Death to the Imperium (Imperium Cicernus) (14 page)

The
crate was surprisingly light, despite the large size. Glitz guessed that it was
fitted with a weight-reduction system, making it easy to carry despite the
mass.

“Hey!
Put down that crate!”

Glitz
tensed. Three men had entered the carriage. They were dressed in odd black
uniforms, which did not bear any official insignia.

“I
said put it down!”

“Fine.”
Glitz made a movement as if to put down the crate. Then he shouted, “Doland,
grab hold!”

Glitz
took hold of the atom clamp wire, and Doland did the same—they managed to take
hold of it without letting go of the box, because it was so lightweight. Glitz kicked
out his foot suddenly, activating the atom clamp. The bottom fixture came
loose, and the wire dragged the two men up out of the train carriage and back
into the
Wreck
. Glitz slammed the hatch.

There
was the sound of a laser shot, and the ship shuddered.

“They’re
firing at us!” Doland said.

Glitz
leapt over to the controls and began to steer the ship away from the train. The
three men in black uniforms fired at the ship a few more times, but within a
few seconds they were out of range.

“Space,
that was close!” Glitz said. “But one million credits!”

Doland
grinned. “Let’s make sure we’ve got the right box first.”

The
two men stepped over to the crate to look inside. There were about a hundred white
items, which looked more like code scanners than lasers. Glitz took one of the
lasers out, and turned it over in his hands. The operation seemed fairly
straightforward. They were powered by a small solar grid, and there were only
three controls: one to remove the safety, one for the setting, and one to
activate. Flicking through the operation manual, Glitz read that the Cellzers
could be used to cut and repair many different things, including skin, bandages
and stitches, and even materials such as metal. Glitz turned off the safety and
held the Cellzer at arm’s length.

“Careful
with that!”

Glitz
ignored him, and pointed the device towards a piece of bent metal that was beginning
to come loose from the side of the ship. The Cellzer, which was set to -5,
emitted a glow, and within seconds the metal had become re-joined. Glitz pulled
it firmly, and it wouldn’t budge. The two men stared, impressed.

“Seems
to be in full working order,” Glitz muttered. “So why were they due to be
recalled? Anyway, I suppose it doesn’t matter. We’ll make a good profit for
these on Silicon Valley. Come on!”

Glitz
set a course for the planet in question, which was unaccountably named Silicon
Valley. No one really knew where the name came from; obviously it had something
to do with the material used in many computer components. But the “Valley” part
of the name was strange. The planet was infamous as a centre of cybercrime. All
of the most notorious hackers, crackers, blackmailers and alien porn-dealers
made their home there. Glitz tended to avoid the place, mostly because he was
always worried that someone would be able to access his credit account remotely
and steal all of his money. But he knew a man on Silicon Valley that would be
very interested in the Cellzers, and not only because they contained valuable
Zirgotic crystals.

The
two men landed on the planet in one of the public hangars. The fee was quite
expensive, but it was one of the few places on the planet where it would be
even remotely safe to park a spacecraft—even one as useless as the
Wreck
.
The world had only small pockets of green land in the more wealthy areas; aside
from that, it was covered pole to pole in one sprawling city. Whole families of
hackers were born and died on the same world. Parents would bring their
children up in the art of computer fraud, and many of the biggest crime
organisations on the planet were family-owned. The only group resembling a
police force on Silicon Valley were the Bouncers, who mainly spent their time
flying around and intimidating people. The Bouncers more often than not had
heavy links with the big crime syndicates, and you could avoid punishment for
virtually anything if you could come up with the right price.

“I
don’t like the look of this place,” Doland said, as they strolled through a
street. The air was heady with the scent of fried street food, and the road was
strewn with litter.

“Just
keep your head down and you’ll be fine.”

The
two men passed through the rougher suburbs of the city and got on a grav-train.
They watched the city speed past. Eventually the houses began to look a little
less rundown. They were entering the wealthy exurbia. The inhabitants of the
area were still criminals, of course. No one but a criminal would live on a
world like Silicon Valley. But these were the homes of the truly successful
criminals, those who had hacked their way to riches. Nearly every city on
Silicon Valley had such areas, which were generally known as Havens. The
creator of Benediction, a virus that had stolen credits from billions of
accounts across the Imperium, lived in one of the Havens. If he left the
planet, he would be quickly arrested, so for him it was a haven in the literal
sense of the world. Many citizens of the Imperium were angered by the existence
of a planet like Silicon Valley—a place where computer criminals could operate
freely, without fear of reprisals. But, in truth, there was very little the
Imperium could do. Certainly, they could storm in and arrest everyone, or even
utterly wipe out the planet. But they were painfully conscious that they were
dealing with the most technically competent people in the galaxy. A ten-year-old
boy brought up on the planet could probably wipe out their most advanced
systems with a single button press. So the Imperium kept a close eye on the
planet, while conscious that there was very little they could do to control it.

