Memetic Drift - J.N. Chaney Page 0,19

from a lifetime of maintaining strict dress and appearance standards. His pale blue eyes fixed on us as we entered.

“Welcome aboard, gentlemen,” he said. “The raid has been delayed by a few hours, so you might as well take your armor off.”

With a single sentence, the situation had become magnitudes more complicated. What if one of the Arbiters recognized me? What if the Commander did?

I won’t let anything happen to you. If it comes to it, deny and disavow.

It was Andrea again. She was right, chances were slim anyone beyond a handful of people would recognize me. I dropped back through our ranks and slipped my helmet off with the others.

“Greetings, Commander.” Capanelli stuck her hand out. “I’m Amy Caplan. Section 3 thanks you again for accommodating us. What’s the cause of the delay?”

“Sector Command wanted to double-check the warrant. The target seems to be owned by David Kote.”

“That’s correct. We suspect him of involvement in human trafficking.” She put a slight emphasis on those last two words. The last thing we needed was for the Arbiter Force to second-guess our warrant, and emphasizing the crime was one way to discourage that.

“Understood, but he’s a citizen of outsized influence. There’s bound to be pushback, and we want to be sure the warrant is airtight before we launch.”

I wondered if our documents could hold up to that kind of scrutiny. Section 9 had seemingly infinite resources, but a lie is still by nature a divergence from the truth. That space between fact and fiction was always there, no matter how small. Would they see it?

“Of course,” Andrea replied, as smooth as silk. Even as she said it, she sent all of us a dataspike message. Be ready. This is a problem.

“While we wait, you’ll have the opportunity to formally meet the two Arbiters you’ll be working with on this mission. They’ll be joining us in a moment for the brief. The Senior Arbiter is Li Fei, and his partner is Mike Mitchell. I’ve led six missions with them, and they’ve consistently demonstrated exceptional skill and professionalism. You’re all in good hands with these men. Please have a seat. They’ll be right out.”

Li Fei and Mike Mitchell. Mike’s name was not one I recognized, but Li Fei was known to some of the other Arbiters I’d worked with. He was supposed to be reckless, a bit of a rogue element depending on who you asked. That didn’t completely wash with what this Commander was saying, but then it’s a poor leader who criticizes his subordinates in public.

Jones sent a message. Tycho, do you know any of these people?

No, but I’ve heard of Li Fei. Hard to predict.

A door opened behind us, and a young man stepped through, shaking his head as if to clear the cobwebs. “This is awful, sir. Waking up in space doesn’t get any easier.”

I almost laughed. The guy was just like the old me—half-asleep until the start of the mission, then deep in the shit for the duration.

“This is Mike Mitchell.” The Commander’s tone was dry. He was obviously irritated at his earlier praise being undercut by reality. “Mitchell, these are the Section 3 agents you’ll be working with.”

Mike glanced over in our direction as he sat down but didn’t really look. That was a rookie move. You always read the room, no matter where you are. Gabe would have been on his case about it.

“I’m Amy Caplan,” said Capanelli. “I’m the commanding officer, and this is Victor Veidt, deputy officer.” She indicated Vincenzo Veraldi.

“Nice to meet you,” muttered the Arbiter, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. I wanted to think I’d been a better rookie than this guy. He was obviously inexperienced, and he didn’t even seem to know it.

Another door opened, and Li Fei walked in. The Senior Arbiter had a wolfish face, intense and focused. He scanned the room as he entered, his eyes fixed on each of us for a moment before jumping to the next. I couldn’t be certain, but I thought I saw his expression change when he saw my face.

“Reporting for duty, sir.”

“Be seated, Li. This is that Section 3 team. Their commander is Amy Caplan here.”

Li Fei reached out and shook Capanelli’s hand, and they exchanged pleasantries.

Once everyone was seated, the Commander began his briefing. “The ship we’re here to search is docked on Llyr station, orbiting Europa. Llyr station is a private-owned colony, so be aware that anyone there is a possible threat and we have no local