Archives of the Frontier Universe: An Assassin's Assignment (2 page)

From what she could tell visually, the weapon appeared to be functioning properly. However, she could feel a faint irregularity in its response. Unlike weapons employed by the various militaries of the galaxy, Rose’s harpoon blades were controlled by her own mind. She could command them to extend, retract, and launch like arrows . . . among many other functions. However, appropriately, their most significant use was grappling surfaces and hoisting her up to great heights. Rose’s harpoons, in particular, were unique to those of other posteritors in that they were capable of phasing partially out of existence. They could then penetrate and fuse with a surface, without causing any appreciable chemical disruption. With this ability, the harpoons were able to hook things without leaving any sort of trace (an engineering accomplishment Rose was very proud of).

“Everything okay back there?” called the pilot over the comm. The woman winced, looking up from her potent weapon. “You’re pretty quiet.”

“Absolutely,” Rose replied. “I’m just checking my weapons. I’ve heard that word on the street is the Court is increasing security efforts. Command suggests that I stay vigilant.”

“Good idea,” echoed the man. “Lucky for us, we were able to get this transport past a checkpoint earlier. Heh!” he laughed. “Some of the other men commissioned it from the Black Market Lords. Didn’t even bother getting it licensed, the idiots! If we didn’t divert, it would’ve been seized, and yours truly would be in prison.”

Having already checked upon entering, Rose already knew there was not a camera in the passenger cabin. As such, she liberally rolled her eyes.
I don’t give a damn about that
, she ranted internally. She continued examining the harpoon’s blade, extending it then retracting it. The odd malfunction remained, though it would hardly prove a risk in combat. Still, it was annoying.

“So, what’s a beautiful Loene like you doing lackey work for, anyways,” pried the comm. “You should be overseeing operations on Florenial . . . or even Dailunavein.”

Rose took a sharp but inaudible breath. “Yes, well, if you’re so confident, you could put in a recommendation for me,” she expressed, in a nicer tone than the nuisance deserved.

“Ha! They ain’t going to listen to what I’ve got to say. If they did, I wouldn’t be here myself.”

Rose nodded satirically and retracted her harpoon all the way. She turned to the window and Forcurrier City. Such as many of the Court worlds, even the big cities, Forcurrier’s capital exhibited a harmonious merger of technology, sentient civilization, and nature. Acres of trees, gardens, and even natural rock formations sprang up in between skyscrapers and intersecting avenues. Rose always found the landscape of Forcurrier to be quite similar to that of her home world, Venvialoen. Of course, not even the Court capital could match its perfection, though. And even on her home world, she never became a big fan of bumpy horse carriages.

“You know, I got to ask,” began the insufferable pilot again. Rose blinked with effort. “How, uh . . . how do you feel about the Union invading Venvialoen? I know you’re with us and all, but . . . does it bother you at all?”

“You mean, do I feel sorry for my own people?” she nearly snapped.

“Well . . .”

“I suppose, for as much as I should. But if they’ve chosen the wrong side in the war, they’ll pay the price. But it’s not as if any relatives of mine are in serious danger, if that’s what you think. This is more of a political issue as of now. The military is involved, I’m sure, but we’re not talking about a situation like what occurred at Atlantis.” She huffed a small laugh to herself, thinking the man’s sympathy to be almost disgustingly contrived. “So . . . no, I’m not really concerned with their position right now.”

“Hmm. Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” The transport began to drop altitude slightly. “Anyways, we’re ‘bout there. I’m getting ready to make the final approach.”

“Very good,” Rose breathed, altogether uninterested in unnecessary narration.

She picked her arms up one by one and extended the harpoons on each. Other than the small irregularity in the right (which could be remedied later), they felt perfectly connected. The shadows of buildings began running over her face as their casters began to eclipse the evening sun. A moment later, tops of trees began zooming by, until the transport touched down in a clearing of tall specimens. The ship shuddered slightly as its engines died down, and Rose stood, already making for the exit.

“Well, it’s been a pleasure, ma’am,” said the pilot. “Now I got another trip in a few. Good luck on your mission.”

