The Deadly Pact

by Michael Freeport

  Simmons drifted off to sleep during the wait and was once again awakened by the suit alarm letting her know she needed more oxygen. She replaced her supply and turned her attention to the status displays. The two sections of the ship were now close together and were being connected by the repair drones. She placed her hand on the front of her helmet. Her head was throbbing, and she knew if she didn’t get some food soon that she would start losing her ability to focus. She checked the estimates of how long it would take to rebuild the area between the sections. Seventeen hours. Too long. Her faculties were already compromised, and she couldn’t wait that long to eat.

  She realized she was going to have to go through the open area between the sections of the ship. Checking configuration, she realized there was another problem. Neither section had a functioning airlock. If she opened one of the doors holding back the still compromised atmosphere in the bridge area, then she wouldn’t have any air at all. She ground her teeth in frustration. There was no good move. She siphoned more water from the cooling system and drank through the valved straw in her suit. The cooling system was sealed, and the water used in it was pure, but it came out with a flat, metallic taste. She paced back and forth on the bridge for a few minutes, trying to weigh the pros and cons of going after the food. She knew she could survive until the galley was reattached, but it would be hours yet and she was unsure if she could maintain her mental cohesion for that long.

  Her head was pounding, and all she wanted was food. Any food. The galley was less than a hundred meters away, filled with food and she couldn’t get to it, because if she vented her atmosphere, she might not have enough air in the oxygen canisters to keep her alive until the air could be replenished. She paused and tried to tap into the sensors again. Readings on the system she was in were incomplete, but they indicated no gas giant in the system either. That meant she was stranded in the system unless she could find more fuel for her faster than light system. It also meant she was unlikely to be able to replenish her atmosphere.

  If she didn’t get food soon, she would start eating her arm. She couldn’t stand it any longer. She walked to the hatch that led out of the pressurized area and looked through the porthole at the galley section as it was being reattached. She rested her hand on the door handle. If she turned the override, her atmosphere would vent into space and she would be able to eat almost immediately. She looked down at her hand for a moment before snatching it back. What was she doing? She wasn’t sure she could replenish her atmosphere. She would have to wait. She pounded on the door in frustration and shouted in her helmet to no avail. Eventually, she slumped to the floor and waited.

  Theo Cobb sat behind his desk at Lashmere Intelligence Headquarters. He was perusing a series of after action reports from the Karn region. The intelligence community had noted a dramatic decrease in terrorist activities just as the battle with the crabs had come to an end.

  The absence of activity worried Cobb. If the Karn were resting and gathering resources for a new attack, it could be an ominous sign. The petty bombings and computer attacks they’d used up to this point, the recent bombing at Lashmere Naval Headquarters notwithstanding, had been largely ineffective.

  He was still pondering the possibilities when his door opened. Johnathan Stone walked in and without ceremony, sat in the chair in front of Cobb’s desk. Cobb stared at his supervisor silently. He would not have come in this way without a purpose. Cobb thought it best to allow Stone to present his thoughts on his own terms.

  For a long moment, the two men stared at one another, both faces set in flat and unmoving masks of emotionlessness. Stone finally broke the silence. “Agent Cobb, I’ve come to deliver a decision from the Director.”

  Cobb leaned back in his chair. If the Director had sent Stone to his office with a message, it was not good news. He diverted Stone’s attention for a moment. “Did you know that terrorist activity in the Karn region has dropped by almost ninety percent since the battle with the crab forces?”

  “We are aware,” Stone said. His voice was oddly calm, sounding almost dead. “The Director has asked me to come here and deliver his decision regarding your conduct over the last year.”

  Cobb folded his hands at the edge of his desk and said, “Proceed.”

  “Let’s start with your actions aboard the Rampart during the expedition to Buckman’s Star. During this trip, you withheld information from the naval officers which would have aided in taking control of Aeternum. I’ve read your report, and I know the reason you gave the Navy for your actions. I want to know the real reasons you refused to allow Admiral Stokes to command Aeternum back to Lashmere.”

  Cobb considered his response carefully. He knew his voice patterns would be recorded to help Stone and the Director determine if he was being honest. If they decided he was lying, they could use drugs to force him to give every answer in excruciating detail. As long as he kept his answers truthful, but incomplete, he could retain some measure of control of the situation.

  “I was concerned that Admiral Stokes intended to hand command of the Aeternum over to Patho. Aden Patho’s brother is a leader of the Karn terrorists. In my opinion, Aden Patho’s motives could not be fully trusted. Admiral Stokes, on the other hand, is loyal. While I have no doubt that my actions caused him no end of annoyance, I refused to allow such a discovery to be placed in the hands of someone with potentially compromised loyalties.”

  Stone nodded. “That is exactly consistent with the report you filed upon return to Lashmere. What is it you’ve left out?”

  “Sir, I don’t understand. I’ve given you my decision and my reasons behind it. If I may say so, I also would like to point out that this action was approved by the Director’s office a few days after I filed the report. Why is it being brought into question now, more than a year later?”

  “We’ll get to that in due time, Agent. Back to my question. Why did you force control of Aeternum? You’ve said that you believe Admiral Stokes was loyal. Why not take him into your confidence rather than forcing his hand?”

