by C. R. Daems
"And Kris wants to see the places were it happened, so we will." Adrian smiled. "I'll go tell Stauffer." With that, he left in the direction of the elevators to Stauffer's third floor office.
"Don't you just love our designated leader?" Kris smiled as she watched Adrian marching down the hallway.
I nodded. Alexa was right when she said the team was like a family.
* * *
Adrian returned sometime later. "Stauffer's okay with us visiting the various robbery sites and us waiting to make a decision; however, he wants to clear it with Admiral Rawls. Since the assignment came from Admiral Webb to Admiral Lultrel, she needs to be kept in the loop. He doesn't want her blindsided by Webb or Lultrel. Until then, all we can do is review the information in our folders and stay available.
* * *
"Any new developments in the raider case?" Alexa asked as we sat lounging on the couch. I cherished the time spent with Alexa. She was like having a mother, sister, and close friend rolled into one package.
"Kris wants to go see the sites the raiders hit, so Adrian asked Stauffer, who wanted to talk to Rawls."
"That's understandable. Rawls will want to check with Lultrel, who will probably want to check with Webb. This project came out of the parliament, so everyone will want to be up-to-date at all times and to be part of the decision-making process. Webb and Lultrel are good leaders, so I think they'll give you a lot of leeway to do what you want. My advice would be to go out of your way to ensure they're kept well informed. That will keep the admirals happy, and happy admirals are more likely to stay out of your hair. And if you keep in touch, you'll keep your mother happy."
"Happy mother, happy life," I quipped. In truth, there was nothing more important in my life than Alexa. If she hadn't adopted me, I would’ve been locked away in some government research institution. I gave her a hug—and to both her and my surprise, Red brushed her cheek with his tongue. Maybe the Red God Cult wasn't as crazy as we thought.
* * *
Two days later, I reported to Admiral Rawls’s office along with Adrian and Kris.
Stauffer was already there when we arrived. "Sit. I've talked with Admirals Lultrel and Webb. They like the idea of a larger team, but for now, you're the NIA's golden trio, so they're content to let you decide how to handle the investigation." She took a sip of her coffee as she appeared to evaluate each of us. "Admiral Webb has gone so far as to get you P1A authority again, and he's making a cruiser available to take you wherever you want."
I smiled to myself. Mother had been right.
* * *
Stauffer had asked us to stick around, as Rawls thought she would know in a couple of hours which cruiser would be made available and when we should be ready. Sure enough, she entered the office just after normal hours. "The Vulcan has been designated your chariot to roam UAS space. And it's still commanded by your old friend Captain MacLin. He's expecting you two days from today before noon."
Kris and I had particularly good feelings about MacLin. The Vulcan had been one of the three ships that had rescued the Tityus from being destroyed by the smugglers and had made our subsequent trips to Eastar, Oxax, and Oasis enjoyable.
When I told Alexa when we were leaving on our trip, she decided to take the next day off, as we wouldn't see each other for an extended period. The next day we spent shopping, eating out, and taking a surprise trip to a local firing range.
"I hope you never again have to draw you weapon, but it' will make your mother feel better if I know you can hit whatever you shoot at."
"Then we'll stay until you’re satisfied. After Oasis, it'll make Kris feel better, too. If you hadn’t insisted I qualify every year at the academy, I might have missed the lieutenant's arm with the gun and hit her." And he would have killed Red, I left unsaid.
"Afterward we can indulge ourselves in some fine dining at a good restaurant."
It was a wonderful day. I was excited about the upcoming trip and more time on a navy cruiser. Even so, saying goodbye to Alexa was painful. I would miss our evenings together.
* * *
When I arrived at the Vulcan the next day, I was directed to the captain's office, where Adrian and Kris were waiting.
"Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander Paulus. I would wager half my crew has whiplash from the second and third looks trying to reconcile your looks with your rank." MacLin laughed and then took a sip of his coffee. "I understand you again have P1A authority, and I'm your chauffeur for as long as you need me. Are you at liberty to tell me what you NIA-bloodhounds are chasing?"
"For now, the three of us are the NIA team assigned to find the raiders who have been operating in the UAS. They have hit sites on Stone Ring, Holy Star, and Eastar. We're going to start our investigation by visiting each of the robbery sites."
"I had heard rumors about a large robbery at Eastar but not the other two—and no hint they were raiders. You three are certainly exciting people to be around. I should probably assign you security before the raiders find out you're on their trail." Although a statement, it was more a question—do you want me to assign security?
Adrian looked at Kris, who looked doubtful, and then at me.
MacLin had a valid point. Unless the raiders were completely out of touch with events within the UAS—and they didn't appear to be, based on their raids—they would have read about the NIA team that broke the smuggler's ring. The questions then were 1) How long before they knew we had been assigned to find them, and 2) Would they consider us a threat to their operation.
"I think we’re safe on board the Vulcan. Planet-side, it will depend on their organization and its information network. If it’s as good as it looks, it’s possible the Vulcan may be as vulnerable as we are." In reality, I felt more concerned about those around me than myself.
