The Orion Plague (21 page)

Nguyen suspected that such aberrations would
now either be tolerated as immaterial during this crisis, or
ruthlessly dealt with. Political correctness had dropped far down
the list of priorities, as it always did in time of war. He mused
on the irrationality of civilians, fat, safe and comfortable on
their sofas, who condemned warriors to prison for such “atrocities”
as desecrating the bodies of their dead enemies. A slap on the
wrist, certainly, a loss of rank and pay – but prison? He laughed
without mirth at such stupidity and betrayal.

These same pampered masses enthusiastically
consumed movies glorifying such fighters as Vikings or Teutonic
Knights or American Indians, forgetting that, no matter how noble,
those warriors were also quite cruel to their enemies. It was only
the definition of atrocity that had changed, not war or warriors
itself.
You can’t make troops effective by cutting their balls
off.

Fortunately such considerations were largely
absent in this coming battle. If MacAdam’s Marines wanted to piss
on the bodies of dead Meme, he doubted Captain Absen would
complain.

Nguyen certainly wouldn’t.

Resplendent in full dress uniform, Major
General Nguyen awaited his appointment with de-facto Chairman
Ariadne Smythe, first of the Nine. Ushered into Australia’s secret
political headquarters with all courtesy, he had nevertheless been
subjected to a full body scan. He laughed to himself; had he wanted
Smythe dead, his nanocommandos would have done the job with brutal
efficiency.

Besides, the items of covert warfare he
carried routinely passed full body scans, and this time was no
exception. He did not expect to need them, but this visit, on the
night before
Orion
launched, could conceivably upset her.
Persuasion might be in order.

As one of the Nine, he did not have long to
wait.

“General Nguyen, how good to see you,” Smythe
stood and said in that plummy accent that tried to match his. He
was sure it had morphed subtly in the last months, becoming even
more faux-upper-class, but he ignored that for now.

“Madam Chairman.” He bowed, knowing she
disliked being touched. He then turned to shut the door, giving
them privacy. “I came to notify you of a change of position.”

“Really?” She drew out the word, as if richly
amused.

“Yes.” He sat down across from her, sitting
at attention, hands flat on knees. “I intend to join the Marines
aboard the
Orion.”

She hissed, an indrawing of breath. “You
intend
? And why should I allow this?”

“Please, Madam Chairman, let us proceed
amicably. I have made arrangements to turn Direct Action over to
Colonel Alkina. She is quite competent, I assure you.”

“Colonel? You jumped her two ranks? Wasn’t
she just an army captain two months ago?”

“She was also a Navy Commander before I
reduced her to captain. You know these ranks are just largely
formality, a reflection of position and influence. I’d have thought
you’d be happy to have someone with less experience in charge of
Direct Action. Perhaps she would not so easily identify your spies.
Such as your man Murland Fish, who joined my martial arts sessions
so recently yet cannot keep his mind on his training for his
interest in me.”

Smythe sat back, placing a manicured hand
against her jawline. “Not a spy, merely an observer. After all, you
must have such observers keeping an eye on me.”

“Only at a distance. Only to keep you honest.
But I did not come here to spar with you, madam. I came to give you
the courtesy of notice of my intentions. Now, I bid you good day.”
He made as if to stand.

“Wait!” she cried. “You still didn’t answer
me. What makes you think I’ll let you do this?”

Nguyen shook his head. “As I said, you should
be happy. But in any case, you cannot stop me.” This time he did
stand.

A fleeting rage crossed her face and she
reached for her desk. Before her hand could touch anything Nguyen
was there, gripping her wrist. “That was unwise.”

“How did you do that?” she gasped.

“Dadirri.” He saw her confusion so explained
in simple terms. “Not only am I a master of unarmed combat, did you
think I would not take advantage of my own nanobot treatments?” He
squeezed slowly until she whimpered. “I could crush your bones
right here. I could twist you into a pretzel then wait for the Eden
virus to heal you into amusing positions. Or I could simply kill
you.”

