Chapter 10. Cornucopia to Polaris 0730, 8 September
Charles was sitting up in bed free of the head brace. His ear was still bandaged but he felt no pain. He was waiting for Doctor Li to do her rounds.
“You’re looking a lot better this morning Commander” she said with a smile.
“I feel a lot better…thanks to you.”
“Our pleasure. I’ll just check that ear of yours.”
Charles was more than pleased to have her peel away the bandage. He did wince when she touched his ear to clean away some discharge but really he didn’t mind.
She began putting on a new dressing and said “Looks good. Good enough I reckon for you to be discharged. You’ll still have to wear the bandage for a while yet though. You’ll have to come here each day for the next week and have the dressing changed.”
“No problems with that” said Charles. “Do I see you?”
“One of the nurses will handle that.”
“I’d prefer if you did it” said Charles. He had a warm smile as she studied him.
“I can probably manage the first one” she said. “0700 tomorrow OK?”
Charles beamed. “0700. I’ll be there.”
Chapter 11. Kiev to Q2 0800, 8 September
Phil arrived in his office feeling tired. He hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. The news from Evie and Julian had taken its toll and he had found it difficult to stop worrying about it all. There was reluctance in his action to fire up his terminal.
Another priority message, this time from Dave, made him swallow hard. ‘Bad news often comes in threes’ he thought. He opened the signal and as though someone had turned on a switch, he felt a surge of renewed energy course through his body. “You little ripper!” he said loud enough to catch his chief of staff and ops officers as they were about to enter their offices.
Alex and Rihan both entered Phil’s office. Phil was beaming. “You asked me about Dave’s rank before he left for Q2, remember?” Phil asked Rihan. She nodded, still not sure what this was all about. “Well he’s just earnt it. Look at this.”
As his subordinates were reading the signal Phil couldn’t help but say “Five enemy caps, three lights and a swag of fighters…no friendly ship losses. How’s that for a victory.”
Rihan smiled but she scanned down to friendly casualties and her heart skipped a beat when she read about the loss of John Conrad and Chad Preston. She had to sit down. She needed physical support.
“You knew them?” asked Phil.
She nodded and then added “Since the Hermes.”
“I’m sorry, but all things considered we got off lightly.”
“Yeah, I suppose…” Rihan could still see John’s smiling face above the battle system’s station in the Resolute’s command centre and Chad’s boyish grin in the Hermes hangar. While Alex and Phil talked about the report she found herself thinking that from an objective viewpoint this would have been joyous news but from her subjective perspective it was a bitter pill.
“You OK Rihan?” asked Alex. She looked up at him unable to frame a response.
“Why don’t you take a break Rihan” suggested Phil.
She nodded, stood up and walked out. She took the elevator down to H deck where she could walk and not run into anyone. As she did so, she came to the realisation that for the last eighteen months she had experienced a series of personal losses. It had all begun when the war broke out and she lost both her parents in the first nuclear strike on New Hammersley. Since then it had been one friend after another, not to mention her unborn child on Klaster and now John and Chad.
‘What are the odds?’ she asked herself but she already knew that the odds of her getting through this war without further personal loss were small. Most of the people dear to her were in the fleet and not just in the fleet but in the vanguard.
‘Pull yourself together Rihan’ she scolded herself. ‘You’ll go barking mad thinking about that.’ She thought of Dave and wished she was in his arms right now. A smile crossed her lips as she thought how he would tell her to pull up her socks.
She about-turned and headed back up to her office.
Chapter 12. Slidwon, Istridium 0830, 8 September
The newly appointed Director of the Rogan Foreign Intelligence Agency (FIA), Raitah Pratin, sat down at her desk in the luxuriously appointed suite atop the FIA HQ building. She inclined her head with its extended cranium and cast her up and outwardly angled dark green eyes around the room. She had always admired this office. She had been forced to gloat for some time before she could finally claim it in her own right.
