Command Authority, page 24
part #5 of Last Hunter Series
A few minutes later, the hatch slid open, and a cutter entered. He waited until it had landed, and Lisa exited with Christine at her side. The women spotted him and headed over.
“Commodore,” Lisa said.
“Lisa, just the person I needed to talk to,” he said. “And, of course, Regex. We’ve got a breaking situation that’s right up your alley.” He proceeded to explain what Derek had discovered.
The hacker nodded. “If they had to evacuate in a hurry, they probably felt secure leaving the equipment. It’s not like they thought we had an expert at getting into their systems, after all.”
He smiled as well. “I realize you’ve already made a second trip over there, but I’d like you to head back a third time and work with David Chen to locate this computer system and get into it. I understand we’ve still got a lot of classified material to go over from the other systems you’ve accessed, but this was one of their primary command centers. It may have their battle plans for the entire cluster, and I need those.”
“And what do I do if Admiral Allen objects?”
“I think it might be best if he doesn’t know what you’re doing. From what I understand, the vast majority of the station is still unoccupied. They haven’t had an opportunity to bring many people up from the surface yet, giving us a window of opportunity to get our hands on that data without anyone knowing. I’m not saying it will be easy, but it might help us very much in the near future.”
“Something else you need to know is that Rowe is a mole from Confederation Intelligence.”
He blinked at her in surprise. “He is? How did you find out? Does he suspect anything?”
“I have an excellent sense of hearing, and he revealed himself to the Chens. That will probably change if he finds out I’ve come back for a third time.”
“Then do your best to not let him catch you. You’re really racking up the bonuses on this trip.”
“I hope I get to spend them before someone locks me up. I might even give Regex an allowance.”
“It might be splitting hairs, but that’s a civilian station,” Christine said. “Even if the Navy liaison to the president and the Confederation council in the cluster objects about what we’re doing, does he have the authority to tell us we can’t do it? Whose chain of command is he in any way?”
“He thinks he’s going to assume command of this ship,” Jack said with a shake of his head. “That’s not going to happen. I’m hoping the people from the Judge Advocate General’s office buy into that because even if they don’t, I’m not turning over command to someone that doesn’t have the experience or temperament to fight a war or lead the defense of humanity. If the Admiralty isn’t happy with that, they can court-martial me once this is done, if I survive.”
Having said that, he focused his attention on Christine. “What were you doing over there? Was there something interesting that you needed to record?”
“Not exactly,” she said with a smile. “I was the distraction that let Lisa get into the computer systems and pull out a bunch of data from Admiral Allen’s systems. David Chen wanted to know more about him because he was behaving suspiciously. Lisa has some data chips that might have useful information.”
“It’s mostly in the clear, so you can go over them if you like,” Lisa said, digging them out of her jacket pocket and handing them over to him. “She showed the documentary she’s been working on to Rowe. That kept him off my back while I did my work. It was pretty slick.”
“I only showed the portions you authorized,” Christine said. “I contacted several distributors on the planet and made an excellent deal to distribute it here and potentially elsewhere if we can open up some gates. I have no idea what their schedule might be, but since it’s put together already, and there was just a battle here, I’d expect it to get a general release down on Argent before much longer.”
“Well, I suppose there’s nothing I can do about that, so I might as well just accept it,” he said with a sigh. “Maybe it’ll keep people distracted enough that nobody will do anything stupid. If this guy is from Confederation Intelligence, I wonder how well the Chens know him.”
“Not at all, from what I could see,” Lisa said. “If his reaction to what Christine put together is what we can expect from everyone else, I’d say there’s going to be a period of relative quiet as they adjust to exactly how deep in the crapper they are, but you should get some positive aspects from its release. You’ll get support from people who don’t want the war to come back here.”
“I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to this, so I’m not going to complain, as much as I might like to,” Jack said. “If you could head back over there and coordinate with the Chens, I’d appreciate it if you could locate this computer without being detected and get us the information we need before someone decides they’re going to confiscate it and shuttle it down to the planet’s surface where we can’t get to it.”
“I’m on it,” she said. “I should be able to get my tools in about twenty minutes. If it’s got the same level of security as the other Tardan military computers did, it won’t take me long to break through their encryption. They’ve got some hardware deficiencies that make this possible if you can get physical access. I’ll let you know what I find.”
Once she’d jogged out of the small craft bay, Jack turned to Christine. “Just how embarrassed am I going to be?”
“Considering that it’s you we’re talking about?” she asked with a grin. “Moderately. I know you’re not one to toot your own horn, Jack, but in this case, I’m afraid the video speaks for itself. You’re just going to have to accept that people will be looking at you with a real idea of what you’ve accomplished. You’re big on downplaying the significance of what you bring to the table, but you’re a leader and a fighter, and that’s what we need right now. With any luck, we’ll be at this long enough for there to be many more segments of this documentary to air. You’ve got to go all the way, you know. Victory or nothing.”
“Victory it is, then. If you’ll excuse me, I should probably head to the bridge and make sure everything is okay.”
