by V Guy
“We’ll need significant overtime approval,” said a Tanian manager. “Our third unit is below seventy-five percent and will require increased maintenance to keep pace, much less maintain accelerated production.”
Baron Hess clasped his hands under his chin, contemplating the problem. “You’ll get it, but you also need employee evaluations. There’s no reason for the equipment to be running that poorly. Palm, make the inspection of two a priority, get it on line, then check three.”
“We’re going to be down to one unit for an extended period,” said Palm’s manager, frowning. “That’s a lot of lost production.”
“If you lose another one, the delay will be considerably longer. Transmit those inspection results as quickly as possible, generate simulated production profiles and have them available within a standard week. Palm, good morning. Kalan, good night.”
The screens darkened with their disconnections. Hess turned to his aide, Aaron Grant. “Contact a small-transport company to complete the initial deliveries between facilities, and have Arness arrange a longer-term deal with a major transporter. We need to get things rolling.”
“Funding?”
“Have finance complete the transfers, and ensure Ed Latham demands an explanation from Holcomb. That tower should not have collapsed.”
Grant departed, and Hess returned to his terminal.
“Two could still run at thirty-three percent,” said a voice behind him. “Inspections can be cycled through the inactive areas.”
“What?” he asked in surprise, looking back at Selena Rose. “What did you just say?”
“I’m sorry, Master,” she replied. She bowed her head. “I just thought that the production unit could still be useful until serious damage was established.”
Selena had been purchased as an early warning system; she was discovered to be an extremely seductive, barely resistible slave, and now she displayed something entirely new.
“Where did you get the information for that supposition?” asked Hess.
“I ran out of things to read, Master.”
His irritation shifted to curiosity. “What else did you suppose?”
She cautiously gazed back. “Assuming you can get them the raw materials, Kalen can handle a fifty-percent increase. If equipment stress becomes an issue, reduce the load when unit two at Palm comes fully on line.”
A calculating expression touched his visage. After a glance at his terminal to confirm the information, he turned back in annoyance. “Anything else?”
“Get Dartrex to finish phase two on the product. Your phase one is better, but their phase two is far superior. An agreement between you would be mutually beneficial.”
His expression darkened. “Dartrex is a competitor.”
“And thirty-five percent of your business is from smaller companies who need the better gear. They might change suppliers if necessary. They would benefit from more dependable parts, since the majority of their applications quickly burn through the equipment.”
“That’s a loss of sales.”
“It would be an increase in customer loyalty, Master. That ensures later sales.”
Baron Hess looked at his oracle with fresh appreciation. She grasped the particulars of business better than conceivable, and expressed herself with an unabashed confidence, signifying a bastion of intelligence hidden beneath her programming.
“What do you remember before your life here?”
Selena lowered her head again. “Nothing, Master. This is all I am.”
“No, it isn’t,” he replied, making a snort. “Do you like solving mysteries?”
One of her eyebrows rose. “Maybe, if you wish?”
A corner of his lips rose as he held forth a data device. “Solve this.”
“What Malik did was impossible, Master.”
Hess frowned.
She lowered her head. “I ran out of things to read.”
“This device was locked.”
“Master, you access it regularly, and your code was easy to divine. This creature troubles you. Because of that, it troubles me. I wanted to help.”
“You did?” He paused a moment. “Malik survived. That does not imply impossible.”
“Magicians do impossible tricks.”
“That thing is not a magician.”
“Maybe not, Master, but the odds of it surviving explosions of that size, enduring the vacuum and cold of space for the length of time that it did, and encountering a moving ship in that vast emptiness are abysmally low. They meet the mathematical definition of impossible. It was either a trick or a miracle.”
He drew the device back to himself, pondering the response, then inserted the device into his console. “How did you know all that?”
“I don’t know, Master. Maybe it was something I read.”
Hess chuckled and turned to his display. “We need to give you more to read. The question now becomes this: were we lied to, or did something wholly unexplainable happen?”
Selena considered his question. “The woman may have lied, Master, but I believe the admiral’s men and the mining station personnel did see it. The creature is huge, would have been rather obvious, and its path to the system was well documented.”
“It is tough,” said Hess, nodding. “But surviving a collision with and maintaining hold onto a system transport long enough to board it? Maybe Malik stole a ship instead.”
Selena eased closer. “No matter its durability, surviving the intersection of two powerful, nuclear blasts would have been an astonishing feat. A small ship would have been instantly torn apart.”
Baron Hess felt his heart accelerate. She was a gentle presence, her proximity touching him through their mental bond and her aroma. A warmth spread through him, and he struggled to contend against her influence. She’s a slave, he reminded himself.
She’s beautiful, she’s intelligent, and she’s mine, were other, competing thoughts.
The mysteries of the creature paled against his personal longings. Control yourself.
“Master?” asked Selena.
His face was flush, and he looked at her with the despair of a much younger man. She isn’t the woman you long for her to be. That woman has been dead for a very long time.
