by M J Dees
Sevan barely heard her comment over the shouts of the crowd.
“I’d better speak to them,” said Sevan, taking a voice amplifier off one of the Republic Guards.
As soon as the crowd saw Sevan, they became louder and more animated.
“Fellow workers...” Sevan began.
“What work do you do?” a voice stood out from the rest. A ripple of laughter followed it.
“I understand you have many grievances,” Sevan was not about to allow hecklers to put him off. “You will soon have your opportunity to have those grievances heard when you elect your representatives for the council.”
“Who voted for you?”
“President Man appointed me to manage the process to set up the new council. If your representatives decide I should step down as the Chief Council Member then I will respect their decision.”
The prospect of Sevan’s resignation inspired cheers throughout the crowd.
“You see,” said Sevan to Ay-ttho as he handed the amplifier back to the guard. “I have a talent for raising their spirits.”
The prospect of Sevan’s resignation had lifted the spirits of the crowd which was much less like an angry mob and much more like a satisfied audience. They were dispersing and, as they did, they talked about how they were among the first to hear the Chief Council Member’s intention to resign. They were on their communicators telling their friends what they had seen.
“Can I leave you here to supervise everything while I take Ay-ttho to Tomorrow?” Sevan asked Tori.
Tori sighed and then nodded.
“Thank you. Keep me up to date if anything happens.”
Tori nodded again and then watched as Sevan led Ay-ttho into the shuttle and the door closed.
Sevan and Ay-ttho settled into their comfortable seats.
“Be careful,” warned Sevan. “There’s something not right about all this.”
“Why? What do you know?”
“I know no more than you do, I’ve just got a bad feeling about all this.”
“Then call off the mission.”
“I tried, but the president was having none of it.”
“Do you not trust the president?”
Sevan didn’t answer.
*
“They say it’s the largest space station in this part of the galaxy,” said Sevan as they approached the huge structure.
“Who are they?” asked Ay-ttho. She was grumpy.
“I would stay to say hello to Ron but there are too many people here who would like to talk to me about all the targets we are not meeting so I’ll be heading straight back.”
Sevan had just finished his words when his communicator burst into life.
“Sevan? Where are you?” Tori’s voice cracked on the device.
“I’m just dropping Ay-ttho off at Tomorrow.”
“Get back here, there are riots in Hygiea.”
“I’m coming with you,” said Ay-ttho.
“No, you stay here.”
“What?”
“I’ll try to get the president to change his mind one more time, but until he does, we have to assume you are leading the mission to Daphnis.
Sevan watched Ay-ttho leave the shuttle. He had a bad feeling about this mission but there was not much he could do about it, orders from the president were orders, which he had to obey.
As his shuttle left Tomorrow to return to the concession and Hygiea where Tori had reported the workers were rioting, Sevan sent another message to the president.
Workers rioting in the concession. We need Ay-ttho to help maintain security. I ask that you relieve her of the command of the mission to Daphnis.
The reply arrived so fast that Sevan wondered whether the president had time to read his message.
I have complete faith in Tori and yourself to manage the security of the concession while Ay-ttho is on the mission to Daphnis.
Sevan knew better than to argue. He was only the chief council member of a small concession on the edge of the system. It surprised him the president considered him important enough to reply as he did. Instead, his thoughts turned to Hygiea and the riots, which he hoped Tori would control before he got there.
As the shuttle approached the concession, Sevan could see fires had broken out all over, not just in Hygiea. He realised the shuttle pilot was not taking him to Hygiea at all but seemed to head for the Council building.
“Where are we going?” Sevan asked even though he knew the answer.
“It is too dangerous to land near Hygiea.”
“Who said?”
“Commander Tori ordered me to take you to the council building.”
Sevan sighed. From the observation deck he could see fires in all directions shining in the night. He couldn’t help feeling that they looked beautiful and yet he knew that when the workers awoke, they would need to vote for their representatives and it worried Sevan that he could not guarantee their safety.
“It’s worse than it looks.”
Sevan turned to see who had spoken. It was Tori.
“Is it?” Sevan wasn’t convinced. He thought Tori was being optimistic to make him feel better.
“The Republic Guards have the situation under control in Hygiea and the Corporation security forces are maintaining security everywhere else. All the polling stations are secure and are ready for the ballot.”
“Thank you.” Sevan was grateful for his friend.
The job the president had given Sevan was almost impossible as it was. He would not have achieved even the small victories he had if it were not for the help of Tori and Ay-ttho.
*
As the first solar rays bathed the concession in their golden light, smoke from the many fires was still climbing into the sky contributing to a beautiful sunrise.
Sevan contemplated the importance of the day, a day many of his fellow workers were suspicious of, a day, which many of them had not wanted. It was the day when they had been given a choice for the first time, choice over their destiny. He hoped they made the right choices.
