Hard Strike

by Eric Thomson

  “Thank you for seeing us so quickly, sir,” Morrow said. “With me are Commander Hera Talyn and Major Zachary Decker of the Armed Services’ Special Operations Command. They’re working on matters related to this morning’s events and came to me for help.”

  Maras examined both operatives with intelligent eyes that missed nothing, then said, “At ease, everyone. Sit.” She paused while they complied.

  “Your presence in my office puzzles me, Commander, Major. Would either of you care to explain why we’re talking, considering the Silfax incident happened only a few hours ago and hasn’t yet been ruled a terrorist act by the Cimmerian government? Besides, this isn’t Sixth Fleet HQ, nor am I Admiral Kingsley. Anti-terrorism is an Armed Services responsibility, not ours.”

  “Sir,” Talyn began, “Major Decker and I are on a wide-ranging sweep through the Rim Sector for the SOCOM anti-terrorist unit. Our job is to pinpoint the leadership of a radical organization calling itself the Democratic Stars Alliance. We picked up a spoor on Mission Colony which led us here, but our arrival on Cimmeria coincided with the Silfax Mining Complex disaster, no more. However, we believe it was, in fact, a terrorist attack and can offer information that might lead to finding those responsible and thereby preventing more deaths.”

  “Okay.” Maras studied Talyn with undisguised skepticism. “The Cimmerian government isn’t calling Silfax anything other than an accident right now, and our criminal intelligence branch believes this Democratic Stars Alliance to be nothing more than political malcontents with delusions of adequacy. But let’s set that aside for now. Why reach out to Chief Superintendent Morrow, who as you’re surely aware is seized with internal affairs and reports to Wyvern? She’s hardly able to help the Fleet’s anti-terrorism effort. If we are dealing with such.”

  “Caelin Morrow and I worked together before, sir. I know her to be of impeccable integrity and one of the least likely to be suborned by the Commonwealth’s internal enemies. The radical movements we’ve been tracing enjoy patronage in the most unexpected places and I couldn’t risk compromising our operations. My partner and I intend to find the DSA and put it out of action before they destroy Howard’s Landing or another densely populated area with the same sort of incredibly powerful explosive we found in the hands of DSA allies on Mission Colony.”

  “You think it might come to that, Commander?”

  “Without a doubt. As I said, the major and I have been tracking violent political groups for months. The DSA and its affiliates are determined to overthrow legitimate governments in the Rim Sector and replace them with regimes espousing a radical — by that, you can read murderous — agenda. They believe in the philosophy of cooperate and live, resist and die.”

  “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here with Chief Superintendent Morrow.”

  “Considering the stakes, this situation has gone beyond what Major Decker and I can manage on our own, at least until Caledonia sends reinforcements. But we can’t afford to wait. Too many lives are at stake. This is where I would suggest Chief Superintendent Morrow comes in. She can serve as the head of a Constabulary task force responsible for assisting the Cimmerian authorities and liaising with Fleet counter-terrorism. But this idea requires your blessing and your support.”

  “Caelin reports to DCC Hammett? She’s not in my chain of command.”

  Hammett, the head of the Constabulary’s Professional Compliance Bureau and Chief Superintendent Morrow’s direct superior, was at Constabulary headquarters in the Wyvern system, several dozen light years from Cimmeria. It meant Morrow enjoyed a degree of independence few officers could claim, especially those below commissioner rank.

  “Yes, sir. But you’re in charge of the Rim Sector. Your word counts for more than DCC Hammett’s when it comes to cooperating with the Gendarmerie and the planetary government.”

  Maras turned her gaze on Morrow.

  “What are your thoughts, Caelin?”

  “If we can avoid a repeat of Silfax on a larger scale, I’ll agree with any scheme, sir.”

  “So you agree with them that Silfax was attacked and not a victim of an industrial accident?”

  Morrow gestured toward Decker.

  “The major is an expert with explosives, and after seeing only the newscast images of the site, he’s convinced it wasn’t accidental, something he hopes to confirm with live satellite images of the actual detonation.”

