Command Authority, page 17
part #5 of Last Hunter Series
Once he was sure of that, he reported it to Jack, and the ship began sending signals trying to contact anyone on the planet’s surface. At first, there was no response, but after about five minutes, they got a weak signal from someone in the capital, and they started talking with the bridge.
David focused on getting as much data about the planet as possible and forwarding it to the bridge. He did that until Jack tagged him once the call to the planet ended.
“It looks like we’ll be meeting someone,” Jack said over the comm, “and I’d like you with me. I’m taking a selection of people and some Marines for guards, but we’re going over to the space station rather than the planet.”
“Who are we meeting with?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. They said that the person would be our official point of contact and that all communications needed to go through him. This sounds off, so I want you and Tina at my side.”
“Will do. Lisa is sitting next to me, and I’d like to bring her along. It’ll be interesting to see what Regex has to say about the situation.”
“Agreed. I’ll meet you in the small craft bay in twenty minutes. Romanoff out.”
Lisa was frowning. “Why do you want us there? I guarantee they’re not going to be happy to hear my story. They’ve just been invaded, and I feel confident we’ll find that some atrocities have been committed. If the people on New Copenhagen are any guide, they’re going to see me as a problem to be solved. Frankly, I don’t feel like being solved, and neither does Regex.”
“There’s no need for us to give them information about you, though the story will eventually come out. Your condition is well known by the leadership at New Copenhagen, so the higher echelons of government here will find out. Sadly, there’s no concealing your condition over the long term.”
She grimaced. “I suppose you’re right, but I don’t want to push things right now. We’ve got enough complications to deal with already, don’t you think? Let’s focus on finding out what the situation is, and we can tell them about Regex when the time is right.”
“Agreed. Let’s grab Tina and join the commodore in the small craft bay.”
It took a couple of minutes to swing by and pick Tina up, then they proceeded to the small craft bay, where they met Jack, Commodore Nastasi, and Professor Prescott. The cutter was ready to go, and they were quickly joined by Lieutenant Colonel Turner and several of his Marines, fully armed and wearing armor.
“We’re meeting the government,” Jack said with a raised eyebrow. “We don’t need this level of firepower.”
“Maybe not, but we don’t know these people,” Turner said. “We’re playing this by the book. Technically, I should go over first and make sure everything is clear, but in the interests of not looking overly hostile, we’ll just make sure that we come out of the cutter first.”
“Considering they already know we blew up most of the Tardan forces in the system, don’t you think it’s too late to conceal our warlike nature?” David asked with a slight smile. “Not that I disagree with your reasoning. By all means, let’s be careful.”
“This is a compromise,” Jack agreed. “Everybody get in, and let’s see what the situation is at Argent.”
It took a few minutes to strap in, and they were flying over to the space station. Whoever was piloting the craft took them into one of the larger personnel bays, and they quickly disembarked. A group of about half a dozen men and women stood waiting for them.
From the cutters that were still shutting down, they’d just arrived. David wasn’t sure why the meeting needed to happen in orbit. Surely the capital would have been a better choice.
Turner and his Marines spread out to cover everything, though they kept their weapons pointed in safe directions. The people waiting for them—all dressed in civilian clothes—looked nervous and twitchy. All except for a man standing a little behind the others.
That distinction caused David to focus on him. He was tall and fair-skinned. His eyes seemed to take everything in and lingered on David for just a moment before moving on to everyone else. He didn’t think the guy was a government official, so he made a mental note to keep an eye on him and try to pin down precisely who he was.
One of the women stepped forward and focused her attention on Jack. “Welcome to Argent, Commodore Romanoff. My name is Lana McElroy, and I’m the first assistant to the Confederation representative.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jack said as he shook her extended hand, “though I wish the circumstances had been less dire. If I might ask, how is it that the Tardans left a human station intact?”
“Tardans? Who are they?”
“Sorry. The aliens that built the Locusts. Their warships were in orbit.”
“We can get to that in a moment. First, allow me to introduce my staff.”
Part of David’s brain kept track of who was who, but his attention was focused on the man that had caught his eye. He waited patiently until his name came up. Bronson Rowe. When Jack introduced everyone, David was intrigued to note that Rowe’s attention stayed focused on him rather than the commodore.
When the introductions were finished, McElroy declined to answer any questions. She said all would be made clear when she escorted them to meet with the Confederation representative.
As the two groups fell in beside one another, Rowe stepped up beside David and smiled. “Mister Chen, we’ve never met, but your name sounds familiar to me. Perhaps we have a mutual acquaintance.”
“Anything is possible,” David agreed.
“I was thinking it might be Joseph Lio.”
That was an interesting development since Lio was the director of Confederation Intelligence.
“It turns out that I do know Joe. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen him, but I wonder if he’s still bothered by the familial baldness.”
