1y 11m 2w BV
Silver Sailor, open space, just outside trade station 1356-56B, The Desolate Oasis en route to Gao
Brrtklklk Nk’tntnrkk (Bart)
What a mess he had brought himself into. While it was true that his intention had been to find a human, those beings just seemed to create disaster. Not a month ago he had been scouring the Sol system, dodging probes while looking for any human artifacts he could sell. In spite of only recently having grown their wings, the humans had already built enough orbital reconnaissance to make navigating unseen a challenge. Everything remotely interesting in the system was filled with observant orbiters or probes.
He cleared that thought from his head. After the three of them (himself, the human Chuck Byse, and the Gaoian Hiron) had left the Desolate Oasis, both he and Hiron had returned their human weapons to Chuck. Hiron had said his claws were more than sufficient, Brrtklklk simply did not see the purpose in carrying something so primitive. He was not even quite sure why he had accepted the crude device.
No, that simply was not true. He knew exactly why he had accepted it. Hunters were around and humans had beaten Hunters in the past. Just listen to the human, follow his cues, and his survival odds would be acceptable.
Now, here he sat being pulled along by the monsters’ own ship, heading away from his shop on the Crimson Hamlet. Well, he had sought to be in the company of a human; This is simply the price he must pay for that privilege. His store could wait, as the poor traffic in his shop would not likely improve without Chuck’s help.
Brrtklklk stood, pacing as well as could be expected on such a cramped ship. He shook his neck in frustration. Chuck had not been fond of his business strategy. Perhaps the human’s own ideas would be more suitable?
His pacing stopped briefly, considering his next thought. No. The humans were simply too alien. Even as clever as Chuck was, there could be little hope for a beneficial relationship. Telling him that lying can build trust, impressions matter more than truth? Surely thinking like this could only lead to failure… right? Clouds of doubt flowed in his mind. Brrtklklk knew already what conclusion he could come to if he spent the time thinking it through. Alien or not, Chuck would be the one to bolster his venture.
Chuck’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. “Hey Bart, are you OK over there?”
Brrtklklk cleared his head. “Yes… I have simply been reviewing our past conversations.”
“Oh?”
Brrtklklk cleared his throat. “I believe that it would be in our best interests to create a joint venture.”
Chuck laughed. “You told me your plan already. I’m not looking for that kind of work.”
“Yes, I know what we discussed, but we do not have to limit ourselves to that line of work.”
Somehow, Chuck took on an even more imposing stance. “Bart I would love to work with your business, but not as partners. I’ll stick with you for now, but I do not want to work retail, and I do not want keep you from doing what you love.” He took a step back and seemed to shrink slightly. “I want my brand to be my own. For that I need to be the sole figurehead. I don’t want you to be a lesser partner in my business. I’ll build and you sell. How does that sound?”
“It… sounds fine.” Brrtklklk stopped. “But how are you going to build anything?”
“Details, I’ll work that out later.”
Brrtklklk pondered a minute. “I have a few ideas. I shall discuss this with you once we return to my shop.”
“Selectively withholding information until I comply? I’m impressed.” Chuck chuckled. “Nah, it’s only fair. I’m the one dragging you away from your shop.”
“Hiron is dragging both of us around. Not you.” Brrtklklk countered.
“Yes and no. This Whitecrest group seems powerful, and from what Hiron has said about his boss… well, this trip could prove useful.”
Brrtklklk was not convinced. “Can they actually help you?”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Chuck replied. The conversation died down. After a while Chuck pulled out his datapad and took a seat.
Brrtklklk sat down as well, sighing. I suppose it would have been too much to ask to for the first human I met to enter into my employ. He did, however, still have at least a few strings to pull. Maybe things would not turn out so bad.
1y11m1w3d BV
Hunter ship
Chuck
Chuck carefully crossed the gap between the two ships. Hiron had been spending a fair amount of time studying the Hunter vessel. After wandering the ship, Chuck eventually found Hiron in the engineering room. He called out to Hiron as he approached.
“Hey, Hiron, Whitenet isn’t answering my question.”
Hiron turned to him. “We are no longer near an FTL relay. It will only be able to pull from the locally stored information until we regain access.”
Chuck responded. “I got answers to several other questions before that one.”
