Shadow Agents

by David Alastair Hayden

  Octavian knelt beside him, drew a syringe from one of his packs, and then placed the injector against his neck. The cog triggered the dose then stepped away.

  The young man stirred and glanced around in apparent confusion.

  “Octavian gave him a stimulant, sir. He seems not to have suffered any significant injuries.”

  The cog headed over to the sensor station. One of his hands folded down at the wrist. A pair of wires with coin-sized ends shot out from his arm and connected to the control panel’s screen.

  As light pulsed along the wires, Karson blinked with surprise. “Is he linking with the ship?”

  “He is, sir.”

  “I need to sit down with Octavian sometime and ask him what all he’s capable of.”

  “I could bring up the specs of his model, sir.”

  Karson sighed. “I suppose that would do.”

  A window popped up in his HUD and text began to scroll through it.

  “Not now, Barty.”

  “As you wish, sir.”

  “What should I do?” Karson asked aloud.

  Octavian responded with a series of beeps, and Bartimaeus translated. “He wants you to see about the young man, sir. And then help him off the ship. After that, you can return and assist him.”

  “Shouldn’t we ask Seneca to come get him?”

  “I think, sir, that it would be better to have a human help him first.”

  Karson knelt beside the young man who looked at him with a dazed expression. “Are you feeling any better?”

  The young man glanced around, saw Octavian, and then tried to scramble up to his feet, only to fall onto his ass painfully.

  Karson placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “It’s okay. He’s just a repair cog. We’re trying to restore the life support system to your ship and rescue the other two survivors.”

  The man nodded absently then suddenly focused his eyes intently on Karson. “Only two?”

  “I’m afraid so. They’re stuck in the cargo bay. We had to enter through the bridge since your loading bay has suffered significant structural damage. We were afraid that docking there would cause the ship to break apart.”

  The young man took a few deep breaths then coughed. “It’s hard to breathe.”

  Karson grabbed an arm and helped the man to his feet. “The atmosphere in here is thin, and you’ve breathed in a lot of smoke. Let’s get you over to my ship. You’ll be safe there.”

  He helped him through the hole into the bridge and into the gravity-less section.

  “Be careful, you’re about to shift from one down to another.”

  The dazed man couldn't figure out how to move downward, so Karson dropped in and shoved him downward, which resulted in the young man sliding into the tube on his back.

  Karson climbed down and helped him to sit up.

  “That…that was disorienting,” the man said.

  Now that they were inside the docking tube, the young man was able to take in deep breaths of fresh air. Seneca sped into the docking tube with one of the sleds in tow.

  “What’s your name?” Karson asked.

  “Assistant Professor Jones,” the man replied. “Tekeru Jones. How long was I out?”

  Karson shrugged. “It took us about five hours to get here after we got your distress call. Sorry, we got here as fast we could.”

  The man nodded. “Hopefully you can get the last two men out.”

  “What happened?” Karson asked as Seneca arrived.

  “Pirates ambushed us. They were hiding in the planet’s rings, and we failed to detect them somehow. After their lasers took down our shields, a missile impact knocked out our engines and piloting controls.”

  “Based on the state of your ship it appears they overdid it,” Karson said. “Assuming their plan was to rob you and salvage your ship. What happened to them?”

  “They disabled us properly. But as they closed in, one of their ships exploded. I don’t know why. But that’s what caused all the additional damage.”

  Karson helped Seneca lift the man onto the antigrav sled. He was about to rush back to the research vessel but reconsidered. He should take a few moments to get information from the man. Information was just as critical right now as helping Octavian was.

  “So there were two ships?”

  “Yes.”

  “What happened to the other one?”

  Tekeru Jones shrugged. “I guess the explosion took it out. I’m not sure.”

  “Were you the captain of the vessel?”

  “Hardly. The captain and the pilot were off the bridge when the attack happened. Before they got there, the ceiling collapsed, and the door no longer functioned. They couldn’t get in, so I was left on my own.”

  “Is there anything else you can tell me about the ships? Anything at all?”

  “They were cruisers, a little larger than the Argos Alpha. And…and that’s all I know. Sorry.”

  “That’s okay.” Karson patted Seneca on the shoulder. “This cog and the rest of the crew on my ship will see to your needs. I need to go back and help the other cog with the rescue operation.”

  The man clapped him on the arm. “Thank you. Thank you so much. Be careful.”

  Karson returned to the bridge of the Argos Alpha. Octavian was no longer connected to the sensor station control panel. He was now working on cutting through the debris blocking the door leading off the bridge.

  “Did you manage to restore life support functions?”

  Octavian responded with a buzz and a series of beeps. “He was unable to restore the functionality of the life-support system, sir. The actual life-support module needs repairs. However, he was able to reroute all remaining life-support functionality to the cargo bay with the last two survivors.”

  “Well, at least there’s that.” Karson carefully grabbed a chunk of metal Octavian had cut free and dragged it away. “Let me know what it would be best for me to do.”

  Octavian responded, and Bartimaeus translated. “He wants you to attempt to open the door using a command override. Then deactivate all the bridge stations save for one.”

