Silver Search

by Rock Whitehouse

  Antares

  Earth Orbit

  Monday, August 22, 2078, 0930 UTC

  Carol Hansen, Weapons Maintenance Officer Jon Swenson, and Maintenance Officer Ensign Miguel Anthony spent the days after David left with Columbia prepping Antares for the arrival of the three dozen Marines that would accompany them to Beta Hydri. CINC was rightfully concerned about the security of the ground teams and tripled their usual complement. Marine Captain Wayne Barnes came aboard about halfway through the process and pitched right in.

  The Marines' bunks were three levels down from the main deck that included the Bridge, ship's offices, Intel work area, and the entrance to the hangar. This was normally unused storage space, but they managed a typical barracks setup, and Ensign Anthony wrangled a plumbing detail to create shower and toilet facilities on that same level. Whatever he asked Terri Michael to ask Ops for, he seemed to get. Good to be a priority for the brass, he thought. They set up a firing range on the next level down, the lowest usable deck in the ship.

  Antares' small armory could never handle so many weapons, so part of the firing range level was set up for weapons and ammunition storage. It was a strange departure for the Fleet, which generally carried only minimal personal firepower, but they all worked to meet the Marines' needs.

  Friday morning, a Fleet Shuttle arrived with the Marines. Carol and Miguel were there to welcome them and direct them to their quarters. The first Marine to come through the hatch was a face very familiar to Carol from the dark hours of the enemy attack on Inoria.

  "Jackson!" Carol exclaimed.

  "Good morning Lieutenant Hansen! It's good to see you again, ma'am!" he replied. Carol took notice of his new sergeant's stripes, pulling him aside as the others continued to come aboard.

  "So, I see the promotion virus got to you, too?"

  "Yes, ma'am, I guess so. I have the First Squad."

  "How are the others? Lochner? Dobo?"

  "Both Corporals, now, Lieutenant. They're not on this junket, but I saw them a week ago, and they said to say hello to you."

  "Great! Tell them hello back from me."

  Jackson nodded, then pointed in the direction of the down ladder.

  "I best be getting back to the squad, ma'am."

  "Of course. We'll be seeing you later, Leon."

  "Yes, Lieutenant, I expect so." Smiling, he stepped off and hustled down the ladder to the Marines' level with the rest of his squad.

  "Inor?" Anthony asked her once Jackson had disappeared.

  "Yes. He was one of the Marines that I found in the city. He doesn't realize it, but he's a big part of why I got promoted. All I had to do was ask and he did everything I needed."

  "Sounds like a good Marine."

  "Yeah, not much question about that."

  Once the last of the three squads made their way down the ladder, Carol headed back forward to check the status of her weapons. It would soon be time to leave.

  ISC Fleet HQ Intel Section

  Fort Eustis, VA

  Monday, August 22, 2078, 0930 EDT (1330 UTC)

  First thing Monday morning, Ron Harris set up an unscheduled meeting of his core group for 0930. As they filed in ninety minutes later, there was a new face in the room. She wore the gold oak leaves of a Lieutenant Commander. She was thin, with blond hair pulled back from her severe, angular face. Her bearing radiated toughness and distance. As they sat, Ron introduced her.

  "This is Doctor Susan Scranton. She's just finished the academic officer assimilation school. She will be standing up the Exobiology group. CINC wants us to figure out who, or what, we're up against. Doctor Scranton is tasked with accomplishing that goal."

  "But we haven't found a single thing yet to support that work," Elias Peña pointed out.

  "We will," she said, her voice hard and determined. "Eventually, we will."

  "What about the Beta Hydri culture?" Kelly Peterson asked.

  "That's not a priority for Doctor Scranton, Kelly, but we can consult with her if we have a specific question."

  "I see," she responded.

  There was a slightly too-long quiet in the room.

  "Staff?" Peña finally asked.

  Scranton looked at him, well, through him, and replied. "I will be looking for a small staff of biologists and techs for a lab, but not many."

  Harris looked around the table. "I know there's been a lot of change around here lately. It's necessary. I know you all know that."

