THE LACERTIANS SPREAD OUT AS THEY APPROACHED the site where their target had stopped. They did not know what they might encounter, but their orders from the Sersan were clear: guard Harry, whom they called the Navigator, and Ferghal, the Sword Wielder. Sersan had received intelligence that an attempt was to be made on the College, and Sci’Enzile had placed a tracer on the vehicle Lieutenant Commander Vallance used. She and the others had suspected him of involvement in the attempts against Harry and Ferghal based on their observation of his movements and who he conferred with.
Now she signalled her companions as he stepped out of his vehicle and appeared to be searching for something. They watched as a new vehicle approached, stopped briefly to exchange signals with the commander, then accelerated away. Ari Vallance watched it go then slid into his own vehicle and drove off along a different track. Sci’Anthe signalled her squad to follow the strange vehicle, and Sci’Enzile settled down to follow the commander.
Preoccupied with his own thoughts, Ari Vallance guided his runabout to his favourite lookout point. From here he could watch the whole stretch of the lake, the perfect place to wait for the team to return and report their departure.
THE CONSORTIUM INTRUDERS TOOK NO CHANCES. Leaving their vehicle in a concealed hollow on the far side of the lake, they crossed using self-propelled submersion suits, towing their device in its container.
The leader verified that his team were present. Stripped out of the suits, they appeared to be Fleet personnel, the leader wearing the insignia of a Commander. “Follow me. We’ll get the package installed under the VIP stand.”
The Lacertians waited, then the leader signalled one of her team to recover and sabotage the intruders’ suits. Satisfied her people were ready, she signalled the rest to follow.
Moving with care, the Consortium intruders reached their target, as did their shadows. The Lacertian leader stepped into view. “You do not belong here.”
“What the hell?”
The Consortium team were good, but the Lacertians were faster and stronger, especially in one-to-one combat.
Surveying the now prone intruders, Sci’scinada signalled her intentions. “We shall return these and their device to their masters.”
The security cameras captured images of the brief disturbance in the water, but by the time the security patrol reached the dock, all was calm and the place was deserted. A scan using a patrol skimmer also turned up nothing, and the disturbance was put down to a school of fish.
The delay made Vallance nervous. Glancing round to make sure he wasn’t watched or followed, he left his vehicle and moved to where he could use his night scope to locate the team’s vehicle.
“Shit! Those bloody Lacertians!” He hurried back to his vehicle, started it, and gunned it away. “Damn, damn, damn. I knew this would go sour. Shit!” Heading away from the College, he considered his options then swung onto the highway and made for the main gate. Better to be seen in the wardroom if anyone came looking.
SCI’SCINADA WATCHED HER PEOPLE LOAD the last of the captives into their vehicle. Another of her team busied herself with the device the intruders had brought with them.
“It is done, Sci’scinada, as you instructed. It will detonate when the vehicle reaches its base. The transport will return to their place of origin. The device is integrated with the destination.”
“That is good.” She regarded the captives. “We have spared you to return you and your device to your masters. It will detonate when you reach the place you came from. We wish you a pleasant journey.”
Closing the door, she activated the transport’s automatic homing system and set it in motion for its final journey. With that done, she and the other Lacertians returned to the lake, submerged beneath the surface with barely a ripple, and swam swiftly back to the pontoon, emerging to watch the security patrol checking all the moorings and boats.
Lieutenant Commander Vallance faced a quandary. He needed to alert his paymasters that his plan to vanish with the assault team had been thwarted. But that created an almost impossible problem. The heightened security during Regatta Week included the monitoring of all communications channels at all times. Even a short signal would be picked up.
Frustrated, he sought solace, somewhat morosely, in the wardroom.
Chapter 20 – Regatta Week
“The weather forecasts for the next several days are not good.”
The Commodore shook his head. “Pity. Even if they try to rearrange the events, it’s going to be a case of same problem, different day.”
“What are they going to do? Surely not still run it all.” Niamh watched the wind bending the trees and whipping the shrubs.
