by TS Paul
“No, I don’t think so at least.” Jeo looked back in the direction of Peter. He was slowly returning.
“Unless it’s an emergency, no one sees that data. Only ADAM has control of it. There is a very short list of who can and cannot view any of it. Pretty much only the Queen, the General, and her closest can. Medical practitioners have access in life-threatening situations .”
Jeo began to nod. “I can see that. It still bothers me.”
“I understand buddy. I understand.” Bobcat looked at Peter and smiled. “Hiya Peter.”
“Good explanation there. I didn’t know you knew about the system.”
“Sure, you did. It’s in my file.” He laughed.
Peter pursed his lips. “Possibly true. Couldn’t tell you if it was anyway.” He looked at Jeo. “We good?”
“We are. Sorry I freaked out a bit there. The idea that I was being watched just freaked… Wait a minute.”
Jeo looked at Bobcat with fresh eyes. “Is that how you found out about my former assistant and um… The special avatars I was using at the time?”
“Sort of. I would suggest you not talk about or bring that up.” Bobcat nodded in Peter’s direction.
Peter’s eyes were slowly shifting to that of wolf eyes as the two men watched. “Whoa! Is he shifting?”
“Not if I can help it.” Bobcat walked over the Guardian commander and moved to tap him on the shoulder.
Peter grabbed Bobcat’s hand before he barely moved it. “Don’t poke the wolf!”
They watched as Peter regained control of himself and his eyes went back to normal. Peter looked at Jeo. “Do not mention that again. Especially in front of any of her personal guards. John might kill you himself if he heard of it again. Just… don’t.”
“I didn’t know that you knew I…”
Peter raised his finger at Jeo. “What did I just say? I swear you have a death wish.”
“What can I do for the both of you?” Bobcat thought to change the subject.
“The Queen told us to trade you our two pods for the new ten-person one she had built.” Jeo looked away from Peter, glad of the subject change.
“Why? Did you break my pods?” Bobcat looked suspiciously at the young scientist.
“No. We had a small problem over Egypt and thought to upgrade to something bigger. Peter’s going to be flying one of the Black Eagle fighters. Queen’s orders.” Jeo smiled.
“It’s armed. Did you know that? We put in a half dozen of the mini-rail guns as well as a complete evasion package. It is supposed to be the Queen’s new transport for official functions.” Bobcat blew out a breath. “Let me confirm with the Queen, and I’ll bring it to the construction area.” Bobcat waved them off and returned to the workshop.
“What did they want?” Marcus didn’t look up from his project.
“The new pod. Good news is we get both five-man pods back. We can go pick up those supplies now.” Bobcat sat down at his station.
“Not until that cloaking device is ready you can’t. The minions just about have it working.” William momentarily looked up from his work.
“Crap. I guess I’ll go give them a hand then.” He walked out the back door to the workshops.
“What supplies does he need now?” Marcus asked.
“Beer making stuff. We have everything we need except hops. He has a line on a couple of tons of New Zealand hops, and he wants to go get them.” William paused again and looked at Marcus.
“All he has to do is send a cargo pod. The EIs can bring it back to the ship no problem. Why is he stalling?” Marcus asked.
“The Queen. He’s trying to keep it secret.” William went back to work.
“Maybe we should start calling him Bozo. Sometimes it fits.”
~~~~
Back on Earth Bai Hu was at his limit. He had run until he couldn’t run any longer. The pads on all four of his feet were worn down to raw nubs. The small forest gave way to plains and desert. Very little water and almost no game. Too tired to move he curled up against the lee of a stone and went to sleep.
His sleep was fitful as he dreamed of his mother and father.
“Bai Hu, you need to run! Flee this place we will cover your escape!” His mother was bleeding, and he tried to comfort her. She pushed him away as her eyes began to change color and elongate.
“Take this. It is our clan's most prized possession. One day it might save you.” She thrust a glittering gold thing into his hands. “Nowww go. I loovee you.” Her voice grew guttural and deep as she became an enormous cat. With a howl, she threw herself at the nearest soldier ripping into him like a buzz saw.
All around him members of the clan were fighting and dying. He ran dodging soldiers and bodies. The road was slick with blood and things best left unsaid. In his dream, he watched his blood-spattered young body slip between two trees and disappear into the brush. He could hear roars and gunfire as he went. Only later when he was miles from the road did he look at what his mother handed him. Could this be what they wanted?
A loud squawk of a bird woke him from his deep slumber. Bai Hu instantly froze! He was lying against a building, not a rock. Looking up into the morning sun, he could see rock walls and large rocks. Where was he? In the distance, there were broken sections of a giant wall that extended into the desert.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“This thing is cool! What are the bumps on the roof for?” Ron and Nestor walked around the new and improved larger pod.
