by Dan Moren
Of course, if they’d taken the jump ship they could have done it in less than two, but when he’d asked Taylor about it, she’d shook her head.
“The general cashed in quite a few favors to get it for the Sevastapol op,” she’d told him. “Not to mention probably breaking several regulations in the process. It’s back in the hands of the navy’s sci-tech division. Besides, we play this one by the book, and that means a clean entry.”
Clean entry, in this case, meant that the ship – the same lithe Kestrel-class light transport that they’d flown from the jump ship down to the Sevastapol surface – had been outfitted with a legitimate Commonwealth registration: the Cavalier, out of Terra Nova. At least they’d let Eli pick the name; it was bad luck flying a ship with no name, and Eli was pretty sure they needed all the luck they could get.
According to the manifest, the ship carried no cargo, only himself and two passengers, and was simply providing transport from Nova to Bayern – all true.
Speaking of which. He keyed the intercom on. “Gooooood morning, travelers. This is your captain speaking. We’re starting our initial descent into Bayern spaceport; should have you on the ground within half an hour.” He skimmed the information on his display. “The temperature on the ground is a balmy 10 degrees centigrade, with a light rain coming out of the northwest. Local time is 15:37, and it’s… Tuesday.”
“Brody,” came Tapper’s voice from behind him, “if you don’t shut up, I’m going to stuff you in your own airlock.”
Eli blinked, still holding the intercom key. He cleared his throat. “Have a nice flight, everybody!” He clicked off. “Sorry, sergeant,” he said over his shoulder, “didn’t hear you come in.”
“Well,” said Tapper, throwing himself into one of the cockpit’s other three chairs, “that may have been because you were blathering so loud.” He scowled. “You woke me from a nap. A deep, restful nap, I might add.”
And now somebody’s cranky.
“Where’s the commander?” Eli asked.
Tapper buckled himself in. “She’s back in the crew lounge. Reading something or other.”
“Just updating myself on Bayern’s sociopolitical situation,” said Taylor, as she stepped into the cockpit and sat down.
A light blinked on the console and Eli took the stick again, peering through the cockpit’s viewport into the mass of swirling gray clouds. There wasn’t much to see with his own eyes, so he flipped on the infrared overlay, which gave him a better, although grainier, view. He checked his vector guides again, but the Cavalier was a slick, responsive little ship, and there’d been no drift – they were still right on target.
“I trust you two have reviewed your cover identities?” Taylor said.
Eli had actually spent a decent portion of his downtime during the flight flipping through the dossier that Taylor had prepared, which was surprisingly lengthy for a person who didn’t exist. Though, given the amount of detail that had been put into constructing “Elias Adler,” it might raise certain philosophical questions about what existence really meant. The man had a bank account, his own business, and a reputation as a bit of playboy, which came complete with unseemly gossip and the rumor of illicit pictures. By comparison, Elijah Brody had officially been dead for almost six years – it wouldn’t be hard to argue that Adler had more of a life than he did.
Tapper cleared his throat. “Yeah, about that. Why the hell am I a butler?” He glowered at Eli. “More to the point, why am I his butler?”
“You’re not a butler,” said Taylor, her voice taking on the tones of a schoolteacher gently correcting a student, “you’re a valet. A gentleman’s gentleman. Mr Adler’s personal assistant and bodyguard.”
“Oh,” said Tapper. “Well, thank you, that’s so much better.”
“Lieutenant?” said Taylor.
“Uh, yes?”
“Any problems with your cover?”
No, I’ve always dreamed of being a successful businessman with a taste for the ladies. I just have no idea how to be one. “Uh, I’m kind of new at this,” he said, keeping his eyes on the display in front of him.
“Don’t worry,” said Taylor. “Remember, my cover is as your PR rep. Just leave most of the talking to me. When in doubt, remember: less is more.”
Right. The ship bucked and twisted in his grasp as he started their final descent; Bayern’s primary settlements were in a rocky mountain range on the country’s northern continent, and the wind shear at the higher elevations could be nasty.
