by C. R. Daems
"You didn't miss anything. By the time the Tityus arrived, the FPU cruiser had been destroyed," I said.
"Destroyed? But I thought—" Hadley began and was interrupted by a call to attention as Admirals Webb and Lulltrel entered with Captains Choi and Mendoza.
"At ease," Webb said. "Take your seats." He accepted a cup of coffee from his aide as he waited for everyone to be seated. "The NIA has again been instrumental in identifying a major threat to the UAS security and in eliminating it. NIA has always had a tradition of awarding its personnel quietly to protect their identity. First, I'd like to thank Admiral Lulltrel for making the NIA the premiere intelligence agency in the UAS and the go-to organization when we need to combat domestic and foreign threats to our security. Vice Admiral Lulltrel is hereby awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Award. Congratulations." Webb handed her a velvet box and shook her hand. Lulltrel's cheeks looked a light shade of pink as she accepted the award. "Although the effort to catch the Hijackers is always a team effort, I would like to single out Commanders Hadley and Paulus, who went above and beyond, risking their lives to identify the FPU cruisers, which led to their subsequent destruction. They are also awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Award, in addition to a battle ribbon for action against the Hijackers. Congratulations." He proceeded to shake Teresa’s and my hands. But when he shook my hand he slowly shook his head. "Paulus, did you mention to your mother you earned another Purple Heart at Safe Harber?"
"Not exactly, sir. I told her it was a bumpy ride."
Webb laughed. "Good. I wouldn't blame your mother for ripping me a new one. You have entirely too many." He turned to look at Hadley. "Commander Hadley, you and Paulus are excused from duty until you are cleared by the medics and…have a psych evaluation. I suggest you use Dr. Renata. She thinks Paulus is sane. Any other doctor would have her in therapy until she retired."
Webb's aide called attention and Webb left smiling. When the door closed, Lulltrel stood.
"I agree with Admiral Webb. Go see Dr. Renata. You deserve time off to rest and relax, but I need you at work. Project Owlet is now our top priority. Commander Newman, you can keep Commander Paulus up to date via messaging…if she doesn't mind…while she is being cleared for duty. Now get out of here you two. I've heard the general detail from Captain Choi. You can give us a briefing when you are back to work."
"Yes, ma'am," Teresa and I said simultaneously as we left the room. Hadley was smiling from ear to ear.
"You have to tell me everything that happened," she said, linking her arm with mine and ignoring Red, who was wrapped around my neck with his head on the shoulder closest to Teresa, watching her.
* * *
"I guess Admiral Lulltrel would like you back on duty an hour ago," Renata said as Hadley and I explained we had been ordered to see her. "I hate to disappoint her, but it ain't going to happen. You are going to have a full medical workup, you are going to recount your experience, and you are going to take a few days off to relax. And I'm sure you mothers will agree with me." She rose, smiling. So get undressed and into those gowns, because you aren't going anywhere.
We took turns going for one test after another, in between discussing what happened on the Tityus and the Scylla at each encounter. Late in the afternoon, while Hadley was off for some test, Renata stopped in and sat.
"How do you feel, Anna?" she asked and took my hands in hers. Renata was more than a doctor, she was a long-time friend whom I trusted. So I told her about my interaction with Choi and my feelings. Afterward, Renata sat back and closed her eyes.
"Thank you, Anna, for trusting me. I don't know how you survived the experience on the Shark," she began. I reflexively reached up and stroked Red. She nodded. "Yes, I believe Red does help you cope with the bad things that happen. And I'm glad I'm your doctor. You’re a very special individual, unfortunately, most psychologists would consider you the prize of the century and spend their lives trying to make you believe you are repressing this and that and hallucinating about Red. I think you are unbelievably sane. In fact, I have come to agree with Alexa—you and Red were meant to chase evil men. We will keep that as our secret." She laughed. "Two days off with your mother and you can return to work."
