Chapter 9
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The admiral took care of our supply issues and made a generous donation to our credit store. As a show of support for his efforts to the cause, I decided to offer him our chamber alignment technology. It was over the objections of Frig, but I was growing leery of the influence I had seen being chatted about on the Grid.
Regular folk were talking openly about support for an alignment with the Milgari. It was typically the younger generation, who had not fought against our foe of nearly a thousand years. The talk was of joining with the Milgari Empire so we could live our lives in peace, something a mature mind knew was not possible.
I had lost my father and an older brother to the Milgari. I knew what being in their empire would mean to our freedom. As soon as our arms were laid down, we would become slaves, slaves that would be shipped off to work in their factories or mines, slaves that would live a miserable existence before our lives were discarded after being used up and burned out. Word of their cruelty had been documented time and again by other species we had encountered. The Milgari would never be our friends, and never our benevolent overlords.
The admiral graciously accepted our gift and in return offered to upgrade the Swift with the reaction charge dissipater technology we had just acquired for him. I accepted, and the Swift was taken into the facility repair dock for a retrofit. Frig remained unhappy about what he considered a “rash decision.”
As we sat in the facility lounge, Frig began to speak his mind. “Sir... that speed advantage might have one day been the very thing that saved us from the admiral or his men. What if he decides we are no longer useful and have instead become a liability? What chance would we have of escaping from ships that are equally as fast but far superior to ours?”
The discussion continued for nearly an hour before I came to a decision on a subject I had thought about many times. “Frig, you've been my best friend for nearly a decade. We've gone from barely scraping by, to being wealthy businessmen who are involved in operations so secret we could not have even imagined them only a short year ago. Now, we are escaping pirates and cutting through nebulae. I think it's time we had a change in our relationship.”
Frig glared at me with a strange look of suspicion. “What did you have in mind, sir.”
I reached over and placed my hand on his shoulder, to which he withdrew with a nervous look.
“Noooo, no, no. It's nothing like that, man. I was talking about us being business partners, fifty-fifty down the line. I want to give you half ownership in the Swift. It's something I have been thinking about for a while.”
Frig sat silent for several minutes. “I'm shocked, sir. This was not expected. I have always held in the back of my mind that I wanted a ship of my own someday, but I never imagined it would be like this, with this ship. You have been like a brother to me, sir, a brother that I never had. You have been my family since I left my world, a world that fell to the Milgari.”
Frig again sat silent for several seconds before continuing. “I would be honored to accept your offer, sir. but I cannot. There is something about me and the other Gambits on the Grid that you should know.”
I sat back in my chair and waved my hand in the air. “What could you possibly have to tell me that you haven't told me a thousand times over the past decade? You have a wife? Seventeen kids? Your name is really Bob? What?”
Frig looked toward the floor with a troubled look on his face. “I'm afraid, sir. that it is much different than any of those things. On my world I was an aspiring student. I sought out education on any subject I could obtain the documentation for. I read voraciously, consuming all I could find. My parents were proud of their son, and I of them.”
Frig rustled in his chair. “At a young age I was spirited away to a school for the gifted, where everything was paid for and every technology and science was made available. There were twenty-two of us attending this new school. As the year progressed, we were introduced to things that we had never imagined. Things that every Gambit would have been thrilled to know.
“Then, the teachers began to change their methods. Instead of being rewarded for our accomplishments, we were chastised for our failures. Threats were made of expulsion if we did not comply with every command of our teachers. I'm afraid a high level of psychological manipulation was applied to our learning. We were taught to hate the Grid and all it stood for. Lies upon lies about the Humans and what they were about were drilled into our minds, sir. It was a frightening and yet exciting time for a young Gambit such as myself.
“Over the second year, we were indoctrinated into the Milgari cult. We believed that Humans were evil and their culture corrupt. We were told that Human thoughts and actions would soon infest our youth and infect our culture, destroying our way of life. Through the manipulation, we were even turned against our own parents, told that they were secret supporters of Man.”
I sat forward in my chair, confused. “The Milgari what?”
Frig replied, “When our training was complete, we were given the opportunity to work for the Milgari, to rid the galaxy of the Human infestation that threatened our world. It was a mission that we all eagerly accepted. A mission to be spies for the Milgari.”
I sat across the table from my friend in complete shock. I had never expected him to say something like that, and would not have believed it if told to me by anyone else.
Frig continued with his story. “For ten years I have been living on the Grid, logging things I have seen and people I have encountered. The intel is edited and then graded for importance before being dropped on the Grid for pickup by others who are not known to me. I offered my service as a Messenger so my focus would be on the worlds we encountered. My reports have been about every species you and I have dealt with, sir.”
