Conflict: Rise Of Mankind Book 4

by John Walker

  “Good idea. Double check any critical systems for tampering as well. There’s a chance this wasn’t the only trouble they tried to cause.”

  “Yes, sir. I’m on it.”

  Adam went to the jump module and ran a scan on it. The most recent access came from one of the senior technicians who ran a diagnostic on the system. Before him, Clea looked at it and before that, Maury did a check during the action around the mining station. No one logged a maintenance request in the last twenty-four hours.

  He went to Maury’s office and shut the door, checking the security footage of the area throughout the shifts leading up to their jump. Many people went in and out but the computer identified them as people who belonged. The next set of footage made him frown. The area around the jump module was also under observation however, a large chunk of footage was missing.

  He found that three hours before the jump until just after were simply gone. Someone had deleted them from the system, essentially protecting themselves from getting caught performing the sabotage. Whether they did it alone or had an accomplice, Adam didn’t know but they had to be good with the computers.

  An edit to security footage would’ve triggered an alert to the tech officers and security as well. Adam checked the log and neither department received a message about this anomaly. The error catalogue also didn’t indicate anything out of the ordinary. It was as if the system believed everything was fine, despite the missing segment.

  He looked up the security personnel who had access to the engineering room and looked through each record. Nothing jumped out as suspicious to him but he’d have to talk to them all to be sure. His mind started formulating a theory though, one which pointed directly at Clea An’Tufal.

  After all, her sister turned traitor, why not her? And the captain liberally allowed her access to her sibling during their trip back. Adam wondered how often they spoke after the woman was put in the brig but when he checked, he found Clea never visited the security area during that trip.

  If she’s to blame, it must’ve happened before. Or perhaps after.

  The why didn’t make sense. Clea didn’t seem easily swayed by rhetoric and her discipline was too great to assume she’d just decide to become chaotic. Besides, she also seemed to enjoy living. Suicide through jump drive malfunction sounded ridiculous. He rubbed his eyes and considered the evidence again.

  Clea looked like a great option because the evidence specifically pointed at someone with her expertise. What he needed to do was find another person with similar skills, a person who might well be able to pull of the same types of technical marvels and get away with it. There were a few key points to consider.

  One, the person who performed this sabotage assumed it would not destroy the ship. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have covered up their crimes. They’d be dead. Two, whoever pulled the crime knew the protocols of the ship intimately enough to be thorough and save themselves getting caught before the event took place.

  However, Adam refuted the first of his two points because they might not have wanted the alliance to catch on who pulled the act of terrorism. After all, there could be a mastermind behind the attack and whoever did it could eventually be caught. That would take a high level of paranoia and confidence in where they’d appear though so he deemed it unlikely.

  And two remained strong. The person definitely knew their protocols well. That made security personnel sound likely but would they even know how to open the jump module? He didn’t see how they would or why. Unless someone was cross trained. Everyone on board the Behemoth was required to pick a station to cross train.

  Adam went through the security personnel again and found a young man who had done just that. He graduated infantry but his secondary job involved repairs. He even helped out during the engagement near the research facility. This guy had the ability and skill to pull of the repair part but hacking the computers, he didn’t seem to have that background.

  Still, Adam knew he had to interview him and the others as well. He needed to pick up the pace so he could find out what happened in time to stop any other problems they might be facing soon. This meant getting back to his own office and scheduling some meetings. He contacted security and got two soldiers to meet him there.

  He’d need some help securing folks during their talks. If he found the perpetrated, he wanted to have him put into custody immediately. There was no time to lose.

  ***

  Raeka paced as he waited for Darm to appear on the screen. The visitors seemed entirely too reasonable to start a fight with them and their technology may well be more than enough to destroy both fleets single handedly. Whatever happened in the next twenty minutes could spell doom for both sides.

  When Dark finally appeared, he wore an expression indicating severe displeasure at being interrupted. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled, his jaw tight.

  “What exactly do you need, Raeka? I’m busy preparing to launch an all scale attack on that ship.”

  “I’ve been in contact with the visitors and they have made it quite clear they are not here for violence,” Raeka explained. “They have offered to share their culture with us or, if we would rather not, they will also leave peacefully. I believe we should allow them to depart without hindrance.”

  “Are you insane? They are playing you, man!” Darm shook his head. “I thought more of you as an opponent but you are truly naive. If we do not strike while we have the upper hand, they will surely destroy us! Don’t you see that?”

  “I think if we force their hand, they will defend themselves. We’ll be guaranteeing losses instead of chancing their deception. Besides, if they could kill us and were willing to do so, why wait to play us? What benefit is there?”

  “Do you not have xenology classes on your world? The home world offers such education and the universal truth is simple: you cannot trust the mind of an alien. They do not think like us and they cannot. They come from not only a different culture and world but environment with its own unique impacts on their systems and brains.

  “No, we cannot chance this, Raeka and we need your help if we plan to take them out. Believe me, this is the only way to ensure the survival of our species.”

