Beyond the Shroud of the Universe by Chris Kennedy Read Free Book Online Page B

hadn’t noticed the man before, nor had he seen him approach.
    “Can we talk somewhere privately?” the man asked without looking up.
    Night ran an online facial recognition scan on what he could see of the man’s face, but it came back with no matches. That hadn’t happened since he got his implant. Some of his confusion must have shown on his face, for the man added, “An online search won’t find me. I don’t exist.”
    “Yeah,” Night said. “Come with me. My shuttle is parked on the landing pad. We can talk there.”
     
     

Chapter Eight
     
     

Cargo Bay, Shuttle 02 , Terran Government HQ, Lake Pedam, Nigeria, October 4, 2021
    “So,” Night said. “We’re here. What is it you wanted to talk about?”
    “When the Psiclopes made their presence known, the world became focused on the stars,” the man said, “with very few people looking after things on this planet. While this was sufficient for most nations, my country has many enemies, including those who didn’t join the Republic of Terra. Everyone thought North Korea and Iran had been marginalized enough that they couldn’t make trouble.” He shook his head. “Those people were wrong.”
    After a sigh, he continued, “My organization, however, has continued to monitor them. And it is a good thing we never lost our focus. Our world…no, our very race, has traitors, as you just saw.”
    “It might help me trust you,” Night said, “if perhaps I knew who you were.”
    “You can call me Moshe Arens,” the man said. “That is not my name, of course, but it will do well enough for now.”
    “If that’s how you inspire trust, you’re not very good at it. You’ll have to try a little harder.”
    The man shrugged, waving off Night’s concern with a flip of his hand. “My real name is unimportant; it was erased many years ago to protect the remaining members of my family. I exist for one purpose and one purpose only, to ensure the safety of my country.”
    “I guess you didn’t get the memo,” Night said. “We don’t have countries anymore; we’re all part of the Fourth Persian Empire now.”
    “I do not consider myself part of the Persian Empire any more than you do, Captain Train. If it will help you move on, I am authorized to tell you I am part of the Mossad, although my organization is not one you would ever have heard of. You may be familiar with my organization’s motto. If not, it is very relevant now. ‘Where there is no guidance, a nation falls, but in an abundance of counselors, there is safety.’”
    Night recognized the biblical quote, and he knew it to be the Mossad’s motto. “So you are an Israeli?” It was more of a statement than a question.
    “I am,” the man said with a nod. “Despite the world’s recent focus on the stars, we still have many enemies here; it is only prudent we keep our eyes on them. I have been watching Iran nearly all my adult life.”
    “With a secret organization?”
    The man shrugged. “We all have our secrets. By the way, how is Father Z doing?”
    Night raised an eyebrow. The priest’s reappearance was a closely-guarded secret; only a very select few were aware of it. Whoever the man was, his sources were good. Very good. “Touché,” Night said. “If you really care, he is expected to recover.”
    “I do care,” the man replied; “he may be able to provide additional information about what the traitors are doing.” He paused, seemingly lost in thought.
    “So,” Night said, growing impatient after a few seconds, “this would be a good time to tell me what you know. That is the reason you made yourself known to me, correct? So I could do something about it?”
    “Partially,” the man said. “While we do want your involvement, we also want you to take all the credit for it; we would prefer our involvement…even our very existence…never comes to light. We are ghosts, and we would like to stay that way.”
    “If you can help us stop these assholes, I’ll be happy to