For this reason the space station had the facility to automatically control the speed of any incoming traffic and to dock the vehicle; this had been built into the system as a precaution in the event that something should have happened to the pilot, causing the vessel to become a runaway.
The lesson had been learned during the so called inner space wars, when an aggressors’ vessel had attempted a suicidal run at one of the space stations after using up all of its ammunition: the plan had only been thwarted by the quick action of an Arrowline fighter pilot, also out of ammunition, who had rammed the vessel before it could make contact with the station. As the ships had disintegrated on impact both crews were automatically thrown clear in their ejector pods, their only lifelines being their space suits. The three members of the Arrowline crew were soon rescued by vessels from the space station: the enemy crew were left to float away to whatever destiny awaited them.
Twenty minutes later MAC informed Hidson. “Leading pilot, we are approaching the exchange point: please transfer control to Mainframe systems and make ready for subluminal velocity: I shall inform the crew once we have attained our cruise speed.”
Hidson released the propulsion drive pad: put his head back into the headrest and responded “Transfer ready.”
The pilot’s chair began to recline and once in position, MAC advised “All personnel in transfer mode: transferring now.”
A few minutes later Hidson felt his body weight returning and then MAC announced “Subluminal velocity achieved: it is now safe for crew to resume normal practice.”
At this, all seating and console locks in the crew’s quarters were released.
Rachmel was about to leave her quarters when the doorcom was activated.
“Entry is requested.”
“Who?”
“Leading Physics Officer Duarte.”
Well, here it was: she had wondered how long it would take for the questioning to begin, but was a little surprised that Duarte was first; she would have put her money on Miles.
“Permission granted.”
The door slid silently open and Duarte stepped inside. “Commander, I just wanted to …”
Rachmel interrupted her. “Please take a seat.”
The two women sat at the desk, and then Rachmel asked “What can I do for you Leading Officer?”
“Well, I wanted to thank you for allowing me this opportunity as your Second in Command and to assure you I shall not let you down: one day I hope to gain my own command and know that I can learn a lot from a Commander of your experience. I really am looking forward to this mission.”
Rachmel had been observing her while she spoke and found the woman to have a maturity beyond her youthful looks: perhaps, one day, she would eventually make a good second Officer.
In reply she said “Your enthusiasm for the mission is admirable, but your confidence in my abilities humbles me: this mission will go a long way to making the goal of your own command a reality: I wish you well.”
The pause that followed seemed longer than it really was.
“Was there something else?” Queried the Commander.
“Well…yes. I don’t wish to appear to be questioning the integrity of Missions Control, but why would they …”
Rachmel finished the question for her. “Why would they send an Administrator on this mission? The very question I asked them myself. The reply was that she has been seconded, temporarily, from the Agency to a private civilian company who appear to have a vested interest in this mission and it seems they wanted someone here who was above reproach to watch out for their interests: beyond that I cannot say.”
After a few moments of deep thought, Duarte asked, concernedly, “Commander, is it your belief that someone on this mission is to be … administrated?”
Rachmel was a little taken aback by the abruptness of the question and the look of anxiety in the eyes of her second-in-command. She had expected everyone to be a little edgy, but here there seemed to be real fear...almost dread. Could it be that the reputation of the Bureau had unnerved the young and relatively inexperienced physics Officer, who had probably never before met an agent, let alone served with one? Or did she really have something to fear from Andretta? Whatever the answer, a steadying hand was called for and, as Commander, that responsibility was hers.
“If what I think you are asking is, do I believe that Agent Andretta is here to terminate someone, then my answer is no, I do not believe that to be the case; she
may have private orders that we are not privy to, but I don’t think they involve the destruction of any member of this mission. If someone’s termination had been her real goal here I think she would have acted before we launched. Now why don’t we make our way over to the galley and see what’s on the menu.”
Miles was in the observation unit on the starboard side of the main drive system; he would spend most of his time here in the coming weeks, keeping a check on his domain but also to get away from the others and their interruptions.
What had started as a niggling doubt had now become a great mystery with not a little danger thrown in: down here he could think clearly, and he had a lot to think about, as they all did. For instance, what was the real reason they had sent a damned Ghost on this mission? He hadn’t gone for the rubbish that he had been given in his personal orders: he assumed that the others had been told the same that she was here in a non-agency capacity working temporarily for some civilian enterprise. It just didn’t ring true for him; she was part of an organisation whose job was basically to spy on, interrogate, or execute judgement and most of the time all three without prior knowledge being given to the target. And that was another thing…they always referred to people as their targets and not as their suspects: cold blooded bastards, all of them.
So why was she here? Had one of the crew done something? But here lay the doubt, because whoever it was would have been interrogated at the station and would not have been allowed on board; so that meant it must be that someone was going to do something on the mission, but that she, Andretta, wasn’t sure who it was yet.
