by Ken Lozito
Connor shook his head. “No, that it’s not,” he agreed. “Don’t tell me you’re another one.”
He heard Kasey snort.
“No way. If we live another ten years, then maybe,” Kasey said.
A message from Dr. Allen appeared on Connor’s terminal.
::General, Colonel Howe’s condition has taken a turn for the worse. I’ve had him moved to the main medical bay. Please come at your earliest convenience,:: Dr. R. Allen said.
::Understood. I’ll be there shortly,:: Gen. C. Gates said.
Connor closed the chat window.
“Kasey, I need to report to the medical bay. I’ll follow up with you later. Also, send over the upgrade procedure you have for the HADES IV. We don’t have nearly as many of them as you do, but that advantage is too good to pass up,” Connor said.
“Yes, sir, I’ll see to it that a data burst gets sent to the Vigilant in a few minutes. One more thing, though. The odds of a commanding officer and his XO getting sick at the same time are minuscule,” Kasey said.
Connor rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, I know. So far nothing has turned up.”
He closed the comlink and rose from his seat. “Colonel, you have the con. Titan Space Station is going to be sending an upgrade procedure for the HADES IV missiles. I want them immediately sent down to Engineering to be worked on as their top priority.”
“Yes, General,” Reisman said.
“If you need me, I’ll be down at the main medical bay with Dr. Allen,” Connor said.
Reisman went to the command chair. “I’ll inform you if that anomaly returns.”
Connor left the bridge. Just outside, he saw Sean speaking with a few members of his CDF Squad. Upon seeing Connor they stopped what they were doing and saluted him.
Connor looked at Sean. “Walk with me.”
Sean walked next to Connor while the rest of his squad followed them at a distance.
“What did you find?” Connor asked.
“We’ve looked into all the change logs since we left New Earth. I even cross-referenced them with the lead officers responsible for the specific ship systems. Everything checks out. The security team that checked all the equipment in the mess hall didn’t find any signs of tampering,” Sean said.
“Did you check?” Connor asked.
Sean frowned. “No, sir, I didn’t. There's nothing suspicious going on that I could find. I can make a sweep of the mess hall now if you’d like me to, but it’s been put back into operation.”
Connor shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.”
“You still believe there’s foul play involved?” Sean asked.
Connor regarded the young man for a moment. He was extremely intelligent in most respects and still young enough to be naive in others. “You used to be a sniper. A hunter. If you had a target you needed to hit and you couldn’t use your firearm, how would you do it?”
Sean’s gaze narrowed and he glanced around to be sure they weren’t being overheard by anyone. “You think this was an assassination attempt?”
“I can’t afford to rule anything out at this point,” Connor said.
Sean pressed his lips together and then blew out a breath, shaking his head. “I can’t imagine anyone in the colony, let alone the CDF, doing something like this.”
“I’m heading to see Dr. Allen and I want you to come with me,” Connor said.
“Of course. What do you need me to do?” Sean asked.
“Keep a lookout for anything that doesn’t seem right,” Connor replied.
“You can count on me, sir,” Sean said.
They reached the Vigilant’s main medical bay a few minutes later. The door opened and Connor walked through. The medical bay was quiet and not at all like the infirmary he and Reisman had been to a few days ago.
Dr. Allen walked over to them. “Thank you for coming so quickly, General.”
“What’s Ian’s status?” Connor asked.
Dr. Allen’s expression became grim. “His organs are shutting down.”
“What!” Connor exclaimed. “I thought this was just an allergic reaction.”
Dr. Allen nodded. “That’s what I thought too. Those were his symptoms. I had him brought here so I could get him into a medical capsule.”
Dr. Allen led them over to the quarantined area of the medical bay. “We’ll need to go into decontamination one at a time and then I’ll show you.”
