Against All Enemies ps-4

by John G. Hemry

  But his department head just glared at him again. "Nothing I had anything to do with! I wasn't yet in the chain of command! Nobody had better try to claim I was, because I have documentation proving when I took over responsibility for this department and it was after we got back here. Nothing like that will happen now that I'm in charge. Whatever situation we confront, we will handle it perfectly because our equipment will be working perfectly and our enlisted personnel will perform perfectly. That's our only goal and I will accept nothing less."

  Paul, at a loss for words, could only nod. I wonder how screwed up a department can get while its boss insists on perfection in everything?

  Grumbling to herself about the statement, Moraine dismissed Paul. He left with a real sense of relief that outweighed disappointment at his failure to get Moraine to talk about any of the things the NCIS had been interested in.

  Paul walked down the passageway, fighting a growing feeling of frustration and deflation as his relief faded. Talking to Moraine didn't get me anything. All I ended up with is that stupid demand of hers for the source-code on the tracking software. What's wrong with her? There's no way she should be looking at that.

  Paul stopped moving so abruptly that a sailor coming along behind bumped into him. The sailor gave Paul an aggravated look as Paul moved to the side of the passageway to let the other past. Paul wasn't paying attention, though. He was considering the realization that had just come to him. Moraine's job doesn't require her to look at sensitive source-code, has nothing to do with looking at source-code for software, but she insists on seeing it. Which is exactly one of the things that the NCIS agents told me to watch for.

  Not that he could do anything about it right now. He couldn't leave the ship again today, and in any event Connally wouldn't see him until tomorrow.

  The day finally wound down, the senior officers leaving to spend some time ashore as evening officially came to Franklin and the lights dimmed in public areas all over the station. Now the entire ship, in one sense, belonged to Paul. As command duty officer he had responsibility for whatever happened onboard until his duty day ended tomorrow morning.

  Despite his weariness, Paul walked, checking every compartment on the ship from bullnose to stern, looking for any sign of trouble or anything amiss. He paused, as he almost always did, outside of Forward Engineering. Chief Asher had died there, and the engineers on the ship insisted that his ghost still occupied the compartment, keeping an eye on things. One petty officer had told Paul of an incident where an accident had been forestalled when a broken switch miraculously functioned long enough to divert power. The rational part of Paul laid that incident at the feet of the transient malfunctions that plagued sophisticated electronics. But another part of him felt a sense of someone watching whenever he visited the compartment. Not that Asher should be mad at him, but Paul just wasn't too comfortable around ghosts.

  Farther aft he passed the weapons bay where Petty Officer Davidas had died even longer ago. According to the crew, Davidas (like Asher) occasionally made his continued presence known. Paul stopped for a moment. How's it feel? he asked Davidas. So many of the crew you knew back then are gone. I understand that feeling. Part of a ship is the hardware. The ship herself. But the biggest part is the crew. What happens when the crew changes? Does the ship become a different ship?

  I know I won't be able to visit again in years to come and feel that this ship is a familiar place. It's already full of people I hardly know, and in a few more years there'll be nobody left onboard who remembers me as anything other than a name on an old crew roster.

  The next morning he handed off duty responsibilities to his relief and dove into work in an attempt to catch up and also forget his recent unconventional activities. As usual, he was interrupted by a page, this one on the ship's general announcing system. "Lieutenant Sinclair, Lieutenant Pullman, your presence is requested in the wardroom."

  Grumbling, Paul hastened that way, keeping his eyes on the messages on his data pad as he entered the wardroom. Finally looking up, the first thing he noticed was Jen smiling at him. "Jen? What're you doing here?" She gestured to one side. "Captain?"

  Hayes frowned with every appearance of displeasure, the frown also taking in Brad Pullman as he entered. "Didn't I ask for Lieutenant Sinclair and Lieutenant Pullman to report here?"

  Paul nodded, trying not to look confused.

