by Musser, Dale
As protocol directed, Captain Stonbersa greeted the senator first, welcoming him aboard the NEW ORLEANS as the captain and official host. Then, as First Citizens in the Federation, it was considered proper that Kala and I should exchange greetings next. As the senator moved toward us, I stepped forward. “It’s good to see you again, Senator Tonclin, and it’s a pleasure to have you join us on the NEW ORLEANS.”
“Ah, First Citizen Tibby and First Citizen Kalana, it is my delight as well. May I present my daughter, Chanina. I trust it is acceptable that I brought her along this evening. When she heard that I would be meeting with you again, she declared fiercely how she wanted to meet you both and lamented endlessly about not being able to. I fear I am an overindulgent parent, even more so since the death of her mother.”
“I assure you, we are very delighted to meet Chanina and she is indeed most welcome. Chanina, welcome aboard the NEW ORLEANS,” I said warmly. Unlike the convention practiced on Earth, shaking hands as a gesture during greetings or when reaching an agreement didn’t exist, nor was there anything to takes its place. One simply greeted or promised and that was it. My greeting to Chanina prompted her to let loose with a high-pitched sound that I later learned was the equivalent of a giggle in humans, which she then retracted with what appeared to be a mild embarrassment.
“It’s my pleasure also,” said Kala. “I hope you enjoy your visit here with us.”
“Chanina!” Senator Tonclin said sternly. “What do you say?”
“Tha-thank you, First Citizens, it is a great hon-honor me-meeting you both,” stammered Chanina with a tone of nervous awkwardness.
“Chanina is hoping that later she might be able to have a vid pic made with the two of you,” said Senator Tonclin. “I do hope that will be alright.”
“Certainly, Senator,” I said while smiling at Chanina, who now was sweating brown droplets like drops of dark tea – something that is apparently normal for Nibarians when they’re nervous, but which I had not previously observed.
After our greeting, the senator and his daughter moved on to Admiral Regeny and two of his senior officers, and lastly to Piesew Mecarta, the ships majordomo, who would oversee all of the guest services during their stay. After the greetings were completed, Piesew showed the senator and his daughter to their suite; and though none of us were aware in advance that Senator Tonclin was bringing his daughter, by the time Piesew showed them to their accommodations, a room within was already prepared specifically for Chanina. On hearing of her arrival, Piesew immediately communicated to his staff to make the additional arrangements. As the guests passed through the door to enter the ship from the hangar, a scanner would recorded their measurements and feed the information into the closet replicator so that an appropriate clothing selections would be available in their closets when they arrived.
It was approximately two hours later that we all met again in one of the dining rooms on the upper level. Even though the ship belonged to me, it was so large that I had not seen even half of it by this time. With each day I found myself more impressed with Galetils as a sophisticate and a visionary. Even though my own wealth was many times beyond what his was, his fine taste and his eye for detail in every design were admirable.
The room where we chose to dine was truly exquisite. One waist-high wall framed the circular room that measured approximately 18 meters in diameter. On top of this wall sat a convex bubble dome window of approximately eight meters at its highest point. At both ends of the room, lining up with the length of the ship were gently sloping ramps that descended back down into the lower decks of the ship. Giant fern-like potted palms that emitted a fragrance similar to Earth’s balsam and pine were arranged around the perimeter of the room and along the rampways. Several easy chairs were arranged in intimate groupings around the room and turned to face outward so onlookers could peer through the domed window into space. The room itself was lit with down-lighting from fixtures located in coped recesses around the low wall of the room. In the middle of the room was the long oval dining table arranged with six chairs. A narrow, decorative pole extended upward about three meters from the center of the table, which then fountained outward into six gently curving arms, each of which held on its end a beautifully crafted directional light that illuminated each table setting beneath it with a subtle glow.
Piesew was present when everyone arrived. He greeted each guest individually and escorted them to the table. I was seated on one end of the oval and Kala on the other end. Next to me on my right was Admiral Regeny and on my Left Senator Tonclin. Next to the admiral was Captain Stonbersa and beside the senator sat Chanina, who was now wearing a gown of a dignitary cut. I found it hard to keep from staring at her, because the elegant but simple dress was so incongruous with her textured skin. Captain Stonbersa had given instructions to Kerabac to slowly rotate the ship so that the Nibarian planet below would slowly appear to move around the edge of the dome in such a manner that everyone would be able to see it periodically during the meal. Chanina was in total awe and could not stop staring at the view, tugging frequently on her father’s arm so she could point out some feature on the planet that she recognized.
While enjoying the first plate, an exquisite dish of small marinated creatures from one of the aquatic worlds in the Federation, Admiral Regeny broached the topic of our visit with the senator.
“Senator Tonclin, our reason for inviting you to dinner this evening is to discuss the matter of delivery of Nibaria’s solbidyum and its reactor. We need you to make secure arrangements for the transfer of these items with as few people knowing about it as possible. You will also need to arrange very tight security at the facility where you locate the reactor, as there will be those who will try to steal it from Nibaria.”
