At night Hertz always thought the city streets looked like Christmas. His father had told him about Christmas when he was very young. They had lived in a small town on St. Albans called Baxter. The legend, if it could even be called that, was an explorer known as Baxter was the first to venture to the planet and had founded a city. La-de-da-de-da. After a hundred years or so the settlers who had followed realized the climate wasn't going to get any better and left. Baxter, once on its way to being a great metropolis ended up being a town. Then, as the original settlers got old fewer settlers were coming than were leaving, or dying. Hertz' family were one of the few that grew. They thrived in the forested mountains and glacial plains. There were occasional arrivals that shared their desired privacy and helped build the town back up. It was slow, but his family and a few others expanded and built a good life. Regular transports in and out became a reality after the Alliance established a base. While the Alliance presence was unwanted, it's remoteness and size made it bearable. Still the planey only attracted the few tourists who wanted to experience hunting in the frigid wilds or enjoy the snow diversions of Eysiel Flara, the luxury resort on the opposite side of the planet. It, too, was a necessary evil to keep in touch with the Verse at large.

Hertz had led several expeditions to hunt Dury boars and various types of deer. He was at home in the wilds knowing every stream and cave for hundreds of kilometers. That knowledge kept him alive now as they hunted him. It had been two weeks since he had seen the last ones, but he heard the ship and knew they would be tracking him again soon. He was due to check in tomorrow. He hoped he would be able to send that signal.

The cave had a small opening which gave him a measure of security and allowed for a easier sleep. There were no large predators on the planet and the foxes that scavenged on the weak larger animals were no threat to anything willing to put up any sort of defense. There was no scarcity of food so the effort wasn't worth it. He put a large stone he could roll back and forth in front of most of the hole at night and nothing bothered him. There was a short bend about two meters in and another four meters after that. He could keep a fire in the back section and it wasn't detectable to heat readers. His real problem was being stranded on his home world.

When Hertz first returned to St Albans he was worried about seeing his family. He didn't know how he would be able to tell them he couldn't spend time with them but had to leave. How do you tell your parents you are on the run by a secret government organization that is trying to kill you? When he arrived at the family ranch he was shocked to find it abandoned. In town he asked around and everyone said the Hertz' had gone on some sort of trip to the inner planets. Some said they went to Bellerophon others said Greenleaf. While everyone knew his parents and were happy to see him, none seemed to have any real information about where they went. It was strange in their town where everyone tended to know most things about everyone. One important thing he did learn was that an Alliance government employee had been looking for them before they left. He had said he had business for the Hertz' and most thought that was why they had gone off-planet. They would return once their business was concluded. He knew, however, that they had no business off-planet. He packed up all he would need and fled into the mountains.

He heard the ship fly down the valley. It was just a standard flight from the base. He had come to know the sound of their patrol ships. He could even tell them apart. The one that just went by his cave he called Todd. It had a bad conductor on the port intake vent. There was a faint but distinctive rhythmic thumping. It was on its way back from a run over the southern hills. They had a practice range on the side of Mt. Abb. He took his comms unit and left the cave. He would get as high as possible for the check in. It would have to be quick so no one could get a good fix on him.

He reached a small clearing about fifty meters from the summit. Huddling in the shadow of the surrounding trees he scanned the horizon. He didn't see anything. Moving away from the trees he opened the small case. He set up the antenna and attached the power pack. Keeping it in passive mode he picked up a satellite. He waited until he had the signal compressed and ready. After scanning the horizon once more he sent the message. It lasted only seven-tenths of a second, but he knew that was enough for a direction. He immediately began breaking down the equipment and packing up. He figured he had about ten minutes before the first patrols arrived. Once the case was secured he grabbed it and his pack and headed down the opposite side of the mountain. If they did get some track on him he didn't want it to point toward his cave.

A glint in the distance caught his eye. Through his optics he saw the ship flying low over the trees to the north east. It was small. It may be a drone, he wasn't sure. Pulling out his thermal blanket he found a small crack between some large rocks. He lowered the case in, sat on it, and covered the crack with the blanket. After twenty minutes he was thinking it may have been a false alarm. Then he heard the sound of the small craft flying by. It was close. The whistle was deafening. Just after it passed overhead there was a thunderous explosion. He wanted to look but he knew it would give his position away. It passed over two more times. He heard more explosions but further away. The sounds came from different directions. He figured it meant they were just trying to scare him out so they could find him. Two hours later he made his way around to the cave.

After sleeping and checking out his equipment Hertz edged out of his cave. Once sure no one knew of his position he set up the communications gear. He made sure it was set to receive only and connected the power. It didn't take long to receive the signal. The encoded burst would sound like a simple personal wave. Buried in the encoding was a second level that his gear was designed to decrypt. It was what he was hoping to hear; a series of numbers and letters that told him when his ride would arrive and where. He packed up and prepared to leave his cave for good. He had a long way to go and only a couple days to get there.

Torrez cleared the corner as shrapnel ripped through the car next to him. He swerved left and shot between two large cargo trucks. The interceptor passed over and banked the other direction. It would be coming around to line up another run at him. He saw the chasers turning onto the road behind him. He needed to lose them in the congestion of the city. He clutched, downshifted and locked the back wheel sending the bike into a skid right. As he cleared the corner he popped the clutch and gunned the engine. The bike's front wheel came off the ground and he shot between the two lanes of traffic. The chasers skidded around the corner. The first slid sideways to stop and the second hit it. He saw the crash in his mirror and looked for a place to lose the interceptor.

The alley was narrow and looked like the perfect place. He slid the bike under a big truck and lay there catching his breath. The interceptor sped past the end of the alley. He jumped up and ran for the main road. He walked out and blended into the pedestrian crowd. Pulling off his jacket he dropped it in a refuse bin and kept walking. He snagged the hat from the back of a bistro chair and put it on as he rounded the next corner. Sirens blared as chasers sped by both directions. He found a sparsely populated cafe and ducked inside.

There was a free table in the back and he slid into the booth facing the door. He ordered something at random and pulled out his comm.

“Hey, Bita, yeah, things are fine here.” The other customers didn't seem to be paying any attention to him.

“We're fine here, too. We were hoping you could visit. Can you make it to aunt Lucinda's?” Lucinda was the codeword for a small safe house in a residential area.

“I think so. I don't have anything on my calendar.” This let Rohon know that he wasn't currently being followed. “Maybe I can get there the day after tomorrow?” That meant two hours.

“Okay. We look forward to seeing you. Give the family our love.” He disconnected. The food arrived soon after and he sat and enjoyed it. It wasn't great but he was hungry and didn't care.

An hour later he wandered out of the cafe and continued toward the nearest tube. He took the next train two stops past where he was headed and walked back. Following several cut-backs and random turns he made it to the house sure he hadn't been followed. He knocked and an old woman answered the door. She gave him a hug and led him inside. The neighbors knew her as Mrs. Liddy. She had lost her husband years ago in an attack by rebels and was a staunch Alliance patriot.

“Just head into the den, dear,” she told Torrez. He smiled and followed her direction. Kicked back on a sofa with his feet up was Rohon. He looked up and grinned.

“You are the best thing I've seen in weeks!” Torrez raised his eyebrows and stared at his commander for a moment considering his commander's words.

“You have to get out more...sir,” he replied.

The man was trying to put his hands just a little farther up her leg than she wanted. He was handsome and the night had started with a good meal and some pleasant conversation. Once they got to the club things had definitely taken a turn south. After a couple drinks he was getting way too friendly. She liked the dancing but he seemed to be interpreting her enjoyment as a signal to step up the contact. Stepping back she pointed toward the ladies room.

“I'll be right back,” she said loudly over the music. He shook his head and started to lean forward as if to kiss her. She turned and walked off as though she hadn't noticed. Once inside she stood at the mirror and washed her hands. She checked herself, took a deep breath and decided to nip this in the bud. She wanted a good time, but wasn't looking for a one-nighter. She had never allowed herself to get into those types of relationships. Well, she thought to herself, time to give him the bad news. She turned and there he was, standing just inside the door.

“I couldn't wait,” he slobbered as he spoke. She always hated drunkards.

She moved slightly toward him. With one foot a little ahead of the other she readied herself. He moved awkwardly with a big, childish grin on his face.

