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Deidre's Deal
Deidre Skye did not normally drink alcohol. But today she had made an exception. She felt slightly ashamed but not enough to stop her from indulging. An hour ago she had left a meeting with her closest ministers telling them she was not to be bothered for 24 hours. She needed to meditate on the issues that confronted the Gaian faction. What she really meant was she wanted to be alone and get smashed.
The Gaians had been through much since planetfall. Disaster seemed to follow them. Shortly after their arrival on Planet, the Morganites launched a devastating attack. The Gaians, who did not place too much emphasis on warfare, were almost wiped out. A handful of them escaped and managed to make it to another continent. Deidre sacrificed much in the years that followed, never having a moments peace, always working. The Gaians managed to isolate themselves and rebuild their empire. But in due time the other factions had discovered them. Morgan himself contacted Deidre and they arranged a truce, but Deidre knew that the truce would only last until Morgan had the resources to launch another attack. Searching for allies, the Gaians contacted the University. Provost Zakharov at first seemed willing to aid the Gaians until the Hive War began. Zakharov, being overwhelmed by the Hive had signed a Pact with the Believers...a Pact that had a condition...Sister Miriam insisted that no technical aid be given to her hated enemies the Gaians for her help in repelling the Hive. She also extorted advanced weaponry out of Zakharov. Miriam had declared vendetta on the Gaians from their first contact. Deidre didn’t worry too much about it then, as the Believers lacked the capability to reach them. But thanks to Zakharov’s technical gifts they now possessed Chaos weaponry and were indeed a threat.
Thats why Deidre locked herself away in her private arboretum with a bottle of scotch. She was lucky enough to have salvaged cases of it from the Unity before escaping the doomed ship. Her advisors had informed her an hour earlier that The Hive, the Believers and the University had all agreed to a blood truce. The War had cost each side dearly, and the University no doubt needed to lick its wounds. But Miriam was fanatical in her hatred of the “heathen” Gaians and word had it that she was preparing an assualt as soon as possible. The Gaians appealed to Pravin Lal of the Peacekeepers to intervene, but Miriam would not speak with him. Also, Morgan, having recently acquired Chaos technology, declared vendetta on the Gaians also. They intended to wipe them out for good this time.
No allies....and their impact weaponry was no match for chaos weapons. Deidre fell into despair. She sat on a bench in the garden and watched the clouds go by, pondering on how to save her people from an imminent invasion.
MEANWHILE....
Johnny Appleseed’s House was bar/cafe close to the HQ building in Gaia’s Landing. (the new one...the first had been renamed by Morgan as Morgan Solarflex) Takeshi Tanaka, Deidre’s Minister of Covert Affairs, sat reading over his report on enemy activities. Takeshi was extremely worried about Deidre. They had been close friends since the beginning, and he could see how the news of the coming attacks unsettled her. He wanted more funding for Probe operations, but Deidre insisted that defense spending be used to bolster the perimeter of the Gaian bases before the attack came. He reluctantly agreed, not wanting to upset her more. They were almost lovers once, but Morgan’s first attack ended that. Both of them had far too much to do in order to survive than to pursue their relationship. Time had done the rest. They were close friends, but the time for a romance was past.
A waiter came over and polaced a mug of synth ale before him. Takeshi put down his datapad and looked at the man. “I didn’t order this.”
“The lady at the table in hte back said to give it to you with her compliments. She wants you to join her.” The waiter replied.
“What lady?” Takeshi scanned the room. There were many people there.
The waiter nodded to his left...In a corner sat a small table with a woman sirring there. Takeshi couldn’t make out her features. She wore a long cloak and a hood that covered her face. He picked up the ale and walked over to her.
“Miss?” he said, “You wanted to see me?”
The woman motioned for him to sit down. Takeshi noted that her hands were gloved. He sat, but the woman kept her head low, concealing her face. Takeshi was short on patience this day...he had little time for games, even if this woman was trying to come on to him in some way. “Who are you?”
The woman raised her head and revealed her face. It was a young face, with chocolate skin, bright brown eyes and a winsome smile.
“Sinder Roze!” Takeshi whispered. “ I thought you were dead!”