  “Yet the only way to obtain the data is through a formal Constabulary task force designated to help the Gendarmerie, correct?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Shall I ask DCC Hammett for his blessing?”

  “A simple memo from your office to the Gendarmerie’s director general should suffice for our purposes, sir. I shall report my activities to my DCC in due course.”

  A faint smile softened Maras’ severe countenance.

  “Now we’re agreed, I’ll confess I was already thinking about forming an ad hoc task force like the one you proposed, though choosing which of my chief superintendents would be best suited to head it could have proved a challenge. By avoiding that decision in favor of letting someone from outside the Rim Sector’s chain of command take over solves the dilemma. I’ll make sure you receive every measure of support.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Maras turned her uncompromising gaze on Talyn again.

  “I’m aware you black ops people generally put operational needs ahead of legal niceties when it’s time to save innocent lives, but please remember blatant violations of Cimmerian and federal laws won’t help fight folks like the DSA in the long run.”

  Talyn inclined her head in polite acknowledgment.

  “Understood, sir. Major Decker and I are experts in the art of plausible deniability as is every member of the SOCOM anti-terrorist unit.”

  “In that case, we’re done here. My memo will go out to the Gendarmerie and the Rim Sector branch heads within the hour, Caelin. Keep me apprised of developments as always.”

  “Yes, sir.” All three climbed to their feet.

  “Dismissed.”

  — Twenty-Five —

  They found Arno Galdi in a quiet conversation with Maras’ adjutant in the antechamber. He looked up with a pleased smile when he caught the expression on their faces.

  “I gather it went well?”

  “We’re in business,” Decker replied.

  “The communications center is ready for you anytime you want.”

  “How about we go there now, Arno?” The Marine suggested. “Hera and Caelin can catch up while I check for mail and report to HQ. They probably have a lot to discuss.”

  When Talyn gave him the nod, Decker and Galdi vanished into the corridor while she and Morrow strolled back to the lift bank for a quick ride up.

  “How’s your pal Monty Hobart, or whatever his name was?” The latter asked once they were back in her tenth-floor domain. A smile lit up her face. “I’d still like to thank him properly for saving my life, after giving him hell for trying to manipulate my investigation.”

  “Monty was Lieutenant Commander Garrett Montero, a career Naval Intelligence operative.”

  “Was?”

  “He died at the Coalition’s hands on Scandia during the putsch attempt. His killers didn’t live long enough to face justice thanks to my partner and his friends from the 1st Special Forces Regiment.”

  Morrow’s face fell upon hearing the news.

  “Damn.”

  “Yeah, damn. Garrett was one of the best, a rare combination of sneakiness and integrity. The Fleet gave him a funeral with full military honors. Zack and I were part of the escort carrying him to his final resting place in the Fort Arnhem cemetery.” Talyn gestured at the ceiling. “I like to think his spirit is out there somewhere watching over the rest of us.”

  “I guess you truly are fighting a war.” Morrow waved Talyn into her office. “With casualties on both sides.”

  “We are fighting a war, Caelin. Just because the Constabulary hasn�
��t suffered direct hits yet or at least hits you haven’t written off as something more mundane, doesn’t mean your lot isn’t among the combatants. At least as far as the enemy is concerned. Anyone who stands between the Coalition and its goals is fair game.”

  “So I recall you telling me once upon a time.”

  “Things have become much worse since then.”

  Morrow dropped into her chair behind the desk.

  “Agreed. Even Arno Galdi, ever the skeptic, sees things we never noticed a few years ago. Saying he, Sergeant Bonta and I aren’t busy wasn’t quite accurate. The three of us represent what passes for a command staff in my unit, and we are between investigations, it’s true. Yet the rest of my teams are out chasing the corrupt, venal and stupid in our ranks, and those of the Fleet, each carrying a caseload unheard of in my time with the PCB. Either we’re getting better at sniffing out bent cops, or they’re increasing in number.”

  “Considering the Black Sword mess we dealt with a few months before that putsch attempt on Scandia, I’d say the latter — more of your own corrupted by our Coalition friends and their minions. Folks like Assistant Commissioner Bujold.”

