“That’s not a mission priority,” Nine reminded her.
Lea’s face reddened. “It’s one of my priorities. We’re getting our people back.”
“I must protest.”
Kyle leaped to his feet, slamming the android against the wall. “I’m about ready to deactivate your ass.”
“Then you would be on report.”
“I’m already on report, you piece of shit!”
David pulled Kyle off Nine. “Let’s rescue them and deal with it later, okay?”
Kyle nodded.
“Bill, the brig?”
He tapped the tablet again. This time, the bottom section of the ring displayed the interior floors. “The brig is near the bottom, two decks from the turbine.”
“Seems simple to me. I’ll take two platoons. One to plant the charges, and the other to rescue the prisoners,” Kyle said.
“The Renault can provide some cover,” Lea said.
“What about leading the others away from the jump station? You know, a feint.” Bill’s face tightened. “We use the fighters and both battle cruisers to engage and pretend that we’re pulling out while our marines go in.”
Kyle nodded. “Yeah, I like his idea.” Grinning at Nine, he took his seat. “I think we can rescue our marines and get the mission accomplished, if you can pull their forces away. We’ll kick their collective asses.”
Lea beamed at him. Strong, confident, and a little attitude. No wonder Cain loved his sergeant major. “We’ll do our part.”
“Where will you be?” David asked.
Kyle blinked. “With my marines, of course.”
Lea shook her head. “No. I need you here.”
“What?”
“Yes, I need you here. Is there anyone else that can help me help my marines better than you?” Lea asked.
“Guess not.”
An audible alarm beeped from the table. Lea tapped the control panel. “This is the captain.”
“Ma’am, this is the officer of the day,” Ensign Alan Parker said.
“Go ahead,” Lea replied.
“The admiral is on the horn.”
“Wait one.” Lea frowned. This had to be the answer to her request for additional forces. What if it was bad news? The crew would give up on their mission and … Cain. If it was bad news, could she turn it into a pep talk? Hardly. But, it was better than nothing. “Okay, we’ve decided on the plan.”
“No, I haven’t approved it!” Nine shouted. “I have to approve it!”
Lea glared at the android. “I am NOT in the mood.” She took a breath. “I want everyone out, except for David and Kyle.”
“Ma’am?” Bill asked.
“Start preparations to attack the jump station.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Bill led the staff and Nine out of the conference room.
Lea waited until they closed the door behind them. “Alan, put him through.”
The display in the center of the table flashed, revealing Admiral Steven Lyons. “Lea, you reading me?”
Lea couldn’t pull her eyes off his implant. “Sir, did you get a new implant?”
Steven frowned. “Who’s in the room?”
“Myself, Sergeant Major, and my XO.”
“Have your XO leave the room.”
Lea blinked. “Why?” His silence was loud enough for her to get the point. “David, I’ll see you on the bridge.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He quickly left the conference room.
“He’s gone,” Kyle said.
Lea leaned forward. “What’s wrong?”
Steven lowered his voice. “I had my comms chief adjust it to give me some privacy when I need it.”
“Like now?” Kyle asked.
“Like now.”
“What about my reinforcements?” Lea asked.
Steven shook his head. “Under a new policy, we are now required to get presidential approval to release major resources, even for already approved operations.”
“What does that mean?” Kyle asked.
Steven sighed. “She said no.”
“That bitch!” Kyle yelled. “This is our only shot at getting the colonel back!”
“I thought your scanners couldn’t penetrate—”
Lea shook her head. “No, our intel analysts discovered that our political officer wasn’t telling us the whole truth, and it appears that it may have adjusted the scanners.”
“Why?” Steven asked.
“No idea. I want to lock it up in the brig.”
“You can’t. Only the state department or the president can order a political officer held, even an android one,” Steven said. “Just minimize its role and keep it out of discreet conversations.”
“Like this one,” Lea added.
“Exactly.”
“Did she give you a reason why I can’t have reinforcements?”
“Does it really matter?”
Lea bit her lip, trying to keep her ass out of trouble. “No, not really.”
“One more thing, and this was unexpected,” he said.
“Go on.”
“If you fail your mission, every one of you will be forced to take the implant.”
Kyle sighed. “So much for freedom. What you’re really saying is that no matter what we do, were getting the implants.”
“No, I’m not saying that. If you prove yourselves too valuable to the public, they’ll have to keep you just like you are.”
“How would the public know about their heroes?” Lea asked.
Steven just smiled.
Lea nodded. He doesn’t really have the implant, just a piece of junk on his neck making the machines think he has it. Brilliant. “Do we have a timetable?”
“Only what you come up with. Keep us informed.”
“What if the android becomes a threat to us? It is connected to GIS. Who knows what its sending back to Earth,” Kyle said.
“Well, people and androids die in battle. Lyons out.” The admiral’s image disappeared.
“What do you think?” Kyle asked.
“Let’s get my husband back.” Lea hurried towards the door.
“Yes, ma’am,” Kyle said as he chased after her.
