The door slid open and a Lieutenant stepped inside. She regretted the interruption as soon as she saw her Captain’s expression and the Executive Officer’s carefully blank face, but she had no choice. “You requested to be called one hour before we reached the target zone, sir.”
“Thank you. We will be there directly.” Harry stood and waited for her to depart. “We have a task to perform, Number One, but let me say this. I hope your people find them and deal with them before I do. I would appreciate those names once we have completed this task.”
“I’ll provide them, but seriously, you can’t fight these people, Harry. They’re just too powerful.”
“Fight them? I do not intend to fight them, Mr. Whitworth.” Harry smiled. Those who knew him would have felt a chill. “These people are from families that know my family, or move in the same circles. They will know that I know of their activities, but I will follow the dictum of Saint Paul. I will repay their evil with kindness. I shall make it my business to be kind when they have trouble, to show sympathy and concern for their welfare. I shall make it my business whenever I encounter any of them to be polite and friendly. As the saint wrote, it will pour coals of fire on their heads. Far more effective than any confrontation.”
Keiron shook his head. “Bloody hell, old man, I should think that will make them terrified of meeting you.” He laughed. “Especially if they know that you know what they’re involved in.”
Chapter 24
Confrontation
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Mary kept her hand on the rail as she sat beside the med-unit. The whole thing had been horrendous. She let a small shudder run through her as she recalled the sudden rush of figures appearing from the shrubbery on either side of the path. Several laid hands on her as Niamh began to fall, then other figures appeared, and the firing started. Someone pushed her to the ground across Niamh and tried to protect them both while the two groups engaged in a murderous firefight.
It had barely died down when she and Niamh and several others were lifted and rushed into a large medivac vehicle, and flown directly to this secure hospital facility.
“Mary, my dear,” Theo greeted her as he entered the room. “A horrible business. Disgraceful, but at least you’re safe.” He stared at his wife lying still and quiet in the med-unit. “How is Niamh? The doctors say she will need several days of rest and restorative treatments.”
Mary nodded. “Yes...” She hesitated. “What is this all about? Why did they attempt to kidnap us?”
Theo seated himself. “It appears that some very powerful people think Harry has learned something that could cause them serious problems.” He frowned and spread his hands. “Unfortunately, they are also the kind of people who wield the sort of power that makes it extremely difficult to bring them to justice.” He gave a sour smile. “You should see the representations my staff are swamped with to withdraw all charges against that woman Samland. We’ve had to place her in a secure prison outside of the normal system to prevent her assassination.” His frown returned. “We think this was a precursor to a demand for Samland’s release in exchange for Niamh, and your release in exchange for Harry.”
“But this is barbaric!”
“It is, but that has never stopped the powerful. They simply get someone else to do the dirty work and reap whatever benefit comes from it.” He smiled briefly, a wry smile. “Fortunately, those who do abuse their power and wealth are few and far between.” He patted her hand gently. “Don’t worry, my dear, we don’t intend to let anyone get away with it, no matter how powerful they may be.”
Mary slumped in her chair. ““Is Harry safe? I know they’ve given him a new command, and he’s got a new Executive Officer, one he knows and trusts, but—”
“I know, my dear.” Theo sighed. “But it’s probably the safest place for him right now. I’ve spoken to James. This whole thing is getting out of hand.” He broke eye contact and gazed at his wife in the med-unit. “Look after Niamh for me, Mary. I have to return to work. Pretend that nothing has happened.” He thrust himself to his feet, his face grim. “We have to keep up the pretence until we can make our move and clean out this, this…” He sought for the word he wanted. “…this cesspit! Until then, we must fight a lot of battles to beat them.” He smiled down at her. “But we will win.”
In the intervening hours Harry had given a lot of thought to the task of obtaining the best results from a scan of the target ship. “Sabre, are you ready to carry out my request?”
“I have recalculated your proposed course and action, Harry. It is very high risk, but with a probe ahead of us, there will be a sufficient margin.”
