Joseph continued, “In addition, we’ve our own intelligence network, for our defence and protection, and we utilize a large number of contacts. As a result we—Rats and the Institute—accumulate masses of data. We have our own data centre and a number of very good intelligence analysts searching through all that data.” He paused. “As a result, there is one item which may cause you some concern.”
“Yes?”
“One of your team, his name is Gerard Ogden. We’ve identified and traced financial transactions involving him. He’s received some large amounts, and in turn paid out amounts to various people. Our interest was triggered because of the source and the recipients. It seems he’s been involved heavily with people who support the Eastern Bloc, and has been acting as their local paymaster.”
“Damn. That’s more than a concern. He’s already on board the starship; we had scheduled him to help with inventory validation.” Freddie paused. “Is—is there anyone else?”
“No. Fortunately, our vetting process has worked very well, except in this one case. My suggestion is to schedule a return to London for Ogden without alarming him. When he lands, we’ll alert the English authorities; there’s enough evidence to support a criminal case against him, if they wish to pursue it. Hopefully they will, and he can be taken straight into custody.”
“I’ll arrange his return to London as soon as I get back to Shen Ark. Thank you for this information.”
~~~
The return shuttle flight to the starship was uneventful, and on arrival, Freddie arranged a meeting with his ever-growing team. They assembled in one of the larger meeting rooms, equipped to function as a small lecture theatre. His technical team now had twenty members—ten humans and ten Rats—and Ser Nish had arranged for two additional Shen to transfer up to the starship. The two new Shen arrivals stood at the front with Ser Nish, and were introduced to the team at large.
“Ser Bil and Ser Ven both are Shen Ark technical experts,” Ser Nish explained. “They’ll work with you, Engineer, and with your study team to transfer knowledge, all their knowledge. We’ll ensure the flow of technical details is maintained.”
Freddie had arranged to confer with Zen 33 after the meeting, to organise the transfer of Ogden back to London. However, before he could begin his discussion with Zen, he was interrupted by Sabre and Felis.
“Engineer,” Sabre said, “we have important newsss for you. Felisss and I, both.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Engineer, we think there are intrudersss in Ssshen Ark.”
“What? Why? What makes you think that?”
“We have found ssspoor of ssstrange humansss. It isss no one we know. They are hiding in a remote location at the far end of Ssshen Ark. In front—in the—in the bow. We think they are collecting thingsss to take away.”
Freddie thanked his two anxious sabre tooth friends. He looked at Zen. “What do you think?”
“First, let’s contact Sam 32nd. Then we need also to contact General—who is it this month?”
“General Sssam. 101, I think,” offered Sabre.
“Good. Let’s go to the communication centre.”
Rat military had taken over Shen Ark communications responsibilities, operating a mini-command deck of their own, where they now managed all shuttle flights and communications between Shen Ark and earthbound stations. Freddie, Zen, and the two sabres startled the duty team with their sudden entrance.
“Sir. Engineer. What can we do for you?” asked the duty lieutenant, saluting. Freddie recognized him immediately.
“Aspic 5? You’ve been promoted? Very good and congratulations. We need a secure line to His Highness. Encrypted, please. The matter is urgent. Can you help?”
“Indeed, Engineer. Take the purple room,” he indicated, “and I’ll arrange an encrypted link immediately.”
Freddie instructed the two sabres to stay alert, and he and Zen entered the room indicated by Aspic 5. Zen closed the door, shutting out the susurration of sounds from the busy communication centre. It took only seconds to contact Sam 32nd and the connection included both voice and video. The conversation suffered from a noticeable time lag, which Freddie found disconcerting.
“Engineer. Zen. What can I do for you?” asked Sam 32nd.
“Sir, are you in a secure room?”
“Why, yes.”
“My sabre companions have detected strange humans here on Shen Ark. We suspect they are stealing some Shen equipment. I thought I should advise you immediately. Next, we will brief General Sam 101.”
