Badger

by Kindal Debenham

  Jacob grunted. “Right. Which means we’re both clueless.”

  “Maybe one of us is at least.” Laurie’s voice took on that cautionary tone Jacob had learned to heed so many times before. “I just know he isn’t the kind of officer I’d let get too close. There’s too much risk there.” Then her words lightened again. “Although I guess I’m not the firebrand and troublemaker you are, Hull. You’d probably get away with it.”

  “Sure, Laurie.” He rolled his eyes. “And really? Me, a firebrand? I haven’t exactly been trying to tick anyone off lately.”

  “No, you just manage anyway.” Laurie’s words were full of wry derision, but Jacob had to admit there was truth to them. “You haven’t exactly been gentle on your fellow command level comrades, and their reaction to you shows. Take Captain Upshaw, for example. He hasn’t exactly been your best friend, from what Isaac tells me.”

  Jacob narrowed his eyes. “I have been doing my duty and facing the enemy, Laurie. I’ve never ordered an engagement when I did not have the best interests of the Union, and of our crews, at heart.”

  Laurie answered without hesitation; a hint of exasperation colored her tone. “I know that, Hull. Remember who you’re talking to here.” She paused. “But you should know what kind of reputation you’re already gathering. Even if the Odurans haven’t learned what to expect from you, the rest of the Navy already has. In a lot of people’s eyes, you’re a warhound, a rabble rouser. They would almost be disappointed not to see you charging directly at any Oduran or Telosian ship you see. Isaac tells me there’s even a betting pool on whether or not you’ll still have any ships left active by the end of the next six months.”

  Jacob shrugged uncomfortably. He decided a change of subject was needed. “So what do you think we’ve been called back? Does Central Command have an operation planned?”

  There was a short pause as the Countermeasures officer thought the question over. “I doubt it. The Navy doesn’t tend to push back into Oduran territory when they can avoid it. Their naval forces outnumber us by too much for us to risk moving against them.” She paused. “Besides, something tells me it would take more than a few dozen small raids along the border for Central Command to decide they had to strike back. They’ve been too worried about a disastrous counterstrike for years.”

  Jacob grunted. “Probably right. I guess I’ll just have to wait until we reach the Badger to find out.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Well, at the very least can you think of anything else that would sneak up and bite us when we get there?” His friend fell silent, and he wondered for a moment if the connection had been broken. “Laurie?”

  She grimaced. “You aren’t going to like it Hull.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve gotten used to hearing things I don’t like. Just go ahead and tell me.” When she continued to hesitate, he leaned toward the speaker. “Better to hear it from a friend than to have Upshaw spring it on me.”

  Laurie chuckled. “That’s true.” She still paused before she continued. “Well, you know who else might be waiting for us when we get to Badger.”

  Jacob shook his head. “Actually, I don’t. Why do you say that?”

  She fell silent again, and Jacob began to feel irritated. “Laurie, either you’re talking to me, or you aren’t. Who are you expecting to meet us on the Badger?”

  Laurie sighed. “Damn it, Jacob…” From her tone, he could picture her shaking her head. “You really are that clueless, aren’t you?”

  Jacob waited impatiently for her to get to the point. She sighed again. “Jacob, are you telling me that you really haven’t paid attention at all to where Naomi Al-shira has been posted lately?”

  The question caught him completely by surprise, and for a moment he lacked the words to respond. When he’d recovered enough, Jacob spoke hesitantly. “Al-shira’s on the Badger now? When did that happen?”

  She spoke softly, a sharp contrast to her previous tone. “A few months ago. When she was promoted to commander, there was an opening on the Badger’s staff for a new communications expert. She put in for the transfer and was accepted immediately, not surprising given her talents in the area.”

