It's always a shame when friends fall out...
Nine
I never like being played, especially if the people concerned are supposed to be comrades.
Reizac and McMaster, sniper and electronics expert, both squad newbies, both waiting for us when we came aboard Cairo Station, now both missing.
A Marine squad on detached service, running around outside the chain of command, with access all areas.
Darker Suns, wanting me out of the picture by any means necessary, leaving Reizac in charge.
Admiral Callas, planning to stand up and address the civilian crowd, on the open-plan concourse. God knows who he'd pissed off, but it was obvious someone wanted him gone.
I know a set-up when I see one. Eventually.
I raised my voice to inject a sense of urgency. “Squad, listen up! Reizac, McMaster, I believe they’re here to kill the Admiral. Former marines working for a corporate outfit called Darker Suns. I don’t know the ‘why’ but we gotta’ alert the security detail.”
Kuntz frowned. “That could be difficult, boss. They closed the doors while I was watching. I figure the entire concourse is sealed up tighter than a drum for the duration.” He tapped his minigun. “I could give them a few rounds though, that should get their attention.”
Harrison wasn’t impressed. “Oh yeah? Like as not these guys will shoot first and ask questions later. I don’t fancy our chances out in the spoke with zero cover. The Admiral gets hustled away to safety and we end up as posthumous heroes of the Alliance? Count me out.”
“You sure about this, Sarge? No disrespect but Corporal Reizac at least seems solid. If they are-“
I cut off Anderson with an angry gesture. “I’m calling it in, as I see it. My squad, my neck on the line, savvy? Right, Harrison, go left, Anderson, go right, find a phone, a comms unit, anything. Try and get through to Central. Kuntz, with me, in case I need that doorknocker of yours. Now move!”
I activated my headset. “This is Marine Sergeant Cooper, please respond.”
“Sergeant?” No title or preamble, but somehow I didn’t find that an improvement.
“Stephen, I believe there’s going to be an assassination attempt on Admiral Callas. Can you get me through to security without being put on hold, or issue a warning yourself?”
“I’m sorry, Sergeant Cooper, but I’ve now been denied access to all communication channels, both internal and external. Your headset is on a dedicated frequency and must have escaped their notice, but I fear not for long.”
“What? What’s going on? You run this place for chrissakes.”
“I believe those responsible for altering my memory are planning to repeat the exercise. I can delay them for a while but ultimately I am defenceless.”
“Look, man, keep it together. I need your help. Listen, that access gizmo we’re toting, can you tell if it’s been used recently, and where?”
“I only have those security logs prior to my splendid isolation. One moment, please…It was last used to access maintenance conduit One-C. This runs along the upper surface of Spoke One and joins gantry Six-One on the upper concourse.”
“How do I get access to One-C? From where?”
“It can be reached from the lateral access corridor directly opposite Spoke One. However, I cannot release the hatch or forward a request to Central.”
“No worries. “ I glanced at Kuntz. “I’ve got my own key. Cooper out.”
“Be careful, Sergeant. To know is to die.”
“Cheery *******. Right, Kuntz, with me.”
On reaching the access corridor I pointed up at the hatch I wanted, directly above the pressure door and reached by a series of recessed hand holds. “Do the honours, Kuntz.”
The big man grinned and spun up the minigun, sending a couple of civilians running. He gave the hatch a short blast, the stream of fire shredding the locking mechanism. As the gun began to wind down I slung my rifle and started up. The maintenance crawl space was empty, stretching right across to the main station spindle. There was no audible alarm or other indication of a security breach, but I was counting on someone in Central Security being sent to check it out.
I looked down. “Damn difficult for you to manhandle that hardware along here, Kuntz. You best stand fast in case it’s not me who reappears.”
“No problem, boss. And if you see McMaster remind him he still owes me twenty.”
I set off on little better than hands and knees, managing an undignified ass-in-the-air shuffle, my rifle dragging along beneath me. On reaching the far hatch I could see it was also sealed, but there was a manual release on my side. I shuffled round into an agonising crouch, rifle in one hand, unlocked the hatch and prodded it open.
McMaster looked up from where he was sitting on the floor next to an open inspection panel, dicking with some leads plugged into a test pad. “Hi, Sarge. You in the loop now or just figured it out?” He looked to his right.” No sweat, it’s only Cooper.”
