Orders

After 7 years the memory of that meeting was still seared in his mind as though he had just passed through the chamber door. It was so clear that it came to mind every time he was called to receive a new assignment. When he exited the darkened chamber, as was expected, he found no one waiting. Not a living soul between the door and the transportation pad he had been ordered to use. The walk from one door to the next seemed to have taken a life time and in a way it did. It took away life as he knew it and gave him a life no one knew about.

He went from being a service man whose life included a name, a home, and few friends who were also servicemen, to being no one and having a new life of secrecy and seclusion. After his initial training and several missions of a sensitive nature, his identity had been wiped clean. His c-tag which has held his likeness and identity had been replaced with one that was blank except for an access code which allowed him entry into any building, access to any and all data recorded in the Tarre Tracing unit, and even access to some more secure information in the Tarre Hall of Records. He was a shadow.

From that first day of his new life, it was always the same. A message with nothing more than a time and date was delivered via datalink. He would enter the chamber, stand in the circle of light, receive instructions that were as brief as his entrance to this position, and then there would be no one. No secretary, no guard, not even a sweeper. Just enter by one door and leave by another. He had never received anything in writing nor had he ever received any transmission of data, and he had never seen the man issuing the orders. This anonymity was important. These orders must never be traced. The Quorum could never be held responsible for the atrocities which were necessary for the continued peace in Tarre and enlightenment of its citizens.

Wayt knew that he had forfeited any chance to be a part of the life and the dream of Ma’tris peace in the universe. He had given up his friends and his family. He did not regret this. He believed to his core that his role in that peace was profound, and that his sacrifice was necessary to the ideals of this civilized and enlightened culture. He knew that some vile acts were needed to remove those with influence and those persons whose acts were creating waves of dissent and working against the peace the Quorum promised. Because of this belief and his desire to serve in the interest of Tarre peace, he had been promoted many times and now held the title of operative. He was a true shadow of the Quorum.

As he made his way silently to the transportation pad, he reflected on his orders. They were vague, but that was not what was unusual. Tonight, when he entered the chamber, he was told simply and with no explanation, “You are to secure Quorum control of Clari.”

Wayt had, of course, heard rumors that the Quorum wanted control over the other planets in Ma’tris. Trade with these rogue planets tended to be difficult, necessary, and costly. The inhabitants lived on the edge of existence. They lived a barbaric lifestyle, which was appalling to the citizens of Tarre. It was not uncommon for men, women, or children to be left uneducated or sold as property, for feuds to end in bloodshed, and for pirates and raiding parties to be left unchecked.

Dealing with the people of these planets was never easy. Their ideals were very different from those of Tarre. Sacrifice and public service were unfamiliar ideals to these savages. They lived in conditions that would kill most. Clari with its arid desserts and Mondi with its ice covered lands. How they did not starve was a mystery, but they survived. They carved out their lives, and lived by their own laws. This independence made trade expensive and sometimes deadly.

The Quorum had tried in the past to bring the other planets into the fold with no success. Negotiations were usually brief, and the politicians returned without any success, if they returned at all. The Tarre’s desire to bring enlightenment to these worlds was often met with violence. Now it seems the Quorum will meet that violence with some of its own in hopes of bringing a peaceful union to the system planets and its people.

The benefits to these planets were clear. A better life and enlightenment awaited the people of these words, as well as fair trade, prosperity, and many comforts. There would be opportunities for public service for their children and education for all. They would gain representation in the council and political and economic fulfillment of their planet’s needs. There was no cost for this harmony. They would simply be unified under one governing body, the Quorum.