“You must have tried to access information with a non-confidential clearance level. Only public clearance level information is locally stored.”
“Those aren’t the same?”
“No” explained Hiron. “Public information is freely accessible. Non-confidential information is similar, but we track every device that accesses that information. That information inevitably becomes freely available eventually, obviously, but holding access to it close at hand helps with ‘audits.’”
Chuck stopped for a moment and followed Hiron’s gaze to a piece of equipment. “What is that?”
“I’m not sure.” Hiron admitted. “I’m sure the cubs at home will love to find out.” He chittered softly. “So, what was the question that you just had to know?”
Chuck glared at Hiron briefly. The past few days, Hiron had become more terse, easier agitated. He saw no obvious cause. The trip had been uneventful, relaxing even. Yet the Gaoian was struggling greatly with something. Was he still attempting to hide his clan affiliation from Bart? Perhaps that was why Hiron spent so much time on the Hunter vessel; less time around the others would mean less time spent carefully controlling his actions. If he was trying to preserve a cover, asking about it directly would only make things worse. Still, Chuck had to try something. “Tell me Hiron, what have I done to offend you. Why the hostility? We’re on the same side here, right?”
Hiron tilted his head. “I honestly have no idea. You are a hard being to get a read on.”
Well, that was suprising. Chuck could perform the diplomatic song and dance with the best of them, but hadn’t he had played nearly every interaction with Hiron straight? “It’s not that complicated. I want to talk to your boss.”
Hiron stared intently at Chuck for a moment, almost long enough to start getting uncomfortable. “I don’t understand you. Most beings would not look forward to an interrogation.”
“Interrogation? Are you claiming me as a prisoner?”
“No, nothing like that. You are free to decline the meeting if you wish… But, for my sake, I do hope that you attend. It’s just… Brother Thalias has a way of getting into your head.”
“Thalias. Your boss I assume?”
“Advisor, but yes. He has ways of making people talk.”
“Torture?” Chuck asked, a slight tremor in his voice.
“No… He just knows how to steer a conversation. He’s even better at it than I am!”
Chuck relaxed, relieved. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
Hiron perked an ear and glanced at Chuck out of the corner of his eye. “Right… So, what was the question you asked Whitenet?”
“Oh, nothing complicated, I merely asked it how many Whitecrest agents there are.” Chuck spoke nonchalantly.
Hiron nodded. “Between one thousand and one million.”
Chuck looked up. “Is that the best answer you are going to give me?”
“Yes. That information is highly classified. I don’t even know how large our clan is. The Fathers may be willing to narrow it down a bit more than that, but I doubt by very much. It does not pay to let your enemies know the size of your army.”
“What enemies?”
Hiron paused. “If I knew the answer to that, our entire clan would have to find a new purpose.”
They walked towards the bridge. Chuck broke the silence. “So, is classified another clearance level?”
“… Yes. Only a Father can authorize the release of ‘classified’ information to our contacts.”
Chuck prodded further. “Guy shows up with a briefcase and key?”
“Wha? No! They use the same secure channel as the rest of the information Whitenet prov…” Hiron interrupted himself and flattened his ears against his head. “Everything else on the topic is need to know. And you don’t.”
Chuck shrugged, “Alright, alright. I’m not trying to get you in trouble here. Maybe this Thalias guy will be able to tell me more.”
Hiron responded cautiously. “Perhaps…but don’t get your hopes up.”
“Come on, let’s go watch a movie, I took Bart’s… advice and downloaded a few before we left the station.”
Hiron stared intently at Chuck for a moment, before followed him with a shrug. “Why not? I have nothing better to do.”
1y 11m 1w BV
Hunter ship, en-route to Gao
Chuck
Chuck woke up to the sound of alarms. After the first few days, he had started sleeping in the Hunter’s ship. It had started feeling cramped in Bart’s smaller vessel. Bart, of course, would not set foot on this ship, but Hiron had begun to curl up at his feet to sleep. So god damn adorable! Not today though, Hiron was nowhere to be seen.
He yawned, stood up off his chosen couch/bed thing and walked into the hall. As he left the room, the couch exploded. Huh, that’s odd. Perhaps it was time to pay Hiron a visit. The ship shuddered as another explosion rocked it. As he approached the bridge, he heard Hiron yelling frantically. Hiron was holding a radio engaged in a lively debate with someone.