  "But you're both wearing lieutenant junior grade insignia." Hayes consulted his own data pad. "According to this promotion message, you two are wearing the wrong insignia. I won't have my officers walking around out of uniform."

  It finally sunk in. Paul's promotion had been authorized to take effect. Jen grinned a little wider.

  Hayes kept his expression stern. "If you're going to be promoted, perhaps you ought to retake the commissioning oath. No objections? Good. Raise your right hands," he ordered Paul and Brad Pullman. "Repeat after me. I, state your name."

  "I, Paul Sinclair," Paul recited.

  "Do solemnly swear or affirm…"

  "Do solemnly swear of affirm…"

  The captain read through the rest of the oath, pausing to let Paul and Brad Pullman recite each section in turn. "… that I will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic;"

  "… that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;"

  "… that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;"

  "… and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; so help me God."

  Paul lowered his hand and grinned at Jen.

  Captain Hayes finally smiled as well and handed a set of lieutenant's insignia to Jen. "Lieutenant Shen, I understand we're jumping the gun a little bit on this, but as spouse-to-be I think the honor of pinning these on Paul should be yours."

  "Thank you, sir." Jen took the twined silver bars, removed Paul's single silver bar from his collar, then pinned the lieutenant insignia on. "Now that we're the same rank you've got an excuse for not saluting me when we meet in public," she teased Paul.

  Captain Hayes pinned the insignia on Pullman, then Paul and Brad shook hands.

  Lieutenant Sinclair. It felt good. It'd been a long time coming.

  Jen waved in farewell. "I've got to get back to work. See you at lunch."

  "Yes. Fogarty's," Paul reminded her.

  Ensign Taylor contrived to look shocked when she saw Paul an hour later. "Damn. I'd better make sure I get those ice skates."

  "Why?"

  "Because I figure I've got a better than middlin' chance of going to hell when I die, and since you just made lieutenant that must mean hell has finally frozen over."

  "It might thaw out again by the time you get there."

  "Could be," Taylor agreed. "I ain't in no hurry. Where's Willy Wise Ass?"

  "Who?"

  "Our fellow division officer."

  "Brad Pullman? I left him in the wardroom."

  "Huh. If you see him before I do, tell him that if he tries messing about with comm linkages again without coordinating with my people first, I'll pin those new lieutenant's bars of his onto his forehead."

  "You're kidding." Ensign Taylor usually acted easy going, but Paul had quickly figured you could get on her bad side real fast by messing with "her" equipment. "Why'd he do that?"

  "Figured he knew a better way to do it. Maybe it is. But since he didn't talk to anyone about it, his little changes locked up half the linkages." Taylor shook her head. "There's such a thing as being too smart for your own good."

  Paul found himself smiling. "I guess that's one thing I don't have to worry about."

  "Probably not," Taylor agreed. "And if it starts to become a problem, we'll just promote you to lieutenant commander and make you a little dumber. Ah, hell, maybe I won't kill Pullman this time. But he better start using his head as well as his brains."

  "I'll make sure to mention that to him. Hey, ha
s Moraine talked to you about the tracking software?"

  They were still deep in a discussion of the twin problems of how to fix the software and how to keep Moraine happy, when Paul's data pad reminded him of his lunch appointment. He ended up practically running to meet Jen on time.

  "Wow. Lunch at Fogarty's," Jen remarked as they sat down. "What a lucky girl I am. I haven't eaten here since… the day before yesterday."

  Paul grinned. "I haven't seen you for a couple of hours. I didn't want to wait any longer."

  "Please. My stomach. I haven't eaten yet, and you're making me nauseous."

  They ate, they talked. Paul tried not to look at the time any more often than normal. Even though he had every right to take lunch off of the ship, Moraine was watching him like a hawk and he needed to get back to the ship on time.

  "Paul? Paul Sinclair?" The voice was right behind him. Paul turned and saw Special Agent Connally smiling at him with a surprised expression. "I don't believe it! It's me, Paul. Pam."

