Amateur Megalomania

Keamanan sat quietly while Captain Procer scanned through the report. His left arm was still stiff, but the bleeding had stopped. The new jacket smelled musty and the collar rubbed against his neck but he resisted the urge to scratch. The spacious office was mostly empty, since the Captain took her austerity as a point of pride. Any material luxuries were confined to the privacy of her personal cabin. Keamanan sat next to Commander Votum, the second-in-command of the entire Ship. They waited quietly while the Captain read through the brief report about the assassination attempt. Keamanan had dictated it to his secretary while he dressed his wound, giving it a quick read on the way here.

While he waited, he passed the time staring at the Planet.

A massive window dominated the far wall of the cabin, practically replacing the entire bulkhead with transparent material. Hovering over the Captain’s shoulder, the brilliant blue crescent of the Planet tore into his eyes with the brilliance of reflected sunlight. Tufts of clouds huddled over the coastal areas, and he could barely make out the contours of rivers flowing over the landmass. They were getting closer everyday.

It was the first Planet Keamanan had ever seen, and he never grew tired of staring at it whenever he had the opportunity. Despite the growing likelihood of violence, he wished Planetfall would come faster.

The Captain interrupted his thoughts by crossing her hands over the small sheet of paper and leaning forward on the desk. “You think this was random?”

He looked at her for a moment before he answered. She was dressed in the crisp, pressed blue jacket of an officer, with her captain’s star gleaming from her tight collar. Her flat black hair, unmarred by gray that would be expected on a woman her age, framed a narrow face with high cheekbones. Even with the normally severe expression she wore while conducting ship’s business, she was quite striking;

“I don’t believe it was part of any coordinated action. They were poorly equipped and not very skilled. I think these three may have been after any target of opportunity, and I just happened to be at the wrong place when they came wandering through. With a little luck, we’ll figure out how they managed to infiltrate.”

Votum spoke up from next to Keamanan, “Your job isn’t about luck, Keamanan. I would expect you to be more precise than that.”

Keamanan looked at Votum out of the corner of his eye. While Votum wore the same insignia as Keamanan, the smaller star of a Commander; he in fact out ranked Keamanan. Votum was a big man, and he seemed uncomfortable in the metal chair. Keamanan looked at his square-jaw and bright blue eyes, and again was surprised that such an abrasive man could have such a friendly face. “Forgive me for assuming you would be familiar with a figure of speech.”

“Stop,” said Captain Procer, cutting off another argument between the two men. She looked down at the paper again, pushing her hair back from her face as she studied the report.

“Why was Morium with you?” Procer looked up from the paper and seemed to peer into his soul. Keamanan knew it was coming, but he still felt unprepared under her glare. Procer had been remarkably tolerant about his dealings with Morium, but he knew this one might have been too much.

“Rumor control. The Culpable think we’re doing this because we can, not because we need to. I wanted to show Morium the situation firsthand, so she can address the rumors. There were no secrets revealed.” Keamanan stared back at the cold eyes, knowing that she had already drawn her own conclusions. All he could do was wait for her to speak

“Do you think she was involved?”

Keamanan continued staring at her stern face. Does she know about Morium and Resnig? He hesitated a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking. “I don’t believe Morium was connected to the attack. I can’t imagine her conspiring to kill me.” He ignored a snort from Votum. “She understands her place here.”

Procer waited for Keamanan to continue. When he didn’t, she looked at Votum and back at Keamanan before speaking. “Does she? I’m not sure her loyalties are known. Why do you trust her?”

Keamanan swallowed before speaking. “Morium understands they need us. She may not like it, but she’s smart enough to see how things are.”

“Does she oppose the Compact?” said Procer.

Keamanan nodded, “I think she recognizes the Compact as a threat to everyone. She wants change, not anarchy.”

“Still, the timing of the attack…” Procer trailed off as she continued to read the report. “Trogen is leading the investigation?”

“Yes ma’am.”

She pushed the report aside. “What are you doing to prepare for Planetfall?”

Keamanan shifted in his seat, “We’ve been gaming all of the scenarios I sent you a few months ago: rioting, assassinations, breach of the Red Line, organized revolt and so on. We’re able to handle the things we can anticipate. Of course, I’m more concerned about what we can’t predict.”

“In your opinion, could Trogen run your unit on his own?”

Keamanan didn’t hesitate, “He wouldn’t be working for me if I thought he couldn’t handle it. I have a capable second in command.” Keamanan couldn’t resist glancing at Votum.

Captain Procer spoke quickly, but Keamanan could see the hint of a smile on her stern face,”Excellent. I want you on one of the landing teams when they go down.” Procer picked up a pen and made a note on the large pad in front of her.

“Thank you ma’am.” Inside, Keamanan struggled to keep his composure. Procer asked, “What’s the latest on Resnig Hanto?”

Keamanan pushed aside the euphoria and returned to the meeting. “We know he is preparing something. Planetfall is an opportunity for him, but I expect him to hold off until a decision is made about staying or moving on. He’s shrewd enough to know most of the Culpable aren’t with him. Until we know the outcome of our survey, he can’t expect much support.”

A knock at the door interrupted him. Procer responded instantly, raising her voice. “Come.”

The door opened and an Ensign stepped into the office. “Excuse me, ma’am. I have an urgent message for Commander Keamanan.” The Ensign waited until Procer waved him over.

Keamanan took the folded slip of paper and scanned the message. A familiar wave of disgust washed over him. “There’s been a bombing. One of the checkpoints on Hydroponics three. Six dead so far.” Keamanan stood and handed the note to Procer.

Procer accepted the note but didn’t look at it. “You’re dismissed, of course.” She didn’t have to say anything else. Keamanan would have a detailed report for her as soon as possible.

Keamanan hesitated just long enough to take another look at the Planet. It represented their greatest hopes, but at the same time, its presence could destroy them all. He took a deep breath and turned to go, already thinking about possible reprisals for the bombing.

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