It had been just on a month now since she had staged the coup against her former boss. It had been engineered to perfection and now she was overseeing an even bigger coup on behalf of the First Consul, Emilius Quazor. It wasn’t because she liked the First Consul, far from it. But she did admire him. They were cut from the same cloth and enjoyed the same ruthless streak. One day there would be a reckoning but for now she was content to be his instrument for the consolidation of total power.
Agents had been despatched to sound out support with key political, economic and, most important of all, military leaders. Her hit list had been approved by the First Consul and it was of necessity a long list. Coordinating the simultaneous decapitation of powerful figures across the entire empire was a herculean undertaking, made more complicated by the need for absolute secrecy.
Military forces had to be redeployed without raising suspicions. She had found that most of their best forces were at the far flung reaches of the empire subjugating the conquered realms. One of the most alarming things she had discovered was just how few ground and fleet units were stationed in the home worlds. Thirty years of continual expansion had of necessity dispersed their forces.
Gone was the second combined fleet lost by that traitor Sallusam in the debacle over Polaris. Why he had so recklessly squandered the empire’s reserve against the humans was of little concern to her. It was history now and they were still paying the price for it.
She winced as she thought about the need to recall Agent Torine. She had been that close to executing rogan justice on ex-Admiral Meeka Sallusam. He would eventually be tracked down. Right now she had more pressing objectives for Agent Torine. Technically Torine worked for the Internal Security Service (ISS). But the First Consul had first call on her services and she was scheduled to arrive for a meeting with Raitah in half an hour.
Raitah tapped the control on her terminal and a list of messages appeared.
One of the first things she did on taking over was to insist on proper prioritisation of messages. She was determined to put an end to the long list of FLASH messages that she had to wade through each morning. Sacking the station chief on Flaxor over the issue did the trick and since then she had not received one FLASH message at all – until now.
‘This had better be good’ she said to herself. It was from Frino Maligus, a normally reliable agent she had sent to Cheklin to ensure the home world would stay in the fold when the coup was enacted. She opened it and read it. As she did she began rubbing her hands and a big smile came over face. ‘Looks like treason, smells like treason…must be treason’ she said to herself and then added out loud “Oh you’ve just made it so much easier Angina!”
Angina Slirinus was the Director of the ISS and was on the First Consul’s hit list. Frino had spotted her at the Lewista spaceport on his arrival and using his initiative kept the ISS Director under discreet surveillance. His natural suspicions were rewarded when he discovered that Angina had met with the outlawed Resistance leader, Meelanda Orocash.
Raitah leaned back in her chair and swivelled around while focussed on the ceiling wondering whether to pick Angina up now or wait. Then a thought occurred to her ‘What would have prompted you to do this?’ She stood up, walked to the wall of windows, turned and began pacing back and forth along the window wall. She ignored the view that any private corporation executive would have given their eye teeth for. Her focus w
as light years away.
She stopped abruptly. “She knows” she said out loud. “She bloody well knows….But how?” More pacing. Then she stopped. “Either we’ve been betrayed or she has intercepted our communications somehow.” More pacing. She stopped, looked out, saw nothing but realised a lot more. With her hands on her hips she felt sure about her conclusion. “It doesn’t matter… I can use this to my advantage.”
She went back to her desk and hailed her assistant “I need to see the First Consul NOW.” She terminated the call. With her head tilted slightly back she thought about all the things that would not be ready now that they had to bring things forward.
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The story continues.
