With Your Shield

by Chris Kennedy

  * * *

  After a quick shower, Markus strode into computer operations and found Major Good waiting for him at his station. “The boss already updated me on what’s going on. I guessed at one of your decisions and gave Baker access to the files you intercepted. I’ve also put two of our best on interception, but feel free to change that around if you want. This is your show.”

  Markus nodded. “Thanks, Major.” He reviewed the personnel who had been assigned and nodded again. “Good choices, of course. They’ll work fine.”

  “Okay, Spartan, kick some communications’ ass.”

  Markus chuckled as he sat down, shaking his head, as Major Good moved off to take care of other business. He reviewed the files he had to work on—they now had a number of messages with the new code—and allocated half into Carrie’s queue. “You got that, Carrie?”

  “Yes, Staff Sergeant,” she responded.

  “I already know everything we have won’t work, so we need to tear it down and put it back together again. Start with one message and focus on that one only. Don’t get distracted. I’m hoping if we can crack one, the algorithm will work on the rest.”

  “Got it.”

  With that, Markus started doing the same thing himself. Taking a message file and breaking it down into individual bits and bytes and trying to arrange them in a way that would make sense. It was like trying to assemble a million-piece jigsaw puzzle with no edges and pieces all the same color, but there were two million, and you only needed half of them to complete the puzzle. Most encryptions were simple variations on the ones the Horde had already catalogued, but this one was new and completely different—which was disturbing—though he did enjoy a challenge. Something told him this particular puzzle could mean the difference between life and death for mercs somewhere.

  Making multiple copies of the same message, he pursued hundreds of permutations of existing algorithms, even though he realized it was probably a waste of time. The code felt different. He went through it repeatedly, trying to break through the encryption guarding what he wanted.

  Occasionally during the shift, he would get a new message pushed to his queue, which he would glance at and shake his head as he identified the encryption and passed it back with instructions on how to break it. Thankfully, the team the major had put together was good, and they never made the same mistake twice. Even with all he was focused on, he only used about three-quarters of his processing power; he kept the rest clear in case something came up.

  After about 10 hours, he pulled up a communication window to Major Good, who accepted immediately. “What’s up, Spartan?”

  “Sir, if you would, please relieve the rest of the team and tell them to get some chow and sleep. I’ll brief the next shift and do the same.”

  “You? Taking a break without being told?”

  “Yeah, well, something feels bad about this and I can’t afford to not be at my best. I want to keep everyone on their normal rotations; I want someone looking at this day and night.”

  “You got it.” Good closed the channel.

  Ten minutes later, Markus gave the oncoming team their orders for the next shift. Shortly after that, he fell into the bunk in his room and actually slept.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Five

  Min-Sha Trading Vessel Ocean Trader, Karma

  After several weeks of transit, the MinSha trading vessel Ocean Trader finally arrived at Karma and established a parking orbit around the planet, not too far from the massive space station the system was known for. Dozens of starships were parked around the station’s three huge rings. Most of them were warships, although there were a few freighters and ships of unknown utility as well. The planet below the station looked—unfortunately—a bit like Earth, with its huge oceans, white icecaps, and brown/green land masses. Captain Caranayl watched as her crew maneuvered the ship into its assigned spot. Even though Karma Station was massive—and one of the biggest space stations in this arm of the galaxy—ships like hers were far too large to take up space alongside the station unless they were actively loading or unloading.

  Karma was also the Merc Guild headquarters for the Tolo arm, with a number of merc pits on site, including Peepo’s Pit, which was one of the preeminent merc pits in the arm, and possibly the entire galaxy. Caranayl had stopped here to load or offload many times, but she typically avoided going onto the planet itself, preferring to let her crew handle any negotiations there. She especially avoided Bartertown down on the planet…but now she would be going there.

  Despite its being a rat’s nest of warrens, lawlessness, and depravity, it was still better than Earth. Her antennae clicked in annoyance as she thought about Humans. They should never have been offered entry into the Union, even provisionally. She often thought the entire planet should have been glassed and simply mined for resources. Now the Humans had mercenary companies who were competing for contracts and apparently doing very well. Especially those so-called Four Horsemen. Someone should do something about them.

  She pondered the small data chip sitting on the corner of her desk. She had received instructions from her mysterious client to deliver the chip in a few hours by claw rather than transmitting the data. It seemed like a waste of time, especially asking her to deliver it personally, but she considered the balance of credits she would pocket and decided it was worth it. At least she knew her contact; she and Major Ketaryl had worked together previously when she had hauled equipment in support of several mercenary contracts.

  * * *

  Bartertown, Karma

  With her armed escort, Caranayl made her way to Bartertown. She was no coward, but she didn’t like being surrounded by so many who weren’t MinSha, which is why she lived her life on a transport ship crewed entirely by those of her own race. Going into Bartertown was worse than going into most other towns. Although the area immediately surrounding the starport was respectable, with tall, shiny buildings that announced the wealth being generated in their interiors, the structures farther away from the starport quickly devolved into the seedy underbelly the startown was known for. The buildings shrank to one and two-story structures, crammed together with narrow alleyways between them, where no one went by themselves. Not if they wanted to return in one piece, anyway—there was an active organ-harvesting market, and it didn’t matter what race you were; if you ventured off the beaten path, someone would be happy to relieve you of yours.

