Retribution

by Dave O'Connor

  “Very good Tola. Well done” said Aubrey. “Commit it.”

  “Yes Maam” said a pleased Tola.

  Manuel had the watch and once the plan was committed he ordered the pilot to warp to the first waypoint, below Sibu. Things settled down now that the plan had been committed. Nothing would be happening for two hours. Alice stood up as to leave.

  “Lieutenant Wu have you finished loading the cyber attack profile?” demanded Manuel.

  “What cyber attack profile?” replied Alice.

  “The one I asked you to load.”

  Alice looked at him trying to scrutinise what he was on about.

  “Oh for god sake Alice” said Manuel “Just do it, profile 23, and don’t let this happen again.”

  Alice turned around and sat back down. She loaded the profile. Made sure its status was displayed on the main screen and got up. As she walked out of the command centre she gave Manuel a foul look that did not escape Aubrey’s notice.

  She knew something was amiss but she wasn’t going to call attention to it just yet. She did not want to question her XO in front of the junior officers, nor did she want to undermine his authority by questioning Alice behind his back. Well not at this stage anyway.

  A couple of hours later everyone was back in the command centre prior to reaching the waypoint. The holo display showed the big gas giant and their current waypoint lay just above the line of the south pole. They were several thousand kilometres out from the edge. The pilot executed the change in direction and the craft began its orbit that would see it crest the gas giant in about 15 minutes.

  As they approached the next waypoint Manuel began his status check, ending with “Active cloaking?”

  “Online” advised Alice.

  The craft crested the planet and was no longer masked from Argonaut by Sibu. Manuel looked to Phil for confirmation of detection. He was clearly impatient. He paced over to Phil’s workstation. “Well?”

  Phil was checking his spots but could not see one for the Argonaut where they expected to find her. There were ones for several mining vessels near the planet. Finally it popped up on his screen. “Bogey 1 bearing minus 12 up 5” he advised, indicating that the enemy craft was 12 degrees to their port and 5 degrees up from their centre line. “Range 34, 000kms. Appears to be in geo” he added indicating it was in geo stationary orbit around Sibu.

  “Approach solution?” Manuel demanded.

  Tola worked the solution, making adjustments to the original approach route to align it with the updated stats for the objective. She hit the commit button and called out “Approach solution updated.”

  “Display cyber attack range” ordered Manuel.

  Alice updated the holo to show a move coloured semi-transparent globe around the Phantom, the edge of which was getting closer to the objective.

  “Display Beam range.”

  Phil updated the holo to show a pink semi-transparent globe around the Phantom. It was a much smaller globe than the cyber-attack one.

  “Any detections?” asked Manuel.

  “Negative” answered Phil.

  “As soon as we close within beam range, I will give the command to engage the weapon and initiate the cyber-attack. Is that understood? Lieutenant Wu do not engage the cyber-attack beforehand. Do you understand.” He said the last sentence with particular emphasis that Alice found grating.

  “Yes Sir” she reluctantly replied.

  “Good.”

  Everyone was focussing hard. Manuel moved to his workstation and stood behind it so he could get a clear view of the holo without blocking the vision of anyone else. He used the controls to display a range countdown indicating the range to when they could fire the beam weapon. “Fire in 2,000…1,500…”

  The holo updated to indicate cyber attack initiated. “Shit who initiated the cyber attack?” demanded Manuel.

  “We’ve been detected” advised Phil. “Bogey 1 accelerating away.”

  “What the hell” exclaimed Manuel. He turned to Alice and with real bitterness demanded “Why did you do that? I’ll deal with you later. Get me a solution to close with Bogey 1” he demanded.

  “Don’t worry” announced Aubrey “Exercise terminated. Pilot take us back to waypoint 1. Alice hail me the Argonaut.”

  Manuel looked as pissed off as one could be. He kept looking at Alice. She ignored him and in a few seconds announced “Cmdr Harris online Maam.”

  Aubrey spent the next few minute with the Argonaut skipper. After she finished she turned to the others and asked “Well what happened there?”

  “It’s obvious” said Manuel “Wu activated the cyber-attack profile before I commanded. We’d all be dead now if this was for real.”

  Aubrey looked to Alice who was shaking her head. “I didn’t activate it. I swear.”

  “Anyone else owning up?” asked Aubrey. She got no reply. “The XO is right, if this had happened for real we would most likely be dead. We’ve just four more days to get our act together. OK, we go back to waypoint 1 and keep doing this till we get it right. I want everyone to stay switched on.”

  Chapter 9. Nova Vista 1315, 20 June

  Dave rolled off of Rihan and onto his back. He was dog tired and his little death soon claimed him. Rihan smiled as she looked at his face. ‘I really think he’s shagged out’ she said to herself. ‘It’s all for a good cause my darling.’

  She lay there savouring the moment. She thought of her ovaries and wondered if at this very moment a new life was being created. She smiled contentedly.

  Dave rolled in towards her and wrapped his arm across her, cupping his hand over her breast. She placed her hand on his. “You look like the Cheshire cat” said Dave.

  “I feel like the Cheshire cat.” She patted Dave’s hand gently. “You can have a rest now. My peak’s running out.”

