Triumph's Ashes (The Cassidy Chronicles Volume 5)

by Adam Gaffen

  “It’s not my padd!” she said, hotly.

  “Whoa, whoa.” Kendra interceded. “Mike, how do we know it’s her padd?”

  “It is registered to her.”

  “How? When?”

  “The padd was registered to Nicole Crozier on 17 July, 2119.”

  “Last year?” Kendra’s face twisted in puzzlement.

  “Correct.”

  “While she was still Minister of War?”

  “Correct.”

  “But I didn’t bring anything with me when Chief Stone pulled me out of Artemis City!”

  Kendra was nodding again. “Right, I know. I was there when your Wolf landed, remember? Mike, can you trace the movement of the padd?”

  “No, Admiral; records are incomplete. There are a number of entries logged as originating from the padd from the period July 2119 to January 2120, but then it disappears from records.”

  “Because I left it behind!”

  “Hold on,” Kendra said. The picture was starting to clear. “Mike, who was the contact between Free Luna and the Ministry of War, after Nicole’s escape?”

  “Mistress Sharon Novak and Minister Jacob Taylor were in frequent, if indirect, contact until his defection on July 4th.”

  “Is there any record of Novak receiving actual items from Taylor? Documents, equipment, that sort of thing?”

  “Checking. Three shipments were sent from Taylor to Novak in the lunars in discussion.”

  “Got it!” She slammed her hand on the controls.

  “What?”

  “Jake sent your papers and other records, other plans, to Novak, to help her prepare for the Revolution. It’s the only way they could have stayed a jump ahead of MinSec and MinInt. I’ll bet he packed up your padd as something they might have found useful.”

  “It doesn’t work, Kendra,” Nicole said. “My padd was locked to my ID. Even if they had it, and I suppose they did, they couldn’t use it.”

  “Exactly!”

  “Huh?”

  “They got the pad but couldn’t use it, so Novak put it away. Sometime later, we don’t know when, another person retrieved it, cracked the security, and started using it to contact Artemis. Mike, how far back did you find traces?”

  “Three lunars, Admiral.”

  Kendra’s grin was triumphant. “Which proves it can’t be Nicole!”

  “I concur, Admiral. I will inform –”

  “No!” Her sharp command stopped Mike in mid-sentence. “Inform nobody. We still don’t know who it is.”

  She put the Direwolf into a turn. “Better strap in tight, Nicole. We’re doing a full-speed run back to Luna.”

  “Oh, no,” she muttered but started pulling the belts tight. “So now what?”

  “Now I get to do what I used to do best.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Tycho Under

  Stardate 12008.29

  It was a tense night.

  Kendra worked with Autumn on the speeches they were to give, for once coordinating her words with another. She allowed Autumn the lead, partly because she’d heard her declaration of the revolution and was impressed and partly because she was furiously consulting with Diana, Mike, Mac, and Stone via their implants.

  Alyssa, Caitlin, Nour, and Mac were all occupied with the planning for the events surrounding the announcement. Alyssa applied her experience running a security division while Nour provided insight into the way MinSec infiltrated. Caitlin fussed over the positioning of notables, and Mac solidified the electronic security. Nicole and Stone sat in with the combined Starfleet Marine/Free Luna forces, ostensibly to critique Nordstrom’s training techniques but really to provide cover for their investigations: Autumn, Nour, and Caitlin.

  “I think you should take the next part.”

  “What?”

  “Kendra, weren’t you listening?”

  “Sorry Autumn. I’ve had a long couple of weeks, and then this crisis on top of everything else. I guess I’m just a little bit preoccupied.”

  Autumn pushed her padd aside, leaned back, and took a sip of her drink. It was late enough she’d switched off of coffee and she made a face at the non-caffeinated flavor. “I know what you mean. I finally thought we might be getting hold of this tiger we released, and now it’s trying to bite us. Again.”