The other man shook his head. “Maybe we don’t know the same person after all. He hates to be called Joe, and I’ve never met a man with more hair on his head. I think he might color it, though. It’s always so dark. Anyway, I suppose we all have our affectations.”
David smiled. “Ah, that’s right. My memory can be a bit shaky. It’s intriguing to meet someone with a common friend so far out in the cluster. Especially during trying times like these.”
“We should stop beating around the bush,” Rowe said, pitching his voice somewhat lower. “I thought I recognized your name. I served my time in the operations division and saw some of your reports. You do good work.”
He shifted his eyes over to Tina. “I assume this is your wife. Didn’t she also work for the agency?”
“Tina,” she said with a smile. “You’re the guy that broke the transuranic elements smuggling ring, right?”
“The very same,” Rowe said. “And just to make sure that you know I’m being on the level, that took place eight years ago. That’s information someone trying to fake it wouldn’t know, right?”
“True enough,” David agreed. “What brings you here during an invasion?”
“I can’t say, but I’m happy to have been on the ground rather than in space. I assume you’re working in an official capacity for Commodore Romanoff. If so, you need to know that there’s more going on here than meets the eye, and not in a good way.”
David raised an eyebrow but said nothing as all climbed aboard a lift and headed deeper into the station. In these tight confines, waiting until they were back in the corridor was better.
When they arrived at the appropriate level and started heading into what finally looked like an occupied portion of the station, though there weren’t any people around, he slowed just enough so that he, his wife, and Rowe were a bit behind the rest.
“We’ve already been through a lot, and I don’t like surprises,” he said. “Why don’t you just lay it out for us?”
“There’s no time. Remember that not everyone who pretends to be your friend actually is.”
McElroy came to a rather large office and walked in. Half a dozen people were setting up consoles, but she proceeded to a large set of double doors at the far end of the compartment. She knocked and walked through without waiting for a response.
When the group entered, David saw some of the trouble that was undoubtedly waiting for them. Just rising from the desk in the large room was a man in a modern Confederation Navy uniform. He was balding and rail thin. He walked around the desk with a smile that didn’t seem to reach his eyes and a frown that did. His shoulder tabs indicated that he was a rear admiral. Seated in a chair off to the side and just rising to her feet was an older black woman with a distinguished face, also in a modern Navy uniform with a commodore’s tabs.
“Commodore Romanoff, I’m Troy Allen, the Confederation Navy liaison to Argent and the cluster. This is Commodore Robin Monahan of the Judge Advocate General’s office. I’m delighted to see you, and I can’t wait to receive your report, but what in the blue blazes are you wearing?”
“That’s a long story, sir,” Jack said. “Why don’t we sit down and discuss it?”
The man considered him for a moment and then nodded. “Of course. My associates will see to yours while we discuss the invasion and that ship of yours. Everyone else is dismissed.”
“I’ll keep David and Tina Chen with me. They’re my intelligence officers. Also, Professor Prescott is an expert on Locust hardware, and Commodore Nastasi is a JAG representative. Lisa Gane is our IT specialist.”
“I’d prefer dealing solely with Confederation military personnel to start, but I’ll allow the Chens to remain. Lana and Bronson will see to the rest of your people.”
Interesting. The admiral didn’t see Rowe as an intelligence asset. He must have concealed his background.
In any case, this would be awkward. They’d all thought that Jack was the senior military commander in the cluster. Who was this new man, and how would he upset the apple cart?
19
Lisa eyed the people she was left with after the rest of her party had stayed with the new Navy officer. Admiral Allen’s first assistant seemed to have no interest in her and was more than happy to pull Prescott toward a nearby office.
That left her with a rather dangerous associate with which to bide her time. Rowe had been speaking with David and Tina softly, but Lisa’s hearing was excellent. She’d caught enough of the conversation to realize he was an operative for Confederation Intelligence. That made her the kind of person he’d be deeply interested in, particularly if he ever found out about her passenger.
“It seems we have a bit of time to ourselves, Miss. You’ll have to forgive me, but I didn’t catch your name the first time around. I’m Bronson Rowe, and am Admiral Allen’s assistant when it comes to industry here at Argent. Who might you be?”
She had no doubt he’d heard her name perfectly well the first time, but she was willing to play along. This was meant to get her talking about herself. She’d have to guard her words carefully, without looking like she was doing so.
“Lisa Gane. I’m one of the IT professionals working with Commodore Romanoff and his people to bring the systems aboard Delta Orionis up to more modern standards. Tell me, what do you advise Admiral Allen on? If this world is anything like the one we just came from, there really isn’t much industry left to give advice about.”
“I don’t know anything about where you came from, though I’m interested to hear,” he said with a smile that looked practiced. “The Locusts destroyed everything in space—except for this station—but they did leave everything on the planet intact. In fact, they were more restrained in how they acted than I expected based on everything I learned in school. Which system were you at, and what happened there?”
