The Red Admiral

by C. R. Daems

  A few minutes later Damon entered with a panting Commander Abbott, followed by Banner announcing lunch was on its way, and then a smiling Hadley, who quietly took a seat. When Pannell arrived not long afterward, he, too, looked to have been running.

  "Relax, please. I apologize for my behavior over the last week or so. I'd be more specific, except I'm not sure of all the rude or inappropriate things I might have done." That got a few smiles and a snort or two. "My mind has been consumed with trying to determine how to destroy the kidnapping ring. I've deduced many ways to disrupt them temporarily or slow them down, but not to destroy them permanently. At least, ways that are legal. Our laws, which help protect the innocent, equally protect and shield the guilty. With their money and lawyers, perhaps the laws favor them more than the average innocent person." I stopped when Stamm answered a knock at the door and opened it for the caterers to place the food on the table. "Eat while I talk. You are all now under P1A orders not to tell anyone what I'm planning or doing. And that will protect you if I exceed my authority. In that case, you will be free to speak later if my actions result in a UAS board of inquiry." I laughed, seeing everyone's fork suspended several centimeters in the air and every set of eyes staring at me. I sat eating for a few minutes, which had the desired effect, and they continued eating—although their eyes didn't stop darting between me and their plates.

  "I'm not going to sit idle any longer while decent women are abused and their abusers hide behind the laws that should be protecting these women. If the kidnapping ring thinks they hate me today…" I laughed. "I predict in a month I will have all top ten slots on their wanted dead list." I felt sorry for Paul; he looked ashen, although I felt a sense of approval. In fact, that seemed to be the general consensus, including from Red, who was in my hair with his head on my forehead like he was ready to begin. "Abbott, any reason you can't travel?"

  "No, ma'am," he said without hesitation.

  "Good, You, Banner, and Stamm will pack for an extended trip and be prepared to aboard the Taranis on twenty-four-hours notice. Master Chief, see if you can arrange for a meeting with General Guzman and Captain Martz on the Taranis today. Tell them it is urgent."

  * * *

  "Good afternoon, Admiral Paulus," Martz said after a salute. She had chosen to meet me when I arrived. "General Guzman arrived fifteen minutes ago. He's waiting in my conference room. You didn't say anything about wanting to—"

  "I'm sorry for dragging you away from whatever you were doing with no notice or explanation. I do plan to be on the move again, but you will have plenty of notice to recall crew and prepare to leave. But I wanted to talk with you and the general first," I said, feeling a bit guilty, but I felt a sense of urgency to get everything in motion and begin swinging my wrecking ball. Martz led me to her conference room in silence, probably trying to guess what I wanted. When I entered the room, Guzman looked up from his coffee cup. He felt nervous, probably concerned that it was news about his daughter and wasn't good.

  "General, Captain, I've concluded it could takes years to destroy the kidnapping ring without some miraculous gift from the space gods. They have the advantage of using our laws against us while breaking them," I said as I sat. Guzman looked like a man who just heard he had the Coaca Virus and only had days to live. Martz seemed like she expected an enemy cruiser to appear any minute. Banner placed a cup of coffee in front of me. "That is unacceptable; therefore, I have decided to play the kidnappers' game, and this is the reason I've asked you to meet with me. I'm offering you the opportunity to leave, since I might well order you under P1A authority to break the law. That should insulate you from prosecution but not from having to break the law." I picked up my coffee and sat drinking while awaiting their response.

  "What about you?" Martz asked, concern evident in her voice and face.

  "I've decided the UAS committee will have to decide which evil is worse. I'm willing to suffer the consequences of my actions." I didn't add that I had less to lose because of Red. I felt sorry for Alexa, not me.

  "What about my daughter?" Guzman asked, hope in his eyes.

  "I can't guarantee anything, General. I'm going to free everyone I find as long as I have my P1A authority," I said.

  "Count me in, Admiral Paulus," Guzman said, determination and hope hardening his facial features.

