A popping sound was all that was heard on the bridge as the powerful weapons discharged. A second later Sarah reported. “Direct hit, sir.”
“Confirmed,” Cross added from the main science station. “It was definitely a cloaking device of some kind, Captain, because it just failed. I don’t think that they were able to raise their shields while cloaked, because scanners are picking up massive damage; more than we’d normally see from PPCs, even our new ones. Their power appears to be failing all over the ship. Readings indicate that she just lost life support.”
As the science officer spoke, an unknown-class Galoran ship appeared on the screen. Sarah recognized from the no-win scenario in the simulator; the ship was half the size of the destroyer-class, but with the same size power plant.
“Stokes, hail them and tell them that we are ready to receive their surrender. We’ll transport them to the nearest neutral port.”
As Hanley spoke a number of escape pods detached from the vessel. A moment later the ship exploded. The explosion of the Galoran craft destroyed many of the escaping pods. Captain Hanley ordered his crew to begin rescue operations for the remaining escape pods. He then turned to Commander Dekert. “Exo, I want to see you in my ready room, NOW! Ensign Maloney, you too.”
Sarah signalled for the back-up helm officer that was always available on the bridge, and followed the captain and his first officer into the ready room.
The moment the door closed behind them the captain rounded on Commander Dekert. “‘Fool zoner’ Commander? ‘zoner dreams?’ I think that you had better explain yourself.” Captain Hanley’s anger was unmistakable.
“Sorry, Captain,” Dekert responded “They were spur of the moment comments. It won’t happen again.”
“That’s all you have to say? ‘It won’t happen again’? Does that mean you won’t say it where I might hear it again? Captain Hanley turned to Sarah, “Ensign, have you had any encounters with the commander that would give him reason to resent your presence?”
“No direct encounters recently, Captain. However, on a previous occasion the commander did make a point of telling me that he would do whatever it takes to get me busted out of the service.”
The captain was shocked by Sarah’s reply. “You realize Ensign that that is quite a serious accusation. What do you have to back that up?”
“If I may sir?” Sarah indicated the Captains computer console. He nodded his assent. She sat down at his desk and called up the Engineering Log from the previous November.
“Maintenance log, November 12, 2352, 0000 hours, Third Engineer, Ensign Maloney recording. We completed the refit on the secondary plasma systems on the second leg of our run from Calisto Colony to Dina…” the conversation she had with Commander Dekert had been deleted.
She glanced over at the exo and he was grinning. Sarah was unfazed. “Actually, Captain, I expected this,” she said. Purposefully Sarah pressed a key activating the computer’s voice command mode. “Computer, run program Grifn-Maloney on all log entries since Winston Dekert joined the crew of the Kennedy, beginning with this log entry,” she commanded.
She looked straight at Dekert and smiled, then turning to the captain she explained. “Back at the Academy it was suspected that a student was breaking into various logs and erasing positive reports on programmers and fire-percenters, and if possible, inserting negative evaluations. Then Lieutenant Grifn and I developed this software. It tracks file fragments and reconnects them with their original files. It also traces the individual or individuals who made the alterations.”
As she finished speaking the log entry disappeared from the display wall. The computer said “Log entry corrected.”
“Play corrected entry,” the captain ordered. Sarah watched the exo’s face as the complete entry played. The smug grin was replaced by a look of horror as their entire conversation was played back.
She turned back to the captain. “I believe that it may take an hour or two for the computer to rebuild the entire set of log files, but I think, sir, that you will find them most compelling.”
The captain pressed a stud on his console. Two security officers entered the room. “Mr. Dekert, it appears that you are guilty of tampering with the official logs of this ship. Quite a feat I am sure. You are hereby relieved of duty and, pending the outcome of your trial, you are also stripped of your rank aboard the Kennedy.” He turned to the Security officers. “Throw him in the brig and no visitors or messages!” he ordered.
Captain Hanley sat down at his desk and started to look through the list of restored files. As she was the one who brought the problem to his attention, he began with a search on entries concerning Sarah. What he found astounded him. She waited silently by his desk to be dismissed.