  "What is the doctor cleared for, sir?" Roger Cox asked.

  "Everything. She'll be a regular at our status meetings."

  Kelly Peterson looked across at Scranton. "Well, welcome Commander Scranton. If there is anything any of us can do to help you, please just ask."

  Scranton looked across the table at the young woman. "I will be making my requests through Admiral Harris and I will expect you to follow through on what he approves." Here, have a bucket of ice water from me, she seemed to say. Harris looked at Scranton for a second, then turned back to his analysts.

  "Antares leaves today, so I will be gone for a while. Meantime, let's get moving on what we already have to work on." He turned to Ann Cooper. "Ann, please pull together a briefing on our current projects — TDOA, Sentinels, the SLIP issue, and the Beta Hydri find and bring Doctor Scranton up to speed on what we're doing."

  "Yes, sir," she replied evenly.

  "Admiral, I don't see that I need —"

  "You need to know what's going on, Doctor, in order to contribute to these gatherings," he replied, firmly. "Ann, can you have that ready by tomorrow?"

  "Yes, sir. I can combine and edit what we already have into a presentation for Doctor Scranton. Should take maybe two hours."

  "OK, fine," there was a pause. "I'll be leaving shortly for Antares, as will Kathy. Commander Peña will be in charge in my absence."

  "Good luck, sir," Rich Evans said.

  "Thanks, Rich, I appreciate it. One more thing: Doctor Scranton has proposed a mission to GL 876."

  "The Sigma battle site?" Rich asked, surprised.

  "Yes. Since it appears from Sigma's sensor data that the enemy left without deorbiting, it's possible we will be able to locate remains."

  "Sounds like a long shot," Roger Cox commented quietly.

  "Long doesn't begin to cover it," Ann added.

  Scranton sat, arms crossed, glaring at the speakers. "I am in charge of this effort, and if I think it's necessary, it's necessary."

  Harris looked at her. "We believe in the free exchange of information here, Doctor, and we don't permit isolated silos of control."

  "But, Admiral —"

  "But nothing, Commander," Harris cut her off. She sat silent as he turned to his deputy.

  "Elias, her trip to GL 876 is approved if she decides it's worthwhile. I thought maybe we should ask Ops to give us Columbia. Having Powell handy might be helpful."

  "Might be hard for him to go back there, sir." Ann offered.

  Harris shook his head. "Maybe, Ann, but my impression of him says he can handle it."

  "Very tough underneath," Frances Wilson said. "Just like Hansen."

  "Carol Hansen?" Scranton asked.

  Kathy smiled as she replied. "Yes, Commander. She and Powell are, well, close."

  "She is leaving today?" Scranton asked, either oblivious or ignoring the implications about David Powell.

  "Yes, Antares leaves tonight for Beta Hydri, by way of Inor. Did you need to see her for some reason?" Harris asked. Scranton looked at Harris and then seemed to pull back as if she had almost revealed something she didn't really want known.

  "No, never mind. Just curious." Ron Harris doubted there was much idle curiosity anywhere in Susan Scranton, but he let it pass.

  "Anything else?"

  After the status meeting, Ron went back to his office with Elias Peña, verified the contents of his safe — really just the Liberty FDR and a few personnel documents — handed him the keys and left. He caught a ride home to say goodbye to Meredith and h
is three young girls. Girls who were, he realized, not so young as they used to be. The first on the stressful cusp of teen-hood, the last blowing her teachers away in first grade. The middle one quietly excelling at everything she touched. So much like their mother, he thought. The goodbye hugs and kisses complete, he reluctantly tossed his bag in the waiting Jeep and headed for the shuttle pad. It would be a long trip, and the sooner it started, the sooner he'd get back home, where he most wanted to be.

  Antares

  Earth Orbit

  Monday, August 22, 2078, 1930 UTC

  Terri Michael sat at the head of the crowded wardroom table, with Ron Harris on her right and Marine Captain Wayne Barnes on her left. As they finished dinner and turned in their dishes, she drew a tall diet soda for herself and started the discussion.