His stomach dropped out from under him suddenly as a stiff breeze slammed into the side of the ship; behind him, he heard a half-swallowed gasp from Taylor and a not-entirely happy grunt from Tapper, but if either of them were prepared to make a comment about his piloting, they’d evidently elected to keep it until they landed safely.
When the computer signaled they were close enough, he brought up the repulsor fields and lowered the ship until the landing struts made contact with the platform. Tension bleeding out of his shoulders, Eli reached over and shut down the engines, the background hum fading away, replaced only by the sound of the wind whistling outside.
“Bloody hell,” muttered Tapper into the relative quiet. “Couldn’t the autopilot have handled that?”
Eli craned his neck, fixing the sergeant with a stare. “A precise landing onto a small, elevated platform during a high-speed windstorm? Probably.” He grinned. “But it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun.” Plus, he thought, with more than a hint of relief, I needed to prove I could still do it.
“I’m starting to understand why the butler always ends up being the killer.”
“Boys, boys,” said Taylor absently, her eyes focused on the tablet she’d produced, which had no doubt already hooked in to the Bayern planetary network. “Best make yourselves presentable. The docking authority says we have guests.”
Tapper and Eli exchanged a glance.
“Guests?” said Tapper.
Taylor shrugged. “Mr Adler is an important Novan businessman. I’m sure the Commonwealth embassy has sent someone to greet him.” She tilted her head meaningfully. “I suggest we not keep them waiting.”
It was the work of a few moments for Eli to struggle into the traveling suit that Taylor had packed for him, a dark blue pinstriped affair with a blue-and-gold necktie. He ran a comb through his sandy, unkempt hair, trying to force it into a winsome look, and elected to leave the slight stubble on his face, in part because he deemed it authentic, but mostly because shaving would have taken too long.
Stepping into the ship’s entryway he joined Tapper, who was tugging at the fit of his black jacket in irritation. The double-breasted piece was of a pair with the black trousers he wore, and contrasted sharply with the white open-collared shirt worn underneath. There was little to be done with the close-cropped gray hair, or weathered face, but Taylor had provided him with a pair of dark glasses, which completed the ensemble.
Looking up to see Eli eyeing him, Tapper shook his head and pointed a finger at his soon-to-be boss. “Not a word, kid. Not a single word.”
Eli rubbed at his chin. “I think you mean ‘not a word, sir.’”
“When this is over–”
“I wish I’d known you two bickered like a pair of five year-olds,” said Taylor from the hatchway.
Turning towards her, Eli’s protests died on his lips.
Sure, he’d noticed Taylor was attractive the first time he’d seen her, but the air of cool professionalism that hung around her – and, more importantly, the fact that she’d been married to Kovalic – had the effect of making her one big, flashing “don’t even think about it” sign.
But now he wasn’t even sure if the woman in front of him was Taylor any more. From the elegant arrangement of her hair, twisted into an elaborate braid, to the tantalizing expanse of toned calf between high-heeled shoe and knee-length tan skirt, she was almost unrecognizable. Her face bore slight traces of makeup, enough to highlight the right features, and the s
hort jacket atop the low-cut blouse ensured that Eli kept his eyes firmly glued to her face, avoiding even the slightest appearance of impropriety.
“Are we ready, then?” Taylor reached over and palmed the hatch control. With a hiss the door slid upwards, the entry ramp beyond it lowering to the tarmac. A gust of cold air swirled in, bringing a fine mist of rain with it.
Straightening her shoulders, Taylor marched down the ramp, leaving Tapper and Eli to trail in her wake. Well, thought Eli as the bracing blast of cool air hit him, here goes nothing.
The platform wasn’t large – in fact, it was barely bigger than the ship, and it jutted directly out of a sheer cliff face. Eli wondered what he’d see if he peered over the railings at the edge and then quickly decided he was fine not knowing. Where the platform met rock, there was a large pair of formidable-looking blast doors. No sign of their supposed welcome party, but Eli couldn’t blame them: it wasn’t exactly a day for a picnic. The wind whipped at them as they stood on the platform. Whatever calm exterior Eli had been cultivating was quickly blown to shreds, and he could only hope that he didn’t look half as bedraggled as he felt.
