Exile's Return

by Rebecca Mickley

  "How?” Charlie asked, puzzled. “The only thing we have that can handle that kind of operation is the LRRC and you’re going to need it to get back to Central Command after the drop-off."

  "I'll be taking the Roam back to port after the drop-off. Her flag staff have a lot of questions to answer,” the Admiral explained. “Besides, it’s already been modified to handle her needs, or at least most of them. I think we can manage to move her food.”

  "Are you certain Admiral?” Charlie pressed. “It might not be the safest for you here either."

  "Oh, shut it, boy! I have a lot of enemies, but I don’t think any of them are lunatic enough to kill an admiral."

  "Well then, orders received.” Charlie squared his shoulders, clearly not satisfied but knowing when to leave well enough alone. “When do we leave?"

  "2215 hours tomorrow. The Night Commander is just a few years out of the academy, has less connection to the old fleet.” The Admiral glanced at me before continuing. “And I happen to know that his sister is a cat. I've known the family for years, they are good people. I got the word from UEA not half an hour ago on a secure channel. When shift change occurs tomorrow we will use our black ops protocol to keep you off the radar till you’re safely out the door."

  "Alright Admiral, and thank you, but for now, while we are here, let’s do some investigating," Charlie said.

  The Admiral himself was armed with a pistol that looked like it had served as long as he had. It was well worn but cared for; the gleaming nickel slide shone like silver, and its occasional scratch or pockmark gave it the air of an old friend. We were making a beeline for the Major’s quarters, hoping to find the answers we sought.

  His quarters were typical military. That was my first thought, just after the doors opened, after the Admiral sent the security detail guarding it away for half an hour. Its accoutrements were spartan, and it smelled like the Major. Unbidden, an image came to my mind of the Major reaching for the detonator as the door closed. I tried to push it away but it just kept getting louder and more vivid in my brain. Like a singularity in my mind it pulled my awareness and compressed it down until there was only that moment. My chest hurt and my paws tingled with the need for a run.

  “Captain! Captain Dawkins? Are you ok?” I heard the voice of the admiral as if he was a thousand feet away. “Stevens, just what the hell is going on?” I faintly heard the admiral say.

  “Snow! Are you ok? Sir, it looks like she’s locked into some kind of panic attack,” Charlie said as he reached out and gently stroked me from ears to tail. “Easy there, easy.”

  My world savagely snapped back to normal awareness, and I leaped up in the air with a shout. “No God dammit, get away! Get the fuck away!”

  Charlie recoiled and looked wounded, as I pushed myself backwards into the alien quarters stinking with the predator’s scent, just panting.

  “It’s ok Snow. Focus. We’re all friends here. Calm down, deep breaths,” Charlie said, but keeping his distance.

  “I… think… I am ok now,” I said, taking deep panicked gasps.

  “What happened?” the Admiral asked, sounding deeply worried.

  “I’m not sure. It felt like the other night when I passed out at the podium, but instead I was reliving the moments up until the detonation. Something about the scent of this place seemed to trigger me,” I replied, sounding more sure of myself than I was.

  “Are you ok now? Do you need a doctor?” the admiral queried.

  “I don’t think so. He told me I was prone to anxiety but this was a whole new ballgame.”

  “Let me know if it becomes a problem,” the admiral said, speaking to both me and Charlie.

  “I think I’m ok now. Would it be ok if I helped search around?”

  “As long as you are certain it won’t throw you into another attack, certainly,” the admiral said.

  It felt like raiding the home of a ghost. Everything was in perfect order, uniforms folded, toiletries set out just so on the sink. All were remnants of a life that waited for a master who would never return. There were no posters on the wall, nothing to even hint at the twisted nature of his ideas or of his hate for anything non-human.

