by Yakov Merkin
“Good. We’ll have to be quick about it as I fear our base will only remain a secret for so long. Any assistance that can be given, soon, will be vital. Based on the information provided by Director Revval, we are at a very critical point here, both for us and your Alliance, though they cannot know it yet.” She hesitated, then, after receiving reassuring nods from her two fellow leaders, she went on. “The Empire has nearly completed the construction of a superweapon, capable of devastating both fleets and worlds. In addition to carrying out the operations needed to ultimately disable or destroy it, we desperately need pressure placed upon the Empire, so as to draw more resources away from both looking for us and protecting the locations we have to attack.”
If things were as urgent as they sounded, the Alliance wouldn’t be able to get any substantial help here quickly enough to make a difference. Ayil could see that in the eyes of the rebels, even though they weren’t ready to admit that. One in particular, the Svetoran captain, who had been silent this whole time, Arvah Saral, had both the look of someone who had suffered greatly and was now nearly desperate, and an alluring air of mystery about her. This one was more than a mere captain in the rebel fleet.
“We could help, possibly,” Ayil said before she could stop herself, over a hiss from Dran, “at least until the Alliance can get real support here. Our ship is fast, and has military-grade shielding and stealth systems. It’s not built for a head-on fight, but for quick in-and-out operations it’s the best in the galaxy.”
Ayil couldn’t help but smile slightly at the spark of hope that she saw appear in many of those eyes.
“Thank you for the offer,” Vau said. “We may well have need of such help.” She clasped her hands together. “But as pressed as we are for time, we can still give you some time to rest from your recent action and travel, on solid ground. We will send for you later.”
Ayil nodded, and pointedly avoided looking at Dran or Liya.
Vau looked around briefly. “If no one else has anything pressing to add, we can let our guests settle in.”
When no one said anything, Vau gestured with her hands, and the room quickly emptied, though eyes did linger on the small Alliance group as everyone walked by. Ayil made sure to wink at Reki as she passed, and the poor girl’s breathing sped up, her face flushed, and it clearly took at least some effort to look away and head in the other direction, quickly. Why was making people uncomfortable so damned fun?
“You’re a mean person, you know that?” Liya said with a wry smile.
“That’s how we survive in this messed up universe.”
“Speaking of survival,” Dran said, “What the hell was that, offering our help? I though we discussed and agreed on this—as well as me doing all the talking back there?”
“I’m sorry,” Ayil replied. “I could just see the desperation in their faces, desperation they’re hiding, and since it will take time for any Alliance help to arrive, and we are here…” She sighed. “I should have asked you.”
“We are getting in too far,” Liya said. “First it was only helping Dalcon, just a normal job, then it was becoming more involved in his mission, then it was agreeing to spy, and now what? We are to take active part in some crazy rebellion?”
“What other option do we have?” Ayil snapped back. “Sit and do nothing? Even with the River Lark’s upgrades, traveling back through the battlefront is at least as much a risk! And to be truthful, I don’t want to run and hide. Not when we’re needed. Cowardice is not something I wish to pass on to our children. If you do, that is your concern.”
Ayil stopped herself. “I… I’m sorry, Liya,” she said as she placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “I don’t know why I did that; I’m honestly not certain why I feel so strongly about helping, ether, but it is what it is. Dalcon did something to me, maybe.”
Liya smiled. “I understand,” she said, then gave Ayil a quick hug. “I miss him too.”
“How about this,” Dran said, putting an arm around each of them. “We try and establish contact to get pulled out, but until then, we will help as we can, but in as much of a support role as possible. Nothing crazy. Before long, we will be able to leave and retire with our riches.” He tried his comm, which was routed through their long-range transmitter, and it reported that the signal was blocked.
“Deal,” Ayil said, pulling him into their hug.
Well, now they were on a whole new adventure. Spies no more; now they were rebels.
CHAPTER 30
“Everything is proceeding precisely as planned,” said the gold-skinned Admiral Sai’var, who stood at the head of the conference table while the other attendees, military personnel, the Emperor’s advisers, and Minister Turon—who had bullied his way in, essentially—all sat. It gave the alien admiral an even stronger commanding presence.
“Does that include the recent destruction of the shipyards, and the successful escape of an enemy fleet that we had on the brink?” asked Adviser Birelas.
Sai’var smiled, a smile that could only belong to a supremely confident being. “Do you hunt, Adviser?”
“No, I do not.”
“Then you might not understand. When stalking and pursuing a target that you wish to trap, to completely defeat, you must not allow them to even suspect that a greater trap is just around the bend. An enemy who suffers defeat after defeat will withdraw, flee the open field to their strongholds, where they will be much harder to fight. If the enemy believes that they have a fighting chance, they can be manipulated into making the mistakes required to utterly defeat them—I do not fight to win battles; I fight to win the war. If it is demanded of me, I will share my strategy, but we know that the enemy has previously sent spies, and it is reasonable to suspect that there are more we have not found; not to mention the rebels. Better to keep as few people in the know as possible.”