* * *
The next day Alexa took the day off and we spent it shopping and eating out. Pannell had men in civilian clothes following us discretely. At his suggestion, Alexa and I both carried a multifunctional weapon in our oversize purses. Alexa talked me into buying additional civilian clothing. We agreed I didn't look like a senior Naval officer in civilian clothes, and it would be safer when out in public, since Red tended to stay hidden.
The next day Newman sent me the output of Odom's new update. I smiled when I saw it. I suspected it was references to pages, lines, and words in some book or another. So the problem wasn't going to be deciphering it. The problem was going to be discovering which book they were using. Then I set the output aside and sat thinking about possible choices. They probably had a software application that converted the mass of numbers and letters into the message, but it was based on text from a book that I'd wager was readily available, just in case. I was tempted to send my staff my conjecture but decided against it. I may be wrong and it would stifle their lines of pursuit.
* * *
"Ma'am, have you seen the news feeds?" Stamm asked. I shook my head. I seldom followed them. They took an hour to tell you what they could have said in a couple of minutes, and most of that tended to be opinion or conjecture or anonymous sources—people who didn't want anyone to know his or her identity, which put into question whether it was reliable information. "They are reporting the UAS Navy destroyed three FPU Cruisers which were harassing UAS merchants. No mention of the NIA."
"Thank the space gods, Carl," I said, which caused Stamm to give me a questioning look. "I'd rather the criminals didn't focus on us as the source of their problems. Better they focus on the Government, Navy, or other generic entities."
Stamm nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Mum’s the word."
* * *
When I entered my conference room, everyone was subdued. "From the look on your faces, I assume no one has broken the HoBo's code," I said without smiling. Shaking heads confirmed my initial thoughts. "Anyone want to make a suggestion or observation?"
"You were right," Atkins said. "A sheet full of mostly numbers and a few random letters."
"We ran it through most of our decryption software, with no results," Newman said, followed with a shrug.
"If there is a key hidden in that mess, I couldn't see it," Cooper said, then frowned. "Ma'am did you find something?"
"No. I think the numbers refer to page, rows, and word counts. But I'm glad you eliminated our decryption software and had a try at finding a key. This group likes simple code that is easy to decipher once you know the template. If I'm right, then it’s a book or text that everyone has easy access to in case the application or software isn't immediately available. That makes it impossible to decipher without knowing the book, but easy if you do."
"How do we figure that out?" Atkins asked the question everyone was wrestling with.
"I'd like you to see if you can deduce which combination of numbers and letters refers to a page, row, and word. Then Odom can make a simple application for us to try against books we think are logical choices."
"Could we just put cameras in the computer room the crew uses to access the Internet?" Newman asked, to nodding heads.
"Unfortunately, this may be a case of the cure being worse than the disease," I said. "Six cruisers with approximately five hundred crew on each. That's three thousand personnel."
"But there are only a hundred Marines on each ship," Cooper said. "Oh, that assumes we know it's Marines and no Navy personnel are involved. We would be discriminating…"
"Morale," Newman said quietly.
"Legal issues," Atkins added.
"No. We have to be smarter than the HoBos. And I think you are." I looked at each person until they no
dded or smiled agreement and looked determined to prove it.
The next day I informed Lulltrel's staff what I had surmised and what I had my staff working on. Leyva offered to have his section work on trying to determine which combination of number and letters refers to a page, row, and word. He agreed to keep the source secret as it could alert the HoBos.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Easy money
"We hit the trifecta, big time!" Lacroix said as he entered the three-man quarters and saw Sergeant Carrillo and Corporal Saavedra changing into civilian clothes. He couldn't stop smiling at the two other men who stood frowning at him.
"Spit it out, Lacroix. You're delaying two glorious women the night of their lives," Carrillo said, grinning.
"More like delaying some worn-out prostitutes from making a few credits." Lacroix laughed.
"Better than guarding an empty cruiser," Saavedra said as he finished buttoning his orange shirt and began walking toward the door.
"I was going to share the five million credits…but it you aren't interested." Lacroix shrugged and plopped onto his bunk. "Have fun."
