Chapter 20: Resignation

The Narth representative almost begged the detective to observe more and then asked Alegar and Egiull to tag along.

The human detective had agreed with a friendly nod, and now all of them were sitting in an unmarked Sunblazer patrol flier that was just descending from its high altitude and approached Ms. Baldwin Town. A residential township on the North West region of the Government Continent.

Egill who was no longer a newcomer to Pluribus actually knew next to nothing about the planet and its community. He either spent time in the Assembly Dome or at his very luxurious apartment in the company HQ of Silver Hawk Inc. He had spent time at Sares and of course, went back home to Nilfeheim many times since he took on the mantle of planet representative.

He never had ventured past the Assembly district. His friend Alegar, had similar thoughts and said to Egill as he looked past the transparent side panels of the police flyer.

“You know I haven’t ventured past the Assembly district. Who knew there towns like this on this world.”

The Narth Representative said.”The town was named after famous Med Tech Gloria Baldwin, commonly known as ‘Miss Baldwin’. She pioneered medical treatment for Superlarge Union members, specifically Bandrupo.”

“And you memorized this of GalNet.” Egill said.”You have never been out here either.”

“This is incorrect, friend Egill. “I have not memorized it, I am accessing GalNet now and relay what information I am consuming. I am doing this because, as you so correctly surmised. I have visited only seven locations on this planet: The Assembly Dome, your apartment, Alegar’s residence, the...”

Alegar rolled his pretty eyes, shaded with long black lashes and below shapely eyebrows with a smile and leaned forward partially bypassing the Army Colonel sitting there.”Mr.Decker, what are we doing here?”

While the Maggi Suron landed the flier on a terrace of mostly transparent Duro-Plast. The terrace-like feature circled a grass and trees covered enormous mountain-sized hill, one hill of at least seven similar hills. The old detective answered.”Officers of Pluribus police have just raided the residence of a known member of Freedom for Gore movement.”

They all climbed out of the flyer and followed the Sauronm who approached a similar mostly transparent access tunnel bridge that connected the terrace with the actual hill and provided access to its interior.

Next to their unmarked flier, were six Sunblazer patrol fliers in a deep blue and white color scheme, and stylized image of Utchat on their doors. A Hazar-type flier of the Union Police sporting big white letters reading UP-SRU. The large boxy flier was all black. It’s rear ramp lowered made it obvious the Special Reaction Unit had already been deployed.

Two uniformed police officers, a big Botnaar and a rather small Uril. The smaller being was the first Uril Egill seen. He knew there was a Urilliua representative, but he could not recall ever hearing or seeing their rep interacting.

While he had become somewhat accustomed to the brutish Bootnar, often referred to as this galaxies version of Pertharians. That bald-headed, dwarflike humanoid with bright green skin somehow felt more alien to him than a Shaill.

Alegar leaned close as they followed the officers.”The Urilliua were almost as enigmatic as the Narth. while they are Union members for a very long time. they too invoked Union resolution, 2300-7. One that should be very familiar to you.”

The old Neo Viking nodded. It was a resolution over 2700 old and granted special isolation consideration to a member species. It was nicknamed the “Let us alone” clause.

The Narth chimed in.”I must disagree, friend Alegar. Narth are not mysterious at all, merely not fully understood. Neither do I find the Urilliua mysterious.” The Narth cocked his head.”One comes to the conclusion, Narth does not consider anything mysterious.”

Alegar grinned.”Really?”

Both felt the amusement of their shrouded friend.”Your minds, my friends both of them I find very mysterious.”

The group had reached the two uniformed, by stature and size very different officers. Something that raised no eyebrows on Pluribus or pretty much anywhere within the Union.

The Sauron identified himself to the police officers and said, gesturing over the group. “They are with me, Officer Burkis and Craddoc.”

Narth said while their CITIS were scanned and then passed through the tunnel.”The Urilliua appear alien to you, because like their cousin species the Ariglou, they did not originate in this universe, but have come here from another spatial condition. The Ariglou by accident and the Urilliua on purpose, their other-dimensional origin is not a secret. Both species retained an aspect of this in their appearance that is not accessible to visual sensory organs of this plane, thus many experiences their presence as alien without being able to pinpoint...”

This, to Egill quite interesting explanation, was interrupted as the group passed inside the enormous and now evidently hollow hill.