He released her hand with a push, then thrust
her rolling chair backward into the corner with his foot, following
closely, seeing the fear in her eyes. “Make no sudden moves,
madam.” He sighed, pointing an accusing finger. “You disappoint me.
I had thought you would use your head instead of your…ego. I tell
you I am going, because I am the best at what I do. My talents
might make a difference at the point of the spear – out there
against the aliens.”

There came a pounding on the door, soon
turned into a rhythmic slamming. “Your security personnel wish to
enter. If they come in, I will take your head from your shoulders.
Call them off.”

“Stop! Codeword Red Caster Annex! Stand
down!” she called desperately into the air. The pounding
ceased.

“Very good.”

“You won’t make it out of here.”

Nguyen laughed mirthlessly. “No matter how
politically astute, you are a babe in the woods when it comes to
this sort of direct action. If I wished, I could send a signal for
my people and within ten minutes everyone in the building would be
dead, save myself.”

He backed up to sit on her desk, still
watching her carefully. “One thing I always admired about you is
that you knew when to back down, try again another day. Cut your
losses, make a deal, or so I thought. But now I fear I have
offended you too much for that. No matter what you say, as soon as
I leave I know you will try to have me killed, and that will
precipitate a civil war that will tear the Nine apart and threaten
the Orion project.”

“I give you my word I will do nothing,” she
replied, brushing off her blouse and sleeves. “As you say, I will
be happy to be rid of you and wish you godspeed on your way to
fight the aliens.”

“If only I could believe in your word…but I
have a way to ensure you keep your part of the bargain.” He plucked
a button from his jacket, pressed a tiny switch on it with an
audible click, and held it up for her perusal.

“What is it?” she asked suspiciously.

“Lunch,” he quipped, and blurred to
motion.

With his left he slapped her solar plexus
backhanded, interrupting her startled cry and leaving her mouth
wide open, gasping for air. With his right he popped the button
into her gaping maw, then held her nose closed with one hand while
brutally massaging her throat with the other.

“Swallow…swallow…come now, it won’t hurt you,
unless I let it.” Once he was certain she had ingested the button
he stepped back, leaving her choking and retching. “Don’t bother
trying to vomit it back up. As soon as it senses stomach acid its
nanites attach to the nearest tissue. You’ll need surgery to remove
it. The only problem is,” he went on, holding up his lighter, “if
anything non-organic gets anywhere near it in the next twenty-four
hours…pop!” He made a bursting motion with one hand.

“You bastard!”

“Hmm, no, my parents were certainly lawfully
wedded. Yours, however, my investigations tell me…but never mind
that. You’ve just swallowed a bit of my insurance.” He shook the
lighter. “This is a deadman switch. If I cease pressing it just so,
it stops transmitting, and you explode. If I get out of range, you
explode. If anything happens to threaten my life between now and
liftoff, you explode. Do I make myself clear?”

“Abundantly,” she gasped, convulsively
rubbing at her neck.

“Then I suggest you follow along, and tell
your people to back away and remain calm. You’ll need to stay
within a mile of me until the launch, and keep out of any buildings
with high metal content. You wouldn’t want the signal to be
blocked.” Holding the lighter high, he reached for the door. “After
you.”

Smoothing her skirt and face, Smythe marched
unsteadily forward and exited her office. Outside were a startling
array of armed men and women, all poised with weapons drawn. “Stand
down,” she said firmly. “I will be fine.” As the weapons slowly
dropped she said more forcefully, “Remember your nondisclosure
agreements. You are not to discuss this incident with anyone not
already privy to it, under pain of long imprisonment.”

Once he was sure all the weapons were put
away, Nguyen stepped out from behind Smythe. “All right, let’s go.
Everyone back away and give us a corridor, otherwise you’ll be
mopping up your boss and everyone within ten meters with sponges.”
He raised his voice as they moved slowly. “Move. Back. Now!”

Most did. One hapless or misguided uniformed
guard hovered too close and Nguyen snatched his handgun from his
holster in a blur of motion. He thumbed the hammer back with a
click. “Hmm. SIG P220? Nice old gun. But even the best weapon is
useless when someone takes it from you.” Nguyen slowly crushed the
weapon in his grip, leaving it a twisted wreck. The man blanched
and stumbled backward.

