New Edit: Chapter 47: Lights Out

Interlude: Security Threat Analyst
Pierce Siechert was very proud of his job as most SII employees were. SII was by far the largest of the Ultra Corporations having more subsidiaries and business branches than there were stars in the heavens, well maybe not that many but close! He wore an immaculate black Kim Cut business suit made on the outside of finest shiny satin like Archa Silk, but lined with SII- Molecular structured Ultronit scales, feather light and virtually indestructible. The next best thing to a force field and unlike a force field, it could never fail, deactivate or lose power. Union Force Recon Marines' most advanced Arjuna Battle Suits were constructed out of several layers of this material. Of course the Arjuna Battle Suits were developed and produced at SII – Advanced Combat Systems Division.

Pierce could have never afforded such a suit even with his generous salary, but even the lowest janitor working somewhere in a sub-basement was treated like the most valuable employee. Despite the fact trillions of beings worked for this Corporation, no one he knew and certainly not he felt like an unimportant speck. The secret of SII's high employee satisfaction rate were not only the great benefits, but the expressed policy of the administration that everyone was important and treated equally. Actually he did not need such an advanced suit, he was just a Security Threat Analyst at the GalNet Desk Gamma Seven, one of five thousand STA working on this desk alone, but it made him feel special when he rode the Trans Planet Transport tube. His Supervisor simply signed his request form and he got the suit six days later via Inter Corp Mail. He was officially designated a field tester for this suit and even got 160 credits extra for his testing.

He worked in a large open space desk floor. His work space was part of a twelve part circle; each such circle on this floor represented a team. Each team had a Team Color and a name. SII encouraged friendly rivalry like sports, games and such, but also paid for Social nights and events for all desks.

His supervisor sitting on an elevated desk in the middle of the circle was a small, only one meter tall, furry Holdian waved at him and squeaked. "Good morning Pierce." Despite his small stature, Pierce respected his supervisor and waved back. There was always a subdued busy din in the background, people talking, laughing, equipment making some sounds and he logged on into his system.

His task and those of everyone else in this department was to identify potential security threats to the company. It could be anything from terroristic threats to SII equipment in a Virtual game or bad jokes about Employees. Since SII was number one it was also the target of endless lawsuits, threats, envy and corporate combat attacks ranging from cyber attacks to physical full planetary assaults.

Ultra Corporations, although technically bound by the same laws as anyone else, not always played by the same rules. Schwartz Intergalactic for example had an armed Security space fleet second perhaps only to the Union Fleet. On the surface all Ultra Corps were law abiding but beneath they fought to the teeth for market shares, product rights, monopolies and profits. SII exclusively operated GalNet as it held the technological secret of instantaneous communication even between the most distant places.

Pierce could call his brother, who worked for a space station construction company currently setting up stations in the Andromeda Galaxy over 2.8 million light years away and there would be no noticeable delay and the call would cost about as much as if he called the sandwich shop two floors down. This technology was not only the envy of every competing Corporation but also the target of alien species and cultures outside the Union.

He checked one of his sniffer crawlers, an application that simply crawled up and down GalNet sniffing for keywords such as Schwartz, SII and related terms. It would not report every instance the word was used in an open unsecured conversation or chat but if there was a pattern or a sudden increase. There on a previously very quiet world in terms of communication traffic was someone inquiring about Rex Schwartz, the boss and basically single owner of the company. There was no traffic at all before and over the last six weeks someone researched every aspect and spent a considerable amount of money on all sorts of publications and magazines that featured the big boss.

While there were many millions of fans, haters, fan clubs, hate clubs, anti Rex Schwartz Associations, School report assignments and similar reasons for such a spike. It was still worth checking a little closer; this is was his job after all. The activity was localized to one female user, most likely just someone fascinated with the boss, but the Computronic checking logical associations and connections found that the user also attended several Shaill Psycho Drug seminars. According to the data base, Nilfeheim was P191 and the interest in the Unions most advanced Psycho pharmaceuticals was a little odd. He isolated the User and checked her calling habits. He would not pry in her private calls as this was against the law but checking her connection habits was not.

The chatter and din of the background suddenly changed, Pierce however had several field screens around him open and did not notice. However almost everyone else did. A tall man with short cropped silvery blond hair with the athletic body of a slaughter ball player had entered the floor, he wore an almost identical suit to Pierce, cut in the same currently fashionable Kimono style, but his was made of a more subtle not shiny black material with fine pinstripes. The Floor manager almost fell out of his chair and bolted right up. No one here had ever seen him in person. Perhaps a few thousand employees could claim to have ever talked to him, but the Floor manager still recognized him. He was not prepared for this. This was like God suddenly appearing! What was he supposed to say or do? Was this some sort of inspection?

