(Page 1 of 5) Discovery part 4 by Ronald Faltus
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SUMMARY: Garth tries to drink away the past, only to find a new mystery. Please throw me a rating if possible.Gareth Khale hung his head low, trying not to make eye contact with anyone else in the bar. He absently swirled the liquid around in the dirty glass, his mind struggling to cut through the fog of intoxication. It was only his forth drink, and as a general rule Gareth stayed away from alcohol. He always dislike the effect that it on his mentality, clouding his mind, slowing his thoughts. But being nearly broke, on a lawless planet millions of light years away from his past, he really couldn't think of a better way to occupy himself.
After leaving Vergos, he decided to head back to the get as far as possible away form Vent-Nor. His days with the company were over, but by no means did that mean that they were done with him. Surly their public relations team was already well into concocting a cover story that would shift the blame for the viral outbreak on Vergos away from Vent-Nor. If word ever got out that it the ADPT was responsible for the plague, it would greatly tarnish the image of the corporation and open them up for countless lawsuits. They would do anything in their power to keep their secret, and to the Vent-Nor, Gareth represented a major loose end, one that would have to be tracked down and dealt with.
Gareth really didn't know what the company was capable of, how far were they prepared to go to silence him. He had always heard stories about the extent large corporations were willing to go to safe guard their assets, but was unsure if they were rumors or not. Tales of executions of rival executives, covert raids to steal precious technology, even space battles over resources, all seemingly unbelievable but whispered to be true nevertheless. Gareth had seen enough while with the ATPD to know that when it came to profit, all other concerns quickly became secondary. So, if a company was willing to assassinate a rival, they probably wouldn't think twice about sending some one to take him out, a relative nobody that could cost them a fortune if he talked.
And talk he wound, if he thought anyone would actually believe him. Gareth had no proof, nothing to tie the plague with the excavation. A partial translation of an ancient hatch that speculates of an ‘unknown danger' would not be enough to convince anyone that was the source of the infection. It would wither further once Vent-Nor was able to bring their endless legal resources to bare. Being the most powerful and influential conglomerate in the galaxy did have its advantages. They could spin the facts anyway they wanted to place the blame else were.
Faced with the unwinnable fight, Gareth decided instead to just disappear. Find some distant planet to live out the rest of his life. Maybe get a job as a pilot on a fringe outpost of humanity. He knew that he was turning his back on justice, condemning the population of Vergos to a meaningless death. But no matter how he looked at it, which ever angle he tried to consider, there was nothing he could do. He was one man, how could he be expected to stand up against a foe as persistent and immense as Vent-Nor.
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