by Dale Musser
Since we didn’t know what time Senator Tonclin or Wabussie planned to arrive on the NEW ORLEANS the next day, Kala, Marranalis and I decided to spend the night on the NEW ORLEANS. Marranalis flew us up in the ALI and made sure we docked in my personal concealed hangar on the underside of the NEW ORLEANS. Kala had contacted the ship before we left the estate to let them know we would be arriving and to set up a dinner for my staff aboard the ship. I found it was much easier briefing my crew over dinner than trying to meet with them one at a time.
As we entered our favorite dining room, I was surprised to see Cantolla sitting at the table, as I believed her to still be back at the estate. She noted the surprise on my face and, before I could say a word, she said, “You didn’t think I was going to stay behind and miss out on all the adventure, now did you? Once you get on this ship, Tibby, it seems all kinds of things pop up that require my skills.”
I could see the smirk on her face; but regardless of what other thoughts I may have had, I had to agree she was right.
Commodore Stonbersa and Captain Kerabac were also present, as was A’Lappe — another surprise, as he actually arrived visibly, not cloaked in his usual fashion.
As we dined, I briefed everyone on the details of the last two days and advised them that we were expecting the arrival of both Senator Tonclin and Commander Wabussie sometime the next day. Marranalis said he felt that, even though Wabussie and the senator were considered friends and allies, a security sweep should be made of them and anything they might be wearing or bringing with them. I had to agree — I just hoped that the senator would not be slighted by the request.
While we were dining, a message came in to Kerabac’s wrist com. “Captain, we are receiving a message from Admiral Regeny’s office requesting that, in the event we might be heading to the planet Plosaxen, that we please consider taking Lieutenant Commander Sokaia with us. She is to return to the base there for training of the new Special Ops recruits.”
Kerabac gave me a questioning look. “I see no reason why we can’t comply with that request,” I said.
“Tell them that we will be able to accommodate the Lieutenant Commander, but that she will need to be here early in the morning, as we are unsure of our actual departure time.”
Near the end of our dinner we talked about my earlier discussions with the admiral and Commander Wabussie when a thought came to mind.
“A’Lappe, I need for you to look into some way of securing the DSC apparatus in case a ship is captured by the Brotherhood. We don’t want the technology falling into their hands. We need something that will disable and destroy a DSC unit so it can’t be reverse-engineered or fixed — maybe a passcode that, if not punched in every so many hours, the unit will auto-destruct.”
“An interesting assignment, indeed,” A’Lappe said. “I’ll get with Cantolla about this. I think we might be able to come up with something.”
Kala and I had barely gotten out of bed the next morning when word arrived that a shuttle bearing both Lieutenant Commander Sokaia and Commander Wabussie had docked in the main hangar and that they were undergoing a quick security sweep. I left instructions that, once both had been assigned accommodations, I would enjoy having them join Kala and me for breakfast. I also sent a request for Stonbersa and Marranalis to join us. I wanted to take advantage of the early opportunity to meet with them to discuss the event that unfolded at TEZU LAGONG and to discover what news Wabussie had on Senator Euregata.
Instead of meeting in the larger dining room as we had the night before, I decided to arrange breakfast in our suite. I notified Piesew, my majordomo and head of the NEW ORLEANS housing staff, of my decision. Piesew and Piebar were relatives and both served as majordomos. Piesew was among the first people I met when I arrived in the Federation and was provided with accommodations on the DUSTEN, where he at the time served as the director of services. After I acquired my estate on Megelleon, I intended to persuade Piesew to come to work for me as majordomo there; but when he saw the NEW ORLEANS, he made it clear that he would much prefer to be my majordomo onboard the ship instead. In his stead he recommended Piebar for the position on Megelleon, and subsequently I hired him. The two were so much alike in mannerisms and service that, at times, I found myself getting their names confused.
Some of the walls in my accommodations area were movable for special events; and the dining area was one of those spaces. Piesew directed his staff to expand the size of the room slightly for more comfortable seating during the breakfast meal.
Wabussie and Sokaia were the first to arrive, both still in their military uniforms. Sokaia immediately snapped to attention as she entered and saluted me as she greeted, “Vice Admiral.”
Wabussie turned his head and gazed at her with a look of amusement. “Hello, Tibby, it’s good to see you again.”
Since Sokaia was still standing at attention, I returned the salute, even though I was not in uniform. “At ease, Lieutenant Commander Sokaia. There is no need to salute me when I am not in uniform. Congratulations on your promotion.”
Sokaia relaxed. I should not have been surprised by her formal entrance. When we first met, she displayed a certain disdain for me and had not hesitated to let her feelings show. This had resulted in a response from Kala, who outranked her, that in short amounted to giving her a dressing down and followed by orders to report to Admiral Regeny, where she was given a further dressing down. Since that time, she had gone out of her way to be a model trooper in all regards and had proven herself to be a huge asset to the Federation. She was currently in charge of Special Operations for the entire Federation, including their training.
“Tibby, it is great to see you and Kalana both looking so well. Last time I saw the two of you, you were looking a might stressed. You both seem to have recovered nicely from your wounds and battles.”
