by Britt Ringel
Wallace shook a pointed finger at him. “I’m not asking you to do the job personally, you fool.” He directed the sales representative’s attention to the papers splayed across the desk. “Review the file and learn how to read between the lines. Why was a hero of the Republic hiding inside the LMA as a privateer? We aren’t the only people seeking this man.”
Chapter 11
The newly designed missile flew within five hundred meters of the empty cargo container before continuing into deep space. The projectile, less than a third the size of a standard corporate gravitational warhead, remained inert.
Lieutenant Commander Soffe paused the recording. “Damn, it didn’t detonate.”
Gables grumbled agreement. “That’s four for four that have been duds. What’s the point of these runs if your missiles keep failing?”
“You have to understand, Lieutenant,” Soffe said as he pointed at the screen, “we’ve never built anything like this before. These missiles are much smaller than a Javelin. It’s impossible to cram a missile drive, a guidance package and a gravity warhead into something so small.”
Gables smiled ruefully. “You forgot an ECCM package. If the engineers don’t install something to counter the wall of ECM from the enemy, fitting the rest won’t matter.”
The Lagrinite stared at the missile design on a side screen. He remained silent for half a minute but finally said, “Maybe we should abandon the missiles and concentrate on close attacks. Would your pilots really be willing to fly that close to the enemy? It seems like suicide.”
Gables resisted the urge to shiver at the truism and willed her voice to sound confident. “We’ve done it before and all the pilots with me survived it.” Despite her best efforts, her voice cracked slightly. “When is the next sortie?” she asked to cover the tremble.
Soffe switched the wall screen to the mission-planning schedule. Red lines struck through the latest timetable. “We’re falling behind. Maintenance is pushing through another software update and since that will delay the next exercise, I want them to take the time to install the new battery packs.”
“Good,” Gables said eagerly. “How many shots will the new packs give us?”
“The ones we’ve tested will hold up for fifteen, maybe twenty shots before they overheat and explode.”
“Well that’s a problem,” Gables stated sardonically.
Soffe nodded before rubbing at the dark circles under his eyes. “I know. The engineers already think we’re crazy. They want to know exactly how we’re draining these packs so quickly… and why. Our cover story is the Dunnings shipbuilders are working on some sort of turbo boost to use near the end of a race.”
Soffe neglected to tell Gables he did not believe a fix was a priority because the reckless pilots would be long dead before their battery packs were expended. “The engineers are efforting a solution to, at the minimum, prevent them from exploding.”
“Well, that’s nice of them.”
* * *
Sebastian Brewer knew the trail had gone cold and his quarry, flown. The expression was a fitting one, for he was most certainly a hunter. However, his game had proved extremely elusive and over the past months, Brewer began to wonder if his heart had ever been in the pursuit. Maybe it’s best, he thought, not to find him. The most dangerous quarry is the one that’s cornered and desperate. Brewer sighed a mixture of regret and relief as he closed the file on his datapad marked “G. Heskan.” He pushed the file with his fingertip to a folder on the screen designated “Inactive.”
A muted chime preceded an announcement from his secretary. “Excuse me, Mr. Secretary, but Agent Hansen and another gentleman are waiting to see you.”
Brewer took a final look at his past before dropping it into the folder. “Send them in, Joseph.”
A moment later, he opened and familiarized himself with the agent’s portfolio. Agent Hansen was a high-level analyst stationed along the Federation border. The man possessed keen insight into trends and intentions but lacked the talent for actual field operations. Nestled safely along a border that would never see any real action, Hansen worked quietly to interpret Federation and corporate system financial transactions.
Hansen entered the lavish office with a second man closely behind him. Brewer’s eyebrows arched curiously on seeing the companion. He assumed the gentleman would be merely Hansen’s aide. The conjecture appeared incorrect judging by the emblem on the man’s jacket.
Brewer’s first instinct was offense. “Mr. Hansen, before I have you face consequences for allowing a Hollaran to enter the office of the Secretary of Internal Security, would you care to make a plea for leniency?”
