by M. D. Cooper
Angela gave the mental equivalent of a sigh.
…………………………
Tanis sat at the head of the conference table sipping a cup of coffee. It was just before 1600 and the various department heads and liaisons began to file in. Tanis had requested a physical meeting as it was much easier to read people when they were actually in front of you—easier for Angela to monitor them too.
While the conference room was listed as a nanoprobe-free zone, the records for previous meetings indicated that room sweeps were not normally implanted. She was betting that someone here was used to taking advantage of that and would be in for an unpleasant surprise. Angela was remotely controlling the scanning systems and would alert Tanis the moment she caught any bots moving in the room.
She eased back in her seat, silently eyeing each person as they entered. Commander Evans took a seat beside her and leaned over whistling softly.
“Got them all here in person. That’s something I never managed to pull off.”
Tanis tapped her collar. “It’s the oak leaves. They imply wisdom. Makes people listen better.”
“I think my two bars must somehow suggest I’m easy to ignore.”
“I’m sure part of it is that they all want to size me up,” Tanis said. “See how they can mess with me.”
“There will most certainly be messing, sir.”
A minute later the last straggler came in: Commander Gren, as Tanis had anticipated. He took his seat across the table from her and held her eye for several moments. Tanis flicked her eyes to the left and blinked rapidly as though she were accessing her Link. She didn’t have any tells, but it never hurt to make people think they had you all figured out.
“Good afternoon,” Tanis began. “I’d like to thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules for this little session.” The stares from around the table were blank, no one revealing anything until they had a better idea of her intentions. “I’ve been going over our records and procedures and I believe we will have to make some changes.”
“What types of changes might those be?” Lieutenant Caspen asked.
“Changes at every level,” Tanis replied. “Commander Evans has done an admirable job. However, there have still been security breaches, some minor, others not so minor. Luckily—and I do mean luckily—nothing serious has penetrated as far as the Intrepid itself. However, we need to determine what is the root cause of these breaches if we are to consider ourselves successful.”
“We already know what the root is,” Sergeant Davidson said. “MOS Sec is very certain the disturbances are originating with small radical groups.”
“I don’t think you can label what happened today as a ‘disturbance’,” Lieutenant Ouri said. “Those terms are for the press. We nearly had a catastrophe.”
“Speaking of things that are for the press, and things that aren’t”—Tanis cast a stern eye down the table—“Lieutenant Caspen, please recall your nanoprobes. As I’m certain you are aware, they’re not allowed in here.”
“I’m not sure I know what you are talking about,” Caspen said. “I don’t have any probes deployed.
There were several distinct hissing sounds and Tanis smiled. “Not anymore, you don’t.” The lieutenant shifted uncomfortably and Tanis continued. “As I was saying, we need to determine who is behind these attacks. My brief encounter with the enemy proves we are dealing with an organized, well-funded group. They have both physical and net resources beyond what any known anti-colonization group possesses.”
Lieutenant Caspen spoke up again, “I looked you up, Major. You’re that Tanis Richards. You’ve got a history of going overboard in situations. How can we be sure you’re not doing that now?”
Tanis and Caspen stared at each other for several long moments before she broke his gaze and looked around the table. “Most of you have read my file. Surprisingly, one or two of you haven’t. You are, of course, seeing only the non-classified portions of it. I’ve battled more radical splinter groups than I’m certain you even knew existed. Most have quality tech, and they are all very dedicated, but none of them would have the funds or the contacts to sneak a nuclear weapon aboard a station as secure as this one.” Only by supreme effort did she keep the sarcasm from her voice. “Only a group with corporate contracts, or a mercenary organization, would be able to pull that off.”
“If you say so.” Commander Gren’s tone was acerbic.
Gren and Caspen had an obvious partnership. Caspen would make the less defensible statements with which to draw her out, following which Gren would attempt to devalue her answers. It wasn’t even worth rising to the challenge.
“I do say so.” Tanis locked eyes with him. “Your interpretation of the today’s events aside, I’ll be going ahead with my alterations to the Intrepid’s security structure. I’ve reviewed all of the reports each section has logged over the last few months and several of you have echoed my own thoughts. There are too many cooks in the kitchen. Effective immediately we will be removing much of the diversification in our command structure.”
At that statement several uncertain looks were cast around the table. Tanis couldn’t help but revel in the discomfort for a moment. In her experience there was no way a group could pull something like the job on the Dawn and not have people in all the local security organizations.
“Net, Physical and Perimeter will be rolled into a single struct. Lieutenant Ouri will be heading up the combined organization with Lieutenant Amy Lee retaining her responsibility for perimeter security with an expanded role. Lieutenant Caspen, you will be removed from your role as head of Net Security; that will now fall directly under Lieutenant Ouri.”
