-(???)-

Assurian space, System Gondol, Planet Vanir 1, Year 457 of the Unified Alliance

I watched the planet turn with tranquility on itself, it was a pink orb with a lot of green forests, plains and mountains and purple oceans. Vanir was composed of 75% water and possessed one single supercontinent. It looked like a pink diamond in the void of space. The scanners on my gauntlet computer showed the cities, in the air and underwater. I switched to the tactical HUD and the important installations of the planet were highlighted in red on the planet. Other agents entered the hangar bay and signaled that they were ready by putting themselves at attention behind me, I turned and saluted them with a fist on my chest.

“At ease.”

And the Centurions relaxed in an ‘at rest’ pose, I looked at each of them. They were all helmeted and armored in black ops armor. Able to use camouflage, it masked the energy and heat signatures of the wearer and as a bonus, it is also climate controlled. The armor can resist most kinetic forces and energy weapons within reason. Better than what the other Human governments have, the so-called cyber armors. What’s more the armor boost the nanites enhanced bodies of the Centurion wearing it, allowing him or her to be stronger, faster, and more resilient. The AI also controls most of its functions. The centurion black ops armor was designed for it to be easy to move in and for protection, that it was less bulky and lighter than the standard Centurion armor made it appreciated by the Vice Intelligence Unit. It is also designed for infiltration and… assassination. I turned toward my temporary subordinates and spoke.

“Greeting Ladies and not so Gentlemen, I am Agent Eleven.”

“We have been loaned to her ladyship Idunn and as most of you guessed, it has been categorized to be a seek and destroy mission. The targets-” My AI took command of the holo-projector in the drop bay and two blue colored windows shimmered between me and the ten Agents. “The house of Lyss and its vassal house Dren, or more precisely their patriarch and matriarch are to be captured for interrogation and executions, other members of the families are to be killed on sight.”

Tornald Lyss is a member of the Assurian science council, he looked like a middle-aged man of European ancestry with a Greek nose thin lips and piercing golden gaze, the white of his hair gave him the false aura of a wizened man having weathered storms and hurricane. But appearances can be misleading. From his file provided by Director Idunn herself, he dabbles in unethical bio-engineering experiments, in traffic of sentient beings, there are even words of an underground slavery ring on some Assurian colony. But our mission isn’t about the dismantling of any organization he is linked to AKA, not our job. The portrait and biometrics of a petite and voluptuous woman appeared next; like all Assurian she had white hair and gold eyes, but the line of her soft face and impish grin gave her the look of a mischievous young woman. Like I said earlier, appearances are misleading and true in the case of the Assurian race. Brigid Dren, the Matriarch of the scientific family geared toward weapons and shipbuilding. She is used to stealing technological secrets, accused of industrial espionage and creating most taboo weapons in the Alliance. At the end when we are going to be finished with them, Idunn will certainly steal everything they are worth. She strikes me as an opportunistic being. From the file Idunn gave us, those two are responsible for her banishment from Assurian space and had attempted to kidnap and imprison her just-born daughter.

“Question? Anyone?” I asked.

Ready to answer anyone in my helmeted head, I perused at each of the Agents, they seemed inscrutable by their immobile at ease posture and silence. I then pushed a button on my computerized gauntlet and the wall separating us from the insertion vehicles raised. The AIV or Atmosphere Insertion Vehicle is a black and sleek transport akin to a drop ship in a triangular form, the hull is made of Neutronium, it also possesses sub-light propulsion in its nacelles at the end of the ship, impulse Ion reactors for atmospheric operations. It’s an armed transport for troops and extraction under heavy fire. Equipped with particle turrets and two missile launchers, AIVs are fast and deadly assets. The rear end deployment door of the transport opened and I signaled my subordinate to enter by signaling them with my arms. They all hurried to enter the AIV with their pack on their back, mine was already inside. I entered the transport, the Agents seating in their designated seats and being sucked in them, cocooned in their Anti-Gravity safety net. My seat was near the cockpit, it’s to be available for the senior flight officer and discuss strategy and give orders. The Ship operator contacted us when we were finally in place, the AIV locked down tight and the pilot cautioned us to stay in our seats. The feminine and no-nonsense voice of the operator resonated from the speakers of the dropship.

“Ion Drive online.”

I and the Agents literally felt when the electric energy suffused the boarding ramp of the catapult deck.

“Moving AIV Cataphract on catapult deck.”

I felt the AIV move in the loading bay; my AI, Sasha was showing me the whole procedure on a diagram via holo-screen before my eyes.

“Cataphract has arrived on the catapult deck.” The pilot confirmed.

“Increasing linear catapult voltage from 230 to 520.” The operator informed us.

I could also see on my HUD the calculation of the ship AI did to ease our entry into the atmosphere of Vanir. We will look like a meteorite to the instruments of the Assurian’s sensors.

“Cataphract stabilized in the linear field.”

“Launch preparation complete.”

“Transferring timing control to Cataphract.”

“I have control.”The pilot declared on com.

“Cataphract, commencing operation.”

***

Approaching the planet was going to be easy, but it’s the entering the atmosphere without being detected that’s going to be a real bitch. The pilot and the onboard AI crunched numbers and came to the conclusion that the only way to avoid detection would be to mimic the atmosphere drag of a meteor in the planet mesosphere and subsequent layers. After 10 minutes of calculation, the AI gave us the answer to our dilemma and the pilot did his job. On the computer nav-screen, I could see that we had already made a turn around Vanir and decelerated at Mach 5 while entering the atmosphere. The blaze around the ship could not be felt because of the force field around the craft; by looking the helmeted face of the Agents in their seat, I wasn’t the only one bothered by the turbulence.