Glitz
and Doland got off the grav-train. The city there seemed almost utopian. The
streets were perfectly clean, and even the weather seemed better—the result of
atmospheric nanoparticles, Glitz guessed. Not wishing to stay very long on the
planet, they visited the magnificent home of Glitz’s contact, who was a man
named Fellian. Unlike most of the residents of the Haven, he was not a hacker.
He owned an illegal trading platform that operated in the dark corners of the
Net, which was called the Amber Road. People from all over the Imperium traded
goods using discreet (illegal) delivery services, while avoiding both taxes and
control on prohibited items. As Glitz predicted, Fellian was very excited by
the Cellzers, and readily agreed to pay Glitz one million credits. They both
knew that he was likely to make a huge profit. The Zirgotic crystals alone were
worth more than that amount, because there had been 112 of the devices when
they had actually counted. They had kept two of the Cellzers, in case they came
in useful. Glitz wasn’t going to argue with a million credits; it wasn’t a bad
wage for a day’s work.

Glitz
and Doland left the planet quickly, slightly worried that some computer genius
would find a way to rob them of their new funds, even though they had placed
them in a secret and secure account. But luck was on their side, and they
managed to leave the planet without event. When they were far away from Silicon
Valley, Glitz turned to Doland and grinned.

“A
million credits, eh?”

“I
know.”

“What
do you say I call up Spaceman and see if he has any other jobs lined up?”

Doland
sighed. “Thanks, but… this life isn’t for me. I haven’t been able to relax
since I was arrested. It’s been non-stop. First I was sent to prison, then I
escaped, then I had my DNA transmogrified, then I was recaptured, then I was
sent on a mission by the Navy, and then I was nearly killed by armed guards on
a grav-train… I want to go home.”

Glitz
glanced at Doland’s miserable face, and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I
understand. Let’s get you back to Opus.”

The
funds obtained from the sale were distributed—10% of the full amount went to
Spaceman, as commission for the job. Then the remaining 90% was split in half
between Glitz and Doland. That left them with 450,000 credits each. It wasn’t
bad at all for a day’s work. Glitz immediately decided to spend a portion of
the funds on a new ship; he didn’t think he could bear another flight on the
Wreck.

“I
suppose I’m just a coward,” Doland said glumly, after Glitz had set the course
for their new destination. His face took on the slightly rigid quality that is
often seen in men struggling to express their feelings. “I’m nothing like you. I
can’t be fearless in the face of danger.”

Glitz
laughed bitterly. “Don’t be jealous of me.” He sighed. It seemed it was the
time for speaking hard truths. “I’m not brave, or daring. I started smuggling
because it was easier than looking for a promotion, or a better job. I got into
crime because it was easy, not because I’m tough. My father always wanted me to
be a doctor, or an engineer… but I didn’t listen. Too hard. Too much study. I
thought I was getting on the right path by entering the cadets, but I only
ended up getting kicked out for sleeping with an officer. I suppose a
psychologist would say I slept with her to sabotage my career, because I
secretly wanted out. And I guess he would be right…”

The
men sat by the ship’s controls in silence for a few minutes, watching the stars
fly past. They seemed to have formed a sort of kinship of uselessness—they had
drawn closer to each other by feeling similarly inadequate. The journey to Opus
took several days. They spent most of the time playing cards, and stopped off
at several space bars along the way. After their takings from selling the
lasers, they could afford to go to slightly more classy establishments than
Glitz was used to. He had never even heard of Charotan wine before entering a
small, expensive bar in the Vortigan Sector. When they finally landed on Opus,
Glitz was sorry to see Doland depart.

He
handed Doland a contact chip. “Stay in touch. If you ever need anything—well,
let me know.”

“I
will.” Doland smiled. “Look after yourself, mate.”

“Thanks.”

