Ghost Company

by Richard Turner

  “Sir, with all due respect, this could all just be a ploy to throw us off their true intentions,” said Sheridan. “It would be the first time in history one side has gone to enormous lengths to deceive their enemy.”

  “I agree, that’s why we’re going to send people deep into Kurgan space to confirm or deny these signals.”

  For the first time in a long time, Sheridan was relieved that Tarina wasn’t with her old unit as they undoubtedly would be the people taking the risks.

  “Mister Sheridan, there are some officers on your father’s staff who would like to use these Chosen turncoats as scouts. They could be dispatched back into Kurgan territory and report to us on the enemy’s movements and intentions. Do you think such a thing is practicable?”

  Sheridan glanced over and saw the skeptical look in Cole’s eyes. He chose his words carefully. “Sir, such a thing could be done, but it would take time and an awful lot of training.”

  “They were trained as saboteurs to wreak havoc on our forces in the event of a Kurgan offensive. Why can’t they be sent back to do the same to their own people?”

  “Sir, it’s not that simple. Chosen soldiers aren’t known for independent thought and action. They were trained to do a particular task and only that task. If you were to take any one of them, excluding Komada, and ask them to do something they weren’t trained for, they would look at you as if you had two heads. Besides, sir, are you sure you want to send them back home?”

  “It’s inevitable, Captain. Someone somewhere will want to use them in that capacity.”

  “Then they had best be prepared for the consequences.”

  Killam scrunched up his face. “What consequences?”

  “Sir, Komada is a religious fanatic. He’s got these people whipped up into a near frenzy. I know you’ve read my report about the developing religious schism in the Kurgan Empire, so I shan’t go over it again. Sir, Komada believes the empire is already at war with itself. If we send him and his people back, they’ll be the spark which will set off a fire, which will consume billions of innocent lives.”

  Killam sat quietly for a few seconds while he thought. “Captain, Admiral Sheridan is keen to meet with Komada. I’d like you to report with him to the Intrepid at twelve-hundred hours tomorrow.”

  “Sir, is that wise?” said Cole. “If he goes, he’ll need to be searched from head to toe and then put through a medical bio-scanner just to make sure he isn’t hiding a bomb or other device somewhere inside his body.”

  “I’ll make sure a squad of Marines meets you at the airlock and escorts Komada to the medical bay for a thorough examination before he is brought before the admiral.”

  Sheridan didn’t think it was a good idea to take Komada onboard the Intrepid, but he had his orders. “Very well, sir. Captain Pheto and I will bring Komada to you at twelve-hundred sharp tomorrow.”

  Killam stood. “Thanks for everything, gents. I had best be getting back. Colonel Wright’s people will be jumping into enemy space in a few hours. I want to be in the ops center when the feed from the probes he and his people will be launching begins to come in.”

  Sheridan got to his feet and saluted. “Until tomorrow, sir.”

  Killam returned the compliment. “Yes, until tomorrow.” He turned and followed his military police escorts out of the mess tent to the ATV, waiting to take him back to his shuttlecraft.

  Cole shook his head and chuckled. “I’d love to meet the idiots who think these jokers are on our side. Five minutes chatting with Komada should be enough to convince anyone that the man is not playing with a full deck.”

  “The problem isn’t that he’s mad, it’s that he’s not. Behind those eyes is a keen mind, which I’m willing to bet is borderline genius. Komada probably has an eidetic memory. If he sees it, he remembers it. That’s why he was comfortable working on the nav computer with Captain Sullivan. He probably worked on the bridge and watched the ship’s navigator perform his duties so he could take his position after he killed him. How else could they have jumped from Kurgan space into ours?”

  “Not too long ago, Mister Williams played us all for fools and now he’s running around out there with a virus capable of killing billions. Be careful when you take Komada to your father tomorrow. If he so much as twitches, kill him.”

