Commander Ardein Timm Huron cleared his throat before speaking, indicating that he had it covered. “Sir, we dispatched three Transports to stay close to the impact site in case anything is found, but the chances of anyone surviving are impossibly low. DI6, exact numbers?”
Through the Abyss’s primary RAI, DI6, suddenly appeared and answered the Executive Officer’s question. “The odds of anyone getting onto a Life Sustainment Pod in time and not having their momentum crash them into the rogue planet are point zero one to the tenth power percent. The odds of finding anyone alive at all, zero point one to the one millionth power percent.”
DI6 wore the standard uniform that distinguished himself as a Huron Fleet Vessel’s primary RAI. Instead of navy blue coats and pants, the RAI donned a pure white coat and trousers. Currently empty because Through the Abyss was brand new, golden rows on his shoulders would have signified how many Custos years he had served as the Ship’s RAI. Blood red tick marks along the right sleeve informed his onlookers how many times he had taken the Delta Infiltrator into battle, while on the left sleeve, the same red ticks indicated how many total deployments the RAI had done throughout his entire career. Apart from his name written in bright blue lettering just over his heart, no other medals or indicators were attached to DI6’s white coat. A sapphire belt and two red stripes running down the pant legs’s seams were the only distinguishing features. Painfully bright white shoes with bronze laces, covered the RAI’s feet.
“Understood. Thank you DI6. By the way, what did things look like on your end just before Demon’s Reckoning’s crash?” Euphretes asked.
DI6’s blank expression shifted to one of agitation and confusion with the Admiral’s inquiry. “Well Sir, during the final moments prior to impact, all of the other RAIs and I were trying to break into Demon’s Reckoning’s navigation systems at the urging of SR6. I was given the Emergency Protocols Pathway as a potential entrance point to gain access, hoping the program would be less affected because of its limited use. Unfortunately Sir, I found that all of the interchangeable and stagnant systems were being blocked.”
“Blocked?” Euphretes interrupted.
“Yes Sir. Meaning, someone or something was interrupting the information and data flow. I am still running scenarios to find out how they could have crippled an entire Fleet Vessel, but since you asked, it looked and still looks like it was an inside job.”
Empirical Admiral Euphretes shook his head in disgust, “Roger, thank you DI6, that is all.”
Listening in the background, Crestone had expected espionage, but hearing it as fact was a different story. Deciding to speak up in the silence left after DI6 disappeared into Through the Abyss, “It seems that all of the necessary information has fallen into place. No use in trying to hide it. We were played by an underestimated enemy; and from my standpoint, we are all lucky to be alive,” The Senior NCO declared.
Euphretes nodded his head, “I fully agree. We’ve seen what the enemy is capable of, and we will not be caught off guard again, that is for certain. On another note, the Transport that was sent to find that lone signal came back. Turns out, the beacon was an unsecured analytics file superimposed onto one of Demon’s Reckoning’s outer heat shield sensors. Apparently Demon’s Reckoning somehow recognized its fate and conducted a data dump; discharging it on to the sensor which was then ejected before impact. SR6 and my intelligence team is reviewing the data now. I’m sorry to say that it will be some time before they have finished scrubbing it.”
“So SR66’s last act was to inform us of what happened?” Crestone thought out loud.
“It would appear so,” DI6’s voice said without his holographic image appearing.
Euphretes turned to look at Crestone directly, “Crestone, please get back on your Shuttle, I need you back here as soon as possible; we have much to discuss.”
“On my way,” Crestone replied before removing himself from the conversation.
“Captain Astoria, keep up the good work. You still have the rest of the Armada’s support, so continue your search until you hear back from me with follow on orders.”
The Warden Captain nodded his head as he spoke. “Good Copy. We will keep you updated as we go Sir.”
