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“So, the humans have established a colony, on the planet we chose for a new base. How did that happen?” Reeloot, President of Karzon, and Grand Magistrate of the Sacred Laws, stared down at the capitol city from her office.
In some ways Karzonians were similar to humans, and the environment on Caslem was ideal for both. In appearance, however they were obvious differences; Karzonians had rough, grey skin, had six digits on their hands, and had twin orange pupils.
“We didn’t consider them a threat,” replied Rigzar, her Chief of Intelligence. “Apparently, the officer responsible for monitoring that section of space wasn’t expecting the humans to try and expand into that region.”
“But they did.”
“Yes, President Reloot.”
“There are always consequences for failure.”
“Of course.”
Reeloot glanced over her shoulder at Rigzar. “How are you going to deal with the officer responsible for monitoring that section of space? My political adversaries must not become aware of this blunder. He must die, so everyone who knew about the plan to set up a base on that planet, will keep their mouths shut.”
“It has already been taken care of; he had an accident this morning,” Rigzar replied. “His life partner will receive the standard survivor’s pension, and she’s smart enough to not ask any awkward questions.”
“Good,” Reeloot said.
“What do you want to do about the humans?” asked Rigzar.
“We can’t ask them to leave, or try and negotiate” Reeloot said, ‘that would imply weakness. And we can’t risk war, at least not yet. The humans have acquired some allies, so we’d have to send a substantial battle fleet to the other side of the universe. That would leave our home world exposed.”
Rigzar smiled. “I know of a pair of assassins, who could persuade the humans to leave. They’re unique. No one will suspect them.”
“I’ll leave it to you,” Reeloot said. “Buy the equipment they need, but make sure nothing is manufactured in Karzon, or bought from a Karzonian trader. I don’t want anything traceable back to this office.”
“I have another suggestion,” Rigzar added. “We could charge them with some minor crime, before the begin their mission, and register them as prisoners.”
Reeloot thought about it for a moment. “Even if you offer them an air-tight alibi, you’re still going to have to pay a steep price for their services. Attacking a colony, that’s taking a greater risk than killing a single target.”
“I have a perfect solution.”
“I’m sure you do,” Reloot said.
“Is there anything else you need me for?” asked Rigzar.
“Yes,” Reeloot answered. “How soon will you be ready to start trials with the Neuro-Interference Device? The ability to influence our enemies thoughts, that would give our military unlimited power. We’ll be able to crush our enemies and expand as far as we wish.”
“There have been some delays,” Rigzar said, “but as soon as it’s ready we’ll start trials using prisoners.”
“Good,” Reloot replied. “but your highest priority is getting the humans off of that planet.”
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Ozelon manoeuvred the small craft until it settled under an outcropping of rock. Now he understood why the Karzonian wanted to meet at this location; no one would be interrupting them. Sentient beings tended to establish communities near sources of water, and according to his vessel’s sensors, water was all but completely absent from this portion of the planet.
As the side door opened, a silent figure slid past Ozelon and disappeared.
Ozelon felt nauseous as soon as he stepped out of the vessel. He hoped the meeting would be over soon. The race that inhabited the planet earned credits by processing the waste of other worlds, operating immense garbage disposal and compost sites. The intense odour of decay was constantly present in the strong, hot winds.
As he walked away from his vessel, Ozelon scanned the horizon for approaching ships, and watched the ground for any creatures he might unintentionally disturb. Creatures who thrived in this type of climate tended to be small, but extremely poisonous. And if there were any
large creatures, they were probably hungry all the time. A Therloxian like himself would make a good meal, once the predator spat out all the fur.
As with other adult Therloxians, Ozelon walked upright on two legs and stood about two meters tall. He was covered in dark brown fur interspersed with rings of orange fur. Therloxians
could have white fur with rings of black fur, or orange fur with rings of yellow fur. The contrasting combinations of fur colours was endless, and rarer the combination, the
more attractive you were to other Therloxians.
Ozelon’s attire was chosen to be functional. His waist length dark brown jacket was loose fitting, to allow easy movement, and his beige pants had cargo pockets for weapons and tools.
Therloxians could travel freely throughout the known universe, because they were a peaceful race and weren’t assumed to be a threat. Their race had never launched a war of aggression, and they were sought after as experts in peace keeping and diplomatic negotiations. It didn’t matter if it was a government building on the home planet, or a Therloxian owned company on the other side of the universe, you’d find the same motto everywhere they lived; ‘Peace, Freedom, Progress.’
Ozelon thought about the motto, whispering to himself. “Being nice has its advantages, but it doesn’t make you rich. I like being rich.”
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The Karzonian arrived in a small pod. Ozelon suspected the larger vessel it came from, was hidden among the debris field surrounding the planet. The door opened and Rigzar
stepped out, a laser pistol attached to his belt.
Ozelon couldn’t blame the Karzonian for arriving armed; it wasn’t the kind of place that made you feel at ease. The Karzonian’s military uniform was hidden by flowing, purple robes. Obviously, he didn’t want anyone recording a Karzonian officer arriving on the planet with no apparent purpose. That might raise unwanted questions.
About four meters before he reached Ozelon, Rigzar froze. Zella held a blade to the Karzonian’s throat. Zella was slightly shorter than Ozelon and had white fur interspersed with rings of black fur. Her style of clothing was similar to Ozelon’s, only she was dressed entirely in black.