“Good. I need you to record everything. Set your scanners to maximum, and remain linked to me throughout. If they attempt to access you, I need to know immediately.” Harry wasn’t sure why he had ordered that, but the attempts to plant signal monitors, repeaters and receivers in the Fleet’s ships made him wary. The attack on his beloved Mary and the injuries to Niamh made him angry.
“I shall, Harry.” The ship paused. “There is something else. Other ships report interference with their controls when near a Charonian ship. Should I report this if I have similar problems?”
Harry felt the hair on the nape of his neck prickling. “Yes. Show me the source if you can. I need to know immediately.”
“Two minutes to dropout, sir.” Keiron’s voice betrayed his inner tension. “Lagan and the corvettes are in their positions, ready to launch the drones. Seana and Sala Ghahle will launch their probes as soon as we re-enter transit.”
“Very good, Number One. Weapons, are you ready?”
“Ready, sir.”
“Scan, any indication we’ve been detected?”
“Negative, sir. No indication of detection or activity.”
“Very well. Signal Lagan to commence.” His plan called for the Lagan and the corvettes to drop out at widely separated points around the target group at maximum scan range and then to launch scanning drones. He hoped this would draw attention away from his own dropout and re-entry long enough to do what he wished to achieve.
“Lagan acknowledged, sir. There they go.”
“Very well. Helm, on my mark.” He watched the seconds tick by through his cyberlink. “Now.”
The display filled with the huge bulk of the alien ship as the Sabre raced along its length from bow to stern, the probe keeping four ship lengths ahead. Strange structures, weapons embrasures and openings in the hull streamed past as the ship tore past the giant. Frantic activity at the scan and weapons positions told him they were at work. Data streamed through his eyes as the ship recorded it. “Interference with Transit Controls detected.” There was a moment’s pause. “Source is a non-standard installation at node C-341-a-A.”
“Disable it. Open a link to the transmission source it is receiving from. Send a full power pulse of the final part of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture—bells, cannon, brass bands and all! Maximum volume, maximum transmission power.”
“Transit in thirty seconds, sir.”
“Very well. Are the transit controls responsive?”
“Yes, sir. They went offline for a couple of seconds, but they’re back.” The Coxswain paused. “Entering transit, sir.”
“Launch mines. If anyone follows us, I want them to get a nasty reception.” Harry thrust himself out of his chair. “Report the rest of the flotilla.”
“All clear, sir. The drones show we stirred things up back there, but we seem to have caught them off guard. Only one ship attempted to intercept, and Seana gave him a nasty surprise.”
“Good. Scan, what did you get?”
“Everything we could, sir. That ship has some really powerful weaponry on board. It’ll take weeks to analyse it and figure out what it is.”
Harry nodded. “Very well, share it with the others and get started. Number One, something attempted to interfere with our Transit Controls. Sabre identified the source as a
non-standard installation at node Charlie-341-sub-alpha-Alpha. I want it recovered and analysed. It was functioning on a dual frequency, one receiving and one sending a return signal. Take care, it may be rigged to prevent interference.” He turned to the Coms Officer. “Ms Kardon, signal the flotilla, ‘Form up on Sabre.’ Navigator, as soon as they have joined, alter course to intercept the Fleet. Maximum speed.”
The image of the Charonian starship lingered in his mind’s eye as he sank into his chair and the ship returned to normal watchkeeping at defence stations. Something tugged at his memory, but the more he tried to pin it down, the more it slipped away. He let it go. It would come back to him eventually.
“You wanted to be advised as soon as we had anything on the reconnaissance mission, sir.”
The Admiral rolled off his bunk. “Yes? Are they clear?”
“The signal was very brief, sir. Just that they got a good scan and are clear.”
The Admiral was already pulling on his boots. “Excellent. Set course for the coordinates I gave you. I want that data, but they won’t transmit it until they meet up with us. Assemble my staff, we have work to do.” He stood and grabbed his jacket.
