The advisory is expected to continue until 8:43 A.M. Tuesday, at which point 99.4% of the debris field will have passed beyond the border of inhabited space. For more information about the storm’s composition, speed, and schedule, please visit Harmony Station’s official data site.Outspace services will resume as soon as the main debris field has passed the ainniq.
The Guild has announced an immediate investigation into the events leading up to the storm. Guild Director Tye Jericho has been appointed to oversee this effort, and is to be given full cooperation by all station authorities. Anyone with information pertaining to the event is asked to contact him immediately.
Harmony Node renders its sincere apologies to both residents and guests for the recent issue with its communication channels, and offers its assurance that the problem has been permanently resolved. A team of data acquisition specialists headed by Guildmistress Raija Vienna will be overseeing an investigation into the cause of the malfunction.
GUERAN NODE
GUILD DRYDOCK
THE CARGO hold was nearly full.
Ru watched as bots fitted the last few boxes into place with mathematical precision, sliding them into spaces so small that for a moment it seemed unlikely they would fit. But fit they did, and to perfection, leaving not a single inch wasted. When you were packing for a decades-long journey, precision mattered.
She climbed down from the loading ramp, only to find an unexpected visitor standing in the drydock. “Jericho?”
He handed her a large envelope. “I came to deliver your mission assignment, Outrider Gaya.”
“I didn’t know that was part of your job description.”
“It isn’t. I requested it.”
She smiled slightly. “Wanted to see me off for old time’s sake? Or to make sure I actually left, before I destroyed some more Guild property?”
He chuckled softly. “I doubt you’ll be hassled by the Guild, now that the right people understand what the stakes were. The civilian companies that suffered losses during Harmony’s com blackout will be harder to control. But of course, you had nothing to do with that.”
She peered into the envelope.
“It’s for Ceres III, one of Earth’s oldest colonies. Well established by the time Isolation hit, so the odds are good they still have spacefaring technology. There were three waves of settlers, so there may be multiple Hausman Variations. I understand that’s rare.”
She nodded. “Very rare.”
“It’s a thirty-five-year turnaround. That’s long even by outrider standards. Other teams have passed on it. Are you sure you want to do this?”
She smiled slightly. “Downtime wasn’t quite as relaxing as expected. I could use a vacation from my vacation.”
The bots were shutting the hold now, and she glanced their way to make sure seals were being set properly. At the far side of the ship she could see inspectors in no-G coveralls checking the newly repaired hull for any sign of weakness. Almost ready for launch. Soon she could be where no scavenger, guilder, or malevolent computer virus could bother her. Three whole decades of not being bothered. Even though she would be sleeping through most of it, the thought was pleasing. “I’m guessing First Contact will be required.”
“Unless you deem it too dangerous, yes. With that long a turnaround, we need to minimize the number of trips we make.”
“Understood.”
“I understand high-tech colonies are more resistant than most to the thought of mass relocation.”
“If you mean, they’re reluctant to give up their beautiful planet, with its sunsets and snow-capped mountains and shimmering oceans, for an artificial universe that someone else rules . . . yes, they’re sometimes reluctant.”
“There’s beauty in deep space, albeit of a different kind.”
She smiled. “Don’t worry, Jericho. I know how to sell it. So. Are you going to give me an update before I go? I assume that’s what you came here for.”
He nodded. “Dresden’s going down, of course. He’s already been removed from power, though he’ll serve as a nominal figurehead until his replacement is chosen. Can’t let the public guess how badly Guild leadership was corrupted. I suspect in the end he’ll be treated as a victim rather than a perpetrator, and not held responsible for all the damage he caused, but he’ll never be in charge of anything bigger than a transport pod again. His people have all been suspended, pending brainware reviews. A few are squawking, but most are too shaken by the incident to complain.”
She nodded. “Not unexpected, but I’m glad to see it being handled so efficiently. Who’s being considered to replace him?”
“They offered it to me.”
An eyebrow rose. “And?”
“Not being masochistically inclined, I respectfully declined the honor.”
She chuckled.
“Taste of Kawaii is facing bankruptcy. No avoiding that, I suppose. The communications blockade devastated local businesses, and they’re looking for someone to foot the bill. Some channels that had their feed cut are talking about suing the Guild, the station, Kawaii, various hackers, and probably God himself for their losses. I expect it’ll be raining lawsuits for a while. Most of them will probably be dismissed, in light of the fact that not cutting the feed would have caused even more damage, but that’ll take a while to sort out.”
“And the hackers responsible?”
“Apparently there’s only one. He was believed dead for a while, but Vienna’s team has been analyzing the software attack, and they believe he was the one who masterminded the assault. Micah Bello.”
“The one behind the Dragonslayer attack.”
“That charge won’t stick. There’s more than enough evidence that Icelus was behind it. It may take a while to get the charges officially dismissed—justice is slow sometimes—but I have no doubt they will be. I’ll make sure of it. Unfortunately, there’s no way to get the other charges dismissed, since they involve crimes he actually committed. When the Guild finally gets hold of him, he’ll have to answer for them.”
“The fact that he was acting to protect humanity won’t make a difference?”
“It’ll keep him from facing terrorism charges and probably impact his sentencing. But the law can’t afford to overlook crimes on this scale, even if the motive was good. Too dangerous as a precedent.” He paused. “Of course, to do that, first they have to find him.”
“I’m surprised they haven’t yet.”
“The prevailing rumor is that he sought asylum on one of Harmony’s independent stations. After working for Tridac for so long, he probably has a lot of information on its inner workings; I’m sure there are some megacorps who would risk the Guild’s wrath to get hold of that. Whether they’ll turn him in when his usefulness is exhausted is the question. That said, most of the independents don’t have extradition treaties with the Guild, so for as long as he remains useful, he should be safe enough.”