Children of Darkness: Chapter 13
Do you need to get caught up? Read Chapter 1 here
Adam reclined in the relative comfort of his cabin. Motors in his chair massaged the tension out of his back. His stomach gurgled and he swallowed hard. He hated hyperspace travel. They still had four more days before reaching Alpha 114. Adam cursed the day he heard of the miserable planet.
The director had assigned him to head the Mars division after the former station head had learned about Earth Force’s illegal collaboration with Omni on the Vencar cure experiments. David Shea had gotten out just ahead of a liquidation team and disappeared. He hadn’t caused any more trouble and Adam had forgotten about him. He couldn’t say why his predecessor popped into his head just now. Perhaps because the way his current assignment was going he also might soon have to flee a hit squad.
The intercom on his wall beeped and the voice of the ship’s communications officer came through. “Sir, we’ve received a message and the captain requests you come to the bridge.”
“I said I didn’t want to be disturbed.” Adam smiled to himself. As the highest-ranking officer on the ship he could do pretty much as he wished.
“I’m sorry, sir. We received a burst of coded data and none of our keys fit it.”
The tension returned to his back. “I’ll be right there.”
He left his cabin and double-timed it to the bridge. The only code he knew they wouldn’t have a key for was the director’s personal encryption. The transport wasn’t large so in a few seconds he covered the distance. He felt the acid crawl up his throat and swallowed it. He prayed the old man had good news.
He entered the bridge and the four-man crew stood at attention. David waved them back to their seats and went over to Captain Wen. The man appeared about fifty, his thick black hair going gray at the temples. “Is there someplace I can view this in private?”
“Of course, sir. You can use my ready room. I’ll have the message downloaded to the console on my desk.”
“Thank you, Captain.” Adam strode over to the small office just off the bridge and locked the door behind him. He registered, just at the edge of his consciousness, a number of nautical collectibles hanging on the walls. His focus centered on the console on the desk. It flashed every three seconds, requesting the proper access code. Adam pulled a small disk from a hidden pocket in his shirt and slid it into the port on the console. The screen blurred as the message decoded. After a moment, the director’s face appeared.
“I have news,” the old man said. “We have located the fugitives.”
Adam slumped in the captain’s chair, his body weak with relief.
“They arrived at the Galactic Council at five P.M. Earth standard time.”
Adam glanced at the clock on the wall: fourteen hours ago. He felt the acid churn. If they managed to give a full report to the council Earth Force could face serious problems.
“My agent says she can use technical procedures to delay any report. She will also attempt to deal with the fugitives directly. I have no intention of depending on her success. You will proceed to Alpha 114, remove the Omni people, and erase any sign of those creatures they used in their experiments. Nothing must remain that connects us to that place.”
Adam took several deep breaths. If the worst happened the council could censure Earth space. They’d cut off intergalactic trade with all member systems. It would result in the worst depression the system had seen in a hundred years.
“I’ve dispatched a cleanup team to assist you. They should reach the planet two to three days after you.” The screen went black.
Adam leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. He felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. His pulse throbbed in his temples. It was going to be a bad one. He opened his eyes, sighed, and left the ready room. The crew started to rise again, but he waved them back down.
Captain Wen came over to him. “Good news, sir?”
Adam turned his weary gaze on the captain. “No, it was not good news.”
He trudged off the bridge leaving the captain staring at his back. He felt a surge of gratitude that the man had sense enough not to ask him any questions. Adam had no interest in answering them. All he could think about was the cold asteroid mine or colder grave that awaited him if he failed again.
* * *
Iaka walked behind her guide. It looked like the same Terrin Minor that escorted them from the ship. She’d gotten a decent night’s sleep considering how nervous she felt. The butterflies in her stomach felt more like eagles. When she got up Marcus and Solomon had eaten most of the fruit basket provided as a welcome gift. Marcus had offered her the last three pieces and assured her that they’d scanned it for poison.
She smiled as she remembered. The man had serious trust issues. After breakfast, at Solomon’s suggestion, they’d made a copy of the data stored in her implant so she could offer it to the council without worrying about anyone messing with her head. She looked down at the small data chip in her hand, a groove in her palm giving evidence of how tight she’d clenched it.
“You seem anxious,” the Terrin said. “I can smell it on you.”
Iaka sniffed, fearing her deodorant had given out. She didn’t smell anything. “I’ve never spoken in front of such a large group before.”
“It will be well. The masters prize decorum.”
“Great,” she said, not relieved in the least.
They came to a door at the end of the hall. The Terrin pushed a button and the door slid open. “I can go no further,” he said.
She took a deep breath. I must be crazy. Iaka stepped through the door and into a huge amphitheater. She just cleared the door when it sealed shut behind her. She swallowed, remembering her lessons about ancient Rome and the coliseum. Thousands of delegates filled the seats like a crowd ready for blood. Any moment she expected a gate to open and lions to come roaring out to devour her.
