Archives of the Frontier Universe: An Assassin's Assignment (10 page)

Kelrundum seemed to hesitate. He then put his computer in standby mode and rotated his chair to face the councilor directly. Though she was still scanning for sensitive information, Rose was abruptly thrown out of the system. She rolled her eyes and stowed the slate.

“Councilor Silatine,” the justice began. “You obviously are more learned on the subject than I; what . . . portion, I would ask, of the myths regarding their race is true? I’m beyond sure your ‘previous’ affiliation with the Posteritor Order has afforded you abundant knowledge? Or at least more than the average person.”

Hiellta sat back in her chair and partially crossed her arms. “And why, Justice, would I give you that information now? Why not wait for the official assembly?” Rose looked at Kelrundum for his answer. Clearly, the councilor did not wish to provide him with additional leverage for Dailunavein’s cause. The justice leaned to reply, but Hiellta continued. “Because you desire more evidence in convincing the allied worlds,” she answered herself.

Kelrundum leaned back with effort. “Councilor Silatine,” he breathed.

“Yes, Representative,” entered the Forcurrian, in an agreeable tone. “Evidence is practically the life-force of the Court. And all its rulings. I’m not particularly fond of the idea of assisting King Niriathor, but regardless of any of our personal feelings, it is the decision of the worlds as a whole.”

Hiellta held her hands out satirically. “Indeed; whatever you say.” She then dropped them dramatically. “Just make sure ‘all’ of the intel is provided. It would be . . . deceitful for us to withhold the drawbacks of sending aid.”

“I assume you’ll take care of that for me if it slips my mind?” asked Kelrundum humorously.

“
Bet she will
,” muttered Meyer on the comm. Rose nodded softly.

“You better believe it!” spoke the councilor critically. “I’ve already had to authorize the sacrifice of tens of thousands of my people.”

The Forcurrian pointed his eyebrows and looked to her. “Pardon, Representative?”

“Atlantis!” she retorted. She turned to the justice. “At the very least, you would agree that it was unacceptable for Florenial to be one of the only worlds to answer their distress call? On top of that, we were also the first. Since the first battle in which we lost the Autumn Sun, it has been
our
people sustaining the most casualties.” She paused, taking a sharp breath. “Thank goodness Admiral Loraelver and most of his crew escaped.
He
was actually rescued, in fact. And hear this; it was some space-borne rogue that did it! Not even one of our own!”

“Hiellta,” pressed the justice, “I understand your frustration. We
were
ill-prepared. However, if you read the report thoroughly, Vaulholvon insists it was one of their own ships. An Atlantean stunt fighter, to be exact.”

At this, Rose’s heart jumped with excitement.
Dalton
? she mouthed.

“Now, let’s not conceal the truth in a beguiling tapestry,” she replied. “Admiral Loraelver claims it was a relative of a good friend of his—which, to me, means the man was not affiliated. Why else would he not simply provide all of the details? If I would venture a guess, I’d say this rogue stole the ship. He fled right afterwards. It would’ve been too easy, with the war going on and all.”

He ‘did’ steal it!
Rose laughed internally.
But not under the circumstances she’d believe.
So, Dalton, back on the grid, are we? Now, ‘this’ is certainly rich!

“
What the heck is she complaining about
?” ranted Meyer. “
Her admiral’s alive, isn’t he? Who cares who saved him
?”

“At any rate,” the justice said, “I agree that we need more cooperation within the Court.” He gestured to the woman. “Perhaps you should bring this up at the session. I can’t do it, but you can remind the Court that Florenial was one of the only worlds to assist Atlantis. Furthermore, it was the first, and is currently dealing with a small-scale invasion of its own.”

“I plan to,” said the woman. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll be in favor of other worlds sending aid to Dailunavein.” She tossed her head. “Unfortunately, the rest of the council doesn’t share my wisdom.” She sighed, glancing away. “They will be sending a few ships after the threat on Florenial is resolved. And . . . against my wishes, my own kin means to join them.” For one small second, it seemed that the glimmer of sympathy glistened from her severe eyes.