One by one they each went through the decontamination and entered the chamber where the Vigilant’s commanding officer and his executive officer clung to life. Connor approached the medical capsule and looked at Colonel Ian Howe. He was deathly pale, and if not for the steady rise and fall of his chest because of the breathing tube, Connor would have believed the man was already dead.
Connor glanced over at Nathan Hayes. The Vigilant’s XO rested in a bed, and though he was also intubated, he didn’t look anywhere near as sick as Howe.
Dr. Allen went over to the control panel for the medical capsule.
“I need to know what happened, doctor,” Connor said.
Dr. Allen looked up from the control console. “This isn’t a contagion. His organs are shutting down. I looked up his symptoms in the medical database on the ship and the artificial intelligence keeps coming up with the same answer.”
Connor glanced at Howe again and then looked back at Dr. Allen.
“He’s suffering from acute radiation poisoning,” Dr. Allen said.
Connor’s brows pulled together tightly. “Radiation poisoning? There were no leaks reported. How could he be suffering from that?”
“I know. I checked with Engineering to see if there were any leaks or anything else that could have done this. There was nothing,” Dr. Allen said.
“Then how could he be dying of radiation poisoning?” Sean asked.
Dr. Allen swallowed hard and looked worried. “I found lethal levels of Polonium-210. I haven’t filed the report yet because I thought you’d want to hear this first, but the colonel was poisoned.”
“Hold on a minute,” Connor said. “We were in the aft gunnery area of the ship and Ian was at the munitions station. There could have been a containment leak there but on a small enough scale that it wasn’t detected by onboard systems.”
Dr. Allen shook his head. “I researched Polonium-210’s usage and we haven’t used it in any great capacity in over a hundred and fifty years.”
Connor shook his head. “This is rich. You’re telling me that Ian is dying of radiation sickness from some kind of element we don’t even use anymore. How the hell did he get exposed to it then?”
“He was in the mess hall, so he must have ingested it somehow,” Dr. Allen said.
Conner sighed heavily. “Still doesn’t explain where it came from,” he said, rubbing his chin and then glancing over at Hayes. “Was he exposed?”
“Yes, but he’ll make a full recovery. His exposure must have been much less than Colonel Howe’s,” Dr. Allen said.
“And the rest of the people at the infirmary?” Connor asked.
“Mixed. Some had allergic reactions and others had various other symptoms,” Dr. Allen said.
“I need them tested to see if they were exposed, too,” Connor said and looked at Sean. “I want you and your team to go to the munitions center and look for trace detections of any radioactive material. If anyone asks, you’re doing a spot inspection at my request.”
“Yes, sir,” Sean said and left.
Connor looked at Dr. Allen. “You said Major Hayes is going to make a full recovery. When is he going to wake up?”
“It won’t be for a few more hours. The treatment is helping his cells rebuild and it’s working so far,” Dr. Allen said.
“Okay, I want to be informed the moment he’s awake,” Connor said.
“Understood, General,” Dr. Allen said.
“I’m going to assign a security detail to the medical bay,” Connor said and looked over at Ian Howe inside the medical capsule. “Can you w
ake him up? There might be something he could tell us.”
“I could, but I won’t do that to him,” Dr. Allen said.
“Why not?” Connor asked in a hard tone.
“If I were to wake him up, he’d be in so much pain that I doubt he’d be coherent. I wouldn’t put anyone in that kind of pain. The only thing we can do now is make him as comfortable as possible,” Dr. Allen said.
“You’re wrong, Doctor. That’s not the only thing we can do for him,” Connor said and walked toward the door. “We can find the son of a bitch who did this. I’ll have that security detail here soon and I want you to file your report under DSP protocol.”
Dr. Allen frowned. “I’m not familiar with DSP protocol.”
“Enter it in the type field for your report and the interface will handle all the rest. Basically it’ll seal the records so only you and I can review the contents,” Connor replied.
“What if something happens to either of us?” Dr. Allen asked.
