STORY TREATMENT
(C) 2000 by Richard Gabrio, all rights reserved & registered
by WGA west # 779035
The Quadrant story is a "sci-fi epic"
which can be produced in many formats, including book, feature film, TV
series, and game vehicles.
Story Concept
What was once a temporary outpost, built and
colonized by survivors from a dying Earth, outlives it's original purpose
as a STAGING AREA to explore the surrounding galaxy for an inhabitable planet.
Gradually, over a thousand years, this once democratic micro-world devolves
into a "Hellish" stratified society, which, as the story opens,
faces political and ecological disaster. The situation requires the heroic
efforts of a young man and woman, helped by a small group of idealists from
the previous generation. Together, they must (1) FIGHT an emerging tyrant
who threatens to DESTROY THEM ALL while they (2), simultaneously SEARCH
for the lost keys to "The Portal," which may unlock a great secret
that can possibly save The Quadrant. The goal: to survive and bring about
the return of a just way of life for all in The Quadrant.
* * * * *
The story treatment (below) contains LINKS
to The Quadrant storyboard WEBSITE which can be found on the creator's online
portfolio at www.home.pon.net/qman/Portfolio.html.
This site contains background information about the author, Richard Gabrio,
and a large repository of graphical and text information covering all aspects
of the story. The links lead to "Character Biographies," important
locations in the "Quadrant world," short scenes from a series
of initial "Story Episodes," and to entries from "The Archive,"
a user's guide which explains the detailed workings of The Quadrant world.
Key links to these major information sources can also be found at the top
and at the bottom of this Treatment page.
It is not necessary to use the links which
appear in the treatment text below, BUT many questions about the characters,
the world they live in, and the dramatic events which propel them, will
be answered quickly and in much greater depth if you do. If you click on
a link to get additional information, simply click your browser "back
arrow" when you're finished, and it will return you to the same place
in the text you clicked from.
For an introduction to The Quadrant story
click on The Prologue which outlines "what's
at stake," and sets the stage for all to come. When you're finished,
hit your browser back arrow to return here.
* * * * *
STORY BACKDROP
The origins of The Quadrant, now mostly
hidden, go back a thousand years into the past. Led by a group of scientists,
the last survivors on the dying planet Earth spent fifty years building
an artificial domed environment (a colony originally called "Starsearch")
on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. From this staging area, they built and
then sent explorer ships out into the galaxy to look for an inhabitable
planet.
Conceived to temporarily house a population
of 250,000 of the best minds available at the time, The Quadrant dome was
built with a carrying capacity of up to a million people (to account for
the passage of time and population growth expected to complete the search).
As the years passed with no word back from the explorer ships, this crucial
mission was forgotten and the colony -- which initially focused its search
on the nearest quadrant of the Milky Way galaxy -- simply became known as
"The Quadrant." After a few hundred years, The Quadrant devolved
from a relatively simple democracy into a highly stratified, downwardly
mobile, computer controlled society.
At first, the trend toward centralized
computer communications seemed benign: a computer network, called "The
System," emerged and was universally embraced as a way for all people
in The Quadrant to communicate with one another. Personal video screens
(worn on the inside of the left or right forearm) were developed to enhance
the visual experience of remote face to face communictions. Then, a secondary
digital transmission system, using an electro-chemical interface directly
connected to neural pathways to the brain, was introduced to make communications
more stimulating and accurate. By the 700th year of The Quadrant's existence,
pressures exerted by excessive population growth combined with the desire
of those in power to remain in power, resulted in a gross transformation
of The System: though still a major means of communication, access to it
gradually became a determinant of status in The Quadrant.
To fight rising crime in the outlying
more populous areas of The Quadrant (called the Outer Boardz), punishments
were devised to deal with "infractors" by disconnecting them from
The System, then reconnecting them with less stimulation. Their screen identification
numbers were recorded, and they were assigned a lesser status (called "Recon"
for "reconnected" as opposed to "Conzec," meaning consecutively
connected -- or never disconnected). The intention and direct effect of
these policies was to ban those with Recon status from living in any of
the elite inner areas of The Quadrant where Conzecs could live and thrive.
Eventually, laws were passed creating 5 levels of Reconz, with any disconnections
beyond THAT resulting in banishment to an area below the surface called
Downshaft: here, "Disconz," who were permanently disonnected from
The System, were forced into slave labor status (food production, waste
removal, etc.) for the rest of their lives.
These laws and their subsequent enforcement
led to a rapid and growing polarization in The Quadrant between "haves
and have-nots," resulting in increased crime (especially on the Outer
Boardz), random acts of violence, and the emergence of an illegal movement
called "The Underground," which rose up to champion the cause
of the disenfranchised.
Now, with its total population at 5 million,
ecological systems breaking down, and its politics in disarray, The Quadrant
has become a very dangerous place. The story begins with the approach of
The Quadrant's own fateful millenium.
* * * * *
THE NEW REGIME
BOOK 1, "The Rise of Kronstadt"
opens with The Quadrant in political crisis, and introduces all major characters
against the twin-threaded backdrop of (1) The bid for power by ruthless
ex-bureaucrat Axon Kronstadt, and (2) the
discovery of "The
Portal," an unusual computer device: its memory crystals have the
capacity to recognize special "keys" -- lost to antiquity -- which
are reputed to unlock great secrets of The Quadrant.
The die is cast in this book: Kronstadt
seeks absolute mastery over The Quadrant and the consequent destruction
of all who may oppose him. Understanding the magnitude of the threat, Galadrina, a wise old fortune teller, and
Undergrounder Bertie Glindar band together
with Old Dusty, a professor at the Inztitut, to use their wisdom and
experience to oppose Kronstadt and all he stands for. Their special aim
is to gain enough time to burst the gathering gloom threatening The Q with
a ray of hope: They're determined to help the next generation -- Tal Remick, a student at the Inztitut (who accidentally
discovers The Portal), and Irma Glindar, Bertie's
headstrong daughter -- recognize the significance of the discovery of The Portal at this crucial
turn in The Q's history and "set the quest" for the lost keys.
If ALL the keys can be found and used to access the device (an ancient legend
tells), it will reveal a great secret, which, it is hoped, will be a way
to save The Quadrant.
Kronstadt loses no time focusing squarely
on the political contest for Director
of the Quadrant. Fueled by his hatred of the established elite, who have
kept him out of their inner circle his entire career, Kronstadt vows to
defeat The Q Establishment candidate Bruxton Laneer, "at any cost."
To this end, he plots with his top lieutenants to sabotage the Laneer campaign
(see the scene "A Conference,"
for a closer look at Kronstadt's "behind the scenes" plotting,
and "The Rask Party" scene for
the Establishment response).
