Clidepp Deja Vu

by Thomas DePrima

  "At least on the topic of what happened in the cave."

  "I don't understand."

  "It's simple. We need to find out what happened to Cornwallis. We know that between twenty and thirty armored personnel carriers were en route to the ravine. The two shuttles left the area less than a minute before they arrived in the vicinity. My people were under orders not to engage or even risk a confrontation with the military. We have to assume that Cornwallis was captured and taken somewhere. We need to ascertain where that somewhere is."

  "He could be almost anywhere. There are military bases all over the planet. And it might not even have been the military who took him. The secret police also have APCs. It could have been the Metawasa, the Riwaxgo, or even the Qummuc."

  "There are three different secret police agencies? And they're completely separate?"

  "Completely. They even battle among themselves at times for jurisdiction. And if a prisoner is released by one agency, it's not unusual for another to pick him up and begin the torture all over again as they try to learn why the other agency was questioning him. They never share information with one another because they're all trying to make their organization the most powerful of the three. Each agency reports to a different member of the Triumvirate."

  "So each of the three most powerful people in the Empire have their own private police agency?"

  "Yes."

  "And which of the three did you work for?"

  "None of them. I was in the Capital Budget & Accounting department. But in my position as an auditor I got to see it all— the bribery, cronyism, incompetent misallocation of funds, and outright theft. The three members of the Triumvirate have more money than they could spend in a thousand lifetimes, and they always want more."

  "It's like that on many planets. On some they've been able to enact strict term limits so politicians don't become too firmly entrenched in the theft and graft games."

  "Perhaps that's possible where you have free elections, but certainly not in the Clidepp Empire. As long as the Triumvirate is generous towards the top military leaders and the citizens remain virtually unarmed, things can never change. The Triumvirate keeps the citizenry under control by immediately squashing any signs of discontent."

  "Let's get back to the issue at hand. How can we find Cornwallis or at least learn what happened to him?"

  "If you could find a witness who saw the markings on the APCs, you would have a starting point."

  "The area is pretty remote, so I imagine it'll be difficult to find anyone who witnessed the arrival of the APCs."

  "Yes, and anyone who happened to be in the area would most likely have been taken for questioning as well."

  "How many of the second group in the cavern were Yolongi and how many were Terrans?"

  "I believe there were only seven Yolongi. The rest of the group— about eighteen— were Terran slaves, all of whom were females. Male slaves are almost always sent to the mining colonies off-world as soon as they're purchased."

  "Do you have any contacts that can help us?"

  "As far as I know, all of the people providing information to Cornwallis were in the cave. I didn't have any trustworthy contacts outside of them."

  "Do you have any idea how the military or secret police discovered your location?"

  "None. We had been waiting there for weeks. Cornwallis had promised that someone from Galactic Alliance space was coming to pick us up."

  "Is there anything else you can think of to help us in this effort?"

  "Nothing."

  "Very well. Please let me know immediately if you do think of something else."

  "Certainly, Captain. Uh, might I ask when we'll be leaving this system?"

  "Not until we've established that Cornwallis is definitely lost to us."

  "I see."

  "Thank you for your help, Mr. Broqupio. That will be all."

  After Broqupio had left the mess hall and the door had closed, Sydnee said, "Well, we have a little more information. But it makes the task ahead of us seem even more impossible."

  "There's no way we can identify the markings on those APCs," Dennier said. "The shuttle crews only knew the APCs were coming because they saw them as distant electronic blips on their scanning equipment."

  "There's been something nagging at me in the back of my mind about all this, and I've finally realized what it is," Blade said. "Broqupio said that their entire group was in that one cavern and that they had a sensor system at the entrance to warn of anyone entering. When I ran up the ravine to the cave entrance area with my Alpha One team to see what was taking so long, we discovered there were five entrances leading into the mountains. There were three on one side of the ravine and two on the other side. I also saw infrared heat indications that all of the caves had seen visitors very recently. So if all the people we were there to rescue were in just one cave, who was going into or out of those other four caves?"

  "Could it have been Cornwallis, or rather Winston?" Dennier speculated. "Perhaps he got confused as to which entrance was the correct one."

  "I suppose that's possible," Blade said. "But what if he knew exactly where he was going and it was someone else making those tracks?"

  "Then we might have that witness we need," Sydnee said.

  "Assuming that whoever took Winston and the Terran slaves didn't also grab anyone else they might have found in those other caves. I'd like to return to that ravine and check it out. How soon can I leave, Captain?"

  "I think we have to be concerned that the military, or the secret police, might have left someone behind in case anyone returns."

  "What I want to know," Dennier said, "is why the military or police chose that exact time to raid the cavern."

  "They might have intercepted and decrypted Winston's message that he was coming to pick up the people in the cave," Sydnee said.

