“Right,” said Raulya, removing the extraneous markers, her fingers pipping across her keyboard.
Maria shook her head, “Has to be Sugar Grove...” She turned to Jack, “Naval Intelligence... and your friends at the NSA.”
“Oh craaap...” he breathed.
“They're about to lose their declination,” pointed Maria, they've got about another ten minutes before they lose us. The dish can only turn and angle so far.”
“Then what?”
She shrugged, “Maybe they activate another one somewhere. Or not. Knowing them, they want to control the signals and the exposure...”
“How do you think they picked us up?”
“Luck,” commented Raulya, relinquishing the command seat to Maria. “They were scanning another system; we must have crossed their field of view.”
Steele ran his fingers through his hair, “Once they lose us for the day we should alter course.”
A quick flicker of information appeared and vanished on the screen. “What was that?!” demanded Raulya, lunging across Maria at the keyboard, her fingers pipping on the keys.
Sitting in the command chair, Maria raised her hands, “What the...”
“A comm signal...” Raulya paged through to the communications screen, scrolling through the logs. “From the Task Force to the planet...” Highlighting the most recent entry, it showed a one-second comm burst. A second comm signal, identical to the first appeared on the log above it, bumping it down. “There's another one... Someone sent another comm to the planet.”
“From where? And where's it going?” asked Steele leaning in over Maria's other shoulder.
“I'm getting a little claustrophobic, here,” complained Maria.
“Sshh,” corrected Jack. “So..?” he insisted, glancing at Raulya's profile.
Still leaning across Maria, Raulya pulled the comm record and opened the details on the left command screen. “Looks like...”
“Can't you do this at another station?” pleaded Maria.
“Sshh,” scolded Raulya. “The signal is coming from the Conquest...”
“From the bridge?”
Raulya shook her head, “No Admiral, it appears to be a portable comm unit. And I cannot pinpoint such a short signal... Also too short to tell where it went. I don't see any replies. Yet.”
“Can you pull up the message itself?”
Raulya opened the commuication, the signal decoder automatically spitting out a series of cryptic hieroglyphics on the screen. Her head tilted one way then the other, her feline ears rotating. “That's odd... I don't understand Admiral...”
“Ciphers,” breathed Maria. “Intelligence agency cipher code...”
Steele straightened up, looking sideways at her, “We have a spy?”
■ ■ ■
Steele wasn't so much pacing the ready room, as he was walking laps around the holo-chart table, Fritz strolling along behind him. His eyes cast to the floor, Jack's mind was racing in high gear. Sitting on the sofa with Gus, Lisa played silly games with his ears while Maria sat on the edge of the desk patiently watching him do his laps.
“If you weren't here on the bridge at the time, I would have assumed it was you,” he commented as he passed Maria.
“Hey,” she objected, pointing her finger at him, “not cool.”
“I suppose you could have set up an automatic transmission and hidden the unit somewhere on the Conquest. The radio signal from the surface could have triggered it...”
“This is not funny, Jack, you can't be serious.”
“Not trying to be funny...” he mumbled, still walking.
“I haven't been over there in weeks except for shuttle runs. And I never get a chance to even get off the shuttle...”
Lisa was evaluating her brother's face and his demeanor, “I think he's messing with you, Maria...”
“You're impossible,” sassed Maria, folding her arms across her chest in defiance.
Jack smirked, “Since I am, it is not possible for me to be impossible.”
“Are you having a stroke or something?” She shot a glance over at Lisa, “What is wrong with him?”
“The list is sooo long,” quipped Lisa. She watched her brother rounding the far end of the table, partially obscured by the hologram hovering above the table. “Are you thinking it's one of our people?”
Steele had been running the possibilities through his mind. “I'm not sure. I don't want it to be...”
“Are you thinking NSA?”
Steele stopped dead in his tracks, Fritz head-butting his legs. “Fuck. I am now...”
“It makes sense,” commented Maria. “Right timing after the contact by Sugar Grove.”
Steele chewed on his lower lip, “But who?”
“It was right after Brian went over there...” offered Lisa.
Jack's stomach knotted. “I've known Brian for over ten years, I can't believe it would be him.”
“People get recruited as a matter of convenience. Right time, right place. It doesn't necessarily mean they're an agent. It could have been to keep tabs on our CIA operation...”
Steele raised an eyebrow, giving Maria the look. “Like an informant. Is that even a thing? Our own agencies spying on one another?”
“Sure. Happens all the time.”
Lisa shook her head, “Spying on your own spies... that's just nuts. Nobody trusts anybody any more.”
“Does seem kind of a redundant waste of resources,” added Jack.
“I'm not saying he was, I'm just saying it's not impossible...”
Steele started his laps again, “I'm going to have to say no on Brian. I just can't see it.”
“What about Mike Warren or Pappy?”
Steele paused and peered at Maria through the holo-chart, “They're fighter pilots...” he said dismissively.
“But they're Navy,” countered Maria. “Military Intelligence, especially the Navy, is tightly linked with the NSA.”
