The Admiral spoke, “This, this is troubling. I know a number of those names personally. They have families and have had every appearance of being patriots. Andria Amoli and Antoine Duvalier are two that I have dealt with many times. They have had liberal leanings on social issues, but their actions when it came to defense votes were spot on. Both of these individuals have been fully briefed on my work off of the Grid and both have been very supportive.”
The Colonel threw in his thoughts, “They have been supportive alright, supportive of our biggest enemy. What I don���t get right now is why the Milgari have not attacked. With just what we see here our defenses could have easily been crippled and the Grid lost. There must be something else they were after, maybe something else in that data.”
As the afternoon progressed, the shackles of doubt about my father, the shackles that I had worn since being ten years old, were removed. My father was not the traitor that he had been made out to be, it was quite the opposite. He had uncovered a network of spies and turncoats that was threatening our very existence. His work had surely gotten him killed. But he had been fighting for the right side.
We broke for a short dinner and then made our way back to the lab to continue our efforts. We soon found a file that we believed possibly contained the reasoning as to why the Milgari had not attacked. There were two scientists on the Grid whose task was to study the gravity drive. It was the first team to have any real breakthroughs in understanding how it worked. The same two scientists were still hard at work with their research. It was possible that the Torrians were waiting on the results.
The Colonel spoke, “If they have those scientists in their pockets or at a minimum have them surrounded by their operatives then they will have what they want. The secrets of that drive are what is desired, not the drive itself. With that knowledge they could possibly build their own.”
I replied, “I don���t get why they would wait Colonel. If they took the Grid they could study that drive all they wanted.” The Admiral responded, “Perhaps I can offer a reason why. If the Milgari attack they may end up destroying the station and the drive before they get their hands on it. That and the fact that we do have a self-destruct built into all the systems. If the Grid were to be captured the self-destruct would be detonated. With an attack they put their prize at risk.”
The Colonel continued, “We need to define this list of compromisers and find out how far this web reaches. I think we then perform a purge of that Milgari influence. It has to be a complete sweep of anyone involved or even those who may be involved. I can tell you now that is going to be a wide net we are casting and our catch could potentially be very large. This Milgari influence has got to be removed and removed completely.”
The Admiral replied, “The timing of this could not be more difficult. If we do this purge we run the risk of the Milgari deciding that it���s past time to attack. We cannot defend against a fleet that size. We need time for our hit and run strategy to work. With a weakened Milgari fleet we just might stand a chance.”
I spoke, “We always have the jump Admiral. I know that no one wants to do it, but as a defense it is always there. As far as sweeping the Grid of its spy networks I think a lot of planning needs to be done first. And Colonel, you and the Admiral both have men who report to you that are or were in the intel corps. You might start them on a planning or training session. If we do perform a sweep we will need a lot of trusted agents of our own. We would also run the risk of this appearing to be a coup.”
When the meeting had adjourned I took the recordings from my father back to my office for a listen. The memories came flooding back as I listened to each and every one. My father was my idol and my attention hung on his every word. When I finished with the last of the recordings it was late into the night and I was emotionally drained.
The following morning there was a knock on the door to my quarters, “Sir, we have much to do. It is time to get up Sir.” Frig continued with his annoying knock until I flipped the lock on the door. The door swung open. “What is so urgent that I have to get up this morning?” Frig handed me a cup of steaming hot coffee, “It is not morning Sir, it is afternoon. The Colonel and the Admiral sent me to check on you. And although I do not understand why they choose to rely on your tiny intellect, they would like your input on the day���s issues. There is much to be done.”
I got dressed as I sipped the coffee and was soon on the way to Frig���s lab. The Colonel was waiting, “Grange! It���s about you showed up son. We have work to do and you can���t keep the hours of a teenager if we are to get anything done. I replied, “Sorry Colonel, I was up late listening to those recordings. I felt like that sleep was 20 years in the making. First good night���s sleep I have had in ages.”
The Colonel grumped and we quickly got down to business. Several minutes later the Admiral joined us. The afternoon was spent pulling together all of the names on my father���s lists. I would be flying out in the Wren to meet with Doris to begin work on fully identifying the individuals now under suspicion and to setup quarters and office space for the Admiral���s and Colonel���s intel teams. Doris would be a busy woman.
Frig would continue work on the Durian virus and the wormhole generator, Gy and Rita on the construction of Hawks and George on cracking the Milgari drug. The Admiral and Colonel would be planning out our first wave of hit and run attacks.
When the Wren touched down in Alpha Bay on the Grid a familiar face was waiting there for me. Ashley Elizabeth had gotten word of my true identity and was eager to have a word, “Hello Don Grange.” I stepped out of the Wren and onto the deck, “Hello Ashley, sorry about the alias, but I���m sure you understand.” She was smiling, “I���m just glad you are OK. I can���t say that I like mysteries and when you went missing it was a bit unnerving that you did not leave a trace. I didn���t believe the charges, but in my position I was unable to look into what had really transpired. SCore was aware of our brief romance before the warrant. I was questioned quite extensively about us. It was not pleasant.”
