Shadow Force 1: the Garden Planet (7 page)

“Will do.” she replied with a grin.

It was nice to have a double agent in your midst definitely helpful. We had a great breakfast and then headed off to our own cabins to shower and change. It was unsettling to see Sara go to her quarters. I had begun to feel like a couple after the time on the beach. Still I realized with a start that she was just treating me with kindness and friendliness. It was I that was reading more into the situation. Not too healthy I realized.

We left the beach at around three pm and headed to the power station, arriving at the specified five o’clock for our meeting with the powers to be.

“It is nice of you to join us,” Mohammed said “we have another errand for you. It will require a far more stealthy approach, as your cargo will not be sitting still waiting for you and would certainly not survive a pickup such as your last one.”

“What exactly would you like us to do?” I asked.

“You must travel to New Tehran, Khomeini City to be exact. There you will have to contact a Muslim group called the Servants of Allah. We sometimes work with these people, and you will be carrying some cargo for them. But that is just a cover; your real job is to find their leader. His name is Anwar, and you will need to convince him to pay us a visit.”

“You mean to kidnap him, right?” Max said.

“Well kidnap is such a harsh word. Yet in this case it is essentially correct.” Rashid answered establishing in my mind at least that he was second in command here.

“Why?” I asked.

“We are engaged in a large project with him as well as some others, and we are not getting the cooperation we would like. So it is our plan to rectify the situation in any way possible. I have been considering your apparent proficiency and have decided to use you and your comrades to help us get the project back on track.” Mohammed answered.

“We will be happy to assist you it seems like a good challenge. How well guarded will he be?”

“Very. Still the hardest part is your actions must not be traced back to us, as there are other partners involved in our project who would not look too kindly on our attempt to reorganize.”

“What is the background of your project that you would consider kidnapping someone you apparently trusted?” I asked.

“Well, I’ll tell you what I can, but the exact nature of the project must be kept secret for now. This is a cooperative venture between several groups, the problem that we are having is the goals of each group are different, and becoming more so. What we want is to have our wishes confirmed as the goal of the group. After all we have supplied almost all the financing so far.”

“How will our kidnapping him make him any more cooperative?” Sara asked.

“Well, we need a code that he has to achieve our goals. You see we set this up so that we all had to cooperate. It seemed a good plan when we started, only now everyone wants different results. So we are going to take matters into our own hands. The work will be dangerous and dirty, are you sure you’re up to it?”

“Definitely.” I replied while trying to imagine just what Mohammed’s group’s demands were to be. I seriously doubted that they would be similar to those invented by Max.

“I will need some very specific information to pull this off.” I added.

“All that you need is contained on this data stick. It includes details of the hierarchy of the Servants of Allah. Their known safe houses where Anwar might hide if he were to realize our intentions before you have him under control. Also there are several safe houses we have set up should you need them. I should also mention that while the people here on New Libya have abandoned all of the ancient customs that have hindered our growth as a people for so many years, others still hold fast to the traditions passed down from our ancestors. New Tehran is especially strict when it comes to that. All women must be covered at all times while out in public. They also are considered property, first of their fathers, then their husbands. They may be bought and sold like any other commodity. Many off world women are kidnapped and brought to New Tehran to be sold on the underground slave market. I’m telling you this because of the great beauty of your sister as well as your friend Max’s play toy. On second thought you may want to sell her there. She will bring a huge amount on the auction block.”

“I’ll consider that.” I replied, “But I do believe we are not selling either one.”

“As you wish, just get the mission accomplished and the rewards will be high.”

“We will do as you wish, Mohammed, and don’t worry we can take care of ourselves as well as the women in our charge. Now if you’ll excuse us we have many details to review and plans to make.”

As we took our leave I was tormented by the thought of Sara or Izzy in the hands of slavers, so much so that I thought I might get physically sick. Little warning bells started chiming in my head. Bells I had not heard since the murder of my family, not since the resolution I had made to never allow myself the luxury of caring for another human being the way I had cared about Susan, not since I’d left Space Force to dedicate my life to hunting down and capturing the kind of people that had destroyed my life.

