by C. R. Daems
"Yes, ma'am. Admiral Lulltrel has two projects with P1A authority. Rabbit, which is looking to identify FPU cruisers who are hijacking UAS merchants, and Owlet, which is looking to identify UAS cruisers which have groups, called HoBos, of Marines providing mobile criminals for hire. The two projects are linked because the HoBos are providing the Hijackers information to target selective merchants’ ships."
"And you are here to do what?"
"We need access to the Oxax NIA System computer, which I believe will provide us with any other UAS cruisers with HoBos on board, and the alias of the FPU cruiser on Oasis is using to receive messages and to impersonate a UAS cruiser. With that information, all that remains is to predict where and when we can find the FPU cruisers," I said.
"No wonder they want you dead."
* * *
The next day, HoBos across the UAS were notified that the reward for killing Commander Paulus was five million credits.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Decision Time
"Paulus, I should retire you and send Hadley for a psych evaluation," Lulltrel said after waving everyone to their seats. She had called for an emergency meeting as soon as the Scylla had docked and our shuttle was on the way to the NIA building. "In case you were in Regen and hadn't heard, the HoBos entered the Oxax NIA complex and planted six bombs in likely offices and conference rooms these two idiots were likely to visit." She stood there shaking her head. "It's a miracle no one was injured." She sat and took a sip of the coffee Spalding had placed in front of her. "Jerry, if Paulus remains on my staff much longer, you'll have to start carrying tranquilizers with you." She gave a snort. "All right, Paulus, what did you and Hadley discover to compensate for my elevated blood pressure?"
"Ma'am, we know the names of the UAS cruisers which have HoBos as crew, the companies that are sending Hijackers scheduling information, and we can decode their message strings. In addition, we now know the merchant names the FPU cruisers are using to access the WavCom," I said.
"Sounds like you have made significant progress. What are you still missing?" she asked, and took a sip of coffee. It was a tricky question. What were we missing and what we needed to close down the HoBos and the Hijackers wasn't exactly the same thing. I decided on what we were missing to have a complete picture.
"The names of the HoBos on each ship, the names of the three FPU ships and their UAS alias, the algorithm they use to select merchants to hijack, and their targeted merchant list," I said.
"What do you mean by their targeted merchants?"
"I think they have a list of preferred merchants they are tracking. Probably around ten to twenty. When one of them meets their criteria, they hijack it."
"And how is that list important?" Lulltrel asked.
"The more we understand about their criteria, the more likely our guess as to where and when they will strike will be correct."
"What kind of merchant ships do you think they are looking to target?"
"I'm guessing, but they would be after a ship in prime condition that frequently trades in the Northern Rim of the UAS, and carries a lucrative cargo. My group has prepared a list of merchants we consider meets their criteria, based on the missing merchants, but it's hard to tell if we have them all."
"What's your recommendation? Admiral Webb will want to know."
"Ma'am, I'd like a few days to review what we have now that we can decipher their coded messages and what we know…and don't know." I gave a weak smile.
Lulltrel nodded. "That's everyone's homework assignment, which is due at our regularly scheduled staff meeting—what would you recommend?" She rose, ending the meeting. When she did, Byrnes and Leyva made a mad rush to where Hadley and I sat on the opposite side of the conference room table.
"The rumors run from you being killed, we can discount those, to the Oxax NIA building was destroyed and hundreds killed and wounded. We can discount that since Lulltrel said no one was hurt." Byrnes snorted. "But rumors always have an element of truth, so what did happen?"
"Our trips to Black Water and Truth Star were uneventful…well, unless you count Paulus arresting the Black Water NIA Chief and sending him back to Eastar…" She went on to explain the incident in all its gory details.
"I have to admit, I had my doubts about promoting someone so young to commander and putting her in charge of the Eastar NIA Station. But I have new respect for Admiral Lulltrel. You are perfect for the position and I know your staff agrees," Leyva said with a shy grin.
"Can't blame you, Leyva. Every time I put on my uniform, I feel like a little girl dressed up for a masquerade party," I said as Red wound his way into my hair.
