Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-Five: A Question of Priorities

The BAE-Dragonfly office slash lab in Mumbai had meeting rooms, like any normal office. Even if most of what we did here was mad science, inventech, and highly classified military planning, it wouldn’t have felt right without a conference table and flip board. 

Currently, I was seated at one such conference table, sharing a cup of tea with an old friend.

Major-General Brajinder - the officer who’d led the Sixth Division at Tanisport - had dropped in, along with Kalachakra, to ‘catch up’. It had been a pleasant surprise to my workday, one that had led to a rapid rescheduling of meetings and at least one abruptly truncated experiment (fortunately we had good fire suppression systems in the lab). 

When someone you’ve fought - and bled - beside shows up in town, you make the time. 

Brajinder was beaming as he sipped his cup of tea. “So! I’m new to some of the etiquette around this, but should I call you Belessar or Mr. Drake?”

“Call me Andrew, General,” I said. “Mr. Drake sounds like me dad, and don’t even get me started on ‘Mr. Belessar’.”

“People still call you that?”

“It’s gotten to the point I’ve grown tired of correcting them.”

“Tell me about it,” Brajinder chuckled. “There are these youngsters in our housing colony who call me ‘General Uncle’.”

“... Okay, that’s way worse. And what happens if another general shows up at the same time?”

“Then they get called ‘Other General Uncle’. Or worse, ‘Beardless General Uncle’.”

I nearly choked on my tea. “That probably makes for some awkward conversations.”

“It’s not my fault I have the best beard in the service,” chuckled Brajinder. “So, I heard you got into a minor dust-up in my neighbourhood.”

“An ambush.”

“I got the full briefing from Kakkar, of course. And from other officers.”

“Are you investigating this?”

“I’m part of the advisory committee assessing this new threat. For my sins.”

Kalachakra spoke up. “It could also be due to your track record. Currently, you have commanded the largest successful engagement between Indian troops and the aliens, at least in sheer numbers.”

“That is a disservice to General Vohra, though factually correct,” sighed Brajinder. “Had we been in each other’s positions, I doubt I could have held Lonavala Base.”

“What happened to him?” I asked.

“Administrative leave, for a while. Then probably a stint at Training Command - he has the skills for it, but unfortunately it will look like punishment. It’s a pity; Jayesh Vohra is a brilliant defensive tactician who ran into rotten luck.”

“It happens,” mused Kalachakra. “Luck or skill, you understand that men will be hesitant to follow a commander who has lost once - and at this scale.”

“It wasn’t his fault,” I said. 

“We know,” Brajinder agreed. “That doesn’t change things. I would point out that the harshest punishment, however, is the one Vohra has imposed on himself.”

“.... I’m sorry?”

“He blames himself every morning for the loss. Keeps asking if he could have saved lives by being quicker, smarter, or more prepared.” A hollow look crossed Brajinder’s eyes. “It is the same burden I live with, sometimes. Could we have saved more lives at Tanisport if I’d done a few things differently? Difficult to tell. Second-guessing oneself can be a trap - a vicious circle of self-pity and blame that is hard to escape. Vohra must deal with his demons before he can deal with the enemy again.”

“Would therapy help?” I asked.

Brajinder smiled sadly. “It is difficult to find a therapist who can understand the responsibility of being a general officer. That said, there are those who do. Often, only those who have done the job can truly counsel those who are doing it. On to other matters, though.” The general put down his teacup. “You told Kakkar you had suspicions about the attackers.”

“... I did?”

“You said they had three ultras?”

Ah. “That’s common sense, actually. They showed the ability to create portals, to mind-control people and use them as disposable infantry, and to observe from afar. A Traveler, a Master, and either a farcog or an inventor specializing in drones.”

“And the laser that brought down our chopper?”

“That could be easily procured off the black market. Portable lasers are a fairly easy design for most inventors to come up with.”

The general nodded. “Do you think it was the Hierarchy?”

“Honestly, no. It doesn’t fit their M.O.”

“How so?”

“They were using bullets. Not plasma, not mass drivers, standard gunpowder-projectile weapons and one random laser. Their grenades were explosive but primitive. And, well, they were too easily driven off.”

“Meaning?”

“A Hierarchy raid would have had some broader objective. As far as I can tell, they spooked us, bled a couple of trucks, and then disappeared. Nothing was achieved. Also… the Hierarchy have only one Traveler race, the Vautari, and they don’t really engage in combat.”

Brajinder inclined his head slightly. “The Vautari are those alien spaceship technicians, right?”

“Correct. They’re poor soldiers, with deepspace operations being more their strength. This didn’t fit the profile of Vautari operatives.”

“Or any other known Hierarchy species. That leaves unknown species.”

I shrugged. “Nevertheless, it still feels more like a human operation to me. I know feelings aren’t a great basis for enemy intelligence….”

“And yet, one learns not to disregard them,” Brajinder chuckled. “Lost track of how many times my intuition pulled my backside out of a frying pan. So, what does yours tell you?”

“That this was done by human hands and human will,” I said softly. “Someone wants the distribution of Aerovascar stopped - or at least, disrupted. Without tipping their hand. The why of it, though, is beyond me.”

“But not beyond us,” Kalachakra said. “The Intelligence Bureau came to the same conclusion. And then took it further. And as of now, they are recommending the government push the ‘alien attackers’ narrative.”

My eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“To mislead the real culprits,” replied Brajinder. “I was asked - by some folks very high up - to speak to you. Verbally, nothing on any digital or hackable records…. though with farcogs, you can never tell if that’ll be enough.”

“So it’s more than an isolated attack?”