I shook my head, still confused, “You've been keeping logs?”
Frig replied, “That drop is to happen in two weeks. All that has happened here, our enhancements, our accomplishments, this facility, and the admiral himself, they are all in the report I was preparing to send. This new technology and interaction with the Durians, its divulgence would have been a devastating blow to the Grid and to the admiral's efforts.”
Frig continued, “I am telling you this, sir. because I have grown fond of Humans. Fond of you, sir. You insult and belittle me on a daily basis, but I know it is all in jest. And today, here and now, you have shown me what it is to be a true Human, a man of honor, a man who cares for and respects others. Those are not the Human traits we were taught to believe. Those are not the actions we were told to expect.”
I sat with my elbows on the arms of my chair, my hands fingertip to fingertip in an almost prayer-like position just in front of my mouth. I was stunned.
After several seconds’ pause, Frig said, “For nine years I have had little of substance to report. But that has all changed in this past year. I no longer loathe Humans, and I will no longer report to the Milgari Empire, regardless of the threats I have received in the past. I hope you can forgive me, sir. I wish to be turned over to the admiral at your earliest possible convenience. I am sorry, my friend, Don... I have not lived up to your expectations.”
I was floored. Frig and the other Gambits on the Grid were all Milgari spies! He again called for me to turn him over to the admiral.
After several minutes of gathering my thoughts, I finally said, “You have just thrown me for a loop, Frig. That whole tale... it's bizarre... it's not something I could ever have imagined.”
Frig began to talk, I raised my hand. “You'll have to bear with me for a few minutes as I soak this in. A Milgari spy. A MILGARI SPY! I am just blown away! You could have taken down the whole Human species by yourself. That is real power, my friend. But you've somehow come to the conclusion that we are worth saving, a conclusion that was not forced upon you, a conclusion that you were not tricked or cajoled into. Wow, this is... unreal.”
I again held up my hand for Frig to remain silen
t while I thought for a moment. Was this happening? My best friend was a spy for the species that wanted us dead? As my shock slowly turned to anger I began to ball up my fists. I wanted to pound my little green friend into oblivion. My heart battled with my mind over what to do.
As I angrily gazed at Frig, I began to realize that the look of sorrow on his face was genuine. He had placed his life in my hands. And then something happened deep down inside me. My anger slowly turned to contemplation about the situation; I began to think of what life would be like without Frig. He had saved our butts a hundred times. Aside from his secret life, he had been nothing but a true friend. My thoughts soon turned to how I might turn this horrifying news into something that could benefit my species.
As I dropped my hand, I pointed to him and then to myself. “OK, here's what we're going to do. And you're going to agree to it, or I'm gonna beat you like there is no tomorrow before turning you over to the admiral.”
I paused for acknowledgment and then continued. “When we return to the Grid, you're going to write your report and deliver it to the drop as scheduled. But there will be a few changes to it. We need to dumb it down to the same drivel you said you reported in prior years.
“No... wait! This is huge. We need to think big on this one.”
I stood and began to pace the room. “Is there anything we can come up with to report that would possibly convince the Milgari to leave us alone? Even a delay would work, something to give the admiral more time to build his fleet. And we'll need to do something to turn the other Gambits if possible. Oh! Imagine the fun we could have at the Milgari's expense!”
I looked Frig in the eye. “Frig, you are going to have to show me that you can be trusted, that you have truly turned. If you're serious about righting the wrongs you've committed, it's time to start working on your penance. They did teach you about penance, didn't they? About making right for what you've done wrong? I mean, I myself am not big on penance, just ask Michael Felix about that one. But there's a time and a place for just about everything, and I believe this is your time to set things right.”
As we continued our discussion, Frig's mood began to change. He was adamant about making amends. I pushed him to accept the past and to move on to the future, a future where he would be supporting the Human cause as a double agent. We had much planning to do to get his next report in line with what would be beneficial to the cause. We talked of involving the admiral.
“I'm wondering if we should speak with Zimmerman about this. He'd have the resources on his team that could make the best of the situation. But I'm concerned that you might get caught in the middle while being used as a pawn. I'm not sure it's worth risking your life with someone pulling the strings who doesn't value you as an individual. And once we get them involved, there's no turning back.”
Frig raised his head. “Sir, whatever you think is best. I am willing to participate either way. If I am to be used as a pawn and my life sacrificed, then so be it. I have years of disservice to make up for.”
I again looked my friend in the eye. “I say we start that payback when we return to the station. Let's manage our own little part of this war on our terms. When we get back, I think it's time you began to associate with the other Gambits. It would be interesting to find out if any of the others feel the same way you do.”
Frig concurred.
