“I don’t understand. I’m certain I’ve never met this agent before.”
Martell nodded. “Which makes this all the more interesting. We’re not sure why Katashi’s made the request, especially since he’s never done something like this before. Again, we won’t know until you find him.”
Angelika nodded, her mind racing with questions that these men couldn’t—or wouldn’t—answer. “I’ll arrange for transportation right away.”
“We’ve already taken the liberty,” Travis said. “There’s a high-speed freighter parked in the lower hangar levels of this station. The pilot is one of ours. He’ll take you to the Tabor system, and he’ll make sure you get planetside on Concordia. From there, it’ll be up to you.”
“What about my cover story?”
Martell straightened in his chair. “Nothing fancy or extravagant. You’ll be going in as an out-of-work ore-processing technician looking for employment. You have demolition expertise, and your record will show that you have a history of petty theft.”
“So, no brioche this time?”
Martell smiled. “I’m afraid not. But look on the bright side: there aren’t any foreign diplomats, either. Your record should be convincing enough to let you move about freely without drawing too much attention to yourself.”
“What about Katashi? What is his cover?”
“We honestly don’t know. He didn’t say. All he said was that he’d find you.”
“He’ll find me,” she repeated in disbelief. “On the whole of the planet?”
“Our best guess is that he’s in the largest population center, the city of Salias. That’s where I suggest you start.”
She had her assignment, her contact, and her transportation. Her experience told her the briefing was coming to a close, though for the first time in a long time she felt she was going into an operation with only half the facts. She nodded silently at Martell.
“Are there any other questions?”
“No, sir.”
“Good. A specialist from Technical Services is waiting out in the passageway for you. He’ll make sure that any equipment you need is sent down to the ore shuttle. I’ve also taken the liberty of encoding all your mission files onto this data card,” he said, and then pressed a button on the tabletop. Directly in front of Angelika, a black and silver card slid up from an unseen alcove. She withdrew it and immediately put it into her jacket pocket.
“Notify us the moment you make contact with Katashi,” Travis said. “We may have more information for you at that time.”
Angelika looked at the Director, wondering if he had anything further to say on the matter. When she was greeted with silence, she knew there was nothing to be said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Then that’s all. You’re dismissed, Agent Jordan. Good luck.”
Chapter 6
Divided evenly between a metal carrying case and a shoulder bag, Angelika’s equipment was still cumbersome and heavy. Thankfully, at any given time, she wouldn’t need to carry it all at once. The only problem was going to be getting it all down to her waiting transport without pulling a muscle. Half an hour after leaving her briefing, she arrived at her destination. As the doors at the entrance to Canis-Seven’s cargo bay parted, she was greeted with the sight of her ample transport.
The craft was typical of its designation as a light freighter. A cross-sectional view would show an overall hexagonal shape, rounded at the rear, and tapering to a blunt point at the front where the flight control deck was located. Slung low on each side of the craft, and taking up nearly three-quarters of the freighter’s length, were the two cylindrical jump drive engines. At two hundred feet long, it was the smallest ship that could be classified as a transport in the Sector Command fleet, with everything smaller being categorized as a shuttle. The insect-like freighter was the lone ship in this part of the otherwise busy cargo area, parked in an unobtrusive corner and held aloft by its six multi-jointed landing legs. Designed for a crew of four, the bulk of the craft was dedicated to cargo, which was currently being loaded into the rear of the freighter.
Angelika hefted her bag, then stepped over to a crewman who was supervising the loading. As she neared the squat, three-legged Polysaurian, he turned and nodded at her.
“Agent Jordan?”
“That’s right.”
The neurotoxin-tipped quills on his cheeks fanned backward as the man reached up with one of his three hands and tipped his well-worn ball cap in her direction. “I’m Commander Faroni, captain of the Manamara.” There was a distinct note of pride in the captain’s voice as he inclined his head toward the vessel. “As you can see, she’s an Oracle class-three cargo freighter, but she’s been specially modified for the OSI.”