I replied as we walked, “Sorry you had to go through that. And I can���t tell you how many times I wanted to tell you who I was, but I did not want to again place you in a compromising position. I think you should come with me to my office as we have much to discuss.”
As we walked I made small talk, “Romance huh, I���m kind of glad that you termed it as such. I was wondering if you were enjoying my company as much as I was enjoying yours. I think the use of that word is telling.”
Ashley replied, “Well, I would not be getting a big head about it Don, but it was how I felt at the time. I did enjoy the time we had, however short that it was. If you were interested in restarting that relationship my answer would not be a definite no.” I looked confused for only a second before her smile told me what it was that she had said. If I wanted to once again see Ashley Elizabeth, she was open to the idea.
When we arrived at the office Doris was waiting, “The office is ready when you need it Don. I will be out meeting some people about leasing the additional office space we talked about on your way in. Just call me if you have any immediate needs.”
I thanked Doris and then sent her on her way. I guided Ashley into Doris��� office and then pressed the button to secure our privacy. The business at hand was pressing so I got right to work on enlisting the only SCore agent that I thought I could trust.
I began with my father���s data, “I know you worked briefly with my father back before the Tantilis disappeared. I have come across proof that will clear his name, it implicates the real traitor.” Ashley began to raise her hand, I stopped her, “Please let me continue and when you have the bigger picture you can respond. My father gave me a data store just before he left for battle on the Tantilis. That data store contains information on an entire ring of spies both here on the Grid and within our military.” Ashley sat up in her chair.
“The d
ata contains recordings of conversations between politicians, industrialists, ship building workers and many others. The lists are extensive and I am going to need your help with keeping this out of hands of SCore agents who might be working for the other side. And yes, there are several higher ups in your organization that are implicated. We are attempting to enlist those that we have confidence in to follow through with this information.”
I continued to detail many of the things we had found. The conversation then turned to the Admiral. Ashley spoke, “I have been tailing Admiral Zimmerman for several years. I know he has been building up a force outside of the Grid military. Evidence of that force disappeared almost a year ago. I have been working with Michael Felix to uncover whatever plot there was. Does the data contain anything on the Admiral?”
I shook my head, “No, the Admiral was not implicated. And he in fact has been one of the few willing to risk it all in defense of the Grid. The ghost fleet he was constructing was in response to the corruption he could see in the Grid politics. That force was infiltrated by another even more sinister race, the Durians. I have spent many months helping the Admiral to cleanse their influence from his ranks. It is something that just this past week we believe we achieved. The Admiral is working with us.”
I then went on to explain the Nation of Defiant, our ships and people and finally our battles with the Milgari. She was shocked to hear of the Torrians and of how the Milgari were only pawns. I then went on to detail our current plans.
I continued, “We need your help Ashley. The enemy has agents in the deepest parts of the Grid. There may even be influence in the gravity drive studies area. I will need for you to bring me a short list of names of at least four other SCore agents that you trust. And none of what I revealed here today can be discussed with anyone. That knowledge could easily get you killed or get us killed. Silence is imperative.”
We talked late into the evening. When Ashley had finished asking her questions she had a look on her face that was equal parts anger, fear and fatigue. Life as she knew it was only a small part of what was really going on. She spoke, “A part of me wishes I had not heard any of this. Even with all that I have access to in SCore, life was a much simpler proposition yesterday.” Ashley would have a largely sleepless night before her.
Chapter 18
In the weeks following my return the Admiral had arranged for a number of media interviews where I told of my running from the Grid when it became apparent that politics were involved in my being implicated in the murder of Dearest Creed. It had been the work of on overzealous prosecutor and his connection with a corrupt section mayor. The two men were in the process of being impeached from their positions in government over the ordeal. They had freely admitted to their mistakes.
There were still those who attempted to play the card of my fathers supposed traitorous act on the Tantilis. But counter reports were sympathetic to my cause as the son is not guilty of the sins of his father. I wanted badly to clear my father���s name, but I could not do so without tipping my hand of having knowledge about the spies on the Grid.
The news of spies would have to be planned out carefully so that all of the individuals implicated could be brought to justice at once. If it was leaked early on it was feared that many of those involved might flee. I was sure that they were promised asylum for their cooperation, but it would be an asylum that would never happen. The most likely outcome would be a quick execution by injection into the darkness of outer space.
The Admiral had the number three man within SCore, Walter Contin, counted amongst his allies. The four names that Ashley had given me of trusted SCore agents were turned over to Walter to build a special team. Their job, when the time came, would be to isolate and arrest any SCore agents or SCore managers who were implicated in the spy ring. Similar teams were being arranged throughout the workings of the Grid.
I desperately wanted to rekindle the romance with Ashley, but the tasks we had at hand kept her from closely associating with me. She was working with Michael Felix, trying to track down the whereabouts of the Admiral. Felix was becoming nervous that the Admiral was going to somehow derail his political machine. It was the Admiral that had gotten him to where he was, the absence of the Admiral had him worried.
