Altis-5: Book #2 of the Sleeper Series

by J. Alexander Black

  “They obviously did not expect anyone to come looking for this, the data is not protected by an encryption sequence and that worries me,” said Andrew. “Let’s see what we have here.”

  It was a simple data file and opened easily with a few commands. A schematic of the Orion was revealed along with an instruction sheet written in Hevinian. “These are instructions on where to place six explosive devices, how to set the arming sequence and finally start a timer to detonate,” said Blaque.

  Jordan opened his communicator and gave a rapid set of instructions. Within minutes, teams of technicians would be at the coordinates given in the instructions and disarming the explosives. Reports quickly came in; the explosives had been located and were armed but the detonation sequence had not been initiated. According to the Senior Technician the firing sequence had to be manually initiated, an automated system could have been detected by the ship’s systems. Jordan gave the order for them to be rendered safe then ordered all the teams not to record this activity in the ship’s log and keep it a secret. It could be that the arsonists had access to the ship’s Information System and would possibly have a plan B that they could implement if the initial plan was discovered. Jordan then made a call to the Captain and all three went to meet with him in his quarters.

  Walking behind Jordan, Blaque quietly said to Kris, “Are you satisfied now that I am not a Kaedian? That salt water trick was a bit obvious.” Kris smiled. He was glad the test failed. He was getting to like the new Blaque.

  12

  Mystery Solved

  When they arrived in the Captain’s quarters, they found him drinking Muska with Colonel Markham. “Ah! Gentlemen, come in. Please help yourselves,” he said, indicating the steaming pot. After pouring themselves each a cup Andrew explained what they had found on the chip hidden in Swift’s room.

  “A group of saboteurs has managed to place explosives in strategic locations throughout the ship. I think this group left the ship before it left Earth. This set of instructions would indicate a second group, which may have included Swift, who would set the firing sequence at a prearranged time, thereby destroying the Orion. Unless they were willing to die along with everyone else they must have had an escape plan. My guess is they would wait until the Orion was in orbit around Altis-5, set the firing sequence, then escape in time to reach the surface before detonation. The explosives have been rendered safe but appear as if undisturbed. No information was shared with the ship’s Information System and each location is under covert surveillance. If anyone goes near those devices we will apprehend them immediately.”

  Andrew nodded to Jordan.

  “We have found the six devices indicated by an initial examination of this plate,” said Jordan. “It is possible that there are other devices that we did not see. This plate needs to be carefully examined by an expert. In the meantime, we need to identify the saboteurs. Realizing it could be anyone makes it difficult. I would like to run background checks on all aboard but we don't know how high their security levels are, if they have access to the ship’s Information System it could alert them." The Captain paled at the thought of one or more of his senior officers being involved. "I also recommend a sweep of the entire ship.”

  “How do we do that without alerting the

  saboteurs?” asked the Captain.

  “We say that some rodents were discovered in some of the equipment brought from Earth, possibly in the Seabees crates and escaped before they could be caught,” said Kris.

  “Yes,” said the Captain. “That could work. Jordan would you organize that? Normally it would be the job of the Ship’s Environmental Technician but I have not appointed a replacement for her yet.”

  “Yes of course, Sir,” replied Jordan. “If the saboteurs have access to the ship’s Information System they may try to prevent the search teams from accidently finding the devices by moving them until after the search.”

  “Then I suggest we help them by calling for volunteers to help with the search. The saboteurs may use that opportunity to join in the search and volunteer to search those compartments containing the bombs. We must be ready for them.”

  “We will be, Sir,” said Jordan. He left to organize the search parties. He had decided to ask for volunteers from the villagers as well as crewmembers. Within two hours, he had twenty volunteers. Meeting them in the village square he split them into five teams mixing villagers with crew then explained what they were looking for. He kept to the rodent story.

  “Look for droppings, evidence of chewing or stains along the walls or on the sides of crates about two inches above the floor. Remember don’t try to catch them, just report in, leave the space, and secure the door. We will send in a team of specialists to catch them later. As you work through the ship secure the doors behind you and log it in. Ok, let’s divide up the ship.” He hesitated; he wanted to see if anyone requested a particular area to search. He didn’t have to wait long.

  “I’ll take the main deck storage holds. I work in them so I am familiar with the layout,” said one volunteer.

  “Ok,” Said Jordan “What is your name and position?”

  “I am Rayton Frome; Junior Stores Technician.”

  “Ok Rayton, anyone else? No? Okay here are your assigned areas.” They all looked at the cards given to them.

  “I would like to change teams,” said one of the villagers. This area assigned to my team contains some very small spaces and I am claustrophobic. I can manage in the big holds but some of these are way too small for me.”

  “I understand,” said Jordan. “What is your name?

  “Peter Johnson.”

  “I will put you on the team searching the larger lower level holds,” said Jordan as he pulled the card with the names and crossed out his name. “Is anyone from team four willing to switch?”

  “I will,” said another of the villagers. “Mary Phelps.”