  Nearly anything could be found for a price in Bartertown, as long as you weren’t worried about where it had come from or who its previous owner had been. It was rare for the previous owners to come looking for their possessions, though—which was usually a function of the nature of the transaction through which the goods had been acquired.

  This section of town was dirty, with garish, neon-like lights proclaiming a variety of goods and services available. It was also the section of town Caranayl found herself in as she went to meet her contact, which was another reason why she had brought the escorts—two members from her security department, in full armor and armed to the mandibles.

  As she rounded a corner near the meeting point, she nearly ran into a MinSha who she recognized belatedly as Major Ketaryl. She wasn’t alone—which wasn’t surprising—she also had along two armed guards. It only made sense in Bartertown.

  “Captain, good to see you again. I trust your journey here was uneventful?”

  Caranayl’s antennae twitched nervously. “Yes. Yes, it was. Why are we—”

  She was cut off as Ketaryl reached out a claw. “It’s always good to know one is safe and in good company, isn’t it?”

  Caranayl fished the data chip from a pocket and handed it over.

  “Thank you, Captain,” Ketaryl said. “It was good to see you. Perhaps we will be working together soon.”

  With that, Ketaryl turned and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Caranayl standing there wondering what had just happened. She shook her head after a second and looked around as her distaste for her surroun
dings overrode her confusion. “Quickly,” she said. “Let’s get back to the ship.”

  * * *

  Major Ketaryl made her way back to the small nondescript office she kept on Karma and moved behind the simple desk. She plugged the chip into a waiting slate as several Tri-V displays came to life and displayed the unencrypted data. After she reviewed it for a few moments, she opened a communications channel, which was accepted as voice-only, as usual.

  “Report, Major Ketaryl,” the obviously scrambled voice ordered.

  “I have yet to hear from the Besquith, but I have the chip from Captain Caranayl. The data doesn’t appear to be tampered with, though it is not incredibly useful. We might be able to harass the Humans on their current contract, but the intercepts did not provide enough for a decisive victory unless we send an overwhelming force.”

  “Not yet, Major. The Humans’ time will come, but not yet.”

  “You promised me the opportunity to finish what we started on their entropy-damned planet!”

  “Watch your tone, Major! There are others who would gladly take your position, quite literally. Perhaps the Besquith would be better suited?”

  “Of course not,” Ketaryl said as one of her middle legs tapped the ground in unease. “I will report once more after I have heard from Captain Stor-Al.”

  “Very well, Major.”

  The circuit cut immediately, and Ketaryl let go of the breath she didn’t realize she had held. She had no idea who this mysterious employer was, but it was obvious that whoever it was had plenty of credits to spend, and she intended to make sure she got her share.

  She estimated she would have another week to wait until the Besquith arrived, though she had not yet been informed of what to expect.

  * * *

  A week later, as Ketaryl worked in her small office, she was startled by a loud banging on her door. She quickly retrieved the laser pistol she kept on the desk and aimed it at the door. No one was supposed to know she was there. She decided to stay quiet and hope they went away.

  A moment later, the banging resumed more insistently, and she heard what had to be a Besquith on the other side. “Open the damn door!”

  She slowly moved to the door, unlocked it, and opened it with her pistol ready to fire. A Besquith reached through the gap and slapped it out of her hand. “Stupid MinSha. Is that how you greet a guest?” The Besquith bared his teeth and growled.

  Ketaryl skittered back until she hit the wall. “Who are you and what do you want?!”

  The Besquith stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “I’m Captain Stor-Al. I was told you would be expecting me.”

  Ketaryl clicked her antennae in frustration and moved back behind her desk, keeping a wary, faceted eye on Stor-Al. “You were supposed to report, not show up at my door. How did you know I was here?”

  Stor-Al growled a laugh. “I was told to report here by our mutual employer.” He tossed a data chip onto the desk.

  Ketaryl snatched it up and slotted it into her slate. “Well, you’ve done that. Leave!”

  “I’m afraid not, Little Bug, my orders are to wait until you’ve reviewed the data, then we find out what’s next.”

  She found it a bit unnerving to work with a Besquith looming over her, but she reviewed the data from the chip quickly. “So, you were there in hiding while the data retrieval was conducted, and you were not detected?”

  “We were not hiding, Little Bug.” Stor-Al leaned over the desk, his clawed hands scraping the metal surface.

  Ketaryl’s faceted eyes glanced up, then back down at the slate. “Fine, you weren’t hiding. In any case, you weren’t able to intercept the transmission?”

  “No, it would have been impossible unless we were in just the right place.”

  Ketaryl nodded. “Still, it is not the best method of communication.”