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Table of Contents
Part 1 Penetration
Chapter 1. Beijing, Earth 1910, 5 July 2513
Chapter 2. Nova Vista, Polaris 1800, 5 July
Chapter 3. Nova Vista 2240, 5 July
Chapter 4. Nova Vista 1115, 7 July
Chapter 5. Konkorda to Qwantum 1300, 23 July
Chapter 6. Konkorda Pod 2 in Qwantum, 2000, 25 July
Chapter 7. Resolute over Chelora 2300, 1 August
Chapter 8. Phantom to Sturam 0200, 2 August
Chapter 9. Kiev over Chelora 1720, 2 August
Chapter 10. Resolute over Chelora 1830, 2 August
Chapter 11. Resolute over Chelora 0145, 2 August
Chapter 12. Maelstrom over Chelora 0930, 3 August
Chapter 13. Kiev over Chelora 1315, 3 August
Chapter 14. Resolute over Chelora 0200 4 August
Chapter 15. Slidwon, Istridium 0740, 4 August
Chapter 16. Resolute over Chelora 0920, 4 August
Chapter 17. Slidwon, Istridium 1600, 4 August
Chapter 18. Resolute over Chelora 1640, 4 August
Chapter 19. Slidwon, Istridium 1030, 5 August
Chapter 20. Dregun shuttle over Cheklin 2012, 5 August
Chapter 21. Lewista, Cheklin 0845, 6 August
Chapter 22. Dorntum, Cheklin 1300, 6 August
Chapter 23. Phantom in Qwantum 1500, 6 August
Chapter 24. Raihma, Istridium 1150, 7 August
Chapter 25. Washington DC, Earth 2105, 7 August
Chapter 26. Slidwon, Istridium 2220, 7 August
Chapter 27. Resolute to Qwantum 1515, 8 August
Chapter 28. Umbrol Shuttle over Cheklin 1000, 10 August
Chapter 29. Phantom to Sturam 1400, 10 August
Chapter 30. Beijing, Earth 1500, 10 August
Chapter 31. Phantom to Sturam 1600, 10 August
Chapter 32. Phantom to Sturam 0900, 11 August
Chapter 33. Resolute to Qwantum 1600, 11 August
Chapter 34. Maelstrom over Chelora 1630, 11 August
Chapter 35. Kiev over Chelora 1700, 11 August.
Chapter 36. Kiev over Chelora 0930, 12 August
Chapter 37. Dyritka 1340, 12 August
Chapter 38. Resolute to Qwantum 1730, 12 August
Part 2 Into the Unknown
Chapter 1. Resolute to Qwantum 0520, 13 August
Chapter 2. Konkorda Pod 2 in Qwantum 1100, 13 August
Chapter 3. Resolute in Qwantum 1120, 13 August
Chapter 4. Phantom in warp to Sturam 1145, 13 August
Chapter 5. Resolute in Qwantum 1255, 13 August
Chapter 6. Phantom in Sturam 1400, 13 August
Chapter 7. Resolute in Qwantum 1410, 13 August
Chapter 8. Resolute in Qwantum 1800, 13 August
Chapter 9. Phantom in Sturam 2000, 13 August
Chapter 10. Resolute in Qwantum 2230, 13 August
Chapter 11. Slidwon, Istridium 2330, 13 August
Chapter 12. Whiskey 7 to Lewista 0200, 14 August
Chapter 13. Dyritka 0530, 14 August
Chapter 14. Lewista 0600, 14 August
Chapter 15. Resolute in Qwantum 0640, 14 August
Chapter 16. Lewista 0700, 14 August
Chapter 17. Resolute in Qwantum 0730, 14 August
Chapter 18. Phantom over Cheklin 0800, 14 August
Chapter 19. Resolute in Qwantum 0820, 14 August
Chapter 20. Slidwon 0905, 14 August
Chapter 21. Lewista 1100, 14 August
Part 3 With Sword Held High
Chapter 1. Resolute to Q2 1150, 14 August
Chapter 2. Resolute over Q2, 1220, 14 August
Chapter 3. Resolute in Qwantum 1630, 14 August