A second crewman, another multi-limbed Polysaurian, shuffled down the cargo ramp toward the two. He held out a computer tablet for the captain’s inspection.
Faroni took the tablet with one hand, scratched his cheek with another, and waved the third at the new arrival. “This is my first officer. He’ll be more than happy to take your equipment on board, won’t you Lieutenant?”
“Yes, sir!” The lieutenant reached out one hand to grasp Angelika’s metallic carrying case, then slung her satchel over his right shoulder. He turned and sauntered up the ramp. As the first officer disappeared into the bowels of the ship, Angelika turned her attention back to the captain.
“You said the ship has been modified by the OSI?”
Faroni withdrew a half-smoked cigar from a breast pocket, lit it, and nodded. “That’s right.”
“In what way?”
“The sensor palettes have been upgraded,” Faroni said with pride, taking the cigar from his mouth and waving it toward the ship like a pointing device. “They giving us both a wider field of view and more detailed scans…easily twice that of an unmodified model. Also, these freighters are unarmed, but this model has a pair of particle cannons hidden behind the secondary sensor array…entirely undetectable by any type of scans I’ve ever come in contact with. The Manamara also has upgraded maneuvering engines and an improved jump drive core, which helps when we need a fast getaway. Of course, there’s a double-thick layer of LKC in the hull which shields us from the core’s radiation.”
LKC? Angelika was sure she’d heard the term before, but couldn’t exactly place it. “Are we almost ready for departure, Captain?”
“Just about,” Faroni said with a slight nod, then turned to watch as a particularly large excavator hovered in the Manamara’s hold.
Angelika took note of the machine, then watched as Faroni’s stubby fingers entered some figures into a data tablet. “What’s the cargo?” she asked.
“We’re loading the last of the supplies now. I understand the Concordians mine for gold, silver, iron, platinum…typical low-value stuff. We’ve packed away a few things…heavy mining equipment, ore-sampling computers, drills, a survey skimmer, robotic sifters, and the like. It should help to reinforce your cover story that you’re an out-of-work prospector.” He watched as a heavy laser drill was loaded into the Manamara’s hold before he turned back to her. “Say, do you have any idea how to use this stuff?”
Angelika smirked. “I have about sixteen hours to learn.”
Faroni adjusted his ball cap. “If you’re referring to our travel time to the Torval system, I have some rather bad news: less than an hour ago, a star went nova near the Epsilon Tiranan nebula.”
“Without any warning,” Angelika breathed. “What happened?”
The captain shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure. Thirty minutes ago, every ship in beta sector had their navigational computers updated. Due to heightened radiation and spatial concerns, I’ve had to modify our course. As a result, our travel time has increased to a little over twenty hours.”
Her mission timetable would have to be adjusted, but only marginally so. Nonetheless, the revelation that a star had suddenly gone nova was enough to put anyone on edge. Something of this magnitude, especially
an event that happened well within the boundaries of Unified space, was easily detected many years in advance. “I understand, Captain. If there’s one constant in the universe, it’s the unpredictability of things.”
Faroni took a log drag from his cigar. “You got that right, Agent Jordan.”
“I much prefer Angelika,” she said with a smile.
“Elasi,” the captain replied with a kind smile. “But everyone just calls me Captain. Not that I like formality, but I do enjoy the sound of it. Worked my way up from a deckhand on a battleship, you understand. I’m retired now…mostly, but it’s the principle of the thing. You understand, of course.”
“Of course, Captain.”
Elasi removed his ball cap, then scratched at the tuft of quills on his scalp. “Then again, I always liked the sound of my name coming from a beautiful woman, too.”
Angelika smiled at the compliment.
“We’ll just keep the first names between us, okay?” the captain whispered, then winked one dark eye. “Don’t want the rest of the crew thinking they get the same liberties as their captain. It’s the principle of the thing, you know.”
