by TR Cameron
He grinned. “Only if you’ll join me.”
Coach matched his expression and dipped his head in a nod. “Done. Tomorrow?”
“Can’t. Have a date.”
The other man turned away to yank the tap handle and discharge his drink into a pint glass. He set it on a coaster in front of Jax and lifted an eyebrow. “Doctor Cray, huh? I don’t know that I’ve ever seen her willing to go out with a student.”
Jax coughed as surprise caused him to try to breathe the cider. “What the hell? Is this place a hotbed of gossip or something?”
Coach snorted. “No, but your pilot is. Speaking of which, she just came through the door.”
Jax turned to scold her, but she was accompanied by the rest of the team, and calling her out in front of others would require additional planning. Okay, revenge will have to wait, Cia. But when it comes, it’s going to be brutally delicious.
Chapter Twenty-Three
They met at a booth, the only option that would fit them all in the crowded space. He slipped in first, Cia did the same across from him, and the others filtered in after. Anton Sirenno, on one end, headed to the bar for drinks. They made small talk until he returned, then Jax asked the question at the top of his mind. “So, how crazy is this idea, really?”
His team responded with laughter, eye rolls, and several shaking heads. Cia replied, “I’ve heard things that were more insane, but it’s a lot more like a spy novel than something I expected to face in real life. Probably the first requirement is knowing whether you’re capable of it, because you have to be more qualified than the rest of us.”
Jax nodded. “I’ve been asking myself that, too. It comes down to the cover identities. They need to be plausible, so no one takes too hard a look at us, but also comfortable for each of us to play the appropriate role. That was pretty easy at the resort, since we were mainly vacationers. But this may require gaining legitimate access to whatever installation it’s in, either for recon or for the operation itself. Any other way, we have no deniability at all. And I, for one, am not interested in spending the rest of my days as a guest of the Confederacy penal system.”
“Seconded,” Maria Verrand offered. The others nodded their heads in approval of the sentiment.
Cia took a long pull on her drink, which was a reddish cider he’d definitely have to try at some point. “So, what roles give us the greatest chance of success?”
Kenton Marshall answered, “Corporation of some kind, surely. Most of us are comfortable in that environment, and Jax can certainly fake it.”
“Okay,” Ethan Kimmel, predictably seated next to Cia, said. “What kind of corporation?”
Sirenno replied, “Robotics. It’s close, but not too close, and we all have some sort of skills that apply.”
Verrand snapped her fingers. “What if we went in as a team working on the technology in Jax’s arm? The prosthetic is cutting edge enough that it should hold up to inspection, and we can work together to come up with some improvements that look good on paper. Maybe we’re a small company, trying to make a breakthrough?”
Jax nodded slowly. “That one has some potential. But the company would need to have a presence on the planet, too, right?”
Kimmel shrugged. “Simple enough to hack the public databases and put in records of one being there. The advance team can go in ahead to secure a base of operations-slash-business address. It seems pretty likely the Academy already has some people either on that planet or deep in the Confederacy, don’t you think?”
Jax blinked and tilted his head to the side. “You know, that never occurred to me, but you’re probably right. I spend too much time thinking of Maarsen as a teacher and too little viewing him as an intelligence-gathering puppet master.” He wiggled his fingers in the air like he was manipulating a marionette and got a laugh from the others. “I’m glad we’re not working against him, that’s for sure.” He noticed Cia frowning and asked, “What’s up?”
“The sky, the clouds, planets. Maybe read a book,” she said absently as her frown deepened. “I’m less than comfortable with this plan. Feels like we’re under-prepared and under-resourced. It would be great if people are on the ground ready to assist, and I really hope there are, but we’re still talking about a world deep in Confederacy territory. That’s about as ‘operating without a net’ as you can get. Even then, I’d probably be okay with the situation if it weren’t coming on the heels of Vardebron and his games. A lot of potential leaks are hiding in this particular tub of secrets.”
Jax nodded. “You’re not wrong. Anyone else feel the same?” The others appeared to agree with her, even Marshall, which came as a surprise. “We’ll have to either trust the Professor, I suppose, or refuse the mission.”
Kimmel asked, “You’d do that?”
“Of course I would if I thought the risk was too great. We’re not military intelligence, and the Academy doesn’t own us. Well, except maybe Cia, although why they didn’t return her right off the bat is anyone’s guess.” The pilot stuck her tongue out at him, and he bared his teeth at her. “I said this before, and I’ll keep saying it—we operate as a team, including the decision of whether we take on a given assignment or not.”
Sirenno snorted. “Maybe that’s why the Professor always holds back some details until the last minute. So it’s harder to refuse to do what he wants, since we’re already halfway there.”
Verrand drummed her fingers on the table. “That won’t fly with this one. If we’re going to make a decision, we need all the information up front. Do you all agree?”
The others nodded, and Jax replied, “Me too, with one reservation. It may be a situation where some of what we’d really like to know isn’t available. So we’ll want to have an option where we make an initial decision with a specific designated point in the future where we either affirm or change our choice. Right before we jump into Confederacy space, say.”
