by C. R. Daems
"I think the UAS merchant that gets a valid AU takes it to the designated coordinates and hands off the puzzle to a FPU merchant. That handoff contains the coordinates to meet a raider cruiser. I believe those coordinates are contained in one of the puzzles."
"What about the details?"
"I don't know. Even if I'm right, we again will have to wait for the raiders’ next target, which could be a couple of months off." I had ideas but nothing concrete.
"Let's keep each other informed and meet back here each week."
* * *
"Every time you return home you've more marine security," Alexa said when she arrived home. "Which I'm in favor of if it keeps you safe. I talked to Colonel Pannell. He claims you prevented a potential disaster. How, Daughter?"
"A warning from Red," I said, knowing she wouldn't think me crazy.
"I believe you, but I wouldn't tell anyone else. I'm not sure what Red is or isn't, but I love him for keeping you alive. If that includes warning you, so much the better." She gave me a hug. "Let me get changed and then you can tell me all the gory details."
I followed her upstairs and washed for dinner. I had just arrived downstairs when Alexa joined me.
"Getting any closer?" she asked.
"I think so. The raiders are not only vicious and greedy but also arrogant. I think that will be their downfall. They believe their system's so good they can just correct the part we discovered without changing the other parts."
"Maybe they're just lazy."
"I think if they were lazy, their system would be much simpler. It's designed to have few if any weak links. That's why I think they feel confident to just fix the link that broke."
"Let's hope that's leads to their destruction. I like you being home."
"Me too."
* * *
While I waited for the information from the Master Puzzle subsidiaries, I pondered the problem of how they had given the raiders the information about the SMC processing plant. I felt positive that the raiders were arrogant, which meant they were using the same system, so I spent hours with Red lying on my forehead examining the puzzle message from the Truth Star publication area.
Late that third night I saw it, a single word—Star—in old-Russian, the native language of the first settlers of the PRS. That caused me to spend the night reviewing my books on the language.
"Looks like you discovered something," Alexa said. I realized it must be morning, since she was dressed for work.
"Arrogant and lazy," I said. "They just changed the language from old-Latin to old-Russian."
"In a war, arrogance is an exploitable weakness. See you tonight, Daughter." She waved as she left.
I proceeded to remove the non-Russian letters, J, Q, and W, and then searched the resulting strings. They had changed the message position—from the upper half to the lower half—and distributed it on every other line:
Eight watch four hundred Star gems and metal. Must collect seven days from post at one at 25.2801 -44.0222.
Since the weekly meeting was tomorrow, I decided to wait to tell them I had managed to crack their new code and staggered off to bed.
* * *
When I arrived at work, everyone was there preparing for our meeting. I noticed no one locked their weapon in their desk drawer even though there was a roomful of marines.
"Good morning, Commander Paulus," Pannell said as he neared me. He had a slight limp and looked a bit thinner in the face.
"Colonel Pannell, how are you feeling?"
"Not bad, thanks to you. They were very clever putting on marine uniforms. It should have given them the element of surprise and several seconds’ advantage. That's the second time you helped prevent a disaster." He laughed. "Your security detail loves you."
"I just wish people didn't have to get hurt and ... killed protecting me. I would quit, but I'm afraid it wouldn't stop the raiders. I think it's personal now."
I was feeling sorry for Pannell, marine security, and me. As I walked toward the conference room, I opened my tablet and pressed Send, which sent the translation to the team, addressed Urgent. Adrian, Kris, and Rich stopped in midstride as I passed them into the room.
"Where did you find it?" Adrian asked as everyone got seated.
"As I told my mother, they're arrogant. They think their system's too well designed for us to find them, so when one part fails they just replace it. In this case they switched languages."
"In a way, it was clever. Except for you and Red, who would think they would continue to use the puzzle messages?" Kris grinned.
"What language?" Adrian asked.
"Old-Russian. It was the original language of the PRS when it was settled, and their current standard language is a derivation of it."
"We finally got the response from the third Master Puzzle subsidiary. Only someone using the name Archimedes pays to ensure his puzzle is included each month in each publication area. Master Puzzle long ago stopped charging the Checky Fools, as they have significantly increased sales," Rich said, obviously pleased judging by his smile.
"Thanks, I think that’s the missing piece. I believe his puzzles contain the coordinates for the foreign merchant to meet with the raiders and that the key is in the message: tell your mate it measures 11 by 31221."
"Then that's everyone's homework—find how they pass on the coordinates to meet with the raider cruiser," Adrian said.
* * *
Every month, each Master Puzzle publication had an Archimedes puzzle. It consisted of a twelve by eight matrix about a third filled with numbers and the remaining parts blank. The object was to fill in the blanks with a number so that the row with twelve equaled a given number, for example sixty-five, and the eight down equaled another given number, for example forty-two.
Ignoring all but the publication that contained the information on the raid at the Star Mining Company, I began solving the puzzle. It wasn't difficult, just time consuming, and I had it solved in less than two hours; however the number 11 by 31221 wasn't one of the twelve numbers solutions across or in the eight numbers down. Even Red seemed stumped, as he didn't leave my forehead. Even more puzzling was the fact that the number should be longer if it were an AU.
