Nodding, Corrigan said, “Contact Glorious, and request that either Furious or Courageous break off pursuit and move to assist us in the recovery of survivors. We’re going to want to question them, anyway. Find out what they know about the ship we just destroyed.”
“I can’t believe it,” Novak said, shaking her head. “I thought we were dead. I was sure we were. I didn’t think there was a chance in hell that we would be able to pull this off.”
“If it is any consolation, Lieutenant, I came to the same conclusion when I first volunteered for this mission, and that was a considerable period before the rest of you did.”
Dixon shook his head, and said, “I thought I was good at playing the long game, Commander, but I don’t mind admitting that you’ve got me beat, fair and square. Though I would very much like to know just what all of this is about.”
“The Interstellar Squadron has broken off completely,” Crawford said. “I guess they’re just going to let them go.”
“Good,” Corrigan said. “That makes sense. Someone needs to go back to the Belt and tell them what happened here today. Now they’ve got a Sword of Damocles hanging over their head. I hope they like it.” Sitting back in his chair, he said, “Secure from General Quarters, all hands to Rescue Stations. We’ve made a bit of a mess. I suppose we’re obliged to clean it up.”
Epilogue
“Fine,” Maddox said, sitting at the head of Avenger’s hitherto unused briefing room. “We’re all here, Corrigan, so go ahead and tell us what all of this has been about. Right from the start.”
Corrigan glanced at Rojak, nodded, and said, “It doesn’t really matter now, I guess. All of this was classified at the highest possible level. We were both reporting directly from the Combined Chiefs, though if I’m going to be truly honest, this has been a somewhat rogue operation right from the start.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Carter said.
“I really am sorry you were brought along for the ride, Lieutenant,” he said, “though you have to admit that your presence helped bring about our victory. That warp jump barely worked as it was. Without you at the controls, I doubt we could have pulled it off at all.”
“Flattery later,” Maddox said. “You can go right ahead and start talking now, Commander. I’ve guessed some of it.”
“Three months ago, when I was on the Interstellar Squadron, I killed Admiral Klein. And yes, I did know that I was doing it, and I had the best possible reason to do so. He was a traitor. His goal was to lead the squadron to defeat and surrender at the hands of Goliath, though of course we didn’t have real proof of the existence of that ship at the time.”
“He was acting erratically,” Rojek said. “In theory, it looked at though he simply wanted to launch a glorious attack, earn praise and promotion, but it was all a little too convenient, a little too obvious for that.”
Nodding, Corrigan said, “He was a traitor. I’d hoped that we could capture him, but as it turned out, everything worked out rather better when I killed him. The bridge crew of Furious were sworn to secrecy, and Major Rojek and I began an immediate investigation. It didn’t take very long for us to confirm my suspicions, that Klein had sold us out to the Belt. He’d managed to rack up some truly impressive gambling debts, and presumably his new paymasters were going to clear them for him.”
“And just what were you doing on Furious anyway, Major?” asked Maddox. “You’ll forgive me for not quite…”
“Actually, Commodore, it was primarily a coincidence. It was getting a little obvious that I hadn’t pulled much command duty, so my superiors arranged a six-month tour with the Interstellar Squadron. Though to be fair, I did have a few other little missions to complete while I was there.”
“We figured out that the Belters had managed to infiltrate the highest levels of our command network,” Corrigan said. “That wasn’t really surprising, I suppose, not given the circumstances. We’ve certainly got operatives of our own working in the Belt. After a fairly brief investigation, we found Admiral Alvarez. She’s not in it for the money. I think she actually believes in the Belter ideologies. Which of course makes her far more dangerous.”
“And you didn’t just arrest her?” Dixon said.
“That would have been too easy. We figured we could use her. After all, Goliath was still out there, and we needed to bring it into a time and place of our choosing, when we could strike it with a ship that had been customized with the goal of taking her down.” Turning to Carter, Corrigan said, “Those sensor modifications you were working on, for a start.”
“You were arrested, charged with murder…,” Carter said.
Nodding, Corrigan replied, “It had to be convincing, Lieutenant. I had to be the logical choice for Alvarez to pick to command Avenger. Major Rojek might have had a little input from time to time.”