  “Yeah. Communication has always been a specialty of hers.” Jacob fell silent. He did not exactly relish the chance to see Al-shira again, not after the last conversation they’d had. Certainly not when Captain Upshaw and the others were standing nearby to get an earful of the whole thing. “Is there any chance that she’ll be transferred again before we get there?”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” The softness had fallen away from Laurie’s words, and Jacob winced. “Jacob, I don’t know exactly what went on between you two, but it’s past time you dealt with it. Commander Al-shira was one of your crew, and she didn’t let you down in Reefhome. It’d be an awful shame if she turned into an enemy just because you were too stubborn stupid to talk to her.”

  Jacob’s head snapped up, and he fixed his gaze on the speaker. When he spoke, his voice was cold. “That’s enough, Lieutenant Bellworth.” A surprised silence followed, and Jacob bulled onward before Laurie could recover from her surprise. “I appreciate your warning, and you know I welcome all kinds of suggestions, but this has nothing to do with tactics, our responsibilities as officers, or anything else I care to hear about at the moment. I’ve asked you to let it lie, and I would hope you would show the discretion necessary to respect my wishes. Have I made myself clear, Lieutenant?”

  There was a frigid silence for a moment, followed by Laurie’s brittle response. “Very clear, Captain Hull. I hope you will excuse me. I was merely concerned that there were problems ahead you didn’t know about. I am glad to see I was mistaken.”

  He winced at that tone. Nothing in it promised she would easily forget what he’d said, and he had a feeling that Isaac would be hearing about it sooner or later. Depending on how Laurie decided to explain it to her husband, he could expect anything from a minor prank to having to figure out where Isaac had transferred his savings account. If one thing was certain, it was not going to be pleasant. “Look, Laurie, I’m sorry. It’s just that between Flint and Upshaw and everyone else, the last thing I need is to be worrying about whatever Commander Al-shira’s going to do. You’re right that I will need to talk with her—and I will—but right now I have other things to take care of first.”

  Another long pause had Jacob wondering if she would respond. It was a relief when she spoke at last, and her words no longer held a frosty edge. “Alright, Hull. I won’t push on the Al-shira thing. As long as you say you’ll talk to her. You promise?”

  “I will, Laurie. As soon as I can. I promise.” Mentally, he promised himself that he would stay as busy as possible until Badger was left behind in Terrier’s wake. He continued, feeling slightly guilty about his deception, but what Laurie didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. “Is there anything else you need to warn me about?”

  Her voice came back hard. “You might want to consider how you’re treating your fellow officers, Hull. It’s going to hurt you eventually, if it hasn’t already, and the Navy needs you too much to lose you because you can’t learn how to keep your mouth shut when you need to.”

  He grunted, and his temper flared again. “It’s not my problem if an officer can’t work with me, Laurie. I am who I am.”

  When Laurie spoke, anger still smoldered in her words. “Stubborn, stupid spacer. Have you at least talked with Leon about this? He could probably tell you when you’re about to stick your finger in a power socket.”

  Jacob hesitated. “I don’t know if I would feel comfortable getting Commander Nivrosky in the middle of this. He’s already in an awkward enough position without me poking at him.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he won’t mind a little more awkwardness if it means he can put your mind at ease. Just don’t do anything else stupid until you talk to him first.”

  He frowned. “Laurie…”

  Her words took on a biting tone again. “Look, you put him in charge of a frigate
at Reefhome, and after that you were incredibly happy to have him under your command. If you trusted him then, shouldn’t you trust him now?”

  Despite his reluctance, Jacob could hear the sense in her words. He nodded. “I won’t do anything rash, Laurie. At the very least, I’ll be sure to talk with Ta—Commander Nivrosky first. You have my word.”

  “Good. I guess I’m done for now.” Her words grew softer for a moment. “Tell Isaac he had better behave himself. The man barely knows what to do when I’m not around.”

  “I’ll take care of him, Laurie. Don’t worry so much.”

  “You be sure to, Hull. I’ll hold you responsible. Lieutenant Laurie Bellworth, signing out.”

  Her transmission ended, leaving the room much quieter. Jacob shook his head and turned his attention back to the computer in his desk. He had more than enough to worry about without dealing with whatever Isaac was up to lately.

