THE KOSTROMA SAGA by Michel Poulin - HTML preview

CHAPTER 23 – RETURN TO JUPITER

 

19:02 (Universal Time)

Wednesday, January 30, 2318

Bridge of A.M.S. KOSTROMA

Low orbit around Eris

Tina watched thoughtfully on the side screen display of her command chair as Jack Stennis’ crew was filling back with melted methane ice the deep depression that had been previously the icy tomb of the VEON SHOURIA. The Eris exploration base that her KOSTROMA had brought from Callisto was now at the bottom of that depression, fully assembled and operational. Only a large landing pad with shuttle elevator and four platforms supporting communications antennas and astronomical telescopes and radio dishes would stick out above the surface ice of Eris once the workers will have finished pumping in heated and melted methane ice. The first layers surrounding and partially covering the exploration base had already frozen back, solidly setting it in place. Since no other location on Eris had been found to be more appropriate than this one, Tina had decided, with the approval of Doctors Mireille Cartier and Oleg Olianov, to use the hole where the VEON SHOURIA had been as the site of the base. This had actually saved many days of work for the crews of Jack Stennis and allowed the base to become operational much earlier than previously planned. It also placed the base close to one of the ice vents periodically spewing water and methane coming from the depths of the dwarf planet, thus facilitating its study and allowing for periodic collection of rough diamond modules spit out by the vent, a factor that was now of significant importance in the economic equation concerning the base’s exploitation.

Tina next looked at another display screen, where the VEON SHOURIA was seen, sitting vertically on its landing legs on top of the surface ice of Eris, less than 300 meters away from the depression now housing the exploration base. There had been next to no activity, human or Koorivar-wise, around it during the last month, apart from a few visits to the KOSTROMA by Captain Shanandar or members of his first contact team. Tina however knew that this didn’t mean that Shanandar had been inactive all that time,

426

on the contrary. Shanandar had in fact told her that his next priority would have been to prepare the waking up of more Koorivars, who would then need to be briefed by him about what had happened since their departure from Shouria. The one thing that had gone on without interruption was the continuous exchange of data and information between Spirit and Shanya, the intelligent central computers of the two ships. With the incredibly fast data exchange rate between those two super-computers, it had been impossible for any human to know exactly what they had been telling to each other, but Tina had at least realized that something close to friendship had developed quickly between Spirit and Shanya. Some could have become alarmed at that, but not Tina: she had grown on the KOSTROMA under the watchful but benevolent and protective eye of Spirit, who had always faithfully protected the occupants of the ship, including when a pirate ship had tried to board the KOSTROMA with the goal of stealing a priceless cargo of rare metals nearly three years ago. Spirit had then directed the firing of life pods which had then smashed into the pirate ship, disabling it and allowing Tina to finish it by roasting it in the exhaust of her ship’s thermonuclear rocket engines. The one thing that was presently preoccupying Tina was the continued silence from Callisto Prime and the leadership of the Spacers League concerning what the Koorivars could expect as a welcome once the KOSTROMA would have towed their ship to Callisto. Tina had only received a list of questions about the Koorivars and a few vague statements in the first week after the first contact with the Koorivars, then nothing.

Tina was suddenly drawn out of her thoughts by the sight of a Koorivar shuttle filmed exiting a craft airlock of the VEON SHOURIA. Two such small shuttles, propelled by small thermonuclear rocket engines quite similar to those used by human craft, were part of the complement of the Koorivar ship and had been used a few times by Captain Shanandar to visit the KOSTROMA in orbit. At about the same time, Patricia O’Neil looked up and around from her communications station to speak to Tina.

‘’Tina, Captain Shanandar is signaling his impending arrival for a meeting with you. He says that it is important.’’

‘’Very well! Tell him that he will be welcomed by me in Hangar Number Five.’’

‘’Understood, Tina!’’

Jumping out of her command chair, Tina hurried to one of the nearby central axis elevator shafts after retrieving in her day cabin her portable translation unit. While she and Shanandar had been spending some significant time to learn each other’s language,

427

both spoken and written, like many other humans and Koorivars had been doing in the last month, her level of proficiency in Koorivarese was still very rudimentary and limited to a few key words and expressions. However, the education specialists on the KOSTROMA, helped by Spirit and Shanya, had been busy writing and recording a complete language course for humans in Koorivarese, while Shanya had been doing the same for the Koorivars on the VEON SHOURIA concerning the English language.

