“That could create friction in our alliance and put our planet in danger of being attacked.”
“Then we need to create the feeling that it's our enemies who are working to avoid transportation.”
“Is that why you want to create a second gravitational stream from the new Europa 2 station?”
“I see you begin to understand.”
“Will you sabotage Luna's singularity? But it'll only be a matter of time until our allies manage to open a stable enough singularity from their own system.”
“And that's all the time I need. I'm about to access the stone's control mechanism. If I get full access, I'll be able to block and even destroy. Don't you understand? We aren't ready to negotiate with Zuul just yet. He overpowers us both in technology and science. But he can't conquer our planet by force. Though he could cause unprecedented destruction. If he gets the stone before we control it, we'll be at his mercy. He'll defeat his enemies in his solar system and then he'll come to claim what he thinks is his inheritance and right.”
“But... We have a treaty! A warranty...”
“I see you still don't understand who, or rather what we're dealing with. Without that stone our ally doesn't have the energy to face his own enemies, and thus Earth is safe. That's why we need to prevent transportation in the next two or three years. Until we've completely controlled that energy source.”
“I understand, Director. It's a risky strategy. How do you intend to convince him that it's our enemies who are preventing a controlled singularity from opening?”
“If you study the report of what happened at the Saturn Station, you'll see that, even though Chief Blade seems to have acted on his own at first glance, there's enough evidence to assume that someone made him aware of our experiment. I will start there and in the next communication I establish with our ally I'll let him know that we suspect of an undercover agent, who works for his enemies and is colluding to avoid transportation.”
“That argument seems a bit… how can I say it? Flimsy?”
“It is, my dear senator. But by being in communication with this consciousness, I've noticed that his reasoning is impregnated with suspicion and resentment. Every time he mentions his 'enemy' I notice a deep respect and an atavistic fear. I think I'll only need to mention our suspicions to be able to manipulate him. Zuul knows that his enemies may have discovered his presence in their solar system. It won't be hard to convince him that they're also working here on Earth.”
“I trust your wisdom in this matter, Director. What can I do to make the job easier?”
“We'll need access to the Europa 2 labs, and coordinate turning on the gravity barrel just before our experiment begins operating on the Luna 7 base.”
“Could I try forcing the appointment of a commander that is related to our objectives for the new orbital station?”
“If the second in command agrees to monitor the experiment it'll be enough. I already have my agency working on getting us one of the new labs, and we're selecting a team of scientists who'll be in charge of turning on the gravity flow.”
“I suppose you'll justify that deployment as some kind of novel scientific research.”
“I think my scientific advisors noticed that no experiment on the interaction of gravitational waves has been carried out in more than thirty years. This type of equipment fits those investigations.”
“Very well, if you can prepare a report justifying the need for that station, my cabinet will begin working immediately to make sure everything is ready.”
“Despite what I said, dear Senator Baker. The threat of an undercover agent seems real and we must also deal with that.”
“An agent? I don't see what he could do against our structure.”
“Oh, but this isn't any agent. If he's one of the guardians he can access knowledge that is currently forbidden to us. I've doubled my security at the observatory facility, but we need to initiate an active search for that agent and keep all threats under control.”
“I'll take immediate action!”
“For now I just need you to use your network of spies to find out who he or they are and to get ready to act against them without being noticed. When the precise moment arrives, we'll fall on them without warning and eliminate the threat.”
Transport
The path, now lit by a strange sun's oblique rays, was gradually filling with the tall silhouettes of the guilds representatives, who were heading to the meeting room. In the crowd, Ri saw Fa walking thoughtfully up the transversal path. He hastened to catch up with him and when he got on the main path and within the crowd, he stood beside him.
“Hi, Fa, my friend.”
“Hello, Ri. How are you today?”
“Worried. Please, without being obvious, let's stay behind; I have something to tell you.”
“Ok, let's walk this way. What is it about?”
“Just a moment...”
Ri cordially greeted the other representatives who passed by and took the detour through which Fa was already walking.
“It has to do with that board of representative’s emergency meeting.”
“Do you have information?”
“Yes, and it's not good. We've confirmed that the ship that was approaching Legend entered the last gravitational distortion.”
“You mean they're using these random distortions to transport ships?”
“I mean, they're not random.”
“How do you know?”
“I can't reveal my sources, but Iktis is being manipulated from outside this satellite to be used as a transportation gate.”
“That's completely impossible. Iktis can't be manipulated.”
“That's what we believed until now, but very strange things have been happening, and the guardian has appeared before the counsellors.”
“You mean Iktis has formed another body and already has a guardian?”
“No. I mean a communication. Counsellor Occ has been trying to access the inter-dimensional communication for years and he was finally able to interview with Iktis consciousness, within the pyramid.”
