by Terry Mixon
“He had to go find the bathroom,” Princess Kelsey said. “I promise he’ll be right back. While we’re waiting, can you tell me how this room is broken down? Do specific sections of machines work on specific parts, or is it all random?”
Don hadn’t stopped frowning but he did turn to face the short woman. That put his back toward the lift that Carl had used. With any luck at all, he wouldn’t see the young man return.
“It’s complicated, but each of these sections holds machines that work on related parts. That simplifies the process of getting the raw materials segregated. I can break down which floors do what kind of work, but I really shouldn’t be talking about that level of detail. Which way did he go? We should go find him.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Veronica saw the lift doors open. Her relief was short lived, though. An unknown man in a Fleet uniform stepped out from the lift, pushing Carl in front of him.
They’d been caught.
29
Zia made her way to the receptionist’s apartment carefully, being absolutely certain to look casual as she walked down the corridor, but keeping an eagle eye out for anything that looked out of place. Ralph Halstead knew what she looked like, so an inopportune meeting would be a very, very bad thing.
Doctor Rehnquist followed along behind her, looking completely out of place and somewhat shifty as he attempted to sneak along.
“Just walk, Doctor,” she said softly, shooting him a glance. “You look like you’re up to something.”
“I am up to something,” he said in something close to a stage whisper. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“Talk to me in a soft, but normal tone of voice,” she said firmly. “Don’t whisper. That looks suspicious.
“Once we get to the apartment, what are you hoping to find in the computer system? How is it going to help us determine if what we’re looking for exists?”
The older man cleared his throat. “If, as Colonel Talbot suspects, the computer system is linked to the research facility to use its computational resources, that means some kind of connection has already been established that bypasses the firewalls. Perhaps not all of them, but it will get us into a better position to assess what needs to happen next.
“From that vantage point, I should be able to get into the files detailing what research projects are currently underway. Perhaps even those that are shelved or completed. Probably not the classified data, but at least summaries of what the research entails.”
She nodded as they turned into the apartment building. “What about the security feeds from the classified section of the building? Will you be able to access those from here as well?”
The man shrugged as they entered the stairs. “Perhaps. At a minimum, I should be able to get the security feeds in the nonclassified areas of the building. I hope to also gain control over the side entrance so that I can allow our people access.”
No one was in the hallway when they exited the stairwell, so she walked up to the man’s apartment briskly and opened the door.
Inside, she found a surprise. Talbot had Ralph Halstead at stunner point. The young man was seated on his own couch with his hands folded in his lap. He looked a little frightened. Understandably so.
“He showed up out of the blue,” Talbot said grumpily. “This is probably going to upset our schedule.”
“I don’t suppose I can ask what’s going on,” the young man said. “I’m not exactly certain how breaking into my apartment and kidnapping me is going to get your niece medical treatment sooner.”
Yes, this was going to severely upset their schedule. They could probably stash the young man for a day and get away with it. If he went incommunicado for longer than that, someone would come looking for him.
“This is a complication we could’ve done without,” Zia agreed with a shake of her head. “Doctor, why don’t you head back and see what you can find. Make the most of this opportunity. We may not get one like it again.”
She considered what to tell the young man. The truth was definitely off limits. They needed a lie that made sense but didn’t give the Rebel Empire a clue to what they’d really been up to.
“Industrial espionage,” she said as if she were admitting something she’d rather not. “You discovering us does complicate our schedule, but we’ll get what we need and be gone before anyone else on this station is aware of what we’re up to.
“If you cooperate, we’ll leave you unharmed. If you attempt to cause us trouble, we’re going to have to disable you until we get away. I’d much rather not harm you, so I suggest you do the smart thing and cooperate.”
His expression was somewhat unreadable but he nodded. “I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt me.”
Talbot stepped close to her while still keeping the stunner aimed at the young man. “What the hell do we do now?” he asked softly.
“We play this by ear. Follow my lead.”
She raised her voice slightly so that the boy could hear her. “Is your computer system tapped into the research facility computers? Don’t bother lying. My compatriot is examining it right now and he’ll be able to tell us the truth in just a couple of minutes.”
With a sigh, Ralph nodded. “They have a lot of computer power that they’re not using, so I borrowed my aunt’s login credentials to get into the external systems without them being aware. It won’t get you into the classified research computers, though. Those are isolated.”
“I suppose that’s the best we can hope for,” she said with a sigh. “Why did you come home early?”
The young man looked embarrassed. “Since I live so close to the research center, I often eat lunch at home. It saves me a little bit of money and lets me get away from Regina for little bit. She’s something of a pain.”
His admission made Zia laugh a little. “I can completely understand that. I really am sorry that you’ve gotten caught up in this. Honestly, all we were doing was casing your apartment so that we could sneak in tonight and clone your identification. Under other circumstances, you’d never have known we were here.”
