TS6 - Chapter 28

The image of Dringbek flickered slightly as some sort of interference from the laboratory interrupted the transmission for a second.  He inclined his head slightly.

“Shareholder Debs, Representative Ahn,” Dringbek said, a plastic smile on his furry face.  “It is so good to see both of you.  I appreciate your taking my call on such short notice, but I must say that I am surprised to see Jaalin with you Katherine.  The last time I checked her public itinerary there were no meetings listed for today.  I surely hope that she isn’t trying to organize a secret meeting with your organization outside the formally established guidelines for scheduling and reporting such meetings.  That would be a rather black mark against Clan Ahn.”

“There is nothing to worry about,” Kat assured the stallesp diplomat.  Behind her, Jaalin stiffened, her crest going rigid as she glared at Dringbek.  Off camera, Belle gave her a reassuring nod.  “I am not meeting with Jaalin in her formal capacity.  She is a friend and I wanted to talk to her about something strange that happened in the Tower.”

Dringbek’s expression darkened for a fraction of a second, his smile slipping before he forced it back on his face.

“Ah yes,” he said.  “The Tower.  Lots of things happening there.”

“Moving on,” Dringbek continued, his false smile stretching even further across his furry muzzle, “I have good news.  I brought your offer to my corporation’s leadership council and they are in agreement.  Obviously it isn’t as favorable to stallesp interests as some of the other preliminary deals we have worked out on Earth, but it is acceptable.  I can’t say that we actively want you to win the race to ascension, but in the hopes of improving the relationship between our organizations, my corporation is willing to crack down on the rogue elements that have been plaguing you.”

“That isn’t to say that we will be able to stop everything,” he said, a genuine grimace flashing across his face.  “As I am sure you are aware, there are a handful of stallesp working directly with your competitor.  They have become… unresponsive… to requests for communication from the homeworld.  All organized interference has ended, but alas, ending disorganized interference is beyond me.  I hope that these efforts are sufficient for us to maintain the contract as previously discussed.”

Kat’s mind whirred.  Dringbek could be telling the truth.  She had no doubt that Mr. Jackson was refusing to back down, and the man had at least two other extra terrestrial accomplices.  On the other, it wasn’t like the stallesp was hiding the fact that they preferred Millennium taking over the planet.  Their agreement could easily be more a matter of them committing to discretion rather than actually adopting a position of non-involvement.

All of that said, regardless of the scope and motives, Dringbek’s proposal was a step forward.  Even if all the agreement bought her was the knowledge that she wouldn’t have to look over her shoulder while she was asleep, that was a huge step forward.  Being stronger than most other parties was a good thing, but it didn’t change the fact that an ambush at the end of a dungeon, taking her injured party out one by one as they teleported to safety, would be enough to end even the strongest of teams.

Across the conference room, Belle nodded once.  Apparently she thought it was a good deal, and frankly, that was good enough for Kat.

“Agreed,” she said, smiling at Dringbek.  “If you can stamp out all organized interference, I suppose we will have to live with the remainder.  We would be happy to accept the vast majority of your race’s fine in blueprints and industrial goods.  I look forward to further discussions as to the specific shipment schedules and discount rates that we will be applying to those transfers.”

“Until later then, Shareholder,” Dringbek replied, a hint of relief in his voice.  “I will prepare a proposal for your review.”

The image winked out, leaving Kat in a conference room with Jaalin, Dorrik, Belle, Heather, and Whippoorwill.  She let out a long suffering sigh before shrugging.

“Do you think he’s being honest?”  She asked.  “I’m not an expert on mole people, but I can’t read him.  It’s like those beady little eyes of theirs are designed specifically for poker faces.”

“He was anxious,” Belle answered.  “Did you see the way that the fur around his eyes bristled right when he asked if the updated arrangements were acceptable?  The questions about Envoy Ahn were designed to throw you off you so you wouldn’t notice small details like that, but he seemed genuinely worried to me.”

“Of course,” she continued thoughtfully, “Dringbek might have analyzed terrestrial mammals and created an entirely false set of body language just to throw us off.  I know that’s what I would have done in his position.”

Jaalin fixed the human woman with a long stare, not looking away as she responded to Belle’s comments.

“Are you sure she’s on our side Kat?  I trust your judgment, but sometimes she starts talking and I start worrying.  A lot.”

“No need for that,” Belle said breezily.  “It doesn’t come naturally, but I am trying my hardest to open up to Sharehold- Kat.  I am trying to open up to Kat.  I cannot stop myself from worrying about betrayal and constantly putting together contingency plans, but I’ve come to realize that I’m being irrational.  If Kat wanted to harm me, she would’ve done so long ago.  For some reason she saw something in me worthy of trust, and even if I suspect that was an error in judgment on her part, I will do my best to create what was not already there.”

