Righteous Reign Episode 4 Ragged Remnant
Page 9
I know you have a lot on your plate right now, Chris. But, my feeling is that this should be directed by you under General Svesion's supervision, because you are the head of ISIE. And, the General has several other commands to manage. However, you would be wise to create a temporary control under a Senior Officer to actually administer the day-to-day. It could become a relatively large venture. So, I would suggest at least a Major or maybe even Lieutenant Colonel. But that person must understand the nature of this beast and that it is an SU mission running under an identity number, only. The team should only know what they're required to do to complete their task but should never be aware of the other side of this setup. They should never be aware of OFN. The two operations should remain completely disconnected from each other up to your involvement.
Do you have any comments or questions?' I eye them both carefully. There are negative head wags. 'Okay then. I need a plan on my desk by nine hundred on September 20. You're dismissed!"
Both men rose, saluted, and exited my office.
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I spent September 18 and 19 with Bryant and Fred. It was a great weekend. Fred arrived at my station on Friday, September 17 and had to depart the following Monday. She was doing exceptionally well in the Command Program. It won't be long until she comes home for good.
Chapter 10 Analysis
Friday, September 30, 2270
"There can be no prestige without mystery. Familiarity breeds contempt." Charles DeGaulle
It's the most incredible problem we've ever experienced - kind of like having so much money you don't know what to do with it all. But, in this case, I am referring to intelligence and information, in general. It's great to know a lot, but you need to be able to compartmentalize and analyze that data and convert it to some form that is usable.
This torrent has been especially overwhelming to Zeta Command since we are the organization tasked with acquiring the protected materials of others. The Intelligence division of ISIE retains a total of just over fifteen thousand people. Thirty-five hundred of those are covert agents. Their missions included undercover work within OFSA and Federation operations and secret assignments in unfriendly regions. Besides that, another group of over a thousand "Paid Informants" continuously report on a variety of matters throughout our own and enemy territory.
Nearly twelve thousand support those actions. All are considered ISIE "Staff." But, only half of those actually manage personnel, payroll, accounting, and all the other accommodating areas that aid operations. The rest is a combination of general and specialized analysts who sift through the data to discover its meaning, put it in practical forms, and determine how it affects us. In some cases, the senior specialists even suggest how we may use it to our advantage.
Right now, we are receiving an abundance of accounts from a lot of different sources. There are the typical agents', and PI feeds - at about a thousand items a day. SOCC observations are being collected by the hundreds, each day. There is also the new feed from the Suvayeek. We are taking in as many accounts from them as the SOCC. And finally, there are the sporadic scoops from our undercover spy at the 15 Sagitta location. So, our evaluators are now overworked. I am receiving completed assessments about a week after reception of the data instead of within two days - and that lag time is growing. And, "Urgent Matters" are dealt with within twenty-four hours - not the usual hour-and-a-half. I call in Generals Svesion and Sparks.
"Gentlemen, we have a serious issue developing within the Intelligence Division," I announce once they're both seated comfortably.
"Do you mean the crushing workload created by the prodigious amount of information they're handling?" Sparks inquires.
"Correct. I am assessing evaluations on a very delayed basis. Even burning issues are taking a day or more to get to me."
"I may have a temporary solution. But, in the long-run, we will need to hire more analysts when we recruit from the Academies." Svesion offers.
"We're in the middle of a war. We need something, right now! What's the temporary solution?"
"Well, Sparks here has a large Investigative Division which isn't being fully utilized because of the current conflict. All of those are Academy grads who have the required military background. All have been suitably trained in criminology which has similarities to intelligence. And, all of them have a lot of experience in ISIE and have dealt with matters that overlap with Intelligence. Many have great minds. Some may even have transferred out of Intelligence for some reason or another. I suggest we take a couple of hundred of the most qualified people with methodical, reasoned, logical aptitudes and move them." Svesion suggested.
"I can do that! You're right when you say, the Investigative Division is currently under-employed. So, it makes a lot of sense. But, this won't be instantaneous, in most cases. Anyone with a previous background in Intelligence will be able to get up to speed in a day or two. But, the rest will need two to three weeks." Sparks injected.
"That's a lot better than the six months it takes to develop a good Analyst right out of the Academy. Let's make it happen!" I said as I rose from my chair.
Both Officers excused themselves, paid the mandatory respects, and departed my office.
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I'd been receiving delayed reports for over a month but, the pace picked up about a week later as the lag times began to decrease. Suddenly, I'm becoming the bottleneck. Another ten days later, it became daunting, and I called in Elisma. I knew that once Intelligence was ordered to echo him, he would be exposed to even the US items. So, I read him into all the operations during our six-hour meeting. Several times we interrupted it to travel to mess-halls or the pub, to relieve the intensity. We were always careful to discuss only generalities during these interludes, returning to secure details when in the confines of my office. He was stunned at the Suvayeek and Naabaahii activities. Once he was familiar with the basics of all the strands of the web, I reviewed protocols for handling the material. He could employ aids in anything classified to the level of "Confidential," but all information at security levels above that had to be dealt with by only the two of us or the contributing parties.