“Why would this creature perform such a ruse?” he asked, composing himself. “Whether it was there, left early, or was never there at all, it went to great lengths to make escape seem plausible.”
“What were its motivations for its presence, Master?” asked Selena. “Why make the long trip through public and paid transportation if it had a ride of its own? Did it want people to believe it was dead?”
Hess considered the truth and suddenly felt adrift in his own foolishness. San had drawn Malik to the asteroid under the pretense of exchanging hostages. Then she tried to kill the creature. From that point forward, her organization was steadily gutted up until her disconnection.
Malik, he thought. You are the destroyer.
“Master?”
He glanced at her, and his heart skipped a beat. She was naturally attractive, Bedele had programmed the subtle methods of grace into her, and her internal wiring was engineered for seduction and submission, yet it was her mind that captivated him.
“Where is it now?”
“Evaline, Master. The creature arrived yesterday.”
Hess turned away. “Leave me. You’ll get more to read.”
She departed to her quarters, but the regrets and longings from years past shadowed him. He transmitted her recommendations for consideration and comment then reclined to dismiss the memories. When those efforts failed, he returned to his terminal to contemplate the creature.
A review of old surveillance reminded him of Malik’s relationships. The oracle had a twin sister, who was the creature’s current master. This master disappeared the day the oracle was taken; by doing this, the Evaline’s Dynang triggered the conflict. The creature’s ship was attacked, its previous master’s business was assaulted, and the Confede
ration Dynang was obligated to respond. The conflict spread like cancer; the casualties mounted until the entire organization perished. However improbable the creature’s role in the rooks’ deaths, the odds were still better than its apparent survival at the mining asteroid.
Malik, the destroyer.
And the carnage occurred because of something intensely personal. The creature’s focus was on someone other than himself; it wanted her.
It cannot have her, thought Hess spontaneously, possessively. He contacted Admiral Redina.
Ruffled as usual by Hess’s painful summons, the admiral was momentarily discombobulated. “Yes, Master?”
An element of irritation and resistance was present along Redina’s control lines. The Creative slave was an example of how the link should work—smooth and seamless. She had spoiled him.
Hess let his annoyance spike through the link, and Redina winced. “Do you have an update on Salient?”
“The sequence was triggered yesterday, and as soon as the channel had time to split and fold, it was closed. Observers are present in case it regenerates.”
“What of the residuals from San’s project?”
“None of the remaining grain took root. Earlier project scientists are being queried concerning its revival, but all the research is at Salient. It’s unreachable.”
“Harper?”
“The reports of another case of nuts were disproved. The brewery burned through their final inventory a month ago.”
Hess thought about the many projects that died unnatural deaths; the man across from him was now party to the demise of another one. Salient had been almost as beautiful as Paradise, and memories of both worlds rose to join his earlier recollections. But not all is done yet.
“Are you still shadowing Malik?”
Redina nodded. “His ship has been grounded at Evaline.”
“Did you speak to Scimitar’s crew?”
“Yes. The sensor data revealed nothing.”
Hess’s face hardened. “Next time Malik goes aloft in your territory and even if it isn’t, you arrest the creature. Don’t threaten or question anyone it is with and don’t give it an excuse for hostility. Once it’s isolated, imprison or kill it.”
“Master?” asked Redina in surprise.
“You do still want it dead, don’t you?”
Redina was confused. “Yes, Master. You said—”
“Then don’t fail or take chances. It has survived events that defy explanation, but don’t let it defy you. That’s an order.”
Hess severed the connection. Redina’s mental tendrils settled back among the others and in this rare instance, a happy desire for obedience was evident. Principle had dictated Hess’s refusal of the man’s desires until personal survival took priority. That need led him to another of his long-term projects, which he initially intended to keep hidden until completion.
He accessed his terminal and established a secure connection. The monitor sprang to life.
“Good evening, Baron,” replied a short-haired, smiling woman in her thirties. “Who do you want? Aaron is in the lab, Aline and Wolfe are fighting a bad maturation chamber, and Uli is monitoring a trial run. We have plenty of available techs, but most have headed into their scheduled evenings off. Some have gone home on break.”
“You might know, Rachael,” said Hess. “It was reported that a project transport was delayed by reactor issues near Nowhere. Has it reached the station?”
She nodded. “We had the cargo transferred to another vessel for delivery. The ship is in dock and will need two weeks of repairs. We salvaged components from many of the Matron’s structures and are ahead of schedule despite the delay. Some structural and utility work remains. The stockpile of supplies will help.”
“When will the nursery be completed?”
“It’s finished, if Aline and Wolfe were successful. Your first set of test samples are maturing nicely and responding well to acceleration, and electrical and system connections are prepared for your personal laboratory. Unfortunately, your suite needs work.”
Hess’s countenance brightened with the good news. Foundational challenges had plagued the project for years, and now those hurdles may have finally been overcome. “All that’s necessary is getting my laboratory installed.”