“Cease fire! This is a captured vessel! Associate Hiron with two contacts on board.”
There was silence for several minutes. Then a voice came through the radio. “…Associate who?”
“Associate Hiron. Who else would it be returning from the Desolate Oasis?”
After another pause. The voice then spoke dryly. “I can think of several others. Why did you not contact us before you entered the system? What did you expect to happen to a hunter vessel approaching Gao?”
“I…” Hiron stood silent for a moment. Then he spoke more calmly. “Unregistered Hunter vessel requesting permission to approach Whitecrest Clan Enclave.”
“Permission granted. Use approach path 39B. …Sorry about the holes.”
With that the conversation ended. Hiron pulled out his datapad, and immediately Bart’s voice began frantically speaking through the device. “Why is my ship under assault!”
Hiron glanced between Chuck and datapad. “Oops?” He said sheepishly. Bart continued in a monotone tirade, questioning Hiron’s honor and why he had let himself get into this mess. Hiron declined to respond… or even pay attention.
Chuck shook his head. “I’m glad I decided to trade this ship in. It’s not all that helpful to have a ship that is shoot-on-sight.” He glanced at Hiron. “You do still have a ship for me, right?”
Hiron sighed. “Of course. Changing the deal would be inappropriate.”
“Can this thing still land?”
“Yes, no critical systems were damaged.”
Chuck looked quizzically at Hiron. “I’m not even going to ask how that damaged nothing. Are we going to get shot at again?”
“No, we now have authorization to approach.”
Chuck shook his head. “I’m going to go and find somewhere quiet to study.” He gestured to the radio. “It sounds like we are close enough to Gao for Whitenet to be back up. Let me know when we get there.”
As Chuck turned to leave, he heard Hiron assuring Bart that the misunderstanding had been resolved. He left to find some unbroken room to sit in.
Several hours later
Silver Sailor, near Gao
Brrtklklk
Even though Hiron had assured Brrtklklk that he would cover the repairs to his ship, it had still taken some time to calm his nerves. He was ‘not a turbine’ of being shot at, something that was happening far too often lately.
The two smaller beings had joined him in the Silver Sailor for the descent. Hiron spoke rapidly, discussing the wonders that awaited them once they landed. They spent the last few minutes of the approach marveling at the sights.
The view was incredible. Brrtklklk had never been to Wi Kao before. Serene greenery dotted with small homes, and in the distance, great elegant skyscrapers of bronze and glass. Even at this great distance, flora was clearly visible through the windows of those giant structures. Sure, back on Ckk’c’ these buildings would seem rather primitive, but it had been so long since Brrtklklk had set foot on a forested world that he couldn’t help but feel… happy seeing the harmony of nature and technology. Hopefully, soon, the humans would find a way to bring this harmony to space.
Brrtklklk’s mind stopped. Where had that thought come from? Why would he think that humans would be the ones to do this? It made no sense. Other species already had hydroponics utilizing plants for food and atmosphere. Yet something, subconsciously, assured him that, before long, humans would have the grandest gardens in space. He hoped his thoughts were right.
Brrtklklk looked to his companions. Hiron wore a face of pride, and Chuck… well he was awed by the spectacle. Brrtklklk quietly chuckled. Technologically, the Gaoians were nearly half a millennium ahead of Earth, yet he was all but certain that humanity would trump anything this world had to offer in less than a century.
The two vessels set down outside the Clanhouse. A pair of no-nonsense Gaoians approached them as the three of them exited the ship. Along a road to the south, he noticed that Gaoians were calmly walking, seemingly oblivious to the terrifying vessel that had just arrived. Brrtklklk had expected a more pronounced response to the presence of a hunter vessel; Perhaps the Gaoians feared the hunters as little as the humans did?
The three of them were quickly ushered into a lobby of some sort. Soon, a Gaoaian entered the lobby to pull Hiron away. Chuck took a seat and sat back, studying his datapad.
“Chuck, what do you plan on doing here?”
