She didn't have long to wait before a late middle aged man with four wide yellow bands adorning the cuffs of his uniform entered the room. A stout woman of about Torson's age accompanied him. She had two wide bands separated by a third thin one as her rank insignia, a Lieutenant-Commander and likely Commodore Zanjani's Chief of Staff, Eva Agner, from what Torson had told Jeannie.
"Attention!" snapped the Lieutenant-Commander and the room rose and stood to attention. Jeannie thought it prudent to follow suit to at least the extent of standing up. She thought she detected a small smile for her from the Lieutenant-Commander.
A quiet few tens of seconds having passed the Lieutenant-Commander declaimed, "At ease. You may be seated."
Everyone relaxed. Having taken her own seat and given everyone else time to settle in the Lieutenant-Commander opened the proceedings. "We're gathered here for an informal debriefing of Miss Jeannie Chang as she was particularly well placed to gather useful information during her captivity as the pirate's single most valuable hostage," Lieutenant-Commander Agner told the assembled service members. "Hear, hear," a number of voices responded. News of Jeannie's exploits had filtered out to the fleet. That she had dared fight back after her capture and even managed to destroy a pirate ship had made her a hero to most of the members of Task Force 39. Some of those present felt it appropriate to express that approval vocally. That Lieutenant-Commander Agner only responded to the vocalizations with a node and a quiet "Order please" was effectively an endorsement of this sentiment.
"To begin with," Lieutenant-Commander Agner continued, "I'd like to acknowledge that Miss Chang has already provided the SDF valuable intelligence on the identity of Pirate Band Six's leadership." She looked at Jeannie. "Thank you, Miss Chang," she said.
"My pleasure, Lieutenant-Commander," Jeannie replied. It was obvious to Jeannie that the purpose of this meeting was as much political as it was practical. The SDF wanted to placate her and her clan. The Chang clan was influential in the sector and if they were not happy any complaints they made might be heard as far back as SDF Headquarters on Earth.
"I'm afraid we're not going to be pursuing that topic here today," Lieutenant-Commander Agner said. "Not because it's not important, but because it's so important that I and the Commodore have decided it's necessary to designate it 'Cosmic Top Secret'. Is that clear?" She looked around the room eliciting a series of "Yes, ma'ams" from the SDF members assembled there.
Torson glanced at Jeannie and preempted her objections. "Ma'am," he said. "Miss Chang's testimony has made it clear that the individual the pirates called 'The Doctor' had dangerous proscribed scientific knowledge and was using it. Surely locating him and capturing or otherwise neutralizing the man before he passes that knowledge on must be of the highest priority."
"I'm sorry, Sven," Lieutenant-Commander Agner answered. "Whatever you or I might think does not matter. When we checked our databases for possible information on the individual in question and the pirate's former chief we triggered the unsealing of a set of special standing orders."
"I see, ma'am," Torson responded.
"I hope not," Lieutenant-Commander Agner said. "Turns out if you know too much about this I might have to shoot you." She looked around the room smiling grimly.
"SDFHQ wants all knowledge they lost those two buried doesn't it?" Jeannie said.
"Exactly. Very preceptive Miss Chang," Lieutenant-Commander Agner said. "The very fact that the Federation had a pair of high level officials captured is never to be mentioned again. You are not to discuss it among yourselves even. Don't even talk about it in your sleep."
"Miss Chang?" Torson asked.
"We could threaten to bring the full weight of the 'Dangerous Knowledge Security Act' against Miss Chang if she reveals anything about these two individuals," Lieutenant-Commander Agner said. "I'm sure that's not necessary given the discretion the Chang clan and specifically Miss Chang herself have shown in the past. Isn't that so, Miss Chang?"
"Of course, Ma'am," Jeannie said. "I do hope I've succeeded in impressing on you and the Commodore what a dangerous individual 'The Doctor' is. That he has completely slipped the leash and that you will pass that assessment on to SDFHQ."
