Excerpt

Lieutenant Colonel Tanis Richards reviewed the intel and the plan. She really didn't need to—both were hers—but this mission felt like one that needed another review. Like something was going to go off the rails.

She said as much to Angela, her internal AI.

[You have good reason to think that,] Angela replied in her mind.

[Just because there's no way a sane person would get involved with the Cardid cult? Or do you have another reason?]

[I think the cult is reason enough. We're not going to encounter a lot of rational people in there.]

Tanis bent over the holodisplay again, spreading out the data on the mission, and the asteroid that was their target. She wanted to be sure no detail escaped her.

Terran Space Force surveillance drones had completed several passes near Toro, passively pulling readings that gave clues as to what was going on inside the asteroid.

Toro was one of several bodies in the inner Sol System that orbited Sol in resonance with both Earth and Venus. To a viewer on the surface of either of those worlds, it would appear as though Toro orbited around the planet like a moon.

Asteroids with resonant orbits were very useful—at certain times, cargo could be dropped from stations near either of those worlds, and Toro would appear to accelerate to pick it up. At other times, Toro could drop cargo, and it would fall into the outer Sol System with an added boost.

Toro also possessed a well-placed elliptical orbit. Perihelion brought it almost to Venus, and at aphelion, it drifted beyond the orbit of Mars.

Over the years, extensive docking and cargo transfer systems had been built around Toro's three-kilometer length, but those facilities told just a part of the asteroid's history.

High concentrations of Olivine crystal had drawn prospectors to the asteroid in the twenty third century, and its interior was riddled with mines and processing facilities. At one point, when both the mine's production and cargo transfers were at their peak, Toro had maintained a population of over a hundred thousand.

Eventually, the valuable minerals were exhausted, and with Ceres's massive ring supporting most traffic between the inner and outer Sol system, Toro's usefulness diminished.

Centuries later, only a few caretakers and robotic cargo handlers were left; which was when John Cardid came into the picture. Thirty years ago, he rented space on the asteroid for an undisclosed purpose. The Terran Bureau of Investigations suspected that he was involved in illegal human trafficking, in addition to paramilitary activity. Over the years, he had built up his presence and followers—Tanis's investigations suggested that over ten thousand people now lived on Toro.

Then, five years ago, Cardid bought the entire asteroid, and halted its remaining cargo-handling operations.

The asteroid's passage near so many InnerSol worlds was far more concerning than the loss of its meager cargo transfer facilities. The TBI stepped up its intelligence-gathering in concert with the space force's counterinsurgency division.

It was slow work because John Cardid was secretive and Toro was difficult to scan, due to high concentrations of ferric crystals and iron oxide. This only served to increase suspicion.

Tanis had been involved with the investigation into Toro for several years. In her capacity as a TSF counterinsurgency officer, she had uncovered proof that several shipments of military weapons had found their way to the asteroid, which was reason enough for her to go in—but until the recent escalations, the TBI had maintained jurisdiction.

That had changed four months ago, when a group of prominent public figures had—apparently of their own will—taken a transport to Toro for a visit. They never returned, and only a few transmissions indicating that they intended to stay had been sent out.

Amongst those now considered 'abducted', were several actors, a dozen sports professionals, and three senators.

It was the textbook recipe for a first-class disaster.