The Tortuous Path (Fall of the Terran Empire Book 2)

by G. P. Hudson

  “You want to free our brothers and sisters at Zeta. But now you are wondering if you should stop there.”

  “I have entertained that thought.”

  “It’s a big galaxy, little brother. We can’t save everyone.”

  “I know, but we can try.”

  Gerry reached over and playfully punched Danny in the shoulder. “Always the idealist. Good thing I’m around to keep you from getting yourself killed.”

  Danny produced the tiny data chip Simon gave him and inserted it into a slot on the instrument panel. “Might as well do our homework.”

  The computer opened the data chip and fed the two clones all the information stored there. Danny and Gerry absorbed the knowledge and made it their own. Their disguises were now complete. All that remained was to finish the job and retrieve Isaac.

  Chapter 12

  The smugglers’ ship crossed through the jump gate into the Volsung system without incident. As a member of the Frontier Alliance, Volsung lived under constant threat of attack from the Empire.

  Like the other frontier systems, the Volsung system enjoyed a certain amount of safety, due to its distance from Earth and the Empire’s core worlds. In its current weakened state, the Empire didn’t have the resources to rein in the frontier systems and focused on the core worlds instead.

  Nonetheless, living under the threat of invasion forced the Volsung to remain on a war footing. That meant a permanent military presence near the jump gate and throughout the system.

  “Activate your holo-disguise,” Danny said. “That destroyer is hailing us.”

  Gerry activated her device, and the striking female soldier transformed herself into a fat, bearded criminal. “Done.”

  Danny activated his own device, still unnerved by his friend’s sudden transformation. He gave himself a once-over to ensure the disguise still worked, and then accepted the hail.

  A Volsung soldier appeared on the viewscreen and scrutinized the disguised clones. “What is the nature of your visit to the Volsung system?”

  “We are going to the Aurora station,” Danny replied.

  “Are you Volsung citizens?”

  “We are.”

  The man looked down at another screen. “I see your ship has a valid Volsung registration. Do you have anything to declare?”

  “We have nothing but empty cargo holds.”

  “Stand by for secondary scan.”

  They waited quietly while the military performed its scans. Danny wondered if they wouldn’t have to undergo secondary inspection. Corruption was rampant in the frontier systems, and such a tactic was often used to extort money from helpless travelers.

  “Safe travels,” the Volsung soldier said.

  “Thank you,” Danny replied, and terminated the connection.

  “It seems that Erbakan pays the right people off,” Gerry said.

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t expect a couple of shady characters like us to get by without being pulled aside for secondary.”

  “I hate this disguise,” Gerry said and deactivated the device, instantly transforming herself back into the tall, fit, female Danny had always known.

  Danny deactivated his device, preferring to conserve its energy stores until needed. He then ordered the ship to accelerate, hoping to shave some time off their trip.

  “There it is,” Danny said, reorienting the viewscreen to zoom in on Aurora station.

  “Good,” said Gerry. “You would think that smugglers would have comfortable seats. They must spend days aboard this vessel. I don’t understand how they tolerate it.”

  “I think freedom is making you soft, sister,” Danny said jokingly.

  “Really?” Gerry said sternly. “Do you want to put that theory to the test?”

  “Oh, come on. Don’t be like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Acting like you’re mad.”

  “What makes you think I’m not?”

  “You’re soft, remember?”

  Gerry leaned in and hit Danny in the bicep with an extraordinarily hard right cross.

  “Ow! Take it easy.”

  “What’s the matter, little brother? Getting soft?”

  “You’re going to pay for that.”

  “Am I?”

  “Yeah. Next time we spar.”

  “No time like the present.”

  “What? We can’t spar here.”

  “Not here, stupid. We can use one of those cargo holds. There’s plenty of room.”

  “Yeah but it’s not setup for sparring. There are no mats.”

  Gerry rolled her eyes. “Mats? You really have gotten soft.”