The Karzonian glanced at Ozelon. “That’s impressive. Your partner moved so quickly, I didn’t have time to react.”
Zella glanced at Ozelon. “I’m not sure we should let the Karzonian live. We could sell the weapon he’s carrying, and the pod, for a decent price. Pure profit, my dear. And since he came alone, no one would even notice. He would simply, be gone.”
The Therloxians were waiting for the Karzonian to say they’d never get away with it, because he was being tracked. He’d promised that no one would follow him. If someone was tracking him, then he’d lied, and he’d pay for it with his life.
Rigzar remained perfectly calm. “It would be very costly to kill me before you hear my offer. Besides, no one lives forever. Whether it’s today or a thousand moon cycles from today it doesn’t matter, as long as I’m obeying the Sacred Laws of Karzon when I die.”
Zella lowered the blade and stepped away from the Karzonian. “Well, he’s definitely one of them; their sacred laws are always the first thing they talk about. No one is more boring to talk to, than a Karzonian.”
Rigzar touched his throat. “I hope you didn’t leave a mark that I’ll have to explain.”
“I either cut through and end your life, or I don’t. I never just leave marks,” Zella replied.
Ozelon held out his hands, the universal gesture indicating he was waiting.
“Do you know how much a Callus scout ship is worth?” the Karzonian asked.
Zella, the female Therloxian pointed her blade at the Karzonian. “Are you trying to get us arrested? Do you know how impossible it is to hide that many credits? We take the job, but an office clerk in some government agency sees the numbers and gets suspicious. We stay out of prison by remaining invisible. Trying to hide that kind of wealth is like starting a firestorm and expecting no one to see the flames.”
As Ozelon listened to the Karzonian, he realized what they were being offered. He looked at Zella. “He’s not talking about giving us the equivalent value in credits. He’s talking about actually giving us a Callus scout ship as payment.”
“Exactly,” confirmed the Karzonian. “And we‘ll provide documentation, proving you acquired it legally.”
Zella let out a shrill whistle.
Ozelon laughed. “Normally, only I can get her to do that!”
“What job could possibly be so dangerous, that you’d make that kind of offer?” Zella asked.
“Do you know of the human colony, on the third planet from the Xoream star?” Rigzar asked.
They call it Caslem,” Ozelon replied. “There’s a lot of debris floating around Caslem,” noted Zella. Ozelon considered the possibilities. “It will be a slow, dangerous approach.”
“It can’t be a slow approach,” replied the Karzonian. “You’ll need to make it to the surface quickly, unnoticed. Fortunately, the Callus scout ship is well armoured and has an advanced plasma shield. If you come in fast, you’ll appear to be a meteor, which isn’t an uncommon occurrence on Caslem. When you’re leaving it won’t be an issue, because all their scanners will be destroyed.”
“The target must be very important, for us to go to all that trouble,” Zella noted. “Is it an ambassador, or some high ranking government official?”
“We’re not offering you a Callus scout ship to kill just one human,” the Karzonian replied. “Your goal is to ensure the humans abandon the colony. We want them off the planet, permanently. I’ll give you a map of all the major targets, where they store their essential supplies like food, medicine, weapons, and communication equipment.”
Ozelon glanced at Zella. “It’s one thing to kill a single target; this time there may be many deaths, including young humans. It’s a colony, they won’t all be adults.”
“We poison targets,” replied Zella, “knowing they won’t die immediately. As the poison starts shutting down their internal organs, they may be operating a land vehicle, or piloting some type of aircraft. Do we hesitate, because bystanders may be killed? Do we let our targets live, because we don’t want to upset their families? If we were like other Therloxians, we wouldn’t be killing for profit, we’d be out there making the universe a better place to live in.”
Ozelon smiled. “Peace. Freedom. Progress.”
“If that bring tears to your eyes,” replied Zella, “you really need a career change.”
Ozelon remained silent for a moment, then turned to the Karzonian. “We’ll get the job done. We always do.”
“Just one more thing,” the Rigzar added.
Zella crossed her arms. “We just agreed to your terms, there’s nothing else to negotiate.”
“There will be an investigation.”
Ozelon glared at the Karzonian. “We don’t do sloppy work. We’re professionals, the best in the business.”
“I’m not suggesting that you’re incompetent,” Rigzar replied. “but human operatives have been establishing contacts in deep space. We aren’t sure how extensive their intelligence network has become, and we don’t want to take any unnecessary chances. The possibility exists, that they know about you.”
“So what?” Zella asked.
“You need a secure alibi, to avoid any unwanted questions. I want you to become our prisoners.”
“Are you insane?” Zella demanded, pointing her blade at the Karzonian.
The Karzonian raised his hands “Let me explain. We have living quarters for regular employees, and contractors, at the Karzonian Central Prison. We list you as prisoners before the attack, and after the attack you stay as our guests. It’s an extra measure to ensure that this situation remains under control. Like I said, I’m just offering you an alibi.”
Ozelon looked at Zella. “Free food. We can use their training facilities to keep in shape, and we’ll have lots of time to....”
“I don’t need to hear any personal details,” Rigzar said.
Zella smiled. “It almost sounds romantic.”
Ozelon smiled back. “Almost.”