for a bit, that okay? She’s from out of town and meeting friends. I want to talk to the group of them.’

  ‘I’m sure that’s fine,’ the woman said, eyeing Gebrial as if she’d scraped her off her shoe.

  ‘We’ll just make some use of your furniture.’

  ‘Of course.’

  Bowles put a hand on Gebrial’s shoulder and guided her to the waiting couches. A few people stared as they talked, but she ignored them. There were dataslates on the table in a rack, all showing Walden’s face. She sat and stared at the floor, the repetition was beginning to sicken her. ‘What do we do now?’ she whispered to Bowles.

  ‘We wait a few minutes,’ he said. ‘The others’ll be along if they got out.’

  ‘What you said to her... does this mean—’

  ‘Doesn’t mean anything, just covers us,’ he soothed. ‘Trust me.’

  ‘I don’t even know you.’

  Bowles gave her a hard stare. ‘If I’d wanted you arrested or worse, it would have already happened by now.’ His eyes left hers, focusing on something near the entrance. ‘They’re here,’ he said, grabbing her arm. ‘Get ready.’

  Someone screamed and Gerbrial looked around. Jallin was outside the transparent entrance, a rifle in hand and her forehead bloody and expression grim. She reached the doors, but the locks clicked shut just as she went to push them open. She levelled her gun and yelled something that didn’t carry.

  ‘Stay calm!’ the woman behind the desk shouted over the rising panic. ‘You’re all behind proofed glass and security have been notified. Remain where you are and—’

  A gun shot rang out. The woman dropped with a hole in her head. Bowles was holding a pistol in his hands, Gebrial recognised it as hers.

  There was a deathly silence. Then a click, as the doors opened.

  * * *

  ‘Harry?’

  Harry opened his eyes. Henry was in his room, sitting on the foot of his bed.

  ‘I didn’t hear you—’

  ‘Niamh told me to wake you, we need to go.’

  Harry got up and put on his slippers. ‘Go where?’ he asked.

  ‘Away from here,’ Henry said. ‘It’s not safe.’

  He stood up and went into the hall, Harry followed, but Henry turned around and stopped him in the doorway.

  ‘You’ll need clothes and your coat,’ he said. ‘We’re not coming back.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘I told you, because it’s not safe. Hurry, we don’t have much time!’

  Harry went back inside, took off his pyjamas and put on the fresh clothes he’d laid out before he’d gone to sleep. Socks and shoes were last. He left the bed unmade and night garments in a puddle on the floor.

  He picked up his dataslate and pressed the switch to turn it on, but nothing happened. Harry frowned and tried again; still nothing. He sighed and went out into the hall.

  ‘That’s better,’ Henry said.

  ‘I didn’t make my bed,’ Harry confessed.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Henry told him. ‘Today you’re allowed.’

  He grabbed Harry’s hand and pulled him down the corridor at a run. They went past the classroom, the reading room, the strange place where he’d met James and the other room where he’d seen the baby. It was all strangely quiet. ‘Where’s Niamh?’ Harry asked.

  ‘She’s busy,’ Henry said.

  They reached a pair of wooden doors at the end of the passage. Henry pulled out a card and ran it through a slot, a click and they swung open.

  The space beyond was strange. The warm wood had been replaced by shiny metallic panels. In front of them were two pairs of large boots.

  ‘Put those on,’ Henry said. Harry slipped off his shoes and did as he was told.

  The boots were heavy and stuck to the floor. Harry thought they looked like ones the old explorers used. They walked a little further to a dead end. Henry pushed a button in the wall, which slid away to reveal a small metal room with two chairs. They were strange as well, not comfy or stiff-backed like the ones he knew.

  With a hiss, the gap they’d entered through closed. More lights came on. Harry looked around. ‘What about the baby? I was to look after it.’

  ‘The baby’s already gone.’ Henry pushed him towards the seats. ‘Hurry up and we’ll all be together again.’ Harry jumped up.

  The chair was rubbery and grabbing when he sat down. There were straps and buckles on the sides. Henry leaned over and did them up. ‘Can’t let you float away on your first trip into space,’ he said.

  ‘Space?’ Harry was suddenly excited. ‘Why didn’t you say—’

  ‘Shhhh, it was a surprise,’ Henry said smiling. ‘If you’re good, we’ll get a chance to look around later and even talk to the pilot.’ He sat on the other chair and buckled himself
in, then touched a button on the arm. ‘Cargo secure,’ he announced.

  ‘Confirmed. We’re leaving,’ a garbled voice replied.