  “We’ll spar on the return trip, okay?”

  “Sure. You’re scared. I understand.”

  “Scared? Me?”

  “Yeah, you.”

  “We’ve sparred hundreds of times. Why would I be scared?”

  “I don’t know, little brother. I guess you’ve gotten soft.”

  “I know what you’re doing, sister, and it’s not going to work. We have a job to do. The last thing we need is to go in all banged up.”

  “Uh huh. Whatever you say.”

  “Let’s just focus on the mission.”

  “I’d say the same thing if I was scared.”

  Danny shook his head, deciding to change the subject. “Have you ever done any work for the Volsung?”

  “A little. You?”

  “No. Never been in this system before.”

  “You’re not missing anything. All these Frontier Alliance systems are a mess.”

  “True. I wonder why the hell they declared independence in the first place. It hasn’t done them any good.”

  “What’s there to wonder about? They thought the Empire was corrupt, and they were right. What they didn’t understand was that they were trading one corrupt leadership for another. The elite of this and the other frontier systems convinced the populations to rebel because it was in their interest to do so. This way, they could keep the wealth for themselves, rather than share it with the Empire. Nothing changed for the population. In some cases, things have gotten worse.”

  “You don’t think they’ll fix their problems?”

  “I think it will take a long time before that happens. Right now, they’re fighting against a common foe, the Empire, so they’re united. But what happens when the Empire is no longer a threat?”

  “They’ll turn on each other,” Danny said, nodding in agreement.

  “That’s right. All these systems have been busy building up their militaries to defend against the Empire. When that threat is gone, they’ll need to do something with all those warships.”

  “They might choose to stay friends.”

  Gerry laughed. “Come on, little brother. You know better than that. They will all want to be in charge, and they will start looking at each other with suspicion. They will worry about any system getting too strong, or about a group of systems allying against them.”

  “A perfect recipe for war.”

  “That’s right, little brother. The Empire has always been a stabilizing force. Even now, as it weakens, it gives the other systems an enemy to unite against. If the Empire falls, it will destabilize the entire galaxy.”

  “A dream come true for Masterson and Zeta Corp,” Danny said.

  “Yes, there will be no shortage of customers in that scenario.”

  “And no shortage of clones sent to the slaughter.”

  “Aren’t you going to free them all?” Gerry said sarcastically.

  “As many as I can, sister.”

  The smugglers’ ship steadily advanced on the station without incident. Recognizing its trajectory, the station made contact to ascertain the ship’s intentions. When they were close enough, the station took over the ship’s navigation to steer it safely to its assigned space dock.

  The action surprised Danny. He had been advised of the takeover but hadn’t anticipated the experience. Still connected to the ship’s computer systems, he felt the sta
tion take control of the vessel, like a giant hand picking up a toy. But he had expected that part.

  What surprised him was the feeling that he could push his mind along the length of the great digital arm and access the station’s main network. Even more surprising was the compelling impulse to do just that.

  Gerry felt Danny’s urge and spoke out. “Don’t do it, little brother. If they notice-”

  “I don’t think they will. I remember everything that Isaac had done. I’m sure I can get inside their systems without being caught.”

  “Listen to me. It’s not worth it. Not yet, anyway. Let’s get on the station and figure things out first.”

  “I don’t think that’s the way to go. I have a bridge right now. I might not have the same opportunity later.”

  “Stop what you’re doing right now. You’ll get us caught.”

  “Too late. I’m in.”

  Chapter 13

  “Are you crazy? You’re going to sabotage the mission,” said Gerry.

  “It’s okay,” said Danny. “I haven’t triggered any alarms.” Even as Gerry chastised him, Danny felt her interest grow as she watched his progress.

  So far, he had restricted himself to the navigational systems and merely acted as an observer. He remained cautious, still unsure of his abilities. He had learned a great deal from watching Isaac hack into several computer systems, but he lacked Isaac’s considerable expertise and aptitude.