Chuck set down his pad and smiled. “I’m not sure yet. I have a few questions I want answered, but for the most part I’m just going to play the room.” He pondered a moment. “Do you want me to get you a new ship? I’m sure they would be happy to oblige.”
Brrtklklk thought for a moment. “No, I believe that I would rather avoid incurring a debt at this time.”
Chuck nodded. “I’ll probably try to grab another small one for myself then. It should be easier to park a shuttle than a larger craft.”
Brrtklklk declined to discuss the nearly universal large docking points that would render a shuttle useless; There were much more important matters to discuss. It seemed that Chuck was quite close to pushing too hard. “Is it wise to ask so much from the Whitecrest? Would they not come to resent such treatment?”
“Honestly, they would probably be suspicious if I failed to demand more. Besides, an organization as grand as this would surely have dozens of suitable craft that they don’t even have a use for. I’m sure the ship they offer to me will be quite a wonder to behold.” Chuck pondered. “Unless I am overestimating them.” He shook his head. “If I am, well, I would be quite disappointed. Hiron spoke rather highly of this Clan, it would be a shame to see him proven wrong.”
He dropped his voice slightly and continued. “Bart, if you don’t want me to get you a new ship, are there any upgrades you need for yours?”
Brrtklklk tersely replied. “As I said, I do not want to incur debt that I am not sure can be repaid. I do not know how Whitecrest operates, I do not know what they would want in return. It is simply an unnecessary risk.”
“Everything you asked is here in the datapad.”
“Chuck, access to Whitenet is not something that is universal. Most beings do not have access to Whitecrest intelligence.”
Chuck thought a moment. “I’ll get you those upgrades anyways. My debt, not yours.”
Brrtklklk studied Chuck. “Why would you do this for me?”
“That’s what friends are for. You are one of the few beings up here that has not yet tried to screw me over.” Chuck threw a few quick glances around the room. “Call it an investment into our friendship. Or just altruism, if you want.”
Brrtklklk thought a moment. “Very well. I’ll… “
Chuck interrupted. “Great! I’ll get them to look at your ship after our meeting.”
Brrtklklk looked at Chuck questioningly, then shook his head and sat back down. Chuck went back to his datapad.
A few minutes later, a Gaoian entered the room and approached Brrtklklk.
“Hello sir, I am Assistant Quartermaster Sermil, I’ll be performing the modifications to your ship. I’ve sent you a list of proposed upgrades. Please review and tell me if they are acceptable.” Sermil left before Brrtklklk had a chance to reply.
Brrtklklk turned to Chuck. “How did you do that?”
Chuck shrugged. “Whitecrest is an intelligence agency. I can not think of a reason for them not to be listening to us in this room. Hell, they are probably waiting for us to spill some dirty secrets before they pull us out to see them.”
As if on cue, the door to the room opened again, and a trio of Gaoians entered. The one up front spoke. “Hello there Chuck, Brrtklklk. I see no reason to delay this any further. Chuck, if you would be so kind as to join me in my office?”
“What about Bart here?”
“Our discussion is between you and me. I’m sure you don’t want anyone else snooping in on your business.”
Chuck held his face still. “I’m sure you’ll understand if I choose to bring Bart to the meeting as an advisor. I am still new to the politics of this area. I’d imagine you’ll have your own advisors present in some form or another.”
The Gaoian paused for a minute. He looked away and tapped an earpiece, speaking a few hushed words. After a moment he turned back to Chuck. “Very well. Come. This way.” The three Gaoians led Chuck and Brrtklklk to a conference room. The lead Gaoian sat in a chair on one side of the table, while Chuck sat on the other. Brrtklklk noticed Hiron sitting away from the table, behind the Gaoian, off to one side.
Brrtklklk took a seat next to Chuck. If Chuck wanted him as an advisor, it would be important that he follow the subtext of the conversation closely. The fact that this strategy almost perfectly mirrored his original plans was merely ‘sleeting on the cake’.
The Gaoian turned and spoke to Chuck. “Trainee Hiron will be present to observe this discussion. I’m sure you understand the benefit of having an advisor present.” Brrtklklk studied the Gaoian carefully as he spoke. All he saw was a subtle twitch of an ear as it spoke that last request, too subtle for his implant to categorize. If Brrtklklk had been able to notice this… he turned to Chuck.