With little other option, the three trudged to the blast doors. When they got within about five meters, the doors began to grind open slowly. Bright light shone through, blocked only by the silhouettes of three people standing in the doorway.
“Remember,” Taylor murmured, her voice barely audible over the wind, “let me do the talking.”
In other words, “just keep your mouth shut, Brody.” Following orders, right: he hadn’t missed that part. But he gave an abbreviated nod as they pulled up in front of the welcoming party.
Two of them were women. The shorter of the two had dark skin, almost the color of volcanic glass, and equally dark hair swept into a braid no less complex than the one Taylor wore. She was dressed in a dark suit with a white blouse that bore a superficial resemblance to Tapper’s bodyguard outfit. While she stood easy, there was something about her stance in which Eli detected just a slight note of wariness.
The other woman matched her in bearing, but nothing else. Tall and slender, she had yellow-gold skin and dark eyes that seemed to take them all in with an off-hand glance. Though she was also dressed in a two-piece business attire, she’d chosen a skirt, which showed off a pair of long legs ending in a pair of high-heeled shoes. Even Eli’s untrained eye could tell her attire was the nicer and more expensive of the two.
Behind them stood the third member of their party, a broad-shouldered man in a dark suit, who was clearly meant to remain more or less in the background, despite an intense conspicuousness. He had a face that had taken a punch or two, but Eli guessed he was no stranger to returning them in kind. His attention had locked on Tapper, and Eli held back a smile. Professional help.
The dark-skinned woman was the first to step forward, extending her hand towards Eli. “Mr Adler? I’m Sarah M’basa, the Commonwealth deputy consul. Welcome to Bayern.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Ms M’basa,” said Eli, shaking her hand firmly, as he imagined a confident businessman would do. “This is my director of public relations,” he said, gesturing to Taylor.
“Tara Mulroney,” said Taylor, quickly seizing M’basa’s hand with her own. “So nice to meet you.” She dazzled the woman with a brilliant smile.
“And my head of security,” Eli continued, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Tapper. “Mr Tormundsen.”
As M’basa’s face turned towards Tapper, Eli swore that her smile missed a beat, but it might have just been his imagination. The Commonwealth official nodded to Tapper, who returned it silently.
“This is Amanda Wei,” said M’basa, gesturing to the woman beside her. “She’s a senior director of client relations at the Corporation.”
The taller woman stepped forward and extended a hand. Eli shook it; her grasp was warm and firm. Wei’s expression was far more impassive than M’basa’s, though Eli couldn’t tell if it was a personal or professional coolness.
“The Bayern Corporation welcomes you, Mr Adler,” she said, her airy voice somehow floating above the wind. “I’ve been assigned as your personal liaison. If there is anything at all you need during your stay, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you, Director Wei,” said Taylor, again summoning that broad and somewhat alien smile. “Mr Adler is thrilled to have a chance to visit the Corporation, and he’s sure that the discussions will prove to be most mutually beneficial.”
“Of course,” said Wei, her stolid expression not changing. “But business can wait until tomorrow. You’ve had a long trip, and no doubt wish to rest. We can handle anything you need to make your stay more comfortable. If you’d like to have access to funds, I can see to it that any currency is converted into non-voting shares.”
Taylor produced a credit chip and handed it over to Wei, who bowed slightly. “Much appreciated, director.”
Eli had gotten a high-level briefing on the Corporation’s idiosyncratic treatment of money, but Taylor had also assured him that thanks to his VIP status and accommodations at the Commonwealth embassy, he shouldn’t have much need for actual currency. The general had provided them with just enough to be deposited in the local bank as a gesture of good faith on the part of Adler Industries.
Wei pocketed the chip and gestured to the Cavalier. “I will see to it that your pilot is accommodated as well.”
“Oh, no need,” said Eli, with a casual wave of the hand. “I flew us here myself.”
The widening of Wei’s eyes was the first reaction Eli had seen from the woman. “Indeed?”