Many hundreds, perhaps thousand Inverted steps of terrace levels followed the interior of this artificial hill. The cavernous center was open and featured an inverted cone attached to the apex with many sources of warm golden light.

The terraces featured parks, trees, meandering creeks, trees and pond shaped swimming pools.

Alegar said to Egill.”I actually never seen one of these Arcology structures, even though I knew there are many thousands like this all over Pluribus and on other Union worlds.”

They did not have to go too far. The flier platform outside and the access tunnel connecting to this terrace level was not top far from the obvious goal of their trip.

At the wall facing side of the terrace on the other side of slide belt and the Duro Crete path they were on, were housing units of private dwellings. Separated by low fences, small individually styled front lawns and gardens.

One of them clearly stood out, with yellow hard light police barriers. Several police officers in APE suits and the letters SRU on the massive backs of their 2.3 meters tall, four-ton Armored Police Exoframes. While all the other residences had smooth facades with large windows and doors, much of this residence front wall was gone and replaced by a large hole that revealed the two inside levels and much of the interior decoration and appliances. Clear evidence that the SRU unit had used some kind of breaching tech. A crowd of nosy onlookers was held back by more police and a second stage of hard light barriers.

Neither Egill nor Alegar could deny the interesting and fascinating turn of events and their inclusion in this. While grumpy Egill did not want to openly admit it to the Narth or the Saresii that he was quite excited about this and thankful for the inquisitive nature of his Narth friend, he was as impressed as the others of this so plain looking, friendly human.

Egill had met other Immortals and secretly was a member of the Grey Ghosts, Phil Decker at first seemed to have none of the others unexplainable aura that separated them from mere mortals, but Egill had to correct himself. This man who was born on distant Earth, long before Nilfeheim was colonized. Before Terran Humans even knew they weren’t the only sentient species in the universe and he had the same eerie quality, but he was much better in concealing it.

The Army Colonel was close behind Decker. “I truly apologize, Mr.Decker. My Army ways might have tarnished my approach to non-Army individuals. A regrettable approach indeed, my darn pride has stopped me from asking what we are doing here? Have you not shown us with undeniable logic that we are not looking for members of this Terror group?”

Decker had already stepped through the police barrier and turned.”No worries, Colonel. Call me Phil, I know the Army.” He had a sad smile on his face as he said.”I served with the US Army in World War II long before Earth ascended. While the United States and World War two are so far in the past and forgotten by all but a few scholars and relics like me. The Army has changed surprisingly little.”

“You served the Army? I am so...”

“We can catch up on this over a beer and after we are done here. As for your question, I think it will become clear to you very shortly.”

Phil approached a plain cloth police officer, revealed to be as such by a holographic projection of his service badge hovering a few inches before him. The other police detective had to chrome polished skin and wore a similar cut beige coat as Phil.

Since Egill could feel the man’s mind, he was certain it was a Stellaris and not an X101.

The Stellaris greeted Phil with a level of respect Egill had only seen displayed when Union Marines met the Eternal Warrior for the first time.

Alegar said quietly.”Didn’t I tell you? While most of us never heard of him, to Union Police he is a living god.”

Phil pointed at the gaping hole.”Was he dead before you arrived or did he commit suicide as you breached?”

The Stellaris shrugged his shoulders.”We are not sure, but he was beyond reanimation. We still trying to figure out how he got hold of a Megdohrs.”

“Meghdor?” Egill could not help asking. He was aware of the fact they were nothing more than observers.

The old detective did not appear to be annoyed and said.”A parasitic life form, quite similar to Pertharian Brain Leeches. If I am correct, they were found within the spaceship scrap fields of Itheamh. Their actual world of origin has not yet been identified.”

Phil moved past the Stellaris detective, stepped over the knee-high remnant of the wall. He was still very much within speaking distance. “The suspect was male, human about thirty years of age. I think he was a Priv-Drift and probably working as an editor for Cosmic Winds. He was the one renting the flier used?”

The Stellaris nodded.”Yes, Sir. Alvin Dundee. Thirty-One standard years. Native to Worchester, planet and he was the co-owner of Cosmic Winds.”

The Sauron put his sizeable fists against his hips, striking a very human-looking pose.”You had the same information than me. All we knew is what we heard over PD-Comm. A leading member of this Gore Protector group about to be arrested. We arrived with you, seen what you have seen...”