  “You’re right, you’re not Isaac,” said Gerry, noticing Danny’s apprehension. “So, don’t do anything stupid.”

  “I won’t. I’m just having a look around.”

  Their ship made it to the space dock and established a secure seal with the station. Danny powered down the engines but maintained his connection.

  “Can you function like that?” Gerry said. “Don’t you find the connections distracting?”

  “No, I’m good. I’ve been practicing.”

  “Okay. Let’s put our faces on and get out there.” Gerry activated the holo-disguise and turned himself into the fat human trafficker, Hasad.

  Danny did the same, becoming the lanky, disheveled trafficker known as Rollan.

  The two clones made their way to the hatch and exited onto Aurora station. Outside, several men in civilian clothes stood waiting. Danny recognized one of them from the data chip. Gary Strauss. Erbakan’s head of security.

  Strauss stepped in front of Danny and Gerry, a little too close for Danny’s liking. “Mr. Erbakan wants to see you two.”

  “Sure thing, Gary,” Gerry said.

  Strauss moved closer until he was nose to nose with Gerry. “Who the fuck told you you could call me Gary?”

  “Uh, nobody. I thought it was your name.”

  “If you want to keep eating with your own teeth, you’ll keep your fat mouth shut.”

  “Sure, whatever you say.”

  “Move! Mr. Erbakan is waiting.”

  Do you believe the balls on this guy? Gerry said to Danny over their neural link as they followed Strauss.

  I’m sure he’d change his tune if he knew who you really were, sister, Danny said.

  I may have to give him a glimpse of the real me before we leave this station. Especially now that he’s pissed me off.

  Don’t you often tell me that I can’t save everybody?

  Yeah, so?

  Well, you can’t kill everybody.

  I don’t want to kill everybody. Just these assholes.

  The network on this station is surprisingly insecure.

  What are you doing now? I thought you said you were going to stay put?

  I’m just looking around. But I didn’t expect the station’s network to be so open.

  It’s not that it’s open. You got in through the navigational systems. That must have tricked it into giving you elevated access.

  I think you’re right. It seems that I have very high privileges. The system architects likely never anticipated someone gaining access that way.

  Probably not. Just be careful not to trigger any alarms.

  Sister, I found Erbakan’s system.

  Really? Can you access it?

  No. It’s locked down. Should I try to break in?

  No. Just wait.

  Strauss led them to a waiting vehicle, and they all got in. The vehicle took off at what felt like suicidal speed down a large, well-lit tunnel. Within seconds, inertial dampeners kicked in negating the adverse effects of the high speed.

  During the ride, Strauss kept his eyes on them. Studying them. Did he notice something was wrong? Was there a flaw in their disguises? Their mannerisms? If so, Strauss wasn’t saying anything about it. Was he waiting until they were before Erbakan to voice his concerns?

  Danny watched their progress through his connection to the station’s systems. He had identified their car and accessed a map of the station’s transportation network so that he could monitor their progress.

  Several awkward minutes passed until they reached their destination. When the vehicle came to a stop, the group exited and proceeded on foot. Danny found their location on a station map and monitored their progress.

  Can you access the cameras? Gerry said, discretely glancing up at the ceiling.

  Danny swam through the network, searching for the security cameras. Upon finding them, he tested his access. The system didn’t challenge him, so he moved ahead. Upon locating the cameras in their section, he cycled through each one, doing reconnaissance on the corridors up ahead.

  He had already located Erbakan’s office on the map, and now noted the guards stationed just outside. He looked for cameras inside the office but found none.

  Gerry watched Danny’s progress, seeing everything Danny did. I guess we’re going in blind, she said over the neural link.

  There will likely be more guards inside, Danny said.

  Agreed. Waiting for a better opportunity might be wise. Too many things can go wrong with so many people. I’d prefer to get off the station in one piece.

  Me too. Although, I don’t know if we’ll get Erbakan alone.

