Mindguard (6 page)

“Indeed, his
involvement so far has been minimal. However -”

“He is carrying
information outside the confines of the IFCO,” the timekeeper guessed. The
commander nodded, satisfied with the young man’s deduction. “We have reason to
believe he is preparing to cross an information package outside the
Federation.”

“So what do we
care what he does with his private information?” Akio Tahara asked. “As a
businessman, he probably often employs thoughtprotection agencies to help him
cross sensitive data securely.”

Within the
Federation, planets were protected by neurocodecs, devices that guarded the
brain against telepathic aggression. They were basically simpler versions of
mindguards. Though most places benefitted from such technology, there were
still plenty of areas which were exposed to telepathic aggressions. Such
aggression was rare due to the severe punishments connected with it, but a man
like Horatio Miller had to take extra precautions. Businessmen of his caliber
often employed the mindguards provided by neurological data protection agencies
in order to compensate for the lack of complete neurocodec coverage.

“Perhaps you
should brush up on your neurological data transportation law, Tahara,” Martin
Anderson said sharply.  He was displeased, but the timekeeper quickly came
to his colleague’s aid: “According to Paragraph 7, Chapter 29 of the
Transportation Law of 2321, only government-approved information may be crossed
beyond the borders of the IFCO, into the desert. No man may cross private
information. Any information package which leaves the confines of the IFCO is
considered political and thus relevant to the government and the Council of
Presidents.”

“So,“ Thomas
Anderson added, “in effect, Educator Miller is crossing unauthorized
political
information. That makes him a threat to interstellar security.”

“Sir, you can’t
honestly believe Educator Miller is working with desert dwellers?!”

“And why should
he
be above suspicion, Mr. Tahara?” Receiving no answer the commander continued:
“It has come to our attention that Educator Miller is planning to cross an
information package across the Djago Desert.” The group let out a collective
gasp. The Djago Desert was notorious for being one of the most dangerous
regions of space in the man-inhabited Universe. “Our sources inform us that
Educator Miller has purchased the services of the Ayers-Ross Thoughtprotection
Agency for this particular venture.”

“Never heard
of’em,” said an older Enforcer with a bald head and an impressive goatee, whose
name Tamisa couldn’t recall.

“As in Kinsey
Ayers?” the timekeeper asked.

“No, his
grandson Sheldon,” Martin answered.

“So what do we
know about him?” the man with the goatee asked.

“Well,“ Martin
said, “He’s considered the best mindguard in the world. He’s not very active,
however, and he rarely accepts missions anymore. We should consider his
involvement in this a sign that it is a very delicate affair. In recent years
he has spent most of his time doing independent research in various topics,
most notably the history of Old Earth.”

“His grandfather
was also a historian,” the timekeeper said.

“Correct. After
retiring as a mindguard.”

“Oh, ok,” the
goateed man said, “runs in the family then. What about the company? If they use
the best mindguard in the world why haven’t I heard of’em?”

“Well, they are
a very small company. Their services are restrictively expensive and they make
a rigorous selection of the cases they accept. Ayers-Ross is also one of the
few companies in the world that doesn’t employ artificial mindguards at all.
Strictly human.”

“If they are so
careful with the cases they accept, why are they getting involved in something
that’s illegal? Villo asked.

“Good question,“
Martin said. “That has yet to be determined. We must assume that they are aware
they will be aiding the Educator in criminal activity. These companies usually
have at least one employee who is responsible with analyzing the legal
implications of the missions.”

“We have
information that suggests they will be exiting IFCO borders in a little over
two weeks,” the commander said. “This gives us ample time to intercept them. We
will attempt a diplomatic approach first. I have scheduled a meeting with
Educator Miller, where I will personally discuss the matter with him.”

The whole team
had a look of surprise.
If the commander himself gets involved then there
must be more to this story than he is telling us,”
Tamisa though. 

