Parker Interstellar Travels 4: The Trilisk Hunt, Page 3

  Suddenly the world yanked hard, and she stopped. The rapid stop stunned her, even though it had felt soft. She looked around. She was caught in a netting across the bottom of the slide, at the edge of the fissure.

  Oh yeah. Someone did mention a safety net.

  She lay there, listening to her ragged breathing.

  “Damn what a ride! Yes!” She laughed. Her hand was bloody, her arm swelling, but she smiled. The adrenaline did not let her feel the pain.

  Now, which way was the spaceport?

  Chapter 4

  “Maxsym Kirolenko?”

  Maxsym felt his pulse rate increase. He closed his blue eyes. Short blond hair became ruffled by large, tan hands.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Jason Yang—”

  “Yes, I was told to expect your call.”

  “Oh. Is this a good time?”

  A good time? Is this a good time to build a false case to crucify you for criticizing the government of the core worlds?

  “Let’s get it over with.”

  There was a fat pause. Then the man kept talking.

  “I’m sorry you feel that way. Let me convince you otherwise. You have a strong record in your field, sir. By all accounts an eminent xenobiologist. And at the age of twenty-two, all the more amazing.”

  “Thank you…”

  Here comes the “but”…

  “Have you ever thought about the hindrances to your career posed by increasing government intervention? From what I understand, you stand opposed to current political policies allowing the destruction of alien ecosystems to pave the way for new colonies.”

  “I have expressed my… viewpoint, yes. But I have fulfilled all my contracts and conducted my research professionally, and successfully, despite these different points of view.”

  “You also blamed the core world government for the disaster at Calnine,” the man said.

  Maxsym breathed in. Calm down.

  “I provided… constructive criticism,” Maxsym said. “Look, I’m not a dissenter.”

  “‘UN buffoons who have the blood of those colonists on their hands’?” quoted the man.

  “I don’t care!” Maxsym barked. “You know what? I’m not taking it back. They were irresponsible! You want to kill the xenobarrier research, you go right ahead. I’ll work with someone who doesn’t have a problem with my politics.”

  “Ah, yes, the xenobarrier project. I wanted to ask some questions about that. But first, I’d like to explain why I think a man like you is a great fit for Parker Interstellar Travels. Out here on the frontier, you’ll find yourself with more freedom to—”

  “What? What is this?”

  “A job interview. Didn’t you—”

  “Oh. I’m sorry, things have been hectic here since… when I spoke out about Calnine, I whipped up something of a storm. I’m sorry, I seem to be confused. Overwhelmed. I thought you were… someone else. How very embarrassing.”

  “Sir?”

  “I’m sorry. Case of mistaken identity. If I had paid more attention… please accept my apologies. What need has a travel agency of a man like me?”

  “I’m glad you asked that,” Jason said.

  ***

  Maxsym stepped onto another dingy transport. It seemed that the farther toward the frontier he had gone, each transport had been worse than the last.

  I wonder if I’ve made a mistake going out here, he thought. I don’t know that much about this company, and there are occasional stories about people disappearing out here.

  Before Maxsym left the spaceport link coverage, he sent a message back to his home datastore with his location and intentions. Just in case he never came back. On the old transport, he clanked along a metal corridor and came to a passenger chamber atop the cargo space. Three other men and a woman sat along two long benches facing each other. He stopped and checked the flight time: scheduled for two hours. It said the destination was a space rendezvous, not another spaceport.

  End of the line. I guess this crappy seat will do for just a couple hours.

  Maxsym looked over his fellow passengers. He stared for two long seconds on his approach, planning to look away soon so as to avoid any negative reactions. He thought one of the men might be very young, maybe not twenty, and the others he gauged between twenty and thirty. The woman was young and attractive. She looked confident. The last thing Maxsym gleaned before sitting down was a range of clothing in the others. The young man was dressed in lighter colorweave garments like Maxsym. He could be a fellow core worlder, but the others wore more durable clothing.

