by PP Corcoran
Volak tapped a long finger on his desk, garnering Tolas’ attention. "Force Leader, please let Caran continue. All will become clear momentarily."
"Thank you, Chancellor. As I was saying, we have a visual image of the warships and the Humans supplied us with the sensor records, so we were able to get a good read on their power and weapons signatures. Now this..." A touch of the control and the image changed to the blurry readings from a much lower-grade sensor package. "This is the image we have managed to download from one of our own freighters that was actually present during the attack on Dagger Station and managed to escape. My people have confirmed that although the visual image is of poor quality, the power and weapons signatures are identical to those that were employed at Balat..."
Tolas interrupted again, his frustration obvious by his tone. "We know all this, Caran. I have received the same briefings on Earth by Admiral Jing's intelligence staff."
"Indeed, Force Leader. Indeed. But what you have not seen is this." With a flourish that would have done the best stage magician proud, Caran waved an arm at the floating hologram and touched the controller. The frozen scene of battle was unmistakable. Mighty warships were hacking away at each other with powerful energy beams while missiles darted among the deadly beams as they sought out their prey. Tolas rose from his seat and walked slowly toward the image as if in a hypnotic trance. Halting before the image, he studied it in minute detail. After a few moments, he turned to Caran and this time his voice held the urgent tone of a man demanding answers.
"Where did you get this from, Caran? Those black ships are identical to the ones that attacked Garunda but those are not Garundan ships they are fighting. Those are Turak."
The spy’s face remained implacable. "The intelligence services ran an operation which placed a Persai ship on the outer edge of the Selene system to observe Turak movements in the system. Three days ago, the ship was a witness to this attack and the Turak response to it."
Tolas spun on the smaller intelligence man, making no attempt to hide his anger. "You used one of my ships to spy on the Turak! Are you mad? I gave strict orders no Persai ship was to enter into Turak space without my explicit approval. You know as well as I the Turak have already made it quite clear that any infringement on their territory will be met by force. Are you trying to start a war? How dare you..."
"Enough, Force Leader." The raised voice of the Chancellor cut Tolas’ vitriolic tirade off in mid-sentence. "I approved the operation personally and, seeing the results, I am glad I did so. Does this not prove beyond doubt that the Turak were not responsible for the Garundan attack? Indeed, they too have been the victims of these mysterious black ships."
Tolas felt the anger leeching from him. The Chancellor was correct. The question now was what to do with the information.
"We must share this with the other members of the Commonwealth immediately, Chancellor. If the Turak think we were responsible for the events in the Selene system, then they may decide to launch an assault on the Commonwealth at any time. And if they do, we will find ourselves in a war neither of us started. It is the story of the Nilmerg and the Deres all over again."
"Something that I would hope nobody on either side wishes for, Force Leader." Chancellor Volak intoned solemnly as he stood up and walked around his desk. He placed his powerful hand on Tolas’ shoulder while giving Caran a barely perceptible nod. Caran handed a small data crystal to Tolas, who took it and looked at it quizzically as the Chancellor spoke.
"The data crystal holds all the sensor readings and imagery taken by our ship in the Selene system. A courier ship is waiting to take you back to Earth. Share the data with our allies. They and the Turak need to know who was responsible for what happened at Selene."
Tolas bowed deeply to his Chancellor and with a passing nod to Caran, he headed for his waiting ship.