  I checked drawers and found more and more of the same. One held medals for distinguished service, others held photos of family. I was searching his nightstand when I found his Bible. His scent was all over it; it had been with him for years, the worn leather bore an inscription that said Ensign Newman. Gently running a paw over the cracked gold lettering, it truly felt like a holy thing. I had found his treasure. Using my stubby forepaws I opened it gently, and felt like an intruder. The pages were well worn and strewn with bits of paper making notes about a particular verse or chapter. I had almost given up hope of finding anything of use, when a heavy-weight piece of paper fell to the ground, along with some kind of challenge coin.

  Picking up the challenge coin first, I examined it and called Charlie over. It looked similar to what some service members received upon completing basic, but a quick glance showed it was not from any branch of the service. It was silver, with Earth in the background and a raised fist in the foreground holding a sword. It bore an inscription around the coin that read, “Paladins of Earth, Many Faiths, One Truth.” Charlie thumbed over the coin while I looked at the paper.

  I took it in my paws and gently unfolded it. This was new, newer than anything I had seen thus far. It was a pricey stationary, the kind with a watermark logo when you hold it up to the light. On it was a printed note, one that made my fur stand and my skin feel chilled.

  It read:

  Confirmed, Mendian Ambassador to board your ship, planet Centioc. Confirmed morphic, snowshoe hare, 3'5 inches tall. 60 pounds. Orders: Terminate quietly.

  So Ordered, Earth First,

  Alpha Victor, Bravo Bravo, Sigma 8 Omega

  -113524

  I blinked and looked up at Charlie, “What does this mean?”

  “Well the coin is some kind of organization he's a part of. The symbol on the front is similar to Earth First, an anti-morphic, anti-Mendian political group on Earth. That could be bad, because rumors are they have a terrorist wing,” he said, moving over to the Admiral.

  "Admiral I think we found his marching orders and a possible connection to Earth First, but I have never seen anything like this before," Charlie said. I could almost hear his heart beating.

  "Damn!” The Admiral spat. “This confirms it, this had to come from higher up in the command structure. This has gone from a simple assault to a full blown conspiracy."

  "What does that gibberish mean? Is that some kind of code?" I asked, motioning towards the stationary.

  "I suspect that it’s an authenticator. That only makes this worse. Whoever is doing this probably has a background in intelligence. At least enough of one to know to confirm a message with an authenticator code. Anything without that signature would immediately make the Major think he was walking into a trap," the Admiral said.

  “So this wasn't just some rogue group of thugs. It's bigger, it goes all the way up the chain," I said, sounding more scared than I wanted to let on.

  "I am afraid so, and we have to let the UEA know of this immediately. Charlie, have you managed to crack his computer yet?"

  "I’m just about there Admiral. We have basic access but his encryption is better than I expected."

  My curiosity got the better of me. I found myself asking. "How does a Lieutenant Commander from the Diplomatic Corps know how to break encryption?"

  He looked at me and gave a laugh. "She's a sharp one, no wonder the Mendians want her. It's no secret, these are the spoils of a misspent youth, and a career that originally started as an electronics warfare officer," Charlie replied, grinning. He was obviously pleased he had surprised me.

  "You’re just full of surprises. We’re gonna have to talk about that. Do we need to talk about leaving my terminal around you?" I asked, goading him on.

  "Hell Snow, all you use it for is to read," he laughed.
"You don't have enough dirt to make it interesting."

  "Enough posturing. Are you going to get access or not?" The admiral looked tense, tired, and impatient.

  "Just...a... few... more seconds and... We are in!" he shouted triumphantly, obviously proud of himself.

  The major’s encrypted drive held the litany of sins his quarters so expertly hid. There were anti-morphic websites bookmarked, hate literature, all manner of nasty things, but what was worse were the emails. He was part of a confidential and very well protected mailing list. It utilized a special program that used a secure connection. Charlie attempted to explain it to me, but somehow the way it was designed made it impossible to trace where the messages were coming from. It read like a horror novel. It was used to pass messages of success or failure of missions, but also it had a section that had more hateful propaganda. But the worst was the testimonials section, people reporting how good it felt to kill or to maim. I noticed a post that detailed my attack, the poster bragging about how satisfying it was to hear my bones break and my screams of pain. I winced and pushed myself away when I noticed there was a message in reply, it was marked as read. I asked Charlie to access it and it bore a simple message.

