by C. R. Daems
"Not directly, but indirectly by misleading statements or omissions or misdirection. For example, I heard a rumor… How do you prove he or she didn't hear a rumor? It's hard to read between the lines as Leyva suggested if you don't know the person," I said, pausing to look at Lulltrel. "I can't prove it, but I think I have a few commanders who are either not in the right position or are doing just that." Contrary to what Lulltrel had suggested concerning helpful advice, the room was silent. No one appeared to have any suggestions.
"And what are you contemplating?" Lulltrel asked, leaning forward, obviously interested in my answer. I almost laughed as I noticed the others do the same.
"That's sort of related to my other problem." I shrugged. "I had Commander Damon review the last several years of unsolved missing persons cases to determine whether Susan Guzman was an anomaly. When it turned out she wasn't, I had her, with the Commissioner's permission, research the six cases and attempt to build a profile of the missing women. It turns out the women didn't know each other, didn't frequent the same places, and didn't participate in similar group activities like church, sports, or clubs. But we can write a wanted ad that would fit each of them perfectly: young woman who has recently reached her majority, unattached, attractive, enjoys parties, sex, and recreational drugs but is not reckless," I said, noticing Lulltrel and Hadley's deepening frowns while Byrnes and Leyva had slight grins. "Must leave friends and family without a word," I said into the silence.
"What did Commissioner Kinard think?" Lulltrel asked. "Sounds like organized kidnapping."
"He agrees and has assigned a detective to investigate," I said, having talked with Kinard and turned all of Damon's findings over to him. It was, after all, strictly a civilian police matter. He thanked me for keeping my word to turn all my findings over to him for action but wasn't happy about the mess I had given him to deal with.
"It's not a NIA problem but…you wonder…and don't trust…" Lulltrel paused, staring far off in thought while nibbling on her lip. Then she snapped alert. "Commander Spalding, tell Admiral Webb's secretary that Admiral Paulus has an update on the Guzman case." Lulltrel sat drumming her fingers on the table while looking at me. "You want to determine whether this is a local matter or a larger problem, but you know the other system police commissioners aren't going to like the NIA poking its nose into civilian crimes. And even if they would allow us to look, you don't trust the local NIA station chiefs. Is that about right?" she asked. Her eyes were closed and her head was slowly moving back and forth.
"I'm not bored anymore," Hadley quipped.
"I like being bored," Lulltrel said but didn't smile. Lulltrel looked to the back of the room where, to my surprise, Pannell stood. He nodded to some silent exchange with Lulltrel. "Everyone except Paulus is dismissed. Anna, wait for a minute. Unless Admiral Webb is in a Rejuvenation Unit, I think he will want the update right away." She gave me a long, intense stare. "You know you can't fire commanders without some justification, and there is nowhere to move a full commander within the NIA."
"Can I demote them?" I quipped, although in some cases that would be a good thing.
"Not without cause and a lot of paperwork," she said, shaking her head and finally grinning. "The space gods know we have a lot of officers who have been promoted beyond their capabilities." She sobered. "Not you, Anna. No one your age should be able to survive the responsibility I've forced on you…but you have and continue to. In your quiet, unorthodox way, you consistently exceed all my lofty expectations."
I didn't know what to say or feel. I hated the rank and the increasing responsibility. Seeing Lulltrel's eyes, I realized I was kissing Red's small red head. I laughed at Lulltrel's surprise. "As strange as it seems, ma'am, I wouldn't trade Red for a cure to the Coaca Virus."
Before she could respond, Spalding peeked into the room. "Ma'am, Admiral Webb said he was free." Spalding grinned. "Lieutenant Grimes told me he rescheduled a senior captain to be free."
"Guess you're late for your appointment, Paulus," Lulltrel's voice rang with amusement.
"Grimes said the Admiral wanted you, too, ma'am." Spalding couldn't hide the amusement in his voice although he made a valiant effort. Lulltrel rose, shaking her head in resignation. When we arrived, the door was open. We entered, braced to attention, and saluted.