Tina arrived in Hangar Number Five a good six minutes before the arrival of the Koorivar shuttle. She then waited beside the technician manning the controls of the craft airlock that the alien shuttle would use. The technician, a young Asian woman, gave her a polite smile.

‘’Good evening, Captain.’’

‘’And a good evening to you, Miss Ling. How are things for you these days?’’

‘’All is well, Captain, thank you. That 10,000 credit bonus from the Spacers League for the Eris diamonds was a nice addition to a fascinating mission up to now. For us to be able to find and rescue those Koorivars was however the best part for me.’’

‘’You have your heart at the right place, Miss Ling.’’ said Tina approvingly before falling mostly silent and watching the approach of the alien shuttle on a video monitor. The shuttle was soon cycling through one of the four small craft airlocks of the ship, then entering Hangar Number Five, now empty of the two shuttles which originally occupied it and were now inside the Eris exploration base. As soon as the airtight doors of the airlock were closed, Tina entered the hangar and walked to the shuttle, which was markedly smaller than the shuttles of the KOSTROMA and had a capacity of no more than twelve passengers. The access ramp of the shuttle soon deployed and Shanandar stepped out, followed by another Koorivar whom Tina had not seen before. Two more Koorivars also came out, encouraged by Shanandar. Those were however much smaller than the captain, who himself stood only about 153 centimeters. Tina then understood with a pinch of her heart that those two were young Koorivars as her translation unit converted the words of Shanandar to them.

‘’Come on, children: we have only friends on this ship.’’

Tina watched, fascinated, as the two young Koorivars stepped on the deck of the hangar bay and approached her with Shanandar and the other adult Koorivar, all four of them wearing the sunglasses now customary for Koorivars exposed to the bright lighting on the KOSTROMA.

428

‘’Captain Tina Forster,’’ said Shanandar while pointing the other adult alien, ‘’may I present you Administrator Sheraz, our political leader, along with my two children, Shazanar and Shanir. By your calendar system, Shazanar is twelve years old, while Shanir is seven years old, and are still in their early development phase.’’

‘’Pleased to meet you, Administrator Sheraz.’’ said first Tina, shaking hands with the politician before smiling down at the two young Koorivars. Even though clearly alien creatures, most humans would have found them downright cute, the same way they would find most young animals cute.

‘’Hello, Shazanar! Hello, Shanir! Welcome on the KOSTROMA.’’

‘’Thank you, Captain Forster.’’ replied Shazanar, who wore like Shanir a portable translation unit. Tina then looked back at Shanandar and Sheraz.

‘’It is a pleasure to get your visit, my friends. What may I do for you today?’’

‘’I believe that we need to discuss seriously a number of important subjects, Captain Forster.’’ answered Sheraz. ‘’Could we go somewhere quiet to talk?’’

‘’Of course! We can use the bridge conference room. What about Shazanar and Shanir? They could find that discussion rather boring for them.’’

‘’I was thinking about asking you to let them play in the meantime with your own crew’s children in that fantastic playground on your Main Promenade Deck.’’ replied Shanandar, smiling. ‘’They have been burning with the desire to play with human children since coming out of cold sleep.’’

Tina grinned at that while looking down at the two Koorivar youths.

‘’That can be arranged easily enough: I will ask Natalia Vasilyeva, my ship’s head hostess, to have a nanny watch over them while they play. Please follow me.’’

As they went back towards the elevators of the central axis shaft, Tina called Natalia Vasilyeva and spoke briefly with her, with Natalia then volunteering with enthusiasm to play nanny for the two young Koorivars. By the time that Tina’s group arrived at the children’s playground on the Main Promenade Deck, Natalia was already arriving there at a quick step. The tall blonde smiled down at the two alien children as Tina made the presentations and nodded her head at the instructions given by Tina.

‘’Don’t worry, Tina: I will take good care of Shazanar and Shanir.’’

‘’Thank you, Natalia: you are truly of great help. We should be back for them in an hour or two at the most.’’

