Fear and Loathing in Niiz K

Niiz K star system

Ademar, 3rd planet from the sun. Capital of the Niiz K Corporation

Circa 2,000 years before the Conglomerate invasion

Sebastian Korngold was not the sentimental type. He'd had an abundance of friends in school, but since graduating he never kept track of them. He would try sometimes, but eventually he would just lose touch with them. Same for work colleagues. Once they left, no contact. It's not that he didn't like them. He just eventually gave up trying.

For the last seven years at least of school, one of his best friends was a girl in his class named Akari Kawamoto. She occasionally called him after graduation to keep up, but he never called of his own volition. Even when she entered the upper echelon of politics in Niiz K, he never bothered. When he heard that she had been selected by Presidential hopeful Lincoln Speers as his running mate, he thought to himself “Good for her,” and promptly moved on to another thought. When it was reported that Speers and Kawamoto had won the election over the incumbents, Sebastian didn't even hear about it for several more days. It simply never occurred to him to check on how she was doing.

Until, a few weeks afterward, when she called him.

He didn't recognize the voice at first. It had been 13 years since he had last spoken to her, but soon the infectious enthusiasm triggered the memories.

“So congratulations on the new job,” he said after the awkward pauses and pleasantries had finished. “I certainly never would've guessed the girl who tried cheating off me in Civics class would one day be the authority.”

“Oh my, I don't remember ever doing that. I'm so sorry.”

“I was joking. Anyway, what's up? Why the sudden call?”

She hemmed and hawed for a few moments until Sebastian was able to coax the direct truth out of her. No wonder she made it in politics. She never could get to the point.

“There's a big embassy ball coming up. Representatives from all the nations and fleets coming together.”

“Niiz K is seriously letting all those people come to the capital?”

“No, of course not, it's being held over on the Jaakobah world where we keep all the embassies. But the thing is …” She hemmed and hawed some more. Finally she spat it out. “I had some death threats. People saying some very evil things about me. We know I'm safe as long as I stay on Ademar, but the Jaakobah world doesn't have as much security. It's meant to be fun and inviting to visitors. Clamping down on the security and surveillance there would make people uncomfortable. So I want a team of bodyguards.”

He waited silently for her to continue.

“I want to hire you as a bodyguard. Just for this event.”

Now he replied. “Why me? Doesn't the government provide plenty of guards for you?”

“They do, but they've spent their whole lives on Ademar. And come on, it's so safe there that they haven't had to actually do anything to earn their paychecks for years. But you have experience. I read about how you were one of the guards who protected the Rubik Base from those awful thieves. You were in unfamiliar territory, with unfamiliar attackers, and you managed to keep the data from being stolen. You're skilled, you're adaptable, and that's what I need the entire time I'm on Jaakobah. I'll still have the regular bodyguards, but I need you to scope out the place, devise the plan to protect me, and instruct them. And if stuff goes bad, you're the one I want adjusting to the new circumstances.”

Sebastian thought about this long and hard. He had just gotten out of the hospital after the attempted heist at Rubik Base. He could use the work.

“I'm in. When does this embassy ball happen?”

###

For six weeks Sebastian had a crash course with Akari's bodyguards. He was brought up to speed with the armor they used, the weapons they carried, and strategies they had prepared. All of it was exceptionally better than what he had been issued in his regular police work, and what had been given him by Mara Rubik in defense of the data.

After catching up with that, he went over to Jaakobah, the planet furthest away from their sun. Setting up embassies here was a convenient way to make foreign dignitaries feel welcome, but without letting them actually get into Niiz K space and see the real place themselves. Everything on Jaakobah was a facade, like a formerly luscious tropical island paradise that gets cannibalized by greedy magnates wanting to turn it into a commercial vacation destination. It had one purpose, and one purpose only. To look like the planet people wanted to believe Niiz K was so they could continue doing business with them, without any of those pesky things that might prick at their conscience. And did Jaakobah ever do that well. All buildings were cleaned twice a day. Everything was renewable energy with biodegradable products. All the staff providing the services were smiling constantly. Malcontents were quickly assigned to different responsibilities on different worlds.