"That's creepy." Hadley pointed to my head. "Anyway, we get to Oxax and Paulus refuses to use the elevators or stairs, which I couldn't blame her after Westar. So she leads us…" Again Hadley explained what happened, including everything she heard from Pannell and Duckett.
"I think that's a bit too exciting for me," Byrnes said slowly, shaking his head.
"What about you?" Leyva asked, looking at Hadley.
"Makes for a great story afterward, and I survived without earning a Purple Heart." She worried her lips and her gaze was far off for several seconds. "But it was fun and exciting."
"Lulltrel was right. Definitely needs a psych evaluation," Byrnes said to Leyva.
I left and hurried to my office, waving Stamm in as I entered.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Carl, get my staff in here for a quick meeting." I wanted to get home to Alexa, but I had to get an update before I left. He nodded and disappeared out the door. Five minutes later everyone was assembled.
"Sorry for the rushed meeting, but I want to get home as soon as I can. My mother must be a nervous wreck with all the rumors. I promise to bring you all up to date at our staff meeting tomorrow. How are you doing on the information string to the Hijackers?" I asked.
"We finally solved it," Newman said, looking to Atkins and Cooper. "It says the UAS cruiser Hecate will depart Holy Star in the early morning on the one hundred eleventh day, headed for Oxax."
"Good. I'll have Commander Hadley do a search for WavCom messages with strings that have a pound sign and eleven digits. I'd like to see if you can determine the selection criteria for the last two of three hijacked merchants. Restrict your analysis to strings with 134, 172, and 155 which should be the High Jinks, TomFoolery, and Money Maker." I said, thinking three should be sufficient to determine their criteria.
"How long have you known, ma'am?" Cooper asked. Her voice held a bit of amusement and disappointment.
"A few days. I had nothing to do between systems. That was good work. The two extra digits made it a difficult string to decipher." I smiled. "Lieutenant Odom, write me a system update to capture the Internet download for queries which use the password: HoBo. For now, I want the update only for the Graeae and Ceto."
* * *
When I arrived home, Alexa was waiting at the door. I melted into her embrace, feeling loved and safe. We stood there for a long time saying nothing, tears streaking our cheeks.
"Thank you, Paul, for bringing her home safe to me. She is the love of my life," Alexa finally said as she loosened her grip on me.
"The criminals have a right to fear Anna. She's in their minds. If she weren't, we'd all be dead. I'm doubling her detail again, Alexa."
"Well, Daughter, the rumors were horrible. Your WavCom messages helped a lot. The rumors had the Oxax NIA building destroyed and everyone killed or injured."
I laughed. "They did make a mess of the second floor but nobody was in the building at the time…" Over dinner and afterward, relaxing in the front room, I brought her up to date on the events of the last two weeks.
"What's next?" she asked, and I felt her apprehension.
"That's the one hundred million credit question Lulltrel wants me to answer. She feels Admiral Webb will want her recommendation," I said, then realized what the recommendation would be. "I'm sorry, Mother…" They thought they weren't us
ing merchants but they were.
"Don't be, Anna. I believe Red was sent to protect you…like at Oxax. I'll worry, but be confident you'll return if a bit worn and tattered. You survived the Shark…only you and Red could have done that. So do what you must and I'll be here when you get home."
"Yes, you and Red are my saviors."
* * *
Everyone rose as I entered. "Sit," I said as I sat, and Stamm put a cup of coffee in front of me. "You deserve an update on my trip. We began at the Black Water NIA office…" I spent the next hour explaining what we found at each stop and the events at Oxax. "All Right, your turn."
"You were right. The two extra digits made it difficult, even though we knew the two systems and the cruiser involved. That made separating them by twos impossible," Newman said, giving me a weak smile. "The good news. We think we know their criteria."
"We knew you needed a quick answer for Lulltrel, and worked…all night," Cooper said, smiling at their success.
"We think they wait for one of their targeted merchants to be entering or leaving a system when nothing else is scheduled to enter or leave for an extended period," Atkins said.