“That reminds me,” Kat replied.  “How are things going with Jasper?  The last time I checked in, things were a bit tense between the two of you.”

Belle winced.  Even that tiny flicker of human emotion would’ve been unimaginable just three months ago.

“Better,” she responded.  “He is still understandably upset but I think he’s come to terms with the fact that it was just business as well as that I have changed as a person.  Surprisingly, it was my personal changes that meant the most to him.  He seemed to empathize with me and asked if there was anything he could do to help me grow as a person.”

“I don’t think I was ready for that,” Belle amended thoughtfully.  “I was prepared for anger.  I was prepared for cold determination and resolve, not acceptance.  I think I would have preferred the anger actually.”

“Arguing with him is like kicking a puppy,” Kat replied.  “Iris can be a bit much at times, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jasper genuinely get out of line.  Honestly?  He’s one of the few executives that seems to genuinely care about his family and here he is more or less forgiving you.  Honestly?  He’s a much nicer person than I am.  I think I’d still be pretty angry at you.”

“I’d have killed you by now, alliances be damned,” Whippoorwill chimed in.  “Glad he didn’t though.  That would’ve made things really awkward.”

She cocked her head to the side, pink hair bobbing in time with the movements.

“Also it would be sad if you died.  I’m not going to say you’re my best friend or anything, but you’ve kinda grown in me in a terrifying sort of way.”

“Thank you Whippoorwill,” Belle replied.  “Your show of lukewarm emotional support means a lot to me.  If I were Jasper I would not have killed myself, but I would have taken advantage of the weakness created by my actions being revealed in order to leverage new concessions from me.  The fact that he hasn’t confuses and worries me.  At a minimum I expected the sort of off the cuff response you’ve brought up.  At least that would make sense in a flawed sort of way.”

“Wait,” Jaalin raised a hand interrupting the three of them before Kat could change the subject.  “I want to get this straight.  You killed your business partner’s father and he’s alright with this?  I’m presuming it’s some sort of accident where you had minimal involvement, but-”

“You would presume wrong,” Belle said smoothly.  “There was nothing accidental about that explosion.  I put a lot of time and effort into cracking his father’s security arrangements and ensuring that the resulting blast was fatal.  It might have been a poor decision given more recent events, but I put pride into my work Ms. Ahn.  I will not have days of setting up proxies and deniable assets reduced to something so crass and random as an ‘accident.”

Jaalin opened her mouth to say something before closing it once again.  She blinked.

“Not what I was expecting,” the lokkel said slowly.  “Honestly, I don’t know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn’t that.  A lot of cultural baggage to unpack there.  I certainly can see why your planet got embargoed, that’s for sure.”

“Because your massive bureaucracy refuses to take accountability and pride in its work?”  Belle asked, raising a single eyebrow.  “My planet has suffered from repeated extraterrestrial predation, something your Consensus assured us was impossible.  Then, once it was discovered, the bad actors have not actually been punished.  Instead you created a blue ribbon commission to study the severity of the harm caused by your inaction and to propose a punishment that has been stayed pending appeal.”

“For all of your grand gestures and words,” she continued, “the sum total of your accomplishments was a meeting where you discussed the outcome of another meeting.  Humans have suffered and died while the enlightened and civilized sneered at us and called us barbarians, all while refusing to actually clean up the mess that they created.”

Belle smiled, her expression as cold and barren as an arctic snowscape.

“For all of my faults, I know exactly who I am.  I am not any better than you Envoy Ahn.  My corporation is a predator that exploits people and their ideas, using their misery and their very bodies as lubricant to grease the wheels of profit.  It is an ugly thing, but it is the system that Earth has used since I was a little girl.  When I look at how the Galactic Consensus has treated our civilization, I feel like I am looking in a mirror.  The strong change the rules to suit them, robbing the weak in all but name while making lofty appeals to law and tradition to hide their naked avarice.”

“Call me a dreamer if you want,” Belle said with a sharp shape of her head, “but I have come to want something more.  Maybe not for the entire galaxy, that is far too big a problem for me to solve, but here on Earth we can make a difference.  Katherine has the potential to break apart the systems that are holding us back, but to do that she will need competent help.  That means someone like me, a woman who can make hard choices and look herself in the mirror afterward without blinking.  I have no objection to skulking in the shadows so that she can lead us into the light.  It is what I am good at, and I take pride in my work.”

Jaalin’s mouth curved into a toothy smile.

“I like this one Dorrik!” She called out happily.  “Kat, if you manage to take your planet over you need to promise to send Shareholder Donnst to the Galactic Consensus.  If we had fifty of her glaring at the empty suits and blowhards that have turned that place into a farce we could shape things up in a decade.”