“Ok... And what directives did it give?”
“Based on what I heard, it was completely cryptic. But it spoke about the old evil being reborn and mentioned the weakness of its energy source.”
“These aren't good prospects. And what does this have to do with forcing Iktis to transport ships?”
“From what I understand, if Iktis receives the right code with the right amount of energy, it can't avoid being used as a door.”
“It can't?”
“It's something to do with the energy it's using to keep our moon habitable.”
“And you say that the Ketuv have now transported a ship? Where did they send it?”
“The only known address is the mother system.”
“Faraway man… and Earth.”
“Do you think humans have begun negotiating with the Ketuv?”
“I think whoever directs the Ketuv is trying. And I imagine who it can be.”
“Zuul? I thought he was banished in ancient times.”
“And so we were told… but he could've been banished somewhere nearby.”
“If that evil is still near, dear Fa; war is upon us.”
“Or something worse.”
At the foot of the Himalayas
Paro Valley, Bhutan. Year 2072
Puntshó remained hidden for a few months in his mother's homeland: Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon. And he recovered from the traumatic experiences of his short mission at the Saturn orbiting station. One of his distant cousins hid him from the world in a small house on the outskirts of the city of Paro, in the fertile valley found between the majestic mountains. Puntshó remained out of the locals' sight for a while, but then he began to help in collecting rice like any member of his family. Everyone knew who he was, and yet nobody asked questions. He spent the hard days work contemplating the snowy mountain range and then retreated into his small room. The family
left him in peace, only his cousin went up to the small room every night. They chatted late into the night, looking at the stars out the window and talking about the space between the planets and the things that Puntshó had seen.
It had been more than a year since Puntshó had returned to Earth and hidden in his mother's land. The night had fallen and Puntshó, reclining in his small room, watched the twinkling lights of the nearby city through his window, open to the summer breeze. Someone knocked on the door and thinking it was his cousin, Puntshó said aloud, 'Come in!' in the local Dzongkha dialect. The door opened, but it wasn't his cousin's face that peered through the frame, illuminated by the small electric lamp on his table.
“Can I come in?” said a familiar voice, in an English polluted by many accents.
“Farman! What the hell are you doing here at this hour?”
“I can come back tomorrow if you're not in the mood...” he smiled jokingly and waited
“Come in you jackass! I've been waiting for more than a year!”
“I'm sorry, dear Puntshó. Things got very complicated since we came back from Saturn and I couldn't find a way to communicate with you until now. I've been looking for you for two months, but this country is still closed to the world. I couldn't find a way for them to authorize my trip and I had no idea where to find you.”
“I'm very sorry, I thought you received the communications I sent you.”
“None, until one I received three months ago, through your friend Erik Larsen.”
“I'm glad you finally found me; don't think I was lazy. I've contacted several of my old comrades in arms, who are completely trustworthy. But Erik is the one who gave me the most support and information. He works with a rather secretive research group and they suspect that some kind of conspiracy is brewing. But he won't talk about it until we can meet and show all our cards.”
“Did you hear the news about the accident at the new orbital station?”
“Yes, a real misfortune... A micrometeorite? Such bad luck!”
“What if I told you they were manipulating an artificial gravity generator and that that's the reaction that caused the accident?”
“In Earth's orbit? What for?”
“I think they were trying to force a singularity which opened for a brief moment on Luna's dark side.”
“Another transportation? An invasion?”
“I don't think so but I've detected several attempts and they've all failed. I'm on the trail of something, and I think I know who's behind all this. I'll need your help again. Are you ready to get back into action?”
“Of course. But I'll need a new identity and resources.”
“I've talked to Erik about all that. He's willing to meet with us in Oslo, in a few days, and if I can convince him that this is a real threat, he'll give us his agency's full support. He trusts you, Puntshó and so do I.”
“Well, I appreciate the trust. Now's the time for you to tell me everything that's happening: Who are you and who do you work for, Daves Farman?”
Four years later
Akershus Castle Gardens, Oslo, Norway. Year 2075.
Four years before, Puntshó Blade had agreed to be part of a quest about which he knew very little.
What he discovered at the time, was so threatening that if he thought it over, he wouldn't quite believe it.
Throughout those last few years, he had become the leader of a very secret intelligence division, which didn't respond directly to any recognized authority and was formed by agents who were allegedly killed in combat or missing.
His main objective was to gather information about the activities of a strange rival intelligence agency: THE S.C.U.O.L.A., or 'School'. An agency that behaved like an ancient crusader order and whose objectives were completely opaque, so much that there was no way to add two and two and figure out what they were planning.
