Cabal of Lies

by Michael Anderle

  He squeezed a hand into a fist. “Just because I don’t talk about it, don’t think I’ll ever forget, Jia. I remind myself all the time about the soldiers I lost, and that the assholes who killed them believe they’ve gotten away with it.” He unclenched his fist and lowered his arm. “But, yeah, I think I’ve reached my limit on what I can accomplish as a cop in Neo SoCal.”

  He looked at her, eyes firm. “But I’m not leaving without you. I wouldn’t have been able to do everything I’ve done without both you and Emma. No matter where this shit takes me, I need people I know I can trust to have my back.”

  Jia opened her mouth to ask if it was just about trust but shut it when Emma materialized in the center of the room. Jia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly blew it out through her nose.

  There were disadvantages to the AI’s omnipresence.

  “I’m not a person, Detective,” Emma complained.

  Erik chuckled. “People and AIs I can trust, then.” He looked past her at Jia. “Be sure, though. Don’t do anything because I’m doing it. Do it because you want to. I can’t promise you anything at the end of this. I might not even be satisfied, but at least there will be fewer assholes in the UTC by the time this is done.”

  Jia nodded. “I’ll have to think about it a little more. Maybe the Lady will intervene and push us in the right direction.”

  “You believe in the Lady now?” Erik offered her a mischievous smile.

  Jia laughed. “It’s hard not to after everything we’ve gone through.”

  Emma tilted her head and frowned. “I think a different lady might be intervening.”

  “What are you talking about?” Erik asked.

  “Agent Koval is making use of a similar system as Colonel Adeyemi to send me a message. She says her gift is finally ready, but you’ll need to go somewhere to receive it.”

  Jia slid off her desk. “Well, isn’t that fortuitous?”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  UTC Deep Space Prison Delta 97

  David Esposito sighed and leaned back in his chair in the small room.

  He wanted to believe the guards respected his dignity enough not to bind his hands or feet, but he knew the truth.

  They had no reason to fear him.

  The chairs and small white table were secured to the floor, and two large guards with stun rods waited outside the room. He wasn’t a hardened killer like Kevan, even if some of his choices in the last few years had led to other people being murdered. It was easy to order someone else to take care of a problem.

  Now he was behind bars without his wealth or status. He was nothing—less than nothing—saved from predation only by the few friends he’d made and a baseline professionalism among the guards.

  Unless his coming visitor somehow smuggled a weapon to him, there would be nothing he could do, and it wasn’t like a normal man had a chance of doing that on a prison station.

  David didn’t even know who was coming to visit him. When he’d received the message, he was surprised. He didn’t know anyone named Hadrian Conners, but he also wasn’t going to turn down someone willing to speak with him from the outside.

  The man had flown all the way to the prison station to meet with him. That had to mean something.

  Right?

  He’d put out feelers among the prisoners with any sort of sway about wanting to make a deal to help his family on the outside. Most had laughed at him or mocked him. Even the ones who’d listened to his pleas didn’t say anything to suggest they could help him. That wasn’t surprising.

  Sitting over three-hundred and eighty thousand kilometers from Earth in a space station made it hard for most anyone on the inside to maintain influence on the outside.

  The door slid open, revealing a tall, pale, gaunt man in an impeccable suit. He offered a polite nod after a leisurely survey of the room. The door slid closed behind him. The man strolled over to a chair on the opposite side of the table and took a seat.

  “We can talk freely, David,” the man explained. “I’ve taken measures to ensure that. I thought it was important to establish from the beginning since we’re about to discuss some highly illegal activities.”

  David looked the man up and down. Something about his tight skin and the way he precisely enunciated his words made David’s skin crawl. He was like a walking skeleton, and David couldn’t even tell his approximate age.

  “You’re Hadrian Conners?”

  “That’s the name I’m currently using. It’s not my real name, of course.” Hadrian offered him a thin smile. “But I’ve come a long way to meet with you. I’m hoping we can do business together.

  David shook his head. “I don’t know you. I’ve never met you, and I’ve never had any business dealings with you even indirectly. I’ve never heard of you.”

  “That’s all accurate.” Hadrian nodded. “We’ve never, to the best of my knowledge, met directly in my entire life. We had no reason to. Until recently, given my particular interests, I’d have no reason to deal with a man of your position. Others I associate with have.”

  “Who?” David eyed him with suspicion.

  Hadrian stared back. “I can’t give you that information.”

  David grunted. “Then why are you here? To waste my time? Taunt me? Mock me as a fallen corporate prince?”

  Hadrian folded his hands in front of him. “Now, that’s a rather rude and presumptuous way of speaking to me. I’ve come here at your request. It’s been passed along to me by certain associates who have heard from other associates that you are looking for a way to help your family, and that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to save them. Would you say that’s an accurate summary of your position?”

  David scoffed. He shook a finger at the pale man. “I know what this is. I admit something, then the warden comes in and accuses me of conspiracy. They tack on more years to my sentence.”

  Hadrian chuckled. “You’re already spending decades in here. What advantage is it for them to entrap you?” His eyes roamed around the room, taking in the prison decor, reminding David of his predicament in a way which words couldn’t. “You’re far from the worst offender in this place.”

