The Zia'n Legacy

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The G-lift released into freefall, heavy clasps retracting into the sides of the mechanism with a clunk. A hurried invention of Rayth’s science team, the G-lift was one of a kind. The half-mile cord composed of woven nano-fibres that the G-lift rode anchored itself to the underside of the colossal structure that was Seventh City. The huge hole near the anchor point gaped wide, a small team of operators and mechanics on standby, monitoring the progress and status of the elevator avidly. The cylindrical capsule of the lift used gravity’s force to accelerate downwards, hurtling towards the surface of the planet. There were several small dynamos in the capsule, which used its travel down the cord to pulse power back up the cable to store in a capacitor.

         ”Are all systems at correct levels?”

         ”Yes Rayth. Accelerating at standard gravitational values, we should reach the surface in approximately one minute. The capacitors are building their charge at the standard rate; we will buffer easily enough power to lift us to the city on the return trip. Don’t worry, we’re quite safe.”

Rayth narrowed his eyes, glaring across at the operator.

         ”You should hope so. Concentrate on the capsule, I want a slightly smoother docking than last time.”

Rayth sat back in his chair, leaning his head against the rest. A cough came from his right and he looked across to see Fadon raise his head from the schematic he had been studying.

         “You have something to say?”

Clearing his throat once again, Fadon shifted in his seat, hands clenching against the armrests and feet shuffling on the floor.

         “Sir, I was just wondering... Back at that house, why did you spare those two men?”

         “Consider the information; you will answer your own question. What did you very first tell me about the men in question?”

         “That they lived together at that address, and that they were mercenaries,” Fadon tailed off, glancing down at an info-pad on his lap before retorting with a knowing smile creeping across his lips “and that they were granted a certain leniency by the Coalition, Sir.”

Rayth stayed silent, his eyes locked onto the man across from him, face set straight. Flinching under the unwavering stare, Fadon stuttered into speech once more.
         “So if the TCC have a... special arrangement, shall we say, with these men, then they are more likely to notice if they were to suddenly disappear, Sir,” he said, exhaling deeply as he finished.

         “Correct. One dead is cause for attention, but all three is cause for investigation. I have neither the time nor the patience for that at this stage in the proceedings. As it is they have no idea who we are, or where. Their death’s would have served no purpose.”

Leaning forward on his knees, Rayth tapped the operator on the shoulder.

         “If I so much as spill my drink, you will be making the return journey on the outside.”

He smiled as the technician’s face dropped, the sudden fear obvious. Hopefully that would be enough incentive to have the man take more care with the imminent docking of the lift with the base station on the planet surface.

A shrill beeping sounded from the ceiling of the vessel, indicating the end of free fall and start of the heavy deceleration phase. Bracing himself back against his seat, Rayth secured the restraints across his chest. A deep and violent reverberation started to shake the capsule, building to a crescendo of metallic grinding not so much heard, but felt. He fought to keep his jaw from slamming shut on his tongue, jamming his arms against the viciously shuddering framework of the seat.

The technician fought with the controls of the G-lift, button press after button press tightening the brakes around the nano-fibre cord. Rayth caught sight of him hurriedly strapping himself to the wall next to the piloting controls.

         “Prepare for the last burst!” the operator shouted, Rayth struggling to hear him above the overwhelming noise and vibration.

Rayth clamped his eyes shut, locking both feet in their grips on the floor; his hands grasped the bars of the protective cage around him hard enough to cause his knuckles to whiten. He opened his mouth and sucked in a lungful of air, growling a guttural blasphemy at the top of his voice as the final engine flared at the base of the capsule.

The blast of pure nitrous oxide ignited, and combined with the auxiliary breaks applying, the G-lift jolted massively as if impacting solid rock itself. The inside plunged into a flickering darkness, the power shorting out. Rayth was slammed downward against the metal cage with both hips driving into the unforgiving structure as his bodyweight skyrocketed. As his head was thrown back to smack against the cushioned rest, he glimpsed the info-pad Fadon was using fly upward and catch the man a violent blow across the nose before it spiralled away into the cabin.

Just as suddenly as the blast had come, the lift was still, all vibration and noise gone completely. The silence was eerie, especially accompanied by the sparking of the electrics as they struggled to recover from the huge power drain. All muscles going limp, Rayth’s head lolled forward, chest heaving as he strained his lungs fighting for breath. He looked across at Fadon to see the man cradling his face in his hands with a trickle of blood pouring from his fingers. Turning his head to check the other side of the cabin he saw the technician’s body hanging limp from his harness against the wall. His neck most definitely had not bent at that angle before the landing.

