Power Games

by David Applegate

  Kaede looked at Hiro and just passed him Izanami stood anxiously. Kaede said, “I announce my formal engagement to Sora, Akiko, Izanami, Mako and Miko.”

  Cameras clicked as Izanami smiled at Kaede. She ran over and hugged him. Mako and Miko squealed and jumped up and down. Sora stood beside Kaede and held his hand, with Akiko behind her.

  Nori tried to smile as reporters gathered around to get a picture of Kaede and the girls.

  ✽✽✽

  August 2, 11,574. The Night Owl Two

  Kaede, Hiro and Takahiro sat in an office aboard the Night Owl Two with Patya.

  “Possible connection?” Hiro asked.

  “While Galené appears to be a loyal officer, her twin brother is a security risk, we have multiple flags, and she has not reported him once,” Patya said.

  “You flagged me more than once and got it wrong,” Hiro said.

  “What did my father do?” Kaede asked.

  “He used to frequent underground fight clubs with Galen and Galené. He also took part in illegal fights and gambling,” Patya replied.

  “Only illegal because you say so,” Hiro stated.

  “Why are they illegal?” Kaede asked.

  “When you’re older,” Patya replied.

  “Are we talking about shirtless boxing?” Kaede asked.

  “Never mind,” Hiro replied.

  “Hiro was Galen’s co-pilot in the academy, and after he married Galené, he left her waiting at the marriage office, Galen hates him for it,” Patya said.

  “We don’t need to drag up the past, Hiro made mistakes,” Takahiro said, “Can we get to the point?”

  “This isn’t about my father abandoning his wife,” Kaede said. “I think he needs to know what you know about Galen.”

  “Hey!” Hiro exclaimed, “I did not abandon Galené. Toshiko arrested me on my father’s orders. Later she told Galené what happened, and Galené has forgiven me, and I have forgiven Toshiko.”

  “Let it go,” Takahiro said.

  “Galené and I are friends,” Hiro said. “I would like to know if she was up to something.”

  “This is about Galen. Since you and he parted ways, he has been smuggling contraband, he was never caught with anything that would get him into serious trouble,” Patya said, “But that is not my concern. What concerns me is after he made several deliveries; somehow, some crates disappeared after they were put into a warehouse.”

  “What makes you think he is involved?” Hiro asked.

  “Galen has a connection with the subject of an investigation. He has flown said subject many times. Recently when followed, he disappeared inside a crowded mall,” Patya said.

  “That doesn’t tell me much,” Hiro said.

  “Rather light on the details Patya,” Kaede said.

  “Too much information I think,” Takahiro said.

  “All I hear is paranoid ramblings of old men,” Hiro said.

  “So far all we have is circumstantial evidence,” Kaede said. “I think arresting Galan would be a mistake.”

  “Thank you, son,” Hiro said. “These two are paranoid.”

  “We cannot be sure he met with representatives of the Ogres, only that he and a known fence of pirated goods were in the same place more than a few times before items went missing,” Kaede said.

  Hiro sighed and rested his hand on his face and shook his head.

  “What did you have in mind?” Patya asked.

  “We reprogram the plane so that if the computer loses contact with the base, and stealth mode is engaged, it will leave deliberate, but very brief gaps in the field to allow us to follow it,” Kaede said.

  “Risky,” Takahiro said, “What if his comrades detect him?”

  “It will not be a constant pulse, and we can link it to radar detection and have it plug the leak,” Kaede said.

  “Wait, I am flying the stealth,” Hiro said.

  “Galené has been pushing Kaede to allow her brother to fly the stealth. She threatened to lodge a complaint that we are discriminating against Galen because of his mixed heritage,” Patya said.

  “Galené is right, as a half-Flower, half-Silver Elf, she has been excluded from many things,” Hiro said.

  “Son, you know Knights rotate duties all the time,” Takahiro said.

  “I think we should put Galen in a confessional,” Patya said.

  “No, I think the best thing to do is put Galen in the cockpit and see if he steals the plane,” Kaede said.