"HoBo work?" Carrillo asked just above a whisper as he and Saavedra moved closer to Lacroix's bunk. He nodded.
"We are going to be legends, get revenge for our fellow HoBos, and split five million." His ear-to-ear smile greeted the two men.
"What is worth five million credits and why are you dumb enough to try to do it?" Carrillo asked, shaking his head. "Lots of beer and some worn-out prostitutes sounds good right now."
"Revenge? You're not talking about that NIA commander. I guess you forgot she got three HoBos killed trying to collect the big credits," Saavedra said.
"You forgot the HoBos on the Laelaps kidnapped her on Westar from under her security's noses and got away clean." Lacroix wagged a finger at them. "The idiots from the Hecate screwed up, which benefits us since their failure has upped the contract."
"All right, Lacroix. We'll check it out tonight. Five million is worth some risk," Carrillo said, as the two men left with their heads together.
* * *
When Carrillo and Saavedra returned late the next evening, Lacroix was sitting at their small table, drinking a beer. He had obviously been waiting up for them as three empty bottles were on the table. He gave them a lopsided grin.
"Well…Hecate or Laelaps?" He laughed and slapped the table with his free hand.
"Saavedra has an idea. It sounds like it could work and I think our risk would be minimal. Hit and run. Hit the prize and hope we can outrun security," Carrillo said as he opened two beers and passed one to Saavedra. The three Marines raised their bottles and touched them together.
"Hooboo!" the three said in unison.
* * *
Two nights later, the three met their contact and collected the items they had requested: a flame thrower, two stolen cars, and three rifles with scopes. Dressed in black with a balaclava, Lacroix and Saavedra loaded the convertible with the flame thrower and two rifles while Carrillo got into the second car.
Using the vehicle's GPS, Carrillo drove the car some ten miles to a location about one minute from the Paulus’s residence. The front entrance was about fifty meters off the road and sat in the middle of a two to three acre parcel. Houses were located on each side, and in the rear another row of houses that fronted onto a second road. At two hundred hours, the street was empty and the houses dark. He parked next to another car on the road, crept up to a three-story house, and found a spot where he had a clear view of the back of the Paulus’s residence. He sent the prearranged signal and settled down to wait, after setting up his sniper rifle and adjusting the scope.
When Lacroix and Saavedra received Carrillo's ready signal, they started the car and headed for the Paulus’s residence.
"Ready?" Saavedra asked when they were less than a minute from their target.
"Hooboo," Lacroix said, and he pulled the Balaclava down over his face, picked up the flame thrower, and checked it one last time. The convertible jumped forward as Saavedra pushed the gas pedal to the floor. As they approached the house, he swerved off the road to within fifteen meters of the house, and Lacroix activated the flame thrower, spraying the front of the building, which burst into flames. He quickly rotated to the other side of the car and sprayed the Marine combat shuttle that was parked off to the side. He was thrown against the back seat as Saavedra swerved back onto the road. Twenty meters ahead Saavedra slowed and Lacroix jumped out, rolled to his feet, and headed for a clump of trees as the car sped away.
* * *
"Shit!" Corporal Daniels shouted and dropped the coffee he was sipping to stay alert, when a car swerved off the main road and onto the property. He hardly noticed the burning hot liquid scorch his thighs. "Green, destroy that car," he shouted at the private who was currently manning the shuttle’s guns. But it took the private several seconds to come to terms with what Daniels wanted, and by that time the car was past them and bouncing toward the road.
"Daniels, you and Green chase that car. Walker and I will stay," he said as he exited the back ramp with Private Walker in tow. They had just cleared the ramp when the shuttle lifted, made a ninety degree turn, and sped off toward the road.
Sparks hit the emergency icon on his CPC a second later. "We have a fire at the Bellona residence…and maybe armed shooters," he said scanning the surrounding area. He knew he couldn't enter the building as the front was a blazing inferno. But the back should be safe… "Walker, cover the back and right side. I'll take the left. Paulus and Bellona will have to exit the back," he shouted as he headed for the right side of the building.
