by C. R. Daems
“I would have said the significant changes this year are a strong indicator that the accidents were intentional. That is, they were murders made to look like accidents with the intention of producing a given outcome.” I paused and took a sip of coffee, awaiting comments.
“You think someone is trying to influence UAS policy?” Seth asked.
“I think it’s a question we must resolve. That will indicate who is most at risk and give us a clue as to who may be involved,” I said. “And their method of operation.”
“They’re killing delegates,” Maxine said.
“But how? Do they have people on every planet or are they centralized? Do they hire local talent for the kill or do they have death teams they send when they have a target? And how do they identify people to be eliminated? You can’t just eliminate delegates and hope you get the change you want. As is obvious from the data, the systems are relatively stable. Consequently, you have to identify groups where killing a specific individual is highly likely to cause the result they’re looking for. That may require the group to have individuals running for election who would fill in if the slot became open.”
“So, this operation could have been in the works for years?” Seth said. I nodded.
“Martha, get me an appointment with Bennett,” I said, as Red wound down and round my neck. He apparently agrees, I mused and smiled mentally at a psychologist’s reaction to my remark.
* * *
“Sir, I’m not sure how you want me to give you an update when I have one. With Vice Admiral Lulltrel, I waited until her staff meeting to update her on my activities for the week. But if something significant was discovered or occurred, I would schedule a special appointment,” I said as I entered Bennett’s office. Again, Glaser and Scherer were present. I idly wondered if Bennett had requested their presence or if he invited me to their normal get-together. Bennett sat with his lips pursed in thought for a long time before speaking.
“That sounds reasonable, but I’ll tell my secretary that if I’m not available to set you up with an appointment with the Majority or Minority leader,” he said, looking to Scherer and then Glaser, who each nodded.
“Good to know,” I said. “Now for the update. For the past four years the systems have been very stable. The numbers of a political party on a voting group change, and now and then a voting group changes its political party, but it usually remains with the currently aligned factions. That is a switch from Social to Liberal or for Conservative to Independent. But only one change of alignment occurred in the last four years—Social to Independent.” I paused for questions or comments. Everyone appeared to be waiting for the But to follow. “The changes this year are subtle but I believe significant. This year there were two changes to aligned factions—from Independent and Conservative to Liberal and four inter-factions within the Conservative-aligned groups—four Conservatives groups changed to two Independents and two Expansionists.”
“What do you think is significant about this?” Scherer asked.
“In my opinion, it strongly suggests that the accidents were murders. If that’s correct, the perpetrators have an agenda,” I said.
“What agenda?”
“What would they achieve if they gained a majority position?” I asked, knowing it was obvious.
“Control of the UAS,” Glaser said. “The Majority group controls where the money is spent which in turns controls policy.”
“What happens if some other group becomes the Majority group?” I asked.
“The Majority group always selects the next president,” Glaser said. He seemed energized now that the Minority group had closed the gap with the Majority group to two votes.
“You believe there is a group killing selective delegates with the intention of taking control of the Committee?” Bennett asked, leaning forward and frowning.
“Given the information I have right now, that appears to be a logical conclusion. My priority is finding the killers but thought you might want to know what I’ve discovered to date,” I said.
“You were right to update us as soon as you had the information. I leave it to you to decide whether an update is urgent or can wait until our normal weekly meeting,” Bennett said and received nods from Scherer and Glaser.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Following Bread Crumbs
I sat in my office pondering the problem of how to follow the bread crumbs the killers were leaving. If I assumed all the changes this cycle were a direct result of their murders, what did that reveal? I came up with several deductions.
* The Conservatives had lost dominance of the Committee’s fifteen votes, going from eight to three votes, and in effect lost dominance of the Conservative group vote as the Expansionists now also had three votes. Conclusion: An unknown political group or cabal was attempting a coup d’état. And the unknown cabal, UnCab as I thought of it, wasn’t backing the Conservatives.
* Since the Conservative group still held the controlling votes, the UnCab’s strategy must be long term—at least another year.
* The Liberals had made the largest gains, going from three to five votes. The Expansionists and Independents had both gained one—the Expansionists going from two to three, and the Independents finishing with two votes, after losing one but gaining two. The Socialists’ vote remained at one.
* UnCab’s manipulations might have been going on for a couple of years based on the changes in the individual groups over the past two years. Although no changes occurred in the Conservative group vote, a total of eight changes resulted in the five-person count, indicating personnel changes.
* The attempts to kill me were well organized and funded.
* The UnCab had to have inside information to know I was hired to find the killers and to know how to time the attack.
* The murders at the individual systems were made to look like accidents while no attempt was made to hide the killings on Eastar were anything but murders.
* The WEP manifesto.