  “I’ve found leading is like that,” agreed Kendra. “No sooner do you deal with one crisis than another pops up. It’s like trying to win at whack-a-mole with one hand tied behind your back and a hammer two sizes too small.”

  “Whack a what?”

  “Forget it. Earth thing, you wouldn’t know it and it’ll take too long to explain. Of course, this is one reason you’ve signed on with us, to spread the burden of leadership. I just wish Kyra and Tamara could have gotten away, but they’re dealing with their own issues.”

  “Right, the miners on Vespa?”

  “Yes, and there’s some technical issue on Titan. Cass is the brains of the organization. She usually deals with the scientific side, meaning Kyra and her wizards.”

  “What do you think will happen tomorrow?”

  “Well, Mac and Alyssa are as good as anyone I know at security. The OutLook personnel surrounding you will help if it’s an up-close and personal attack, and the Marines, with Stone and Nour’s help, ought to give us a good perimeter. Space-borne attacks shouldn’t be an issue either, assuming Nymeria and the Wolves have anything to say about it.”

  “And our spy?”

  “Tomorrow, watch for who isn’t there. They won’t want to be caught in any crossfire.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “Good. Now, I’m for bed. Right now I couldn’t tell if what you were saying made sense or was gonna start World War Four. We can review again in the morning, over coffee.”

  “Agreed.”

  “COLONEL?”

  Kate Kennedy was an up-and-coming analyst on Davie’s staff. As such she’d been assigned to work under Colonel McKnight, on the overnights, until she’d proven herself.

  “What is it, Kate?”

  “We received the take from the latest LOSS pass over the far side.” LOSS, the Lunar Orbital Surveillance Satellites, had been inserted in low orbits around Luna after the launch of the Revolution, part of the Federation’s support. They were off-the-shelf satellites hastily adapted for their current purpose with the addition of observation equipment: optical pickups, infrared and UV detectors, gravitic anomaly detectors, and so on. What they didn’t have room for was the Q-Net installations, which meant their reports from the far side were squealed when they reappeared over the horizon.

  “So?”

  “We keep a particular eye on their Naval base in Artemis City.”

  “I don’t need the background, Kennedy. Get to the point.”

  If Kennedy was annoyed at being cut off, she didn’t show it. “What are these?”

  She threw an image from her screen onto the large wall monitor.

  “Warehouses? Their Naval base has to resupply and it would be convenient to keep it near the landing pads.”

  “We thought so too, and we’ve confirmed it.”

  “Again, so?”

  “Look at this image.”

  A nearly identical shot replaced the first.

  “What’s that?” McKnight said.

  “Exactly.”

  The object was outside one of the surface structures, though whether entering or exiting they couldn’t tell. Some part of it was under cover, concealed by the roof of the building, but what they could see resembled a stubby, stylized “T”.

  “A ship?”

  “Doesn’t match anything we have in the database. I’ve checked. I also asked Diana to run it through everything we have on merchant and civilian ships. Nothing there, either.”

  “Something new, then.”

  “Yes, Colonel.”

  “And you think it’s important because...?”

  “Colonel, I’m tasked to report anything unusual to higher; tonight, that’s you, so
I’m reporting it.”

  “You’re supposed to be a hot analyst, Kennedy. Give me some analysis. If I wanted a report I could pull it from the data myself.”

  Kennedy bristled but again held her temper.

  “Ma’am. My suspicion is this is a fighter, built to counter the Wolves, Direwolves, or both.”

  McKnight crossed her arms. “Sell it to me.”

  “Diana.”

  “Hello, Kate. What can I help you with?”

  “I need any other visible spectrum images of this building we have on file. Combine them into a single image and render it as a 3D hologram.”

  “Working.” Almost instantly an image appeared above Kennedy’s station. “This is a composite representation, composed of 1,203 images or partial images of the indicated structure.”

  “Remove the ground except what we have from the most recent pass.”

  The image flickered and stabilized.

  “Done.”

  “See the tracks?” said Kennedy.

