Badlands

by Randal Sloan

  Jason had been in her thoughts since her father mentioned the dinner where she'd first met the Lieutenant Commander. Jarra couldn't help but smile as she remembered that dinner. Jason had unashamedly admitted he'd used his father's name to get himself seated next to her. Recognizing the sincerity of his reasons for wanting to meet her, instead of being angry about it, she had been more than just a little bit flattered.

  There was just something about Jason that affected her. Jarra had opened up more with him than anyone else she'd met other than her team. Although she had expected to see him again sometime, she hadn't expected it to be so soon, but after all, they'd left everything open at the end of that dinner.

  As their shuttle came in for a landing on the Relentless, Jarra's thoughts snapped back to the present. She checked her uniform, smoothing it to make sure there were no wrinkles. To think only a few weeks ago that had been the foremost thing in her thoughts upon exiting her shuttle on Rigelus. Now she was only concerned that she didn't bring too much attention to herself with a uniform that was not perfect.

  As they prepared to exit the shuttle, she spoke to the two Marines. "Gentlemen, for now we must part our ways. I'm certain we'll see each other at times aboard the Relentless. Don't be surprised if I visit Marine country to kick your butts." Lowering her voice she went on, "I'll be expecting a report on the lay of the land from your perspective. I'll need to be sure our Marines are all loyal to the Empire."

  Jarra could tell both of her companions really wanted to offer her a bow, but they both resisted, thankfully. "Yes, ma'am," they both responded.

  Exiting the shuttle, Jarra had been expecting to find an escort waiting. However, she was pleasantly surprised to see Lieutenant Commander Cauldwell heading up the group. She quickly offered up her salute.

  "Welcome aboard the Relentless, Lieutenant," Jason intoned, as he returned her salute. "If your two escorts will fall in with the rest of the detail, we'll get you logged in for duty with the XO and then we can sort out the details afterwards."

  Smiling as they followed his instructions, Jason started them moving toward the bridge. "As the newest member of the command team, I have been assigned liaison duties related to all officers joining the Relentless as part of the transfer program between the Rim Patrol and the Imperial Navy. I will assist you in sorting out your duty roster and I will be your contact if you have any issues or complaints."

  "Thank you, sir," Jarra told him, his discussion of duty reminding her of her position on board this ship. "I'm sure I'll be able to adapt just fine to the Imperial Navy duties I'm assigned, but I appreciate your willingness to work with me."

  "It's my pleasure, ma'am. Perhaps we can meet in the mess for an informal discussion when you're off duty and I can provide you with a little more behind-the-scenes view of the ship."

  Jarra smiled at him. "Yes, sir, I'd like that. I've found that each ship I've been on in the Rim Patrol has its own personality and I expect Relentless has a special one of his own."

  Jarra didn't mention that she'd only served on two ships total in her career, but then Jason knew her background. Of course, she had spent a lot of time on dreadnoughts outside her career in the Rim Patrol. Their discussion was really so that any prying ears would hear what they expected.

  "Here it's made even more complex by the size of the ship, which very much exceeds the size of your largest cruiser. You'll find we have multiple personalities to this ship, but I'm sure you'll fit in just fine."

  They had reached the entrance to the bridge during the time of their conversation. Thanking their escort, Jason led the way through the hatch, the two of them saluting the XO who was in charge of the first watch.

  "Commander Ashford, may I present our latest transfer, Lieutenant Jarra Carsean, lately of the Rim Patrol."

  Jarra didn't miss the sharp look the Commander gave her, nor the intelligence behind those eyes. But they had a twinkle in them that matched the smile he gave her. She had reviewed his file and Jarra believed Commander Jack Ashford was a good one.

  "They get younger and younger all the time," the XO said. "Welcome to the Relentless, Lieutenant. I think you'll find things work here much the same as they do in the Rim Patrol, although as the flagship for the sector, we have a few additional duties. The Admiral has been expecting you and I would suggest we make due haste to get you in to see him."