  Raeka considered what Darm said for a long moment. Some of it rang true, even though it defied his instincts. Captain Atwell seemed like an honorable man, willing to work with them. Rational even. But if they were thinking strangely, if for some reason they took a perverse glee in building a rapport before attacking, then Darm was right: they should strike immediately.

  He considered his men on the bridge for a moment, wondering if he might be doing a disservice to their families by not removing this threat. Sometimes, he found himself a bit liberal about the intentions of others. He considered all beings relatively good until they proved otherwise but maybe this time, that was a bad idea.

  He sighed and nodded his head, coming to a conclusion. Darm was right. The better choice was to not be sorry. He needed to get his men and women home safely. Leaving their lives to the chance that the visitor was good didn’t make sense. He wanted to believe them but the warning could not be ignored.

  Advanced as they were, as dangerous as they appeared, Raeka realized destroying the Behemoth might well be their only chance to survive. He sat in his chair and leaned back, feeling his stomach perform flips at what he was about to do. He turned his attention back to Darm and nodded again.

  “Alright, Darm. I agree with you.” Raeka turned to Tarkin. “Weapons, come online. Finish preparations and wait for our mark to fire. After Dawn help us…this could very well get messy.”

  Chapter 4

  Olly continued rebooting minor systems throughout the ship, letting the maintenance happen on his left screen while keeping the scans up on the middle one. Much of the stress lifted from him after the conversation with the alien fleet. He figured if they kept their word and talked the others down, the Behemoth could get underway back home soon.

  The fact the two fleets plan
ned on attacking them disturbed Olly. How could they come to such a conclusion? To destroy a vessel without even trying to talk to them seemed psychotic. What if they were simply disabled? They could’ve needed help but instead of rescue, they would’ve been hammered by a barrage of ordinance.

  Oh well, they didn’t do it so we’re all good. Even if they decide to attack us now, it won’t work out for them very well. Our shields are online. If only weapons were up, we’d be golden.

  Olly shifted his attention to the generators and checked the progress. Everything was nearly back, the guys downstairs really worked their butts off. He checked to see if they had enough to get the cannons up but the computer calculated they needed at least ten minutes before they’d be operational again.

  He ran a scan over the other ships in the area to see how long their shields could fend off an assault from them. The results made him tilt his head. They seemed to be surging, as if they were powering up to be used. This doesn’t make any sense…I mean, they said they were going to stand down. Or at least, they planned to talk to each other.

  But the readings were unmistakable: they were about to be attacked.

  “Captain!” Olly spoke far louder than he meant to but he didn’t feel bad about it. “They’re going weapons hot, sir! They’re about to attack!”

  Gray stood up behind him. “What? Did you just say…”

  “Yes, sir! They’re powering up right now!”

  “Shields?” Gray asked.

  “They’re up and have full power…” Olly paused. “Or close enough to it. Ninety-eight percent.”

  “Clea, get that guy back on the com.”

  “Sorry, sir.” Clea sighed. “They’re not acknowledging our hails.”

  Gray joined Olly at his station. “Where’re we at with weapons?”

  “They’re not ready yet…Computer showed roughly eight minutes.”

  “Can we handle them hitting us for that long?”

  “I was just about to evaluate them when I caught what they were doing,” Olly replied. He tapped over the keys for a moment and nodded emphatically. “We should be fine. They’re conventional weapons. Our shields will pretty much ignore them but…a seriously prolonged bombardment won’t do us any favors.”

  Gray turned to Redding. “How’s the helm? Can you maneuver?”

  “Yes, sir. We have some movement.”

  “Okay, if they start shooting, let’s keep moving to give them different sections of the shield. They’ll probably try to surround us. Start falling back. We might be able to outrun them.”

  Clea spoke up, “if we go full throttle, we can ram them all and take minimal, if any damage. However, most of them would not survive. This will buy us plenty of time for repairs and departure.”

  Gray turned to her. “I’m surprised to hear you say that. It’s a pretty harsh tactic.”

  Clea shrugged. “We have limited options and they’ve proven to lack reason. After a conversation, they’ve decided to not stand down. While our weapons are nonfunctional, ramming is a valid tactic. If you recall, our enemy uses it to great effect.”

  “Yes, but they don’t care if their ships explode.” Gray shook his head. “No, we’re not doing that…but we’ll hold them off until a better option presents itself.”

  “Diplomacy sure isn’t working,” Redding muttered. “I hope they listen when we have guns again.”

  “Works if we show them off,” Olly replied. “And I’m trying to route more power to get them up. Engineering complained but I let them know what’s going on. They calmed down quick.”

  “I bet.” Gray sat back down and rubbed his eyes. “Let me know right before they’re about to fire…we’ll address the ship and let them know. I can’t believe this situation went south so fast. Maybe Raeka couldn’t convince the other commander…either way, I hope we’re able to. If we have to destroy all these ships, we won’t exactly be making a good first impression.”