Okay, so what did he know about the crew? Rachmel: solid as a rock, not given to flights of fancy or political intrigue: a good Officer who used the rule book and good judgement in equal measures; he couldn’t really accept Andretta being here for her.
Next there was Hidson, the pilot: as straight-laced as a man with a family the size of his should be and he had been around for a long time; if he had been up to anything he would have fallen foul before now. But, then again, he may have been around too long, becoming bored and careless
Then there was Coles, the doc’: she had been in the service for ever and although he didn’t know her personally he had heard a lot about her. She had proven herself during the Inner-space wars and had been decorated several times: she had the reputation of being totally dedicated to her family and the service.
But what about Duarte? Bit of a mystery card and comes from the Intraphysics section that tends to keep themselves to themselves anyway: fairly new for a mission like this and made 2IC to boot; it all smacked of string-pulling somewhere, but why? And by who?
And last but not least there was Kamul. No mystery about this card; he was well known in gambling circles and well used to trouble: could he have done something stupid and generated the presence of Andretta into the mission?
He didn’t know the answers to these questions, but he would be doing a lot of observation in the next few months: everyone was to be watched, but in particular, Kamul and Duarte.
His thoughts turned to the Hiber pods: he didn’t relish the idea of a Ghost being in control of something so crucial to their survival; in fact, tampering with one of the pods was the perfect way to execute someone: but all life support systems were controlled by MAC, and MAC could not be corrupted once programmed and only the Commander could utilise the manual release over-ride on each of the pods. Although he was not responsible for the Biohibernation pods on this trip he decided to check them o
ut anyway.
Once back out into the corridor, he sat astride the small hoverbug which automatically activated the control. “Destination please.”
“Biohibernation section.
On arrival at the Biohiber section Miles went directly to his personal unit and gave it a thorough inspection. He found nothing untoward but still he wasn’t happy, for a brief but eerie sensation had come over him when he entered the section; it was as though the pods were uncomfortable in his presence. But that was ridiculous, he had told himself, the pods were machines and machines could not transfer thought or feeling. Moving on, he checked the other pods, including the spare unit, but still he found nothing wrong.
This was one of the few places on board where MAC had no verbal input; the reasoning being that personnel in this section would be in hibernation status anyway. Using the remote interface that was attached to his wrist, he requested “MAC, complete scan check of all foreign matter in this section.”
The reply was almost instant. “One on-board vehicle: Leading Engineer Miles: Internal Administrator Andretta.”
Miles spun round to find Andretta leaning against the bulkhead by the doorway.
“Please carry on Leading Officer; I was about to check them myself anyway.”
Duarte stepped out of her accommodation and made her way along the main corridor. A few paces from Andretta’s quarters she stopped as the door opened. Kamul suddenly appeared and she watched as he furtively ran his hand across the entry recognition cover.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Kamul spun around, his face a mask of surprise and horror. “Hell! What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?”
“I asked what you were doing; and what is the device you have just used on the door pad?”
By this time Kamul had regained his composure and smiled reassuringly at his colleague. “No big deal, just a little friendly visit, that’s all.”
Duarte was deeply concerned. “What did you sweep across the door pad? And don’t try to give me any bull or I go straight to the Commander with this.”
Kamul saw that he had no choice; he was going to have to confide in Duarte, but better her than one of the others. Holding out his hand he revealed a small, flat, rectangular package approximately 10 centimetres in length that Duarte recognised immediately.
“What the hell are you doing with an engineer’s door entry by-pass? Are you out of your mind? She’s going to know that someone broke into her room; MAC records all entries, legal or otherwise: you could die for this.”
“Don’t worry.” He said, “I rigged the device so that it doesn’t trigger MAC. Anyway, I was just trying to find out what we all want to know – what the hell are we doing with a ghost on board? Come on, you must be as worried as the rest of us: don’t you want to know who she’s here for?” He waited for some kind of comment, but when nothing was forthcoming another thought crossed his mind.
“Or do you already know what it’s about? Have you been a naughty girl? Is she here for you? Come on Duarte, put me out of my misery: I won’t tell the others, I promise; I just need the reassurance that she isn’t here for me.”
On a personal level, Duarte didn’t like Kamul; she considered him to be a rogue and a coward, but she did understand why he had been chosen for this mission, for he was, by far, the best in his field and as such was an important member of the crew. As second-in-command she considered it her duty to try to dispel any fears from her colleague.
“I’m not aware that I’ve done anything that would warrant an agent’s presence, but you, on the other hand, are the one who is breaking into other people’s accommodation. I’ve spoken with the Commander and she has assured me that the agent’s presence is as was stated to each of us at our personal conferences. I strongly recommend that you dispose of your little toy and stop acting in a guilty manner. Now, since you have already gained access to her quarters, what did you find?”
For a moment Miles was stunned: he couldn’t think of any reply that wouldn’t sound guilty, for he was, after all, checking up on her.