“Technically,” Rojek added, “I’ve been a double agent for the last three years, working for the Belt. They don’t know that I’ve actually been working for Fleet Intelligence the whole time. Though I suppose my usefulness in that role is now well and truly at an end, but I couldn’t have asked for a bigger climax to my career in covert operations.”
“Then you set her up,” Maddox said. “You hand-picked a team to take control of Avenger, making sure that when you launched your mission, you knew precisely where you were going.”
“Not exactly,” Corrigan replied. “Let’s just say that I knew that Alvarez was going to be pulling the strings, and I was able to act accordingly. I couldn’t risk deviating from the plan until the last possible minute. If she’d realized that we were on to her, right up to the point that Goliath was on its way, the mission would have failed, and we’d have wasted our time.”
“Then your crew knew?”
“Only Lieutenant Novak,” Rojek said, nodding at the pilot. “She was set up to take the blame for a training accident that resulted in the death of three cadets. The Board of Inquiry figured out what actually happened fairly quickly, but this mission was about to begin, so we offered the Lieutenant a chance to volunteer.”
“I needed someone else on board who knew about the mission,” Corrigan replied. “Not least in the event of my death. The rest of the crew were picked from prison.” Turning to Dixon, he said, “You didn’t really think that Fleet Security was going to let its best counter-intelligence team simply go gently into that good night, did you?”
“I’d rather hoped they might take the hint,” Dixon said. “Besides…”
“Your fourth man was no fool, Dix,” Corrigan said. “He was working for Intelligence the whole time. Not directly associated with the mission, I admit, but when your team became available, you were an ideal choice. If it hadn’t been Avenger, someone would have turned up to make you an offer you couldn’t refuse sooner or later, I assure you.”
“You might have been surprised just how ready I would have been to refuse it,” Dixon said. “What about poor Volkov?”
“I found out about his case and thought he’d had a raw deal,” Corrigan said. “I figured he’d earned a chance to redeem himself, and besides, he was a fantastic gunner. The Fleet needed him. Or so I thought.”
“There’s still a loose end,” Carter said. “The saboteur.”
Pulling a piece of paper from his pocket, Corrigan replied, “I’m afraid that was Volkov. He killed himself in such a way as to throw suspicion on everyone else. I found a note he’d written in Auxiliary Control. Apparently, he blamed the Republic for what happened to his family, for the cover-up, for the prosecution, and decided to throw his lot in with the Belt.” Shaking his head, he added, “Alvarez never knew about it, as far as I can tell. I think it was a spur of the moment decision. Damned shame, but it all worked out for the best in the end.” Looking around the room, he added, “Now we’ve got a few more loose ends to clean up before Avenger leaves.”
“You’re leaving?” Maddox asked. “I assumed you’d be coming back to Gateway Station with the rest of us.” Glancing at Dixon, sh
e added, “After all of this, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting pardons where necessary, and if this mission was authorized at the highest level…”
“Commodore, you realize I hope that most of this will never be made public,” Rojek interrupted. “Admiral Alvarez was one of the leading figures in the hawk faction. Part of her cover, we now know, but if her treachery was to be revealed, it would discredit a lot of important people. She’s going to die gloriously in the early moments of the battle, leaving command to her deputy, the legendary Commodore Maddox, who I am certain will not only receive permanent command of the Interstellar Squadron, but a second star of her own into the bargain.”
“If this is an attempt to bribe me, Major, it isn’t going to work.”
“I just want you to accept the reality of the situation, ma’am. Only the people in this room know the truth, and at least for the moment, I’m afraid it’s going to have to stay that way. For the good of the Terran Republic, to maintain civilian morale, if for nothing else.”
“Look at what happened here today,” Corrigan pressed. “The Belters were beaten, and decisively. Our ships destroyed the most powerful warship they had, and that opens the way to launch a series of offensive against their deep-space installations. We can’t pass up that chance. You need to go home, complete repairs, and work out where to hit next. Avenger can do that as well.”