Making his way out of the Bridge and into the closest stairwell, Crestone wondered if there was anything he could have done differently to save his soldiers’s lives. Logic told him he had done everything right, but the lies in his head said otherwise, dragging his consciousness through the dirt with every ridicule. Like Euphretes, the Senior Noncommissioned Officer sought refuge more inwardly than through other means. Always his own harshest critic, Crestone hid behind a mask of false confidence when all else failed. This time, however, the mask felt aged, its grip around his head loosening with every breath. The pain in his head, down to a dull throb, only reminded him of his own frail mortality. He knew that in times like these, when he became his own worst enemy, he could always rely on his soldiers to lift his spirits. Keeping that in mind, Crestone decided to pay a visit to some of the crew before facing his demons on the return trip to the Flagship.
Stepping out of the stairwell and onto the Delta Infiltrator’s central primary passageway, Crestone headed for the more populated areas on the Ship. He walked past the Fleet Vessel’s only bay toward the Special Operations Unit Readiness Center, then stopped at one of the mainline company’s barracks. He entered a small room with two soldiers sitting behind a desk pulling Change of Quarters duty. One of the soldiers, surprisingly alert for CQ duty, recognized the Armada’s Senior Noncommissioned Officer immediately. Jumping to his feet to bellow out the command for everyone to stand at attention, Crestone waived him off before he ever got the words out. The last thing he wanted was to wake anyone up who had just gotten off shift.
Ignoring Euphretes’s orders to return immediately to Steadfast and Loyal, Crestone walked past the surprised CQ desk to spot check their living conditions. He entered a three thousand square foot rectangular room with rearrangeable walls stretching from the floor to just two feet below the ceiling. The walls created small dormitories that slept six to a room and gave the men a small modicum of privacy. With a sixteen foot ceiling, bunks were comfortably stacked three high and lined two of the walls. Lockers and storage containers covered the available space on the other two.
Crestone was reminded of how much he hated the living arrangements back when he was a lower enlisted. Despite taking the soldiers’s comfort into consideration when designing the different barracks found on Through the Abyss, the concept of having personal space was not. From what he could see however, conditions had much improved. The Senior Noncommissioned Officer wandered throughout the darkened room, spending time with the Soldiers and answering questions. As he listened, Crestone took mental notes to bring back with him to Steadfast and Loyal. One of the biggest gripes he had as a lower enlisted was whenever Senior Leadership asked them to voice their concerns and issues, the big shots would listen at the time, but nothing ever changed once they left. After a few brief conversations, Senior Leading Operative Crestone started to make his way to his personal Shuttle.
Stopping at the maintenance portion of the bay, he looked around for anyone else he might need to talk to. Just then Operative Tuckerze approached the Senior Leading Operative. “Senior Op, how can I help you today?” Tuckerze asked with bravado. A foot soldier before switching over to the logistics world as a mechanic, and a good one at that, Tuckerze’s confident voice caught Crestone’s attention immediately. Logging one of the only kills with a combat knife since the beginning of the First Great War of the Galaxies, Tuckerze’s personality was an acquired taste.
“Nothing specific. Just coming to see how everyone was doing and offer any of my services,” Crestone replied to the young man.
“I believe we got it handled, but can I say something freely?” Tuckerze tentatively asked.
“Absolutely.”
“Why do I have to find out by rumor that we lost one of our Predators? Why
couldn’t you or anyone else have told us from the beginning? Some of us had friends on that Ship. It’s messed up that we found out by overhearing the pilots talking about it.”
Crestone could barely believe what he was hearing. He and Euphretes had given specific orders to relay the truth about Demon’s Reckoning’s potential fate right away to avoid just this sort of incident. “Operative Tuckerze, first, I want to apologize for your loss and the way you found out about it,” Crestone said sympathetically. “But you also have to understand, the Chain of Command has many links; and with this being its first true test of how well we communicate in moments of chaos, there were sure to be breaks in the chain somewhere,” The Senior NCO explained.
“That does not, however, abolish my responsibility to keep my solders well informed so that you can make the right decisions. How you and your soldiers found out is simply unacceptable. I take responsibility for that, and I am more than sorry. Should a breakdown like this happen again, you come find me. I mean that,” Crestone promised.