Now after all this time, of living, working, and sleeping alone, along comes Sara, and the bells...

We settled in on the bridge to review the data that Mohammed had given to us.

“What cargo are we bringing to Tehran?” Max asked.

“Well, let's find out.” I said as I inserted the stick into the terminal by my chair.

Mohammed’s face filled the view screen as he said. “You will be carrying the two containers of Carliteume you so recently recovered for us. When you land on Tehran you will be contacted by a man named Harrod. He is one of our agents. He will make the arrangements for the delivery of the Carliteume, but knows nothing about your real errand. Still he may prove valuable to you.

He went on to explain the how’s and why’s of kidnapping Anwar, and he stressed what we already knew. This job would be no walk in the park. He was protected at all times by a phalanx of bodyguards, his every move choreographed to the second. He never slept in the same location twice. Yes indeed this was going to be a challenge.

I ordered Shadow to set course for New Tehran I didn’t order pursuit mode as I had no desire to be turned into a milkshake this trip, I was mixed up enough.

As we sat on the acceleration chairs I couldn’t help but think about that term. No one has had to suffer the rigors of acceleration since the gravity repulse drive, and the artificial gravity generator had been invented late in the twenty first century making the initial colonization of space possible. For the first time any person or freight could safely be lifted off of a planetary surface and once in space could walk about their ships and space stations as if they were in an office building on Earth. For the next two centuries mankind had spread over Earth’s solar system, colonizing in space stations or domes on most of the solid bodies. Mars and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn were all heavily populated. In so doing the Earth was stripped of minerals, water and oxygen. Until, despite the constant warnings of environmental groups, the planet died, no longer able to support life. What population was left had to live in domes, just like all the other dead planets in the solar system.

With the invention, and final perfection of the hyperspace drive at General Electric’s vast research and development facility on Mars. Mankind was finally freed from the bonds of the solar system. Within ten years more than a hundred planets had been discovered that were capable of supporting human life with little or no modification necessary. It only took about one hundred years for the last outpost to be closed, as mankind abandoned their ancestral home leaving behind a dead planet and a raped solar system.

“I think I may have a plan.” Max announced.

“Really? That’s good because I don’t.” I replied.

“It was Mohammed who actually gave me the idea, with his little warning about the slave market. You do remember that detail don’t you?”

Remember it! My stomach was still queasy with the thought. “Yeah.” I said, knowing I wasn’t going to like the rest of this.

“According to the data we have, all Mohammed told the people on New Tehran was that Harrod would deliver the Carliteume, no mention of us at all. And all Harrod knows is that a couple of mercenaries would be bringing the Carliteume. Also that he was to cooperate with them no matter what they asked. Now what would be more natural for a couple of mercenaries, than trying to make some extra profit on the trip? Now who I hear you ask would a couple of mercenaries like us deal with? Why the black market to be sure.”

I didn’t answer because of the anger building up in me... If this was going where I thought it was...

“And what does the black market on Tehran deal with? Why their top commodity is female slaves. So now I ask you again what would be more natural that two mean and nasty mercs showing up with a couple of slaves to sell? Not just any slaves mind you, but two of the most beautiful women in the galaxy, very expensive women, very, very expensive women. Now who can afford such luxury? Why only one at the very top of the pyramid, and his name is Anwar! Well what do you think?”

I sat stunned for a moment, as the anger built. “Max that’s the worst most degrading plan I have ever heard! If you think I’m letting Sara or Izzy for that matter take the kind of risks, or be put through the degradation that your plan would surely cause, you’re as sick as Mohammed and his bunch. Do you think these people buy sight unseen, untried! For the love of God, Max what’s the matter with you?”

“I’m in.” Sara said, while looking frail and pale. “There are certainly details to work out, but I too have come to the same conclusion. This mission cannot fail for any reason, least of all personal suffering, the future of the entire galaxy may well depend on our success.”