  With the lists adjusted they were ready to go. It was going to take several days to complete the search. At the end of the first day only a small portion of the ship was searched but as they got used to the task it began to go much faster. Stand-alone monitors independent of the ship’s Information System had been installed and were being monitored by six senior crewmembers. On the first day, they watched a team enter one of the monitored holds. The monitor showed Peter Johnson go directly to the device, search around it, and wait while the rest of the team searched the rest of the hold. When another searcher came near, he diverted their attention to another area. Once everyone declared the area clear they exited and secured the space. The six monitors recorded the activities throughout the day. Three recorded very suspicious activity where both Johnson and Frome kept the other searchers away from the hidden devices. The following day Johnson and Frome twice diverted searchers from the devices. A third suspect became known in the main galley. A Hevinian member of team three watched his team search the galley and when one searcher came close to the hidden device, he stopped her and told her he had already searched that area and suggested she check a different area. He repeated this action with another searcher who came close to the device.

  By the end of the second day Jordan had all the information needed to make the arrests. That night Jordan and Blaque lead security teams to arrest the two Hevinian saboteurs at the same moment Blackstock and two members of the EDF combat team approached the yurt of Peter Johnson. They found a small group of villagers outside attracted by the screaming coming from inside. They entered and found two men trying to calm Johnson who was writhing on the floor screaming about the pain inside his head. The villagers had called the emergency response team who showed up just as Kris entered to yurt. It took four men to hold him down so the medics could administer a shot of Extercanic, which rendered him unconscious immediately.

  As soon as they logged their actions Marcie and Sande were alerted and were waiting in the clinic when the medics brought him in. Once on the exam table they observed vital signs, his respirations were normal thanks to the
Extercanic but his blood pressure and heart rate were dangerously high. Marcie administered another drug to reduce the heart rate and subsequently the blood pressure while Sande initiated a cranial scan. Within seconds the scanner stopped, it had detected a foreign object in his brain. Closer inspection revealed a microscopic plate deeply imbedded in the left side. Sande consulted with the ship’s Senior Surgical Technician and within five minutes, he had removed the plate and sent it to Orion’s lab for analysis.

  Interrogation of the Hevinian saboteurs was brief. An injection ‘allowed’ each prisoner to speak the truth freely. Once again Jordan and Kris found themselves attending a brief in the Captain’s cabin. Jordan had the floor.

  “The plate found in Peter Johnson’s brain is interesting. It has been in place for over twenty years. The data in the chip revealed that he was part of a Kaedian controlled group in Colorado run by his primary School Principal.” Jordan paused to review his notes. “Peter had shown great mechanical abilities in class and because of this had come to the attention of the Principal. The mission for the Principal was to find susceptible young Erthers, have them abducted and examined, if they met their criteria for control a plate was inserted and they were sent back to Earth. The examination and surgery took only an hour so the children would be gone for less than two hours. The plate has been in place for over twenty years but according to the data he has been contacted only briefly over the years. The last contact being just before the Brigade embarked in the Orion. He was given the explosives and the names of the contacts aboard the Orion which were our two Hevinian saboteurs and Technician Adair Swift. Peter’s job was twofold, to deliver the explosives which were hidden in their personal belongings when the dependents came aboard and to work with the other two in placing them throughout the ship.”

  Tom was amazed; he had met Peter a couple of times at Brigade functions. He was the husband of Warrant Officer Karen Johnson one of the Barque pilots. He liked him.

  “It seems that the chip creates a delusion in the brain that causes the person to believe they are doing the right thing,” continued Jordan. “In the case of Peter, I am convinced he believed he was doing what he thought was the best thing for humanity. Incidentally, Warrant Officer Johnson had no knowledge of his involvement.”

  “What happens now that the chip has been removed?” asked Tom.

  “The chip only works for a specific task and the request must be preceded by a trigger. A code word or phrase. Now that the chip is removed, he will be his normal self. If you are struggling with the question of should he be held responsible for his involvement with the saboteurs? In my opinion, he should not.”

  “I agree,” said Tom. “I will talk to the Captain. I will inform his wife who must be worried. When he recovers, I will explain everything to him. He will have many questions. I would like you to be there Jordan.”

  “Yes of course,” said Jordan. “Usually the person has recollections of the abduction but they are so vague they say nothing about it. We have dealt with this before among our own people that is why the scan was able to find the plate so quickly.”

  “What about the Hevinians, what will happen to them?” asked Kris.

  “Interrogation of the would-be saboteurs revealed that they were part of a group of long-time Kaedian sympathizers. They had been informed of the Krammar ordered by the Kaedian government against the Orion and of the huge reward that would come to those who destroyed it. Their plan was to wait until the ship’s officers had completed their pre-departure inspection then place the explosives. Once the Orion had achieved orbit around Altis-5 they were to set the mechanical timers on the explosives and depart the Orion in an escape capsule. The timers would allow them to reach a safe distance away from the ship. One of the saboteurs admitted to killing Swift. One of the devices was meant for the compartment where the surveyors stored their gear. Fosdyke was in the space performing routine maintenance on his equipment behind some crates and saw Swift place the device. He scared Swift when he suddenly appeared from behind the crate. Swift told the other saboteurs that he had explained that it was an environmental monitoring device. The others were concerned and decided to kill Fosdyke before he could talk to others about what he had seen. Swift killed him with the cyanide gas as he slept that night and stole the cognac. He had drunk a whole bottle when the others came to check on him. He became violent and in the resulting struggle they killed him by a blow to his head. They stripped him and placed him in the shower to make it look like an accident.”

