16. Favours
Riddik was slowly turning the situation over inside his head and came up with a blank every time. He did not see how he could ever come back to SCAR, and he couldn't see how Keria could either. How he was supposed to keep them both happy in grey he had no clue, but he was willing to do whatever it took. He just hoped that Keria would accept not being a part of the Serco people anymore but he knew that it would be a hard one to swallow for his wife. She had always been the patriotic of the couple, the one that was willing to defend the honours of Lady Serco against any and all injustices. He would put money on her surrendering to GESTEBO the second she awoke actually, and he would do just about anything to avoid that. His personal brainpal received a message from an unknown source. He received it in his auxiliary memory.
"Serco, we know you are hiding. Why does not matter right now, we need your help badly."
Riddik considered ignoring it for a second before realising that whomever called him had the resources to find out where he was.
"Who are you and what do you need?"
"I am working for the Serco Diplomatic Corps and I need you to help one of my agents."
"Why would I help you?"
"Because I can help you and your wife. Please Riddik, the clock is ticking."
Riddik didn't consider the implications too much. He had heard about the Diplomatic Corps before, and the fact that they knew that he was here with Keria and hadn't done anything about it made him listen at least.
"I am kinda stuck here, but tell me what it is."
"On the level below yours, 66a, two GESTEBO agents have taken one of our agents prisoner against our will. I am sending you the posit date now. We need you to take them out and set her free. She goes by the name of Catherine or Cat. Please hurry."
Riddik received the position, closed the link and hefted his guns; maybe help was coming form an unlikely source after all. He closed his outside connections to his brainpal and exited the coffin motel ready and alert. This was going to deepen the hole he had dug for himself but hopefully he could still reach up and lift Keria out of it.
###
Brix was shaking, from fear, from cold and from the shocks he had be subjected to since he ran into the Serco. This tribunal that was facing him didn't put him the least at ease either; the three persons in uniforms with no rank markers had grilled him as he kept repeating his story again and again. The middle man turned to his fellows.
"I don't think we can get more out of this human offal. Citizen Brix Servan, this tribunal has found you guilty in malicious interference with state business, disregarding safety regulations, obstruction of police business and smuggling. Any of which are very serious crimes. We have however found you innocent of aiding a known terrorist, the murder of police constable Roin Bleave and the attempted bribery of said constable. This tribunal does not believe that you acted like you did out of desire to harm either the UIT or any specific persons in UIT. This precludes the death sentence for you but this tribunal does not believe that it has to be lenient in the punishment regardless. Citizen Brix Servan, you are hereby sentenced to permanent exile from UIT space. Furthermore you will be sold to a lifetime of hard labour with the Xang Xi penal station in Sedina where you will work the Xithricite mines for the rest of your wretched life. Officers, take him away."
Brix swallowed hard but only heard "no death" and 'take him away". He let the two giant military policemen drag him out of the room and over to the Xang Xi guards. Only then did he realise that he was about to be joining a pitiable group of lowlifes in one of the most unforgiving prisons in space. He started mumbling his innocence, that he had not done anything bad, that he could pay for it, that he had connections. In the end they just gagged him for some silence on the long flight.
###
"Uncle Kassad, so nice to see you after such a long time."
Yarina bowed deep to show her respect for the black haired gaunt man with the prominent beaked nose that sat in a privacy booth inside "Clogging of the Arteries", the famous Verasi specialty restaurant on Tellus station. He half raised and showed her where to sit with a sweep of his arm before seating himself again. He leaned back and allowed the waitress to take Yarina's order, looking slightly bored with half closed eyes that nonetheless seemed to look in all directions at once. As soon as the waitress had left he pulled a small holodisc player out of his pocket and placed it on the table. He activated it and a rose showed above the device, spinning slowly while being sprinkled with droplets that were bathed in golden yellow light.
"Yarina, we are clear. You have a problem?"
"Thank you for arriving so swiftly uncle."
He waved his hand and shook his head in denial.
"No, you needed me and so I naturally came as fast as I could. We care a lot for you. After all, you are one of our most reliable assets."
She waited for some seconds before answering. She knew that she was an asset, she had even agreed to it but she didn't like him reducing her to a thing like that. It was probably his way of distancing himself from becoming too personal with his "assets" even though it hurt a bit.
"Yes uncle. I want to either be taken off the current case or have some slightly changed rules of observation."
"What happened my dear?"
"I have found myself becoming emotionally involved with a part taker in the test set-up. I cannot distance myself from said person anymore and either need to be allowed to continue with the slightly changed rules of observation that I am allowed to care for the test subject or be taken off the case."
"Care, that is a large word. Are you in love with this person?"
"No uncle, I do not love him. However I no longer feel that I can be completely ignorant to the damages he is causing himself to continue the experiment even though it is of vital importance to the people."
"I am assuming that we are talking about the test pilot here. Will you be able to liquidate him if need be? That is basically all I need to be certain of."
"Uncle, I am fully able to liquidate him if absolutely needed. I am not sure that I can safely distinguish when that time has arrived."
Kassad leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands, his elbows on the table. He smiled a predatory smile that never quite reached his eyes.
"I think that we can continue with the slightly changed rules. The mere fact that you ask for guidance in this matter shows that you have been taught well and that your judgement is still fully intact. Personally I think that you can get more information out of the project by being closer. Remember the old proverb; keep your friends close and your enemies closer. You can use that here as long as you do not become too involved with him. Make him love you, be careful that you keep your feelings to your self. Do we have an agreement sister?"
"Yes uncle, I shall continue to serve as I have so far."
"Very well, I trust you then. I assume that you want to run along now instead of having a boring meal with me. You are dismissed Yarina. Service to the state."
"Glory to the race Uncle. Akan guide us."
Yarina got up and left for the station main deck. She felt horrible, she had actually thought she would be pulled from the case but he could see why she hadn't been. This did not make her tasks any easier but she had always known that protecting the Itani people against the will of themselves would be harder than anything she had ever thought off.
###
Fletholm nodded to the twin security guards inside the room and sent them outside. He looked with no little fear at the heavily battle damaged Serco that was locked in place with several neural restraining devices. The almost feral viciousness was painted as a primitive snarl that showed that the Serco would and could still kill you in this state. Fletholm shook his head in awe and wonder, awe that it had taken them three full squads to get this one Serco soldier into custody, wonder that it had only taken three squads.
"Vaso Nulfheim, you have perpetrated several crimes that each are serious enough to destroy your current form and banish you from UIT space forever. That goes for your buddy as well although we can only destroy his brainplant with the recent memories; we can certainly ban him forever. I recognise that you have been working for the Serco Diplomatic Corps but so far we have received no extradition requests even though we have informed the Serco state that we have you boys in our custody. As a matter of fact they say you do not exist as citizens."
Vaso grinned fiercely at the slightly corpulent UIT officer before spitting on the floor in front of him.
"If you have come to gloat you have come to the wrong place norm. I told the interrogators and I tell you the same. Let me go and I will spare your life. If you do not I will be back and kill you and your family all the way to third cousin."
Fletholm didn't even flinch. Instead he grabbed a chair and seated himself with the back in front of him.
"Listen oversized toaster, you do not scare me the least. So cut the crap and let us talk about how you can help me helping you. Capiche? Or did they remove your intelligence when they punched extra muscles into that dumb head of yours?"
Vaso looked at the man and considered.
"Speak your business norm."
Fletholm steeled himself mentally; this was going to be tricky to say the least.