“We believe there’s an ultrahuman gang working to sabotage the production of Aerovascar. As to why - two possibilities.” The general raised a finger. “Either they have a stockpile, and want to sell it at a markup.”

“But if they have enough doses, why not sell it legally?”

“They likely don’t have enough doses. And if they have less - then they can charge those who have more money for the privilege of surviving.” The general’s tone was dry. “A quarter million doses, sold at two thousand dollars per dose, will be far more profitable than twenty-five million doses sold at two dollars each.”

It took me a second for the general’s words to sink in.

When they did, I almost activated Furniture Destroyer on the conference table. “They want millions of people to die for money?”

“That’s one theory.” The general raised his second finger. “The other is political instability. Someone wants the Aerovascar to fail, people to die, and it to be painted as a failure of the government in Delhi - since the state government will no longer be around to blame. Millions of deaths, or we crash our economy. Reduced defense spending, lower international cooperation because we can’t keep our commitments…. and a less effective defense the next time the aliens come knocking.”

“Who benefits from that?”

“Any number of players. Some could be collaborating with the aliens; others could simply be greedy for power. The trouble is, we can’t quite figure out who.” Brajinder leaned forward. “The IB is investigating, and wants you to stay out of it.”

“Do you want me to … simply do nothing?” I asked.

The general shrugged. “I told those bureaucrats it was a dumb idea. You’re going to investigate it, as much as you can, I said. They weren’t happy about that.”

“I can’t just leave it.”

“I know,” Brajinder said. “I also know you have a lot on your plate. Stuff which only you can do, like making battlesuits rise from the ground.”

I groaned. “You saw the video.”

“Everybody saw the video. I’ve got thirty colonels reaching out to me asking if you can grow them a bunch of battlesuits on your farm.”

“It’s not that simple….”

“Relax, Belessar, I figured as much. The truth is, between the IB, military intelligence personnel, the advisory board, and the Research and Analysis Wing, there’s nearly fifty people involved in this investigation.”

I blinked. “Fifty people.”

“As well as six ultrahumans. This is a top priority for our government. And since you are already involved, we want to do right by you.”

“.... Meaning?”

“We have permission to provide you a weekly briefing. One that highlights the status of the investigation - but it’s restricted to you and Nanocloud alone. No-one else.”

I blinked. “You’re keeping me and Nanocloud informed - about your investigation.”

“Yes.”

“But you don’t want us to help.”

“You ever hear the saying ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’? In this case, it’s true. When you get the briefings, if you have any ideas - or theories - we’d be fools not to investigate them, as well. But what we want you to stay out of is fieldwork.”

“So you want our ideas, but not our firepower?”

“The investigation needs less firepower and more finesse at the moment. Trust me, even I am staying out of the field.” Brajinder grinned. “Besides, people like you and me would make terrible field agents!”

“Really?” I said, amused. “Why?”

“Think about it. Intel agents try to take their targets alive, for interrogation. You and I, we have a tendency to keep hammering away until the target’s dead.”

“That is a fair point,” I conceded.

“Also, the Sports Minister is concerned about his stadiums. Seeing as you have a habit of trashing them.”

“That happened once!”

“Twice, I think? Tanisport and Liverpool?”

“... the first time it was just the viewing stands.”

“Then the Minister’s point stands. The official position of the government, Belessar, is that we’d like you to support the investigation as an advisor, in a strictly consultative capacity. We will keep you informed; we will be grateful for any insights you share; and we will ask you to remember that this is not your number one priority. Your number one priority should be getting the supplies to our factories so that they can keep making Aerovascar.”

I slumped in my seat. “Damn it.”

“I take it you agree?”

“When you put it that way, it’s too logical to do otherwise.” I gave Brajinder a bemused stare. “Are you sure you aren’t secretly a diplomat?”

“My wife is, actually.” Brajinder grinned cheekily. “I get to practice negotiation every day.”

“Fine, I’ll behave.”

“Thank you! And I also want to extend - on behalf of Colonel Kakkar - an invitation to a party at the Regimental Mess next Friday. The officers would like to toast you. I hope you can handle your liquor!”

“I look forward to finding out,” I responded. It was a safe bet - high Vitality reduced the effectiveness of alcohol, so at this point I could probably drink Kakkar’s entire regiment under the table.

And if not, I have my Intoxication Meter to warn me. 

Kalachakra chose this moment to speak up. “We also want to invite you to another event - one with rather less alcohol. There is a gathering of prominent citizens, members of the press, and business leaders this week. The Prime Minister will be making a speech to them - one that is televised - to reassure them on the progress of Aerovascar.”

“You want me to help with security?”

Kalachakra shook his head. “Belessar. The PM wants you to attend. To stand on stage beside him, and maybe answer a few questions from the reporters.”

I blinked. “Your Prime Minister wants me to speak. On stage. With him.”

“Yes. He believes you’ve proven to be quite good at public speaking.”

“... Kalachakra. I’m a foreign ultra. Are you sure?”

“The PM asked for you personally, according to the Home Minister - who was not pleased about the whole thing.” Kalachakra shrugged. “His security are having heart attacks, but what Narayanswamy wants, Narayanswamy gets.”

“If it helps, you’re not the only one,” Brajinder added. “They’re setting up a real-time video link with Skyguard so Indradhanush can join in. Mahaplumber will also be there, to add some local flavour.” 

“The PM may also say a few words about Agni.” At my look, he held up his hands in surrender. “Nothing offensive, of course, and the speech isn’t finalized yet. A simple tribute, if at all.”

“If you say so,” I said wearily. “Where and when?”

“This Saturday. I’ll be in touch with the details.”