Yes, a lot of bread crumbs, I mused, but where did they lead? I concluded I had at most one year to solve the problem. If the UnCab did gain control, they would certainly appoint a new Director of Committee Security, if they didn’t manage to kill me before then. Surprisingly, that made me mad on several levels—I liked this job, resented them trying to kill me, and was furious at the stress it would cause Alexa. I hated making assumptions, but the limited time I had to solve this case forced me not only to make conjectures before I had all the facts, but also to act on them. I concluded I had to assume:
* They would continue to try to kill me.
* The WEP manifesto and the murders on Eastar were necessary for their agenda but were also intended to draw attention away from the accidents on the various systems.
* The UnCab was backing either the Liberals or the Expansionists. The Liberals were only two votes from becoming the Majority party, and the Expansionists needed only one more Conservative or Independent vote to change to control the Conservative group—given of course they could keep the group together. I would have to ask Scherer for her thoughts on the issue.
* The UnCab had some contact on selected systems to assess the opportunity to forward their agenda. This meant there must be some communication between the UnCab and the systems.
* The killers were centrally based because hiring killers on each system would increase the UnCab’s exposure and because they needed specialists to make the killings look like accidents. And because of the quick response to kill me, the UnCab must be based in Eastar.
I sat looking over my list of assumptions, hoping I hadn’t made a false one that would waste months of effort I couldn’t afford if I were to solve this puzzle before the UnCab could complete their takeover. Given the delegates would be returning to Eastar in a week, the next murders would have to be on Eastar, either a delegate or more likely me.
I clicked on Martha’s icon and immediately heard, “Yes, Director.”
“Martha, get Seth and Maxine.
I’d like to speak to the three of you,” I said, silently apologizing to my mother as I was knowingly setting myself up as bait. I had to trust someone and decided on those three individuals, knowing if I were wrong I was putting myself at more risk. Several minutes later there was a knock at the door and then Martha entered followed by Seth and Maxine.
“Get something to drink and sit,” I said as I got up and took a seat at my small conference table. “Seth, can this room be bugged?”
“Yes, but you have a device on your bookshelf that when activated will block any electronic transmissions,” he said, giving me a look of concern. I typed on my tablet and then turned it toward him.
Can you check if there are any active?
Nodding, he stood and removed a small device from his belt and slowly walked around the room, watching the device. When he returned to the table he shook his head and sat.
“Thank you, Seth. Is there any way transmissions from here can be monitored?”
“Including the delegates?” Seth asked, frowning. I couldn’t be positive but I thought it highly unlikely that the delegates had access to my coming and going on a real-time basis.
“No. I want access for only a couple of hours.”
“It’s possible but I’ll need a few hours’ notice. Can you tell me why?” Seth asked, clearly concerned about legal ramifications.
“I believe the killers we’re looking for will target me next. It’s an assumption but a reasonable one based on several factors. And because of the timing of the last attack, they had only a twenty-minute window to act, so I think it’s reasonable to assume they have a contact here—”
“A mole!?” Maxine’s eyes flew wide as she looked from me to Seth and back again.
“Here is what I’d like to happen. Martha, you will coordinate with Seth when you are going to call the NIA and set up two appointments. One with Admiral Hadley and one with Commander Weaver. I’ll want a couple of hours with Hadley.”
“You think this group will be told of your meeting and set up another ambush?” Seth asked. “Why risk your life? Have Hadley and Weaver come here.”
“My assessment is that whatever this group is planning will be completed by this time next year. So, I have only one year to find and destroy them. They know that and will want me neutralized. I could be wrong about the mole, but if one exists, it’s a good opportunity to eliminate the mole and maybe learn something about the group.”
“You think they will attack on the Committee grounds?” Seth asked.
“No, I think on the way to the NIA headquarters or more likely when we arrive or are leaving.”
“You’ll need extra guards,” Seth said, frowning in thought.
“That’s why I called you in. We need a plan.” I smiled. “I may be reckless, but I’m not suicidal.” I felt a sigh of relief around the table. “I suggest we notify Colonel Pannell there may be trouble. Normally I’d worry about an ambush in the lobby but we will be landing on the roof of the headquarters building.”
Seth laughed. “You aren’t suicidal.”
“Martha, when Seth has the communications tracking in place, you can get me appointments with Admiral Hadley and Commander Weaver. I’ll go to their offices,” I said, silently apologizing to my mother as I was knowingly setting myself up as bait. If I were right and there was an UnCab mole here at Committee Security, I was hoping this gambit would help identify him with minimum risk to my security and me.
* * *
“Ma’am, your appointment with Admiral Hadley is set for thirteen hundred hours at NIA headquarters, and with Commander Weaver at fifteen hundred hours,” Martha said as the four of us convened in my office an hour after I had arrived for work. The previous day, we had decided to make the time between Martha’s call and the appointment short, forcing the mole to have to act quickly and giving the UnCab less time to prepare. Martha had made the call at nine hundred hours, giving the mole only four hours to relay the information.