When a small portable computer containing
active memory crystals is discovered by Inztitut student Tal
Remick, he is cautioned by his mentor (Old Dusty) that "this device
has very special properties . . . tell no one of it, and above all keep
it safe." Unbeknown to Tal and the old professor, a student-spy has
overheard these words and reports them to Edo
Mezner (a professor-turned-spy hired by Kronstadt's chief assistant,
Uskar Weemer). When Edo realizes what has
been found is The Portal, he urges Kronstadt to "grab" it because
it's secrets may be valuable. In the attempt to steal the device, Weemer's
agents force Tal to flee, taking The Portal with him. Kronstadt's henchmen
catch up with Tal on Recon 5 (the living area on the outer reaches of The
Quadrant dome), but they are ambushed by Undergrounders just as they begin
to question him. During the melee, the thug leader rips out Tal's screen, leaving him for dead
when he refuses to reveal The Portal's location. The Undergrounders drive
Kronstadt's men off, and quickly remove the unconscious Tal from the scene
(see "Hunted," and its follow-up
scene "Saved," in Story Episodes
for full details).
We now follow Tal and Undergrounder Bertie. Bertie and his men take Tal down below
the surface of The Q to a temporary hiding place where he is given a new
screen ("life"). Soon after, he is brought back to the surface
to meet those who will help him undertake a "momentous task."
While staying briefly in Bertie's home to recuperate,Tal meets Irma (Bertie's
combative daughter), and later is introduced to Galadrina,
a wise ex-Kourtesan fortune teller who knows much more than she at first
lets on.
A few days later, deep in the Netherworldz beneath The Quadrant, a secret
gathering takes place. Tal -- who has retrieved The Portal device and now
has it with him -- meets with Bertie, Irma, Galadrina (who helps tell the
"Legend of the Keys"), and Old Dusty
(who tells more). As deliberations grow late into the night, the old professor
relates what he knows and what he suspects about the origin of the keys.
It seems "The Eldon" (the first leaders of The Quadrant) built
seven spacefaring ships, and sent them out into the stars -- one by one
-- to search for an inhabitable planet, until there was only one ship left.
After years passed with no word from any of the ships, a renegade faction
broke away and attempted to steal the last ship for themselves. The mutiny
was put down and The Eldon decided to hide the seventh ship (and the technology
to build subsequent ships) in order to preserve a last option for future
generations in the hope that they might know better how to fulfill the original
mission of The Quadrant.
Galadrina continues: "The Eldon, from
what we can now determine, dispersed the keys, which are small powerful
memory disks, to seven trusted educators at the Inztitut. Each key has part
of the code necessary to build a secret file which gives the location of
the hidden ship, but all keys must be found and used to access The Portal
in order to create the file."
Old Dusty adds: "As far as we can
tell, each of the keyholders was required to meet with other keyholders
regularly to exchange details about passing on their keys. They were also
charged with encrypting this information before detailing it in their writings.
All clues to the whereabouts of the keys can only be found in the historical
chronicles contributed by keyholders. Though we've suspected that The Portal
is the only machine of its type in The Quadrant which can recognize the
seven key codes, we have not known -- until now -- if any who have contributed
to the histories contained in it, were keyholders."
Astonished and stunned by these revelations,
Tal and Irma are at first speechless. They've known nothing but The Quadrant
since birth, and for them (as for most in The Quadrant), nothing has existed
outside it. The knowledge that their world is a mere temporary outpost surrounded
by vast reaches of space filled with things called galaxies and planets
is both upsetting and exhilarating. Even more fantastic is the possibility
that a hidden ship capable of exploring the stars may still exist somewhere
in The Quadrant. They gather themselves for a few minutes, then Irma (practical
problem solver that she is) simply says "if there is a ship, then we
should be able to find it . . . perhaps somewhere below the surface on the
outer perimeter of Recon 5?"
Old Dusty answers. "Don't think we
haven't tried. Unfortunately, even if the ship exists -- and we do not know
this for a fact -- its technology has, in all probability, been disabled
and also hidden to prevent any who might stumble upon it to use it. The
only sure path is to find all the keys to The Portal. If we can, we will
know then what we must do."
When Tal asks how it is "now"
known that a keyholder has used The Portal, Old Dusty rises, reaches into
his robe, and pulls out a small metallic cylinder -- it gleams in the subdued
light as he holds it aloft. "Because of this," he says. "Its
special markings identify it as one of seven." A hush fills the room,
then silence. Soon, everybody begins talking at once.
Near morning, a final argument about strategy
is heard: Bertie, but especially Irma, feels that a "mad search"
for something that "may not be found" cannot compare to immediately
and directly fighting Kronstadt with every resource at hand. At that point,
Old Dusty rises, raising his hands. "My friends, our temporary world
is dying and we know it. Further, a tyrant threatens to bring us all to
our doom. Yes, we must fight him with all our strength, but we must also
take up this quest to insure our very survival. If we do not, we will surely
perish." As the old professor sits down and wipes sweat from his forehead,
the room again grows silent.
If they take up the quest, there will
be a chance to fulfill the original mission to find an inhabitable planet
to insure cooperative survival. If they do not take up the quest, Kronstadt
will ultimately strangle the life out of The Quadrant by eliminating any
and all who do not bow to his menacing power: none who wish to "preserve
the race" will be left, and everything will be lost. In the end, the
group realizes that they must resist Kronstadt, but they can not prevail
in a fight against him. The quest to find the keys must be undertaken to
keep HOPE alive.
Bertie, Irma, and others in the Underground
will support the quest for the keys, but they will also do all they can
to thwart Kronstadt's political maneuvers on the Boardz.
Tal is formally chosen to conduct the "Quest for the Keys," and
everyone is sworn to absolute secrecy concerning the quest, even if it should
mean losing their lives. Old Dusty then gives the first key to Tal, telling
those present that the writer of several generations of Q history gave it
to him in confidence during The Great
Purges.
After days of using The
Portal to plumb its history, Tal and Old Dusty find evidence of a key
which passed to a prominent family. The reference is traced back by Galadrina
to a wealthy widow who lives in the Kolony -- she may hold a second key.
Tal also discovers in the history of The Q, that his real father, Odel Remick,
was unjustly punished and exiled to Recon 5 during The Great Purges. As
the quest is set, the spotlight shifts again -- to the contest between the
Q Establishment and Kronstadt for the Directorship of The Q.
Upset that The Portal has slipped through
his grasp for the moment, Kronstadt remains fixed on seizing real political
power (Edo, however, is disappointed, because he knows much more about the
device than Kronstadt). Informed that the student who made off with The
Portal is probably dead, and that The Portal remains unfound, Kronstadt
turns his attention to more immediate matters. With the help of his chief
assistant, the deadly Uskar Weemer, he (1)
reaches an agreement with the Narloff
Brothers and Milo Zerb
for their support on the Outer Boardz, (2) uses his control over "The
Bond" (a mafia like organization) to increase bombings and other terrorist
activities which will be blamed on the Underground, (3) continues to secretly
back the "Accelerationists"
who polarize the Inztitut -- to keep the academics off balance, (4) conspires
to get the support of Meerna
Molloy (one of "The
Nine" powers behind the throne in The Q), by promising to make
her daughter (Lena) his wife and "queen of The Q," and (5) plots
with Enforcer Kommander Emil Zarg in Downshaft to create further
turmoil -- all calculated to justify the promises in his speeches to "crush
terrorism and extremism" and bring order back to The Q.