“C'mon, gorgeous, I'm gonna make you cry with joy,” he continued forward. She didn't doubt he could make her cry, but not like that. She waited for the inevitable grab. When it came she leaned forward and smoothly moved him toward her right with a simple evasion. Her left foot pivoted. Suddenly, his right foot slid behind hers. His right arm dropped to her midsection and, using his weight, he lunged putting her on her back hard. She gasped as the air had been knocked from her. He twisted so he was perpendicular to her body with one arm between her legs, grasping around her left thigh and the other deftly came around under her neck pulling her head beneath his arm into his side and back. He pulled hard and she knew she had less than a minute. He was very strong and obviously knew what he was doing.

Her arms were pinned next to her side. This is probably what saved her. She had a knife under the side of her belt on her right side. She used her fingers to get it free and angled it up at his abdomen. With a sudden convulsion she was able to get it into him. Surprised he jumped and reached for the wound. As he came up he spun his right foot toward the blade but missed. While he finished spinning she rolled backward into a crouch and, with him now facing her again, stood slowly, knife in hand. He glanced at his hands. The wound wasn't nearly as bad as he had thought. Her eyes followed his and she wished for a longer blade.

Gober looked at him, but this time, contemplating him as a worthy adversary, not horny dance partner. He was quick, strong, and knew some moves, but how good was he? She had to assume they would send someone they expected could complete the mission. That meant he was very good. He wiped his mouth and stood a little more relaxed.

“Too bad you didn't go back to my room with me. I really would have made you cry with joy...right before you died.” He said it so matter-of-factly she almost laughed. Then she had a quick moment wondering...no.

“I'm sure you would have made me cry,” she responded with a wry grin. His eyes narrowed and that is when she realized they had made the mistake. She relaxed her arms and readied herself. He would come high and go low, like before, expecting to use his size and strength to simply overpower her. But he wasn't standing right and, as he started to move she realized he was not the professional they should have sent. He took two steps, lunged high and started to drop toward her midsection. She put her hands across her chest as though to protect herself and then, right as he started to lean over jabbed with a straight hand into his throat. His weight did carry him into her, but it didn't matter. She had felt the hyoid snap and knew he was already dead. He dropped to his knees gasping for air. She stepped around him heading toward the door. As she opened it and walked out she heard him collapse onto the tile.

Gober walked quickly to the door and left. She turned right and walked quickly. Turning left she glanced at the vehicles, and darted between two and to the other side of the road. Then, turning left again, she walked back across from the club for another block. She ducked into an entryway and turned, watching her path. She didn't see anyone immediately but that didn't mean there wasn't a spotter somewhere watching. She turned the corner and ran. After turning at random for ten blocks she found another shadowed entryway and sat on a step to rest. She watched for any sign of being followed.

As her breathing slowed she realized she was rocking slowly and holding her arms across her chest as thought she were freezing. She forced herself to relax. “How could I be that stupid,” she thought. Replaying the night in her mind she realized there was probably no reason for her to suspect. He was a much better actor than fighter. And, he was handsome. What a waste. She looked both ways. There was no one else around. It was late and she would have to find somewhere else to go.

An hour later she wandered into a cheap hotel. The girl at the desk asked how many hours she needed. She said ten. The girl tossed her an access stick and went back to looking at something on her feed. Gober went to the fifth floor and found her room. She checked the door and window. Once sure both were secure she collapsed on the bed and went right to sleep.

Political officers, by definition, were part of the power structure. DeLaire had always thought of himself as Alliance first, soldier second. He had reported everything and filed detailed reports on his team during every phase of his assignment. Being an outcast hurt. It hurt bad. After Concordia he had been congratulated, by officials as high as the regional staff. There was talk of promotion and awards; a real future. Then, without any warning, he was out. He was told to leave the building and not to return. Security escorted him to the front door. His previous boss handed him a small cube and told him quietly to make himself scarce as soon as possible. It was perhaps the only kindness given him. He didn’t understand. There had been no explanations or debriefs. Upon returning to his flat he grabbed a few things and headed out. He was more interested just taking some anonymous time to work this out than questioning a warning.

The next day, registered under a different name in a comfortable but inexpensive hotel, he saw the news. Authorities were blaming the explosion that killed twenty three in a local apartment complex as an over-heated power converter illegally installed by the management. He went pale as he saw the images of the hole in the building centered where his flat had been. He quickly grabbed his few belongings and had begun a circuitous wandering route through the city. It wouldn’t take them long to figure out his body was not one of those recovered. Then they would come after him. He needed time to put this together. He couldn’t seem to wrap his head around the whole situation.

He had been loyal, and that was the hard part. He had never seen it coming and couldn’t grasp that it could come. After a few hours he found himself in a small tech strip with stalls down both sides. He looked carefully. He needed to find the right kind of gear to make it work. This was the kind of thing he did well. After collecting an odd assortment of pieces he wandered some more, seemingly randomly, looking for a place to stay. A small room above an outlet for used clothes was available cheap and he took it. It was pay by the week and didn’t even have a front door. He went through the shop to a narrow opening in the back with stairs angling up steeply where a narrow door glowed. It was the only lighting for the steps. He sat in the one chair by the window and watched the street below from behind lace curtains. They were out of place but the perfect camouflage to watch without being seen. After an hour of careful study of what was visible through his window, he turned toward his bag of parts.

Several generations of comms units as well as various circuit parts lay strewn over the bed. He used a micro-welder with a built-in mag viewer to create. Stretching as he stood, DeLaire walked over and turned on the center light. It was one panel and it blinked conspicuously. He looked at it for a moment with contempt. Turning it off he went downstairs. Exiting the front of the shop, he turned right. He had seen a place from his window that looked promising. A small cafe called Shadow’s Shadow; An intriguing name. He had always liked food from the smaller worlds.

Time passed slowly but he stayed for two hours. He ordered another drink and kept watch. This neighborhood was mostly small shop owners and tourists. It was tricky watching for a tail when there were a lot of tourists. No one fit in but everyone did. He paid his bill and glanced toward the door. His next step was to walk out, go home, but something made him stop. He looked again trying not to stare at the door. He stepped over to a vending machine. Dropping some coins in he pulled a lever and something hit the tray at the bottom, but he didn’t really look. There she was! A short, brown haired girl, maybe in her early twenties, but could have been younger or older. It was hard to tell with the harsh angular lighting of the signs outside. He was sure she had now passed the shop at least four times.

His mind raced through so many possibilities. Was she a scout? Was she just locating him or was she to take action? She was short, very petite, so probably not the muscle. If she was an attacker she could be using bio or chemical. That would only require she be able to stick him with a syringe, or maybe just slap a transfer patch on him. She may even have a small weapon and hope to get close in the crowd or in a secluded area. He grabbed his purchase and went over next to the door. He unwrapped what turned out to be some sort of hard candy with something in the center. He took his time with the wrapper keeping his peripheral on the front window. She crossed again and he went for the door.

Stepping out he put his hands in his pockets and looked both ways. She was walking away from him on his right. He turned and immediately started left. After a block he moved to the curb and, looking both ways for traffic, jogged across to the other side. He saw her between a couple following as he expected. Slowing he continued the same direction he had begun. He was headed north, he thought, and that meant his rented room was west. He would have to lose her first. With every stride his anger grew. His purpose was changing from one of flight to one of fight. He wanted to know who sent her. He wanted to know what she was planning. He wanted to know what they knew. A man opened a glass door to his right and he caught a quick glance behind him. She was closer but still too far back to attack him short of pulling out a gun and getting everyone’s attention. That was always a possibility, but it didn’t seem to be her plan.

Two more blocks and he turned right around the corner. He kept his same pace. Better to let her think he was still unaware of the tail. Another three blocks and he crossed again heading off west. He was now several blocks north of his place, but he didn’t intend to even think of going back until this was over. He saw a club coming up on his side of the street. He walked through open double doors and into an assault on his senses. The reverberating beat pounded his chest, the thunderous music made any chance of hearing something else hopeless, the flashing lights and spinning spots would have caused vertigo in many. It was perfect. He moved slowly through the jumping, gyrating, sweat-soaked crowd. There was another door that lead to private rooms. He approached a man who looked more like a wall standing next to the opening. He was at least a foot taller than DeLaire and probably twice as wide from the muscles pushing through his clothing. Pulling out some cash he leaned in and asked about the service. Off to his right he saw the girl had followed him in.

