Blockade

by Chris Hechtl

  "We'll have oversight. We'll have to report to the chain of command but it will be far away. Direct supervision will be by the senior officer in the sector. But even that might be more or less hands off."

  "See new places, maybe fly new ships … slower pace … I'm in," Mae said with a curt nod.

  "I like it. I think we can set up our own tech. I'm curious, are we going to get our own ship?" Mack asked. Fitz and Simmons looked instantly interested.

  "You know, I didn't ask that. I can though," Colton stated. "With our troop we'd need a bus though."

  "A fast courier. An antimatter courier, armed of course. It's got to have good stealth," Mae stated. "I'll need to train to fly her. We'll need more crew too."

  "Mack and I can handle engineering," Fitz volunteered. "Simmons can handle medical and life support."

  "We'll need an A.I." Skye stated. The others turned to her in surprise. Colton frowned. "It's not that farfetched, people," Skye stated. "I'm pretty sure we were going to get one or more. We'll need it anyway. I can't be everywhere to crack every system," she stated.

  "Humbled by the experience in Pyrax?" Mae teased.

  "Something like that," Skye replied with a grimace.

  Colton nodded slowly. "Okay. So, we have a counteroffer and some ideas. Are we all in agreement?" Everyone nodded. "Okay, so, that leaves us where."

  "Sigma, Tau, or Pi, right?" Mack asked.

  "Yes."

  "Tau will take over a year to get there. Including the time it will take to get across Rho to get to Airea 3," Fitz stated. "Sigma is almost as bad, and we'd be in enemy territory right off."

  "I like the idea of Pi. Simple, it’s right there, and we can do a lot with the resources already in the sector to draw on," Mae stated.

  Colton gave her a long look. She just looked back at him. Finally, he ducked his head and shook his head. "I should have known not to get into a staring match with you."

  "Serves you right," she murmured.

  "I like the idea of going to Pi. Tir na Nog is a medical world. I can check that out. And we know the enemy is sending bioweapons. I'd like to be up-to-date on them," Simmons stated.

  "And the navy mission in Pi is to shut the pirates down, take out their bases, and salvage any ships they've captured," Mack stated. Fitz instantly perked up at that news. "I'm all for that," Mack growled deeply.

  "Here here," Fitz said, looking at Colton for confirmation.

  Colton turned to Mae and Skye. Both nodded.

  "All right, Pi it is. We'll need a list. And for some reason I'm now interested in apple pie after lunch, Dutch apple pie."

  "I found a diner nearby, sir," Skye stated. "Good reviews," she stated, holding up her tablet.

  "A step ahead. Good. Let's go then and discuss what we'll need," Colton said with a smile.

  -~~~///^\~~~-

  Yorgi met with Monty and Fletcher later that evening. He blocked out the conversation with Colton to the others. Monty nodded. "I have to agree to Colton's plan. We don't have enough ship assets of our own. We need to change that."

  "The ship is a good idea," Geni inserted, "as is giving them a dedicated A.I. for support."

  "I am a bit concerned though," Monty said slowly.

  "Oh?"

  "You aren't worried about their having a problem handling the load of running the ship plus the ground operations? And overseeing the sector?" Monty asked. "I know they can multitask, but there is a limit for us organics."

  "I think that's a lot for anyone's plate," Fletcher inserted. "But we will send them A.I. support as Geni and Agent Colton mentioned. And you can add to their team."

  "Integrating additional people into their team is tricky. It's not that they aren't open; it's just that they have bad luck keeping people alive."

  "Ah?" Monty asked.

  "They have inserted into some terrorist organizations including a nasty cult and took casualties on several occasions. I don't know how much you know about Bek's history …"

  "Some. I obviously only skimmed the basics though," Monty replied.

  "Ah. Well, let's just say there is a reason we've had a big Office of Naval Intelligence for so long. And we've worked hard at keeping the peace. But we haven't always been successful."

  "Oh. I guess I need to do some additional reading," Monty replied dryly.