There
was no need for any more words. On the long flight to Opus, the men had already
exhausted nearly every topic of conversation. The men smiled, nodded, and
walked in opposite directions. Doland walked towards his old house, which was
in a town called Magra. He would talk to his wife, find out if there was any
chance of reconciliation. If not… well, there were bound to be other women on
the planet. He had never been in love with his wife—it had always been simply a
marriage of convenience. They had been two lonely individuals who, for one
reason or another, had never found the right partner. So they had ended up settling
for each other. Glitz headed back into the
Wreck
, and took off into
space.

“So
it’s just me again,” Glitz muttered to himself. “They’ve all gone. It’s just
me. Me and the stars. Just like the old days.”

There
was a bleeping sound, which signalled an incoming call on the Net. Glitz
cursed, assuming that it was Spaceman with another tempting mission. It was a
pretty bad state of affairs when the only person who ever wants to speak to you
is a criminal trying to get you involved in illegal activity. But his heart
leapt when he saw the callsign:

“Hello!”
Glitz said, accepting the vidcall immediately.

Alyce’s
face appeared on the screen. He didn’t recognise the background; it seemed that
she was in some sort of hotel room. She was wearing a casual blouse, and her
hair was down, so apparently she was still on leave from the Navy. She smiled
when she saw Glitz, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

“What’s
up?”

“I
have to ask a favour of you. It’s very important.”

“Well,
what is it?”

“Not
here. I need to tell you in person. I can see that you’re in the
Wreck
;
what is your current galactic position?”

“Erm…
I’ve just left Opus.”

“Oh,
how fortunate. You’re very close. I’m only in the next system. Can you meet me?”

Glitz
didn’t know what she wanted, but seeing her face again had stimulated a
familiar feeling of warmth. He nodded at her without hesitation. “Sure. I’ll
meet you.”

The
small ship approached the unusual planet. The
Wreck
was easy enough to
pilot, even for one person, but Glitz was always very conscious of the fact
that if it ever broke down there was very little in the way of spare parts on
board. He longed to return to his old trading vessel, the
Merchant’s Luck
,
which had been a reliable companion for many years during his time working for
the East Galaxy Company.

The
planet he was approaching had clearly been heavily engineered. The surface
itself was a bewildering mixture of sweeping beaches, mysterious deep forests,
urban jungle, and tropical paradise. The idea was, presumably, that it would
cater for all tastes when it came to holiday destinations. Whatever your idea
of a good holiday, you would find something to meet your needs on the Pleasure
Hive.

Glitz
used the ship’s communication system to communicate with the OTC, requesting
permission to land on the planet’s surface. Permission was speedily granted,
and he was quickly allocated a landing slot. Without wasting any time, Glitz
expertly piloted the
Wreck
and landed in the designated area. He brought
the ship down into a small open-roofed metal hangar, which was intended for new
arrivals. As soon as he stepped off the ship, robotic arms carefully lifted the
vessel away for storage. The proprietors of the Pleasure Hive made sure that
visitors didn’t see their ships until the end of their vacation; the last thing
the managers wanted was for people to sleep in their ships.

With
some irritation, Glitz realised that the only way he would be permitted to
enter the planet was to purchase a holiday package. He got into a prolonged
argument with the young female attendant, arguing that he only wanted to meet a
friend on the planet. But the poor girl clearly was not authorised to allow
such a thing, and there was no way to speak to her superiors without a long
wait. Obviously, this was a planet that sought to extort as much money as
possible from its visitors, without caring too much about customer
satisfaction. Presumably they kept holiday prices just low enough to keep a
steady flow of custom despite their poor service.

“Fine,”
Glitz muttered angrily. “I’ll book a one-night stay on the cheapest package you
have.”

“That
would be the Forest Adventure package, sir,” the attendant explained calmly.
“The price includes an overnight stay in a one-man tent in the Forest Zone.”

“Fine.”

Glitz
reluctantly paid up, and took his securi-key from the woman. The device would
enable him to check out his tent when arriving at the accommodation storage
depot in the Forest Zone. He slipped the key into his pocket, privately
doubting that he would stay the night on the planet. He had never really been
one for holidays.

He
left the welcome area of the planet, and found his way on to a beach. It must
have been artificially-engineered, but it looked very realistic. The blue
sea—from which the distant horizon was barely visible—lapped softly against the
yellow sand, and bikini-clad girls splashed around in the warm shallows. The
sun overhead was comfortingly warm, and Glitz started to wish that he had
agreed to meet Alyce there. He had never liked holidays, but he would have
appreciated a few hours to stretch out in the sun.

