Starship Amrita

Chapter XI - Operation Concubine Heist

Chapter XI – Operation Concubine Heist

So far, so good, thought Tavian as they approached the Yamen.

They had successfully intercepted a delivery. Now came the moment of truth. The car turned into the laneway that ran along the back wall of the complex.

The others had queried Tavian on whether he could pass as a dealer working for the White Gang, given he clearly wasn't a Shangxia native. He insisted it wasn't an issue, as he had known a number of offworlders who had come to the planet seeking fame and fortune and ended up working for the criminal underworld. People like Wei were more than happy to exploit those who were alone and had nowhere to turn.

That's what he had told them; as he approached the gate he dearly hoped he'd been correct.

The car announced they had reached their destination and he exited, straightening his suit. He adjusted his sunglasses and tie and walked towards the gate. The city's lights were blinking on and the sunlight was fading from the sky. Unlike the grandiose front entrance, this one was rather unremarkable. No guards were in sight, but there was a small intercom panel to one side. Glancing up and down the alley he hit a button on the intercom.

"Please state your name and purpose," came a gruff voice.

"Seamus Michaels," said Tavian. "I have a special delivery for His Excellency...." Here he paused, remembering the code, "It shines like Chang Xi's Divine Lantern."

There was a pause at the other end.

Did I fuck that up? Tavian wondered.

But no, the response came a moment later.

"Stay put, we will meet you shortly."

The line went dead and Tavian waited, once again looking around the alley. He could hear traffic from the far end, but no one was to be seen in the alley itself. He glanced up at the sky. Thick clouds billowed above, illuminated by the light of the city. Somewhere up there was the Orbital Ring and the Amrita, but there was nothing to be seen tonight.

He was snapped back to the moment when the door swung open. A man wearing the uniform of the Governor's Household Security appeared.

"You are late," said the man.

That was on purpose. The designated time for Tavian's delivery was significantly earlier than that for Mu and Harry's arrival. But in order to rendezvous with them, he would need to slip away from his escort. They had figured this action would immediately put security on higher alert, making Mu and Harry's entry more difficult. This meant there was a narrow window of timing. Mu and Harry couldn't arrive so much later than Tavian that he would actually have reached the Governor's private chambers by the time they arrived, and he couldn't slip his escort so early that their entry might be barred. That meant they couldn't enter more than six minutes apart – just less than the time it took to get from the entrance of the Yamen to the Governor's chambers, and conveniently about the same amount of time it took to get from the complex's rear gate to the main entrance of the Yamen-proper.

"My apologies," said Tavian.

The guard looked him over. "You're not the usual guy."

Tavian shook his head. "I assure you the product itself is the same as ever."

"You can leave the product with me, I will take it to His Excellency," said the Guard.

This caught Tavian off guard. "My instructions were to deliver it directly to His Excellency."

The guard glared at him. "That won't be necessary."

Tavian's mind raced. "I have a range of products. I believe His Excellency may have questions."