Warpath (26 page)

“Sorry, Sir,” Remmy
replied. “I’ll call up a thesaurus on my comm here and see if I
can find something just as descriptive but more refined for your
tender ears. Oh, here’s one, ‘muck’, or would you prefer
‘sliced and diced mishmash of humanity?’ I just made that up
myself.”

“That’s enough,
Remmy,” Jake said gently, catching a glimpse of Finn shaking his
head, and Frost doing his best not to laugh.

“Permission to seal
off this cargo hold and join the scanning crew?” Remmy asked.

“Granted, leave a
remote scanner on in that room though,” Jake said. “Just in
case.”

“Today can’t get
any worse,” Dent muttered as he joined Jake at the pilot’s
station.

“Jinx!” Minh-Chu
said, jabbing his finger. That brought a little chuckle from Ashley,
so he pressed on. “As Wing Commander of Samurai Squadron, I hereby
strip you of your call sign, Dent.”

“You wouldn’t,”
Dent said. “Who would fly with me if…”

“Your new call sign
is Jinx!” Minh-Chu said. “I’m putting it on record.”

“Oh, no!” Ashley
said, laughing.

Jake had to admit that
it was amusing, several of the crew in the room agreed with their
snickers and slowly shaking heads. “You can fly shuttles for me,
Jinx,” Jake said. “I’ll keep you busy.”

“Well, I’m a
pariah,” Jinx said as he watched the call sign on the front of his
uniform change from Dent to Jinx. “I’ll have to take you up on
that, Captain.”

“Adversity helps one
develop good character,” Minh-Chu said. “You’re going to be a
very reliable, interesting man thanks to that new name.”

“I’m going to be a
bored shuttle pilot,” Jinx said as he checked in to the
navigational console.

“I’ll fly with
you,” Ashley said as she gave Minh-Chu a peck on the cheek and
started back to her station.

Jake stepped back and
let her take over. Ashley was one of the most emotional people he
knew, but she had a wonderful habit of springing back, especially
when there was someone else nearby who needed cheering up. Jake
always admired that about her.

The airspace above
Ellis was under the control of the Order of Eden. Patrolled, locked
down, cordoned off and scanned ninety times per second. The shining
city of Ellis was no longer a piece of his territory.

It didn’t irritate
him. It infuriated him. Even still, no one seemed to notice or care
if they did recognize a change. The traffic between the gleaming
buildings standing like blades of steel grass in a field of green and
blue was bustling. All sky traffic was limited to a one thousand
metre ceiling, which would be plenty of space for anywhere else, but
this was Ellis. Everyone wanted to be there, there was something for
everyone to covet, and no one could have it all in one trip. The land
of the beautiful and the powerful, Governor Tate didn’t have the
stomach for the place.

Fashion seemed to
change nightly in the clubs, the sports were either destructive or
brutally over-hyped with more logos and shouting announcers than
actual action. The gambling, shows and barely understandable trends
of the ultra-rich ruled the centre of the city. The Circle Grand was
lit up as though they were signalling God, and as far as they were
concerned, they were.

He wondered how quickly
Eve would try to recruit people if she realized that over seventy
percent of the residents in Ellis were miserable hourly wage slaves.
Most of them were trying to live lifestyles they couldn’t afford
and were deeply in debt. It was a fantastic source of indentured
workers for other, more demanding work in worse climates.

“This is fantastic,”
Wheeler said, his eyes wide and his grin wide. “I love Regent
Galactic territory, it’s as if the Holocaust Virus never happened.”
He watched through the window of the armed shuttle as they made their
way through dense sky traffic.

“It didn’t happen
here,” Governor Tate said irritably. “That was the point of
Regent Galactic providing the technology to take payment from people
who could afford to get on the safety list. The rest were either
killed by bots or put into camps for their own protection.”

“Work camps,”
Wheeler said. “Still haven’t closed those down yet, have you?
Brilliant work, I know exactly how it was carried out. You are one of
the greediest people I’ve ever heard of, and you’re good at it.”

