The Enclave (The Verge)

by H. M. Clarke

  “Ambassador, what type of example did the Alliance make of Val Myra?” Susan Mayer asked as the holo was manipulated again to show close views of the areas around both hemisphere capitals.

  “The Alliance probably bombed the shit out of them,” Mark Hunter muttered across to her.

  John ignored Mark Hunter. “The Alliance attacked Val Myra. And those citizens who could, fled to the only place on the planet that was not Alliance controlled. New Holland Prefecture.” John tapped his datapad and the red spot on the planets southern hemisphere flared up. It expanded to create a new holo of a large and prosperous city. “Most of the ruling Val Myra family, (the city was named after them), escaped and are now huddled with the rest of their people in a housing sector at New Holland. They have officially requested Federation help.”

  “And, I take it that you are the help the Federation is sending.” Katherine looked across the table at her brother. He had changed a lot since she last saw him. Maybe not so much in looks, he still had the looks her high school friends had tittered over, but in presence. John had had control of this meeting from the moment he stepped into the room, and even with a hostile audience he had held their attention. Even after their fallout over her entry into the academy, he had joined the Military. Maybe now was the time to try and mend some bridges. After all, he was now the only family Katherine had.

  “I am being sent to finish negotiations for Val Myra’s entry into the Federation.”

  “Finish negotiations for entry? You just said that Val Myra wanted to be neutral,” Coulthard asked.

  “There have been secret negotiations running between Val Myra and Geneva for the last month. The Alliance reaction to their initial request to leave had them rethink their options. Once the negotiations are complete, Val Myra planned to split completely from the Alliance and come straight under Federation protection. They would be the first colony to leave. But somehow the Alliance has got wind of it and has made an example of them.”

  “So, what are we going to be doing, apart from taking you there?” The sarcasm in Mark Hunter’s voice spoke volumes. It seems her pilot was one person John’s charisma did not work on.

  “At this point in time, the Adelaide is to act as ‘Ambassadorial escort’ and security. The rest of your orders will be revealed when we pass into contested space.”

  “So this is just an excuse to get us away from Hyde’s capture,” Hunter spat from across the table.

  “Lieutenant-” Coulthard’s voice began to rise for Hunter’s dress down, but Katherine stopped him with a raised hand.

  “It’s a valid statement, one which I’m sure will be answered in truth in due time.” Hunter’s brother had been at Adveral. He had lived in the same street as she had; he had died at the same time as her own family. Katherine could not have him rebuked for having the same thoughts as she had a day ago.

  John shot her a sharp look across the table but Katherine ignored him. “I think we might adjourn this mission briefing until you are able to tell us the whole story. Until that time Mr. Shepherd and Mr. Tran can begin drawing up security arrangements for the ambassador’s stay on Junter Three.”

  “Yes Ma’am.”

  “As for the rest of you, be about your duties.”

  “Yes skipper.”

  Her officers rose quickly from the table and hurried from the compartment, pointedly ignoring the ambassador who remained in his seat. Both Coulthard and Shepherd hesitated at the door but Katherine waved them away. She did not need witnesses for this.

  Once the room had emptied John turned on his sister.

  “You should not let our past color our future Kath,” John said, his voice no longer calm.

  “Don’t act the diplomat with me John,” Katherine snapped. “How do you expect me to act? I haven’t heard from you since I left for Duntroon. You didn’t even come to the funerals in Port Augusta.”

  “I didn’t think I’d be welcome.”

  “It was a time when I needed my family around me. But as you are the only family I have left now, I leaned heavily on my friends.”

  “On Tom Shepherd.” John’s disapproval dripped from his lips.

  “Tom is a friend to both Brent and I and I consider him the closest thing I have to family. What business is it of yours to comment on my friendships?”

  “You’re right. It’s none of my business.” John fiddled with the datapad on the table. “But you’re still my sister and I worry about you.” Katherine opened her mouth but John waved her silent. “I am a hypocrite. I did fight tooth and nail to stop you going into the Service. I acknowledge that I went too far, but I thought I had good reasons. I’ve matured now and my viewpoint has changed. I realized when RANSIO recruited me and I saw what was really happening out here why this was so important to you. By then too much time had passed. I thought I’d be more of an intrusion in your life than welcome. And then Yunga happened…” John’s voice trembled to a halt. He coughed and flicked off his datapad, making the holo of Junter Three disappear from the table.

  There. That was it. It was the closest thing to an apology that Katherine was ever likely to get from her brother. It was definitely time to start mending these bridges; John had started the foundations from his bank – now it was her turn.

  “You would have liked little Adrian,” Katherine softly said. “He looked a lot like you.”

  “I wish I could have met him.”

  “I have some photos back in my quarters if you would like to see him.” Tears prickled around her eyes at the thought of her son.

  “I would like that.”

  cHAPTER

  Five

  Katherine stood quietly in the CIC watching the executive comms screens. The two servicemen sitting the dogwatch studiously ignored her as they performed their duties and Katherine completely ignored them. A clink of crockery made her turn.

