re-entered Sol
System, he’d been imprisoned in one form or another, and he’d had his fill of
the experience. All he wanted was to speak to someone in authority and plead
his case. Even if they decided to lock him away forever, he wanted someone to
take his warning of the Kulsat threat seriously, at the very least.
When one of the two guards outside his cell unlocked the
door, Michael first thought it was to bring him a meal, but the man who entered
the cell was not a soldier.
“Calbert!” Michael said. “You have no idea how happy I am to
see you.” He stood up and took a step forward, but Calbert Loche put up a hand,
motioning for Michael to sit down on his cot again.
“You may not be so happy once you hear what I have to say,”
he said.
“Oh?”
Calbert glanced around the holding cell quickly. There was a
small, plain desk with a chair on one wall. He pulled the chair out by the
backrest and turned it around. Slowly, he eased himself down on it.
“I’ll cut to the chase: they’re not going to drop the
charges against you,” he said, “…yet.”
“Yet?” Michael asked. “Then there’s a possibility.”
“Maybe. Your report made a lot of people unhappy.” Calbert
took a deep breath. “Billions of dollars were spent on Quantum Resources and
Alex Manez. Now, from your statement, we find out he was lying to us from the
moment he returned from Centauri—some even doubt he made the initial trip.
“Half the senators on the oversight committee think you were
operating in collusion with Chow Yin—after all, how did he manage to figure out
how to weaponize Kinemet?”
“That’s ridiculous,” Michael said. “Why would he ship us
back here if we were working with him?”
“I don’t know.” Calbert shrugged. “Maybe he needs more
information, and thinks you can get it for him.”
Grimacing, Michael said, “Ludicrous.”
Calbert continued. “The rest believe you’re not a traitor,
but simply guilty of gross incompetence.”
“What?” He couldn’t keep the shock from his face.
“From the beginning, Quantum Resources faced failure after
failure; it was only after your retirement that the company turned itself
around. Once you were brought back into the fold, things went sour in a hurry.”
“They want a scapegoat? Pin everything that went wrong on
me?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened.”
“So either I’m a traitor or an idiot,” Michael said.
“Don’t forget ‘a liar’,” Calbert said. “All of them think
your report of some super alien species massing an invasion is pure fiction, a
legerdemain designed to distract us from your other activities.”
“Are you serious? I wouldn’t make something like that up.”
Michael felt the figurative noose tightening around his neck. He looked Calbert
in the eye. “What does Alliras think?”
“Alliras is no longer the Minister of Energy, Mines and
Resources. He recommended me for the minister’s ballot before he left the
position. I’ve been in the seat for a year now.”
“You got political?” Michael gaped. “What about Quantum
Resources?”
“Dissolved. Since Chow Yin has put an embargo on space
operations for all earthbound nations, we lost our mandate. Space Mining
Division has been gutted. The country has more important needs, such as
fighting the war.”
“The war?” He gasped, feeling completely out of touch.
“I have to say, it was a brilliant move on Chow Yin’s part.
He corrupted a good portion of the PRC government, got them to start trouble in
Asia. Within months, everyone was picking sides, and I mean everyone. The rub
of it is that World War III is nothing more than a distraction. While we’re all
busy fighting each other, Chow Yin’s been taking advantage and securing control
of the rest of Sol System.”
“Murderous bastard,” Michael said, grinding his teeth.
“Yes, I’m sorry about Kenny Harriman.” Calbert bowed his
head a moment before continuing.
System, he’d been imprisoned in one form or another, and he’d had his fill of
the experience. All he wanted was to speak to someone in authority and plead
his case. Even if they decided to lock him away forever, he wanted someone to
take his warning of the Kulsat threat seriously, at the very least.
When one of the two guards outside his cell unlocked the
door, Michael first thought it was to bring him a meal, but the man who entered
the cell was not a soldier.
“Calbert!” Michael said. “You have no idea how happy I am to
see you.” He stood up and took a step forward, but Calbert Loche put up a hand,
motioning for Michael to sit down on his cot again.
“You may not be so happy once you hear what I have to say,”
he said.
“Oh?”
Calbert glanced around the holding cell quickly. There was a
small, plain desk with a chair on one wall. He pulled the chair out by the
backrest and turned it around. Slowly, he eased himself down on it.
“I’ll cut to the chase: they’re not going to drop the
charges against you,” he said, “…yet.”
“Yet?” Michael asked. “Then there’s a possibility.”
“Maybe. Your report made a lot of people unhappy.” Calbert
took a deep breath. “Billions of dollars were spent on Quantum Resources and
Alex Manez. Now, from your statement, we find out he was lying to us from the
moment he returned from Centauri—some even doubt he made the initial trip.
“Half the senators on the oversight committee think you were
operating in collusion with Chow Yin—after all, how did he manage to figure out
how to weaponize Kinemet?”
“That’s ridiculous,” Michael said. “Why would he ship us
back here if we were working with him?”
“I don’t know.” Calbert shrugged. “Maybe he needs more
information, and thinks you can get it for him.”
Grimacing, Michael said, “Ludicrous.”
Calbert continued. “The rest believe you’re not a traitor,
but simply guilty of gross incompetence.”
“What?” He couldn’t keep the shock from his face.
“From the beginning, Quantum Resources faced failure after
failure; it was only after your retirement that the company turned itself
around. Once you were brought back into the fold, things went sour in a hurry.”
“They want a scapegoat? Pin everything that went wrong on
me?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened.”
“So either I’m a traitor or an idiot,” Michael said.
“Don’t forget ‘a liar’,” Calbert said. “All of them think
your report of some super alien species massing an invasion is pure fiction, a
legerdemain designed to distract us from your other activities.”
“Are you serious? I wouldn’t make something like that up.”
Michael felt the figurative noose tightening around his neck. He looked Calbert
in the eye. “What does Alliras think?”
“Alliras is no longer the Minister of Energy, Mines and
Resources. He recommended me for the minister’s ballot before he left the
position. I’ve been in the seat for a year now.”
“You got political?” Michael gaped. “What about Quantum
Resources?”
“Dissolved. Since Chow Yin has put an embargo on space
operations for all earthbound nations, we lost our mandate. Space Mining
Division has been gutted. The country has more important needs, such as
fighting the war.”
“The war?” He gasped, feeling completely out of touch.
“I have to say, it was a brilliant move on Chow Yin’s part.
He corrupted a good portion of the PRC government, got them to start trouble in
Asia. Within months, everyone was picking sides, and I mean everyone. The rub
of it is that World War III is nothing more than a distraction. While we’re all
busy fighting each other, Chow Yin’s been taking advantage and securing control
of the rest of Sol System.”
“Murderous bastard,” Michael said, grinding his teeth.
“Yes, I’m sorry about Kenny Harriman.” Calbert bowed his
head a moment before continuing.
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