“I realize you probably can’t answer this question,” Ralph said slowly, “but I’m not certain why you’re so interested in what could only be a specialized kind of regeneration. Normal medical regeneration is good enough for just about any kind of injury. I don’t understand why any company would be looking for something so focused.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And yet the research center is working on just that.”
Ralph shrugged. “The research is funded by the Lords. If we were doing this for profit, that might be a different thing, but our research center is kind of specialized. I can’t tell you for certain what use this technology would be put to, if it actually exists, but the Lords won’t be pleased at having someone meddle in their affairs.”
If only he knew how pissed they’d really be if they knew the truth.
Zia was still pondering how to answer his very logical questions when Doctor Rehnquist stepped out into the living room and cleared his throat softly.
“Excuse me,” she said as she stepped over to the doctor and drew him back into the hallway. “Have you found something?”
The man nodded, a grin on his face. “Your intrusion specialist and I have been going over the young man’s computer closely. He has all the access we desire, though I must confess that he’s hidden it rather well. I’m quite impressed with his skills.”
She frowned. “I’m not certain I understand. What exactly did you find?”
The research scientist turned so that his back was facing toward the living room. “That’s not a gaming computer, though it’s certainly meant to look like one. In fact, I suspect our young friend uses it as such, but that’s not its true purpose.
“What he has in there is a very powerful machine dedicated to hacking into secure systems. Buried underneath its disguise as a gaming computer, it has a sophisticated array of penetration tools.
“The young man ha
s completely hacked into the research center. Not just the public areas of the system, either. He’s penetrated the secure firewalls. We have complete access to everything but the labs themselves.”
Zia found herself blinking in shock. “Wait a minute. You’re telling me that that earnest young man is some kind of criminal and that he’s been busy doing exactly what we want to do all this time?”
The scientist nodded energetically. “Indeed.”
Well holy crap.
“Good work, Doctor. Get back in there and make certain we can duplicate that access, just in case we have to run. Also, go through their files and see if they really do have a research project that matches what we’re looking for. This is our big chance. Let’s not waste it.”
Zia walked back into the living room and smiled at Talbot. “You’re going to like this.”
Before he could respond, the door burst open and two men came rushing in, weapons in their hands. Their attention zeroed in on Talbot, likely because he was armed.
At the same moment, Ralph Halstead drew a hidden weapon from between the cushions on his couch, raising it to point directly at Zia.
That instant seemed to last an eternity and then everyone started firing.
Kelsey forced a relieved smile onto her face. “There you are, Carl! Did you find the restroom?”
He shook his head and gave her a wry smile. “No such luck. I ran into this gentleman and was hoping he’d point me in the right direction, but he’s pretty annoyed to find me unescorted.”
The man pushed Carl forward as the pair got closer to the group. “I found this guy wandering on level three, Commander. Should I call security?”
Sommerville stared at Veronica for a few seconds. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary, Jack. I’m sure it was just an honest mistake. Head back to your post.”
The man looked unsure about that but he headed back for the lift.
Once he was gone, Sommerville put his hands on his hips and focused his attention on Carl. “What were you really doing, Mr. Owlet?”
“He was just looking for the—” Kelsey started.
Sommerville held up a finger toward her. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to have Mr. Owlet answer for himself, Captain Delatorre. Depending on how satisfied I am with what he says, I might end up calling security after all. Be forewarned, I’m not buying the restroom story.”
As Kelsey watched apprehensively, Carl sighed. “You’re right. I’m their tech guy. I just wanted to get a closer look at some of the other pieces of equipment to see if they were like the ones down here. I meant no harm, Commander. I have Fleet clearance and I wouldn’t jeopardize our mission. I’m sorry.”
Kelsey held her breath wondering if Sommerville was going to believe them or call security. If he seemed doubtful, she was going to have to take him down and then they’d have to go hunt the fellow that had seen Carl. That would screw their primary mission, so she really hoped it wasn’t necessary.
The man kept his attention focused on Carl for a long few seconds and then nodded. “It’s not very respectful to my position here or me personally, but I can believe that. Unfortunately, it means that our little tour is over. Trust only goes so far. I’m afraid you’ve abused mine and I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Veronica sighed but nodded. “I understand. I’m sorry, Don.”
“So am I. I’m afraid that I’m going to have to cancel lunch. I need to perform a walk-through on level three to make certain that nothing has been tampered with.”
He turned his attention to Kelsey. “I wish you the best of luck in your mission, Captain Delatorre. If we meet again, I hope it’s under more auspicious circumstances.”
Fifteen minutes later, Commander Sommerville had escorted them completely out of the Fleet area before turning around and returning to his duty station without a word.
His unspoken message was perfectly clear. They were not welcome in the Fleet section of the shipyard. Kelsey wouldn’t be surprised if he’d put a flag on them and would be notified if they attempted to go back inside the Fleet area.