"This must not be good if you didn't want to attend," Webb said, looking at Lulltrel. I know Susan hasn't been found, so what's up, Paulus?" Webb came around his desk and waved toward three chairs sitting off to the side near the wall. "Three coffees, Grimes…one half milk."
"Sir, Commissioner Kinard has been very cooperative and allowed me…" I went on to explain what Damon had found during her investigation. Then I showed him what we determined they had in common. "I know the NIA isn't responsible nor do we have any authority in civil crimes, but I'd like—"
"To poke your nose into their case records and you know they aren't going to like it," Webb said, smiling. "What are you looking for?"
"To determine whether it's a local problem, in which case it is none of my business, or whether it extends beyond the local systems—"
Again Webb interrupted. "In which case it's still not NIA's concern or part of its jurisdiction," he said, watching me. I nodded my agreement, feeling deflated. I was drawn to puzzles like salmon were drawn back to where they were born, to spawn. "That's the bad news; however, when I returned your P1A badge after you had solved the hijackers and marines-for-hire cases, the core committee—the three most influential members of the UAS Committee—wanted to know more about you. They concluded that you have always acted responsibly and that you have excellent analytical skills based on your previous four cases. They reasoned that the committee would need someone like you over time to look into sensitive matters for them. They decided to make your P1A authorization permanent and gave it to me to hold. I'm authorized to give it to you at the committee's request or for any project I deem appropriate. I merely have to inform them of what you are looking into." He walked back to his desk, pulled out an envelope, returned, and handed it to me. I stared at it in shock:
On the first line: PRIORITY ONE AUTHORITY by order of the UAS Committee
On the second line: The UAS Seal
On the third line: Anna Paulus, UAS Special Agent and my picture
On the fourth line: the signatures of the three UAS Core representatives
And on the back of the card was my encoded identification information: DNA, eye scan, and fingerprint information.
"I'll inform the committee you are looking into kidnapping victims for a possible organized criminal link across the UAS," he said as he sat. "And I'll arrange for a cruiser to transport you wherever you need to go."
"Thank you, sir. If you don't object, I'd like to list this trip as an annual review of my NIA stations just in case the problem turns out to be an active criminal enterprise," I said, not wanting to alert anyone to my real purpose. Webb nodded.
"I suggest we don't mention this to General Guzman, unless you want him accompanying you." He gave a small snort. "And although I wouldn't blame him, he would be a hindrance." He paused, giving me an appraising look. "I hope you don't find any links to the other systems. It's bad enough we have a problem on Eastar. But I wouldn't bet against your instincts. Keep Lulltrel informed and she'll keep me up to date."
* * *
"You're very quiet, Daughter," Alexa said when we retired to the living room.
"I told Lulltrel what I was working on at her weekly staff meeting. She decided I needed to brief Webb…" I spent the next hour explaining what had happened.
"Are you going to be all right?" Alexa asked, referring to my capture by the hijackers and my need to sleep in her bed because of my recurring nightmares. To be honest, I wasn't sure. I had always missed Alexa when I was away from home—my sanctuary. But after the ordeal on the FPU cruiser Shark, Alexa was all that kept me sane.
"Mother, have a picture of your face put on a T-shirt for me," I said, knowing it may
be silly or childish or a sign I was unstable, but I didn't care. I planned to use it as a cover for my pillow. Alexa must have understood, as she grabbed me in a bear hug and I felt her tears.
"I'll have several made. Keep in touch daily. I don't care the cost," she said finally, holding me at arm's length.
I laughed. "I'll keep in touch with Damon on the pretext of keeping Lulltrel up to date and include a crazy-number encoded message for you. No one will say anything, as I'm an admiral. I'll consider it one of my perks."
* * *
Four days later, I was called to Webb's office. When I arrived, he waved me to one of several padded high-backed chairs where an elderly woman captain sat. She rose as I neared. She stood a good twelve centimeters taller than me and had a thin, wiry build. Short, curly black hair cut just below her ears framed a stern face with bright intelligent eyes that dissected me.