  “I have no further answer for you, sir,” Cobb said.

  “I see,” Stone said. “Let’s go back in time a few hours. Upon arrival to Buckman’s Star, you went to the bridge at the behest of Admiral Stokes, correct?”

  “Yes, we arrived and engaged in several hours of searching. Once Aeternum had been located, we were brought up to help in gaining entry to the vessel.”

  “And at that time, you suggested that the encryption might be based on a base eight semi-prime?”

  Cobb sighed slightly to himself. He knew that had been a mistake when he’d said it. No historian would be able to come up with a solution to a complex mathematical problem as quickly as he had. “Yes. I understand that was what had likely tipped the crew of Rampart off that I was not who I was pretending to be.”

  Stone’s measured, cold voice continued relentlessly. “That was our conclusion as well.”

  Cobb asked, “Our conclusion? With whom have you been discussing my actions?”

  “Don’t concern yourself with that at this time, Agent. If a moment comes that you need to know these things, the information will be provided. Now on to the second incident with which we are concerned.”

  Cobb nodded silently. Most reviews of actions taken by field agents were accepted without question by supervisors. “You know I cannot be held accountable for mistakes made in real time. There is so much you can see and analyze after the fact that isn’t always obvious to the participants in the events at hand.”

  Stone said, “We are taking this into account. There is no question of your intentions or goals, Agent. Now, to our second concern with your actions. You were tasked with investigating Captain Aden Patho in anticipation of his assuming command of the stealth corvette fleet.”

  “I was verifying his loyalty. By your orders, I might add,” Cobb said.

  “My orders were to determine how likely he was to be swayed by his brother’s cause. Authority over a command like the
stealth fleet could be a strong temptation for someone with divided loyalties.”

  Stone’s face continued to be fixed in an expressionless mask. Cobb couldn’t tell whether or not the answers he was giving were making his situation better or worse. “Look, Stone, I admit I made a mistake on the Rampart, but my investigation of Patho was done in accordance with agency directive.”

  “Unsanctioned searches and invasions of privacy against Captain Patho were not part of the investigation I ordered. Your approach was overzealous at best and could easily be seen as a vendetta. I’m forced to wonder what your problem with this man is. Has Patho wronged you in some way that you seek to attack him in such a manner?”

  Cobb considered his answer carefully. He sensed that he was on very dangerous ground. “I filed a report of unidentified communications from Rampart at that time. Those communications could have been used to communicate with the Karn resistance.”

  Stone said, “If you had forwarded those intercepts to headquarters rather than acting unilaterally, you would have found that several of the enlisted crew had set up a network to communicate privately among themselves. This was the second serious misjudgment you’ve made in the last year. Had these actions been your sole errors, your position would still be secure.”

  Cobb held his reaction in check as Stone revealed hints as to the Director’s decision. “Meaning?”

  “Your third mistake was when you failed to reveal the control code to Admiral Stokes so that the Aeternum could be retained by the Lashmere Navy. I’ve reviewed the recordings. You deliberately taunted Admiral Stokes. Why?”

  “I don’t understand,” Cobb said, remaining firm. “I did no such thing.”

  Stone nodded slightly to himself as though a suspicion of his had been confirmed. “Then how do you explain your words towards him?”

  Cobb struggled to order his thoughts. The day had started in such an ordinary way. How had things come crashing down so suddenly. His stomach twisted in fear and uncertainty. “Would you clarify?”

  “You alluded to assisting him, but when he tried to get the information he needed, you refused to share it with him.”

  “That information is classified at the highest level. I had no clearance to share it with him.’ Cobb was stunned at this turn of events. The secret information from the origin tablet was known to a tiny handful of people. Sharing even the smallest portion of it was unthinkable.

  “Admiral Stokes is in command of the entire Lashmere fleet. If he needs information you possess, you will share it instantly. Or you should have. The Aeternum was an irreplaceable asset. Your failure to cooperate with the Navy is an issue beyond understanding within this agency. Your judgment is severely compromised. Your status as an agent of Lashmere Intelligence is being revoked. You will surrender any classified materials you have in your possession. All of your passcodes and clearances will be suspended indefinitely.” Stone tapped out a series of commands on his wrist comp while Cobb gaped at him. “The Director has transferred your remaining obligation to enforcement, where it is surmised your high-handed ways will not be so destructive.”

  “Enforcement?” Cobbs mind reeled. “What possible use could I be in enforcement?”

  “You’ve demonstrated that you need guidance on a regular basis. We still don’t know exactly why you’ve had such a hard time acting appropriately.”

  “And what am I to do? Pass out parking tickets? Watch over children as they walk to school?” Cobb felt his loss of control and struggled to regain his equilibrium. He felt a flush of heat rising within him that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Part of Cobb’s training was learning to exert iron control of his emotions, but the suddenness and source of this attack was so unexpected and extreme that he was floundering to restrain himself at all.

  Stone shook his head slightly. “It’s a real shame to see someone who once was one of our top agents fall so far so fast. What happened to you, Cobb?”

