"Brother, Is it done?"
The first rays of morning lit the world outside casting the lavishly appointed room in a muted pallet of pastels and grey tones that only hinted at the decadence of the chamber. Floor to ceiling windows looked out on a predawn seascape that was breathtaking.
Thin pink clouds ripped a jagged luminescent line separating the Bellerophon sea and sky. Pail green tufts of grass, trees and carefully landscaped shrubs sat atop hundreds of hovering platforms, Each suspended island was a dark bead against the gentle rippling of the cold blue ocean.
"The crew of this Firefly appears to be as elusive as the ship itself. "
The richly dressed man sat at a table, oblivious to the beauty before him. A glass of coffee occupying his left hand while he operated the vid controls with his right. His voice was tinged with a slight irritation, a combination of worry and exhaustion.
"They are not neutralized?" Now the Minister looked only mildly distressed.
Anthony Loe's demeanor was calm but subdued. In that respect he was quite unlike his twin. Where Anthony was cool, collected and thoughtful, younger brother Douglass was brash, impulsive, ruthless and intuitive. This last quality had served him well in his military career. The other three had made him a feared leader in the Lotus. Douglass was also the picture of health, which had long ago escaped Anthony.
As he surveyed his plans for universal dominion, all mapped out on a chessboard, he could not help but focus on the lone black pawn in the middle of the board. He turned back to the Vidcom, feeling the pulse in his forehead begin to rise.
"They seem to have been prepared for us and proved to be too much for the local chapter to handle."
"Prepared?"
The naval officer also looked equally irritated and appeared to be calling him from the inside of a moving car. The screen jostled and pitched as if it were navigating several quick turns. His brother was obviously struggling to keep an even keel. He finally answered his twin's question.
"They have rebuffed all attempts. Though the chapter is young, they are not inept. I suspect they are more than they seem."
"Who are these people?"
"My records show this vessel is just a small-time trader and smuggler run by some hapless ex-independence fighter, but their actions speak to a different truth."
"Have they contacted anyone?"
"No one of consequence. A fence, a businessman, and a some vendors. I am uploading what I have to you."
"Good. I will use the ministry's restricted resources to find out who these people really are. In the mean time see that they speak to no one."
"I have more bad news, brother. As I terminated the local contract I was scanned. Professional equipment."
The Minister's eyes narrowed. "That was amateur of you brother, do you know by whom?"
"No. But probability leans to Prime Minister Blackwell's men."
"If Blackwell suspected us or had some evidence to back up his suspicions the Firefly would not just be sitting in Persephone. Blackwell would have made a move by now." The well-dressed man pondered his options. "All the same, do everything you can to keep them from leaving."
"They are on Port lock, though I can't say why. It was ordered through commerce."
"Interesting." The Minister was now decidedly intrigued. "There is more going on here than meets the eye, Brother. Jacobs has joined the game."
"I am sending in an elite force to deal with them Brother. Selected from our best from Sihnon."
"Good. You must finish it. I can delay no longer. Jacobs is a smart man as is Blackwell. I cannot give either of them time to adjust. Eliminating these smugglers is the best course."
"Understood."
The minister shut off the Vidcom. Blackwell was not his only opponent, Jacobs was also vying for power, but was this Firefly Blackwell's or Jacobs'? Whose eye was he about to blind? How could he play them off against each other without knowing whose pawn he faced? If he wanted to know this, he would have to strike first.
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