In front of her on the main floor sat two beings, one human and one alien. The alien rose as she approached. It wore a voluminous robe and a featureless silver mask. A Vencar, she was sure. They hid their faces because of the disfigurement caused by the disease.
The Vencar raised its gloved hands and the quiet murmuring stopped. “I am First Councilor Dra’kor. The council will hear the petition of Iaka Kazumi. Please proceed.”
Just like that she was on. The Vencar’s deep, sonorous voice had settled her nerves. “Thank you, First Councilor. Some time ago I was working undercover for Earth Force.”
She told them everything that had happened. The council listened without interrupting and only an occasional murmur to break the silence. The only reaction she saw came from the human woman. She frowned as Iaka spoke and at one point Iaka felt sure she wanted to interrupt. When she finished Iaka saw one of the councilors stand.
“Thank you for your testimony,” the first councilor said. He turned toward the alien standing in the audience. “Councilor Theed, you have the floor.”
Theed was far enough away that Iaka couldn’t make out his species. “Thank you, First Councilor. I wish to know what evidence this human brings to corroborate this remarkable story.”
Dra’kor looked at her. “You may answer.”
“I’m a cyborg,” Iaka said. She reached into her pocket and removed the data chip. “This contains a copy of everything my implant recorded. You can see for yourself that everything I said happened.”
Her answer seemed to satisfy Theed and the councilor sat back down. The human woman seated beside the first councilor whispered something to him. He nodded. “Councilor Solace, you have the floor.”
Councilor Solace stood. “As much as I hate the idea of innocent creatures suffering, the council bylaws specifically state on page one thousand twenty-two, subsection Q, that no complaint can be brought unless a representative of the offended species is present.”
“These creatures haven’t evolved past the stone age. How do you propose they get here to file a complaint?” Iaka just managed to keep her comment in a civil tone. The woman was stalling for time. She knew it.
The Vencar stood as well. “The rules are explicit. We can’t open an official inquiry unless one of the offended beings is present. However, Miss Kazumi’s point is well taken. Perhaps an independent investigation could be organized to look into these accusations. We will have to discuss the matter.”
Dra’kor turned to Iaka. “You may go.”
Iaka bowed to the first councilor. She wanted to scream at him but that wouldn’t accomplish anything. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Councilor Solace smiling. Iaka wanted to slap the smug look off her face. Bitch.
Iaka turned and walked back out the way she’d come. Outside the council chamber her guide waited.
“It is a great honor to speak to the masters,” he said. “Did you find the meeting satisfactory?”
“Not in the least. I think I can find my own way back, thank you. I’d like to be alone.”
He bowed and left her with her thoughts. Iaka stalked through the halls on her way back to the hangar. The council could spend weeks trying to decide whom to send to investigate. She doubted there’d be anything left to investigate when they made up their minds to do something. As for Councilor Solace, Iaka was certain she knew what was happening on Alpha 114 and she just wanted to buy time for them to clean up their mess. She saw one option and she knew Marcus would hate it.
* * *
Marcus sealed a pinhole leak in the cooling system he’d spent the last half hour looking for. Grinning, he crawled out of the ship’s access tunnel. He wiped a combination of grease and sweat off his face. “Solomon. How goes the computer work?”
After a moment his partner appeared out of the cockpit. “Software’s debugged and I calibrated the laser cannons and the shields.”
“Excellent. I finished the cooling system, so that leaves the fuel injectors to clean and a hydraulic cylinder on the landing gear to replace.”
Solomon smiled. “When we get finished she’ll be in better shape than when you bought her.”
Marcus matched his partner’s smile. “She’s already in better shape than when I bought her.” He thought back to the rusty piece of junk he’d fallen in love with eight years ago. “When we’re finished she’ll be in better shape than when she came out of the shipyard. So which job do you want?”
Someone pounded on the ramp. They shared a look. “Do you suppose they want us already?” Solomon asked.
Marcus shrugged and they walked back to the rear of the ship. Solomon moved to stand by the control panel. Marcus armed the stunner on his gauntlet and stood off to one side of the ramp. Iaka could yell at him for being rude later. He nodded at Solomon who hit the open button then scrambled for cover.
The ramp eased open. It was only halfway down when Marcus saw one of the hairy aliens standing there with its hands hidden in the sleeves of his robes, head bowed. “Are they ready for us?” Marcus asked.
The alien pulled its hands out of its sleeves revealing a gleaming laser pistol in its right hand. It fired, the beam missing Marcus by centimeters. Marcus rolled right and fired a stun pulse that went wide. The alien fired at random. Laser bolts screamed through the cargo hold. Several scorched Herc, but none got close to Marcus. He steadied himself and fired again. The alien dropped.
