by C. R. Daems
Then it was Kris's turn.
Kris: Little sister, how about lunch somewhere? I miss you.
Me: Love to.
We arranged to meet at a small restaurant on the outskirts of Eteos, close to where Kris had her condo. Kris picked a time after the normal lunch hour so it wouldn't be too crowded and we could talk. When I arrived, I found her already at a table. We hugged.
"It feels like when we lost Wilbur. No. Although I hate to admit it, it feels worse. I don't think any of us realized how close we've become," Kris said. "Sorry, It's not your fault. Adrian and I believe you're right to be worried, and wouldn't wager Commander Whaley wasn't in serious danger. But Rawls feels she's in charge ... well she is because she's our superior, but ..."
"I was wrong to say that. I didn't mean for it to, but I can see now that my comment threatened her ... judgment. The same as with Sharat. So maybe in a sense she's right: I'm unfit for the military."
"You're right for our team and you'll be right for the military as soon as you make admiral and don't have to worry about hurting people's feelings." She laughed.
Just then the waiter came over and we ordered. During lunch, Kris entertained me with stories about her trip back to Eastar to visit her family.
During dessert, I finally asked, "Would you like me to look at the puzzle message?"
"No, Rawls made the mess, let her clean it up. Actually, we know there’s nothing to translate, but we've kept it a secret within the team. The coordinates don't have the double asterisks, so there’s no message to deliver." She gave me an evil grin.
* * *
It was midafternoon and I was in my home office wondering what life after the NIA would be like when my tablet buzzed, indicating an urgent message. It was from Adrian.
Adrian: Commander Whaley and his three agents were killed. Office destroyed.
I sat there numb. Being right somehow didn't make the situation feel any less tragic. Lives needlessly wasted for what? Fame? Glory? The Fast Track? While I sat there numb, I heard Alexa enter the house.
"Anna?" she shouted.
"Upstairs, Mother," I answered, but stayed seated.
She looked flushed when she entered my office. "By the look of you, you've heard the news." She sat, awaiting my reaction.
"Yes. It's not much of a surprise. Their strategy for dealing with threats is to eliminate them—security guards at the robbery sites, the Oxax NIA team who were assigned to find them, and any others who interfere—like the New Zheng NIA office."
"Admiral Rawls came to see me today. She wanted me to convince you to talk with her. I told her it was your decision and I wouldn't interfere."
"Did she say what she wanted?" I was curious in spite of my anger.
"Rawls isn't a bad person. I believe she was genuinely concerned about you, but I'm afraid her rank, your age, and her eagerness to catch the raiders overcame her good judgment. It's what always concerned me about you dealing with senior officers. We're all fallible, Anna."
"Then you think I should talk to her?"
"I think you were right to refuse being examined by the psychiatric department. They would have seen you as the catch of the century and never let you go. You were right to resign. Besides, I love you. If you choose to talk with her, I'll accompany you if you want, but I'll support any decision you make."
* * *
The next morning I sent Rawls a message stating I would talk to her, but I wanted my mother present. She agreed. When Alexa and I arrived, Stauffer, Adrian, and Kris were already in her office.
"Thank you for coming, Anna. I did you and your team a great disservice and felt I owed you an apology and an explanation. You and your team have exceeded all of our expectations, and I thought you had the raiders all but caught. And rather than work with you to develop a strategy, I chose to take over and go for the kill." She paused as if considering her next words.
I couldn't help but interrupt, appropriate or not.
"Ma'am, I'm aware I do things that aren't correct military behavior and expect to be held accountable. If I deserve a reprimand or letter in my file, I'll understand. But I'll not submit to a medical evaluation by psychologists. I would be the prize of the century, given Red and all the attacks on my life. They would never let me go. They would destroy my life."
"Anna, I've talked with Sinclair and Shrader several times since then and realize your team is unique: you've no official team leader; you follow up on anything one of you wants; you consider everyone equal in rank and talent; and you’re sensitive to each other's needs. For example, your outbursts. They've pointed out that those are almost always sudden insights which you can't control and which they pay attention to because they lead to breakthroughs. So in a sense, the whole team is unstable by normal navy standards. And yet, you've become the go-to team when we need the best in the UAS, like now. I've come to the conclusion that if I want the best out of you, I'll need to work with you differently. I also had a long conversation with Doctor Renata, who's qualified as a psychologist. She assures me you're surprisingly stable considering everything that has happened to you over the years and recently. So what if I make her your psychologist when a situation arises that requires you to see one?" She smiled.
"Yes, ma'am. Doctor Renata has always treated me as a person and not a freak to be studied. Thank you, ma'am." I felt a huge relief and felt myself relax.
She sighed. "Anna, if you still want to resign, I'll sign your resignation."
I looked to Kris and Adrian, who were shaking their heads. Just then Red made an appearance, wrapping himself around my neck and brushing my cheek with his tongue. I guessed that was his way of agreeing. "No, ma'am, I would like to stay, and I'll report to Doctor Renata for my evaluation."
Rawls laughed. "No need, she has already certified you fit for duty. Therefore, you need to give me a recommendation as to what we should do next. Adrian?"
