ev2323

[ev2323]

The Board Meeting

“Are you as fucked as I am?” said Anna and took a sip of her drink. “I don’t expect to be alive after Christmas.” Claes answered gloomily. “Do you think the real board orchestrated this ruckus or are you on the Unified Earth line?” The penthouse bar at Ferroscandia Interstellar was rather packed. Wall to wall corporate types and undoubtedly some incognito security goons sprinkled in. All but the goons with voting rights in the Scandinavian mineral giant. Anna kept thinking about  how they all more or less hated each other and how awful these meetings always made her feel. FSCI has given her a comfortable life even if it was a life chosen for her, not by her. The gloomy man sitting in front of her was like her. Born into service for the largest company in the solar system. They both came from rich families in the Swedish plutarchy and their forebears had always kept important positions within the corporations. And now they were certain they were going to be gotten rid of by the infamous “real” board. 

“I don’t think they can kill us, Claes. It would cause discomfort with all voters.” FSCI security division had a reputation for being boring and bureaucratic but not murderous. “If they could kill Du Plessis and I don’t even know how many others I think they could stomach a few odd murders.” “They’ll have to stage something like the conference disaster again, I don’t think they will. Worst thing that will happen is you get forced out and there will be calls for a corporate restructuring again.” “That sounds reasonable but it feels like all reason went out the window with a zombie virus. Besides, corporate lockdown is close to being in prison, no?” “At least you're alive.” Anna accidentally locked eyes with one of the goons. He winked at her. She cringed. “I met Viktor the other day and he thought that FSCI had been infiltrated by the competition.” Claes snapped out of his gloom. “That’s a stretch. The helmets would not use these tactics.” Claes motioned for a waiter to get him another. “Besides I don’t think they care that much about FSCI right now. They seem very busy out by the gas giants. Feels like the company might be lagging behind in the corporate race.” “I don’t care, I just want my ridiculous salary and the summer house in Les Calanques. I’m tired of all this cloak and dagger shit.” Anna emptied her glass and stared at Claes who met her gaze in silence. “You and me both.” He finally said and looked up at the wall clock. “Should we get some good seats for the proceedings?” “Might as well. Let’s hope for as little change as possible.” They moved through the groups of vaguely similar individuals in expensive, black business attire and arrived at the elevators. “Let’s hope.”

[ev2323]

The Engine

Evgenij glided soundlessly through the one by one meter tube that ran along the inexplicable engine of the Admiral Kuznetsov. It was the only way to get to the command bubbles close to the old war ship's prow. The familiar yet unsettling hum of the engine that used to haunt Evgenij’s nightmares was with the new implant more tolerable but still a blight on Evgenij’s mental stamina. The perpetual source of Admiral Kuznetsov’s power was the reason Evgenij had to see to a complete shift change the next morning. Baseline crew could never handle the ominous chant of the engine for more than a couple of months at a time. For his mother this was not an issue. Easier to keep secrets when the staff is new all the time. At the moment it was only himself, his mother and Malina who, no doubt, was busy arguing with the ship AI. 

All throughout his life these lulls in activity have always been a harbinger for one tragedy or other to befall him. This time was no exception. The last time he had been very young and his father, who had worked on the mysteries of the Admiral Kuznetsov all his life, suddenly stopped talking, eating and eventually stepped out of an air lock. Everyone was convinced that the engine made him do it. The engine had a strange reputation for destroying minds ever since. 

The unnerving hum subsided as he floated up towards the command bubbles. His mother would be sitting in the Right Eye as it was known among the core crew. With a muted thud he kicked off from the dull gray bulkhead towards the general. His mother wanted a last report on the preparation for the next leg of the PLE’s grand plan. Evgenij had no idea what his mother was planning. She had been indisposed for several days having a meeting with the Committee. Another mystery in Evgenij’s life. This time everything had gone to plan, even better than expected. The General was satisfied that Shah had been able to recruit a disposable asset. Evgenij suspected the idealistic Indian did not share his mother’s cold and pragmatic view on this new crew he’d recruited. They were ferrying the clones who would be working on the engine at arrival. A fact that made Evgenij hope he would never have to be close to the monstrous machine ever again. 

His mother was sitting in one of the military green command seats with her ancient headphones on. Her back was to him and she wouldn’t have heard his zero G approach. He carefully stuck to the walls of the command bubble so as to not startle his mother. Her implants sometimes made old, programmed reflexes fire and she would shoot first and ask questions later. Evgenij was not afraid of his mother per se. He knew she would never harm him. But knowing her capacity for harm would make anyone tread lightly around the woman.