23
Anna leaned back in her president’s chair sipping a whiskey from a full rocks glass. The world would soon be bowing at her feet, as if by remote control. If you can’t get people to worship you, make them. Isn’t that what most great leaders did? Coddle the ones who worshiped the ground they walked on, while those who didn’t … Stalin killed tens of millions during the Great Purge. Mao forced his will on China with a small price of only fifty to seventy million people. It was worth it. Even the ancient Western governments insulted and denigrated entire segments of their populations. Sometimes, they were no better than their adversaries at the time. But, they were all small thinkers. Anna would not intimidate people to force them to her will. No, she would control them through their implants.
She looked up as the door slid open. She took another sip as Paulson walked in. “What is it?”
“Admiral Lyons informed me that the Renault was informed about not getting reinforcements,” Paulson said.
Anna motioned towards the cushioned chairs in front of her desk. “Please sit. Want a drink?”
Paulson smiled. “How long have you been drinking?”
She pulled another glass from her desk drawer and filled it with whiskey. “Does it really matter?”
“No, not really.”
“Besides, my implant keeps me on an even keel.” She passed the glass across the desk to Paulson. How far was he willing to go to get ahead? Anna shifted in her seat. “Did he say how it went when he told the Renault’s captain?”
“No.”
“I see. GIS, were you listening?”
“I’m always listening,” GIS replied over the speakers.
“Have you been in contact with the android onboard?”
“Of course.”
“Well?”
“The Renault i
s readjusting its plan of attack to accommodate the limited tactical resources,” GIS said. “The attack is supposed to begin in a matter of hours.”
Paulson cringed as he sipped his straight whiskey. “Do they know they’re being sacrificed?”
“Good question,” Anna said. “GIS?”
“Not at this time.”
“Does the android know?”
“Affirmative.”
Anna took another sip. “That’s dedication for you. It knows it will die, but it still goes on with the mission.”
Paulson shook his head. “It’s just a machine.”
“True, but it’s nearly self-aware. GIS, do you know their plan?”
“That information was relayed to me by MCU-9 some time ago,” GIS said.
“What do you think?”
“Even after they were informed that they would have to do it alone, they’re determined to rescue Colonel Cain McKenna and then destroy the jump station. The speech Captain McKenna gave truly uplifted the morale of the crew. They really believe they can do it.”
Paulson painted on a smile. “Do they know they’re being sacrificed?”
“GIS?” Anna asked.
“Not at this time.”
“Think they’ll find out?”
“Eventually,” GIS said.
“What’s their probability of success?” Paulson asked.
“Forty percent.”
That can’t be right, Anna thought. If they succeeded, they’d be heroes. The public would worship them and they would be the symbol of what you can do without the implant. Her control would be gone. She’d have to actually go back to trying to do things for the … people. Yuck! She wouldn’t be able to control votes or stop political opponents. Eventually, someone would ask why the government was locking up people who didn’t have implants when the heroes of Earth, who saved it from certain destruction, didn’t have them. If they don’t need one, why would the rest of the population? They wouldn’t. “We can’t let them win.”
Paulson sipped his whiskey. “Forty percent probability is practically saying it won’t happen.”
“I need a crisis, not heroes.” She slammed her glass down on the desk. “I’ve gone through too much to let it all slip away now.” She glanced up. “GIS, through their android, can you make the odds even worse?”
“I will,” GIS replied.
Jarak thumbed through the sensor sweep reports while sitting in the commander’s chair on the bridge. Nothing. His mouth watered for a hot cup of coffee.
“Sir, the CG is on the horn,” Jack Williams said from behind the communication console.
Jarak glared over at Farrah, sitting next to him. “Change of plan?”
Farrah shrugged.
“Put it through.” His eyes focused on the three-dimensional monitor on the front bulkhead. It flickered from the space directly outside the Courage to Brigadier General Alan Tippins. “Good morning, sir.”
Alan grimaced. “Morning? I thought it was evening?”
“Sir?”
Alan waved him off. “Forget about it. We just got word from one of the AI informants about an imminent attack by the Renault.”
Jarak jumped to his feet. “How many ships?”
“One.”
“One? Just the Renault?”
“Yes.” Alan leaned back into his chair. “It doesn’t make sense. It’s almost like they are giving them to us.”
“Trusting an Earth government AI, I … I don’t know. Sounds too good to be true,” Jarak said. “They’re more apt to lead us into a trap.”
“Nothing to worry about.” Alan tapped a few buttons on his tablet. “I just sent their attack plan.”
“HUMINT (Human Intelligence) on the Renault?” Jarak asked.
“Who said it was human?”
“Oh.” Jarak looked over his shoulder at Farrah. “You got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Your orders are to ambush them before they get within weapons range of the jump station,” Alan said.
Jarak frowned. “Sir, are you sure about this?”
“They helped us before.”
“How?”
Alan smiled. “Who do think gave us the virus? Tippins out.”