  * * *

  An event in silence that deserved more: the movement of thousands of tons of metal, across light years of space, containing hundreds of human lives. Each ship a sealed container, designed to preserve the fragile cargo, crawling through its oxygenised veins, like bacteria.

  The Furnace arrived on the edge of the Lave system, surrounded by her escort fleet and immediately, began to maneuver towards the nearby mining base, likely the largest ship to have come to Lave in a century.

  Admiral Bryce Jander stood at the command lectern, staring at the view through the observation window. Around him, the bridge of the carrier throbbed with activity. Crewmen and ensigns manned the different control stations, whilst the duty officers supervised on the lower gantry. Jander stood in the centre on the higher platform, a frowning Ennis on his left and the robed figure of Martha Godwina on his right. Her presence brought a tension of its own.

  ‘Get us the other side of the asteroid field Mister Aimes,’ Jander said. ‘Shields charged and batteries to fire at will.’

  ‘Yes sir.’ The lieutenant relayed the command to the ensign in the pilot’s chair and clumped over to the next crewmen to oversee the orders to the armoury.

  ‘Castellan Station unresponsive to hails,’ Lieutenant Cassom announced from the comms post. ‘The Havillard is requesting permission to launch the boarding barge.’

  ‘Granted,’ Jander said. ‘What’s the sweep picked up?’

  ‘Five ships nearby, Ronin transponder is moving rapidly in-system.’

  Jander sighed. ‘We’ve come too far to turn back. Track everything and inform the Havillard to stay put at the station. Move us past and towards the planet.’

  ‘Lot of rocks,’ Ennis said from behind him. ‘You sure you want to—’

  ‘Yes I’m sure,’ Jander snapped. ‘We’ve violated all the laws, might as well be thorough.’

  ‘Not all the laws, Admiral,’ Ambassador Godwina said. ‘You’ve not opened fire on anyone yet.’

  Jander glared at her. ‘What security protocol response can we expect?’

  Godwina smiled. ‘If you mean, how will the inner system respond to your presence, I would anticipate caution.’

  ‘Will they negotiate?’

  ‘Undoubtedly, Walden is no fool.’

  Jander nodded. ‘The quick retrieval plan is gone. If we’re to keep this clean, I’ll need him to talk.’

  ‘Best not to let him see me then,’ Godwina replied.

  ‘Understood,’ Jander said. ‘Strategy, Commander?’

  ‘Deploy the Furnace and support vessels in a standard circle,’ Ennis said. ‘We move towards the trade ships and use them as cover to launch fighter squadrons. They’d have to come through their own vessels to engage us. Marine boarders on a couple of the freighters, means we get some useful hulks to send at the station. All the threat assessments suggest they haven’t the guns to take us.’

  ‘True,’ Jander said. ‘What about the Coriolis?’

  ‘Blockade and force their surrender if we have to. We’ve not the firepower to do much.’

  ‘Let’s hope that doesn’t happen then.’

  ‘Admiral,’ Aimes said. ‘Two ships making a break away, in-system, two more have hyperspace signatures.’

  ‘Get their idents before they go,’ Jander replied. ‘Log them and we’ll follow-up when it’s quieter. What’s the fifth one doing?’

  ‘Nothing sir.’

  * * *

  Heldaban Kel stared.

  The Furnace had looked smaller in Quator. Now, as she moved into the Castellan Belt, she was a weapon like no other he remembered; an enormous predator, boiling her way through the dust, dwarfing the mining station nearby.

  The war in Tiliala had been a battle of wills. An Imperial fleet deployed to quell insurgents and a Federation backed mercenary corps. Sleek-lined Imperial battleships were larger than this antique carrier and her aged escorts, but there was something visceral about her uneven lines and bolted sections, unlike the discreet compartments on her modern contemporaries. A mechanised behemoth, alive as she powered in-system, small flashes of light signalled shield impacts and the occasional discharge of point weapons to prevent asteroid collisions. With each second she grew large on his viewscreen. Kel half expected her to leave a gap in the belt behind her.

  Time to go, he thought. Before they start hailing and find out who’s really watching them. He guessed they’d be processing idents and tagging, but if they wanted to haul him in, Eagles would be launched to intercept. Instead, one of the escort frigates moved towards the mining station. Admiral Jander must think he’ll get answers from there.

  He keyed up the navigation chart and plotted a course to Reorte. No better place to start afresh. The corporate techs would give him a rundown on the Cobra and recommend modifications. He’d trade some of the unnecessary chrome for a false registration number in the books and make for the brigade rendezvous.

