Breach

fiction by michael werneburg

2002.07.26

"Caofsh! Do we have any video coverage? I want to see them."

She noted the Prince's sudden intensity with some surprise. She brought up a display on one of the smaller consoles. It showed a group of aliens, banging around in a fashion that had a loose rhythm. They were very similar to humans in appearance, though their skin had a covering of fine hair and their eyes were limpid like those of a deer and set too far apart. The foreheads were sloped back instead of tall like a human's. Their ears were too small. But they were clearly humanoid.

"I’ve heard of this game," the Prince said, and a new look appeared on his face. The concern was gone and one of interest had appeared. "They're playing a game called ‘strife’. You've ever wagered on strife?"

"I've never heard of these people before, your Highness. Nor watched their broadcasts before today. Regardless, I may remind your Highness that gambling is forbidden to our sect."

"Forbidden? Oh, you're Oluk. Well, good for you; sometimes I wish it was forbidden to me!" he said with an indulgent chuckle. There was a keen look in his eye, she thought. He stood there, swirling his water container and nodding as if in appreciation of something he was seeing on the screen. No, she realized it wasn't keenness; it was hunger.

She turned away from that look and Hiram caught her eye. He had a stiff countenance, and she knew that he would be chafing that that the cad of a Prince could be making light of their people's Prohibitions.

But then the Prince startled her with a coughing spasm. The two enlisted crewman watched in surprise as he coughed for a full thirty seconds. When it finally stopped, the Prince had tears glistening in his eyes as he struggled to catch his breath. He wiped his eyes with his balled fists and cleared his throat. "Whooo!" he declared, then pivoted and headed for the hatch to the mess, leaving the bridge.

The Ensign gave the Lieutenant a puzzled look.

The Lieutenant leaned across the space between their seats and told the Ensign in the native tongue of their people, «No one likes community service!»

The Ensign raised an eyebrow at her. Their vanquished people lived under the Corporation’s iron rule, and while speaking Oluk wasn't strictly forbidden there were plenty of their people who were cautious about its use.

«What's the matter with the Prince?»

«Get used to it, Ensign. There are countless worlds, each with many kingdoms and fiefdoms. And each of those has Princes or Dukes or the like. The ones who wind up out here are usually in some kind of trouble, and some are given to rash acts when put in command. Now you know why we check the technological level of these new species so carefully. No sense running head-long into a battery of advanced particle beams or hypersonic missiles, no matter how undisciplined the senior officer.»

«It's not right,» the young man hissed. «This is an admirable function. We bring prosperity to the corporate body and ensure the safety of dangerous toxic waste; why do they saddle us with the likes of this man?»

The Lieutenant gave the Ensign a surprised look. "Well, when you finally speak you say a mouthful, don't you!" She leaned forward again and reverted to their people's tongue once more. «It's politically expedient, isn't it? Who knows what this Prince did. But he's embarrassed someone, I'd bet. Perhaps they needed him out of sight for a while, and here we are. You can hardly get more out of sight than us!»

She watched information play across her console. "Oh look, the probes have visually confirmed that a repository has been opened."

The hatch slid open once again, and the Prince returned. He held a couple of biscuits in one hand and a self-sealing coffee container in the other. "So, what's the situation," he said.

Marl told him, "It looks like an alien mining operation found the site of the repository. The probes say the Caofsh originally opened an iron ore mine about five kilometers from a repository site and have now uncovered some of the waste matter. Total volume of waste matter is down oh my; eighty percent!"

"So they're digging into the stuff? God help them."

"And ingesting it."

"Uh, what?"

"It appears to have a narcotic effect on this species. They're taking the waste internally. The stuff is known to have psychoactive effects on a variety of species."

"Yes, yes, everyone knows that. It's a one-way ticket to hell, that stuff. So, you're telling me we've introduced a debilitating narcotic to a space-faring race?" He seemed to mull that over for a moment. "Someone is going to demand an explanation, aren't they."

She nodded. At least the Prince was aware of the scope of the problem. "It's a potentially major breach. The Corporation could be found liable and could lose certain concessions."

"Like what?"

"Like the license to operate the business line."

"I don't suppose you'd care to place a monetary value on the revenues at stake?"

"About a quarter of the firm's total."

The Prince was now paying full attention. "And the repercussions for us, personally?"

"Our fates are the same as those of the corporate entity." It was something that Marl and anyone else in the division would say quite automatically. "Bonuses, layoffs, it all comes down to corporate results."

He gave her a puzzled look. "Oh; you mean your income. Right, of course. But I mean specific outcomes for all three of us."