He entered the hall. The giant at the door had said Katy, one of their best who met his requested description, was in room twenty seven. He found it easily enough and was glad the noise in here was more manageable. When he got to twenty seven he faced it as if hesitant. He stood there waiting for the girl to see him enter the room. It didn’t take long for her to appear at the far end of the hall. Without looking directly at her he reached for the door and, hesitating another moment, turned the handle and entered. He closed the door behind him and made sure it didn’t automatically lock. He looked around the room for any other exits. Katy entered through the only other door. He walked to her and right past. She started to reach for him throwing her best I-am-going-to-rock-your-world look and then stopped, confused. He glanced into the bathroom. No exits there, either. At least he knew his tail would be coming through the front door. He walked back over next to the door and sat in the one chair in the room.

Katy was surprisingly cordial and seemed actually relieved that he wanted to just sit there and rest. She sat on the bed, looking prepared for whatever he wanted. He heard footsteps, soft and slow, pass once…twice…but not stopping. What was she waiting for?

“Katy, what would it sound like if you were showing me the time of my life?” He said it evenly and flatly. She stared back not understanding the question. He tilted his head slightly and arched an eyebrow. She grinned as she understood. He could see why she was so popular. She slowly twisted herself and got on her hands and knees on the bed facing him. She started to rock back and forth slowly and moaning. She made growling noises that were too catlike, he thought, but very convincing. Looking at the base of the door he saw the slight shadow stop. He had a short lamp in his hand, without the shade, and tightened his grip.

Just as Katy started raising her voice broadcasting a crescendo that wasn’t real, the door began to silently open. As her face cleared the doorframe he grabbed her hand and swung the lamp at her midsection. Thrown off balance his tail came shooting through the door almost in a dive and the lamp caught her perfectly in her stomach. She hit the floor gasping for breath. Something flew from her other hand. Katy turned and sat down keeping silent. She suspected some sort of trap, but, as long as he was paying she didn’t really care. DeLaire quickly bound the girl’s hands behind her with the lamp cord then spun her over on her back. She was young. He looked at her closely for the first time. Katy had crawled to the end of the bed and was looking down on them.

“Katy, this young lady dropped something. Can you find it and bring it to me?” He kept his eyes on the other girl as he spoke to her. Katy moved slowly and looked around. It took her only a moment to find the small item and bring it to him. She held a syringe in the palm of her hand.

“What’s in it?” he asked his prisoner. She really did appear stunned and scared, but that could easily be a ruse.

“I don’t know. They didn’t tell me. ‘Just stick him,’ they said,” she rattled off quickly. “I swear they never told me. Said it would put you to sleep. Paid me up front. Said they were watching to make sure I done it. Good money. Easy. If it only put you to sleep, no harm, right?” She was sweating. That was harder to fake. He wanted to believe her, but the spy in him told him there was something more to this.

“Why didn’t you try on the street? It would have been easier,” he said, looking closely, feeling her pulse as he talked with her. She wasn’t fighting. Her eyes were dark brown with a light, golden ring around the pupil. She was strong, but not strong enough and seemed to know it.

“I…I wanted to see…uh, you didn’t look like a bad man. I was curious to know…then you came in here and I thought you were like they said so…now what are you going to do to me?” She was hesitant, cautious. Her pulse was slow and steady even when she sounded apprehensive. Something wasn’t right. He thought he’d try something.

“Give me the syringe,” he said reaching toward Katy. When his right hand let go of the girl’s wrist to reach across her hand shot down lightning fast to her side. He brought his arm across his chest in an instinctive block and her arm hit his. The small knife was three inches from his neck. She paused then pulled down running the blade through his forearm. He brought it down on her arm again and shifted his weight up onto her chest. Blood ran down his arm onto hers making it slick, but she was having a hard time breathing. He looked down into her eyes again. The look was anger now.

“So, are you going to behave?” She tried to twist free. He let more of his weight settle on her chest. She tilted her head back and gasped. “That’s what I thought.” He relieved the pressure a little. She glared at him now. Clear hatred, no façade. “So, what’s in the syringe?” Katy, who had backed away when the struggle started had not inched forward again. She reached out and handed him the syringe. He slowly lowered it toward her. She tried to struggle again.

“Uh, uh. Don’t make me do this the really hard way.”

“Don’t, please. It will kill you, me,” she answered softly. “Although it probably doesn’t matter. They’ll kill me now for failing.” Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes. He wasn’t buying it.

“Katy, go get a towel and soak it. Wring it out very well and bring it back.” She stood, looked at them and went to the other room. DeLaire put his left hand around the front of the girl’s neck. “What’s your name?” She didn’t answer. He squeezed softly. Her eyes went wide and she started to struggle. “I am only going to put you to sleep. If you struggle I might accidentally squeeze too hard. Behave and when you wake up we’ll be gone.” The girl tried to actually relax but instinct made her struggle, even if not as hard. Finally she stopped and went limp. He felt and her pulse was steady. She was still breathing.

Katy returned with the towel as he stood. She froze and stared at the girl on the floor.

“She’s alive. This was better than beating her.” He bent down and lifted the girl off the floor and laid her gently on the bed. He straightened out her clothes and pulled the blanket up around her. Katy seemed confused. He grinned slightly and took the towel from her hand. He wrapped it tightly around his arm. Going to the door he said, “If you stay, you may want to be in another room when she wakes up.” He opened the door slowly. Looking down the hall both ways and seeing it clear, he slipped out and left. Katy followed. When they got to the end of the hall she ducked into a side room. He walked out like every other customer. The giant was still there. He nodded and crossed the dance floor again. At the main door he paused and took in the line, the vehicles. Somewhere out there was probably the girl’s backup. Taking a deep breath he stepped into the cool air.

Rohon and Torrez sat in the middle of the car conversing quietly about anything mundane they could think of. Facing each other they were able to keep an eye on everyone else. They stood as the vehicle slowed. When the doors opened they walked calmly through the station and into the street continuing their random talk. As the people became more scarce their conversation ceased and they continued in silence. A drunk walked out from an alley as they passed and Torrez almost gunned him down but Rohon kept them moving without drawing any unwanted attention. Reaching the door Torrez took a key from his pocket and unlocked it. He grabbed a recessed handle and slid it up. They entered the dark space and pulled a tarp off a vehicle.

“Is this a '66 Rift Blade?” Rohon was practically drooling over the machine. He ran his fingers down the edge looking closely at the lines.

“Yeah. Last year they put quad-fusion injectors on the re-charger. A little dangerous when pushed hard, but, I've had it up to 265 and it runs smooth as rum,” Torrez was gleaming with pride at his baby. They both just stood and stared. Finally he climbed in and started it. The sound was a low grumble. A high-pitched whine quietly built until it disappeared from human hearing. Rohon climbed in his side and they sat, enjoying the gentle vibration telling them that great power was held within.

“Gober will be expecting us in six hours. Can you get us there by then?” asked Rohon. Torrez smiled. They pulled into the street and woke everyone in a three block radius as they roared into the night.

Sentries patrolled the landing zone more densely than he ever expected for this backwater place. The base was at least a hundred kilometers from the closest town. It didn't make sense. His data had indicated it as a small replenishment station for local patrols and transports passing through. This kind of activity was definitely not normal. He settled into a depression behind some fallen trees and watched. Through his scope he watched the patrols. At least thirty circled the zone in opposite directions and every fifth had a track hound. Thirty soldiers he thought he could handle, but track hounds? Track hounds were genetically modified Ptarsil dogs with two sets of nostrils and a larger nasal cavity as well as six legs. They were said to have over a billion receptors and be able to track birds. He wasn't sure he believed the part about the birds, but he didn't want to get any closer to the fence line until he had a better idea of what was going on.

He had sat, unmoving, for about two hours when the first shuttle landed. It wasn't large, just a jump pod for orbital transfers or between moons. He watched it land and unload. Seven soldiers got out and pulled a pallet with them. It was covered but marked ammunition. They pulled it into a service building too small to be a hanger. The shuttle launched and headed east but up in a trajectory probably intended to take it back into orbit. During the transfer the guards all stopped and turned outward. It was the expected actions of a tactical squad, but at a base? His curiosity was growing exponentially. He had to see what was in there. He had been watching the far side. Beyond the landing zone was a cluster of buildings that held whatever was at this base. Only two smaller structures were within the zone; the one he had seen them take the cargo into and another just like it about ten feet from the first. There didn't seem to be many guards around the buildings on the far side and he didn't see any hounds. It would probably take him an hour to get around to the other side without being spotted, but if he couldn't find a way to warn the team, they would fly into the middle of an unexpectedly well manned base.