  “And you expect me to believe that you’ve come to solve all my problems like some genie?”

  Hadrian’s lips parted and his eyes widened. “Exactly, David. What a wonderful analogy. Yes, you should think of me as a genie who has come to grant your wishes.”

  David shuddered. The other man was looking through him as much as at him. He swallowed. He wasn’t superstitious, but Hadrian would make a good Grim Reaper if he put on a black robe.

  “The best genie stories are morality tales about greed,” Hadrian continued. “Or perhaps more accurately, tales of arrogance and hubris. A man granted great power fails to see the possible downsides.”

  “What the hell does that have to do with anything?” David asked.

  Hadrian pulled his hands apart and pointed at David. “A man asks the genie for a wish, and the genie grants it, but the man isn’t careful, so he has to pay a terrible price for his wishes to be granted.”

  “You’re seriously threatening me?” David jumped out of his seat and glared at the pale man. “You don’t look so tough, and they made sure you didn’t have a weapon when you boarded this station. I could choke you to death before they could get in here and stop me, and if you’re telling the truth, they probably aren’t even watching us.”

  “Choke me to death?” Hadrian snickered. “Is that something they taught you at Ceres Galactic?”

  “No, it’s something my buddy Kevan did,” David growled. “Stop screwing with me.”

  Hadrian tapped the table with a single finger. “Sit, Mr. Esposito. My time is far more valuable than yours, and the only reason I’m here is that you can be of use to my employers. You’ve whined to half the people in this prison for help, so I’ve come to give it to you. Or I can leave, and your family can rot in squalor. I don’t care either way.” Despite the harshness of h
is words, his tone remained calm, his diction precise.

  “You’re, what?” David swallowed and sank back into his chair. “Some sort of syndicate agent?”

  “Something like that,” Hadrian replied. “But this is one situation where the less you know, the better for you and your family. I’ll make this simple. I can offer you a chance at revenge and a chance at money for your family, enough that they’ll be comfortable for a while.”

  “Revenge?” David frowned. “Against the other people involved? The ones who forced me to take all the blame and then didn’t protect my family?”

  “No. That would be…counterproductive to my employers’ interests. Besides, why blame the other people involved in your activities? You freely chose your associations. The problem isn’t that everyone didn’t suffer. No, no, no. That’s not the problem at all. The problem is the self-righteous police who stuck their nose into something they had no business getting involved with.”

  David gripped the edge of the table so hard, his fingertips turned white. “Blackwell and Lin.”

  “Ah, excellent.” Hadrian slow-clapped. “I see you understand the truth and aren’t blinded by the extraneous elements.”

  “I know the CID came swooping in, but if it weren’t for those two, none of it would have happened. People were satisfied with the status quo, but those two damned cops came in and ruined it all!” David slammed a fist on the table. “They ruined my life.”

  Hadrian replied with a single sharp nod. “Yes, they did ruin your life, and now they’re famous, and not just in Neo SoCal or even just Earth. People are talking about them on other planets, David.” He clucked his tongue. “Does that seem fair? You worked very hard to get your position. You’re a man of pedigree. Blackwell is nothing but a retired soldier playing detective, and Lin is a privileged daughter who all but bought her way into the police force. And for what? To lay you low so they can feel smug and superior?”

  “You don’t have to convince me to hate them. I already do. What’s this have to do with helping my family?”

  Hadrian stared at David silently. It stretched from seconds to a half-minute.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” David shouted.

  “Nothing. Consider it a test.”

  “You’re just screwing with me, aren’t you?”

  “That would be a waste of time, I can assure you,” Hadrian replied. “Blackwell and Lin are a thorn in many people’s sides. Everyone would prefer they were gone, but they’ve proven resilient for a number of reasons. Certain measures have been taken in recent months, but they failed. Other incidental possibilities that looked promising also failed. It’s led my employers to consider unorthodox methods for solving the problem.”

  “You’re saying you want them dead?” David smiled. “That would make no one happier than me.”

  “Neo Southern California is no longer a good place for business. This has caused my employers much distress. Many business relationships have been disrupted because of their investigations, including the incident that ended in your unfortunate incarceration.”

  David licked his lips. “You said we’d never done business before.”

  “And that is correct. I’ve never personally dealt with you, but you’ve dealt with people who serve my employers, albeit indirectly. Suffice it to say, if Blackwell and Lin are eliminated, it’ll be easier to generate evidence implicating them in corruption. Their allies in particular areas will be on the defensive.” Hadrian reached up and adjusted his tie. “They are powerful symbols, and people are rallying to their cause because of that. But if they die under dubious circumstances, and then are exposed through the use of generated evidence? Well, the symbol can be turned against itself. The previous status quo can be restored. Neo Southern California will be open for business again.”

  “That sounds good.” David rubbed his hands together. “If they get taken out, then I can be freed, right?”

  Hadrian sighed. “That’s unlikely.”

  David hissed, “Then why are you even talking to me?”