“I am sorry, Councilor,” the man said in the Eiltheen tongue. Rose only understood a few scant expressions in the language but, unfortunately perhaps, she had heard that one often in her life. Kelrundum then continued in the Court tongue. “Your sister is strong, Hiellta. I would not discount her ability.”

“Heh!” she laughed in a conflicted manner. “Strong, yes. But her abilities have promoted arrogance within her. Now, she thinks
any little issue
is her responsibility. Especially when . . .” she trialed off.

“Yes, Councilor?” asked the Forcurrian.

Hiellta shook her head, dispelling the apparently sensitive subject. “Nothing. It is of no consequence at the moment. Suisylwin’s . . .
heart
, I suppose, will guide her. Ha!” she laughed again, but for the first time sounding genuine. “Her defiance is too well-calculated. She always pushes the envelope, bends the rules just right, so as to avoid serious consequences.”

Kelrundum adjusted his position in his mighty chair. “Councilor, Suisylwin’s part in the war has been . . . Her assistance has been remarkable. If she is truly following her heart, perhaps that is what’s best. It’s led her to overcome serious opposition.”

Hiellta tossed her head again. In a way, the gesture seemed to connote her intolerance with the man’s misunderstanding. She returned her eyes after a moment. “Justice . . .” she dragged.

“I understand more than you think, Councilor,” the man said, sort of cutting her off. “We’ve already lost good people. Irreplaceable people.”

“Ladorn, if you’re talking about Posteritor Reed . . .” she began crossly. But then she took a different tone. “Fine, agreed. He was a great man; there’s no doubt about it. But even
he
isn’t the enemy’s only goal. I fear they mean to harass the worlds until all who followed Reed are dead.”

“Which is why you fear for the life of your sister,” completed Kelrundum. “That is to be expected. But consider that many of our own kinsmen gave their lives in service of Vaulholvon. Even . . . even one of my own partners here has been killed to satisfy Fontaine’s hunt for power.” The man seemed to glance down to his desk in anguish. “Court Official Jonathon Clark was murdered by a powerful agent of Fontaine. He was a tremendous asset; as such, I have still yet to allow his office here to be touched.”

“Yes, and his wife and son were attacked too,” imputed the Forcurrian. “Pain is in no short supply, for any of us.”

“
It was Warlord Furnocter, Byruhme
,” entered Meyer critically. “
He was sent to destroy Posteritor Reed. And when he was unable to find him, he turned his murderous hand upon Clark’s family
.”

“Correct, you both are,” accepted Hiellta. “However, what exactly was Fontaine’s motive? If we examine this attack in full, it is obvious, even without consulting the reports, that the agent was searching for Posteritor Reed. This only further proves my own conjecture, which is fast becoming fact. Fontaine is at war with the Posteritor Order. The evidence is irrefutable, and this is why we must . . . Suisylwin is naïve and . . .” She trailed off, shaking her head. “Let’s just get on with this,” she deflected. “After my next meeting, I need to rest.”

Wow
, Rose thought,
hope I never run into this Suisylwin. If she’s anything like her sister . . .

“
Do they have anything useful to discuss
?” asked Meyer in a groggy voice. “
We know most of this already, and information on her sister is hardly relevant
.”

typed Rose satirically.

Meyer laughed. “
I know; I get it. In fact, I’m amazed that this woman even achieved the standing she did. She sure has a lot of complaints
.”

At this, Meyer let out a long string of chuckles.

Kelrundum took the floor again. “Well, on the bright side, at least from your point of view, the Court will likely agree with you. None of us, including myself, are in favor of assisting Dailunavein’s monarchy. Because of the king’s own reluctance in the past, most of the allied worlds have grown a keen distaste for him.”

The Forcurrian laughed quietly. “Now, that’s an understatement, Justice.”

Hiellta nodded sharply. “My words exactly. We should not even be discussing this, let alone having already prepped forces.”

