Outriders

by Ian Blackport

  “You what?” Evan demanded.

  “Nothing.” Taylor opened his mouth to speak with Rinko once more but noticed Alexis hunch her shoulders while her skin paled and eyes widened. Her UpLink was clenched in one hand. “Alexis?”

  “It’s all over InCore,” she answered, unable to pull her eyes away from the screen. “The Confederacy Parliament has declared war on the Tuatha system.”

  Harun listened to the news as if learning a beloved family member was dead. “What possible justification could the Authority have for launching war against non-aligned worlds?”

  “They’re claiming a Confederacy naval force was attacked. The same ships sent by Parliament to try negotiating. Starfleet personnel died in the ambush.”

  “It can’t be true,” Tessa whispered.

  “Does the report say who was responsible?” questioned Harun.

  Alexis shook her head and continued scrolling with a finger. “No. Just that the force was struck hard and barely escaped the system. Status of each vessel and total casualties are unknown, citing security concerns. Doesn’t look like any warships were destroyed though.”

  Tessa hammered one palm into a table surface. “The Confederacy is lying. They’re using this as an opportunity to invade and force our people into compliance. We didn’t attack their warships. No fleet or commander would be stupid enough to cross that line.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Harun.

  “Like hell it doesn’t. Those are our people, our friends, comrades and neighbors, and they’re about to suffer a planetary invasion unlike anything we’ve endured before. And if Confederacy captains and admirals truly believe we provoked this conflict with an unjust attack, they won’t hold back. It’ll be a goddamn massacre. We can’t stand against the Authority.”

  “All the more imperative we succeed on Jiaolong. Our mission remains the same. We expose whoever is orchestrating this war. That person or group is the target of our wrath. Not Delbaeth, and not even the Confederacy Parliament. If we can find definitive proof that someone has been manipulating us all, we can end this war and possibly save the lives of untold millions.” Harun faced Taylor with an expression of agonizing loss and fiery resolve. “Captain, we’re moving our schedule up. We leave for Jiaolong tonight.”

  Chapter 20

  Taylor sniffed highbrow, perfumed air permeating Jiaolong and scowled. “This entire planet makes my skin crawl.”

  “You have no appreciation for the finer elements of civilized culture,” responded Rinko.

  “Culture? If I want culture I’ll head to a frontier world. Folks who aren’t wasting breath proclaiming their own superiority are the ones contributing to humanity. Not these blue-blooded peacocks.” Taylor meandered through crowds gathered in the Shijing Interplanetary Starport arrival terminal alongside his lone companion, only too well aware he did not belong. Alishan was the epicenter of wealth and elitism in the Astraea Cluster, a city where disdain for outsiders was practically bred into the populace. “Even the damn spaceport is pristine and disturbingly fragrant.”

  “And you’re complaining?”

  “Spaceports are supposed to have character. You can’t have character when everything is sterile from liberal splashes of antiseptic. I want to stroll into a dock and smell fuel, coolant and exhaust discharges. I want to see scorch marks and stains slapped with a half-assed paint job.”

  “Yeah, well, I appreciate not gagging after stepping off a starship for once.”

  “Don’t justify this heresy because you have a weak constitution.”

  “Better than being a stubborn curmudgeon. Watch out, Captain. You’ll be a walking stereotype in no time if you keep this behavior going.”

  They descended an escalator between glass fountains and the ever-present gaze of patrolling Confederacy soldiers, these ones belonging to the Special Border Enforcement Agency. The Authority had far too many divisions and organizations whose purpose was surveillance, policing and enforcing the will of Parliament or the military.

  Taylor grasped an unfamiliar hair strand on his head and glared at the sensation. His once brown hair was now dyed pale red bordering on orange. “I know I can’t actually see my own hair, but I hate this.”

  “Stop poking and tugging on it. You look like someone who just changed his hair color, which defeats the whole purpose.”

  “Easy for you to walk the high road and not complain. Blonde suits you.”

  “Reyes literally shaved his scalp to go incognito, and you’re actually whining about hair color?”

  “You have a maddening propensity for making me appear petty.”