"That's an interesting observation, Paulus. Since you’re chasing raiders, let's take reasonable precautions. You carry your weapons at all times. I'll assign each of you a single guard for now, and I'll instruct the crew to be on the alert for any suspicious activities."
"Thank you, Captain." Adrian looked relieved. "If not now, I think security will be necessary at some point. Our reputation is likely to make the raiders nervous in which case they might decide to eliminate us rather than chance us discovering them. Based on their previous thefts, they don't mind killing, and their operation has already netted well over a billion credits."
"Is your first stop still Stone Ring?" MacLin rose. When Adrian nodded, he continued. "Well then, I've a ship to get ready to depart. You're welcome on the Bridge anytime to use the communication station. You can also use my conference room if you want. I estimate the trip will take four days."
As MacLin departed for the Bridge, Kris and I followed Adrian to the captain's conference room, which could hold ten people easily and was not only spacious when compared to our quarters, but also far more comfortable.
"For someone who hates space submarines, I seem to be spending a lot of time on them." Kris snorted as she sank into one of the beige padded chairs.
"Is there anything we should be doing during the trip?" Adrian sat down, stretching out his legs. "Someone has to be communicating with the raiders; otherwise, how do they find out where to go and the details about the place they're going to rob? The past raids have been far too organized to be random targets of opportunity."
"I agree," Kris said. "Either via the WavCom or in person. And in person would mean by spacecraft."
"Both." I sat opposite them, curling my legs under me. "You can't send a WavCom message to a foreign ship. So you send it to someone who knows where and when the raider's ship is available and has the ability to go talk to them."
"What if it isn't a foreign ship but one registered in the UAS?" Kris asked.
"Then it would have to be only lightly armed to get registered. Probably unlikely for armed raiders, but we can't discount the possibility without some evidence," Adrian said.
I frowned as I considered the detailed planning
which seemed to have gone into each raid. "Maybe a rather simple message asking for a meet at some stated time and location. They couldn't possibly include all the details of the heist in the message. The person who gathered the information would have to go over it with the raiders."
CHAPTER THREE
Visit to Stone Ring
We spent the next four days trying to determine how to search for the elusive messages. It could be as few as four among the tens of thousands that were sent during the weeks or possibly months prior to the actual raids. Red appeared to lose interest after the first day, and by the fourth, we all had cruiser-sized headaches. It was a relief when we boarded a shuttle at the Stone Ring space station with Major Pannell and three marines.
"Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander Paulus, on your promotion. Are you anticipating trouble on Stone Ring similar to Oasis?" the major asked. He had been responsible for my safety last time on and off the Vulcan and had been with us when I shot the lieutenant who had been holding Kris.
"No. Captain MacLin is just being cautious. I think the danger will be proportional to our success as our investigation proceeds."
He laughed. "Based on your previous success, I should plan on adding additional guards soon."
The rest of the ride was made in silence. We set down on a landing pad near the Stone Ring NIA office, a small two-story cement building. Inside, we were escorted to the second floor and into a conference room where several men and women waited.
"Good morning, I'm Commander Perry," said a broad shouldered man with a neatly trimmed goatee. "I assembled my team when I heard you were on the way down." He proceeded to introduce the junior lieutenants, two men and one woman, and the two full lieutenants, a man and a woman.
Adrian then introduced Major Pannell and us. The three marines had remained in the hallway.
"I understand, the NIA agents in charge of the robbery investigations on each planet will be joining the raider taskforce." Perry looked excited at the idea. Clearly, being on such a team would put him on the fast track for promotion—and maybe in charge as he would be the ranking Lieutenant Commander on the team.
"Expanding the team is a possibility. For now, however, we'll be reviewing the reports and talking with the facility personnel to determine the best approach," Adrian answered cautiously.
Perry frowned. His voice hardened to an intimidating tone, and his smile disappeared. "There are only three of you. Wouldn't making the people who have already investigated each robbery part of the taskforce expedite the investigation? I've heard Admiral Rawls is in favor of the idea."
Unfortunately for Perry, while Adrian was easygoing, he wasn't easy to intimidate. "Then I'm sure it will happen, but for now, we need to talk with you, with those of your team who were involved with the police in the initial investigation, and with the people at the facility."
"They've already told us everything they know," Perry persisted. I could feel his rising anger.
"Commander, because civilians were involved, at the time neither you nor your team had the authority to take charge of the investigation—"
"You don't, either!" Perry snapped his mouth closed when Adrian held up his P1A card.
"Commander, I would appreciate it if we could begin our review and not speculate on what Admiral Rawls will choose to do when we're finished. For now, we're proceeding with the approach she approved," Adrian said in his easygoing manner.
Perry reluctantly sat, having no other option. However, judging by his raging feelings of revenge, he hadn't given up.
"Lieutenant Rubin, why don't you start?" Perry's voice and face were now under control. His outburst had been a practical demonstration of one of the potential problems that could result when adding new players to the team.