“Thanks,” she called, opening the door and extending the exit ramp.

Even below so many trees, the evening sun was bright. Putting her hand over her face, the first thing Rose saw was Captain Meyer awaiting her on the landing pad. Rather than the tell-tale Pirate officer’s uniform, he wore formal clothes like most did on Forcurrier. He bowed slightly before walking over.

“Ah, Posteritor Byruhme, good to meet you again.”

She lowered her hand from her face as her eyes adjusted. “Yes, thank you, Captain.” She stepped onto the landing pad and followed the man.

“If all goes well, you should be able to begin soon. But first, let’s get indoors. We need to review the mission. A few developments have occurred.”

Rose nodded, and they went inside.

Most of the associates they passed on the way to the command room were common Forcurrian natives. The entire Pirate faction was, in fact, mainly comprised of outlaws of the Court’s own worlds. Because of prohibiting laws, political disputes, or the simple seduction of delinquent life, the men and women of the Pirate clans had left their homes in favor of freedom. Roszephnye always found it remarkable how great an organization the Pirate faction had become. By simply adding together the scraps of society here and the disgruntled diplomats there, the faction had become as populated as some worlds.

The small base proved quite uneventful. Most of its crew was probably out on ops or working on the aforementioned communications issue. Turning a corner, Captain Meyer led Rose into a large room with many computer terminals already blinking away. Only two associates were inside at the moment, a couple of native women. They appeared to be going over some sort of logistical matter before the captain entered.

“Sir,” one welcomed. They both bowed slightly. “The meeting is still on schedule for tonight.” The women then both looked at Rose. A tinge of discomfort sparkled in their eyes, and they straightened up a tad. Rose knew this to be fear . . . of her. Surely the entire base would have been informed of her previous grim assignments—not to mention devastating power.

“Excellent,” praised the captain.

“Indeed,” agreed Rose. She stood tall, walking in confidently with her chin up. “Yes, it would be a shame to put a delay on my work. Command would not be pleased. Already, they are growing impatient with our lack of progress.” Captain Meyer stopped at the table the women were standing behind. Rose stopped next to him, standing only slightly shorter. “So much, in fact, that they felt it necessary to send a posteritor . . . for an intelligence handoff!” She shook her head, acting displeased at her assignment.

“Now, don’t be too quick to blame them,” began Meyer in a reconciliatory tone. “The Court has doubled their security everywhere ever since the invasion of Atlantis failed. They’re being too careful now, especially around the capital.”

Rose produced a small, considerate smile and nodded. “That, they have. But I still believe it unnecessary for my talents to be wasted here. The Union needs its posteritors on more important fronts.”

Captain Meyer tilted his head. “I understand. From what I hear, taking their next target will be difficult. But I’m not one to question Fontaine’s orders.” He glanced back to the two subordinates. “Continue keeping communications in check. I don’t want any interference. And be sure to monitor our shipments for tonight.”

“Yes, sir,” answered both women.

“Good. Leave us.”

They bowed and departed, shutting the door. Captain Meyer then looked across the room to an adjacent open door. He started towards it. “Just a minute . . .”

Not wanting to waste time, Rose simply faced the door herself and waved her hand. “I’ve got it.” The door shut firmly at the command of her psychic powers, and Captain Meyer’s pace ground to a halt. He turned.

“Clever,” he expressed with a half smile. Rose held a complacent look, and he walked back over. “Okay, let’s begin then.” The man hit a button on the table and a bright red fire sprang up upon it. The flames flickered and whipped in various directions, spreading out and then running in patterns. “Always thought Forcurrian displays were pretty unique,” he commented. “Bet they thought they were pretty smart when they discovered . . . well, whatever makes this stuff not hot.” He waved one of his hands in the blaze and the flames licked his skin. When he dropped his arm, the flames reorganized and finally consolidated. Rose simply watched, waiting for the display to show something important.

The flames finally took the forms of several short rods, ending in spears. The spears also ran with colors until almost depicting real objects. Intrigued, Rose took a step forward.