Schwartz was accompanied by two men and a woman, the woman trailed behind him with a PDD in her hand. He came straight over and to him and said. "Sorry for the unannounced visit, just keep doing what you always do, is a Pierce Siechert working here?"

The Floor manager, a four meter tall Andorian swallowed and then said. "Yes Sir, Mr. Schwartz. Sir! That technician is at Orange Wheel Desk 14. I can summon him!"

"No need, just direct me there and you can call me Rex of course. Wasn't there a memo about that?"

The Andorian blushed. "I delete all those Main Corp Messages, I never expected..."

"No worries. I do the same a lot myself."

"If you would follow me Sir, I mean Rex."

While the CEO followed the tall Andorian he asked. "While I am here, you can tell me if there is anything amiss or if you need something?"

"Mr. Schwartz! I mean Rex; this is the best job I could ever ask for. I am with SII Internal Security Assessment for over nine years."

He turned to the woman behind him. "Yvonne did he fill out his favorite profile and wish list?"

"Yes Rex, this is Elon Hoot. Floor Manager SII-ISA and he is listing Vaccu Ball events as his favorite and is a fan of the Terran Terrors. His wish list includes to attend a game with friends."

Rex looked up to the Andorian. "Well I think you and your friends, meaning your floor and families are due to watch the champion game live."

Elon tripped over his own feet. "You mean everyone on the floor go to the finals on Blue Moon?"

"It's on me! Enjoy! Yvonne will arrange the details!"

She smiled. "Already done, Sir."

"I don't know what to say Sir!"

Rex pointed at the only working man, everyone else was staring. "Is that Pierce?"

"Yes, that is him!"

"I like what I see. He keeps working!"

Everyone immediately started to look busy.

Pierce felt a tap on his shoulder and he said. "Not now, I think I have discovered a Level Nine threat that could develop in a Level Eight."

Someone leaned next to him looking at the field screens. "What is a level Eight threat?"

"Level Eight is undetermined potential and I most likely need to escalate this one. Some guys are using the Big Boss Image in a Dream Maker Scenario and it looks like they use it to scam a lady of a P 191 Culture. The whole thing is weird enough to raise it." He turned to see who was asking and laughed. "Good one, Guys! That Holo of the Big Boss is not very convincing!"

"How does the Big Boss really look like then?" asked Rex.

"Who is that? Lundum are you messing around?"

Then he noticed the shocked and silent faces of his colleagues, his floor manager making frantic hand signs. He lost all color and got a very strange feeling in his stomach and then he whispered. "Mr. Schwartz?"

"I need to work on my appearance if it isn't convincing, but yes I am Rex Schwartz. I wanted to talk to you about the suit."

Pierce wanted to sink in the floor. "Yes Sir?"

The CEO sat down on a free hover chair. "Oh, no need to be concerned. These two gentlemen here are of Product Development and we had a discussion about the new structured Ultronit Mesh and Yvonne found out that there was actually a product tester on the same planet and we wanted to ask if you are satisfied. The main complaint was that it wasn't comfortable but you wear it even to work."

Pierce's cheeks burned as if someone slapped him but then he slowly relaxed. There was nothing to fear and the Boss was exactly as collegial and normal as the stories about him said he would be. "I find it very comfortable and there is no telling that you wear an advanced armor, except when you put it on it feels a little heavier than a normal suit."

Rex looked at the two men. "Doesn't sound like a complaint to me? I think we can go to the next phase and start market it to the high end security sector."

The two nodded and Rex paid no longer attention. "Tell me more about that Scam that is using my Image."



David Moyes did not bring chocolate covered Hell Berries this time. He was not happy. Kevin Moyes sat in his Dream maker recliner but the Dream infuser Helmet was floating above him, deactivated. He had his feet up and talked to Lisbon Derek, one of his colleagues. "What's the matter David?" He asked. "Our mark is not online. She is doing the things we asked her to do. I think the clan war is about to start!"

David was clearly disturbed and carried a printout floating above his PDD. "Why have you not mentioned that guy Harkun in your reports before? I found him under appendix seven of your reports!"

David shrugged. "He is the man servant to the husband of our mark. He was useful and went to Pluribus to complete the business with the Erik Gustav Ragnarsson business. What is the big deal? He is just a local idiot!"

"He is an agent of Tyson Seafood, our Contractors major competitor, that is what he is and they are running a similar operation with We-Can-Get-It Inc. It might surprise you but that is one of our major competitors."

David sat up. "How do you know all this?"

"Because I am in this business for a long time and know the players. Someone at WCGI owed me a favor and told me, all this is bad but that is not why I am upset. I told you to be careful using Schwartz Images."

Lisbon Derek who was acting the Schwartz Avatar in the Dream Maker simulation said defensively, "The Psych Computronic suggested it as the Mark was no longer really interested in Jon but wanted to date Rex Schwartz."