“This is unbelievable, Ensign!” Hanley said. The shock in his voice was unmistakable. “When you came to us he told me that there were no recommendations from the Academy at all. There are multiple positive recommendations, from every instructor with whom you studied, as well as the Commandant and your Academic Advisor.
“I am finding glowing entries here from our Chief Engineer, as well as positive notations in the log entries by the Second Engineer, too. I see here positive comments from the Security Chief, your current supervisor, and many incidental remarks in various logs scattered throughout the ship. It appears that Dekert had tendrils into every log file on board. I have never seen anyone capable of doing this before.”
“Captain, if I may, after we located the culprit at the Academy someone said something about a bureau and everyone just went silent. I am not sure which bureau he was referring to though.”
Captain Hanley drew a long breath and exhaled. “I’m surprised that in all your time in the Corps you haven’t heard of it before. It was not ‘a bureau’, but ‘THE Bureau’.
“When the Terran Command was established seventy years ago there were some who felt that extra protection was needed in this new alliance that we had made with the League. It was proposed that a section be created within the Terran Command that would operate independently, and without oversight, to allow for plausible deniability. Officially they were supposed to protect the people of Earth, and the humans in the Corps. To that end they managed to get certain clauses inserted into our constitution that allowed for the creation of ‘The Bureau’.
“‘The Bureau’ had a free hand; it was absolute power, and they were soon corrupted by it. Their activities included blackmail of other League members, often arising out of situations created by The Bureau itself. There were a few suspicious deaths that led to an investigation. But, how do you investigate a secret organization? In the end a few weak links were found, and enough was learned that the World Congress and the League Council jointly declared The Bureau illegal. All official funding was discontinued, and the constitution of the Terran Command was rewritten without the clauses that gave rise to The Bureau’s creation in the first place. Even after that, many believe that The Bureau simply went underground, finding new sources of revenue to fund their activities.
“It’s possible that Dekert is Bureau. That would explain how he was able to hack the logs, and why. That’s also why I ordered him kept incommunicado. Unfortunately, it won’t work if The Bureau has one or more agents buried deep in my Security team. Watch your six, Maloney,” the captain added.
“Now,” he continued, “the next question is ‘What do we do with you?’ It is now obvious that Dekert set you up to be relieved of your engineering duties. I am told that your new replacement isn’t anywhere near as good as you. Do you want to go back to your old post?”
“Actually, Captain, I really like where I am now, but if you need me back on the Engineering deck I will be happy to resume my duties there.”
The captain pressed a stud on his console. “Chief Astrogator report to the Ready Room,” he commanded. A moment later she arrived. “Chief Wilson, I think I’ve found your replacement for Waverley.” He indicated Sarah. The Chief smiled her agreement. “Good, that’s set
tled.” To Sarah he said, “Maloney, I’m assigning you to the helm station on day watch until further notice, where you will assume your duties as Assistant Chief of Astrogation. Now, before you resume your post report to Quartermaster and pick up your new rank insignia, Lieutenant.”
“Aye, Captain,” Sarah answered, “thank you.”
“Dismissed,” Hanley said while continuing to read the log entries, concentrating on the ones where programmers had received commendations from their superiors. As she headed for the lift she heard the captain call over the ship-wide hail, “Petty Officer Peter Preston report to the Captain’s Ready Room!”
There was yet another surprise waiting for Sarah when she reported to the quartermaster. The rank insignia he issued her were for a First Lieutenant. When she questioned the quartermaster he simply shrugged and said, “That’s what the captain ordered. When I called to confirm he just said ‘She earned it.’” So, for the second time, Sarah skipped over at least one rank on her journey to the top.
As she was returning to the bridge, Sarah ran into Peter Preston. He was practically floating on air. When he saw Sarah he couldn’t help himself, the words exploded forth. “I’m being sent back to the Academy for Officer Candidate Training. Sassy, I’m going to be an officer.”