“There may be some changes to a few of the events, particularly the sailing events.” The Commodore’s comlink chirped. “Commodore Heron,” he answered.
“Admiral’s compliments, sir. He’d appreciate your joining him immediately.”
“On my way. What’s his location?” He listened to the address and acknowledged it then ended the connection. “Damn. I wonder what this is about.” Shrugging into his uniform jacket, he fastened it and tugged it into place as he made for the door, grabbing his cap on the way. “I’ll join you as soon as I can.” Absently he returned the salute of the junior cadet who was startled into a salute when the door opened, which he hadn’t expected. “Looks like your escort is here,” said the Commodore over his shoulder to Niamh and Theo.
“Come in, Mid, we’ll be ready in a second.” Theo invited the youth into the suite. “I’m Theo L’Estrange, and this is my wife Niamh.”
“Thank you, sir. Cadet O’Reilly, sir, ma’am. I’m assigned to be your guide for today.”
Niamh smiled. “Nice to meet you, Mr O’Reilly. Hopefully we won’t place too many demands on you.” She glanced at Theo adjusting his jacket, and Danny already at the door. “I think we’re ready.”
“JAMES, HAVE A SEAT.” GRAND ADMIRAL CUNNINGHAM gestured toward a chair for the Commodore to seat himself. “The news will break any moment, so I’ll get straight to it. There’s been an explosion beneath the headquarters of Global Security Group’s corporate headquarters — a big one. The entire building has collapsed, and there’s collateral damage.”
“Global Security Group? Weren’t they implicated in the prison scandal?”
“Not directly, but the holding company was — and the whole lot are connected to Consortium interests. That’s why they’ve lost a lot of their contracts to provide security services for several governments. There are suggestions that they had a black ops section as well, which is why Fleet Security have been monitoring them.” The Admiral pushed a paper across the desk. “We think they made an attempt on this place.” He tapped a finger on the paper. “There was an intrusion last night. Security found evidence of it this morning. Captain Brown of Security is discussing it with the Lacertian team that their leader Sersan insists on posting here.”
“Ah.” The Commodore frowned. “I understand. The Captain feels they’ve acted outside of their scope of authority.” He knew the Lacertians had a rather direct view of their responsibility to protect Harry, Ferghal and Danny. “Could they be responsible for planting a bomb? It doesn’t seem like their normal method of dealing with a threat.”
“That’s just it. It isn’t the way they’ve worked in the past, and there’s no indication they left the site. No, this is something else. We’re certain they intercepted the intruders but let them go. At least there’s no sign of their having detained them.”
“Would you like me to have a word, sir?”
“Thanks, James, but I think we’ll leave it to Brown and his merry band to unravel. For the moment, it’s better you stay out of it. I do want you to alert your brother-in-law as he’s going to get a call about it at some stage.”
“I’ll do that, sir.”
“Good.” The Admiral took back the sheet of paper and fed it into an atomiser unit. “Now, perhaps we better take our places
for the first of the Field Gun runs.” Rising, he picked up his cap. “By the way, Flags will have some new orders for you once the Regatta is over. I’m strengthening your squadron, but it can wait until you’re back in the saddle.”
“WHAT THE DEVIL HAPPENED?” MR BARCLAY CONFRONTED Ari Vallance on the grassy bank above the promenade overlooking the lake. He hadn’t intended to be here, but events dictated his presence. The calm weather had already given way to a stronger wind creating a nasty chop on the water, making the sailing difficult. “The bomb was still in the vehicle when it returned to the office.” He glanced round to make it seem like he was merely enjoying the view. “Took out the entire building and part of the neighbours on each side.”
“Damned if I know, but I think it was the Lacertian security lot that intervened.”
“What?” The man stiffened. “We knew they’d been involved with the failed attempt to recapture the two from the Johnstone lab, but our information said they’d gone. Why weren’t we alerted they’re still here?”
“You were. I sent several messages advising my contact.” Vallance studied the racing dinghies through his binoculars. “Not only is the place swarming with their people, but half of Fleet Security is here with their elite Phantom Squad. I warned you people when I was contacted about this operation.”