  A flicker on the sensor screen caught his eye, another ship appearing in the belt, moving fast. He locked on the recognition scanner and watched the read out.

  An Asp Explorer ... might it be?

  Kel banked the Cobra around, aiming to intercept. Whoever the pilot was, he’d need to get clear of the Alliance fleet before jumping. The direct route away meant they’d cross paths. Kel stared at the data from the scanner. There wasn’t much and he couldn’t remember the ident from before. Might’ve falsified it anyway, he thought. Only way to confirm is if I get close and see the decals. He lit the engines to full and headed straight for the larger ship. the Asp probably still outgunned him, but a chance was a chance.

  At ten clicks, an automated camera tracker picked out the vessel and a new screen opened up with a zoomed view. The double helix marking on the side was unmistakeable. Kel took a deep breath and activated the guns. Four class three beam lasers, vastly better weapons than he’d had the last two times, but that didn’t mean he’d take a chance.

  He picked a spot a way past the Asp, one that would bring him in close, but not make his intention too obvious.

  The distance narrowed, but Kel’s fingers weren’t on the lasers. The last thing he wanted to try was long-range sniping. Other pilots might have gone for early damage to establish an advantage, but Kel knew the skill of his quarry, the only advantage was surprise. They were both pulling away from the Alliance ships now, moving at an angle in line with the asteroid field.

  When the two ships closed to within metres, Kel cut the flight assist and pulled the Cobra into a sharp turn, then pushed the throttle, feeling the compensators absorb the G-force as he brought the ship about.

  Right behind the Asp.

  The flight assist re-engaged. Now Kel’s hand went to the lasers, the beam weapons spat into the other ship’s rear quarter, making the shields spark and crackle. They would discharge rapidly, no ship the size of a Cobra could maintain power to them for long, but Kel didn’t need them to do much.

  Just make a hole.

  The computer signalled a lock on the Asp’s hyperdrive and Kel launched a missile straight at it.

  Got you!

  At minimum range, no chance for counter measures, the ordnance detonation set the Asp into a forward spin. The blast was impressive and the Cobra’s prow shield sizzled as they passed through a shower of debris. The Asp pilot quickly righted his craft and cut left. The engines flared as the ship went to maximum power. Kel followed and keyed up the comms, punching in the Brigade encryption code.

  ‘Kel to Archaeo, changed my mind, coming to the party.’

  ‘Welcome aboard,’ Archaeo replied. ‘You buying the plan?’

  ‘Happy to follow your lead,’ Kel said. ‘Although, I could do with a small favour?’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘I’m bringing a gatecrasher, can you arrange a reception?’

  Archaeo laughed ‘Ackn
owledged, anyone we know?’

  ‘I’ve my suspicions,’ Kel said. ‘But we won’t find out till we crack open the box he’s hiding in ...’

  * * *

  ‘Two ships making a break for it to the inner system sir!’

  ‘Magnify,’ Jander ordered. The screen raced forwards as the Furnace’s cameras struggled to lock onto the small craft several thousand kilometres away; a Cobra chasing an Asp. He recognised neither of them, but why would they run, not jump out?

  ‘Where did the Asp come from?’ Ennis asked.

  ‘No idea, sir, we didn’t detect a hyperspace signature.’

  ‘Form up for pursuit,’ he instructed. ‘Lock on to the Ronin’s transponder and plot a covergent path, keeping those two in line.’

  ‘Launch alert patrol, Admiral?’ Ennis whispered. ‘We’ll never match their acceleration.’

  ‘Not yet,’ Jander replied. ‘We follow them in and monitor where they go. The Ronin’s the prize, we focus on that.’

  -- Transmission received on obsolete carrier band. Location: Ashorian Central Decrypting … Complete --

  If you receive this message, we have recovered communication. I set up a remote relay station to monitor the emissions of the power plant. Don’t worry about detection, the modulation of exhaust radiation I use is virtually undetectable. Establishing two-way communication is slightly more difficult, but I’ve come up with something that should work. Please send your reply using encryption Delta three two seven, through a photon pulse beam, phase shifted into the near solar range. If you feed the carrier wave through a Heisenberg scrambler on a rotation scheme, it will look like slightly elevated cosmic radiation. Ask Miles, he’ll know how to rig it.

  Down to business. DON’T COME HERE! Our usual meeting place is compromised. They closed down the Zen Garden Restaurant. Reportedly there was a problem with their liquor license and they arrested the proprietors. Also, another two of my cell have gone ‘missing’. Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe they got careless or they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. I don’t think they’re on to me yet, but I can’t be sure, hence my precautions.