Shawn instantly felt the ramifications of just such a truth, and a cold chill took over his body. “The UCS would never admit to something like that. Regardless of the purpose for the weapon—if we can believe what your father said on the video—the Epsilon-6 weapon system was never sanctioned by the Unified Council. This corroborates the partial formula that Toyotomi showed us back on Persephone—an illegal biospheric weapon. If word got out that all those deaths were because of the detonation of unlawful munitions, the government could very well fracture even worse than it did after the end of the Galactic War.”
Melissa nodded slowly as she leveled her eyes at Shawn. “And they’ll likely use the best people at their disposal to keep it a secret.”
As the answer to that statement dawned on him, Shawn stiffened, then released Melissa from his grasp. He stepped back a half pace and looked at her accusingly. “The OSI.”
Confused, Melissa reached out for him, but he moved back an additional step. “Shawn, you have to believe me. I…I didn’t know.”
“Didn’t know,” he repeated with more anger than he intended. “You’re a command level agent. How much didn’t you know?”
She sighed, knowing it was time to reveal what she knew; it was time for her to put the cards on the table. She moved toward the couch, sitting down and reclining comfortably. “I knew…I’ve known for some time that there was a cover-up of some type going on in the Unified Government. I stumbled across some evidence of it while I was investigating a separate, unrelated case about two years ago. At first, I was doing research in my off-duty time, but it quickly became all-consuming. I started poking around, and found to my surprise that a great number of files in the UCS database had been sealed tight. It was obvious that the Director had to be involved, or he was, at the very least, more aware of the situation than he let on. And, based on decoded communications traffic, I also knew my father was involved, but not…not how deeply that involvement was.”
“You had your own father under surveillance?”
She shook her head. “No, nothing so official. I imbedded some flags into the Unified mainframe. These markers would trigger each time certain keywords or phrases came up in communications. I would then be notified via encrypted messages electronically.”
“So no one else knew of your monitoring?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
Shawn shook his head slowly. “I don’t get it. During the Galactic War, was he with intelligence then, too?”
Melissa likewise shook her head. “No. That much I know for certain. He wasn’t approached by Sector Command for this assignment until he had been working with the government for some time after the war. He had some minor dealings with the OSI while he was consulting, but nothing on a scale this large.”
“Then how was it that he came to be so trustworthy with this information? I mean, if there is some sort of superweapon, the last person you would want to know is someone you don’t trust implicitly.”
“I agree.”
“Then why him? Why put the fate of the Unified Government, Sector Command, the OSI, you, me—everyone—in the hands of an unknown variable?”
She could only shake her head in disbelief. “I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense. It goes against everything I’ve ever been taught or have seen as an agent.” She wiped at her eyes, and then placed her hands squarely back in her lap. “And what my father said about you launching the first prototype weapon against the planet? Did you know anything about it?”
“No, I didn’t. I had no idea that my ship was outfitted with some sort of experimental weapon.”
“Do you think it would have changed your outlook on the battle?”
Shawn shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. It’s hard to say. I don’t really remember what kind of mindset I was in at the time.”
“I imagine the OSI thinks you know something,” she said, standing and walking to the view port. “That’s probably why they’re watching you.”
“You mean, why they want me eliminated if I get out of line?” he asked, referring to the veiled threat Melissa had relayed to him before he had accepted his reactivation orders.
She smiled faintly at him. “Probably.”
“That’s comforting. What about the fact that the Kafarans retreated the area after they’d accidentally detonated the device? Do you think there’s anything behind that?”
Melissa stood and began pacing the room. “Are you asking me if I think my father was lying?”
“No, not at all. I’m just wondering if your research into the Kafarans would help prove any of that.”
She folded her arms and began stepping around the room once more. “I’m afraid my knowledge of Kafaran culture is extremely limited. I don’t think I’m qualified to give a good answer.”
Shawn could see that she had put her professional visage back up. “Come on, now. This is us, being honest with one another, remember? Let’s agree to drop the special investigator pretense and you offer me your best guess. What’s your unofficial opinion?”
She sighed heavily and stopped her pacing. “Well, if I had to wager a guess—which I’m completely uncomfortable doing—I’d say that it’s entirely probable. Although Kafarans have revealed themselves to be vicious killers, they have—on occasion—displayed considerable evidence of higher intelligence and adaptability.”
Shawn nodded. “I’d agree with that. You’d have to have both in order to pilot a star fighter, and I’ve been up against my share of what I would consider Kafaran ace pilots in my time.”
“But you made it out alive. So you were able to beat them?”
Shawn smiled. “No, not always. Sometimes it was more of a draw, like when opposing forces regroup to redraw their battle lines. Other times I barely escaped by the skin of my teeth, although I can say that they never retreated when they were outnumbered, only when they were outmatched.”