“Uh huh,” mumbled the justice. “Well, at any rate, you do have
that
to count on. But I must warn you: There
will
be those in favor, and they have the right to their own opinion. No one probably wants to help the king specifically, but his people? I think we need to consider the system as a whole, not just their leader.”

“Now, ‘that’ is something that I tire of hearing,” moaned Hiellta. “The council states that as their
own
reason for assisting. A dangerous path.”

“I’m just asking you to keep it in consideration,” said Kelrundum. “There’s more at stake here than the Court’s pride.”

Hiellta lifted her hands. “Yes, yes, whatever you say, Ladorn. At any rate, I need to go. My associates and I need to be prepared for the . . . drudgery that awaits.” She stood swiftly, as did the other two. “I’ll speak with you again, I presume? Before the assembly?”

Kelrundum nodded, and they all walked to the doors. “Try to stay positive, Councilor. Many things are going well for our own worlds. The Union has not been able to establish a dominant presence in any of them so far. After Dailunavein, we could have them on the run.” He opened the door, and Hiellta walked out of it with a fresh nod, saying nothing more. The Forcurrian followed, and Kelrundum left as well, hitting the lights and shutting the door back. They continued talking until Rose could no longer hear them.

“Well, that was fortunate!” she breathed. “Got the codes
and
didn’t have to put anyone down.” She walked over to the window and slipped behind the drapes. “Hopefully, one of these will open—” And then she saw a latch. “Ah ha! Here we go. Don’t want to head out the way they came.” She opened the window, letting in a strong breeze.

“Headed to the server level then?” asked Meyer.

Rose stepped up to the sill and looked out. “Affirmative. But unfortunately, this code isn’t for the one you led me to. It’s for one near the lobby.” She leaned out, shot her harpoon to the edge of the sill, and hooked a section of stone. She then closed the window, used telekinesis to latch it back, and descended.

Roszephnye reached the street outside of the Court Grand Hall a couple of moments after leaving Kelrundum’s office. Not wanting to draw any attention, she chose the most concealed path down and was now walking back up the street towards the edifice’s stretching steps. She pulled her sleeves securely over her harpoons and approached an arriving carriage. The passenger stepped out and, leaving the door open, walked up to the driver (apparently, they were finishing a conversation about the war). Assuring that the coast was clear, Rose skipped over to the open door, reached in, and stole one of the man’s folders of paperwork. She quickly vacated the area, heading for cover behind a stone column of the hall.

“Okay, I’m at the lobby,” she whispered. “Just needed to pick up some distracting credentials.” She began flipping through the folder, looking for a page full of detail.

“What, like a badge or something?” asked Meyer.

“No, paperwork. It’ll be easier to seem convincing if I walk in reading paperwork like an official.” The page she stopped on was crammed full of intel regarding logistical meetings. “Yeah, this one ought to do. Okay, it’s going to be a floor below the lobby. The codes were not all labeled, and even this one was not labeled well.”

“Which shouldn’t be a problem,” assured Meyer. “I’ve already ran a search. There’s only one server level below the lobby that I’d bank on. It’s the floor directly below.”

“Good, I’m moving now.” She held the paper she was reading with her left hand and the folder with her right and advanced up the steps. Once reaching the top, she passed through the stretching doorway, walking right in.

The room was as busy as ever compared to the other daylight trips she had made there. Perhaps it was because of the war, but it seemed that most everyone in sight moved with even more purpose than she remembered. The lobby was absolutely massive, with fine craftsmanship blessing every surface in sight, even up the grand staircases and across the tall ceiling. Rose tried to keep her eyes on the paperwork as best she could as she passed by a pair of guards at the door. Standing quietly and resolutely, the two broad men said nothing, and it would have been best if she did not look at them at all . . . But something impossible caught her eye.

Hesitating, she slowed and looked again at the left guard. On top of his head was perched her master’s red bird. It was just staring at her, as if having waited for years. Rose opened her mouth to chastise the familiar, but the guard looked at her finally.

“Yes, ma’am; can I help you find something?”