"Elaine, this is Admiral Anna Paulus. Paulus, this is Captain Elaine Martz. She has command of the UAS cruiser Taranis, which is being assigned as your transportation," Webb said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Admiral Paulus. I'm looking forward to our sojourn and hearing the truth behind the many rumors I've heard about your companion." She nodded to Red, who was peeking out from my jacket near my neck.
"I call him Red, and he's my favorite topic," I said, pulling him out of my jacket and holding him up as he wrapped around my arm. She inspected him cautiously. "He never leaves my person, so you will always know where he is."
* * *
Alexa took the next two days off and we shopped, took in shows, and ate out each night, trying to get as much time together as we could since I would be leaving the following day and would probably be gone several months.
"Have you decided which sites you'll visit first?" Alexa asked as we sat on our couch enjoying our last night together. I had my feet touching her warm feet, feeling safe and loved and wanting desperately to hold on to the memory for the many nights to come—alone with the nightmares. Dr. Renata had given me a prescription to help me sleep, but I hoped I could survive without the drugs. My ordeal on the Shark still haunted my dreams. Fortunately, Renata had managed to get assigned to the Taranis medical staff to look after Red and me because of the Coaca Virus.
"My first inclination was to visit Chris and then Adrian since I'm comfortable with them, but Stone Ring and Westar are at opposite ends of UAS space, and I doubt Captain Martz would consider that a reasonable itinerary." I grinned. Alexa nodded agreement. "Being the wimp that I am, I'm still going to start with Chris, then work my way north, stopping at Sudan, Zaspa, Amend, etc. until I reach Westar. Then I'll start back south toward Eastar and home. That should limit our travel time to around thirty-five days."
* * *
Pannell picked me up the next morning at ten, as the Taranis wasn't scheduled to depart Eastar until seventeen hundred hours.
"Why so many?" I asked when I saw Pannell had brought fifteen marines.
"Knowing you, Admiral, I should have brought double that number." He shook his head. "Besides Red being worth a fortune on the black market, you have a tendency to upset really evil people. Actually, I would have brought more except I have the authority to draw on the Taranis's marine contingent. I'm hoping that's enough," he said and didn't smile. I didn't blame him for being paranoid. There had been many attempts on my life over the years, and we both had several purple hearts from the encounters.
We reached the Taranis just after thirteen hundred hours. Pannell took me to the front of the line, which was long, as it contained the last of the crew returning from planet-side leave.
"Permission to come aboard," I said as I approached the Lieutenant Commander on duty. From the look on his face, he had been expecting an admiral, but not one who looked his age and was accompanied by a marine colonel and a fifteen-person security team. He took my identification with a slight smile, probably thinking someone was playing a joke on him. But seconds later he straightened to attention, handed back my paperwork, and saluted.
"Welcome aboard, Admiral Paulus. Commander Shelden is waiting to escort you to your quarters." He nodded toward a tall commander with a closely trimmed full beard and mustache, who stood gazing in my direction.
As I neared with Pannell, he saluted. "Welcome aboard, Admiral Paulus. I'm Commander Shelden, Captain Martz's XO. She apologizes for not being here to meet you, but she's presently preparing the Taranis for departure." He paused, awaiting any comments. I stood stunned that the captain felt she should be present to greet me when I arrived. "I assume you're used to that reaction," he continued, smiling, obviously referring to the duty officer's disbelief.
I nodded. "I don't blame him. I'm about the right age for a fast-tracked lieutenant commander," I said as I followed Shelden.
He gave a hearty laugh. "That may be true, but you have enough medals for a full admiral," he said after a long look at the ribbons on my jacket.
"I'm thinking of dyeing my hair gray and walking bent over," I quipped and bent my shoulders, lowering my head slightly.