“What?” Caspen looked shocked. “You can’t simply remove me; I’ve been assigned by MSF.”
“MSF granted us use of its NetSec personnel at a time when the Intrepid did not have the staff in place to handle the job internally. We are grateful for their sacrifice, but now we have adequate personnel and so you are relieved. The four individuals that came with you from MSF NetSec are also no longer needed. Angela, my AI, has already removed your and their access to all non-public Intrepid nets.”
Caspen appeared dumbfounded. He looked to Commander Gren, who presumably was on the Link verifying Tanis’s authority to make these changes.
“You’ll find that Admiral Sanderson and Captain Andrews have both already approved my personnel changes.” They hadn't personally, but Angela had passed her plans by their respective AI. “The Intrepid’s contract has a clause regarding a reasonable expectation of safety. If that expectation is not met we have broad provisions which allow us to ensure that level of safety. I believe we crossed that threshold today, which gives me the authority to make these decisions.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Caspen said. “The incident on the Steel Dawn III was handled very well. The Intrepid was not harmed.”
Commander Evans’ mouth dropped open. “Oh c’mon Caspen. That’s a really pathetic attempt at spin. Major Richards herself is the one who stopped them. Had it not been for her, the Intrepid and a good portion of this shipyard would have been in serious danger.”
Tanis cast Evans an approving nod. “As I said, you’re relieved. Security will monitor you as you clean out your quarters.” Tanis picked up signs that both Gren and Caspen were holding a conversation on the Link, most likely with each other. At one point Gren even shrugged.
“Next up.” Tanis loaded the appropriate information onto the conference room’s net and holo displays. “I’ve exercised an additional clause in our contract to extend our area of control. The B1, B2, A9 and C3 docks are no
w under control of the Intrepid’s security forces.”
“About time,” Lieutenant Amy Lee muttered, though her words were barely audible under the protestations of Commander Gren and Sergeant Davidson.
“You can’t be serious,” Gren said. “There is no need to extend your control that far out on the docks.”
“I disagree, and our lawyers found themselves in agreement with my interpretation of our contract. Since MOS and MSF have been unable to provide us with an adequate level of security we have the option to create our own perimeter on the station itself. We have also increased our no-fly perimeter outside the ship and will be utilizing TSF forces as security there. Commander Evans will be in charge of all facets of external security and will be responsible for requisitioning our fighter forces.”
Gren sputtered, and Tanis enjoyed the show a little more than she should. “This is a heavy-handed and frankly preposterous response to today’s events,” he finally managed to say.
“If it were just today’s events that would be true, but over the last two years there have been more acts of sabotage within what will be our new perimeter than within the rest of the Mars Protectorate. Additionally, you, Commander Gren, and you, Sergeant Davidson, are being moved. Your offices will no longer be on board the Intrepid, as with our new perimeter extending onto the station it makes more sense for you to be off the ship and more accessible to where our jurisdictions meet.”
Before Davidson or Gren could utter a word, Tanis turned to Terry Chang. “Terry, your work has been exemplary, though you have been working with limited resources. I have secured a significant budget and personnel increase for you and have also suspended all forensics on the Steel Dawn III in anticipation of you personally overseeing that case.”
As the only civilian division head, Tanis could guess Terry wasn’t often able to make her presence or needs known.
“Thank you, Major,” Terry smiled. “Since evidence is the fastest-aging thing in the universe, I hope you won’t mind if I excuse myself and assemble my full team.”
“Not at all,” Tanis replied. “I believe we are finished here. I have sent detailed briefs to each of you and I expect an update by the end of the second shift as to your progress.” She rose. “You’re dismissed.”
Everyone filed out of the room except for Commander Gren, who remained seated.
“Enjoying the view in here?” Tanis started toward the door.
Gren rose and blocked the exit. “You have no idea what you are doing.”
“On the contrary,” Tanis said. “I know exactly what I am doing.” She moved to step around him but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. Almost leisurely, Tanis looked down at the hand.
“I’m not done talking to you,” Gren said. “MSF isn’t going to allow this overstepping of our authority.”
Tanis waited a moment, but the hand was still on her shoulder. Without a word of warning she grabbed his wrist and pulled it behind his back. Gren was expecting just that move and countered, grabbing her arm in turn.
“Not my first day on the job.” He wore an unpleasant grin.
“Mine either.” She twisted around him, and in one fluid move smashed her elbow into the back of his neck, driving his face down into the clear plas surface of the table. He hadn’t let go of her left wrist, so his right arm was pinned underneath him with his left arm tucked between his body and Tanis as she pushed him down.
“Next time you decide it's within your purview to lay hands on a TSF officer, think again. This incident has been recorded, and while I won’t make an official entry about it, if this turns out to be a habit of yours I’ll file a complaint against you with every office that has jurisdiction over your sorry ass.”