  "Some of it was burn before you read and never made it to a file," Yorgi stated. He didn't mention that was because some of it had involved deep cover work that had compromised a few ethical boundaries.

  "Oh. Yeah, those are the fun ones that keep you up at night."

  "Exactly. And this team is one of the best at getting in and out of situations. But not always with their people intact." He didn't add that Colton had an artificial hand Fitz and Simmons had cooked up or where he'd gotten it.

  "Ah."

  "The ship idea though, it's a good one. They'll need mobile assets. A Meridian class do you think?"

  "I think it might work," Monty said slowly as his A.I. pulled up the stats of Meridian for him. "She certainly has the stealth and sensors they'll need. Small enough to get in and out of star systems easily but large enough to get to Pi on her own. But she's not armed. Nor does she have the cargo capacity to send a lot of tech with them."

  "That's what replicators are for. And we can talk to the design board about modifying a Meridian. Antimatter power is definitely a must. I see why John was pushing it."

  "Yes. Well, if we can get them to build one … then Shield will have its bus."

  "I know. But that throws off my plan to send them right away," Yorgi stated with a grimace.

  "True. But it gives us time to work on using them here while they wait on their bus. Or, they can go, and it'll catch up. Up to you, sir," Monty stated.

  "My gut says make them wait but I know Colton isn't thrilled about public exposure. He prefers to live in the shadows. Let's find out what's available and then give him a timeline. If he can't wait, then we'll go ahead and send them ahead."

  "Roger that," Monty replied with a nod.

  -~~~///^\~~~-

  Colton received an email with confirmation of the first step. He privately had to admit that having implants and the ability to access electronics and electronic documents through them was appealing in some ways. There was still the atavistic fear of being taken over somehow by them, but Fitz, Simmons, and even Skye had scoffed at the very idea. "So, the powers that be have cleared us for the time off. And we're going to go through the full implant procedure," he said, "each of us."

  Fitz and Simmons nodded.

  "ONI implants are very different than standard naval implants, just so you are aware. Among other things, each of us are going to get extensive enhancements and security packages." He grimaced.

  "I can help there," Simmons said brightly.

  "No doubt you could, but I also received passes for you, Skye, Fitz, and Mack to visit the R&D centers once you return from liberty. I guess they want the rest of us to go first," he drawled, looking at Mae.

  Mae nodded ever so slightly. She could tell Phil was worried about something, but he wasn't willing to discuss it in front of the team. So be it. She'd get it out of him later.

  "I'm not big on R&D myself," Mack admitted. "I'm more of a hands-on kind of guy," he said gruffly. "But I'd like to nose around a bit."

  Colton nodded. "I'm sure an actual engineer's point of view will be helpful to them. Keeping them grounded is probably a good idea," he said, shooting a look at the trio.

  "We're not completely lost," Fitz said crossly. "We don't need a babysitter. No offense, Mack," he said shooting a look at Mack.

  Mae sniffed. "Oh no? You three get your heads so far into the clouds you forget to breathe, let alone eat. And Mack may need to know some of this tech later," she said with a shrug. She turned to Mack. "Let me know if they've got any new ships to test fly."

  "Of course," Mack said, cracking a smile. Mae was obviously itchy to get some stick time in, even if it was with a simulator
.

  "I want to know more about the A.I. and the A.I. Xeno Wraith I keep hearing about," Skye stated.

  Mack whistled softly.

  "I'm curious about the cybernetics myself," Simmons stated. "Though I'd like to know more about the medical procedures. I tried to get caught up while in transit, but I was limited to what I could access," she stated.

  "Good idea," Colton stated. "I don't know what we're going to be allowed to carry but plan on an extensive reading list for the move."

  "Did they say where we're going, sir?" Fitz asked as he and the others looked up and directly at the team leader.

  "Not yet. But I've got a feeling we're going to go to Pi. In either case we're going to spend time in transit so be prepared for it. Stock up on reading material and sims."

  "Yes, sir. Can I get my hands on that engineering A.I.?" Fitz asked, looking from him to Skye. "Mercury? I know Admiral Logan had a copy."