“Weapons and defensive suites. This pod was meant for the Queen to use for diplomatic missions. It, like the others, is a prototype.” Peter climbed out of the pod’s side door. Unlike the smaller ones, this pod could be used as a cargo ship with a few minor modifications.
“This trip you all will ride in there with Jeo. I am taking that for a spin.” Peter pointed at the Black Eagle pod sitting in the corner of the construction bay.
“Have you flown one of those before?” Nestor asked Peter.
“Not the new model. As a Guardian, we get specialized training on all new Empire equipment, but you have to have time to do it. The only real difference between models is cockpit size and speed. The new compensators modified with Yollin tech allow the Pods to make tighter turns and get even closer to enemy ships.” Peter pulled up the public specs on his tablet. There were a few things better left unsaid about them.
Ron peered at the diagram. “Why make it bigger? It looks to be half-again bigger than the old model.”
“It’s something for the future. The Queen wanted it so a Yollin could fly it. She is always thinking.” Peter pulled up standard Yollin sizes and compared them to the pod. “See their feet would go there. This one has lots of minor modifications that are adjustable. Sort of one size fits all pod.”
“Oh, good you are all here.” Jeo entered the bay and looked around. “Is this it? Way bigger than the other ones.”
“It is. The controls are the same as the other one, and there is always the EI. I will be in that over there. If we are attacked, let the EI do the flying. Understood?”
“Yes. After Egypt, I do understand the advice you give. Did you see my flight plan?” Jeo looked at Peter expectantly.
“The insane one? Oh yeah, I did. You really want to poke the bear, don’t you? I told the other Queen’s guards you were crazy just so you know. It's approved. Something you said stuck with the Queen. Don’t get used to it. We like her unpredictability.”
“Wonderful. Let’s get started then!” Jeo approached the pod, but Peter held him back.
“Slow your roll there speedy. The last part of your little trip is an overnight stay. Did you get any supplies? Food, water, camping equipment would be helpful. I may be a wolf, but that doesn’t mean my ass likes sleeping on the ground. And why overnight? We can go up and down in less than an hour each way?” Peter just stared at Jeo.
“I like camping. This one is for me as much as them.” He pointed to where Alpha Class was gathered. “They should be able to enjoy the whole
experience. Plus it will be really cool to see the sun come up over the wall.”
Peter only shook his head. The man was going to get him killed. “Give Isaac down in stores a call. Tell him I sent you. He will put everything together and send it up to us.”
~~~~~~
Kwan Lee was a farmer. When he wasn’t farming, he worked in what he liked to call salvage. Those in the Western world might call him a pot hunter or tomb raider. Watching the crops grow was very boring. Finding pots or bits of ancient junk was more exciting and so much more profitable! He would do it full-time, but then he would have to tell the Government about it. They would either take his money or forbid him from digging anymore. This way he had the best of both worlds. There were always gullible tourists to sell junk to.
He was digging into a ruin with his pick and shovel when he heard the shot. There wasn’t anything out here except ruins, rock, even more ruins, and lots of sand. Kwan had to pack his own water, it was so scarce. He immediately dropped to the ground. Real bandits were rare, and the closest Chinese patrol was at least ten miles from here. His cousin kept track of them for him. Kwan valued his life and wanted to continue living. He heard the men before he saw them.
“Did you get it?”
“No. Is it possible for you to tromp around less? It’s your fault the animals all flee in terror before we even get there to kill them.”
“Weeks of chasing the beast with you has drummed that out of me. You’re just making things up.”
“I never miss. It’s your fault, it has to be.”
“Whatever. Have you found any sign of that army patrol?”
“They went off in the other direction. For now, we’re safe. The beast could not have run far. The sooner we catch it the sooner all of this goes away. I hunt things, not the other way around.”
“Do you really think Beijing will stop hunting us when we find the beast?”
“If we can prove that the technology is there. It’s that damned TQB. This tech is supposed to be just like it. That is why they’re so desperate. Can we do that, can we prove it?”
Kwan strained his ears to hear the answer to the question, but the men had walked too far. The words Patrol and hunting sparked his interest. Could these men be smugglers or spies? Grabbing his shovel, he ran for home. His wife’s cousin was a sergeant in the border defense force. Maybe he knew who these men were.
Reward money flashing through his head, he ran faster.
~~~~~
“You want what?” Isaac was the current head of shipping and stores on the QBBS Merideth Reynolds.
Finding, storing, and tracking all the supplies the asteroid base used on a daily basis was a huge job. Several EIs, specifically created by ADAM did all the hard stuff, but he was the man-on-the-ground. It was he that interacted with requests like this one and supervised the employees. Plus, he was teaching his job to students at the Etheric Academy. Charlie class was here at the moment. With luck, they wouldn’t trap themselves in the warehouse like Foxtrot did last term.