  "They may be onto you. Nothing I can do. Be prepared."

  Someone, somewhere knew that Charlie was investigating, and had tipped off the major. That was why he had the bomb, that was why he was so confident. He knew he would leave that room vindicated or dead.

  "I think we’ve seen enough. Image the drive and leave the rest to me," the admiral said. "I need to have a talk with the captain."

  “Sir, that may not be advisable. The captain already stands relieved, and any further questioning may just cause more problems here. He was the only one who knew anything about my investigation and he does have friends. We have to assume that there may be a hostile element within the UEA with access even you don’t have.”

  "I am afraid you're right son,” the admiral said, looking deflated, careworn and sad. “All this talk just makes me happy we’re putting you guys off-ship. A crisis of loyalty on a fleet ship is about as bad as it comes. As of right now, you are both on full black status. I want you two secured in her quarters until launch. Charlie, if anyone shows up who has not been vetted by you or me, assume they are hostile. We simply don't know who we can count on anymore.”

  “Understood, sir.”

  “Now, before you two leave I want you to meet the night commander. After that, we are on full security protocols. Let's adjourn to my quarters.”

  The night commander looked tired, and quite young for his rank. He was relatively short for a human, about 5'4 with black hair and dark brown eyes. Meeting me, he smiled and spoke.

  “So you’re the rabbit the admiral told me about? I'm Jim, Jim Saito. Man, you went farther than my sister, she was more a blend, but you don’t even look human,” he said, smiling down at me.

  “Hare,” I corrected him, looking up a bit indignantly. “Yeah, a lot of morphics go for a more blended look. It’s all personal preference I suppose.”

  “Yeah, but that didn’t help her any. She's had such a hard time since her shift. It’s bad back on Earth. Can't even find a job. I don’t understand that bit; she's more than capable.”

  “I’m sure she is; it’s just that people aren't capable of understanding that, sadly enough. Tell me though, what do you think about her shift?”

  “Her choice,” he shrugged. “My parents raised me to tolerate other people, and besides, I always thought it was kind of cool, being able to be whatever you want. We never had any of this fundamentalist Earth First garbage running around my house. Do you know she’s lost friends? Clinics were bombed, and for what? Really? For what?”

  “I know. I’m sure you know about Bradley.” I felt a pang go though me as I said the name. “I just don't get it, I don't understand why the ideology is worth lives.”

  “I heard that. I knew him, y’know. Not well or anything, but he sometimes did some of the message decryption for third shift. Really quiet, kind of a mousey keep-to-yourself type.”

  I would have smiled if I could. “Heh! He would have probably loved to hear you say that. He was a morphic. Did you know he was going to be a mouse?”

  Jim gave out a hearty laugh and smiled. His eyes brightened and the tiredness I saw faded some. “Is that so? It would have fit him, really it would have. Ha, Bradley the mouse. Wish I had gotten to know the guy more.”

  “Yeah, you’d have liked him.”

  "You two need to get going. Jim, thanks for stopping by.” The admiral nodded to the young commander. “You two stay alive now, that’s an order."

  Chapter 20

  Time passed slowly in my quarters. It was all a waiting game now. Tomorrow we would board the LRRC and head towards the Mendian rendezvous point. A steward arrived with a full security detail, loading all unneeded equipment into the cruiser. There was an air about the ship of hidden tension, waiting for the right moment to uncoil and release. I was eagerly anticipating our sendoff; it would be safer for everyone involved.

  I was reviewing protocols around 1830 hours and nibbling on some timothy hay that hadn't been loaded when general quarters sounded. The light of the alarm briefly flashed in my room. Charlie activated the charge bolt on the rifle, and called the bridge.

