Rear Admiral Regeny also contacted me to be briefed on the situation. He did not attend the event. Though it was not a firm protocol, Tibby and Regeny agreed that it was no longer wise to have the two highest-ranking military officers present at the same event. I was chosen by the Leaders to attend the inauguration, because my presence meant the ceremony would be attended by both a high-ranking officer and a First Citizen. Regeny didn’t seem to be too pleased about the decision, but he made no protest about it. At the time of the attack, he was safe aboard the DUSTEN. He was a bit upset about both Leaders Tonclin and Pheosa taking shelter aboard the NEW ORLEANS instead of at least one coming to the DUSTEN, but he relented when I made my case for the NEW ORLEANS being less of a security risk than the DUSTEN.
It was about two hours later that my security crew and I finally passed through the Cantolla Gate to the NEW ORLEANS, leaving instructions with the troopers in the event hall to dissemble the temporary gate and return it to the NEW ORLEANS by other means. Once onboard, my crew removed the sympathetic particles that synchronized the two gates, thus rendering both gates inoperable. Moments later Marranalis approached me.
“Admiral, it’s good to see you back safely. You look a mess – are you sure you weren’t wounded?”
I looked down at my uniform, which now showed more dried blood than white. “Thank you, Captain, I’m quite all right, but I do think I need to shower and get into a clean uniform.”
“Might I suggest, sir, that you do so before returning to your quarters? You might upset your children if they see you like this.”
“Good thought, Marranalis, there’s a clothing replicator and shower in the gym. Is there anything I need to know about immediately?”
“Both Leader Tonclin and Pheosa wish to meet with you as soon as you are available. Also, we’re being bombarded with requests from the news service on Megelleon for an official statement. They wish to see and hear from both Leaders so they can reassure the citizens that both Leaders are safe.”
“By the stars, there wouldn’t be any need to allay the fears of the citizens if the news media didn’t release the news until they had all the facts. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that they released the news before the event happened.”
“Uh, sir, the event was a live broadcast. Everyone saw what was happening as it unfolded.”
“Oh, I see. Right,” I stammered. “Well, I guess they have a right to be concerned. Contact Tonclin and Pheosa and see if they can meet me in my study in thirty minutes. I may need more than one pass through the shower to get all this blood off.”
Thirty minutes later Leaders Tonclin and Pheosa were ushered into my study by Piesew.
“Oh my, Tibby, I’d heard that your ship was luxurious, but this far exceeds my imagination,” Pheosa said as he entered. “Is that aquarium real or is that a vid screen projection?”
“It’s quite real, Leader Pheosa,” I answered.
“Pheo,” he said, “remember, call me Pheo.”
“Right!" I responded. “Now, if the two of you will have a seat,” I said, indicating two leather-like high-back chairs situated before my desk, “we can begin to prioritize our next tasks. Would either of you care for a cup of foccee?”
“Yes,” Tonc responded, “I believe I’ll have one, Tib.”
“I’ll have one also,” Pheo said as he continued to stare at the giant aquarium behind me.
I nodded to Piesew, who busied himself at the wall dispenser, retrieving and serving several cups of foccee them before leaving.
“There needs to be a statement made over the media by one or perhaps both of you to ease the minds of the citizens,” I began. “I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but the inauguration event broadcasted live, so now the citizens are anxious to learn the status of their Leaders and the details of the attack. Fortunately, the NEW ORLEANS already has a dedicated meeting room designed for emergency broadcasts, complete with Federation Seals and trappings, so all appearances will indicate that you’re broadcasting from a secure government installation. The facility has proven itself to be invaluable in the past.”
“Oh yes, I remember those past events well,” Tonc said. “I agree. Statements must be made soon; however, as a senior officer in the Federation military, I believe that that you must also speak as to security of the nation and the actions being taken to help secure their safety. How soon can we proceed?”
“Everything is in place and ready for broadcast, but I think we need to discuss what we’re going to say first.”
“Excuse me,” Pheo interrupted. “I think it would go over better with the people if we kept our statements brief and allowed the media representatives to ask questions as a follow-up. That way, people are less likely to think we are hiding something.”
“Good point, but we may be asked questions we can’t or shouldn’t answer,” I said.
“Then tell the people the truth. There is no need to cover up the fact that intelligence on the matter is still limited or that sharing certain details may compromise the investigation. As long as the people believe we are making all reasonable efforts to deal with the situation, the less trouble we will have from them.”
The conversation was interrupted by a signal on my wrist com.
“Tibby here,” I answered.
“Admiral, this is Verona. Admiral Wabussie called a moment ago and has asked that you contact him at your earliest convenience. He says he has new information for you.”
“Thank you, Verona. I’ll contact him shortly,” I said and ended the communication link.
“Hopefully he has good news that we can use during the news conference. I suggest the two of you decide on what to say. In the meantime, I’ll get with Wabussie and finalize arrangements for a news conference to take place in, let’s say, two hours. Does that sound acceptable?”
Tonc and Pheo looked at each other and nodded.
“Good. I’ll see you in two hours.”