The blunt, honest response threw Operative Tuckerze off guard. “Are you kidding me Senior Op? You don’t owe me anything. I greatly appreciate your response. Thank you. That means more to my guys than you know.”
“Speaking of your guys, how’re they holding up?” Crestone asked, glancing at the small groups of mechanics scattered throughout the bay.
“They’re a little shaken, but doing well Senior Op. How about you? Everything holding up on your end?”
Senior Leading Operative Crestone chuckled, “To be completely honest Tuckerze, I’ve been better, but I’ve also been a whole lot worse.”
The junior NCO, having experienced a life similar to that of Crestone’s, understood exactly where the senior leader was coming from. “We’re all right there with you Senior Op. Embracing the suck is what we mechanics do best.”
Crestone smiled, “Yes you do. You’re also very good at letting everyone else know about that said suck.”
“Hey now Senior Op, if we’re going to be miserable, everyone else has to be as well!” Tuckerze laughed. “We’re all just a bunch of prima donnas!”
Crestone joked with Operative Tuckerze for another few minutes before his conscious got the better of him. He knew Euphretes’s patience would run out eventually. Excusing himself after thanking the NCO for lifting his spirits, Crestone made the short walk to the Operations portion of the bay and spotted his SCAV, or Small Crew Access Vehicle.
SCAVs were created to transport Mission Essential Personnel or Senior Leadership safely across different Fleet Vessels; or to and from a planetary surface. Only able to hold ten passengers, the vessel’s cockpit was placed in a cone shaped protrusion that stuck out of the square frame that made up the SCAV’s body. In the rear of the ship was a powerful engine that was capable of jumping with extremely short notice. However, the distance that it could jump was greatly restricted as a compromise to quickly getting the personnel inside the SCAV away from danger.
Crestone’s driver noticed him coming and began spinning up the SCAV’s engine. With an incredibly short preflight checklist, a single pilot could get a SCAV from cold to ready to enter deep space in less than two minutes. After another four minutes, it could safely enter a jump sequence. By the time Crestone climbed into the ship and strapped himself in, the small vessel was ready for the brief trip back to the Armada’s Flagship. Emergency helmets, suits, and oxygen supplies lined the walls of an otherwise luxurious interior.
Thankful to be back in his SCAV and alone, Crestone had much on his mind. As his vessel lifted from the bay’s floor, a few tears were allowed to fall down his cheeks. Faces of the crewman he talked to on Demon’s Reckoning before the jump, ran across his guilt ridden mind space. So many excellent souls lost in the blink of an eye. Senior Leading Operative Crestone closed the privacy door linking the cockpit to the rear of the SCAV and let his emotions go. Facing his demons one by one, he silently dealt with the fear and shame.
Chapter 9:
The Enemy Within
BZZZZZZTBZZZTBZZZZZZTBZZZT
“Lani, do you hear that?” Euphretes mumbled, stuck in limbo between heavy sleep and the knocking of consciousness on slumber’s door.
“Wake up Euphretes, you’re receiving a communications request.” Neuma’s voice sounded to Euphrete’s as if it was coming from the far end of a long tunnel.
BZZZZZZTBZZZTBZZZZZZTBZZZT
One of three portable command consoles on his bedside table continued to hum in annoying harmony, unceasing until its owner assumed responsibility for its actions.
“Neuma?” Euphretes said aloud.
“Euphretes, you need to wake up. It sounds like it’s coming from your Secured Console!” Neuma pressed, her words referring to the device used solely for sensitive conversations internal to the Armada.
BZZZZZZTBZZZTBZZZZZZTBZZZT
“Alright, alright, I’m awake. Chill out,” Euphretes managed to say, the strangle hold sleep had on his brain starting to subside.
His frustration mounted as he fumbled around in the darkness for the rattling device, “Where is this stupid thing,” He remarked to Neuma before speaking out loud to the room, “Lights!”