  Three days later, the Terrier was approaching the riftjump area for Gilean. Jacob had taken his position on the bridge and was waiting for Commander Flint to order the jump. Just as the crew prepared to leave the system, Captain Upshaw stormed onto the bridge, his face nearly purple with rage. He barely managed to choke out his words. “Captain Hull, I request your attention immediately.”

  Jacob studied him for a moment. With the ship about to jump, he would have been well within his rights to refuse, but Upshaw seemed almost on the edge of a heart attack out of pure rage. Much as Jacob did not like the man, the last thing he wanted was to ignore him when it was important. He nodded and stood up. “Commander Flint, you have the bridge. Captain Upshaw, if you would follow me to my office?”

  Upshaw visibly braced himself and walked through the doorway, cutting in front of Jacob as if to establish the fact that he was in charge. Jacob stiffened, then narrowed his eyes. Without a word, he followed Upshaw to the lift door and proceeded to ignore the lift entirely. He quietly stepped to one side and opened the door to the access ladder. He’d reached for the first rung of the ladder when Upshaw spoke again. “Captain Hull? What are you doing?”

  He turned to Upshaw and raised an eyebrow. “I will see you in my office, Captain Upshaw.”

  Upshaw’s face turned a darker shade of purple. “A real captain of the Celostian Navy would not use an access ladder to change decks. I would have expected more dignity of you, Captain Hull.”

  Jacob convinced himself to swallow a retort, only barely reminding himself of Laurie’s advice. He turned and started down the ladder, making sure to shut the door behind him. With a severe exercise of self-control, he managed to avoid swearing until he was halfway down.

  A brisk walk down the corridor brought Jacob to his office. He arranged one of the chairs for his guest and was seated by the time Captain Upshaw arrived. Upshaw did not bother to knock; he jerked the door open and stalked into the room, face still dark with rage. Jacob stood.

  “Captain Upshaw.”

  “You are the worst officer this fleet has ever seen. I am appalled at your undignified behavior.”

  Jacob breathed deep. He counted to ten as Upshaw continued to rage at him. Slowly, he let the air out. On his next breath, he spoke quietly and firmly. “Captain Upshaw.” The other officer spluttered to a halt. “Was there something I might have been able to help you with?”

  Upshaw snarled. “You know damn well what I came to talk to you about. I had hoped that even you would not have stooped so low.”

  He took another breath and released it. “Captain Upshaw, I have no idea what you are talking about. Could you please start from the beginning?”

  The other captain’s face grew even uglier. “So you’re not responsible for the intrusion in my quarters?” Jacob shook his head. He did not quite trust his voice at the moment.

  Upshaw continued, his voice relentless and determined. “My door has been forced open. My belongings were rifled through. I have not yet determined if anything is missing, but I expect my personal computer was tampered with. Information about the deployments of the Navy in the Tiredel system could have been compromised.”

  Jacob felt a chill. “Had you prepared a security measure? Some sort of camera that might have seen who entered your quarters?”

  “No.” The other officer’s hands clenched and unclenched. “Are you worried you and your confidants would end up on tape, Hull?”

  He glared at Upshaw. The situation was obviously serious beyond the grudge the man seemed so determined to hold. Files on patrol deployments were dangerous in the enemy’s hands, and the possibility that they had been stolen put the entire border could be at risk. “Captain Upshaw, I need to have the Marines collect evidence from your quarters. We need to determine the identity of these intruders immediately.”

  Upshaw blinked. He stared for a moment or two. Then a sarcastic smile sprouted on his lips. “Sure. So your precious personal friends can cover up any evidence there? Or find whatever you might have been looking for but missed? I don’t think so.”

  Jacob’s breath caught as his anger flared. “Captain Upshaw. Your opinion of me, and your apparent disregard for my abilities and integrity, can wait for another time.” Upshaw opened his mouth to interrupt, and Jacob raised a hand to cut him off. “This is important, Captain Upshaw. If the Telosians or the Odurans have managed to infiltrate our ship, we could very easily be in danger of a hijacking situation. Or worse.”