  “Son?” Hiro asked, “Not you too.”

  “Father, I want you to apologise to Galen. Tell him I was the one who scheduled you to have all the flights. Offer to swap with him when an opportunity presents itself, but for publicity, and a father-son photoshoot, you will be in the first flight,” Kaede said.

  “I see, this way none of you has to face him,” Hiro said.

  “Son, the tests proceed, nothing goes wrong, I will personally see to it Galen is placed into the starship training program, and you can oversee a review into Galené’s duty logs,” Takahiro said.

  “What about me?” Hiro asked.

  “You return to the Night Owl Two,” Takahiro said.

  “Really?” Hiro asked.

  “You have my word,” Takahiro said.

  “Are we done?” Hiro asked.

  “For now,” Patya said.

  “I will walk my father out,” Kaede said.

  Hiro walked out with Kaede.

  As they walked, Kaede asked, “father, what do you think of my plane?”

  “I like her and cannot wait to give her a few more test flights,” Hiro said.

  “I want you to take your time. Find any fault you can to delay tests so we can reprogram the plane before the last tests,” Kaede said.

  “Last tests?” Hiro asked.

  “Yes. It will be tested against the new scanners in Alcyone Station Seven. The stealth test is to fly out, go full stealth and sneak past the navy to drop a dummy stealth missile, which will fly over the station and release a chemical cloud to show us how close it came, but if the station detects it, they will paint it with a pair of targeting lasers,” Kaede said.

  “What will you do if Galan steals the ship?” Hiro asked.

  “A couple of stealth craft loaded with Knights are following. If Galen docks with a ship, they will disable the engines and attempt to board it. I will provide them with the latest in energy weapons, full armour, and cutting lances. But just in case, the Owl will be on the edge of the engagement zone,” Kaede said.

  “Just one problem, he could enter the asteroid field and drift, we could lose him,” Hiro said.

  “Keep Galen busy, take him to the club for drinks and give him an apology. We both know that Patya can be wrong. My guess is someone is feeding him false information to lead him away from the real spy,” Kaede said.

  Relieved, Hiro smiled and said, “I am so glad you are on my side, Kaede. You have me worried earlier.”

  “Sorry, but you understand, Patya will get angry if we challenge his assessments without hard evidence.”

  “I understand.”

  “When you explored Alcyone for me, did you have any problems?” Kaede asked.

  “No, why?” Hiro asked.

  “We found a discrepancy with the logs.”

  “Am I under investigation?”

  “No, I just need to confirm your account,” Kaede replied. “Did you spend just over a day inside the eye?”

  “Yes, each sector scan took 45 seconds, and we performed hundreds of them as we circled. We launched three probes and received hours of data,” Hiro replied. “You have seen all the data?”

  “Yes, but the support ships have you emerging from the vortex just over six minutes after you entered,” Kaede replied.

  Hiro looked around and said, “That’s odd.”

  “As I suspected,” Kaede said.

  Hiro stopped and asked, “What?”

  “The eye has a time variation,” Kaede said.

  “So, we expe
rienced a slight time variation to the flow of time when close to the star,” Hiro said, “No big deal, right?”

  “It means we need to study the vortex more and take more readings. We need a scanner able to detect and measure distortions to time,” Kaede said as he looked down and scratched his head.

  Concerned, Hiro asked, “Problem?”

  “The vortex is rich in exotic matter and is key to my plans. With it, I can repay my debts with ease. But to mine it, we need to be able to calculate the time variations, so when we detect a particle, we can grab it, and not reach out to where it was hours ago.”

  “Of course,” Hiro said.

  “Don’t tell Galen about Patya, the real spy could be watching you or him,” Kaede said.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Nothing. The real spy will want to steal the plans to the stealth, test results, and all the research notes. We leaked information to Ogre spies that will lead them to a building with a phoney archive full of false information and knights waiting to arrest anyone who enters the building.”

  “When you capture the spy, tell me first, I want to rub my father’s nose in his shit.”

  “See you later. I better return before grandfather and Patya get drunk and order arrests.”