As soon as the Leaders left, I initiated a call to Wabussie. He wasted no time getting to the point. “Admiral, my team has been sifting through data gathered since the bombing occurred. I think you need to see this vid clip of the moments following the incident that was taken from one of our orbital satellites above the Capitol. What you will see is an infrared image of a portion of the Capitol complex near the hall where the inauguration dinner took place.” An image appeared on the screen. “Watch this region,” he said, as an arrow pointed to a vertical portion of the structure. For about a minute, nothing seemed to happen. Then a small, white, ghostly image appeared on the building surface. A few moments later the figure descended the outside wall of the building to the ground and then moved stealthily between and around objects, sometimes remaining concealed for a few moments before reappearing. Finally, after navigating a considerable distance from the Capitol building, the figure entered a ground transport parked in an obscure location. Seconds later the vehicle entered the street and drove away.
“You think that was Sisopan?” I asked.
“We’re not a hundred percent certain. The place where this person emerged from the structure is an exhaust outlet for the ventilation system. We traced the ductwork to the interior and determined that the point of entry is near the location Sisopan was last seen. We inspected the outlet and found a high-tensile wire extending to the ground and a slow-descent spool at the bottom. Whoever it was, they knew how to exit the Capitol without encountering the guards. Considering that we haven’t found any sign of Sisopan inside so far, it’s reasonable to assume that she was the one making the escape.”
“Keep searching until every nook and cranny in the place has been examined. She may have had a decoy make the escape and so she could remain hidden someplace inside to carry out other nefarious intents after the search was abandoned. Let me know if you find anything else. Oh, one thing more – see if you can provide me with a close-up image of Sisopan. There should be some images available from cameras in the celebration hall. I’ll be making a statement in a n
ews conference with Leaders Tonclin and Leader Pheosa in about two hours and I’d like to plaster her image on the screen when I announce her as the Federations most wanted criminal. If she’s still in hiding on Megelleon, I’d like to make her life as miserable as possible. Furthermore, if there is any way to do so, I want all ships leaving the planet to undergo a thorough search before departing. However, it’s possible she may have already gone, so gather all available information on ships that have left the planet since the attack took place. I want that doesee caught.”
“We’re already on it, Tibby. We’re capturing several images of Sisopan from the vids as we speak. I'll forward them to you as soon as we end our conversation.”
“Do we have any information regarding casualties?” I asked.
“Surprisingly, there are very few. Only four people, other than the bombers, were killed by the final series of explosions and only one of those was a senator. My last report indicates 127 injuries, of which about ten are critical. It’s believed they will all recover fully and those who lost limbs will be fully restored in a few months after cloning is complete. Fortunately for the people in attendance, the bombers appeared to have been programmed to fixate on you and the Leaders. When the action started and the subjects rushed toward your table, people began fleeing the other way; so most of them managed to put enough distance between themselves and the explosions to avoid serious injury.”
“What about the guy taken into custody? Were they able to get anything from him before he exploded?”
“He didn’t explode. The isolation box blocks radio waves, so even if Sisopan tried at some point to detonate his body bomb, the signal never reached him. My men have transferred him in the chamber via Cantolla Gate to the L-1 prison facility where the signal won’t reach him. Arrangements are underway to first perform a surgery to remove the device and then begin an interrogation.”
“Good work. Let me know if he says anything worthwhile.”
As soon as I finished talking to Wabussie, I headed to my suite. It was now early morning. Since joining the ranks of fatherhood eight years earlier, I knew better than to expect anything resembling a normal greeting when I entered the room.
As soon as I walked in the door, I could hear the twins talking to Kala in the next room. I found them huddled together on the floor in front of the vid screen, looking at the carnage in the hall at the Capitol. As soon Lunnie saw me, she blurted out, “Daddy! Did you get hit when the people exploded and went to pieces?”
“Went to pieces!” Reide howled as he rolled around on the floor in laughter. “They went to pieces!”
“That’s not funny,” Lunnie said sternly as she loomed over Reidecor with her fists on her hips. “People were killed. It’s not funny.”
“They went to pieces!” Reide roared.
“Seriously, Tib,” Kala said, “I wonder sometimes about this boy and his sense of humor.”
“Daddy, make Reide stop laughing! It’s not funny!” Lunnie fumed.
“Don’t go all to pieces, Lunnie,” Reidecor goaded, as he laughed even harder. Lunnie glared at him. Then from the next room we heard Mimic say in a perfect imitation of Reide’s voice, Don’t go all to pieces, and the whole lot of us couldn’t help but laugh – all except Lunnie, who stomped off into her room, where she began to berate Mimic as he kept repeating, Don’t go all to pieces – Don’t go all to pieces.
The moment of comic relief was interrupted by a call from Kerabac.
“Tibby, we're receiving a call from the news center on Megelleon about the upcoming news conference. They’re requesting that a reporter be allowed to participate in the broadcast in person, in order to ask questions of you directly. What are your wishes on the matter?”
This caught me off guard. My first reaction was to say no, for reasons of security and secrecy; but then I realized that the visual impact of including a live interview with a reporter would provide an added sense of security to the citizens and quell any doubts or conspiracy theories as to whether the attack or the conference were faked for some reason. The word of the reporter as a first-hand witness to the welfare and condition of the Leaders would add further support to the validity of the incident.