Mr Barclay made a pretence of watching the sailing. “That wasn’t passed on. I expected the security to be tight, but I had no trouble at the gate.”
Vallance smiled. “You have an invitation to attend your son’s Passing Out parade, and you’re evidently not on anyone’s radar at present. Or, you are, and they’re watching to see who you make contact with.” He prepared to move away. “So it may be best if you meet and talk to as many of the staff as you can. I’ll try to find out what happened to the team who were supposed to plant the device. I’m sure we’ll meet up at the reception tomorrow evening.”
Incensed at such a casual dismissal from a man he regarded as his inferior in both status and wealth, the elder Barclay controlled his anger and schooled his face. He had to admit, this plan made sense. He needed to deflect any suspicion if he was being observed.
THE STRENGTHENING WIND MADE FOR AN EXCITING SERIES of races for the dinghy sailors.
“We’ve a first, two second places and two boats in the finals.” Keiron studied the results on his tablet. “We’re neck and neck with the Dreadnoughts in second place, four points ahead of the Agamemnons and three behind the Field Engineers.”
“And the weather is turning nasty.” Elize tucked herself into the corner of a sofa and hugged her knees. “Tomorrow’s forecast is looking really bad. It was pretty tough sailing this afternoon.”
“You did well though.” Harry took a seat beside her. “You took first place in the final and a respectable second in your heat.”
“I can say I’ve had a few lessons from a demanding teacher these last few weeks.” She nudged him playfully, and shifted her position so that their shoulders touched, causing Harry to blush. “We’re counting on you tomorrow, Harry. I just hope the sailing isn’t cancelled by the weather.”
“I’ll do my best, but the weather may make it a dangerous enterprise. We need to have a clear win in the sloops, the whaler race and at least one other event to be sure of the Cup.”
“They’ve changed the course for the whalers.” Ferghal joined the group and seated himself heavily into a deep-cushioned club chair. “It will suit us well, though it will be hard pulling.”
Harry would not admit it publicly, but he was far from certain he could beat the competition in the sloop race. Some of the others were superb tacticians and had the advantage of having grown up sailing vessels like these. The events of the last weeks had sapped his self-confidence, and the attempt to kidnap Danny coming on top of the attempts on himself and Ferghal had really unsettled him.
Ferghal noted Harry’s intense look and lightened the mood. “We’ve the best pulling crew for the whaler,” he said. “She’s a bit light for a real boat, but she’s fast.”
“And we’ve the heaviest coxswain in the race!” retorted Keiron, tossing a sofa pillow at Ferghal.
Ferghal blushed as fiery red as his hair. “Well, you wanted me there, and you’d not let me pull the stroke!”
“All in good fun, old boy,” said Keiron. “We wanted someone who could coach the rest of us and row the boat on his own!” Everyone laughed at this remark.
“You’re a fine one to speak,” Ferghal retorted, but his smile showed that he took it as a compliment.
Howie added, “With Sheoba, Sheanthe and you in the Field Gun team, I think Keiron’s going to be almost unbeatable.”
“We’ll see!” said Ferghal.
“THIS IS GOING TO BE A TOUGH COMPETITION.” The Commodore leaned into the wind. “The weather isn’t going to improve until sometime tonight.”
Handing their invitation cards to the smartly turned out cadet, Theo smiled as he watched the youth’s dilemma as he weighed the need to salute a full Commodore and deal with a very senior member of the Judiciary of a member state. Mischievously he leaned closer to the midshipman and said, “He’s with me,” and winked.
“Yes, sir.” The midshipman’s lips twitched as his eyes flicked from the Chief Justice to the Commodore, lingering a moment on the ribbons adorning the senior officer’s chest. He managed to salute. “If you’ll follow me, Ms L’Estrange, Chief Justice. Sir?”
“Lead on, Mid.” James Heron was impressed. The young man had managed to observe protocol and keep a straight face at Theo’s teasing.