“So what
are
these?” she asked finally. “I assume data devices of some kind?”

Captain Meyer stepped closer too, the rods rotating in front of them. “Yes, they’re high capacity memory spikes. Very, very valuable and high-tech. And when I say, high capacity . . . ha!” he laughed. “According to Command, a single spike could hold ALL the communication data that occurred on Atlantis—Court and Union—during the recent invasion. The entire week! Or more!”

“And they’re the size of small daggers,” Rose imputed. “Incredible!” She approached one of the floating spikes and examined it. “They appear to be of Eiltheen design, though.”

“Yes, they are. They’re used in the Eiltheen’s archives. Each of these contains thousands of years of history.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of these massive data devices. But I would’ve thought Atlantis itself would possess such technology.”

“They do, I’m sure,” replied the captain. “But the Union’s contact is not from Atlantis.”

“Speaking of which, my master mentioned the contact was a Court official.”

“Yes, uh, a representative actually,” the man specified. “He is a native of Forcurrier, but not an official or a justice. But that is actually irrelevant. What matters is that he’s just returned from a political assignment on Florenial. Apparently, he was negotiating something with the High Council there. Probably related to the Union attacks.”

Rose peered to the spikes of fire again. “So, what does he have to do with these memory spikes? Did he steal one?”

The captain shrugged. “Apparently so. But I believe he was helped. A few of our Court contacts are actually Eiltheen themselves. It is my speculation that they helped him ‘acquire’ the spike, though currently it doesn’t matter
how
he did it. More to the point, Command claims the one he’s in possession of contains important information of the Union’s next target.”

Rose furrowed her eyebrows. “Dailunavein,” she denoted. “An interesting world for the Eiltheen to have archives on.”

“I agree. But . . .” He paused and stepped closer to Rose. Speaking very lowly, he continued. “It is believed that a specific detail of their ancient history could be contained within this spike. Fontaine is apparently searching Dailunavein for some treasure.”

Rose intensified her concentration on the room, using her super-hearing to sense for eavesdroppers. At least locally, she could feel none. She crept a little closer as well. “Treasure?” she whispered. “I was under the impression he desired control of the world.”

“He does, I’m sure,” said the captain. “And that’s still a standing intention of ours. But your master believes further intel on the world will only expedite the Norvanull invasion there. And he doesn’t want that. Or the Norvanulls to have operational command there.”

“I already know that,” replied Rose. “He’s been most vocal of his distaste for their authority. But it seems this feeling is shared in all our ranks there. All the way up to General Morgan, in fact.”

“Yes, which is why the spike must be recovered . . .” He looked cautiously around the room. “And kept from Command.”

Rose paused for a moment, seeing a serious problem with the plan. “Command is not stupid, Captain. They will demand an explanation as to how the spike managed to escape my hands. Perhaps we should rethink this.”

The captain shrugged. “What’ve you got in mind?”

“I could transfer the contents to another device. After that, I’ll destroy the spike. Or damage it.”

The man shook his head hopelessly. “Impossible. Nothing we posses could accommodate such a large amount of data . . . not that could be carried. And you would not have the time in the first place. Command is requiring us to hand it off to them immediately for analyzing.”

Rose thought for a moment and looked at the floating spikes again. “I’ll improvise,” she proclaimed. “Now, my master has requested that I find a way to eliminate our own men there.”

The captain gave a difficult nod. “Yes, he mentioned that the last time I spoke with him.”

“He also requests that we contact him before I leave,” she added. “In fact, I thought that was what you were doing when we first entered.”

“We will; but you need to be briefed first. He’s just as vulnerable as us. If someone overheard his end of a call, he could be killed for treachery.” The man paused. “What’s your plan for the other base?” he then asked. “Killing them all is not going to be simple. They’ve got dozens of regular personnel on sight and even more military.”

“This place, is it a military installation?”

“Not officially. And certainly not officially in the Court’s records. It’s thought by the city to be a private shipping business . . . hence the shipments we conduct there. But we also secretly train detachments of our forces at the facility.”