“Hello, Takeshi. Its good to see you, too.” Sinder giggled. “Its been too long.”
“Its been since we left Earth!” Takeshi took a large sip of his ale. “Where have you been?”
“I’ve been very busy. I ended up with that pig Morgan and his faction. When I arranged to leave them I also arranged for reports of my death...to throw the Morganites off of my scent. I’m suprised you never tracked me down....’Minister of Covert Affairs’.”
“What of Johann and...and...Belinda?” Takeshi asked in reference to old friends. They had all met while training as computer specialists for the Unity Mission. All of them had become fast friends, but Takeshi and Sinder were the best of friends...back then.
Sinder sighed and then placed her hands on Takeshi’s. “Johann is safe. He’s with us, now. Belinda...Belinda died shortly after planetfall. The Prometheus virus.”
Takeshi looked down for a moment. “Damn....she was so full of life. Damn.” he whispered. Then he looked up at Sinder, “Who is ‘us’?”
“The Data Angels.” Sinder smiled. “A faction as yet unknown to the others, although Santiago almost discovered our base. I’ll explain on our way.”
“Sinder, what way? I can’t leave here...not now.” Takeshi queried. He had missed his old friend, but he would not abandon the Gaians for her.
“I mean our way to Deidre. I must talk to her. Takeshi, it’s important. I have information you’ll both want to hear.” Sinder, usually flippant in tone, sounded so earnest that Takeshi grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar.
“Fill me in.” he said as they entered the street and strode to the HQ building.
Deidre was disappointed in herself. She had only had one shot of the scotch and she had meant to be plastered by now. Thats why she was very annoyed when her private communicator went off. She tapped the controls button on her wristband computer, although she left the visual function off.
“What is it? I am not to be disturbed.” She said, in a surly voice.
“Its me, Dee.” Takeshi’s voice came through. “I need to see you right now, and its important. Vitally so. Please open the door.”
Deidre turned off the comm and tapped another button on the comp that opened the door to her arboretum. She may not have done so if it wasn’t Takeshi. Her regard for him made that so. She still loved him, but they were only friends now.
The doors opened with a whooshing sound and Takeshi stepped in. Behind him was a black woman in a purple cloak. Deidre’s first words were going to be “who is this?” but then she recognized the woman from the Unity....she didn’t know her name, but she knew the face. “You!” Deidre exclaimed. “You were a technician on the ship!”
“I am Sinder Roze.” Sinder introduced herself as she stepped towards Diedre. She extended her hand and Deidre took it. Sinder could see Deidre was shocked to see her and it made her smile. She was a full five inches taller than the Gaian leader, a fact that made laugh inwardly. She remembered Deidre as being the same height as her.
“Lady Skye,” Sinder began, “I have come here personally to make an offer. I now lead a faction of my own, the Data Angels. We have a society of free flow of information and personal independence....we also have something you want and you have something we want. Forgive me for being so blunt...but my time is short.”
“What have you got that we want then, lass?” Deidre said.
Sinder smiled as her eyes caught the open bottle of scotch on the bench next to Deidre. She reached past her, picked it up and took a large swig. “Chaos technology. You need it. Without it, Miriam and Morgan will eat you alive.” she handed Deidre a datapad produced from a pocket inside her cloak. “In exchange we would like Indusrial Automation technolgy.”
Deidre scanned the pad. The information was beyond her expertise, but the header caught her eye. It had a Hive symbol on it.
“The information is authentic.” Sinder assured her. “Keep in mind, Lady Skye, that we could have stolen the technology from the Gaians and you might never know who did it. I came here in good faith because we both need allies. I offer a Treaty of Friendship!”
“I’ve never heard of the Data Angels. Where are your people?” Deidre asked, intrigued.
“We exist. I want to keep our present location secret for now. We are too vulnerable right now.” Sinder repsonded.
“Vulnerable? You have Chaos weapons. At least the technology. What do you need us for?” Deidre said.
“Dee, Sinder’s people only have just now begun to build up their infrastructure. They have advances we don’t, but they don’t have a strong enough economy or industry at the moment. She explained it on her way here....I think we should take her deal.” Takeshi interjected.