  "Me too," Martz said, smiling and amused. "Wish the kidnappers had a cruiser or two, but it sounds like an interesting and worthwhile assignment."

  "Thank you. You are now under P1A orders not to discuss my plans or actions with anyone without my permission. Captain Martz, how long before you can conveniently be ready to depart Eastar?"

  "Conveniently, forty-eight hours," she said.

  "General Guzman?" I asked, thinking it may be convenient to have the general along in case I wanted unquestionable compliance from the army and marines.

  "You want me along?" he asked, hesitant because of our previous confrontations.

  "As an advisor and support. Project Magic Act is no longer a passive collector of information. Magic Act is now an active collector of information and people—smash and grab," I said to Guzman's smiling face, a rare event. He looked like a kid entering a candy store. "All right. We leave for someplace in forty-eight hours. Banner, send the following message to all NIA stations."

  You are to report any woman reported missing who meets the Magic Act criteria to Commander Damon for inclusion in the database and copy me aboard the UAS Cruiser Taranis immediately. Include the name of any kidnapping merchant in port one to three days prior to the woman being reported missing. In addition, the time the kidnapping merchant left port relative to the time the woman was reported missing. Send your report as urgent.

  If anyone knows where Susan Guzman—alias Krystal Berry—is, send the information encrypted attention Admiral Paulus on the Cruiser Taranis.

  * * *

  "What are you planning, Daughter?" Alexa asked that evening after I explained I would be leaving in forty-eight hours.

  "To become the kidnappers' number-one enemy," I said and regretted the quip before the last word slipped through my lips. Not that it wasn't accurate but because of what it implied—the kidnapping ring would be trying even harder to kill me. "I'm going to wreck their operation and free every woman I find. Captain Martz said she wished they had a few cruisers."

  That caused Alexa to smile. "I can understand that. She'd like something to wreck too. Be careful, Daughter." She reached up and touched Red's head, like a silent prayer to Red and maybe to whoever sent him. One thing Alexa and I both knew with certainty: he wasn't a normal krait and he didn't adopt me by accident.

  "I have General Guzman along as part of the team."

  "Your wrecking ball just got a lot bigger. I'm surprised you haven't got Admiral Webb along." She gave a genuine smile, feeling better about my security.

  "What a great idea. I'll call him tomorrow." We both laughed.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  Star System: Truth Star – Demolition Act I

  "Where to, Admiral?" Martz asked as we met eight strong in her conference room. Guzman, Martz, Pannell, Abbott, Banner, Stamm, Tamatha, and me.

  "Ultimately, we are going to either Truth Star or Holy Star. We won't know until the next woman is kidnapped—"

  "You're waiting for someone to be kidnapped?" Guzman asked incredulously, his face an undisguised mask of disgust.

  "Sounds cruel and stupid, but we have no other way of discovering how they are transporting the women or where the indoctrination facility is located. None of the women know, because they are drugged for the entire trip. The only thing we have been able to deduce is that they have two facilities: one in Truth Star and one in Holy Star. We must therefore wait for the next kidnapping. It emphasizes what I've told you. It would take years to collect enough information to destroy their operation. Information collection is done at a snail's pace. They are not petty thieves who leave crumbs to follow. They are a very sophisticated criminal organizatio
n and while we must stay within the law, they don't." I looked at Guzman, who looked a bit embarrassed. "Given the space genie doesn't interfere, we should be able to save the woman, catch some bad people, and not only disrupt one of their significant functions—indoctrination—but also gain a better understanding of how they transport their victims."

  "How often do they kidnap women?" Martz asked. I could understand her concern. We would have to park somewhere while we waited. The cruiser had a crew of over four hundred to consider.

  "They have been running at just under three per month. I'd estimate best case, a day or two and worst case, a couple of weeks. I thought to go to Holy Star and wait." I paused while Martz called her XO and let him begin preparations to leave with a tentative location of Holy Star. "Tamatha, if we get bored, are there any interesting places on Holy Star?" I asked.