Chuck glanced at his chair, before returning his gaze to the Gaoian and grunting slightly in amusement. “I assume that you are Thalias?”
Thalias stopped. “Oh dear, I do believe I have failed to properly introduce myself. I am Brother Thalias of Whitecrest, lead of the Human Investigations Division.”
Chuck replied with his own introduction, speaking in an overly boisterous voice. “And I am Chuck Byse, CEO of Wolf: Wilderness Explorer and Bysteel Craftworks.”
Thalias raised his eyebrow. “I was not aware of that second company.”
“All companies start small. I’m sure you’ll have heard of it in a few months.”
Thalias looked doubtful. “I’m sure.” He straightened himself in his chair and cleared his throat. “I invited you here today to discuss Hiron’s performance at the Desolate Oasis.”
Brrtklklk glanced at Chuck, expecting surprise, but all Chuck did was nod solemnly.
Thalias continued. “By what means were you able to pierce Hiron’s cover?”
Chuck spoke. “What cover do you speak of? I count at least three separate secrets that he was hiding from me.”
Thalias froze, stunned. “I will have to ask you to explain.”
Chuck shrugged. “Let see. First, that he is a Whitecrest Operative. Second, that he is a trainee in an active training exercise and third, that he is desperate for knowledge of human psyche, through means of a big brother type information gathering system.”
Thalias relaxed slightly, letting out a held breath before Chuck spoke again.
“Based on what he said, now, mind you, this is merely speculation, but I’m guessing that you currently have 20 or so operatives on stations monitoring human activity, as well as another half a dozen operatives here at home on analysis.” Chuck paused and grinned before continuing. “I’m guessing your team is not very busy right now. You probably have not had much luck recruiting other humans into this program.”
Thalias turned and glared at Hiron, while still speaking to Chuck. “How astute of you.” Hiron cowered in his chair.
Thalias turned back to Chuck and continued. “All of this you derived from your conversation with Hiron?”
“It’s not that complicated.”
“Hmm. Explain how you were able to determine Hiron was a Whitecrest agent.” Thalias paused before adding “Please?”
Chuck nodded. “Firstly, he was pushing the sale of the Whitecrest device, claiming that it was the best available. Yet he had it hidden behind the counter.”
“That could not be enough to go on.”
“No, it is not, but it was certainly enough to arouse suspicion. Then he told me, in great detail, about how he had been approached by Whitecrest to sell this device. Add this to his repeated praise of Whitecrest with almost every sentence he spoke and… well he was not exactly subtle.”
“I… see.” Thalias cleared his throat. “Chuck, you seem awfully open with your information. Hiron believes are a master of clandestine operations. Why are you not concealing more from us?”
Chuck shrugged. “Why not? We both have information that could greatly benefit the other. There is no need for deception when we can do far more by building mutual trust.”
“I’m not sure if we are quite there yet.”
“Give it time.” Chuck sat back and grinned. “Speaking of which, Hiron and I had a rather interesting discussion on the topic of trust and information sharing.”
Hiron’s ears fell flat as Chuck said this. Brrtklklk glanced over to Chuck, seeing the slightest nod in Hiron’s direction.
“He told me that there are two types of information available on Whitenet, public and non-confidential. That got me thinking.” Chuck sat back. “Is there a third designation? Classified or something?” Hiron calmed back down and chittered quietly.
Thalias stopped and blinked. He looked back at Hiron, who shrugged. Thalias put his finger to his ear and after a few seconds nodded. “Yes.”
Chuck continued. “Whitenet told me that any Father can dispense Confidential information at will. So, Brother… friend.” Chuck interrupted himself after carefully decoding Hiron’s frantic movements. “What do I have to do to gain access to that information?”
Brrtklklk was confused. How had Thalias missed that? Chuck had claimed not to know about that ‘Confidential’ designation, then immediately described details of the system. It was almost as if Thallias had been too distracted to notice… Brrtklklk realized that he had only noticed because he had been focusing on this sort of subtle trickery. He focused his attention back to Thalias.
“Confidential level information is strictly need to know. But I have been authorized to offer you an Oath of Secrecy.”
“I’m listening.”