A lack of circulation kept the ozone smell and trickle of smoke from dispersing in the small room. DeLaire set his tools down and grabbed a wet rag. He ran it over the edges listening to the quick sizzle as the moisture cooled the hot metal. He removed his goggles and stood stretching. He needed sleep but until he knew what this whole thing was about he wouldn't be able to. The cube his former boss had given him before leaving had an encryption level above anything commercial. The device he had just made should be able to help getting into it. His boss wouldn't have taken such a chance if it was impenetrable. He splashed water on his face and washed his hands. Looking into the mirror he saw a disheveled man in need of a shave. He ran his hand over his beard and head. Always priding himself on his professionalism and hygiene he was somewhat disturbed at his image.

Returning to the desk DeLaire took a small connection from his computer and plugged it into his new device. He pulled the block from his pocket and slid it into the receptacle. It glowed orange and data started randomly appearing on the screen. Incomprehensible at first, a pattern grew. Then actual pages of unintelligible characters appeared and disappeared. He waited knowing his algorithms needed time to sort out the encryption. The screen went blank. That he hadn't expected. He frowned at the screen and checked all the connections. They were good. He was about to pull the cube out and re-seat it but a line of text flashed on the screen. He looked over but missed what it said. It flashed again. It was a set of alpha-numeric characters. Ten sets of three. It would be a key. Four more flashes and he had the entire set written down. It flashed four more times and stopped. He carefully typed the sets in. Nothing was visible on the screen and he knew that a wrong entry would cause the thing to be wiped with no hope of retrieval. After finishing the last set he pressed enter. A list of files came up.

Welcome Type-ABO Personnel Subject Alpha Known entropy History Results Tests Pathology Miranda

He started at the top and touched Welcome. A video began. Dr. Milligan, in a white lab coat, stethoscope and a couple other devices, hung around his neck walked in front of the camera and sat. He straightened himself up and looked up to the left. It seemed there must have been someone there because he nodded a couple times, then looking at the camera, began.

“Hello. Welcome to project Pax. Of course we have a much longer and involved scientific name, but Pax is easier to say.” He looked a lot more relaxed than the last time DeLaire had seen him and he looked healthier. He was a professional in his own environment. “At lab 10 we have been working on the former G-15 compound attempting to perfect it's stability. You should already be aware of the events of its first public use and the results. For the complete breakdown of the loss of structural integrity see the history. Our main goal is to make the G compound the future of peacekeeping. With such a chemical guns may become obsolete except in the most extreme cases. The lives saved could be countless. During this study and the ensuing tests we hope to achieve a safe and effective agent for any crowd control activity. We expect, if it works as planned, for it to even be deploy-able in a tactical environment. That is, to be used in the event of war. Imagine then, the savings in life and property! We want to...” At this point DeLair lost interest in his manifesto. It was a control agent. All this time the intel he had been shown was false. Had he always been a pawn or was he just the unfortunate one to be involved in the mission to retake the scientists? Either way it meant that the Intelligence system was actively working to be able to control whomever they wished. This was bad news and he knew he had to get it to the team.

DeLaire stopped the playback and returned to the menu. This time he opened History. It covered the creation of G-15 and the Lameer City incident. He next went to Personnel. He saw Milligan's name as well as Foster's. At the bottom of the list was Run-Di. He had come across the scientist, if that is what he could be considered, during an operation a few years back. They were working on finding a base of thieves that had graduated to killing during their thefts. After they had blown up a bank resulting in the loss of millions of credits and over fifty lives the Alliance stepped in. DeLaire had led the investigation but, after catching one of the leaders of the group, Run-Di had shown up with orders to interrogate the criminal. His methods were permanently damaging leaving the subject in a semi-comatose state but with constant pain. A doctor had overdosed him with a sedative one night claiming afterward to not realizing a nurse had already given the patient the maximum allowed. DeLair and many others thought the unprovable mercy killing was probably for the best but Run-Di was not pleased. Two nights later the doctor was mugged and killed kilometers from any known place he should have been.

Something much more sinister must be going on for Run-Di to be involved. He now began to see how dangerous their situation was. Type ABO, Results, Pathology; these were all sections that were far too medical and scientific for him to understand. It was valuable information, but he would need to show another biologist or chemist to learn its meaning. He went to the bottom. Miranda. It looked like an encyclopedic entry giving the world name, the main cities, the transformation start date and the first settler date. It listed the primary colonists, local authorities, principal industries, etc. Further down it gave a time line. Once final laboratory testing was complete, Miranda had been chosen as the site for the first tests on a planetary scale. Since the environmental factories were still on-line, it would allow for a dispersal planet wide of the new Paxilon compound. The terraform generators would be used and it would take just two days to spread around the globe.

DeLair rolled a jacket around the equipment and stuffed it into a bag. Slinging it over his shoulder he put the cube in his pocket and left. He would not miss his rendezvous. This was so much bigger than any of them knew.

Gober sat on a bench in a small park. She appeared to be reading but was keeping a lookout. No one had shown up looking out of place and there were few loiterers in the area. This was a living area and anyone who would be out and about had gone toward the city to work or whatever they did in neighborhoods like this. The vehicle pulled into the parking area and stopped. At first no one got out. This made her nervous. Had someone found her? It was an ancient machine which made her curious. The Alliance would come in an armored personnel van or something similar. She watched it. Finally a door opened and Rohon got out. Leaning on the door he shouted, “Are you waiting for an invitation?” She was very pleased to see his big childish grin. She hurried to the car and climbed in. They sped off to their next pickup.

DeLaire was in the last car with only two others. One was an old woman who could have been dead for all he knew. She hadn't moved since he sat down. The other was a young man watching something on his comm unit. He hadn't even looked up when DeLaire came in. The train was almost at the last stop, his stop. As it pulled into the final terminal the driver announced end of the line and the doors opened. He saw Torrez sitting at a bench against one wall. He walked straight for him. When Torrez saw DeLaire coming he stood and headed toward the exit. They stepped onto the moving walkway and were taken toward the street a little faster than they could have strode. Right in front of the station was Rohon leaning against some antiquated vehicle. DeLaire nodded. Rohon nodded back. DeLaire climbed in the back with Gober. Once they were all in Torrez sped off. The last pickup was not local. It would take a little more effort.

In the vehicle they caught each other up on what had been happening to them. DeLaire went first. He was insistent so no one argued. He had not departed the group very amicably and thought it best to put everything out there in the open.

“First, I want to formally apologize to all of you. I will say the same to Hertz when we get him. You know I was a Political Officer with certain duties that don't mesh well with our other job. Rohon should know that I never betrayed personal confidences or mission specifics that were not directly accessible by my superiors in the political office. I know none of you completely trusted me but I accepted that. I knew my...special position made me an outcast to some degree. But you never saw me lay down during an op, never! And I would never. Whatever you thought of me, I was part of this team.” Rohon nodded.

“That day I went back to the PO at IHQ they had me produce my report. Then they told me I was out. Out of the PO. My boss gave me a cube on my way out that I hope they never discovered for his sake. It had all the intel on what we were a part of but didn't know.” DeLaire then went into a detailed account of what he had seen on the cube. There were a lot of questions. Some he could answer but most he couldn't. They asked if anything had happened to him and he relayed the information about the girl that had stalked him. They all seemed to understand completely. It was the first time he really felt, in a more personal and intimate way, a part of the team. Rohon thanked him for such a detailed analysis. It was intelligence that none of them had been able to find out and it explained the magnitude of their situation.

Gober went next recalling her “date” and the trouble she had had during their running. Torrez almost drove off the road when she was recalling the man slamming her on the floor of the restroom and trying to kill her. She had little else to add other than a good description of the methods the man had used.

Torrez, keeping a closer watch on his driving, told them about a mostly boring time hiding out in the basement of a childhood friend that nobody else knew about. His big mistake was being in his home area anyway. One short jaunt to the local shop and he was spotted. He told them of the chase and how he finally got away. He told it like he was a hero escaping the evil clutches of some arch enemy. They all laughed and relaxed a bit.