“I’m willing to allow one reporter, but a stringent security check and screening must be conducted beforehand. I want that reporter to be scrutinized down to every detail and accompanied by heavy guard for the duration of the visit. No equipment will be allowed passage; our camera crews and cameras are in place and our com systems already tie into the Federation news links. If these terms are met in time for the scheduled broadcast, we’ll do it. Contact Marranalis and ask him to facilitate an expedited security screening and transfer through the main gates. No temporary or private gates are to be used.”
“Understood, Admiral. I’ll see to it right away.”
At the appointed time Leaders Tonclin and Pheosa joined me in the broadcast center. The official Federation insignia plaque was mounted on the wall above the dais where we would make the address. As we readied ourselves behind the podium, a slightly disheveled and out-of-breath Cleainsta was ushered into the room by four troopers.
Cleainsta was a well-established news media journalist known throughout the Federation territories. She was one of the principal reporters assigned to follow the hijacking of the DUSTEN shortly after I arrived from Earth. Until now I had only seen her in vid broadcasts; and meeting her in person proved to be a bit of a letdown. She was much shorter than I had imagined – maybe 1.6 meters at the most. She also looked older than I had anticipated; though, to be honest, it had probably been years since I last watched her in a vid program. I suspected that she’d had some cosmetic surgeries, but the fine lines around her eyes and lips were still a clear tell that she wasn’t a young woman.
“First Citizen, it’s an honor to meet you,” she panted, while smoothing her jacket and inspecting her hairdo with both hands.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Cleainsta,” I replied. “But please, call me Tibby.”
“How much longer before the broadcast?” she asked anxiously. “I fear I’ve lost track of time in all the rush to get here.”
“You have about five minutes,” I said.
“By the stars, I barely have time to get ready,” she exclaimed, as she pulled a makeup kit from an amenities bag provided to her by our ships security team
“The plan is to open with a brief address by Leader Tonclin about the events of last evening, after which you can ask questions of any of us concerning the attack,” I said. By now, Cleainsta had produced a mirror from the kit and was primping and applying make-up with manic speed.
“Good, good. That will buy me a few minutes to outline some questions. Tell me, are there multiple cameras in this room?”
“Yes, and we’ve confirmed a secure link to transmit live feeds back to the media station on Megelleon, where your staff will be able to select the camera shots they wish to use during the broadcast.”
“Good. Excellent. Where do you want to seat me?” she asked.
“A table and desk space have been prepared for you over there, where you may sit and make notes while Tonclin speaks. When he finishes, you can step forward to join us at the podium to conduct your interview. Keep in mind, we are in the middle of a critical and ongoing investigation, so please prioritize your questions accordingly.”
As I finished these instructions, one of my crew indicated it was time for me to join Tonclin and Pheosa.
I took my place before Federation insignia next to the two Leaders as the media crew leader announced, “We’re live in three, two, one….”
“Greetings, citizens of the Federation,” Tonclin said in his high-pitched voice. “I am certain that by now you are aware of the terrorist attack that took place several hours ago at the inaugural dinner for Leader Pheosa. We wish to first assure you that both Leader Pheosa and I have sustained no injuries and that our continued welfare is secure. Likewise, the Federation continues to govern smoothly and n
o interruptions to routine functions are anticipated. By my last report, which I received moments ago, the attack resulted in 142 wounded, most of whom sustained only minor injuries. Seven people are in critical condition but are expected to survive and recover fully. Regretfully, I must also report that one senator was killed, when a body bomber grabbed hold of him as he tried to flee. That victim is Senator Modane of Wildish, whose wisdom, kindness, and exemplary service to the Federation and to the citizens of Wildish will be greatly missed. Our condolences to his loved ones cannot be overstated, and his contribution to the advancement of the Federation will never be forgotten.
“Last night’s inaugural dinner was planned as the final event of its sort to be held on Megelleon. As you know, the new and more secure orbiting Capitol space station will be the site of future events hosted by the Senate and Leaders and will henceforth replace the Capitol complex as the seat of most or all Federation governmental functions. The Capitol Station facility is fortified with enhanced screening protocols and superior security systems, including a protective RMFF shield, which will provide the government seat and its administrators with the most advanced defenses ever employed against terrorist attacks or other catastrophes.
“And now, Leader Pheosa, Admiral Tibby and I will do our best to answer questions from Senior News Media Representative Cleainsta.”
“Leader Tonclin,” Cleainsta began, “when did you first identify that a threat was present in the auditorium?”
“If you don’t mind,” said Tonclin, “I’ll let Admiral Tibby answer that question. He’s better prepared and informed on that issue than I.”
I stepped forward to reply. “It was the by the keen observations of First Citizen Kalana, who recognized a suspicious situation shortly after commencement of the celebration, that Leaders Tonclin and Pheosa and I were alerted to the potential danger,” I answered.
Solbidyum Wars Saga 7: Hunt for the Reduviids Page 5