The admiral's men completed the upgrade to the Swift, and we immediately left for home.
When we arrived at the station, Ashley Elizabeth was waiting for me at the space dock. “Hello, Don, I heard you were on your way in, so I decided to come down to welcome you back.”
It was a meeting that I was not expecting, but a meeting I was pleased to have. Frig returned to his apartment to begin work on his report. I took the opportunity to spend some quality time with the woman of my dreams. We had dinner and then went for a walk along the outer decks.
We finally parted ways for the evening after a heavy make-out session, the likes of which I had not seen in a long time. I was quickly falling under her spell. It was a spell that I openly welcomed. As I walked back toward my apartment, I had little hearts spinning around my head—until a comm call came in from the dock captain.
“Mr. Grange, you asked me to let you know if anyone was ever messing around in your slip. Well, there's a guy there now who is walking around and poking at the Swift. You want me to go run him off?”
I thought for a moment, then replied, “No, let him be, but keep an eye on him. I'm on my way there now.”
I turned toward the docks and sprinted. The run was two miles’ distance and I was out of shape. When I arrived, I had to take a minute to catch my breath. I walked into the dock captain's office.
“He's still there, Mr. Grange. He's had some little instrument of sorts out, poking about your hull with it.”
I took a hard look at the captain's monitor. “Can't say I've seen him before. He look familiar to you?”
The captain shook his head. “No, can't say that he does. I've worked this dock for forty-seven years now and I'm pretty good with faces, but I don't recall seeing him around. Of course, with the number of people who move through here, I'm not going to see everyone.”
The man snooping about the Swift soon departed. I thanked the captain for his assistance and dropped two hundred credits in his store. I asked that he use them to take his wife out to a nice dinner. He happily accepted my terms. I walked out onto the deck and over to the Swift. I checked her for tracking devices or any signs of tampering. None were apparent. I turned and waved to the captain before heading back toward my apartment. It had been a long day and I was in need of a shower and some sleep.
When I arrived at Alpha 2267C, I was angered to see the door to my apartment had been jimmied open. I drew my blaster and checked each room for intruders. The apartment was empty. I stepped into the spare room I used for my office and was again angered. Someone had gone through my files, dropping contract papers on the floor as they had rummaged through them. The rest of the apartment was clean. It was evident the contracts were the item of interest to whomever had broken in.
I paced the floor of my office for several minutes as I pondered who might have been responsible. First the man at my ship, and now my apartment. Someone was taking a deep interest in my work, and I had no idea who. It would not be Michael Felix, as he always played by the book. If he couldn’t screw me in a legal manner, he would not do it at all.
For the first time, I came to the realization that the work I was doing was of high interest to a lot of people. The Milgari spies would want to know, as it related to their conquest; the politicians on the Grid would want to know, as anything related to military construction was usually credits in their pockets; and the other Messengers would want to know because I was winning the most-sought-after contracts. I had enemies now. And my first mate, well, he had just admitted to being a spy for the last ten years...
I soon received a message from the dock captain that contained the video streams of the lurker. I played through the images repeatedly, but could not come up with a good image of his face—assuming it was a he. He wore a hood that hung out over his forehead, obscuring views of his face from the deck cameras.
I could only guess he had done similar tasks before, as his methods seemed particular and well planned. He had performed any number of scans of the exterior of the Swift. The extended Tantric hull plating was the only obvious difference in her appearance. That was not highly unusual for an owner who had credits to spend, and of late, I had been one of those owners.
The following day I received an urgent message about a contract. It was from a Gambit on the Grid. He had a small package that required immediate delivery to a little-traveled location. I would meet with an unknown ship for the transfer of the package. I would normally have taken the job without a second thought due to the high pay, but I was now becoming cautious.
I met the Gambit at the dock lounge. He seemed jittery. He paid the full delivery fee up
front, which was highly unusual. He then turned and hurried off, looking nervously from side to side as he went.
When I turned back around, Frig was standing behind me. “Sir, this is a trap. He would not entrust you with a package if he had not been told to do so. I believe the ship that will be waiting for us will be looking for more than a drop-off. I think you should cancel.”
I thought for a moment before responding, “No, I think we're taking this one. I get the feeling there's something going on here that we want to know. We have a fast ship that has good sensors and a tough hull. If things get dicey, we can always turn and run. We may take a few hits, but they're likely to be light, as whoever this is will either want to talk to us or to get their hands on the Swift. Besides, the pay is good.”
With that, I smiled as I turned to walk to the ship. Frig was not amused.
The Gambit's package was waiting with a courier when we arrived. He had a contract ready for our signature. Once it was signed, the courier turned, gave us a nod, and walked away. I took the package aboard the Swift and stuffed it in a locker.