Angelika likewise lowered her voice and winked. “That’s why you’re the captain, Elasi.”
Captain Faroni’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “Yes, I am. And as the captain, I’m ordering you to get on board. We’ll be ready for takeoff in less than ten minutes. Best to strap in and get comfortable.”
Angelika nodded congenially at the Polysaurian, then strode up the non-skid surface of the ramp. Once through the cargo hold, she found the accommodations in the passenger compartment to be extremely agreeable. Settling into a gray padded chair with a warm cup of coffee and her computer tablet, she began studying her mission files in preparation for her cover story.
* * *
Eighteen hours later, the Manamara traversed the last of three jump gates on her journey to the Torval system. Noting they were still over an hour out by Captain Faroni’s estimation, Angelika took the time to go back to her stateroom to change into her role as an out-of-work miner. She’d been back there only once during the journey, time enough to take a quick nap six hours after they’d left Canis-Seven. Now she showered and donned her mission attire: a set of loose-fitting work coveralls and vest over a tight-fitting armored bodysuit.
Opening the metallic suitcase she’d brought with her, Angelika withdrew a few small devices that had often come in handy while undercover. First was the thumb-sized ultrasonic lock deactivator, useful for opening anything but the most secured compartments. She retrieved a small set of vials, one containing a highly corrosive acid, the other holding the neutralizing agent. Next was the pen-sized microwelder, which she commonly used for fusing the internals of sensitive electronic devices. Opening a small pouch, she withdrew a small pair of stud earrings, which doubled as a long-range transceivers, and placed them on.
Flipping open a top flap on the case, she withdrew a portable scanner about the size of her ID card. The device, capable of scanning the mineral compounds of most objects, also had a small proximity radar built in, able to scan a variety of life-forms within a two-hundred-foot radius and display the results on the two-inch screen.
Finally she slipped out her sidearm, a small pistol equipped to shoot both concussive and micro-explosive rounds. Checking that the weapon was fully charged and the safety was on, she concealed it in the folds of her vest, making sure she could withdraw it at a moment’s notice.
As she reached for her cup of coffee, the Manamara’s internal communication systems came online with a pleasant beep. “Attention,” the captain’s voice boomed. “Attention: we’ll be arriving in the Torval system in less than ten minutes. All hands to the ready.”
Two minutes later, the doors to the ship’s control deck parted, and Angelika was admitted to the compartment with a nod from the ship’s first officer. At the front of the room, wrapping from one bulkhead to the other, was an unbroken five-foot-wide view port, showing a stunning vista of stars ahead of the small freighter. To Angelika’s right, a third Polysaurian crewman was seated at another station—probably communications. There were beeps, blips, and whirs of noises coming from everywhere, but they were hushed enough not to be a distraction. Seeing that the captain was seated just above and to the right of the helmsman’s station in the center of the space, she stepped over to his chair and placed a gentle hand on the armrest.
“What’s the word, Elasi?” she whispered.
“We might have trouble. The ship was pinged by two frigates while we were still ten thousand miles out.”
“Pirates?”
The captain’s only response was a distasteful grunt.
“They’re in visual range now, Captain,” the first officer called up from the helm station.
“Overlay the sensor image onto the forward view port and magnify, please.”
The forward view port shimmered, as if it were covered in a momentary layer of static electricity. What had once been an unobstructed view of the stars was now broken with two oddly-shaped vessels that appeared to be on an intercept course with the Manamara. A moment later, the lieutenant confirmed that suspicion.
“They’ve altered course, sir. Now heading two-three-five mark seven.”
The captain sighed. “Directly toward us.”
The two vessels on the screen became more defined the closer they got. The central body was egg-shaped, coming to a sharp point near the bow. At the rear of the craft, two sweeping winglike structures pointed down and forward, each ending in a tube-shaped jump drive module. Angelika had seen similar designs before, in use by both the Temkorians and the Framoliens, but those ships had been decades old. By the pitting and patchworked exterior hull plates of these two, they looked even older.