  “You do that fine on your own,” Rinko admitted with a shrug. “But you also have moments of maturity and selflessness, so that makes you likeable enough.”

  “I wonder if other ship captains need to tolerate the dissent and sarcasm I hear each day.”

  “I’ll ask the next one I see.”

  Taylor eyed baggage claim carousels surrounded by eager travelers waiting for their luggage. He and Rinko each carried a small duffel bag with minimal supplies, light enough to be permitted on the spacecraft that ferried them between planets. “Not that I’m trying to steer this conversation in another direction, but remind me where we’re meeting Kyla and Reyes.”

  “Their flight landed planetside maybe five hours ago. They should’ve found a rental airspeeder by now. So long as they haven’t gotten themselves arrested already, Kyla is supposed to be waiting up ahead in the Arrivals meeting lobby.”

  “I hope she has news of our wayward spies. I understand the wisdom in all of us arriving at separate times to avoid being seen together, but that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with the decision. Jiaolong is enemy territory any way you square it. Doesn’t require a spook to realize dividing your team in hostile land is a dangerous gamble.”

  “Though a necessary one. Believe me, I don’t like doing this either.” Rinko rounded another corridor with Taylor close behind and arrived in the meeting lobby. She placed her hands on a railing and surveyed the milling crowd as families and friends reunited, before pointing with one hand to the right. “There she is. Almost didn’t recognize her.”

  Taylor followed her gaze and noticed Kyla gently nudging her way through the horde in their direction. Auburn hair normally pulled into a no-nonsense ponytail was now styled in long curls and colored white as fresh snow, as was popular among the trendiest citizens on the planet Hotei. They met Kyla at the bottom of one ramp and trailed her as she led them outside to a nearby parking area.

  “Problems?” Kyla asked.

  “We weren’t fed on the shuttle,” replied Taylor.

  “The flight lasted an hour.”

  “After three hours of screening and waiting to board when I wasn’t allowed to eat either.”

  “Reyes has a half-eaten sandwich in the airspeeder.” Taxis departed from the terminal and ascended to tightly regulated aerial traffic lanes far below the flight path of incoming starships. “Though I did mean difficulties with your departure or arrival.”

  “Ah. Then no, nothing went wrong. Customs let us through with nary a warning or sneer. Despite what everyone believes, I can play the role of an upstanding citizen on cue. You make contact with Harun and Tessa?”

  “They rented a cheap hotel room using an untraceable account set up by the Elathan government. The place isn’t far from where Vanderlin is staying. We’ll coordinate from there.”

  Kyla directed Taylor and Rinko to an airspeeder on the top floor of a parking facility. Reyes waited inside with the driver’s seat reclined and his eyes closed. He grumbled when Kyla thumped her palm against one window, unlocked the doors and returned his chair to its upright position. The others clambered within and Reyes brought the antigravity field online, departing the structure and cruising toward the nearest skylane.

  Sitting in the back alongside Rinko, Taylor stared at the city’s endless spires climbing higher than low-lying clouds. “We have weapons?”

  “Not y
et,” answered Kyla. “Procuring them is proving to be a challenge, unlike renting a speeder. Weapons are severely regulated on Jiaolong, as you might expect, and most citizens have no chance of acquiring one. I’m looking into the less than reputable fringe types, but don’t hold your breath. I have no contacts on this planet, which means starting from scratch.”

  “We need guns for this job.”

  “Unless you can conjure firearms with a wave of your hand, you might want to consider the chance we won’t have any.”

  “We shouldn’t be killing while sneaking into his penthouse,” Rinko affirmed. “If we can’t pull this off without gunning down hotel employees and local cops, then we’re nothing but petty crooks and murderers.”

  “Harun and Tessa might take issue with your proclamation,” said Taylor.

  “I don’t care. They have no hope of slicing into Vanderlin’s computer without me. If they want my services, they’ll need to follow my rules.”

  Reyes uttered a throaty laugh and merged into a high-speed lane. “Damn straight. High time we’re the ones giving instructions.”

  “I can get behind this,” Taylor affirmed. “Kyla, keep searching for weapons so we can choose not to use them rather than be forced to. And let’s see how our spies handle the news.”