"Thank you, I know from my previous experience, teams either have that special chemistry or not. When they do, they deliver, and I think this is a very special team," I said to smiles. "Odom?"
"It's contagious, ma'am. I too worked through the night, and your patch is ready." He smiled.
"Thank you. You are the right man for the job. Have Commander Hadley let you know when either the Ceto or Graeae enter Eastar space. When they do, I want you to update their systems before they dock. You may claim it's an emergency patch," I said. "It's very important to the Owlet Project. I'll have Hadley send you the results as soon as it's posted to her database. I expect it will be in code. Your assignment is to decipher it." I smiled, then added, "Odom, I think you will need to write an application to automatically decipher the output once the team figures out the code."
"What are you expecting, ma'am?" Newman asked, looking interested.
"Since it will be a text message to the HoBos, I expect something that looks like some child randomly banged on the keyboard for several minutes…or…a continuous string of numbers a page long." The smiles faded as they mentally envisioned what the page would look like and the challenge. "I caution you. Brute force seldom works."
* * *
"Master Chief, see if you can find Captain Choi for me. I'd like to set up an informal meeting with him at his convenience," I said as we walked back to my office.
"Here?"
I looked to Pannell, who had attended my staff meeting and was following us. Since the Ceto and Graeae aren't in port, just let me know where in time for me to get prepared," he said reluctantly.
"I won't pick a location without consulting you," I said as I entered my office. An hour later Stamm had Choi on the Comm. I had Stamm get Pannell and put Choi on speaker. "Captain Choi, it's Paulus. I'm sorry to bother you but I'd like your opinion. It shouldn't take more than an hour if you can find some free time to meet."
Choi was silent for several seconds. "Your office?"
"I thought someplace informal, relaxing." Away from prying eyes, I mused.
He laughed. "I can understand you thinking NIA offices aren't relaxing. There is a small restaurant about thirty minutes out of Eastar City called The Odean. Their French cuisine is excellent."
I looked to Pannell. "Captain Choi, this is Colonel Pannell."
"Yes, Colonel. I can get us a private room…and if we dress casually…say twenty hundred hours?" Pannell nodded.
"That will be perfect. Thank you, Captain Choi." I cut the connection and then called Alexa.
"What's up, Anna?" she asked when she answered.
"How would you like to go to dinner at the Odean with Captain Choi, Colonel Pannell, and me?" I smiled, imagining Alexa's expression of relief and the idea of a night out.
"Sounds enjoyable. What time?"
"I think our ride will pick us up around nineteen thirty hours," I said, looking to Pannell, who nodded.
* * *
"Business, I assume," Alexa said as we sat in the back seat of a cream-colored luxury Astra sedan. Pannell sat in the front and I was sure he already had men at the Odean and a car or two following us. Alexa looked stunning in a cap-sleeve ball gown with a V-neck black top, beaded belt, and black and white floral skirt. Her only jewelry was a pearl necklace. I wore a high/low flare tea dress appropriate for a girl in her early twenties and no jewelry. I certainly wouldn't be mistaken for a Navy commander. Pannell wore dress slacks, light blue open-neck shirt, and a suede sports coat.
"Yes, I have an idea and would like Captain Choi and your opinions before I go to Lulltrel," I said. Mother had been a wartime captain and would compliment Captain Choi's eagerness to engage the FPU cruisers. Pannell wasn't going to like it as he couldn't control the playing field.
We gave Choi's name at the reception desk and were escorted to a private room which could have held a party of fifteen to twenty. However, at present it had a round table with four place settings. Choi rose when we entered. He wore a dark blue suit, white shirt, and a red and black striped tie.
"Not often I get to have dinner with two gorgeous women," he said as we entered. "Hi, Paul." Just then a waitress appeared and we ordered drinks. The talk during dinner was light, mostly about different aspects of our careers. After dessert and coffee arrived, Choi looked to me.
"Anna?"
