Steiner held out his hand. “Isaac, it’s good to see you again.”
“Yes, yes, let’s skip the pleasantries, shall we,” Steele said, waving his fingers in disdain. “Always uncomfortable with physical signs of greetings.”
Steiner had forgotten the man’s aversion to touch. “Are you still teaching at the academy?”
“Yes, yes, never left. Classes in astrophysics, philosophy, and ancient literature.” Steele smiled as if talking about his own accomplishments pleased him. “Teaching man’s past, present, and future, all in the attempt to forestall the eventual decline of all governments into the chaos of subjectivism. It seems to be working for now since it is a president giving you an award rather than an emperor.”
Long before the war, at the early age of twenty-eight, Steele had become the youngest professor of multiple subjects at the academy. At a time when loyalties of all military officers were under question, Steele tested the loyalties of the incoming cadets with carefully designed essay questions to determine who could be trusted not to sell out for a bribe and who would fight for their principles. Steele could remember every essay, word for word, of every student who had ever taken his class and could recite them all back.
“It’s strange to see you here,” Steiner said. “You used to avoid all social gatherings.”
“Yes, yes, but matters of necessity have forced me to come here.” When some people approached the punch bowl, Steele shrank back, beckoning Steiner to follow. The professor disappeared behind a spreading plant in an alcove of the room.
Steiner followed him curiously out of sight of the other guests. “Is there anyone in particular you are trying to avoid?’
“Everyone. I do hate reminiscing, and the dreaded small talk with old acquaintances. Chat. Chat. Chat. How’s this? How’s that?”
“Have you heard what happened to Captain McKillip?” Steiner asked.
“Yes, yes, of course. I followed the tragic loss of both Fern and Judith.”
“I hope you believe me when I tell you that Admiral Jamison had them both killed. He is a spy.”
Steiner expected a look of shock from Steele, but the tall man chuckled. “Of course. I know he is. Do you mistake me for some simpleminded dupe?”
Unable to believe what he just heard, Steiner stood speechless.
“I doubt Ralph Jamison was always a Separatist spy. During the invasion on the Day of Betrayal, I do believe he was our ally, but I suspect his relations with the pirating ring put him in a position to be bought.”
“You know about the link to the pirates that McKillip was attempting to collect evidence on?”
“Yes, yes, of course. I am certain much of his evidence came from me anyway. McKillip was protecting my involvement in the matter, but I had no choice but to come and speak to the president after the Valiant was conveniently sent to a sector of space to face two battlecruisers and a dreadnaught, alone. It was plainly obvious Ralph Jamison had become an enemy agent.”
Steiner tried to grasp what Steele was saying. “If that’s true, why hasn’t he been arrested yet?”
“Michael Lindsey and I both agreed that since Ralph Jamison was in such an influential position, we had to make certain he could do as little damage to us as possible. For the last month, I have been modifying our current jamming buoys near the border to create what I call the ‘Steele Net,’ which blocks all unauthorized transmissions into the New Order Empire. We only brought it up online today.”
Steele’s nose twitched. “Why do people insist on having flowers within a closed room?” He pulled out his handkerchief and sneezed. “Until the net became active, we could not risk tipping Ralph Jamison off that he was under suspicion. Our next step goes into effect tomorrow, as each ship will be redeployed from its current location to block off any possible routes back into the New Order Empire. Then we will begin an official investigation.”
Steiner soaked in the information for a moment. “So when I attacked Jamison, it was for nothing.”
“An emotional overreaction, resulting in the imprisonment of a good officer. I had completely given up hope on you, as I had Patrick Braun, until both of you surprised me by joining the Penitentiary Assault Vessel program and making it a huge success.”
“You came here to congratulate me?”
“No, Jacob Steiner. I came to this party to save your career.”
“How so?”
Steele reached into his dinner jacket, produced two of the magazines with the scandalous headlines about the success of the P.A.V., and handed them to Steiner. “By tomorrow, these will read ‘The son of Admiral Richina, the Emperor’s Executioner, in league with Captain Jacob Steiner, convicted attempted murderer.’ By this time tomorrow both you and he will likely be tried for treason.”
Steiner stood, dumbfounded. “How did—?”
“Surely you didn’t think I was an oblivious fool who might believe the alien story or the equally preposterous story you just gave Commodore Cole. It’s elementary to any keen observer.” He tapped his glasses twice. “I know that the only way to disable a Separatist battlecruiser is to use a command code, one the New Order had installed in each of their ships after the terrible fiasco the United Star Systems had during the Day of Betrayal invasion. If a battlecruiser ever became compromised, an admiral could access its computer with a single command code and shut down its weapon systems. Since an admiral didn’t give you the code, it had to be a family member.” He paced around the pillar, looking rather proud of himself. “There are three senior admirals in the New Order’s fleet, David Scheidner, Francisco Richina, and Matthew Patterson.” He held up three fingers. “Patterson isn’t married.” Two fingers. “Scheidner has three girls, who couldn’t be serving on your all-male ship.” One finger. “Admiral Richina, on the other hand, had two boys, Mason and Randy. Upon checking your crew manifest, I find a ‘Rick Mason,’ a poorly constructed alias that interchanged the first and last name of ‘Mason Richina.’” His fingers sprang out in the “eureka” expression that Steiner remembered him best for. Steele picked up one of the magazines, looking at the headline, which read “Prison raiders in league with Separatists to gain favor with the United Star Systems.” He shook his head sadly. “At the very least, he should have used an anagram.”