All the embassies had been established within close range of each other so the bulk of upkeep could be focused there. In the exact center of this area was an extravagant ballroom. The chandeliers alone could be sold off for enough money to feed a planet for a few months. All pillars were pure marble, both the decorative and the supporting ones. Everything wood was the finest mahogany and polished so thoroughly you could see your reflection in it.

Sebastian could see why Akari had no faith in security here. Three people with standard weapons could easily break in and hold you hostage. The entire building was practically glass. Birds had to die by the dozens every day flying into it. He acquired a blueprint of the structure and set about double checking every facet of it with his own eyes to ensure it was correct and there was nothing left out. Once that was accomplished, he worked on how to secure every entrance and exit, developed multiple escape routes, and planned on how to cover Akari should anyone break in through the frankly absurd number of large glass windows.

###

When the day came, the affluence almost sickened Sebastian. He had been raised among the poorer neighborhoods of Ademar, so seeing politicians flaunting their wealth had always disturbed him.

Everyone was here. Bastion had sent their Prime Administrator Sal Ochoa and their Foreign Ambassador Ilana Sinclair. From Fortuna there was the President and CEO of the cybernetics division Omar Villanueva. Tsukonia had sent Gaetano Croissant, second child of the crown. Emperor Sencara of Shanducha was there with his entourage of personal security.

Even Rumania had sent the Dude and a posse of other “assistants”. Everyone knew Rumania had no form of government beyond the Dude, and therefore the Dude herself had no assistants, nor did they have reason for bothering to attend. However, these Rumanians did know that embassy balls always had great food, so they came for that. Plus, since nobody ever attends their parties anymore, they have to take what they can get.

The food itself was unlike anything Sebastian had ever seen. Each nation sent, along with their dignitaries, samples of their delicacies. Roast duck from Brewtan. Innumerable cocktails from Rumania. One boiled egg from Los Lobos.

Sebastian stopped. Had he gotten here late? Had all the other eggs been taken? He asked a nearby waiter who was attending the food table, and he assured him that the lone boiled egg was all Los Lobos had brought. The staff here at the ballroom considered trying to cut it up into enough pieces for everyone to have a share, but realized that would be futility. They had also considered the possibility that, this being Los Lobos, perhaps it was a trap and they would simply kill the first person to touch it.

In truth, the dignitaries from Los Lobos were angry that no one had touched the egg yet, viewing this as a personal slight against them. They resolved at the next embassy ball they wouldn't put forth all the effort of boiling an egg if no one was going to appreciate it.

Throughout the entire night, Sebastian kept his eye on Akari. She was the perfect politician. She seemed genuinely overjoyed with the company and very interested in what each individual had to say, despite the fact that behind her eyes, she had never been so terrified in all her life. He resolved more so than ever he would not let anything bad happen to her, not even so much as a tear in her snow white evening gown. If she was going to trust him, he was not going to let her down.

After making the rounds innumerable times, he was satisfied that there was no one here that hadn't been invited. Dignitaries, security, and the wait staff was it for attendees.

He quickly became uneasy again. He hadn't personally reviewed the wait staff. Pulling aside one of the other bodyguards, he instructed her to keep her eyes peeled on Akari no matter what, and he departed for the kitchen. Without bothering to announce himself, he searched it just as he had done three times earlier that day. This time however, something was new. Tucked into a metal cabinet at the back of the room. He quickly examined it and determined it was an explosive. He had never seen this type before, but it was impossible to deny. Someone had put it here after the last inspection. The wait staff was compromised.

Standing bolt upright he pulled his firearm and corralled everyone in the kitchen into one corner and called for backup. Once more guards arrived, he placed them under strict orders to shoot whoever moved. He ran back into the ballroom. A quick survey told him there were at least seven staff mingling among the crowd. Knowing Niiz K would never accept an uproar at one of their publicized events, he quietly issued orders for the remaining guards to gather up all the staff out there into another corner so they could quietly and peacefully be interrogated. It seemed to go according to plan until he noticed one staff trying to move away from the guards before they reached him. Sebastian moved slowly towards the waiter until he saw what the man was moving towards Akari. Dropping all pretense, he ran at top speed across the floor, knocking a small piece of shrimp from the hands of a Los Lobos ambassador (and therefore nearly caused them to declare war on Niiz K until attorneys managed to talk them out of it), and leapt into the air, tackling the waiter. Opening the waiter's jacket and vest he saw another explosive of similar design and promptly threw him headfirst through the glass window into the lake.