  The XO turned to Jason. "You're dismissed, Commander. Please return to your other duties."

  Jason saluted him before turning around to leave the bridge. He had a smile on his lips that Jarra knew meant he understood her situation quite well. She hoped her experience continued as well as it had started, but she expected it was to be otherwise.

  The XO led the way toward the ship's Ready Room attached to the Admiral's bridge. "I took the liberty of reviewing your records and I was quite impressed with what I saw there, although I was unable to obtain all of your records from OCS. I won't embarrass you by asking you about the sealed records, because if they're sealed they had a good reason and I know you'll have been forbidden to discuss them."

  "Yes, sir," Jarra replied. "I apologize for that, but you are entirely correct. I'll be glad to answer questions about anything else you might have."

  "Some out here," the XO said carefully, "don't believe the Rim Patrol OCS measures up to our OCS school, but I know for a fact otherwise. If anything, the one you completed is more challenging than any of them due to its accelerated nature. Needless to say, I was quite impressed with your accomplishments there."

  His smile slipped a little. "Now as to your Rim Patrol records, they're remarkably unremarkable. It appears to me we're missing some of the details there. I won't put you on the spot for now, but if it becomes necessary, I'll be asking for those details."

  "Yes, sir," Jarra replied, the only response a lieutenant could give a commander. She'd studied her doctored records as part of her cover, so she felt she could give a reasonable explanation if she had to. But it was best to stick to what was written unless more became necessary. Less chance of getting tripped up. She really didn't want to have to pull her Princess card.

  By this time they'd reached the doorway to the Admiral's Ready Room. Commander Ashford's smile was back, but this time it appeared more forced. He led the way into the room, his implants automatically requesting clearance to enter and receiving the answer back. Stopping in front of the Admiral, he announced, "Admiral, I present to you our Rim Patrol transfer, Lieutenant Jarra Carsean."

  The Admiral had a slight frown on his face as he turned to face them. Jarra suspected that frown was more or less permanent. "Lieutenant, I won't bore you with my dissertation on why I feel you don't belong here. I expect you to do all your assignments and not make waves. As soon as our little experiment is over, you'll be on your way back to the Rim Patrol with a big asterisk on your records. You cause trouble, you'll be lucky to make it back in one piece. Do I make myself clear?"

  "Yes, sir," Jarra quickly replied. She didn't plan to make waves, unless it became necessary. If it did, the Admiral would be the one not to make it back. Of course, she said none of that.

  Not wasting any time, the Admiral turned to the Captain. "Nicholas, I know it's highly irregular, but I want you to assign her a backup spot on the bridge, First Watch. I want her where I can keep an eye on her."

  "Yes, sir," the Captain replied. Captain Nicholas Arkwright, Nick to his friends, had an exemplary record, and for the moment Jarra didn't suspect he was involved. He at least had the semblance of a smile. Jarra had reviewed his file too and although she had a couple of question marks, she believed he was on the level. Just stuck in a bad situation.

  The Captain didn't hesitate. "Lieutenant, consider yourself assigned as backup to the helm and navigation station unless I or the XO tell you otherwise. Your work schedule will begin tomorrow morning with first watch and we'll get you worked into a full training schedule."

  "Dismissed," the Admiral told her, as if he'd wasted enough time. As she salute
d the two and turned sharply on her heels to leave, Jarra overheard the Admiral say to the Captain, "At least she'll know how things are done right when she goes back to the Rim Patrol. Otherwise, our glorious inter-agency policy is going to be a pain in the ass and a total waste of our time."

  "Yes, sir," the Captain said. "Have you decided where you wish our patrol to go next?"

  "I'll have you an answer by tomorrow. Just make sure the ship is ready."

  The door closed behind her so Jarra didn't hear the rest. She easily imagined the Captain's answer, but she also knew he wouldn't be happy. So far, Jarra had concluded the Admiral wasn't a very nice person, but that was a far cry from treason.

