Tsar Wars: Agents of ISIS, Book 1

Agents Of ISIS

Book 1:

Published by Parsina Press at
Smashwords

You can buy a paperback copy of
Tsar
Wars
at
https://www.createspace.com/3436876
.

Copyright © 2010 by Stephen Goldin. All
Rights Reserved.

Cover photo courtesy of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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of this author.

dedicated to Isaac Asimov

who taught us that
breaking
up is hard to do…

particularly when it’s a galactic empire

RANKS

tsar (m), tsaritsa (f), tsary (m pl), tsaritsy (f
pl):
supreme
ruler

velikiy knyaz (m), velikaya knyaghinya (f), velikie knyazya
(m pl), velikie knyaghini (f pl):
child or consort of ruler

knyaz (m), knyaghinya (f), knyazya (m pl), knyaghini (f
pl)
:
ruler of a sector
of space comprising one or more stars

graf (m), grafinya (f), grafy (pl):
ruler of a solar system or an
individual planet

baron (m), baronessa (f), barony (pl):
ruler of a city or specific
locale

dvoryanin (m), dvoryanka (f), dvoryane (pl):
person of the
nobility, specifically of noble birth

boyarin (m), boyarynya (f), boyare (pl)
:
person of non-hereditary nobility,
usually a lifetime-appointment

kupets (m), kupchikha (f), kuptsy (pl)
:
person of high middle
class

krepostnoy (m), krepostnaya (f), krepostnye (pl):
person of lower
class

RUNGLISH WORDS AND PHRASES

blyad, blyady (pl):
whore

Bog znaet:
God knows

Bozhe moi!:
My God!

chetvertak, chetvertaky (pl):
one-quarter ruble, 25
kopecki

da:
yes, okay

damy i gospoda:
ladies and gentlemen

Da zdravstvuyet Imperiya!:
Long live the Empire!

Da zdravstvuyet tsaritsa!:
Long live the tsaritsa!

dub (slang, pronounced doob), duby (pl):
bodyguard, hired
muscle (literally “oak”)

Duma:
legislative assembly

desiatka:
10 rublei

freilina, freiliny (pl):
lady-in-waiting

gornichnaya, gornichnie (pl):
maid

gospodin, gospoda (pl):
Mr.

gospozha:
Ms.

gossie:
missy
(slang)

imperatritsa:
empress

kavalergard, kavalergardy (pl):
palace guard

kopeck, kopecki (pl):
1/100 of a ruble

legavye:
derogatory slang term for militsia

lyubovnika:
lover, honey, sugar
(slang)

menty (pl):
derogatory term for members of the militia

militsioner, militsia (pl):
member of the militia

nichevoh:
nothing; it’s nothing; don’t worry

oprichnik (m), oprichnikya (f). oprichniki (pl):
bodyguard, muscle,
strong arm, goon

piatak, piataki (pl):
5 kopecki = 1/20 of a ruble

politseiskiy, politseiskie (pl):
police officer

politsia:
police, police force

ruble, rublei (pl):
basic unit of currency

shliukha, shliukhi (pl):
slut

sotnia:
100 rublei

Sovyet Knyazey:
a special legislative/advisory council composed of
knyazya

sterva. stervy (pl):
shrew, bitch

suka, suki (pl):
bitch

tovarishch, tovarishchi (pl):
comrade

tsarstvo:
territory ruled by a tsar

zek, zeki (pl):
prisoner; resident of Gulag

Acknowledging Olga Gardner Galvin for her
invaluable help with the Russian language

The open-air mall was bustling with early
afternoon shoppers walking to and fro. Many had specific errands to
run. Others were simply window-shopping or enjoying the fine
afternoon. The ebb and flow of foot traffic guaranteed anonymity
and privacy without calling particular attention to oneself.

For one particular man who was busy appearing
casual, that was exactly how he wanted it. Wong Chin’s gait was a
carefully calculated stroll; he had a couple of hours of leisure
time at his disposal, so he didn’t need to hurry. At the same time
his mother’s birthday was coming up soon, so this was a legitimate
shopping trip for a gift. There was nothing to arouse anyone’s
suspicions.

Chin was dressed in the uniform of the
kavalergardy, which got him some extra looks but not an excessive
amount. It would have been more suspicious if he’d changed into
civilian clothes for this errand. It would have looked as though he
had something to hide—and since he did, that was an appearance best
avoided.

He was approaching the gift shop where he
intended to make his purchase, at the same time keeping a
surreptitious eye on the time. He also kept careful track of the
crowd around him, making sure no one was following him. At
precisely the specified time Chin calmly lifted his wristcom up to
his mouth, as though to make a personal memo. In a quiet,
matter-of-fact voice he said, “Dispatch 226.” In a single
electronic blip, the message he’d carefully composed, encrypted and
compressed was transmitted from his computer through a local relay
to a topcomm repeater that carried the information to its
destination many parsecs away.

