Atlas

by Isaac Hooke

  Condition Zebra also meant that almost everyone was at their duty stations, or in the case of my platoon mates and I, locked-down in the berthing area. No portals to the outside were available in that compartment, so all of us tapped into the hauler's main view screen courtesy of our Implants.

  There was a lengthy line of starships queued before the Gate, but my eyes were drawn to the long, sleek SK Customs vessels hovering alongside. Black, triangular-shaped corvettes. Definitely fast. Definitely deadly. I counted at least twenty gun turrets on each of them.

  The customs vessels moved forward in pairs, pausing beside each ship, probably sending over a slew of questions to the respective Captain. "What's the purpose of your journey?" "When was the last time you visited Sino-Korean space?" And so forth, topped off with an invasive scan of the cargo holds.

  I was surprised at the number of merchant ships of Franco-Italian design that were turned away, those bright, polished hulls limping away from the Gate like dogs with their tails between their legs. Other ships, SK and Franco-Italian alike, were pulled to the side for further inspection via boarding.

  I had a bad feeling about this.

  I felt like I did two years ago when I was an illegal trying to sneak across the border into the UC. Except back then I wanted to get caught.

  Today I definitely didn't want that.

  "Is the LC going to give us an in on the back-and-forth?" Facehopper asked Chief Bourbonjack.

  The comm system of the bulk carrier had been diverted to the bridge of the Royal Fortune. Our Captain would be doing the talking when SK Customs opened up communications, rather than the bulk carrier Captain. Lieutenant Commander Braggs was on the bridge, and would hear every word.

  The Chief held up a hand as if to say, "let me check," then he shook his head. "That's a negative. The LC will give us an update on his return"

  I called up Shaw on my Implant. Hey girl.

  Hey, she sent. Kinda busy now.

  Figured that. Can I get a cochlear feed on the bridge today? Pretty please?

  For answer, I heard the characteristic beep as she switched me to speaker, and the ambient noise of the bridge flooded into my head as perceived from her perspective. I heard the shuffle of feet on the deck, the persistent beep of some soft alert.

  Shaw could have given me a retinal view too, but I thought if I asked for that I'd be pushing my luck.

  I merged the call with the platoon circuit. "We have an in," I announced.

  On the view screen already overlaid atop my vision, I watched the two SK vessels pull up alongside our own.

  "Stay calm people," I heard Captain Drake say. "We're just a bunch of SK merchants off to sell our batch of legally procured Flame." That was the cover story. There was a huge demand for Flame in SK colonies these days. It was a type of perfume manufactured from a rare strain of bacteria that flourished in zero-G.

  "Tap in," the Captain said.

  I heard static for a second, then silence. A voice came over the comm, speaking Korean-Chinese. "Captain and vessel name?"

  "If it pleases you," Captain Drake answered in perfect Korean-Chinese. "This is Captain Chan Sung of the Fàn Shāngrén, devout and forever the servant of the Great Empire." A speaker of the language always said "if it pleases you" when addressing someone considered a superior. I learned that in my Korean-Chinese course, though I'd forgotten almost everything else. Luckily my Implant was subtitling the conversation for me.

  "Destination and purpose?"

  "If it pleases you, we head for Orbital Outpost Yue-Lao V, Tau Ceti III. We have a haul of Flame to drop off."

  "Switch to vid, please."

  I heard a bump as Shaw shifted, then a small beep. I knew that she or someone else had switched on the broadcast overlay system: the live feed from the bridge would be adjusted by the computer in realtime to make it appear that the broadcast originated from a typical bulk carrier bridge. Captain Drake and the bridge crew would be "adjusted" too, their clothing and features transformed to match SK expectations.

  "If it pleases you, is there a problem?" the Captain said.

  "Transmit your crew profiles."

  "Transmitting," the Captain said. A unique profile had been prepared for every member of the bulk carrier crew, in SK format.

  "What do you think, Lui?" Alejandro said. "You're Korean. Is it going to work?"

  "Korean American, bro," Lui said. "And yes, it's going to work."

  Silence. And then: "Prepare for cargo scan."