  “It depresses me to realize you’re probably right.”

  “You want me to depress you further?”

  Morrow gave Talyn a resigned look.

  “If I say no, will you do it anyway?”

  “Yes. Remember why Grand Admiral Kowalski created the Constabulary out of the Fleet’s security branch last century?”

  “As a replacement for the thoroughly corrupt Special Security Bureau after she ordered it destroyed.”

  “And for over ten years, we’ve been dealing with another replacement for the SSB, one which also reports directly to the SecGen’s office.”

  “The Sécurité Spéciale.”

  “Precisely. It would dearly like to become the SSB’s anointed successor, with that unlamented organization’s overly broad reach and mandate. I doubt it intends to leave any room for an independent Constabulary reporting to the Senate.”

  Morrow’s face took on a wry expression.

  “Now you’ve done it. I’m more depressed than I was a minute ago.”

  “We’re in this war together, Caelin, whether or not you wish to take part.”

  “I know. Do you think the Silfax Mining Complex incident is an escalation in the Coalition’s tactics?”

  “Possibly. Even probably. The attempted coup against the Scandian government was a big step up from their usual underhanded schemes.”

  A soft chime forestalled Morrow’s response. She glanced at her desk and nodded.

  “DCC Maras just spoke directly with the Gendarmerie’s director general. We should receive everything they have on the matter shortly.”

  “Cooperation from the locals so fast?”

  “There hasn’t been a suspected terrorist incident on Cimmeria since the end of the war, Hera. There’s no one left in the security services who remembers those days. Our Gendarmerie colleagues are well out of their depth, and the current director general is no jurisdictionally obsessed dummy. I’m not surprised he jumped at our offer of help. Besides, he can probably see the writing on the wall concerning federal involvement, especially the Fleet’s, since it owns the Commonwealth-wide mandate for anti-terrorism. Better to invite us feds into the tent now than wait until we push our way in and take over.”

  “A good sign the Gendarmerie already figured out this wasn’t an accidental explosion. It would be nice if all planetary security services were able to think ahead in such a fashion.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find the usual churlishness and obstruction further down the Gendarmerie’s chain of command.”

  A sly smile lit up Talyn’s serious countenance.

  “That’s why I bring Zack along on my missions. He’s remarkably skilled at converting unbelievers and removing obstacles.”

  “High explosives solve many problems,” a deep voice said from the corridor, heralding Decker’s return on the heels of his newest friend, Arno Galdi. “Message sent. It’s a bare bones report on the latest developments. But HQ replied to our earlier report and said help was coming. No mention of what, who, or when. The boss is being cagey with details, which means Admiral Kruczek’s inquisitors suspect Black Sword moles in the communications system.”

  “What sort of help?” Morrow asked.

  “If I get my wish, a full squadron from the 1st Special Forces Regiment — four hundred operators with extensive anti-terrorism training. But considering my luck, it’ll be a corporal’s guard with half the troops on light duties.”

  “That many secret squirrels? I don’t know whether to feel blessed or afraid.” Galdi stroked his beard. “Why not use the local Armed Services muscle?”

  “As much as I respect my Army comrades of the Cimmeria Regiment, they’re not trained or equipped to deal with scum who toss MHX bombs at civilians. Now if the DSA, or whoever did the Silfax job intend to storm parliament or the cabinet offices, then yeah, I’ll ask Colonel Hecht for a couple of armored infantry battalions to stiffen the National Guard.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “I asked that the communications center route any reply to your office, Chief,” Galdi said.

  The soft chime sounded again, drawing Morrow’s eyes to her desktop.

  Decker chuckled.

  “That can’t be a reply from HQ already. My message hasn’t even cleared Cimmeria’s heliopause yet.”

  “No, it’s not,” Morrow replied in a thoughtful tone. “Our Gendarmerie colleagues are spooked. They just sent me everything they have, including the raw data, and within what — ten minutes of DCC Maras calling their director general?”

  “Raw data? Does that include satellite imagery?” Decker asked.