  McKnight peered at the hologram. “Diana, enlarge ground image. Again. Enhance. Revert to previous. No, I don’t.”

  “Exactly. Only the landing pads and the immediately surrounding areas are leveled and prepared, usually with a vacuum-resistant permacrete. The rest of the base is regolith; leveled, but basically packed dust. Whatever this thing is, it got in and out under its own power, and not on wheels or treads. There aren’t any trails surface vehicles would make.”

  “Suggestive, but not conclusive.”

  “Diana, replace ground with an image from a month ago.”

  Another flicker.

  “Last month there were tread marks.”

  “Hmm. Where did they go?”

  “I have to get into speculation, Ma’am.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Whatever this thing is, wherever it came from, it moved to this location using ground effect thrusters, generating just enough lift to counteract Luna’s gravity. This would tend to eliminate any ground tracks; even though there isn’t any atmosphere to speak of the exhaust would be enough to do the job. It’s not moving quickly, which suggests it’s either not particularly agile or being piloted by someone inexperienced; if it’s a fighter, I’d lean to the latter.”

  Kennedy glanced at McKnight, who was still listening and now nodding slightly.

  “Diana, give me an infrared view.”

  The image flickered again. Now the monochrome was replaced with a false spectrum view. “Hotter shows up red, cooler shows blues.”

  “I know how to read an infrared scan, Kennedy.” McKnight’s tone, had it been imaged, would have shown up just about navy blue.

  “Ma’am. See the trail?” The surface showed the predicted exhaust pathway, color fading from red down through orange and yellow before it disappeared out of the image. “And we can use the same images to track where it originated.”

  “Do it. Not now,” McKnight amended as Kennedy reached for her station. “After. Finish selling me on this fighter.”

  “Diana, isolate on the fighter.” The building and ground disappeared. “Enlarge and enhance. I think those are missile mount hard points on the tips of the wings. And I’m thinking this is the aft end. Part is from the shape; it looks like those are two pretty typical sublight engine exhaust bells. It certainly doesn’t have the right shape to be a cockpit, and I don’t see anywhere for engines on the rest of the body which was visible. The other part is the infrared track; I don’t think they’d be backing it into the structure. More likely to run in forward and turn around when parking.”

  Now McKnight allowed a hint of a smile.

  “Maybe you are as good as everyone gives you credit. Write this up, and see if you can track down the origin. Ten credits says it’s another structure like this one.”

  “No bet, Ma’am. I was told never to take my boss’s money.”

  “Smart. Have that ready before shift change; you’re presenting to Admiral Whitmore.”

  “Me?” Kennedy gulped.

  “You. You did the work, you get the credit. Or the blame if you turn out to be wrong. Either way it’s your baby.”

  “Ma’am.”

  “NICE JOB. I WANT YOU to keep an eye out specifically for any more of these things,” Whitmore said.

  “Thank you, Admiral.” Kennedy beamed.

  ‘You’re welcome. Get some rest, and then report back early. I’m moving you onto day shift.”

  Kennedy bobbed her head and nearly skipped out.

  “You’ve been keeping her away from me, Jill,” said Whitmore with a hint of humor.

  “Not at all; she’s just come up and I’d heard good reports on her. That’s why I took the overnight.”

  “And I thought it was to atone for some sin I didn’t know about yet.”

  “You know about all of my sins, Admiral. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my bed is calling. I’ll be back in a few hours for my regular shift.”

  Whitmore waved her off. “Say hi to Ross. Colona, anything incoming today?”

  “A barge from Blue Sky,” reported the defensive specialist. “Been scheduled a couple weeks, listed as ‘mechanical supplies.’”

  “ETA?”

  “Ten, just after the Admiral’s speech.”

  “Coordinate with Hecate.”

  “Ma’am.”

  IT WAS JUST ANOTHER crawler.