  Probably not, but I want to do the job without drawing too much attention. With all these guards around, someone is bound to trigger an alarm.

  They arrived at Erbakan’s office, and Strauss turned to face them. “Give the guards your weapons.”

  Danny didn’t want to relinquish his weapons but figured it was the only way to get inside, so he handed over both his sidearms. Gerry grudgingly did the same.

  Strauss led them through the door, and the other henchmen followed. Four more guards waited inside.

  It’s feeling a little crowded in here, Gerry said over the neural link.

  Yes. Something is wrong.

  Behind an ornate desk sat Erbakan, and he did not look pleased. Hands pushed Danny and Gerry forward, to stand in front of Erbakan. Several henchmen flanked them, and the rest stalked their rear. Strauss stood beside Erbakan, watching Danny and Gerry with rapacious eyes.

  Erbakan balled his hands into fists and scowled. He seemed to be getting angrier by the second. “Where the fuck is my money?” he finally snapped.

  What’s he talking about? Danny said to Gerry.

  I don’t know. There wasn’t anything on the data chip.

  Erbakan pounded the desk with his fists. “Answer me!”

  “Uh, I’m not sure what you mean, Mr. Erbakan,” Danny said, trying to fish for more information.

  “Are you trying to be funny, Rollan?” Erbakan said, standing from his chair. “Do I need to cut your tongue out?”

  “No, sir. I’m not. You should have the money,” Danny bluffed, still unsure of what was happening.

  Erbakan walked around his desk to stand in front of Danny. “You’re right. I should have the money. But I don’t. No women. No money. Why is that?”

  He’s talking about the women Hasad and Rollan were smuggling, Gerry said. He never got paid.

  Shit, Danny said. We’re not going to talk our way out of this.

  N
o, we’re not, Gerry said. This changes everything.

  Danny felt Gerry’s silent decision before she took any action. It was all the prompting he needed.

  His hand thrust forward with terrible speed. Iron fingers clasped Erbakan’s windpipe and tore it out of the gangster’s throat. Simultaneously surging ahead he threw a kick, landing a heel squarely on Strauss’s solar plexus, hurtling the henchman into the far wall.

  With gurgling sounds still escaping Erbakan’s throat, Danny reached in and found the gangster’s sidearm tucked inside his waistband. Drawing the weapon, he pumped a couple of plasma bolts squarely into Strauss’s face.

  Holding Erbakan’s dying body up, Danny turned. A couple of the faster guards had managed to raise their weapons and fire. Erbakan’s body convulsed violently as the blasts struck him. Continuing to use the man as a shield, Danny managed to squeeze off a couple of rounds, burning a smoldering hole through a screaming guard’s eye socket.

  Beside him, Gerry became a killing machine. She lashed out at precisely the same time Danny struck Erbakan. In her case, she had gone straight for the nearest henchman’s weapon. Disarming the man, she fired sustained plasma bursts into his chest. Moving with demonic speed, she sidestepped the hapless attacks from the other guards.

  Her weapon fired incessantly, looking more like a blowtorch than a plasma weapon. It burned into faces, sliced open throats, and ripped open bellies until intestines spilled onto the floor.

  A flurry of plasma bolts now blazed out of Danny’s weapon, while Gerry joined in the fray. Working together, the two clones established a lethal crossfire. Any guard still alive was unceremoniously cut down, their bodies riddled with gruesome plasma burns. Within mere seconds, the firefight had ended. Erbakan’s office transformed into a room of horrors.

  With barely enough time to catch their breath, the door slid open. The two men standing guard outside rushed in with firearms raised. They both managed to discharge their weapons, but their targets were already moving.

  Sidestepping the attack, the two clones returned fire with deadly precision. Danny took out one with two plasma bolts to the head. Gerry killed the other with a single round to the temple.

  “We’ve got a problem,” said Danny, as the two remaining guards slumped to the floor. “An alarm’s been triggered. Station security is coming.”