"Undoubtedly so," Welford said. "Our esteemed former president had many admirable qualities, but she was still a politician at heart. Covering her own ass was instinctual, and if she admitted that the colonial administrator she appointed had built a battlefleet with the help of an alien power, then tried to overthrow Earth's governments, there would have been some uncomfortable questions."
"Fair enough, I suppose," Webb said. "That explains it, but doesn't excuse it. Now, are you going to tell me why you're putting spies in my organization without telling me?"
"I thought I just did," Welford said. "NAVSOC is rife with traitors. I'm trying to weed them out. I couldn't come to you directly because there are four people on your staff who have flagged during the initial investigation. I couldn't risk that our meeting would stay a secret and that it would push them underground. Scarponi's attack tells us they're becoming bold and, more importantly, sloppy. I'm sorry, my friend, but I just couldn't think of an easy way to warn you."
"Then why tell me now?"
"You're asking me a direct question, and you already know I have at least one operative within your units." Welford shrugged. "Seems pointless to lie about it now. Scarponi escaped, which means it's only a matter of time before the other sleepers here are informed of his attack on Team Obsidian."
"Fuck me. If they're able to get word back to their operatives here then the assumption will be that we know about the infiltration," Webb said. "They may not go underground, they may attack us here on Terranovus before we can identify them all."
"Do you have any assets in play you can trust to go after Scarponi before he can make it back to Jansen?" Welford asked.
"At this point, the only team I can trust without question is Obsidian, but they're now being commanded by a twenty-three-year-old second lieutenant, and I have no way to get in touch with them," Webb said. "I told Brown to maintain com silence until they were able to get their objective and were already heading back."
"Weef Zadra." Welford nodded. "She was a personal friend of Ezra Mosler's, was she not?"
"Yeah," Webb sighed. "I don't know what he did for her, but that little Veran has a serious soft spot for Mosler. She's not going to take his death very well."
"Many of us won't," Welford said somberly. "He was one of the best."
"Maybe the best," Webb agreed.
"We're rolling up on the end now," MG said with undisguised glee, rubbing his hands together. "All we have to do is keep this piece of shit flying and get our VIP back to the Fleet and it's a short trip to Terranovus where we can get back to our interrupted R&R."
"I'm not going to Terranovus," Zadra said, seeming to appear in the room again without warning.
"Goddamnit," MG sighed.
"What do you mean you're not going?" Jacob demanded. "This entire cluster fuck of a mission was to extract you with the express purpose of going to Terranovus? Are you backing out of your deal with Captain Webb?"
"I'm not sure what that expression means, but any clusters fucked during your mission, Young Lieutenant, were likely because of your own actions," Zadra said. "I’m certainly not backing out of my deal with Earth, I’m just modifying it based on new information."
"That being?"
"The lack of security in your own organization, for one." Zadra sniffed. "Just hear me out for a moment before making yet another rash decision that will get people killed." It took Jacob almost half a minute to get his rage under control at her casual comment, choking down his own comeback and forcing himself to breathe slowly. When he saw her studying him with fascination, he knew that it hadn't been such a casual comment after all; she was prodding him and studying his reactions. She'd provoked him on purpose, and he could see the ghost of a smile play across her wide mouth as his emotions were as plain on his face as his nose. She'd been around humans quite a bit and would know what the purple face and throbbing vein in his forehead meant.
"That was foolish," Jacob said once he'd reined in his temper and felt his supercharged adrenal response subside. Both were some of the gifts of his unique genetic makeup, both had been a dangerous liability for him most of his life. "Please, go on with your explanation."
"Fascinating," Zadra said, still staring hard at Jacob. "Let me backtrack a bit… When I reached out to Marcus Webb and told him of my desire to get free and clear of the ConFed, it was predicated on the fact that nobody could know where I was going. He and Ezra Mosler both assured me it would be handled by Mosler's own Scout Corps team and I would effectively disappear without a trace. As it turns out, the traitor who killed your captain also puts my life at risk."