Doris had been hard at work setting up the space for the Colonel���s intel team to occupy. When they arrived they immediately got to work on organizing the information we had attained. It would take months to put a plan in place to rid the Grid of its traitors. The task had only just begun.
With the commotion of the data store settling down I made my way back to the Suppressor to take part in the planned raids on the Milgari. The Dakar had repositioned much of their fleet along with the Prassi. The Torrians had responded in kind. The heart of the Torrian space was now guarded by smaller fleets of less than 100 ships. Those small fleets were our targets.
Our first such target was a system near the Teldaki world of Mortel. It was far enough from the Dakar border that it would be clear that it was not their doing. It would also leave us with four days before any Milgari response would arrive. By that time we would be well on to the second of our targets.
We had a chain of eight such targets laid out in a chain of strikes. If all went well the Milgari would respond by again dividing their large fleets. Once we were confident that event had happened we would again lay out a chain of new targets. It was a simple strategy, and if followed through properly, the Colonel and the Admiral were both confident of our ability to succeed. The Milgari elephant would be slowly eaten.
The Swift was loaded onto the Helix and we lifted off for the first of our engagements. Earlier intel had identified 76 Milgari ships along with two orbital ore processing facilities parked around the lone planet in the system. Our fleet consisted of 1,200 Hawks and 36 Raiders. If all went well the Hawks would decelerate and fire before the Milgari could even bring their cannons online. With our overwhelming force the battle would be over in minutes.
I sat in the mess hall with Frig and captain Jarrod over dinner just before our arrival. The topic of discussion was my father, “All those years I was angry that he might have turned his back on his own people. It was hard for me to swallow and as you know, kids of that age can be cruel. Prior to the event the walls of my bedroom were plastered with the battleships of the last 1,000 years.”
“There were 27 classes and at the time I could name every one. I remember the Basserman being my favorite because of the protruding bridge. It just looked cool even though it turned out to be a liability. It took six months after the Tantilis��� surrender before I tore the posters all down. I was an angry kid from then until becoming an adult.”
Jarrod replied, “Who can blame you. What kid wants to think his own father might have been a traitor.” I responded, “I think I was angry because I let myself believe that it was a possibility. Had I held onto what I wanted to believe I would have been a lot less angry with myself, but you can���t turn back the clock.”
Frig then offered a different thought, “I can only imagine what my father thought of me, his son, being a traitor to his people. I was angry that he was ignorant of the light that shown before me, but it was I who was ignorant. My father is no longer here to forgive me, that is a burden I will always carry. But you can forgive yourself for doubting your father. You were ten and you did nothing wrong.”
When we arrived at our target 1,000 Hawks decelerated and attacked all at once. In less than a minute the Milgari fleet was destroyed and the orbiting refineries were now headed towards the planet���s surface as large chunks of debris. The Raiders, accompanied by the remaining 200 Hawks attacked every surface target that had a Milgari signature. A garrison of 2,000 Milgari foot-soldiers was destroyed in only a few minutes.
After eliminating five ground targets the Helix lifted back into orbit. In only fifteen minutes the Milgari presence on and around the planet had been completely wiped out. For the nation of Defiant the losses were
zero.
It was a two day flight to the second target where 94 Milgari ships and a small space station were again parked in orbit. The planet was used for the production of building materials which were then transported to other worlds for whatever project the Torrians had going. The ground defenses and structures were far more numerous than those of the first target and the resulting raid lasted 37 minutes. Again our forces rallied and moved on without taking damage. The small orbiting space station had managed only two cannon shots with its weapons, both shots had missed.
The third target in the chain was a planet with several large orbital construction docks. Our earlier intel had identified 54 Milgari ships in orbit along with the two docks. When we decelerated we were in for a surprise. The original group of 54 ships remained parked near the construction docks, but a new fleet of 1,435 Milgari ships sat in a position near the planet���s second moon.
I immediately made my way to the Swift to join the fight, “Frig! Check the systems. We are jumping into this one hot!” The generators were powered on and the bay doors opened. We exited at near full throttle and immediately took two significant hits. I yelled, “Take out those two cannons!” Frig replied, “On it Sir!” Boom! Boom! “Cannons destroyed.”
As I circled back towards another Milgari vessel I noticed the casualty count on my console, we had lost 56 Hawks in the initial exchange while taking out 89 Milgari ships. I yelled out for status, “Frig! Our ships took a beating in that first round. Those ships are packing a bigger punch and taking more than the last two sets we encountered. I wonder if our friends the Durians have been selling more tech!”
I flipped hard as two ion bolts came our way, one clipped out port wing. Frig responded as he fired at the cruiser we now had in our sites, “Sir, those cannon blasts, the first shot shattered our outer skin. Those are not your standard Milgari battle cannons Sir. The second shot burned through five layers of Tantric.”
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