Molly took another deep breath. “Thank you all for being here. I cannot express to you how grateful I am…”
Her speech continued, met by the rapt attention of multiple peoples who had worked tirelessly doing all they needed to in an attempt to thwart the efforts of the Northern Clan to have them shut down.
Molly noticed a disturbance in the back of the room. Gareth Atkins, their ally from when they founded the special university seemed distracted. He placed his glass of champagne down on the table and tilted his head, looking at his holo as if taking a call. He headed out the door.
That’s odd, she thought to herself. He is normally super polite and would let it go to messages if he were already in a meeting or an event.
She continued her speech, calling off the points she wanted to make. She and Maya had agreed not to mention everyone by name, simply because it was a security risk, but there were a few people she wanted to mention. Her eyes scanned the room to make sure they were all there. That’s when she noticed Ben’or’s attention had also been pulled. He seemed to have watched Gareth leaving too. Arlene whispered something to him, and he responded, but Molly couldn’t see their lips from her position by the stage.
She continued speaking, calling out the people she was able to thank. That’s when she noticed two or three of the other guests looking down at their holos.
Oz? What’s going on?
Checking now.
He paused. It seems there has been some new intel discovered by the Department of Off-World Logistics.
What intel?
An unidentified object just at the cusp of the range of the joint world satellites.
What does that mean?
Well, probably nothing, but the concern seems to be that something non-Federation and non-commercial is coming into the system from a direction no one can make sense of.
Ok. We need to wrap this up then and get back to Gaitune.
You could. But the distances involved are so large that you have weeks before anything without Gate tech would get here.
Are you sure?
Positive.
Well, let’s assume they haven’t got Gate tech, or else they’d be here already.
Good assumption.
Ok. Round up the core team and have them come up to Gaitune with us after this soiree is done then.
Sending the messages now.
Molly finished her thank-yous and encouraged them to drink the champagne because the university by-laws prohibited her from taking it off-site. She got a few chuckles and a round of applause.
Paige hurried over to her. “Great speech. Well done.”
Molly’s face turned from her show-face, for the outside world, to her just-Molly face. “We’ve got a problem. Oz is sending you details. We should finish up here, but then we need to get back to Gaitune.”
Paige’s eyes widened. Molly wasn’t certain, but she suspected that Paige was more excited than worried. “Ok. No problem,” she said. “Maya’s just finished setting up the demo next door, and she’s responsible for that piece of the evening. We can give her the go-ahead to get that underway if you like.”
Molly nodded distractedly, her eyes scanning the crowd. “Yeah. Let’s do that.” Then she wandered off, without glancing back at Paige.
Paige was used to it. In all the years she’d known Molly she had only seen Molly’s social skills improve—apart from when she was intensely focused on something. Which, she deduced, was probably what was going on right now.
She watched Molly disappear into the mass of people, only to be met at the door by Gareth Atkins coming back into the room. He looked concerned. Not that Gareth was ever footloose and fancy-free, but his expression was grave again, like he had been in the weeks preceding the break-through on the university case.
The pair whispered together for a few moments before Gareth hurried out again.
Paige cocked her head, wondering, before she remembered Molly had told her to check her holo.
She glanced down to see a message from Oz.
Back of the Main Hall, Skóli Uppstigs Academy, Spire, Estaria
Molly excused herself from a conversation with Dr. Augustine as she saw Gareth Atkins return to the room.
“Hey, did you get the same intel I did?” she asked in a hushed voice.
He nodded. “Likely. My contact says that the agencies are all in a dither over this.”
Molly gently led him by the elbow away from the doorway, so they wouldn’t be overheard by the guests bustling around. “Don’t they have contingencies for this kind of thing?”
“They do… but…”
“But?”
Gareth looked more concerned than she had ever seen him. “What is it?” she pressed.
Gareth took a deep breath. “The standard contingency is for them to launch the fleet.”
Molly frowned. She hadn’t paid much attention to the doomsday kind of things when she was in the military. It was more an excuse to do science and disappear from the world. “The fleet?” she queried.
“The Estarian-Ogg fleet,” Gareth clarified.
“But that’s just for policing trade routes, isn’t it?”
“Yes. In times of peace. But there are whispers about enacting section 53 of the second amendment. It gives the military the decision-making power in the event that we’re invaded.”
“You think we’re being invaded?”
“Can’t be sure yet. All they’ve had is a blip on the radar. No one can tell what it is until they’ve got more data.”
Molly thought for a moment, her eyes subconsciously keeping some attention on the room of guests milling around them. She leaned in and lowered her voice even more. “Wouldn’t they need Ogg approval for that? I can’t imagine the Oggs wanting to launch into a potential war with no data.”
Gareth gave her a look as if to say anything is possible.
She tapped a finger on her lips, turning the possibilities over in her mind. “In your opinion, Gareth, could this be an error. In the equipment, for instance?”
Gareth nodded. “Entirely possible.”
“Could it be faked?”