“What’s the armament of those vessels, Lieutenant?” Captain Faroni asked of his sensor officer.
The quills on the crown of the younger Polysaurian’ s head fanned up slightly as he read the screen as it was presented to him. “Reading forward and aft firing lasers on each, sir. It also looks like they have some kind of turret mounted on the ventral side, but I can’t get an exact reading on it.”
Captain Faroni rubbed absently at his chin. “Speculate then, Mister.”
“My guess would be particle cannons of some sort.”
Angelika felt her pulse quicken. “What do we do now?”
Faroni’s eyes were locked on the screen. “We can’t fight them. At least, not with any hope of winning. We can’t flee, either. If they decide to give chase, they have us in less than five minutes. If they choose to board us, we’ve got some pulse rifles and hand pistols in the storage locker behind you. But those ships can hold up to twenty men each. Again, we wouldn’t stand a chance. There’s very little cover in this old gal.”
Angelika looked around and quickly agreed with Captain Faroni’s observation.
“So,” he continued with a deep inhale. “We do the only thing available to us. We give them a call, and hope to hell they’re in a good mood.” He flicked a wrist toward the first officer, in what Angelika assumed was a signal for the lieutenant to open the communications channel. A moment later, a string of chirps sounded throughout the command deck.
“Signal acknowledged from the lead vessel. Channel is now open, sir,” said the first officer.
“Greetings, friends,” Faroni said with jubilation. “This is Captain Elasi Faroni on board the freighter Manamara. Who do we have the pleasure of addressing?”
“I am Ortman, commander of the interceptor Valkor. State your business in this system, Captain.”
Nodding, Faroni outstretched two of his arms, as if he were offering an expansive hug to the guttural, disembodied voice. “Simple transport, Commander Ortman.”
“State your cargo and destination.”
“Mining equipment and supplies for Concordia, and one passenger.”
A distasteful grunt came through the speaker. “Transmit your complete manifest and all records for t
his…passenger.”
Faroni looked at Angelika. “Now we see if your cover holds up,” he whispered. He then turned his attention back to the open channel, giving Lieutenant Capone the signal to transmit the information. “It’s on its way.”
“Standby, Manamara. If the slightest deception is uncovered in your paperwork, we will board you and take what we require by force. Do not attempt to maneuver away from your current position or we will open fire.”
“Understood.” Faroni then signaled to mute the channel. “Hopefully this won’t take long.”
Angelika nodded in silent agreement. Nonetheless, she reached into her vest and withdrew her sidearm, flipping the safety switch to full-auto. Faroni smiled at her, reaching under the cushion of his seat and slipping out his own sidearm, an angular, large-caliber weapon likely capable of blowing unusually large holes in whatever it was fired at.
“I keep this handy…for special occasions.”
Angelika gave the captain a half-smirk. “I don’t doubt it.”
The lieutenant at the sensor console spoke up in a muted tone. “Captain, we’re being scanned.”
“Can you identify the type?”
Angelika stepped to the sensor console and looked over the young man’s shoulder at the display. It was showing a top-down view of the Manamara, with waves of green and yellow passing from bow to stern as the pirate vessel attempted deeper and deeper scans. When the scans focused on the bow of the ship, directly where the laser cannons were concealed, Angelika subconsciously gripped the back of the lieutenant’s seat harder. She looked to the young man and noticed a blanket of sweat covering his brow.
As quickly as they had begun, the colorful scans stopped.
“Did they find the weapons?” she asked nervously.
The lieutenant licked his lips as his eyes scanned the numeric readout. “It’s impossible to say.”
“Signal coming back in from the Valkor, Captain,” the first officer piped in.
Traitor Winds - Kestrel Saga: Vol. 0 (Kestrel Saga - Origins) Page 7