David Williams - The Machinery of Light

How then to do justice to such sketches? Start by saying that they were imperfect representations of imperfect things. They were flesh that wants to live reduced to ink or keystrokes—or just to memory ground beneath the mill of time. Yet those images, they might survive that flesh … that memory may yet evade the oblivion of eons, become instead the foundation for the tales that flow from old to young to ancient in endless migration across the chains of generation all the way to when the arks of the third planet scatter before the ravaging sun, when the descendants of apes watch the very concept of the years melt in flame behind them. Phrase the words just so, write them just right, and maybe they’ll make it that far. Maybe they’ll do justice to what really went down: the two twenty-second-century superpowers that watched each other across endless steppes and ocean—that feared and hated each other, that built arsenals that spanned the globe and more, looking down upon our planet from on high in space. Space . For even as the radio signals from the first Cold War echoed on the fringes of the Milky Way and sped toward the galaxy’s heart—even as the transmissions from Sputnik and Soyuz raced out into the endless parsecs to join forever with those of Gemini and Apollo … the spark of conflict that set those vessels in motion flared anew in an hour when our race’s promise and our race’s tragedy surged together in a collision that shattered across the shards of time, leaving in its wake only this poor substitute for the real thing, babbled by a madman long gone on the sheerest midnight, riding astride that which might comprise the story of Autumn Rain, tales of pandemonium and glory, sketches of the after to end all others, liquid words flung down from the sky, absorbing all tears, frozen in the ground for all of winter, yet pregnant with the possibility of coming forth one day someday into eternal spring …

While we have every confidence that the integrity of our zone/net infrastructure will be maintained intact during the destruction of the Coalition’s military capability, each of you must be prepared to operate in isolation should the eventuality arise. It is therefore necessary to familiarize you with the overall contours of our calculations. Three factors are paramount.

1. The Eurasian Coalition: We anticipate that our DE/KE strikes will combine with our superior zone capabilities to deliver rapid and overwhelming advantage against the East. Establishing control of the Moon early will be critical, along with all libration points. In addition, the Coalition itself is just that: a coalition, and this can be turned to our advantage, as substantial fault lines exist between the Russian and Chinese nets, along with much mutual suspicion.

2. SpaceCom: The partnership between InfoCom and SpaceCom has been instrumental in Montrose’s securing of the presidency/the zone’s executive node. That said, we must regard this alliance as temporary at best. All SpaceCom agents within your respective purviews should be monitored in anticipation of eventual termination; orders for this could come at any time, possibly before the cessation of combat with the Eurasians.

3. Autumn Rain: As of a few hours ago, the core of this commando group was intact; while their individual situations vary (see attached ANNEX), all should be regarded as highly dangerous. They should be used if possible, but ultimately they must be disposed of. Information on any member of the Rain should immediately be reported to me, pursuant to further instructions. The Rain’s spymaster/creator, Matthew Sinclair , remains imprisoned at L5, and our agents are currently taking custody of him. However, it is believed that various documents of Sinclair’s remain at large; regaining such files is a task of utmost urgency.

Carson, Strom (RAZOR-MECH):Now working directly for President Montrose and responsible for recovering the rogue supercomputer Manilishi , which has escaped into the Congreve sub-basements beneath the lunar farside. Members of Montrose’s own bodyguard corps are accompanying Carson, and if necessary will ensure his liquidation subsequent to the Manilishi’s recapture. (It should be noted that Carson was one of the Manilishi’s trainers ten years ago, and as such, undoubtedly maintains considerable emotional sway over her.)

Sarmax, Leo (MECH):Partnered with InfoCom razor Lyle Spencer to terminate fugitive U.S. handler Alek Jarvin and then investigate a Eurasian black-ops base beneath the Himalayas. Nothing has been heard from either Sarmax or Spencer since crossing into Eurasian territory some hours ago. Though Carson is the ostensible “leader” of the Carson-Sarmax-Lynx triad, Sarmax held that role in the years after the unit’s initial formulation (SEE FILE LG-340038AZ) , when all three men held senior ranks in Praetorian intelligence. Sarmax retired soon after the non-prototype triads went rogue, when his lover—Rain agent Indigo Velasquez —joined the rebel Rain units. (We have reports that Velasquez was executed by Sarmax himself, which might explain the isolation/retirement from which he has only now emerged.)

Lynx, Stefan (RAZOR):Led ex-SpaceCom mech Seb Linehan in an attempted assassination run on SpaceCom commander Jharek Szilard at the orders of the now-deceased President Harrison. Since Szilard remains alive, Lynx and Linehan must be presumed dead. The SpaceCom flagship Montana is still in lockdown, and no further reports have been received. Whether Szilard is still using that ship as his actual base remains unclear, and we are working to ascertain his exact location.

Subsequent to the surgically altered prototype triad, at least ten more triads were developed via genetic acceleration. A significant portion of the Rain perished during their attempted insurrection. The remainder went underground and only recently resurfaced, destroying the Phoenix Elevator and setting in motion the current crisis. It is believed that all remaining members of all remaining triads are now deceased, subsequent to their defeat at the Europa Platform (SEE FILE LG-340489AZ) , but we have yet to confirm this.

MANILISHI:

Haskell, Claire (RAZOR): Supercomputer/cyborg capable of running superluminal hacks (SEE FILE LG-340527AZ) . Haskell was originally handled/run by Sinclair’s handler Morat , and maintained a romantic liaison with Rain agent Jason Marlowe . Both Morat and Marlowe are believed to be deceased at the hands of Haskell herself, and this history could be exploited when we take custody of the Manilishi. Acquiring control of her is our top priority.