“You want me to become a spy,” she said quietly. The woman nodded.
Sue
It happened too fast for Sue to follow. One moment, she was following behind Meridian Shukov, on her way to her nemesis, First Janissary Ivanov. The next, they had just turned a corner when Evan Hordvik appeared, holding a gun to Ivanov’s head, while ordering Shukov to release her.
“You will not regret following my orders, Meridian,” he said sternly. When Shukov didn’t immediately comply, the First Janissary surprised her by repeating the order.
“Do as he says, Meridian,” he said. Ivanov looked furious but defeated, and Sue felt no joy in it. Shukov finally complied, and Evan tossed a small package to Sue, who grabbed it. She opened it and saw it contained several small injectors.
“Take out one of the blue ones and hand it to Shukov. Meridian, you know what to do with it.”
Meridian Shukov took the blue injector from Sue and put it to his neck. Then he pressed a button, and it gave a click. He tossed the injector aside.
“So, what if I forget you were ever here, do you really think you will get away with this?” Shukov said. Evan didn’t answer.
“Sue, give him a yellow one.”
She handed Shukov a yellow injector, and he repeated the process. As soon as the injector clicked, Shukov’s eyes glazed over, and he sank down on the floor.
“He’s out. When he wakes up, he might have a small hangover, but he will not remember anything about this encounter, or probably the last few hours, either,” Evan said. Then he prodded Ivanov along, and Sue followed.
Soon they were entering the New Moscow shuttleport. It was small, not regularly in use, since the larger spaceport outside the Twin cities received most of the Lunar traffic, but it held a few small shuttles, meant for things that couldn’t wait. The shuttleport was unmanned, with every aspect of its operation fully automated. As soon as they were inside the port itself, Evan gave Ivanov a yellow shot, making the First Janissary blink in surprise before he sank to the floor. Then Evan sat down next to him and administered a cocktail of red and blue injections.
“He won’t remember anything of this. Bliss will take care of that. As long as you’re gone by the time he wakes up, he will not be able to connect you to this,” he said.
“What about you?” Sue said. Evan chuckled.
“Don’t worry about me. We hate each other equally, regardless of this little incident. And besides, he won’t be able to prove I had anything to do with this.” He got up and motioned for Sue to walk over to one of the shuttles.
“I’ll make sure this one takes you down near Charlestown. Ivanov will be on the shuttle, and I’ll arrange for someone to pick him up and take him to Legacy. Nobody will dare shoot the shuttle down as long as he’s on board. My father’s seal and signature protects you once you are back on Earth, and you should be given free passage into town. I’ll have someone meet up with you there, and they will make sure you’re safely set up in town.”
Evan looked into her eyes for a long moment, as if he wanted to say something. Something stirred within Sue, although she couldn’t tell what. Then the moment passed, and Sue walked over to the ladder leading up to the shuttle hatch. Evan picked up a small infopad and entered the necessary data for the hatch to open. They hoisted Ivanov inside and strapped him in. Then it was Sue’s turn, and she turned toward Evan to say goodbye. He stood near the hatch opening, and Sue could see he had a lot on his mind. He spoke quietly.
“The Hordviks’ strength on Luna has diminished in recent years, so I’ll take one of the shuttles myself,” he said. Sue had learned how the rivaling families of the Moon people were vying for power, and she had recently come to learn that Evan’s family was among the most powerful, just as the Ivanovs. Evan went on, seemingly without noticing her reaction.
“Ivanov’s people rule here on Luna. I mean to change that. And I mean to change things on Earth, as well.” Sue nodded then, and smiled.
“You would have the English behind you if you did, I am certain of it. I think you can actually change the Covenant into something better.”
Evan just looked at her for a moment, eyebrows raised, before he cocked his head and eyed her quizzically. He almost smiled. Almost.
“You really don’t get it, do you?” he said.