  "I'll look into getting you one," Skye stated with a nod.

  "You lot sound like you are already headed to R&D," Mae replied with a shake of her head.

  "Oh, could we, sir?" Simmons asked breathlessly.

  Colton's lips puckered for a moment before he shrugged. "Why not? I'll put in a word. And maybe, if they let you," he turned to address his Mack and Fitz, "you’ll have a hand in the design of the ship I pitched. And you can quite possibly oversee its construction."

  Mack nodded.

  "Hey, yeah, that'd be stellar," Fitz said with a grin.

  "Okay. Pick your liberty locations and keep in contact. I'm first up to go under the knife. Apparently, I'm going to have some recovery time, so they figured they'd combine it with my liberty."

  "Sand, sun, and nice surf?" Mae asked with a smile.

  "I have to admit, I am curious about what they've got here," Colton said as the group broke up.

  Chapter 13

  Sprite oversaw the wrap-up of the investigation into the early return of the hyper platforms. The engineering commander assigned to the task seemed phlegmatic over the entire ordeal. "So, you are saying there is no malfunction. They've got full antimatter?"

  "Yes. No temporal anomalies either," Commander Berkowitz reported, checking his notes. "We checked for chronotrons, spatial stretching, the clocks, and even checked radio isotopes. Everything checks out as normal."

  "Back up. Temporal anomalies?"

  "Admiral Irons asked for it."

  "That's news to me. Okay, but none found. So what happened?"

  "They apparently ran into a rich stream of energy and filled up like ticks. Faster than we expected. We have the coordinates, so we're planning to send them there again. Hopefully, the stream hasn't shifted."

  "Understood. Carry on then I suppose," Sprite said in bemusement.

  -~~~///^\~~~-

  Sprite managed to slip the report in to Admiral Irons in-between appointments. He listened and nodded. When she finished, she couldn't resist asking about the temporal anomalies. "The commander said you ordered a check."

  "Classified."

  "Classified?"

  "Yes."

  "So, we have a bit of an antimatter surplus at the moment. And when we get the next shipment in from Pyrax as well as the one from … elsewhere, we'll be swimming in antimatter. If that is even possible."

  "Not quite but it will seem that way. We'll need to arrange a shipment to the front once we have the pieces in place. This means we're going to be behind on hyper mines though or, to put it differently, ahead of where we expected to be."

  "Understood. And you still wish to move forward with the blockade?"

  "Yes. We contain them, force them into their shell, then take them apart on our schedule. We're going to wear them down."

  "Understood. And this means we'll have enough fuel for the antimatter powered ships as well as the antimatter torpedoes and weapons programs," she stated. He nodded. "Classified though?"

  He snorted. "Back to that?" he asked with a half-smile.

  "Yes. Always. You know me."

  "That I do. And yes, I know you have a high classification level. This is above that for the moment. All will be explained in time."

  "Understood. As long as you scratch that annoying itch sometime."

  He snorted. "All good things come in time."

  "Sure they do."

  -~~~///^\~~~-

  Admiral Pashenkov went to Admiral Irons once the investigation into the BuSchools mess was complete. He was aware he'd been fingered, but his A.I. had backed him up and helped to clear his name. He admitted that he had known about the antics to replace Matilda but hadn't stopped it or reported it.

  "Why?"

  "Sir …"

  "No excuses. Just that, why?" He hadn't been happy that so many officers had been slipped on the promotions list. He'd slipped up on not vetting them. Many had just been names on a sheet, and he'd blithely signed off on the order.

  Not anymore. Now he was running them past Sprite or Fletcher or someone else. And they were working with other A.I. in the fleet to make alterations to personal jackets noticeable. What was changed, by who, and when would be in embedded in the code.