Hansen’s eyes grew wide and the privateer next to him paled at the threatening tone in Brewer’s voice. “Mr. Secretary, this man comes with a gift.” He turned toward the Hollaran expectantly.
The jacketed man reached timidly across the desk with hand extended. “Colby Persin, Mr. Secretary. I represent Secure Solutions. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Brewer let the offered hand hang in midair. He glared with distaste at Hansen and stated, “I sincerely hope you know better than to bring a peddler into my office, Agent.”
Hansen tugged lightly at his collar. “Yes, sir. Mr. Persin has provided the Republic with very credible and actionable intelligence.” The analyst looked to Persin and motioned quickly with his hand.
“Mr. Secretary, it has come to my company’s attention that a person of interest to the Republic has taken shelter inside our employment rolls. We’re uncertain how he managed—”
“Get to the point,” Brewer growled impatiently.
Desperately seeking to avoid an eruption, Hansen blurted out, “Pursuant to the Intelligence bulletin issued 1226.995, we’ve located one Garrett Heskan.”
Brewer’s head dropped together with his shoulders upon hearing the news. He stared in silence at his datapad. Ten seconds passed. Thirty.
“Mr. Secretary? This person was listed four months ago as a Jade Priority figure.”
“Where is he?” Brewer finally asked. The secretary’s voice was subdued.
Hansen shifted his weight excitedly. “A corporate system inside the Lesser Magellanic Arm named Seshafi.” The analyst bobbed eagerly on his feet. Jades were the holy grails in Republic acquisition. Despite knowing better, Hansen asked, “Who is he?”
Brewer ignored the question. “The Federation. Not the Commonwealth?”
Persin answered hesitantly. “It’s possible he may have lived in the Commonwealth, sir. Our company is based in Acca Larentia so it’s conceivable that this man you seek has lived there. However, he’s no longer a part of our organization and has been sighted very recently in the Seshafi star system. Seshafi is controlled by a corporation called—”
“Mr. Persin,” Brewer cut the man off while holding up his hand. He then swept his hand toward the door. “You should go now.”
Persin closed his gaping mouth, nodded and quickly spun to retreat from Brewer’s presence. Hansen remained standing in uncomfortable silence.
Brewer took his time manipulating the desktop controls slaved to the various wall screens in the room. The screen near the end of a small conference table inside the spacious office flared into bright life. The known galaxy appeared on the three-meter by two-meter screen. Seshafi’s star shone brightly inside the LMA, surrounded by Federation space. It was benignly distant from his Republic.
“Relocation will be difficult,” Hansen said in anticipation of a covert operation. “Since he’s a Jade though, elimination is an option.”
“You’re speaking out of your grade, Hansen,” Brewer warned. “Those decisions will be made at a level far above your understanding. Your function is to feed the decision-makers information. Do you have anything further?”
The man blinked nervously as he spoke. “Just that he’s scheduled to testify in a legal proceeding in the Nessus system. We don’t have a specific itinerary but we do have the date of his summons.”
; Brewer was intimately familiar with The Courts on Nessus. The entire compound was a fortress and a botched operation there would create repercussions that he was unwilling to accept. His eyes traced the star lanes from Seshafi to Nessus. The preferred route was obvious given the layout of the Type-B tunnel points in that portion of the Federation. Other than minor corporate zones, the route was entirely inside Federation space. The closest segment to the Republic was still three dives into the Federation at the Enyo star system. Too far, Brewer thought gratefully. Even Adira Fane wouldn’t risk a war to settle this vendetta. Brewer sighed. Of course, there are always proxies that can be manipulated…. After more silence, Brewer addressed Hansen. “How did you come across this intelligence?”
The man looked down briefly at his shoes and grimaced slightly. “To be honest, sir, it fell into my lap. I’m the Lead Forecaster in Intentions down in New London and a junior analyst brought Colby Persin to my attention. Mr. Persin sought us out, Mr. Secretary.”
