Code Enforcement: Wetware

Europa. For a dismal ball of ice, the moon has proven quite important lately. It's the home of the only known extant complex biological life outside of Earth, it's the site of a recent existential xeno-sourced malware infestation, and it was nuked by a former cop. Other things have occurred there as well, of course. Most closely related is a Code Enforcement debriefing shortly after the shootout on Ganymede. The Jovian orbital mechanics and relative positions mean that the Chimera has a week-long flight to Io, while Cartwright is back in his office in just over two days. Of course, he booked the flight back in advance to minimize his commute. Knowing the man, would you expect otherwise?

If he's afflicted by his recent experiences, he doesn't seem inclined to acknowledge it. He sits at his desk on Ursa Miner station, his freshly shaven face seemingly chiseled from stone. Ashton Cartwright wears a pressed uniform, crisply pinging out orders as he reviews yesterday's logs. If his recent injury keeps him more confined to his desk than usual, it surely hasn't stopped him working. His eyes flick in his skull as he shuffles reports in D-space, his voice a steady drone. His tone isn't harsh, but some of his words make the figure across from him flinch.

The woman sits with arms crossed and jaw set. There's defiance in her posture, but a tired defiance. Her narrow shoulders slump, her chin-length black hair is mussed, and the fire in her dark eyes has dimmed to embers. She's in her late twenties, un-augmented, and wearing civilian clothing. Black denim pants and a white V-neck shirt, without any brands or logos. Mei Wong cuts a wiry and unimpressive figure, with a plain face easily lost in a crowd. Unobtrusive is the word that springs to mind. That's probably a good quality in an undercover ecoterrorist, if less so for a cop. But then, she's not a cop anymore.

For a CI, though, that's a fantastic quality. If she doesn't look particularly enthusiastic about it, Cartwright doesn't seem inclined to comment, or to stop his detailed verbal report.

"-And from what we can tell, the holo-squid performed more than adequately. We've sold the entire event as a snow-job intended to smoke out the Gaians. There was never really a squid at all, or at least that's the story going around. It was just a sucker's play, and Casey took the bait," the man says, running a hand through his short salt-and-pepper hair.

Wong inclines her head towards him a degree. "Think anyone is going to ask questions? Like, to see if it's all a double-bluff, or if somebody is pulling a Centauri-shuffle?"

Cartwright gives a quick nod. "Oh, sure, some of the sharper players will wonder. A few might even dig around or send some net-runners to scan the local virts. But they won't find any answers; Casey and his crew are dead, we've scrubbed the data, and the locals will tell them to go defecate silicon."

For a moment, neither of them speaks. The woman shifts, crossing her legs. "And Jessica... Captain Clearfield is dead?"

The captain takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly through his nose. "Yes; she was killed in the shootout at the docks. I'm issuing a comprehensive report on the whole affair, as soon as I can square my accounting with Lieutenant Wells."

Wong's posture is tense, and she glowers at the older man. "Who you were working with in secret, behind Clearfield's back."

"Who was leading an internal-affairs investigation, yes," he admits, lifting his hazel eyes to her face. "And Jessie was aware: she was eavesdropping on the Lieutenant, in fact. We talked in code, through subtext: she heard everything. It was only the subject of the conversations that were misdirection."

She chews her lip. "Did you identify her shooter?"

Cartwright's expression tightens. "It was a clearcut case of self-defense and defense of others."

The banked embers in Mei's eyes flare. "It was this 'Dame,' wasn't it?"

Cartwright sighs, rubbing his forehead, frown lines standing out. "It's over, Mei. Jessie thought she could play fast and loose with the system, but she crashed the grid."

She takes a shuddering breath. "You have no idea how much she suffered."

Ashton tilts his ashen face down, the overhead light painting his expression in shadow. "I might be one of the few people who do."

"And yet here you sit, like nothing has changed at all," she adds, eyes narrowing.

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His frown deepens. "And here you sit, like nothing has changed at all. Despite the fact that you falsified your digitalwork, subverted software in my precinct, and spied on me for ecoterrorists. You betrayed your oath and your uniform, and yet you're alive and not in a rehab ward or a prison."

The fire vanishes from her eyes and Wong looks away, breaking eye contact at last. "It cost me my career," she murmurs.

"But not your mission, as it happens; the ecosphere remains hidden. And I'll approve per diem for my CIs. You won't starve."

"You're such a generous boss," she snaps, but he doesn't reply. "Jessica would have looked the other way entirely."

Ashton looks up at the ceiling. "Maybe, but she also sent you here knowing that your loyalties would be discovered, sooner or later."