"Ma'am, we need to discuss it—" Adrian paled for a brief moment.
"Stauffer, have Lieutenant Gannon report to the conference room. If you don't object, I would like to stay and observe. I would like to see the team in action. That may help me understand you better."
* * *
While we waited for Rich to arrive, Rawls moved her chair back against the wall next to Alexa and Pannell and sat. Rich arrived shortly afterward, nervous and out of breath, and sat when Adrian gestured at a chair.
"All right, any suggestions on what we do next?" Adrian asked. When no one said anything, he turned to Gannon. "Rich, how did you do with that program I asked you to create?"
"It's done, and it produces interesting results. Wait, I'll show you."
He played with his tablet and the room monitors came on. My six assumptions were displayed with a box after each plus an additional box titled Raided System.
"Adrian asked me to create a program which would allow us to enter different values for each item. Currently the search is for the raid on Eastar. Notice the boxes currently have the values that Anna used, and the result produces the Star Trader and Easy Explorer. But as I decrease the times for questions four and six, only the Star Trader meets the assumptions. And depending upon the assumptions for Holy Star and Stone Ring, we can narrow the search to one merchant each—Cloud Chaser and Good Deal."
"That's great, Rich. Saves hours of doing manual searches, and I think the reduced windows are reasonable assumptions," I said.
"Yes, but what do we want to do with the results? The courier doesn't know the contents of the message, and we don't know if he's delivering it to another merchant or a cruiser." Adrian looked to each of us.
"If our assumptions are correct, we could shut down their operation, but for how long? And it wouldn't help catch the raiders." Kris shrugged in frustration.
"And when they started back up again, they would have a new system, and we would be back at ground zero." I hesitated. "A lot depends on whether the merchant is meeting another merchant or a cruiser ... I think my second assumption is wrong."
"Why?" Adrian asked, looking back at the monitor.
"We're assuming that the merchant delivering the message to the raiders is also the one delivering the date of the raid. If that’s correct, I doubt that information is available when he delivers the message. They have to decide which cruiser is available, who is going, how long to get there, etc. Therefore, someone has to contact the merchant at a later date." I felt certain ... well almost … that the contact had to be a foreign merchant. "Rich, we need another variable. One that looks for foreign merchants who are in the same system as our collaborating UAS merchants within the subsequent five to ten days."
"You're thinking the UAS merchant meets with a foreign merchant on the given coordinates. The foreign merchant then goes to the current location of one or more of the raider cruisers. They decide which cruiser or cruisers are going and which date. The foreign merchant takes this information to a predetermined system, where the UAS merchant is waiting. The merchant then takes the date, which is probably in coded form, to the appropriate system and posts it to the URL he's given."
"We need to wait for the raiders’ next target. That message should enable us to confirm the UAS merchant working with the raiders and give us their intended target and the approximate location we can expect the raider's cruiser," Kris said. "Of course, that will only get us one of the raider cruisers and alert them that we know their system."
"Unless … we can convince them we stumbled on their cruiser by accident." I knew that wasn't a total solution, as it would only work once.
"How do you suggest we do that?" Adrian asked.
"What if the navy advertises they’re setting up a permanent patrol around New Zheng and several other systems with high-value targets?" I said.
"You think they’ll actually try something on New Zhang?" Adrian asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Yes, as a test if nothing else. They aren't going home, because we're chasing them. They'll probe and adapt. Their targets are too lucrative to abandon."
"That's our recommendation then—set up patrols and wait for the next puzzle message with information for the next raid?" Adrian asked and looked to each of us.
"Thank you," said Rawls, "that was interesting. After hearing your logic, I agree and will brief Admirals Lultrel and Webb and let you know their decision."
CHAPTER NINE
The gamble
At our next weekly meeting, Stauffer notified Adrian that Webb had approved the patrols in eight of the UAS systems. At our suggestion, they would be somewhat random—no more than three or four times a week—and yet somewhat predictable.
While we waited, we worked on identifying the foreign merchants. With help from Rich's program, we identified three foreign merchants who met our search criteria: showed up in a system with the UAS merchant we believed had carried the original message and subsequently delivered the date to the system initiating the message. They were the Lost Trader, Free Traveler, and the Hobo. Now we waited for the next ad winner, who would generate the puzzle message that should enable us to confirm our suspicions and give us a chance to destroy one of the raider cruisers.
"Well, let's see if you were right about the raiders. I've the latest puzzle from New Zheng. They just pulled it off the WavCom," Stauffer said as he entered our conference room, smiling.
"Forward it to Rich, Commodore," Adrian said. Stauffer typed on his tablet, then looked up and nodded. "Rich, run the X25 software against it."
Rich typed on his tablet and several minutes later smiled. "It's real."
"That's ... clever," said Stauffer. "I see you take your 'One for all, and all for one' very seriously. I too thought sending Anna for a medical evaluation wasn't right, but then I've known her for many years. Admiral Rawls truly thought it would be in Anna’s best interest. After talking with Doctor Renata, she realizes how dangerous that would have been. I'm pleased—not only that it was resolved, but also that all parties did the right thing: Anna resigned, and Admiral Rawls took the time to understand why, which is rare for a person of her rank. She's a top notch officer. So let's get to work and make her look as good as she is." He fetched a cup of coffee and sat.