“You trust this mercenary?”
Hansen nodded. “We’ve done the due diligence, sir. We’ve actually triple-checked it. The information is independently corroborated by media sources.” He raised his datapad and inputted commands. When finished, he used his datapad to point toward the active wall screen. “The additional information is available there, sir. This Hollaran has been very busy down in the LMA.”
Brewer’s face remained unreadable. The idiot thinks Heskan is a Hollaran. It was not completely surprising given the limited information in the flash bulletin disseminated by the Ministry. The Brevic Republic’s Garrett Heskan was still a hero in the eyes of the general populace and safely ensconced in an undisclosed project vital to Republic interests. “What else do you have?”
“Uh, that’s all, sir.” Hansen resumed his nervous dancing back and forth. “Just the confirmed location of a Jade, sir. The source of original intel made available for your interrogation and proof of independent verification.” Despite following procedure to the letter, sweat began to roll down the sides of the agent’s face.
“I suppose you are expecting some kind of reward for clocking this Jade, Agent.”
Hansen shook his head curtly. His voice wavered. “No, sir. Just serving the Republic is its own reward.”
Brewer smirked. “How convenient for you, then.” Brewer felt unresolved anger boil to the surface and leak over. “You see, this alert was issued in error. It should have never been released and although you may think you’ve done the Republic a great service, all you’ve actually managed is to throw an enormous conundrum onto my lap.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“You couldn’t have known.” Brewer looked away in disgust. After a moment, he exhaled in fatal acceptance. “I’m assuming total control of this matter, Agent Hansen. You’ve never heard of this man or his supposed location and you never up-channeled the information to me.”
“I understand, sir. Am I dismissed?”
Brewer waved the man away. When he was alone again, he stared at the wall screen. The temptation to categorize the new information as unconfirmed speculation was nearly irresistible. He understood that dismissing the information might be, in actuality, saving the Republic from opening Pandora’s Box. Some good, some evil and once it’s out, you can never put it back. It would be easy to bury the intelligence from the Minister. Hansen had blundered into the information and the chances of other agents discovering Heskan’s whereabouts seemed remote in the extreme. Brewer was about to delete the information but then watched the IaCom media reports.
* * *
Heskan was fidgeting inside his service coat when he heard the knock at the door.
“Enter,” he said as an IaCom media assistant aided him with straightening the shoulders of the heavy garment. Despite being well-tailored, the large epaulettes still felt cumbersome.
“You’re due on stage in two minutes, Captain,” a second attendant reminded as she picked up a large wand designed to remove lint from fabric.
The door to the waiting room swung open and a gloomy Commander Vernay trudged in. She had seemed distant over the last weeks, ever since reporting in to him to explain her actions at Sade. However, the distance was not the coolness that Heskan experienced when she was upset with one of his decisions. Instead, it seemed more like a self-imposed exile from their friendship. His former first officer’s natural beauty was marred by dark circles under her eyes. Is this the burden of command I’m seeing, Heskan wondered.
“The Chief requested a transfer off Ajax,” she said morosely as she dropped onto a nearby couch. “He’s going to Falcon of all places.”
Heskan cringed at the news. That was bad timing. He glanced at the attendant before addressing Vernay. “That request could be for any number of reasons, Stacy.”
The woman’s downcast eyes rotated up from the floor to meet his. Deep wrinkles etched grooves of strain around them. She looks ten years older.
“You don’t have to cushion it. I know I failed,” Vernay replied dejectedly. “Don’t tell me it’s all a coincidence that he’s getting away from the ship captain that blew it in Sade.” She dropped her face into her hands. “I should have never accepted command of a ship. I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you.”
This was his longest conversation with Vernay since before the battle. He studied the woman who had given him unequivocal backing since they first met. She was the perfect mixture of respect and companionship, acting as both the supportive junior officer and trusted confidant during the times Heskan needed her most. Vernay’s misery was palpable and it surprised Heskan just how much it hurt him to see her like this. He waved away the attendant who was sweeping over the back of his coat with her wand. He approached Vernay and sat next to her.