  "Or there might be a spy in the group who relayed a message to— whoever," Dennier said.

  "Which means that the spy is possibly aboard the Justice now," Sydnee said, "because I doubt if the spy would have been one of the Terran slaves."

  "We can't rule that out though," Blade said.

  "No, not entirely," Sydnee said in agreement.

  "If a spy has gotten aboard, he might try to activate some sort of tracking device, like the earpiece the Major gave to Winston," Dennier said. "I'm sure the Yolongi would love to identify the GA ship coming to free slaves."

  "It won't work," Sydnee said. "The Dakinium shields all radio signals. Both in and out. All communications can only go through the com chief on the bridge. The same is true aboard the shuttles. CT signals are routed through the flight deck com system, but nothing else gets through. There's also the possibility that the spy was one of the four Yolongi who were taken out of the first shuttle group, in which case we'll probably never see him again."

  "We need more information, and the only place we can reasonably expect to find it is on the planet," Blade said. "Do I have your permission to go back down?"

  "I don't see any other alternative if we're to get those people back. You should probably get some rest and have a meal first."

  "The meal part sounds great. We haven't done anything so exhausting that we require rest."

  "Okay, let's interview the other five Yolongi before we move on your request. After that, I'll have the cooks come in and prepare some food."

  *

  After each Yolongi was interviewed, he or she was temporarily taken to a separate area so no comparison of stories was possible with the people who hadn't been interviewed yet. The other people more or less verified Broqupio's account of what happened in the cave, as well as the political situation on the planet.

  When the interviews were over, the mess cooks were allowed to return and begin preparing a meal. Sydnee left the mess hall so she could think about the situation and consider possible future actions in the peace and quiet of her office. Everything had gotten too complicated, too quickly. It reminded her of the last mission in th
at respect. While they had expected that mission to be dangerous, it had begun with very straightforward goals. But with each passing day, the current situation had grown progressively more complex, as well as more dangerous. Fortunately, no one had been killed this time. "At least, not yet," she murmured. "But we're far from done, and it's déjà vu all over again. I'm under orders not to engage the Clidepp military or civilian authorities, but how do I rescue our SCI agent, if that proves necessary and possible, without engaging whoever is holding him? What a mess."

  After preparing a cup of coffee in her office's beverage synthesizer, she leaned back in her chair and focused on the problems at hand.

  *

  Sydnee's concentration was interrupted by the computer advising her that Marine Captain Blade was outside her door.

  "Open," she said.

  "Not hungry, Captain?" Blade asked as he stepped into the small office.

  "I can eat later, Major. I've been sitting here going over everything concerning Winston since he first came aboard. I suppose it's a little like what you said earlier about there being something in the back of your mind that was nagging at you."

  "And have you had a revelation?"

  "No, no epiphanies, but I can't shake the feeling that there's something I've missed."

  "Any clue at all to what's troubling you?"

  "No, just the thought that I've missed something."

  Blade nodded thoughtfully before saying, "My people have eaten and are ready to deploy to the surface. With your permission, we'll search those caves for anyone who can give us a clue about the identities of the people who took Winston and the Terran slaves."

  "I suppose that's the only hope we've got. We can't use the subterfuge of being the Patoosch again. Weems correctly released the metallic paint to hide your departure from the surface."

  "They can't see us on radar, so the chances of being spotted are small."

  "Yes, but it's currently daylight down at the part of the planet where the cave is located. We should wait until it's dark there to avoid being spotted visually. That'll be in nine hours. You can leave then."

  "We'll be ready, Captain."

  "Thank you, Major."

  After Blade left, Sydnee resumed her rumination. The thought that she had missed something was so predominant in her mind that she couldn't shift away from it to consider other matters.

  *

  Two and a half hours and six cups of coffee later, Sydnee suddenly sat bolt upright in her chair and addressed a question to the vocal computer interface in her office.

  "Computer, read me a copy of the message sent to SHQ by the crewmember known as Winston."

  "Unable to comply. That message was marked most secret. It can only be viewed visually on a monitor."

  "Then display it on my monitor."

  "That message was marked most secret. It can only be viewed by the captain of the ship."

  "Computer, I am the ship's captain. Show me the message."

  "A retinal scan is required."

  Sydnee leaned in towards the computer monitor and said, "Then scan me."

  "Scanning. Scan approved."

  "Then display the message."

  "The message is already displayed."

  "All I see is a page heading."

  "The full message is displayed."

  Sydnee sat back in her chair as she tried to figure out why the message only contained a heading. Her first thought was that Winston had sent it that way just so he could say he sent a message. After a few seconds she sat back up again, having remembered an old trick used in her school days to hide messages from unwelcome eyes.