  On the view screen I saw blue beams issue from the two SK Customs vessels on either side of us.

  "Keep your fingers crossed, mates," Facehopper said.

  I held my breath.

  Intelligence had apparently done a sweet number on the bulk carrier that harbored our ship, lining the hull with lead plates of differing thicknesses arranged in just the right pattern so that when invasive scans hit, the reflections that bounced back would make the cargo bay appear to be full of crates, rather than one barely-fitting privateer. The technology was similar to what was used in holographic data storage devices, apparently.

  The blue beam abruptly shut off.

  "Proceed to the designated area for boarding and further inspection," the SK voice said matter-of-factly.

  I glanced at Alejandro. He was just as wide-eyed as I probably was. I felt my heart pounding.

  It was over.

  "If it pleases you, one moment," Captain Drake said. "It would seem that a previously-unnoticed one million won has appeared in our company log. In the interest of preserving the goodwill between my company and the revered custom officials who guard our Great Empire, I would like to donate this extra money to further enhance the security of the Empire, paying homage to the magnificent officials he has chosen to guard our great borders. If it pleases you, you who bask in the glory of the Paramount Leader, relay the Id number of the individual to whom these credits should be transferred."

  Silence. Then the SK voice came back. "Transmitting account information. Bitcoins, please."

  Ah. The subtleties of dealing with SK border guards.

  "Received," Captain Drake said. "Transferring funds now... if it pleases you, transfer complete."

  When the SK spoke again, he sounded friendly for the first time: "You are free to go, Captain. May the Paramount Leader guide you."

  "May the Paramount Leader guide you," the Captain echoed.

  And so the bulk carrier successfully traversed the "Leaping Hole" Gate, sneaking two highly trained spec-op platoons right into the heart of SK space.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Roughly six hours after entering Tau Ceti, the bulk carrier made a slight directional change, moving closer to the system's debris field. The Royal Fortune undocked, and hid behind a small planetoid as the carrier continued on its way toward the third planet in the system, keeping to the trade lanes.

  "I don't really understand the logic," Tahoe said, during PT. "Why bother to hide inside a bulk carrier at all? Why not just take the Royal Fortune directly through? The ship is of SK make after all."

  "Privateer ships are far more likely to be physically searched at Gate crossings than bulk carriers," Facehopper explained, not stopping his lunges. "Once the customs officials are aboard, they start doing a bunch of nasty stuff: Planting contraband, arresting crew members, and so forth. Gives them an excuse to ask for a bigger bribe."

  Tahoe rubbed his chin. "Okay, I guess I'll buy that. But why not stay in the bulk carrier now that we've reached Tau Ceti? What's the point of undocking the privateer?"

  "Other than the fact that the privateer is more maneuverable and better equipped if it should come to ship-to-ship combat?"

  "Sure."

  "Well, if we continued in the system as a bulk carrier," Facehopper said. "Moving away from the expected trade lanes, we'd draw unwanted attention. Privateers, however, can go wherever they want, and don't have to answer to a soul once they've crossed the Gate."

  "But this isn't privateer-sanctioned space
," Tahoe said. "We're in SK territory. No UC targets here. A privateer doesn't have any reason to be here, other than passing through."

  "Passing through is a very good reason, mate," Facehopper said. "Besides, there are privateer bases scattered throughout Tau Ceti. You'll find fortified stashes and private refueling bases system-wide. We have every reason to be here. We'll fit right in as privateers. Trust me."

  "You say it like you've been here before."

  There was a knowing gleam in Facehopper's eye. "Maybe I have."

  Despite Facehopper's reassuring words, the Captain seemed to be doing his best to avoid other ships. He kept the Royal Fortune in hiding behind that planetoid for three days, until two SK patrol ships flew past on an apparent scheduled sweep of the system. If there was anything to be said about Captain Drake, it was that he was certainly a man of caution.

  At the end of the third day the Royal Fortune set an extra-solar course and accelerated to standard speed.