Senator Tonclin had stopped eating when the admiral mentioned the phrase, Nibaria’s solbidyum. “How soon would this delivery take place?” he asked with a tone of alarm in his voice.
“It could take place at any time, Senator. If you have a facility and ample security in place, we could deliver it tomorrow. We can give you two weeks to prepare, if you require; however, we would prefer that the transfer take place as quickly as possible for security reasons. No one knows that this shipment is about to take place or that Nibaria and Megelleon will be the first two planets to receive delivery. My own staff is seeing to arrangements for security on Megelleon and a location has already been prepared for the installation.”
“Nibaria has a site that was prepared for the reactor over 500 years ago; however, when it appeared that the solbidyum was lost and would not be recovered, the space was used to store sensitive archived material. The area is very secure and well-guarded, but provisions must be made for the archives to be moved into another secure facility. This could take a week, provided there is a quick resolution to the relocation of the archives. But if I may ask, Admiral, do you have enough ships here to guard the delivery of the solbidyum? Please excuse my ignorance, as I do not wish to question the High Command’s judgment; however I must look to the safety of my Nibarian people. I would have thought you would need an armada of ships to protect the cargo.”
“Senator,” the admiral chuckled, “I can assure you that we have all the security and protection we need to make the delivery to you securely here at Nibaria. Right now our enemies aren’t expecting us to be able to deliver the solbidyum at all, which is one of the reasons we wish to do so – and as quickly and quietly as possible.”
“Secrecy won’t be a problem on Nibaria, sir. As you know, very few people from other Federation planets ever visit our surface, because our atmosphere is poisonous to humans. Likewise, few of us ever venture to other worlds. Although we have no problems breathing your air, things do not taste or smell right in your atmospheres, which is disturbing and uncomfortable to us; so we seldom venture beyond our own moon. We have run tests on our citizens and have not found one person on our planet to be a member of the Brotherhood, probably because none of us have ever been in contact wit
h anyone from that organization long enough to be recruited. Our communications off world are generally restricted to commerce and trade, so the risk of information leaking out from Nibaria is negligible.”
“That’s good to hear, Senator. I was not aware that you had tested your people. It’s interesting that none of your citizens were indoctrinated by the Brotherhood. I wonder if that holds true of the other non-human worlds. It would certainly make things simpler for the Federation if it were.”
By now we had finished our meal and I noticed that Chanina was getting fidgety and perhaps a little bored.
“Senator, would your daughter like to see the ship?” Kala asked, also having noticed Chanina’s restlessness. “I think we can arrange a tour while we discuss some of the details related to the transfer of the solbidyum.”
The senator looked at his daughter and she nodded her head with excitement. Tonclin chuckled, which in his case was actually better described as a high-pitched screech. “I believe a tour of the ship would be the second most exciting experience in her entire youth – after meeting you and First Citizen Tibby, of course.”
“Let me see if one of the staff is available,” said Kala, addressing herself this time to Chanina. It was only a few minutes later that one of Kala’s staff arrived and took the rather excited youngster on tour.
With Chanina now out of earshot for the remainder of our sensitive discussions, I decided to take Senator Tonclin into my – or our – confidence. “Admiral, since you have assigned me the task of training the Special Operations squads and developing the new intelligence division, I’m taking the liberty of briefing Senator Tonclin on our current activities. We’re going to need support in the Senate sooner or later; and the earlier we bring trusted Senate people into awareness of what’s taking place the better.”
“Tibby, it’s your show. I have complete confidence in your decisions on this issue. I’ve known the senator a long time and have always found him to be trustworthy.”
“So I am to understand then,” the senator began, “that there is more afoot then just the solbidyum deliveries?”
“Indeed there is Senator,” I said. “As you are no doubt aware, the FOI not only failed to uncover the threat of the Brotherhood; but upon investigation within the organization, it was discovered that the FOI itself has been heavily penetrated with Brotherhood members. While the FOI is actively being purged of the Brotherhood members as we speak, the size of the organization and its distribution of agents over many light years demand that the agency undergo several years of vigorous testing and scrutiny before the subversive presence is eradicated and the agency can again be considered effective and reliable as an investigative organization. In the meantime, the need for an immediately effective investigative body is necessary – one that consists of known reliable agents who are specially trained to secretly insert themselves into various organizations for the purpose of gathering and filtering data to ascertain dangers and provide intelligence to the Federation military.
“To this extent we recognize the immediate need to form a new organization tentatively called the Federation Security Organization which will serve as a covert investigative and intelligence agency. The FSO will not only be tasked with infiltrating organizations and governments that might harbor aggressive intentions toward the Federation, but also placing themselves in key positions within branches of our own government, such as the FOI, to find and ferret out enemy agents.
