Sarah considered the situation for a long moment. “I confess that I am not thrilled either. It smacks of detailed preparation, but then it may be there to conceal a great many things that have no bearing on this situation. It is a dwelling on Irit-Baff.”
She pointed to the information overlaid down one side of the image. “Scans indicate that the dwelling is far from new. The Bital plating could have been installed by a previous tenant, as you know, once the charge is applied the Bital will hold it for decades.”
“Even so,” Flyn observed, “it’s troubling. I really wish you’d reconsider.”
“I must go,” Sarah said resolutely. “…and there are still ways to cover some of the bases.
“I don’t believe that he would try to kill me right there. If he gets caught with my dead body there is no way for him to escape the death penalty. No judge would accept a plea from him, whether he is Deckert or Digby; not on a premeditated revenge killing.
“My clothing will be interlaced with a biosensor net. If my vitals cease, hit the courtyard with a Mark V. Then drop a platoon. One torpedo directly aimed at his backyard should convince his neighbours that it is a single target operation.
“What I am assuming is that he will try to relocate before finishing me off, if that is his plan. So, as well as the biosensor, the fabric of my clothing will be impregnated with Rethor. You’ll be able to track me from three light years away, maybe even behind the charged Bital.”
“Is that all we have?” the admiral asked.
“Hopefully it will be enough. I can’t help Peter if I’m dead, and Dekert, if that is who he is, may really know something about the disappearance of Intrepid.”
“Okay then, Captain, if your people can be ready, we’ll go in one hour.”
Sarah smiled at Admiral Flyn. “I assure you, Admiral, my people will be ready,” she said with confidence.
True to her word, Sarah entered the shuttle bay exactly one hour later. Admiral Flyn was waiting for her next to a small shuttle craft from which all the markings had been hastily removed.
“Are you sure that I can’t convince you to reconsider. There may be some other way to get Querryl/Dekert to talk.”
“There may be, Admiral, but that would take much more time; time that Intrepid and Peter do not have,” Sarah answered. “…I promise, I will be careful.” She gave Flyn an earnest smile. When the Admiral returned her smile, Sarah was reminded of how expressive the Talinian face could be.
Exiting the shuttle bay, Sarah piloted the shuttle away from Pegasus, setting her course for the compound on the world directly below. Her craft still had its League transponder so she had no problem with the Irit-Baff patrols. She didn’t want to have to waste time negotiating the usual bribes. Within twenty minutes she was landing in Querryl’s private shuttle bay.
As soon as the bay doors closed Sarah was welcomed by one of Querryl’s female servants, who was accompanied by a contingent of armed guards. The servant passed a portable scanner over her and nodded to the guards to indicate that she was “clean”. She then led Sarah down a short corridor into the main house.
Once in the house the servant showed Sarah to a large drawing room. Querryl was waiting for her at the far end of the room. He had his back to her as she entered and was looking out into a lush garden through tall windows that spanned the entire wall. Sarah spoke first.
“Don’t you think that is a little dangerous?” she asked.
“Not really,” Querryl responded, “…it isn’t really glass, but a substance the locals call polysteel. It’s a lot like our crysteel, but it’s also impervious to single-person energy weapons like personal PPCs.”
“I meant standing with your back to the door.”
“I’m not worried; Misla already informed me that you are totally unarmed. You pose no threat. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Theodore Querryl, one of your biggest fans. I am also your self-appointed publicist. By the time I am done, you will make Admiral...” His condescending attitude and super-sized ego was the last piece of the puzzle. Sarah cut him off mid-sentence.
“Please, you’re not fooling me at all,” she told him. “You’re Winston Dekert! You may be able to change everything about your appearance, even your eye colour, but you can’t change the condescending tone or the haughty gaze that I remember so well.”
Sarah saw the light go out of Dekert’s eyes, just as it had that day on the Kennedy when she exposed his activities to Captain Hanley. This time it only lasted a second.