  "You have to understand. I knew but if I said something I'd be undercut by my subordinates. Some of them might go out of their way to make something fail so I'd look bad. Stick a knife in my back." Admiral Irons grimaced in memory. He'd seen that a few times before the Xeno war. He nodded subtly. "So I'd get into trouble, so I'd catch hell for it," the Neowolf grimaced. "That is how it works in Bek. Positions can be cutthroat. You build a group of people around you, a group you can trust. You have a line of protégées and you are one of them. You scratch their back; they scratch and cover yours."

  "I see," the admiral stated.

  "You can't tell me that wasn't how it was in the old Federation," the Neowolf stated.

  "No, pretty close. I'd like to romanticize it and say it wasn't but it was. But I'm trying to get past that and build something better."

  "Ah."

  "And, the only way to do that is to find people who share that dream and will step up. Who aren't afraid of the ire of their subordinates. An officer needs to be able to make the hard call, despite potential consequences for their career," the admiral said eyeing the Neowolf.

  The wolf's ears went back and then slowly rose. "Yeah, I screwed up."

  "Yes, you did." Admiral Irons frowned and looked away. "You are on probation like Yorgi. If I run into another problem, you are gone. I'll take the hit, but I'll find someone I can trust to get the job done."

  "Yes, sir."

  "I mean it. I bend over backwards to give people a second or even a third chance. But there is a limit to that credit line. Spread the word. Everyone needs to get with the program. We're supposed to be one navy, not Bekians versus the rest."

  "I'll do my best, sir," the Neowolf stated.

  "Good. See that you do."

  -~~~///^\~~~-

  Admiral Irons nodded a little as he scanned the latest prowler design. Not bad, the special one off design they were calling the Bus for Yorgi's so-called Shield Team was taking shape. He had his doubts about the armament though.

  Captain JG Gray wanted to include torpedo or missile launchers in the next class of armed prowlers but he couldn't see it. The Shield Team's Bus couldn't hold more than a dozen missiles in her tiny magazine, there was no point in trying to put them in to full production. No, if they did use missiles or torpedoes the best option was to kick them loose from a boat bay. That would allow the mother ship to get clear of them before they were activated. They'd have a slow launch, but it would still screw with whoever was fired upon.

  And, if they were very lucky, they might take the target out.

  -~~~///^\~~~-

  Vice Admiral Pashenkov grimaced, ears slightly back, as he read the latest news report. Public Affairs was having a hard time dealing with the fallout from Admiral Irons latest temper tantrum. Not that he could blame the admiral. The admiral was right. His people were getting too
cute. He just didn't know how to get them to rein it in without getting a knife stabbed in his own back in the process.

  He was already on thin ice with the admiral; he didn't want to stumble and break through at this point.

  Some of the admiral's orders had been leaked back home in Bek. They were making waves there, creating a new line of controversy for the admiral. It was starting to splash over here, where people like Knox News were getting their hands on it.

  The thing that bothered him was that they were making their own pain, giving themselves a headache. And for what? His people just didn't get the idea of a long game.

  He inhaled and then exhaled heavily.

  Vice Admiral Subert might change things up locally. He was definitely intent on shaking things up, and he made no bones about being unhappy about being replaced by a Bekian. Georgi shook his head. They couldn't have it both ways; if they wanted Bekian help, they had to accept some of the good with the bad.

  Still, it might be a wise idea to talk things over a little with Yorgi, Odette, and a few others. Maybe they could spread the word for their people to remember they were all supposed to be one big happy family.

  It was worth a try at any rate.

  -~~~///^\~~~-

  Liobat did her best to weather the storm in the press conference. Despite no news from the front, the navy was in an uproar over the admiral's recent policy changes. Some were speaking out for and against it. There were even lawsuits pending over bias. The navy was supposed to be apolitical. Bekian officers were suing with the message that anyone should be allowed to serve while non Bekian officers were suing because they'd been slighted.

  It was a mess. A big one. She wanted to hope for something, anything to distract them. But knowing her position with Lady Luck as of late, Murphy would put in an appearance and maliciously pile the bad luck right on top of her, threatening to drown her in bad news. No, she'd do her best. Batten down the hatches and do her best while referring naval questions to the Admiralty with her best polite expression.

  -~~~///^\~~~-