Traitor Winds - Kestrel Saga: Vol. 0 (Kestrel Saga - Origins)

by Stephen A. Fender

  Toyotomi had told her he’d taken the weight of her and her gear into account when he had doctored the manifest. All she had to do was get inside the appropriate container and wait to be loaded onto the vessel. And she didn’t have much time. The cargo ship, with its mottled gray hull looking the worse for wear, was dangerously close. If there had been an occupant on the forward control deck of the ragtag vessel, he would have surely seen both her and Agent Katashi waiting below.

  As the cargo vessel slowed to a halt, it extended an array of landing pads from its undercarriage just before setting down in a plume of dust. A moment later, several hatches on the starboard side slid up, and an equal number of ramps extended from the hull down to the landing pads surface. It was now time for Angelika to get inside her designated crate. Soon the freighter’s small robotic loaders would descend on the stack of ore containers, and by then it would be too late.

  Open the container’s lid, Angelika removed her backpack of supplies and the assorted weapons she was carrying. Having staged them in various parts of the container, she slipped in and tried to make herself as comfortable as possible, then made sure the self-sealing latch closed behind her.

  Within minutes, she heard the distinctive buzz of a cargo droid fly overhead as it scanned her crate. Seconds later, she felt the crate being lifted from the surface of Torval. There was a momentary sense of movement as the container was effortlessly tucked away into a convenient section of the freighter—compliments of Agent Katashi’s modified instructions for her particular crate.

  Chapter 12

  Due to the placement of her storage container in the cargo hold, Angelika had little difficulty in making it to the freighter’s modest control center before the craft jumped from the system. Toyo’s makeshift manifest had the loading drones place the container near the only exit from the space—a single door that lead to one of the only two corridors in the entire vessel. From there it was a sprint to the lift at the end of the passage. Thankfully, the lift was down at the cargo level and waiting for her. Stepping quickly inside, Angelika made it up to the control station less than a minute before the freighter reached the jump gate.

  Settling into the less-than-comfortable chair, she familiarized herself with the layout of the ship’s controls, should she need to take over for the computer and make a hasty retreat from the Jido system. She easily grasped the simple layout, designed for even a novice pilot to understand. With her hands placed idly near the controls, Angelika watched as the computer made minute adjustments to the ship’s heading. Knowing she wouldn’t be arriving in the Jido system for five hours, she deftly programmed an alarm event into the ship’s navigational computer. Looking at the programmed event with satisfaction, she leaned back as the monotony of spaceflight took hold, and was fast asleep before she realized it.

  * * *

  Angelika bolted from her slumber as the proximity alarm began blaring. Unaware of the passage of time, she looked at the freighter’s onboard chronometer through foggy eyes with bewilderment. Sure enough, the alarm had sounded just as she had programmed it to. The freighter was on the outskirts of the Jido system, and would soon be visible to any one of Krador’s automated sensor arrays—not to mention long-range patrol craft.

  She reached into the backpack at her feet and withdrew a finger-sized biodampener. Flipping the tube device on, her life readings were now invisible to nearly all forms of electronic detection. Not willing to take further risks, Angelika ducked out of the control room and slipped into the adjoining stateroom. From there, aided by the small computer she had previously linked to the freighter’s navigational sensors, she could monitor everything that was going on outside the ship.

  Just as the freighter neared the boundary of Krador’s sphere of influence, Angelika watched the small screen with marked trepidation. Unsure of what was going to happen, she wanted to be ready for anything. Checking the charge on two of her sidearms, she placed them next to her on the bed. As she set them down, another proximity alarm sounded. Tapping at the small computer, she accessed the freighter’s less than satisfactory long-range sensor palette. She watched the readout, anxious but not overly alarmed as a lightly armed patrol ship approached the freighter. Based on the vessel’s small size and flattened shape, it was very likely unmanned.

  That means computer-controlled, which also means its onboard programming is less likely to make an error when judging its own sensor readings.

  The sentry was making a beeline for the freighter, and Angelika began to slowly shift her weight off the bed. She wanted to be ready in an instant if she had to dash to the control center and make a hasty retreat—only half-convinced the freighter could outrun the speedy patrol vessel if faced with the situation.

  As it was, the sentry made two detailed scans of the cargo vessel, paused as it correlated the data, and then sped off as quickly as it had arrived.

  When her heart had finally slowed down, Angelika holstered her weapons and returned to the control room. Beyond the small forward view port, she could see the planet Jido looming directly ahead. Fourth in the system, orbiting a blue-white B-type main sequence star, Jido was an unremarkable-looking planet. With a near equal ratio of water to terrain, and the typical frozen polar caps, it looked nearly identical to any number of planets Angelika had visited in the last dozen years.

  Knowing that a weak, passive scan wouldn’t be detected from the cargo vessel, Angelika took the liberty to find out what secrets the planet held.