Deidre took a moment to ponder this news.
“If you’ll keep reading the pad you’ll see that I’ve included information on the Morganites and the Believers. Coded military orders. They plan to attack you soon.” Sinder poked a finger on the pad, scrolling to this information. “Don’t ask how I got this....you don’t want to know. But I’ll tell you this, Lady Skye....I can fix that for you for the small price of Doctrine: Air Power.”
Deidre handed the pad to Takeshi and put a hand on her hip. “Now, how do you know we have that? That information is top secret!”
“Lady Skye, you’re probably the only faction that doesn’t have chaos information.” Sinder said. “For that doctrine and this bottle of scotch I’ll fix it so the Morganites and the Believers leave you alone long enough for you to develop your own chaos weapons and get your air force in place.”
Deidre smiled, a small smile, to be sure, but even a small smile on Deidre’s face was enough to light up a room. It was the first time in a long while that Takeshi had seen her smile. “Miss Roze, I’ll authorize the trade of Chaos technology for Industrial automation...I’d be a fool not to....but I will have to see proof of your other claims before I can authorize any other trade. As for a treaty.....we need all of the friends we can get. Takeshi here will provide you with the information....and formalize a treaty which I will sign.”
“You are a wise leader, Lady Skye.” Sinder nodded. “You will here from me within a short time.”
Sinder turned to leave the arboretum with Takeshi, but Diedre took the bottle from her hand as she did.
“When you prove your claims.” She said as she took a sip of the scotch herself.
When they left, Deidre turned and looked out of the huge windows of the arboretum. Who were these Data Angels? She would have to talk to Takeshi about security. Sinder Roze obviously could tap into their datalinks and she had managed to enter the base undetected. For now though, she seemed to be a friend....
A MONTH LATER.....
Deidre was feeling better about the defenses of her bases. Sitting in her office were her Faction Defense Advisor, Gregory Knight, and the Supreme Military Commander, General Rebecca Haines. The three sat around a small oak table discussing the improvements and how to implement them. Deidre was heartened to know that many of her forces had been upgraded with the new Chaos weaponry and that the outer bases now had Air Force support. It had been expensive, but she felt confident that the Gaians could put up a fight when the Believers and the Morganites came. News was that an attack by both factions was imminent...mere days away. Suddenly the communication chime sounded. Deidre tapped her communicator, and accepted the message. The wall screen lit up and Takeshi’s face appeared.
“Milady, I’m sorry to interrupt.” He said, “But this is important. Our operatives have sent word that the Believers have been attacked by the Morganites!”
“What!?” Gen. Haines was aghast. “The Morganites have a treaty with the Believers!”
“Not anymore, General.” Takeshi said. “A terrorist attack destroyed the recycling plant in the Believer base Far Jericho. No survivors at the facility. Sister Miriam declared vendetta on Morgan Industries and Morgan has recalled his forces to defend against an imminent retaliation.”
“Thats ridiculous! Morgan has nothing to gain by attacking Far Jericho....I know of that base...its small and insignificant.” General Haines picked up her datapad and began scanning information on it. Deidre smiled inwardly.
“Theres more, General, Lady Skye,” Takeshi continued, “Our embassy at University Base reports that a Believer ambassador has been implicated in the theft of some secret technology. We don’t know what technology yet, only that the man was caught with it in his office and that he has been arrested...Provost Zakharov has recalled his ambassodors from Believer territory and broken his pact with the Believers. University forces at the border between those factions have been put on High Alert and the University has contacted the Morganites and warned them away from their territory. It seems that Morgan was going to land troops on University held land to cross into Believer territory. Provost Zakharov has also issued a statement that any Morganite or Believer force inside of his borders will be considered an act of war. Thats all I have now...I’ll keep monitoring the situation. Tanaka out.”
The screen went blank.
“By the Planet!” Knight muttered. “If Morgan is foolish enough to attack Miriam and provoke the University he must have gone mad!”