I pondered the problem for the next week, sure that I had the key and that one of the numbers was the rendezvous AU. Finally I zeroed in on the only one of the twelve numbers that began with 11. Then Red saw it, because he moved his head back and forth. Eventually, I saw it: the number 110251122461.
11 indicated the winning string and the first number, so 11 and a period.
3 indicated three numbers, so 11.025 degrees
1 indicated one number, 2 two numbers, and 2 two more numbers, so 1 hour 12 minutes 24 seconds.
And 1 indicated one number, so 6.1 astronomical units.
I sat back and reached up, and he wrapped around my arm. I kissed his head and got a flick of his tongue on my nose. "We did it, Red."
I then sent Adrian and the team a message:
To: Lieutenant Commander Shrader, Lieutenant Commander Sinclair, Lieutenant Gannon
The number is 110251122461 and the AU was 11.025 degrees, 1 hour, 12 minutes, and 24 seconds, and 6.1 astronomical units.
From: Lieutenant Commander Paulus
* * *
The next morning while having breakfast with Alexa, I had a call from Adrian, which I put on speaker.
"Good work, Anna. I told Commodore Stauffer, who briefed Admiral Rawls, and she wants a meeting at ten hundred hours. Unless of course you're otherwise engaged," he said sounding serious, but I would wager he had an ear-to-ear grin.
"Ten you say? I think I can squeeze it in if she doesn't talk too much," I said, and heard him choke on whatever he was drinking. "Tell her not to be late." I cut the connection.
"You and your team are very close," Alexa said, smiling. "And you sound like you’ve had your dessert and someone else's beside."
"I finally have all the pieces ... well nearly. I understand their syste
m and know where their cruisers will be. And I maybe know who their leader is, but I'm not positive."
"No wonder Rawls wants a meeting. I'll bet she's told Lultrel and Bell."
"I hope not."
"Why?"
"If this information gets leaked, the raiders will be lost for years."
* * *
Adrian, Kris, and Rich were already there when I arrived and looked to be having an informal party.
"You did it, Anna." Kris gave me a hug. "Maybe I can find that father of my future children before he and I are gray and retired."
"You'll have a bigger pool of candidates to choose from then, since retired line officers will be eligible," I said, trying to look thoughtful.
She hit me on the shoulder. "Even Red agrees that's nasty." She laughed.
"I think we should go up. Given the news, Admiral Rawls will probably be early, and it wouldn't look good if we were on time." Adrian stood, smiling. We obviously all agreed, because we all started moving toward the elevators.
Sure enough, Rawls was coming out of her office as we entered her conference room.
"At ease," she said as she entered the room. "I understand you cracked their system and can locate their cruisers," Rawls said even before she sat.
"We've broken their communications system, but that doesn’t mean we know how many cruisers they have or where they park when not active. They're very cautious." Adrian looked to me. "Anna?"
"Here’s what we think we know. The merchant ship Gypsy is the one who drops off the Controllers and who ferries them to another system after a raid. We think the Gypsy probably is the one who arranges for criminal support prior to each Controller arriving. The Gypsy is also the one who determines the coordinates for the rendezvous with the foreign merchant and the cruiser," I said, deciding not to wonder out loud whether the Gypsy took orders from someone else. "The Controller's task is to find someone who will provide details about a business worth the raider's efforts. When he does, he codes his monthly puzzle in a special way, which lets one of three UAS merchants know that it's intended to be delivered and gives them the location. The UAS merchant takes it to the designated location along with a key he received via the WavCom and hands it over to a foreign merchant. The foreign merchant deciphers a second puzzle using the key and takes the information to that location, where he meets with a raider cruiser. The raider deciphers the puzzle and shows up at the time and place designated. The question is whether the cruiser or a foreign merchant takes the merchandise to the FPU or PRS for sale."
"That's a very careful operation. So if we wait for the next target, we can bag a cruiser, the Gypsy, three Controllers, a foreign merchant, and three UAS merchants and crush their current operation; however, we wouldn't know if we got all the cruisers. Is that an accurate assessment?"
"Yes, ma'am. Ma'am, I assume you'll be briefing Admirals Lultrel and Bell." I paused until she hesitantly nodded. "I wonder if you could ask them to restrict who they inform."
"Why, Paulus?"
"Maybe it's my paranoia, but if the raiders even thought we knew their system, I suspect they would disappear until they had a completely new system, new Controllers, and new merchants. They would also eliminate this team."
"Do you suspect anything you haven't told me?"
"No ma'am, but it's possible the Gypsy takes direction from someone or has a high-level information source."
"All right, I'll ask," she said and smiled. "Adrian, I would like this team’s recommendation soon ... actually I want it now, so you're already late."
"Later today," he said, and then looked to each of us before saying, "Ma'am."
* * *
"Admiral Rawls wants a recommendation, so Admiral Rawls gets one." Adrian laughed and was joined by everyone. "Who wants to start?"