"She just talked over GalNet to a Psych Drug Supplier at Shaill and asked if they had Rex Schwartz DNA on file and wanted to order drugs and perfumes. There is a good chance SII Security is on the trace right now! I want you two to destroy all connection evidence, delete the Dream Maker simulation at once!"

He stormed out before they could answer and in his office he called a friend of his. "I need a good pirate who can sneak into Union Territory and drop a P Bomb on a planet!" He needed all possible evidence and links destroyed and fast!

The friend said. "There aren't many who can pull that off and P Bombs are Terran Mil Tech. That is going to be very expensive."

"Get it done! I pay!"

"Alright I contact my guys and your planet should be toast earliest in ten days."

"The faster the better!"

Gretel switched the Dream Maker off and sighed deeply. Her Avatar had just met Rex Schwartz as he visited Jon's house. He was as handsome as could be and educated and he was virtually drooling over Gretel and she had told him of her plans to move to Azure–Delight. He personally invited her to his home and said to her she would have to make sure she would be free to come!"

Gretel knew what that meant. She could no longer be married. Jon told her that she, as widow of the Olafson clan could easily claim full ownership of all in a Union Court and then sell it all to Jon who wanted to operate a modern fish factory on Nilfeheim and could do so right on Olafson Island if he owned it.

The Chocolates were beyond delicious and she did notice it came from a small and exclusive shop on Azure-Delight. Not to mention the Azure-Rose and the handwritten card from Jon. She noticed him becoming jealous of her Rex! She knew he reacted to her signals and she could not wait to meet him in person. A few doses of Shaill-Motivatior and he would be under her complete control and then she would be a Centillionair. She would take Lothar along of course, but two kids would be a drag and Tyr had too much of Isegrim. Lothar not really being Isegrim's son at all was her favorite.

She called Brunar and said. "My dimwitted husband is on his way to the Uhim grounds now. Can you receive the tracking signal alright?"

"Loud and clear, Gretel. What remains of him will sink to the bottom of the Naffjord Trench and never be heard of again! I have two of my boats on his trail."

She giggled and wished him well then she contacted Adolph. "My thighs throb of desire for a real man! I can't stop but think of you!"

She wondered if Adolph had gotten a deep enough dose of her special pheromone perfume at the last meeting. "Gretel, you dream of every man!" He swooned and she knew the perfume did its job. She could not understand how a species that looked like large naked slugs, unable to move very fast could be so good at making these bio neurological active substances. Genetic tailored pheromone signal perfumes were illegal due to the fact that a sample of the DNA of the intended victim had to be collected, so the pheromone could be exactly tailored to that person. Obtaining a DNA sample of a Nilfeheim male pig was easy and now he was hers. "Adolph, dream of my nights. I heard that our Clan’s enemies, the Bendixens have sent two of their boats to sink my husband's boat. I would be a very grateful widow if his death could be avenged!"

"I am waiting for a chance to revenge my Son! This is perfect! He kills my rival in the new Alliance and I kill Brunar!"

Taking the old man's advice I took the boat on a course to the Bendixen grounds and ran it under water. It was a fast boat but still it would take at least three days. The girls were sleeping in the now clean crew quarters and I was sitting by myself in the command chair. The boat ran by auto Helm and I had nothing to do, but it was an ancient tradition that there had to be one person on the bridge and awake. I had much to think about anyway.

I still wore the blue dress but as soon as one of the girls was up I planned to return to my male persona. I had to be Eric when we arrived anyway. Besides I didn't like to wear just a dress. Freya needed to be complete, shoes, stockings, clothing, hair and make-up so the Illusion was perfect at least for me. Why did this wish to be a girl not leave me? This was not a phase I hoped I grew out of. It became stronger as if there was a different soul, a second person in me silently screaming against the confines of maleness. My own feelings on this were too confusing to describe. Part of me desired to shed Eric. To be Freya forever and for real and part of me said it was wrong and sick and not natural.

A movement beside me caught my attention, I turned and looked. Sif stood there, her arms wrapped around her, tall but already very developed womanly body and she stared out the Front view port. There was nothing to see really, we ran at 200 meters below the surface and it was pretty dark out there. Her long blonde hair, the braids undone flowed around her face like a precious veil and she was biting her lower lip.

I said. "I can turn the climate control up if you are cold."

"No this is not it, I wanted to talk to you and I don't know if we have much of a chance to do that later on. I talked to your old man and I decided I will go with him and I think I will be a good representative."

"I am sure you will be the best we ever had!"

"I have big shoes to fill!"

"He might be grumpy and sometimes insulting and always very direct, but you will have the best teacher you could have."

"You actually love that Old Man don't you?"

"I don't know if I love him but I like to think of him as a good friend."

"He loves you, I can tell!"