The pair were silent
for several minutes then, staring out at the seemingly endless forest
of buildings. Light in thousands of windows kept the night at bay.
The route was pre-programmed, but people were stupid, and Governor
Tate didn’t want to be the loser in a collision with some idiot who
thought he could do a better job of flying his shuttle than the
autopilot. The armed shuttle could survive most head-on collisions
with normal vehicles. The Governor wondered how Wheeler would fare if
he tossed him through the sliding door. He was exactly the kind of
person who would fit in somewhere of the middle of Ellis, with his
unique style and difficult to determine age. The fall might be
nothing more than an inconvenience for someone like him, a framework.
He almost chuckled at the mental picture of Wheeler regenerating,
dusting himself off, and stumbling down the street to join the
nightlife.

“You get bored of
this kind of place fast,” Governor Tate said, allowing himself a
moment to look through the window at the holographic billboard lights
flashing by. “I haven’t enjoyed this place for fifteen years,
probably more.”

“You should lighten
up,” Wheeler said. “What’s the purpose of power if you can’t
party for free every once in a while? I’m sure there are crowds of
people here who would pay to have drinks with the Governor.”

“More who would pay
to have me killed,” Tate said. He immediately regretted revealing
that fact. The silence that followed made him wonder how interesting
it really was to Wheeler, who was quietly looking through the window.

The shuttle set down
gently on a platform ringed with Order Knights bearing rifles,
standing perfectly still. A woman in white and green robes greeted
them as the door slid open. “Lucius Wheeler, Governor Tate. You are
welcome,” she said with a bow. “None others are allowed inside.”

The top of the building
Eve had taken as her own while she spent time in the solar system was
one of the worst designed the Governor had ever seen. Then again,
that was counter to popular opinion. The main portion of the building
below was an octagonal stalk that stretched for sixty-three stories,
and the top was shaped like a giant onion. Round, white, and with
windows that were typically long and tall, the thing was ridiculous.
There were perhaps a hundred people in the solar system that could
afford a night in the penthouse, and Governor Tate got the sinking
feeling that Eve may have kicked out someone who could make life
difficult for him later.

Wheeler practically
marched for the doorway, his hair flicking in the wind as he
traversed the platform. The guards parted, and the doors opened. “I
did not expect to see you,” Eve said, taking his hand for a moment
then letting it go.

“I’m surprised you
weren’t told I’d be around by your new Citadel friends. They’re
interesting people, right?” Wheeler said with a smile.

“They are a driven
people,” Eve said, turning to the Governor. “Thank you for
indulging me, Governor. I am humbled by your system’s hospitality.”

The room was circular,
with plush furniture and stylized, elongated white sculptures of dogs
and birds in alcoves along the walls between doorways leading deeper
into the penthouse suite. The lights were low, and the white walls
were shaded in red thanks to a hologram that dominated the centre of
the room. A planet turned slowly, burning in hues of red and yellow.

Eve motioned for them
to sit down in the circular sofas in the middle of the room, and the
trio equal distances from each other. “I can’t spend too much
time with you, I’m afraid. There is a party scheduled for me later
this evening where I’m going to meet some of the main social
figures. Sometimes greeting the few at the gates can bring greater
masses, I must attend.”

Wheeler was staring at
the hologram, his brow furrowed. Governor Tate decided to ignore him
and the monstrosity above. “I’m sure duty calls,” he said,
doing his best to be pleasant. “I have been putting out fires all
day with companies who are low on workers. Your shuttles are picking
people up at their homes every night. Your representatives are going
to housing complexes and inviting people away from their jobs, from
their lives.”

“I’m here to
improve life, and to build the Order’s numbers in this sector. The
defence is only getting harder. Building a new society takes more
labour and management than droids can be trusted with,” Eve said.
“I have a number in mind, and when we’ve shown that many to the
gates, I’ll move on.”

“That Gate business,
that’s new,” Governor Tate said, looking for a rational edge to
the conversation.

“I’ve made some
refinements over the last few months. The Order of Eden didn’t have
enough ceremony, enough pageantry to be satisfying to people. We’ve
grown past the cash cult that Hampon started. We still take ownership
of most of our initiate’s property eventually, but they trade it
willingly for help in elevating themselves, so there is value, there
is a trade, and ceremonies mark real progress.”

Governor Tate looked to
Wheeler, who actually looked a little angry as he gazed up at the
hologram, and settled on the notion that the strange man would be no
help. “I’m still facing worker shortfalls, and hearing nothing
but bad news from some very powerful people. People who deliver on
threats, make entire industrial sectors tremble.”