  “Which one?”

  “Your choice, sir. After you do that, cut power to all the non-essential ship systems connected to the bridge.”

  “How do I go about doing that?”

  “The Argos Alpha has now given us full access to all of its systems and controls, sir. We shouldn’t have any problem with it.”

  Karson didn’t ask why Octavian wanted all the systems deactivated, but he assumed it had something to do with the wires threaded through the debris blocking their way to the rest of the ship.

  He went over to the still functioning sensor station, linked to it, and pulled up the controls in his HUD and onscreen.

  It took him a few minutes to perform the override, but he finally triggered the door system. With a whining groan, the door slid open, revealing a dark corridor beyond.

  He had deactivated everything but the sensor station and the non-essential systems when Bartimaeus routed Kyralla through to contact him.

  “Bishop, we have a problem.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Artemisia and Rosie analyzed the debris field in the area. There’s barely enough wreckage here for a single cruiser, much less two.”

  “Are you…are you saying the other pirate ship survived?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Bishop, you and Octavian need to get out of there.”

  30

  Siv Gendin

  Half an hour after arriving on Zarisia, the capital city of Zayer Prime, Mitsuki slipped into a bathroom in the bustling subway station. She was still hidden under the refraction cloak. Siv waited outside in the tunnel. He didn’t recognize her when she came out until she walked up and poked him in the ribs.

  Even though he’d seen her transform under the influence of the appearance-shifting drug before, he’d forgotten how different it made her look. While she was still clearly wakyran, the red skin and mo
re masculine features the drug gave her made a lot of difference.

  They took turns purchasing a greasy lunch of fried vat-meat from a food cart. Mitsuki leaned against a column, people-watching as she ate. Siv wandered down the tunnel with his food, pretending to be interested in the advertisements and graffiti decorating the walls. They chatted through their chippies while being careful not to appear as if they were together. Separately, they purchased tickets for a bullet train. Taking different seats in different cars, they traveled to the second largest city on Zayer Prime, half a continent away.

  While Teloso was smaller than Zarisia, it was also a lot rougher around the edges and infested with local mobs that were determined to keep out the powerful interstellar crime guilds, which made it the perfect destination for them. And the high crime rate suggested a place where they were far more likely to find what they needed: chameleon veils, forged ID cards, and a Titus-bound ship that was entirely uninterested in screening its passengers.

  Siv had wanted to take a shuttle straight down to Teloso, but those were few and far between. And in the end, it was probably better to travel farther away from their landing point anyway, in case anyone tried to track them.

  Once they reached Teloso, they found a hotel room—one without any windows—and barricaded the door. With Silky and B on watch, they crashed. They’d been wary and on alert since leaving the mining ship, and they were both thoroughly exhausted. Either the beds were surprisingly comfortable, or they were even more tired than they thought because they slept for eight solid hours.

  After they woke, Siv dumped the hazard suit and the scarred chameleon veil into the hotel trash and made sure it cycled. Then he cut and dyed his hair from brown to black, changed his eye color from orange to blue using his Smart Lenses, and applied red eyeliner and black lipstick in the style street punks used on Zayer.

  Siv knew he looked ridiculous, something Mitsuki and Silky confirmed by mocking him mercilessly, but it was the best he could do without a chameleon veil. Using the disfigured mask here would draw too much attention. He needed a new look, and he needed one that helped him blend in.

  From a street vendor, they purchased sandwiches so spicy Siv worried his eyeliner would run. They bought shabby trench coats that did a decent enough job of hiding their many weapons. Once they looked presentable, by this city's standards anyway, they made contact with Captain Alois's cousin. The man wasn't a criminal himself, but he ran a construction business in a town with a significant mob presence, so he had connections.

  “I know people,” Tully said. “And the people I know, know people.” The bald, wiry man laughed hard at that. “So I can connect you with someone, who can connect you with someone else until you get what you want.”

  Siv and Mitsuki laughed awkwardly in response.

  “Jokes aside, you two look desperate, and I don’t like desperation. And I don’t like actively involving myself with anyone who’s desperate for anything because it means they have powerful enemies.”

  “We just need the name and address of someone who could help us,” Siv said. “Nothing more.”

  “Well, if my cousin thought you were worth the effort, and if you’re willing to pay a little fee, then I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give you a lead.”

  Siv pulled out ten hard credits and placed them on the man’s desk. Tully pocketed them with a smile. “A lot of folks here wouldn’t help you. You’re not locals, see. You’re not even from this world. And it’s obvious based on your accents. I’m your only option…” He let the words trail away as he tapped his fingers on the desk.

  Siv pulled out forty hard credits and passed them over.

  “But you’re in luck,” Tully said. “It just so happens I know a guy who’d be more than willing to help you, and for cheap. A local guy who used to be something of a self-styled crime lord.”

  “He used to be?” Siv asked.

  “He’s fallen on hard times as of late, so he’s desperate for money and favors. So desperate that he’s scared off everyone who might otherwise have helped him. Desperation is the stink of death, you know.”

  “We have some experience with this sort of thing,” Mitsuki said.

