Aranor Prime
Clenching
his teeth as his modified Stinger pierced through Aranor Prime's
thick atmosphere Raynok made sure he caught the last glimpse of black
space before being completely engulfed in the sky. Entries were
never easy, and he wanted to make sure that the last thing he saw was
the great provider, the endless reaches of space.
Having
been on so many trips, in and out of hyperspace and suspended sleep
Raynok had already outlived his children three times over. His name
continued on with some miner, or ship welder, or Trap dealer in some
dark alley, but he could not care less. He relished his job with the
Earth Republic, as their ambassador, delicately installing leaders on
the galaxies many colonies ensuring that the human race remained
strong in the greatest expansion ever known.
As the
cabin grew in temperature Raynok let his eyes fall shut and relaxed because it should all be smooth sailing from here. It
reminded him of the red sand beaches of Messier 31, laying out on his
private property that he got to stay at so rarely now it took the
intensity of atmospheric entry to drag that place from the depths of
his memory. That short rest came after quelling the riots on Mayall
minor, where he orchestrated a cyber campaign to convince the people
that things would recover. The planets existing tactics were to
soft, and Raynok had a touch that few rivaled. Such subtle tactics
were not always his preferred method, but it was always paramount
that he was not seen.
The
counter thrusters came to life and wedged him farther into his cradle
as the ship started its auto landing procedure. A pine forest
outside of the capital city of Kexune made for a good landing spot to
keep out of sight. The trip would be a couple standard days and he
needed to be sure that he could get back to his ship without it being
disturbed. Grabbing his pack, and donning his ghost suit, he swung
open the door and felt the fresh air rush around him. If only all
the places he had been had such an inviting climate.
Like on
Meisley 5 where there was very little water, and the whole place was
a dust bowl. The planet would have never been able to support more
than a couple hundred thousand inhabitants without the asteroid
mining system brought to the planet by the Republic. After
harvesting ice from the nearby asteroid belt, it would be transported
to one of the many underground reservoirs that supported the mining
colonies that harvest the rare earth elements essential to many of
the space faring needs of the fleet. They were worked hard, and
production had slowed, and some members of cabinet had become
worried. Raynok was sent to investigate, and somehow one of the
cities reservoirs had been poisoned and thousands of their workers
either died or were bed ridden for weeks. They came back stronger
than ever, and production has not slipped since.
When
Raynok reached the maglev station that would take him into town, he
would need to don a more appropriate outfit. Being a very important
government official there were always those who might take a chance
at his life. Accessing the suits forearm controls, he selected a
fine three piece suit, gray with white pinstripes for the suit to
morph into. One of the main benefits of the ghost suit, but it also
provided protection from personal assault weapons. It was finished
off with a green bow tie and pocket square. While many things had
changed in the thousand years since men first donned the suit, the
basics still lived true. Paying his fare and stepped onto the train
to be whisked into the city by nightfall.
The
cabin was fairly stark, black plasteel walls curved up either side,
with large floor to ceiling windows at every set of four facing
seats. Tomorrow he would be making sure that the coverage of the
inauguration for the now planet governor was sufficient. Aranor
Prime was in a sector close to where some of the original Republic
colonies had been overrun by the Syndicate and this new leader was
surely going to be able to curb any of those thoughts here.
There
was no comfort in the night, long ago he had learned that sleep was
not his friend in unfamiliar places. Even when around those
supposedly on the same side, there was risk. He worked alone now,
not that the Republic liked it, but they were not going to argue
because Raynok was perfect. Ten years ago, in his life time he had no
idea how many standard years had passed, he was assigned to escort
the minister of commerce to the produce rich planet Halmath. They
did not send him alone as normal, but with a young ambassador that
from all outward appearances had what it was going to take. They
took shifts looking out for the minister, even on a Republic ship you
had to be wary. One outside the chamber, the other inside. Twelve
hour shifts, so getting sleep in while locked inside was the best way
to try and get through it. Raynok let himself drift off after
probably his third full cycle without sleep. Sleep so deep that he
barely ripped himself back to reality in time to dodge the young mans
electroblade. The minister had not been so fortunate, and he lay in
a pool of his own blood by his wardrobe. Raynok spun to face the man
and could see the confidence in his eyes as he muttered,”I won't
miss again.”
He did
not, catching Raynok through the left bicep.
“I did
not miss either.” Raynok was calm, holding the grip of his own
electroblade tightly against the chest of the other man.”You should
have aimed better.” His body went limp and Raynok let him fall to
the floor.
They had
never asked him to take backup, or any kind of assistance from that
day on. Working so efficiently they saved money even by paying him
double what he made before the incident. He had amassed the kind of
wealth that many dreamed of, and maybe if he found himself lucky he
could fly off into the darkness one last time and not look back.
Today was important though, and he pushed everything out of his mind
to make sure he knew every step he needed to make.
The
cities capitol square was immense. Easily holding five hundred
thousand people in its main courtyard, with plenty of overflow space
for the likely millions to be in attendance today. Raynok would be
observing from a distance today, not able to fake credentials to be
closer, but no matter. Everything was to go smoothly and preferring
to not be in large crowds this would work fine.
It was
nearly noon when Raynok reached his prefect viewing platform. He
took out his tripod and assembled his equipment so he could get a
closer view of the governor. Being nearly four kilometers away would
normally be a problem, but he made sure to bring his best magnifier
and he had already tuned his earpiece into the broadcast channel so
it would be like he was in the front row. Settling in, he sat back
and took a deep breath, drifting briefly to his memories of Earth.
Who knows if the redwoods from his childhood even existed anymore,
but strolling through the noble trees in his mind focused him more
than anything else, and the governor was coming to stage now.
After
the Republic anthem faded and the crowd was tired of its own ovation,
the governor began his speech.
“I
thank you all for being here today, and for those tuning in around
the galaxy, welcome to our beautiful planet. It is truly a blessing
of the highest degree to become governor of this world, especially at
a time when we as a people are exploring and finding all the riches
that the galaxy has to offer. It is what has always been dreamed,
and now our dreams are reality.”
“I
come from a long line of hard workers, and I think I am accurate when
I say us Aranorians are made of the sternest stuff around, and we
represent all of the working classes that have so long propped up
society.” He paused to allow the crowd to cheer with agreement.
“It
has been so long that we have been leaned upon to support the ideas
and values of the Republic, and help the human race expand beyond our
ancestors wildest dreams. The question is, when is enough, enough?
Why should we continue to work so hard on expansion when there are
more colonies, and more planets under our control than we could
populate even in a thousand more years?” The question seemed to
hang over the crowd, unsure on how to answer, or whether to answer
his call at all.
“Every
year the Republic asks for more and more, why? Where does it all go?
How much better off are you? I say we should fight for ourselves,
keep more, and break away from the grip that the Republic has built
over the centuries.”
Before
the crowd could respond he continued,”we are already on the far
reaches of the galaxy, the Republic has no control here, they cannot
touch us. My people, listen, we do not need them, I will not send
any more resources off planet, and we will all prosper more than ever
before!”
Raynok
was shocked. There had been rumors of the Syndicate having
infiltrated some of the government here, but to be so blatant about
their intentions was bold. No matter, there was a reason why Raynok
was sent here, because he was the best. Surveying his equipment,
making sure his optics were true, he squeezed the trigger and click.