"You think that Scarponi is going to turn you in to ConFed Intelligence?" Murph asked skeptically.
"I think he will report his mission to his superiors within Margaret Jansen's organization," Zadra said. "From the communiques I was able to intercept, they were tracking a few UEN ships because they'd learned of a high-value asset Earth had recently obtained, but they didn't know the specifics. We need to get a hold of this Scarponi before he can tell the Ull I'm that asset."
"Seems a little late for that, doesn't it?" Jacob asked. "They'll have already reported in after Niceen-3."
"Jansen's organization is structured in independent cells," Zadra said. "This is partially to keep herself insulated from any sort of organized coup from her own military leaders, and partially because Marcus Webb's campaign to wipe her out has been somewhat successful. Because of their own security issues, it's almost certain the team that hit you on Niceen-3 will not have reported back yet. The cells are all distrustful of each other and, thanks in no small part to me compromising their communication network, are also distrustful of sending sensitive messages even when heavily encrypted."
"So, you think if we intercept Scarponi and the cell he was working with that you'll be able to remain safely hidden?" Jacob asked.
"Hidden for as long as it takes me to get out from under the ConFed's reach," Zadra said. "Despite their dominion in this part of the quadrant, they aren't powerful enough yet to challenge the Avarian Empire." Jacob had heard of the Avarians, but the information on them was scant. Their empire was supposed to be vast but not many had ventured across the Delphine Expanse—the empty, boundless region of empty space that separated the two superpowers—and had returned to tell about it. He still didn't know what sort of deal Zadra could have cooked up with the Avarians to assume she had safe harbor there, but it had to be something good given that the Empire was known to be hostile to outsiders.
"I see where this is going and we have a significant problem, LT," Murph said. "First off, we're not a tactical strike unit. Scout Fleet teams are small and meant to be invisible. We don't carry the personnel or firepower to engage one of Jansen's hit squads, nor do I think we would be given the clearance to do so. I think we need to go ahead and call this in and let NAVSOC send an Alpha Team out here. We sniff out Scarponi, they come in and drop the hammer." Jacob considered Murph's words and admitted he had a point. Scout Fleet's primary mission wasn't hunt and kill. Their equipment and tactics were all geared towards getting in and out of places unseen. NAVSOC had a whole other group of hunter/killer teams that specialized in what Zadra was about to propose.
"You don't have the time to wait for Terranovus to send out a specialized strike team before we lose the trail of the traitor who killed your captain," Zadra said, still working on the raw nerve of Mosler's murder. "I can find them. The element of surprise is on our side. If you call this in for approval from your commanders, and they decide that Agent Murphy is correct, then it's almost certain that we lose the target and our deal. I will be forced to make other arrangements to ensure my safety.
"Believe me, gentlemen, this isn't something I want to do. I'm a sneak and a thief, not a mercenary or a soldier, but if word gets back to the wrong people that I've cut a deal with Earth, then we're all in trouble."
"Agent Murphy?" MG asked. "Who the fuck is that?"
Jacob couldn't tell if she was being straight or if
her performance was heavy on the hyperbole in order to get them moving in the direction she wanted. Was she really so valuable that governments would go to war over her? And if so, what had been keeping her safe up to this point? If the ConFed was willing to invade a neighboring power on a whim, they'd be more than willing to hit the city Zadra lived in with an orbital strike just to eliminate the threat. Something wasn't adding up in his head about her claims.
"Let's do it this way; you tell me where Scarponi is and we'll talk about whether I'm willing to risk any more of my people to get him," Jacob said.
"We're wasting time while we—"
"You've said that already," Jacob cut her off. "This isn't a negotiation. There is no faith between us. If you want me to trust that you're being honest about your claims, you'll have to give me something other than wild, vague stories about Earth being in danger because of the quadrant's only superpower being after a single Veran that lived in the ass crack of the galaxy." Zadra gave him an inscrutable look—or at least one he couldn't recognize with his lack of familiarity with Verans—and then looked away.