  CHAPTER SIX

  To Catch a Pirate

  The day after their layover, the Katarina reached the edge of the area of space where Sasha's data predicted the pirate lair should be. Before they could discuss their plans to hunt the pirates, which Sasha had planned to begin the next day, Gabo got a big hit. By the time he'd resolved his plot, several ships were on a course that would intersect their own course in a few minutes.

  "Do you see what I'm seeing?" he asked Sasha.

  "Yes," Sasha said. She glanced at the plot, about to order Galen to take them on a course away from them. If they were pirates, that was too many for the Katarina to handle. She never got that chance.

  "We're being hailed," Sara told her, looking up in surprise. They hadn't thought they would be able to detect them this far out. "It appears to be a merchant convoy and somehow they were able to detect us. They're asking us to verify our IDent."

  Gabo had been quickly validating the IDent's, the fixed codes sent by the ships that identified the ship, along with enough of its basic configuration to allow identification. "They all look like they're legit. The lead ship is —"

  "Avalon," Sasha answered as she read the list. "I'm quite familiar with that ship; she's my father's ship. That's why their sensors picked us up so quickly; his ship's sensors rival that of many military ships. I need to take this privately, so give me a minute to get to my quarters."

  With the team staring at her in surprise, she slipped into the tiny little cube she called her home away from home. After enabling the sound barrier, Sasha connected to the com. She wasn't sure what kind of reception she was going to receive. She hadn't left on entirely good terms.

  "Avalon, this is Kominado. Please verify our IDent and then I need to speak privately with your captain."

  "Acknowledged, Kominado. Please wait one."

  Sasha knew her father was expecting it to be one of his fellow merchant ship captains, perhaps an old friend on a new ship, and it was quite normal for them to have a private conversation.

  "Kominado, you should be aware you're heading into a red zone —" Sasha's father started to say, still coming into range of the com view. He stood there with his mouth hanging open.

  "Sass," he finally said, his voice echoing his surprise.

  "Father," Sasha answered. "Sorry to surprise you like this. My situation has changed somewhat since we last spoke."

  "What's happened?" her father asked, "You're not in some kind of trouble, are you?"

  "No, Dad," Sasha said, dropping the more formal speech. "It's actually quite the opposite. I'm working with a new team, a special team that works to defend the Rim. We're currently hunting the pirates you were just mentioning."

  "But you're just one ship. I assume that you're at least armed?"

  "Oh, yeah, we are quite well armed. Much more than your entire convoy. We also have a support squadron a few days behind us in case we find the pirate base."

  "Sass, I know we didn't part on good terms, but I love you very much. You need to be careful out here. This district is no longer safe. In fact, we're headed to the Merchant's Annual Gathering to warn them. Hence the convoy. It's the only way to travel right now."

  "It's worse than you know, Dad. Not only are there pirates, there's a large rebel movement going on out here and it's all part of an alien invasion, trying to pit human against human. Quite possibly a high agent within the Imperial Navy is involved. That's being pursued separately from our mission."

  He stared at her a moment. "Are you sure of all this? Is this verifiable or is it speculation?"

  Sasha nodded. She was glad she had prepared for this possibility. "It's for real. I'm sending you a packet containing the information that I can release to you. It contains only a part of the information we know, but it should be enough to convince you and the others of the true situation. I'm sorry but some of it is still too highly classified to be released. I must warn you; consider this as backroom information only. It will be denied vehemently if it's released to the public."

  Her father nodded. "I understand." He paused, considering his words carefully. A stranger wouldn't have noticed, but his daughter did. "Sass, this situation is quite dangerous. Are you sure you're safe?"

  Sasha shook her head. He still had no idea how deep this thing went. "No, Dad, no one is safe until this is over. I've already been in considerable danger and I will be in much worse danger before we're done. You just have to know that I'm working with some of the best people and the best tech in the Empire, and if anyone can keep me safe, they will."