Making her way across to the nearest unit Andretta ran her hand over the smooth lines of the body shell, giving Miles time to recover; a few moments passed before he found his voice.
“I realise that I am not the leading biohiber engineer on this mission, but I considered it prudent to do my own checks as backup to your own; force of habit I suppose.”
Andretta stopped, at the opposite side of the unit, and smiled.
“Your conscientiousness is admirable and I must admit to being somewhat impressed by the dedication and quality of this crew, so finding you here comes as no surprise: are you satisfied with your checks?”
Miles glanced round at the other units. “Yes, everything seems in order.”
She smiled again, never taking her eyes from him. “Then if you are satisfied, I am satisfied and there is no need for me to make further checks. So, as a seasoned space traveller, what do you imagine we may find at the end of our wormhole rainbow?”
Miles felt relief at the change in topic; given different circumstances he would have considered such a question to be frivolous, having no data to rely upon to respond with a sensible answer: as an engineer he didn’t normally subject himself to imagination, but the agent had offered him a way out of an embarrassing situation.
“Well, I don’t really know what to think. I don’t believe that there is no life out there; life that we would recognise, that is. Anything is feasible I suppose; there may even be creatures like us, somewhere.”
He wondered, given this seeming bubble of bonhomie that had enveloped them, how she would respond to a direct question that was obviously troubling all on board; this might be the only opportunity he would get to speak so openly with her.
“With all due respect to your profession and to you personally, I’m finding it difficult to accept the reasoning given by Missions Command as to your presence on board: would it be imprudent to ask if there is a more serious game afoot?”
Andretta answered immediately. “To observe people who may have possible alien contact.”
In the ensuing silence Miles realised that he was staring at her with his mouth open and she was looking straight back at him, stone-faced, with not even the hint of a smile on her face.
After a few seconds he whispered “You’re not joking are you?”
Her face remained impassive. “No Leading Officer, I’m not joking.”
“So, who?”
“To reveal that would jeopardise my mission, because you would then begin to react differently around them and they would then be alerted.”
“You said they so there is more than one.”
She smiled again. “How very astute of you Leading Officer, you ought to consider joining the Agency.”
He frowned at the thought, but then he realised that she was toying with him.
“However, I use the term merely to detract from the implication of one or more.”
“Okay, so, since I am the one you are confiding this information to, you obviously don’t believe that I am one of them and you wouldn’t be investigating yourself, which leaves Hidson, Kamul, Coles and Duarte.”
“What leads you to believe it could not be Commander Rachmel? After all, you know only of her service career and nothing about her earlier civilian life. During our training period we are reminded of an age old philosophy that proves invaluable to us in our duties - all see what you seem to be, but few know who you are; and with that in mind be advised that one of the people who have made my presence here necessary is female, with one female child.”
Miles grinned broadly and lifted his chin slightly as in victory. “Well, there you go then; Commander Rachmel has no children: not married and never likely to be: she’s a one hundred per cent career officer, but surely you saw all this on her files?”
“Yes, I have her files, as I have all of your files; and now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other duties to perform.”
&nb
sp; With that she turned to leave. As an afterthought she added, “This conversation was private and confidential: it would be of benefit to both of us for it to remain that way.” The inference was not lost on Miles.
Now that he was alone, Miles went over their conversation; it just didn’t add up - 1...the fact that Rachmel did not have children was well known: 2...Andretta was investigating someone who had a daughter: 3...2 therefore eliminates 1, but still Andretta considered Rachmel to be a suspect; how could that be? Then another thought came to him; she had divulged her secret mission to him, a mere spanner pusher, why? Was she trying to use him? Employ him as a confidante? Gain his trust? Or what? He could only be sure of one thing; Agent Andretta had just upped the game and from now on he would be watching everyone.
Kamul shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing. And I do mean nothing; even her furniture is stowed away; it’s as clean as if no one were occupying her accommodation. We have to do something about her before things get out of hand.”
Duarte was momentarily speechless at this outburst, as it now became clear that her colleague was in mortal fear of the Agent. Finding her voice, she asked “What do you mean by ‘do something about her?’ And what do you mean by ‘we?’ Just what the hell have you been up to, Kamul? Why are you so sure that she’s here for you?”
“I don’t mean we should injure her in any way; we could maybe put her in her Biohiber unit for the duration and release her when we get back, and when I say ‘we’ I mean all of us; the whole crew: if we band together we should easily overpower one female agent.”
“You’re a fool, Kamul; no one is going to take on a Bureau agent: I strongly recommend that you get over this obsession with Andretta and concentrate on your own mission.” She gazed at the fear in his eyes and then, shaking her head in sadness, she turned and walked away.
Kamul watched her leave and then he patted the side pocket of his tunic, reassured by the item that he had taken from Andretta’s quarters.
Under his breath, he muttered “Who the hell needs you, anyway?”
INTERVENTION Page 4