#
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT - GENEVA – EARTH – SOL SYSTEM
Rebecca Coston was still contemplating the short briefing she had just sat through with Admiral Jing and Secretary Aaron Beckett. The data gathered by the Persai had come as a bombshell to the military planners. Admiral Jing was sure the Turak’s next move would be to strike at the Commonwealth and, having seen the size and power of the Turak ships which arrived in the Selene system in response to the black ships’ attack, he insisted the president seek an immediate meeting with the other heads of the Commonwealth to call for a resolution to instigate a state of emergency. Such a resolution would give the military priority on all engineering and manufacturing facilities, release all budgetary constraints, and allow the local military commanders power to overrule minor and mid-level government officials. Rebecca saw the need to implement the admiral’s demands but it was a move that, in the dying days of her presidency, was something she did not want to be her legacy. Instead she agreed to a further raising of the alert level which called for the cancellation of all leave and training. The Terran Defense Forces moved onto what by any other name was a war footing. A disgruntled Jing had been tempered by the president’s decision, realizing this was as far as the politician was willing to go which was why her next decision caught him somewhat by surprise although it really should not have. Rebecca directed Aaron Beckett to assemble a diplomatic mission, which would be dispatched forthwith to the Selene system to make contact with the Turak and share the Persai data with them. Her hope was that by sharing the information with the Turak, she could forestall any misguided retaliation. Jing's initial reaction had been to argue with her. Revealing the Persai data would only confirm the Commonwealth had indeed been spying on them and it would also give the Turak the chance to assess the level of Commonwealth surveillance technology. In the end though, he was forced to admit the diplomatic mission should be given a chance to succeed. They had all seen the imagery of the massive Turak warships that the Persai witnessed appearing in the Selene system and Jing was in no hurry to send his forces up against the firepower those ships represented.
The meeting ended and Rebecca had been left alone for a few moments. Her isolation came to an end as there was a polite knock on her door and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Director of the FIB, Attorney General, and the Secretary of Defense were shown into her office. Joane Goode steered the group toward the compact conference table off to one side and they all waited politely while Rebecca left her desk to join them at the head of the table. Sitting, she indicated for the others to do the same before she spoke.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I called you here today for an update on the assassination attempt on Clement Bradshaw and I intend to keep this down to the pertinent facts only, no sugar-coating and no procrastination. Understood?"
Nods of understanding from the Director and the AG, while Joane Goode sat motionless and Olaf Helsett, Secretary of Defense, kept his own counsel. The request for his presence at this meeting had come as he was about to board a naval courier for an inspection tour, which would give the official seal of approval signaling the activation of Admiral Radford's long-anticipated CSG Itus. Olaf had actually been looking forward to seeing the Mosquito space fighters going through their paces but when the president calls, everything else is put on hold. Sitting now with the FIB Director and the AG, he had to admit that the sense of bewilderment on first arriving at the president’s office was not dissipating.
"Go ahead Edward, let’s hear it."
"Madam President. My investigators have managed to trace bank deposits to Jordell Ferrett from a number of dummy corporations. The trail is complicated and so far the investigators have seized the records of fourteen shell companies. There is still a long way to go before we will have a rock-solid case, years possibly, but everything I have seen so far points at the money man being someone high up in the Zurich Lines hierarchy. The problem will be proving it."
The president shifted her gaze to the Attorney General. "Is what the Director has, along with the audio recording, enough?"
Olaf Helsett looked sharply from the president to the AG, his mind racing t
o catch with the conversation. Audio recording. What audio recording? This was the first he had heard of such a recording existed.
Edvard Dietel had been one of the most well-respected prosecutors in the business before his appointment as AG, so his uncharacteristic hesitation was not missed by those seated at the table. "Madam President. Seaton Anderson has the best legal team money can buy. They have managed to tie the courts up in so much legal red tape over the episode with Daya Thomas that we'll be lucky if he ever sets foot in a courtroom and unless the FIB can get a written confession out of him then I have no doubt our efforts to link him to the assassination attempt will be equally fruitless."
Rebecca expected as much but she needed to hear it from the horse’s mouth. Pushing herself back from the table Rebecca brought herself to her feet. The others all stood in response.
"Thank you for your candor. Joane will see you out. Olaf, if you could remain for a moment, please."
As Rebecca and Olaf were left alone in the room the Secretary of Defense could no longer contain himself. "You think Seaton Anderson was behind this, Madam President?"
Rebecca screwed her eyes closed and a hand went to her brow. The weight of what was coming next hung heavily on her. "Ferrett named Anderson before Kris killed him."