“Have you been here all night?” Tori asked as he entered the observation deck.
Sevan smiled and shook his head.
“All the polling stations have opened as planned,” Tori reported. “So far all seems to be going as planned. I don’t think we’ll have any more trouble.”
“I hope you are right,” said Sevan, taking a sip of pish.
“It's too early to be drinking, isn’t it?”
“It’s okay. I started last night.”
CHAPTER 3: THE RETURN OF THE MASTERMIND
When the polls closed, even before they had counted all the votes, it was clear that the majority of the new councillors would be the same councillors whom had sat on the old council that the president had abolished to make way for the new elected assembly.
Sevan sighed. He had given the workers their choice, and they had chosen, they had chosen business as usual, they had rejected change. He didn’t blame them. Not so long ago, he, too, would have rejected change.
Tori had reported to Sevan that he had heard many accusations of irregularities. Sevan was sure that many of the results might not be as legitimate as he had hoped but given the precarious security situation, Sevan wasn’t about to suggest annulling the results. He doubted the workers would rise in protest at the result.
Sevan glanced around his office. He imagined he wouldn’t be able to call it his office for much longer. Most of the results were in and those who were claiming victory were gathering in the council chamber to see him ratify the results.
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” he called.
The door opened and Tori entered.
“How is everything going?” Sevan asked.
“It’s like watching scavengers around the waste dumps. They are asking for your presence. They want you to swear them back into office, it’s painful to watch.”
Sevan glanced around his office once more. So, this was the last time he could call it his
own. He got up and walked over to a cabinet which he opened and took out a bottle of pish.
“I will miss this stuff,” he said, admiring the contents of the bottle.
“I hear you can get a very passable version on the streets.”
Sevan cringed.
“Will you join me?” he offered Tori a cup.
“I don’t usually but I suppose this is a special occasion.”
They sipped on their cups in silence, enjoying the last moments of their privilege before they took it from them.
There was another knock on the door.
“Come,” said Sevan. This time with a weary resignation.
A member of the Corporation Security Forces entered.
“They are requesting your presence in the council chamber,” said the armed guard.
It was only at that point that Sevan feared he might not get away with a simple resignation.
*
“Nice to see you again,” said a voice from the control panels. It was Ron, the navigation computer of the Mastery of the Stars.
“Nice to be back,” said Ay-ttho. “I hope they’ve been treating you well.”
“They have. They completely refitted the ship.”
“Really?” Ay-ttho looked around. “It looks just as grotty as it always did.”
“I asked them to retain the personality of the ship. I think they look me a little too literally.”
“Well, as long as she works.”
“Oh yes, I think you’ll find her faster and more manoeuvrable than ever before.”
“If that’s possible,” Ay-ttho settled into the pilot’s seat. “Is the cargo loaded?”
“Yes, all on board and ready.”
“Let’s go then.”
Mastery of the Stars shuddered as all the hatches were closed and it lifted off, heading for the hangar doors.
“Where are we heading again?”
“Daphnis.”
“Where in the Giant Cup is that?”
“Not far, it’s another of the Corporation's mining concessions.”
“Then why haven’t I heard of it.”
“It’s not very significant. I think Barnes had identified it for liquidation, too.”
“Then why in the name of the Giant Cup are they insisting that we take the cargo?”
Ron was silent.
Ay-ttho negotiated the freighter through the hangar doors and out into the vast openness of space where Ron took over the navigation.
“I’m going for a rest,” Ay-ttho told him. “Don’t wake me when we get there.”
Ron knew better than to do a silly thing like try to wake Ay-ttho.
When the Mastery of the Stars arrived at Daphnis, a flotilla of Corporation shuttles greeted it.
“That’s odd,” Ron mused to himself.
“Identify yourself,” a business like voice crackled over the communicator.
“Corporation freighter, Mastery of the Stars. We are carrying a consignment for the concession at Daphnis by request of President Man of the Republic.”
“Please wait.”
Ron would have liked to have woken Ay-ttho, but he knew that would be a terrible idea. He would just have to wait until she got up of her own accord.
“Prepare to be boarded,” the business like voice was back.
“What? That is very unorthodox.”
“We are on a high level of security alert here at the moment. It is protocol to search all ships on their way in and out of the system.”
“I understand,” Ron hoped that, if they searched the ship, they didn’t wake Ay-ttho. He shuddered to think what would happen if they did, the ship had only just been refitted.
Once one of the Corporation shuttles had attached itself to the Mastery of the Skies, Ron opened the airlock and observed several members of the Corporation Security Forces enter the ship.
“Welcome aboard the Mastery of the Stars,” Ron said through the ship’s intercom system as the security guards stepped into the corridor.
“Where are the crew?” one of the guards, whom Ron presumed was the commander, asked.
“We are only carrying one crew member on this trip.”