Rose shook her head, trying her best to seem not suspicious. “No, pardon me.” She smiled softly. “Sorry, you reminded me of someone from home. For a moment, I thought you were someone else.” She bowed her head slightly and walked away awkwardly.

“The heck are you doing?” asked Meyer.

When she walked far enough away, she answered. “It’s that damn bird. Boss R’s!” she hissed. “It was waiting for me and almost got me caught!” As if she called it, the bird flew past her, soaring just over people’s heads, before finally landing on the floor. She turned for the stairs and motioned for it to follow.

“Wow, he must really want to speak with you. You actually haven’t made contact with him like he requested. I’m sure he’s wanting an update.”

“Right. But if he’d have just waited a little longer . . .” She left the line open-ended and approached the stairs, flustered. Swiftly descending to the target floor, she left the stairwell and found a vacant room in which to speak.

The room appeared to be a computer lab of sorts, though no one was inside, and all the terminals were asleep. However, as the lights had been left on, it was possible that someone would return. Her master’s familiar trotted in behind her and leapt onto one of the displays. “I don’t have time to find a more private room,” she assured the creature. She reached for the terminal and powered it on. As it faced the opposite side of the room, at first glance, one would think she was speaking to someone in transmission. “Okay, get on with it,” she huffed. The bird began forging the invisible link.

“Temper, Byruhme,” reminded the captain. “You’re almost out of there. Don’t lose focus.”

“Well, nobody appreciates unnecessary delays, Captain.”

The link completed before Meyer replied, and Boss R appeared again in the wispy image. “Rose,” he began, in a slightly unwelcoming tone. “I told Meyer to tell you to make contact with me when you were clear of Kyte’s installation. What’s taking so long?”

Rose leaned on her left leg and put her hands on her hips. “Master,” she began in a stern whisper, “if I have to keep putting the mission on hold to provide updates every ten minutes, any chance of catching those treacherous reps. will be lost. I was going to contact you right after I secured a code.”

The man seemed to concentrate his gaze, though his face could not be seen as usual. “I am well-aware of the mission’s importance, Rose. Don’t forget it was me who ordered you there in the first place. I need regular updates to coordinate here.” Feeling sort of frustrated, Rose simply nodded, acquiescing. “Anyways, you mentioned a code? Meyer tells me our contacts in the Court locked the device . . . which is still secure, correct?”

Rose pulled the Eiltheen memory spike from her pocket. “Absolutely.” She then put it away. “But, yes, it’s locked by a high-security code. I was actually in the process of acquiring the locations of our friends’ quarters. It is Meyer’s guess that they returned to this district of the city . . . in which case, I can track them down, take the codes, and terminate the three of them. Provided I’m not inhibited by interruptions . . .”

Boss R took a swift breath and pointed. “Watch that tone, Rose. Communication in this mission is our one greatest asset. If I thought that a minor delay would jeopardize the mission, I would wait for the report. But developments are springing up faster than you think. Command is looking for reasons to send someone else in your place. It is my duty to occupy them and plant counterevidence to their suspicions. The easiest way to do so is to get regular reports.”

Rose took a breath and bowed slightly. “Of course. My apologies.”

The man seemed to loosen up some. “Now, you mentioned ‘three’ of the representatives escaped.”

“Well, technically, I don’t consider those Vicese to have been representatives.”

“Not on the Court itself, maybe,” insisted the boss. “But they
were
representing their domain to us. And to the other three. Speaking of which, I’m working on acquiring intel on their superiors. If what I’ve come across is true, their leader should be traveling to Forcurrier soon. This target is going to be of high value . . . and in need of elimination. We have a unique opportunity to secure a serious gain here. I’ll get back to you with an update on the assignment. For now, though, secure this code and terminate the traitors. This should actually work to our advantage; we’ll tie off loose ends this way. Unfortunately for them, they banked on the wrong hand.”