Rose nodded, considering the growing difficulty. “That does certainly complicate things.” She thought for moment.

“This is why the assignment bothers me,” admitted the man. “I tried to explain this to your master, but he insisted.”

“Yes, he can prove irritatingly intransigent at times,” she replied. Then she continued her thinking until running across a fine detail. “Do we have any way of telling—” She hesitated. “Well, is the entire installation aware of this meeting? As in, every person there?”

The captain twisted his face in consideration. “I’m not sure. I don’t believe any of the subordinates have the
complete
details of the meeting. For those not in command, well, giving them this information would be an unnecessary liability.”

“In that case, only the ones in command need eliminating,” Rose affirmed.

“That’s true, but I don’t think it’s going to be that simple. Some of the rest are going to know some of the details. I think it would be better to simply eliminate them all.”

Rose smiled. “I suppose I’m going to need a pretty big bomb then!” She then waved a hand. “Only joking. I’ve already got a plan. It’s simple: we tip the Court off to their activities.”

Captain Meyer narrowed his eyes. “You mean like calling law enforcement? That’s sort of a crude solution.” He laughed quietly.

“Well, actually, I was thinking more along the lines of Homeland Security or something. My master—” She stopped abruptly. “Okay, I know we need to hide his identity, but we need a call-sign for him. I can’t keep saying ‘my master.’” Meyer held a face of agreement but did not make any suggestions. “Let’s call him Boss R,” concluded Rose. “And we’ll keep this between us.”

“Okay,” he accepted. “So, what was Boss R’s thoughts about the plan?”

“Well, he anticipates a serious response from the Court if they caught wind our allies’ installation. So, as long as they can’t follow a data trail back to us ‘here,’ I think we should simply leak their operations to the Court. At the right time, of course. They will deal with them for us, down to the last grunt. And if what Boss R thinks is true, the Court will send a serious force. Our allies will probably just surrender and be thrown in prison.” Rose lifted her hands declaratively. “Problem solved.”

Amidst a curving smile, Meyer rubbed his chin. “Interesting,” he concluded. “That’s not a bad plan at all. Have the Court deal with them . . . and take the memory spike worry-free.” Rose nodded with a smile of her own. “But you’ll still need to be careful. You cannot be captured yourself, so the leak will have to be calculated. I’ll be in touch the entire time via comm. though, so I can take care of that for you. However, you will also need to ensure the Court cannot access any information in their system which could expose ‘this’ installation.” He pointed to the floor.

“Yes, I was thinking of wiping their memory banks before leaving. The Court will surely be all over that place, scanning for leads.”

“Precisely.”

Rose nodded, pleased with her own plan. “Right. So, when is this meeting taking place? I know it’s tonight, but is it soon?”

“Yes,” he replied. “Well, in just a few hours. The representatives themselves are tied up in duties right now.” The man smiled and tilted his head. “But I suppose that’s for the best. It’ll be safer to have this meeting at night anyhow. Not necessarily for us, but for them. The actual building you’re going to is within part of a political district itself, so it won’t be too much of an unusual place for them to be. And the streets should prove less busy, reducing the chance that they’d be seen.”

“Alright. I assume I need to be there in advance, though . . .” She left the line open-ended and tilted her gaze for an answer.

“That would be best, yes,” said the man. “Here.” He entered a few commands on the computer terminal next to the table. Immediately, the floating memory spikes shrunk and moved to one side. In their place, another great fire sprung up and took shape. This image took the form of a medium sized Forcurrian building. “This is where they are, and where you’re going.”

Rose moved around the table slightly, examining the structure’s details. Because the reactive display flickered and spat slightly in areas (static common to most three dimensional display technology), she was not able to see every detail she wanted. However, she noticed a series of windows that appeared promising and looked to Meyer at once. “Do you mind?” She motioned at the building itself.

“Oh, of course not,” he replied. He reached down and unlocked the system. He then made a gesture, granting her freedom to configure the display. “It’s all yours.”