“And where is he?”
“She is sleeping.”
“Then wake her.”
“That would be very unwise.”
“We will search the ship.”
“Suit yourselves.”
Ron waited while the guards went from section to section, checking the hold first and then working their way back towards the bridge until they reached the crew’s personal quarters, most of which were empty but when they reached Ay-ttho’s quarters, they found the door sealed.
“Open this door,” the commander ordered.
“You don’t want me to do that,” said Ron.
“I do.”
“You don’t.”
“Just open the door.”
“As you wish.”
There was a click and then a hiss as the door slid open.
Ron observed that the guards had entered Ay-ttho’s quarters but could not observe anything inside because of the Corporation’s privacy protocol which prevented ship navigation systems from accessing private quarters.
Through the common area surveillance system he could register the sound of many blasters being discharged in quick succession and observe the occasional blast escaping through the doorway and destroying a section of corridor.
After a moment of frantic activity, the area fell silent and then Ay-ttho, looking very upset, emerged into the corridor and headed for the bridge.
“Why did you let them wake me up?” she asked as she walked.
“They insisted,” said Ron.
“You know I’m not at my best unless I wake up by myself. Who will clean up that mess?”
“I’ve already dispatched some maintenance droids. To be honest, I’m more concerned about what that flotilla of Corporation shuttles will do when they discover that we’ve killed their friends.”
“Mastery of the Stars. We have detected firearm usage on your vessel,” a voice crackled through the communicator.
“See, told you,” said Ron.
“This is Mastery of the Stars,” Ay-ttho`s voice was calm. “Your colleagues had a weapons malfunction, which has done quite a bit of damage to my living quarters. I suggest you send a cleanup crew to scrape their bodies off my...well...to tidy up a bit.”
“I wonder how they will take that,” Ron mused.
“Mastery of the Stars, we are sending an armed response unit. Prepare to be boarded,” the voice crackled in an efficient tone.
“They don’t seem thrilled,” said Ron.
“You can’t blame them.”
The ship shuddered as another shuttle docked onto the Mastery of Stars, on the opposite side to the first.
Ay-ttho waited on the bridge until the armed unit, which turned out to be very armed, finished its exploration and arrived to take her away.
She followed them as they led her onto the shuttle, past many guards who were boarding the Mastery of the Stars to take it the rest of the way to Daphnis.
*
Daphnis looked very similar to the Concession on The Doomed Planet; stacks of containers sprawled across the landscape threaded with dirty streets and, in the centre an impressive structure standing out from the rest by its modernity and sheer size. It was to this building the shuttle was heading.
When they docked, it became clear that Ay-ttho would not receive a warm welcome. She was being led into a detention centre where they locked her in a cell.
“What’s happening? Why am I being brought here?” she demanded but her guards remained silent, closing the door which sealed her in her prison.
The room was windowless and bare, save for a bench at one side on which she sat. The only illumination was from a light, which appeared to be part of the fabric of the ceiling. She waited and waited and waited.
The door opened and more heavily armed guards took her through a series of cor
ridors into a large interrogation room. They secured her to a chair and one of the guards left, the rest positioned themselves around the room.
She waited again. None of the guards seemed to want to be engaged in conversation, so she gave up trying. Then the door opened and a guard entered, followed by the unmistakable robed figure of Barnes.
“You?”
Barnes had been one of the last individuals she had expected to meet at that moment.
“Ay-ttho. We meet again.”
“What are you doing here? Why would the president send you aid?”
“He is very gullible, isn’t he?” Barnes laughed. “He is so eager to help those he feels have been victims of my persecution that he quite forgets to make the proper checks.”
“You have the consignment you wanted, let me go.”
“Why would I do that? So you can go running back to your friends and muster an army against me?”
“They will come for me.”
“I am counting on it. But they will not send an army. They will send those two buffoons you call friends.”
“And what makes you think they won’t send an army?”
“You flatter yourself too much. You are really not that important in the big scheme of things, and the Republic suffered too many losses in their war against the Alliance to bother risking too many resources on me.”
“The President wants you dead.”
“I’m sure he does, but he is also a pragmatic cloud of sentient gas and a small concession like Daphnis, on the edge of the region is not much concern to him.”
“Then why send me here with this consignment if Daphnis is not important.”
“Because Daphnis is not important. He sends his most expendable pilot. You don’t think he would risk any of his good ones, do you?”
“You’re lying.”
“The truth is hard to swallow, isn’t it?”
“Why do you even need help from the president? Where are your friends from the Alliance?”
Barnes laughed.
“They went crawling back to the Republic as soon as they lost the war,” he growled. “The president is not concerned about my ability to muster another uprising. He thinks I will only use the arms he has supplied against my creation.”
“Why do you hate your own creation so much?”
“Your little friend hit the nail on the head.”