  The first thing visible was the large warship buildup clustered together and in a tight orbit around the planet. Angelika counted four large troop transports, three cruisers, three smaller escorts, and no less than six destroyers. The destroyers were separated into groups of three. The first squadron was surrounding an enormous vessel that Angelika discerned was Krador’s battleship. The second trio was stationed near an orbiting dry dock, set in a much higher orbit than the bulk of Krador’s fleet, which itself housed another battleship of equal tonnage. Farthest out were five patrol ships, each on a different course heading, guarding the planet for tens of thousands of miles.

  Based on the size of the fleet, Angelika knew the sheer numbers of Krador’s forces on the planet itself must have been equally impressive. The presence of the orbiting troop transports alone meant a garrison strength of nearly sixteen hundred personnel and their assorted equipment. Knowing that Krador’s forces were going to be moving out soon, it was difficult at her current range for Angelika to discern if most of the ships’ crews were on board their respective vessels or on the planet below. The best bet, she decided, was to assume the latter.

  That would put about three thousand troops on the ground.

  Satisfied with the information the sensors had retrieved, Angelika switched off the scanners. The cargo vessel made a minor course correction, putting the shipyards at its port side as the planet loomed ever closer. Passing the bulk of Krador’s orbiting forces, the freighter made a leisurely turn to starboard and began its preprogrammed descent to the planetoid below.

  * * *

  Before the vessel had reached the surface, Angelika had situated herself back into the converted ore container. Once she and the rest of the shipment had been deposited on the surface of Jido, she expertly made her way out of the container and away from the loading docks undetected. The docks themselves were on the outskirts of the capital city of Eridu, in the middle of the industrial center, with Krador’s military installation nowhere to be seen. Tall stacks, billowing smoke in several different colors, were sprinkled throughout the area, and a large power plant buzzed as it fed energy to a dozen surrounding towers. Skillfully avoiding several roving bands of both workers and armed guards, Angelika maneuvered around the maze of smaller buildings, finally reaching the edge of the industrial zone an hour after touching down. Deactivating a small section of the perimeter fence with a negator provided by Katashi, she quickly passed through the barrier and made her way into Eridu’s downtown.

  Just as Agent Ka
tashi had said, the city of Eridu was awash in a multitude of species from a dozen different worlds. Many of the tallest buildings—some two thousand feet in height—were spire-shaped, with most of the lower ones taking a hexagonal or octagonal form. All were speckled with windows at odd intervals, denoting that the internal arrangement of such buildings would pose a logistical nightmare—should Angelika need to plan a covert raid.

  As she walked through the crowded nighttime streets, Angelika’s nose was assaulted with the various food carts that seemed to dominate this area of town, one erected for each type of species not native to the world. While some of the food looked edible, most looked sickening, and yet her grumbling stomach told her she would need to eat something soon. Stopping near one of the few Terran vendors, she purchased a plate of something looking vaguely like chicken—at least she hoped it was chicken—and moved back into the crowd.

  It was hard to see what was going on around her. With the sheer amount of mixed aliens milling about in the streets, Angelika had the impression that she’d waded into some sort of festival. With few exceptions, they were all moving in the same direction. She looked down at her wrist computer and noted that the direction was south. Based on the undulations of the crowd, it looked like they were heading directly for the center of the city.

  Angelika pivoted her head to see who could be accounted for. There were humanoids, Macrotars, Poylsaurians, Temkorians…she even saw two of the usually elusive red-cloaked Vega Custodians, but strangely enough, Angelika had yet to see a Jidoan. With none of the six million planetary natives around for the fifty or so feet that was visible to her, she had to wonder what the current celebration was all about. Deciding that she needed more information—not to mention a better visual angle on where she was heading—Angelika sidestepped two wooly behemoths from Platium VII, their ice-cold air injectors hovering inches from their gaping mouths, and made her way into a nearby market.

  Again, save for the odd alien straggler, there were no Jidoans to be seen anywhere. The aliens who were there seemed to be purchasing various foodstuffs on their way to whatever event was taking place in the city center. Angelika watched a handful of humanoids—ones dressed in the royal blue uniforms of Krador’s forces—as they bought a bag full of some type of fruit from the only planetary native she’d seen since touching down. When the humans had finished their transaction and left the market, she cautiously walked toward the clerk. Trying not to raise suspicions in the few patrons that were still milling about, she reached into a nearby basket and retrieved a small, bluish turnip as she neared the clerk

  “That will be three danas,” the clerk said, obviously referring to the local currency. The being’s skin was a light copper color, typical of the Jidoan species. Similar in most respects to a human, the average height of a Jidoan was both taller and lithe, with elongated heads and torsos. The clerk’s six-fingered hands were hovering over the cash register as it waited patiently for Angelika to pay the fee and go on her way.

  Reaching into a side pocket, Angelika withdrew the credits provided by Toyotomi and handed them to the store keeper, who seemed satisfied that their transaction was complete without another word. Seeing that there were no other immediate customers, Angelika attempted to elicit some information from the alien.

  “Busy night?” she asked, trying to sound as cordial as possible.

  The clerk seemed stunned at the question, its large black eyes blinking several times as it regarded her. Angelika felt a twinge of anxiety at the creature’s silence, but then the Jidoan merely shrugged its shoulders.