“According to our current information on Believer and Morganite strength, they’re evenly matched.” Gen Haines was still reading off of her datapad, “but without the pact the Believers research efforts are severely hampered. Miriam will have to recall the forces that were heading here in order to maintain a border with both the University and the Hive if she is going to defend or attack Morgan. Morgan will have to do the same...he has less military resources than the Believers.”
“This news is a turning point.” Deidre said standing up. “I want both of you to report back to your departments and assess any impact this will have on the Gaians. Keep me informed. Thats all.”
The General and Mr. Knight exited quickly, jabbering to themselves on the implications of these events. Deidre walked over to her drinks cabinet and reached for her scotch...then thought better of it and took out a flask of orange juice. She poured a glass, when she heard the comm chime again. She pressed the button on her wrist comp to open the channel and saw that it was from outside the base, heavily encryted and scrambled as to disguise its origin point. The face of Sinder Roze appeared.
“Lady Skye.” Sinder spoke quietly but confidently. “I trust you environmental experiments are going well.”
“Its good to see you....Datajack.” Deidre replied.
“Have you heard the news today?” Sinder asked, “Some poor man named Robert Gionni was captured by University police for espionage. I hear Zakharov is enraged beyond belief. It looks like Gionni will be in jail for a very long time. A shame, considering he is innocent.”
“Oh, I was more concerned about the poor people killed in the explosion at Far Jericho.” Deidre said with mock concern.
“Oh yes, that.” Sinder smiled. “Too think that Morgan would send someone all of that way to strike at a friend in such a foolish manner....and leave so much evidence. Sloppy work.”
“I believe I owe you something, Sinder. Contact Takeshi and he will provide it.” Deidre raised her glass of orange juice. “To you, my friend. Enjoy the Information and the case of scotch.”
“A pleasure, Lady Skye. May our friendship last forever. Sinder Roze out.”
Deidre smiled as the screen went dark. This Sinder Roze was far more dangerous than Deidre had thought upon meeting her. And clever. Then she remembered something she had heard Corazon Santiago say during the days before the Unity launch...keep your friends close and your enemies closer....
Deidre tapped the communicator control to bring up the face of her personal secretary.
“Yes, Lady Skye?” the secretary responded.
“William,” Deidre said, “Contact Dr. Bennett at The Flowers Preach...ask how much funding he needs for that idea of his...The Hunter Seeker Algorithm....”
The Gaians had been through much since planetfall. Disaster seemed to follow them. Shortly after their arrival on Planet, the Morganites launched a devastating attack. The Gaians, who did not place too much emphasis on warfare, were almost wiped out. A handful of them escaped and managed to make it to another continent. Deidre sacrificed much in the years that followed, never having a moments peace, always working. The Gaians managed to isolate themselves and rebuild their empire. But in due time the other factions had discovered them. Morgan himself contacted Deidre and they arranged a truce, but Deidre knew that the truce would only last until Morgan had the resources to launch another attack. Searching for allies, the Gaians contacted the University. Provost Zakharov at first seemed willing to aid the Gaians until the Hive War began. Zakharov, being overwhelmed by the Hive had signed a Pact with the Believers...a Pact that had a condition...Sister Miriam insisted that no technical aid be given to her hated enemies the Gaians for her help in repelling the Hive. She also extorted advanced weaponry out of Zakharov. Miriam had declared vendetta on the Gaians from their first contact. Deidre didn’t worry too much about it then, as the Believers lacked the capability to reach them. But thanks to Zakharov’s technical gifts they now possessed Chaos weaponry and were indeed a threat.
Thats why Deidre locked herself away in her private arboretum with a bottle of scotch. She was lucky enough to have salvaged cases of it from the Unity before escaping the doomed ship. Her advisors had informed her an hour earlier that The Hive, the Believers and the University had all agreed to a blood truce. The War had cost each side dearly, and the University no doubt needed to lick its wounds. But Miriam was fanatical in her hatred of the “heathen” Gaians and word had it that she was preparing an assualt as soon as possible. The Gaians appealed to Pravin Lal of the Peacekeepers to intervene, but Miriam would not speak with him. Also, Morgan, having recently acquired Chaos technology, declared vendetta on the Gaians also. They intended to wipe them out for good this time.