"As you say, 'of course'," Commodore Zanjani said speaking for the first time. His demeanor was calm but serious. "I also cannot emphasize enough just how critical airtight security regards this matter is. If you can erase all memory of it from your minds do so. Never speak of it again. If any of you should let anything regarding it slip out, however inadvertently, you'll end up going down the memory hole yourselves. Your family and friends will never hear from you again."
Jeannie could tell from the pale faces that most of the SDF members showed as they glanced at each other that this was an unusually serious level of security even for the SDF. The SDF not being known for lax security, despite the success of the pirates in infiltrating its ranks.
"I for one have completely forgotten whatever it was we were talking about," Jeannie said. Her joke brought quick quiet laughter and some surreptitious glances at the Commodore. That worthy nodded approval. The room relaxed some.
"Well now that's been taken care of," Lieutenant-Commander Agner said. "Perhaps you can share some of your other observations regards the pirates with us, Miss Chang?"
Jeannie made a show of gathering her thoughts. She'd already shared the substance of what she'd learned with Lieutenant Torson. She expected how she presented what she'd learned here counted for as much as what. "With these pirates at least their moral depravity and informal command structure were carefully calculated," she said.
"Ummm, isn't that something of an extrapolation from the facts?" a Lieutenant Anders spoke up to say. Despite the implicit challenge of his words and the fact he'd interrupted her to say them the Lieutenant's manner was tentative and not at all aggressive. Lieutenant Torson had 'casually' let drop the fact that Lieutenant Anders was the task force's new intelligence head. A replacement for the man who'd turned out to be a mole. Torson had also mentioned that the Commodore and Chief of Staff had made of habit of using their intelligence officer to pose uncomfortable questions. Apparently the practice continued.
"I do not believe so," Jeannie said calmly after a long thoughtful pause. She felt rather sorry for the young lieutenant but that didn't mean she'd cut him any slack. She paused again to further increase his discomfort. "It was very clear that there were distinctly drawn lines and the pirate rank and file were careful to respect them. Despite their casual dress and mannerisms they were extremely disciplined at all times."
"They behaved like vicious wild animals. They physically abused their victims up to the point of raping and murdering them," Lieutenant Anders said, less tentatively this time. He appeared to be feeling some genuine indignation.
Jeannie gave him a long look she knew to be coolly intimidating. "Yes, I know," she said. "I was there. I was one of their victims."
The Lieutenant colored pink quite beautifully. "Then, then how can you possibly make excuses for them?" he asked.
"You have misinterpreted me," Jeannie replied. "Observing that they carried out their evil acts in a disciplined, deliberate, thoughtful, not only premeditated, but I believe pre-scripted manner, rather than acting out of rage on the spur of the moment, is not making excuses for those acts. It's a philosophical question but I think it could be argued it renders them more heinous and immoral."
"But isn't discipline a positive trait?" Lieutenant Anders asked rather forlornly. He had to have several years on Jeannie but his naivety made her feel old.
She sighed. Maybe a little too theatrically she thought but her audience did not seem to appreciate subtlety. "Under most circumstances maybe," she allowed. "Doubtless for military men. It's a philosophical question that's beyond me, but is being good in the service of evil really being good at all?" There answer a question with a question. Put the ball in the Lieutenant's court.
"I suppose not," Lieutenant Anders answered. He didn't seem happy
with his conclusion. Jeannie didn't doubt he liked the old westerns where you could tell the good guys from the bad guys by the color of their hats.
"In any event I'm only a civilian," Jeannie said with false modesty. "But to me they seemed quite effectively organized. I believe that we were quite lucky that their leadership was disrupted as badly as it was." She did not bother pointing out that she was responsible for that disruption.
"Yes, I think we can agree we're all grateful for that," Lieutenant Anders said. He glanced towards the Chief of Staff and then the Commodore. "I also think I speak for the whole SDF in saying we appreciate your role in creating that disruption," he continued. "Thank you, Miss Chang."
"You're welcome," Jeannie responded.
