Harbinger

by Ken Lozito

  Connor smiled wolfishly. “At least now I know what you want, but you haven’t answered my question. You’re still looking to lay blame. You don’t like how what I did made you feel. Or is it that you looked incompetent?”

  “Maybe you’re just too foolish to understand what your abuse of power has done,” Mullins replied with a snarl.

  “Bob,” Dana said sternly, “you’re out of line.”

  Mullins shook his head. “Fine.”

  Connor leaned forward. He was moments from springing to his feet. “No, keep going with it. Maybe there’s something else you’d like to say. Take your best shot.”

  “Gentlemen, that's enough,” Dana said. “Bob, I want you to leave, now.”

  Mullins glared at the governor, and she met his gaze with an unyielding one of her own. He stood up and stormed out of the room.

  “Nathan,” Governor Wolf said, “would you please give us a few moments? If you wouldn’t mind waiting just outside.”

  “Very well,” Nathan said and left the room.

  They were quiet for a few moments while Connor slowly got his anger under control. He glanced at Dana Wolf, who was waiting for him to say something.

  “I don’t know why you have Mullins as one of your advisors,” Connor said.

  Dana smiled and grinned a little. “That's funny. Bob doesn’t understand why I keep you around either. You’re both very good at your jobs, even if you don’t like each other.”

  Connor couldn’t imagine what Mullins was good at other than being one giant pain in the ass, and said so.

  “He gets things done. Sometimes he rubs people the wrong way, but so do a few other people I know. We’re working for the same thing here, Connor.”

  “Really? I’m having trouble believing that. Honestly, I was shocked that Mullins wasn’t implicated with Kurt Johnson or Meredith Cain.”

  Governor Wolf twitched one of her eyebrows. “He fits your profile of everything that’s wrong, does he?”

  “Yeah, sometimes.”

  “Do I, then?” Dana asked and immediately held up her hand. “Don’t answer that. I already know the answer.”

  “If it’s any consolation, I was glad you weren’t implicated with the others,” Connor said.

  “I appreciate that, but it could also mean I’m just better at hiding my activity than the others were,” Dana said, giving him a challenging look. “Look, we need to be honest with each other.”

  “I thought we already were.”

  “All right, then. I'm three years into my five-year term as governor. There's a significant chance that I either won't choose to run for a second term or that I might lose the election.”

  Connor’s eyebrows knitted together into a thoughtful frown. “You wouldn’t run again?”

  “I haven’t decided. Regardless, you need to start thinking about longevity.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You managed to spot a massive conspiracy and root it out, but don’t you realize there’s a pretty significant chance that someone like Bob Mullins will be the next governor?” Dana said.

  Connor shook his head. There was no way that guy could get enough votes.

  “I can tell you don’t believe me. Do you remember Stanton Parish? He won his election based on telling people what they wanted to hear. Like it or not, what you did is a hot topic. That’s all that was really revealed in that Security Council meeting. People are afraid of you, but . . .” she said, pausing for a moment.

  “They’re letting it blind them to the actual problem,” Connor said. “Which is the fact that I had to do what I did in order to solve the problem. I exposed the vulnerability, Dana. They don’t have to like me for it, but they should damn well solve the problem so someone like me doesn't have to step in and do it next time.”

  Dana licked her lips and considered her next words for a few moments. “One of the things I admire about you is that when you see a problem you just go at it. You're good at working the problem, but sometimes you’re a bit of a brute about it, and please know I say that with the highest affection. There's a time and a place for it, but it can also make people do foolish things. Honestly, I’m just waiting for them to start pointing fingers at me as being responsible for the entire situation.”

  “That’s absurd.”

  “You’re too kind.”

  “Fine. That’s bat-shit crazy.”

  Dana chuckled softly. “You’re a leader. It’s evident in everything you do. Ultimately, we're responsible for what happens under our watches. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “We are, but there are things out of our control. There’s always something we can’t plan for or anticipate. I think this will blow over. I knew there would be repercussions for my actions. And I knew I was risking being discharged from the CDF, but does that change what we're facing?” Connor asked.

  Dana’s acorn-colored eyes gleamed with amusement. “I do wonder what kind of governor you’d make.”

  Connor shook his head. “No way would I want that job. No offense.”

  Dana smiled. “I guess this is where I’m supposed to say you’d be perfect for the job because you don’t want it, but I don’t agree with that, at least not wholeheartedly. However, I think our motivations are quite similar. We both want what’s best for the colony.”

  Connor nodded and was silent for a few moments. “So, you don’t know what to do with me?”

  “On the contrary, I know exactly what to do with you. Do you?”

  Connor felt as if his thoughts had skipped a beat. Of all the responses he'd expected to hear, that wasn’t one of them. “I want to—”

  “Hold that thought. I’m going to get Nathan back in because I think the two of you need to talk. We’re not finished, Connor, but I really do have to go,” Dana said.

  She left her office and Connor watched as Nathan walked back in. He walked over to Connor and watched him for a few moments.

  “This is one of those moments where your old boss is now your new employee,” Connor said, chuckling.

  Nathan’s eyes widened and then he grinned. “And here I thought this was going to be awkward.”