  Nobody paid even the slightest attention to it. Transports weren’t rare, but theft was unusual. Part of the unwritten Lunar code dictated this. Just as nobody touched a Loonie’s surface suit, nobody stole a transport if the controls were locked. If they were left unlocked, the unspoken code allowed for borrowing, but not otherwise.

  These controls were locked.

  The transport was unmolested.

  There weren’t even curious glances at the unusual location, far from any pressure domes or surface entrances. Loonies did odd things sometimes.

  The timer had been programmed before leaving Artemis City, then checked and confirmed by the driver before he abandoned the vehicle. Now it was all in the hands of the computer.

  Four hours.

  “WE READY?”

  Kendra scanned the faces around her. There was a mix of apprehension and determination on every one save Stone’s; she simply looked ready to chew steel and spit nails.

  “Chief? Issues?”

  “Just pissed about the sneakiness. It’s not my style.”

  “Understood. One last check. Mac?”

  “Electronic security is solid, we’ve pinched off the critical systems and isolated them, nobody’s going to get through Mike’s firewalls.”

  “Nour? Alyssa?”

  “Our security personnel are scattered through the crowd now, circulating and observing. Nothing to report yet, but they’re keeping their eyes open.”

  Alyssa added, “The folks from OutLook have a perimeter around the stage, too. Hard line, nobody gets through.”

  “And the people on stage will be...?”

  “As we agreed, Kendra: you, me, Nour, Caitlin, Nicole.”

  “Chief?”

  “Captain Nordstrom’s troops are providing an outer perimeter, along with closing down all access points. No one’s coming in or out, and I’ve been in touch with the CAP. Nothing’s airborne.”

  “We’re ready to rock.” She discretely touched the small of her back. It had been years since she’d carried her custom-made weapon, but it felt right, familiar, and comforting.

  The crowd was ready, and past ready, to hear from their leaders. Rumors had been flying through the people for more than a week, ever since the local politicians had suddenly withdrawn their previous vocal support for Newling and the revolution. It is said Nature abhors a vacuum; the same is true in humans when it comes to information. When none is forthcoming the ignorant will fill it with guesswork and speculation.

  Mac had picked up on a variety of stories, ranging from silly to seditious, checking the security systems. Most were of the former category; the latter
she gave to Mike to follow. At a certain point, though, even the silliest story could reach critical mass and they were skirting those limits now, which was a huge consideration. If they hadn’t been so close, they would have canceled.

  Kendra knew better than to mourn missed chances, though, so they dutifully trooped behind the stage.

  THIRTEEN MINUTES.

  “WHERE’S CAITLIN?” ASKED Newling. She hadn’t been in the final security briefing, at her request. She’d said she would take the time to work on some last-minute diplomatic outreach.

  “Maybe she got held up with her contacts?” suggested Nour. “Politicians, they do like to talk.”

  “Hey, not me!” said Kendra.

  “Both of you,” insisted Nicole. “At least, you’re both really good at it.”

  “Skill doesn’t equal enjoying it,” Newling insisted.

  “Well, I did enjoy performing. Did I ever tell you about the time, whoops!”

  The music had started to rise, the sign they were to mount the stage.

  “Nicole, after you. Leave the seat closest to the entrance for Novak; when she comes running in late we don’t want it to be too apparent.”

  “Sure, Autumn,” said Crozier, then went up the ramp, followed by Nour.

  “You next, Kendra.”

  The stage was erected in the same location as Newling’s independence speech, the large open area designated as a gathering place for emergencies. Kendra, who was no stranger to crowds, was still stunned by the mass of humanity packed before her. They were craning their necks, straining to get a glimpse of the leaders who had promised to free them from the shackles of Artemis.

  Kinda ironic; less than two lunars after declaring their freedom from one they’re here today to celebrate their new allegiance to another.

  Kendra flashed them her most winning smile, the one she used to employ when promoting her sensies, and moved towards her seat. She used her other professional skills to examine the crowd for potential threats and evaluate the placement of the various agents.

  Possible target, she commed to Stone and flashed an image she’d captured.