by T. R. Harris
Zac shrugged. He was seated before a screen with a standard-looking microphone on the console. He could see his image. He was dressed in traditional Azlorean clothing, which included a high-collared jacket clasped in front, provided by Kinos. Since Azloreans were larger than Humans, the garment had been tailored to his dimensions by the younger native, the one he’d first met in the subway tunnel. His name was Innos Dormis, and he was related to Darion in some manner. He was competent yet perpetually nervous, which had an infectious effect on Kinos. Zac was glad the young Azlorean was somewhere else during the recording. Kinos would have been pacing and scratching while Zac was trying to be concise and convincing.
“When you are ready,” Kinos said.
The natural Rev in Zac’s body was fully activated by this time, not from anger but apprehension. He had tried to write a script, but the damn thing dragged on and on. Now he was told he only had five minutes in this first broadcast. What the hell; he’d have to wing it. He nodded to Kinos, who activated the circuit. A yellow light came on the screen, and the timer started. Zac Murphy was live to the planet Voris.
“I am General Zac Murphy of the Human Space Force. As you know, I have escaped captivity and am now free to reveal the truth about our attack on Voris. Some of you may have heard that I stated that the attack was a mistake, a deception engineered by the Antaerean Kallen Zaphin, along with influential members of the Azlorean government. In summary: we were deceived into attacking your planet.
“You will find this hard to believe that members of your own race would conspire to kill millions of citizens. But it’s true. And there is proof. There is a recording in which Zaphin and a high Azlorean official named Torin Nassmar admit as much. That recording will be sent in a burst transmission because of its size. I implore anyone who has the ability to expand that transmission and then release it in its entirety. You must do this now. As you know, a fleet is being assembled near Voris that will carry your loved ones off to a war that they need not fight. This fleet will be launching soon on the long journey to my homeworld of Earth. Be assured, Humans will fight back; we will defend ourselves. Many more Azloreans will lose their lives because of this. And all of this was a manufactured crisis designed to start a war between Earth and Voris. It is all about greed, not justice.”
The clock was ticking down as Zac stammered through the broadcast. The incessant countdown made him stammer even more.
“The Azlorean conspirators want to piggyback—follow—the Seken in their conquest of Human territory, knowing that the Seken will not keep this space after Earth is destroyed. That will allow the Azloreans to inherit a vast region of space.” Zac paused briefly as a rogue thought occurred to him: That may not be a bad thing in the minds of the Azloreans. Perhaps they wanted a galactic empire, and this was a down and dirty way of doing it. But still, millions of their people had died to make that happen.
“But to do this,” Zac continued, “they needed a pretense. The pretense was our attack on your homeworld. Kallen Zaphin intentionally deceived the Human authorities into believing Voris was the homeworld of the Seken, not the Azloreans. We are at war with the Seken, and the Seken understand our desire to attack their homeworld. It is what’s done in war. But we knew nothing of the Azloreans and meant you no harm. It was all a ploy so that you—the people of Voris—would agree to go to war with the Humans. A needless war neither side wants.
“Please, rebroadcast the meeting between Kallen Zaphin and Torin Nassmar. The proof is there. I must go now, but I will make more broadcasts periodically. Be expecting them.”
The signal went dead after only four minutes, twenty-eight seconds; Zac had been speaking much faster toward the end, sounding unsure, at least to himself. He hoped he got the message across.
Kinos visibly relaxed.
“How did I do?”
Kinos shrugged.
Accepting that everyone was a critic, Zac changed the subject. “When will you send the recording?”
“It has already been sent,” said Kinos. “If I waited, the authorities will have made arrangements to lock onto any suspicious broadcasts and attempt to locate the source.”
“They’ll do that with my future broadcasts.”
Kinos expressed an alien grimace once again. “That is true. Future broadcasts will have to be shorter—much shorter. The key will be for the recording to increase in distribution geometrically. That can be done within our interconnected communication system.”
“Who controls that?” Zac asked, knowing how it was on Earth. “Can it be stopped, controlled?”
“Yes, but there are always outlets independent of the major networks. Eventually, the message will get out.”
“How long will that take?” Zac asked. The fleet was scheduled to leave in about twelve days.
“Unknown,” Kinos admitted. “I understand your concern. But it has been discussed in my group that even if the fleet launches, there is a chance of a recall should the anti-war movement take hold. But as Darion has pointed out, at the moment, we have only two names of the conspirators, one a native, the other an alien. That hardly creates a major conspiracy.”
“The lack of advanced warning of my fleet’s arrival … that shows this is much bigger than just two people.”
“I agree, and in future broadcasts, I would suggest releasing details like that to instill doubt in the viewer’s minds. But these future broadcasts will only be less than a minute long and be sent at odd hours, with no pattern of transmission. Our plan had always been dependent on individuals spreading the news. Perhaps some major news outlets will also disseminate the information; however, most are government-sponsored. At this time, we know not how far this conspiracy goes within the Semitor.”
“I suppose you have a way of monitoring newscasts,” Zac said. “Let’s go take a look to see if anything gets out.”