"I can find him, but I can't do it on this ship, and certainly not while we're in slip-space," she said finally. "I'll need a strong Nexus connection to reach out and find him."
"I can see you're considering this, Lieutenant, and I strongly advise against it," Murph said. "We don't know nearly enough about this alien or the situation to put ourselves at further risk. We should make contact with NAVSOC Command and let them coordinate the hunt for Scarponi with the Fleet."
"There's one major problem with that, Murph," Jacob said. "NAVSOC has been compromised. To what level we don't know, but what we do know is that they've been able to stay one step ahead of us the entire time. Are you forgetting the attack on the Endurance? I'm not sure how it fits in but it's too coincidental to be unrelated, and there's no way Scarponi could have coordinated that by himself. The location of the rendezvous had to be given by someone within our own command."
"So, your answer to these issues is to go rogue?" Murph asked. "You've recovered the asset as Webb directed you to. Anything more you do will be outside of the parameters, and protection, of your orders. Is this really what you want to do on your first mission, Lieutenant?" Jacob thought for a long, hard moment about Murph's words. Everything he had said was technically right, and Jacob had sworn an oath to follow the orders of those appointed above him, but as an officer and the on-site commander of the mission, he also had a duty to constantly reevaluate the situation in the field as it progressed. His ultimate duty was to Earth and humanity, not to just blindly follow orders that had been given without full knowledge of the situation. He felt that Captain Webb wouldn't want one of his Scout Fleet officers just shrugging their shoulders and saying, "Those were my orders," when asked why they didn't investigate further when given the opportunity.
"We'll find a way to get Zadra the Nexus connection she needs, allow her the chance to find Scarponi, and then make a decision as to whether we pursue or call in the big guns," Jacob said. "I’m not committing us to anything except gathering more information at this time." Murph didn't say anything, but he seemed satisfied with the answer. Zadra gave no indication either way that she was either pleased or displeased with his decision.
"So, is anybody going to tell me who Agent Murphy is?" MG asked again.
Chapter 19
"What was this place called again?"
"Empyrea Station," Jacob said. Mettler had asked the same question half a dozen times already, seemingly unable to pronounce the name of the dilapidated shipping hub they were now flying towards.
"How close do I need to get?" Sully asked.
"The com equipment on this ship is surprisingly good," Zadra said. "I only need to be within five thousand kilometers to get the bandwidth I need. The closer the better, obviously, but I don't think we'll want to land here unless we have something to sell. We'd be too memorable."
"We could sell MG," Mettler said. "What's the going rate for one high-mileage, worn out, shit bag Marine riddled with STDs?"
"Not sure." MG shrugged. "You'd have to ask your mom."
"Knock it off," Jacob said over his shoulder. He went back to looking at the enlarged and enhanced image of Empyrea Station that was on the main display. The bridge of the small gunboat wasn't nearly as advanced or user-friendly as the Corsair had been. The large main display was a curved monitor that sat at an angle from the deck to the bottom of the sectioned windows that made up the canopy. It curved around the front of the bridge and had no holographic projection capability. Despite its shortcomings, however, Jacob found that the location and shape of the display worked well from where he sat in the command chair.
The trading hub, like most of its kind, was a decommissioned military installation that had been long abandoned by a government that no longer even existed. It sat in a trailing heliocentric orbit, following along behind a small rocky planet in a system that had two habitable moons, but no planets that could sustain life on their own. The smaller of the two rocky planets was dotted with domed mining colonies that excavated its surface looking for anything that could be pulled up and sold at a profit.
Zadra had picked the station because it was one of two major Nexus hubs within practical range for the gunboat and was remote enough that they weren't likely to run into any of Mok's people or the ConFed. During the trip out, she'd spent most of her time working with Taylor to make sure there weren't any other trackers or bugs on the ship that he hadn't found in his own sweep. She also managed to unlock a secret partition on the ship's main computer that Taylor hadn't even been able to detect, much less break into. The information on it detailed the plans the former captain had been making with one of Saditava Mok's Twelve Points—apparently, the direct underbosses in his organization—to try and take out the big boss himself. It was fairly involved and the specifics of the plot were provided in full detail in the hidden files.