“Aaah. Zen told me there was a lot of strange radio traffic recently, which he couldn’t pin down. There must be a connection. Zen, arrange for more of your security team to move from London to the starship. I’ll ask the Capins to strengthen our military force on the starship—probably add a full division, which will be another five regiments. However, it’ll take twenty-four hours to move that many, using all the shuttles. There are two Capins on the way, and I’ll arrange more to take up duty on Shen Ark as quickly as possible. Inform General Sam for me, and when you finish briefing him, have him call me. Tell the sabres I said thank you, job well done. Please stay out of trouble, all of you.”
“Thank you, sir. We’ll brief General Sam. I’ll thank both sabres,” confirmed Freddie.
The two sabre tooth tigers were very pleased with themselves, and on hearing the comments from Sam 32nd, both nudged Freddie for an ear scratch, which request he obliged.
“Not alwaysss missschief,” commented Sabre.
“Agreed. Now let’s find the General.”
Aspic 5 sent out an urgent request for General Sam 101 to meet with Freddie and Zen 33 in the communication centre. He arrived with two aides and they assembled in the same room Freddie had used for his call to Sam 32nd.
“General, thanks for responding so quickly. We might have a major issue—Sabre and Felis have detected the presence of strangers—humans—on board Shen Ark. Zen 33 and I spoke with Sam 32nd and he’s sending some more of Zen’s team to help us and is reinforcing you here with a full division—it will take twenty-four hours for their upload to complete. Two Capins already are on their way to Shen Ark, and he may arrange more. He said please call him.”
“Engineer, Zen, thank you for the alert. Thank you Sabre and Felis, well done.” He turned to his aides. “Tomas, ask Colonel Tro to report here, asap. Belle, ask Lieutenant Aspic to communicate a Code Five security alert to all military units. Tell him it is not a test.” The two aides immediately departed to implement the general’s instructions. He turned back to Freddie and explained. “Code Five is a full lockdown. I’ll ask Colonel Tro to organize the search. This is when the sheer size of the starship counts against us.”
“Two suggestions, if I may?”
“Why yes, Engineer.”
“One, you can borrow Sabre and Felis—I am sure they want to help track the intruders. Second, the intruders must have found somewhere to enter the Shen Ark. A hatch or some other entryway. There must be access logs available, which would show details of anyone opening and closing hatches? Perhaps Shen can assist. Your Operations teams should be able to research the logs. The intruders are probably still near the access point—and their shuttle or space craft certainly will be. Oh, and a third item—Shen were able to backtrack observation tapes when their refuge was raided by the Eastern Bloc. Perhaps they can offer some guidance for backtracking this incursion, as well?”
“Very good. Thank you, Engineer. Also, I accept your offer, if Sabre and Felis agree?”
“We agree,” confirmed Sabre. “Asss long asss Engineer’sss sssafety isss not compromisssed.” He bumped Freddie’s knee.
“Of course, of course. Let me consult with my team, and we’ll work out how to allocate resources.”
***
Chapter 27
Apparently Sabre and Felis had their own ideas concerning Freddie’s safety, and as a result, they decided one of them needed to stay with him while the other was assisting in th
e search for intruders. In addition, a platoon of Black Guards provided additional protection. He had briefed Zen about the need to remove Ogden back to London—both agreed there was a high probability Ogden was linked to the strangers who had managed to board Shen Ark. Zen advised his team to be alert, and as soon as they traced Ogden’s whereabouts, they would arrest him.
The lockdown status ordered by General Sam 101 had been immediately implemented, and the constraints on the Star Team aboard Shen Ark were severe. The Rat military’s responsibility was to ensure the overall safety of the working area, and they placed guards on every corridor utilized by the Star Team. All non-military team members were restricted in their movements; each person, whether human, Shen or Rat, was accompanied by at least two guards.
Sam 32nd had consulted with the Capins, and as a result, one of the senior Capins, with responsibility for overall command of the military force deployed on Shen Ark, was on board the first shuttle to arrive after Freddie’s alert. Some of Zen’s security staff were also on board, and Zen quickly briefed and tasked them, working closely with the military. Throughout the afternoon and well into the night, transport shuttles arrived, loaded with the new force of Rats and their equipment.