“I suspect that Miss Belle would ‘shape things up’ by simply taking over,” Dorrik replied.  “I am not sure if that would be a positive or a negative outcome, but I doubt that even the stallesp would be able to handle her.  It would be like releasing an apex predator amidst a herd of domesticated game animals.”

“That’s quite sweet of you,” Belle replied.  “You propose to this one,” she continued, turning her attention back to Jaalin, “he’s a charmer.  Also his scales are fairly shiny and match yours well.  He’d look great on your arms at any party or soiree or whatever your exotic space alien equivalent is.”

Both Jaalin and Dorrik’s mouths slammed shut at the same time, their crests equally rigid with agitation.  Kat restrained herself from snickering at their sudden discomfort.  After a long moment of awkward silence, she took pity on the two of them and spoke up.

“I think we’ve managed to stray away from the main purpose of this meeting.  Now that Dringbek isn’t here, we should focus on Mr. Jackson.  It seems pretty clear to me that he’s marshalling his forces to make another attempt on us.  At a minimum we need to put together an action plan to keep ourselves safe from him. Beyond that-”

“A proactive defense plan that resolves his threat both on Earth and in the Tower of Somnus would be ideal,” Belle finished for her.  “We’ve identified a lot of Millennium activity in South America.  Specifically there have been a lot of purchases for construction equipment and living supplies in Manaus.  We think that they are building something in the rainforest but we don’t have a good idea as to what.  Right now our best estimates say that they’re constructing it to the south of the city but that’s not a terribly useful metric.  There’s a whole lot ‘to the south’ of Manaus.  We have our satellites trying to scour the area, but even if we find something there’s no way for us to trust digital images at the moment given the level of penetration Millennium’s hackers have in our systems.”

“What about the home front?” Kat asked.  “Heather has reported some local rumblings that have us a bit concerned.”

“Nin- I mean,” Whippoorwill began only to rapidly correct herself.  “That group of samurai that we’re working with has seen an uptick in well funded new gangs slipping into the area.  It’s ironic that a group bankrolled by us is complaining about outside credits pouring into the area, but from what I’ve heard there have been a lot of attempts to recruit neutral parties, especially groups that have control over train stations or truck depots.  There isn’t enough for us to confirm for sure, but it sounds like someone is trying to buy influence in the transportation and logistical framework of the greater Chiwaukee area.”

“I’d bet one credit against twenty that our mysterious interlopers are Millennium,” she finished, leaning back and crossing her arms.

“No one is taking that bet,” Kat replied, shaking her head slightly.  Before she could finish her thought, Belle jumped back into the conversation.

“That’s new information to me, and it is rare that someone in our circles hears something before I do.  Do you mind letting me know the source on that tip?  I would like to verify it if possible.”

Whip leaned forward, eyes glinting as she was ready to respond, the chance to share intelligence that had slipped through Belle’s fingers a rarity that she simply couldn’t pass up.  Before she could get started, Kat put a hand on her arm, smiling warmly at her before turning her attention back to Dorrik and Jaalin.

“The two of you still seem a bit frazzled from when Belle suggested that the two of you get engaged,” she said sweetly.  “Maybe you should step outside for a couple of minutes to sort your feelings out over all of that.  After all, we wouldn’t want you to overhear something that might reflect poorly upon us little Earthlings as we prepare for ascension.  What you don’t know can’t get you in trouble later.”

Dorrik opened his mouth to object only for Jaalin to shush him with a wave from one of her lower hands.

“That sounds like a good idea,” she said, her crest still standing uncomfortably straight on end.  “Dorrik and I could go for a little walk.  There are too many things that have gone unsaid over the last couple of months.  Maybe it is time that we come out and actually say them.”

That seemed to completely overload Dorrik.  The lokkel froze, forcing Jaalin to take hold of one his arms and gently lead him out of the conference room.  As soon as the two of them were out, Kat giggled.  Even Belle let a ghost of a smile flash across her face.

“Of all possibilities,” Kat said, still snickering, “I did not imagine that you would be the one to finally break through Dorrik and Jaalin’s carefully constructed facade of willful ignorance.  Congratulations Belle, you are now officially alien cupid.”

“But I couldn’t have done it without your assist, Katherine,” Belle replied.  “They seemed intent on ignoring the obvious once again until you forced them out of the room.”

“I’ll show both of you,” Whippoorwill cut in, shaking her fist in faux anger.  “All I need to do is find Kaleek a partner and I’ll be an alien cupid too.  The first step is finding someone he’s attracted to.  Preferably someone borderline unhinged with a penchant for senseless violence.  I have to make sure their personalities match after all.”

“Bad news,” Kat responded.  “He has repeatedly complained that humans are ‘pink, hairless, and disgusting.’  You’ll need to find someone that looks like a sasquatch before he’ll give them a second glance.”