Kelsey led the others to a nearby café and they ordered some coffee and sweets. The large window nearby had a stunning view of Archibald’s red moon as the shipyard orbited around it. She wondered briefly what caused the intense shade of scarlet, but set that aside. They had more important things to worry about.
Once the waiter had departed, she leaned in toward Carl. “What happened?”
“It isn’t as bad as it looks,” he assured her. “I put one shunt into the machine that makes the flip drives and the last into a general computer hookup in the main bulkhead. That one should give us a lot of information about all of the systems and what they’ve been doing.
“The guy that caught me did so after I’d closed everything up and was headed back for the lift. I didn’t have a chance to hide because he was inside it. I gave him my cover story, but he wasn’t having any of it. He dragged me downstairs and you know the rest.”
Kelsey turned her attention to Veronica. “Is your friend going to let this go or is he going to keep digging till he finds something? Is he going to report us?”
Veronica looked uncertain. “I don’t think he’s going to report us, but that doesn’t mean he won’t look very closely at everything on level three. It’s possible he could find the shunts.”
“That’s not very likely,” Carl said with a shake of his head. “The shunts are designed to look like other components. Nothing he sees will look out of place unless he’s intimately familiar with what should’ve been there to begin with.”
“We’ll just have to hope for the best, then,” Kelsey said. “What do we know? Can we do this?”
“It looks like they’ve already been building a ship that needs a flip drive that might work for our purposes,” Carl said. “One of those freighters that Veronica was talking about earlier is about to enter its final trials, or so the construction logs say. I’ve looked over the design parameters for its flip drive. It’s weak for what we need, but if we’re cautious, it might work.”
“That doesn’t sound very promising,” Kelsey said with a sigh. “I was hoping we’d be able to get something perfect for what we need, but I suppose that was a long shot. Can’t we just have the manufacturing equipment make us a perfectly designed flip drive?”
The young scientist shrugged. “Sure. I can have it build one and put it into storage, but we’d still have to get it out. With Commander Sommerville’s suspicions raised, that’s probably a lot more dangerous than slipping on board a freighter with a small crew and stealing it during the test flight.”
“I have an idea,” Veronica said. “Don said something about the system being able to automatically deliver parts where they’re needed. Could you have the manufacturing equipment build the perfect flip drive for Audacious, deliver it to the target ship, and then erase all traces that you had done so?”
Her young friend pondered that for a moment and then nodded. “I have the plans. I even have updated plans that have the modulator installed that would allow the ship to use multi flip points without risking another burnout.
“The problem is that I’d have to be here to direct things. It’s a new drive and we don’t want a problem with it to attract Commander Sommerville’s attention. Then comes the order to ship it to the freighter. I can’t give it that instruction until the manufacturing is complete.”
“How long will it take to build the flip drive?” Kelsey asked.
“Based on what I can see, the machine takes pre-manufactured parts where it can and puts them together. It only produces unique elements when the design calls for something that’s not in storage.
“I think I can have the new flip drive finished in about eight hours. If I then schedule it to be immediately delivered to the ship and placed into one of the storage holds, that means it’ll be ready sometime tonight. I’ll have to stay here and oversee that, though.”
Kelsey shook her head slowly. “This is wher
e we take a big risk because I’m not leaving you here where they might pick you up. We’ll call for a shuttle to come pick us up and have them bring one of the FTL coms.
“Fiona can direct the construction of the flip drive and see that it’s shipped to the right place. She can then erase all evidence it was ever built. If anyone saw those plans, they’d deduce what kind of flip point it’s useful for.
“That will also give her some access to the Fleet computer systems. How much access would Fiona have?”
Carl shrugged. “A lot.”
Kelsey nodded. “There’s undoubtedly a lot of interesting information in there, but that’s a bonus. We have to have the right flip drive and we’ll take this risk to make it happen.
“Get things in motion, Carl. We’ll need to recover the FTL com when the drive is complete, but we’ll figure out that part when the time comes. This means that whether the other team is finished or not, we’re getting out of the Archibald system tonight.”
30
Talbot had just a moment to bless all the fighting practice he’d had with Kelsey over the last year as he responded to the unexpected attack. Her speed had honed his reflexes to a razor’s edge, though she still trashed him every time.
As he had his weapon out, he only had to pivot slightly to fire at the intruders coming through the door. He knew where they were, whereas they hadn’t had a firm grasp of where he’d be standing when they rushed in.
Talbot’s stunner bolt took the lead attacker in the chest and dropped him to the floor. Even as the second man was firing at him, Talbot was dropping below the shot. A grunt behind him told Talbot that it had still found a target in Zia.
He fired as soon as he hit the floor, taking the second man in the lower torso and dropping him as well.
A stunner bolt struck the carpet right in front of Talbot’s face, coming from the couch. Somehow, their prisoner had gotten his hands on a weapon. Perfect.
Even as he was rolling onto his side to return fire, Bill Smith appeared in the doorway leading into the rest of the apartment and shot the young hacker on the couch with his stunner.