Luckily Mor Isils office was on the way to the launch bay. Otherwise he would have forgotten to run by, and Hortan had to get permissions from the councillor for Mining operations prior to launching. That way the roids were harvested most efficiently, and all the roids were sure to be utilised. The pretty young girl sitting outside beamed a smile at Hortan that made him blush slightly. Sensing his unease, she quickly picked up a file and shoved it at him. The slight smell of Eo roses accompanying her hand sure didn't ease his discomfort, but he took the papers nonetheless.
"Could you take this in to the Councilman on your way in please? He is waiting for you"
Hortan took the papers ever willing to help, and forgot his unease. Focus now, he was going mining! The office that Mor Isil inhabited was fairly large, with some of the most beautiful pictures in known space. Hortan thought so at least. All registered Heliocene roids were displayed in 3d on the walls, including Hortans favourite roid. He remembered the first time he mined it, with Latin Queen Isabella...
"Yes?" Mor asked after he had observed Hortan enter the room, stop in the doorway, papers in hand and stare at the same picture for about two minutes.
"Oh, sorry, memories," Hortan snapped out of it and smiled to Mor. "I have these papers for you." He handed them over to a slightly puzzled Mor Isis. "From your secretary, she said you needed them. You have a list of roids for me councillor?"
Mor looked at the file, and put it in the out box where his secretary had taken it some minutes ago, and took the special file he had created for this occasion. "Sure have, it's just a small list to start with, but I expect the usual quality." Mor had been briefed by Surbius on Hortans state of mind, and so had given him two station locations. Both Heliocene off course, but very far away from the usual hive activity.
Hortan took the file, looked the two pages through, and said with a bit of disappointment, "Is that all? I had hoped for a longer trip, maybe one or two of the lesser roid fields now I have John with me."
"Sorry Hort, best I can do on such short notice. Don't want you to miss the party tonight either, right? You are welcome if you feel like it, I think it will be great fun."
"Yeah, well, I'll see if I get the ore in on time for it," Hortan replied, even as he knew he would be finished at least four hours before the party would start. As soon as he had said it, he regretted. "Sorry, it's just, I wanted so bad to do a long time mining marathon, and this is, this is..."
"A start Hortan, it is a start," Mor Isil interrupted. "You deliver the quality I am used to, and we'll find some long term mining mission. That's a promise, you hear?"
Hortan stood straighter. "Aye aye councilman Isil. And I shall attempt to be in time for the party." Hortan turned around and hurried out of the door down the corridor towards the launch bay area.
Hortan found John in bay seven. He was going through the checklist for his Centaur Mk III, moving with infinite care and deep concentration as he made sure the combat modifications to the trade ship were up to specifications. Satisfied, he signed the pre-flight check board and handed it to the anxious flight technician.
"Hortan," he turned and smiled, "are you ready for some mining? I have received the locations from Mor, and have programmed the navcomps on both ships. Ready when you are."
Hortan ran to his own Ole Sloth Moth, and engaged the autolaunch sequence, the great bulk of the Behemoth clearing the launch bays with centimetres to spare on either side. The green bulk of John's ship was off to the right, and with the usual 160 m/s, they accelerated out towards the jump point. Only a short jump, and they were in the Heliocene roid fields. Hortan engaged the High Density mining beams, and turned to activate the zero-G still. Soon, the only sounds were the droning from the capacitors on the mining beams and the drips from the still. Not even the SSCU was active.
Too soon he had filled his quota, and he jumped back to Dau K-10 with John.
"Station Traffic Control, this is pilots Eldritch and Hortan on course for docking. Requesting one offloading and one combat craft maintenance bay" Johns voice was clear across the SSCU. "Checking credentials. Ok, you are cleared inbound for bays seven and 18 respectively, approach paths to be downloaded immediately," the STC came back.
After docking, Hortan got out and waved byes to John, who was still inside the Centaur. It had been a great day. Now he only had two problems, how to convince the guild that he was ready to go out on his own, and what to wear for the party...
Seven figures sitting in high-backed chairs placed in a halfcircle. All dressed in black robes, veiled faces, gloves, and all backlit. The single slab of highly polished obsidian that served as a common table, had seven embedded computer screens hidden from view. Only one large spotlight was turned on, and it was pointed directly at Ardan's face. He had been sitting in the uncomfortable three legged metal stool for around twenty minutes now, and not a single sound had been uttered. The only action that had portrayed the seven figures as alive was the single finger that pointed for him to sit when he entered.
"Hmm, so it seems to be running along nicely," one of the robed figures said.
"We have to be absolutely certain we take prime alfa out with the first blow," another voice said. "Otherwise I am not sure we can contain the situation."
Ardan looked in the direction of what he thought was the source of the voice. "I have a specially trained EVA team that is tasked with making sure that the APRS will not activate, and that it will look like malfunction. I have...."
"You have the right to shut up," the voice said. "I am sure you have planned well. It looks feasible, but someone has to figure out what we do if, or rather when, things go FUBAR. Now, plan agreed, you have two days from now to initiate. We will be informed as of the timing of attack. Leave us now."
Ardan kept his face neutral, and his body causal even as he was trembling inside with excitement. They accepted, THEY ACCEPTED! He nodded his head to the council and walked into the anteroom on shaky legs, that were only partly caused by the lack of blood to the legs due to the uncomfortable stool.
The hooded figure in the centre raised his voice. "Great dangers involved, but also great opportunities. I need an unanimous council on this one. I need it now, or Ardan will be terminated."
On his screen was the small chamber that held Ardan while he was waiting to be released to the station proper, as seen through the thermic targeting of the large calibre machinegun installed in the ceiling. With one touch of his hand, hundreds of bullets would shatter the frail body to a pulp.
"Vote now."
Six votes for aye, his own vote remaining. He slammed down his hand on the screen.
"The council has voted. We proceed. Adjourned"
On the screen, he could see Ardan move out of the room, oblivious to how close he had been to non existence.