  “I’ve had commanding officers before, and for a lot longer than I’ve been the head of the CDF.”

  “Yeah, but did any of them recruit you and train you?”

  “In that case, I can vouch for your qualifications.”

  Nathan smiled, and then the smile slipped away from his face. “This is serious, Connor. Mullins wasn’t the only one who wanted you dishonorably discharged from the CDF.”

  “So, why wasn’t I?”

  “Because I wouldn’t do it. They can make a recommendation, but that doesn’t mean I have to follow through with it. So, the compromise was a demotion. A lot of bureaucracy if you ask me.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  “You’d do the same for me, and I happen to agree with everything you did. I don’t know if I would’ve done the same thing, but I understand why it was necessary.”

  Connor pressed his lips together for a moment. “What would you have done differently?”

  Nathan smiled wryly and pointed a finger at him. “I’m not gonna let you do that to me—make you sit there and second-guess your actions. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done differently. Everything happened pretty fast, and if proper channels had been used, there would've been a greater risk of losing the evidence.”

  Connor nodded. “What happens now, then?”

  “I think they expect me to keep you in line. If I can’t do that, they’ll dismiss me.”

  Connor noted the undertones of Nathan’s statement. He'd said it lightheartedly, but the CDF was just as important to Nathan as it was to Connor. “It won’t come to that.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t promise.”

  “You don’t think I could keep that kind of promise?”

  “I don’t know if either one of us could keep that kind of promise.”

  That was a sobering thought. “So, what’s
next, sir.”

  Nathan shook his head. “Give me a break. Nothing’s changed as far as I’m concerned. Our goal is to define the Krake threat. I want you to focus on that.”

  “I’m relieved. I was prepared to make a big speech about why we need to keep doing exactly that.”

  Nathan laughed. “You don’t need to convince me, and Governor Wolf is also in agreement. As far as your status in the CDF, that could take months to work out, and I’m not going to sit by and do nothing while they figure out a way to get rid of you and me. So, what’s your next move?”

  “On the highest level, we need to gather more intelligence about the Krake. Right now . . .” Connor paused for a moment. “I want to find the Ovarrow we ran into while getting components for the arch—the ones who slipped away from us.”

  Nathan nodded. “It makes me wonder how many Ovarrow bunkers are out there with stasis pods that we didn’t find. They could have awakened earlier than the rest, or perhaps they didn’t go into stasis at all.”

  “We’re not sure. They’re certainly good at hiding.”

  “How do you intend to find them?”

  “I was planning on getting some help.”

  3

  Trident Battle Group had been conducting inner-system reconnaissance of the enemy star system for the past seventy-two hours. Colonel Sean Quinn sat in his ready room just off the Vigilant’s bridge, reviewing the latest status reports.

  “Colonel Quinn,” Gabriel, the Vigilant’s AI, said in a naturally modulated baritone, “there has been a reported decrease in efficiency aboard the Babylon, the Acheron, and the Diligent.”

  Sean grimaced at the mention of those ships' names. The senior officers serving aboard those ships had been part of the mutiny, and now he had junior officers filling the shoes of much more experienced officers in enemy territory.

  “How bad is it?” Sean asked.

  “Colonel, engineering and maintenance report standard efficiency, but it’s the reaction times in combat readiness drills that have decreased seventeen percent.”

  Seventeen percent, Sean repeated to himself and shook his head. If the Krake were to attack them now, they might be in real trouble. “Gabriel, is that an average percentage across the combat readiness drills, or is that the most recent measure?”

  “That is the most recent measure. The average—”

  “Never mind the average unless it’s getting worse. Can you open a comlink to Major Shelton?”

  “Certainly, sir. A moment, please,” Gabriel replied.

  A window appeared on the personal holoscreen above his desk, and Major Vanessa Shelton greeted him. She was a dark-skinned woman who was now in command of the Yorktown, a carrier vessel that held Talon-V fighter groups.

  “I’ve just been reviewing the latest reports of the combat readiness drills,” Sean said.

  “I have, as well. I figured we'd discuss that at our next all-hands meeting.”

  “Ordinarily, I'd bring down the hammer on the non-performers, but given the circumstances, I don’t think that’s quite fair. At the same time, I can’t accept that kind of performance. Do you have any suggestions?” Sean asked.

  “We knew we were going to have to change our tactics if we had to engage the Krake, and these performance scores just prove that fact. I think we should move forward with your idea, which is to pair off the less experienced commanding officers with the more experienced ones.”

  Sean drummed his fingers on his desk for a moment while he considered. “I know it was my suggestion, but I'm not a huge fan of it. The risk will be handicapping the more experienced warships, and the captains of those ships have enough on their plates with commanding their own ships.”

  They’d been in this star system for almost three days, having used the space gate and the coordinates provided by a mysterious Krake fifth column faction that had come to their aid. The Krake had transmitted a set of coordinates, which was an invitation Sean had no choice but to explore. Since arriving, they hadn’t received any broadcast greeting. Trident Battle Group had transitioned into this universe at a point where their entry would be among the outer planets, which reduced the risk of them being discovered by enemy ships in case this was a trap.