No allies....and their impact weaponry was no match for chaos weapons. Deidre fell into despair. She sat on a bench in the garden and watched the clouds go by, pondering on how to save her people from an imminent invasion.
MEANWHILE....
Johnny Appleseed’s House was bar/cafe close to the HQ building in Gaia’s Landing. (the new one...the first had been renamed by Morgan as Morgan Solarflex) Takeshi Tanaka, Deidre’s Minister of Covert Affairs, sat reading over his report on enemy activities. Takeshi was extremely worried about Deidre. They had been close friends since the beginning, and he could see how the news of the coming attacks unsettled her. He wanted more funding for Probe operations, but Deidre insisted that defense spending be used to bolster the perimeter of the Gaian bases before the attack came. He reluctantly agreed, not wanting to upset her more. They were almost lovers once, but Morgan’s first attack ended that. Both of them had far too much to do in order to survive than to pursue their relationship. Time had done the rest. They were close friends, but the time for a romance was past.
A waiter came over and polaced a mug of synth ale before him. Takeshi put down his datapad and looked at the man. “I didn’t order this.”
“The lady at the table in hte back said to give it to you with her compliments. She wants you to join her.” The waiter replied.
“What lady?” Takeshi scanned the room. There were many people there.
The waiter nodded to his left...In a corner sat a small table with a woman sirring there. Takeshi couldn’t make out her features. She wore a long cloak and a hood that covered her face. He picked up the ale and walked over to her.
“Miss?” he said, “You wanted to see me?”
The woman motioned for him to sit down. Takeshi noted that her hands were gloved. He sat, but the woman kept her head low, concealing her face. Takeshi was short on patience this day...he had little time for games, even if this woman was trying to come on to him in some way. “Who are you?”
The woman raised her head and revealed her face. It was a young face, with chocolate skin, bright brown eyes and a winsome smile.
“Sinder Roze!” Takeshi whispered. “ I thought you were dead!”
“Hello, Takeshi. Its good to see you, too.” Sinder giggled. “Its been too long.”
“Its been since we left Earth!” Takeshi took a large sip of his ale. “Where have you been?”
“I’ve been very busy. I ended up with that pig Morgan and his faction. When I arranged to leave them I also arranged for reports of my death...to throw the Morganites off of my scent. I’m suprised you never tracked me down....’Minister of Covert Affairs’.”
“What of Johann and...and...Belinda?” Takeshi asked in reference to old friends. They had all met while training as computer specialists for the Unity Mission. All of them had become fast friends, but Takeshi and Sinder were the best of friends...back then.
Sinder sighed and then placed her hands on Takeshi’s. “Johann is safe. He’s with us, now. Belinda...Belinda died shortly after planetfall. The Prometheus virus.”
Takeshi looked down for a moment. “Damn....she was so full of life. Damn.” he whispered. Then he looked up at Sinder, “Who is ‘us’?”
“The Data Angels.” Sinder smiled. “A faction as yet unknown to the others, although Santiago almost discovered our base. I’ll explain on our way.”
“Sinder, what way? I can’t leave here...not now.” Takeshi queried. He had missed his old friend, but he would not abandon the Gaians for her.
“I mean our way to Deidre. I must talk to her. Takeshi, it’s important. I have information you’ll both want to hear.” Sinder, usually flippant in tone, sounded so earnest that Takeshi grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar.
“Fill me in.” he said as they entered the street and strode to the HQ building.
Deidre was disappointed in herself. She had only had one shot of the scotch and she had meant to be plastered by now. Thats why she was very annoyed when her private communicator went off. She tapped the controls button on her wristband computer, although she left the visual function off.
“What is it? I am not to be disturbed.” She said, in a surly voice.
“Its me, Dee.” Takeshi’s voice came through. “I need to see you right now, and its important. Vitally so. Please open the door.”
Deidre turned off the comm and tapped another button on the comp that opened the door to her arboretum. She may not have done so if it wasn’t Takeshi. Her regard for him made that so. She still loved him, but they were only friends now.