“By signing this oath, you are commiting to a vow of secrecy over any information considered Confidential. Any dispersal of this information is considered an act of treason against the Gaoian people and will be dealt with accordingly.”
“I see” stated Chuck. “Before I sign anything, I to wish to know a bit more about what you intend me to do. You would not be offering me the Whitenet service without good reason. What exactly do you get out of this?”
Thalias glanced up to the corner of the room. After a few seconds he spoke. “About two and a half years ago, soon after the… incident involving one Mr. Jenkins, an observation platform was set up near the planet you call Saturn, connected to the Earth’s Global Computer Network via relay stations on Lua. We were able to acquire a copy of the database storage for several linked data nodes.”
Chuck thought for a moment. “The Internet.”
Thalias tapped his earpiece, then nodded a few seconds later. “Yes.” He continued. There are two categories of information we discovered. The first category was dominated by a node by the name of Wikipedia. The information present on that node regarding policy, economics and, to some extent, philosophy, is nothing short of incredible. It took the greater part of a year to collate and store that information within Whitenet.”
He continued “Our current interest is in the second, much larger category of information. Information that is almost entirely contradictory. Most of it appears completely useless. Deciphering this code has eluded us for the vast majority of the content present. A node called Facebook leads this category.” Thalias shook his head and raised his voice. “Tens of billions of data sets from hundreds of millions of individuals and nearly all of it, complete gibberish. That is why we need you. We intend to study you, to learn your mannerisms and build a profile to compare to your search history. We want to see what secrets are stored within the coded messages.”
Chuck laughed. “I guarantee, you will definitely be surprised by what you will eventually discover there.”
Thalis tilted his head. “What soft of secrets do these nodes hold?”
Chuck shook his head. “I don’t want to spoil it for you; It’ll be much more enlightening if you find out for yourself. But I will give you a hint. Some of the information out there is actually completely useless. That tip is on the house.”
“House?…” Thalias pondered for a moment before clearing his head. “Do you believe this exercise to be a waste of our time?”
“No, but you should expect inconsistencies. The line between subjective and objective never is as clear as you would hope it to be.”
An aide entered the room and handed Chuck a datapad.
Brrtklklk spoke up. “Chuck, be careful with that, make sure you don’t sign away your freedom.”
Chuck chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ve read a few of these in my time. Besides, Thalias here has already promised to spy on me.” He scanned the document. “It seems well written, at least.” After a few more minutes spent browsing the document, Chuck spoke again. “Thalias, in order to avoid any confusion caused by cultural differences, I would like to confirm that this secrecy applies exclusively to information clearly demarcated Confidential, and would not apply to any other information provided.”
“That is correct.” Thalias glanced at Brrtklklk. “But I do humbly request that you do not heedlessly distribute non-public information.”
Chuck nodded and signed the Oath. “I’ll keep that in mind. So what can you tell me?”
Thalias threw another watchful eye at Brrtklklk. “Nothing today, this merely opens the door for later.”
Chuck grunted. “I figured as much.” He straightened and clasped his hands. “So about my ship.”
Thalias nodded. “Yes. That is quite a prize that Hiron brought me. He told me you played a significant role in its capture. Whitecrest will certainly honor the agreement that Hiron made with you, in good faith.”
Thalias glared at Hiron, who promptly cowered in his seat. “The agreement based on the value of the hunter ship before it was filled with holes due to someone’s negligence.” Thalias’ voice raised to a shout as he levied his complaint. “Sit up, it is not acceptable for a Whitecrest operative to cower in that manner.” He continued glaring for a moment longer before turning back to Chuck. “My apologies, where was I? Ah yes. Your ship. We are building a ship for you, based on the resale value of the hunter ship you captured.”
“Resale?”
“Yes, resale, we are not going to build you a ‘priceless’ or ‘invaluable’ ship. Deal with it.”
Chuck cast a shrewd eye at Thalias with a familiar malicious grin. “Fair enough.”
With business completed, Thalias and Chuck both took on a more relaxed stance.
“The ship should be sufficient for light cargo, trade, diplomacy.” He turned to Hiron and grinned. “And it’ll be fast.” Noticing Chuck’s confused look, he shrugged and added. “We all have our weaknesses. I’m rather fond of power. I’m sure a human of all things would understand.”