Melissa gave him a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that, during the war, even when the numbers were clearly in our favor, they never gave up and retreated. The only time I ever saw Kafarans tuck tail and run was when we clearly had more firepower. I once saw a single Kafaran deck fighter take on a whole wing of USC interceptors. Although the Kafaran was easily outnumbered, his craft was no more or less powerful than the Sector Command interceptors. Numbers didn’t seem to matter to him. On the other hand, I’ve seen two Kafaran frigates flee a star system as soon as a pair of USC cruisers entered their weapons range. Heck, they didn’t even offer a fight. They simply turned and left.”
“Interesting.” She contemplated the information, processing it in her mind before she sat back down at his side. “So, if our theory is sound, it makes sense why the Kafarans would flee the system after witnessing the destruction.”
“In what way?”
“Well, if they felt we’d developed some sort of superweapon, one they had no defense against, they would probably retreat—or at least, they’d regroup—while they weighed their options.”
Shawn nodded in understanding. “Brave, but not stupid.”
“Exactly. And that’s when the Sector Command forces found them. The Kafarans probably didn’t even put up a fight before our forces destroyed them. They may not even have fought when they were being attacked.”
“If that’s true—if our forces willingly attacked a retreating foe—then Sector Command would be guilty of violating about a dozen statues of Unified law.”
Melissa held up a finger, giving a devil’s advocate stance to Shawn’s line of reasoning. “Ah, but Sector Command believed the Kafarans had destroyed the population of an entire planet. In their eyes, the enemy needed to be eliminated.”
“It makes for a convincing cover for their secret weapons program,” Shawn said. With a nod from Melissa, he continued. “Sector Command can say anything they want to safeguard the secrecy of the project, just as long as there’s a head to place on a pike somewhere.”
“A disturbing analogy,
but I’d say it was essentially correct,” she agreed. “The OSI helps them cook up a story, and the planet is sealed off from all outsiders.”
“Okay, so where are all the intrusion detection satellites, and why do we suddenly get the green light to fly here and go down to the planet’s surface?”
“Good question. Want to hear another guess?”
Shawn smiled. “Two in one conversation? That’s a new record.”
“I’m breaking new ground,” she smiled back half-heartedly. “So my father gets sent out here to retrieve the details of the weapon program, but he goes missing. Thus, they send out a fleet in response.”
“But not to recover him.”
She shrugged. “On this train of thought we’re on, I’d agree only in part. Finding him was probably a secondary concern.”
“They want the secret weapon information.”
Melissa smirked. “Yep.”
“Because the Kafarans are rearming?”
“Possibly. It’s also very likely that the Kafarans aren’t rearming at all, and the OSI and Sector Command have cooked up this whole thing just to get their hands on the weapon.”
Shawn let out an exasperated sigh. “That’d be a big stretch.”
“But a necessary one if they want to keep this program a secret. Remember, Cal Vross has been here on several occasions and he wasn’t challenged a single time. He looted countless weapons from the surface before the OSI located him.”
“And he doesn’t have the skill to remove or deactivate the satellites.”
“Exactly. And, speaking of Vross, do you remember when I scanned him back on Darus Station?”
Shawn narrowed his eyes. “Vaguely.”
“Well, I took those readings, as well as the scan I took of the charred pulse rifles, down to the molecular biology lab after we got back. The results came back a few days ago. Want to know what they said?”
Shawn nodded silently.
“The readings show an anomaly in his genetic makeup, a type never before seen. It was also on the weapons he’d looted, but in substantially less quantities.”
“What kind of anomaly?”
“The same kind I got when I scanned the crater at Delta Base, and I’m speculating that we’ll get something similar from the samples of remains Raven acquired.”
Shawn brought a hand to his mouth and rubbed it slowly as he pondered. “Epsilon-6?”
“That’s what I’m thinking. I won’t know for certain until I get a viable sample to compare it to.”
Shawn tilted his head back and scratched at his throat. There were so many questions running through his mind, he found it difficult to pick one. “Okay, so, assuming we’re right on track, who has the ability to disable the orbiting satellites we failed to find? The Kafarans?”
She shook her head. “No. The satellites’ sensors were specially encoded to scan for Kafaran emissions, which are unique to their vessels, as well as those of anyone who aligned themselves with them during the war. If any of them had come within five thousand miles of the planet, Sector Command would have known about it in less time than it takes to make a peanut butter sandwich.”
“Then who?” Shawn said, both hands raised. “Not Sector Command itself?”
Melissa nodded. “And not the OSI. These satellites weren’t simply deactivated and then turned back on when whoever was finished with the planet. Even if they would’ve worked together to do it, Sector Command and the OSI couldn’t have easily done it. No, those satellites are gone. Someone not only neutralized them without being detected, they also stole them as well.”
“Why would someone want to steal a bunch of satellites?” Shawn asked in bewilderment.
Melissa could only offer a shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine. If we assume that the Kafarans aren’t rearming as well, why would Sector Command want to get their hands back on this weapon? From all we’ve seen, I think it’d be better off buried—both for the sake of peace, and the stability of the Unified government.”