“I’ll authorize a few others, including Captain Quinn, who you just met, and Colonel Reisman. That’s it. In the event that we all die—unlikely, I know—but in that event, only senior bridge officers or COMCENT can open those records. You’re part of this investigation now. If you think of anything else, I want you to contact either myself, Captain Quinn, or Colonel Reisman.”
“Understood, General,” Dr. Allen said.
Connor paused at the door. “One more thing. Keep them in here. I don’t want the guilty parties to know we’re onto them yet.”
Dr. Allen bobbed his head once.
Connor left the medical bay and stormed down the corridor. There was a potentially hostile force on the edge of PRADIS and now a murder on his hands. One of these things he was better prepared to face and the other just made him sick. Why would anyone want to murder Ian Howe? His mind refused to come up with any reason that made sense. His brows pushed forward and Connor clenched his teeth. Attempting to kill the leader of the CDF, however...That would make sense. There were no murders at the colony and now there was an assassination attempt? Nothing was ever easy.
A few hours later Connor was still on the bridge. The bridge crew had changed shifts and he was reviewing the latest progress reports on his terminal at the command chair when he noticed someone walking toward him. The man was tall and thickly muscled. He came to a stop near Connor and snapped a salute.
“May I have a word with you in private, General?” the man asked, and Connor looked up to meet intense dark eyes.
Connor glanced at the PRADIS status screen, which was still empty. Whatever the anomaly had been, it hadn’t returned.
“And you are?” Connor asked.
“Captain Toro, Head of Security, sir.”
Connor knew that Sean was making steady progress with his investigation, so Connor should have expected a visit like this. He stood up. “LaCroix, you have the con.”
“Yes, sir,” Lieutenant LaCroix responded.
“Right this way, Captain,” Connor said.
They left the bridge and entered the nearby ready room. It was sparsely furnished with a curved desk that had wooden accents along the edges. A wallscreen activated when he walked in and showed a view of the stars. Next to the desk was a cylindrical aquarium with an impressive coral reef growing through the middle. Several species of fish swam in the churning water. The interior lights of the aquarium sent small bands of reflected light onto the walls. It was soothing. Connor hadn’t realized that Colonel Howe had created such a space on his ship and he was left to wonder how much he really knew about the people who were serving under him.
He went over to the cubby and selected the option for black coffee. He asked Captain Toro if he wanted some, but the captain refused.
Connor sat down on the cushioned chair behind the desk and gestured for Captain Toro to have a seat on either of the padded chairs on the other side of the desk.
The captain took a moment to appreciate the aquarium and then swung his gaze toward Connor.
“General, I’d like to know if I’m suspected of a crime,” Captain Toro said.
“No, you’re not, Captain,” Connor answered.
“Then why is there an investigation being conducted without my knowledge? I’m the head of security on this ship and those issues should have been raised through my department, sir,” Captain Toro said.
“Why don’t you tell me what you know, Captain,” Connor said.
“Just that Captain Quinn is performing spot inspections near the munitions centers, which may fool the average officer but not me. I’d wager a guess that he’s looking for something dangerous, something radioactive. The question is why,” Captain Toro said.
Connor nodded. “We have reason to suspect that Colonel Howe was poisoned.”
Captain Toro’s eyes widened and he frowned.
“Dr. Allen informed me that Howe was exposed to lethal levels of a radioactive substance,” Connor said.
Captain Toro’s brows furrowed and his lips twisted into a partial sneer. “This doesn’t make any sense. You said lethal levels. Are you saying Ian is going to die?”
“Yes,” Connor confirmed.
Captain Toro looked away.
“How well do you know Colonel Howe?” Connor asked.
“He’s godfather to my daughter, sir.”
Connor drew in a deep breath.
“Put me to work, sir. Tell me what you know and I can find out who did this,” Captain Toro said.