  “I still think this is our best option, sir. We pair them off, but we’ll need to convey to the junior officers that they're still responsible for commanding their ships. We don’t have time for them to spend weeks developing their tactical awareness. Most of them were tactical officers, after all.”

  “I’m going to meet with them individually to see if we can work out some of the kinks,” Sean said.

  “I think that would be a good idea for more than the obvious reasons,” Vanessa said.

  It had only been three days since Sean had executed the mutineers and ended the first-ever mutiny in Colonial Defense Force history. He knew there were several officers who felt he'd gone too far, but the majority had accepted the outcome of the mutiny. Sean had been well within his rights to execute the mutineers. He'd also required all the officers to file their own reports about those events, holding nothing back. Sean wouldn’t hide from his decision. The facts were there, and they supported him. In spite of all that, he regretted that he'd had to take the action at all. He was still furious with Lester Brody for sparking the mutiny, and he was angry with himself for allowing it to happen under his watch.

  “There is an alternative,” Sean said. “We could move the XOs of the Dutchman, the Albany, and the Burroughs to command the other ships.”

  Vanessa frowned in thought. “If it was just a matter of rank, it really wouldn’t make much difference. That might be a shortcoming in our overall rank structure, but the risk in doing this now is bringing our overall combat readiness down in efficiency.”

  “That’s true, but we might not have much of a choice. If it comes to a fight, the crews of those ships deserve better,” Sean said.

  “Understood, sir. I do think we need to keep an eye on the Babylon and, in particular, Lieutenant Richard Pitts,” Vanessa said.

  Richard had been close friends with Ryan Ward, who'd been captain of the Babylon. He’d been among the mutineers and had come dangerously close to opening fire on the Vigilant.

  “He doesn’t have to like or approve of what I’ve done, but he's doing his job,” Sean replied.

  “Understood, sir,” Vanessa replied.

  “The Dutchman is due to report in soon. We’ll speak again then,” Sean said. “Oh, and thanks for being my sounding board.”

  Vanessa’s lips lifted a little. “That’s what I’m here for, sir.”

  The comlink went dark, and a short while later there was a knock at Sean’s door. The door opened, and Lieutenant Jane Russo entered his office.

  “You asked to see me, Colonel.”

  She’d been his lead technical officer on the Vigilant.

  Sean invited her to sit down. “I need an XO on this ship, and you're my first choice.”

  Lieutenant Russo’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Sir?”

  “I’ve talked about it with Major Shelton, and she has also recommended you. I realize that this is a bit of a surprise, and given the circumstances, I need you to rise to the occasion. That’s why I'm going to give you a field promotion to captain, which will address any issues concerning rank when dealing with engineers and maintenance.”

  Russo smiled. “Thank you, Colonel. I won’t let you down.”

  “I know you won’t,” Sean said. He approved of her choice of words. A lesser officer would have inserted a less direct statement along the lines of, "I'll try not to let you down." The way a person spoke was often indicative of their attitudes and whether or not they'd achieve their goals.

  “There’s more,” Sean continued. He brought up a tactical recording of their last battle with Krake ships. “I know this is familiar to you, but we need to come up with a better strategy for dealing with Krake attack drones, in particular. We can’t afford to keep hurling HADES V heavy missiles to blind them
and then destroy them. We don’t have enough missiles to sustain that level of use in an engagement.”

  “I understand, sir. We’ve been trying to think of ways to achieve more with less, but the only time we come into contact with Krake attack drones is in the middle of an actual attack.”

  Sean nodded. “I understand, but we'll need some out-of-the-box thinking.”

  Russo pursed her lips in thought for a moment. “If that’s the case, then could I request clearance to show this to people who aren’t in tactical, such as non-bridge crew and possibly maybe even some of the scientists? If we want out-of-the-box thinking, we might have to actually look elsewhere.”

  Sean smiled and twitched his head to the side with a slight nod. “Permission granted, Captain.”

  They both stood up and Captain Russo saluted Sean before leaving his office. Sean glanced at the holoscreen. He looked at it so much that he could see it with his eyes closed. When they’d first entered the system, he'd decided to do as much reconnaissance from the outer system as he could. But if he was going to get a good look at their target destination, which was the inner planets within the Goldilocks zone, without using any of his active scans, he needed to send a ship in.

  Oliver Martinez commanded the Dutchman. He was an outstanding officer and a friend, but it was his affinity for playing "cat and mouse" that made him the best choice for a recon mission before Sean would commit the entire battlegroup to go to the waypoint.

  They were able to use subspace communication, which allowed them to communicate instantaneously over vast distances. The theory posited that subspace communication would allow them to connect over dozens of light-years and not merely across a single star system. They hadn’t tested the theory yet, for obvious reasons. Sean was grateful to be able to communicate across one star system and had utilized it in his tactics against the Krake. What they didn’t know was whether the Krake were able to detect subspace comms or even use it themselves. There was so much they didn’t know about the Krake, but that was why they were here. Even though there seemed to be a rebellious Krake faction that had assisted them, Sean had to be cautious, and that took time.