  “Your coffee skipper.”

  “Thank you Mr. Joyce.” Katherine took the coffee mug from her steward. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

  “I’m about to turn in skipper, but I thought you might need a night cap before I do.”

  “It’s very much appreciated Brenton,” Katherine said wrapping her hands around the warmth of the mug. “But go to bed, you only have another four hours before you have to attend to the Ambassador’s breakfast.”

  “Yes skipper.”

  Katherine turned back to the screens as her steward left the CIC. She took a sip of the coffee and savored the warmth and the richness of the blend on her tongue before swallowing it. Brenton Joyce makes a bloody fine coffee. Katherine took another sip as she used her free hand to scan through the log for the secure comms traffic. But the message she was looking for was not there. Katherine frowned at the optics. There should have been news from Port McMahon by now. The lack of news made the hard knot sitting in the pit of her stomach tighten to near breaking point.

  Maybe she should have pressed her brother for more detail when they went back to her quarters after the meeting. But even with their newly found goodwill, the bridge they were building still only had its foundations laid. It would take a lot more than a talk over family photos to make it more than that. Katherine felt determined to ensure that happens. John had changed; he was a different person to the brother who vowed to cut her out of his life. She was sad to hear that he was unmarried and alone but John did not tell her much more about himself or his life.

  Katherine took another sip of her coffee and turned away from the screens. There was only four hours until Addie turned up the lighting for the ships artificial day. She decided to take her own advice and turn in.

  The ear splitting sound of a buzzer rang through the command cabin, jerking Katherine from her sleep. The clock above her bunk showed that she barely had an hours sleep. This better be important!

  Katherine rolled over and slapped a hand on the data reader on her bedside. The beeping suddenly stopped and the optic display suddenly sprang to life next to the bed. She sat up and swung her legs out
of the bed as Fred Johnson addressed her.

  “Sorry to disturb you skipper, but a high priority FTL transmission has just come in for you.”

  “Thank you Johnson, patch it through.” Katherine turned to the optic screen while running a hand through her hair to neaten it. Luckily she only took off her jacket and her boots before collapsing onto her bed.

  She blinked in surprise when Johnson’s face was suddenly replaced by a frozen Admiral Baverstock’s. In the top corner of the screen flashed the secure password icon.

  “Alpha Tango Motel five eight Indigo Sierra Niner, Commander Katherine Kirk Authorize.” She rattled off her encryption authorization automatically and waited for the security software to clear the communication for viewing. The words Security Access Confirmed flashed briefly across the frozen image, and then the message began to play.

  “I know this message will get you out of bed but I would prefer you heard this news from me now rather than later on the military channels. Or the media.” The Admiral sat behind the desk in his office. And he looked angry. “We didn’t get Hyde. He wasn’t on board when Battle Group Two took his ship. And from what we could get from the crew he hadn’t been on board for months. We are now back at square one Commander. It looks as if he’s moved to a new ship with a new crew, the man could be anywhere.” The Admiral looked away from the screen for a moment as Katherine heard the door to his office open. There was a soft murmur and he gave a nod and she heard the door close. “I’m sorry Katherine.” Baverstock leaned forward and the screen went blank and was then replaced by an End of transmission banner.

  Katherine stared incomprehensively at the screen. I’ve got to be dreaming, but the tired ache in her bones told her she was not. Hyde wasn’t there? How can he not be there?

  Springing up from her bed, Katherine frantically paced her cabin. Thoughts churned in her mind, feeding the tight knot in her belly. Naval intelligence said he’d be there! How can it be so wrong? They had virtually guaranteed his capture after telling the Adelaide that our information was wrong.

  Her pacing bought Katherine back to the bedside and the flashing End Secure Transmission screen. Jabbing a finger at the console, the screen changed as the terminal waited for Katherine’s call to be answered. Then Richard Coulthard’s sleep creased face appeared.

  “What is it Katherine?” Coulthard asked rubbing at his eyes with the heels of his hands.

  “I want a meeting with the Department Heads at 0600,” Katherine snapped.

  Coulthard suddenly looked more awake. “What’s happened?”

  “I’ll tell you at the meeting. Just make sure all the Department Heads are there. I want no excuses.”

  “Yes Ma’am.”

  Katherine abruptly cut the connection ignoring her XO’s sudden formality. She was too angry to do anything more than pace at the moment. They would have to start the hunt for Hyde all over again, but this time the Adelaide will not put all its trust in information from naval intelligence. They will not be screwed over by them again.

  The meeting ended in uproar with veiled abuse being aimed at RANSIO. Katherine was glad that it was not common knowledge that her brother was a ‘Sid operative. And now the feeling of the ship had changed. Before this meeting, even though the crew was pissed off, there was a sense of resolution. All that had now vanished.

  Now they were all back at the beginning with no idea of what Hyde had been up to for the last three months. The Alliance black ops must be sitting back and congratulating themselves over making a fool of the Federation. Bastards!