“And what of the rebellion? Their raid on the Thakrir prison ship shows that they are growing more bold, and it may indicate that they have some new source of information.”
“The IRSS is still capable of tracking them down, is it not? I understand that Director Revval has taken family leave at an inopportune time, but I am confident that upon his return the location of the rebel base will be found, if not before. At the moment, however, there is only a certain amount of force that I can deploy to scour backwater worlds. Admiral Cavaral’s fleet will only need to contain them, and prevent them from disrupting our operations until the Alliance is dealt with.”
“What matters at the moment is that we are winning, with both the Alliance and the rebels on the back foot,” Minister Turon cut in. “Can you imagine where we would be had my suggestion not been taken?”
While the minister was, of course, pleased about the turn the war had taken, TR-14D also knew that the current success also frustrated his designs on power, at least for the moment. Though, of course, the person whose allegiance mattered most was the ascendant grand admiral.
“Why do we not conscript or hire civilian defense and police forces to help the campaign against the rebels?” The minister asked. “After properly vetting their members, of course. Irregulars might do well against other irregulars. Additionally, the more armed presence in that region, the more secure our border will be; to this date nothing has been done to stop aliens from crossing over from Dullok space, and it’s the regular people on the outer worlds dealing with the consequences. It won’t do much good to defeat this Alliance if in a few more decades we allow the migration of millions of people who are not loyal to us and do not truly wish to become a part of the Empire, and who bring crime with them.”
“To be truthful,” said one General Bival, “that is not a major problem right now. The Alliance, followed by the rebels, need to be our focus.”
Things got quiet for a few moments, and after a quick scan of those present, TR-14D decided now was as good a time as any to speak. “Has there been any attempt to open a dialogue with the leaders of the Alliance, to seek a non-military solution?”
All eyes turned to him, and TR-14D could see their contempt. He was, after all, nowhere near their standing, and a Gurshen as well. There was absolutely no obligation for any of them to answer him.
However, the answer was not TR-14D’s main objective. The facial scanning program he had downloaded worked quickly, and he acquired the necessary information. The admiral was unreadable, both due to his demeanor and the fact that his species was so rare the program was not prepared to scan his expressions. The military officers, however, betrayed much. But it was the Emperor’s advisers that were truly interesting. It was clear that suggestion both irritated and frightened them, and TR-14D was now certain that they were hiding something.
“There is nothing to speak about with people who brazenly violate our space. The opening battle of this war made it clear to the Emperor that this is a war that will end with the destruction of one side or the other,” said Deputy Thaeras. “There is nothing to discuss.”
“Now wait just a minute,” Minister Turon cut in. “Triad has a point here. A mutually beneficial deal is always preferable to a long, prolonged, expensive fight. That is not to say we wouldn’t have to be wary of signing such a deal, but surely that is an option to at least consider.
“It is like what I did with a competitor in the real estate market, my main focus, by the way, and very successful, several years ago. We could have gotten into a big conflict, which would’ve wreaked havoc on the market. So instead, we made a mutually beneficial deal, and later, when he decided to retire, I bought his company at a very good rate.”
“No,” snapped the emperor’s deputy. “The Emperor has already decided, based on his analysis of recent events, that the only way this war ends in our favor is the conquest of the Alliance. Is that clear?” He looked to Turon, who, faced hidden by his mask, did not react at all; the lower military officers nodded, while Sai’var inclined his head slightly. TR-14D’s limited analysis indicated that the grand admiral was not intimidated, unlike the other officers.
The meeting dragged on for a while longer, though it was clear to TR-14D that everyone apart from the apparently unflappable grand admiral was extremely tense and uncomfortable.
When the meeting did finally conclude, Sai’var waited as the advisers and other officers left, then approached TR-14D and Minister Turon.
“I appreciate your candor,” he said. “However, in case it was not already clear to you, the decision to be at war is not one for us to make. For all of our futures, the Empire must remain strong. But that does not require it to retain the same leadership. Good day, Minister.”
Without another word, the grand admiral walked past them and exited the room.
“I really like him,” Minister Turon said. “Speaks his mind, extremely competent, and with a good head on his shoulders.”
TR-14D nodded as they headed out and began to walk back toward the minister’s office. “Minister, have you succeeded in learning anything more about the details surrounding the start of this war?”
“No progress, Triad, though not for lack of trying. Whatever is being hidden must be extremely embarrassing. Embarrassing enough to make some of those old vids my opponents like to float out every so often to use to attack me seem like children’s insults. Which, in a sense, they are. Very low energy, my opponents.”
TR-4D nodded but was otherwise silent as they continued; it was clear that when and if he did learn something vital, he would have to consider very carefully when it would be safe to tell the minister, whose reputation for being overly honest and open was not unearned.
“And this unit presumes it would still be convenient if more information happened to find its way to you?”
“Of course. I don’t care how I get what I need to know, so long as it gets to me.”
TR-14D nodded. “Understood, Minister. In that case, this unit may lag behind you somewhat.”
“Of course, Triad, take care of whatever you need. I’ll be perfectly alright on my own for a while.”