The doors opened with a whooshing sound and Takeshi stepped in. Behind him was a black woman in a purple cloak. Deidre’s first words were going to be “who is this?” but then she recognized the woman from the Unity....she didn’t know her name, but she knew the face. “You!” Deidre exclaimed. “You were a technician on the ship!”
“I am Sinder Roze.” Sinder introduced herself as she stepped towards Diedre. She extended her hand and Deidre took it. Sinder could see Deidre was shocked to see her and it made her smile. She was a full five inches taller than the Gaian leader, a fact that made laugh inwardly. She remembered Deidre as being the same height as her.
“Lady Skye,” Sinder began, “I have come here personally to make an offer. I now lead a faction of my own, the Data Angels. We have a society of free flow of information and personal independence....we also have something you want and you have something we want. Forgive me for being so blunt...but my time is short.”
“What have you got that we want then, lass?” Deidre said.
Sinder smiled as her eyes caught the open bottle of scotch on the bench next to Deidre. She reached past her, picked it up and took a large swig. “Chaos technology. You need it. Without it, Miriam and Morgan will eat you alive.” she handed Deidre a datapad produced from a pocket inside her cloak. “In exchange we would like Indusrial Automation technolgy.”
Deidre scanned the pad. The information was beyond her expertise, but the header caught her eye. It had a Hive symbol on it.
“The information is authentic.” Sinder assured her. “Keep in mind, Lady Skye, that we could have stolen the technology from the Gaians and you might never know who did it. I came here in good faith because we both need allies. I offer a Treaty of Friendship!”
“I’ve never heard of the Data Angels. Where are your people?” Deidre asked, intrigued.
“We exist. I want to keep our present location secret for now. We are too vulnerable right now.” Sinder repsonded.
“Vulnerable? You have Chaos weapons. At least the technology. What do you need us for?” Deidre said.
“Dee, Sinder’s people only have just now begun to build up their infrastructure. They have advances we don’t, but they don’t have a strong enough economy or industry at the moment. She explained it on her way here....I think we should take her deal.” Takeshi interjected.
Deidre took a moment to ponder this news.
“If you’ll keep reading the pad you’ll see that I’ve included information on the Morganites and the Believers. Coded military orders. They plan to attack you soon.” Sinder poked a finger on the pad, scrolling to this information. “Don’t ask how I got this....you don’t want to know. But I’ll tell you this, Lady Skye....I can fix that for you for the small price of Doctrine: Air Power.”
Deidre handed the pad to Takeshi and put a hand on her hip. “Now, how do you know we have that? That information is top secret!”
“Lady Skye, you’re probably the only faction that doesn’t have chaos information.” Sinder said. “For that doctrine and this bottle of scotch I’ll fix it so the Morganites and the Believers leave you alone long enough for you to develop your own chaos weapons and get your air force in place.”
Deidre smiled, a small smile, to be sure, but even a small smile on Deidre’s face was enough to light up a room. It was the first time in a long while that Takeshi had seen her smile. “Miss Roze, I’ll authorize the trade of Chaos technology for Industrial automation...I’d be a fool not to....but I will have to see proof of your other claims before I can authorize any other trade. As for a treaty.....we need all of the friends we can get. Takeshi here will provide you with the information....and formalize a treaty which I will sign.”
“You are a wise leader, Lady Skye.” Sinder nodded. “You will here from me within a short time.”
Sinder turned to leave the arboretum with Takeshi, but Diedre took the bottle from her hand as she did.
“When you prove your claims.” She said as she took a sip of the scotch herself.
When they left, Deidre turned and looked out of the huge windows of the arboretum. Who were these Data Angels? She would have to talk to Takeshi about security. Sinder Roze obviously could tap into their datalinks and she had managed to enter the base undetected. For now though, she seemed to be a friend....
A MONTH LATER.....
Deidre was feeling better about the defenses of her bases. Sitting in her office were her Faction Defense Advisor, Gregory Knight, and the Supreme Military Commander, General Rebecca Haines. The three sat around a small oak table discussing the improvements and how to implement them. Deidre was heartened to know that many of her forces had been upgraded with the new Chaos weaponry and that the outer bases now had Air Force support. It had been expensive, but she felt confident that the Gaians could put up a fight when the Believers and the Morganites came. News was that an attack by both factions was imminent...mere days away. Suddenly the communication chime sounded. Deidre tapped her communicator, and accepted the message. The wall screen lit up and Takeshi’s face appeared.