As the Q
Establishment reacts to Kronstadt's plots and machinations, its leaders
-- Tarn and Roland Rask, Alicia Zerb, Bruxton Laneer, Bard Rammel (the present
Director of The Q), and others -- realize that Kronstadt will stop at nothing
to gain absolute power over The Q. Even the shaky majority on the secret
council of The Nine
is threatened. Frantically, They seek a semi-alliance with the Underground
to try to combat Kronstadt's network of spies, and also attempt to counter
Kronstadt payoffs to Outer Board voters with money from Alicia Zerb and
the Rasks. But, to no avail: the deterioration of "politics as usual,"
increasing poverty on the Outer Boardz, the continuing decay of The Q infrastucture,
and rampant corruption, all finally combine to play into Kronstadt's hands.
BOOK 1 ends with Kronstadt winning the
telelection (with
54% of the vote) for Director of The Q in a celebration of brute power over
the defeated Establishment. And the victory presages signs of onerous things
to come: Kronstadt's "New Regime" requires most of his former
opponents to register as potential enemies of the state, and to pay large
amounts of quadits into a vague fund set up to remunerate "friends
of The Q," (mostly Kronstadt cronies, etc.). The Enforcer ranks are
expanded, and KorpOps (the secret police) is purged of all former Q Establishment
personnel and replaced with Kronstadt loyalists. A special tax is levied
on The Kolony (Kronstadt's
revenge on the Q establishment elites who once snubbed him) to pay for infrastructure
repair, and a show is made of restoring a few aging buildings on the Outer
Boardz to convince the poor that Kronstadt will improve their lot.
* * * * *
BOOK 2, "The Search For The Keys,"
highlights the formation of an informal secret alliance between members
of the Underground (Bertie, Irma, etc.), ousted sympathetic Q Establishment
figures (Tarn and Roland Rask, Alicia Zerb, Rammel, etc.), and key Dons
at the Inztitut, who, guided by Galadrina and Old Dusty, sponsor Tal's search
for the lost keys to The Portal. To buy time, and to appease the pragmatists
in their ranks, the group also will do what it can -- both directly and
indirectly -- to combat the growing dictatorial powers of Kronstadt in his
relentless drive for absolute power over The Q.
Together, the "Guiders of The Quest"
review the clues revealed by the first key and decide that Tal must begin
his search for the second key in the Kolony.
It is also agreed that he will use a safe house in "The
Quarter" (the bohemian section in the city of Krania)
for his temporary base of operations. As the "Finder of The Portal,"
he must undertake the search, but it is decided that he will not go alone.
Experienced as an Underground operative, Irma is chosen to go along as a
guide, but Tal is not pleased with this arrangement, because the two do
not see "eye to eye:"Irma is a hard core revolutionary who has
made it clear that she sees little value in mythical searches for keys,
which, even if they may be found, guarantee no solution to the problems
at hand.
When Tal and Irma arrive in The Quarter,
help comes from a chance meeting in the pub "Domshaft" with Sergei Zerb (son of Alicia and Milo Zerb), who
recognizes Irma from an earlier incident in the pub (see the "Sergei
In the Quadnot" scene in Story Episodes). After a time, when the
three have become friendly, Sergei unwittingly -- because he has grown up
as an elite -- helps unravel a puzzle leading to the location of the second
key. Though he is not told all, and suspects much more, he seizes the opportunity
to help Tal and Irma retrieve it and have some fun at the expense of the
stodgy "Kronstocrats," whose new restrictions cast a pall over
the city.
Sergei's ebullient personality and obvious
free-wheeling style (due to his great wealth) attracts Irma, despite the
fact that she outwardly abhors the privileged classes. Noticing the attraction,
Tal is surprised that he feels pangs of jealousy, but initially suppresses
them. Practiced in the arts of love, Sergei instantly warms to Irma, but
calculates that she will be no easy conquest. He resolves that Irma is worthy
of the respect required of a "hard case," and plans accordingly.
As things progress, Sergei also begins to realize that this "key business"
is a lot more serious and dangerous than he had guessed: for the first time
in his life he may not be able to avoid taking sides, no matter what his
romantic interests may dictate.
Busy consolidating his power, which partially
neutralizes Tarn Rask and The Nine, Kronstadt finds time to court the lusty
Lena Molloy, who he imagines will be easy
to please and "tame." But, because she is not, he becomes even
more interested. Lena has her own agenda, and private power base, so forcing
her to his will becomes one of Kronstadt's new challenges. Meanwhile, Lena's
mother, Meerna Molloy, enjoys her continual upper crust plotting and maneuvering,
which the support of Kronstadt has assured her, at least for the moment.
But as powerful as she is, she is not protected against ignorance: a key
to The Portal, unknowingly in her possession, is snatched by Sergei Zerb
from right under her nose. Only later does she realize what she has lost.
Leaving Irma -- who must complete an errand
for the Underground -- in the Quarter temporarily with Sergei, Tal reluctantly
returns with the second key to Recon
3 to meet with Galadrina, Old Dusty, and Bertie. The second key is used
to access The Portal device, and much is learned from the historian who
writes about this part of The Q's past. But there is no obvious pointer
or reference to the whereabouts of a third key.
Knowing that each keyholder who has written
a part of the thousand year history of The Q has had the obligation to leave
clues pointing to the person who inherits their key, Old Dusty, loving nothing
more than an academic problem, remembers something odd about some of the
second keyholder's writing. "He frequently substituted the frst person,
or 'I' for the key itself in certain passages, and it is in these passages
that we will find the clue." Several passages alluding to the key are
identified and examined, leaving two possibilities for the key's location.
The first leads to Recon 5, and the second (stronger clue) points to Downshaft. As much as Tal
would like to visit his ailing father on Recon 5, he chooses to be guided
to Downshaft by Bertie and his associates. Irma will be assigned the task
of investigating the other possible location on Recon 5 when she returns.
BOOK 2 ends with Tal leaving for Downshaft
just as Kronstadt announces that a thousand new Enforcers will be sent to
this hellhole to quell the recent trouble there.
TWO CHOICES
BOOK 3, "Tal's Quandry," focuses
on what Tal learns from his experiences in Downshaft. Bertie and Tal rendevous
with Mackenzee, a Power Engineer
sympathetic to the Underground cause, who provides initial cover until an
accident in Dunztown delivers
Tal into temporary bondage. Tal is captured on the street (while sightseeing)
in a pre-targeted dreg bar raid, and taken -- with many others -- by Emil
Zarg's dreaded DESU (Downshaft
Enforcement Services Unit) to the "Pitz."
(a slave labor area). Fortunately Tal has been arrested with hooligans and
street trash, and is not considered important enough to be immediately interrogated.
That night, he is almost rescued in a daring escape attempt engineered by
Bertie and Irma (who has rushed down to help), but unfortunately falls prey
to the wrong rescuers. A group of wildmen from "The
Bogz" (the sanctuary of the Feral People) raid the Pitz on the
same night to save their own people. They mistakenly snatch Tal and make
off with him.