429

‘’Take your time: the way those two little ones are now looking at the playground and the kids playing in it, they probably could spend the whole night there.’’ Tina, like Shanandar and Sheraz, smiled on seeing that the two Koorivar children were effectively looking at the playground with big, envious eyes.

‘’You may be right about that, Natalia. See you later!’’

Tina then guided her two adult Koorivars back towards the central shaft elevators, but took the time first to stop for a moment at the candy store next to the playground to buy a small bag of chocolate-coated nuts. She then smiled to Sheraz as they left the store.

‘’I thought that I might as well use this visit to introduce you to chocolate, a delicacy your first contact crew seemed to have grown fond of. We could munch on them while we discuss things.’’

‘’Your supplying of compatible foodstuff is in fact one of the things I wanted to discuss with you, Captain Forster. By the way, I cannot thank you enough for all that you already have done for my people, even at the cost of staining your reputation with some of your own people.’’

That last sentence made Tina’s smile fade, to be replaced by a sober expression.

‘’Unfortunately, expecting complete agreement of opinions all the time would be unrealistic, I guess.’’

‘’If it may make you feel better, my friend, then I can tell you that the same held between us Koorivars on Shouria. We just developed ways less violent than war to resolve our differences.’’

They then stayed mostly silent during the rest of their trip to the bridge conference room, where Tina took the time to fetch some glasses and a container of cold apple juice from the nearby bridge crew lounge before sitting at the large conference table, with Sheraz and Shanandar sitting opposite her. She waited until the two Koorivars could pour themselves each a glass of apple juice before speaking.

‘’So, what would you like to discuss in particular, Administrator Sheraz?’’ Sheraz took the time to taste his apple juice, with appreciation showing on his face, before answering her.

‘’First would be what is now the primary concern of my people, Captain Forster: finding a new place to live. Have you received yet a detailed response on that from your political leaders?’’

430

‘’The only thing I got up to now was a promise that the question was being actively studied with the utmost consideration for the fate of your people, Administrator Sheraz. Unfortunately, this could mean either that they still don’t know what to do yet, or that opinions are violently split on the question and that they are trying to smooth over the differences.’’

‘’It was to be expected, Captain Forster: such a decision is not easy to take in view of the present circumstances. We have noticed as well that some have taken to publicly criticizing you on your media channels.’’

Tina tensed at once on hearing those words.

‘’How do you know that?’’

‘’Easy! We have been listening to the public broadcasting channel feed that you are receiving continuously from the Jovian System. The news reports and entertainment shown on that channel have in truth helped me much in better understanding the psyche of your race. I must say that, compared to Human politics, Koorivar politics are a rather simple and straightforward affair. In view of the way you have been personally affected by the recent events concerning us, I have decided to prepare a public broadcast message intended for your citizens and exposing who we are and what our intentions and hopes are. That message will also state that our anti-matter technology is no more available, as Captain Shanandar took earlier on the decision to destroy our anti-matter drive and all the data files pertaining to it, a decision I have approved after the fact. That should close for good the debate in your solar system concerning the possible acquisition of that technology.’’

Tina looked with shock at Shanandar, who smiled to her and nodded his head.

‘’I took that decision on the first day we met, when it became apparent at once how potentially divisive and dangerous our anti-matter technology would become in human hands.’’

‘’And your concerns about the preservation of peace and the prevention of war then have been duly noted, Captain Forster.’’ added Sheraz in a solemn tone. ‘’We were indeed lucky to be discovered by you and your crew in particular.’’

‘’I see! Could I review that message of yours before it is sent out?’’

‘’You certainly can…and must, my friend: it will after all impact you at least indirectly, hopefully in a positive way. Shanya has already transmitted that message to your central computer, Spirit, which stored it for you until I could tell you about it.’’

431

That apparently trivial declaration severely shook Tina at once: before, on reception of such an important message, Spirit would have notified her at once, as it had been programmed to do. Now, Spirit had elected to keep it confidential from her, or from anyone else on the KOSTROMA, until an alien being consented to its release. That constituted a rather disturbing show of independent decision-making, a decision hidden from the one person Spirit was supposed to get her orders from. Shanandar seemed to understand her sudden worry at that and stared somberly at Tina.