“Milady, I’m sorry to interrupt.” He said, “But this is important. Our operatives have sent word that the Believers have been attacked by the Morganites!”
“What!?” Gen. Haines was aghast. “The Morganites have a treaty with the Believers!”
“Not anymore, General.” Takeshi said. “A terrorist attack destroyed the recycling plant in the Believer base Far Jericho. No survivors at the facility. Sister Miriam declared vendetta on Morgan Industries and Morgan has recalled his forces to defend against an imminent retaliation.”
“Thats ridiculous! Morgan has nothing to gain by attacking Far Jericho....I know of that base...its small and insignificant.” General Haines picked up her datapad and began scanning information on it. Deidre smiled inwardly.
“Theres more, General, Lady Skye,” Takeshi continued, “Our embassy at University Base reports that a Believer ambassador has been implicated in the theft of some secret technology. We don’t know what technology yet, only that the man was caught with it in his office and that he has been arrested...Provost Zakharov has recalled his ambassodors from Believer territory and broken his pact with the Believers. University forces at the border between those factions have been put on High Alert and the University has contacted the Morganites and warned them away from their territory. It seems that Morgan was going to land troops on University held land to cross into Believer territory. Provost Zakharov has also issued a statement that any Morganite or Believer force inside of his borders will be considered an act of war. Thats all I have now...I’ll keep monitoring the situation. Tanaka out.”
The screen went blank.
“By the Planet!” Knight muttered. “If Morgan is foolish enough to attack Miriam and provoke the University he must have gone mad!”
“According to our current information on Believer and Morganite strength, they’re evenly matched.” Gen Haines was still reading off of her datapad, “but without the pact the Believers research efforts are severely hampered. Miriam will have to recall the forces that were heading here in order to maintain a border with both the University and the Hive if she is going to defend or attack Morgan. Morgan will have to do the same...he has less military resources than the Believers.”
“This news is a turning point.” Deidre said standing up. “I want both of you to report back to your departments and assess any impact this will have on the Gaians. Keep me informed. Thats all.”
The General and Mr. Knight exited quickly, jabbering to themselves on the implications of these events. Deidre walked over to her drinks cabinet and reached for her scotch...then thought better of it and took out a flask of orange juice. She poured a glass, when she heard the comm chime again. She pressed the button on her wrist comp to open the channel and saw that it was from outside the base, heavily encryted and scrambled as to disguise its origin point. The face of Sinder Roze appeared.
“Lady Skye.” Sinder spoke quietly but confidently. “I trust you environmental experiments are going well.”
“Its good to see you....Datajack.” Deidre replied.
“Have you heard the news today?” Sinder asked, “Some poor man named Robert Gionni was captured by University police for espionage. I hear Zakharov is enraged beyond belief. It looks like Gionni will be in jail for a very long time. A shame, considering he is innocent.”
“Oh, I was more concerned about the poor people killed in the explosion at Far Jericho.” Deidre said with mock concern.
“Oh yes, that.” Sinder smiled. “Too think that Morgan would send someone all of that way to strike at a friend in such a foolish manner....and leave so much evidence. Sloppy work.”
“I believe I owe you something, Sinder. Contact Takeshi and he will provide it.” Deidre raised her glass of orange juice. “To you, my friend. Enjoy the Information and the case of scotch.”
“A pleasure, Lady Skye. May our friendship last forever. Sinder Roze out.”
Deidre smiled as the screen went dark. This Sinder Roze was far more dangerous than Deidre had thought upon meeting her. And clever. Then she remembered something she had heard Corazon Santiago say during the days before the Unity launch...keep your friends close and your enemies closer....
Deidre tapped the communicator control to bring up the face of her personal secretary.
“Yes, Lady Skye?” the secretary responded.
“William,” Deidre said, “Contact Dr. Bennett at The Flowers Preach...ask how much funding he needs for that idea of his...The Hunter Seeker Algorithm....”