  “Let me check.” Morrow perused the electronic files, and then nodded. “There’s a video marked detonation. I’ll put it up on the main display.” She pointed at the far wall.

  Galdi, Talyn, and Decker turned to face the screen. A few seconds later, an aerial view of the snow-capped Uttara Kuru mountain range swam into view. The Silfax Mining Complex sat at the bottom of an elongated bowl between two high ridges. With the satellite pickup set to wide angle, they could see most of the above-ground structures nestled at the foot of slopes covered in lush greenery.

  Mine heads, refinery, administration building, and company town with shopping and recreational facilities, and the thin ribbon of the monorail linking Silfax with Archeron, where the refined metals were shipped around Cimmeria and offworld.

  With breathtaking suddenness, a bloom of light so bright it might have come from the heart of a supernova, smothered everything. It faded with equal speed, leaving behind a growing black cloud that seemed to reach for the satellite’s electronic eye.

  Decker, Talyn, and the two Constabulary officers watched in silence until the cloud dissipated, revealing a ruined landscape which resembled nothing so much as a cooling lava field.

  The Marine recovered his voice first.

  “Could you return to just before the moment of detonation and run the video at one-twentieth normal speed, please?”

  “You saw something, Zack?” Talyn asked.

  Decker raised a restraining hand.

  “Hang on for a moment.”

  He stood and walked to the display.

  “Run it.”

  An impossibly white light washed out the bucolic scene with the same heart-stopping suddenness as before.

  “Freeze.”

  “Did you slow it?” Talyn asked. “It seemed to blossom just as fast.”

  “That was at one-twentieth normal speed.”

  Galdi let out a low whistle.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that was an antimatter reaction.”

  “No.” Decker shook his head, eyes still glued to the display. “I’m convinced we’re looking at MHX-19, Mayhem for those with a questionable sense of humor.”

  “How big would the device have been?” Galdi asked.


  Decker looked back at the display.

  “Not very. One hundred kilos or thereabouts. A standard small shipping cube would suffice for transport and camouflage. I’d say our terrorists used the monorail to bring it into the complex, hidden among a supply run, or empties returning to the refinery. Pinpointing the epicenter with any accuracy will be almost impossible. Mayhem detonates too fast for most video pickups and erases everything in a substantial circle around ground zero.”

  “Are you sure?” Morrow asked. “Because I have to relay your findings back to the Gendarmerie right away.”

  He shrugged.

  “I can’t see what else it might be. The visual signature is highly distinctive. You saw that single kilo blow away Blanca’s Folly, Hera. Did this look familiar?”

  Talyn nodded.

  “It did, and that means the DSA is responsible for Silfax. This morning was the opening a salvo in their campaign to overthrow the Cimmerian government. Unless we hurry, we’ll get more of these.”

  “And if they felt flush enough with MHX to use a hundred kilos in one strike, what does that tell you?” Decker asked.

  — Twenty-Six —

  An appalled silence settled over Morrow’s office. The two Constabulary officers stared at Decker with growing alarm.

  “You mean there could be several hundred kilograms of that devil’s mixture left on Cimmeria?” The chief superintendent suddenly sounded hoarse.

  “Or more. Silfax was a test and a warning. It caused enough casualties and destruction to get the government’s attention, but not quite enough to stampede it into calling for martial law and Fleet assistance right away. The next target will be an even more important node, something that’ll cause a bigger shock to Cimmeria society.”

  “Cheerful bugger,” Galdi said, scowling.

  “Why has no one claimed responsibility yet?”

  Talyn’s chuckle sounded grim.

  “Psychological pressure. The longer Cimmerian cops and politicians are in the dark about who and why, the more time they have to dream up worst-case scenarios and make counterproductive decisions. That leads to panic, and if it strikes the planet’s leadership, the population will quickly sink into helpless fear. People who are afraid will do anything to ease their terror, such as forcing elected officials to negotiate with radical groups. Someone will claim responsibility, but not yet. If the bastards placed one or more moles inside the government or law enforcement, they’ll be able to time it with exquisite precision.”