“He’s not a spy,” Steiner tried to explain. “He hates his father.”
Steele looked up immediately. “Of that, I have no doubt. Fathers often impose a perfect vision of themselves onto their children, resulting in the exposure of the hypocrisies interlaced within their own lives and driving wedges between themselves and the intended clone of their image. I don’t doubt his loyalty to you at all.” Steele tapped the magazine in Steiner’s hand. “But that’s the kind of sensational exploitation they’ll thrive on.”
“What can I do about it?”
“Your only hope is that Commodore Cole explains to everyone at Military Intelligence exactly how your computer specialist cracked a New Order command code, or you’ll never make it out of the space docks again.”
Steiner shrugged his shoulders, defeated by his situation. Perhaps Steele was right. If the instructor figured it out, the news services would, too. “I wouldn’t be able to convince anyone.”
“You are precisely right,” Steele replied with a smile. “But I can.” His hand produced a computer data card from inside his dinner jacket. “This is a little computer program I created last night. It’s a ‘smart brute-force-attack’ cryptographic computer program, based on previously broken Separatist code structures. This could have generated the password he used, as long as he correctly guessed the salted key, the cleartext word or phrase that finishes encrypting the cipher. Do you know what that was?”
Steiner had no trouble remembering the ominous phrase. “The future begins.”
Steele let out a single laugh, stifling it immediately, bringing himself came back under control. “So predictable,” the man muttered to himself. He handed the card to Steiner. “Give this to Cole and tell him
that Bryan Sicket randomly heard another convict in prison mention that same phrase, and you’re in the clear. Rick Mason can remain undetected on the P.A.V.”
“Thank you, Steele. Rick will probably want to thank you as well. Why are you so willing to believe him?”
“Because I’ve never told you who my father is,” the tall man said with a wink. “And I never will.”
Music from an orchestra began playing in the central lobby. The people in the lobby began filing into the auditorium.
Steele straightened up. “I hear you are receiving the ‘Louis Harrison’ medallion. Frankly, I don’t know which Louis Harrison would have enjoyed more, the irony of having an award named after him or your receiving it. After the ceremony, would you care to join me on a visit to Patrick Braun in the hospital?”
“Sorry, I won’t be able to. I have another crisis I need to deal with. I heard a private donor is personally overseeing his medical care.”
Steele smiled. “You are correct.”
“It’s you, isn’t it?”
“Just don’t tell him that—I don’t think he could take it. Right now, he thinks the government is doing it because of his heroism.”
“Please get him to walk again.”
Steele patted him on the back and led him into the conference room. “Even if I have to design the legs myself.”
RALPH Jamison stood alone in a cargo hold on Earthstation, contemplating the news he had just received. His plan lay in tatters. All the years he had spent moving the United Star Systems into a new era of freedom, one unhindered by public opinion, seemed to be in vain. Jamison scratched the middle of his hairless scalp. How could he free the galaxy from the bureaucratic chains of democracy if he were exposed as a spy?
He tensed when the door opened, then breathed with relief when Quinn entered the room.
“What is the emergency? I thought you were going to be stationed at Tycus until next month.”
“I was called here from Tycus for a special meeting of the Council.”
Quinn chuckled. “Are they planning to surrender yet?”
“Haven’t you seen any news reports in a while?”
“I just arrived back from the Empire yesterday. I haven’t had time. Why?”
Jamison gritted his teeth as he answered. “The Northern Invasion has been defeated.”
“The base at Macrales?”
“Destroyed.”
The color drained from Quinn’s face. “How did the U.S.S. find out about it?”
“Steiner and his crew of convicts deviated from their raiding schedule and overran Hurot IV.”
“Impossible.”
“Ask the crew of the battlecruiser Conqueror what’s possible,” he said, raising his voice. “Steiner and his wretched band captured them during the attack on Macrales.”
Quinn’s expression went blank for a few seconds. “He is a powerful man indeed. Where is he now?”
“Down on Earth.”
“He is?” Quinn ran his hand through his spiky brown hair. “I’ll have the pleasure of gutting him myself.”
“Steiner’s being presented a medal. You couldn’t get near him.”
“Find out where his ship will be stationed next week. When I return to the Empire, I’ll set an ambush for them.”
Jamison shook his head. “You can’t get back. New ship placement orders went into effect this morning. All the gaps have been closed off. We can’t even send out a message. A new transmission-blocking grid has been deployed along the border regions. Apparently, someone’s been listening to Steiner.”
Quinn’s face hardened. “Had you been informed of these changes beforehand?”