At her nod, he split away from her and headed toward the nearest lift. He honestly didn’t expect much to be happening, but he wanted to make sure everything was still going according to plan. Then he’d sit down with India and start planning how they’d deal with Rear Admiral Allen and his unwillingness to accept Jack’s authority.
His comm chimed with an emergency alert that made his stomach sink. There was no good reason for him to hear that.
“Romanoff.”
“We need you on the bridge right away, sir,” Derek said.
“I’m almost there. Romanoff out.”
He was passing in front of India’s office as he disconnected. The hatch slid open, and she stepped into the corridor with a man in a regular Navy uniform. The uniform he barely fit inside.
“Just the man I was hoping to see,” she said. “The bridge just called. This is Commander Tanner McGregor. Admiral Allen sent him over to assess the ship’s condition.”
Jack grimaced. “I’m sorry to meet you under such difficult circumstances, Commander, but I need to stress that Admiral Allen has no authority aboard this vessel. You’re welcome to observe, but I want that clear.”
The rotund man held up both hands. “You’ll get no argument from me, Commodore. I was happy being retired before the admiral reactivated me this morning. I don’t want to get between the two of you because even when I was on active duty for real, I knew better than to mess with flag officers. You guys can fight your own battles.”
“You’re a smart man, Commander. Now, let’s get to the bridge and see what’s going on.”
The three of them were at the bridge moments later. Derek was in the center seat and stood as soon as Jack walked in. “Report.”
“Engineering finally restored power to the hyperspace detectors, and we’ve got trouble,” the young officer said as he rose from the command seat. “We’ve got two groups of signatures closing in. They’ll arrive at approximately the same time, a little less than an hour from now. They’re almost on top of us, sir, and both signatures indicate a significant number of vessels or large hyperdrives.”
That was bad. Jack took the command seat and gestured toward the main monitor. “Put your best estimation on the screen. Can we determine where they’re coming from?”
“One set is coming from the right direction to be a Tardan colony group. There may be Novarites mixed in with them if they’ve guessed this was their destination. Their faster drives would’ve allowed for that. The second group is probably from a nearby system, so I’d wager it’s made up of motherships. The problem is that we’ll be caught deep inside the jump limit when they arrive. What do we do?”
Jack examined the layout of the hyperdrive signatures. Unfortunately for them, the detectors weren’t pinpoint instruments. They couldn’t say for certain how many ships were in each group or even how close together they were outside of a very general estimate. Maybe the technology could be improved with time, but he’d have to work with what they had for the moment.
“Communications, put me on a general channel to the station and the planet. I’m afraid the time for following the so-called authorized channels is over. Also, get some cutters ready for our noncombat personnel. We’ll send them over to help pick up people on the station, but there’s no need for them to stay on Hunter when we’re in a bind.”
As soon as the communications officer indicated he was live, Jack leaned forward and stared toward the camera. “This is Commodore Jack Romanoff of Delta Orionis. We’ve detected numerous hyperspace capable vessels approaching the system. If you are transmitting a radio signal, you need to cease immediately. Don’t do anything to draw attention to yourselves while we deal with the threat. Everyone aboard the space station needs to evacuate to the planet’s surface, and we will send cutters to assist. We’ll do our best to keep you safe. Delta Orionis out.”
He turned and looked at McGregor. “If you’re going to be leaving, I’d ask you to wait in the small craft bay for about ten minutes. One of my people is headed back to the station and could use your assistance in getting there. It’ll save someone else the trouble of taking her over.”
The man nodded. “I’ll handle it, sir. Good luck.”
As soon as McGregor was off the bridge, Jack gestured to the Marines to shut the hatch. “Raise our alert level and start getting our people ready. We’ve got time, but not that much. Have we estimated where they’ll exit hyperspace?”
“Based on their courses, I’d expect them to come out within about forty-five system degrees of one another. They’ll be closer to each other than us, but I’m not sure that will help. It just means they can join forces before they come in and get us. They won’t be able to miss that we’ve cleared this system of their military forces, sir.”
Jack thought about that for a second. “Are we so sure about that? What if we had a native speaker answer any calls they made? We might be able to lure them in, so we’re at an equal disadvantage.”
“I don’t think we would be at an equal disadvantage, sir,” Amanda said. “Depending on what forces we encounter, we’ll likely be heavily outgunned. Our hull will protect us, at least to a degree, but we’ll be in serious trouble.”
“That can’t be helped. Start taking us out on a course to meet them, Derek.”
Once he had given his officers their orders, he returned his attention to India. “I’d hoped we’d have a bit more time once we got Argent, but it looks like that wasn’t to be. Just bad luck. I wish these hyperspace detectors were more effective.”
“We’re lucky to have the insight we have,” she said. “If we’ve got less than an hour to get ready for them, I suggest we grab something to eat. Meals will be harder to come by shortly, and I could use some coffee. Let’s sit down and discuss the situation regarding Admiral Allen, so I know exactly where we’re sitting.”