  “Admiral, what’s going on?” Charlie asked.

  “Reports are still coming in, but it appears Captain Bob Davis wants his ship back,” the admiral almost growled.“It seems at least half the security forces are with him, too. You take Snow, and get her off ship right now. Assume any approaching security personnel are hostile. You have permission to engage.”

  I saw a strange calm pass over Charlie as he checked his rifle and side arm. “Understood sir. We are moving to primary extraction point. Do you have intel on possible paths?”

  “Take the most direct line. I am coordinating with all known loyal security personnel, keeping it open for you. point-to-point communications will be the first thing to go...”

  The admiral was cut off and there was only static on the comm. Charlie motioned me to get behind him. We stacked up by the door and it opened. He cleared the area and motioned me forward.

  “Snow, you keep your head down and stay behind me, move quickly and try to stay out of sight. If you hear anything, you let me know. Your ears are better than mine.” He had a look of pure concentration in his eyes.

  “Roger that,” I said, falling back into old training.

  We exited my quarters and the ship was eerily quiet. Red lights flashed angrily with every terminal in the hallway showing in bold letters “ALL HANDS GENERAL QUARTERS.” We made our way past the elevator to the emergency stairs. The LRRC was six decks below us. Moving as quickly and quietly as possible, we covered the distance in no time. Charlie again motioned me behind him and I secured myself on a stair just below the landing. Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.

  The door opened and we were directly behind two of the security forces. They turned to raise their pistols at Charlie but they never got the chance. He had his rifle at the ready and let loose into the two officers. The energized rounds tore through them and dropped them to the ground. I had no time to think about what happened. Charlie emerged from the corridor after checking what would be our flank and motioned me to follow him.

  The launch bay was just ahead, we were almost there, almost to freedom. A security officer saw us, and tried to use some kind of communication device. Charlie dropped him before he could say a word. The path looked clear now. Charlie began to sprint and I followed after him, paying no attention to the way my paws slipped. All I wanted now was safety, and safety was aboard the LRRC.

  The large door to the bay opened and we made our way to the cruiser, which appeared untouched and ready for her mission. We’d made it about halfway there when I heard the sound of multiple pairs of boots sprinting down the hallway. I shouted out, “Charlie! We have company! Multiple hostiles closing in.” He hit a
device in his pocket and the loading ramp of the LRRC dropped down as a cadre of security personnel entered the room. Charlie opened fire, killing two of them and sending the rest for cover. He backed up towards the ramp, still firing till the rifle clicked, its power cell empty. He pulled out his pistol and kept firing until we made it up the ramp.

  Quickly hitting the retract button once I was inside, we watched as the security personnel made their way into the launch bay with a practiced coordination, moving toward us slowly.

  Charlie had the systems up and online, and wasted no time contacting the admiral on the ship’s long-range communications system.

  “Ambassador on board, but we have hostiles in the launch bay. Requesting scramble launch. Repeat, requesting scramble launch.”

  The admiral replied fast, “Scramble launch approved; however you’re gonna have to make your own door.”

  “What does he mean by make your ow-” I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence. Charlie charged up the LRRC's cannons and blew a huge hole out of the side of the launch bay.

  The faces of the security team went from calm detachment to full panic as they were sucked out into the vacuum of space. A huge section of the ship was suddenly gone, enough for the LRRC to fit through.

  “Initiating scramble launch protocols!” Charlie said and fired the thrusters, taking us right through the wreckage.

  He brought the LRRC alongside the Roam. “Admiral we have cleared the launch bay. Repeat, we have cleared the launch bay. Ambassador is on board and unhurt.”

  “Very good commander. Now I can focus the resources on retaking the ship. Do me a favor; switch on Space News. I've got reports this mutiny is live.”

  “What?!” Charlie exclaimed. “You can't be serious.”

  “Yes, and it could be good intel. We need you right now. You’re our only eyes and ears outside the Roam.” He paused, then added, “Internal communications are out. It's not going well for us.”