  ***

  Adam received the message about the imminent attack after he returned to his own office. He’d just started to follow a new trail, trying to determine who on his suspect list may have been in the engine room around the time of the sabotage. Unfortunately, none of them checked in if they did show up. He’d have to ask the techs on duty to see if they remembered any unexpected visitors.

  When the alarm sounded, his first instinct was to rush to the bridge to help. Unfortunately, they were hip deep in extenuating circumstances so he second guessed and sent a quick message to Gray asking if he wanted him to drop the investigation temporarily. The captain replied quickly with no, keep looking. We need to find the traitor as quickly as possible.

  Luckily, the security personnel would not be busy with battle stations, not as much anyway. When he brought them in, they might be particularly stressed because of the fight going on but they wouldn’t be key to any sort of operation aboard the ship. He dialed up the best suspect, the young man with the tech skill and security authorization to do the deed.

  Lieutenant Joseph Keller joined the crew with countless others. He had an above average rating on all of his fitness exams and performed his duties more than adequately. Every CO he served under praised his critical thinking and wit. By all marks, a fine officer probably up for promotion in a few years time.

  Adam didn’t know the man personally but he’d seen him around. Captain Whitney Garrison was his current direct CO so Adam contacted him for a quick chat. This man might be busy with something to do with the action about to take place so the conversation would need to be quick.

  “Captain Garrison here,” the crisp greeting spoke of years of service and saying that exact line a million times. “What can I do for you, Commander?”

  “Hi Whitney.” Unlike Joseph Keller, Adam knew the Captain well. He’d worked on several projects for the executive staff and always came through when it came to ensuring security details were handled professionally and properly. Most of Adam’s interaction with him came from before the Behemoth. They’d served together for a while. “Are you in the middle of anything pressing? I don’t want to keep you.”

  “I’m just getting the security crews ready to keep an eye on key locations around the ship,” Whitney replied. “I’ve got a quick moment.”

  “What can you tell me about Joseph Keller?”

  “Keller?” Whitney sounded surprised. “Um…he’s a good kid. Works hard. He’s studying to become an engineer. Really wants to fix the pulse drives and stuff. Joined the infantry as a way to get his foot in the door and have his school paid for.”

  Adam hummed. “Nothing out of the ordinary with him? No strange complaints or issues with the military? Or even the alliance?”

  “No…” Whitney paused. “What’s this about, Adam?”

  “The event,” Adam replied. “I’m investigating the possible and probable sabotage of the jump module.”

  “Oh wow…I doubt it was Keller.”

  “Why? Do you know if he has an alibi?”

  “I don’t but I mean, I can’t see him doing it. He’s pretty apple pie patriotic, you know?”

  “Yeah, I get it.” Adam thought for a moment. “Whoever did this either had help or knew how to hack the security console to erase a chunk of time from the camera. Can you guys investigate that? See if there’s any log of someone getting in there?”

  “Sure, how serious is this?”

  “We’re afraid whoever caused this trouble might’ve done something else. As we find ourselves turning back on systems, we might well cause more damage because of tampering. I need to get to the bottom of it, even with this impending attack.”

  “I understand,” Whitney said. “I’ll get on this personally and contact you back as soon as I’ve had a chance to deep dive.”

  “Thanks,” Adam replied. “Talk to you soon.”

  Adam turned back to Keller’s file and read through his personal information. He was born in Florida and grew up less than five miles from headquarters. His father worked for the military a
s a liaison with contractors building various parts for space craft. His mother stayed at home.

  He scored well in high school and even better at the academy. When he graduated, he could’ve gone into many different tracts but picked infantry. It wasn’t necessary and that made Adam scratch his head. A smart guy like Keller could’ve gone into engineering early on. Why change paths now?

  Adam sent a request for Keller to come to his quarters and let the two security guards outside know he was on his way.

  The explanation in the file stated he wanted more challenging work. No doubt true all things considered but it should’ve happened earlier. How far back could this conspiracy stretch? Adam didn’t think it could possibly have started before they launched the ship. Whoever did this work was given the order sometime between departing to liberate the mining station and just before the jump catastrophe.

  Maybe a transmission was received, something encoded. Adam brought up the communication logs and had the computer search for any messages to Keller. It found a missing time block of an hour just after they arrived near the mining facility. A whole hour? That’s a lot of data! How did no one catch this?

  He explored that problem and discovered why. A cursory look at the logs showed steady communications but getting specific made it point out blank entries. There were actions, but they zeroed out—a point which required scrutiny to catch. It would’ve been caught in a scheduled audit but by then, the ship would’ve been destroyed.

  But again, if the person was trying to blow us up, would they have cared about that? Or did they really think someone would find us and perform some forensics to discover this stuff?

  Adam knew he was looking for a computer expert, someone who knew their procedures just as well as the technical specs of their systems. Maybe Darnell could help…if he wasn’t involved. Adam checked the young man’s alibi and he was dead asleep during the deletion of the coms. The computer confirmed his location and state.

  What about Clea?