Tal is taken to The Bogz, where he is
amazed that people actually live without screenz. Since he is obviously
not one of them, he is immediately taken before the reclusive "Drakmar
the Blind," exponent of the rebellion in Downshaft and leader of
the Feral People. Tal tells his cover story -- he's a student looking for
a lost relative in Downshaft -- and says nothing about the secret quest
for the keys to the The Portal. Drakmar senses something more in Tal, and
hoping to draw him out, reveals part (but not all) of the origins of the
Feral People. When Tal questions Drakmar about his past, Drakmar only says
"like you, I was once a student."
Drakmar then has Tal taken to his secret
island retreat in a mist-filled area at the southern end of the Bogz where
he perceptively queries the young man further. Although sworn to secrecy,
Drakmar's clever questioning elicits allusions to things that Tal can't
help but reveal. Drakmar finally tells him "you need speak no more."
The Strange Sage then talks in riddles for a time, seeming to give Tal clues
which could lead to the discovery of more keys, but the words are unclear.
Finally, Drakmar predicts that Downshaft will erupt into a war soon, and
lets Tal go with an ominous warning.
When Tal re-unites with Bertie, Irma,
and Mackenzee at an out of the way power station annex in Downshaft, Mackenzee
DELIVERS A BOMBSHELL: Reactor number 3 is failing because of a fissure underneath
its creaking foundation -- air is being sucked out of The Quadrant at an
alarming rate due to the immense pressure differential caused by the vacuum
of space outside. When asked what it would take to repair the fissure, Mackenzee
laughs, and says "At the rate it's leaking, every Quadit
in the Purse just might
buy us the technology and time to fix it, and we should've started a year
ago."
Staggered by the choices that face him
and the others, Tal reels: should he continue the search for the keys in
the hope that finding them all will lead to a grand solution for the troubles
of The Q? Or should he (as Irma urges constantly, and he -- for both practical
and now romantic reasons -- begins to believe) join the Underground outright
in the fight to overthrow Kronstadt. Should he chase a myth, or face reality?
* * * * *
BOOK 4, "Days of Terror," looks
at the deteriorating situation back on the Boardz in The Q proper. In his
continuing drive to absolute power, Kronstadt decides to resurrect his own
version of The Great Purges to
finally eliminate all high profile remnants of the former Q Establishment
(the Inztitut leaders, Bard Rammel, Laneer, the Rasks, Alicia, etc.). His
first act is to dissolve The Nine in the name of quelling "fractionalism."
For a brief moment at a private meeting, Kronstadt revels in his power in
a self-serving speech over the august secret body. But, because only a few
elites have knowledge of The Nine and their powers, he can reap little public
advantage out of this move. So, after his speech, he simply has the Establishment
and Inztitut members summarily arrested on trumped up charges of "opposing
the new regime" and taken to The Mezzanine,
(a secure prison in the Krania Tower). Here, he punishes his captives by
disconnecting them from The
System for the maximum amount of time, and then reconnects them to face
the psychological/emotional shame of a lower status in The Q. Conveniently,
he can now also confiscate a large part of their wealth to pay for his expanding
plans.
A virtual army of new Enforcerz
is raised (and overpaid) to combat increasing Underground violence and various
local resistance as Kronstadt and his cronies take over all operations of
The Quadrant, including The Inztitut. As repressive "Kronstadtism"
begins to pervade The Q, Kronstadt and his Top Dogz lose no time celebrating
their victories in the night spots and casinos of Krania and the Kolony,
while broadcasting daily official Sysprog
announcements heralding the arrival of a "great new era" for all
in The Q.
Inevitably, things begin to polarize --
the growing Kronstadt juggernaut requires a massive transfer of quadits
just to fund its burgeoning bureaucracy, causing the fragile Q economy to
contract in upon itself. The poor and disenfranchised are left with little
support as payments and supplies to the Quadrant
Services Units (QSUs) all over The Quadrant (especially on the Outer
Boardz) dry up. Basic services begin to deteriorate and The Outer Boardz
erupt into warring factions fighting over scarce resources. Downshaft ignites
into nightly battles between the Feral People, led by Drakmar the Blind,
and the powerful DESU, commanded by Emil Zarg.
Though sorely tempted to directly join
the fight against Kronstadt, Tal continues the search for the keys at the
behest of Galadrina and Old Dusty, while he tries to convince Irma to curtail
her increasingly dangerous Underground activities. Incredibly, (following
clues given to him by Drakmar earlier in Downshaft), three keys are found
in quick succession: one in an unlikely hiding place on Recon 1, another
on Recon 2, and the fifth on the outskirts of Conzec Board (from a dealer
in old memory disks). As Tal begins to understand how the puzzle comes together
(five keys have now been found), a disaster occurs: Irma, whose cover as
a nurse in the QSU 14 Healthanc unit has somehow been comprimised, is suddenly
arrested for treason by Kronstadt's chief assistant, Uskar Weemer, and his
spies. Gloating that he has found the "she-devil" of the Underground,
Weemer has Irma taken to The Mezzanine.
Tal, who now realizes he is falling in love
with Irma, and Bertie (Irma's father) are outraged, and want immediately
to raid The Mezzanine itself to rescue Irma and the others. Galadrina and
Old Dusty argue strongly against this idea because it will jeopardize the
quest for the keys to The Portal. Strangely, Sergei Zerb, who knows much
more about the quest than he should, secretly contacts Tal with a better
plan. He realizes he would rather save his well-intentioned mother (and
Irma for private romantic reasons) than play thwopp and smoke cigars with
his crusty father in his new "palace" in the Kolony which has
been confiscated by Kronstadt and given to Milo Zerb for his help in the
telelection.
Complicating matters, Arturo
Devlin -- the cagey lawyer who has deftly appeared to be a Kronstadt
supporter since his victory now begins to have second thoughts (partially
because Kronstadt loyalists do not trust him). He puts out feelers to Sergei,
suggesting that his mother and the "girl Irma" can be rescued
"for a reasonable fee." Hedging his bets, Arturo has long understood
that it is wisest to play both sides against the middle.
As the Quadrant tilts toward war, BOOK
4 ends with preparations for a rescue of the prisoners in The Mezzanine
led by Sergei, and the reluctant continuation by Tal and Bertie (who now
takes on guide duties in his daughter's absence) to search for the remaining
two keys.
WAR IN THE QUADRANT
BOOK 5, "The Battle of the Quadrant,"
starts with a raid on The Mezzanine led by Sergei, who now commits himself
to the cause. Knowing his daughter is in harm's way, Bertie has nevertheless
promised Galadrina and Old Dusty that he will support Tal in the quest for
the last two keys -- he cannot participate in the raid, but he and Tal help
Sergei and other key Undergrounders form a plan to rescue Irma and the Q
Establshment figures who have been imprisoned in Krania
Tower.
Using Arturo Devlin as an intermediary,
Sergei secures permission to visit his mother -- Alicia Zerb (a former member
of The Nine), who has been incarcerated along with the rest of the Q elite
-- to gain access to the area where the prisoners are kept. The pretext
is to bring effects that will make his mother's temporary stay more comfortable.