Farman had put him on track, and thanks to some incredible information, Puntshó gradually began to unravel a web of old loyalties that aimed to access the secrets of an old technology, which that agency now possessed. Throughout the previous three years the spy game had been just that. Intercepting information to identify that 'School's plans and draw up a contingency plan in case they decided to take the next step. A step they had just taken.
One of the strange recordings they had intercepted months before, came from the Pluto-Charon system; it had filtered. A recording that would alert global security services, triggering a worldwide reaction. A prepared reaction to set their plans into action. Puntshó thought he knew what those plans were, which were no other than to gain power over global institutions, to establish themselves as leaders and spokespeople of the entire planet's population. They were waiting for an invasion; a war.
The information that Puntshó's group had, had to get to the right hands before everything blew into pieces. In recent weeks most of their undercover agents had been arrested or had simply disappeared. Despite all precautions, his division had been discovered and they could no longer act to stop the threat.
In a last attempt to get the information to the right people Puntshó left his anonymity and contacted the only authority he trusted. His old officer, Jean Marceu; who was now in charge of the world congress's global security. He needed to give him the information they'd collected, warn him about the danger and ask for help.
This was a huge risk, as setting a meeting in broad daylight after his entire network of agents had been eliminated didn't seem like the best idea. But the information was worth the risk, and the threat hanging over humanity was so real, he had to try.
Leaning on the railing that surrounded the road to the Arkeshus Palace in Oslo Bay, Puntshó waited for Commander Marceau and thought silently as he looked at the deep blue-green of the waves.
If he doesn't believe me, Earth will be at the mercy of these fanatics...
His earpiece turned on and a calm voice gave him the status report.
“Red Two is entering the gardens. He's heading towards the meeting point.”
“Understood, I'm moving to the meeting point, now. Keep active and passive surveillance throughout the meeting.”
“Leave this channel open, Chief Blade. I'll inform you of any suspicious movements.”
“I see Red Two, stay cautious. Over.”
He saw Commander Marceau approach the spot almost distractedly, until he identified Puntshó in the distance and his face lit up with a sincere smile.
They met under some saplings that danced with the slight sea breeze and Puntshó greeted his old officer with affection. They chatted for a brief moment, and then Puntshó drew an envelope with printed papers out of the wide inner pocket of his trench coat.
The commander was surprised to see that the information was printed and not in digital file form.
“Printing on paper? Wouldn't it be easier to email me the file?”
“This way the information can't be scanned by distant devices and that's how we got it.”
“You seem nervous. What is this all about, Puntshó?”
“It's rather complicated, Commander. I can only trust you. My division is in danger and I'm afraid that by giving you this information you'll be in danger too.”
“Can it be so serious?”
“If you study the information carefully, you'll notice that they intend to attack the global power. We thought we had enough time, and our undercover agents gave us no cause for concern until three days ago.”
“What happened three days ago?”
“Our infiltration network was wiped out.”
“Every agent?”
“Everybody. We received this on that same day. It seems that one of our officers was able to send it before they caught him.”
“I'll study it, but tell me; what is this all about? What's in these files?”
“A plan to activate 'Protocol 18'...”
“That's bullshit! You've been deceived, my dear spy.”
“Read it and then tell me.”
“But..
. How could they activate the 'extra-terrestrial protocol'?”
“I don't know, but the dramatization will be big.”
“The Americans?”
“It's a global network, they're few but well positioned. You need to understand Jean that if they manage to activate the 18 they can take over in a blink. They only need to do it at the right time.”
Jean Marceau’s expression turned sombre as he read.
“What does this thing about attacking Earth's ships mean?”
“Your boys on the Charon mission could be in danger. I have something else for you. This memory has some recordings with very disturbing messages. Put them on your palmtop and throw the pen-drive to the water...”
Puntshó stopped short, as if listening.
“What's wrong?” asked Marceau worriedly.
“Someone followed us...” He touched his ear and Marceau discovered that Puntshó was wearing a small earpiece. “They're coming from behind! Where's your car?”
“This way, let's go.”
“You go, I'll cover for you. Are you armed?”
“No! Shit!”
“Then run!”
At that moment a bullet hit some stones behind Commander Marceau, releasing sparks and shards. They'd missed the target, as the warning had made him move just in time. Then, Puntshó saw two men less than twenty yards away, dressed in dark trench coats, holding guns with silencers. He moved incredibly fast, pulling out his gun and firing away. Marceau ran crouching behind anything that could serve as a parapet, as Puntshó ran toward the attackers, firing. He knocked one down before he himself fell.
Marceau was already in the car, fleeing the shots when he saw two more shooters, which belonged to Puntshó's team and were firing against the aggressors. Now both gunmen were on the ground, while the two newcomers lifted a wounded but still alive Puntshó.
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