The debriefing continued for some while after that but it was proforma. All the heat had gone out of the Lieutenant's questions.
For Jeannie's part she wasn't eager to play up the fact that if her own efforts hadn't been effectively superhuman she'd never had got as far with them as she had. Let the SDF leadership think that she was fit and aggressive but at the high end of normal and that her effectiveness had been the result of that aggressiveness and her having surprised the pirates who were not as competent and disciplined as she made out. Jeannie had told them the literal truth if they chose not to believe it how was that her fault?
She had given Lieutenant Torson the full details both on how she'd won her fights and on the control measures the pirates had taken against her as a result. For reasons of his own he'd apparently summarized that information for the benefit of his superiors. She was grateful, but had the feeling he'd expect to be repaid some day for the favor.
Still after Lieutenant Anders had finished his interrogation, and the Chief of Staff and Commodore both thanked her themselves she felt relieved.
A quick review of what had happened to her surviving crew and the plans to return them as a group directly to Pedlar's Haven on the destroyer Resolute failed to have the emotional impact it surely deserved.
15: New Beginnings
So wise souls
Leaving self behind
Move forward
Jeannie was washed with a mixture of emotions as she made her way through the corridors of the Casablanca after her debriefing.
She was free and alone for the first time in many weeks and that was good. Felt good too.
She also felt she'd done a good job in the debriefing. She'd been calm, poised and stuck to her script. Said what was needed and no more. The SDF leadership, the Commodore and his staff, appeared to have bought it. She believed she'd made a good impression. She thought she'd struck them as disciplined and competent. Possessed of initiative but not scarily aggressive. Capable but not superhuman. That was good.
Good if she wanted to take Lieutenant Torson's advice and join the SDF and go to their Academy for the next few years of her life. She'd been impressed with the SDF in a number of ways. They were disciplined and organized. Competent spacers and the marines, at least knew how to fight. Strangely on the whole their officers seemed to have less perceptiveness and less strategic vision than that the Pirate Chief had shown. Maybe she was using the wrong measuring stick.
Also too, Lieutenant Torson had given signs of greater insight. He'd played his cards close to his chest without being actively dishonest with anyone. Not that she'd detected. She frowned as worked her way past a party of spacers working a large awkward piece of equipment down the passageway towards where the Normandy lay along side and connected to the Casablanca.
"Sorry, ma'am," one of the spacers said to her as she passed. She looked at him and smiled. "No problem," she said. "My bad I was distracted thinking about something else."
"Yes, ma'am," the talkative spacer said with evident relief. His fellows also relaxing went on about their business giving her just small nods and smiles of acknowledgment. It appeared the crew of the Casablanca knew who she was but were determined not to make a big fuss.
Their consideration warmed her and she carried on her way with a wave and a smile.
So Torson and likely that admiral of his had some sort of longer range plans. They had successfully managed to prod the SDF into rooting the pirates out of the sector. That counted for a lot. Lieutenant Torson, for whatever reason maybe having found her with her hands around the dead Pirate Chief's throat, was inclined to be helpful. She'd take that.
The link between the Casablanca and the Normandy was crowded and she needed to focus on the here and now while picking her way through it. She returned multiple small smiles and nods from crew members of both ships.
Yes, she thought she might be able to fit in in the SDF. She'd have some hope of being accepted there as just another junior officer. Not all the time maybe, but from day to day. She'd like that.
She'd need to have it out with her father and the clan elders, of course, but she was thinking she'd be taking Lieutenant Torson's advice and applying to the Academy.
Right now she had other concerns. Some of her ex-crew had survived and it was her clear duty to see to their well-being and to get them back home to Pedlar's Haven as expeditiously as possible.
The Normandy was a transport. It had a lot of space. A lot of space for carrying people if not always in the maximum of luxury. Its designers had understood it would often be send on long deployments and that a certain level of amenities to make life bearable, even pleasant, were not a luxury. And so there had been cabins for two to four people if not individuals available, and all in a block, to assign to the survivors of her crew off of the Chang's Venture. They'd even been given their own dedicated rec room. That's where Jeannie was headed.