  And now her brother has requested a private meeting to discuss the ‘real purpose’ of this mission. They had gone through the system Stargate during her brief moment of sleep and had exited through the closest Federation gate to the Junter system. The Adelaide was now FTLing through the disputed zone and should arrive in system in about eight hours, if no one tries to challenge their ‘right of way’ through the DMZ. Mark hunter was doing wonders in avoiding both Alliance and Federation traffic. She determined to make mention of Hunter in her next log entry.

  Petty planetary politics paled in comparison to getting back on track to throw Hyde into the dank prison cell he deserved. Whatever John’s cloak and dagger assignment is, Katherine hoped it could be finished fast enough for them to get back to Port McMahon and start their hunt all over again.

  Glancing at the time display on the briefing room wall, Katherine breathed a sign of frustration. He’s late. And I hope he is not bringing Hayes with him. Katherine was well aware of the back sniping about her that Hayes was telling to her crew. But it seems that Hayes was unaware that the crew had been passing Intel back to their captain (always in round about ways). For an attractive woman, she had managed to rub a predominately male crew the wrong way. Lieutenants Shepherd and Hunter were the only two who said anything nice about Hayes.

  Katherine did not care what the woman said about her, as long as she obeyed Naval and ships regulations while on board.

  The door opened and John stepped into the room, this time without a Serviceman escorting him, and again, thankfully without Hayes. If Katherine did not know better, she would think the woman was avoiding her!

  “Hello John,” she said, not bothering to get up from her chair to welcome him. She was tired and her body was making sure she knew it.

  “Hello Katherine.” The access door closed quickly behind John, sealing them both inside. John sat in the chair next to her, dropping his datapad on the table.

  “You’re not going to give me another holo presentation again are you?” Katherine placed a little ‘mock horror’ sarcasm in her voice, but from the startled look on John’s face that was exactly what he had planned to do.

  “I was, but if you prefer to skip it and have me tell you straight, that’s fine. It’s just that Julie spent a lot of time preparing this file.”

  “Even more reason to skip it.”

  John paused and gave Katherine a questioning glance but said nothing.

  “Look John, you’re looking at a woman who has only managed to scrape a few hours sleep in the last forty eight hours. I am tired and in need of a good nap.”

  “Alright then little sister.”

  Katherine tired not to wince at the phrase. She had forgotten he used to call her that.

  “I know that you and the Adelaide’s crew are angry at me for taking you away from Battle Group Two and the capture of Hyde-”

  “We’re not angry with you anymore. Hyde wasn’t there. Admiral Baverstock informed me this morning.” She could not keep the bitterness from her voice. “It looks as if Naval Intelligence let us down.”

  “No it didn’t”

  “Yes it bloody well did!” Katherine bit back angrily.

  “I’m sorry to say that it didn’t.” Johns’ fingers twitched by his datapad but he restrained himself from thumbing it on. “We fed Battle Group Two the information that Alliance black ops were feeding us.”

  “What!” Katherine was aghast. How could they be used like that! All that time and effort wasted.

  John held his hand up for calm. “It’s not as bad as it sounds Katherine. We had Battle Group Two follow Hyde’s false trail while Intelligence followed his real one. We had to find out why the Alliance felt the need for this elaborate deception.”

  “What has this to do with me?” Katherine could not keep the rage from her voice. She was angrier now than she was this morning after the Admiral’s message.

  “There are reasons why I specifically asked for you on this mission little sister.”

  Katherine’s anger still smoldered but he had her attention now. In fact, the knot deep down in her stomach rose up and Katherine knew what her brother was about to tell her.

  “It was Hyde who attacked Val Myra wasn’t it?”

  “Yes it was.” John showed no surprise at her statement. He looked at her as if it was the most obvious secret in the galaxy.

  “And Naval Intelligence did nothing to warn Val Myra that they were a
bout to be attacked?” Katherine’s mind then leapt to the event that constantly haunted her thoughts. “Did Naval Intel have forewarning against the attack on Adveral?”

  “No, of course not!” John stared at her aghast. “We-I would never willingly let that happen to you. Never.”

  The sincerity and hurt in John’s voice mollified Katherine, but he still had not answered her original question.

  “But why not warn Val Myra? They wanted to leave the Alliance, the warning might have swung them our way.”

  “It’s not as simple as that Katherine.”

  “It never is, is it?” Katherine leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as a wave of tiredness flowed over her. Getting her hackles up had burnt away what little alertness she had left.

  “Did you ask for me thinking it would put us on talking terms again?” Her voice was flat and emotionless.

  “No. But the fact that you would do anything to get Hyde into Federation hands helped get my choice approved.”

  “Tom will be glad to know that Fleet doesn’t think me a cold blooded killer,” Katherine murmured.

  “What?”

  Katherine waved away his question. “Did your intelligence also tell you where he is hiding? Or for that matter, if he is even still on Junter Three?”

  “He’s still there, we just don’t know where.”