“Let’s make it quick,” he said as he stood. “Derek, you have the conn.”
The communications officer raised his hand. “Sir, we have an incoming signal from the station. It’s Rear Admiral Allen, and he’s demanding to speak with you.”
Of course he was.
“Put him on the screen,” Jack said, doing his best to keep the sound of resignation out of his voice.
The image of the planet disappeared and showed the admiral sitting in his office, scowling at the camera. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Romanoff? You can’t just go gallivanting off and leave Argent unprotected. I don’t know what fool idea you have, but you’ll keep Delta Orionis in orbit around this planet and protect us. That’s what the Navy does.”
“You’re half right, sir. The Navy protects the civilians as best we can, but that won’t be by sitting in orbit and waiting for the enemy to come to us. This fight will happen as far away from this vulnerable planet as I can arrange.”
“I’ve given you a direct order, Commodore.”
Jack leaned forward and stared intently at the camera. “I’ve always done my duty, Admiral, even when it’s been inconvenient or unpleasant, and I don’t intend to shirk it now. My orders, as stated in the regulations, are to defend the cluster against this invasion, and how I do so is my call and not yours. I suggest you take advantage of the time you have available and evacuate that station, Admiral. If you don’t do it now, you might not have a chance later. Romanoff out.”
The communications officer killed the channel before the admiral had more than a chance to open his mouth. Yeah, this definitely wasn’t going to work out amicably.
“He’s calling back, sir,” the officer said. “He sounds angry.”
“I imagine he is. Don’t answer.”
Jack stood and gestured toward the hatch. “Captain MacKinnon, you’re with me. Derek, continue to ignore signals from him on my authority.”
“Yes, sir,” the young officer said. “You’ll forgive me if I say we’ll have to deal with him eventually, won’t you?”
“There’s an old saying that fits this situation perfectly. ‘Save tomorrow’s troubles for tomorrow.’ We got enough on our plates right now, so let’s focus on saving the system, and then I’ll figure out if I have a career left.”
He and India left the bridge silently, but he could tell they were both thinking about the same things. Not only did they have to fight someone that wanted to kill them, but they’d have to deal with the recalcitrant flag officer. There was no walking back from the stance he had just taken. He’d either emerge victorious or be drummed out of the service. Even if he won the initial fight, the admiral might still be able to get him kicked out later. This fight was far from over.
26
David was waiting in the small craft bay when Lisa’s cutter arrived. What he didn’t expect was the almost comically obese man wearing a navy uniform who got out with her. He felt his eyes narrow as he watched them walk toward him. Surely whoever this was wasn’t a real Navy officer. If so, his physical maintenance regimen needed a lot of work.
Lisa clarified things as soon as the two stopped in front of him. “David Chen, meet Commander Tanner McGregor, formerly retired.”
“Excuse the uniform,” McGregor said with a crooked smile. “It’s been a while. I’d love to stay and chat, but Admiral Allen ordered me to report to his office, and I’ve got to go. I don’t suppose you know where it is, do you?”
David gave McGregor a polite smile and described how to get to the admiral’s office as best he could. Once the man had departed at something less than a trot, he raised an eyebrow at Lisa. “That was different.”
“He’s a nice enough guy, but I’m not sure he’s cut out for the Navy anymore. I think he’s been out too long. All that civilian life has leached into him. Are you ready?”
“I’m still not particularly certain what we’re doing. Derek was being cagey. What exactly did you find?”
“It’s not the sort of thing you can talk about without raising eyebrows. Why don’t we get somewhere out of the way, and I’ll explain.”
Getting out from underfoot on the virtually unmanned space station wasn’t tricky. All they had to do was get into a lift, go down a few levels, and get out somewhere at random. When he didn’t see anyone in the corridor, he gestured for them to continue.
“The communications officer aboard Hunter picked up a wireless signal that might be from a Tardan military computer. The guess is they didn’t have a chance to remove the computer. I’m hoping it still has all the critical files and they didn’t wipe it.”
Lisa opened the large pack she’d had over her shoulder as she spoke and pulled out a device. She slowly turned in a circle and even raised it up and down. She kept pointing at the floor longer than she did anything else, so he wasn’t surprised when she abruptly turned around and headed back toward the lift.
Without saying anything, the two descended a couple of levels and exited. Sadly, this wasn’t an exact science, and she had to get back into the lift and go down a few more levels before they found what she was looking for.
And that wasn’t to say it was in plain sight because it wasn’t. In fact, someone had installed a heavily armored hatch that went across the corridor from one side to the other. It wasn’t of human manufacture, so he was sure the Tardans had done it. This must’ve been their command post while aboard the station.
He stopped at the hatch and examined the controls. He’d seen similar ones aboard the wreckage of the Tardan military vessel and down in the captured military facility under the space elevator on New Copenhagen. Even so, that didn’t mean he knew how to get into them.
The same was not true of Lisa because she pulled out yet another tool and began messing with the controls. “I should be able to get us through if they haven’t done anything unexpected.”