The Veran information broker had been beyond ecstatic at the find.
"Do you know what this means?" she cried, hopping lightly on the balls of her feet.
"That this Mok character is about to have a real shitty year coming up?" Jacob asked.
"No, my dense young friend," she said, smiling. "This means that out of your two major problems, one of them is solved. I know Mok personally. When he's given this, from you, he will zero out the debt you incurred by stealing one of his smuggling ships."
"How would we even begin to get this to him?" Murph asked.
"Nothing simpler," she assured him. "I'll take care of it while I find your wayward traitor here at Empyrea. I have a direct line to him. It will mean coming clean about the fact that I'm not longer going to be an available source of information for him, but he's never owned me so that won't be an issue. Mok is ruthless but fair and honorable."
"That's an odd way to describe one of the quadrant's biggest criminal kingpins," Jacob said.
"Mok isn’t your typical criminal overlord," Zadra said. "He wasn't even always a criminal. Believe me, loyalty and honor within his inner circle are things he values more than anything. When he finds out one of his Points was getting ready to try and topple him, he will come down hard, but he'll also reward those who brought the information to him."
"Reward?" MG perked up. "What sort of reward?"
"He'll allow you to continue to draw breath after stealing a ship full of chits and platinum from one of his crews," Zadra said.
"A crew that was going to betray him," MG pointed out. "I'd think a little more was in order."
"What do you care?" Jacob asked. "You're a Marine serving in the UEAS. You wouldn't be allowed to keep it anyway."
"I've never been rich before, LT," MG complained. "I'd like to try it out once to see how it feels." Jacob just rolled his eyes but didn't answer.
"We're within range, pilot—"
"I have a name," Sully muttered.
"—go ahead and hold here," Zadra said imperiously. "I’m going to be fairly
immersed in my own connections so I'll need Taylor to work with me controlling the flow of information coming back through the link. I'll maintain enough awareness outside of the link that if you detect something coming in, let me know."
"Got it." Taylor sat down at the terminal next to the Veran.
As Obsidian's tech specialist, Taylor had a specialized neural implant that allowed him a deeper level of connection and control over alien technology. Weef Zadra, however, had some wetware that put anything humans had to shame. Her neural implant was so extensive that she'd actually had to have her cranium surgically enlarged, adding sections of synthetic skeleton, in order to house it all. Apparently, Veran's had brains that were especially suited to this sort of work and many of their species that ventured off their home world found work as either network security specialists or criminal code slicers.
Zadra also had one more trick up one of her four sleeves: her brain could actually partition itself off as she needed it to in order to run parallel processing chains. It was a biological quirk of her species that become an especially powerful tool when married to a modern neural implant that could harness it. Jacob watched in fascination as her eyes closed and fluttered while she immersed herself into the Nexus connection. Taylor, who needed to plug in a hardline to his own implant to try and keep up, also appeared semi-catatonic while his hands danced over the controls, his eyes staring off into space, unseeing.
"This is some freaky shit," Mettler said, waving his hand in front of Taylor's face.
"Too freaky for me." MG walked off. "I'll be down in the cargo hold getting some PT in."
Jacob kept an eye on his tech specialist for signs of distress as he watched the pair negotiate through the station's security layers and tap directly into one of the Nexus hubs. Nexus was actually a colloquial name used for any public data network and, according to Murph, it was a fairly recently added to the lexicon. Apparently, one of the major tech firms used the term in a marketing campaign and it stuck. Jacob had been fascinated by the story simply because if you just changed the names and places, the story could have easily applied to Earth. He still wasn't sure if he found that all the aliens he'd met weren't all that…alien…to be a comfort or not.
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