  "Pam? What're you doing on Franklin?"

  "I got me a government job. Come here, you." She pulled him up and they hugged, one of her hands reaching in to remove the wire so smoothly that Paul almost missed it even though he knew it was going to happen. Then Connally was smiling brightly at Jen. "Who's this you're with?"

  Before Paul could answer, Jen half-rose to offer her hand. "Jen Shen. You're a friend of Paul's, huh?"

  "Sure thing. Years ago. Is that a ring? Are you two engaged? That's wonderful!" Pam burbled on for a few moments, playing her role so well that Paul found himself wondering if she really was an old friend. "Look, I've got some place I have to be, but I'm sure I'll see you around every now and then. I'll call. Okay? Great. See you soon."

  Paul sat back down and saw Jen giving him an arch look. "Old friend?" she asked.

  "Uh, yeah."

  "How good a friend? That was a nice lingering hug you two exchanged."

  "She's just an old friend," Paul protested. "We were never involved." That, at least, was absolutely true.

  "Where from?"

  "Annapolis," Paul improvised. "She went to that civilian college located near the Academy."

  "Oh, I see." Jen seemed to be enjoying herself. "You guys dated, then."

  "No. I've never been on a date with Pam." It was a relief to be able to tell the truth about something even though the context was more than a little misleading.

  "Why not? She seems nice."

  "Uh, we just never clicked. You know."

  Jen finally laughed. "Paul, you're allowed to have old girlfriends. It's not like I don't have a few old boyfriends floating around."

  "I've never met any," Paul reminded her.

  She grinned wickedly. "That's because I meant the 'floating around' part literally. My father spaced them out of airlocks."

  Paul started to laugh, then gave her a questioning look. "Knowing your father, I'm not sure whether or not you're joking." His data pad beeped. "Time for me to get back. My new department head thinks I'm spending too much time off of the ship."

  "And you're complaining? This from a guy who's planning to go back to working for Herdez? When she gets command of a ship she'll probably seal the quarterdeck for three years and keep the crew working nonstop the entire time."

  "At least she'll know what she's doing. Catch you tonight?"

  "Sure. My social calendar's open. Let's get you back to your ship. I'll walk a little ways with you." They were halfway back to the ship when Jen gave him a loving look. "Who's she really?" she murmured.

  "What?"

  "Don't look upset. Anyone watching can tell I'm saying sweet things to you. Who's this Pam person really?"

  "I…"

  "Is she related to that thing we discussed? Working on it?"

  "Yes."

  "That's what I thought. Don't worry that your cover's blown, Secret Agent Man. I know you well enough to tell you weren't really old friends with her. I doubt anybody else could've told. Just be careful. This isn't your game they're playing."

  "I know. Jen, I really don't like not telling you the truth."

  "I could tell, which is why I'm not upset. Besides, I told you to do this. Just keep any lies to me about this stuff to the bare minimum necessary, okay?"

  "I promise."

  Connally met with him again the next day. "We've gone over everything recorded on the wire."

  "And?"

  "It's… not very useful."

  Paul shook his head. "But Commander Moraine asked to see source-code for our tracking software. That's not something she should be looking at."

  "True." Connally smiled encouragingly. "I didn't say there wasn't anything on it. But the psych we had listen to her said that Moraine's request is also consistent with her apparent obsessive-compulsive tendencies. That means it's not as strong an indicator as it would be if the action were uncharacteristic for her."

  Paul sagged backwards. "That was a lot of trouble for nothing."

  "I didn't say it was for nothing!"

  "It didn't help you focus on Commander Moraine."

  "Or Brad Pullman," Connally agreed. "I've talked this over with my superiors. We think the only way to resolve this is to set a trap."

  "A trap?" Paul knew he looked alarmed.

  "Yes. Relax. This isn't a blazing-gunfire-in-a-dark-alley thing. Do you know anything about taps on computers?"

  "Just that they exist. It's one of the things they talk about in security classes."