  * * *

  A hundred days later the Royal Fortune reached the dwarf planet Tau Ceti 582, near the outskirts of the system. The vessel navigated to the dark side of the dwarf planet, sheltering in high orbit behind a massive half-dome made of black plates. I almost didn't see it at first, and the only reason I knew it was there was because the stars were entirely blotted out behind it. Fret said it was some kind of big LIDAR absorber / background-rad pass-thru, which would mask whatever was behind it from the remote scans of patrols.

  Other than our ship, there were two objects stashed between the stealth dome and the planet.

  The first was a space station, with all its navigational lights turned off so that it looked like a darker blotch against the blackness of the planet.

  The second object was a Gate, of all things. Again, unlit. I hadn't even realized it was there until Alejandro pointed out the dark bands, slightly lighter than the planet behind it. And it was massive, by the way—about a third as big as the dwarf itself.

  After we docked with the station to refuel, Shaw joined me in the Royal Fortune's mess hall. As we downed the galley's specialty, "reconstituted" beef, I gazed out the portal.

  "Is it just me," I said. "Or does this Gate seem bigger than the last two we've gone through? As in, a hell of a lot bigger?"

  "It's not just you," Shaw said.

  "Any explanations? You've taken a Slipstream physics elective, right?"

  Shaw rubbed her chin. "I think it has to do with the magnitude of the Slipstream. The farther through space the rip travels, the bigger the Gate needs to be."

  "Then this Gate is going to take us pretty far then."

  Shaw seemed distant. "Yeah."

  "What aren't you telling me?"

  Shaw eyes defocused, then she squeezed my hand. "Have to go. I'm needed on the bridge. We're undocking." She shoved her plate forward. "Feel free to have as much as you want."

  I regarded the gooey beef hesitantly. I was having enough trouble finishing my own.

  On the way back to the berthing area I received a message from Facehopper, ordering me to the briefing room.

  Finally, we were going to learn the mission.

  When I got there the other members of Alfa and Bravo platoons were already present. I took a seat beside Alejandro and gave him and Tahoe the usual fist bump.

  When we had all assembled, Lieutenant Commander Braggs approached the podium. "I just wanted to say, thank you all for your patience. I know you've been waiting a long time for this. Just what the hell are we doing here, deep in SK territory, hiding behind some dwarf planet, beside a Gate of all things? To answer that question, I'll have to start at the beginning."

  A map of the Tau Ceti solar system overlaid my vision, with a flashing dot indicated between the first planet and the G-class star.

  "Approximately one year ago a new Gate became operational in the heart of Sino-Korean territory, right here in Tau Ceti. A Gate we codenamed Anesidora."

  Anesidora is Pandora's other name, Tahoe transmitted on the platoon-level frequency of our Implants, which excluded Braggs.

  Shh! Facehopper sent.

  "A few weeks after its official activation, our intelligence boys at the Special Collection Service reported massive numbers of SK fuel tankers making jumps through Anesidora. Those tankers invariably returned a few days later, every last one of them laden to the brim with Geronium-275."

  Geronium-275. The expensive radioactive element that served as the precursor to Geronium, the main fission fuel for starships.

  "At the time, our theorists had two opinions on where the SKs were getting this Geronium," Lieutenant Commander Braggs continued. "One, they somehow used the Gate itself to mass-produce the element. Two, they'd found a natural source at the other end of the Slipstream. Option one seemed less likely. That left option two. A second natural source of Geronium-275, other than Earth." He paused, letting us digest that fact.

  The number of ships the fleet operated at any given time was directly proportional to the current stores of Geronium, and how fast the factories could manufacture said element from the supply of Geronium-275. If the SKs had discovered another natural source of Geronium-275, the balance of naval power could shift in their favor.

  You think it's true? Manic transmitted on the platoon line, interrupting my thoughts.

  No, Lui sent. It's impossible. There are no other mineable sources of Geronium-275. Earth is the only place.

  "I can see you're all jumping to conclusions in those smart little minds of yours," Lieutenant Commander Braggs said. "But please, quiet the chatter."

  How did he know? Alejandro said.

  Shh!