“Yes, sir.” There was a pause. “We have a report from Security, sir. Your sister is out of danger and should make a full recovery. Ms Hopkins is with her and so is Mr. L’Estrange.”
The Admiral nodded. “Good. I’ll want a word with the Chief Security Officer when we’ve finished.” This attempt to snatch Niamh and Mary was a step too far. It was time to ensure that justice was done, and in such a way that it was seen to be done. It would not be easy, but Harry obviously held some knowledge the Pantheon didn’t want exposed. Time would tell.
“Yes, sir. I’ll alert them.” The Flag Lieutenant paused. “We’ve had some data from the Tenth, sir. They scattered drones around the Charonian ships—one must have gone in very close—and we’ve had some data from them on the hyperlinks. They’ve all shut down now, presumably destroyed, but what we got is worrying. The team are working on it, though it’s incomplete. If we’re to make a full assessment, we’ll need all the information they got.”
“Very well, I want to know what the preliminary assessment is as soon as possible plus any word on the Tenth as soon as anything is known.” He took his seat in the briefing room.
“Yes, sir.” He looked up as the Admiral’s staff began to file in. “I’ll inform Coms to keep a listening watch for any transmission or sighting.”
“Do that.” The Admiral frowned. “Tell them to watch the hypertransit beacons for any signals caused by them or the enemy entering or leaving transit anywhere.” He turned to the staff as the Flag Captain took his seat. “Morning, Francis, team, we have something to get started on. We’ll have more by the end of the day, but now we can start planning.”
“Approaching dropout for the rendezvous, sir.”
Harry straightened himself in his chair. He hadn’t left the Control Centre since their close fly-by except to relieve himself and grab a bite to eat. For the last hour he’d been studying the images captured as they tore past the giant starship. “Very good, Navigator. Number One, bring us to action stations and order the others to do the same in case there’s a surprise awaiting us.” He touched his link. “Engineering, keep the hyper pods online until I order them shut down.”
Keiron Whitworth touched the general alarm and waited as reports flowed in from all action stations signifying that they were closed and ready. “Our consorts report they’re ready, sir.” These last hours he’d seen a different side to Harry, he had to admit. The light-hearted midshipman he’d known during their Fleet College days was gone, and so was the edge of uncertainty he’d shown as he struggled to adjust to the avalanche of technology and social norms he’d had to cope with. In their place was a commander, hard when he had to be yet concerned about those he was responsible for, and utterly ruthless when pushed past the limits of his concepts of acceptable behaviour.
“Thank you, Number One. Take us in on the markers.” Harry nodded to the Coms Officer. “Link me to the others please.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” The Coms Officer activated her links. “On link, sir.”
“All ships, this is the Ancient Mariner.” He paused. “If you detect a trap, do not hesitate to act. Transit immediately. I will provide a new rendezvous as soon as Sabre has been extracted.” He hesitated. “If all is correct, we will be greeted by a signal from Flag that only the Admiral and I know. I will be able to confirm immediately if it is correct. If it is not, I will say ‘scatter’ to order withdrawal.”
He listened to the acknowledgements then added, “This link will remain open. If the signal is correct, I will give the order ‘stand down’ and close the flagship. The flotilla will break off and close the support ship Mercury.” He smiled briefly as Keiron signalled the start of the countdown to dropout. “Let us hope all is in order.”
The display flashed from the grey fog of hyperspace to the 3D display of the system into which they had just arrived. They could see a giant gas planet with a complete system of moons, some as large as Earth, circling it. Twin suns circled each other in a mutually destructive dance far ahead with some small rocky worlds between the two. Moments later the sky flashed with light as the Fleet dropped into position.