  Sheridan patted his friend on the shoulder. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  Cole’s demeanor turned serious. “Sir, I mean it. Don’t hesitate. Kill him if you have to. We both know he’d kill you and me without batting an eye to get what he wants.”

  11

  Colonel Wright sat behind the controls of his ship and stared straight ahead at the pen floating in front of his eyes. He was concentrating hard on not losing his cool as his vessel drifted helplessly in Kurgan space. Seven minutes from the end of their jump, their engine had overheated and automatically switched off to prevent a complete meltdown.

  “How’s it looking back there?” Wright asked Eskola.

  “I think it’s found what our problem was,” replied his navigator. On her screen, Eskola watched the feed coming back from a maintenance robot: a slender, centipede-like drone currently crawling through the engine compartment looking for the fault.

  “So what is it?”

  “It looks like there’s a micro-fracture in the perlinium fuel rod housing. The drone is repairing it as we speak.”

  Wright didn’t need to be told what would have happened had the rod housing cracked during their jump. Released from its protective case, even a minuscule amount of super-heated perlinium would have caused the ship to explode. “Andrea, how long will it take you to bring the engine back online and re-compute our jump from here to our designated launch site?”

  “Sir, give me fifteen minutes to allow the repairs to take hold and then another fifteen before we can make our jump.”

  “Okay, but not a second more.”

  They had already lost three hours while they waited to find out what had caused their engine to switch off. If everything had gone to plan, all of the other ships in his squadron would be on their way home by now. As was his leadership style, Wright had chosen the most dangerous assignment to undertake. On the undercarriage of his vessel were six prototype missiles. Each one contained ten probes capable of recording vast amounts of information and transferring it back to the computers on Wright’s ship seconds after they became active. The purpose of their mission was to confirm or deny the troop movements near the disputed zone. Deep space satellites and telescopes on the Terran side of the border had failed to detect any buildup of enemy forces.

  “You know I don’t usually pry, but since we’re not going anywhere soon,” said Wright. “How are things going between you and Miss Tolinski?”

  “Fine, sir. I don’t mind you asking,” replied Eskola. “The rest of the squadron knows about us, so it’s not much of a secret anymore. If I were getting preferential treatment for being romantically involved with the squadron’s XO, I wouldn’t be stuck out here with you.”

  Wright chuckled. “No, I guess not. Well, I, for one, am glad to have you with me. I know I’m awful at giving praise, but you’re one hell of a navigator. I can’t imagine working with anyone else.”

  “Thanks, and I share your sentiments, sir.”

  Almost forty minutes later, they made their jump and came out as planned behind a small moon orbiting a pink and purple gas giant.

  “There are no enemy ships on my scanner,” stated Wright. “I’m activating the missiles for launch.”

  “Roger that, sir. I’m re-computing our jump back home.”

  Wright reached over and pressed a button on his console. In a flash, all six missiles shot away. Each probe flew toward a different planet in the star system. Wright watched his screen as information was relayed back to his ship. If there were any Kurgan warships in the area, it wouldn’t take them long to spot the probes and know there was an enemy vessel somewhere nearby. Wright sat back in his chair and watched as his comput
er sifted through the information when one by one, the probes vanished from his screen.

  “What the hell is going on with my ship today?” he groused. “First the engine and now this. Andrea, are you having any computer problems back there?”

  “None, sir. Everything is operating as it should be.”

  “Are you sure? Because I’ve lost all contact with our probes.”

  “Yes, sir. All of my systems seem to be operating as they should.”

  Wright looked out his window into space. His eyes widened when he spotted a missile racing straight for them.

  “Andrea, get us out of here,” ordered Wright as he activated their ship’s countermeasures. From the undercarriage, superheated metal balls shot out to try and confuse the incoming missile’s targeting computer.

  “Sir, I haven’t completed my calculations,” replied Eskola. Her voice didn’t hide her fear.

  “I don’t care. Just get us out of here.” Wright clenched his jaw so tight it hurt. It was going to be close. The Kurgan warhead was mere seconds away, yet there wasn’t a single threat warning on his computer screen.