After several seconds without return fire Solomon popped up from behind a storage crate.
“It’s safe,” Marcus said. “It’s out cold.”
They walked down the ramp and Marcus flipped the alien over on its back. “It looks like our guide.”
“You don’t suppose it is our guide, do you?” Solomon asked.
“They all look the same to me.” Marcus bent down and grabbed a leg. “Help me get it inside.”
Solomon grabbed the other leg and together they dragged the alien up the ramp. When they got all the way inside Marcus sealed up the ship. He tapped a command into his gauntlet and the ship hummed as the laser cannons powered up.
Confident that nothing else would get so close to the ship he turned back to Solomon who was bent over, wheezing. “Damn, that thing’s heavier than it looks.” Solomon said between gasps.
“Yeah. Grab some cargo binders and we’ll tie it up.”
Solomon went over to one of the storage lockers and rummaged around. He held up a pair of six-foot binders. “This is all we’ve got.”
Marcus shook his head. “Too big. I’ve got another idea.”
He typed a short command into his gauntlet and Herc came to life. “Come here,” Marcus said. The massive robot clomped over to him. He bent down and picked up one of the alien’s feet. “Hold this.”
Herc bent down and clamped a giant hand around the alien’s calf.
“Lift.”
Herc straightened so the alien’s head hung about even with Marcus’s chest.
Marcus grinned. “I guess he won’t be going anywhere.”
* * *
Wandering the halls alone, Iaka managed to get lost. Everything looked similar and nothing looked familiar. Damn it! It just wasn’t her day. She turned left down a hall lined with pale wood paneling she hadn’t seen before. As a wise woman once said, if you’re lost the best thing to do was ask for directions. Doors opened into the hall on both sides, so someone must be around she could ask.
She knocked on the first door and waited. Nothing. The next two doors she tried had the same result. The fourth was ajar. She pushed it open and found an empty office. When she stepped inside the lights came on. She found a computer terminal on the desk and flipped it on. A few minutes’ work and she had a floor plan for the council hall.
A moment’s study revealed she’d gone completely the wrong way. She should have just let the Terrin Minor escort her back. Studying the map, she frowned. The Earth Force offices weren’t that far away. If Councilor Solace hadn’t returned from the meeting yet, it might be a good chance to snoop around a little. At the very least it couldn’t hurt to have a look.
She memorized the path to the Earth Force offices and then the way back to their suite. She left the empty office and dragged the broken door back to the position she found it. Now to see what she could find out. She retraced her steps then took a left. She didn’t go far before the halls started to fill with humans running around on various errands. No one paid her the least attention. She didn’t know if they hadn’t been briefed about her appearance or if they had so much to do they didn’t even register her presence.
She passed doors marked “meeting room” and “research” and still no one bothered her. The next door she came to stood open. Inside, a secretary sat behind a desk typing. Behind her a door led to yet another office.
Taking a chance Iaka went in and walked up to the desk. “Excuse me. I have a message for Councilor Solace. Is she in?”
The secretary looked up and when she saw Iaka her bright blue eyes widened. Shit, she’d been made. Iaka lunged across the desk and clamped an iron grip around the woman’s throat cutting off a scream. Iaka swung her legs around and got behind the secretary. She winced when the woman scratched her arm.
Iaka released her for a second then got her in a proper choke hold. It only took seconds for the other woman to pass out. She propped the unconscious woman up in her chair and spent a second wiping away the slobber on her chin and the tears streaking her face.
“Sorry,” Iaka said. She hated doing that but the last thing she needed was the alarm to sound. It would take a minor miracle for her to find anything good much less get out in one piece; if she had to deal with security, forget it.
She walked to the back office and the door slid open at her approach. Solace must trust her secretary to keep people out of her office. Iaka flipped the light switch and found the office decorated in warm earth tones, a polished cherry wood desk in the center, a computer terminal on the desk. Iaka hurried over and sat down behind it. She tapped a key and the screen came to life.
The home screen was locked and it wanted a password. Damn it. She needed Solomon, he could hack the computer in no time. He was supposed to be helping Marcus work on the ship. Maybe he could help her after all. She turned from the computer to the comm unit beside it. She punched in the Rogue Star’s comm channel and said a little prayer. As she waited she listened and imagined every little noise was someone coming to get her.
After a full fifteen seconds Solomon’s face appeared in the screen. “Iaka? Where are you?”
“Never mind, I need you to help me hack a computer.”
He beamed through the screen. “Sure, tell me the problem.”
“I’m at a locked home screen and it wants a password.”
“That’s tricky. Does the comm unit have an out cable as well as an in cable?”
Iaka checked the back of the comm unit. The slot for the in cable was empty. “The in cable hookup is empty.”
“Perfect,” Solomon said. “Look on the computer and find a cable hooked to the hyperspace relay, there has to be one, and unhook it.”