“I’m sure I can find a samurai with a full body mod,” Whip said, undaunted.  “Just give me a couple months to track one down and make sure she can swim and romance will be in the air once again.”

“I know that we should move on to an actual discussion about the nature of our sources,” Kat replied, “but I’m honestly having a hard time moving past this.  Do you honestly think that you can find hairy human that will appeal to Kaleek?  I literally don’t even know if it would even be possible to find a human he’s attracted to, regardless of body mods.”

“I am a great communicator,” Whippoorwill said with a sniff.  “After all, I somehow managed to make it through the cobwebs and emotional density to convince you to like me.  I feel like I should be awarded some sort of medal for all that.”

“I never did hear the full story about all of that,” Belle said, her eyes glinting mischievously.  “Emma has hinted at times that she practically had to corner Katherine and yell at her until she realized that Miss Whippporwill was practically throwing herself at her.  A rather different approach to the one I take with my partners, namely approaching them at company functions and informing them that they are now dating me, but I would like to hear the entire tale.”

“I thought you would never ask,” Whip responded, her mouth curving into a wicked grin, Kat practically jumped up, her face burning red.

“Come on, Whip!  She’s literally a blackmailer!  That’s part of her job.  Why are you giving her secret information about me?”

“Because you’re cute when you get all worked up like this?” Whippoorwill replied, shooting Kat a wink.  “Maybe I wouldn’t have to blab about all of your embarrassing secrets if you stopped being so adorable when I tease you like this.”

“ANYWAY,” Kat said loudly, face still flushed beyond recognition.  “I think you were about to talk about Nina and the new gang she’s running.  I’m sure Belle is much more interested in our affiliated mercenary forces and all of the top secret new intel they’re bringing in.  After all, what need is there to talk about our personal life when there are juicy state secrets dangling out there for her to snap up?”

Belle just smiled and it took everything in Kat to stop her from shifting her weight back and forth or squirming.  It was like she was on a petri dish under a perfectly professional and manicured microscope.

“Oh, I don’t know,” the older woman said slowly, purposefully.  “I can learn the inner workings of your faction’s intelligence apparatus anytime, but what could be more important than the love life of two of my friends?  After all, there aren’t many people I am friendly with.  It seems prudent for me to learn as much as possible about them, from what their overarching goals are to the specific brand of breakfast cereal they ate the morning before.”

“You know,” Kat replied, a bit more nervously than she’d like, “sometimes I kinda preferred how you were before.  There’s something understandable about a corporate raider that’s only in it for herself.  Friendly Belle Donnst trying to ferret out all of my secrets so she can tease me about them later is somehow more terrifying.”

She shot a look at Whippoorwill and rolled her eyes.  “Even if she’s getting outside help from a source that has so grievously betrayed me.”

“Fine,” Whip said, slipping a melodic laugh into her response as she took pity on Kat.  “Returning to our main conversation, Kat and I have established a group of samurai in the area.  You may have recalled that some of the shipments of advanced equipment including some of the personal shields that we’ve been sending to you have been waylaid by ‘raiders?”

Whippoorwill paused for a moment, drawing a nod from Belle.

“Those raids have been Nina’s crew,” she continued.  “They’re keeping quiet, disguising themselves as an above average but not top tier samurai group, but at the moment most of them have top end chrome and mag guns.  They aren’t quite as well equipped as the 3445, but over half of them are players.  I don’t think we can funnel much more to them without being obvious about what’s going on.”

Belle nodded for a second before stopping with a frown.

“That’s a good idea,” she said slowly, “but given Millennium’s unfair hacking advantage, some forms of subterfuge seem to have diminishing returns.  If they do not know to search for this mercenary group, it might stay hidden for some time, but the minute a single expenditure related to it appears on a ledger-”

“Don’t worry,” Whippoorwill replied excitedly, “that’s why Emma isn’t here.  All communication with Nina is done either in theTower or via handwritten notes and reported face to face.  None of their budget is on the books.  Every credit we’re routing into paying for their training and equipment is technically in the budget for developing the APEX Mark 2 battle suit.  Everyone already expects cost overruns, especially because we’re trying to integrate the new shields, so there’s no reason to look too much into it, and even if they did Emma and Heather have made sure there’s a full receipt trail for the phantom purchases.  Even among Nina’s crew, most of them don’t know exactly who they’re working for, just that it’s someone powerful who was able to kit them out in top end gear.  They’re loyal to Nina and that’s good enough for us.  It’s all very cloak and dagger, like we’re in a spy vid or something.”

Belle laughed, shaking her head as she leaned back in her chair.

“Whippoorwill, I regret to inform you.  We are the people they make those movies about.  Our lives are more or less a spy vid.”

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