“Evgenij”, she said as he was entering her field of vision. She was gazing out of the alloy glass window that let the command staff of the Admiral Kuznetsov observe the mayhem that the lumbering hulk was capable of enacting. “Good news only, I hope”. She turned her large head to look her son in the eyes. “So far so good”, Evgenij answered while sending a written update to his mother’s mobile terminal. “The package is on its way and the Pelican has been retrofitted to your specifications. Shah is traveling alongside them, keeping a discreet distance.” Shah had updated Evgenij earlier in the week. “Nishan mentioned that the plutocrat staying at the shipyard seemed very interested in our new hires.” The Brazilian had been rebuked by his mother during their brief stop at Woitke’s. The General had stared the aristocrat down and he was forced to retreat. Much to his chagrin seemingly. “We can’t worry about him now. I do not believe he has any knowledge about our plans. If he’s interested in our crew it’s their problem not ours. The Kuznetsov is quite capable of getting rid of the man should we have to be aggressive” 

Evgenij had only once seen the Admiral Kuznetsov true fire power before. The general had ordered the destruction of a manufactory station. The hum from the horrible engine had increased in intensity for a millisecond that felt like a century and suddenly the station was gone. Evgenij had been terrified. “Did you find out why the earthlings are so excited?” The general had loosened herself from her command seat and was currently putting her combat exoskeleton back on. The slim construction was never visible beneath her functional clothes. She never wore anything that did not make her look like a general. Hence the persistence of her nickname. “Malina has been digging, but it’s rough going. FSCI has shut like a clam and seems in disarray in general. The HIS are seemingly not interested, which Malina feels is suspicious. Her intelligence friends seem to think that Earth just jumped on the opportunity to swing their new weight around, using the attack on FSCI as a pretense.” The general had poached Malina from HIS and she was a formidable asset for the PLE. Whenever she couldn’t find something out it made Evgenij nervous. “New weight indeed”, Valentina Todorova mused. “One must imagine the Chinese to be heavily involved.” She started preparing the Kuznetsov for another meeting with the Committee. “They’re finally making their move then?” Evgenij asked his mother who was watching the ceiling mounted screens waiting for the Committee to connect. “Why not?” “Now seems like a good time with all the turbulence in the inner system.” She sat back down in her seat and strapped herself in. “I will see you in the morning, son. We will greet the new shift together. Go get some rest.”

[ev2323]

A meeting between agent Lopez and agent Khenosian

Two HIS agents have a conversation in the Infiltrator class sabotage vessel HSS Partisan.

L: How was your time with the plutocrat?

G: You know very well it was awful. 

L: I’ve actually never met one.

G: You might have to dispose of this one.

L: Extraordinary. How so?

G: The analysts think he is too difficult.

L: But he’s useful, no?

G: He succeeded in leveraging one of the crew.

L: And now the analysts want to tie up loose ends.

G: Most probably.

L: What are we supposed to do when the Pelican reaches destination?

G: Observe. That’s why we got this boat. It’s the latest model. I just heard that another one observed the disaster at the FSCI conference undetected.

L: I didn’t think we had any people there?

G: Neither did I. 

L: What a friendly work environment we enjoy Ghazal.

G: Would you rather do anything else?

L: Hell no!

G: How’s your new suit?

L: Have you noticed I’m even smaller?

G: Why do they insist on you being so petite?

L: Either they’re sexual deviants or they’re just practical. I haven’t decided.

G: Practical how?

L: I fit in smaller spaces while still being able to decapitate a baseline human with one hand.

G: I’m not surprised your last boyfriend joined the Earth navy to get away from you.

L: Haha! Be nice! I’ve been scorned!

G: Anything else they improved?

L: Stuff that would have helped you deal with the methuselah I believe.

G: Finally. I hate that shit. Gives me the creeps.

L: So we’re observing.

G: They’re no threat to us. According to the analysts it might be extremely valuable to the company, and possibly the solar system in general.

L: They actually said “might”?

G: No. That’s my interpretation.

L: You met them in person?

G: Yes. Not as bad as meeting the Brazilian vampire but still very odd.

L: They have that brain altering shit right? I’ve never seen it.

G: It’s off putting. More because they don’t themselves care at all. Makes them even more strange. It takes genuine physical effort to listen to them speak.

L: I’m so glad I’m not as smart as you Ghazal.

G: I fear for my life when you try to be sweet.

L: You should. I’m dangerous.

G: At least this tube is more comfortable than the last one.

L: We still don’t know very much, you and me, do we?

G: Not really.