“Of course, Madam Minister,” Marcum said smoothly, appearing completely unruffled.
“We’re holding this informal briefing with the key players in the events that led up to the complete loss of Haven before a full session of the Council convenes to determine what, if anything, Earth will do about these unprecedented events,” Nelson continued. “Feel free to ask questions if there are points you’re unclear on … it’s imperative that everyone is up to speed in case you’re called up to give testimony.”
Jackson sighed inwardly at that last part. He was certain there was no way he would avoid being called up before the Council if for no other reason than he was the most notorious “Earther” serving in Starfleet. His role in the Phage War, as it was now being called, had been wildly exaggerated by Earth’s media outlets to the point that he was portrayed as a hero, a bungling fool, or a bloodthirsty lunatic willing to let millions die to satisfy his desire for all-out war with the first spacefaring species encountered by humans. Unfortunately, he wasn’t all that sure where he actually fell on that spectrum.
“We’ve questioned the alleged Colonel Robert Blake extensively and have even been able to analyze his DNA, comparing it to samples that were miraculously preserved in what used to be the United States.” Nelson grimaced slightly as she eased herself down into the plush chair at the head of the ovoid table. “By any measure we would use to determine such things, Colonel Blake is who he claims to be. That doesn’t preclude the fact that our investigative means just aren’t up to the task, but given his intervention on the Frontier I’m willing to take his story on faith. The real question now becomes what do we do about it?”
“Madam Minister, might it not be useful to have Colonel Blake present for this meeting?” Jackson said, ignoring protocol and speaking to Minister Nelson directly.
“Possibly,” Nelson’s careworn face gave no indication that she either agreed or disagreed. “However, Captain, there are certain mitigating factors that might make it easier if Blake is kept in the dark about these proceedings.”
“Such as?” Jackson asked.
“Not that it’s any concern of the Confederate Fleet,” an older man whose uniform identified him as an admiral in Sol Defense Forces said contentiously. “But the man you’ve so blithely led back to Earth is in possession of eighteen ships that could easily destroy everything in this system, or just as easily repel a Phage advance should they have tracked you here. Either way, if he is who he claims to be we’re not so sure he should be the one left in command of such weapons.”
Jackson was suddenly alarmed at the line of thought and was about to voice as much when he felt Marcum kick his ankle and shake his head almost imperceptibly.
“This is just an informal meeting prior to the full Council Session,” Nelson reminded them forcefully while glaring at the outspoken SDF admiral. “Speculation such as this is not needed or especially helpful. Now … let’s begin with a rough overview of the Battle of Nuovo Patria and work back from there.”
For the next three and half agonizing hours, Jackson was forced to sit and listen as his previous mission was dissected and argued over by people of questionable pedigree to judge such things. It wasn’t long before he quit interjecting or correcting the record, as it became clear the politicians and bureaucrats in the meeting weren’t actually on a fact-finding mission and were, in fact, carefully constructing a narrative that would be fed to the full session of the Council and, in turn, the citizenry of Earth.
Once the torturous meeting was concluded, Jackson escaped the room, Marcum right on his heels, before he could be cornered by any of the half-dozen attendees who looked like they wanted to speak to him privately. As much as he loved breathing the air on Earth after such a long time away, he was now wondering how difficult it would be to sneak off and catch a shuttle back up to the Ares.
****
“How was the meeting, Captain?” Robert Blake said, taking another long pull of his beer and not bothering to get up from the lounge.
“What meeting would that be?” Jackson asked, helping himself to one of the local brews before flouncing down on the couch across from the former Air Force officer.
“The one where you all sat around and tried to make up a plausible tale to feed the Council later this week,” Blake said.
“Ah, that one,” Jackson shrugged. “About like you’d expect, I imagine.”
“Just between you and me, the ships my crew and I arrived in do not actually belong to us,” Blake said casually. “I couldn’t hand them over, even if I was inclined to.”
“I see,” Jackson said carefully. “Any particular reason you’re offering up this random fact?”
“I’m serious, Captain,” Blake said. “I know what’s being whispered about in this building. Understand that those ships, the seventh generation since we began our work, entrusted to us, are not simply tools to be wielded by whoever is in possession. I cannot even begin to explain the complexities of the Vruahn’s artificial intelligence that each carries.”
“Why such rigid safeguards?” Jackson asked, dropping the pretense of ignorance.
“We’re useful to the Vruahn,” Blake said after a few moments of silence. “But they don’t entirely trust us, and for the very reason that we’re useful. Our violent and unpredictable nature has made them leery of simply handing over the keys to ships capable of sterilizing planets.”
“I suppose that’s understandable, but it doesn’t bode well for our species having any sort of relationship with them,” Jackson said.
“Would you simply hand over an armed tactical nuke to a playground bully?” Blake said. “No matter what they’ve said before, I have no doubt that’s how they see us. As absurd as it sounds, I’m not sure we’re much different than the Phage in their eyes.”
“That’s … distressing,” Jackson said. “What happens if you defeat the Phage? They hire a new bully to deal with us?”