He also arranges for five AirSkimmers
to dock and wait on the skimmerport hotel landing area, forty floors above
The Mezzanine, and secures a freight elevator for a fast escape.
Appearing late at night with Undergrounders
posing as helpers (carrying several large items), Sergei enters the elite
prisoner area and swiftly has the guards immobilzed and the area temporarily
sealed off. The team loses no time finding and releasing all of the prisoners,
including Alicia and Irma. Unfortunately, as the prisoners are given instructions
about the escape route, an alarm sounds. Irma grabs a brodstik, and screams
at Sergei "I've got two minutes to shut this alarm down and fight off
whoever comes my way. You've got two minutes to get them out of here, and
you better do it now!" Surprised and pained, Sergei reluctanly leaves
Irma to fight a rear-guard action, and moves the prisoners out as fast as
possible. Miraculously, he is able to get them to the skimmers and fly them
to temporary safety to Underground safe havenz on the Outer Boardz.
Meanwhile, Downshaft boils over. Nightly
battles rage between the DESU and Drakmar's Feral People, who intesify raids
on The Pitz and Hydroponic Units to free Ferals and others who are used
as slave labor. Mackenzee (the power systems manager for the reactors in
Downshaft) calls for an emergency secret meeting with Bertie and other Underground
higher ups: the fissure under Reactor number 3 continues to widen and presents
serious problems for The Q unless repairs are immediately started. Leaving
Tal exposed to continue the search for the sixth key on Recon 4, Bertie,
stretched dangerously thin and frustrated that his daughter is still in
captivity, races to the meeting. After some argument, all agree that Mackenzee
must report the reactor problem to the appropriate Q Authorities at QKontrol and Quad Ops,
despite the fact that they are now controlled by Kronstadt. The reactor
must be shut down in order to allow work to be done to shore up its foundation.
Downshaft is now a combat zone and Mackenzee
and the others push to request additional security to fortify the working
area around the reactor. This, they hope, will draw off Enforcers from other
areas in Downshaft and give Drakmar and the Feral People a better chance
to prevail while Mackenzee works on the reactor. Bertie directs his Undergrounders
to do what they can to sabotage specific power systems used by Kronstadt's
command and control center in Krania and in The Kolony (where Kronstadt
has created a veritable armed camp), then leaves for the surface to continue
to help Tal in the search for the keys. Unfortunately, Mackenzee can now
do little more for The Alliance: his every waking moment must be spent trying
to repair the damaged reactor foundation. In his report to Quad-Ops, he
warns "there will be intermittent power outages all across The Q."
Back in The Q, Recon 5 erupts into complete
chaos: widespread mayhem and looting of local QSU
storage areas requires Kronstadt to send in huge numbers of newly minted
Enforcers to attempt to restore order. Kronstadt is livid about the escape
of the elite prisoners, and announces live on a special Sysprog broadcast,
that substanital bounties will be paid for them "dead or alive."
He also has special units begin a search for the prisoners and puts a tail
on Arturo, who he suspects of double dealing. In a punishing mood, he sends
over three hundred former Q Officials (mostly technocrats and minor politicals
who supported the the previous Q infrastructure bureaucracy) to Downshaft.
These policies assauge his wounded ego, but they also deprive him of skilled
people to run The Q, and add to the policing problems he faces in downshaft.
Though ruthless and quick to anger, Kronstadt
is no fool. He has effectively eliminated the former Q establishment (including
those on The Nine), and controls Krania, The Kolony, Downshaft, and most
of the Boardz. He is aware of the reactor problem in Downshaft and commits
the necessary security resources to see that repairs are started immediately.
His strategy for Recon 5 is to make a show of shoring up the QSU's and let
the rest of the population fight among themselves. Encourged by what begins
to appear as a series of victories, Kronstadt proposes marriage to Lena
Molloy, promising -- finally -- to make her "Queen of The Q."
Lena shows maximum interest, but holds out for certain perks that Kronstadt
cannot yet deliver.
Kronstadt's chief lieutenants -- Edo Mezner,
and Weemer -- find themselves very busy. Mezner now runs The Inztitut, and
Weemer is, in effect, Kronstadt's second in command. The Narloff brothers
have been allowed to buy nearly all of the prime real estate in the Kolony
and prepare to purchase most of the Rask holdings, which Kronstadt has put
up for public auction (Kronstadt keeps the Rask Estate for himself, of course).
Lena's mother -- Meerna Molloy -- revels in the new title of "Grand
Matron of The Quadrant," which Kronstadt has bestowed on her (along
with several million quadits). Even Emil Zarg,
the "Beast of Downshaft," has been given a new new title: he is
now Praetor of Downshaft, and will report directly to Kronstadt himself.
As the trend toward victory for the Kronstadt
forces accelerates, Mezner tries to convince Weemer that the search for
the keys to The Portal is far more important than they realize. He argues
that the enemy has put a priority on this search, citing Sergei's role in
an earlier prank, in which Meerna Molloy complained about something that
had been stolen from her. Weemer at first downplays "the wild ramblings
of Sergei, which could be attributable to anything." But Mezner cites
Sergei's new involvement with the enemy, and points out that the student
Tal -- who orignally made off with The Portal computer device and who was
thought dead -- was not only seen with Sergei and Irma briefly in The Quarter
a few weeks earlier, but was also recognized recently by certain of his
informers on Recon 1. Interested, Weemer sees a possible connection and
muses . . . "We still have the girl, of course, and I have an interesting
new drug my medical researchers have just developed. If she knows anything
about this so called 'search,' we shall certainly find out."
Weemer and Edo have Irma drugged, and
they learn what she reveals about the search for the keys up to the point
that she was captured -- including the roles of Tal, Galadrina, and Old
Dusty. But because Irma herself has never supported the quest, (saying that
she believes it is useless and counterproductive) Weemer discounts both
"The Protectorate"(Irma's term for the Guiders of The Quest) and
what it has found as "pure fantasy," and exults in the news that
the enemy misdirects many of its resources in search of a wild dream about
a ridiculous hidden ship. When Edo suggests that they bring in the old woman
and the professor for questioning, Weemer scolds him: "These poor fools
are helping us now, and that's precisely what we want. Leave the politics
to me and go back to your scribbling at the college. When the time comes,
the bitch undergrounder will be useful to us." Edo relents, but because
he is far more deeply versed in the matter of the keys, he eagerly takes
what he has learned back to the Inztitut for further investigation.
As war now rages throughout the Q, Edo
centers his own search on certain old museum pieces (including several ancient
memory disk cylinders) that were once in an exhibit in the Humanitas library
in the Inztitut. If he can find a key, he will be able to deliver a "bargainning
chip" to Kronstadt, and reap benefits. Amazingly, he finds that the
entire collection was put up for auction not long after The Great Purges,
and that none other than Arturo Devlin was the purchaser. He makes a secret
call to Arturo, expressing interest in "certain artifacts in exchange
for large amounts of quadits," and confirms a meeting with him at his
estate on Conzec Board.
