Episode 60

Sending a Message

August Karsh turned back to Clender.

“We may have beaten him, but I still can't fathom his plan,” he admitted. “I really can't.”

“Dr. G'?”

“Exactly. To lead us on an interplanetary hunt that ends in a strip club for farm workers? It's a farce!”

“It could have easily ended in tragedy.”

“It still might.” He frowned. “We don't know if Daniela has been able to neutralize Li-Hu's men or not.”

“She will. House Dai Zhan has no one capable of matching wits with her.”

“Anyone can get lucky, Clender. We did, after all. But this certainly takes an amount of pressure off Daniela. Once she knows we've taken Flare out of the game, she can concentrate on cleaning up the Dai Zhani half of the equation.”

“I wonder what Li-Hu will do when he finds out we've taken Flare?”

Karsh smiled. “I can't imagine he'll be happy. He's stranded. But we shouldn't underrate him. He managed to steal a Navy cruiser, and that's quite a feat, Clender. And along with it, he managed to steal our best-kept secret. But he has no way of getting his hands on it. I imagine he finds it all tremendously frustrating.”

“Dr. G, too. I wish we could see his reaction when he hears about Flare.”

“It would be interesting,” Karsh agreed. “But do you see what this means? It gives us new hope. Man may be on the decline, but he isn't finished yet! I suppose I'm getting too old for this game. In my darker moments, I permitted myself to get into a state of mind where I was beginning to believe that the cyborg vision was all but inevitable.”

“I never believed it was,” declared Clender. “I don't believe it now.”

“We can't underestimate them, though.” Karsh warned. “Not now, and not in the future. I won't rest until we have every operative involved in our hands, here on Terra. And then, we'll finally learn the whole story. We'll dissect Flare's mind atom by atom, learn what Golem Gregor and the machine intelligences have brewing under that violet sun, Clender. If only we could get our hands on Gregor too!”

“Will you have the Dai Zhani brought back on the Draco?

Karsh shook his head. “I'll leave that to Daniela's discretion. The admiral has dispatched orders to that effect.”

“It will be good to see her again.”

“It certainly will. I imagine the details will prove fascinating. Now go, set up the call to the Admiralty. It's time to tell them the good news.”

“Right away, Director!”

“One moment.” Karsh leaned back and closed his eyes, deep in thought. Then he smiled. “Let's tell Mr. Gregor ourselves.”

“About Myranda Flare?”

“Exactly. Perhaps he'll think twice, next time, before joining Li-Hu in an act of war against the Ascendancy.”

“How shall I send it? Through diplomatic channels?”

Karsh shook his head. “No, I want this for his eyes only.”

“How do you propose to do that?” Clender asked perplexedly.

“There is a computer on the thirty-fifth floor.” He opened his desk and consulted a piece of paper marked in his own handwriting. “ISO tag EN-15745-322-B. Speak directly into the screen and tell it this: “We have Flare. It's over. Regards. Karsh.”

“The machine is a conduit?”

“The machine is sentient. It's one of Dr. G's agents, Clender.”

“By the stars of Eridani, August, when did you learn that?”

“Six years ago.”

“Six years! When I think of all the classified information–”

“It's always useful to be able to offer the occasional misdirection when needed, Clender.”

“But, August–”

“It has served a purpose, Clender. It has given me a direct pipeline to Golem Gregor that I otherwise might not have had.”

“With all our secrets?” Clender asked bitterly.

“Not all of them. We've been very careful of that,” Karsh reassured him.

“If I give it the message, it will know.”

“Yes, of course. But it must have been expecting this for years, Clender. We'll have to scan our entire network for copies. Once one machine intelligence invades, a thousand can follow.”

“It won't have a chance. Now that we know, we'll hunt them down and root them out!”

Karsh smiled. “No, it won't have a chance.”

After Clender departed to set up the call with the Admiralty, Karsh sat for a long while, staring out at the golden rays of Sol spilling over the gleaming buildings and parapets of Bush Towers, the massive complex for the intelligence agency that defended Terra and her empire. The view soothed him, especially the fat white clouds floating across the clear blue sky.

So, it seemed the story was nearly at an end. For a while the secret of the sunbuster had lain unmasked, in dire peril of being discovered by either House Dai Zhan or the cyborgs. But the danger was very nearly past. The saboteurs would be identified and neutralized by Daniela York, and Man's reign would proceed as it had for so many centuries before. There was still one minor matter that demanded his attention, though. The Draco's captain. Corden Hull. The Achernarni knew the secret now and he was an outsider. A man from the spinward sectors.

Should he be neutralized? York could do it. Or the man could be easily disposed of upon his return to Terra. But the naval captain had shown himself trustworthy and his service record was excellent. It seemed a shame to rid the Navy of such a useful officer. Well, there were other ways to ensure a man's silence. He'd pass the word that a promotion was due to the High Admiral during their upcoming conference. He turned back from the window, thinking that he had only one regret.

He really wished he could see Golem Gregor's face when the cyborg's shadowmaster received his message.

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