“No. That’s what worries me. I suspect they are onto me. That’s why I asked you here. We have to act tonight, or all is lost.”
“You have a plan?”
“Yes. Since the new battle positioning of the ships needs to be reported to your superiors, and we can’t transmit anything to them, we’ll have to smuggle a computer disk with all the materials on it into the New Order Empire.”
“Yes, but you just said, all the holes we used to use have been closed up. How can we get through without being boarded?”
Jamison smiled. “You served with Joseph Barker on the P.A.V.”
“Just for a few days before he was murdered.”
“Do you think you can start a mutiny on Steiner’s ship?”
The wintry eyes glistened. “Just kill the captain.”
“No,” Jamison replied. “I mean lead a mutiny, subjugate the crew, and use the vessel to smuggle the computer disk into the Empire. It’s the only way. From these revised orders, the P.A.V. will be patrolling the southern border. You’ll have to keep Steiner alive until you get to the border, to avoid any suspicion, then kill him.”
Quinn ran his fingers through his bristly hair. “It sounds like an interesting challenge. Can you get me on board by tomorrow morning?”
“I’ll forge the transfer orders tonight. I have a man I trust, who can switch Steiner’s real Orders disk with a phony one, which will contain all the new U.S.S. plans.”
“What about the P.A.V.’s passwords? I’ll need them.”
“Yes. I’ve already arranged to have someone break into Suzanne Riggs’s office and steal them from her personal computer.”
“Is he worthy of your trust?”
“Most of the time. He helped me acquire McKillip’s files from his late wife. Maybe you remember him? He has a distinctive ponytail.”
CHAPTER 18
STEINER looked out from the side of the stage at the multitude of tuxedos and glittering evening gowns within the massive auditorium. The guest list included only the most elite of government officials and their spouses. Commodore Cole sat in one of the front rows, beaming with excitement. Among the row of the president’s staff sat Isaac Steele, looking uncomfortable.
Fingering the computer card in his pocket, Steiner was thankful that Mason was going to escape possible prosecution, but his stomach still turned with worry over his missing weapons officer. Why had Tramer run off? Had he gone looking for his wife and daughter? After all, a small girl’s scream had incited him to run away. Maybe Tramer had gone to search for them—but then again, how would he know where to look? What would he do if he found them? Nerves sparked a trail from Steiner’s head to his feet, making all his body hair stand on end. Would Tramer hurt his wife for taking his daughter away? Worse yet, would he try to take her back? Steiner would have dismissed the thought, but after what had happened the previous night, he couldn’t be sure anymore.
The live orchestra began the anthem for the United Star Systems, bringing the entire assembly to their feet. From the opposite side of the stage, President Lindsey strolled out to a podium at the center. A deafening eruption of clapping drowned out all the other sounds in the auditorium. After the gathering reseated themselves, the president gave a speech of how peace and unity would one day be restored to the galaxy. When he finished, he introduced his guest of honor.
Most of the officials rose to their feet and gave him a standing ovation, but a few quietly remained seated.
Steiner walked up to the president and accepted his outstretched hand. Looking into the elderly man’s face, he saw earnest gratitude reflected there. This handshake was more than just a token gesture. From out of his suit jacket, the man produced a small case with the initials L.H. on it and opened it. The overhead spotlights played on the surface of the gold medallion contained within.
“Six years ago, Louis Harrison discovered the New Order Empire’s plans to invade,” the president said. “Because of his intervention, we were able to prevent the First Invasion from moving in any farther than Macrales. I am presenting the medallion named in Harrison’s honor to Jacob Steiner, for his initiative in preserving the United Star Systems from another major invasion.”
He lifted the ribbon over Steiner’s head. In the front row, Cole marched up the center aisle to the front of the auditorium, in view of the entire
assembly, and saluted. The cheers increased, and several of the seated admirals rose to their feet also. Steiner held his breath as joy and guilt battled within him.
Tramer, where are you?
Shielding himself with a fake smile, Steiner thanked the crowd. The president invited anyone who wanted to assemble in the courtyard to offer personal congratulations to Steiner. Steiner dreaded the thought. He didn’t have time for that. As he retreated behind the curtain, his stomach turned as he envisioned a pack of lions gathering to tear him apart with questions.
Suzanne met him backstage. “What are we going to do about Commodore Cole needing a computer program to deliver to Military Intelligence?”
“Give him this.” He gave her the computer card and told her the key phrase required to make it work.
“Did Bricket make this?”
“Yes,” he lied.
“Will this be good enough to fool Military Intelligence?”
“Absolutely.”
She breathed with relief. “Oh thank goodness. I thought we were sunk. Let’s go give it to Cole together. They are expecting you in the courtyard.”
“I can’t go with you,” he said.
“What are you talking about?” she asked. “They’re expecting you—you’re the guest of honor.”
“I have to find Tramer,” he replied.
“I agree, but find him later.”
Steiner fingered the gold medallion slung around his neck. “I don’t feel right about this. This award belongs to Tramer, not me.” He lifted it over his head, but she stopped him.
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