Olaf was lost for words. The revelation that Seaton Anderson was behind the attempt to kill a presidential candidate and a sitting president’s Chief of Staff was inconceivable. While Olaf processed the information, Rebecca moved behind her desk and pulled open the top drawer, retrieving a PAD. Lifting it to eye level, the PAD automatically activated an iris scanner confirming that Rebecca was who she said she was before holding the PAD out to Olaf, who took it in slightly clammy hands.
"The PAD contains a Presidential Finding that Seaton Anderson presents a clear and present danger to the state and authorizes the Secretary of Defense to take executive action against Seaton Anderson at the earliest opportunity."
Olaf raised his eyes from the PAD and into those of his president. His own eyes hardened as he saw the steel will behind hers. It was not the first time Olaf had held the fate of a man in his hands. He had spent virtually all his adult life in the navy sending men and women under his command into battle. This, though, was something else; but his president was giving him an order and he would carry it out, so he answered in the only way he knew how to:
"Aye-aye, Madam President."
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Out of the Shadows
EDGE OF THE ASTEROID BELT - SOL SYSTEM
"Sir, there it is again. I know we're flying awfully close to some of these rocks but I would bet my last credit that what I'm seeing is not a sensor ghost, it’s a ship hiding out there hoping the metal in the surrounding asteroids will hide it from us. They must be operating on minimal power. Our passives aren't detecting any unusual electromagnetic radiation so I'll bet they’re using only their passive systems just like us. They probably have no idea we're even here."
Lieutenant Commander Celene Yasuda and the destroyer TDF Tiger Shark had been doing a routine clearance patrol of the asteroid belt four million kilometers from Gateway Station when the Tactical Station alerted her to what they first designated a sensor ghost. Yasuda was under strict orders to investigate every anomaly, so Tiger Shark cautiously entered the asteroid field and began its search. Seven hours later, it looked like she was coming to the end of her hunt.
"Very well. XO bring the ship to battle stations. Tactical, let’s light everything up, go active on all sensors." The battle station’s alarm whooped through the destroyer as, from the fire control systems, tens of thousands of watts of energy poured out, blanketing the surrounding asteroids.
"Target identified! Bogey One. Small craft low on the starboard bow. Range... 700 meters... Power spike! Computer is calling it weapons coming on line."
Yasuda struggled to keep the excitement from her voice as her brain involuntarily ordered the dumping of adrenalin into her system. "Arm forward plasma cannon and fire as she bears!"
"Target acquired... Firing... A hit! Power readings dropping. Bogey One appears to be tumbling out of control sir."
"Cease fire. Navigation brings us alongside. XO let’s get the magnetic grapples ready, we'll drag the ship clear of these rocks and see what we have here."
The operation to tow the damaged ship clear of the asteroid belt was a precarious and time-consuming one, which called for all the skill of the Tiger Shark's navigator. Five hours of gentle nudging and pulling saw the Tiger Shark and her prize floating freely in open space, allowing the XO and his salvage team to don armored space suits and carry out a much more detailed, hands-on inspection of the little ship. Yasuda sat nervously in her command chair, her eyes glued to the holographic projection floating in the center of the bridge as it relayed what the XO's helmet cam was seeing.
"There's a lot of damage to the outer hull, Skipper. Looks to me like our cannon most likely impacted the asteroid they were hiding on and they were hit by flying debris. From the number of strikes, I doubt very much if any of the crew survived."
The damage the XO was referring to was obvious on the camera view. The matte-black, once-smooth surface of the craft was now torn asunder by hundreds, probably thousands of high velocity impacts. The hull had taken on the consistency of a good Swiss cheese.
"Have you identified a hatch yet, XO?"
The camera panned to the left and another space-suited figure came into view a few meters more to the rear of the ship. The figure was bent over a blinking control panel and was working away with a cutter.