General agreement followed, and he asked, “Anything else at the moment?”
Cia grinned. “Yeah, why are you hanging out here with us instead of with Juno?” She stretched out the woman’s name in a singsong. “Did she dump you already? Thought better of the whole thing? It’s understandable. Really, you have so many flaws.” She went on to list each of them, much to the amusement of those around her, while Jax shook his head in helpless surrender.
They’d passed the rest of the evening in light conversation, learning more about each other’s pasts and putting together a vision for what their fake corporation on Chesyira might look like. By the end of the night, they’d created an array of logos and names, each more ridiculous than the last. Finally, his team had drifted away one by one until it was only him and Marshall left.
The other man returned from the bar with drinks for them both and slid into the booth opposite him. The tavern had emptied out when the clock hit midnight, and now only a few stragglers shared the place with them.
Jax asked, “So, doing okay after our little adventure?”
Marshall waved a hand. “Yeah, that’s not what I stayed to talk about.” Which means you’re not doing okay, but aren’t ready to deal with it yet. Been there. “I have a thought on this mission I wanted to run by you before I shared it with the others.”
He took a sip of his cider, noting absently that he was feeling the effects of the several he’d had so far. “Okay, hit me.”
“I don’t think it’s possible for this to be entirely a government operation unless they’re a lot different than we are.”
Jax frowned. “Say more.”
“All right. Look. The biggest brains don’t go into public service, or at least they don’t spend much time there. So the likelihood of a private company involved on the Confederacy side for brainpower purposes is pretty high. Add in the possibilty of someone in government, or even the royal family, having a personal stake in some business that will make a handsome profit from working on this, and the chances increase that much more.”
A sense of excitement b
egan to build in Jax, the same feeling he got when a military operation was coming into focus. “And a private company, no matter how security-conscious or where it’s located, will be safer and probably more susceptible to our efforts.”
“Exactly.” He leaned back and took a drink of his stout. “And it just so happens that we have a lot of people on the team who are part of big corporations. And you know how connected those all are. The chance that one of our businesses has a way in with companies in the Confederacy is pretty high.”
“How would we go about finding out?”
The other man shrugged. “With your okay, I’ll talk to the others and see what they think. We can work on it tomorrow morning, before the afternoon training session you’re going to announce.”
Jax laughed. “And what gives you the impression I’m planning to do that?”
“None of us have much experience with spycraft, so that’s a clear area of instruction. But you can’t really do more than the very basics here. So, I figure you’ll let everyone sleep it off, and we’ll be off to Inverness or something to see how sneaky we can be. But you won’t want to take it into the evening because of Juno.” He stretched the word the way Cia had earlier, and they both chuckled.
“Well, you’ve got it mostly right. We’re going to Edinburgh. Inverness is too close and too small. They’ll have a natural suspicion that won’t be present in a larger city. And yes, we do need to brush up our skills, and can’t do it here or aboard ship.”
Marshall frowned. “I almost hate to mention this, but Cia’s family might have something to offer here, too. Their company, I mean.”
Jax closed his eyes and rolled his neck as a sudden wash of tiredness swept over him. “Let’s keep that one in our back pocket. Emergency use only.”
“Affirmative. So, it’s okay to talk to the others?”
“Absolutely. You’ve come up with a great idea, and you should definitely run with it.”
Marshall grinned. “You got it, boss.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jax had offered the others no hint of what was to come at breakfast and studiously ignored the inquisitive looks that Kenton Marshall directed at him. Afterward, he borrowed a car and headed for the maglev station in Inverness. Right before he boarded the train, he dispatched a message to all of them. “Edinburgh, within three hours. Incognito. Arrive singly. Meet at the Brew Lab.”
His research identified two potential targets, and he’d chosen the largest—Alfawerks, a long-standing robotics company that had grown up in partnership with the University of Edinburgh. It owned a twelve-story building a few blocks from their rally point that would make an excellent stage to test his team’s acting abilities. If they failed and managed to break away cleanly, he’d also profiled the other one so they could try again, time permitting. Sure, the job is important and all, but there’s no way I’m going to be late for my date with Juno.
He spent the ride staring out the window, enjoying the momentary interval of peace in his otherwise rather exciting life. Even the knowledge that it would end with probably the most challenging mission he’d ever faced didn’t dampen his appreciation of the countryside. He wondered idly about the distant future, considering whether being a part of the Academy in retirement might be an interesting way to pass the time.
The university coffee shop that was his destination lay at the end of a ten-minute ride or a thirty-minute walk. He decided on the latter, since the others wouldn’t arrive for a while, and took stock of his surroundings as he traveled. His team would need costumes, and several options appeared along the way, including a second-hand consignment store. In his opinion, that was the grand prize since new clothes sometimes looked too new. A piece or two without that fresh-out-of-the-package feel would make the rest seem right, if a whole outfit couldn’t be pieced together from others’ castoffs.