She remembered
the man’s quick execution of Kaye Wright more than a decade ago. He had chosen
to kill him personally, with his own bare hands. That too had been a message,
and the population of Aanadya had understood it. This memory made her realize
how much time had passed and how far she had come.

“So what if he
denies everything?” the timekeeper asked.

“It doesn’t matter,
we have solid information that confirms the transportation.”

“May I ask the
source?”

“I’m afraid
not.”

The timekeeper
was stunned, almost offended. Information was never classified in the
Enforcement Unit. With the exception of cadets, everyone had equal access to
information, from the high commander and his lieutenant to the field unit
commanders, the timekeepers and soldiers. It was considered an important factor
in the Unit’s success.

The process of
becoming an Enforcer was so difficult that those who succeeded were deemed
completely trustworthy. Their full knowledge of any situation was vital to
their cohesive functioning. In its more than two centuries of existence, there
had never been an act of betrayal. This loyalty stemmed, in great part, from
the respect and the trust Commander Anderson inspired to his troops. That was
why it was so shocking for the team when he refused to divulge his source.

Villo was the
only one who dared to ask for an explanation. “Why not, sir?”

“I’m sorry, Mr
Kantil,” the commander said, “I’m afraid this particular information is under
‘exclusive classification’.” The team stared at each other in disbelief. Only
Villo held the commander’s gaze, before turning to look at Martin Anderson.
“Yes, sir,” he said coldly, for nothing else could be said in the situation.

‘Exclusive
Classification’ meant that a certain piece of information could be known by no
one other than the commander and his first lieutenant. It was a part of
protocol established at the formation of the Enforcement Unit, back when it was
still called the United Earth Army. It had been largely forgotten due to the
policy of shared access to information. Villo later told Tamisa that ‘exclusive
classification’ had, to his knowledge, never been used before.

“Should I prove
unsuccessful in convincing Educator Miller to abandon this information
transport,” the commander continued, “then you need to prepare to go into
action in two weeks. Timekeeper Kernis will set up a timeline.  Use these
two weeks for intense training. With the exception of Mr. Muench - he pointed
at the man with the goatee - none of you have been to the Djago Desert. It is a
difficult place. Field Unit commander will be Ms. Tamisa Faber.”

Tamisa almost
fell off her chair. The other team members were speechless. Only Villo didn’t
seem surprised.

“Sir, with all
due respect,” said a large man with a shaved scalp, “she is on her first
mission, she -”

“Do you have an
objection against my order, Mr. Calladan?” The enforcer looked away. He was
obviously displeased but he didn’t want to anger the commander. “No, sir.”

Meanwhile,
Tamisa was struggling to wrap her head around the situation. She had just been
put in charge of a team on her first ever mission, a team that even included
her mentor, Villo. She was sure that it couldn’t be true. Perhaps it was some
sort of test, to see her reaction. In that case, were the others aware of it?

“Dismissed,”
said the commander. He quickly left the room, followed by his brother. Tamisa
looked at Villo; he was smiling at her. “Congratulations,” he said with a wink.
The bastard was definitely in on it.

“You asshole,”
she whispered and stormed off to talk to the commander. She caught up with the
brothers on the hallway. “Sir, with all due respect, what are you doing?”

Martin gave her
a scolding look but the commander seemed like he truly had no idea what she was
talking about.

“Ms. Faber?”

“Sir, I am on my
first ever mission, I can’t be in command of a team!”

“I just put you
in command.” His voice was calm, if somewhat patronizing.

“Sir, was this
Villo’s idea?” She was irate at the thought that Villo might have tried to give
her special treatment. 

“You mean Mr.
Kantil?” Only then did Tamisa realize that it had been a mistake to refer to
her instructor as ‘Villo’ in front of the commander.