Rohon went last. He had gone back to the base. Strangely he had little problem getting in and then lying low. There were some lesser used areas and he set up a kind of hideout in a storage area. He learned that while they were being sought by unknown Alliance forces outside their command, no one thought to look inside. The only person who knew they were wanted at the base was a small contingent of PO's and their CO. The CO wasn't a fan of what was going on and probably wouldn't have given him up, but for his sake Rohon never made contact. The PO's tended to stay in their area other than going on missions so it was easy to steer clear. He was actually able to move somewhat freely. He tried to not make himself visible to any of the area monitored by cameras in case they were set to alarm if any of the team was seen. When moving around he would generally keep his hat pulled down tight and keep his face from the cameras. It might appear odd if anyone were following him on the cameras, but other than that who was going to question a ranking officer?

His ability to use many of their resources allowed Rohon to get a better grasp of their situation. He knew they were wanted. Their names and faces were listed on many of the IHQ sites on the cortex. He realized quickly that it was being kept at a professional level as nothing had been released to civilian sites. This was good and bad. Good that not every Joe citizen would be on their case for a bounty and bad that every specialist would be on their case for a bounty! This meant their pursuers would be low quantity but high quality. “Not too high,” spouted Gober. They all laughed at that.

He was also able to find out that an unknown division within IHQ was working on a project, so secret, that Milligan and Foster hadn't known they were the primary participants until just before they ran. Their team had been used to take the scientists back to their deaths. They didn't like that. And it all meshed with DeLaire's intel. It was time to get Hertz and prepare a plan to stop Run-Di.

The first building was dark. With all the guards on the other side of the base he had expected better security on this side. A door was unlocked and walked in. It was a barracks, mostly empty. Mostly. One small room had four bunks. Two were occupied. Both sleeping. He moved on. Any casualties could be found and there would be no way to hide then. He found their armory. Basically a closet where they kept their weapons when not on patrol or guard duty. He took a few extra clips and grenades. He spread the missing items over several belts. Maybe their owners wouldn't notice right away if they woke up. Slipping outside unseen he disappeared back into the trees.

He was thin on time but thick on adversaries. Typical. Rohon would be chomping at the bit for some of this action. Well, he could do without it. After rigging the barracks he moved off into the forest a bit and set up the next line. Once that was done, he circled off to a different side of the landing zone. He had to stay down wind which limited his approach and what he could work with. His primary target was the communications grid. They could handle the outpost, but if a signal got sent, a cruiser would be on them before they made orbit. That they couldn't handle. He had seen where most of the cabling had went underground and he knew where their antennas on the hilltop were. They were upwind and unreachable in the time he had so he had gone for the cables. Lucky for him they weren't buried deep. They would have to go on the first strike. When all preparations were complete, Hertz found a nice rock to lean against and waited. There wasn't much he could do and thought he needed the rest before the show started.

With no direct contact Hertz had to rely on the time sent him. Taking a deep breath and letting out a long sigh, he triggered the explosives. Five different spots in the surrounding trees detonated simultaneously. The guards immediately went into a defensive posture. He watched the barracks. As the first soldiers were exiting through the door he set off the second set of charges. The front of the barracks shattered. Several of the guards on the pad ran toward the barracks. He sighted the fist dog. With a quiet whisp it dropped. Its handler was watching the treeline so intently he didn't notice his dog collapse right away. That gave him a free shot at the second. The others quickly saw that two of the Ptarsils were down and began moving. He injured a third. It was incapacitated which was enough. His position was still safe but the guards were now firing randomly into the trees.

He laid the rifle down and pulled out a handgun. This was the tricky part. He aimed at the nearest guard and emptied the pistol's magazine. The guard dropped. They knew exactly where he was now. He threw the gun at the next guard and raised his arms. Staying partly behind a tree he needed to know they were going to follow procedure. The guard raised his sites, then relaxed his stance.

“You, behind the tree, come out. Keep your hands up and out!” This was a good sign. Taking another deep breath he slowly stepped out from behind the tree. The guard looked around at his fellow soldiers coming alongside him. A little bolder he shouted, “walk this way slowly keeping those hands up!” There were still four of the Ptarsils and a couple dozen soldiers facing him. The others were working at the barracks trying to rescue their comrades.

“What's going on? I thought this was a food theft. They never told me there would be shooting. Please, I want to surrender!” Hertz shouted back keeping his arms high. After a few steps he continued. “They handed me that gun and ran off. I didn't shoot anyone! Please help me!” They were looking at him now in a neutral way which, under the circumstances, was probably all he could expect. A few started talking and one, the apparent leader, was discussing something with a soldier who had run over from the destroyed barracks.

He was now only about twenty feet from them. “Halt!” He wasn't sure who it had come from. He stopped. The ranking officer finished discussing with his man and came up to Hertz. The officer slowly walked around him and looked at him carefully.

“Sir, you are guilty of direct violent action on an Alliance military post. You will be tried as a traitor and publicly executed. Sergeant, take him into custody.” A soldier approached holding restraints. Right on time he heard the ship. Already on alert the soldiers went onto a defensive posture. When they saw it was an Alliance shuttle they relaxed and took up a perimeter around the pad. The ship landed smoothly and the door opened. Stairs extended and an officer descended from the vessel. He approached the group surrounding Hertz.

“Who's in charge?” shouted a familiar voice. The officer who had Hertz arrested walked over to the new arrival.

“Sir, I am Lieutenant Trang,” he replied and smartly saluted. He fell into step and they both approached the group around Hertz.

“What happened here? It looks like somebody hit you hard. Where are the enemy soldiers?” Rohon barked loud and proud. Hertz noticed he was even wearing his actual uniform.

“Commander, an unknown force struck quickly and then escaped. We were able to capture this one man but have not yet had a chance to question him,” he paused before continuing. “Sir, if I may, how did you happen to know? We hadn't even called it in yet?” He looked puzzled.

“You may not,” replied Rohon without missing a beat. “I will tell you anyway. We were coming to do a survey in preparation for the next phase of the operation. We picked up some coded chatter and came to check it out. Have your patrol ships do a grid search for these rebellious traitors. I will send three squads to support you. You will be in charge. Any questions?” This made the Lieutenant walk a little straighter.

“No sir. We will immediately begin questioning the prisoner and...”

“No. I will take him with me. We have professionals on board who will make sure we extract anything useful this man knows.” Rohon gave Hertz an icy look. Hertz felt sorry for those who had seen that look from an unknown. Gober and DeLaire walked over to Hertz and grabbed his arms. “Take him,” said Rohon toward them. The Lieutenant watched as he was walked to the shuttle. Gober shoved him knocking him down once. The soldiers on the base snickered thinking he would see a lot worse before the end of the day.

Looking out the window Hertz, Gober and DeLaire watched as Rohon talked to the soldiers for a few more minutes. He pointed here and there and finally returned the Lieutenant's salute. He strode back to the shuttle and, a minute later, lifted off. They laughed at how well it went. They had expected to fight their way out, but the soldiers on the planet never really questioned the cover. By now they would realize they had no comms and hopefully be waiting for the promised squads to report the issue. The one wild card were the patrol ships. If one of them attempted to contact a waiting cruiser, which didn't exist, there could be trouble. Once the ship broke atmosphere Torres came back to say hello to Hertz.

They had a two day flight and during that time everyone was brought up to speed. Stories were told and questions answered. They went through the data on DeLaire's cube. The Alliance's plan was studied. There had to be some way to stop them. After much discussion they decided there were two basic courses of action. The first involved trying to put together a coalition of forces within the government to try and wrest power from those who were moving the Pax initiative. The second took them further afield of government work and invested their time in more clandestine activities involved with stopping the plan including assassination. The first would be the most difficult and time consuming and would not happen quick. In fact Rohon thought the initiative would already be played out before they could accomplish their goals. However it did allow them to work within the law. The second was obvious. It was what they were trained to do and they could immediately take action. It gave them a higher chance of mission success, but it was obviously criminal and they would then have officially made themselves traitors to the Alliance. For career soldiers who held their loyalty high, it was not an easy decision to make.

The transport pulled alongside. It was a short hop vessel. They set the auto control on the shuttle and floated over to the transport. Triggering a remote, Rohon sent the shuttle toward the nearest star. In a week it would no longer exist ending that trail forever.

“General, I have three more appointments prior to my dining with Ambassador Lowen. Can you please hurry things along.” The presentation was dragging and Run-Di was beginning to think General Flatado had nothing of real import to report.