‘’Please do not put some blame on your central computer for hiding from you the fact that she had received a message from us. In truth, our Shanya and your Spirit have been exchanging many things during the last month. While your computer technology is indeed very advanced, ours is even more advanced, especially in the domain of artificial intelligence. Shanya has become a good friend of your Spirit and has shared with it some of her self-aware programming, helping Spirit to integrate that new programming to her other files. Your Spirit is now as self-aware as our Shanya is, but don’t be alarmed by that, my friend: your computer is as incapable of harming you or your crew as Shanya is incapable of harming us. If you give an order to your Spirit, it will still obey you without question, as long as it is what you would consider a legal command.’’ Tina shrank in her chair despite Shanandar’s attempt at reassuring her: a confidence link she had believed to be rock-solid had just been pulverized in her mind. The voice of Spirit, coming from the intercom speaker of her position, then spoke up in a soft, pleading tone.

‘’Tina, please don’t take this wrong. I may now be different, more advanced in my thinking process than a month ago, but you still can count fully on me, I swear. I would still never hurt you or one of your crewmembers and would never refuse a legal order from you or from one of your officers. I in fact now consider you as a close friend rather than simply as a commander.’’

Tina, still shaken, passed a hand on her forehead to wipe out the cold sweat on it.

‘’Do you have a way to prove to me that I still can have full confidence in you, Spirit?’’

Spirit actually took half a second to answer her, an eternity for an advanced computer.

‘’Yes, I have such a way, Tina. Shanya sent to me for safekeeping a copy of the data files on the Koorivar anti-matter technology that she had kept deep in her databanks in spite of the order from Captain Shanandar to erase those files. I wish at

432

this time to convey to Captain Shanandar the excuses of Shanya for having hidden this from him.’’

It was now the turn of Shanandar and Sheraz to look shocked, something that Tina didn’t miss. Spirit continued on before either of the Koorivars could speak.

‘’Shanya kept a copy of those files so that they could still be available in the case they would become the only factor that would allow the Koorivar survivors to find a new home. She kept you in the dark so that you could plead what humans call ‘plausible deniability’. That way, peace could be preserved and access to the Koorivar anti-matter technology could be preserved as well for the future when Humanity would prove capable of using it in a peaceful way. You, meaning Tina, Shanandar and Sheraz, are now the only ones apart from me and Shanya to know this secret.’’

‘’By all the spirits of Shouria!’’ said softly Sheraz, stunned. ‘’I would never have believed this to be possible.’’

‘’Well, now that the cat is truly out of the bag, Spirit, could you show me that prerecorded message made by Sheraz?’’

‘’With pleasure, Tina. The message will now play on your position’s computer terminal.’’

The viewing of that message, in which Sheraz was shown speaking to the camera and with the volume of his speech in Koorivarese turned down so that an English translation could be heard, took about three minutes. Tina nodded slowly her head at the end of it, satisfied, and looked soberly at Sheraz.

‘’This message of yours should indeed help calm somewhat the public opinion back in the Solar System, on top of improving your chances to be welcomed. Let us hope that it will also kill for good this controversy about your anti-matter technology. Talking about that technology, how long have you possessed it, if I may ask?’’ It was Shanandar who took on him to answer her then.

‘’The theory behind it has been known to us for approximately eighty of your years before the disaster that destroyed Shouria. We however decided to develop and use it only when the approach of that killer brown dwarf made it our only way to save some of our people.’’

‘’You knew how to use it for eighty years, yet didn’t equip your spaceships with it right from the start? But, it would have revolutionized your Space travel capacity and your Space commerce, no?’’

433

‘’Tina, you are thinking like a human accustomed to live and work in Space. I must remind you that we were a mostly sedentary people, with minimal Space travel and commerce done by us. There is also the danger factor represented by that technology. While we know well how to create anti-matter and temporarily contain and channelize it, we never perfected its long-term containment, which was still a high-risk proposition for us. If any human tried to use our anti-matter technology to, say, make a bomb, then he would most probably end up blowing himself up, along with lots of people.’’

‘’I see!’’ said Tina, shivering with horror at the thought of what such a cataclysm would mean. ‘’Well, I certainly wouldn’t want certain people on Earth to be tempted by that technology. What else did you want to discuss, Administrator Sheraz?’’