Reluctantly,
he boarded one of the grav-trains that connected all parts of the Pleasure
Hive. He sat down in a comfortable seat in first class, despite only having
purchased a third class ticket, and stared out of the window as the train began
to move. As the gravity-defying train shot forwards over its tracks, Glitz watched
as he passed through several different “zones”. Several people got off the
train at each stop along the way—some to the Combat Zone, others to the Love
Zone (an island connected by causeway to the mainland, which was filled with
brothels), and still more at the Arts & Crafts Zone.

Eventually,
the train arrived at Glitz’s intended destination, which was the Fishing Zone.
As he stepped off the transport, he realised that even the atmosphere was
different in this zone. While the air had been warm and dry in the Beach Zone, there
it was cool and moist. The zone consisted of a winding river surrounded by
green land. The river was covered with fishing boats of every type—right from
rickety old plasthyne canoes to shiny hoverboats. People were also lined up all
along the edge of the river, which had to be miles in length and at least half
a mile in width.

At
a small lagoon, Glitz spotted Alyce. She was wearing mud-repelling boots, along
with a plasthyne body cover. She waved when she saw him approach.

“Lovely
day,” Glitz said, staring out at the river.

“Isn’t
it?” Alyce cast her fishing rod into the river; it penetrated the water with a
small splash. “Some people believe that these kind of rods have been used for
over ten thousand years, but no one knows for sure.” She glanced around at the
other fishers. “All these people love their atomic nets, or their nucleic
fishing rods. But you can’t beat the old-fashioned way. It’s so relaxing.”

Her
face lit up. “Wait, I think I’ve caught something!” She reeled in her line
quickly, pulling something up out of the water. She held up the flapping blue
creature. “It’s a skyfish—they’re actually rare, but I imagine that the
Pleasure Hive staff keep the rivers topped up with them.”

She
tossed the fish back into the river and laughed. Glitz was impressed by how
relaxed she was away from official duties. Her hair was hanging loosely in the
breeze, and she had an easy naturalness about her smile and posture. She wasn’t
wearing any makeup, but her face had a light, unblemished complexion.

“Thanks
for coming,” Alyce said, stretching out a large plasthyne sheet in front of the
muddy lagoon. “Please, sit down.”

Frowning
slightly, Glitz sat down, cross-legged, on the sheet, and Alyce sat down next
to him.

“I
would have told you more over the Net,” Alyce said, “only I couldn’t be sure
that no one was listening in. That’s the beauty of the Pleasure Hive—it’s a
strictly bug-free environment. The staff scan for them every ten seconds. You
can’t relax, you see, if you’re worried about things you say coming back to
haunt you. Quite literally, what happens on the Pleasure Hive stays on the
Pleasure Hive.” She grinned.

“So
what’s so urgent?” Glitz said.

Alyce’s
face became a little more serious. “Before we begin, I need to tell you a
little bit about myself. For one thing, my real name. It isn’t Alyce Wickham.
It’s Alyce Rejak-Thohne.”

“Rejak-Thohne?”
Glitz repeated her words; it took a few seconds for the full import to sink in.
“You mean you’re part of
the
Rejak-Thohne family?”

She
nodded. Glitz had heard the name, of course. Everyone had. The Rejak-Thohnes
were famous for being one of the oldest and richest noble families in the
Imperium. They had plantations stretching nearly from one end of the galaxy to
another; they were the masters of hundreds of worlds, and commanded millions of
men.

“I
didn’t want any special favours when I entered the Navy,” she explained. “Plus
there was another reason to conceal my real name. The Rejak-Thohnes, although
powerful, have a certain… reputation among the rest of the aristocracy. Of course,
most of this reputation doesn’t filter through to the proletariat. Most
commoners regard us simply as a family of great standing.”

Glitz
shook his head. “So what’s this reputation you have?”

“Do
you know the legend of the Zierons?”

“Of
course. I mean—I know we’re not
supposed
to talk about it these days.
But yes, the Zierons were the aliens that brought humanity the phase drive in
the old myth.”

Alyce
nodded. “That’s right. The legend says that the Zierons came to our galaxy
through a natural wormhole, a singularity resonating on the same frequency as
another point, far away in another galaxy.” She paused. “Well, according to my
family history, one of my distant ancestors, a man named Cillian Rejak, was one
of the people privileged enough to make contact with the Zierons during their
visit to our galaxy.”

“Interesting.
But you can’t believe it? The Zierons weren’t real. It’s just a story for
children.”