Chapter 14
Mark
Mark walked quietly in the darkened halls leading toward the Security Directorate’s innermost sanctuary. It was late evening, and at this time, those still at work would be at their tasks in separate offices. Besides, most people who had to work at this hour would be stationed below, not here where only leadership was allowed. He walked with quick steps, not even glancing at the cameras overhead. He knew none of them picked up on his movement. His trojan, placed inside the system from his personal access point just minutes ago, had sent them into a loop that would soon be discovered, unless he got into the main system to disable it quietly. The only way he could do that was from the office he was heading toward; the office of Strategos Carl Hordvik, head of the powerful Hordvik family, and chief of the Security Directorate.
Funny, Mark thought, that someone so obsessed with security, who had surveillance systems covering most of the Covenant, and especially Legacy, being the greatest city of all, didn’t have a single armed guard at the outer entrance. But then, Mark knew that even though he had almost unrestricted access to everything, being the trusted adviser of the Moon people, there were things that not even he was privy to. He expected Carl Hordvik to have several cards up his sleeve that no one else knew about.
The door to Hordvik senior’s office was dark wood, and Mark thought it was tropical, probably some sort of all-but-extinct material only available to the wealthiest and most powerful. Such extravagant displays were a status symbol among the more powerful houses, since no amount of wealth or lavishness would impress their peers. Wood from extinct trees was in very limited supply, and once it was gone, it was gone. That door had probably been considered nice but nothing special, once. Now, it was a priceless item, something only the head of a very powerful family would be able to possess.
He knocked twice before finally entering.
Carl Hordvik sat behind his desk, another wooden rarity, and looked up from an oversized infopad.
“Oh, Mark, I didn’t notice you knocking. Do come in.” Hordvik put the infopad aside and motioned for Mark to sit. Mark took a few steps closer but remained standing.
“I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour. Something has come up,” he said. The elder Hordvik cocked his head quizzically but said nothing.
“We have a... shall I say, delicate situation,” Mark said. “I take it you’ve been informed of the object orbiting Saturn.” Hordvik nodded, and Mark prodded on.
“And your conclusion is...”
“My conclusion...” Hordvik leaned back in his high-backed, leather chair, looking Mark straight in the eyes.
“My conclusion is we’re running out of time. Buchanan’s capabilities rival ours, and unless we strike first, using the advantage of surprise, they might take us out. They have enough nuclear weapons to annihilate us several times over.”
“Just as we have enough nuclear weapons to annihilate them,” Mark said in a low voice. Hordvik nodded.
“Yes we do. But this is a zero-sum game, in which the winner takes all. If we launch first, we win. If they launch first, we are history. My conclusion... We strike as soon as possible. That’s the only way, and you know it.”
Mark sighed and shook his head.
“I was afraid you would say that,” he said. He hesitated for a moment. There was no turning back after this. He picked up his dart gun and pointed it at Carl Hordvik.
“I’m sorry, Carl, but I believe it is time to think about your succession. Hopefully, your son will see things a bit differently.”
“Wait a minute,” Hordvik said. “Do you really think you can get away with this? It will be investigated, and your traces will be everywhere.” Mark smiled, aimed,
and pulled the trigger.
“No it won’t,” he said as Hordvik sank back in his chair. Mark walked over to him and carefully pulled out the dart protruding from his upper arm. He put the dart in a small container and slipped it in his pocket. He had already fixed the medical records, so it appeared Carl Hordvik had just received his annual flu shot today, explaining the tiny hole in his skin. Then he straightened out his shirt and carefully smeared a few nano repairbots around the hole made by the dart. It would be fixed in seconds, and the bots were made to self-destruct once they were done. There would be nothing left to suggest anything unnatural. And even though citizens received regular treatments and were, in principle, able to live on for hundreds of years, strokes and heart attacks still happened, sometimes for no reason. The poison Hordvik had been given was a particularly nasty sort, inducing an immediate stroke so severe, it was certain to kill the recipient. It was something Mark had concocted himself in his lab, something he’d set aside for occasions such as this. He smiled. Just one more thing before he was good to go.