  They must be from the frontier, or somewhere in between.

  “Are you here for PIT, too?” asked the younger man. His shirt shifted subtly from dark green to something more aqua in a wavering pattern like plant fronds. Maxsym thought the youth was probably handsome, which made him wonder if he was the boyfriend of the woman, or perhaps her brother.

  “Yes,” Maxsym said. “All of you?”

  “Yep,” the shorter man said. “I’m Imanol. You look like you’ve come a ways. You’re not in Kansai anymore, Blondie.”

  “Kansas. Dorothy.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I’m Maxsym. From New New York,” he said.

  “I’m Caden, from Earth,” said the young man.

  “Caden, Imanol,” Maxsym repeated. He looked toward the other two. “May I ask your names?”

  “Siobhan,” said the woman. She smiled. Maxsym noticed her limbs were folded uncomfortably. She would be very tall when she stood up.

  “Krellis,” said the last man. He did not smile.

  “So, if you’re like us, you don’t know very much about this job,” Caden said. “No one even knows how many openings are available.”

  Maxsym nodded. “I’m largely in the dark as well, but I got the feeling that I wasn’t competing for a position, but being offered one if they could persuade me.”

  Caden accepted that opinion without comment.

  “That’s the way it was with me, too,” Siobhan said. “They were selling themselves hard. Sounded like they wanted me to join them pretty bad. I’ll be a little pissed if it turns out we’re all competing for the same position. But at least they paid for the trip.”

  Maxsym nodded again. “I guess we’ll know soon.”

  Maxsym settled in for the takeoff. The old transport left the frontier port and headed into space.

  The young man, Caden, seemed unwilling to pass the time in silence.

  “I’m a new graduate. I was headed for New Annapolis, but I’m considering this job instead. What skillset do you have? It might tell us a lot to share what we do. All the same sort of stuff?”

  “I am a xenobiologist,” Maxsym said.

  “Wow. Okay, that’s radically different than anything I can do,” Caden said.

  “I’m an industrial automation specialist,” Siobhan said. “So it’s looking better for all of us getting a job all the time.”

  “I’m a security specialist,” Imanol offered.

  Everyone looked to Krellis.

  “Ex military,” Krellis said.

  Ah. Krellis does sound like a last name.

  There was another pause. Once again, Caden started talking.

  “So what can you tell me about life on the frontier? Is it as dangerous as it seems to us core worlders?”

  Imanol and Siobhan traded looks. Imanol said, “Just be courteous until you learn your way around. ‘An armed society is a polite society’, you know?”

  “Sounds familiar,” Caden said.

  “I’d tell you to stick with your friends, but looks like you have none here,” Siobhan said.

  Krellis surprised Maxsym by speaking up.

  “Get yourself a weapon. Keep it strapped here to your chest, where they can see it but can’t steal it. Then pay attention to people around you. If you’re pissing them off, notice that fact and back off,” Krellis said.

  Maxsym wondered for a moment if Krellis was saying that Caden w
as pissing him off, but Krellis did not seem angry, just gruff.

  “Okay, thanks,” Caden said.

  “Your colorweave will crap out in a few days, and replacing it out here is expensive. Get something that lasts longer,” Siobhan said. “Plus that way, you won’t stick out so much.”

  “The government isn’t here to tell you to strap yourself in,” Imanol added. “So you have to be observant and cautious, all on your own. For instance, on this old dump, if you mistook the airlock for the head, there’s a nonzero chance it would actually let you step right out of the damn ship without so much as a link warning.”

  Krellis and Siobhan laughed. After that, the conversation died down again, and for once Caden did not revive it. So they rode the rest of the way occupied by their links. As they approached their rendezvous, Maxsym was not able to learn as much about the ship they were meeting as he expected to. All he got a hold of was an exterior visual feed, which showed a strange, almost spherical ship headed toward them. As it approached, it continued to grow until Maxsym became almost alarmed.