  “It’s a very big night for the offworlders,” the clerk said. The voice seemed soft, almost feminine. Still, the nearly androgynous nature of the Jidoans made it almost impossible for Angelika to tell if she was speaking to a female or not.

  “I’ll say,” Angelika replied. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen so many of them together in a single city.”

  The clerk seemed to grunt an acknowledgement. “It’s good for business. It’s like this every time Fleet Admiral Krador comes into Eridu.”

  Angelika tried not to look stunned at the mention of Krador. “So I’ve heard.”

  The teller eyed her suspiciously. “You are new here?”

  “Yes,” she said. Failing to recall the name of one of the vessels that she had scanned while still in orbit, she hoped her explanation would provide an effective cover. “Our cruiser just arrived in the system a few hours ago.”

  The clerk grunted again. “We live to serve,” it said with an almost imperceptible nervousness.

  Angelika raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Come again?”

  The clerk looked around nervously, then stepped out from behind the counter toward Angelika. On alert, Angelika was ready to withdraw her sidearm in an instant but, before the Jidoan reached her, it lowered its head—as if shamed.

  “Forgive my impertinence,” the clerk stammered quietly. “I live to serve, and serve with pride.”

  Confused, Angelika had no idea what to say that would not alarm any suspicions. No one else in the establishment seemed to be paying the altercation any mind, as if this were an everyday occurrence.

  “Your…your impertinence is forgiven,” she stammered.

  The Jidoan bobbed its head, then returned its gaze to her. It looked instantly relieved. “Thank you. I will not let this happen again.”

  “Where are your people? I see none of them in the streets outside.”

  The teller looked at her in confusion again, but it wasn’t in its voice when it spoke. “It is the Time of Reflection. They are assembled in the Hall of Echoes.”

  “All of them?”

  “All the people of Eridu are there, save for the few of us that have been made to serve refreshments for Admiral Krador’s upcoming announcement.”

  Made to serve? Whatever event was going on in the Hall of Echoes, it was clear that this creature was pained at not being able to attend.

  “And where is the Hall of Echoes?” she asked.

  The alien blinked twice before speaking. “I’m surprised you don’t know about it. I was under the assumption that all offworlders were told of its location. You should have known what is considered off-limits for your people before you disembarked your vessel. After all, it’s for your own safety.”

  Angelika smiled. “I guess I must have missed that briefing, what with the big rush to get planetside to hear Krador’s speech.”

  The Jidoan’s face was blank. “Your species cannot tolerate the frequencies at which we commune with our deities. There were reports of…accidents…when Krador’s people first arrived. However, as soon as the Admiral realized the benign nature of the hymns, he cordoned off the Hall of Echoes from outsiders.” The clerk seemed to scoff, then regained its composure before speaking again. “Nonetheless, the Fleet Admiral’s security teams still monitor many of the halls wirelessly…just to make sure.”

  Angelika cocked her head slightly. “To make sure of what?”

  The alien’s face contorted in what Angelika assumed was its best attempt at a smile, but there didn’t seem to be any emotion behind the expression. “To make sure that all is as it should be.”

  Before Angelica could press the alien for further information, another patron appeared in line behind her.

  “If you’ll excuse me,” the clerk said humbly. “I have other customers to attend to before I close my shop for the night. If you wish to visit the Hall of Echoes, I’m quite sure the Time of Reflection will be completed by the time Admiral Krador is done speaking. The Hall is located in the center of The Old City, three miles east of here.”

  “Thank you,” she replied. “I’ll make sure to visit there before I leave the planet.”

  The clerk bowed meekly once again. “As you wish. We live to serve.”

  * * *

  Although she was intrigued to hear what Krador was going to say at his gathering, she would have been hard-pressed to do anything but sit and listen. Due to the sheer number of
aliens witnessing Krador’s gathering, just getting close to him to do anything her mission required would be all but impossible. She didn’t know the layout of the city well enough to get to a good vantage point, nor did she have any grasp of the assembly’s security layout. Eliminating Krador at this time would be both dangerous and futile, so she quickly abandoned the concept of doing so. Besides, based on the sensor readouts she’d witnessed while in orbit, it would be at least a full day…possibly two, before he was ready to launch his assault. In short, there would be time for Maros Krador later.

  Having made up her mind, Angelika found herself traveling directly opposite the center of town. Away from the bustle of the crowds, the long stretches of city streets became eerily quiet. The closer she got to the Old City, the more foot and vehicle traffic tapered away, until finally she was entirely alone in the darkest part of town. Far off in the distance, she heard the distinctive roar of a crowd, and assumed that Krador had finally shown his face to the masses.

  When the din of the crowd had become silent, she heard another sound. However, before she heard it, she almost felt it, as if it were a low sonic vibration permeating the thin armor she was wearing under her flowing cloak. Not long after, her ears began to ring in steady pulses with the sound. Taking what the Jidoan clerk in the market had said as gospel, Angelica slipped two audio amplifies into her ears. Capable of both increasing and decreasing outside noises, she tuned them to an automatic setting. The effect of the devices were instantaneous, and the ringing in her ears decreased as she neared the epicenter of the vibrations.