“It’s a hobby. Don’t worry: you’ll find I’m fully licensed.” He winked at her.
Taylor cleared her throat, taking Eli’s upper arm in a surprisingly strong grip. “Mr Adler is a man of many interests,” she said brightly. “But you’re right; it’s been a long trip, and we should retire.”
Wei nodded, and gestured to the corridor on the other side of the blast door. “Please, come this way.”
To Eli’s surprise, the hallway was hewn from bare rock, shot through with occasional veins of black volcanic glass. The huge blast doors ground shut behind them, leaving them in an eerie silence, throughout which their footsteps reverberated, churchlike. Lit with illuminated strips fixed to the walls, the high arch of the ceiling stretched far above them into darkness.
M’basa’s eye caught Eli’s gaze and she smiled. “This is your first time on Bayern, is it not, Mr Adler?”
“Yes,” said Eli cautiously. “I’ve always wanted to visit, but the opportunity hadn’t presented itself until now.”
“Mr Adler is a very busy man, with many obligations on his time,” interjected Taylor, who looked a little miffed that she’d been relegated to the background. Or is it Tara Mulroney who’s miffed? I’m not sure I can tell where one starts and the other leaves off.
“Naturally,” said M’basa. “Running such a successful business no doubt occupies a significant chunk of the day. Still,” she said, eyeing Adler with a speculative glance, “I would have thought his affairs would have drawn him here before now. But, I’ll freely admit that my knowledge of the world of business is limited to what I’ve encountered in my job.
“But, as I was going to say,” M’basa continued, “Bergfestung – that’s the Corporation’s headquarters or, as you might otherwise think of it, Bayern’s ‘capital city’ – is carved out of an extinct volcano.”
“Like the Tharsis Montes on Mars?” asked Taylor with a frown.
“Not quite,” Wei said, stepping in with a polite laugh. “By comparison, the early attempts to make Mars habitable were quite crude. Then again, we’ve had a couple centuries to improve our technology. And, unlike Mars, Bayern’s native atmosphere is quite breathable for humans. Still, you should find Bergfestung cool but comfortable, especially in contrast to Terra Nova.”
Thank god for that. Nova’s constant heat and humidity had started making Eli long for a trip to the arctic tundra.
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They reached the end of the corridor, where a pair of smaller double doors slid open at their approach, revealing an elevator that easily accommodated them all . The milky white walls of the lift had a soothing, almost sterile feeling, unbroken except for a black glass control panel. Wei tapped an illuminated square and they began a smooth descent that made Eli think of their landing on Bayern, if only because the two were not in the least bit similar.
“How many people live in Bergfestung?” Taylor asked, breaking the silence.
“Approximately two million,” said Wei. “Mostly in administrative and support services. The Corporation’s chief manufacturing and agricultural concerns are located on the plains around the base of the mountain.”
Eli almost let out a low whistle at the figure, but decided that it wasn’t an appropriately Elias Adler reaction. Instead, he just nodded. “Impressive.”
“The Bayern Corporation is the largest privately consolidated business concern in the galaxy,” said Wei. There was no note of bragging in her voice, just simple stated fact. “It takes a great deal of personnel to ensure that it continues operating smoothly. I’m sure you of all people understand that.”
“Oh, of course,” said Eli, trying to inject a casual note. Wei’s pronouncement had seemed almost suspicious – had he said something to make her doubt him?
Fortunately, he was spared from any further line of questioning as the lift’s translucent white walls suddenly faded into complete transparency, timed perfectly to the car dropping into the main cavern of Bergfestung.
This time, Eli did let his mouth fall agape. The cavern was truly enormous, the biggest open enclosed space he’d ever seen. The lift car was attached to one wall and, while Eli could see the cavern’s other side – which almost looked like a gray wall of clouds from this distance – he’d have been hard-pressed to make out any details over there. He wondered if there were people descending in lifts on the other side, staring back at them.
Glancing at the side walls, he caught sight of regular striations along them, suggesting that the cavern was not wholly a natural formation. When he peered down, that notion was reinforced.