“Farrah, set a course,” Jarak ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
Lea stared at the rotating three-dimensional images of herself and Cain on their honeymoon. She had to try to get him back. Nothing was more important than being with him again. How many days had she wasted trying to politic for that next mission instead of spending it with him? How many months did she voluntarily spend away from him because it was better for her career? Years? The more she thought about it, the more her eyes welled up. By sheer force of will, she dammed up her tears behind her eyes. The door’s audible alert made her wipe her eyes. “Come in.”
Jake stepped inside as the door slid open. “I’ve got an idea.”
Lea smiled. She had specifically requested Lieutenant Jake Morris when she first took over the Renault. As with all her personnel requests, she routinely sought Cain’s thoughts. Even though Jake had a soiled military record, his creative, quick thinking was second to none. Jake proved Cain right time after time after time again. Maybe he could increase their chances to get her love back. “I’m all ears.”
“I’ve been studying the scans, and I think we may be able to mask our presence from their scanners.”
Lea leaned back in the chair behind her desk. “How?”
“First, we have to sever the communications and data links back to fleet HQ.”
“Nine won’t like that.”
“If we fail, it won’t matter. All of us will be dead, even Nine.”
“Go on.”
“Scanners rely on the beams returning to the ship after it hits something. I’m not talking about scientific scanners, I’m actually referring to search and targeting scanners,” Jake said.
“Really?”
Jake nodded. “I can modulate our shielding to scatter their scanners, but our shields would lose more than half of their effectiveness.”
Lea frowned. “And you think that’s a good idea? Come on, Jake.”
The red-haired man just smiled at her. “If they see us too early, we’ll be dead before we even get close.”
“How fast can you switch it over?”
“I would just need ten seconds, and I need to be at the engineering station at the bridge.”
“About time you had someone else besides your ensigns on the bridge.” Lea smiled. “What will we look like to them? On their scanners, I mean.”
“They would detect a chunk of metal, but it would appear to be much smaller than any ship. If they happen to look out their window, they’ll see us,” Jake said.
“How often do people really look out the portholes with their eyes and not into a three-dimensional monitor? Hardly ever. Brilliant.”
Jake nodded. “Thank you.”
“How much time do you need?”
“Three hours? Maybe four?”
Lea rubbed her chin. If it worked, they could get very close to the jump station and get the marines in before they were even detected. But, as soon as they were spotted, ten seconds was nearly an eternity. Could this be her best chance to save Cain? Yes. “Come with me.” Without waiting for Jake, she rushed out her door onto the bridge.
David leaped from his seat. “Captain?”
Lea looked around. Everyone was at their stations, even Nine. Damn. How come that damn machine couldn’t be somewhere else? She shook it off. “Bill, stop all transmissions.”
“Captain?”
“Communications and data, cut it off.”
“Captain, you can’t do that,” Nine protested. “I won’t be able to report the battle’s progress. I’ll be cut off from GIS.”
Lea grinned. “I know.”
“What are your orders, Captain?” David asked.
Lea pointed at Jake. “He’s got a great idea.”
“What?”
Jake stepped forward. “I’m going to—”
“He’s going to make the Renault harder to detect, that’s all,” Lea said. She glared at Jake. “Just get to work.”
“Aye, Captain.” Never taking his eyes off Nine, Jake rushed off the bridge towards engineering.
“Bill, are the comm signals off?” Lea asked.
“Yes, Captain.”
Lea glared at Nine across the bridge. “We’re going to complete our mission and save our people. Are you with me?”
“Do I have a choice?” Nine asked.
“No!” She walked over to Liz and Ensign Polly. “How long will it take to get to the jump station?”
Liz punched a series of numbers into her control panel. “Twelve to thirteen hours, Captain.”
Lea nodded. “Let’s save our people. Move out.”
Liz grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
Lea felt the Renault accelerate while she slid into her chair. I’m coming, my love.
24
Aboard the Courage, Jarak tapped his fingers on the arm of the commander’s chair. The one thing he hated about being on the defense was that he lost the initiative. He couldn’t pick the time or place of the attack. No, that was solely left to his enemy, Captain Lea McKenna. He yawned.
“Alicia, run another scan,” Farrah said from her XO’s chair.
Captain Alicia Adams’ fingers flew across the weapons console. “Scanning.” Her blond hair was pulled back into a bun and her blue eyes bore into the small screen in front of her. “I may have … something.”
Jarak jumped back to life. “What?”
Alicia frowned. “I’m not sure. It’s manmade, but it’s—”
“But it’s what?” Farrah demanded.
Alicia shook her head. “I’m not sure. It’s small.”
Jarak rolled his eyes. “Does it fit the signature of the Renault or any other earth warship?”
“No.”
Farrah sighed. “Do we check it out?”
“No,” Jarak said. “Alicia, scan another sector. And keep doing it until you find the Renault.”
Alicia nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Lea was on the edge of her captain’s chair, focused on the three-dimensional monitor. “Do they see us?”
Sarah shook her head. “It doesn’t look like it.”
Cyber Invasion (The A.I. Conspiracy Book 1) Page 16