"Chief Santos thinks she’s identified an airlock and reckons it’s still got some power flowing into it. Perhaps from some emergency backup, because we're getting minimal power readings. If she can get it working, we can avoid cutting our way through the hull."
"OK, XO, let’s see if the chief can get it open. If not, we go back to Plan A and cut our way in."
Chief Santos was as good as her word and only minutes later the hatch she was working on slid smoothly aside to reveal an airlock just big enough for two space-suited humans. The XO and Chief Santos squeezed in and the outer door closed, but the inner door stayed resolutely closed as well. The chief worked her magic again and the inner door opened to give them their first view of the cramped interior of the small craft illuminated by the bright lights mounted on the spacesuit helmets. Here and there the occasional panel flickered with the last gasp of power.
"This corridor appears to run the length of the ship, Captain. We're going to follow it and see if it leads to some sort of cockpit or bridge."
As the XO and the chief advanced steadily down the narrow corridor, Yasuda caught glimpses of what could have been a galley and sleeping accommodation. This ship was definitely not built for comfort, thought Yasuda.
The corridor came to an end and another sealed hatch faced them. Chief Santos bent to work and after a short time, the hatch began to move, only to halt after a few centimeters. Yasuda watched as the XO and the chief managed to get their armored fingers into the opening and through the bridge speakers came grunting sounds as the two suited figures pried the door open with sheer muscle power. As the gap slowly widened, a dark object floated through from beyond the door, startling the two humans who jumped back in surprise. Yasuda was on the edge of her seat as she strained to make out what it was.
The XO stepped forward, his helmets harsh lights bringing the object into stark relief. It was a body. The XO slowly spun the body until the camera was able to get a clear image of the face. A face covered in light brown fur, two round eyes set in a slightly pointed heads with the ears mounted higher up the head than a human’s. The mouth and nose protruding slightly. A short thick neck leading to a barrel chest. Yasuda knew that her mouth was agape with total astonishment but right now she did not care if anyone saw her. If she had taken the time to look, she would have seen no one on the bridge was paying her any attention. Every eye was fixed on the holograph as it showed the image of a body
of a member of what humanity thought to be a long-dead race. The Saiph!
#
CENTRAL COMMAND - MONT SALÈVE - EARTH
President Rebecca Coston and Admiral Ai Jing sat in silence as the video recording from the Tiger Shark replayed for the third time. As it reached its conclusion and the corpse of the dead Saiph was replaced by the steady image of the Terran Federation flag, Rebecca absentmindedly rubbed her eyes.
"There’s no doubt?"
Patricia Bath, standing off to one side, answered the president’s question. "None, Madam President. DNA samples are a 100 percent match. The three bodies recovered are Saiph."
The room lapsed back into silence as the president struggled to assimilate the new reality. The race that had been responsible for ensuring every member of the Commonwealth and the Alonan Empire came to be the top of their planet’s evolutionary chain was still out there amongst the stars. Those same benefactors were responsible for the deaths of the colonists on Balat, the destruction of Dagger Station, and attacking the Turak in the Selene system. The same two questions kept coming to Rebecca. Where have they been and why come out of hiding now? No matter how hard Rebecca wracked her brain, the answers would not come to her.
"Madam President. The Saiph ship has been shipped to Zarmina, hopefully Doctor Moore and his team will be able to shed some light on this mystery. The ship did suffer extensive damage, but we hope to be able to recover some useful data from the undamaged systems. At this point, anything which may be useful in combating their ships would be invaluable."
Rebecca spun to face Jing. "You really think it is going to come down to a shooting war between the Commonwealth and the Saiph, Admiral?"
Jing kept his face impassive and his tone neutral. "I would say we were already in a shooting war, Madam President. The attacks on Dagger Station and the Turak had to have been coordinated. They were obviously designed so the Turak would think we attacked them while we were meant to believe the attack on Dagger Station was the Turak. Tensions were already running high in both camps. It would only require a single spark for the whole border area to burst into flames."