Then, with a thunderclap, the bridge shook from explosions and crumbled into the stream below, what seemed a direct hit. He congratu- lated his colleagues on the radio, and once the “mission complete” message appeared, he turned for base. After completing the mission and taking a shower, he enjoyed a bowl of pistachio ice cream and forgot about the whole thing – just another mission he added to his virtual logbook of achievements. What he failed to notice was Mabel’s unflinch - ing gaze; using the house-wide, extensive camera system, she was able to view him playing the game that was projected on a large wall screen, in case others were present to cheer him on. And what she saw left her deeply unsettled.
Scene #8 – Isla de Fuego, Cordovan Archipelago The large bulk carrier, for all purposes just another
utterly forgettable container ship, sat quietly at anchor in the shadow of a lush green volcanic island that effec - tively hid it from the sight of prying eyes. Aboard the ship were only a caretak- er merchant marine crew and a small security force,
but it was very much mechanically alive, as the forward hold contained a number of drones and related materials, ordnance and other support gear. Automated as much as possible, the non-descript ship was worth a fortune, but it looked like just another merchant vessel with multi-col- ored metal rectangles stacked on the deck. What it hid behind the façade was the means to bring down a small country, at least that was what the shadowy financier behind it, Doktor Julius Vetker, believed. After aggres - sive dealings in various tech-related and risky capital ventures, he had amassed a fortune repurposed into projects he wanted to explore, such as this vessel. An initially inexpensive generic castoff his affiliates bought
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