  "Yes." Connally gave Paul another smile. "Taps can either broadcast information from the computer, or alert someone on the outside to actions taken by the computer. The second form is much easier to keep hidden, because a lot less data needs to be sent out."

  "What does this have to do with catching whoever's committing espionage?"

  As she spoke, Connally tapped the table surface gently with her fingers to emphasize her points. "Our target needs to download data onto portable storage media in order to pass it to his or her contacts. There aren't any uncontrolled computers on your ship. Your own security systems prevent any of those from operating or tying into the ship's data."

  Paul nodded. "Right."

  "Which means our target has to use their own terminal to do the dirty work."

  "Then we'd have a record of it," Paul objected. "All we'd have to do is access the system records-"

  Connally was shaking her head slowly. "No. There's software that hides the operations. We have a couple forms of it. So do various bad actors."

  "Then you can search for that software-"

  "It loads to do the job, then wipes itself out without a trace. Now, if we could catch our target with a data coin holding that software, we'd be in fat city, but odds are that our target only has the stuff when it's needed. We have to catch our target doing a download of sensitive information with one of our special taps which even that sneaky software won't be able to spot, then nail him or her when they walk off the ship with it. That'll give us probable cause to get search warrants enough to check out personal possessions and dig into financial records. Then we'll have our target just where we want them."

  Paul found himself nodding. "That makes sense. How do we do that?"

  "One part's easy. We'll contact your captain about it. All you need to know is that your ship is going to get some special sensitive information downloaded to it. The second part is a little trickier. We need to physically install the taps in the targets' personal terminals in their staterooms. We'll need your assistance to make that work."

  More spying on his fellow officers. But if it was only two terminals, and the taps only reported illegal downloads, that wasn't so bad, was it? "Who does this installation? How many people do I have to cover for?"

  Connally pointed to herself. "Me."

  "You? Just you?"

  "I'm a woman of many talents. Look, we need to do this without arousing interest. We can't have people openly showing up to work on those terminals during the work day, or even at night. Your own
computer people would want to know what was going on."

  "Ensign Taylor can be trusted."

  "I'm sure… she? Yes? I'm sure she can. That's not the point. We don't want anyone else knowing work was done. I can install the taps in a few minutes and not leave any trace for anyone to see. You say you stay aboard the ship some nights?"

  "Yeah," Paul agreed, wondering why he was feeling a sense of unease.

  "When's the next night?"

  "Day after tomorrow."

  "Great! I'll come aboard in the evening as if I'm visiting you to catch up on old times-"

  "Whoa!" Paul held up both hands, palms out. "You don't think anyone will notice if a good-looking young woman visits me on the ship at night?"

  "That doesn't happen?"

  "Well, yes, but it's always Jen. My fiancee. If you come onboard some people are going to… well, they'll talk."

  Connally shrugged. "Not about taps on computers, I'm sure."

  "One of those terminals is in my stateroom! I share the room with Brad Pullman! We can't go in my stateroom alone!"

  "I promise not to do anything unladylike, Paul."

  "That's not-" He could tell she was barely keeping from laughing. "All right, I know it sounds funny, but it does matter to me. I don't want people thinking I'm cheating on Jen. Besides, messing around on a ship is against regulations. I don't want everyone thinking I'm breaking regulations."

  "Fair enough." Connally frowned in thought, resting her chin on one fist. "Can you think of any plausible way I can be alone in your stateroom, with the door closed, and in Commander Moraine's stateroom with the door closed? Just for a few minutes."

  Paul thought, too. Then he finally looked back at her. "Yes. But I'll need one other person's help. An absolutely trustworthy person. I won't have to tell him anything, but frankly we'd have to tell him something anyway because there's too great a chance he'd recognize you as an NCIS agent if he saw you onboard."

  "Who is this?"

  "My chief master-at-arms, Ivan Sharpe."

  "Hmmm. Tell me about this idea of yours."