Chuck chuckled before continuing. “What about docking, how do I get in and out of the ship?”
Brrtklklk recalled the awkward transfer between his and Zilroy’s ship.
Thalias was amused by this. “I’ve included one small shuttlecraft with your ship. In addition, our technicians have had some… ideas they have wanted to try for a while now. Your ship will be one-of-a-kind.”
Chuck continued. “Will it also fit the Silver Sailor?“
Thalias glanced again at the corner. “…Yes.”
Brrtklklk decided this was a good time to interject. “Speaking of which, I do not recall the refitting of my ship being part of the original agreement.”
Thalias turned to Brrtklklk. “It was not. Do not worry Brrtklklk, consider this payment for returning Hiron to Gao.” Hiron was panicking behind Thalias. Thalias turned to Hiron and ‘stared stilettos’ at him until Hiron calmed down.
“I did not know passage alone could possibly be sufficient to cover the costs associated with this overhaul.”
Thalias chittered. “You underestimate our capabilities. Our salvage yards contain scrap better than the systems in that ship. There is also the matter of damage inflicted on the vessel, due to negligence of one of our own.” Thalias again stared at Hiron. “Besides, our recruits need the training on legacy systems. Do not concern yourself with the costs associated with that ship.”
Thalias saw the concerned look on Brrtklklk’s face. “Don’t worry, we are taking good care of it. We’re professionals here.” He cleared his throat. “Now then, there is one more matter that I wish to discuss.” He spoke inaudibly into his microphone. Shortly after, two Gaoians struggled through the door, carrying Chuck’s pack between them. “Hiron informed me of your interaction with the Corti known as Zilroy. He is a ghost. We know very little about him, but we know enough to consider him dangerous. I strongly believe that the blade he gave to you is…compromised.” Thalias turned to Hiron. “Go to the armory and retrieve a fusion weapon. Something big and heavy.” He turned his attention to Chuck. “Would you retrieve the weapon from your pack? I consider it poor practice to search a being’s possessions in front of them.”
Chuck fished out the blade and set it on the table. Thalias spoke again. “Will you trade that blade?”
Chuck appeared lost in thought, then spoke. “I suppose I have no reason to doubt your statement. Zilroy and I did not exactly part on the best of terms. What are you offering?”
Thalias shrugged as he replied. “Whatever Hiron selects.” Hiron took that moment to return to the room, giant grin on his face, carrying a modernized bearded axe with an absolutely enormous head. He was struggling with the axe’s weight. Thalias’ jaw hit the floor. “THAT? Why would you? … Fine. Chuck, this is a magnesium-titanium fusion axe with a hardened dura-steel edge.” He paused for a moment. “I’m pretty sure this thing was built as a joke… No one can be strong enough to use it.” He stopped and looked at Chuck, then put his hand to his head. “Right…”
Hiron chittered as he handed Chuck the axe. “Chuck, will you do our cubs in the lab a favor and show them how to use this tomorrow? I hear they have interesting training scenarios available.”
Chuck turned the axe over in his hands, then turned it on, it’s keen edge glowing brightly. “I think I’ll take you up on that trade. Your boys don’t happen to have a scabbard to they?” He grinned menacingly as he pushed the fusion blade across the table.
A few minutes later
Conference room, Whitecrest Clan Enclave, Wi Kao, Gao
Hiron
After a final exchange of pleasantries, Chuck and Brrtklklk departed for the evening, leaving Hiron alone with Thalias.
Thalias stared at Hiron for a time. Finally he, broke the silence. “Associate Hiron, this is an official review of your conduct and performance during the execution of your assignment. Do you understand?”
Hiron nodded.
“Very well.” Thalias continued. “Your assignment was to covertly make contact with any human passing through trade station 1356-56B, The Desolate Oasis and integrate them into Whitenet.” He paused. “Instead, you immediately broke cover, acquired a human’s assistance, defeating a small Brood transport’s worth of hunters and delivered the human and hunter vessel here… Does that sound about right?”
Hiron nodded, with a look of defeat.
Thalias paused for effect. “Before we go any further, do you have anything you wish to say in defense?”