With that accomplished, Chin felt a great
wave of relief sweep over him—though he did not show it outwardly.
The most crucial part of this excursion was done. For better or
worse the information he knew would quickly be in trusted hands.
Now he could concentrate on the more innocent task of choosing his
mother’s birthday gift. Being the methodical person he was, he’d
already scouted out the shop where his purchase would take
place.

His mother had always been fond of
hand-crafted music boxes. A store here in this mall carried a
wonderful assortment. Wong Chin spent a relaxed twenty minutes
inspecting the wares before deciding on his purchase, a music box
with a dancing bear on top. He had the shopkeeper wrap it up and,
carrying it carefully, he returned to the knyaz’s palace.

As he entered the private gate, before he
could go to his quarters and drop off the package, he received a
call on his wristcom. “Captain Chin, the knyaz would like to see
you immediately. Report to his study at once.”

Chin frowned. Anything out of the ordinary
was suspicious, and posed a risk to his safety. “I have a package
to drop off in my room, and then I’ll—”

“He needs you at once. I doubt he’ll mind if
you bring the package with you.”

“On my way, then,” Chin said. His voice was
crisp and correct, but inwardly he was worried. The knyaz had only
seen him three times in the six months Chin had been working here,
and had never singled him out for anything. Why this sudden
urgency—and why today of all days? Still, he had no legitimate
reason to balk at the orders, so he entered the main building and
proceeded to the knyaz’s second-floor study.

Captain Chin entered the study through its
west door. The study was a large room with dark breckwood paneling
on the east, west and north walls. Inset shelves on these walls
held actual printed books with leather bindings in brown, black and
oxblood. In addition to the west door there were two doors along
the east wall and three along the long north wall. Chin didn’t know
where any of these doors led; he’d always used the west door on the
few occasions when he’d come here.

The entire south wall was a picture window
overlooking the knyaz’s private zoo. This menagerie was one of the
knyaz’s obsessions, containing some of the most interesting
creatures from the many worlds in his sector. He took great pride
in the fact that it was considered among the top private
collections in the entire Empire.

In front of the picture window was a heavy
cherrywood desk carved with ornate scrollwork along the legs and
geometric designs on the sides. The top was flat and inset with a
large tridee tank, currently blank.

Behind the desk was a large padded green
leather swivel chair with polished brass studs closely placed
around the seams of the arms and back. The chair was turned with
its back to him so its occupant could gaze out the window; all Chin
could see was the high back and a portion of an arm lying casually
on the right armrest. As the captain entered the room, though, the
chair slowly swiveled around to face him.

Yevgheniy Kuznyetz, the knyaz of Scorpio
sector, was in his fifties. His slender body had a toughness to it
that belied his years, and the piercing look in his eyes flashed
with keen intelligence. His gray hair was thinning but neatly
combed, and a pencil-thin mustache adorned the upper lip of his
tightly-pursed mouth. His face had some of the fine lines of age,
but there were no smiles lines evident anywhere. He was dressed
casually in a gray, green and red argyle sweater that made his
torso look bulkier than it really was.

“Captain Chin reporting as ordered, sir,”
Chin said crisply. He did not salute; the knyaz may have been his
boss, but he had no military rank.

“Carrying a package, I see.” The voice was
quiet, crisp, precise.

“I was told to come straight here, sir,” Chin
said apologetically. “I didn’t have time to drop it off in my
quarters first.”

“No need to apologize. I understand
perfectly.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Kuznyetz’s eyes remained focused on the
officer’s face. “What is it, if I may ask?”

“A… a present for my mother, sir. Her
birthday is next week.”

“How admirable. I wish my own mother were
around to receive presents, but she—” He ended that train of
thought abruptly. “I’m curious. What does a captain of my
kavalergardy buy his mother for a birthday present?”

“She has a collection of music boxes, sir. I
found an interesting new one at a shop in town.”

“Excellent. Does she happen to live
onplanet?”

“No, sir, she’s on Pintow. I’ll have to ship
it out either today or tomorrow if it’s going to arrive in
time.”

“Nonsense. Leave it here. I’ll make sure it
goes out with my personal seal. I guarantee it’ll arrive in plenty
of time.”

“That’s very kind of you, sir.” Chin was
perplexed. The knyaz had never been this friendly to him before,
had scarcely shown him any more than formal recognition. What was
happening? Did he suspect something?

Kuznyetz did not respond, and silence
descended on the room. Captain Chin did not feel it was his place
to question his lord’s motives for summoning him, so he stood
silently at attention and waited. He was acutely aware that the
knyaz’s gaze never wavered from his face, but the older man’s
expression was unreadable.

It was nearly thirty seconds before Kuznyetz
spoke again. “Actually, you can return the favor, captain. You’ve
been recommended to me as a very reliable man, a man who can keep a
secret.”

“I like to think so, sir.”