Cold Call - [Sibby-verse 1]

2

I lean back into my chair, causing it to recline a bit, deep thoughts. I shrugged off Sauce's warning...it would be easy for Command to disavow us if it did go left. I don't know that we would be able to protect ourselves due to our life stats...NO ONE'S to know we're moving this stuff off Earth to New Gaia. We don't know the official reason, just run these routes with your mouths shut. Follow orders.

After all – the key staff a-ship are technically dead.

Along with moving cargo off-boards, to remain off all and any scanners, we don't file flights or log courses. Dangerous? Yes – that elevates the odds of running into an unexpected object in your pathway – traffic, ship or whatever else, star-charts are constantly updated for a very good reason. We do take extra care in plotting our courses which typically takes us out further than necessary to avoid any accidents. You can't have just any ol' pilot running these uncharted routes either – well experienced or talented kissers capable of carrying their weight.

This is not the first or last time The Capitalist will run this route either. We do this about every three to four weeks with a month off in between. Did I think this was odd when we started doing this op about ten months ago? Yes. But hey, orders are orders and most folks I know are apt to rebel against EarthSol anyway poss. What does New Gaia need with unmanifested cargo? Well, you can't be humanity's new base in deep space without the goods to support the peeps long-term!

The real question is how come EarthSol hasn't questioned all of this cargo we've been moving? Maybe they don't care?

The next question burning my brain is the nature of whatever Eds isn't following orders on that would also cause his loyalty to be questioned? That's intriguing. Eds prides himself on always following the rules, orders, directions, instructions – whatever. He's beyond 'by the book', he IS the book and far be it of anyone to question him on being wrong or shady! You can count on him to be orderly, doing the expected and reliable – if it suits him, that is. He does have an agenda. He's the most sanctimonious, falsely pious, holier than thou individual I've ever known and thoroughly annoying. We clash all the time.

And he's involved in shenanigans?!

Do tell.

I need to get in on these clips so that I can have something to hold over his head, blackmail him with and maybe, just maybe extract some favors out of him! I'm all too eager to get to the bottom of this but I can't tip him off though – I'll have to be careful. And right now, I've got nothing but time!

Not only am I the mainhelm pilot, I'm also the CMO and XO and while I'm still in privacy mode on deeplink, I decide first to use my auth to have the comp-sys review the comm-logs for any further unsecured comm between Farley and Eds. I also pull up Lito's logs to see what he's seen and so far, doesn't look like he's routed any comm for them.

Looks like Eds and Farley started communicating ten months ago. Not a coincidence, I'm sure. That's when we got these ops. Sadly, this comm is all secured. I can open it, but it'll alert Eds. I then have the comp-sys run a private and secure deeplink keyword correlation search for talent recruitment, The Gaian, EarthSol, The Capitalist, cargo – should be innocent enough, hopefully.

Meanwhile, looks like the comm between Eds and Farley increased in volume, daily, about three weeks ago. He's got three urgent priority comms from Command with one unread. Interesting.

I knew this op was off-books, not surprising with the nature of what we're out here doing. Nobody runs routes like this while dodging stations to land on The Gaian. But without auth from Command? Who exactly auth'ed or ordered these ops?

Just when I'm considering diving in and running the risk of opening Eds' comms – along with how to justify my actions – my comm-board alerts I have an urgent message posted in my loop-link from my best friend GoSo. I check it out, curious, and all it says is "Checkmate." While staring at this post wondering what GoSo means by that, the post throws me an enter prompt that I nod to accept. It then accesses my internal comp-sys we call The Eye, surprising, through his crypts board. Unusual.

                "Jay! Long time no see!" he exclaims excitedly.

I just talked to him yesterday. My scanner turns right on.

                "GoSo! I know, sorry 'bout that bro."
               "I know! Gotcha Rim-babe, I understand. Wish I had one!"
                I laugh. "Well...that can be arranged."
                GoSo laughs also. "Look, got some clips for ya. I see you're still in Sol's Edge and your line's secured. Turn on your crypt!"
               "Yes!" I say, giddy, taking his cue while launching my crypts board while willing on my Eye's encryption. We visually enter a comm-node together with 10D encryption, that should be nearly impossible to crack, that sends a chill down my spine. "Our ops are s'posed to be off-boards!" I say once the final encryption key locks in, surprised he knows our general location.
               "Yeah well, we're all on these so-called off-boards ops, Front Units that is. Listen. I don't have all the details yet but The Gaian is burning us and Units 8 and 9 are KIA, Units 7 and 10 are MIA by way of a cold call home from Command, according to Deeps."
               "What?!" I exclaim, incredulously.
               "Like I said, don't have all the clips but I trust Deeps,"
               "I mean, cold calls are bad but usually mean you're getting benched." My feet are chilling off even more than they were.
               "Well, Deeps said this call is to show up home to get iced. It only says, according to him, 'Come home' with some co'ords behind New Gaia, unsigned with Command's tagline."
                 A cold cringe hits my gut. Again. "I've heard of those – the cold call that's a kill order. That's abso' correct. I wonder why?  What did we do?"
               "If Gaian burning us, some-else must've gone left. I don't know but Deeps said the Revolution is on, not a drill. If you wanna spend time with Sauce and reconnect, y'all better not answer that call.
        We're heading earthwards with new Eye sigs and running with Four. They fig' the closer to EarthSol, the safer. I just snapshot you the sigs and the comm-node we're using to stay up to date."
               "Wha...why?"
               "Maybe we'll find out soon, but you have got to get outta there and don't answer that call!" GoSo insists with unusual urgency.

I believe him. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't.

               "Alright, alright – I'm true-on. Listen to this, I'm sitting comm-boards and a Colonel Farley sent Eds an unsecure message saying our ops aren't auth'ed and basically, he better play game or else."
                 GoSo whistles. "Well... this just gets deeper and deeper. Unauth'ed ops?! And Eds not playing game? Sounds like Eds actually, you know 'em better than I do but he's gonna answer that cold call for the opt to speak truth to power but its gonna getcha iced.
Looks like we just gotta firm on Units Eight and Nine being KIA, Units Seven and Ten are MIA. Six and Five just got hit. It's only y'all and One out here intact right now and we're runnin'.
       Jay, look, this is a life-or-death matter, it's imperative you act, do anything you gotta do and keep Sauce safe." I nod in sheer disbelief. "Try to keep us posted on that 'node. I don't know that we could help but I'll do everything in my power if I can."
               "Got it. Thanks for this."
               "Stay alive Jay, out."