Arturo knows he is under suspicion by the Kronstadt camp because of his
involvement in The Mezzanine incident (for a hundred thousand quadits, he
acted as Sergei's attorney to clear the way for a visit), and plans accordingly:
a skimmer waits on the roof and his security team is mobilized.
When Edo arrives, Arturo is surprised
that he is alone, and genuinely interested in the museum pieces. As they
review Arturo's private collection, Edo seizes on a dusty framed display
of seven old memory cylinders. "This is what I'm looking for . . .
I have an abiding interest in such things for what they may possibly reveal."
Arturo has heard enough about the quest from his own agents to know that
the contents of the display could be very valuable, and asks, "What
are you willing to pay?" Edo offers a million quadits, and Arturo counters
with "seven million." Edo raises his offer to three million "in
cash, here and now," but Arturo declines. Lying, Arturo tells Edo that
"others who place a value on this artifact are willing to pay at least
five million, perhaps more." Edo offers his three million in cash to
hold the piece, and in three days will transfer four million more to Arturo's
account to purchase it. Arturo agrees. Edo vidrecords the verbal agreement,
gives Arturo the money, and leaves.
Arturo sees that his days are numbered
in the Kronstadt camp, and decides to cast his lot with "the other
side." Most of his holdings have already been transferred to cash and
hidden, and he senses he now has something of great value to contribute
to the cause (it also pleases him that he can abscond with Edo's cash).
He places a secret call to a member of his staff who has underground contacts,
seals his house, and makes his escape by skimmer to a hiding place on the
outkirts of Recon 2.
Knowing what they're up against, the Guiders
of The Quest, Tal, key Undergrounders, remnants of the Q Establishment,
and representatives of Drakmar from Downshaft, all meet together to combine
their efforts to fight Kronstadt's "reign of terror." Bertie arranges
the meeting in a secret safe haven in the Netherworldz
below Recon 3, and provides very tight security with hundreds of Undergrounders
covering up to a kilometer in every direction.
In the conference, Tal tells the story
of the quest for the keys, detailing the progress that has so far been made.
The potentially disastrous reactor leak in Downshaft is also reviewed. But,
the immediate problem is how to deal with Kronstadt's growing power. In
the end, all factions agree to formalize The Alliance and support the quest,
but the bulk of their resources will be focused on a set of tactics to counter
Kronstadt: (1) the Underground, with the help of Drakmar's people, will
sabotage key infrastructure systems used by Kronstadt, (2) Tarn and Roland
Rask, Alicia, Sergei, and other ex-Q Establishment figures will use the
wealth and contacts remaining to them to influence the political struggle
on the outer boardz and elsewhere, (3) Drakmar will have full support to
fight Zarg's DESU in Downshaft, and (4) the Inztitut Dons will do their
best to influence The Inztitut to back The Alliance. Bertie is chosen "Interim
Director of The Alliance," and, in turn, chooses a member of each group
to advise and help coordinate their efforts.
Arturo's crossover and the "gift"
he proffers, now presents a problem. Wary of a possible Kronstadt ploy,
the leaders of The Alliance demand that Arturo remain under house arrest
until the memory cylinders he has brought can be examined. Remarkably (as
Arturo had suspected), one of the cylinders turns out to be the sixth key,
and Tal requests more resources to begin at once to search for clues. Arturo's
recent background is checked and verified, and he is appointed to the temporary
position of "Advisor to The Alliance."
Bertie, with help from Mackenzee in Downshaft,
orchestrates a power outage which temporarily neutralizes Kronstadt's main
communications networks in Krania and in the Kolony. This gives The Alliance
a momentary advantage, demonstrating that they can harm the Kronstadt machine.
But just as The Alliance begins to gain converts to its cause, Kronstadt
management technologists (who have been promised fat bonuses for their labors),
led by Weemer, discover that their power problems have originated from Mackenzee's
group in Downshaft. Mackenzee and his staff are arrested, thrown into Zarg's
jail in Downshaft, and replaced with Kronstadt loyalists.
Back in the Kronstadt camp, Weemer's constant
scheming uncovers Edo's suspicious activities: a surpise analysis of internal
dossiers puts Edo on display as a possible traitor. Edo's failed secret
dealings with Arturo (over possible keys to The Portal) are made known to
Kronstadt, who has him brought to The Mezzanine high in Krania Tower. As
Weemer gloats, Kronstadt grills Edo mercilessly, but Edo withstands the
pressure. Cleverly using the opportunity to defend himself as a way to underscore
the importance of the search for the keys to The Portal, he temporarily
outmaneuvers Weemer by telling Kronstadt all he knows -- including the details
of Irma's interrogation -- and argues that the other side may soon find
something that will turn the tide of battle in their favor. "They may
find the power to ruin us all," he says, alluding to the hidden ship
and other possible technologies which might be found at the ship's location.
Weemer acknowledges that the searchers
are under surveillance, but have not been brought in, because they might
lead them to the alleged hidden ship. Smiling at his clever lieutenant,
Kronstadt says ". . . not a guarantee, unfortunately. They are well
guarded and certainly aware of our presence." When Edo reminds the
group that the hostage Irma could be a bargaining chip, Kronstadt immediately
seizes on a way to use her for both ending the war quickly on their terms
AND gaining access to the hidden ship, just in case there is one. A show
trial will be held and Irma will be publicly tried and terminated as a "key
underground conspirator." To save her, The Alliance must accept Kronstadt's
terms for ending the conflict, and must reveal the location of the hidden
ship, allowing Kronstadt to confiscate it. Kronstadt makes preparations
to announce a public trial, and directs Weemer to alert his "moles"
planted in the Underground to keep their ears and eyes open.
* * * * *
BOOK 6, "The Last Key," begins
with The Alliance in dire trouble. Tal's research using the sixth key (the
oldest and coldest of them all) leads to a possible holder of the seventh
key who was sent Downshaft long ago. Beyond that there is no information.
When Tal reminds Bertie, Galadrina, and Old Dusty that Drakmar provided
clues to the whereabouts of three crucial keys, they agree that the strange
prophet may know something of this last key, and must be notified and encouraged
to help in the search. When Tal tries to communicate directly with Drakmar,
he is rebuffed: Drakmar's representatives report that "he's too busy
fighting a war, and cannot devote any energy to a search for something which
will, in all probablility, prove to be useless."
A few days later, Kronstadt uses Sysprog prime time to publicly
announce the trumped-up trial of the "She Devil terrorist of The Quadrant,"
promising that Irma will be convicted of "the senseless bombings"
which have "killed thousands of innocent citizens of The Quadrant."
He ends the broadcast with a pledge to commute her death sentence only if
the "wretches of the Underground and their accomplices" end the
war on "reasonable (his) terms."
Kronstadt knows he faces an ememy much
broader than just the Underground, yet has most of his bases covered. He
still has problems in Downshaft, but has secured most of the surface area
of The Quadrant, except for Recon 5, which he has written off because it's
too costly to control. He also knows that the temporary leader of The Alliance
is the father of his captive and a committed Undergrounder. Feeling he now
has the upper hand (and a powerful lever against the Underground), he uses
Weemer's spies to communicate privately to The Alliance that they have FIVE
DAYS to make a decision. They must (1) surrender on his terms, (2) give
him possession of The Portal, including all of the keys, and (3) allow him
to confiscate the hidden ship, if there is one -- or Irma dies.