“Perhaps.
But perhaps not. According to my family history, the Zierons gave Cillian Rejak
a machine which enabled him to easily mine precious metals from asteroids, thus
paving the way for him to build up a fortune. He ended up getting married to a
woman called Martha Thohne—and our noble tree was born.”

“So
this reputation of yours…?”

“My
great-grandfather became infamous for his unwavering belief in the truth of the
family legend. He was also convinced that the only hope for humanity was to
relocate the Zierons, so their compassionate wisdom could guide us into an age
of peace. He openly believed that the family fortune was only a lot of refuse,
unless it was used to locate the Zierons. He was convinced that if the Zierons could
be persuaded to return again, the problems inherent in the Imperium could be
solved, making way for a nobler and fairer empire.” She grinned. “My
grandfather wasn’t put off, either, by the way my great-grandfather was treated
by the rest of the aristocracy. He too devoted his life to finding the
Zierons.”

“And
your father?”

“He
was a little more pragmatic. By the time he received his inheritance, the
family riches were seriously dwindling. He has spent his years restoring the
family finances—and has done a fine job, too.”

“Which
brings us to you.”

“It
does. Well, I am no idealist like my grandfather. If the Zierons do not exist,
no amount of wishing and blind faith will conjure them into existence. While
the family legend is attractive, I had not received any convincing proof of its
authenticity. There did not seem to be a shred of evidence pointing towards a
meeting between my ancestor and a benevolent alien race.”

“
Had
not? So you’ve seen proof since?”

Alyce
smiled. “I think so. Three days ago, one of my uncles died. The funeral is to
be held next week. The thing is, when he died, my Aunt Callia—another believer
in the Zierons—immediately went into his study and made a search of his papers.
In among a pile of ancient, dusty papers, she found a star chart.”

“Pointing
to the location of the wormhole?”

“Perhaps.
The paper bears the Rejak seal, and the signature clearly reads ‘Cillian
Rejak’. It’s clear that my ancestor drew up this chart—pointing to a specific
area in space, somewhere in the Nosferatu Sector.”

“Interesting…”

Alyce
nodded enthusiastically. “Of course, it’s most likely nothing. The Rejak-Thohnes
are pretty stubborn, but you can’t make a legend true simply by believing in
it.”

“But
you still want to look?”

“Yes.
Because
what if the story is true?
Imagine the implications. If we could
bring the Zierons back, we could fix the Imperium—usher in a new age of peace
and prosperity.”

“Or
start an intergalactic war…”

“I
don’t think so,” Alyce said. “Most stories about the Zierons agree that they
were a peaceful race. After all, the old legend says that they gave us the
Phase Drive. If they were that advanced thousands of years ago, they could have
easily wiped us out if that was their desire.”

“That’s
true.”

Alyce
took hold of Glitz’s hand suddenly. “I need you to come with me. I’m a decent
pilot, but you have years of experience circumnavigating the galaxy. More than
that—I trust you. If I’m to have anyone by my side, I want it to be you.”

Glitz
paused. He was intrigued by the idea of possibly finding the mythical aliens,
but the Nosferatu Sector was infamous for piracy. There were even tales of a
vampiric life form, pulling in unwary ships with its tractor beams, breaking
into them, and sucking the blood out of their occupants. Now there was a children’s
story he
didn’t
want to verify.

“I’ll
pay you, of course,” Alyce said, sensing his reluctance. “My family have great
pools of resources. You won’t have to worry about money once the trip is over.”

He
squeezed her hands and looked into her eyes. He felt a warm feeling rush
through him, quite different from the sensation of lust that he was quite used
to while in the presence of a beautiful woman. No, it was something else
entirely.

“No,”
Glitz said.

Alyce’s
face fell. “Oh. I see.”

“No,
I won’t take your money.” Glitz grinned at her. “I’ll come with you, but
because I’m your friend. If the Zierons are out there, we’ll find them
together.”

“Really?”
Alyce hugged Glitz. “Thank you.

Glitz
stood up, stepping off the plasthyne sheet back onto the muddy ground.

“Now?”
Alyce said.

“Why
wait?” He smiled at her. “Let’s see if we can find ourselves a wormhole…”

They
returned via the grav-train to the Welcome Zone, and requested the return of
Alyce’s ship. It was mutually decided to leave the
Wreck
on the planet
for recycling or salvage, once Glitz had removed his possessions. They had only
bought it in the first place to sneak to Chaos without being spotted, and Glitz
had no sentimental feelings for it. By her account, Alyce’s ship was far more
comfortable.