“You’re thinking someone—”
She nodded. “If you wanted to enact martial law, what easier way to do it?”
“Northern Clan?”
She nodded again. “I think they just upped the ante.”
Gareth looked positively gray. He opened his wrist holo. “Lemme make some calls. I’ll see what chance there is of blocking it.”
“Ok. Keep me posted. We’ll see what we can do from our end.”
“Yes. Your mother… of course.”
Molly smiled knowingly. “Yeah. I’m sure she’d love to be involved in this…”
Gareth wasn’t sure if she was being sarcastic… or if she was just grim about having to involve her mother.
Either way, he had work to do. He nodded an acknowledgment and then scuttled off.
Chapter 2
Hangar Deck, Gaitune-67
The pod descended deftly onto the hangar deck back at Gaitune. Molly used the opportunity to ride alone and review the details that Oz had been able to scalp from the communications that had been flying about the Estarian XtraNET.
I think this is a dangerous situation, whether the threat is real or not.
Because of the trigger-happy political elements?
Exactly.
The pod door opened before she reached it allowing her to step out. Joel, who had seen her landing, hurried over.
“I got Oz’s message,” he called to her. “Need me to do anything?”
“Not yet,” she called back, hauling her bag out from under her seat. “Let’s just meet everyone in the base conference room. I just need to pop up to my room and dump my gear.”
Joel came to a stop about twenty paces away, waved in response and hurried off in the direction of the base facilities, no doubt to help wrangle everyone else who needed
to be in on the meeting.
Molly strode across the yellow non-slip paint of the hangar deck, and up the stairs. Heading through the basement workshop, she noticed the empty beer bottles and take out packets in the workshop around where the men played their hologames.
Must have been playing when they got the message, she thought to herself. She had visions of Brock trying to persuade Pieter and Crash to take his hangover cures to get them operational. Goodness knows what he put in those things…
She arrived in the foyer. Giles and Arlene were there, standing around.
She slowed her pace. They turned to look at her.
“All ok?” she asked.
They both looked concerned.
Arlene pressed her lips together and shook her head. She fiddled with her fingers. Arlene never fiddled.
“Erm, actually, we wondered if we might have a word,” Giles began delicately.
“Sure, but I have a briefing. Can it wait?”
Giles shook his head, then took off his glasses.
Molly felt a heaviness rise in her chest. She realized that this may be more than them asking what they could do to help with the situation that was blowing up.
“I can’t help but wonder,” Giles started. “That what we did… with the talismans and Bethany Anne…”
Arlene interjected. “What we’re trying to say is… do you think this radar blip is a result of what we did? With the Ascension Race. You know… like maybe called them and told them where we were and now they’re coming to find us.”
Molly tried to maintain an expressionless face. The thought had already crossed her mind, but it gave her such a sick feeling in her stomach that she tried to play ignorant.
“From what we know, there is nothing to suggest that it’s even moving in our direction, let alone that it’s a ship.”
Giles had replaced his glasses, but he was still frowning. “But it must be large enough for those outer satellites to even pick it up.”
Yeah, fleet size.
We probably don’t want to mention that.
“Maybe. We don’t have enough info yet. Oz is still collating data from the satellites the Oggs and Estarians have in the outer system. Our best estimation right now is that it’s space debris,” Molly explained. “What worries me more is how this might be used to disrupt the already delicate military situation though.”
Giles rubbed his eyes under his glasses. “Yes, we’d thought of that. Anything we can do?”
Molly shrugged, dropping her bag from her shoulder. “I don’t know yet. Why don’t you come to the briefing downstairs in the base conference room? I’m just gonna dump my gear and head over.”
Arlene looked at Giles, completely unconvinced. “Ok. We’ll see you down there then,” she agreed.
Molly gave her a half-smile, in an attempt to be reassuring. She nodded then headed off down the corridor to her quarters. As she left the foyer she heard Arlene say something about going up against the Ascension Race.
Giles replied. “We wouldn’t stand a chance.” His tone was grim and despondent. And he was right. If they were truly going up against the master race that had spent the last ten thousand years seeding all these races in this section of the galaxy, it was safe to say that their technology was far more advanced than anything the Oggs and Estarians could produce.
Molly shook the thought from her head and concentrated on the immediate things she needed to do. She needed to change her clothes, wash her face, and make sure that she grabbed some water to take down with her to the meeting. Something told her this wasn’t going to be a quick meeting.
What’s more, she was going to have to do a lot of panic-control, which was particularly socially and emotionally draining for her.
Base Conference room, Gaitune-67
Molly rushed from the kitchen down to the base conference room, phyto-nutrient protein shake in hand. She guessed in the back of her mind she had probably skipped a meal at some point and figured that would tide her over.
We should probably loop Director Bates in on this briefing.
Molly considered Oz’s suggestion. You’re probably right, subconsciously sighing.
Do I detect a resistance to her still?
Well, a lifetime of BS isn’t going to be obliterated in a couple of missions that happen to go right on her end.
Wow. You’re pretty hard on her.