  The words completely silenced Upshaw. His face seemed to go from rage to confusion and back again. When he finally responded, his disbelief was clear. “Do you seriously believe we could have spies on board?”

  A glimmer of humor penetrated Jacob’s focus. He smiled. “Their last attempt was a bit too successful for my liking, Captain Upshaw. Or did you forget how I managed to gain this rank?” There was a sudden, blissful silence, and Jacob continued. “During their attack on the Wolfhound, the Telosians and the separatists were sloppy. Their setup left a few clues. The officers failed to pick up on them—I failed to pick up on them. A lot of people ended up dying as a result.” He felt his face grow hard, and his innards felt frozen with ice. “I do not intend to let that happen again. Not while I’m alive.”

  Jacob knocked on Isaac’s door, hoping his friend would open it soon. It had been a long day, and it only promised to get longer every time Jacob thought about what he’d already done.

  His inspection of Captain Upshaw’s cabin had been a near disaster all its own. The cabin had been obviously ransacked. His belongings were strewn across the narrow bunk, and the drawers of his closet had been left open. The computer set into the single personal desk remained on, and the screen showed a few of the unsecured files there, waiting. It was obvious that the intruder had made a quick but thorough search of everything and just as clearly decided against trying to conceal their work.

  The Marines attempted to gather evidence that would help lead to the intruder, but their efforts were stymied from the start. However sloppy and carefree the intruder had been, he had been careful enough to wear gloves and avoid leaving tissue or hairs that could be screened. No unexpected objects were discovered, and no fingerprints had been left in either the keyboard for the computer or the hatchway. Captain Upshaw was correct in assuming the door had been forced, but it hadn’t been done mechanically. The intruder had managed to gain access by hacking the electronic locking system on the hatch.

  The hacking skills necessary to accomplish the intrusion narowed the list of suspects rather dramatically. For Jacob, it meant the following few minutes were likely going to be rather painful personally, especially given his promise to Laurie, but there was little he could do about that.

  Isaac finally answered his door. He looked a little bleary eyed, which was understandable. The Gunnery section had led various drills the previous day, and as the section officer, Isaac had supervised and coordinated the practice session for ten hours straight. Jacob felt a pang of guilt when his friend blinked at him, bloodshot eyes still struggling to adjust to the light of the corridor. “Ja
cob? That you?”

  Upshaw probably would have thrown fits over proper procedure and dignity, but Jacob could not imagine standing on procedure that way at the moment. He relented a bit and nodded. “Yeah, Isaac. It’s me. Can I come in for a minute?”

  For a moment Isaac looked like he wanted to ask what was going on, but then he grunted and backed away from the door. Jacob pushed it open enough so that he could join his friend inside the small quarters he had been assigned in the Lieutenant section of the ship.

  Inside he was greeted with the usual disorganized mess that typified Isaac’s habitation. While he managed to be clean enough to pass inspections when they were given, the Gunnery officer tended to let things lie where they may. Clothing was piled near the foot of the bed, and a stack of computer storage devices sat on the personal desk. The computer set into the desk glowed, though no files were pulled up on the small screen. Isaac’s sheets were still tangled from when he had sprawled in the bed only a moment before, and Isaac himself looked only a little less rumpled and disorganized than his room did.

  Jacob waited until Isaac fell into his chair, still sorry for intruding on him. He pulled the second chair up for himself and sat, waiting until his friend settled in and woke up a bit more. Isaac gave him a curious glance as he reached over and tapped a button to bring up the lights.

  “So, Captain, what brings you to my humble abode?” He yawned and rubbed at an eye. “I hope it’s not something about the discipline in the Gunnery crews, because if their antics have managed to get you down here at this time of night to bother me, I’m going to make them wish they had never been born.”

  Jacob smiled despite himself. “No, Isaac. Your crews are doing fine. Their record keeps improving every day, and your drills are definitely helping them put rounds on target.” He paused, his smile fading along with his momentary good humor. “Isaac, I have to ask you something.”