"I think Rawls summed it up nicely. We’re only going to bag one cruiser, so wait for the next scheduled raid, get the cruiser, foreign merchants, and then take out the Controllers and the UAS merchants," Kris said, but I could feel her nervousness as she looked to me. "Anna?"
I hated not agreeing because I knew Kris wanted an end to this project, but I still couldn't shake the feeling the Gypsy had help in one form or another.
"Let's put a close watch on the Gypsy starting now, and then take out the foreign merchant and the cruiser that shows for the rendezvous but not round up the UAS merchants or the Controllers."
"Why leave the merchants and Controllers free?" Adrian asked.
"So we can see what the Gypsy does or who he contacts. I think the Gypsy knows where the cruisers hide or he knows someone who does."
Kris nodded and her face had a look of determination. "Anna's right. Let's not leave one of those cruisers alive. Maybe that will convince other thieves that UAS space isn't a good place to raid."
"Rich?"
"Sounds good to me."
"I'll give Stauffer our recommendation. I guess we're off until we get a valid puzzle from the raiders."
* * *
The next publication date didn't produce a valid AU, to everyone's disappointment, although it should have been expected—it took time to set up a target. I didn't mind, since it gave me time with Alexa. The team arranged to meet at the firing range once a week and have lunch afterward.
I was surprised when I got a call after the next month's publication date. I had thought it was going to take the Controllers longer to identify a target.
"Anna, I'm sending you the Master Puzzle's publication for this month. Rich has run it against the X25 program and it produced a valid AU. Well actually, it produced a valid AU for all three publications. I've briefed Stauffer, but he's going to hold off telling Admiral Rawls until you've reviewed them." Adrian sounded harassed. Stauffer would be pressuring him to get the information to him so he could brief Rawls in time for her to brief Lultrel and Bell. The team could recommend an action, but the Admirals would decide what action they would take.
"Shouldn't take long, Adrian," I said and cut the connection. Two hours later I had the answers:
Truth Star: In old-Latin:
> Your end of days is soon.
Suton: In old-Latin:
> Your end of days is soon.
Fire Rock: In old-Latin:
> Your end of days is soon.
And in the bottom half in old-Russian:
> Eight watch new missile design four hundred Polaris Design Lab at two at 31.2128 -65.4224
Feeling paranoid, which I did a lot lately, I called Adrian. "Adrian, we need a team meeting. I can be there within an hour."
"Alright, Anna. I'll call everyone. I don't think that will be a problem."
I changed into my uniform, sent Alexa a note that I was off to the office, and collected my marine guards, who transported me in a military shuttle to the NIA offices. When I arrived, everyone was there waiting. Their expressions were priceless, and I could feel their excitement mixed with apprehension, as all three appeared valid. I said nothing and went straight to the conference room.
"We're all going to have heart failure if you don't say something soon," Kris said with a mental stomp of her foot.
"Hi," I said and could barely restrain a laugh. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. As Rich indicated, all three puzzles are valid and all three had the message." I tapped on my send-one icon, which sent the three messages to their tablets. "Obviously, they don't like us and want to make sure we don't forget. It reinforces that they're vengeful and arrogant because they included the following message at the bottom of the Fire Rock publication." I tapped on the message-two icon and sent the second message.
"Do you think it's a trap or the real thing?" Adrian asked.
I took it as a team question and not just for me.
"I agree with Anna," Kris said. "I think they're arrogant and believe they don’t have to change anything except the broken piece. I think it's real. The Controller who went to Eastar to set up the ambush was on Oxax long enough to identify a target and get it set up."
"They d
on’t know we’ve broken their new code, because we didn't stop the raid on Safe Harbor," Rich said, beginning to sound like a real member of the team.
"I agree. Mother says arrogance is a weakness that can be exploited. If we're lucky, they're arrogant enough not to deduce why they lost the cruiser they send to retrieve the puzzle message."
"Or that they only have one cruiser left," Adrian said.
"From your lips to the space gods," Kris said.
Adrian stood. "I'm off to see Stauffer with our recommendation—take out the foreign merchant and the cruiser it's scheduled to meet and leave the Controllers and UAS merchants."
"I think we should wait in case Admiral Rawls has questions for us," Kris said, which was highly probable.
We spent the time talking about what we had been doing with our time off.
"I've never read so much in my life. Can't really expect to find a mate with four marines following me into nightclubs. The Officer's Club isn't too bad. There, they tend to give me a little more room, an extra half meter. Actually I meet the most men at the firing range." She snorted. "Not that I'm complaining. Better I'm alive to find my mate, even if he's gray and wrinkled."
"Actually, having marine security isn't a turn off to quite a few women. Might even be a turn on to some, but not the ones my mother would like me to bring home." Rich gave a lopsided grin. "And Etos city has a lot of things to do and see."
"I'm still a little girl at heart and love being home. My mother is like a very interesting much older sister. And she likes the marine security following me." I laughed.
Just then to everyone's surprise, Rawls entered the room and we shot up and not quite braced to attention. MacLin and Stauffer followed in her wake.
"Relax. I've asked Captain MacLin to join us. As I understand it, one of you will have to go along to strip the WavCom of the message for ...?"
"The Cloud Chaser," I said.