Immediately he realized that he had seriously violated protocol and pulled himself up short. “Apologies for the outburst, Ensi…” He noticed the Lieutenant’s bars on Sarah’s collar. “Lieutenant? Congratulations, ma’am.” He beamed at Sarah.
“You, too, Mr. Preston, best of luck at OCT; I look forward to having you back as an officer,” she told him, adding quietly, “Way to go, Peter!” She didn’t tell him that she had recommended it.
Sarah was pleased to learn that the Kennedy’s new executive officer was more carefully screened concerning his attitudes to the program and especially to zoners who were in the program. It meant that she could concentrate on doing her job in the same superior manner as always. The new exo recognized her talents, and her work ethic, and commended her accordingly. The year following Sarah was promoted again and reassigned. After a short leave to visit her family, she reported to the LSS Victory.
On July 18, 2354, Sarah reported to her new ship. Her welcome by the executive officer was a lot warmer than it was on the Kennedy. “Pleased to finally meet you,” Commander Loral Grifn said as he welcomed her aboard. “My sister, Nelia has told me a lot about you, Lieutenant-Commander. I look forward to working with you.”
“I look forward to it as well, Sir,” Sarah said.
“Excellent, for now, report to quartermaster for your Victory uniform insignia, she’ll assign you quarters in ‘officers’ country’, as well. You will report to the bridge at 0700 hours tomorrow for your first shift. I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the ship in the meantime”
“Thank you, Commander; I believe that I will take that suggestion,” Sarah answered, “If, for the moment, you would be kind enough to direct me to the quartermaster?”
The exo smiled, he realized that she was putting him on. He should have known that Sarah would have memorized the ship’s layout long before she came on board. “This way, Lieutenant-Commander,” he said indicating the way to the lifts.
If Loral Grifn was hoping to see Sarah in action he was going to have to wait a bit. The first year of her new assignment was for the most part routine; at least as routine as duty aboard a Jump-two class ship might be. There were runs between the various colonies; interdicting would-be marauders hoping to cash in on their vulnerability, giving emergency aid to disabled craft, and sometimes finding lost “explorers”.
Then two weeks after the first anniversary of the day she joined the crew, the Victory was on a routine run from the rehab colony on Brin to Corps Base 16 when a distress call came in from the LSS Pasteur, a medical transport from the Orion system.
They were under attack by unidentified marauders. The location of the transport immediately raised red flags. They were just three light years from the frontier of the Galoran Empire, just outside the Chora Nebula. Images of the simulator and the no-win scenario flashed through Sarah’s mind.
Captain Hines looked at his first officer. “Mr. Grifn, your evaluation?” he asked.
The Drixian officer must have had the same experience as Sarah because his answer was the same as she would have given. “It looks like the Galoran set-up again, sir,” he replied. “It appears that they’re making another play for a Jump-class vessel and we’re it.”
“Any ideas how we should handle this, Commander?”
“I think that we might ask Lieutenant-Commander Maloney,” Grifn suggested. “My sister tells me that she hates to lose, and believes that the lieutenant-commander has been working on a solution to this scenario ever since she faced it in the Academy simulator.”
Hines turned to Sarah, “Is that so, Maloney?”
Sarah turned to face the captain’s chair. “Yes, sir, like the commander says, I hate to lose. More than that, Captain, the Corps’ research has advanced in several areas in the past two and a half years. Based on our advances in weaponry and shields I have created a tactical scenario that should work.”
She turned to her console and called up a battle plan which she then relayed to the captain’s station. “As you know, Victory is equipped with the smart torpedoes that I proposed to Commander Nelia Grifn two and a half years ago. Our shields are stronger, and our PPCs are able to handle a much greater load. Lastly, we’re carrying a full complement of Annihilator torpedoes. We’re a Jump-two ship that’s fully loaded.”
“As well,” she added, “the Exeter is a short jump away. We could have her jump in behind the gas giant of the Brin system. She would be less than five minutes out, if we need to call her. Though I recommend that their involvement be a strategic hit-and-run strike… Exeter is only a Jump-one craft, and her shields are not as strong as ours.”