Kestrel’s stomach began to grumble in dissatisfaction, and he was reminded of the second reason he had come down to Melissa Graves’ cabin. He walked over to the food cart and withdrew the dinner the yeoman had brought them earlier.
“Just put them in the oven for a few seconds,” Melissa said.
“What? You have an oven in here, too?”
Melissa frowned and pointed to the appliance, which was built into a small alcove near the table. As Shawn placed the two food trays inside, the all-too-familiar female voice of the computer spoke up.
“Food item accepted. Please state the cooking duration and temperature.”
“Sixty seconds at three hundred fifty degrees, please.”
There was a cursory beep from the machine, followed by an unnerving buzz. “This appliance is coded to the cabin of Agent Melissa Graves. You are not authorized to use this appliance, and your presence in her cabin without her knowledge constitutes a breach of security. Security will be notified. Please remain where you are.”
Shawn turned to the compartment door in time to see the indicator beside it turn to amber, signifying that the door was now magnetically locked. He spun around and leaned his face closer to the appliance. “I didn’t break in here so I could bake some cookies, you lousy hunk of tin!”
“Irrelevant, Lieutenant Commander Kestrel. Security is being notified of your breach.”
Melissa chuckled and walked toward the oven, placing a gentle hand on Shawn’s shoulder as she approached. “Sorry,” she whispered into his ear. “Computer, disregard the notification to security, please.”
“Agent Graves, there is an unauthorized presence in your cabin,” the contraption chimed happily.
“I’m aware of that, computer.”
“Has Lieutenant Commander Kestrel been neutralized?” the female voice chimed.
“You see,” Shawn exclaimed, looking at Melissa but pointing at the machine. “This is what I have to deal with when it comes to these computers.”
“Funny,” she replied pensively. “I never seem to have any problems. It must be your way with women.”
“Ha-ha.”
“Computer,” Melissa began warmly while placing a loving hand on the top of the oven. “Lieutenant Commander Kestrel is authorized to be in my cabin at all times, whether I am here or not.”
“Really?” Shawn asked in surprise.
“Confirm?” the computer responded, apparently just as perplexed.
“Yes,” Melissa said as she turned to face Shawn. “Really. Besides, Commander Kestrel is quite harmless.”
With a series of beeps, the computer assimilated the information. “Confirmed. So noted in the database,” it said. “Ready for query.”
Shawn gave the computerized oven a look of annoyance, not sure of which part of Melissa’s statement the computer was affirming.
Melissa smiled at his expression. “Run the last command given by Commander Kestrel.”
The computer ran the programming sequence for the oven just as Shawn had requested, and set the computer for sixty seconds, more than enough time to reheat their meals. A minute later, the door slid open and Shawn withdrew the steaming food trays, then placed them on the table.
“You see,” she started. “It’s not that hard to get the computer to do what you want.”
Shawn shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I refuse to pander to a computer just so it will take orders. And I’m sure as heck not going to caress it lovingly so it will listen.”
When the two were seated at the table, Melissa reached for her glass, but was stopped in midmotion by Shawn clearing his throat.
“Would you mind terribly if I said grace?”
Melissa smiled. “I think, all things considered, that would be…lovely.”
Shawn said a word of prayer, not only for them, but for the lives lost on Second Earth. When he was finished, they eagerly began eating.
“You know,” Shawn began with a mouth half full of food a minute into their meal. “
I don’t see the Kafarans stealing them. The orbiting satellites, I mean.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They would just as soon destroy them than take them out of the system, assuming they could get close enough to do so without being detected.”
“You’re suggesting they have some type of cloaking technology?” The words sounded a lot less ridiculous than she thought they would, and Shawn seemed to ponder them seriously before grinning.
“Okay, now you’re delving into pure fantasy. The ability to hide an entire ship from normal sensors goes against the laws of physics.”
“So did interstellar jumping two hundred years ago,” she pointed out matter-of-factly.
“No disrespect, but don’t go getting all crazy-lady on me again. Let’s try to keep this conversation somewhat rooted in reality.”
Melissa put down her fork and folded her hands on the tabletop. “Okay. Then what, Mister Smarty-Pants?”
Shawn put another forkful of meat into his mouth. “Maybe something as simple as a sensor jammer. If they had the right frequency, they could probably do it.”
Melissa shook her head as she scooped up a forkful of corn. “Each of the satellites operates on a different modulation to prevent such an overt attack.”
“My point exactly. Maybe this is some new weapon that could jam the whole lot of them at once.”
She looked at him dubiously. “You’re talking about a signal that could circumnavigate the globe in a matter of picoseconds. That seems about as unlikely as a cloaking device.”
“You’re the one who dove headfirst into fantasyland in the first place.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes—and the water was so warm you came in right after me.”
“Touché.” He grabbed another forkful, this time of mashed potatoes, and stuck it in his mouth.
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