  In his headset, he heard Eskola say, “Jumping now.”

  Then there was darkness.

  12

  Sheridan watched as Komada stepped naked into the bio-scanner. The machine made a humming sound as it checked every part of the man’s body for hidden devices.

  “He looks clean,” said the technician working the controls.

  “Scan him again,” ordered Tarina, watching intently from the back of the room.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Sheridan hadn’t been surprised when Komada had refused to step into the shuttlecraft without Tarina being present. The man trusted her not to blast him out into space far more than he did Sheridan or Cole.

  “Still nothing, ma’am. He’s not hiding anything inside his body,” reported the medic.

  “Get dressed,” said Sheridan to Komada, who nodded and put his coveralls back on. One of the two Marine guards in the room walked over and placed electronic restraints on Komada’s hands.

  With a wave of his hand, Sheridan pointed at the door. “Okay, let’s go.”

  Outside the medical bay were four more guards. “Lead on,” said Sheridan to a tall, tough-looking Marine sergeant with a scar down the right side of his face. They took a private elevator to the operations center where Captain Killam was waiting for them.

  “This way,” said Killam. With Komada in the middle of the Marines, they walked briskly down the empty corridor to Admiral Sheridan’s private briefing room.

  Inside the room, the admiral stood behind an invisible protective shield. Every precaution to protect Robert Sheridan from harm’s way was being taken.

  Michael Sheridan came to attention and saluted his father. “Sir, I’d like to present Junior Lieutenant Komada, formerly of the Kurgan Empire, for your inspection.”

  The elder Sheridan smiled. “It’s not too often that you get to meet the man assigned to kill you before he strikes.”

  The Marine detachment stepped to one side so the admiral could better see Komada. The deserter cleared his throat before speaking. “Sir, your name is known by my people. Kitan spoke highly of your willingness to help her return home. For that act of kindness, I thank you.” Komada bowed his head.

  “It was the right thing to do.”

  Komada looked up. “As for being assigned the task of killing you, sir, I cannot lie, that was my mission until I saw the truth through the darkness and the lies.”

  “How were you planning to do it?”

  Komada shrugged. “Sir, I’m not sure. Most likely I would have either blown myself up when I got close to you or perhaps a shot to your head at point-blank range with a concealed pistol before taking my own life. I’ll guess we will never know what could have been as I no longer harbor any ill will toward you or any of your men.”

  “Well, that’s good to know. However, if you want me to trust you, there are some things you must first do.”

  “Name them, sir.”

  “First, you cannot take the law into your own hands anymore. If you believe there is someone among your people you can no longer trust, you must hand that person over to the military police guarding you. What you did in the camp was unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the future.”

  Komada bowed his head in acknowledgment.

  “Next, if you want us to accept you, I want a complete breakdown of all of your surviving people and their intended targets. You will provide that information to Captain Sheridan before the end of the day.”

  “You will have it, sir.”

  Robert Sheridan fixed his gaze on Komada. “Look me in the eyes and tell me the intelligence you gave my son and Captain Pheto is accurate. Is the Kurgan Empire on the verge of a civil war?”

  The defector looked deep into the admiral’s eyes. “Sir, every word of it is true.”

  “Mister Komada, I’d love to believe you as it could mean this phase of the war is coming to a close, but the intelligence on the tablet you handed over to Captain Pheto hasn’t panned out.”

  Michael Sheridan saw a confused look appear on Komada’s face. “I beg your pardon, sir?”

  Robert Sheridan said, “I dispatched a squadron of deep-space reconnaissance ships into Kurgan territory and they didn’t find anything larger than a Kurgan freighter. If there was an invasion fleet out there, we would have found it by now. There are two possibilities. First, you are lying to us about who you are and what is going. Why you would do that is still being hotly debated amongst my staff. Secondly, you could be telling the truth as you know it but are an unwitting pawn in a well-conceived Kurgan deception operation. Whatever the truth is, for now, you and your people will have to remain quarantined on Illum Prime until the veracity of your information can be established.”