The small coffeehouse was excessively cozy. A dark marble-topped bar ran down the entire left side, stretching about twenty feet before ending at the back wall. Baristas stood behind it operating complicated-looking coffee machines, some of them as old as the one Juno had used for their espresso-fueled flirting. On top was an array of snacks wrapped in bright bags, doubtless packaged to appeal to whatever nutritional fad was currently in ascendance. The walls and ceiling were an aged yellow, with coppery lights hanging on short chains, and the same colors had been incorporated in the wooden planks that made up the flooring.
Leather couches and low benches shared the rest of the space with an eclectic mix of tables and chairs, as if the coffeehouse itself was a consignment shop for furniture. It had just opened, and the people behind the bar looked bleary as he ordered a flat white with a bonus shot of espresso, figuring he could use the energy from the extra kick of caffeine. When it appeared, he took it to a couch in the back that faced the door and called up a newsfeed to kill time until the others arrived.
Tensions in the universe continued on the upward trajectory they’d been on, or at least it seemed so based on the headlines. His Academy comm was unable to access the secure UCCA internal information feed that would give him a more definitive picture. But it was enough. Given how much territory there is out there, you’d think we’d have learned to share it by now. But apparently neither humans nor the aliens we’ve met so far are wired that way.
He wound up watching old movies until the others walked through the doors. To their credit, they entered singly, with enough space between them that it could be random, although Cia and Ethan Kimmel arrived only a few beats apart. Which isn’t unrealistic, either. He pointed each to the counter, then waved them over once they’d gotten their drinks. Maria Verrand was the first to join him. She remarked, “So, this is an interesting diversion. What’s going on?”
He substituted small talk for an answer until the rest of the group had gathered, then he leaned forward. “Today’s task is a practice run at what we’ll eventually have to do, assuming the current plan holds. You’ve all been put into an unfamiliar place and have to compromise the security of a private corporation.” He tapped his comm to send the details to their devices. “We have ninety minutes to prepare, and that includes getting appropriate disguises.” He reclined with a smile. “And here’s the best part. I’m just along for the ride. Today you all get to tell me what to do.”
Cia scowled. Her tone suggested he’d finally lost his remaining marble. “Are you serious?”
He nodded contentedly. “Eighty-nine minutes and counting.”
The others pulled together a reasonably workable plan in two-thirds of that time, then they all set out to snag their disguises. It required one of them to play a teacher and the other the students, and he’d been selected for the leading role. It’s not that I look old, it’s that I appear older than the rest of them. Because of my experience and wisdom. Yeah, that’s it. So, while his team hit the consignment stores with handfuls of cash, he was headed for a more upscale shop. Fortunately, he’d brought along a few untraceable debit cards secured from the Academy’s quartermaster. The woman had glared at him suspiciously throughout the exchange of information for cash equivalents, and he planned to con Cia into returning whatever he didn’t use so he could avoid another encounter.
The store was trendier than any he’d ever shopped in, although as a military officer who more or less lived his job, he hadn’t had much opportunity to purchase civilian clothes anywhere other than on ship or on base in quite some time. A couple of other customers browsed the outfits, each with a worker assisting them, and another employee strode up to him with a wide smile. He was average height and weight, with sandy blonde hair and small round glasses. “Welcome to Maison. What can we put you into today?”
Jax slipped into his chosen role. “I’m looking for something comfortable yet formal. Something that will look right in front of a classroom.”
The other man nodded and lightly touched his arm. “Right this way. I’m sure we have an outfit that will suit you. So, you teach at the university, I take it?”<
br />
He spun a tale of how he’d started his academic career across the ocean. After falling in love with Scotland on vacation, a chance meeting at a conference turned into an unexpected stroke of luck that allowed him to get a visiting position at the University of Edinburgh. He hoped for a permanent gig and needed to be sure he fit in properly. It was plausible enough to convince his salesperson, who likely didn’t care, anyway.
He walked out in his new outfit, carrying the old one in a bag. They’d agreed to rally at the maglev station, where they could stash unneeded items in lockers until the trip back to the Academy. Cia and Kimmel were already there when he arrived, in business casual clothes that definitely made them look like graduate students reaching for a sense of formality. He pocketed the key to the rental locker and crossed over to them. “Students. May I join you?”
Cia replied, “Of course, Professor Hyde.” The quartermaster had also provided new identities for all of them and promised that the computer experts at the castle would fill in the appropriate backgrounds for all of them at his request. He’d sent back the details before they’d left the coffee shop. He had become Jonathan Hyde, an expert in matters of Confederacy technology. Their trip to the company was ostensibly so his graduate assistants could get a look at the UCCA versions of early robotics on display at the company to inform their own work on the ways Confederacy innovations had changed the field. Or something like that. I’m not going to hold up under too much pressure, but I can make a few things up. If this had been a real op instead of a training exercise, he’d have been rehearsing that information for days, at least, maybe weeks, probably in close consultation with an actual expert.
He sat on the bench next to the pilot, on the side not already occupied by Kimmel, and talked across her. “And how are your studies coming?”