Now, having said this – and I am sure you know this better than anyone, Senator Tonclin – putting this before the Senate for approval of funding will take years. Meanwhile, all of our enemies – meaning the Brotherhood and any others yet to be identified – will most certainly receive information about the nature of this project and proposed agency, as it is guaranteed to be the subject of Senate debate for some time before any decisions are made. This means every subversive presence will have time to take countermeasures and secure additional levels of secrecy, which will make our task that much more difficult. To expedite the current efforts I’m personally funding the program until such time that the issue is brought before the Senate and the Federation Legal Review Board. While we have every intention of ensuring that the formation and functions of the FSO are above board and in accordance with the Federation constitution, we also recognize that questions will arise about its legality. Once it’s discovered what we’ve done in creating the FSO, the Senate and FLRB will demand that a full accounting be made for the organization’s activities. It is our hope that, by the time the Senate becomes aware of the existence of the FSO, we will have already infiltrated and uncovered Brotherhood cells operating across many branches of the government, including the military. It is also hoped that the FSO will be able to uncover hostile intentions from non-aligned planets that might be planning to intercept the ongoing shipments of solbidyum; and of course, we have every reason to believe such attempts will be made. If we are able to demonstrate a track record of successful reconnaissance that can be used by the Senate when vetting the FSO, the organization will more likely be able to continue their mission without interruption and ultimately facilitate safe delivery of solbidyum shipments to every Federation planet.”
“I see,” said Senator Tonclin thoughtfully. He sat back in his chair to contemplate the implications of an organization like the FSO that is operating at such a broad scale without initial sanction by the Federation’s governing body. “And what is it exactly that you expect from me?”
“First and foremost, we ask that you feign ignorance of what we are doing; secondly, that you assist by providing a minimum of ten loyal natives of Nibaria to be trained as operatives and agents of the FSO and that you keep secret your knowledge of the agents you provide us. Lastly – and this will surely be the most difficult request we make of you – that you provide us with any information you may glean from your duties that indicates any Senate member’s awareness of the FSO and its activities.”
Senator Tonclin’s growing concern was becoming apparent. “Please allow me to paraphrase your request for my own clarification. What you are requesting of me is that I act as an undercover agent within the Senate – the Senate of which I am a sworn member and within which I have avowed to uphold the Federation constitution?”
“In a word, yes, Senator Tonclin, but not in any way that violates your pledge or any Federation law. We don’t expect you to lie, but we would ask that you not volunteer information or do anything that would alert the Senate to the existence or actions of the FSO or to your participation in our operations. We fully intend to operate within the laws and regulations of the constitution.”
Senator Tonclin made a humming sound and stared at the table for some moments before replying. The admiral and I fully understood the magnitude of our request to the senator and we waited silently while he deliberated the situation. At last he said, “I can certainly see the need for what you say, and in all honesty I can see how taking rapid preemptive action against the Brotherhood and our enemies can thwart their advancement before they have a chance to execute their malevolent plans. However, I do have concerns for the legal rights of our citizens and their private lives.”
“Senator, I fully understand and appreciate your apprehensions. On my home planet, Earth, a parallel situation resulted when similar organizations were formed to combat a growing problem with some very dangerous bands of insurgents and, frankly, we were not able to find a clear and easy solution to the controversy. The legality of many methods used by the investigative body created in my homeland have required the scrutiny of the Supreme Court, the equivalent of the FLRB. In order for such an organization to be effective, the FSO will have to walk on the edge of legality at times; but I assure you that we will make every effort to stay within the rules of the Federation’s constitution, in spite of the fact that the organization is by nature not able to exercise the transparency expected of other agencies. Ultimately, the plan of action for the FSO consists of direct and conscionable efforts to pre
serve the freedom and prosperity of all good and moral citizens within the Federation.”
The senator sat quietly again before voicing his decision. “Honored First Citizen, if anyone else presented me with this request, I would not hesitate to decline immediately.” The usual melodic timbre in Senator Tonclin’s voice had been replaced by a more monotone quality that left me unsure of his position on the matter. “However, I know the virtue of what you have done for the Federation thus far and the extent of your sacrifice for the good of the alliance of our peoples; and I understand the urgency and need for this sort of action and the gravity the overall situation. Hence…,” Senator Tonclin paused, knowing that his next words carried a commitment that could not be undone, “I will agree.”
Beside me I heard a deep exhale come from the admiral. He had been anxiously holding his breath in hopes of the senator’s assent.
“I will see what I can do about providing you with ten individuals that would be willing to join your FSO and that I believe will be loyal to and suitable for your needs,” the senator added.
It was at this point that Kala’s assistant, who was supposed to be conducting the tour with Chanina, burst into the dining room and directed herself immediately to Kala. The absence of Chanina was blatantly obvious. “Lieutenant Commander,” the assistant began nervously. “I fear that Chanina is lost someplace on the ship. I was showing her the waterfall in the starboard atrium and when I turned around she was gone. I have alerted the crew. They are combing the ship and scanning all vid com screens to locate her. I am so sorry,” she said, looking back and forth from Kala to the senator as she wrung her hands.”