When I looked at my tablet, the new puzzle message was in my inbox.
Rich gave me a thumbs up and a grin.
I spent the next fifteen minutes working on discarding the non-meaningful characters and separating out the old-Latin words and then performing a translation. When I finished, I sent it to everyone and put it on the room monitor:
Have new winner. Found cheap drugs and five regulars. Large shipment of four hundred. New courier three posts for one hundred on 65.023.35.11 at 40.6212 -84.0224. Ho will know right post.
"That looks like the Zuno Pharmaceutical Company," Adrian said after several minutes of silently searching the NIA database.
"Found a client who works at Zuno Pharmaceutical who can help us steal drugs ready for shipment worth four hundred million credits," Kris translated. "There are five security guards. Post three dates on the New Zheng Internet at URL 65.023.35.11 and we'll select one and give it to the Hobo. That will avoid the UAS patrols. Meet at one hundred hours at GPS: 40.6212 -84.0224." Kris forwarded her translation to everyone's tablet and the room's monitors.
"Clever." Stauffer nodded. "Arrogant. As you predicted, they aren't giving up just because we're chasing them."
"There is a potential problem." I realized as I thought about the message. "They could change the GPS location."
"But they ... Yes," said Kris. "The Controller can change the GPS location when he gives the Hobo the date."
"You need to discuss your part in this next phase," said Stauffer. "Rawls will want to know your recommendation. You could wait to hear what happens or you could go along. If the latter who, why, and with whom." Stauffer rose to leave. "I'll leave you to think about it."
"He's twice right," Adrian said as Stauffer left the area. "First, can we add value if we go along, or conversely is there anything the captain can't handle? And secondly, is it worth the risk? I don't think anyone would blame us—particularly Anna or you, Kris—for never wanting to leave Oxax ever again."
The room became so quiet I thought I could hear my heart beating. Ironically, all I was concerned about was leaving Alexa again and the stress I caused her. The thought brought tears to my eyes. As I sat there in my misery, Red exited my blouse and wrapped himself around my neck with his head lying on my shoulder. I didn't know why, but I had the feeling he was reminding me of my duty—something Alexa would understand and approve of.
"I'll go."
"Why, Anna?" Adrian said.
"Because I'm the only one who understands old-Latin, which could prove helpful interpreting the post for the date and a possible change in coordinates." I scanned each face. Adrian looked like he wanted to say no but knew I was right. Rich sat thinking. He wanted to go but didn't have a reason why he should.
Kris's mouth hung open, wanting to scream as her opposing emotions cosmically collided. They were dominated by fear so strong I could feel it, but her fear of going warred with fear of letting me go alone. Before I could say anything, she spoke.
"Anna's right, and I'll go with her." Her voice was just about a whisper.
"Why, Kris? I understand Anna, but why you?" Concern was obvious in Adrian's voice. "Rich or I could go."
"Anna and I are a team." Her voice was louder this time. "And which of you could protect Red when Anna acts wild?"
That caused Adrian and Rich's mouths to drop open as they thought about our story of the conference room and how I slid Red to Kris before I rolled out to expose myself.
I got up and motioned for Kris to follow me to the other end of the room, where we could whisper without being heard. "Kris, I appreciate what you’re doing and love you for volunteering to go, but why—"
"Why risk two of us?" Kris said. "Because I remember lying under the conference room table whining, aren't we safe anywhere, and you saying yes, with each other. So, if you
go, I go."
"Thank you, Kris." I gave her a tight hug with tears in my eyes and felt Red brush her neck. Apparently, we were talking loud enough that Adrian heard after all.
"Kris, when Admiral Rawls sends you along with Anna for a psychological evaluation, I had request Doctor Renata. She's the only one who might understand." He shook his head. "You're right, and quite frankly, Rich and I would like to go with you two certifiable nutcases, but it would be irresponsible to risk the entire team without an overwhelming reason, which we don't have. Anna may be of help with the post ... and the two of you do make a good team." Adrian stood. "I'll let Stauffer know our recommendation.
* * *
For the next several days we monitored the traffic in Master Puzzle's Suton distribution area, with special attention to the Merchant ship Good Deal, which Rich's program had isolated as the most logical carrier to the Suton distribution area, and the Hobo, which we had identified as the FPU merchant's ship that would deliver the dates.
Three days later, the Good Deal left Zespa. A day and a half after that, it entered Amend, the system the message coordinates specified. We immediately notified Stauffer, thinking whoever was going should be leaving within three to five days, because it was a two-day trip to New Zheng.
We had decided a seven-day window would be safe: the Hobo had to rendezvous with the raider, determine three dates, and return to meet the Good Deal—which had to return to New Zheng and post the date. Then the Controller had to pick a date and give it to the Good Deal to take back to the Hobo, which would notify the raiders ...
We were told that Rawls would coordinate with Lultrel and maybe Bell and would notify us when and where to report.
Alexa took off the next several days and we did some shopping, ate out twice, and spent the evenings talking and listening to music. We were cherishing the time together, not knowing how long I would be gone.