* * *
"Perfect," Carrillo whispered. He lay on the damp grass with his right eye staring into the scope, crosshairs centered on the rear door. If he were lucky, he could shoot the Paulus woman as she exited the building and wouldn't have to kill either of the Marines. He would if he had to but would rather not.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Wanted Dead, Not Alive
I woke to the shrill sound of the fire alarm and almost fell as I tried to jerk free of my blanket as I hurried to get up.
"Mother?" I looked back at the bed and found Alexa up and moving toward the bedroom door. Relieved, I followed her into the hallway. Looking down the stairs, the front of the house was engulfed in flames. Halfway down the steps, I grabbed her arm. She stopped and gave me a questioning look.
"The back is clear," she said, pointing to the rear of the hallway.
"Is the Panic Room fireproof?" I asked, having a sudden fear of exiting the house. Stupid, I chided myself, the damn house is on fire.
"Yes, otherwise they could get you out by setting the house on fire," she said as she turned and began walking back up the stairs, with me following. I felt silly and petrified at the same time. In the room, Alexa kicked the built-in book cabinet and a small door slid open. We entered and sat. "Feel better?" Alexa asked, giving me a hug. I nodded, still feeling silly but no longer afraid. I leaned into her embrace, thanking whoever was listening, for Alexa. Without her, my life would be a living nightmare.
Alexa contacted Pannell to let him know we were safe and to get the status of what was happening outside.
"Paul, is one of the identified ships in port?" I asked. He nodded.
"The cruiser, Graeae. I could get a list of the crew who had shore leave and the hour they returned," he said a bit reluctantly.
"No. Let's not alert them to what we know. There are probably fifty plus personnel on leave," I said, and he gave a sigh of relief.
"Were any of your team hurt?" I asked, and stroked Red while awaiting the answer.
"No. They seem reluctant to hurt Marines if they don't have to. I think the idea was to set fire to your house and shoot you when you tried to leave out the rear. When it didn't work, they left before I could get a search team in the area." He looked mad at not having caught someone.
* * *
"Who the hell stays in a burning house?" Lacroix shouted as he
punched the wall hard enough to make two of his knuckles bleed.
"Explains why they are paying five million to have her killed. She's a witch," Saavedra said.
"The good news is we didn't get caught," Carrillo said as he opened a bottle of beer and lay down on his bunk.
"Aren't we going to try again?" Lacroix asked. "She probably has a basement or safe room. They will have to move her, so we might get another chance."
"They will be more alert now," Carrillo said. "We'll see if we can find out where they move her and how her security is deployed. We didn't have to kill any Marines and we got away clean, so it was a good plan—just not good enough."
* * *
"Why are you here?" Stamm asked when I arrived for work the following day.
"I work here," I said, pretending I didn't understand what he was asking.
"Your house was burned," he said, looking concerned. I waved for him to follow me into my office.
"The outside front of the house was badly burned, but there was little damage inside. Mother and I decided the house was safer than any place they could move us temporarily, and the repair company promised to have the outside work done in two days. And I'm here so we can expedite catching the people who are trying to kill me."
"I'm all for that, ma'am, before the pharmacy runs out of tranquilizers. You may have nerves of battle metal, but the rest of us don't."
"If you insist." I sighed. "Get my staff together for a quick update." I poured a cup of coffee as Stamm headed for the door. I was reading my email when there was a knock at the door, and a second later Cooper dashed in and saluted.
"Are you all right, ma'am?" she asked, frowning as she scanned me. Before I could answer Newman and Atkins entered, followed by Odom and Stamm.
"Grab something to drink and find someplace to sit. And no, I was not injured. Since attempts on our lives are common because of Red’s and my work, our house is very safe, even without the security the NIA provides me… I spent a few minutes giving them a synopsis of what happened. I smiled. "Master Chief Stamm wants an end to my exciting night life, and we all know it’s not nice to ignore chiefs, so where are we on the HoBo puzzle?" I sat back and took a sip of my coffee. I love these people, I mused, noting their concern and dedication.