Now bathed in soft artificial light, the humming portable command console stood upside down with the screen hidden, yet in plain sight. Feeling foolish, Euphretes snatched it off the table and brought it to his chest. “Zero one zero eight. It’s zero one zero eight; really hope this is important,” He grumbled. While not needing as much sleep as the average human, Euphretes still fought the fogginess that came with being abruptly woken up like everyone else.
“It’s Blanchard. Maybe he’s wrapped up the investigations,” Neuma remarked, reading the command console through her partner’s field of vision.
“Only one way to find out,” He replied as he accepted the communications request.
“Captain Blanchard. How may I help you at this fine hour?” Euphretes asked, doing his best to sound genuine and alert.
Blanchard’s voice came out exhausted yet filled with a renewed energy. “Sir, I am so sorry to wake you, but it’s imperative that I speak to you in person as soon as possible.”
“Everything ok?” Euphretes asked, the adrenaline starting to kick in.
Hearing the urgency in the Admiral’s voice and realizing that he had failed to mention that he and Commander Remming had completed Euphretes’s requested investigations, “Yes Sir, it’s about some very time sensitive information that Commander Remming and I need to brief you on as soon as possible,” Blanchard explained.
“Roger. Is Senior Leading Operative Crestone tracking?”
A sheepish smile streaked across Blanchard’s face, “Oh, you the mean the over achiever sitting behind me who still hasn’t gone to bed yet?”
“Of course he’s still up. That man could absolutely give us a run for our money when it comes to needing sleep.”
“That would be the one,” Euphretes answered the XO with a chuckle, not surprised at Crestone’s ridiculous sleep pattern.
“Then he’s aware Sir.”
“Roger. OK. I’ll be right there,” Euphretes replied before closing out of the communications request.
After getting his regular duty uniform on, Euphretes left his private quarters and headed for the Command Center. The increased security levels had been dropped a day earlier with the Natron Military having cleared their occupation space and resumed responsibility for the Armada’s safety. While providing overall security for another Empire’s Fleet Vessels was a generous offer by the Natron Empire, Carpathian had been pouring every ounce of energy he had to prevent Indus from advancing any further into Broye’s territory. In other words, Carpathian basically told him that he was GOING to protect Euphretes’s Armada while it awaited his further orders.
Five minutes later, Euphretes entered the nearly empty Command Center. Walking directly toward an area with three chairs and a cleared space on the data display, the Empirical Admiral found Blanchard talking
with Crestone nearby. After pulling in Commander Remming, who was looking over his notes one last time, the Armada’s Command Team sat down while SR6 and Remming remained standing. After a few brief whispers between the Command Team, Captain Blanchard stood up and began to brief.
“Empirical Admiral Euphretes, Senior Leading Operative Crestone, let me open with saying that there are a lot of details, so please do not hesitate to interrupt and ask any questions.”
“Was that an insult?” Neuma jokingly asked.
“Nah. To Crestone maybe!”
“Additionally, because time was an issue when compiling our information, Commander Remming and I decided to go light on using the data display as we brief. Should anyone wish to view them, all of the recordings that we used as evidence are easily accessible,” Blanchard explained while backing up to bring everyone into his field of vision. “Bottom line up front gentlemen, we may have an enemy stowaway on board. Currently, the threat level is minimum. SR6 is aware of the situation and is monitoring all aspects of Steadfast and Loyal.” Blanchard caught the RAI’s gaze as he spoke, drawing a confident nod from the RAI.
“Goodness. He got right to the point!”
“That being said, we are confident that Steadfast and Loyal is the only Ship in this Armada that is affected. Thankfully we are not dealing with an epidemic. As for Steadfast and Loyal, I’ve dispatched a response team which is already working on silently sweeping the Ship. While we await to hear from them, Commander Remming and I will do what we can to fill in the blanks. So, before I begin, are there any questions or concerns that need to be addressed?” Blanchard asked, finding his sweet spot from which to brief.
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