  *

  Alexis lounged in the quarters she shared with Rinko, tilting her head backward to stare at a ceiling speckled with discolorations. Connor and Evan were fiddling with the propulsion system and acting as liaisons for the Siwah Primary Spaceport’s engineers and maintenance staff, whereas Clara asked earlier in the day to be left alone. Boredom nagged at Alexis’ mind after she wasted hours searching on InCore. She debated watching a movie or leaving the freighter to visit old friends in Hermopolis. Yet given the severity of what Rinko and the others were currently doing, Alexis worried a casual stroll on peaceful Thoth would feel selfish and inconsiderate.

  Which brought her into their room for a session of solitary brooding. Not a pastime she typically chose to pursue, but there was little else to occupy her while the others were offworld. At least in ways unlikely to leave her feeling guilty. Alexis entwined her hands and hummed a soft melody, knowing she could risk boredom while the others actually put their lives on the line. And so long as she focused on this interminable tedium, Alexis could distract herself from worrying what might happen to Rinko.

  A soft chirp sounded from across the chamber, prompting Alexis to sit upright in her chair. She surveyed framed pictures above a messy, unkempt bed, looked at a dresser crowded with electronic parts and tools, then reached for her UpLink. No messages or notifications awaited and Alexis tossed the device aside before a realization dawned on her.

  “Bloody hell,” she grumbled. “Of course.”

  Alexis stood and dragged a chair over to the small table tucked in one corner. One of Rinko’s personal computers perched on its surface, running automated decryption software she programed prior to leaving for Jiaolong. Though the ArcaVox beneath Karnak library translated the secure data from an outdated TL-wide disc, everything remained heavily encrypted and required time to bypass. Apparently the process just finished. Alexis activated the holographic screen and found a flashing message:

  CONTENT INTERPRETATION COMPLETE.

  “Ah, what secrets have you uncovered?”

  Alexis navigated to the deciphered data and opened all available folders. She debated whether to read these clandestine reports, since many likely involved Confederacy or Elathan state secrets, but decided to embrace curiosity. Her mind desperately needed distraction, plus Harun might appreciate having the most pertinent files already organized together.

  She scrolled through endless folders labeled with names or dates that meant nothing to her. Rinko told her their deceased whistleblower provided every relevant file available to him, and Alexis now understood that was no exaggeration. This was a staggering leak of classified government data, even if confined to one far-reaching topic. Little wonder the analyst paid for this breach with his life. She hoped his sacrifice was worthwhile in helping to end an unjust war.

  Alexis left her finger hovering motionless and felt bile slithering up her throat when one particular entry appeared on screen:

  CORSAIR SQUADRON.

  Sweltering pinpricks tickled her skin as she flicked one fingertip over the folder and accessed its contents. Only one file was contained within, the transcript of a conversation dated several weeks earlier. Knowing how painful the truth could be, Alexis opened the file.

  [SUBJECT IDENTITY: UNKNOWN. LOCATION TRIAXUS CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS, VELCH, TURAN IN HEIAN SECTOR. VOICEPRINT DOES NOT MATCH PROFILES IN DATABASE. RECOMMEND INFILTRATION OF OFFICES TO INTRODUCE SURVEILLANCE]

  Unknown subject: Line secured, priority code Black Arrow.

  [SUBJECT IDENTITY: LUDOVICO SALAMANCA, REAR ADMIRAL ABOARD SOLSTICE-CLASS BATTLECRUISER ODYSSEUS STATIONED IN NEAERA SECTOR]

  Ludovico Salamanca: Chevron acknowledging. Encryption inquisitor-halo-oracle active. Proceed.

  [SUBJECT TO HENCEFORTH BE BLACK ARROW UNTIL IDENTITY KNOWN]

  Black Arrow: Your intelligence was faulty, and it cost too many good pilots their lives.

  LS: What are you on about?

  BA: The Tethra system was ill-suited for reconnaissance.

  LS: The place is uninhabited and desolate, ideal for surveying flights. You wanted unclaimed territory close enough to use as a central beachhead for charting the closest stars. Tethra matched your parameters.