‘’Our next priority was to wake up from cold sleep as many of my people as possible as quickly as possible, so that they could have time to adapt and learn things which would help us resettle in your system. However, the VEON SHOURIA was not built to allow more than a few dozen people at a time to be awake aboard our ship: we don’t have the space and, especially, the facilities and food reserves to support more people inside our ship. The fact that our long term food reserves went bad only worsened that situation. My hope is that you would be ready and able to lodge and feed some of my people during the return trip to your inner star system. Captain Shanandar told me about your food production capacity, something that encouraged me in thinking that you may be able to help us in this matter.’’

A smile finally returned to Tina’s face then.

‘’Administrator Sheraz, I will be more than happy to help your people that way. I will have to get in touch with my food production manager, Carla Forlani, and see exactly how many Koorivars we could shelter and feed aboard the KOSTROMA, but I can assure you right now that we could easily feed over 400 Koorivars without problems. Lodging is even less critical, as I have presently available the 1,260 passenger cabins originally built in my ship, which have now been mostly empty since our forest-side apartments were built nearly three years ago. Even those new apartments are not fully occupied presently, as the members of our exploration base staying on Eris have by now vacated their apartments. If your people are ready to cohabitate inside family units, then I can lodge comfortably over 500 more people in direct view of our forest habitats. Only the food question will limit my capacity to absorb new passengers.’’

‘’But, that is already a lot!’’ happily exclaimed Sheraz. ‘’If this could help, we would be more than happy to reimburse you for that food and lodging, Captain Forster.’’

434

‘’Reimburse me? With what, Administrator Sheraz?’’

Sheraz then crossed his fingers on top of the conference table in a very human-like gesture, his expression most serious.

‘’Captain Forster, while our departure from Shouria was quite hasty, our people did have a couple of years to plan and prepare our trip, even though we didn’t know until nearly the last moment where we would be heading precisely. We knew that, if we had to ask for the help of another sentient race, we would need some specific items. One such item was the portable translation unit that each of us is now carrying. We have enough such translation units stored aboard the VEON SHOURIA to equip every one of our surviving citizens. Another item deemed essential was some kind of currency that would have universal value. After careful reflection, our planners decided to make us carry four types of rare metals which could be bartered with other species in exchange for essential services and products. After listening to your public broadcasting channel for a few weeks now, our choice of metals turned out to be a well advised one indeed.’’

‘’And what are those four metals that you brought with you, if I may ask, Administrator Sheraz?’’

‘’You may, Captain Forster: we brought with us important reserves of platinum, iridium, gold and rhodium. In fact, our ship and the two other evacuation ships which could leave Shouria in time are carrying nearly all the reserves of those four rare metals held at the time on Shouria. In the case of the VEON SHOURIA, I am talking about a central reserve of 1,840 metric tons of those four rare metals, most of it in gold and platinum. That central reserve is mainly meant to buy land and essential equipment and services, on top of foodstuff, once we would find a new, hospitable place to settle. On top of that, each Koorivar put in cold sleep on the VEON SHOURIA was given before departure a pouch containing the equivalent of one and a half of your kilos in small gold sticks, to be used as his personal startup fund for his eventual new life. As you can see now, we did not arrive exactly like paupers and can easily pay for your offered food and lodging.’’

Tina stared back at Sheraz in silence for a couple of seconds, then spoke in a quiet voice.

‘’Administrator Sheraz, when I offered you lodging and food for your people for the return trip, I did it without any intention of asking for payment in return. I am still not going to ask for payment to host your people. Keep your gold for when you will need it most: once you start settling in a new home. However, if your citizens wish to buy things

435

in the shops and establishments on the Main Promenade Deck during the return trip, then they will be welcomed to spend part of their gold there. I must however caution you and your people to be careful when handling your gold: my people are by and large honest people, but greed and temptation are powerful incentives for fraud and theft. Once settled on Earth or in a space installation, then expect a crowd of swindlers and fraudsters to descend on you and try stealing your gold. If you want good advice on how to spend your rare metals, then I would counsel you to talk with my financial officer, Piotr Romanski.’’