“Camping supplies for seven including food, water, and bedding.” Jeo peered into the screen.
“I can read you know. My question is why? Why sleep on the ground with the bugs if you can sleep in a warm bed with running water and electric lights?”
Jeo shook his head. “Everyone keeps asking me that one.”
“You should listen then. I’ll send a courier to you with an outdoor survival package for ten. They will bring an extra pallet of peel and eat foods as well as seven cases of suit food. You have Wechselbalg kids with you, and extra food will never go to waste around them.” Isaac closed the screen and looked around for a helper.
“Your name is Krystal, right?” His attention was on the tall blond girl.
“Please call me Kris. What can I do to help, Isaac?”
“Gather up at least two others in your class and head over to the fourth distribution port. That is the one in sector four near the loading dock. The EI is pulling the packages now. Take some cargo lifters with you. Double check the invoice and take them to construction bay one. Jeo, the head of construction and defense will receive them. He has another one of your classes with him.”
“Do you know which class?”
“Uh, Alpha I think. The ones that tried to blow up the moon.” Isaac remembered the rumor he’d heard.
“Nice! I can say hi to Maxim then. He’s dreamy.” The young girl left to go find some friends.
“Was I ever that young?” Isaac spoke into the air.
“I’m sorry Isaac. Can you repeat the question please?” The primary stores EI apparently heard him.
“Forget about it, Michale. It wasn’t important. Let’s go back to work.”
~~~~~~~
Sergeant Rong Bat-Uul stared at the paperwork on his desk. All he could think about was what his friend Shing over in supply liked to say. “The world actually ended in 1984. We just haven’t gotten caught up on the paperwork yet.”
Hearing a knock, he looked up to see Kwan, his cousin’s good-for-nothing husband. “Go away, Kwan.”
“Rong I heard something, and we could make some money this time.”
“Forget it. I’m not helping you dig up the lost tomb of Genghis or some pit you found in the desert. Those days are done, Kwan.” Rong barely looked up from his work.
“This is different. I swear!” Kwan wrung his hands in front of his body.
“Different like the time you got me to buy that ancient necklace for my girlfriend from you, and I found a booth full of necklaces just like it in the marketplace for ten Tughrik.” Rong looked up at his cousin-in-law.
Kwan gripped the desk. “I swear this is different. Out in the desert, I heard something. Two strangers walked past my dig and didn’t see me. They were talking about running from Chinese patrols.”
“Lots of people run from Chinese patrols, Kwan.”
“No. These men mentioned Beijing and something called TQB. Do you know what they were talking about?” Kwan looked at Rong.
Rong thought of himself as a worldly man. He and his unit served with distinction in the middle east not all that long ago. Peacekeeping work was very satisfying for him as both a warrior and a man of peace. But TQB, that was something he and his friend Shing Bira were just discussing.
“Are you absolutely sure that they said TQB?” Kwan nodded. He hadn’t seen his in-law this serious before. Maybe he would get paid after all.
Rong grabbed his phone and gave Shing a call. “Shing I need you to come to my office if you can. It has to do with TQB.” He nodded and hung up the phone.
“Kwan you better not be lying to me about this. I’m serious here. Shing is in charge of Internal Security for this region. Lying to him is not recommended.”
His mouth open Kwan gasped for breath. “InSec? You just killed me!”
Rong couldn’t help but smile at the antics of what the family called the black sheep. He was still family, though.
A knock at the door made Kwan jump and tore Rong out of his dark thoughts.
“Come on in, Shing.” The door opened, and a skinny man in a black uniform entered. He wore similar patches and emblems to that of Rong, but the jet black uniform was rather ominous.
“You mentioned TQB, so I came right away. Who’s this?” Shing motioned to Kwan who looked as if he was trying to hide.
“Meet Kwan Lee. He’s my cousin Mayleen’s husband.”
“Is he the guy you told me about? The one who made genuine Mongol swords out of scrap metal from the dump and sold them to tourists. That Kwan?” Shing turned to stare at the smaller man.
“That might have worked too if I hadn’t forgotten the label,” Kwan muttered almost to himself.
“What did he say?” Shing looked over at his friend.
Rong sighed. His mother was constantly telling him about Kwan’s antics. “He left the label in the scabbard. It said made in Taiwan. The tourist beat him to within an inch of his life.”
The Intelligence officer sta
rted to laugh. “I remember some of the stories you tell about this guy. He’s also a scavenger too, isn’t he.?” Shing’s voice was suddenly darker and more sinister. “Digging up National Treasures is a death sentence. Or did you not know that? Hmmm.”
“That’s not why he’s here Shing. He overheard a couple of Chinese nationals talking about TQB.” Rong drew his attention back to him.