He swiped the screen of Hordvik’s infopad and laid his own small device over the invisible camera lens on the push button. The screen opened, and Mark quickly accessed the cameras. He set the trojan to self-destruct in five minutes. He also set it to delete all traces of him being there, but in a way that left no traces of the cameras being tampered with. Then he closed the screen of the infopad and walked out. He felt no joy in what he had just done, but it was time for a shift in the balances of power within the Covenant. It was time for a younger Hordvik to enter the stage.
Dave
They were almost down by the riverbank now. The river was at least a hundred meters across, although it was narrower here than upstream or downstream. A natural place to wade across, Dave thought, even though the water looked dangerously deep. Also, he suspected the strong currents would make a crossing almost impossible. Still, if the Wardens planned to take him back, they had to cross the Rift somehow, and the river marked the western border of the Covenant. He wondered if it would be better to just let himself go, to let the currents drag him under, instead of returning with the Wardens. That way, at least he would die as himself, instead of being turned into some kind of mindless robot killing machine. He was so tired of running, yet he had a hard time imagining being able to do it. But hope was fading fast, and once they managed to cross, he’d be doomed.
“Now watch this, Wagner,” the leader said to him, grinning. Dave followed his gaze, and saw that Liz stood by the water, holding a controller unit in her hands. She turned several levers at once, and something resembling a boat surfaced out in the middle of the river. So that was how they would cross the Rift
One of the Wardens shouted something Dave couldn’t make out before he fell to the ground. The sound of the shot came a split second later. Dave looked around and saw red dots dancing around him. He dove to the ground, covering his head, even though he knew it had minimal effect. Single shots smattered in quick succession.
He glanced up. The Warden leader was down, with several hits to his torso. A couple of Wardens tried to return fire, but they seemed to be firing blindly. Dave looked at Liz. She was down, but he couldn´t see where she was hit. Her controller unit, however, was shot to pieces, and the remote-controlled boat was floating downstream quickly. A burst from another weapon, machine gun of some kind, cut one of the Wardens down, and the final man was taken out by a headshot. Dave trembled, but he didn’t look away. He needed to know what was happening.
“Stay down. Hands above your head. Now!” an amplified voice shouted. Dave followed the instructions, stretching his hands out as far as he could, making sure they were visible. He risked a glance to his left. One of the Wardens moved slightly, grunting in pain. A shot to the head, and he laid still. He looked over at Liz. He thought he could hear a low whimper, and saw her hand move slightly. He couldn’t watch this.
“Please, don’t shoot her,” he shouted, as loudly as he could. Red dots moved in on him and settled on his torso. One slight twitch of a finger, and he’d be dead. Still, he had to do something.
“Don’t kill her. She’s my friend,” he shouted again.
He saw the red dots on her, as well, but no shots were fired. These were disciplined soldiers, he realized. That could only mean one thing.
A group of soldiers appeared, wearing khaki fatigues that blended in with the environment, armed with a kind of rifle he wasn’t familiar with, shorter and fitted with some sort of optics he hadn’t seen before. The red dots didn’t disappear though, and Dave knew that there had to be others, snipers, surrounding them, while these others approached.
“You were their prisoner,” one of them said, a female.
“Name, rank, unit,” she continued.
“I’m David Wagner,” Dave said, a feeling of fatigue overwhelming him.
“I don’t have a rank, and definitely no unit. I was on an aircraft, but we were intercepted. Got shot down, and I managed to jump before we crashed.” A man nodded and took a step toward him.
“Did anyone else make it out of the aircraft?” he asked. Dave shook his head.
“Look, I escaped the Wardens once. Then I walked through the Corpus lands, with headhunters on my tail all the way. I crossed the Belt back into the Covenant proper, lost a leg in the process. Now all I want is to reach Buchanan. Somebody told me I’d be safe there.” He looked over at Liz, wondering what shape she was in. She was still moving, and one of the soldiers had walked over to her, covering her with his rifle.
“My friend over there is wounded. You need to be careful with her, though. She’s brainwashed, drugged probably, but please don’t hurt her. I can’t stand losing another friend...” His voice broke. He took a deep breath and managed to pull himself together.