When handling this data, the first course is to separate out those items that concern only Zeta. These would be reports that require direction for additional or different covert actions. The other pile is sub-divided into categories involving particular Headquarters. And, a final stack will need tactical decisions on a service-wide basis. None of these are released directly to the recipient. Instead, a more generalized report is prepared that includes recommendations and is forwarded to the appropriate Command. I gave El examples of these communications and provided him with one additional proviso. Anything requiring OFSA tactical responses should be filtered through my office before transmission. Once I was certain he had grasped all the procedures and rules, I issued a directive to Svesion and Sparks.
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MEMO
CLASSIFIED - SECRET (NTK)
ENCRYPTED - Authentication Root I.D. ZETA-8571A&740}+
From:F. Admiral K. Brubacher C&C Zeta HQ Commander
To:General Svesion Zeta Marine Army Commander, General C. Sparks ISIE Commander
C.C.C&C Commission Members, CIC, SOD, Admiral (11) Elasima DC Zeta Command
Date:October 19, 2070
Re:Intelligence Handling Protocol
Generals,
Please be advised that effective immediately, due to overwhelming volume, Admiral Elasima, Zeta Commands' Deputy Commander, will be included in all Intelligence normally forwarded to my office. Please divide these reports evenly between us. He has been fully briefed and instructed in handling regulations. It will not be necessary to separate materials by source, topic, or expected direction of communication.
Regards,
Flt. Adm. K. Brubacher.
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I advised my COS Rohkea Sielu of the change and the resulting meetings I would need with El. She revised my calendar increasing my daily session with El by another hour. All other appointments were rearranged accordingly and notified of the change.
Almost immediately I could begin to see a reduction in the workload. And, Elasima called me via Vid-Com and asked how the hell I ever handled it all, since he was grading only half of it and that part is enormous. I reminded him there had been a significant recent uptick in the job.
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Like all good plans, there appeared to be a hiccup we identified at our meeting of October 26, a week after the adjustment. Because of the division, each of us was seeing some of the data from the Suvayeek. But after discussion, we realized we could turn that apparent problem into an advantage. Instead of just dividing reports from this source arbitrarily, we'd have Sparks' people separate it by regions. That way, each of us would be able to develop images of our distinct zones that we would totally understand.
The sessions also quickly morphed into longer discussions. Going it alone meant follow-up actions were always based on my point of view. By discussing each and every matter together, they were now tempered by both our outlooks, though I always retain the right of making a final decision. Some events I would have just forwarded to a Zeta operation were now directed to other Headquarters. It's hard to understand the effect of the Intelligence Division on the various Commands. But, since the rise in information, we were now dividing nearly four hundred analyzed reports among the Field Headquarters, with another fifty directed at Rigil, each and every day. And throughout each twenty-four hour period, we'd monitor several hundred orders issued as a result of those accounts.
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I was in the middle of a wonderful weekend with my son Bryant and Fredricka my fiancee, when I received notifications` of a serious US intelligence matter. I had to excuse myself, dress in proper attire, and head to my office. I needed a secure location to study the issue.
There was a significant Ultra Secret memo from Sparks, regarding our agent at 15 Sagitta. Naabaahii had activated a signal requesting an extraordinary pickup from the drop location. SOCC had retrieved the package and immediately forwarded it to Sparks. He'd received it yesterday, Saturday, October 29, 2270. It was an updated calendar and contained information on four impending actions. Two would be feints. But, the other two would be optional attacks.
The file was extensive containing the complete battle plans. It appeared the Kil was a micro-manager because all but the reactive components were included. And, even general guidelines for responses were there. Every single field maneuver was preplanned. This record held so much data, it made me happy we operate by "guided design." We transmit a general strategy with basic configurations, objectives, goals, and rules of engagements. Individual Commands determine their own force deployments, reserves, and battle tactics.
I scanned available information from SOCC and the Suvayeek. It confirmed movement to staging points that would facilitate the actions. They involved areas patrolled by the three remaining Local Headquarters and may also require both Epsilon and Zeta assistance, so I notified the entire C&C that an urgent meeting of the C&C Commission was essential to discuss tactical matters.
Our emergency session on Monday, October 31 resulted in new orders to most of the Headquarters' dependent Commands.
Chapter 11 New Fronts
Monday, December 5, 2270
"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." Abraham Lincoln
There are lot's of changes, today. As of now, the Examiner is Fredricka's base of operations. I prepared for her arrival by contacting the Examiner's Captain for office space and quarters. The Examiner has a Amenities' Officer to allocate discretionary areas so, the Captain placed the task in her hands. Because her job is a Command-wide responsibility, Fred's office is down the Staff Offices corridor, on the Flag Bridge, not that far from mine. And, her need for quarters is just temporary. For all our advanced attitudes, outlooks, and technologies, parts of the Orion Federation are still rather prudish. It would scandalize some if the Headquarter's Commander were living with someone while in an unattached state. So, we will continue to live as we have, until the marriage.