Frig followed immediately behind. “Sir, are you not going to scan it for signals? It could be a tracking device. It would give away our speed to anyone who could listen for it.”
I turned to Frig with a response. “You're a partner now. You don't have to ask my permission to scan the thing. Just take it, set it up in your lab, and do whatever you can without harming it. As part of your shared partnering duties, it has been decided that you will be our primary security officer.”
Frig looked at me with an unsure gaze. He was not accustomed to making decisions on his own.
“I see, sir. Rest assured that I will perform my duties as partner to the fullest extent possible. However, I may occasionally require assistance from time to time, until I am fully practiced at making decisions about the ship on my own.”
As Frig went about his business, I sat in the pilot’s chair and began the standard sequence for departure. “Control, this is 5509, we need a clean departure bay. We are departing slip A442. Destination direction will be an exit at eighty-six degrees. We have a package for delivery in the Schnell sector. Should be a total of six days until return.”
The radio buzzed as the controller responded. “Roger, 5509, you are clear for departure bay A41C. Good luck with your travels.”
I taxied the Swift to elevator A6, which took us down to level 41. From there it was a short run to bay C, where we aligned for launch. Seconds later, we lifted out into space as the Swift's ion engines sprang to life.
I loved the feeling I got from flying close to the station. We stayed tight to follow the contour of the Grid around to its far side. The giant, globe-like station was a thing of beauty. The massive gun turrets with their silvery barrels and hulls were impressive as we flew past each one along the circumference of the Grid. They had been well tested in battle, allowing us the distance needed for a fast run to a new system.
The Grid's best defense was its gravity drive. Fusion reactors powered massive gravity generators that could launch the Grid to a speed of more than a thousand times the speed of light. Once a jump was begun, there was no stopping until the hydrogen fuel had been exhausted. Our scientists and engineers had worked tirelessly to unravel the drive's secrets, but the technology it employed was beyond our grasp. It had come with the station we called home, from a past we didn't know.
As we rounded the Grid, I pushed the throttle to a normal high-speed level. Once out of range of her sensors, I would push the throttle to full.
Frig soon returned with his scan analysis. “Sir, it appears to be free of any combustive materials and signal emanation. As a precaution, I placed the package into an inhibitor chamber with a monitor. For anyone to track our location, they would need to stay close to us. I believe we are not in any danger from the package at this time.”
The flight out to the Schnell sector normally took three days. We arrived in one. The rendezvous point was near a gas-giant planet in an uninhabited system. The blue star was only forty million years into its young life, leaving large disks of debris that had yet to coalesce. I selected an asteroid and planted the Swift firmly on one side. Frig launched a matrix probe to take care of our blind side. If any ship entered the system from any direction, we would know about it.
I mused: “I wonder what was so important that your friend was willing to chance it with us? To my knowledge, that's the first Gambit that has had anything shipped anywhere off the Grid. Were you able to determine what the package contains?”
Frig punched a few keys and a diagram popped up on his monitor. “The outer box is designed to look like a gem carrier. There is, however, an inner box. It has been manufactured to appear as an Elgaris emerald if scanned from the outside. I was able to perform a deep scan and have uncovered a data structure dispersed throughout. The data is highly encrypted. I have had the ship's computer running in the background in an attempt to decipher it.”
Frig continued, “I would like to add that the admiral was generous with our upgraded computer. It is at least three orders of magnitude faster than our old one. I have estimated the time needed to unlock this cipher at approximately forty-six point five hours. It has been running for twelve. With a bit of luck, we will have an answer before the arrival of our client.”
I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. “What do you think the Gambit was so eager to send? Was it us? Or was it the admiral and his mission? Defense plans of the Grid? It had to be something of importance.”
Frig looked up from his console. “Yes, sir. I believe it to be something of high importance. In sending this directly, he would be violating one of the cardinal rules of what we were taught: never make contact without at least five layers of deniability in front of you. I would drop a report, not knowing who picked that report up. According to our training, they would then repackage and make another unknown drop. That individual would encode the data with a key and then transmit that package and key to two separate individuals.
“The key and data were then dropped to another unknown, who then decoded, repackaged, and dropped to the final courier. I have estimated many times that the process takes almost a week before a report leaves the Grid. It is an extremely time-consuming process, but the results of ten years without raising suspicion speak for themselves. I could not say if this Gambit is acting on orders or alone. We will, however, find out, if I can open that data structure.”
Frig continued with his efforts to crack the encryption as I sat back in my chair for a game of Bollox. The cockpit remained strangely silent for the following eighteen hours. Frig had a challenge before him that he could not ignore. I made my way back to my bunk for a rest. I was soon dreaming of Ashley.