I glanced at the battle scanners; the boat was equipped with energy, life, metal and mass sensors in addition to the passive and active sonar. The Computronic combined the sensor data in a three dimensional representation of the ocean five kilometers around the boat. The system filtered out Bio contacts such as Tyranno Fins, Blue Finners, Three Finners and the thousand other species of fish we had. Since I was not fishing I didn't need to know and it would only show artificial contacts such as other subs and surface contacts or fliers There were two surface boats on the extreme scanning horizon.

Then I said. "I don't think so. I am sure I a freak in his eyes just as I am in yours."

She came closer. "I am sorry Eric!" She put her hand on my shoulder. "What I wanted to tell you is that I am sorry for being such a bitch. I was mean to you and I enjoyed and then I regretted it. I made you responsible for what you are. Yet in my heart from the time you looked at me when you first saw me without my veil at the space port, I knew you were different."

She moved directly before me and looked in my eyes then lowered her long lashes. "I fell in love with Freya you know. So you are no freak to me, and I was mean because I didn't want to admit to it myself!"

She was now close enough that I could smell her exciting perfume. She reached out and brushed over my hair and I said with a sudden dryness in my mouth. "What are you doing?"

"You have beautiful hair." She said without answering my question. Then a smile played around her lips and she touched my chin. "Only that fluff is a bit misleading you know!"

"Fluff?" I touched my own chin and felt the first signs of a beard. "Oh!" I could not help but blush. "I guess I need to get rid of that!"

"Yes that might be a good idea." The tiny wrinkles above her nose appeared as they did when she talked to me what seemed so long ago in the bathroom stall of the Space bus lounge. "How did you know the Alien woman was not me?"

I smirked. "She was nice to me."

Her eyes glittered and her mouth changed to a frown and I immediately said. "I was just kidding. At first I didn't know it wasn't you but she talked strange and pointed an Off-World blaster at me. I was pretty sure then it wasn't you."

"How did she manage to look like me?"

"She wore a very life like mask."

"Do you still have it?"

"Yes I do, it is with the Alien woman's stuff over there in the map locker. I put her body in the torpedo room. If you want to see her."

She went over to the locker and came back a few moments carrying the mask. "It even feels warm and it got my hair and everything." Sif then said. "I wonder how it looks, can you put it on?"

I took the fleshy thing and she was right, it felt warm. "I guess I can try."

It was very tight and it tightened even further as I had it on. After a few heartbeats, barley felt it. " How does it look?"

"It is perhaps the most frightening and strange sight I have ever seen. It is as if I look in a living mirror."

Then she arranged the hair. "I wear it like that sometimes."

"I don't get you, Sif. One moment you act as if you care much about me and then you say things and act as if there is no one you hate more."

She rested her arms on my shoulder. "It is complicated as I told you. Perhaps as complicated as your desire to be a girl, how can I explain things I don't understand myself? I am attracted to Freya and know she isn't real and I hate Eric simply because he is a man. How about you? I mean do you like boys when you like that?"

"Like boys? You mean as in... ? No I don't. As you said I can't explain it. I know it is wrong for a guy to even think about dresses and such. It all started when I sneaked in my mother's rooms and tried on her dress. I could somehow feel she was there, but I started to like the feel of the soft things it is sort of a magic moment when I can step out of my own self and become someone else, this is as close as I can describe it, but I don't think of guys like girls do."

She was now very close. "I can still recognize your eyes."

Just then the sensor board sounded alarm and the Computronic spoke. "Five sub surface contacts in proximity, incoming projectile!"

I almost threw Sif off my lap, and wanted to say sorry but she moved as fast as I did and jumped behind the helm controls. Something clanged against the outer hull and the hammer blow of an explosion rocked the boat.

I checked the damage board, but the reactor showed green and so did weapons and all the other systems. The hull integrity indicator did not show any leaks or breaches. The Sensor screen showed five subs, one was damaged it seemed and sinking. The others were fighting each other firing explosive tipped harpoons at each other. Sif evaded another harpoon!

"Wow where did you learn that?"

She didn't turn to answer but pushed the speed controls. "My clan has subs too, you know and father let me steer them from early on."

I turned on the visual sensors and the computronic enhanced the picture. The sinking boat was a Dark Red colored Olafson boat! The others in Bendixen and Lindbergh colors. One of the Lindbergh boats fired from a cannon and whatever weapon it was it was not a harpoon. The shot hit the left Bendixen boat and penetrated its hull! Massive air bubbles escaped lit up by an explosion. Astrid had appeared and was sitting down, putting on the restraints. "That Bendixen boat is using a Gauss Accelerator, Eric! Very accurate and dangerous!"

I pressed the contacts to activate shields and to activate the weapons. The Computronic responded. "Unable to activate shields or weapons." Then the Computronic started laughing! "Greetings from your Step-Mother, Eric! She paid us to sabotage your boat not to fix it. Have a nice sea funeral!"

The lights flickered and went out!