  "Well, this is quite the crowd! Again, let me welcome all of you to Antares. I think we're all anxious to get back to Beta Hydri. I wanted us to have a chance to talk over the schedule."

  "It's going to be a long trip," James George offered.

  "Yes, it is. As you all already know, we're making a stop at Inor before we go to Beta Hydri. There are two reasons for this. First, there is a memorial that the Inori have erected to the Liberty crew lost there. We have sixteen of the twenty-six survivors here on Antares, and those folks will be attending. Also, we'll be carrying the new Terran Ambassador, Carter Calhoun, and three of his staff."

  "I get that we're going, Captain," Greg Cordero asked. "But I thought the exploration of Beta Hydri was our highest priority?"

  "Well, it is, and I resisted this assignment. But, ISC feels that other than stationing a ship in orbit, the Inori have been somewhat neglected over the last six months. And, it is appropriate that as many Liberty survivors attend this memorial's dedication as possible, and we're the largest group available."

  "Still seems like an unnecessary distraction."

  "I can see why you'd say that. But I think you will find it interesting." She looked around the table. "I think all of you should see this as the opportunity that it is. The Inori have a complex, very alien culture, but you will find yourselves welcome and comfortable there."

  Gabrielle had a different feeling about it. "I, for one, am happy to be going. I've heard so much about them and their city that I'm looking forward to seeing it for myself."

  Cordero leaned over to her and said, "Teacher's pet!" in his best stage-whisper.

  Gabrielle poked him gently in the ribs. "Troublemaker."

  Terri turned away from their friendly combat to look at Harris. "Admiral?"

  "Not much to add to what you've already said, Commander. Just that despite my over-inflated rank, I want to reiterate that Commander Michael is the Captain here and I am just her humble passenger."

  "More precisely," Terri responded, "the Admiral is in charge of the ground exploration, while I'm responsible for the ship." She turned to Captain Barnes.

  "Wayne, can you go over the training schedule?"

  "Yes, ma'am. The trip to Inor will give us additional time, which I actually think is good. We'll be doing SLUG training daily, which includes Doctor Bowles, Doctor Cordero —"

  "Greg!" Cordero interrupted.

  "OK, Greg, and Doctor Este —"

  "Gabe!" Este interrupted. Barnes smiled, shook his head, and continued.

  "OK, OK — I get it, I do. It's just habit!" He laughed a little at himself, then continued. "Along with the academics, we'll be training ship personnel that will be going to the surface." He looked down at his tablet. "So, Doctor Soto, Ballard, Hansen, Lewis, Swenson, George, several Intel techs." Looking around the table, he received nods of understanding in response.

  "Weapons training. Fleet personnel should qualify on the 2K7X fleet standard rifle and be ready to carry one to the surface."

  Terri looked around the table. "Any objections?"

  "Could I qualify?" Greg Cordero asked. Barnes looked at Terri Michael, who looked over at Harris.

  "What are you thinking, Greg?" Harris asked.

  "Well, Admiral, I am about as unmilitary as they come, as should be clear to everyone by now, but if we get into some kind of shit, I'd prefer to be able to contribute beyond rolling myself into the smallest possible ball."

  "OK with me," Ron Harris answered. "Gabe?" Este looked at Cordero, her arms crossed. Then she looked back at Harris.

  "I had not thought about that at all. But, yeah, if we get into trouble, I'd rather be able to shoot back than just watch."

  "Doctor Bowles?"

  "I think I'll pass on the 2K7X, Admiral." Bowles smiled as he continued, "I've always found it best to leave the gunslinging to the gunslingers."

  "OK, then," Barnes continued, "We'll set up the academics with Sergeant Jackson. He has experience doing initial 2K7X instruction." He paused to take a sip of coffee. "Back to the schedule — SLUG training will be in the hangar. We'll start with two hours AM and PM, then expand it after a week or so. One session for those new to the units and a second session for Fleet personnel that have already seen them. The Marines have been training on them for a couple weeks already, so we'll continue that in the early morning every day."

  "You're going to be a busy man, Captain Barnes," XO James George observed.

