Shattered Truth

by Michael Anderle

  “Some things go beyond us, Erik,” the colonel offered, his tone grave.

  “Don’t you want justice for your son?” Erik responded with a scoff. “Isn’t that why you’re meeting with and helping me?”

  Colonel Adeyemi sighed and looked down. “You’re a cop now. What do you think when too many coincidences pile up?”

  “I’m beginning to think there’s no such thing as coincidence.”

  Colonel Adeyemi walked toward Erik’s flitter. “We’ll talk inside. There are certain things I don’t want to burden these soldiers with.”

  Erik glanced at him and the squads. “Plausible deniability again?”

  “Something like that, yes.” Colonel Adeyemi slipped into the passenger seat and closed the door.

  Emma’s hologram disappeared, and Erik turned, walked back to the car, loaded into the driver’s seat, and closed the door.

  Erik shook his head in disbelief. “You’re willing to talk in front of those soldiers about how you think the government or Ceres might be involved in slaughtering the 108th, but now you’re suddenly worried about them hearing too much?”

  “It’s a matter of scope.” Colonel Adeyemi stared straight ahead and swallowed. “You were an officer, Erik. What do you think is the main problem afflicting the Army when it wages war?”

  “It takes them too damned long to understand every war is different,” Erik replied. “Soldiers die before everyone above figures that out.”

  The colonel’s nod was barely perceptible. “Humanity has only ever waged war against humanity. All of the theories and strategies and beliefs we have about war are based on that. A few skirmishes with aliens aren’t the same thing as waging war.”

  Bile rose in the back of Erik’s throat. “Is this about the Zitarks?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  Erik’s eyes narrowed in concern. “I thought they backed off. That was why there were so few forces on Molino.”

  Colonel Adeyemi let out a quiet scoff. “They did back off, and some of it was misinterpretation to begin with, but some people didn’t want them to back off.”

  “Huh?” Erik frowned. “What are you saying?”

  “We’ve both spent most of our careers doing the same things: fighting terrorists and insurrectionists,” the colonel explained. He pointed at the alley. “Terrorists will always be with us. There’s always some nutcase with a cause. The Second Spring destroyed Los Angeles because they thought they could usher in a new golden age of transhumanism. Other terrorists think the aliens are better, or they just want a different government, but the insurrectionists? They’re a problem we can eliminate, but it’s a question of how.”

  “Eliminating their forces and bring them in line.” Erik shrugged. “Easy to say, even if it’s hard to do.”

  Colonel Adeyemi nodded. “But there’s always somebody ready to take up the fight in the next generation. What if they could be given a common enemy to fight with the core worlds?”

  “A common…” Erik stared at the colonel for a few seconds in silence. “Intergalactic war to unify humanity?”

  “I’ve heard things. Disturbing rumors.” Weariness covered the colonel’s face. “There are people here and there, certain important ministers in Parliament, certain government officials too, who think the peace we’ve had with the Local Neighborhood races is a bad thing; that it makes humanity look weak. Since all our intel indicates we outnumber the Zitarks and our tech is about the same, they think we should make an example of them to the other races and invade Zitark territory. Once the UTC’s at war, the theory goes, all the insurrectionists will rally to support their fellow humans over the reptiles. We unify humanity, and we establish ourselves as a power to be respected. Along the way, we pick up some new colonies, access to new resources, and solve our insurrection issues.”

  “Politicians.” Erik gritted his teeth. “They’re all the same. Most of them didn’t even serve, and they think the military’s a toy sword they can swing around to scare people. For all we know, if we invade Zitark territory, they might fight to the last damned lizard. They might drop bioweapons on every human colony on the border. We’re not even the same species. It might be the bloodiest war ever fought in the history of the galaxy.”

  “You don’t have to explain that to me. I believe all of that already. I’ll defend the UTC against invasion, but starting a war for anything other than the defense of humanity isn’t something I can support, and it might not even accomplish what they want. Insurrectionists might try to take advantage of the chaos.” Colonel Adeyemi sighed. “Fortunately, these ministers are all fringe figures who know they have to keep this push under the radar, and the Prime Minister has made his position clear. He’s not going to support preemptive action against the Zitarks unless we have sufficient reason to believe they’ll attack us first otherwise.”