I first held an official meeting with her, as I would with anyone joining the team at a Senior Level, directly within my Staff. Roh, El, Fred, and I sat quietly discussing the matter in the conversation pit within my office.
"I'd first like to welcome you to Zeta Command, Captain.' I rose from my chair to present the official handshake. 'I thought we'd better hold this little gathering to sketch out your responsibilities and protocols.
First, you'll be provided with a staff of five. They're to be used for research, to compose, and in some cases to makes less sensitive statements to the Press Corps when you're not available. As your department grows or demonstrates the need this can expand. You'll have generous annual expense and capital budgets. And, you may need to travel to Rigil, from time to time, for meetings with your peers from other Commands.
You will be the public face of Zeta Command. As you know, it's sometimes necessary for the Commander to address the public through the press, but it's usually quite disruptive to our schedule. So, a Press Secretary is a major benefit.
Your pipelines will be very sweeping. We cannot include you in all our discussions and meetings because Regulations limit what we can share. But, we'll involve you as much as possible. That means you will often be privy to information that's Classified at various levels. Usually, this is for your benefit, only - so you have the background picture. It permits you an in-depth understanding of a situation. But you may not share secured data unless authorized by Roh, El, or me.
Contrary to the common feelings of the Press Corps, we consider them a valuable asset. Sometimes, they may point out the egg on our faces. But, usually, they do us much more good than harm. They spotlight the many benefits of the OFSA and the sacrifices most of its members endure to support the Federation.
So, your job is to give them as much as you possibly can without compromising our operations. If you're conducting operations appropriately, they should be informed without the need to be underfoot. Your job helps keep everyone happy."
MEMO
From:Fleet Admiral K Brubacher C&C Zeta HQ Commander
To: All Zeta Command Operations
All Zeta Command Personnel
Dist:All Zeta Commands
Re: OFSA HQ Field Public Relations Office
Date: December 7, 2270
All,
Please be advised that the Office of Field Public Relations will now be housed aboard the FSS Examiner. I am also pleased to inform you that Captain Fredricka Whitehead will Command this operation for the OFSA. Fredricka holds a Masters' Degree in journalism and is working toward her Doctoral post-graduate certification. She brings several years experience to the position. Her most recent pre-service assignments were with the AP news services. Though Captain Whitehead will have no direct tie to our tactical operations, please join me in welcoming her to the Examiner and Zeta Command.
F. Adm. K. Brubacher
As soon as she was comfortably aboard, Fred and I announced our wedding date. We scheduled it for Saturday, January 14, 2271. That permitted time for all the attendees to receive and reply to invitations, and to make their way to the Examiner at Wolf 359. I ordered the Investigator here for four days starting January 12. The expected attendance at the wedding dinner would require both ships. For the ceremony, we included the entire Royal Family, Secretary of Defense, Defense Committee, C&C Commission, all Tier Two and Three Commanders, and many Admirals at all l
evels we considered friends or close acquaintances among the four-hundred summoned, with their spouses or significant others. Previous experience suggested the Flag Bridge of the Examiner could manage eight hundred for the military ceremony. All other Zeta personnel were added to the wedding list for the dinner party. The new Suvayeek inspired communications' system really helped. It allowed for delivery to most recipients in less than a day.
MEMO
From:Admiral Rohkea Sielu Zeta Commander Chief of Staff
To: All Zeta Command Operations
All Zeta Command Personnel
Dist:All Zeta Commands
Re: Personal Announcement
Date: December 9, 2270
All,
We wish to invite the entire Zeta Command team to participate in a day of festivity to help us celebrate the joining of Captain Fredricka Whitehead to Fleet Admiral K. Brubacher as man & wife, on Saturday, January 14, 2071.
The ceremony will take place in the Hangar of the FSS Examiner at eleven hundred hours. This venue has been selected to allow attendance by a much larger group than would be possible on the Flag Bridge. This Bay is capable of comfortably seating nearly nine thousand people. Since Zeta Command employs many hundreds of thousands, seven thousand guests will be chosen by lottery, and one thousand have been specially invited by the bride and groom. Details of the sweepstakes will follow in a couple of days.
To celebrate this special day, two dinner/dance parties will be held aboard the Examiner, Inquisitor, Investigator, and Interrogator. The festivities will start at seventeen hundred hours thirty minutes on Saturday, January 14, 2071, and at zero hours one minute on January 15, permitting any who want to put in an appearance and enjoy the festivities the ability to do so.
Those attending the marriage should be dressed in full mess uniforms. OFSA dress attire should be worn to the celebrations.