Hiron thought carefully. This was arguably the most important part of any review. It was his chance to describe the extra difficulties that inevitably befell any mission. However, any topics he mentioned at this point would, too, be added to his assignment review and scrutinized. “I… maintained the cover of Clanless with the Rrrrtk until our conversation in this room. I maintained professionalism throughout the assignment. I protected an asset from harm under extreme adversary. I…” He stopped, deciding that adding anything else was counterproductive. “Nothing else to add.”
“Let’s start there, then. Maintaining cover with the Rrrrtk. Unsatisfactory.” Hiron’s ears perked up in surprise. “Any cover that you had in place with regards to Brrtklklk was no longer present at the start of our conversation today. He showed no surprise at the mention of your position. Your inability to recognize that failing is not satisfactory.“ Hiron’s ears drooped again in remorse.
Thalias continued. “Point two… While you did succeed at maintaining a professional front, it was merely that, a front. Anyone watching would clearly be able to see that you were trying to be professional. This is not the same as being professional. When on assignment, particularly covert missions, it is essential that you behave as one would expect in your given position.” Thalias adjusted himself. “As you were attempting to maintain two different covers with two different individuals in the same room, I will give you credit for your efforts to maintain both simultaneously, and demerit for allowing yourself to enter a position where such behavior was necessary.” Thalias started to speak again, but interrupted himself. “…We will return to this topic later.”
“Point three… I want clarification here. Protecting the contact would also mean protecting yourself. Why do you feel this topic deserves additional consideration?”
Hiron relaxed slightly. He was rather proud of his actions that day. “We were sitting in an idle vessel at the time. The Hunters were not likely to stay long enough to directly threaten us. The contact decided to engage the Hunters directly. With the distraction he provided, there was a reasonable chance that I would have had no contact with the Hunters. I decided, rather than hide and leave the contact to his fate, that I would protect the contact. I feel that this decision is far outside the scope of my original assignment.” Hiron paused, and suppressed a grin. “I also counted six separate instances where Chuck would have perished, had it not been for my intervention.”
“You allowed the human to lead the assault?”
“I did not have the necessary equipment to lead anything. If I hadn’t brought the rifle, suit and extra shield…”
Thalias raised an ear. “Your decision to augment your assigned equipment does seem to have helped you.” Hiron grinned. “Do you feel that the three points mentioned received sufficient consideration?
Just a little more… “I would like to point out the results of my decision regarding point three. If I had strictly followed orders, the Hunter attack may have gone… rather differently.”
Thalias replied. “Noted. I should also note that adapting to the situation at hand is not considered above and beyond for an Officer of Whitecrest.” Hiron’s ears perked up. Thalias glared at him. “Do not get ahead of yourself.” Hiron deflated, and soon after, Thalias calmed his gaze.
Thalias cleared his throat. “Assignment parameter one: make contact with any human entering your assigned station: satisfactory. Assignment parameter two: Engage human contact and encourage them to connect to Whitenet: satisfactory. Assignment parameter three: Maintain cover as Clanless:” Hiron ears flattened, dreading the result. “Neutral. Addendum parameter: Engage and join the human in his travels: satisfactory. Secondary Addendum parameter: Return human to Gao: satisfactory.”
That went… quite well, considering. Thalias quickly continued. “That does not end this review. There are several other points I wish to stress. Firstly, I want to address the question of salvage. Soon after the capture of the Hunter vessel, you registered it as fifty-fifty joint ownership between yourself and the human. Why?”
Hiron shifted uncomfortably. “Anything less than fifty percent and I would have had no leverage to bring the vessel home.”
“Hmm… And how did you convince the human to allow that?”
“I… didn’t. Chuck did not have knowledge of what I did.”
“Why did you give him half ownership?”
“It was his capture.”
“You fought for it too. You could have easily taken ownership of it and no one would have perked an ear.”
“That… would not have been right. Chuck did not understand salvage law. It does not feel right taking advantage of such a situation.”
Thallias nodded. “Exemplary. Though I feel there were… ulterior motives, that level of honor speaks highly of your character.”
“… Ulterior motives?”
“Yes… Tell me, Hiron, how would you classify your relationship with your two contacts?”
Hiron thought on this. “I try to maintain a professional operative-contact relationship.”