  Erik pondered the scenario. “And you think that might have something to do with what happened to the 108th?”

  “I’m not sure,” Colonel Adeyemi admitted. “It’s just very striking to me that your unit was slaughtered while investigating something someone wanted hidden on a moon that was close to the Zitarks. It might be they were ready to fake a Zitark attack or something of that nature, but if that’s true, that means the people we’re dealing with will do anything they can to cover up their misdeeds.”

  “Government or corporation, grand conspiracy or petty conspiracy.” Erik looked out the window, his focus on the past. “I don’t know if we’re any closer to solving this. All I’m learning is that the UTC is even more messed up than I thought, and that’s saying something.”

  Colonel Adeyemi let out a low, bitter chuckle. “This isn’t just about revenge for your unit and my son. If the people who did this are involved in a conspiracy like that, exposing them might save billions of lives.”

  “Fine,” Erik agreed. “But I’m doing this because I owe the Knights Errant. In the end, this might have nothing to do with politicians spinning up a war with the space raptors and just be about some bastards trying to make more money.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Erik took a deep breath after he finished his food order.

  The black-garbed waiter departed with a bow, and Erik picked up his beer to take a sip. Aryn, Erik’s date, also ordered a beer, so at least she wasn’t uptight. He would give her that, but there was one minor problem that kept bugging him, and had since he had met her at the front of the restaurant.

  She was younger than Jia, and she looked it.

  He’d had a few days to digest his meeting with the colonel. It worried him less now that he realized neither of them had any real proof other than Ceres might be involved. Unlike the colonel, Erik cared less about the why of the conspiracy than the who.

  For now, a mindless date was a welcome diversion.

  Regret over accepting his partner’s matchmaking filled him. Jia knew his background and how old he was, but there he was wasting his Friday night talking to a very busty twenty-two-year-old blonde in a tight red dress that left little about her figure to the imagination.

  Yes, she might be sexy as hell in that dress, but he could have been her grandfather. It didn’t matter that he looked like a fit thirty-something man who might be sporting gray in his hair as a fashion statement.

  What had Jia been thinking? At least she had left the dating prep up to him.

  He’d chosen a modestly priced Brazilian fusion steakhouse place deep in a commercial tower and decided to meet Aryn at the restaurant so he didn’t set up any uncomfortable expectations.

  The choice of restaurant was also about managing such considerations. If a woman wanted to date him, she needed to like him for his personality, not for his account balance. It wasn’t a dive, but it wasn’t an expensive true meat place with a Hexagon view either.

  “So, uh, you’re a friend of Imogen’s, Aryn?” Erik asked. “I haven’t met her, but Jia goes out with her all the time. She’s talked a little about her, but I don’t know a lot. Jia and I tal
k more about cop stuff than our personal lives.”

  She nodded. “Yes, I work with Imogen. I just started my new job a few weeks ago.” The woman stared at him with a dreamy expression. She rested her cheek on her palm and her elbow on the table and let out a contented sigh.

  Was she drunk? Erik’s gaze dipped to her beer bottle. She had barely touched it, and he doubted she could get drunk after ten minutes and a single sip of beer. Even Jia wasn’t that much of a lightweight.

  And that was saying something.

  Erik resisted the urge to ask if it was her first job out of school and kept a pleasant smile on his face. Aryn might not be someone he wanted to see again, but he could at least get some value out of practicing his more relaxed persona.

  “That’s interesting,” Erik replied. “I’m pretty new at my job, too.” He raised his bottle. “To new beginnings and new jobs.”

  Aryn clinked her bottle against this. “To new beginnings.”

  Erik downed some more beer. It didn’t matter how much he drank. Even if he didn’t have Emma, the normal auto-driving systems would have been more than sufficient to get him home safely.