  “About time” said Dave and he looked into her eyes. “I have a good feeling about this” and he gently squeezed her breast. She brushed his hand away.

  “I think you’ve had enough feel for one day.”

  “It’s like that now, is it. I’ve serviced you and now I’m cast off.”

  “It’s always been that way for studs you know.”

  “Oh gee!” said Dave in feigned hurt.

  Rihan rolled into Dave and they cuddled. She kissed him on his ear and said “I have a good feeling about this too.” Dave smiled.

  Chapter 10. Phantom to Polaris 1615, 20 June

  It had been an intense afternoon. There was obvious friction between Manuel and Alice and it was clearly affecting both their performances. Aubrey knew she had to fix this and fix it now.

  She was about to ask Manuel to see her in her cabin. But for some reason she felt uncomfortable doing so. On the Resolute she would have an office but on a small frigate, no such luck. So instead she asked him to meet her in the briefing room.

  “Please close the door Manuel” she asked as he came in. They sat around the corner of the table. Manuel was still smarting for some reason. “What’s wrong between you and Alice?”

  “That’s obvious, her incompetence” stated Manuel. “We can’t afford to go into battle with her. She has to go.”

  “Yet she claims she didn’t do it.”

  “Well who would admit to that? It was her responsibility and she fucked up. Look Maam, I know it’s your call but, hell, we will be facing a real enemy in a few days.”

  “All right point taken. Leave it with me.”

  “OK Maam but it would be best to do this now so we can work up with her replacement.”

  “Understood. Thanks Manuel.”

  As he left the room Aubrey pondered. Finally she hailed Alice and asked her to meet her in the briefing room. A couple of minutes later she came in and shut the door at Aubrey’s request.

  “So what’s going on Alice?” asked Aubrey.

  “What do you mean Maam?”

  “Come on don’t play games. Did you activate that cyber attack earlier this morning?”

  “No
I definitely did not. I swear. I never touched anything.”

  “So who did?”

  “I don’t know for sure but I have my suspicions.”

  “And they’d be?”

  “It’s not for me to dob in a fellow officer” said Alice defensively.

  “Look your career’s on the line here. If you hold back here I will be left with little alternative but to recommend your dismissal. You know what that will do to your career?”

  “Yes. But this is unfair. I didn’t do it.”

  “Well the XO seems certain you did.”

  “Well he would, wouldn’t he.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I wouldn’t go out with him.”

  “Is that the case?”

  “Yes Maam. He invited me out to dinner last night but I declined. He’s not my type” said Alice who felt the need to explain why.

  “And what, he just got up on the wrong side of the bed and decided to set you up during the exercise.”

  “Basically, yeah. Look I didn’t even know we were going to be doing a cyber-attack. He made it out as though he had already told me. That never happened. I reckon he activated it himself to deliberately get back at me.”

  Aubrey recalled how Manuel had repositioned himself behind his workstation. ‘Yes he would have had the opportunity’ she said to herself.

  “Leave it with me. Don’t say anything about this to anyone. Understand?”

  “Yes, I suppose.”

  “Look Alice I’m not going to stand for any harassment on my ship. Rest assured of that. But I need to be certain before I charge an officer with such an offense. You have to trust me. OK”

  “OK” said Alice.

  After Alice left, Aubrey pondered for a while. Then an inspiration occurred to her. She got up and went back to the command centre. Tola had the watch and was all by herself. She saw Aubrey sit down at her workstation and heard her tapping away.

  “You bastard” said Aubrey out loud.

  “Excuse me Maam” said Tola.

  Aubrey looked up “Not you Tola. You’re in my good books. Come here. I want you to witness this.”

  “What?”

  “Here take a look at this log. Look which workstation activated the cyber attack.”

  “Why that’s the XO’s.”

  “Yes and I may need you to verify this log OK.”

  “OK” said Tola looking decidedly unsure. “What’s going to happen?”

  “Justice!” replied Aubrey. She saved the log to her personal documents. She hailed Martin Lodi and asked him to take the watch. She also hailed James Dunstan and asked him to meet her at the briefing room. “Come with me Tola.” With the three of them in the briefing room she briefed James on what was now known. Aubrey finished by saying “So I have asked you two, my two most senior subalterns to be here when I ask the XO back in. I want you to witness what is said but otherwise stay out of it.” She looked at them and they both nodded in turn.

  Manuel received Aubrey’s request to meet him again and assumed she had made her decision to dismiss Alice. He strode into the briefing room full of confidence. However, that dissipated when he saw Tola and James. ‘Maam?” he asked hesitantly.

  “I’ve done some investigating Manuel and I now know who did activate that cyber-attack. It was done from your workstation at the time you were standing behind it. You did it and you deliberately tried to setup Lieutenant Wu. I now know that you did so because she refused your advances – specifically your invite to dinner last night. That amounts to harassment in my book and in the Fleet’s. Do you deny this?”

  “Of course I deny it. She’s obviously edited the logs.”

  “No she hasn’t. Tola was there with me when we examined them and they have been unedited. You can check the timestamps yourself.”

  “That’s rubbish. You are not seriously going to take the word of this incompetent over mine are you?”