  Komada shook his head. “Admiral, please believe me,” he pleaded. “I am telling you the truth. I wouldn’t have defected otherwise.”

  “Mister Komada, I’m sorry. Sometimes the truth isn’t what we perceive it to be.”

  A mournful cry erupted from deep inside Komada. He dropped to his knees and began to sob as if he had just learned his entire life was a sham.

  Tarina reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder to console him. “Give it time. One way or the other, the truth will come out.”

  Killam looked over at Sheridan. “Have Mister Komada escorted back to the planet’s surface.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  With Tarina helping him, Komada got to his feet. He kept his head down so no one could look into his tear-filled eyes.

  “Michael, please wait a minute,” said the admiral.

  Captain Sheridan patted his girlfriend on the arm. “I’ll meet you two back at the airlock.”

  When they were alone, Robert Sheridan lowered the protective shield and walked to his son’s side. “Komada looked like I had just told him everything he believed in was a lie.”

  “It may be. Like Tarina said, we need to give it time.”

  “I’ll leave you in charge of the deserters for a couple more weeks. After that, I’ll probably be told to hand them over to fleet intelligence for debriefing.”

  The younger Sheridan would have preferred a different assignment, but knew now wasn’t the time to bring it up. “Sounds good, sir.”

  “I hate to bid you farewell, Michael, but I have meetings piling up today, so I must get going.”

  Captain Sheridan smiled. “It’s okay, Dad. I’m sure I’ll see you when the camp closes in fourteen days’ time.” They shook hands and parted. The admiral was met at the door by his workaholic COS, who gave him a tablet with the agenda for the next meeting on it.

  Sheridan took his time making his way back to the airlock. He’d wanted to spend more time with his father. However, with Romano always hovering near, his days of having a quiet cup of coffee with his dad were probably a thing of the past. Sheridan took an elevator to the lower deck where his shuttlecraft was d
ocked. The second the doors slid open, he could see that something was wrong. He could hear Tarina’s voice grow louder by the second while she spoke to a young military police private.

  “What’s seems to be the problem?” asked Sheridan.

  “I don’t know who this person is, and until I do, he’s not getting on my shuttlecraft, not while we’re transporting Komada,” replied Tarina, pointing at the Marine standing at attention.

  She was right, Sheridan didn’t recognize the man either. “Who are you, and where is the private we left to guard the ship?” he asked.

  “Sir, my name is Private Innis. I don’t know where Fraser went. All I know is that I was told to replace him.”

  Sheridan held out his hand. “Your ID, Private.”

  Innis dug out his ID card and handed it over. Sheridan looked it over once before giving it back. “What’s the name of your sergeant? I want to speak with him before we depart.”

  “Sergeant O’Reilly. He can be reached at the ship’s brig.”

  “I’ll make the call,” said Tarina as she reached for a phone. A minute later, she hung up. “Okay, Private Innis, take a seat inside.”

  The Marine nodded and stepped inside the shuttlecraft.

  “It would appear that Fraser reported to the medical bay complaining of an upset stomach and a fever,” explained Tarina to Sheridan.

  “Better safe than sorry,” said Sheridan. “Come on, let’s get back to the camp and see what’s been going on since we left.”

  Tarina closed the airlock behind them and headed straight to the cockpit to get the ship ready to disengage from the side of the Intrepid.

  After stowing his weapon, Sheridan took a seat next to Komada. He went to buckle himself in when he noticed Komada staring at Innis as if he knew the man. The suspicious look in Komada’s eyes made Sheridan uncomfortable.

  “Disengaging now,” announced Tarina as the shuttlecraft maneuvered away from the massive carrier. “I hope you’re all strapped in back there. I’ve got a warning light up here on my console. It looks like the artificial gravity isn’t working. I’ll have the flight crew check it out after we land.”