"I had originally thought we would have to determine the Fox's selection criteria, wait until we found a Rabbit that met that criteria, and then watch the Rabbit until the Fox arrived," I said and looked at everyone to make sure I wasn't being too obscure. Seeing everyone nod, I continued. "That could be a long wait as there are only ten to twelve Rabbits a year, and the Foxes could learn we were watching, in which case we could lose one or two. But since we have discovered the Foxes watering hole and we know what each of the three look like, all we have to do is wait for them to come to drink," I said and watched as each person digested what I had said.
"How close do they come to the water hole?" Choi asked, his lip twitched in amusement.
"I'm told they watch the hole from up to one hundred kilometers," I said, having confirmed with Hadley how close one would have to be to the WavCom to get their messages.
"Every day?" Choi asked.
"Not certain, but I'd guess not less than every other day."
"That's a large area to cover," Alexa said. "But they would be visible when they…howled." She gave a snort—howl meaning the Comm units going active.
"True, but how do we know it's the right Fox? Won't they all sound the same?" Choi asked.
"We would use a unique telescope to identify the Fox," I said thinking about the equipment we had used to strip the WavCom when we hunted the Raiders. Hadley said it could be used to detect transmissions to and from the WavCom.
"Meaning we would need someone who knew how to identify the Foxes," Choi said. Alexa put her hand over mine and gave a slight squeeze and I nodded. "I would think the Fox could come from any of four directions, unless there are more than one Fox."
I took that to mean four UAS cruisers for each FPU cruiser. "No, each water hole is guarded by only one Fox."
"It would be good to get rid of the Foxes before they eat all the Rabbits," Choi said, raising his glass to me and Alexa and smiling. "But we need to make sure we don't break the telescope. It's one of a kind."
* * *
"All right, Paulus, have you done your homework?" Lulltrel asked when everyone had been seated.
"Yes, ma'am. When Commander Hadley and I visited Black Water, Truth Star, and Oxax, we learned the merchant names the FPU cruisers were using to access the WavCom and get updates and scheduling information. I suggest we stake out the WavComs at Safe Harber, Shadows Rest, and Oasis. When they come to collect their messages, we destroy them," I said.
"How do we know when they come to collect the
ir messages?" Lulltrel asked. I nodded to Hadley.
"Ma'am, we would have to install our WavCom stripping equipment on one of the UAS cruisers."
"And one of you idiots would have to operate it," Lulltrel said, frowning at Hadley and me. I nodded and saw Hadley nod. "Hadley, have you looked at Paulus's Purple Heart ribbon? She has a silver oat leaf cluster…" Hadley's eyes widened when Lulltrel pointed to the ribbons on my jacket where Red's head was lying just above the role with the Purple Heart—like he was examining them. Then she choked out a laugh. "Even…Red thinks it's a stupid idea."
"Ma'am, if we wait for what we believe is their search criteria, it could take three to five months to get all three. And that assumes we are correct in our assumptions, one or two don't figure it out and leave or change criteria, and they don't spend twenty-five million to get rid of us." I grinned mentally at the looks around the table and the oscillating emotions as they considered the incidents at Westar and Oxax, and eyes darted to my ribbons.
"What did your mother think?" Lulltrel asked, her forehead wrinkled in concern.
"Captains Choi and Belloni thought we would need four UAS cruisers, the fourth with the WavCom equipment." I smiled as I felt Red's head on my shoulder pointing toward Lulltrel.
"Spalding, See if Admiral Webb is available for an update."
"Yes, ma'am." He disappeared out the door.
"I don't know what Admiral Webb will decide…shit…I know exactly what he will decide—he's an ex-captain. This mission is strictly voluntary. They will try to protect the…equipment," she snorted, "but in the heat of a battle with a FPU cruiser, safe is an illusion. I don't want an answer now, but I do want you to consider the possibility." Just then Spalding burst into the room.
"Ma'am, Admiral Webb said he's available now."
* * *
We entered Webb's office and saluted. Webb waved us to chairs and sent a lieutenant to get us drinks as if he knew this wouldn't be a two-minute update.