Moments later the lake bubbled up as the explosive force escaped harmlessly from the water. Sebastian turned around and saw the entire room staring at him.

“He, uh,” he offered, trying to find a satisfactory explanation, “he said that the Inaki and Lunette Story didn't deserve to win Best Picture last year.”

The room responded with polite applause and nods in agreement with Sebastian's actions.

###

Having been quite pleased with his performance, Akari Kawamoto asked Sebastian to be her personal bodyguard full time. He eagerly accepted. Being a bodyguard to a beloved figure on the safest planet in the known galaxy? What kind of a maniac wouldn't accept? And for a short while, it seemed like the greatest job he could ever have. Until the business half of Niiz K called. Mila Landa, personal secretary to the CEO, wanted to arrange a meeting between them. He was to drop everything and come immediately.

“You handled yourself very well at the Embassy Ball,” said the CEO, Heinrich Gates. “We were very pleased that Akari Kawamoto is still with us. She is, after all, the most widely supported politician the Niiz K Corporation has ever had. It would be a shame to lose her.”

Sebastian nodded in silent agreement.

Heinrich stared at him solemnly and then laughed. “You know how to handle delicate conversations with ease I see. Say nothing, listen to everything, make no assumptions. That's part of why you're so good at your job.”

Sebastian nodded again.

Heinrich sat back in his chair and continued. “Not a man to mince words. Good. We have an assignment for you. You know of course that before the attack on Akari's life, there were death threats. Those threats made it clear this was part of a plot involving more than the one man you successfully threw out before he blew himself up.” He leaned forward and looked directly into Sebastian's eyes. “My private security force have located the others. Three of them. They're hiding out on Salma.”

Sebastian knew it. It was the most inhospitable planet in their star system, placed directly between Jaakobah and the sun.

“We need you to go there and take care of them.”

Sebastian finally spoke up. “Why me and not the police?”

“Because the police would have to arrest them. That is precisely what we do not want. As I said, these people must be taken care of. No muss. No fuss.”

He fidgeted a little in his chair. “But what about,” he paused as he searched for the phrase. “Due process? What about that? Why execute them immediately instead of a fair trial?”

“Simple. Trials provide publicity. And if these three have any wild accusations they wanted to make, a trial would be exactly what they need to spread these crazy ideas. We recognize the need to protect our citizens from any of this terrorist propaganda.”

Sebastian continued to fidget in his chair. “Well, if it's in the best interests of the nation...”

“It most certainly is,” replied Heinrich, a grin spreading wide across his face.

###

The next morning he was on Salma. Gates' private security force provided him with the suspected address of the three individuals. He opted to stake it out for a few days to determine exactly what he was up against. It became clear these people were afraid. They knew someone was watching them, and took what seemed like every possible precaution. Unfortunately for them, Sebastian was better at seeking than they were at hiding.

Once he had their schedule down pat, he worked out a simple plan. Wait until they're all in the building together, eating a meal around the same table, and then kick in the door. It was weak. One volley of shots should at the very least incapacitate them all, allowing him to be slow and methodical about finishing them all off.

The first phase of his plan went off without a hitch. Door kicked in, and volley of shots that injured each one of them and left him with the upper hand. He was just about to deliver the execution when a nagging question finally came blurting out of his mouth.

“Why Akari?” he asked.

The three terrorists looked back at him with a mix of pity and disgust. “You can't be serious ...”

“I am, so answer the question! President Speers was there too. He has more power than Akari. So does Heinrich Gates. Why go for the third ranked person if you wanted to accomplish anything?”

“Because,” one of them began, gritting their teeth through the pain, “she's popular. She's innocent. She's probably incorruptible. If anything happened to Speers or Gates, they would just be replaced and people would move on. But Kawamoto would be missed. There would be an uproar. Instead of shrugging off her death and getting on with life, the masses would look into it. And the more they dig, the more they'll see the corruption.”

“What corruption?”

The wounded man was slowly bubbling up to a fever pitch. “What corruption? Are you blind? The Niiz K Corporation is the textbook definition of corruption! They installed two easily manipulated puppet presidents to try to distract everyone from seeing the problems! Almost all citizens outside of the rich zones are suffering oppression! Why do you think so many people are fleeing and seeking life in different star systems?”