Together the two of the Committee of Nine
marched out of the building, followed by a mob of confused
underlings. At the door Nguyen turned to Smythe. “Tell them to take
no action, or…”

“Yes, I explode. Listen, staff. This is just
a minor misunderstanding. It will all be over by tomorrow. If any
of you go beyond your instructions you may precipitate a dangerous
struggle. I order you to take no action until I call with
instructions, or until the Orion ship is launched.”

As they approached Nguyen’s armored SUV,
newly-minted Colonel Alkina hopped from the driver’s seat to open
the door for them. “Any trouble sir?” she asked as he shoved Smythe
into the back seat.

“None whatsoever,” he said. “And
Colonel?”

“Yes, sir?”

“All of Ms. Smythe’s little spies will have
accidents. Tonight. Be kind, though; do not kill them unless you
must. A nice bit of maiming will be fine.” Nguyen turned to Smythe.
“I suggest you remember this little mercy and do not challenge
Colonel Alkina in my absence. She may not have my personal combat
skills, but as a woman, she is naturally more dangerous and
spiteful. And she has my proxy for Committee meetings.”

Alkina smiled, glancing at Smythe in the
rear-view mirror.

“One more thing, Colonel. Make sure all of
Ms. Smythe's ‘leverage’ is…recovered.”

Smythe blinked, opening and closing her
mouth.

“Did you think we didn’t know about your
little hostage facility?” Nguyen made a tsk-tsk sound, mocking.
“Very naughty, kidnapping civilians. The Colonel will take charge
of them.”

“You’re a fool to let them go!” Smythe
snapped.

“Who said we would let them go? It is your
inefficiency, not your methods, which I despise.” He turned his
gaze back to the front, enjoying the rest of the ride in
silence.

When they arrived at a nondescript trailer
Nguyen handed his prisoner off to two of his Guard Marines. “Hold
her in place until one hour to launch, then join the contingent.
Don’t let her go, just leave her locked in. Her people will break
her loose after the ship lifts.”

As they drove away Alkina smiled at her
lover. “The button with the switch?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think she knows it’s a bluff?”

Nguyen snapped his lighter open to fire the
end of a slim cigarillo. “Not a chance.”

***

“I have one more task for you, my dear,
before you are free of me,” Nguyen said, running a finger up Ann's
naked spine.

She shivered and smiled, pulling her pillow
in tight with sharp-nailed fingers. “I will never be free of you,
Tran. When you return, I will be waiting.”

“I know. But until then you must maintain my
power base, and if I do not return, use it for the good of all. You
must not forget this, Ann.” He rolled her over to look in her eyes,
compelling. “The narcissism of our kind is as a black hole in
space, always ready to drag us in and destroy us. You must not give
in to it, or it will turn the merely amoral into evil. Do you
understand?”

“I think so. As you have said, evil always
destroys itself, substituting short-term solutions for wisdom.”

“Yes,” he said, caressing her face and
brushing back her dark hair from perfect cafe-au-lait skin. “The
end really does justify the means, but now you must think in terms
of centuries, and what end will suit yourself and me over the long
term. Only by bringing benefit to millions of grateful Edens will
we in turn rise. It is our own kind who threaten us. Exploit, but
do not ruin. It is said a sheep may be shorn many times, but
slaughtered only once.”

“I understand.” She gazed with admiring eyes
on her mentor. “And the task?”

Nguyen kissed her tenderly. “A mission of
mercy. As soon as we are finished here, you will take a hand-picked
team to the trailer of Larry Nightingale, the Chief Engineer for
the beam weapons. Discreet inquiries should allow you to find it
easily. You will subdue him without injury, you will drug him and
bind him, and you will ensure he does not board
Orion
.
Release him after launch. There is an envelope for him there on the
side table.”

“It will be done.” Ann lay back against the
pillows of Nguyen's bed. “He is not worthy to go?”

Nguyen shook his head. “He is eminently
worthy. But he is my friend, and in this case I know what is best
for him. His family needs him more than
Orion
does. More
importantly, Earth needs him to continue his advanced weapons
program.”