His Highness had also readied another division which he planned to transfer to Shen Ark on the following day. He explained to Freddie in a follow-up conference call. “Shen Ark is most important to us. I decided we needed to take every step possible to protect the starship and its contents, as well as protecting you and the Star Team. I’ll order up more of our military, possibly another four divisions. Each division, including support, numbers about ten thousand Rats. So I am looking at sending perhaps forty to fifty thousand more military Rats. Perhaps another Capin or two. General Mae 12, as well. I want you to let me know whether you think we are doing enough and whether our forces are effective. Remember, you’re a co-owner and I appreciate and need your input.”
Freddie said, “I understand, sir. Yes, I think we need more rather than less. You should consider moving military families here as well, because when your Rats locate here, they should stay. Rats need to work within UN undertakings. Once your soldiers have knowledge of the technology, they must be on the manifest of Rats departing earth.”
“Understood. Keep in mind, all Rats will leave when Shen Ark departs, unless we’ve been unable to get them away from regions such as the Eastern Bloc. Speaking of which, do you think—”
“They are involved? Very likely.”
“Dr. Krowe met with me earlier today. He wants to send some of his people up to Shen Ark, to start planning how to re-locate the Institute. I said I’d check with you.”
“Not until we resolve this incursion. Then they’ll be welcome.”
“Good. I’ll convey your decision to Dr. Krowe. He’ll understand.”
The Capin, Zen 33, and two Generals arranged to meet with Freddie each evening, to report and determine further actions. Progress was slow, because the Rats were taking very measured and meticulous steps in their search for intruders. Ser Rom arrived on the second day, on board the Shen’s stealth shuttle, to add his expertise.
Ser Nish joined the team of Rats reviewing the starship’s access logs. Another team was reviewing video and other tapes of traffic around and near the starship, and he kept an eye on their activities as well, providing assistance where he could. Ser Rom suggested he could carry out a flyover of Shen Ark, in full stealth mode, and with all detection equipment running, in an attempt to find any anomaly, any indication of a craft on or close to the starship. Freddie and the Capin agreed, and Ser Rom immediately set off on a flight path which spiralled around the Shen Ark from nose to stern. Equipment on board the shuttle recorded and relayed video, radar, and infrared detection results back to the communications centre, where the data was closely examined and analysed by a team of Rat specialists, including Rats from Zen’s security team.
It took almost twenty-four hours for the search to identify the access portal and the intruders’ shuttle, which was hidden in the shelter of a hill-like feature on the starship’s surface. The Capins—there now were two Capins on board Shen Ark—called a strategy meeting. Sam 32nd attended via video link and Freddie, Zen 33, Capins, and the Rat generals also attended. Ser Rom and Ser Nish were in the meeting as observers; because Rats were in de facto control of the starship, Shen considered defensive matters should now be the responsibility of the intended new owners.
Capin Julio, the senior Capin, called the meeting to order. “I’ll present images from the exterior and then some multi-dimensional and holographic Shen Ark maps,” he said as he pointed at the large video displaying a portion of the huge starship’s exterior. He zoomed in on the image and tapped the viewscreen. “This is the intruder, it looks very much like a refurbished experimental spacecraft from last century, probably captured from the Americans, during the last American Civil War, when the Eastern Bloc was assisting the southern rebels. The craft has no markings, no identification. However, we assume—until proven otherwise—that this is an Eastern Bloc incursion. No one else has the resources to support a venture like this. The Eastern Bloc probably are smarting because of the failure of their recent actions against us.”
“Sabre has been very helpful. He has identified five separate intruder spoors, and Felis has confirmed this. The intruders have been very circumspect, so far keeping well away from our operational areas. However, they have been making incursions into storage areas. We have not been able to identify what they have taken, and we are trying not to alert them until we are ready to take action against them.”