“They’re not genocidal lunatics if that’s what you’re asking, but I will admit that I’m never fully certain of their motivations or intentions,” Blake said. “But that’s neither here nor there. I asked you here for a different reason.”
“Oh?”
“I need to talk to you, privately,” Blake said. “I’ve found and disabled much of the surveillance equipment in this suite, but I need to be absolutely sure we won’t be overheard. Can you arrange that in a way that doesn’t arouse suspicion?”
“I believe I can,” Jackson said. “But definitely not here. Not in the Council’s seat of power.”
“Then where?”
“How would you like to visit what used to be America, Colonel?” Jackson asked.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Blake said with a wide smile.
Chapter 2
As one of the shuttles assigned to the Ares banked gently over the coast of Florida, the first twinges of anxious excitement crept up from Jackson’s gut. He’d been twenty years old when he had left and now, twenty-two years later, it would be the first time he’d been back to North America. He looked around the cabin of the small tactical shuttle and saw Robert Blake squirming in his seat as he looked out over the Florida coast. Gillian Davis, a citizen of New America, looked on with polite interest.
Jackson had lobbied one of the lower-level bureaucrats at the facility in Geneva to allow members of the Ares’ crew to visit the areas of Earth that held significant cultural importance to their respective enclaves. It had been a ruse, of course, and one that the administrator couldn’t resist. Despite all their protests to the contrary, many of the policy makers of Earth were desperate for approval from the powerful Confederacy, and the chance to show off the planet was readily agreed to. Then, as if an afterthought, Jackson had mentioned that it would only be right to take Colonel Blake back to Florida as well. Since the colonel wasn’t a prisoner, the official had little grounds to deny the request and, after failing to seek higher approval, allowed it so long as strict schedules and regular check-ins were adhered
to.
It seemed pathetically transparent, but Jackson knew he had him when the man bristled at the suggestion that he contact someone with the authority to let them leave the compound. Not wanting to be seen as inconsequential, the administrator put in word with the dockmaster that two shuttles would be departing the Ares and landing at the airfield near the outskirts of the small city, with passengers cleared for travel within Earth’s atmosphere.
“While I’m thrilled to be back home, I fail to see how this will be any more secure than finding a dark broom closet in Geneva.” Blake stared out the window as the shuttle banked gently into a descending turn over the Florida coast.
“You might be surprised,” Jackson said. “The Council’s influence wanes greatly once you cross the Atlantic. There may be a lot of lip service paid to a unified Earth, but there are many that still recognize the old borders even if they no longer officially exist. You’ll even meet quite a few people here in the NAU that identify as ‘American.’ Besides that, it was a good excuse to get out from under CN security and visit North America again.”
“Wouldn’t everyone in the North American Union be American?” Jillian Davis asked. She was seated across the aisle from Jackson and watching the approaching coastline with interest.
“People who lived in the United States were universally called Americans,” Jackson explained. He wasn’t entirely certain why Davis had come down from the Ares, nor why she'd asked to accompany him and Colonel Blake. She’d never before expressed any real interest in Earth or the original nation that founded her native enclave.
The air shuttle’s engines whined as the pilot flared the craft into a gentle landing, rolling off the pad and up to the waiting ground car. As Jackson unbuckled his restraints and stood to leave, the woman he’d assumed to be the crew chief grabbed his arm and placed a device into his palm.
“CN Security, Captain Wolfe,” she said respectfully. “This device can be triggered by you, or anyone in your party, and we’ll be anywhere on the continent in a few minutes.” Jackson felt her words could be taken a few ways, and he was getting the distinct feeling that they were meant more as a warning than any helpful advice.
“I appreciate that,” Jackson said, palming the device. “We’ll not be long. I just wanted to see home again and show the colonel the monument that was built in honor of his mission.”
“Just press the button on top twice,” she brushed off his explanation. “Twice and we’ll come charging in. We can also come to your position should the device lose contact with the satellite.”
“Good to know,” Jackson said. “Now … if you’ll excuse me.” He reached past her and palmed the control to pop and lower the hatch so they could all disembark. There was no doubt that the rest of his crew that had come down from the Ares were being followed just as closely, nor was there any doubt that the driver of his waiting ground car was also a member of CN Security. He wasn’t especially worried. While he was sure the CN Security forces were good, he knew the CIS was likely better. With a slight smile he slipped the device he’d been given into his right pocket while discreetly patting a similarly sized device that was resting in his left.
****
The trio made a slow, solemn walk through the grounds of the former Cape Canaveral Launch Facility, looking at the plaques and ancient fixtures that held no meaning to any of them save for one. Colonel Blake’s face remained fixed in a grim stare as he looked over the ruins of one of the marvels of the twentieth century. Jackson felt for him. The last time he had stood there the Cape had been a hub of activity and a beacon of hope for a bright future. Now it was just a collection of rusting, decrepit structures with some plaques scattered haphazardly around to drive the point home. The starship captain began to wonder if the Air Force colonel had truly come to terms with his situation before being confronted, literally, with the ruins of his previous life.
“I wonder if I have any relatives alive. Or descendants, to be more precise,” Blake said softly as he looked out over where the two most famous launch pads had stood for over a century, now just overgrown marsh with chunks of concrete stabbing obscenely into the bright Florida sky.