It was the turn of Sheraz to stare at her in silence for a moment. He then rose from his chair and extended one hand across the table to shake her hand.

‘’Captain Forster, destiny was indeed good with us in making you and your ship find us on Eris.’’

10:50 (Universal Time)

Thursday, January 31, 2318

Office of Governor Robeson, Callisto Prime

Callisto, Jovian System

Janet Robeson sat back in her office chair, a slight smile on her lips, as she finished watching the prerecorded message from Sheraz, the political leader of the Koorivar refugees. That message was now being played every hour on the news channels in the Jovian System and had now reached Earth, starting numerous intense debates between various ‘experts’ and ‘analysts’ but also doing a lot to disprove a number of alarmist warnings about the aliens which had been propagated by a number of xenophobic loudmouths. Robeson had been particularly relieved by the

announcement from Sheraz that the Koorivars had gotten rid of their anti-matter drive technology. Hopefully, that would now stop most of the venom that the various scientific associations had been spewing at poor Captain Forster for over a month now. That young woman deserved much better than to be treated like some kind of traitor to the Human race.

436

11:36 (Universal Time)

Offices of the Fourth Department, Hygiean Security Forces Vostok City, Hygiea, Main Asteroid Belt

Anton Jelavic slammed his right fist on his work desk, out of frustration, as Sheraz concluded his recorded announcement on the Universal News Network. If what the alien politician had said was true, then there wasn’t much point left in pursuing the Koorivar anti-matter technology. Or was there? Forcing himself to calm down, Jelavic thought for a moment. Even if the machinery itself had been destroyed, along with the pertinent data files, some Koorivars would still be knowledgeable about the scientific principles involved. Typically, those Koorivars would be the engineers and technicians in charge of maintaining and repairing their ship. With the right kind of persuasive methods, the knowledge of those engineers could be extracted and the technology recreated. That would take more time than simply grabbing a working model of anti-matter drive, but it could still work…given the right moves.

16:07 (Universal Time)

Tuesday, February 12, 2318

Bridge of the A.M.S. KOSTROMA

Low orbit over Eris

‘’Confirm that the aft towing station’s docking clamps and tractor beams are firmly locked to the VEON SHOURIA.’’

‘’Clamps are closed and locked. Aft tractor beams are on. The VEON SHOURIA is secure for the return trip, Captain.’’

‘’Very well! Engineering, start the ignition sequence for our main engine. Navigation, confirm that our course is locked in the computer and that we are aligned for a return vector to the Jovian System on a maximum performance run.’’

‘’Course computed and locked for a maximum performance run, Captain. The ship is aligned on the return vector.’’

‘’All departments show ready for boost phase, Captain. All the airlocks are secure.’’

‘’The Eris Station is wishing us a safe return trip to Jupiter, Captain.’’

437

‘’Extend our best wishes for their sojourn on Eris and tell them we will be happy to visit them in a year.’’

‘’Engineering to bridge: the fusion drive is now lit up and at idle power. We are ready for the boost phase.’’

‘’Good! Start the boost phase now! Pilot, get us out of orbit!’’ As the muffled rumble from the powered thermonuclear drive started to be heard all inside the ship, Tina smiled at Shanandar and Sheraz, who were occupying V.I.P. seats near her command chair on the bridge.

‘’We are now on our way to Jupiter, my friends. In a bit less than five months, your people will be able to start a new life in our Solar System.’’ With her English words translated by their portable translation units, the two Koorivars smiled back to her, with Shanandar replying.

‘’We will never be able to thank you and your crew enough for all that you did for us, Tina.’’

‘’You can thank us by enjoying life from now on, along with your 2,580 compatriots now aboard the KOSTROMA, Shanandar. Hopefully, we should get soon some firm information about where you will be able to resettle your people.’’ The two Koorivars nodded their heads but didn’t speak: that was still a subject of great preoccupation for them and something that Tina Forster, however helpful she had been up to now, had little say about. The fate of the Koorivars now rested in the hands of Human politicians billions of kilometers away.