  She nodded. "Prostitution is illegal on Holy Star, but there are two facilities. A low-end house in the run-down area of Sunny Heights, which is well-known but seldom raided, and a high-end escort service in Christown. That isn't raided, as it isn't visible, has good lawyers and connections, and can move faster than the police. That is where you might find a few of the women you are looking for."

  * * *

  I used the three-day trip to Holy Star to lay out a tentative plan of attack and to get us working as a team. When we exited the Wave, Banner queried the communications officer and collected my messages.

  "Ma'am, you have two messages. One from Commander Cooper and a second from Commander Atkins," he said, looking at his tablet. "The one from Atkins is marked urgent."

  "Decrypt and send to my tablet," I said, thankful we weren't going to have to sit idle waiting on the kidnapping ring to do something. When I looked at the messages, I smiled.

  To: Commander Damon

  Eastar NIA Station Chief

  Copy to: Rear Admiral Paulus, UAS Cruiser Taranis

  Director NIA Stations

  Terry Blair was reported missing on 5/11/425 at two hundred hours. The kidnapping merchant Wind Jammer was in port at the time. The merchant's ship departed 5/10/425 at fifteen hundred hours.

  From: Commander Atkins

  Safe Harbor NIA Station Chief

  I clicked on the voice channel Martz had given. She answered immediately, "Yes ma'am."

  "We need to leave immediately for Truth Star. We have our missing woman," I said. Then I opened the second message.

  To: Rear Admiral Paulus, Cruiser Taranis

  Director NIA Stations

  Susan Guzman is on Black Water at the estate of a Mr. Ferguson. Instructions?

  From: Commander Cooper

  Black Water NIA Station Chief

  "Banner, let Commander Cooper know she should continue to monitor Susan Guzman's whereabouts."

  * * *

  "That was close," Martz said at my pre-docking meeting. "They must have had one day's head start, as the distances are roughly the same. We only beat them by eight hours, and then only because cruiser engines tend to be thirty to forty percent more powerful."

  "General, are Colonel Russo's marines ready?" I asked. This was a critical part of the operation and the reason I was glad Guzman was along. Russo wouldn't question anything Guzman ordered or even suggested he do.

  "Yes, he has twenty of his men and women dressed in civilian clothes and positioned at all the exit points. They have Miss Blair's picture and description and know she will be drugged and maybe disguised as sick, drunk, or otherwise incapacitated. They will notify us as soon as she's detected," Guzman said.

  "Good. I've arranged to get Lieutenant Banner on the customs inspection team. I know they have Miss Terry Blair on board. If this is going to work, we need to understand how they transported her, how they get her planet side, and where they deliver her."

  * * *

  The hours dragged by without a word.

  "Anything?" I asked Russo after I had assembled everyone.

  "None of my people saw anything that looked even slightly suspicious. Our count indicates that all but five crew and the captain are still on board," Russo said. I looked to Banner.

  "I followed the inspection team. They used equipment to detect drugs, checked the manifest, and asked general questions. Everything was in order. I took a tour of the dispensary. The area was empty. And I took a picture of the manifest." Banner handed me his tablet.

  I scanned the items, feeling frustrated and not sure what I was looking for. "How are these items getting delivered?" I asked.

  "I asked the same question. The Merry Dee has a staging warehouse. They contract with the Truth Star Port Authority to transport their cargo planet side where Merry Dee people truck it to their warehouse."

  "Banner, get in touch with whoever is in charge of the station. I want to tour where they have the Merry Dee's consignment." If Miss Blair hadn't left the Merry Dee, she was either still on board or she had to be with the consignment headed planet side.