  "Computer, display all background layer information in light blue and all text in black."

  "The message is displayed with the new colors."

  Sydnee could see a patchwork of black marks and globs on a field of light blue.

  "Computer, is there a foreground overlay?"

  "Affirmative."

  "Move the foreground overlay to a separate screen area."

  "The message is displayed."

  Sydnee could see text, but it was just a jumble of strange symbols and characters.

  "Computer, is the message encrypted?"

  "Affirmative."

  "Decrypt it."

  "Enter the encryption algorithm."

  "Did the individual named Winston enter any encryption algorithms into his account directory?"

  "Affirmative."

  "Computer, use the first algorithm."

  "The message is displayed."

  It was still just a jumble of strange symbols and characters.

  "Computer, use the next algorithm."

  "The message is displayed."

  "Use the next algorithm."

  "The message is displayed."

  The message was still just a jumble of strange symbols and characters.

  "Computer, use the next algorithm."

  "There are no more algorithms in the Winston directory."

  "Did Winston delete any encryptions?"

  "Winston ordered all other personal encryptions deleted."

  "Are they still in his recycle directory?"

  "Negative, he deleted his recycle directory."

  "Computer, is there a backup of the recycled files?"

  "Recycled files are retained for thirty days unless otherwise ordered by the ship's captain."

  "Examine the recycle directory and tell me if Winston's encryption algorithms are there."

  "There are six encryption algorithms bearing Winston's file ID."

  "Computer, copy the six algorithms into my personal directory area and label them WE1 through WE6. Then show me the message using the first."

  "The message is displayed."

  It was still just a jumble of strange symbols and characters.

  "Computer, use the next algorithm."

  "The message is displayed."

  "Use the next algorithm."

  Finally the message was partially readable as Sydnee scanned the document, but she could only read every third character in a text message without any breaks that indicated word parameters.

  "Computer, apply the next algorithm only to the text you cannot equate to alphanumeric characters, or symbols, found in your Amer dictionary."

  "The message is displayed."

  Sydnee could now read most of the characters and guess where spaces should be to separate words. "Computer, apply the next algorithm only to the text you still cannot equate to alphabetic or numeric characters, or symbols found in your Amer dictionary."

  "The message is displayed."

  Sydnee's eyes grew wide as she looked at the message. It was now almost entirely readable, and from what she saw, she knew that Winston had been right to go to the extremes he had to conceal the message. She had only been able to decrypt most of it because Winston may not have been aware of the triple redundancy of computer files aboard a Space Command warship. There were always backups on top of backups on top of backups with properly designed government computer systems. Or perhaps he knew but also knew only the captain of the ship could authorize early deletions from the recycle level. He knew the message was ultra secure aboard the Justice and that all encryption codes in the recycle file would disappear after thirty days anyway, so he may not have requested that Sydnee delete his codes because he didn't want her trying to determine what he was hiding. Even so, he had added additional protections, such as an overlay and background layer matching the text color, to confuse anyone trying to read it. Anyone intercepting the message in space, even if they managed to remove the foreground and background layers, would never be able to decrypt enough of the message to read it. Only when it was passed on to the appropriate section at SHQ-SCI could it again be properly decrypted for reading.

  Sydnee cleared her computer so no one else would be able to read the report sent to SCI, then went to stretch her legs. She believed the report provided a major clue to the identity of the forces responsible for the abduction of Winston and t
he Terran slaves. But knowing the probable perpetrators and actually recovering Winston and the slaves, if they were still alive, was another issue entirely.

  Sydnee knew that the obvious one to talk to was Broqupio, so she headed towards the cargo container level where the Yolongi were being housed.

  * * *

  Chapter Ten

  ~ January 21st, 2287 ~

  When Sydnee reached the corridor on the uppermost level of the habitat container previously used only for satellite storage, the two Marine guards on duty there braced to attention.

  "As you were," Sydnee said. "Sergeant," she said to the higher ranking of the two Marines, "I'd like to talk to Mr. Broqupio. Would you ask him to please step out here?"

  "Aye, Captain," the sergeant said before turning and entering the living quarters space previously used to hold spy satellites.

  Once Broqupio had emerged from the housing area, Sydnee handed him a portable translator. "Walk with me, Mr. Broqupio," she said once he had inserted the tiny earpiece into his ear. Broqupio nodded and walked alongside as she headed towards the end of the corridor where the access tube rose towards the main ship. As they reached the tube, she stopped and faced the Yolongi.

  "Mr. Broqupio, I have a few more questions I'd like to put to you. First, can you tell me which of the three secret police organizations reports to Gustallo Plelillo, the Premier of the Clidepp government? Is it the Metawasa, the Riwaxgo, or the Qummuc?"