She did as he asked. “I got it, what now?”
“Use that cable to connect the computer to the comm unit.”
She plugged the cable into the empty hookup. “Got it.”
“Ok, I’m connected to the computer. I can run the hack remotely from here. Turn off the monitors on the comm unit and the computer, but make sure both are still running. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Okay, thanks.” Iaka did as instructed then got up to leave. She’d pushed her luck about as far as she dared. She stood by the open door and glanced back. The office looked just like she’d found it.
In the outer office she checked the secretary and found her breathing easy. The woman would be fine, she’d have a bruise on her throat for a few days, but nothing permanent. Iaka took a breath to steady her nerves then stepped out into the hall just like she had every right to be there. She retraced her steps again, drawing no more than a passing glance.
Iaka looked down at a paper someone had dropped. When she looked up, just entering the hall came Councilor Solace and her entourage. Their eyes met and Iaka ran. She darted down the first side hall she came to.
“After her!” Councilor Solace screamed.
Behind her, feet pounded on the hardwood floor. She didn’t look back. Following the map in her head she darted down another side passage. She ducked into the first doorway she saw before the guards chasing her came around the corner.
She heard them thundering down the hall. It wouldn’t take long for them to realize she wasn’t ahead of them anymore. The room she’d ducked into was filled with shelves loaded with office supplies. A quick look around revealed no other exit. She’d have to jump whoever came looking for her. If they followed council rules none of the guards should have weapons. Fat chance of that.
“She’s got to be here somewhere.” Some of the guards were outside the door. “I’ll take this side, you take that side.”
A door opened. Then another.
She tensed, ready to lash out as soon as one of them entered.
The door opened. A broad-shouldered man stepped through, his head turned away from her.
She snapped a kick at him.
He must have sensed something. He twisted so the kick caught him on the shoulder instead of the neck.
The door slid shut and he flicked a switch to lock it. “No escape now, girl.”
She bounced on the balls of her feet, perfectly balanced. “You took the words right out of my mouth, boy.”
The guard took a black cylinder from his belt and flicked his wrist. It extended two feet and crackled with energy.
Stun baton, great.
At least he didn’t have a blaster.
The guard advanced a step, weapon cocked and ready to swing.
She feinted toward him and he swiped at her with the baton. When she went back he came forward, baton raised.
Iaka darted forward inside his reach and caught his wrist as it came down. She stepped aside and twisted.
He went ass over elbows and landed on his back with a thud. She kicked him in the side of the head and he went limp.
Iaka helped herself to his baton, unlocked the door, and slid it open. The second guard came out of the room across the hall.
She lunged across and drove the tip of her stolen baton into his gut. He shuddered once and collapsed.
Her heart slowed. She couldn’t hear anything. Maybe only those two had given chase. Either way she needed to get back to the ship. Iaka started back toward the docking bay, leaving the unconscious guard where he lay.
She turned right at the end of he hall.
“That’s far enough,” a feminine voice said from behind her. “Turn around, slowly.”
Iaka did as she was told on the assumption that a blaster was pointed at her back. Sure enough, Councilor Solace stood there with a palm-sized blaster pistol in her hand. She must have heard the fight and waited out of sight. Iaka should have gone the other way.
“Drop the baton.”
Iaka tossed the baton to the floor. “Now what?”
“Turn around and walk. There’s an airlock just a little ways from here. No one will ever find your body.”
Iaka did as she was told. As long as Solace stayed out of reach she had the advantage. Iaka needed to draw her closer.
“I’d assumed you’d return to your idiot friends after the council meeting. The assassin I sent should have dealt with all three of you at the same time. Imagine my surprise to find you walking through my section like you owned the place.”
“Assassin?”
Solace laughed. “Someone they’d never expect. Your friends are certainly dead by now as you will be shortly. Take the next left.”
Iaka turned then slowed. “Who did you send?”
From the sound of her footsteps Solace was a little closer. “A servant, one of the Terrin Minor. Such obedient things. They’ll do anything a councilor tells them.”
“You think sending a servant will catch Marcus off guard?” She slowed a little more. “That man doesn’t trust anybody or anything.”
“If the servant fails I’ll send someone else. They will die one way or another. Move.”
The barrel of the blaster poked Iaka in the back. The instant she felt it she spun away and grabbed Solace’s wrist. A blast scorched the floor. Iaka punched the other woman, hard, three times in the face. The blaster fell from her fingers. Blood ran down the councilor’s face and her nose now bent to the left.
Iaka grabbed the blaster and stepped back. “You should have shot me in the hall.”
Solace wiped the blood from her face. “Kill me then. It doesn’t matter. Someone will get you and your friends. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Unlike you, I’m not a murderer.” Iaka flipped the selector switch to stun and blasted the councilor.