  * * *

  "I'm Director Mattson, the person in charge of the Truth Star Port Authority. I understand you want to inspect our staging area," a tall, elderly man said, giving me an appraising look. He wasn't impressed, judging by the small snort when he finished. I had intentionally worn a blue pantsuit rather than my navy uniform. Less confusing, I thought. "That is private property temporarily assigned to the Port Authority." He snorted again, but louder this time. "You'll need a court order to even look in our staging area. The military have no special authority in civil matters, or in this case, Truth Star's government operations."

  Red took that moment to peek his red head out of my blouse. I'd swear it was to see the man's expression when he heard the bad news.

  "Lady, do you have a medical certificate for that snake? Even if you do, it needs to be in a safe container." The man's emotions were a mixture of anger and the pleasure one gets exerting his or her power. I choked when a saw Red emerge completely, pulling the cord my P1A badge was attached to. Mattson stepped back, his eyes bulging with fear as he watched Red wind around my neck and then the P1A badge now hanging in clear sight.

  "I won't be long, Mr. Mattson. I just want to see the Merry Dee shipment. And you are under P1A orders not to mention my inspection. You can make up any kind of an explanation for this meeting you want. In fact, you can say you told the idiot she wasn't authorized in the staging area," I said and smiled. He wasn't happy but keyed in the combination for the lock and then put his eye to the retina scan, and the door into the area unlocked. It was a huge warehouse with taped-off areas. Each area had a clipboard with paperwork attached depicting who the property belonged to, where it was headed, and a list of the items. I slipped under the yellow tape and surveyed the items. Seeing several large crates, I turned to Banner. "Go find the master chief and tell him I want an infrared detector."

  "Why?" Mattson asked indignantly, his voice pitched in command mode.

  "Because I want it." I pointed to my badge. "Mr. Mattson, they don't give out P1A badges for people to idly poke around for their amusement. Trust me, this is way beyond a Truth Star issue."

  Several minutes later, Stamm came running in with Banner following. He stopped and held up a unit that looked to weigh several pounds and smiled.

  "Master Chief, would you please scan everything in this area?"

  "Yes, ma'am." He switched on the unit and began walking around pointing it at each item. He stopped in front of a long thin box, which had organ keyboards printed on the paperwork. And it did, however, sandwiched between the two keyboards was a body. Mattson gasped.

  "I'll get people to open—"

  "No, Mr. Mattson. You will do no such thing and you won't mention any of this to anyone. Just get it delivered as scheduled. Judging by the image, the young woman is alive and looks a healthy red, and the keyboard is supported by a frame around her. Just make sure it's handled carefully. Like the label says, it contains fragile electronic equipment, although they did fail to mention the frail young woman. Oh, don't change your inspection cri
teria based on what you saw. We don't want these people to know we have discovered their clever smuggling operation. Stonewall is a terrible place to retire," I said and Morrison's defiant look disappeared and his face went pale.

  "No, ma'am. Not a word."

  * * *

  "Several marines followed the delivery to the Phillip Shipping Warehouse and two hours later, a car left. Per your instructions, we followed it to a large house on the outskirts of the city in an upscale area where the houses are each separated by several acres. My men observed two men carrying a woman inside," Russo said to the assembled group, which included Guzman and Martz.

  "Gentlemen, I think it's time we crash the party. Colonel, have one group secure the warehouse while the other secures the house. Banner, go see the Commissioner and tell him what your boss is doing. I'll call you when we have an address. Captain, you are welcome to come along if you want."

  She nodded and grinned. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Martz let her XO know she was leaving. The drive took thirty minutes and three for the marines to storm and secure the house.

  "The house is secure, Admiral," Russo said and waved for me to enter. The house was at least six or seven hundred square meters. A gunny sergeant led us down into a basement that had a room with no furniture or windows, just a cot on the floor and a pot to relieve yourself. Miss Blair lay on the cot, still unconscious. I looked to the man standing next to a marine corporal. He had a stethoscope around his neck.

  "And what's your part in this nightmare?" I asked. He was in his early thirties and looked like a rabbit facing a pack of hungry wolves.