  Hiro chuckled and nodded.

  Kaede returned to the room.

  Takahiro leant forward to Patya and said, “We need to make Galen feel that we trust him, you and your agents need to make yourself scarce.”

  “Are you telling me how to run a counterintelligence operation?” Patya asked.

  “My Grandfather is respectfully suggesting you lure Galen into a false sense of security by having a junior agent ask standard questions and clear him for secret duty without her knowing he is under investigation,” Kaede replied.

  Takahiro pointed to Kaede and said, “What he said.”

  ✽✽✽

  A few days later aboard the Night Owl Two Hiro laid on a bunk as it approached the station on the edge of Alcyone Proxima. Nearby was a small planetoid that housed a naval base.

  “We are an hour away from Alcyone Station Seven,” Galené said. She stepped in and closed the door. “The Emperor wants to speak with you.”

  “My father is the worst passenger I have had,” Hiro said. “What is it this time?”

  “Was it necessary that we slingshot around the sun?” Galené asked.

  “Yes, given the position of the planets, a slingshot from the star was the fastest course,” Hiro replied.

  “But isn’t a direct path the shortest distance between two points,” Galené said.

  “But those two points are moving. We don’t fly to where something is, but where it should be. Plus, going around the star allowed us to top up our tanks,” Hiro said.

  “I better let you go,” Galené said. She turned to go and said, “I hate how he treats you.”

  “Thanks,” Hiro said as he got off the bunk.

  Galené headed for the door. She went to press the open button then turned and asked, “Will my brother get to fly the stealth fighter this time?”

  “When you see him, apologise for me, I didn’t make the schedule, I told my son that Galen needed the flight time, he will be bumped up the schedule, and I will take the chase plane.”

  “I am sorry. Galen is my twin brother. You know how it is, it has been twenty years, and you are a starship captain, and he is a senior flight officer in the Sky Force piloting cargo planes.”

  “Galen might be a better pilot than me, but a starship is about teamwork,” Hiro said, “But this might give him a fifth star, or if he wants, I will give the Admiral my recommendation that he be accepted into the Naval Starship Program.”

  “I hoped by having him pilot the latest spaceplane would have shown him the Empire doesn’t discriminate against the mixed-blood Elves.”

  “I have a daughter who is a half-blood, I sympathise,” Hiro said. “Does he understand why we have blood-line laws?”

  “No. Galen thinks we were dumped in Hashimoto house by our mother because we are mixed blood.”

  “The records are sealed; you may never know what happened to your parents or why no clan claimed you.”

  “Not knowing hurts,” Galené said.

  Hiro nodded. Somewhat disappointed, she turned and left the room. He moved towards her, but stopped, took a long deep breath, and leaned on the door. He closed his eyes and thought of Galené naked. He sighed, opened his eyes and left.

  Chapter 32

  August 20, 11,574. The rim of Alcyone Proxima.

  In the hanger of Alcyone Station Seven, Galen walked down the side of a streamlined black single-engine stealth spaceplane. He went underneath, keyed a code and climbed up into the cockpit. The ground crew put the craft into a launch tube and ejected it into space. The ship raced past the chase planes that were waiting, launched two and cloaked. It soared through space towards the enormous asteroid cloud that surrounded the system.

  Inside his cockpit, Hiro saw the craft shoot past him and disappear. He said, “Galen, you are off-course.”

  Galen examined the cockpit. It had plenty of room to move around in. The main screen wrapped around to the side, which displayed an external view with the usual HUD. It had two screens beneath it with a double joystick. He flipped the switch to disable it and pushed it to the side. He searched the cockpit, even looked inside the cooker and refrigerator. Odd. No camera.

  Galen sat back in the seat. It adjusted itself to fit him as he put the harness on. Galen reached down and found the transponder behind the ejection handle. He pulled the wires to it out.

  The first screen displayed radar contacts. Galen saw two small blips leave the large blip marked as Alcyone Station Seven. The first raced down and away from him. The second headed towards the large tunnel through the asteroid cloud.