  “You’re right” said Aubrey “I’m not but I am hereby suspending you from all duties. You will report to Fleet HQ on landing and charges will be pending. I advise you to say no more until you get legal representation. Get out and pack your bags.”

  A flabbergasted Manuel just stood there in total disbelief.

  “Now” demanded Aubrey.

  James moved forward and took the stunned Manuel by the arm and walked him out the door.

  “Tola, until we get a new XO appointed, you’re it.”

  “Right Maam. I must say I have never experienced anything like this before.”

  “Well let’s hope you never have to again.”

  As James turned around after walking Manuel to his cabin he heard him mutter “How unlucky can a guy get!”

  Chapter 11. Nova Vista 1900 20 June

  Dave opened the door and invited Aubrey into their apartment. She was still in her uniform. Dave and Rihan were not. “So what brings you upstairs?” asked Dave. “Can I get you a drink?”

  “Oh yes please - something strong.”

  “What’s happened Aubrey?” asked Rihan. “You sound strung out.”

  “Oh nothing really” said Aubrey “I’ve just lost my XO.”

  “Well at least you had one” joked Dave. “But seriously what happened?” Dave poured her a rum and coke and watched her down most of it in a few gulps. “That bad hey?”

  “Oh Rodriguez tried it on with one of my subalterns and she rejected him. In a fit of pique he made it look like she had fucked up during today’s exercise and then tried to get me to dismiss her. He’s before the Fleet Attorney right now or in the brig. I don’t know.” Aubrey drained the glass and asked for another. “What I do know is that I’m now without an XO and only a few days out from battle.”

  “Well that makes two of us” said Dave.

  Aubrey sat down on the lounge and looked at Rihan. “You know I just sensed something wasn’t right with Rodriguez. What a creep. Why do men think that they can get away this sort of harassment?”

  “Yeah I know what you mean Aubrey” agreed Rihan.

  “Hold on” said Dave “He’s just one man, not all men and he hasn’t got away with it. Has he?”

  “I mean they think they have some god given right” said Aubrey completely ignoring what Dave had just said. “And if they deem to ask a girl out then she had better accept or else.”

  “Yeah they can be bastards” said Rihan.

  “Oh I get it. Just pretend I’m not here then” said Dave.

  “Oh darling” said Rihan “can you order some home delivery”. Facing Aubrey, Rihan asked “Turkish OK with you?”

  “Yeah fine” said Aubrey.

  Dave threw his hand up in the air. “Sure. I’ll order the food. At least they might listen to me.”

  Chapter 12. Nova Vista 1030, 21 June

  Defence Minister Alisha Corvel shifted her body in her seat. She was a mature woman, one of the most senior and respected ministers in the Polaris Council.

  “So let me understand this correctly Admiral.” She looked at Dave and the others before turning to Phil and continuing “You don’t want us to warn the populous, nor take any precautionary measures to protect their safety because you fear this will rob you of your surprise against the rogan.”

  “Yes” said Phil.

  “And what happens if the enemy comes in overwhelming numbers? You said yourself that you won’t know that till they arrive. It will be too late then to effect evacuation.”

  “Evacuation yes but shelter no. Minister I don’t think that the likelihood of the enemy appearing in overwhelming numbers is high. But if that were to happen we have wargamed out various contingencies and we believe these will buy us enough time for the population to take shelter.”

  “But as you also admit these shelters are not foolproof against a massive nuclear strike. Are they?”

  “No they are not, but we don’t think, that with all our defences, we will be subjected to such a strike.”

  “I know what you are saying Admiral. I respect your judgement.
But I just don’t like it. The Council does not like it. We are gambling with billions of lives here. I don’t know about you but that does not rest easy with me.”

  “Nor me Maam. But if we are to wrest the initiative from the enemy we need to do this. We need to win here and win big. We can only do that by taking these risks.”

  For the second time in the meeting Alisha stood up and paced over to the water cooler and took a drink, even though there was one on the table in front of her. Dave could see from her mannerisms that she was extremely agitated. This was a huge call on anyone. The pressure was immense. She came back and sat down.

  “Won’t the rogan be in warp at the moment? So why can’t we shut this device down now and effect an evacuation well before they arrive. I’d be so much happier with that.”

  They had been through this once before. Phil was a pretty patient man but his was starting to wear thin. “As I explained Minister, the Rogan have the capability to communicate in warp. So they will know we’ve shut it down and we’ll miss the opportunity to surprise them.”

  “Right, sorry I forgot that. How the hell did they get that capability?”

  “How is not relevant?” said Phil. It was taking a lot of effort for him to keep his cool. “Please Minister?”

  Alisha once again looked around at the others. She was tempted to ask Shen once again whether he was confident of marshalling the people into the shelters in time but she knew he would just confirm that he was. She took a deep breath in. “All right, I’ll champion your submission to Council. We will relocate all government and key personnel to the secure facilities as per the normal emergency procedures.”

  Phil nodded. “Thank you Minister.”

  “I do hope we’re doing the right thing here. This is not going to do my ulcer any good at all.”

  Chapter 13. Nova Vista 1100, 21 June