  Jordan sat down and the Captain said, “They were scanned for the same chip but none was found. We have determined they were acting under their own volition and declared them as “Krunares” meaning ‘deadly enemies’ of the Confederation which automatically carries the death penalty. They are to be released in,” he consulted his reader, “one hour from now.” “Released?” exclaimed Tom.

  “Yes,” said the Captain matter-of-factly. “In space, those sentenced to death are simply released into space.”

  One hour later Blaque as a Commonwealth witness watched as the saboteurs were placed in the evacuation space normally used to push any non-recyclable waste away from the ship. The Captain first ordered the Orion to reduce speed, then waited while the engines reversed, slowing the Orion to a crawl. He then read the sentence to the witnesses who identified themselves for the record, and the operator activated the system. As soon as the outer door opened, the escaping oxygen blasted out taking the two men with it. It was all over in a matter of seconds and the men drifted away slightly then disappeared as the Orion increased speed and continued on its way.

  Andrew walked to a nearby lounge and found Kris sitting by himself.

  “May I join you?” he asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down opposite Kris. “That was decent work you did. Have you ever considered a career in the security services?”

  “I did once right after I left the army, I had a couple of offers but I needed some time to myself.”

  “So, what did you do?”

  Kris looked at Andrew; the man seemed genuinely interested. “When my father died, he left me a small cabin in the Maine woods where I grew up so I moved in and after a while became a Maine guide as a way to ease myself back into the real world.”

  “I understand,” said Andrew.

  “Do you?” said Kris sharply; he had heard that many times but unless he’d had a similar experience there was no way he could understand.

  “Yes, I do. I spent the equivalent of fifteen Earth years in the combat arm of the Commonwealth Security Services. I started out right at the very bottom as a trooper. Saw combat on six planets. Fought against Kaedians, Silerinians and even rogue Hevinians. Seems I had a talent for covert operations and here I am.

  “Did you come aboard because you knew about the plot to destroy the Orion? You did a good job of portraying yourself as a pompous politician prick by the way.”

  “Thank you,” said Andrew smiling. “Yes, we had vague reports of something going on so I was sent to investigate. You and Jordan were doing a great job on the Fosdyke murder, so I decided to hang back and see where it led. You two were right; based on your findings at the time I was the most likely suspect and once the Captain shut you down, I had to step in.”

  “Did the Captain know of your real identity?”

  “Yes,” said Andrew. “That is why he had to stop your investigation of me. If my identity had made it into the ship’s Information System the saboteurs could have panicked and detonated early.”

  “What will you do now, Andrew?”

  Andrew noticed the use of his first name. “Well Kris, I guess I could return with the Orion, but I think I would like to see how you all adapt to life on a new planet while I wait for a new assignment. In the meantime, I will talk to the Captain and see if I can make myself useful.”

  13

  Hevinian Library

  It was 1 pm village time; Tom was sitting at his empty desk. Either I am very efficient or there is nothing
that needs my attention, he thought, secretly hoping it was the former. He got up and walked to the Command Center. He was always amazed at how quiet it was. There were five crew members working around the Captain; each at a specific task. With the ship’s systems communicating with them through implants there was no need of verbal communications. Captain Querrion was sitting in his chair mentally entering his log on the holo display. He looked up because the Colonel’s presence was just enough outside of the normal routine to attract his attention.

  “Good afternoon, Colonel. To what do I owe the pleasure?” The Captain took great delight in acquiring local colloquialisms.

  “I thought I’d take you up on your offer to access the ship’s Library,” said Tom.

  “Very well,” said the Captain, glancing at the holo board. An icon flashed momentarily. “I have asked the ship’s Archive Technician to join us. While we are waiting, I wanted to offer my apologies for the way I treated young Blackstock yesterday.”

  “It’s not a problem, Captain. He has a thick skin that one. I’m sure he took no offense.”

  “Thank you, Colonel, but it was still unprofessional of me. Ah, here is the archivist. Colonel Markham, may I introduce Anton Guisborn.”

  Anton was typically Hevinian except for his eyes. He was he was the only man Tom had ever met with amber colored eyes. He found himself staring at the flecks of gold within the amber. Anton noticed the stare but it did not bother him, he was used to it, even for a Hevinian it was unusual.

  “If you would follow me Colonel I will take you to our…,” he hesitated.

  “Library,” said the Captain providing the translation.

  “Ah, yes of course, the Library,” repeated Anton. As they stepped into the small antigrav vehicle the Captain stopped him.

  “Before you go, a word of caution; be careful what you look for, you may find more than you truly want.”