“So very perceptive, Maloney.” If possible Dekert was even more supercilious than he was back then. “So, we can dispense with the formalities then. You are here to learn about the fate of the Intrepid. Well, I sold her to the Galoran Emperor. He paid me five hundred million Galoran units. In case you haven’t checked lately, at present exchange rates, that’s one and a half billion League credits.”
“How is that possible?” Sarah demanded.
“Actually, it was quite easy.” Dekert was crowing now. “I am still an agent of The Bureau – though I think that I just crossed a line that even they won’t be able to let go. It took a little finagling, but I was able to convince one of Uncle George’s contacts at Command to give me the Intrepid’s access code. I told him that we were going to screw up your zoner buddy Preston, and embarrass the Drixian captain at the same time. He promoted Preston after all.”
“What I promised the Galorans was that I could disable the ship without firing a shot. They would get it intact. That was why I was on the bridge of the Axia-class warship Honsa, the lead vessel in their attack force, when they made their move. As we were closing upon Intrepid, I sent the access code from a portable transmitter and ordered her systems to power down completely. I then took a page from your book – yes I really have been following your exploits. I flooded the ship with its own suppressor gas. By the time the crew woke up the Galorans were in control.
“I used the portable station so that the Galorans had no chance to actually see or record the access code itself. I didn’t even tell them how I was doing what I was doing. So now, if they can’t find a way to crack the ship’s systems they’ll have to hire me again to unlock the ship. Of course, they may start by attempting to reverse engineer her first. We both know what a big mistake that would be. But then, if the Galorans were a bit more creative they might have developed their own jump ships by now.”
To Sarah he was still the same pompous Winston Dekert that she foiled aboard the Kennedy. “So, if you have sold the Intrepid and betrayed the League of Systems to the Galorans, why am I here?”
“You’re the ‘cherry-on-top’,” Dekert positively crowed. “That million and a half credit bounty the Galorans offered for your capture on Earth still exists; only now it’s two million. Now, I admit that after what I made on the sale of the Intrepid, a quick two million, even after the exchange, is very small potatoes, but the idea that you will end up as a meal on War Master Hmlar’s table; that is the sweetest revenge of all! ”
“You are still assuming that you can get me there,” Sarah answered defiantly. While Dekert was crowing about his success Sarah had been working her way over to him at the window.
“Oh I don’t think that I’ll have any problems there. While my servant Misla was passing the scanner wand over you when you arrived here, the wand was also spraying a fine mist of Draxaline bonded to a trans dermal agent. You should be starting to feel its effects just about now.”
Sarah knew that Draxaline was one of the most powerful anaesthetics available. She had only a few minutes before she would be out cold. “If my biosensors show that I’m unconscious my people will be down here in force. They have their orders, and my exo is the best in the Corps,” she told Dekert.
“Yes, I have met Commander Running Deer,” he snorted derisively, “…another zoner bitch. Don’t expect any help from her, because she’ll never get that information. That weapons scan was also a bio scan. We expected a sensor net.”
Misla coughed.<
br />
“Okay, Misla anticipated that one. So she took a sampling of your vitals. That device in her hand is an experimental unit, that she developed herself. It has been mimicking your bio signs. Essentially, it creates a field that will appear on your ship’s scanners as if it is you. Meanwhile, your biosensor net is being blocked. Misla’s little toy is telling Pegasus that you are in as good shape now as when you disembarked your shuttle. We will be far away from here before they realize that anything has occurred.”
Dekert gave her a malicious grin. “I’ve got you, zoner bitch, and no one can help you.”
Sarah collapsed.
WAR
As soon as Sarah hit the floor Misla went into action. She stripped off all of Sarah’s clothes. She was sure that there would be some sort of tracking device somewhere in her garments. She also scanned her naked body looking for implanted transponders. When she was satisfied that Sarah was clean, she ordered two servants to load her onto a gurney and convey her to the sub-basement.