“A welcome idea, Zac Murphy. And let us share a meal while waiting for the reaction. Hopefully, we will not have to wait long.”
The wait wasn’t very long; in fact, it was almost instantaneous, but in the halls of government, not among the public. It was Torin Nassmar who initiated the call to Kallen Zaphin.
“Our nemesis has resurfaced,” he said cryptically to the Antaerean.
“He has been found?”
“No, but he has sent a broadcast.”
Kallen Zaphin had been given a luxurious suite in one of the larger temporary residences in Sanfor. His co-conspirators had boasted of the opulence when they assigned it to him, making him feel as if they were treating him with special care. Kallen shrugged them off. He was the Tesnin of the Antaere race, the latest Zaphin in two thousand years to hold that title. He was used to palaces, temples and servants at his every beck and call; however, for the past twelve years, he’d been a fugitive from his homeworld and from the status he so richly deserved. It was his blood-right. Yes, the Azloreans may think they impressed him, but the series of rooms were small, and they smelled of alien. He would accept them because that was all he could do. But he did not have to coo over them. The Azloreans needed to learn how to treat a visiting head-of-state. So far, they had failed miserably.
Kallen cringed at the news. “A broadcast? About what?”
“As you surmised, he is accusing us of a conspiracy, a conspiracy that has killed millions of Azloreans.”
“What do you mean us?”
“He has mentioned us by name—you and me.”
“How was this possible? The Azloreans are an advanced civilization; do you not control the means of communication?”
“We control it enough. That is why we already have traces in place and are preparing a response for when the broadcast gains distribution.”
“It has not gone out yet?”
Nassmar frowned. “Unfortunately, it is out. We have marked the broadcast for censorship, but even so, it will get out. That is why measures are being taken.”
“What measures?”
“An altering of the dialogue in the recording
.”
“What dialogue? I thought you said the Human made the broadcast?”
“He did; however, a second file was sent that has the complete video of my interview with Murphy and then my meeting with you afterward. Combined, it is quite damaging.”
Kallen was stunned into silence, at least for a moment. When he spoke again, it was shouting.
“Too much was revealed during that sequence! It must be stopped.”
“Agreed. Not only must it be kept from the public, but also certain members of the Semitor. I do not know how it is on Antara, but there are various factions constantly vying for power on Voris.”
“We have no such issues on Antara!” Kallen exclaimed. “I am the highest authority, and my word is law. That is how it should be, even in your society.”
“Alas, it is not. Therefore, we have enemies who will latch on to this data and make issue of it. But fortunately, there will be a new recording released, an identical recording, yet with different words. It will be seamless and undetectable. As this is being disseminated, the original recording will be digitally analyzed and shown to be a forgery.”
“Will that work to stop the coming storm?”
“It will … to a degree,” said Nassmar. “There will always be those who believe; that was expected even without the recording. But our forces are widespread and anonymous. Those seeking support to press their cause will be nervous as to who to contact. We will make a spectacle of those who make these wild, unsubstantiated claims. And then the fleet will launch. The efforts will continue to promote this war as good for Azlorean society, helping us expand our horizons far beyond our limited region of space. Eventually, the people will believe what they want to believe. Facts will become secondary at this point.”
“Your optimism is convincing,” Kallen said, although his tone belied the words. “However, I am not so optimistic. We must find Zac Murphy and bring an end to this. Can he be found through the broadcasts?”
“The operators are using a very sophisticated method of hiding their location. It will take time, but if he broadcasts again—and he said he would—we can narrow the search even more. Eventually, he will be found.”
“The sophistication can be a clue,” Kallen pointed out. “Only certain groups or individuals must have that equipment and expertise.”
“That is our thinking, as well. You need not tell us how to do our jobs.”
“Of course not,” Kallen conceded, although he didn’t believe it. “I apologize if I caused any offense. I will trust that you and your people will do the best you can to bring this crisis to an end.”
“That is our goal,” Nassmar said, frowning at the yellow-skinned alien on the screen. “I will notify you of any new developments.”
For all their technological prowess, Kallen thought, the Azloreans lacked a certain sophistication to their duplicity. Perhaps if they had spent a few thousand years of dealing with the controversies at Court, they would have the instinct that Kallen Zaphin possessed. Perhaps not. That was not his concern at the moment. His only priority was finding Zac Murphy. And fortunately, the Human himself had given Kallen his first clue.
Although his stay on Voris was now indeterminant, now with Murphy missing, it didn’t mean Kallen wasn’t without resources. He had a small force of loyal Antaereans, those who had fled Antara with him. These loyalists had accommodations and transportation, which would provide the Tesnin with a network of spies, both in the community-at-large and within the Semitor. He was not about to leave the planet and head for Earth without his prized possession. Yes, he wanted the Human race destroyed. But it would have significantly less impact if Murphy wasn’t there to watch. The fleet was leaving in less than twelve days. That was the time he had to find Zac Murphy.