Steele shook his head, “Nah. Carrier duty is too restrictive. It would serve no purpose there. Now if they were fleet NCIS agents, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, that would make more sense. They do a considerable amount of intelligence and advance prep work before a fleet heads into port.”
“Well the only two others are the Professor and Derrik Brighton...”
Jack came to a stop again. “And the Professor is back on Veloria.”
Maria shook her head, “Derrik and I cohabited for nearly a year, I would have noticed something... Honestly? The man was an open book.”
Jack leaned against the holo-table, “We're missing something somewhere... what are we missing?”
Maria turned to Lisa, “Your friend... what's her name..?” She struggled with her memory, shaking her hand and pointing at Lisa, “Nina Redwolf!”
Jack and Lisa shared a glance before they simultaneously burst out laughing. “Sorry,” waved Jack, still chuckling. “That is just so absurd...”
Annoyed, Maria raised an eyebrow as she tossed her hair, “Glad you think it's funny, Jack. Those you suspect the least are the most likely candidates...”
Lisa waved it off, “Nina's an electronics neophyte. She's lucky if she can figure out how to make a flashlight work...”
“Actually,” interrupted Jack, pinching his lower lip. “That's not true. Now that I think of it, she handled the shields and anything else I directed her to do on the yacht pretty well. She even flew it a bit.” His eyes widened, “I think we need to put her in the maybe section...”
The door chimed before swishing open, Raulya stepping into the open frame. “Sorry to interrupt Admiral, just thought you'd like to know, the system was finally able to decode your cipher...”
“What did it come up with?”
“Kingfisher One.”
Jack scratched his forehead. “That's it? Nothing else?”
“That's it, Admiral.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.” He watched her go, the door hissing closed. “Wow, that was a lot of c
omputer power used for two damn words...”
“I think I know what else you're missing, Jack,” volunteered Lisa, scooting forward on the sofa. “There are at least two-hundred people on the Conquest that would pass as human back on Earth...”
He pondered that for a moment. “Maybe more, except for language...”
“Except for language,” she agreed. “But how hard would it have been to learn a second language? People do it all the time. The Professor's an alien; didn't you tell me the Professor speaks like six or seven different languages?”
“Something like that,” nodded Steele. “If that's the case, we have over two-hundred suspects.”
It was silent for a few moments before Maria rose and moved over to the holo-chart, staring at the 3D image of the system. She stuck her hand in and grabbed the earth, bringing it closer, enlarging it with a motion of her hand. “We're going to have to let him commit himself... or herself,” she added, concentrating on the spinning globe. “Our advantage is that he or she is exposed and doesn't know it.”
Steele's eyes widened with a sudden realization that sent a shot of adrenalin through him. “Oh shit...”
Lisa stood up, joining her brother and Maria at the table. “What..?” she asked cautiously.
Wide-eyed, he turned slowly, staring at the holo-planet, his mind unraveling a frightening scenario. “What if the communication isn't for the CIA or the NSA or any other alphabet agency?”
“You mean what if it's for the KGB or...”
“No,” he interrupted. “What if it's a FreeRanger signal..?”
“Oh my God,” whispered Lisa.
“Yeah,” he breathed. “What if everything we're seeing going on is a repeat of Veloria? An effort to destabilize the entire planet?”
Maria glanced up at the news broadcast, “I'd say it's working...”
Lisa turned away and covered her mouth, “Oh my God, this is horrible...”
Maria reached out, “Easy now, no one is saying this is the real truth. It's just a possibility...”
“Think about it,” continued Jack, “Maybe what we're seeing is FreeRanger influence. Maybe FreeRanger infiltrators in government. The design would be to cause widespread destabilization. Set the people against their governments, cause critical governmental and infrastructure failure. If they can cause a collapse the rest would be easy. They could step in and run the planet. Veloria had a much smaller population but it's a freaking blueprint of what's going on here... you've got to see that.”
“I do,” nodded Maria. “But it's just as likely being torn down from the inside via incompetence and greed. Believe me; I've seen my fair share of that first hand. And it's a meat grinder for hopes, wishes and good intentions.” She turned and passively watched the Earth news feed on the ready room's holo-screen with unseeing eyes. “People enter service in the government without realizing it's a pact with the devil. It devours them and spits them out as wasted, soulless, husks of humanity.”
“Why couldn't it be both?” observed Lisa.
Jack and Maria shared a silent look, both nodding slowly. “She could be right,” said Jack.
Maria shook her head in disgust, “I wouldn't put it past the incompetent and greedy to collude with the evil and criminal. Infiltrators or not.”
“It would explain a lot.”
Maria walked over to the sofa and dropped herself down on the vacant cushion. “And probably the most dangerous of the options. So, what are we going to do?”
“I'm not sure yet. But whatever it is, whatever we decide, it can't leave this room...”
“What about the bridge crew?”
“Inform them they are not to speak with anyone about what transpired. Remind them they are a small group and any leak will be thoroughly investigated.”
Maria rose and smoothed her uniform. “Alright, back to work then?”