  As she finished her analysis, there was a chirp. A communication channel opened, and the now familiar computer-generated voice spoke. “Now that everyone is there, report.”

  Ketaryl jumped slightly and glanced at Stor-Al who bared his teeth again; he seemed amused. “The buoy was not discovered, but it could have been, and it would have been a simple matter to destroy anything that came to interact with it.”

  “And it was soooo tempting,” Stor-Al added.

  “It is good you restrained yourself, Captain, or I would be looking for a new mercenary company to hire for this mission. I assume the buoy is taken care of?” There was a clear threat, even from the monotone voice that came through the speakers.

  “Destroyed as requested. If it’s ever found, it’ll just look like random space debris.”

  “Good. Now we move on. The next part of our project will take place in the Kelfor system. Captain, your team will move out immediately and wait there for further orders. You will be contacted by General Betreth and will report to him upon arrival.”

  Stor-Al seemed a bit surprised, Ketaryl noticed, but she listened intently and waited for her part of the contract.

  “Major Ketaryl, you will contact Captain Caranayl. There is a warehouse of equipment she will be transporting to Kelfor to prepare for the next part of the plan. You will contact her anonymously, as previously. Stor-Al, it is in your best interest to see to it that Caranayl’s ship makes it to Kelfor unmolested, since her cargo is what will keep your company alive. Clear?”

  They both answered in the affirmative. “Good, you will receive further instructions before you depart,” the voice said, then the channel closed.

  “Well, at least it pays well,” Ketaryl noted.

  “And we’ll get to kill Humans. Goodbye, Little Bug.” Stor-Al left, leaving the door open behind him as a last measure of disrespect. Ketaryl had expected no less.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Six

  Computer Operations, Golden Horde HQ, Uzbekistan, Earth

  After several weeks of working on the messages, Markus finally broke the code. He immediately opened a communication channel to Major Good. “I’ve got it.”

  Within a minute, the major stood at his side, with his team gathered around him.

  “Well,” Major Good prompted, “you don’t seem all that excited.”

  “I am, but I’m not.” Markus turned his chair around to address the group gathered around him. “I broke the encryption. It was a stone-cold bitch, for sure, but the decryption key is now stored in our library. The problem is that all the traffic is routine, except for one message, and I’m working on figuring out what the hell it means.”

  “Okay, Spartan, slow down. What do you mean the traffic is routine?”

  “I mean it’s nothing of importance. It’s standard open comms traffic from planetside to a ship or transport movement orders. Stuff that’s either public record or that anyone with a slate could probably retrieve given a few hours.” He shrugged.

  “Odd, but what about the one message? What was it?”

  “Something about a beacon. If I had to guess, it’s some kind of communications hub or navigational beacon. Of course, there’s only one way to find out…”

  Good sighed and tapped his foot. He shook his head at Markus’s grin. “Yes?”

  “We could go check it out…since I also happen to have the associated nav coordinates. It’s in some system I’ve never seen on a star map before, which appears to be uninhabited.” He grinned and leaned back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head.

  “So, what you’re telling me is that we just spent a month breaking this encryption only to find out there’s nothing important in any of the messages, except that there’s a beacon somewhere in an uninhabited system?”

  Markus nodded. “That pretty much sums it up.”

  The entire team sighed and shook their heads. “What a fucking waste of time,” one of them muttered.

  “No,” Markus countered. “Quite the opposite. I’d wager this was a test of a new encryption algorithm, and that the beacon is probably a trap, set to determine how long it took for someone
to break the code and go check out the location.”

  Major Good nodded. “Okay, everyone, take the rest of the day off; you’ve earned it. Go off base if you want to; just be back in two days, sober and ready for duty. I’ll let the boss know what you’ve found. Stick around for a few, Spartan, in case she has any questions.”

  That comment earned a bit more enthusiasm from the gathered group as they all sketched salutes and headed out, except for Baker. Carrie watched as Major Good walked away, likely already talking to Colonel Enkh, then turned to Markus.

  “Not bad for an old CASPer trooper.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “Not that old. Just experienced.”

  “Is that so? Care to join me in town for a few drinks? After you brief the boss, of course.”

  He nodded. “Sure, why not? I’ll comm you when I’m ready.”

  She nodded as well and sauntered off. As he watched, he could swear she was shaking her backside a bit more than usual and gritted his teeth. Damn regulations.

  Major Good walked back over to him as he stood up to stretch.

  “Based on how this went down—and your skill set—we’re shifting you over to Special Projects, so you’ll have a new team, some of whom worked on this with you and are moving over as well. You’ll still report to me, of course. I know you and Carrie work well together, but she’ll be remaining where she is. She’s best at comm intercepts, and we have other things in mind for you and your team.”

  Markus looked at the major and raised an eyebrow.

  “That’s right, Spartan, she’s no longer in your chain of command. In fact, you’re in completely different areas of work now. There might be some overlap, but nothing to be concerned with. So…what are you waiting for? Get out of here.”

  * * *

  When Markus got outside, he found Carrie waiting for him. She smiled. “Ready to go?”