“I am also in.” Izzy added. “Although that should be obvious or I would not be here, for much the same reasons as Sara’s.”

“Well I am not in!” I said. “This plan dies right now, that’s an order!”

“Jon, we don’t take orders from you.” Sara replied.” We’re on this mission as partners, volunteers. We work together but no one gives orders.”

“You’re all crazy! I’ll give you one hour to change your minds or I’m taking my ship back to Macdill and we’ll let big Ed decide. I’ll be in my cabin when you come to your senses!”

I was standing in the shower, trying to wash away the fear that was turning my insides into an acid factory. It wasn’t fear for me, well maybe it was. But not fear of physical pain, more a fear of mental anguish. There was no way I could again live through what I did when Susan was murdered. It had taken many long and lonely years for me to love again. Something I had only known for sure when Max suggested his asinine plan. Well, actually the plan is not asinine my falling in love was asinine. The plan no doubt was probably our only chance of pulling off the job at hand. We had to get all the deactivation code bearers on Earth at the same time according to Max’s intelligence report. It was just the physical presence, not willingness that would be required to disarm the device.

Still I couldn't balance the scale in my head. In one cup is the future of the galaxy, in the other is Sara... the woman I love. A woman who for all I know has no interest in me, yet when I look at the scale, that one woman outweighs an entire galaxy...

“Jon!” I heard Sara yell.

“Just a minute.” I said. Great! They must have come up with a new plan I thought as I hurriedly threw on a clean flight suit. “Hi.” I greeted her, feeling like a schoolboy on his first date.

“Hi, yourself.” she replied, looking more beautiful than ever. “Are you okay? You look a little flushed.”

“Yeah I’m fine; I just took a hot shower that’s all.” I lied. Inside I was anything but fine. In fact I felt like wrapping my arms around her, telling her that I loved her that I would take care of her, protect and cherish her for the rest of her life. In fact I knew I would. Would she reciprocate? I had no way of knowing. Still I sent up a silent prayer.

“So what have you come up with?”

“We have a solid plan, but we now need you to contribute rather than fight us at every turn so our esteemed leader, lead!”

“Esteemed leader? I thought we were all equals in this?”

“And equals we are, it’s just that you are the master at playing con games. That is what has made you such a success as a bounty hunter. So now we need the details of the con.”

“You’re not going to let me out of this, are you?”

“Not for a minute.” Sara replied with a smile.

“I’ll agree, as long as you agree to not do anything that could jeopardize your safety.”

“Okay I’ll agree to that, but only I can judge what that means.”

I knew I was defeated, so plan I would, I thought as Sara led the way to the bridge.

On arrival my first thought was how lucky I was to be teamed up with this group. My second was how I would use them to accomplish the job assigned. All business now, I took my seat and drew a complete blank.

Chapter Six

“Where do we start?” I asked the group in general.

Max started the conversation. “We start with Harrod. Shadow has dug up some interesting details on him that I am sure we can use.”

“Such as?” I asked.

“Such as; he is deeply connected to the black market on New Tehran. As you know, the economic sanctions imposed by the Federation are very strict and what we take for granted the people of Tehran pay enormous sums to acquire, all this smuggling and distribution is big business there. Everything from bath soaps to slaves he has his hands in. He is rich but always looking for more. This should make him very useful to us.

“Well then on to the plan. We will use Max’s rough idea but let’s work on details. First off, Shadows interior defensive abilities are numerous and effective. And they will need to be to pull off what I have in mind.”

“And what would that be?” Max asked

“We set the stage as you suggested, both Sara and Izzy need to get in character as the expensive fully trained recreation specialists. They need to be set up in one of the holding cells, before we make contact with Harrod. Once we have him on board we will let him view our “slaves” and then let him do what he does best, drum up interest in our very expensive cargo. It will be up to the girls to convince him of their value.” I concluded with a giant pit in my stomach.