  “That’s a big mother,” Imanol said, showing he was doing the same as Maxsym. “I hope it’s not a Space Force base ship!” His voice expressed bitterness.

  “What?” asked Maxsym.

  “I don’t like it any more than you do,” said Imanol.

  No one else commented on it. Their transport flew into the huge vessel and came to rest.

  When Maxsym stepped out of the dingy transport, he felt another shock. They were in a hangar large enough to be in a spaceport.

  “I thought we were meeting a ship,” Siobhan whispered.

  “We did. This is a ship,” Imanol said. “And as you can see, it’s gigantor.”

  The hangar floor was vast and flawless. It looked new. Or advanced enough to be kept like new. Something else felt wrong about the place. Maxsym couldn’t put his finger on it. The angles of the construction were odd.

  Probably built by a company I’ve never heard of out on the frontier.

  Maxsym spotted two people coming out to speak with them on the wide-open floor. One was a man—muscular, wearing military garb with a rifle on his back.

  And a knife big enough to be a sword at his hip, Maxsym noted. Is this the norm for the frontier? He looked over at Krellis but saw only a sidearm. Siobhan and Imanol appeared unarmed.

  The other was a woman. She looked young, attractive yet professional. Maxsym could not help but rank her against Siobhan in looks. He decided the new one was even more interesting. Besides, she was closer to Maxsym’s height than Siobhan. She also wore a very durable-looking skinsuit, probably military grade. He saw a pistol and a large knife at her hip.

  What have I gotten myself into? Am I about to be forced into service?

  “I’m Sheridan, and this is Calder,” she said. “Welcome to our ship. We’re glad you came to speak with us about Parker Interstellar Travels.”

  Well, she doesn’t sound threatening.

  The woman seemed to notice everyone including Maxsym staring at the huge hangar.

  “Our ship is quite impressive. Yet another reason you should consider joining us.”

  “Is this some kind of paramilitary group?” asked Caden. His gaze had moved quickly from the hangar around them to the weapons worn by the pair who had greeted them.

  “That’s a good question. One that deserves an answer. But first, I have to ask all of you to go through a quick screening procedure. I realize that it’s very much on us to convince you to join us. And I intend to do that, which will include giving out a lot of information. This screening has to come first. It’ll be very quick, and I can promise we’ll make it worth your while whether you join us or not. You turn us down, I’ll send you home on us and toss in 1000 ESC for your time.”

  “What kind of a screening?” Siobhan asked. She sounded skeptical.

  “I’ll go with each of you into that room for five minutes. I’ll ask you some questions. Very basic stuff, nothing about your personal lives, just career-type questions. It will be one at a time, and the rest of you can speak with the first person when they come out if you have reservations. I realize this could feel a bit creepy. It will all be clear shortly.”

  She pointed at Maxsym. “What do you say?”

  What the hell is going on here? At this point, if they’re some kind of crazy kidnappers, I’m pretty much at their mercy.

  “Very well,” Maxsym said guardedly.

  Chapter 5

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” asserted the young man. His last name was Krellis. He sat in a simple metal chair. He wore a skinsuit that exposed only his hands and his close-shaven head.

  “I’m talking about the fact you never left the space force,” Telisa said. “You still work for them.”

  The man leaned forward and feigned anger. Telisa could see his perfect white teeth as he spoke. His eyes held determination. For all the good it would do him.

  “I passed your truth check. What’s your issue? You know I had a falling-out with the force.”

  Feigned, pretended, imitation of anger, Shiny’s voice told her through her link. Subject employed by Earth government. Telisa related to mission. Magnus, too, also, as well.

  “I don’t like spies.”

  “You some kind of buckle bulb? Get your head examined.”

  “It’s you who’s having his head examined. Right now. By an alien. And he says you’re a liar,” Telisa said.

  “You’re insane! Someone help!” He stood up. “I want to leave. There’s nothing you could say that would make me want to work here with you.”