Hidden under the charged Bital plating was the reason for Dekert’s confidence that Misla’s plan would succeed. That portion of the sub-basement was actually a concealed garage containing a custom built travelpod. The Bital actually extended for two and a half kilometers, covering the roof of a tunnel that covertly ran under the gardens of several neighbouring compounds. Even Dekert’s neighbours didn’t know that the tunnel was there.
At its terminus was another private hanger where an unmarked ship was waiting. It was only warp-class, but just as long as Misla’s devices back at the compound were working properly it would be enough. As far as the Pegasus would know, Dekert and Sarah were still in his drawing room.
Sarah was loaded on board the ship and secured in a special cell. Her hands and feet were shackled tightly to the wall. Her martial prowess wouldn’t help her here. Just prior to shackling her, the servants attempted to cover her with a poncho-like garment that they could slip on over her head. Dekert ordered them not to. “She ruined my life. I want this to be as degrading and humiliating as possible,” he told them.
After ensuring that Sarah was secured, Derkert returned to Misla. “I must say that your strategy worked like a charm. I’m not sure that I could have done it without you.”
Gone was the illusion of master-servant; Misla was all business. “Then we should settle up before you rush off to meet your Galoran friends,” she told him. “You promised me a half million Galoran units.” She produced her credit chip so that Dekert could complete the transaction.
Derkert smiled, “Of course” he said. He drew his credit chip and connected to hers. With his left thumb he punched in the information necessary, as Misla watched, intently. While Dekert tapped in his information with his left hand, he reached his right hand under his tunic. Misla was so focused on the transaction that she never saw the stiletto until it pierced her back and punctured her heart.
Without looking back at her body as it fell, Dekert boarded his small ship. Before he closed the airlock he pointed toward Misla’s body and told the servants who were staying behind to…“Pass that refuse through a protein re-sequencer after I’m gone. Convert it to dorna fodder” He then sealed the hatch and ordered his crew to prepare for take-off. Ten minutes later he was in space en-route to Galor Prime.
On board the Pegasus Mandy and Admiral Flyn were monitoring Sarah’s bio signs on the main viewer. “I wish we had wired her for sound, too,” Flyn said. “These readings never change.”
The admiral’s comment stirred something in Ensign Minelli causing her to review the readings as they appeared on her board. A moment later the main viewer went blank, Sarah’s readings disappeared. When they returned a moment later, the screen showed repeating sequences one above the other. In horror Minelli cried out, “They’re FAKE. Somehow they’ve been sending back a signal that looks like Captain Maloney is still in that room.”
Minelli turned to her console again. She manipulated her scanner controls, and on the screen Sarah’s signal split in two. “The bio sign is Captain Maloney,” she reported, “the pattern beneath is a sort of sensor mirror. It seems to be overriding the bio sensor net in her clothes.” The obvious conclusion hit Mandy and the Admiral like an old-time canon ball.
“That means that they removed her clothes. The Rethor will be useless, too,” Mandy said dejectedly.
“Not quite true, Captain Running Deer, ma’am,” Minelli interjected. We impregnated everything, and I mean EVERYTHING! That much Rethor must have left some trace on her skin. I’ve already started scanning the surrounding systems.”
“Well done, Lieutenant!” Mandy replied, emphasizing the instant promotion. “You can pick up your new insignia later. Right now, what do our scanners show?”
“I am detecting faint traces, just what I would expect to see if all of the Captain’s clothing was removed. The ship is moving at warp ten,” she paused for half a beat. “…Crossing the Galoran frontier. I estimate that they’ll arrive on Galor Prime in eleven hours.”
Admiral Flyn reacted immediately. “Communications, open a channel to the LSS Dublin,” she commanded.
A moment later Captain Séamus O’Gill’s image appeared on the main viewer.
“Captain O’Gill, what’s the status of all battle groups?” she asked.
O’Gill was succinct. “Second and fourth battle groups are standing ready at Corps Base 14. The third is gathering, as we speak, at Brin. Captain Lebeau reports that they should be ready to jump in two hours. The fifth battle group is standing ready at Corps Base 16, awaiting your orders.”