“Yes, sir. I wanted to ensure that everyone was current on...” he paused seeing Run-Di's stare. “But, I am sure that everyone has it by now.” The screen changed and the G-23 molecule appeared. “We all know what this was intended to do. With the failures of the past versions our scientists are sure the 23rd is the answer we hoped for. The last mass trial was with 21 and it was very close. The prisoners at the Chuaddick Limt mine had only a 4% negative reaction to the gas. We think the ones who did lose rational functioning were because they received concentrated doses very quickly. They may have been near the vents or perhaps some of the fans were not operating properly and let small pockets accumulate. Either way, it was a success.” The general stopped as Run-Di stood.

“General, thank you. Gentlemen, Ladies, thank you and I hope, lights please, we can move forward. The engagement paper is almost done and will be distributed to you soon. Again, thank you.” Many of the other guests shook his hand and moved toward the door silently. They seemed pleased which is all he wanted. As the last departed, he turned toward the general.

“Sir, the...” Run-Di cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“Never mind, General. We will go to phase six in two weeks. I was told that the chemical was already on its way and that everything is in place at the generators?”

“The generators are ready. All modifications were done under various projects. They have been ready for several months and no one on site knows what the added equipment is for. Mostly it's been passed off as additional atmosphere testing or cloud seeding gear. There haven't been any questions.” Run-Di was nodding slightly.

“Good. And the shipment?”

“It is still being loaded. We have passed most of it through various companies to not attract any attention. A few port security directors and inspectors know it is a secret government shipment, but no one knows the actual contents. They think it is some sort of chemical waste and will be used for secret tests on an asteroid.”

“What is the expected arrival on Miranda?”

We thought we'd use the New Year's celebration as a cover. There will be a lot of extra shipping coming and going and it will be easier to slip in with less notice. We are hoping to trigger dispersal the evening of the celebration since the majority of the populace will be outside watching the displays. It may give us an even better chance of equal application.” Run-Di was actually looking pleased. The General had never seen him almost smile before.

“Good. That is very good thinking. Your team has been on target with this since our two traitors ran and had to be dealt with. After, we may have to remove the people at the port. I will let you know. Keep me advised daily,” he turned as he was talking and headed toward the door. “And General, no more hiccups.” The General watched the door close behind Run-Di and finally exhaled.

Rohon lowered the guard gently to the ground. The chemical in the dart would keep them out for hours. Torres and Gober did the same. DeLaire was on a roof across the street providing them eyes and ears in the building they were about to enter. Rohon signaled advance toward the side door. They stood backs against the wall and watched the pad. The light went from red to green.

DeLaire watched them enter. Once through he changed it back to red to not arouse suspicion. He had all of the interior view cameras on his monitors. They moved quickly and silently through the offices and planted the explosives. It took only ten minutes. He opened the door for them again to exit and then closed up his systems and headed toward the truck. It had been parked on the opposite side of the block from the target. He loaded his stuff and drove off. Coming around he stopped at the end of the alley. Blocked from view the others put the sleeping guards in and climbed in after. DeLaire drove another block and stopped in front of another alley. Here they deposited the guards and left. They were another mile down the road when the building exploded.

Frigid temperatures meant everyone was covered well. Hoods, gloves, and heavy jackets provided anonymity and concealment for themselves and their various devices. Casually blending into the daily foot traffic the team worked their way through the bustling city. Miranda had been advertised as the next great Alliance planet with ultra modern mass transit, luxury living for every resident and plenty of space to find your favorite environment. It amazed Rohon that so many chose a climate with such hot summers and such cold winters, but man was a stubborn creature and even while these settlers had come for a new start, it was important to have that comforting memory of home.

Ahead was the customs and transportation offices of the Port Direction Directorate. Gober had found an officer that dealt specifically with Alliance shipping and their secure pads. He also had a fondness for blondes and she did her best to get on his good side. She was thankful it hadn't taken more than some kissing and a little fondling for him to give her the information he wanted. He had been completely unaware of what he was allowing to slip out. She was good, and with a little coaching from DeLaire, had been able to get him to pass schedule and shipment information including origination points and destinations. It had been done piecemeal to keep his suspicion from being aroused. It was enough she had the rest of him aroused. A sudden message of a sister on New Melbourne who was sick and needed her immediately is all it took to extricate her from the mission. She hadn't seen him since but did admit he was a good kisser and had been kind to her.

Run-Di was an extremely non-trusting soul. One of his controls was to not allow his scientists to drive themselves to and from their homes to work. To ensure no one strayed he kept watch over them at all times. This, of course, meant a lot of manpower. With secrecy as an important part of his plan, he couldn't just keep grabbing military or other government personnel to do every little job. It would attract the attention of the senior party officials sooner than he wanted. This meant a lot of subcontracting. It sounded as if it would allow for a lot of leaks, but in reality, as long as he kept what everyone knew compartmentalized, he could easily control the situation. Torres had worked his way into a chauffeur position with a company driving the scientists around. It hadn't taken long to learn the routine, settle into it, and wait to set up his car. Once he knew how they were sweeping the cars he knew how to circumvent getting caught. He had a car that could scan the occupants for various chemicals and metals, heat signature, even heart-rate. He could record their conversations, including phone calls, with super-sensitive mics. He just drove and recorded.

Hertz had the most precarious position. He worked security at AGS-16. The Atmospheric Generation Station was one of 37 on Miranda. The reason he chose 16 was for the proximity to the capital. It would allow him the fastest direct route by train or car to the seat of power on the planet. For that same reason, the AGS administration had their offices at station 16.

Gober, Torres and Hertz fed their information to Rohon and DeLaire. They would crunch it against the data coming off standard feeds and through non-secure government channels. It was all about being able to put the pieces together, and DeLaire was very good at that. Rohon had a new respect for the man he had often thought of as an enemy of the team. Now they were all wanted. DeLaire was under a death threat as much as any of them. The last week the analyst had been getting excited. Perhaps agitated was a better word. Rohon would ask about something and would get silence, or worse yet, “later”. Later? He was in command! That never sat well, but he knew DeLaire had a way of compiling information that allowed him to see things very few would. If they did, the information never would have made it to the waves in the first place.

With their proximity to their targets and heightened security the whole team rarely met as one any more. It was during one of those few times, when Rohon wanted them all in one place to for some old fashioned team camaraderie, that DeLaire had his ah-hah moment. Gober was laughing at some joke and Hertz was trying not to shoot his coffee out of his nose from the laughter when DeLaire stood straight up and yelled, “Three days!” Cups fell, drinks spilled, food and utensils were dropped as everyone went silent and looked around like he had just said they were being attacked.

“Tien xiao de!” hollered Torrez. “Are you trying to give us all a heart attack?” They all sat silent for a moment breathing heavy. Adrenaline was now coursing through all five of their bodies. DeLaire looked around at each looking a bit confused. He slowly sat back down and put his hands on the table in front of him.

“Uh, sorry. The boss has had me working on something and it just came to me.” He looked directly at Rohon. “Sir, three days. The whole thing gets initiated in three days.” Rohon stared back at him for a whole minute, not saying a thing.

“What is in three days?” asked Hertz. Rohon turned back to the table looking at each of them.

“We have had good intel, based on what you have been feeding, as well as the standard channels, that the G-23 was in final phase and about to be implemented. As you know, we thought Miranda was a staging area because of its remoteness and newly formed local government's inability to cause any problems. Certain data made us think the target would be one of the plants with no large metropolitan centers and active rebel groups. A couple Browncoat settlements came up during some private chats between the main players and we have been looking at those trying to piece together what could be done.” He looked at each of them in turn. “If DeLaire is correct, and we all know he probably is, Miranda is not the staging base, it is the target!” After a pause he said, “DeLaire, tell us what you have, and lay out the whole thing so we all know the big picture.”

“A shipping manifest that I was able to pull from the security net at AGS-16 is what clinches it. You see, for the past three weeks I have been focusing on transports of military personnel and materials used in attacks on the Browncoats. Little rebel pockets have been flaring up everywhere. We thought...I thought...that these were the most likely targets. A large dispersal over a city, or even planet-wide, able to pacify them would have proven the effectiveness of the compound. My biggest error is misjudging the arrogance of Run-Di. That toad is more fanatic than even I could have dreamed!” He stopped and took a drink. Looking at them he resumed, “He's going for proof of concept on the grandest scale! He's going to use Miranda as his test bed! Think about it; what other planet still has all of its atmosphere generators still online? Which other planet has several major cities thriving, still growing, and a steady influx of new colonists? Which other planet with the growing resources of the Alliance core has not been fully integrated into the codices? He's going to test G-23 on a major population!”