  “Because I’m your genie, David, here to grant your wishes.” Hadrian held up a bony finger. “Your first wish is for revenge.” He held up a second finger. “And your second wish is that your family be taken care of. I’m well aware of their financial situation.”

  “But the genie’s going to turn my wish against me?” David probed.

  “The genie’s simply going to give you what you want in a twisted way. All you have to do is help kill Blackwell and Lin.”

  David let out a pained laugh. “How am I going to do that from a prison station?”

  Hadrian’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll explain that, but I want to make one thing clear. You will see your wishes granted, but it will cost you your life. I am willing to make sure a quarter of the money is made available to your family in a way that will protect it from CID seizure within a couple of hours. Consider it a good-faith down payment. The rest will come once you’ve played your part.”

  David thought about the offer. He had no idea what the man was about to ask him to do, but if he could get that initial payment sent, he could always refuse later. If his family just had a little to survive on, his wife could figure something out.

  “Ah, and to be clear,” Hadrian began, “if you’re thinking you can somehow not carry through on your end, note that we’ll be more than happy to direct the CID to the new money if you attempt that. We could also have you killed here, but that would be wasteful. Your sacrifice for the elimination of Blackwell and Lin and the salvation of your family is far more valuable to both you and my employers.”

  David’s shoulders slumped, and his head hung low. He didn’t want to die, but he also had no other ideas about how to help his family. Hadrian could be lying to him about the rest of the money, but if even the first part made it through, that could change everything.

  The desperate man swallowed and looked up, the reality of his situation leaking from his eyes. “How much money are we talking, and what exactly do I have to do?”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Erik and Jia stepped into the small private hangar.

  Alina’s message had directed them to an exclusive private spaceport on the edge of Neo SoCal. A modest boxy cargo transport was parked on thick landing struts. It was neither the sexiest vessel nor the largest Erik had ever seen, but he recognized it immediately—a Rabbit-class Small Transport produced by Yangtze Heavy Industries. He’d seen more than a few in his time on the frontier.

  Quick mental calculations told Erik the cargo bay could hold two MX 60s, or one MX 60 and a decent number of ammo boxes and small drones.

  With a rumble, the cargo bay door lowered to form a ramp. Alina stood in the cargo bay, her arms crossed. Unlike the last few times they had seen her, she wasn’t in disguise—although Erik wasn’t sure he’d refer to a cyan ponytail as a natural look.

  Alina spread her arms out in a welcoming manner. “Sorry it took so long, but when you’re trying to make sure something’s not easily traceable, things can get complicated.”

  “What is this?” Jia asked.

  “My gift to you.” Alina smiled. “A ship. You can’t be Bellerophon and slay monsters without a Pegasus to carry you into the heavens, now, can you?”

  “That is one fat Pegasus.” Jia eyed the ship.

  “But she flies,” Alina replied. “And it’s a nice start. LLT9208 Pegasus.”

  “LLT?” Erik echoed. “Lunar Light Transport. She’s registered on the moon?”

  Alina smiled. “Certain things are easier with moon-registered craft for now. While she isn’t the nicest-looking vessel, she does have certain features that make it easier to get to and from certain places and hide things, including being registered to a Directorate-affiliated shell company, and a transponder that can be easily changed to emit false signals. Also hidden cargo spaces that won’t show up in standard scans.”

  Erik chuckled. “Lots of smugglers use Rabbits out on the frontier.”


  “Functional and cheap compared to a lot of alternatives.” Alina gestured for them to come aboard. “I figured if you needed to take a trip, it might help if you didn’t have to take a commercial transport that might be bombed or hijacked, especially if certain people are watching you more carefully.”

  Jia strolled toward the ramp, incredulity painted all over her face. “The only time we needed a ship lately was when we did a job for you.” She eyed the spy. “You have something in mind?”

  “Not immediately, but you both know I want you.” Alina grinned. “And you’re not wrong. Even if you’re not interested in my standing offer, I’m sure I’ll find side jobs for you here and there that could be helped along by you having your own ship.”

  Erik finally moved after Jia, jogging to catch up. His boots thudded on the metal ramp until he reached the empty cargo bay. He looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary for a Rabbit, but it’d been a few years since he’d last stepped aboard one. Searching for contraband wasn’t a typical Assault Infantry task.

  Alina pointed to a hatch in the corner of the cargo bay. “That gives you direct access to the reactor from inside if you need it. Note it’s not a reactor chamber as much as a shaft leading to the reactor.”

  Erik let her continue for Jia’s sake.

  Alina pointed to a long box secured against the far wall. “Spacesuits in there, and some pressure suits if you need something less intense. Breathers, too.” She pivoted with the grace of a dancer and walked toward a thick door at the front of the cargo bay, pointing with both arms to opposite corners of the room. “I’ll show you how to access the hidden cargo areas later. Plenty of space for laser rifles and TR-7s.”

  She tapped her PNIU, and the door slid open. The trio headed into the next compartment. A bulkhead with another door separated the area into two distinct rooms. A small table with chairs built directly into the deck sat in the corner. Four folding berths were latched to the outer bulkhead. A smaller door opened off the front of the room.