“People aren't fleeing. I don't know of a single case of someone fleeing Niiz K.”

“Didn't you ever have neighbors you lost track of? Friends? Ask yourself, really ask yourself. What happened to them?”

He shrugged. “They moved. Life happens.”

The angry wounded man tried calming down, and drawing an inward breath he replied “When you get back home, try it. Try looking some of them up. See if you can find anything on them in the records. I guarantee you won't.”

Sebastian's hand began shaking ever so slightly. The angry man saw this. He decided to capitalize on this apparent moment of weakness.

“Look, we haven't done anything to you. Why not let us go? We'll get a ship and sneak out of the Niiz K system and never look back. You can tell your boss you vaporized us or something. He'll be happy, you'll get paid, everybody wins. What do you say?”

Sebastian thought long and hard about this. He lowered his gun. He raised it back up. His hand wavered. He snapped off the safety and moved his finger onto the trigger.

###

“Success?” asked Mila Landa over the com as he returned to Ademar.

“Yep. You'll never have to worry about seeing those three again.”

He hung up and rested his head against the window of the shuttle, his gaze drifting over the wormhole on the extreme edge of their solar system. He rarely took time to look at it and appreciate how beautiful it was. Gradually the gentle hum and vibration of the ship got to him and he started to fall asleep. What a day.

###

Upon arriving home, he tried remembering the name of the boy his age that lived next door when he was a child. They spent a lot of time playing together. One day he came home and the family was gone. He always assumed they'd moved. What was the boy's name? Gordon. Gideon? No, definitely Gordon. He couldn't remember the last name, so he just found the student registry from his elementary school. No Gordons recorded during his time there. Maybe it was Gideon? Nope, none of them either. Maybe he's remembering the name wrong. That must be it.

Then he thought about the girl he had a crush on in middle school. Halfway through the school year she vanished. Her father had probably gotten a job transfer. That was about the time the interstellar highway project began. Lots of people were getting transferred over to work on that. What was the girl's name? Peggy? Paige? Ah, there was a Paige in the school registrar. But the picture didn't look like her. He was probably just remembering her wrong.

###

He had worked for Akari Kawamoto for just two months, but was frankly shocked at how many times Heinrich Gates (or more often, the secretary Mila Landa) recruited him for another private assignment. He was always strictly forbidden from sharing info about it with anyone, Akari included. These jobs usually involved roughing up or otherwise silencing someone in some way. Finally he had had enough.

“I cannot keep doing these jobs for you,” he told CEO Gates. “I am not a hitman. I am a bodyguard. My job is to protect Akari and that's it.”

“No, actually,” retorted Heinrich. “Your job is to do what I tell you to do. I am your employer after all. Akari may think you're hers, but do a little research into where your paycheck comes from.”

“But I reiterate, I am a bodyguard. I did not get into this work to harm anyone.”

Heinrich stared at him coldly. “You're a man who does not mince words. So let me not mince mine. You will do exactly as I tell you whenever I tell you. Frankly put, you have no other option. What are your skills? What are you actually good at? You were a policeman, a security officer, and a bodyguard. The only things you're capable of doing involve bringing harm to people.” Heinrich stood suddenly and began slowly pacing around Sebastian and the desk. “So with that in mind … imagine a world where I am not happy with you. It would be so, so, so very simple for me to ensure nobody hires you for anything ever again. You will go into poverty for the rest of your life. And if you even think of speaking about this to anyone outside of this room, I can summon all the military might of Niiz K plus a few of our allies to come after you and break you like the little insect you are. Do you understand me?”

Sebastian stared at the floor and nodded gingerly.

“Good,” he replied, the pace of his footsteps slowing. He leaned in towards Sebastian. “Now imagine a world where I am happy with you. You gladly do the things I tell you to. You are paid well. Even better than you are now. You move out of your apartment into a penthouse in the Mitra Towers complex. You have servants who wait on you hand and foot. Your close companionship with the upper echelons of Niiz K society bring you into government work, and soon you're one of the most powerful men in the galaxy. And that giggly little sideways glance Akari keeps throwing your way when she thinks no one is looking gets acted on and blossoms into something beautiful. Now, which of these two worlds seems better to you?”