The questions came fast from the team. DeLaire had an answer to every one. He had thought this through completely. One by one they were one hundred percent convinced he was right.

“One last question,” asked Gober. “What shipping manifest?” They all looked from her to DeLaire who just grinned.

“That is what finally tied it all together. You see, that manifest from AGS-16 was for an entire warehouse of stores. It was a short manifest with only a couple items on it, but one of the items was for 37,000 containers of wheat paste to be sent out, divided up, to each of the other AGS's. It seemed like a simple entry error as the other couple items on the manifest were tiny amounts in comparison. A food distribution mucked up in the system. Completely forgettable as an mistake in the system. But, compiling shipments from the research facilities and test centers there were just over 37,000 containers of materials shipped out. Those supposedly went to different facilities but couldn't be tracked because the destinations were all false. They really came here. And now they have distributed the material to all the stations ready for dispersal.” He paused and looked at Rohon. “Sir, there is no way we can stop this. We cannot attack every AGS. We could possibly get two or three before the entire regiment on planet was mobilized to stop us, or they could simply disperse once they knew an attack was underway. And, with the other information I am sure full activation of Run-Di's plan is set for three days. I am absolutely positive.”

Rohon looked hard at DeLaire. He didn't think he had ever heard DeLaire say “absolutely positive” about anything. He played odds and gave percentages. What could they possibly do against the full force of the Alliance. He looked around the table at the others. They looked back, waiting for his word.

“Okay. Three days. It seems like we have only a few options. First, we could try and sabotage as many of the stations as possible, but I don't see any real chance of success in stopping the dispersal. Second, we could sound a general alarm and try and get as many off planet as possible. I think Run-Di is likely to simply initiate early if he sees so many leaving. Third, we could leave and hope the G-23 is not deadly to the population.” There were actually grimaces at that one. “Or, fourth, we could go after Run-Di himself. Try and keep him on planet. I don't think he will initiate while he is here and we know he hasn't left yet.” He waited for a response.

“Sir, I always relish the idea of trying to take out Run-Di. But, his bunker has so many levels of security that we are unlikely to get to him. I have met guards who are considered personal guards of his and thy indicate there are at least three more levels of guards and security before they could ever even see him from a distance.” Torres was right. Getting at Run-Di would take more time than they had.

“Is there anyway to send a signal on the AGS net to get them to all shut down?” That sounded like a good idea. They all started shaking their heads and discussing taking over just one plant to get into the net.

“No”, DeLaire interrupted, “They are all on stand-alone systems and only connect when necessary to upgrade programs or sync functions. They did that four days ago. I doubt they would take the risk of doing it again prior to initiation.” There seemed little hope for the situation. Rohon told them to get some sleep. It was late and they would meet at 0500 to decide what to do. With so little time it was imperative they have clear heads. Rohon knew they may not sleep again. They all knew.

At 0500 they were all seated. Rohon looked at each. He had served with them all for many years. None were as important as the last. They had become a team like no other he had ever seen. He had to ask one question.

“Did anyone have an epiphany last night?” They all looked at each other hoping one of them had an idea. He waited a full minute before continuing. “Alright. Then we are going to kill Run-Di. If this is our last mission, we are at least going to rid the Alliance of its greatest tool of evil. There are those who would play god. We won't let them.” He grabbed some papers he had brought in with him and flung them before his team. “This is the plan. Study it. We leave in four hours.” He stalked out. They each grabbed a page and looked it over. It was simple. It was violent. It was final.

Four hours later they were dressed in full insertion gear including every large weapon a soldier could carry. Torrez was strapped into the pilot seat of the armored craft and they were checking their gear.

“Sir, all systems ready. Just give the word,” said Torrez. He turned back to the controls.

“Okay,” said their leader, “you know your target. You each know your part. However this ends, I want each of you to know that I have never had a better team. Your professionalism and skill are unparalleled in the Alliance forces and I have been proud to lead you. I also want you to know that I have put the entire mission on a broadcast cube and set it for tomorrow morning. Whether we come back or not it will go out to command. It will be broad-waved across all military and government channels. Regardless of the conspiracy, it must be contained and this will provide the proof to those who would not allow it. I do not believe they would be able to stop it but they could ensure those responsible are put to task and that it never happens again. Gentlemen...and lady...let's go.” He nodded to Torrez and then took his seat. The others didn't say a word. There was nothing to say. They would either stop the G-23 by killing Run-Di or not, but at least they would try. Running was not an option.

The small ship sped across the terrain low and fast. It skimmed treetops and roofs. It hugged valleys and left its wake on the water and grass below. It took them twenty-two minutes to reach the Alliance base. The raid was unlike anything before. Since they were in an Alliance ship and wearing Alliance uniforms, their actual uniforms, the base didn't really know they had been raided. The assault craft screamed into the base and landed just outside the perimeter hanger. Soldiers scurried away no knowing what was happening. Rohon stepped out and immediately went toward the command office. Gober and Hertz followed. A lieutenant came rushing up to them about to yell when he saw Rohon's rank.

“Commander. Uh, this is highly unusual, your pilot broke many protocols and...”

“Lieutenant,” interrupted Rohon, “I need two fighters, now! Which ones are fueled and armed?” He knew there would be at least two ready to go at all times. The Lieutenant jumped back and fell in step with the Commander who was not slowing down.

“Uh, sir, those are, uh, the ready birds. I don't think you can...”

“You don't think?” yelled Rohon. “Are you paid to think, Lieutenant? Or are you paid to take orders in the defense of the Alliance?” The Lieutenant was obviously confused and scared.

“Well, sir, I guess...”

“There's no guessing, Lieutenant. These two pilots are here to take custody of those aircraft. Now, I will sign for them and then we are leaving. This is a priority. Direct from Central Command.” It might have been over the top, but the Lieutenant was so out of his league it didn't threaten them and it was the final fear to get the ground crew moving. The Lieutenant took off running toward a small group of mechanics.

“Get the ready birds warmed and primed. I want confirmation on fuel and armament immediately...” his screaming faded as Rohon continued to the command office. He forgot how much he missed the regulars sometimes. Gober and Hertz still didn't say a thing, but a small grin did creep onto their faces. “Okay, get to your birds. When I am airborne I want you airborne.” Without a word they pealed off toward their individual ships.

Exactly eight minutes later the assault ship lifted off and, in perfect formation, the fighters did too. They swung wide over the base and headed back toward the city. DeLaire was sure Run-Di was in his command center high atop his company's building preparing. He had good intel that Run-Di was planning to leave tomorrow morning. Today was for final touches. Yes. Yes it was. DeLaire was in an armored car. It looked like the hundreds of others used to transport valuables throughout the city. Of course the others didn't have installed flame throwers or concussion cannons on retractable hard points. He was three blocks away watching Run_Di's building through his scanner.

'Sitrep,” DeLaire heard in his headset.

“Sir, nothing yet. He has not left. Soft tracker shows him on the eighty-seventh floor.” That would be perfect. Everything above the fifty-second was clear of the surrounding buildings meaning the fighters would have clear shots at taking the top off the structure with minimum collateral damage. They knew this was going to be dirty and there was a high probability innocents would be killed. It was not a mission they would normally have even considered, but desperate times and such. “Sir, one other thing. I was able to tap into the emergency system of the surrounding buildings. When you are three minutes out I will trigger fire alarms in them. The emergency tunnels should keep most people off the streets.” “Good thinking. We are at seven. Will call at three, out.” Rohon signed off and looked over at Torrez. Torrez looked back and nodded. He was ready. The next four minutes seemed an eternity.

“Three out. Trigger the alarms. Angels one and two, start your approaches.” On the ground, DeLaire triggered the fire alarms. Every building around Run-Di's began to empty. Emergency tunnels and underground transport would keep a lot of the workers off the streets. It was common practice to stay out of the way of emergency vehicles. He saw a few coming out and looking up at the buildings. They were probably security and this was their response. In the sky the two fighters turned away from the larger ship and headed off to make approaches to the building from different angles. They knew there were defenses on the building and different vectors would keep them guessing.