“Yes, we are both feeling quite fit at the moment,” I answered.
“Is it true that both of you have refused reconstructive treatments to remove the scars from your wounds?” Wabussie asked curiously.
I held both arms out so he could see the scars, and even lifted my shirt so he could see where Lexmal had stabbed me. “The scars are a part of me, and they serve as a reminder, as well. I have no desire to hide them.”
“Tibby has more scars than I do,” Kala said. “I have only the one where I was stabbed in the back. Tib is now sporting six scars from his battles against the Brotherhood.”
Sokaia looked at us with an expression of awe on her face. The medical capabilities of the Federation had advanced to the point that scar removal was routine; so having a scar was a matter of choice, and one that few ever made. That Kala and I should elect to keep our scars was almost barbaric to most Federation citizens. Just then, there was a signal at the door; Piesew opened it to admit the commodore and Marranalis.
“Ah, Commodore Stonbersa and Lieutenant Marranalis, welcome. It would appear that everyone is here. Shall we sit down? We can discuss things while we eat.”
“Always efficiently doing two things at once,” Wabussie said. “That’s Tibby for you. No wonder he gets so much accomplished.”
Piesew indicated to each with his characteristic gestures where to sit — Kala at my right and Wabussie at my left. The commodore was seated at the end of the table facing me. Marranalis was seated to his right and Sokaia to his left, next to Wabussie.
Piesew silently instructed the staff to place the dishes in front of us, after which all of the staff left the room.
“I’ve read the reports of the event at TEZU LAGONG,” Wabussie began, “but I’m curious about one thing. What alerted you to Senator Euregata?”
“It was the way he was looking at us,” I said. “There was something in his gaze that suggested that he was not exactly a fan of mine.”
“Your instincts served you well, though I doubt you would have been injured in their attack. They had little time to organize anything and it was a poor attempt at best. Nevertheless, it’s always better to be safe tha
n sorry. It’s interesting that you were able to spot him so quickly; the FSO has only recently become aware of him, and we had just started an investigation into his past. Samalis was one of the last planets to join the Federation; Euregata had been a resistance fighter there and was against joining the Federation. After the planet voted to become members of the Federation, Euregata ran for the office of senator as a candidate of the opposition party and was elected. His actions in the senate have been controversial, at best. His idea of distributing the solbidyum was that deliveries should start at the outer worlds first and progress inward toward the middle. Needless to say, that’s not a very popular idea with the senate at large.
“One of the aides he had with him at TEZU LAGONG is a man who has already been identified as having direct Brotherhood involvement. He seems to be the senator’s right-hand man; and from what we have been able to piece together, he was the one who set up the attack against you. When Marranalis started to put things into motion at the club, he alerted me and I subsequently contacted the admiral and Lieutenant Commander Sokaia. I immediately contacted one of my FSO operatives who is normally assigned to TEZU LAGONG. The club is a good place to gain information, as many of the most powerful people in the Federation are known to dine and entertain there. Our agent was outside the club and overheard the senator’s agents making some reference to “getting rid of Tibby now, before the interception.”
“Interception? You mean before they intercepted the transport? That doesn’t make sense,” I said.
“No, I don’t think they meant the transport. As you learned in our private briefing before your dinner event, I’ve been receiving getting reports from our field operatives that the Brotherhood is planning to intercept a GW pod carrying a solbidyum reactor and a solbidyum grain. I think this is the interception they were talking about. So far, you have been the source of all their downfalls, Tibby, and they see you as a potential threat to any future offensives they may be planning to implement. They want you out of the way before they act.”
“Ah, right. Do we know yet which solbidyum shipment they plan to heist?” I asked.
“No. I was hoping maybe the prisoners that the Special Operations unit managed to capture could enlighten us; however, I received some bad news today. Just as we prepared to dock here at the NEW ORLEANS, a message came in that all the prisoners we captured are dead — killed in their cells, it would appear, by some lethal gas. The guards posted with them were also killed. Somehow, the Brotherhood was able to get into the prison area where they were being held and poison them with gas. My people are still checking into leads on all the people who were involved in the attack on the transport. We’re trying to track their movements, as well as any who they associate with.”
“I thought all the troopers in this sector had been tested and that we didn’t have any infiltrators in the military in this sector anymore,” Marranalis interjected.
“That’s correct, and we have no reason to think otherwise. We believe the assassin was a part of the civilian prison kitchen staff and that he released the poison gas when he made the meal rounds. We’re trying to track him down now, but he seems to have vanished.”
“You mean to tell me you tested everyone in the military on the base and in the capital, but you haven’t tested the civilian support staff?” I said, dumbfounded.
“I’m sorry to report that is the case. It was believed that, if we had the troopers all tested and certified as clean, the support staff was inconsequential.”
I shook my head and Kala put her hand on my shoulder. “Well, I guess now everyone knows differently,” I said. “Were you able to get anything at all from the attackers you captured?”