She found the place all but deserted.
In fact only one person, Bethany Wong, was present. The last time Jeannie had seen Bethany she was being dragged off in shock behind McKittrick and the two pirate thugs assigned as his "mentors". Jeannie supposed it was good she was alive and not catatonic. She didn't look forward to talking to her. Swallowing she spoke, "Hello Bethany, how are you?"
The young woman looked up. She had dark circles under her eyes. Her mouth twisted. "Not so good, but I've been a lot worse," she said.
Jeannie sighed. "Trouble sleeping?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry," Jeannie said. She meant she'd never felt so helpless and sad. "I shouldn't have sent the Chang's Venture in harm's way."
"Not your fault," Bethany answered. "We were all volunteers. Everyone one thought the SDF had cleared the pirates out and we were all greedy to be the first to profit. Even if it was partly your mistake you suffered too."
"It wasn't a lot of fun for me," Jeannie agreed, "but they treated me a lot more carefully than you. They tried to break you."
"Well they didn't."
"Good."
"Heard you killed McKittrick."
Jeannie didn't want to whitewash a man who'd abused Bethany. She'd had enough of lies and partial truths too. "No, that's not quite true. He was killed fighting to help me. He gave his life trying to help me escape. Doesn't excuse the bad things he did I know."
"I'm going to need therapy to get over what that man did."
"I'm sorry." It was all Jeannie could think to say.
"You know the worst thing about it?" Bethany asked.
"No."
"It's that I don't want it. I don't want sympathy from people who have no idea what I went through. I really don't want advice from them."
"Think of them as a kind of crutch for working it through in your own mind," Jeannie suggested. "But I know what you mean. If you're not comfortable tell them the details of what you went through are classified. I'll back you up on that. Best to make some show of co-operation and get a sign off on a clean bill of health. You've got a job for life with the clan, I'll make sure my father honors that promise. I'll listen to you any time you want."
"Thanks," Bethany said. "You know I'm glad the pirates didn't give me McKittrick's choice. Not sure what I've had done. I like to think I'd have taken the bullet in t
he head like Okoro, but I'm not sure. It scares me that I might have got used to being a sex slave for them. I don't think I can go back to being who I was. They were really good at twisting people, those pirates, weren't they?"
Jeannie sat down beside Bethany and took her hands in hers. "They were. They were evil geniuses at twisting people. But they won't be doing it anymore."
"I hope so," Bethany said with an angry determination.
Jeannie promised herself she'd make it so.
* * *
Jeannie was working hard. She'd built up a sweat using one of the exercise machines in the Resolute's gym. They, she and her crew, were on their way home. She finally had time to think about what had happened and she wasn't enjoying it.
Physically most of the Chang Venture's crew had survived. She couldn't stop thinking about those that hadn't. Sheena Matheson who'd she'd thought a friend and maybe was before the Doctor had got to her. She didn't suppose she'd really know one way or another how much was due to her misunderstanding the reality and how much was the Doctor's black art.
She also didn't know what the SDF intelligence types really thought about it. She knew they wanted to bury everything to do with the Doctor, and she knew Sheena's reputation would benefit from the suppression of details about what had really happened.
All the physical exertion in the world wouldn't keep her from wondering about that. She wasn't comfortable suppressing the fact of Sheena's betrayal, or about what the Doctor had done to her. The SDF commanders had been emphatic, however. So be it.
She'd like to be sure that it was real concern about the danger of the Doctor's proscribed knowledge that motivated that security crack down and not simple institutional embarrassment. She wasn't. Not at all.
The betrayal by Captain Lee bothered her even more. It wasn't as personal, but there was no evidence the Doctor had had the chance to do his malevolent magic on Lee. Lee had been an actual traitor, not a potential one, within their organization. Of her own free will out of greed or embarrassment apparently. Finding out why exactly was going to be a nasty difficult task for her father.
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