While Sarah was speaking Captain Hanes was reviewing her battle plan. “This is very well thought out,” he commented. “You’re sure that it will work?”
“Yes, sir!” Sarah answered smartly. “I believe it works, even without the Exeter as back-up, sir.”
“Very well, Lieutenant-Commander, make it so.” Hanes turned to his console. He pressed a stud on the “Comm” panel. “All hands, this is the captain. Battle stations, all decks, all stations. This is not a drill. Lieutenant-Commander Maloney is Battle Commander!”
He stepped out of his chair. “Lieutenant-Commander, take the Con,” he ordered. Then quietly to Sarah he added, “It’s your plan, Maloney.”
“Aye, Captain,” she said, climbing into the captain’s chair. As she did so Ensign Cox took up her position at the helm.
Sarah lost no time. “Ensign Latimer, contact the Exeter on a secure channel, apprise them of our needs. Ask Captain Brooks to take up station behind the gas giant in Brin’s system and await our call.”
“Aye, Commander,” the communications officer responded.
Next Sarah called up the armory. “Mr. Paxton, load all tubes except two and six, both port and starboard, with Annihilators. Load smart torpedoes into the remaining tubes. Over charge all of the PPCs to one hundred and forty percent.”
“One-forty percent, aye, Battle Commander!” There was a small twinge of nerves in Paxton’s voice. Just as she did in the simulator, Sarah was pushing the weapons to their absolute limits.
“Tactical,” Sarah continued, “charge all battle shields to maximum, and overcharge our running screens to one hundred and twenty percent.”
“Cox, lay in a course to bring us to within one light year of the Pasteur. If this is the same scenario, as soon as we drop out of hyperspace, you will set course directly toward the ship just off the Pasteur’s bow and engage at maximum warp.
“Tactical at minimum range fire the forward tubes and PPCs simultaneously. At that point Cox, you will alter course to pass over the Galoran ship on the dorsal side of the Pasteur. Tactical will fire the forward PPCs a
gain to knock the raider on her dorsal side off balance.
“As we pass over the dorsal ship target the ships to Pasteur’s port and starboard. We’ll fire both port and starboard tubes. The smart torpedoes should keep the dorsal ship from an effective response while we engage the ship on the Pasteur’s stern…”
As Sarah finished giving her orders and instructing the crew on the strategy, Ensign Latimer informed her that the Exeter reported that she was in position behind the gas giant. Sarah turned to the helm and said, “Mr. Cox, Engage…” Ensign Cox pressed a key combination on his board and the ship jumped into hyperspace.
When the Victory dropped back into normal space things weren’t as Sarah had expected. The Pasteur was there, with only two destroyers flanking her, and that was all. The expected formation for which they had planned was not present. On seeing the arrangement Sarah cancelled her order to make the final approach at warp.
“This doesn’t make sense. Look at the damage to the Pasteur, those two vessels couldn’t possibly have inflicted that much damage by themselves.”
“I agree, Battle Commander,” Hines said.
“My gut tells me that there is a lot more going on here, but I can’t see the trap. Returning command to you, Sir.”
“Not so fast Battle Commander,” the captain ordered. “If your gut tells you that this isn’t right, then the battle isn’t over yet. Orders?”
The entire bridge turned to look at Sarah. She thought for a brief moment, and then the light bulb went on. “I can’t see it!” she said emphasising each word. “That’s it!”
When the captain looked at her quizzically she motioned that he and Commander Grifn should come close. “Captain, we, I need to take control of the Pasteur. Only you have the codes, she whispered.”
The captain and commander both looked at Sarah as if she was a stranger. “How do you know about the command codes? That is restricted information,” Captain Hines whispered.
“If we survive I’ll explain it all to you, sir. For now, I need to control the Pasteur’s systems.” Captain Hines gave Sarah a last scrutinizing look and then approached her command console. He entered his authorization code. From his station Grifn did the same. Instantly a list of codes appeared on Sarah’s command monitor. She chose the code for the Pasteur and activated it. She now had full control of the medical ship.
Chronicles of the Stellar Corps: Sassy Page 14