“I’m sorry, perhaps
you could repurpose non-essential robotics to fill the gaps?” Eve
said, her pleasant manner fading. “This suite comes with eleven
servant bots, I’m sure whoever stays here next could get along fine
with two or three?”

“I thought the Order
and Regent Galactic were partners.”

“You and the
corporation you own a small piece of are contractors,” Eve said.
“And I’m afraid there’s no clause that can make your employees
feel unsafe in joining the Order. We know we’ll protect them, that
there’s nothing you or your partners can do. You make them
miserable, so I’ll make them whole. Don’t worry, once I’ve
recruited twenty eight million, we’ll move on. Of course it could
go higher, training could take time, and we may have to put some
facilities on the ground just in case some of our new initiates are
slower than others.”

“That is it,”
Wheeler said, a note of realization in his voice, not outrage.
“That’s Kambis, I can see her moons.”

“Yes. Citadel and I
decided we had to make examples of the terrorists in the Rega Gain
system. I wanted them to burn Tamber, but they resisted, something
about the size of the spectacle being more effective and Tamber being
too well defended. I think it sets the appropriate example. It’s
quite pretty too, an improvement on the half terraformed world that
it once was.”

Wheeler stood up and
paced a few steps. “How is it that you’re just as messed up as
the last person who last used that body?” he asked, running his
hands through his hair, snapping strands as he encountered knots.
Then he spoke with increasing ferocity and volume. “Oh yeah, you
probably don’t know much about her, Gloria Parker, my old First
Mate. They scooped her brains out to get yours in there, but they
must have left a dollop of crazy behind, because that’s a planet
you just scorched!” He turned on Governor Tate then, whipping a
pointed finger in his direction. “I told you I would deliver Rega
Gain, all I wanted was Tamber, you and the Order could have the
rest.”

“You didn’t tell
me,” Eve said coolly. “He didn’t tell me either.”

“You didn’t give
anyone a chance!” Wheeler said in a burst. “You came across the
nebula and sent ships to set fire to worlds! Citadel is a monster,
and you’re slipping into bed with them! Does Clark know you’re
making deals with the worst gang in the galaxy?” He turned to the
Governor who was enjoying the show. It was good to see Wheeler put in
his place. “Tate, you have no idea what she’s brought here. These
people could take control of the Order, just yank the reigns away
from her in a week, maybe they’ve already started. I got into their
database, just the one they let their kids and special visitors see,
but I saw enough. It took Sol Defence sixty-three years to kick them
out, and they’re still paranoid that some Citadel spies are still
around! This,” Wheeler said, pointing at the rotating hologram of
Kambis on fire. “This is them! This is what they do for shits and
giggles when they think someone is stepping too far out of line, the
only difference is that they can reveal themselves now that they have
Eve under control.”

Eight Order Knights
entered the room, and Wheeler laughed. He looked at the Governor
then. “Good luck, really,” he told him. “Do everything she
says, give her everything she wants, then I might see you someday.”
He disappeared completely, and Governor Tate was left alone with Eve
and her eight armoured Knights.

“That man is nothing
but bad luck,” Eve said.

“So I’ve noticed,”
Governor Tate said. “I’ll take my leave, if you don’t mind. I
think I have some security concerns to address.”

“I understand,” Eve
said. “Do we have an understanding regarding my recruitment needs?”

Governor Tate stopped,
half risen from the sofa and tried to answer as naturally as
possible. “I only ask that you give me some warning, so I can try
to placate my partners with indentured workers, or robots, as you
recommended.”

“I think that is only
fair,” Eve said.

Governor Tate made his
way to the shuttle as quickly as he could without running. Once he
was inside he let his frustrations out by bashing the seat in front
of him hard enough to feel the solid frame beneath the padding. He
was alone again, he didn’t care so much before, but somehow having
Wheeler around made him feel like he was going to somehow roll back
the clock, become a more vital man again. An interesting man who
wasn’t sneered at by most, and envied by the rest. He saw the same
possibility for his entire solar system with Wheeler around, and the
people in it. He silently vowed to improve life for the people he
owned once the Order was gone and the economy was in balance. He
would not be forever known as the Governor who used an entire solar
system for his own gain. There had to be a better legacy for him,
with or without Wheeler.