Phil raised his finger.”One moment, I explain later.” To the Stellaris he said.”Jon, do me a favor and give me a copy of the entry scan records to the access doors of this level and scan for non-resident visitors asking to see Mr. Dundee. especially his last visitors, I do not think it was his idea to kiss a Meghdors.”

Phil now said to the Sauron.”Since I am operating on the theory that the Assembly incident was not motivated by terror motives, but efforts had been made to frame the Defenders of Gore. I was certain the real culprits went out of their way to make sure investigators would find all the implicating clues and overlook everything else.”

The Army Colonel lowered his head and said in a quiet tone.”It almost worked too.”

Phil kept smiling.”The real crux of the matter is that law enforcement became so darn sophisticated and advanced that no one really using their eyes and their head anymore. Same with the crooks though, they went out of their way to fool scanners and sensors and whatnot, but overlooked the simple basics.”

He pointed to the not so far distant entrance tunnel. “This is a residential community, access is granted to residents, official services and registered vendors. Visitors and guests must be allowed inside by residents.”

“And this will identify all his accomplices?” The Army Colonel asked.

“That is not what we are looking for. He was visited by his murderer and it had to be the last person. These residential units are privately owned and beyond the financial reach of a reak Gal Drift. There are physical sports trophies on his leisure room shelf. He participated successfully in old fashioned boat rowing, archery, and Badminton. All this points to a very old, very expensive college. These colleges are private, very exclusive. That suggests that he belonged to an old Neo noble family. His last name might be his mothers or a legally assumed name. Some of these privileged kids, especially those who might not be on best terms with their families, often decide to drift for a while. Unlike real Drifts, they don’t really have financial worries. I will explain the rest if you really can’t figure it out. Right now I like to speak to the neighbor next door.”

How he identified the Kilonian behind the police barrier, one of the many beings there as a neighbor was a mystery to Alegar and apparently to the others as well. The Saresii gave Egill a quizzical look.”Don’t tell me you are not impressed.”

“I am, I really am. Because he said what I am saying all the time. People don’t think anymore. I think I know how he deducted the rest and how he knew the Kilonian is a neighbor and not just another spectator.”

--””--

The android that appeared to be a stylish human female. Looking exactly how Clara Schwartz would have looked like if the first daughter of Rex Schwartz would have lived to become a full-grown woman. Clara had been kidnapped and murdered almost 3000 years ago.

In all this time he still grieved, in his own special way. Unable to find an adequate way to express his rage and anger.

Yvonne had begun her existence as Yvonne 1.2. The first one had been a static prototype.

The machine that stalked on five-inch heeled pumps into the office of the richest man in the Galaxy was version 9.9, this version was more than an android, more than a robot. This Yvonne had very little in common with any known Union tech. The tech hidden beneath the smooth baby-soft skin and perfect complexion was far beyond. The level of Technological development realized in that machine had not been seen in the known universe since the fall of the First Empire. During a time when planet Earth was still very young and carried no life except the first versions of primitive bacteria.

Almost 4 billion years ago, when the first sentient species the Nnnth had reached TL 12 and merged with the Arth to reach the next level of existence. This symbiosis destined to become the first trans corporeal entity of this the Prime Reality.

Rex Schwartz leaned back in his executive chair and swiveled it towards the floor to ceiling windows. His office near the very top of SII Needle III, the tallest planet-bound structure of any kind anywhere in the known Universe. His office located at over 660 kilometers above the surface of Omni, planet.

This was not a low orbit station, satellite or tethered object, but a true construct, with a foundation reaching to the very core of this beautiful planet. With a triangular cross-section, at its base each side of this incredible structure measured 330 kilometers tapering to less than 10 meters, giving this tower an elegant needle-like appearance. The engineering and construction was no small feat.

He did not turn as Yvonne served her master a glass of ice-cold milk.

Rex Schwartz did not consume any intoxicating substances including alcohol. He only drank Bovine, Earth sourced milk, water or Orange juice.

He took the glass of the tray, the android held. Without looking at her, he thanked her as he always did. Yvonne could not be anything else but utmost loyal, but she was sentient and Rex treated her this way, always had. He did not take his eyes off the scenery beyond the windows as the local sun rose from behind the planet and bathed the clouds, the continent and the oceans below in a magical shade of gold. It lasted only a few moments, then the light changed to a more brilliant white and a new day had dawned on this side of Onyx planet.