Sebastian didn't respond. He merely looked into Heinrich's eyes and nodded again solemnly, then returned his gaze to the floor. Heinrich smiled widely again.

“Marvelous,” Gates responded, returning to his luxuriant leather chair. “We're happy to have you back on board. As a token of appreciation,” he reached under the desk to grab something, “have a bottle of Emperor Ian's Premium Whiskey. Yes, it's technically illegal everywhere, but there are an abundance of perks to wealth and power. As you will soon see for yourself.”

Sebastian reluctantly accepted it, remaining otherwise still and silent.

Heinrich continued “You know what, this has been a trying day for you. Why don't you go home, and tomorrow I'll give you the details about the job I called you in for today?”

Without a word he gestured to have Sebastian removed from the office.

For his part, Sebastian returned home as he was told, and immediately began packing a bag. Ships left this system twice a day. It wasn't suspicious to leave as long as it wasn't a one way ticket.

###

Vanessa Cuaron sat behind the desk in her office. She was bored and couldn't be happier about that. Life had been hectic recently, and she was hoping things would finally quiet down. She had a puzzle book laid out on her desk and was idly fiddling with it, barely even paying attention. The phone hadn't rang in three days, and she hoped it stayed that way.

The phone immediately rang.

With great apathy she picked it up and didn't bother saying hello. Maybe the other end would hang up.

“Hello?” shouted the speaker. “Is this Vanessa Cuaron?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “And what can I do for you today?”

“I, uh, have to be fast. My name is Samantha Korngold. I'm calling from the Niiz K system.”

“Oh really?” Vanessa asked, inspecting her nails. One was chipped. She would have to address that soon. “This must be an expensive call to make.”

“The expense doesn't … oh, look, this is a dangerous call for me to make so please listen.”

This got Vanessa's attention. She pushed aside everything that was distracting her and gave the phone call her full attention.

“My brother Sebastian has gone missing,” the voice continued. “I need to know what happened. Officials aren't doing anything about it. I don't know why. Please look into it.”

“I'll try, but I can't promise anything. In its entire history Niiz K has never filed a Missing Persons report. It's notoriously tricky to try to address from the outside, and probably dangerous from the inside.”

“Please try. If you could just - ”

Vanessa sat listening for nearly a minute. The call had completely cut out. She was about to hang up when another click came, followed by a man's voice. “Hello. I apologize for the prank call you just received. The instigator has been apprehended and will be dealt with promptly.”

“It didn't sound like a prank to me. She sounded genuinely concerned about her brother.”

“What was the name of the brother?”

She groaned inwardly. She knew exactly what was coming. “His name was Sebastian Korngold. Her name was Samantha.”

“Our records have no indication of a Sebastian Korngold ever existing. Nor a Samantha Korngold. It must have been a prank call. Who am I speaking to right now?”

“Uh,” she replied, unsure how much to commit to this conversation. “Nobody important. Probably just a wrong number.”

The other end was stone silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. “We apologize for the inconvenience. Goodbye.”

And with that, the phone went dead.

###

Sebastian made a beeline from the Niiz K star system to the neutral zone, the central solar system inhabited by Rumania. It was a perfect place to hide out for a while. Travel to anywhere else required ID, and Niiz K would probably be wiping all trace of his existence, thus making his ID invalid. Rumania however, didn't care. Everyone was welcome there. And it was a perfectly believable story to claim he had an ID but had lost it at a party in Rumania. Everybody would believe that. It would still be difficult starting over without it, but at least that story would alleviate some of the suspicion.

He stood in the immigration line. For the purposes of putting the more uptight nations at ease, Rumania had instituted what looked like Customs. They would even have you fill out paperwork with your travel information, but everyone knew it was a front. They kept no records long term, rather, they burnt all the forms every night over a bon fire, usually one attended by the passengers who had traveled in that day.

But hey, at least they were trying.

As Sebastian came up next, the pretty young woman looked him over, said a greeting, and asked him for his name so she could fill out the form. He rolled his eyes, and she saw and laughed as they had a mutual understanding of how ridiculous and obviously fake the entire procession was.

“But really, I am supposed to put a name down,” she reminded him.

He shrugged and said “Whatever. John Smith.”

End