Rose nodded with a smile, remembering the betrayal earlier. “Indeed, I couldn’t agree with you more. I’ll proceed then. After I access their system, I’ll track down the reps., complete the mission, and make contact before handing the device off—” She hesitated, recalling the plan to compromise the spike’s data. “Hold on. I planned to transfer the intel regarding Dailunavein to another device. After that, I was going to alter the data by either damaging the spike, or deleting it altogether.” Boss R watched her closely. “My intention was to still give Command the device . . . for believability . . . but keep the intel in question for ourselves. I’ll send you a copy once I can establish a secure link.”

The man paused for a moment, but finally nodded. “Clever. That sounds like a well-calculated plan.” He then held up a hand. “But be sure to contact me once more right before you hand it off.”

“Count on it,” she gladly replied.

“Good. We’ll speak again soon.” He disappeared, and his bird promptly hopped off the computer and jumped into another flash of light.

Rose took a quick second to listen to her surroundings for eavesdroppers. The place seemed clear, however, so she powered down the terminal and began moving again.

“You’re bold, Byruhme,” put Captain Meyer, as she reached the door. “I don’t think he’s a man you should cross . . . even with words.”

Rose smiled briefly. “Not many know him as well as I do, Captain. I wasn’t as close to overstepping my bounds as it seemed.” She peeked out the door. A worker was making his way towards her but had his eyes down on some paperwork. Turning her head, Rose noticed only one other worker, heading for the stairs. She scooted away from the doorway as the worker passed and then slipped back into the hall. “Besides, I wanted to impress the fact that I need to stay focused. I’m serious about interruptions.”

“Well, on the subject of the mission, what’s your current status?”

Still holding the stolen folder, Rose followed the directory signs to the nearest server room. “In progress,” she mumbled.

Meyer let out an emotionless laugh. “Yes, obviously. I’d like more information than that, though. Have you made it to the right area?”

Actually just reaching the secure area, Rose pulled out her slate. “Well, there’s a locked hall here, if that tells you anything. Now we get to find out if that lovely meeting with ‘his honor’ was . . . justified.” She laughed and entered the labeled code for the door. The interface display flashed a few times and then beeped in confirmation. With a reassuring CLICK, the lock disengaged. “Perfect!” she praised, pushing the door open.

“Good!” cheered Meyer. “That’s what I like to here. Now, find the nearest server room. Any of them should be able to access intel on the reps.”

“Already on it,” she replied. She chose the nearest room of backbone servers and saw herself in. From wall to wall, humming machines and blinking lights filled the room. With most of the space dedicated to the equipment, there were very few actual workstations inside—and there were absolutely no personnel in sight. She hurried over to a terminal and began slicing it. “Okay, I’m in. Do you have any suggestions on where to start?”

“Hmm, we don’t know any of their names,” began the captain. “Let me think . . . Oh! I got it. As they’re all representatives, they should be quartered in nearby hotels specific to representatives. Also, it’s very possible that they’ll be near each other. Especially if they were running this covert op together. Search for hotels reserved for foreign officials.”

Rose ran the search immediately, and a second later the results began appearing. Many results. “Wow! There’re several hotels just in this very building. Not counting the ones surrounding the Grand Hall, we’re looking at several thousands of rooms. We need to narrow the search area.”

“Okay, put in a filter for just Eiltheen checking in in the past three days.”

Rose entered the commands and was astonished by the numbers. “Goodness! Well, that narrowed it a bit, but we’re still looking at several dozens—hold on!” She entered in another command, this time showing each representative’s detailed profile. She scrolled through them at high speed, scanning for familiar faces. “I should be able to . . . There they are!” she said. The Eiltheen representatives’ profiles appeared side by side. “I’ve got it. They’re in
this
building. They both checked in at the same time and . . .” Already working on the Forcurrian, she ran a cross-referenced search. “Yup, and there
he
is as well. The Forcurrian.”

“In the same building too?”

“Affirmative.” She powered down the terminal and picked up her paperwork. “I’ve already sent their lodging information to my device. So long as security isn’t ridiculous, I should be able to hit them all in an hour’s time. I’m on my way now.”