“Ms. Faber,” the
commander said calmly, “you are under the false impression that Instructor
Kantil is your friend. I assure you, he is not. If he comes off as overly
friendly sometimes it is because that is his chosen teaching method. I
wholeheartedly encourage it because it always produces positive results and
helps us perform a better analysis of a cadet’s ability and psychology. But now
you are no longer a cadet Ms. Faber, you are an active member of the
Enforcement Unit. Mr. Kantil is now your colleague. He is no longer your
instructor and least of all your friend.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Anything else?”

Martin Anderson
gave her a look meant to discourage any further conversation, but Tamisa wasn’t
done. “Sir, it just… it seems so unusual to put an Enforcer on her first
mission in charge of a group of much more experienced soldiers. On top of that,
I’m also the only woman, which -”

“Hold on! Right
there, pause that thought!” Thomas Anderson raised one hand in the air as he
spoke. “Are you trying to tell me that you feel you are not as competent as the
men? Are you not equally prepared?” 

What the hell
is this?
Tamisa thought.
Was this entire thing orchestrated just to
humiliate me? Bully me into admitting that I don’t think I’m as competent as
the others?
She decided to accept the challenge.

“I am just as
prepared as any of the men sir, perhaps more.”
So be it then
, she
thought, preparing for a fiery argument. The commander, however, didn’t seem as
if he thought he was getting into an argument.

“All right,“ he
said calmly, “then you admit you are just as prepared as they are. The only
thing left is your lack of experience in combat situations. Now, with the sole exception
of Mr. Muench, none of the others have ever had missions in the Djago Desert, a
place of singular threat. That means you have the same level of experience in
this situation as they do. For reasons I will not discuss with you, I feel Mr.
Muench does not have the proper skills to lead the team in this particular
mission. That means I was left to choose from the others. I chose you.”

“Yes sir,” she
said, suddenly feeling very ashamed of herself. She had no right to question
the commander’s motives, nor Villo’s professionalism. Anderson seemed to guess
what she was thinking. “Don’t feel awkward, Ms. Faber,” he said. ”I think it is
a good thing that you questioned your ability. It shows you have a very
objective grasp of your situation and your limitations. But now the time for
doubt is over. You need to start preparing for your first field command.”

“I’ll meet with
you in a few hours to discuss the particularities of your command,” Martin
added. 

Tamisa’s mood
swiftly improved. In fact, she felt great. A rush of pride overtook her at the
realization that she will not only be the first active female enforcer in over
twenty years, but also in command  of a field unit on her very first
mission. That was an incredible achievement. Now that her doubts were beginning
to fade away, she was free to absorb everything that had just happened.

She hadn’t
understood the commander’s reasoning at first. Now, she realized that she was
in no position to question his judgment. He saw something in her that nobody
else had ever seen. If he believed in her, then she had every reason to believe
in herself. She also had every reason to celebrate. She realized that she had
to go find Villo, to apologize for having been such a bitch. Then, they needed
to celebrate together, preferably over many beers at one of the taverns outside
the grounds of the academy.

●

When Villo
opened the door he was wearing only his pants. His black t-shirt had been
thrown carelessly on the floor. Tamisa had not spent a single moment worrying
about whether or not it was proper for her to show up at his quarters like
that. Since the trainers and cadets at the academy were almost exclusively
male, there was really no reason to ever think about proper intergender
etiquette. Tamisa tried to think of herself as one of ‘the guys’ anyway.

Villo smiled,
just like he always did. “I’m sorry, the asshole is away at the moment. Can I
take a message?”

Tamisa pouted,
acting sad. Then, she looked into his eyes and just nonchalantly walked into
the room. “I’m so terribly sorry,” she said, stressing every word for emphasis.
She was smiling because she knew that he would understand. He always
understood; he was Villo.

“I don’t get it,
have I ever babied you?” he asked. “I mean, the first time we ever met, I
kicked your ass and embarrassed you in front of the whole class.” Tamisa shook
her head theatrically. “I think it’s so sad that you still find joy in that
memory.” 

“Apology
accepted.”

“I was
wondering, you know, if you want to go out and maybe celebrate or something. I
mean, it’s kind of a big deal for me.”