The Phoenix Conspiracy

by Richard Sanders

Chapter 6

  The light on the comm panel blinked furiously, and Calvin jumped out of bed to activate it. With a click, Jack Edwards’s bearded face appeared. His eyes were alert, but he looked exhausted. Behind him, the bluish-gray walls of his office held various plaques and honors.

  “I was wondering when you’d be giving me a call, Director,” said Calvin while taking a seat at his desk. “It’s been three hours.”

  “I see you’ve guessed what this is about,” said Jack.

  “The Harbinger obviously. A condemned ex-captain disappears along with an alpha-class dreadnought. That sounds like something Intel Wing is going to investigate. And I’m the closest agent.”

  “Very astute, as always.”

  “But it’s been hours. Why’d you wait until now to contact me?”

  “It’s a logistical disaster.” Jack cleared his throat. “The Fifth Fleet has jurisdiction over both the area where the Harbinger disappeared and the Harbinger itself. Because they lost one of their own, they wanted to hunt it down themselves.”

  “That’s absurd. They don’t have the resources to conduct an intelligence investigation. That’s our job. Remember how they couldn’t even find the Phoenix without our help?”

  “I know. I know. Intel Wing and Fleet Command had to reach a compromise on how to continue the pursuit. And only after three interceptors and an interdictor lost track of the Harbinger did they start listening and turn their files over to us.”

  “So how do we handle this?”

  “It’s kind of a sensitive balance, Calvin. And, quite frankly, you wouldn’t be my first choice to spearhead this op. You’re skilled enough for the hunt, of course, but there’s a diplomatic aspect here that you have no experience with. No offense.”

  “None taken.”

  “But, as you said, you’re the closest. And we have to get after the Harbinger before the trail gets any colder.”

  “Say the word, Director, and we’ll power up the Nighthawk and find the Harbinger,” said Calvin with a nod.

  “That’s another thing.” Jack sounded angry. “They have the Nighthawk in lockdown and won’t release it. Like they didn’t want us to preempt their jurisdiction and chase after the Harbinger without their consent. I don’t know why they thought we’d get in the way.”

  “Yeah, that’s very … interesting,” said Calvin. “Almost like they wanted the Harbinger to have a head start.”

  “Now don’t get carried away. The Fifth Fleet managed to attack the Harbinger, but it slipped through their fingers. They don’t want it to escape. Why would they?”

  “No reason I can think of. But then why is my ship locked down?”

  “Don’t worry about that. It’s being taken care of,” said Jack. “So get your crew and get aboard. We’re sending all the release orders, and I think Fleet Command and Intel Wing are mostly on the same page now. When I give you the go-ahead, I want you to launch and get to work.”

  “What’s the ETA on that?”

  “Maybe an hour. Hopefully less.”

  “You’re killing me. I could get my crew ready to launch in fifteen minutes.”

  “It’s a bad situation, but we have to work with it. Remember, it’s very important that you don’t step on the toes of the Fifth Fleet. I’ll work my angle from here to make sure they don’t hamper the investigation too much. But stay out of their way, do what they want, and let me worry about the fine details, okay?”

  “Yes, sir,” said Calvin. He hated red tape, especially when it served no purpose but to get in the way. “In the meantime, Jack, can you send me everything you have on the Harbinger? I want to look it over. Manifest, personnel files, last known position and heading, everything.”

  “Yeah, we’ll transfer all we have to the Nighthawk’s computer. Do you have the latest decryption software aboard?”

  “I’d have to ask Shen, but I think so. They did some updates when we first made port.”

  “Good. And, Calvin … don’t let me down.”

  “I never do. But there’s another problem. I’m short an officer. The Fifth Fleet stole my XO. Can I have him back?”

  “No, but thanks for reminding me.” Jack cleared his throat again. “As part of our agreement with Fleet Command, you’re taking a navy officer aboard as your XO.”

  “What?” Calvin didn’t even try to hide his surprise. “That makes no sense. He won’t know anything about the ship or how our operations work.”

  “There isn’t any available Intel Wing staff at Praxis to fill the role. And your new officer is a she, not a he.”

  “Whatever.”

  Jack gave him a hard look. “I don’t think I like your tone.”

  “Sorry, sir. I only meant that the more restrictions I have to deal with, the harder it will be to conduct this investigation.”

  “Would you rather be tracking finance accounts from behind a desk on Capital World?”

  “Point taken, sir.”

  “I understand your grievances, but you’ll just have to deal with them. Get your new XO up to speed so you can use her. As long as you keep her happy and involved, that’ll make everything easier with the Fifth Fleet.”

  Calvin resisted the urge to complain again. The fact that Intel Wing had to cater to Fleet Command just to do their job was ludicrous. Intel Wing never went to the fleet admirals to demand they deploy their squadrons in different ways. Why should the Fleet get any say on how an intelligence investigation was to be conducted?

  “And as the final term of our compromise, any reports you make will have to be simulcast to both me and Vice Admiral Harkov of the Fifth Fleet. She will be following the investigation from Fleet Command’s side.”

  “I have to report to Fleet Command?”

  “Yes. And it’s very important that you send us the reports simultaneously and that they are exactly the same.”

  “Well, that sucks,” said Calvin. “So if I don’t want Fleet Command to know something, I can’t let you know it either?”

  “That’s correct. And don’t try to go around that. I know you. I know you’ll try to think of some clever way to feed me information you don’t want them getting their hands on. But they will be able to monitor any and all transmissions originating from your kataspace connector.”

  “That really, really sucks. Are there any concessions you didn’t make, sir? You make it sound like Fleet Command is running this investigation.”

  “For all intents and purposes, they are. I’ll try to keep everything out of your way so you can focus completely on finding the Harbinger. Let me worry about the politics.”

  “Okay.”

  “That’s all I have for you. Get your crew ready, and I’ll send you all our data and see that your ship is released. Good luck.”

  “Thank you, sir,” said Calvin, and the terminal shut off. He let out a deep sigh of frustration, and then sent a message to his crew.