  “Nothing. I still act in the best interests of Lashmere. My record is second to none in this agency. I completed seventeen covert operations during the war and succeeded without leaving a single trace. Not even a hint I ever traveled south exists. Fifteen covert actions, two assassinations, and no one ever even thought an agent was within a hundred kilometers. Now I’m to be shuffled off to arrest drunks and vagrants for using those same skills?”

  “It’s true. Your record is truly excellent. That is why the Director gave you so much time and space to correct your actions. This last issue, losing the Aeternum, is just too much for either he or I to overlook. Distinguish yourself in the enforcement division and opportunity will be made available to you.”

  Cobb’s mouth twisted into a sneer, despite his efforts to control his expression. “So, I play the good, obedient lap dog for you while you sit in extended judgment of my actions all for the faint praise of my superiors?” His voice dripped contempt. “I know your record, too, Stone. Four missions. All but one a failure. You would have run like a scared child from any of the missions I completed like a ghost.”

  “And yet, my position rises while yours is destroyed. I ask again, what were your thoughts when you taunted Admiral Stokes? Surely you knew he needed the control code. Tell me why you acted the way you did.”

  Cobb knew there wasn’t much chance of salvaging his position at this point, but if he could make Stone see that both Stokes and Patho were potential Karn sympathizers then, perhaps, he could stay within the agency. He decided to take the plunge. “I felt that Admiral Stokes’ judgment was compromised, at least where Captain Patho was concerned. He has obviously taken an interest in Patho’s career. Sir, I think the disappearance of the behemoth was caused by the Karn. I feel it in my bones. I was concerned that the Aeternum would fall into Karn hands, so I withheld the code from Admiral Stokes.

  “Rather than risk the remote possibility of passing control of the Aeternum into a sympathizer’s hands, I decided only to take action when I could be assured of loyalty in its captain. I tried to board Aeternum with the control code myself and would have succeeded had we known the ship wouldn’t slow for faster than light transit.”

  For the first time since the beginning of the meeting, Stone’s face showed genuine expression. His eyes were wide in shock, and his mouth was hanging open. “You actually believed there was a possibility that Admiral Stokes is a Karn sympathizer? Surely you’re aware that he fought with distinction throughout the war. Your refusal to release the code to him caused the loss of the Aeternum.” Stone shook his head in disbelief. “This only confirms everything we’ve supposed about you. Your ability to look critically at the situation is compromised beyond hope of repair. I’ll add your comments to the official record. Report to enforcement. Let them see if they can do anything with the tatters of your career.”

  Chapter 10

  Patho and Aves were locked in a tiny cell with a single bench along one wall and some kind of waste disposal unit on the far wall. Patho sat on the cold, hard floor and stared through the narrow triangular bars that held them. “At least we have a nice view,” Patho said.

  Aves chuckled. “So it is.” The hallway outside was unadorned and made of the same material as the cell, probably some kind of concrete. All of it was a slightly red tinged beige. “All these hours of staring at these beautiful surroundings makes me wish I’d come here years ago.”

  The two men had been stripped of their gear and left in just their underwear. Patho had drawn his knees up and rested his elbows on his knees. He gestured with his hands while he spoke. “I wonder what they plan to do with us.”

  “I’m not sure, but whatever it is, I doubt we’re in much danger. The Alliance is made up largely of pacifists. I suspect the worst we can expect is some vigorous questioning.”

  Patho nodded. “I was expecting the same thing.” He rose and walked over to the bars. He gave them a shake. They didn’t move. He glanced over his shoulder at Aves. “Too bad you don’t have your prybar here. We might be able to escape.”

/>   Aves smirked and said, “Yeah that would be nice, wouldn’t it? Somehow, no matter how pacifist our captors may be, I doubt they would allow me my prybar.”

  “Maybe if you told them it’s a religious icon, and you can’t have spiritual peace without it?” Patho grinned at the Marine.

  “Something tells me that wouldn’t work, but I love the idea. Aves was about to continue, but they heard the sound of a door opening and noise in the hallway outside the cell.

  A Gol slithered up to their cell. He held a small translator box in his hands. “Good morning, Humans of Lashmere. I am called Yi-Ka.”

  Patho regarded the Gol. It was more than three meters long with emerald green scales and brilliant yellow eyes. A long, flat snout was ringed with sharp, inward pointing teeth. The snout was flexible, creating a broad variety of sounds Patho would not have expected from a reptile while it spoke into its translator box. “My name is Captain Patho of the Lashmere Space Navy. I would like to request you release myself and my companion.”

  Yi-Ka shuddered slightly and made a huffing sound. Patho realized it was laughing. “You and your companion have been captured engaging in military espionage. You will not be released for the remainder of any hostilities between your people and the Alliance.”

  “Then I’m not sure what there is to discuss. I won’t provide you any information about the Lashmere military. My companion is subordinate to me and acts under my orders. He won’t answer questions, either.”

  “Is that your final word on the matter, Captain?” The Gol was leaning forward slightly, and Patho could smell a faint odor of raw meat on the being’s breath.

  “It is. If you plan on keeping us here, I request you provide us food and adequate space to sleep and bathe.” Patho took a step back and crossed his arms across his chest.