“From Flag, sir.” The Coms Officer frowned. “For some reason he sent pictures of flags…”
“Show me.” Harry’s screen showed a series of coloured flags, one above the other. He smiled and brought up an image of a plain blue and white flag. Through his cyberlink he told the ship, “Send this image to the Admiral, Sabre.” To his comlink he announced. “The signal is correct. Stand down and continue as ordered.”
Keiron acknowledged the order and gave orders to the helm to close the flagship. He glanced at the image on Harry’s display. “Resorting to flags, sir?” He grinned. “What do they say?”
Harry laughed. “Splice the mainbrace—the signal for an issue of rum to the men.” He glanced at the Rates, who were all grinning. “Unfortunately, we haven’t any rum, and it probably wouldn’t be a good idea just yet.”
Harry’s face showed his fury as Admiral Heron gave him the details of the attack “They were attacked in the botanical gardens? And the protection squad failed to detect the attackers?”
“Not quite. They had planned to attack them in a different part of the gardens, and our people were set up to prevent it, but Mary and Niamh sensed something was wrong and changed their plan. That caused the Pantheon to launch their attempt in a difficult place, and our people were lucky they’d already been repositioned.”
“Very fortunate for them.” Harry snorted, his anger making him forget who he was talking to. “Who are these people? By God, sir, I will not suffer such an infamous assault on our family by such … such … vermin!”
James Heron forced himself to adopt a calmer tone. “You can be very sure, Harry, that I do not intend to let this rest. Some of them use the names of Hindu and other gods. The Pantheon are a highly secretive group that specialises in murder. They are often employed by the super wealthy, by governments, and by others who are very powerful, to remove someone considered an obstacle to the client’s plans.” He remembered his own brush with a “goddess” and her team years before. “They are highly professional, but they all share one important characteristic. They are utterly ruthless and psychopathic. They’re not just murderers. They are true mercenaries in every sense of the word: cold, calculating, emotionless. They get the job done then move on to the next assignment, or should I say kill. Thanks to you and Ferghal, however, Fleet Security have those files Samland hid on the Voyager. They appear to include the real identities of the key players among these Pantheon—but we haven’t yet found the key to the code that encrypts them.”
Harry paused, his anger now ice. “So they believe I am that key.”
“Possibly. Do you know, or can you recall anything which might be such an encryption key?” The A
dmiral hesitated. “It may not even look like one, but we think this is why they want you dead.”
Harry shook his head. “There is something, but I can’t …” He stopped as the Admiral’s link chirped.
“Commodore Roberts is here, Admiral,” announced the admiral’s SSU, Adriana. “She has the latest security update for you.”
Chapter 25
Interference Frustrated
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The Admiral leaned back in his chair. “My staff tell me that the images and scan data you collected are so detailed you must have been less than two hundred metres from this ship.” He raised an eyebrow. “A little close, don’t you think?”
Harry met the Admiral’s eyes. “I thought if we were close and fast-moving it would give them less time to react, sir. I think it worked. We were not fired on.”
“As you say in your report. But something or someone attempted to disrupt your control of the ship. That could have had serious consequences.”
Harry hesitated. “It could, sir, but I had warned the ship to alert me to it. I was able to immediately disable their device and send them a counter signal.” His grin flickered. “I hope they enjoyed it.”
The Admiral’s curiosity was piqued. “What did you send them?”
“The final part of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, the part with the brass bands, orchestra, guns, bells and choir. I thought they should appreciate it at maximum volume.”
Despite himself, the Admiral laughed. “I imagine that probably blew out their audio systems.” He smiled. “If someone was listening to the receiving signal, they’ll have a headache I shouldn’t wonder.” He shook his head. “Sometimes, Harry, you do something so outrageous it leaves everyone wondering how to respond. That little stunt quite possibly helped stop any interference while they tried to work out what happened.” He placed his elbows on the desk and frowned. “Now, about this device. My technicians tell me it is set to receive orders to the AI and divert instructions from our systems. In effect it allows whoever controls it to take over our helm and drive controls.”
Harry Heron: Hope Transcends Page 23