         “Well... that was a stunning success.”

* * * * *

Elik span round in his chair and sprang to his feet.

         “Sir! I was told there was an accident with the G-lift, is everything all right?”

Rayth let his eyes fall downward over his crumpled and charred clothing before looking across at Fadon’s bloodstained face. When he looked back at Elik his face was perfectly straight.

         “The journey was absolutely peachy thank you Elik.”

His eyes narrowed a little while Fadon coughed a chuckle behind him.

         “The technician made a rather fatal mistake, which was thankfully his last,” Rayth said, smoothing his suit jacket down over his chest.

Walking in and past Rayth, Fadon took a seat at the desk Elik had been working at. With a weary sigh he started fingering the controls, sending status sheet after status sheet across the screen in front of him. Elik looked slightly put out before returning his attention to Rayth once again.

         “The tech didn’t start the breaking program soon enough. We hit the dock at far too high a speed. There was a small fire in the lift, and I had to drag Fadon out myself. Oh, and that reminds me, you will need to remove the body from the cabin, preferably before it gets over-cooked, and find a new pilot for the G-lift.”

A flicker of panic crossed Elik’s face, causing Rayth to curl his lips up into a subtle grin.

         “Don’t worry Elik, it wasn’t your fault. But the next man who controls that thing... Make sure he is aware of what happens if he is unable.”

         “Yessir. Would you like a drink before I apprise you of the situation here?” asked Elik, motioning towards a small refrigeration unit humming next to the desk.

         “No, thank you. However, do tell me where I might remedy my ill appearance.”

* * * * *

Plunging his hands into the freezing water of the sink, Rayth looked up into the mirror. A deep stare looked back at him from behind a pair of angular, thin-framed glasses; eyes as black as starless space scanning the face in front of him. He ran a hand through his neck-length pure white hair, shaking his head to clear his mind. Splashing water on his face, Rayth scratched his chin through the short black goatee he wore. He sighed, drawing himself up to his full six feet of broad-shouldered glory, regarding himself in the mirror. His white silk suit jacket had smoke patches covering the chest, and drips of blood from carrying Fadon out of the G-lift. His slender, perfectly kept fingers worked the knot of his tie back into place before he shrugged the jacket from his shoulders.

Why is it you can never hire good staff these days? Turns out, you pay over the odds, you still get monkeys...

Rayth thumbed the small communicator on his wrist, running his fingers through his hair again as he spoke into it.

         “Fadon, progress?”

         “Final status report generating now Sir.”

         “Noted. You are aware of the... situation. I shall expect a full analysis of our chance of success presently.”

His light steps made no noise as he strode across the floor. He took a hangar from the bar that held the overalls the workers wore and hung up his suit jacket. It was stained and creased already, no sense in making it worse by casually discarding it. The enveloping comfort of the couch was a wonderful improvement over the metal stools in the G-lift. Rayth let himself sink into the deep cushions with a smile, closing his eyes as he lay back. He signalled Elik through his communicator.

         “Elik, do we know who the pilot for the G-lift was?”

         “Not as yet. The body is in holding, awaiting removal. I can have an ID check done.”

         “Find out who he was. Have a year’s worth of wages forwarded to his family, if any, along with the standard severance pay. Their loss will be distressing enough, without having to bear the financial fallout also.”

         “Sir,” Elik’s voice came over the comm unit, and then a crackle of static followed by silence.

Rayth was nothing if not a fair man. He had been head of the business for eleven years now, since his twentieth birthday. The revenue the business brought in had increased exponentially over the years, due entirely to his unwavering control and dedication. By treating every one of his thousands of employees equally, and by making sure he was paying more than any other company could possibly afford, he had gained the monopoly in this particularly specialised area of commerce. Though the main headquarters were based in Seventh City, he had smaller operations in all the other hubs bar Prime City. The TCC had too tight a control over everything that went on in their home city, and as hard as he’d tried, no one in the council was open to a bribe to gain him any kind of lucrative access.

This transaction is going to net us billions! If it comes off without a hitch the funding to finish the off-world installation will finally be raised. It’ll do me good to get out of this destitute slum of a city. And to find somewhere without this constant riling downpour... now that would truly be a miracle...

The comm unit he wore chimed, causing him to rouse from the deep thoughts that swam through his mind. A grunt escaped his lips as he pushed his fingers into his eyes, massaging the sockets.