The review took more than three hours. It turned out that the commander had overseen the investigation but had done very little of the actual work. Most of the material in the report had been the result of the local police investigation.
When we finished, Rubin recommended a café on the outskirts of town. The restaurant was small but the local country ambience and music were pleasant, and the three of us could hear each other talk.
"That was interesting," Kris said as we sat waiting for our dinner. "Perry saw this project as a fast track to full Commander, yet he did little except to sign the report."
Adrian shrugged. "Not unusual in the military. Lieutenant Rubin didn't do much either, except organize what the police had found. He didn't have the authority, but he also didn't appear interested in digging deeper. I don’t think I would want either one of them on our taskforce."
Kris bit her lip. "Perry's not a team player. He would be disruptive."
I nodded agreement.
* * *
The next morning, we were met by Junior Lieutenant Gannon and taken to the Nano Technology Industries building where the robbery occurred.
There, a police captain awaited us. "I'm Captain Coleman, in charge of the NTI robbery investigation. I understand from Commander Perry that you don't trust our work." He gave each of us a long evaluating look.
Adrian was silent for a moment, probably debating the best approach. "That's not true, Captain Coleman. We're the team assigned to see if this robbery has any connection to a series of other robberies."
"I let Commander Perry review our findings, but that was a courtesy since the navy has no jurisdiction in this case. That includes you." He smiled. At least I thought that was what his lips were trying to imitate. He felt excited and pleased.
Adrian nodded agreement, but I could feel his amusement. "You're right. Commander Perry did not have the authority to investigate the robbery, and the NIA appreciates you allowing him access. However ..." Adrian pulled out his P1A access badge and held it up for Coleman to see. "We do have the authority to review your investigation and to conduct our own. And like Commander Perry, we too would appreciate your cooperation and to hear your conclusions."
Coleman lost his smile, and I could feel his emotional rollercoaster from enjoyment to anger to resignation. "Our conclusion is that it's just a well planned robbery carried out by professionals, who have obviously been planning this for months."
"I think you're right, Captain."
Coleman’s tense stance relaxed a bit.
Adrian went on. "What the three of us need to determine is whether it looks like the same professionals or whether this robbery is unrelated to the others."
Coleman escorted us into the building, where a middle-aged man met us.
He looked like the typical executive: well dressed, somewhat overweight, and brown hair greying at the temples. "Commander Shrader, I'm Frank Hubbard, the CEO of NTI. I'm hoping the fact you've P1A authority means there’s a possibility of getting back the chips the thieves stole."
"That's certainly what we're hoping. Could you talk us through what you believe happened and show us the route the thieves took? Seeing the area will help us put the police report in perspective."
Hubbard nodded. "They hit the building during our security guard changeover. The two new guards arrived at two in the morning. When the inside guard opened the door, the thieves struck, killing all four guards. Using the guards’ access cards, they gained entrance to the elevator to the basement and the cleanroom where the chips are designed, made, and tested."
We followed him into the elevator, which delivered us into a room with racks full of white suits, similar to Hazmat outfits. We changed and then he led us through a series of showers where the suits were cleaned and any contaminants removed. We exited into a large room where the chips were manufactured, primarily by robots. A locked door in the back of the room led to a vault where the finished chips were stored. The room also had a self-contained computer system, which held the classified design drawings and specifications.
Hubbard went on to explain how the thieves had attempted to steal the storage disk with the chip designs, but had failed.
As he talked, Gannon sidled up to me where I was
standing off to the side, looking around.
"Ma'am," he whispered. "I think they got the designs. They just made it look like they tried to get the storage disk."
"What makes you think that?"
"Commander Perry and Captain Coleman believe they botched the job because they didn't have the right tools and were in a rush to leave, but the raiders seem too organized for the clumsy attempt they made. I wanted access to the computer, but they said it was a waste of time."
"If you had access, could you determine if they managed to access the computer?" I asked, interested because I agreed with Gannon. The thieves were very organized at each robbery, so clumsy didn't fit.
He nodded.
I gestured for him to follow me as I walked over to Hubbard.
"Excuse me, Mister Hubbard. I would like for you to give Lieutenant Gannon access to your computer."
"Why? It has proprietary data on it." He frowned, eyes narrowed.
"Because I asked. You needn't give him the password, just log him on." I looked to Adrian and Kris, who smiled.
Adrian shrugged at Hubbard. "Commander Paulus wants Gannon to look, so he'll look. It may lead to nothing, or it may provide us with useful information which could lead to your stolen chips. We won't know until he looks."
Hubbard didn't look happy, but he sat down at the console and typed. He rose when the system acknowledged a valid password.
Gannon took the seat and began typing.
I moved next to him so I could look over his shoulder. As I did, Red slid out of my jacket and wound into my hair with his head lying on my forehead. I heard gasps behind me but ignored them. I knew Kris or Adrian would take care of any explanations.
"There was a logon during the time of the robbery," Gannon whispered loudly enough for me to hear as he continued examining various logs.