"I don't think it will help. We'll just have to get used to it." He gave me a warm smile, and I could feel him relax. "This," he stopped and opened a door into a medium-sized room with an oval table that could accommodate eight to ten persons, "is your conference room." He walked a few steps down the hall and opened another door. "This is your office." The room had a desk and was large enough to accommodate several people. "And this is your quarters," he said, opening the next door, which had what looked like a double-sized commander's room and a private bathroom. "And here," he walked across the hall and opened another door, "is a small dining room where you can have your meals served."
My mind spun. If he opened one more door, I was going to need psychiatric therapy. "Your aide, master chief, and Colonel Pannell also have rooms in this section." He paused, awaiting my comments, but I was speechless and suspected my mouth was hanging open. He didn't notice or ignored my silence and continued. "Captain Martz wanted to invite you to dine with her at twenty hundred hours and wanted me to confirm that our first stop is Stone Ring," Shelden said.
"Thank Captain Martz for the dinner invitation. I look forward to it and answering any questions she may have. And you can confirm Stone Ring is our first destination." I retrieved my tablet and found the note I wanted. "I have a tentative schedule…for you and the Captain. Where should I send it?" I asked.
"Shelden02," he said. I nodded, typed in the address, and touched Send.
* * *
"I appreciate you joining me for dinner," Martz said as I entered her private dining room. My head was still spinning. I was used to it being an honor for me to be invited to dine with the captain. Now it appeared it was an honor for the captain. It might take me longer to learn to think like an admiral than it did to learn adult-speak. "I hope you don't mind that I invited Colonel Russo—the marine commander—and my XO."
"No. But what I tell you is for you three only. It may turn out to be an unnecessary precaution, but I'm a little paranoid. Red," he appeared, as if I had called him, and wound around my neck with his head on my shoulder, "is worth over a quarter million credits, and the last couple of criminals we chased were very vindictive. They didn't like me interfering in their business and decided to retire me early."
"And the reason for your security…" Martz looked to Pannell standing in the back of the room, "and the multiple Purple Hearts," she said, eyes wide, staring at my silver clusters on the ribbon. I nodded.
"Colonel Pannell is an excellent man, but if you need additional help, General Guzman has let me know I'm to support you." Russo laughed. "He said you were small but tough as a battle-hardened gunny, which I took to mean he couldn't intimidate you. That's impressive, since he can melt the buttons on your uniform when he's upset. A good officer, but explosive." Russo was several centimeters shorter than Shelden but wider in the shoulders, and he looked to be all muscle. His hair was cut short and his square face had a weather-worn look.
&nb
sp; "Admiral Webb didn't tell me much more than I was to be your chauffeur to transport you anywhere you wanted to go," Martz said. "And that you had P1A authority."
"I'm the Director of the fifteen NIA stations. I'm new and planning to visit each station as a get-acquainted tour. That's true. But the real justification stems from our investigation into the disappearance of General Guzman's daughter…" I went on to explain what we had found. "This trip is an attempt to determine whether those circumstances are unique to Eastar or have wider implications that could indicate a criminal operation across the UAS. That is the reason for the P1A authority."
"And because kidnapping is a civilian crime and not under the navy's jurisdiction," Martz said, lips pursed in thought. "I hope it's not organized crime operating UAS-wide, but I feel a lot better knowing my guest isn't using the Taranis for sightseeing."
Over dinner I learned a little about Russo, Shelden, and Martz.
Russo had joined the marines after compulsory school. Because of his excellent scores at the marine's introductory school, he had been allowed to attend officer training and had qualified. Over his twenty-year career, he had been part of several operations that quelled rebel uprisings. These successful actions had put him on a fast track to Colonel. He had never married, preferring cruiser to planet-side duty.
Commander Shelden had a fairly routine naval career. After graduating college with an engineering degree, he joined the navy. He did well as an engineering officer, and early on, he had a chance to transition to Bridge duty as the navigation officer. He had never been a captain, but a tour as XO on the heavy cruiser, Taranis, would qualify him and put him at the top of the list. He was forty years old and had eighteen years of service. He had been married and had two boys with his ex-wife. They had separated because of his frequent cruiser tours.