Mei chews her tongue, still not meeting his gaze. "She didn't twist my arm. I knew the risks."

"She set you up, Mei." Cartwright's voice is surprisingly gentle, but she winces. "Worse, she lied to you; she intended to sell the cephalopod-analogue from the start. Corporal Lightbender has done more to protect the Jovian biosphere than Jessie. I don't think this is really about loyalty; I think you feel guilty that I used you to feed her false intel."

"More ashamed; I should have realized. It was suspicious that you brought the squid off-station on the say-so of a former Gaian runner," she admits, turning her head away. "Though I'm surprised you're still so angry. You left the station to go after her personally? You must have felt betrayed. She really hurt you, huh?"

Cartwright's face is carved from stone. "We had history. But I didn't go there to take her down; I went to help her."

Her eyes dart back, examining his face. "Were you and her...?" She trails off.

"We went to through training together, way back. We were... close for a while," he says neutrally. The man's lips press in a tight line. "It didn't work out, but I cared for her."

Mei looks him up and down. "Why did you bring the squid?"

"It aligned with other agendas,' he says curtly. "And she needed a good home."

There's a long moment of silence while Cartwright opens several files and begins compiling dossiers on some of the more interesting figures in the solar system. Mei taps her foot, leaning back in the chair. Finally, she sighs. "Do you know why I joined the League?"

Cartwright tilts his head, continuing to work. "Let me guess; you missed touching grass," he offers, deadpan.

Mei's eyes widen. "Captain, that was nearly a joke," she says, her lip quirking up. "But no. My grandmother was a marine biologist. When I was little, she taught me about cetaceans; these big aquatic animals called dolphins. There used to be hundreds of thousands of them, you know. She showed me holos; I'd watch them playing for hours. They seemed so happy, but my grandmother looked so sad when she'd watch with me."

Cartwright's expression doesn't change an iota. "They've been extinct for over thirty years."

She nods. "I know. My mother told me; Nǎi-Nai wept for days when those mammalian RNA viruses got out in the Atlantic and killed the last pods."

"Sad. Did she cry when the League killed the last polar bear?"

"That's..." she trails off, mouth closing.

Ashton sighs and raises a hand to his forehead, thumb rubbing his temple in circles. "Mei, Jessie didn't care about the biosphere. She wasn't a believer."

Mei's lip quivers. "I was working on her. I could have brought her around," she says softly.

The captain shakes his head slowly. "Wasn't going to work, kid. She knew what the Gaians really were at their heart. You may be a true believer. Rusteater was," he adds, eyes closing for a moment. He takes a breath, blinking and smiling bitterly, before meeting the woman's eye. "But the League was never anything more than a righteous veneer painted over theft and violence."

Wong flinches as if struck. "Is that the end of it then?"

Ashton shrugs. "With the trove of information we raided on Ganymede, the League has been functionally disbanded. Codes seized the identified assets and accounts and arrested most of their agents. We can sweep up any remaining bit part players as they pop up."

Mei chews her lip, shifting in her seat. "So, what happens now?"

Cartwright sits straighter, blinking. "Now? Well, there are reports to write. And if you're going to be a CI for codes, there's quite a bit of digitalwork to get through, and assignment briefings. We'll set field training up tomorrow."

She gulps, a hand rising to rub the back of her neck. "You really think this will work? Now that my loyalties are out, there's a lot of people on Ganymede that won't be happy I'm returning."

For once, there's some warmth in the captain's smile. "Trust me, Ms. Wong. The role of 'hunted ex-Gaian' will play well as a cover. If we can convince some of the Luddites to meet with you, we might lure their leaders into incriminating themselves over the violence on Callisto. And since you're not augmented, they should be more willing to extend some trust."

"I'll make do with a temp augment. Basic channel and link are fine, and easy to go stealth or ditch it," she says, squaring her shoulders and looking only a little pale.

Cartwright nods. "Green across the board; I'll make sure Lieutenant Wells is prepped as well. I got the measure of the man, and I think he'll make a good handler." He turns, motioning behind him. "So, let's begin with a briefing of the groups you'll be exposed to."

The wall lights up with a complicated diagram full of shorthand symbols and patterns with names and profiles. "Of the four largest Luddite organizations, only the 'Circuit-Breakers,' the 'Human-First Front,' and 'Hetero-Sapiens' tend to engage in active violence, and it's usually related to territorial disputes. The Church of Bountiful Flesh mostly peddles drugs, but they aren't above smuggling or piracy." He snaps his fingers and a reference chart of faces and acronyms flickers in the air, and Mei's eyes widen. "Now, as you see here, the fourteen principal actors in the Dark District have a complicated series of alliances and rivalries..."