  “On another world, I’d say. Your homeworld, perhaps…”

  Siv and Mitsuki both nodded but didn’t give him the information he was fishing for.

  “Why would we want to make contact with a guy who has no other contacts and is that desperate?” Siv asked. “If he can’t get us what we need, then we’d be out of luck with nowhere else to go.”

  “You want him. Even though he’s fallen on hard times, he still has some resources, and he’s a damned good fixer. That’s how he got his start. And the sort of items it seems you’re wanting, he’ll have the best of them on hand or know how to otherwise acquire them.”

  “That’s our specialty, sir, isn’t it? Otherwise acquisitions. You know, I like the term otherwise acquisitioner. You should switch to that. Has a much better ring than procurement specialist.”

  “Have you gotten what we need on Tully here?”

  “Ten lightyears to gone, sir.”

  “His name’s Condrance Wang,” Tully continued. “Lives to the south, in Old Town. You’re looking for a ramshackle warehouse. It’s a bit nicer on the inside.” He typed out an address on his c|slate and swiped it in their direction. Silky picked up the beamed transmission.

  “I’ve verified the address, sir. Now researching the area and Mr. Wang.”

  “Thank you.” Siv shook Tully’s hand. “We’ll tell Condrance you sent us.”

  “‘Nevolence, no! I want nothing to do with this. Look, I like Wang. And I want to see him survive. I really do. But I can’t be seen doing him any favors, you understand?”

  “Sir, our dear Tully here has been trying to sell us out. He’s been online looking for a buyer. He started locally. It’s not his area of expertise, so he’s flailing about.”

  “As you suspected, Silkster.”

  “In that case,” Mitsuki said with a smile, “we won’t say anything about you. In fact, I don’t think I’m going to remember having met you once I’ve left here.”

  The man tapped his nose. “Same here.”

  “That’s hardly true, though, is it?” Siv said. “You’re going to try to sell us out as soon as we walk out the door. You’ve already sent out feelers to see if someone in the region’s searching for us. And you’re getting ready to cast your net wider. That’s not very nice of you.”

  “You…you know that I sent out feelers while we were talking?”

  Siv nodded his reply.

  “But I sent that out on my chippy!”

  “I know,” Siv said. “You should consider using more secure channels when chatting on the galactic net.”

  The man laughed nervously. “Well, you did say you weren’t new to this, didn’t you?”

  Siv placed his palms on the man’s desk and leaned forward menacingly. “You will keep quiet about us from now on. Would you like to know why?”

  “I…I guess so?”

  “While we were talking, I hacked your local network. I found quite a few documents that suggest you’ve been involved in many shady dealings. I’m sure the authorities would love to see these documents. But I am nice, so I’m sure I wouldn’t want to give them over—unless I had to.”

  The man started to reach under his desk. Mitsuki shook her head. “I really wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  He moved his hand away. “Right…so…um, I think I’m going to forget who you are when you walk out that door. Really, really forget.”

  “That seems the safest bet,” she said.

  As they headed for the door, Siv waved, “Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.”

  31

  Kyralla Vim

  Kyralla nervously waited for Bishop to respond.

  “Rosie, is he heading back?”

  “He hasn’t moved, madam.”

  “If there’s another ship,” Bishop finally said, “then where is
it? And why didn’t it finish off the Argos Alpha?”

  “I have no idea,” she replied.

  “Has Oona sensed anything?”

  “No, not yet,” Kyralla replied.

  Bishop took in a deep breath. “We still have survivors who need rescuing. I’m staying if Octavian is willing.”

  Through their connection, she heard the cog beep affirmatively.

  “He wants to stay.”

  “It’s your call,” Kyralla sighed. “But I think you should come back, just to be safe. We saved one person. That’s a win.”

  “Just keep me posted and let me know if anything changes,” he responded.

  Kyralla closed the connection and opened a channel to Seneca. “Bring the survivor to the bridge, please.”

  “He says it would be best to let Mr. Jones rest, madam.”

  “Seneca, Mr. Jones can rest all he wants after I’ve talked to him.”

  She noted Oona’s eyes open, peering at her. “You’re going to threaten him.”

  “I’m going to be certain he’s telling the truth.”

  Oona nodded. “I’ll scan his emotions. I’m obviously a lot better at picking out lies and teasing out the occasional thought than I am at detecting hidden ships and traps.”

  “We have checked the debris field a second time,” Rosie said over the ship’s comm.

  “And?” Kyralla asked.

  “Assuming a vessel of our size exploding entirely and that we have somehow missed up to forty percent of the resulting debris, we still cannot account for two ships.”

  She thumped back into her seat and ran her hands through her hair. “Then where the hell could they have gone?”

  “Wraith space, maybe?” said a deep, hoarse voice behind her.

  Kyralla spun around, drew her plasma pistol, and aimed it at the young man with the wild, white hair and star-blue eyes.

  “You didn’t mention that to Bishop.”

  Tekeru Jones raised his hands. “The gizmet?”

  Kyralla nodded as she stood.

  “I heard your AI talking about the debris field. You asked a question. I made a guess.”