Nodding, Rojek said, “Admiral Alvarez had a good idea. Avenger is perfectly designed to hit the enemy in its vulnerable rear, draw ships away from the front lines and do a lot of significant damage. Not to mention gather the intelligence we’re going to need if we’re to employ the new ships we’ve got under construction back home properly.”
“But the Belters now know all about your ship, your crew…,” Maddox said. “Commander, I had in mind assigning you as my flag captain, and…”
“Of course the Belters now about Avenger, but they always did,” he replied. “That doesn’t matter, not at this stage. It’s a big, big galaxy out there, big enough that we can run, hide, and strike from the shadows. Big enough that we can cause a lot of damage by our very existence, forcing them to pull forces back. We lose that advantage if we go home.” He paused, then added, “Though I do appreciate the offer, Commodore, I truly do.”
“I’ll be staying on Avenger,” Rojek said. “I’m afraid I don’t really have the qualifications to be your aide, Commodore, and I think that Lieutenant Vaughn will serve you far better in that role. To answer the question you were about to ask, she was only recruited for this specific mission, and she never knew the whole story. Essentially, she only knew who not to trust. We didn’t know about Moreau, I’m afraid. That was a shock.”
“You’re telling me,” she said. “I’d known him for three years, and I never had any question to doubt him, not for a moment.”
“Probably a sleeper agent, trying to find out what he could about ship construction, movements. Smart place to put one. When you ended up requesting him for this mission, Alvarez must have jumped for joy,” Corrigan said. Taking a deep breath, he added, “Ultimately, this didn’t go anything like planned, but all that really matters is that it worked. Goliath is destroyed, we’ve won a big enough victory that the peace movement isn’t going to force Earth out of the war, and if we do end up going to the negotiating table, it just might make the Belters a little more willing to compromise. I doubt the history books will ever get the details right, but the course of the war turned, right here, about six hours ago.”
“And Alvarez?”
“Fleet Intelligence will collect her and Moreau. Officially, they’re going to be reported as killed in the battle. Technically, treason is still a capital crime, but whether or not that actually comes to pass will largely depend on them. If they play along, then they’ll be held for the duration and released with new identities once we win. If not, then I suppose it’ll be a short walk out of the nearest airlock,” Rojek said. “I’ve already made the necessary arrangements. The rest of the prisoners will go into detention camps after questioning, kept segregated from the other prisoners-of-war for a while. We don’t want them telling anyone what happened here. The Belters will have exactly the story we wanted them to have. That’s enough.”
Looking at Dixon, Corrigan said, “Just because I’m going on with the ship doesn’t mean the rest of you have to, of course. I’m sure someone will find a use for you and the rest of your team back home, Dix, though I have a feeling that the banking syndicates will be paying a very close eye on you for the rest of your life.”
“Beautiful,” Dixon replied, shaking his head. “Just so long as my team and I can get off at the freeport of our choice when this war is over, Commander. Then we’ll go along with this for a while longer. You might even convince me to try wearing a uniform again.”
“Novak?”
“As long as my name’s cleared, I’m happy to stay,” she said. “My place is at the helm of a starship, not stuck in some training command.”
“Crawford?”
“You’re going to need a gunner, right?” the agent said. “Besides, I can’t exactly go back to the Belt. I might as well stay here. Jones spent long enough making me learn how these systems worked. It seems a pity to waste all of that training.”
“Then we can leave the system as soon as the Interstellar Squadron departs, Commodore,” Corrigan said.
“Are you sure about this?” Maddox asked.
Nodding, he replied, “I feel the same way as Novak. After what happened, if I go back to Earth, I’m destined for a desk job. That’s not what I signed up for. When the war’s over, I’ll go home.”
“That could be a long time,” Maddox warned.
“Maybe,” he replied with a smile, “but I have a feeling that between the two of us, we just might be able to conjure up a few ways to make it shorter.”
Thank you for reading ‘Shadow of Oblivion’. For information on future releases, please join the author's Science-Fiction Mailing List at http://eepurl.com/A9MdX for updates. If you enjoyed this book, please review it on the site where you purchased it.
The saga will continue in ‘Alone in the Night’, available at http://mybook.to/Avenger02
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