  “What is it that you do, exactly?” Erik asked. Jia hadn’t been clear on that point, but she also hadn’t told him she was going to set him up with someone so young.

  “Let’s not talk about me,” Aryn insisted. “I’m boring.” She giggled. “Well, I’m not boring, but my job is. I don’t want you to judge me by that because it’s not exciting, unlike your job.”

  Erik grinned. “Unlike my job?” He took a sip. “I’m just a cop. There are thousands just like me.”

  “That’s not true,” Aryn insisted, a panicked look on her face.

  “Okay.” Erik shrugged. “I’m not quite following you. Jia’s a cop. Everyone I work with is a cop.”

  “Sure, but they aren’t like you,” she pushed.

  His eyes narrowed. “What’s so special about me?”

  Aryn licked her lips. “You’re the famous Obsidian Detective. I read all about you. You’re the first Obsidian Detective in a long time, and you were in the Army before that, fighting terrorists and aliens. By the way, you look great for someone as old as you. De-aging, too. Wow. That’s pretty expensive.”

  Erik kept smiling, even though he thought Jia or Imogen had passed a little more information along than he would have preferred. “I didn’t fight aliens. I don’t think you’re going to find anyone left in the military who has participated in a battle against any of the Local Neighborhood races. There were a few incidents during First Contact, but nothing big, and the major one, I’d argue the Leems brought it on themselves because they got cocky. And all those incidents, Leem or otherwise, were ship-to-ship. I was assault infantry. Human beings have never engaged in a ground battle with an alien race.”

  Aryn looked confused. “You didn’t fight any aliens, then?”

  Erik shook his head. “I was stationed near some alien systems when there were worries about invasion, but all my time in the Army was spent fighting other humans and human-made machines. I hope that’s not too much of a disappointment.”

  Although he really did.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Her gazed fixed on his arms. “You were still a soldier for a long time, and it’s not like they let soldiers be weak. I bet you’ve got some nice muscles under that shirt.”

  “I do okay. It’s good to keep in shape.” Erik admitted. “You look pretty good yourself.”

  “I work out a lot,” Aryn insisted. “Real old-school style. No fancy pills or nanites or anything. It’s like the Purists say, ‘To leave behind the human body is to leave behind what makes us human.’”

  Erik chuckled. He didn’t believe everyone should get strange genetic engineering or chop themselves up like Tin Men, but he didn’t have a lot of use for Purists. He was half-tempted to tell her about his arm.

  “I’m just another man,” he insisted. “There are millions of soldiers in the UTC Army and millions of cops out there. I got lucky on some recent cases. Not saying I’m not a great detective, but…” He shrugged and grinned.

  “But there’s only one Obsidian Detective,” Aryn insisted. “And that’s you. There’s no one else alive right now like you. Unique. Handsome. I asked Imogen about you, you know. When I heard her friend was involved in some of that craziness and was your partner, I tried to get her to arrange a date. I don’t care if that sounds desperate; it’s not every day you get this kind of opportunity. Just being around you is exciting. Very exciting.”

  “Desperate?” Erik was not as prepared for this talk as he would have liked. “I don’t know about that, and the worst thing that comes out of this is we both get a nice meal. Meat on swords? How can you go wrong?”

  Aryn laughed so loudly that several other nearby diners looked her way with annoyed expressions. Erik took another swallow of beer and tried to not laugh out his beer. His date leaned over to provide him a better view of her ample cleavage.

  He might have been out of the game for a while, but he still felt there was a decent line between flirting and coming on too strong. Aryn hadn’t just stepped over that line; she had launched herself over it.

  He wasn’t sure if that was desperation or basic horniness.

  “Sure, a good meal,” Aryn replied, her voice husky. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be around all that danger. I always thought all those dramas were exaggerated, but now I know the metroplex really is as dangerous as in all those shows. Terrorists and cybernetic assassins waiting around the corner to hurt innocent people.”

