Imperial Subversion

Chapter 1

Chapter 1The sound of running feet made Senator Colman glance up in the direction of his office door. The Senator was lead Government official in Naval appropriations. He could, with the stroke of a pen, change the entire Empire Military structure and budget. This gave him power and influence over a lot of people. Power was seductive, it called to you and made you want more and more control over how things were done. Senator Colman wanted it all.

His immersion in the heart of Empire politics gave him some of what he wanted. People came to him to fix things or to ask for favors. Like the ancient Mafia or the Yakuza organizations of old his position gave him many things. But still he wanted more. The number of favors and debt to which he was owed would boggle the mind. Ever reaching, ever searching he ‘made his bones’ in the political system and was indoctrinated into the super-secret organization called The Cabal for Change. Unbeknownst to the Senator until after his induction, his own father had been a founding member. Secrecy was paramount. The price of revealing the inner secrets of the Cabal was death. Not just yours, but the death of your whole family was the price for talking. Members of the Cabal did the bidding of the inner core with almost religious fervor. The allure of a secret society with occult overtones and Omerta strictures was very attractive to some of the elite of society. The Cabal’s membership counted high ranking military officers, political leaders both big and small, law enforcement, members of the legal system on both sides of the bench, and members of the industrial elite in its ranks. A scattered few entertainers and celebrities were also allowed ‘in’, but they were watched very closely. Their every words recorded. The Old Earth phrase ‘Loose lips sink ships’ was very appropriate after a few accidental deaths or air car crashes.

The running feet sounds got closer and ended at his door. A sharp couple of knocks and his door opened. His aide Julius rushed into the office. “Sir, we have a serious problem!”

“Julius what is it now? I am very busy here. The Navy is really pushing hard to get those new heavy cruisers allocated. We need tell our contacts to stall as much as possible. The new military budget should but the kibosh on that.”

“Sir, I just got word through our contact in the Colonial office. The Hong Kong system rebelled against Governor Norton and declared independence, per clause 35 in the Imperial Charter! They arrested Norton and his aide on charges of mass murder and corruption!”

“WHAT! What did that i***t Norton do this time! How bad is this ?”

“It’s really bad Senator. Norton ordered the ESS to put down a farmer protest. About 20,000 farmers and supporters marched to the Sector Government offices to protest. The ESS opened fire and killed about half of them. The local Militia shot down the ESS troopships then captured the Station and arrested Norton.”

The Senator sank into his chair. He buried his face in his hands for a moment. “By the Gods, what a c**k-up! Tell me he followed orders and locked the sector communication grid down before his arrest.”

His aide pursed his lips and gave a slight shake of his head. “Not exactly sir. Norton locked the system down, but somehow a local news broadcast made it out along with a message from the ‘local’ government to spread the word. We only know about it because one of the ‘groups’ freighter’s intercepted the message and sent a courier to us.” He glanced at his boss. Bracing himself he finished, “It is a pretty good bet that it made it out, Sir. I have heard from my contacts that about half the other systems surrounding Hong Kong have recalled their Senators and are protesting Norton’s actions.”

The Senator grew pale. “What a freaking nightmare! Wait....You said that he was arrested? Him and his aide?”

“Yes, Sir. The report I was given was that they were both alive and being held for trial.”

“Damn it! Check in with the ‘Wardens’ they need to know anyway. How much did Norton know?”

“Sir, must I talk to those,..people. Can’t I just send a message?”

“I know that they can be a little frightening but You have done nothing wrong. Everything with them must be done face-to-face.” The Senator paused. “You didn’t answer my question, what did Norton know?”

The aide shivered at the thought of even talking to the ‘Wardens of the Gate’, the protectors of the Cabal. “Sir, Norton was part of the pirate initiate. I think he received the latest updates so he may know everything but the inner files. His aide, Cole Whittier, he knows all the small details. He was the Governor’s financial aide. He can link the Cabal, to Norton.”

The Senator really hated incompetence. “Get our people on it, target the both of them before it is too late. Be sure to issue the other collateral damage orders too. We need to stay on top of this. Involving the Wardens would be...messy. Get to work!”

Senator Colman watched his aide leave his office. Checking the monitors built into his desk he scanned the camera feeds making sure that he was completely alone. He saw Julius exit the building and get into a armored air car. He turned away from his desk and rose to his feet. He walked to the bookcase on the West wall. For a moment he studied the spines of the very valuable book collection. Many of these volumes had come from Old Earth with his father’s family. Most of these works were priceless artifacts worth millions of credits on the open market. His collection was the reason given for the security measures on his office and the entire building.

These ancient works were just a front for the real secret of this office. The Senator scanned the many titles until he stopped at an unremarkable faded green book with barely visible letters, Greed. He tipped the book back and the bookcase turned to the side revealing a secret passageway. Ducking his head he entered the dark portal. Once inside the Senator pressed a small button on the wall, closing the door. The tunnel was lined with fine marble and had built in wall sconces. It still boggled his mind that his father was able to build all of this without anyone being the wiser. The floor slanted downward to a dimly lit room. Three doors were set into the wall. Over each door was an engraved plaque with a symbol. The left-hand door had an inverted Pentagram on it. This door held everything needed for ritual: robes, tools, offerings and torture implements. Above the right-hand door was a Caduceus inside a triangle. This room held things to help heal the mind and body. Psychoactive drugs and other mind enhancing items were stored here. Above the center door was the ‘Eye of Providence’ also known as the all seeing eye. This door led to the true reason for all the security measures.

The Empire Capital planet was one of the first colonized after the Cyber wars on Old Earth. His father’s family had been political refugees and venture capitalists that fled what they saw as the coming desolation of the world. With the fall of the American Republic many entrepreneurs invested heavily in the stars, launching ships and leaving Old Earth behind. His ancestors, former leaders from the Cyber wars, had brought this with them as more of a trophy of remembrance and victory, than as a political ideal. The room widened out to an oblong room with an magnificent altar erected at one end. Gold plated Eagles framed both sides of the triple tiered structure. The lower levels held icons of the Senate and of the Empire. The middle levels were decorated with pictures of lost family members and Cabal symbolism. The pinnacle of the altar was the symbol behind the idea of the Cabal in the first place. The large round disk was made of gold. In the center of the disk was the Eye of Providence atop a pyramid. The word ‘Annuit Coeptis’ were written above the pyramid. The ancient dead language of Latin was barely spoken in the Empire its use relegated to the medical and legal professions. Below the pyramid were more words ‘Novus Ordo Seclorum’: The New World Order. This disk, the official seal of the former United States, symbolized everything that the Cabal wanted in the galaxy. His father’s most valuable possession, the seal both birthed the idea of the Cabal and became a symbol of worship and reverence. Their goal was a New Order, one where the powerful ruled and the rest bowed.