“Who are you guys, anyway?” he said.
“We’re Buchanan rangers,” the man replied. “My name is Captain Lee, and you need to come with me. I’ll have one of my guys check on your friend, but we need to get out of here right now.” Then he turned and walked toward the edge of the Rift. Dave noticed his backpack lying next to one of the dead Wardens. He saw that the red dots were gone, so he walked over and grabbed it, before following Captain Lee.
Sue
Sue was speechless. The quiet was unbearable, yet she was incapable of speaking. She had seen something in Evan’s eyes, heard something in his words, something she had never expected. She looked at him, as if seeing him for the first time, a man of the Moon blood, successor to one of the most powerful families, someone born and raised to rule, to command. She had never felt so small in her life as when he gazed back on her. Down on her. His half-smile never faded.
“Why would I want the support of the English?” he said, clearly not expecting an answer. “Do you actually believe I could betray my own people?” Sue still didn’t utter a single word. Evan just shook his head.
“Oh, Susan, you must understand this; my place is with my people. My people.”
“But I thought you said they were all wrong, that the Covenant is rotten to the core. I thought you were different...” Sue trailed off, still stunned by what she was hearing. Evan nodded, and Sue thought she could see a look of compassion, of pity, there for a moment, before his face grew hard again.
“The Covenant is rotten, yes. It has become decadent and we—the Moon people—have become lazy,” he said, a touch of bitterness entering his voice, Sue thought, until she recognized it for what it was: determination. Evan looked out the hatch and turned to descend the ladder.
“But I love my people, Susan, make no mistake about it. And one day, we shall rule Earth.” He paused, but Sue couldn’t find the words. In a split second, her opinion of him had changed, and it was all she could do to just process what she was hearing. Still, there was nothing in what he said that was contrary to his own words; only to her perception of everything he had said before. How could she have been so wrong?
It seemed he picked up on her worry, if not her thoug
hts, because he smiled at her, and she could have mistaken it to be warm, if not for his words.
“It will be a benevolent and fair rule, Sue. And once we take the world, there will be no more external threats. Life will be easier on the English, as well.” He paused and climbed down the ladder. Once he was down, he keyed his infopad again, and the hatch began to swing shut. He spoke again, louder now.
“But for that to happen, we need to rid ourselves of all threats to the Moon people. That’s what everyone is so wrong about, Susan. We need to grow harder, not softer.”
The hatch clanged as it shut, and Sue took a step back. She was too stunned to think. She saw that Evan had already left, and great doors in the ceiling of the shuttleport were opening, letting in a tiny strip of earthlight that grew quickly.
She almost lost her balance as the shuttle began to move, and she sat and strapped herself in. The shuttle lifted vertically, and after a few seconds, it shot through the opening and out into space. She sighed. She was so tired, and in the end, it seemed everything would go back to the way it had always been. At least for her. She hadn’t been able to change anything, but at least she was finally headed home.
Chapter 15
Dave
When they reached the edge, Dave saw at least ten other soldiers standing around, some talking, but all alert, eyes darting back and forth, watching for the unexpected. They had an assortment of rifles, ranging from the long-barreled sniper rifle, with its huge scope, quite similar to the standard issue among Warden snipers, to smaller arms where the magazine outsized the gun itself. They all wore the same khakis as the others, although the snipers carried camouflage equipment, including sand-colored blankets that were rough around the edges, with loose rags sewn randomly across the blankets to help them blend into the landscape.
“So, I think it’s time you told me everything,” Captain Lee said. “We’ll be out of here shortly, but you’ll be seeing a lot of me in the next few days. You said you escaped the Wardens. I’d like to know more about that.” Dave nodded and looked across the Rift. He could easily see the far side and wondered if someone was watching them from afar. As they both sat down, he carefully positioned himself so that he sat covered, out of view from the Covenant side of the Rift. He wondered if the Wardens were able to get a shot from that side. Probably, he thought, so he made sure he kept his head down.
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