He was seated at a small table with a single light focused on the top when Nassmar called. A datapad was active, displaying a report the Inquisitor had sent him a few hours before. The Azloreans already had a suspect—an accomplice—in the escape of Zac Murphy, and as promised, Nassmar included Kallen in the details. He had to admit; the Azloreans had worked swiftly; the Human had only been missing for two days. But the larger question for the Antaerean was how Murphy enlisted an accomplice so fast and with him in lockdown? An accomplice that also had access to sophisticated communication equipment and a small cadre of helpers?
And the recording? He had no idea a record was even being made of the interview and his meeting later with Nassmar. Who would have access to that file? It was bad enough to have overheard the conversation. But to then be able to abscond with the recording would take someone with special access.
As per his request, Kallen was sent the dossiers on both security personnel who visited Zac Murphy in his cell. One was the prime suspect; the other the supervisor of the division that provided the security collars. To Kallen, both would be targets. Only by a failure of the collar was Murphy allowed to escape.
He studied the data, finding confirmation that the collar had supposedly failed while the REV was in transit to a medical facility rather than in his cell if it had been a random act. Further investigation found a secondary releasing mechanism in the collar. It was no accident; the collar was opened on purpose. He looked back to see who would know Murphy’s transfer schedule.
Nineteen people knew about the transfer. That was a lot. Fortunately, Kallen had a pair of names for which to scan. The first one, Sornum De’lason, was not on the list. Neither was the other, a Level Seven security officer named Darion Crolous. However, Crolous’s department was notified of the transfer so the collar’s movements could be tracked and not noted as suspicious. Undoubtedly, the supervisor would have been informed of this, seeing that Murphy was such a high-priority prisoner.
However, De’lason’s fingerprints were on the module that released the collar. The evidence was overwhelming.
And that was why Kallen was suspicious. Seldom are things as stark as they first seem. Take the so-called invasion of Voris by the Humans. That wasn’t anything like it was made out to be. Perhaps it was the same here.
And now, with the broadcast and recording as further clues, Kallen had more to investigate. He would look deeper into the backgrounds of Sorum De’lason and Darion Crolous. Fortunately, one was already in detention. The other would become the focus of Kallen’s team, to be followed everywhere she went. This conspiracy—not his—was much larger than one person. He was sure he could solve the riddle if given the time and resources. But for now, Darion Crolous would be his main focus.
Chapter 19
The mothership had been in orbit above Voris for nineteen hours with no one on the surface giving it much notice, at least not outwardly. On the outskirts of the system, there were ninety-one motherships intermingled with the growing Azlorean fleet. If the Seken warship was here, it had to be here for a reason.
It was, just not the one most people assumed.
Amber had tapped into all planet-side communications and had found a wealth of information about the infamous Zac Murphy, not the least of which was the fact that he was no longer in custody. Angus shook his head knowingly at the news, not surprised. He was, however, a little disappointed that Zac wasn’t running the planet by now. But according to other reports, he was well on his way to achieving that goal.
The team sat with rapt fascination as they replayed the archived videos of his four broadcasts and the one master video that accompanied them. Zac’s messages were short and to the point, while the longer video only confused the team. Amber provided the translation as the recordings were played.
“He does say the original video of the meeting was altered,” Monica said, studying the images. “I believe him since there would be no reason to broadcast it otherwise. It shows the Azloreans and Kallen Zaphin doing nothing wrong. All it shows is Zac confessing to the mass murder. I’m sure there are other versions since it seems to be riling up the population.”
“Not enough, however,” David Cross said. “Sure, there are protests, but noth
ing that’s going to prevent the fleet from launching, not from what I can see.”
Angus looked at Cross and snickered. It was strange to see the doctor the way he was, although Angus knew he looked just like him. Just like a Seken.
On the trip to Voris, it was decided that the team would go in disguised as Seken. It made sense. They were in a Seken warship, three of the team members spoke Seken, and the aliens were a lot closer match to Humans physically than were Azloreans. Besides their completely alien faces, Azloreans also had six fingers and two thumbs on each hand. That would be hard to simulate while leaving the team use of their hands. Seken had more traditional hands and faces, although purple skin. But that could be overcome with dyes. Using Amber’s 3-D face printer, each member lay still on a bed in the Seken med lab as the device created layer upon layer of life-like flesh until twenty minutes later, the disguise was not only convincing but nearly impossible to detect. The artificial skin meshed perfectly with that of the Humans, and the subtle construction allowed for seamless expressions and speech. The disguise was so perfect that Angus often forgot he had it on unless he looked in a mirror. Then the effect was startling.
The five team members had undergone the procedures a day before since they didn’t know when they would be dropping down to the surface. Amber would take them down in the Dart, using the stealth mode and jump capability to drop them at some hidden location. They had Seken clothing and plenty of Seken credits, thanks to the plethora of prisoners on board, so it would be no problem making their way into town. They just needed to know where to go. They would be ready to go at the drop of a hat as soon as they got a lock on Zac’s location.
But now that was an issue. They’d come expecting Zac to be in a well-known security facility, a showcase prisoner for the population to see. Now that he was in the wind, they had no idea where he was. And as far as they could tell, neither did the authorities. And Zac wasn’t only running from the bad guys; he was also making life miserable for them with his underground broadcasts.