  BA: Elathan Combined Starfleet Commission constructed a listening station on Erimon, the fourth planet. Tempest Squadron accidentally triggered the station during a flyby and was forced to deactivate its automated signal.

  LS: One of your damn squadrons was recorded by an Elathan military outpost?

  BA: The pilots didn’t know one existed, since your intelligence reports assured us a communication relay and several disabled satellites were the only signs of life in that system. There wasn’t supposed to be a listening station.

  LS: Didn’t Tempest Squadron have the wherewithal to orient their sensor suites while on approach to each planet?

  BA: The facility isn’t crewed and maintains communication silence except to transmit at regular intervals. Nothing appeared on the squadron’s sensors until they were close enough for the station to register their arrival.

  LS: Did your pilots at least stop or intercept any messages sent after they were noticed?

  BA: No. One transmission was broadcast to the communication relay before an insertion team managed to shut down the installation and wipe its archives. But by the time they accomplished that, Elathan Starfighter Command had already dispatched a squadron of its own to investigate. Tensions were high enough with Delbaeth for their naval brass to treat any possible encroachment as a threat.

  LS: Damn it all to hell. You’re telling me you had what, three, four squadrons in Tethra when a goddamn Elathan squadron entered the system?

  BA: Three squadrons. Whirlwind and Sandstorm squadrons were surveying dwarf planets and asteroids in the Midhir Belt and arrived off Erimon in time to launch an ambush alongside Tempest.

  LS: Your squadron commanders thought annihilating an enemy force was an appropriate measure to take while on a secretive scouting mission? Tell me, are there any requirements for acceptance into a Triaxus fleet unit, or does your corporation make a habit of transferring accountants and human resources personnel to divisions they have no business being in?

  BA: The entire debacle was avoidable if you’d gathered the proper intelligence and not sent our starfighters to a military facility. Wiping out the responding squadron was their only viable option. And we lost nineteen Berserker starfighters fixing your mistake. Fifteen pilots were killed and the other four survived but all suffered severe wounds.

  LS: Your forces outnumbered the Elathan response team three to one and they managed to destroy nearly twenty Berserkers?

  BA: Our pilots were good, loyal men and women who’d never fac
ed combat before, and weren’t supposed to until they’d undergone additional training. Don’t disparage and sully their memory because your resources are unreliable.

  LS: Did you identify the Elathan unit?

  BA: Corsair Squadron.

  [RECORDS INDICATE CORSAIR SQUADRON IS COMMANDED BY MALCOLM DOHERTY AND EXECUTIVE OFFICER CLARA AYLETT. STATIONED ON ELATHAN MOON UAITHNE. RESPONSE TIME TO TETHRA INCURSION SUGGESTS EFFECTIVE TRAINING AND COMMUNICATION AMONG STARFIGHTER COMMAND. ADVISE EXPANDING CONFEDERACY DATABASE TO INCLUDE THESE CAPABILITIES.]

  LS: Did your pilots have any communication with them?

  BA: The Corsair squadron leader broadcast several warnings, but nothing else. For all their earlier faults, Tempest Squadron conducted an efficient ambush.

  LS: And the fate of Corsair?

  BA: Eliminated to the last starfighter. None were able to successfully eject, and no vessels were salvageable.

  LS: Better that nothing survived. Can you assure me they weren’t able to broadcast a distress beforehand? If the Elathan navy learned experimental Triaxus starships breached their territory and killed twelve pilots, your company might find itself at war. Your resources are impressive, and more considerable than many entire worlds, but not Elatha. You’d better hope your squadrons did not leave evidence linking Triaxus to the Tethra massacre.

  BA: We covered our tracks well enough, Salamanca. You should be more worried about the Confederacy’s inability to gather information. Unless their data is correct, and you exaggerated your own level of access.

  LS: We aren’t having this conversation, not after your pilots nearly jeopardized the entire operation. Next time you assign squadrons to chart Tuatha-controlled systems, don’t choose untrained ones.

  BA: Next time we’ll conduct our own intelligence gathering and not rely on your agencies.

  LS: Was there anything else you felt the need to discuss?