“Not a lot is known about you or your past, Colonel Blake,” a new voice said from behind them. “Tsuyo made sure to allow your name to slip through the cracks, but I’m sure I can dig something up if you’re really interested.”
“Who are you?” Blake asked.
“Colonel Blake, allow me to introduce … who are you supposed to be at this moment?” Jackson asked.
“Agent Pike, Confederate Intelligence Service, at your service, Colonel,” Pike said with a sarcastic bow. “That sounded oddly redundant. Anyway … thanks for sending the signal that you’d broken away, Captain. May I?” Wordlessly, Jackson handed over the small device that the CN Security agent had given him and watched as Pike scanned it and then dropped it into a small cylinder before pocketing it.
“The bug will keep pinging the satellite but won’t be able to transmit any clear audio,” Pike continued. “Actually, I’ve been jamming it since you got out of the car. So what can I do for you?”
“You summoned him here?” Blake asked.
“I did,” Jackson confirmed. “I think any conversation we have that you don’t want the CN overhearing is likely something Pike needs to know about. Not to mention he’d just find out anyway.”
“More than likely,” Pike shrugged. “I’ve recently learned that my work is much easier if I just loiter in the area around Wolfe and wait for the shit to hit the fan. So, here we are. The area is clear of long-range surveillance and there won’t be any satellite coverage that will be able to tell you’ve gained a member of your party for another fifty minutes. So … what’s going on?”
“You were saying that the Vruahn had a pretty tight grip on the ships your crew is flying,” Jackson prompted when Blake looked as if he was confused and unsure where to start.
“Yes,” Blake nodded. “The reason I bring that up first and foremost is that I have reason to believe that there are at least two separate factions that intend to either persuade me to turn them over or try and take them by force.”
“Interesting.” Pike narrowed his eyes. “And just how did you come by such information?”
Blake coughed uncomfortably before answering. “The Vruahn are quite familiar with human languages and engineering methodology thanks to the examination of my crew and I as well as the Carl Sagan,” he said. “My ship has been monitoring communications here on Earth since we arrived and forwarding me the pertinent information.”
“It’s so easily able to defeat the encryption routines?” Pike asked.
“Almost in real-time,” Blake nodded. “The more chatter there is about obtaining my squadron, the more … concerned, for lack of a better word, the AI aboard becomes. I can’t overstate how dangerous it would be to try and coerce the ships from someone the Vruahn designated.”
“The most obvious answer is to remove the temptation,” Jackson said. “More ships are arriving every day now that the news of Haven is becoming widespread. The skies are filled with panicky, irrational representatives from all the enclaves that may do something foolish before too long.”
“Not only them. The government here on Earth likely wouldn’t mind leap-frogging over the Confederacy in terms of firepower and technology,” Pike said.
“There’s something else I needed to talk to you about I didn’t want to be general knowledge just yet,” Blake said. “That warning you got, Captain … the transmission from the Alpha. That’s never happened to the best of our knowledge. I’ve passed it on to my Vruahn contacts, but the initial response is that this is something new.”
“While that’s interesting—”
“You’re not seeing the full picture,” Blake ran over top of Pike. “We have access to very specific predictive models of the Phage based on centuries of observation and interaction by multiple species that have encountered them. The fact they’ve decided to communicat
e with you, with Wolfe specifically, throws all of that out the window. I can no longer tell you with certainty that you have any time before they swarm through human space in force and wipe you out. Equally, I can’t tell you if the message was meant to tell you that you’d be left alone. The shift in behavior swings the needle so far off the norm that I’m basically as much of a bystander now as all of you.”
“If this species has been wreaking havoc across the galaxy for as long as you say, I somehow doubt that we’re the first ones they’ve decided to talk to,” Jackson said. “Hell, we didn’t even really put up that much of a fight.”
“You did better than you give yourself credit for,” Blake said. “But the facts stand. In all the recorded encounters known to the Vruahn, which are a lot, there has been no attempt of communication from the Phage.”
“Well … this puts an interesting spin on things.” Pike looked as his watch, a stainless steel timepiece that was meant to resemble an ancient chronometer. “But we need to wrap this up. You continue on with your sightseeing expedition and I’ll start putting this information in the ears of the people that need it. I’ll be in touch soon.” The agent tossed the small CN device back to Wolfe and headed off into the scrub behind one of the squat launch support structures.
Chapter 3
“So what is this area called?” Jillian Davis asked as Jackson piloted the borrowed aircraft down to their designating landing spot.
“Lexington,” he said. “It’s a city in an area called Kentucky. From what I understand, it used to be a nation state within the old United States of America.” Blake, having had his conversation with Jackson, had decided to go back to Geneva. Jackson decided to press on and visit his former home since he was certain this would be the last time he would ever set foot on Earth again. Davis had decided to come with him and now that it was just the two of them, out of uniform, she’d adopted an alarmingly casual manner when talking to her captain. “It’ll be just a short train ride from here up to Louisville. I grew up on the outskirts there.”
Counterstrike (Black Fleet Trilogy, Book 3) Page 2