Chapter 4. Resolute to Q2 1715, 14 August
Chapter 5. Lewista 1730, 14 August
Chapter 6. Resolute to Q2 1830, 14 August
Chapter 7. Lewista 1900, 14 August
Chapter 8. Resolute over Q2, 2050, 14 August
Chapter 9. Lewista 2115, 14 August
Chapter 10. Whiskey 1 over Q2, 2155, 14 August
Chapter 11. Portuscu Headland 2210, 14 August
Chapter 12. Rollinium 2330, 14 August
Chapter 13. Resolute over Q2, 2350, 14 August
Chapter 14. Rollinium 0040, 15 August
Chapter 15. Lewista 0530, 15 August
Chapter 16. Rollinium 0610, 15 August
Chapter 17. Lewista 0715, 15 August
Chapter 18. Rollinium 0730, 15 August
Chapter 19. Resolute over Q2 0950, 15 August
Chapter 20. Lewista 1015, 15 August
Chapter 21. Rollinium 1055, 15 August
Chapter 22. Phantom over Checklin 1200, 15 August
Chapter 23. Lewista 1305, 15 August
Chapter 24. Rollinium 1330, 15 August
Chapter 25. Dyritka 1400, 15 August
Chapter 26. Lewista 1500, 15 August
Chapter 27. Lewista 1530, 15 August
Chapter 28. Lewista 1600, 15 August
Chapter 29. Resolute over Q2 1805, 15 August
Chapter 30. Phantom over Cheklin 1920, 15 August
Chapter 31. Lewista 2000, 15 August
Chapter 32. Alpha 1, Cheklin 2315, 15 August
Chapter 33. Phantom to Chelora 0700, 16 August
Chapter 34. Rollinium 1100, 16 August
Chapter 35. Resolute to Chelora 1500, 16 August
Chapter 36. Washington DC 1100, 12 August
Part 4 Decisions, Decisions
Chapter 1. Lewista 0930, 17 August
Chapter 2. Spectre to Casaverie 1645, 17 August
Chapter 3. Raptor to Slintos 1940, 17 August
Chapter 4. Raihma, Istridium 1130, 18August
Chapter 5. Lewista 1830, 18 August
Chapter 6. Kiev over Chelora 1130, 19 August
Chapter 7. Slidwon 0500, 20 August
Chapter 8. Slidwon 1600, 20 August
Chapter 9. Lewista 1845, 20 August
Chapter 10. Dyritka 0730, 21August
Chapter 11. Slidwon 0830, 21 August
Chapter 12. Kiev over Chelora 0910, 21 August
Chapter 13. Rowisus 1000, 21 August
Chapter 14. Slidwon 0920, 22 August
Chapter 15. Chikita, Slemros 1100, 22 August
Chapter 16. Rowisus 2200, 22 August
Chapter 17. Chikita 2230, 22 August
Chapter 18. Rollinium 0900, 23 August
Chapter 19. Resolute to Chelora 0930, 23 August
Chapter 20. Muntikis 1100, 23 August
Chapter 21. Slidwon 1200, 23 August
Chapter 22. Chikita 1230, 23 August
Chapter 23. Spectre in Casaverie, 1700, 23 August
Chapter 24. Raptor in Slintos 1730, 23 August
Chapter 25. Resolute over Chelora 1950, 23 August
Chapter 26. Dyritka 0740, 24 August
Chapter 27. Resolute over Chelora 0805, 24 August
Chapter 28. Resolute over Chelora 1045, 24 August
Chapter 29. Rollinium 1100, 24 August
Chapter 30. Slidwon 1200, 24 A
ugust
Chapter 31. Rollinium 1415, 24 August
Chapter 32. Dyritka 1500, 24 August
Chapter 33. Kiev over Chelora 1730, 24 August
Chapter 34. Aspliar to Nilsun2 1745, 24 August
Chapter 35. Slidwon 2000, 24 August
Chapter 36. Resolute over Chelora 0730, 25 August
Chapter 37. Aspliar to Nilsun2 0745, 25 August
Chapter 38. Neeblo 0930, 25 August
Audacity (Warner's World Book 5) Page 43