  "About eight months ago the SKs stopped using the Gate entirely. We thought at first they'd exhausted whatever natural supply of Geronium-275 they'd discovered. But then they dismantled the Gate and closed-up shop completely. We detected heavy nuke mining spinward of Tau Ceti, in a location Fleet believes marks the natural exit point of the Slipstream."

  Remember, you dropped out of a Slipstream whenever you reached the natural exit point, regardless of whether there was a Gate there or not. So by dismantling the Anesidora Gate and mining the natural exit with nukes, the SKs effectively ensured the destruction of any starships coming through. But why they'd want to destroy their own returning vessels was the question.

  "Our analysts didn't quite know what to make of the whole thing," Braggs said. "Our best guess was that they had accidentally unleashed some sort of bioweapon or contagion. We captured and interrogated a couple of high ranking SK officials. Useless. All they could tell us was incomprehensible gibberish like 'we reached too far' or 'we offended nature.' Fact is, the officials didn't know squat. The SK President, or Paramount Leader as they call him, probably mind-wiped most of his cabinet. That, or he had the people in-the-know executed. I wouldn't put it past him. The guy's one nasty dude. Though I have to admit if it were legal in the UC there's a few people I might mind-wipe or execute myself. But I digress.

  "Anyway, at that point we'd exhausted the intelligence route. The only SKs who could have given us a straight answer were the Paramount Leader Guoping Qiu and his top staff, and good luck interrogating any member of that group without causing a war. So Fleet decided it was time for a change in tactics, because if there was a threat that merited a 50,000 megaton load of nuclear mines, you can bet your sweet behind we weren't going to turn a blind eye. Nor were we going to abandon a potential natural source of Geronium-275 until we could properly access the threat level.

  "So, Fleet called in the Teams, and here we are. We're going in through the Gate, boys, and we're going to find out what exactly the SKs are hiding. Questions?"

  I cleared my throat. "Sir, you said the Anesidora Gate was dismantled. I'm assuming the Gate floating outside our ship right now is not Anesidora?"

  Lieutenant Commander Braggs flashed a grin. "That would be a correct assumption, Mr. Galaal. The handy fellows at Fleet built us another one. Anesidora II."

  Facehopper spoke up. "Respectfu
lly, sir, would you mind telling us how Fleet pulled that off? Building a Gate in the heart of SK territory without igniting a political shitstorm. That's quite the feat."

  Braggs laughed. "Wasn't easy, I tell you that. The robot-manned Builder ships had to be hauled into the system in parts and assembled in secret. You know the dwarf we're orbiting? The trajectory of the Slipstream follows its orbit, and passes almost right through the planetoid. The perfect spot for Anesidora II. It's almost too convenient, and for the longest time Brass suspected some sort of trap. But we built it, and so far, we've gotten away with it."

  On the map of Tau Ceti a dotted line moved away from the flashing icon that represented the original Anesidora, and progressed outward until it reached the dwarf planet. A new flashing icon appeared there, labeled Anesidora II.

  "The dwarf hid most of the construction, giving the Builders time to pad the whole area in LIDAR absorbers and background-rad pass-thrus to mask what they were doing. I don't know if you noticed, but there's also an SK base on the far side of the planet. Manned by robots. The good boys of Team Six went in and reprogrammed the lot of them, allowing us to sneak our Builders right by. Remember to treat Charlie Platoon to a few rounds of beer when you get home.

  "Anyway, the point is that yes, we have ourselves a Gate, and it took a hell of a lot of work to make sure the SKs don't know it's here. We'd like to keep it that way. Igniting a political shitstorm is right: We risk war with the SKs if Anesidora II is found out. We've violated SK space, created a Gate to an unknown part of the galaxy. If there really is some contagion or bioweapon out there, their Paramount Leader could accuse us of building the Gate as some form of stealth attack, even if his own army engineered said bioweapon. Not the best scenario to say the least.

  "Moving on: Unmanned probes sent through Anesidora II didn't come back, and we realized the SKs probably dismantled the return Gate, too. Fleet ordered the Builder ships through 'in the blind,' and assembled us another one. Subsequent probes mapped out a G-class main-sequence star system. Three planets."