  “Most of the metroplex is safe,” Erik countered. I’m sounding like Jia 1.0 now, he thought. “I’m a cop, so I end up in a lot of tough situations.”

  Aryn reached over to stroke his forearm. “All to protect us.”

  Erik offered a playful smile as he tried not to laugh. It was good to be appreciated, but this was approaching ridiculousness.

  “And I saw the news talk about you taking down some cybernetic freak in the Shadow Zone,” Aryn offered breathlessly. “I can’t even imagine what it would be like to chase someone down like that.”

  “I just happened to be in the neighborhood. Sometimes the Lady takes a liking to me. Sometimes she hates me.”

  Aryn furrowed her brow. “The Lady?”

  “Fortune. Chance. Lady Luck.”

  “Oh.” Aryn’s smile returned. “So you’re superstitious?”

  “I suppose you could call it that,” Erik mused. “It’s more like I’ve seen enough to know that not everything’s under your control, no matter how hard you try.”

  “That is so deep, Erik.” Aryn stared at him, her lips slightly parted. “I’d love to see you in your old uniform.” She slowly withdrew her hand, caressing his arm all the while. “I’ve seen pictures in news articles, but that’s not the same thing as seeing it person, and I do so love a man in uniform. You think I could see it sometime?”

  Erik drew back his hand. An explosion of laughter threatened to spill out of him at any second. Even if Aryn was only a friend of Jia’s friend, embarrassing her might cause trouble for him.

  Jia needed a little more work on her matchmaking skills.

  He looked around. “Sorry, I have to hit the bathroom.” Erik offered her a smile. “Too much beer, too soon. I’ll be right back.” He nodded at a waiter at another table who was presenting chunks of meat skewered on thin swords. “If the waiter comes when I’m gone, get me some beef and lamb.” He stood.

  Aryn blew him a kiss. “Hurry back, my handsome Obsidian Detective.”

  Erik hurried away from the table and down a surprisingly long hallway before he hit the bathroom. As soon as the door slid closed behind him, he slumped against the wall and burst out laughing.

  Emma interrupted his laughter with a statement transmitted directly to his ear. “So, I was right.”

  Erik’s laugh died down into a snicker. He’d forgotten all about Emma. Sometimes she could be chatty, but other times she might be quiet fo
r hours as she prowled the OmniNet.

  “Right about what?” Erik asked.

  “I’m working on my predictive behavioral modeling,” Emma explained. “Based on my initial analysis after our few minutes of conversation, I determined that she desired you.”

  “You don’t have to have a bunch of processing power to figure that out,” Erik replied. “She’s not what anyone would call subtle.”

  Emma sounded annoyed. “I suppose, but my question is your reaction. That’s what’s surprising me.”

  Erik smirked. Billions of credits of DD research and Emma still didn’t understand the basics of how a man like him thought. Humanity’s future was secure.

  “What’s so surprising?” he asked.

  “The woman possesses a number of phenotypic traits that most lusty males would find desirable,” Emma explained. “I haven’t examined your medical reports, but you have yet to demonstrate any symptoms that would suggest those aspects of your body are abnormal.”

  “Gee, thanks.” Erik snickered. “Yeah, I’m still a normal, hot-blooded guy, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

  “Hmm. Then I don’t understand why you find your delicious little date’s reactions and attempts to seduce you so amusing.”

  Erik laughed. “’Delicious little date?’ Okay. Fine. She’s just a little too hungry for me. That’s kind of a turn-off.”

  “Really?” Emma sounded surprised. “My previous analysis of your personality suggests you would find her an acceptable physical specimen, and I would have assumed that appearance rather than psychological traits would have been more of a concern for this limited type of social engagement.”

  “She’s hot, sure.” Erik shrugged. “But I’m not interested in one-night stands. I don’t know, she’s not doing it for me. I thought it was my age, but maybe it’s that I want a woman with a little more steel and experience in her. She doesn’t see me. She just sees a gun and a uniform. I’m not a man, I’m a fantasy.”

  “Huh.” Emma didn’t respond for several more seconds. “Does that offend you?”