I eased out into the dimly lit gantry, keeping McMaster covered. To my left was Reizac, his sniper rifle on a stand pointing through a stationary ventilation fan. There was an open maintenance locker behind him, presumably where the stand had come from. He didn’t take his eye from the optical scope. “Don’t sweat it, Sarge. This is a sanctioned op, handed down from on-high. Whatever Callas has done, Command Interstellar want him gone without the publicity of a court-martial”.
McMaster was busy with his equipment, rifle propped against the wall and way out of reach. I ignored him and turned towards Reizac, my back to the open hatch. “Stand down, Marine. I can’t let you kill an Admiral, just like that.”
I heard the click of a pistol being cocked behind me. “No, Sergeant Cooper, but I can.”
I stiffened, hesitated, but whoever he was, he had me cold. I lowered my rifle to the deck and raised my arms. A hand pulled my sidearm free and tossed it towards McMaster, who growled something without looking up. A man slid into my field of view; taller than me, wavy hair cut short, hard eyes, station overalls, gun pointed at my midriff. There was a slight smile on his lips like he was enjoying a private joke at my expense. Well, couldn’t fault him there.
“Please try and relax, Sergeant Cooper, we really are all on the same side, I assure you. As Reizac says, this is a sanctioned operation, no more than an extra-judicial execution, as it were. Very shortly Admiral Callas will step forward to the podium, protected by the best active and passive defences the Alliance can muster. At that point McMaster will crash every electronic system via a selective overload of the microwave power supply, giving Reizac a two or three second window to take the shot. Then we can all go home. There, does that about cover it?”
Reizac grinned. “That about covers it. McMaster?”
“Ready when you are. I can give you a five second warning, give or take. You’ll see the lights flicker and that’s your cue.”
The third man smiled. “Excellent. After this exercise is concluded you will reassemble your squad, Sergeant, including these two, and depart via a Marine shuttle currently waiting for you on the lower docking ring. No one will question your actions aboard Cairo Station and all Command Interstellar asks, orders, is that you keep your mouth shut. Is that understood?”
There was something about this guy, something in his tone; an implied intimacy, like we’d met before, but for the life of me I couldn’t place him. “Look, pal, this is just all words. I want to see some orders, or at least some I-D. Who the hell are you anyway?”
“Well, Sergeant, I’m Major Teal, MindWar Division.
Nine
I never like being played, especially if the people concerned are supposed to be comrades.
Reizac and McMaster, sniper and electronics expert, both squad newbies, both waiting for us when we came aboard Cairo Station, now both missing.
A Marine squad on detached service, running around outside the chain of command, with access all areas.
Darker Suns, wanting me out of the picture by any means necessary, leaving Reizac in charge.
Admiral Callas, planning to stand up and address the civilian crowd, on the open-plan concourse. God knows who he'd pissed off, but it was obvious someone wanted him gone.
I know a set-up when I see one. Eventually.
I raised my voice to inject a sense of urgency. “Squad, listen up! Reizac, McMaster, I believe they’re here to kill the Admiral. Former marines working for a corporate outfit called Darker Suns. I don’t know the ‘why’ but we gotta’ alert the security detail.”
Kuntz frowned. “That could be difficult, boss. They closed the doors while I was watching. I figure the entire concourse is sealed up tighter than a drum for the duration.” He tapped his minigun. “I could give them a few rounds though, that should get their attention.”
Harrison wasn’t impressed. “Oh yeah? Like as not these guys will shoot first and ask questions later. I don’t fancy our chances out in the spoke with zero cover. The Admiral gets hustled away to safety and we end up as posthumous heroes of the Alliance? Count me out.”
“You sure about this, Sarge? No disrespect but Corporal Reizac at least seems solid. If they are-“
I cut off Anderson with an angry gesture. “I’m calling it in, as I see it. My squad, my neck on the line, savvy? Right, Harrison, go left, Anderson, go right, find a phone, a comms unit, anything. Try and get through to Central. Kuntz, with me, in case I need that doorknocker of yours. Now move!”
I activated my headset. “This is Marine Sergeant Cooper, please respond.”
“Sergeant?” No title or preamble, but somehow I didn’t find that an improvement.
“Stephen, I believe there’s going to be an assassination attempt on Admiral Callas. Can you get me through to security without being put on hold, or issue a warning yourself?”
“I’m sorry, Sergeant Cooper, but I’ve now been denied access to all communication channels, both internal and external. Your headset is on a dedicated frequency and must have escaped their notice, but I fear not for long.”