“The only thing we were able to get from the one captive who was cooperative is that they received orders from one of the higher ranking individuals in the Brotherhood leadership, but he had no idea who it was. Orders were received suddenly while you and Kalana were dining at the club, which seems to indicate that whoever gave the orders was most likely also in the club. While Senator Euregata certainly is a suspect, the hard evidence isn’t there to formally charge him, much less convict him of the crime.”
At that moment a message came in on Stonbersa’s wrist com. “Commodore, we have received a message from Senator Tonclin’s shuttle that they are underway and will be docking in about twenty minutes.”
“Thank you. I’ll be at the hangar to greet him. Please see to having proper protocol arranged for his arrival.”
“Do you have any new information as to what Senator Tonclin may want to discuss with us?” I asked Wabussie.
“Not a clue, but it’s obvious to me that it somehow involves the senate and the FSO, and that whatever it is, he wants to make sure he presents it to us in the most secure and confidential environment possible.”
I nodded and replied, “We will know shortly.”
When the shuttle bearing the senator arrived, he was greeted by Commodore Stonbersa, Kalana and me.
As the senator disembarked I broke protocol and stepped forward, “Senator Tonclin, so nice to have you aboard again.” According to custom it should have been either Captain Kerabac or Commodore Stonbersa that greeted the senator first but I had met the senator several times in the past year and considered him a close friend, I never failed to be fascinated by his appearance. Like all Nibarians, he was short and squat in stature and his skin resembled thick, gnarled tree bark. It was obviously an adaptation to protect them from the caustic nature of the nitrogen compounds in their dense atmosphere. Another Nibarian characteristic that always seemed out of place was the high-pitched voice, which was a sound more like one would expect from a human after inhaling helium.
“Honored First Citizens Tibby and Kalana, I cannot express what a delight it is to see you both again. I’m so pleased and relieved that you were able to precisely interpret my clue and allow me the opportunity to travel with you to Nibaria on the NEW ORLEANS. I’m certain you have surmised that I have an urgent need to discuss developments with you and Commander Wabussie. I felt the NEW ORLEANS to be the safest and best place to do so.”
“Yes, we did indeed surmise as much. Regardless of the situation, though, you are always a welcome guest aboard the NEW ORLEANS, Senator. Do you wish to be taken to your accommodations now, or would you prefer we meet now?”
“Actually, since the flight to Nibaria is relatively short, I would prefer to meet immediately. I regret that I will probably not even have time to visit the delightful quarters that I’m sure you and Piesew have already arranged so perfectly for my comfort. For appearance’s sake, the less time I spent on the NEW ORLEANS, the less suspicion it will likely arouse with anyone who may be observing my movements. Since you have ordered Mirage Fighters to be built at our shipyard, my meeting with you will not be out of line, if kept relatively brief. Hopefully, the presence of Commander Wabussie will likewise not appear out of the norm, as you are reportedly taking him to Plosaxen on some official duty for the Federation. Since the existence of the FSO still is a secret known to only a few, I do not think anyone will realize the true intent of this journey.”
Commodore Stonbersa led us into a small but very rich-looking conference room that I had not seen before. Though I owned the ship, it was so large that even after spending a good deal of time aboard, I had only seen a small portion of the spaces. This conference room was furnished with a round table that could accommodate about eight chairs. The room itself was also round and paneled with a rich wood of a slightly orange-brown color and dark, almost black grain. An equally rich green carpet covered the entire floor and the middle of the ceiling was recessed fitted with indirect lighting. A vid screen hung near the wall, and I suspected that a control somewhere could easily make it vanish into the ceiling or behind a wood panel if one chose.
Piesew appeared as we arrived and inquired of each person whether they cared for some refreshment. Once those had been delivered, he departed, leaving us to discuss whatever it was that Tonclin felt was wo
rthy of this assembly.
“Tibby, I first want to say that when you first presented the idea of the FSO to me, I was rather taken aback. The idea of a government spying not only on others but on its own entities as well seemed preposterous. And when you asked me to act as a such a spy within the senate – well, it was only out of the utmost respect for you that I was even willing to hear you out. Ultimately, I was able to understand your logic and I felt that, if someone was going to do it, I would, at least, be able to conduct myself objectively in such a litigious capacity. I had no idea at that time how insightful you were in taking the actions you did. But now, after what I am about to tell you, you will see how wise your motives truly were and are.
“So far as I have been able to ascertain, no one in the senate knows about or even suspects the existence of the FSO, and they still believe that all spying and intelligence is coming through the FOI. The arrogance of the Brotherhood, created by their long success of infiltrating the government over the past century, has caused them to be overly relaxed and careless – and this includes their members in the senate.
“One evening last week I dined alone in the senate dining room while reviewing a speech I had prepared for a meeting with the Federation agriculture committee later in the day. I wasn’t paying much attention to who was near me — most of the dining room was empty at that hour — however, the table behind me was occupied by a few senators from a sector out near the rim. I was fairly engrossed in the composition of my speech, when I heard someone say, ‘The Brotherhood is ready to act now.’ I must say, it required a great deal self-restraint to resist the urge to turn and see who spoke. I kept pretending to work on my speech, but now I was listening more closely. For the sake of clarity I will repeat their conversation here as the way it generally unfolded in the senate dining room.