  “You won’t be leaving anytime soon,” Telisa said. She asked Shiny to isolate his link. She could tell it worked by watching the man’s face. Suddenly he vaulted over the table to attack.

  Telisa reacted by instinct. She sidestepped the assault, rabbit punching him as he passed. Her blow did not seem particularly effective.

  He’s stronger than I am. I should be careful.

  He turned toward her. Telisa took the initiative, grabbing his head in her hands. She pulled down hard and sent a knee toward his face. He blocked the blow with an arm, unable to stop it but muting it enough to prevent damage. Then he grabbed her leg and sent her hopping back. In another moment, she would be dumped on the ground and he would be above her.

  Ah, screw it.

  His hands were on her leg, so she boxed his ears, then stabbed a finger into an eye. He let go of her leg, staggered. Telisa activated her stealth sphere just as he covered. The man blinked for a second, nursing his eye, then looked toward his blind side. Then he spun into a corner, trying to find her. Telisa took her time, aimed carefully, and launched a combination: jab, jab, hook. He had no chance to block her invisible attack. She caught him on the left side of his chin and dropped him with the hook.

  Telisa left the cell. Her link locked the door behind her. She took a deep breath. Her Veer suit dumped the excess heat of the impromptu workout. Magnus and Jamie Arakaki were in the observation room. The ex-UED soldier had become good friends with Magnus, and everyone called her by her last name, military-style.

  “You were watching the fight?” she asked.

  “We were betting on it. No offense, I had to bet against you, but Magnus gave me good odds,” Arakaki said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She turned to leave.

  She knows we have to discuss what to do about the spy. And she knows she hasn’t been around long enough for her opinion to count. Though she probably already gave it to Magnus.

  “No, please stay,” Telisa said. “You bet I would lose?”

  Arakaki shook her head. “No. I bet it would take you longer than a minute to win.”

  “Well, it was the hardest job interview I’ve ever given,” Telisa said. Thinking about the spy again, she felt cold anger.

  They actually sent someone to get into our organization. Our tiny, little, insignificant space travel, adventure, and exploration agency. Which happens to work with a live alien.


  “This means they don’t want to bring us in straight up. They want to get in here and see what we know, what we have. Infiltrate us before they move. Probably to make a plan to get a hold of Shiny. Five Entities!”

  “It means we can’t go back,” Magnus said.

  “For how long?” Telisa asked the question even though she knew the answer.

  “We can never go back unless we’re going back on our terms to take them down. But you seem to be unable to face that task,” he said.

  “Well, I made some progress. Actually, Cilreth and I have been working on something together,” Telisa said.

  “Really? You recruited her to your cause, hrm?” asked Arakaki.

  Telisa sent them a link to her copy of The Orwell Papers.

  “Isn’t that just a sort of nut-job manifesto?” Magnus asked.

  “Yes, but a well researched, thorough nut-job manifesto.”

  The name was taken from a long-gone author, George Orwell, who wrote about oppressive government. The author of The Orwell Papers was unknown, or at least unknown by most.

  “That thing is useless,” Magnus said. “The UNSF knows all about it. Believe me, they’ve analyzed that and blocked it carefully. The plot it describes could never succeed now that it’s been leaked.”

  “True. But here’s the key: whether they know about it or not, the critical part is, the paper correctly identifies the individuals who really control the core world governments. There are actually fewer than one hundred individuals who pull all the strings back on Earth! It’s a brilliant power analysis, actually—maybe the work of an AI. Those people may guard against the plan outlined in The Orwell Papers, but they won’t give up their power because they’ve been outed. They remain the key leaders. Given enough power—”

  “Like say a fleet of Vovokan starships, a host of alien weapons, and a crack unit of operatives?” Magnus interjected.

  “Yes. Given enough power to let us break the expected rules of the engagement, we can take The Orwell Papers and turn them into something useful. Even if the space force thinks they’ve taken precautions against the rebellion outlined by the author.”