With Irma's life at stake and Kronstadt's
power growing, Tal, Bertie, Galadrina, Old Dusty, Tarn Rask, Sergei, and
others agree that Arturo Devlin should be informed of everything they know
and brought in to help create a negotiating strategy. In a secret meeting
with all the leaders of The Alliance, Arturo quickly determines that they
do not yet have the seventh key, and that they have few resources left to
continue fighting Kronstadt. "Forgive me," he says, "but
it is evident that we are now losing the war. If I am to do this job, I
must ask two very hard questions. First, are you . . . we . . . prepared
to exchange the girl for terms which will mean a Kronstadt dictatorship
and our demise? Second, is there a real possibility to find the seventh
key to The Portal, and will it mean our salvation?"
After heated discussion -- with Old Dusty
and Tal pointing out possible "technolgical deliverance" if the
hidden ship is found -- Arturo learns that no one will willingly trade Irma's
life for a Kronstadt dictatorship over The Q. He simply says "then
you'll let the girl die and fight on, is that it?" Galadrina glances
at the others and then to Arturo. "No," she retorts, "we
will rescue Irma and fight on." Grimacing, Arturo tells the group that
Irma is now too well guarded. It is impossible to rescue her, no matter
how many people they are prepared to sacrifice. He turns to the problem
of the last key, and relates his dealings with Edo, arguing that Kronstadt
is now probably convinced that finding a functioning starship is more important
than anything else in The Quadrant, and this is what he truly bargains for.
He concludes that if Kronstadt does not win this prize, the girl will die.
And if he does, he will either destroy the ship or use it for his own escape.
After a silence, Arturo sums up The Alliance
position: "If we surrender, we will all certainly be sent Downshaft,
and if we fight on, Irma will be killed and they will hunt us down one by
one. We must locate the hidden ship to have any real chance. Failing that,
we must make them think we have the ship and lure them onto our ground where
we might be able to defeat them." He then asks if the seventh key can
be found within five days. Tal feels that Drakmar himself may have the answer,
but has not been able to directly communicate with him. When some of the
others call for more time, Bertie rises (with a nod from Old Dusty) and
states that they will find an answer in 24 hours. Several voices raise an
alarm over this statement, and after a few moments Arturo raises his hands.
As a hush falls over the room, he lays out a negotiating strategy:
Arturo argues that trying to buy time
beyond five days will only encourage Kronstadt to exact harsher terms because
he will realize that they do not have the seventh key or the location of
the hidden ship. "We have to hope we can find the ship, but we must
act now as if we have its location and deal from as much of a power position
as we can create. To do this, we should appear to be willing to exchange
the girl Irma for the ship, but not unless Kronstadt agrees to share power
on reasonable terms with The Alliance. Though he will reject a power-sharing
scheme in the end, it will take him time to think this through, and time
is what we now need."
Reluctantly, all agree that Arturo's position
is the best one they can adopt. Tal and Bertie leave for Downshaft immediately,
hoping to meet as soon as they can with Drakmar directly. Sergei temporarily
takes charge of operations, and Arturo helps Old Dusty, Galadrina, Tarn
Rask, and the other Alliance leaders draft a "Terms of Exchange"
document which will be transmitted to Kronstadt's camp within 48 hours.
Downshaft now becomes a focal point of
the conflict: Drakmar has succeeded in freeing substantial numbers of the
Feral People from DESU slavery,
and as a result, most of the waste removal capability for The Quadrant,
and more than half of food production from the hydroponic farms, has been
taken offline. As plumbing and other domestic systems begin to back up and
food supplies grow short on the surface, complaints from Kronstadt supporters
grow louder, and Kronstadt becomes irate. After huddling with his top aides,
Kronstadt decides to temporarily seal-off the Outer Boardz (ceasing all
speedtube traffic, including all food and medical supplies), in order to
draw up to 5,000 extra Enforcers to settle the Downshaft problem immediately.
Bertie and Tal, accompanied by a cadre
of experienced Undergrounders, descend from The Quadrant's surface through
secret Netherworld routes to a safe haven in Downshaft, where they can communicate
to Drakmar's people. Meeting with a top Drakmar representative, Bertie informs
him that 5,000 Enforcers are headed for Downshaft, and that the Underground
will do everything they can to help. As the man thanks them and prepares
to leave, Tal grabs him by the shoulders."Tell Drakmar there is something
else we must talk to him about now. And it means far more than thousands
of Enforcers on their way down here. It means the very life or death of
The Quadrant!" As Bertie pulls Tal away, the man assures them that
Drakmar will be told everything at once, and hurries out the door.
A few hours later Drakmar himself appears
quietly with only two security guards. Confronting Tal and Bertie, he produces
a gleaming metal memory cylinder. When Tal examines it, it is clear that
it is the last key! Then, with a stern look, Drakmar tells Bertie and Tal
that he understands what's at stake, including the latest exchange offer
by Kronstadt, and will transfer the key to The Alliance only if they agree
to his terms. When Tal asks Drakmar how he could know about the exchange
terms secretly communicated to The Alliance by the Kronstadt camp, Drakmar
simply replies "we have people on the surface, of course."
Drakmar's conditions are clear: if The
Alliance prevails, (1) The System must be destroyed, (2) the Feral People
must have equal rights to live on the Boardz, and, (3) he (Drakmar), must
be granted the right to initially represent the interests of all of the
Feral People in new Q government. He presents a vid document with the same
terms for Bertie's and Tal's signatures. Bertie (wisely) tells Drakmar that
he must know what Drakmar's PLAN is to counter the 5,000 Enforcers soon
to be sent Downshaft before he or Tal will create and sign any document.
Drakmar says that the "Hydrolifts
will be sabotaged." Bertie replies that wholesale sabotage of the Hydrolifts
would be the death-knell of The Quadrant, and offers Drakmar up to 100 highly
trained Undergrounder technicians who can "put the Hydrolifts offline,
then back online, when necessary." Smiling slightly, Drakmar extends
his hand to Bertie. The arrangement is consummated and Bertie and Tal immediately
leave for the surface.
Kronstadt receives, and meets to review
The Alliance's Exchange Agreement with his top lieutenants at his lavish
Kolony home -- the former Rask estate. Weemer reports that most of The Quadrant
surface Boardz are secure and under control (his spy network has been very
efficient). He admits that there may be problems sending the Enforcer contingent
Downshaft, but assures his master that Hydrolift schedules will be engineered
in such a way that sabotage of these vital systems will be impossible, and
that all Enforcers will be delivered to the war zone in the next 24 hours.
Edo adds that his agents have determined that it is probable that the seventh
key to The Portal has been discovered, and predicts that the ship's location
and whatever technology is found will inevitably be given up to "save
the girl."
Kronstadt's group concludes that sharing power
with The Alliance would be foolish because they are now in a commanding
position. Controlling the ship and its technology is the only real issue
that warrants exchanging the girl. Kronstadt has now come to believe that
taking this option out of enemy hands is crucial to victory, but states
that "using it is secondary to consolidating power over The Quadrant."