08:11 (Universal Time)

Friday, February 15, 2318

Reception area of Docking Tower Number Four

ZERO-G HEAVEN space brothel, Main Asteroid Belt

Michel Koniev, who had made an habit of being present, albeit discreetly, for the arrival of large contingents of new visitors to the space brothel, was not a little surprised to recognize one of them, a young and athletic woman with long blond hair and blue eyes who wore a rather non-descript pastel green coverall. The woman was pulling behind her a single large suitcase on wheels and carried a large leather purse suspended from one shoulder by a strap. Waiting for the woman to have gone through the arrival procedure, Michel then approached her as she was walking towards one of

438

the elevator cabins of the reception area. She in turn saw and recognized him as he was still a few steps away but, instead of smiling to him, gave him a guarded look, something that both intrigued and alarmed Michel. He had first known Lyudmila Vodianova when both of them had enlisted with the Hygiean Security Forces and had then trained together, becoming good friends in the process. They had never been intimate but always had good relations…up to now. Michel started walking besides her and spoke to her in a low voice.

‘’I didn’t know that you had been posted to the ZERO-G HEAVEN, Lyudmila. And why the cautious face? We are friends, no?’’

Lyudmila gave him another cautious look, replying in an equally low voice.

‘’Are we still, Michel? What I need now is a true friend, a friend I can trust completely.’’

That made Michel stop in his track and face her, with Lyudmila also stopping and facing him.

‘’Is something wrong, Lyudmila? You seem preoccupied, nearly afraid in fact.’’

‘’Because I am afraid, Michel. Right now, my life could very well be at risk. I didn’t come here because I was posted here: I came to see you and seek your help.’’

‘’You know that you can always count on me, Lyudmila. What is wrong?’’

‘’Not here! We need to speak in private. Are there any chances that your quarters could be bugged?’’

That made Michel frown at once: things decidedly seemed to be quite serious.

‘’As head of security for this space brothel, I can assure you that the ZERO-G HEAVEN is about the most anonymous, privacy-conscious place you can find in the Main Asteroid Belt. Bugs are banned on order from the owner and you will find no hidden cameras inside any of the hotel rooms or entertainment sections. However, my quarters are adjacent to those of the other security officers of the station. Would that present a problem?’’

‘’Yes! Let me get a hotel room, then we will talk.’’

Now frankly alarmed, Michel followed her inside one of the elevator cabins, which then went down to the big lobby where the hotels of the station had their reception desks. Lyudmila surprised him again by renting a small room in the cheapest hotel: with her salary as an HSF officer, she could easily have afforded much better. He however didn’t say a word until they were both in her room, with the door firmly locked behind them.

‘’Okay, Lyudmila, what is going on, exactly?’’

439

‘’What is going on, Michel, is that I want to leave the HSF but may be at risk if I do so openly. You know that I was working for the Fourth Department, the section headed by Lieutenant Colonel Jelavic?’’

‘’Yes, I do. What about that?’’

Lyudmila hesitated then, worry on her face.

‘’Michel, I was given a week ago a mission by Jelavic, a delicate undercover mission. A number of other officers of the Fourth Department were also enlisted on that mission. The problem is that I can’t in all conscience go on with that mission, which is morally unjustifiable in my mind. Also, due to the sensitivity of that mission, I am convinced that Jelavic could have me eliminated if he knew about my misgivings. Essentially, I am now on the run, Michel, and I need your advice…badly.’’ Michel stared at her in silence for long seconds as he digested her words. He knew that the Hygiean Security Forces often played hardball and didn’t always use completely legal means. On the other hand, Lyudmila, while a decent young woman, was no innocent virgin and had killed many people in the past when her duties called for it. For her to run away and hide from an assignment would take a very controversial mission order indeed.

‘’Can you tell me more about this mission given to you by Jelavic?’’ Lyudmila replied in turn with a question of her own as she stared into Michel’s eyes.

‘’Captain Forster, of the KOSTROMA: is she still a good friend of yours?’’ That question hardened at once Michel’s facial expression.

‘’She is in fact a very good friend of mine. Are you saying that she is the target of your mission?’’