She pondered him for a long moment. “Please excuse the impertinence. You should be here. At least if you want them bonded to you and not us.”
“I thought you just started?”
“They responded marvelously.”
Baron Hess leaned back in surprise and pleasure. The oracle had brought him security he never imagined, Malik threatened it, and now he had a backup to confront the creature should Redina fail.
“I’ll have a course set for the facility. Delay their maturity until I arrive—I want to see my Mantes.”
3: Exposure
Day 663: Evaline, Pathfinder
Kroes’s expression darkened. She straightened and touched a pad on her sleeve. “What are you saying?”
A hovering clock appeared between them, counting down through a minute and fifty-five seconds. Malik glanced dispassionately at the timer. “I believe I made myself perfectly clear.”
She touched her sleeve again, looking at the descending digits in growing concern. “You’re overreacting.”
“No. I’m no more significant than the family dog,” said Malik. “You’ve just walked into my home and threatened my family. As a certie, I know you consider any deal with me nonbinding. Also, you are CSA. Having seen through Norris’s eyes how people of legal standing are treated by Central Security, there’s no possibility in the galaxy I’d let you leave alive. Either immediately, if I refuse you, or later, when I reject a request, you’ll call in that threat. It’s best to end this now.”
She tapped her sleeve again, her eyes glancing frequently at the digits. “You won’t do it.”
Malik stood and stretched. “I will. I’ll take you prisoner, tear from your mind the knowledge about my friends and the locations of your personnel, then extract some personal information concerning the people you love. If I’m unable to prevent deaths within my family, I’ll create balance by causing them within yours. When those are done, you’d be liberated to the afterlife.”
“You wouldn’t,” said Kroes, her eyes flashing. After a fourth tap of her sleeve, she glanced in concern at the closed hatch.
“I would,” he said. “I’m not just the family dog; I’m a vindictive family dog. San could attest to that, supposing she lived.”
Her trepidation markedly grew. “I’m involved in some very important cases.”
“I care nothing of your inane cases. I care about my family.”
Kroes glanced in alarm at the commando, who remained unmoving, and at the hatch, which remained closed. “Don’t test me, lizard.”
He made a snort. “You’re CSA—no test is necessary. What you must realize is that just as they’ll die, you will. No more big plans, important cases, or political aspirations. Just darkness.”
She bit her lip. “I’m not Norris.”
Malik shook his head. “You’re CSA, and CSA arrogance is legendary.”
“You can tell if I’m lying.”
“I know you would say whatever was necessary and could do it convincingly. Rescind the threat, because your expiration is swiftly approaching.”
The seconds seem to stretch. Kroes’s eyes were glued to the timer. Her mind spun furiously as she sought a face-saving solution until time expired. Her jaw set, her faced flushed crimson, and she clenched her teeth. “I rescind the threat.”
The timer stopped. A new one appeared and began counting down.
“You have one week to purge your files of incriminating information and command the removal of threat assets,” said Malik. “If these demands are not met, I will consider your word to be void. The previously promised outcome will follow.”
She glared at him in embarrassment, indignation, and humiliation. “I said the threat was removed.�
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“And you still live. Without the follow-up, I might consider you insincere.”
Kroes narrowed her eyes. “Your crew recharged fuel, conducted illegal medical procedures, killed government agents, were complicit in the production of clones, preserved illegal Catricel roses with intent to distribute, destroyed sensitive government vehicles, murdered Fleet personnel, altered patented medication and beer, unofficially examined Bedele Creative slaves, and conspired to execute innocent civilians without trials. Moreover, they are aware of the existence of commandos, Thoran, and the fate of Catricel’s citizens.”
Malik made a low growl. “If you wished my help, you could have done as any other potential customer and offered payment. You’ve been instrumental in clearing corruption, an effort that has my strong approval. Why open with a threat? You could have arrested them at any time of your choosing.”
She glared at him, oblivious that the protective commando had relaxed. “You might have said no.”
He paused and lay down. “That’s the point of negotiation. I can think of any number of valuable things that might have been offered.”
“How about for the good of the Confederation?”
“The Confederation is corrupt, unfairly restricting and taxing the expansion worlds. They have established bad policies that have squelched innovation, pigeonholed research, and retarded scientific advancement, setting back the overall knowledge base across industry, pharmaceuticals, and medicine for the first century in human history.”
Kroes looked at him in surprise. “Would you like to reverse that?”
“You know people as well as or better than I,” said Malik. He gazed to the surf, pondering the moribund state of corporate research. “The trend is ponderous. Corruption reigns, industries are established upon immutability, and advancement is restricted to bounding limitations. Companies don’t want technology to change, because an expense to change follows. New computing technology requires new hardware, expected vulnerabilities within that technology emerge, and fresh hazards endanger currently stable platforms and established systems. This is a system-wide problem, not a person-sized ailment.”