“For now,” replied Steele, running his fingers through his hair. “In the meantime, if you think of any good ideas, don't hesitate to let me know...” He leaned back against the holo-chart table. “I think Lisa and I are going to review the Conquest's personnel files and see if we can identify any of the crew that could pass as human, and then see if any of them have ever been to, or come from Earth...”
Maria's eyes went wide with surprise, “That's nearly three thousand people!”
“A little over that, actually...”
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SECURITY, UNITED STATES
When he entered the room all chatter and banter ended. Immediately. “Door,” he commanded, pointing at the door at the far end of the room. He pulled the leather chair out at the head of the long conference table, glancing at the faces lining each side, tossing a manilla folder down on its glossy surface. He sat carefully, neatly, smoothing his slacks, adjusting his suit jacket and straightening his tie. Only then did he address the people waiting around the table for him; division heads, agency liaisons and military brass. He opened the manilla folder and laid a pen on the top document, “What's the status at Sugar Grove?” The inside cover had a paper-clipped photo taken by the radio telescope of the ships in space. It was dark and blurred but definitely recognizable as something intelligently designed.
A Rear Admiral with salt and pepper hair opened his own manilla folder, reading from the file; “Sugar Grove Radio Telescope contact was lost with the targets at 18:47 hours yesterday with planetary rotation. Back on line at 07:30 this morning, Sugar Grove is searching for the targets along the projected trajectory... All information is being fed live to NORAD and USSPACECOM at Cheyenne Mountain.”
The Director glanced at his watch, “It's 09:15 hours; they have been unsuccessful in locating the targets?”
“So far, yes sir. I fully expect the targets will be located and identified...”
“Are we going to have any issues with Green Bank or SETI?”
A man in a dark suit sitting next to the Admiral cut in. “Our inside man at SETI will alert us if anything there changes. I don't foresee any problems with the civilians. The security team that visited Green Bank introduced themselves to the good doctor and her people. I think they fully understand that it is in their best interest to forget the event and never discuss it...”
“What kind of assurances do we have from...”
“Dr. Michelle Fabry...” offered the man in the dark suit.
“Right. What kind of assurances do we have to make sure this stays... permanent?”
“They have no evidence left. Their data was lost... an unfortunate digital mishap.”
“I take it we acquired a copy of that data before its loss?”
“Yes sir.”
The Director nodded his approval. “I see. Anything else?”
“Our team left behind a few monitoring devices...”
The Director nodded again, interrupting, “It has occurred to me that we might reacquire the target faster with more eyes on the sky. Any chance we can use Green Bank to scan additional sectors?”
“We already have Houston and Kennedy Space Centers employed in that task. I do not think using Green Bank and their staff is worth the security risk...”
“Then send them home and use staff from Sugar Grove.”
“We do not have the additional staff,” interrupted the Admiral. “Budget cuts have reduced the Grove's capacity.”
“Hmm.” His brow knitting, the Director picked up his pen, making notes on the first sheet in his file, turning it over to reveal the next. “Have a team revisit Green Bank. I'm sure your people can persuade the doctor and her staff to work quietly with us on this. Give her whatever assurances you think will be effective. But get it done.” He made some cryptic notes and turned another page. “Where are we on projects Zenith and Ascension?”
Across the table from the Admiral, an Air Force Brigadier General flipped open his folder, “Zenith is undergoing continued testing at Dugway. Successfully I might add...”
“And Ascension?” interrupted the
Director.
“X-37B number Three has been in orbit for five-hundred-twenty-seven days and counting...”
“Is it armed with Zenith?”
“No sir,” replied the General, “that is Project Equinox. We have two X-37Bs in the fleet that are Equinox capable, but the software is still being debugged and updated...”
“How fast can you get them up?”
The General raised his eyebrows in surprise, “Sir? In orbit? Equinox isn't ready to be field tested yet... A month maybe. And that would be pushing its timetable...”
The Director held up his index finger, “In case you haven't noticed, General, we have some extenuating circumstances on the horizon. Equinox and Zenith may be our most capable defense in dealing with this possible threat.” He scribbled some cryptic notes on the facing page before flipping it aside for the next page. “As of now, those units are operational and cleared for immediate use. Get them up.”
“Yes sir.”
“And bring all the Zenith systems on line. How many are available shipboard?”
“None,” replied the Admiral. “The first Zenith capable frigate is still being built in Norfolk. It is slated to be completed in Spring of next year...”
“My understanding was that we had three cruisers planned for the upgrade, what is the status on them?”
“The shipboard Zenith system is not ready for installment or deployment. It was expected by the time Zenith was ready later this year, it would be installed in the new frigate under construction. At the same time, one of the cruisers would be pulled into Norfolk for the upgrade. All three cruisers are expected to be complete mid-summer next year; each ship taking sixty to ninety days to upgrade.”
The Director laid his pen down on his files and rubbed his forehead, “That is not helpful for our current situation...”
A man in a blue suit at the far end of the table raised his hand, “Why are you automatically assuming these... things, are hostile or have hostile intent?”
“And you're assuming they're not?” The Director looked up from his notes, his eyes narrowing, “We're not in grade school, put your hand down. And who are you...?”
Wings of Steele: Revenge and Retribution Page 39