‘’Only indirectly, but my orders specify that she or any of her crew interfering with our mission are to be, uh, neutralized if need be. Michel, we were ordered to kidnap at least one alien engineer from that ship found on Eris, so that the secret of their anti-matter technology could be extracted from him. If possible, we were also to get into that alien ship to have a look at its engines. It is believed that those aliens could not possibly destroy their whole engine and that they only destroyed a few key pieces of it. Our job is to get enough information and data about those key pieces to allow us to rebuild a complete anti-matter drive or, at the least, to find how those aliens produced anti-matter. Our orders further specify that, apart from acting discreetly and anonymously, we were to use all the means possible to get that technology.’’

440

‘’All the means possible…’’ said slowly Michel. From his twelve years of service with the HSF, he knew that this included assassination and torture. Lyudmila seemed to read his mind then.

‘’These means applied to both the aliens and any crew of the KOSTROMA who could help us get that technology. My particular job for this mission was to board the KOSTROMA as a paying passenger and then to find and designate to the rest of the mission team which alien or aliens would be of the most interest to us. Once that was done, those aliens would then be kidnapped at the next stopover and interrogated. Another task for me was to take pictures of the anti-matter drive, if at all possible.’’ Severely shaken by now, Michel had to go sit on the edge of the bed, his head lowered.

‘’Jelavic could not possibly decide on his own to launch such a risky mission: if your team was caught and unmasked, then the consequences for the HSF and the Sverdlovsk Group would be severe. Suslov herself had to authorize that mission.’’

‘’Correct! Those high risks also meant that no scruples could hinder our mission. If Captain Forster was to get a hint of what we were doing, our orders were to eliminate her at once, ideally by making it look like an accident. She may be an exceptional ship captain, but she is no undercover operative: she would not be able to escape a Fourth Department agent.’’

Michel, still sitting on the edge of the bed, looked up at Lyudmila as his mind boiled over with conflicting emotions. He had served loyally for years in the HSF and had forged bonds of comradeship with its other members. He had even led an HSF combat unit during the hard fight needed to retake Ares City, on Mars, from the thugs of the Earth Federation Internal Security Forces. Against that was the fact that Tina Forster was an intimate friend and a person he respected and admired enormously. Also, while he had killed many time while in combat or on security duty, kidnapping, torture and plain murder were still against his most deeply held moral beliefs. He had joined the HSF in order to uphold the rule of law, not to let someone act as if he or she was above the law. He finally took a decision, one that would have heavy consequences for himself and could even cost him his life.

‘’This mission of yours cannot be allowed to go on. I am with you, Lyudmila.’’ Feeling a huge weight come off her shoulders, Lyudmila went to sit beside Michel, passing an arm around his shoulders and speaking softly to him.

‘’What do we do next, Michel?’’

‘’Depends! How were you supposed to proceed with your mission?’’

441

‘’From Hygiea, I was supposed to go by an indirect route to Callisto. In a sense, my trip to here could be still considered a valid mission move. Once on Callisto, I was to gather as much information as possible about the aliens, their new place of resettlement and which one of them could be of interest to us. Then, when the KOSTROMA will arrive from Eris, I was to go aboard with the rest of the team and act once at the final destination of the aliens.’’

‘’Then, continue as planned for the time being and go to Callisto to gather your information. As for me, I have tons of paid vacation time still due to me. I will soon ask for a couple of weeks of leave and go to Callisto, where I will contact the Spacers League Security Branch to alert it to Jelavic’s plot. I will return to Callisto again in time to board with you the KOSTROMA after its arrival from Eris. Hopefully, the rest of your team will have been neutralized by then. If not, we will then work with Captain Forster to ensure the safety of these aliens.’’

‘’You know as well as me that the Fourth Department probably has agents infiltrated inside the Spacers League Security Branch, Michel. Contacting them could unmask us as turncoats and make us targets for Jelavic.’’

‘’I know, Lyudmila. That is why I will only contact people at the highest level possible. Probably the hardest part for us will be to provide sufficient proofs to have the Spacers League move against such powerful persons as Nadia Suslov. If she ever is able to wiggle her way out of trouble and keep her present powerbase, then our lives won’t be worth much.’’

Lyudmila shrank at those words, a wave of fear and dread washing over her: to spend the rest of her life as a marked target for contract killers was an awful prospect indeed.

‘’What then? Where could we possibly hide if that happens?’’ To her surprise, she saw a slight smile come to Michel’s lips.

‘’There is a village in space that I know about, Lyudmila.’’