Connor pressed his lips together. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”
“Not good enough. I can’t sit by while this is happening. The safety of the Vigilant’s crew is my responsibility, so if you don’t suspect me, I should be involved in this investigation. There were more than a few people sick and we thought there was some kind of new virus spreading, but when no one else got sick I decided to do some checking of my own,” Captain Toro said.
“Captain Quinn is already investigating this,” Connor said.
“Yes, but he doesn’t know this ship like I do,” Captain Toro said.
Connor bridged his fingers in front of his chest.
“Please, sir.”
“Alright, I’ll inform Captain Quinn that you’re now part of this investigation, but I want to make this perfectly clear to you. Quinn is on point and you will take your direction from him. The sophistication and nature of this crime means there are a limited number of people with the skills capable of pulling it off,” Connor said. He glanced at his coffee, trying to decide if he still wanted it.
“Thank you, sir. I’ll report to Captain Quinn immediately and offer my services,” Captain Toro said.
Connor rose from his seat and came around the desk. “We’ll find who did this, I promise,” he said.
Captain Toro came to his feet as well. A chime came from the speaker near the door.
“General, I have Colonel Douglass on a comlink to speak with you. Shall I patch it to your ready room, sir?” Sergeant Boers asked.
“No, I’m returning to the bridge,” Connor said and headed for the door.
“Sir,” Captain Toro said.
Connor turned back toward him.
“Your coffee,” Captain Toro said and handed him the mug.
Connor took it and thanked him. Toro headed away from the bridge. The big man’s foot stomps could be heard as he left.
Connor entered the bridge and glanced down at the coffee, deciding he didn’t want it after all. The corporal at the door glanced at him.
“Sir, I can take care of that for you if you want,” the corporal said.
“Thanks,” Connor said and handed him the mug.
Connor headed toward the command chair and sat down. “Comms, put Colonel Douglass on screen.”
The main holoscreen flickered as the comlink was connected and Kasey Douglass’s bearded face came on.
“After multiple diagnostics on our PRADIS and connected systems, my engineers assure me that the systems are functioning properl
y,” Kasey said.
Connor had expected as much. “Same here. I don’t like leaving this to chance. That’s why I’m ordering the Vigilant, along with the Banshee and the Wyatt, to make a scouting run to see if we can find this anomaly if we extend PRADIS’s range.”
Kasey nodded. “I suspected you would, which is why I must advise against it, sir.”
“Noted, Colonel,” Connor replied.
“Sir, I’m not disputing the need to investigate. What I’m protesting is whether you should be the one doing the investigating,” Kasey said.
Connor considered what Kasey said and he was right. This was something he should delegate. “Ordinarily you’d be correct, but with the possibility of an unknown virus on this ship, I can’t risk the exposure to Titan,” he lied.
Kasey narrowed his gaze. Connor knew there was no argument Kasey could make that wouldn’t bring more suspicion to what was really happening on the Vigilant.
“Understood, sir. We’ll relay your preliminary reports back to New Earth,” Kasey said as a soft reminder that Connor needed to keep the government of the colony informed.
“Thank you. We’ll get underway and I’ll be in touch. In the meantime, keep a ready status,” Connor said.
“Yes, General,” Kasey replied.
Connor severed the comlink. “Nav, plot us a course into gamma quadrant. Let’s see if anything’s lurking in the void that we should know about.”
Chapter Fifteen
Connor sat in the ready room just off from the bridge. It was one of the few places he could be alone to get his head straight. It had been thirty-six hours since they’d left Titan Space Station behind. There were regular check-ins with Major Cross of the Banshee and acting commander, Captain Mattison, of the Wyatt. Connor had considered leaving the Wyatt at the space station, but if there was trouble brewing out beyond the fringes of known space, he needed firepower. This was a scouting mission, but if they found something, it could just as easily become a first-strike mission.
The chime sounded at his door.
“Come in,” Connor said.
The door opened and Major Hayes hovered in the doorway. He was back in CDF-standard blues with the golden sunburst displaying proudly on his shoulder.