“I plan to check the tapes at eleven, hoping our mole has made contact by then. I’d like to know who it is, what he said, and hopefully who he called,” Seth said, looking like a crouching panther ready and eager to strike.
“Seth, if you do identify him, don’t take any action until we discuss it. He may only be dealing with a middleman but he may have a connection that could lead us to the killers.”
Seth nodded reluctantly. I couldn’t blame him; having a traitor in your midst was like wearing a soiled shirt or carrying a dirty weapon. “I’ve notified Colonel Pannell. He said he’d have extra security at NIA headquarters in case we needed it. He seemed to think we would.” Seth snorted a laugh.
“He knows from years of experience how determined and clever the opposition can be. They have money and probably high-level connections as they are planning a government coup d’état. If you have the votes to control the Committee, you would have a great deal of power. You can appoint your people to positions of power, change regulations, and funnel money to your priority projects,” I said, thinking out loud. “A movement like that can attract a lot of people claiming to be patriots and wanting to save the UAS from taking the wrong path.”
“That’s scary,” Maxine said. “And without you as director, they would have succeeded.”
“Careful. We’ve identified the problem but are a long way from resolving it. Right now, I’d give them the advantage if for no other reason than the time frame. My one-year estimate is best case. They could be only months from accomplishing their goal.”
* * *
“You were right, Anna. We have a mole. He called a local Eastar number and reported you have an appointment at the NIA headquarters building at thirteen hundred hours. But he used a prepaid card so it’s going to be difficult to identify him. As far as I can tell, the call came from the c-agents area.” Seth looked furious, as it meant a c-agent was betraying us.
“They usually aren’t careless or stupid, so that was about the best we could have hoped for. We know we have a mole, he doesn’t know we know, and we can eliminate everyone who isn’t in the building as well as those in the Committee dome.” I shrugged. “It’s a step closer. In my experience, solving a puzzle like this is slow, painful work. You did good.” I smiled. “I guess it’s time to find out what they have waiting for us.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A Flexible Opponent
We left with my normal detail of four plus Maxine. I had debated whether to take her or not. It wouldn’t be unusual for an aide to accompany me, and she would provide an extra weapon if there were trouble, and I was certain there would be. The question was whether that put another person in danger or provided the detail and me with more protection and a better chance of surviving the encounter. Since I thought I’d have to chain Maxine to something to keep her from going, I relented.
To my surprise, the shuttle reserved for the Core individuals was waiting. It was armored and had missiles and lasers attached. Inside, the seats were a plush leather and it looked more like a hotel suite than a shuttle except for the six seats up front for security. In the middle there was what looked like a small conference area, then an area with a couch and several recliners, and after that a small bathroom and bar.
“Colonel McKenzie cleared it with President Bennett,” Master Sergeant Medina, the team leader, said as I stood frozen surveying the shuttle. “The colonel said Bennett told him the shuttle was available for your use anytime you needed it.”
Eventually, I got my legs moving and took one of the lounge chairs and sat. I had just begun to relax when I felt the shuttle settle on the roof of the headquarters building. Outside, they checked my ID and I entered the elevator and pressed eighteen. To my surprise, Admiral Teresa Hadley was waiting when the door opened.
“Anna!” she half shouted. “Or is it Director Paulus?” She smiled. On an impulse I hugged her. “Thank you, Anna. That’s a hug I’ll long remember. Where’s Red?” Her face was a bit pale but her smile was warm. Just then Red appeared from w
ithin my jacket, wrapped around my neck, and appeared to be looking at Teresa.
“I find he can distinguish friend from foe,” I said. “I’ve missed you, Teresa.”
“I’ve missed you, Anna. The place is boring since you left. No rides on a cruiser, no assassins, and no exciting projects.” She laughed.
“Well, I do have a search I’d like you to make for me,” I said as we walked to her office, where she had coffee made for us. “I want to know which ships arrived at a given planet during the ten days from a specific date, where the ships came from, when they left, and where they went.”
“What are you looking for?” Teresa asked, her face flushed with excitement.
“Please keep this to yourself, but we have a group killing Committee delegates. I believe the group’s home base is Eastar. If I’m right, they identify someone to be killed and then send a person or team of professional killers to make the kill.”
“Why not hire killers on the planet where the delegate lives or wait for him to come back when the Committee meets?” Hadley asked.
“Because they want the deaths to look like accidents, so the team they send are very special assassins. If you can identify the potential ships that might have transported them, Weaver can hopefully identify potential passengers that qualify and the ships they left on. You can then trace him back to Eastar.”
“That’s a lot of searches and one hell of a trick if you can pull it off,” Hadley said, frowning.
“If we can,” I said. “And this is a P1A request and time critical. There is nothing more urgent than this project,” I said, deciding not to try to explain why. “And keep the searches to a select number of individuals. This group is very well connected.”
After Hadley had called in two of her top people and explained what she wanted done, we spent an hour talking about old times and my new position. Hadley decided we should call Weaver to her office.