  Barnes smiled. "A busy Marine is a happy Marine, sir. The more we work them on what they need to be able to do, the better they'll be."

  "Any other questions?"

  "How long to Inor?" Joe Bowles asked.

  Navigator Alex Williams leaned forward. "Fifteen and a half days, more or less. We do just a little over a light year per day."

  "And from there to Beta Hydri?"

  "Twenty-four and a half days."

  "Thanks, Lieutenant Williams. Long time."

  "So, let's get going, right?" George added with a smile.

  "Yes, let's get going," Barnes answered.

  "Agreed. The Ambassador is due aboard at 2015. As soon as his shuttle is off, we'll get moving."

  "Anything else?" Michael asked again. When there were no more questions, she concluded the meeting. "OK, that's all for now. We'll have a status meeting here every morning at 1000. Good evening, everyone."

  Terri Michael rose, and the officers rose as one with her. They filed out to their quarters or whatever duty they might have yet to do that night. The excited chatter of anticipation died slowly as they left, some of it flowing out into the passageway.

  As a group, they were ready to go, intensely curious about what really happened on the surface of Big Blue. They were going to get the chance to find out, and they felt very fortunate for that opportunity.

  Intrepid

  GL 674

  Thursday, August 24, 2078, 0930 UTC

  Intrepid came out of FTL about half an astronomical unit (about 75 million kilometers) from GL 674, a red dwarf about a third the size of the Sun. Back in March, Kieran Barker's Dunkirk task force had encountered and destroyed an enemy ship here, and both Captain Joanne Henderson and Intel Chief Warrant Officer Ben Price were not surprised to find that system on the Sentinel list. As Ben and Natalie went through their now-familiar ballet of deploying the Sentinel, the Bridge Surveillance position lit up.

  "Enemy object detected, Captain!" Marco Gonzales called out. Joanne stepped down from the Command position to see what they had found. It took a few minutes for the techs to reorient the large visual telescope and get a high-resolution image of the object.

  "Looks like a Sigma Sphere, ma'am. Spectrum matches." Sigma's fateful encounter with a spherical enemy object was now well known throughout the Fleet, and the spectrum and size had been added to their target criteria.

  "Sure does, Lieutenant. Where is it?"

  "Close by. It's about thirty degrees to our left, same distance from the star. We're still working on the precise orbit."

  Jim Kirkland came over from the Weapons position. "You thinking about hitting it, Captain?"

  Henderson shook her head. "No. This whole mission is about speed and stealth. We'll dro
p our Sentinel and move on."

  "Shouldn't we call this in? Intel will be interested."

  "Again, no. We'll tell them when we get back."

  "But, Captain —"

  "But nothing, Lieutenant Kirkland," she cut him off abruptly. Her stern expression met his for a second, then more evenly she continued "We're playing the long game here, Lieutenant, strategic, not tactical. If it were just us, then yeah, I would happily smoke that little piece of shit. As it is, we stick to the script we've been given. Understood?"

  "Yes, Captain." Kirkland moved back to his Weapons station, disappointed.

  "Lieutenant Gonzales, make sure you get good imagery and get the orbit defined, right?"

  "Yes, Captain."

  "If you need a few more hours to do that, let me know."

  "Yes, Captain." Henderson left Alonzo Bass with the Conn and walked back to the hangar. There, she found Ben Price in a typical position — underneath and half inside the Sentinel, swearing.

  "Good morning, Mr. Price!"

  "Hello, Captain. Forgive me if I don't get up."

  Natalie Hayden, standing just outside the Sentinel, laughed.

  "Problems?"

  "Not really, ma'am," Natalie answered. "Just the usual hook-ups and status checking. What was the alarm?"

  "There's a Sigma Sphere here."

  "Really?" came Ben's voice from inside the Sentinel. "Planning to swat it?"

  "Nope."

  "Good call." He clambered out from underneath the probe, closing the access panel and standing up. "OK, it's ready."

  Henderson nodded, then pulled Ben and Natalie away from the techs working on the Sentinel.

  "The Sphere is about thirty degrees away, Ben. Should we drop it here or would you want to move it somewhere else?"