Capin Julio said, “Ser Nish helped our team build a series of holographic images, and this is the first image.” The hologram hummed into focus; it was the same exterior image showing on the video. “This is located in the starboard bow, in an area we have not yet explored. Now we can explore using service tunnels, details of which Ser Nish has provided. See, there are corridors leading away from that access point, and away from storage rooms accessible from there. Ser Nish has advised us that the surrounding area was not utilized by Shen, apart from casual warehousing. The next hologram puts the area in context. See, it is almost a junction point for access to major inventory warehousing and to a command deck we have not yet fully inventoried. That command deck contains a potential treasure trove for the intruders.”
“We plan a two-phase approach, commencing as soon as I have approval from this meeting. First, we will disable their shuttle craft; we do not want them to depart the Shen Ark under any circumstances. We can position a shuttle to prevent the intruders from leaving, we can capture it, or we can destroy it. It could be booby-trapped of course. Our preference is to destroy the spacecraft. The second step has a number of components. We will progressively restrict the operational area available to the intruders. We must ensure they cannot access our areas, we do not want them launching some kind of suicide attack, nor do we want them gaining access to our shuttle craft. It will be a three-dimensional challenge for our forces. The region of interest contains multiple levels and numerous corridors and utility tunnels, the latter providing a separate challenge as they crisscross levels. We will utilize at least one division, accompanied by some of Zen’s team, and one of the sabre tigers. We plan on capturing the intruders alive, if possible. Zen 33 has named the operation Rat Catcher. I think he has developed a sly sense of humour. Questions?”
Sam 32nd asked, “Can you implement Rat Catcher without using one of the sabre tigers? I want Engineer to be fully protected, and I’ll have peace of mind if both sabre tigers are part of his security detail.”
“Why, yes, sir,” agreed Capin Julio. “I fully understand. We are taking utmost care of Engineer. He’s already complaining that we’re preventing him from doing his work.”
“Don’t take any notice, just ensure his protection.”
“Yes, sir,” confirmed the senior Capin.
“Are you sure you’ve identified all utility and maintenance tunnels and their
access points, internal and external?” queried Freddie, ignoring the exchange between Sam 32nd and Capin Julio. “Some of the Shen blueprints are out of date.”
Ser Nish replied, “Engineer, yes, we did slow down maintenance of our structural records. Please accept our apologies.” He shrugged. “We didn’t know we would sell Shen Ark. However, I’ve worked with our operations team, checked details with everyone I could think of, and made updates to the plans. There are gaps; however, not many.”
“Thanks, Ser Nish.”
Capin Julio continued the briefing. “While Ser Nish states the plans, drawings, etc., are complete and accurate to 95% or more, we’re basing our tactics on a lower confidence factor. We’ve identified, again with the assistance of Ser Nish, where airlocks are located. Typically these corridors, as you see here, have a series of airlocks, almost one every two hundred yards, which automatically close if atmospheric pressure reduces. Maintenance tunnels also have airlocks, and they too are pressure automated. We can override the automated processes and close the airlocks from our Operations centre. We can restrict the ability of the intruders to open these locks once we’ve closed them.”
“Thus, when we implement Rat Catcher, we’ll close and lock down all the tunnels, airlock after airlock, commencing about a mile out from where we think the intruders are located, so these passageways cannot be utilized. We’ve identified key corridors which we’ll leave open, for our teams to use. We’ll close and block airlocks in the other corridors, also starting a mile out from our objective. At the same time we’ll close all portals leading to the exterior surface in this area. When we complete those tasks, we’ll pump out the air in each section, creating vacuum spaces around our objective.”
“What if the intruders have obtained Shen weapons or explosives?” asked Zen 33.
“We checked with Ser Nish, and most of the munitions are in levels towards the stern of Shen Ark. Neither Sabre nor Felis detected intruder spoor in those areas. It’s always possible they have found weapons they can use; however, for the moment, it’s a risk we must accept.”
Shen Ark: Departure Page 21