  On the second screen appeared the message “New Contact”. Galen tapped on the contact on the radar screen. The second screen displayed a grey spaceplane. It was larger than a shuttle and had external missiles on its sides. It turned towards him and sped up.

  Galen grabbed the keyboard and tapped commands. “Identifying craft” appeared on the second screen. A line spun beside the words, then the words “Banshee Interceptor,” were displayed.

  Galen entered a code into the navigation system. “Waypoint Accepted” appeared on the computer screen. Galen looked at the top of the main screen. He saw an arrow. Galen pushed the keyboard away, pulled the controls to him, and flew the plane towards the waypoint on screen.

  “Galen, please return to the station,” Galené pleaded over the radio.

  Galen altered course as he entered the asteroid field. The HUD displayed various red and yellow arrows around the circle in the middle. Galen glanced at the radar. The spaceplane was not only following him but slowly closing in on him.

  Galen tapped commands and looked at the computer screen. The system status showed that the stealth system was activated; the craft was not broadcasting signals, and there was no radar lock on his plane.

  Behind Galen, the larger and faster Banshee Interceptor accelerated. The dull grey, twin-engine, multi-role craft had four launch tubes under each pylon, and four more under the primary hull.

  Galan pushed the keyboard away and grabbed the joystick. He altered his course, and the Banshee Interceptor adjusted its course. Galen armed his missiles and opened the missile bay.

  The computer screen showed, ‘Type III multiple-warhead missiles: 6 Railgun: 500 rounds. Screamers: 2.’

  Fuck, I need a co-pilot to handle electronic warfare. Galen launched a screamer, a small jamming pod.

  ✽✽✽

  Inside the Banshee Interceptor, Hiro said, “Operator, I have ‘Red One’ on ultra-scope. Over.” He counted down from ten. In his earpiece, there was silence. “Operator. This is Stardust, do you read? Over.”

  The cockpit of the Banshee Interceptor was the same as the Banshee Two. Both inside an armoured ball, buried in the hull behind the forward m
anoeuvring ring.

  Hiro changed the channel on his communications panel on his left and listened.

  “Operator, I am one light second from the station, on channel B. Do you read me? Over,” Hiro said.

  Hiro typed with his left, holding the yoke with his right. His computer screen said, “Jamming detected.”

  The main screen was mostly a field of black, with only a few dim stars. On the right side was a grey cloud, it had, “Alcyone Proxima Asteroid Cloud” in red. In the centre of the screen, the gunsight tracked a target marked ‘1’.

  Hiro looked at the computer screen. It slowly filled with a list of the craft’s systems, which displayed one at a time, each went from the status of ‘checking’ to ‘okay’.

  Fuel showed 80%. Channels “A,” “B” and “C” each flashed “Disconnected” in red.

  Hiro checked the radar. He was close to the Banshee Two. He tapped the plus button on the radar screen, and the display changed from long range to short range. The radar now displayed the Banshee Two inside a cone from the centre.

  Hiro flipped the cover off the button marked guns and pressed it. The computer displayed “Rail Gun: 500 rounds.”

  “I am closing on target, going weapons hot, and I have lost contact with Alcyone Station Seven,” Hiro said.

  Hiro counted as he closed the distance, the cone still red. Shit, he has too much of a lead.

  The static in Hiro’s earpiece stopped. He heard, “Stardust, this is Alcyone Station Seven Space Traffic Control. Please repeat your last transmission,” followed by more static.

  Alarms sounded, and computer screen flooded with messages. Hiro’s external view turned into static, and the radar went blank. He looked at the words “Impact Warning.”

  “Fuck!” Hiro exclaimed as vibrations shock the craft. He tapped the control panel, on the computer screen a wireframe appeared, it showed damage to the nose and top of the hull.

  “Fuck!” Hiro exclaimed as he pressed reset and took a deep breath. He grabbed the throttle and pulled it back. He inverted the craft and accelerated.

  “I’m hit!” Hiro exclaimed. Fuck, I flew in a straight line for too long.