  Considerably shaken up by the whole conversation, Sasha's father was at least astute enough to know when he was beaten. "You look happy, Sass. Please be as careful as you can."

  "You know I will, Dad." She smiled at him. "You need to know that I've met someone very special and when I can, I'll introduce you to him. I must warn you, the situation is quite unique, so try not to be too surprised."

  Sasha knew he wanted to ask more, but this was all she could give him. "I love you, Dad."

  "I love you too, my little Sass. Always!"

  Sasha broke the connection. She was surprised to find she had tears in her eyes.

  #

  The guys tried to pry details out of Sasha regarding her discussion with the convoy and in particular about her father. Unfortunately for them, Sasha resisted their efforts to the point they knew it was time to leave it alone.

  Sasha, on the other hand, couldn't get her mind off the conversation and in particular the fact that her father was planning to discuss the issue at the Merchant's Annual Gathering. She hoped she'd been able to give him enough information for him to convince the Merchant Council of the seriousness of the whole situation.

  For years Sasha had gone with her father to the big event that marked the annual gathering of a large number of the spacer merchants. She had been young enough at the beginning that the more entertaining parts of the gathering had been the sole focus of her attention. But gradually she'd learned of her father's involvement with the Merchant Council and the fact that he was considered a very important member of that council.

  Sasha suspected that the convoy they had just passed was going to become the norm instead of the exception. That was the only way the merchants would be able to conduct their business, especially out in the two Rim Districts. They would also have to begin arming their ships or possibly hiring an escort for the convoys. That second possibility opened the way for a possible future mercenary force.

  All of this went into her detailed report which she prepared for the Princess. Whenever she sent a message, it would be included. Despite her work and her busy thoughts, Sasha turned in early. Their pirate hunting would begin in earnest the next day.

  The whole plan with the Katarina's pirate hunting venture had been to make the pirate think he had a merchant ship in his sights and then convince him that the one he'd found was too much for a single pirate to handle. The hope was that he would go to their base to get help; the Katarina with her advanced sensors would be able to follow behind them using their stealth systems so they would be undetected.

  Sasha had worked hard on the details of the plan and it worked to perfection; well, almost...

  #

  The search for the pirates had continued after their passing the convoy, but no other ships had
been detected for some time after that first incident. The Katarina had been running in camouflage mode for three days when they got their first hint something was up. Gabo as usual was at the sensors when he spotted something.

  "I've got a hit, right at the edge of the normal sensor range."

  Sasha's brain had been busy working at the edges of their latest puzzle. Where was this pirate base? The amount of data she had told her that the pirate base should have already been found by the Imperial Navy. Sara's idea on how she'd go about locating the base had been spot on. It had led them to this area, but the base wasn't anywhere to be found. So far they'd had no bites from the pirate ships either. Looks like that was about to change.

  "Let me know if he changes course toward us. Sara, is our little surprise ready?"

  "All loaded up and ready to deliver. The biggest problem is going to be making it look like we missed, but yet get it close enough to get his attention."

  Sasha smiled. "I don't care if you singe his eyebrows. I suggest rather than trying to make it look like a miss, make it look like the missile just exploded prematurely. That'll make us look competent, just cheap tech. That way, he won't be tempted to believe he can successfully attack single-handedly. The whole point is to convince him he needs to go for that backup."

  "He's turning this way," Gabo announced excitedly. "He'll be in range in five minutes. I expect we'll get something on the coms soon."

  Galen had been watching his plot. "Based on the speed he's showing, he'll be at the point where a normal merchant ship wouldn't be able to escape in three minutes. I expect that's when he'll start calling."

  Galen's read was spot on as usual. As they hit the three minute mark, the com woke up.

  "Merchant ship. This is Imperial patrol ship Galaxo. You are being ordered to come to a stop for a spot inspection."

  As the one manning the coms, Sara had to laugh. "Do they really think anyone would be stupid enough to fall for that? A real patrol ship would have Imperial command codes to transmit with that message."