She let Gren up, her eyes dared him to escalate the event. His body trembled with barely contained rage, but after a moment he regained some degree of control and left without saying another word. “First smart thing he’s done all day,” Tanis said to herself.
Tanis decided not to respond to her AI’s needling and walked around the outer ring of the SOC and into her office to find a grinning Commander Evans waiting for her.
“Sir, this may be the best day of my life.”
“Been dreaming of that for a while?” she asked.
“You have no idea. I didn’t have the mandate you do, and frankly with Gren semi-outranking me I don’t know that I could have executed such a coup anyway.”
“But you sure would have had fun trying, I bet.” Tanis found herself smiling as well.
“Without a doubt.”
“So, feel like getting behind the controls of a fighter again?”
“And out from behind a desk? If I wasn’t afraid of you after what you did to Gren I’d kiss you.”
“Saw that, did you?”
Commander Evans gave what Tanis was beginning to consider his trademark grin. “You were rather loud and the doors of that room are plas after all.”
CHAPTER 3
STELLAR DATE: 3227163 / 07.29.4123 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Mars Outer Shipyards (MOS)
REGION: Mars Protectorate, Sol Space Federation
Tanis strolled through a corridor carrying several packages from her trip to MOS’s shopping district. The selection had been slim, but her day didn’t include time for a trip down to Mars 1. While she did enjoy a bit of shopping as much as the next person, finding a gown to wear at a formal ball was not on her list of enjoyable pastimes. At least current fashions were on the downswing from the ridiculous high a decade earlier. The current trend for women was a simple long sheath with interweaving patterns that reflected the wearer’s mood. Tanis would have Angela alter the dress to always portray a calm pattern.
Tanis chuckled softly.
Tanis took a lift through forty levels of station to the outer levels where the larger ships were under construction. The lift emptied out into a broad lobby on deck A8.9, just one level below the Intrepid’s cargo deck. Under her new security measures no lifts could directly access deck A9; they had to stop above or below and pass inspection before being allowed to continue.
In the lobby, stationed at a temporary barrier, were several TSF Regulars. Tanis hadn’t been certain she could get the additional troops on such short notice, but Sanderson had clout, or had at least anticipated her measures based on her file. Either way, several companies of regulars and a platoon of Marines had been moved up from Mars 1 to MOS and the perimeter was being established.
Come to think of it, having to organize the troops while Tanis shopped was probably what was irking her AI.
“Sir.” One of the four soldiers at the barrier saluted her as she approached. Tanis’s overlay showed him to be Sergeant Langlis. “If you’ll step up to the Auth & Auth.”
Tanis returned his salute and stepped up to the ID-verification system. She could sense Angela passing security tokens as she stared into the retinal scanner. The scanner matched the structure of her eye with what her DNA said it should look like as well as archived records. In addition to the tokens Angela passed, Tanis passed her own personal token as well as her hash, which the system matched with the encoded chemical signature in her bloodstream.
“Thank you, sir.” The sergeant and the other three men relaxed just a hair.
"Keep up the good work, Staff." Tanis nodded to the soldiers and made her way to the next lift. To the naked eye it would appear that having four men guarding a bank of lifts was woefully inadequate, but they were just the tip of the iceberg. She had evaluated their progress and
the other security measures from her command link. Several AI and personnel had monitored all aspects of her person as she passed the point. Scan examined her bag and verified its contents. Several nanoprobes had also independently verified her identity before and after she stepped through the Auth & Auth. Chem sniffers had checked her out and even monitored her for mood alterations as she was checked over.
A hostile intruder would be met with a surprising show of force, more than just the four soldiers that met the eye—not that they weren’t a serious threat in and of themselves. The barriers were capable of discharging a shock capable of bringing a dozen people to their knees and nano was ready in the thousands to infiltrate a person and attempt to bring about a nervous shutdown. If those measures were not successful, two other things would occur. An ES barrier would snap into place and as a last resort the soldiers would discharge their weapons.
The most important thing was that the men didn’t pass her by just because she was a senior officer. She had seen that sort of thing happen too often and was glad that she didn’t need to have the talk with their CO.
She stepped into another lift for the quick trip up to deck A9.1. She was greeted by more TSF soldiers and another Auth & Auth check. From there the trip was very similar to her earlier entrance with Commander Evans. She did notice that some confusion was in evidence as shipments tried to pass through security, and kept herself busy as she walked by putting together reports on how to improve efficiency in concert with the new security measures.
After ascending to the crew areas of the Intrepid, Tanis called up an overlay of the ship’s corridors and followed the directions to her quarters. The ball wasn’t until the following evening, but she wanted to double-check the gown’s fit without the pretentious salesperson puttering around her. She noted that she was very close to the officer’s mess and her rumbling stomach reminded her that it hadn’t received sustenance since breakfast.