That’s because he does. If my suspicion is correct, he’s working with Confederation Intelligence. That means he’s a spy and a very dangerous person for us. Understand?
You don’t know humans that well. Everyone has their own agenda, and they’ll be looking out for what’s best for them. Admiral Allen doesn’t sound like the kind of person that will respect what Commodore Romanoff is doing. Oh, he’s going to give it lip service, but he thinks he’s in charge, and thus his plan is automatically better. Rowe won’t be any different. Help me keep an eye on what he’s doing and saying, and if something strikes you as interesting, let me know.
The internal exchange had only taken a few moments. That was one of the benefits Lisa had discovered of mental communication. Or was this telepathy? Probably not, since it was traveling through her nerves and the connections to them. It just felt like telepathy.
Now Lisa would have to follow the advice she’d given Regex. She had no idea what Commodore Romanoff would tell Admiral Allen, so she’d need to be very careful. She had no reason to lie because Romanoff would tell that part without reservation. In fact, his report would almost certainly be complete and accurate.
The only exception would probably revolve around herself, their prisoners, and the technology they were working with. Until he trusted Allen more, he’d be cagey about that sort of thing. If he wasn’t, she was just being prudent with classified information. A spy should understand that, so it wouldn’t raise undue suspicion.
“New Copenhagen,” Lisa said. “It got hit pretty hard. They devastated the two largest cities. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed, maybe more. Kicking them off the planet was a lot of work.”
He frowned at her. “I can’t say that I’m familiar with that system. Where is it, and what makes it so special?”
Lisa cleared her throat. “Is there a place where we can get something to eat or drink? I skipped the last meal, and if we’re going to talk for a while, I’d rather be comfortable doing it.”
“Of course. There’s a small dining hall just down the corridor. It was meant to serve the senior staff aboard the station, and we have been using it. We can have the cook on duty come up with something that strikes your fancy.”
“I thought the Tardans were using the station.”
“The aliens? They were, but they allowed a small number of us aboard so they could facilitate attempts at communication. They had programs that could make terribly written translations of speech, so we’ve been trying to find accommodation where we could.”
She’d seen the motherships’ translations during the first invasion. They were awful but not as bad as her first attempt at a verbal translation program. Surely the Tardans had gotten better at it. Had they been playing dumb and monitoring the humans to see what information they would drop when they had no expectation the aliens could understand them? That was smart.
It also explained why Rowe was acting as an industrial advisor. He was spying on the Tardans. The admiral might not know, but someone in charge here did. One mystery solved.
He kept talking as they walked. “Your ship is a lot more powerful than I expected. The systems here on the station are mostly still offline, so we didn’t see much of the fighting, but the aliens had a lot of ships, even if most of them were motherships and drones. I’ve never seen anything like your vessel. How did the Confederation build something like that in such a short amount of time?”
“You must not be much of a history buff,” she said with a smile. “Delta Orionis, or as we call her Hunter, is one of the old battleships that fought off the last invasion. It took longer than we would’ve liked to get her systems into functioning order and arm her effectively, but now she’s a pretty effective warship when it comes to fighting them.”
“I’ll be the first to admit that history was never my strongest suit, but I have heard of them. So the Confederation Navy dug one up from somewhere and refitted it? That must’ve taken a lot of work. Are there going to be others?”
“Not any time soon, I’m afraid.”
He frowned. “Wait a second. With all the quantum gates destroyed, how did you get here? And do you know anything about that? It exploded one day, and no one really knows why.”
Even as he was asking that last sentence, he led her into a small mess room. Based on its luxurious appearance, it was meant for high-level executives and not military officers. The staff was dressed in crisply pressed white uniforms, and one immediately came to stand near them, saying nothing.
“I’ll take some coffee,” Rowe said. “Give the young lady whatever she wants.”
She smiled when the server turned to face her with a bland expression. “I’ll take some coffee as well, thank you. Also, if I could get a breakfast burrito, that would be awesome. Scrambled eggs, cheese, and potato, if you would.”
The man seemed to blink at her choice of food but inclined his head and headed toward the kitchen.
“A breakfast burrito?” Rowe said with a smile as he sat at a small table and gestured for her to join him. “It seems like there’s always some kind of odd food or drink mentioned in conjunction with computer specialists. Why is that?”
She shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you. It’s just the way it is. To answer your question, the Navy had a self-destruct device built into the cluster’s gate network. When the Locusts threatened to get out into the rest of the Confederation, they set it off. There are no gates left in the cluster. The old battleships have an independent quantum drive, so they don’t need them.”
That wasn’t true any longer, but she wasn’t going to mention that. The commodore could let that cat out of the bag if he so chose.