“And the first battle group?”
“We just made our first jump. We should be with you in just under two hours, Admiral. Will you be Battle Commander, ma’am?”
“No, Captain, Captain Running Deer is much more familiar with this sector, and it is her Captain who has been taken by a renegade Bureau agent. She is Battle Commander,” Flyn responded. Then turning to Mandy she asked, “Where do we rendezvous, Battle Commander?”
Anyone else might have been taken aback by being thrust into command of what might prove to be the first major battle of what was sure to be a war against the Galoran Empire, but Mandy was a hunter before she was a captain. Her reaction was instinctive. “Captain O’Gill, have two battle groups meet near the planet Patia on the Mavorian Frontier. It should appear that we are still operating on the theory that they are the ones responsible.
“Have groups four and five scatter and re-assemble in the Chora nebula three light years from the Galoran frontier. Once there, they should begin to ionize as much of the cloud as possible. Use cation particles, Galoran scanners are less sensitive to negative ions. If I am right their cloaking systems make them even less so.”
“Aye, Captain, and what about the first battle group?” O’Gill asked.
“Séamus, I want you with us. I am sending you the coordinates. Meet us at this location with weapons hot and battle shields charged to maximum,” Mandy ordered.
“Coordinates received, Battle Commander,” O’Gill reported. “Ma’am?” he asked, “If I read these coordinates correctly, we’re going to be bait to draw the Galorans out?”
“You understand things perfectly, Captain. That is the course the ship with Captain Maloney aboard took to Galor Prime. I want them to believe that we are the sum total of the expeditionary force sent to retrieve her, and that we are recklessly charging in after her.”
“Understood, Battle Commander, and the other battle groups will be only a short jump away,” he surmised. “We’ll rendezvous with you at those coordinates in one hour and forty-eight minutes; O’Gill out!”
When the Dublin signed out, Admiral Flyn turned to Mandy and speaking softly asked her, “Won’t the Galorans be scanning for ionization in the nebula’s clouds, Captain?”
“I’m sure they will, Admiral, I’m almost hoping they will. If you read Captain, excuse me, Vice-Admiral Hines’ report of his last battle before his promotion, you will recall that when the Victory used
ionized gases the last time, it was a positive charge that then Lieutenant-Commander Maloney used to charge the plasma released from the Pasteur. The Galorans have no reason to think that we would change the charge.
“They am positive that they will try to have a portion of their fleet pull an end-run on us, using the nebula, to sneak up on, and attack, our battle group from behind. Only the fourth and fifth groups will be ready and waiting for them in the nebula. They will be able to open fire before the dulled Galoran scanners are even aware of their presence,” Mandy stopped to allow the Admiral to ask any questions she still might have.
“How can you be sure that they won’t be sense the negatively charged ions?” she asked.
“Ships on the frontier patrol routinely release ion clouds around areas where we think cloaked Axia ships might try to slip into League space. So far it has been a case of going with what works. Anions still work. Though my main reason for switching to cations is because Galoran scanners have already shown that they have a weakness for sensing negatively charged particles.”
“Are you sure about this?”
Mandy nodded, “Quite sure! We have seen it many times. There have been a number of incidents where Galoran destroyers have actually lost fleeing refugee ships. In all of these cases damage had been sustained by the refugee ship during its escape. Each of the fleeing vessels managed to evade capture even though they were leaking high levels of cations from their primary drive systems. The amounts were large enough that any League ship would easily have found them – and usually did once they escaped the frontier. Only if the damage actually caused their primary drive to fail were they ever caught or destroyed. We can only conclude a weakness in the Galoran scanners with regard to negatively charged particles.
“Then, factor in the reports we have received that the Galoran cloaking device appears to work both ways. It hides them from our scanners, but it also diminishes the ability of their scanners, when the cloak is active, to see other ships. If they sense the cations at all it might only be once they are inside the field; and by then it will be too late.”
Chronicles of the Stellar Corps: Sassy Page 19