TR-14D nodded, then turned down a separate hallway, and increased the sensitivity of his audioreceptors. He walked deliberately, at the standard pace of his kind. Organics, especially those who worked in the center of Imperial power, considered the Gurshen barely more than tools, like non-sentient artificial intelligence units, and thus paid them little mind. Neither TR-14D, nor any of his kind that he knew of, took issue with this, but it was far less likely that others like him had considered taking advantage of it.
Moments later, he picked something up, coming from deeper within the building. “The minister asks too many questions, and, knowing him, he might just start asking them in public,” said one of the Emperor’s advisers. “And as he has both a big following and a very strong core of supporters, things could spiral out of control.”
“Why were the public’s preferences even allowed to matter?” Asked another. “You give the common people a hint of power and they’ll start asking for more. Worse, they are placing their support behind a loudmouth fool who will bring everything down if we let him. But if anything does happen, we will not be able to suppress the backlash from those who would assume anything was a deliberate action.”
“So we prepare. Speak with the Emperor, determine what the official line will be if questioned, while making sure everything stays in control. Even if the current plan fails, Project Final Awakening will allow us to crush the Alliance and this will all become a moot point.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” said Deputy Thaeras.
The voices quieted, and TR-14D continued walking, toward the wing of the building that housed a number of important offices, including the Emperor’s—for the rare occasions on which he made an appearance here—that was more commonly used by his advisers.
Before he entered the hallway that contained the office, TR-14D activated his shoulder-mounted support unit, and had it scan for sensors. There were three cameras and one heat scanner monitoring the hallway and the office entrance.
He hesitated for a few milliseconds before making his next move. Up to this point, he had not done anything technically illegal, nothing that could reflect badly on his people if others learned of it. But if he proceeded, and was discovered, it would be very, very bad.
However, the situation was severe enough that risks had to be taken. Understanding what was truly going on could prove vital to his people’s security, and thus, the choice was clear.
TR-14D activated another new program, which he had recently downloaded from a very… secretive part of the Collective, one capable of concealing him from all visual observation. The body heat monitor would not detect him either way.
Once it was activated, TR-14D slowly approached the office door, remotely accessed the locking mechanism, and commanded the mechanism to unlock while simultaneously altering the lock’s recording system to believe the access had been prior to the earlier meeting, a time where his location would be easily verified.
TR-14D took one more look around, then had his remote unit detach, slither down his frame, and, still cloaked, station itself next to the doorway, its single eye open and scanning via other means as well.
TR-14D shut the door, activated the computer console on the elaborate, ornate desk, and directly, physically connected himself to the console. As wireless technology had for the most part become the norm, intrusion detection systems often did not properly process wired connections. Though, to ensure safety, TR-14D’s cable included a signature scrambler; it could not hide the fact that someone had connected to the console, but if an investigation were launched, it should not be traceable to him.
Now that he had access to the system’s files, he began copying them to his own internal storage systems as quickly as he can, while he’s skimmed over those that seemed most pertinent. There would be time for a complete analysis later.
Unfortunately, many of the files were heavily encrypted, and if he even could crack them, it would take a fair amount of time. But while he did not immediately find what he was lo
oking for, other interesting bits of information stood out, including more mentions of Project Final Awakening, as well as… mention of secret communication with several Galactic Alliance officials. Fascinating.
While he would have been perfectly content to spend a few more minutes analyzing data now, TR-14D received a warning from his remote unit that someone was approaching.
The alarm still sounding within his core, TR-14D disconnected himself, deactivated the console, stepped out of the office and re-activated his cloak just before one of the Emperor’s advisers strode down the hallway to the office.
TR-14D began to leave the area as quickly as he dared, while also monitoring his power reserves. The cloak was draining his power far more quickly than any custom program he had installed before. If he had to use it again, it would be advisable to carry a portable backup power source.
Once he was out of the more sensitive wing of the building, he found a hallway that was not being actively monitored or used, then shut down the cloaking program and moved toward the minister’s office.
“Hey, you,” someone called suddenly. Another of the Emperor’s advisers. “What are you doing here?”
“Your eminence,” TR-14D replied, inclining his head slightly. “This unit is returning to Minister Turon’s office; he dispatched me on an errand.”
The man glared at him, and TR-14D was certain he was figuring out what he could reasonably get away with, given the man’s feelings toward both TR-14D and Minister Turon. “Be sure to remind the good minister to remember his place, and keep his mind on his own responsibilities, not meddle in others’.”
“Understood,” TR-14D replied.
The man sniffed loudly, then went on his way.
The man had suspected something, surely, but they both knew he would not be able to prove anything, at least not yet.
A portion of TR-14D’s programming sent him a warning; he was in great danger, and it would be wise to do whatever possible to avoid it. Despite the laws against the killing of his kind and the fact that his destruction would immediately be known to the Collective, there were those who simply did not care. Unfortunately, it would not be possible, not completely, to prioritize safety. He had a duty to his people, to bring them the truth, and to help Minister Turon, who would likely be a preferable leader of the Empire.