Edo (reading through the lines) asks Kronsadt if he would destroy the ship
if he thought it would yield total victory, and Kronstadt answers "Absolutely!
We must be prepared to remove anything or any symbol that remnants of the
enemy could rally around to provoke resistance."
As Weemer enthusiastically lauds this
assesment, Edo, hiding his concern, outwardly agrees (inwardly, he vows
that he will never let Kronstadt destroy the starship, especially when it
may be the only means of escape from their endangered world). Despite a
remote worry that The Alliance may find something so powerful from the discovery
of a hidden ship that it might negate the value of his hostage, Kronstadt
cannot hide his good mood. Thanking his intimate advisors, and confident
that he will soon control Downshaft, he smiles and tells them he has something
to announce: tomorrow he will publically consummate his marriage to Lena Molloy (who senses that things are now
going her way). The day after the marriage, they will finalize the Exchange
Agreement and prepare to take complete control over The Quadrant.
Finally, with all seven keys available,
Tal is able to use The Portal device to de-code and launch the secret file
which pinpoints the location of the hidden ship. It turns out that it is
located inside a sealed area underground, next to a long unused waste receptor
unit 500 meters below the surface of the greenbelt between Recon 3 and Recon
4 in the northwest sector. Reluctant to use surface routes to the location
because of continuing hostilities, Tal (taking "The Portal" computing
device with him), Bertie, and four trusted technologists, use a secret underground
route through the Netherworldz to
the spot.
Arriving at the approximate location,
they find the waste receptor unit: the doors are barely visible and frozen
shut. Checking the co-ordinates, Tal and Bertie find they are still two
hundred meters away from the ship location. Realizing there is no way down
or around the obstacle, they decide to bore through. When Tal asks if the
lasersaw team they have brought with them can get to the location in time,
Bertie replies "we have no choice. All our other teams are now at the
Hydrolifts."
After 2 hours, access is gained to the
waste receptor area: it is huge, empty and dark. Using hi-powered lights,
Tal and Bertie quickly find the nearest point to the ship location co-ordinates.
It is directly under the northwest corner of the waste receptor floor. There
is no obvious opening, and at least 5 meters of plasteel separates them
from the enclosure. Resigned, they begin to saw again -- then, suddenly,
THEY ARE ATTACKED from all sides out of the dark . . .
On the day after his marriage, Kronstadt
and his advisors analyse the fine print in the Exchange Agreement. It requires
that neither side can have more than 50 security personnel at the exchange
location (within minutes of acceptance, The Alliance will transmit the co-ordinates
to a neutral area no more than 500 meters from the ship's location). Kronstadt
appears relieved, and laughs, pointing out that if The Alliance is now willing
to "do the exchange," what they have found has EITHER given them
no particular advantage in the struggle to control The Quadrant, OR they
have found nothing at all and "wish to draw us into an ambush."
As Weemer eagerly agrees with this assessment, Edo raises his hand, addressing
Kronstadt.
"Yes, this is possibly the case,
but if The Alliance has found the ship, they may be able to use it to leave
The Quadrant, and we will have no escape if the reactor leak cannot be repaired."
Weemer rises, looking askance at Edo, then looks directly at Kronstadt.
"Excellency, this is pure conjecture. The Quadrant is safe, and even
if the enemy has found such a ship, they still bargain to save the girl.
This is their weakness! For them, saving one life means more than winning
The Quadrant, and it will be their downfall." When Kronstadt asks Weemer
what he would do, the ruthless counsellor continues.
Relishing his brief moment on the stage,
Weemer drives his points home: "The Alliance will have hundreds of
their people in the area at least, and we will have no chance to do reconnaissance.
First, the girl must be drugged, because she has already proven to be dangerous.
Second, for an exchange to take place, we must insist that no one from The
Alliance except its leaders be allowed within a square kilometer of the
site -- if our sensing team finds otherwise, woe be unto them. We must be
allotted a 50 man security team to enter. The girl will be released only
after we have confirmed that our side has secured the area and only after
we have accepted the surrender of their leaders on our terms, and taken
possession of the ship. Further, the woman should be released to no more
than a stretcher team from the enemy." Kronstadt smiles at Weemer,
saying "Send this immediately, and tell them they have 12 hours to
accept our terms or the girl dies."
As the War in Downshaft intensifies, The
Alliance receives and considers the enemy's exchange document. Kronstadt's
5,000 Enforcers are intitially stopped at the Hydrolifts by Bertie's Undergrounder
technical team, but they can't be held forever. Though they have expected
to communicate with Bertie and Tal, The Alliance leaders have as yet received
no word. Worried and fearful, all realize that they must wait to "do
an exchange" on Kronstadt's onerous terms until they hear from Bertie
and Tal.
Weemer's long-laid plans have now come
to fruition at a crucial time. Chafing at his secondary role in "The
Quadrant to come" (he has always thought that he is smarter than Kronstadt),
Weemer realizes that his master's attentions are now temporarily consumed
by his marriage to Lena Molloy. The deadly
assistant decides to exploit this weakness and strike: his own secret group
of private spies (to whom he has promised fabulous rewards) has successfully
TRACKED AND CAPTURED BERTIE AND TAL. Upon receiving word that he has the
captives and The Portal, with the location of the hidden ship, he exults
-- he will have the captives terminated, proceed on a plan to have Kronstadt
assassinated, and will take over The Quadrant as "Lord and Master."
Presumably, the ship will be intact, but if he must destroy it to consolidate
power, he is ready.
Not to be outdone, Edo -- who hates Weemer
and has his own slightly more altruistic ends in mind -- has also planned
ahead. Realizing that he has never been the spymaster-plotter that Weemer
is, he has simply (and intelligently) used his position as a key Kronstadt
advisor, to have Weemer's moves scrutinized and tracked by his own trusted
agents (to whom, he has also promised rewards). Spurred by his desire to
save the hidden ship, he has urged his group to tail Weemer's operatives
wherever they go and report back to him on their movements. Incredibly,
word from the leader of Edo's group reports in a secret communique that
they have QUIETLY SURROUNDED Weemer's spies who hold Tal and Bertie in the
waste receptor area. They await a signal from Edo directing them on how
to proceed.
In his own mind, Edo celebrates a possible
victory: if he can neutralize Weemer's operatives and save Tal and Bertie,
he will be in the position to play "the white knight." He, too,
has prepared to engage in treachery and has plans to have Kronstadt and
Weemer removed, but it will be for a good cause: he will function as "philosopher
king" to The Quadrant, and will invite certain members of The Alliance
to become his advisors. If The Quadrant cannot survive, he will hand-pick
"the best" and they AND HE, together, will venture out into the
stars to complete the original mission to find an inhabitable planet to
perpetuate the human race.
Still in a reverie, Edo sends a message
to the leader of his operatives: "Take them, but be sure the old man
and the boy are alive."
HERE ENDS THE FIRST PART OF THE
STORY OF THE QUADRANT.