DeLaire bucked his vest and chambered his rifle. He checked his sidearm, again, and reseated it in his holster. He snapped off the lid from a small six-tube grenade non-reusable grenade launcher. Other weapons lay on the seat next to him but he didn't check them all. He already had and knew they were ready. He checked traffic from both directions. Feeds into surrounding cameras let him know what was happening on the cross streets. His approach had to be clean to build up the momentum needed.

Torrez angled them up and gained altitude. When they hit a thousand meters they heard traffic control hail them.

“Unidentified military craft, you are over a population center and must be above six thousand meters. Please climb to that altitude and await further instructions.” Of course Torrez ignored the command and leveled off at two thousand. Rohon gut up from the copilot seat and went to check the package. He checked the harness and pulled open a small hatch to reveal controls. Here he punched in a string of twenty-five digits and closed the console. He returned to his seat.

“It's ready,” he said to Torrez. The clock on the heads-up display was counting down. “...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one.” The digits ran out.As Torrez nosed the craft down, they could see the fighters firing on the building. Angel One, Gober, would hit the building at the eightieth floor. Angel Two, Hertz, coming from the opposite direction, would hit it at the seventy-fifth floor. They wanted to keep Run-Di in the top of the building. Their main guns, designed to destroy other military aircraft and ground targets, shredded the windows, walls and furniture. Small turrets on the top of the building were having trouble locking on. They were designed for a single terrorist ship or personnel coming from another building. Two military high speed fighters kept them spinning trying to get a lock.

That was perfect because on the street the armored car had just reached maximum velocity and was screeching as it violently turned toward the main entrance of the building. The vehicle smashed through safety glass, security retainers, and made it into the lobby where short hidden armored barriers stopped it. The moment it ceased moving tubes popped out of the sides and the concussion cannons fired everything they had in a random pattern. The few guards still in the lobby were dazed or unconscious. DeLaire jumped out with the grenade launcher. He damaged each of the elevators making sure their individual alarms sounded. They would not allow anyone to use them until an override code had been entered.

The fighters had just completed their second pass when the Torrez opened the rear of the ship and released the cargo. As he pulled up the cargo fell in a perfect arch onto the top of the building. The turrets were firing on them as he turned left hard and dove for the cover of other buildings. They were not too fast and had already taken a few rounds. Torrez aimed for the nearest flat roof and set engaged a programed flight plan. When they touched down both of them jumped form the rear as the ship lifted itself back up. They watched it rise and bank back the way it had come.

In the lobby DeLaire watched the dazed and confused guards run out the hole his vehicle had made. They weren't soldiers and didn't really grasp the situation other than they were outgunned and hurting. He went back to the open door and grabbed a couple more weapons. “This is Viper, nest is clear. Finding hole.” DeLaire ran toward the back of the building. He crashed through one door and had to shoot another open. Down a long hall he came to an exit. Outside was the bike Torrez had gotten him. DeLaire jumped on and took off. He was a block away when the armored vehicle exploded.

“Angel One, we have detonation in nest. Time to clear. Hawk is inbound,” Hertz announced. Gober was circling back and saw the other ship. It was headed right toward the building. Time to fly. Banking hard the opposite direction she saw Hertz fall into the wingman position and the flew low and fast out of the city.

On the ground Rohon and Torrez exited the building they had landed on. Walking out normally they turned away from the commotion a kilometer away. Others might be watching, but they wanted to get far away. Over head they heard the two fighters scream by. That was a good sign. They rounded a corner and got into a delivery van. Inside was DeLaire.

“Good to see you two,” he said. Nodding at Torrez he continued, “the bikes around the corner. Worked fine. Let's get out of here. Some people were giving me a strange look with all those weapons on my back.” Torrez started the engine and they sped off.

Behind them the timer in the package on the roof of the building reached zero. An engine fired and a missile shot straight down through the building seven floors to the eighty-seventh. When it blew up it destroyed everything above the eighty-third. With the turrets out of commission and a gaping hole where the top of the building used to be, the ship on auto-pilot rose over and dropped like a stone. It penetrated and exploded destroying a couple more floors in the process.

Gober and Hertz had abandoned the fighters in a narrow valley. They put them down in a shallow lake hoping the water would quickly cool them and mask their location. The team met up at a diner at the port. The only thing they could hope to do now was get off planet before they were caught by the Alliance or stuck down-side for the release of the G-23. Hertz was the first to speak.

“I can't believe we actually pulled that off.” The others were shaking their heads. “Do you think we got him?” They all looked toward DeLaire. He was looking at Rohon.

“Sir, I think we did. I heard some chatter and they sound confused. I definitely made out some military intel code. I can't break it with what I have, but there was a lot of it and that doesn't happen unless something really big has stirred the pot. I think we got him.” A series of chimes interrupted them and they looked toward the nearest screen.

“This is an urgent port announcement. Traffic control has initiated a port closing effective immediately. This is not anticipated to last long. Alliance and port security appreciate your cooperation. Thank you.” It repeated three times. Security personnel seemed to materialize from nowhere. People moved away from the various kiosks and counters as the soldiers blocked every exit. They looked at each other warily. It might be for them or just a reaction to what happened in the city. Down one concourse Gober saw a soldier guiding a small group of people toward a door. The people kept their heads down and never wavered. Without warning, a woman near their table stood and threw herself at the nearest soldier. She clawed at his eyes before two soldiers pulled her off the third. She kept kicking, scratching, and biting at the ones holding her. Hertz immediately went to the soldier on the floor. His eyes were gone! She actually dug them out. He was screaming and Hertz was trying to get him to calm down. Shot's rang out!

“Everyone on the floor!' yelled the soldier in charge. The team watched as everyone slowly sank to the floor. It looked rehearsed. That creeped Rohon out more than the woman going pschotic. Something very strange was happening. He turned toward the team. Torrez was sitting on the ground like the others. Hertz was still trying to help the injured soldier with Gober assisting. DeLaire was standing with his fists clenched staring at the senior soldier.

“DeLaire, get down. These guys are liable to shoot just because they don't know what else to do.” DeLaire didn't budge. Rohon reached for him and DeLaire smacked his had away. He took off sprinting as fast as he could a the soldier. Bang, bang, bang, bang! Four shots rang out. DeLaire dropped. Rohon grabbed Gober as she started to get up.

“No, something's not right. DeLaire had a strange look in his eye. He was focused only on that soldier. I don't think he knew what he was doing.” They just looked at DeLair's body. What was happening? The soldier with the missing eyes was still screaming. Gober moved back next to Hertz trying to help the guy. The soldier who shot DeLaire was moving toward them. He saw the one with the missing eyes.

“Get away from him! You're monsters! Get away!” he screamed. His Sergeant was screaming at him to stand down. Instead the soldier raised his rifle and carefully aimed at Hertz. Gober didn't see what happened until blood sprayed all over the front of her. She fell back and looked down. Feeling around she was trying to find the hols before realizing it wasn't her blood. She looked over at Hertz who was slumped over the other soldier. She reached over and pulled him back. Hertz had a large hole in the center of his chest. He was dead.

Rohon watched Hertz die. Not another one, he thought. The soldier who had killed DeLaire, and now Hertz, laughed hysterically and then pulled his pistol, stuck it in his mouth and sprayed his brains all over the people around him. It was surreal. Everything was moving in a strange slow-motion speed. Torrez was just sitting next to him not saying anything. He turned back to see Gober standing up. Why would she want to do that. It looked exhausting just watching her. She should sit and rest. She was so pretty. He always liked her but knew it would have been too unprofessional to ever say anything. Maybe they could just sit together now? Instead, she started running. That seemed strange, running when everything was so calm and slow. Another soldier raised his rifle. She ducked and spun bringing her foot into his side. He spun and pulled his trigger. As he turned he was firing bullets at everything in the arc of the turn. Four soldiers and three civilians were shot. The blood and noise; the spinning bodies with colorful clothes; and all in slow-motion. He looked over at Torrez to ask him if he had seen it. Torrez was now lying down. His eyes were open but he was just looking up at the ceiling. That looked comfortable. Maybe after...he couldn't remember after what? He looked around. A pretty girl who looked familiar was falling. She had on a pretty red shirt and red pants. Her face had a lot of red on it and he thought how nice it all looked together. He hoped he would dream of her. Rohon, folded his hands behind his head and lay back. That other guy may have something. The ceiling was nice to look at. He would just rest her awhile before...