“You shouldn’t read too much into Brown’s transfer. You know, just like I do, that there are always bigger gears turning that we may not be aware of.” Heskan’s words sounded feeble even to himself. He looked at the despondent woman and the depth of his empathy for her struck at his core. She deserves more than the usual platitudes, Garrett. “Stacy,” he said after swallowing. “You’ve never disappointed me.” His mouth had gone dry. He swallowed a second time. “You could never disappoint me and I care more about you than anybody I’ve ever—”
The door rocked open and the boisterous voice of an IaCom scheduler announced, “Captain Heskan, you’re on.”
The attendants in the room parted before him, granting easy access to the door. Heskan looked into Vernay’s shimmering, sapphire eyes. She seemed to be trembling.
“Duty calls,” she said miserably.
Heskan smiled weakly and nodded. An instant later, he was being escorted from the waiting room and led down the narrow hallway toward the studio. A hand grasped his left arm to stop him at a red line on the floor just outside the stage. The attendant held out her hand in front of him and waited for the cue.
From onstage, Chase Fuller’s voice carried the weight of a thousand sages upon it. “As promised, today we’ll talk with the man who’s at the center of this mass of controversy. The man, who some say, should resign his position for reasons ranging from dereliction of duty to gross favoritism toward clearly incompetent officers.” Fuller cast a casual glance toward Heskan. “Please help me welcome the lightning rod of drama, the man who’s thrown the entire navy onto its very head… Captain Garrett Heskan!”
Applause sounded from the live audience as Fuller rose from his chair, waiting for Heskan with a smug smile.
One hand dropped from in front of Heskan; another provided a gentle push against his back. He stepped onto the stage and nervously looked at the audience. It was a packed house, as he expected it would be. The last time he was here, he had underestimated the impact the media played in the corporate worlds. Today, he was going in with eyes open. He could play the game. Heskan waved at the audience as he stepped toward Fuller. As he drew near, it almost seemed to be a race for who could extend his hand faster for the handshake.
Onc
e seated, the applause died down, giving Fuller a chance to speak. “Thank you for coming back to us, Captain. We’re thrilled to give you a chance to explain all the controversy that’s spinning around you.”
Heskan smiled despite himself. “I think it’s important to note that there’s absolutely no real controversy inside the ranks of the navy, Chase, just the fiction that the media has created.”
Fuller laughed good-naturedly but then smiled wickedly. “That’s interesting, Garrett. Are you unaware of the grousing from down the ranks or are you saying that you’re being kept unaware?”
Heskan closed his eyes instead of rolling them and inhaled slowly. It’s a mistake to ask him, ‘what grousing, Chase?’ Don’t step into his traps. “I’m in almost daily contact with my ship captains, Chase. I’m pretty sure I have a more accurate pulse of those sailors than the dubious sources of some in the media.” He blinked innocently at Fuller and added, “Present company excluded, of course. In fact, I must express my gratitude to you for not delving into some of the baser rumors that have been fabricated against the men and women in uniform.” He looked out into the audience and said, “The men and women defending our very way of life.” He returned his attention to Fuller and complimented, “It’s refreshing to see someone in the media, like yourself, who refuses to take advantage of these very human sailors who only wish to serve the Seshafian cause the best they can.”
Fuller paused a moment at the unanticipated accolade, allowing Heskan to seize the advantage and drive the dagger in. “Well, except of course when you spent that two-hour exposé on the ugly rumor about one of my ship captains using feminine wiles to advance her career.”
Fuller’s face turned red. He opened his mouth but Heskan cut him off.
“That report was particularly devastating to morale across the navy as a whole. It hurt all of Seshafi. In fact, in other governments, wild, unsupported accusations like that could be construed as aid and comfort to the enemy but we all know you have Seshafi’s best interests at heart, right?” He emphasized the last word to turn the statement into a question.