***

-(Woden Son)-

I watched the craft enter the atmosphere like a furious meteor, the sonic boom thunderously signaling their entry. Just like in the time streams, I saw the result of shooting it down in the future. Political upheavals, embargo and then war. A war that we are going to lose even with all the military might and scientific knowledge of the Assurian council. Focusing on the time streams, I go back to the moment when this event was put in motion. The moment when ‘Idunn Jahegen’ was exiled because she birthed a hybrid daughter and wanted to escape from the fate of her family marrying her off. Our past is coming to haunt us, this is why I took control of the council. To stop the events that would lead to our destruction. And excommunicated the two who caused it. I smiled while remembering the face of those two snakes when I showed them the result of their action, they now quake in fear in their bunker.

From the vantage point of my tower, watching fate work her unavoidable march and dictating me difficult choices proves to me that we are just insects to her, bare specks on the gameboard of the universe. Crossing my legs I waited for the call that will set in motion a different path, a new uncertain future for my fellow Assurians. Right on time, my Holo-com rang, sighing I accepted the communication. The image of a young and gorgeous Assurian woman came on screen, I recognized her. Her soft and pleasing face, those smooth like white long hair… she was the most sought-after young female twenty-six years ago and also a never seen before genius; she still is. I understand that some in the council felt threatened by her and decided to exile her and strip her of her name at the first infraction but now we are in this situation… I should have been more vocal about not permitting this. Insight, how useless can you be? Why are some people’s streams obfuscated to me? I wish I could study this gift more in depth, but having it done by the professional will let them know how to circumvent it and I am not willing to lose my advantage.

“Greeting, First Seat Woden Son,” Idunn said with her mellifluous voice.

“Greeting, Idunn.” Smiling I looked at her, interested by this fine model of Assurian femininity.

“It is nice to see you after all this time, how ha…” I tried to say

But the young Assurian cut me.

“Unfortunately, I am not here to exchange platitudes First Seat.”

“For too long, you have been sheltering sniks*(scally venomous lizard from Assuria the Homeworld) to your breast, I have come to smoke them out. My employer unearthed their plot against one of their assets and decided to take them off your hands.”

“Oh.”

“Dren and Lyss, I want them.” She demanded.

She must know that it is them who kicked her out of Assurian space, but… they must have been doing more shenanigans if they tried to mess with the most powerful corporation in the Alliance. I know that they have been at war with… My gaze fell on Idunn. Oh, I see, they just didn’t want to leave her alone and eliminate her. And the asset Idunn is speaking about must be her. The fact that she is important enough to command or direct an assault team in another sovereign space should tell me that she is important. Once again I lamented about how what a bad move of letting go of the smartest person of my race was.

I hated politics.

Deciding to be conciliatory about this whole affair and sacrifice those two bad apples for the good of all.

“Yes, I can have them brought to…”

“You didn’t understand me, I want their family lines extinguished.”

And here it is, the ugly choice I have seen in my vision. Well, not everything; some details were obscured. Idunn leaned forward, her delicate face showing a mirthful smile.

“It is not even a difficult choice, First Seat. After all, I was exiled for experimenting on myself and another sentient.”

My holo-com rang again, a data transfer was enacted from Idunn side, and I accepted it. My AI extracted the files from their compressed state and my fast perusing of them shocked me.

“So it should not be impossible for those two traitorous families to be culled from the gene pool.” Idunn continued.

Assurian traffic, murders, selling state secrets, withholding technology, corruption; a lot of other offenses and crimes were listed. Vids, documents, and evidence scrolled down on my computer holo-screen. The name of most of the councilors appeared. It was my turn to lean in my seat and close my eyes. Those are the details I lacked in my vision, now I see. Yes, I do indeed need to proceed with a thorough culling of the entire council.

Idunn’s face softened.

“I heard First Seat. About how I have you to thank when the council and their more vocal members were trying to do more than exile me. I helped you, now I require that you help me. I want to be done with all this and move on for the sake of everyone.” Idunn’s voice was full of exhaustion, it has been twenty-six years.

Twenty-six years since those two hounded her, tried to kill her and at the same time that she inflicted them losses. Losses that took their toll on their prestige, assets, and families. Time and again they let their greed overtake them, manipulated lives, controlled information, innocents have died as they played their games.

I looked at the evidence on the computer, the council no longer is what it stood for; they brought so much pain, spread so many lies, this darkness must end.

It will take time to sort out and validate everything the young Assurian just gave me; I am pleased and reassured by the fact that as the First Seat of the council my computer is safe against tempering. I don’t want anyone to see this and flee or prepare a coup.

The world seems different now, the old rules no longer apply.

“I understand, I can just… just help you by covering up any attacks on your targets. Leave the council to me.” I said unsurely.

Idunn terminated the communication after making a seductive smile; sighing, I began to call my assistants and putting in motion something I cannot believe I thought I would be doing. A culling.

I am certain that everything the young female presented me was true and it meant that things needed to change.

A flash of gold shone through the murkiness of the time streams… and with surprising delight, I smiled.