Well, you haven’t ever had parents, so I don’t expect you to understand. But yes, tactically she would be useful so please do invite her in.
Oz fell quiet as he went through whatever protocols he had set up to contact Carol Bates on official business.
Molly strode into the conference room. The whole team was there, and while there was the usual hubbub of activity and chatter, something was different. It was almost like they could tell that this wasn’t a routine situation. As if they knew what Molly also sensed in her gut: this wasn’t debris in space.
Giles and Arlene sat along the far side of the conference table. Ben’or was next to Arlene. He must have come up with her following the thank you event at the university.
Sean and Joel wore sweat suits and looked fresh from the showers. Jack was in full uniform so she’d probably been working in the weapons room on one of her projects Molly had approved last month. Karina, Brock, and Crash sat together looking as thick as thieves. Molly had noticed how Karina had been bonding with the other team members. In amongst the drama of everything else, at least something was going right.
Paige and Pieter sat next to each other, holoscreens scattered everywhere as they worked, probably fielding all kinds of other work they had on the boil.
Maya arrived a second after Molly and sat down quickly so as not to cause a delay.
Ok, we’ve got Carol on a holoconnection.
Thanks, Oz. Let’s get her onscreen.
The screen in the middle of the conference table unfolded and displayed in the central point so that all members around the table could see her.
Carol looked startled. “Greetings,” she said. “Sorry I wasn’t expecting that everyone would be here.” She paused, taking everything in. “Arlene,” she said sternly.
Arlene nodded to her. Paige glanced at Pieter to see if he had clocked the coolness between the two women.
Molly ignored it. “Hi, Mom. Thanks for being here. And everyone. Thank you. As you know…” she was straight into briefing mode.
“At 20:04 this evening the Joint Ogg-Estarian Satellite System detected an object just beyond the outer region of the system. At present we haven’t had enough tracking data in order to ascertain direction, or even the nature of the object. The primary problem we face is the politicians on Estaria using it as a reason to launch the Fleet. As you know tensions between Ogg and Estaria have run high in recent months over discussions around this very question. Ekks,” she flicked her holo and brought a still shot of Ekks up next to her mother’s video feed. “The Commander of the Joint Fleet has been building support for a move to launch them into the outer system. How he could have known this was coming we don’t know. Either this is coincidental, and he’ll be using it to stir up panic, or he has been anticipating a conflict with one of the member states in the Federation. The Federation angle was something we thought was more plausible… until today’s radar blip.”
She turned to Paige and Pieter who were sitting to the right of Arlene and Ben’or. “Paige, Maya and Pieter, can you get onto investigating possible conflicts that Ekks might be gearing up for. I think it’s safe to assume that the Northern Clan is behind his motivation, but at the same time, I’d suggest putting aside the recent radar hit and assume that hasn’t happened.”
“Oz is monitoring any chatter. Joel, perhaps you could be the human sense check and see if there is anything that corresponds with the political movements on the surface. I’m almost certain there is something we’re missing.”
Carol interrupted. “Might I suggest we look into things p
lanet-side as well.”
Molly nodded. “Of course. Any help would be very much appreciated. Jack and Sean, I’d like you to assume that it is an invasion. But one that isn’t related to the Federation…”
Sean frowned and raised his hand. “Hang on… how do we know it’s not the Federation?”
Molly looked at him with a sarcasm in her eye. “Sean, you’re practically part of the Federation. Do you think they’d do anything without giving you or I a heads up?”
Sean shrugged. “Fuck knows what goes on over there these days. I mean, they changed my vacation policy without telling me. Said it was an oversight. An oversight! Wouldn’t put anything past the big cogs of bureaucrazy.”
Molly rolled her eyes. Karina looked like she was holding her breath. Maybe she knew something that Molly didn’t, she thought for a moment. “Ok, Sean. Well, I’m assuming that if you knew something you would come and let me know. But in case you don’t, my next call after this briefing is to Lance. Ok?”
Sean nodded, folded his arms and sat back. Karina looked at him as if she didn’t know who he was right now. Molly filed the information away to consider later. She knew from her online Federation “people-ing” modules she’d been studying that the woman always knows when her man is lying, and worst-case scenario she might have to interview Karina to make sure she had all her bases covered. Royale had always been a bit of a wild card in her camp when it came to the Federation. Mobilization for war wouldn’t fall outside of his strange loyalty to Lance.
“As I was saying,” she continued. “Run the simulations as if this is a new, third-party threat that we don’t already have on the board. I want to know what our options are for action, and what our probabilities of a favorable and an unfavorable outcome are in each scenario.”
Jack took some notes down as she listened.
“Brock, Crash, and Karina, can you make sure that we’re up to date with maintenance on all the ships and pods? If we need to move, I want our ships to be in top condition. Anything that you’ve been meaning to do, make sure you get it organized. Assume from a maintenance perspective that we’re going to war in two weeks. Order up parts and any supplies you need. Put aside non-critical projects.”
The Ascension Myth Box Set Page 211