Leading the party to the stairs, he took them up and stood aside at the door to the VIP observation lounge. “Rear Admiral Lopata, the College Commandant, is receiving, sir.” Snapping to attention, he saluted again.
“Thanks, Mid.” The Commodore returned the salute. “Carry on, please.”
Having exchanged greetings with the commandant, Niamh moved to the observation windows. “We’ll be able to see everything from here, and it’s great to be out of that wind!”
Danny sighed. “I wish I could be in the boats with Harry and Ferghal. I wouldn’t care how strong the wind is. Dealt with much worse on the Spartan and still managed to sand the decks and carry the powder cartridges. I miss being out on the water.”
Glancing at the waves, Niamh nodded. “I know you’d rather be with your friends, Danny, but that will come soon enough.” Seeking to distract him, she said, “Oh, look there — are those the whalers Ferghal was talking about? They’re getting into them now. It’s going to be an exciting race!”
“LIEUTENANT COMMANDER VALLANCE, I’D APPRECIATE a moment of your time.”
Looking up sharply, the Lieutenant Commander bit off the retort he was about to make when he recognised the speaker as a senior member of the Fleet Security Service. “Certainly. Can it wait? The pulling race is due to start, and I’m one of the safety officers.”
The man nodded. “I’m aware. This won’t take long. We’re looking into an anomaly. Your DNA was among several traces found on a device recovered aboard the DGK — one of the devices used to disable the interface with the AI network.”
“I’m afraid I can think of any number of reasons I might have handled such a device.” With a shrug, he added, “I am, after all, a communications specialist. If someone brought me an item, I most certainly would have handled it. Is that so unusual?”
“Not really.” The visitor produced an image display. “This is the one.”
Feeling relieved, Vallance relaxed a little. “I think it is safe to say that I have several such items in our display in the class. It could be one of those, or it might have been one brought for examination here. Mine would not have been the only DNA on it if it came from here.”
“As you say, Commander,” the agent replied. “I have to talk to several more people before we can wrap up this investigation.” He did have a number of other College people to talk to, but not necessarily about the device he
was investigating.
Vallance tried not to look too relieved. “Well, if that’s all, I’d better get back to my duties. Regatta Week is a bit of a nightmare — for you fellows as well, I should think.”
The security officer smiled. “As you say. Well, thanks for your help. I’ll be in touch if anything else crops up.” He stood to leave then turned back. “Oh, yes, there’s one more thing. We’ve reason to believe someone attempted to install a device under the VIP observation stand. You wouldn’t happen to have noticed any strange events last night?”
Ari Vallance felt a sudden chill. He knew the Consortium had intended to blow the Fleet Board and top command to hell — and probably a sizeable number of the visitors and staff who would have been close by. “Attempted?”
“Yes. Can’t say any more at present, but someone let a team in. They were intercepted and neutralised, but apparently got away.” The security officer noted the reaction and the look of concern.
“Got away?” His link chirped. Not a moment too soon, Ari mused inwardly. “Lieutenant Commander Vallance,” he answered.
“Ten minutes to the start, sir. Captain’s asking for you.”
“On my way.” He kept his voice casual. “I have to go.”
“I won’t detain you. I think I’ll take some time out to watch the sailing later.”
Vallance hurried away, wondering whether the item on the news about an explosion and the collapse of a multi-storey building in the capital was connected to the apparent escape of the team.
“Damn, damn, damn,” he swore to himself. The security people were getting way too close.
Chapter 21 – Against Wind and Water
Ferghal and his team gathered at their boat for the whaler race. The wind had been steadily increasing all morning, and serious consideration had been given to cancelling both the pulling and sloop racing events. In fact, the final dinghy and skimmer events were postponed and then postponed again, with the announcement that they would be sailed late in the day when it was expected that the wind would ease. That left the rowing event and the teams assembled at the pontoon to prepare their boats and confront a lake that was a mass of white-topped wavelets. The course was moved to the windward shore of the lake where a lee was formed by the land, but this also meant that the wind eddied and squalled around the buildings and structures along its edge.
Harry Heron: No Quarter Page 17