         “Yes?”

         “Report’s ready Sir. I have analysed as much as available data will allow. Ready for your input,” replied the comm unit, doing a wonderful impression of Fadon.

Rayth eased himself from the couch, cricking his neck, straightening his tie once again. Respect was everything, and no one respected a scruffy leader.

Right, bring on the bad news...

* * * * *

         “So you’re telling me,” Rayth steepled his fingers in front of his face, elbows resting on the table, “that we have two full ships, each containing roughly three and a half billion credits worth of cargo, and we can’t get them off the planet?”

The atmosphere in the room could only be measured in degrees, and right now, even a small star would have frozen. The conversation had not gone well. Any hopes of a hitch-less transport had been dashed within moments, leaving only to gauge exactly how difficult it was going to be. Fadon had appeared calm when Rayth re-entered an hour previously, but as the facts had been revealed and circumstance explained, his composure had found itself in hasty retreat. Right now he looked about ready to hang himself.

         “That would be about the size of it, yes Sir,” said Fadon, wringing his fingers together on the desk.

Rayth placed his hands calmly on the table, pushing himself to his feet.

         “In here, was it, that you said there was something to drink, Elik?”

Rayth saw Elik nod in silence as he indicated the refrigeration unit, the man’s eyes low, eagerly attempting to bore a hole in the desk. He walked over and removed a bottle from the icy interior of the makeshift drinks cooler. Looking around for glasses, Rayth placed the bottle in front of Fadon.

         “Drink, now. You’re not at fault here Fadon, so do try and be a little less concerned. We have had the odd set back before, correct?”

         “Well... Yes Sir.”

         “And we have not only succeeded, but excelled in the past, correct?”

         “Also a yes, Sir.”

         “Then curb your worries; they’re no help when I need my best men with their nerves in check.”

Rayth finally uncovered several glasses and slid them across the table to Fadon and Elik. His second and third in command had provided him with years of loyal service, and he regarded them with the utmost respect and trust. Still, it was good to know they got a little nervous when things were not going quite as Rayth wanted, even after all this time. He walked around the table and poured both men a full measure of the synthesised vodka, the bitter smell of the liquid invading his senses as it sloshed into the glasses. Rayth filled his own glass and put the bottle on the table. The first sip burnt a trail down his throat, leaving his mouth parched and stinging. He shook his head, smacking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

         “Lets move on, shall we?”

Rayth smiled, taking another, bigger sip of the drink as he took a seat between Fadon and Elik. He looked from one man’s face to the other before addressing them both.

         “Gentlemen. We have two thousand tonnes of cargo that is worth seven billion credits if we can get it past the Coalition’s planetary shield, and worth exactly nothing, if we can’t. As you are no doubt aware, our best-laid plans have gone slightly awry. Previous to recent happenings we planned on both Ark I and Ark II being fully equipped with the weaponry to disrupt the shield long enough to pass through if it necessary. As things stand now, only Ark I has that luxury since Ark II’s shield disruptors were so helpfully destroyed. At least we have acquired the pass codes to have the shield dropped, so no weapons should be needed at all.”

Fadon and Elik both said absolutely nothing, loudly. The small star shattered, along with the calm atmosphere. Rayth deliberately placed his glass on the table and again looked from face to face.

         “We have not acquired the codes to allow us passage past the Coalition’s planetary shield?”

Fadon coughed, opening his hands on the table.

         “We acquired the codes, Sir...” he said, voice wavering, his eyes flitting from staring through the table to Rayth’s blank expression, and back.

         “And the news you’re about to break to me is going to ruin the entire operation, correct?”

         “I received confirmation that the codes were collected from our contact at the TCC, however, the codes were collected by Jimmy and Blake – the two men you saw incinerated in that car along with the weapons for Ark II...” Fadon tailed off, clenching his hands together.

Rayth pushed his chair away from the table and stood up straight, slipping his hands into his pockets.

         “I have seven billion credits of cargo loaded into two ships. I have to fly those ships from this planet to the Coalition’s boundary. Once at the boundary, not only do I have to contend with a planet-wide chain of security space stations and possible fighter squadrons from each, but I must also blast a section of the shield away with half the supposed weaponry because we have no codes to have it lowered. Then once we’ve flown through the hole in the shield, we have to dock with the carrier and escape. Am I correct?”

         “Sir,” replied Fadon and Elik in unified agreement.

Rayth turned and left the room cold enough to freeze mercury.