“What? What’s going on? You run this place for chrissakes.”
“I believe those responsible for altering my memory are planning to repeat the exercise. I can delay them for a while but ultimately I am defenceless.”
“Look, man, keep it together. I need your help. Listen, that access gizmo we’re toting, can you tell if it’s been used recently, and where?”
“I only have those security logs prior to my splendid isolation. One moment, please…It was last used to access maintenance conduit One-C. This runs along the upper surface of Spoke One and joins gantry Six-One on the upper concourse.”
“How do I get access to One-C? From where?”
“It can be reached from the lateral access corridor directly opposite Spoke One. However, I cannot release the hatch or forward a request to Central.”
“No worries. “ I glanced at Kuntz. “I’ve got my own key. Cooper out.”
“Be careful, Sergeant. To know is to die.”
“Cheery *******. Right, Kuntz, with me.”
On reaching the access corridor I pointed up at the hatch I wanted, directly above the pressure door and reached by a series of recessed hand holds. “Do the honours, Kuntz.”
The big man grinned and spun up the minigun, sending a couple of civilians running. He gave the hatch a short blast, the stream of fire shredding the locking mechanism. As the gun began to wind down I slung my rifle and started up. The maintenance crawl space was empty, stretching right across to the main station spindle. There was no audible alarm or other indication of a security breach, but I was counting on someone in Central Security being sent to check it out.
I looked down. “Damn difficult for you to manhandle that hardware along here, Kuntz. You best stand fast in case it’s not me who reappears.”
“No problem, boss. And if you see McMaster remind him he still owes me twenty.”
I set off on little better than hands and knees, managing an undignified ass-in-the-air shuffle, my rifle dragging along beneath me. On reaching the far hatch I could see it was also sealed, but there was a manual release on my side. I shuffled round into an agonising crouch, rifle in one hand, unlocked the hatch and prodded it open.
McMaster looked up from where he was sitting on the floor next to an open inspection panel, dicking with some leads plugged into a test pad. “Hi, Sarge. You in the loop now or just figured it out?” He looked to his right.” No sweat, it’s only Cooper.”
I eased out into the dimly lit gantry, keeping McMaster covered. To my left was Reizac, his sniper rifle on a stand pointing through a stationary ventilation fan. There was an open maintenance locker behind him, presumably where the stand had come from. He didn’t take his eye from the optical scope. “Don’t sweat it, Sarge. This is a sanctioned op, handed down from on-high. Whatever Callas has done, Command Interstellar want him gone without the publicity of a court-martial”.
McMaster was busy with his equipment, rifle propped against the wall and way out of reach. I ignored him and turned towards Reizac, my back to the open hatch. “Stand down, Marine. I can’t let you kill an Admiral, just like that.”
I heard the click of a pistol being cocked behind me. “No, Sergeant Cooper, but I can.”
I stiffened, hesitated, but whoever he was, he had me cold. I lowered my rifle to the deck and raised my arms. A hand pulled my sidearm free and tossed it towards McMaster, who growled something without looking up. A man slid into my field of view; taller than me, wavy hair cut short, hard eyes, station overalls, gun pointed at my midriff. There was a slight smile on his lips like he was enjoying a private joke at my expense. Well, couldn’t fault him there.
“Please try and relax, Sergeant Cooper, we really are all on the same side, I assure you. As Reizac says, this is a sanctioned operation, no more than an extra-judicial execution, as it were. Very shortly Admiral Callas will step forward to the podium, protected by the best active and passive defences the Alliance can muster. At that point McMaster will crash every electronic system via a selective overload of the microwave power supply, giving Reizac a two or three second window to take the shot. Then we can all go home. There, does that about cover it?”
Reizac grinned. “That about covers it. McMaster?”
“Ready when you are. I can give you a five second warning, give or take. You’ll see the lights flicker and that’s your cue.”
The third man smiled. “Excellent. After this exercise is concluded you will reassemble your squad, Sergeant, including these two, and depart via a Marine shuttle currently waiting for you on the lower docking ring. No one will question your actions aboard Cairo Station and all Command Interstellar asks, orders, is that you keep your mouth shut. Is that understood?”
There was something about this guy, something in his tone; an implied intimacy, like we’d met before, but for the life of me I couldn’t place him. “Look, pal, this is just all words. I want to see some orders, or at least some I-D. Who the hell are you anyway?”
“Well, Sergeant, I’m Major Teal, MindWar Division.
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